A Solution to My Newest Old Lady Problem

Since I’m on the slippery slope to 40, I’ve been having some “old lady problems” – my low back muscles are often overly tight and I have to stretch to keep everything happy or I’m hit with back pain (and my left leg will fall asleep often too due to this). I have to keep  on top of it and it’s annoying. Also, the postpartum injury I got 10 years ago after Joshua was born to my left hand means my left arm often aches when I drive. And lately, I’ve got pain in my left heel from plantar fascitis.What? Geez. Might as well reserve a room in the nursing home.

Last year, I also welcomed a new ailment. I don’t think it really has to do with age but since I was over 35 when I got it, I lump it in with my old lady problems. This latest irritation is teeth sensitivity. All of a sudden, the teeth on the bottom left side of my mouth got REAL sensitive to cold and it hurts like a mother! So, I have to eat ice cream on the right side of my mouth only (shockingly, easier said than done) and whenever I enjoy a frosty beverage, you’ll find me drinking it like this:

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That’s right! A straw is my new drinking buddy! Taking a drink from a glass of cold water or Mountain Dew results in serious pain unless I use a straw. I’ve been using special toothpaste for sensitive teeth, and it seems to work for awhile and then stop working, so this whole sensitive teeth thing  has been a little frustrating and inconvenient. I mean, there have been times I’ve been caught without a straw and have had to choose between quenching my thirst or not being in pain. No fun!

Recently Crest and the One2One Network, the sponsors of this post, asked to interview me about my teeth sensitivity and asked if they could try a new Crest product for sensitive teeth out on me, too. Well, I’m always game to get in front of a camera, but I was nervous about trying the new product. Because…I was afraid they were going to make me test out how it worked by eating or drinking something cold and I was afraid that it would HURT!

When I arrived at the Crest event, they asked me a few questions and about my sensitivity and then presented me with this:

Crest Saturn Carton 6ct (lo-res, clipped)

I opened a little package and took out a small strip – much smaller than a white strip, but removing it from the package was similar – and put it on my teeth where my most sensitive spot is. It felt totally fine, it didn’t hurt at all, and it was easy to put on. Then, I kept it on while they filmed someone else. After abut 15 minutes, it was my turn to take the strip off and – gasp! – take the test to see if it worked. The test was, of course, the thing I feared most – drinking ice water without a straw. I was nervous as I poured the water in the glass of ice. My mouth didn’t FEEL any different than usual, so I was nervous that the Crest Sensi-Stop Strip hadn’t done anything.

But…as I anxiously took a sip of ice water…I didn’t feel anything. I mean, I felt cold water in my mouth but NO pain. It was amazing! It was just like the good ol’ days when I could eat and drink cold stuff like a normal person. Just to test it again, I took several more – and bigger – sips of ice water. I felt no pain at all. I couldn’t believe it! In just a few minutes the Sensi-Stop strip had totally erased my tooth sensitivity!

What I like about the Crest Sensi-Stop strips are that they are easy to use, not messy, and they WORK – but the best part is that the effects last for up to 30 days! As I am writing this it is 4 days later and my tooth sensitivity has yet to return. I am drinking from a cup with ice water like a boss without a straw and without pain. I can even crunch the occasional ice cube for old times’ sake!

Look Ma, no pain!
Look Ma, no pain!

So, I am sure you are wondering where you can get this awesome product! Here’s the catch: it’s not available until September when it will be at retail stores nation-wide (which is too bad because I would have bought some on the SPOT!) but never fear, you can pre-order them at Crest.com! If you have sensitive teeth, I highly recommend that you do so. I am definitely going to. I just can’t believe how well that little strip worked, and has kept working for days. I’m excited that it’s going to simplify my oral care routine (no more multiple brushings a day with sensitive toothpaste), too.

I can’t wait to get me some Crest Sensi-Strips!! Do you have sensitive teeth? What things are you sensitive to, and do you think you’d try a product like this?

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Mom’s Fave: Lands’ End School Uniform Review

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You guys know I loooove Lands’ End – it really and truly is about 95% of my wardrobe. But I also love Lands’ End for my kids, and school uniforms are no exception. This year is my 6th (can you BELIEVE that?) year with a kid in uniforms and Lands’ End are still my favorite hands down. Recently a friend who is sending her 3 boys to our school for the first time this year asked me advice on uniforms and I said “It’s an investment but since you have three boys in middle or high school, you need to buy Lands’ End for the hand-me-down quality and for the fact that they will take them back for any reason ever if you have a problem.”

And I think that’s all I really need to say! But I will add that they wash and dry wonderfully, better than any other brand I’ve used.

And now, the outfits and gear I chose for my kids this year!  I got Joshua a new backpack for middle school because his previous Lands’ End backpack, which he’s used for three years and still looks totally new, is a smaller size and he needs a bigger one for middle school. I chose the Featherlight Large Backpack:

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This thing holds a TON of stuff, check it out!

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Joshua loves it and he even did a review of it on KidzVuz.com which you can see here (not his best work but hey, he’ll get better!) Other things I like about it – it holds a lot but is lightweight and has padded straps to make it easy to carry!

Joshua’s lunchbox is in great shape and he’ll be using the same Lands’ End lunchbox for the 4th year! Sophie will be using hers for the 3rd year (and her backpack) so if you need a lunchbox, I highly recommend them!

Ok, now back to clothes: Here’s Sophie’s warm-weather look: short sleeve polo dress with school logo. I LOVE this darling dress!

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This washes like a dream, and it’s really comfortable for Sophie to run and play in. As are the cute Mary Janes she’s wearing. I got her a brown pair last year, and a black pair at end-of-season clearance last year, and now she has a navy pair, too! They are the BEST. They can go from church to the playground seamlessly and they hold up SO well.

For Joshua’s warm-weather look, I went with this orange mesh polo shirt – I love this color on Joshua and they way the school logo pops! I also went with the classic chino shorts. These look so polished and also come out of the dryer looking awesome. Joshua’s also wearing his Landon shoes from last year because they held up SO well and his feet didn’t grow too much this year. (He really hasn’t had a growth spurt in awhile, I know it’s gonna be soon.)

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Does he look ready for middle school or what??

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Next up, I went for a really versatile outfit for Sophie, a plaid skort she can wear in the winter with tights, and long sleeves and/or a cardigan,  or with short sleeves in warm weather. It’s pretty much my FAVORITE ever. Here she’s wearing it with a long-sleeve polo underneath this gorgeous fine gauge cardigan; of course she can also wear the cardigan for extra warmth over any shirt an with pants, a jumper, or a skirt.

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Isn’t it to die for?? I love the skort because it looks dressy like a skirt, but the built-in shorts make sure she can play and be modest at the same time. Oh my goodness, I would put her in this every day if I could. That being said, I also love Lands’ End shorts and pants for her. They fit great, wash perfectly, and have the adjustable waist that both of my big kids need.

And speaking of pants, here’s Joshua in a long-sleeve polo and the famous Lands’ End Iron Knee pants. These are the BEST. PANTS. EVER.

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These pants are really tough and can take all the wear-and-tear active kids put them through. Neither of my big kids has ever ripped out a knee in these pants – or torn any other part of them, either. They are tough and look so nice wash after wash!

Finally, the last thing I got Joshua this year is a uniform fleece. With the school logo on it, he can wear it over his uniform shirts for added warmth or as a jacket. If we have another winter like we did last year, I know he is going to need it! These also look awesome even after a million washes and they are SO darn warm and cozy!

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They look so nice and sporty, kids like to wear them as a jacket even when they aren’t at school.

If your kids wear uniforms, I definitely recommend checking out Lands’ End, especially if you have kids who will be wearing each other’s hand-me-downs – it’s so worth the investment to buy them once and hand them down!

Thanks Lands’ End, for once again allowing me and the kids to try out some new styles this year!

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Fantastic Giveaway From Pampers Wipes!

Happy Friday! My favorite brand in all of baby land has a great giveaway for you today and some pretty new wipes designs, too! You may remember back in October I went to Cincy for a blogger day as part of the Pampers Baby Board. It was not only fun, there was also business to be done! And one of those items of bizniss was voting on the designs for the next generation of Pampers Wipes that are in stores N-O-W! Here are the designs that my fellow  bloggers and I chose:

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Are they not the definition of totes adorbs? The whale design on the bottom is my fave! But the great thing about these wipes is what’s inside the package: a strong, thick, lofty wipe with a SoftGrip™ texture that really absorbs all that baby mess but is gentle on their skin, too. Pampers wipes are the best! I got to see an amazing strength test performed on them when I was at Pampers Blogger Day and it was really impressive and eye-opening!

So, when you are hitting up the drugstore or the grocery for some wipes, you know what brand to get – and look for these darling new designs. It was fun playing even a small part in their development.

To celebrate the release of these fab wipes, Pampers sent me a wonderful picnic prize pack with everything my family would need for a fun day out together – and they want to send one of you lucky readers one as well! Check it out:

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This literally came in the largest package I have ever received! Inside was a ginormous and gorgeous picnic basket, 3 packs of Pampers wipes, Pampers Easy-Ups (you can choose if you want diapers or Easy-Ups and what size you want), some great baby toys and supplies, an awesome mega-mat picnic blanket, and a Polaroid camera to document the family fun! It is so cool! I didn’t even know they still made those. Reminds me of my Grandpa. 🙂 This is one amazing prize pack! We plan to take a family outing with it this weekend, so I haven’t taken any pictures yet but I’ll share some soon!

Here’s how to enter to win this fabbbbulous family fun prize pack! Simply leave a comment on this post telling me WHERE you would picnic with it! One winner will be chosen Friday, August 15 at 6pm EST.

For more info on Pampers wipes and other great products, visit them on their website or Facebook page.

Thanks, Pampers, for the great giveaway. Good luck!

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