Modern American Teen: Transition from Glasses to Contacts

My DD Kristen and I wanted to give you an update to her journey to contacts since becoming participating Test Drive Ambassadors for Bausch + Lomb Soflens daily disposable contact lenses. She received a complimentary 90-day supply following her eye exam and evaluation. Our eye care professional agreed that she was a great candidate to try them. Kristen returned for a fitting and lesson in use and care of these great daily wear contacts. The eyecare professional was so very encouraging throughout the appointment, and she worked carefully with us to be sure Kristen was comfortable with the process and care regime. Kristen persevered through the whole "touching your eyes" barrier and gained confidence in the process!

Click on this link to the Soflens daily disposables site to learn more: http://bit.ly/nwJpLU


She has been practicing the insertion and removal and how important sterile conditions and care are to maintaining healthy eyesight. Kristen looks and feels great - building her self-esteem and confidence. Her friends have commented on how beautiful her eyes are without the distraction of her regular glasses. She has found the entire experience very positive and affirming as she journeys through these tumultuous teen years.

The experience has further cemented our relationship far beyond the issue of eye wear. We have instituted a "Daily Talk” with your teen – which helps us maneuver the "warzone" of parent-teen communication mine field and broach more difficult subjects. Today's youth carry a heavy load that we adults need to support as they journey towards adulthood. MomCentral Consulting and Bausch + Lomb provides added insight at http://www.bausch.com/en/Our-Company/Recent-News/2011-Archive/Big-Talk

I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Bausch + Lomb and received Soflens daily disposables to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

LIFE: Insure Your Love Picture Mosaic

Are you like me, procrastination queen of planning for insurance and other key financial arrangements? I am taking a careful review of our family's situation this month to feel some piece of mind and more in control over these vital details...especially as we move towards plans for the kids' education and our retirement - hey, the future is now!

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to think about protecting the most important people in our lives. The nonprofit LIFE Foundation sponsors Life Insurance Awareness Month in response to the growing problem of too many families not having adequate life insurance protection. According to the industry research group LIMRA, 11 million U.S. households with children under age 18 have no coverage. Those families are just one illness or accident away from a financial crisis, and something needs to be done about it. That's why LIFE has created the "Insure Your Love Picture Mosaic" in support of Life Insurance Awareness Month.

The "Insure Your Love Picture Mosaic" is designed to recognize and celebrate those who have made the responsible decision to protect their loved ones by owning life insurance, while also introducing them to a larger community of others who have made the same choice. People are encouraged to upload up to 20 photos of their loved ones, whose financial future has been safeguarded by their decision to purchase life insurance.

I've uploaded some of our family photos to include myself, hubs, the kids, Pekinese Preston and our parents in honor of their excellent example. By adding your photos to the mosaic, you will also be helping out a great cause. For each photo uploaded, $1 will be donated to the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program, which provides tuition assistance to students who have lost a parent and are struggling to achieve their dream of a college education.

Here are the details on how to upload your photos (up to 20) to the mosaic, which can be done through the LIFE Foundation's Facebook fan page, located at www.facebook.com/lifehappens.org.

I received a gift card as part of a promotional program with the LIFE Foundation and MomSelect.

Tampa Bay Fashion Week 2011

Aetna Healthy Food Fight

GREAT NEWS - get ready for some Twitter fun tomorrow - September 15 at 8pm EST. SheSpeaks has teamed up with the Aetna Healthy Food Fight to help spread the message of healthy living and eating in America. They'll be hosting a great party where we'll share healthy recipes, chat about health-conscious tasty foods, share tips on living well, and learn more about the Healthy Food Fight. (Plus, prizes include Dutch Ovens and gourmet cookware from Circulon donated by Meyer Corporation, U.S.)
Here's the deets:

#SSFoodFight Twitter Party Recipe Swap
When: September 15 @ 8pm EST
TweetGrid Dashboard: http://bit.ly/oy4lU9
Follow: #SSFoodFight and @shespeaksup


About Aetna:
Aetna is one of the nation's leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability insurance and employee benefits. At Aetna, we believe we can help create a better health care system. This belief drives our daily decisions as one of the nation's leading health care benefits companies. We work hard to provide our members with information and resources to help them make informed decisions about their health. For more information on Aetna and the Healthy Food Fight please head to http://bit.ly/mVbfOe.

The site has some great information featuring the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and chef Bobby Flay's outstanding cooking and eating tips. I have entered the Recipe Contest and Voted - be sure to get involved, too! Health cooking and eating is everyone's responsibility...

Twitter: @shespeaksup and use the #SSFoodFight hashtag




I will receive a promotional gift from SheSpeaks and Aetna for participating in this project.

Oh Those Precious Peepers: Bausch + Lomb Soflens

Krissy has the most beautiful eyes!!!
I won't trust those precious peepers to just any eye care professional or brand without doing my homework and ensuring the highest quality of service and care...
She's worn eyeglasses for several years now, and is curious about contact lenses so we were thrilled to participate in a MomCentral Test Drive project with Bausch + Lomb Soflens. Krissy, my hubs Ken and I are enjoying the Bausch + Lomb “Daily Talk Program” where we are exploring options, learning about contact lens use by young adults and discussing the process and options for her to switch to contact lenses. We visited our local optometrist for Kristen's annual check-up and he was supportive of her choice to try contacts. Her maturity and responsibility are key factors in our decision to move forward with contacts. The Bausch + Lomb Soflens have been prescribed - We are currently awaiting the delivery of her lenses and will schedule her fitting upon their arrival this month.

Please visit the Link to the Soflens daily disposables site to learn more: http://bit.ly/nwJpLU

About Bausch + Lomb
Bausch + Lomb is one of the best-known and most respected healthcare companies in the world. Its core businesses include contact lenses and lens care products, ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments, and ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. Founded in 1853, the company is headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., and employs more than 10,000 people worldwide. Its products are available in more than 100 countries. More information is available at www.bausch.com.


I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Bausch + Lomb and received Soflens daily disposables to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Game Time:Tackling the Past - Family Movie Night Continues...

P&G continue their fabulous Family Movie Night series with the premiere of Game Time: Tackling the Past starring Ryan Mc Partlin, Beau Bridges and Catherine Hicks on Saturday, September 3rd; 8pm ET/7pm CT on NBC. This is the eighth movie in the movie lines which were created to fill the void of family-friendly entertainment - kudos to P&G and Walmart as they have certainly found my "sweet spot" with a talented line-up and well conceived plot!

I had the opportunity to preview the film recently so I can give you a taste of the great experience (but no spoiler alerts necessary!). It's great since we're a family that loves our football (and sports in general), so everyone will be engaged in this entertaining and thoughtful drama. The P&G and Walmart collabortion to bring families wonderful evening entertainment is to be commended! Perfect for a fun, family time to share pizza, popcorn and some quality time together sharing a movie with opportunities to discuss moral, ethical or character qualities to open dialogue. In other words, it stimulates the family conversation about important topics that aren't always easy or comfortable-without the parent panic or kid eye rolling!

Game Time:Tackling the Past tells the story of Pro football star Jake Walker (ably portrayed by Ryan McPartlin). He is living the dream… or so he thinks. The veteran tight end is a fan favorite and on pace to set the all-time receiving yards record that will guarantee him a spot in the Hall of Fame. While working out at training camp, Jake receives an unexpected call from his brother Dean – their father Frank(Beau Bridges) has suffered a major heart attack. Jake immediately leaves practice and returns to Riverton, North Carolina, the small hometown he’s avoided for nearly 15 years. Memories of glory and regret flood his mind as he returns to the family and friends he abandoned in pursuit of his career. Jake dutifully visits with Frank and Dean, but hurt and misunderstanding from the past begins to resurface, leaving him counting the days until he can return to his team.

A second unexpected call, this time from his agent, delivers Jake another crushing blow. His contract is not being renewed amid concerns about his surgically repaired knee. Suddenly, the life Jake knows is over. To avoid the media circus around this news, Jake reluctantly decides to extend his stay in Riverton. Attempting to make the best of the situation, he begins reconnecting with the community that once revered him. Jake is reintroduced to Sarah, his high school sweetheart, and helps Dean take over their father’s high school coaching job.

Surprisingly impacted by the people around him, the real Jake begins to emerge from behind his armor to see that life is much more than the accumulation of personal stats. But when Jake’s offered a lucrative new contract to play for another team, he is forced to decide whether to go back to the career he thought he loved, or stay in Riverton and embrace the people who always believed in him.

I look forward to spending our Saturday night with the fam to watch this great movie and talk about difficult choices made throughout life as well as the importance of having supportive family and friends along the way...


Please view the movie trailer by visiting the widget:



The premiere of Game Time: Tackling the Past is on Saturday, September 3 on NBC at 8pm ET/7pm CT.
Visit the official Family Movie Night website: http://bit.ly/nCZtG8Also visit this link to the Family Movie Night Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/familymovienight

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Man of the House.com: World's Greatest TV Dads Competition

My father was always the King of the Castle at our home - now my hubs has embraced his role of Head of Household...our kids definitely view him as the "World's Greatest Dad" - and he has the coffee mug and t-shirt to prove it! So what qualities does the World's Greatest Dad possess to achieve such acclaim? My kid's dad and my own dad share a number of critical attributes: caring, honesty, responsbility, character, sense of humor, unfailing faith in the spouse and kids, massive work ethic, and putting the family first above work. My father (Gordon) passed away 4 years ago, but a day doesn't go by without a moment or two spent in quiet reflection of what a wonderful, if somewhat dysfunctional, man he was and how much his love and parenting impacted me and my parenting style!

Our life can sometimes feel like a bad sitcom...but some of those TV dads could make you crazy! Father's Day is quickly approaching, and I'm in the mood for some online fun to reminese about all the TV and real dads we celebrate in June-

The best TV Dads become iconic - capturing the ideal of a generation and changing radically over the years. From Ward Cleaver to Bill Cosby to Phil Dunphy, Dads on television dispense advice, act goofy, hold down 9-to-5 jobs, and approach raising their children with attitudes ranging from indulgence to deep understanding and acceptance.

ManoftheHouse.com, a leading online resource for Dads has come up the "World's Greatest TV Dad" tournament just in time for Father's Day. This bracket-style competition will pit 32 favorite father figures from television against each other for an audience-voted run at the title: which character best represents the ideal American Dad and will reign supreme this year?

Through June 16, visitors can choose their favorite TV Dads from seeded pairings on ManoftheHouse.com. Every Monday the next round of match-ups will be posted, and the field of contenders will be narrowed through the audience votes. The "World's Greatest TV Dad" will be announced just before Father's Day on Friday, June 17.

The pool of competitors were selected and seeded by the ManoftheHouse.com editorial team based up four criteria:
1. Shared household responsibilities
2. Relationship with children
3. Personal health/style/appearance
4. Work/family balance

In addition to voting for the winning Dad, ManoftheHouse.com wants Moms and Dads to weigh in on the attributes they believe make a good father and how this parenting paradigm has shifted over the last fifty years.

I've visited and participated - tell me your thoughts, too. What makes the dad(s) in your life the "World's Greatest" in your opinion?

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received promotional items to thank me for taking the time to participate.