So Long, August

What a weird and wacky month. East coast earthquakes, hurricanes, and power outages. If I haven't been blogging as much as usual, it's because we've sort of been through the wringer. On top of that, my little one started Kindergarten on Monday and turned five on Tuesday. (Happy Birthday, Pumpkin!) His party is planned for Sunday, but everyone around us is so fatigued (is that a word?) we don't really know if anyone is going to show. We're going to make the best of it anyway, if only for this reason: In spite of all the weather/seismic/electrical activity, we're still here! Plugging away, barreling through, grinding it out, making headway. I don't know where we're going, but we're getting there. As for you, August 2011. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Summer Sale at Wild Dill

One of my favorite online children's boutiques is having a sale and I want to make sure all the mommies of little ones know about it. Wild Dill (I'm a total sucker for their organic cotton graphic tees) is putting lots of items on sale through Monday August 15th. Here are some of the adorable things that are reduced this weekend:









So hop over to Wild Dill while there's still time.

Opening Up

I'm a smiler. Or at least that's what people tell me. I love smiling and laughing and it shows. But this wasn't always the case. When I was a young child I had dental issues that made me less confident in lots of ways - everything from covering my mouth when I smiled to being hesitant in approaching new people. I had a huge overbite and jumbled, crooked teeth. When I became a teen I let my parents know that I wanted to wear braces - they agreed, thank goodness - and I learned to take care of my mouth and teeth. You would think that braces would give me yet another reason to be shy, but they didn't. Little by little, I began taking chances when it came to socializing and found that the only thing that was ever holding me back was my own lack of confidence. Going to college, finding new friends, and becoming more open gave me proof positive that I could be successful by "putting myself out there." It all started with loving myself enough to make a change in the first place and knowing that I didn't want to go through life as a fearful person. It's a lesson I'm passing on to my little one.

Thanks to Crest for sponsoring my participation in the LifeOpensUpProject.com and for giving me the chance to tell my personal story about having a confident mouth.

Your mouth is more than just teeth and gums, it's your most important feature when it comes to expressing yourself and engaging with the world. The Crest & Oral-B Life Opens Up Project will highlight individual stories that showcase how a healthy mouth has played a role in opening up to life and to the world. www.LifeOpensUpProject.com





Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Crest & Oral-B via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Crest & Oral-B

Summer Parties & Boursin Cheese