Author: brandy3

Giving Comfort To Those Affected By Cancer #GivingComfort

- brandy3


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Disclosure: This is a compensated post for Giving Comfort through Social Moms. All opinions are 100% my own.

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I am only 28 years old but I have had a lot of family members that have fought or are fighting cancer. It’s never something I want to hear, that someone is battling cancer, It’s the worst feeling in the world. I have had a few aunts and other family members diagnosed and I wasn’t as close with them, but it was still hard to hear.
My mother was diagnosed with skin cancer on her arms. She lives in Arizona and just going out on day to day basis can damage your skin. Even sitting in the car with the sun beaming down can be damaging. Luckily it was caught early and they were able to remove it all with surgery. Unfortunately since then her health has declined and has tons of medical problems, and is getting checked for breast cancer regularly.
My grandfather was diagnosed with Cancer and it was devistating for my grandmother who battled breast cancer herself. His body just couldn’t handle it and he got to the point where he was bed rested. He was the only close family member that has passed from Cancer.
My Grandmother was diagnosed with cancer at the worst possible time. She was diagnosed when I was hit by a car, so right after surgery she came to take care of my brothers. She is a survivor though and made it through, but it was very hard to watch her go through it all.
My Aunt In-law has been diagnosed with Thyroid cancer and was doing surgery as well as chemo for a long time. It was hard to watch how much pain she was in.
My Grandmother in-law is currently battling stage 4 colon cancer right now. She also had variety of other problems at the same time, back problems, leg problems etc. The doctors were literally crying watching her walk out of the hospital, her cancer was so massive and diagnosing it as a stage 4, they didn’t think she would make it. She is a miracle.

I received a Giving Comfort kit to review and I will be sending it to my mother, so she can be comfortable while she is fighting all these health conditions. I just love this kit, it comes with a relaxing robe, eye pillow, book, journal, and so much more. It’s the perfect kit to make her feel relaxed and take her mind off of everything for a little while.

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This kit is packaged so cute. It all comes in a bag to carry around. The robe is one size fits most, but it’s actually pretty big. I was a little worried it wouldn’t fit the person I am sending it to, but no worries.

Please consider sending one of these kits to a person fighting cancer, it really does bring a smile to their face. Visit Giving Comfort today to find your kit.

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Giving Comfort blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.

Struggles With The New Common Core #CommonCore #Trouble

- brandy3 1 Comment


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This year our school has started a new Common Core. While I have been listening to parents say how much they hate it and how hard it is, I didn’t think much of it.

I have parents in my daughters 3rd grade class opt out of the testing, because it’s to hard and other reasons.

I went to meet the teacher night last night and the teacher said that they have never jumped right into division and multiplication at the beginning of the school year. The new Common Core they had too. They have seen a few struggling with it.

The first couple days of school my daughter seemed fine, she was happy getting 100% on review tests etc. Now that she is having math homework, she is struggling with understanding the wording and exactly what needs to be done.

For me I get most of it, but the way I learn may not be best for her. EX: My division I always do backwards as multiplication.

It makes me feel stupid at times that I don’t really get it.

Here are some examples of her Math.

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Luckily we have great teachers who are helping the students as much as they can. They are trying to take the Common Core and break i down in their own terms, and I think that has helped a bit.

Is your child struggling with the new Common Core?

Card.com is the perfect this holiday season Giveaway #SP #GiveawayClosed

- brandy3 718 Comments


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Disclosure: A Card.com Visa card was provided for my review, and another for giveaway. All opinions are 100% my own.

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I hate carrying cash, sometimes it’s the easiest thing to have but I spend it way to fast. So I always either use my debit card or use a visa gift card.

Card.com is a safe and easy way to give and send money.

You can use your Breast Cancer Awareness Debit Visa card anywhere Visa is accepted worldwide, and there are no overdraft fees, APR fees or penalty fees – regardless of your credit standing. Withdraw funds at thousands of ATMs, conveniently load money with Western Union, PayPal, bank transfers, MoneyPak, direct deposit of wages or federal benefits payments. Like a good friend, the card is always there when you need it, including 24/7/365 support and benefits like:

• No late fees
• No overdraft fees
• No check cashing fees
• Spending tracking
• Online bill pay

Your card gives you everything you need, with no minimum balance or bank history requirements, and your Breast Cancer Awareness Prepaid Debit Visa card is FDIC insured for the full balance on the card with zero liability protection – just like other credit products.



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I chose the Breast Cancer Awareness card, because October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

According to Breastcancer.org, approximately 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer at some point in their lives. But this illness isn’t reserved just for women – in 2011, it was estimated that 2,140 men would be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, as well.

 

****I received a Breast Cancer awareness card to review. I love the design considering it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The card comes in the mail and after you activate it you can put money on your Card.com account, through your bank account, Paypal account and another Card.com account. You can even have the IRS deposit your refund to your card. It’s been so easy to use.

What I really don’t like about the card is that there are some of the fees. For Ex. There is a $5.95 monthly maintenance fee, if you don’t have a deposit of $800 or more.

I am giving away $25 Pre-paid Visa Breast Cancer Awareness Card.

*Because the card is FDIC insured you may be asked for your SS# when applying. It’s safe and secure though.

To enter: Tell me your favorite design on Card.com?

Extra entries:

Subscribe to my feed- 12 entries

Blog about this giveaway-9 entries

Grab my button-8 entries

Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post-7 entries unlimited

Follow me on twitter-4 entries

Tweet this giveaway-4 entries (can be done daily)

Enter any of my other giveaways-3 entry

post this giveaway on Facebook-2 entry (can be done daily)

Contest ends 11/7/13

Baby Boomers Are Beginning To Become Internet Obsessed

- brandy3


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Disclosure: This is a compensated post, Information provided by the company.

Being “plugged in” isn’t just for Generation X and Millenials anymore. The latest numbers on Internet usage are starting to show that baby boomers are beginning to become just as Internet obsessed as the other generations. There are some good reasons for this sudden interest in joining the online crowd, baby boomers are discovering just how much the Internet has to offer and how much it can play a part in making their lives better.

Increased Access

Being connected to the Internet used to require more of an active choice on the part of a user. You had to specially contract for the service, learn how to run a computer and then figure out how to connect everything together. With the latest in technological advances, the Internet is everywhere whether you want it or not. Almost all cellphones come with automatic access to at least some of the Internet and more and more baby boomers are becoming accustomed to getting their news and weather updates over the Internet than from the TV. While 76% of boomers still use the TV as their main source of news, current surveys show that 30% now use the Internet. That is almost a 100% increase in less than 5 years.

More Sites for Boomers

The Internet used to all be games and geeks, but developers and companies are now creating niches for baby boomers that are attracting them online in droves. There are Oldies Music Sites, where you can find singles or albums to download of music you thought lost forever. There are history sites and sites that allow users to post pictures from the past of areas of their town to document the changes over the decades. Many of the boomers are being drawn online to reconnect with old friends, reminiscing with nostalgia posts as well as sharing news about their current lives and children’s lives. There has also been an explosion in the number of dating sites aimed at the 50+ crowd. These “boutique” sites make finding someone special easier than the monster sites where it would take years to wade through profiles of “not right.”

Money and Health

One of the biggest reasons that the Internet has seen such an increase in usage by baby boomers are the advances in information and research to do with managing money and health online. There are more educational resources, better shopping prices for medication and online banking services available than ever before. For boomers, this is proving to turn their golden years into “get up and go” years as it is easier to find places to travel that accommodate boomers, health information to help boost immune systems and better pricing on necessary items so there is more money left in the budget to spend on life.

Predictions for the Future

The Internet, especially social media, will continue to see more and more baby boomer’s flocking to its worlds as time goes on. With the younger generations being so effortlessly involved with the online world, and more comfortable with maintaining social and family contacts on a regular basis through posting, it is becoming the only way to keep up with what is happening. VOIP services like Skype are also letting baby boomers see more of their grandkids than would have been possible if all they had to rely on was the occasional flight out. Boomers are also discovering that the youth they remember so well, can be found again online through sites dedicated to preserving the music, arts and ideas of generations. It truly is keeping people connected in all directions of life and closing the distances between families.

Getting Ready For The Next Chapter

- brandy3


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Life can be complicated.  In my life I have seen it all. I grew up in a low income family, Only one in my family to graduate high school. Married at 19 and enrolled in beauty school, but had to drop out after I had a high risk pregnancy.

So now I have been a stay at home mom to my 3 adorable kids, while my husband gets his PHD.  He will be graduating within the next 2 years.

THEN……..  The next chapter begins.

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We have always discussed me getting a job or going back to school. After all i have been blogging for 4 years and am no where near being able to pay bills.

All i can hope for is the economy to get better.

 

#WarmUpYourWalls With HP Photo Gifts #GiveawayClosed

- brandy3 735 Comments


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Disclosure: I was invited to a event to learn how to design with pictures. A gift card was provided for me to try it as well as a giveaway. All opinions are 100% my own.

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This Holiday season I will be taking a ton of photos, between Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas etc. With all the pictures I will be taking I want to get them enlarged and framed, or put on canvas.
I have no designing skills at all, so I loved watching Genevieve Gorder show us a easy way to warm up your walls with pictures. How to organize them and make them mesh well together on the wall.

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I am not big on hanging pictures on my wall, just because I am renting and don’t like putting holes in the wall. I do have pictures on dressers, entertainment center etc. I love how east it is to set it up that way.

Besides canvas photos, HP also offers photo books and gifts available for pick up at Walmart. I had a photo book made just for my son. He loves seeing old cars and taking pics with them. So I took all those photos and put together a hard cover custom photo book. I even put a Cars 2 custom theme for the book.

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I love this book, it actually looks like a real book. the pictures came out so good. My son swooned over this book and has been showing everyone how great it turn out.

I also made a canvas box photo of my husband and I, It was not very good resolution though.

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I can’t wait to add to my collection and have tons of pictures all over my house.

One Picture I can’t wait to make

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I love this picture, it’s one picture but divded into 3 different panels.

You can make tons of great photo gifts with HP for the holidays.

I have a $50 Walmart gift card to giveaway for you to Warm Up Your Walls.

To enter:  Visit Walmart HP Photo and tell me what type of photo product you would get.

Extra entries:

Subscribe to my feed- 12 entries

Blog about this giveaway-9 entries

Grab my button-8 entries

Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post-7 entries unlimited

Follow me on twitter-4 entries

Tweet this giveaway-4 entries (can be done daily)

Enter any of my other giveaways-3 entry

post this giveaway on Facebook-2 entry (can be done daily)

Contest ends 11/5/13

Enter The Hormel Up The Stakes Recipe Contest and Ham-Stakes Sweepstakes #HormelFamily #SP

- brandy3

Disclosure: Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Hormel Foods as part of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program. Throughout the year I’ll be receiving product, coupons, giveaways and promotions. However, no payment was given or expected for posting about the program, and as always, all opinions given here are fully my own.

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Hormel Cure 81 Ham is the easiest way to prepare a full healthy ham meal for your family. The hams are fully cooked and just go in the oven for a hour or so (depending on the pounds). It’s that simple. We love the ham, we use it as a dinner or with our breakfast for Ham and eggs.

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Hormel is hosting a “Up The Stakes” recipe contest:
The “Up the Steaks” recipe contest challenges you to submit the most unique recipe featuring Hormel® Cure 81 ham steaks. It’s easy: just submit a recipe and you’ll be entered to win a grand prize valued at $1,500 ($1,000 gift card and a variety of kitchen tools and serving ware valued at $500)! To participate, simply like the Hormel Cure 81 Facebook page between August 30th and October 18 and fill out the form with your recipe and information. Winners will be notified at the end of the contest period – it’s that simple.

You can also enter the Ham-Stakes sweepstakes:
After you like their Facebook page and enter the recipe contest.
A drawing will take place each Friday, beginning on September 6th. The first drawing includes:
Grand Prize: a grill, grilling tool set, two camping chairs, one bag tossing set, one $500 gift card.
Second Place: TEN winners will receive one $10 off coupon toward the purchase of a Hormel Cure 81 ham product.
Additional prizes will be awarded on Fridays through October 18th and include:
First Place: one small grill, two camping chairs, one small folding table, one $250 giftcard.

Whats your go to Hormel Ham recipe?

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