At the end of the 21-day challenge #listerine

I received a Target gift card to purchase LISTERINE® Brand products from Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the LISTERINE® 21-Day Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.

So, it’s been 21 days. You know, they say it takes 21 days to make a habit. I bought the floss, toothpaste and mouthwash. I had good intentions; brush, floss and rinse twice a day for 21 days. I really, really wanted to make it work and do it. But honestly, I failed. For the first few days, I was really good at doing it morning and night. Then, things got hectic; we got went to the circus, had a birthday party, sick, babysat our niece, my sister visited and the hubby made a quick trip to Houston, and then went to two more parties. All of this? Excuses. Totally. Lame and terrible excuses. Like I couldn’t find 5 minutes twice a day to take care of my mouth.

The downfall was the getting sick. And, my “habit” was broken. But, I’m working on getting back into it. Better late than never, right?

I think my gums are still recovering from being pregnant. They like their floss massage for sure and have been bleeding and irritated a lot less. Oh, and just so we are clear, I was definitely doing the brushing at least twice a day. The rinsing and the flossing were the first to go.

Fortunately, the oldest two girls have done really well. The morning is a battle with getting everybody ready and out the door, but at night, they brush, rinse and floss like pros. I was glad to be introduced to the Listerine Smart Rinse because they really like it. Like the bottle is almost gone from their combined 21 day challenge. And, I like that the bottle is pretty spill proof except for the little bit dispensed into the top. Which is really handy when they’ve lost the lid. Seriously? how does that happen?

Most of us have a toothbrush that times us and makes sure we brush for the full 2 minutes. This is especially helpful for two little girls that have absolutely no real concept of time. When it comes to swishing their rinse, I suggested that the hum two rounds of happy birthday while rinsing. This gets them to keep it in their mouths for the full two minutes to make sure it gets all of the nooks and crannies. And since the kids one isn’t “spicy” they can tolerate it.

Confession? The Listerine antiseptic mouthwash/rinse? It’s too “hot” for me. I try, but I just can’t do a full two minutes with it. It’s too “spicy.” I like the clean feature of it and that it definitely gives me minty fresh breath, that lasts. It also has almost a cooling effect on my mouth.

Even though my 21 day challenge wasn’t 100% a success, it definitely has me flossing and rinsing a bunch more and doing a better job of taking care of my teeth. And fortunately, my girls are digging it and we’ve now found a rinse that they like and will use with little to no argument.

If you want to get involved, you can post a “Swish Selfie” to the LISTERINE® Brand Facebook page and also learn more about the challenge.