Archives for August 2013

Big time savings on tiny little contact lenses

Have you had an eye exam for contact lenses lately?  If so, don’t wait to order your contacts.  I’d love to order mine through the eye doctor (we love supporting small businesses) but it’s just SO much more expensive, I can’t justify the cost.  Today I got down to my  last pair of fresh contacts so it was time to place an order.  After doing a bit of digging for a discount, I think I got a pretty great deal.

How I saved over $50 and will get another $54 back on my contact lens order!  savingsinseconds.com

I use Acuvue Oasys contacts.  One of my lenses is for astigmatism which runs $37.99 per box at the minimum. Pretty pricey!!  I order my contacts through Walgreens.com which seems to have the lowest prices (at least, that I’ve found.)   I ended up with some big time savings on tiny little contact lenses.  I’ll total around $58 in my pocket after paying for my $211 order.   Here’s how I did it.   [Read more…]

On My Bookshelf: Whispers on the Dock

Summers in Nantucket sounds lovely, don’t they? What if you owned a bed and breakfast and every morning you were surrounded by the breathtaking shoreline, a cottage garden, and the glory of living on one of the most beautiful islands in the world? I can only imagine what it must be like. When I received Whispers on the Dock by Evangeline Kelley to review, it was a happy moment because this book makes it so easy to imagine that beach scenario. The first two books in the Misty Harbor Inn series were wonderful; I stayed up late into the night to read them. As I clutched Whispers on the Dock and savored every page, it reminded me of the dear characters that I’ve grown to love.

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Diamond jewelry is perfect for every season, every outfit, and every event

Disclosure:  This post is brought to you by Whiteflash. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

You know those jewelry store commercials that seem too cheesy to be true?  They’re real. I know this because I’m married to the main character. I’m not sure how I lucked out, but my husband really knows how to knock me off my feet with an extraordinary gift. Most of the time, the gift has something to do with jewelry. You don’t hear me complaining, though! It all started with my engagement ring, which the sweet man had custom made in a bezel setting. It was gor-gee-ous. A few years later, he took my ring to be buffed at the jewelry store. He returned with a beautiful three-stone “past present and future” ring with my original diamond as the center stone. I have never been so stunned in my life; it was truly a huge surprise that I’ll never forget. It was really that “Grand Gesture” that I’ll remember forever. I wear that ring every day and think of him each time I look at it. There have been other rings, pendants, and bracelets from him over the years we’ve been married, and each gift makes me feel so special and loved. Jewelry is so versatile; it’s the right accessory for any outfit.  For example, these masterpieces from Whiteflash are extraordinary yet ideal for everyday wear.  Diamond jewelry is perfect for every season, every outfit, and every event.

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On My Bookshelf: Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman

When I received my review copy of Winter in Full Bloom, I didn’t realize how much this book would strike home for me.  You see, the book is about a woman whose family life gets turned all upside down and she has to sort through the pieces to arrange the puzzle again.  Everyone has family issues at one point or another; it’s just that my family issues happened to occur when I was reading this book.  This book about reconnecting with family members was a dose of irony for me.

Winter in Full Bloom tells the story of very likable characters.  Each of them has a strong personality, so I halfway expected there to be a lot more clashing than there was.  The dialogue, plentifully dished out in the novel, felt very realistic.  Ironically, the cover seems completely off base to me.  For some reason the cover image makes me expect to read about a nineteenth century spinster looking for a husband in the winter of her life.  Right???  It is truly a beautiful cover but unfortunately is so misleading.  Instead, the story is deep and scarred like the bitter family divide that Lily has experienced.  [Read more…]

On My Bookshelf: On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin

The WWII era has never been my favorite period of history to read about. Maybe it’s because my favorite subject is ancient civilizations, and WWII is so far on the opposite spectrum. There’s also the issue of having Japanese heritage and, well, the Japanese weren’t really friends with the Americans during WWII. So when I pick up a book with a WWII setting, there’s always a bit of baggage that comes along with my attention. I expected to feel that way again with this book that I received from Litfuse. That all dissipated when I read On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin. I enjoyed the historical references that were included in this book. Some of the missions described real=life situations and certainly the issues faced by these honorable men and women were accurately depicted. Additionally, the author incorporated much research and real heroes’ names as some of the characters as a tribute to those who fought in the war. I enjoyed reading about the locations the characters visited. The descriptions of the characters’ surroundings were so realistic that I could really visualize the story. Those details made this book rather special.

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Keep your kids — and pencils — sharp

There’s something very satisfying about a sharp pencil, especially for us old-school types who knew how to write an essay before keyboards were available. That sharp point represents a fresh beginning and a way to express wonderful ideas. I’ve been teaching for 16 years and have met many pencil sharpeners in those days. Before I started teaching, I couldn’t remember ever using an electric pencil sharpener in a classroom. Now I know why. Electric pencil sharpeners just don’t last as long as the price tag would suggest and they’re often more trouble than they’re worth. Since I teach approximately 100 students in a given school year, that sharpener gets a lot of use. One sharpener in particular seemed to be fine, until it wasn’t anymore. I needed to replace the blades but it was vintage, so I couldn’t find the part I needed. One of my students cracked the shavings tray but we had to hold it together with duct tape. Other sharpeners would become overheated and just stop working altogether for hours at a time. Going through one or more $50+ electric pencil sharpeners per year was becoming an expensive habit. Knowing that the sharpeners seemed to go downhill after students sharpened colored pencils in them, I asked students to use handheld sharpeners for the coloring pencils. That became even more troublesome. We often had spills (pencil shavings all over the floor), or the top would become separated from the bottom (exposing the hazardous blade.) If you’ve ever taught a classroom of sixth graders, you know how devastating it can be to have any type of distractions at all while you’re trying to convince those 11 year olds that it’s really important to learn about Alexander the Great.  It’s a bigger challenge than it seems to keep your kids — and pencils — sharp all year long.

When I had the opportunity to review the pencil sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies, my wheels started turning.

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Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop — August edition

Enter to win the Clear Your Shelf giveaway at Savingsinseconds.com

I love reading and reviewing books.  My bookshelf can testify to that fact.  On any given week, I somehow sneak in 2 or 3 books in between working full time, mommying full time, and blogging.   My house is an example of how much I’ve been reading.  There are just so many great books to fit into my reading list!!   What have you been reading lately?

For the August Clear Your Shelf giveaway, I”m sharing my copy of The Busy Family’s Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.

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Take off your makeup easily? No sweat!

Back in my newlywed days, when I actually cared about looking decent, it seemed better to wear my makeup at night so my husband didn’t get scared by my makeup-free face in the middle of the night.  After 15 years of marriage, it seems that he’s learned to live with my appearance at all hours of the day.  Yay!!  I’m free to go without makeup at home!!  Oh, but wait.  How am I supposed to take off that waterproof mascara?  My skin is super sensitive plus I wear contacts.  Two strikes against using makeup remover.  When I walk crawl through the door at the end of a long day, I want nothing more than to put on pajamas, take out my contacts, and wipe off my makeup mask.  That just helps me to relax and refreshes my skin. [Read more…]

Great Expectations Giveaway Hop featuring A Happy Green Life

 

Welcome to the great expectations giveaway hop hosted by princess among superheroes!
The hostess is celebrating belly3.0 and wants to help YOU get all the things a new mom/dad could want!   The participating bloggers have secured awesome prizes worth at least $25 fit for a baby shower! Be sure to hop around and to enter to win the GRAND PRIZE sponsored by  project pomona, daddyscrubs, buttons diapers and tiny love.  The grand prize is worth over $200!
Note: great expectations bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.
Savings in Seconds is proud to partner with A Happy Green Life for this giveaway.   [Read more…]

Coupons.com gave me the joy of throwing away my packing slip #BestDeals4School

Disclosure:  This is a Fashionista Event Opportunity provided in conjuntion with Coupons.com.

If you’ve read any of my shopping posts in the past few weeks, you know that I was completely overwhelmed with shopping in-store for back to school needs this year.   Taking my wily four year old son and whiny nine year old daughter into the stores, braving the crowds, and getting sticker shock at the prices was just too much for my frazzled nerves to bear.  Shopping online is a much better option for me but then there’s the anxiety about sizing.  It’s hard to know if sizes and even garment cuts will work on my curvy frame or on my quick-growing children. Coupons.com sent me a gift card to use for back to school shopping. I was able to shop the Back to School Deals online to save both time and money.  Since everything I ordered actually fit my kids, I also got to experience the joy of throwing away my packing slip since I didn’t have to save it for returns.  Now THAT is liberating, friends!

Boden discount through Coupons.com -- savingsinseconds.com [Read more…]

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