Search This Blog

Friends & Followers

Blog Archive

My Blog List

Contact US:

Name

Email *

Message *

Monday, August 11, 2014

ACE™ Brand Elastic Bandage With the New ACE™ Brand Clip #Reveal #ACEBrand


Disclosure: I was provided a product for review purposes only. The opinions in this post are completely honest and my own.


If you've ever had a sprain or a strain, then you know what an ACE Brand Bandage is. More than likely you've used one before, or know someone who has. The ACE Brand Bandage has been around for a long time, actually 1918 to be exact.



















The older ACE Brand Bandages look like the one above. They were khaki colored and came with  metal clips. The bandages were amazing quality, worked well, but the metal clips weren't so great.

The metal clips were always frustrating to me. The metal clip had those pesky "metal teeth" that didn't seem to stick anything but my fingers. Every. Single. Time.

The metal clip would bend over time causing the clip teeth to snag on clothes and pinch fingers. Some people just skipped the teeth and secured the bandage with safety pins.







ACE Brand has released a NEW and improved ACE Brand Bandage with ACE™ Brand Clip. It's everything the original bandage is and more. I always loved the older one, just wished for a better clip. Well ACE Brand totally delivered on this one. The new clip is plastic and snaps into place securely.

The new clip makes it easier to get just the right amount of tightness. The bandage holds firmly yet doesn't feel like it's cutting off blood flow. It makes getting stuff done 10 times easier because it isn't falling off or too snug. It gives you the freedom to move around while providing the right amount of support.

The ACE Brand Bandages are good for anything and everything. Whether you have a sprained wrist or ankle, a pulled muscle, a bad back or a bad knee. It can even be used to hold ice packs in place.

You don't have to worry about pinching your fingers or getting the clip caught on your clothes. I love that the  ACE Brand Bandage makes snapping the bandage into place so much easier and quicker. I don't have to fight to snap this clip into place. Have you ever tried to hold a bandage and clip safety pins on it with one hand? Not fun, huh?

You don't have to fight with those safety pins anymore!


Connect with ACE™ Brand on their Website, Facebook, and Twitter pages. 

If you ever need help trying to figure out how their product works, you can always watch a tutorial on the ACE Brand YouTube Page

Check out this series of funny videos featuring “Arthur, ACE™ Brand Motivational Sportsgent” talking about how ACE™ Brand has “Fixed the Clip!”

Video #1: We Fixed the Clip with Motivational Sportsgent, Arthur: "Unleash The Lions"
Video #2: We Fixed the Clip with Motivational Sportsgent, Arthur: "To the Sport"
Video #3: We Fixed the Clip with Motivational Sportsgent, Arthur: "Did he Mean Lost"



What have you had to use the ACE Brand Bandage for? Are you liking the new look?


-Jessica

Thursday, August 7, 2014

$150 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway Event

purecrafted

Welcome to the $150 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway Event

Sponsored by Pure Crafted Beds

Hosted by Mom Powered Media & Conservamom

Pure Crafted Beds is a company who knows Beds. Their factory was started in 1946 and is still owned by the original family and into their third generation! They began by renovating porch furniture and mattresses in the 1940's, to a modern manufacturing facility located in Lansing, Michigan. They've been in business close to 70 years and have brought forth an amazing selection of products that will give you a great night's sleep. Your comfort is their business! Each bed is "hand-crafted" and they always strive to provide the best value for each customer, whether at $299 or $2,999. They carry two basic mattresses the TruEssence and TruSlumber. The only difference between the two beds is the core foam layer, and the TruSlumber bed does not have a base layer of foam. This helps reduce the overall height of the bed, which makes it perfect for children, bunk beds, and other situations where a thinner mattress is required! However the unsurpassed quality remains the same in both! purecrafted1One of the most fantastic features of Pure Crafted Beds is their use of an innovative product called the Eco Shield Cover. Every Pure Crafted Bed has this unique EcoShield cover. This amazing cover is resistant to bed bugs, dust mites, mosquitoes, and moths... all without any artificial chemicals! ecoshield_banner The proprietary EcoShield fabric is infused with Geraniol, a natural plant extract which provides all natural protection. Many anti-bed bug and dust mite products on the market today use synthetic chemicals. EcoShield® is the first product that is truly 100% natural, with no artificial chemical additives that uses a unique micro-capsule delivery system for long-lasting effects! Through a special process the Geraniol is infused into our EcoSheild® cover, and is slowly released over time as movement occurs on the mattress.

EcoShield® is Scientifically Proven!

To find out more on how these beds are made head over to the video below! Sleep equals health, Don't trust your sleep to just any mattress. Thanks to Pure Crafted Beds One winner will get a $150 Amazon Gift card. Giveaway ends August 19 at 11:59pm, open to US ages 18+. Only one entrant per household, per address. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Enter using the giveaway form below. Good luck! Disclaimer: The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. No purchase is necessary to enter. One entrant per household, per address. Void where prohibited by law. Winner(s) will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. The sponsor(s) will be responsible for product shipment to winner(s) of this sweepstakes. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. Contact Elia@mompoweredmedia.com if you have any additional questions or comments.

 

Jessica

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Kohl’s Cares: Little Critter Books & Plush Toys Collection #BacktoSchool #Kohls

3571

diclosure-review giveaway

Get a jump start on back-to-school with the beloved Mercer Mayer storybooks, Little Critter, the newest Kohl’s Cares merchandise collection! Kohl’s Department Stores is offering exclusive merchandise from Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter for just $5 each, available now through September 20image

*Through the Kohl’s Cares program, 100 percent of the net profit from the sale of this collection supports children’s health and education initiatives nationwide.

35693570

The Kohls Care program has been around for a long time. Each “collection” contains different books with matching character plush toys. Each items is only $5 and all proceeds goes toward helping other kids get the education and health care that they need, yet might not be able to afford otherwise.

This time they’ve chosen Little Critters, which has always been a favorite of my kids. The characters are super adorable, and very soft. They are perfect companions for bedtime or just playing around the house. I don’t know how many “stories” my daughter has made up with dialogue between brother and sister critter. Open-mouthed smile

35733574

The books we received were Bedtime Stories & Jack and the Beanstalk. Each book is hardback and fun to read by themselves. The fact that they have toys to match the characters, make it even better. The Jack and the Beanstalk book is a lift-a-flap, which my kids love! Heck, I do too. lol

image

The Kohl’s Cares collection will include the following merchandise:

· Books:  Little Critter's Bedtime Storybook, Little Critter Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Critter Little Red Riding Hood, Little Critter Hansel and Gretel and Little Critter 3 pack Board Book Set

· Plush: Little Critter, Little Sister, Bear and Wolf

· Etc:  Zoo Matching Game, 2 pack Doodle Book

· Online Exclusives: Little Critter Where's My Sneaker? (a lift-the-flap-book) and Mouse plush

Plus, for adults, The Mom 100 Cookbook and Good Housekeeping Stain Rescue! are available for just $5 each.

 

About Kohl’s Cares

Kohl’s Cares, the philanthropic platform of Kohl’s Department Stores, is committed to giving back to the communities it serves by supporting kids' health and education nationwide, women's health and the fight against breast cancer, and environmental initiatives. Since 2000, Kohl's has raised more than $257 million for kids health and education initiatives through the Kohl's Cares cause merchandise program, recognized more than 19,500 outstanding kids through the Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program and donated more than 2.7 million hours of volunteer time through the Associates in Action volunteer program.

 

Have you ever bought anything from the Kohl’s Care Collection before? Have you ever heard of it?

Connect with Kohls Online:

Facebook & Twitter

Disclosure-review.affiliate links

 

-Jess

 

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Writing 101: 6 Websites to Inspire

websites that inspire

As writers there are times when all of us have reached a “blah” moment. A moment when we want the words to flow, but they just won’t! No matter how much we try, there’s this fogginess of unknowing. What to say? Creation is completely blocked and you need to find a way out.

Here are some websites that might help you shake off that cloudy funk.

 

Writing.com

image

Writers.com is where the writers hang, or some of them at least. You can sign up for a free account, which takes about 5 minutes at most. It gives you access to tons of stuff that most writers need (and want). Everything you see below is what they help you with. If you ever plan on getting that writing off the ground, I suggest you bookmark this site!

image

You have the option of getting a weekly newsletter that will help you with creative writing prompts. You don’t have to sign up, although you should. You can even get character and writing prompt apps for smartphones and tablets. How convenient.

 

DailyWritingTips.com

image

If you ever get yourself in a slump DailyWritingTips.com has a ton of facts and quotes to get your mind spinning. It might just spin the web of words that you need and are looking for. It’s a fun site just to browse around in. I found some very awesome stuff in there, such as The Yiddish Handbook, Writing Prompts 101, and 34 Tips to Write Better.

This is another site that you definitely need to save!

 

The Write Practice

image

The key to becoming good at anything is the practice. Practice, practice, practice! Practice makes perfect, isn’t what they say? Whatever your writing dilemma, this website covers it. They have a newsletter too.

They also have an ebook (chapters shown in the picture above). It’s called 14 Prompts.

14 Prompts is a short eBook full of fourteen unusual writing prompts designed to both inspire you to write and teach you a few practical techniques to improve your writing.

 

StumbleUpon

image

I use this site frequently. I absolutely love it. It lets me search through the entire web world and land on stuff that I like. I can search “” and it will take me only to  filled websites. If you have google chrome installed, there is a stumbleupon toolbar in the google web store that is PERFECT for those days you need some mental inspiration!

 

CreativeWritingPrompts

image

The websites name describes it perfectly. It’s a website with a crap load of numbers. You hover over the numbers and each prompt is numbered. I love this idea! The prompts aren’t only a great way to get your brain flowing, but they’d be great journal entries.

The prompts are all different. Some stories ask you about your past, while some stories you make up on your own. So, it’s a mix between fiction and nonfiction and is AMAZING!!

 

Bloggy Moms Blog Dare Challenge

image

If you are looking for a way to spice up your blog, the Blog Dare is an amazing way to do it. It’s basically a daily writing prompt to get your juices flowing. This is BY FAR one of the best prompt websites out there. You don’t necessarily HAVE to participate to see the prompts, but it’s a great way to meet other bloggers!

 

Hope you find something that helps!

Found something amazing? Leave it in a comment!

 

-Jessica

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Homework Help 101: 8 Websites for Getting Help #BacktoSchool

School is starting back next week for us. I can’t believe summer is already almost over, it’s flown by that’s for sure. What about when you have kids that need motivation or help with their school work?

I’ve complied a list of some pretty amazing websites that you’ll want to bookmark. These will probably save your sanity a little (you can thank me later, lol). I’ve tried to cover anything they may need help with.

 

Keybr

image

The Keybr website is a web application that will help you learn touch typing. Touch typing is the ability to type without needing to look at the keys. If this is a kill that you haven’t mastered yet, this website is perfect for you. It will help you improve your typing speed and accuracy!

 

Spreeder

image

Spreeder Ii s a website dedicated to helping you learn how to speed read. Most people can only read as fast as they speak, which is how they learn in school. This website helps  you break that cycle. You’ll be speed reading in absolutely no time at all. Give it a try.

 

Ptable

image

Having trouble with the period table? Don’t worry, me too. Ptable is basically an interactive table of elements. Every single element is clickable. When you click on it a box filled with information about that element pops up. How awesome!

image

Anything and everything that you need to know about any element EVER! How is that for helping? I wish I’d had this when I was in high school.

 

Rhymer

image

English was always my favorite subject in school (obviously), I loved writing but wasn’t so great at rhyming. One website I wish I had is Rhymer. The Rhymer website is a free dictionary that list words that rhyme with the word you put in the box. Have a poem to write, Rhymer is totally there for you!

 

PaperBackSwap

image

Have a stack of books that you don’t know what to do with? Looking for more books to read? Bored with the ones you already have? Ever thought about swapping them in? PaperBackSwap connects you with other people who would like to swap their books! There are SO many amazing books just waiting for you! Enjoy trading Hardbacks, Audio Books, Textbooks and more

CoolMath4U

image

Struggling with math? This website CoolMath4U covers everything from addition to fractals. The websites make a game out of math that way it’s more interactive. When a kid is given a fun learning option, it makes them actually want to do it. PLUS, they remember better!

For Older Kids you can visit the CoolMath sister website.

 

WriteCheck

image

Researching and writing a paper can be very difficult. Not the actual writing part, but making sure none of the words are plagiarized and everything is cited correctly is an entirely different story. If you aren’t that great at grammar, getting everything just so could also be a challenge. WriteCheck will check both!

KeepMeOut

image

When you go online to search for something do you keep finding yourself wasting time? YES, I’m talking to you.. Do you end up on Facebook and Youtube? The KeepMeOut website is designed to keep you away from all those sites that waste your time for however long you tell it too. It will warn you if you’ve visited those sites too many times.! Back to work! Now! lol

 

I hope this helps you (and your sanity) out. I will be adding to this through the year.. so keep check! Have any awesome sites you’d like to see on the list?

 

♥Jess

Friday, August 1, 2014

Blog 101: Nofollow vs. Follow Links & Why it Matters

nofollow

The new SEO has probably got you running around in circles, grabbing your hair. Chasing your tail and wondering what you’re doing. You’re probably thinking… what’s the difference? Why does it matter so much? How do I nofollow? Ugh.. frustrating, right?

Not any more! I’d been reading up on this ever since my PR flanked and dropped completely to a 0. I was completely astonished. I had been blogging for about 5 years and had over 1500 posts. I was stunned. I had went from a 3 to a 0! Holy Crap! I know.

SEO & All That

To be able to explain to you what the follow/nofollow links mean and how they work, I have to explain some SEO stuff to you.

When a site gets a link (link pointing to that web page) (from any website EVER) it gets a tiny PR boost. Each link that is sent to your website equals a higher PR rating. Think of it as a vote. Each site that links to you is a vote. Many votes=King (Well Queen, right?) of the web space (oh, and a higher ranking in Google Search Engines).

Google can see how many links you have and from what websites. Google thinks in the term of “if many people are linking to a site, it has to be a pretty popular website”.  So more links= higher popularity basically. Google only wants to give the best to its “searchers” so higher ranked websites show up first on a google search.

Say for instance you write a blog post on “20 Healthy Hair Tips.” Someone searches “healthy hair tips” and their results show. If you have a higher ranked blog, you’ll show up before a lower ranked blog would.

Follow Links

NOW, onto the actual links and what they mean. A follow link is a link that counts as a “vote” in your Search Engine popularity. If someone writes a blog post and includes a follow link to your “20 Healthy Hair Tips”, you’ll get a “vote.” PR ranking is also upped.

NoFollow Links

A Nofollow link is still a link placed to a website, it doesn’t doesn’t count as a “vote.” This link does not in NO way boost PR ranking.

--------------------------

*A no follow link is created with the nofollow link HTML tag, which looks like this:

<a href=”http://www.website.com/” rel=”nofollow”>Link Text</a>

---------------------

The Nofollow tag basically tells googles web crawlers that you don’t want to place a “vote” for this particular website.

You cannot have too many nofollow links because Google will think you’re being paid for links. Then they will mark your website or blog as spammy and pull your Page Rank. So make sure you watch which websites and links you give your “vote” to.

This nofollow tag keeps spammers from blackballing the smaller guys by buying links from everybody and artificially boosting their PR. Like those pesky people who bombard online community boards and blogs with links trying to sneak in some SEO pull. No more of that.

Now there isn’t any worry that there will be 100s of nonsense posts posted everywhere. It isn’t going to get them anywhere anyway, so why waste their time?

When to USE Nofollow

  • Paid links (it wouldn’t be honest and fair to buy votes, now would it?)
  • Comments
  • Forums

Don’t think that Nofollows are completely worthless though. Even if someone gives you a nofollow link in their blog or post, it will still send traffic to your blog.

Don’t think about SEO when you’re writing. Think about bonding with the people who are reading your blog and building your brand.

SO- just make sure if you write a sponsored post or receive a review item (even if it’s an ebook) you have to make sure to add the nofollow link. Google has crawlers searching websites looking for links out of place (randomly inserted with no content to back the link up) and paid content.

Better to be safe than sorry they say. I know- because I started blogging BEFORE the nofollow tag and have to scour my blog and add in nofollow links to almost all my old posts. I know. Great. lol

Just another thing on the to-list I guess.

 

Til next time,

Jess

 

6 Creepiest Places on Earth

creepy

There are places in this world that are far more scary than anything you could ever watch on a movie. These places are probably the main source of thinking for some of those horror films, I’m sure. I mean.. there are places that just make you SHUDDER at the sheer thought of EVER having to step foot there. Am I right?

Creepiness might not mean the SAME definition to all of us, but we can all agree that the places listed below are just MORE than strange.

 

1. Aokigahara Suicide Forest 

(source)

image

Aokigahara Forest is also known as Suicide Forest and labeled “the perfect place to die”. It lies at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan and is extremely dense without hardly any wildlife whatsoever. It’s known for being exceptionally quiet and spooky.

image

This forest is well known in Japanese mythology to have demons. There have been approximately 100 suicides in the forest each year. So many that Japanese officials have put signs up that say “think of your family” and “please seek help”.

image

Yearly searches have been conducted for bodies since 1970, the highest body count was in 2003 at 103. How creepy is that? Yearly searches looking for people who have gone into the forest to hang themselves or overdose. Dead Bodies. EVERYWHERE. Jeez.

This started as far back as the 1950’s. Japanese spiritualists think that the spirits of those who committed suicide here live in the trees. So when people wander in, the spirits keep them from EVER coming back out.  That isn’t even counting that the forest is supposedly haunted by those who have died there. Even creepier.

The worst part is that the forest workers have to pack these decomposing bodies down the hill to the station. The bodies are then placed in a room specifically for those who have committed suicide. THEN to make it worse one of the forest workers must SLEEP in the room with the body.

The Japanese think that it’s bad luck for the ghost of the deceased to stay alone. If they ARE left alone, they say the soul screams and the body moves by itself. Don’t think I’ll be going there anytime soon.. lol.

 

2. Catacombs of Paris

image

pic source

17th and 18th century Paris wasn’t really the picture of healthy living. There were so many dead bodies in the cemetery that the decomposition was flowing into the water supply. YES.. you can guess how unbelievably gross that is. Drinking dead body juice. eww.

image

pic source

So to keep Paris healthy and sanitation free the Catacombs of Paris was created. It is an underground ossuary that holds the bodies of about six million people. That is A LOT of bodies, sheesh. As you can see they are stacked very neatly on top of each other. I’m glad I didn’t have to help build it, I’d be throwing up from fear.

 

3. Hellingly Asylum (Hellingly Hospital)

image

pic source

Hellingly Hospital is formerly known as the East Sussex County Asylum. It was a large psychiatric hospital close to the village of Hellingly. We aren’t just talking about a building, they built an entire community that was basically self-contained. They even had their own railway to bring patients in and out, and to deliver supplies.

imageimageimage

pic source

Once a state of the art mental institution, Hellingly was 63 acres of pure creepiness. It wasn’t abandoned until about 1994, but since then it’s slid into total destruction. WITH the help of vandals, but it looks extremely hellish.

And if there ARE ghosts who roam this planet, I would imagine the worst place to run into one would be at an abandoned mental hospital. Yea, meeting some off-their-rocker psychotic mess who might be seeking revenge.. now there’s somewhere to plan visiting in the dark! <Yea right!

There’s NO way I’d ever stay a night in there by myself. NOT even for a million bucks. People mentally disturbed turned into ghosts? No thanks! Oh and did I mention they had an entire nursery? Ghost babies… I’ll pass.

There are tons of personal stories about the hospital here

 

4. Isla de las Munecas

image

source

Isla de las Munecas, or Island of the Dolls is located in a swamp just south of Mexico City. This is a tourist attraction that was never meant to be one. This Island is the home to hundreds of creepy little dolls. The caretaker of the Island, Don Julian Santana Barrera is the reason behind these dolls.

image

This Island and the dolls are dedicated to a little girl that lost her life due to mysterious circumstances surrounding a drowning. Don (the caretaker) found the little girl drowned, then a little later found the floating doll. He hung the doll in a tree as dedication to the girl.

He was very troubled by the fact that he couldn’t save the girls life. He started hanging more and more dolls.. a total of almost 50 years. Julian was said to be found drowned exactly in the same spot the little girl was.. extremely weird!

image

These dolls even look horrendous in the daylight, I’d hate to see this place in the dark. The dolls are randomly placed in trees, hanging. Some of these dolls have no arms & legs, some are decapitated, and creepy little eyes.

They say the dolls are possessed by her spirit. There have been witnesses that claim some very strange things. Some say they seen the dolls move while others heard them whispering. And even stranger “the dolls tried to lure us in”..

I’ll skip this one too.

Read more about the Island of the Dolls here

 

5. Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre)

(source)

image

This is a cave in Belize that just creeps me out. When you watch the Mummy or Indiana Jones and you see skeletons strategically placed.. that’s what this cave looks like. There are more than several skeleton bodies scattered around in there.

The picture above is a skeleton inside the cave whom is called “The Crystal Maiden.” This is a skeleton of a young teenage girl who was possibly a sacrifice victim. Her bones have been calcified and they look sparkling and crystallized.

This cave is known to be a sacrifice spot for the Mayans, so bad juju is possibly everywhere. Sacrificing children make it even creepier. There’s no way I’d visit this place. No way! It wasn’t discovered until 1989, and was viewable by the public by 1998. They give tours through the cave. Nope. Not this girl.

 

6.The Sedlec Ossuary-Church of Bones

sourceimage

Can  you imagine what it would be like to walk into a “church” made of 40,000 peoples bones? Yes, bones. No, I’m not kidding. The Sedlac Ossuary is also known as the Church of Bones, and probably one of the weirdest things ever. It is located in the Czech Republic.

image

The inside of this medieval gothic style church is decorated with the bones of 40,000 people, They even have a giant chandelier made out of human bones, which is creepy. I think I’ll keep far away from here.. but they do offer tours if YOU are interested.

Have you ever visited any creepy places? Was it creepier than you thought?

 

-Jess

 

Popular Posts