Straight Talk on Blogging – and Teeth?!

Blog Basics

This is a sponsored post.

Recently, I attended a “Mini Bloggy Boot Camp” presented by The SITS Girls. I’d heard high praise for their events from several colleagues, so I made a special trip to Seattle so that I could attend this workshop. I wasn’t disappointed: Tiffany and Francesca gave informative presentations on everything from “Facebook Math” to blog design. Having a day to step away from the computer and brainstorm was really helpful for me; I left feeling re-inspired and invigorated to complete several big projects once I returned, including a complete overhaul of my portfolio and migrating the Bloggers Britain community to Google+.

I also left feeling re-inspired about a rather different topic: My teeth. This Bloggy Boot Camp event was hosted courtesy of Invisalign, who were on hand to tell us a little about their unique form of nearly invisible braces. In the last year or so, I’ve been seriously considering getting braces, as I never had them as a teen and would love to have straight teeth. However, I got turned off after doing a little research into traditional braces and finding out that it can greatly restrict what you can eat and even how you floss. Uh, no thanks! That sounded like a huge pain, and I assumed all tooth straightening methods must work the same way, so I dismissed the idea of getting braces and figured I’d just live with my crooked smile.

Always smile, it makes people think you are up to something.

But when I got to this event and saw the spread of food at our table, I realized I was wrong: Invisalign purposely put snacks like popcorn, pretzels and nuts at our table to make the point that there are no food restrictions with Invisalign. Unlike regular braces, Invisalign is a removable aligner that you take out while eating and brushing your teeth. All of a sudden, my ears perked right up and I began to reconsider my “Forget braces” stance!

Apparently, I was wrong about a lot of things when it comes to Invisalign. I also thought that treatment could take a long time, but I learned that the average treatment time for an adult is one year, depending on the condition of your teeth upon starting. For those starting the tooth straightening journey a little younger than I am – ahem! – there is the specially developed Invisalign Teen, making this treatment available to teens and pre-teens as well as old fogies such as myself. 😉

Invisalign compared to braces

To help set the record straight, Invisalign also produced this infographic with more information on the treatment process. And that brings us to the next myth: That Invisalign and Invisalign Teen are a more expensive option for patients (And their parents!) than regular metal braces. As it turns out, the price for treatment is generally comparable to traditional methods and is also covered by many dental insurance plans. To determine the cost of braces with insurance, you can utilize the virtual cost calculator on the Invisalign Website.

Aside from price, why would a parent choose Invisalign Teen for their child? Well, stop for a moment and remember your own teen years. If having the option for clear, unobtrusive treatment is a relief to me at 30, just imagine how much of a relief it is to teenagers who already have more than enough to feel self-conscious about on a daily basis. Teens can take the smile assessment online to get more information about what treatment could potentially do for them. Millennials can also learn more by following Invisalign on Twitter and Facebook!

Are you considering braces for your children (Or yourself)?

Twinkies, Facebook, And Prizes!

Twinkie Sweepstakes

This is a sponsored post.

Do you like posting photos on Facebook? Do you enjoy eating Twinkies? How about winning prizes? Well in that case, my friend, I have the trifecta of awesome for you. Hostess is running a sweepstakes on its Facebook page in support of Despicable Me 2 where they challenge fans to take a Twinkie, decorate it to look like a minion from the movie, and upload it to their Facebook page via the Twinkie Minion Makeover tab. If you’re at a loss as to how to best dress up your favorite snack, then you can download their PDF file of printable cutouts which you can place on your Twinkie to get it photo-ready.

Once your picture is submitted, you’ll have the chance to win the daily prize of a Despicable Me 2 Blu-ray and special offers from Hostess. One lucky grand prize winner will take home a year’s supply of hostess products (Perfect for future photo-ops) and a home theater system complete with a full Blu-ray library (30 discs). The sweepstakes ends on January 5th, 2014 and is open to permanent US residents 13+ – click here to read the official rules.

LEGO® KidsFest Winner!

LEGO KidsFest

I will receive complimentary admission to LEGO® KidsFest for my participation in this campaign.

Congratulations going out to Brian, the winner of our LEGO® KidsFest ticket giveaway! If you didn’t win today, you can still snag a $2 discount through Friday by using promo code USFG13. And don’t forget to visit the official website for more info on the event! See you there!

LEGO® KidsFest Portland – Discount + Ticket Giveaway! Ends 9/17

LEGO KidsFest

I am receiving complimentary admission to LEGO® KidsFest for my participation.

LEGO® KidsFest is coming to Portland on October 11th! This neat event is going to provide fun for LEGO® fans of all ages. Jai and I are going to attend with our friends – if you’re in Portland and would like to check this fun gathering out for yourself, then you’ll be excited to know that you can snag a discount along with a chance to win tickets right here on Beeb-Log!

Discount:

For a limited time, you can use discount code USFG13 to save $2 on adult admission to LEGO® KidsFest – click here for more details!

Event Information:

For details on the LEGO® KidsFest Portland, visit LEGOKidsFest.com and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates!

Giveaway!

One lucky reader will win 2 tickets to LEGO® KidsFest in Portland, Oregon on Friday, October 11th 2013 from 4:00 to 8:30 PM. To enter, just click here and fill out the form by September 17th, 2013. US Family Guide will be choosing one Beeb-Log.com reader at random and notifying them via email on September 18th. Tickets will be sent via email approximately 10 to 14 days prior to the event. Giveaway is open to US residents 18 years of age or older. US Family Guide is responsible for running this giveaway and selecting a winner.

Running Through Summer With LifeTrak

Running through summer

LifeTrak provided a complimentary Move C300 for review via the Fitspiration For Moms Network.

This has been one of the busiest summers of my life. It seems that we’ve been running from one event to another nonstop – sometimes quite literally, since Jai has also been trying to get back into jogging now that the weather is better! One of the issues he’s encountered with getting a jogging routine down is that he’s been having trouble finding a replacement for the GPS running app on his Android phone now that it is kaput. He used to track his runs with the app on his device so he could see progress and stats as well as time himself, essentially competing against himself to make good time. Although he can obviously still run without any devices, he feels a little defeated if he can’t track his progress and doesn’t feel encouraged to run because he has no way of setting and meeting goals.

LifeTrak Move C300

So when I heard about the LifeTrak Move C300, I immediately wondered if this activity tracker could be something Jai could use to replace his Android device. The Move C300 wears like a watch and tracks steps, calories and heart rate, with Bluetooth connectivity available for their optional app. Jai has been using it for about a month now, and has gotten to try it while going about his normal daily activities as well as more athletic pursuits like running.

The LifeTrak does not have a built-in GPS, unlike what Jai was using with his Android device, however it can connect with the Argus app and make use your device’s built-in GPS. The app is currently only available for iOS devices, but an Android app is in the works as well. We did give this a try with my iPhone 3GS, but the bluetooth feature is only supported in iPhone 4 and higher.

Move C300 is surprisingly accurate with how it senses your steps and can tell the difference when you’re walking or running. It keeps track of all your movement and gets a good estimation of how far you’ve gone; and if you’re a person that takes lighter or harder steps than average, you can adjust sensitivity if you find the Move C300 is being thrown off.

Looking right at screen, the activity tracker shows you the time, day of week, date, how far you’ve gone, heartrate or how many calories burned – you can adjust what stats you want it to show. You can set your daily goal and the bar at the top of the screen tells you how close you are to hitting it throughout the day. The LifeTrak can also be a stopwatch, telling you how far you’ve gone and doing a sub-count of single workouts in addition to your daily totals. Jai is surprised at how hard it is to fool – it seems to know the difference between shaking your arm and actual steps. It seems to intelligently discern between different kinds of movements, which is really helpful. Jai did notice that while he was mowing the lawn, it seemed to exaggerate how far he went; he thought that the vibration of the lawnmower and the weird movements may have thrown it off a little, although it could have been factoring in the extra calories he burned.

Jai wearing LifeTrak

Jai really liked the fact that he could wear this on his wrist as a watch – it makes the Move C300 a functional accessory that is easy to carry and keep with you at all times. The lack of ability to utilize a GPS with our current smartphones is the main dealbreaker for him at this time. He thinks that this might not be the first choice of a hardcore runner training for a marathon, but for someone who just wants to walk or run more; he thought this was perfect for casual use and general health.

The fact that it’s always on you and keeping track of your activity separates it from devices that you can’t wear so easily. Grandma was actually really intrigued by this, since she’s always said she wanted to get a pedometer because she’s curious to know how many steps she takes around the house, since she’s always hustling and bustling with cooking and cleaning. Jai’s going to let her try it out, but if she gets tired of it he’d be happy to use it again just because it’s an awesome watch, tracker, and tool in general, even if he does supplement his running with other tracking methods.

Enter to Win a LifeTrak Move C300

Would you like to try out the Move C300 for yourself? Enter for a chance to win one via the Giveaway Tools widget below. Giveaway ends September 14th, 2013 at 9:59 PM PST. This is a group giveaway we are participating in – please see the terms and conditions outlined in the widget for full rules.

For more on LifeTrak, check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+.

Have you ever used a fitness tracker before?