How Did You Get That Scar? A Poem For Kids

When Deacon went in for his first surgery 2 years ago, Daniel and I lifted the mood by joking about how Deacon would explain his humungous scar one day  - a wavy line running across his head, from ear to ear. A run in with a great white shark? A freak mountain climbing accident?

Our children's scars are a badge of honor - the markings of a survivor. So I created this poem to honor them. Our little heroes. To answer the question they are asked so often: "How did you get that scar?"

How Did You Get That Scar?
A Poem by Erica Billups - Sweet Leigh Mama

 “How’d you get that scar?” you ask with curiosity.

You won’t believe the answer. It’s a crazy story, you see.

I’ve been through a lot of things in life – things that left their mark on me.

A run in with a raging bull. A tussle with a tiger.

A gust of wind while tight-rope walking – good thing I wasn’t any higher!

 

I fell into a deep dark cave when I was out spelunking.

Got tangled in a mess of vines when I was picking pumpkins.

 

Bonked on the head with a coconut.

Surprised by a lion in my jungle hut.

Had a throw down with a T-Rex. A sword fight with a pirate.

Slipped on a banana peel – I never even saw it!

Chased by sea gulls while riding my jet ski.

Tossed in the air by a mean old grizzly.

A motorcycle mishap. A break dancing debacle.

Blinded by a diamond with a little too much sparkle.

 

Stopped to smell the roses and met a swarm of bees.

Was capsized by a monster wave while sailing the seven seas.

Tackled on the 50 yard line by a massive tight end.

Working with police – there was a thief to apprehend!

A flat tire on my unicycle – how unfortunate!

Surfing in a hurricane - who knew it’d be so turbulent?

Dueling with dragons. Wrestling a gator.

I narrowly escaped a runaway elevator!

 

Caught up in a rock slide. Skiing though an avalanche.

Rumbled with a rattlesnake I thought was a branch.

Are any of these stories real? No, they’re make believe.

The truth is that I had a boo boo deep inside of me.

The doctors fixed me up. I was oh so brave!

And now I have this awesome scar to show off every day.

 

 

Why I Finally Gave In To Disney Princesses

Cinderella & Her Mouse

I was never opposed to Disney Princesses... but I did make a conscious effort not to push my daughter towards them. I wanted her to figure out on her own what she liked, with as little influence as possible from culture's preconceived notions on what a little girl should  like. I wanted to see what she was drawn to, whether it was cars, trucks and trains, dinosaurs, pirates, Curious George... or Princesses. And for the first 3 years of my daughter's life, she happened to steer clear of Princesses. She would see them from time to time, but she never clung to the idea like I saw so many girls doing. And that made me happy - not because I thought there was anything wrong with the other little girls dressing up in Princess dresses or wearing little tiaras, but because I liked the idea that Paige was making up her own mind. I patted myself on the back for officially bypassing the Disney marketing machine.

That is until one day this summer... I picked my daughter up from my gym's child care area and she was just beaming - "Mommy! I played princesses and it was so much fun! I love princesses now!" The next morning as we were getting dressed to head to the gym, Paige picked out the most ruffley and pink dress she owned "so my friend will want to play princess with me again - I want to look pretty like a princess!" My heart sank a little - 1. she already thought she had to dress a certain way for kids to play with her : ( and 2. she only thought she was pretty if she dressed like a princess. I held my tongue and smiled and told her what I always do - "You are pretty inside and out. Your kind heart is your prettiest part!" Well - things didn't go as expected at the gym for my little Princess. Ends up her new "friend" was in a bad mood and didn't want to play Princesses or anything or that matter with my daughter. Paige was heartbroken - she had dressed the part... was she not a good enough Princess? That was 4 months ago, and Paige has still never worn that dress again.

And even though that friendship didn't stick, her new fascination with Princesses did. I couldn't fight it anymore. BUT - I could influence her mindset towards Princesses. Yes, they were pretty with long flowing hair, big eyes, skinny waists and always lived "Happily Ever After". However, they had more to offer my little, impressionable 3 year old daughter. Because I'm not going to tell my daughter she can't play with princesses or watch princess movies - just like I wouldn't tell her she couldn't play with trucks or read dinosaur books. So I started talking to her about how Princesses are BRAVE, KIND, STRONG-MINDED & INDEPENDENT. How they love to SING & DANCE. How they MAKE MISTAKES & ASK FOR FORGIVENESS. How they often have HUGE HEARTS & LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY. And - thankfully - it is starting to stick. Yes, she still wants to dress up in fancy Princess costumes (definitely not the shunned pink ruffely dress though!), but she climbs tot he top of the sofa and jumps off while dressed in them - "Just like a Princess does, Mommy!" And that makes my girl-power heart happy.

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