Every now and then I have products that I don’t sell but want to tell you about. I saw this product review and was reminded of how much my family appreciated Hyland’s Teething Tablets.

Do you enjoy that numbing gel that you get from the dentist before he gives you a shot in your mouth? Would you want to go through your day with that taste and numb tingle? Me neither! So why use numbing gel on your baby’s gums when they are teething? Hyland’s Teething Tablets are quickly-dissolving homeopathic tablets that naturally help relieve the pain associated with teething, plus have a calming effect.

This product has been one of the best for my family and six kids. But here’s a testimonial from Shannon Miller of Milledgeville, GA.

Description: These are tiny tablets that dissolve instantly under babies tongue and quickly calm baby and relieve teething pain.

Review: I love this product! These tablets are very safe and very effective. I don’t like to use numbing gel on babies because of the possibility that it could numb their throats and cause them to choke - this is a wonderful alternative. My babies do occasionally fall asleep after taking it, but only if the teething pain was keeping them awake. I haven’t found a downside yet and I’ve been using them (on three different babies) for the last 4 years.

You can find Hyland’s Teething Tablets at most drug stores with other teething products.

A lot of people think that whole wheat isn’t something their family would enjoy. There are actually lots of great ways to get whole grains into your family’s diet without a struggle, and this is one of them!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1 ¼ cups milk
¼ cup sugar
2 ½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup margarine or butter
¼ cup honey
½ cup warm water
2 packages baking yeast
½ cup finely chopped apple (peeled)
½ cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

Mix the white and whole wheat flour together and set aside. Heat the milk in a small sauce pan but do not boil. Stir in sugar, salt, margarine or butter, and honey and mix. Set aside to cool.

Add ½ cup warm water to a large bowl and stir in the yeast. Add the milk mixture. Then stir in the flour. Batter should be thick but light enough to mix through. Cover with a clean cloth and place in a warm place to rise. The dough should double in size.

Once the dough has risen, fold in the apple and pecan pieces. Lightly grease 18 large muffin cups and spoon the batter into them. Cover and set aside to rise until double. Once doubled again bake at 375F for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until baked through. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: When setting the dough aside to rise make sure you place it in a warm place (a little warmer than room temperature) and away from any drafts.

Loneliness can be one of the hardest things about being a mother of babies and young children. Many women feel unsure about their new life as mom, or are somewhat isolated as they try to find their way into making motherhood comfortable.

One of the best things I did back when I was a new mom was start a mom’s group. It was really easy to do and helped me since I was new to my area, 12 hours away from family and friends, and alone in the journey of motherhood.

Basically, I kept finding other women that were first time moms, or pregnant moms, and I started collecting their phone numbers. I eventually called them and invited them to come to our humble little trailer home to meet. Some of them brought friends that they thought would be interested.

We ended up meeting regularly. (I think weekly.) Sometimes we had discussion topics and someone would facilitate a discussion or teach something. We brought our babies and they just played together in the middle of the room. (I found many things for mothers to do away from their babies, but I was looking for ways to meet other women without having to leave my child.)

Later we morphed into a play groups situation. Since we all lived in the same town, we got together two days a week. Two moms or more stayed together to watch all the kids at one house, and the other moms had a couple hours to get errands done or whatever. It was a really small group so there weren’t very many children and we got pretty comfortable with each other’s kids, so it wasn’t hard.

This arrangement allowed us to get time to hang out with an adult friend and share the childcare, plus we all got our turn for doing things without our child. It wasn’t so much about “I’ve got to get away from this kid” so much as it was recognizing that some things were just really hard to do with babies along. It was only something like 2 hours, but for those errands where kiddos aren’t easy to bring along, it helped.

I ended up with some very close friendships from that group, so I think it was a real success.

I also spent a few years attending La Leche League meetings and a spin-off playgroup that formed from it. That was a great way to get to meet an even wider circle of women. I was introduced to a lot of interesting new concepts about motherhood and pregnancy that made a big difference in my life, so it was wonderful!

If you’re struggling with loneliness, start thinking about how you can reach out to others in your area this spring. Most other moms are probably as much in need of friends and fellowship as you are–so jump in and see what happens!

More and more men are taking their role as daddy very seriously. There are many Internet sites dedicated to new fathers and helping them to navigate through the challenges. Member sites just for new dads are filling up quickly and daddy’s rush from work to attend their child’s nursery school event or soccer game. Never before has there been such an interest in hands on parenting in new fathers.

In the past, the majority of fathers were delighted with the new baby on the way, but coolly waited out the pregnancy not getting too involved except to assemble nursery furniture and attend birthing classes with their partner. Most only became involved when their child was old enough to interact with them.

Women bond faster with the new baby for obvious reasons. Mothering and nurturing come naturally to most new mommies, with a little common sense thrown in. Mothers learn to be a mother from the moment they are aware they are pregnant. It’s their job to take care of the baby in their body and that caring naturally continues after the birth.

Unfortunately, fathers don’t experience what mothers do. They have to learn to parent after the baby arrives. Suddenly they are expected to know how to be a father. They’ll draw upon their experiences growing up with their father and most will parent exactly as their fathers did. This can be good or it can be bad.

During the pregnancy, the mother-to-be is busy recording every thought, feeling and wish into her pregnancy journal. This process allows her to reflect and to plan how she will mother this new child. This process puts her far ahead of the new father when the new baby arrives.

It’s time to level the playing field and help the daddy-to-be bond earlier with his new child. Mothers can help by:
* Getting daddy to answer some of the questions in her pregnancy journal
* Have daddy record an audio for his new child of his hopes and wishes
* Write letters to his child during the pregnancy
* Have daddy think about how he was raised and how he wants to raise his new child

Too many children have grown up not knowing their father. It’s not natural for most men to verbalize their emotions or to record them. Our children have an intimate keepsake from their mothers. It’s time we help new fathers into fatherhood and assist them in bonding with our children during the pregnancy. Take a look at these wonderful tools for fathers and families as they welcome a new addition into their home!

Hey gals!
I got to add these ADORABLE shoes to the boutique today! They are wonderful for your new little walkers because of the ultra-flexible soles that allow their little toes and foot muscles to help them walk and keep their balance. And the styling is TOO CUTE! Click the picture to go see them.

You would think moms exercise more than anyone else; between taking care of their children, cleaning the house, and running errands. The truth of the matter is, as a mom, you need specific exercises to remain healthy and fit. Here are four exercises which will not only give you the energy you need, but allow you to face daily challenges head on.

Lunges: To perform the lunge just stands with their feet apart, and step forward, landing with the heel first. The motion is continued until the back knee is nearly touching the ground. Return to the starting position by pushing forward with the front leg, and repeat the exercise by stepping forward with their other leg. This exercise strengthens your leg muscles and hamstrings. You can even perform this work out by dusting your living room coffee table, or cleaning the bottom of your kitchen cabinets. Make it a fun thing to do!

Lateral Shoulder Raise: Work your shoulders and upper arms by sitting straight in a chair, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Beginning with your hands at your side, raise them both up and out at the same time. Slowly bring your arms down; repeating this move at least ten times. Now, if you do not have any dumbbells, use a gallon container of laundry detergent. You may not reach ten, but you are certainly on your way to it. Don’t put the laundry detergent away; you’re not finished with it yet!

Back Exercise: Again, using the containers of laundry detergent, hold one in each hand… Stand with your legs apart. Bend your knees slightly and bend your body forward at the waist. Let your arms hang down in front of you, but don’t lock your elbows. Keeping your back straight, abdominal muscles in, and knees bent, pull the containers upward towards your chest. Then, slowly lower the weights back to starting position. Now you can put the detergent back in the closet!

Stomach Exercise: Lay on the floor with your right foot resting on your left knee. Lift your shoulders and neck as if you are doing a regular crunch. Reach your left hand above and over your right foot. Lower your head to just above the ground. After ten repetitions, repeat the exercise with your left foot and right knee.

You’ll be amazed at how a little bit of effort will pay off in the long run!

In the beginning of your pregnancy, you’re consumed with excitement and you feel beautiful. It seems like the upcoming months will last forever as you plan, shop, decorate and bond deeper with your husband. You can’t imagine forgetting one moment of this exciting time. But just to make sure, you dutifully record every precious moment in your pregnancy journal along with the receipts and special mementos you’ve collected.

You’re pregnant and your emotions change all day long; excited, anxious, happy, sad, feeling beautiful, feeling fat. These feelings not only change all day, but they become stronger and different over the months as your baby grows inside you. Those emotions of feeling beautiful at the beginning of your pregnancy will change to emotions of feeling fat once you’re into your sixth or seventh month.

Finally the labor begins and you’re whisked off to the hospital or birthing center and your pregnancy journal is forgotten. You’re now concentrating on the labor and wishing it would be over. What a way to cap off a wonderful pregnancy, writhing in agony or thankfully medicated as the contractions take over your body. At this moment you can’t think of much you’d want to remember, except maybe those special moments with your partner.

Suddenly you are giving birth, your new baby has arrived and your wonderful new life is starting. You and your partner exchange emotional thoughts that will be remembered forever. These are moments burned in your memory to be shared in later years when your family is grown.

While you wrap up the labor and delivery those first few days, friends and relatives call and some stop by to view your baby in the nursery. You form a special relationship with your doctor and the nurses and other new mothers. As you drive your new baby home and safely nestle him in his new room, there are more special memories. From now on, everything you do is a special memory.

These are the times you want to record as a family keepsake. Your pregnancy journal may not leave much room to record the events that come after the delivery. You’ll want to have a new scrapbook ready or a new journal just for the labor and delivery. You might overlook giving birth as an event needing a special keepsake. Of course, you’ll remember the major special moments, but as the years go by, you will forget the minor events. You may have a video of the birth and of course, you’ll have many photos of the labor and delivery, but these don’t record your special thoughts and emotions that only you experienced.

When your new baby is grown and ready to commit to a family of his own, you’ll be asked a lot of questions about his birth. Imagine how wonderful it would be to have your keepsake to provide all the details you otherwise would have forgotten. This is a keepsake that will warm the heart of your now grown child as he/she realizes how special it is that you put so much time and effort into this keepsake.

Make plans early in your pregnancy to record these cherished memories of giving birth. These wonderful journaling tools are a great help–check them out here!

Hey gals!

I was really glad to find these work-from-home resources today. They are very affordably priced ebooks that cover the basics without leaving you to search all over the internet for bits and pieces of information. Check them out!

Medical Transcription has been a popular work-from-home opportunity from years. This ebook will help you understand what it is, what you need to get started, where to find the work, and more!

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Today we have a homebirth story from Melanie. You can read more about Melanie at her blog here, or go check out her home business here.

My story starts on Monday (labor day). That late afternoon/evening I started having some fairly regular contractions through that afternoon and evening. They were regular enough to wonder if they would be the real thing eventually but not strong enough to know it was the real thing. By the evening they had died down some so I decided to try to sleep like normal. I had called my midwife just to let her know. I did end up going to sleep and sleeping well through the night and woke up without contractions in the morning. Tuesday I didn’t have contractions and not too many on Wed. Thursday I again had quite a few, but not any different than Monday. During this time my parents were up in WI where my brother lives. They were visiting him and ready to come down to our house (in MN) whenever I called that I was in labor. I also had my 2 midwives coming when in labor, a doula, and my mother-in-law coming to help out with the kids while I was in labor. So anyways, again the contractions went away by bedtime on Thursday so I went to sleep again. Thankfully they always went away during the night so I slept really well.

Friday I did start off having occasional contractions from right away in the morning so I did let Leland know at work just in case. Sometimes they seemed gone but occasionally I would get more. We had planned on having some good friends over for supper Fri. They have 4 kids similar ages to mine and were bringing pizza with them for all of us. (Papa Murphys take and bake) So anyways, my friend called late afternoon to check on what pizzas to get and to ask if it was ok if they camped overnight in our yard. I had actually thought of having this friend at my delivery possibly so we thought, maybe I’d be in full labor at night and then she could come in and be with me during labor. Not too long after that my husband called saying he was on his way home and shortly after that I started having stronger contractions more regularly that made me think I must be in the start of real labor. My friend called around 5:15 saying they had been running late and were now finally on their way over. I decided not to say anything about being in labor and just have them come.

So my husband gets home and I tell him I’m in labor, and my friends get there at around 5:45-6:00 and I mention to them that I’m pretty sure I’m in labor for real. She and her husband are like, Oh this is just wonderful and were totally happy/excited etc. and I’m just thinking, I don’t know how I’m going to cope with 9 children ages 7 and under running around and was trying to figure out how things were going to work out. I hung around with them a bit while they got the pizzas baking and the kids went outside and got the tent set up. Unfortunately it was probably in the low 60’s and really windy so it wasn’t great weather to be outside or anything. Finally I decided I had to escape and go away somewhere so I got my husband’s attention to come upstairs so I could talk to him. I was in quite strong labor with contractions every 3-4 minutes or so. So I told him I needed to get away and hide upstairs and I would call his mom to come and my doula to come so I knew she would be there with me. My husband said he’d get the supper thing taken care of and them come up to be with me so that the kids would be fed and all.

I was coping fairly well, though the contractions were quite strong/painful. I also called my midwife to inform her I was in real labor finally and all. She told me to keep her posted. I think all this was around 7:00 or so. I also ate an egg which my midwife suggested as I was kind of hungry from not having supper. My doula got there at around 7:30 or so and I moved downstairs to my bedroom as the kids had gone outside and I figured this would be farthest from them but in my own surroundings. I had originally planned on laboring & delivering in our big family room that looks over the lake and has our queen-sized bed in it. But with everyone around so much, I felt better hiding out in our room. So my doula brought the birth ball and I pretty much spent the rest of my time leaning/lying across the birth ball on the top of my belly.

By 8:00 or so, I was occasionally having contractions 1-2 min apart but those contractions weren’t as strong as if they went 2-3 min apart. Then they were VERY strong. So we called the midwife back. It was funny - I had my doula call her. When she called her the midwife asked how far apart my contractions were and my doula said, the last few were only about a minute or so apart and she started to continue saying something and the midwife had already hung up the phone to run out the door She lives about 20 min. away from here and called me back on her cell phone from the car to talk to her. I did talk to her on the phone between contractions for a short time. By this time I was doing a lot of moaning which I felt helped a lot. My husband was in there more then too and would massage my low back kind of hard with each contraction. I wasn’t having back labor, but it definitely helped. I also started to feel queasy during this time. Whenever I’m in strong labor I get shaky and cold and queasy and end up throwing up.

My midwife arrived around 8:30 and the first contraction after she got there I threw up a few times through that and the next contraction. I still felt a bit queasy after that but that feeling gradually went away enough that that was the only time I threw up thankfully. The contractions after that were getting quite strong. Somewhere around the 8:00 time, my husband was in and out a bit to give a game-plan for getting the kids in bed. Most of the time he was with me though. I told him to get them in bed early so at least they would be put in their rooms. My 2nd midwife arrived about 10-15 min after the first. They encouraged me to go to the bathroom because I hadn’t. It took me a bit to get up my courage to get up and walk out there knowing I’d have a really bad contraction during that time. Thankfully I got that done with ok with only 1 contraction during that time.

After that I was having the really hard contractions pretty close together and started saying the typical transition-type statements. I don’t think I can do it anymore , this had better be transition because if I’m not very far along I can’t make it etc… I just remember with my oldest, I was in really bad labor that where the contractions were doubling back on each other and I had vomited but I was only dialated to like 4 at the time. So I kept hoping that wasn’t the case and I really was almost done. I also had never noticed my water breaking so occasionally worried that it would break and things would actually get worse than they were But finally around 9:15 or so, I started feeling the urge to push and mentioned it to my midwives. They checked me and said I was complete and could go ahead and push.

So in everyone’s birth stories I read, they seem to say how much better it felt to push and the contractions were so much better once they could push etc… So I was expecting to feel much better with the pushing stage and then I get these big, hard contractions and I said to my midwives, these contractions are not better like everyone says they are - they hurt just as much But at least I was excited to know it wouldn’t be long as I never have long pushing stages. I just stayed there on the birthing ball and my midwives got everything ready. It was probably only 3-4 contractions of pushing before she was crowning. The only negative about pushing and delivering in that postion on the birthing ball was that I couldn’t see anything that was going on. My midwife asked my husband if he wanted to catch the baby and kind of encouraged him to. With prior deliveries in the hospital, he has gotten kind of queasy and almost thrown up a few times, but with her encouragement he hesitantly agreed. So the burning was pretty bad with crowning - could feel it all the way down to my toes. But then that part was over soon. My husband held her head while they worked on getting the cord away from her face and easing her shoulders out and he caught her as she came out. As soon as she was out I asked her if she was a boy or a girl and he told me a girl It was such a relief and excitement that she was born and was a girl.

They eased me back into sitting leaning against the birthing ball and put her on my chest while they wrapped her in a towel. She had a little too much mucous to nurse immediately. She cried vigorously right away for quite a bit before she settled down. The placenta was delivered probably 5-10 min. later. After that they got me up into my bed. My mother-in-law had been out nearby outside one of the bedrooms while they went to bed. All the kids had gone into their rooms and my husband had mentioned to her before Jemma was born, that it might not be too long and she should stay around in case she thought about going home. After she was born, Cody heard her crying and came down to check with Grandma and then they all ended up back out of bed in the kitchen area which isn’t too far from our room waiting around to see her. So after I got back into bed, we called all the kids and everyone in and they all got to come up on the bed and see their new baby sister and see mom. They were all pretty excited and happy to see us. They ended up staying up until about 10:30 or so.

My parents arrived about 10:15 so they got to see Grandma & Grandpa too before going to bed. My friend came in not too long afterwards (she had been putting her kids to bed in the tent and never thought I would have delivered the baby already), and was amazed to see me there with our little girl already I don’t think she every truly realized how serious of labor I was in when they got there - it was pretty funny Grandma & Grandpa were excited to see Jemma as well. Jemma did start to nurse somewhere during that time when the kids were there and nursed well for quite a while. Then after the kids went to bed and I had seen my parents, I went and took a shower which felt good to get completely warmed up and over my shaky feeling. Then they got me set up in the other comfy bed in the living room and I got to visit with my parents and take pictures and then my husband, my friend and I hung out and talked for a while before we went to sleep. So that’s our exciting birth story of #6!

Melanie

Does your family have the winter blues? Get them moving with some fun outdoor activities! Here are some ideas for you to try:

Outside Workout
Gather the entire family and go outdoors for a family workout. Mom or Dad can lead the group in a fun outdoor exercise routine. Or better yet play a game of tag football.

Jogging/Power Walk
If you’re tired of being stuck inside, get outdoors for a good jogging or power walking session. Jog around the block or walk a mile or two. You can add light hand weights to work your arms while you’re walking.

Ice Skating
Ice skating is a fun form of winter exercise. When lakes are frozen, ice skaters come out of hiding and get out on the ice for lots of fun. Most kids really enjoy ice skating too.

Snow Shoeing
If you’re tired of jogging and walking, trade your sneakers for snow shoes. Snowshoeing works your leg muscles even more because you have to really lift your legs to be able to walk around.

Hiking
Many people associate hiking only with the summer months. However, winter hiking is a totally exhilarating fitness activity. Don’t forget to bring along your digital camera so you can take pictures of the beautiful winter scenery as you explore!

Thanks to one of our readers for sharing this cute potty training story.

We potty trained our sweet (and
short) 23 month old son. We potty trained him the “normal” way. You set him
down on the potty, and let him go. Daddy is so helpful though! Imagine my
surprise at walking into the bathroom to find my very short little boy standing
at the toilet (too short!) and peeing. Whoops! I think even the neighbors
heard me yell, “Who taught the baby to pee standing up?!?!?!”

Daddy thought it was great fun though! He had to learn sometime! (Although
when he was taller would have been good.) It’s been a month though, and while
he has mastered getting on a step stool FIRST, he hasn’t figured out how to lift
his shirt up and then pee. We won’t talk about aim…….

Going back to my chant, “at least he’s potty trained… at least he’s potty
trained… at least he’s potty trained…)

Many thanks to my online buddy Kathleen for sharing her sweet birth story.

On September 26th 1999, we celebrated my husband’s birthday, a day early. I was not due with our first until October 24. My brother called to say hi. I recalled saying to him…. It’ll be soon. He said ya they all say that!

We went out for a quiet evening on September 28th. Around 1 am September 29th, I felt like my water broke. But nothing was going on and I didn’t want to go to the hospital too soon. So I waited until I was sure and that something was going on. About 3:30am I woke Mark up. He rolled over and said “ ya right” . Then sat bolt upright in bed and said really??? … okay I’m up.

I had everything ready to go. We went to the hospital. They didn’t believe that I was in labor. I was at 4 cm and 80% effaced. Until I threw up all over the nurse that was checking me in… she realized very quickly that I was in transition. They admitted me. I sat in the whirlpool for about an hour or so. Then insisted I had to get up and go to the bathroom. The Nurse checked me and discovered I was fully dilated and baby was descending. He was coming!

So they did all they do, I was a first time mom. I let them lead me too much. The Dr was attempting to cut me to ease the baby’s arrival. Mark about decked to DR, insisting that his wife did not want that! GO MARK!

At 7:11 Wednesday September 29, 1999 after about 20 minutes of pushing…. Lucas Graham Visscher was born. He weighed 7# and 4 ounces. He was 20 inches long. He was fine for a bit and then they felt he had a breathing issue. Since he came so quickly he had what they called “wet lung” and was in what we called his cage…. For a few days. On that Saturday we were able to take our first born son home. My parents drove from Pennsylvania to Michigan to see their daughter’s firstborn child. Mark’s parents were in the same town and were very shocked When Mark called Wednesday morning to say we had a baby! It was very tense for a few days there but things did smooth out and our son is now over 7 years old, lost a tooth, but more importantly than any academic or physical change… he has accepted Jesus into his life and we can see he has a tender heart towards things of God.

Before we knew it we were excited to discover we were going to be parents of 2. that story is yet to come… and so are a few more:)

Kathleen

Here’s another popular home business idea: Transcription. This book tells you everything you need to know to figure out if this is a good fit for you, what you need to get started, how to charge for your services, setting up a web site, and more.

You had that Fisher Price Doctor ’s Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked.

You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it.

You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels

You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!)

You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island .

You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days.

You owned a “Slip-n-Slide,” on which you injured yourself on a sprinkler head more than once.

You owned “Klick-Klacks” and smacked yourself in the face more than once.

You had either a “bowl cut” or “pixie,” not to mention the “Dorothy Hamill”. People sometimes thought you were a boy.

Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession.

You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.

You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.

You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits.

You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once.

You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color. (yep! complete with beads and dangly-things too!)

You had a pair of Doctor Scholl’s sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle).

You wanted to be Laura Ingals Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck
in at least one school picture; and you despised Nellie Olson!

You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink.!

Your hairstyle was described as having “wings” or “feathers” and you kept it “pretty” with the comb you kept in your back pocket.
~~When you walked, the “wings” flapped up and down, looked like you were gonna “take off.”

You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie.

You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic. With the thermos inside!

You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend.

YOU had Star Wars action figures, too!

It was a big event in your household each year when the “Wizard of Oz” would come on TV. Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags!

You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: “Who will I marry. Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or David Cassidy..?”

You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record album.

You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God’s eyes, decoupage, or those weird potholders made on a
plastic loom.

You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts! (yep!)

You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker.

You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat.

You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books (Are you there God, It’s me, Margaret.)

You thought Olivia Newton John’s song “Physical” was about aerobics.

You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaces with heart or rainbow designs.

You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.

You drowned yourself in Love’s Baby Soft - which was the first “real” perfume you ever owned .. . (Actually, it was “Love’s Rain Scent,” and Bath & Body Works’ “Cotton Breeze” smells JUST LIKE IT!!)

You glopped your lips in Strawberry Roll-on lip gloss till it almost dripped off.