Thoughts On Breast Implants

The most intensive I have done for beauty so far is teeth whitening.  I haven’t done any liposuction and the last time I went to the dermatologist was for my acne. However, when I see celebrities especially moms who just had a baby, I wish I have a little more money to spend. I specifically want my stretch marks to vanish. Why? They are not just stretch marks but they are also dark spots on my tummy.  Most people I know have them in white but mine are dark brown. I researched about it and there is a non-surgical laser procedure to reduce the stretch marks.

Would you do breast implants if you have the option? I don’t think I will but maybe if I am flat-chested. I don’t like to judge other women because they are getting these procedures. I think we are basically made to like the feeling of being pretty. Most women wear makeup everyday so I believe there is nothing wrong with wanting to look better.

Someday, I admit that if I can afford it, I will be willing to undergo minor plastic surgery to give my face little lift.

For more information about breast implants, you can go to http://www.rianmaercksmd.com/. They have amazing before and after pictures. This post is brought to you by their website.

Airsoft

It is surprising to me the first time I went to the Midwest and all the houses I’ve been have guns. Here in Hawaii, it is not very common in a household to have one, at least as far as I know.  I personally don’t like the idea that most people should have a gun especially when I hear about a gun man student at school. I would think that some parents chose to homeschool their kids because of some bad things going around and also because the world is getting to be not as safe as before. But as with any other weapon, there are pros and cons.  It can serve as a protection but it can also be fatal.

A trivia about guns:

What is Airsoft? According to Wikipedia, “Airsoft is a sport in which participants shoot round non-metallic pellets launched via replica firearms” This type of guns is also being used in the military training. A similar sport is Paintball which is famous here in Hawaii. It must be so hot outdoors wearing that gear here but I heard it is enjoyable.

If you need more information about airsoft guns, you can visit http://www.godfatherairsoft.com/. This post is brought to you by their website.

Giveaways to enter

I have two giveaways ongoing at my other blog. I hope you enter! Both are for US residents only. Hopefully, next time I can also host a giveaway for my non-US readers.

Giveaway #1 YMX by Yellowman Review and Giveaway, $89 worth Ends 9/3
Supersoft, lightweight and wrinkle resistant shirt.

Uprinting Flyers Giveaway (250 pcs) Ends 9/4 $50 value

Another giveaway that you can enter is from another blog - Funky Fresh Mama My Baby Clothes $25 GC

Have fun entering giveaways!

Buying Products From China

The country of China is becoming a major economic force lately, and they now have the world‘s second largest economy, only behind the United States. Many of us buy Chinese products at Wal-mart and K-Mart and online or at flea markets. Some of you may be direct sellers on Amazon, Ebay, and other online websites. I have always wondered how sellers could sell items so cheaply and still make a reasonable profit.

I have found the website named  ChinaPerformanceGroup.com. This service provider give sellers an opportunity to buy direct from China, and at very low prices, up to 50% savings when compared to other sources. You can work directly with a Procurement Specialist and have a factory in China produce your products for you. They also have a supply chain management system which will provide optimal service to clients. To make it easy, they even have an office in New Jersey and provide 24/7 support if you have questions. Some of you may have mixed thoughts about outsourcing or importing products for sale from foreign countries, and critical comments are welcome here.

I guess there are pros and cons about the effect on the American economy and people. I sure benefit whenever I buy from Wal-Mart because the prices are lower than other places.

This post is brought to you by ChinaPerformanceGroup.com.

It's Time To Change My Phone

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

Sometimes, it feels that I am the only one without a fancy phone. Then I think about the amount of money I am saving because I don’t have internet access on my phone, and I don’t feel so bad. I always have a laptop or computer nearby so I thought that getting an expensive phone is not a necessity.

Well, after I saw this ad about Walmart offering a great phone without a contract, I am thinking of getting a Straight Talk phone.  Their phones have mp3 player, camera, web access, text and calls for a low monthly fee, even lower than what I am paying now. You can also choose to have a smart phone that has instant messaging, Bluetooth, voice navigation and more, that's just about everything you need in a phone. I can probably buy a new outfit for my daughter with the money I will be saving every month if I get one of the plans from Straight Talk.

I am very interested with their "All you need plan" that covers a thousand minutes of call and a thousand text. An additional feature I would like to avail is the  cheap international monthly plan. I can call a friendevery now and then without having to worry about high charges. I would not have to keep going to Chinatown just to get phone cards that only last for a few minutes.  I can also start calling close relatives in the Philippines especially now that I become a stay at home mom. It is one thing that I feel that I should be making time for. As they say,mom knows best, I am a mom now for over two and a half years. I love it and I hope that I am making the right decisions for my family.

You’ll get everything you need in a cellphone with Straight Talk.  

Search Engine Optimization

Are you familiar with Search Engine Optimization? I’ve seen these three words in blogs and through searching the internet. If you’ve been here in my blog before, you know that I monetize my blog. Now, that I am a stay at home mom, I am trying to find ways to still be able to help my family when it comes to finances.  I am finding it a challenge to promote my blog, have more followers so I can get more readers and in turn get more sponsors. Sometimes, I am tempted to get help from companies like Webimax.com so I will have more visitors.

Monetizing your blog is something that I recommend. It would not make you rich, but it helps, at least in my case. Although my blogs became full of reviews, I do try to give honest opinions on the websites or products that I am provided.  A lot of bloggers would not agree with me writing about various topics. However, I can say that blogging became a learning experience for me. I ordered from shopping websites that I never heard before and these companies are amazing.  I also feel that it’s a win-win situation for both the advertiser and the blogger. There is also no pressure to sell, no pressure for me to make others totally read my blog posts, I just have to share my thoughts and opinions.

For now, I will probably stick with just myself promoting my blogs. In the future, especially when I open my own Etsy store. I might get some help from Search Engine Optimization experts like Webimax.com. You can find a lot of information about SEO on their website.

Patriotic shirts

September is around the corner, it is the month we remember September 11, 2001 when about 3,000 Americans lost their lives during the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I was born and raised in the Philippines but even when my citizenship was still Filipino, I always looked up to the US as a powerful and great country. I became an American myself not many years ago, and I was required to show loyalty and learn about the country and its history. The US is my home now, and this is where I am and will be raising my child and this is where my family will be making a lot of memories.

One way to remember the September 11 incident is to wear patriotic shirts. A great place to buy is americanherotshirt.com.  When you buy a shirt, $5 of the proceeds goes to helping the wounded soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. They also have a blog and I was moved by the blog posts about some young soldiers who had already lost their lives in the time of war. They also design and sell military t-shirts. They have very unique and nice patriotic designs. These shirts will also be great for your patriotic July 4^th celebrations.

You can head over http://www.americanherotshirt.com to take a look at their designs.

Disney Resorts Orlando

The summer vacation season is coming to an end soon with the kids going back to school and we get into the daily grind of going to work each day thinking about deadlines and getting the kids to soccer practice. Soon, while sitting in our cubicle, we’ll be daydreaming about going on vacation and the beach, but unfortunately we will be brought back to harsh reality by traffic jams and stop lights. But there‘s an alternative because it’s always sunny and warm in Florida, where you can vacation any time of the year at Disney World in Orlando. I haven't been there but I read so much about it. I can't wait till I can take RC to one of the Disney Resorts Orlando.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin is an award-winning deluxe Disney resort hotel. You can stay at other hotels in Orlando, or look for Orlando hotels near Disney, but you won’t be able to match the convenience of staying inside Disney World. The Swan and Dolphin is located between Disney’s Epcot Center and Disney’s Hollywood Studios and very close to the other major attractions at Disney World, including Disney‘s Animal Kingdom theme park. At the resort, they have great amenities like restaurants and lounges, five pools, two health clubs, tennis courts, and lots of other great things to make your stay more enjoyable. Go to www.swandolphin.com and check out the Swan and Dolphin resort.

Again, you can share your experiences with me. I've been seeing a lot of blogs where they go to Florida and I think Disney is indeed a  happy place especially for kids.

This post is brought to you by http://www.swandolphin.com/.

Toddlers and Dentists

I haven’t taken RC to the dentist yet. Both I and my husband agreed that we are not taking her yet. Probably when she turned three years old, she will be better prepared. Some dentist recommends that the first visit should be done a few months after the temporary tooth comes out. RC is already scared of the regular doctor and we don’t want to subject her yet in another type of trauma. I know it can be good for her but I just know that she is not ready yet to see a dentist. I was just at the dentist a few weeks ago for deep cleaning and it hurt… for days.

All of us at one time or another needs a general dentist or orthodontist. It’s great if we have a family dentist, but many of us don’t have dental insurance and need to find a dentist for those emergencies like cavities or a broken tooth. You can do it the old fashioned way and search through the phone book, but I don’t even have a phone book anymore since we got rid of our home phone to save money. Now everything can be done on the computer, smart phone, or tablet, anywhere you have internet access. To find dentists, go to www.smilegeneration.com. On their website, you’ll be able to find either a dentist or orthodontist, and you can make an appointment after you’ve located the dentist of your choice. The site also has payment options and special offers to reduce the price of more expensive dental procedures. All dentists in the Smile Generation approved offices will provide you with exceptional care and the website is very convenient and will save time.

Please share some experiences about your kids going to the dentist. I would be eager to know.

The World of Diapers

Our beautiful daughter joined our small family on New Year’s Day, 2009 just a few short minutes after midnight. My husband for jokingly hoping for a income tax baby, but our bundle of joy didn’t cooperate with him and came 57 minutes too late to qualify us for a tax break on our 2008 taxes. As we look back on that day over two years ago, we laugh about how our pondering tax breaks and even thinking about taxes was insignificant compared to the happiness and love that has entered all our lives since her birth.

From the first few minutes after being born, our beautiful daughter was immediately introduced to the wonderful world of diapers. In the distant past, there wasn’t much of a choice, you either used smelly cloth diapers or disposable diapers. Disposable diapers were considered low quality, but very convenient because you just tossed them out. Over the years, cloth diapers are almost non-existent now, and the norm now is disposable diapers. But there is such a huge assortment of disposable diapers, it can be a little overwhelming for new parents to choose the right disposable diaper for their youngster. Our daughter has very sensitive skin, so we were always worrying about diaper rash, and constantly using wipes after each diaper change, and buying large quantities of cream that kept her from coming down with the dreaded diaper rash. Having a good nose is great when it comes to changing diapers. I've kept the wipes and diapers where they can be easily reached.

Watching babies grow and mature is a gift to parents. You can watch each day as they learn new things and become amazed at their steady progress. After a few short months, your little wiggle-worm will become even more active and make their first moves toward crawling. We nicknamed our daughter Scooter during the time she was first learning to crawl. They will struggle at first to lift their little heads and flail their arms and legs about because they haven‘t developed a sense of coordination yet. But eventually they will catch on, and soon be on their way to crawling and walking.

But in those precious days that our little Scooter was merrily learning to crawl, we continued to happily change diapers, because the alternative was not pleasant. Your little bundle of joy quickly becomes less appealing when sporting a diaper that has needs changing. Diapers are an ever-present reminder that your little one is going through stages, and someday you’ll reach that point where diapers are no longer needed, after potty training has been determined a success. Scooter isn’t quite there yet, but she’s making steady progress.

We've tried different brands of diapers and we were always pleased with Huggies. They currently launched the Huggies Little Movers Slip-On Diapers which will make diaper changing easier.

For more information about Huggies:
Huggies.com
Like Huggies on Facebook

Follow Huggies in Twitter


I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Huggies blogging program, for a gift card worth $35. For more information on how you can participate, click here

The Day Baby Was Born

  

Here is my story, The Day Baby Was Born, I felt a lot of contractions few days before my due date but I would always lie down and feel my body and for some reason the contractions got lesser and less painful. So I tell myself “It’s not time yet.” The doctor even told me that I would know when it is time because of the pain and the contractions would not stop.

To the expecting moms out there, I am telling you that I really did not know. My OB predicted that I will probably be delivering earlier than my due date. I am a short person and my tummy was HUGE towards the end of pregnancy. I was walking like a duck or maybe a penguin whichever is the better description.  I was advised to go to the hospital to induce labor if I still don’t feel that I am going to give birth on my due date. So I was laying there, everyone at the hospital was very kind, there was a TV, the room was huge, it was a nice atmosphere.

Like any other birthing story at the hospital, they prep me, monitored me for everything that’s needed. The doctor checked and I was already halfway dilated and again did not expect that I will last for long hours of labor. After a few hours, the doctor decided to break my waterbag. Oh my, that was when I really felt the pain that I would not have imagined before but I was prepared. I heard horrible stories about giving birth. My husband was insisting that I get an epidural before it gets too late and I could not bear the pain so I did. 

After about 10 hours, that is when I was fully dilated and the pushing started. So then, I pushed and pushed and pushed. The doctor said that I was using the right muscles but somehow my daughter would not come out. After all the hardships and labor, my daughter’s heart was racing fast and I went through an emergency C-section. I felt so exhausted at this point. My daughter was born and I wasn't able to see her clearly then because everything I was looking at was spinning.

After several hours of resting, I finally get to hold my baby in my arms, it was the best thing that ever happened to me, become a mom! I love you baby, you are two and a half years old already.  I did not have my parents, my relatives beside me. Just me, my husband and the nurses but I was absolutely happy.

I thought The Day Baby Was Born is a great website, very encouraging for parents to preserve memories the easy way. I think it is also great to share to friends and family the happy feeling of having a newborn  especially when they are far away and all you have to share with them is pictures.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Tommee Tippee blogging contest for a chance to get a gift pack worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, HERE 

Working from home

The Author of this post is Velma Baird

Being my own boss is something I took for granted for the longest time but now that I have a child I can’t understand how anyone works any differently than this. I run my business out of my home and I’m here all day to take care of things and make sure my daughter is alright not to mention doing all the household stuff and getting dinner on the table each night. I have http://www.allhomesecurity.com/adt-home-security-benefits.html all over the house and my husband likes to tinker with his inventions in the basement when he’s not working so it’s nice to have such a big space to call my own. I actually get a lot of work done here during the day despite what people say about working from home and I find that my daughter sleeps a lot so there are long stretches when I can really focus. I love working from home and having this much flexibility and hope I will always be able to do something for a living that gives me these perks!

Plus Size Dresses

There is an ongoing sale which is up to 80 percent off end-of-season prices at Roamans.com. They specialize in plus size dresses and other plus size clothing. While I am obviously not plus sized, I enjoyed browsing through their website. They have great selection of tops and dresses at very reasonable prices. The floral and lace accents of some of their dresses are gorgeous. You’ll find pants that are less than $20 and a lot of the items are below $10. They have hundreds of items on their clearance page. I am digging the dresses with floral accents.

I admire women who are totally confident about their bodies plus size or not. With fashion, we get to enjoy picking our choices and we can express ourselves. Like the saying, your clothes reflect yourself.

Roamans.com is currently offering a free bag with wallet along with any purchase, what a steal! I am a freebie junkie. You can view the details on their website. You can wish to sign up to their newsletter so you can get ahead with the upcoming deals that they have. You may also like them in Facebook, follow them in Twitter and take a look at their blog for more updates.

Aside from clothing, you will also find scarves, shoes, handbags, luggage sets and more at Roamans.com. You can also qualify for a free shipping, details are in their website.

This post is brought to you by Roamans.com.