31 Days to a Happy, Healthy Family: Take Care of Your Teeth

I have a thing for teeth.

The first thing I notice when I meet someone is their teeth. You can get a pretty good idea of someones overall health by studying their mouth.

 

(side note...of no importance to this post: I think I fell in love with my husband's teeth the first time I met him;))

 

I am not talking about how straight their teeth are either.

 

 

 

(Sorry this is gonna be gross!)

 

 

The main causes of bad teeth are...

Poor hygiene, poor nutrition, drug use and genetics.

I fall under the genetically bad teeth category...unfortunately...but my teeth do not look like the ones in the above picture!

(Me)

I have cavities in every molar in my mouth!

But...I see my dentist regularly and have them filled:)

I also have my teeth cleaned twice per year, and a complete oral exam yearly.

This is extremely important!

 

Did you know that your dentist/hygienist can detect problems in your mouth that may be signs of oral cancer and heart disease?

The same goes for children!

They need to see a dentist twice a year starting when their teeth first come in.

My kiddos go to a pediatric dentist (whom we LOOOOVE).

This is especially crucial for my son, Gabe, because on top of his autism, he also has a genetic disorder that causes him to have cavity prone teeth (poor guy).

 

 

 

 

Here is our oral hygiene routine

• Brush teeth at least twice per day (preferably after every meal), for at least 3 minutes.
• Floss daily (sometimes I do it twice).
• See our dentists 2 times per year.

This is my favorite toothpaste for the kids....

 

 

Since I have ultra sensitive teeth, due to all the dental work I have had done, I have to use a special sensitivity toothpaste I buy from my dentist. 

When was the last time your family saw the dentist?

Jessie

 

31 Days to a Happy, Healthy Family: The Family Table

For years I have been wondering...what ever happened to the traditional family dinner? 

This has never been an issue in our home. When I was growing up, we all sat down at the table and ate dinner...EVERY NIGHT...as a family. Now that I am grown with a family of my own, we sit down...EVERY NIGHT...and eat dinner as a family. There is no television, no phone calls or texting, no taking your plate out into the family room to loaf on the couch. 

We even say prayer:)

I have to say, as an adult, dinner is my favorite time of the day.
I LOVE chatting with my husband and kids.
We talk about our day...
Funny things that happened, bad things that happened, school, work, friends...
Sometimes we sit past the time our plates are empty (or we are full), and just talk.

I understand that schedules are packed...

But while growing up, my brothers and I were all in sports, and participated in several after school activities. We still always ate at home, at the dinner table.

Why is family time not a priority anymore?

  It also disturbs me when I go into someone's home and see a mile-high pile of junk on what is supposed to be a dining room table. Where do they eat? I always wonder...

In front of the television...

In their cars...

In their bedrooms???

All of the above.

And this thing with busting out the TV trays and eating in front of the television set (which I just saw demonstrated on a popular sitcom the other night)...Ridiculous!

I am sure I am offending a number of people, but...

Did you know...

When you eat in front of the television you consume between 20 and 50 percent more food!
 

This is our dining room table...

It looks like this 99% of the time.
I refuse to let things accumulate on the table (a tad OCD;))
(I know...I need tapers...and some fillers for my milk glass...)


Isn't it time to revive the family dinner...
At the family table?




And...
Here's some dining room eye candy!

Pottery Barn






oversstock.com

 Pottery Barn

 overstock.com

Pottery Barn


Doesn't it make you want to break out the good plates and have your own hearty, healthy family dinner?



Jessie

31 Days to a Happy, Healthy Family: A Healthy Snack Recipe

This weekend I found a yummy looking (and healthy) recipe while perusing some tweets. I altered it a bit to suit our tastes...and here you have it!

Pumpkin Yogurt Cups

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup organic pumpkin (solid pack)
• 2 packets Stevia in the Raw
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• Pecans and organic graham cracker (crumbled) for topping (a maple granola would be awesome in this as well!)

Combine all ingredients, except toppings...

 Stir until smooth and well blended...

Pour into 2 small dishes...

Top with yummies...

 ENJOY ♥

Gabe is very serious about his after school treats:)

Thinking about whether or not he likes it...

 

We have a WINNER!!!

 And...

I knew this one liked it...

This was her second bowl today!!!

 And...

Just because I almost never show pics of myself...

My favorite little (well...not so little anymore) guy ♥

 Me and Lily ♥

We were having fun using Picnik (which I LOVE). 

I let them each chose the "effect" they wanted for their pic with mommy:)

I was a wonderfall evening!

See you tomorrow for another happy-healthy idea:) 

Jessie

 

31 Days to a Happy, Healthy Family: EASY, Healthy Snacks

Snacks are an important part of our diets. Most people can not (and should not) eat only 3 times per day. Your body needs fuel to keep it running.  If you are not providing that fuel, your blood sugar drops, your metabolism slows down, and you will feel tired and sluggish. Children who are hungry become inattentive and crabby (sometimes I do too;)) But...you don't want to fill your body up with garbage! You need a good, healthy shot of protein and carbs.

I like to eat two or three snacks per day...depending on how late we eat dinner.

Here are some examples of quick, healthy convenience snacks...

 I just recently discovered the LARABAR...

I have been missing out!

There are literally only 3 or 4 ingredients per bar! NO sugar and NO Preservatives.

They consist of dates, nuts and fruit, and some have fair trade certified chocolate.

Rock on!

These are my son's favorite snack to pack in his lunch!

He has autism, so finding something he likes, that provides nourishment, is a monumental task;)

I always add a handful of almonds or walnuts if I use the Twisted Fruit as a snack for my kiddos!

I LOVE the Cliff offers these organic options that are free of  artificial preservatives:)

Some more, not prepackaged, ideas...

• 2 cups of popcorn, either air popped, or popped in a small amount of canola or olive oil, and topped with a little sea salt...and an apple.
• A banana, spread with some organic peanut butter.
• Veggies and hummus (did ya think I wasn't gonna throw my beloved hummus in there).
• A glass of organic milk and a piece of fruit.
• Mozzarella cheese stick and a handful of organic blueberries.
• A small bowl of fresh, sweet pineapple and some freshly shaved Parmesan (a yummy combo!).
• Almonds or walnut and an orange.
• A small veggie salad with a homemade vinaigrette.
• Greek yogurt (I ♥ Chobani), mixed with some milled organic flax seed.

I hope this has helped give you some new, quick snack ideas!

Tomorrow I will be back with a healthy snack recipe:)

Jessie