Viral Marketing

I signed up Buzzfuse tonight. It's supposed to help get more traffic to my blog. If you have an article or post that you really want people to read, you can add the Buzzfuse widget to that post and share it, or market your content. Buzzfuse gives you a special code to paste into your post, then you activate and release that content. Originally, it looks like it gets shared with your circle of friends - and I had to invite at least 10 friends to release my first post, so some of you may be getting emails from Buzzfuse. I tried to choose those of you who have blogs and would like to get some more readers. Buzzfuse also measures popularity, and judges your content by how people react to it.

Buzzfuse is free, though they also have premium paid accounts available. It's a good way to discover new and exciting content as well as help people discover what you have to say.

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Save Money on Car Insurance

Since we've had a teen driver, our car insurance costs have definitely increased. From the things Beth says, I realize it could be worse, much worse. Some of her friends are paying about the same per month as we have to pay every six months for her to drive. Of course, some of her friends have had accidents and gotten tickets, and their insurance has increased accordingly. Unfortunately, most insurance companies charge high rates for all teen drivers because teen drivers are known to be reckless. The combination of teen invincibility and lack of experience is not a good one. I'm just glad my teen driver isn't driving on those freeways in Southern California. Cost-U-Less Insurance has a student division to help these young people understand the basics of car insurance, how to get better rates, and how to plan for the future to get lower rates. The insurance is for those Southern California drivers, but the resources and information can be used by anyone.

brought to you by Cost-U-Less Insurance

I Need a Refresher Course in Spanish

Like I said before, I took Spanish in high school and college, which is why I thought Cory should take Spanish, and not French. He took French because he likes the teacher better, and he is enjoying learning the language. However, that means I won't have anyone to practice Spanish with. I was kind of looking forward to being able to speak Spanish a little because I just haven't used it since college.

I really need to take a refresher though, because you never know when I might need a little Spanish, right? That's where the Internet comes in handy again. I can use the lessons, vocabulary and audio files to remind myself of the things I used to know. It's good to learn another language, but it's true that if you don't use it, you lose it. Hopefully it will come back to me. I may not need the basics, but the Practice and Exercises ought to come in very handy.

brought to you by elanguageschool.net

This Resort Sounds Amazing

As I was reading everyone's posts yesterday about the vacation destinations they have been to or would like to visit, I kept finding places that sounded great. When it really is time to plan our next big vacation I am going to have a hard time deciding. Today I found another place that might just be the one. It's the Letoonia Golf Resort in Belek, near Antalya Turkey.

The reason I started looking at it was because of the golf. No, I don't play golf, but my husband does. When I think vacation, I think beach. I want to spend time on the beach, tanning, swimming, reading, and relaxing. That doesn't excite him in the least - kind of the same way I feel about golf. So, he's pretty much said it's fine with him if I get a beach, but he'd like to be able to go play golf while I'm lazing about on the beach. Then later we can meet up and do some other stuff together.

That's what's so cool about this resort. They have the beach, 3 private beaches, in fact, and pools. They have the golf, and they have so much more. It's an all-inclusive resort, meaning all the food, drinks, and activities are included. I could probably get Jeffrey away from the golf course for some sailing lessons and maybe even some tennis or any number of other activities they have. With all these activities I may not have much time just to laze around at the beach or at the pool. They also have nightly entertainment and a Moonlight Disco. There are activities for all ages, even kids, but I'm not planning on taking the kids. Yeah, I'm selfish like that.

brought to you by Letoonia Golf Resort

Drug Rehab Sunset Malibu

It seems to be a regular occurrence that we hear on the news that this celebrity or that one is in rehab. Obviously celebrities aren't the only ones with addiction and substance abuse problems, but they're the ones we always hear about. Beth asked the other day why these people who seem to have everything always seem to get involved in drugs. That's a good question. Why do people get involved with drugs and alcohol? Why do some get addicted and ruin their lives? And why is it that these drug Rehabs don't seem to work? At least that's the impression we get when one of these celebrities goes into rehab, gets out, and then goes right back to their old behavior.

Drug Rehab Sunset Malibu is a different kind of drug rehab facility. It's a luxurious, private treatment facility on the beach in Malibu. The founder started Sunset Malibu after completing drug rehab, and many of the staff and counselors have been through addiction and treatment themselves. Because they understand, they can tailor the treatment to each individual. The treatment includes a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional methods - whatever works. There is no one drug treatment program that works for everyone, and they are committed to finding the one that works for each individual.

Sunset Malibu specializes in alcohol detox, substance abuse treatment, painkiller addiction treatment, and treatment of such disorders as depression and eating disorders. It's a small facility, allowing them to focus on the individual and help them regain their life.

brought to you by Drug Rehab Sunset Malibu

Build Your Own Computer

When Cory was little he once asked me when I was going to learn to work on the computer. It took me a while to figure out what he was talking about, because I was using the computer. We finally figured out that he wanted to know when I was going to take the computer apart and fix it or upgrade it - or whatever it was his dad was always doing. Jeffrey built our first computer by buying all the required parts and putting them together himself. He had to research what he wanted and buy all the separate parts, sometimes from different places. I think he enjoyed doing it, and I know it was cheaper than just going out and buying a computer. Since then he has built several more computers and upgraded others.

There have been a few problems when certain parts didn't like to work with other parts - like this motherboard doesn't like that video card and things like that. Buying pc kits, where all the computers parts are guaranteed to be compatible would certainly have saved a lot of headache. I'm not even sure this was an option when Jeffrey built that first computer. These kits come with complete instructions, and supposedly anyone who can use a screwdriver can do it. Instructions are in plain English with full illustrations, and if you get stuck, you can call someone for help. I'm not sure I'm ready to try, but wouldn't this be a great father/son activity? I think it's about time I ask Cory when he's going to learn to work on the computer.

brought to you by Easy as my PC

Save Money on Office Supplies

I recently went online and ordered some ink for one of our printers. I got lucky and happened to order it when they were offering free shipping. I had to order it from a certain store because I had a rebate to send in, but I could have gotten it cheaper at some discount office supply stores if I hadn't had the rebate. Normally, though, I don't have a rebate, and I'm not limited to buying from a certain store. I can search for online coupons and savings codes and buy from the store that gives me the best deal. According to the list at OfficeDeals.info, I could get that free shipping from Circuit City now.

I like that the focus at OfficeDeals.info is on computers, office supplies, ink cartridges, and all things office and business related. It's a good place to start if that is what you are looking for, and you won't have to weed through a lot of other things. The site is updated daily with deals and promotions from some of the top office supply stores today. The latest savings are always reflected, and the information about each of the stores is very helpful.

In addition to offering the best deals and promotions possible, OfficeDeals.info has a nice library of articles to help with everything from setting up a home business and working at home, to finding cheap, discount or free office equipment and furniture. I think the tips for working at home could be very helpful, if I would just follow them. The hardest part for me is scheduling time to work, without letting all the other things get in the way. I keep thinking, "I just need to get this (insert mundane household task here) done, and then I can sit down and work."

Save a Whole Load of Money

You already know I like to save money, and it's very important to me that I get the best deal possible on anything I buy. In fact, if I buy something and then find a better deal later, I have been known to obsess over that, even when there's nothing I can do. Eventually I do get over it.

One of the best ways to get the best price available at the time is to use a price comparison site that will tell you what the best price is on the item you want to buy. Save Buckets is one of those sites where you can search for a particular product or browse by category, and they will find you the best price and tell you where to buy it. Something they have that I haven't seen before is what they call My Price. If you find what you want but the price is more than you want to pay, you can let them know how much are willing to pay for that product, and they will email you if the product comes available at that price or lower. They also have some great Buying Guides to help you understand how to choose a product and the features to look for.

brought to you by Save Buckets - save a whole load of money

Free Hit Counters

I'm finally putting a counter on my blog. I know I have all kinds of widgets to tell me who's visiting and where they're coming from, but I think it will be fun to watch the numbers increase. I've used different free counters before, but they often have some random text underneath them. This one from Free Counters promises to have no visible advertising. Besides just counting my visitors, my free hit counter is going to give me information about my visitors such as what browser they use and what operating system they have, and more. The information is available any time I want to look at it, and it's all free. I can create and customize up to 10 free counters.

They have other free tools for webpages and blogs, such as polls, clocks, and search engines, but I haven't had time to check them out yet.

brought to you by Free Counters

Surf Camp

Some of my favorite memories from growing up are of the summers I spent at summer camp. The camp I went to offered all kinds of activities, from basketball to archery, cheerleading to water skiing. There are also summer camps that focus on a particular sport or activity. One of those is surf camp, where kids, teens, and even adults can learn to surf. Do you think I'm too old to learn to surf? I love the beach. I love the water. I could do it, right? I could take surf lessons.

It would certainly be an amazing experience for the kids. They have teen summer camps that completely immerse the teens in the surfing experience, taking them from beginners to the next level. Besides learning to surf, teens will learn some marine science and ocean safety, and have lots of fun on the beach with other teens from all over the world. The minimum student to instructor ratio is 3:1, so there is plenty of individual attention and a high emphasis on safety. These teen overnight camps are in some amazing places, too - Hawaii, Australia, Florida, Costa Rica, and the Bahamas, to name a few.

They also have Family Camps and a Women's Only overnight adventure camp. Ladies, anyone interested in leaving the husband and kids and taking advantage of some sun, sand and learning to surf? I have this thing for the beach. I'm pretty sure I'd be jealous if my kids got to go to surf camp, and I didn't.

brought to you by Surf Camp

Chocolate Massage Oil

Earlier today, there were a lot of us talking about our five senses. I wish I had heard of this Organic Chocolate Massage Oil a little earlier, because this would have been an ideal topic. Let's start with smell - dark chocolate is a smell that doesn't bother me at all. I'd be perfectly happy to let my honey rub this all over me so we can both experience our sense of touch. Then I could rub it on him and lick it off, so I can taste it. It's made with 100% organic ingredients and completely edible and yummy.

The question is, if I order some of this, would it be a gift for him or a gift for me? Definitely me, me, me, but I'll let him enjoy it with me.

Discount Dental Plans

Whenever I look at any of our doctor bills or dental bills, I notice the actual cost of the procedure, and I'm really happy I don't have to pay that. Then there's what they call the 'provider's discount' which means they mark down the cost because of our insurance. It's still more than I want to have to pay, and I'm glad we have insurance to cover most of that. What I often wonder is how people who don't have insurance can afford to pay those original pre-discount costs? I think it would be practically impossible.

Today I learned about discount dental plans that people can sign up for to get discounts off the high cost of dental care. I just put my zip code in and searched for plans in my area. Our dentist came up in the first plan I looked at. It offers savings of 15% to 50% off the cost of dental procedures. They even have a sample chart showing approximate costs and how much members can save. It would only take one or two visits to save the cost of the membership. Plan members simply present their membership card at the time of the dental visit and get the savings up front - no waiting for insurance payments.

Dentalplans.com lets you choose from more than 30 national and regional discount dental plans. You can browse the plans available in your area and then compare them to choose the best plan for you and your family. If you need more help, their Dental Plan experts are waiting to help.

brought to you by Dentalplans.com

Easy to Share Wedding Pictures

When my brother and sister-in-law got married, they had disposable wedding cameras on all the tables. A few people took pictures, but there were a lot of cameras that had only a few pictures taken with them. I know the bride and groom were looking forward to seeing the pictures taken by the wedding guests and being able to enjoy the little moments that they were too busy to notice at the time.

I bet the wedding guests would have taken more pictures if they had known they would be able to see them later. A new service called iTheesnap.com makes that possible now.

It's easy not only to get the cameras and get the film developed after the wedding, but all the photos are available online for the wedding guests to see and enjoy. They can even download and comment on the pictures. Pre-printed cards with the website access codes can be handed out at the wedding, and only those with the code can access the album. The bride and groom also have full control over the online album, so if any of the pictures are inappropriate, or Aunt Suzy would be very upset to see that picture of herself, those pictures can be deleted.

One price covers everything - cameras, shipping both ways, prints, photo DVD, and online album. If you know anyone planning a wedding (Jaye) tell them to check this out.

brought to you by iTheesnap.com
wedding cameras

Decorative LED Lights

Every year around Christmas time I wonder about the sky high electric bills that people must have with all those lights they use for decoration. We don't decorate, but I still like the lights, so we have several sets we bought on clearance. We've used them for things like decorating for a dance, hanging behind the bar downstairs, and we have some red, white and blue rope lights that we have outside on the column by our front door. We like to turn those on around holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day.

If we had some of these LED Christmas lights instead of the regular old lights, we could use them even more. These new lights are more energy efficient, using only 90% of the energy required by the old kind of lights. They're also safer, virtually indestructible, and last more than 50,000 hours. I'm already picturing them out on our new patio and pergola, whenever we get that finished.

brought to you by HolidayLEDS

Car Repairs Can be Expensive

I keep getting things in the mail telling me that my warranty is about to expire and that I should buy a Used Car Warranty. I don't know where they get their information. Is information about who buys a car and how old it is public? Until this last car we bought, Jeffrey's Honda, we have always bought used cars, and I think we have always bought an extended warranty at the time we bought the car. That has really come in handy. I've heard different opinions on buying warranties for things. Some people think it's a waste of money, but if anything ever happens and the car needs repairs, that can cost a lot of money. With the warranty, it's paid for. I think Jeffrey had no deductible on the Regal, or it was $50. So, instead of paying $400 or $500 for a repair, it cost $50 at the most. That was definitely helpful because we had to get that car repaired a few times.

See FinanceGenius for more options and resources for saving your family money.

Let There be Rodeo

We've got a lot of channels we can watch because we've got satellite TV. One of the things Jeffrey seems to watch a lot, besides Texas Hold 'Em poker, is bull riding and other rodeo events. I tell you, those bull riders are some mighty tough cowboys. It really is kind of fun to watch them - when I'm not wondering why anyone would do such a thing. I also enjoy watching the bronc riding and the roping, and I think it would be fun to actually go to a rodeo instead of just watching one on TV. Wisconsin isn't really known for its rodeos. No, when you think Wisconsin, you think beer, right? And cheese and that pesky football team, the Packers.

For rodeos you'd need to go somewhere like Texas. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, also known as RODEOHOUSTON™, takes place at Houston's Reliant Stadium every March. Now, that's a rodeo. It's considered the world's largest rodeo with over one million spectators each year. It's not just the world's largest rodeo, it's the world’s largest livestock exhibition and the Southwest’s premier entertainment event, too. I've been browsing the RodeoHouston site, and they have something for everyone - not just the rodeo events. There's a bar-b-que contest, a carnival, wine events, shopping, food, and concerts. Yes, after the rodeo events are done for the day, they move a stage out into the middle of the ring for a concert. Some of the performers this year are Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, and Brooks & Dunn. As if those aren't enough, there are more. Those are just the ones I would really, really like to see. Can you tell I like country music?

The rodeo runs March 3-22 this year, and there is a big concert every night. Since I'd love to see all those concerts, I would need Houston Rodeo Tickets for practically every one of those days. Some of these tickets even include food, and they look like a pretty good deal. Now, if I could only get to Houston in March.

Should We Switch to EBooks?

Cory and I read a lot. We go to the library and check out lots of books. When the library is having a book sale, we buy lots of books, too. Jeffrey's been trying to get things organized around here and trying to get rid of some of the clutter. He was trying to say we should get rid of some books. Gasp! We may not find time to read all of the books, but they're books. We can't just get rid of them.

I wonder if it would be the same if we collected ebooks instead? Cory checked an ebook reader out of the library once, and he really liked it a lot. You can store the same amount of books in a much smaller amount of space that way and carry around a lot of books in a little reader.

BooksOnBoard.com has a huge selection of ebooks to choose from. They have everything from Romance Authors to Horror authors, and everything in between. My collection of Stephen King books would certainly take up less space in this format. The prices aren't bad, either. They're definitely less than the cost of traditional books. There are no membership fees or clubs to join, either.

brought to you by BooksOnBoard.com

Think Smart About Money

I'm all about saving as much money as possible, and not spending any if I can get away with it. That's why I was interested when I heard about a new blog at CutThatBill.com that helps people learn to save and invest creatively. I'm always happy to learn of new ways to save money, but I really don't know anything about investing, so I'm hoping I 'll be able to pick up a few tips there.

After browsing the blog for a while, I think the most helpful part is going to be the discussion and explanation of the American economy. I admit not really understanding all the information in the news. Should I be worried? Is there anything I should be doing to be sure we'll be OK? It really helps to have someone break it down and explain it for me. The parts about politics and the presidential candidates look very helpful, too.

Besides that, the post that really caught my eye was called Teaching kids to invest and think smart about money, because, of course, I have kids, and I would really like them to be smart with their money. This isn't a completely unselfish hope, either. I'm sure it's not too late for their dad and me to build wealth, but it really can't hurt to have our kids financially stable so that they can support us in our old age - in the manner to which we'd like to become accustomed.

Why Stay in a Hotel?

They're saying that the coldest temperatures of the season are moving in. This is when I have to keep repeating to myself that I really do like all the seasons - even winter. Truthfully, when the weather gets this cold, I really wouldn't mind being somewhere warmer. The only problem is, we have kids in school. We can't just pull them out of school to go where the weather is warm.

I am going to admit that I am totally spoiled when it comes to being away from home. I hate staying in a little, cramped hotel room. There is no way that our family could stay in one hotel room for a week, so we have to get two rooms, which costs us twice as much. I only stay in a hotel under protest.

I'd rather stay in a condo or a house, someplace with room, a kitchen, a washer and a dryer. Believe me, once you've tried it, you will not want to go back to a hotel. Take a look at these vacation rentals. Instead of staying in a cramped hotel room, you can stay in one of these Orlando Vacation Homes. All the conveniences of home with a kitchen, washer and dryer, separate living and bedroom space, and more. Some of these places even have their own private pools! And the prices? Usually better than a hotel room, especially if you're like us and need two. Listings are updated weekly, so if you don't see the perfect place, check back.

brought to you by VacationRentals.com

Prevention and Treatment of Acne

With two teenagers in the house, acne is always a threat. Isn't it? It just seems to be a right of passage for teenagers. Luckily, my two haven't had to seriously battle acne. Cory gets a zit or two once in a while, but we haven't really looked into any serious acne treatment like Proactiv® Solution. I found an article recently in the paper that said teenage boys who cut out sugar, and some other things I can't remember, out of their diet for 30 days had a significant decrease in breakouts. I showed Cory the article, and he said he was going to try it, but I don't think he really took it seriously. Now I'm reading on acne.com that foods commonly believed to cause acne really don't, so maybe it wouldn't have mattered anyway. I don't think it would have hurt him any to cut out the soda anyway.

There is a lot more information on this site about acne - from causes to treatments to myths, and more - that can really be handy for anyone with teenagers, or even those of us who should have outgrown zits ages ago. There's even a page that lists 5 Steps to Safer Shaving that tells how to avoid those shaving bumps. Since Cory just started shaving, I'll have to be sure he reads that page as well as the one about the foods.

brought to you by acne.com