One thing that can be FUN to receive no matter how old you are is a stocking full of goodies! I think being a mom makes it fun to find things to stuff in the family’s stockings that everyone will enjoy. My mother-in-law always gives everyone a stocking every year as one of our gifts and I love seeing what is inside.  This year you will want to stuff those stockings with Slim Jim – the perfect on-the-go snack that everyone can agree on.

The holidays are here and it is crucial to get all the must-have gifts and gadgets for the whole family. You also must NOT forget about the stocking stuffers. The things that like to add things in stockings would be holiday themed pens/pencils, stuffed animals or a cute snowman, games, books,  goodies and you can’t forget the snacks.

Have you taken advantage of Walmart’s Online Grocery Pick-Up yet? Shopping at Walmart for groceries and those important stocking stuffers is now even easier. Shop in your jammies at home and then pull up outside Walmart to pickup your order without having to wait in line. You can buy food, stockings, stocking stuffers and more all online…

Slim Jim has always been a hit in the stockings that Santa has left at our house. What is great is they come in a variety of sizes! I like to buy the 26ct box of Slim Jim snacks so that we can leave a couple out for Santa too! For those that like sunflowers and pickles, the BIGS Vlasic Dill Pickle Sunflower Seeds will make a great stocking stuffer addition too!

Create Your Own Virtual Stocking For A Chance To WIN

Did you know you that can create your own virtual stocking for a chance to WIN a gaming console and game? Creating your digital stocking is EASY! Once you have you created your stocking  you will receive a unique link that you will use to share with your followers. You will receive an additional entry for every entrant that uses your unique link. Below you will find my virtual stocking that I created to share!

Remember this year remind Santa to stuff the stockings with Slim Jim because they happen to be a  great on-the-go meat snack food that is America’s #1 brand of meat stick.

Whether you’re ready for it or not, the holiday season is coming up very soon. While your mouth may be watering already at the thought of turkey, egg nog, and gingerbread cookies, your teeth are bracing for the impact that all those sticky, sugary holiday foods will have on them. Fortunately, not all holiday snacks are dangerous to your dental health. But do you know which ones are good for your teeth and which aren’t?

With 32% of people saying they’re concerned for the way their teeth look, you’ll want to be mindful of what goes into your mouth this holiday season. Let’s discover which traditional holiday foods are bad for your teeth and which ones can actually help you keep them healthy.

Naughty: Egg Nog

Delicious though it may be, egg nog is really high in sugar, which makes it a bad choice for your teeth. If you just have to have some this holiday season, try making your own with less sugar and little-to-no alcohol with one of the great recipes you can find online. It may not taste exactly like what you get at the store, but your teeth will thank you.

Nice: Turkey

Turkey meat is non-fermentable and as a result, it won’t stimulate any cavity-causing responses in your mouth. This protein-rich bird also contains phosphorus, which helps you produce strong, healthy teeth along with calcium. However, drowning your turkey in sugar-rich cranberry sauce can diminish any benefits you’re getting, so use that sparingly.

Naughty: Candy Canes

When it comes to maintaining healthy teeth, candy canes are a lose-lose holiday treat. If you crunch down on them, pieces of the candy can get lodged in your teeth, causing decay and possible fractures. On the other hand, if you just suck on them, you’re exposing your teeth to the sugar for that much longer, which can considerably increase your risk of developing cavities.

A survey conducted by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry found that 99.7% of all adults, practically all of them, believe that a healthy smile is important to enjoying a healthy social life. If you’re a part of this vast majority, you may want to avoid candy canes altogether this Christmas.

Nice: Cheese

This may come as a surprise, but cheese is actually great for your teeth. This is because it’s a naturally antibacterial food and it has lower pH levels that help lower the acidity in your mouth. This doesn’t mean that a cheese wheel would make an adequate toothbrush, but it does mean that you don’t have to feel any guilt about consuming this popular delicacy. When that cheese plate gets passed around, don’t be afraid to grab a handful.

Naughty: Chocolate

When it comes to chocolate, there’s both good news and bad news. The bad news is that highly-common milk chocolate, which is fairly light in color, is notorious for having a lot of sugar in it. The bacteria in your mouth digest this sugar as you’re eating it and this process produces acid that can dissolve the enamel on your teeth, leading to cavities later on. But this is the good news: pure dark chocolate is actually okay for your teeth because it has less sugar in it. The darker the chocolate, the better it is for your teeth. Just be wary of the light, sugary stuff.

Nice: Mixed Nuts

Nuts are like little bombs of healthy nutrients, and your teeth like them as much as your body. They contain such nutrients as iron and magnesium, two incredibly important minerals, and they also supply a considerable amount of calcium, which contributes to strong teeth. Eating nuts also stimulates saliva production, which helps keep harmful bacteria at bay. Basically, eat as much of these as you like!

Naughty: Dried Fruit

Even though dried fruit is marketed as being nutritious, it’s very high in concentrated sugar. This isn’t because sugar is injected into dried fruit, though. Sugar is naturally-occurring in most fruits. However, the sugar content inside becomes highly-concentrated when you extract water from the fruit in the drying process. As a result, dried fruit has seven times more sugar content than fresh fruit does. Yikes!

If you and your family choose to enjoy dried fruit as a holiday treat, make sure you drink lots of water to wash it away from your teeth. A 2012 study by the Journal of Pediatric Dentistry discovered that more than 65% of parents using bottled water didn’t know how much fluoride it contained. Fluoride is considered by the dental industry to be important for your teeth, so be sure to check the fluoride levels in the water you drink.

Nice: Vegetables

Fortunately, veggies are one of the holidays’ redeeming qualities when it comes to healthy eating. Not only are most vegetables high in vitamins and minerals, but the fibrous ones (like carrots and celery) work like toothbrushes as you eat them. Their fibrous texture help to remove plaque, which would inevitably turn into tartar within 72 hours, as you chow down on them. Even though they’re probably not the highlight of anyone’s holiday, make sure your Christmas and Thanksgiving meals have plenty of deliciously-prepared vegetables available.

Naughty: Ice Cubes

Some 90% of U.S. households regularly indulge in a sweet, frozen treat, but we often neglect to talk about ice cubes. Yes, ice cubes. This “food” can be especially hard on your teeth during the wintertime. Because ice is so hard, eating it can cause the enamel on your teeth to chip off, in some cases leading to fractured or even broken teeth. It’s an especially bad practice for those with braces or recent dental work. And when you pair eating ice with the rapidly decreasing winter temperatures, which cause your teeth to contract, you end up with a recipe for trouble. If you enjoy eating ice, this may be a habit you should rethink this winter.

Nice: Sugar-Free Gum

When you’re finished with a big holiday meal, top it off with a piece of sugar-free chewing gum. This will increase saliva production, helping to neutralize and wash away acids produced by bacteria in your mouth. Besides this, it gives you minty-fresh breath, which is especially appreciated during crowded get-togethers.

Now you know what foods to avoid and which ones to pay special attention to throughout this holiday season. As a rule of thumb, remember that anything good for your body is good for your teeth, and vice versa. With that in mind, you can mindfully snack your way through the next couple of months. Happy holiday feasting!

Being a mom of kids and pets means I have done my fair share of cleaning around the house. One of the things that I can tell you that gets the dirtiest in your home is your floors. This is especially true if you have a pet and this can be really true when you have multiple pets! When you have kids and pets you honestly need on floor duty almost daily if not more. You can’t just have any vacuum either, having a good one is IMPORTANT!

Not all vacuums are the same. They come in a variety of price tags with different features. I am going to tell you about the BISSELL CrossWave Cordless Max at Best Buy and why you are going to want one to clean your floors with!…

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