Thoughts Archives - Page 63 of 127

When Is The Right Time? #GenworthUSA

September 3, 2013 by Melissa

This post was brought to you by Genworth as part of a campaign by the Brandfluential team. All opinions, humor and thoughts in this post are my own.

I was reading an article a while back called “When and How to Coax Your Parents to Move Closer” and this is a question I ask myself all of the time.

My parents are pretty young so I have a while until I really need to look hard at this question but what do people do who may have parents that are in their 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s. When is the right time to move your parents and even very close relatives near by so that you can help take care of and keep an eye on them? Due to medical advances people are living longer which sometimes means nursing homes are out of the question due to the yearly cost. I know a few people who have moved parents and close relatives closer to family so that they could save money on a nursing home but at the same time not sacrifice the safety of their elderly family member.

For those of you just starting to ask the question of when is the right time to move an elderly family member closer you may want to turn to a trusted professional like Genworth. I am not sure how people are able to juggle family, work and an elderly relative but to me that is what family is for. To me making this decision would be a no brainier. I would want my parents, grandparents and close relatives as close to me as possible so that I am able to keep an eye on them and make sure they are healthy and safe. I know sometimes the person you are trying to move isn’t always willing to move but I think if you sit them down and let them know exactly why you are moving them in the end they will come around because they will then understand that you have their best interest and well being in mind.

We recently went through a situation with Melinda’s pop pop. He has been ill off and on and unable to live on his own. Melinda’s father decided a nursing home wasn’t the best solution for him so a grandchild stepped up and moved in with him to take care of him and look after him.

Again, I know this situation and decision aren’t easy but we all need to remember that family comes first and we should do everything we are capable of to look after our elderly parents and relatives.

#ad Tyson Project A+ Program plus Chicken Parm Pockets #Recipe #Clip4School #CBias

August 12, 2013 by Melissa

I’m the type if mom that plans out the family meals for the week to include homemade mashed potatoes & mac and cheese and made from scratch pizza dough. I like being able to prepare balanced meals that everyone will enjoy. But that doesn’t mean I’m not the first to admit I rely in some cheats to get me through a busy week.

Tyson is definitely one of our go-to brands for convenience foods for these exact moments. Another reason I’m stocking up on Tyson favorites right now is the introduction of their Project A+ program for schools.

The Tyson Project A+^™ program is one of the simplest ways to support your school. Just clip and redeem Tyson Project A+ labels from packages of Tyson^® products. For every label we receive, we’ll give your school 24¢ – and your school can use the money for whatever it needs.

These funds can be used school trips, school supplies, musical instruments, athletic gear and more. Schools everyday are faced with budget cuts and the decision on what academic or extracurricular activity is going to have to suffer. Getting started is simple. Register your school, assign or volunteer as the administrator for the program and educate the families to clip and save the labels to cash in for CASH. Set goals, make it a competition, spread the word, engage the families. Do whatever it takes to #Clip4School.

Tyson Foods is stepping up and giving schools and their communities the chance to make a difference by doing what they already do, shop for groceries to feed their families.

My grocery list usually consists of the things we need to get through the week but I like to toss in some “just in case” items such as Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Fries or Chicken Wings in case our dinner plans have gone awry.

I used Tyson Foods Crispy Chicken Strips for a new meal idea, a twist on Chicken Parmesan.

Chicken Parmesan Pockets

Crispy Chicken Strips (25oz package)
2 tubes of refrigerated Pizza Dough
Italian Blend Shredded Cheese
Pasta or Pizza Sauce

Start by cooking chicken strips according to package directions. Divide each pizza dough into 6 pieces and roll out into 6×8″ rectangles.

Chop cooked chicken into bite size pieces place a small handful on each rectangle of dough and top with sauce and cheese.

Pull up the corners to the top and press edges onto each other to seal closed.

Bake for 12-18 minutes until golden brown. Serve with extra sauce and veggies for a balanced meal.

Modify this recipe to suit your family’s tastes by adding roasted red peppers, chunk mozzarella, spicy marinara or Tyson Food Grilled Chicken Strips instead.

What meals can you change up just by using one of Tyson Foods many many wholesome choices?

We’re Going to Six Flags America plus discount code

August 8, 2013 by Melissa

Shae’s birthday is coming up and she’s asked to go do rides. We think she meant rides on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ but we flipped it on her and are instead going to Six Flags America in Washington DC.

Six Flags America has rides and attractions for everyone for every age. This summer guests are introduced to Hurricane Harbor’s Bonzai Pipelines; a free-falling 250-foot plus enclosed water slide for 6 riders.

I’m expecting to have an awesome time. Shae is at a stage where she enjoys rides and a little bit of scary stuff and Shaun and Sabreena are down for just about anything.

If you are in the Baltimore/Washington DC area don’t miss this deal.

Save $15 per online ticket!

Use USFG promo code “MOMMY” and your ticket price is discounted from $59.99 to $44.99 – That’s a savings of $15 per online ticket! Not to be combined with other offers.

Do You Have Life Insurance? #GenworthUSA

August 3, 2013 by Melissa

This post was brought to you by Genworth as part of a campaign by the Brandfluential team. All opinions, humor and thoughts in this post are my own.

For Melinda and I the answer is NO which is sad. I was reading an article “Why stay at home parents need life insurance” and the article made me think about life insurance. There really is no good reason as to why Melinda and I don’t have life insurance other then it’s one of those things that just gets overlooked. When you are in your 20’s, 30’s and even 40’s you really aren’t thinking about dying which means you really aren’t thinking about life insurance either.

Melinda and I just recently had a conversation about why we don’t have life insurance and on how we should have some sort of coverage on each other. Melinda is a stay at home mom and her contribution to the family in extremely valuable and like the article I mentioned states not insuring the stay at home parent is a bad financial mistake due to the many different hats they wear throughout the day like cook, driver and the list goes on and on.

I plan on heading over to Genworth and taking a look at their life insurance section so I can try to get a better understanding of what kind of policy would best benefit Melinda and I as well as what amount of coverage we should have. For some reason I always thought life insurance was expensive but I was reading that a term life policy with $1 million in coverage may cost less than $1,000 annually for people in their 20’s and 30’s who are in good health, and less than $2,000 annually for people in their 40s. That averages to about $83 a month which breaks down to $2.77 a day. I know for a fact I spend at least $3 a day on dumb stuff so there is no reason why it can’t be applied to life insurance.

Do you have life insurance? If you are married are you and your spouse covered?

Every Child Deserves A #HungerFreeSummer

July 25, 2013 by Melissa

This post is brought to you by ConAgra Foods and The Motherhood, and I’ve been compensated for my time. However, all opinions are my own.

A few ago I wrote my first post of two about child hunger that you can read HERE. Like I have already mentioned more than 1 in 5 children in the US are at risk of hunger and to me that is totally unacceptable.

Thankfully Conagra Foods and Chris O’Donnell have joined forces to bring much needed awareness to this issue. Chris worked with ConAgra Foods to develop a video and a simple way for others to join in the fight against child hunger. For every view a meal is donated and you can view the video HERE!

If you are like me the number of hungry children in the US is disturbing and scary but there are little things that you can do to help feed kids so that the number of hungry children can be reduced. One of the things that our family has done in the past is we had a food drive for our local food bank. When we lived in MD we held a food drive where we had a bounce house, food, games and prizes and instead of asking people to pay we asked everyone attending to bring one can of food per person. The awesome thing was people were so generous with their donations that instead of the one can of food per person people were bringing bags of food. After the event we donated over 350 lbs of food to the local food bank that was then distributed to hungry children and families in the area. To me a food drive is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to give back and help needy children in your community.

Another way is to find a local farm or garden in your area that donates fresh fruits and produce to local food banks that is then handed out to children and families in the area. Our local food bank here in Delaware has a garden that volunteers help maintain and help grow fresh fruits and vegetables that are distributed to needy families. Sabreena on a few occasions has volunteered at the food bank and has helped weed the garden and helped with the overall maintenance. For those of us that may not have the financial resources to donate money to the cause donating time to me is the next best thing. A few hours our of our day on a week night or Saturday isn’t a lot considering how much our efforts impact local needy families in the community.

Children all over the US need our help especially in the summer when they aren’t in school receiving free of reduced lunch so check your local community for ways to help like volunteering at your local food bank, farm or garden. The children that are hungry in your community will greatly appreciate your efforts.

Budget-Friendly Medicines That Focus On Improving Life

July 24, 2013 by Melissa

This is a sponsored post that was provided to Look What Mom Found…and Dad too!

One of the best – kept secrets of the online pharmacy industry is InternationalDrugMart.com. A reliable global online pharmacy supplying affordable generic prescription drugs to satisfied and cash-strapped customers all around the world. This mail-order pharmacy has been up and running since 2003.

All of us dread getting sick, the first thought that runs through our heads, “That price’s too much for only so few pills.” “Oh No! How am I going to be able to afford this amount for the rest of my life?” Money worries especially when it comes to our healthcare bills make us sick more than the illness itself! Wouldn’t it be lovely if all your medicines, beauty care products and natural medications weren’t expensive?

InternationalDrugMart has over 10 years of e-commerce experience and they have a keen eye for customer service. They offer generic drugs for many illnesses and symptomatic diseases including some of the most expensive products in the world, like anti-viral, AIDS and cancer treatment drugs.. Tested for bio-equivalency- the generic drugs are pharmaceutically identical to the branded prescription drugs. You earn back the money you spent when you return to internationaldrugmart.com to buy again and again. In fact, a lot of other similar online pharmaceutical stores offer only loyalty points unlike IDM, which aims at letting you save and earn as you continue to shop with them.

You can refill your prescriptions online, place a new order, track your order status, and check up on your rewards status. The entire website is designed to be easy to use – even the most internet-averse customer is relaxed when navigating this site. Once you visit the site, all the choices are laid out for you in plain sight, in a font and colour that’s readable. There’s also a ‘Refer A Friend’ program that allows you to spread the good news about IDM to friends and good compensated for your efforts; a real “win-win” for you and your friends.

InternationalDrugMart (we do, we don’t claim) ships to over 150 countries and serves tens of thousands of satisfied customers. They also supply highly discounted over the counter medication and herbal products for a variety of common afflictions and skin care products.

Healthcare regulations enable pharmaceutical companies to give their best and do plenty of research before making medications available to us. But the downside is that branded pharmaceutical products are way too expensive for many people with debilitating conditions. That’s where a highly discounted online pharmaceutical store like IDM steps in, supplying generic drugs that do the same job as a big brand medication for less than half the cost.

Percy Jackson, Sea of Monsters August 7, 2013

July 20, 2013 by Melissa

I’ve heard that the Percy Jackson books are something that my son would love. I know of other mothers that swear this book series got their kids reading more. How exciting to finally see what the whole thing is about. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters comes out in theaters August 7!

Based on the publishing phenomenon, PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS continues the young demigod’s epic journey to fulfill his destiny. To save their world, Percy and his friends must find the fabled and powerfully magic Golden Fleece. Embarking on a treacherous odyssey into the uncharted waters of the Sea of Monsters (known to humans as the Bermuda Triangle), they battle terrifying creatures, an army of zombies, and the ultimate Evil.

Stay tuned for another day at the movies giveaway right here at LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too!

Make It A #HungerFreeSummer For Kids

July 8, 2013 by Melissa

This post is brought to you by ConAgra Foods and The Motherhood, and I’ve been compensated for my time. However, all opinions are my own.

Did you know that more than 1 in 5 children in the US are at risk of hunger? Sit back and think about that number, it’s disturbing on many levels. In my opinion no child should ever have to go hungry and worry about where their next meal will come from.

Some 21.5 million kids rely on free or reduced-price meals during the school year, when school is out, only 2.3 million children participate in the Summer Food Service Program. Children may not have access to the summer meal assistance programs for many different reasons like low awareness, geographic barriers and limited availability of summer meal programs. For the millions of kids who fall within that gap, summer doesn’t mean a few months of fun and relaxation. It means they may be at risk of hunger.

This summer, 29 food banks in 20 states will use Hunger-Free Summer grants – ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 – to overcome barriers and the Food Bank of Delaware located in Newark is one of the facilities receiving an HFS grant which is awesome.

I know for a fact that local elementary schools in our area sent home notices about the summer food program at the local food bank here in Delaware which is awesome because it let people know about the program and I’m hoping that it allowed a lot of families a resource to help feed their children during the summer.

Child hunger is really sad because children struggling with hunger can often lose focus in school and lack the power to learn. Even is hunger is only temporary, its impact can last a lifetime and in my opinion NO child should ever have to go hungry.

So please watch the below video (from start to finish) and/or share the video and in return ConAgra Foods will donate one meal to Feeding America. I can’t think of an easier way for you to help make a difference in a hungry childs life.

I am begging ALL of of my readers to share this video with every single person you know and help spread the word so that we can help make a difference.

Also, below is a list of Food Banks receiving HFS Grants in 2013 in case you know someone who may need the assistance.


Organization Name	City	State
St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance	Phoenix	AZ
Redwood Empire Food Bank	Santa Rosa	CA
Care and Share Food Bank	Colorado Springs	CO
Capital Area Food Bank	Washington	DC
Food Bank of Delaware	Newark	DE
America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia	Savannah	GA
The Idaho Foodbank	Boise	ID
Northern Illinois Food Bank	Geneva	IL
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc.	Indianapolis	IN
Food Finders Food Bank Inc.	Lafayette	IN
Food Gatherers	Ann Arbor	MI
Second Harvest Heartland	St. Paul	MN
Harvesters-The Community Food Network	Kansas City	MO
Ozarks Food Harvest	Springfield	MO
Mississippi Food Network	Jackson	MS
Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina	Raleigh	NC
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina	Winston-Salem	NC
Island Harvest	Mineola	NY
Foodlink, Inc.	Rochester	NY
Cleveland Food Bank	Cleveland	OH
FOOD for Lane County (PDO)	Eugene	OR
Central Pennsylvania Food Bank	Harrisburg	PA
Rhode Island Community Food Bank	Providence	RI
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee	Gray	TN
Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee	Nashville	TN
Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, Inc.	Austin	TX
North Texas Food Bank	Dallas	TX
Regional East Texas Food Bank	Tyler	TX
Wichita Falls Area Food Bank	Wichita Falls	TX

Are You Ready To Retire? #GenworthUSA

July 4, 2013 by Melissa

This post was brought to you by Genworth as part of a campaign by the Brandfluential team. All opinions, humor and thoughts in this post are my own.

I don’t know why but I feel like retirement is so far away but in reality it’s right around the corner. I have a daughter that is going to be a senior in high school next year which is proof that time flies and before I know it retirement will be here. I can honestly say that I haven’t done much in the way of getting prepared for retirement. I’m not sure what that is because I do want to be prepared when the time does come.

I was on the internet a few weeks back and read an article called “7 tips for people planning to retire in 2013” and it just got me thinking. I remember when my grandfather was getting ready to retire and all of the work he went through to make sure that he had all of his ducks in a row. He needed to change his investment strategy from an aggressive approach to a more savings/growth approach. He also noted that he needed to take minimum distributions from his 401K every year. Thinking back now getting ready for retirement is really complicated so if you need some assistance you may want to turn to Genworth. Retirement takes a lot of work and planning especially since you are getting yourself set financially for life.

I still have a few years left to work but I need to get started on my retirement saving fro sure.

Are you ready for retirement?

#GrillingIsHappiness Twitter Party 7/1 @1pm ET

June 30, 2013 by Melissa

We are being compensated to share this announcement with you but all opinions are our own.

I am really looking forward to having family over on July 4th while grilling some of my families favorites like cheese burgers and hot dogs. I am also looking forward to the #GrillingIs Happiness Twitter Party that is taking place on Monday 7/1 at 12pm CT/1pm ET. If you have some time stop over for your chance to with $200 in prizes.

Please read all of the below on how to be entered for your chance to win.

Thank you for your interest in joining our #GrillingIsHappiness Twitter party! To RSVP and have a chance to win one of the prizes, make sure you do the following:

Follow the host @Sears account and co-host @SearsDeals and @SearsLatino accounts.

Retweet one of the promotional tweets announcing the party. These normally contain “RT to RSVP” in them.

Join us 7/1 at 12pm CT for our 4th of July #GrillingIsHappiness Twitter chat! $200 in prizes, RT to RSVP: bit.ly/17FTLYN

Participate in the conversation when it occurs Monday, July 1 at 12pm CT, by answering questions and chatting to others under the #GrillingIsHappiness hashtag. Make sure you use #GrillingIsHappiness, or we won’t be able to see your replies!

The winners will be selected as the party goes on, but if any of the above criteria are missing you will be unable to claim your prize. If you are announced a winner, simply reply that you accept the prize and a Sears Holding rep will be in contact with you via DM for the next steps.

See you at the #GrillingIsHappiness party at 1pm ET on 7/1/13!

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