On my last bi-yearly visit, I had a hygienist who scared the bejeepers out of me.  A sub for my usual very sweet and chatty gal whose daughter also attends my daughter’s school, I was trapped in her chair learning about how not flossing has been tied to to major illnesses all because of the germs inside our mouths creeping into our immune systems.   While I’ve adopted and taught my children good oral hygiene habits, I had no idea there was such a clear connection to our overall health.

For the next 30 days, I’m joining the LISTERINE® Healthy Habits For A Lifetime Oral Care Challenge for Moms and Kids.  My teenagers have booth survived their braces with flying colors, no scarring on their teeth and beautiful white enamel once the metal was removed.  We partnered closely with their orthodontist to reinforce the need to floss, brush, and use mouthwash daily.  I keep their bathroom stocked with supplies of their toothpaste, fresh toothbrushes, floss, and mouthwash and I’m proud to say I have to replenish it often, which means they are using it well.  But it wasn’t until we hit the braces that we really got them on board with flossing.

Its our youngest that I worry the most about.  As a child in early elementary school with brothers in middle and high school, its easy to overlook some of the basic reinforcements that seemed second nature when her brothers where the same age.  Our schedule is different, our expectation for her independence higher, and our lives are simply busier.  This is no excuse, but its the truth and I’m not happy that like 50% of children, she has already had one cavity while neither of her brothers have had any to date.  While I hate to admit it, she eats more sugar and sticky food than they did at the same age so its even more important that I take the challenge to make sure she learns these habits now, before she gets braces and its even more important to keep those pearly whites clean and debris free.

To participate in the challenge, I’ve got a box of supplies to try and here is how we plan to win:

Today I want to talk with you about planning for summer camps. While its winter in most of the country we are freezing this week, lots of snow has finally arrived because its February. And if its February in some cases you might already be too late to make plans for summer camp. I know it sounds insane but this is the time when you need to put those plans in place and make those tough decisions. So here are my three tips to help you while you are considering summer vacation plans that involve camps for your kids.

1. Choose What they Love: While you might really load them up with academic interests, you want to work hard to insure that no matter what the topic is for the camp, if its sports, academics pursuits, some kind of extracurricular interest, or if its just plain old fashioned and awesome camp, make sure it matches with your child’s natural interest. There’s nothing worse than the back fire of your child hating the experience and you wasting money along the way.

2. Take a Friend: Think playmate, classmate, teammate, anyone who your child would love sharing the activity with your child as well. Things always go well when there is a familiar face. No matter if its day camp or overnight camp, which often includes greater expense and is farther away, if there is one friendly face in the crowd it can make all the difference in your child having a truly successful experience.

3. Synch Schedules: It all depends on how you want to work this but there are two schools of thought that seem to serve most Moms well. For me because we tend to do multiple camps, rather than have one child gone with two others out over the summer, it helps me to have a few weeks over those twelve weeks of summer where they are all gone. I work it together with carpools so I can still max my time at home so it gives me an uninterrupted week where I know the house is empty. This helps me focus on big projects at work, prepare for conference travel, or get everything ready for back to school. This just makes things go well for me. For some families, spreading camps out can be a great solution to give you that coveted one on one time with each child that can be so hard to find. You always want to evaluate what will help or hurt your schedules for the best. As a work at home mom, having a few weeks in the summer with a completely empty house is a huge gift for the juggle.

I hope these three tips help you as you consider summer camp opportunities that might fit well for your children. Summer camps come in all different shapes and sizes from a few days to a week, to local to overnight so check it out. YOu might be surprised at all the wonderful enrichment out there that could truly make the difference in creating a wonderful summer for all of you. Tell me…have you already signed your kids up for camp?

I love my jewelry.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an eye for things that sparkle.  And while I have only a few pieces with any monetary value, such as my wedding ring and a pair of diamond earrings, I have never met a piece of classic jewelry I didn’t love.

For some reason, rings are my favorite piece of jewelry.  As a child I remember noticing the many rings my Aunt always wore.  Her hands smooth and her nails always polished, she also wore a charm bracelet that made just the sweetest jingle I knew.  To this day in her 70s, her hands are aged yet her rings and charm bracelet are still the same.  I love the familiarity of that.

Maybe its the story our hands can tell us that make rings so special to me.  On my hands I wear my wedding rings. My daughter often asks about them, about how Daddy proposed, about why I don’t wear more rings.  I tell her that these rings mean the world to me, that they symbolize love that will never falter, a lifetime of promises kept and a family built, that they remind me everyday of the blessings I live.  I tell her about how when she and her brothers were babies I never wore them for fear of scratching their precious skin.  And I tell her that someday these rings will be hers.

With Valentine’s Day having just passed, now is a great time to talk about how to organize your jewelry.  While my daily jewelry select is classic and minimal, I love a reason to wear chunky jewelry and accessories that make my outfits really shine.  And with all that chancy jewelry comes the obvious challenge of how to store it well.  To get you thinking, check out my Pinterest Board for ideas about storage solutions that might make all the difference here:

Here are a few tips to help you keep your jewelry organized and ready to go when you are:

1.  Separate by Size: Earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces all demand a different size storage area.  Separate your items by size so you can maximize the space you dedicate for the particular category by layering items one on top of another.

2. Separate by Set: If you never mix and match, store your pieces in the original jewelry boxes or plastic bag labeled for you to easily identify by set. That way when you are looking for those that awesome turquoise necklace, bracelet, and earrings you’ll have no trouble finding what you need.  Another great option is to store these pieces in a jewelry roll or travel jewelry case. Because I work from home, its often when I travel that I’ll chose those pieces anyway ~ kills 2 birds with 1 stone nicely wouldn’t you say?

3.  A Place for Everything: And everything in its place.  The reason why your jewelry box is a bomb isn’t the box.  Its you.  While you may have outgrown it, chances are it has a place for everything, you just might not use it consistently.  Think padded sections for rings and earrings, longer compartments for necklaces, its all there.  The challenge you have is making sure to put things away after you wear them.

4. Edit Often: One of the most common reasons our jewelry boxes are a mess is because we don’t take care to edit them often.  Its just like your closet.  Outside of sentimental value, which jewelry can surely have, if you haven’t worn it in a year or more, chances are you can let it go.

These are just a few tips to help you tackle your jewelry box.  And who knows?  If you clean it out and find you’ve got plenty of room in there, you just might be able to lobby for something new to find its where there in time for Mother’s Day!  Tell me…do you  have a jewelry box?  Is it a mess?

Today I’m delighted to spend some time in the Blog Frog Community talking about how to host events at home when there’s a big game you just don’t want to miss. Having just enjoyed hosting for family and friends for Super Bowl, I think Valentine’s Day is a great time to shift gears and focus on our guys.

It’s Valentine’s Day and I find myself wondering what’s the best gift I can give my husband to show him my love? While I love it, I’d have no trouble letting him know what I would like should he choose to deviate from our tradition of roses and chocolates. Its actually very old fashioned, more about him courting me than me giving him a gift to the same. So the question is, what could I do for him that would really be just all about him like the roses and chocolates are for me?

Winter is a season of big games.  Being married to a man who never met a sport he didn’t like, it doesn’t matter what the season, if there’s a championship to be seen, its up on the big screen and there’s likely a family friendly party to celebrate the occasion.  From collegiate to professional, its usually football, tennis, and baseball that take center stage. Last Fall my husband hosted his office Fantasy Football League draft and this March we are sure to celebrate NCAA March Madness. With some of the top teams in the nation right in our backyard, its impossible to live in the Raleigh area and not watch collegiate basketball.

So it seems one gift I can give my husband would actually be a man party. Think boys night in where I take the kids, he has the house for the night (or afternoon depending on game time) and he enjoys uninterrupted time with his friends.  For some this might be common but in our busy lives, with kids spanning elementary to high school, competitive athletes all three, and busy schedules that keep us both working hard, time with our friends sans souses and kids isn’t always easy to find.

So here are my 3 tips for how to give your husband a man party for Valentine’s Day:

1.  Save the Date: Find out the date for the next big game you know your man would love to see and then invite his friends over now so they can also work things out at home for the hall pass we all deserve from time to time.

2.  Set the Menu: Go big or go home!  When it comes to game food and guys, there’s nothing better than setting the table with a spread of items like Any’tizers, dips, and inviting everyone to bring a favorite dish.  My husband loves to grill, so think man burgers piled high with all the fixings and plenty of cookies for dessert.  Offer to shop for supplies and then let him take charge of the rest.

3.  Set the Stage: Get the house ready by making sure all your media is in fail proof working order.  Check the surround sound, make sure the DirectTV is working, and have plenty of batteries in ready for controllers and chargers in case the big game gives way to online gaming.

We love to fill our home with family and friends. There’s no reason why my husband and I shouldn’t both have equal time to have our friends over sans spouses and kids.  Its fun to host your friends, enjoy your time, and know that your family wants you to restore yourself so you can come back even more ready to be the best Mom you can be.  Why not give your husband a man party for all the same reasons you love girls night in?

Join the Conversation on Blog Frog and tell us what tips you have for hosting a successful party for friends and family for the Big Game and be entered to win a 42” LG flat Screen TV!  Tyson Any’tizers are a great snack that satisfies your kids on game day or any day!  And just in case you need to stock up, you can make the most of the ”Buy 4 Get $10″ Any’Tizers Promotion that runs now through February 17th through their Facebook Page.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Any’Tizers.  The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Tyson Any’Tizers Brand. Official Sweepstakes Rules

So stop by and join the conversation ~ and when you reply you will also have a chance to win a 42” LG Flat Screen TV! Now THAT would be the perfect gift for your man party indeed!

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Disclosure This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Any’Tizers.  The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Tyson Any’Tizers Brand. Official Sweepstakes Rules

Sharing a post from 2011 ~ it’s amazing to me how much I need to hear these bits of wisdom just as much as the next busy Mom in carpool or at the game.  I hope you take a minute to watch and make time for what matters most in your relationship this year ~ enjoy!

This week I’d like to talk with you about how to have a great Valentine’s Day that just might not actually happen on Valentine’s Day itself. This year it falls on a week night and we have high school baseball tryouts, Daisy’s, and a tennis clinic. Plus its a school night so everyone has to go on bed on time. That means if we were going to go out on a date, we’d need to bring in a sitter that could handle 3 activities in 3 different places, homework, dinner, bedtime times three…on a Monday! Not gonna happen! So instead of waiting until the weekend and joining the masses and mad rush to make sure things happen and they are just covered versus actually feeling it, I have a few suggestions to help you actually have a great Valentine’s Day.

1. Be Flexible: It doesn’t have to happen actually on Valentine’s Day. You can get together any weekend for a date night. You can swap babysitting time with your best friends, your sister, your cousin, whatever it takes so that you can make sure that the night you go out to celebrate with your sweetheart and honor your relationship that you have together is distraction free. Whether its dinner and a movie, or if you are lucky enough to have an overnight for time away or time at the spa, make sure that you do that when its free and clear of any reason for it not to happen as planned.

2. Think About your Partner: Stop and think about why you are in it for the long haul. I’m almost 22 years in here ~ there’s got to be something extra spectacular about that man that he would still be hanging with me! If you have all your romantic notes and cards from when you were dating, get them out and read them together over a bottle of wine or a cup of coffee. Just make sure to take some time together to cherish what it is that got you there in the first place. And no I don’t just mean all those passionate nights though I’m certain that had something to do with it I’m sure!

3. Have Fun: Make sure that whatever you do is without expectation or pretense. My husband knows that he knows that he knows that I don’t care where they come from or how much they cost, that a dozen roses and a box of chocolate covered caramels, that classic act is everything my heart needs to have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Our relationship is more than the gesture. But the little classic tradition that every single year for almost 22 of them, or more than that since we were dating, he’s done at least those two things, have always made those two things be more than enough.  Diamonds are great, I’m not gonna lie, but every year can’t be about the diamonds, every decade can’t be about the diamonds when you’ve got college coming. Regardless, what is it that is classic and true and what will you do for that person who is special and true.

Finally, keep in mind everything you do models to your children how to be in a relationship. Think about that! I’m raising boys that are fine you men that I want to be that boy that the girl’s dad wants his daughter to actually be on a date with. Why? Because he’s a gentlemen, because he’s kind, he’s thoughtful, he’s respectful, he’s appropriate. So my husband and I want to make sure that we take these opportunities to model to our children what a healthy, respectful, loving, admirable relationship is. And that is hard sometimes I’m just sayin’!

So get out your planner and make time for it. Your relationship deserves nothing less.  Make sure to have fun and tell me…how will you celebrate Valentine’s Day this year?

Photo Credit Denise Cross

When it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts, my husband and I are hopelessly traditional. After knowing him 25 years, I still absolutely adore the ever timeless dozen roses (as inexpensive as possible) and box of chocolate covered caramels. After all, its the little things that count and even our kids delight in seeing my husband come home with those roses every year. But just in case he wanted to break out and surprise me, he might find himself scrambling to come up with the perfect last minute Valentine’s Day gift.  Its not a holiday we indulge in and I honestly think outside the obvious little blue box from Tiffany’s on my pillow Tuesday night, he might be stumped.

Now let’s be real.  I love gifts that sparkle as much as the next girl, but when your birthstone is a diamond, there is a time and place for all things bling and yearly isn’t likely. So if my husband asks, I often find myself suggesting practical gifts that know I’ll use often and therefore be grateful for the solution and for my husband realizing how happy that can make me too. If you are looking for a last minute Valentine’s Day gift idea to delicately suggest to your true love, here is my list…just in case he’s asking:

1. Surprise Me: Always easy to pick up a gift card nearby, for the Mom who loves tech you can actually send an Starbucks Card eGift to email or Facebook.  I totally wouldn’t recommend that in place of something given in person, but I think its a wonderful surprise to receive during the day until you see each other Valentine’s night.

2.  Treat Me: In case you want to kick the habit mentioned above, a Keurig MINI Plus Brewing System might be just the ticket.  I love that its so small I can keep it in my home office and I also love the huge variety of K-cup coffees out there to keep both my taste buds and my budget happy.

3.  Indulge Me:  I have wanted a KitchenAid Stand Up Mixer forever.  In fact my small hand held actually died and still needs replacing (hint hint!)  Because I am a baker at heart and you’ll sooner find me mixing up cookies and cupcakes than pot roast, this would be a perfect Valentine’s Day gift that the entire family would surely enjoy.

4.  Sing to Me: For Christmas I asked my husband to help the kids with a very special gift for me.  You see as is typical in most things, they all have IPods, and I did not.  So my request was to help the kids give me an IPod pre-loaded with songs that the kids picked out from their own playlists. That way when I listen to my IPod and those songs come on, I automatically think of them and enjoy knowing that we are listening to the same songs.  It means more than you can imagine when I’m traveling and away from home.  If you want to take it over the top, purchase it from the Apple Store and have it personalized and engraved.  Total bonus points!

5.  Pamper Me: Always a home run and just all the way around decadent, you can never go wrong with a surprise visit to a local spa. Moms are notoriously terrible about taking time for themselves, even just to workout, so if you make the appointment for me ahead of time, making sure I have no way to say I can’t, then you are truly taking care of me and for that I can’t thank you enough.

I hope these ideas make it easy to see that even things we need can be something truly special and memorable when done with just the right touch.  And it never hurts to throw in a dash of something just fabulously wonderful just because.  Tell me…do you plan ahead for Valentine’s Day or are you scrambling at the last minute to find something just right?

I love busy kids!  With a son in high school and two siblings in middle and elementary school, we’ve spent years encouraging our children to find what makes them happy and then pursue it with a passion.  From sports to music, academic interests and more, the goal has never been to raise a child who is super at everything.  But rather our hope is that we are tuned into our children, listening to their hearts, encouraging them to explore the world and when they find a sweet spot of natural success, to do all we can to help them soar.

This also means completing lengthy registration forms full of information you don’t necessarily have memorized or at your fingertips ready to share.  Everything from emergency contact information in case you aren’t available to doctor’s office details, insurance policy numbers and copies of birth certificates, its exactly this kind of organized information that prompted me to create our DIY GO MOM! Planner.

One of our children plays highly competitive baseball.  It’s not uncommon to have to supply a copy of a birth certificate to your coach to keep on file throughout the season to validate your athlete’s age for tournament registration.  The stakes are high with college scouts in attendance and while the tournament directors do not make copies of these documents, they have to be able to view them if requested.  That means the level of trust we have to have in our son’s coach is immense. Fortunately, we attend every game and simply keep the document locked and ready to go if it needs to be provided even if that means arriving early to make it convenient for the coach.

In the world of document security, its birth certificates and social security numbers that are to be held closest to the vest because once shared too public, you are destined to find yourself, or your child, a victim of identity theft. The increase in identity theft has been staggering and sadly, even Child ID theft is happening every day. Unfortunately, many parents have no idea how ID theft happens in general and therefore, unknowingly leave their children at risk as much as themselves.

Thankfully, topics like keeping personal papers organized are right up my organized alley and I am honored to be working together with kidSure as an Ambassador in the coming months.  Here are a few tips to help you protect your children as you protect yourself:

1.  Say no to Social Security: Make sure your kids’ school is not using Social Security numbers as student IDs. Many schools still do and if you are challenged to provide this information, challenge back and follow the proper procedures to avoid doing so.

2.  Keep it Private: As your children grow and you begin to share more sensitive information with them, talk with them about the dangers of sharing personal information and set a list of security rules to keep them safe.

3. Take Charge: Teach teenagers how to guard their personal information while applying for jobs and when they go to college.  Remind them to keep there passwords secure and financial information protected on their computers and in their rooms.

4.  Teach Online Saftey: Facebook is usually a child’s first step to online indepence and now many teens are turning to Twitter because it releases them from having to friend their parents.  Take time to talk with your child about where they go and what they do online so they don’t unknowingly reveal personal information that can be used in an identity theft. Teach them to monitor their privacy settings regularly since Facebook in particular can change them with updates leaving accounts public until users choose to make them private again.

5.  Recognize the Red Flags: Remind your child to be cautious of any online request for personal or financial information for themselves or their family members.  Most major institutions simply won’t ask for the information in that manner so make sure you teach your child that its a red flag.

6.  Pay the Professionals: When I’m outside my area of expertise, I’m all about finding resources to help me tame the beast and when it comes to identify theft, it just makes good sense to enroll both your children and yourselves in an identity theft or credit monitoring service.

Thanks to  IDENTITY GUARD®, you can start protecting your children now with kIDSure.  Its a comprehensive program designed to focus directly on your children, helping you monitor their personal information every step of the way.  A wonderful tool to teach by, we are actively working with our teenagers to help them understand why keeping their identify safe is as important as knowing how to balance a checkbook.  Personal finance is a lifelong journey and when taught early, our children have a wonderful opportunity to create a lifetime of security both in managing their money and their personal information.  I can’t think of a better gift.

So tell me…do you have an identify theft monitoring service?  Do you also have it for your kids?

Disclosure:  This service was provided to me for review at no charge. In addition I received monetary compensation. All opinions are my own

Today I want to talk with you about your organized medicine cabinet.  Unfortunately February is usually when the flu hits its peak season. There’s till time to get your flu shot and we all know that’s the best defense but the reality is even if you don’t get the flu there will likely be a cold or virus that may hit your house this year.  Even the best laid plans can end up in Plan B. So let me show you how I handle my medicine cabinet.

Please note that this is not a sponsored post and while you see many different brands, these are simply the items we keep in our home to keep everyone comfortable if they aren’t well and getting everyone back on track as soon as possible.

1.  Check Expiration Dates. Pull everything out and make sure to remove anything with an expiration date that has passed. This is your number one priority because having outdated medicine can put you and family at risk.

2.  Sort Medicine by Categories. One for kids, and label it as such, and another for adults.  They are drastically two different kinds of medicine that you might use and you are going to handle how people are sick in different ways depending on their age.  Separate them and put them in bins that are easily retrievable and movable so you are ready to go at all times.

3.  Stock up on the Comforts.  No matter what time of year I keep a supply of GingerAle, waters, soup, crackers, and we all take our Vitamin C.  You’ll also want to keep your humidifiers ready which means keeping them clean and having a box of fresh filters.

So if you follow these three steps of checking expiration dates, separate medicine by adults and kids, and keeping your shelves stocked with the necessary comforts, it won’t matter if your family members fall ill in the middle of the night or comes home from school in the middle of the day, you are going to have what you need.  Now there are a whole host things that you might want to consider such as having more than one thermometer, more than one bucket in case people are throwing up, the right kind of medicine to calm an upset GI or an upset tummy.

You know what your family likes to use and what brands you are loyal too.  The key is organizing your supplies so you can get them while you are wide awake or stumbling to help someone in the middle of the night.  I hope that these tips help you better organize your medicine cabinet this flu season…and I hope that the flu doesn’t hit you.  Please tell me ~ how do you keep your medicine cabinet organized and ready to go?

Today we are going to talk about printing photos from your phone from anywhere you are at anytime. Whether you are in another room, at the ball field, or in another state, thanks to the HP Deskjet 3052A e-All-in-One Printer, now you can send photos from anywhere to your home and have them print out. Let me show you how simple it is!

1. Start with your phone and send that photo you just love via email. Attach the photo from your gallery to an email that you set up directly with HPePrint.com. Each email address is personal to the registered user. And then hit send.

2. Have your printer ready to go with photo paper. This is something I love because for me, I have hundreds of photos that just sit on my phone.

3. When I’m out thinking I don’t want to waste the opportunity to take the picture but I lose them in my digital world, having a printer like this will encourage me to print the photo as soon as I take it ~ and that keeps me from getting backed up and having a digital backlog.

4. And just like that, in about a minute, my picture is printing out.

If printing pictures isn’t an issue, perhaps you have other items that might be important such as your child needs directions for a destination in hand; you need to share your travel itinerary with your family back home; or you have an important document that your family needs back home and you have access via phone.  All it takes is that email to your personalized email address to make communicating as easy as if you were right there at home.

The sky is the limit for how you can use this printer and its ePrint technology. For me, its the obvious opportunity to help me overcome my weakness for ever actually printing out a picture. I was wonderful back in the old school film days getting them processed and sharing them in albums. But the process of getting that memory card out of my phone to download and then print pictures is a total breakdown for me. We’ve all got something!

So I challenge you today to think about if you are going to look at a printer this year like this one for just $69 found at Walmart or Walmart.com, what would you want it to do for you? What organizational challenge could your printer help you overcome? For me, a printer that puts a real picture in my hand just minutes after I take it, is the cat’s meow. Tell me…how to you handle printing pictures from you phone?

Disclosure:  Thanks to Mom Select for inviting me to engage on this campaign.  I was provided a printer to review and was not otherwise compensated.  My opinions are entirely my own.

This weekend is Super Bowl Sunday and if you are like many Moms I know, you are either hosting or gathering with your family to enjoy the fun. I have three tips for you to keep in mind no matter where or when you celebrate the Super Bowl.

1. Start Early: I’m all for pre-game being the main event. Serving my spread of food, making sure to have dessert, and making it clear that if someone want’s to simply get together and socialize versus stay and watch the game, they’ll have no trouble graciously excusing themselves when the time is right for them to leave.

2. Activities for Kids: Make sure to have activities availabe for kids of all ages who may not care one bit about the game. I have 3 kids and only 2 might have an interest in the actual game and really only one shares his father’s passion for our family favorite team, the Redskins, and they aren’t even playing! So to keep the wild things happy, we have kid friendly football based gaming inside, a pick up game of touch football outside, and plenty of sidewalk chalk and jump ropes for everyone to have fun safely without too much supervision while keeping a watchful eye.

3. Call it at Halftime: Don’t be afraid to end your party at halftime. Really after you get through the first half of the game, see commercials, and take in the half time entertainment its okay to say that’s it, we are done, we’ll see you next year. Your guests probably also have children and the reality is, there’s no such thing as Super Bowl Monday ~ it’s not a national holiday and everyone’s kids will have to go to school.

I hope these tips help you as you celebrate Super Bowl Sunday this year and let me know if you are hosting this year, how do you plan to make it a family friendly event?