Why I Love my watch!!

   Watches seem to be going out of style with the kids. At least it seems that way when I see them pull out their cell phones to check the time. Really? My cell phone is always buried at the bottom of my purse. A watch is MUCH easier for me.

   The fact that I don't have to quit what I'm doing, I just glance over to check the time. I also love chronograph watches when I'm exercising. Watches that also have a stop watch. It's on my wrist and not on my waist band or wherever I can tuck my cell phone.

  My husband bought my watch for me as a present. He especially picked it out for me. It's jewelry and means a lot to me. It's a fashion statement and special ;) I can't say that about my phone.
  
  I really don't think watches with go completely out of style. I think the kids will just have to mature to appreciate watches. My daughters who are younger love their watches. I know that may change when they are teenagers but I believe they will go back to it.

I can't wait until my contract is up!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

My husband has been with our current cell phone company for about 15 years and every time we want a new phone we have to sign another contract. We are loyal people but it's REALLY starting to eat me up. Shouldn't my loyalty count for something? So I've been looking around to see what else is out there. We will NOT be renewing. Our plan is too high, phones too expensive, AND we have to sign another contract on top of that? Sorry, I don't think so.

Straight talk is looking REALLY good to me (besides, I love their commercials lol) I wouldn't have activation, reactivation, or termination fees. 411 calls are included at no extra charge. We pay $2 now! Grr, someone is getting ripped off.

There are no contracts, no surprise bills and no credit checks. Great nationwide coverage and excellent reception/connectivity.

Finally, Straight Talk only uses trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung. It has everything you need even the Android on Straight Talk

They even have reconditioned phones are available from $10.00 with camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability. Great for young users! Perfect for when they want to Call a friend

• The “All You Need Plan” meets even the needs of heavy phone users with 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB of web data. My husband & I don't use this many minutes TOGETHER!

• Unlimited Monthly service is only $45, and includes calls, text, picture messaging, and web. • Imagine unlimited calls, text, picture messaging and web for a whole year, for only $499.00! Check out Fantasy

 

Fishing Hook, line and sinker

 

 

Another way to save {and look good too}

 If you’ve been a follower for awhile you know that I’m always looking for new ways to save money. There are so many ways in which you can cut back and I thought this one was different.


I was watching Zenni Optical on CNN and saw how much money I could save. They have $6.95 prescription eyeglasses. That is super cheap! I have spent several hundred for mine.

Zenni Optical is the #1 online eyeglasses store offering high quality complete prescription eyeglasses from $6.95. Clark Howard, HLN money expert, has written a new book about how to save money in a tough economy titled “Clark Howard’s Living Large in Lean Times.” In which, he raved about Zenni Optical as well as other ways to save money. What’s more, he strongly recommended Zenni Optical on CNN’s American Morning show.

Zenni Optical have no overhead or  middleman so they can pass the savings to us! They have really cute and fashionable glasses too. Now I need to get to the eye Dr. and update my prescription because I’m in desperate need of a new pair of eye glasses. I’m really glad I found out about this site, it is going to save my family A LOT of money!

Stop over!

Make sure to stop by our new site http://takingtimeformommy.com See you there!

Fall Time

Guest post written by Rolf Tate

What is it about fall that I love so much? My kids are back in school and the pool’s closed but something about the smell of the crisp, fall air and getting that first Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks really puts me in an autumnal mood. I love the way the temperature starts dropping and the leaves change – here in Maine we get really beautiful leaves so it’s probably my favorite time of year to live where I do.

My husband likes that all the games are back on his direct tv every weekend and my son’s all about his fall track team but for me it’s the simple things – the colors, the smell and the thought that the holidays are coming up soon that really get me in the spirit. Do you realize at this point there’s literally only a couple of months until Thanksgiving? That sort of stresses me out but for the most part I feel really lucky to have such a great family to celebrate it with at home!

Perfect Getaway for this Summer

This post brought to you by Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

Scenic Branson is the perfect summer break destination and what better place to stay than the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. Enjoy being in the midst of all the action by booking your stay at either hotel today!

Long summer weekends are the perfect time to take advantage of the Hiltons of Branson Branson Best Value Vacation Package, which gives you the third night free! This package includes deluxe accommodations at Hiltons of Branson  Convention Center http://www.hiltonsofbranson.co… Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing, two adult and two children’s tickets to the Legends of Kung Fu show at the White House Theater in Branson, MO, two adult and two children’s two-day passes to Silver Dollar City®, a $25 gift card for shopping, and a $25 food credit for Level 2 Steakhouse. On top of all that your third night is free!

Besides the excitement of adventure parks like Silver Dollar City, Branson has ongoing shows and events for everyone’s summer enjoyment, like The Mark Chapman Band - Live in Concert, Shepard Summer Cruise, Branson Mountain Man Triathlon, the 3rd Annual Guns & Hoses Fishing Tournament, Cut Club Dinner Event, and so much more. Visit Explore Branson Site for the complete calendar of events

 

Sibu Beauty Products Review & Giveaway - Winner

I was excited to try Sibu Beauty Products, they have a new line for 2011

 Sea Buckthorn Facial Cleanser

Deep yet gentle cleansing is the foundation of effective facial care at every age. This all-natural balancing facial cleanser gently removes dirt, impurities and make-up while maintaining a healthy balance in your skin without compromising its natural protective nutrients. This lightly exfoliating facial cleanser will leave your face fresh, clean, and perfectly balanced. Your skin will look and feel radiant.

Sea Buckthorn Hydrating Serum

Experience the ultimate in skin hydration. This light, non-oily serum will flood your skin with moisture and help deeply hydrate your face and neck to eliminate that tight, dry feeling caused by dehydration. Natural sea buckthorn oils have proven to improve skin tone and texture, and help brighten complexion and stimulates cell renewal. Infused with vitamins and high in antioxidants, this serum fortifies the skin against the aging process and repairs damage at a cellular level.

Sea Buckthorn Rejuvinating Night Cream

Enhance your skin’s nightly natural repair process with this advanced all-natural renewal formula. Designed to protect your skin’s natural lipid barrier and stimulate your natural skin cell renewal cycle, our sea buckthorn night cream will help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while helping to noticeably reduce the visible sun damage. Wake up with intensely hydrated and replenished skin.


I was worried the hydrating serum was going to make my face greasy but it didn't at all.I felt so good on my skin. None of the products made me break out either.The scent was a nice and refreshing citrus.I love these products and I'm sure you will too. Did I mention they are affordable. Very effective and you won't spend over $100 at the department store! Sibu Beauty offers a variety of products to make you beautiful from the inside out!
The wonderful people at SibuBeauty  are allowing us to give away a pack of these 3 products.Sign up below :)

#1 Penny Auction Site

   There is a new site called dealfun.​com​ It's a penny auction website. A completely new concept to me since it's different from Ebay, at Deal Fun everything is brand new and with a warranty. They were featured in the Daily Herald, MSNBC, and consumereinnews to name a few. 

   So I checked out the site and they have a variety of products like iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Laptops, LED TVs, PS3, Watches, Jewelry, and Toys. You can pick up these items SUPER cheap. I saw a Kindle go for $15. Really? Wow.  Ipads for $40, yeah I'm all over this. Why are they so cheap? They buy up warehouse closeouts and liquidation clearances.

    I was reading a post where they said the customer service there was absolutely fantastic, prompt and courteous. There is also no weekly or monthly win cap so you can big till your little heart's desire and they have a buy it now: If you bid on items and do not win it, you can use the bids towards buying the product. Sounds pretty cool to me.

    They even have Beginners auction (which I am going to try) For starters where you can polish your skills.

Visit dealfun.com for auctions that start a a penny!

     

                      Win Guarantee: If they don't win in the first 24 hours, all their bids are rest.

Brought to you by DealFun but all opinions are my own.

Deal - Super Cheap Disney Books!

Found these Disney books for as little as $2.35! Get them HERE

Deal - $1 off Welch's Coupon

SAVE $1.00

Welch's®

on any TWO (2) Welch's® 64 oz. 100% Grape Juices or 100% Juice Blends
                                                              Download Coupon HERE

Blood Rights ARC Review

Title: Blood Rights (House of Comarré, #1)
Author: Kristen Painter
Pages: 392 (ARC copy)
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: September 27, 2011 

The lacy gold mapped her entire body. A finely-wrought filigree of stars, vines, flowers, butterflies, ancient symbols and words ran from her feet, up her legs, over her narrow waist, spanned her chest and finished down her arms to the tips of her fingers.

Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle’s body bears the telltale marks of a comarré—a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world…and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.

Now Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign.

My Thoughts - The fine ladies at Good Choice Reading allowed me to join their ARC tour for this book. I didn't even read the description, I saw the cover and HAD to review it.  (& some authors think covers don't matter - what ev-) The story is set in the not so distant future, a lot of is in New Florida which I found amusing. It has a hierarchy of vampires along with other mythical creatures and there are a special breed of humans bred for their blood. They're treated like Geishas.

The story heated up for me when Mal and Chrysabelle met. I love my characters flawed and Mal is to the extreme. I have to say he is my favorite although there were a cast of awesome characters. Doc is a shifter who can only turn into a house cat, he's in love with Fiona who happens to be a ghost and was Mal's first victim.

This book was an amazing first book in the series. LOVED IT!! I will own the whole series and I love the fact they are all coming out close together!

 Blood Rights comes out October 1st

Flesh and Blood November 2011

Bad Blood December 2011

A book was provided for my honest review, no other compensation was received

Grilled Lamb Chops and Recipe Hop

   I had the most delicious meal the other night.
My husband grilled lamb chops. They literally melted in my mouth. My husband Marinated them for 3 hours and here is what he used1tsp dry mustard1 tsp Worcesteshire1/4 tsp Paprika1/2 tsp salt2 cloves garlic3 tbsp red wine vinegar5 tbsp olive oilThen he Grilled them until they were medium rare.Now for the hop. link up your delicious recipes stop by everyone's and leave comments :)Also join our Foodie Group (our link up is there all week)

My Coke Rewards for Schools

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of My Coke Rewards for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

  Did you know that you can go to My Coke rewards for schools There, you can register and donate points to your schools to help refresh activities and play. My Coke Rewards for Schools is a great way to bring more play to local schools by letting them redeem points for the things they need like classroom supplies, sports equipment, books, etc.

      July 13 through September 30, Sprite is giving away 25 playgrounds, worth $25,000, to schools and are giving consumers who purchase and enter a code from any package of Sprite/Sprite Zero an entry into the sweepstakes to help their school win. In addition, every three points donated to the school through the Sprite Spark Parks for Schools sweepstakes will give the school additional chances. Any new school that registers will be given a chance to win. So make sure your school is entered!! Rally your friends, neighbors, your children's teacher.... whoever to do the same!

How does it work? Check this out....

How it works for Schools (How to Donate)
• Purchase your favorite participating Coca-Cola product (there are 15 participating brands)
• Enter codes at mycokerewards.com/schools to get points
• Pick your school and donate the number of points you would like to give
• Your school uses the points to get rewards like athletic equipment, classroom supplies and more

How it works for Schools (How to Registration)
• Identify a School Coordinator to manage your school’s account.
• Go to mycokerewards.com/schools and click on “Register Today” to find your school and complete the registration process.
• Once you’ve completed registration, start spreading the word & encourage parents to donate My Coke Rewards points to support your school

Pretty easy huh? & it 's a great opportunity for your school. Yes, I know we homeschool but that doesn't mean I don't care about the schools my girls friends go to. This is an awesome opportunity!

Freebie Alert - Recipe Cookbook

 FaveDiets is giving away a FREE ebook with 25 Healthy and Low Cost Recipes.Sign up HERE        

Happy Shark Week :)

Happy Shark Week! Check out these bites :)

Looking after the elderly

Growing old gracefully is something we all aim to achieve, however the reality of what it is like to grow old is not always a happy experience. That is why it is important for those who are more able to take special care of the elderly and ensure their life is as happy and as long as it should be.
Nursing home or not?

The decision whether to put your loved ones into a nursing home is a particularly difficult one to make. It is dependent on a wide number of things and ultimately it should be a joint decision between yourselves and those who will be living in the home. This is due to the fact that if someone is forced into a home, and they are very unhappy, they are less likely to reach out to those who put them there. Some of the elderly may not have much of a choice in the matter and may be too ill to be cared for at home. For those, a nursing home is the only option as they will have the medical supplies hire that is needed to hire all the equipment for your loved one. If you search for a home together, you are far more likely to make them happy.
Day-to-day care

Some of the smaller details of everyday life becoming increasingly difficult when you are older and not all of these they will be willing to discuss with you. For example incontinence is an issue many of the elderly have to deal with but not something they will appreciate talking about. It may be better for you to bring up awkward subjects such as adult incontinence underwear to help them to understand it is ok to talk about these things.

Outings
It is important to try and make outings possible by working around the issues and accommodating any disability they may have. Sometimes, it is just nice to get out of that surgery seating and into a theater seat or even a park bench to enjoy the sunshine.

Time4mommy Blog Hop 8/2

Welcome to Time 4 Mommy's Tuesday Blog
Hop.






Find Great Blogs to follow and Gain new
followers!

To participate,
Follow your Host ( me- I follow back) - at our new site (hopefully be there next week), leave

your blog link Below, and follow the blogs listed

I can't wait until my contract us up!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

My husband has been with our current cell phone company for about 15 years and every time we want a new phone we have to sign another contract. We are loyal people but it's REALLY starting to eat me up. Shouldn't my loyalty count for something? So I've been looking around to see what else is out there. We will NOT be renewing. Our plan is too high, phones too expensive, AND we have to sign another contract on top of that? Sorry, I don't think so.

Straight talk is looking REALLY good to me (besides, I love their commercials lol) I wouldn't have activation, reactivation, or termination fees. 411 calls are included at no extra charge. We pay $2 now! Grr, someone is getting ripped off.

There are no contracts, no surprise bills and no credit checks. Great nationwide coverage and excellent reception/connectivity.

Finally, Straight Talk only uses trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung. It has everything you need

They even have reconditioned phones are available from $10.00 with camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability. Great for young users! Perfect for when they want to call a friend

• The “All You Need Plan” meets even the needs of heavy phone users with 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB of web data. My husband & I don't use this many minutes TOGETHER!

• Unlimited Monthly service is only $45, and includes calls, text, picture messaging, and web. • Imagine unlimited calls, text, picture messaging and web for a whole year, for only $499.00! Check out Fantasy

Fishing hook, line and sinker

Great New Coupons!

Print soon before they are gone!
Food Coupons

• $0.50 off Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
• $0.75 off any Chex cereal
• $0.75 off Cocoa Puffs cereal
• $1.00 off any 3 General Mills Divisional cereals
• $1.00 off 2 Barber Foods Stuffed Chicken Breast
• $0.50 off Bisquick Baking Mix
• $0.50 off Nature Valley Granola Thins
• $0.75 off Nature Valley Granola Bars
• $0.50 off Fiber One Brownies
• $0.50 off Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
• $1.00 off Pillsbury Sweet Moments
• $0.50 off Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls
• $0.50 off Pillsbury Sweet Rolls
• $0.30 off Pillsbury Refrigerated Grands! Jr.
• $0.40 off Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust
• $0.50 off Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough
• $0.50 off Pillsbury Toaster Strudel
• $1.00 off Frozen Pillsbury Egg Scrambles™
• $1.00 off Romano's Macaroni Grill Frozen Entrée
• $0.50 off Cereal Treat Bars
• $0.75 off any Yoplait Kids products
• $0.75 off Yoplait Light Parfait
• $0.40 off Yoplait Yogurt
• $0.50 off any flavor Yoplait Greek yogurt
• $0.75 off any flavor Yoplait Frozen Smoothie
• $1.00 off Old El Paso Tortilla Stuffers
• $0.80 off Hamburger Helper and Tuna Helper
• $1.00 off Totino's Crisp Crust Party Pizza

Personal Care Products

• $0.75 off any Clear eyes Product
• $0.40 off THREE (3) KLEENEX On-the-Go Tissue Pack
• $2.00 off any AVEENO sun protection product

Suddenly Homeschooling Review and Giveaway - Winner!

Suddenly Homeschooling

If you are one of the millions of parents thinking about homeschooling or have already made the decision to get started, don’t do anything before reading Suddenly Homeschooling — it's a parent’s quick start guide to homeschooling in a hurry.

Suddenly Homeschooling takes on the challenges of today’s lifestyles and the concerns of families who homeschool for new reasons and are busier than ever before.

Using a unique step-by-step approach, the book shows how anyone can begin legally homeschooling in as little as two weeks, plus delivers valuable information for the rest of the year and beyond.

Tackling everything from the non-traditional to the puzzling to the mundane, the book delivers what parents need to get started and offers experienced wisdom and tips. Coverage includes basic topics plus tips for finding resources, organizing the home, juggling work and other duties, scheduling lessons and much more. Experienced homeschoolers will like the advanced coverage about teachable moments, styles and intelligences, help and support, plus the comprehensive glossary of homeschooling terms.

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is an educational guru, habitual writer and compulsively organized  homeschooler. As an advisor and coach for homeschooling families all around the country, she uses her teaching, writing, workshops and discussion groups to encourage and empower parents who are raising the next generation of scholars.

Growing up in the northeast and earning advanced ivy-league degrees never prepared Marie-Claire for the realities of government schooling her own children. After heading south, she began homeschooling her children from birth and hasn’t looked back a day since.

As the founder and major contributor to a variety of homeschooling groups and web sites, she also publishes online at Examiner and at her new location, Quick Start Homeschool.

Mandie's Thoughts - I've been a long time follower of Dr. Moreau's Quick Start Homeschool blog and I was extremely giddy to be able to review her book. Dr. Moreau starts with several different scenarios as to why someone would homeschool. I was quite impressed with this because sometimes I forget why others choose to do it. 

    Then she sets up a 14 day programs for you. Now I have been homeschooling in some fashion since my children were two and I can honestly say there was so much information that I could use. She has suggestions as to how to school multiple children, how to schedule, record keeping, and so much more. She even includes charts to assist you.

    This is the PERFECT book for those who find themselves suddenly homeschooling or for established homeschooling families who would like to reorganize.


Dr. Moreau is allowing us to giveaway a copy of Suddenly Homeschooling!



A copy of the book was received for review for my honest opinion, no other compensation was received.