Save Money with Zenni Optical

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Zenni Optical for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
 
I just can't help myself.  Every time somebody talks about needing prescription glasses, I have to tell them about Zenni Optical.  Have to.  Where else can you get glasses starting at just $6.95?  And that's not just the frames - that's the lenses too - even the thin and light 1.57 index lenses, which usually cost a lot more anywhere else.  Believe me, I know, that's where they usually get me!  Also included: anti-scratch coating, UV protection, protective case, and cleaning cloth.  Anti-glare or sunglass tint are only an additional $4.95 each.  Seriously, it's a great deal.

I had been hearing about them for a while, and we finally ordered some glasses from Zenni Optical last summer.  Since shipping is $4.95 no matter how many pair you order, I ordered 2 pair for me, 1 for my husband, 1 for my son, and 1 for my friend - and we all love them!  They are perfect.  And did I mention that you can save money on prescription glasses by ordering from Zenni Optical?  A lot of money.  The best deal I've seen anywhere else is Walmart's $29 glasses for kids 18 and under - and they're only that cheap if you can find a pair of $9 frames you like.  Anti-glare is an additional $20, and the costs add up.  And if you're over 18, you can't get that deal.

I've been wearing glasses since sometime in grade school.  I didn't always like my glasses and used to carry them around, only slipping them on when I needed to see the blackboard and then taking them off again as soon as possible.  We couldn't afford to just go out and get me a new pair whenever I might have liked.  If only we'd had something like Zenni Optical!  Kids can have cute glasses for school - even 2 or 3 pair, whether for style or as a back-up in case a pair breaks - without ruining the budget.  And so can I!  You'll notice that I ordered 2 pair when we ordered our Zenni Optical glasses.  This time I need to order some bifocals or progressive lenses which are going to cost me a bit more, but still way cheaper than I can get them anywhere else.  Now, if I can just find some frames I like...

Save Money on Back to School Fashion

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

When the kids were little, we could do all their back to school shopping at Goodwill, and they were happy.  Then Beth started Middle School, and she started to think she needed name brand clothes and the same kinds of jeans, tops, and everything else that 'everyone else' was wearing.  Last year's fashions from Goodwill were no longer acceptable.  Which, of course, meant that back to school shopping was going to cost more from then on.  She didn't get as many new clothes, either.

Cory's main fashion requirement is Converse shoes and lots and lots of t-shirts.  And he loves his ties.  Sure, some college students go to class in their pajama pants, but the boy likes to dress up and look nice.  He's learned to look for good deals on all his clothes - partially because he grew up with me, and I'm really cheap, and partially because he's spending his own money now.  I think mostly because it's his own money!
Same with Beth.  Even though she doesn't need back to school clothes now, when she does buy clothes, she likes to find the best deal.  That means always checking the clearance racks at stores and looking for good deals online at sites like Bealls. They've got some really cute stuff and offer savings like free shipping on orders over $50 and $10 off orders over $50 with code 10MORE, so it's a good place to find those must-have back to school fashions and still manage to save some cash.

What Happens if You Lose Your Phone?

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

It seems like nowadays more and more people are tied to their phones - totally reliant on those little technological gadgets.  We take our phones everywhere and check them often.  So what happens if you *gasp* lose your precious phone?

Last year, Beth lost her cell phone, and she really lucked out because the person who found it actually tracked her down and returned the phone.  Sadly, I think that is the exception and not the rule.  Often a lost phone is gone forever, and the person who lost his or her phone has to start all over from scratch - first worrying about who has the phone and what they're doing with all the info stored on it, getting that phone turned off, getting a new phone, rebuilding the contacts list, etc.  What a pain!
 
Sprint customers can get the Sprint Total Equipment Protection App now to help with that.  Available for Android, Blackberry and select feature phones, the app can:

1. Locate phone (using network integrated GPS technology)
2. Sync contacts (so they can easily be restored)
3. Remote wipe phone (so some stranger won't get access to all the info on it)
4. Lock phone (so that stranger can't use it)
5. Sound alarm (what's more irritating than misplacing the phone when it's on silent?)

Sprint customers usually must enroll in TEP within 30 days of activating their phone, but through August 30 Sprint is offering Open Enrollment.  This means any Sprint customer can add the Total Equipment Protection feature to their existing phone.  In addition to the new App features, TEP provides Sprint customers with a quick and convenient way to receive a replacement if their phone is ever lost, stolen, damaged or malfunctions after the warranty expires.  It even covers accidental phone drownings - in the lake pool, or toilet!  To enroll or learn more visit www.tepenroll.com, but hurry, because time is limited.
 

Attack!

Image by BFS Man via Flickr

Yesterday, every time I tried to load my blog, I got a warning from avast Web Shield that it had blocked a Trojan Horse.  Glad to know I'm safe, but really?  It's my own page.  I wouldn't know the first thing about creating, uploading, embedding, or whatever you do to place a Trojan on a page.  And I certainly wouldn't want to!  Or understand why anyone else would do something like that either.

So, I spent way too much time trying to figure out what was causing the problem and finally figured out that it's a script in the footer of my template - a script that has always been there, and Avast never cared before.  I removed it, and the warning went away - but the template didn't show up properly.  I put it back, and the warning came back.  I even checked the page where I originally downloaded the template - Wooden Fence template - and got the same warning when I tried to view the preview.  So, nothing has changed.  Avast just suddenly thinks it's a problem.  I got an email from my dad and a facebook note from my brother this morning that it's doing the same thing for them.

I added my page to the exceptions list, so at least I can load it now, but I'm thinking it's about time to find a new template.  It's about time anyway, but this just gives me an excuse.  I spent some time yesterday looking for a new template I like, and I found a couple.  They will, of course, need some tweaking to make me happy, so hopefully I can find some time - between cooking, cleaning, going through the mail and throwing out all the pre-approved reward cards applications, and just generally trying to get this place straightened up. 
 
Re-designing the blog sounds like so much more fun...

Amazon Free App of the Day

I love checking Amazon for the free Android App of the day.  I don't care too much about the games and such, and they don't really work too well on my tablet.  But today's free app looks like a really useful one.  It's called WiFi File Explorer PRO, and it lets you transfer files between your Android tablet or phone and your computer via WiFi - no cable needed!

When you start the app, it automatically detects nearby Wi-Fi networks and supplies you with a URL address to enter into the Web browser of your computer.  The page says you'll be prompted to set up a password, which would be good on a public network, but I didn't see that option, so I'll have to look for it.  Anyway, once connected, it's really easy to see everything on your device.  You can download files to your computer, upload to your tablet or phone, and even stream files.

I just transferred some music to my tablet, and now I'm streaming it to my computer.  Yeah, I know - silly!  But I just wanted to see how it worked.  It works really well!  I think I'm going to like this app.  Be sure to grab it today while it's free!!  (regular price is $1.49)

Do You Have a Website?

Things have certainly come a long way. I remember the first time I attempted to build a website.  It was very, very simple.  It had to be really, because there was no drag and drop, no WYSIWYG, just plain text HTML.  Thankfully there was plenty of how-to information online to help me with the HTML.  I printed a bunch of it out for easy reference, and I went to work.  Unfortunately, nobody told me that music which started automatically when the page loaded was tacky, or that images needed to be optimized to help them load faster.  Back then that was really important because practically everyone had dial-up internet access!  Who remembers that?

I've learned a lot since then, and things have gotten a lot easier, too.  Now there are sites that let you easily create your own website - no HTML knowledge required.  Anyone can have a web page.  If you can send an email and arrange elements on a page - seriously, just type in the information you want to share and drag and drop it where you want it to be - then you can build a web site.  Add modules like games, forums, or photo albums.  Include gadgets and widgets, and even integrate popular web services like YouTube, Flickr, and Paypal.  Then, arrange everything on the page the way you want it.  Change your mind, and it's super simple to move things around again, until you get it just right.  And for people like me, there's still the option to tweak the HTML, meaning I can still have complete control.  But if you don't know anything about HTML, that's perfectly fine.

There are hundreds of templates to choose from, so your site will look nice, and you get unlimited free website hosting too.  Did you see that?  I said FREE.  So if you don't have a website yet, it's time you got started.  It's easy, it's free, and it's fun!  Create a free website now at ucoz.com.

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• uCoz - A Website That Builds Websites (joetech.com)

Tuesday Tidbits

 Here I am at the end of another Tuesday and now that I sit down, everything has flown out of my head.  I'm sure it was all there before!

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I already mentioned that we went to the State Fair on Sunday, and Jeffrey got a new cell phone.  Cory got one too, even though he wasn't with us.  The boys had already picked out the phones they wanted, so we knew which one to get him.  Then Monday before work he stopped by US Cellular to get his activated and pick out a protective case.  I think he's liking it quite a bit.  I'm the only one left without a Smart Phone, but I guess I'll survive.  I still like my phone, and I can check facebook, twitter, and email from my phone, so what else do I really need?  And, besides, I'm usually home where I can use an actual computer to do all that.

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I've been wanting to use this picture for a while.  It made me think of Beth & Tim when I first downloaded it - and then I just never needed it.  They found out they were going to be parents and cut down on the drama.  Or maybe they just kept it to themselves.  Until now.  Hopefully they'll get their stuff figured out.  They have a son.  They need to grow up.

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Speaking of that adorable son, I got to go hang out with him today.  Beth had a dentist's appointment and didn't figure Jason would be happy to sit in his car seat the whole time, so she had me meet her there and watch him for her.  Yeah, it was tough, but somebody's gotta do it, right?  Thankfully Cory didn't have to work today, so I had a way to get there.  I still would have gotten to hang out with Jason.  Beth just would have had to leave work early enough to swing by here and drop him off first.  Tomorrow I get to see him again, because she wants to take all three kids to Old World Wisconsin, and she doesn't think she wants to do that all by herself.  Probably a good decision.  Also, I really do need to see that little guy regularly, because he just keeps growing and changing, and I might miss something.

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I guess that's it for now.  Nice to see there were at least a few things in my head, huh?  Tune in next Tuesday for another edition - episode? rambling list? - something.

Convert Movies for Personal Viewing

Do you you use a video converter to transfer movies to your phone or MP3 player so you can watch them anywhere?  I always wondered why anyone would want to.  I mean, those screens are so small.  But then Jeffrey got a new phone at the Fair on Sunday.  Our provider, US Cellular, is a big sponsor of the fair, so they always have a shop set up and offer some really good deals, so it's a good time to upgrade.  He got a fancy Android Smart Phone with internet access, a slide-out keyboard, and a  5MP digital camera and HD camcorder.

We were watching the horse pulls later in the evening, and I had to play with it, of course.  First I shot a video on my phone, and then I tried his.  Wow, his screen is super clear!  I'm not sure what format it saves the video in, probably  AVI or MP4, and we haven't actually taken it off the phone, but it looked amazing on the phone's screen.  It really wouldn't be bad at all to watch a movie on that screen, especially when you consider only one person is going to be watching at a time.  I am going to have to find a good video converter and put at least a couple movies on his phone so he'll have them.  He wanted me to put a movie on his Archos tablet a few months ago so he could watch it on the plane when he went to Oklahoma.  Unfortunately, he didn't ask until quite late the night before he had to leave, and his tablet had to do some kind of conversion of its own, which was going to take ages, so he didn't get a movie.

I'm not sure what format the new Android phone is going to want for videos - MP4, WMV, MOV, or something else, but it looks like a good video converter  makes it really easy.  Just select your MP3 player or phone, and it rips your DVD or converts a YouTube video to the proper format, size, and quality.  This one I looked at supports over 180 devices, so whether you have an iPhone, Nokia, Samsung, HTC, or any other phone, chances are yours is supported. 

Easy or not, I'd still like to try it when I'm not rushed, like right before a long trip when he'd like to have a movie to watch.  He can carry a few movies around in his phone the same way I'd like to carry a few books in mine.  Guess I better get busy...

Orchestra Enrollment Declines

I don't know about everyone else, but if this guy was going to be my kid's orchestra teacher, I'd strongly suggest he take up sports - and you know I'm all about the arts...




He's just creepy, and this commercial does not inspire me to shop at Target, either.  Who comes up with this stuff?

Pictures I Didn't Take at the Fair

Jeffrey and I went to the Wisconsin State Fair yesterday and spent the day just walking around and hanging out together.  We always have a good time, from the moment we walk through the entry with the bronze letters saying, "Wisconsin State Fair Park" until we walk out again at the end of the day.
 

 
I took several pictures, but I just get busy looking and seeing and doing, and I forget to get pictures of the stuff I'm really interested in.  I have a friend who always takes tons of pictures whenever she goes, and they're always a lot of fun, so I'll let you look at her pictures!  (I hope that works, and her pictures aren't all friends only)  I just love that she takes pictures of everything, and she's not afraid to take pictures of people.  I don't get good pictures of people, because I don't want them to actually know I'm taking their picture.  Yeah, I know, get over it.

Instead I take pictures of animals (mostly horses),  crowds, the sky, bronze plaques and neon signs, and even some flowers.  I just want to take pictures of the people eating the turkey legs, wearing the odd interesting outfits, and trying to sell all the gizmos and gadgets - but I don't.  And, instead of taking a picture of the man cooking the noodles I had for lunch, I took a picture of the sign.  So many signs at the fair, just begging for attention...
 

The noodles, by the way were yummy.  I didn't get a picture of them either.  I just ate them.