The Angel Forever

Premiums going way up

Posted on November 13, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It’s that time of year again. No, I’m not talking about the holidays. I wish I was referring to that. It is the time when employees all over are getting information about continuing coverage for 2010 on their medical insurance.

The reality is that most people with health insurance coverage will be seeing increases. Not just small increases, in most cases premium changes that are ten or more percent. This hit home for us the other day. Sketchy details were sent home that our medical insurance premium will be going up 12%.

This means that our family will basically be getting a decrease in pay. Why? Well, when a pay freeze is instituted and premiums go up, this equals less money coming in. We are bracing ourselves for more specifics of the plans. We know that the premiums are increasing, but do not know just what it will mean for our co-pays. From 2008 to 2009 we saw the co-pay for hospitalization alone go from $500 to $1000! Talk about a massive change.

We are not alone. Since I found out about this almost everyone I know has mentioned similar instances. Of course our 12% looks like nothing compared to a family member that is seeing a 28% increase – yikes!

Please know that given the state of the economy, I am thankful each day that we have a means of income, a house, food on our table and all of the items that many Americans are not blessed with.

So, the question for this week is:

Have you heard about changes in your medical insurance premiums yet? Will they be increasing or decreasing?

For anyone without health insurance coverage, please know that I hope for things to change. Too many people do not have benefits and this question was not meant to insult anyone.

BTW – Be sure to check out two giveaways that are going on right now. One for a Yoplait Kids Yogurt prize package and a new one for the Softlips Limited Edition Winter collection.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #74

Categories:
Aloha Friday bad news real world news

Softlips PURE & Winter Flavors – Review & Giveaway

Posted on November 12, 2009 11:09 am by TheAngelForever

I have a confession to make. I am a 30-something adult woman and I do not wear lipstick. Wait, let me clarify that. It isn’t that I do not want to wear lipstick, I can not wear it. Around the time I was in college, I noticed that when I used lip balm, lip stick and most products of that nature that my lips had a horrible reaction. We are not talking a little rash or anything. I mean, my lips would blow up like I had cosmetic surgery on them and would tingle and hurt.

This was a horrible experience. No matter what I did, I could not narrow down the problem to a certain ingredient. I just worked from trial and error. For my wedding day, I had to carefully plan out my makeup. Obviously I wanted to wear some color on my lips. I bought some hypoallergenic lipstick from a major seller in a department store. I tried it a few times and then stopped. From previous experience, if something was going to happen it took a while. I tried the lipstick on a practice run the day before my wedding. The morning of my wedding I had my hair done. My maid of honor helped me do my make up. As I sat there my lips started to tingle. Oy vey! I was lucky they did not swell much that day, but I was a mess for my honeymoon.

One of the products that I have been able to use to protect my lips and keep them soft is Softlips brand. I once left a comment about how I loved that their line was one of the only lip products that did not cause an issue for me. Much to my surprise, I was contacted by the PR agency that works with Softlips. They asked me to review their PURE 2009 products, along with their Limited Edition Winter Flavors. Of course, I said yes!

Softlips PURE 2009 product information

Softlips PURE is the line of premium organic lip conditioners designed with skin-conditioning ingredients to help keep lips soft, supple and healthy. Available in several flavors, Softlips PURE is USDA-certified organic and 100% natural. The premium, organix ingredients provide a silky-smooth, eco-friendly lip conditioner for softer, healthier lips. The product line also contains no animal by-products and is not tested on animals.

Now available in six flavors for 2009: pomegranate, honeydew, peppermint, acai berry, papaya and chai tea.
Product is mounted on recyclable packaging
Vegetable-based ink is used on package of PURE products
Found in a slim stick to allow for easy carrying whether in a pocket, purse or make-up case
Natural and free of synthetic chemicals, it only uses pure organix oils and beeswax along with other natural ingredients like shea butter and vitamin E.
Can be used alone or under/over lipstick
Available in mass retail, supermarket and drugstores nationwide for the suggested retail price of $2.99 for the 0.07 ounce stick.

Softlips Limited Edition Winter Flavors product information

Softlips is the line of premium lip conditioner designed with skin-protecting ingredients to help keep lips soft, supple and healthy. Available in several flavors varieties, Softlips Lip Balm with SPF 20 offers superb coverage and protection from the environmental elements, as well as a healthy sheen without the heavy waxiness or stickiness of traditional lip balms.

Now available in four limited edition winter flavors beginning September 2009: winter mint, sugar cookie, sugar & spice, sugar plum berry
Combines lip protection with SPF 20 and moisturizing emollients that allow for a sheer glossing effect
Like the PURE flavors it can be used alone or under/over lipstick
Also packaged in slim cases to allow for easy transport in pockets, purses or make-up cases
They can be found in the cough and cold section nationwide for the suggested retail price of $2.99 to $3.99 for the dual-stick pack
The Softlips limited edition winter flavors (dual packs) Sugar & Spice with Vanilla and Sugar Plum Berry with Cherry will be available at Target, while the Winter Mint with Vanilla and Sugar Cookie with Cherry will be available at Walgreens.

Keep up to date on the latest from Softlips by become a fan on Facebook. You can also enter the fourth annual 2009 Softlips Picture Perfect Lips Model Search.

My Thoughts:

As I mentioned at the start, I was already buying Softlips on my own to use before this review. This opportunity allowed me to try their new PURE and Limited Edition Winter flavors.

Softlips Limited Edition Winter Flavors – I love the fact that the winter line includes the SPF protection, every little bit helps to protect my lips. The pairing of flavors in the dual packs are wonderful. The winter flavors really do work well together and allow you to test out one of the limited edition options along with one from the regular Softlips line. The scents are not overpowering, but make you think about the sweet aromas from the holiday season. My favorites were the Winter Mint and Sugar Cookie. There is just something very comforting about the Sugar Cookie flavor that reminds me of baking delicious cookies.

Softlips PURE flavors – As a person that is working hard to recycle, use more Earth friendly products and watch the products that I use with my children I love that this line is all natural and organic. The range of flavors available are amazing. Honeydew made me long for the summer and the delicious summer fruit, pomegranate of the fall harvest, and papaya of the tropical Hawaiian paradise. At the same time I was very intrigued by the acai berry and chai tea which were quite different than anything else I had ever tried. The peppermint was refreshing and had a little tingle that went with it, but not in a bad way.

I was a fan of Softlips before this review and will continue to be. I love that they are expanding their horizons, not only with new and exciting flavors, but also with more green products. Next up for me, I want to try their tinted lip conditioners. A little color on my lips would not be a bad thing, especially when I go out to something special.

Giveaway:

Thanks to Softlips one lucky reader will be able to win their own Limited Edition Winter Collection.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Answer the following question: If you could have Softlips create a new flavor, what would it be and why?
1 Bonus Entry – Follow me on Twitter @TheAngelForever and Tweet about the giveaway. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and Softlips Giveaway in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use): A chance to win Softlips Limited Edition Winter collection from @TheAngelForever. Check out the review and giveaway http://bit.ly/1FcHwG
1 Bonus Entry – Let me know which winter flavor you are most excited to try and why.
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
~~1 Bonus Entry – Become a Fan of Softlips on Facebook and let me know you did.~~ Update 11/15 – Found out that Facebook does not allow this type of entry. All previous entries of ths type will count, but none after this point. I still hope that you will become a Fan of Softlips anyway because they are very interactive on their page.
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of November. Be sure to leave a comment here to let me know which one.
3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the Softlips giveaway. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today November 12th and ends at 10:59 EST on November 29, 2009. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only.

Disclosure: I received the Softlips PURE and Limited Edition Winter flavors complimentary of Softlips in order to facilitate this review. No other compensations was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own feelings about the product that I tried.

Categories:
giveaway looking back me moments Product review

Surprise visit to Papa

Posted on November 11, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Categories:
family jsl Wordless Wednesday

A warm November day

Posted on November 10, 2009 10:17 am by TheAngelForever

Typically, temperatures in November get quite chilly here. Lows are usually in the 30’s and highs could climb into the 40’s. It is certainly not the type of weather that one would take their child to the park for an extended length of time. The temperatures have soared to highs in the 60’s the last few days. Thanks to this, I took JSL to the park yesterday. It was just the two of us for an hour or so and we had a fabulous time. Every day, he has been begging me to take him to the park to go "Wheeeee" on the slides. It was so nice to be able to grant him this simple desire.

When we arrived at the park, he bolted away from me. Usually when we are at the park, JSL follows his big brother around. It was so fun to watch and see where he would go on his solo mission.

Of course, my camera was in the car . . . so I used my new cell phone to snap some of our precious memories. There was no way I could rip the little guy away from the park to go and get my camera. They may not be the best, but they certainly capture the moments. After he let go of my hand, he made a beeline for the little train slide.

Once he did this a few times, JSL was ready to run to the bigger slides. Over and over again, he climbed up the ladder. Why go up the easy steps when you can give Mom gray hairs? He would stop on the bridge area to jump a few times and look through the bars to laugh at me.

Then he would go over and over to the big twisty slide. JSL had no fear since the playground was empty and loved the freedom to pick what he wanted.

After a few times down the twisty slide, I convinced him to try the tunnel to another section. He hesitated, but then realized he could play peek-a-boo with me. He kept going over and over and of course I kept missing him. He was too fast and thought it was funny that I was getting bad "cheese" (= photos to a 2 year old) over and over. Eventually I got this which is a big favorite of mine.

Soon, JSL decided it was time to check out more of the park. On our way, I noticed there was a single tree that actually had leaves on it. The tree was gorgeous and a vibrant red color. I went under it and took the following photo.

Then it was time for JSL to channel his inner dinosaur. He needed a boost to get up. Once he was on the dino, he was roaring and rocking out. He had a great time, but quickly wanted to move to more things.

I was shocked he did not want to go on the giant slide at this point. Instead, he picked the "round and round wheee" ride as he called it. This did not last too long. In an attempt to grant me even more gray hairs, JSL kept letting go and trying to stand up while it was moving around.

I was able to convince him to follow me to the swings. He wanted to go on the regular ones, but those are not made for a two year old little boy. I put him into the swings for kids that look more like odd contraptions and he could not see anything. I tried to take a photo, but had used up my cell phone memory (oops!). This seemed like the perfect time to call it a day. I told JSL it was time to head home. We only had an hour to eat lunch before it was time to head to school to pick up NHL.

The weather is supposed to be mild again today, but not as sunny. Perhaps we will have another adventure in the park together. It is days like this that I remember why I am so lucky to be a stay-at-home Mom!

Categories:
fun jsl kid talk photos play time sahm weather

Cooking with TechyDad

Posted on November 9, 2009 11:03 am by TheAngelForever

As many of you may know, my hubby also blogs. TechyDad has a regular feature on his website called Cooking With TechyDad. Here he shares items that he has made for our family, along with a lot of photos of the cooking/baking process.

Recently, his new passion is to use purees in items to try to sneak in some extra veggies for our family. Would you have guessed that these two sweet boys are picky eaters?!

This week, TechyDad is kicking off Sneaky Weeky. Today, he posted about preparing purees a la Missy Chase Lapine – otherwise known as The Sneaky Chef. Be sure to head over this week to check out some of the recipes that our family have enjoyed. The best part is, I know our boys are getting extra vegetables into their diets eating foods that are healthy for them.

Previous Cooking with TechyDad recipes include:

Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Mashmallow Dessert Pizza

Slow Cooker Bean Soup

Mock Crab Cakes

Tie-Dyed Cheesecake

Eggplant Italian (for the slow cooker)

There are several others. You can find them by looking under the cooking area on the website. I hope you enjoy browsing and know that many more delicious recipes are coming soon. Remember, as a taste tester I know!