About a month ago, Kate and I packed up and headed to Beaverton, OR to visit the Nike world headquarters. As I told you then, it was an incredible trip.

Here are some highlights:

Aren’t I a good videographer? Just kidding, that video was courtesy of the Nike paparazzi who joined us that day (as are some of the other pictures in this post!).

The main focus of the event was the Nike Free line of shoes. They were kind enough to give each blogger and child a pair of their own, and let’s just say you could see our group coming!

These are the shoes that were waiting for me when we arrived at our hotel.

I am far too practical to ever have picked out bright orange/pink shoes… but I love them! The color makes them so much fun to wear – I am not exaggerating when I say that multiple people have pulled their cars over, rolled down their windows, and complimented my shoes as I’ve walked through town.

What I really love about my Nike Free shoes, though, is that I know they’re good for my feet. After having learned about all the science and testing that went into making them, I am totally confident in them.

And I have been walking in them a lot. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it on the blog yet, but I recently registered for a three-day, 60-mile walk. I know. Pure and total insanity, but a dear friend asked me to do it, and, you know, peer pressure and all that. So anyway, the walk isn’t until October but I am three or four weeks in to the 25-week training plan, so my Nike Free shoes and I have traveled nearly 40 miles together. Which means I’ve had a lot of time to think about how they perform! One thing I continually think of is one of the Nike guys saying they were designed so that the wearer can “feel the ground.” I didn’t quite get what he was saying at the time, and frankly I don’t have a good way to explain it in words here, but it’s true. I can really feel the details in the ground when I wear them. I know that makes no sense, but buy some and I promise you’ll be all “Oh, THAT’S what Emily meant!”

The first few times I wore them, my feet and shins were sore. Had I not known that that was the point, I may not have thought they were great shoes. But, that is the point – not being sore, necessarily, but the shoes are designed to strengthen foot, ankle and leg muscles. Strong muscles = fewer injuries. So, while they took some getting used to, I’m completely confident that they are the best shoes for me to wear while training and during the actual walk.

So confident, in fact, that I saw another pair of Nike Free shoes on sale over the weekend, and I had to buy them.

Look how bend-y they are!

They’ll live in my closet for a few months, I’m sure, but I will need them eventually! I am not the only one who loves these shoes, either – when I was buying my second pair, I overheard a teenaged boy telling his mom she should buy some Nike Free like he has, and when the salesperson brought my shoes to me, he said “These are great shoes – I have the men’s version myself.” It was like a Nike Free fan club.

My husband and both kids are also members of that fan club – I bought Andy and Sam a pair at the company store when we were on our trip, and they both love them as well. Just a couple days ago, Sam was putting on his shoes and he was talking about when I brought them back for him as a present from our trip. He said “I wasn’t really suspecting shoes for a present. But they grew on me and now I really like them!”

Kate (who is impossible about shoes. Impossible.) loves hers as well, and she can’t wait for the ones she designed herself to be delivered to our house!

Jill wrote in her recap of the trip that she’ll never buy another brand of sneaker – and I must say, I am right there with her. Nike Free forever!

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Kids Nike FREE Run: If your feet flex, shouldn’t your shoes flex too? Must-have flexibility for young feet.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Nike via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nike.

Kate and I have just returned from the most amazing trip to Portland, Oregon, where we were invited to a blogger event at the Nike World Headquarters. We had such an amazing time, and I am going to do my best to recap the highlights, but I’m sure I’ll miss some because seriously? Every part of it was a highlight.

I apologize in advance for the superfluous use of “amazing,” “awesome,” and “unbelievable” that’s sure to be rampant in this post.

It all started Thursday morning, when we woke up at the crack of dawn and headed to the Dayton airport.

Ready to get the show on the road!

It had been a while since Kate had flown, and she was a bit nervous.

Not so sure about this...

By the time we boarded the second flight from Atlanta to Portland, though, she was an old pro.

Nike made all the travel arrangements, and they flew us first class. That was a new experience for both Kate and me, and it was just the first indication of how thoughtful and generous Nike would be throughout the weekend.

We arrived at The Nines hotel, which was simply amazing. We immediately felt very welcomed by Nike, because we each had a gift bag waiting for us on our beds. Such a nice touch.

We attempted to explore a little bit but Kate was super tired and just wanted to hang out in the hotel. We did get out a while later, though, and experienced some fine Portland cuisine – Subway at the mall food court. My girl isn’t all that adventurous in her food choices! We went to bed early and slept for a long, long time – it was glorious.

The next morning it was time to go!

We met Jill from The Diaper Diaries and her daughter for breakfast, and then we joined the other bloggers and their kids on the bus to head to the Nike campus.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the paparazzi – otherwise known as the camera and video crew that would follow us around for the rest of the day. Not one to shy away from the camera, Kate posed like she had been doing this her whole life.

Our first stop was the kids lounge.

Before I go on, I just want to give Nike huge kudos for not only inviting our kids to attend the event with us, but for going to such great lengths to make it an unforgettable experience for all of us.

Seriously people, the kids lounge was so amazing. They led the kids to a row of lockers, each one with a name on it, filled with Nike shoes and clothes just for them. It was like Christmas morning. And the set up in there! They had everything a kid could want to do – from coloring to Wii, from Etch-a-Sketch to ping pong. It was unbelievable. And that was just where they were going to take breaks between all the rest of their experiences!

Next door, the bloggers had a lounge of our very own. It was just beautiful and once again the team from Nike had thought of everything – they even had power strips set up all along the bar for us to plug in throughout the day.

They started off by showing us a few Nike commercials on the big screen – and they were the perfect way to set the mood. Jill and I both tweeted that we were getting a little choked up.

Our first field trip was to the Nike research lab, in the Mia Hamm building. Basically no one is allowed in there, even some of their employees, because of the top secret things that they’re discovering about making shoes.

I had no idea so much went into the design of Nike footwear. They described the biomechanical tests they run, the years and years and years of research they’ve done on everyone from infants to elite athletes. It’s just unbelievable.

As we listened to the inspiration behind the Nike Free line, I thought about how I was super picky about the shoes my kids wore as infants and toddlers. I read a lot about the importance of shoes with flexible soles on developing feet. I wouldn’t put them in anything I couldn’t bend with one hand. However, as they got older, I kind of forgot about that, though, figuring it wasn’t so important. As it turns out, though, flexible shoes are extremely important for kids and adults alike, because they allow the muscles in the foot and ankles to develop, thereby preventing injuries. It only makes sense. In fact, they’ve discovered that the Nike Free shoe leads to a 10-20% increase in strength, a 5-10% increase in flexibility and a 20-22% increase in balance. That’s pretty amazing.

So, after a thorough tour of the lab (they even brought the kids down and let them perform some of the tests), we headed upstairs to hear from the head honcho of the Nike Youth division, as well as from a world-class athletic trainer. It was really interesting to hear the theories behind the shoes. I am a bit of a dork, but you already knew that. Oh, and we skyped with Mia Hamm.

While we bloggers learned from experts, ate lunch, and toured the Nike campus, the kids were off having the time of their lives. They climbed a rock wall and swam in the Lance Armstrong building. They created their own shoe designs using Nike ID. They met Olympic runner Amy Yoder-Begley. And throughout it all, the Nike employees who were in charge of the kids were texting pictures to the parents, so we could see what a great time they were having.

See what I mean? The Nike people thought of everything.

It was just such a wonderful experience. I still can’t get over how amazing it was, and how thankful I am to have been able to share it with Kate.

And I have so much more to share with you! To Be Continued…

Kids Nike FREE Run: If your feet flex, shouldn’t your shoes flex too? Must-have flexibility for young feet.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Nike via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nike.

I’m happy to report that while we’re not perfect, we’re doing a lot better at our house.

I’ve started flossing. I know. It’s miraculous. But when I floss and use Listerine Total Care rinse, I can’t believe how much cleaner my mouth feels (and is!).

My kids are all about using Listerine Smart Rinse too, which is great, because their brushing skills are still slightly suspect.

We hung this paper in our bathroom and the kids checked off each day, helping them to get into the habit of brushing/flossing/rinsing.

If helping your family establish better oral care habits is something you’d like to work on, click here to access to tips from leading dental experts and great values and prices on oral care products.

Here in Ohio, this week it’s really started to feel like spring. I wasn’t a huge fan of the time change the first few mornings, but the days being longer is so nice. We’ve been spending time outside and just tonight we fired up the grill for the first time. Kate and I took a walk last night after dinner – just the two of us… no little brothers, TVs or cell phones. We talked, made plans for the summer, and took note of the signs of spring we saw all over.

It’s warm, it’s sunny, it’s wonderful.

There’s just something about spring, don’t you think? Something freeing. It’s a time to start fresh, a time to leave worries behind. A time to live without worry. To open the windows and air out our houses, our attitudes, and our lives. I, for one, could use some fresh air, and I’m excited to see what this new season holds for us all.

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Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Sprint via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Sprint.

It’s dental hygiene.

It’s a terrible thing to admit, I know, but I am, uh, less than diligent about making my kids brush their teeth.

I know.

So when our friends at The Motherhood reached out and asked if I’d like to participate in the Listerine Healthy Habits for a Lifetime Oral Care Challenge, I thought that now’s as good a time as any (except, you know, like eight years ago) to start promoting healthy habits in my kids. After all, February is National Children’s Dental Health Month – we might as well celebrate.

The Challenge was kicked off in a webinar with oral care experts, and I learned some interesting things. Here are some tips for your kids from Dr. Kaneta Lott, DDS, a pediatric dentist:
–Make oral care fun (e.g., make it a game; brush, floss and rinse to music; etc).
–Reward their behavior (e.g., give gold stars for good oral care).
–Show, don’t tell – make oral care a family affair.
–Involve them in their own oral care routine by providing products like LISTERINE Smart Rinse, which can make the daily routine more fun, provides 12-hour cavity protection for kids and strengthens teeth 99 percent better than brushing alone.

I do… let’s see… none of those things.

And here’s more – I’m not a flosser. My teeth get flossed when I go to the dentist (which believe it or not, I do regularly), and that’s about it. I need to get on it, though, because according to the folks at Reach:
Many people don’t realize that brushing alone misses 75% of your mouth! And since there can be more germs in our mouth than there are people on earth, it’s more important than ever to make sure to do everything we can to keep our mouths healthy — including brushing, flossing and rinsing every day.

ohmahgah people, more germs in our mouths than people on earth.

Excuse me while I go floss real quick. And also gargle some bleach.

Anyway, to facilitate my participation in the Challenge, I received a box full of Listerine and Reach products – but to tell you the truth, we already had most of them! My kids have Reach toothbrushes and Listerine SmartRinse, and my husband can’t live without his regular Listerine. That stuff is a little much for me, so I was glad to find an alcohol-free version that’s a little less intense!

Of course, there’s also floss included… I am going to have to suck it up and get in the habit of using it.

I’ll report back in a few weeks to let you know how we’ve done with the challenge of basic grooming increasing our dental health, but until then, I’ve gotta know… am I alone here or do some of you struggle with getting your kids to brush their teeth well? If you don’t, any tips you could share with the rest of us?

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Disclosure: I received products and compensation from Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood
as part of my participation in the Oral Care Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own, as I’m sure they don’t want to be complicit in my dental negligence.

My sister and I had this memorized during high school. It was a neat party trick. And possibly explains why we weren’t invited to many parties.

Be back tomorrow!

From her website:
Rachel Simmons is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls, and The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence. As an educator, Rachel works internationally to develop strategies to reduce bullying and empower girls.

The talk will be focused on helping our daughters to discover and embrace the best parts of their authentic selves. It’s a topic I’m passionate about, and I’m sure you are too.

The conversation will take place on Tuesday, January 31 at 12:00 p.m. EST, on TheMotherhood.com.

Hope to “see” you there!

We’ll start with the Women’s Regular Long Sleeve Cable Turtleneck Dress.

Isn’t it pretty? It also comes in black, but I just love the Rich Red. It’s made from merino wool, which is soft and comfortable (and not scratchy at all). The cable knit adds a lovely design, without being bulky. I love this dress – it really looks and feels great.

It’s a great choice for a Christmas party… you could even add the Tartan Plaid Flower Pin for a little added festiveness (is that a word? Probably not, but you know what I mean. Festivity? Not sure. Anywho…)

But wait!

Want to wear it to the office in January? Belt it and wear black pumps, like in the picture above. Perfect.

OR, you could dress it down slightly and go with this look:

I love this so much, I can’t even describe it.

Put a white No Iron Pinpoint Cotton Shirt underneath…

Add tights, a belt, and slip on the Elizabeth Mid Heel Boot…

And there you go. One dress, three looks.

Love it.

So. We left Ikea and he was going to follow me to a Wendy’s across the street to get the kids a snack, only I couldn’t turn where I thought I could and passed up the Wendy’s, and he got stopped by a red light and was no longer on my tail. No big deal, right? EXCEPT – my cell phone battery was dead. Horror of horrors, I couldn’t call him to say I was going to stop at the next exit.

The only thing we could do was drive home independently, without communicating that whole entire 50-some minutes.

Yes, we both knew we were all headed to our house. Yes, we both knew how to get there. But it was so weird not to be able to touch base.

Of course, I remember the days before cell phones {shudder} and I know we all lived to tell about it. I remember having to, like, set a time and place to meet people. I remember holding up signs in the back window to communicate to friends in the vehicle behind us. But you’ve got to admit – it seems kind of hard to imagine now.

Here’s where I should jump on the whole “We are too dependent on technology these days!” bandwagon and pledge to throw out my cell phone and learn to use smoke signals.

But you know what? I really like being able to call my husband and tell him to meet us at the next Wendy’s down the road. It’s pretty darn convenient, and let’s be real, convenient is good.

Jenny and I held out a long time (in the world of bloggers, at least) before getting smart phones. It was not until last fall that we finally broke down and got Droids. Was it an absolute necessity that we get them? No, of course not. Does it make life easier at times? Yep. And not just so I can check Facebook every few minutes or tweet whenever I have a random thought – but in ways that are convenient and even safer at times. I’ve been in situations a couple times recently that I’ve been completely lost (that is hard for me to admit, as I pride myself on my sense of direction) and I’ve been really, really glad I had my Droid Bionic there with its handy GPS and Google Maps. Like I said, it’s convenient.

Right now I’m sitting in a hotel room using the Bionic’s tethering feature to provide a wifi hotspot for my iPad so I can write this blog post. I could live without it (and I’m sure you could live without this nonsensical drivel) but very handy at the same time.

So, what do you think? Are we too reliant on technology? In what ways does technology make your life easier?

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This post is part of our participation in Verizon Wireless’s Midwest Moms campaign. They are letting us try out the Bionic.