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Monday, July 30, 2012

Win Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 from Norton & BlogHer 0731

Twenty bloggers are sharing their newly found password freedom by using Norton Identity Safe. Click on the posts below to read their stories and share a story about a time you forgot or lost your password for a chance to win one of five Android Tablets (Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 - 10.1-Inch, Wi-Fi) with Norton Mobile Security and Identity Safe installed! Ends 7/31

Read the Reviews
Speaking of crashing, I actually had to purchase a new computer today and used the Norton Identify Safe program. The program was simple and easy to navigate. Best part, I’ll never have to hit the “I forgot my password” button again (which I had to several times). Thanks to Norton. I don’t have to worry about losing any of my passwords or logins, they’ve got them under lock and key for me.  

Password Mania

The beauty of my “safe” is that I can now store all of my important information safely in one spot, categorize them and make notations if need be. Usernames, passwords, account numbers, addresses, credit card numbers and frequent flyer numbers you name it. It allows you to be smart, save time and remember everything…brilliant! 
Have you ever noticed how many different passwords we have for the various different accounts we have over the Internet? Are you like me and can’t seem to remember all those passwords for all those accounts, so you do the one thing you’re told you should never ever do (HINT: write them down on a piece of paper that you keep in that long drawer of your desk with all those random pens and pencils)? 
Is it just me or is it getting harder and harder to keep track of all those usernames and passwords. Think about all the online accounts and passwords you have. How do you remember it all? At first I was trying to keep things simple by using the same password for everything but then I read that you should definitely not do that. So I created new passwords that met all the new requirements: letters, numbers, special characters, etc. and I then when it came time to log on I couldn't remember which password I had created for all the different accounts I had.
When you download Norton Identity Safe on your computer, it will store the login information for each site you visit. On your next visit, Norton Identity Safe will automatically enter your user information, all while keeping your data organized, secure and synced. Norton Identity Safe can also manage credit card numbers, addresses, and even registration codes for software to speed up the process of filling online forma. There is also a place in Norton Identity Safe to store notes, such as insurance or passport numbers, promotional codes, or frequent flier numbers. 
Thanks to Norton, I no longer have to worry about losing passwords or logins to the many sites I go to. I don’t have to create new logins if it’s been a while since my last login either, and I have no idea what the password might be. Norton takes care of all of that for me with the Norton Identity Safe Program.  
I asked to do this review because I was hoping that using Norton Identity Safe would change my life. Or at least seriously streamline my couponing efforts. Norton Identity Safe stores all of your passwords in a “vault” behind a master password. You can open and close the vault at will on your toolbar. And you can set higher security for some sites than others- so you can choose for it to autofill your email login for you OR you can choose to have to input your vault password before you it autofills your bank password.
Needless to say I have really loved using Norton Identity Safe. It has helped me manage my passwords and even credit card information. It helps you fill out forms and credit card information, and it will tell you if a website looks fraudulent. I personally love that it has an app that you can download for your smartphone or tablet so you can truly shop anywhere you want anytime you want and not have to go digging into your purse for your wallet. Can a sister get an amen?! Once you enter your information it locks it away into an online vault. 
The thing I've enjoyed most about the program is managing my passwords and the automatic fill out for forms and such. I don't know about you, but I always thought it was the greatest idea to have a different password for everything. Why? No clue. Obviously in the long run, it has not turned out to be very easy to remember all those passwords. Actually, they aren't all different, but there are definitely many possibilities.Therefore, when I'm logging into something, it always takes me more than once, usually more than twice, to enter the right password.
Enter Norton Identity Safe, an online program with some seriously awesome features. Like what, you ask? Have you ever had to go through the tedious process of resetting your username or password because you just can't seem to remember it? Sometimes you have to wait hours for the password to be reset and emailed to you. Norton Identity Safe will safely and securely store all of your usernames and passwords for you. Just download Identity Safe then visit the site (like Twitter, Pinterest, your banking account etc) and enter your login information. 

Never Forget a Password Again!

Here’s how me and my passwords work – I either have all of them the same which means I’m just asking to get hacked or I set them all different and can’t remember a single one. It’s impossible. The internet is supposed to make my life easier and instead it makes me remember more bizarre combinations of numbers, capital letters, and symbols than my brain is capable of.  
As a blogger, so much of my life is on my computer. I write blog posts, I send and receive money on Pay Pal, I correspond with readers and guest bloggers, and I just have a good time on my computer. Between Twitter, WordPress, and my email accounts, I’m always typing in password after password to get to the site I want to visit.I can think of so many different times where I’ve been “locked out” of a site because I couldn’t remember my password. I have so many different passwords and they’re all different, but similar.  
Well, like everything else in my life, I must organize another thing - my computer passwords. Aren't they such a hassle? Mine are. I'm constantly trying to remember which password goes with which site - since you're technically not supposed to have the same password for each site, AND combine that with how you're "supposed" to make all kinds of crazy dashes, upper case letters, number combos and you are completely forgetting what the password for each site is, right?
Just the week before I heard about Norton Identity Safe, I had an incredibly frustrating experience with my email account. For some reason, my email provider has started logging me out of my account at random times. I can be in the middle of sending an email, and I’ll get a notice that my login has expired, and it’ll log me out. 
Identity Safe can also help you fill out online forms with your address, credit cards, frequent flyer numbers, etc., share content via social networks and email, and find out whether a site is safe or bad before you visit. You can even use the Identity Safe Password Generator to create highly secure passwords that are difficult to crack or guess.
"Every month when I go to pay my credit card bill I panic just a little bit. Is it this password? Nope, must be this other one. Oh, wait, try this." It’s frustrating and ridiculous and sometimes it makes me cry like a little baby. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I was chosen to write about Norton Identity Safe. It’s a password manager, y’all. And it’s by Norton so I feel pretty safe using it."
There are a few ways to prevent forgetting passwords. You can write them down, keep them in a word document, or allow your browser to remember them.But all of these have limitations, not the least of which being that they aren't exactly safe. Now there is an option that is safe, secure, convenient, and accessible from a computer or mobile device. It allows you to memorize one magical password that unlocks all of your passwords on any device you own. Norton Identity Safe.
I understand the importance of not using the same passwords over and over. Unfortunately, that makes it impossible to remember every password for every site I visit. And like many others, I stored my logins on my browser, which worked beautifully…until my hard drive crashed. Enter Norton Identity Safe. Now I can store all my passwords, plus a whole lot more, in one secure place which is accessible from multiple web browsers, devices and platforms, including my mobile phone. 
If you're like me, you may have 5 bajillion passwords and multiple user names that you use for all of the various sites that you sign in to. On top of that you may sign in with different devices, like your computer, laptop or your smartphone. It can be difficult to keep track of it all and pretty darn nearly impossible to remember them. Norton Identity Safe provides an easier, safer solution to help us out.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Win $100 from Breyers and BlogHer 0726


Bloggers and Their Families Enjoy Delicious Frozen Treats!


Have a blast with bloggers and their families as they share some of their favorite ways to enjoy spending time with family and friends. We invited these bloggers to try two new Breyers® Blasts!® flavors and to tell us how their families enjoyed them. Click on the posts below to read their reviews of the new flavors and enter for the chance to win a $100 gift card from each blog!
The BlogHer Summer Blast sweepstakes run from 6/28/12 through 7/26/12 and are only open to individuals who, at the time of entry deadline, are legal residents of the United States and are 18 years or older. Click here to read the official rules.  Winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. Good luck!

Read the Reviews!
Those of you who have been with me a while know about my family's secret. Yes, it's a naughty, secret addiction...ice cream! LOTS and lots of ice cream!Yep, it started early with my husband's first job, which crazy-spoiled us with the ability to bring home ice cream, fresh off the line. Our love of the dessert has never, ever abated--even after he went on to a less exciting (read no more ice cream) career path. 

Summer Blast

Summer is officially here. We live in the desert, and that means scorching temperatures over 110 degrees. There are many who love the heat, and there are those who retreat to cooler locations to avoid it. While we may not love the heat, we certainly make the best of it!  Our favorite way to have a blast in the summertime is by living in the pool!  We swim every single day from May through September. We are so lucky to live close to many fantastic local resorts!  Scottsdale is prime real estate for upscale resorts, spas and water parks!
Summer is HERE! Well, it's here in the desert. And it's HOT! Today it was 99 degrees! One way to cool off is to chow down on some nice, cold ice cream, and BlogHer was kind enough to let us sample two new Breyers Blasts! flavors:Breyers Blasts!® Chocolate REESE’S®: This new variety features chunks of REESE’S Peanut Butter Cup pieces and REESE’S Peanut Butter swirled in chocolate frozen dairy dessert.Breyers Blasts!® OREO® Birthday Blast!: This new variety features OREO cookie pieces and rainbow sprinkles in artificially flavored cake-flavored frozen dairy dessert. Yay for free ice cream! 
When I got an email asking me to review two of Breyers new ice cream flavors, I had to check first to make sure we didn't have them already in our fridge. Breyers is a staple in our house. Chris is a huge ice cream fan, and when he wants a little treat, I always bring him home a new flavor to try. We had not yet sampled the new Breyers Blasts!® Chocolate REESE’S® or the Breyers Blasts!® OREO® Birthday Blast!, so I couldn't wait to add two new flavors to our line-up. (For a complete list of Breyers Blasts!
Sometime in the last two years - without realizing it - we formed a tradition of “family night.”  That’s what the girls call it, without us prompting them. They know Friday starts the weekend. Daddy typically rolls in a little earlier from work and they’re allowed to stay up a little later. I don’t remember where I heard it or when, but sometime pre-offspring I heard parenting advice that recommended having a family night - some sort of tradition that meant your kids could look forward to spending time with you. 
We are ice cream people.  Like, year-round, all-the-time, ice-cream-in-every-way-we-can-get-it people.  We have tried every brand and in many countries.  So when BlogHer and Breyers asked us to try out their new flavors--Breyers Blasts!® Chocolate REESE’S® and Breyers Blasts!® OREO® Birthday Blast!--we JUMPED at the chance.  Want to know why?  We are ice cream people.  In fact, one of our favorite family stories revolves around Breyers. True story.  Want to hear it?
When I was pregnant with both of my girls, I had...a slight ice cream problem, you might say. I ate a lot of it. I would come up with crazy concoctions and toppings- fruit and candies and syrups and OH YUM. We make jokes that Maggie is 75% ice cream, because that was pretty much 75% of my diet during the last weeks of my pregnancy. Now that Maggie's a little older, one of our favorite things to do is bond over sweets. We'll order dessert when we're out at a restaurant or share a couple of cookies after dinner at home. Dan just laughs and rolls his eyes because he's not really into dessert.

Ice Cream Must!

I recently tried the new Breyers Blasts!® Chocolate REESE’S®. :)This new variety features chunks of REESE’S Peanut Butter Cup pieces and REESE’S Peanut Butter swirled in chocolate frozen dairy dessert. Ya'll, it is yummy! It's chocolate ice cream with chunks of REESE’S peanut butter cup inside it! REESE’S peanut butter cups have always been good to me, but I've tried not to eat them too often because it's something I could eat tons of. The ice cream is sweet, but not too sweet, although it is pretty rich! I like how it's 'blasted' with chunks throughout.

Nothing Says Summer Like...

My children inherited a few quirky qualities from me: sass, enthusiasm, intensity, the need to be around people, and a bit of OCD, to name a few. Lucy got my "tanable" skin, whereas Peter inherited his father's white paste, capable of only an "Irish Tan" (sunburn). Who knows what other traits I will pass down. Hopefully mostly good ones. I do think Peter can carry a tune, so that's a plus. I wonder if he'll be able to flare his nostrils like me. Unrivaled, I tell you. 

Having a Blast with Breyers

Anabelle ran into the house, arms out, eyes wide, backpack still hanging from her shoulders. "Mom! July is National Ice Cream Month! Keep watch and stock up, Mom!" She gave me a hug. "I knew you'd want to know." I couldn't help but laugh. Yes, we take having a blast as a family seriously (though we're not having ice cream every single day in July). We make a concentrated effort to have frugal family fun, and often the inspiration for that fun is based on a theme or bizarre holiday. During the summer months, we try to visit a different park or outdoor location each weekend.

Do you ever stop and make a mental list of things that make you happy? I do. Seriously. When I'm having a super-crappy day, I try to force myself to stop wallowing for a minute and list My Happy Things. All sorts of random things are usually on that list. There's the kid, chocolate, the way Penny's fur flops around when she runs, peanut butter, Max purring, cookies, sporks, sprinkles, flowers, ice cream, frogs in my pond, food . . . hey! Did I mention that food makes me happy? Especially dessert? You know what makes me even happier? 

Summer Is A Blast

One of my favorite things about summer with little children is the simplicity. It's lazy, it's relaxed, and it's simple. I love having two little boys who are rowdy and very easy to entertain. They don't necessarily like "quiet" fun, but they don't need toys to have fun either. They just need an open area to run and they're good to go! One of our favorite ways to have a blast together in the warm weather is to set up the sprinkler in the yard, put the boys in their swimsuits (or even just a diaper), and let them run around the yard.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Swimming

I go swimming 3 times a week so I often need new swim suits.

Haute Mom is giving away a suit from Eco Swim - ends 7/23

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

My Cat needs some stuff

 Gigi could use some new stuff.

One lucky Beautifully BellaFaith reader is going to win an Omega Paw Self-Cleaning Litter box (ARV:$36). The giveaway will end July 14th 11:59EST.

Monday, July 2, 2012

0706 Win $1000 Visa from Sherwin-Williams & BlogHer

Click on the posts below to see what they are working on and guess which color palette they will use for a chance to win a $1,000 Visa gift card, plus a $200 Sherwin-Williams gift card, to help you with your own project! (Entries from all participating blogs will be pooled for winner selection; only two entries per household.)
With the Chip it! button, you just click a photo and it gives you all the Sherwin-Williams paint colors to go along with it. Click here to check out the ChipIt! video and get the Chip It! button.
Read the first posts in this three-part series:
The BlogHer Room Makeover Challenge Sweepstakes #1 run from 6/18/2012 through 7/6/2012 and are only open to individuals who, at the time of entry deadline, are legal residents of the United States and are 18 years or older. Click here to read the official rules Winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. Good luck!