Thursday, January 26, 2012

5 Mom-Inspired Driving Tips

If you are a mom (or dad) you understand the importance of safe driving. Or at least you should! Some days when I am driving I wonder if I am the only one on the road that is being careful. So I want to share my tips for safe driving.

1) Be considerate of other drivers & don't think that you are the only person on the road. I don't know how many times I have been close to being hit because someone in the lane next to me decides they want to drive in my lane - WITH me. Only one vehicle per lane is the rule so please make sure if you are changing lanes that there is no one already there.

2) Keep a safe speed. If you get in a wreck or get  pulled over by a law enforcement officer, then you will be later than if you just went the speed limit. Now, I would not suggest being a little "granny" driver and going extremely slow because that can be just as bad as going over the speed limit. So it is very important to keep a "safe" speed...not over and not under.

3) Wear your seat belt! It is hard to teach children to do something if we as the parents are not doing it. It is important to lead our children by example. Children will naturally hate being "tied" into a seat belt, but they are more likely to wear one of they see their parents wearing one as well.

4) Make sure your car is safe. Keep a check on your tires to make sure they are safe. If you have a tire blow out, it can be very dangerous for those in the car as well as those all around on the road. Also, make sure your headlights are working properly. Not only is it important for you to see where you are going, but it is also very important for others to be able to see you coming as well.

5) Don't drive sleepy!! Unfortunately there are many drivers that will keep driving even though they are very sleepy and tired. According to http://drowsydriving.org/about/facts-and-stats/ there are approximately 100,000 police-reported crashes as the direct result of driver fatigue each year. That is a scary number! So please, if you get tired...pull over, take a nap, or let someone else drive for a little while!

There are many other safety driving tips that we could share, but these are my 5 that I wanted to share with you. Please comment with a tip of your own. And be sure to check out Esurance and the tips that they can offer. Be sure to like them on facebook .

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Esurance blogging program for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here .”

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Online shopping a little easier

We all know the frustrations of shopping for products and having to go to different stores to find the best prices. Plus, when you make a big purchase, you want to know if what you are buying is a good buy or not. With the way things are these days it pays to be conscious of what we are buying and how much we are spending, not only now but what it will cost in the long run as well.

Well there is a website that will make all of our shopping experiences a little bit easier. It is http://www.become.com/. With http://www.become.com/, you can compare prices, read product reviews and find hot deals. Like if you want to purchase a new heater for your deck, you can get a crown verity vs schwank review. See what others  are saying and see where you can find the best prices.

Or suppose you are looking for a brookstone storage benches for deck. You have all of the information that you need to make a purchase and get the best deal around.

This summer as you are looking for pool stuff and other outdoor items, be sure to check out www.become.com so that you can get the best deals. If you want to go swimming before the summer you can always look into getting a pool heater. You can research the different pool heater gas but no spark on purex.

So check them out for your next purchase and see if you can't save some money this year.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Mile in His Shoes - DVD review/giveaway

From the directors of Angels in the Outfield comes an inspiring story about a special boy with an amazing gift, and the coach who believed. Dean Cain and Luke Schroeder star in the gmc movie based on the book "The Legend of Mickey Tussler".

It is amazing how things seem to happen and how people come into our lives at just the right moment. Coach Arthur "Murph" Murphy is in a losing streak with his baseball team, River Rats. He gets some information about a possible recruit and sets out to find this new possible pitcher. But as he is on his way, he gets lost. While trying to look at the map he runs off the road and hits the ditch where he gets stuck. That is where things get interesting.

Murph goes up to the nearest house to use the phone and while he is calling a tow truck he sees something really amazing.  He looks out the window and witnesses Mickey feeding his pig Oscar some apples. The way he feeds Oscar is what is so amazing but all I will say is that he has one good pitching arm. Murph wants to recruit Mickey, but there is one small problem...his dad. Mickey's dad is a little over protective of his son because he has Asperger's syndrome, which is a form of autism.

Without giving away the movie, I will say that this is a great movie about faith, determination and the power of friendship. We also witness the power of jealousy and the affects it can have on a person that will also affect others.

A Mile in His Shoes is truly an inspirational, true story. It is a movie that I will watch again and again, and I recommend that other families watch it as well.

I have a DVD that I would like to give away to one North Carolina Momma reader....So if you would like to win your very own copy here is all you need to do:

Leave me a comment about your favorite family movie and tell me why it is your favorite.

That is all that you have to do. If you would like extra entries you can: subscribe to my blog via email or follow with GFC, you can tweet this giveaway (once daily), or share this giveaway in other ways. Just leave me a seperate comment about what you did to get an extra entry.

This giveaway will end on January 25th @ 11:59 pm EST.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the movie mentioned above for free in hopes that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Monday, January 16, 2012

Courageous Movie

I am so excited that the movie Courageous is finally out on DVD...or it will be in about 4 1/2 hours from the time I am writing this!! I went to the theater and saw this movie but I am still ready to see it again.

If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend that you go rent it or buy it this Tuesday and watch it with your family. If you have not heard about this movie yet then keep reading because I will tell you about it....

Courageous is the newest movie from the brothers from Albany, GA. The first movie they did was called Flywheel, then there was Facing the Giants and then Fireproof. I have seen all of these movies several times and they get better and better with each one.These brothers, Stephen and Alex Hendrick, are truly blessed and have a wonderful gift from God to be able to come up with these movies.

Courageous is my husband's favorite movie. The first movie, Flywheel, is a story line about a used car salesman; then Facing the Giants is about a football team and coach; Fireproof is about a fireman; and then we come to Courageous which is about a sheriff's department. (My husband works for the sheriff's department so that is why this one is his favorite).

In the movie Courageous, we see what the streets are like with gangs & drugs and how families without fathers are affected. We witness heartache when  one of the deputies loses his daughter in a car crash involving a drunk driver; we see how someone can appear to be an upright and honest person, but really be a deceitful person. But we also witness how God can answer our prayers and we learn a lesson in forgiveness.

I think everyone should watch this movie...it is great for dads, moms, and anyone that is planning on becoming a parent. There are many life lessons for parents in this movie and I can't wait to see it again myself.

Once you have seen this movie, I am really interested in hearing your thoughts and comments!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Walgreens Prescription Savings Club

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

We all know the importance of having a personal relationship with the people that we depend on for our well being such as doctors and pharmacists. A lot of people that have gained that trust with their Walgreens pharmacist are finding out that they may have to change pharmacies.

For the past year, Walgreens has negotiated with Express Scripts for a new contract but have been unsuccessful. Patients that are covered by an Express Scripts plan are finding a disruption, and are having to find a new pharmacist. Many of these people are even having to drive further to get prescriptions filled. What is even worse is that Express Scripts has told their customers that they will not see any significant savings without Walgreens and costs may even go up.

Walgreens has been working to try to renew their contract to be able to continue to serve the many customers that depend on them and trust them. Follow this link (Walgreens and Express Script) for the press release of the change.

Walgreens is also offering a special discount on annual membership for its Prescription Savings Club: Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. For only $10 a year, a family membership covers everyone in your immediate family, including a spouse, dependents 22 and younger and even pets. Or individuals can join for only $5.00.

It is great to know that Walgreens cares enough about its customers that they have not just given up on those with Express Scripts, but they are trying to find a way that everyone can still be a part of the Walgreens family.

Be sure to follow  Walgreens on Twitter and like Walgreens on Facebook to keep up to date on what they are doing.

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