get it straight: with teen orthodontist Olga Bukholts

When I was 11, my mom took me to the orthodontist for a consultation and, after an intensive evaluation, he said, "I'm sorry to inform you that you don't need braces yet." He thought I would be disappointed since he said many of the pre-teens he met wanted braces so they could be cool. A year later, my time had come and, believe me, I didn't feel too cool wearing them. After four years with a mouth full of metal, wires, wax and retainers, I was finally free! The trend of aligning teeth is still popular today and kids still cringe at the concept. Thankfully, Olga Bukholts, DDS, Director of Perfect Smiles Orthodontics and Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, helps them get through it. "Correcting the misalignment of their teeth will promote teens' self-image, boost their self-confidence and enhance the overall health of their teeth," she says. Bukholts offers her patients several options, including self-ligating braces with lighter wires and lower friction brackets that eliminate the need for rubber bands, shorten treatment time and make it easier to brush and take better care of their teeth. Another alternative is the Invisalign Teen System, a series of comfortable, practically invisible acrylic aligners featuring a monitor that tells the orthodontist whether or not the patient has been wearing the aligner the required 22 hours per day. To take the stress off a visit to the orthodontist's office, Dr. Bukholts spends quality time with each patient to get to know his or her individual needs. She has even set up her office to entice children and teens--her favorite patient demographic. It features a Playstation 3 terminal with video games, satellite radio music, WiFi and a computer station with web access. Patients can also bring DVDs from home which they can begin watching in the waiting room and continue through video headsets while sitting in a treatment chair. (Hopefully, their appointments won't run as long as the latest installment in the Bring It On series, due out this month!) For more info on Perfect Smiles Orthodontic (263 West End Avenue at 72nd Street in Manhattan), go to www.perfectsmilesny.com.

disappearing act

So your little one is finally toilet trained--congrats! No more diapers, no more wipes...but you still may encounter some messy bathroom scenarios. Learning to poop into the bowl can be tricky and can leave the bathroom a bit of a mess. To the rescue: The Poof Toilet Deodorizer ($10). Unlike ultra-strong air fresheners, dangerous matches and scented candles reminiscent of your grandmother's powder room, Poof is simple to use and eliminates odor conveniently and subtly. Just squeeze a drop or two into the toilet before or after to trap odors under the surface. A quick flush and the evidence disappears! I snuck some into the bowl before my son had to go and it really works! All you are left with is relief and a fresh mint scent. Check major supermarkets, drugstores, boutique stores, department stores and spas, or order your personal bottle at www.poofdrops.com.

something to wine about

The start of the fall season introduces a while new set of options for family outings--from apple picking to leaf collecting to, believe it or not, wine harvesting! And now you can taste the grapes and help out some kids in need at the same time.

Malibu Family Wines will host the Ninth Annual Family Fun Fest, Harvest & Crush Event benefiting City Hearts: Kids Say Yes to the Arts, Sunday, September 13, 2009, from 12:30-3:30 p.m. at the sprawling 1,000-acre Saddlerock Ranch, home to Malibu Family Wines. All proceeds from the event benefit City Hearts: Kids Say Yes to the Arts, the 24-year old arts intervention non-profit organization that transforms the lives of the most disadvantaged and at-risk children through the highest quality arts education, training and experiences.

Stop by Saddlerock Ranch to view a bounty of grapevines ready for harvest and your kids will see some exotic animals along the way: horses, llamas, buffalo and zebras. Kids can take part in the 2nd annual Art Competition for Children, and have an opportunity to paint alongside accomplished artist and vintner Lisa Semler. The event will also feature an interactive Children’s Area featuring a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party where children can dress up, have their photos taken and have Tea with the Mad Hatter and other characters including Queen Elizabeth and William Shakespeare. City Hearts students will perform at the event. Face painting, a rock climbing wall, Moon Bounce, cupcake decorating and various craft projects and Eco Art activities will also be featured. The children can recharge in the Storytelling Area with healthy snacks and juices while they listen to tales from children's books.

While your kids are participating in all of the above, grown-ups can have their fun too. Try fine wines made from vines grown on the property, including Semler Cabernet Sauvignon and Saddlerock Chardonnay, bid on unique items in the silent and live auctions, crush grapes, and indulge in a refreshing foot spa.

Tickets are $75 for adults and $25 for children. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call (310) 455-2898 or visit www.cityhearts.org or www.malibufamilywines.com.

you can have your cake...

This is not just another mompreneur venture...theminisocial.com is the brainchild of Los Angeles based moms, Dominique MacPherson and Melinda Marinach, who worked for years in the fashion and beauty industries (C&C California, BCBG and Stila Cosmetics). They pooled their talents to create this one of a kind sample sale site featuring brands their kids love as much as they do. Starting tomorrow, theminisocial.com will host a sale on Cupcakes & Pastries--a cute, contemporary girl’s clothing featuring cotton dresses in bright, inspiring colors. You can pick up some of these cutting edge designs for up to 60% off! Go to www.theminisocial.com for details on this sweet deal.

playdate with a pachyderm

Lions and tigers and bears...oh my! OK, maybe just some exotic elephants. If you need to get away with the family but want to do more than lounge on the beach, pack your bags and head to Hoedspruit, South Africa. Camp Jabulani, a Relais & Chateaux, eco-award-winning luxury safari camp near Kruger National Park, introduces a new edutainment program called Team Tusker, designed for children under the age of 12 staying at the Camp’s luxurious newest lodging, Zindoga Presidential Villa (opens September 2009). Kids will learn the basics of tracking, dung throwing, camp survival, orienteering, bush cooking, animal art, star gazing, radio communication, bird watching and much more. Camp Jabulani’s Zindoga Presidential Villa was named after the first male elephant born to the camp’s herd; the name means “on its own.” The ultra-deluxe villa consists of two luxurious suites each accommodating two adults with an additional annex to accommodate two children. In addition, the facility boasts a wood-burning fireplace in the lounge, gas fire places in the suites and two heated pools, as well as a dedicated chef and team on hand to guarantee that everything goes smoothly for every member of the party. I know my kids would be thrilled to meet the camp's dozen specially trained elephants and take an elephant-back safari. Rates for the entire Zindoga Suite start at 38,500 R or US $4,844 per night. For more information, visit www.campjabulani.com

expert advice: from dr. neal schultz, dermtv.com

Attention all moms of toddlers: You may be wondering why your knees have been feeling a bit dry and scaly lately. Maybe because you're always kneeling to clean dirty faces, feed hungry mouths or pick up and put away loose toys? In fact, there's a good chance your two- or three-year old has been keeping you on your knees pretty often. I asked Dr, Neal Schultz, cosmetic dermatologist and host of dermtv.com for some expert advice...

“Dry rough patches on the knees is really not dry skin at all," he says, "but rather thickened skin which has so many layers of dead cells that it appears scaly or flaky. From the presence of scales or flakes, we are misled to believe that it's dry skin but scales/flakes are the result of many different problems or conditions…in this case from thickening of the skin."

He explains that "dry” rough patches on the knees occurs because of one of two reasons: Either an inherited, genetic basis (it tends to run in families) or from rubbing the skin of the knees either by kneeling on your knees or anything else that causes repeated pressure or rubbing of the knees.

Since it really represents extra thickened dead skin, moisturizers won’t work, and most over the counter callous creams just aren't strong enough exfoliants to dissolve that extra thick dead layer of cells. Louffa is a fairly gentle form of physical exfoliation and probably not powerful enough to help this although if used in combination with stronger chemical exfoliants may be helpful. "For this I recommend chemical exfoliants and, in particular, potent glycolic products as they are strong enough to do the job and yet not cause irritation of the surrounding skin if used properly and as directed," says Schultz. "The cream that I recommend for my patients is Stallex Glycolic Therapy 20 cream for feet which is a 20% glycolic product used for excessive thickening of dead skin on feet, knees, elbows and knuckles. Because it’s pretty strong it must be used in a very small amount very lightly twice daily, avoiding the surrounding skin. After applying it, any cream on the fingers should be rinsed off. Allow approximately two to four weeks to see improvement. If the problem is on the basis of a hereditary tendency then the cream needs to be used on an on-going basis. If the thickening of the skin on the knees is from excessive rubbing (like callous formation) then if the rubbing that causes the thickening is stopped, then treatment with the cream is no longer necessary. For less resistant cases I recommend Stallex Glycolic Therapy 15 gel, used the same way. Other less potent treatments include any over-the-counter 5% to 12% glycolic products again used twice daily but usually that strength is not as effective at removing the type of thickened skin that appears on the knees."

For more expert advice and answers to your most pressing dermatology questions, visit www.dermtv.com.

a round of applause!

Spongeables® deserves a hand! The company has come up with a way to make hand-washing fun. Instead of ordinary soap, APPLAUSE Hand Buffers™ ($6.49) provide an all-in-one beauty/rejuvenation treatment for hands and nails. The soft sponge is infused with Shea Butter for moisturizing and Vitamins A and E for antioxidant and antiaging protection. A SalSphere™ Seaweed delivery system boosts moisture retention, and releases moisture slowly for long-term hydration. Even the Applause texture works to make hands look better. One side is soft and silky, the other has a scruffy texture that helps boost circulation for healthier skin and cuticles and stronger nails (plus, it feels like a light massage every time you use it!). My kids love the Spongeables Ducky ($4.99--shown here), a duck-shaped sponge that soaps up as you use it, lightly moisturizes and boasts a fruitilicious scent. Fortunately, they come in yellow and pink, my son's and daughter's favorite colors respectively--so there's no arguing at bathtime! Look for Spongeables Oodles of Suds at major drug chains or at www.spongeables.com.