Category: parenting

Battling the Sugarbugs

Each year as my kids get older and faster they are able to knock on more doors Halloween night and bring home a bigger candy haul than the year before. This year each of my two kids filled one of those plastic pumpkin pails…twice. That’s a lot of potential sugarbugs sticking to their teeth and causing cavities.

Thankfully for the past few weeks our family has been taking the Listerine Smart Rinse Oral Care Challenge! Click back here for a review on how we got started with that. At the beginning of the challenge each kid got their own new toothbrush, some dental floss with flossing tools and each got their own bottle of Listerine Smart Rinse. 

Nathan chose the Phineas and Ferb toothbrush and the bubble gum flavored rinse. Alex chose the Batman toothbrush and mint flavored rinse. Alex in particular loved the whole challenge and was more than happy to brush, floss and rinse twice a day. His teeth are so spread apart that flossing isn’t quite as vitally important for him, according to his dentist. 

But Nathan’s teeth are packed tightly in his mouth and we have to be vigilant against the sugar bugs to ward off cavities! I’m especially glad that Nathan liked the Smart Rinse because I learned that it strengthens kids teeth 99% better than just brushing. 
We used a dry erase board chart to mark off when they had completed their oral care routine both before school in the morning and before bed at night. The kids loved checking off their boxes. 
I didn’t need a chart to take on the challenge personally, I know how poorly I have taken care of my teeth lately. The new Reach Total Care Plus Whitening floss I got was much easier to use than my previous flosses. After a few days of consistent brushing, flossing and rinsing I got to the point where my gums don’t bleed when I floss! That’s a huge success for me and incentive enough to keep going. 
Disclosure: I received products from Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc. and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the Challenge. As always, my words are still my own.   

Broccoli, Peas and Carrots, Oh MY!

One of my greatest struggles as a mother has been ensuring that my children eat healthy, nutritious food. I have many other strengths in parenting, like instituting sleep schedules and teaching manners, but getting my kids to eat lean meat, fruits and veggies is not one of them.

I confessed this parenting failure some time ago and got tons of great advice from my readers in the comments. But two years passed and my kid still refused to put a vegetable in his mouth. I tried lots of tricks and manipulation. 
Nothing worked. 
Then one day at a restaurant, my husband offered my son a quarter if he would try eating a mushroom. Just one. Alex took that offer and scarfed down said mushroom. He said it wasn’t good, but wasn’t horrible, and he seemed immensely satisfied with his earnings. 
So we tried it again a couple more times with different foods. Bribing with dessert had never worked but money did wonders. At least it got him to put a few foreign foods in his mouth, even if only once. 
Gradually this trying new things started to become normal as Alex realized that the foods weren’t so bad and the taste or texture only lasted a few seconds on his tongue. 
Then came the radical shift in our dinnertime meals when my husband was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. I cut all carbs out of our regular evening meals, except for a roll or piece of bread for each child. No more noodles or french fries. 
I replaced all these carbs with tons and tons of veggies. This was mainly to keep my husband satisfied and his blood sugar level, but I started adding more and more veggies to my kids’ plates too. Bigger portions of meat too, usually in the form of grilled chicken or steak. 
They were allowed to use copious amounts of ketchup. 
One day I discovered that if I actually pick up Alex’s fork, stab a piece of broccoli and feed him like a baby, he’ll eat it. All the begging and coercing for him to do it himself only served to wear us out, but feeding him one bite at a time myself emptied the plate. 
I celebrated. We praised him for his empty plate. He was rewarded with ice cream. 
I don’t care if I have to feed him like a toddler, he is now eating carrots, peas and broccoli, among other nutritious foods. The other day he ASKED for carrots. It’s a huge victory for team mom!

This week and next, you’ll want to check out Kroger and Kroger Banner Stores for P&G’s big sale event, June 10–23! At Kroger and its banner stores, more than 30 of your favorite P&G brands are at HOT sale prices including Tide, Charmin, Cascade, Pampers, Crest and Olay. Look for tags with special prices throughout the household needs and health and beauty aisles, and be on the lookout for even bigger offers – like getting serious dollars off when you buy a bundle of products.

Before hitting the store, visit P&G’s event page on Kroger.com. You can play games like basketball, track and gymnastics to win money off your next Kroger trip, download digital coupons, print a shopping list, and learn more about P&G products! And as part of this event, consider trying one of these fab products from P&G: Vicks Nature Fusion, Charmin Basic, Downy Unstopables, and Swiffer Duster Extenders!

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.