You and you’re partner are both incredibly busy most days of the week, juggling work ties, family life and everything else. You hardly get to say 3 words to each other without some distraction getting in the way. When you do get a free moment you can’t wait to spend some quality time with your partner, but all he is interested in is playing his Xbox! So you end up sitting around like a lemon, waiting for him to turn it off, while he continues to blast his way through yet another level, as he repeats ‘just one more game’. Yeah, you’ve heard that a hundred times before!

Does this sound familiar? How many arguments have you both had because of the amount of time he spends on that console, rather than spending time with, or even paying attention to you? Your relationship otherwise would be faultless, if it weren’t for his affair with that time-consuming machine, ridiculously spurning you into feeling like some sort of jealous lover. …

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These last couple months have been a rough cold and flu season for our household. In December I had this cold that lasted for over a couple weeks that the kids must have shared with me. Last month my husband had that horrible flu that was NO FUN whatsover. Then this month there is a cold that seems to be going around with the kids.

Unfortunately when your kids go to public school, the odds of them catching a cold from another student is pretty good. There are ways to try to prevent those colds and viruses from spreading…

If you are a mom and worry about all the germs you might want to make sure you have those handy Wet Ones handy. I carry them in the center console of my car as well as my purse to not only wipe up my kid’s hands when they get dirty, but also use them to wipe other things that we use that might have germs on them. Wet Ones are made to kill 99.99% of bacteria, wipe away grime, and get nice soft hands.

Wet Ones might be something you want to pack in your children’s backpacks too!

Below are 4 helpful tips from Dr. Benjamin Tanner to help keep you and your family healthy this cough and cold season.

1. Practice Good Hygiene for at Least a Week After a Cold. Cold viruses can be found in nasal secretions of children for two to three weeks after the onset of symptoms. That’s a long time for an unwanted guest to stick around!
2. Keep Your Immune System Healthy. Studies show that maintaining a healthy body weight with proper nutrition reduces risks of infection, and also may prevent inflammation (potentially damaging immune system hyperactivity).
3. Keep Up on Cold and Flu Germs. Colds are most infectious during the first two to four days people are infected. And you can’t outrun their germs: droplets from sneezes can travel at a velocity of 45 miles per hour and cover a distance of 10 feet. Wash your hands and face regularly; when soap and water is not available use Wet Ones® Antibacterial Hand Wipes to kill bacteria on your hands.
4. Don’t Touch Your Face. Most cold viruses are spread by contact with surfaces through “self-inoculation” when hands pick up cold viruses, and then touch the nose or eyes to start an infection. In fact, a study of kids showed that a program to discourage touching the face reduced colds by nearly half.

Do you have any tips you want to share on how to keep your family healthy this season?

“I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador Program for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Wet Ones® Antibacterial Hand Wipes and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t use the internet to get online to write a blog post, write update on Facebook or send a tweet on Twitter. Everyday I am one of those that express my opinions online without worrying about consequences. I know that everyone might not agree with what I have to say, but I never have to worry about breaking the law on stating my opinion online somewhere.

Unfortunately there are countries that don’t have freedom of speech. There are people that are being imprisoned, threatened and even killed for expressing themselves. I have two stories I want to share with you about individuals like yourself that have been arrested and put behind bars because they chose to express themselves.

Story #1: Nabel Rabab – A man serving time for posting anti-government comment on Twitter in addition to instigating and participating in peaceful gatherings considered to be illegal by the Bahraini government.  Nabeel Rajab is a prominent Bahraini human rights activist whose freedom has been compromised.

Story #2: Marcos Máiquel Lima Cruz – Another man behind bars because his hip-hop dance party lead him straight to jail because a song’s lyrics criticized the lack of freedom of expression in Cuba.

Be sure to help these two individuals and sign the petition to help set them FREE!

When it comes to our daily life there are a lot of things I wish would go away. There are many things I wish everyone could simply say No Más to! When I turn on the news in the morning, I usually will see something tragic that has happened in my community, state or country that has me saying “Can’t everyone just get along“.  I want to encourage you to watch this short and quick video that might have you thinking what you might want to say No Más to!

One thing I would really like to say is No Más to judging. What I mean by this is I wish people would quit judging people before they have a chance to get to know them. You know on those movies with high school girls where they have the MEAN pretty popular girls that pick on and tease the less popular students. I hate that and always encourage my kids to be nice to everyone.

 I consider myself to be one of those people that give people the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes it backfires on me, but I would rather give someone the benefit of the doubt instead of judging them. Unfortunately so many people judge people by their past, by what they are wearing or even by their family and friends.

Want to get involved? Every Monday in February at 11am PST be sure to  join @TakePart for a live Twitter chat with celebrities, experts and activists as they explore the issue of free speech. Be sure to follow @TakePart on Twitter and use the #NoMas hashtag to ask your questions

If you could say No Más to something, what would you choose? Leave me a comment below letting me know what you would say. Be sure to go make your own personalized No Mas Badge!

This is a sponsored post through Linqia and the opinions stated herein are 100% my own.

Many major chain stores are dabbling in the area of electronics sales, and consumers can now find a variety of items such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, and HD TVs at the same store where they shop for clothing and groceries. While some people believe this will save them money compared to buying these products from an electronics store – the price may be right – but what about the advice and information they receive regarding their use, features, and other issues?

Before you make your next major electronics purchase from one of these chain stores, you should know what you risk by doing so and why buying them at a store that specializes in electronics may be a better choice.

Employee training and knowledge

While the prices at these chain stores may be less than those at most major electronics outlets, you may pay for it later because the employees there usually are not trained to sell laptops, smartphones, or HD televisions, and in the case of these high-tech devices, missing or incorrect information about their handling and use might prove to be disastrous. For example, if you have never hooked up an HD TV before and an uninformed employee sells you the wrong cables for the connection, you could end up not only ruining the TV but possibly injuring yourself as well. The employees at electronics stores are, on average, much more knowledgeable about the products they sell and can advise you on the connections and accessories that you’ll need.

Price difference: is it really worth it?

Many consumers shop for electronics at chain stores because they believe the prices are much lower than at major electronics stores, but in reality, the difference is often negligible. In fact, large electronics stores like Best Buy have weekly sales that offer shoppers deep discounts on laptops, smartphones, digital cameras, and even televisions. There are good deals to be found all year round, and you can even use a 10% off coupon code from Best Buy at the register for further savings. These coupon codes are usually available at the store Web site or in-store in conjunction with advertised sales. While you might save some money by buying your electronics item at a chain store, the best course of action is to check out all of your options at both stores before you decide where to buy it.

Not all chain stores offer warranties

While you might save some money when you buy a laptop, a smartphone, or other electronics device at a chain store, not all of them will offer you an extended warranty on your product. The company warranty, which usually only covers one year with limited conditions, may often not be enough protection against accidental damage. Specialty electronic stores, however, can offer you a variety of extended warranties for an extra fee that will cover the product for up to two years for a wider array of problems. Buying a major electronic purchase at a chain store may save you money but end up costing you in misinformation and expensive repairs later on.