iPad Cases

I'm in the market for a new laptop since my own fell to the floor many months ago. My interest is in the iPad and while I wait I've been looking at cases to house my new machine.  The ipad 2 cases I've seen are a sight to behold.

For example, the case featured above also has a notepad, slots for cards and a pen and comes in one of my favorite colors - green. Love it!  Now I love the notepad feature, the slots for organization and the color but I like the ability of the one below to stand on it's own leaving my hands free if I choose.

  

And it comes in leather too! I enjoyed browsing and looking at all the different types of cases there were on this particular site.  They even had silicon ipad 2 cases as well.

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Favorite Appliances - Juicer

I kept reading about the benefits of juicing and the potency of vitamins and minerals you get when you juice. I’ve seen TV infomercials touting the benefits of this juicer and that juicer. I’ve seen you tube videos discussing juicing but never made it a priority on my expense list. I put it on my wish list and left it there. Well, my darling hubby bought a juicer last year and since then I’ve enjoyed this appliance.

   

My first experience with this juicer occurred when I had not read or seen all the benefits of juicing. Friends of ours had one and the husband started telling us how good it was and juiced some fruits for us to taste. At that time with my non existent knowledge of juicing and my taste buds still used to lots of processed foods I was not impressed. I also felt that it was too much work to take apart and clean.

Fast forward to 2011. My dear hubby bought us a Jack LaLanne Juicer and it was a totally different experience. Same juicer like our friends owned, but with my much improved taste buds and love for healthy life giving eating and drinking I’m enjoying this juicer. I wonder why I thought it was a hassle to take apart and clean. It is so easy. Another thing I like is that I don’t have to chop the fruits or vegetable into piecies, just wash and insert. I’m not averse to hard work if I have to do it but I like simple and easy.

The Jack La Lanne juicer gets my thumbs up for sure.

Do you have a favorite appliance? What is it?

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Comfy Sheep

I've been looking for rugs for our home and I saw these lovely sheepskin rugs on the Comfy Sheep website that would look great in our master bedroom.

While browsing through their site I came across some nice looking luxury car seat covers that would fit nicely on our car seats. I've been looking at our car seats lately and they are showing the wear and tear of the 10yr old vehicle that it is. It would be lovely to have some to put over them and drive around in comfort.

The Comfy Sheepskin has been around for about 25 yrs and ship their products throughout the US and Canada. They make their products to fit your exact specifications. Besides car seat covers and rugs they also have a variety of sheepskin products for pets, cribs and even boots and sandals. I love the look of these Indian Slide slippers.

Visit the Comfy Sheepskin website to see all what they have to offer.

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Frugal Dad

In these interesting economic times most people are looking for ways to save and cut on costs in all areas.  For sure, home improvement savings are no exception and Frugal Dad offers coupons to help with that.

Most of the time around the blogosphere we see women writing on topics to do with frugality, coupons and savings.  It's refreshing to see a male perspective by Frugal Dad.  According to his site, he gives insights on money, career and coupons and gives the average family financial resources with a conservative approach to finances.

The financial experiences that Frugal Dad has written about on his about page are varied.  Many people have been through those same experiences and need help navigating their way out of it.  Some recent articles include Money Lessons Learned From Kids and How Happy Is The Meal You're Paying For?  His most popular posts at the time of writing this are Amazon Coupon Code, How Happy Is The Meal You're Paying For? and Dream On: Why Sleep Is So Important.

The site has been featured on The New Yorker, Business Week, PC Mag, The New York Times and other well known places.  Frugal Dad appears to be well qualified to offer the advice he does on his site and is worth checking out.  He's also offering a free e-book called the 7-Day Turnaround.

If you can't stand being in debt, if you prefer the safer route and don’t enjoy taking risks, if credit cards are a necessary evil to you but you could do without them, if persons who are out there giving financial advice so that they could get rich with no benefit to you then Frugal Dad should be good reading for you. According to his site he feels basically the same way and gives advice that is uncomplicated and simple. A return to the basic principles like making sure you don't spend all your income and saving money for hard times are what he espouses. Simple but they work.

Still not convinced?  Here are a few more articles that he's written on his site. The “No-Spend Day” Challenge, Shopping at Warehouse Clubs: Frugal or Not?, A Shift in Perspective: Micro-Budgeting to Big-Picture Finances, and Retirement: Are You Just Throwing Money at a Number?  Very interesting articles.  Worth a read and more importantly will help you get or stay on the right footing with your finances.

As a result of his experience with high debt incurred from college expenses, Frugal Dad has become passionate about helping students maximize their college experience and lessen their expenses by offering scholarships to college students based on their academic achievements.  Details can be found by visiting the site and clicking on Scholarships.

To your financial success,

Pin It


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Blue Global Media

Blue Global Media is a network whose specialty is the performance marketing of monetary products such as loans and credit reports. They are about 5yrs old at the time of writing and focus on financial affiliate campaigns.

As a growing affiliate network it boosts and increases revenue both for affiliates and advertisers with their payday affiliate program. According to their site, as an affiliate you could potentially earn up to $100 per lead. The company works with both those who want to advertise and those who want to earn as affiliates.

You can find out more about them by clicking any of the links above.

Website Hosting

If you want your website to be seen website hosting is important.  There are hundreds upon hundreds of companies offering their services.  Choosing one can sometimes be a nerve wracking experience for some website owners.

The company Website Hosting has taken some of the hassle out of it and narrowed down the list to their Top Ten.  They offer comparisons of those in the top ten and a link to each company.  They have latest news on what's going on in the world of web hosting and online companies as well.

In addition to that you can find hosting reviews which sometimes contain a link to receive a discount from the website hosting company being reviewed.

Military VA Loan

If you've served in the US military and you're in the market for a loan you may qualify for VA Loan Benefits.  Military VA Loan is for first time homebuyers or those with an already existing mortgage who are looking to refinance.

Active duty or prior service veterans who are looking to refinance can find out how much the savings would be by filling out the free streamline refinance quote form.

There are a number of other helpful links on the website as well such as VA loan checklist and more.  Also if you have a blog or website you can get a mortgage rates widget.

Web Hosting

For information on web hosting go to Web Hosting Rating. It's basically a directory of those who provide web hosting.  The prices and information about each company are listed so that you can make an informed choice about it.

This web hosting directory features the ten best hosting services right on the home page so you can compare for yourself.  Digging a bit deeper into the website will reveal more information regarding affordable price web hosting for individuals, virtual private server for small businesses or dedicated servers for enterprises.

The Knowledge Center furnishes you with a Buying Guide, Video Tutorials and News.  As you search their catalog you have the options of narrowing the search results by price, type of hosting and location such as North America, Asia, Africa etc.

If you have a website hosting company you could also submit your company to their directory.  Neat.

LGMedSupply

Pain relief is one of the most sought after by people of all nations, ages and walks of life.  There are numerous ways that can be outlined but for the purpose of this post we will focus on one way.  The LGMedSupply company has pain relief products that assist persons experiencing pain gain an elevated quality of life as the website about us section states.

If your pain or your loved one's pain is muscle related then the LG-TEC Dual Combo TENS Unit and Muscle Stimulator is a combination unit that facilitates the process where you are able to receive the advantages of the TENS Pain Relief and the Muscle Stimulator for increased muscle tone and muscle pain rehabilition.

LGMedSupply's Pain Relief Products have been utilized by thousands of contented patients all over the world.  They also offer TENS Units, Muscle Stimulators, and Ultrasound Units for Pain Relief and Rehabilitation. 

Visit LGMedSupply Online and browse through the multiple items that are available. At the time of writing this post there is a promotion going where where you can receive free items when your purchase exceeds $150.  You can also get further information on them at their online customer blog and also the LGMedSupply Facebook page.


 

TABASCO Original Red

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

My husband enjoys hot sauce.  I do also but a bit less than he does.  TABASCO® Original Red is a sauce I know he'd enjoy.  It is a fusion of salt, red pepper and vinegar which is so much more than hot.  I can imagine it amplifies and boosts the flavor of whatever food you put it on.

TABASCO® Original Red was the first sauce brought out by the Mc Ilhenny family back in 1868 and still is their most popular sauce of 6 total sauces.   For the hot sauce buffs out there, try it on your eggs, pizza, anything even macaroni and cheese.  I have a cousin who uses it in her soup.  

The Football season is here and with the Superbowl being right around the corner in February, may I suggest you try Tabasco Original Red on your pizza to see how it enhances the flavor.  The Tabasco Website has this page called the Pizza Perfected page which gives tips on how to intensify the flavor of any pizza, whether delivery, homemade or frozen.  I am a lover of vegetables and I tell you, the Corn, Tomato & Green Pepper Pizza one really caught my eye.

If you would like some more ideas and recipes on how to use Tabaso Original Red during this game season check out the Game-Day Party Menu page.  There are five sections - Dips, Finger Foods, Wings, Chili and Pizza.  There are recipes like the Crowd Pleasing Chili and the Spicy Popcorn.  Makes me want to dive right in.

Did you know that the simple combination of the salt, red pepper and vinegar in TABASCO® Original Red goes through a 3 year aging process to produce it's amazing ability to bring the most out of your food?  While other hot sauces bring their own flavor to the food, TABASCO® Original Red simply enhances the flavor of the food you use it on or in.  I'd say it's worth a try don't you?

Raw Mom Cooked Dad

Tera Warner, Fiona Hollis and the team over at rawmom.com are holding another superb and FREE teleseminar starting October 10, 2010. This event is packed with talks from 40 of the Word’s Leading Experts on Raw Food, Nutrition and Healthy Living! in their own words.

Each call with each expert is available for free for 24 hours and are mostly between 30 to 45 minutes long, a few are a bit longer. Basically the target of this FREE event is for those who have partners that are not raw. So you have one person wanting to eat abundantly raw and the other person couldn't care less and prefers to eat cooked food. Even though that may not be your situation this seminar would still be great to listen to because of all the information you're gonna hear. Their are speakers who are athletes, those who are doctors, mothers, dads who eat cooked food while their partner eats raw and even children and young people who are raw as well. It's looks like a fantastic lineup.

Let's get into some name dropping shall we? Brendan Brazier, Leanne Ely, David Wolfe, Yuri Ekaim, Ka Sundance, Karen Ranzi, Matt Monarch, Dr. Doug Graham, Daniel Vitalis, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, Jenna Norwood, Alissa Cohen, Sergei Boutenko, Heather Pace, Marc-André Chaput, Vanessa Stewart and Jay and Linda Kordich. Okay I think you get the picture.

And the topics don't only cover raw foods and cooked foods only. They're gonna be delving into meal planning, kitchen organization and relationships as well. The event goes on for 10 days and it's free. If you would like to have access to these calls at your own convenience it's also available for a small fee. Go register for this FREE Raw Mom Cooked Dad event. Let us grow in our knowledge of what's good for our bodies.
 
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Time 4 Learning

As I mentioned in my post Time 4 Learning, I was invited to try Time 4 Learning for one month in exchange for a review.  What follows is my review of the site.  Like I said before, Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening.  Since I am a homeschool mom I am reviewing it on that basis.

The boys and I thoroughly enjoyed using Time 4 Learning.  It can be used as a supplement to a homeschool curriculum or as a complete program.  If we had the funds we would invest in it in addition to the curriculum that we are currently using.  The boys had a fabulous time using it.  Everyday they looked forward to getting on the computer to do their lessons.  We normally school year round but this summer I decided to take a break from our regular curriculum.  This opportunity to review Time 4 Learning fit in perfectly to keep them doing something educational during the summer.

The program is wonderful for all types of learners.  The lessons incorporated visual animations as well as audio with the written.  Some of the lessons incorporated games to help the kids grasp the material being taught.

One of the things that we enjoyed was the playground area.  Our boys enjoyed being able to get that time to play.  For me the enjoyment was the fact that they were only allowed a certain amount of time on the playground and when the time was up they would automatically be signed out of the playground.  So for me there was no having to monitor the time they spent playing.  The parental controls allows the parents to set the time the children are allowed on the playground after having spent a specified amount of time doing lessons.  If the time specified for lessons are not completed then they are not allowed on the playground.  There is a visual timer on the screen that shows how much time has been spent doing the lessons.

Another feature I found that I liked was the detailed reports that can be obtained through the portfolio area.  It allows the parent to see where the weak areas are for the child and thus be able to plan work assignments for the child based on those reports.

Time 4 Learning goes from Pre-school through Eighth grade in Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies.  Each child has their own password and when they are signed in there is an arrow that automatically points them to their next item that they have to complete.  There is also a Lesson Planning Worksheet that allows the parent to estimate the number of daily lessons to have their child do in each subject.

There is also a Parent Forum for parents to link up with like-minded moms for support and encouragement.

Time 4 Learning gets my thumbs up for sure.


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NMEDA

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

It can be difficult sometimes when a loved one has a disability and is unable to move around with the independence desired. An NMEDA dealer is able to assist caregivers in making informed choices about mobility choices. Caregivers can rest assured that what they are receiving from any of the dealers is of the highest quality. One less thing to worry and stress about on the long list of responsibilities as a caregiver. Also with the right kind of transportation and equipment an elderly or handicapped person is able to gain more independence in moving around.

nmeda.org

What is NMEDA? NMEDA is a non-profit networking organization of companies that caters to persons with disabilities helping them with their mobility needs. NMEDA has been in existence for over 20yrs.  They don't sell the products themselves. They basically serve as a portal through which disabled people can find information on transportation and equipment available for them to move around and they The dealers and companies affiliated with NMEDA are over 600 strong and located in the United States and Canada. Those are the companies that sell handicap vans and offer vehicle modifications for disabled people. It is mandatory that they adhere to the safety standards of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NMEDA has a Quality Assurance Program(QAP) that ensures that the dealers who are part of the program offer the installation of their vehicle modifications and mobility equipment in accordance with the highest guidelines available. The QAP is a nationally recognized accreditation program for the Adaptive Mobility Equipment Industry. This program is founded on the principle that for customers to be satisfied in a consistent manner, companies must have a systematic and documented approach to quality. Dealers must pass through a separate application process for the Quality Assurance Program. Information on what is required by any dealer who is part of the QAP can be found on the NMEDA website. You can check it out here and rest assured that you are in safe hands.

Just like you would not find even twins who are exactly the same is just the way that persons with the same disability would not be the same. When purchasing via the internet or through catalogs you need to be aware of this. Using one of the NMEDA dealers you are able to get a personalized "in-person" evaluation that will give you a product that is suited to your particular needs and concerns. Another bonus point is that the NMEDA dealer you choose will help you get additional training or product refinements if you need it.

nmeda.org

One of the conveniences of using NMEDA to locate an appropriate dealer is the Locate a Dealer link at the top of the page. All you do is enter you zip code or your state and you are able to locate one nearest you. No need to thumb through the phone book and then wonder if the one you chose from the phone book is reliable or not.  Another stress reducing factor. Try it out. Click here (Locate a Dealer) to go to the NMEDA site and type in your zip code. Let me know in the comments what is your nearest qualified dealer.





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Fresh Air Fund Still Needs Host Families for THIS summer!

A few months ago I wrote a post called - Every child deserves a great summer.

The Fresh Air Fund still needs host families for the summer of 2010 even though the summer is almost over. They are looking for families in Red Hook, Columbia County, Saugerties, Delmar, Guilderland, Altamont, Latham and Rensselaer, NY. Volunteer host families share their friendship and homes up to two weeks or more.

Most of the Fresh Air children are from families with low-income who don't have the resources to send their children on summer vacations. Fresh Air children enjoy riding bicycles, learning to swim, catching fireflies, making new friends, walking barefoot through the grass and more.

Take a few minutes of your time to watch this 2 1/2 minute video to get a glimpse of some of the Fresh Air Children enjoying their summer.

Here a couple of ways you can help a child experience a summer they won't easily forget through The Fresh Air Fund:

1. You can be a Fresh Air Fund Host Family.  There are no financial requirements for hosting a child. Volunteers may request the age-group and gender of the Fresh Air youngster they would like to host.  Click here to learn more about becoming a host. 
2. Donate online.  The Fresh Air Fund relies on donations to provide memorable summers to NYC children.  They are a not-for-profit agency and depend on tax-deductible donations to keep their programs going.

Click the banner below or any of the links above for more information.  It's not too late to help a child experience a great summer this year.

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Discount on Hometown Seeds [CLOSED]

Hometown Seeds is offering a 20% discount on all of their products.  When you are completing your purchase, enter the coupon code thanks and 20% will be reduced from the total cost of your order.  This awesome offer is good through July 31, 2010.  


About Hometown Seeds


Hometown Seeds sells vegetable, flower and herb seeds, wildflower, perennial and survival seeds as well.  They are featuring their Survival Seed Bank packet currently which contains 16 of their most popular heirloom varieties packed in a Mylar bag.

photo credit: Hometownseeds.com 

If you've wanted to begin gardening but have not done anything about it yet then this is a great offer to take advantage of.



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