Tech Tips for Decreasing Holiday Stress from U.S. Cellular & DIY Network's Janna Robinson

Recently, I was able to email in some questions to Janna Robinson, host of DIY Network’s Hollywood Hi-Tech. She was looking to hand out some much-needed seasonal advice about utilizing technology to make your holidays run smoother. As a tech-savvy person myself, I am always looking for more advice on how to best use my smartphone and tablet to make my life easier and run more smoothly, so I was happy to participate and hear what Janna had to say. As a thank you, Janna sent me a gift basket with several stress-busting items such as a comfy robe, slippers, scented candles, hot tea, and more. In addition, one lucky reader will win the same basket.

Here are the answers to the questions I sent in to Janna Robinson . . .


To find more great tech tips or to find a U.S. Cellular location near you, visit them online at USCellular.com.

Thank you to U.S. Cellular for providing the information and video above, and the gift basket for our contest prize.  I also received a gift basket as a thank you for taking the time to participate in this campaign.

Our prize for this contest is a Holiday Gift Basket (ARV $115) containing:

• Robe
• Slippers
• Bath kit or shaving kit
• Google Play Gift Card
• Tea or chocolate sampler
• USB flashdrive
• Scented candle

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

5 Things to Take When You’re Travelling with Your Family

Everyone remembers the scene from the 1990 film, Home Alone, where the McCallisters are all packed and already on their overseas flight to Paris when suddenly the mother, Kate, realizes they had forgotten their youngest son at home. "Kevin!" she screams, and the audience erupts in laughter at the hilariously absurd prospect of being in such a rush to leave the house that you could forget your own child. But is it really so absurd?

Sure, you probably won't forget and accidentally leave your child at home, but there is every possibility of forgetting to bring something almost as important when traveling abroad with your family. Going overseas is stressful and there is a lot to remember. You should create a list well in advance of your departure date, and be sure to double-check it before leaving. Here's a list of 5 important items to remember to bring when traveling abroad with your family:

1. Passports and/or Visas
Your passport is your identification. You'll need it to get through airport security, to check into your hotel, and possibly for various other reasons. If the country you will be visiting requires a visa, you will need to get that well before you depart and then be sure to have it with you at all times. Everyone in your party should have their own passport and/or visa. It's also a good idea to make copies of each person's passport to leave at home with a friend just in case yours gets lost or stolen.

2. Hotel Accommodations
It's better to make all your hotel or hostel arrangements prior to your departure in order to ensure that you'll have a place to stay when you arrive at your destination. Print out confirmation emails to bring with you upon check-in so there is no question as to whether you booked ahead. When you arrive, present the clerk with your confirmation email, the passport for each person staying in the hotel, and the credit card with which you made your booking to ensure the least amount of hassle possible upon check-in.

3. First Aid Kit / Medications
It's important to bring any and all medications you might need with you, because it may be difficult to find some types of medicines in some countries; bring things like: prescription medications, allergy medicines, antidiarrheal medicines, headache medicines, etc. Some countries require you to get vaccinations before arriving in their country, so make sure everything is up-to-date according to where you're going before you depart. A small first aid kit is also a good idea to pack just in case of emergency.

4. Travel Games / Books
When you're traveling with kids, no matter their age, it is always a good idea to have something to keep them occupied both while in transit, and in the hotel room. You can never predict the weather where you're going with 100% certainty, or what might happen when you get there, so it's best to be prepared for every eventuality. A deck of cards or a small handheld battery-operated video game doesn't take up a lot of space in a suitcase, nor does a small novel.

5. Insurance / Extra Cash
Travel insurance is completely optional, but can come in handy in the case of lost or stolen luggage, cancelled flights, etc. If you purchase travel insurance, be sure to pack it in your carry-on with all your other important items. Bring extra cash in your destination country's currency for emergency costs that might spring up. Be sure to carry all cash, credit cards, etc. in a money belt.


Finding accommodation for you and your family doesn’t have to be stressful. With over 20,000 hostels worldwide and located in fantastic destinations check out hostelbookers.com.

Holiday Stocking Stuffer Idea: New iD Gum is Flavorful and Innovative (#iDGum)

I chew a lot of gum. I find chewing gum to be a great way to help me not think about eating while trying to lose weight, and of course an even better way to keep my breathe fresh while at work. I have been buying one of the “regular” brands in bulk at a local warehouse style retailer. It tastes good and works as intended, but its the same old thing that I’ve been chewing since I was a kid. When Karen introduced me to a new gum called iD I was excited to try it because it looked different and that was welcome change.

iD gum comes in these super-fun and artistic packages. The package itself is a conversation piece. The unique package opens like a wallet or a book and stays flat in your pocket. iD also uses a first of its kind magnetic flap to stay closed!

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, iD GUM.

iD gum currently comes in 3 flavors: Berrymelon, Peppermint, and Spearmint. The flavors are intense but yet enjoyable. The first bite has a bit of a kick but the flavor tapers off quickly into something pleasing until you are done chewing. One thing that really stood out to me was the texture of the gum. iD is silky smooth to chew.

This is great gum and it comes in a fun and clever package. What a wonderful gum to add some excitement into an otherwise regular experience. I see iD gum as a great stocking stuffer this Holiday season!  You can look for iD gum at your local supermarket or drug store.  For more information, visit iD Gum on Facebook.

Thank you to iD Gum for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon and for providing a gift card as a thank you for taking the time to participate in this campaign.  All opinions expressed are my own.

How to Avoid Online Furniture Scams

4 ways not to get taken for a ride when it comes to buying furnishings online . . .

Online shopping has become the norm for folks looking for the best deal or those who prefer its privacy compared to conventional in-store shopping. Gone are the times when you would drive around town looking for the best deal on a bedroom suite. Thanks to technology, you don’t need a vehicle to drive from shop to shop, only a computer or a smartphone with wireless connection to shop till you drop!

Unfortunately, with millions of shoppers choosing to do business online, online furniture scams have become very rampant, especially when it comes to so-called discount sales that lure shopping in with promises of quality items at jaw-dropping prices. Scams occur when online dealers disappear off the face of the earth once you’ve paid, and before your furniture has been delivered.

Don’t be a story of online tragedy. Protect yourself and your hard-earned money by purchasing furniture from a reliable source. Avoid falling victim to online furniture scams by protecting yourself in the following ways:

1. Do your research -  I know online shopping is supposed to be fast and convenient, but not so fast that you (the shopper) don’t do the proper research. Seek out online furniture stores with decent online ratings and favorable reviews from other shoppers. Of course not all online reviews are legit, but you can sniff out a phony store if all the reviews are glowing (there should be a few unhappy customers). And steer clear of online stores with poor ratings and unfavorable user reviews. Learn from the mistakes of others.

2. Only shop with dealers who give contact information -  That means an email address, as well as a phone number, and a physical address. They should also have a customer service number you can call if you’re unsatisfied with the quality of the bedroom furniture that was shipped to you. Call the number provided before you buy, just to see if it’s a real customer service line and that it’s open during regular business hours.

3. Seek recommendations from trusted sources - Do you have a friend or family member who’s purchased furniture online? Well if you hear good things about the store they purchased from, seek out their advice and recommendations. Getting a recommendation from the so-called “horse’s mouth” can save you from getting ripped off and help you make a good buying decision. After all, if your friend had a good experience shopping online, you can feel pretty good your own money will be safeguarded from an unscrupulous online furniture scam if you buy from the same online vendor.

4. Get an idea of what the item's average price is - When buying furniture, a car, or a piece of jewelry online, it’s always wise to do some price comparisons first. If you’re unsure, browse through newspaper fliers and other online stores, and also ask friends for a reasonable price range for that specific item if they’ve purchased something similar. You know what the famous saying is…“if it sounds too good to be true—it probably is”.

About The Author
Gina M Casillo is a staff writer for Serenity Living Stores, your choice place to buy a Noguchi table. She enjoys decorating the bedrooms for her active twin boys and writing about home décor—especially when it comes to the spaces she’s most intimate with.

Getting Ready for Those College Costs

My children are still young and high school seems like years away. The day they go off to college, then, currently feels like a lifetime in the future. I simply can’t imagine having my children grown, out of the house, and no longer needing their mom on a daily basis.

But, as we all know, time moves quickly and our kids always grow up faster than we’d like. This means that we should certainly take advantage of every opportunity that we have to live in the moment, appreciate the time we have to spend with our children, and enjoy the process before it gets too late. It also means that it is never too early to start looking towards college on a financial level. College costs are incredibly expensive these days, and the price of tuition is high enough at most schools to put a considerable burden on all but the wealthiest of families.

On this note, my husband and I have decided to start saving and planning now. We don’t know what our children’s future hold, but we want to be prepared for any eventuality. Here’s what we’re planning to do:

Contribute Regularly to a College Fund  The best way to save for college is by regularly contributing money to a dedicated savings account, just as one would do when planning for retirement. We are going to open an account for each of our children and routinely set aside part of our paycheck for reinvestment in these accounts. If you do your research, you can probably find some investments that are specifically geared towards college savings and provide higher interest rates, such as a 529 plan. Any online student resource should be able to help you get started.

Allocate Our Assets With a Long-Term Focus  For the last few years, as careers have changed and children have been born, my husband and I have approached our financial lives with a more short and medium-term focus. When choosing a credit card, for example, we have looked for the best cash back credit card offers or have gone for the Chase Freedom card, which offers great monthly rebates. But now our financial plan has begun to take a much more long-term approach. Specifically, we want to minimize the assets that colleges will evaluate when determining financial aid. This means contributing more to retirement accounts and refinancing our mortgage so that we don’t own our home in 15 years.

Getting Our Children Involved  My husband and I hope to contribute significantly to our kids’ college costs, but that doesn’t mean we want to completely shoulder the burden alone. Instead, we want paying for college to be a full-family effort. To this end, we hope to raise our kids with a comprehension of the college situation and an expectation that they will help us out in the ways that they can. As they grow older, I hope that our children’s babysitting and summer jobs can contribute in part to our university savings fund. I don’t want to deprive them of all their earning, and I know that what they add to the fund won’t be much, but on principle I still believe that the expense of college should reflect a communal family effort.

These are the ways that my husband and I are beginning to plan for the eventual cost of our children’s college tuition. Although I certainly have no idea where my kids will be in 15 years, I hope that they are getting a good education and I pray that we are prepared to help them finance it.

This has been an advertorial guest post.

4 Creative Ideas for Something Different on the Table This Christmas Day

Christmas is that festive time of the year when we gather with our loved ones and friends. And if everyone is gathering at your home for the holiday festivities, you want to make sure your table reflects a warm and fun holiday spirit. You can help commemorate the occasion by introducing some unique items to your table that will engage and impress your guests. It's that special touch that will spread the cheer of the season.

1)  Place a Christmas cracker on the top of your guests' dinner plates. These delightful novelties, developed by a British confectioner in 1847, are a British tradition that has quickly swept around the world. They are decorative cardboard cylinders filled with treats and small gifts. When pulled at both ends, Christmas crackers open with a snap. English crackers can easily be found online, and will feature a decorative wrap in a holiday pattern to suit the decor of your table. And if you're feeling creative and ambitious, you can make your own Christmas crackers . Most local craft stores carry the materials needed during holiday season. If you make your own, you can really personalize the gift for that special person. Just think of how surprised your special someone will be when their gift pops out of the cracker.

2)  There are so many ways to adorn your Xmas table with Christmas chocolates and treats for your guests. Using your favourite chocolatier, gift wrap the chocolate in a box and top it with some curly ribbon. Place the wrapped box next to each person's water glass on the table. For children, you can purchase cello-wrapped chocolate pops in fun shapes, and place them on their plates.

3)  Adorning your Christmas table with flowers is another decorating idea that will add a festive atmosphere. Paper whites give an elegant look to any table with their 12 inch stems. Their delicate white flowers give a sweet fragrance and will fill the air with its aroma. Place the bulbs on white rocks in a clear glass vase, and tie a festive ribbon around the vase.

4)  Placement cards are a wonderful way to welcome guests to your table. You can write your own personal message to each guest. Choose a holiday pattern on the cards to coordinate with your table decor. Placement cards can be purchased at local stationery stores, or you can make your own at home with software. Add a gift to the placement card by punching hole and tying an ornament to it.

Review: "Always The Vampire" by Nancy Haddock

I am a sucker for vampire novels, so when I was given the opportunity to review Always the Vampire by Nancy Haddock, I jumped on the chance. In this novel, it follows vampire heroine, Cesca, as she tries to be the best maid of honor she can for her friend, Maggie. Cesca herself is a vampire princess who kicks butt but doesn’t feel she’s been living up to her vampiric duties as of late. Due to a unique supernatural disease making its rounds, many of her friends, including her lover, are falling ill and she has to deal with that as well.

First I’ll start by saying that Always the Vampire is the third book in this series and I haven’t read the other two. I wasn’t really lost, per se, but did find myself wishing I had read the other two many times.  I probably will read the first two books and return to this one after. That said, I really enjoyed diving into Cesca’s world and learning about her supernatural lifestyle. Cesca is a strong woman and a very interesting one at that, and I loved reading what this well-written novel had to say. The story itself had everything you could want if you’re a sci-fi or vampire novel lover, including romance. Cesca is a feisty vampire who makes for a great main character.

You can purchase Always the Vampire for the Kindle on Amazon.com and in paperback at most major book retailers.


Thank you to Penguin Group for providing a complimentary copy of this book for us to base this review upon.