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


Who do y'all use for your cell phone service? Living where I do, it was a bit tricky for us to find a provider that had coverage. In fact, after a year of dealing with AT&T's poor service, we ended up switching to Verizon. So far, it's working pretty good.

Those of you who know me know that I don't follow the latest cell phone trends. Keeping that in mind, it wasn't much of a surprise to find out that there was one that I hadn't heard of. Boost Mobile wasn't an option when I was looking for a new provider because I hadn't heard about them. That being said, tonight, I'm going to tell you what I've learned about them.

One of the coolest things is their Re-Boost. First, it has a cool company themed name and second, it just means that it's super easy to reload your phone with minutes. In fact, there are three different ways to do it. You can do it over the phone, you can do it online or you can do it in person at a store that offers the service. Plus, you can use your debit/credit card and set up a one time payment or a recurring payment. There's also the option of picking up one of their cards and registering it with your account. How simple is that?

They also have tons of phone options for you to choose from, including the Blackberry. With the blackberry or other phones, that they offer, you can easily keep up with your Facebook page, Twitter account or other forms of social media/networking. Personally, I don't currently do this but it has crossed my mind that it might be fun to be able to. After all, doesn't everyone want to know about the fantastic sale on groceries that I found or the fact that I'm chasing my cat around the neighborhood yet again? C'mon, y'all know you do! If I switched to Boost, I might get one of the cool phones that allowed me to keep the world informed of my exciting life. ;)

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

Would you like a vacation? I know that I would! It just wasn't in the cards for this summer because of finances and the fact that we've been trying to do things around the house. I was lucky enough to get away a couple of times and the boys and I did have an awesome time backyard camping!

Now that we all know we would love love love a vacation, can you imagine taking a vacation with 100 of your closest friends? Do any of us have 100 close friends? Probably not, but who cares! We could invite our closest friends closest friends and their closest friends too!

No idea what I'm talking about? Well, you need to check out the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes! They're giving away an Entire hotel for a weekend! That's 100 rooms for 2 nights! On top of that, they're giving away 100 weekends for a guest plus three of their friends! Those are being given away daily!

I was just talking with a friend of mine who is going through a tough period and she told me about two other friends who are going through similar things. It would be so wonderful if the 4 of us could snag one of those free weekends for some quality girl time! I think if I won, that would be exactly what I would do. Now, the big question is, where would we go? Boston sounds nice...

Now, if you're interested in trying to win one of these fantastic weekends, it's really easy. You just go to the website and click the enter button! If you win, make sure you come back and let me know!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Member's Mark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's been far too many years since my babies were baby enough to need formula. Both of my boys were bottle fed for various reasons. I remember trying to decide what the best formula was for the best price. Keeping that in mind, I happily agreed to let all of you know about Member's Mark formula.

Recently, they changed their packaging.  It has a nice clean look and easy-to-read product information. Other than that, nothing has changed! It's still the same great formula in the same sized can. It is available at Sam's Club and is quite often the same or lower price than other brands of formula.

Member's Mark formula meets all FDA guidelines and offers complete nutrition for your baby's health and development. It has DHA and ARA to help support your little one's brain and eye development. If I were to have another little one, this is a formula I would certainly look into.

If you would like to look more into Member's Mark formula, you can do that at http://www.membersmarkformula.com for more information and to access their savings calculator. Plus, they're on Facebook! (Then again, who isn't on Facebook these days?) You can find them at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Members-Mark-Infant-Formula/41995099898

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

Do you like to window shop? I'll be honest. I'm not a window shopper. It always makes me want and knowing I don't have the money to get bums me out. However, if I convince myself that I'm not so much window shopping as creating a wish list, it seems to go better. In this case, I was asked to pretend that I had a $200 gift card to Ramblers Way.  $200 isn't much when it comes to quality and yumminess.

So, what would I buy? I think I would get one of the shirts that you see to the left there. It's a scoop necked top made out of superfine, 18.5 micron Rambouillet wool. Priced at $75, I can't see me buying more than one but you never know! I think I would also get their camisole. It looks so super soft and it would be lovely to wear while working out or just relaxing. Then again, they have a gorgeously soft looking henley that is priced at $90. Hmm...if I added $30, I could have all 3!

I'll be honest though. When I think of wool, I think of my winter socks and things that keep me super warm. I find it hard to imagine wearing wool in the middle of summer. Then again, the sheep do it, so I guess I could too!

Ramblers Way raises Rambouillet sheep while trying to maintain humane and organic farming practices. They bring their sheep in each night and raise their own feed. I love that, if you go to the website, you can actually read about the different sheep that they have. I would love to learn more about how they've created their year round wool products, but sadly that page seems to be missing from their website. No worries, I'll be going back soon to see if it's available!

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

As some of you know, I have a special needs child. Ben is 10 now and has Cerebral Palsy. While he gets around well enough, I have often wondered about the future. I've wondered if he'll be able to drive like "normal" people. I've wondered if he'll be able to get around on his own. Luckily, I think the answers to both of those questions is yes.

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

As a mom, I do the grocery shopping for my family. Ok, I also do it because I'm the only adult who lives in this house, but still, even when I was married, grocery shopping was my job. So, when money started getting tighter and tighter around here, I started switching to cheaper brands and in some cases, even store brands. Those who know me know that I don't tend to go towards what I've dubbed "generics." But, when money is tight, you do what you have to do.

According to a report I just read, I'm not alone in that way of thinking. Eight out of ten supermarket shoppers see no improvement in the economy, and 40% say things have actually gotten worse in recent months. That's a bit scary, isn't it? I mean, I live in Michigan so I know the economy sucks. I know people who have been trying to get a job here for over a year and are just now getting a few leads. So, I'd have to say that maybe it's improving, but it sure is improving slowly.

It turns out that I'm not alone in buying more store brand than I used to be either. The same report said that 62% of consumers plan to buy more store brands as they deal with the tough economy. It seems that 57% of the shoppers that were surveyed actually say they're frequent buyers of store brands. I don't think I would put myself in that category, but I can understand people who are!

This next group is probably the category that I'm in. The survey showed that 43% of shoppers are trying store brands for the first time where they used to buy only national brands. Plus, 97% of the folks who are now trying out the store brands are happy with them. I've been a bit hit and miss in that area but I was surprised that some of the store brands are quite good.

Now, if you want to check out the report, you can find it at Recession, Recovery & Store Brands. Also, if you're at Walmart and need diapers, formula or other baby needs, you can check out their store brand: Parent's Choice.

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

Abbott Medical Optics Inc. (AMO) has announced the winners of the “You Gotta See This” Video Contest and they've asked me to share them with you. The folks who entered had to create videos that showed the impact of improved vision on their lives. There were a lot of entrants, but today I'm only going to share the links to the top winners in the three different categories and the big grand prize winner. The lucky winner won $5,000! Imagine what you could do with that much money. I know that I am.

Now, if you don't watch any other videos, you have to watch the one done by the winner. It's less than 2 minutes long and is fantastic! It's a music video and I have to say the guys in it are cute and I love the lead singer's hair! Maybe I ought to do something like that with mine....

iLASIK Video Contest Grand Prize Winner:
“You Gotta See This Music Video” by Alex

See? Wasn't that great? What do you think about the hair thing? Would it look good on me? Ok, so now that you've watched that one, I bet you want to see the other winners, right? Well, here you go. The top winner in each of the three categories are....

Category 1: My Contacts Are Getting In The Way Of My Good Time
“You Gotta Be Kidding Me! A True Story” by Robbo

Category 2: My Favorite Sport Or Activity Would Be So Much Cooler With Better Vision
“iLASIK Would Make Surfing More Enjoyable” by jhbmw007

Category 3: You Should See Life After The iLASIK® Procedure
“Orbs Of Perfection” by Danny V

The iLASIK Video Contest winners and entrants can all be seen at www.GottaSeeThisNow.com. While there, you can also register to receive valuable eye care products. Who doesn't need valuable products? I know I could certainly use them!

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

I keep telling myself that I need to start eating better and taking better care of myself. I think I've probably used every excuse as to why I haven't done it. It's no fun cooking healthy just for myself. It's so much easier to eat and prepare the junk. I'll start doing my yoga dvd once I have this room clean or that room clean. I have this great new water bottle and I'm still not drinking enough water. I think what I really need is an accountability partner in this. My other big problem is that sometimes there is so much confusing information out there.

Enter www.wellnessdaily.com. It is this great site with tons of information on it. I've barely started to explore it and I'm planning on registering and checking further into it. Just by glancing at their front page, I saw articles on: eating right, losing weight, staying fit and finding life balance. They also have healthy recipes and videos.

I think I'm going to register there. The first 25,000 people to register will receive a $5 coupon towards Jennie-O products. Plus, if you register you can enter the Twitter contest for a chance to win a WellnessDaily.com prize package which include coupons for a year-long supply of Jennie-O Turkey Store product and a one-year gym membership, valued at $1,250. You just have to Tweet: “Enter to win $ towards a gym membership & JENNIE-O turkey products. Just follow @wellness_daily & RT this! http://bit.ly/tbd123.&quot (The Twitter promotion ends March 10th so don't procrastinate!)

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Cryo-Cell International. All opinions are 100% mine.

As all of you know, I'm a big fan of companies that do thing to help out people in need. Cryo-Cell International has decided for the entire month of February (yes, I know..all few remaining days left) they will donate $25 from each enrollment to the “Save the Children: Haiti Relief Fund”.

Since 1992, Cryo-Cell has been helping families preserve the umbilical cord blood from their newborns. Cord blood, or umbilical cord blood, is blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta at the time of birth. In the past, this blood was discarded after delivery. But once scientists discovered it was a rich source of stem cells, umbilical cord blood became a viable substitute to bone marrow in thousands of successful transplants. Cells taken from your newborn are a perfect match for your baby for his or her lifetime. Along with cord blood banking, Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank is pioneering the way in research, to find more solutions to preserve stem cells in a noncontroversial way.

I know that stem cells is a touchy subject with a lot of people. However, as the parent of a child with Cerebral Palsy, I do wish that I had known about having cord blood banked. I wouldn't have hesitated to use it to try to help Ben. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware that this was a possibility. I want to encourage all of you, whether you're pregnant or planning on having another child, to look into Cryo-Cell to see if it's a good option for you and your family. If you do decide it's something that you want to do, don't hesitate to enroll now.

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

How would y'all like to enjoy an exclusive Italian Culinary Weekend right after Valentine's Day? I know it sure sounds wonderful to me. From February 26th-27th, the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel is bringing Italy to Branson, Missouri. The weekend will include a reception featuring antipasto and hors d’oeuvres paired with great Italian wines, on Friday night. On Saturday, participants will experience a hands-on cooking demonstration. The evening wraps up with a 5 course dinner.

I think this would be a great couple's weekend and I've seen the pictures of the hotel and it's fantastic. I love the fact that they're pet friendly, as well as being close to so many of the great places that Branson has. Personally, I would love to stay an extra day or so to check out the theatre district and the museums.

Now, I won't be attending this event, but you never know when another one might come up that I'll be able to go to go to. I've never been to Branson, but I've heard great things about it. For those of you who are interested in this event, check out the "fine print."

Package costs are based on double occupancy and start at $429.00 (excluding tax and gratuity) for two people. It includes deluxe king or double queen accommodations Friday and Saturday night, Friday evening reception, Saturday cooking school, Saturday evening five-course dinner, and a goodie bag filled with items for the home chef. Reservations must be made prior to February 23, 2010.

If any of you do go (or have been to Branson), I would love to hear about it. Is it a couples retreat or more of a family destination?

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

Ok, my Canadian friends, this one is just for you. How would you like to have an eleven-day Italian wine tour for two, complete with romantic meals, sightseeing and more? Heck, if it were me, I'd be jumping all over this one. Since the contest ends on February 15, 2010, you could even use it as a slightly late Valentine's getaway. Hmm..except I just read the rules and it actually ends June 30, 2010. Well, how about a lovely summertime getaway then?

Now, I can hear all of you now, "Katie, what you would do is all fine and dandy but get to the details! How do we win such fantasticness?" Ok, ok...here's the scoop:

All you have to do is register now to become a Savoury Moments member, and get a bonus PIN to enter the Dr Oetker Adventure Romantica Contest. That will get you one entry. After that, you'll just have to go out and purchase specially marked packages of Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza. Yep, it's as simple as that. I don't think it could get any simpler, really. Now, keep reading to find out all of the "fine print."

There are 100,008 Instant Win Prizes available to be won as follows:

• 100,000 - Ristorante Pizza Coupon (good for any variety where Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizzas are available) with an expiry date of December 31, 2011– (APV $4.75) – Approximate odds 1:21

• 5 – “Ristorante for a Year” prize pack – which includes 52 free Dr. Oetker prize packs and 24 bottles of custom labeled wine. Winner must be of legal drinking age in jurisdiction of residence or winner will be substituted with a prize of equal value. (APV $700) – Approximate odds 1:430,400

• 3 – Tours for two at a local winery / vineyard near the winner’s residence. No transportation is included. (APV $300) – Approximate odds 1: 717,333

Ok, now I'm all hungry for some pizza. For my Canadian friends who enter, good luck! For those of us here in the states, let's go call for some delivery. ;)

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Allison Maslan, author of "Blast Off!". All opinions are 100% mine.

Allison Maslan has been a successful entrepreneur for the past 25 years and now she's written a book to tell you how she did it. In the book, she talks about her failures, her successes and what it took to help her become the woman that she is today. In Blast Off!, Allison gives you the encouragement and skills you'll need to make changes while eliminating any roadblocks or obstructions. Blast Off! also gives you step-by-step strategies to achieve your ultimate life visions. Now, who wouldn't love to reach those goals?

This book just hit the shelves about two days ago on January 19, 2010, so I haven't had a chance to get my hands on a copy yet, but I'm thinking that I might like to. As I've posted here recently, I want to make some changes in my life (and in this blog) and I think that $24 is a low investment for something that might be able to help me to do just that. Since this book is available on Amazon, Borders and the Barnes and Noble websites, it certainly shouldn't be hard to find. Now all I have to do is find $24. I've been cleaning hard this week but so far only found about 25 cents. Who knows, maybe I'll find a forgotten birthday card with some extra cash tucked inside!

I'd love to hear if any of you have read this book. Go check it out for yourself and let me know what you think! I just discovered that it's only $16.47 on Amazon, which is an even better deal.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 2000 Flushes. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ok, everyone knows that I love contests. I mean, who doesn’t love winning awesome things? What you may not know is that one of the first things I’m going to do when we buy this house is to almost totally redo the bathroom. The first thing to go will be the carpet. I mean, who carpets a bathroom?

Now, what would be totally awesome would be if I could win the 2000 Flushes “Is Your Bowl Ready for the Big Game?” sweepstakes. Whoever wins that will win $10,000 for a bathroom makeover/remodel. I could do a lot with $10,000.

So, I can hear you asking me now…what is this big game they’re referring to? Well, I happen to know that the Super Bowl is coming up. I know this mostly because my youngest son was born on Super Bowl Saturday and I remember watching the game that year from a hospital bed without any decent munchies. Thanks to my kids and their movie watching, I also know that almost everyone waits to use the bathroom until halftime during that game. Something like 90 million toilets will be flushed during halftime. Now there’s a happy image, huh?

Well now that I put that image into your head, let me replace it with something happier. $10,000 for a bathroom makeover. I can hear all of you drooling from way out here. Now all you have to do is rush over to their website where you fill out an easy entry form. You can enter once per day. Plus, did I mention that they’re giving away 99 weekly prizes of free 2000 Flushes products? No? Well they are!

Plus, for all you money saving moms (and dads) out there, they have a $1 off coupon that you can download, as well! So, head on over, Enter to Win, save some money and if you’re super lucky, win some too!

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

Ok, all of you know that I love websites where you can learn something, feel like you're playing a game and it gives back to people who need it. Plus, let's face it, we also know that I'm a bit of a green geek who wants to grow her own garden this coming year now that I'm in a place where I can do that. So, bring on How Wheat Works. It's this really cool site brought to the internet junkies of the world by the Wheat Foods Council.

How Wheat Works is an interactive program that allows users to plant, harvest, mill, bake and then virtually eat wheat. Each phase only takes a few minutes and then about 24 hours later, you'll receive an email reminding you to come back and do the next phase. Now, the really awesome part of this is that for each person who completes all of the phases, the Wheat Foods Council will donate 2 pounds of flour, up to 90,000 pounds, to OperationHomeFront.net. They're an organization that provide assistance to U.S. troops and their families when they need it.

Have any of you checked out www.wheatfoods.org? I hadn't until today and discovered a whole new world of fun and education on the site. I can't wait to show it to the boys so that they can learn about what a valuable and healthy resource wheat is.

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

I've always wanted to learn how to quilt, but let's face it, I already have about a billion hobbies and can't afford yet another one. So, I leave the quilting to the experts and drool over all of the gorgeous bedspreads and lap quilts that I see on other people's beds.

Well, that could change. You see, today I checked out www.quiltcreator.com. It's this wonderfully made website where you can design a completely custom quilt or bedspread. They have a whole bunch of layouts that you can choose from and the part I loved best was that you get to choose the fabrics that they use and even what color threads for the embroidery! It took me ages to choose which I wanted because there were so many beautiful options.

Now, there are some other fabulous things which have me totally drooling for one of their creations. The quilts are handcrafted and are 100% cotton overfilled with 250g of cotton. From what I've heard, standard quilts are usually only 170g of cotton. Plus, Quiltcreator is one of the few companies out there who is allowed by Cotton Inc to carry the All Natural Cotton Inc. Logo.

If you've read here very much, y'all know that I'm very much about trying to keep our planet healthy and doing what we can to help that happen. So, you can just imagine that I was thrilled when I saw that QuiltCreator gives 1% of their proceeds to 1% for the Planet to help support and save our environment! Yay!

So, how many of you are wondering what my quilt turned out to look like? Well, even though their prices are incredibly fair (trust me, I've priced handmade quilts before), I can't afford to buy one right now. But, I did want to show you all what you can do on their site, so I'm tacking a picture on here for all of you to see.

Isn't it lovely? Plus, it's totally individual because I picked all of the fabrics and where they would be used. Then, I chose all of the thread colors and where to use them. If I were to order this quilt, it would run about $260 and it would be large enough to use as a bedspread for my double sized bed.

So, I know that all of you are super tempted to run over and create your own quilts so I wanted to let you know that QuiltCreator.com is offering 10% off of any purchase if you use the code 104You at checkout. I can't wait to see some blog posts with all of your gorgeous quilts in them! Come back here and leave me tons of comments about your opinions and experiences.

Do you live in Europe? Are you looking for Graduate opportunities? Then, check out EuroGraduate Live, a website devoted to helping Graduates find Graduate Careers and Job Information throughout Europe.

When you first access the site, you may be confused. I know that I was. The front page is filled with news stories. The top ones all seem to be random news of the strange type articles, but below are some sections that could be really useful for Graduates looking for information on different fields.

One thing that I really do like about this site is the different areas that it covers: Careers, Education, Working Abroad and Lifestyle.

Lifestyle is filled with news article on things like the entertainment industry. Working abroad has a map that you can click on that will take you to tips on presenting your CV and preparing for a job interview in the country that you’re interested in working in.

Now, if you want to further your education, the Education is where you should head. It has a searchable database of courses and research programs. All you have to do is click on the subject that you’re interested in and it will pull up what you’re interested in. For example, I clicked on linguists as a course and it pulled me up a list of courses located from South Africa to the United Kingdom.

Last, but certainly not least is the Career section. You can search by Organization, Industry, Occupation, Degree/Diploma or even Country. This is super quick and easy to use!

Amazingly enough, they also have a paper publication that they have taken the time to put up online, all 196 pages of it. I didn’t take the time to read this, but it looked to be chockfull of information on working abroad, starting your career and information on different areas of industry.

This site is easy to navigate and full of great information. I would seriously recommend it to anyone I knew who was looking for Graduate information for Europe.

Ok, I just found this really cool new search tool. It’s called the Carbon Neutral Search Engine. What is this? It’s this very cool company that has figured out what the carbon emission is for each search that any of us do. Now that they’ve figured it out, they’ve taken that number and for every search you do using their search engine, they turn around and offset that emission (plus more!) with their offsetters Climate Care and Carbon Fund.

Why do they do this? Well, in their own words, "The Carbon Neutral Search Engine was developed to highlight the need to reduce our reliance on earth's natural resources and reduce our carbon footprint. Search makes up a small part of each individuals carbon footprint, but globally has a signifigant impact through energy use. The Carbon Neutral Search Engine offsets the emissions generated through search queries carried out on their site with a view to reducing global CO2 emissions, investing in energy efficiency, reforestation and renewable energy.”

Pretty cool, if you ask me.

For those of you who love getting paid to blog or those of you looking for those of us who love being paid, have you checked out SocialSpark, yet? In their words, Social Spark is “is a Social Marketing Network that connects advertisers and bloggers through an online advertising marketplace.” Perfect for those of us on both sides of the fence!

Now, since I’m being paid to write this and I get to choose any Social Spark profile, I want…How about mine? On first glance, your eye is drawn to my profile picture. Hmm, that one didn’t work. I’ll have to change it to something much less pixilated. Actually, after trying multiple images, I haven't been successful with this. Maybe it would be easier if they allowed you to just upload an icon sized file.

Once you get past my profile picture issues, you start to notice all the cool details about me. You can see where I live, my college education, the fact that I’m a proud parent and more! This is such a great way for advertisers to see me and for others to check me out. If you want, you can even leave me a comment to say hi or to give me some suggestions on sprucing up the place.

What I love so far about this is that it was sooo easy to setup! In no time at all, I had my profile up and running. I can’t wait to see if this helps me bring in even more money towards my goals for this year. If you haven’t yet, go check them out and see if it would work for you.

LA Police Gear offers the largest in stock inventory of 5.11 Shorts. Don’t know what that is? Click here and check out their wide range of products. They carry not only the 5.11 Tactical shorts, but a wide range of security technology!
Did I mention that right now they’re offering free shipping both ways and a free hat with the purchase of any two 5.11 clothing items? Plus, if you purchase over $125 of 5.11 items, you’ll also get a free travel mug. Plus, their prices are often below retail! Don’t delay, check them out today! Just in case you forgot, here’s the link again.

So, I did it. I signed up for payperpost. I had seen this on a lot of blogs, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to do this. Somehow it seemed like selling out. That was before I saw that my new friend at All Things Frugal had done it and made almost $600 in 3 months, I couldn't say no. After all, every penny sure helps in any household and with gas prices the way they are...whew! The boys and I need all the income we can get this summer and this is something I can do from home. I don't want anyone to worry though, I'm not selling out. This blog will still include all our favorite things..like my crafting and cleaning and organizing...and the list goes on. I started this blog to share those things and I'll keep on sharing them. Besides, all your comments sure do make me feel good about my projects!

If all goes well, the boys and I will have some extra money to do some fun things this summer and to go towards getting some stuff that we need. We all need new summer clothes. Extra money for normal household things sure wouldn't hurt either.