Monthly Archives: April 2013

Travel Tip: The Parking Spot has Airport Parking Covered!

April 19, 2013TravelAirport Parking, The Parking Spot, TravelKim

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Parking Spot. All opinions are 100% mine.

When we fly out of town we always worry about airport parking. Where are we going to park our car? Is it somewhere safe? Can we reserve ahead of time? How long is it going to take us to get from the parking area to the airport? One place that knows how to do it is Parking Spot!

The Parking Spot is a national chain with 34 facilities at over 22 airports. We have not only 1 The Parking Spot location but 3 at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport where we fly out of!

Some of the things that make The Parking Spot great are:

Friendly shuttles every 5-7 minutes
Covered, open-air and valet parking available (select locations)
Always open
Fast and easy check-in & check-out
Well lit, fully-fenced
Luggage assistance available
Complimentary chilled water
Complimentary USA Today until 9am, Monday-Friday
Airport parking reservations available
Car care services, including car washes and oil changes available in some markets

You can earn free parking at The Parking with The Spot Club! You will earn one free day for every 7 paid days.

Here’s how it works:

Pick up a Spot Club card from the Parking Spot cashier. You’ll earn points for that stay and every time you present your Spot Club Card. If your company participates in the Spot Club Exec program, your travel manager can give you a card.
Register your Spot Club Card. This will allow you to manage your account on-line, including seeing parking activity and printing award certificates.
Use your Spot Club card on every stay. Use it at entry and you don’t need to pull a ticket. Use it at exit with your credit card and use our automated check-out lane.
Link your Spot Club card to a credit card. This optional service enables you to exit The Parking Spot using just your linked Spot Club card to earn points and pay for your stay. All you need is a registered Spot Club card and a valid credit card to create a linked card.

If you are looking somewhere to park for your next vacation or business trip you should check to see if The Parking Spot is at your airport. You can make your airport parking reservations online.

You can follow The Parking Spot on twitter @TheParkingSpot and like them on facebook.

Tips On How To Green Your Grocery Shopping, Cleaning, and Pet Care

April 19, 2013Eco-Friendly, GreenEarth Day, green cleaningAlicia

Earth Day is just around the corner but I believe that the ‘green trend’ that people used to get so excited about around Earth Day every year is not so much a trend anymore but a lifestyle. It’s the norm. Many parents have become more green than they were in the past whether it’s by buying organic, all-natural shampoo for their kids or BPA-free baby bottles. Being green may not be easy as easy as shopping like we used to 10 years ago, but many companies and stores are putting a lot of effort into providing consumers with many ‘green’ options.

So we have the options but what about the ideas to implement a more green lifestyle? Here are a few great tips on how to be more green.

You can easily conserve resources in your everyday life just by making a few small changes in and around your home.

Here are some other ways to green your day-to-day duties:

Grocery Shopping

Green your trash bags: It is so easy and inexpensive to get trash bags made from recycled or biodegradable material these days that there is little excuse not to use them. You can buy a roll at most supermarkets or online from Kokopelli’s Green Market (kokogm.com). Bring your own reusable tote to the grocery store with you. Leave a few totes in the trunk of your car or stash them away in your purse for unexpected trips.

Skip the Suds

Try a green detergent such as 7th Generation which comes in a recycled cardboard bottle. You can also use a detergent designed for cold water; using cold water for each wash load saves energy, which is good for the earth, and also saves money, which is great for your wallet. Cold water detergents are formulated to fight dirt and stains just as well as their warm water counterparts.

Use a dishwasher instead of washing plates by hand. Buy an Energy Star Rated washer, only run it when it is full and skip the pre-rinse cycle.

Choose Non-Toxic Cleaning Products

For every commercial and chemical based product on the market, there is probably a greener alternative…or even a homemade substitution!

• Baking Soda: This is great for cleaning, deodorizing, softening water and scouring dishes.

• Soap: Unscented soap in liquid, flake or powder form is biodegradable and will clean just about anything.

• Lemon: A strong food acid effective against most household bacteria.

• Borax: Cleans, deodorizes, disinfects, softens water, cleans wallpaper, painted walls and floors

• White Vinegar: Cuts grease, removes mildew, odors, some stains and wax build-up.

• Washing Soda: Cuts grease, removes stains, softens water, cleans walls, tiles, sinks and tubs.

• Cornstarch: Can be used to clean windows, polish furniture, shampoo carpets and rugs.

• Citrus Solvent: Cleans paintbrushes, oil and grease and some stains.

Green Your Pet

The carbon emissions emitted from the production and transportation of your pet’s food can be quite high; to offset this, look for healthy food alternatives. While organic pet food may cost a bit more, it is made with renewable resources and no pesticides or environmentally unfriendly fertilizers. Whether it comes in bottles, bags or cans, chances are that your pet’s food containers can be recycled.

Scooping poop is no fun for anyone but you can make it more environmentally friendly by using biodegradable bags, which are available at most pet stores. This is an excellent alternative to using plastic bags which are nearly impossible to decompose.

Photo Credit: pure cleaning agency

About GreenBrideGuide.com

GBG is one of the top sites for Green Wedding and they are launching GreenHomeGuide.com this spring, which will be all about ecofriendly home décor. GBG’s CEO, Kate L. Harrison, has a JD in Environmental Law and a Master’s from Yale in Environmental Policy. She planned her own green wedding in 2007 and wrote the best selling green wedding book The Green Bride Guide: How to Plan an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget (Sourcebooks, 2008). In 2009, she foundedwww.greenbrideguide.com to help couples use their weddings to promote social and environmental change and support the local green economy. The site also has a green gift registry and wedding shop.

Green Car Buying Tips from Auto Trader, Just In Time For Earth Day

April 19, 2013Eco-Friendly, Green, TravelCar Buying, Earth Day, Green CarAlicia

Buying a car is a task as it is. What if you are looking into buying a ‘green car’? There are so many things to consider if you want your next family vehicle to be a green vehicle, such as emissions, fuel efficiency, and electric vs. clean diesel vs. hybrid. Where do you begin researching what the best green car for your family is? Auto Trader has a special page titled “Green Car Shopping Tips: Buying the Right Green Car for You” that I think will help you move forward with researching the next green car for your family.

Auto Trader Green Car Buying Guide Photo source: Auto Trader

Just in time for Earth Day, AutoTrader.com editors provide expert advice to help any shopper who’s considering making an environmentally-friendly vehicle choice

Earth Day is a time when people examine the choices they make in their day-to-day lives and consider things they can do to conserve resources. For many car shoppers, this means adding environmentally-friendly vehicles to their lists.

When asked to rank features that were important to them in their next vehicle, shoppers in an AutoTrader.com survey picked fuel efficiency as most important above body style, comfort/seating, convenience features and design. Shoppers considering a fuel efficient vehicle said saving money and helping the environment were the top two reasons why.

For those ready to make the switch to a more environmentally-friendly vehicle, AutoTrader.com editors say there’s never been a better time.

“In the past, consumers had limited choices if they wanted a more fuel-efficient vehicle, but that’s definitely not the case today,” said Brian Moody, AutoTrader.com site editor. “Shoppers now have a wide selection of new and used vehicle options that fit most lifestyles and budgets.”

AutoTrader.com editors have created a green car shopping primer that breaks down how electric, clean diesel and hybrid vehicles work, sharing the pros and cons of each technology to help shoppers decide which one could be the right fit for their lifestyle.

“For example, if you have a shorter commute, an electric vehicle might be an ideal option. If you love the driving dynamics and power of a traditional engine, a clean diesel would be a smart choice. And there are a lot of great used hybrid vehicles out there for folks who want the efficiency, but maybe don’t have the budget for a new car,” Moody explained.

Visit AutoTrader.com/greencartips to learn more.

About AutoTrader.com

Created in 1997, Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com is the Internet’s ultimate automotive marketplace. As a leading resource for car shoppers and sellers, AutoTrader.com aggregates millions of new, used and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of dealers and private sellers and provides expert articles and reviews. AutoTrader.com, which also operates the AutoTraderClassics.com auto marketing brand, is wholly owned by AutoTrader Group. Additionally, AutoTrader Group owns Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com) as well as three other companies that provide a full suite of software tools that help dealers and manufacturers manage their inventory and advertising online: vAuto, HomeNet Automotive and VinSolutions. AutoTrader Group is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. Providence Equity Partners is a 25 percent owner of the company and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.

SOURCE AutoTrader.com

12 Year Old Scientist Quickly Raises Over $500 Towards her Goal for her Possum Vision Science Fair Project

April 18, 2013New posts12 Year Old Scientist, Science Fair ProjectAlicia

possom vision science project Back in the day when I was a child.. way back, the most significant science project I submitted was probably my bounce shelled egg project. I’m sure anyone could google “bouncing egg science project” these days and be done with the project in 15 minutes. In fact, the bouncing egg project appears to be way outdated as kids are now submitted science projects involving UV and IR signals!

A 12 year old girl named Josie who lives in Dayton, Ohio has taken the science fair project to a new level.

Future scientists everywhere can further their research goals using Josie Baudendistel as their model. For the past two years, this Dayton Regional STEM School student has been studying forensic scavenging patterns for her science fair projects in conjunction with Dr. Eric Benbow, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Dayton.

Because Josie is under the age limit for posting a project on FundaGeek, her Dad set up an account and helped her build her project called Possum Vision.

Over the last two years, Josie has observed interesting scavenging patterns within different seasons and different scavengers. She notes that nocturnal Opossum scavenge mainly at night. As she says, “This begs the question of whether or not they detect visual cues using a larger portion of the light spectrum than humans. For instance, do Opossum use ultraviolet or infrared light wavelengths as scavenging signals?”

For this year’s science fair project, her hypothesis is that they may use both UV and IR signals. She plans to set three pig carcasses along the edge of a field where previous activity has been observed. Each carcass will have a tripod with a webcam placed over it that will send images to a website. Each carcass will also have a trail camera placed near it to capture scavenging activity. In addition, she will go to each carcass site and take pictures through a filter that senses UV light as well as IR light to observe any visual changes in the carcass twice a day during the research period. She will then compare the observed visual signals with opossum scavenging activities. If visual signals can be identified, there is a possibility they can be used during forensic investigations.

The University of Dayton will supply webcams, trail cams and 3 pig carcasses. Her family will supply the tripods. Her successful crowdfunding project will help her to purchase a new camera to convert to UV and IR sensitive light as well as software to analyze the pictures. A breakdown of her costs is listed on her project’s page at: http://www.fundageek.com/project/detail/786/Possum-Vision–UVIR-Visual-Scavenging-Signals

As Josie says, “Sponsor me and be included in my work through a special website. Spread the word. Tell your friends. Donate equipment. Anything will be very much appreciated!”

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My science fair projects involved bouncing eggs and paper mache. Were your science projects this scientific. What is your most memorable science project?

My Makeup Is Staying Fabulous All Day Long With COVERGIRL® Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation #StayFabulous

April 11, 2013Beauty & Skin Carebeauty, Covergirl, foundation, makeup, P&GAlicia

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have some issues with skin imperfections as a result of teen acne (left some scaring) and lack of sleep (under-eye darkness) for 13 years since I had my first child.

About a week ago I received COVERGIRL® Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation to review. For more than 5 years, every bottle of foundation that I’ve had cost at least $30 and was purchased at a specialty store and I’ll be honest; I assumed that foundation that cost at least $30 must be better than makeup that costs less than $10. Since using this foundation everyday for 5 days straight, I have to retract my assumption. I am very pleased with this foundation.

I love COVERGIRL’s Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation! I chose it over my other foundations for my vacation that I’m on this week which says a lot.

My Experience with COVERGIRL® Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation

How is the coverage?

The coverage of this foundation is medium to full. This foundation has proven to last through even my most active days. I feel that this foundation provided very good and even coverage. I always apply a primer before foundation but because this foundation says it is a “Primer, concealer, and foundation in one”, I tried it without using a primer. I have been very impressed with how smooth this foundation applies to my skin.

I am very happy with the coverage this foundation provides for the dark circles under my eyes. I usually use a concealer under my eyes or an eye brightening stick but I haven’t been since using this foundation.

How long does it last?

I usually apply foundation around 10am and leave it on until about 9pm. I have found that this foundation lasts all day (from 9am-10pm) and what I really appreciate is that I don’t feel like I have to use a setting power or touch-up during the day. I have been in a couple of situations when I broke a bit of a sweat and didn’t notice a decline or ‘melting’ of the foundation during or after those times.

Will it match your skin color?

Like I mentioned earlier, my skin has a yellow-ish tone to it which makes it difficult to color-match perfectly. While in the bottle, this foundation looked a little pink for my skin, but once I applied it, that’s when I really got excited because it matches my skin color perfectly! I recommend that you purchase a shade that looks one shade lighter than your skin color as based on what I’ve seen with my skin, it darkens a tad once it has oxidized. COVERGIRL® Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation is available in 14 shades so you are sure to find one that works for you.