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Teleflora Deal of the Day Bouquet Giveaway

February 12, 2012 By 10 Comments

Valentine’s Day is this week on Tuesday, February 14th. For many, Valentine’s Day is a day of showing the ones you love how you feel about them and celebrating relationships. It is also a big day for sending flowers! Even someone very practical like me, who doesn’t buy or receive flowers very often, still appreciates getting them on occasion and Valentine’s Day is a great time for a beautiful bouquet of flowers. With the cold, gray winter weather, who wouldn’t love a bright, cheery bouquet to bring color and festivity to a room?

I love roses of varying colors (especially pink, purple, and red) and carnations in the same colors. So I fell in love with this gorgeous arrangement of Valentine’s Day flowers from Teleflora!

Seriously, is that absolutely stunning or what? It’s called the Dance with Me Bouquet with Red Roses and I would love to see this on my dining room table (*hint hint to my hubby*) for Valentine’s or any special occasion!

Teleflora has a huge selection of flowers for Valentine’s Day and for any other special day or event. They even offer a Deal of the Day Bouquet ($50 value), a mixed bouquet created by an expert florist using the freshest, most beautiful flowers available. The flowers included in each one-of-a-kind bouquet are selected to give maximum value.

Teleflora is giving one lucky MomRN reader the chance to win your very own Deal of the Day Bouquet!

To enter, post a comment and tell us about your favorite flowers. Or tell us a time when you received or gave flowers and why it was special to you. Or share your favorite Valentine’s Day memory. It’s up to you but to enter you must leave a comment.

GET AN EXTRA CHANCE TO WIN by visiting the Teleflora flowers on Facebook and click the “like” button. Come back to this post and leave another comment to let us know.

You can also get another extra entry by visiting Ask MomRN Show on Facebook and click the “like” button. Come back to this post and leave another comment to let us know.

Entry Deadline: Sunday, February 19th at 11:59pm EST.

Winner will be chosen by Random.org from all eligible entries. This giveaway is only open to United States residents.

Good luck!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Kristen! You have won the Teleflora Deal of the Day Bouquet!

Disclosure: This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my time investment and work on this campaign. All prizing for MSM giveaways is handled by a third party unless otherwise noted. For this reason prize fulfillment can take up to 90 days after the winners information is received.

 

Filed Under: family, Giveaway Tagged With: , , ,

Protecting Your Child from Identity Theft

February 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Most of us have heard the horror stories of identity theft and how it can devastate your credit and even several other aspects of your life. It can take years to prove fraudulent use of one’s identity and restore your credit and reputation. Identity theft is a growing problem and has been on the rise as more personal and financial information than ever before is stored online.

We know adults are at risk for identity theft, but did you know your child is at risk too? In fact, the rate of child identity theft has risen dramatically in the last few years and is estimated to affect between 140,000 to 400,000 kids. And because most parents are not aware of the problem, most cases are not discovered until the child reaches the age of 18 and applies for a credit card or loan or enrolls in college. By that time, identity thieves have wreaked havoc using that child’s identity and the child is left having to clean up the mess.

Child identity theft can even begin before you’ve registered your child for a social security number. A software program used by identity thieves to predict which social security number will be assigned to a person has made it easier for the thieves to steal and begin using the number before anyone is the wiser. Fortunately the government found out about this software and last summer a more randomized method of assigning social security numbers was developed and is now being used which will help curb the problem some but there are other methods identity thieves can use to obtain your child’s number.

For example, remember those forms you filled out for your child’s doctor? What about for your child’s school? Did they ask for a social security number? Most do and so most of us assume it is mandatory for us to provide that information. But did you know you can refuse to share that number? You can simply leave it blank. In most cases, you will not be asked for it again but if you are, you can ask why they need the number and if you do not wish to provide it, then don’t. Some states do require a social security number for school enrollment but even those states may make an exception so you can ask if it is absolutely mandatory.

Another thing to be aware of is if you receive credit card offers or other mail in your child’s name that might indicate something is amiss. When my son was 6 years old, we received a credit card offer in his name. At the time we laughed it off and my husband even went so far as to fill out the application in crayon and was tempted to mail it in as a joke but thought better of it. We never considered it might indicate a problem with our son’s identity because we had never heard of child identity theft back then. Now, eleven years later, we’ve learned that such offers could indicate someone has used a child’s identity to either apply for a credit card, loan, or for use with purchasing a cell phone or utilities or any number of other transactions. I was dismayed to learn this information and worried that my son’s credit and identity might be compromised. So when I was offered the opportunity to become a kID Sure ambassador, I knew it was an offer I couldn’t refuse, not just for my peace of mind but especially because this is important information that all of us parents need to be aware of and I wanted to share it with you.

The kID Sure Child Identity Protection program offered through IDENTITY GUARD protects kids from identity theft by searching thousands of records for any indication of activity including social security number exposure, criminal records, DMV records, and utilities records. If any activity is found, parents are provided with the information in a “Digital Footprint” report and steps to take to protect the child’s identity.

After registering for the program, I was eager to learn if there was any activity on my son’s report. I was very relieved to discover that no activity was detected and his identity appears to be safe. Having the protection offered by kID Sure also reassures me that if any activity is detected in the future, we will be notified right away. This means we won’t be hit with any unpleasant surprises when my son applies for college or applies for his first job, credit card, or loan in the near future.

IDENTITY GUARD has been protecting people from identity theft for over 16 years and provides comprehensive protection for adults and children. You can learn more about IDENTITY GUARD and the kID Sure protection by visiting the IDENTITY GUARD website. For more information on protecting your family from identity theft, you are invited to download three free e-books from IDENTITY GUARD and watch the video below about the kID Sure program and how it can protect your child.

 

As a kID Sure ambassador, I will be sharing more information and tips for you to protect your child in future posts.

 

Disclosure: This service was provided to me for review at no charge. In addition I received monetary compensation. All opinions are my own.

 

 

 

Filed Under: children, family, parenting Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Super Bowl Commercial Sneak Peek Fun with Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno

February 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This Sunday, February 5th, millions of fans will be tuning in to watch Super Bowl XLVI as the New York Giants and the New England Patriots battle for the championship. For football fans, Sunday’s game is THE game. But it’s not all about football. The Super Bowl is also a time to gather with family and friends, eat fun snacks and food, and do something we rarely WANT to do – watch commercials!

Super Bowl commercials are big business, costing advertisers a lot of money. When you consider a 30 second commercial spot costs $3.5 million dollars, you can understand why advertisers go above and beyond to create commercials people will actually watch, enjoy, and talk about for days and even weeks after the game is over. This year is no exception and now commercials are even being leaked before the Super Bowl just to generate some additional buzz before the big game even starts.

MomRN has been given the opportunity to share a sneak peek of one of this year’s Super Bowl commercials starring Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno plus a few fun surprises. Enjoy and comment!

Last year my favorite Super Bowl commercial was the Darth Vader kid who used the force to start his dad’s Volkswagen. I thought it was clever and very cute. My favorite 2010 Super Bowl commercial was Betty White’s Snickers commercial. It was funny and who doesn’t love Betty?!?

What are your favorite Super Bowl commercials from the past?

Filed Under: family Tagged With: , , , , ,

Cool contest for kids to win $5,000 for their business idea

January 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Parents, does your kid want to someday run her own business? Think your kid might have what it takes to be an aspiring entreprenuer? Does he have a unique idea for a product or service? Want him to learn how to start and grow his own business? Want her to win $5,000?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you will definitely want to check out a very cool contest by CreditReport.com (the Credit Report People) and Warren Buffett where your kid could make $5,000 if he or she has the winning business idea!

The Grow Your Own Business Challenge can be found on the Secret Millionaires Club kid’s website. The site features cartoons, videos, teaching tools, resources, and more for teaching kids all about financial literacy and entreprenuership. The site even has a section where kids can ask millionaire businessman, Warren Buffett, for his advice on finances and business. How cool is that?

The contest is designed to encourage kids to think like entrepreneurs by figuring out a product or service to offer and who their target market would be, create a financial plan, then draw the product on paper or describe the service to be provided, choose a name, logo, and marketing message, and tell how the business would give back to the child’s community through supporting a community program or cause.

Kids ages 7 – 16 in the United States are eligible to enter, either as an individual OR in teams of 2 to 4 members. Parents and teachers are encouraged to help kids sign up and fill out the necessary entry information.

IMPORTANT: Entries must be submitted no later than this Friday, January 20th at 12 noon EST.

To enter kids need to sign up here: http://www.smckids.com/learnandearn/user/48160/edit

On the entry form, kids will be asked to answer the following questions:

How did you come up with your business idea?

Who and what will you need to get started?

Who will your customer be?

How will your idea work?

What goods or services will your business sell?

How much money do you need to set up your business?

How do you plan to raise that money?

How do you plan to prepare, sell, or market your services?

What makes your new business different than other new businesses?

What makes your business likely to succeed?

How can you raise money for community programs by creating your new business?

In addition to the grand prize, there will also be prizes for finalists, semi-finalists, and even teacher awards.

For more information, all the details, and official rules of the contest, please visit the Secret Millionaires Club site for kids.

I highly encourage parents and kids to check out the site and the contest. You’ve heard me talk several times on the Ask MomRN Show about the importance of teaching kids about money, financial literacy and responsibility and we’ve even talked about kid entrepreneurs who are already growing their own businesses. Here is an awesome opportunity for kids to learn and to have a chance at winning $5,000 to help them achieve their dreams.

Good luck!!!

 

 

Filed Under: family, Giveaway, kids, parenting

Kids and cable television: Parental controls and monitoring

January 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

It is becoming quite difficult for the majority of television watchers to ignore the benefits offered by HD cable services, or really any kind of modern cable provider or streaming service. Not only do such services provide extensive lists of new channels, exciting new viewing opportunities, and options for high definition displays, but they also offer far more customization potential that can really help you to turn your television into your own private entertainment domain. This aspect of modern cable services is particularly useful for parents who are seeking to monitor what their children can and cannot watch on television, as advanced packages and products offer plenty of tools and possibilities when it comes to parental control.

One of the best benefits of expansive cable packages, for parents, is actually in the range of available programs itself. While one side of this argument can say that more channels leads to more inappropriate programming for kids to find, it can just as easily be said to lead to more appropriate programming. Generally, kids do not find inappropriate or mature programs because they’re looking for them – they find them by accident, or because they’re bored. So, naturally, if you have a large cable package, you will have more access to shows meant for kids, and you may be able to dissuade your children from wandering much with the remote control, without actually having to enforce restrictions.

Of course, you can still impose restrictions if you so desire, and this tends to be easier with more advanced cable and satellite packages. In most cases, you can simply go through your cable offerings and select either channels or genres, or even individual shows, that you want blocked from your children. From that point on, a password will be required to watch these programs. This may seem a bit strict to a lot of parents, but it is in some cases a necessary security, and again, if you provide enough suitable entertainment for your children, they shouldn’t mind.

Securing these advantages for yourself and for your family may be more simple than you expect. As HD TVs and expansive cable packages have become more popular, many people resist the switch because they feel like such luxuries will be expensive and unnecessary. However, prices have come down on many of these products, and it is becoming increasingly normal for people to indulge in them. It may cost you a bit extra, but for specific concerns such as parental controls, you will be glad you’ve upgraded.

(MomRN’s note: This is a guest editorial post. Thank you to cabletelevision.net for offering this information to our readers.)

Filed Under: family, kids, parenting Tagged With: , , , ,

Nationally Syndicated Daytime TV Talk Show Seeking Guests

January 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Want to be on national television? Have you always dreamed of being a guest on a well-known talk show? A nationally syndicated daytime talk show is looking for guests and if you fit their criteria, you just might be who they choose to be on the show!

Are you a mom of a teen? Do you think that teenager might be lying to you about something or not telling the whole truth? Are you willing to see if the “human lie detector” can help you?

If so, the “Anderson” show wants to hear from you! A producer with Anderson Cooper’s new daytime talk show asked me to share the details of their guest search to help them find the perfect guests for this episode (so like me, they must know how fabulous y’all are) and being a fan, I’m happy to help Anderson and his show’s staff.

Here’s all the details they sent me to share with you:

NATIONALLY SYNDICATED DAYTIME TALK SHOW

Do you have a suspicion someone in your life isn’t being completely honest with you?

Do you think your partner could be cheating?

Or your son/daughter might not be telling you the whole truth?

Has a friend or family member been acting strangely, but denying that anything is wrong?

We have a nationally-known “human lie detector” here to help you separate fact from fiction, and get to the bottom of whatever suspicions you may have.

Email us ASAP at TVPRODUCER6@GMAIL.COM if you, or anyone you know, is interested — we can’t wait to hear from you!

MomRN’s note: Just a word to the wise, as radio talk show host and producer, I know from experience how overwhelmed producers get with an avalanche of emails, so if you want to reply to the guest search, please only do so if you match what they are looking for and please don’t spam them with “Did you get my email?” follow-up emails. If they think you are the right person, I’m sure they will be in contact with you. With that said – good luck! And if you DO get on the show, please let us know! It would be so exciting if one of our incredible readers made it onto the show and we’d love to tune in and see you!

Disclosure: This post has not been sponsored or in any way compensated. This is not a contest, just a search for guests for an episode. There is no guarantee of being chosen for the show and the sole decision lies with the producers. As much as MomRN would like to help you get on the show, I cannot. In fact, I’d love to be on the show too but I don’t think either of my teens are lying to me about anything right now so I don’t qualify. At least I hope they’re not! But if they ever need me for another episode – I’m so there! :)

 

Filed Under: family, parenting Tagged With: , , , ,

Jaleel White Holiday Gift Ideas Video

December 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Are you stressing out over last-minute shopping? Not sure what to get the technology lovers in your life? Never fear – Jaleel is here! Jaleel White, that is!

You probably remember Jaleel White as television history’s favorite nerd, Steve Urkel, star of the hit show Family Matters, which aired from 1989 to 1998. These days Jaleel is a busy actor, screenwriter, dad, and a tech expert who is the “go-to” guy for all his famous friends who want the scoop on all the latest and upcoming video games, electronics, and other techie gadgets.

I had the opportunity to talk with Jaleel for the Ask MomRN Show and he shared his last-minute holiday gift ideas, especially for the techie lovers. In the video below, you can see his suggestions and recommendations and find out what he’s been up to since his “Urkel” days and where you can see him next.

YouTube Preview Image

 

What are your last-minute gift ideas? Share them in the comments and let’s help each other out with our last-minute holiday shopping!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy Holidays to all!

Filed Under: family Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

HTC Rhyme Review

December 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Recently I had the chance to try out a new phone from HTC for a month-long “test drive”. The phone is the HTC Rhyme and is available on Verizon. HTC provided the phone and 30 days of Verizon service for this review.

There are several things I liked about the HTC Rhyme. The color of the phone they sent me is a beautiful shade of purple. Purple is not usually a color you see on phones so I thought that was unique. (It also happens to be one of my favorite colors, but on with the rest of the review!) The size is comparable to my iPhone 4 and is easy to hold and fits well in most pockets.

The home screen is customizable so you can choose your background and which applications you want to show on it, as well as choose to have a “Friend Stream” which allows you to see all your friends’ Facebook status updates, tweets, and Flikr photos on the same screen. The 3.7 inch touchscreen is easy to use and has pinch-to-zoom capability.

The pictures on the screen are vibrant and beautiful. The Rhyme’s camera is a 5 megapixel 28mm/ f/2.2 camera with auto focus and a power LED flash and features HD 720p video recording capability. The pictures I took turned out well and I liked that the camera was fast and easy to use. I’m an iPhone 4 owner, and while there are many things I love about the iPhone 4, the camera is not as good as the Rhyme’s.

One of the coolest features of the HTC Rhyme is the charm indicator which attaches to the phone using the headphone jack and lights up to alert you when you have a call or message. You can have your phone set to silent, for those times when you can’t have it ringing, and still be alerted to check your phone by the charm. Plus, it also acts as a tether to retrieve your phone from the bottom of your bag. This is a great option for moms who keep their smartphone in a purse or diaperbag because it’s so frustrating searching for a ringing phone and not being able to find it in time. Brilliant idea, HTC!

Some other features include Visual Voice Mail, which enables you to delete, reply, and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions. It is also GPS navigator capable and can backup your contacts online, in case you lose your phone.

The Rhyme comes with a unique dock for charging the phone and it can be used to hold your phone on your desk or nightstand. When the phone is docked, the display switches to landscape mode and displays the time and weather, or photos, and you can play music through the speakers. For music listening on the go, a set of tangle-free earbuds are included in the box.

Since I’m an iPhone 4 user and am not on the Verizon network, I cannot compare how the Rhyme holds up against other smartphones on their network, but I did find the internet to be fast and easy to use. I’m also not very familiar with the Android marketplace, but did check out some of the apps on the phone. The apps were fast to load. The HTC Rhyme runs the Android 2.3 operating system (dubbed Gingerbread)–the fastest version of Android available for smartphones yet.

My husband is an HTC Tilt 2 owner and he was very impressed with how fast the Rhyme was compared to his phone and how much the features had improved and evolved since he bought his phone a couple of years or so ago.

The cons to the Rhyme are few but may be important to some users. The phone only has 4 GB onboard memory and has an 8 GB microSD card pre-installed. If you are someone who downloads lots of apps, music, etc., you may want to consider whether you need more memory than what is included.

The docking station does not appear to have a way to adjust the volume, so if you are listening to music, it may be too soft or too loud for your preference and seems to only play at one volume no matter what you set the phone’s volume on.

There is no pull-out keyboard. For those of us who are used to an iPhone or any other smartphone without a keyboard attached, this is no big deal, but some (like my husband and kids) prefer to have that feature.

Overall, I really liked the HTC Rhyme and would definitely consider it if I were a Verizon customer and/or if I wanted to switch from an iPhone. My husband is in the market for a new phone and the HTC Rhyme is now on his list to consider, even without a pull-out keyboard.

If you are in the market for a smartphone, either as a last-minute holiday gift, or just because you need one, you might want to check the HTC Rhyme out for yourself.

Thank you, HTC, for the chance to try out the Rhyme!

Disclosure: HTC provided the use of an HTC Rhyme for 30 days, along with 30 days of Verizon service, for the purposes of this review. The phone had to be returned after the 30 day test drive and no compensation of any kind was received. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

Filed Under: family Tagged With: , , , ,

GameStop Puts Some Jingle in Your Pocket

December 15, 2011 By 22 Comments

Want an easy way to make some money for your holiday shopping AND clear out old, unused stuff to make room for all those new gifts you’ll get? GameStop can help put some extra cash in your pocket and take those unwanted electronics off your hands.

Just bring in your iPods, iPhones, and iPads to your local GameStop and a store associate will tell you the value of your trade items and give you cash or store credit on the spot. It’s easy – no packing, no shipping, no hassle!

Current Trade Values are:

· iPod Nano – Up to $70

· iPod – Up to $150

· iPhone – Up to $180

· iPad – Up to $300

Trading iPods, iPhones and iPads at GameStop is the best way to put more “Jingle in Your Pocket” this holiday season. To learn more, visit: http://gamestop.com/itrades and to find a GameStop near you, visit: http://www.gamestop.com/StoreLocator.aspx

Some other ways to save some cash and/or put a little extra jingle in your pocket this season are:

  • Make gifts from the heart
  • Offer gift-wrapping services for friends and charge a fee
  • Offer babysitting for friends so they can shop or attend parties without kids
  • Start buying gifts early or throughout the year to spread out the expense

What is YOUR best tip for putting more “Jingle in Your Pocket” this holiday season?

Tell us your tip in the comments below to enter for a chance to win a $50 GameStop gift card. ONE lucky MomRN reader will win a $50 GameStop gift card courtesy of GameStop. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents over the age of 18 only. Be sure to include an email address or way to contact you if you win. Entry deadline is 11:59pm Central Time on December 21st. Winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries.

GameStop is also offering a $1,000 GameStop gift card grand prize giveaway! To enter, visit MomSpark.net at http://momspark.net/gamestop-jingle-in-your-pocket-program-and-1000-giveaway/ and share a photo of yourself trading your iPod, iPhone and/or iPad at GameStop in the comments of her post. See more details on MomSpark. Good luck!

WINNER UPDATE:

Thanks to everyone who entered and for your great tips to save money and put some jingle in your pocket during the holidays!

Out of 20 eligible entries, a winner has been chosen using Random.org and the winner is:

#9 Mike Hoang

Congratulations, Mike! I’ll be contacting you soon!

Thanks again, Everyone, and don’t forget to enter the MomSpark giveaway for a $1000 GameStop gift card!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy Holidays!

Disclosure: This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. I was compensated for my time investment and work on this campaign. Thanks to GameStop for providing me with a gift card to giveaway. All prizing for MSM giveaways is handled by a third party unless otherwise noted. For this reason prize fulfillment can take up to 90 days after the winners information is received.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: family, Giveaway Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

2nd.MD provides doctor housecalls for the digital age

December 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Thank you to 2nd.MD for providing me with a $200 stipend to test-drive this revolutionary online medical service.

Many years ago it was common for doctors to make housecalls to provide medical care to their patients. No waiting in a crowded waiting room for what seems like an eternity when you are sick. No getting exposed to everyone else’s germs in that waiting room. You didn’t even have to leave your bed if you felt too sick to do so. The doctor would come to you and give you personalized, one-on-one attention, and usually could spend as much time as you needed. In this day and age of busy doctors’ offices full of patients waiting to be seen and a doctor who is rushing from one to another, wouldn’t it be nice to go back to the olden days of housecalls? I think so! And so does a new company who has recently launched the digital age’s answer to the old-fashioned housecall – 2nd.MD.

2nd.MD is a new site (still in Beta) that connects patients with specialists all over the country via video chat for a consultation. The service currently has several doctors of a variety of specialties available and are adding more doctors frequently. A search feature is available to help you choose a doctor for your condition or needs. Each doctor sets their own fee for a consultation based on their expertise, specialty, and the demand for that specialty. The rates are currently between $80-$400 for a 20 minute appointment session with most doctors charging approximately $200. If you are not sure which doctor is right for you, 2nd.MD allows you to ask a doctor a free question to help determine if he/she is right for you. So you could ask a few different doctors and then decide on one before having to pay a fee. Also, if the doctor you choose does not have any appointments open that are convenient for you, you can put in a request to make more appointments available and give some preferred days and times. 2nd.MD and the doctor will try to arrange an appointment date and time that works best for your schedule and the doctor’s schedule.

For this review, I chose a doctor who specializes in dermatology to consult with regarding some sun damage or hyperpigmentation on my face. I have tried over the counter skin brightening products but have not had much luck with those and wanted to find out other options for lightening or removing the sun spots. Signing up for the service was easy and so was finding a doctor and scheduling the appointment. There was some confusion on their end about the time zones (I’m on Central Time and the doctor is on Pacific Time) but they caught their mistake and let me know in plenty of time to reschedule our appointment and were very helpful in coordinating that with the doctor.

The doctor I chose was Dr. Boris Zaks, a prominent Beverly Hills dermatologist. The session fee was $159 for 20 minutes. 2nd.MD has an area where you can upload important medical history and reports, test results, and images so the doctor can check those out before the appointment. Before my appointment, I uploaded a photo of my sun spots. I didn’t upload any other medical documents or reports because I have not consulted a doctor about it before so I did not have anything else pertinent to the consultation to upload.

Prior to your appointment, 2nd.MD offers you the chance to test out your equipment (webcam and headset or microphone) with their service to make sure everything is set properly. They also offer you the ability to schedule a test appointment with one of the 2nd.MD employees to show you how the appointment screen looks and works and test all the settings. I did test my equipment and made sure it all worked with the service. I did not do a test appointment because I did not see that was offered until right before my real appointment. When you log in for your appointment, the screen shows a countdown to your appointment:

Close to the appointment time, your screen will tell you that you are in the “waiting lobby” and the countdown will continue until the appointment begins. Then the screen will change to show the doctor on his/her webcam with you on your webcam in a smaller box down towards the bottom of the screen. For my appointment, there was a glitch that kept me in the waiting lobby with the countdown changing to showing how much time was left during the appointment. I refreshed the page to see if it would take me to the correct page but it did not. I was beginning to wonder if there was a problem with the doctor on his end getting logged in or if he may have been delayed or forgotten. Within less than 5 minutes, I had a phone call from customer service and they said the doctor was waiting for me to log in. I told them what was showing on my computer and they walked me through getting out of the lobby and into the actual appointment. There must have been a glitch on their end but we quickly resolved it and it did not adversely affect my appointment. When a site is in beta, and especially one using video chat features, there are bound to be some kinks that need to be worked out before the full launch of the service.

Dr. Zaks was very knowledgeable about my skin condition and treatment options. He asked me several questions to make sure he had all the info. he needed to recommend the best treatments for my particular case. He outlined a few options, including prescription creams, chemical peels, and laser treatments and gave me the pros and cons of each and approximate cost for each. I tried to take a screen shot of our actual session to show you but when I opened the file later, it had captured only my webcam control screen and not the actual screen shot of me and the doctor talking. After our appointment, Dr. Zaks sent me the notes of our session, including his recommendations for treatment options. This is a valuable service feature provided by 2nd.MD because patients often leave a doctors appointment overwhelmed with information and unfamiliar medical terms and drug names and can easily forget all that the doctor said. I highly recommend taking notes when you consult with a doctor in person or via 2nd.MD but it is great to know that on their site they do that for you.

As a nurse, when I first learned of 2nd.MD I was intrigued and could not wait to check it out for myself to see if it is a service that would be beneficial for all of you. I could not recommend it without trying it first and now that I have, I think it is a valuable and worthwhile service to use if you would like to consult with a specialist, especially for a 2nd or 3rd opinion, or have a condition that you are not sure about whether you really need to go see a doctor for in person. It could also be a time and money saver for someone who needs to consult with a specialist that they do not have access to in their own city, since you would not have to travel to meet with him or her. It is not a service for any condition that requires an in-person physical exam or for any type of emergency or urgent condition that requires quick medical treatment. 2nd.MD doctors are providing consultation services only, so keep that in mind too. That means there is no diagnosing, no prescribing, and no treatment. They are providing information, expert opinions based on talking with you and evaluating your medical history and any reports or results you provide them with, and they can tell you treatment options and recommendations. They can also tell you what to expect if you were to choose to make an in-person appointment at their office, if you are interested in that option after your session.

Another important point to consider, insurance does not cover 2nd.MD consultations, so you will have to pay the fee out-of-pocket if you choose to use it. I do think it is possible that as this service grows, insurance companies might look into covering the consultations but for now, it is private pay only.

If you are interested in finding out more about 2nd.MD and whether it could help you, here’s a video to tell you  more:

 You can also learn more by visiting the 2nd.MD website and also reading other reviews of the service, which you find by following the hashtags #Clever2ndMD #spon on Twitter.

If you use the service, I would love to hear your opinion and thoughts about it afterwards. I really think that this is a big step for the future of medicine. We may not have in-person housecalls anymore (well, not unless you have the money to afford your own physician on retainer service) but now we can have the next best thing.

Thank you again to 2nd.MD for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about 2nd.MD. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. #Clever2ndMD #spon

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