Know Your Count Managing Asthma

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Nearly 25 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma. While symptoms and severity vary from person to person, asthma can be deadly in some circumstances. Asthma exacerbations, or “attacks,” account for nearly two million emergency room visits every year in this country. Many people with asthma rely on a rescue, or quick-relief, inhaler to improve their breathing when they feel the signs of an oncoming asthma attack.

In a 2003 questionnaire given to 268 patients, 90% of respondents reported that an inhaler with a dose counter would give them added reassurance about medication supply.

A dose counter may help you know how much medicine is left.

How could you know if there was medicine in your rescue inhaler without a dose counter? Well, you could try to count the doses yourself, and some people do. But most people don’t use their rescue inhalers every day and may lose count of how many doses remain.

A written survey at the Scripps Clinic and Research Center of 63 new and existing patients who used a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) showed that only 8% reported counting the number of actuations used and replaced their inhalers when, or before, the manufacturer’s specified maximum number of actuations was reached.

A dose counter is the best way to keep track 

Life often gets in the way, so don't leave your dose count to chance. If you want to know how much medicine remains in your rescue inhaler, you should rely on a dose counter. Ask your doctor to prescribe a rescue inhaler that helps you Know Your Count.

Vacuuming Has Never Been Easier @BestBuy @Dyson #DysonatBestBuy

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Anyone who reads my site often knows that I have a lot of birds. And the more birds you have, the more mess you have to clean up. 

Now most people would think that birds are way cleaner than having a cat or dog. Well in a sense that's true since they stay in their cages, but their feathers and seeds do not. Birds molt their feathers so my hardwood floors are always full of feathers. Plus when they get done eating, they kick out the seed hulls from their cage, which end up going all over my floor as well. So normally in my house, my hardwood floors have seeds and feathers everywhere. 

Most of the time I used to use a broom, but feathers blow really was easily and I could never get them all. And if I tried to vacuum anything on my hardwood floors with my old vacuum, it would just spit stuff back out behind it.

So last month I was able to check out the Dyson DC65 Animal and it really lives up to it's name. In all my years being married, I have never had a vacuum that could actually work efficiently on hardwood and carpets together. That is, until I got my new Dyson.

This amazing vacuum is so strong that the feathers on the ground don't just blow around, they actually start coming towards the vacuum itself. That's how strong the suction is on this thing! And all the seed hulls all over my floor? It picks them up with no problem at all.

Many competitors claim superior performance on carpet, but 75% of US homes have a combination of carpets and hard floors. So Dyson is only solution for combination homes in my opinion!

Here's some of the great features of the Dyson DC65 Animal:

• Brush bar power increased by 25% for superior carpet cleaning 
• New configuration of bristles dig deeper into carpets to remove more dirt 
• Remodeled airflows to help remove more dirt, dust, and allergens from the home. 
• 180AW of suction (vs. 160AW in DC41) 
• Comes in three colors based on variant: Platinum (MF), Purple (AN) and Fuchsia (ANC) 
• Also, same great features as DC41: 
• Self-adjusting baseplate
• Long-reach telescopic wand 
• 2x suction of any other vacuum 
• Closer edge pick-up 
• Built to survive 10 years 
• Hygienic bin emptying

Right now the Dyson DC65 Animal is available for $599 which includes TFT and a dusting brush. 

The 2014 State Farm Neighborhood Assist Grant

This is a partnered post with State Farm. All opinions are my own.

Do you have an idea that would make your community a better place to live, and would $25,000 be a game-changer? State Farm is here with the assist. From March 3 through March 23, people from the United States and Canada can submit a cause for a chance to win one of 40 $25,000 State Farm Neighborhood Assist™ grants.

Once the submission period ends, State Farm’s Youth Advisory Board reviews all of the submissions and determines the top 200. Then anyone can visit the Neighborhood Assist Facebook app and vote for which ones they think deserve the grant.

If I entered and won, I would use the grant to open our synagogue up again. All the Jewish people in our community don't have a place to worship anymore including our family and opening up the closed down synagogue would be uplifting for us.

Want to learn a little more? Just take a look at last year's recipient of the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program!



If you're interested in nominating your neighborhood, make sure to enter the contest here before March 23.

Make Sure to Take Care of Your Pets

About two weeks ago, I wrote about how Woody our Zebra Finch caught pneumonia. After going to the vet twice and giving him lots of medicines, he ended up passing away last week. You honestly would never know how much you love such a tiny creature until they are suddenly taken from you. Our entire family grieved for days, including my husband who really loved Woody too. And the finch cage looked so bare with only Speckles in there.

So after a week, we contacted the breeder that had Woody and we got a cousin of his. Of course he will never replace Woody, but it helps fill the void we were all feeling.

This little zebra finch in the picture is the new Lil' Woody. He is almost identical to our original Woody, plus he does weird stuff like Woody used to do too. No wonder he comes from Woody's lineage! Tonight I even caught him sitting on my dinner table, trying to eat a piece of spaghetti on a plate!

Do you have pets you really love? Anyone who really loves their animals will want to take care of them so that's why I wanted to share about PetCareRX and a new deal they have going on. Right now they have a great deal for 25% off orders $50 or more. This offer expires on Monday the 10th so if you were looking to stock up on items for your animals, I would do so now. You never know when they might get sick.

Relaxing at the Whistle Stop Grill @Restaurant_com #ReviewCrew @Restaurant.com

I am a Restaurant.com Review Crew Blogger. All opinions are my own.

Like most people, I love eating out. Mostly because someone brings the food to me and I don't have to do cleanup! But I also love that I get a selection instead of just having to eat what is already cooked. So as you can probably guess, our family likes to eat out a lot. 

But eating out can be expensive, especially at the rate we do. But with Restaurant.com gift cards, you can save money and still enjoy your experience. Simply go to Restaurant.com and buy one of their gift cards for a restaurant on their list. Then take your gift certificate to the restaurant and use it when you like. They don't expire, you can use it anytime, and you can even exchange them if you need to.

So since the other day I was in the mood for a burger, we ended up stopping at the Whistle Stop Grill to have a bite to eat. (Not to be confused with Whistlestop, our Grey Cockatiel who just to happens to have the same name.) 

As you can see, it was a cute and rustic place to have something to eat. Of course in the dead of winter here it was pretty much empty other than us, but that made it even more peaceful!

The Whistle Stop Grill has a really laid back feel to it which I loved. Plus it was nice to watch a game on the tv while we ate too! But other than the fun environment, I have to rave about the food.

Like my favorite item, the fried Oreos!

If you have a sweet tooth, like me, then you will love this dish! I've never had fried Oreos before but it won't be the last time, I can guarantee that!

So if you're ever in town, then you need to check out the Whistle Stop Grill. It's amazing, plus it's right near the railroad tracks so if the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway is pulling out that day, you'll hear them coming!

The only thing better than going out for a great meal, is getting a great deal. Restaurant.com has been filling tables since 1999 and is the destination for dining whether you like to plan ahead or find a meal on the go. Restaurant.com helps diners discover the perfect dining experience and boasts nearly 50,000 dining deals available every day, even on the weekends! And, the deals are easy to use – present the certificate to the server on a mobile device, or print out a copy, and voilà – the savings will be deducted from your final bill.

Bon Appétit!