Serendipity Mommy » Everything Else

Keeping My Kids Safe From Online Creepers!

Candace — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:24:28 +0000

I’ve been at this mom thing for a while. And while I have been around long enough to see the evolution of the internet go from AOL to broadband. Along with watching my kids get older, I had to take the task of keeping their safety online first and foremost. I also had to evolve that to include mobile phones. My son has a little prepaid flip phone for emergencies but even with that he has already had calls from solicitors.

But here at home I try to seek out the best ways to practice my parental monitoring. My 2 youngest kids have software they are allowed to use for the computer like KIDOZ or ABCmouse. My teenager is allowed to surf the net but we have the highest security for him because unfortunately he has been a victim of disgusting lewd popup ads and horrible sites. Google is the worst offender sadly. But that just means we as his parents have to be diligent about making sure he isn’t seeing things that he shouldn’t be at 14 years old. We also check his histories. We got lucky recently and his computer monitor broke so he has been without a computer and honestly, he kind of likes the break from it and so do we!

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Making Reality Happen – My Kitchen Renovation Plans

Candace — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:22:37 +0000

It’s no secret on this blog that I have been talking about needing a kitchen upgrade. Yes many of my delicious creations have come from my way too small and ill-equipped current kitchen but as a professional, or someone who needs to hone skills at home, my kitchen isn’t cutting it by a mile. The size alone is laughable.

What I decided was that I am going to renovate. Unfortunately I am just a student and mom with a blog so I don’t have the resources to just spend $25k on a new kitchen. I do however have resources to find great deals online. I am a huge user of Online Coupons already to save every dollar I can. So I basically will do the same thing with my renovation plans. The first thing on my mind in this renovation has been a breakfast bar and stools. We don’t have a dining room nor use a big table but need a place to eat so I am checking out Promo Codes for Kmart because they have some of the most stylish entertaining furniture pieces and accessories. No ugly stools here!

Also I want to check out some décor sets because I do have a theme in mind, French Bistro (a nod to my first chef in college who taught me French cuisine style!) and so I will be looking for some Coupons for Amazon because I get free shipping so my accessories and themed items can be collected cheaply!

For the big guns, the appliances and large pieces like kitchen islands I will probably try and find a Coupon Code for Sears because that store is my go to place for big purchases like a range or refrigerator. I am a creature of habit and prefer the customer service of stores I have used for many years!

The process is going to take forever and honestly this house is kind of flimsy so I am scared that I will have to settle for boring but functional. I am not thinking that for a second I can, on a barely there budget, have a professional magazine ready kitchen in the end. But I do want it to at least look like a tastefully decorated place that I love to be in. I have never been one to fuss over details but I will have to look at deals and discounts for Home Decorators Collection type of places to really try and shave money off the designer aspects since that can run high, like drawer pulls, they really can be expensive so finding bulk dealers would be a good idea.

I really would just love a bright and airy place that is both professional enough to produce food on a scale that I can cater events and also user friendly enough that I am not the only one using it. Just because I finished culinary school doesn’t mean I always want to cook!

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Benefits Of The Acai Berry

Candace — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:52:33 +0000

Today, the acai berry has become popular with those who are health conscious. The acai berry has been shown to have many healing properties. For this reason, the acai berry is quickly becoming a super fruit.

The acai berry looks much like a grape. Deep purple in colour, the acai berry is found only in the Amazon Rainforest. The acai berry is the fruit of the acai palm tree. The berries grow in clusters as do grapes. These clusters form large bunches which can number as many as eight in one acai palm tree. The acai berry is related to other berries that have a dark purple skin such as blueberries and cranberries. The berry has been promoted by many celebrities, media sources and talk shows.

There are many uses for the acai berry. First, it can be used as a weight loss aid. The acai berry helps to flush out unwanted waste and toxins from the body. This can help one lose weight. The acai berry also is able to provide a boost to the metabolism. This makes it easier to burn fat. Consuming the acai berry can also help slow down the aging process. Those who regularly eat the acai berry find their skin looks much healthier and younger.

The acai berry also is good for the heart. For those who deal with a great amount of stress, this can help keep the heart healthy. Blood circulation is also positively impacted by the consumption of acai berries. By increasing the circulation, the risk of losing one’s hair as well as blood clots is greatly diminished. Given the positive influence on blood circulation, the brain performs better and is able to concentrate more effectively.

Given the detoxifying features of the acai berry, it also helps to boost the immune system. Digestion issues may also be solved with the ingestion of the acai berry. There are several retailers stocking products with acai berry, one of them is Holland and Barrett.

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Smart Moves When Starting A Business

Candace — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:39:34 +0000

I had a chef pull me aside this past semester and propose to me that I pursue food photography after he saw the incredible shots I was taking of the food we made in class and also from looking at the photos of my recipes and things on my blog. I lack self confidence at times and he knows it but he saw talent and told me he would help me get started and he has. I am already published on a national level moms group site! I am at the beginning stages of developing a food photography business now. There are NONE in Lansing at all and really only two that I know of in the entire state of Michigan that do food photography professionally. I would corner the market. Since it isn’t possible for me to move to a new place anytime soon, that chef capitalized on making something work where I am now, and have a good start before I move on to greener pastures.

At the same time my husband is also building up his videography business too. He’s already been booked for a wedding in a month and is hoping to add more. Its ironic that we both are building something from cameras! While he already has a name for his business, From Zero 2 HD, I don’t have a name for my new business yet, but when I do we both need to go ahead and file for a trademark. I am brand new to that but I will start with a place like Gerben Law Firm to start the filing. I am sure there ware ways you can go about that without a lawyer but I am not about to mess around with the legal name of my future business.

And even with my blogging business there is going to be a need to trademark my name. I don’t know what the future holds for this blog but its looking like I might be wanting to trademark or at the very least get my blog name LLC’d to protect myself. As much as I want to just enjoy cooking and posting about it or talking about awesome products, the reality is there is legal liabilities to what I do and since we live in a sue happy society I have to protect myself and family. It is very smart to get protection even if it does take some of the fun out of it.

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Cheering Up A Friend

Candace — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:26:59 +0000

Part of being a good friend is being there for your BFF when they’re down. It’s easy to be someone’s friend when they’re in a good place; the challenge of friendship is to be there for the person during the worst of times. Or maybe just when they need a little cheering up. Sometimes this is easy. Friend has an argument with her husband, you go out on the town for a little gal chat. Give her a shoulder to cry on—or hopefully, id it’s not that bad, maybe just to vent a little.

Other times cheering up a friend can be a bit more of a difficulty. If a friend has been struggling for a while it can feel tedious to have to constantly remind them that things will get better eventually. Especially if things aren’t getting better. Sometimes in these situations it’s best to make a subtle gesture. Send them a card or a maybe a gift. Do something personal. If the friend is religious, send him or her one of many beautiful Baptism gift baskets. Or, if the person is a big sports fan, you could send a commemorative coin or DVD of their favorite team’s season.

Or maybe it’s not about spending money at all. Sometimes the best way to cheer up a friend is just to spend some quality time together. Often times, we get in bad moods over things simply because we haven’t had the opportunity to think them out and put them into words. This can work with children too. If your kids are frustrated about something, it’s far better to talk with them about the issue than just cover it up with candy and treats. Similarly, adults need the chance to talk their troubles out, and who better to do that with than a friend?

What I recommend for people who have bummed out friends is to offer yourself as an ear. If they turn down the offer, it may just be because they’re too embarrassed or shy to talk about it. Send them a gift, with a card. This gesture will loosen them up to the prospect of talking about their problem with a friend. In the end, I guarantee you the friend will thank you. Then in the future, when you’re the one with a problem, you’ve got a shoulder to cry on.

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A Simple Sink In The Basement

Candace — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:17:14 +0000

Is that so much to ask for? We have a full finished basement and since the main area is so large, even compared to the living room on the main level, we have our offices, main entertainment area and two bedrooms, as well as a laundry room down there. I spend most of my waking life in the basement. The problem? It needs to have a bathroom in the basement. We don’t have one, and I could really use a sink. I would love also not to have to go up a flight of stairs just to be near a bathroom and water. I even have cooking appliances down there to ease my day. Someday i am just going to call a plumber and see what it will cost for an industrial awesomesauce sump pump so we can have that 2nd full bath!

Ironically I was on Facebook the other day and a friend of mine from Maryland had posted she was having issues with flooding and her pipes. I naturally told her to look into Plumbers in Maryland and find a good one with a good track record. How is it that I can tell her to find a good plumber easily but for myself, I still have not got around to calling one for me to just even PRICE out a renovation? I will, soon enough. I will be sick of not having running water on the same level I spend most of my day on.

Another thing I would love to price out with a plumber is renovating our existing bathroom and kitchen. The bathroom especially is in dire need of updating. I haven’t taken a bath in years (shower only!) because the tub is too small to relax in. I miss my old house that had a garden tub with a skylight above it. I relaxed in that bathtub so many times it was perfect! As far as the kitchen, the biggest problem I have right now is that the hot water takes FOREVER to come from the tap. It is the farthest from the pump and water heater but it is painfully slow to warm up. When I draw plans for the new kitchen I want my plumbing redesigned to somehow make hot water available immediately.

Maybe I should have been a plumber, they are a trade that will forever be in demand. Don’t think I want to fix the “messes” in toilets though!

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Busy Moms Saving Money

Candace — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:11:09 +0000

I’ve been an internet user since the days of AOL. I have been an online shopper almost the same amount of time. I began buying clothes for my kids but then branched into buying a lot of different items online. My biggest complaint is probably shipping costs so every single time I shop at an online retailer I look for coupon codes. Inevitably I google what I need and click the first site that has a coupon. But recently found a site called Coupons.Answers.com.Its a more community based coupon site where other people interact to answer questions and find the best deals. It is a child of the site answers.com which, of course, is all about questions and answers. Heck, I go to that site when I can’t remember my cooking measuring equivalents!

The first thing I noticed was that I love how the design is pleasing to the eye and not detracting from the content. The second is how I like that it is cohesive and I don’t have to search for an hour to find what I want. You have a giant search bar right at the top front and center to find what you want if it is not features and well, they feature most brand names that I shop at so it really is not hard to find a coupon code. Have I mentioned I love coupon codes? Especially free shipping ones!

And now Coupons by Answers has a Coupons Facebook App so you can get your coupons while you are already browsing on Facebook. Yes I know you are browsing there through the day I do it too! I just love that I can find coupons to my favorite retailers but also niche specific ones too.There is nothing I like more than finding a deal for my kids clothes because I have three of them and it gets expensive. I like that there is a coupon site that fills my need for the codes but also incorporates some community involvement!

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Chris Brooks Selling Music For Leukemia

Greg — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:10:20 +0000

Our friend and one of my favorite musicians, Chris Brooks is donating the money from 100 of his CDs to The Leukaemia Foundation. You can purchase them here for $10/each. Chris is a great guy, and has been one of my favorite guitarists for a long time. We did a review of his new CD here. Let your friends and family know, it is great instrumental music for working, exercising, and driving, especially if you like guitar solos and interesting music! I think this shows again what a great person Chris Brooks is also. This is a promotion for Australia (hence the weird spelling to us Americans) but its still a great cause!

Might Have To Sell An Arm To Afford More Travel

Candace — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:40:39 +0000

I just came back recently from a few days away to Green Bay, Wisconsin where I spent a couple days with my very best friend and we talked, cooked, baked, and had so much fun together with our families. I got a great rate on the room for 3 nights and driving wasn’t so bad, an entire tank of gas got us there easily. It was forgetting small things like batteries for the air pump or a needle pump to inflate sports toys for the toddler that got us. Or forgetting the entire box of vitamins and medicines. Yikes. I really did try hard to get more discounts or Travel Coupons from different vendors for hotels and attractions but it is just an off season and they couldn’t accommodate. Their loss, I could have blogged about it and then my 40,000 visitors would see it and know that I stayed at a cool hotel but I digress. It worked out though, I don’t have to write about it!

As I was posting my wordless Wednesday photo which I took on that vacation, I had two bloggers that are pretty close to the area there comment how it would be so great to meet up. One gal is right in Wisconsin. The other is in Canada. Having to get a passport aside, I have never ever really looked in to visiting Canada, and since I am in Michigan and I could literally be in Canada in 3 hours via Detroit, you would think I would have looked into it by now. I have never been to Canada and I swear every other Michigan resident I have talked to has been there. I would like to see my friend Cheryl though and I would LOVE to visit the scenic areas. I might look into some Coupon Codes For Canada and see what I can put together. It will be getting warm soon and maybe a trip north would be nice and refreshing! First, though, I have to go to Pensacola, FL to attend Brandcation, an non conference blogger conference of sorts. Its brands, its bloggers, and its a vacation because we get to have fun and not stay cooped up in sessions all day. It is less than a month away and I cannot wait! But I will say I paid a hefty amount for the plane ticket, and need to pay even more because I have to change the flight still, that is, if there are seats left. I cannot believe how much airplane tickets cost nowadays and they are so pricey for these small airports too it is crazy. I should just sell them my left arm and call it even. This is why I am grateful for offers to sponsor me in exchange for ad space, it helps cut the costs!

And I Thought Teenage Girls Were Clothes Hoarders

Candace — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:24:04 +0000

Either I was an easy kid when it came to needing clothes as a teen or there just were good deals back then because my 14 year old son has more clothes than me and I am over twice his age. I find it completely unfair actually. But I think about how EASY it is for shopping today using the internet, it shouldn’t be a surprise. What with Free Shipping specials for almost any store you can think of and the fact that all the websites are open 24 hours, it is just too easy to get stuff.

My son’s favorite store is Aeropostale. I once shuddered at the thought of paying for name brand clothes but then I came across the first sale and I was hooked. he likes the tee’s there and they had them two for $15! Not only that, I had Aeropostale coupon codes that made the prices even cheaper. I could care less about the clothes I am way past the age of trying to fit in but I am sort of glad my son has the ability to fit in because he wears the popular brand. I am a kid who was belittled and shunned basically in High School because I didn’t have a closet of name brand clothes or my daddy wasn’t a doctor. I don’t care now but it hurt a lot to be picked on because my clothes came from K-Mart instead of the mall. They were decent clothes and I was clean. I had lots of friends but never got to be in the A-List crowd because we couldn’t afford guess jeans and levi red tab etc. I am shaking my head thinking about it, seems so trivial, doesn’t it?

But I digress, as it makes him happy and it is super easy on my wallet to clothe him. I am scared to death of when my daughter is old enough to start needing clothes. We may need a new house just to fit her closet! I am also glad that the store has a spin off site for little kids, same brand but designed for little kids. That means when i shop for my teen, within one click I can shop for my other two kids too. My last purchase I paid $68 including shipping for 8 things, making each item average less than $10 and that included a zip up hoodie and nice plaid long sleeve shirt. I love Aeropostale!

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