Epson LabelWorks Make Spring Cleaning Easy and Fun

It’s time to usher in the spring with a fresh perspective, which could be a new look, a hobby or even organizing your home or office. With the portable EPSON® LabelWorks™ LW-300 and LW-400, spring cleaning can be easy and fun.

Both LabelWorks printers support more than 40 EPSON LC Tape™ cartridges, which are available in a wide range of unique colors and materials such as glow-in-the-dark, metallic silver and pearlized blue. Combining these tapes with bold fonts, creative symbols or decorative frames and borders can make organizing toy bins, food containers or filing cabinets an enjoyable experience with a personal touch. In addition, the LW-400 features a two-line, back-lit display for effortlessly creating labels in dark spaces such as attics, closets, garages, and basements.

“Clearing clutter and getting organized is a great way to shake off the winter cold, and the LabelWorks printers are essential tools to add to any spring cleaning checklist,” said Eric Mizufuka, associate product manager, Epson America, Inc. “With a variety of specialized media, fonts, and durability for indoor and outdoor use, the LabelWorks make spring cleaning less of a chore and more of a creative way to spruce up your home or office.”

The LabelWorks LW-300 works with a variety of tape widths ranging from six millimeters (~1/4 inch) to 12 millimeters (~1/2 inch), and the LabelWorks LW-400 accommodates tapes up to 18 millimeters (~3/4 inch) wide. The tapes are available in a variety of traditional colors, as well as specialty colors and textures such as metallic, fluorescent, pearlized, iron-on, and glow-in-the-dark. Taking organizing to a new level, the label printers also offer 14 font types, 75 frames and more than 300 symbols, as well as provide dramatically smaller lead margins for up to 60 percent less margin waste1 for perfectly sized labels every time.

In addition to the convenient back-lit display, the flagship LabelWorks LW-400 features increased built-in memory for storing up to 50 labels. It also has expanded specialty print modes that include custom barcodes, cable and wire wrap, and a tab function that prints a mirror image for double-sided tabs to highlight pages in a notebook or for binder dividers.

For more information about Epson’s LabelWorks, visit www.epson.com/LabelWorks. For videos demonstrating the various uses of labels with LabelWorks, visit Epson’s YouTube channel.

Pricing and Availability

The EPSON LabelWorks LW-300 (MSRP $39.99) and LabelWorks LW-400 (MSRP $49.99) are available from a wide range of retailers as well as online from Amazon.com and Epson.com

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Christmas in July with Storkie.com

I have heard people talking about Christmas in July for many years, but for myself, I have been a person that thinks far in advance, and will at times, even find gifts throughout the year, so though Christmas in July is a topic for some, I say, why  not think Christmas throughout the year!

Some of the ways in which my wife and I prepare for Christmas throughout the year is to plan out our Christmas Cards far in advance. While there are times when we do Photo Cards or other cards that we can design online, we have also made our own cards in the past as well, so every year is an adventure. Keeping this in mind though means that we need the time to plan out and coordinate this effort, so waiting until the last minute does not work!

Recently in thinking about our Christmas Cards (Yes we are looking at doing them already), we came across a site called Storkie.com. We had never heard of this company before but were impressed by the variety of cards that they did have not only for Christmas, but for year-long use. So whether you are looking for wedding invitations, baby announcements or something else, Storkie.com has a huge variety to select from. I also have to say that not only do that have a large variety, but the variety that they do have is high quality as well, which is always a must when looking for special occasions like the ones I mentioned.

For me, last year was one of the years that I remember most in regards to our Christmas Cards. We had done a lot as a family in the previous year and because of this we had a lot of great pictures. Instead of writing a letter and including pictures within it, we wanted to do something creative so we decided to build out a photo card with many of the images for the year. The whole family got into this and we had a blast. It did take a long time though so that leads me to the planning that we are doing as a family now!

So if you are like me and are already planning out your Christmas Cards or if you have other special events within the future, go and check out Storkie.com and see if they can provide you with the cards you need! I think that you will be impressed!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions. 
 
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An Unconventional Gift - DYMO LabelManager 420P Label Maker

About the Product

Portable and durable, the DYMO LabelManager 420P label maker is easy to use and extends productivity for those heavy users who need vast quantities of labels for massive filing, archiving, warehousing and asset management functions.

Other features of the LabelManager 420P label maker include:

• PC* and Mac^®** compatibility - to print barcodes, logos, batch labels from data files, and much more
• Large, four line graphic display with back lighting for improved visibility
  
• View text effects, on screen, before printing – to minimize mistakes
• Rechargeable battery – no more disposable battery expense and inconvenience
• Uses DYMO D1 labels in 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2” and 3/4” widths, for maximum flexibility

About the DYMO LabelManager PnP Label Maker

Printing labels is fast and easy with the award-winning DYMO LabelManager PnP label maker. With no software to install, the label maker plugs right into a PC or Mac^® to create professional looking, customized labels using the fonts and graphics on the computer. Lightweight and compact, DYMO LabelManager PnP label maker is ideal for labeling at the desk. 

Other features of the LabelManager PnP include:

• No software to install
• PC* and Mac^®*** compatibility
• Customize your label with any fonts or graphics on your computer
• No power adapter or AA batteries needed – conveniently charges via USB
• Uses DYMO D1 labels in 1/4”, 3/8” and 1/2” widths, for maximum flexibility 
• Recipient of iF Product Design, red dot design and PC Magazine Editor’s Choice awards

*Windows^® 7, Windows^® Vista, Windows^® XP

** Mac^® OS 10.4 or later

*** Mac^® OS 10.5.8 or later

The DYMO LabelManager 420P label maker is available for USD $109.99 and the DYMO LabelManager PnP label maker is available for USD $59.99 in catalogs and online.  For more information about each, visit www.dymo.com.

My Take on the Product
My wife was looking for something that would allow her to continue to organize our family's life and when I heard about this and was asked to review this I thought what could be better! In trying out this portable label maker I found that it was very easy to set up and use and that most of all, it was not as heavy as some of the ones that I have held in the past. 

I had never heard of "Dymo" before, but in looking online I found that many others have had very positive experiences with the company and their products so I have to say that I now have also joined their ranks. 

As I mentioned the product itself is quite easy to set up and to use. The only con (or at least the largest one in my eyes) was the keyboard on the product itself. It is not a full QWERTY keyboard and thus if you use this type of keyboard on a daily basis, you just have to retrain yourself for the way in which this is set up (it is not hard).

All-in-all this was a great product and my wife has already started to make strides towards further organization within our home! I can see that I am on my way towards a wild ride!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.  

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Free Poynt App Helps Families Multitask

Parents today know that running the household is serious business. And like any other business, there is a hefty amount of multitasking involved. Poynt, the all-in-one GPS enabled local search app is a great app for the multitasking involved in managing a family. Poynt allows users to search for the best prices at nearby gas stations, the closest fast and healthy meal on the go, the latest PG movie showing, the closest urgent care, and local weather. Also, with Poynt’s new local events feature, it’s easy for users to check out events in the area- great for last minute family outings.

Poynt is currently being used by over 6.5 million unique users on Android, iPhone, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry and Nokia smart phones.  Poynt will also soon be available on the Blackberry Playbook.
 For more info about the monster multitasking app, visit http://www.poynt.com/

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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5 tips for making spring cleaning a family affair

It’s spring—the perfect time to de-clutter and organize your home. For parents, the challenge is to freshen up the house while also staying on top of everyday responsibilities like work, carpool and dinner. Involving your kids is a great way to get it all done without losing your mind.

Kati Chevaux, editor at Cozi.com, offers 5 tips to turn common spring cleaning chores into a family affair:

1. Refrigerator Clean-Out

o   What you do: Remove all food to do a complete wipe down of the fridge shelves and drawers.

o   What the kids do: Find the expiration date on labels and sort out expired items and fuzzy foods.

2. Junk Drawer Makeover

o   What you do: Empty the drawer, clean, and replace items that belong.

o   What the kids do: Put toys and belongings in the right place, test the charge of stray batteries, throw away garbage, collect change and keep it!

3. Toy Reduction

o   What the kids do: Gather all random toys and trinkets around the house. Sort toys into two piles: 1. What I do play with 2. What I don’t play with.

o   What you do: When the kids aren’t home, recycle or throw away all the toys in pile No. 2 and half the toys in pile No. 1.

4. Wiping and Dusting

o   What you do: Prepare a spray bottle of mild/natural cleaner; dust shelves containing fragile items.

o   What the kids do: Use the spray bottle and washcloth to wipe windowsills, dust the top edge of the baseboards, wipe walls and door frames.

5. Paper Clutter Control

o   What you do: Remove unnecessary files, old bills, magazines, and phonebooks.

o   What the kids do: Shred sensitive papers, carry paper trash to recycling bin.

More about Kati Chevaux

Kati Chevaux is the queen of helping families get things done through household organizing tips, meal planning and nutrition advice and LOTS OF LISTS! Kati is the editor at Cozi.com (http://blogs.cozi.com/), and has been published in USA Weekend Magazine and in Sam’s Club Source Magazine. She is also the former nutrition editor at PreSchoolRock.com, and has contributed to a variety of regional parenting magazines including NJ Suburban and ParentMap.

About Cozi
Cozi is a free web and mobile service that simplifies busy family life. With Cozi, families have the tools to manage schedules and activities with an online calendar, track grocery lists, shopping lists and to do lists, organize household chores, and share family moments with relatives and friends—all with one solution. Families can access Cozi from any computer at home or work, and can get their grocery list, shopping list, to do list, schedule and messages on any mobile phone. Located in Seattle, Wash., Cozi was founded by veterans of Microsoft, Expedia and Amazon with a vision for creating technology tuned to the family. Cozi has over 3 million registered family members, and is available for free at http://www.cozi.com/.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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A Solution to Organize and Protect Your Entire Life

Ascend Partnerships, a provider of innovative software solutions, today announced the launch of its InformationSAFE™ product line, a highly-flexible suite of desktop and web products created to organize, protect and manage all of the personal information found vital to functioning in the modern world.

Research indicates that government agencies are holding $60 billion in unclaimed property and missing money, with billions of dollars and personal time lost annually due to poor organization and communication.  In fact, the United States Securities Exchange Commission estimates that 3 million stockholders are entitled to unclaimed stock worth $10 billion, in addition to the $500 million in stock dividends that go un-cashed each year.  InformationSAFE is a new and innovative software solution that clearly and succinctly chronicles the essential details of personal accounts, documents, records and property to make access in the event of an immediate need, natural disaster or incapacitation straightforward and easy.

“In this complicated age of juggling passwords, battling between hard copy and digital documents and not backing up critical personal data as often as we should, we found that millions of American’s are disorganized and do not have a safe, simple way to organize, chronicle, consolidate and store their critical personal information, costing families not only an immeasurable amount of lost time, but billions of lost dollars,” said Arnold Lewis, president of Ascend Partnerships.  “Our suite of InformationSAFE products are easy-to-navigate, digital, safe deposit boxes that allow users to organize, protect and manage their information all in one place.  User information secured within InformationSAFE can be accessed at a moment's notice when a person or family needs it most.”

Designed with input from leading experts in the fields of law, insurance, medicine, finance, security, and disaster recovery, InformationSAFE uses more than 250 pre-designed templates to capture the essential information valued by estate attorneys, doctors, lawyers, financial professionals, insurance specialists and more.  To make it easy for users to identify, track and locate critical life information, the pre-designed templates are organized into one of seven intuitive categories - Personal, Financial, Insurance, Legal, Health, Property or Key Contacts.  In addition to the pre-designed templates, InformationSAFE also allows users to tailor the product to meet their exact needs by including a Notes field so users can input messages relevant to their own family and situation as well as an Attachment option granting the ability to attach virtually any document in any format for easy access and safe storage.

The InformationSAFE Desktop edition provides superior organization, protection and information management with the ability to save critical data on any Windows or Macintosh desktop PC.  Data can also be archived to external devices such as memory sticks, with an option to also perform secure backups online through an InformationSAFE web service hosted out of the company’s data center.

The InformationSAFE Online edition, the only one-of-its-kind on the market, grants users the flexibility and convenience of accessing their personal information from any internet connected computer, anywhere in the world.  Offering the same superior organization, protection and information management benefits as the desktop edition, InformationSAFE Online protects user data from hard drive crashes, computer theft, or other unforeseen computer problems stemming from fire, flood, earthquake or other natural disaster.  InformationSAFE Online also allows users to send password protected secure email links directly from the program to authorized individuals, such as family members, accountants or lawyers, to securely access information in event of an emergency.

Utilizing the highest level of state-of-the-art security protocols available, InformationSAFE protects user data through AES 256-bit and SSL encryption technology − the same standards approved and used by the National Security Agency (NSA) and Fortune 500 companies.  InformationSAFE’s encryption technology is so sophisticated it actually exceeds the standards employed by many leading financial and banking institutions.  InformationSAFE also offers an optional secondary layer of security through its patent pending Visual Verification System, an innovative and proprietary technology that protects users from malicious malware and hacker intrusion attempts.

The InformationSAFE Desktop edition retails for a onetime fee of $49.99.  The InformationSAFE Online edition retails for $4.50 per month or $49.99 annually.  InformationSAFE’s optional online back-up service for the desktop edition is available for $29.99 per year.  The InformationSAFE suite of products is available for purchase through the company’s Web site, www.infosafe.com.

For more product information on InformationSAFE, visit www.infosafe.com. 

About Ascend Partnerships

Ascend Partnerships is a provider of innovative software solutions designed to make people’s lives easier.  Ascend Partnerships’ flagship consumer brand is the InformationSAFE™ suite of software solutions, designed to organize, protect and manage user information vital to functioning in modern life.  The InformationSAFE Desktop and InformationSAFE Online editions were created to safeguard key personal data, passwords and sensitive materials.  Ascend Partnerships is headquartered in New York, NY.  For more information on Ascend Partnerships, visit www.ascendpartnerships.com.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions. 

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How To Keep Kids Organized For Back To School

It’s that time of the year again, you finally get settled into a workable summertime routine with the kids and everything changes again. It’s back to school time and that means back to morning chaos, homework disorganization, and dealing with massive amounts of information between school and home. I’ve got some interesting tips that highlight some lesser-known ways for keeping kids organized for school, and I thought you might be able to use in a story you’re planning.

It’s normal for kids to generate chaos and disorganization (it comes with the territory), but being organized is a learned skill that is developed over time. With guidance and practice, kids can develop an effective approach to becoming organized. Amy Morris, single Mom of two teenagers and founder of GotFamilyGetOrganized.com, offers these unique tips to help your kids start the school year with a check plus.

5 Ways To Keep Kids Organized

Hub Of The House – Create a central location to hang a bulletin board that will hold important school and family information. Teach kids to update the calendar upon receiving new information and get in the habit of checking it the night before for the following day’s activities so that they can prepare in advance. 

GotFamilyGetOrganized.com – An organized parent sets a good example. This website stores in a unique, simplified, and easy to use format, important family information: school schedules and extracurricular activities, social and sport information, and medical, just to name a few, and it is all available in a central location that can be accessed anytime and anywhere – from any computer, iPad, or smart phone.

Organize Backpacks – A backpack is your child’s personal assistant. Teach them how to keep it neatly organized by only filling them with necessary school day items and keeping out unnecessary loose papers, non-school items and liquids. 

Make Lists – Teaching kids to make and prioritize lists will provide them with a greater sense of accomplishment - as they complete items and their lists become smaller, they will feel more productive and they have a greater sense of satisfaction in themselves.  Kids will take ownership for their tasks, shape their own time, and gain greater independence.

Student File Storage – Teach your kids to sort and effectively file school papers in an organized manner.  It will be crucial to them at exam time – especially if midterm and end of year final exams are inclusive of all the material covered to date. 

Organization is an awesome opportunity for kids to gain self-confidence and independence and not lose their sanity or you lose yours. 

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Be A Shriner Now

Have you ever wondered who makes up the Shriners? Shriners come from all walks of life – they are plumbers and professionals, salesmen and CEOs, fathers, uncles, and sons. And they are also brothers. I am contacting you today on behalf of Shriners International to encourage you, your friends and readers to learn more about becoming a Shriner.

The Shriners are a brotherhood of men committed to family, engaged in ongoing personal growth and providing care for children and families in need. While their backgrounds and interests may be diverse, Shriners are bound together through shared values and a desire to have fun, do good and build bonds that last a lifetime. The Shriners fraternity believes in:

• Providing attractive, quality programs and services for its members and their families and their friends in a spirit of fun, fellowship and social camaraderie
• Fostering self-improvement through leadership, education, the perpetuation of moral values and community involvement
• Serving mankind through the resources of its philanthropy, Shriners Hospitals for Children®

Powerful networks of mentors help you grow as a man, a father and a husband. And you will develop relationships that will benefit your life, with the chance to pass the lessons of leadership along to the next generation. Today there are approximately 350,000 Shriners belonging to 191 chapters around the world. Not surprisingly, there are well-recognized names from entertainment, sports and politics who proudly call themselves Shriners.

I encourage you, to visit www.beashrinernow.com and find out all of the great opportunities and ways in which you can benefit from membership in Shriners International. To learn more about becoming a Shriner, also please check out this video: http://www.westglen.com/online/18081.html .