A Boob Tube Alternative

I don’t really watch very much television.  I have a few shows that I DVR and watch when I can.  Honestly, my television is usually tuned into Nickelodeon or Noggin.  More as background noise than anything.  So, when the kids are watching a show, or jumping on the couch, or too loud to actually enjoy watching something, I use StumbleUpon.

Here’s how it works, in a nutshell.  You can either install a toolbar, or they have one pop up when you go to their site.  Anyway, you kit the ‘Stumble!’ button, and it takes you to a website, photo, video, blog page…whatever.  When you sign up, you can mark what sort of topics you like.  For example, I look at humor, parenting, technology and some others.  If you like what you see, you give it a thumbs up.  Then, theoretically, it bumps that page up so more people stumble upon it.  I’ve seen some pretty cool stuff while using this.  Although, I find that it’s so addictive that I need to restrict myself on how often I let myself use it.  Here’s one thing that I found recently by ’stumbling.’

Lego People

So, if you have an extra 60 grand, go get yourself, lego style.

I’m giving it a 4 cups of coffee.  Just because there’s potential for some serious time wasting.

Tags: Four Cups, internet

Wow…I must not like much.

OK, I completely slacked over here on this blog. And it’s not that I don’t have anything that I like. Because I do. But almost three months? Well, here’s my excuse: Once Christmas came, I just got all busy. And I never jumped back on this horse…until now.

So, do you want to know what I bought for myself? I bought a Wii Fit.

Wii Fit Bundle

Now, I bought mine at Wal-Mart, and the bundle was definitely cheaper there than Amazon…but I digress. Now, I’ve NEVER been one for exercise. Ever. But, I felt this certain bit of responsibility deep inside me. Deep inside my overweight body. Now, I’m not extremely overweight, but I could definitely stand to lose 15 or 20 pounds. So, I bought this and told myself that if I was spending the money on this, I just HAD to use it.

And use it, I did. I’ve been using it daily for five weeks. And it’s FUN. It has yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance games. The kids even like it. They’re big fans of the ski games. It wasn’t even difficult to do it every day. I actually looked forward to it. If there had been a treadmill or some crazy exercise machine, I wouldn’t have done it every day. And that’s a fact. But now I’m so used to fitting some exercise time into my day, I’m pretty confident that I’ll keep it up.

Now, if you already are pretty active, the Wii Fit might be a bit of a bore. I was an exercise novice, so it definitely was good for me. Now that I’m starting to master some of the games (and not be completely out of breath), I can see that I’ll be looking for something a little bit more challenging. Like running. Or who knows…maybe even a treadmill.

Another reason that I really like the Wii Fit is because I can do it with the kids around. Have you ever tried to go for a walk with two small children in tow? It’s not exactly exercise. An exercise in patience, maybe. The kids even cheer me on sometimes. Other times, they are asking me to get them something to drink or fix a toy. But they’re starting to learn that when I am using the Wii, it’s ‘Mom’ time.

So, the Wii Balance Board with Wii Fit gets a thumbs up from me. If you were on the fence about purchasing one, I hope this post helped finalize your decision.

Tags: Five Cups

Hey, here’s a quick coupon

I just got another coupon for Yankee Candle.  It’s not the greatest coupon, but if you’re going to be buying something from there anyway, you might as well use it.

Save $15 on a purchase of $45 or more.  Use promo code CAT812H.  Valid thru Dec 24, 2008

Tags: Coupon, Yankee Candle

I love my webhost <3

I have to say, I’m super happy with 1and1 web hosting. I was completely clueless when I started doing my own websites. Now I’m only about 90% clueless! Anyway, my brother-in-law used 1and1 and said that he liked it. I wanted to start a website for my virtual assistant business (which is now defunct). So, I went with 1and1. I got a basic package to start off, and they sent me all kinds of free software to go with it. I got Ulead’s PhotoImpact (which I still use to design t-shirts), Wise FTP and more. The domain names were (and still are) inexpensive. In fact, I think I’m up to 20 different domain names now.

When I decided that I need to upgrade to Unix (I needed to run some .php stuff to use cpshop), the transition was easy. When I couldn’t figure out how to point my domain name somewhere else, I called the help desk and they actually helped me.

There are lots of things on 1and1 for the total beginner. If you want a blog, you can click a few buttons and your blog is all set up for you…just start writing. (Mind you, with that easy blog you don’t get to tweak anything if you know what you’re doing). They also have a simple website builder, that can get you a nice looking basic website - also with just a few clicks.

I’ve been with them for three years now, and I’ve always been happy.

I’m givin’ them 5 cups of coffee

Tags: business tools, Five Cups, internet, web hosting

Yankee Candle

OK, I’ve always loved Yankee Candle. They have the best scents, the candles burn nice and evenly, and they make a great gift.  I try to always have some on back up, just in case I need a gift on the fly.  And their catalog that gets sent to my house has scented pages. The kids love it!

So, the only problem that I have with Yankee Candle is that they’re freakin’ expensive.  $25 for a large jar candle is a bit much, in my broke opinion.  But today, I ran to the mall and bought four candles.  Two for birthday gifts and two for teacher gifts.  And I actually left there happy, because my total was only $53.  I had a coupon! (I’m so terrible at actually using coupons).  This coupon was ‘Buy 2 large jar candles, get 2 free.’  I wish I had a printable one for you, but there is an online code for that coupon.  It’s CAT811S and it’s good until November 30th.  Getting an order online isn’t bad from Yankee Candle, either.  They have $6 flat rate shipping for orders under $100.  Over $100 is 6%.  So, go ahead and use that coupon before it expires!  Don’t forget to sign up for their email list, too.  They will send different coupons to email recipients than they send in the mailed catalogs.

So, Yankee Candle?  Four Cups (’cuz if you don’t have a coupon, it’s pricey! - If you have a coupon, I’d give it 5)

Yankee Candle

Tags: Four Cups, House and Home, Stores

Aldi

OK, here’s a store that I like.  Aldi.  Now, don’t expect a fancy-schmancy shopping experience here.  They have mostly groceries, but I’ve also gotten a few good deals on toys here (they have them mostly for just the Christmas season).  I can get an entire cart full of groceries for a hundred bucks.  The brands that they have usually aren’t your regular name-brands, but they’re just as good.  (OK, minus the steak sauce…Tony can ONLY have A-1).  Be careful with meats (I usually don’t buy anything but frozen chicken breast and ground meat here) and produce.  The produce is usually OK, especially for fruits that have a good shelf life, like apples and bananas.

Bring your own bags, ‘cuz your bagging stuff yourself.  And have a quarter, because you have to insert a quarter into the buggy to get it (it’s a deposit…you get it back when you’re done).  I go to the one in Robinson Township.  The girls who work there are fantastic and personable.  So, love it, love it, love it.  Simply because it saves me cash.  A lot of cash.

It gets four cups, just because of the meat/produce stuff.

Tags: Four Cups, Stores

Really, this is the reason I started this

OK, this is really the reason that I started this blog. This product right here. Now, it’s not too often that you start chatting with somebody (other than maybe your hair dresser) about what shampoo or hair products you use. But I started using this shampoo over the summer and I LURVES it! It’s Suave Professionals Sleek Shampoo. I also use the conditioner, and they have a smoothing creme, too. It leaves my hair so completely soft and shiny! It feels fantastic when you run your hand through it (although, I do not suggest that any strangers come up to me and run their hands through my hair. I might get violent). And it’s completely inexpensive! The link that I have here (’cuz that’s what amazon had) is for a four pack, but I pick it up at Wal-Fart for just a few bucks.

So, this gets five cups of coffee (highest rating I have). Pardon me for not having a graphic of five cups of coffee yet, but I’ll get one soon

Tags: Five Cups, Health and Beauty