@Aetrex Berries Boots- perfect for the Fall (and winter!)

November 4, 2011 by 8 Comments

How much do you love a great pair of shoes? I know- there is nothing better! Aetrex offers so many fabulous varieties, that are not only lovely to look at, but healthy for your feet. They feel as great as they look.

I was sent this gorgeous pair of Berries Mid Calf Boots for review- and I love them. At first, they seemed like they were going to be too tight- they felt really snug when I put them on, but after about 20 minutes they relaxed and became the most comfortable boots ever. Odd phenomena- they do this every time I wear them. It is not uncomfortable, just a little snug- but then the relaxing of the boots comes and AHHH….I love how versatile that they are, and that they go with everything.

I even wore them with my Renaissance Princess costume on Halloween, LOL. These boots also come in Tall Boots style, and are just as pretty!
Aetrex shoes specializes in shoes that are good for your feet. They make shoes that feel good to walk in, and can have all sorts of great benefits for your body, from helping your posture to relieving foot pressure.

“Imagine a technology that can get you on your way to feeling great on your feet in less than 30 seconds. Thanks to Aetrex’s iStep technology, you can now benefit from an extraordinary fitting experience that will provide you with a custom selected solution to help lead a healthy and active lifestyle.
Aetrex produces and dispenses iStep, the most revolutionary digital foot scanning technology ever developed for footwear retailers [Read more…]

Filed Under: clothes and shoes, review

5 Little Known Benefits of Organic Baby Clothes

November 4, 2011 by 3 Comments

When it comes to your baby, you probably want to do everything right to ensure that they remain happy
and healthy as they grow. Perhaps you’ve painted the nursery with no-VOC paint, bought the best baby
furniture, switched to all-natural cleaning solvents, and even stocked the cabinets with organic formula
(in BPA-free cans, no less). While this is all good news for your newborn, if you’ve neglected to look into
the clothing that touches their bodies, you might not be doing all you can to protect your child. As a
result, you baby may suffer skin irritations and other problems associated with chemical-laden clothing.
But organic baby clothes can offer a solution; here are just a few benefits you may not have considered.

1. Sensitive skin. You’ve probably heard that a baby’s skin is more sensitive than adults or even
older children. But did you know that the dermis covering an infant’s body is actually thinner
and more porous, and that it produces less protective sebum? This not only means that babies
are more likely to suffer skin ailments as a result of contact with chemical products, but these
chemicals are more likely to enter their bodies through their skin. Opting for organic clothing is
just one way that you can help to protect them from harm.

2. Allergies. It is not uncommon for babies to suffer from allergic reactions to their clothing. While
most parents try to combat this by simply switching to a safe and gentle laundry detergent, you
really need to attack the problem from the root. This means removing all chemicals from their
presence by using organic linens for their bedding as well as the clothing they wear daily. This
way you can ensure that you’re doing less harm with the fabrics that touch their [Read more…]

Filed Under: baby

Redakai Card Game Extraordinaire Review and Contest #kids #collectibles

November 3, 2011 by 101 Comments

We all know kids like to collect things. Be it cards, figures, sticks or dolls, kids love to collect stuff.
One of the newest fads in collectibles are the collectible card games, where the players battle each other with their characters represented on the cards. On the surface this is how most games work. Redakai takes this well known equation and adds a few fun additions to change things up a bit.

The first thing you will notice is the cards, otherwise it might be time to get some more sleep ;). The cards have this really interesting animation effect to them, where, when moved they move as well. in a 3 dimensional way. Now as you throw down more cards to modifier your character these cards are piled on top of your character. When played, the animations change and the cards fit together to not only give your character the characteristic in the game but also in the animation. It is very interesting and a really cool way for the kids and adults playing to feel more like they are controlling the action, not an observer but an adventurer battling other adventurers.

Redakai is a new game and so now is the time to jump on and start collecting. There is of course a whole catalog of cards, but as of now it is still feasible to ‘catch them all’ without ‘breaking the bank’. Which is a nice thing.

Another nice feature of your kids enjoying a game like this, is that it is social without electronics. No computers or cell phones to filter interaction. This is face to face talking and interacting which is very important right now. (cough cough says the blogger!)
With the holidays coming up kids into Redakai are easy to shop for too! Just get them a Power Pack or a Gold Pack for a quick easy gift that will actually make them happy.

As always I suggest getting to know the toys before you buy so take a look at how to play, see if it looks like something your kids would like.

One of you will also win a starter set of these fun cards- here is how to enter!

Mandatory entry
You must be a public follower on Google Friend Connect.
Leave me your email so I can contact [Read more…]

Filed Under: giveaway, kids, review

Win a Woozie!

November 3, 2011 by 11 Comments

Post Courtesy of Closer to Lucy-

I love nothing more than to discover things that scream they
should belong to me or when my friends see an item that reminds them of me. I
like to believe that those types of things are usually playful and include a
lot of frills, feathers, lace, prints, tiaras, bling and color.
Animal print decor, boa wrapped Christmas trees, leather
pants, silk blouses, sassy hair, and snarky lips…… that that would be the world
according to Lucy. I will decorate and add those exact elements to anything in
my life…ANYTHING!
So is it any wonder that this concept would be extended to
my favorite glass of wine?
When I first saw it I said …. “it is so me!” shrieked it
really.
“It” is a Woozie, like a beer koozie only for your wine…Woozie;
a neoprene sleeve that insulates your wine glass! A fashionable wine sleeves that like the
Koozie (but much more refined) is designed to maintain your beverages
temperature….. Colorful, customizable and distinctive, just like me!
I took my favorite
bottle of wine and my safari set with me on our recent vacation….You know that
I happily coordinated my poolside and hot tub attire with my Woozie :0)
Because I am a drink sipper the Woozie really has proven to
be a function meets fashion compliment to my favorite variety of Crimson and
Clover. Usually I end up wasting a lot of my drinks because they sit and get
hot, so I dump them out. I mean as much as I enjoy my vino I refuse to drink it
when it is anything less than ice cold, I mean it’s good stuff, but warm?
Notsomuch…..blech!

So when I took my Woozie to the hot [Read more…]
Filed Under: giveaway

Nutrisystem Review and #Giveaway #NSNation

November 3, 2011 by 12 Comments

Thanks to my friend at Closer to Lucy for sharing her dieting experiences with us. She’s guest posting today but I’ve been on Nutrisystem too and look at the results! One lucky winner is going to have a shot at trying Nutrisystem for themselves.

As for me- I am down nearly 25 pounds. I know that this isn’t a great picture- but I’m always BEHIND the camera, LOL so it’s all I have at the moment. (I have one from Halloween as well, as soon as I upload it, haha.)

While losing weight has not been easy, it is easier to have a system that is easy to follow, and a team that is behind you and can help you along any “bumps”. For me, the weight came off pretty quickly at first and more slowly now, but that’s OK. I have about 25 pounds to go to reach my goal weight. Now if I can just figure out how to get my hair to stop turning gray! LOL

For me, it has been a great “control” in these insane few months- to be able to control my weight, to have some small sense of control in the chaos that has been surrounding me lately (hurricane, loss of house and possessions, more then one state of emergency, illness, my poor doggy getting cancer and needing amputation, etc- it has been rough over here lately!) Having the ability to see a POSITIVE change that I myself can control? That has been amazing, and has been huge help in keeping me sane! 😛

Read on for Lucy’s thoughts and her week- and of course, the contest! 🙂


Has it already been another week? It seems like the deeper into the year that
we get the faster it goes….I guess that’s because we are super busy trying to
stay warm, right?

So much as happened this week that I feel like a small
lifetime has passed me by.

My highlight was attending the Creating the Balance Conference;
I told you about it and in fact even met a couple of my local readers. Such a
crazy small world, isn’t it?
While at the conference I was reminded my an amazing speaker
who I will be introducing y’all to later in the Holiday Gift Guide but her
words have stayed with me this [Read more…]
Filed Under: giveaway

“BATTLE OF THE NASCAR® KIDS” TOURNAMENT COMPETITORS ANNOUNCED

November 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Details of the NASCAR Families and Pros Playing Activision’s Upcoming Videogame for Charity
Santa Monica, CA – October 27, 2011 —Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) is proud to announce the list of children and families competing in the “Battle of the NASCAR

Filed Under: Uncategorized

GOING FOR GOLD with Disney’s Cars 2!

November 2, 2011 by 1 Comment
Want some career advice and insider industry tips from the artists, animators and creative team at Pixar? You got it. Want to get a job in animation? Follow the advice of these animation bigwigs from “Cars 2” – and go for gold!
LEARN THE BASICS
“Cars 2” Director John Lasseter says: “The advice I give to all potential animators is the same: Study the basics and grow from there. You have to learn to draw, even if you want to get into computer animation, so learn basic design principles, learn basic animation principles and learn basic film grammar for starters. These basics are so vitally important because your tools will change throughout your career, but you’ll always fall back on the basics. Technology never makes a movie; it’s what you do with it that does. Software will always change and evolve. I use my basic art foundations every day of my career and I can’t stress enough how you should never short-change the basics.”
EDUCATION IS KEY
“Cars 2” Supervising Animator Shawn Krause says: “I was lucky enough to go to CalArts and that certainly helped me get into Pixar, but there are many other ways to get into the industry. Art school obviously helps, but it’s a good idea to start learning about art and animation as early as possible. I grew up watching a lot of the classic animation that Disney and Warner Brothers made and I studied the work of animators like Frank Thomas from a young age. If you want to get ahead, study as much as you can. It’s also a good idea to study things like anatomy so you know how the body moves. You should also try your hand at different styles of animation and art. It’s always good to have as many skills as possible because you never know what you’re going to be asked to pull out of the bag when you’re working.”
ARM YOURSELF WITH KNOWLEDGE
Story Supervisor Nathan Stanton says: “I never stopped drawing as a kid. I literally never stopped and I sincerely believe that my drive and passion is what got me here today. If you want to be a filmmaker and you want to get into Pixar, arm yourself with as much knowledge of film and animation as you can. Keep on top of new technologies and new software, but know the basics and keep at it.”
ENTHUSIASM WILL TAKE YOU FAR
“Cars 2” Producer Denise Ream says: “There’s one thing we always look for in a potential Pixar employee: enthusiasm. There’s a huge amount of enthusiasm and passion at Pixar and I want to work with people who love animation. If you want to do live-action movies you should be making live-action movies. I want to hear that you are eager to work on animated films and that you’ve strived to learn as much as you can about them. I came to Pixar because I love animation and that’s exactly what we want to see in all of our employees. Having a passion for what you want to do is really key to getting far in this industry. The founder of the company is passionate about animation and so should you be. Let the passion shine through.”
PUT IN THE EFFORT
“Cars 2” Animator June Brownbill says: “You don’t have to be a California native to work at Pixar, or even an American citizen, but you do have to put in a lot of effort. I’m from England and Pixar is a very long way from home for me, but I couldn’t be happier. To work here is a dream come true. It’s something I’ve always wanted and it’s something I’ve always [Read more…]
Filed Under: disney, education, kids, movie

Cars 2- Now Available!!! Discounts, and an intervew with Lightning McQueen/Owen Wilson

November 1, 2011 by 5 Comments

You can get your coupon for 5$ off HERE!

Here is an interview with Owen Wilson, the voice of “Lightning McQueen”-

How excited were you to voice Lightning McQueen again in “Cars 2”?
I was very excited to return to Lightning McQueen and the world of “Cars” because it felt like I was working on a completely different movie. “Cars 2” is a fun international adventure that takes place in the exciting world of espionage and intrigue. It’s very different from the first movie and it’s great to see these characters tackling a whole new world outside of Radiator Springs.
How much fun is it to work in animation?
It’s great fun because you get to use your own imagination, just like a little kid does. On a live-action movie, you have to go through wardrobe, hair and makeup and then you walk onto set. Animation is very pure. You go into a recording studio and the scene is explained to you, but there are no props and no actors to work alongside. It’s great fun to start seeing everything in your head.
How did you land the role of Lightning McQueen?
I met John Lasseter at the Academy Awards years and years ago. I didn’t know him, but he told me that he and his sons enjoyed my movie “Shanghai Noon” and he explained that he was working on a film about cars. I didn’t know that anything would come to pass from that conversation, but then Pixar got in touch and it all spiraled from there. I was really excited to work on an animated movie, so I jumped on board.
What kind of a driver are you?
I think I’m a careful driver. I don’t get speeding tickets and I don’t race around. I usually drive a car that beeps when you put it in reverse, so I guess it’s very pedestrian friendly.
Are you a racecar enthusiast?
I really enjoy watching car races, and it’s interesting that “Cars 2” features a variety of race contests. I think there’s more of an interest in oval track racing here in the United States, like stock car and Indy racing. Overseas, they seem more interested in the grand prix, which consists of circuit racing [Read more…]
Filed Under: disney, family, kids, movie