Archive for July, 2011

I’ve have loved being part of the Arm & Hammer Switch & Save Challenge.  But I must admit to feeling a little daunted when I knew a tube of toothpaste was on it’s way for me to use and review.

I’m more than a little picky about my toothpaste.  I’ve used the same brand for years and I am hopelessly stuck in my ways.

Once, I tried a different brand of toothpaste, in a pinch at a friend’s house.  I gagged.

Testing toothpaste was going to be a REAL challenge for me.

So, when the box arrived in the mail with my new ARM & HAMMER Advance White Brilliant Sparkle Toothpaste, I did what any good mom would do and made my kids be the guinea pigs.

They were all game to brush their teeth in the middle of the afternoon, so I stood in the doorway of the bathroom and watched.  My two kids who like my minty toothpaste gave me an immediate thumbs up.  My girl who still uses fruity toothpaste gave it a sideways thumb moving toward a thumbs up.

OK.  That’s encouraging.  Much better than expected.  If they could handle it then maybe so could I.  It does have my favorite baking soda in it after all…

That night I bravely tried it out.

It was such a pleasant surprise!   The flavor is nicely minty… with a bit of a saltiness that I actually liked.  It tasted more natural than my brand… which I loved.

But far and away, my favorite thing about Baking Soda toothpaste was how my mouth felt after brushing.

My teeth felt smooth and really clean.  And there is no doubt, it rocks at knocking out bad breath- like after eating my sister-in-law’s yummy bruschetta with lots of garlic and goat cheese.

Since my Arm & Hammer Toothpaste arrived at my home several weeks ago, I haven’t once gone back to my old toothpaste.  That is truly amazing to me.

As for whitening, the jury is still out.  I can’t wait to see if it really works, but it will take several months to know.

Yet again, I am truly happy and impressed with my Arm & Hammer product.

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This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is paying me to try different products.

Sign up for a free sample of Advance White Brilliant Sparkle Toothpaste. And then head over to The Switch & Save Challenge to keep up with all of the bloggers and enter to win $25,000

We just got home from a wonderful trip to the Tetons.

We got super lucky and scored a campsite at the lovely Jenny Lake Campground.  Our site was wonderful, large and secluded with wildflowers all around and shade to be found all day.

Lucky for the kids, I forgot our roasting sticks.  Not to be deterred from making the perfect S’mores, the kids set out in search of the perfect sticks and whittled them to a perfect point with pocket knives.  They never enjoyed roasting so much as they did with their handmade roasting sticks.  Who ever thinks “making it do” isn’t fun… think again.

Another make it do moment came when our favorite swimming hole, the Firehole River swimming hole, in Yellowstone was closed due to the high run off.

So we headed upstream to float the river where the water was safer.  For us Utahns, who are used to cold mountain streams, the Firehole River is such a pleasure because thousands of gallons of boiling water pour into the river upstream warming the river and our spirits.

We let the gentle current float us downstream.  We skipped stones.  We splashed and played to our hearts content.  Then we enjoyed a lovely picnic on the banks of the river.

It’s hard to justify a trip into Yellowstone without stopping in to see Old Faithful.  I never cease to marvel at how faithful it truly is.  This isn’t Las Vegas or Disneyland where the geyser is set on an electronic timer.  Its totally natural.  Amazing.

One thing you can always count on seeing in Yellowstone is LOTS of buffalo.  Or is it bison?  I’ve never been really sure what the difference is… if any.

We searched and searched to see a bear or a wolf and came up empty handed this trip.

But we did see a coyote up close and personal.

Oh!  And her baby.  So sweet!  My kids were in love.  They remarked how the mama is quite scraggly, while the baby is smooth and neat and clean.  Yes.  That just about sums up how life goes.

We went into Jackson for some grub at the Merry Piglets.  Just off of the main square, it’s a must to pose by the antler arches. The boys were thrilled to sit down with Mark Twain and Huck Finn.  My husband finished reading both Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn to my son this spring for the second time because they love both books.

The girls were just as thrilled to see Abe.  These benches are a fun new (to us) addition to Jackson.

We hiked the easy 5 miles to the falls above Jenny Lake.  We also rented a kayak and a canoe and spent the day rowing around the lake.  We even pulled up to a big flag rock near the banks and jumped in for a cool down in the icy water.

The last day of the trip, right before we hit the road home, we stopped by the Signal Mountain Lodge for a plate of their famous MOUNTAIN of Nachos.

I didn’t take my camera in… but luckily found this picture on the web…. it doesn’t do this enormous plate of delicious nachos justice. If I could figure out how to make these nachos at home I think I would gain 50 pounds.  Maybe it’s better if I don’t know how.

Today I am sluggishly trying to face our own mountain of dirty laundry and get back to reality.  But laundry and mosquito bites not withstanding, we are definitely a family of very happy campers.