Healthy Halloween? See Which Sweet Treats Are A Smarter Choice (But Still Make Your Kids Smile)

Have you seen the hilarious video that shows what happens when Crest replaced typical Halloween treats with "veggie fruit chews" and "tofu ghost-mellows"? The kids' reactions are PRICELESS! It's Halloween - give the kids their candy!

Visit Doc Wellbee Dental Plans Today!

Did you know there are *better* candy options for your teeth? When it comes to Halloween candy, Doc Whitney Troope, Atlanta-based dentist and founding partner of the innovative Doc Wellbee dental plan - a new dental plan that rewards members for smarter oral care -  offers tips on Halloween candies to avoid this October, as well as Halloween candies that will make your dentist (and kids!) smile.

 

Scariest Candy Choices

 

• Sour Candies (i.e. WarHeads, Sour Patch Kids): Sour candies are highly acidic and can break down tooth enamel quickly.


• Sticky & Chewy Candies (Laffy Taffy, Air Heads, Sugar Daddies, Dots, etc): Sticky and chewy candies get stuck in the grooves and pits of teeth. Saliva has a hard time washing the gooey mess away, so these candies sit on your teeth, acting as a feeding frenzy for bacteria and decay.


• Hard Candies (Lollipops, Jawbreakers, Lifesavers): Hard candies don’t stick to your teeth per se, but they take a while to dissolve. The longer a food stays in your mouth, the more acidic your mouth becomes, which can wear down a tooth’s enamel.

 Smarter Candy Choices

• Sugar-Free Gum or Sugar-Free Lollipops: Go for candies sweetened with Xylitol, a substance that occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables. This sweetener actually protects your child’s teeth by reducing the acids produced by bacteria and increasing the salivary fluids that rinse away excess sugars and acids. Plus, chewing gum can actually prevent cavities, not only because it helps to dislodge food particles from the teeth, but also because it increases saliva.


• Powdery Candy (i.e. Pixie Stix and Fun Dip):  Pour the sugar directly on the tongue, so it avoids touching your teeth – this leaves nothing for the cavity causing bacteria to feed on. Powdery candy also dissolves quickly and doesn’t stay around to cause cavities.

• Chocolate: Chocolate contains cocoa which inhibits the growth of the bacteria that is responsible for the creation of plaque. An added bonus: dark chocolate contains heart-healthy antioxidants!

Haunted Mouth? SPOOKY Dental Bills?

 

Doc Wellbee is a new kind of dental plan that  not only reduces dental bills up to 60%, but also rewards its members for regular dental visits. After every six month cleaning, members receive an annual subscription to their choice of popular consumer magazine.  Additional reward options, like health and beauty products will be added soon.

Doc Wellbee members pay a yearly membership fee for access to deeply discounted rates from hundreds of Georgia  dentists and specialists. Virtually all procedures are covered – even cosmetic and orthodontics.  Members pay dentists directly – no claim hassles, no annual limits and no waiting periods.  

 

Visit Doc Wellbee today to begin earning rewards for going to the dentist! Plans start at $12 per month for individuals, $18 per month for families. Click here to find aDoc Wellbee dentist near you

Bi-racial Baby Dolls - The Loch Ness Monster of the Doll World

The Loch Ness Monster. Big Foot. Aliens. And Bi-Racial Baby Dolls. What do these things have in common? No matter how hard you try, you can't find them. People claim they exist. Someone, somewhere has a fuzzy picture of one. But try and see one for yourself? Good luck.

My hunt for a mainstream bi-racial baby doll began when Paige was born. It was 2009... mixed race children were one of the fastest growing racial groups. There must be at least a few bi-racial baby doll options available. WRONG! No Barbies. No Cabbage Patch Dolls. No American Girl. NADA. All the available dolls were one of two extremes - blonde hair, blue eyed, pale white skin or jet black hair, black eyes and dark brown skin. And a few brunette white dolls thrown in. But nothing that even could pass as mixed-race. So what did I get Paige? A Dora the Explorer doll - because it was the closest thing I could find.

Fast forward nearly 4 years and my hunt continues for the elusive bi-racial baby doll. Even my go-to source of wisdom - Google - has trouble finding any. Here's what my Google friends came up with when I searched "bi-racial baby doll" - brace yourself for it...

 SERIOUSLY?! This is all you've got?!

A few months ago, Paige found a blonde haired Barbie doll that she started to play with. I don't mind if she plays with dolls that don't look like her, but I think every little girl wants/needs to feel like she is "normal" - and that means seeing herself reflected back to some extent in at least ONE of her dolls. So I headed to Target to find something a little bit closer to her reality. Think I could find something? NOPE! I came home with an African-American Barbie doll with a little bit lighter skin, hazel eyes and straight black hair. They didn't even have a Hispanic Barbie, my go-to baby doll race when all else fails. Mattel - I beg you - PLEASE get with the times and make a few different bi-racial Barbie dolls. Medium skin, tan skin, lighter hair, curly hair - SOMETHING. ANYTHING! I can't even imagine what Asian or Indian families go through. At least I can buy a Hispanic doll (although they are pretty elusive too). What do other races go with?!

And then there is the Fisher Price play house families. They sell a Black family (black mommy, black daddy, black baby) and a White family (white mommy, white daddy, white baby). And nothing between. The least they could do is sell each part of the "family" separately so we can mix and match as needed.


I feel like what I'm saying is common sense - cookie cutter families are a thing of the past. Paige is still too young to realize, but in the very near future, she is going to start asking questions. Maybe - just maybe - some of the major toy companies (not expensive specialty!) can offer a solution soon. Although maybe it's like the flesh colored BandAids that have been around forever - unless you are white, they aren't really "flesh" now are they? Daniel and I laugh about that all the time - yes, you can buy specialty, off-brand band-aids. But why hasn't Johnson & Johnson figured it out? Seems pretty simple to offer flesh-toned Band-Aids in multiple flesh tones.

By Christmas 2014 (a full 12+ months from now), I want to be able to buy my daughter - who will be turning 5 at that point and significantly more aware - a baby doll that looks like her. A Barbie. A Cabbage Patch. A Fisher Price Family. Heck, I'd even buy a store brand. So who's going to step up to the plate? Bueller? Bueller? I don't think it's going to happen. But I'd love someone to prove me wrong - please, prove me wrong!

 

Home of the Free, Because of the Brave: Take the Time to Write a Letter for Bert's Big Thank You!

www.BigThankYou2013.com

For the past few years, The Bert Show - a morning radio show based in Atlanta, GA (but now broadcast all across the country) has collected handwritten thank-you letters for US Troops. And not just a handful of letters for a select few troops. We're talking HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of letters for EVERY SINGLE US TROOP stations abroad. But they can't do it alone. Will you take a few minutes to thank a US serviceman and servicewoman for their sacrifice?

The first year I wrote 10 letters by myself and dropped them off. Then, the next year, Paige was old enough to color a picture so I had her color 10 sheets of paper, and wrote my letters on top of her beautiful artwork : ) Then, last year, both Paige and Deacon colored pictures, and I wrote thank you notes on top. This year, I'm getting the kids more involved. I asked them each to color a picture, and then asked them what they wanted me to write for them. They said it, and I wrote it. Here are the finished products that I'll be dropping off at Jersey Mike's later  (along with 8 letters I wrote myself) today:

Bert's Big Thank You Letters from
Paige and Deacon #Proud Mama

With all the nonsense our kids are exposed to on a daily basis, this is something REAL - something that REALLY MATTERS - something that can MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the day of one of our brave men and women serving the United States of America. Take the time to have your children draw a picture for the troops - or use one of their favorite drawings from that day's preschool class like I did - and have them dictate (or write themselves if they are able!) a thank you note. It's that simple. Simply beautiful : )

Here's what you have to do (as written by The Bert Show's Big Thank You 2013)

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Each letter should be heartfelt, handwritten, original, and free of any political statements. The purpose of the letter is to express thanks to the military personnel currently deployed outside the United States. We reserve the right to eliminate those messages that are political in nature and do not reflect a positive message in the spirit of Thanksgiving.

• All letters must be on 8.5” x 11” paper or smaller.
• Do not use glue, tape, staples, cardboard, glitter or otherwise attach anything to the paper.
• NO construction paper.
• Decorate using crayons, markers, pens or pencils.
• Use both sides if you like, but use one page per letter only.
• Do not send greeting cards or photographs.
• Feel free to include your mailing and email address.
• Individual letters should not be sealed in envelopes.
• Do not send anything except letters.
• When submitting 10 or fewer letters, the letters can be folded to fit into a standard business-size envelope.
• LETTERS MUST BE DROPPED OFF OR ARRIVE TO THE RADIO STATION BY Friday, November 1, 2013

(We cannot accept donations of any kind (monetary, products, etc.), and they should not be included or attached to letters.)


HOW DO I SUBMIT MY LETTER?

Drop your letter/s off at any Jersey Mike's location!
Jersey Mike's is collecting letters - find a location near you!

Or, mail your letter to any of the following radio stations - Be sure to label your envelope with "BERT'S BIG THANK YOU LETTER":

ATLANTA - Q100 (99.7 FM)
780 Johnson Ferry Rd NE
5th Floor
Atlanta, GA 30342

Washington, D.C. - ALL THE HITS 107.3
4400 Jenifer Street NW
Washington, DC 20015

Charleston, SC - 95SX Hit Music Now
4230 Faber Place Drive Ste. 100
North Charleston, SC 29405

Savannah, GA - Y107.9 WXYY 90s, 2K and today!
401 Mall Blvd, Suite 101D
Savannah, GA 31406

Indianapolis, IN - i94 (93.9 FM) 90s to NOW
6810 North Shadeland Ave.
Indianapolis, In 46220

Nashville, TN - i106 WNFN (106.7 FM)
10 Music Circle East
Nashville, TN 37203

Birmingham, AL - 99.5 the Vibe-WZRR  (99.5 FM)
244 Goodwin Crest Drive-Ste 300
Homewood, AL

Fort Wayne, IN - HOT 1079 / WJFX (107.9 FM)
Oasis Radio Group
9604 Coldwater Road, Suite 201
Fort Wayne, IN 46825

Huntington, WV - Hits 97.9 – WMGA
555 5th Avenue
Huntington, WV 25701

Lubbock, TX - 102.5 Kiss FM KZII FM (102.5 FM)
4413 82nd St. Ste.300
Lubbock, TX 79424

Amarillo, TX - KISS FM 96.9 (102.5 FM)
6214 W. 34th
Amarillo, TX 79109

Abilene, TX - Mix 92.5
3911 South 1st
Abilene, TX 79605

Brunswick, GA - Magic 105.9
Golden Isles Broadcasting
185 Benedict Road
Brunswick, GA 31520