Great Gift Ideas for Office Coworkers

January 6, 2012 by 3 Comments

As if finding the perfect gifts for family and friends wasn’t difficult enough, most people also take it
upon themselves to purchase presents for coworkers. This can be problematic for two reasons. First,
you may be on the hook for several gifts if you work in a large office or team. So it can definitely
get expensive. And you also may face the trouble of not knowing people very well, especially if
fraternization outside the office is discouraged (and it usually is). So you could be shopping for a lot of
people you barely know. In this case, you might need a little help coming up with inexpensive, generic
gifts for coworkers that will still wow. And here are just a few ideas to get you started.

1. Baked goods. Truth be told, you still can’t go wrong with a few fabulous treats to stock the
break room. While you can certainly spend beaucoup bucks on trendy gift baskets to save time,
consider making the gift personal by devoting a weekend to some kitchen crafts. You can even
offer vegan or gluten-free options if you’re worried about excluding anyone, and you probably
have plenty of coworkers that would appreciate tasty but low-calorie items if you can find a few
good recipes along those lines.

2. Items from Flight 001. This website has great ideas for anyone that travels (which many of your
coworkers may do, either for work or personal reasons). From carry-on bottle sets, jetlag relief
kits, and money belts to luggage and carry-on bags, to neck pillows and sleeping masks, you can
find a variety of great gifts that will suit your jet-setting colleagues, wherever their travels take
them.

3. Bento box. Everyone is trying to save money these days, which means a lot of your coworkers
are probably cutting back on [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Closer to Nature Monitor- When you only want the very best for your baby

January 5, 2012 by 14 Comments

You love your baby. They are the apple of your eye and you want to be able to see them all day and all night. How would you do this without either installing an expensive surveillance system or setting up a cot and learning how to creep stealthily like a ninja when going to the facilities are night? I jest- but really- how DO mommies get peace of mind at night?
Truly, I wish I had had this option when my son was born, the Closer to Nature Digital Video Sensor Pad Monitor. This monitor has a digital camera built into the satellite as well as a 2.8 inch color LCD screen on the viewer. I got the best available at the time- but this…this is pure magic!

This monitor has everything you could want in a baby monitor. Crystal clear sound, great reception and the ability to make it a two way audio connection to name a few. When our little one needs a little pep talk of, ‘it will be ok, shhhhhh go to sleep.’ It can be done without leaving your bedroom. This is no substitute for actual face time but it works for little fits. I know what you are thinking- my son is not a baby. Why do I have a monitor in his room?

He’s never been a good sleeper. He as breathing issues, and I am afraid that I won’t hear him if he is in distress and he sleeps upstairs. So, I never took the monitor out.

The connection between the monitor and the [Read more…]

Filed Under: baby, kids, review

H0P Around- 3 In 1- With New Google Plus!

January 5, 2012 by 3 Comments

Welcome to a New Year! It’s week 40 of Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop hosted by Shelly from My Saving Game, Sam from Have Sippy Will Travel and Jeannette from The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug! Thank you all for helping make this hop so successful! We love you tons! Now what are you waiting for? Let’s get to hopping! We are finding some fabulous blogs through this hop and having a great time getting to know so many of you! So thank you for linking up again this week to those of you who are hop veterans and welcome to those who are new! Let’s continue to make new bloggy friends and increase our traffic! We do have a few simple rules for you – nothing too tough though. So here we go!

1. Please follow your hostesses My Saving Game, Have Sippy Will Travel and The Advetures of J-Man and MillerBug. Leave us a comment and we will follow you back! (If you [Read more…]
Filed Under: Uncategorized

To Rafflecopter, or not to Rafflecopter???

January 5, 2012 by 25 Comments

OK, I think you all may have figured out that I don’t like Rafflecopter. I find it unreliable, it goes down several times a month it seems, and I have heard people say it loses their entries. I find nothing wrong with the way things are now. It always works, and nothing is lost. That said….

It seems people [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

How to Keep Your Kids Occupied While Traveling

January 5, 2012 by 10 Comments

Kids are notorious for bad behavior when it comes to travel. On a long road trip they will whine, cry,
fight, and basically bounce off the walls. And when it comes to getting through an airport, more than
one parent has turned around to put items through the security scanner only to turn back and find their
tyke has wandered off. Then of course there are the chair-kicking and constant questions that will have
other airline passengers giving you dirty looks throughout the flight. But what can you do? Children are
little balls of energy! Short of running them around the terminal a few times before a plane takes off or
asking the pediatrician if ADHD meds might help, you’re just going to have to find ways to deal with your
little angels during a trip. Here are a few that just might do the trick.

1. Frequent stops. There’s no better way to break up the monotony of a long road trip than by
taking frequent rest stops (at least every couple of hours) to stretch, grab a bite to eat, and take
a gander at area attractions. You can look at a map to find stops along the way and then search
area attractions ahead of time, but if you have a smart phone and decent reception, you can use
apps like Foursquare or Roadside America to find local entertainment and roadside attractions
(respectively) that may divert your kids during the trip.

2. Books. Older kids should be able to while away a good chunk of time with an age-appropriate
novel, especially if they are avid readers to begin with. But even if your kids aren’t particularly
interested in reading (or they’re still a bit too young to remain focused for very long on the
task), think about getting some [Read more…]

Filed Under: travel

Mr. Chewy- Dog Food for Fab Pets

January 4, 2012 by 11 Comments

Dog food is a tricky topic. There are a few different points of view. They vary from the raw food diet where dogs eat raw meat only, to straight organic whole food dog food, to people food only to whatever food is on sale or cheapest that week.

If you are of the last category please rethink your current state of mind. Your dog is a member of your family and you wouldn’t want anyone in your family to eat meat by products or other undesirable ingredients.
Mr Chewy is a great place to start looking for new brands of dog food to bring you onto the side of healthy dog food. There are lots of different brands to choose from, a massive amount of variety per brand and lots of information about each.

Some of the brands they have include Blue Buffalo, which specialize in high quality [Read more…]

Filed Under: review

Teaching Kids about Global Warming

January 4, 2012 by 8 Comments

When it comes to the causes and effects of global warming on our planet, and particularly how
climate change is affecting many species of wildlife, it can be difficult to figure out how to inform your
kids about the issue without scaring them or making them sad. And yet, you want to guide them to
make the choices that are going to lead to a cleaner environment and preserve diversity for future
populations. This means you need to explain how global warming came about and the alarming effects
that the situation has wrought. So if you’re looking for ways to get your kids on board with conservation
and reducing carbon emissions for life, here are few tips to help you get started.

For one thing, you should become well-informed yourself. You want to make sure that you are giving
your kids the best and most current information available, which means you need to do your homework
so that you can adequately answer any questions they might have. That said, you may also want to
temper what you tell them. You certainly don’t want them to think they are killing polar bears every
time you take out the family vehicle, for example. Of course, if you’re really committed to reducing your
carbon footprint, you probably have a fuel-efficient vehicle at the very least, or possibly even an electric
car. But the idea is not to scare your kids in the process of helping them to find the right path.

And you might need some help when it comes to teaching kids about global warming. Luckily, there are
a lot of resources. One great way to get children on board with [Read more…]

Filed Under: education, kids

Monkey Brains- good food for healthy kids

January 4, 2012 by 6 Comments

Monkey Brains, not just a disturbing scene from Indiana Jones, but also a new line of oatmeal and granola bars! Monkey Brains include prebiotic fiber, which help give your digestive system a jump start to good health.

In our house there are quite a few of us with digestive issues, including but not limited to lactose intolerance, to trouble starting, and even stopping once started. (gross and TMI! ew!!!)
Prebiotic fibers feed the healthy probiotics in your digestive system. The probiotics help keep you functioning regularly and the way one would expect.

Enough of the healthy stuff- the taste of the oatmeal is very good. The best part is the smell while cooking. It fills the house with strawberry, blueberry or maple. The kids favorite varies from day to day but all I have to do is put one bowl in the microwave and both want one as soon as that aroma emanating from the microwave. Also it helps there is a big smiling monkey on the [Read more…]

Filed Under: food, kids, natural