Family

Announcing new family member…

November 14, 2012 by Jennifer 4 Comments

Last week, my husband gained a new title… Grandpa. He is taking his new title quite serious.

The smile he gets as he holds baby J in his arms, is just priceless. Officially, we will be called Poppy and Nonnie. This sweet little boy already has us wrapped around his fingers. I wish we could see him more though as there is a bit of distance between us on the map. That doesn’t matter though, as we will make sure we are seeing him every single weekend.

I couldn’t be more proud of my stepdaughter. She is a natural as a mom and is just so in love with her baby boy. You can see the bond between them as she looks into his eyes. I know without a doubt she is going to be such a wonderful mom. Also, he is going to be one spoiled little boy between all of us.

M and L are quite smitten as well with their little nephew. They fight over who gets told hold him the most. So precious!

We are gearing up for his first big Holiday. Thanksgiving with our little turkey. His highchair is sitting in the corner but something tells me he will not quite be ready… Maybe Easter? 🙂

Results are in… Listerine Oral Care Challenge

November 5, 2012 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

It is time to face the music and post our results from the Listerine Oral Care Challenge.

We really needed this challenge in our family. M is such a great and responsible child that loves to brush and floss her teeth. L, on the other hand, not so much. I have to beg, plead and offer many incentives for her to brush and floss her teeth correctly. We went to the dentist last month right when this challenge was beginning and the dental hygenist had to show L how much she was missing by not brushing and flossing correctly. It was a huge wake-up call.

The past three weeks have been a much different tune in our household. Each person in the house has had their own mouthwash which I highly recommend. A big plus to me, is the mouthwash does NOT have any alcohol in the ingredients. L has been so excited about using her pink listerine mouthwash and really enjoying putting her marks on the calendar each day. I think we are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel. She has not flossed every single day but is averaging four times a week which is so MUCH better than hardly none at all.

M as you can see has been a big fan of the green mint listerine mouthwash. I am so proud of M as she has been a leader to L throughout this entire challenge. L looks up to M so it has been crucial for M to really do well with the challenge. I could not be happier with the results and the challenge now has M flossing every single day. She usually was flossing 3 to 4 times a week but now sees why she needs to do it on a daily basis. It really shows with her beautiful smile.

Overall, I am very happy with the challenge. My husband has become a fan of the Listerine Smart Rinse along with me and we will continue to purchase this for our family. I am on week three of braces and love how I can use the rinse throughout the day to ensure everything is out of my braces HA!

Listerine Oral Care for the win!!!

Disclosure: I received products from Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the LISTERINE SMART RINSE Sweet Smart Challenge. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

There is an app for that…

October 29, 2012 by Jennifer 1 Comment

As you know, I have been discussing about first period talks. This is a time where one-on-one interaction is really needed. Our daughters really depend on us to be there for them through everything but this is a time when it really needs extra care added.

How can you help your daughter be prepared each month?

There is an app for that…

For the past few months, I have been using an app on my phone called My Days. It is a very discrete app that is on your phone with a flower icon.

Since most teens have a technology device, this will help girls keep track of their monthly periods. All you have to do is click the date your period starts, and the app will do the rest of the work. It really is easy to use and such a great safe of mind.

Kotex also has a personal period tracker on their site that will help you track your period and much more.

With the Personal Period Tracker, you can:

– personalize, save and update information about your cycle.
– see the dates of your periods plotted on a calendar.
– indicate whether your flow was light, medium or heavy on a particular day.
– enter notes about changes in your cycle, mood and how you feel.
– print your personalized calendar and notes.

Encourage your daughter to use a tracking source so she will not be caught off guard each month. Also, talk with her about signs that she can look for that usually alerts the period is around the corner.

I highly recommend the U by Kotex as a great resource as well when talking with your daughter. It is a good resource for products, view polls and get advice from other moms and daughters.

I wrote this review while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by Kotex Tween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Come see the fall leaves in the mountains of NC!

October 18, 2012 by Jennifer 1 Comment

The fall foliage is right at peak season right now here in the western NC of mountains. If you are near NC, you should make plans to head up to the mountains this weekend as the leaves will be gone soon. I am so in love with this time of year and wish I could hold onto the amazing colors for a bit longer. The beautiful color shades are all around us in their full glory. Let’s take a peek at pictures I took last weekend.

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I am just trying to weather the storm

October 17, 2012 by Jennifer 1 Comment

A couple of weeks ago, my pastor did a sermon on surviving the storm. He actually named the sermon: Peace! Be Still. His sermon was centered around this passage.

Mark 4:35-41

New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Calms the Storm

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

I have a hard time letting go of my worries. You see, I am in the midst of a storm. There have been some clues on recent posts, but I have not really come out and told all the logistics. Unfortunately, my contract is ending with my employer. The past four years have been an amazing journey. One I would never want to change or do without. My job has been a true happiness in my life and brought us through so much turmoil in our lives when my husband was laid off from his job.

The verse: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” really struck a chord with me. The tears were flowing once again because it was like God knew I needed our Pastor to say those specific words right to me. My heart needed to open wide and receive those words. My personality seems to be a worry wart by nature. I am learning more and more though, worrying will get us no where. Self-pity will just leave us spinning in our tracks. We have to weather the storm. I feel God will allow storms in our lives to activate our personal faith. When the going gets tough, don’t most people turn back to God? We shouldn’t let our relationship with God get dry and only come to him in tough times. I will admit, I am guilty of this and working hard to overcome that negative aspect.

God is good and there is a reason for everything. I will weather this storm and become a better person because of surviving it. I just want to have more patience. God does not work on my timing. He works on his timing. The planner in me really struggles as I want to know how I will put food on the table. It is possible that I am going to go back into the freelance world. Being from a mountain town, there are not a lot of jobs to choose from here unfortunately. I love working in media and helping companies so it may be the direction God is leading me back into. I know one thing, I will not rush things and just let him guide me. Patience, no worrying and having faith are three things that will get me through this storm.

Family

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