Since October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I was happy to find out that Verizon is offering a line of purple accessories, like headsets, phone or tablet cases with HopeLine® from Verizon will donate $1, up to $100,000, to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. To date, Verizon’s HopeLine program has collected over 11.4 million phones and donated over 190,000 to victims in need.
Some alarming statistics about the rise of domestic violence in our country:
*1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime
*Men are the victims of nearly 3 million physical assaults in the U.S.
*On a typical day, more than 20,000 phone calls are placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
*More than 3 million children witness domestic violence in their homes each year.
No one should ever feel powerless in their own home and sometimes, when someone winds up trapped in relationship because they cannot afford to leave or they are too afraid that if they do, the aggressor may hurt them or one of their family members. With the help of Verizon, victims of domestic violence now have resources that can help them get out of an abusive relationship and potentially turn their lives around.
Take action against domestic violence by helping HopeLine reach its goal of 1 million phone donations by the end of 2015. Simply drop off your wireless phones, chargers and accessories, from any carrier, at a Verizon store and help support victims and survivors of domestic violence.
Click here to visit your nearest Verizon store and if you are interested in helping women affected by domestic violence, visit the HopeLine website to purchase purple accessories.
Additionally, we are also hosting a giveaway on our site — if you enter below, you could be eligible to win an LG Tone Pro™ Wireless Stereo Headset, valued at $69.99.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/HopeLine® from Verizon.
Innovative App for Kids…Check out Safari Tales
For many parents, getting their kids to read more and play video games less is a constant struggle. Learning versus having fun, at times, can seem like mutually exclusive processes. But they really don’t have to be. The best of both worlds for a parent is to find opportunities where your child is doing something educational and at the same time, is genuinely enjoying the activity. A company out there called Kuato Games seems to have one of those opportunities for parents with its game app called Safari Tales.
Geared toward kids ages 4 to 10, Safari Tales offers a 3D world for kids to play in, amazing places to visit, games to play and animals to discover. While kids are enhancing their literary skills, they are also getting a chance to ask the adorable in-game meerkat, Darwin, questions about animals, their environment and eating habits. The method by which kids get to ask the questions is very clever as the child needs to form the sentence structure correctly. As proper grammar in this country continues to be suffer miserably, it’s great to have a game out there that at least attempts to help the education process.
The app is also great because the game records the user’s adventures and at the end of each session, creates an interactive storybook which can be read with a parent that summarizes what they did in the game. The best part of it is the feature that allows the child to replace highlighted words with available synonyms, helping expand the vocabulary of your child without any extra effort.
The graphics for the game are very cool and the sounds of the animals and background noises are equally remarkable. The animal coloring features and sticker collection tabs are also a lot of fun, giving kids the ability to enjoy many activities while being on just one app. It is a pretty good deal for just $3.99. So if you are willing to make the small investment, you can go to any of the following to purchase:
Download on iTunes
Google Play
Amazon
For those of you still looking for a bit more information, please visit the Safari Tales YouTube page.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. However, all opinions are 100% my own.
OUR PSYCHO CAT IS KILLING OUR CARPETS!
I don’t know when she snapped, but our cat Hazel has been tormenting us all summer long. I don’t know if it started happening before we went away each weekend or left on a one week vacation, but ever since we left her and one of our other cats alone with our dog, she’s totally lost it.
While most cats choose to use a litter box, Hazel has decided to use our bath mat, the kitchen sink (yuck) and the carpet in the basement as some of her favorite places in the house to leave her mark. And trust me, her mark does not smell like roses. If you are a cat owner then you know already know that cat urine is one of the most foul smelling odors around and when it seeps into a carpet, getting that smell out is quite difficult. Plus, with two kids and my husband who is constantly battling one allergy after another, it’s super important that our carpets are clean. More importantly, I want to make sure that the chemicals that are being used on our carpets are safe for our entire family – including our dog and our cats — including Hazel – no matter crazy she gets.
Lucky for us, we just found about about Green Choice Carpets. Since carpet cleaning companies often use chemicals that carry health warnings, many parents are rightfully concerned about the chemicals being using around their children and what chemicals are left on the carpet after cleaning.
Green Choice gives peace of mind to new parents and new pet parents like me with their baby safe carpet cleaning. The company, which is based in New York City selects the best certified green cleaning solutions and training our cleaning technicians how to utilize the best green cleaning technology. For all their cleaning services, Green Choice only uses cleaning detergents that have been tested and certified as green by Green Seal, the recognized leader in certification for green products.Their cleaning technicians are trained to use green cleaning products and get the best cleaning results. Because their staff are all trained and experienced, your carpets will look great without the use of chemicals. The company’s cleaning solutions are bio-degradable and they do not leave any residue in your carpets.
So while my cat may continue to wreak havoc on our home, I’m going to work on staying a few steps ahead of her with the help of Green Choice Rug & Carpet Cleaning.
Visit Green Choice Rug & Carpet Cleaning for special coupons for your carpet cleaning needs. And if you have a psycho cat like us, maybe it’s time to invest in a little cat therapy too. Here’s hoping she’ll stop torturing us now that we’re home and are totally on to her devious ways!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Green Choice Rug & Carpet Cleaning. However, the story of my crazy cat is 100% true.
Make Money Searching the Web with Qmee.com
If I had a nickel for every time someone in my family searched something on Google, I’m not sure I would be rich man, but it would certainly add up to a tidy sum of money. I don’t think there is anyone out there willing to pay me that nickel for each search, but to my surprise, there is a company that recognizes the value of consumers like myself that spend considerable time on the internet. That recognition is shown in the form of small cash payments to a person’s PayPal account when a person clicks on a search result that gets pulled up by a free browser app called Qmee.
Qmee is a free search browser app that still allows you to do your normal searches using other browsers like Google or Yahoo. The great thing about Qmee is that you don’t have to do anything differently from what you normally do when you search on the internet. Install the app once and you are done. Before you race off to install the app thinking that you are going to make gobs of cash for searching the net, it is important to realize that each click on a Qmee search result that matches what you are looking for is only going to pay between 4 and 14 cents. So don’t be so quick to hand in your resignation letter to your employer. On average, a typical Qmee user will collect about $5 per month or $60 per year for doing absolutely nothing more than you would do anyway. The only thing I dislike more than wasting money is passing up on opportunities to make extra money that require little to no effort on my part. And that is exactly what Qmee does.
Qmee is extremely easy to install, requiring only your email address and the click of a button. It is also reassuring to know that if at some point you no longer want Qmee on your computer, there are specific directions on the app’s website that explain how to remove it from your browser. If you have 60 seconds to kill, then watch this video that explains Qmee in more detail or go to www.qmee.com to try it for yourself. I’m pretty confident that there won’t be too many easier ways to earn some extra cash for yourself and the family. If by some chance $60 doesn’t mean a whole lot to you, please let me know because I could sure use it.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Qmee.com. However, all opinions are 100% my own.
Natural Tips for Killing Weeds Around Your Home
Nothing hinders your “green” thumb more than a garden full of weeds. While most products on the market are full of harmful chemicals and toxins, you may be looking into more earth-friendly options to banish them from your botanical oasis.
Lay a Bed of Mulch
Vinegar, citrus, olive oil and herbs are all excellent DIY ingredients that can safely clean surfaces inside your home such as wood, tile and granite. However, when it comes to killing pesky weeds in a flower bed or vegetable garden, you probably reach for poisonous products that can sicken children and pets and harm the environment. If you’re looking to keep your gardens free from weeds this season, there are a number of natural ideas you can incorporate without messing with Mother Nature. After you’ve planted your seed packets, flowers or veggies into the ground, you can cover the soil with mulch. Layering the shredded bark two or three inches in depth will smother the weeds and help the soil retain its moisture. In addition to enjoying a chemical-free yard, you can also conserve moisture when you add mulch.
Newspaper
If you’re looking to use up your old newspaper or magazines, you can recycle the paper materials in your garden. Wet thenewspaper and place 10 sheets stacked throughout your garden beds. The paper prevents oxygen from reaching the plants and keeps new weed growth from sprouting. Apply a thin layer of mulch on top of the newspaper as an added reinforcement to a weed-free garden.
Boiling Water
Rodents, bugs, germs and weeds are typically treated chemically. However, the toxic methods in which you’ve chose to terminate the unwanted infestations can prove dangerous, especially if you’re allergic to the solutions. If you’re looking to destroy weeds growing out of your driveway, sidewalk or walkway, boiling water can penetrate the ground’s surface and annihilate the weeds. However, since this hot liquid can destroy other plant life with its heat, you want to restrict its usage in high planted areas.
Vodka
Vodka isn’t solely restricted to your favorite martini. Mixing one ounce of vodka with two cups of water and a few droplets of dish soap helps dry out weeds that are left in the sun. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work as well in garden beds left in the shade. Because the vodka solution can’t decipher a weed from your perennial, you want to spray the solution carefully around your other flowers and plants.
Vinegar
The declining bee population is a major concern for environmentalists. One of the primary reasons behind their dwindling numbers is the amount pesticides used in farms and homes. If you’re looking for eco-friendly ways to kill weeds while protecting bees, vinegar is a proven solution. Simply pour regular household vinegar into a bottled sprayer. Since the vinegar solution is 5 percent acetic acid, it can burn and destroy unwanted weeds. It also works best on sunny days.
Corn Meal Gluten
Corn meal gluten is a great natural weed killer that prevents the unwanted vegetation from sprouting in the first place. You can safely apply the gluten product to established plant beds, vegetable gardens and flowers. While it won’t kill weeds that are already established, it can prevent weeds from spreading.
Dish Soap
On days when the weather is sunny and hot, the oil in dish soap can break down the heavy surfaces of the weeds. If you’re looking to get rid of deep rooted weeds, a mixture of 2 cups of Epsom salt, 1 gallon of household vinegar and ¼ cup of dish soap can be enough to destroy the pesky plants. Plus, because the dish soap gives the leaves a shiny appearance, you can easily keep track of where you’ve last sprayed.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.
Forget summer bodies, here’s how to get in shape for life
With warmer weather truly on the way, you might be tempted to go all out to achieve the perfect summer body. The trouble is, taking this short-term approach to getting in shape can be a recipe for yo-yo weight loss and a lifelong battle with the bulge. Rather than focusing on what you look like in a bikini on the beach for a few short months, it’s much better to slim down in sustainable ways that you can keep up over the long term. If you want to get in shape and stay that way for life, keep reading.
Make changes to your diet that you can actually stick to
It’s easy to understand why crash diets are so popular. The prospect of being able to shed lots of weight within a short space of time is an alluring one. However, it’s impossible to keep these fad eating programmes up for the long haul. Often, they cut out crucial food groups and they can be very unhealthy. They also make unrealistic demands on your self-restraint. OK, so completely cutting out chocolate, cheese and other treats might be doable in the few short weeks before a summer sojourn, but what about when you’re back from the beach and don’t have a holiday to look forward to?
It’s much better to make more subtle but sustainable changes to your eating habits. Bear in mind that the average woman needs around 2,000 calories a day to maintain her weight, while for men this figure is 2,500 calories. If you want to shed some pounds, you’ll need to cut your calorie intake and make sure you use more energy than you consume. How much you cut your intake by will depend on your weight, lifestyle and goals, but whatever your target, make sure your diet is healthy, nutritious and full of vitamins and minerals. You can find out more about weight loss from your doctor or trusted online health services such as Online Doctor.
Build more exercise into your everyday life
As with the food you eat, there’s no point in setting unrealistic targets when it comes to exercise. Sure, working up a sweat by spending hours in the gym could do wonders for your weight loss, but with your responsibilities at home and at work, how long could you expect to keep intense regimes like this up for? A more savvy approach is to build activity into your everyday life. For example, make sure you take the stairs instead of the lift, and try cycling or walking to local destinations rather than reaching for your car keys.
Even being active with your kids by taking them swimming or to play in the park could help your efforts to get in shape. Vigorous housework can be a great way to burn energy too.
Be patient
Following advice like this does require patience and perseverance. You won’t see major results in a matter of weeks; instead, the changes will be gradual. However, by sticking to your plan, you should succeed in losing weight and the best thing is, you’ll find it easy to keep up your new regime up. This could spell the end of your weight loss woes
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.