Having a bad day?

Need a distraction?

Need to lift your spirits?

Just need a smile?

You can’t help but smile when you look at these cute animals.

  by  Funkybug 

  by  Martin Cathrae 

  by  Talentless Clown 

  by  Bill Gracey 

  by  Matthew Simantov 

  by  Jon Pinder 

  by  Jon Pinder 

  by  Cara_VSAngel 

  by  Pixel Addict 

  by  bichromephoto 

  by  andischmeling 

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Did you know that over 140,000 children in the US have been victims of identity theft?

Children have no reason to monitor their credit report, but because of modern technology and the availability of information, children have become targets for identity theft, especially because of their clean credit. Thieves open credit cards in their name by adding 20 years to their birthdate. Because of increased activities such as sports and after school activities that require social security numbers, your child’s identity is at greater risk. More and more kids are using the internet and despite warnings, may still share their personal information on the web, and with teens doing more online shopping, they are a prime target for would-be thieves.

And it can take 18 years to discover a child’s ID has been stolen!

There are a lot of things you can do to protect your child to reduce the chance that they will become victims. Paying careful attention to the tips below should help you protect your child so that their credit and their identity is theirs and only theirs when they are old enough to use it.

Tips to protect your child’s identity:

• If you are giving birth in a hospital, opt out of the hospital forms that allow you to allow for a Social Security number for your child at the hospital. Apply directly with the Social Security Administration.
• Keep all records in a safe or safety deposit box.
• Unless required by law, do not provide your child’s Social Security number for school and sports.
• Teach your teen to NEVER give out their birthday, address or Social Security number, especially online.
• Make sure you have access to your teen’s social media accounts so you can ensure they are not providing information that makes them vulnerable.
• If your college student has a credit card, make sure they on;y get statements electronically so they are not left out in dorm rooms for other people to view.
• Remind your college student to never access password protected sites, especially banking sites on public computers or public wi-fi.

If you want extra protection, LifeLock offers a new service to help monitor your child’s identity called LifeLock Junior.

About LifeLock Junior:

Your child’s clean and unmonitored credit file is a gold mine for identity thieves. Critical misuse and damage could go completely undetected for years. That’s why LifeLock now offers advanced monitoring of your child’s personal information with proactive protection features designed specifically for children. LifeLock Junior™—it’s relentless protection for your kids and peace of mind for you.

Identity Threat Detection and Alerts

Your child’s stolen information can be used to apply for credit cards, wireless services, retail credit, utilities, mortgages or auto and payday loans. LifeLock actively monitors applications within an extensive network for attempts to use your child’s personal data, and alerts you if suspicious activity is detected.

Credit File Verification

The existence of any credit information for a child can be a sign of identity theft. LifeLock monitors your child’s Social Security number to detect a credit file associated with your child’s identity.

Black Market Website Surveillance

Identity thieves illegally buy, sell and trade personal information on black market Internet sites around the world. LifeLock patrols over 10,000 criminal websites and notifies you if your child’s Social Security number and associated data is found.

File-Sharing Network Searches

Many children and young adults use peer-to-peer file-sharing networks to download music, photos and more. LifeLock actively searches these networks for exposure of your child’s personal information—malicious or inadvertent.

Award-Winning Member Service 24/7/365

LifeLock is here to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If at any time you have questions, sign in to your secure member portal at LifeLock.com, email Member.Services@LifeLock.com or call 1-800-LifeLock (543-3562).

$1 Million Total Service Guarantee

As a LifeLock member, if your child becomes a victim of identity theft, LifeLock will spend up to $1 million to hire experts to help your child’s recovery.

There are ways you can be proactive to help protect your child’s identity.

A little bit of caution goes a long way!

For more information about protecting your child from identity theft, check out this infographic from LifeLock: Protect Your Kids from ID Thieves.

The post Is someone using your child’s identity? appeared first on What's That Smell? - Brand Ambassador, Health & Fitness Mom Blog.

When it comes to location Destin, FL certainly has all the elements that make it a prime option for a family vacation. An important decision when booking a vacation is where you will stay and the Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village stands out as THE hotel to stay at, especially if you have kids.

LOCATION AND CONTACT INFO:

ACCOMMODATIONS & RESERVATIONS
10 Harbor Blvd.
Destin, Florida 32541
Toll Free: (800) 676-0091
reservations@emeraldgrande.com

While it is certainly different to visit a location with 23 other women, as moms we were all paying attention to the things that the Emerald Grande offered from a family perspective.

FAMILY FRIENDLY AMENITIES AND ACTIVITIES:

Visit the kids page for more information: Emerald Grande Kids.

• Bungee Trampolines
• Aqua Spheres
• Dual Mechanical Surfboard Ride
• Laser Maze
• Buccaneer Pirate Ship
• Water Trampolines
• JetPack
• Mining Company
• Fishing
• Jet Skis
• and much more

We really have to credit the Emerald Grande and their stellar staff for making our entire event possible. From providing a suite for us to use for our welcome reception to securing activities for us to participate in, they went above and beyond to ensure we got the full Destin experience.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

There are a number of different rooms at Emerald Grande, we stayed in 6 – 2 bedroom condos, 4 people per condo. Each condo had a full kitchen, 2 bathrooms, a dining area, living room, and a bonus room with a bunk bed for more sleeping options. The sofa also pulls out into a bed so they technically sleep 8. It was clean and roomy. There were 2 balconies as well. Our room looked over the pool and we could see the beach from it too. It was an amazing view!

The Emerald Grande also boasts one-bedroom units that can sleep 6, three bedroom units that can sleep 8 and four bedroom units that can sleep 10 people.

STAFF:

The staff at Emerald Grande was super friendly and prompt. They seemed handle everything quickly (including bringing extra towels) and did it with a smile.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES:

The hotel itself has a walk-in pool that goes up to 4 feet deep. The deck area has a large number of chairs and lounging by the pool or taking a dip surrounded by the attractive building is habit-forming. The pool is heated and perfect for families with children.

There is also a small indoor pool for when the weather is less than ideal.

In addition to the on-site pools, the beach is accessible via boat shuttle from the hotel and HarborWalk Village is the home of many fun outdoor activities withing walking distance of your room.

Other area amenities include:

• Restaurants
• Shopping
• Water Activities
• Live Entertainment
• Championship Golf
• And plenty of activities for kids!

Grande Vista Bar & Grill

The restaurant at the Emerald Grande was pretty amazing at accommodating our group. They provided us with breakfast on Friday morning and lunch on Saturday. They even customized a menu just for us!

The food was incredible, especially the breakfast. Bring your appetite or share with a friend because the portions are fairly large.

Emerald Grande Shuttle Beach Service

One of the highlights of our trip was the boat ride to Norriego Point. Because of the nature of our group they took us on a tour of the surrounding area before depositing us at the beach. The crew was awesome, especially a young man named Quentin.

Quentin was so much fun and fit in very well with a group of 24 women. He was charming and witty and I think he had as much fun as we did.

The Emerald Grande has a lot to offer a vacationing family on it’s own but also has the added benefit of having direct access to HarborWalk Village. This area connects on foot with the hotel and has a wide range of shopping, water activities and rentals and restaurants. You could have a complete family vacation at the Emerald Grande without ever getting back into your car.

Oh an if you visit Destin, make sure you visit Dalton & Company and check out their unique apparel, jewelry and gifts.

And coming soon to Destin is a unique zipline experience like no other, so keep your eyes open for that exciting new activity.

The Emerald Grande also has an iPhone app to help make sure you can find everything you need during your stay. Learn more and download here: Emerald Grande App.

For more information about Emerald Grande and a Destin vacation visit: http://www.emeraldgrande.com

The post Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village appeared first on What's That Smell? - Brand Ambassador, Health & Fitness Mom Blog.

GAF (North America’s largest roofing manufacturer) believes that every treasure has a story, but the best ones have a tail.

I concur.

Are you an animal lover? Or just have some treasures with a great story behind them? Either way. GAF wants you to share what you treasure and is offering up $100 Home Depot gift cards weekly and a $2,500 Home Depot gift card Grand Prize.

My furry treasures are named Simon & Toby and they have me wrapped around their tails!

About the Share What You Treasure contest:

To enter the contest visit: Share What Your Treasure.

Share with us what you treasure most, and be entered to win a weekly $100 Home Depot gift card! Grand prize winner will win a $2,500.00 Home Depot Shopping Spree.

Ultimate prize: If you own a GAF roof, your home and story could be filmed by celebrity photographer and filmmaker James Minchin III (Adam Levine, Mumford & Sons, Miley Cyrus).

Here’s how to enter the GAF “Share What You Treasure” campaign:

• Sign into www.sharewhatyoutreasure.com app in Facebook, start uploading photos and videos, and tell us what you treasure most about your home and family (your pets, your kids, your vintage car collection, etc.).
• Each user will have a personal page where other users can view their “Fan Collections.”

Prizes include:

• Weekly winners of a $100 Home Depot gift card
• Grand prize winner to win a $2,500.00 Home Depot shopping spree
• One more GAF roof owner will be selected to be featured in a GAF webisode created by celebrity filmmaker James Minchin III

I shared some of the things I treasure most, what about you? What do you treasure most? Make sure you let me know then go enter the contest!

The post Share What You Treasure appeared first on What's That Smell? - Brand Ambassador, Health & Fitness Mom Blog.

Did you know that Aéropostale has a line of clothing for kids? Well they do and the P.S. from Aéropostale line of clothing is stylish and affordable and is made for kids from sizes 4-14.

The P.S. Pledge promises:

• better fashion
• better prices
• better quality
• better experience

The summer line from P.S. from Aéropostale is filled with adorable and stylish clothing and accessories. They really do help make my kids look even cuter!

Comfort, quality & the summer’s hottest fashions! My kids love the clothes, they love the fit, and I like the quality and the price.

Check out the great styles and P.S. from Aéropostale kid’s fashions and for a limited time you can save 25% off with coupon code SPRING25. There is also a printable coupon available on the site as well if you want to shop in-store.

The post My kids look even cuter in clothes from P.S. from Aéropostale appeared first on What's That Smell? - Brand Ambassador, Health & Fitness Mom Blog.

Spring brings with it certain things that make it uniquely Spring.

• Beautiful flowers blooming in a rainbow of beautiful colors.
• Veggie gardens with little green buds sticking out of the dirt.
• Dandelions blowing in the wind.
• Warm air.
• Sunshine.
• Bright colors and fresh smells.
• Overall a general feeling of happiness and calm.

But what about new tires?

Seems random right?

But it’s really not!

Spring is the time we come out of the house. We drive to baseball and soccer practice. We take road trips. We go to the beach. We visit relatives. We go to the local ice cream shop. In short, we get out more to enjoy the fresh air and often we use our vehicles to get there. Spring is the best time to make sure that your vehicle is in tip-top shape and old or worn tires can be a safety hazard.

If you are in need of new tires, Spring is not only the perfect time to evaluate your needs, Cooper Tires makes it easier and more affordable for you to get the new tires you need with their Cooper Tire Spring Savings Event.

About the Cooper Tire Spring Savings Event:

From now through June 30, 2013, you can get up to $20 per tire on a VISA Prepaid card which means up to $80 back in your pocket.

Eligible products include:

It’s the perfect time to get new tires and take advantage of the Cooper Tire savings event. New tires bring peace of mind and I have heard can help extend the life of you vehicle.

How old are your tires?

What are you waiting for?

By the way, would you buy colored tires instead of traditional black? I sure would!

The post What color are your tires? #springsavings appeared first on What's That Smell? - Brand Ambassador, Health & Fitness Mom Blog.

When it comes to taking pictures of my kids, they both have two things going for them – they are cute and they like to make funny faces. Ok wait, make that three things, they also can’t seem to stand still! But that doesn’t stop me from trying to capture that perfect shot, and 333 photos later, sometimes you actually find that you got it.

Now, when I say “perfect shot” I don’t mean a shot that is magazine worthy. I don’t mean a shot with perfect lighting. I don’t mean a shot with the most vivid colors that looks like it was shot by a pro. What I mean is a shot that makes my heart melt.

MELT.

They make me melt because of an expression. An attitude. A moment in time that I have captured that really makes me cherish my kids and be thankful to be a mom. It’s not an easy job. It comes with it’s share of struggles. But when I look back at that photo emotion comes rushing in and I get lost in nothing but their faces.

The joy in her laughing makes all of my troubles disappear.

Carter’s knows that being a mom is one of the most rewarding things in the world, and so they want to reward moms with their “100,000 Ways to Celebrate Moms” Sweepstakes on Facebook.

About the ”100,000 Ways to Celebrate Moms” Sweepstakes:

• You deserve to be celebrated EVERY day. Count on Carter’s to keep celebrating Moms well beyond Mother’s Day. Tell Carter’s why you love being a Mom and share a photo of you with your little (or big) ones for a chance to win!
• “Like” Carter’s on Facebook then enter for your chance to win $100,000, plus outfit your children for an entire year in the cutest Carter’s kids or baby clothes with a $5,000 gift card.
• Once you enter, you’re eligible for a chance to win*!
  • One grand prize winner: $100,000 plus a $5,000 Carter’s gift card
  • Ten second prize winners: $1,000 Visa gift cards (total $10,000)
  • Ninety third prize winners:  $100 Carter’s gift cards (total $9,000)
  • You could also be one of 250 instant winners and win a Carter’s gift card valued at $10-$50.

*See the Official Rules for complete prize details and restrictions.

• Visit www.facebook.com/Carters daily to play our instant win game for a chance to win a Carter’s gift card valued at $10-$50. It’s easy, fast and fun.
• NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Carter’s 100,000 Ways To Celebrate Moms Sweepstakes ends 6/3/13. Mothers, 18+, 50 US/DC/PR only. Go to www.facebook.com/carters for Official Rules/details and alternative method of entry instructions.

One of the things I love about having kids is watching them grow and develop their own personal style. Both of my children get fairly excited over getting new clothes but having a daughter is such a wild ride. She gets so passionate about wearing skirts and dresses then proceeds to lay in the grass and put bugs in her pocket. She definitely has her own personal style and Carter’s helps me not only find clothes that match her style but that stand up to her tomboy lifestyle and are affordable on top of it!

Around here, July 4th is a huge holiday and my daughter loves her “dada” so it was only natural that the style we loved most from Carter’s is the 4th of July!

So, which style do you love most on Carters.com? You will need to answer that question in order to enter the giveaway below!

For more information about Carter’s including where to buy, choose your favorite style and to enter the sweepstakes, visit these links:

• Carter’s Find a Store
• Carter’s Home Page
• Mother’s Day Sweeps Link

ENTER TO WIN A $50 CARTER’S GIFT CARD

One winner will receive a $50 gift card to use at Carter’s.

To enter simply leave a comment telling me which style you love most on Carters.com, then fill out the entry form below.

The post What Carter’s style do you love most? (giveaway ends 6/4) appeared first on What's That Smell? - Brand Ambassador, Health & Fitness Mom Blog.

This is my favorite time of year. Warmer temps, blooming flowers, planting gardens. Not so hot you feel like you might die, but hot enough to allow you turn on the sprinkler for the kids and enjoy getting daily vitamin D and staying active. This was one of my Mother’s Day gifts and I love it!

The post Spring! appeared first on What's That Smell? - Brand Ambassador, Health & Fitness Mom Blog.

His most concerning behavior, however, is the fact that after eleven years of life he has started “cruising” the counters in the kitchen for food. He has eaten everything from actual food to paper towels and plastic bags. He even went so far as to knock a whole coconut off the counter in an attempt to eat it.

Because we have two dogs, I wanted to be sure it was Simon and not our smaller dog Toby so I setup a web enabled camera, set out some bait, and left the house with the app on my smartphone turned on so I could watch the video footage. It didn’t take long before I caught him in the act – check out the video below for his antics.

I usually don’t buy raisins, but my daughter had been asking for them and considering what they don’t get to eat, I figured I’d oblige even though they are just basically sugar. We bought a big 15 oz package of organic raisins and normally they stay in the cabinet. Until last Wednesday when I accidentally left them out on the counter, that is. We returned home from my son’s baseball practice to find that the dogs ate the entire container of raisins (only a handful had been eaten by my kids from the new container).

I immediately panicked because I knew.

RAISINS CAN BE DANGEROUS FOR DOGS.

TOXIC.

LEADING TO DEATH.

And my dogs ate a whole lot of them.

Are raisins toxic to dogs?

The ASPCA has this to say about grapes and raisins:

At the current time, we know that grapes and raisins appear to cause renal failure in dogs who’ve ingested large amounts. However, we have not determined with certainty the toxic component, or the exact mechanism that causes renal failure. It is also not clear if only certain dogs are affected, or if long-term ingestions can lead to the same effects that a large one-time ingestion can. Because there are still many unknowns regarding the toxic potential of grapes and raisins, it is advisable not to give grapes or raisins to dogs in any amount.

Eating grapes or raisins has led to death in many dogs and there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the amount of raisins eaten and the size of the dog. According to a local emergency vet “some large dogs can eat just a couple of raisins and experience kidney failure, some small dogs can eat a whole lot of raisins and be just fine.” They just don’t know enough about it.

For more information about people food that is toxic to pets visit: Animal Poison Control

What to do if your dog eats grapes or raisins

I immediately called my vet and they were closed for the evening so I had called a local emergency vet. They strongly recommended that I bring both dogs in for fluid IVs, blood tests and monitoring for 2-3 days to flush out their systems and lesson the chance the potential toxins will not affect them. however, the first thing they told me to do was make them vomit.

What?

How?

How to make your dog vomit

(yeah I was not thrilled with this either)…

I had no idea before, but hydrogen peroxide is safe for a dog to ingest yet induces vomiting. For more information on when to induce vomiting in your dog and how, check out this article: how to inducing vomiting in pets.

Because I knew my dogs had only eaten the raisins with the last hour (thanks to my trusty hidden camera), they said if I can get them to vomit they have a really good chance of throwing the raisins up before they start to digest and the toxins get into their systems.

I really thought by this point that I killed my dogs by leaving those raisins out.

Luckily I had the hydrogen peroxide they said I needed and I wrote down the recommended doses for each dog based upon their weight. I hung up with the vet and set to work.

They were not happy with me.

Toby went first because he is smaller and frankly is much younger. I felt bad having to make that decision but it had to be made. He threw up right away (only about 8 times) and I had the fun job of sifting through it to find raisins. I found two. Simon refused to vomit and by the time he had another dose of peroxide he was running scared from the turkey baster I was using. Finally it worked and I can’t even begin to describe how many raisins came up. It looked like hundreds. Both of them threw up until nothing but liquid came out so I felt fairly confident there were no raisins left in their bellies.

I called the emergency vet back and they still recommended I bring them in for IV therapy for 2-3 days and regular blood tests during that time. They also suggested I call poison control (which costs $65) and see what they said.

I did neither.

Based upon internet research, my feeling that the raisins all came out, the fact they hadn’t had time to digest them plus the insane cost of 3 days at an emergency vet for 2 dogs and putting them through the emotional stress of this strange place, I opted to wait until the next morning and take them to my regular vet.

I didn’t sleep that night.

They seemed fine in the morning but I called and brought them in to our regular vet.

Based upon an intensive physical exam and all the details I gave them, my vet said Toby should be fine because of how few raisins he ate. My vet said that there is a rule of thumb for the toxic amount of raisins based upon a dog’s weight and Toby was nowhere near that with his 32 lbs and two raisins. Simon, however, was right on the lower end and because he is on phenobarbital they recommended keeping him for IV fluids and a blood test at the end of the day. His levels all came back normal.

A few days later both dogs are fine and escaped the GREAT RAISIN CAPER unscathed. I did not. It cost me over $500 for the vet visit.

Do people overreact about raisins and dogs?

Obviously I will never leave raisins out again. Ever. But the question still remains, is the raisin/grape toxicity in dogs something to worry about? Do vets overreact? Is the recommended course of treatment (IV fluids for 2-3 days) the best way for every dog? Or are the rates of raisin toxicity so low that while it is serious and there is no way to know which dog will be affected, the odds are your dog will be fine?

According to my vet, they are learning more about raisin toxicity but not enough to predict which dogs will have a reaction. He was conservative treating Simon because Phenobarbitol relies on proper kidney function and he could be more susceptible because he is on that drug for his seizures. Otherwise he would have sent him home. He did give us a list of things to watch out for but he was very confident they would both be fine.

But had we had a different outcome I would sorely regret not listening to the emergency vet.

Prevention

The best course of treatment for this issue is prevention. I know a lot of people don’t know that grapes and raisins can kill dogs so prevention and education is key for dog owners. If you know a dog owner, make sure they know to keep raisins out of their dog’s diet and put away at home to avoid accidental ingestion. It’s just not worth the stress and money and time we spent making sure our dogs were ok.

Did you know that grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs?

The post Why dogs shouldn’t eat raisins appeared first on What's That Smell? - Brand Ambassador, Health & Fitness Mom Blog.

I told you a couple of weeks ago about the upcoming launch of a fun new movie called EPIC from the creators if Ice Age and Rio on May 24th. In order to help celebrate this exciting release, I have a fantastic prize pack to give away to one lucky reader. Before we get to that, let’s revisit EPIC in case you missed my first announcement (which you can see here: Epic Movie).

EPIC Trailer:

EPIC Movie:

EPIC kicks off the summer movie season on May 24th, 2013!

EPIC has it all – Samurai-like action and warriors, incredible aerial battles, laugh out loud humor and an adventure that will transport you to a hidden, rich and beautiful world, unlike any you’ve seen before.

The 3D CG adventure comedy hits theaters on May 24! From the creators of ICE AGE and RIO, EPIC tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world…and ours.

EPIC features an incredible cast including: BEYONCÉ KNOWLES, COLIN FARRELL AMANDA SEYFRIED, AZIZ ANSARI, PITBULL, STEVEN TYLER, JOSH HUTCHERSON, CHRIS O’DOWD, CHRISTOPH WALTZ and JASON SUDEIKIS.

I can’t wait to take my kids to see this movie, I think we will all really enjoy it! After watching the preview, I think these little dudes with the eyeballs (Mub and Grub) are going to be my favorite characters.

But I also like Nim as well!

Which character do you think will be your favorite?

For more information and to keep up with all things EPIC make sure you follow the film on all of their social media channels:

• Like Epic on Facebook
• Follow @EpicTheMovie on Twitter #EpicTheMovie
• Watch Epic videos on YouTube
• Follow Epic on Instagram

ENTER TO WIN AN EPIC MOVIE PRIZE PACK

One winner will receive a prize pack valued a $95!

One (1) winner will receive:

$50 Visa card to see the film
Mub Slug Hat
Kids Planting Set
Blue Sky Studios DVD set (Rio and Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who)

To enter, leave a comment telling me who in your life you will take to see the new EPIC movie if you win, then fill out the entry form below.

The post EPIC Movie Release and Prize Pack Giveaway! (ends 6/1) appeared first on What's That Smell? - Brand Ambassador, Health & Fitness Mom Blog.