Sunday, February 9, 2014

A Creative Friend!

Ok, she did it again!  My friend, Patti from work made the best baby gift for me!  I order many of my baby gifts from her now because I love the novelty of getting something just a bit different.  I've been getting baby blankets, baby outfits, baby supplies forever and I guess I've started wanting to be a little out of the box.  I want to have fun looking at my gift and I love to see the creativity that someone can have, using ordinary baby supplies and making them into a craft creation!  May I present to you the diaper bouquet!  Voila!


She has a diaper pail, diapers, baby booties, and a baby blanket in this cute bouquet of 5 flowers! See more of her creations here!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

GungHo Energy Review and #Giveaway

 I feel like I don't have enough time in my day!  I need at least 3 more hours of energy before I crash.  Tomorrow, I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. so I can get moving to leave for work by 6:45.  I'm at work until around 4:00 and then I'm home around 4:45.  But then I still have things I need to do.  I've got a finicky blog to pay attention to, I've got a husband that I need to pay attention to, I have a dog that needs to be walked, and I have a 16 year old son who needs attention, and lots of it. Thankfully my 25 year old is on auto-pilot and I only wish I heard from him more often!  I love doing it all, but sometimes my energy is lacking and so I collapse instead. 

I posted an article recently about the dangers of energy drinks and posed the question, 'Do the benefits of Energy Drinks outweigh the risks or visa versa?'  And I stand by my general viewpoint that energy drinks are not to be treated lightly.  Many of these products are thrown together without really looking at the science and how it affects neurotransmitters in the brain. Because of the lack of forethought or science, they can actually be harmful.

Based on exciting new research, however, GungHo is an all-natural brain supplement shown to improve focus and concentration now, as well as improve memory recall and brain health over time!  It comes in small packets that you open and pour into your mouth. The taste isn't sugary sweet.  It is slightly medicinal.  But that isn't what you are taking this for, supposedly, right? It's for ninja-like focus, remember?

I have tried GungHo and it's true, it doesn't give you the jittery buzzed-out feeling that some of these drinks tend to do and I believe that it is because of the ingredients combined with the scientific research behind it!  I feel pretty safe taking one of these when I need some extra energy and focus or just a little help with my appetite.  The taste doesn't bother me at all!  It just tastes like a natural food supplement. I like it!

If you'd like more information, or would like to order, go to Gungho.com and look around.  Follow them on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube,  or Pinterest!




I am pleased to be able to give 5 of my Gal Pals a 3-pack sample of GungHo! Enter in the Rafflecopter below for your chance! Giveaway ends 2/17/14, Open to US/Canada, I was provided product for review purposes. All opinions are my own! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, February 3, 2014

Terrible Game At The Bruno Mars Concert!

Our SuperBowl Sunday could have been a lot worse, but it could have been better too.  I'm so glad that I didn't sink a lot of time into following either of those teams.  What a waste of a game.  But hey, my favorite performer, Bruno Mars, did himself proud!  I loved the performance.  You can't fake talent and he's got plenty of it!  I have to agree with this Tweeter!
And this one!

The thing is, I've been talking him up for a long time now and people are finally starting to pay attention.  (If people only could understand my expertise in the pop music genre!)  He certainly didn't get paid for his gig on Sunday, but word is that his record sales have spiked dramatically and now, so will his ticket prices.  He is currently in the middle of his 'Moonshine Jungle' tour and his ticket prices before the Superbowl were at around $66 on average.  They could now easily hit an average of $120.  Why oh, why didn't I put my foot down when he came to SLC and we almost went to see him, but then we were thinking that $80 was a little too expensive!  Oh how I wish....


You should've come to see me BEFORE the SuperBowl!




image Credit: Michael Caulfield/AMA2011/Getty Images

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

A Superfruit For Energy, Focus and More! #Amaçari Review and #Giveaway ARV $49.95

This is a sponsored post by the pr company who is representing Amazon Origins!
 In a previous post I talked about energy drinks and the quest for energy and focus from them.  I wondered if the risks outweigh the benefits!  I'm always in favor of real foods accomplishing the job. It's what our body craves and responds to!  And still there are so many benefits of natural foods that we haven't even yet discovered. 

On a recent Dr. Oz, the good doc talked about an Amazonian superfruit just starting to gain acclaim called  camu camu or caçari, packed with remarkable amounts of Vitamin C, antioxidants, and phytonutrients!  Just when I thought I knew all the highest nutritional scoring foods, here comes the camu camu berry, straight from the Amazon!


This tart little berry scored amazingly high on 3 different important tests:  fruit source, total phenolics and total ORAC.  I know these sound very scientific but suffice it to say it packs quite the nutritional punch....

With stats like this, it is no wonder why Dr. Oz talked it up on his show, calling it the missing fountain of youth!  It is promising as an anti-aging agent, and with the high Vitamin C content,  definitely something for anti-inflamatory and energy/focus!  

I guess it all boils down to what is important to you--natural and long-lasting results or a quick artificial buzz that leaves you drained after it wears off.  For myself, I think I'll pick the natural!



Each Amaçari capsule is filled with only the pure and natural goodness of the whole camu camu berry, which has the highest levels of naturally occurring vitamin C of any fruit in the entire plant kingdom on earth.  --Jeff Moats, Founder & President of Amazon Origins


To see for yourself, you can go to the website that has this berry as the front and center. The supplement is called Amaçari and right now you can purchase it for 30% off using the code
LOVEAMACARI or start your free trial!
  
(Let us know how you are doing by posting pictures and tag your journey using hashtags: #Amacari #SuperFruit #CamuCamu)


You can follow Amazon Origins on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest
Enter the giveaway below for your own bottle of Amaçari!!!  Open to U.S. only  Giveaway ends 02/02/14


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Cariloha Bamboo Sheets #Giveaway

Welcome to the Cariloha Bamboo Sheet Giveaway sponsored by A GAL NEEDS...and Cariloha Bamboo! Also, a big shout-out to my co-hosts, Susan Heim on Parenting, Chronically Content, Kathy's Savings, Science Of Couponing, Thoughts And Reviews, and Ottawa Mommy Club!


 It's the middle of winter and there is nothing better than snuggling up in bed with warm and cozy sheets to caress your skin.  I was given for review purposes a set of bamboo sheets from Cariloha and their claim is that they have the most comfortable sheets on the planet.  Wow. That's quite a claim - So I decided to take them up on it and this is what I found:



You won't be able to go back to cotton sheets after trying these 100% bamboo sheets.

Giveaway open to U.S. and Canada, must be 18+ years of age to enter, only one entrant per household.  Giveaway ends 2/7/14.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, January 10, 2014

A Good Lawsuit To Keep Life Interesting

I am all for fairness.  In my perfect world people would practice the Golden Rule and treat others the way they would want to be treated.  But the Golden Rule is fast becoming obsolete in favor of the Brass Rule - get as much as possible without regard to person, property or well-being.  And thus, people who have been unfairly treated need to have a way to make it right and to let others' know that if you treat others unfairly, you will pay the consequences. But to what extent do you want to rely on legal action to get your point across?

I've been involved in litigation before--litigation that I felt was of paramount importance. I felt that if I didn't pursue,  I would be violating my moral principles.  If I didn't pursue legal action, my children would later wonder why.  I ended up sacrificing much--in financial resources and relationships, but did gain my integrity and peace of mind for today.   It's a tedious and draining process and what I've learned is that the only ones who come out unscathed are the attorneys.  They come out a lot richer.  We are at the mercy of a court system overloaded, over-biased and monolithic.  Why would anyone ever want to go through that? 

I've recently heard about a few cases where people apparently felt it was worth the trouble to go through the legal process. Some of the cases I felt were absolutely necessary and others, frankly, were ridiculous, frivolous and greed-based.  As Jack Kingston said, "Frivolous lawsuits are booming in this country. The U.S. has more costs of litigation per person than any other industrialized nation in the world and it is crippling our economy."

Here are some that I ran across--some I feel are necessary and others are completely ridiculous!

A woman sues MacDonalds for getting burned by coffee, 11 years after a similar lawsuit with a huge verdict.

A man sues Warner Brothers for having 166 suspiciously similar situations in the movie, 'The Matrix', comparable to his own, earlier, less successful screenplay.  Damages are for $300 million dollars.

A man sues his ex-wife for $120,000 because his children are too ugly.  It turns out that she had not disclosed her extensive plastic surgery before they were married and that she was the genetic cause of the looks of her children.

A hospital keeps a brain-dead pregnant mother on life support, despite her family's request to take her off life support and say their final good-byes. The family is suing the hospital. 

A hospital wanted to take a brain-dead teenager off life-support despite her family's request that she be allowed to live until such time as they are ready to say their final good-byes.  The family sued the hospital.

A police officer became upset that a woman wouldn't expose herself to him and pursued her at her place of work.  When she still wouldn't comply, he zapped her repeatedly with a taser gun.  She is suing for damages.

 A class-action suit was brought up against the manufacturer of a hair-smoothing product that claimed to smooth and tame the hair in 30 days.  The suit says the company failed to notify women of the potential dangers the product had, namely the hair falling out in large amounts!

A woman takes Fosamax to increase bone-density only to discover that it introduced a virus that attacked her jawbone, almost killing her and making it necessary for extensive surgery and even then, never restoring her to her previous condition.  This is only one in hundreds of people claiming degenerative injury to the jaw bone and other parts of the body.


A woman buys Nutella and decides to feed it to the kiddos.  She decides to sue Nutella, and wins, because she feels that it has false nutritional advertising.

A man felt like the price of his 2 Super Bowl tickets was way too high, $4000 to be exact, so he opened up a lawsuit against the NFL for not offering enough tickets to the general public.

If YOU feel like you have been treated unfairly by a person or a company, here are a few questions to ask yourself before going through with what I promise is a brutal process to justice.  Plus, it's a definite gamble that you come out ahead, even if you think it's a great case, 

1.  Is it worth the trouble?  I love what Nicole Kidman blithely declared.  "I have a different approach.  I don't file lawsuits because I really don't care."  Maybe what she's really trying to say is it's just not worth the trouble to care that much,  I'll just get over it and save myself the trouble.

2.  Will it cost you more than you end up getting?  Many times, even if you have a valid argument, the cost alone is prohibitive.  The courts have the power to only tell you that you are entitled to compensation.  They don't have the power to collect it.  Therefore you could end up spending much more than you get back.  

3.  Do you want your name to be associated with the case?  Many times, friends and family will find out what is going on with you and will make inevitable judgement calls whether they mean to or not.  It's just human nature.  Be prepared for your identity to be associated with your litigations for a long time.  Sometimes, as in the above cases, the media gets wind of it and then you will have many people giving unwanted feedback on your case and even influencing the eventual outcome.

4.  Will it matter in 20 years?  In many cases, what matters so much now is a moot point as water passes under the bridge.  If you can, in any way, see that this may not be so important some time from now, think about dropping the whole thing. 

I still think it's a great thing that we can pursue legal remedy for wrongs done and rights pursued.  I think, however, that we need to think carefully about which wrongs and rights should be brought into litigation.


Now the clincher.  These opinions are mine and were not sponsored.  This blog is copyrighted and is solely the property of A GAL NEEDS...Any attempt to steal content or take ideas without written consent will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law!

Friday, January 3, 2014

Causora.com - Support Your Favorite Causes With The Same Dollars You Shop With! #Giveaway




If you haven't noticed, I have a new badge on my blog. It's a Causora.com button on my right sidebar. Causora makes donating to your favorite charity or cause really easy because it gives back the exact same dollar amount in credits to over 13 e-stores and additionally, if you live in California, over 100 health and wellness establishments and restaurants! 
 My favorite cause is 'Break The Silence Against Domestic Violence' because I have heard far too many sad stories about women being attacked by men in their lives - Did you hear about the woman who had to turn to Facebook for help recently because she didn't have phone service? She posted a picture of her bloodied face and asked for help from anyone. Fortunately it worked. Unfortunately for one of our dear blogger friends, Christine Keith who wrote "Adventures of A Thrifty Mama", it didn't work out that way and she was killed along with her teenage son by her estranged husband, who then killed himself. It's heartbreaking! There needs to be more help available to these victims and more education so that it can be prevented. 

So here's some good news for you! I have 8 gift codes for $20 to your favorite Causora Venue. It's just so you can see how easy it is to use Causora credits! I'm really excited that you can check this out and see how easy it is to donate to a cause that YOU might feel strongly about. There are so many to choose from or you can establish your own cause.  Just for creating an account with a user name and password, you get $5 to spend at any of the venues.  On top of that, I am offering 8 of my readers an additional $20 credit.  That means $25 to spend!  PLUS, if you decide to donate on their secure website to your favorite cause, they will reward you with the same amount you donated as credit to spend at their venues!  I'm sure that as the word gets out, there will be even more great companies who partner up with Causora and donating with Causora will be the only way to shop!


 



 For your free gift code to your favorite Causora.com e-store, set up your private account, get your $5,  then enter here and I'll do my best to get you some more money. I've got 8 $20 codes to give out. Feel free to enter as much as you'd like! 
(Giveaway ends January 17th and is open worldwide) a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Good Info About Supplemental Insurance from 1-800-MediGap.com

(This post is sponsored by the PR Group representing 1-800-Medigap.com.  However, all opinions are my own)
I am in the caregiver role right now.  We are living with my Dad in his home because he is getting to the point where he can't take care of his home by himself.  We actually help him pay a lot of the mortgage, utilities, and help him with transportation and food.  He is so wonderful and appreciative and I'm so grateful that I am in a position to be able to do this for him because I get so much more out of it than he does!

He has been shopping around trying to find the best insurance that fits his needs.  He had a broker come the other day and explain the different aspects of insurance. He opted to keep his plan because it lets him have a free gym membership and he goes to the gym everyday and walks on the treadmill.
In regards to myself, I don't see myself as a "senior" yet, having just turned 29 this past year (heh heh), but the AARP is circling around me like a vulture waiting for me to get to that point. I don't even know what age you should be to be considered a senior.  Is it 50?  Or 60?  I must get a letter from them at least once every few months.  I just file it in my shredder because I am in great health and my gosh, 50 is a long way from 29, wouldn't you say?

But should I ever get to a point where I am interested in that kind of coverage, I got a heads up from 1-800-MediGap. Seniors covered with Medicare do have health coverage, but it is in no way comprehensive.  Many seniors opt to get additional private insurance to cover the "gap" that is left with only Medicare coverage Parts A & B.  Medigap is a private insurance company that has many advantages.  It is endorsed by 'Esteemed Living' magazine and gives their customers many tools to figure out what plan would be the best for them. One plan, in particular, the Plan F, has the most comprehensive coverage available.  With this plan type, aside from your monthly premiums, you would have no additional out-of-pocket monthly expenses!  These plans are the most pricey but a lot of seniors like to have the convenience of being able to budget their healthcare into their income with no surprises!  
"With Plan F from 1- 800-Medigap you have the peace of mind to know that you are covered for all eventualities and hence won`t be hit by unforeseen medical cost that can run in to the thousands. You can check out this plan at: http://1-800-medigap.com/medicare-plan-f.php."
Additionally, and of interest to me, 1-800-Medigap.com offers free downloadable guides on taking care of an elderly loved one, money saving tips, and various medical plans. This is super important, if you are a caregiver like me!  

They also have an interactive tools page that includes a medical coverage decision maker quiz, a plan comparison sheet, and a medical terms and definition guide. As I visited the site myself, I saw a lot of very helpful tools that would make understanding the whole insurance acquisition process a whole lot easier to understand. 

I would definitely recommend that if you are in a care-giver role or are looking to bridge the gap between your Medicaid benefits and actual coverage that you get a no-obligation, free quote from 1- 800-Medigap.com (1-800-633-4427)!
One plan in Particular, the Plan F, has the most comprehensive coverage available. With this plan type, it virtually means that aside from your monthly premium, you would have ZERO additional out-of-pocket expenses! These plans are the most expensive, but many seniors take advantage of Medigap Plan F because they find it easier to budget a set monthly amount, knowing that no matter what happens that they will never have to pay more, than trying to account for all of the incidentals.


Find out more about med sup by going to 1-800-medigap.com
One plan in Particular, the Plan F, has the most comprehensive coverage available. With this plan type, it virtually means that aside from your monthly premium, you would have ZERO additional out-of-pocket expenses! These plans are the most expensive, but many seniors take advantage of Medigap Plan F because they find it easier to budget a set monthly amount, knowing that no matter what happens that they will never have to pay more, than trying to account for all of the incidentals.

Read more about med sup by 1-800-medigap.com
One plan in Particular, the Plan F, has the most comprehensive coverage available. With this plan type, it virtually means that aside from your monthly premium, you would have ZERO additional out-of-pocket expenses! These plans are the most expensive, but many seniors take advantage of Medigap Plan F because they find it easier to budget a set monthly amount, knowing that no matter what happens that they will never have to pay more, than trying to account for all of the incidentals

Read more about med sup by 1-800-medigap.com
One plan in Particular, the Plan F, has the most comprehensive coverage available. With this plan type, it virtually means that aside from your monthly premium, you would have ZERO additional out-of-pocket expenses! These plans are the most expensive, but many seniors take advantage of Medigap Plan F because they find it easier to budget a set monthly amount, knowing that no matter what happens that they will never have to pay more, than trying to account for all of the incidentals

Read more about med sup by 1-800-medigap.com

Friday, December 20, 2013

Daily Chances to #Win $100 at Molly McButter plus #Win a $50 Visa GC #Giveaway Right Here!!

Welcome to this sponsored post courtesy of the Molly McButter online PR representatives!  All opinions & experiences are strictly mine alone!

I remember as a teenager that my mom brought home a shaker full of Molly McButter buttery flavoring.  I remember loving it because I loved popcorn and even at that age was quite aware of calories, not wanting to get fat.  (I admit that I could have had a slight eating disorder) But I didn't want to lose out on taste, either.  So I remember sprinkling this Molly McButter over my popcorn, veggies and other things.  I remember that I really liked it.  I never heard anymore about it after the shaker ran out.  I guess it was a one-time purchase for my mom.  I don't even think she tried it herself.  I just know I really loved it!

So here we are again, just a few short years later, because I just turned 29 a few months ago
(lol), seeming like I've come full circle.  We have Molly coming on stronger than ever with not only a butter flavor but a cheese flavor as well! And they are healthy--
Our natural butter and cheese flavors are fat free, cholesterol free and contain zero trans fat, with five calories per serving.
I'm so excited to tell you about a Facebook Game where Molly McButter is giving away $100 to 1 person every day through December 31st.  I always say I don't play Facebook Games, but I tried this one and I'm going for it!  All you have to do is bomb the plates of food with either cheese or butter flavors and rack up the points.  Today I noticed that lots of people have been awarded $100 already.  So we've got 10 more days to get our McButter on and try to win some serious swag in the form of dinero! Don't tell me you couldn't use some more cash right around the holidays!

Also, here on this itsy bitsy blog, you have 10 whole days to win a $50 Visa Gift Card, also courtesy of Molly McButter!! But wait, there's more!  You could also fall in love with Molly McButter like I did, but it won't go away after the first shaker.  You will get a full year of Molly McButter, enough to get you so hopelessly addicted that you won't ever want to go without it.  See how brilliant that is?  

Enter through the Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and ends at 11:59 PM EST on December 30, 2013. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Trusted Health Products #Giveaway

Hooray!  Yesterday was my last day at work for awhile!  It was my last 30 mile commute down the I-15 corridor in this cold winter weather for the year.  And what a commute it was today.  The roads were icy with the freezing rain that fell overnight and on the return trip, it was heavy snow that had been falling for the past 5 hours.  The roads were a mess.  Accidents were happening up and down the freeway.  But I gritted my teeth, and drove through it.  At the end of the day, I barely got up my road and into my driveway.  But thankfully, I won't have to do that for awhile. 



 I have some time now to tell you about a couple of products that I really like a lot and have been given the opportunity to try.  They are from a company called Trusted Health Products.  What a name for a company, eh?  In a day and age where Trust is  is hard to come by.  It's especially hard to know what companies to trust when it comes to beauty products.  Which products help and which products harm?  Lobbyists from the skincare industry have strongly opposed bills that would require them to notify the government before releasing products that contain ingredients that are known to cause cancer! Ingredients like parabens, petrochemicals and others have been associated with or linked to allergic reactions, skin conditions, hormonal disruptions, neurotoxicity, and even cancer ! Well, you know me, I feel that nature is the best when blended with science, meaning that scientific studies show that certain natural ingredients can and will outperform synthetic ingredients every time--without the risk of harmful side effects.  

These two particular products that I am talking about now are 100% pure and use natural botanical oils in a live cold pressed solution.  I've been using them for awhile and I feel that my skin is drinking them up, like it hasn't received food in a long time, which I am rather insulted by.  I'm thinking, hey skin, I have tried my best to give you what you need all this time.  I've picked products that have good ingredients and I removed make-up every night and I moisturize.  So really, don't act like you're so famished, k?  The thing is, I'm also seeing some good results!  As I browsed the Trusted Health Products website, I noticed that there are an awful lot of satisfied customers, which I am sure is why they have been awarded an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau since 2006!
 It's pretty simple.  Use the Beautiful AM in the morning and the Beautiful PM in the evening.  You don't have to do anything else.  Beautiful’s 100% pure live ingredients are the perfect living “foods” that your skin cells need in order to be fed the nutrients they need to stay clean, moisturized and revitalized on a daily basis. I love that my name is actually on the bottle, reminding me that I am beautiful!


A. M. Ingredients: 100% Pure Botanical oils of almond, orange, lemon, avocado and olive.
P. M. Ingredients: 100% Pure Botanical oils of almond, orange, lemon, evening primrose and apricot.
Evening Primrose OrangeAvocado

Each of these ingredients has a specific purpose for being added to the formulas.  For instance, 
  • Avacado significantly increases the soluble collagen content in the skin to enrich dry, damaged, chapped or wounded skin. Loaded with vitamins A, D and E. 
  • Lemon is a natural cleanser, preventative for wrinkling and aging. Significantly increases the anti-oxidative potential of the skin bio surface (to help stop damage to the skin)
  • Orange cleanses the skin through natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties to help fight acne and restore smooth appearance to skin...
You can read more about each of the ingredients at their website, Trusted Health Products.  This great company also has natural product lines for Men, Oral Hygiene, Nutrition and Weight Loss!

I'm excited to let you know that 3 of my Gal Pal's will receive a bottle of the AM Moisturizer, so you can see for yourself how great this natural product works!  Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway below!
   a Rafflecopter giveaway