U.S. Cellular #30 Days of Good

During your busy holiday season did you get a chance to check out the Holiday Program U.S. Cellular promoted, called the “30 Days of Good Initiative,” which involved giving away $100,000 across four cities to people who are deserving – whether they are performing random acts of kindness or dedicating their lives to giving back through charity.  It could be something as simple as holding the door open for the person behind you to something bigger, like operating a shelter. A small team traveled to Knoxville, Tulsa, Des Moines and Milwaukee and found these uplifting stories and rewarded people in an effort to spread joy and happiness.

U.S. Cellular is committed to its communities and building meaningful relationships and are always excited about the opportunity to give back to our communities where our customers and associates live, work and play.

The team came across a lot of good stories and they hope some of these may inspire you to do good in 2015.

These are two of my favorite, my dad was a U.S. Marine and I miss him everyday.

Day 22: Paws and Effect Service dogs for vets with PTSD

Day 26: No one left behind - Milwaukee Homeless Veterans initiative

What have these stories inspired you to do?

Disclosure:  I have been compensated by U.S. Cellular for my post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Winterizing Your Mobile Device to Prepare for Freezing Weather

Most people winterize their homes, lawn and garden, hoses, sprinklers or campers before the snow flies and temperature falls. There also are wireless winterizing steps you can take in an effort to keep your smartphone and tablet from freezing up during cold temperatures.

Families use mobile devices to make their lives easier, more efficient and meaningful. During harsh winter conditions, it’s a good idea to keep your device safe from the cold.  During severe weather, it's even more important that you can be in touch with your family if your arrival time is delayed.  

U.S. Cellular offers the following tips to help your wireless device survive this winter.

§  Accessorize: A LifeProof case is rugged and waterproof and can protect your device through inclement weather such as frigid temperatures, ice and snow.

§  App-etizing: AccuWeather, MyRadar Weather Radar, The Weather Channel and WeatherBug are among the leading free apps available on iTunes and the Google Play store to help keep people ahead of winter storms.  I always watch the weather forecast on tv and now I have the ability to download these apps and be able to check the weather anytime at home on my iPhone 5s and even while I am away from home and weather conditions change during the day.

§  Battery Blues: When cellphone batteries are exposed to cold temperatures, their performance dips like the winter mercury. Cellphone batteries that would provide 100 percent capacity at 80 degrees will typically only deliver 50 percent when it’s 0 degrees outside.  That's a very interesting fact I didn't know before today.

§  Cover Up: Prolonged exposure to the cold may affect a cellphone’s display screen. The display cover can become brittle when exposed to cold temperatures for an extended period of time, which causes the liquid crystals within the display to start freezing.

§  Don’t Fret When Wet: If a cellphone gets wet from condensation or an encounter with snow, power it down right away and remove the battery. You should grab a towel or napkins to get as much excess water off the phone as possible. You should leave a wet cellphone powered down for a day or two to give the internal circuitry a chance to completely dry out.

§  Phone for Cold and Snow: The Kyocera DuraForce is an ultra-rugged smartphone that is certified to operate all the way down to negative 22 degrees Fahrenheit. It is also certified IP68 waterproof, so it can be fully submerged up to 6 feet deep for up to 30 minutes, and with its “Wet & Glove Touchscreen Operation,” you can use the phone while wearing your winter gloves and the touchscreen will continue to operate when the phone gets snow or rain on it.

My husband could have used these tips a few weeks ago when he left his phone in his glove compartment.  Phone got very cold, needed to warm up in house before it was usable.  He makes sure to keep it in his coat pocket when outside from now on!

Is a cell phone on your child's Christmas Wish List?  Make sure your child understands clearly how to use his/her phone safely, by using a customizable Parent Child Agreement.


Disclosure:  I have been compensated by U.S. Cellular for my post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

5-Hour ENERGY "Yummification" Video Contest Winners

And the envelope please................

The winners of the excitingly refreshing 5-Hour ENERGY "Yummification" Video Contest are:

·         First Place ($50,000 prize): “Pomelimelade” by Tim Merlau, Los Angeles, CA

o   This winning submission mixes a Pomegranate 5-hour ENERGY® shot with limeade, and then takes us on a musical journey through all that can be accomplished over several hours (spoiler alert:  it’s a lot). 

o   “Pomelimelade”

§  1 glass Limeade

§  1 shot of Pomegranate 5-hour ENERGY®

·         Second Place ($30,000 prize): “Ramalamadingdong” by Mark Golembeski, Los Angeles, CA

o   The second place video helps us turn that 2:30 feeling frown upside down by mixing a 5-hour ENERGY® shot with lemonade.  This video has it all: a clown, a puppy, a guy in a tutu, and much more. 

o   “Ramalamadingdong”

§  1 glass Lemonade

§  1 shot of Berry 5-hour ENERGY® 

·         Third Place ($10,000 prize): “Arnold Power” by Zac Sheorn, Lugoff, SC

o   The third place winner reminds us that you don’t have to be good at sports, but mixing a Pink Lemonade 5-hour ENERGY® shot with decaffeinated iced tea helps keep you refreshed while practicing.  And practicing. 

o   “Arnold Power”

§  1 glass Decaf Iced Tea

§  1 shot of Pink Lemonade 5-hour ENERGY® 

Check out the winning videos and recipes for yourself.  What's your favorite flavor combination?

I like 5-Hour Pink Lemonade ENERGY in Lemonade.  What a delicious way to watch our exciting Green Bay Packers game today.



Disclosure:  I have been compensated for my post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Tips to Shopping Black Friday and Cyber Monday like a Pro

Black Friday and Cyber Monday often provide the best deals of the year and with USA Today predicting that Cyber Monday will outshine most of the offerings on Black Friday this year, the lines between the two continue to blur. Shopping in stores during this busy season is a highlight of the year for some, but it can be stressful. Likewise the number of online sites and web-only deals can be enticing, but can also overwhelm. Fortunately, the holiday shopping experience doesn’t have to be either stressful or overwhelming, thanks to some strategic tips from U.S. Cellular on how your smartphone can become your best shopping pal.

Whether you like to shop from your couch or visit all of the stores during busy shopping times, smartphones can assist in ensuring you are efficient in your purchases, leaving more time to enjoy the rest of the season’s offerings. Below are examples of great apps that can assist in your shopping, no matter where you are checking out:

In order to find the best deals around, the Slickdeals is one app bargain hunters will want to have at their fingertips this Black Friday. Millions of users submit, vote and comment on deals across the nation SO the best deals rise to the front page. Of the millions of sales and promotions across the web on any given day, the 30 best deals across the nation make it to the Slickdeals Frontpage every day. This app will help you find the best deals on Black Friday, as chosen by fellow deal seeking shoppers.  Using this app can be used on Androids or Apple phones and saves time by helping users determine where to get the lowest price.  Finding the best deal has never been easier, which is perfect for those who want the top sought after popular items.

Navigating through stores on Black Friday is sometimes half the battle, which is why some prefer to do their shopping online. However, Google Maps offers store-specific maps for stores known for their Black Friday deals, including Macy’s, Best Buy and Toys R Us, among others. The app will show where sale products are located in the store so users spend less time searching the aisles.  So after waiting in line, you know directly which way to go once you enter the store.  Sounds fabulous.  We've all seen news tapes of shoppers waiting in lines and when the doors open, go running wildly into the store.  Now they will know which aisle to go to first.

And for those of you like me who prefer to skip the crowds altogether and shop online on Cyber Monday, the Amazon Mobile app presents users with amazing deals and can help them to get the best price for the item they are shopping for, all in one place. With Amazon Mobile, users are able to zip through their shopping from home on their smartphones and tablets, with [Wave 1, 2, 3: the 4G LTE network, with speeds of up to 10 times faster than 3G] U.S. Cellular’s high-speed network so they can finish shopping and spend more time with family and friends.  I sure can use that.  I look at Amazon a lot anyway, and this app helps me get the best deal, which is why I shop Cyber Monday and avoid the lines, and spend more quality time with family during the busy holiday season.

For those a little less prepared for Black Friday 2014, the Shopkick app can help you out the moment you enter the store. Shopkick helps discover all the best products at stores closest to you. Various stores like Target, Macy's, Best Buy, Old Navy, American Eagle, JCPenney, Sports Authority and Crate & Barrel have partnered with the app to give you instant deals the moment you walk into their retail store. Plus, the more you visit the stores, you receive more as it rewards you with kicks (points) just for walking in the door. Get even more kicks when you scan items and make purchases. Points can then be redeemed for gift cards at your favorite stores. The more you use the Shopkick app on your Androids or Apple phones during Black Friday and throughout the holiday season, the more rewards you gain, helping you get even more deals for all your gift shopping.  This app rewards you for shopping, how cool is that?

Remember if a new cellphone is on your child's Christmas wish list, consider a personalized and customized Parent Child Agreement to ensure your child understands expectations that comes with the privilege of using a cell phone.  

Disclosure:  As a member of U.S. Cellular's Better Moments Blogger Brigade, I have been compensated for my post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

U.S. Cellular presents Shark Tank Meets Main Street Sweepstakes

Last year, U.S. Cellular launched the “Spotlight on America’s Backbone” contest which invited small businesses in the company’s footprint to enter to win free advertising, cash and a year of wireless service to help grow their business. To further show their commitment to business owners, U.S. Cellular expanded on that this year and gave consumers more access to tools and support to help grow their business or make their entrepreneurial dreams come true by working with ABC’s “Shark Tank”.

The first phase of the partnership included Casting Calls, which took place over the past few months, where U.S. Cellular provided access to the primetime show via a casting tour exclusively in their footprint, giving small businesses the opportunity to pitch their business, product or idea for a chance to appear before the Sharks on Shark Tank, airing on national TV.

The second phase is the sweepstakes, open for entry now. This sweepstakes will provide customers in the U.S. Cellular footprint the opportunity to gain unprecedented access to the casting call process, hear tips and advice from other small business owners. One lucky winner will win an exclusive behind-the-scenes Shark Tank experience, which includes a VIP seat during the entire pitch process in LA, lunch with the casting team and opportunities to engage the Sharks throughout the day to ask any burning questions, including how he/she can further their business if the winner is a business owner.  How exciting just to think about it!

Along with the Sweepstakes, consumers can visit  

Americasbackbone.com/sharktank to view custom content that will cover both a behind-the-scenes look at the Shark Tank casting process (what Casting Calls are like, what it takes to make a great pitch), what happens after you get funded, along with stories and advice from real entrepreneurs we met at our Casting Calls (about their businesses, the obstacles they’re facing, what they’re looking for from the Sharks, etc.).  What an awesome opportunity for someone looking to start or grow their business.  Invaluable information that just might help you fund the next big idea.

U.S. Cellular is committed to the people and businesses in their markets in a way that their competitors are not. Providing access to Shark Tank is a demonstration of the brand’s commitment to the communities U.S. Cellular services.

U.S. Cellular champions small business owners and wanted to offer them access to tools to help them be successful. By working with ABC’s “Shark Tank,” U.S. Cellular provided an unprecedented opportunity for people in local communities to pitch their ideas to experts and have the chance to grow their business.  Small, local businesses are an integral part of any community.  

Winners will be selected between 11/1-11/14 and the announcement will be between 11/17-11/21

o    To sign up, visit ShadowSharktank.com

Thinking about getting your child a cell phone for a Christmas present?  Don't forgot to check out a customizable Parent Child Agreement from U.S. Cellular.