Embracing a Healthy Family

Kohl's Deal of the Day: Fisher-Price® Aquarium Take-Along Swing™




Kohls has the Fisher-Price® Aquarium Take-Along Swing™ as the deal of the day. Normally priced at $64.99 but it's on sale for $39.99. My daughter LOVED this and so did we.

  • An aquatic adventure. Your little one will love the sights and sounds of this Fisher-Price Take-Along Swing.
  • Swinging motion with eight speeds promotes comfort and relaxation.
  • Deep cradle seat provides necessary support.
  • Colorful aquarium tank with moving fish soothes and entertains.
  • Classical music and aquatic sound effects develop auditory skills.
  • Baby- or Mom-activated lights stimulate baby's visual sense.
  • Hanging sea creatures encourage hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
  • Extra tall handle gives you easy access to baby.
  • Compact design lets you bring the swing everywhere you go.
  • Nonslip feet securely hold swing in place.
  • Machine-washable seat pad ensures convenient cleaning.
Details:
  • Online exclusive
  • 23"H x 18 1/2"W x 23 1/2"D
  • From birth to 25 lbs.
  • Requires 4 "C" batteries (not included)
  • Some assembly required
Model no. J0418
Certain promotions and price discounts may not apply to this Web-exclusive item.


Youthful Tips

Cherry Blossom Wedding Ideas on a Budget

My sister was married this past July in my backyard.  The yard is big and gorgeous as it looks like a mini park.  We put up decorations and planted flowers.  I wanted to make it a special occasion so I created keepsakes from Zazzle.  This was a wedding on a budget so we looked for many ways to cut corners.

The first thing I made were magnets:

After still trying to decide which theme to keep, I made some stickers just for fun:

I made a matching bag to hold all of the things I made her:
Lastly, I made the invitations to coordinate with the rest of the items:




Even though no one other than our immediate family was able to attend since they were visiting from Indiana and we lived in Georgia, it was a nice event.  My husband was in Iraq so he missed out as well. 

I would have loved to have made the cake but I'm not that talented.  I was able to have a very nice retired Army spouse make a beautiful cake:



I also saved money by acting as the official photographer.



Youthful Tips

Sunday Cupcake Decorating

Yesterday, we made cupcakes in preparation for trying to master our decorating before Halloween for our big party!  This time, I baked the cupcakes and let her have free reign in icing and decorating.


She really loved having this opportunity to use all the sprinkles and other candy to make her own creations.  I like using picnik.com to add adornments and special frames to each picture.  picnik.com is free for basic features and is low cost if you want some of the premium features. 

One word of caution if you try to create a collage and use it via another website to order prints, be careful as the quality can come back poor if you started with not so great quality pictures.  I've used Zazzle to order prints which have always been top of the line.
Last year, we ordered the invitations from a seller on Ebay but for circumstances beyond our control, we had to cancel the party but I ordered them to occur either on a Saturday for 2008 or Sunday for 2009 just in case.  I'll scan and include an image as they are great!

Above is a sample of her creations!  She made many more and everyone, except me, is enjoying them!  I'm still on the Quick Weight Loss Center diet (for my review progress, look to the sidebar widget).

Special hello to her Granny in Australia!

Youthful Tips

Great Tech Savings


Sony S-AIRPLAY AIR-SA20PK Wireless iPod Dock - S-AIRPLAY, 2 Receivers/Speakers, AM/FM Tuner, Volume Control, LCD Display, Remote Control at CircuitCity.com.


Originally $399.99
Instant savings $210.00
Rebate $40.00
Final price: $149.99

More details here.


Staples 8-Sheet Cross-Cut Shredder


$29.99 after instant $20 coupon and $20 rebate.


More details here.
Dell Wasabi PZ310 Black Mobile Photo Printer [Included in Price]


$29 after instant $120 savings at Dell.com.

Dell Home has this Wasabi PZ310 printer for $29. It features ZINK technology, which means that the printer requires ZINK paper and no ink. It prints borderless, 2-inch x 3-inch peel-and-stick images. Free shipping.

Expires: 9/10/2009

More details here.

Penpower Tooya Pro USB Graphics Tablet - Not only a tablet but also serves as a mouse pad, providing the best graphic performance for your professional design!


$59.99 after $40 rebate and free shipping at Buy.com.

More details here.

Brother PT-1230PC Thermal Label Printer Connectable Label Maker


$15.99 after instant $30 rebate + free shipping at Buy.com.

More details here.





Youthful Tips

Coupon Giveaway


I have a ton of coupons that I will not use and I figured I'd just give them away.  Some expire on 9/30 so I want to make sure I give them away before 9/15.  I'm still going through all the one's I have so the pile will grow.

If interested, please leave a comment.  If I get multiple comments, I'll use random.org to pick one person.

The coupons range from baby products to animal products to normal grocery, health and beauty products.  Coupons are from Smart Source, Red Plum and various manufacturers.

Youthful Tips

New Wii Games & Trading In Old Games


Guitar Hero 5 was released last week and if you find that it's a fun family game like we do, you probably are interested in buying it.  Amazon has listed that if you buy the whole package, there is a new "improved" guitar but you can buy the stand alone verison too.  It's only getting a a three out of five stars from 10 reviewers.
Here is what one reviewer wrote:

Pros:



1. Party Mode is a blast, you enter into it.. no failing, just jamming.. Songs come to you randomly and people can jump in and out as they please, any set up you want.. 4 singers, sure.. 3 guitarists and a drummer.. fine. The thing I maybe like best about it though, is if no one is playing at all.. it still cranks the music over your surround sound.. very nice touch.

2. The set list is great, very diverse and very fun. Importing your downloads from World tour is a bonus, downloading songs off of World Tours disk(and Smash Hits to come later) is even better. Some of my early favorite tracks or artists: Judith, Deadbolt, American Girl, Band of Horses, Children of Bodom, What I got, Spirit of the Radio and King Crimson.. plus many many more.

3. The career mode is better, yet a lot more simple.. no longer are you trying to collect money, there is a challenge for each and every song.. Hit 300 kicks on Blue Orchid, 250 snares on They Say, these types of challenges made me want to play these songs, even though they were easier drum songs.. and it was fun to achieve the challenge.. I even played guitar and bass, to get complete some of the challenges, which is something I haven't done for awhile now.. as I had become all about the drums, until now.

4. The little things, the change of the drum set up(if you're like me, and use the Rock Band 2 drums, you'll know what I mean) The cymbals are mapped to what they are supposed to be now.. and that adds a lot of fun to the drums.. The menus are easy to navigate through, everything seems very seamless, which is very welcome if you've ever played World Tour. Picking and sticking with your own band is also very cool in quickplay.. unlike Rock Band 2 where your characters always change at random(unless you're in the tour) here you can select your band.. and they stay.. very cool small touch.

5. Many more, but I'll just end this by saying.. for the first time in a long time, I didn't want to go right back to Rock Band 2.. which means this game certainly is worth a pick up. Even by those that are Rock Band 2(only) enthusiasts.

Cons:

1. I noticed this quickly.. its not as easy to pick the song you want to select as it should be.. yes, there is a sort function, and a lot of nice ones(drum intensity, or guitar, vocalist or bass intensity. Along with the normal genre and by band sort) but the problem is.. you have to hold down yellow to quickly get down the page, and it just doesn't work.. there is no way to look at each genre and select from there, so that was a disappointment.. Also, say you are trying to test yourself.. so you play Demons on drums.. you pass it.. you want to try the next one in line.. well, you start all the way back at the top again, and have to go through all of the songs(145 on my game with all the imports), so that's a little discouraging. Not a deal breaker, but.. a small pain.


2. The avatar integration is a little silly.. they just don't blend on screen.. sore thumb is an understatement(unless you have your whole band as avatars, then I guess it could be cool) .



Here are some of the other new releases:

New Wii Releases




I had no idea that Amazon offers trade in's for your old games. You don't get much but it's better than them just sitting around to the point where you can't even sell them for $1.00 at a garage sale.

My daughter's favorites are the Sports games which is nice since it does require her to expend a little energy!




Youthful Tips

New Giveaway Customized Zazzle Kids Birthday Invitations

Congratulations suziethomas@yahoo.com!
I'll send an e-mail and you have 48 hours to respond.  If no response, a new winner will be selected.
Thanks to everyone who participated!
I have been using Zazzle for many of my personalized photo gifts throughout the year to include invitations. I love Zazzle as their are so many products to choose from and many possibilities to customize to fit any need.



I have ordered items that range from posters to shirts to invitations and have never been disappointed. The biggest con that Zazzle has are the shipping costs so I usually wait until they will offer free shipping or reduced shipping.


Zazzle also has a money back guarantee on any product you buy which is a bonus.



We all proudly wore our customized Welcome Home shirts when my husband returned from Iraq this week. My daughter wears her customized horse shirts and they do handle wear and tear nicely. I would strongly recommend Zazzle.



The giveaway consists of 20 customized invitations as noted above. You pick the style and provide the wording. It's that easy!



To enter:
  1. Leave a comment as to which invitation you like the most.
Extra entries (leave a comment for each extra entry you completed):
  1. Follow my blog.
  2. Follow me on Twitter.
  3. Blog about this giveaway on your own blog.
A winner will be chosen September 5, 2009 via random.org.

White Sand's Porosity Giveaway: Winners Announced


Congratulations to the four winners! 

Whitesands sent me four instead of the five but I'm still very appreciative of their sponsorship of this great giveaway so thank you!!! 

For the winners, please send Whitesands an e-mail thanking them for the opportunity.  I will be sending e-mails within 48 hours. If you don't respond, I'll repick another person.

Thanks to all those that submitted that participated!






White Sands is sponsoring a giveaway to four lucky readers! Haven't tried Porosity the Fix? Read my previous blog on how I love this product and can't live without it since I have color treated, curly hair.

"Everyone wants healthy, flawless hair. Porosity the Fix gives tresses this exact appearance. White Sands and Fernando Salas call Porosity make-up for hair. If you color or bleach regularly, then you know the hair encompasses variations of dryness and texture. Porosity acts as your coveted foundation and concealer to temporarily fill in the blemishes found in each strand, creating the impression of illuminating, flawless tresses."

To Enter:

Visit White Sands and tell me what other product you are interested in trying.

Bonus Entries:

1. Follow my blog.

2. Blog about the giveaway and leave me the link.

3. Follow me on Twitter

Open to US.

Giveaway ends September 5, 2009 at 10:00 pm EST.

Winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to reply back before a new winner is selected.

Please remember to leave your email if it is not attached to your profile so I can contact you if you win.

Thanks for entering!

Medical Alerts Necessary for Children with Chronic Conditions

Within two week's of each other, our two and six year old were diagnosed with asthma/allergy/unknown pulmonary issues and epilepsy, respectively.  This was in 2008 so we have had a lot to deal with in a short amount of time especially when it involves two children.

The six year requires twice a day medication for her epilepsy and the two year old receives twice a day Flovent and once a day Singulair for asthma and allergies. Both also require us to carry around rescue medications. 

We've had numerous hospitalizations and one near death experience with the two year old intubated for over a week and in the hospital for two weeks with and no known reason why she crashed so hard by numerous experts.

Since this time, I've learned a few things about how necessary it is to have records of visits, hospitalizations, procedures, diagnosis, medications and so forth.  I created a folder and indexed it by the date so I could easily pull out the medical records for the doctors. 

Being that we are Army, we are required to utilize those facilities and we just happen to be in one location where they are inadequate for providing services to children so our children are referred to a local children's hospital (which is a pain in itself to get referrals and I won't even discuss my nightmare over cervical cancer and the government's health care program). 

Given that, they have been to a couple of different places which makes understanding the medical history harder.   The folder really seemed to help the doctors with each hospitalization so I continue to build on this.  I even created one for my elderly father who seems to be a little on the forgetful side.

I was very excited to see that American Medical ID now has a USB e*MedTAG that easily stores all this information so the doctors can just download.  They also have a dog tag version coming out soon.

Portable personal health file contained on a compact, easy to carry USB thumb drive.

An ideal companion to a Medical ID bracelet or necklace, e•MedTAG offers extra space for medical details not engraved on the ID. Use e•MedTAG to better organize and easily access your medical information. Pre-loaded forms make it simple to set up and update. No CDs or online installation is required.

It's so portable you can even put it in your glove box, purse, briefcase or backpack.

  • Doctor Visits
  • Pharmacy Consults
  • While Traveling
  • In an Emergency



I have bought two types of medical IDs for the six year old in school. I bought the necklace version at first but worried about it getting caught on playground equipment. I then switched to the sports bracelet since it's appealing to kids. American Medical ID has very nice products to choose from and specials if you buy more than one.

The necklace choice for kids allow for them to show some style but also allows them to have a choice which means a lot for some.  They have versions for boys and girls and you can select the chain length.

They have hundreds to choose from, free personalized engraving, an online medical registry available 24/7, no membership fees, a free engraving warranty and the option to receive helpful medical updates via e-mail.












Youthful Tips

Our Day at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC


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We decided to go to the Columbia, SC Zoo today since we hadn't done anything special with the girls since my husband returned from Iraq.  The zoo is small yet very nice.  One of the things I like the most is that everyone is so polite and nice and you get to get up close to many of the animals.





Back to the zoo .... the girls had a great time feeding the giraffes, riding sculpture animals, seeing all the animals and riding the ponies.  I can't think of a better time than to see the shear joy on children's faces!  



Youthful Tips

Great Labor Day Sales & More




* will be listing more ... time for a fun filled day to the zoo!


Youthful Tips

Families of Deployed US Military Soldiers: Free Portrait


PMDA has been in the photo imaging business since they were founded in 1939.  They're a network of photographers who have agreed to donate time during the month of September to provide a free portrait for loved ones serving overseas this holiday season.

The photos will be uploaded to a website so families can send to their soldier for free. 

This is all you have to do:

Photographers will begin taking photographs on September 2nd.


Here's all you have to do to have your 5"x7" portrait sent:

1.Click below to find a listing of participating photographers in your area.

2.Call or e-mail the photographer (or military base) to set up an appointment. (You will need to present a valid military ID in order to participate in this program - please follow the specific instructions for military base sign-ups)

3.Have your portrait taken (starting September 2nd) - the photographer will then upload this portrait to their SeeHere.com web album.

4.The photographer will give you a card that will provide instructions on how to locate and order the image you want to send to your soldier.

5.You will also get a coupon to receive a duplicate print for yourself for free (compliments of Fujifilm).

Find a participating studio here.





Youthful Tips
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