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Sponsored By: pBuzz Hosted By:  Love, Mrs. Mommy **4 Winner Giveaway**  Each winner will receive a pBuzz Musical Instrument  ($29.95 RV) A total giveaway value of $119.80! What is pBuzz? Designed by a team of British musicians the pBuzz is a completely new musical instrument. The brightly colored, light and smooth curved edged product has been designed specifically for mini musicians’ little hands. Simple and easy to play the mouthpiece makes it the perfect introduction to brass playing for early learners. Research has shown that youngsters who have early exposure to musical instruments develop areas of the brain that relate to social, language and reasoning skills, as well as memory. The buzz can also help develop a child’s sensory and fine motor skills, encourage self-expression, stimulate imagination and creativity, build confidence and nurture their natural music talents. Open To US and must be 18+ to enter Giveaway Dates ~ 8/9 2:00 P...

Rocco Basile Interviews Today I welcome photojournalist Rocco Basile of Rocco Basile Photography to talk about getting the shot, equipment, and artistic motivation. Q. How do you create the perfect photo setting? A. In the studio, it's about having a plain background to bring the focus to the subject. The subject becomes the setting. Capturing their essence through their common facial expressions and body language becomes my goal. In nature, finding the angle or view others miss provides the unique setting. For instance, Ansel Adams captured nature views many had visited, but chose unique views that captured their expanse and depth. Q. Which photographer influenced you and why? A. Adams influences my travel photography. I carry over what I observe in his images to all of my black and white photography. He mastered light, shading, depth, and sense of place. Q. What do you want your photographs to express? A. I hope that the portraits especially express the g...

I love to walk and try to get at least 10k steps a day.  Over the past year I have logged over 1 million steps.  I am always looking for ways to get in more steps throughout the day.  Here are some ideas for those of you who are looking to get in some extra steps during the day. Walk your kids to school This will give you and your kids a bit of fresh air and energy to start the day! Walk during your lunch break After you have your lunch, instead of sitting and chatting, get up and take a walk.  You can even encourage your coworkers to walk along with you.   Keep a spare pair of sneakers at the office so that you can throw them on before your walk. Park in the furthest spot in the lot By parking in a far spot, you are forcing yourself to take extra steps to get to your destination.   Walk around the Mall  When I visit a strip mall or indoor mall, I make it a point to do a couple...

I have been really focusing on making conscious decisions lately.   As many of my readers know,  I have been on the Weight  Watchers program.  After a short hiatus, I returned a couple of weeks ago.  I find myself being very conscious about the food decisions that I am making.  I also find it carrying over into other aspects of my life as well.   I feel that I am not rushing decisions like I have in the past.  I am really weighing in on the consequences of the decisions that I am making.  After all, if I want to break bad habits, I have to create good ones. So, how does a person make conscious decisions?    According to Thinkbusinessblog.com , a person makes 35,000 decisions a day! That is a lot of decisions!  So, how do we assure ourselves that the decisions we make are our best interest? The first thing we should do is create a group of questions that relate to our decision.   ...

Where do you get your inspiration?  What makes you want to excel or succeed?  Everyone has that little inner person that wants to be the best at what they do.  That inner ego that wants to be successful at life.  Yet, not all of us listen to it.  I know I don't.  I often wonder, what makes a successful person different from someone who often fails?  Both start out wanting something.  Both begin the process of attaining their goal.  Yet, one slacks off, while the other goes on to succeed.   Some people will say, maybe they wanted it more.  Did they?  Maybe they had more heart.  Is that true?  Maybe they had all their ducks in a row and set a plan, stuck to it and didn't allow distractions to get in their way.  Hmm, I think we may be getting closer to the answer.  Or are we? The facts are that 92% of people who set a goal, don't achieve it.  92 percent!  That is a crazy amount! ...

When I think of Australia, I think of the crocodile hunter, koala bears and friendly folks.   I thinks of the beautiful coral reefs, waterfalls and beautiful landscapes.   Did you know that 80% of the animals and plants found in Australia are not found anywhere else in the world? Although Australia is over 9,000 miles away from us.  They seem to be being effected by some of the same political dilemmas that are effecting us here in the USA.  I honestly never think much about the political system of Australia, being I am not a political person myself.  What I never knew about Australia is that there are currently some concerns  in their political system that is leading to talk of a possible change in the future of their government, according to this   article  from smh.com.  It gives a look at the current dilemmas  that are facing the country's political structure. There has been talk of the left and right parties and how...

As everybody gets ready for Back to School, Swagbucks has a bonus for you in the form of Back to School Collector's Bills! "Collector's Bills" are special designs that you win randomly while searching the web with Swagbucks' Yahoo-powered search engine. Collect all 6 and you get an additional SB Bonus! Once you've collected enough SB, you can redeem them for gift cards to stores like Amazon, PayPal Cash, and many more! Here's all the information for this week's Collector's Bills: Search the web   through the Swagbucks search starting   Monday, August 7th through   Sunday, August 13th , and when you get a search win, you may get a special Collector’s Bill valued at either: 4 SB 6 SB 9 SB 11SB 18 SB 26 SB When you get a Collector’s Bill you’ll receive the value of the bill and the bill will be added to your “Collector’s Bills” ledger. Collect all 6 Collector’s Bills and you’ll instantly earn a   20 SB Bonus ! Keep searching...

Swagbucks is hosting another round of Shopping Swago! What is SWAGO you ask? It's a bingo-inspired promotion run by Swagbucks, a website that rewards you with points (called SB) for completing everyday online activities. You can redeem those SB for free gift cards. If you've never used Swagbucks, participating in SWAGO is a great introduction to the site and an easy way to earn a good amount of points quickly.   Click here to get started !  Here’s what you need to know to get your 2 00 SB Bonus (and don’t worry, you don’t have to make a purchase to complete a pattern): Shop Swago will begin on Monday, August 7th at 9am PT/12pm ET , make sure you hit “Join” otherwise you won’t get credit for completing the action items. Each square on your Swago Board will contain an action item to complete. Once you complete the action item in a particular square the square will change color signifying the action item is complete. You have a limited amount of time to ma...

Swagbucks has a great deal on athletic wear from Fabletics - order two pairs of Kate Hudson's best selling leggings for just $24, and if you become a first time VIP member, you get 2500 SB, which is the equivalent of $25 in gift cards. That means you're making money on this offer!  Plus, if you're also signing up for Swagbucks through this offer, you'll earn an additional 300 SB bonus paid out at the beginning of next month.  Just click here to take advantage of this offer!   Haven't tried Swagbucks yet? They're a site where you earn points (called SB) for doing things like online shopping, watching videos, taking surveys, and discovering deals and services you might like to try (like Fabletics!). You then take those points and turn them into free gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash.  Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.

If you haven't tried Blue Apron yet, they have a great deal through Swagbucks where you'll get 2000 SB ($20) for making your first purchase. They have some great fresh recipes and ingredients you can try for just yourself or for a big family! If you've been on fence about trying them out, this is the time to do it.  Plus, if you're also signing up for Swagbucks through this offer, you'll earn an additional 300 SB bonus paid out at the beginning of next month. 2300 SB is the equivalent of $23 in gift cards -  Just click here to take advantage of this offer!     Haven't tried Swagbucks yet? They're a site where you earn points (called SB) for doing things like online shopping, watching videos, taking surveys, and discovering deals and services you might like to try (like Blue Apron!). You then take those points and turn them into free gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash. Disclosure:  This is a sponsored pos...