So the Twins are now Texting...

The girls got their iPod Touches last Christmas.

Here's a link to the video where they screamed bloody murder.

I know, so fun right?

But I made them wait almost an entire year before agreeing to give them an email.

Why? Well first, I learned a few scary things at this Family Online Safety conference that was sponsored in party by AT&T. And second, I'm online... a LOT. I know there are creepers there and that you get spam email and spam instant messages, and stalkers.

At least that's how I've summed it up in my head.

But who knew the person that would freak them out the most would be my very own friend?

Actually, this entire text discussion had me nearly peeing in my pants I laughed so hard!

At least we know the girls know how to react to spammy creepers!!

My friend, it will take her a few days to recover I think.

My husband is not going to let go of this one.

5 Solutions to the Stuffed Animal Problem

We have a stuffed animal problem that grows every year when we go to the Jersey shore.

image credit lindr6580 via SXC

You see The Mister loves to play the claw games. And he loves to win stuffed animals for the girls.

The other day I posted on my Facebook wall that I cannot believe we are in the year 2012 and we STILL do not have a good solution for all those stuffed animals.

Friends commented and gave ideas and lo and behold I found a few solutions that don't involve the trash bin. One rule of thumb, ALWAYS clean the stuffed animals and only offer the ones that are gently used.

1. Make a Bean Bag Chair

Maybe you have an old duvet cover, blanket, or sheet set lying around and maybe you are handy with a sewing machine so that you can sew your own giant bean bag and fill it up with all the stuffed animals. But if not, don't fear. I found something on Amazon that can be use for Stuffed Animal Storage and it has a clear panel so you can see all the animals you saved from the landfill!

 

2. Donate to an Animal Shelter

Someone suggested that an animal shelter might be able to use them in the animal crates as many animal rescue groups ask for old blankets and things.  I reached out to our local Humane Society and got this response.

Hello Janine,

Thank you for thinking of the animals! If the toys are in fairly good condition, they could be donated to our thrift store, Wagging Tails, to be resold and raise funds for the humane society.

So, while they aren't going to give them to the animals, they will resell them and the money raised will help the animals.

3. Donate them to the local police who often give them to kids during domestic situations

I contacted our local county police through twitter and they replied that YES, infact they do take them!

4. Call every single shelter, food bank, and family assistance center - one of them will say yes

I assumed that just because one shelter I called didn't want used stuffed animal, None of them did. I figured it was a safety / health thing. I figured wrong. I contacted A Wider Circle as referred to me by my friend Julia at Forty Weeks. I've heard of A Wider Circle and I know friends that have donated furniture to them, but I did not consider they would take stuffed animals.

I received this reply to my email:

Hi Janine -

Thank you for asking.  We can take these - and thank you for offering to wash them.  That makes a big difference.  

Best,
Mark

So, if you want to up your chances of a local charity or shelter taking your stuffed animals off your hands...offer to wash them.  And then DO present them with clean ones.

5. Hold a Yard Sale or Use Freecycle

Now, in al honesty I've had no luck even GIVING away stuffed animals at my yard sale. Infact, the last time I actually insisted that if someone wants to make a purchase they had to take a stuffed animal with them.

I'm not kidding.

But other people have had success so I had to include it.

I HAVE had success with Freecycle and I encourage everyone to try it.

Go to Freecycle.org and search for a group in your area. Then read the rules and follow them before posting. I've been able to find new homes for things I would otherwise trash... broken fishing rods (yes, broken), old furniture, clothing, and more.

Have another idea? Leave a comment or a link to your ideas!

Janine

"Go Brush Your Teeth!" is not enough. Taking the #SweetSmart challenge.

I have a new friend. I let him draw $300 out of my bank account every month.

In return, he peeks into the girls' mouths about every 12 weeks to tell me to keep doing what I'm doing.

He is their orthodontist.

Now, I'm not trying to knock what he does because he did give each of them 2 very expensive devices that they wear in their mouth and it's going to expand their palates so their adult teeth have even the smallest chance of coming in straight.

These palate expanders sit on the inside of their teeth and they also create a hot bed of activity for plaque and other teeth nastiness.

We have a new plan.

We are taking a Listerine #SweetSmart challenge this month and it's just in time because Halloween is right around the corner. For the month of October  We visited http://www.listerinekids.com/ for some ideas and we recently received a #SweetSmart package to help us...

1. Make brushing FUN

Check out these awesome tooth brushes! 

 

2. Make flossing easier

I have enough trouble flossing my own teeth. I needed a way for the girls to easily floss themselves. The package had this nifty flosser from Reach.  I found Reach Access Flosser Refill Pack on Amazon which is awesome.

 

3. Rinse with anti-cavity mouthwash

This, I feel, is especially important for my girls. They can be the best brushers and flossers but it won't matter a bit when that expander is sitting right on top of all the gunk they just got out.  A good swish, rinse and spit with an anti-cavity mouthwash like Smart Rinse means the gunk will go down the drain. Also, if you purchase a specially marked Smart Rinse at Walmart you can download a free song to swish to!

4. Brush + Floss + Rinse = Reward

The Listerine package included a little white board and 2 different colored pens (one for each) so they can mark off each day they brush, floss, AND now rinse! If they do it every day for a week, they will earn a fun prize like one of those cool toothbrushes.

Let's see how we do but I know if they stick with it, the candy they get this Halloween won't be sticking to their teeth! I learned recently that dental disease is nothing to laugh about. 44 percent of American kids will have dental disease before they reach kindergarten. Dental disease and pain can lead to bigger problems including trouble focusing on school work, or sleeping. Listerine is partnering with America's Tooth Fairy for the month of October to help fight dental disease in kids. You can help!

Take the #SweetSmart challenge with us, check out ListerineKids for cool toothbrushes, and for more info on their line of Smart Rinse, and visit America's Tooth Fairy to see how you can help needy kids fight dental disease.

Then let me know how you did!

Janine

Disclosure: I received compensation and a product package in exchange for taking the Listerine SweetSmart challenge and sharing my experience.

Scenes from a Tween Bedroom Lead to Inspiration.

Last week we made one of our regular trips up to Grandma's for some back to school shopping and the annual raid on my neice's hand-me-downs.

My neice is going to be 12 and she recently revamped her room.

Paint, some new furniture, new stuff on the walls.

Basically she got rid of the pink.

You hit 10 and you can't be within a foot of the color pink. Duh.

Walking into her room I was suddenly transported to my own teen years.

Posters of my favorite people.

 

Jewelry hanging all over.

 

Nail polish collection.

 

And you can't have just any lamp shade.

 

But the thing I loved the most was this little inspirational wall hanging.

 

Such a simple, yet powerful message for girls today.

And so very, very important.

It reminded me of why I love the Be You Be True t-shirts so much.

Be yourself.

And you'll be happy.

Have you stepped into a tween or teen room lately? Were you surprised to find something?

Fashion Friday: An Old Fashion Soul

I haven't done a Fashion Friday post in, well, probably years.

But this image struck me.

This girl has always been interested in fashion.

When she was not yet two she would wake up from her nap, change her pull-up, put on tights, the right way, and a skirt, and crawl back into bed.

This is a girl that literally GASPS when we walk through the shoe department at Nordstrom or, most recently, Macy's.

She doesn't wear skirts or dresses ALL THE TIME anymore, but she still appreciates a classic look and fits in some dress-up time now and then.

I'm not sure how I ended up with this dress, or the long gloves, but she found them and put them together...perfectly.