When you think of cell phone accessories, which ones come to mind? Most would immediately think protective cases/covers, chargers, and maybe a hands-free/Blutooth device. However, there are a lot more accessories on sale from Verizon Wireless – ones that can really benefit your everyday life or hobbies. Here are just a few of the ‘unknown’ cell phone accessories that are available from Verizon.

1. Zepp GolfSense Sensor – Would you like to improve on your golf swing? This device allows you to do just that! By attaching the lightweight sensor to your golf glove, a 360-degree view of your stance and swing is available for you to visually analyze on your phone after you’ve completed the stroke. The info is sent via Blutooth to your iOS or Android device, giving your an in-depth view of your skills as well as suggestions for improvement.

I smell an awesome Father’s Day gift with this one!

2. iGrill – For those that enjoy cooking on the grill but don’t want to stand over the hot food every second, the iGrill is for you. This device connects to an app that can be downloaded on the iPhone or an Android device, allowing you to keep check on your meat’s temperature from up to 200 feet away. Now you can enjoy the backyard BBQ without having to cling to the grill!

3. Belkin Baby Audio Monitor – Keeping check on your little one has been made easier, thanks to Belkin. This smart accessory is compatible with the free WeMo Baby app, available in the iTunes App Store. A premium version of the app will notify you when you baby cries, and allows you to see your baby’s crying history. The device works with your Wi-Fi network and prevents the need to carry around a separate monitor.

4. Tagg Pet Tracker – Have one of those cats or dogs that like to roam the neighborhood. You can now keep tabs on your furry friend with this Verizon Wireless accessory. Simply tell the device where you want your four-legged friend to stay, and you will receive texts or emails if they step outside the area. You can also track their activity to ensure they are keeping healthy on a daily basis!

• Do you currently own any of these accessories?
• Which of Verizon’s ‘unknown’ accessories would you benefit from the most?

The post Digging Deep into Accessories from Verizon Wireless #VZWA #VZWVoices appeared first on Southern Girl Ramblings.

Nicholas Sparks’ latest book-to-film adaptation, Safe Haven, was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 7, 2013!

Movie Synopsis:

Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough star in this spellbinding romantic drama based on the novel by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook). When a mysterious, beautiful woman named Katie (Hough), moves to Southport, North Carolina, she sparks the interest of the locals, especially Alex (Duhamel), a handsome widower. Although she is attracted to Alex, Katie is reluctant to trust him – that is, until a new friend (Cobie Smulders) convinces her to give Alex a chance. But before long, a dark secret from Katie’s past threatens her happiness in this thrilling romance directed by Lasse Hallström (Dear John).

My Review:

I actually watched this movie a few days after its theater release. I am a HUGE Nicholas Sparks fan and collect all of his books and movies. I knew I’d have to get this one when it came out on DVD/Blu-ray! This movie is a great ‘chick flick’ that would make for a nice girls night or romantic night for a couple. Of course, you could always watch it alone if you prefer!

Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough have such chemistry that it really makes the storyline come alive in the film. Katie (Hough) displays the right emotions at the right times, and it’s so sweet how Alex (Duhamel) treats her. I also love the tie in of the new ‘friend’ Katie acquires, whom is also her ‘neighbor’.

This is one of my favorite books by the author, and I was satisfied with the way it was adapted for the big screen! Sometimes movie adaptations leave out too much or don’t portray the story correctly,  but this wasn’t the case with Safe Haven.

Have you seen Safe Haven? What did you think?

The post Safe Haven on DVD/Blu-ray May 7 {Review} appeared first on Southern Girl Ramblings.

That’s right, Baby#2 is on the way and will be here around December 26, 2013! Though the kiddo doesn’t look too happy in the photo above, he’s very excited about a new baby “coming to live with us” – so long as it’s a boy! He’s been telling us all about the fun things he’s going to do with/teach the baby, such as jumping and reading books.

I am eight weeks into my journey today, and in the next few weeks, I’m going to begin a pregnancy journal which will be posted each Thursday (when my new week starts). Right now, it’s been a fairly uneventful ride aside from the morning all-day sickness that comes and goes! Definitely a part of pregnancy that I do not miss!

I’ve had one ultrasound done so far, though I was way off on my expected due date so I was only 5 weeks, 6 days along at the time. We did get to hear a very faint heartbeat!! The ultrasound tech at my doctor’s office requested we do a follow up at my next O/B appointment on May 22. I’m ready for a much stronger heartbeat by then!

James and I are so excited to be completing our little family. We think Sawyer is at the right age for a sibling – though I once wanted to just be a family of three, I’ve since changed my mind. The kiddo needs someone at home to play with – and assistance to take care of us when we get old!

The post Exciting Announcement from our Family! appeared first on Southern Girl Ramblings.

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Summer Splash Event hosted by Life With Two Boys and With Our Best! A great group of bloggers have teamed up to offer you some amazing prizes to kick off your summer – with a SPLASH! Each blog is giving away at least $25 worth of prizes, plus we have an awesome grand prize for one very lucky winner. Be sure to hop along to each of the participating blogs because the more giveaways you enter, the more chances you have at winning the Grand Prize:

A Yacht Club 3-Piece Rocker Set valued at $1,317!

For this event, Southern Girl Ramblings is giving away a prize pack valued at $41! The pack includes a Flap Happy UPF50 Crusher Hat and Fubbles™ No-Spill® Bubble Guitar!!

Enter to win by completing the Rafflecopter form below. US residents, 18+ only. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer Splash hosts and participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prize. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation that they will fulfill their prize in a timely manner. While we are not responsible, we will make every effort to assist the winner in obtaining their prize.

The post Summer Splash Giveaway – Flap Happy & Fubbles! appeared first on Southern Girl Ramblings.

Welcome to the Totally Toddler Giveaway Hop! This event is hosted by Mommy’s Favorite Things and Mama’s Baby Cupcakes.

This hop is focused on items you’d want/need for a child ages 1-6 yrs old. After visiting my giveaway, make sure you use the linky below to take a look at the other 25+ blogs and see what they have to offer for you and your little one! Each blog has a minimum prize package of $25 per winner.

Also be sure to check out the Grand Prize featured on Mommy’s Favorite Things blog. This grand prize package is sponsored by Pediped with 3 pair of shoes in gender and size of choice, and 2 Red Hens for a snack bag set and a Toy Nanny for a total value of just over $200 in prizes!

For this event, Southern Girl Ramblings is giving away a $37 prize pack featuring the MagneTalk Early Classifying Board Game {Read My Review} and Monkey Balm {Read My Review}!

Enter to win by completing the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US residents, 18+ only. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Mama's Baby Cupcakes, Mommy's Favorite Things and the Totally Toddler participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

The post Totally Toddler Giveaway: Super Duper Publications & Monkey Balm! appeared first on Southern Girl Ramblings.

Conversation is a great way for your children to grow. Not only does it foster good social and communication skills, it also helps to expand their vocabulary. We make it a point to chat with Sawyer throughout the day, about things that are going on around us as well as how he feels, what he likes, etc. He’s at the age where you never know what he’s going to say, and talking to him is just so much fun!

Super Duper Publications is becoming one of my favorite places to get educational materials for the kiddo. Because he doesn’t go to preschool yet, I want to be sure he is learning as much as he can at home – and in a fun manner. In an attempt to increase conversation, we recently received a couple of products from Super Duper Publications.

Conversation through Classification

My favorite of the two was the MagneTalk Early Classifying Magnetic Board. Inside the neat storage/carrying case was a board with several magnets, which all fit into one of the five categories named on the board. The magnets have photos of common, everyday items that your toddler or preschooler can identify.

When we play with the board, I begin by asking Sawyer about one of the categories. With the food category, for example, I ask him questions about food (what do you do with it?) and about his favorite foods. Then, we look through the magnets to find the ones that fit into the category. Sometimes, he gets a little sidetracked, but I remind him that food is something we can eat and he begins choosing the right magnets again.

I like that the magnets themselves can create conversation too. I ask Sawyer what color the apple is, or if he likes to eat corn when he chooses that magnet. Questions and conversation can arise from the other categories as well.

Conversation through Questions

The All About You, All About Me Fun Deck also promotes conversation with your child. I can see us using these cards for a long time, as the answers would likely change as Sawyer gets older. Some of the cards don’t really pertain to him yet (school-related cards, for example), but there are still plenty for us to sit down and chat about.

Conversation starting activities like the two above have become a great way for Sawyer to wind down before nap or bedtime. We sometimes play with it first thing in the morning, before it’s up and running around for the day!

Find out more about these products as well as others from Super Duper at their website, www.superduperinc.com!

The post Conversation Starter Games for Toddlers appeared first on Southern Girl Ramblings.

These days, getting fit and staying healthy have become very easy to manage. Just ten years ago, we didn’t have all the smartphone apps and devices that are at our fingertips now. As a Verizon Wireless ambassador, I love to browse their accessories section for ways to make my life easier. The health-related products they have could definitely give me a push in the right direction toward fitness.

FitBit Zip

This tiny device makes it easy to track your steps and calories burned each day. Though it looks like a standard pedometer, this bad boy can do so much more. I love that it can easily sync to many smartphones – allowing you to check your progress at any time. You can also set goals and compare your progress with others that own a FitBit Zip.

This is the perfect product for anyone wanting to get up off the couch and increase their activity. It could definitely help you with weight loss motivation!

FitBit Aria Scale

This scale is one of the ultimate in weight management and tracking. A quick step on the device provides you with your weight, body fat % and body mass index (BMI) so you can know where you are beginning and how far you need to go to reach your health goals. Charts and graphs are provided so you can quickly see the progress you are making. The Aria scale syncs over a WI-FI connection with the same smartphone and computer app as the FitBit Zip, so the two can be used together to kick butt and get a healthier you!

Of course, these two accessories alone will not make the pounds magically melt away. Using these with your own hard work and determination, however, can get you where you achieve to be!

• Do you feel these accessories could help your health and fitness goals?

• What’s your favorite exercise for health?

The post Getting Healthy with Accessories from Verizon Wireless #VZWA #VZWVoices appeared first on Southern Girl Ramblings.

With Mother’s Day coming this month, May is a wonderful time to celebrate moms. Whether you are a mother or are planning something special for a mom in your life, this event is for you! Several bloggers have teamed up to offer you gift ideas for the holiday. You’ll be able to enter to win these great products from May 10th-26th thanks to the Blogging Mamas Network!

Once you have entered here, hop around to all of the participating giveaways found at the bottom of this post, as they have some great prizes to share with you! Be sure to also enter for the Grand Prize – a $250 Gift Card to Mía Mariú! One lucky Mama is going to look so pretty with all that eco-friendly makeup!

For the event, Southern Girl Ramblings is giving away this beautiful Mother’s Heart Frame from Grandparent Gift Co (bear not included). The 8×10 frame features a lovely poem written by the company’s founder, Teri Harrison.

Enter to win by completing the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US residents, 18+ only. Ends 5/26. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

According to Jenny, So Easy Being Green, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Something Special for Mom participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

The post Something Special for Mom Giveaway appeared first on Southern Girl Ramblings.

With my recent gallbladder issues and removal in November 2012 came lots of dealing with our current medical insurance provider. We use the cheapest insurance available through James’ work, and that may not be the best decision when it comes to unexpected medical needs.

For my special situation, I had several doctor’s visits, tests done, an escaped gallstone removed, and then finally my gallbladder removal. Luckily for us, most of that was covered by our current provider. They didn’t cover 100% however, nor do they pay for a lot of the additional expenses you can rack up while having medical issues.

Out-of-pocket costs we faced were gas to drive to and from appointments and procedures, food for James while he was with me at the hospital twice, and time off work for James. This was just in addition to our deductible and co-pays. Medical debt and its related charges can pile up fast when there is an emergency.

Aflac’s Real Cost Calculator

Aflac realizes the importance of being prepared for unexpected medical bills. Their Real Cost Calculator can help you better understand what you may be faced with paying, should a medical emergency arise in your family. Many people don’t realize what their current medical insurance covers before an issue arises.

The Real Cost Calculator works by looking at average medical expenses that may not be covered by your insurance in the event of a certain emergency, such as a broken leg. It also figures in household expenses that would continue to pile up even if you were sick or out of work. The third number the calculator figures in is the out-of-pocket expenses you could accumulate – such as transportation needed to get to and from the doctor’s office or hospital, or necessary child care.

The American Journal of Medicine has stated that medical debt is the number one cause for bankruptcy in this country. It’s easy to see why – so many expected costs can come from having an illness or disease requiring surgery or a hospital stay. It’s essential that we look at how we might cover these costs before they occur.

Play around with Aflac’s Real Cost Calculator to see what unexpected expenses you could be facing. There is a section to the right of the screen that allows you to better personalize your experience. You can also find out more about how Alfac can help your family in the event that a medical emergency should arise.

The post Explore Unexpected Medical Costs with Aflac appeared first on Southern Girl Ramblings.

Last weekend, James, his niece, and I drove down to Atlanta for the Georgia Renaissance Festival. I haven’t been there since I was in middle school, so I was very excited to attend. Luckily, the rain held off on Sunday so we could enjoy the attraction to it’s fullest!

The festival encompasses 16th century kingdom life, with all of the workers dressed in time appropriate clothing. There are knights, maidens, jesters, and more! Plus, I cannot forget to mention the MANY shops located through the kingdom featuring lots of handmade objects. Many are demonstrated throughout the day so you can get a first hand view of how things are made.

Lots of food is available at the Georgia Renaissance Festival as well. With three food courts and then another food stand or two, you can imagine how hard it was to decide what we wanted to eat! There were fried pickles (my favorite appetizer), turkey legs, calzones, steak on a stick, and more. Plus, lots of desserts, such as chocolate covered strawberries and bananas, fried oreos, and funnel cakes. You could really spend the day sampling all the yummy offerings!

Perhaps our favorite part of the festival was the shows. There are so many scheduled for the day, and they provide a nice break from walking around. The best for us was the jousting tournament. We said on the side of the “dark” knight, watching him try to win by using some less than honorable tactics. It was very fun to see, as what the hilarious Hack and Slash show we watched earlier in the day.

Perfect for families, the Georgia Renaissance Festival is truly a fun, all-day activity. The festival is held every Saturday and Sunday (plus Memorial Day) until June 2. The hours of the festival are 10:30am-6pm. I suggest you get there by noon at the latest, and plan to stay until closing. There are so many things to do and see, you won’t want to miss any of them!

SPECIAL: Visit this link and use the promo code sogirl to save 20% on your Georgia Renaissance Festival tickets!

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