Join the Daily Boost Program from Nature Made

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Nature Made® as a part of a Blog Blast for Influence Central.

It's been over a month since 2016 began. Can you believe that?! This is the time of year when I usually get around to figuring out my "new year goals." January is just too busy with calming down after the holidays, taking down decorations, and getting back into the routine of life. My goals for this year so far include growing my blog more, clearing out some clutter, and taking better care of myself.

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I was on such a good regiment of vitamins and supplements about a year ago when I was working on my dental health and overall wellness. I haven't been able to keep up with that as much as I might like, so I'm making a list of the supplements I need to get back on track. Did you know that Nature Made is the #1 Pharmacist recommended supplement brand in 9 categories**? Nature Made products are conveniently found at Walmart, so it's easy to grab what you need while on the go.

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Nature Made Wellness


*Based in part on data reported by Nielsen through its Scantrack Service for the Vitamins Category for 52-week period ending 9/26/2015, for the xAOC, FDM, and FM Markets. Copyright © 2015 Nielsen. **Based on US News & World Report – Pharmacy Times Survey, Nature Made is the #1 Pharmacist Recommended Brand in Nine Categories – Letter Vitamins, Omega-3/Fish Oil, Coenzyme Q10, Flax Seed Oil, Herbal Supplements, Cholesterol Management-Natural, Garlic, Diabetic Multivitamins and Mood Health Supplements.

When Your Kid Needs Stitches

I knew it was only a matter of time. Lincoln's turning four this week. He decided that he wanted to spend his birthday with a couple of stitches in his chin.

The funny thing is, we weren't even up to anything daring or adventurous. It was a random Thursday morning, riddled with fussing about how many raisins were in his bowl and whether or not Addie could look at the same book as him. My mom had run by for a few minutes so that I could take a shower in peace, and I was on the phone with our internet service provider trying to determine why we had had no access.

The kids were running around (because they always are) and suddenly Lincoln tripped while traveling between the living room and the kitchen. I'm not even sure what he hit his chin on, because there were no toys in his direct path and nothing obvious that could have caused an injury. But when he stood up and began to let out some agonized wailing, it was clear he had hurt himself. On closer inspection, we found that he had split open his chin.

He's a tough kid. The bleeding stopped pretty quickly and he was pleading with me to not go to the hospital and not call Daddy to tell him that he was hurt. But the wound was gaping a little too much for my comfort, so I did indeed let Andrew know what was going on so that he could come home from work.

We ended up going to urgent care, where we had a somewhat traumatic fifteen minutes that ended with a little bit of hysteria, a heightened appreciation for strong nurses, a honey stick snack, and two sutures in Lincoln's chin.

Thankfully, he seems to have pushed the entire ordeal far from his mind. I think it will stay with me a whole lot longer, though. I was surprisingly less freaked out than I expected to be over the whole ordeal. It was more of a take a deep breath...this is what you are dealing with today kind of thing. My calm may have been partially due to the fact that he was acting totally normal within a few minutes of his injury. His coffee burn at age two was far more traumatic for all of us!

I had five stitches in my eyebrow when I was in Kindergarten. I remember that day very vividly - it's one of my first memories from childhood, actually. I wonder if Lincoln will remember this day? I hope he thinks more about the new Octonauts "Octo-Saw" toy that came home with us from Target after the incident than the actual urgent care visit!

I'm hoping for a super low-key week leading up to the big age 4! I'm not sure I can handle much more "excitement."

The Perks of Paying Attention at Open Enrollment

Sometimes, I wish there were a manual for being a grown-up. It would work like this: each year on your birthday, a letter would show up detailing all of the things you will need to take care of that year (taxes, auto renewals, insurance). It would give you specific instructions on how to accomplish everything on the list without running into any snags.

I guess if that were the case, we wouldn't have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes? And that's something I know all about!

The year that we were expecting Addie, our health insurance situation changed four times. Before that, I had no understanding of our health benefits or options, because we had always just made a quick choice and selected the plan that seemed the best. Once we were hit with so many changes in such a short time - while incurring medical bills since I was pregnant - I learned that it was important to actually put some time into figuring out which opens were best for us.

Was it a walk in the park making a health insurance coverage decision while being full-term in my pregnancy and also chasing a toddler around all day? Not necessarily - but it was worth it.

Our little family - right around the time of open enrollment in 2012!

We haven't had an insurance change in almost two years now, but I try to review our options before open enrollment comes around each year, to ensure that we are still making the best choice.

When we chose our health insurance plan through Andrew's employer, we were also given the opportunity to purchase dental insurance for our family. At first, I scoffed at getting a family dental plan - because our kids were so young, would they really need the coverage? I spent some time researching the options and found that it was not a great cost to have the additional benefit added. It turned out to be a very good thing that I had read it thoroughly, because we ended up absolutely needing that coverage for Addie's teeth earlier this year.

This baby gave me no indication that just over a year later, she would need oral surgery.

For close to six decades, Aflac has been committed to providing insurance policies that give policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. Worrying about insurance coverage should not be something to add on to a medical emergency - or even a routine procedure!

Aflac conducted an Open Enrollment survey this year and found that 41 percent of employees spent fifteen minutes or less researching their benefit options during the 2013 open enrollment season. I'm sure we can all think of another big purchase that we would never dedicate as little decision-making time to - like a car, a computer, or even a vacation. Most workers also have no idea what is covered by their insurance plan - I have been guilty of that multiple times. You can read more about the open enrollment survey in this year's Aflac WorkForces Report.

We've made a family decision to be on top of our insurance this year and have already started talking about our options - with open enrollment just around the corner, it's definitely not too early to start a discussion and review what your policy covers! When you're reviewing health insurance options, make sure that you take the time to look up things you don't understand - I was so confused when I first tried to wrap my head around deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses, coinsurance, and other similar terms. It took me awhile, but I think I understand it now - and that makes for far less stress!

Have you ever made a poor choice at open enrollment that you regretted throughout the year? Take the time to be prepared this year - and you can consider this note from me your "grown-up manual" entry of the day.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.