no traditional braces for us: Invisalign Teen

most of us went through the pain and embarrassment of  braces, right? big wires, colorful rubberbands, the cutting up of the inside of your mouth, using wax.. it's probably not necessary to go on, because you know what i'm talking about. 

gone are the days of the nightmares above, thanks to some amazing advances in orthodontia. there are now removable aligners like Invisalign & Invisalign Teen. aligners are quickly becoming the popular choice in orthodontia treatment and really, it's no surprise when you see the differences. who wouldn't choose a clear, lightweight plastic aligner that sits smoothly on the teeth over the traditional, chunky metal braces? 

these aligners allow children and adults to smile with confidence, while their teeth are being straightened. and, no more food filled braces. simply take the aligners out while you're eating or drinking. a confident smile isn't the only positive to Invisalign, the treatment is roughly the same price as traditional braces, but usually far fewer office visits, the visits are shorter and there's no dealing with emergency visits for broken brackets or wires. and, the aligners can be worn while playing sports, even with a mouth guard in!

the entire process is just so much smoother with Invisalign. there are no goopy molds, just digital imaging with digital scanners (like iTero) to take the impressions. the orthodontist simply uses the iTero wand to receive a precise 3D imagery of the inside of your mouth! how amazing is that? treatment prices will vary depending on your doctor and your location in the country, but the average cost for Invisalign's "express" five-stage treatment is roughly $1600 to $2300. these patients need teeth straightening treatment and have minor orthodontic issues, such as mild crowding or spacing. patients who qualify for the "express" treatment option will typically receive a series of five aligner sets. those sets are to be switched out approximately every 2 weeks. teeth will gradually move over time and results are visible as soon as 90 days into treatment!

for more details on how Invisalign works, visit this link. you can even check out your own smile assessment! Invisalign aligners can be used to treat so many different cases, including underbite, crooked teeth, gapped teeth, overbite, crossbite,  fix crooked teeth, spaced teeth, crowded teeth, fix overbite, open bite, dental issues, and dental problems. our kids will definitely be getting Invisalign aligners when the time comes to think about orthodontia treatment. 

Have you or someone you know used Invisalign? How was their experience?
Is Invisalign an alternative to traditional orthodontics that you could see yourself trying?

Invisalign Website  *  Invisalign Twitter  *  Invisalign Facebook

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

diy: boys chalkboard

we're all really missing our chalkboard wall/door that we used to have in our house in california. cohen, especially! he just loved drawing and practicing his writing skills on that chalkboard. but, we're renting for our first year here in wisconsin, so there will be no chalkboard wall. instead i offered to make cohen his very own boys chalkboard for his room.

what you'll need:

a piece of wood (any size is fine really)

paint (acrylic, spray or chalkboard paint even)

chalkboard coating (if you're not using chalkboard paint)

washi tape

scrapbook embellishment letters

mod podge

paint brush

foam brush

twine

chalk

first i painted my piece of wood with 2 coats of the turquoise that cohen had chosen. 

after the paint was dry i arranged my washi tape and scrapbook letters on the board how i wanted them. then, i painted on 3 coats of mod podge.

if you aren't familiar with mod podge, you should be! it's one of my favorite supplies to have on hand for crafting. after a couple of coats, the washi tape and cohens name will stay put for good. and, they've got a nice sheen and finished look to them. 

once the mod podge was totally dry, i painted the rest of the chalkboard with my chalkboard coating and let that dry. the chalkboard coating was one of the many fun goodies that i received in my swag bag from SNAP conference last month. so, thank you to DecoArt for that! i finished it off by drilling some holes through near the top and stringing twine through the holes. 

and then, it was ready to hang! cohen was so excited and he honestly asked me to write "i love mommy". such a sweet kid! he loves his new chalkboard and it was SO simple to make. plus, i had everything on hand already.

 

i am all about simple, but fun and cute crafts lately, especially if they're practical! what have you made recently?

oklahoma

i had a fun chalkboard project to share today.
in light of what's going on in other parts of our country, i felt like i needed to step away today.
to spend time with my babies and think about the families who've lost it all, including their children. 
and to just send positive thoughts and prayers to Oklahoma.

source

parenting: welcome to crazy town 3 - little lessons

today i'm sharing another post to go along with the Parenting: Welcome to Crazy Town series.
it's been a while, but we've been busy!

there are so many fun aspects of parenting to go along with the rough and trying ones. fun stuff, like teaching the kids to ride a 2 wheeler! i have to admit, matt might not have called it fun because he was exhausted from jogging along behind cohen. but, surely once he caught his breath he looked back and found in joy in what he'd just done. 

a milestone really. teaching brookelyn to ride her bike without training wheels happened fairly late in her life, like.. when she was 7.5! she was just terrified and really hadn't shown much of an interest in riding her bike, probably due to the fact that we had no neighbor kids for her to ride with. things are VERY different here with cohen. the kids are literally on their bikes from the time they come home from school, until it's time to come in and do homework. or, on the weekends, until it's dark! problem is, cohen is soooo slow with his training wheels.

cohen of course thinks he's super fast. funny kid. perception is everything, is it not?
these times though, when our kids are relying 100% on us to teach them and trusting us to not let them fall. literally. these are the times that i love. cohen can't ride without matt holding him yet, but he's getting there. and, seeing his face when matt lets go of the handlebars & he thinks that he's riding on his own? priceless. absolutely, priceless. he was so proud. 

next weekend, you know where these boys will be. again. 
they'll be outside, spending time together. matt teaching cohen and cohen hanging on every word he says. these are the amazing, awesome moments that we get as parents. the ones that at that time, might not seem that amazing or awesome, because we're huffing and puffing while following behind a tiny little bike. but when we look back at the pictures and see that we were there for that. not only did we bring that little guy into the world, but it's our job to teach him how to ride a bike, throw a ball, and pump their feet "front and back" on the swings. 
huge life lessons are important, of course. but, there are also these lessons that to us seem so small and maybe even silly. to our kids though? they're memories that they will hold onto forever and ever. they'll tell their kids about the time that grandpa taught them how to ride their bike, or how to throw a ball. 

of course, there are those moments when we'll do ANYTHING to cheer up a frustrated kid. a kid who is trying so hard and not getting it. all it takes sometimes is for us to act like a child to bring the kids back to a point where they are eager to learn and excited again.

enjoy those moments. because, as the mom of an almost 10 year old and an almost 5 year old, i can tell you that they're gone far too fast. the years where they really are "little" kids are over in the blink of an eye. 

what fun moments do you cherish most with your kids? or, do you hope that they'll grow to have fond memories of?