More Lights Please

We need more lights in our apartment. We have so much natural coming in during morning and afternoon but when the sun comes down, it seems that we are in the dark. The only bright lights that we have is at the dining area and the kitchen.  We can look at different lighting fixtures at the big box stores and they have some very nice ones, but I still would like to save some money and will probably just use additional lamps.

While looking at lighting options, I’ve found a couple manufacturers of lighting fixtures that I really like their styles and varieties.  One is Savoy house lighting.  They have everything from bathroom vanity lights to outdoor wall sconces, including beautiful chandeliers and ceiling fans.  Another maker of light fixtures that I think has a good variety is Thomas lighting.  They offer pendant lights and many types of ceiling lights, along with everything you might need for your outdoor spaces.  The internet can give you so much information even with the little things!

Driving Tips

I would say that I don’t drive at all now because we only have one car and and we have a great bus system here in Oahu, HI and we live close to town so everything is accessible.  We only have one parking spot here at our apartment and the street parking seems to be always full. I know that is very unusual here in the United States but I am originally from the Philippines where most people don’t drive. I did drive some before though but very little. My husband helped me with this post.

1. Always pay close attention to what is going on around you. Always drive defensively, look out for other drivers. Always check behind you when you back-up to make sure you don’t run into something. Keep your mirrors adjusted so you can see what surrounds you.  

2. Obey all traffic laws. Always make sure you and your passengers are wearing your seat belts. Pay attention to the stop lights, speed limits, pedestrians and other cars. Leave space between you and the car infront of you. Don’t follow too closely.

3. Keep your car in great condition. You will have to do regular maintenance like changing the oil so you don’t have breakdowns on the streets. Check your tire pressure frequently to make sure it is the correct amount. Your tires will not wear out early this way too. Have your breaks checked at least once a year. If your breaks are worn, you will have a hard time stopping. Check your lights frequently to make sure none of your light bulbs are burned out. Check your battery so you won’t be ending up somewhere where you are unable to start your car.

4. Don’t drive when you’re stressed or upset. Just like they say that you don’t drink and drive.  I believe that people who are mad needs to calm down too because at times it affects they way they drive.

5. Make sure you have car insurance and keep your car registered. This will prevent you from being pulled by the cops and the insurance is always a good thing in case there is an accident, minor or not. 

Here are some additional tips: 

Always be a courteous driver and don’t have road rage. Here in Hawaii, they say, “Drive with aloha”. Most drivers are courteous and this makes the driving on the road easier and less stressful for everyone.

Make sure you have enough gasoline and not wait for the fuel gauge to go down to empty.

I want to thank Esurance for this opportunity. Please "LIKE" their Facebook page located at the top of this post. You can also view their blog here.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Esurance blogging program for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Find Cheap Eyeglasses At Zenni Optical

Do you have a need for reading glasses?  Most people need reading glasses as they get older.  As you age, someday you’ll notice you can’t read small things like you used to.  Everything in a small font will be blurry and you might have to squint your eyes trying to focus on the small print.  If you need reading glasses, or other prescription glasses, you should use Zenni Optical. 

We have ordered from them twice over the past year, and we’re very happy with their quality products and the extremely fast delivery service.  All we had to do was enter our prescription information and select the frames.  It’s that easy.  Zenni Optical offers $6.95 prescription eyeglasses, and why spend lots more at your optometrist for the same set of glasses?  Since the glasses are so inexpensive, you can easily afford to have a pair at work, home, and in your bag for when you’re out at the grocery store so you can more easily read ingredient labels. 

Zenni Optical also offers Oleophobic coating, which reduces fingerprints and scratches and increases durability.  I highly recommend Zenni Optical.  You can find them at ZenniOptical.com.  Give them a try if you have a need for prescription eyeglasses.

Ecommerce Still on The Rise

Ecommerce is one of the trends now. People who have businesses not only rely on the classic word of mouth or physical advertising signs. A lot of businesses uses ecommerce consulting and ecommerce web solution to advertise their businesses. We see variety of reviews online made by people. I, myself rely on internet reviews when I am buying items online especially if it is a more expensive item.

My blogs especially my main one, has given myself and my family many freebies. I was also able to make extra income by blogging. It is not much but I am not complaining. Sometimes, I think about my past and how I managed to survive without internet at school. During college, there was internet but I was not introduced to it sooner. I had a very traditional way of learning back then. Kids nowadays are so lucky to have the internet and I consider myself lucky that I am able to use the web now with all the quick information it can give.

Do you have experience with business services, good or bad? I think the world will be much different if we did not have the web. Even charitable institutions are using the web to spread the word about donations. I’m also glad that the SOPA (internet censorship) did not push through.

For more information about Ecommerce, please visit http://www.ecommercepartners.net/. This post is brought to you by their site.

Snyder's of Hanover Pretzels With Recipe

Do you love pretzels? A brand of pretzels that I just learned about is Snyder’s.  I will grab one of these at my local grocery store.  As I visit the website http://www.snydersofhanover.com/, I am just eager to try their various pretzel flavors. I might even join the Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzel Eaters Club because I love pretzels so much.

This time of year most of us make the decision to eat more healthy and make better choices when we are shopping or food or planning our weekly meals.  There are many ways to make our food more healthy, one is to cut out some bad additives that may be bad for us.  Some examples are monosodium glutamate, corn fructose, butter, egg yolks, and many others.  We can plan healthy meals, but most of us want a snack throughout the day to give us some additional energy or tide us over until dinner time.  Some healthy snacking tips would include cutting out the obviously bad choices for snacks, including candy, chocolate, ice cream, donuts, bonbons, and others.  Another tip would be to limit calories, because the real way to lose or maintain weight is to cut calories.  My third healthy snacking tip would be to become educated about healthy foods and snacks by downloading an app to your smart phone that can help you track calories burned and food additives.  Most of these apps are free and can make tracking your food intake interactive and even fun.  You could have a contest with friends to see who can eat the healthiest. 

One of the great recipes I have run across recently is called Hawaiian Pretzel Salad.  The recipe is simple and goes like this:

In a standard cake pan, combine the following ingredients in three layers making sure to complete the layers in succession:

            First Layer

            1 cup crushed Snyder’s pretzels

            ½ cup white sugar

            1 stick butter

           

            Second Layer

            8 oz. Cool Whip whipped cream

            8 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese

            ½ cup white sugar

            Third Layer

            1 can crushed pineapple which is drained of liquid

            2 tbsp. corn starch

Bake the first layer for 10 minutes at 325 degrees.  Then mix the second layer and spread over the first layer.  Lastly, mix the two ingredients for the third layer and spread over the second layer.  Spread another layer of Cool Whip whipped cream over the third layer.  Cut into serving size and enjoy with your family and friends.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Snyder's of Hanover blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Facebook Amazon Blast

You can join the Facebook Amazon Blast here. It's cheap to join, only $1.50 and you can boost your Facebook fan page during the event. It will run from Feb 1- 15.

Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens

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

We’re probably all familiar with Walgreens but have you heard that Walgreens and Express Scripts contract came to an end on December 31, 2011. This means that patients who are under Express Scripts will have to need to find another pharmacy to obtain their medicines. There are probably some people who are frustrated about this change and wants to retain Walgreens as their pharmacy.  Shopping at Walgreens is very convenient not just for medicines but for other items as well. If the other grocery stores or drug stores are closed, Walgreens is open 24 hours during the day.

For those who are affected, you can join the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens. It is cheap to join and this way, you can still avail of discounted prescriptions at Walgreens. This applies to brand names and generic medicines. You can show your support by liking Walgreens on Facebook and following Walgreens on Twitter. I think their Facebook page has some great information, you can find locations there and a lot of updates about Walgreens.  This is also a good time to show that we remain loyal customers of Walgreens despite they are losing a contract with one of their partners.

Insane Deals At NoMoreRack.Com

Have you heard of nomorerack.com? You should check it out. I saw a lot of buzz about it in other blogs and I just signed up. They have great deals. If you like joining sites that offer items up to 90% off the regular price, this site is for you. They have eight daily deals everyday and aside from that they also have the “insane deals” where they surprise you with other great deals at different times within the day. With the insane deals, you also get as much as 50% up to 90% off. I just signed up today and I love what I see from their site. They have gadgets, make-up, kid’s items etc.

They also give you a referral link so once you signed up, you have the option of telling your friends, your readers or anybody who know about their website by sending them the link. You can get points when they sign up and make a purchase. The free items are awesome! They offer real jewelries with precious stones, even Ipad depending on the number of referrals that you did.

NoMoreRack always offers new products with unbeatable prices. They guarantee that their products are 100% authentic. They offer a low flat rate shipping rate of just $2.00 anywhere within the United States. I think I will check their site often. Since I started blogging, I learned a lot about these sites where I get a lot more from the price that I am paying. Shopping online is very convenient, you can also easily compare prices and you save a lot of time. Shopping sites like NoMoreRack makes shopping online even better.

More information about nomorerack:

They have been featured on various TV shows like ABC and Martha Stewart Show.

They have been featured in various magazines like People, Country Living, Miami Herald and more. These features give me more confidence in buying from their websites aside from the other bloggers that are sharing their great experience with NoMoreRack.

Please feel free to share your thoughts here too when you sign up. I would love to hear from you.

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

Fave Channel

Post contributed by Toni Jensen

If you asked me to choose a favorite channel I would definitely, definitely choose Bravo. I love everything they’ve got going on over there and as a gay man, they have a lot of homosexual friendly program that I really relate to. I went online and looked up http://www.satellitetvspecials.net/to research satellite options specifically because my cable carrier stopped offering BRAVO for some reason and I’ve been a loyal follower ever since. I like all the reality stuff like that new show Million Dollar Decorators and I have to say I love Patty Stangeron Millionaire Matchmaker. I don’t live in LA or New York so it’s fun to see what’s going on in those cities as well as what people seem to be wearing and reading nowadays. Bravo helps me keep up with the trends I otherwise totally wouldn’t be following because I’m just that out of the loop! I feel no shame in watching so much TV because I get a lot of joy out of it and having a favorite network makes me feel right at home.