Self Publishing

As a blogger, I feel that I am a writer. Do you feel like you are a writer by having your own space to write through blogging? Has anybody done self publishing? I don’t plan on making a book for now but there are a lot of writers out there who received recognition like the author of Harry Potter. 

If you are ever given the chance to publish a book, what would it be about? I will probably do a craft book. My crafts are very easy and most people can do it. A lot of mothers are choosing to share their experiences by making a book about crafts and cooking.

I think most people have something to share and we can all be authors. It may not be as hard as we think. We can all start writing, organize our words and turn them into a book. You can go to instantpublisher.com to learn about how to make your own book. They even offer a self publishing guide book for free. I love the writing tips that they also provide.

Cheap Phone Bill With Straight Talk

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

 

 

I’m one of the few who does not have a smart phone yet. I’m thinking of getting one. I used to have a Blackberry but I was not too happy with the internet access. Overtime, I heard that smart phones have improved a lot and the internet is working fast.  

I honestly don’t get many phone calls and I did not even get the unlimited text on my phone. Every time I send and receive a text, I get an additional charge.  Now, I am a stay at home mom and I am doing some work at home jobs, I want to be on top of the game and have an internet access on my phone. However, I don’t want to get charged for other services that I don’t use.  At my current phone provider, they have me Hook, line and sinker because I have a contract with them.

I’m considering getting a Straight Talk because I can basically personalize my phone based on my usage.  I can also cut my phone bill if I switch. I’m already thinking that we can do more activities with the money that I will be saving.  The best part is that I would not have a contract so I can change my plan anytime. They have the Unlimited monthly service which also available for only $45 per month and include calls, pictures messages, text messages, and the internet access. I can even pick a phone with Android on Straight Talk.  

Straight Talk offers reconditioned phones or smart phones with lots of great features. Everything you need from Straight Talk for really reasonable low fees. International long distance is also easy by making a prepaid call at competitive rates so I can Call a friend in the Philippines.

 

THAT Advertising Agency

Are there certain commercials on television that you can remember from your past?  How about the elderly woman who falls and said “I’ve Fallen, and I Can’t Get Up!” or Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?”?  There’s also the Energizer Bunny and all the great Coke commercials over the years especially at Christmas time.  Well they are engrained into our brains because they made such a big impact on us at the time we watched them.  They are all excellent examples of the affect that advertising has on us all, and how it affects our buying decisions for products and services. 

Almost all of the products we buy are heavily marketed to us by the manufacturers.  Many of us will try a new product just because we saw it advertised on TV, or heard about it on the radio, or one of our friends tried it and thought we might like it too.  These are all aspects of marketing, from billboards to internet popups, we’re targeted everyday by advertisers. 

There are some very large traditional advertising firms which the largest companies use, and there are some newer non-traditional marketing agencies that are trying creative ways to get your product into the marketplace. 

One of the contemporary advertisers is located atwww.thatadvertisingagency.com.  They’re called THAT! Leading Advertising Agency and offer marketing and advertising services which include public relations, event promotion, search engine optimization, and Mixed Media Marketing (M3).  M3 is a mix of traditional and internet advertising and marketing to promote a product or service.  So if you’ve got a new product or service that you would like to have help getting it into the marketplace, give them a try.

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

Clorox 2 Play 2Day Pledge to Go Outside

I and my daughter go outside everyday at the park since it is very close to where we live. We get our walking exercise and we also get to spend time with other people there. She can play with other kids to enhance her social skills and I can talk to other moms and not be bored instead of staying all day inside our apartment.  It’s also free! We get to enjoy without having to spend a dime and we even gain friends from it. I and the other moms talk about how our kids are doing. If anybody has children I definitely recommend going to the park too or doing other outdoor activities with your children. I am thinking of taking my daughter for swimming lessons. We also play the putt putt golf sometimes.

I mentioned before that I have a problem shutting the TV off and I’m glad The WorldWide Day of Play is supporting the idea that watching too much TV is not very good for children.  So if you are a parent and you support the same thinking, you can join Clorox2 Play 2Day and pledge to spend time outdoors with your child or children. By joining, you can also be entered to win some great prizes! Here is the direct link to make your pledge -- http://clorox2play2day.com.

I would say that my daughter enjoys outdoor a lot and I and my husband do too. Every weekend we also go to a park.  Sometimes, we go to other parks that are located somewhere else for more adventures. Some of the parks have swings which my daughter loves. She laughs so much whenever I push her and there are times that she does not want to leave the park. I think every parent has to be patient. It is my goal to make my daughter happy each day so I try to be patient but firm with her. It is good that there are a lot of outdoor activities here in Hawaii and the weather is always great.  It can be too hot sometimes but I think that is better than having snow at certain months of the year. I am certainly not a fan of snow because I can't tolerate cold very much. We can literally have an outdoor life everyday of the year since we have a tropical climate here in Hawaii.

I use Clorox every time I do the laundry. I am very glad to participate in this campaign. Once again, thank you to Socialmoms for giving me to opportunity to write about my outdoor life with my family.  I would love to write for you again.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox2® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here 

Tax accountants

A lot of stay at home moms probably have businesses that they run from their homes, and some of them probably have a business you lease space for.  Home businesses and any business with operating expenses all have one thing in common, income taxes.  As the saying goes, there are only two sure things in life, death and taxes. 

Taxes are one of the things we stress about most, especially around April 15th each year because that’s when income taxes are due and we must file our annual tax forms with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  Some business owners are able to do their own taxes because their revenue and expenses are not complicated, but most businesses require the help of a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or other type of tax professional in order to ensure their taxes are done correctly.  

None of us like to pay taxes, but a tax professional will ensure you’re only paying your fair share.

Tall Men's Clothing

If you have a tall man in your life like your husband, your brother or your son, and you’re looking for that perfect outfit to give to them; one website to check out is kingsizedirect.com. They specialize in tall mens clothing and they are currently offering a buy one get one 50% off on denims.

Do you shop at men’s department? I do sometimes and I even discovered some great websites for men’s clothing to recommend to my husband. I can never take him to go shopping so online purchases are perfect for him. Now, he has more websites to browse when he needs to get more polo shirts.

I’m a short person and it is hard to find the right length for my clothes at times. I would think that it is the same for those who are taller than the average.

King Size the Big and Tall Experts offers denims, shorts, sleepwear, belts, active wear and even shoes. They also offer top name brands like NFL, Adidas, Wrangler, Lee, Levi’s and more. You can be informed of their latest coupons and discounts and by signing up by email.  At this time, they are offering a free shipping coupon. You can also request a catalog through their site.

This post is brought to you by King Size Direct.

Sage Audio

Are you an aspiring musical genius who wants to get your songs recorded and then become a huge pop star?  That might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but many of us want to have the fame and celebrity that pop stars enjoy.  But does anyone know the process to get your music recorded in a high-quality format ready for mass-market distribution?  I would think very few people know anything other than being discovered by chance while singing at a local karaoke contest on a Saturday night with friends. 

While that probably never happens, probably one of the first things that an aspiring artist should do is have their music recorded at an audio mastering studio.  The audio mastering studio will make sure each song is level-balanced, frequencies receive finishing touches, and any imperfections are removed.  The mastering process takes your recorded music to a professional level ready for CD or radio.  All of these things can now be done online, and Sage Audio has a website Sageaudio.com that can take your music and quickly prepare it for the next step in your music career.  So if you are better than the average karaoke singer and you think you are ready for the glamorous life of a pop star, you should consider the services that Sage Audio offers.

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

Bad Habits Are Hard to Break

I have the bad habit of drinking diet colas all day long.  I probably drink four  to six per day and I get nervous and apprehensive if I try to go very long without taking a drink of diet cola, so I understand what bad habits are.  Some people smoke cigarettes, and that’s considered a bad habit by almost everyone.  Diet colas may be somewhat unhealthy, but smoking cigarettes has been proven in many scientific studies to be very unhealthy and leads to all kinds of bad conditions like lung cancer.  So it only makes sense that people should make every possible effort to stop smoking as quickly as possible. 

Photocredit: thesafecig.com

One of the problems with cigarettes is that they are addictive because they contain nicotine, but also people who smoke get used to lighting up a cigarette and seeing the smoke rising as they take puffs.  There are products on the market now that mimic the cigarette smoke without actually lighting up a real cigarette, but still providing an amount of nicotine to the user. 

The websit Thesafecig.com is an Electronic Cigarette Company that offers smokers the chance to enjoy controlled amounts of nicotine without the tar and carbon monoxide from real cigarettes.  They don’t have a flame or ash and are cheaper overall than real cigarettes.  They can be part of a plan to quit smoking by reducing the amount of nicotine intake but still mimicking many of the activities involved with smoking a real cigarette. You can consult your doctor and ask about them if you are thinking of quitting or have a healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes.
I participated in a campaign for TheSafeCig.Com, all opinions are my own.

Wide Calf Boots

Boots are very obviously the fashion craze of the past few years because everywhere you look there are ads for women’s boots and when you go out to the malls there are real life women with boots on.  Women here in Hawaii don’t wear boots much because of the consistently warm weather, but on the mainland I know that women wear boots year round, but especially in winter when the weather is cold and their feet get cold.  And women’s boots come in a variety of sizes for all women, from petite to women of larger proportions.  I wear such a small size that it is very difficult to find any shoe in my size, but most women wear common shoe sizes.  Some women have small calves and others have large calves. 

If you are a woman with larger calves, you’ll need wide calf boots.  There is nothing worse than a shoe that does not fit, so make sure you buy a pair of boots that fits you well.  After I move to the mainland I am sure I will be wearing boots and looking fashionable in them throughout the year.

This post is brought to you by onestopplus.com. All pictures are credited to their website.

Bedspreads and Comforters

Those of you who live in the northern states know how cold the winter months can be.  The cold of winter even makes it down into the southern states a few times each winter.  Here in Hawaii, we don’t even think about cold weather, except when our friends and family from the mainland call and tell us how cold it is and we feel sorry for them, but feel lucky we live in Hawaii.  During those cold winter nights, nothing feels better than a comforter or bedspread. 

Comforters do exactly as their name implies, they comfort you because they feel so warm on those cold nights.  Bedspreads are not only decorative, but they also keep you warm on cold nights, but they can also be used throughout the year because they’re not as heavy as a comforter.  You could use a bedspread even during the spring or fall, but maybe not during the hot summer months. 

We have bedspreads and comforters here in Hawaii, but they’re mostly for decoration, then we remove them at night and sleep with only a sheet or a very light blanket during the winter months.  I look forward to the time we move to the Midwest and we can use blankets to keep us warm because I think they can brighten up a room and can more easily be used for interior decorating. 

Jessica London Sweaters

Sweaters are one of my favorite outfits because they are very versatile. They don’t have to be thick and even if we live in a tropical place, we can still sweaters for those times when we go to restaurants or when we go out at night. I used to wear a lot of sweaters too when I was working because the air conditioning at my work seems to be on a full blast sometimes.

I was just browsing at JessicaLondon.Com and they have a variety of plus size sweaters.  For sweaters, I like to wear something bigger than my size. Here are some that I found from their website and I thought of sharing it with you.  I like the shape of the first sweater, the second sweater; I like the bow belt and the contrasting white color. The third picture is just a gray sweater which is my type of color at this time.

I’m being introduced to a lot of shopping websites lately as well as those money saving sites. Sometimes, the savings that you can get is hard to resist.

What is your favorite shopping website for clothing? There are just so many of them. I guess it is the same as going to the malls and we have our favorite brands too.

Halloween Costumes

Halloween is coming; I’m pretty excited about it. Did you purchase your costumes yet? I and my daughter RC will be sailors this Halloween. I like to match our outfits once in awhile while she is still young and she does not mind.

Sometimes, costumes are not very size friendly. WomanWithin.Com has petite to Plus Size Halloween Costumes. They also sell variety of woman’s clothing and accessories. I subscribed to their email and I get notices whenever they have promotions going on.

Halloween is an enjoyable time especially for the kids. I used to not celebrate it when I was still in the Philippines. I did however go to the cemetery on November 1^st which is All Saints Day but we did not wear costumes even when we were kids. I heard that more people there now are celebrating Halloween too.

I want my daughter to have a great childhood and I don’t want to miss this kind of events for her. We’ll be trick or treating and we’ll probably be cooking some kind of meals on that day.

How about you? How do you celebrate Halloween? I do respect if you don’t cause we are entitled to practice what we believe in.

All pictures are from Womanwithin.com

Legal Proceeding Opinions

Are you currently in a legal proceeding as either a plaintiff or a defendant?  If you are now, or have ever been in the past, you are probably well aware of how expensive these legal matters can be.  And if you’ve been injured and unable to work, then you will most likely become very frustrated at the slow speed that the legal system moves.  The courts are normally very overcrowded with cases, and the legal teams can use various maneuvers to draw out the case by months and years for various reasons.  Sometimes the length of the case is due to the complexity of the case, and other times it’s an attempt by the other party to drain you of your financial resources so you will stop the lawsuit or just give up and pay if you’re the defendant.

There are companies which will provide you with a lawsuit cash advance which will fund your lawsuit while you wait for the process to complete.  You can also apply for presettlement funding when you’re waiting for your payment to be received after winning a court case.  If you’re in a lengthy and drawn-out lawsuit, you may be waiting for a lawsuit loans settlement.   Many people in these situations have to just give up because they end up running out of money to pay for their legal fees and expenses.  I’m not a lawyer, and am not giving any sort of legal advice.  If you need legal assistance please contact a professional lawyer. 


This post is brought to you by http://www.lighthouselegal.com/. All opinions are mine.

Upromise 10th Year Anniversary Giveaway

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

About a week ago, I went to www.upromisetodream.com and submitted my dream for my daughter. As parents, we want the best for our kids and we want to nurture and protect them especially when they are young. I don’t understand when I hear the news about parents abusing their own children. 

Upromise.com is helping a lot of parents reach their goal of sending their kids to school through a rewards program. This programs can help pay for college.

I want the best life for RC. She is only two years old now but I can’t help to think about her future. I hope that she will always be happy, for her to be able to do the things that she wants and for her to be a good person.

You can submit your dreams at www.upromisetodream.com for your child. You will be entered in a drawing by doing so. Upromise is being very generous and has great prizes as part of their 10 years anniversary celebration.  Please feel free to read the dream wall official rules if you would like to enter into this amazing contest. If you go to their site, you can also read a lot of inspiring parents sharing their thoughts about the future of their kids.

Preparing For the Tax Season

I know that it seems like tax season just ended yesterday when you made the mad rush to the post office to get your tax return mailed on time before the government slapped you with a penalty for being late.  Well, that was over four months ago, and we're already thinking about preparing your taxes for next year.  It’s never too early to start planning what you want to deduct and then do some research to see if you can take any other deductions, because we’re all trying to pay the least amount of taxes as possible, but still pay our fair share.  Some of you may be certified tax preparers, which means you prepare tax returns for other people and they put your name on their tax forms as the preparer. 

People who are IRS Registered Tax Preparers or Enrolled Agents have continuing education requirements, which are deemed necessary in order to keep up with the latest changes in the tax code.  All preparers must make sure they are up to date on their knowledge so they complete tax returns correctly and accurately.  If you are a tax preparer, you can visit FastForwardAcademy.Com and check about free CPE credits.  They also have practice exams and test banks to make sure you have retained the material presented in the courses.

This post is brought to you by FastForwardAcademy.Com.

Potty Training

Hi everyone! I know I have been neglecting this blog for awhile and only make posts whenever there is an opportunity for me to review. I hope you don't mind. Thank you very much for those who still visit  here.

By the way, please bug me if I did not follow you back. I know it says on top of my follower button that I follow back. I have been busy with a lot of personal posts, writing opportunities, guest posts and giveaways on my other blog Mom Daughter Style so this back took a back seat.

September is here already, so fast, it seems that the year 2011 has just started. Halloween is coming.

Here's another thing that is making me busy right now. It seems that my daughter is not interested in it. I know she can feel her body but it's just she is refusing to learn and there's too much drama going on. It is definitely quite an adventure for both of us.

Have a great Thursday ahead!