5 Friday Things 1/22 + 2 Questions

1. Wells had his first dentist appointment ever this week. As I mentioned, I front-loaded dentistry like crazy last weekend and then I bribed him with ice cream. You see, he was already in a bad mood. And while he's a friendly little extrovert to the extreme, he's not fond of doctors. He figured out around 12-15 months that the doctor was where you got shots and he does not go quietly when I take him for check-ups. The dentist was going to be a whole big thing. Especially since I had to physically restrain him to brush his teeth up until about October 2020. 

So...until you have that child who loves everything and everyone, but will pull on you like a dog trying to get out of the vet's office and scream and kick and hit at the same time...maybe you'll try ice cream too. I figure if I can get two dentist appointments out of him a year with some Sonic, I'll do it. I made it very definitive by going through the Sonic drive-thru and he kept saying "I want ice cream..." while I was trying to order. 

And he did earn his ice cream. 

He chatted everyone up, commented on everything he could see, smiled when they took his picture, took Lambie and a dog toy* with him into the office (filed under: battles I'm not fighting), crawled all over the multiple chairs, learned how to press the buttons to make the chair go up and down, danced like Blippi, introduced himself with "I am Wells E!!!", and let the dentist count, brush, AND fluoride his teeth. 

I really had thought he'd forgotten about the ice cream until the second we hit the sidewalk and he said "go get ice cream". So...we got ice cream and that's what he had for dinner. 

*Wells "bought" Scout a toy for Christmas. Scout doesn't care about toys. Wells has since claimed it as his own. It's an alpaca.

2. 

Nighttime picture alert

I reluctantly jumped into Thrive Market because there were a few things I wanted so I figured I'd share. Someone was kind enough to share a code with me, so I got 30% off but not the free gift. I think it's a bit of a racket, but I'm not willing to drive all over town, and they do have the best prices for certain items. I browsed a bit and this is what I came up with:

-Organic non-GMO applesauce. For Wells. I normally just buy unsweetened because I'm concerned with the sugar content but I figured this would be the next step. It's not cheap, but it's not expensive. Still cheaper than buying pouches so it's a middle ground between that and the vat of unsweetened Great Value brand. 

-Primal Kitchen Ketchup. For Wells. Maybe for us, if we like it. I don't do lots of ketchup so Wells never experienced it until he was closer to two. I figure if I can make this swap now, good for me. 

-Cacao nibs. The only place I could find these priced decently. For smoothies. 

-Smoked paprika. It's hard to find, so I thought I'd grab some while I was shipping a box anyway.

-Chicken/Maple Jerky Sticks and Blueberry Acai Cookies. For Wells. My goal is to keep better versions of snacks he already seems to enjoy on hand, especially for when we're out of the house. 

-Laundry detergent and dryer sheets. I have been really weird with false/fake smells over the last few years. Since I feel like we do so much laundry (and it's probably nothing compared to those of you with multiple children!), I figured it's best to use the most natural ingredients possible and get rid of the additives. I'll try these, anyway. 

So yeah. Not super exciting. Cheaper than Amazon, for sure, because I did do a few price-checks but I could probably grab any one of these items at Whole Foods if I really wanted them. 

3. Clothes were boring this week. 

Mostly just because I was too lazy to take my coat off, but figured I'd show you anyway. I need to be better about this. 

4. I finished a book. Then I took a book back to the library, untouched, because I'm not sure what I was thinking when I reserved it. Also, I have a library book about raising a Montessori Toddler but I may just grab it from Audible instead. 

It was 100% a page turner.

5. I know the U.S. has been through a lot in the last year. I am always quick to point out that we're *supposed* to be the abnormal ones. WE are the experiment. THIS has never been done before. We should always be proud of that. So for all of you who like Celsius and the metric system, Canada is probably waiting...

I have set aside my weighted blanket for a few reasons. I'm back to multiple comforters. Sigh. 

I've been Zoom teaching all week. ^^^

Now. 

1. Who has the Peloton app? Do you love it? Why?

2. I need some recipe inspiration. I'm going grocery shopping today. What should I make?

Why You Should Go to the Dentist

I went to the dentist last week.  The last time I'd been to a dentist was at the end of April…2013.  So that was over a year ago.  I never found a dentist in Missouri because, at first,  I didn't know if we'd be there for 9 months or 12 months.  And then it just seemed like too much trouble.  And then, in April, I thought, "I should make an appointment" and I made one in Missouri but it wasn't until the first week of June and then I had to cancel because we made a last minute trip to Tennessee that day.

So, one of the first things I did when we got to Colorado was set myself up a dentist appointment.  

You see, I've been to the dentist every 6 months for my entire life.  Even straight out of college with no health insurance.  Even when we were in Alaska.  I was very faithful about it.  I've never really had many cavities or issues, but my mom instilled it in me:  Go to the dentist.

I brush my teeth at least twice a day, and try to remember to floss (sometimes that's a losing battle).  I have a few white fillings I got back in 2011 because my sealants were worn down and those spaces needed to be filled.  I think I've only ever had one cavity and that was when I was about 8.  As a young child, I kicked a dentist once and I think that's where my indifference toward the dentist began.  I had my wisdom teeth surgically removed when I was 17 and that was a torturous process.  I never had braces, though.

Now that you know my medical history…

I was very specific about my criteria for finding a dentist in Colorado Springs:  I googled "dentist in Fountain, Colorado" because that's the closest town to us.

I picked the first one that came up.

Took a lot of thought.

The hardest part was calling the number.  They made me an appointment for the next day and emailed me the paperwork.  Their system is completely online, which was nice.

I get there, wait a few minutes, they give me a tour of the office, talk to me about everything under the sun, introduce me to all dentists and hygienists that walk by, AND they give me eye protection (read this story and you'll want to wear eye protection at the dentist from now on).  Bonus points.  They also asked (twice) how I heard about them.  I gave them the truth:  Google.

The dentist did a consultation, exam, x-rays, a gingivitis test and then, since all the hygienists were booked, he did the cleaning himself.  I was impressed with the level of customer service!  

This is where we get to the moral of the story:

While I didn't have any cavities, I did have a lot of tartar build-up (gross) because you are really supposed to have your teeth cleaned every 6 months.  There's a reason why it's done that way.  I'm lucky because there were no other issues.  However, if there had been a problem, I'd have no one to blame but myself.

Do you go to the dentist regularly?   I already have my next appointment for December!

(If you're in the Colorado Springs area, I do recommend Fountain Modern Dentistry.  My military health insurance paid for everything, and that hasn't been the case at every dentist I've visited. This is definitely not a sponsored post; I'm just writing about it because I had a good experience in the Springs and wanted to share!)