Long Distance Learning

Long distance learning has become a the more practical and accepted form of higher education. Now, with the wonderful technology at our fingertips, everyone can afford a higher education in both time and tuition. It is almost imperative to pursue a college degree if you want to be able to have a career that will allow you to pursue your dreams. Capella University, which was founded in 1993 is an accredited, fully online university that offers graduate degree programs in business, information techology, education, human services and psychology and bachelor's degree programs in business and information techology. One of their esteemed faculty members is Sara Orem, who recently co-authoried a book titled "Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process for Change". Her unique approach has inspired people to focus on a positive view of themselves and others. Sara is not only an adjunct professor at Capella University, but she is also the principal of her own coaching firm. Sara represents one of many professionals who teach for Capella University. Don't let time or money hold you back in earning a college degree. In the long-run it can change your life forever. This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.

Think Mother's Day

Mother's Day is coming up fast and you will want to get your mom something wonderful to make her feel great and look pretty. Make your Mother's Day shopping easy and cost effective at Sephora. Right now Sephora is offering free shipping on all orders of $50 or more. All you need to do is to use the code MDAY (for Mother's Day). While you are shopping at their extensive website, don't forget to order some of their great free samples too. You can check out their website by clicking on the icon in my sidebar or go to Sephora to see all their great products. Happy shopping!

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep

Neutrogena is expanding their skin care line with their Comforting Body Butter collection. The line includes three products; a body butter body wash; a body butter hand cream and a body butter body cream. The collection is devised to help soothe and improve dry, damaged skin. The collection can be found in drug and discount stores now. For those who have been devoted to Pure Glow cleansing pads, then you will love Neutrogena's version called Illuminating Microderm Cleansing Pads. The dual sided pads are designed to exfoliate and smooth. These pads are gentle enough to use daily for facial cleansing.

On The Move

So many people are moving these days. In my area alone, there are houses for sale all over the place. Some are moving to other neighborhoods in the same area as they need a bigger house with more closets and/or bedrooms. Some are pulling up stakes and moving out of state where the taxes are less and you get more house and land for your money. Whereever these people are going, they all have one thing in common; they will need to hire a moving company to help them complete their move. Of course, everyone wants a cheap moving company, but the most important thing is to find a moving company that is organized and reliable and will complete the move in a reasonable period of time. Now you can find a moving company to suit all your personal needs at a website that only recommends top-quality moving companies with spotless reputations. You can rest assured that these moving companies have been carefully screened and must have met all licensing and insurance qualifications before being able to be recommended. You can also be assured that you will have a customer service network behind you should any problems arise during your move and that the best possible prices have been negotiated in advance. Moving is probably the worst part of the adventure, but now you can make it that much easier for yourself by using a website to find the right mover to suit your own personal needs whether you are moving across the street or across the country.

Idol Gives Back

During a two hour version of American Idol's results show, viewers were both entertained by the likes of Annie Lenox, Il Divo, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and a stunning duet by Celine Dion and Elvis Presly, through the wonders of technology. The point of the show was to raise money for American Idol Gives Back which will provide funding for programs which help Aids victims in Africa as well as purchase school supplies, books, fund food programs and organized programs for children in both our country and Africa. The fund raising effort raised over thirty million dollars, but if you haven't donated yet, you still can at American Idol.com. Here you can donate as much or as little as you can afford. I really commend the producers of American Idol for making their show a platform for those who have no voice of their own.

A Father's Right

If you haven't been living under a rock, then you know all about the notorious phone message Alec Baldwin left for his daughter, Ireland. It has been played over and over again, most likely released by Kim Basinger's legal counsel. Even though her reps strongly deny the implication, they also stated that there was no gag order regarding the taped message which leads me to believe that it was leaked to bolster Kim's long standing custody case against Alec. Unfortunately, it has backfired in his favor. Yes, what he did was wrong, but Alec's ongoing problem with controlling his temper and his pent up frustration over his inability to communicate with either his daughter or his ex-wife, makes the phone call almost understandable. Too bad these two people, or more pointedly, Kim Basinger, couldn't just do what was best for her child and just adhere to the custody agreement. Hopefully, Alec will be able to settle this amicably for he sake of his child, but chances are he'll be spending more time in court than with her.

Wonders Never Cease

Just when I thought I'd seen everything on the internet, I now find out that there is a website totally dedicated to testing. In fact, if you have a test coming up, you can probably use this website to prepare for your upcoming exam. Everyone from students, to teachers to healthcare workers and civil service workers can find out everything they need to know about upcoming exams including preparation, the actual test taking itself and test scores. You can keep track of all your test scores through your account and keep yourself organized with one website. If you are college bound student, you can use the website to prepare for all college entrance exams including SAT tests. If you are a teacher, you can use the website to prepare, give and score tests with this website. If you are a parent, you can use the website to keep track of your child's progress and your school's report card with regard to standardized testing. This website provides the most detailed and organized information for any and all testing procedures and even employers can use the website to screen job applicants or monitor employees in their area of expertise. There's so much talk about how negative the internet is. Here is living proof that the internet can be used for positive things as well.

Rosie's Exit

Finally, what came as no surpise to anyone, Rosie O'Donnell announced that she will leave 'The View' in June. Carefully scripted Barbara Walters, underscored the announcement by saying that she had no input in negotiations between Rosie and ABC (owned by Disney), and that may be true. Afterall, Disney is far more powerful than even Barbara Walters and after Rosie grabbed her crotch at an organized event for women in the media the other night and exclaimed "eat me", I'm sure Disney decided it was time for Rosie to go already. Ratings are important, but integrity is more important and frankly, this woman has none. She is as low class as they come and a poor role model for any young woman seeking a career in television or any form of journalism.

Making Weight Loss Sensible

I've written about lots of diet plans in my blog, but the only one I can really stand behind is Weight Watchers. Why? Because I am just one of their many success stories. Almost one year ago, I began to lose weight thanks to Weight Watchers. I didn't even have to leave my house for meetings. I did everything right online through their website. My personalized page help me keep track of my point plan, core plan and weight loss success. Since I've been on maintenance, I've been able to pretty much keep the weight off because Weight Watchers makes it that easy. If you are still struggling with weight loss, then try Weight Watchers. You can sign up right now for a free trial plan at Weight Watchers.comand see for yourself just how easy it is. They have a wonderful online community of people who will help you reach your weight loss goals.

Your Best Credit Card Choices

Having one child who will be going to college in the Fall, and a husband who is self-employed, finding the best credit card option is really imperative. For my son, who will be living away from home beginning in September of this year, I want him to be as independent as humanly possible. In an attempt to get him to stop relying on us, we really want him to handle his own finances as much as possible. My husband and I have always had credit cards, but over the years, there have been increasingly more choices in terms of what credit cards will work best for our financial situation, our credit status and our every changing way of life. Navigating all this information can be very tricky, but I found a website dedicated to everything you every wanted to know about credit cards . Here, I was able to find an article specifically relating to the necessity of college student's need for a credit card for specific purposes like emergencies. I found the article to be the most informative on the subject and it just validated my feelings about his need for a credit card and helped me decide what kind he should have. What I really like about this website is that it addresses the needs of everyone, including business owners who are looking for a business credit card. Again, there is some very specific information about various business credit cards that helped us make a choice inasmuch as we have some balances from other cards that we would like to tranfer. The best of the bunch for our needs is Advanta credit cards which offer fifteen months with zero APR on all transfer balances and a fixed rate of 7.99% on any balance after fifteen months and on any additional purchases, plus they offer five percent cash back or travel rewards which works great for us since we will have to travel back and forth to college. I found this website to be easy to navigate, very informative for all credit card needs with various choices on a number of credit cards.

Surf's Up

Being the mother of a teenage daughter, I am always on the look-out for great websites that sell quality clothing at good prices. I also encourage my daughter to choose clothing styles that are fashionable, but not degrading in any way. Of course, like any mother and daughter, we argue over what's acceptable, but now I've found a great website that is not only good for her, but for me as well. I never thought of myself as the surf clothing type, but this website has changed my mind completely. They have the cutest styles for beach, surf and water sports wear for not only teenagers, but for women of any age. This is a comprehensive website that gives useful information about surf camps, surfing in general and inspirational stories as well as global surfing news. They not only sell great clothing and foot wear, but you can also get beautiful surf jewelry, photos, artwork, music, books and DVDs as well. This is a website that clearly tries to provide information and resources tailored to the specific needs of water women. They also sponsor relevant clubs, environment and animal rights organizations and urges responsiblity to all these things through their website. This is, by far, one of the very best websites I have found and I urge you to check it out for yourself, your daughter, wife or mother for Mother's Day as they have some great and unique gift ideas.

Gone, But Definitely Not Forgotton

This week on American Idol Sanjaya Malakar finally was voted off the hit reality show. This came as no surprise to Sanjaya who gave an interview for 'American Idol Extra'. He said he was fully prepared to go that week, but still found that leaving was very emotional as he had formed strong bonds with the other contestants. Don't shed any tears for Sanjaya though. He will be back for the finale and be on tour with the top ten contestants for their country-wide tour. I also predict that Sanjaya will have a very lucrative career despite his lack of talent.

Good For The Skin

Garnier has been making great hair care products now for years. Their hair care products which included a line of hair coloring products as well as salon formulated products were based on natural plant extracts to maintain healthy looking hair without stripping the hair with harsh chemicals. Now, what they have done for their hair care products, they are now doing for a relatively new skin care line. With Sarah Jessica Parker as their spokes model, they have successfully launched this line of skin care products which includes various moisturizers for day and night time use, serums for treatment of deep wrinkles and lines as well as cleaners and exfoliating products. Truthfully, having tried this line I can tell you that these are quality products at drugstore prices. Most of the products sell for under $20 with the least expensive only costing $12.99 and they are easily found at all drug and discount stores and very much worth a try.

Going All Inclusive

Everyone wants to take a vacation that is not only luxurious, but affordable. The most economical way to travel these days, is to book an all inclusive resort vacation. However, even then you must do your homework when shopping for the very best packages available. What should you be looking for in a website? Look for a website that has compelling visual images and virtual tours so you can get a real feel for your chosen destination. Make sure the website provides the most in-depth information on destinations including amenities and recreational activities. Look for the most thorough information regarding your chosen accommodations with detailed room options. Look for a website that is easy to navigate with all-inclusive vacations sorted by style and related preferences. A must-have feature is resort ratings from customers who previously traveled there to get a first-hand experience for your choice. Most of all, look for a website that can offer the deepest discounts, percentage off promotions and free night programs as well. If you do your homework, you can get the very best for the very best prices and enjoy a great vacation, while saving you money.

Red Carpet Diva

Beautiful Lisa Rinna will take her place on the red carpet for the next big award show, The Emmys, on behalf of the TV Guide Channel. For the past three years, the grande damme of the red carpet, Joan Rivers and her sidekick/daughter, Melissa Rivers, were the TV Guide's choice for hosting all the red carpet events. Now, they have decided that Lisa, with her bubbly personality and her background as a talk show host from the is the perfect replacement for the overly botoxed duo. Lisa also has enjoyed a huge rise in popularity since performing as a contestant on 'Dancing with the Stars'. Of course, Joan Rivers is totally mum over her sudden exit, but promises to dish all when her new deal is sealed (whatever that may be).

No Time To Say Good-Bye

Like everyone else in this country, I am still reeling from the trauma of Monday's massacre at Virginia Tech. Having a son who will be going off to college in the Fall, this had a deeper impact on me than I imagined it would. Sending our children off to college is difficult enough, but this horrific tragedy just made me realize how fragile life is and how vulnerable our children are. The children, and they really were just children, had no time to prepare. I will spare you my diatribe as to all the things the college could have done to save their lives, but it was even more painful to see that the monster that took away thirty-one lives got the chance to have the last word while these innocent victims never had the opportunity to say good-bye to their loved ones. Worst yet, the media's constant bombardment of his ugly image, has spurred copycat threats all over the country. It really feels like we have learned nothing since Columbine and our children pay the price for our ignorance. Maybe now, we will finally be pro-active so that other children can be spared their lives and other families can be spared the pain of losing them.

Pay Day Your Way

I never really gave much thought about getting paid in advance until I got a job where I only get paid once a month. That's right, just once a month. It is a very long time between pay checks and by the time I get my check, you can be sure it has already been spent. In fact many people all over the world, and in the UK such as students, military personnel and other workers are only paid bi-monthly or less and are stressed out about how they will pay bills if they don't receive their pay check in a reasonable period of time. Unfortunately, many banks have turned their focus away from the individual consumer and have turned their attentions to their business accounts, leaving a gap in service for individuals in need of small loans. Now, these individuals can get a payday advance through a payday loan company. Registering for these types of accounts are very easy and can be done online in a matter of minutes. These are very secure websites where all relevent personal information is protected. Customers can get cash loans and it is possible that the money can be ready by the next business day. When the person does finally receive their paycheck, they can pay back the loan in whole or in part. This service also works very well for those with limited credit access or with an adverse credit record. It's nice to know that when the rent is due, there is a way to get money when you need it, making payday your way.

Target Beauty For Less

Today while shopping in one of my favorite discount stores, Target. I noticed that more and more, Target is introducing their versions of popular beauty products for much less than the name brand. I was able to pick up their version of Oil of Olay's Regenerist Serum which sells for around $18, while the Target version sells for around $12. This is a substantial savings and, in fact, Target offers the whole line of their version of Regenerist products in similar packaging for around $12 per item. I have no doubt the quality is just as good so any time you can get the store brand over the name brand and save yourself money, then go ahead and do so. Also, Target has a new line they have introduced in their beauty section from a company called Boots. Here you will find a complete skincare and make-up line with very reasonable prices for upscale products that come from the UK. Check these items out online or at your nearest Target store.

Jenny From Brookville

There may have been a time when Jennifer Lopez wanted to identify herself as Jenny from the block and backed it up with her hip hop phase, but that was then and this is now. Jennifer Lopez, still very much down to earth, appeared this week on American Idol as guest coach this week, mentoring the contestants through Spanish inspired music. She also was able to introduce music from her latest CD which is all in Spanish. She has proven herself to be a versatile and very talented force in the music business. Rumours that she and her husband Marc Anthony are having marital troubles are unfounded and hopefully Jenny from Brookville, Long Island has finally hit her stride both personally and professionally. Her next movie which she produced and co-stars in with her husband is due in theatres this August.

The Real Value Of A Dollar

Doesn't it seem like we are paying more for things these days even though our paycheck remains the same? Take gasoline for instance. Gasoline cost half of what we pay today only a few years ago. Now, we are paying almost three dollars a gallon. The same goes for anything else that we buy in the store like food and clothing. The fact of the matter is though, that these things have really not gone up in value, but rather the value of paper money has decreased. Any savvy investor knows that diversifying investments is the only way to really make the most of your money. One great investment that you may have overlooks is gold investing. In fact, investing in either gold, silver or platinum bullion or bullion coins is a great way to maximize your paper money. These precious medals have steadily increased in value over the years so they make a very good and sound investment in the long haul. You have to spend your paper money any way on necessities like food, clothing and gasoline so it is very wise to invest wisely to make sure you always have the security you deserve.

Fighting More Than One Fight At A Time

Only a few weeks ago, John and Elizabeth Edwards appeared together at a news conference to announce that even though Elizabeth's breast cancer had returned, they would not stop the campaign on the quest for John to win the Democratic nomination for President. However, Elizabeth has gotten a lot of bad press for making this decision. People feel that the focus should be on her treatment and not on her husband's campaign. On friday, she appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show explaining her reasons for staying the course. She should be praised for her devotion to her husband and her belief in him. She still will get all the treatment recommended by her physicians, but she would rather spend her time making herself useful to her husband than to stay home and feel sorry for herself.

The New Face Of Jenny Craig

Jenny Craig will be getting a new face for their wildly popular ad campaign. As you all know, Kirstie Alley has been the face of Jenny Craig for nearly two years now, but Valerie will be added to the campaign. She is soliciting the help of her good friend Kirstie, to help her lose thirty pounds. Plan on seeing much more of Valerie over the next few months as she whittles down her figure to her "One Day At A Time" weight. Not nearly as popular is the Whoopie Goldberg campaign for L.A.Weight Loss, but still Whoopie is inspiring people to get on the bandwagon to lose weight the healthy way. I wonder if we will see Valerie modeling her new figure in a bikini on Oprah's show.

The Future Of Communication Is Now

Years ago, the only form of communication was by telephone. Not cell phones, but just regular telephones. Years before the telephone people would have to have written messages delivered from place to place and it would sometimes take weeks or months for information to reach its destination. Unfortunately, timely information often didn't reach its destination until well after an event took place. That was then and happily for us we have come to a place in time where communication of the future is happening right now. Beyond actually chatting online with friends and family, you can now talk literally online with a voice service that will allow you to do so. Nationvoice Communications has positioned itself as a leader in onine voice communications with top-notch Ventrilo server hosting. Nationvoice is a full-scale, global voice communications company that specializes in providing users with the ability to communicate with other users anywhere in the world. They have proven themselves to be the best in voice solutions and network reliability. All I can say is "wow"! I never thought I would see the day when we could literally speak with people all over the world online, but that day has come.

I Don't Do This For The Money, But....

I do make some money doing this and I'm sharing it with you so you can too. I love talking on message boards and I've found one that gives me the opportunity to discuss many different topics of interest and I'm making money while I'm doing it. It's really addicting and I've already made some friends. I've been able to share my blog there too. It's fun and profitable and I'm sharing it with you now so you can join in the fun. You can sign up for free at My Lot. I hope to meet you over there real soon!

The Best Faux Tan Ever

I've tried many faux tan products over the years and most are, at best, okay. I've had problems with some products smelling too strongly, leaving my skin blotchy looking, giving me the wrong shade of tan and wearing off badly. Some of these products are very pricey and not worth any money I've spent on them. Only one product really stands out above all else and that is TanTowel. This product comes in towelette form,individually wrapped in aluminum foil which can stay fresh for months if remaining unopened. They come in various formulas for both face and body. The towel distributes a clear, moisturizing water-like substance that dries almost instantly and has a pleasant fragrance. It leaves your hands stain free and covers as evenly as any product I have ever used. Best of all, it reacts to your own personal skin tone so your tan looks very natural. It also wears off naturally so you don't look blotchy. The only down side to this product is that it's hard to come by. The best place to purchase it is at HSN, but you will get the product for a good price and in various configurations including auto-ship which will never leave you without it over the summer months. It doesn't contain and SPF so you must apply that separately afterwards.

The Number One Destination For Vacationers

As a teacher, I come in contact with many young children and their families. I am never amazed at how many of these people choose Orlando, Florida as their number one destination for a vacation. If you have young children and you want to have some fun for yourself, then Orlando is the place to be. One of the problems that arise when traveling with youngsters though is finding suitable lodgings. Hotels are sometimes not the greatest place to stay when you have two or three young kids in tow. A regular sized hotel room is far too small and a suite can run you hundreds of dollars a night. You might be so busy trying to get the flights booked for the right days, times and flights you may just leave the lodging as the last thing and end up in some second-rate motel that will cost you thousands in the long run. If you are thinking of a Florida vacation and you are traveling with young children, think about looking into a Florida Holiday Villa. This company which is located in the UK services all clients on both sides of the pond and, as you can see from their rentals, their prices in both British pounds and U.S.dollars will save you lots of money on your vacation. Best of all you will stay in a private home, condo or townhouse with as many bedrooms as needed. Many of these private homes and condos have private pools and the homes come fully equipped with everything you will need for a comfortable stay. They've been providing great service since 1947 to you can rest assured that your vacation is in good hands when you book through them. Vacations don't come cheaply and you really want the most for your money. You can have the very best for the least amount when you think outside the box.

George Clooney: What A Guy!

He's been touted as the man's man. A real guy who loves basketball and his pet pot bellied pig (may she rest in piece). He never ceases to amaze with his down to earth boyish charm and gorgeous smile. He reportedly bought a cup of lemonade from three little kids who were selling the tasty treat near the site where his current movie is being filmed. The tiny tots were selling the lemonade for a quarter, but George handed over a $20 bill and told them to keep the change.

The American Idol Scapegoat

I guess every reality show has their scapegoat and up until now, Paula Abdul has been the dumping ground for all things negative about AI. This season though, all the heat is off of Paula and on to Sanjaya Malakar. I've never seen so much negative energy generated by one person from blogs and message boards, not just in this country, but all over the world, even in countries that don't get AI. Okay, the guy doesn't have a great voice, but he has boyish charm that harkens back to the 1960s when those cute bubblegum boys garnered the covers of teen magazines everywhere. None of those guys could sing either, but they were cute and very alluring to all those little girls who had yet reached puberty. Sanjaya represents all those innocent times and days gone by. In a time when we are bombarded with uber sexuality from every media outlet, it is nice to see this young, sweet boy. In any event, if so many people hate him, they worst thing they can do is keep talking about him. He's drawing so much energy from their hate, that he is probably going to win this competition. For those who really despise him, stop complaining and vote for someone else until your dialing finger goes numb. If you can't do that, then shut your piehole for heaven's sake.