How to Prevent Cavities

Between moving to Utah/getting married and having our first little one I worked at a dental hygiene college. I am passionate about teaching and love working with children. That is all I had ever done. In fact I left a job I loved working with a Head Start Program in Arizona. I was so disappointed to not be able to find a job in that field. However, in hind sight, what a blessing that job was working at the dental hygiene college. I met some of my very good friends there. One of them being Candi. Read more about Candi and her feelings of motherhood in a previous post I did about her here. I learned a lot during my time there and continue to learn a lot from my dental hygiene friends. Candi was sweet enough to write up a post to share with us about what we can do to prevent cavities!

via google images

I have a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene.  I am passionate about prevention.  I love learning about dentistry. I spend time reading to my baby about different dental topics almost everyday.  I just can't get enough!!   Its exciting to think that if you do your part that your children can have a healthy mouth. Healthy mouth = a healthy body.

I have seen a lot of moms discouraged because their child has a mouth full of cavities. The mom is faced with a huge expense of getting the decay taken care of.  Not to mention, a child that is terrified of the dentist now probably will be for life.   The mother doesn't know what she could have done different.  I don't think its  the mom fault at all.  I think there is a huge gap of knowledge between dental professionals and parents.  

 I must say that when I first started in the dental field I was under the impression (that most parents are) that cavities were caused because the child ate too much sugar.  Or that some people just had weak teeth. I thought that probably everyone was going to experience having a cavity at some point...and if he/she didn't..it was because he/she got lucky.  I no longer think that way.  Most parents think that its not if but when their child gets a cavity.....

  ATTENTION Parents:  CAVITIES ARE PREVENTABLE!!! 

Some parents might think that it doesn't matter if their kids teeth get cavities if they're not in the childs permanent teeth.  The truth is the baby teeth can affect the permanet teeth coming in, so it does matter. Also if you are proactive in taking care of your babies mouth he/she will avoid alot of dental pain.  And you will save a lot of money.  Not to mention, a healthy mouth is directly related to a healthy body.  Give your baby/child the best start you can.  

Here are some things I like to tell my patients.  If you guys have any questions please write a comment and I will write back.  (also let me know if you want to see any of the journals I got my info from)

First things first...Take care of your own mouth!!  The harmful bacteria in your mouth can be transferred to your child’s mouth.  Studies indicate that babies mostly have their moms bacteria.  As moms we kiss, blow food off, lick pacifers (eww), etc.... So get your mouth under control so you are not passing bacteria that causes cavites to your baby.  People often don't think of cavities as something that can be passed...Bacteria that cause cavities can be passed from person to person!! 

For those that aren't familiar with how cavities work its not about how much sugar but how often.  I learned in school that it would be better for you to give your kids ALL of their Halloween candy at once than to have them take a bite of a candy bar every hour (probably not the best thing for their health to have it all at once ;) but its just an example.

 Its about FREQUENCY not QUANTITY. Everytime sugar or other carbs are consumed the bacteria feeds off the sugar and produces acid.  The acid drops the PH of the mouth and demineralization of the teeth takes place.  It takes time for the mouth to get back to a normal PH where it can start remineralizing again.

What can you do?  I made a list of things you as a parent can do. 

I included cariostatic foods.  Which are foods that actually help prevent tooth decay.  These foods make great snacks and are great foods to end sugary meals or beverages with.  There was a study done where they ended school aged childrens meals with a cube of swiss cheese and the caries rates dropped significantly.  I encourage you to add some of these foods to your kids diets.  Or atleast rinse with some water after your child eats a sugar or carb food.

I also included xylitol.  For those that are not familiar with xylitol it is a natural sugar.  (The stuff is amazing).  It comes from birch bark, fruits (including strawberries), corn cobs and even your body makes small amouts.  Xylitol acts like a fiber in the body so it doesn't give you sugar spikes (also has less calories than sugar).  Xylitol has been studied for over 100 years.  It has been studied in dentistry for over 40 years.  The bacteria in the mouth cannot process xylitol (it has 5 carbon units instead of 6) and therefore cannot produce acid.  They have found 80% reduction in cavities in children that are exposed to xyltiol 5x daily. (Brush kids teeth with xylitol and then give them gum, candy or mints after meals that are 100 % xylitol).   In some countries xylitol is given to kids at school as a way to prevent cavities. 

Probably the MOST important thing you can do is Brush your kids teeth after them!!!!  They are not old enough to even attempt to brush alone until they can tie their own shoe laces. And DON'T let them sip on sugary juices or beverages throughout the day and especially not in bed.  (this includes putting the baby down with milk)


BRUSHING

• Wipe infants teeth off with a damp cloth or xylitol wipes (Spiffles)
• Always brush your child’s teeth after they do (at least until age 7)
• Set timer or play/sing a fun song for two minutes 

Brush with age appropriate toothbrush and toothpaste or xylitol toothpaste

•               “smear” of toothpaste for children less than two years of age.

•               “pea-size” amount of toothpaste for children two to five years.

FLOSSING

• Floss teeth that are in contact with one another 

FLUORIDE

• Fluoride drops starting at 6 months of age (in non-fluoridated areas) 
• ACT Fluoride mouth rinse for children 6 and older.  (Dip toothbrush in act fluoride if your child cannot spit.) 

CARIOSTATIC FOODS 

•  End snacks or meals with the following foods that help prevent tooth decay:

hard cheeses (like swiss)

yogurt

 milk

nuts

 popcorn

dark chocolate (80 % cocoa)

licorice (from health food stores)

 fibrous fruits (including apples, not apple juice)

  vegetables (like celery)

XYLITOL 

• Expose teeth to 5-10 grams of xylitol (= 2 tsp of xylitol) 5x daily- Studies show it reduces tooth decay up to 80% and ear infections in a recent study by 93 %
• Brush morning and night with xylitol toothpaste. 3x daily let your child end meals with a xylitol product.
• Xylitol gum (Spry)
•  8 ounces water with 1/4 tsp of Xylitol dissolved
• Xylitol mints or candy
•  Xylitol lollypops

AVOID The Following

• Sippy cups or bottles at sleep time
• Juice or sugary beverages in-between meals
• Frequent snacking on sugary foods ( foods not listed above)
• Sharing toothbrushes

Limit The Following:

• Sticky, Starchy or Sugary foods that can stay on the teeth for extended periods of timeExamples: Fruit Roll-Ups, potato chips, candy or sugary mouth lozenges or gum

Products To Be Purchased:

• Xylitol products can be found at your local health food store or on the Internet
• ACT mouthwash and children’s toothpaste can be found in the dental isle of most drug stores or super markets

10 Tips for Better Behavior Part 2

Did you find any of the resources helpful from Part 1. Here are the second half of Amy McCready's tips from this article with some more hopefully helpful resources!

6. Simplify family rules and stay firm. This is one that I need to work on with my little family. My kids who are almost 4 and 2 are getting old enough to understand and old enough to help set some rules. I would love to have a family night and write our rules out along with consequences. Amy encourages that the rules be simple and concise.

Amy hosts a free webinar that gives a little sample of her program and shares the 5 R's of fair and effective consequences. Those 5 R's include:

1. Respectful—you need to be respectful to your child and to yourself. If you can’t deal with the situation right away, wait until you can be calm, collected, and respectful.

2. Related to the misbehavior—Make sure the consequence is related to the behavior so the learning event can take place. For example, if your daughter back talks, you shouldn't discipline her by grounding her from her sleepover.

3. Reasonable in duration—The discipline should be reasonable for the age of the child. McCready recommended taking a puzzle away from a three-year-old for a day and video game privileges away for a week for a teenager.

4. Revealed in advance—You must reveal the rule and the consequence in advance. This gives your child the opportunity to make the choice. This gives them power and control over the situation.

5. Repeat—Have the child repeat the rule back to you. You now know that your child understands the rule and the consequence, and you now have a verbal agreement.

7. Send Time Out to The Side Lines. I am guilty of time out at times, but in all honesty I know it is not very effective. She suggests asking, “What can we do differently next time?” and role play the do-over.

8. Just Say No to Saying No. Find opportunities to say yes and redirect "no's" into a more positive option. 

9. Don’t worry, be happy. Be the example you want your kids to see. Think about how your kids might describe you to their friends – would they say you’re fun and lighthearted, or that you’re stressed and bossy? Try changing your energy by simply smiling more. It will help you keep calmer in times of stress, and your kids will notice and keep their behavior more positive, too.

10. Don’t ignore the source of misbehavior. You really should sign up for her free webinar. Again, here is the link, but she suggests 3 reasons as sources of misbehavior: attention, power and control. Find out what is causing the misbehavior. 

10 Tips for Better Behavior Part 1

It's ironic that I planned on sharing this today because boy have we had a morning! All my little angels are napping now, but we sure had some serious behavior problems this morning. If you follow me on facebook, which I hope you do, you know that I love Amy McCready and her Positive Parenting Solutions program. I should clarify... I am still saving my pennies for her actual "program", but I love what she teaches and follow her blog and read all her articles. She is a true inspiration to me. See her entire article here, but I want to outline her 10 steps with a few thoughts, experiences and resources...

1. Invest in one-on-one time with kids daily. 
This is so important. I read Amy's book, "If I have to tell you one more time" a while ago and shared a post about her method "Mind, Body and Soul." Read the post I wrote here. Basically it is being present with your child with your mind, body and soul for at least 10 minutes. In her free webinar she talks about the reasons behind misbehavior and one the main reasons is their need for attention. I have put this to the test and I can tell you that when I take 10-15 minutes, even just 5 minutes, to sit down and play a game with my girls or to color with them or just simply be there with them without any distractions, their behavior is so much better! 

• use the time to do what they want to do
• put away phones, turn off the TV- do not be distracted
• 
  

2. Get Serious About Sleep. 
Oh we all know what cranky kids are like. I was blessed with early birds, so early bed times and naps are not negotiable. I really like this short little article from Power of Moms and love the book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. 

3. Focus on Routines
Kids thrive on routines and like to know what to expect. I really liked this daily routine for the kids. We used it for a long time, but the kids got to the point that they knew the routine without having it posted. My almost 2 year old is at a point where I will probably bring it back because she could benefit from having it posted. If money grew on trees though I would get this routine, "chore" chart, goal chart all in one... Have you seen this? It's called the Family Do Dots System. Check it out here. Keeping my fingers crossed that I can do a review and giveaway.

4. Everyone pitches in. 
For better behavior, kids need to understand that everyone needs to contribute to make a household run smoothly. All kids, from toddlers to teens, should have “family contributions” (not “chores!”) they do daily – this helps bring your family closer together, teaches them life skills and works to prevent the entitlement epidemic. Our almost 4 year old totally understand this. She understands that I mom is doing her contribution of fixing dinner so she has to contribute and set the table. She even sometimes tells me I need to do my contributions like the other day after her sister made a mess and there were cracker crumbs every where she said, "Mom, can you do your contribution and vacuum?" 

5. Encourage your kids to be problem solvers.
My oldest of 3 is not quite 4, so my kids are young but I think that this is so important and this article by Dr. Michele Borba is a great resource. The article is all about conflict resolution  and teaching kids to take a S.T.A.N.D. to Solve a Problem. Check out her entire article here. 

S – Stop and calm down. Keep emotions in check.

T – Tell what’s bugging you. Listen to each side. Stick to facts!

A – Assess alternatives. Brainstorm your options.

N – Narrow the choices to “win-wins”

D – Decide on the best one that you both agree upon -and  do it!

Check back for the next 5 tips!

The Ultimate Babysitters Guide

How do I ease separation anxiety? {tips from babycenter.com}

Try not to let your child pick up on any feelings of apprehension. If you're worried, she'll pick up on your anxiety and feel anxious too.

Treat brief separations casually – don't get worked up or linger over saying goodbye, for example – and your baby will learn that there's nothing to worry about. And if she's happy, you're happy.

Make sure your child is well rested and fed when you go out. She's more likely to have a hard time when you leave if she's tired, hungry, or not feeling well.

It's a good idea to pay the sitter to come over for an hour or two a couple of days before you plan to go out. That way, she can get to know your baby and you can see how they get along. Then ask her to come a half hour before you're ready to leave so your baby can ease into the transition.

Don't sneak out without saying goodbye, but do check that she's enjoying a new toy or fun activity with the sitter when you're ready to leave. Then say goodbye and leave promptly.

Remember, you not only deserve but need to have a little time to yourself. And don't count time spent at work as time spent alone. If you work, you'll still need occasional time away to exercise, see friends, or spend an evening with your partner.

Of course you'll miss your baby, and you may feel guilty about going, but take it easy on yourself. If you find that you feel so guilty that it interferes with your ability to enjoy your time away, try leaving your baby with someone she's already familiar with – this will help ease separation anxiety for both of you.

Babysitter Notes Free Printable 

{Free Printable} Toddler Food Ideas

Babysitter Kit Ideas for when you bring your child to the babysitter

Babysitter Bag with everything the babysitter needs for a successful night. Some things that may be included: 

• microwave popcorn*
• smarties (never know when you are going to need a little bribe!)*
• coloring book
• markers
• bedtime book
• craft packs
• wet wipes
• stickers
• basic first aid supplies (contained in a small organizing bag with wrist strap)

Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Bath Toy Solution

I have been overwhelmed with bath toy clutter for a couple years now and have tried numerous baskets and expensive bath toy holders to no avail. Can any moms relate? For about $12 at IKEA I found the perfect solution! The "trash baskets" are found in the kitchen section and the hangers are found in the bath section of Ikea. This seriously has been a life saver for me. 

5 pack hangers- $7.99 http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90225793/

trash basket- $3.99 http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80182237/

Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Disney Replacement Program

Did you know Disney will replace scratched or broken DVDs or Bluerays?! If you accidentally damage or break one of your DVD or Blu-ray discs, you can get a replacement for a nominal charge of $6.95 for per DVD and $8.95 for per Blu-ray disc. Follow the link below for the details!

http://www.disneystudioshelp.com/detail_TOPSUPP_DiscReplace__SUPPORT.html

Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Stuff Control

Ready to get that post-holiday clutter under control? I tried really hard to get everything decluttered and organized before the end of the year to avoid the post-holiday clutter, but December was a busy month full of fun and memory making as well as sickness in our home that took it's toll. Thankfully, the following tips are not knew to us so things are not totally out of control, but regardless to where we are on the clutter control scale in our home, it is something that continuously needs to be done because clutter has a sneaky way of creeping up on us!

I love this article from Power of Moms with tips on how to get your "stuff" under control. Worth the read, but here are the 2 simple tips: Downsize your current stuff and don't by stuff! Read the complete article for details.

Downsize your current stuff: 

• If in doubt, throw it out."
• When something comes in, something must go out.
• embrace an "abundance" mentality. 

Don't buy things:

Ask yourself-

• Do I need this? Really?
• Where will I store it?
• How will I maintain it?
• Will it really make my life easier or better?

I also love these ideas:

Something I struggle with in many aspects of my life is making things more complicated than they need to be, so this will be a life long motto that I will need to remember. 

Hopefully, some of these tips & tricks will help you get your stuff in control. What tips and tricks do you use that help you?

Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Earn FREE gift cards... There really is no catch!

How would you like to have Christmas paid for? Sign up for Swagbucks! In a nutshell, Swagbucks is a search engine similar to google. The more you search, the more points you earn. I simply use Swagbucks to search. There are lots of other ways to earn bucks too, such as a daily poll, surveys, printing and redeeming coupons, watching video clips, etc. Searching an coupons are basically all I do because it doesn't take any more of my time or work than I would already be doing without using Swagbucks. I also often do the daily poll because it takes 15 seconds. I  have done a lot of my Christmas shopping on Amazon for FREE because I have earned lots of Amazon gift cards using Swagbucks. I also prefer shopping online most of the time so I came take the time to look at reviews and compare prices. Shopping through Swagbucks is also an easy way to earn bucks. There really is no catch. I have earned over a hundred dollars in the last little bit. It does take a little time to rack up the points, but if you are doing any online shopping for Christmas, search for you stores through Swagbucks and you can earn points (swagbucks) for every dollar spent. I have ordered several things from Target and with the points per dollar I have earned it is like getting 4% back! Start now and by this time next year you can have a good amount of free gift cards to spend on your Christmas shopping! Click HERE to sign up! Sign up is quick and easy. Please comment or email me at thejoyofaprofessionalmom@gmail.com if you have any questions! Happy swagbucking!

Think about it Thursday: How to Raise a Happy, Successful & Cooperative Child While Disciplining Less

I came across this poster on where else, but Pinterest. And I loved it's simplicity. Who doesn't want to raise a happy, successful and cooperative child? Discipline less and have a happier child... sing me up! I read the book, Happiest Toddler on the Block by and it describes my Sage girl's personality as the "spirited" child. She is so loving and sensitive, but like all of us... she has another side to her and sometimes I honestly do not know how to handle it. I'm always looking for a better way and reevaluating our current strategies. I don't by any means think this lil poster has all the answers, but it was a reminder to me that each child is so different and what may work for one, may not work for another depending on personality and temperament. Something to think about! 

Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Save Money

Save money using Retail Me Not. I never buy anything without first checking this site or using their app first when I am out and about. There is almost always a coupon! So, before shopping check and see if there is a coupon first!

Tips & Trick Tuesday: What to do with all the Halloween Candy

Besides eat it of course! Don't get me wrong, we love some sweetness around here and we will be keeping our fair share, but usually we get more than anyone should consume. What do you do with the tons of candy? Probably eat it right? Against your will too, huh? Well, I have a few tips for what you can do this year with all the Halloween galore!

1. Participate in a candy exchange. Many dentists offer candy exchanges. You turn in some candy and get healthy treats in exchange. Or you turn in some candy, and they pay you $1 per pound. They donate the candy to soup kitchens or to troops overseas. Check out this website to find a participating dentist near you.

2. Your Halloween candy could be included in care packages that are sent to soldiers serving their country far from home. Here are two organizations that ship packages to the troops. Below are two organizations that ship packages to the troops. Only non chocolate items because of melting. 

http://www.operationgratitude.com/howtohelp.php?page=individual
http://operationshoebox.com/?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=16

3.  Have your children exchange their candy for something else — like a book or a toy. Make it fun by using a scale to weigh the stash — for example, maybe they could earn a book for every pound of candy they trade. 

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween! 

Tuesday Tips & Tricks: Free Giftcards?!

This is not a gimmick and there really is no strings attached. This is just a tip and trick to help earn a little extra money! I have earned $100 in amazon gift cards in a short time with very little effort. Have you heard of swagbucks? Let me explain it as simply as possible.

• It is an online rewards program
• You earn "Swagbucks" (digital dollars) by
• using the Swagbucks search engine to search the web (swagbucks are rewarded randomly)
• shopping online. There is a list of stores that if ordering online Swagbucks will pay you a number of swagbucks per dollar spent at designated store. Some stores include Walmart, Target, Nordstrom, Best Buy... there is a huge, long list! 
• Voting in a daily poll which takes seconds to do
• surveys
• completing special offers
• watching videos 
• printing and redeeming coupons

(I have earned most of my swagbucks by simply searching the web and by shopping online, which I would already be doing, but I get some money back for doing it! I have occasionally done surveys as time allows, which is not often)

• There is a rewards store that includes gift cards to just about anywhere. I have just chosen to redeem mine for Amazon giftcards, which has paid for birthday gifts, baby items and will also be paying for part of Christmas gifts. 

Click here to sign up!

Tuesday's Tips & Tricks: Once a Month Cooking!

Let me start by saying that I am in no means an expert in once a month cooking. Keep in mind that there is a ton of information out there on once a month cooking. I am always looking for new recipes and love finding ways to simplify my life where I can (my husband would probably say different about me simplifying!) I went to an activity sometime last month called, "These are a few of my favorite things" and there were several presenters who shared thing they love. One woman shared freezer/crockpot meals and this really caught my attention. Since becoming a mom a couple years ago the majority of my meals are crockpot meals and the ones that are not I always try and make a double batch and freeze half. The thought of making freezer/crockpot meals once a month was one I knew I had to adapt. It saves a ton of time and money, not to mention makes for easy clean up after dinner; All the pots/pans, cutting boards, bowls, measuring cups, etc. are only taken out and cleaned up once. Would you like to make some?

1. Make a list of your families favorite meals (majority of meals can be frozen and baked later or better yet, put in the crockpot. For crockpot meal ideas check pinterest, ask friends/family or I will even post some the next few What's Cookin' Wednesdays)

2. Make a list of all the ingredients you need to make those meals (when you have a plan of your meals and a list of the ingredients it makes it so much easier to stock up on those items when they are on sale or when there is a coupon)

3. Multiply the ingredients by however many batches you would like to make

4. check your pantry/fridge and figure out what you do not already have on hand

5. go grocery shopping

6. label freezer bags with what each meal is, special instructions, baking instructions, date made (I jumped the gun and took a picture before completely labeling my bags).

7. take out all the ingredients

8. put meat in bag (all my recipes are chicken. every.single.one. We don't eat much other meat)

9. Put all ingredients in each bag. I like to start with the recipes that call for the least amount of ingredients, so I can quickly add them to the bag and get them out of my way. 

10. After each meal has it's ingredients in the bag, take out as much air as possible, seal and mash up ingredients a bit. Stack them flat in the freezer and voila! 

I take out the freezer meal the evening before to defrost a bit and then put it in the crockpot to bake the next morning/afternoon. 

Sit back and let the crockpot do the cooking! 

Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Price-Matching

This weeks Tuesday's Tips & Tricks will save you a few dollars! Let me start out by saying I have a love/hate relationship with Walmart. I usually avoid Walmart at all cost! That was until I learned a few things about price matching and the savings was greater than my pride. I also found that I was saving more money and time than shopping with coupons. It took me a little while to give it a try because 1. I despised Walmart 2. I was nervous about how the whole process worked 3. I was worried about the quality of produce (I have yet to have a problem) 4. I despised Walmart. However, once I gave it a shot I was and still am hooked. I cannot justify not saving as much as I do because of my very justified reasons for despising the store! It is not as intimidating as I thought it would be and there are several sites that aid in making price-matching easy and help in stock piling as well. 

DealsToMeals- In my opinion  I think the $4.95 a month is worth every penny! I personally do not use many of the recipes, but use it strictly for the price matching. Although, I have tried several of their recipes and they are delicious. 

• compares prices of the major grocery stores to Costco, Sams Club, and Walmart
• tells you where the best deals are to stock up your food storage and freezer
• provides a meal planning service to help you incorporate your food storage into your weekly meals, saving you money by having your meals planned around sale items
• allows you to design a weekly grocery list to make meal planning easy
• shares delicious recipes
• gives weekly tips & information on food storage
• offers a two week free trial with no obligation, no contracts to sign, cancel at anytime (give it a try!)

For about $1 a week, they scour the ads, tell you where the best deals are, plan your week's meals, and create your weekly grocery list.

*Utah friends, another great site, that I admit, may be a little more overwhelming than DealsToMeals is Price Match With Rachel. Although, it is a little more intimidating I think it is still helpful in addition to DealsToMeals. Not necessary, but I personally like to take a quick peak at it as I am planning my shopping trip. She has been featured on Good Things Utah and has given a great explanation of price-matching. Her site is also a great alternative to DealsToMeals for those not wanting a subscription. I

*For those of you in Utah another site that I like is Utah Deal Diva. She gives the top 10 price-matching finds each week. Follow the link and once at her site, click on the tab "Money Saving Tips" and at the very top of that tab you will see "Weekly Walmart Deals".  This is a great option for those who do not want to subscribe and/or those who want to start out small in price matching. 

I still do use coupons, but not nearly to the extent that I did. I love price-matching and being able to feel like I can feed my family healthy and nutritious food for the same amount and sometimes less than the cheap, fast, easy processed foods. (Don't get me wrong, my toddler still eats Dora fruit snacks and loves her chocolate Teddy Grahams, but those have become treats and not the every day go to snacks, but clean eating is an entire new post altogether... maybe for another day!) 

I hope that this has been helpful! Please feel free to comment or send me a message with any questions/comments you may have! 

Product Review: munchkin Shampoo Rinser

I wish someone would have told me about this shampoo rinser! I saw it every time I walked through the baby aisles at Target and finally one day I decided to splurge and spend the $4.99. Boy am I glad we did. I once got soap in my littles eyes and so rinsing her hair has been quite the ordeal ever since. Not any more. This soft cup by munchkin forms to your little one's head and is worth every penny!

Welcome!

Thank you for checking out Motherhood in the Major Leagues' blog! I hope it can become a place of reference, ideas, inspiration and encouragement!  Please "follow" the blog and check back often for the following topics:

Monday Fundays

Tips & Tricks Tuesdays

What's cookin' Wednesdays

Thoughtful Thursdays

Fitness Fridays

DIY Saturdays 

All Star Sundays

...And a whole lot more!!!