How to make the other shoppers jealous.

This evening I went shopping for fruits and veggies at Sunflower Market while Rob had the kids at church for Jr. and Sr. High activities.  While standing in the check-out line a woman approached me and excitedly asked, "Where did you get those bags?"

She told me I should sell them after seeing the bag I made to store them in.  

As far as selling them, I'm sure she doesn't realize I have five children and I work four days a week outside of the home.  Plus, I'm an Irish Dance mom and that's, you know, my life. 

However, after some reflection, I realized I could make the changes I want to the bag*, stuff it with the mesh produce bags and give one away on my blog.  How about that for generosity?  I'm really not about selling things.  I'm more of a gift giver, but who knows what will happen.  I do have lots of dental work to pay for.  

*The colorful bag in the photo was my first try.  I've since exhausted every creative bone in my body to come up with a much nicer one.  You would be impressed!  Well, you know, once I find time to actually sew it.

Is anyone even remotely interested in using reuseable produce bags?  If you are, just leave a comment and you will automatically be entered into the drawing. 

Good Luck!!

Teeth. They can be such a pain!

Due to a couple requests to see me with braces on, I snapped this via Photobooth when I got home this afternoon. Excuse the lack of make-up.....at least my hair is somewhat done. I, however, will not apologize for my big lips that get in the way of seeing all the braces.  I love my lips.

The next two years will be full of dental appointments and, of course, payments.  I used to be embarassed about all of this, but it's not like any of it is my fault.  I take care of my teeth.  All of this major stuff was due to an accident when I was seven years old.  Ok, so the accident was my fault, but are you seriously going to hold that over my head?  I was more self-conscious because my front tooth and eye tooth started to turn dark because of the trauma.  There was also decay and infection that helped all of this along. Plus, where my eye tooth should have been..there was a small gap that made me a little uncomfortable.  

Here is a list of things that need to be done. 

1. Extract fractured #8 (front tooth).  Completed 5/19/09

2. Braces (top & bottom). Completed 5/20/09

3. Extract #9 (also damaged in the accident, but not fractured).

4. Extract impacted #10 (eye tooth that never came in).

5. Do bone graft where #10 was.  

#9, #10, bone graft will be done at the same time.

6. Get 2 implants where #8 & #9 were.  Let heal for 4-6 months.

7. Get braces off (16 months total is the plan)

8. Whiten teeth (I'm excited for this!!)

9. Get two crowns to into the implants.

Oh, I should mention that the braces are purely for selfish, cosmetic reasons.  If I have to go through all of this, I think having straight teeth will be awesome. I never wanted braces when I was a tween because I was too self conscious of what other people thought. Now, I really don't care. How's that for growing up?  To be honest, I'm sure my feelings would be hurt if someone told me I was fat and ugly, but it wouldn't be because I believed them, it would be because I couldn't believe someone could be so cruel. I'd probably end up praying for them and hoping that whatever their issue was, that God would help them through it.  

The tooth that was extracted yesterday was the one that was causing me major amounts of pain due to it being fractured.  The fractured portion of it stuck out of my gums behind my front tooth, began to decay and caused so many infections.  The eye tooth also causes infection and I will be glad to get that one out, but that surgery is one I will be asleep for. 

Unfortunately, neither my medical or dental insurance will pay for the bone graft so the cost went from $499 to $1312, just for the extractions and bone graft.  OUCH!  The implants are another story and the crowns are separate, too.  

Anyway, I am focusing on the braces right now and learning how to eat.  I also have to deal with healing from the extraction.  Right now I am on an antibiotic because there was an infection when he removed the tooth.  

And the WINNER is.......

......hold your horses, I'm getting to that!!

After a few weeks of not forgetting about the Give-Away, it's time to reveal the winner of my very first contest.  However, before I tell you who the winner is,  I just have to answer some questions regarding cloth menstural pads.

Q.  How can using cloth pads change your periods?

A. Honestly, there have been no studies (that I've found) that prove they do. However, I and many other long time cloth pad users, have personally seen and felt the changes within our own bodies.  Some say, it could be a placebo effect and others just make the claim based on personal experience and/or chemical knowledge.  Although I couldn't find the link, I did read once that the chemicals used in making paper pads/tampons come from petroleum.  Putting those chemicals against tissue that is absorbant is probably the reason.  I wish someone would do an actual study.  For more information about the benefits of using cloth, I would just Google it.

Q. How many cloth pads do you have?  

A. In the beginning I only had one, then I felt I could get by with six.  Pretty soon, I just started stocking up on Essence of Eve pads, just so I could have my choice.  These cloth pads are so absorbant, breatheable and comfy that you really don't feel like you need to change them very often.  I change my pads 2-3 times on my heavy days.  Other days, I just find the thickness I know I'll need and I change them 2 times each day. Once in the morning and once before bed.  

I will give you one suggestion though.  I tend to like materials like velour & cotton sherpa next to my skin.  Stephanie dyed a bunch of white velour and sherpa and I fell in love with it.  I had her make me six for heavy days and six for light days.  Each level of absorbancy was backed with different color micro fleece so I could instantly tell which was which.  I do not use PUL on my pads since I am comfy enough with my periods and know the pads will not leak.

Q. How do you wash your pads?

A. I would love to find a pretty pot w/ a lid to keep them in until I am ready to wash, but I haven't found one I like yet.  I'm constantly looking though.  I do fill up a sink until the pads are covered in cold water to let them soak. After a few minutes, I will go back in and start ringing them out using fresh water.  If you don't like touching blood you can wear disposable gloves, but seriously...it's no where NEAR as bad as changing a poopy diaper or cleaning up your kids puke.  Seriously.  Once they are ringed out well enough, I throw them into the wash with a load of towels.  Even though I have a Kenmore HE front loader, I refuse to just wash a few tiny pads.  Since you aren't supposed to use fabric softener with towels and we have a family of seven, that's the most effecient way to wash them.  Then I just dry them with the towels.  If you prefer to hang dry, I would throw them in the dryer for a few minutes to soften them up.  You don't want stiff/scratchy menstrual pads.  The kids will even snap them closed and stack them neatly as they are folding the towels.  

Q. What does your husband think of you using cloth pads?

A.  He always wanted me to be comfortable.  Sometimes I don't get to the sink quick enough and he'll go in the bathroom and remind me there's a sink full of hamster sleeping bags that need to be rinsed out.  Ahh....he's so funny.  He even snaps them closed and puts them away in my pad drawer.  I think he should get some sort of award for just doing that, don't you?

If there are any more questions, please do not hesistate to email me or ask in the comments.  

Without further delay, I am proud to present The Essence of Eve $15 gift certificate to..... 

S'Me

Congrats Sarah!!  Get in touch with me by email.  Deanfamily7@gmail.com

And for those of you who didn't win this one....I plan on doing more cloth pads in the future and maybe even some cloth diapers.  Who knows, maybe I'll even have some fun organizing stuff to give away!!  You'll just have to wait and see.