4 Questions To Ask Yourself about LASIK #VisionGoals

Disclosure- This post contains shared information on behalf of the client.  All opinions are his own and honest. For more, see “I Disclose” .

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My husband has glasses, he has worn them since he was in high school.  He didn’t find out he needed them until it was time to take his driving test, if you can believe that. He’s worn them since, and the strength of the prescription has gotten higher every few years.

He sometimes loses, but more often breaks his glasses.  It’s not just costly and a nuisance, but it also impairs him. He really can’t see well without them, so it messes up his work, he can’t drive, and things like this until he gets to his backup pair (and we order another pair, as well).  It’s annoying, but also stops him from doing some normal daily activities.

What is the best money you have ever spent on yourself? Was it a vacation? An outfit or pair of shoes? Maybe it was a gadget or “toy” such as a jet ski or an ATV.  But if you ask someone who has had LASIK, they will likely tell you that having great vision — without needing to rely on glasses and contacts — is not only worth the cost of LASIK; but, the best money they’ve ever spent.  Researching LASIK lately, we came across some valuable information about it from the American Refractive Surgery Council.  Check out what they have to say;

Maybe you’ve looked into having LASIK, but the $4,000-$5,000 price tag has you wondering: Is it worth the money? Sure, there are discounts and deals to be had, but perhaps you should put the cost of LASIK into perspective.  For example, think about how much you are already spending on vision correction. LASIK starts to look like a pretty good deal once you add up a lifetime of buying glasses (over and over again) or contact lenses (plus solutions, drops, cases, etc.).  How much have you spent on something that lasts a week or two, a month or two, a year?  Even the best car you ever own likely won’t last you as long as your good vision with LASIK will. Depending on when you have LASIK, you can expect to enjoy its benefits for years – even decades.

Still wondering if the cost of LASIK is worth it?  Here are four questions to ask yourself to help put the investment into your vision correction options into perspective:

How old are you?

The younger you are, the longer you will need vision correcting glasses or contact lenses. The longer you need them, the more you will spend on them.  However, if you choose to have LASIK sooner rather than later, you can expect to have great vision without glasses and contacts for years.  However, LASIK doesn’t stop the aging process.  It can improve your current vision, but you will likely still experience age-related vision issues down the road.  This may mean you will need reading glasses at some point.

Do you have insurance?

If you do, count yourself lucky! Many vision plans help cover some of the costs of glasses and contacts, but won’t take care of all of your vision correction expenses. You also have to factor in whatever you are paying in insurance premiums into the overall cost of your vision correction. Did you know some vision policies offer discounts toward LASIK and other vision correcting procedures? Check your benefits because you just never know what might be covered.

Are you into fashionable frames and the latest lenses?

Even if your insurance covers the purchase of glasses, often the cost of the frame styles you want won’t be covered entirely. Same goes for certain protective and/or antiglare coatings or lens technologies.  There is usually a limit on the number of pairs of glasses insurance covers in a given year. So if you need prescription sunglasses, lose a pair of glasses or also need reading glasses, you should expect to pay for those on your own.

What kind of contact lenses do you wear?

Popular daily disposable contacts, on average, cost about $600 a year. So over 20 years, you will spend $12,000 — or more than twice the cost of LASIK — using the most advanced technologies available today.  You should know that, as your eyes age, your prescription is likely to become more complicated, resulting in more expensive contact lenses.  If you are using hard or soft lenses, the cost of solutions, drops and the cases required to maintain them in a sanitary fashion can quickly add up as well.

Today, there are many ways to pay for LASIK. In addition to helping you decide if vision correction surgery is right for your eyes, your surgeon may have access to financing services to help pay for your procedure. Some plans have extended periods with no interest that allow you to pay overtime without incurring additional costs.  Check out Finding Ways to Pay for LASIK to learn more ways to help make the cost of LASIK affordable.

So do the math for your own vision correction choices to see if LASIK is a smart investment for you and your vision goals. Check out Finding Ways to Pay for LASIK on the American Refractive Surgery Council blog to learn more ways to help make the cost of LASIK affordable.

4 Questions To Ask Yourself about LASIK #VisionGoals

Disclosure- This post contains shared information on behalf of the client. All opinions are his own and honest. For more, see “I Disclose” .

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My husband has glasses, he has worn them since he was in high school. He didn’t find out he needed them until it was time to take his driving test, if you can believe that. He’s worn them since, and the strength of the prescription has gotten higher every few years.

He sometimes loses, but more often breaks his glasses. It’s not just costly and a nuisance, but it also impairs him. He really can’t see well without them, so it messes up his work, he can’t drive, and things like this until he gets to his backup pair (and we order another pair, as well). It’s annoying, but also stops him from doing some normal daily activities.

He’s often thought about LASIK, but between the cost, and wondering if it really works, and being freaked out by the surgery, he just has a lot of questions.  It is a lot of money to spend, but then again- so are all the eye appointments and glasses and replacements.

What is the best money you have ever spent on yourself? Was it a vacation? An outfit or pair of shoes? Maybe it was a gadget or “toy” such as a jet ski or an ATV. But if you ask someone who has had LASIK, they will likely tell you that having great vision — without needing to rely on glasses and contacts — is not only worth the cost of LASIK; but, the best money they’ve ever spent.

Maybe you’ve looked into having LASIK, but the $4,000-$5,000 price tag has you wondering: Is it worth the money? Sure, there are discounts and deals to be had, but perhaps you should put the cost of LASIK into perspective. For example, think about how much you are already spending on vision correction. LASIK starts to look like a pretty good deal once you add up a lifetime of buying glasses (over and over again) or contact lenses (plus solutions, drops, cases, etc.). How much have you spent on something that lasts a week or two, a month or two, a year? Even the best car you ever own likely won’t last you as long as your good vision with LASIK will. Depending on when you have LASIK, you can expect to enjoy its benefits for years – even decades.

Still wondering if the cost of LASIK is worth it? Here are four questions to ask yourself to help put the investment into your vision correction options into perspective:

How old are you?

The younger you are, the longer you will need vision correcting glasses or contact lenses. The longer you need them, the more you will spend on them. However, if you choose to have LASIK sooner rather than later, you can expect to have great vision without glasses and contacts for years. However, LASIK doesn’t stop the aging process. It can improve your current vision, but you will likely still experience age-related vision issues down the road. This may mean you will need reading glasses at some point.

Do you have insurance?

If you do, count yourself lucky! Many vision plans help cover some of the costs of glasses and contacts, but won’t take care of all of your vision correction expenses. You also have to factor in whatever you are paying in insurance premiums into the overall cost of your vision correction. Did you know some vision policies offer discounts toward LASIK and other vision correcting procedures? Check your benefits because you just never know what might be covered.

Are you into fashionable frames and the latest lenses?

Even if your insurance covers the purchase of glasses, often the cost of the frame styles you want won’t be covered entirely. Same goes for certain protective and/or antiglare coatings or lens technologies. There is usually a limit on the number of pairs of glasses insurance covers in a given year. So if you need prescription sunglasses, lose a pair of glasses or also need reading glasses, you should expect to pay for those on your own.

What kind of contact lenses do you wear?

Popular daily disposable contacts, on average, cost about $600 a year. So over 20 years, you will spend $12,000 — or more than twice the cost of LASIK — using the most advanced technologies available today. You should know that, as your eyes age, your prescription is likely to become more complicated, resulting in more expensive contact lenses. If you are using hard or soft lenses, the cost of solutions, drops and the cases required to maintain them in a sanitary fashion can quickly add up as well.

Today, there are many ways to pay for LASIK. In addition to helping you decide if vision correction surgery is right for your eyes, your surgeon may have access to financing services to help pay for your procedure. Some plans have extended periods with no interest that allow you to pay overtime without incurring additional costs. Check out Finding Ways to Pay for LASIK to learn more ways to help make the cost of LASIK affordable.

So do the math for your own vision correction choices to see if LASIK is a smart investment for you and your vision goals.

LASIK – a good option for parents and why #VisionGoals

Disclosure- This post was written by my husband, who wears glasses, on behalf of the client.  All opinions are his own and honest. For more, see “I Disclose” .

Parenting can be a difficult but rewarding experience, and every one of us can use all the help we can get.  One of the oddest experiences is definitely having glasses or corrective lenses and having kids.  It is amazing how many finger prints and smudges get on your glasses that are from little fingers.  It boggles the mind how many activities lead to glasses smashing onto the ground, including rough housing, playing  outside, water parks, even just helping cleaning up toys.  Each activity comes with it’s own unique glasses smashing experiences.  People think that the simple answer is “so don’t wear them during these occasions”.  Well for those of us ‘blessed’ with horrific vision, this is not possible, your family turns into blobs of color, and those three dimensional objects you want to grab at, quickly become flat and two dimensional.   It’s really not an option.

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This is where LASIK eye corrective surgery comes in.  After a few weeks of recovery, you will have new eyes, where vision is as it should be without glasses or smudges.  No longer will you need a glasses case in the beach bag, a pair of glasses for the car, prescription sunglasses, a glasses repair kit at work and at home, or time spent trying to clean off those finger prints or smudges from little fingers.  These reasons may seem superficial, but another good reason is in an emergency situation in the middle of the night do you want to stumble about looking for your glasses or jump into help mode and make the situation less of an emergency.

Contact lenses are another possibility for getting rid of your glasses, but there are added cleaning rituals that need to be followed as well as more chemicals and stuff to carry around with you.

Some parent guided LASIK tips are below:
Have a friend, family member or babysitter come over to take care of the children on the day of your surgery and perhaps spend the night if your children need care during the night.
Have your special someone (spouse, significant other, mom, dad, bestie, etc.) drive you to the LASIK center, stay with you during your procedure, drive you home and make sure you rest afterward.
You’ll be able to shower the next day and get back to your normal routine but you shouldn’t exercise or do any heavy lifting for at least four days—get the kids to take out the trash.
Let the kids know they need to be careful around you: no pokes in the eye or roughhousing.
You won’t be able to take part in any contact sport for one week after surgery or swim for 10 days, so rest on the sidelines during family outings.
Remember to take your post-op drops for as long as your surgeon prescribes, usually four days or so.
Keep your eyes protected when outdoors on sunny days. Bonus! Have your family help you choose a cool new pair of nonprescription sunglasses.

Poise and LBL #PoiseLinerLove @walmart

Disclosure- This I received compensation and / or samples in order to provide this review.  All opinions are my own and honest. For more information, please see “I Disclose”.

Light Bladder Leakage (or LBL) is a common occurrence for women of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities.  This occurs in one in every three women and some of the most common reasons are;

Physical changes from childbirth, pregnancy, hysterectomy, or menopause, being overweight, complications from surgery, stroke, or chronic diseases like diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS) or Parkinson’s disease. It can also occur from a bladder or urinary tract infection, or bladder irritants (certain foods and beverages).

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As a personal sufferer of LBL, it can be daunting trying to find a way to either cover it up or work around it.  Sometimes it’s just a funny joke or a silly life event occurs and I happen to leak a bit.  Other times I just leak.  Luckily for me, I realized the best way to go about this is by having a little protection during daily activities.  This comes in the form of Poise Micro liners and liners.  Micro liners are great for when you know you are going to have a ‘good day’ with little to no issues, or if you don’t leak all that much.  Liners are great for those “more then just a few drops” days.  With an absorbancy of 2 out of 6 these are perfect for the infrequent spurts and drips.

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In our house, we always have at least a full box in the cabinet in the bathroom.  One of the best places to purchase Poise pads it Walmart, with great prices on bulk packaging, they are the clear cut winner against small packages at a local drug store.  One of the difficulties with bulk packaging is, will I use said item before it expires?  The beauty of Poise pads and liners, there is no expiration date and have more on hand is always a good thing.  Just in case.

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Poise liners are available in many different options, including micro liners, liners and the new 3 drop thin shaped pads.  All of which are available at your local Walmart.  If you aren’t sure which products are right for you there is even a simple question and answer/survey available at Poise.

 

Why Won’t My Garden Grow? Gardening When You Don’t Have a “Green Thumb”

My son and I love to garden, and dad gets in on it as well- at least on the vegetable gardening portion. I’ve always wanted one of those amazing, fragrant rose gardens (of course, with other flowers in the mix as well) and my son shares this dream, perhaps oddly.  He loves to run around in gardens, and now that he’s older, take photos of all of his favorite flowers. Roses top that list.

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We plant seeds inside each year as well, and transplant the ones that can live outdoors outside when the weather is right.  My son loves watching his little greenhouses grow.  They are also fun 4H projects for the end of the year now that he’s old enough to participate in those clubs.  There are all sorts of cute kits we like to try, as well as the traditional seeds and dirt.

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We also grow a fruit and (mostly) vegetable garden every year.  We don’t have a large yard, and neither of our gardens are huge- just rows along the fences. But we enjoy it, and that’s what matters. Some of the plants we grow from seeds, others from “starter” plants from home stores, and this year from these interesting pods from Miracle Gro. (Read about them here if you want.)  I hadn’t seen them before, but he likes them, and most of them are growing pretty well so far.

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We are also going to pick up some hanging baskets this year for strawberries and hulaberries- which are similar, but have a pineapple flavor. We usually grow them on the ground, but thought we’d try something new this year since we are growing both blackberries and blueberries this year as well.

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Last year, I didn’t do much with the garden.  It has quickly become over-run with weeds and growth.  My bushes, plants, and flowers (bulbs too!) have just not been doing well, and it’s frustrating.  The bulbs have been rotting in the ground, 2 out of 4 rosebushes have died over the past 4 years, 1 out of 2 azaleas have died (and the other won’t grow), and neither hydrangea is growing or doing well. I’ve been composting, tilling the soil, fertilizing, and winterizing the plants- and with no luck.

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This year, as gardening season finally gets started here in NJ, I’m really making an effort to figure out what’s going on with my poor garden.  Is it the soil, the sunlight, some kind of bug- or just a terrible gardener?

We started with 2 days of garden cleanup, weeding, tilling, etc, and put a few new plants in.  Let us see how this season progresses.

Wish me luck, please!

 

uHoo – What you don’t know, you can’t fix #uHoo #GetUhoo

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Did you know bad air at home can affect sleep, trigger asthma attacks, and cause frequent headaches? The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental dangers.  Most of us carry on our days at home oblivious to the air quality of our homes.  Why, you might ask? Well the answer is easy. It’s mostly because we don’t know.  We don’t know what harmful chemicals or pollutants are floating around in the room with you day in and day out.  We can’t just smell carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide which can be harmful and fatal to all living things, be they adults, kids, or pets.  So how do we find out what is really going on with the air around us without spending too much money?  With a uHoo -a smart air quality indicator which interfaces with your smart phone via a free app.

The uHoo app measures temperature, humidity, dust, VOC level, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and air pressure.  All this from a small, easy to transport device which can be placed anywhere.  From your desk at work, to your hotel room, to your child’s bedroom, it is easy (and smart) to find out exactly what you are breathing in on a regular basis.  Poor air quality can lead to many big problems, like respiratory conditions, skin conditions, allergic reactions, mold and mildew reactions, etc.  uHoo will help identify all these issues before they get to be problem and even give you suggestions on how to alleviate them.

What we really like about uHoo is the fact that it empowers the user to help themselves with knowledge and know how.  There are even some extra benefits to a uHoo, like air pressure measurements.  Many migraine sufferers have particularly difficult days before/after a rain storm, when the air pressure fluctuates often.  uHoo can tell you when this fluctuation occurs to help figure out when is best to take a preventative medication.  Will uHoo solve your breathing problems, or your allergies? Unlikely.  But it will be a valuable tool to make your living space more breathing friendly.

Tom’s of Maine Rapid Relief Sensitive Toothpaste #Reliefin60

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Sensitive teeth can be a real ‘pain’.  Sensitive teeth can lead to changes in your diet or a loss of appetite in general.  Some are sensitive to cold liquids or foods, to others, hot foods and liquids are excruciatingly painful.  For some people, neither temperature can be tolerated. Anything that can alleviate the pain and make eating more normal is welcome.  Wouldn’t it be preferred if there was a way to alleviate this pain in a natural, eco-friendly way instead of with an odd chemical taste and color?  Tom’s of Maine has a new toothpaste which can help you in a matter of 60 seconds.

 

The toothpaste has clinically proven rapid relief in 60 seconds when directly applied to the sensitive tooth with fingertip and gently massaged for 1 minute. With regular usage of the toothpaste, long-lasting protection is possible. The way Tom’s works is with naturally derived arginine and calcium carbonate which helps seal out pain.  The toothpaste is also fluoride free, and all natural.  Tom’s is one of the greenest companies around with  no experimenting on animals, sharing of what each ingredient is, its purpose and its source, sustainable use practices, no artificial colors, flavors, fragrances, or preservatives.  The packaging itself is even made of recycled content and completely recyclable.  Even the employees themselves volunteer 5% of their time and 10% of Tom’s profits are donated to human and environmental purposes.

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The toothpaste itself has a pleasant natural flavor which is not overly or fake minty, and is a great way to freshen your teeth in a natural way as well as to help make your teeth less sensitive.  My husband’s issue is with cold drinks especially.  Very cold drinks make his teeth ache deep down, and he avoids them.  But while using the new Fluoride-Free Rapid Relief Sensitive Toothpaste, he says he was more able to drink pain free.
Fluoride-Free Rapid Relief Sensitive Toothpaste is available at Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and Amazon for $5.99 per 4 Oz. tube.  Give it a try and see what you think.

The post is brought to you by Activate by Bloglovin and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
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Sick days with Pfizer Pediatric

Disclosure- I was provided with samples by Pfizer Pediatric Platform for this  review and social shares in order to facilitate this review.  All opinions are my own and honest.

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Sick days happen- when your kids go to school or day care or the park or anywhere that involves contact with other small humans, and germs spread.  This leads to stronger immune systems down the line, but short term it leads to the sniffles, colds, congestion, and fevers.  To help alleviate these issues, it always best to be well prepared with a medicine cabinet of options like Infant and Children’s Advil®, Children’s Robitussin®, and Children’s Dimetapp®.  “Children’s Advil® helps with fever and pain, but is meant for little ones between 2 years and 11 yearsChildren’s Robitussin® assists with controlling coughs and can last for up to 6 hours.  Children’s Dimetapp® helps with cold and cough symptoms and is the number one doctor recommended brand.

Some other tips for little ones who are sick include:

  1.  Keep them comfy.  Blankets, plush toys, low light, anything to give them the feeling of warmth and comfort to help them sleep through it, and wake up better.
  2. Keep close.  Since your little one is not 100% they may not be as vocal as usual and you might need to keep an eye on them for subtle ques as so what they need.  Examples are, extra coughing, they need more water, not soda or juice, water.  Extra moans and groans maybe its time for more medicine.  Extra boogers, more tissues and such.
  3. Quiet and chill is the name of the game.  Keep visitors to a  minimum and contact with other little ones to a minimum as well.  Just because your little one is sick doesn’t mean they all should be.

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With these tips and you yourself being a calm collected parent, you can withstand ALMOST any cold or flu that rears its ugly head. If you feel like it is too much for you, then there is always the pediatrician you can call. If you think your child is really sick, or if it lasts a while, do not hesitate to contact your regular pediatrician.  That is the reason why you have them, on speed dial isn’t it?

Pfizer Pediatric wants to help you get prepared for the fevers, coughs, and colds coming your way this season, and Target has all of the Pfizer Pediatric products you need to fight against the “ick’s” and “ew’s” that bring your kids down.  Each of these products are available at Target.com and your local Target stores as well.

I was provided with the following in order to share my opinions with you-

They really came in handy when my little one was dealing with the cold and flu season.  It’s always good to have them in the house so you are ready when your kids fall ill- no one needs a sick kid and no medicine in sight.  Head to your local Target and pick up some for your medicine cabinet today!