Before I dive into this post, lets get one thing clear…I’m not pregnant. There’s not a flicker of desire to become pregnant. If I were to become pregnant, I would use all 9 months to eat marshmallow fluff and then complain incessantly about how I can’t even fit into the Liz Lang maternity clothes from Target.

That being said, I’m a strong proponent of stem cell research and solutions and am so happy our president is making strides to progress the study of steam cells. Currently, Cryo-cell offers some amazing opportunities to collect and preserve stem cells. From banking your baby’s cord blood, to collecting monthly menstrual blood, there are risk-free and pain-free ways to harvest stem cells which have been used to treat more than 70 diseases, including malignancies, anemia and metabolic and immune system disorders.

Their current offer makes harvesting and storing stem cells a more affordable option for parents looking to protect their children. No doubt, it’s an investment, but an investment that may pay for itself many times over through the course of your child’s life.

The site encourages interested women and expectant parents to “compare us” because they know they offer the most advanced services at the most affordable price that could one day save your child’s life.

Slowly but surely, we’re finishing our bedroom set from IKEA.

Yesterday, we picked up the MALM 4-drawer chest and the MALM 6-drawer chest to match our MALM night stands. We also bought a FADO table lamp that our dog thinks is a ball and won’t quit barking at, curtains for the front bedroom window, and placemats to use as table toppers.

All we need now is the MALM bed frame and slats, but we’re either going to have to borrow a truck or pay for delivery to get those home.

After looking at all the furniture yesterday, I’m pining for the MALM dressing table, which has felt trays for jewelry, even though we have nowhere to put it. Maybe someone could buy it for me and save it until we have a house with plenty of room.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve turned into total IKEA junkies and are really happy with the quality of the pieces we’ve purchased.

I’m the financially responsible one in our relationship. I take care of all the bills, plan for the future, make sure we don’t ever have to file Bankruptcy, and deposit money into savings every payday, so it was interesting to to take the BillsIQ test.

There are questions on credit, debt, your budget, wealth, and the future, all of which come together to form your financial IQ. I have to say that I’m a little surprised that I only scored an 89% because I feel like I have a really good handle on our finances, but a lot of the questions pertained to homeowners with children.

The best part is that you aren’t just shown your BillIQ and sent on your merry way, they answers to your financial questions, tips on how to increase your financial IQ (and your savings account), and resources to reduce debt. You can also compare your IQ to others, to see just how well you’re doing and how far your knowledge is taking you. I may not have gotten an A, but I did score higher than most females my age!

Take the test to see just how financially fit you are. I think it will be a real eye-opener for most.

Ever wonder how I find some of the cool sites that I blog about? Where I come up with all these new products that you feel the urge to buy.right.now? They are blog ads. That’s right. Advertisers pay me to talk about products, services, and websites that they think my readers and I will enjoy. And we do. I know because of all the comments my posts receive and the extra paycheck that is flowing into our budget that doesn’t feel like work!

Two years ago this month, I teamed up with PayPerPost and began getting paid a few dollars here and there to write about TV shows, concert events, housewares, clothing, and more. Since then, IZEA has been born, which is the umbrella company responsible for PayPerPost and SocialSpark. I’ve continually blogged about a wider range of topics, earned more money, and have gained readership along the way.

I’ve purchased many of the items I’ve blogged about, been lucky enough to try some products out for free thanks to advertisers teaming up with IZEA for product samplings, and receive loads of feedback from readers that have tried products thanks to my recommendations.

My readers trust my recommendations, and I trust other bloggers for the same recommendations, reviews, and insight into products and services I never would have heard about had it not been for IZEA’s innovative social media marketing services.

So, my credit card information was stolen today, which is a pretty awesome way to start your day. An international charge for a gaming site hit my checking account via PayPal, with no record of the transaction on my PayPal log.

Both PayPal and Chase finally isolated the transaction, reissued my debit cards, and are disputing the charges on my behalf. Neither one will refund the money immediately, which is infuriating because $90 came straight out of my checking account.

It’s amazing that neither company flagged my account activity as fradulant considering I live in Chicago and the initial transaction was in Euros.