It’s My Imagination

New Online Community – Social Spark

April 26, 2008 on 7:09 am | In Blogging | Comments Off

Things have been fairly quite on this blog lately, but I’m hoping to change that. I truly enjoy blogging, in fact, some might say I am addicted to it. I like being able to write and communicate with others, even those I’ve never met. In the 9 months since I started my first blog, I’ve made so many online friends, discovered some fabulous blogs and even met one blogger in real life. It’s been a worthwhile experience and one I hope to continue.

I have joined several online communities while blogging, some I find to be worthwhile, others are sort of stagnant. I’m very excited about my latest sign up though, and that’s with SocialSpark which is not only a great community of fellow bloggers, but also a site that will help build traffic to my blog and help me monetize it.

SocialSpark is a community of bloggers who not only want to help each other, but want to earn some money in a legitimate way. SocialSpark has a code of ethics that must be followed by every member. The highlights of this code are: -100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
-100% Transparency
-100% Real Opinions
-100% Search Engine FriendlyIn other words, if I write a post that I am being paid for, I am going to not hide that fact from my readers. My readers will be able to see that it is a sponsored post as well as see who the sponsor is. However, just because I’m being paid for a post, doesn’t mean I can’t still express my own opinion about the subject. Of course, I’m not going to write about something I don’t believe in, so my posts will be honest.The best part of SocialSpark in my opinion is the fact that each sponsored link in SocialSpark automatically carries the “no-follow” attribute so as not to affect search engine rankings. No more getting slapped around by the big search engine for earning money on by doing paid posts on my blog.

Although the community is very new to the public, SocialSpark has some terrific opportunities available now and will only grow in the future.

If you’re interested in monetizing your blog and being part of a community that helps build your traffic, check out SocialSpark for yourself.

Tags: Social Spark, SocialSpark, socialspark.com

Health Savings Accounts

April 25, 2008 on 8:06 am | In Family Health | Comments Off

In preparation for our daughter getting braces and our having to pay for it, my husband and I decided to contribute a set amount of money into a Health Savings Account (HSA). This is similar to a regular savings account except that the money is deducted directly from my husband’s paycheck before taxes. This is our first time ever to use an HSA, so it’s a learning experience. This learning experience could prove to be expensive if not calculated correctly, you see, any money in the HSA that is not used, is lost. Money from one year cannot be carried over to the following year and you do not get the money back.

Knowing the cost of getting braces, we opted to put an amount into the account that was just under the maximum allowed per year. What we didn’t know before doing this was that the HSA will only reimburse you as expenses are incurred. This is fine in most dental or medical issues, after all, we usually only pay for expenses as they are incurred. Orthodontia is different. We had two options for paying for our daughter’s 20-24 month treatment. We could pay all of it up front and receive a 10% discount on the total (equated to approximately $500), or, we could pay a 10% down payment and then make monthly payment for 20 months.

We would have chosen the upfront payment to receive the discount, but I also discovered that our HSA would not reimburse us at all if we did this! So, we lose the discount, have to have monthly payments, and will get reimbursed from our HSA. Getting reimbursed from our HSA means we are paying for the treatment with pre-tax money, so we are reducing our tax liability. I’m not sure what our tax savings actually will be, so it’s difficult for me to determine if we made a good deal or not. Our tax savings would have to be greater than $500 to make the whole thing worthwhile.

In most cases, a Health Savings Account is an excellent financial plan. In the case of orthodontic treatment, I’m undecided.

Tags: health savings accounts, orthodontic treatment

Wordless Wednesday

April 23, 2008 on 9:12 am | In Blogging, My Imagination | 7 Comments

Tags: puggle puppy, Wordless Wednesday

Dental Insurance

April 22, 2008 on 11:25 am | In Some of This Some of That | 2 Comments

We moved to Texas last April.  As anyone who has ever relocated can tell you, one of the most difficult transitions is finding new doctors and dentists.

We have good insurance through my husband’s employer, but I had a heck of a time trying to find a dentist that I felt comfortable going to that was in the insurance network.  I am very choosy, as I’ve said before, I have a huge fear when it comes to dentists and the work they do.  When looking for a dentist, I ask for referrals from people I know, but since we’re new to the area, that’s sort of difficult.  Next, I obtain a list of dentists within 20 miles that are “in network”.  Lastly, I drive by their individual offices to check them out and make sure it’s someplace I would feel comfortable (or as comfortable as I can feel at a dental appointment!).

This search for a dentist proved to be harder than any I’ve done in the past.  The “in network” dentist options were very limited and I didn’t like any of the offices I was checking out.  It’s hard for me to go to a dentist office that is attached to a gas station or next to a 24 hour check cashing service.

As it turned out, while searching for an orthodontist for my daughter, I ran across a dentist in an office that was very nice and in a nice area.  I spoke with the receptionist about my dilemma with finding an “in network” dentist, and she was very sympathetic.  She explained that they had many clients who were considered “out of network”, and most times, the insurance still paid 100%.  So, that’s the dentist my daughter and I saw last month for our check ups.  We both liked him and the service we got.

The dentist office filed all the forms with my insurance for me and yesterday, I received the good news.  The insurance covered all but $2.  That’s right, I owe a measly $2!  After months of trying to find a dentist, I have to say, I’m very pleased with how everything has turned out and even more pleased that our insurance covered over $500 in “out of network” expenses!

Tags: dental bills, dental insurance

Accidents in the Home

April 20, 2008 on 8:54 am | In My Imagination | 8 Comments

I’ve heard it many times, most accidents occur at home.  Yesterday, I found out first hand how true that statement really is.

We had friends come for a visit and we all went to watch my daughter’s softball game.  Following the game, we returned home where my husband was grilling burgers for lunch for all of us.  I was sitting on the patio furniture having a conversation with one of our guests when, the next thing I knew, I was seeing stars.  I had been struck in the head by the outdoor ceiling fan that had fallen from its mount.

Thankfully, I was not directly under the center of the fan, rather I got smacked with one of the fan blades, squarely on top of my head and then it slid down the side of my face, knocking off my glass on its way down to crashing on the ground.  I immediately place an ice pack on top of my head and took some pain reliever.  I felt pretty out of it the rest of the day, but feel much better today, other than the huge bruise that is covering most of the top of my head.

It will be a while before I’m comfortable sitting under a ceiling fan again.

Tags: ceiling fans, home accidents

On a Roll

April 18, 2008 on 11:17 am | In My Imagination | 4 Comments

I’ve been enjoying the fact that the family room is complete, the walls are repaired and painted and I am relaxing in a room that reflects me and my style.

So, now that this room is done, I feel ready to tackle another.  I asked my daughter if she’s ready for me to paint her room, but she can’t decide on a color.  So, I think I’ll do the t.v. room upstairs.  It’s currently painted a rather horrid orange color with enough nail holes in the walls to make me run out of spackle.

I stopped by and picked up a paint sample yesterday, so I’ll see if it’s a color that my husband likes as well.  If it is, I’ll be buying paint soon.  I need to act on this level of motivation before it disappears!

Tags: home renovation

Free Cell Phones = Time to Update

April 17, 2008 on 8:57 am | In Some of This Some of That | 1 Comment

Two years ago I decided to splurge on myself and I got myself a very nice new cell phone. I have really enjoyed it, it has all of the features I like and many I don’t use. I really bought it because I can flip it open and it has a regular typing keypad. This is great for when I’m utilizing the calendar function or typing a rare text message. I can also access my email from my phone, although I don’t do that very often.

Two years. That’s an eternity in technology! I’m trying to decide if I want to trade it in on an updated version of the same phone. I know I don’t really need to, but I can tell the battery is not lasting as long as it used to. Now, I make a few calls and it needs to charge. That’s sort of a pain. But is it pain enough to get a new phone?

I’m always seeing offers for free cell phones and I think I’ll start looking into those. Who knows, maybe I can update and not have to pay anything! That would make this decision very easy.

How often do you get a new cell phone?

Tags: free cell phones

Uncomfortable vs. Pain

April 17, 2008 on 8:48 am | In Family, My Imagination | 2 Comments

Why do doctors, dentists and orthodontists tell their patients that a procedure may feel uncomfortable?  Why don’t they just say, this is probably going to hurt?

My daughter had 4 spacers (separators) placed in her mouth yesterday morning and by dinner, she didn’t even want to eat!  She’s a very tough kid who doesn’t like to take medicine, even knowing it can make her feel better, so, when she asks for something for the pain, I know that it’s really hurting.

She did eat a large bowl of soup for dinner, she didn’t want anything that she had to chew.  She also had a bowl of ice cream for desert.  By the time she went to bed she was asking for a pain reliever.  I gave her an Aleve and this morning she said it felt better.

I am concerned at how she’ll feel at lunch.  She opted for hot lunch at school today and it’s popcorn chicken.  I hope she doesn’t have any problems.  She may come home really hungry this afternoon.  Looks like I need to go to the store and purchase some soft food items.

Tags: orthodontics

Proof of Paranormal Activity

April 16, 2008 on 7:23 pm | In Some of This Some of That | 2 Comments

Do you believe in paranormal activity? What about UFO’s?

Watch this video which shows actual paranormal activity that occurred at St. Illness Hospital hosted by Chief Investigator Tay as recorded by The Sewing Mom.

Tags: paranormal activity

Beginning Orthodontic Treatment

April 16, 2008 on 10:58 am | In Family Health | Comments Off

We did it, my daughter started her orthodontic treatment this morning.

For $200 she had photographs and x-rays taken. She then had molds done of her teeth and mouth. Following that, she had 4 spacers inserted between top teeth. She will have the actual brackets and braces put on her top teeth next week.

I can tell that she is excited to finally have the process of straightening her teeth underway. She has been waiting for almost two years for this day to arrive. She immediately called her Dad who is out of town on business to let him know she had her spacers. I dropped her off at school and she was anxious to see if her friends would notice!

Tags: orhodontic treatment