It is the small things in life that can make the biggest difference. Did you know that by brushing your teeth with Recycline Toothbrush, you can help save the world? Ok, you aren’t going to be Superman. However, the Recycline Toothbrush uses recycled plastic and when you are done with it, send the toothbrush and case back to Preserve using their postage-paid label. It will then be reprocessed into plastic lumber for picnic tables, boardwalks, and decks.

Now, I did the ultimate test in my house to see how good this toothbrush really is — I switched my husband’s toothbrush without telling him.  This is the same guy who didn’t notice for around six hours that I had cut off six inches from hair, so he isn’t the most observant person out there.  However, he knew immediately that I changed his toothbrush out.  When I ask him what he thinks of his new toothbrush, he just replies “awesome”.  He thought it had a great design, and he likes how it feels.  When I told him how we were saving the enviroment, he like it even more.

This toothbrush passes the mom test for me just because of the enviromental factors involved.  Any time I can make the world a better place for my kids, I am going to do it.  These toothbrushes are super easy to find — just head to your nearest Target.  Since my Target is just down the street from me, that works great.  They are also only $2.04 which is not a bad price for a toothbrushes.  Of course, they have coupons you can use too for $1 off.  Lastly, these come is sizes for both adults and kids, so the whole family can save the world!

I can’t remember if we got When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old’s Memoir of Her Youth before or after Will was born. However, Madison uses the state “when I was little” a lot, so this book is quite fitting for her. The book itself is about a 4 year old talking about all the things she no longer does or uses because she is big. She talks about using words, sleeping in big girl platform beds, going to nursery school, and getting teeth just to name a few things. As a parent, you actually can visualize your little one growing up.   Madison often tells me the things that aren’t listed in the book that she did when she was little.  It is a great conversation starter with your children.  The pictures in this book are awesome.  This book is perfect for the 3 - 6 age group.  It is especially perfect for any 4 year old you may know.

One of the best sites on the web to see how much of a carbon footprint you are leaving is GreenIQ. They have a great and easy quiz that you can take. For example, here are my results:

I was very happy to see that I am at a 54%. Both my carbon emissions and ecological footprint were taken into account to give me my score. That is better than most people. However, it also shows that there is a lot more that we need to do as a family. They have a lot of really good resources to learn how to reduce your carbon footprint. They have a list of 100 things that you can do today to help. Some of the easy things that you can do include using reusable bags at the grocery store, drink tap water, turn the faucet off when you brush your teeth, use a low flow toilet, and washing full loads of laundry. I found that I did a lot of things on the list without realizing the environmental impact. I even enjoyed the section on Kids Gifts that help make less of an impact on the environment. Another thing that you can do is when you are looking for travel deals, vacation packages , cheap cruises, or cheap travel, you check out the airlines beforehand. Some are greener than others. Not all
flight tickets nor are all the
cheapest cruises created equal.

If you are looking for ways to reduce your imprint, you should definitely check GreenIQ out and take their quiz.

Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment is one of those products that you must have when you have kids. Not only does it work for them, it works for you too. This is a product that is suppose to help dry skin which it works great on. However, there are a couple of extra uses for it also. My son right now is teething and drooling something fierce. The saliva is constantly running down his chin causing his skin to break out. Before he goes to bed at night, a dab a bit of this on his chin, and it clears up most of his break out by morning. I don’t know exactly why it works, but it does. This also works great on windburn on cheeks and dry skin anywhere on your body (for adults and kids). It is a little more expensive than regular lotion, but is definitely worth it. I just wish they made a PMS relief product that works just as well.

Just like dog supplies you can’t live without, there are a few baby supplies too. Baby Orajel is one those supplies. If you have teething children, this can be heaven sent. It is an oral pain reliever for teething. I know that tide is going against using products like this, but please come to my house when nothing else works. I have even discussed its use with my pediatrician, and she wants me to use Baby Orajel if nothing else is working. The active ingredient is Benzocaine. In the past, Bill put it on his tongue, and it really does work. All I know is that it works on Will, and it smells great.

I woke up with a nasty toothache this morning and immediately started freaking out. I am a chauffeur most days of the week (well, it feels like it between preschool and the doctor’s appointment). I do not have time to run to the dentist if my filling falls out. Madison has dentist appointment tomorrow for a cleaning, but I do not want to bump her out of her spot. I did see a product that would certainly help in predicament. There is a product out there called Dentemp OS. Here’s why you should use it:

• Provides fast, temporary relief of pain and discomfort.
• Just remove it from its plastic vial and it’s ready to use. No Mess! No Mixing! Several Applications in each vial.
• Replaces lost fillings and may be used to temporarily cement loose crowns.
• You can eat on it within 30 minutes of setting.
• All products have been tested and fully comply with FDA Regulations for Oral Care.

That is from their site. Those are all great reasons to try their product. I know if my toothache does not go away, I will be picking some of this up.

Remember, this is only a temporary dental repair. You do have to go to the dentist to get your teeth fixed eventually. However, this will alleviate a lot of the embarrassment and pain until you can be seen.