• Reading Eggs – FREE Two Week Trial

    Reading Eggs is offering a Free Two Week Trial Offer.  All you have to do is sign up to try out their reading program, no credit card required. Do you have a little one that is just starting to read or one who wants to increase his or her reading skills?  Then this may be the perfect time to check out Reading Eggs program.

    You want reading to be fun and easy for your child so why not try out Reading Eggs and see if it is a good fit for your family.  Reading Eggs strives to make learning to read interesting and engaging for kids whether they are just beginning to read or increasing their reading fluency.  Through the use of reading games, activities, songs, and other resources your child will pick up great learning tools that will help them on the road to becoming a proficient reader.

    The kids will work through various maps that on their level and will earn golden eggs, ribbons, trophies, and other rewards to encourage them to continue learning more.  Reading Eggs is an interactive program that our family has used in the past for our young readers and our kids LOVED it!  They got a kick out of working through the maps, accomplishing goals, and earning rewards.  The kids can even customize their own “reading egg” avatar to match their personality.
    All you have to do is click the “free trial” button once you get to their homepage and get started!
    More information about Reading Eggs:
    • Reading Eggs was developed by an experienced team of teachers, educational writers, animators, and web developers.  People who have interacted with children and have taught kids to read.
    • Reading Eggs focuses mainly on the core reading curriculum skills and strategies that help readers develop more successful reading skills as well as builds their reading confidence level.  The program is perfect for ages 3 to 12.
    • Each reader can work through the Reading Eggs program at his or her pace so if you have a young reader and more advanced reader in your home both would be able to focus on their specific skills.
    • A more advanced reader would move through the first few maps a little more quickly because it may be more of a review for him or her until they reach a point where the information is newer and more challenging for them, whereas, a new reader would work through the first maps more slowly but steadily as they get more excited about the program and earning rewards.
    • Reading Eggs launched in the United States and Canada in 2011.  Since launching they have had over 500,000 subscribers and have presented more than 15 million lessons.

    Our readers will receive a Free Two-Week Trial Offer!  Register now for a two-week trial of the Reading Eggs program.  No credit card is required.  Help your child learn to read, increase their phonics skills, or increase their reading fluency with Reading Eggs free two-week trial!

    A special thanks to U.S. Family Guide and Reading Eggs for offering a free two-week trial to my readers.  Any specific product information was provided by Reading Eggs and U.S. Family Guide, however, the opinions expressed in this post are our own.  We received a complimentary subscription for sharing information and our family’s experience regarding Reading Eggs. 

  • New York & Co. Coupon: $50 off $100

    Save $50.00 off your purchase of $100.00 or more at New York & Co. with the coupon code.  It can be used for 50% savings on the latest arrivals or on Sale and Clearance items.  It also stacks with a Buy 1, Get 1 50% off promotion on clothing bottoms and reduces the shipping charge.

    Use Code:  4923

    The coupon is good on regular and sale priced items.  Stack the coupon with several Buy 1, Get 1 50% off promotion and clearance items for even greater savings!  Happy Shopping!


  • Love It – Eye-Fi Explore X2 8 GB + Wi-Fi

    A couple months ago my sweet husband got me a Eye-Fi Explore X2 8 GB + Wi-Fi. When he explained what it was I liked the concept; although I didn’t realize how nice it would be until I started using it.  He had it set up and I was using the new card within minutes of putting it in my camera.  I LOVE my Eye-Fi especially when it comes to taking pictures or videos of my twin daughters as well as using it to take pictures for my blog!

    What is the Eye-Fi Explore X2?  Don’t worry I asked that question several times before I started using it as well.

    • The Eye-Fi is a wireless memory card used to transfer photo and video uploads from my camera to my computer (or online sites).
    • Eye-Fi memory card replaces your existing memory card in your camera.
    • It operates by transferring the pictures and videos via your wireless router.
    • You can use it for geotagging as well (I don’t use this feature).
    • If you are not at home on your local wireless spot you can actually upload using a hotspot access.
    • It stores up to 4,000 picture or 3 hours of video (I typically do a combination of the two)
    • The pictures & videos get downloaded automatically and are filed in their appropriate folders by date.

    It is so nice being able to download the pictures immediately after taking them.   If I don’t want to use them right away or do not have time to name or edit them when they download they will be waiting for when I have a free moment.   For example recently I used it for the following blog posts:

    The Eye-Fi card has been a huge time saver over the last couple months.  So thankful for a husband who knows how to make my life more enjoyable, efficient, and easier.  If you take a lot of pictures and need to have access to them within a few seconds this may be a great tool for you too.  I never have to worry about finding my cord or remembering to download the pictures because they are already downloaded and ready for me when I need them.  For those who take a lot of family and blog pictures / videos I would recommend requesting this as a gift or use your Swagbuck Amazon Gift Cards to get your Eye-Fi Explore X2, it really is pretty amazing!!!

    “Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly in my household that I love!  There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun.  I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list.  It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!

  • Academy Sports & Outdoors: Clearance Sale – 88¢ (Over 700 Items)

    Academy Sports & Outdoors is having an online clearance sale!

    Over 700 items are priced at $0.88 each plus clearance on over 2000 other items.  If you are looking to get a birthday gift or stock up on outdoor clothes or items this is a great time to do it.  Click on their “Clearance” tab and sort by price “low to high” to see all the clearance items.  The shipping rates are a little high but if you are ordering a handful of items at $0.88 each it will offset the delivery charges.
    Limited supplies so stock up while you can!

  • Saving for College – Upromise

    Buy Groceries Today, Pay For College Tomorrow!
    Our girls are important to us and we are trying to start saving for their college early, especially since we have two that could go to college at the same time!  Every little bit helps!  We have officially been doing Upromise for about 8 months now.  When we signed up we were not aware of all the great benefits it provided.  Most of our earnings are through the groceries we purchase every week.  If you are not familiar with it here is a little more information to get you acquainted.

    • Upromise is free
    • Companies give you money for educational expenses (college bills, student loans and 529 savings)
    • You earn money from everyday activities – buying groceries, shopping online, filling up with gas tank, eating out, and much more.
    • Both local and online stores give you the rewards.  (700+ Online Stores like Best Buy, Ebay, and many more).
    • Over 8,000 participating Restaurants
    • More than 21,000 Grocery & Drug Stores
    • Car Rental Companies
    • Gas Stations
    • Magazine Subscriptions
    • Traveling
    • Buying or Refinancing a house
    • And many more participating companies!

    How does Upromise work?  Do your normal shopping online, in the grocey store, and eat out with your family and earn money back.  You can use the money to pay for college bills, invest in a 529 plan, pay down a student loan, and many more.

    The primary way we use accumulate points is through the Upromise eCoupons which give you bonus cash for purchasing groceries that month after you have activated the coupons.  They track our purchases through the rewards cards we use at Ingles, CVS, Bi-Lo, Publix, and many more.   We have earned over $90 the last few months just buying groceries! If you are looking at ways to save on items you already purchase it may be worth your time to sign up.