If you are looking for stilletto recommendations, you are in the wrong place. I need to be able to run after my kids without falling on my face. Want to know your smartphone's metapix? Sorry. I only write about whether it can survive 5 minutes in the hands of my kids.
Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, but look officially stylish with these three outfit ideas to wear to a barbecue, the beach or a farmer’s market!
Barbecue Outfit Idea
Wear a colorful maxi dress in a soft, lightweight fabric. Pair with a straw hat and bag, and a pair of espadrilles and you will put the bodacious in BBQ!
Weekend Outfit Idea
Another outfit idea is the trend of distressed jeans. Pick up a cropped pair or roll up an ankle length pair of light colored distressed jeans. Pair with a flowy top in a mint green or yellow for a trendy take on a t-shirt. Add a summer fedora and a high end pair of flip flops to keep the style quotent high and then hit the farmers market or outdoor art fair.
Beach Party Outfit Idea
Lastly, hit the beach with this cute outfit. Pick up an easy pull-on summer skirt in a mango, coral-red, and top with a white t-shirt or white cover up over a bikini top in a complimentary color. Grab a beach tote and cute flats and you are ready to hit the sand or grab a lobster roll at the local clam shack!
With these three outfits, you’ll definitely be memorialized in the fashion department! Happy Memorial Day!
My son went to his first dental appointment this past spring and luckily it went really well. Partially because of the dental practice we went to which was very child-friendly, and because we prepped our 3.5 year old too in making it seem like a fun experience even before we got there. Since then, he likes making a routine out of brushing his teeth at night with a recent addition of flossing too.
Fear of the unknown can have a negative impact on a child’s feelings toward their dental visits, and how we react to our own dental visits. (No more grumbling in the presence of the kiddos!) Ensuring that your child is familiar with the dental practice and the people that are going to help them keep their smile healthy will ease their fears and make the dental visit go smoothly.
Find a dental practice that is kid-friendly. Do they mention that on their website? When going for your own appointments, do you see a lot of kids? Do you see fun kid charts or stickers? All these things are clues that your dentist and the hygenists are ready to ease the fears of your kids and make it fun.
Bring kids along to your dental appointment even before they are old enough to go themselves. This will allow them to ask questions, see how each instrument will be used, and observe your experience. The added bonus is that it potentially can help them understand the importance of practicing good oral health behaviors even before they may have teeth of their own, like with my 10 month old! Just check with your dental office prior to your appointment to make sure it is okay to bring your child with you and if so, let them know how old they are. When I brought my preschooler and infant with me to a recent dental appointment, not only did they make sure I was in a room that could accommodate all of us and a stroller, they also had fun stickers and activities to keep my kids entertained! Which is why I knew they would also be great dental practice for my kids too!
Keep consistent dental visits. Making the cleanings happen every 6 months, as most dental carriers recommend, will enable your child to develop a sense of familiarity and comfort with the dental team, as well provide vital preventive care!
Reinforcing concepts such as daily brushing and flossing, by posting a calendar and rewarding your child a gold star or sticker for every day of teeth brushing or flossing (or both!) Help get your child excited about their next dental visit by bringing the calendar with you to show the dentist.
Allow your child to bring their favorite toy or blanket with them on their dental visit to give them an added sense of security and comfort. We use my son’s monkey to demonstrate flossing and other dental habits, but the dental practice we go too also has fun stuffed animals with large fake teeth and a large toothbrush to to use, which the kids get a kick out of.
Bring their favorite book to read to them during their dental appointment. Or in my case, I bring the iPhone loaded with fun apps, storybooks and movies. Heck, whatever works, right?
Let your child wear a costume on their dental visit or do something else, like having them make a homemade card or drawing, that they can bring to the hygienist or dentist. It takes the focus off of the dental visit and more on something fun!
For other tips on helping your kids brush their teeth, see my post here. In our family, we call the germs in our mouth, the “Mouth Monsters”, that we have to get rid of by brushing our teeth! Which is why I was excited to see the new Toothpaste and Toothbrushes from Disney’s Monsters Inc., for the new Monsters University movie coming out this summer! If you would like one of each, leave a comment below about kid tooth brushing tips, or your favorite Monsters Inc. character, and I’ll pick one person to win using “And the Winner is” WordPress plugin. For all the rules, click here! I’ll close the comments on May 30, 2013!
For other tips on dental care for kids, visit the America’s ToothFairy Kids Club at www.AmericasToothFairyKids.org. I’ve written about them previously here. Members of this club receive quarterly fun, educational activities, tips and personalized letters from the ToothFairy, which can be a great resource for parents!
A great spring into summer style trend for 2013 is the black and white color combination. I love this since black is a big part of my wardrobe. But adding a pop of white gives it a freshness that takes the black from winter to summer in a flash.
Again, this is an easy fashion trend to follow, as the picture below shows. Just take a basic black maxi dress and add a white flower that you can find on Etsy or in any accessory store. I like the flower because it is a nod to another style trend: florals. Alternatively, just add a white belt or add a white scarf. To dress it up more, add a white blazer, which can be perfect for work or a quick meeting with the preschool teacher. Yet, still an easy dress to chase after the kids.
Another idea is to wear a pair of black shorts and a black tee-shirt. The key is to keep the blacks the same color tone, or add another element, like this shirt that has with some lace detailing to break up the blacks. You can glam it up by having the fabrics more fluid. Then add a pair of black and white heels to keep the glam factor in high gear. Or switch to black and white flats for a more casual take on the outfit, which can be perfect for a lunch out with friends.
These next two outfit ideas are ones that should already be in your closet. Especially the yoga pants. You know you have them. Just put them on with a white tee-shirt but add a black and white scarf. Or put on a pair of white jeans (you can get cheap ones at Old Navy if you are worried about the longevity with kids) and top it off with a black tee-shirt with a print. Then in both cases, splurge on trendy flip flops, like these from Tory Burch to keep the elegance up.
All in all, this is a fresh yet easy trend to follow and whether it is a Old Navy Maxi Dress or a high end pair of flip flops, any Mom can incorporate this look into her wardrobe without much financial investment and can still chase after the kids on the playground. All while looking on trend in the process.
You go!
…………………………………………………. Image Credit: My Own. All Rights Reserved. Created on Polyvore.com
Disclosure: This post was not compensated.
For the six months, we have been diligent about making sure our 3.5 year old toddler brushes his teeth every night before bed. However, on a recent trip to the dentist for his first dental cleaning, we learned that we should be also floss his teeth every night too.
Now, if I had thought about it, that would make sense, but since my own flossing is sporadic, it is not something I really did think about teaching my son.
I don’t floss often because I hate how the floss gets stuck in my teeth and then I have this string of floss that I try to shake off to throw away, and it keeps getting stuck on my hand as I try to do that. Making it a big pain in the butt. I mean, as a busy Mom, brushing my teeth is a feat enough before I pass out flat on my face at night. I should get a pass, right?
Hmmm.
Okay, better set an example for the kiddos.
So I signed up for a blogger sponsored campaign where I would try the Oral-B® Glide Glide Floss. I’ve heard it is good in that is “glides” through your teeth making it easy to floss – about 50% easier. (Number one concern of mine addressed.) So I figured I’d give it a go and then also teach my son how to floss too, since we all know it helps fight cavities, plaque, gingivitis and other mouth monsters (that is what we call them). Plus, if we (and you) upload a picture of us each flossing on the Oral-B Facebook App, we can be entered to win cool prizes. Sweet!
Now I keep it in my purse for those steak-stuck-in-your-teeth-dinners-out and next to my toothbrush at home, and it is a nightly routine (okay, more-often-than-not nightly routine) for all of us.
Next up? My ten month old.
Well, when she finally gets her teeth….
But here are some ideas on how to floss your teeth with the kids:
1. Set an example. Let your kids see you brushing and flossing your teeth.
2. Start early. The earlier you start the habit and they get the sensation of flossing, the easier it will be to do with the kids.
3. Take it slow. Teach them to hold each end of the floss and to put it in between their teeth. Once they get that, then teach them to glide it back and forth.
4. Consider alternatives. If they can’t handle floss, then get the floss picks for easier handling.
You may have to do it early on for them, but over time, they should the hang of it. Just know that you might need to stock up on the dental floss, as my 10 month old shows in this video, (they make take more than they need.)
Happy Flossing!
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Image Credit: My own. All Rights Reserved with the exception of the Oral-B® logo.
Disclosure: I received a small stipend and product for this post. All content, however, is my own.
