Try, Buy, or Pass. Crest Whitestrips

I am a sucker for smiles.  Teeth are a big deal to me, although with my general avoidance of the dentist you wouldn't think that were the case.  Long story short, when I was 12 I had two cavities drilled without anesthesia.  It took 12 years for me to go to a dentist again.  Now I drag myself in every 8 months or so, but I make sure to brush and floss at least twice a day.

Anyway, the point is that two years ago I went to a concert, looked at the resulting pictures and thought "Jesus Christ my teeth look nasty!"  Brushing or no, I drink at least one cup of coffee per day, and spent a year or two as a smoker in my early twenties.  I had not until that day really noticed how yellow my teeth were getting.  As a generally broke parent, I didn't want to spend big bucks on getting my teeth professionally whitened when that money could be used for my kid, or for a cool vacation or something.  I decided to give Crest Whitestrips a shot.

I had found a coupon, went to my local Kmart and got a box of the 14 day strips for about $30.  I used them as directed.  Over all they weren't terrible.  I had to make sure I didn't need to eat or drink twice a day for the 30 minutes required otherwise the strips would slip off.  Other than that and some tooth sensitivity the whole thing was easy peasy.  The results were spectacular!!!  My husband could not believe it.

I have become an avid user of these whitestrips and since my original go at it they have changed the strips themselves so that they don't slip off easy and you can actually eat, drink, and talk with them on.  The price has also increased some, but what hasn't gone up in price lately/ I whitestrip about once per year and get compliments on how white my teeth are all the time.  These are worth the investment.  Buy

The picture that changed it all

Post Whitestrips discovery

Maryland/DC 09

My munchkin in her "Thinking Chair" at the Motel 6 in Laurel.

My girls and their Daddy at the Lincoln Memorial

This trip to go visit my step-daughter in Maryland and to have a family trip to DC is what inspired Gil to have our 50 States challenge.  The drive from the Bronx to Laurel was not too bad, and it was the first time since our first year together that I took a long drive/ride somewhere.  

Our girls really enjoyed themselves and we took some pretty nice pictures there. This was the perfect official beginning to our travel together.  

Las Vegas 2009

Gil and I made a vow back in 2008 that during our foreseeable time together, we would attempt to visit all 50 states.  We live in New York so New Jersey, and Connecticut were done pretty quickly.  So much so, that we never even bothered to try to take any specific pictures there.  Although pictures exist.

In any case, in 2009 I decided that after being over the age of 21 for so many years, it was time for a real vacation and it was time to visit Las Vegas.

The view from our room

Gil and I got to Vegas on a Thursday night.  I was totally ready to party but he just wanted to go to sleep!  Once he got a good nights rest in we had a pretty awesome time.  I had booked us a room at Caesar's Palace right in the center of the strip.  We explored a bunch of hotels, got sucked into a timeshare presentation, caught a Cirque du Soleil show, rode a roller coaster (which I cried after doing), and broke even on our gambling.

Too much to drink!

I also made it a point to arrange for a full day trip to the Grand Canyon.  We took a bus that went through the Hoover Dam and a couple of the little side towns down Route 66.

Williams Arizona

I was definitely not prepared for the cold winds at the Canyon.  And since I am an idiot, I also forgot to pack sneakers so I spent an entire day walking through the Grand Canyon in flip flops.

Someone was nice enough to take a picture of the two of us.

Overall, this trip was a great start to our "hit every state" life plan and once I reach that goal, maybe I'll try this again.

A New Beginning

It has been a pretty long time since I've tried blogging.  I had told myself while prepping for my wedding that I would blog avidly so that those attending, and those that wanted to attend but couldn't make the trip would feel included in the process.  I totally failed at it.  So here I am trying again, and trying something new for me.  This blog will be a mix of things.  Recipes that I've tried.  Trips that I have taken.  Products that I have tested.  Projects that I have started.  All in all I want this to be a chronicle of awesome, and sometimes not so awesome things.  It's so easy to dwell on stress, and work, etc and to never really take the time to look and reflect on the experiences you are actually having.

So with that said, here is to my new blog!  Hopefully I'll do way better this time.