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If Your Android Phone & Nikon Camera Had a Baby…

“A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.” – Eudora Welty I’ve always been a photography junkie. I took 2 years of courses in high school – you know, back in the days where we had darkrooms, developed our own film, and printed our own photos. {Do kids these days even know what a dark room is? Am I old when I talk like this?} Then I spent my last two years of high school taking independent study photo courses, or helping as a teacher’s assistant in the beginner classes. I’m definitely not a professional – But one thing that I do know is that a good quality camera makes anyone’s pictures look better. Seriously better.

Nikon Coolpix Camera with Wifi [Read more…]

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Best Gadget Gifts for Chicks: Foodie, Photographer, or Girly-Girl

“Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus lane…” – Wait a minute, that’s not Santa! It’s ME – here to help you finish up your holiday shopping, since you can’t rely on Santa to bring it all. And because I’m all about helping you simplify life, especially during this crazy-busy holiday season, I’m going to give you four posts over the next week, sharing some of the coolest gift ideas you can find, and all available at Best Buy – so you can do one stop shopping. Awesomesauce, right? Today I’ve rounded up some of the hottest gifts this year for women. I’ll also be finding and sharing the best gift ideas for guys, for kids, and those tough to shop for teens too. So stay tuned! But first, for the ladies….

Must have gifts for foodies

Gadgety Gifts for Foodies

If you have someone on your list this year who’s a total ninja of the kitchen, they will definitely appreciate some super sweet new gadgets. The total grandaddy of cool kitchen gear is of course the KitchenAid – Artisan Series Stand Mixer – Empire Red. {Ok, red is my personal favorite. But there’s also crazy-cool colors like Raspberry Ice or sleek Onyx Black too.} If you know a foodie that doesn’t have one of these yet – there is just no way you’ll go wrong with this! Another idea is the Belkin – Chef Tablet Stand and Stylus. This helps your tech-savvy kitchen guru keep their tablet handy in the kitchen for following their favorite recipes – while keeping it clean and away from messy hands with the clever stylus tool. {Hint: This is on my list too, if anyone’s shopping for me…} And, if you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet – ohmyheck, you have got to try out the Capital Brands – Magic Bullet – Black. My friends laughed when I bought this – back when it was only a “Seen on TV” type thing. But they stopped laughing when they saw how rad it was – and I have bought it as a gift SO many times! It makes amazing smoothies for breakfast, and rockin’ margaritas during girls night. When I’m baking it can chop, blend, mix, and more. I use this almost daily and totally recommend it as a gift for any foodie on your list.

Best gifts for photographers

Best Tech Gifts for Photographers

If you have a photo junkie to shop for – these are my top 3 suggestions for totally awesome gifts. Every mom loves family photos – and what cooler way to display them then a digital frame? The HP – 10″ Widescreen LCD Digital Photo Frame – Espresso Brown is a seriously gorgeous choice. And what about a new camera? I’ve been using the
Nikon – Coolpix S800c 160-Megapixel Digital Camera – White
 and am in looooove. It takes seriously impressive photos for a point-and-shoot camera – and combines that with Wi-Fi and an Android operating system. That means you can snap pics, edit them, and share them faster than ever! And speaking of Wi-Fi… Have you heard of the Eye-Fi? This is a totally cool little addition to your camera that automagically sends photos directly from your camera to your computer, easy peasy. Such a time saver for peeps who take a ton of pics! {And, if you or someone you’re shopping for loves taking pics from their phone – Get the Latest Accessories for the iPhone 5, Plus Free Shipping..}

Best Best-Buy gifts for girly girls

Best tech gifts for Girly Girls

Think you can’t shop for those super girly girls on your list at Best Buy? Then think again! As a Best Buy Brand Ambassador for the past few months, I have totally been blown away by how many unexpected things they carry – things I never would have thought to shop there for. Things like the CHI Air – Expert Classic Tourmaline Ceramic 1″ Flat Iron – Pure Pink. But, I absolutely LOVE how smart and helpful the staff is at Best Buy – and the way that they stand behind their products if you ever have any problems. {Unlike most big box stores.} So it’s so worth doing all of your shopping there! {Did you know you can even curl your hair with a flat iron?} Another sweet option – how about a girly version of my all-time fave earbuds, the
Klipsch – Image S3 Earbud Headphones – Perfect Pink
? Or a super helpful set of gear for anyone with an iPad – the Hello Kitty – Portfolio Case and Bluetooth Keyboard for Apple iPad and iPad 2 – Pink. Full of awesome.

Wolf at Best Buy Blogging Board Member

As a Best Buy Brand Ambassador, and part of the Best Buy WOLF team…

I love sharing some of the super cool stuff available at Best Buy stores across the country, and sharing fun reviews of those products, to help simplify tech for other busy moms like myself. If you have a product that YOU’D love to have real moms like me share their views on, leave a comment on the Best Buy WOLF Facebook wall, or here on this post!

See more tech awesomeness on my Best Buy WOLF Pinterest Board


 

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The Cyber Monday Deals at Best Buy that Moms Want Most

Are you ready for it?? Best Buy is launching their super-crazy-amazing Cyber Sale, 2 Days, Sunday-Monday, Plus Free Shipping. Whaaaat? I know. I’m excited too. So let’s jump right on in and see what kind of goodies they’ve got for us, ok?

electronics sale sunday and monday - Cyber Sale at Best Buy

Cyber Sale Gadget Deals at Best Buy – Sunday and Monday

Ok ladies, we all know that Best Buy is the go-to place to pick up gear like laptops and tablets, gaming devices and gear – but they also have other awesome stuff you might not always expect. Stuff like the absolute kitchen must-have – The Griddler. My newest fitness addiction – The FitBit. They’ve got everything from sweet pantry storage containers from OXO to perfect hair appliances to twirl your ‘do {see more great mom-friendly gear & gadgets on Pinterest}. So whether you’re braving the crowds to shop in stores this weekend, or ordering online in your pajamas {like me!} – make Best Buy part of your Smart Shopping Strategy. As one of the Best Buy WOLF bloggers, I get the inside scoop on some of the coolest new stuff at Best Buy – here are a few of my favorites, all on sale through Cyber Monday. Whether it’s a new TV for the whole family, {what a Christmas gift that would make, am I right?} – games for the kids, or sweet new camera equipment for mom, you’ll find it all here…

Love it, right?? One of my faves is that uDraw game tablet – that thing is crazy amounts of fun. Getting it at less than $10 bucks is a STEAL. And I’m eyeing that Nintendo 3DS too – I won some games, so now I have to buy the device too. And the kids will love me forever…. :)

Let’s Chat: How’s your holiday weekend shopping going? Did you brave the Black Friday chaos, support your local community today during Small Business Saturday, or are you jumping into the web only cyber deals starting tomorrow? Let me know your shopping style… I love hearing from ya!


 {Disclaimer: I’m a Best Buy Brand Ambassador, but received no compensation of any type for this post – I get an early heads up on sweet deals as an affiliate, and wanted to make sure you don’t miss out. Post contains affiliate links. Happy shopping!}

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The Magic Way to Simplify Digital Photo Organization

“A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.” – Eudora Welty… I love photography. I’m definitely the person in my family that’s responsible for capturing those great moments we have all year – from videotaping birthdays, to snapping fun pics of the kids in the pool, to making the annual photo books for everyone at Christmas time. I have so many favorites – but I’m not always good about organizing them…

Christmas portrait - how to organize online photos

This is Abby last year at the holidays. I can’t even believe how much she has changed over the last 10 months – my oh my, where does the time go? Her hair wasn’t even long enough for pigtails last year! But I love this silly little smile and those chubby cheeks. Priceless to me. [Read more…]

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How Hack Friendly is Your Password?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LifeLock Facebook for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The wild, wild, web can be a dangerous place. I consider myself pretty tech savvy most of the time – But even I have to be super careful online each day. Hackers and sneaky-sneaks get smarter every day – every time you learn a new tip to keep your information and identity safe online, it seems like they learn a new way to steal it from you again. But, there are some basic steps you can take to keep yourself safe. And there is a site that’s kind of like an online superhero, working tirelessly to swoop in and save the day if you get into any type of trouble. Keep reading to learn more…

AmeliaIZEA | skitch.com

Are you safe from hackers?

Many of you might remember when my blog got hacked earlier this year. It was a DISASTER. It took a full week to get things all straightened out… I lost a week or revenue from my site, missed a ton of deadlines, and spent countless hours emailing and making phone calls, trying to find a solution to the mess. I’ve also had my PayPal account hacked into, and my email and Facebook have both suffered from mini-security lapses. I learned quickly that passwords are something not to be taken lightly! You never want to use things like 1234567, or ABC123, and please, oh please, do NOT tell me that any of you are still using “Password” as any of your passwords?? Do you know how fast a professional hacker can breach your password security?

  • If you have 6 characters in your password with no symbol, it only takes a pro hacker .000224 seconds.
  • If you have 10 characters and one symbol in your password, it takes up to 20 days for a pro to break in and steal your info.

What a HUGE difference that small change brings, right? So make sure to make things as safe as possible – use a mixture of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. To make it easier to remember, pick a word like “elephant.” But change the letters to numbers or symbols, so you have something like “El3ph@nt!” – much harder for someone to figure out. Learn more: How hack friendly is your password?

What you can do to stay safe online

Besides using better passwords, the best piece of advice is just to be smart – If a link looks suspicious, don’t click it. If you get an email that feels a little weird – do some research. Example: I’m pretty sure that my PayPal was hacked due to me clicking on a link in a fake PayPal email. It seriously looked amazingly real – but said that someone had returned a credit from a purchase to my account, click here for more info. That sounded odd, and I wanted to see what it was… Then gave my password to the fake PayPal site. Ugh. Instead – if something looks a little off, just type the website {like PayPal, or your bank} into your browser to visit it, so you can be sure. Another great way to keep yourself safe – especially when you’re a crazy-busy super-mom like me, is to use a site like LifeLock. Here are a few of the services you get on their basic plan – you can upgrade to get even more help!

  • Alerts of potential threats–both credit and noncredit related
  • Online access to a personalized dashboard showing current threats
  • Relentless identity monitoring for exposure of your personal information
  • Member services with local phone support—24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
  • Stolen or lost wallet remediation services to help cancel and replace credit and debit cards
  • Comprehensive recovery services if you become a victim of identity theft on our watch

Awesome, right? It’s like having a super cool super hero watching over your shoulder, protecting you from the bad guys of the web. You can learn more on their website – LifeLock.com, or check out LifeLock on Facebook to see what other real moms like you have to say about the service.

Let’s Chat: Have you ever been the victim of identity theft or hackers?

 

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The Non-Stalker Way to Track Your Every Movement

So…. I’m not exactly the type of girl you’d ever call “active.” I never played a sport, I’ve never been on a team, I’ve never gone to a gym. Ever. But – I was lucky enough to be one of those girls who never really struggled with her weight. I was never super skinny, but I was healthy and slim through high school. Even as I moved into my twenties and went up a pant size, it wasn’t ever a big deal. Then I got pregnant. Wow. Who even knew it was possible to pack an extra 75 pounds on my frame??? Suddenly, my weight had become a bit of an issue. And by a bit, I mean I bit my lip every time someone asked, “Ohmygosh, you look ready to pop any minute now!!” when I was only 7 months along. Oh, the joys of motherhood….

some ecards - I didn't make it to the gym today

I haven’t made it to the gym in 32 years. At least I’m consistent….

OK – forgive the pic quality on this one. It was a super small pic on some ecards, and didn’t want to play nice when I made it a little bigger to put it in this post. But – it’s the perfect picture to explain my life, and relationship to fitness. I remember when I was invited to bring my nephew to the Nike World HQ for the Young Athletes Innovation Summit earlier this year… They sent us an email a couple weeks before we’d fly out for this event, with suggestions on what we should wear. It mentioned not to wear competing brands – and to dress in sneakers, hoodies or tees, and comfy bottoms. I thought, “Oh. No. Do NOT tell me that I’m going to have to do activities. I don’t DO activities.” I was concerned… So I handled it by wearing jeans and wedges. No one can make me run in a strappy wedge sandal, right? Right. Luckily, there was lots of walking, but no sporty-type “fun” stuff that would lead to an embarrassing show of my lack of coordination. Whew. Now that you know all this about me, you’ll understand why I am pretty crazy-excited about a new little gadget {oh, how I love gadgets!} that is going to help guide me to a more active lifestyle, totally painlessly. It’s called the Fitbit – watch this quick video to get a feel for it…

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

 How cool is this Fitbit, right?

Saying that this little gadget is like a pedometer is like saying that watching a local singer perform at your fave coffee shop is like seeing Beyonce perform in Times Square – not even in the same ballpark! Yes, the Fitbit tracks your steps, but that’s where the similarity stops. It has so many super helpful tools that go along with it, that can help everyone from the totally non-sporty types like me push themselves to a healthier level, as well as help super-athletes track their training. How do I love the Fitbit? Well, let me count the ways….

  1. It’s simple: It’s crazy how easy it is to get started with the Fitbit. You open the box, place the Fitbit on the base, then plug it into your computer. Click through a couple of steps to set it all up – and BAM! You’re ready to rock. Seriously, it’s that easy.
  2. It’s easy to conceal: Unlike the big, bulky, ugly pedometers you’re used to seeing – the Fitbit is sleek and easy to hide. I clip mine over my front bra clasp – and honestly don’t notice it at all. {Although my toddler saw me put it on a couple of days ago, and is now constantly digging down my shirt, looking for it. Good times…} You can also clip it to your waistband, or pocket.
  3. It’s magic: Ok, not really. But it feels like magic. Everyday the Fitbit is tracking your steps, your stairs, your sleep, and more. But -there’s no need to have to plug it in regularly and download all that helpful into – it wirelessly uploads your data automatically to the Fitbit site, whenever you are nearby. Then you can monitor your progress, and use all of the sweet – and totally free – tools on their site. PERFECT for busy moms like me.
  4. It’s a multi-tasker: This baby is a hard worker – It’ll show you how many steps you took during a day, so you can work on increasing those steps. Each day around lunch I check my progress – if the number is low, I know I need to add in an extra walk around the neighborhood with Abby. It’s seriously helping me push myself to be more active each day – without going to the gym, or doing crazy workouts. Love this.

It tracks, analyzes, and stores data on your every movement, day and night – but in a totally non-creepy, not stalkerish way. More like a super cool and protective older brother, who’s just always watching out for you, and encourages you to do your best. You can even download an app for your phone, so that you’ve got help any time you need it – It can do things like let you know how many calories you should be eating that day, based on your activity level. I am so excited at the progress I’m making already, with increasing my steps each day. I had lost about 20 pounds earlier this year using the Nutrisystem diet. But now that I’m on my own, my weight has held really steady. I love that this gadget is totally pushing me to lose the rest that I need to take off too, by walking more, taking more stairs, and more. I can’t recommend it enough!

Fitbit: weight loss gadget

The Fitbit is available at Best Buy – save big on one today!

When you think of Best Buy, you usually think of things like geeky guys checking out the newest video games, and buying new ram or bytes or something like that to make their super computers even faster. {Or at least, that used to be my image of Best Buy…} But did you know that they have SO much more than just computers and games? They’ve got a great line of kitchen gadgets and gear {I’ll be showing you some awesome stuff from that department soon!} – as well as hair tools, mens shaving gear, and super sweet workout helpers like the Fitbit. And they have some of the most helpful staff you’ll find anywhere, so they will totally help you with tips on using any new gadgets you pick up too. Much better service than you’re gonna get by shopping at Walmart, or the guessing game you have to do when shopping online at Amazon. Love that. And if you’re thinking of picking up a Fitbit yourself – don’t wait! There’s a great coupon deal right now – Save 20% off any Regular Price Health & Fitness product. Rockin’.

WOLF Blogging Board Member and Brand Ambassador

As part of the new Best Buy Blogging Board – I’ll be a brand ambassador for them over this next year. Which means you’ll get to hear about all kinds of super helpful gadgets, gear, services, and more – that are available from Best Buy. I’m incredibly excited to be partnering with such an amazing company – and can’t wait to share more cool stuff with you ladies. Stay tuned!

See more real women using the FitBit on my Best Buy Pinterest board!

{Disclaimer: The reviewer has received compensation for this post in the form of the reviewed product or a gift card. All opinions are 100% the reviewer’s and have not been influenced in any way.}

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Is Your Wireless Company Just Not That Into You? #HelloBetter

Do you love your wireless provider?… I can answer that with a big ol’ NO WAY JOSE!! The last time my phone broke, and I had to head to the local cell store to get a new one, the clerk either made a mistake, or purposely tricked me – either way, I ended up signing up for things that I did NOT realize I was going to pay for, and sure as heck didn’t need. It was another big mess to get it all fixed after I figured it all out. So, if you’ve had bad experiences with your provider too, you’re gonna love this new campaign from US Cellular called Hello Better. What is it? Well girls, keep reading and I’ll tell ya all about it! 

Hello Better with US Cellular

What does Hello Better mean? It means saying goodbye to things like plans that don’t include enough data, minutes, or option, and saying hello to unlimited plans for single lines or even whole families. It means saying hello to a super sweet rewards program that lets you earn points for things like free phones and accessories. It means saying hello to a company that has surveyed women across the country to learn what they really need in a wireless network – and are now totally delivering it.

“By introducing the Hello Better campaign to the public, U.S. Cellular is encouraging people to say goodbye to dysfunctional wireless relationships and say hello to a better experience. Goodbye neglect, hello respect.”

Do you hate your cell phone plan?

It’s not you – it’s them!

Where do you fall on this chart? I’m part of the 54% of peeps in the Pacific Northwest who are totally unhappy with their service provider – and it looks like all across the nation, the amount of women who are not feelin’ their cell phone providers love is pretty similar – almost half in most areas. That’s crazy, right? If half of Americans are unhappy, don’t you think someone should do something about that? Well lucky for us, US Cellular is that someone!

Start seeing other carriers

Are you ready to “see other people?”

If so, then US Cellular will be the plan of your dreams. Check them out today to get sweet unlimited plans that don’t have a ton of strings, that awesome rewards program that I told you about, and really personal service and help when you need it. Here are a few more reasons why they are rockin’ the wireless world right now:

  • In addition to passionate associates, U.S. Cellular provides customers with unique benefits such as the industry’s only points-based rewards program, no contract after the first contract ends, free incoming calls and texts, free Overage Protection and free Battery Swap for your device.
  • U.S. Cellular believes that people deserve better. A mobile phone is supposed to make life simpler and easier to get things done. Your relationship with your wireless carrier should be the same. US Cellular treats their customers like neighbors, not numbers.
  • Out of the 1,208 participants polled across four regions of the country, 56 percent of the respondents admitted to being unhappy with their carrier over the past year but only 35 percent of all respondents have ever broken up with their provider. That’s why US Cellular is working to make it much easier!

It’s no secret that people are frustrated with their wireless experience, but people tolerate less because they don’t believe there is a better option. You deserve better! So say hello to better with US Cellular today. Seriously.

 

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