Eye Can See Clearly Now

As I blindily sit here waiting to see the eye doctor it reminds me of my first eye exam when I was 7.

My sister and I went together and wanted to pick our glasses. My parents let us choose too. I walked out with some thick lens with clear pink framed beauties (so I thought!) My sister, the same style but purple! We were too cool.

Those same glasses these days have obviously made a comeback. Where at a time when people wanted the thinnest frames, to now the thicker the better. Maybe we were the original trendsetters!

Back then it was an excited experience. Now it's reality. I can't even operate without the help of glasses or contacts. I can't see much but a blur without them.

I'm now waiting for Sam he's trying out contacts for the first time so he is in his class while I finish up this post. It sounds as if they are teaching a child to ride a bike. There's a lot of laugher and firm repeated instructions. It's pretty entertaining!

Thanks for reading!

Yours Truly,
 ~Ya Ya~

They Say Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder.....

Sam and I on Crystal Pier Wrightville Beach, NC

Wow! I sure have been away for awhile..... Last post was in October 2013. I can say I have had a lot going on during that time. I let my blogging get away from me. I think it's finally time for my come back. I have really missed my blog. But I feel like we are those friends that no matter how long we go without seeing/talking each other we just pick up where we left off. I hope you all feel the same way!

Driftwood Beach Jekyll Island, GA 

 Since my departure Sam and I have bought 2 homes and a little cabin up in North GA near the mountains. We have moved about 45 minutes south of our previous home. It was a lot getting use to. I grew up and lived in the same county for 30 years. I've settled now and can say I am happy in the little town we live in.

Sam and the kids Jekyll Island

 The kids are growing like weeds (the weeds that I need to cut in the front yard) I'd say that's pretty darn fast! Gabe's a 4th Grader and Loganator has went through Pre-K and is now proudly in Kindergarten. School started back Monday so now Kait Kait and me have the house all to ourselves during the day! We read our books, paint our nails and attempt multiple hairstyles thanks to Pinterest for proving me a failure in the hair stylin' department!

The kids Cleveland, GA 

 We stay pretty busy the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014 we took a two week trip traveling to Cali and back. Just in 2015 alone we have took trips to Gatlinburg,TN, multiple trips to Helen, GA, Washington D.C to North Carolina's beautiful beaches and just came back Sunday from a last minute mini-vacation to our beloved Golden Isles (the Georgia Coast Barrier Islands) St. Simons and Jekyll Island.

Marsh Views on our bike ride through Jekyll

 I have been doing great things the past year and a half. I even had a seasonal part time job hopefully I will be going back to! I will fill you in as we go along!

Crystal Pier on Wrightsville Beach, NC

 Thanks for reading!

Yours Truly,
 ~Ya Ya~

Dr. Scholl's Active Series Replacement Insoles !

Hey everyone! As I have told you in the past I have joined a site named Influenster.com. At this site you take surveys and write reviews on products you like or dislike. Yes, they like your honest opinion. They will match you up with the surveys you take to certain products and then you become eligible to receive a VoxBox. Vox boxes can contain anything from a coupon for a free product to a box full or items free from a few different brands.

My Dr. Scholl's Active Series Insoles!

Recently I was chosen to get the Dr. Scholl's Active Series Replacement Insoles for my running shoes. These Insoles are suppose to help and prevent pain. I have been wearing them in my shoes since I have opened them up. I personally suffer from knee and foot pain. Mainly foot pain because I have high arches and nothing seems to support them.

Since I have been wearing the Dr. Scholl's Active Series Insoles I have had  no foot pain and very little to no knee pain. The insoles fit perfectly in my shoes and provide such comfort to my feet.I feel like every part of my foot is being supported. They help me to exercise longing because of the comfort.

I am very happy with Dr. Scholl's Active Series Insoles and these are solely my opinion and thoughts on the products.

Here's the link to their site where you can pick up a $4.00 off coupon for a pair of Active Series Insoles to try for yourself.

http://www.drscholls.com/Products/ActiveSeriesInsoles

Make sure to check out Influenster's site to learn more and to request your invite to join!

http://www.influenster.com/

"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

Thanks for reading! Remember to join my site to get all of the up to date post. I am due to receive a Rose Vox Box soon so I will let you know what all goodies I get!

Yours Truly,
~Ya Ya~

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Been Busy Busy Busy but I'm Coming Back!

Hey Everyone! It's been a while since I have posted it's not because I didn't want to I promise that. A lot has been going on around here. With the seasons changing my kids have been taking turns having strept throat. Each week for the past month a different one has had. This has been my first sick free week. I guess I spoke to soon about that because this morning when I woke my son Gabe announces his throat is sore again. Maybe I won't get a sick free week!

The CDC offers great advice on strep and all other sicknesses your family may be experiencing with all the weather changes. Here's their link I'm sure you will find helpful advice there!
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/StrepThroat/

On top of sick babies I have been on a massive mission house hunting. That is no easy task. Anyone planning to do that better be prepared. Between all of the listed properties online that actually are off the market and the real estate companies that never call you back it can take forever. I luckily found a cute townhouse right around the corner from my apartments so Gabe can finish his school year in the same school.

New place!

I have been shopping for furniture and accessories at IKEA one of my favorite stores to go to! But If you want to miss the crowds don't go on the weekend. It's like black Friday and a lot of shoppers are rude. Ikea has a lot of great sales. Also, if you haven't signed up for it yet they have a Family rewards card that saves you money and gives you free Hot Coffee or Hot Tea Every time you visit their restaurant. I must warn you that most of the pieces you buy there you do have to piece together yourself but it is definitely worth it. IKEA has a very family friendly atmosphere with courtesy diapers in the family restrooms and a play land for the kiddos while you shop. I also love that they have a restaurant and bistro. No leaving to find place to eat when your kids start nagging about being hungry! Just roll them to the to the bistro for concession type foods with great deals or head to the restaurant for a more dine in experience.

Here's the link for their site to discover more great things about IKEA!
http://www.ikea.com

Eating at IKEA

So between sicknesses and house hunting we took a well needed vacation! We went down to Jekyll Island, GA. One of Georgia's most beautiful, natural places to visit. If you are ever looking for a great laid back vacation full of nature and plenty of relaxing you have to check it out. We stayed for 5 nights and six days and a great affordable place to stay is at the Days Inn. It offers beach views, fire pit, 2 pools, a kiddy pool & hot tub, grill,  great little free deluxe continental & on site bike rentals. While on our stay we rode bikes 10+ miles around the island (a must if you visit). We played putt-putt, If you like golf they have courses for that too! Spent countless hours walking the beach and finding natural treasures. We fished off piers, played in parks and swam for hours in the pool and ocean. We even used the fire pit to roast marshmallows and hot dogs one night. We were building memories with the kids and this is one of the best places to do it.

The View from our hotel Door!

I mentioned that it is pretty natural. They have very limited stores and buildings. It's so quiet and peaceful. Wildlife is very abundant, deer and raccoon are everywhere. In the parks squirrels come around in hoards and have such cute personalities. We also seen a small shark feeding off the shoreline and pods of dolphins on South beach.We like to visit around the Fall because there are less people and low prices.

Discover Jekyll Island, GA for yourself!
http://www.jekyllisland.com/


Start making your reservations! They have great monthly specials!
http://daysinnjekyll.com/

Beautiful scenery in Jekyll Island, GA!

On our journey we planned to visit a few Nationals parks along the way. Gabe has been learning a lot about James Oglethorpe and Native Americans so we decided to visit places to give him history lessons. however the government shutdown prevented a few of our stops. So makes sure when you are traveling that you call any places you have on your list to make sure they are open for certain season ad their open hours are correct. Or maybe there will be another government shutdown that crosses your path!

Government Shutdown prevented us from letting Gabe see where history was made!

On our way home we stopped in Savannah another lovely gem in Georgia! (This is why I could care less to vacation outside of Georgia there is so much to discover!) The town is littered in parks and architecture. Best to walk everywhere you go. We had lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant The Lady & Sons. Great southern home made taste cuisine. The taste felt just like being at home around the dinner table when I was a kid. (For best results call and make an appointment if you are planning to go. It can be packed on certain days and at certain hours.)

The Lady & Sons in Savannah, GA 

Forsyth Park In Savannah, GA 

While we were in Savannah they were filming the Sponge Bob 2 movie so the kiddos had the chance to see some of the set of the movie.  We headed to the riverfront and the kids were amazed at all of the big cargo ships bringing in goods from other countries. We met a local artist painting in front of the river and bought a couple of pictures from him. After that we finished our trip walking from park to park looking at all of the beautiful scenery and learning a lot of Georgia's history.

Ships at the Riverfront!

Spongebob 2 Filming in Savannah!

Make your  reservations and learn more about whats on the menu!
http://www.ladyandsons.com/

Learn more about Savannah, GA!
http://www.savannah.com/

Well everyone here is a glimpse of why I haven't been around much. But I promise to be better with posting! I hope you all are enjoying the Fall season.

Yours Truly,
~Ya-Ya~

Halloween TruMoo Milk & BzzAgent #GotItFree

Hey Everyone! So in my last post I told you all about BzzAgent and how I am now a BzzAgent. For those who missed that post BzzAgent is a Social Media Company. You can sign up, take surveys  and they will match you with campaigns. In a campaign you will receive free products to try out. Once you try them out you have a to do list and send in your reviews on the products. Easy as that.

 My latest campaign is Halloween TruMoo Milk. BzzAgent sent me a free coupon for a gallon of milk, about 10 more 75 cent off coupons for sharing and 2 recipes using TruMoo Milk. TruMoo has Limited Edition Vanilla Milk in Halloween Orange and Chocolate milk. I picked up both flavors today and my kids are loving it. I'm love giving my kids TruMoo as a healthier option than cokes and juices loaded with sugar. You might say well flavored milk has sugar. It does but TruMoo contains  35% less sugar than other leading brands of chocolate milk. I find comfort in knowing that TruMoo is 1% Lowfat Milk ,it has vitamins A & D and they use no growth hormones or high fructose corn syrup.

My attempt with the Spooky Smoothie recipe using
 TruMoo Limited Edition Vanilla Milk In Halloween Orange!

TruMoo Limited Edition Lowfat Vanilla Milk In Halloween Orange is a fun treat for the kiddos. My 3 love the color and the flavor. I like that you can taste the vanilla instead of loads of sugar like a lot of flavored milk I have tried. I always have to add regular milk to my flavored milks because of the high sugar taste.With TruMoo you don't have to do that. It is smooth & creamy. It taste to me like a vanilla milkshake. So Yummy!

My Attempt at the Monster Mash Mudslide using
 TruMoo Lowfat Chocolate Milk!

TruMoo Lowfat Chocolate Milk is such a yummy drink for the family. My kids are always asking for seconds. It's great hot or cold. Not all sugary and you can taste just the right amount of chocolate. It also makes an awesome milkshake. Add vanilla ice cream and TruMoo Lowfat Chocolate Milk in a cup and stir until smooth and creamy, top it off with whipped cream and there you have a great dessert. 

Your chance to win the Goosebumps Haunted Hollywood Vaction
 on top of specially marked TruMoo Milk!

Make sure you check out TruMoo Milk on Facebook and learn how you can enter to win an all expense paid Goosebumps Haunted Hollywood Vacation. Also you get an instant coupon for $2 off a Goosebumps DVD! Click the link below...

https://www.facebook.com/TruMooMilk

Don't forget to visit TruMoo's website. You can sign up there to receive great savings, promotions, news & family activities. Click the link below...

http://trumoo.com/milk-coupon/

To find out more on BzzAgent and to join here is their site!

https://www.bzzagent.com/

Thank you all for reading and don't forget to like my Facebook Fan Page at 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Life-From-A-Georgia-Mom/173534786156051?ref=hl 

Yours Truly,

~ Ya Ya ~

BzzAgent : There Are Bees In My Mailbox???

What I found in my mailbox!

Good Day Everyone! I have something awesome to share with you all!

I checked my mailbox yesterday and to my surprise I had a big box inside, it had bumble bees on the tape it as sealed with. Finally, what I have been waiting for! My very first BzzAgent Campaign, The Quaker Back to School Campaign.

You are probably asking what is she talking about. Well I'm here to tell you. BzzAgent is a great website, it's a social media marketing company. If you are big with social media or you get excited about trying new brands and like recommending them to friends and family this is the site for you. You take surveys and BzzAgent finds campaigns that they believe are right for you. They will give you an option to join a campaign for different brands. If you accept they will send you free items or discounts from the brands. When you get the products all you do is test them out and give your honest opinions about them and spread the word. You also get a to do list. When you complete them all you get a higher BzzAgent score which means you are much more likely to receive more campaigns. Me myself, I'm a stay at home mom, so I have extra time on my hands. It's really fun to do and who doesn't like freebies!

This is what it looked like when I opened it!

Well back to that special box with bees...I got into my house and was quick to open it up to see what was inside. Inside I found a box of 14.5oz box of Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal,  7 pack Quaker Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, Quaker Real Medleys Cherry Pistachio Multi Grain Fruit and Nut bar, Quaker Popped Rice Snacks in cheddar cheese flavor and 14 $1 off coupons for different Quaker products for myself and to share. I received all this free just for being a BzzAgent! Yes I said Free! I would have to say that's pretty cool. I can truly say I have never been so happy to find bees in my mailbox.

All these Quaker Goodies for free!

Quaker is pretty much known for oatmeal. That is the first thing I think about when I hear the brand. I grew up eating it for breakfast. Who knew they had so many more products?

I know you are all pretty curious to know what I think of them, so I will be giving you all my true and honest opinions as my family and I test them out!

Make sure to check out BzzAgent, here's the link to their site:
https://www.bzzagent.com

Also the Quaker site to learn more about all the products they offer also has some really tasty looking recipes!
http://www.quakeroats.com/home.aspx

Thank you all for reading! Please feel free to ask any questions you may have! Don't forget to like my Facebook Fanpage https://www.facebook.com/pages/Life-From-A-Georgia-Mom/173534786156051?ref=hl

Yours Truly
~YaYa~

Shark Week Started August 4 !!!!

Shark at the GA Aquarium

It's that time of the year again! It's time for Shark Week on The Discovery channel! They are celebrating 26 years August 4! Logan & myself love watching this every year. Logan loves anything in the ocean! I find Shark Week to be a great learning experience for him. I don't recommend this for all children my oldest is 7 and will not watch it because it scares him. If I thought this for Logan I wouldn't allow him to watch it. When I was younger I always watched wildlife specials and this is Logan's wildlife special.

Logan's Excited for Shark Week!

For anyone who has never seen or heard of Shark Week, it is a week long event on the Discovery Channel with shows featuring sharks! Even includes shark attacks and stories. They have showcases of great white breaching which is such an amazing sight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_Week

I myself love the Great White Shark. They actually have places that offer Great White Diving experiences where you can get in a cage and go under water to see them feed or for those who want to comfort of a boat you can be a top side observer! I really hope one day in my future I get to experiences this.

Great White Adventures offers this at great prices!

http://greatwhiteadventures.com/farallon_details.html

Click below to learn how your tweets can raise money for the Surfrider Foundation which helps protect our oceans!

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/shark-week/treasure-tweets/treasure-tweets.htm

Click to learn more about Surfrider Foundation!

http://www.surfrider.org/

Please use this week to educate yourself and your children about sharks. You can turn it into a fun learning experience! Use some of these great sites to help you learn more!

A lot of great facts!

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark

2. http://www.kidzone.ws/sharks/activities/activity-books.html

3. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/search/?frontend=cms_ngkids&output_format=xml_no_dtd&num_results=25&filter=p&collection=cms_ngkids&meta_field_to_return=ngs-gsa-feed-title&meta_field_to_return=ngs-gsa-feed-slug&meta_field_to_return=ngs-gsa-feed-description&meta_field_to_return=ngs-gsa-feed-keywords&meta_field_to_return=ngs-gsa-feed-thumbnail&required_meta_field_1=ngs-gsa-feed-mediaType%3Avideo&required_meta_field=ngs-gsa-feed-video-source%3Akids&meta_field_filter=ngs-gsa-feed-title&meta_field_filter=ngs-gsa-feed-description&meta_field_filter=ngs-gsa-feed-keywords&oe=utf-8&search=shark&search_dest=content&btnG=&start=0&sort=

4. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/great-white-shark/

5. http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/animal-games-sharks.html

6. http://www.oceanlife4kids.webs.com/greatwhitesharks.htm

7. http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/9921/1/1/how-to-draw-sharks-for-kids.htm

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Here is a list of Aquariums In The U.S!

http://www.touristinformationdirectory.com/united_states/Aquariums/public_aquarium.htm

And around the world!

http://www.urbantitan.com/9-coolest-aquariums-around-the-world/

Thank you all for reading. I hope you all enjoy watching Shark Week. If you have never seen it you really need to check it out! 

Make sure you check out the Discovery Channel's website for more Shark Week! It offers a lot more interesting facts!

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/shark-week

Remember to like my Facebook Fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Life-From-A-Georgia-Mom/173534786156051?ref=hl

And click the Top Mommy Blogs Button to your right to vote for me!

Yours Truly,

~Ya Ya~