POETRY Collection

x

Book a Session A Portrait A Scene & Flowers An Animal

Artist Suzanne Ervin www.semyart.com

239-777-9556**Advertisement*

POETRY Collection

*

Irish Blessing

May Your Songs Be Merry and

Your Smiles Be Bright,May Your Laughs Be Many

and Your Heart Be Light.

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Mission: Sharing About Living with Heart. Create * Conceive * Connect

Letter from the Editor 2News, Celebrations, and Giveaways

Heart of Fashion 3New Closet, New You& Fiammisday.com

Recipe Corner 4Funny Easter Bunny Cake

You Asked? We Answered. 5 How do I enlarge my vision?

Five Painters & a Potter 5Annual Event at The Clay Place

Heart of Home & Family 6Wedding On a Budget!

Heart of Health 8Chiropractic Benefits Asthma & Allergies

Austin Makes our Lives Brighter 9

Heart of Travel 10Smart Travel Booking Ideas

Forever Mom 11by Mary Ostyn

Tech Tips & Apps 12Fooled ya via tech& March Apps

Featured Foundation 13Celebrate & Sparkle to benefit Dress for Success SW Florida

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Book a Session A Portrait A Scene & Flowers An Animal

Artist Suzanne Ervin www.semyart.com

239-777-9556*Advertisement

13

Irish Blessing

May Your Songs Be Merry and

Your Smiles Be Bright,May Your Laughs Be Many

and Your Heart Be Light.

Love Your Laptime(Retail Value of $25.00)

6Enter online at heartbeatmag.com under the Giveaway section or at

www.myfavoritefurr.com

WIN it!

Funny Easter Bunny Cake

My Favorite Furr

Photo: MCcormick

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Are some companies making a difference in the world? At Heartbeat Connection Magazine we discover the answer. Online, we share exclusive company reviews. Be sure to visit us at www.heartbeatmag.com.

RESOURCESSend us an email at info@heartbeatmag.com

Advertise with Us!Heartbeatmag.comManaging Editor NICOLE FLOTHEPhotographer MELINDA NAGY OTEROPhotographer JENNY PLOCINSKIArt Director SUZANNE ERVINEditor CHERYL FLOTHECover - Elizabeth

CONNECT www.TWITTER.com/Heartbeat_magFACEBOOK HEARTBEAT CONNECTIONfacebook.com/heartbeatconnection

Letter from the Editor

Did you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? We love to have the family meal of corned beef and cabbage and wear green. So many of us have a bit of heritage from Ireland so it's a great way to bring out some family traditions. Another celebration this month is that this is our 50th issue! Each month is filled with heartfelt stories and I truly appreciate all my family and friends that have been a part of these last 50 editions.

We attended the annual 5 Painters & a Potter event, listened to the Bluegrass music from Capt. Joe & the Bottom Feeders, and enjoyed the ambiance of The Clay Place.

This last weekend was filled with basketball games, a total of 5 for my son's SWFL Select travel team. They won 4 games and came home with the championship. So proud of these 6th graders, learning the game of basketball, and being coached by George Gabourel. This is their second season of travel ball and if you'd like to follow their progress or support their season visit www.gofundme.com/swflselect.

Our friends at My Favorite Furr are offering a giveaway for a Love Your Laptime, just send in a photo of you and your pet to be entered! Enter on our giveaway page for your chance to win or visit www.myfavoritefurr.com.

If you'd like to be a contributor or are interested in advertising, visit our website or send us an email at info@heartbeatmag.com!

With love, Nicole Flothe Managing Editor

This month's cover features Elizabeth enjoying a fun St. Patrick's Day celebration. Photo taken at Riverstone community club house in Naples, Florida.

Lee Heyward - Style with LeeShelly Aristizabal - You Asked & We AnsweredBeth Gatrell - Tech Tip of the Week Cheryl Flothe - Heart of Travel, Recipe CornerHeart of Home & Family

Go with your heart when you make your

choices!

Photo: MCcormick

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by Lee HeywardStylewithLee.com

Ever wonder WHY you should have someone help with your Spring closet cleaning?

Marie Claire's contributing writer and founder of Tradesy, Tracy DiNunzio explains why an 'objective' opinion will help:http://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/-trends/closet-psychology-101#slide-8

Fiammisday.com Blogger Simona from Florence, Italy

The Children's Fashion Blog Outfit and Kid's Style

Spring is finally here and, between moments of invigorating warm and moments of bitter cold, we really want to find a new collection and a kids' fashion perfect for our needs.Il Gufo is here. Punctual with its spring 2015, with its colors, with its harmony.Il Gufo ss 2015---the fashion for kids who want to be fashionable, comfortable, free to run, and in harmony with the season. A tee that is a masterpiece, a jumper I would buy for me, a pair of jeggings (jeans – leggings), and a scarf for those moments of forceful winds. A look that is cool, funny, and perfect for Spring 2015. Fiammetta can’t wait to wear it. What do you think? Have a nice day!

,

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Recipe Corner

by Cheryl Flothe

Many years ago I saw a Kraft recipe for an easy and whimsical Easter Bunny Cake for my kids---and I’ve been making it ever since! All it takes is two round layer cakes of your choice, cutting one cake to form a bow tie and two ears, putting them all together on a pan, then frosting and decorating. The recipe calls for using coconut, but you could easily just frost and decorate. Kids love to help with this cake (or you could surprise them with your own creation)! Happy Easter!

Funny Easter Bunny Cake

Ingredients:Recipe of your choice for 2-9-inch round cake layers (carrot cake’s a good choice).2-8 oz. package cream cheese, softened½ cup butter, softened2 cups powdered sugar1 tsp. vanilla1-14 oz. package flaked coconut, dividedFood coloring of your choice (red, blue, and yellow are used in above cakes)Water as needed for tinting coconut (1 t. water with drops of food coloring per 1 cup of coconut)

For decorations: Black and red string licorice for whiskers and ear outlines, flat gumdrop candies for eyes, smaller round gumdrop or other candy for nose, jelly beans or frosting dots for ears and bow-tie. Cake on bottom used a sugar cookie in center of tie spread with a little frosting and coconut. Instructions:1. Bake cakes of your choice per recipe. Cool, remove from pans and dust off crumbs.

2. Cut one round cake layer as shown in diagram, yielding two ears and a bow-tie. 3. Assemble cake on tray.4. Beat cream cheese, sugar, butter, and vanilla until well blended. Spread on cake. You can tint the frosting as per cake on left, or use white frosting for cake on top.5. For white bunny, sprinkle with coconut, as desired. For effects in top cake, reserve ¼ cup coconut. Add reserved coconut for cheeks and inner ears. For other tinted coconut sections of cake, mix 1 t. water with desired drops of food coloring per 1 cup coconut; toss coconut in zip-lock bag(s) until evenly tinted. Sprinkle coconut over cake, as desired. 6. Decorate using photos as guide.

PHOTO FROM Kraft

PHOTO FROM McCormick.com

Note: Recipes adapted from http://www.kraftrecipes.com/home.aspx and McCormick.com

by Nicole Flothe

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by Shelly Aristizabal of Business Women Connect

Q: How do I enlarge my vision?

Have you limited yourself by thinking too small, condemning yourself to a life less than your dreams? It's time to set your sights

This is my third time attending the annual 5 Painters & a Potter event held at The Clay Place. This year was another beautiful day with a large crowd listening to Capt. Joe & the Bottom Feeders, browsing, and buying artwork.

The 5 artists in attendance were: Tara O'Neil: Tara's a tropical artist, who creates vivid oil paintings, and sculptures.www.taraogallery.com Phil Fisher: Phil uses oil & water colors to paint award-winning seaside images.www.philfisherfineart.com Natalie Guess': Natalie

creates pictures using rare art form known as batik. www.natalieguess.com. Jeff Fessenden: Jeff does mural and trompe l'oel art, along with humor and caricature using watercolor, oil, pen and ink, and acrylics. www.fezzart.com Paul Arsenault: Arsenault's

showcase is filled with many large oil paintings of Naples, Florida and other coastal scenes around the world. www.arsenaultgallery.com.

May your troubles be less and your blessings be more...and nothing but happiness come through your door. - Fish Poetry

Jim Rice is the potter for The Clay Place studio and host of these annual events. He is known for his fish platters and poem fish designs. You will love the setting of his studio and the beautiful, tropical, and whimsical feel when you arrive. Once you select your pottery, you can then enjoy the smile of your friends & families faces when they get an original one-of-a-kind piece. Be sure to visit www.naplesclayplace.com or FB.com/naplesclayplace.

higher! We have to conceive it on the inside before we're ever going to receive it on the outside. Think BIGGER than you ever dared to before!

With your creative juices flowing, let's have some fun. Your dream life can begin today, and it is about being, doing, and having what you want. Your dream is very unique to you.

Think about all the areas important to you and dream BIG. How is your physical health? How will you look & feel, what is your ideal weight? Where will you live and what type of house? What kind of car will you drive? What trips will you take and who will you meet along the way?

Action: Keep Your Dreams in Front of YOU!

Create a Vision/Dream Board. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you like. This is a great family activity, a perfect way to share your dreams with the ones you love and you get to hear the dreams placed in their hearts!

Gather supplies -- poster board, photos, stickers, scissors, glue, magazines, etc. Cut out pictures of the images you want to create for your life, and then put them on the board. Write down your thoughts and even put dates for short-term dreams and long-term dreams!

To learn more visit...www.businesswomenconnect.com orwww.shellyaristizabal.com

Capt. Joe & the Bottom Feeders

Spring’s just around the corner---couples are planning their upcoming weddings. It’s an exciting and fun time, but coming up with the money to have an elaborate wedding can be stressful, if not impossible. The average wedding costs between $25,000.00 and $30,000.00. That kind of money could be used to put money down on a house, buy a car (or two), or pay toward college! Why not consider a less expensive wedding? All it takes is some ingenuity, research, and family and friends who are willing to pitch in and help, There are many personal stories online about weddings that don’t cost an arm and a leg. With the following cost saving tips you can plan your own beautiful Wedding on a Budget!

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by Cheryl Flothe

This is my third time attending the annual 5 Painters & a Potter event held at The Clay Place. This year was another beautiful day with a large crowd listening to Capt. Joe & the Bottom Feeders, browsing, and buying artwork.

The 5 artists in attendance were: Tara O'Neil: Tara's a tropical artist, who creates vivid oil paintings, and sculptures.www.taraogallery.com Phil Fisher: Phil uses oil & water colors to paint award-winning seaside images.www.philfisherfineart.com Natalie Guess': Natalie

creates pictures using rare art form known as batik. www.natalieguess.com. Jeff Fessenden: Jeff does mural and trompe l'oel art, along with humor and caricature using watercolor, oil, pen and ink, and acrylics. www.fezzart.com Paul Arsenault: Arsenault's

showcase is filled with many large oil paintings of Naples, Florida and other coastal scenes around the world. www.arsenaultgallery.com.

May your troubles be less and your blessings be more...and nothing but happiness come through your door. - Fish Poetry

Jim Rice is the potter for The Clay Place studio and host of these annual events. He is known for his fish platters and poem fish designs. You will love the setting of his studio and the beautiful, tropical, and whimsical feel when you arrive. Once you select your pottery, you can then enjoy the smile of your friends & families faces when they get an original one-of-a-kind piece. Be sure to visit www.naplesclayplace.com or FB.com/naplesclayplace.

HEART OF HOME AND FAMILY Wedding on a Budget!

Church and/or Venue1. If you’re a member of a church with a room large enough for a reception, don’t plan to dance and serve alcohol (unless your church permits it), you can save lots of money having the whole wedding there.2. Hotels are a big expense. Look into options for banquet rooms and halls at B&B’s, community clubs, rental halls, parks, with groups you or your family has membership in, and other associations. 3. Find a facility with a kitchen so food can be prepared on-site and one that will allow you to bring your own beer and wine. 4. Keep it small---My niece’s family rented a large house at a small country resort for the wedding, reception, and accommodations for our family of fifteen! The wedding was beautiful, memorable, and very personal. 5. Don’t overlook friends and family members with large living and rec rooms in their homes and nice back yards. These spaces can be transformed into magical places with some smart decorating. There are so many sites online for backyard weddings, I got really enthused about them! http://www.younghouselove.com/wedding-album/ and http://kisswedding.com/cheap-backyard-wedding-ideas.html

Reception Food & Drink1. Plan and prepare the food yourself with the help of friends and family. Pick up appetizer recipe books, find recipes online, and check out publications at your local grocers.2. Another idea is to shop around for reasonably priced catering. Small restaurants might be cheaper than professional caterers, and you’d be amazed how much a local grocer can offer from appetizer platters to wedding cakes. You can also make a beautiful wedding cake for much less than one from a bakery.3. An open bar is a big expense----stock up on beer and wine when they go on sale. Also, serve choices of tea, lemonade, punch, and water. You can buy or rent large glass dispensers for drinks. One site I reviewed showed the couple used different colored wine bottles (cleaned and labels removed) gotten for free from a wine tasting facility to serve their drinks in.

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Reception and Wedding Decorations, Equipment, and Supplies1. Party stores and online sites, Walmart, Target (especially online), Michael’s, and Jo-Ann’s have all the wedding supplies you might need. And don’t forget to use the weekly coupons at Michael’s and Jo-Ann’s!2. Check out party rental agencies in your area for equipment, tables, chairs, and more.3. Borrow or rent tables and chairs from a church or other facility.4. Make your wedding and reception sparkle with lights, mirrors, gauze or netting, an arch, balloons---anything to make it magical. The internet is full of ideas, so do your research!

Wedding Attire1. A gorgeous wedding gown creates a memory that will last a lifetime! Watch for sales and check consignment shops and thrift shops for vintage dresses. If you’re sentimental, consider wearing your mom or grandmother’s wedding dress. Many online sites such as www.taylorprom.com and www.beckydress.com have affordable bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses. You can also shop before prom in the spring for bridesmaid gowns and Easter or Christmas for flower girl dresses. 2. Make a simple gown pop by adding a band of gold, pearls, or other sparkles. 3. For the guys, shop around the rental agencies for good prices on tux rentals, or consider suits---they’re less expensive. Ring bearers can wear a nice pair of slacks with a vest or a suit, which are often on sale around Easter or Christmas. Casual beach weddings may only require slacks and beachy shirts!

Flowers 1. Check into less expensive silk flowers for bouquets and table decorations or go with real for the bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres. Costco, Sam’s, Walmart, local grocers, and other online companies offer better prices than florists for fresh flowers. And don’t forget carnations---they’re beautiful and less expensive. Silk flowers are available at Walmart, Michael’s, JoAnn’s, and other craft stores. You can pick up vases at thrift shops, craft stores, Michael’s, or JoAnn’s. With DIY instructions from online sites you can learn to make your own arrangements.2. Remember to take your flowers from the church to be used at your reception!

Entertainment (music, singers, DJ)1. If you have your wedding at a church, they may have an organist or pianist to play songs you choose. You can also ask a friend or music student to play for you. 2. DJ’s are always a great choice if you can afford one. They make your wedding a lot of fun, usually have a good collection of songs, and follow a schedule to announce the wedding events. 3. If you don’t use a DJ, gather songs from i-Tunes on your phone or i-Pod and hook up speakers. With some planning, someone can be a DJ for you. Look up the usual schedule of events (toasts, first dance, throwing the bouquet, etc.) and have them announce as a DJ would.

Photography/videography Good photos are an important part of every wedding. Depending on your budget, after checking local pro photographers and finding them too expensive:1. Ask the photographer how much they charge for a very limited group of formal photos taken before the wedding then get a disk of their photos to print your own. It’s much more expensive if you buy a package that includes the photographer staying for the whole wedding, producing the photos, and presenting them to you in an album.2. Look for photography students or photographers just starting out and get samples of their work.3. Have a friend with a good camera and experience taking photos be your photographer. 4. Place disposable cameras on each tables so guests can take impromptu photos.5. New cell phone cameras take surprisingly good shots.6. Save time and money by researching wedding photos in advance to find poses and locations in which you might want pictures. List the groups of people you want in your photos.

Stationery (invitations, thank you notes, etc.) 1. Costco, Sam’s, Walmart, Target, Michaels, and Jo-Ann’s (to name a few) have wedding invitations, invitation kits, and other stationery. You can also go on sites such as www.visaprint.com. And there are DIY sites online that show you how to create your own invitations.

Rings1. There are many places besides jewelry stores where you can purchase wedding rings. Costco, Sam’s, Walmart, and Target all have them and there are also sites online. My husband and I ordered our gold bands from a discount company years ago for under $25! And don’t forget estate sales and antique shops for vintage rings.

It’s your wedding! Make it special, do careful planning, and have a wonderful time!

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My son, Nathan, recently was told by his basketball coach that he needed to see a chiropractor. He said that he noticed his left foot was turned out while doing some drills and that he had a similiar problem last year and had it corrected by Dr. Van Wagner. I took Nathan to see him and he did some x-rays. Sure enough, Nate has a curve to his middle of his back and upper back. He said that his body was leaning left because of the muscle overcompensation. He suggested a treatment plan of once a week for the adjustments for a little while to see how the muscle memory would work and the spine would realign. Since Nathan wasn't feeling any pain or discomfort we began the adjustments right away. Nathan has said he feels better and he looks forward to the adjustments. I'm just thankful that we were able to be proactive in his care and be connected with a kind and efficient chiropractor.

I visited his website and checked out his latest newsletter at www.vanwagnerchiropractic.com. The February issue talked about Chiropractic benefits for asthma and allergies. I thought since we're in allergy season it would be great to share in this months addition of Heart of Health. Here is the info:

For over 100 years chiropractic has been helping with conditions such as back pain, but also as far-reachingas asthma and allergies. It is however difficult to understand how this process takes place. Verysimply, by aligning the spinal vertebrae and making sure they move properly, we are doing much more thanmaking a patient feel better. We are making sure that the brain can communicate efficiently with the body.In doing this, we can function at an optimal state. Recently, the foundation for chiropractic education andresearch (FCER) has shown that specific immune markers respond to chiropractic care in a positive way.For example, immunoglobulins are responsible for recognizing antigens and marking them for destructionby the immune system.

Patients afflicted with asthma and allergies may benefit from chiropractic care in terms of symptoms,immunological capacity, and endocrine effects. A recent study involved 420 patients with an average ageof 46 in an effort to find out what effects spinal manipulation has on symptoms, depression, anxiety,general health status, and the levels of immunity as

by Nicole Flothe

Chiropractic Benefits Asthma and Allergies

reflected by the concentrations of both animmunoglobulin (IgA) and an immunosuppressant (cortisol).

The study reported that only the patient group which underwent chiropractic care displayed significantimprovement in asthma and allergy symptoms. They also noted improvements in depression and anxietyscores. In addition, patients actually undergoing chiropractic care displayed dramatic increases of IgA and decreases of cortisol through the post treatment period, suggesting that there were physiologicalconsequences to their treatments reflecting increased immunological capacities. This would be expected toward off subsequent asthmatic and allergy attacks.

These biochemical changes not only suggest that the effects of spinal manipulation are more far-reachingthan commonly believed, but that they may be more long-term as well. The gain in immunological capacityachieved by the simultaneous loss of the immunosuppressant cortisol and the increase of theimmunoglobulin IgA following spinal adjustment would be expected to reduce the incidence and severityof asthma and allergy attacks. There would be less of a risk under these circumstances of compounding thesymptoms of these ailments.

Yours in Health,Jared Van Wagner D.C.Van Wagner Chiropractic7550 Mission Hills Drive Suite 316Naples, FL 34119

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by Nicole Flothe

But! It has made me stronger than ever to see him never giving up. From the journey of living in hospitals, intensive care, and the hard long road, he has come a very long ways. I am so proud of him!

But……through this fire, he has opened my eyes to so many things we usually take for granted. His sense of humor is so crazy awesome! He is such a true blessing and miracle.

I want to Thank You all very much for all the continuous support you have showed us. I still get tears in my eyes of being overwhelmed by how many people still follow Austin on his Facebook page. We love you all and we never could have made it without all your prayers and support.

To learn more about Austin and his journey to recovery visit Facebook.com/austinervinhealing. He continues to progress with his nursing care, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, and schooling. We all thank you for your prayers, support, and belief in his recovery.

My nephew had his accident two years ago this month. I love the way Austin's mom, Tina, shares her thoughts...It seems like we all remember bad times better than good...March 22nd is the day I will never forget!They say you won’t remember a thing from that first day. I can honestly say I can remember everything from that first call. A call you never want to get.

The whole LIVE like you are dying thing is totally different when you are thinking about your child not making it to their next life experience. No parent should have to raise their kids like they were dying! It’s a horrible feeling. It’s a daily irrational fear that I can’t stop. It feels like a dagger through my heart that I can’t remove. I know it’s not good to think like that, but no matter how hard I try I can’t get rid of the nagging fear of losing Austin. The greatest parenting fear became my reality that night. Just remember in a blink of an eye, life can change forever. When you least expect it, it sets you on a course that you never planned and into a future that you never could imagine.

Two years ago Austin was in a horrible car accident that left him a quadriplegic on a ventilator. During this time all I wanted was to jump off that ledge, from the heartache of seeing my baby lying there lifeless and hooked up to machines to keep him alive. It was too tough to handle. Wishing it was me instead of him, this was the hardest time of my life. Like any parent, you love your kids more than life!! EVEN though that was a bad day...It was also a day that my baby boy was saved and GOD gave him back to me. I can’t be grateful enough that he had another chance to live. Life is different but we make the best of it. We do the same things, but in a different way now.

Austin makes my life brighter. Without him I wouldn’t know what to do. I am so thankful that I still have my little angel!! Austin has always been full of energy---your average, everyday kid---full of life and ready to take on any adventure. His long eyelashes and big beautiful eyes and smile have always captured everyone. He has changed my life and made me appreciate every tiny little thing. He loves to smile, blow kisses, and wink. I love seeing how much joy he brings to other people. I have had dozens of strangers tell me he has made their day, just with his smile.

We all should be thankful for the little things in life and not take them for granted. I have to admit that it has been painful to see my baby like this. I grieve constantly and it really causes hell on my emotions.

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by Cheryl FlotheAir travel’s something that takes a lot of planning and strategizing these days. Especially since most of us “let our fingers do the walking” online. I still remember those days when we had to use travel agents---and the hours we’d sit at the agent’s desk while they found the so-called “best fare” for us. In this do-it-yourself world we’re our own travel agents. Wouldn’t it be great to save some money and headaches when booking online? Here are a few tips:

Do your homework and shop the deals! Use more than one booking site online---Travelocity, Expedia, Kayak, and Cheap Tickets, to name a few. Kayak will pull up and compare several sites at once for you.

Switch computers! The past few years I’ve found that when I search for fares online what seems like a reasonable price will all of a sudden increase! It seems airlines and booking sites are using cookies on your computer to tell them when you’re interested. They’re hoping you’ll panic and book the higher fare because you think prices are going up and you won’t get a cheaper deal. Switch computers while you’re doing your airfare research or delete cookies so they can’t track you.

Be informed! Sign up for good fare alerts and newsletters on sites such as travelzoo.com, airfarewatchdog.com, and cheapflights.com. Also, check the airline(s) you have frequent flyer mileage cards with for deals. Use those air miles! Air miles are money in your pocket! I always check how far my miles will take me when planning my air travel. Often I will use miles for one leg of the trip and cash for the rest. And I also try to book tickets on airlines that are mileage partners with my frequent flyer mileage program.

Stay Flexible! Check flights from all airports within a few hour’s drive for the best price. Also, if you’re flexible in travel dates it could be cheaper to depart a day or two before or after your target travel date.

Watch the calendar! From what I’ve read, travel prices may be cheaper between 3:00 pm EST Tuesday to Wednesday mornings. Also, travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays can be cheaper. And travel around holidays is more expensive and harder to book, so book early for those days. One article I read suggested it may be cheaper to fly ON the actual holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s), as people usually have gotten to their destinations by then, but most people don’t chose that route.

Don’t forget International Travel! The most expensive times to travel to Europe are late May to late August and during each country’s holidays. A cheaper way to travel is through Air Passes. Paying one fee allows you to use multiple passes for travel in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and other destinations. Check out Independent Traveler’s list of Air Pass offerings around the world at http://www.independenttraveler.com/travel-tips/air-travel/air-passes/3; also check the Airtimetable.Com site at http://www.airtimetable.com/airpass.htm for more Air Pass travel. Two airlines in Europe, Ryan Air and Easy Jet offer cheap air fares. Look online for others. One last suggestion is Eurostar train travel in Europe and trains in other countries. Passes are available for train travel, as well.

Happy and safe travels, my friends!

(Photo from Pixabay.com)

by Nicole Flothe

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Air travel’s something that takes a lot of planning and strategizing these days. Especially since most of us “let our fingers do the walking” online. I still remember those days when we had to use travel agents---and the hours we’d sit at the agent’s desk while they found the so-called “best fare” for us. In this do-it-yourself world we’re our own travel agents. Wouldn’t it be great to save some money and headaches when booking online? Here are a few tips:

Do your homework and shop the deals! Use more than one booking site online---Travelocity, Expedia, Kayak, and Cheap Tickets, to name a few. Kayak will pull up and compare several sites at once for you.

Switch computers! The past few years I’ve found that when I search for fares online what seems like a reasonable price will all of a sudden increase! It seems airlines and booking sites are using cookies on your computer to tell them when you’re interested. They’re hoping you’ll panic and book the higher fare because you think prices are going up and you won’t get a cheaper deal. Switch computers while you’re doing your airfare research or delete cookies so they can’t track you.

Be informed! Sign up for good fare alerts and newsletters on sites such as travelzoo.com, airfarewatchdog.com, and cheapflights.com. Also, check the airline(s) you have frequent flyer mileage cards with for deals. Use those air miles! Air miles are money in your pocket! I always check how far my miles will take me when planning my air travel. Often I will use miles for one leg of the trip and cash for the rest. And I also try to book tickets on airlines that are mileage partners with my frequent flyer mileage program.

Stay Flexible! Check flights from all airports within a few hour’s drive for the best price. Also, if you’re flexible in travel dates it could be cheaper to depart a day or two before or after your target travel date.

Watch the calendar! From what I’ve read, travel prices may be cheaper between 3:00 pm EST Tuesday to Wednesday mornings. Also, travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays can be cheaper. And travel around holidays is more expensive and harder to book, so book early for those days. One article I read suggested it may be cheaper to fly ON the actual holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s), as people usually have gotten to their destinations by then, but most people don’t chose that route.

Don’t forget International Travel! The most expensive times to travel to Europe are late May to late August and during each country’s holidays. A cheaper way to travel is through Air Passes. Paying one fee allows you to use multiple passes for travel in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and other destinations. Check out Independent Traveler’s list of Air Pass offerings around the world at http://www.independenttraveler.com/travel-tips/air-travel/air-passes/3; also check the Airtimetable.Com site at http://www.airtimetable.com/airpass.htm for more Air Pass travel. Two airlines in Europe, Ryan Air and Easy Jet offer cheap air fares. Look online for others. One last suggestion is Eurostar train travel in Europe and trains in other countries. Passes are available for train travel, as well.

Happy and safe travels, my friends!

My mother was adopted, so I've always been interested in understanding how people feel about adoption. I was excited to be given the opportunity to review Forever Mom, What To Expect When You're Adopting by Mary Ostyn from BookLookBloggers.com.

The story shares her personal journey of adoption and how she loves to educate others during their possible adoption process. During the book I highlighted my favorite heartfelt passages:

God has helped me see my own life more clearly, helped me better see my children's hearts, helped me become more the mother I wanted to be all along.

I gave up and just prayed, not only for the baby who by this time seemed alive in my heart but for unity between us. If it was really God who'd put adoption on my heart.

John began, now and then, to ask little questions about adoption. I'd answer, heart leaping hopefully.

Could he seriously be considering it, or was my wishful heart running away with me again?

When the airplane left the tarmac in Soeul, I cried again, overwhelmed to be taking this child away from the land where he'd been born, from the mother

who'd given him life, from the foster mom who loved him so, but not from the God who created him. Josh was sleeping, peacefully clueless, but my heart was ripped wide open.

My heart knew no distinction between birth and adoption.

Fifteen months later, another waiting child photo did something to my heart, the child was also from Korea.

She had mom/child bonding problems with her second adopted son. When I tried to smile into his eyes - trying to make that heart-to-heart connection--his eyes shuttered away, avoiding me. She referenced a great website www.empoweredtoconnect.org

Attachment, after all, is a relationship---a two way street. I hadn't realized before that a mother falls in love with her baby partly because of the loveable things the baby does in response to mom's overtures---nestling in, quieting when being cuddled, enjoying being fed, smiling and cooing, preferring mom above everyone. Sure, motherhood is exhausting, but the very responsiveness of the baby pays mom dividends and fuels mom's desire to nuture.

I don't know why God chose to allow us to parent these precious ones instead of their families, but I trust His providence, and I see His leading all the way.

But as aware as I am of the gift that our kids are to us, I also wish I'd been better prepared for the complexity of the job, for the layers of emotion I'd need to sort through both in my own heart and in the hearts of my children.

Check out AdoptUSkids.org for more information on domestic adoptions.

I love seeing how God ignites different passions in different hearts.

To learn more about the author, Mary Ostyn, go towww.forevermombook.com. Mary Ostyn offers encouragement and practical help to mothers in her books, on her blog owlhaven.net, and at adoption and homeschooling conferences across the U.S. She lives with her high school sweetheart in Nampa, Idaho, where she homeschools the youngest six of their ten children, including four daughters born in Ethiopia and two sons born in South Korea.

March Appsby Nicole Flothe

The nine apps this month on the radar are a mix of educational and entertaining. Drivers Ed is for my son to start taking an active role in driving someday. He is now 15 and will be getting his permit soon. The games for the month are Home, a bubble popping game, and Four Letters a brain word game. Photography apps, Text Camera and Collage, are very easy to use and have some really nice features. BrightNest is a great housekeeping app that gives you ideas on cleaning and doing housework that is important. Juice app creates a list of articles that they believe you would like based on the twitter content you share and people you are connected with. Quotes is an app that provides daily updates with some great designs and quotes. The last app I recently got is Meerkat, which is an app that provides live video feeds from your twitter connections and people can live chat via twitter. I've followed @Mashable and many others that I love to get news from. They're super cool.

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information that are worth a look include Tech Feast and Pinterest. Kids will get a kick out of the ideas and activities from Enchanted Learning, Apples for the Teacher, and Classroom Jr. If you feel like touring a museum check out Museum of Hoaxes and for some on the go fun try downloading April Fool or the Ultrasound Pregnancy Prank. Make sure you’re not totally fooled when you read about a story online, check out places like Snopes to make sure you’re not pranked into believing. Happy April Fools and be sure to visit us "Into Tomorrow" for the latest in cool tech … No Joke!

Fooled ya via Tech...by Beth Gatrell

Lots of people will be taking part in the fun of April Fools Day and you can too with a little help from your tech. Heading to April Fools Day 2015 will you give you some great ideas for pranks on both kids and grown-ups as well as wallpapers and some history on the fun filled day. Other fun sites for April Fools ideas and

Featured Foundation

To view more information about iPhone apps visit www.heartbeatmag.com, What's on my iPhone.

Be inspired by the incredible lineup of speakers as they share their story and tips to empower your inner beauty to shine.

Speakers will be Shemane Nugent, Barbara Melvin, Tina Black, and Shelly Aristizabal.For more information and to get your tickets, visit www.CelebrateAndSparkle.com.

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Featured Foundationby Nicole Flothe

My friend, Shelly Aristizabal, is passionate about helping women figure out their purpose and direction in life. Each year she organizes an event called Celebrate & Sparkle. This year the event will be on April 13th, from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm at Paul Mitchell The School in Estero. The event will benefit the Dress for Success SW Florida Foundation. To learn more, visit swflorida.dressforsuccess.org. They are on a mission to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

*Surround yourself with amazing women.*Be inspired by the incredible line up of speakers.*Nourish your body with spectacular nibbles & wine.*Be dazzled by the fabulous artists & vendors in the marketplace.*Bring a friend & enjoy the VIP treatment.*Together we can make a difference.

Invite & Inspire your Sister.Inspire your Daughter.Inspire your Friend.Inspire your Colleague.Inspire your Neighbor.

It's all about You! Enjoy an evening celebrating women coming together to make a difference in our community.

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