The Best Natural Ways to Prevent Cavities! So tired of that junk I buy at the store.

The BEST Natural Ways to Prevent Cavities

Dental health has always been a big deal for me. My moms side of the family has pretty good teeth chemistry but my dads side is horrendous (as in, most of my aunts and uncles have fake teeth!). Unfortunately for me, I think I got my dad’s genes. Before I even reached preschool I was being put under for tooth surgery and silver caps (agh!). 

Our families dental bills were so expensive that my mom finally offered $100 dollars to each of us if we didn’t have any cavities at our 6 month checkups. Well, you can bet that motivated me as a little girl! I brushed and flossed every day and watched as my siblings (who shall remain nameless 😉 ) hardly ever took care of their teeth. When it was time for our checkup, can you guess who came out of the office crying? ME! and who walked out with a hundred dollar smile? My non-flossing siblings. (I promise I’m not bitter… well… maybe a little) It got to the point where my dentist would beat around the bush to avoid saying I had a cavity and his assistant couldn’t take it anymore and would say, “oh, just say it! It’s a cavity!” We did this same routine for about 3 checkups before my mom finally felt sorry for me and banished the $100 dollar reward along with my siblings smug, cavity-free smile. Good Riddance. 

After much research and a root canal later, I’m happy to say that I’ve come to a solution (Well. . .  a COUPLE of solutions) of some of the best Natural Ways to Prevent Cavities. You can’t even begin to realize my utter amazement at the dentist saying I had no cavities after throwing up several times a day for my entire first trimester of being pregnant!! That was big you guys. BIG. 🙂

The Best Natural Ways to Prevent Cavities! So tired of that junk I buy at the store.

A hilarious look on the bright side of the parenthood.

20 Problems You Don’t have to Worry About if you Have Children

If you read my post on the 15 phrases I never would have said if I didn’t have kids, you can understand why there might be times when it is difficult to stay positive as a parent. My sister told me about a speaker (John Bytheway) she heard who said we need to switch our buts.   Yeah, I know– it sounds a little scandalous… or like the latest work out video, but it’s not like that.  His point was we often say things like, “I love him, but he drives me crazy,” or, “She’s a good kid, but she never cleans her room,” and we tend to focus on what comes after the but.  So, why not switch our buts and focus on the positive instead, he suggests?  “He drives me crazy, but I love him.”  “She never cleans her room, but she’s a good kid.”  It completely changes what we say into something positive and can change the way we view people.

I love this concept.  I was thinking about how easy it is to focus on all the problems and frustrations our young children can cause in our lives, and what a difference it could make if we applied the switching our buts principle here and started to focus on all the problems they eliminate from our lives instead?  Admittedly, I had to stretch a little to find the other side of the but on some of these, but I did it.  I switched my buts. And by doing so I can now present to you 20 problems you don’t have to worry about if you have children.

A hilarious look on the bright side of the parenthood.

 

1- Kids are always breaking glasses, but you will never have to worry about what to do about that annoying haze that builds up on drinking glasses because your children will have broken the majority of the glasses by the time it gets really bad and you can just go buy new ones. So thoughtful of them.  😉 

2- Kids drink a ton of milk, but you will never have to worry about it going sour before you use it all. Even if you buy 5 gallons a week. Which I do.

I'm drooling over all these amazing Valentine's Day Treats!

30+ Scrumptious Valentine’s Day Treats

Ok, WOW you guys!! There are so many amazing Valentine’s Day Treats out there! I was originally only going to round up 15 but then I upped it to 25 and next thing I knew I had over 30 and boy was it hard to stop there! I’m sure I’ll keep adding more as time goes on and I find more and more delectable recipes! I was seriously drooling over every single one of these. It doesn’t help that I’m currently on a strict no junk food diet… but you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m making some of these the moment I’m off! 

Anyway, without further ado, here’s your mouthwatering list of Valentine’s Day Treats!

How to raise a family on a small budget...and still be amazingly happy too!

How to Raise a Family on a Small Budget

My sweet bloggin’ sisters now tease me about being the “small budget lady” because I’ve written so many posts on this topic. They’ve even joked about changing the name of our blog because of it. Well, here I go again! What can I say? Living life on a small budget is something I know a lot about! 😉

Are you saving up to have a family? Maybe you’re nervous about having enough money to raise a family or maybe you already have a family and are struggling to make ends meet. Welcome to the story of my life! Growing up in a large family, money was always tight and sometimes non-existent! I remember watching my mom clip coupons, I remember eating a whole lot of whatever happened to be on sale, I remember wearing my cousin’s hand downs and I remember…being HAPPY! How is that possible? Even now, I am married and have 4 kids of my own, and we have always barely had enough to pay our bills and make ends meet and yet we are HAPPY! I suppose growing up the way I did, I learned to appreciate the small things in life and to value relationships more than things. I also learned to rely more on God than myself and to trust that he would take care of me and my family. If you’re struggling in the decision to even have children because of money, or struggling to provide for children you already have, consider yourself lucky! It’s the trials in  life that help us grow and become who we are really meant to be. Here are some things I have learned that help when the pockets are empty and the bank account is running low!

How to raise a family on a small budget...and still be amazingly happy too!

1. Live Within Your Income. However small it may be, find a way to live on what you make. That may mean sacrificing things you want for things you actually need. It doesn’t have to be miserable! Being frugal and finding creative ways to save money can be a fun journey. Plus, think of how much you can teach your kids in the process! For more great ideas on how to live happily on your income you can read this post I wrote.