P2P

Princess Party

I took the kids to a birthday party this afternoon. And normally that wouldn’t be blogworthy. But this party was serious. They had a dress-code, red carpet, crafts, games, decorations, cookies, M&M’s in glass slippers, goodies, princess cake. And all hand-made. Well, everything I never do. But seriously, look at this wall decoration which makes it look like a princess ball room! It was so cute!

Fountain of Youth

Unfortunately I was not blessed with the best skin ever. My hands, legs and feet get dry regularly. I have two prescription lotions that leave my face both oily and dry. I’m familiar with skin problems.

I’ve been using Dermalastyl for a week now, putting it on only one hand and one side of my neck a few times a day to see if I could tell a difference.

I left the test up to Mom and Heather, randomly putting my hands out the other night and asking which one looks better and/or feels better. Both agreed in the end, my left hand felt softer and more moisturized and even looked smoother. I think they were both surprised at the results.

According to the website:

Other ‘anti-aging’ products rely heavily on the connection between peptides and collagen. Peptides are said to “reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles” by stimulating collagen production in the skin. Those peptides rely on just six amino acids as their principal components.

Think of collagen as a kind of rope, strong but very stiff. Elastin acts as a rubber band, firmly pulling these stiff ropes of collagen fiber together.

DermaLastyl-β contains the same collagen stimulating peptides as the Botox alternatives, and also contains Tropoelastin. This unique ingredient has over 600 amino acids – 100 times more than the other products on the market today. So, not only do you get the amazing benefits of the first and only anti-aging product to reverse loose skin and wrinkles, but you get the added benefit of increased collagen production as well.

I’ve been really happy with the results.   The lotion is nice and creamy with no greasy feeling afterwards.  There is no weird scent.  And your skin is left feeling REALLY moisturized for hours, not minutes.  I would highly recommend the DermaLastyl to those who suffer from dry skin like me.

Getting organized

Heather is good at organization. I. am not. I think it makes her happy to buy something that helps her organize something. I do too but the difference? She actually uses it. Me? I buy it and then never get around to using it OR I think about it but never buy it.

Take our File folders and filing system. I have folders and a filing cabinet but you know where all my papers from the past year are? Now get this…in the kids’ wagon in the garage. I’m too lazy to actually put them IN the filing cabinet that we store in the garage. It’s much easier to just add it to the pile. I know, it’s bad.

With “big school” coming up, I really need to get on the ball though. Between all the homework, activities, papers, bookbags, lunch boxes, jackets and such I’m going to be a total wreck.  I think I could at least start out labeling things with a label maker.  Not that I have one but you know, it’s the thought that counts right?  I could label all her items so it’s easy for someone to get her her stuff and she’s not confused about her stuff and therefore one less thing *I* have to worry about.

SocialSpark

I’ve been hearing about it for months but now SocialSpark is in invite-only Alpha. And lucky me, I got an invite! SocialSpark is a spin-off I guess you could say of PayPerPost, the wildly popular, uh, pay per post site. For those of you who have been around for awhile, you may remember that I got involved in paid posts last fall in an attempt to help pay down our van. I got involved right in time and I was doing posts left and right and racking up some major extra bucks. Well, all that got built up and used for both of my children’s birthday and then Christmas. Really, paid posts saved us from months of paying high interest rates on our credit card. Yeah, we should plan better for the end of the year but we didn’t and it really helped us.

I find paid posts a little annoying to read on other’s blogs and usually I find the content I am asked to write about a little annoying but I find the payoff on both ends worth the endeavor. It’s easy for the reader to scroll a few more times and it only takes a few minutes to write one up so I actually have recommended the paid posts route to several people as extra income.

SocialSpark is paid posts but even better they say. The ability to connect with other bloggers and advertisers is now built-in and is supposed to enhance the entire paid post experience. I’ve done some initial digging and while the site seems to be a little cumbersome at first, I think all the initial work you have to do will in the end pay off for both the publisher and advertiser.

Win a Home Makeover

Renuzit TriScents is holding a makeover contest called Transform Your Home where you could win $20,000 to makeover a room in your home. I’ve been thinking about which room I might makeover with $20,000 and I literally could do any one of my rooms. I would love a custom bedroom and bathroom.  The girls really need a new bedroom suite.  The playroom could use some organization.  My living room just isn’t “done” and I’d love a great entertainment system.  My office, well, it just needs help.  The dining room is probably the closest thing to being done.

But the kitchen stands out. I’m not sure $20,000 would cover what I’d like to do but I sure would like new cabinets, countertops and floors as well as new appliances. Yes, we got a new refrigerator recently but a new stove and dishwasher that matched would be great.  And only a few weeks and hopefully the floors can be checked off the list but it certainly doesn’t complete a room.  On top of that, an island and new lighting would be nice. Right now all we have is one light above the sink and then a small light and fan. The lighting is horrible right now and putting recessed lighting in would be a must. To top of the space, I’d like a new backsplash, curtains and pictures as well as some really cool decorating accents.

If you’d like to quality, submissions are only eligible if they meet all of the following criteria: (1) upload video or a photo and essay (2) Explain and demonstrate why your home needs a makeover (3) Explain how Renuzit TriScents can help you.

Help protect against identity theft

A few years back I had a credit card number stolen and very quickly had a few thousand dollars put on it. While the credit card company was more than willing to help me out, it still wasn’t a fun process. There is now a company called lifelock that helps guard against identity theft. They proactively help protect your name and guarantee they’ll spend $1,000,000 to help you recover it if it’s stolen.

Here are a few things they do for you:

• Stop free credit card offers
• Get free fraud alerts set up
• Make it easy to call them if you lose your wallet
• Help recover your identity

Digital Photo Frames

I think everyone in my family got a fancy-dancy digital photo frame for Christmas but me. How come all the grandparents got one and I have 6,000 pictures and no digital picture frame? Something doesn’t seem right. Oh, that’s right, they are looking at all the 6,000 pictures I took. Family, are you taking note that I want a digital photo frame? You know, got that birthday coming in July…something about turning 30…some sort of anniversary…something about 10 years…maybe Christmas…that’s a good holiday for gifts.

Seriously though, my mom really does have one and Lexi absolutely loves looking at it.  She’ll be passing by their library where it is and just stop and stare.  Since I haven’t gotten a picture printed in over 3 years, I’m thinking it’s the perfect thing for me.  You know, for a gift from a family member maybe…

Orlando Accomodations

One place we really need to plan on going soon is Disney. In fact, just the other night we were at my mother-in-law’s house and Lexi saw a commercial for it and Lexi was oohing and aahing and holding her hands in the air saying she wanted to go there. We’ve always said we’d wait until the kids could walk on their own but I’m afraid if we wait too much longer, Emma is going to be a little too old to really be wowed by the Princesses. I think we may plan on going next year sometime.

And of course if we go, we’re going to have to think about where to stay. I just read that the Lake Buena Vista Hotels is located close to all the Orlando attractions & convention center. In fact, the 2008 American Urological Association Annual Meeting is going to be held at the convention center which is conveniently located at the entrance to the Downtown Disney® Resort Area, and one of the premier Lake Buena Vista hotels that offers the perfect location for vacationing families and business travelers.

The last time we went we rented a house which was nice but it was twenty minutes away and just cut into any park time we had. It was good for a big group but if possible, I’d like to stay closer to the park this time around.

University With Leading Co-Op Program

When I was in high school, I worked with my local high school representative to start with a new internship program they were doing. I worked at a real estate while in high school doing odds and ends for a local and successful realtor. That lasted through my first year in college. That job led to me getting an internship as a programmer-in-training I guess you could say at a local manufacturing company through the last three years of school. I’m completely convinced I would have never had a job waiting on me when I graduated college had I not had that.

Kettering University has a class leading engineering co-op programs and place students in companies in their freshman year and rotate them between school and their co-op job alternating every 3 months to gain practical experience from the beginning of their Kettering education.

US News and World Report ranked Kettering University as “the #1 University in the nation for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering” in its annual “America’s Best Colleges Guide for 2008″. I can see why with practical experience the University would turn out students who were so successful. I was no major in industrial engineering but I can tell you even in computer science, I think my internship was invaluable.

Wanna Win a Wii?

Have you joined the Wii cult yet? I keep hearing over and over how awesome those things are. In fact, my dad was talking about getting a PlayStation for his new media room and jumped at the opportunity to switch him to Wii! There’s currently a giveaway for a Wii which would be even better!

The winner will receive a Nintendo Wii Console, Wii Stand, 5 Sports games ( Boxing, Baseball, Tennis, Golf and bowling), 1 Remote Controller, 1 Nunchuk Controller, 1 Sensor Bar, 1 Wii AC Adapter, 1 Wii AV Cable.

You can also bid on receiving Charter High-Speed® Internet for Life. Registration for bidding on the Charter High-Speed® Internet for Life offer will require that you enter your zip code to make sure you are in a Charter serviceable area.

Click Here for a Chance to Win a Nintendo® Wii™!

Weight Loss

I’ve noticed people are starting to take some more aggressive steps to lose weight. Jaynee has been discussing the group she is in which requires pills, reduced calories and lots of journalling that she has taken upon herself. I think she’s lost a little over 10 lbs so far. Another youth worker at my church has been put on some type of pill by her doctor. She’s lost 20 lbs so far. A lady at my church had the staple surgery a few weeks ago and she’s down 30lbs already. I’ve not heard of anyone taking Alli but I’ve seen the displays in Target and such.  I’m still on the fence about such tactics to lose weight.  Honestly, it really scared me when that lady at church got the surgery done.  She now has to manage that for the rest of her life.  I guess she is seeing results and if she’s up to the task of living with it, then I’m certainly in no position to knock her for it.

HDTV

We have yet to buy a new HDTV. We have just had too many other things of high priority to take care of before getting a new tv. But honestly, I think ours is slowly going out. As it is, it cuts out sometimes and seems to be taking longer to turn on. I’m guessing we’re going to need to invest in a new TV in the next year or so. With Scott’s settlement money we may be able to budget for that. But then with that comes all the other fun stuff to buy like paying extra for the HD channels and HDMI splitters .

On the posters

I can remember when I was a tweener fighting with my mom about putting posters up on my wall. Yes, Mom, I can see now why you may not want NKOTB and Alyssa Milano plastered on your walls, but I think putting up celebrity and original movie posters is just a part of being a teenager. Who knows what I’ll say when Emma and Lexi get to that age.

Insurance for your child

Recently with my job switch, I finally got to my 90 days and now am eligible for several new benefits. One of which was children insurance–life, that is.  In the end, I opted not to take it but I’m not sure that was the wisest thing to do.  If something were to ever happen to them, practically speaking, it would be nice to have something to cover the costs.

Mesothelioma Help

Mesothelioma is an asbestos-caused cancer of the serous membranes that surround many of the body’s vital organs. These membranes, known as mesothelium, secrete a lubricating fluid that provide an easy movement of the organs within the body.

If you or someone you know suffers from this any type of mesothelioma, this site offers a wide array information including symptoms, diagnosis, disease information, support, and clinical trial information