Listerine Oral Care Challenge blog tour

My family had the great opportunity to participate in the Listerine Oral Care Challenge. We started our challenge on the 1st of December (see earlier post) so we're almost 4 weeks into it and I wanted to share our experiences with you all.

The kit we received included a lot of really fun things, like Reach Barbie, Phineas & Ferb and Batman toothbrushes, Listerine Barbie/Batman Smart and Anticavity Fluoride rinse, Reach Total Care mint floss and Listerine mouthwashes and toothbrushes for adults.

Our task was to brush, floss and rinse twice a day (which we were pretty much already doing, except for the flossing part).

The kids each chose their character toothbrush and rinse, and off we went with the whole family.

I think from all of us, my youngest Abby enjoyed the routine the most as she could use her Barbie toothbrush and rinse. She got a Barbie house for Christmas so this all fitted right in! :-)

My husband prefers the Coolmint Listerine Antiseptic mouthwash, I prefer the less intense (zero alcohol) Total Care Zero mouthwash.

Did you know that despite parents' best efforts, 50% of children will have a cavity or filling between the ages of 5 and 9?

Candy and soda are the main culprits. However, fruit juice and milk can also be the source of cavities.

We had my son's dentist appointment early this morning (had to be there at 8) and he has NO cavities whatsoever. Very good news for him as he sometimes "forgets" what 2 minutes of brushing is like :-)

The younger your kids are, the harder it seems to be to keep your kids engaged long enough to brush, rinse and floss their teeth. But I have to say that having mouthwash and toothbrushes with characters definitely helps!

You should go check out the Listerine website, it has lots of very useful information on there and they always have offers on the site.

I've had gingivitis before and have been working real hard to improve the condition of my gums and it's paying off as my gums bleed less and less and the dentist actually has seen a huge improvement!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Listerine and received a sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Think Pong for Christmas!

Are you all ready with your Christmas shopping or do you still have some last-minute shopping to do?

Is there anybody in your family that's getting a new or hand-me-down cell phone or iPad for Christmas?

If there is, you should consider buying them a Pong smart phone or iPad case to go with it. Developed by scientists out of MIT, Princeton, UCLA and Harvard, Pong cases have been scientifically proven in independent, FCC-certified labs to reduce cellular radiation by up to 95% below the FCC target. They're also great looking and come in a bunch of fun colors.

Placing a child's device in a Pong case is an easy (they snap on and off), affordable ($49.99-$99.99 at www.pongresearch.com) and important (proven effective) step to take when giving a child a cell phone or iPad. Check www.pongresearch.com on where you can buy this great protection for your loved one in the family!

Here’s why putting a child’s device in a Pong case is so important:

- An article published last month in the scientific journal, Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, reported that children absorb twice as much radiation from cell phones as adults do and more than FCC guidelines permit.

- Most vulnerable are a child’s brain, eyes and bone marrow, which can absorb as much as 10 times the amount of radiation an adult’s body does.

- These findings come just 4 months after the World Health Organization classified cell phone radiation as a potential carcinogen based on a large, global research study.

My kids aren't getting a phone or iPad for Christmas but my husband has an iPhone and we're using it on his phone. My husband is impressed with the ease the Pong case can be put on and taken off and the design is very cool. I'm really liking the idea that with this Pong case we're reducing the cellular radiation, as my hubby uses the phone a lot at work!

You can "like" Pong on Facebook for news of special promotions, new product introductions and more.

"Disclaimer: I was sent a Pong case for the iPone to use for this review. All opinions in this review are my hubby's and mine and we were in no other way compensated to write this post."

Family movie night: "Game of your life"

Friday is family movie night! Are you ready for it?

Walmart and P&G are continuing their commitment to deliver quality family entertainment with the lighthearted and "techy" made-for-tv movie "Game of Your Life". The movie airs tomorrow Friday, December 2nd at 8/7c and we can't wait!

What is the movie about:

When high school gamer Zach Taylor lands a scholarship to an exclusive video game design program led by billionaire gaming icon Marcus Bentton, his future takes a promising turn...as long as he can survive the intense freshmen project that eliminates half of the class in the first 3 months. Teamed up with determined group leader Sara and his brilliant, yet socially awkward roommates, Donald and Phillip, the four set out to involve the entire campus in a quirky new social interactive game. As the project intensifies, Zach learns that his father is in financial trouble. Distracted and desperate to help, he accepts an opportunity to work with Bentton on a secretive and suspicious side project. Zach finds himself stretched to his limits and torn between his responsibility to the team and his desire to help his dad.With nowhere else to turn, he confides in professor Abbie Lambert and is forced to make a decision that will affect his future and the lives of everyone around him.

My son is crazy about games so I know he will certainly enjoy this movie the most! I think after this movie he will think of a career change :-)

This movie will teach kids about Loyalty, Responsibility and Teamwork and I can't wait to discuss the movie with the kids after it's finished.

Did you know you can follow Family Movie Night on Facebook by liking them there?

http://www.facebook.com/familymovienight

"Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate."

Mega Bloks: Blok Squad Construction Mission review

Both my son and youngest daughter were so excited to play with the Blok Squad Construction Unit Mission we received from Team Mom!

As soon as we received the box, they could not wait to open it.

This playset includes two vehicles and figures including a 4X4 and front loader. Of course my son Jamie chose the front loader first so he could lift massive rocks and clear out the area for Abby to drive the 4X4 safely through it!

And you know what, Abby told me the front loader is perfect to scoop the dry cat food our cat Simba spills :-)

Blok Squad buildable playsets introduce kids to everyday heroes with themes such as fire patrol, police and construction. Blok Squad is perfect for kids who have transitioned from mini blocks to micro blocks and are ready for more detailed builds. My kids love to build things so this set was perfect for this mission. The Blok Squad construction site features 218 pieces and is available for $9.99, making this set a very affordable one.

There's so many more buildable playsets, go check it out at www.megabrands.com.

These sets are available in the U.S. at Toys"R"Us, toysrus.com, Walmart and walmart.com, Amazon.com. In Canada, at Walmart CDN, Toys"R"Us, toysrus.com, Zellers

"I received a construction mission set to use for this review by Team Mom. I was in no other way compensated for this post. And the opinions in this review are solely mine (and my kids)"

Getting ready for the Listerine Oral Care Challenge

Isn't it amazing it's already December? I can not get over the fact how fast time is flying by. I have to say I'm glad Halloween and all that candy is behind us. This year we decided to donate almost all of it to soldiers in Afghanistan.

Our 3 kids are pretty good with brushing their teeth (although my son sometimes thinks 2 minutes is 1 minute :-) but the flossing and rinsing lacks a bit.

Anything to help all of us with our brushing routine is great so I was SO excited to be selected in the Listerine Oral Care Challenge. As soon as we receive the package, the whole family will brush, floss and rinse like there's no tomorrow!

The kids are actually looking forward to see what will be in the care package.

I will keep you posted on our routine, and how easy/difficult it will be to continue.

We love our teeth and can't wait to get started!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Listerine and will receive product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate."