I got my Powerocks Magicstick last week and tried it out this weekend. We had a power outage Saturday morning for several hours, and I was thinking it would be the perfect time to try the Magicstick. By the time I needed to charge my phone, we had power again, so I didn't actually have a need to use it, but I used the Magicstick anyway just to see how it worked. And it worked great.
It charges as fast as a standard wall charger in an electrical outlet, and it holds enough power to charge my Samsung Galaxy S4 once. But that's enough. Many smartphones can get up to 2 full charges. If the power's out or you're out somewhere with no outlets, one of these could make all the difference! My son really could have used one of these last week when his car wouldn't start and his phone battery just happened to be dead at the same time. Thankfully he was in a McDonald's parking lot and not out in the middle of nowhere.
The Magicstick is the perfect size for any pocket, purse, or backpack. Never get stuck with a dead phone or other mobile device again! The Magicstick can be used to charge not only your smartphone but other digital devices as well, such as Bluetooth headsets, cameras, GPS, e-readers, and more. Pressing the button on the end of the Magicstick lets you know exactly how much charge is available - blue for a full charge, green for a partial charge, and red to let you know it needs charged back up again. Simply plug it into your phone's charger or any powered USB port to charge. It comes with a USB cable and drawstring carry case and features a smooth, brushed aluminum finish available in a variety of colors. I got a black one, and have a silver one to give away, but there are some really fun colors, too such as red, purple, pink, and green.
I plan to carry this handy little thing with me from now on, so I'll never have to worry about getting stuck with a dead phone. Or a dead Kindle. I don't think it can completely charge the Kindle, but I bet it could let me at least finish my chapter - and we all know how important that is.
The Powerocks Magicstick sells for $49.99, but use promo code Powerblog20 and get 20% off. Be sure to check out the rest of the Powerocks products for all your charging needs, too! Shipping is always free.
Giveaway - if you'd like to win your own Powerocks Magicstick, leave me a comment letting me a know a time when you really could have used one of these. Contest is open to U.S. Residents, and entries must be received by 11:59pm Eastern time on January 3, 2014. Winner will be contacted by email, so make sure I have your email address. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received two Powerocks Magicstick chargers, one for review and one to give away. All opinions are mine.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Review and Giveaway: Powerocks Magicstick
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
12/23/2013 09:12:00 PM
Review and Giveaway: Powerocks Magicstick
2013-12-23T21:12:00-06:00
bcmomtoo
cell phone|giveaway|review|technology|
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Labels:
cell phone,
giveaway,
review,
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Thursday, December 19, 2013
The Perfect Gift
What exactly is the perfect gift? According to the commercials it has to be a Chia Pet. Or the Ove Glove. Or maybe it's the Clapper or the Pogo Whisk. Seriously? Are those really the perfect gifts for anybody? My husband says that they're still selling them, so somebody must be buying them.
I'm guessing most people would rather get something like an iPad Air, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, or a nice Samsung Galaxy S4. U.S. Cellular customers can even get some of those phones for 5000 Belief points through the end of December, so now is definitely the time to think about getting a new phone if you or someone in your family is eligible for an upgrade. Belief points can be used to accelerate that upgrade, too.
There are also plenty of accessories like phone cases, headphones, car chargers, Bluetooth speakers and headsets, etc. that would most likely be appreciated more than that Hello Kitty Chia Pet. I'm thinking of getting some of those Bluetooth speakers myself. Accessory prices start under $25.
A tablet or smartphone has to be more useful for creating Better Moments and for keeping families in touch. Sometimes it's as simple as using Instagram or Facebook to upload pictures of the food and desserts we'll share when we get together. That's one I'm quite guilty of! Then, of course, I have people asking for the recipes and wishing they could be joining us. Speaking of recipes, Pinterest is a great app to have for storing all those amazing recipes from all over the web! You can never have too many recipes, now can you? That Chia herb garden might come in handy for recipes, but I'm still thinking smartphone.
What I like about having a mobile device like my smartphone, is that it's so easy to capture and share even the little things - pictures with Instagram, videos with Vine... OK, so I haven't actually shared any videos with Vine, or Instagram, mostly because I usually forget that I have video on my phone. Just being able to share the pictures (and video when I remember) is a good way to keep in touch with friends and family, even if we don't get to see each other all that often.
So, be honest - have you ever bought somebody one of those 'perfect gifts' from the commercials? Or received one of them? Is there some other crazy 'perfect gift' idea I haven't mentioned here? Am I crazy to think anyone would rather get a smartphone full of useful apps and/or some accessories than The Clapper or one of the many Chia Pets?
Disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade as well as receiving a new phone. My experiences with and opinions of U.S. Cellular are 100% mine. Disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade as well as receiving a new phone. My experiences with and opinions of
I'm guessing most people would rather get something like an iPad Air, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, or a nice Samsung Galaxy S4. U.S. Cellular customers can even get some of those phones for 5000 Belief points through the end of December, so now is definitely the time to think about getting a new phone if you or someone in your family is eligible for an upgrade. Belief points can be used to accelerate that upgrade, too.
There are also plenty of accessories like phone cases, headphones, car chargers, Bluetooth speakers and headsets, etc. that would most likely be appreciated more than that Hello Kitty Chia Pet. I'm thinking of getting some of those Bluetooth speakers myself. Accessory prices start under $25.
A tablet or smartphone has to be more useful for creating Better Moments and for keeping families in touch. Sometimes it's as simple as using Instagram or Facebook to upload pictures of the food and desserts we'll share when we get together. That's one I'm quite guilty of! Then, of course, I have people asking for the recipes and wishing they could be joining us. Speaking of recipes, Pinterest is a great app to have for storing all those amazing recipes from all over the web! You can never have too many recipes, now can you? That Chia herb garden might come in handy for recipes, but I'm still thinking smartphone.
What I like about having a mobile device like my smartphone, is that it's so easy to capture and share even the little things - pictures with Instagram, videos with Vine... OK, so I haven't actually shared any videos with Vine, or Instagram, mostly because I usually forget that I have video on my phone. Just being able to share the pictures (and video when I remember) is a good way to keep in touch with friends and family, even if we don't get to see each other all that often.
So, be honest - have you ever bought somebody one of those 'perfect gifts' from the commercials? Or received one of them? Is there some other crazy 'perfect gift' idea I haven't mentioned here? Am I crazy to think anyone would rather get a smartphone full of useful apps and/or some accessories than The Clapper or one of the many Chia Pets?
Disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade as well as receiving a new phone. My experiences with and opinions of U.S. Cellular are 100% mine. Disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade as well as receiving a new phone. My experiences with and opinions of
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
12/19/2013 07:12:00 PM
The Perfect Gift
2013-12-19T19:12:00-06:00
bcmomtoo
12/13|cell phone|gifts|
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12/13,
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Tuesday, December 17, 2013
A Prime Gift Idea
Give the gift of Prime |
It's that time of year - the time when everybody is scrambling to find that perfect gift for everyone on their list. I'll be honest with you. I am extremely thankful that I don't have to get all caught up in that! Shopping is just not my thing, and to have someone tell me that I must buy something for everyone, and I must have it all done by a certain time would just make me crazy. I'd probably curl up in a corner with no idea how to even get started, let alone get it all done.
That being said, here's a gift idea even I could get behind - a gift of Amazon Prime. First of all, this is a gift you can buy, and send (Amazon will send your gift recipient an email on the day you choose, along with redemption instructions) without ever leaving the comfort of your own home or having to fight the crowds. Second, it's a gift that would definitely be useful.
Prime includes:
- FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of items
- No minimum order size
- Unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Instant Video
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library
The gift of Prime is $79 for a one-year membership. If your recipient is already a Prime member, the gift can be exchanged for an Amazon.com Gift Card. Either way, something everyone can appreciate.
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
12/17/2013 12:26:00 PM
A Prime Gift Idea
2013-12-17T12:26:00-06:00
bcmomtoo
affiliate|gifts|shopping|
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Sunday, December 15, 2013
Absolutely Brilliant
As you know, we moved this summer. We had a crew of movers come in and pack all of our stuff, load it onto a big truck, and then deliver it all to our new house a few days later.
Part of the job was labeling all the boxes they packed - we we'd have at least an idea where each box needed to go in the house, and what was in it. There's one particular box that makes me smile every time I see it. (Yes, it's still packed up and stored in the attic now.)
This particular box holds Beth's Karaoke machine. The label reads - "Singing Machine"
Which I think is absolutely brilliant, because who can really be expected to spell Karaoke anyway? (I looked it up.) But we definitely know what's in the box!
Part of the job was labeling all the boxes they packed - we we'd have at least an idea where each box needed to go in the house, and what was in it. There's one particular box that makes me smile every time I see it. (Yes, it's still packed up and stored in the attic now.)
This particular box holds Beth's Karaoke machine. The label reads - "Singing Machine"
Which I think is absolutely brilliant, because who can really be expected to spell Karaoke anyway? (I looked it up.) But we definitely know what's in the box!
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
12/15/2013 08:51:00 PM
Absolutely Brilliant
2013-12-15T20:51:00-06:00
bcmomtoo
fun|moving|
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Thursday, December 12, 2013
Make Your Own LEGO Minifigure Holiday Card
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LEGO for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
One of our favorite toys growing up was LEGO. We spent hours building with that stuff! So, of course, when I had kids of my own, they had to have LEGO, too. Cory especially enjoyed it and really loved the Bionicle sets. He collected a lot of those and used to make the most amazing things.
Here's something amazing we can all make with LEGO - our own family! Well, our own virtual LEGO Minifigure Family, that is. You get to create a customized holiday card featuring Minifigure representations of your own family and share it with anyone you want. It's really quite fun. And easy.
Here's one I made - the family Thanksgiving card we didn't send (because I didn't know about this then):
You can add up to 13 family members and customize each one with skin tone, facial expression, hair and hats, and outfits. I just added the four of us - Jeffrey, me, Beth, and Cory - and made the kids be kids again, even if they are all grown up now. I don't know that any of us really look like us, and none of the clothing choices really looked like something we would wear in real life, but it was fun choosing. Now that I think about it, I should have had us all dress in matching outfits! Or the guys could match and the girls could match. Or you can just let the Minifigure Family creator choose random outfits for everybody. I did that for a bit just to see the crazy things it came up with! However you choose to do it, it will be fun.
Once you have all your family members added and dressed, there are several backgrounds to chooose from, and then you just click and drag each family member to position them in the scene wherever you want them. Then simply choose your message, and you're ready to share It. You can download your card, which is what I did, share the link, send it via email, or share with Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. Yeah, I did that too - pinned it to my 'fun stuff' board on Pinterest.
So be sure to check it out and create your own LEGO Minifigure Family.
One of our favorite toys growing up was LEGO. We spent hours building with that stuff! So, of course, when I had kids of my own, they had to have LEGO, too. Cory especially enjoyed it and really loved the Bionicle sets. He collected a lot of those and used to make the most amazing things.
Here's something amazing we can all make with LEGO - our own family! Well, our own virtual LEGO Minifigure Family, that is. You get to create a customized holiday card featuring Minifigure representations of your own family and share it with anyone you want. It's really quite fun. And easy.
Here's one I made - the family Thanksgiving card we didn't send (because I didn't know about this then):
You can add up to 13 family members and customize each one with skin tone, facial expression, hair and hats, and outfits. I just added the four of us - Jeffrey, me, Beth, and Cory - and made the kids be kids again, even if they are all grown up now. I don't know that any of us really look like us, and none of the clothing choices really looked like something we would wear in real life, but it was fun choosing. Now that I think about it, I should have had us all dress in matching outfits! Or the guys could match and the girls could match. Or you can just let the Minifigure Family creator choose random outfits for everybody. I did that for a bit just to see the crazy things it came up with! However you choose to do it, it will be fun.
Once you have all your family members added and dressed, there are several backgrounds to chooose from, and then you just click and drag each family member to position them in the scene wherever you want them. Then simply choose your message, and you're ready to share It. You can download your card, which is what I did, share the link, send it via email, or share with Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. Yeah, I did that too - pinned it to my 'fun stuff' board on Pinterest.
So be sure to check it out and create your own LEGO Minifigure Family.
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
12/12/2013 08:00:00 AM
Make Your Own LEGO Minifigure Holiday Card
2013-12-12T08:00:00-06:00
bcmomtoo
12/13|family|fun|holidays|
Comments
Monday, December 09, 2013
Check Out the Powerocks Magicstick
I'm looking forward to trying the Magicstick 2800mAh rechargeable battery from Powerocks! What is it? A handy, portable charger that can charge your phone or other digital devices anywhere, even when there are no electrical outlets in sight. Imagine never having to worry about being out of touch because of a dead battery again...
They're sending me one to try and one to give away, so look for a review and giveaway coming soon. In the meantime, if you're as interested in these little things as I am, be sure to check out the Powerocks site. Perhaps you know some people who could use one of these?
They're sending me one to try and one to give away, so look for a review and giveaway coming soon. In the meantime, if you're as interested in these little things as I am, be sure to check out the Powerocks site. Perhaps you know some people who could use one of these?
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
12/09/2013 09:33:00 PM
Check Out the Powerocks Magicstick
2013-12-09T21:33:00-06:00
bcmomtoo
cell phone|review|technology|
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Labels:
cell phone,
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technology
Friday, November 22, 2013
Better Black Friday Shopping with Your Smartphone
Best Buy #281 - The Night Before 'Black Friday' (Photo credit: Croixboy) |
Personally, I think it's crazy, and I usually avoid all stores on Black Friday and pretty much every day between Thanksgiving and a week or two after Christmas. Can any deal really be worth all the waiting in lines and fighting the crowds? I'd rather just stay home and shop online. If I want to shop at all. I worked retail for several years. If I ever thought shopping was an enjoyable activity, which I sincerely doubt, that took care of that!
For those of you who wouldn't miss Black Friday shopping, and you know who you are, there are some great apps available for your smartphone that can help make this year's Black Friday shopping even better, whether you're shopping for the latest tech gifts like the iPhone 5s, 5c and iPad Air (now available at U.S. Cellular for the first time with a range of attractive data plans that will allow customers to connect to its fast 4G LTE network with speeds up to ten times faster than 3G.) or just that perfect toy for your adorable grandson.
- Black Friday App lets you browse "leaked" and "confirmed" ads from dozens of major retailers, create and organize shopping lists, compare prices, get notifications of the latest deals, and even shows you similar products that you can buy now at Black Friday-like prices.
- Use CardStar to import all those store savings cards to your phone. Lighten up your wallet or your keychain and never miss a reward or discount again. This is one of those apps that will come in handy all the time, not just on Black Friday. Cashiers can scan the cards right from your phone, and you can get special savings, deals and coupons right through the app.
- and for people like me who would rather just stay home, there's Amazon Mobile, which lets you browse, search, compare prices, read reviews, and shop - right from the comfort of your own home. (According to Mobile Commerce Daily, on Black Friday last year alone, mobile shopping accounted for 16 percent of online sales and that number is expected to exceed 20 percent this year, and a recent U.S. Cellular survey showed that 39 percent of their smartphone customers use their smartphones for shopping.) But if you are out shopping in some actual stores - on Black Friday or any other time - the app makes it easy to compare prices. Is that deal in the store really a good one, or can you get it cheaper on Amazon? Now you'll always know.
- Insert your favorite app here. Are there any apps you've found that you make shopping and scoring the best deals easier, faster, or better? Please share!
At the very least, if you have to split up to get those deals, you can use your phones to keep track of each other and be sure you can find each other at the end of the day!
Disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade as well as receiving a new phone. My experiences with and opinions of U.S. Cellular are 100% mine.
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
11/22/2013 02:53:00 PM
Better Black Friday Shopping with Your Smartphone
2013-11-22T14:53:00-06:00
bcmomtoo
11/13|cell phone|saving money|shopping|
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Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Be Carton Smart this Holiday
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carton Smart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
What if everyone made just one small smart decision every day? How much of a difference do you think that would make? Sure, one person's actions may not seem like much, but when everyone joins in, the impact can be huge.
Tetra Pak® carton packages, designed for maximum efficiency and environmental friendliness, are one small way to live smarter and make that difference. The cartons are made of 70% paper, a renewable resource, from selectively harvested, re-grown trees that are FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) and use 1/3 of the packaging compared to cans. Cartons are space saving, easy to store and open, and the unique packaging process preserves the flavor and nutrients of food without the use of preservatives. So, not only will you help the environment by putting less waste into landfills, when you Become Carton Smart you'll also be able to feed your family better quality food.
I received Tetra Pak® carton packages of Pacific Foods Organic Jellied Cranberry Sauce, Pacific Foods Organic Pumpkin Puree, and Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Simply Stock - the perfect products for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday!
Cranberry sauce goes with turkey, the stock can be used to make the dressing, and I think I'll use the Pumpkin Puree to make a batch of these Pumpkin Oat Muffins. What's great about these cartons is that they're reclosable, so I can use the 1 cup of pumpkin I need for the muffins and easily save the rest in the carton for later. How convenient is that?
I also like that the cartons fit together nicely - meaning they're great for stocking the pantry. I am definitely going to have to look for other products I can get in these cartons.
Be sure to Follow #CartonSmart on Pinterest to see lots of great small, smart choices that can add up to make a big difference, and if you have some ideas of your own, be sure to Tweet @CartonSmart to share them.
How will you be #CartonSmart this holiday? Will you buy at least one of your ingredients in a carton? Recycle all of the cans and jars you use? Use real dishes so that you aren't throwing away a bunch of paper plates and plasticware? I'd love to hear your plans.
What if everyone made just one small smart decision every day? How much of a difference do you think that would make? Sure, one person's actions may not seem like much, but when everyone joins in, the impact can be huge.
Tetra Pak® carton packages, designed for maximum efficiency and environmental friendliness, are one small way to live smarter and make that difference. The cartons are made of 70% paper, a renewable resource, from selectively harvested, re-grown trees that are FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) and use 1/3 of the packaging compared to cans. Cartons are space saving, easy to store and open, and the unique packaging process preserves the flavor and nutrients of food without the use of preservatives. So, not only will you help the environment by putting less waste into landfills, when you Become Carton Smart you'll also be able to feed your family better quality food.
I received Tetra Pak® carton packages of Pacific Foods Organic Jellied Cranberry Sauce, Pacific Foods Organic Pumpkin Puree, and Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Simply Stock - the perfect products for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday!
Cranberry sauce goes with turkey, the stock can be used to make the dressing, and I think I'll use the Pumpkin Puree to make a batch of these Pumpkin Oat Muffins. What's great about these cartons is that they're reclosable, so I can use the 1 cup of pumpkin I need for the muffins and easily save the rest in the carton for later. How convenient is that?
I also like that the cartons fit together nicely - meaning they're great for stocking the pantry. I am definitely going to have to look for other products I can get in these cartons.
How will you be #CartonSmart this holiday? Will you buy at least one of your ingredients in a carton? Recycle all of the cans and jars you use? Use real dishes so that you aren't throwing away a bunch of paper plates and plasticware? I'd love to hear your plans.
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
11/13/2013 07:00:00 PM
Be Carton Smart this Holiday
2013-11-13T19:00:00-06:00
bcmomtoo
11/13|cooking|food|Thanksgiving|
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11/13,
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Sunday, November 10, 2013
We Never Had To Do This Before
We have trees now! We get kind of excited about that because our last two houses were built in newer subdivisions that had previously been some farmer's field. No trees. At least not for years and years, and even then they weren't very big. Then we lost a couple of the trees we did have when the tornado went through a few years ago.
But here we have trees. The one out front is really pretty right now, all yellow and orange.
And dropping leaves all over the ground, too - so today we raked up a whole pile of those leaves.
We've never had to do that before! I guess we better get used to it, because there are still plenty of leaves left to fall!
Do you think I'll still think they're pretty by the time we've had to rake all the rest of them?
But here we have trees. The one out front is really pretty right now, all yellow and orange.
And dropping leaves all over the ground, too - so today we raked up a whole pile of those leaves.
We've never had to do that before! I guess we better get used to it, because there are still plenty of leaves left to fall!
Do you think I'll still think they're pretty by the time we've had to rake all the rest of them?
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
11/10/2013 10:00:00 PM
We Never Had To Do This Before
2013-11-10T22:00:00-06:00
bcmomtoo
around the house|exercise|Fall|pictures|
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around the house,
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Fall,
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Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Help Your Local School Win $25,000
Playground (Photo credit: phalinn) |
There is only one vote per person, so the key is to get every community member involved. This is especially important in small communities. I would love to see Eagle Elementary School, the school my kids attended, win - but we really would have to get the entire community involved, as well as friends and family from elsewhere, because there are not that many people in the community. We'd need every vote, and then some.
Here are some suggestions from U.S. Cellular to help get you started rallying your community:
- When the campaign launches, there will be a printable flyer on the U.S. Cellular website that can help you spread the word in the community.
- Post information on your school’s website with a link to the U.S. Cellular website for updates.
- Engage sports teams, the school band or student groups to help spread the word by handing out campaign flyers available on uscellular.com.
- Ask local businesses to share campaign flyers with their customers or hang flyers on their premises.
- Even get the Principal involved for some fun incentives like a pie-throwing contests.
The Calling All Communities campaign is open to all K-12 schools where U.S. Cellular has a retail presence – big or small, public or private. Be sure to check out the U.S. Cellular website for more information if you have any questions, and get started gathering community support for your local school. You could help your school win $25,000.! Winning schools will be announced in December.
Disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade as well as receiving a new phone. My experiences with and opinions of U.S. Cellular are 100% mine.
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
10/22/2013 09:49:00 PM
Help Your Local School Win $25,000
2013-10-22T21:49:00-05:00
bcmomtoo
10/13|cell phone|community|school|
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Thursday, October 17, 2013
I Was Going to Bake Bread
I bake! (Photo credit: bcmom) |
Anyway, I was planning to bake bread this week. I had my sourdough starter pulled out of the fridge to warm up. And that's as far as I got.
I was planning chicken wraps for dinner Monday night, and I turned the oven on to heat. Then I got busy taking care of other things while I waited. And waited. And waited. Now, this new oven has always taken longer to preheat than my old oven, but I eventually realized that it was taking way too long. So I checked, and the oven, which was supposed to be heating up to 400° was barely even warm. Yep, something was definitely wrong.
I had to bake the chicken in the toaster oven, which worked fine, but dinner was really late. We tried turning the oven off and back on, resetting the breaker just in case something hadn't been done right after our power outage on Friday, though everything else seemed to be working fine. Nothing changed. No heat.
It still did not immediately occur to me that I wouldn't be baking bread the next day as planned. Finally after dinner and dishes I realized that wasn't going to work, so I just fed the starter and put it back in the fridge
Thankfully, when we bought the house, we asked for a Home Warranty, so the next day I called to have somebody come and fix my oven. First they said it would be next Wednesday before someone could come look at it - more than a week - but then they found someone who can come sooner. Hopefully it will be tomorrow. They needed my oven's model number and serial number so they could be sure to have the right part - hopefully it's just the bake element - and be able to get it fixed the first time. However, finding those numbers proved to be a challenge, since there was nothing in the oven where it was supposed to be.
No numbers anywhere |
She thinks she figured it out anyway, so here's hoping they got the part in and will be calling me in the morning to come and fix my oven. If it's something more serious than the bake element, at least it can't cost us more than $100 because of the Home Warranty. However, it might be a while longer before I can use my oven again.
It's been hard enough living just this week without an oven. At least it's not Thanksgiving.
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
10/17/2013 10:14:00 PM
I Was Going to Bake Bread
2013-10-17T22:14:00-05:00
bcmomtoo
baking|frustration|home warranty|moving|
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baking,
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Thursday, October 10, 2013
A Complete Set
We finally have our complete new bedroom set.
We got it in stages. First a new mattress - because we decided to get a king-size bed and couldn't use our old mattress, a queen-size. We looked at and tried a lot of mattresses and finally decided on a latex mattress, which is very comfortable. We really were thinking we'd go with a traditional mattress with springs and maybe a pillow top like we had before, and we wanted nothing to do with any kind of memory foam. We still don't like memory foam; we laid on a couple of them just to double-check. This latex mattress, though, is completely different and amazingly comfortable, and is supposed to last 25 years. Or so.
We got the mattress delivered on a Friday and then the bedroom furniture came the following Monday. We thought it was going to take longer to get the furniture since they told us it could be 6 to 8 weeks when we ordered it, but we needed to get the mattress because we had guests (family) coming and needed places for them to sleep. So we got the new king-size mattress, moved our old queen-size bed into a guest room, and bought a new full-size mattress for the other guest room. We wouldn't have needed any new mattresses - or bedroom furniture - except that we let the kids have the full-size beds and dressers from their rooms in our old house. So we just had our bedroom set - which we got years ago from Jeffrey's dad when he moved in with his dad - and a twin bed. Oh, and a futon and an air mattress, so I guess we weren't completely unable to have guests. But it's still nicer to have actual beds.
So, we decided that if we were going to buy new beds and/or furniture, we should buy the new stuff for us and not just to furnish a guest room. Makes sense, right? And then we started looking for a bedroom set that we liked. Do you know how hard that is? Because we had bedroom furniture and we had no need for new furniture, we'd never even looked to see what we would like. And there are so many different styles to choose from, and sometimes a really nice set will have something wrong with it. The bed will be gorgeous, but the dresser not so great, or the other way around. It's really hard for these furniture designers to put together a complete package, and of course mixing and matching wouldn't work because of differing styles and woods and finishes.
We finally found a set that we liked. And had it delivered. Except that my dresser wouldn't go up the stairs. The movers had gotten the old dresser upstairs, so we hadn't really thought about it, but this one just wasn't going. It ended up getting damaged in the attempt, so they had to take it back and order a new one. In the meantime, Jeffrey removed the stair railing so they would be able to get that one up the stairs. We weren't attached to that railing anyway. Now we get to choose a new one, and hopefully it can be installed so that it can be removed semi-easily should we ever need to move furniture up or down the stairs in the future. I'm thinking not - but you never know.
We had the bed, chest of drawers, and two night stands, and an empty wall where the dresser was to go. We finally got the new dresser last week, completing our new bedroom set. We're really liking it. And I could finally move my clothes back into our room. That's nice.
We got it in stages. First a new mattress - because we decided to get a king-size bed and couldn't use our old mattress, a queen-size. We looked at and tried a lot of mattresses and finally decided on a latex mattress, which is very comfortable. We really were thinking we'd go with a traditional mattress with springs and maybe a pillow top like we had before, and we wanted nothing to do with any kind of memory foam. We still don't like memory foam; we laid on a couple of them just to double-check. This latex mattress, though, is completely different and amazingly comfortable, and is supposed to last 25 years. Or so.
We got the mattress delivered on a Friday and then the bedroom furniture came the following Monday. We thought it was going to take longer to get the furniture since they told us it could be 6 to 8 weeks when we ordered it, but we needed to get the mattress because we had guests (family) coming and needed places for them to sleep. So we got the new king-size mattress, moved our old queen-size bed into a guest room, and bought a new full-size mattress for the other guest room. We wouldn't have needed any new mattresses - or bedroom furniture - except that we let the kids have the full-size beds and dressers from their rooms in our old house. So we just had our bedroom set - which we got years ago from Jeffrey's dad when he moved in with his dad - and a twin bed. Oh, and a futon and an air mattress, so I guess we weren't completely unable to have guests. But it's still nicer to have actual beds.
So, we decided that if we were going to buy new beds and/or furniture, we should buy the new stuff for us and not just to furnish a guest room. Makes sense, right? And then we started looking for a bedroom set that we liked. Do you know how hard that is? Because we had bedroom furniture and we had no need for new furniture, we'd never even looked to see what we would like. And there are so many different styles to choose from, and sometimes a really nice set will have something wrong with it. The bed will be gorgeous, but the dresser not so great, or the other way around. It's really hard for these furniture designers to put together a complete package, and of course mixing and matching wouldn't work because of differing styles and woods and finishes.
We finally found a set that we liked. And had it delivered. Except that my dresser wouldn't go up the stairs. The movers had gotten the old dresser upstairs, so we hadn't really thought about it, but this one just wasn't going. It ended up getting damaged in the attempt, so they had to take it back and order a new one. In the meantime, Jeffrey removed the stair railing so they would be able to get that one up the stairs. We weren't attached to that railing anyway. Now we get to choose a new one, and hopefully it can be installed so that it can be removed semi-easily should we ever need to move furniture up or down the stairs in the future. I'm thinking not - but you never know.
We had the bed, chest of drawers, and two night stands, and an empty wall where the dresser was to go. We finally got the new dresser last week, completing our new bedroom set. We're really liking it. And I could finally move my clothes back into our room. That's nice.
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Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
10/10/2013 10:07:00 PM
A Complete Set
2013-10-10T22:07:00-05:00
bcmomtoo
bedroom|furniture|moving|
Comments
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
My Son is a Vampire
And not some sparkly, cheap imitation of a vampire. He's playing the real thing - Dracula.
UW-Whitewater students Cory Jefferson Hagen and Samantha Zaddack play Count Dracula and Mina Seward in the Theatre/Dance Department production of Dracula, a tale of romance and horror. The play, which is directed by Angela Iannone, opened last night and plays through Oct. 13 in Hicklin Studio Theatre.
Judging from the promotional pics and comments, this is a beautiful show, things are going brilliantly, he's making high school girls swoon, etc.
Thankfully we have tickets, because the entire run is sold out, and I cannot wait to see it! Though, of course, I will have to wait - until Saturday night.
In the meantime, I know Cory is going to be having a blast doing this show. He loves acting, and he puts his whole self into being the best that he can be. He amazes me with his awesome talent. And, he's pretty.
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
10/08/2013 09:04:00 PM
My Son is a Vampire
2013-10-08T21:04:00-05:00
bcmomtoo
acting|college|Cory|drama|
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Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Does Your Cell Phone Plan Earn You Points?
You'll notice I've been talking about U.S Cellular and my new cell phone quite often these past few months. In case you missed it, it's because I'm part of the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade. I have been compensated for my participation in the program and received a new phone. In return, I get to tell you a bit about my experiences with U.S. Cellular and my new phone. All opinions are 100% mine.
This month - well, last month actually; how did it get to be October anyway? - I want to let you know a little bit about the U.S. Cellular Rewards Program. It's really easy to earn points, starting by signing up for a rewards-eligible plan. As far as I know, most of the plans are eligible, and you earn points every month just for having the plan. You can also earn points for attending a device workshop, referring a friend, paying your bill on time, and even having a birthday.
Points can be redeemed for faster phone upgrades, free accessories, and more. Here's one I didn't know about - points can even be redeemed for tickets to concerts and sporting events or for signed sports memorabilia. Sounds like they have a little something for everyone.
We have quite a few Rewards Points in our account, because we keep saving for that free phone. Unfortunately, we haven't had enough for the phones we've wanted when it was time to upgrade, though there are always several phones available for free. It would be nice if points could be cashed in to pay for part of a new phone, but there isn't really a cash value on the points, so it doesn't work that way. Believe me, I've asked! Next time we should have enough points for the latest, bestest phone - for free.
I did look at accessories when I got my Samsung Galaxy S4, but I didn't really like any of the cases so I ended up buying one from Amazon. There are several available, though, and being able to buy them with points is very nice and convenient. I'm thinking about getting some of the little speakers to plug into my phone to play music - or maybe the Bluetooth speaker. Either one would be nice to have, and we have enough points to get them for free, while still saving for that next free phone. Did I mention how easy it is for those points to accumulate? It's kind of fun to get points toward free stuff just for having and using a cell phone plan - something we'd do anyway.
I'm sure it's even more fun to actually redeem those points, now that I've started looking through the available accessories. Redeeming is easy to do, too - points can be redeemed online, in store, or by calling Customer Service, whichever works for you.
Does your cell phone plan earn you points for free stuff? If not, be sure to check out the U.S. Cellular Rewards Program, and you could be on your way to earning a free phone, too.
This month - well, last month actually; how did it get to be October anyway? - I want to let you know a little bit about the U.S. Cellular Rewards Program. It's really easy to earn points, starting by signing up for a rewards-eligible plan. As far as I know, most of the plans are eligible, and you earn points every month just for having the plan. You can also earn points for attending a device workshop, referring a friend, paying your bill on time, and even having a birthday.
Points can be redeemed for faster phone upgrades, free accessories, and more. Here's one I didn't know about - points can even be redeemed for tickets to concerts and sporting events or for signed sports memorabilia. Sounds like they have a little something for everyone.
We have quite a few Rewards Points in our account, because we keep saving for that free phone. Unfortunately, we haven't had enough for the phones we've wanted when it was time to upgrade, though there are always several phones available for free. It would be nice if points could be cashed in to pay for part of a new phone, but there isn't really a cash value on the points, so it doesn't work that way. Believe me, I've asked! Next time we should have enough points for the latest, bestest phone - for free.
I did look at accessories when I got my Samsung Galaxy S4, but I didn't really like any of the cases so I ended up buying one from Amazon. There are several available, though, and being able to buy them with points is very nice and convenient. I'm thinking about getting some of the little speakers to plug into my phone to play music - or maybe the Bluetooth speaker. Either one would be nice to have, and we have enough points to get them for free, while still saving for that next free phone. Did I mention how easy it is for those points to accumulate? It's kind of fun to get points toward free stuff just for having and using a cell phone plan - something we'd do anyway.
I'm sure it's even more fun to actually redeem those points, now that I've started looking through the available accessories. Redeeming is easy to do, too - points can be redeemed online, in store, or by calling Customer Service, whichever works for you.
Does your cell phone plan earn you points for free stuff? If not, be sure to check out the U.S. Cellular Rewards Program, and you could be on your way to earning a free phone, too.
Related articles
Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
10/01/2013 10:09:00 PM
Does Your Cell Phone Plan Earn You Points?
2013-10-01T22:09:00-05:00
bcmomtoo
09/13|cell phone|
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09/13,
cell phone
Sunday, September 15, 2013
FREE Online Safety Ebook AND a Lorax Giveaway
Just because kids today have never known a world without the Internet doesn't mean they know how to behave online. Teaching our children to use technology safely and responsibly is so important. Are your kids ready to go online? Take the quiz to find out, then watch the videos to start a discussion in your family about real situations that may occur online.
The More You Know Learning Series, in collaboration with NBC News, has launched Growing Up Online, the FREE eBook for parents to keep their kids safe on the Internet! This free eBook provides easy-to-use information that addresses the growing concern about kids’ online privacy and cyberbullying in a unique and engaging way. Growing Up Online is packed with important tips that every parent should know! For a start, check out these 6 Tips to Keep Your Kids Safe Online.
Then once you've downloaded the ebook, be sure to enter this giveaway, sponsored by the more you know and Growing Up Online. The winner will receive a copy of Dr. Seuss’ THE LORAX DVD & Blu-ray Combo Pack. I haven't seen the movie myself, but I've read the book, and it's pretty good!
To enter:
The More You Know Learning Series, in collaboration with NBC News, has launched Growing Up Online, the FREE eBook for parents to keep their kids safe on the Internet! This free eBook provides easy-to-use information that addresses the growing concern about kids’ online privacy and cyberbullying in a unique and engaging way. Growing Up Online is packed with important tips that every parent should know! For a start, check out these 6 Tips to Keep Your Kids Safe Online.
Then once you've downloaded the ebook, be sure to enter this giveaway, sponsored by the more you know and Growing Up Online. The winner will receive a copy of Dr. Seuss’ THE LORAX DVD & Blu-ray Combo Pack. I haven't seen the movie myself, but I've read the book, and it's pretty good!
To enter:
- Leave a comment telling me how you're teaching your children how to safely surf the internet or share your favorite Comic Book Video from the Blog App.
- For an additional entry, tweet about this giveaway with a link to this post and the hashtag #GrowingUpOnline in your tweet. (Once per day)
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Posted by
bcmomtoo
at
9/15/2013 08:33:00 PM
FREE Online Safety Ebook AND a Lorax Giveaway
2013-09-15T20:33:00-05:00
bcmomtoo
giveaway|internet|kids|movie|resources|safety|
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