Nov30

To Do List – Buy Glasses Online

Posted at 2:36 PM • View Comments

I’ve been wearing eyeglasses since I was 11. Lucky me, I know.

I started needing glasses because of all those nights I stayed up reading The Babysitter’s Club series in the dark. Probably. Not sure.

I’m willing to bet my nearsightedness had something to do with Boy-Crazy Stacey and Logan Likes Mary Ann!

What I do know for sure is I spend most of my free time with my children so I shop online more than I do in stores. That lack of time I have to run into a local eyeglass store has caused me to decide to buy glasses from a website since there are many shopping options online for wearers of eyeglasses.

Since I’ve been looking for my next pair of glasses online, I’ve been doing a lot of virtual fittings to see which look frames look good on me. I’ll probably end up with a designer frame because of the styles offered. And I also tend to gravitate toward purchasing subtle styles so they can be worn on a variety of occasions.

I’ll let you know which frames I pick as soon as I’m done with my search.

If you’re looking for a new pair of glasses, GlassesUSA.com is running an early holiday sale until December 4, 2011. Get 30% OFF any pair of glasses and get FREE US shipping with the code: CYBER2011 (basic single vision lenses included, upgrades are available for additional cost) After the 4th, take 10% OFF any order of prescription glasses using promo code: Blog10

Nov23

Family Travel – Places We Go Again and Again

Posted at 8:25 PM • View Comments

I’m a fan of family travel — especially road trips.

Probably because I love the idea of just waking up and heading to a destination — stopping as you go along when you are curious about a sight on your way.

The trip could be planned well in advance or like our very first trip years ago to Mystic, Connecticut, it could be planned an hour before we put our packed bags in our car.

Year after year, we head back to Mystic, Connecticut (and the neighboring towns) for the weekend and have fun quickly adapting to the relaxed, nothing like busy Manhattan way of life.

We eat lobster rolls from the same places.

Look at fish and feed birds.

Leave the kids in the supervised play space/arcade and have an adult meal at one of the celebrity chef named restaurants in the casino nearby.

TravelingMom.com asked me to write about a destination we love visiting year after year and because of its proximity to New York and the number of attractions for us to check out — Mystic, Connecticut (and the neighboring towns) is on the top of our list.

If you will be in the Northeast with your family, check out Mystic.

And if you are traveling this holiday season, check out the upcoming Traveling Mom Twitter Party for travel tips!

Join Traveling Mom @KimOrlando, @CindyRichards, @MaryHeston, @savvymommy on November 28th 9-10 pm ET (8-9 pm CT; 7-8 pm MT; 6-7 pm PT) on twitter.

What’s the topic? Happy Family Vacations you would love to repeat someday

RSVP here for your chance to win an iPad2 and other prizes.  They’ll also be announcing a huge giveaway!!!

*Disclosure* Traveling Mom has sponsored this post but I was happy to share one of my favorite vacation spots to revisit.

Nov21

Duane Reade FourSquare Promotion

Posted at 10:08 AM • View Comments

I was given the opportunity to do a Collective Bias shop at a 24 location of Duane Reade this morning to check out their FourSquare promotion.

For those of you not in New York, Duane Reade is a pharmacy/convenience store chain that has been renovating its stores since its recent purchase by Walgreen’s.

There are two 24 hour Duane Reade locations near me and today I decided to shop at the 87th and Third Avenue location since its all on one floor.

When I got to Duane Reade, I checked in on FourSquare and saw an offer for free Duane Reade Delish Fruit First Crunchers for checking in.

There were two flavors. I picked the mixed berry as I had no idea what yogurt covered crunchers might taste like.

The price says they are $1.79 a pack so it was a decent freebie to get pricewise.

It was easy to check in and simple and painless to get the freebie.

Then I took a walk around the store and shopped.

Check out my slideshow of my shopping trip to a 24 hour location of Duane Reade.

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias All opinions are my own.

Nov19

2011 Holiday Party Tips

Posted at 2:14 PM • View Comments

Are you going to brave shopping on Black Friday? We have some tips for you!

Focusing on entertaining the family instead? Yes, we have you covered.

Want to find the best gifts for the lowest prices? Yup, you guessed it, find it right here.

Gift Trends of 2011
It’s a wrap for fashionistas; a wrap bracelet or a wrap scarf that is. For host with the most a non-stick mini cupcake maker is a trendy kitchen gadget to impress with. Gaming devices and games are the hottest trend for the families, and you’ll get more bang for your buck if you buy one large item such a gaming device for the entire family instead of several mid-sized gifts.

Save Money & Time with Less Stress Shopping
Do your research before heading shopping and make a lit of gifts you want to buy to eliminate impulse shopping and to save time and money.  Check out the hottest gifts for everyone in your list from the Party Bluprint Blog’s Best Holiday Gift Ideas for 2011. Many of the gift ideas in the list will be available on cheaper prices on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, thanks for Cheap Sally for finding the best deals.

See all Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals in One Place
The easiest way to get all deals is by getting all from one place. Many deals sell out quickly so you need to locate and act on the information fast!  Save time and money by visiting CheapSally.com’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday page, they  aggregate all the best deals across the internet for you, offering a one-stop resource for saving. Tell your friends too, because it is the season of sharing the joy!

Holiday 2011 Decorating Trend
Less is more, let simplicity shine and try a minimalistic.  The mantle is a great place to start: a few candles and stockings in a monochromatic theme.   Or add some sparkle by mixing Mercury glass with holiday greens and pinecones to get a simple yet impressive Holiday look.

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These tips have been brought to you by Dawn Sandomeno and Elizabeth Mascali of Party Bluprints Blog.

Dawn and Elizabeth have appeared as featured experts on TV, radio, and in national publications like the Today Show, Martha Stewart Radio, Good Housekeeping, Redbook and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazines. They know everything there is to know about party and gift giving trends, especially when it comes to keeping fabulous but saving time and money.

This Holiday season Dawn and Elizabeth teamed up with CheapSally.com to find the best deals for the gifts they recommend in their Holiday Gift Guide. This means that you will find the best deals on the hottest 40 items mentioned in their gift guide!

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