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Dental Care in Children

With February being National Children’s Dental Health Month I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss teeth care in children. Many children do not like to brush their teeth. It is a nuisance to them and cuts in to their time that they could use on other more important issues to them, such as playing. Establishing some basic rules early on in life when they are very small will minimize the negative reaction that you may get when you remind them to go and brush their teeth. If teeth brushing is a part of their daily routine from … Continue reading →

Tooth Brushing Battles

For some families, brushing teeth and dental care becomes one of those ongoing power struggles. It might start when kids are young—babies even—and continue on, or it might be something that pops up as children become more independent. What can be done to combat or end the tooth brushing battles? I have a confession to make—I never brushed my children’s teeth for them. When they were infants, I did wipe out their mouths with a clean cloth during bath time, but once they could sit up for baths and had the finger dexterity, I let them hold their own toothbrush … Continue reading →

Make Your Own Toothpaste

Want to make your own toothpaste? Here is a frugal and natural way to do it! Making your own toothpaste is very easy and very frugal. With tubes costing up to $4 or more these days, home made toothpaste can really save you some money, especially if you are like me. I obsessively brush my teeth at least four times a day if not more. I was blessed with “marshmallow teeth,” as one dental hygienist pointed out. It takes a lot of care to keep my teeth healthy. When you make your own toothpaste, you won’t have the benefit of … Continue reading →

Care of African American Children in Transracial Adoptions: Caring for Long Hair

Previously, In this series of articles on care of African American children in transracial adoptions, I have discussed winter skincare, summer skincare, and basic hair care. I am now discussing advanced hair care problems for African American children. One of these is mixed raced hair care, which was dicussed in a previoius article. Next, I want to address care of long hair of African American Children in Transracial Adoption. African Americans, typically do not have very long hair due to the fragile nature of our hair. Therefore, anything shoulder length or longer is considered long. Here are the special things … Continue reading →

Care of African American Children in Transracial Adoptions: Basic Hair care

In my previous two articles, I wrote about winter skincare and summer skincare and for African American Children in transracial adoptions. I will now address how to take care of hair that is different from your own. Generally, Negroid hair works in the opposite way as Caucasoid hair. While a black person’s hair loves oil, a white person’s hair will hate oil. I have actually joked that you could rub a black person’s hair together with a white person’s hair to get a perfect oil balance in each, as the black person’s hair will absorb the excess oil from the … Continue reading →

Grocery Savings without the Fuss

There are many different grocery savings tips out there, but most of the general advice involves spending a lot of time cutting coupons, driving from store to store, shopping at odd times, and creating a full-blown price book. For many of us, that is just too much fuss and a larger time commitment than we can handle right now. The good news is that you can still lower your grocery bill without all of the fuss by just following a few simple rules. 1. Find the right store and stick with it Without going crazy, compare prices on a few … Continue reading →

Pack Your Bag It’s Time To Go

If you are getting close to your delivery date, it is time to pack your bag for the trip of a lifetime. Before you drag out your suitcase and start tossing in your sunscreen and beach blanket, I should tell you that it’s a different kind of trip. That all important trip to the hospital (if you are planning to give birth at a hospital) where you will give birth to your baby. In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that with both pregnancies I did not pack my bag for the hospital until right before I left. … Continue reading →

Right in the Kisser

How much would you pay to ensure that your child’s pearly whites are straight as an arrow when she flashes a winning smile? Depending on how crooked your kid’s teeth are to start, the cost of standard orthodontic care runs between $5,000 and $7,000 with most dental insurance plans covering only a fraction of the total. So, imagine how poor you’d be if your kid had to wear braces for 11 years. As in 11 years straight. Or, basically, your kid’s entire childhood. For the record, most kids wear braces for two to three years. I was forced to wear … Continue reading →

Pennsylvania Cuts Medicaid Dental Coverage

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The state of Pennsylvania has decided to cut back on the dental coverage currently offered in their Medicaid program. Medicaid is an insurance for people who are low-income. It is unlikely this group will be able to afford to purchase a private form of dental insurance. I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. It seems that when a state is interested in making cuts, in order to reduce costs and fit within a budget, those cuts come out of the programs that are designed to help the people who have the lowest income. This would be the group that is least able … Continue reading →

Staying Safe on Vacation

You remembered to pack your toothbrush, wallet, passport and underwear, but before you head out on your dream vacation don’t forget to take along another travel essential: common sense. Many people get so wrapped up in the excitement of traveling abroad that they neglect to exercise basic safety precautions. In order to make your trip of a lifetime something you won’t look back upon with regret, remember these simple tips: Avoid shortcuts: If you are traveling in unfamiliar territory, don’t stray far from the beaten path. This is especially true if you are driving in a foreign country. Resist the … Continue reading →