Secret Santa Gone Awry...

This year marks my first Christmas as a blogger and to celebrate I decided to participate in a Secret Santa Swap hosted by a couple of my favorite bloggers (Survey Junkie & Simply Stacie). I followed the rules explicitly and mailed my Secret Santa gift by December 1st. The blogger that I was matched with said to surprise her and I think I did. I read her blog daily for a few weeks and when I found a post that gave me some gift giving help, I went with it. I found out that her favorite movie is Gone With The Wind. Since I am ridiculously busy most of the time, most of my shopping is done online, usually with Amazon.com, this being no exception. Keeping the $15 limit in mind, I ran with it. I must say that I think I did fantastic. I gave her the DVD, Gone with the Wind (Two-Disc 70th Anniversary Edition), the book, Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind" , a Vanilla Bean candle (also something she mentioned in her post), and a Live, Love, Laugh Beaded Bookmark. I know it seems like a lot, but Amazon had some really good deals that week. I actually spent $20 instead of $15 because I didn't have to pay for shipping. All in all, I think my gift was a good one. My reason for stating all of this is that I have had no mention of my gift even being received and have not received anything in return. I am not out to bad mouth anyone, I just think that it was a bit unfair for me to have spent my hard earned cash and to have spent time meticulously choosing the most appropriate gift and then have no reciprocation. I am not bitter or angry, just disappointed. Trust and honesty are two of many principles that I live by and would never leave someone hanging like this. I choose not to link this to any blog hop or to even mention her name or blog name because I don't want to bring any negative attention to her. I just needed to rant a bit. I had a really good Christmas and got almost everything that I wanted. I hope she did too!! No hard feelings, I'll just be a little skeptical next time around, and there will be a next time. I love giving and getting presents!!!
Happy Holidays all!! What do you have planned for your New Year's Celebration???

On The Fence

I am thinking of buying something from an infomercial. Typically I flip the channel when those are on, but this morning was different. I was watching the infomercial for Brainetics while waiting for my son to get ready for school, and I must admit, I was intrigued. I have always struggled with math. Now please don't misunderstand, I am good at math, it just doesn't come to me easily. I was that kid in high school that would fret every time there was some big math test, especially if it was timed. I usually did well, but not withstanding a lot of blood sweat and tears. I caught the infomercial in the middle and it displayed a math problem: 109 x 109. They showed the trick on how to get the answer sans pen and paper and I tried it myself. I am still excited that I actually did this problem in my head, and it was RIGHT!! If only you could see inside this mind of mine and really get a grasp on how I normally tackle math. Only then could you know the level of joy I found in doing that one problem. I've been researching Brainetics all day and found a lot of mixed reviews, but I am still a believer. My only issue is that it's Christmas time and so much has already been spent on other gifts. I would love to give this as a gift for the entire family. (except for the hubby, he already does math in his head his own way) I think my children have inherited my disdain for all things math and I'd like to make it a little easier for them. If you have any thoughts on this, if you've tried it, or if you just have some math-related tips in general please feel free to comment. Before I shell out 150 bucks for a program I'd love some more insight.

**I am in no way affiliated with Branetics.com, nor have I received any form of compensation for this post. I am simply seeking advice from my fellow bloggers on a possible future purchase .**

Get your swag on!!

Do you get your swag on? Meaning do you use swag bucks yet?? If you don't, you should!! Who doesn't love free stuff? Wouldn't it be awesome to get free stuff for things you already do online anyway?? Well, with swagbucks you can do just that. There are many ways to earn swag bucks, but I usually earn them by simply using the swagbucks toolbar for searching the web. On a good day I earn about 30 to 40 swag bucks. I have already cashed in some of swagbucks for 60 bucks in Amazon gift cards-a sweet bonus for my Christmas budget!!

Sign-up is a piece of cake and if you do so before Dec. 31st at 11:59EST and use code JoinIn2010 you get an automatic 60 swagbucks! (usually only 30) So what are you waiting for click HERE and get your swag on and get to earning some free stuff!! I know you wanna!!!

Wicked Fresh!™ With Benefits

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Toms of Maine. All opinions are 100% mine.

Clean, fresh breath. Good! Doing good things for the environment. Good! Doing them both simultaneously. Outstanding!! Tom's Of Maine does just that!! Not only do they offer great products like their Wicked Fresh!™ toothpaste and mouthwash, they do not utilize animals for product testing, nor do they use animal ingredients in any of their products. The Tom's of Maine website gives an extensive history of the company and allows the consumer to view all ingredients along with their purpose and source. Tom's Of Maine is environmentally conscious and offer good-to-you and good-for-you products. What a great combination!!

My family and I had the recent pleasure of trying a sample of Tom's Wicked Fresh!™ toothpaste in the cool peppermint flavor. First off, let me tell you that my family has used the same toothpaste for the last 13 years. I firmly believe that when you find something that works, you stick with it. Sure, we've tried other brands, but always came back to “old faithful”. The basic reasoning behind this is that it's been really hard to find a toothpaste that provides you with fresh breath, but doesn't leave a strange aftertaste. Imagine my surprise when I tried Tom's Wicked Fresh!™ and found that it was great tasting , left no aftertaste, and left my breath noticeably fresh for hours. My hubby and the kids agree that we've found a replacement for our “old faithful” brand. The greatest bonus is that Tom's of Maine utilizes environmentally sound practices. I can rest easy knowing that by adding Tom's Of Maine products to my list of household staples, I will be contributing in some small way to the protection of our environment. Choosing Tom's in a totally win-win!!

Interested in learning more about Tom's of Maine Wicked Fresh!™ ? Visit them at Tom's Of Maine , “like” them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter. Feeling Wicked Fresh!™ lucky? Share your Wicked Fresh!™ moments at Tom's That's Wicked Fresh contest page for a chance at some fabulous prizes. I wish you Wicked good luck!!

Zappos.com- More Than Just Shoes

When I think of Zappos.com what immediately comes to mind is shoes. My first introduction to Zappos.com was by pure happenstance a few years ago, when I was shopping for shoes for my very-hard-to-fit daughter. Through search engines, by word of mouth, and countless other methods, Zappos.com was placed at the top of my list. The major selling point were their offers of free shipping both ways and hassle free 365 day return policy. Thankfully it wasn't necessary to utilize this service, but it is great that it is there. My first experience with them was fantastic and I've been a loyal customer ever since.

Now, here I am faced with another dilemma. It's Christmas-time and time to buy a new jacket for my daughter. Of course this can't be just any jacket. It absolutely must be a stylish, yet unique jacket, and has to fit this very-hard-to-fit young lady. In the back of my mind, I always knew that Zappos.com offered more than just shoes, but I never really considered them as a shopping option for other items. That is, until now. Zappos.com features some of the latest jacket styles and trends at extremely reasonable prices. At the present I have three jackets from Zappos.com that I am considering: JWLA's Karida Military Jacket in charcoal gray, DKNY's Wool Band Leader Jacket in deep black, and Element's Marjorie Jacket in charcoal heather. Any one of these jackets would compliment my daughter's funky and eclectic style and not one of them will break my bank. Now the only dilemma I face is which one to chose. From here on in, I will be sure to include Zappos.com at the top of my list when shopping via internet. Great Selection. Top Name Brands. High End Designers. Definitely more than just shoes.

Custom Made Concepts

It is truly my pleasure to introduce the blogosphere to a company that I had the recent pleasure of being acquainted with. Data Graphics, Inc. is a prosperous company that provides many businesses and the military with quality merchandise with quick turnaround. They have been thriving for over 25 years with a customer base both domestic and overseas. Although they do not provide personal labels, which is why I found them, they do offer many other reasonable products for the business owner including, but not limited to decals, roll labels, nameplates, barcode labels, armbands, mousepads, and silly bands. Their promotional items section is outstanding and worth your time.
If you are a business owner and are in the market for some Custom Labels, or perhaps new Nameplates
for the office, I highly recommend that you look up Data Graphics, Inc. A family owned and operated company with very loyal employees, I don't think you could go wrong. Please, don't take my word for it, check out their site at http://www.datagraphicsinc.com/ to find out for yourself.

**Note to business owners**They do not make labels for either the clothing or garment industries, nor off the shelf office supply labels.

Zhu Zhu Pets....I'm glad I asked!!

Okay, so the story goes, CVS has a fabulous deal on Zhu Zhu Pets-Get four for the price of one, fantastic, right!!?? Then I go to my local Hallmark store to use this great $10 off $10 coupon and find the Zhu Zhu Pets Gigantic Funhouse on sale for $9.99 (regularly $19.99)-Add a $0.99 roll of tape and voila!! For only $10.93, I got four Zhu Zhu Pets, A Funhouse, and a roll of tape. I thought I had done something big and couldn't wait to give this to my son for Christmas. I did all of the research and read countless blogs about them and figured this would be right up his alley, a pet that's not "really" pet. Boy was I wrong!! I asked him on a whim, just to find out if this is something he'd be into.

Me: So, Bubba, what do you think of Zhu Zhu Pets? Do you think this is something you'd like to have?

Bubba: Uhhhh...not so much.

Me: Who do you think would like them? Maybe your cousins?

Bubba: I was thinking, maybe Gabby.

Me: Oh....


Okay, so the conversation was sort of over after that. Imagine my flabbergastration!! Here I am buying what I thought was a great gift for an 11 year old and he suggests it for his 2 year old little cousin. Can we say deflated ego!! I use to think that I was so in tune with the things my kids would like. Now, not so much. Ah well, back to the drawing board!! Guess I need to pay closer attention and I am now equipped with the knowledge that my baby is not a baby anymore....NOOOOOO!!!

Giveaway Woes...

It's been about 8 weeks since I even attempted to enter any giveaways around the blogosphere...why? Scenario: After spending hours entering, posting, tweeting, updating statuses and all of the other entry methods, my hard work pays off. I actually win the coveted prize and patiently wait for its arrival. 1 week. 3 weeks. 6 weeks. 2 months. NADA. Color me disappointed. I know that most of the bloggers have nothing to do with how the prize reaches the winner, so I do not fault them in any way. I feel as if I am still new to the blogging world (even though it's been almost 7 months since I started) and I am still navigating my way slowly. I found the giveaways exciting and it felt good to be rewarded for my small efforts. After not receiving a number of prizes, I decided to leave the giveaways alone for a while and tried to focus on other tasks. That has proven to be a greater task than I anticipated. My blogging fell by the wayside along with facebook and twitter as well. I guess I needed a break. No matter the excuse, I decided today that I am going to give it another try. Hopefully my luck is just as good as it was (hopefully better) and before long you will be reading about my wondrous bounty thanks to awesome blogs and spectacular sponsors. I am also going to keep my word about my intent to host my own 100 follower giveaway. Hopefully it won't be long now. Thanks for reading--Happy Thursday!!!

Why do I do it?

Why do I do it? Every year I say that I am not going to feed into the commercialism behind the Christmas season and then I allow myself to be sucked into this relentless vortex, spiraling dangerously towards certain bankruptcy. I always feel as if I spend way too much for things that are absolutely unnecessary and unwanted even though I know it isn't so. Why do I do this to myself? Okay, I am being a bit melodramatic, but hey, if I can't vent here, then where?? I stated to the hubby today, "All of this work for one day, why?" I have always firmly believed that gifts should be given "just because" and for other special occasions year-round, however, Christmas gift giving makes me a little crazy. I think it's because I am "that" person that HAS to find the perfect gift for everyone on the list. You know the type, the one who always manages to give you that one gift that makes you break down into tears and ask "How did you know???" Yes, that's me and I think it's a bit of sickness. At some point I may decide to seek treatment for it, but until then, I will continue to give these gifts and suffer through the countless hugs, kisses, and thank-you's because I must. One day, some day, I will be on the receiving end of one of these such gifts and will recall this rambling and take it all back...maybe...Who am I kidding??? I'm probably one of the sappiest saps when it comes to getting presents....wonder who will tear at my heartstrings and cause the river to flow from my eyes this year??? Sorry for rambling...my mind is a big jumble of STUFF on a daily basis, it's absolutely ridiculous during this time of year!! Counting down till Christmas....16 days......