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Neosporin’s New Eczema Essentials and Coupon

Posted on February 26, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The winter weather may have been nice to us this year, but the dryness has been harsh at best. With the heat pulling the moisture out of the house, our sensitive skin suffers a lot. My kids and I often are the lucky recipients of eczema during these long, cold months of the year.

Over break, my oldest has been complaining a lot about his back being itchy. Sure enough, I pulled his shirt up and saw what I feared. Red, scaly, itchy, dry patches = eczema back. He seems to get it on his back, my youngest on his legs, and my poor hands are a mess – which makes typing/knitting/crafting hard to do at times. We have a large collection of Eczema creams, moisturizer lotions, and more.

A few weeks ago, I saw an ad for a new eczema product that caught my eye. Then, I had the opportunity to participate in a campaign for the product and share a high value coupon. Yes, the makers of Neosporin – who I have trusted to help stop infections from cuts and scraps now have a line of products to help with eczema.

Thanks to this coupon, I am heading out this weekend to get some of the cream to try on my kids. I trust the Neosporin name, like that it says it will help quickly, is a good daily moisturizer, and is unscented. More information about the new line of Neosporin Eczema Essentials Products:

When children have eczema, its negative effects are not felt by the child but by the entire family. Parents want to be the hero and bring relief to this popular skin problem so Neosporin has come out with a line of products to bring relief to the skin and the entire family overall.

#1 Daily Body Wash
• Proven gentle and non-irritating, even on eczema-prone skin
• Fragrance-free, soap-free
• Gentle enough for everyday use

#2 Daily Moisturizing Cream
• Deeply moisturizes
• Relieves itch on contact and irritation due to eczema
• Helps strengthen and restore the skin’s natural barrier function
• Fragrance and steroid-free

#3 Anti-Itch Cream
• Clinically shown to improve dryness, flaking and appearance of redness
• Maximum strength of itch relief
• For occasional use

I will keep you posted once we try the cream. I have my high value coupon (link above) and will be heading to Walmart or another retailer’s first-aid aisle to find this to test out on our dry winter skin and see how it calms our eczema symptoms.

It's Me

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a compensated Global Influence campaign. As someone who has eczema and two young boys with it, it was my pleasure to share information and a coupon about this new product that we hope to try. As mentioned, we have not used this yet, but Neosporin is a brand that we know and trust.

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to be taken as medical advice. If you are worried about eczema, please consult your doctor to ask question and get additional information from them.

Global Influence Network

Categories:
health awareness me moments sponsored post vent

Picnik Replacement Possibility

Posted on February 24, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Photos are a huge part of my blog. I include them in almost every post that I write. Thanks to Picnik, I often made collages, added in text, or placed a fun sticker for a holiday within my pictures. Imagine my reaction when I heard that Google was going to cease operating Picnik in their current location this April. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. Sure they said it would be integrated on Google+, but it was far from the same. The new space for Picnik was not as easy to use, hardly as flexible, did not have the features I needed, and would not allow me to download my creations to put onto my blog.

I asked TechyDad to see if he could find me another solution. Sure, I could use a great photo publishing program like PaintShop Pro, but the reality is I wanted something that did not take a lot of time to learn and would be quick and easy. The other day he told me about PhotoScape. That night, I put it on my computer and had some fun.

First I made a collage of photos from Disney parks.

Then, TechyDad told me that one of the great benefits of PhotoScape is you can put any font into it to use. So I downloaded a Disney one to use, along with another one. After that, I saw the stickers/stamps that you can add to photos. Check out the boys to see what I was able to do, along with the sign near Figment.

I am still exploring all of the possibilities with this new tool, but I really love it. Even TechyDad has joined in on the fun. Check out the Wordless Wednesday that he had this week using PhotoScape. Is it as easy as Picnik was right away? Not initially. Still, I think it may be more powerful and once you understand a few little quirks – it is fun and has so much to offer.

So my questions to you this week:

Are you a fan of Picnik and what will you be using once it closes in April? If you don’t use Picknik, what do you use to touch up or create items for your blog?

It's Me

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #192

Categories:
Aloha Friday Disney me moments photos TechyDad vent

In Search of Hakuna Matata

Posted on January 22, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Stress, it happens and it can leave you dreaming some odd things.

One of my recent dreams was similar to this scene that we saw at Disney on Ice back in December.

Of course, my dream was of me as Peter Pan and someone else in the Captain Hook role. I no not know who that other person was because a few could have been staring in that special scene.

I know, you are thinking that I am supposed to be an angel. LOL – even angels have reality check moments where they take on another personality a la Stitch.

Disney is definitely on my brain. Watching the videos made me smile, laugh, and forget about some of the things happening in real life for a few moments. I hope you enjoyed them as well.

Categories:
Disney me moments vent video

Not My Hair in the Food

Posted on January 13, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The title pretty much explains it all. Last week, TechyDad stopped on his way home from work to pick up some dinner because it was one of those nights. We opted for some subs. I was really in the mood for some grilled chicken and ordered that. As we were eating our dinner, I noticed a medium length hair of a color that is not mine sticking out of my sandwich.

Insert gagging noises, expressions of horror, and rage.

That was the end of my meal since there was no way I was eating something that was served to me with an unknown hair within it. TechyDad called the store and was told he could go back in for a new sandwich and see the manager. Oh sure, just what we want to do so late on one of the coldest nights of the year with two kids that need to go to bed soon. NOPE, I was not taking that as an answer. I decided to call and ask to talk to the manager. The manager came onto the phone and blew me away with the cluelessness. She did not get how bad this situation was, offered no solution, and certainly NEVER said she was sorry. The next morning, I went to the website of the main company since I did not have a way to get in touch with the local owner. This is what I wrote to them:

My husband decided to stop on his way home to get subs for dinner to take home. He ordered a roasted chicken and veggie patty. As I was eating mine, something caught my eye. A hair was embedded in my sandwich that was clearly NOT mine. That was it, I was done eating. I was disgusted with this. What I was not ready for was what happened when we called the store. First, my husband called. He was told to go back to the store to talk with the manager. He hung up and told me. It was dinner time, we have two young children, and it was freezing. He was NOT going back to the store at that point in time. I picked up the phone and asked to talk to the manager. It was a little after 6:00 at this point. I did not get the managers name. She was less than helpful at best. The manager clearly did not get the gravity of the situation. She stated "Oh you are upset and don’t want your food?" No kidding I was upset, disgusted, and appalled with how she had no clue how to handle this. I told her I was finished and was going to contact corporate. This is when she suddenly seemed to care and wanted to know what she could do. I told her no thank you and hung up the phone. Your Twitter feed helped me to located this page to report the incident. I would like to know what is the proper protocol for avoiding hairs into customer food and what is supposed to be done when a customer finds one within their meal.

Thank you in advance for your assistance with this matter.

After some time, an e-mail from the owner of the store arrived. It was 2-3 sentences long and did not really apologize, state what happened, or anything else. They may have thought it was a sorry, but it was not. Stating that you are “sorry that your experience at my store was not satisfactory” and telling me to print out the e-mail for a free sub next visit does not cut it. Nope, my business will now be going to a new location and I will make my own sandwiches at home without feeding my family hairs.

So my question to you this week:

Have you ever gotten a hair in your food at a restaurant? What did you say and what did they do in response to the situation?

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #186

Categories:
Aloha Friday food glorious food Local Business nasty things PSA stupidity vent

Tuesday Tales – Envy Combats the World of Cyberbullying

Posted on November 15, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

There are days that I thank my lucky stars that I am no longer a kid in school. Children today have it much different than we did growing up. Not only will they be mean to each other with words and punches thrown, but the online world has forever changed everything.

Bullying has always been around, but the lasting effects of bullies is new and drastically different. Thanks to social media, a simple poke at fun against another child will last FOREVER. Kids do not understand that everything placed on the internet is forever and can not be taken back. Simply deleting an item does not make it disappear.

Tweens, Teens, and even younger children know how to use Twitter, Facebook (even younger than the 13 year age minimum), and other online websites/blogs to assert their power. With a simple mobile device, a photo can be sent around the world. In an instant, reputations will be changed and the damage done. The worst part, anonymity can often hide a lot of things from the novice. Of course, nobody online is completely anonymous.

Why do I mention this? Well, cyberbullying is a reality in society today. Not only does it exist with adults, but also with our innocent children. Children have killed themselves after endless online and real life attacks have pushed them into the darkest of places that exists. When I was teaching middle school, I actually used an assignment to help catch a cyberbully. Yes, having a webmaster as a hubby paid off and taught at least a few kids (and parents) a very BIG lesson.

Author Gregg Olsen tackles this tough subject area in the first of his Empty Coffin Series called Envy. I introduced the book several weeks ago when I was finishing it up. Since that time, it has been on my mind a lot.

Bullying is a problem that our entire society needs to address. Parents, teachers, and others within the lives of children need to work on sensitizing children on how to recognize a bully, what to do if they are bullied, and how to help a friend that may be the victim. We often take this for granted because a lot of kids do not realize they are actively being bullied. Yes, even if it is painfully obvious to some, many kids are so hungry for social acceptance of any kind that they appear to ignore it. Are they really, or are they internalizing it? Envy takes us along this journey as two super sleuth twins uncover the pain that another had endured for so long.

As I said before, Envy kept me on the edge of my seat. I saw some items coming, but did not see others. I knew the connection with real like cyberbullying cases that had been in the media and liked how it was incorporated into the story. My mind was racing as I read. I wondered what other items could be done in the real world to protect other kids from this fictional fate. The sad truth, it is happening in the world. Cyberbullying is taking the lives of innocent individuals that feel trapped.

My hope is that people being more aware of this topic thanks to it being in the news, being incorporated in books like Envy, and on other platforms that we can help our youth. We may not be able to completely stop cyberbullies, but we can let then know that we care and will help in any way possible. Envy would be a great book to read with tweens and teens to discuss this topic. I can see it being used in a social setting, with teachers, and other venues.

Author Gregg Olsen has also talked about this topic. On his website, Olsen recently wrote a post called Changing the Question on Cyberbullying. He begins this section of his news notes with the following:

Not long ago, I asked readers “How Mean Are You?” I’ve been thinking a lot about cyberbullying lately, and now I’m wondering "How Brave Are You?"

Within the article, he goes into explaining how and why he changed the initial question. It is a very powerful read – especially with the quotes from kids. It hit me hard to know that some teens felt that if they told someone about their cyberbullying problems that it would only make matters worse.

I worry about this a lot for my children. My oldest has already been a victim of bullying and he is only in third grade. I cringe and worry about what I do not know, what he may be thinking, and what could happen to him behind the scenes. Thanks to people like Gregg Olsen and others like The Bully Project – people will be exposed to this reality and hopefully we can help our children.

Let’s take this time to discuss the hot topic of bullying. Have you experienced it, have your children, or do you know someone else? Weigh in and let’s share ways that we can help each other as victims, parents, educators, and others that need to wake up and see the problem that is bullying in society today.

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sterling Publishing in order to facilitate a review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed are my own and the fact that it stuck a nerve was just a nice bonus to talk about something else that has also been on my mind.