Do you ever take the time to dream?  Ever forget to take the time to dream?  Many of you are busy moms, and I’m willing to bet we often put everyone else in front of us, and forget to dream big for ourselves. 

I believe in dreams… I love dreams…  Sometimes future dreams keep me going day in and day out…  I dream of our children’s future, I dream of our future in each stage of our children’s life and beyond.  I dream of goals, and vacations, and broken hearts being mended. 

I think most of us have at least one dream in the back of our mind.  Maybe we don’t think about it too often.. but it’s there… albeit often set aside for the time being as we spend time nurturing our children, tending to the important relationships in our lives, running our homes, holding down job or volunteer opportunities, and staying on top of the complexity of running our everyday lives.  Still deep down – are those dreams, that just don’t feel obtainable right now. 

One of my dreams is to be a doula or midwife.  However, the season of life I am in right now, is not quite ready for that.  So I dream…

Today, I do have good news for your dreams though!  We have partnered up with Prilosec OTC to share with you something really exciting.

As a celebration of things that take us out of everyday stress, Prilosec OTC, a leading over-the-counter heartburn treatment, dreamed up the "Official Sponsor of Everything You Do Without Heartburn" program.

Prilosec OTC is going to help 100 people realize their dreams by providing sponsorships with an average value of  $1,000 and a maximum of $4,000. What most moves you and will enable you to take your hobby or passion to the next level? From a commercial oven to turn your baking into a business, to plane tickets and trip coverage to take pottery classes in Italy or to hike the Grand Canyon — the application criteria are simple: "Tell them who you are, what you love to do, and what you need to do it better. They also want to know, if sponsored, who you would tell about it." 

The fifteen entry categories: food and cuisine, arts and crafts, family, home and garden, entertainment and leisure, health and fitness, travel, sports, and professional pursuits. So much to choose from! And time’s moving fast — the deadline is February 22

Let me know if you enter, I’d love to read (and vote for) your entry!

C-

I wrote this post while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Prilosec OTC. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Our oldest child, Ryan, has glasses. Matt & I have glasses (well I have contacts). But anyway, I figure eventually some of our other children will need glasses as well. I often wonder if they need them earlier than we detect. My kids can obviously see, to some extent, but are things blurry and that is just what they are used to? Really, it is hard to test until they know their letters – or at least some basic shapes and colors in order to perform a proper vision test. Before that, we just really don’t know!

This week I was contacted by www.enfantvision.com and was asked if I would share with my readers about their new vision screening program. After doing some research on this program, I have to tell you that I am really excited about this new testing that is available! Now, very non-invasively, in as little as 5 minutes, you can accurately have your child’s vision tested as young as 6 months!

The Enfant™ Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System is a non-invasive, child-friendly medical device that tests for visual deficits, including amblyopia, optic nerve disorders, and refractive errors, in pre-verbal children, ages six months and older. The Enfant system is the first and only pediatric vision test of its kind.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), vision disorders are the fourth most common disability among children in the United States. Although vision assessment beginning at birth has been endorsed by major pediatric and ophthalmologic medical associations, recent studies estimate that only 21% of all preschool children are screened for vision problems and only 14% receive a comprehensive vision exam.

The Enfant uses technology called Visual Evoked Potential (VEP), which evaluates the child’s response to an external stimulus along the entire visual pathway from the lens of the eye to the visual cortex of the brain. By using VEP, the Enfant is able to identify vision deficits that a physician might not otherwise detect during more conventional, subjective eye exams, such as eye charts. The Enfant system allows testing of much younger children, since it does not require a response from the patient.

The Enfant Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System:
• Utilizes clinically proven, FDA-approved technology
• Delivers a 97% sensitivity in detecting visual deficits where and when they exist
• Provides immediate, on-site test results in simple, pass/fail format
• Requires no dilation or sedation for maximum patient safety
• Features child-friendly animated characters and graphics accompanied by music
• Can be completed in five to seven minutes, contributing to a more than 90% test completion rate
• Is currently utilized by more than 250 pediatric practices, and is easily incorporated into a child’s regular well care visit
• Stimulates the vision system with a specific pattern to elicit electrical signals to the visual cortex of the brain
• Uses objective, statistical analysis to assess the child’s neurological response to the stimuli, and compares the two eyes to determine if asymmetries are present
• If asymmetries are present, the patient is referred to an eye care specialist for further evaluation

This actually sounds like it would be fun for toddlers & prechoolers! Here is a short video that demonstrates how the test is performed. And here is where you can find an office near you that performs this testing.

Do go take a look, for your child’s sake and for your peace of mind.

C-

Disclosure: This was a sponsored post. I was compensated to share my opinion about this service. I only review products/services that I feel would benefit my readers, and I’m dedicated to giving my honest opinion.