This is for all you great mothers out there who are always thinking about your children and how to keep them safe, happy and healthy.  A major aspect of raising your children is caring for their teeth.  I never knew that brushing teeth twice a day could become such a chore until I had four mouths to clean every day– my own and my three kids!  So here’s my two cents on children and toothpaste.

Before I had kids I went to school and became a dental hygienist, so I know a lot about caring for teeth.  I am trying to apply this as I raise my own children.  Just thought I would pass along a little bit of information that came to my attention the other day… again!

In case you were not aware of this fact, children under five years of age should NOT have fluoridated toothpaste.  Kids under that age are not capable of spitting as well as they need to in order to not swallow harmful levels of toothpaste.

I just went to the store to buy toothpaste for my little boys, age 4 and 2.  Of course they wanted to choose the “cool” toothpaste– you know what I’m talking about.  Disney Pixar’s “Cars” and Marvel’s “Spiderman” themed toothpaste containers really caught their attention.  But, looking at the Active Ingredients list, the first one listed on every tube of children’s toothpaste was Sodium Flouride.

One might argue that kids’ teeth need the extra fluoride that they may get from swallowing a little bit of toothpaste here and there.  However, what most people don’t realize is that fluoride is a potentially dangerous chemical and can cause some serious harm if swallowed in excessive amounts.  Now, take this dangerous substance and make it bubble gum flavored.  If you think that a one, two, three, or four year old wouldn’t eat that any chance they got, you’ve probably never had kids of your own.

In addition to this, most cities in the United States add Fluoride to the waterways in order to benefit the teeth of children.  This means of course that children are exposed to plenty of fluoride during their teeth’s formative years; possibly even excessive fluoridation over time.

Studies have shown that fluoride is beneficial to the teeth when given topically (meaning placed on the teeth), but are inconclusive when it comes to systemic fluoridation (meaning fluoride eaten or swallowed and reaching the teeth through the blood stream).   One thing is certain though, more studies need to be done to see what the long term benefits and risks are for exposing ourselves and our children to fluoride– both for the teeth and for the body as a whole.

Fluoride in toothpaste, however, has long been known to cause problems in children who are unable to rinse and spit sufficiently enough because of their age and physical capabilities.  Fluoride swallowed in excessive amounts can cause an upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, and any number of other problems.  Even fluoride swallowed in tiny amounts at a time can build up and cause numerous problems in later years– problems that we may not even know we are causing yet!

So, because I know all of this and I want to do what is best for my kids, which is to not use Fluoridated toothpaste until they are old enough, I have to deprive them of their cartoon character toothpaste tubes and shop for their toothpaste on the baby aisle.  Baby tooth and gum cleanser with sorbitol (a different form of sugar that does not allow bacteria to grow) instead of sodium fluoride is the safest bet until children reach five years of age and can spit and rinse properly.

This probably comes as a shock to all of you great mothers out there who are concerned for the health of your children’s teeth and get them children’s toothpaste with all the fun characters as an incentive to promote good tooth brushing habits.  Hooray for you!  But, keep in mind that if you do allow them to use fluoride toothpaste that you should always monitor them and make sure that none gets swallowed.  Treat it like your bathroom cleansers, meaning keep it away from children when not under adult supervision.

And remember, good habits start young!  So by all means teach your kids to brush their teeth several times a day and to eat healthy foods so they don’t have to deal with all the problems that come from tooth decay (cavities) and weight issues.

Just like every mother I want the best for my kids, and so I just thought I would pass along this tidbit of information for you to thinkabout and watch out for.  From past experiences I know that fluoridation can be a controversial subject.  So, let’s get talking.  Let me know if you have any questions or comments by leaving a comment below!

It’s here already– the beginning of the holiday season! First we have Halloween with all of it’s frivolous and fun traditions. Next is Thanksgiving with formal parties and feasts galore, and then all of the winter holidays and New Year’s with their rich traditions and celebrations.

Among all of the holiday preparations there is the task of finding the perfect outfit for each special occasion. Halloween requires a costume of course, whether an elaborate fairy princess costume complete with princess gown, magic wand, fairy wings, a crown or tiara and a princess cape to keep her warm, or a simple ballerina costume with a fluffy tutu. You can find a lot of fun costume dress up outfits and festive accessories at www.AngelHeadbands.com.

The more formal holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Day, etc., also require dressing up. This is why AngelHeadbands.com has just opened a new line of formal wear for girls and boys. You can find adorable fancy dresses for little girls to wear to parties, concerts, recitals, dances, festivals and more.

You will also find our brand new line of boys tuxedos and suits. These tuxes and suits come complete with jacket, shirt, bow tie or regular tie, cummerbund or vest, and pants. Your little boys can now match your little girls in style! We also have the perfect shoes available to match these suits, so you can pick up the whole ensemble for a fraction of department store prices.

Our new line of tuxedos, vest sets, and church or business style suits are available in baby sizes through boys size twenty (20), so you will find the perfect size for any boy you are shopping for, and they are available in several different colors as well to match any event or occasion.

And of course, AngelHeadbands.com always wants to give you the best prices out there, so you can be assured that you are getting a great deal on great quality items.

Enjoy this holiday season and all of the fun parties and events that come along with it, and enjoy having your kids well dressed in costume or formal attire.

As a mother of two little boys who are growing up so fast I have found that it is so hard to keep them well dressed! They tend to grow from one size of clothing to another so fast that clothes hardly show any wear (unless of course the kids have been playing in the dirt, as all boys do on occasion!). Church type formal wear especially sees very little opportunity for wear and the boys grow out of their suits in only a few months flat.

In addition to this, we have a wedding coming up in the family, meaning that both boys need to have a tuxedo to wear for this special occasion. Looking around town for an affordable tuxedo (times two boys!) was fruitless and a waste of time as every suit I found was well over one hundred dollars.

To save everyone who is in the same boat as I am, I have found a great resource for boys formal tuxedos, church suits, vest sets, shirts, ties and shoes for little boys in a lot of styles and many sizes and colors to choose from. I want to pass the fabulous savings on to you, so you can keep your boys well dressed and handsome for every special occasion– whether they are the ring bearer in a wedding, getting baptized, christened, confirmed, or blessed at a church gathering, going to a formal party or dress up event, or for weekly wear to religious services.

The boys formal suits that are now available at AngelHeadbands.com are high quality cotton-poly material with excellent craftsmanship. Every detail is in place, down to the satin stripe on the sides of the tuxedo pants and the pleats on the shirt. You will find that our products are affordable (some would say they are a “steal” of a bargain), and you can be assured of their quality and durability.

With great deals like these on formal wear for boys you can now afford to keep your little boys well dressed and looking their finest, even if they do grow up so fast! Check it out– I know you’ll love these suits, tuxedo sets and shoes for your babies, toddlers, big boys… even teens!

The Best Family Fun Vacations

You may think you want to have a vacation to relax and think about nothing. That is great, and everyone should have that at least once a year for no less than a week. However, if you have a family, you may want to take time to do something all together. What is great about some family fun vacations is that you can have some relaxation while you find great things that you can all do together. That can make for one great and very fulfilling vacation. Everyone should come back refreshed and ready to get back to work and school with renewed energy.

There are some family fun vacations that you can find on cruise ships. There are many activities that the children can do on their own, and that is the best time for adults to relax and recharge. There are also times when adults can have an intimate dinner without the kids, as the kids are going to be otherwise entertained. Along with that, there are plenty of great things that family can do together if they wish, and there is usually so much to do that no one is going to run out of things they find exciting. These family fun vacations are some of the best that you can take.

There are some hotels that are geared towards family fun vacations as well. Some have a child theme that means the children are going to be excited, but the adults have not been forgotten. This might mean the same treatment as you get on the cruise ships. There are plenty of opportunities for both family and alone time. What is great about hotels for family fun is that there are often great offsite things to do that are close by. That means setting your own schedule if that is what you want to do.

Though you may see many advertisements geared towards the adult type of vacation getaway, you can always find just as many family fun vacations out there. There are your typical stops like Disney, but they are not the only people in the game. A simple search through a few travel sites can often get you the information you need. You can also look for family vacations through searches and even your local travel agent. No matter where you are going to look, you can always know that you are going to find a few amazing options from which to choose.

Those that own pricey pieces of jewelry may not think they have a use for costume jewelry, but there are always times when these are the better choice. If you have ever lost a costly piece of jewelry, you probably know how painful that can be. You may wonder if anyone is going to realize you are not wearing the real thing on occasion when they know that you usually are, but that is not much of a worry these days. Jewelry that is not made of real diamonds and other materials is so nice these days that it can be hard to tell the difference without an up close and in-depth inspection.

When you buy costume jewelry, you can go for the five or ten dollar pieces, but they are not going to be made very well. When you have the need to find something that looks amazing, you want to spend a bit more. If you have the cash for the real pieces, this should not be too much of a problem for you. You may not find exact copies of your jewelry items, but you can find things that are very close. Costume jewelry is made better than ever before. This is not only about the materials, but about the workmanship as well.

You may be wondering when it would be a good idea to wear the costume jewelry as apposed to the real thing. Think about times when you may be in a situation where it would be very easy to damage something or lose it entirely. If you love going out to clubs, that might not be the best time to wear a real diamond necklace. Someone could snag it the wrong way and it is broken and lost immediately. If you are going on a boat, one false move could send your non costume jewelry right down to the bottom, never to be seen again.

You are usually safe when you wear your real diamond engagement ring, as far as loss anyway, but you do have to think about keeping it in good condition. If you are doing something that may cause damage, you may want to have a costume jewelry replica to wear on those occasions. Some will just take theirs off and put it away, but others don’t want to be seen without it. Digging in the dirt, going camping or hiking, or even going to the beach can be bad for your pricey ring. Those are some of the best times to leave the real thing at home and to put on the beautiful but inexpensive ring that looks just as good as the real thing.

Boutique clothing shops offer beguiling personal wardrobe choices

Most women enjoy new additions to their wardrobe on a rather regular basis. Sooner or later, your enthusiasm for clothes shopping may wane when you shop at the mall time and time again. The fashions start to have a sameness that is uninspiring. You long for something really different, in clothes, shoes and other accessories. If you’re not familiar with the boutique clothing shop experience, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Give your sister or girlfriend a call and plan a Saturday shopping trip cruising the boutique shops. Go out for lunch and make a day of it.

Unlike the department stores, where buyers go for the mass fashion trends, boutique clothing shop owners may travel the world looking for unusual trends and ethnic clothing and accessories of high quality and with an undeniable fashion quotient. These shop owners are often quite discerning, artistic individuals who can spot a beautiful garment that will sell to a discerning clientele. That would be you.

Although you may pay a bit more for some of these goods, they’re worth the price. High quality materials last. The design and cut of these fashions are out of the ordinary, without being outlandish. Attention to detail is apparent. You’ll find that many of the clothing items are handmade or have hand-sewn detailing. Boutique clothing shop owners are also incredibly talented in matching up shoes, jewelry, handbags, hats and all of the other accessories you might put together with that fabulous dress. You’ll surely not find such hand picked items at the mall.

One reason that shopping excursions to the mall don’t provide the same, intimate experience found at the boutique clothing shops is a lack of personal service. Boutique shops rely on excellent service to gain a loyal following.

Good boutiques know how to train their staff to provide personal service without being pushy. You can browse to your heart’s content without being assailed by a sales clerk who follows you around the store. If you find something you like, the sales person may offer to look around for accessories that might be pleasing in combination with that irresistible garment. More often than not, you’ll find their picks to be astute. If you’re not looking for a handbag to match, the sales person just tosses it aside and moves on to the next piece you might like. Perhaps the necklace proves to be a perfect match.

One thing is guaranteed. When you shop the boutique clothing shops, you’ll find something that catches your eye. The item will certainly be out of the ordinary. If you can’t afford it today, most shops offer convenient layaway programs, so that lovely addition to your wardrobe doesn’t get away. You may find that shopping the boutiques is the only way to go.

What could better than being all dressed up fancy and sipping pink lemonade from delicate play teacups, surrounded by dolls and teddy bears? These happy memories only increase as mom and dad join in on the fun!

Many little girls love to dress up in fancy and frilly dresses, ballet costumes, and beautiful hair accessories so that they feel like the little princesses that they really are. When fairy wings are added in, it lets their imaginations soar to even higher heights!

One sweet little family with three girls and a young son made a very memorable occasion. The little girls dressed up in fairy finery. They wore beautiful flower tiaras with multi-colored ribbons streaming down their backs. They put on feather boas, fairy wings, flower petal tutus—complete, of course, with painted finger and toe nails. The little boy was dressed in a fancy shirt, a bow tie, and a bowler hat. The parents were similarly attired. They went out to eat at a restaurant in their beautiful costumes and laughed and giggled and made memories and feelings that will last forever in their children’s hearts.

I think that every parent wants to make their child’s childhood happy, exciting and memorable. What better way to make that happen than by playing with them, laughing with them, and of course taking pictures of all the fun along the way so you can look back together when the children are grown and remember all the fun times you shared together.

Angelheadbands.com offers a wonderful selection of fancy girls dresses and ballet costumes, as well as headbands, tiaras, flower halos, wings and other fancy finery that just might be the ticket to your little girl’s imagination. Check them out and get ready for tea parties, romps through the garden as woodland fairies, dramatic performances, dance recitals, unforgettable birthday parties, and much much more.

Make a happy memory with your children today!

Children love playing and letting their imaginations run wild. To help boost your child’s creativity you probably buy toys, games, arts and crafts supplies, and numerous other items to help keep your child occupied and learning in a fun way. Here’s a great idea that is sure to become a favorite: Build or fill up a dress up trunk for your children.

Children are great imitators. They love to dress up like their favorite cartoon character, hero, storybook character or wherever their imagination carries them. One important part of any child’s toy collection is a dress up trunk!

This can be simple, such as old Halloween costumes placed in a box. A more organized and thought out dress up play corner can be made by purchasing a trunk or other container and filling it with hats, gloves, beads, boas, masks, wigs, lab coats, tutus, fancy dresses, bow ties, regular ties, shoes, firemen and policemen costumes, etc.

This trunk can be the starting point of many childhood adventures and family play times. Mom and Dad can get involved by helping the children to dress up and act out a story, poem or nursery rhyme.
Children learn so much through their play. Dress up play can add significantly to a child’s imagination and sense of self.

Angelheadbands.com is a great place to purchase some of the fancy finery that makes a dress up trunk so much fun! Check out their collection of fairy princess halo headbands, tutus, and fancy dresses—and get ready for endless hours of fun!

Baby Scrapbooking Layout Secrets

by Michael Snyder

Greetings fellow scrapbooking enthusiast. Allow me to guide through the aspects of this exciting baby scrap booking technique. As you already know, there is just one thing that is nearly universal about proud new parents, it is the number of pictures they love to take of their new little child, their angelic little bundle of joy. But then what do they do? As the little infant quickly grows into a busy toddler, those photographs seem to grow in number with no real organization or means of display until the parents get around to it and finally put their treasured picture collection into a baby scrapbooking layout.

I have found that I will teach many of my clients these techniques but they won’t put them into action. As Ernest Hemingway says, Never mistake motion for action.

Fortunately, retailers of scrap booking supplies have recognized the colossal need for keeping those darling photographs safe, and now they make available an impressive and nearly endless supply of patterned paper stock, beautiful sticker art, and cool dye cuts to memorialize just about every special moment in a baby’s life! A baby is born with a need to be loved, and never outgrows it.

A question I often receive is “What Should I be Including in my baby scrapbooking layout?

Well first of all, the down side is that you can be faced with an overwhelming number of choices for craft supplies used to make a special album to hold all your treasured pictures; it is easy to get frustrated with the large variety of choices.

My favorite way to overcome this overload of selection is to determine what photos you would like to work with before heading to the craft store. Many experts in the field of scrapbooking will suggest a baby scrapbooking layout by working with your most recent photos first. They will start with the recent and then work back to earlier times.

Other helpful people might advise you to choose one of your favorite moments, perhaps one such as a birthday or religious holiday. This special moment is perfect to create your beginning baby scrapbooking layout. Whichever system or plan you decide to work with, having an idea in mind of the theme you will be creating will help you enormously when you start to pick your supplies and materials to create your original baby scrapbooking layout.

Working with a plan is the most important thing to do. If you don’t start with a plan, you plan to fail. I want you to succeed and get your first baby scrapbook completed. This will be a great gift to your child and love is, above all, the gift of oneself.

Something else to consider as a newbie in scrapbooking, is that you do not have to be fixed with narrow choices by stickers, papers, and photos as you are building the baby scrapbooking layout. I highly recommend using unique things such as the footprints and handprints from the hospital, copy of the birth certificate, and a lock of hair from the first haircut to make your album special and unique to your child.

As far as this hobby is concerned, remember that many of these keepsakes will not be acid-free and photo-safe, so when you place them onto the baby scrap booking layout please do not allow them to touch your pictures. As I have mentioned, if your photos comes into contact with anything in your scrapbook that is not of high archival quality, it has a good chance of causing damage to the photos by scratching them or causing them to loose their shine and luster.

In other words, a new baby is a miraculous addition to your family that should be celebrated in a heart warming way. Creating a beautiful album full of pictures and keepsakes will be a treasured family heirloom for many generations to come.

I hope you have been able to gain something from this article, thanks for reading!

Mike Snyder is passionate about scrapbooking and he offers many unique products and books on his website. Grab your free digital scrap booking book ‘7 Lost Secrets of Scrapbooking’ by clicking here. Happy scraping!

Article Source: http://www.ezarticles.info

TOP TEN THINGS ONLY WOMEN UNDERSTAND

10. Cats’ facial expressions.

9. The need for the same style of shoes in different colors.

8. Why bean sprouts aren’t just weeds.

7. Fat clothes.

6 Taking a car trip without trying to beat your best time.

5. The difference between beige, ecru, cream, off-white, and eggshell.

4. Cutting your hair to make it grow.

3. Eyelash curlers.

2. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made.

AND, the Number One thing only women understand :

1. OTHER WOMEN

10 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE ‘ESTROGEN ISSUES’

1. Everyone around you has an attitude problem.
2. You’re adding chocolate chips to your cheese omelet.
3. The dryer has shrunk every last pair of your jeans.
4. Your husband is suddenly agreeing to everything you say.
5. You’re using your cellular phone to dial up every bumper sticker that
   says: ‘How’s my driving-call 1- 800-’.
6. Everyone’s head looks like an invitation to batting practice.
7. Everyone seems to have just landed here from ‘outer space’.
8. You can’t believe they don’t make a tampon bigger than Super Plus.
9. You’re sure that everyone is scheming to drive you crazy.
10. The ibuprofen bottle is empty and you bought it yesterday.