THE PRACTICAL STYLISH ACCESSORY: Parker Ingenuity Pen

This post brought to you by Parker Pens. All opinions are 100% mine.

There used to be a time when if fountain pens were mentioned we would picture the old school desks with the holes in where the ink pots used to go inside for dipping in. But now thanks to Parker old fashion has been transformed into a more modern style for today's organized men and ladies!

Biro's are boring and they always seem to run out at the most inconvenient times. And now thanks to a special 5th technology refills having a Parker pen is looking to be the ultimate fashion accessory to have in your handbag next to your other essentials.

Parker Ingenuity collection pens are so enjoyable to use too with their smooth feel rollerball effect that has the same writing ease you get with a ballpoint pen. Plus this non smudge pen is a lot nicer to look than bitten end and leaky Biro pens. When rummaging through your bag it makes you want to take it out and use it even if you have got nothing to write!

This is one of those pens that you definitely will be hesitant to lend out when someone says "Have you got a spare pen?". I really want a collection of these - one for each of my handbags. This could get expensive ha ha!! But they do make fantastic gifts too for any occasion.

Would you like to own or win one of these pen yourself? If so you should check out Parker on Facebook, the video above and other links in this post to find out more.

JUST SINGLE PARENTS DATING SITE REVIEW

Join Here

Overview:

I initially joined here on a one months trial to test it out. What drew me to the site was that its aimed at single parents so there is no need to explain to anyone that you have children.

Although the niche is single parents other people can join who don't mind dating single parents. I didn't like this as I felt it went against the whole point of the site. Surely it should just be for single parents only looking for other single parents? Otherwise you and these other people may as well take your pick of other popular dating sites?

And especially for me as I wanted someone who had children themselves but a lot of the time the guys that did catch my eye didn't have children then after chatting to them for a while found them not to be on my wavelength and understanding of my lifestyle. That's my opinion anyway - however I have filtered out a few decent people and have decided to stay on for another month or so.

Pros:

- Design easy on the eye and simple to see where to navigate to

- You can do a custom search by age, distance and if they have a photo

- Features for testing the water such as Winks, you can ask to see a photo (if none), ask to see profile information (if none) and add the person to your favourites list. All of these features sends an automated message to that person letting them know your action.

- Send a direct message

- Send an icebreaker to all members in your search criteria

- Convenient characteristics sidebar information

- On the profile you can see what type of relationship the person is looking for, how far away they live from you and the last time they were online.

- Instant chat to a person if they are online

- If you don't mind an upfront approach you can use the 'Encounters' tool to search through a selection of potential matches and click yes, maybe or no if you would like to meet them and you can see who would like to meet you too.

- Dating diaries feature to share your feelings and thoughts with other members

- See who's online in general and if any of your favourites are online

- You can change your status to online or offline

- Can see who has viewed your profile and winked at you

- Other members can see when you have viewed their profile (this could be seen as a negative too perhaps?. For example if you looked and wasn't interested but that other person might think you are and contact you.

- Freephone customer service telephone number

- Bolt on feature letting you become a VIP on the front page, reply for free (for non paying members) amongst others. This as well as other features such as 'credits' and 'mobile' ... There is a huge choice of extra features to be fair. Only thing is though you do have to pay extra for them.

- Can select to ignore a member that stops them from contacting you

- You can email customer service which is fast and friendly

- UK member site, so you won't get contacted from people in other countries

Cons:

- Non single parents can join the site

- Pop up instant chat message box that simply asks yes or no if you want to chat. No photo or profile information is provided until you get into the chat area.

- Other than in your profile description there is no area to tell someone what you're looking for i,e age, location etc, so if you are looking for someone specific you can end up with a lot of winks and email messages from people miles away from you, too old/young and my pet hate for this site people who have no children!

- For the cheaper monthly payment offers you have to pay for the term in full

- Thumb nail pictures on the searches are small and you sometimes have to click onto the actual profile to get a proper look

- Paying extra for bolt on features that maybe should be included anyway?

- Once you join the payment option page is no longer available to view the prices if you decide you want to take another option at the end of your term

Joining for Free:

Allows you to do a custom search, create your profile and upload pictures. You can view messages as a none subscriber but can only reply and send winks if you become a member. So the free feature is not much use only for people who want to have a browse and not do anything about it!

Subscribing:

You get full access to the site and can use all of its regular features. The only downside is as mentioned before the cheaper monthly payment options you have to find up front. I would recommend paying the £24.99 for one month to start with to get a feel for the site and see how you get on first. This is the cheapest upfront payment option too.

Overall:

Aside from the cons the site has grew on me and I find the profile information given on someone to be very informative and non cluttered. I feel the site is still quite new and doesn't have as much selection of potential matches as other popular dating sites, however I have found it to be the most successful for me so far. Less is more perhaps? We shall see ....

If you are thinking about joining this or any other dating site you should take a look at my HOW TO GET NOTICED ON DATING WEBSITES guide. Hopefully you will find it useful.

FEELING CRAFTY?

I always love the Christmas Season. As expensive as it is I find its the most exciting as everyone around you is joining in, and its not just a case of family and friends for birthdays, anniversaries etc.

A couple of my favourite things to do is making holiday cards and bar mitzvah invitations for any of my upcoming parties. The cards are great as it really gives you a chance to let your creativity come alive, and if you have children they can have a go too.

Plus if your children are joining in it will keep them occupied for ages as their little minds will be concentrating on the task on hand instead. So ideal for my little ones who are very active in mind and body! Perhaps I should get them making cards all year round if it keeps them quite!?

I have made cards for family and friends in the past and I always notice they tend to sit pride and place in their living rooms. And my mom keeps hers in a little box for the memory. If you think about it compared to your usual shop brought bargain Christmas cards they don't have a patch on the hand made ones do they?

I think everyone should have a go at making them. And not just for Christmas either. You can use them for everything, even if its just for saying thank you or get well soon.

One of the cards I had received in the past was that nice I put it in a frame and hung it in my hallway. The colours in it matched perfectly with my theme and its nice to be able to look at it and remember who sent it my too.

Do you get involved in crafting and making your own cards?

EVERY PENNY COUNTS! How Much Are You Saving?

This post brought to you by ING Direct. All opinions are 100% mine.

Find out more about ING Direct Savings

I remember a few years ago you would find random coins on the floor wherever you go - 1p, 5p and sometimes more if you were lucky! I know people who would throw their change on the pavement just so they didn't have to keep it in their purse or wallet!

But I have noticed that those actions seem to be rare these days. When was the last time you found a coin on the floor? Its because everyone is keeping their monies tightly zipped up that's why with the recession. Every penny counts as they say. And because of that its even more important that we start saving our cash too, even if its something daft like 50p or a £1.00 a week.

I say daft but its not really if you think about it. With ING bank Savings Accounts you can save as little as £1.00 with them with no minimum monthly deposit.

They recognise that savings is just as important as our wages. And in doing so have created a cool widget that shows us how much people are saving in your region. If you're from the UK why not select your area and see what the result is. Let me know in comments what it said and if you are intending to stick to that budget yourself.

HOW TO GET NOTICED ON DATING WEBSITES

As someone speaking from personal experience here instead of these copied or computer generated lists you find on the Internet I hope I can help you with my dating site guide:

(1) Use a proper normal profile picture where you are looking straight at the camera. Like a passport style but with a smile!

Pictures pulling funny faces, wearing sunglasses, with friends, looking to the side and some I've seen with pictures of cars for their pictures! just make you look like you've got something to hide. Its confusing, time wasting and most people will lose interest and pass your profile by.

If you are just putting one picture on avoid uploading make over/model pictures, black and white, cartoons, sepia effect etc. Remember people want to see the real you. Upload several pictures if you can and of you! Ideally at least a profile style and a full length one - Not of buildings or places where you have been. Oh and do actually put a picture on. No one is going to talk to someone with a blank profile picture are they?

To Note: No matter how hung up you are on your own looks if that's the issue there will be someone out there who probably feels the same about themselves too and actually likes the way you look. There are thousands of people on popular dating websites and there is bound to be someone for everyone :-)

(2) Fill out your profile/about you section

Leaving it blank gives the person looking nothing to go on aside from your picture. Use this opportunity to promote yourself, what qualities do you offer? And tell people what you're looking for too. But remember first impressions count also so try and keep it not too short or long (average about 200 words). This is your advertisement board - use it wisely!

(3) Use The Sites Features

A lot of dating sites will have a virtual wink feature that sends a simple email to the said person saying so and so has winked at you. If you just want to test the water and haven't got the confidence to email them this is a great way to let them know you're interested.

Another feature is a 'add as a favourite'. Again it will let the person know you're interested and helps you keep track of people that have caught your eye.

(4) Log on regularly

On some sites it shows the last time you were online. If you're serious you should check every day or at least once a week. If you catch someones eye and it reads for example 'online in the last month' people are going to think Oh theres no point in contacting them because they don't read their messages.

You have the advantage

Remember you are in control of who or who you don't speak to. Unlike meeting face to face straight away there is no pressure to impress or making excuses to get away if you're not into that person. Get to know the person first over several weeks or months by chatting to them online and get a picture of what they are all about and if they seem right for you. Then you can meet up with them when you know more about them if you feel comfortable.

SO NOW YOU'RE NOTICED ....

- Stay Safe!

As much as we would all love to find our ideal partner and many turn to dating sites as a more convenient way to find them there are people who use the site not for its intended purposes. You know what I'm saying right? And this includes women as well as men!.

Avoid exchanging or asking people for their numbers straight away. This can come across as too pushy, upfront and can be off putting. Remember at the end of the day people are cautious. They don't know you and you don't know them! So be patient!

If you do decide to meet tell a friend or family member where you are going and the times. Make sure its in a public place. Ideally if you can get a friend to watch over you for a while unnoticed on the next table or something or at the bar even better!

Hope all that helps you online dating first timers. Happy hunting and Good Luck.