Mother's Day is coming up QUICK! Order flowers for Mom

*This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. 
 

Mothers Day is coming on the May 10, 2015

This Mother's Day send inspired flowers & gifts to express your gratitude & appreciation to
the one that have made who you are today wherever they are! We send to more than
100 countries in the world with same day and next day delivery!
Check out our
Mother's day collection at www.floweradvisor.com , Book early for confirmed
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Mother's Day coupon code "SHMOM15" offers 10% site-wide discount on Flowers and
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Valid till May 10th, 2015.

Gifts and Flowers can be delivered same
day across the USA, Canada, Mexico and International Delivery to over 100
countries worldwide.Let Mom know you love her! I know I would love some flowers from my kids since they are far away and I can't see them often.

What are the favorite undies in your state?

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. 

Ever wonder what the most popular undies are in your home state? Well True&Co. sure did, so they surveyed their customers in every state and asked them what their favorite lingerie is - and the results may surprise you! For example, who would have thought that red flannel loungewear is the most popular for True &Co.'s Colorado customers and it's purple nylon bras for their customers up in Alaska? Truly fascinating ... Want to know what the most popular undies are for your state? Read the full True&Co. Buzzfeed article! 

I live in California, on the map it is The West. The True & Co article says we wear blue polyester bras. Honestly, I don't as I have a polyester allergy, but I love the color blue. Blue reminds me of the big blue Pacific Ocean and the warm sand of the beach. When I lived in San Francisco I was lucky enough to be 5 blocks from Ocean Beach and I spent a lot of time there. Even in our notorious fog, there was just something soothing about that crisp salt air. I suppose this article means I need to ditch my black, white and beiges and go a little Californian Crazy and pick up some colors. One thing is for certain, True & Co has what I want in the size I want, at the price I want. My favorite is the Faster Than Light Panty pictured in blue of course, below. These panties are very comfortable, light, and not expensive at all. I love the way they make me feel when I have them on. Faster than light panty

Another of the other beautiful offerings from True & Co is  this beautiful bra. I chose blue because I am from the West Coast but they come in so many different colors and styles.

Tribeca

So head on over to True & Co and look at all their new collections of bras, panties, and lingerie. I am certain you will find something to fall in love with.

Weight GURU clear digital bathroom scale

*** I received this scale complimentary in exchange for my honest review. All opinions stated are 100% my own***

I have been on a weight loss journey since the end of January. I use the words weight loss journey because the word diet sounds so restrictive and depriving. I have a lot of weight to lose, probably the amount of a grown female, so journey is a more appropriate term. It is going to be a long journey but a slow steady one and hopefully permanent. Being this heavy not only kills my self esteem, but it also makes me less healthy than I should be. I get winded easily, my blood pressure is high, and my joints hurt. I don't drink, smoke or do any drugs, but my weight will kill me just as easily if I don't change my habits.

I got on the scale in January and was shocked at the upswing in poundage. I knew I had gained over the holidays and that I wasn't as active as I should be. But that step on the scale steeled my resolve to do something and do it now. So, that began my journey which I am chronicling in my other blog Rotties Reductions. Being a blogger and a product reviewer does have its advantages because today I am reviewing the Weight GURU's Clear Digital Bathroom Scale. I had been using an old freight scale left over from when I owned my printing business. It isn't digital, it is one of those old ones with a rotating dial and a needle. Every time I wanted to weigh myself, I had to adjust the needle to zero because it had shifted a couple of pounds up or down. Also I would have to step on and off about 4 times and then take the average of the readings because they would fluctuate from one time to the next. In other words, it was not accurate at all.

This scale is digital and as I found out, a cinch to set up. You pull the tab off the back and flip it over. Step on it once to get it to turn on and then use the set and up and down keys to set your personal number and whether you want it to weigh in pounds or kilos. It can be programmed for up to 7 people and can automatically tell who it is on the scale by the weight within 10 pounds. Only time it can't tell is if two people are close in weight. But, since I am the only one in the house that will use it, I don't have to be concerned with anyone else using it.

So stepping on it, I realized that I lost 18 pounds on my journey so far. That is five pounds more than my old unreliable scale had told me. I got off and on it 5 times and not one ounce was different. Next time I weigh I can switch to the weightless mode if I care to. What is the weightless mode? Instead of giving you your weight number, it tells you how much you have gained or lost since your last weigh in. You can also toggle back and forth using the sel button so you can weigh then select weightless and see what you have lost.
If you have a smartphone or tablet you can also synch up with the scale by downloading the application at the google store. You just hit synch on the app and scan the scale reading with your camera. It uploads the weight to your app on your phone and you can track your progress. Now I don't have a smart phone so I will just be doing it the old traditional way but either way its a win win.
If you are interested in purchasing the scale or just want to check it out, you can click on this link Weight GURU digital bathroom scale

PURGGO Car Eco-Purifier

*** I received this product at a reduced price for my unbiased review. All opinions stated here are 100% my own***

I'm not 100% organic, but I do try and cut down on the chemicals that I use, inhale, and otherwise put into my body. I am no saint believe me but I do try when I can to do the right thing for myself and our environment. I recycle cans, bottles, and cardboard, I occasionally make my own bathing things like scrubs and lotions and I make my own cleaner with orange oil and white vinegar. Probably not making a huge impact but if everyone did just a little we would see a huge difference. It only takes drops of water to create a mighty ocean or so they say.

So when I was invited to review this Purggo Car Eco-Purifier I jumped at the chance. Something to take the foul odors out of my car without chemicals or masking scents. This purifier is simply charcoal in a nice woven container and when I am done with it, I can open the container and put the charcoal into my garden. So, it when it "dies" will give life to plants in my garden. That is really a nice thought isn't it?

I followed the instructions and placed the Purggo Car Eco-Purifier into the sun for an hour to get the charcoal activated and then I simply draped the cord over the headrest of my car. It isn't intrusive and you forget that it is there doing its job. My husband without the license is a heavy smoker. I do not smoke and I do not like the smell of smoke. He is good and doesn't smoke in front of me, but when he is alone in the car he does light up. My car doesn't have an ashtray, it came that way, so when he is done there is no place to put his butt. We live in a high fire area and he doesn't want to pollute anyway so he places the butts in a plastic bottle with liquid in the bottom to put them out. It can really reek after a few days. I get in the car and have to roll down the windows to blow the stink out.

So I placed the Purrgo in the car for a few days and I can honestly say it doesn't smell nearly as bad as it used to. The smell isn't completely gone yet but it is hardly noticeable and I am sure in another few days it will be gone. The thing is you don't have to use it just in the car. The way it is designed you can place it in a room that you want to freshen up. You can hang it by the rope or simply place it on a shelf or table out of sight and let it do its thing. I can't say anything bad about the Purggo Car Eco-Purifier. Its natural, its recycleable and best of all, it works!

RTGS Products 15 LED battery operated light strings (2)

*** I received these light strings for an unbiased review. All opinions stated here are 100% my own.***

I have to say that these little lights are fun! There are just so many things you can do with them beyond the typical christmas lights. They come on a very flexible wire and the lights are spaced apart quite a bit so they are not all bunched up together. They glow a very bright warm white when lit and I enjoyed playing around with them.

They take 2 large watch batteries size CR 2032 which are included with the strings. You get 2 strings of 15 LED micro lights and 4 of the CR2032 batteries so you are ready to go right out of the box. I do have a small complaint as to the positioning of the batteries not being clear. The batteries are marked with a + on one side for the positive and the case has a + on one end and a - on the other. The batteries do not have a - and because I am not used to dealing with this type of battery I got a little frustrated in trying to figure out how them went. With typical alkaline batteries you have a + on one end and a - on the other, so I thought one end of the CR 2032 was positive and the other was negative. Not the case, one SIDE of the battery is positive and the backside is negative. I think it took me a good 10 minutes to figure it out and at first I thought the batteries or the units themselves were faulty. But I kept trying until I figured out one battery goes face up and the other face down and I got the lights to light up.

They are pretty! I strung them out on the bed first and the string itself is fairly long. Then I got a little dollar store vase I had sitting in my dresser and I put the lights in it to see how it looked. I really liked that and I am already planning a nice little night light crafting project. I have a birdhouse in my bedroom that has a tree branch in it as a tree and I strung the lights in the branches to see how that looked. The wire made it easy to twist and position the lights and the result was nice. Lastly I basically strung them along my dresser and that also looked very pretty.

These lights can be put into water as long as the battery pack stays dry. I can see a flower arrangement in a vase with the bottom being lit up in my future. I was very happy playing around with these lights and they have certainly stirred up the crafty genius in me.

You can purchase these and other LED light strings and colors at their website rtgsproducts.com I was very pleased at all the different types of string lights they offer and the prices are very affordable.

Blogging and Reviewing...how to get started.

***This post will contain some referral links and I will get paid for you clicking on any company link I provide****

I have a facebook page Vicki Lauretta that I use for promoting my paid advertisements, and my Amazon Reviews and just chit chatting. I have had several of my facebook friends ask me how I make money on my blog and how to get into reviewing products. I decided to post a blog page dedicated to what I have done and to help other people get started. I have to say though, I have only been blogging and reviewing since February and I have had  help getting to where I am so I feel obligated to pay it forward to anyone that wants to read and is interested.

First and foremost, I would be remiss if I didn't thank Tre Harrington and her blog NonPerfectParenting. I would not be where I am at this point if it were not for her. She put me on the right track and showed me some valuable opportunites to monetize my blog. I mean the reviews and the free or almost free items are great and will go a long way at Christmas, but I am unemployed and this hopefully will be the way I can bring in an income. I urge you to follow Tre's blog at Nonperfectparenting and like her facebook page Nonperfect Parenting facebook.

Ok so here is how I got started. On my facebook feed, I noticed many of my friends doing something called Crowdtap and earning Amazon giftcards and seeing many of them getting these awesome free products for reviewing and I wanted a piece of the action. I was already doing Points2Shop and Swagbucks and I was earning some money. I mean those two sites paid for my Christmas presents last year in cash and Amazon credit but I wanted more. So I found one of their links to a place called Tomoson where I found if I linked up my social media sites ( facebook, twitter, linkedin, instagram etc.) I could apply for products and review them for sellers. At this time, I did not have Amazon Prime so I only received one acceptance after applying for about 30 things. I asked my reviewer friends what was wrong and found out I absolutely need Amazon Prime.

Amazon Prime is critical if you want to review products. Yes, its a big expense if you do not have extra cash but if you don't have it you might as well stop now. Either sellers will not choose you, or you will end up paying for shipping on every item you are chosen to review. I didn't not have the cash to get Prime but I asked my daughter to let me use her credit card to buy Prime and let me pay her back over time. Make sure you follow Amazon's TOS about sharing Prime or you can lose your account.

Once I had Prime, the acceptances increased but at first be prepared to review a lot of diet supplements, vitamin c serums, and face creams. After posting a few of my reviews on facebook ( a Tomoson requirement) I was contacted by Tre about joining a blogging facebook group. That group helped me to increase my contacts on google plus, twitter, facebook etc because we were all helping each other become noticed. That is another important thing, getting to know others and making contacts. I mean look, if people hadn't contacted me about how I earn money, I wouldn't be posting this for others to read. The more you are connected socially and the more views your blog gets, the lower your Alexa score gets, and the more popular you become, the better the opportunites. More opportunites equal bigger payments for what you blog and more connections to other opportunities from other bloggers.

I am going to add a link here to another blog post about your Amazon Profile and how rankings work. As a product reviewer your Amazon ranking is extremely important. The lower the ranking number, the more sellers you attract to you for reviews and the more selective you can be on what you review. Amazon Rankings and their Importance

Tre introduced me to Share A Sale which is an affiliate network. When you join Share A Sale you become an affiliate for the brands that they broker. The companies join the Share A Sale site and then you apply to join each company as an affiliate. When you are an affiliate you promote those companies. There are many ways you can promote for an affiliate and its all what you wish to put into it. They have advertising banners with your affiliate number embedded in them that you can put on your blog. When one of your readers clicks on that banner and purchases from that merchant, you get a comission. Another way, and this is the one that I use the most, is paid post opportunities. Your seller sends you an email with an offer of payment for posting a specific thing. Usually its a sale or a holiday type promotion that they are starting and they want you to get the word out. The best part is they GIVE you the sample to post in your blog so it is easy to do. Just a simple copy and paste into your blog as a post and then a form to fill out for the merchant to verify that you did as they requested. Most often the payments are small, usually $5 or $10 dollars but for minimum work you have just made some money and if you have 4 or 5 merchants in a month ask you to do this it can add up. If you join Share A Sale and you want some good affiliate links, hit me up on facebook and I can give you some links.

Some other sites that you can use are actually here on my blog on the sides. You can click on any of the widgets and it will take you to the sites so you can sign up. US Family Guide is one of those widgets. It has many opportunites for going to events and then blogging and tweeting about them. I can't use them much because I am in such a rural area but I did get one opp where I blogged about a summer camp recently and I expect to be paid next month. Some of my friends who live in large cities or near large cities get many many opportunities to go to plays, movies, and other events so it might be a good place to look into. Massive Sway /Sit girls is another that has some big pay opportunities. I haven't been able to do anything for them as of yet but I see some of the payments in the several hundreds of dollars. http://massivesway.thesitsgirls.com/ would be the website if you want to join up or just check them out. 

Another review site I use is Amazon Review Trader. I have gotten flatware, cutting boards, essential oils, a nice bath set, and a few other things from that site to review. Some are expensive so be warned of that but you don't have to do everything on a site. I usually go for the free or $1.00 options that are there. All they want on that site are reviews on Amazon.com so its fairly easy to do and build up your reviews.

When you write your review, BE HONEST! Nothing damages the reviewing world more than people that rate everything 5 stars and glowing. I am not saying don't give something 5 stars if you feel it deserves it, but make sure it is really how you feel. I have many items on my amazon profile rated 5 stars and 4 stars because that is how I feel about the item. I also have a few 3 2 and 1 star reviews but for me to give them that low of a ranking, they have to be really bad or the seller will not cooperate with me. 

If you have an issue with an item, always try and work it out with the seller first. If you got the item from a review group then it is your responsibility to contact the group you received it from before contacting the seller. The group leader will go to the seller on your behalf and get the situation taken care of but every group I am in stresses that they do not want you to go directly to the seller. Now when your Amazon ranking drops below 10,000 you may be pitched to directly by sellers. Those sellers you can go to directly if you have an issue. Most sellers will bend over backwards to help you because they want and need those 4 and 5 star ratings.

Write your review thoughtfully. Don't make it sound like an advertisement because Amazon may pull it. Act as if you are speaking to a good friend about it. Tell what you like, and what isn't so great. If possible talk about how it smells, how it works, how it feels and how it relates to you. If you have negative things to say, be respectful and polite about it. Never slam a seller because it will get you down voted and possibly have your reviews taken down. Make your review more than one or two sentences but don't make it a novel. A well written review is more than " I really liked this. It worked good".

So thats it really. That is how I get all that stuff in the mail to review and how I get money. I am hoping in time to make somewhere around $1300 a month like some of my friends do but for now I am just happy that I am making in the $100's per month. I mean I've only done it for 2 months and so far I have $166 in Share A Sale, $50 in Influenster, all those items I have reviewed probably in the $300 range, a $50 Amazon credit coming from US Family Guide, and then my Crowdtap which is about $40 a month, and P2S and Swagbucks. I would say that is somewhere around $300 a month in credit, cash and merchandise so far.

Wedding Coming Up? Check out these beautiful True & Co bras and panties that will add sizzle to any outfit!

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. 

Need the perfect strapless bra for a bachelorette party? How about a sweet nude for the bride? 
With True & Co Wedding Collection  you will have an array of beautiful bras and sexy sets to choose from. Each will leave you looking flawless in any style dress you wear on the big day - with no visible straps, lumps, or lines. And for you brides-to-be, True & Co. has quite a seductive selection of bras and sets that are sure to add sizzle to the honeymoon...

Here are a few in True&Co.'s wedding collection that you're sure to love:

Wedding Party:Multi-Way Bra - This bra is perfect for special occasions that call for shoulder baring tops and dresses. Smooth and seamless, this lightly lined bra provides subtle lift and moderate coverage for a comfortable fit and natural look.

Bride:Gramercy Bra - This unapologetically seductive, all-over nude lace balconette was specially designed to support with one-way stretch cups and gorgeous coverage. The lightweight unlined cups are crafted with a flattering stretch lace fabric that embraces and showcases your natural silhouette without compromising support.


Bachelorette & Honeymoon:Strapping Lace Set - This bra teases but isn't so forward as to give anything away. The bra is a combination of black satin for structure and red mesh staged behind a veil of midnight lace for a sexy look and feel.

Multi-Way Bra

Gramercy Bra

Strapping Lace Set

Whether you're walking down the isle or dancing on tables at the bachelorette party, True&Co. will have the perfect bra for the occasion.