How I Whitened My Teeth! #GiveawayAlert

October 3, 2018

I was so excited to partner with Smile Brilliant. I wasn’t really in the market for any teeth whitening products, but when they came my way: why not, right!?

I’m very weary when it comes to using products on my teeth (and even my skin/body in general). I did some research and found that the ingredients are vegan and that’s right up my alley. And I’ve tried those whitening strips but never really notice that much of a result. I have pretty good teeth overall and didn’t want to use something that would make them sensitive. The desensitizing gel was what I loved and made me want to try it in the first place!

Home Teeth Whitening

How it works:

Smile Brilliant sends over a dental impression kit, which includes: catalyst paste & base paste. The impression process is pretty easy and self-explanatory. Once you make the impressions, let them dry, and then mail them out in the smile brilliant package they send you (it’s pre-paid!).

You then received your custom fitted whitening trays within a couple weeks. They keep you updated on when they receive your impressions and when they have shipped your trays out. Overall pretty simple process in the comfort of your home.

When do you notice a difference?

I noticed a difference after the first application. After the 4th application my teeth looked amazing!

The actual process for the one-hour teeth whitening takes a bit of time: closer to 75-80 minutes. I always did it after I put the kids to bed and I could just sit and read or watch TV. One hour for the tray, 20 minutes for the desensitizing gel, and then waiting 30 minutes after to eat or drink. I would just go to bed after so never had to worry about not eating.

Why would you want to go to a dental office, spend a ton of money and time when you can do the same exact thing at home in your PJS and its way more economical.

Want to try it out??? Get your set free by clicking here and be

entered into our #Giveaway!

Thanks for checking out my post!

Your Chick,

Neema

**The post was written in exchange for the products shared, however the opinions are all my own.**

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Mom’s You Can Only Do So Much…

November 8, 2017

Pack kids’ lunches. Grade class spelling tests. Make sure N’s book report is started. Plan for the next Language Arts unit. Make sure kids’ laundry is washed before Friday. Make copies for Social Studies project. Oh crap, I have to send out the minutes for the PTA board meeting. Wait — did I really sign that field trip mission slip? When is the next girls’ outing…is it this week or next? Did I call my mom? When do I need to have report cards done by?

These are my current thoughts. I am now up at 3 AM on a Monday morning thinking of all the things I wish I would have had time to complete over the weekend. Why am I up right now? Why can’t I just get this noise out of my head? Oh right — because I don’t just wear one hat, I wear like 20. I’m (and in no particular order) a mom, wife, daughter, sister, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, teacher, neighbor, friend, best friend, coworker, peer, subordinate…and so on and so forth.

Constantly…working moms around the nation are on overdrive. Moms are always on the go and always “on.” I know I’m always “on” — mainly because I’m an elementary school teacher…looking out for children is a constant in my life. I don’t think it really matters if you’re a teacher or not — the constant to-do list runs through our minds day and night (see my earlier post about achieving balance).

When I took a year off last year, I noticed that I was relieved from that element of my life — which was work. I didn’t have a boss to report up to because I was my own boss. I didn’t feel this constant feeling of having to “report” anywhere by a certain time or fulfill my own set of work obligations. Now — even when I love what I do and wouldn’t imagine another career for myself, I do feel a constant loyalty to my students day in and day out…even on my evenings and weekends. Would I trade what I do to stay home? Never.

All at once, I take turns wearing all the other hats — and try to juggle it all at once. Sometimes I wonder why I even try to juggle it all because it seems humanly impossible to be everywhere all at once…but I try anyways because that’s what I am. I am the type of person, like many other amazingly strong women out there that try to do everything all at once. I am the type that will put too much on my plate because I know that I work best under pressure and can’t stand not giving any aspect of my life my 110% all the time. Is it healthy? Probably not, but that hasn’t stopped me once.

Constantly, I am reminded to take a moment for myself to unwind and take a “time-out.” A moment to just be with my own thoughts and be myself, a moment to find my zen. To shed away all those hats for a moment to gather my own ideas and to just be. As I get older, I do find that listening to my inner self is getting more and more important. When I feel that anxious, robotic, out of body experience. When I feel that I’m slipping away from myself…

Mama Challenge - Time Out Card — Mama Challenge – Time Out Card

I have found a few ways that help me gather myself and recharge. Whether it be making a Target run to just roam around aimlessly with a Starbucks in hand. Or to get on that treadmill and run away the feels. Or by meeting up with some girlfriends for some “wine and whine” time. Or even by taking the long way home from work to just sit and listen to the radio in silence.

I have found the importance of finding your “time-outs.” What makes you feel like you the most? What makes you feel so content that it feels like you’re recharging your “battery?” What could possibly help you strip away all your hats for just one moment?

So ladies, take a moment. Not because I’m urging you to do so, but because you feel that it’s about time! Take that moment for yourself — just for you. You can only give and give so much…

You’re in “time out!”

Your Brainy Chick,

Komi

Disclaimer: No way do I feel that moms staying home to take care of their household and family don’t deserve a time out either — get out there ladies…you need that break!

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Botox and the Indian Community

October 18, 2017

Botox, everyone has thought about it, many of us are doing it, so why aren’t we talking about it?

Growing up as first generation Indian Americans, my sister and I had the impossible task of representing our Indian side, our American side, and our hybrid side with grace and full understanding. This meant being respectful yet assertive and exploring our interests while not wandering too far outside of our parents understanding. It also meant looking and acting within certain cultural norms without compromising our opportunities here as Americans.

Aging is one of those unusual paradoxes where being Indian and American does not agree. It appears that Americans embrace doing things make you feel good — from facials to chemical peels to plastic surgery to Botox. There is discussion and a sharing of experiences that is a part of the American culture. I can’t speak to other communities and cultures but the Indian community from both the immigrant and first generation perspectives does not embrace artificial enhancement. Indo-American women will undergo a variety of procedures and services behind closed doors and lie about their genetics and diets to no end. An acceptance of anti-aging tools that we have available to us as Indians in America has been a difficult pill to swallow for many.

I am 36 years old, I have been getting Botox for 3 years. When I looked in the mirror after having two kids and moving homes twice, my body directly experienced the stress. My body had undergone both of those life-changing events and left me with deep wrinkles which made me feel older than I was. My friends, co-workers, and sisters were supportive when I first considered Botox (see our article here about facing judgement). We talked about it, read about it, researched it until I eventually went for it. Some family members, on the other hand, discouraged me from doing it and hesitantly added that if I did get it, I should keep it to myself. After seeing my results and my satisfaction, two short years later, they too went ahead and tried it out. But they have since kept their “genetic” advantages to themselves.

Without getting too carried away, I am grateful that I can take little steps to look the way I feel. I am not in denial of aging or of my life circumstances; this is a personal choice and one that has left me satisfied. By not sharing ideas and privatizing our desires, we cannot lift each other up in a way that can be positive in the right context.

I hope to get the discussion started. We are fortunate that one of our Savvy Chicks’, Avani, has a husband who is a plastic surgeon — if you have any questions please leave them in comments below and we will be happy to get you an expert’s perspective.

Cheers,

Rina

If Botox is not your thing yet, here are a few Chicks Picks from Beauty Chick, Neema (check out her take on sunscreen).

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Top Ten Ways To Find Your Zen

October 4, 2017

With the school year underway and relaxed summer routines becoming not-so-distant memories, many of us have to try harder to carve out time for ourselves and search deeper to block out the buzzings around us. The grind of drop-offs, work, pick-ups, activities, specials, dinner, homework…wash, rinse, repeat…gets to even the most pain-tolerant of us.

Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment. – Alan Watts

Below is a list of the top ten ways to find your zen.

Create a playlist- find the songs that put you in your element. I listen to a variety of music so mine contains anything from classical to hip hop. I use my headphones and tend to multi-task at home. I also play it in the car after the kids have been dropped off. Have you checked out Chick Radio yet? Subscribe to our channel, we update our list often.

Take a walk – I find my zen walking through the aisles of Target or Home Goods…alone. I may not purchase anything but I enjoy the solitude and without being beholden to a shopping list and a tight time frame. The same can be achieved walking outside, snow-shoeing (for the more adventurous), and biking.

Devour a book- Nothing takes you away and warms the soul like a good book; one that makes you lose track of time and makes you look forward to the next chunk of free time in your calendar. This month, my book club is reading a thriller set aboard a luxury cruise line called The Woman In Cabin 10, nothing like a thriller to create an alternate reality in your mind.

Drink to it- Not alcohol, I’m talking about a nice relaxing cup of hot tea or hot chocolate. Perhaps milk with tumeric or cinnamon. I have a spice blend I’ve created that I add to either black tea or warmed milk and it puts me in my zen state. Try the chicks favorite, Frontier Organic Fair-Trade Chai!

Get organized!- Spend five minutes every night organizing your thoughts for the next day, crossing things off your list for the day and double checking your calendar. Nothing takes you out of your flow than a disorganized rush in the morning.

Create a mantra- Create an affirmation that motivates and inspires you and repeat it when you wake up, right before bed and any other time you need it! Check out our Affirmations Board on Pinterest for ways to stay calm and stay positive.

Learn to say “yes” – Say yes to dinner with your friends, or to your child when he asks to play hide-and-seek Those events allow you to be present and break up the routine. Also, connecting with others simply feels good.

No guilt – You know the phrase “Life’s too short…” The cliche is actually rather profound. There’s no room for guilt. And with that, I’ll leave you with another one of my favorite quotes “Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”

Disconnect! – Make it a habit to set a time every day to disconnect from all electronics. Start with five minutes and don’t be surprised if you find yourself increasing that time 🙂 You’ll cherish it. See our post about what you are missing when you are on your phone.

Laugh!!- What better way to feel relaxed than by feeling happy? Try something silly, learn a new dance, tell a joke. Get in touch with your unabashed-ness of your youth when you laughed more than you worried! If you have not already read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*$k, do yourself a favor, and pick it up!

Cheers,

Serene

Your Brainy Chick