http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/LisaCarey Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:42:47 GMT Reviews by LisaCarey http://www.viewpoints.com/Snopes-review-43ab5 <p>I have been using <strong>Snopes</strong> every since I can remember getting emails.  A few short months after I started using the internet and email daily of course I was hit up with email "chain" letters, scams, hoaxes and sob stories by everyone from a Nigerian who had a million dollars they wanted to give me to free gift cards from Applebees for forwarding this message.  A friend suggested using this site, and now, not only am I older and wiser when it comes to recognizing the email equivalent of junk mail, but I am also armed with one of the best scam detectors out there. </p> <p><strong>Snopes.com</strong> is fast and easy to use. You simply type in the subject line or a few keywords of content from your message (or even a story that someone has told you) and find out if it is fact or fiction.  You can also find out details about how this so called story started and when. I admit now I work for a consumer protection website, and one of the first things I do before writing about a bogus email message is start my fact...</p>... Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:42:47 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Snopes-review-43ab5 LisaCarey 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/hulu-com-review-0c9a5 <p>I first found <strong>hulu.com</strong> when searching for a place to watch an episode of "Super Nanny" that sounded interesting. I tried to watch it online, but for some reason my computer just wouldn't work with the site. Doing a search I found <strong>hulu,com</strong>, but not Super Nanny. </p> <p>Interestingly enough I DID find the second part to a television show that I had given up on.  I DVR'd the first episode, not knowing that it was a two part movie.  Here I was hanging in the wind about how the television movie ended and I was able to watch it online for free at <strong>hulu.com</strong>. </p> <p>I admit, I enjoy <strong>hulu.com</strong> and every once in a while visit it to find something unique for my children to watch (they have veggie tales on there) or just to see what is available.  I am not exactly as thrilled with it as many of the other reviewers out there.  I am much happier just DVRing my shows and planning the week ahead of time. </p> <p> I find it is easy to get lost on <strong>hulu.com</strong>, and that it is hard to find what I am looking for.  There is...</p>... Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:29:46 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/hulu-com-review-0c9a5 LisaCarey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/IMDB--27601-review-72cc5 <p>I am so bad with names.  I can remember faces and people (so other Viewpoints writers please don't change your photos too much) and it is so annoying to be watching a movie and think, "I've seen them before, now who is that?" Followed then usually by, "Now what movie did I see them in?"  Since my husband is a walking wikipedia, I can usually turn to him for the answer, but when I can't <strong>IMDB</strong> is the first site I visit to find out about movie credits, actors, story lines, plots and all the other trivia I need for both personal and professional use. </p> <p><strong>IMDB</strong> (the Internet Movie Database) is overflowing with information from both the knowledgeable and the fanatical.  It is true that much of the information is accurate and helpful, and quite often far more than I want to know. But one of the most entertaining features about this site is finding out all the other television shows and movies that some of my favorite or just memorable actors have been in.  </p> <p>Visitors can contribute their own trivia...</p>... Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:17:58 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/IMDB--27601-review-72cc5 LisaCarey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Sea-Band-Morning-Travel-Sickness-Wristbands-review-58f62 <p>The very first time I used the <strong>Sea Band Morning &amp; Travel Sickness Wristbands</strong> I was not only 6 months pregnant but also taking a cruise (don't ask!).  Since any sort of medication was out of the questions the <strong>Sea Band Morning &amp; Travel Sickness Wristbands</strong> were really my only option.  </p> <p>I didn't think that they would work, so "toughed out" my morning and sea sickness the first day. Upon arriving in Grand Cayman I literally wanted to sit down and kiss the earth that I was walking on.  </p> <p>The next day I thought, I bought them may as well try them.  They did alleviate much of my  nausea but I found that the longer I wore them the less they worked.  I would occasionally have to add pressure to the pressure points to get me through the five star dinners on the cruise - not eating them all mind you but at least keeping my husband company. </p> <p>Since then I have tried them again from time to time on simply stomach sickness, nausea and vomiting in an effort to avoid using medication.  The <strong>Sea...</strong></p>... Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:08:47 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Sea-Band-Morning-Travel-Sickness-Wristbands-review-58f62 LisaCarey 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/SideStep-review-567a1 <p>I was first introduced to <strong>SideStep</strong> when it was in it's "infancy" about 8 years ago.  My supervisor loved using it to make travel plans and found it very helpful in finding and comparing quickly and easily airfares from many major and not so major companies. But Sidestep isn't just for airfare, so I feel it needs it's review broken down into different sections I have used.</p> <p><em><strong>SideStep for airfare</strong></em>: </p> <p>I like that I can quickly and easily compare airfare and check out even ones like JetBlue and Frontier.  I like that it tells me how long my search will take. However, rarely do I find that their search provides me with any airfare that is lower than the other sites except by dollars. Not exactly helpful in that way. But good searching tool and fast too. </p> <p><em><strong>SideStep for hotels</strong></em></p> <p>Although I have searched for hotels on sidestep I have never booked.  The prices just aren't that great especially when compared to Priceline, Hotwire or Expedia. </p> <p><strong><em>SideStep for car rentals:</em></strong> </p> <p>Great for searching and the...</p>... Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:24:27 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/SideStep-review-567a1 LisaCarey 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Priceline--25303-review-c0354 <p>I admit when I was traveling on my own and I didn't care about time, but I cared about the costs, make a offer on <strong>Priceline</strong> usually got me where I wanted to be for about the price that I wanted to pay.  I have used Priceline for airfare, hotels, and car rental reservations and find that normally my results are hit or miss for satisfaction. </p> <p>I am most satisfied with <strong>Priceline's</strong> make an offer on hotels option, I can designate a specific star rating and area where I want to stay. I have stayed in New York, DC and San Francisco at places like the Westin, Marriott and Hyatt for at times under 50.00 a night.  Now that makes me happy. </p> <p>However, if you have to know more about your travel plans before you make them Priceline works much like Expedia or Travelocity with prices and airlines listed, you don't make an offer you just choose you airfare and book your flight. </p> <p>I admit that the majority of my success has been on <strong>Priceline</strong>. I did manage to get a great last minute airfare for my parents...</p>... Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:10:18 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Priceline--25303-review-c0354 LisaCarey 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Expedia-com-review-40b61 <p>I admit, whenever I am planning to travel there are two sites I visit first, <strong>Expedia</strong> and Continental.  I like Continental because they have non stop flights from Houston to Dayton, where my family lives.  <strong>Expedia</strong> helps me get started on traveling to my final travel destination by giving me airfares, car rentals, cruise prices, hotel prices, and even amusements in the area. I admit I don't buy the amusements, but they are great for ideas. </p> <p><strong>What I like about Expedia: </strong></p> <p> </p><ul><li>easy to use no matter what type of travel help you need </li> <li>saves my searches so I can easily visit again </li> <li>allows me to quickly and easily switch to other local airports </li> <li>competitive pricing </li> <li>good customer service </li> </ul><div><strong>What I don't like about Expedia</strong>: </div> <div> <ul><li>Ok, I admit this is silly but I don't really like the site, I think it's unattractive </li> <li>they tempt me with all these "coupons" but I never get to use any of them</li> </ul><div><strong>Expedia</strong> helps me get on the road and in the air. And when I am tired it gives me a place to sleep too. I really...</div></div>... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:26:14 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Expedia-com-review-40b61 LisaCarey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hotels-com-review-713e <p>Let me tell you a little story about <strong>Hotels.com.</strong>  Normally I look at it but find it's not very competitive with its pricing so I take a peek to get ideas and then move on to the hotels own site or someplace like Priceline where I have never been disappointed in my hotel bookings and price. But recently, my sister while traveling on business was in a jam and <strong>Hotels.com</strong> really took care of her, me and the reservation. </p> <p>After visiting <strong>Hotels.com</strong> I found exactly the hotel I wanted (airport Sheraton in Orlando Florida) for $62.00 for the night.  They had shuttle service so I didn't have to worry about my sister getting stranded. Her travel arrangements didn't work out, her office was closed and she was scheduled to go into a school fare for college recruitment in minutes so we needed someone who could find and book the hotel for her. </p> <p>Wanting to make sure she would be safe and secure, as well as make absolutely certain of some other details I called <strong>Hotels.com</strong> customer service line.  The...</p>... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:50:32 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hotels-com-review-713e LisaCarey 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hotwire-com-review-91020 <p>Hotwire used to be my "hot hot hot" travel planning website, about 7 or 8 years ago.  Now, not so much. This travel site does offer options for booking airfares, car rentals, and hotels and is often quite competitive but there are some things about the site I just can't get past. </p> <p><em><strong>When booking with Hotwire.com:</strong></em></p> <p> </p><ul><li>I don't get my Frequent flyer miles </li> <li>It is like priceline where you can't see the airline or company name until you book your adventure </li> <li>the site has made some improvements along the way but it still is a bit of a pain to search and use, especially when going through your booking process </li> <li>Does give me great car rentals prices almost every time</li> </ul><div><strong>Hotwire</strong> isn't the worst, it isn't the best.  It's hard to get a real live person, but that's ok, because they rarely make mistakes in my booking. I do get tired of being "timed" out of the site or my search, let's face it I am a busy WAHM I get distracted and can't always be online as much as I need or want. Overall, Hotwire is one of...</div>... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:38:04 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hotwire-com-review-91020 LisaCarey 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/travelocity-review-3d2b4 <p>I don't have a lot of spare time. I am lucky that we get to take vacations and planning one takes lots of time so I don't need any trouble when I decide to start my planning and research.  Once upon a time about 7 years ago I did use Travelocity frequently for my personal and business travel, now I stop by to see the fares, but I would be hard pressed to book travel there, let's put it this way, the savings better be astronomical to put up with both their website and their awful customer service. </p> <p><strong>What do I like about Travelocity?</strong> </p> <p> </p><ul><li>can search for more than one airline and fare at a time </li> <li>fare watcher </li> </ul><div><strong>What don't I like about Travelocity? </strong></div> <div><strong>Travelocity </strong>how do I hate thee, let me count the ways. . . . here are just a few </div> <div><br/></div> <div> <ul><li>they have a fare watcher but I never get my notices </li> <li>prices are about the same as everywhere else </li> <li>hard to search for most things </li> <li>customer service is the WORST I have ever seen anywhere with any company </li> </ul><div>Let me tell you a story, and this is just one of many...</div></div>... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:25:35 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/travelocity-review-3d2b4 LisaCarey 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Save-San-Antonio-review-5a3c1 <p>My husband and I were considering a trip to San Antonio for the weekend and in my efforts to find ways to save money (including an Entertainment Book for San Antonio) I found SAVE San Antonio. <br/></p> <p><strong>What I like about SAVE San Antonio:</strong></p> <p> </p><ul><li>easy way to get ideas about fun, places to go, hotels, and theme parks </li> <li>download coupons or order a brochure that includes coupons </li> <li>the home page gives you  a peek at the coupons you will get without having to download all of them sight unseen </li> <li>helps you get a free visitors guide to San Antonio </li> <li>free to use </li> <li>no email address needed </li> </ul><div><strong>What I don't like about SAVE San Antonio: </strong></div> <div> <ul><li>the web page is set up kinda weird with one side WAY longer than the other </li> <li>parts of the pages seem more like advertisements but not in a professional way - kinda of like a blog with categories just set there </li> </ul></div> <p>I have actually made three trips to San Antonio since that initial planning process and all three times have found SAVE San Antonio to be helpful in finding places to go...</p>... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:12:30 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Save-San-Antonio-review-5a3c1 LisaCarey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Amazon-com-review-97c55 <p>Long ago and far away in another galaxy, I didn't like shopping online. I wanted to see and feel things for myself.  Sure, I knew about Amazon.com and would look things up but for me it was more like a wikipedia, so I could learn about books and products before I bought them.  But I've come a long way baby since then and now there is so much more about Amazon.com that I like. </p> <p><strong>What do I like about Amazon.com?</strong></p> <p> </p><ul><li>find out about books, products, toys, and even groceries before I buy them </li> <li>create a wishlist so my dear husband knows what I really do want - and I can share it safely and securely with others </li> <li>find out information about items for sale </li> <li>sell my own items </li> <li>read reviews on items </li> <li>easy to use </li> <li>can become an affiliate and easily set up my own store on my own site </li> </ul><div><strong>What don't I like about Amazon.com?</strong></div> <div> <ul><li>very few discounts or special offers even the clearance section is limited</li> <li>pricing </li> <li>easily distracted by their "points" to other products or suggestions that others who bought...</li></ul></div>... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:57:55 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Amazon-com-review-97c55 LisaCarey 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Oriental-Trading-Company-review-24ac3 <p>I was first introduced to Oriental Trading several years ago as a teacher. I was able to find unique classroom decorations, crafts and even inspiration from their catalog for ideas to include in my lesson plans and to keep the children creatively entertained.  Now I know that there is more to Oriental Trading than just craft supplies. </p> <p><strong>What does Oriental Trading offer: </strong></p> <p> </p><ul><li>crafts</li> <li>holiday items </li> <li>decorations </li> <li>party help </li> <li>games </li> <li>ideas </li> <li>clearance section </li> <li>lots of coupons and free shipping offers </li> </ul><div><strong>What do I like about Oriental Trading? </strong></div> <div> <ul><li>just looking online or through the catalog and I get ideas for crafts for the kids, gifts, goodie bags, help with birthday or other party planning and more</li> <li>I actually have more I want to buy than I should </li> <li>wide assortment of craft supplies letting me easily stock up </li> <li>the clearance, coupons, and free shipping offers </li> <li>the customer service </li> </ul><div><strong>What don't I like about Oriental Trading? </strong></div> <div> <ul><li>sometimes the website is hard to use </li> <li>too many catalogs come in...</li></ul></div></div>... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:39:40 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Oriental-Trading-Company-review-24ac3 LisaCarey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/YOUTUBE--265776-review-86492 <p>I thought that <strong>Youtube.com</strong> was simply for posting your "home movies" for lack of a better term to show off and have a laugh until a client asked that I used the videos there within some other work I was doing for them.  Include a video in an online article from Youtube I asked?  Yes, it is fun, it is easy and when they say a picture is worth a thousand words they can also say a video is work 100,000.  </p> <p><strong>What I like about Youtube.com </strong></p> <p> </p><ul><li>easy to use search engine </li> <li>offers alternatives if it can't find what you want </li> <li>offers suggestions to other videos on your topic </li> <li>allows you to leave and read comments </li> <li>both personal and professional videos are available </li> <li>can find something on just about every topic from DIY home improvement to homebrewing and everything in between </li> <li>find out about latest trends, trouble that kids get into and even watch portions of the news using Youtube</li> <li>fun stuff, love stuff, just lots of stuff </li> <li>and it's free to include those videos in your webpage, blog or post...</li></ul>... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:29:36 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/YOUTUBE--265776-review-86492 LisaCarey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Fisher-Price-laugh-and-learn-shopping-cart-review-6ff5 <p>My daughters already adore shopping and it's no wonder with a toy like <strong>Fisher Price laugh and learn shopping cart.  </strong>It is just so easy for them to have fun with it and it doesn't even need batteries. </p> <p>With the Fisher Price laugh and learn shopping cart the girls "shop" around their playroom loading up dishes and play foods then taking them to their pretend kitchen.  The Fisher Price laugh and learn shopping cart is so much like the real one that I wish I could use one at the grocery store and put them to work helping me grocery shop. </p> <p>Older toddlers will just enjoy having this as a push toy with their favorite friend in the front seat.</p> <p>The Fisher Price laugh and learn shopping cart is brightly colored, durable, long lasting, inexpensive and helps my girls learn how to take turns playing with it, gives them a taste of real life shopping and encourages pretend play. It is fun watching them create their own shopping stories and you would be amazed at what they decide they need to put...</p>... Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:03:08 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Fisher-Price-laugh-and-learn-shopping-cart-review-6ff5 LisaCarey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pepcid-Ac-Acid-Controller-Tablet-Relief-Of-Heartburn-30-Each-review-8aae0 <p>I love spicy foods. So much so that it gets me in trouble from time to time.  It's a good thing that there are now medications available over the counter to help get rid of the burning that happens occasionally when I indulge myself in spicy hot wings, chili dogs, or Mexican food. I simply take a <strong>Pepcid AC Acid Controller Tablet Relief Of Heartburn. </strong></p> <p><strong>Pepcid AC Acid Controller Tablet Relief Of Heartburn ingredients:  active ingredient Famotidine. Each tablet contains a 10 mg dose of this ingredient, which acts as an acid reducer. Inactive ingredients in Pepcid tablets include hydroxypropyl cellulose, hypromellose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, red iron oxide, starch, talc, and titanium oxide. <br/></strong></p> <p>The pills are small and chewable, so I get relief from acid and heart burn that much quicker.  I remember <strong>Pepcid AC Acid Controller Tablet Relief Of Heartburn</strong> being a prescription for me before I had my gall bladder removed and if my doctor recommended it then, I know it can...</p>... Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:55:48 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pepcid-Ac-Acid-Controller-Tablet-Relief-Of-Heartburn-30-Each-review-8aae0 LisaCarey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Polaroid-Rechargeable-Batteries-and-Charger-review-7f2b0 <p>Recharging batteries just makes good sense. I am going green and would rather not fill the earth with all of my old batteries. Of course you know I like to save money too and so that's where the <strong>Polaroid Battery Charge</strong>r came into my life.</p> <p><strong>The Polaroid Battery Charger Features</strong>:</p> <p>Comes with a car chord and household chord<br/>Hold four batteries at a time<br/>Batteries slip into place easily <br/>Red light lets you know it's charging<br/>Green light lets you know it's charged</p> <p>The <strong>Polaroid Battery Charger</strong> only works for AA and AAA batteries but that covers many of our children's electronic toys and mine and husband's electronic gadgets.</p> <p>It only takes about an hour to recharge batteries, which isn't bad. With the Polaroid Battery Charger I am not only saving green and going green but I am saving myself a lot of headaches too those headaches that include saying, "Sorry your toy doesn't work mommy has to go by batteries!"  </p> <p> </p>... Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:52:16 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Polaroid-Rechargeable-Batteries-and-Charger-review-7f2b0 LisaCarey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Aquaphor-Healing-Ointment-review-ba254 <p>I have dry skin "spots," like many others, you know,  those troublesome skin spots like elbows and heals.  Using Aquaphor Healing Ointment regularly means that I can heal my skin quickly and easily and without a prescription. </p> <p>The active ingredient in <strong>Aquaphor Healing Ointment</strong> is Petrolatum. The other ingredients used to make Aquaphor include Mineral Oil, Ceresin, Lanolin Alcohol, Panthenol, Glycerin, and Bisabolol. Who knew it was Vaseline with a boost? </p> <p>Aquaphor Healing Ointment is doctor recommended for both adults and children.  My son also suffers from dry skin and this was the first thing recommended. Many parents I know use it to help their children relieve the painful itch of ezcema. </p> <p>The manufacturer recommends cleaning and drying skin before applying. For dry heels try putting it on at night and wearing socks to bed to protect your linens. It may feel weird to apply because it is so thick and creamy, again like Vaseline, but it has far more healing properties.  I wouldn't...</p>... Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:41:47 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Aquaphor-Healing-Ointment-review-ba254 LisaCarey 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Barbie-Princess-Tough-Trike-review-cc3b3 <p>Thanks to a recent birthday when one of my daughter's received a new <a href="/Dynacraft-16-quot-Girls-Ride-With-Me-Barbie-Bike-reviews">Barbie Bike </a> of course my youngest child also needed to get a new bike (when ever we buy one we have to buy the other something too) and thanks to the great price on the Barbie Princess Tough Trike we were able to. </p> <p><strong>Barbie Princess Tough Trike</strong> Ages 3 to 5</p> <p>We did have to assemble it out of the box but that wasn't too bad. It is made of hard plastic and metal construction. The only real difficulty we encountered was fitting the tires and axle together. </p> <p><strong>Accessories for the Barbie Princess Tough Trike:</strong></p> <p>A girl's gotta have her accessories. The Barbie Princess Tough Trike comes with a set of plastic keys and Barbie and flower stickers to decorate the trike. My daughter also likes the hidden storage under the seat so she can take a few "things" along for the ride.</p> <p>The only cons to this ride on toy is that the plastic wheels don't offer tons of traction. Sometimes kids have to readjust and scoot to keep going. Also, over...</p>... Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:28:40 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Barbie-Princess-Tough-Trike-review-cc3b3 LisaCarey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Noahs-Ark-review-5a0f0 <p><strong>Fisher Price Little People Noah's Ark</strong> is one of those toys that you can pass on to your grandchildren if you keep it safe, but mine was one of my most popular items at a recent garage sale. I should have auctioned it off. </p> <p><strong>Fisher Price Little People Noah's Ark</strong> is a replica of the biblical ark complete with Noah, his wife, and animals two by two.  The animals are so adorable with just enough real life to not confuse children but enough friendliness to make them want to play with them. </p> <p>While it is very cute and the little people and animals are the perfect size for children there really isn't much to do with this toy. They can place animals on specific places on the ark, as well as walk up and down the ramp and enclose them inside it but other than that there is no animal sounds or other items of interest. The creative play expected of children using  <strong>Fisher Price Little People Noah's Ark</strong> is just a bit above the level of children that would be playing with it. </p> <p>Some other problems,...</p>... Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:18:01 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Noahs-Ark-review-5a0f0 LisaCarey 3