#COLGATE TOTAL® ORAL CARE PRODUCTS - REVIEW

This week I have switched my family over to Colgate Total Oral Care and we are loving it!

We received the Colgate Total® Advanced Whitening Toothpaste, Colgate Total®’s New Gum Health Mouthwash, and the Colgate 360o® Total® Advanced Floss-Tip4 Bristles Toothbrush.

What I Can Tell You:

The kids find it too minty or as they say "hot" however I feel that it leaves my mouth fresh and clean. I literally feel that I have thoroughly clean my mouth and knowing that it protects against gingivitis for 12 hours makes me feel really good.  I fill the cup to the bottom of the cap line and rinse for one minute.

What I Can Tell You: 

My kids do not find it too minty. They both enjoy using it and we all feel that our mouths feel much cleaner after using. The fact that it strengthens teeth and fights plaque are my favorite reasons for using it. 


What I Can Tell You:

The brush is by far the best of the three and my favorite brush ever. I received one and after using it two times I ran out and get one for the whole family.

The manufacturer price states it to be $4.49 but I was ripped off and still bought it. The store had it for almost $9.00 and still purchased three of them because it was that good!

We all know changing our toothbrush every 3 months for the best oral health. We do this and I will be buying the The Colgate 360o® Total® Advanced Floss-Tip Bristles Toothbrush again for all of us.

The reason it is good is because of the Floss-Tip Bristles. It really gets in there! You feel like you are hitting every spot and space on/in your teeth.

Using all three together definitely makes for a very, clean, healthy mouth.

Walk Down Memory Lane - Red Is The Color Of Pretty (Aug 2008) #memories

I love this picture of my daugter, it is probably one of my favorites. I love the way her hair is blowing and her great big brown eyes. She looks good in many colors but she looks beautiful in red.

Beautiful Skin Is Easy With Anavita Moisturizing Anti-Wrinkle Cream

I have been having the best year as far as skin care goes. I have taken a real interest in maintaining and tweaking the foundation I created at the age of 12. My grandma always told me to moisturize and I took that advice to heart being a diligent user of moisturizer and in my mid 20's finally really using a sun screen whenever I went outside.  I spent a few years working for a dermatologist and knew that protecting my skin was as important as anything else I do for myself.

Trying Anavita has been a real find. I love it! It goes on easily but is thicker than a lot of my other moisturizers right now. I am not certain if that means it is better but I like how it goes on. I don't ever feel like I didn't put enough. Sometimes with my lighter ones I reapply until I can feel it on my skin.

I think this is great for men or woman. There is no noticeable fragrance making it a unisex moisturizer in my eyes.

The ingredients Hyaluronic Acid + Argireline (5%) + Matrixy are known to reduce fine lines and deep wrinkles. Currently I have fine lines around my upper lip and eyes and that is always what I gauge every cream against. 

The website says you will see results within 2-4 weeks and they will continue for another 12. I believe that in the past two weeks my skin is definitely firmer. 

I sent the Anavita Moisturizing Anti-Wrinkle Cream Amazon link over to my sister-in-law last week mostly because I believe this is a high end cream with a really great price and I know she loves her moisturizers. She didn't receive it yet but hopefully I can add her review here in a few weeks.

Pluses:

• Non greasy feel
• Great price
• Reduces fine lines
• Great for men and woman
• Smooths skin
• Hydrates skin

I definitely look forward to using this and watching my skin improve.

Neutrogena Naturals Has Changed My Nightly Routine + The Bravest Post I've Ever Done! #WipeforWater

I am sure you have seen these in the store. The pretty green packet screams check me out. I am a huge fan of Neutrogena products from way way back as a teen when I used to use the clear amber color Neutrogena soap. I loved them then and I love them now.

Their Purifying Make-Up Remover Cleaning Pads are literally my go to for removing my make-up at the end of the day. There is nothing that takes it off as well for me as this.

Since receiving a pack as a review right before Easter I have purchased two more packages.

What I love about them is that they already have everything I need in them to remove my make-up plus I don't have to worry about getting a drop of remover in my eye. I wear contacts and my eyes have always been sensitive. The wipe even has a little bit of exfoliating feel to it.  It really gets into every line, crease, hair and crevice and wipes it all away.

Now let me show you....

Here it goes, even my husband doesn't see me without make-up....

Removing all of our make-up is necessary for clean, healthy, skin. I love knowing that I have removed it all and can start with a fresh palette the next day.

Watch how fast it takes my make-up off with no mess around my sink or water all over my clothing. Yeah it happens! I am usually drenched when I wash my face at the sink AND I saved a whole lot of water!

Starting Our New With A Colorful Message #chalkmarkers

Two weeks ago we reviewed white, chalk markers by Colore' and loved them. They were great but nothing like these

There are 8 Bright Vibrant Colors:
Blue
Yellow
Red
Pink
White
Purple 
Orange 
Green

We have been using a lot of RED!

Every morning I leave a message for the kids and they leave one back to me. I LOVE it. We used to do it on dry erase boards on their bedroom doors and I miss doing that. This is a universal family message where the other was more personalized. 

This week I am going to put my BOE candidate on my rear window. LOVE THESE MARKERS.

 The chalk goes on liquid smooth, isn't runny, is perfectly solid and fluid. A quick shake of the marker and we can't stop ourselves.

If you have used a paint pen, these work exactly the same. A quick up and down motion of the tip and the chalk is flowing.

Get a few of these because you will be surprised how many uses there are PLUS the benefit of no dusty mess from chalk.

Get His Body Beach Ready! #beachbod #hairless #groomingmyman

 

We love the Bodygroomer for so many reasons. My husband is a weight lifter and likes a smooth chest and back. Every Sunday we grab a razor, bucket of water, shaving cream and multiple towels so that I can shave his back, and shoulders. He does his stomach and chest himself. He doesn't grow a lot of hair but likes it clean. It usually takes me about 25-30 minutes to put on the cream, shave, repeatedly rinse wipe and clean off before putting on some cream for so he doesn't get a rash.

This weekend it took me 10 minutes to do the whole thing including the chest and stomach plus an additional 2 to vacuum the area for any strays. Only 12 minutes without the clean-up of towels, cream, dumping the water and cleaning out the razor.

We love how well the razor fits in your hand. It is truly easy to use and grab. It can be used in the shower as well which he will probably do from now on.

It comes with three comb attachments depending on how far down you want to cut.

We didn't use any attachments other then the back one so he could try it out. He liked how secure the razor fits in the extension holder. He felt it fit and and could be taken out with complete easy. He thought the reach on the extension was perfect and was amazed at how far he could reach.

It was way smoother than anytime I have shaved him which he commented on when I gave the first swipe after I did one side. "I can tell how smooth it is just from your hand wiping it".

We give it 5 stars for ease of use, quality of razor and results

 Truly a great product!

  

We Jumped For Joy This Weekend

They waited a long time but it is finally up. My sister-in-law sends money to the kids every holiday. This year we put it toward a trampoline which they only received a photo of in a large Christmas Box on Christmas Morning.

 It was ordered in January and sat in our garage since. My husband who works two full time jobs finally put it up this weekend. It was a nightmare and I thought two times he was going to give up. He said the directions sucked and I saw him throw a thing or two as I drove out to pick up something from the market at 5:30 PM. When I got back, my son was jumping away and Goddess who took the ride with me jumped out of the car saying she was sorry that she couldn't help me carry bags into the house but she had to see what was going on. LOL...

They spent the next two hours jumping before I called them in for the night. They can't wait for school to be over today and I am praying the weather allows them to jump a bit today but this is where we hope to be this afternoon.

Savings Wildlife One Salamandar At A Time

There are over 655 species of salamanders and are the second largest group of amphibians.

While often grouped into the lizard category, salamanders have damp skin, no claws and or scales where lizards have dry skin, claws and scales.

I love salamanders and even for a while had newts as a young adult as pets so finding the occasional salamander in the woods always makes me smile.

This past Wednesday while waiting until the last 5th grade student headed outside for recess I followed. As I stepped out the door and normally would have turned and closed it to spend 15 minutes with this group of fun kids, I spotted a Red Spotted Salamander or Notophthalmus viridescens exactly where the kids all raced out. It was small. Really small! It was slow and looked like it was shocked. It probably was considering it had just avoided over 140 running feet.

Quickly I grabbed him because really what was he going to do in the concrete hallway which leads to some concrete stairs? I was praying no kids spotted me holding him because this would mean they would follow me and I wanted to place him somewhere where he would actually have a chance getting back to where he could survive. They don't mean to but they can't help themselves and one had been accidentally stepped on last week when he was passed hand to hand and fell thus getting a sneaker imprint on his wee little back. Thankfully I didn't see it but heard all about it. Kids will tell you everything and anything in school.

I avoided getting hit with a ball or run over by kids on the handball court, skated past a few playing hide and seek, skipped past the few on the jungle gym and shashayed past the basketball court kids. When I saw I was alone, I bent down to place him as far away from people I could go without leaving my position but thought, I am going to tell my kids about this and Goddess will undoubtedly whine, "why didn't you let me see it?" So, hearing her voice in my head, I took some really quick shots.

Isn't it a beauty!?  Love it. So tiny and I hope it survived the night with all the frost, hail, snow we had yesterday.

Walk Down Memory Lane #memories - The Upside Down Show

I love this picture taken in March 2008, for so many reasons. My kids were so into The Upside Down Show (see here). My son had asked me how to write The Upside Down Show. I wrote it and added lines for him to write on (hence the lines that appear to be through the words.

He was so proud of himself and this paper was with him for 2-3 days until it was put on the fridge for a week or more, sometimes taken off so that he could tell us what he had written.
I also love baby girl’s face in the background. She was just dying to be part of the picture too but she almost looks proud that her brother had wrote so well.

Unfortunately, The Upside Down show isn’t on Noggin any more. I hope they release the shows on DVD because my kids miss it.

Gift Idea: The Boodle Box For Girls 6-12

The Boodle Box Is A Great Gift Idea for Little Girls!

We love the idea of gifts that keep on giving especially once kids start growing out of toy gifts which I always found so easy. When they like toys and you know the kid you will always be able to find something they like. I was still playing with toys at the age of 12 but kids these days end that play much sooner much to my dismay.

Just two years ago Goddess had a Monster High Party! It was everything Monster High and last year she was thrilled to get Monster High stuff still and now here we are and the only toy she asked for was Little Pet Shop figures AND a subscription for a site we reviewed in the past. This seems to be the way to go these days because my niece and my daughter's friend asked for the same thing this year. It truly makes gift buying easy.

Here is our Unboxing:

When we opened the box this is what we saw for the Boodle One Box for girls 6-11. There is also a Boodle Two Box for girls 12+

The items are definitely appropriate and adorable.

The Weekend Car

My sister-in-law gave my husband the greatest gifts ever. The man works two full time jobs and has had zero playtime until now thanks to the weekend car!

He spent a day making sure the engine and breaks worked AND when he took it on it's maiden voyage around the block he was a kid again.

Teach isn't one to make a whole lot of hoopla but his comments about wanting one since he was a kid and the amount of time he spent on it tells me he is as happy as he gets. 

Goddess was the first one in and if you can see the hand on his arm and the eyes under the googles, she is thinking she may have made the wrong decision to get in with Speedy Gonzalez. HOWEVER, this is a brave chick. She is afraid but will not back down.

When she returned to the driveway she had is in a modified fist pump but you can see the other hand is now holding on. Never let them see you sweat babygirl!

Handsome isn't nervous or at least he doesn't ever seem to be. His eyes can be saying a few things. This is taking too long! This hat is heavy. Come on Dad you are wasting my time. Or we don't need no stinkin' seat belts.  We will never know.

He loved it! The kids went on at least a hand full of times between Saturday night and Sunday.

Like any mom I was afraid of them getting in the car not because I don't trust my husband because he is more nervous at times then I am. I was nervous about the car being on the road with other cars who could pop out of their driveway. There are new drivers on my street and a lot of blind turns. BUT, I know I can't keep them sheltered forever. I prayed for the best knowing the driver with them would never let anything happen to them. Doesn't mean that my heart felt lighter whenever they got out of that little car.

Rejunventating Your Skin Has Never Been Easier

Over the past two weeks I have been using Bioque Rejuventating Day Cream. I have been a user of facial moisturizer since the age of 12 and really love trying new things these days.

I am totally in love with the jewel looking bottle. It is lovely on my bathroom counter but it what is under the cap that is really amazing.

Every morning after cleansing my face I apply the rejuvenating day cream in upward motions and wait for it to dry before applying foundation. I even add a bit to my foundation. Whenever I apply foundation I mix it on my hand with some moisturizer and apply with a brush.

What I have noticed after using for two weeks. The cream definitely makes my skin feel less aged. I actually do see huge difference in the feel and look. My skin is much more supple, silky and dewy. I think it has to do with the second ingredient Cyclopentasiloxane. This is a type of silicone. It absorbs quickly into the skin and causes skin cells to expand which erases a lot of those lines.  Interesting!

Refreshing Flavored Water For The Approaching Warm Months

I received a sample box of Cascade Ice Waters, a flavored water and was really excited to try them out. I LOVE water and the flavors were enticing.

Like Orange Mango, Strawberry Mango, McIntosh Apple, Coconut, Strawberry Banana and so many more. Well, this many more......

My daughter and I grabbed our glasses and opened a Strawberry Mango. We were surprised by the carbonation sound upon unscrewing the first cap. That meant there was fizz and we love our seltzers.  I poured us both a glass so we could try each of them over the next few days.

First sip
Me: Ugh
Goddess: Mmmmmm I love it.

Second flavor
Me: Nope
Goddess: I love this one even more.

OK I thought, maybe it is because I don't drink flavored water because I like my water.

So to be fair I took the box to work and put it in the teacher's lounge with a bunch of cups and a note saying please sample and send me feedback.

Everyone loved them!

Mother's Day Gift Idea: Timeless, Seamless And Ageless = #JordWatch

I haven't worn a watch since carrying a cell phone became the norm. Why wear one when I had my phone on at all times? I didn't realize how much I missed wearing one until I received a Jord Watch. Made of various types of wood, Jord Watches are truly unique time pieces that even watch enthusiasts will appreciate. It's a watch made of wood or a wood watch.

The watch comes in it's own lovely wood box with the Jord logo.

It also sits on it's own very special pillow. I really did love the presentation of the watch! 

The watch also comes with two extra links and the necessary parts to attach it to the watch. You DO size it when you order it by measuring your wrist and ordering the one closest to your wrist size. I needed to add one link to mine. It fit but was fit too perfectly. Adding the link was easy. We just took one of the nail like pieces that came with the watch and lightly hammered it against one of the nail like pieces already in the watch. It came out one, two, three. We insert the extra piece and lightly hammered it back into the watch. It is NOW perfect. Moves slightly and doesn't make me claustrophobic.  I LOVE IT!

 Isn't it a beauty. I literally can't stop taking pictures of it. You should see how many I didn't post.

It also looks seamless from the outside of the watch. It is the underside that has the clasp. Just lift it up from one of the pieces next to the Jord imprint and it pops right up to open up.

I can't stop looking at it!

Ready to play catch! It's a perfect watch for this busy mom because it doesn't look sporty, it doesn't look dressy and it doesn't look too casual.

It is a truly beautiful piece of art!

This is the Ely but there are so many to choose from.  There are even men's watches and with Father's Day coming up, this is a pretty nice gift for him as well.

Liquid Chalk Markers Have So Many Uses! Who Knew?

We love anything crafty especially when it becomes a multipurpose item that we use all the time for everything.

Friday we received these Color'e Liquid Chalk Markers that we can't stop using.

This was the chalk board that Goddess used it on. She learned quickly that it is not for chalk boards!

But it can be used on almost anything else and comes off easily with a damp cloth!

We must have written on our kitchen door, bathroom mirror and microwave oven at least 20 times a day this past weekend, leaving little notes for each of us.

The chalk goes on liquid smooth, isn't runny, is perfectly solid and fluid. A quick shake of the marker and we can't stop ourselves.

If you have used a paint pen, these work exactly the same. A quick up and down motion of the tip and the chalk is flowing.

Get a few of these because you will be surprised how many uses there are PLUS the benefit of no dusty mess from chalk.

A Classy Diaper Bag For The Classy, Chic Parent

The Ultimate Multi-Function Diaper Bag The Duet is actually TWO bags in ONE: a sleek, faux-leather Tote and a removable organizer that can be worn on its own as a Crossbody bag. Combine both bags for ultimate organization, or leave baby’s items in one bag and use the other bag for yourself. From playdate to errands to date night and beyond, the tote-ally versatile Duet is the only bag you’ll ever need!

I am in love with this bag. No dear readers, no baby to speak of but I love a quality bag and was thrilled to review this bag by Skip Hop.

The bag speaks for itself. It is stunning with it's black sleekness and bright, accessories.  It is my daily bag and one I can fit everything I need in.

As parents especially when we have babies, we think there is nothing we can do without. We want to make sure we have absolutely everything our sweetie will want and then some. As a mom of two I am no different then when my kids were babies. I still need water for everyone, a book, writing supplies, Kindles, DS games, my wallet, yada, yada, yada. It all fits in this bag AND it is big enough for us each to have our very own pocket to put things in.  Check out how much stuff you can fit in here!

It also has ways to attach things to it for easy access


There are even easy ways for you to attach it to your carriage.

It's really a beautiful bag that can be worn for years to come.

 

Fun Fun Fun Till Daddy Takes The T-Bird Away

This weekend we got so much done around the house! It was a family effort and we are thrilled with the results but more on that at another time.

Friday Teach (Hub) headed up to his sister's soon to be sold Summer house and scored big with some unexpected gifts, one was a lovely shade of blue and made all of us smile....

Teach has a ton of work to do on this blue go kart but he is ready to move and researched the manual last night online. Exciting!!!

Look at their little legs in there.We all love the color!

 My Handsome felt like a big boy and Goddess was busy eating a chocolate Easter bunny before she begged to take the wheel.

It's Goddess size! She was happy to be able to reach the pedals.  Which say Stop and Go. No confusion there.

We noticed this when I finally took a seat! Hmmmm...I guess it has something to do with the engine being behind us.

 Selfie Time!