Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Baby Come Back

So it's Wednesday and since I have been in the habit of answering random questions on a meme almost every Wednesday for the past year, and since that meme has now come to an end, and since habits are notoriously hard to break I figured I'd just plow ahead with my own version of the Random Dozen. I will also be continuing my love affair with the run on sentence. And I cannot guarantee there will always be a dozen but there will for sure be random happening here on Wednesdays. I may even come up with a link of my own but I haven't gotten that far yet so today you'll have to settle for just moi...

1. It's chilly here in the Northeast. In fact...gasp... there was frost on my lawn this morning. If you have just stumbled upon my blog you should know that posts I label as random pretty much all start off with a weather report. I like to be helpful like that.

2. Hubs is in Mexico on business this week. There is no frost in sight. Lucky hubs.

3. Today we get to experience what I like to call the post election day furor. yee.haw.

4. Got a shoe box laying around? Why not pack it up and participate in something known as Operation Christmas Child? Samaritan's Purse is a wonderful organization that is out there in the trenches meeting the needs of the world's poor, sick, and suffering on a daily basis. Each November they collect shoe boxes that have been filled with items such as small toys, toiletries, and school supplies and they deliver them to children around the world. Last year over 8 million shoe boxes were donated.

I really encourage you to visit their website and read more. You choose the age range you'd like to shop for and you decide if you want to pack a box for a boy or a girl. They ask for a $7 donation to cover the cost of shipping, which is the equivalent of a couple of drinks at Starbucks just to give it some perspective. Collection this year will be the week of November 15-22nd and you'll find easy to follow step by step instructions on their site. Stop by and bless a hungry, hurting child today...I'm pretty sure you'll find the blessing goes both ways.

5. In other news, I have spent a good part of this week reliving a piece of my Jr. High life. Back in Jr. High my orthodontic bill single handedly funded my doc's lovely oceanside vacation home. I had all the bells and whistles and I hated it with a passion. I could appreciate the need but I despised all things orthodontic. Back in the 'olden days' patients were not instructed to continue wearing those disgusting retainers every once in a while for the remainder of their natural born lives so naturally, I did not.

6. Flash forward a few, ahem, decades and my teeth have once again shifted. Not in a big way but enough so that I notice. So this past Monday I hopped on the Invisalign bandwagon. If you don't know what Invisalign is it is essentially two clear plastic trays that fit tightly to the teeth, similar to what you'd use if you were bleaching. You wear them 24/7 except when you are eating and I will have new trays every two weeks. Over the course of time they will move my teeth back to the place they are supposed to be. The place my parents paid a gazillion dollars to have them sit. I'd show you a picture but they really are invisible.

7. When I first investigated Invisilign my dentist said he'd do the workup and then I could decide if I wanted to go forward with the program. He predicted I'd be in them for 18 months and I gotta say that did not thrill me. However, after Invisalign did their workup my protocol is much shorter. I will wear the bottom tray four months and the top for six. I don't think I'd recommend this system for a kid because you do remove the trays when you eat and if you've ever had a kid in orthodontics then you know how many retainers are lost to a napkin being tossed in the trash with the retainer inside. I'm a grown up so supposedly I will not be accidentally throwing the trays away.

8. On the bright side I predict when this is all over not only will my teeth once again be perfectly straight but I will also be a few pounds lighter. I mean when you have to take those plastic trays out every time you want to eat it kinda cuts down on the snacking. I will also be oh so calm, cool, and collected too because I cannot spend my morning consuming coffee and my afternoon consuming tea without removing the trays so sadly my caffeine consumption is going way down.

9. The first couple of days my teeth throbbed. Miserable. I had a flashback to my whiny Jr. High self. So did my hubs. Actually he didn't know my Jr. High self but he got a glimpse of her this week.

10. Aren't you glad you stopped in here today to read about my achin' teeth?

11. My girls both had orthodontics. One child, who shall remain nameless, may not have handled it quite as well as the other. Ahem. She knows who she is. She may even have a blog. Anyway, we were living in the UK then and if you have a child in orthodontics you know how crazy the fees are. Well, the exchange rate in those days meant the pound was twice the dollar so essentially we paid double the price of the hardware. They do have lovely smiles today though, wouldn't you say...


12. Have I mentioned here that I like 70's music? I know some of you think my title is just a title and do not recognize the song from whence it came so I give you Player. Hey, I aim to please. You are welcome.

24 comments:

  1. Interesting ... I've been seriously considering having my teeth professionally whitened ... they're pretty straight, but they're not as nice and bright and white as I'd like. Of course, if I did that, I suspect that I'd have to give up my Diet Coke (which is no doubt at least partly responsible for the dinginess of my teeth). Maybe the store-bought whitening kits have improved ... if I don't have a ton of $ invested out of pocket, I won't feel guilty for indulging in my Diet Coke?

    Anyway, enough about teeth ... if you decide to do a Wednesday link-up, you can count me in as a faithful poster. ;-)

    And thanks for the flashback to the 70's ... of course, if I were to post with a title of Baby Come Back on my blog, I'd have to link to THIS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPVRzKCWlGI ha!

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  2. I knew you meant that song right away! Love it. Very Hall-and-Oates.
    I know what you mean about UK orthodontics. We had already prepaid my son's ortho in NJ, then we had to pay AGAIN to finish him up here (come off next month - yay!). At least the exchange rate's a bit better now...

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  3. Great song! I will be singing it all day and that's okay. I like it alot. :0)

    I have given to Samaritan's Purse in the past for some disaster related projects but was not aware of the Christmas program for the children! Thank you for the information. I hope everything goes well with your orthodontics. I would love to do that someday myself. I really need it.

    Have a great Wednesday,
    Candace

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  4. Hi Joyce! We've had frost here a couple or three mornings already! There is definitely a nip in the air! :-)
    Thankfully, my side of the family has great teeth....white, straight, few cavities and our son Daniel was blessed with those wonderful teeth, too. Now, Ed? That's another story. But he's due to get fitted for dentures just any time now! *fingers crossed*
    I'd love to have mine whitened professionally, after years of drinking coffee :-/...but my dentist told me that it would be pretty pricey and, well, I have other priorities at this stage of life AND I don't plan on stopping the coffee habit, soooo....:-)
    Have an awesome day!!

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  5. Hey Joyce! I'm so glad you found my blog. I am absolutely loving being a wife and mother and completely agree, having a little girl is so lovely in (almost) every way. I can't believe how quickly time has flown just since I got here - your daughter number 2 was only a sophomore in hs! I've really enjoyed reconnecting and reading number 1's blog.

    The weather here is very English: windy, rainy, and it's getting dark fast. You're not missing out on much but I can't imagine how tough the transition must be. We talk about moving to the States but think we'll stay put for a while. If your family ever makes a trip back would be great to see you!

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  6. Your funny!!! Lindsey had invisalign. She didn't need alot of work done and her teeth turned out great.
    I love your weather report......ITS SO COLD here already but I am enjoying it for now. :>)

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  7. I'd forgotten all about this song! It played all during my teenage packed years. Never even knew who sang it! But boy does it bring back those days. "Wearing a mask of false bravado" is a phrase that had been rattling around in my brain and I had no idea why. You just found the source. It's almost scary how much information our brains can hold. Todd just came in to see what I was doing..."Don't you remember this song?" I said. "Yeah, why?" I guess he just can't appreciate the merits of blogging.

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  8. Hey Joyce, Good Morning! I enjoyed your Random Thoughts also. And yes if you put a link up I would love to connect. I had thought about it, but we are out of town so much that I just don't think I would be faithful enough. When we are in Arkansas we usually do not have internet hookup. It is getting chilly around here also, I love it! We may have to build a fire in the garage to finish inventorying the Beanies and Ty's and other collectibles. Guess you know what I will be doing this winter.
    until next time... nel

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  9. We sent our daughter years ago for braces and she complained every day (almost) that she had to wear them. When they came off she was all smiles and loved the result. That was years ago - I hope she remembers just want a joy she was as it looks like her kid may need them too. Revenge is sweet! We've had frost as well but the pellet stove is going and the house is nice and warm. Too bad I can't take it with me when I leave for the day!!!!

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  10. Oh wow, I had forgotten that song. So may years ago.
    On the good side about the teeth, at least you still have your original ones. lol

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  11. I did the Invisilign thing too. I had to be in them 9 months on the bottom and 12 on the top. It wasn't so bad but I do remember on "new tray" days coming home, taking meds and hitting the couch. It was a good excuse to get out of making dinner. And since all the kids had already had braces they were sympathetic. Ha
    I still wear them as retainers at night and I've been finished now for two years. I give myself the weekends off. Ha.
    As for losing weight... I did go through a big weight loss but it really didn't kick in until after the year and then I was wearing the retainers full time. My family thinks it was more due to the fact that Miss Katherine-A. left for college that fall and I was in mourning. Hmmm Could be. Maybe it was the combination. I certainly ate less. I mean, sometimes it just took too much effort to think if I ate something I would then have to go brush my teeth so I just wouldn't eat. After a yaar of that thinking, I think anyone would lose weight!
    Did you get the cleaning crystals too? My sister, who was in them longer (and is still in the retainers full time) uses them and says they work. My dentist said to use my sonic jewelry cleaner and that worked well too. I was always excited to go get new ones every two weeks, even though it hurt. :) I wouldn't recommend this process for kids either! Too many variables!

    Good Luck! I love my results.

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  12. Love your randomness. Yes, including the weather reports. ;) My hubs is in cooler weather than me, and will be flying to where it's 2 degrees right now. I wouldn't want to guess the wind chill. Brrrr...

    We will be working on our boxes soon! Fun!

    From having braces. Twice. I remember the painful teeth syndrome. Ouch!

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  13. I remember the pain of having those things on my teeth! But, I only had to have them for 3 months, top only. My teeth were straight, just not centered.
    Can you believe they're calling for snow here Friday? Just flurries, and the mountains could get 1-2", but snow is snow, right?

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  14. The music is great...strait teeth is wonderful...gettting rid of a few pounds IS THE BOMB....but to cut back on the coffee!!!! NOOOOOOO just call me JAWS!!!! LOL!

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  15. So glad you're keeping the Random going. :P) You always have funny and insightful entries, and I learn lots about you. (insert another smile here). So my 3 oldest just had the check-up for orthodontics because they may or may not need them soon. I found it funny that each one will have the identical cost of $6100. Why doesn't the diagnosis differ followed by a cost variance between each child? Do they all have the same exact orthodontic issues? Probably not. So we have decided to put it off a little longer and then go one child at a time until college tuition comes up which basically means we'll be broke for a while.

    On a happier note, I love Operation Christmas Child! And since we won't be going the orthodonctic route this year, we can afford to send a few boxes to OCC. :) (last smile).

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  16. That song is a flashback! Wow! Class of 1979 baybeee!

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  17. Joyce!
    Picture me in the Folger dumpster on spaghetti day hunting for a retainer....but, I found it!

    I was headed the invisalign direction myself...but that is a steep investment! and now that the no coffee rule applies, I am pleased I opted out.

    Invisalign is the current fashion accessory for the young end of the boomers! You dont suppose yesteryears dentists may have used our teeth for planned obsolesence? so that you might: come back, baby?

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  18. I can totally relate with the braces / Invisalign (as my kiddos just started this week). :( Glad to have straight teeth, but not fun. And FROST! Yuck. I'm not ready for winter!!!! Have a great night! :)

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  19. Joyce--it's Kathy here-- this is my 3rd attempt to comment. Wordpress is being difficult tonight, so I'm commenting under my 2nd blog.
    I enjoyed your random post. Glad to see that you mentioned possibly putting up a link.
    Hope the invisilign thing works out for you!
    Frost sounds nice to me, it's been so hot here.
    Wasn't it nice not to hear political ads today???
    Getting to donate to the shoebox ministry this year through my granddaughter's preschool class. I've always wanted to do that.
    Thanks again for helping me figure out how to put a link in my post.
    How's this for a random comment??? LOL Kathy

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  20. The best thing my kids have done for us is that they came equipped with perfectly straight teeth. We haven't had to go to an orthodondist . . . yet. #3 is still getting her permanent teeth.

    I have to say though, that I might try Invisalign just for the weight loss benefits!

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  21. I have the same issue with my bottom teeth. One tooth is totally out of place now and I've been debating getting it corrected.
    Maybe I should get the workup...
    How much does it run if you don't mind me asking?

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  22. I have never had any need for dental work.
    Nor a cavity.
    Jealous?

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  23. I LOVE that song. I've been considering the Invisalign thing, but since I didn't have braces as a youngster, it might be faster/cheaper to go the traditional route. I'm going to have to think LONG AND HARD about it, especially since we start braces on Child 1 next year.

    Ugh.

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  24. I am so missing Random Dozen. I am going to have to find something else on Wednesday. Maybe someone will take it over. I have my two shoe boxes waiting to be wrapped and filled. Last year was the first year I did it and it felt so good. I am doing two this year and last year after Christmas I bought all kinds of things half price!

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