My kids have radar

Let me paint you a picture.  You wake up and you have a busy day ahead of you.  The kind of day that makes you wonder how you will survive.  That is when my kids smell or sense or just plain use radar and start acting up.  My kids are really great kids but like any children they have their moments that make me wonder why I ever decided to spawn them.

How do kids know that you are in a bad mood or tired or stressed?  Is it perhaps that they are too young to be jaded to life?  Have they not become cynical because of lifes difficulties?  I really dont know.  I will admit that I can tell from time to time when someone has a problem.  I think though that the stress of daily life dulls our senses, we become less intune to the feelings and thoughts of others.  So for what it is worth, go out of your way to be kind to just one person a day that you normally might not even notice.  You never know who's life you will bless or change for that matter.
That is all.

How to get published aka. my new book

I am publishing a children's book.  Actually I hope to make it a series of children's books.  The title of the first book is My Dog the Lawyer.  It is about my dog named Milo and my youngest daughter Hailey.  The history of this book starts a long time ago when My wife and I bought Milo from the pet store.  (My mom says pet stores are evil because they buy their dogs from puppy mills.)  I used to tease my wife that Milo was tired from working all day.  She asked what he does and I would tell her he is a lawyer.
One day as I was reading a mind numbing book to my daughter I thought why couldn't I put a children's book out?  I can certainly come up with a book that is more entertaining than this dribble I am reading.  And thus My Dog the Lawyer was born.  I just heard from my editor last week that the target publish date is the middle of May.  I am really quite excited to get my first book out there for all to read.  I intend to follow this first book with many more.

For my first book I am self publishing.  I chose this route, because I was tired of sending my idea out to agents and publishing companies and getting a NO back in the mail.  It has been an interesting experience so far.  I am very grateful to have my office manager Pam as my editor and guide to publishing.  She is amazing.  I read a book by Don Aslett the cleaning guru, and his favorite way to publish a book is to self publish.  I thought well if he can do it why can't I?  Not to say that Don isn't a very smart guy, (I know him and he is smart) but why not me?  I like to approach life that way.  I figure that if I want to do something I can.  It all depends on how much effort and work I am able and willing to put in.  Life is too short to let people tell you no.

Easter

Its Good Friday today.  I really like Easter weekend.  I enjoy taking the time to reflect on how very blessed I am.  I know that I don't reflect on my blessing often enough but I do the best I can.  My wife and I used to invite the Easter bunny to come to our house on Sunday but it always seemed to detract from the spirit of the day.  We now invite the Easter bunny to come to our house on Saturday.  My wife had the idea and I love it.  Now Sunday is free from distractions and we can reflect on the amazing miracle that occurred so many years ago.  I am grateful for the Savior Jesus Christ.  His atonement makes it possible for all of us to return to live with our father in heaven again.  What an amazing miracle and tremendous blessing.

Angry Birds

What is it about that game that is soooooo addicting?  I am hooked.  It is really a simple game but I just cant seem to stop playing.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the game here is how it works.  Pigs capture or eggnap the eggs of these angry birds, who I can only assume were quite docile until their offspring were eggnapped.  That's the back ground like I said simple. 
There are different types of angry birds that you shoot out of a large sling shot at the pig strongholds.  Some birds pulverize glass, others punch right through wood, some drop explosive eggs, while others are like a bomb, they explode.  The object of the game is to eliminate all the pigs in the level with your set number of birds.  After you have cleared all the levels those angry birds are reunited with their eggs. 
Why didn't the pigs just have a big breakfast?  I don't know.  I mean they are pigs right?  And as far as I know pigs eat most anything, and eat a lot of it.  So they missed a golden opportunity for a nice big breakfast, but I suppose being pigs they probably aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, and perhaps that is why they didn't just eat the eggs.  I guess we will never know.  Some mysteries of the universe are never meant to be discovered.

Any way for those of you who arent snoring and or drooling by now, and like games to occupy your time when you have little else to do, I would recommend angry birds.
That is all

Two minutes that could save your life

Last night I attended a course with the local dental society.  The speaker at this course was a man named George Taybos.  He did a fantastic job.  He talked about the relationship between the mouth and the rest of the body. 
There is now significant evidence that poor oral hygiene and oral health are related to several severe health conditions.  For example, Respiratory problems, heart problems, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, stroke and Alzheimer's disease, as well as pregnancy issues dealing pre-mature birth and low birth weight.  That is a very significant list of problems.  Research indicates that of inflammation caused by poor oral health and or bacteria entering your blood stream from your mouth can contribute to, and possibly cause all of these issues I just listed. 

So how does two minutes save your life?  Simple floss.  If you floss and brush daily, your gums will be healthy and you will not have the inflammation that can contribute to so many problems.  Your gums won't bleed and your blood stream will be protected from the bacteria in your mouth.  I am not going to go into the mechanisms behind how this all works but suffice it to say flossing could really save your life some day.

How to fix a broken windshield

I live in Idaho.  Land of the cracked windshields.  I swear that there is a law somewhere in the Idaho code that states you must have at least one vehicle with a cracked windshield.  I am replacing the windshield in our mini van again today.  It is the 3rd time we have replaced it.  But I have discovered the secret to fixing broken windshield problems.  Ready.  Don't drive in Idaho.  I know mind blowing isn't it.  Between the chip coat they put on top of the freeways and every little tiny road to the boulders they sprinkle on the snow, no windshield has a chance.  I have even considered having bullet proof Plexiglas installed, but with the size of the rocks they spread on the snow covered roads around here I am not even sure that would work.  A president of the United States will probably never visit our fine state for that very reason.  Secret service couldn't plan for the rocks on the road here in good old Idaho.
That is all.

Tooth whitening.

So you have all seen commercials for tooth whitening products.  I will give you my opinion about which one work the best.

First of all we need to get a couple things clear.  Bleaching your teeth only works so well.  Bleaching will remove surface stains from your teeth, such as coffee stain, soda stain, wine stain, smoking etc.  Bleaching will remove those stains it will not change the true color of your teeth.  Teeth are usually either brown, yellow or gray in color to varying degrees.  This color comes from the dentin of your teeth which is under the enamel.  So bleaching works really well for some people (smokers wine drinkers etc) and for others it doesn't do much at all. 
You can think of bleaching in three categories.  In office (laying in the dentist chair) at home (purchased from your dentist but used at home) and over the counter (bought at the store).
There are pros and cons to each method.

In office:  The in office method is the fastest way to bleach your teeth but is also the most prone to cause sensitivity and is the most expensive.  Fees for this method of tooth whitening are usually $300.00 or higher.  Also each time you want to touch up or get your teeth whitened you will be hit with the bill again.  If your first treatment doesn't yield the results you want then you may require a second treatment and have to fork over another $300+.  I don't use in office bleaching.  The other thing you should know is that the "light" they use for the in office bleaching does nothing to bleach your teeth.  Studies have shown that the light has no effect on the bleaching outcome.  But you do get to wear some really sweet old lady sunglasses so that is a plus.

At home bleaching:  This is the bleaching that I use in my office and like many dentists I don't charge you anything for the service as long as you come in and get your teeth cleaned every 6 months.  With this method you will have some impressions taken and custom bleach trays will be made for you.  You will be able to bleach when and where you like.  You can do it as much or as little as you like as well.  I like this method because it gives you complete control over the bleaching process and saves you money (well at least in my office it does)

Over the counter:  This method is the slowest method.  It includes strips that you place on your teeth and whitening tooth paste.  These methods will work but it may take a long time requiring you to purchase several sets of whitening strips.  Plus the strips aren't the cheapest things in the store by any means.  Whitening tooth paste has very little whitening ability because it doesn't sit on your teeth long enough.

Really with all the tooth whitening products out there you can find the right fit for you.  It all comes down to how much you want to spend and how fast you need your teeth whitened.  Unless of course you want to wear some really cool old lady sunglasses, then the in office whitening light is for you!!

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