How many times as a parent, have you seen things happening around you with other parents children, and said to yourself “Oh that will never happen to my child” I know I am a guilty one when it comes to this. Being a parent you never want to think the worse, we often take things one day at a time, and when something comes up we take our child to the doctor. Sometimes we come out with only a cold, other times parents come out with much more devastating news.

Can you as a parent imagine being told your child has Meningitis? What if I told you that meningococcal disease is among the leading causes of preventable infant deaths in the U.S!  Roughly 50 to 60% of these cases can be prevented with a vaccine!

I have joined up with Mom Central and Meningitis Angels to help bring awareness to this awful disease that is taking the lives of so many. The lives that could be saved with a simple vaccine. Please take the time to watch the short video below and sign the petition to show your support.

Diseases like these are not something we site back and do nothing about. I strongly encourage you to sign the petition.

I am also including a fact sheet in this post, so you my readers can see how important it is! We can NOT allow another child to die over something that could be prevented.

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We are the voices of our children.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central and Meningitis Angels. This campaign was made possible in part through support provided by Novartis Vaccines. A small donation to a charity of my choice was made in my name from Mom Central as a thank-you for participating. All opinions in this posting are 100% my own.

That’s one thing I can say, I have to have some sort of T.V during winter to keep me entertained. I recently learned of a new television series called Royal Pains. How many of you watch Royal Pains? I personally have never seen the show, but I have seen previews and always wanted to watch it. What better time to start then NOW. Royal Pains will be going into its 4th season on Wednesday January 18^th at 10/9pm central on USA. If you are an avid watcher get those DVR’s set, you will not want to miss the season premiere. New and exciting things are coming to the Hamptons.

Brief Summary:

The series follows Hank Lawson, a young emergency room doctor who, after being wrongly blamed for an important patient’s death, moves to the Hamptons and becomes a reluctant “doctor for hire” to the rich and famous. When the administrator of the local hospital asks him to treat the town’s less fortunate, he finds himself walking the line between doing well for himself and doing good for others.

Need a recap? Check out the video below.

To learn more about Royal Pains, and other USA Network series be sure to like them on facebook.

That isn’t all! One lucky reader is going to have the chance to win a $100 Royal Pains prize pack!!! Are you excited?

Make sure you tune in on Wednesday January 18^th at 10/9pm central on USA.

ROYAL PAINS DVD Pack – $100 Value  

-                 Season 1 DVD

-                 Season 2 DVD

-                 Season 3 Vol. 1 DVD

Mandatory: Head over to USA Network, and tell me something you learned about Royal Pains. Or something you like about the show.

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Giveaway will end on 1/26/2012 @ 11:59pm EST, winner will be drawn via and the winner is plugin. The prize was provided by USA Network, but USA Network is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this giveaway. I will also receive the same prize pack. Contest open to US residents only.

There are many great companies out there that want to help you meet those goals you have set for yourself this year, including BistroMD. BistroMD is a meal delivery service, so it makes losing weight simple. Follow the meal plan, stick to eating the food prepared for you, and you will have no problems. BistroMD takes all that guess work and calorie counting out of your daily meal planning. One great thing about this program, all the meals are shipped to your door, a long with a simple meal plan. All you have to do is heat, eat and watch the pounds coming off, you are also responsible for moving. You have to remember just eating certain foods, does not make you lose weight, you also have to have exercise in your daily routine.

Many people forget your body needs to move, it needs a way to burn those calories, and sitting on the couch just isn’t working. Of course, unless you are lifting weights while you do that!

I was sent a week work of meals to try. I have to say these were different from my normal eating of macaroni and cheese, but I liked having everything laid out for me, the only way one would not lose weight with this meal plan is if they didn’t stick to it or do it properly, because you literally have everything laid out for you, from what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On what day to eat it, and also some helpful tips on how to prepare it.

We all know meals taste better when they are presented well, one of the suggestions is to place on a plate, and also add some seasonings. The meals are good without some spicing up, but I thought they tasted much better after I added some of my favorite seasonings to them.

BistroMD has four different plans to choose from, you can pick either 7 days or 5 days, and you also have the option with snacks or without snacks. These plans start from $129.95 and go to $179.95 per week. BistroMD has also been seen on shows such as the popular Biggest Losers, Dr. Phil, and The Doctors.

While sticking to this meal plan, I noticed the scale dropping. During the week I was on this meal plan I seen a drop in 2 pounds. Everyone is different some will lose more, some will lose less, it all depends on your body, and how much exercise you do! Plus it didn’t help that the holidays were here.

I highly recommend BistroMD for anyone’s 2012 New Years Resolution weight loss journey.

disclaimer: I received the 7 day no snack meal plan for review purposes only. This is only my opinion, and others will vary. Remember what works for some will not work for others, and you must also include exercise.

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As you can see from their guide, they’re looking out for you. I have to admit I have a few favorites from that guide.

Check out the Friendly Frog Pillow pet! Who doesn’t love these things, I mean have you felt them? One great thing about the pillow pets, is they make great traveling companions for your children, not only will they give them a soft place to lay their head when you are traveling they also give them someone to play with.

These pillow pets make great gifts for all ages.

I am also a fan of the Keurig Coffemaker, this would make a great gift for those coffee lovers in your life. I have to say JCPenney has some good taste when it came to picking out those last minute gift ideas.

I am a very good example for those that shop last. I am usually hitting the stores on Christmas Eve, with that being said, I run into many doing the same thing I am doing, SHOPPING. I like to say it is because I forgot just one little thing, however, I come home with a ton.

My husband is usually left scratching his head and wondering why I wait until the last minute. It’s not that I intend to shop at the last minute, it really isn’t, but I get an idea to get someone a certain gift at the last minute. Yes, that is my story I am sticking to it.

I use to be the early bird when it came to shopping, but I learned fast that this only got me cold. I remember how I would show up at the stores and be the first in line for those Black Friday sales. Standing in long lines in freezing cold temperatures, will make you rethink your shopping habits. After battling the lines and the cold for a few years, I changed my thinking, I now show up at the last minute, and if I seen something I wanted from the ad, I look for it, if it’s not there I move on.

The cold weather and massive lines, turned me into a last minute shopper.

Are you a last minute shopper? I would love to hear some of your last minute shopping horror stories.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of jcpenney and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

We recently had the opportunity to check out The World Almanac 2012 first hand, and I was pretty amazed. As my daughter and I was checking out the Almanac we came across a lot of great facts. I love all the historical information in this book, such as the Presidents, our Economic status, and the showings of the crime rates.

This will be one of the books my daughter goes to when it is time to write those reports, I know the information she will receive from this book, is actual facts. I love that the information used to publish this book, has been checked more than once to make sure we are getting all the proper facts.
Below you will find some of the notable features in The World Almanac 2012.

The World Almanac 2012 would also be great for those family debates.

If you have children this is a must have book for all those book reports your child will have to do through-out their high school years. If you are a person that loves reading facts, this would also be a great book for you.

I would have to say my favorite part of the Almanac is the facts about the starts, I love seeing how the different States got their names.

Michigan: From Chippewa words, mici gama, meaning “great water,” after the lake of the same name.

You can purchase The World Almanac® and Book of Facts on Amazon for $8.17 and is eligible for free shipping!

We received a copy for review purposes no other form of payment was received. This is our honest opinion and others may vary.

Super Sneaky uses for everyday things, is Cy’s 8th book in the series. This book includes activities that have never been seen before, and even has some sneaky fashion like the light up nails, and the sneaky bracelets and belts.

How many of you have kids that like to try new and exciting things with random things laying around the house? My daughter does, she is going to be one of those science geeks. It amazes her how things work. Her and daddy even made a door alarm once, and she is all about searching for finger prints.

Super Sneaky uses for everyday things, has over 30 new inventions! These new and exciting projects not only show you step by step directions for you to try at home, they also show you images, so you can see if you are doing it correctly, and give you a list of things you will need.

One thing I liked about this book, is the illustrations. I am one that has to see images as I am doing something, or it will not turn out right, and I would have never known you can take a part a 9 volt battery  to reveal 6 AAAA batteries, yes I said AAAA, and when in a bind you can make them work as AAA batteries. How awesome is that!

Want to try some cool tricks yourself? Check out the Sneaky Uses site for a few free projects, also make sure to check out their youtube page where they show you how to some neat things.

You can purchase Super Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things on Amazon for $10.16 and is eligible for free sipping on orders over $25.

We received a copy for review purposes only no other form of payment was received.