When I went to visit LifeLock headquarters in Arizona last summer, one of the things that I learned is that members of the military have to use their social security number for everything.  That’s their form of identification.  So, it’s no wonder why members of the military are the most vulnerable to identity theft.

Sad, right? The people who defend our country are the ones who need someone to protect their identity the most.

LifeLock has proudly sponsored with Relativity Media in the upcoming release of Act of Valor. The movie was filmed using actual Navy SEALs, weapons and tactics therefore giving you a glimpse into the world of America’s elite military.

Want to win tickets to the Act of Valor premiere?

If you’d like the chance to win, I encourage you to visit the Act of Valor tab on the LifeLock Facebook page where you can enter to win 2 tickets to the world premiere of Act of Valor. The prize will include one trip for two (winner plus guest) to Los Angeles for the premiere. (Included is round-trip air transportation, ground transportation between the airport-hotel and the hotel-premiere event, hotel accommodations for two nights, and $1,000 spending money for the winner.) The approximate retail value of the grand prize is up to $3,500.

Make sure you enter soon because the contest ends on January 27, 2012.

Once you’ve entered the contest for your chance to win, make sure you send a note of thanks to our activity military members.

I’m a LifeLock Ambassador and compensated for this post.  However all opinions are my own.

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

During the past year, Walgreens and Express Script have been unsuccessful in coming to terms on a contract that both parties can agree upon.  As a result, Walgreens is no longer a part of the Express Scripts pharmacy provider network and long time customers of Walgreens are being forced to go elsewhere to an in-network provider.

This is causing much frustration and inconvenience for Express Script patients because they are now having to drive further (in some cases) and will no longer have the convenience of 24 hour service or drive-thru’s that Walgreens offers its customers.

It’s definitely a sad situation for those who have had long standing relationships with their Walgreens pharmacist.

In an effort to minimize inconvenience and disruption, Walgreens has recently announced that they will be offering a special discount on an annual membership for the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club.  During the month of January an individual membership is $5 and a family membership is $10 (normal rate is $20 for individual and $35 for family).  Your membership will give you savings on 8,000 brand name prescriptions and all generic prescriptions.  In addition, there are over 400 generic prescriptions that are available in a three-month supply for less than $1 a week.

I feel terrible for all those affected because of the greed of Express Scripts.

Keep in touch with Walgreens: 

• Walgreens on Twitter
• Walgreens on Facebook 

Well, winter is here and my body is definitely feeling its presence. In Texas, we don’t get the frigid, cold weather that most of the northern states get, but regardless, it’s to cold for me.

When I think about emergency preparedness, my mind immediately goes to hurricane season, because that’s when the gulf coast of Texas experiences it’s clash with Mother Nature. For my northern friends however, the winter months are much like my summer months only without the excessive winds and storm surges.

During extreme weather, it’s important that you have an emergency supply of food on hand in case of the worst. After Hurricane Ike, we were without electricity for two whole weeks. The whole area was in absolute destruction, stores unable to open, gas stations unable to receive gas, just total chaos.

We learned from that experience that we have to keep a supply of food that can be eaten without being cooked. During the emergency relief, the Red Cross set up stations throughout the area and handed out freeze dried food to the local residents. When you’re living on saltine crackers, you’ll appreciate anything with taste.

Bottom line is, if you live in an area that is prone to disasters, make sure you have a supply of food on hand in case of emergencies! You never know when the next one will strike.

I didn’t realize until recently just how many people suffer from depression.  I’ve had a couple bouts of depression after two of my babies were born, but nothing that lasted longer than a few months and nothing that I wasn’t able to handle and manage effectively.

But, these people, some of them my friends, are suffering and there is nothing I can do to help with depression.

After doing a bit of studying on depression research, here are four ways you can be supportive of those around you that suffer from depression.

• Make sure the person suffering from depression gets an appropriate diagnosis and treatment.  This may mean taking them to the doctor if you live near by.
• Offer emotional support which includes understanding, patience, affection, and encouragement.
• If you live close to the person, offer to take them on outings.  A walk in the woods or an afternoon movie can work wonders for the soul.
• Encourage participation in activities that once gave pleasure, such as hobbies, sports or religious activities.

Depression is an evil condition and in most cases require medication to control and treat.  If you know someone who is suffering from depression, please make sure they get treatment and make sure to show them unconditional love.

Even if they won’t admit it, they need you!

It’s that time of year again where we look back on the year and take in to account all the things we done or haven’t done and begin thinking how we are going to make next year better.

Yep, it’s that time — time for New Year’s Resolutions!

I’m not really one to make resolutions for myself because I feel like it’s setting myself up for failure before I’ve even started.  So, instead of resolutions, I make New Year’s Improvements. Basically just things I’d like to do better next year.

Thinking ahead to 2012, my New Year’s Improvements are:

• Healthier Lifestyle (Diet, Exercise and Less Stress)
• Have More Patience with My Children
• Dedicated Date Night for Hubby and I
• Devote More Time to Prayer

Tropicana has just launched their Trop50 True Resolutions App on Facebook where you can submit your 2012 resolution.  Since part of my 2012 New Year’s Improvements is to lead a healthier lifestyle, part of that means eating better. Tropicana® Trop50® delivers the goodness of fruit juice with 50 percent less sugar and calories, and no artificial sweeteners.  (This is probably better than all that Diet Soda I drink)

When you share your secret motivation in the Trop 50 True Resolutions App on Facebook, you’ll earn a coupon for $1 off Trop50 for yourself and $.50¢ off coupons for up to 50 of your friends. You can even submit incognito with a fierce disguise. Plus, whether you submit a resolution or not, you can also enter a sweepstakes to win a $1,000 gift.

So, tell me — what are your New Year’s Resolutions or if you’re like me, your New Year’s Improvements?

I received a gift card for my time and effort facilitating this post. All opinions remain my own.

With five shopping days left before Christmas, if you haven’t already registered your MasterCard credit cards in the “Here’s to Mom” Promotion, now is the time to do it.

When you spend $200 on a registered MasterCard credit card while doing your online shopping before December 31, 2011, you’ll receive your $20 MasterCard gift card.

Exciting, right?

Getting started is super simple and since you’ll probably already be spending at least $200, why not earn a free gift card while you are it. Register, enroll your MasterCard and email, then shop! It’s really that simple.

Avoid those last minute trips to the mall, spend $200 online and get rewarded with a $20 MasterCard gift card!

This post is part of a compensated campaign through MasterCard.

Over the last two and a half years this blog has grown into more than I could have ever imagined. I simply started this blog on a whim one day and when I see where I am today, I feel incredibly blessed to have the support from my family and my readers.

Because of this I wanted to have a place where everyone could engage in conversation in a more natural and organic way and I thought a community would be the perfect way to do that. The community is pretty much a place where we can talk about anything. You can start discussions and you can reply to discussions.  There is even a feature that allows you to subscribe to receive an email when there are new updates.

This community is brand spankin’ new and I’d love for you to be a part.  You do not have to leave my blog to participate in the community, just click the ‘Community’ tab up at the top!

It’s that time of year again when everyone is looking to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones. I’ll be the first to admit that going over budget isn’t hard to do. With so many people to buy for and the prices of products continually rising, it’s important to make sure you’re getting the best deal you can.

If you have young children then you already know that they don’t really understand the value of the dollar. This is something that has to be taught and I believe starting at an early age can only help them later on in life. To get my children involved in the grandparents gift selections this year, we put the free Nextag Radar iPhone app and the free Nextag Mobile app (which is available for the iPhone and Android devices) to the test to find the best deals. The apps are an extension of the popular online shopping tool and allows users to search and compare products, organize searches and set up alerts to be notified of price reductions.

Without totally giving away what we purchased (because they read the blog), we typed what we were looking for into the search box and Nextag Radar when to work searching through thousands of stores to help us find the lowest price. In addition to typing the product in the search box, the app has image recognition technology that allows you to take a photograph of the product using your smartphone and also offers barcode scanning technology that allows you to scan in the products UPC codes to search online.

Once the product was added to the radar, it then showed me all the alerts for the product I typed in.  This gave me the opportunity to explain to my children that not all stores sell the exact same item for the exact same price.  This also gave me an opportunity to explain why we use coupons on some products, why we wait to purchase some products and why we never purchase some of the items they want.  I felt it gave my older child (she’s eight) a better idea of the value of money, but with my younger two children, I’m not sure they even cared.

Comparison shopping is an absolute necessity if you want to get the most out of your money. While the online site is great for online shopping at home, the mobile version is perfect when you are out and about and you remember you have to get your mom that special gift.

If you haven’t already given Nextag a try, try it now and see how much you can save on your Christmas shopping!

I received a gift card to help with my purchases while trying out the site.

Here is a new Pampers Gifts to Grow Code that you can add to your account. Head on over to Pampers Gifts to Grow and enter this code for 10 points added to your account.

10 point code:

• FAC1124PPXD36XF

Please check out my other Pampers posts and if you know of any other active codes, please leave them in the comments below.

Okay, let’s face it.  The women of the family probably do most of the shopping.  This holiday shopping season, MasterCard wants you to relax and take some time for yourself!

I’m not sure about you, but I don’t mind skipping the overcrowded malls and stores to get my shopping done online.  I’m already a really big fan of online shopping in the comfort of my own home in my cozy pajamas but award me for shopping online and you’ve really got my attention.

During this holiday shopping season, when you spend $200 on a registered Mastercard, you’ll receive a $20 MasterCard gift card. Getting started is super simple and since you’ll already be spending at least $200, why not earn a free gift card while you are it.  Register, enroll your MasterCard and email, then shop! It’s really that simple.

This post is part of a compensated campaign through MasterCard.