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

Health & Wellness

Content From Over 100 Sources All In One Place

Before (very recently) discovering I was with child, I was toying around with different methods of losing the little bit of weight I still have hanging on from my prior pregnancy (let’s not mention right now that he’s 3.5, so I should have done something about this a long time ago). I tried the one week fruit & veggies detox type thing, which wasn’t bad, but I didn’t make a plan ahead of time for week 2.  I tried counting calories, which lasted about 3 days. I do try to drink more water, though not always very successfully. My main issue has been a lack of thorough planning. If you want to successfully lose weight or just get healthier, it is a must to plan it out, for weeks or more at a time (and update the plan before the current one runs out). 

There is a plethora of information available online to help with weight loss & healthy living (and every other topic you can think of!), but I discovered Wellness Daily which is a website that basically collects hundreds of related articles, blog posts, videos, etc, etc all in one place. The two things I love best about it is that it is FREE and is simple to use and navigate (oh, and a third would be printable coupons for healthy foods!). The front page is a collection of boxes full of links to content.  A quick skim can find you exactly what you are looking for - or at least tons of great info - without going through pages and pages of search results. Visit www.wellnessdaily.com, sign up and take the pledge to a healthier life!

I’ve been over at Billy The Tree online jewelry shop, browsing around.  They have some beautiful pieces. If you are looking for a magnet bracelet, magentic jewelry looks like their specialty, but they have a wide variety of other pieces as well. On top of reasonable prices, they also offer free shipping worldwide and satisfaction guaranteed - their aim is to make jewelry shopping fun. I’ve heard a little about the benefits of a magnet bracelet, but never considered one because I honestly never came across a pretty magnet bracelet, just plain, cheesy ones. Guess they’ve come a long way because these are nice. Shake The Salt will be publishing a Mother’s Day Gift Guide, but if you want to get a head start on your shopping, I’m sure you’ll find something beautiful at Billy The Tree - plus I love the uniqueness of their shop’s name!

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Kiki’s Fashions Maternity offers stylish threads that are actually affordable.  There’s even an “Under $10″ section! I’m frugal (if ya didn’t know, lol!) - I like to spend wisely, but I want what I want.  We aren’t planning yet for #2, but I could see some of those cute tops and such on me when that time comes around again to buy maternity clothes.

Let’s see, cute & trendy? Check. Low, realistic prices for the non-celeb amongst us (especially for those who are feeling the economic crunch)?  Check.  New styles (they rotate the stock to keep it fresh)?  Check.  Coupon Code?  Check. I especially love the latter! Use code blogfriends to score 20% off!

cute maternity tank top

 This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are 100% my own.  Thxkbai.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

Breast is best, it goes without saying (though the catchy phrase makes it easy to convey the message). It was my first choice when Lil Roo was born, but certain circumstances prevailed and by several months old, he was completely on formula. 

We then used Enfamil until whole milk became the drink of choice.  We used formula checks and coupons, sometimes stacked together, to help offset the high formula cost. Wanting the best of the options that were on the table (as the absolute best was now off the table), we chose a well-trusted name brand.

I’m frugal and not always brand loyal, but like many parents I did not even think of considering a more frugal, non-name brand, option.  As a first time mom, I took my responsibility of this very precious person very seriously and believed there was a quality difference in brand and “generic” formula and wasn’t taking any chances. 

I’ve since learned a little bit more on the subject of baby formula and that while store-brand infant formula may be gentler on your budget, it is not at the expense of quality.  Whether name brand or store brand, there are standards that must be met before it could ever land on the store shelf.  Recently, advertising by a name brand infant formula company claiming store-brand infant formula was a lesser quality was proven false, so the facts show they are of an equal quality.

We know there’s a substantial savings to be had by purchasing the store-brand option, but were you aware there were also coupons available for store brand infant formula to sweeten the deal? 

Get a $3 coupon by taking a Baby Formula Quiz (seven random baby formula questions). You can also get a store-brand formula coupon by completing the name-and-address form. 

Personally, if/when we have a younger sibling for Lil Roo, and if breastfeeding was again taken off the table, I would give serious thought to store brand formula. Knowing I can make an affordable choice without sacrificing quality makes all the difference in the world to me. 

What’s your thoughts? If breastfeeding was not an option for you or not your first choice, would you give your baby store-brand formula over the name brand formula? 

PINE FURNITURE

Affordable, traditional, and stylish

As a savvy frugalista that lives in the country, pine furniture has a certain appeal to me.  It has a light, natural, and fresh appeal.  It isn’t showy, which is an important factor as people realize in this economy that having the “showiest” items and keeping up with the Joneses is not all some thought it was cracked up to be.

Pine furniture is sturdy, practical and can be just as fashionable as other wood types.  Whether you live in the country or city and whether shopping for the bedroom, the dining room, or furniture for other rooms, pine furniture could prove to be a more practical answer.

The link provided are sponsored, however opinions are 100% mine.

VACATION RENTALS

An alternative to hotel stays during vacations

We just returned from a quick get-a-way to Disney where there are hotels by the hundreds.  We were in our room long enough to drop off our stuff upon arrival, then for a few hours sleep that night, so a hotel made sense for this trip. 

Earlier this year we also visited central Florida and chose a vacation rental for our week-long stay.  It was surprisingly affordable, spacious, and much more comfortable than typical hotel rooms. It was a first for us and something we will lean toward for future trips.

The links provided are sponsored, however opinions are 100% mine.

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

Sponsored Tweets:

Informative plus an easy way to make money doing what you do anyway OR tacky and clogging up tweet-space?

This morning I started looking into Sponsored Tweets.  From time to time I do sponsored posts, where a topic is presented and a link(s) within the post are sponsored, but although I’ve heard a little about Sponsored Tweets (I knew it existed, but never checked into it) this morning is the first I really gave it a look see to see if I’d want to sign up for sponsored tweets.

As a stay at home mom attempting to be a work at home mom, I am all for ways to bring in a little extra income here and there, but at the same time I don’t want to make a couple bucks at the expense of alienating others. 

The basic premise is that you sign up with Sponsored Tweets, set your criteria, and advertisers connect with you to tweet for them on a tweet by tweet basis.  No automatic tweets as you have to approve each one and manually tweet it out yourself.  What you accept or reject is entirely up to you.  

It is all professional and above board, a great idea, and with a smooth payment system.  My sole drawback is how those sponsored tweets will be received by followers.  I am very interested in your thoughts and opinions.  Do you do sponsored tweets?  How do you feel when you read a sponsored tweet?  TIA!

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Researching Hotels And Their Reviews

There is a wealth of travel information available online and it continues to grow.  From hot deals to regular folks sharing their personal vacation pictures, just about everything you need to know is just a few clicks and keystrokes away. 

Oyster Hotel Reviews is one such online destination, sharing detailed hotel reviews in the hottest locations. 

Oyster’s mission:

At Oyster Hotel Reviews, we have a very simple mission: to give a comprehensive preview of the hotels you might choose to stay at, from the beds you’ll sleep in to the bathrooms you’ll use to the food you’ll eat. Our goal is to guide our users to the hotels that will best fit their needs. We do this by extensively photographing every place we visit and writing in-depth reviews based on our firsthand experiences.

According to a recent survey (1), Florida is one of the best states to get a good nights sleep. That is, if you aren’t eating up Miami’s hot nightlife! If you will be, or plan to be in Miami for other reasons, finding the hotel most suited to your needs there may be a high priority for you.  Oyster has you covered - from Miami’s best value hotels to the most romantic to kid-friendly hotels. Many other cities have extensive hotel reviews on the site as well.  

FEATURES:

Each hotel listing has plenty of pictures to give you an accurate view - no pun intended - of what to expect.  For example, the Trump International Beach Resort, listed as the best Kid-Friendly Resort, has an astonishing 478 pictures of the resort.

The preset amenities list gives a yes/no for each, plus notes where applicable, so there are less surprises when you arrive.

Map

Comments.  Have you been to the Trump International Beach Resort? Oyster has a comments section for each hotel so you can get more opinions and info.

Personally? My favorite feature is the Pro / Con list that gives you the facts straight up at a glance for each hotel.

 All in all, Oyster Hotel Reviews provides in-depth information to help you decide which hotel is your best fit for your next vacation or business event.

Know Before You Go: Researching Hotels And Their Reviews is a Sponsored Post, personally written by me.  This is a Traveling Mom dedicated post.

It is that time of year again.  There’s about to be some serious cookie baking going on over the next couple of months.  What are your favorite holiday cookies?  I’m on the hunt for some fun cookie recipes to make with my three year old son for the holidays.  Got any ideas? 

Sponsored link; however all content is my own, including my genuine interest in cool cookie recipies!

I have strong views about health insurance.  We are fortunate to have coverage through my husband’s provider and I’ve had it through previous employers, but there have also been times I CHOSE not have coverage because I chose to spend the money elsewhere.  I don’t believe in being FORCED to have “acceptable” health coverage. I do believe there are a select few with little to no options, but I do not feel a full overhaul of the system will truly meet their immediate needs and will only do additional damage to our weakening economy.  My thoughts? Focus on small steps we can take to help THOSE select few. Also? Let us purchase health insurance across state lines to break up monopoly systems and reform the litigation part of medicine. Small steps = massive improvements.

Are you looking for health insurance quotes?

Sponsored Post: The link is sponsored; all other comments are purely my own thoughts and opinion.

C’mon, who doesn’t like free stuff?  Better yet, who couldn’t stand to declutter just a little bit?  I for one am in both of those categories!  Through Listia.com, you earn credit based on items you post to giveaway.  You are then able to use then able to use the credits in your account to go shopping for free stuff others have posted.  Listia is set up auction-style - you bid on items but on credits instead of a cash value. Many items offer free shipping, but there are some you will need to pay shipping on. 

EXAMPLE:

This nearly new Kodak Easy Share digital frame is currently at 76 credits with 10 bids.  The auction ends in approximately 7 days.  I currently have 200 credits in my account, and will earn more sign-up credits once I post my first item, so this would be completely free to me at the current bid. Once I list items for “sale” and earn additonal credits, I’ll be able to continue picking up items for free.

Listia is currently offering 300 credits when you sign up and list an item.

Sign-up & explore Listia for yourself.

Sponsored Post
Personally written by Christy at ShakeTheSalt.com
Using the sign-up referral link above will credit an additional 50 credits each to your account and the account of ShakeTheSalt.com.

Back To Yourself supports self-treatment of back pain and specializes in Back Exercises.  They are currently offering a free trial – a great way to get hands on with their program to see how it could work for you.

NOTE: These exercises are to relieve chronic back pain; extreme caution & consultation with a Doctor is advised if you’ve recently injured your back or are under a Doctor’s care for back pain. 

BabySafeTravel.com offers a one-stop shop for searching travel deals, reading travel reviews, and purchasing baby travel gear.  Search for deals on hotels in the United States as well as in Canada, Australia, Europe and other International destinations.  Priceline, a name you trust in travel searches, powers their search features for hotels, air and car. 

You’ll find five featured hotels with the price per night listed on the home page, which can be helpful if you are looking for a good deal and are flexible about your travel destination.  Other great features on the site include climate themed baby blogs, travel tips, and connecting with parents in your area. 

Bumble Bee Foods is donating $0.15/mile for every mile logged through October 31, 2009 at BeeWell Miles (up to $200,000) to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength.  This is an awesome opportunity for each of us to help make a difference - and not only do we not have to dig deep into our own pockets, but it also provides us with an extra incentive to get walking! 

So far today (as of 6:00 PM) I have walked 2.47 miles and I’ve logged it at BeeWellMiles.com - if I walk an average of 2 miles each day (my average day at home, no errands, is typically 1.5 miles and higher when I’m out and about) then I could reasonably contribute $60 to the cause - just by walking and logging my miles!!

Now, what if I could get YOU to join me? And what if YOU walked an average of 2 miles each day too? If I could get 9 more to join me, together we could raise $600!!! Just for walking! (And really, if you are chasing after kids, you are doing that anyway, LOL! So, all ya have to do is log them.) 

BeeWellMiles.com has a lot of great features, beyond logging miles to support the Breast Cancer Network of Strength.  Interact with healthy living experts, log your miles and discover the calories you burn. Calculate your route’s mileage. Share your favorite walking/running route with others. You can even enter your meals to understand their caloric values, then see how your activity and nutrition offset each other. Interact with other guests and share ideas and tips on getting healthy and staying their. Plus, each day you log miles or game codes from pink Bumble Bee cans you could instantly win one of 15,000 prizes!!

Is the current economy affecting your business and overall sales? This may be a good time to get back to the basics and evaluate your business presence.

How are your customers finding you? How are you reaching your customers and potential customers? How are you connecting with your clients?

In this day and age, it is important that your business have an online presence. It is also very important that your online presence be managed effectively. 

Website: Your business card online and the “hub” for your other online endeavors.

Blog: For promotions, mini-press releases & other business news, etc.

Social Networking: Twitter & Facebook are two options for opening up conversation between your business and your customers.

Store: If you sell products, you should have an online store. People are making their purchases online in increasing numbers, so put your product where the shoppers are.  The more payment options available, the less likely a customer will purchase elsewhere.

In some cases, you may wish to consider small business loans to help finance changes you are considering in your business.

What are you doing during this slow economy to continue to move your business forward? 

As a consumer, how can a business better reach out to you?