Finally, A Toothpaste That Lives Up to Its Claim

As a member of She Speaks, a community that gives women a platform to voice opinions about various products and services, I was able to test out a sample of Aquafresh Iso-Active whitening toothpaste.

According to the product information, it claims to remove three times more bacteria than ordinary toothpaste due to its unique gel to foam action that penetrates hard to reach places like in between teeth. 40% of all tooth surface area is hidden between teeth, so the foaming action, twice the volume of foam as regular toothpaste, helps reach these difficult spots.



As with all advertising claims, I was skeptical about the "just out of the dentist" feel that I would experience. After all, don't all toothpastes claim that?

Well, I was wrong! This is the first toothpaste that I can claim actually feels and works like a true dental cleaning. I put a pea sized amount of gel on my toothbrush and was surprised when my mouth filled with foam! It was a good, clean feeling with a minty taste (I tested the Fresh Impact flavor), but I wasn't sold yet. Could this toothpaste keep away what I like to call the "fuzzies?" You know...that rough plaque like stuff that you get after a meal or two?

Surprise, Surprise! Yes, indeedy it did! My husband, who is quite picky about his toothpaste gave it a two thumbs up and said this is the first toothpaste that may convince him to switch brands. That is big, people...huge!

I do have two concerns, though, and since I am known to keep it real, I will let you know what those are.

First is all three flavors are whitening toothpaste. I have to be very careful with whitening toothpastes, as I have soft enamel and the DDS told me to stay away from them. So, I am hoping that Aquafresh will come out with the same thing, only non-whitening.

Secondly, the product is a bit on the expensive side compared to other toothpastes. But, with coupons, it is a good value.

I am always on the look out for good stuff for you, so I thought I would let you know about this!

Hugs,

Catching Up

Happy Monday, everyone! I am finally able to catch up a little bit from the hecticness (is so a word cuz I said so...) of the week. I finished editing the lost Halloween pics I was telling you about and so I am happy to have a document for my kids of the day. The first picture is of a typical road here in the boondocks where I live. It is so much fun just to take a drive and ride through the tunnels of color that explode at this time of year. I took this picture through the front windshield of Daisy, which is why it isn't as crisp as I would like. I did stop the car before snapping the image (we rarely have traffic around here), so I was being safe ;0)


Ladybug has awesome 5th grade teachers, as I have mentioned before, and her homeroom teacher has his class over to his house every year for a pumpkin carving party. Ladybug carved this pumpkin about a week before Halloween and I didn't get a picture of it when it was fresh...this was taken after the mold started growing. I think it just adds to the spooky atmosphere of her gremlin...Gremlins can be moldy, right?!?


Ty carved his the night before I took the pictures, so his is a bit fresher... He went for a more traditional look.


And the last image of Ladybug as a Zombie Bride...(or Bloody Mary, depending on when you ask Ladybug what she was...). The cat is our barn cat, Dusty. You might remember him from this post...he is quite the poser ;0)


I wanted to announce that I am releasing a brand new type of cards this week over at Simple Smooches by 9AD. These cards look the same as the others...business size cards with an image and laminated for durability...but instead of child related lunch box cards, these are Dinner Conversation Starters! Each card features a question that can serve as a topic of discussion for family dinners, dinner parties, etc. My kids LOVE to hear and answer the questions each night and it helps Brian and I as parents from getting the typical answer of "I don't know," or "Fine," answers to our "How was school today," questions. It also helps us get more insight to our kids thinking processes and it allows our kids to see us as humans too ;0) Works great with spouses too...If you thought you knew your loved ones, you may be surprised when what you can find out when they answer these questions! The cards are aimed for people ages 8-108, so these would work great at dinner parties with just adults too! There are 20 cards, so one pack would give you a question for dinner each weeknight for a month!

A great value as a stocking stuffer! And because I love you guys, I am giving a 25% off pre-ordreing discount today and tomorrow only! You can order the Dinner Conversation Starter Set (Thoughtful Questions), for only $9.00 instead of $12.00, plus $2.00 shipping. All you need to do is email me (nineacresphotography@hotmail.com) and let me know how many sets you want.

I originally sent out this offer to my Facebook buddies and have had 6 orders already, so they are going fast! I wanted to extend the offer to all of you too.

Have a fabulous Monday! I am hoping to introduce you to Lady and Shadow this week...our newest family members. Keep an eye out for that ;0)

What I Could Use About Now

How about a little R&R? Anyone, anyone? It has been a great week, but a very busy one, as you can imagine. It takes some getting used to heading back to the toddler days...







We finished up soccer today. Ty's team lost in a hard fought first round game and Ladybug's team won the first game, but lost the second. So, this year is finally over and I am thrilled to NOT have any practices or games until the spring when softball and baseball start. It is a glorious time of year!

I took the kids to see Amelia the other day while the little ones were in daycare. Ty and LB needed some alone Mom time, so we headed to the movies (they were off school for teacher meetings). I have to say, I didn't like it. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it. My opinion is it was boring. If you feel you must see it, wait to get it out of your library on video.

We are getting our goats tonight...hopefully I will have pics this week.

Sorry for the incoherent mishmash, but it is the best I can do today ;0) I just put the kids down for naps, Ty has to be at a birthday party an hour away in a few hours, and we have to pick up 2 goats. Gotta run...

P.S. This is the last of the pics of that cute little Jack Russell you've been seeing recently from my Deep Creek photo shoot. He was a cute little thing.

Things I Knew But Forgot

20 Things I knew about toddlers, but forgot until now:

1. OMG...the fingerprints.
2. Dog food smells like a poopy diaper.
3. "No" is THE FAVORITE WORD.
4. They are as slippery as snot on a doorknob when wet in the bathtub.
5. They smell divine. When they are not poopy that is.
6. They wake early.
7. Crumbs...lots and lots of crumbs.
8. Hugs are given with their whole bodies...not just their arms.
9. Their hair is the even softer than down feathers.
10. Footy pajamas rock.
11. Soaked diapers in the middle of the night do NOT rock.
12. "Mama" is said at least 1, 345, 876 times in a 24 hour period.
13. Feeding themselves with a fork and spoon is an adventure. A messy one.
14. Giggling.
15. EIEIO.
16. Barney. Please send help.
17. They are information sponges. The world is a curious place.
18. It is easy to climb out of a porta-a-crib.
19. A sleepy smile in the dawn light is divine.
20. Love multiplies in amazing ways.

Recapturing Lost Memories

I was so devastated the other day when I went to edit the very few Halloween pictures I took. I transferred them onto my computer like I normally do, and then I erased my memory card in my camera. During the lengthy process of transferring the files, the computer froze and I lost all of my pictures.
Normally I wait until I have all the pictures in a folder on my external hard drive before erasing my card, but for some stupid reason, I didn't this time. So, being the mother I am, I freaked that I no longer had a document of a holiday for my children.

I then started Google-ing. What would be do without Google? I, for one, love that thing. Anyway, I Googled solutions to my problem...namely, is there software out there that is affordable and would allow me to recover my erased images from my memory card. And guess what? The answer is yes! Yes, indeed, there is. I found a site called CardRecovery.com and was pleasantly surprised that it allows you to download the software to run on your computer for free. It then scans your memory card and recovers whatever files it can. It allows you to browse through the recovered files to make sure the images are there that you want before you buy the full version of the software.

Before it actually recovers the pictures, you have to pay the one time $39.95 fee. That is not per picture. That is not per use. That is for a lifetime of lost image recovery from your memory card. I was so darn excited, because this has happened to me before and I am sure it will happen to me again! I especially feel better having this now that I am doing freelance work in case I lose a client's images, I have a better chance of getting them back.

In my case, the software was able to recover over 1,000 erased images dating back to September 20. I was shocked! Who knew that once you erased images, they were actually still on the card! I only needed to recover about 10 of those, but still!

The images that were recovered were of the same quality as the originals...I checked to be sure. They were the same high resolution files that I originally had. One of the 10 images said it was corrupt, but it was still recoverable and it still looked fine, so I still have that one as well.

Any time I come across a good deal and a bargain, I want to make sure to pass it on! Keep this one in the file cabinet of your brain for future use in case you ever need it.

~All of these images are the same image edited in different ways, as I suppose you could tell ;0) Which one is your favorite?

Hugs,

Wordless Wednesday- Can You Hear the Fountains?

Another one using the "painting" technique I developed using Photoshop. ;0)

Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania
September 2009

I Couldn't Believe My Eyes

Hey everyone. You would not believe what I saw today. When I was taking the kids to school and daycare, I passed a car headed in the opposite direction as me. As we passed each other, I glanced up to wave and smile at the other person, as we often do here in this little town.

I didn't recognize the driver of the SUV, but I did notice that a KID (probably about 3-4 years old) was sitting on the driver's lap steering the SUV! I almost died. I couldn't believe it! No seat belt...right in front of an airbag...I mean, WTH? Really? Granted, it was a rural road with a speed limit of only 25 mph, but still. I just simply can't comprehend the foolishness of some adults. What was she thinking?!?








These images were taken at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. When we were doing the lakeside shoot, one of the women who worked for the reality company I was consulting for brought along her adorable dog. I wish I could remember his name, but I can't. He was so darn cute and so well trained.

This is the same dog a few of you were asking about a while ago. He was the same one sitting on front of the kayak in that post. And no, he never fell in. He was perfectly balanced and poised. He will be in one more image coming up soon.

The bottom pic is from a model shoot we did for the cover of a brochure. The kids were taking a break from modeling and were looking for boats in the lake. I snapped this quick one because the clouds were awesome (storms rolled over but it never rained) and the kids were super cute.

I hope all have a fantastic day!

Prayer Requests Part Two

Just stopping in for a quick visit. Brian and I are serving as a foster respite placement for a week and so I have my hands full with two more beautiful children. We are all excited to have our sweet visitors for this week and look forward to many fun times with them.





Halloween was a damp one around here, but everyone still had a good time. The weather wasn't too cold, so despite the drizzle, we were all able to still stay comfortable. I will have pics up of Ladybug's costume soon. Ty dressed up at the very last minute, so I don't have any of him since it had started raining by then and we were already outside ready to leave when he decided to come with us. I didn't dare take my camera out in that mess, so I only have one of our Jack' o lanterns and one or two of LB.

One another note, please pray for a little girl that my friend teaches. This second grader just found out that she has a tumor on her femur bone that has deteriorated the bone down to almost nothing. She will have surgery (today I believe) to remove the tumor (not cancer thank goodness) and have a rod put in her leg to stabilize the bone. This is a lot to go through for a second grader, so please keep her in your thoughts.

I also have another friend, M, who is having a rough road right now. Please pray for smoother seas ahead for her.

And please keep my family in your thoughts as we go through this new experience this week. Pray for our health, patience, and wisdom for the two little ones and our own not-so-little-ones. ;0)

Love you guys!

All of the images above were taken in Deep Creek Lake, MD during my business trip there to train a photographer. Felt like trying something new, so I developed a new "painting" technique in Photoshop that I feel gives an image a bit of a Norman Rockwell feel. Not my normal thing, but fun none the less! Only the 1st and third images were done that way...the middle one was a normal pic!

Hugs,


Oh, and you can also check out Nine Acres Photography to see some recent student work from some ladies taking my Get Off the Green Square Class. They rock :0) Stop in and say hello to them...

Perfection

Last night, after dinner, Ty was carving a pumpkin and Ladybug was watching/assisting. Brian was downstairs working on the last bit of plumbing for the basement and I was waiting for chocolate chip cookies to come out of the oven. It was a great scene because I can't tell you the last time we had an evening with NOTHING TO DO! It was sort of Norman Rockwell-ish.

So, Ty and Ladybug were bantering back and forth in a brother/sister fun kind of way, teasing and such. I wasn't paying too much attention until I heard Ty say, "Well that is because YOU are the PERFECT child."

And then I snorted. Out loud. By accident. Because, let me tell you people, neither of my children are perfect. Nor should they be. But I still love them beyond reason anyway. And LB laughed too because she knows she is not perfect.

So, to add to the conversation, I teasingly said, "Yeah, Ty, you are more perfect than LB."

And a huge grin spread across his face. LB stared at me in shock and said, "HHHHHEEEEEEYYYY!" in a voice that only a 10 year old girl can use.

Ty thought for a minute, looked right at me and with much drama and inflection announced, "I am SO glad that FINALLY someone admitted that OUT LOUD!"

It was good times, people. Good times.

Speaking of good times, this was taken....guess where? Yup, Deep Creek. Pretty, huh?

Happy Saturday...love you all! Have a fun and safe Halloween! Boo! (Did I scare ya?) :0)

Yeah, My Job is Rough...

Seriously people, my job is tough. I don't how much longer I can stand it. Going out to take pictures (#1 favorite thing), edit the pictures (#2 favorite thing) and then teach others how do it well (#3 favorite thing). I may have to retire soon.

Here are some more from my consulting job at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland:









Please head over to Nine Acres Photography to read more about my Photography Consulting and my Photo Editing Business.

Happy Friday, Y'all!

Ipod Worries

These images have absolutely nothing to do with the post, as usual. But, you know I can't post without pictures, so please enjoy the serenity and tranquility before reading my rant that follows.

Deep Creek Lake Consulting Job...September 2009



I was supervising a sunset shoot along Deep Creek Lake. Here is my student working on a cover shot for a magazine. We were so lucky to have good weather at the time. It is so unpredictable there with the mountains and such. I had a blast!




The next morning, my student and I got up before dawn and went to a location for a sunrise shot. Here I grabbed a picture of her working as the sun turned the sky into pastels. And what was the scene she was photographing? See below:




Okay, enough with the pretty, happy stuff...

My son saved up for over a year to buy himself an Ipod Touch. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of him having one, as it is just another electronic gadget to suck all of the brain power out of his head like a hungry alien. But, he saved for it, worked for it, and so he bought it.

Brian and I put down some ground rules for the Ipod. 1. Just because he bought it does not mean we can not take it away. 2. It is a privilege, not a right. 3. Only parent-approved content will be allowed (music, games, apps, etc.) 4. The Ipod will only be played at a decent decible level. 5. The Ipod will NOT be attached to you 24/7 while you hear the world muffled through earphones.

So far, I think we have been pretty good about sticking to the rules and monitoring the content that goes on his Ipod. I can't lie, it is very difficult and time consuming keeping up with all of that stuff. There are times, though that Ty has used the computer and I haven't checked out what he is doing. It is not that I don't care, it is just that I have 18 million other things, as every parent does, to do and I run out of time to keep 100% vigilent with the rules.

So, while driving with Ty the other day, he asked me if he could hook up his Ipod to the stereo. I at first wanted to say, "No way, Jose!" I don't like his style of music for the most part...Seether, Godsmack...all heavy stuff that is just not for me. But then my little mother's intution screamed in my head, "Say yes! You can hear the kind of stuff he is listening to!" So, I listened to my gut feeling and I gave him permission. Good thing I did. This is the song that came on:

Dream Evil The Chosen Ones Lyrics:
We are the chosen ones, we sacrifice our blood,
We kill for honour
We are the holy ones, our armour stained with blood,
We killed the dragon

In glory we return, our destination's end,
We slayed the dragon
No more living in fear it's time to raise our king,
We made it happen, we're the chosen ones

We are the chosen ones, we sacrifice our blood,
We kill for honour
We are the holy ones, our armour stained with blood,
We killed the dragon,
We're the chosen ones

Riding through thunder and lighting once again,
We slayed the beast, we brought an end
Now we have left the kingdom of the damned,
Heroes of the day, Legends forever

We are the chosen ones, we sacrifice our blood,
We kill for honor
We are the holy ones our armor stained with blood,
We killed the dragon
We're the chosen ones

It seems to me like a journey without end,
So many years, too many battles
We've finally arrived, now we're standing at the gates,
Heroes of the day, legends forever

In glory we return, our destination's end,
We slayed the dragon
No more living in fear it's time to raise our king,
We made it happen we're the chosen ones!

We are the chosen ones, we sacrifice our blood,
We kill for honor
We are the holy ones our armor stained with blood,
We killed the dragon
In glory we return, our destination's end,
We slayed the dragon
No more living in fear, it's time to raise our king,
We made it happen, we're the chosen ones

We are the chosen ones, we sacrifice our blood,
We kill for honour
We are the holy ones, our armour stained with blood,
We killed the dragon

Uhhhh...yeah. That ain't happening. I immediately asked him if he knew the words to the song and he said he didn't. I asked him why he liked the song and of course, it had to do with the beat and the guitar, etc. It had nothing to do with the message.

But still.

I will not have this crap piped directly into my son's ears and brain. So, off the Ipod it is coming and I just became a little more vigilant about watching what is on this machine. And the next time he asks to play his Ipod on the stereo? You bet my answer will be yes!

Weigh In: Overprotective or Justified?