Babies Gotta Have It

I like the PBS Kids television series “Dinosaur Train” for many reasons.

1. I am a TV junkie.

2. I am training my daughter to become a TV junkie on a carefully selected diet of PBS and Nick Jr. and I went to school with some of the smart people who make those TV shows and I actually think that they are beneficial as well as good for getting dinner made.  Case in point: Bean and I are admiring butterflies.  She asks, “Mama why is that butterfly blue?”  I answer, “Well, it’s a different species of butterfly than the ones we usually see.”  She responds, “Species.  Like on Dinosaur Train.”  Game, set and match.  Call me an over-achieving New York City mama but I get a charge out of hearing my just turned three year old say “species.”

3. I am all about products and commodities that break gender stereotypes.  “Dinosaur Train” is a television show that appeals equally to boys and girls and come on, we all know that only boys like dinosaurs.  The folks at Learning Curve sent us the InterAction Buddy and Tank Dinosaur Train toys which I then immediately birthday gifted to my child.  They are plastic and battery powered, it is true.  But they are textured, created in neutral pastel colors that my little girl finds pleasing (and I feel boys won’t object to), and they talk.  To each other.  You press the button, they wake up and sense a friend nearby…and then talk amongst themselves.  They provide facts about their species, roar, stomp and sing together.  Bean likes them a lot.  I love that though she loves her four tutus, she has two toy dinosaurs.  Win win.

4. Buddy is a TRex.  Tiny, Shiny and Don, the children of Mr. and Mrs. Pteranodon,  are, in fact, pteranodons.  Buddy, Tiny, Shiny and Don (and come on you gotta love those names) are all one big happy family. Take home messages?  Families come in all shapes and sizes and it’s okay to be different.

5. On each journey the family takes on the Dinosaur Train, they learn about scientific thinking skills, natural history and dinosaurs.  Buddy is an insatiably curious little dinosaur.  I like insatiable curiosity.

“Dinosaur Train” is for kids ages 3 - 6.  It was created by the Jim Henson Company and can be found on your local PBS Kids station.  The Learning Curve InterAction Buddy, Tinyand Tanktoys can all be found at my affiliate, Amazon.com

Did your kids start school today? I know that lots did.

However, and not that I’m gloating or anything, our summer vacation kicks off on Saturday. Here in the ci-tay my little Bean doesn’t return to preschool until mid-September, and late summer, even early fall, is absolutely my favorite time to go on vacation.  Still warm.  Still summery.  So much less crowded.

So come Saturday morning we’re loading up the old-man station wagon and heading for the beach.  iPod in hand.  Kids music loaded.

I’ve written a lot this summer about road trip music.  Don’t get me wrong, Bean and I rock out all the time directly in front of the air conditioner in our apartment.  But there’s something about piling in the car and turning on some sweet tunes that just makes you feel like you’re flying down the New Jersey Turnpike.  And I’m counting on the new album “Time Out to Rock” and a nice cold frappuccino to carry me from the Lincoln Tunnel all the way to the Delaware Memorial Bridge.

“Time Out to Rock,” the hot new CD from the Seattle-based kids band The Not-It’s is totally “It.”  The lead singer, Sarah Shannon, was, in her pre-Mama life, the lead singer of the ’90’s indie-pop sensation Velocity Girl.  The band has an upbeat, alternative pop sound and substantive lyrics that deal subtly and gracefully with everything from bullies, to going to a new school, to not-being afraid to be different, to just having fun.  We were sent a copy to preview and my little Bean is especially obsessed with “Accidentally,” a clever tune about handling accidents and mistakes among friends.  She calls it “The Bump Song.”  I’ve got a soft spot for “Cheetah the Buffalo” who “broke out from the herd” of ordinary buffalo by proudly sporting spots.  Lyrics I can totally get behind and a melody I always find myself singing.  As I will be on Saturday.  When I’m on vacation.  Finally.

“Time Out to Rock” by the kindie rock band The Not It’s is geared for kids ages 3 - 7 and is available online at the Not-It’s website and cdbaby.

Did you know that this week is National Smile Week?  See that small person in that super cute picture there? She makes me smile.  A lot.  And her smile is like a bowl of ice cream.  A treat that just cracks open your face from ear to ear.

Fittingly, my biggest reason to smile turned three on Monday.  We had her party today.  In a New York City park.  Four of her little friends came.  She wore the bathing suit she has on in that picture and ran through city sprinklers.  I think she had a ball.

As if on cue, the folks at 1-800-Flowers.com sent us not one, not two, but three items guaranteed to make us smile.  When the Happy Day Bouquet arrived at our door, in a bona fide cake box bedecked with ribbons, the Bean was beside herself with glee.  And you gotta admit, it’s a pretty cheerful little flower cake.  And her favorite color, as she will tell you repeatedly, is yellow.  Cha-ching.

Also arriving at our door on birthday party day thanks to 1-800-Flowers.com were the Happy Face Cookie Gift Box and the Popcorn Factory’s Survival Kit Treats Pail.  They are quite simply boxes full of smiles. The cookies from Cheryl’s are scrumptious and the Survival Kit would be such a great thing to send your college freshman the first week or two of school when she’s homesick and just needs a little smile.

And so the Bean is three.  And that first week of college is only 15 years away.  And as my friend John said today, “If you want to feel time fly, have a kid.”  This summer has disappeared as quickly as my little irascible baby girl changes moods.

And I’m holding on to that precious little smile.

*************************************************************************

Want to win one of the Happy Day Bouquets to send to the person in your life who makes you smile? Or just to sit on your table and give you a chuckle when you look at it?  Thanks to 1-800-Flowers.com, you can. Want to enter? Read on.

To Enter the 1-800-Flowers.com National Smile Week Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Leave a comment on this post sharing something that made you smile today. It could be your exceptionally fresh breakfast cereal, a hug from your tween-age boy, or a knock-knock joke.  Whatever got you smiling.  I wanna hear it.  Entering is that easy!

***Want extra chances to win? After you have made your first entry as described above, do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did!  Maximum of eight entries per person.

• Follow me on Twitter and follow 1-800-Flowers.com on Twitter tweet the following (just cut and paste): It’s National Smile Week. Win a Happy Day Bouquet from 1-800-Flowers.com and @BabiesGottaHavT
• “Like” 1-800-Flowers on Facebook - Click HERE
• Blog this giveaway (send me the url so I can enjoy your post!)
• Subscribe to my blog using the little orange button on the left sidebar
• Grab my button and put in on your blog or website! Button code is in the right sidebar. Leave the link in your entry.
• Become a Fan of Babies Gotta Have It on Facebook. Click HERE!
• Email your friends about the giveaway and link to the giveaway post! cc me in the message (babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com)–I promise I will not spam you or your friends. Cross my heart

Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S.  addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Wednesday August 11th and ends on Wednesday September 1st at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. Very shortly thereafter,  Random.org will select the winner,  and I’ll email you immediately. After my daughter called Larry the Cable guy the last time she did a drawing, we have decided to take a little vacation from her choosing the winner. Random.org is in no way as cute and unpredictable as my daughter, but it is much more efficient and does not use any pieces of paper, even recycled ones. I am sure you will understand. Thanks for entering!

I have been in my little hometown for two weeks now.  We have done summer the Central, PA way with whoopie pies at the Farmer’s Market, feeding ducks, swimming lessons, outings with cousins, and lots and lots of ice cream.  My favorite local place to get ice cream is Ard’s Farm.  You can get a cone or a dish or a sundae in the farm stand and take it outside where they have farm-themed play equipment and animals to feed.  In fact, you can buy a handful of animal kibble from a bubble gum machine, and put it on a conveyor belt that you crank way up to the top of this tower thingy…and the goats will climb up a series of ramps to eat the food up there.  I am not joking.  I should totally take a picture of this to post, but trust me.  It’s hilarious.

My little Bean is a picky eater, but she can put down ice cream like a frat boy.  It’s astonishing.  In our household, loving ice cream is a family affair.  The Bean gets it from both sides.  So when I got the chance to review Breyers new Smooth and Dreamy products, I immediately brought the gift certificate home so that my Mom and Dad and the whole extended family could sample them.  We debated a bit and settled on the Triple Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bars.  Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, dipped in chocolate. 130 calories.  6 grams of fat.  Did I mention they are dipped in chocolate?

The verdict?  Delicious.  Mom said they were “intensely chocolatey” and “a chocolate-lover’s delight.”  Doc Hubby thought the mix of textures was particularly satisfying (the crunch of the outer chocolate, the smoothness of the ice cream and the surprise of the chocolate chips inside).  And we all loved that the chocolate covers only about 3/4 of the bar!  This is genius.  Fat and calorie saving I am sure.  And it prevents that inevitable ice cream bar crisis moment when the big bit of chocolate on the bottom cracks and falls and melted ice cream starts leaking out. These bars are easy to eat.  I also love the wide ended popsicle sticks.

My college roomie is visiting in a few days with her two kids.  I can’t wait to try the Vanilla Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches with them.

Check out the Breyers Smooth and Dreamy website for some fun games and sweeps (spin the Wheel of Delight to win instant prizes).  And enter here for a chance  to win coupon good for a free box of ice cream bars or sandwiches.  Thanks to Breyers THREE Babies Gotta Have It readers will win this cool prize!  Want to enter?  Read on!

To Enter the Breyers Smooth and Dreamy Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite flavor of ice cream.  Oh yeah.  A giveaway this delicious should be that easy.
  

***Want extra chances to win? After you have made your first entry as described above, do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did!  Maximum of nine entries per person.

• Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following (just cut and paste): @BabiesGottaHavT is giving away ice cream.  Try the new Breyers Smooth and Dreamy Bars! http://snurl.com/zupxy
• “Like” Breyers on Facebook - Click HERE
• Follow Breyers on Twitter - Click HERE.
• Blog this giveaway (send me the url so I can enjoy your post!)
• Subscribe to my blog using the button on the left sidebar
• Grab my button and put in on your blog or website! Button code is in the right sidebar. Leave the link in your entry.
• Become a Fan of Babies Gotta Have It on Facebook. Click HERE!
• Email your friends about the giveaway and link to the giveaway post! cc me in the message (babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com)–I promise I will not spam you or your friends. Cross my heart

Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S.  addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Monday July 26th and ends on Monday August 9th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. Very shortly thereafter,  Random.org will select the winner,  and I’ll email you immediately. After my daughter called Larry the Cable guy the last time she did a drawing, we have decided to take a little vacation from her choosing the winner. Random.org is in no way as cute and unpredictable as my daughter, but it is much more efficient and does not use any pieces of paper, even recycled ones. I am sure you will understand. Thanks for entering!

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Breyers and received products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Update!  We have three winners!  Random.org says…”Result: 18″, “Result: 39″, and “Result: 27.”  Congratulations Ellen C., Joyce and Gretchen!  Thanks so much to everyone who entered!

I spent the 4th of July weekend with, among others, my niece who just loves to be “fancy.” A la Nancy. And though I’m a kind of an LL Bean gal, sometimes I like to be a bit fancy myself.  I like fresh flowers in the bathroom.  I like cloth napkins.  And I like to eat breakfast outside.

So for the 3rd of July, I got up early, made fancy banana chocolate chip scones (inspired by Rebecca from P.S. Pies and Scones…if you live in L.A. order from her today), and served them with yogurt parfaits. We ate outside using Diamond Brilliance cutlery.  These, Mamas, are plastic utensils you will happily wash.  And, may I add, they are top rack dishwasher safe (which I totally didn’t realize until now–sorry guys for making you handwash them!) My sister-in-law came outside, sat down next to me, and said, “I love this silverware” having absolutely no idea I was reviewing it for my blog.  Diamond Brilliance is pretty and practical and shiny and you can feel totally fine about four kids under the age of 9 using it outside for breakfast on the patio.  And at $4.49 a box, it fits a totally un-fancy budget. Look for it at major retailers near you.

A little touch of fancy. Yeah, that’s something Mama’s gotta have.

Disclaimer: Diamond Brilliance sent me one box of cutlery to review.  All opinions regarding the product are totally mine (and my sister-in-law’s) and were not reviewed by the company prior to posting.

Call me old fashioned, but I really like getting flowers for Mother’s Day. Or Valentine’s Day. Or my birthday. Or Wednesday. When the 1-800-Flowers.com box arrives I’m one happy camper.

But this year, why not consider 1-800-Flowers.com for Daddy too?  Honestly, I think it’s crazy romantic to give a guy flowers.  I really really do.  You can get some gorgeous orchids (kinda sexy, don’t you think?) and even a beer mug of chrysanthemums (no joke, check it out).  The folks at 1-800-Flowers.com sent Doc Hubby a really lovely Father’s Day Dish Garden, and he was tickled pink.  It arrived very well packaged, in excellent, fresh condition just today!  He’s going to take it to his office.  If you ask me, every office needs a plant to make it homey.  And healthy!

But maybe your guy isn’t the floral type.  1-800-Flowers.com offers much more than plants for Daddy.  Consider a sports-themed gift like the Golf Bag Cooler with Snacks or the Outdoorsman Fresh Fruit and Sweets Box. Or, for the Daddy who loves his baked goods, I guarantee you that the Cheryl & Co Happy Father’s Day Tin of Cookies will be a tremendous success.  Remember when I went to the opening bell at NASDAQ sponsored by 1-800-Flowers.com a few weeks ago.  We were sent home with two of these cookies.  I gave one to the babysitter.  Doc Hubby and I shared the other one.  He honestly said to me, “this is my new favorite cookie.  This is the best cookie I have ever had.”  They are scrumptious.  I totally should not have given the other one to the babysitter.  And I should have grabbed five more from the basket on the way out.

So if you absolutely can’t live without those cookies, check out the Father’s Day Collection at 1-800-Flowers.com and snag yourself a tin.  Or, one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader will win a $40 gift certificate to 1-800-Flowers.com. So enter and get ready to eat some cookies or wow your guy with the unexpected.  Want to enter?  Read on!

To Enter the 1-800-Flowers.com Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Head over to 1-800-Flowers.com and check out their selection of Father’s Day Items.  Come back and leave a comment on this site sharing which item is your favorite.   Entering is that easy!

***Want extra chances to win? After you have made your first entry as described above, do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did!  Maximum of seven entries per person.

• Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following (just cut and paste): 1-800-Flowers.com for Father’s Day. So much more than flowers! Win a $40 Gift Certificate @BabiesGottaHavT http://snurl.com/x8g8h
• Blog this giveaway (send me the url so I can enjoy your post!)
• Subscribe to my blog using the button on the left sidebar
• Grab my button and put in on your blog or website! Button code is in the right sidebar. Leave the link in your entry.
• Become a Fan of Babies Gotta Have It on Facebook. Click HERE!
• Email your friends about the giveaway and link to the giveaway post! cc me in the message (babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com)–I promise I will not spam you or your friends. Cross my heart

Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S.  addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Tuesday June 8th and ends on Tuesday June 29th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. Very shortly thereafter,  Random.org will select the winner,  and I’ll email you immediately. After my daughter called Larry the Cable guy the last time she did a drawing, we have decided to take a little vacation from her choosing the winner. Random.org is in no way as cute and unpredictable as my daughter, but it is much more efficient and does not use any pieces of paper, even recycled ones. I am sure you will understand. Thanks for entering!

Disclosure: I was given a Father’s Day Dish Garden for review and 1-800-Flowers.com is providing the gift certificate for the winner of this giveaway.  I was not compensated in any way for this post, and all views and opinions with regard to the products or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

Update: We have a winner!  Random.org says “Result: 42″  Congratulations Stephanie Grant!

Five times.  My daughter has been sick five times since she started preschool in January.  Oh, has the germaphobia come home to roost.

The latest? Last week.  Two days before we were scheduled to spend a lovely Memorial Day weekend with my family at the beach.  Yeah, that didn’t so much happen.  Naw, I’m not bitter.

After all that would be just cruel! To resent my daughter’s 103 degree fever because it wrecked my beach weekend? Heartless. How do I know her fever was 103? Funny you should ask.  About a week before she came down with the latest preschool plague I was sent an Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer.  I got it and thought, “yeah right, won’t be needing this til next winter!” Ha ha.  Joke’s on me.

For years Moms have placed hands gently on sweaty little foreheads and announced with conviction “fever” “no fever.”  Me? Not so good at it.  Getting better.  Doc Hubby takes the Bean’s tempy right up the backside.  Yeah, not so much.  I have managed to get the ear thermometer going by making it something she does with me–but honestly I’m not so sure that I’m getting it in all the way.  The TemporalScanner is totally non-invasive.  Just place it in the center of your child’s forehead, swipe it across the forehead toward the ear and release.  It takes some practice, but I found that if I followed the directions I got pretty consistent readings.  Readings higher than the ones I get with the ear thermometer. Just read and follow the directions.  Check out the FAQ on the website for more guidelines and information.

But it seems that many researchers agree that Temporal Artery assessment of fevers is more accurate than ear thermometers and easier than the rectal.  Duh on that last one.  I have to admit I had very little resistance to this thermometer last week.

Last week.  When we didn’t go to the beach.  Sigh.

Just in time for you to miss out on your summer vacation, buy a Exergen TemporalScanner Temporal Artery Thermometer on Amazon.comor at Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Costco, Babies R Us, Toys R Us and Sam’s Clubs nationwide. They retail for less than $50 (the ones on Amazon are all around $35–did I mention I paid $60 for the ear thermometer at a drug store here in NYC. Insane.) Or win an Exergen TemporalScanner right here on Bitter Babies Gotta Have It!

Did I mention I love my daughter so so so much and it kills me when she’s sick?  I do.  And it does.

To Enter the Exergen TemporalScanner Thermometer Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Head over to Exergen and check out the TemporalScanner.  Come back and leave a comment sharing why you want to try the Temporal Artery Thermometer.   Entering is that easy!

***Want extra chances to win? After you have made your first entry as described above, do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did!  Maximum of seven entries per person.

• Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following (just cut and paste): Win an Exergen ThermoScan Temporal Artery Thermometer @BabiesGottaHavT http://tinyurl.com/2fgb2dt
• Blog this giveaway (send me the url so I can enjoy your post!)
• Subscribe to my blog using the button on the left sidebar
• Grab my button and put in on your blog or website! Button code is in the right sidebar. Leave the link in your entry.
• Become a Fan of Babies Gotta Have It on Facebook. Click HERE!
• Email your friends about the giveaway and link to the giveaway post! cc me in the message (babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com)–I promise I will not spam you or your friends. Cross my heart

Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S.  addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Thursday June 3rd and ends on Thursday June 24th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. Very shortly thereafter,  Random.org will select the winner,  and I’ll email you immediately. After my daughter called Larry the Cable guy the last time she did a drawing, we have decided to take a little vacation from her choosing the winner. Random.org is in no way as cute and unpredictable as my daughter, but it is much more efficient and does not use any pieces of paper, even recycled ones. I am sure you will understand. Thanks for entering!

Disclosure: I was provided with an Exergen TemporalScanner Thermometer for review and Exergen will be providing the product for the winner of this giveaway.  I was not compensated monetarily, and all views and opinions with regard to the products or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

Update!  We have a winner!  Random.org says “Result: 38″ - Congratulations Jenna!  Thanks so much to everyone who entered!

We all remember the Playmobil knights from our childhoods, don’t we? But what kind of company is Playmobil? After trying out their Playmobil 1.2.3. Large Zoo set, I spent some time on the Playmobil website.  The content is clearly written overseas and translated so it’s kinda hilarious to read some of it (excerpts to follow), but may I just say, I’m a fan.

• Playmobil is a German company.  And most importantly, the toys are made in Europe.

• The Playmobil 1.2.3. products are specially designed imaginative play sets for children ages 1 1/2 and up. I find the selection of toys for 18 months to 3 years old to be kinda scanty. This collection offers a nice selection of creative products for that tough-to-buy-for age range.

• From the website section “Everything Revolves Around the Figure”:  “New colors, printing, different hairstyles, shoes and clothes changed their look and charisma. Not only sportive slim men are found, but also men with big bellies. Women do not wear mini-skirts anymore, but long skirts and trousers as well. The figures increasingly gained liveliness and play fascination. Interesting characters have been created. Figures taken from the past and present show a clear visual improvement.”  Ok that cracks me up.  I’m pretty sure what they’re getting at is that Playmobil figures aren’t Barbies! Not all are sportive and wear mini skirts but some have big bellies! Just like us!

• Also from “Everything Revolves Around the Figure” (and ain’t that the truth): “There is absolutely no place for aggressive and horror scenes and short-lived fashion trends.”  Amen.

• In 2005 Playmobil and a smart gal from Yale came out with the concept of the RDA of Play. So much more appealing than the RDA of vegetables if you ask me! Honestly, I think you should go check out the link.  It’s a pretty neat concept and they lay it out convincingly.  I mean, we all know it’s important to play, but they discuss play  in a way that made me think.  Here’s a brief quote:

“The RDA of Play

The basic principle of the RDA of Play is to remind parents it’s OK for their children to play. The RDA of Play is a set of guidelines on how parents can foster imagination and learning in their children:

Time: Thirty minutes of imaginative, make-believe play daily will noticeably improve children’s cognitive, social, emotional and motor skills.

Space: Assigning a play space, an area where toys do not always have to be picked up, so that imagination can take over and house rules don’t apply encourages children to engage in pretend play more often.

Guide: Parents can best serve as a play guide and encourage quality play by following these tips: 1. Inspire, don’t organize. 2. Provide props. 3. Don’t clean up.”

Cool.

Playmobil 1.2.3.toys for babies and toddlers.  Buy them direct from Playmobil.com (here’s the Large Zoo set we demo in the video) or on Amazon.com.

Disclosure: Playmobil provided me with sample products for review.  I was not compensated monetarily, and all views and opinions with regard to the products or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

My grandmother had old school CoverMates.  I have no idea what brand they were.  But they were plastic wrap gathered with elastic like a shower cap and after she’d use them, she’d meticulously hand wash them in the sink, and hang them from the cafe curtain rod with a plastic clothespin to dry.  They came in several sizes. Eventually they stretched out.  She still used them.

So when the people at CoverMate Food Covers approached me to try their new product, I actually got a little misty.  Happy Mother’s Day Mamas.  Yup.  After giving birth, my emotions are so labile that even stretchy Food-Storage Covers can make me weep.

These, however, are not your grandmother’s stretch-to-fit food storage covers.  CoverMates come in four different sizes, are reusable, microwave safe, and top-rack dishwasher safe. And though they aren’t recyclable, they are far better to me than ziploc bags and plastic wrap which rarely receive more than one use before ending up in a landfill.  With CoverMates you can store your food in your own bowl and just safely cover it before you pop it in the fridge.

So how do you wash a CoverMate in the dishwasher without it just turning into a little bag of dingy water? I love this.  You can handwash them like my Nana.  Or stretch the CoverMate around a clean saucer or plate with the dirty side out, then load in the top rack of your dishwasher.  Tried it.  Worked.

Want to try them?  You can find CoverMates at Target, Amazon.com, or buycovermate.com.  Or request a free sample here (just pay $3.95 shipping, but you also get a coupon for $1.00 off your purchase).

Disclosure: CoverMate provided me with sample products for review.  I was not compensated monetarily, and all views and opinions with regard to the products or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

So I have receding gums.  I hadn’t been to the dentist in over a year (I know…I know…) and when I went a few weeks ago my doctor said “you’re too young to have teeth that look like this.”  Now, he’s the only person who has called me young in recent memory (Did I mention I wasn’t cast in a play because I was too old, and I was also mistaken for the mother of an 18 year old?  Thanks universe).  So for that I am grateful.  However, he also seemed to want to teach me a lesson for putting off until tomorrow what I clearly should have done today, and he scraped the plaque off my teeth himself with all the gentleness of a strip miner.  In my opinion, it is never good when the dentist himself cleans your teeth.  And mine had an agenda.  It felt like Dustin Hoffman in “Marathon Man.”

I don’t have any cavities however.  I also don’t have any wisdom teeth.  I never had wisdom teeth. Does that mean I have no wisdom?  I credit the no cavities to fluoride, some fluke of nature, and regular brushing.  However, it is the years of earnest and aggressive brushing that have led to the particular joy which is gum recession.  And the resulting sensitivity.  I have to say, I was pretty miserable before I started rocking the Crest Sensitivity toothpaste. I started using it a few years ago when it first came out (I realize I sound like a commercial here, but it’s actually true and I’m not trying to sell you anything, I’m just trying to give stuff away).  So when the folks from Crest approached me about trying their new Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield products, I said “sign me up.”

So I have now added the Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield Toothpaste and the Crest Glide Pro-Health Floss for Sensitive Gums to my teeth cleaning ritual.  They sent me the Oral-B CrossAction Gentle Clean Brush too, but I had just shelled out almost seven bucks for a fancy -schmancy Oral-B brush (it’s New York, what can I say) and so I gave the brush to my husband.  So far as I know it’s working great. My favorite is the floss.  I can’t say I love flossing, but I really do do it almost daily.  You hear that Dr. Marathon Man?  This floss is super soft and minty and really easy to slide between teeth.  And the toothpaste is working well for me too.  I have never been a huge fan of the flavor of the Crest Pro-Health toothpastes–but this kind definitely tastes better than the original.  Crest says they made it smoother than the original and I would absolutely agree.  And apparently it’s made with a special kind of fluoride called “stannous fluoride” that binds to enamel to strengthen the tooth. I’m all in favor of that.  And it also prevents gingivitis.  Please please let me avoid gum surgery!  Please!  I promise I’ll go to the dentist more often.

In fact, I have an appointment for July.  Three months after my last appointment.  My dentist isn’t messing around.

Ice cream cones getting you down?  Here’s your chance to win the entire Pro-Health regimen of products including the toothpaste, floss and brush.

To Enter the Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Leave a comment on this post sharing when your most recent dental appointment was.  Come on.  Either own up or inspire us with your exemplary oral health!  Entering is that easy!

***Want extra chances to win? After you have made your first entry as described above, do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did!  Maximum of seven entries per person.

• Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following (just cut and paste): Got sensitive teeth? Win the Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield Dental Care Regimen @BabiesGottaHavT http://tinyurl.com/33tu5uc
• Blog this giveaway (send me the url so I can enjoy your post!)
• Subscribe to my blog using the button on the left sidebar
• Grab my button and put in on your blog or website! Button code is in the right sidebar. Leave the link in your entry.
• Become a Fan of Babies Gotta Have It on Facebook. Click HERE!
• Email your friends about the giveaway and link to the giveaway post! cc me in the message (babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com)–I promise I will not spam you or your friends. Cross my heart

Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S.  addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Saturday May 8th and ends on Saturday May 22nd at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Sunday May 23rd,  Random.org will select the winner,  and I’ll email you immediately. After my daughter called Larry the Cable guy the last time she did a drawing, we have decided to take a little vacation from her choosing the winner. Random.org is in no way as cute and unpredictable as my daughter, but it is much more efficient and does not use any pieces of paper, even recycled ones. I am sure you will understand. Thanks for entering!

Disclosure: Crest Pro-Health provided me with sample products for review and the products for the winner of this giveaway.  I was not compensated monetarily, and all views and opinions with regard to the products or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

Update!  We have a winner!  Random.org says “Result: 24″!  Congratulations Marci and thanks so much to everyone who entered!