If You've Got Mice, You Need Victor

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Victor Pest. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thankfully, we do not have any mice in the house.  We do, however, get some kind of little varmints in the garage in the wintertime.  I've never actually seen them, but they like to chew through the corner of the cat food bag and help themselves.  This winter we started putting the bag of cat food into an old cat litter bucket.  That ought to stop them!   At least I hope so - and I hope they don't decide to come into the house.  We do have two cats in here, but I honestly don't know if they'd know what to do with a mouse.

We'd probably have to get some  Victor products.  Victor has been the

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name in rodent control since 1890.  They're the ones who invented the spring-based mouse trap 100 years ago, and these days they have some even better products.  Those old mouse traps always had me scared that I'd pinch/ hurt my fingers badly, and then there was the matter of having to deal with the dead mouse - which is why Jeffrey was the one who had to deal with them. Nowadays they have these Pest Chasers, ultrasonic repellents that emit high-frequency sound waves to keep rodents away.  Humans or non-rodent pets can't even hear the sounds, but the mice don't like them!  And, if they don't come into the house, there's no need for traps or poisons or anything like that.  Victor® Ultrasonic Repellents operate for less than 1 cent per day and last 5 to 7 years, so they're very cost effective.

Victor carries a full line of products for mouse problems that are highly efficient, safe for kids and pets, and non-toxic.  They sell several varieties of mouse traps - the original snap trap as well as electronic traps to kill mice, and traps that can be used to catch and release the mice - somewhere far, far away from the house, of course.  But with the traps, you have to deal with either dead mice or live mice, and that's definitely not something I want to do.  They say you don't have to see or touch with the electronic traps, but I'm still not wanting to.  I'm really liking the idea of those Pest Chasers and just keeping them away in the first place!

Of course, Victor recommends using a combination of products to help control your mouse problem and protect your space!  And right now Victor is running a special promotion on the Victor® Protect Your Space Combo Kit for $99.99 with FREE shipping!! The kit includes the following: 
(1) Victor® Sonic PestChaser® Heavy Duty Sonic, (2) Victor® Sonic Mini PestChaser® Ultrasonic Rodent Repellent, and (2) Victor® Electronic Mouse Trap.

Collaborize Classroom a Free Online Learning Platform

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Collaborize Classroom. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've just been checking out Collaborize Classroom.  This looks like a really great tool for teachers.  It's a FREE online learning platform that allows teachers to extend their classroom discussions to a structured and private online community.  It's designed to complement and extend regular classroom instruction and to help teachers accomplish more with less.  Teachers can continue valuable discussions, facilitate online learning groups, encourage the sharing of resources, and provide students with a safe space to engage in collaborative learning.

Some of the key features include:

• Attachments - teachers can attach photos, videos, PDFs, and Microsoft Office documents, eliminating the need for classroom handouts and saving on printing and paper costs.
• Messaging - teachers and students can easily communicate with each other.
• Participation Reports - teachers can track each student's activity on the site.
• Privacy - sites are password protected and can only be accessed by teacher and students (or those invited to join the site) and No classroom data or information can be viewed online without a password and special access to the teacher's site.
• Teacher Resources - free resources and lessons plans to help teachers get started using Collaborize Classroom.
• and it's FREE - and easy to get started.  Teachers can create a site in a matter of minutes.  All that's needed is an email address.

The video explains it all really well:

"some need more time to formulate their responses" - that's me. You know I love teachers, and I believe in giving them as many tools as possible.  I also know that everyone learns differently, and using an online learning platform like Collaborize Classroom may be just the thing to reach those kids who aren't quite getting it in the classroom and take others to even higher levels of learning.  If you're a teacher, be sure to check it out.  If you have kids in school, share this with their teachers.

Evie - Voice app for iPhone

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Evie. All opinions are 100% mine.

This kind of reminds me of Star Trek.  You know how they could ask the computer and get any information they needed without touching a thing?  Enter Evie, the voice app for iPhone.  Tell Evie what you want, and Evie delivers.  Call anyone on your contacts list just by saying his name or just say a number you want to call.  Examples: “Call Steve on his cell phone” or “Call 514-555-1212.”  That last could come in really handy for trying to win some of those radio giveaways - the ones where they rattle off the phone number while you're driving down the road, and by the time you've got the number punched into the phone and hit send, they've already got a winner.  But then, maybe that's just me.

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Evie can also play anything you have on your iPhone.  Just say the name of the artist, song, audiobook, or whatever you want to listen to.  You can also listen to your facebook feeds with Evie.  This could come in handy not just for keeping up with your friends, which is really important, but also for getting the latest traffic updates.  I heard on our local news this morning that they regularly post traffic updates to their facebook page, and I was wondering how that would do anyone who was actually out on the road any good.  Now I know.  Drivers with an iPhone and Evie can safely stay updated.

For ease of use, convenience, and safety, this sweet little app would be great for anyone, especially those who do a lot of driving because really, you should not be messing with your phone a lot while you are driving.  Busy moms trying to get things done and keep up with the kids could really use this app, too.  With Evie, you can still do what you need want to do - hands free.  Download Evie FREE from the iPhone App Store and try it for yourself.

Sweet Hearts for Your Sweetheart

When it comes to getting gifts for special days, most girls love jewelry.  Flowers and chocolate are pretty popular, too.  Some girls are different, but guys can usually be safe choosing one of those three things.

So listen up, guys. If you really want to show that special lady how much she means to you, you might want to check out some Sweet Heart Jewelry for Your Sweetheart. Nothing says 'love' like heart-shaped jewelry.  Except maybe saving some money on that heart-shaped jewelry - so you can buy the flowers and chocolate too! (or pay the bills, even though that is not romantic at all in the traditional sense of the word)  Right now there are some sweet deals going on.  How does saving up to 75% sound?  I love a man who uses money wisely!  OK, I loved him before, but I love that he looks for the good deals now and understands the importance of coupons.  He also knows that there are very few things that I will love enough to spend full price on.

If your sweetie thinks that the amount you spend is directly proportional to the amount of love you have for her, you don't have to tell her you saved with these diViene deals. Or I suppose you could just buy 4 times as much jewelry and make her really happy.

Get Kids Active

When we were growing up, we spent a lot of time outside just playing.  (and working)  The point is, we were active.  Oh, I spent a lot of time reading books, but I also got a lot of exercise running around the pasture, playing in the creek, and riding my bike.  With video games, computers, movies, and so many other forms of indoor sedentary entertainment, today's kids don't seem to get as much activity and exercise.  Is it any wonder that childhood obesity is a growing problem?

Activitytree.com is committed to fighting childhood obesity and to promoting kids' active bodies and minds.  It's the largest online parent resource for kid's lessons, classes, and camps.  They make it simple for parents to find activities in their own areas by searching by area code and activity type to get contact information, web site links, interactive maps and activity descriptions for over 18,000 providers. Creating a FREE member profile lets them further narrow their activity search results by age of participant, gender, day and time of activity. Members can also sign-up for select classes with the easy, secure Click & Pay, organize and share calendars with myActivityTree, get directions to activities, join carpooling, and receive local Deals by email.

Parents can also join the Get Kids Active! Facebook Campaign for activity ideas and help in getting their kids active through social networking.  It's not as easy as just saying, "Go play outside!" but having all these resources will certainly help in finding some fun activities for the kids.

Right now ActivityTree.com is is making kids activities and camps more affordable by offering “Get Kids Active!” Scholarships. There are two ways to enter:

1. ActivityTree.com Kids Scholarships Page
2. ActivityTree Facebook Page via the Scholarships tab

Romantic Getaway in Branson

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

"There's just something about a luxurious hotel room that makes whispered sweet nothings sound even sweeter."

I don't know about those sweet nothings, but I do know there's something special about getting away from home and spending time with that special someone.  In my case, that's my wonderful husband Jeffrey.  Yeah, I still like him just a bit, even after all these years together.  We get to spend plenty of time together, and now that the kids are out of the house, it's usually just the two of us - but day-to-day life still gets in the way.
We're still trying to figure out what we want to do to celebrate our 25th anniversary this year.  I'm pretty sure it won't be until much later this year, but the Valentine's Day Romance Package at Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing sounds really nice.  It's available the whole month of February and includes:

• In-room sparkling wine (where permitted by law) or cider upon arrival
• Access to hotel health club, pool and whirlpool spa (where available)
• Full American breakfast for two in the room or in the hotel's designated restaurant.
• On stays beyond one night, buy one entrée and get a second one of equal or lesser value at no additional cost. (Choose from either lunch or dinner in designated restaurant)
• Late check-out available upon request

It's a chance to get away from it all, stay in a really nice place, just relax and focus on the two of you.  I'm thinking sparkling wine and a hot tub in the room would be perfect.  They've even got a special menu for Valentine's Day, featuring some really fancy food.  The salad sounds interesting - Aged Balsamic Roasted Figs | Pancetta | Swiss Chard | Red Onion | Maytag Blue Cheese | Blood Orange Avocado Oil - and the whole meal would be quite an experience.

A touch of elegance, a hint of indulgence, and you've got the makings for a great Romance Package.  If you're looking for a Valentine's Day getaway with someone you love, check out the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. They may just have exactly what you're looking for.

Double Dream Hands

I should be doing something like watering plants, cleaning out cat litter, cleaning a bathroom, something. Instead I'm watching this Double Dream Hands video and a bunch of related videos.





Have you seen it? I hadn't seen it before, but apparently everyone else on the Internet has - or at least a lot of people, because there are all kinds of related videos. Videos of people doing the Double Dream Hands dance or setting it to different music.  It's kind of fun to see something that gets people up and moving.  Maybe the YouTube generation won't need to use the best diet pills after all.

Think Before You Ink

Did you know there's a site dedicated to the Ugliest Tattoos?  I just checked it out, and there are some crazy tattoos on there.  They leave you shaking your head and wondering what those people were thinking.  Or if they were thinking at all.  Also, you'd think the tattoo artists would have said, "No, Buddy, that's a really bad idea." and refused to do it.  But then, they gotta make a living, even if it means bad art.  Someday, these people will be using a lot of tattoo removal cream or getting laser treatments to remove that ugly 'art'work.

So, save yourself some trouble.  If you think you want a tattoo, make sure you think about it long and hard and make sure you love it.  Make sure it's something you will love for a very long time.  And, if you're known to change your mind a lot, stick with the temporary tattoos.

Using Online Recipes

Image via Wikipedia

I love all the recipes available on the Internet!  What I need is a wireless monitor embedded in a cabinet door.  That way I could refer to the recipes I want to use without printing them out or, like I'm doing now, setting my laptop on my kitchen counter.  At least I have a laptop, and I can do that!  Some days I don't even think of that.  Instead I run back and forth from the kitchen to the living room to check the recipe. Not the most efficient, but I guess that's a form of exercise, right?

Speaking of exercise, this bending over to type a blog post while I've got my computer on the counter is working some muscles I don't usually work.  I can feel it tightening up my backside.  Maybe I should do this more often?  I could write blog posts, domain name availability, update website, and all manner of things while standing in my kitchen.  Of course, if I didn't set my laptop in front of my toaster oven, I'd be able to angle the screen back a bit more, and then I wouldn't have to bend over.  The thing with putting the laptop in the kitchen is that I have to keep it away from the sink where it might get wet and away from anything messy - which brings me back to how nice it would be to have a built-in monitor.  I suppose they do have those, but they cost more than I'd want to spend.

Oh well, maybe I should just do my cooking (I'm making this Sweet Potato Chicken Stew Recipe - looks good, doesn't it?) and then take my computer back into the living room to my nice, comfy couch...

Who's Supposed to Plan the Baby Shower?

Beth texted me this week and told me that one of Tim's sisters is planning a baby shower in March, and I'm supposed to go, and I'm supposed to buy her something for the baby.  Then she called tonight because the date is changing, and she's not sure it's going to work, and maybe that shower should just be for Tim's family, and there's not really room where they want to hold the shower for a lot of people, and isn't March early, and....

So I don't really know what's happening.  Who's really supposed to plan a baby shower?  Her friends?  A family member?  Her mom?  Yeah, that'd be me.  I don't even remember how it worked when I was having kids, and honestly I've never really been all that excited about showers anyway.  Maybe I can just stick with talking to her about pumping breast milk and reducing stretchmarks, and leave the 'fun' stuff to someone else.

Maybe a 'virtual' baby shower without the silly games and all the people.  That's possible, right?

Welcome to Parenthood

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of BabyDiaperSurvey.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's hard to believe that our daughter is going to be someone's MOM.  How did she get big enough, and why was she doing things that could get her into this situation?  But that's beside the point, isn't it?  The point is, she's going to be a MOM.  I know she'll be a good one.

And, since she's going to be a mom, she can Take this survey for a 1/500 chance at $1000. That $1000 gift card would certainly come in handy for all those new baby expenses.  I remember when we were getting ready for Beth to arrive, we were amazed how one little person could need so much stuff.  The costs really can add up quickly, but it's all worth it!

Those odds (1 in 500) are pretty good, and all answers are kept confidential and used for research purposes only.  No spam and nobody will try to sell you anything.   So, moms watch this video to win.  Warning: if you haven't yet given birth, parts of this video may leave you wondering if you really have to go through with it.




The answer is, Yes you do - and it is all worth it! It is absolutely amazing and something you will never forget - and you get a brand-new little person out of the whole thing. So, watch the video, get ready for one of the most amazing experiences of your life, and answer 7 short questions for your chance to win $1000.

Sweating for my health in 2011

Guest post written by Lesley Jefferson

A lot of the times I normally get in these big exercise kicks and completely give it my all until I get distracted by something else and basically just completely slack off from working out. But my resolution for 2011 is to make sure that I don't slack off any more and actually start a work out schedule that is a little more reasonable and doable than the ones that I've made in the past. I can't base my life around exercising, so I can't expect to create a schedule like that.
I used my Clear tv bundle to go online and come up with some sensible goals for myself, like I'm signing up at the YMCA and am going to go at least three times a week at the very minimum. I think that's pretty reasonable although I'd like to go more often than that.
I'm also going to challenge myself a bit and start trying out some new exercise classes at the gym as part of my exercise New Year's resolution. I've heard things about spinning.

Just What do You Mean Review?

I know it's a little late to be thinking about this, since I've already done product and book reviews on this blog.  It just seems like every time I start to put together a review post, I have a hard time figuring out what to write.  I think it's because I get distracted by other people's reviews, and they seem to use all the right words - or maybe just fancy words - and I start thinking I have to do it like that.  Only, I don't have any of those words.

I can read a book, use a new shampoo or toothpaste, try out a new Asus computer*, or listen to a new CD, and I can tell you if I like it or not.  The words might not be fancy, but maybe that's not the point.  The point is real people want to know whether they should read that book, use that shampoo, or listen to that CD, and I get to tell them whether I think they should or not.

Whether they'll listen to me or not, that's another question.

*OK, so no-one has ever given me a computer for review, but I wouldn't turn it down...

Money-making Opportunities Wanted

Have any of you tried any of these Franchise websites?  I am honestly not sure how they work, but I just added up all my blogging income from last year, and I'm thinking I need to either start blogging more, or I need to branch out.  I was watching the demo video on Empowerkit.com, and all that stuff about social networking, facebook integration, and website editing make sense to me.  It's all the rest I'm not sure about.

I'm guessing that's because the people who know about franchises and MLM and are looking to create all these user-friendly, customer-grabbing websites already know about the franchise and MLM side of it - but creating websites and controlling style and social media aren't what they want to spend their time on.  They'd rather let Freshout Web Product Development or somebody else handle it for them.

Me, I think I'll just stick to blogging and maybe baking?  How much would you pay for a loaf of home-baked bread?  Or to have me tweak your CSS?

Have You Thought About Final Expenses?

I went downstairs this morning to find that someone had left the toilet paper in the downstairs bathroom out.  We have to keep it under the sink or Weasley has too much fun with it.  He gets a hold of it just pretty much rips it to shreds.  Sometimes, the things that cat gets into!  He better be sure he's checked into final expense insurance rates, because he may not be around for long.

OK, that's not true.  He's cute enough and sweet enough that he can get away with a lot - and I'm pretty sure he knows it.  There won't be any kitty funerals anytime soon.

That brings up a serious subject - final expense insurance for seniors, or for anyone else, for that matter.  Funerals can be very expensive, and they aren't something people want to talk about or even think about.  But something as simple as planning ahead and getting burial insurance can save families a lot of money and heartache.  It's hard enough to lose a loved one and even harder to lose a loved one and go into debt to say good-bye.  Burial insurance is a basic life insurance policy that covers people up to age 100 and is fairly easy to obtain.  We have life insurance policies that should help cover any final expenses, but this sounds like a good option for those who don't have whole life or term policies.
 
For information about this or any other insurance, what it does and how it work, visit the Insurance Information Institute.

Walking for Health

Image via Wikipedia

Jeffrey has been walking with me in the mornings for a while now.  He took some time off early last year - I can't remember exactly when, but things were extra hectic at work, and he just didn't feel like he had the time.  But he started again in May, and he's kept at it pretty much ever since.  I'm really, really glad, because I'd love to see him lose some weight.  I don't want him to be the skinny little guy he was when I married him, but it would be nice to see a little less of him.  I know it'll be better for his health.  I also think that exercising, along with eating right, is a better way to lose weight than resorting to diet pills and hoping for a miracle.

Sure, there is a lot of information about which are the best diet pills and which ones should be avoided because of all the side effects, but I think the best thing is to avoid all of them altogether.  Of course, I'm one of those people who doesn't really like sweets and doesn't understand food cravings and all those other things overweight people have to deal with.  It's easy for me to look at junk food and candy and greasy foods and just say NO.  Yeah, go ahead and hate me!

Now that I'm more than halfway through my forties, I'm worried that it won't always be so easy to keep the weight off.  I've heard it works that way.  Thankfully, since Jeffrey's been walking for a while, he's started to pick up the pace, and if I don't work really hard, he leaves me behind.  That's good for me because it steps my workout up a notch, and it's good for him because it means he's getting in better shape - and good for both of us, because we shouldn't be needing weight loss diet pills!

Also, since he's mostly in front of me and not talking much, I get to listen to my books while I'm walking.

10 Most Common FAFSA Mistakes

It's that time again - time to think about filing taxes as soon as possible, once we get all the necessary info, and then filling out the FAFSA.  Last year was our first time, so I'm sure there were some things we could have done better.  This year I'm going to be checking out StudentAdvisor.com's Free FAFSA Guide, a comprehensive resource on all things FAFSA, in the hope that we'll do better this time - and maybe get a little more help paying for college.

StudentAdvisor.com’s Editor in Chief, Dean Tsouvalas, has consulted with the experts to determine the 10 most common mistakes that students and parents make while filling out the FAFSA form. This list is included in StudentAdvisor.com’s Free FAFSA Guide.

The top 10 mistakes (and how to avoid them) are:

1. Leaving blank fields - enter a “0” or “not applicable” instead of leaving it blank. Too many blanks may cause miscalculations and an application rejection.
2. Listing an incorrect Social Security Number or Driver’s License number - check these entries, and have someone else check them, too. Triple check to be sure.
3. Using commas or decimal points in a numerical field - always round to the nearest dollar.
4. Entering the wrong federal income tax paid amount - obtain your federal income paid amount from your income tax return forms, not your W-2 form(s).
5. Listing marriage status incorrectly - only write “yes” if you’re currently married. They want to know what your marital status is on the day you sign the FAFSA, or renewal FAFSA.
6. Listing Gross Adjusted Income as equal to total income – these are not the same figure. In most cases, the AGI is larger than the total income. This mistake is particularly common.
7. Listing parental marital status incorrectly – the custodial parents’ marital status is needed; if they’ve remarried, you’ll need the stepparents’ information, too.
8. Leaving the question about drug-related offenses blank – if you’re unsure of something, find out before you submit your FAFSA instead of leaving it blank. A conviction doesn’t necessarily disqualify you from receiving aid.
9. Forgetting to list the college – obtain the Federal School Code for the college you plan on attending and list it – along with any other schools to which you’ve applied.
10. Forgetting to sign and date – if you’re filling out the paper FAFSA, be sure to sign it. If you’re filing electronically, be sure to obtain your PIN from www.pin.ed.gov. Your pin is your electronic signature and is assigned to you only.

Whether you're sending a son or daughter off to college or thinking about your own online business degree, hopefully some of these tips will be useful. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the StudentAdvisor.com Free FAFSA Guide for even more helpful information. I know I'm going to.

Related articles

• 7 Tips to Avoid FAFSA Errors (usnews.com)
• Take Advantage of Two Education Tax Credits (turbotax.intuit.com)

How to Be Remembered

I think all the pens in my purse are custom promotional pens from the bank or a hotel.  I love picking up those pens, mostly because they're free, but also because I always have the information for the bank as close as the nearest pen.

I thought about ordering some personalized pencils or pens of my own one time, but I wasn't sure what to put on them, and I didn't really know who I'd give them to.  So I didn't.  If you have a business, I think they're a good way to get your name and information out there, where people will see it on a regular basis.  For an individual like me, I'm not exactly sure what I'd use them for.  It might be a good way to advertise my blog if I ever go to one of those blogging conferences I'm always reading about.  They say you definitely need business cards printed for something like that, and some of these custom pens might be nice to go along with that.

There are lots of other interesting promotional items to choose from too at sites like GOPromos.com.  I guess the key is finding something people will hold onto and use - that also has your information on it.

Too Many Shoes?

Usually I agree with the sentiment, "You can never have too many shoes."  No matter how many shoes I have in my closet, I still have to look at shoes every chance I get - just in case there's a pair that needs me to bring it home.  Of course, any pair of shoes that wants to come live in my closet must not only be cute but reasonably priced as well.  I just don't get the whole designer shoe thing - no shoe is cute enough to justify some of those prices.  NO.  SHOE.

And it's not all about how cute a pair of shoes is.  Comfort and practicality is important, too - more so as I get older wiser.  I'm not going to wear ugly shoes just to be comfortable, but if the cute shoes aren't comfy, I'm not going to buy them.  When it comes to walking or running shoes, comfort is all important.  Nobody's looking at them, but they have got to carry me for a lot of miles, without making my feet or legs hurt.  While my other shoes get worn once in a while, the walking shoes get worn practically every day, until they're worn out, and I have to replace them.

Recently I was trying to find a particular pair of shoes, and I starting thinking about actually getting rid of some of my shoes.  *GASP*  But honestly, there are shoes in there that I haven't worn in ages, and I'm not even sure I think they're cute anymore.  I can't even remember how comfortable they are.  I'm just in the mood to purge.  Of course, if I don't get in there and do it soon, while I'm still feelin' it, I may not be able to bring myself to do it after all. 

I'll just have to remember the end result - if I get rid of some shoes I don't like or wear anymore, I'll have room to bring the new ones home when I find them!

Twins?

While we were in Lexington, Beth posted a few pictures of herself and her pregnant belly.  Cory was sure she looked bigger than she should and that she was having twins.  Twins.  Wouldn't that be fun?  I always wanted to have twins - and then I had one baby at a time!  I don't know of any twins that run in our family, so it really would have been something if she was having twins.  But she's not; the sonogram only showed one baby - and one's enough.

It's been so long since I was pregnant that I couldn't really remember how big I was back when I was pregnant with Beth or when I had to start wearing Maternity Clothes - so I couldn't tell Cory that there was definitely only one baby in there.  And everyone's different, of course.  I should probably dig out some old pictures, just to see.

I'm not sure if Beth's wearing maternity clothes yet or not, but she's got this thing called a Bella Band that lets her wear her regular clothes a bit longer.  It looks like a really handy thing, and I wish they had this back when I was pregnant.  I had to go from regular clothes to some bigger sizes in regular clothes, not exactly plus-sized clothing, but bigger than my normal size - before I could find any maternity clothes that would actually fit me.  When she is ready for maternity clothes, the lady Beth works for is about the same size and has a bunch of clothes she says Beth can have.  And since she had her baby last May, everything should be for the right season, too.  She may not need to buy any maternity clothes at all.  So that's a real blessing. 

After the baby she might want to be able to buy some updated clothes, clothes more appropriate for a young mom than those skin-tight jeans and low-cut tops she always liked to wear, and start putting together a complete wardrobe that will last her for years.  Then again, maybe not.

Related articles

• What to Wear: First-Trimester Style Tips (everydayhealth.com)