4 Ways to Encourage Healthy Oral Hygiene Habits

Ben after losing a tooth last year.

Several years ago my husband developed a tooth infection. I'll spare you puss-filled details and just say that the abscess was disgusting. But worse than that, it hurt and consumed his thoughts and energy.

So several weeks, a couple of dentist appointments and one oral surgery later the abscess was gone and he felt much better. (I'm sure the post-surgery medications helped lift his mood as well!)

Joel takes his oral hygiene very serious after that experience! He doesn't want a repeat visit to the oral surgeon so he brushes, rinses, and flosses daily.


We've found 4 ways to encourage those healthy oral hygiene habits in our children.

• We start brushing our children's teeth when those new pearly whites first break through the gums. Our children were early teethers so we used a damp wash cloth in place of a tooth brush. They didn't object to the wash cloth rubbing the tooth and gums.

• We gave our preschoolers battery operated spin brushes to insure brushing happened instead of chewing on the toothbrush. These kid-sized toothbrushes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Princess and Super Hero toothbrushes are preferred at our house.

• We made brushing teeth a part of our morning and bed time routines. Oral hygiene is habit for my kids. To NOT brush their teeth before bed feels weird to them.

• And just to make sure these habits stick, we occasionally throw in the scare tactics. In other words, we tell those gruesome stories about daddy's oral surgery and my fillings. I share how my grandparents had ALL of their teeth pulled and wore dentures because they didn't brush their teeth.

Complete Care Water Flosser System

So far all 4 methods of developing good oral hygiene habits are working. Four kids, 2 dental visits a year, and no cavities so far!

One area that we haven't been diligent in teaching our kids is flossing. Have you ever tried to floss a 3 year old? It's not easy!

But all that might be changing. We are currently trying out the Complete Care Water Flosser System and the Water Flosser for Kids.


After his first experience with the Complete Care Water Flosser System, which includes water flossing and sonic brushing, my husband declared his teeth felt really clean.

Using the water flosser system on my kids was... well... hilarious! The best way I can describe the water flosser is to picture a tiny little power washer like my husband uses to clean the grime off our siding. Only you use it to clean the grime off your teeth.

Water Pik Water Flosser for Kids

My children thought the Water Flosser for Kids was 1000x more fun that brushing! They took turns leaning over the sink while I used the water flosser to gently blast clean their teeth along the gum line. We all laughed as water poured from their open mouths.

The hysterical part occurred when I tried to manipulate the wand in their mouths and got sprayed myself!

I'm sure the more I use this effective flossing tool the more coordinated I'll become. Until then my kids will be having a good laugh at my expense every time we water floss their teeth.

Do you own a Water Pik product? 

If not, they are currently offering coupons to use to purchase the Complete Care Water Flosser System and the Water Flosser for Kids.


Disclosure: I received free product in exchange for this post.  All opinions and stories expressed are my own.

Back to School Haircuts with Hair Cuttery

Ellie loves getting her hair cut!

Being a girl with 3 brothers is tough at times: pink glittery toys are few and far between while burps and "toots" are frequent and celebrated. 

But Ellie has learned that having 3 brothers isn't all bad!

She knows mama buzzes the boys' hair while girlies go get their hair done at a salon. This means about every 6 weeks Ellie gets special Mommy and Me time when we go to Hair Cuttery to get our hair cut and styled.

You can see from the photos that she hates this time. NOT!

A few weeks ago Hair Cuttery asked me if I would tell you about their Share A Haircut program. Since we have been Hair Cuttery customers for about 2 years I readily said "yes."

What is Share A Haircut?

Since 1999 Hair Cuttery has been donating back-to-school haircuts to children in need. To date they've donated more than 625,000 haircuts. That's a lot of children starting school feeling special and looking their best!!

You can also help a child receive a haircut!

This year Hair Cuttery invites you to join them in giving a child a haircut. There are two easy ways you can participate.

• Tell your friends about Share a Haircut using the easy app. All you have to do is go to the app, click on the Facebook or Twitter icons, then share the link. Easy peasy, as Ellie would say.

• Take your child to Hair Cuttery August 1-15 for a haircut. Working in partnership with local non-profit agencies, Hair Cuttery will donate a haircut to a child in need for each purchased hair cut.

As you can see from the pictures, Ellie thoroughly enjoyed her hair cut at Hair Cuttery! She's looking forward to starting our extra curricular activities and showing off her beautiful hair cut to her friends.

Will you help a child start school feeling beautiful and excited?

Disclosure: Hair Cuttery provided a gift card to cover part of the cost of Ellie's haircut. Ellie and I are both regular customers of Hair Cuttery #3733. Special thanks to Michelle D. for her patience with my paparazzi antics while she cut Ellie's hair.

Project 10 Update

Project 10 is 9 weeks old. I can't believe we started this journey 9 weeks ago! It doesn't feel that long.

I thought this week would be a good day for an update.

What is Project 10?

In case you missed the introduction to Project 10 let me briefly explain what it is. 

Project 10 is a group of women supporting and encouraging each other in a mutual goal of creating healthy lifestyles. For some of us a healthy lifestyle means weight loss, for others it means developing a habit of exercise. Our methods for living healthy are varied and unique. 

What does 'Project 10' mean?

There seems to be a bit of confusion on the meaning behind Project 10. I chose the name for this project because when you ask a woman how much weight she needs to lose, invariably she says, "About 10 pounds." It could be more or less than that but 10 pounds seems to be the default response.

Project 10 represents all those women who want to feel and look healthy but are stuck in unhealthy habits and with an extra 10 (usually more) pounds.

How much longer will Project 10 last?

Great question. The initial group of Rhode Island based participants signed up for only 10 weeks. Next week is week 10. But, I feel like it's too early to end.

Some of us are finally starting to see a little success and I'm afraid if we quit now we'll revert back to old habits. So I've decided to extend Project 10 until September 26. Then in October, November, December we'll check in on the third Friday of the month.

My hope is to kick-off the New Year with a second round of Project 10 and a free ebook about creating a healthy lifestyle. Any content suggestions for the ebook are welcome and appreciated!

That's where Project 10 is currently and where I hope we go in the future. You are welcome to join in at anytime!!