Some people like me choose to use internet phone companies like Vonage, but then question the need for it when looking at the phone bill, which clearly shows that is was used for 10 incoming calls, all from telemarketers.

The reason I keep a home line through a VoIP is because of those emergency situations that can happen without a moments notice.  Being somewhat paranoid, I worry that my daughter’s preschool won’t be able to reach me, or something happens to my family and friends that require immediate attention, and they are not able to get in touch with me because of a faulty mobile network. For those days, I keep my home line.  But is it worth the $32.99 that I pay on a monthly basis?

Just recently, while reading about saving money and cutting unnecessary costs,  I learned that my extra phone bill was doing me no good.  So I went on a hunt for an alternative to Vonage and came across a whole plethora of companies that offered either free or discounted phone services, similar to Vonage, but way cheaper.

That’s when I came across Ooma which was another VoIP , but unlike it’s competitors who charged a monthly fee for local calling, Ooma was completely free (you pay applicable taxes and fees for 911). While you have to buy the actual Ooma Telo base which costs $249.99, it pays for itself in less than 9 months.  After 3 years of using Ooma, I would be saving $777.08 (that’s money that could go toward my daughter’s college savings).

Calling and Receiving phone calls in the U.S. are free, but I still have to pay for applicable taxes and fees shown here.

For international callers, like my husband, you can call 70 countries for less than a penny.  For us, this is where our big savings comes in because we spend an average $36 in international calling (via phone card at 5 cents a minute) a month.

Some people find that spending the initial $249.99 to buy the Ooma base might be a little scary not knowing how the system would work for them.  However, calculating the savings that come along with it, most people jump on it without a second thought.  Being a mommy that constantly budgets everything, I definitely consider myself to be in that scary group.

I want to make sure that this product doesn’t become obsolete over the course of the 3 years (when I am suppose to save my largest amount of money) and I want to do enough research to know that company will not go under, like some new tech companies out there.  I find these to be all valid questions a consumer may have and something that immediately popped into my head.

For me, it’s much like buying a hybrid car.  You pay a higher price tag because it has a hybrid engine, but over the course of a couple years, you end up saving a lot of money from fuel, that it pays for the difference of the price tag and then some.

So for the timid, like myself, I noticed that Ooma now offers a risk free trial for 30 days, plus free shipping.  This is a great opportunity to try out the system for free and if it’s not your cup of tea, return it without any questions asked.  If you decide to keep it and 6 months down the line you decide that you don’t need it anymore, you can always resell it on Ebay or Craigslist  for $150 or more.

I tried out some of the Ooma products with my Vonage still intact, and I have to say I was really impressed.  Because I was trying to set-up the Ooma with my Vonage still working, I had an initial mental block during the set-up process, but it was relatively simple after I tried doing it without any distractions (kids screaming, crying, trying to play with the products).

What I love, love, love about Ooma, is that I’m happy to say that I am not suffering from major hearing loss.  For years, I tried ear candling, went to an ENT doctor to do a hearing screening, experimented with alternative methods to clear my ear pathways. It was common for me to be on the phone and say “What?  Excuse me?  Can you repeat that again.  I can’t hear you.”  This happened both on my mobile phone and my home phone.  Once I changed my mobile phone, I couldn’t get over the fact that I could actually hear people out of the phone.  However, with my home line via Vonage, still stayed semi muffled.

The second I put that Telo handset to my ear, I was in ringing heaven.  I could actually hear the rings as clear as daylight and the background sounded like I was inside a sound booth (absolutely no extra sounds at all, almost felt like calling from my dark and quiet closet).  Once I had my friend on the line, her voice sounded like she was sitting directly next to me.  She even asked if I was inside my car because she heard me crystal clear.  It was good to know that the clarity went both ways.

With the Ooma Telo purchase, you receive a 60 day trial period to it’s Premier services which make the Ooma far superior to other VoIP services.  I will have to say, just with the base services (free US calling), your other standard VoIP services have almost everything the Ooma offers (with a monthly fee), which is not a dramatic wow factor to win you over to Ooma.  However, where Ooma has an edge over its competitors is the voice quality, when making and receiving calls.  It really doesn’t matter what the VoIP service provider has, unless you can actually have a good, solid, clear conversation on the phone.

With that being said, Ooma Premier is the forefront in VoIP technology, which integrates VoIP technology with people’s everyday needs.  This separates the professional from the amateurs.  With the Premier, you can link your mobile phone to your Ooma Telo with a bluetooth adaptor and with the more recent hype of using Google Voice as an alternative to phone calling, you can now have access to it on your Ooma system.  Another added convenience is having the ability read your voicemail as text, which is great for people who are constantly on the go, like myself.  There are other features such as Do-Not-Disturb option, Personal and Community Blacklist, and iPhone App for Ooma.  Of course, these added features are not free and come at a nominal fee of $9.99 per month, after the trial period ends.

I really enjoyed trying out the Ooma and after using it for almost 2 weeks, I feel like it’s a good system with a lot of promise.  The services Ooma offers is at the forefront of VoIP technology and integrates features that incorporates many services into one system, which makes people’s lives more simpler.  If you are in the market to save money on your home phone line or want a service that offers features that integrate your mobile phone via bluetooth or iPhone app and have the ability to check your Google voice on a simple system, Ooma is definitely worth checking out.

(Disclosure: A tester was made available to test the products and does not affect my views or feedback of the products.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

Just like the planning and strategizing involved in packing for the big game, the same process happens when packing for the big day. You walk around contemplating about things that you think you need and things that you really don’t.

When you’re a first time mom, you want to pack your whole bedroom, closet, and your bathroom.  Although I wanted to do all of the above during my first pregnancy, I didn’t have the time because my daughter arrived two weeks before her due date.  At that time, I was still in the midst of contemplating and, in hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise.

Read the rest of my post at Savings.com

I stared at it for a few seconds, and then called my husband to confirm the news. After waiting endlessly for the doctor, I eventually grabbed a handful of handouts and began sifting through them.

Besides the initial pregnancy packet which talked about the stages of pregnancy and what to expect during those ten months, the thickest handout from the pile was all about nutrition during pregnancy and more specifically, what not to eat when you were pregnant. Everything from things I didn’t know you could eat like shark, to the more obvious no-nos like alcohol.

Read the rest of my post at Savings.com

Not only was it non toxic, it was environmentally safe, biodegradable, and did not contain any chlorine or phosphates.  At first, I raised an eyebrow thinking, “Hmm…Does this really work, like it says it works?”  I hate when you buy something off an infomercial and the product does not do anything that the infomercial claimed it would do (Remember: infomercials have this tiny fine print that says it doesn’t work for everyone, I wonder why?).  Since it was only $3.99 (at Jo-Ann Fabrics), I had to try one out.

Before I even bought the remover, I had a stack of stained shirts and pants that needed some good stain removing.  I wasn’t sure if the spot remover could remove stains that were a few weeks old, but to my surprise, it did!  I love that it does not have a strong odor and it literally takes a drop to remove the stain.  Since I use the spot remover so often, my preschooler learned to use it herself.  She has a bad habit of wiping her hands on her clothes when she eats (I don’t know where she gets this habit because we always tell her to use her napkin) and the last time she spread olive oil all over her dress.  Instead of watching me freak out, she took the spot remover out of my bag and put it on the oiled areas.  When we went back home, I just had to wash it out.  Simple as that!

This spot remover has been my secret for almost a year and I am happy to share it with you!

(Disclosure: I haven’t received any monetary compensation or free products. This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

These are ten things that not only saved my budget, but made me a happy pregnant momma:

1. Luxury Beauty Services: Skip the spa (upwards of $125). Put your significant other to work and have them give you a foot, shoulder, neck, or full body massage ($0).
2. Prenatal Vitamins: Sometimes the prenatal vitamins that are prescribed by your doctor can be very expensive ($45 co-pay for a 30 day supply).  Go to Whole Foods or Vitamin Shoppe and get a prenatal that fits your needs (the staff at the stores are very knowledgeable).  I went with New Chapter Perfect Prenatal which was on sale for $66 for a 2 month supply.
3. Parking: Forget about valet services at the mall because you’re still going to have to walk ($7-$14).  Almost any big mall will have an “Expectant Mother” parking spot, indicated by a bold pink line and a sign with a stork on it ($0).

Read the rest of my post at Savings.com

Just yesterday as I was speaking to my friend about her settlement check for her car accident, I checked my email to find multiple emails (I’m talking 16 to be exact) from iTunes saying ” Your receipt #” with an order number following it.  At first, I thought it was spam mail, but then my gut told me to open one.  I opened the email to find out that a purchase was made in the amount of $149.99.  My stomach dropped to the floor and my body froze.

After going through a moment of shock and my friend still on the line, I opened all 15 emails that followed the first one.  As I opened each one to see the same $149.99 charge ($149.99 x 16, you do the math), I was speechless.  I told my friend of the situation and got off the phone immediately to make a call to iTunes.  Unfortunately, iTunes/Apple had closed shop for the day, at least the customer service end of it.

I had to think quickly and immediately and called Paypal, since the payment transaction, happened through them.  First, I had to go online and chat with an automated customer service chick about my situation (I probably have not sworn that much in my life).  Seriously, getting a phone number should not be that hard.  The whole process just infuriated me (Note: Paypal just put a phone number on the Contact Us page).

After getting the number and almost losing my sanity, I called Paypal to let them know what was going on.  I spoke with a guy named Al who was a representative for Paypal Credit Card.  Eventually, after both of us being confused for a good 4 minutes, he transferred me to the appropriate people.  Once I was on the line with them, I had to tell them the situation all over again and guess what?  They passed me onto the security department.  It just felt never-ending.

By the time I had reached the security department, my mouth was dry from speaking to everyone along the way, I just wished it was a bad dream.  They reassured me that this was an ongoing issue with iTunes and it was more common in recent months.  Apple?  Aren’t they a multi-qua-trillion dollar company?  Security Breach?  What?

So after they canceled the transactions and requested a refund, I went onto Google to do a search on “itunes hacking” and it came up with 16,500 results. Wow!  Everything from iTunes developer being kicked to the curb,  Facebook site dedicated to iTunes hacking, and real stories of victims like me.  It’s quite scary that a company like Apple can’t get rid of a problem like this.  Do something quick!

After losing sleep, calling Paypal again, calling my bank to stop payment, speaking with my credit card, I finally received an email from iTunes.  The email sounded like they were trying to cover their backs and made it seem like it was a non serious matter (this lit a huge fire under me).  I was pissed and wrote a really nice email back to them stating that they should refund my money because clearly my account was compromised.  Moreover, I have not used iTunes for a couple years and don’t even have the app on my computers to have access to my account.  The last purchase I made was a couple years ago for a music download that cost me 99 cents.  Common people!

I received a reply towards the end of the day saying, “A refund in the amount of $x,xxx.xx will be credited to the PayPal account used to pay for the order. Please note that this is a one-time exception to our sales policy.” Seriously, this was their fault and they made it seem like it was my fault.  Anyhow, it’s definitely a lesson learned, and I am canceling my account, plus changing all my passwords on everything.

So if you have an iTunes account, make sure you keep your eyes wide open because it can happen to the best of us.  I hope my experience can save people from having to experience the shock of feeling violated.  Unfortunately, we live in a society where we constantly need to watch our back (that includes powerful hackers) because it literally takes a second for our lives to be turned upside down.  Take all precautionary measures!

Is your baby sick of the same puree that you have been making her at home?  Or better yet, are you sick of giving her the same old same old everyday?  Just as in life, after the same schedule, the same food, the same clothes, the same classes, you just want to change things up.

I am the first to say that making your own baby food at home is probably the best thing you could do after breastfeeding your child.  However, not every parent has the time to make fresh baby food, day after day, and sometimes it could become a tedious task when you have 100 other things to do on your daily list.

Well, we live in a day and age where companies are dedicated to solely making the best baby food known to man.  They put everything from DHA, Omega fatty acids, Vitamin E, veggies, multiple sources of protein, and even antioxidents.  Plus, they come organic, gluten-free, vegan, wheat-free, dairy-free, and nut-free.  You just name it and it probably exists.

My mom fed me Gerber on occasion (at least thats what she tells me) and since I eat mostly organic, I feed my children organic food whether I make it or buy it in a package.  One thing my children and I have on a daily basis are the HAPPYBABY Organic Puffs (we purchase it in cases).  Since I already trusted HAPPYBABY with the quality of their Organic Puffs, I wanted to try out their other line of products.

HappyBellies Organic Oatmeal Cereal: Tastes like oatmeal but it’s better because it has DHA and probiotic immunity support.  It’s vegan and does not have dairy or soy.  After trying it, it left me full for a couple of hours and my baby was completely satisfied (she actually did not spit it out). BPA free.

HappyPuffs Organic Green Puffs: This was a no brainer.  We already LOVE it!  If you want a cheerios alternative without high fructose corn syrup and half the sugar, this would be a winner. Plus, it has some veggies hidden in it (organic kale, organic spinach, and organic collard greens) and it does NOT taste like veggies, very sweet and yummy!  It does not contain dairy, corn, or soy.  Packaging is BPA free and recyclable.  

HappyMelts Organic Mixed Berry Melts:  I am allergic to dairy, so I could not taste test it but my preschooler did.  She loved it and ate the whole thing in one sitting.  My 1 year old did not like the texture, so she kept spitting it out.  It does not contain soy, gluten, or wheat.

HappyBites Mac + Cheese Bites: The mac + cheese comes in a fun little patty form, which definitely caught my attention and my my daughter’s.  Both my preschooler and 1 year old ate it like it was their last meal.  They both cleaned their plate which probably meant that it was yummy!  One thing to note is that it also comes with 1 serving of veggies (yay!).

After testing out the HAPPYBABY line, I can say that they are the forefront in packaged baby and children food products.  Whether your child needs a nutrient dense food option or they have celiac disease, HAPPYBABY has pretty much everything to meet the needs of your growing baby.

(Disclosure: Free coupons were given to test the products and does not affect my views or feedback of the products.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

 Alas to the old days and in with the times.  The mall’s selection of stores has a pretty impressive line-up that caters to all tastes, but I would have to say that most of the retailers are high-end.  Some of my favorites include the Disney Store (I have two princesses), CB2 (Oh how I love thee, my condo in Chicago was fully decorated by CB2 and very affordably), Bloomingdales (for my splurge days), Joe’s Jeans (every girl needs to own one), and Bird Pick Tea & Herb (one of my favorite tea spots).  Oh and the Dining Deck is not to be missed.  You can see the city and ocean.  It’s so captivating that if I ever need some mommy time, I intend to go to the dining deck and imagine that I’m lying out on the Mykonos Island.

If you are a mommy like me, then the your new hotspot will be the new Disney Store.  Shall I say a Princess Paradise!  Although there are toys and Disney products for boys, when you walk into this store, there is no denying that it was made for a princess.  A beautiful castle ornamented with a crystal chandelier, princesses dancing atop, and a magic mirror, I wished I could switch into my daughter like a scene from “Freaky Friday.”

All in all, I have to say that the Santa Monica Place took me by surprise and I really look forward to being a regular patron of this mall!

Of course, I had little childhood crushes here and there, but nothing my parents would’ve been worried about.  It was as far as, “You know so and so likes you, do you like him?”  As young as I was, I always thought that having any relationship with a boy should be saved for when I was older, or when I was independent from my parents.

So the other day when my preschooler came back from school and said, “So and so said that they were going to kiss with their tongues because they were going to get married tomorrow,” I was in shock.  Wow!  Okay, first off, my daughter is 4 years old and so are her friends.  I listened to what she was saying and was surprised that 4 year olds these days were saying things that I never even knew when I was 4.  I distinctly remember when I was 4, I was scared that I would wet my pants during naptime because I didn’t use the bathroom.

After listening to my daughter, I tried to figure out what would be the “right” thing to say to her.  I didn’t want to say that kissing was a bad thing because it’s not (I’ve watched on Tyra where adults were scared of intimacy because their moms told them it was dirty when they were young).  But I also didn’t want to encourage it either (I’ve seen enough Lifetime to know that).  Suprisingly, I learned a couple months ago from her teacher that it was normal for children between the ages of 3-4 to start discovering their sexuality and begin to differentiate body parts.

My initial reaction was that I freaked, and then I was like okay, let’s roll with the times.  The truth of the matter is that kids are developing a lot faster these days (mind & body).  By no means do I think 4 year olds should be engaging in any non-childlike physical activities (that includes mouth to mouth kissing involving tongue), but I do feel that parents should be prepared to teach their kids about different things as they happen, regardless of age.

Fortunately this time around, I was able to explain to my daughter that kissing was a beautiful thing between two people who love each other, but should be saved for when she or her friends were much older.  She understood and said, “I’m only going to kiss you, daddy, and my sister.”  I am glad she is at the age where she is responsive and understands.  However, I am not looking forward to puberty and or talking about the birds and the bees, in the near future!

Immediately, my daughter pointed out Peter Rabbit.  She was jumping up and down pointing at the product because she couldn’t reach it and I was hesistant at picking it up because if I did, I would have to be prepared to purchase it. Well, I am glad I picked it up because after reading the packaging and the ingredients that it did not contain (the whole saying, “less it better.”) I was completely sold.

In the spirit of “LESS is MORE” I will keep my words minimal and let the pictures speak for itself because it’s the exact reason why it got  our attention.  So here we go!

The reason why my daughter wanted to get it.

The reason I wanted to get it.

 You can only purchase this product at Whole Foods because it is a Whole Foods Exclusive.  I paid $15.99 (every bit of it is worth it).