Listerine and Reach: An Oral Care Challenge

I have to confess I'm happy that Halloween is over. While I love to drag out the spooky decorations and take the kids trick-or-treating (and yes, chocolate is my weakness), I worry about the impact all that candy has on my kids' teeth and I'm a wee bit obsessive about making sure they brush often.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) states that despite parents' best efforts, 50 percent of children will have a cavity between the ages of five and nine. We all know that candy and soda are often to blame, however even seemingly healthy foods like fruit juice and milk can be the source of cavities. My own dentist shared (horror) stories about some infants having tooth decay from always walking around with a bottle of milk.

Protecting our kids from cavities should be a parent's top priority. The AAPD recommends that parents schedule an appointment with a dentist as soon as the first tooth appears. I'm sad to report I didn't know this until now, and Dawson has had a cavity before entering kindergarten, even though he brushes morning and night. Getting him into the habit of taking care of his teeth was not easy. I had to practically force him to open his mouth those first few times.

Recently we had the opportunity to participate in the Listerine and Reach Oral Care challenge as part of a blog tour sponsored by Mom Central Consulting. We received an array of tooth brushes and flossing tools, as well as 7 different mouth washes (Listerine Smart Rinse, Listerine Zero, Cool Mint, Agent Blue pre-rinse and more!).



Our family brushed daily and used Listerine mouth wash after flossing. My husband likes the mint flavor best. I'm not really picky as long as my mouth feels clean. Dawson loved the batman tooth brush and after bribing him with TV time he tried the "Batman" Smart Rinse and didn't complain too much. The goal was to complete this oral care routine for a month, and we managed to get 3 weeks in before this review.

Dawson loves the Batman toothbrush, too. This brush helps easily clean those hard to reach places. I like the soft bristles that are designed for new and developing teeth. The brush head is not too big, so it fits well into a child's mouth and the ergonomic handle helps Dawson hold the brush in his hand.

Our family dentist was extremely happy that Listerine and Reach had teamed up to encourage families to get involved in oral hygiene. I'm just glad that we're setting a great example for our boys. The makers of Listerine and Reach have also teamed up with America's Toothfairy to launch "Trick or Treat for America's Toothfairy," a campaign to raise awareness of pediatric dental disease and help provide life changing care to underserved children. Please visit the America's Toothfairy website for more information.

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I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of LISTERINE and REACH and received products to take the Oral Care Challenge. Mom Central Consulting also sent me a Global Giving gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Baby Food: Making it Easy with Annabel Karmel & Infantino

A few weeks ago I received Annabel Karmel food making products from Infantino as part of a Mom Central Consulting blog tour. I have to say, this stuff is pretty darn awesome:



As mom to a 13 month old who never really cared for processed baby food, I always wanted to make my own baby food but never really knew how to begin or what products to try. I'm grateful to be able to try these products. So, let me share my thoughts!

First things first, the Fresh Food Mill is fantastic. Owen loves fresh fruits and vegetables but with only so many teeth it's hard for me to serve some of them without spending hours in the kitchen steaming and mashing or cutting them into bite-sized pieces. This food mill allows me to make purees that are fresh tasting and easy for Owen to eat.

The Steam Release Micro Dish is a wonderful complement to the Fresh Food Mill because it is the ideal size container for cooking single-serve portions. After steaming carrots I can then use the food mill to make a puree. So far I've steamed potatoes, peas, beans and broccoli and have used the food mill to grind them up and Owen loves them! The great part about these products is that recipes are included inside the packaging as well as on the outside of the box.

Next up, the Mash & Serve Bowl is great for smashing sweet potatoes and steamed cauliflower. I even use it to trick Dawson into eating "mashed potatoes" which are half potatoes and half cauliflower. These products are BPA free, so I don't have to worry about nasty chemicals going into our foods.

For food storage, we received 6 Stackable Food Pots with easy-to-seal lids in three great colors; pink, green and blue. These containers are dishwasher, freezer and microwave safe, too. The down right perfect! We also received a Freeze Tray with nine 1 oz. sections, or food cubes, that make it easy to freeze and store the freshly prepared baby food for later consumption.

Then we've got the Fill & Freeze Puree Pops which remind me of those Tupperware freezer pop makers that my mother used to make Kool-Aid pops when we were kids. I like diluting fruit juice with water to make perfect pops when the boys have colds. They still get some nutrients and stay hydrated, too. These are also perfect for babies who are teething. Freeze a puree and use a pop to soothe tender gums. This product is also freezer and dishwasher safe and so easy to clean.

Last but not least we got a Double Decker Meal box which has 2 single-serve microwavable dishes, 2 large compartment storage containers and 2 plastic spoons (one is really a spork). I like that I can store either small or large portions and take them on the go. Being so busy, this is one item that is easy to use and fits great in our diaper bag.

I really like the products because of they are easy to use, BPA free, most items are freezer, dishwasher and microwave safe, and let's face it, they are so cute to look at. Annabel Karmel designed fabulous products and I'm so glad that Mom Central sent them to us to try on behalf of Infantino.

Stay tuned for another post with recipes and photos of our creations!

For more information about the Annabel Karmel products, visit the Infantino website. Be sure to check out Infantino's brand new website, too!

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I am a participant in a Mom Central Consulting campaign for Infantino and have received various Infantino products as part of my participation.

Shutterfly: The Place to Create Your Photo Cards

Since Halloween is one of my favorite holidays (hello! chocolate!) I decided to take a picture of my sweet boys in their Star Wars costumes and then create a photo card to send to the family. Dawson dressed up as a Shadow Trooper this year and little Owen donned the cutest Yoda costume ever. His chubby cheeks definitely made the costume work.

Here's my creation, made at Shutterfly:

The thing I love most about photography is setting the scene of my photos. I love finding the perfect backgrounds and capturing a smile or twenty from the the boys. What I love most about Shutterfly is the great number of creative options for my photo cards.

Shutterfly offers great value when it comes to cards and stationary, but you can create photo books as well as order prints, calendars and photo gifts, too. The possibilities are endless.

Last year I designed our Christmas photo card using Shutterfly. I wanted to get that perfect picture of then 5-year-old Dawson and 2-month-old Owen and make the sweetest holiday card. Fifty less-than-stellar photos later, I decided to throw in the towel. Both kids were crying and I snapped a picture. Then creative genius hit. I decided to use the crying shot and this is what I came up with:



How can you not love that? I can't wait to make our 2010 Christmas card.

Here's something else to love!

Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards. You don't want to miss this deal!

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Full Disclosure:  I've used Shutterfly for my photo card needs for past two years.  While, I wrote this review as part of a free holiday card promotion sponsored by Shutterfly, and will receive a promo code for 50 free photo cards, the opinions expressed in this blog post are entirely mine, and have not been influenced by the brand and/or company that partnered with me.

Halloween Photo Card 2010

Little Goblins Halloween Card

Make a statement with Shutterfly Halloween photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Good Health is Under Way!

For as long as I remember I've struggled with my weight. I have this perception of my body that is probably very skewed, but being overweight is part of that problem. My weight is the result of a hormonal imbalance (I was diagnosed with PCOS in 1998) as well as my difficulty with emotional eating. When I'm sad or depressed I turn to the ice cream and potato chips.

Wait. Let me rephrase that. I used to turn to the junk food. Over the last few years I've gradually learned to eat healthier and cut out all the garbage (but I confess: when I was pregnant, I didn't care what I ate, I was hungry ALL the time).

Now I read labels and count calories and squeeze in cardio and weight training whenever I can. I'm feeling good about myself and taking on new challenges (like training for a 5k! Who knew?).

Recently I had the opportunity to try several health food products. The first is a health drink called UNDERway. It's an appetite suppressant supplement drink that suppresses your appetite naturally and quenches your thirst. It's filled with HeroFiber™ (a super fiber) and vitamins. One bottle of UNDERway delivers the equivalent of 9 grams of fiber nutrition which is nearly a third of your daily recommended requirement of fiber content. And this drank is only 20 calories.

The Acai-Pomegranate drink is my favorite. I like the taste and it quenched my thirst just as expected. I will say that I slammed the drink after a work out and had a bit of a stomach afterward, but I'm thinking this is because I was a bit dehydrated. I'm so used to drinking water and maybe my body was in a bit of shock to drink something so flavorful. UNDERway also comes in Grape and Orange flavors as well.

The other products are part of the Smart for Life program. I sampled oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, chocolate mountain cupcakes (SO, SO GOOD!) and carrot cupcakes that were delicious and filling, made with the same HeroFiber.

At first it was hard to get used to the flavors because I'm so used to eating food that is super sweet. These desserts are actually good for you. My favorite are the Smart Crunch. I can't describe as anything like I've tasted. They are gooey but crunchy and definitely cure my crunchy cravings.

My husband tried the Momma's Chicken Noodle soup and loved it! He said it was the best "diet" soup he'd ever tasted. And the Smart Bagels are so darn good. I wish I had two packages of those!

After trying the products, exercising and getting enough rest, I lost 5 pounds over two weeks. I'm not sure if these products are the reason, but I do know they motivated me to be healthy.

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I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of underWAY and Smart for Life and received samples of the products to review.