Five That Are Truly Fab

It's so hard to find beauty products that really work, or do what they claim to do. Who hasn't spend hundreds of dollars trying to find the right product for your beauty crisis? Now, you can read about five products that were tested and their results were fabulous. You can read all about them here .

Do You Squidoo?

Squidoo is a relatively new site that allows just about anyone on the internet, including bloggers, to create a lends that focuses directly on your own interests on just about anything you can think of. Creating a lens is a perfect way to create more traffic for your blog and, Squidoo has also created a way for their members to earn money. It's a really great site and there's lots you can do with your lens. You can also create more than one lens if you like. The lenses have their own page ranks as well. If you want to create a lens of your own, then just click here . If you would like to see what my lens looks like (so far because I'm not done editing it yet), then click here .

The Biggest Loser Tips

Biggest Loser contestants, Heather Hanson and Kai Hibbard recently told http://www.prevention.com that they have met many challenges while competing in the reality television show. Heather revealed that injuries didn't stop her from working out. She simply rested the injured part and worked other parts until her injury healed. She tells herself that although it may sound cheesy, nothing tastes as good as thin feels. She's not only dropped weight (going from 223 to 182 pounds), but her cholesterol has dropped below 150 and her blood pressure has gone down too. She plans to keep temptation out of reach so she can't easily get to her comfort foods, maintain a food journal to keep track of her eating and plan her workouts around her childrens' schedule, allowing herself only to rest on Sundays. She also wants to get her family involved in exercise by taking walks, and biking. Kai Hibbard also has gone from 262 to 208 pounds in seven weeks. To keep from plateauing, she knows she needs to keep changing her exercise routine so her body doesn't become complacent in burning calories. Kai plans on traveling from Alaska to Maine to begin law school. She and her dad will be driving there and she wants to make frequent stops so she can fit in some exercise along the way and stick to chain restaurants that offer healthy alternatives to burgers and fries. Her tips include doing lunges and squats to burn lots of calories; remembering how remorseful she would feel indulging in an ice cream sundae; using clothing as a motivator to keep losing; asking her family to keep supporting her; and never put off until tomorrow, what she should do today.

More Ways To Save Your Money

This is the time of year when stretching your dollar and saving your money counts. It's the holiday season and you probably have tons of gifts to purchase for family and friends. So how do you save money and still get the best value? By using coupons , that's how. There is a free, easy-to-use online shopping portal, which gives consumers cash back when they shop online at more than 800 name-brand stores, including Barnes & Noble, Circuit City and Target, just to name a few. You can save as much as five percent on every purchase at participating online stores, and up to twenty-five percent at some other stores, which makes it very affordable for holiday shopping. With this great shopping service, why should you ever pay retail again? This service, called Ebate, can give you up to twenty-five percent Cash Back at more than 800 popular stores and it's so easy to use. CNN has even called this shopping service a "no brainer". With the latest online coupon deals and the hottest deals on the web, you will never have to pay full price again, you can get the best quality items for you and your family and still have some money left over to buy something special just for yourself.

On The Couch With Lorraine

Lorraine Bracco is probably best known for her role as Tony Soprano's psychatrist, but Lorraine has been in the business of entertainment for many years now. She recently gave a short interview for People Magazine where she recalled her early days as a fashion model. Lorraine graduated from Hicksville High School in 1972 and moved into Manhattan full-time to becme a model. I can attest to the fact that she is very tall as I was one year behind her in school. Her brother and my brother, who also went to the same high school several years earlier, were best friends. Lorraine didn't stay in Manhattan very long. She was swept away by a few of her friends to Paris, France where she was told she could have a very good career as a fashion model. She was no super model, but she worked constantly, even posing in a tub full of live escargot (that's snails) wearing only gobs of jewelry for the surrealist painter, Salvador Dali. It was an exciting life, but shallow and she much prefers acting. You can read all about her adventures in her new book 'On The Couch'.

L.L. Bean

L.L. Bean has been around for many, many years and they began selling outdoor equipment and outerwear for the sportsman. Fast forward to the 21st century, and L.L. Bean is still going strong. Their Christmas 2006 catalogue is filled with gift-giving ideas for everyone on your list from beautiful Christmas wreaths, warm and cozy slippers, toasty turtlenecks and fleece-lined gloves. They have wonderful accessories for everyone on your list is might be hard to buy for like toe warmers, a gift basket filled with kindling, a travel alarm clock, hot cocoa mix, maple syrup and just about anything else you can think of. They shearling slippers, comprable to Uggs and half the cost. You can also get great sweaters, shirts, jeans and outerwear for everyone in your family. Take advantage of free shipping with no minimum orders until January 1, 2007. Just click
here for more details.

Searching For That Perfect Job

Before we know it, the new year will be here. The holidays will be over and with the new year, comes thoughts about the future and what it will hold for each and everyone of us. Many people will be thinking of changing jobs. Maybe you feel you've reached a dead end in your position and you want to move on to something that holds more promise, a bigger paycheck and better benefits. Maybe you are an employer who wants to hire new employees, but doesn't want to take the time to place an advertisement, field calls and read resumes. This is where an executive search firm comes in. When you are dealing with find a job or looking for a new employee, you will want to deal with a firm whose specialists have experience in the same field whether it's financial or risk management services, legal and/or legal support services, technology, human resources consulting or luxury products. You will also want to know that this firm is combing the country to find the right job or right employee for your needs. Stick with a firm that has a high standard of services and commitment in the recruiting field and whose reputation is built on consistency in successful placements. If you are currently working, you will want to work with a firm who can ensure your discretion so that you can make a smooth transaction from one position to another. You really deserve nothing less.

Great Books For Little People

This season, you'll be wanting to get your favorite children, some great books. They make great gifts and their parents will love you for not wasting your money on silly toys. What's new at the bookstore? "The English Roses: Too Good To Be True" from Madonna. Madonna tells 'Child' Magazine that her husband and daughter give her an endless source of material for her childrens' book series. She recently appeared on Home Shopping to sell her books and although she didn't appear to personally pitch the books, she did give a very nice interview to one of the show hosts. You can also find a great book by Gloria Estefan called 'Noelle's Treasure Tale'. She's written books in this series before about an english bulldog in pursuit of treasure along Florida's coastline. Her books are available in both English and Spanish. Billy Crystal has written a new children's book called 'Grandpa's Little One'. He describes the book as a book of firsts in celebration of his granddaughter's first birthday....first piece of cake, first time in the swimming pool, first Scientology meeting...stuff like that! Finally, you can read Queen Latifah's 'Queen of the Scene' about a spnky city girl who can beat the boys at basketball, loosely based on her own childhood.

Words To Live By

Writer and actress, Nora Ephron, author of the best-selling book "I Feel Bad About My Neck", gives some sage advise to younger women. Nora, who looks amazing, at 65 tells her readers what she wished she had known when she was younger, in People Magazine . She says that people have only one way to be (in other words, you can't change someone else); don't rent, buy; never marry a man you wouldn't want to be divorced from; don't cover a couch with anything that isn't more or less beige; you can't be friends with people who will call you after 11 PM; block everyone on your instant messenger; the world's greatest babysitter will burn in in approximately two and one-half years; the last four years of psychoanalysis is a waste of money; your plane won't crash; anything you think is wrong with your body at 35, you'll be nostalgic for at 45; The saggy roll you develop around your middle at 55 will cause you to re-evaluate everything in your closet, especially anything that's white; write everything down!

Get The Best For Your Pets

If you are like me, you want the very best for your pets. My two dogs, Shana and Mandy, mean the world to me and I want to make sure that they remain healthy and active through out their lives. If you own a pet, then you want to make sure that you can get the best quality pet medicine at the best prices. There's no need to run to the vet or to an expensive pet supply store trying to find the right products for the best cost. Now, you never have to leave your home and shop for all your pets' health needs. You can get all your non-prescription medication, pet vitamins, pet supplies and even toys right online. Whether you are a first-time pet owner or a long-time pet owner, you need to feel confident that you are purchasing U.S. FDA/EPA approved, genuine p roducts for your four-legged loved ones. You can shop with confidence and know that the items you selected are kept under controlled temperatures and conditions and are routinely checked for short-date expirations. Our pets bring us so much pleasure and unconditional love, let's do what's best for them to keep them happy and healthy.

Why Aren't I Losing Weight?

Have you ever been on a diet a diet for weeks at a time, only to find that the scale hasn't budged at all? In fact, you may even find that you have gained weight. As reported in Prevention Magazine , you may be underestimating the amount of food you are actually eating. It's important to keep a food journal while dieting so you can keep track of every morsel you put in your mouth. This way you can pinpoint where those extra calories are coming from. Also, try wearing a pedometer to track your activity through out the day. You can pick up an inexpensive pedometer in your local drug or discount store. By adding extra steps every single day, you will burn more calories, thereby helping you to lose more weight. Some other suggestions include getting more than five hours sleep a night. It has been reported that those who have slept at least seven full hours are less likely to gain weight (probably because they are less likely to raid the refrigerator at 2 AM). Need to burn more calories? Try fidgeting by tapping your fingers, swinging your foot while you are sitting or standing to take a phone call. You can burn up to 350 more calories a day. By resetting your thermostat, you can burn more calories while your body works to keep your body heat in. You will also save some money on your heating bills. Keep the trans fat out of your diet as much as possible. Studies have shown that just doing this alone will help you reduce your weight.

Blonde, Beautiful And Single.....Again

Apparently, blonde beauties, Brittney Spears and Reese Witherspoon will be in good company in divorce court. It is now reported that blonde bombshell, Pamela Anderson is divorcing her husband of four months, Kid Rock. The two wed on a yacht in their bathing suits and apparently, married here in the states as well. Unfortunately, Pam suffered a miscarriage a couple of months ago, but what really split them up was her appearance in the movie "Borat". There was a scene in the movie where she was ambushed and kidnapped by Borat, played by Sasha Baron Cohen. Pam's new husband, couldn't handle his jealousy and things cooled down so much, the couple is now splitting up......like we didn't see THAT coming!

Fly South For The Winter Or All Year Round

With Christmas coming, there are more things to look forward to and they're not all great. Winter is just around the corner and with it will come snow, ice, freezing temperatures and rising heating bills. Florida has always been a prime destination for those who want to escape the cold weather. It's perfect for retirees and young families looking to stretch their dollars in terms of real estate. There are still great deals to be had in Florida which will not only save you money on your home's purchase price, but in terms of taxes as well. I'm a huge history buff and I love investigating the history of places I have visited. For instance, Orlando, which is a great destination for vacations and for re-location, was a prime spot for raising cattle, not growing oranges. With the extension of the South Florida Railroad line, the citrus industry was able to expand and Orlando began to change rapidly. It was in the 1920s when tourism began to take hold. Now, Orlando is the number one vacation spot for people all over the world. As a result, there are fast-growing communities surrounding Orlando as well as vintage neighborhoods with homes to match. There are beautiful lakes, diverse restaurants and shopping as well as a threatre and sports complex. Even though Orlando is best known for it's seven major theme parks, an Orlando Real Estate Agent can show you that there's more to Orlando than Mickey Mouse.

This One's For You

Someone just left me a comment on one of my posts that they love Barry Manilow. Many people do, but few would want to admit it. If you are a closet fan or someone who admires the man for his talent, then you must read Scooter Talk. This is a fan who shares the history of his career through articles and photos. Every fan who visits says it's the best tribute to any artist they've ever seen. Even if you're not a fan, check it out anyway and you might just find yourself humming "Copacabana".

A Gift With Options Attached

Inevitably, you'll have people on your gift list that you just can't shop for. It may be a babysitter, your son's tutor, your daughter's nursery school teacher or your adult children. If that's the case, then consider giving a giftcard. There are several kinds of giftcards you can choose from. If you know that the recipient loves to shop in a certain store, then you certainly can go there and purchase a giftcard directly or, in most cases, you can order them online. Many times, you may not know where this person likes to shop, so now you can buy a Visa giftcard with a set amount which can be used anywhere. Often times, shopping malls, like Simon, offer their own Visa giftcards which can be used at any store in their malls. The drawback here is that it can only be used at their malls and they usually will charge you a surcharge when you purchase it. There are also giftcards for services that are offered at movie theatres and local theatres that produce plays, video stores, restaurants, beauty and nail salons. The fact is, most retailers offer giftcards as an easy alternative for gift giving. I often purcahse giftcards year round for supermarkets and my favorite beauty store,
Ulta which I use for myself or tuck away for last minutes gifts. There are drawbacks though for giftcards. The first is the expiration date. Try to get cards that don't have an expiration date or ask if the cards will be honored after the date expires or if there is a surchage if the card is used after expiration. The other drawback is giftcard theft. Of course, this comes with the territory if you using the internet. For more information about giftcard theft, click Phishy Pedia Guide and for information about Link and Blog, click here .

A Message From Bidvertiser

Here is a message from Bidvertiser aimed at current publishers. However, if you are interested in becoming a publisher and add Bidvertiser to your blog or website to earn money, you can click on the Bidvertiser icon in my side bar:

BidVertiser now offers $20 FREE advertising credit for current publishers!

We are so confident that BidVertiser will work well for you also as an advertiser that we will immediately credit your advertiser account with $20 worth of funds, no deposit on your part needed!

To become an advertiser, simply login to your account and click "Become an Advertiser".

Calling The Windy City Home

I have many friends who, at one time or another, lived in Chicago. Next to New York City, Chicago is one of the most amazing cities in our country. It boasts fabulous restaurants and shopping areas and, like New York, has a theatre district. It's also the home of some of the most famous people in the world and many famous actors and actresses grew up in Chicago and/or went to school there as they have great colleges. It's also surrounded by many neighboring towns close enough to the city for a fast commute, while maintaining the feel of a small town with beautiful homes and great schools. Along these lines, it's also a lot like New York. Because it's so much like New York, many New Yorkers looking to transfer, often choose Chicago as their mid-west destination. It's never fun to think of moving and it's hard enough to think about moving across town, let alone across the country. You need to have a support system to help you choose the right home and city for you and your family. There's one Chicago Realtor that can take you from the very beginning stages of searching for the perfect home through the loan application and closing process. Best of all, you can do most of the groundwork for your big move right online, helping to make a complex situation a little less complicated.

The Ultimate Guide To A Flawless Face

Make-up artist to the stars, Laura Mercier, has a brand new book entitled "The New Beauty Secrets: Your Ultimate Guide to a Flawless Face" (from Atria Books for $35). One of the famous faces you will see in the book is gorgeous, Sara Jessica Parker. Sara writes in the forward of the book that Laura has helped her to understand her face. Of course, there are famous faces in this book, but there are regular people like you and me also featured who appeared at local cosmetic counters across the country. The book is written for the average woman, and not for those famous people she has made up over the years. Mercier takes the time to outline the basics of make-up artistry including the right tools, simple skin care routines and make-up techniques and tricks like using a bronzer under your chin to make your double chin disappear.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Blogs

Every once in a while I like to give a shout out to some of my favorite blogs, new and old. Of course, there's my new baby You're Not The Boss Of Me which I'm enjoying creating so please visit. My husband also has a great blog called
It's Only Business aimed at small-business owners who want to increase their marketing potential. I've just added a great new blog to my sidebar called Stitching Mama . If you love cross counted stitching, then you will love this blog dedicated to that craft. Thanks for reading and thanks for visiting some of my favorite blogs.

Taking The Guesswork Out Of Prescription Drugs

Pharmaceutical companies are offering newer and better drugs every single day. As a result of their cutting-edge technology, the average person can expect to live a longer and fuller life. However, more and more people are taking multiple medications to manage things like high blood pressure and cholesterol. One popular cholesterol medication, Lipitor is often prescribed by physicians to those who suffer from high cholesterol. However, proper dosing is important as well as drug interactions with other medications the patient may be taking. Thankfully, physicians and clinicians have the internet to help them quickly obtain they answers they need in order to prescribe the right medication for their patients. With a service like Epocrates Online, physicians and clinicians can answer most of the questions that patients usually save for their pharmacist. Patients can also be given printed information by their doctors that are educational, but easy to understand in either English or Spanish. Common questions, like should the medication be taken with food or on an empty stomach?; what if a dose is missed by accident?; what are the side effects? can be easily answered and the patient's anxieties can be minimized. Doctors can also look up the average retail cost of drugs and see if their are any comprable generic drugs as a lower-cost alternative. Thank goodness these services are available so patients can have answers in minutes, instead of waiting hours for a physician's return phone calls.

The Design Rack For The Gap

When Rouland Mouret introduced a collection of dresses for The Gap in London a few weeks ago, there was a frenzy the likes of which this ailing retailer hasn't seen in quite a while. Even with that huge marketing piece they did for the skinny black pants, The Gap is still in need of getting back their competitor's edge, which they've lost for a few years now. As a result of the huge success of Rouland Mouret's line, The Gap will be bringing this hot designer to New York in seven Manhattan stores (54th Street, 59th Street, 42nd Street, 34th Street, 18th Street and 42nd Street and Third Ave). The dresses are described as casual and easy to wear, though perfect for the holidays. The dresses color schemes are red and black, perfect for the season and will sell from $88 to $108. Expect them to sell out fast!

Queer Eye For QVC

That devine diva from 'Queer Eye For The Straight Guy', Carson Kressley will be introducing his new line of clothing, "Perfect by Carson Kressley" on QVC this Wednesday at 9 PM. It's being touted by QVC as "classics with a twist". Expect to see equestrian inspired separates and accessories with a great deal of basic, including career staples for women as well as smart outer-wear for men. His goal is to add key pieces to everyone's wardrobe that are perfect for both business and casual wear. The pieces are priced to sell from $29.25 to $297.50. You can log onto QVC.com for more details about Carson's debut.

Personalize Your Gift Giving This Season

It's hard enough to find that perfect gift for everyone on your list starting with your family, but what about all the friends and co-workers that are throwing holiday parties and dinners? You can give a cake, but who has time to bake? A bottle of wine is nice, but what if they don't drink? At www.dotflowers.com you can find the perfect gift, that's affordable and personable. They not only offer same day delivery on their floral arrangements, but they also have beautiful gourmet baskets that can be personalized for those who are hard to please. Your flowers will be delivered to you fresh from your local floral shop or Field Fresh flower delivery straight from their growers' farms to anywhere in the United States. They offer charming cookies, treats and savory snacks for gift baskets and their customer service department will be happy to help you choose a gift that's right for your budget as well. They are truly devoted to helping you make a great impression with fantastic flowers, gorgeous gifts and great customer service.

In Retrospect

I began blogging almost one year ago, shortly after Christmas. When I began blogging, it was a creative outlet for me and a way to vent some of my frustration with my then current employment (or lack thereof) status. I had not expectations with blogging as I had no experience. I had no idea where it would take me or how long it would last. I also had no idea how much information I would need in order to keep my blog going.

It's certainly easy enough to begin blogging. This blog server (blogger.com)is one of the easiest to use. That, for me, was never the challenge. The challenge comes with improving my knowledge about increasing the popularity of my blog. Increasing traffic isn't that difficult either. At some point during my blog education, I hooked up with a few blog surfing sites, one of which I frequent on a regular basis. Although blog surfing will increase traffic to your blog, while you surf other blog sites, the quality of the traffic isn't always the best since other bloggers are surfing to earn extra credit so others will read their blogs. It's a catch-22 situation sometimes, but in all fairness, I have also garnered some regular readers from that traffic. It's kind of like speed dating inasmuch as you have to go through a lot of blogs in order to find quality writing enough to want to make you come back for more. I hope I have achieved at least that much interest with my writing style and with the information that I share with you.

So if earning more traffic isn't the answer, then what is? The bottom line is page rank. In fact each page of your blog has it's own rank determined by how many times reader go to that page or post. If you have a site meter on your blog you can check the page rank of each page. By monitoring this I can determine which subjects are of more interest to my readers.

It goes without saying that getting your blog "out there" can not only increase traffic and page rank. Have you signed up with any blog directories yet? Do you belong to a blog ring or blogging community? Have you exchanged links and left comments on other blogs to increase the popularity of your own blog? These are all the things that bloggers need to thing about in order to increase both traffic and page rank.

What I have learned over the past year is that blogging is an ongoing education in and of itself. I wouldn't be surprised if it's not offered as a college course in the future. Thankfully, there are lots of wonderful and generous, experienced bloggers who have helped me along the way. I hope I have done the same for some of you.

Thanks to Link and Blog for the writing challenge.

Pucker Up

There are tons of lip balms on the market today ranging anywhere from a couple of dollars to nearly $60. The fact is, you don't need an expensive lip balm to give yourself the protection and shine you need. One of my favorites is made by Vaseline and comes in a handy tube with applicator. It's very inexpensive, protects and moisturizes and gives your lips a great shine. Wear it alone or over your favorite shade of lipstick. If you want a flavored lip balm that's a real treat for your lips, then check out the flavored lip balms from Philosophy. You can get them at
Sephora or QVC and they come in yummy shades and flavors in a generous size tube with applicator. They are a little more pricey (between $10 and $15), but it's a long-lasting product that looks and tastes great. Bath and Body Works carries the widest variety of lip balms for everyone on your list. They range in price between $5 and $10 and they often run great sales on their products. Besides being a great treat for yourself, be sure to pick some up as stocking stuffers.

Woman To Woman

It's not easy being a woman. It seems like every stage of life brings new challenges, both mentally and physically. I've written a number of times about womens' health issues so whenever I find a website that I believe is informative, I want to share it with my readers. One such website is Women to Women . Yes, it's true that they are marketing a regimen of supplements, but you don't have to purchase anything from them. They have tons of information about many different health issues from PMS, perimenopause, menopause, and other health concerns that women suffer from every day. Their explanations are easy to read and point out that many problems can be solved with changes in diet and lifestyle before medication is recommended. Alternative medicine doesn't always hold the answers, but when it is coupled with western medicine you can have the best of both worlds to maintain optimum emotional and physical health.

Pamper Your Pets For The Holidays

Maybe you don't have any children or grandchildren, but you might have a special, four-legged little (or big) one in your life you'd like to spoil for the holidays. There's one site that will help you induldge your pooch or kitty in ways you never imagined. Pampered Pets has a wide variety of luxurious necessities and accessories for your little loved ones. This is just one of many places that caters to pets. Now more than ever, there are specialty shops that just carry these opulent accessories that include full wardrobes, carrying cases and even pet strollers. In fact, many of the run-of-the mill pet stores have started carrying these items in order to compete with these specialty shops and it's not unusual to find a gourmet bakery for your dogs at your local pet store. If you are buying a gift for a friend's pet, don't forget your friend either and treat them to a cute puppy or kitty calendar, address book or journal. If you think the trend is a bit much, you have plenty of time to get used to it since it looks like it's not a passing fancy.

Making Your Blog Work For You

If you are a blogger and are looking to maximize the earning potential for your blog, then I have one solution for you. You can make money online by joining Blogitive. Blogitive offers their bloggers opportunties to write for their clients through a web release program. All you have to do is write a relatively short press release and include a link to the customer's website. Once your blog posting is approved, Blogitive will pay you $5. Now, if you have multiple blogs, you can earn a very nice amount of money doing this. Of course, your blog has to qualify first in order for you to write for Blogitive and one of the qualifications is that your blog has garnered enough traffic in order to be accepted. If you have already done so, you may want to subscribe to various blog directories like FeedBurner.com, exchange links with other bloggers, leave comments on other people's blogs and, of course, tell all your friends that you have a blog. Also, Blogitive intends to launch other services in the future to help bloggers earn more money, like NewsNerve which will allow you to earn money from by utilizing NewsNerve on your blog. Ghost Writing will also be launching soon and that service will allow you to earn money through writing assignments. Unlike the other services, you don't even need to be a blogger to participate in Ghost Writing, just good writing skills. There are many other services for bloggers that Blogitive offers, so if you haven't checked them out, now is the time to do it and make some extra money for the holidays.

Message From Blog Advance

Here is a message from Blog Advance. You can find out more information about how to win free credit, just for signing up by clicking on the Blog Advance icon in my sidebar:

Once again we have raised the weekend surf ratio to 1.5:1 until Sunday. So get those credits accured for our Decemeber competition that will be starting Decemeber 1st.

Also remember and sign up for the new improved BlogAdvance forum.

http://forum.blogadvance.com

We hope you enjoy your weekend.



The BlogAdvance Team
blogadvance@blogadvance.com

Icey Shine

I don't like to offer up opinions about products to you, unless I've tried them myself and here's one that's tried and true. Pantene's new Ice Shine products for the hair really do make your hair shinier with the very first use. I've only tried the conditioner, but that alone made a difference in my hair. For those of you who have color treated your hair, it's not unusual for your hair to lose some of it's shine, but it's a small price to pay to cover the gray. Now you can get some of it back very inexpensively. These products are sold everywhere for under $4.00 for each component (shampoo, regular and deep conditioning products as well as finishing products).

For the best prices try Walmart , Target , CVS and
Ulta .

Shop In Your Pajamas

If you want to shop, but don't want to leave your house today, then just click
here to find great deals, some with free shipping.

Super Model/Super Mom

Super-model and host of 'Project Runway', Heidi Klum and her husband Seal, welcomed their third child, Johan, into the world recently. Heidi and Seal have a one-year old son, Henry, together and Heidi has a three-year old daughter, Leni, from a previous relationship. The couple is said to be very happy and have given this son five names, just like son Henry. They also have not ruled out having more children in the future.

You Won't See A Few Of Her Favorite Things

For years now, Oprah has shared her favorite things with audiences every year, right around Thanksgiving. Those who have watched her show know that with every favorite thing she reveals, she in turn, gives away to audience members. They've received free clothing, electronics and home goods. With her genorosity came problems. Small companies that were mentioned by her were inundated with orders that they were not capable of handling initially. Some are still struggling with the growth aspects of their business just because Oprah likes their products. The icing on the cake though came when some companies made claims that Oprah had endorsed their products, when, in fact, she hadn't. For her, the bad started to outweigh the good so this year things have changed. Instead, in October, Oprah gave her audience $1,000 giftcards with the request that her audience go out and donate that money to others in need. Her follow-up show will air shortly showing how those people went out and spent that money on either charities or people in need. She calls it her "pay it forward" show. Although I always enjoyed watching her 'favorite things' show, I think that the idea of paying it forward really emphasizes the importance of this holiday season. Producers, however, are not ruling out the possiblity of bringing back 'favorite things' in years to come.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

How many times have you gotten a gift and thought "what the hell am I going to do with this?". Maybe it's from a favorite relative and you just can't bring yourself to return it, so you stick it in a closet until it's time to pass the gift on to someone else. If you do this, you are not alone; it's called regifting and we've all done it at one time or another. Now, there's a website totally dedicated to regifting, complete with horror stories and the dos and don'ts of it. For instance, when you regift, make sure you re-wrap the gift as you would any new gift to remove any personal notes that were intended for you and keep track of your gifts to you don't re-gift to the original gifter. Another tip: if you're not sure what to do with that gift and you can't return it and don't want to regift, store the gifts and donate them for raffle prizes to your church or PTA. They won't care that it was something you never wanted in the first place and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your gift helped raise money for a good cause. I have a saki set which I intend to use for a raffle prize and I NEVER drink saki.....at least not at home. For more information about regifting, just go to Regift.com .

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whatever you do today and whereever you are, enjoy your Thanksgiving! Remember, turkey is low in fat and high in protein so have an extra piece of that and less of the gravy and mashed potatoes. Also, if you have to choose between pecan or pumpkin pie, take the pumpkin. Pecan pie has as much as 32 grams of fat, while pumpkin has around 13. Don't forget that tomorrow is black Friday. Sounds ominous, but it is the one day a year that the early bird truly catches the worm (the worm being great bargains). Enjoy your feast today and happy shopping tomorrow. For some great leftover recipes, check, out Rachel Ray .

To Forgive, Forget And Give Thanks

This has been a tough week for some of television's most recognizable celebrities. First, there was Michael Richards a/k/a Kramer from the long-running 'Seinfeld' series. His racist remarks during a rant at a local comedy club are still the topic of discussions and jokes on late-night television. It's time to cut this guy a break and forgive him for his mistake. He's only human! The same should go to Kelly Ripa. She may have crossed the line with Clay, but again, she just over-reacted. She's no more homophobic than her judge and jury, Rosie O'Donnell. She was probably thinking more along the lines of her and her childrens' health being compromised after Clay's hand touched her nose and mouth. Surely, any mother can understand that.......except Rosie, but she's forgiven too. Afterall, Thanksgiving is just hours away and while we are all slaving over a hot stove, we should stop and count all our blessings and, most of all, forgive.

Make More Money Blogging

If you want to learn how to make even more money blogging, check out my latest post on my new blog You're Not The Boss Of Me .

Morning Television Makes For Strange Bedfellows

Clay Aiken, Kelly Rippa and Rosie O'Donnell. Not exactly the first names that come to mind when you think of a threesome, yet these three are indeed linked this week to some tawdry gossip. It appears that Clay filled in for Regis as co-host this week on his show with Kelly Ripa. Clay, in an attempt to stifle Ms. Ripa, playfully put a hand over her mouth. She snapped back to put that hand away as she had no idea where it had been (it is flu and cold season afterall). Enter ABC's resident big mouth, Rosie O'Donnell, who quickly accused Kelly of being homophobic. Kelly, called her on it stating that it didn't matter whose hand it was, it contained the germs of audience members whose hands had touched his (Clay's). It's more likely that Kelly is germaphobic than homophobic, but one thing's for sure; the person who needs to be shushed is Rosie, not Kelly!

Eddie's Muse

Eddie Murphy was recently interviewed on Oprah where he told the talk show host and her audience that he found inspiration for his acting from his painful divorce. Eddie appears as one of the lead male roles in the soon-to-be-released 'Dreamgirls'. His good friend, Jamie Foxx was on hand to testify to his ability to get into character with little prompting. Eddie says he drew from his personal experiences to create his on-screen persona. 'Dreamgirls' is getting some good buzz from the whole cast, which includes 'American Idol' contestant, Jennifer Hudson, who just signed a contract with Clive Davis.

Inside Her Heart

Anyone who knows and/or watches Dr. Phil on his daily talk/advice show, knows his wife Robin. She can be seen in the audience on a daily basis and often participates in segments that deal with womens' issues. She has become quite a celebrity herself and her sweet and approachable personality makes her a favorite among women viewers. As a result of the enormous amount of e-mail she has received from the show, she has written a best-selling book called "Inside My Heart". Perhaps you are turned off by Suzane Somers' in-your-face approach to aging. You won't find this in Robin's easy to read book that reflects on her life and her regime to keep herself feeling good and staying healthy. For more information about Robin's new book, go to
Amazon .

Jamie Lee Curtis, A True Beauty

Back in September of this year, Jamie Lee Curtis did another interview with More Magazine. She was talking about her seventh book called 'Is There Really A Human Race?'. This is not the first interview Jamie has done for 'More'. She did one back in 2002 whereby she posed "as is", sans make-up and anything else to promote the fantasy she has been the subect of for so many years. Her body is still the talk of women who applauded her for being so bold as to show herself as she really is. In fact, the article was re-printed for a college textbook called 'The Meanings of Dress'. Jamie has become a symbol of a woman who is truly comfortable in her own skin. She wears little make-up and her no-nonsense, short hair is slowly turning a beautiful silver-gray. Besides writing books (mostly for children), she is a stay-at-home mom to her 10 year-old son, Tommy. Tommy is a child with various learning differences who attends a special school. Her oldest daughter is away at college now, and while she still gets offers of movie roles, she much prefers making the choice to be home for her son and her husband of 22 years, Christopher Guest. She admits that although she does yoga, pilates, exercise and eats healthy, her body is what it is and she makes no apologies about it. Jamie plans on continuiing to advocate for her son Tommy and write books that deal with childrens' self esteem issues. She recited a great line from her latest book..."Sometimes it's better not to go fast. There are wonderful sights to be seen when you're last"!

The Dirtier The Blonde, The Better

There are all kinds of blondes in this world, bottle blondes, platinum blondes, ambitious blondes, like Madonna, and then there's dirty blondes like Courtney Love. In her new book, 'Dirty Blonde', she doesn't hold back in some aspects and leaves her readers wondering in others. Books make great gifts for avid readers and for that special someone that might like something a little different, you can pick up a copy of 'Dirty Blonde' at Amazon . For a full interview with Courtney Love about her new book, just click here .

My Baby Blog

I have a brand new blog as of today. It's called You're Not The Boss Of Me and in it, I will explore everything and anything having to do with being a boss, being your own boss, firing your boss and bossing around your kids (really). Stop by and pay my new blog a visit and leave me a comment and thanks for reading!

Shop Ulta For The Holidays

Ulta is having a sale starting today and running through December 8th. With any fragrance purchase of $30.00 or more, you will receive two beautiful holiday hurricane lamps in a choice of three colors. They will make beautiful gifts for yourself or for friends. Check out the new fragrances from Hilary Duff called 'With Love...'as well as great fragrances from Vera Wang (Princess) and Prada. Also, Estee Lauder has a brand new fragrance called 'Beyond Paradise Blue' and Donna Karan has a brand new one called 'Gold' Author Danielle Steel has her own romantic fragrance called 'Danielle'. If you're not sure what to buy, then try a gift box of miniature fragrance collections from Calvin Klein for both men and women, Curve or Elizabeth Arden, all for around $35. For men, there is 'Black' by Kenneth Cole and from David Beckham, there's 'Instinct'. You can check them all out and much more at Ulta .

Message From Blog Advance

Here's another message from Blog Advance. They like to keep their bloggers well informed and they also like giving their bloggers lots of opportunity to increase traffic and even earn money. For more information, go to the Blog Advance icon in my sidebar:

Once again we have decided to run a higher weekend surf ratio. We find that these are quite popular amongst our members so from today until Sunday, members can now earn 1.5 credits for every blog they surf.

Also on the BlogAdvance news front, we are going to be starting a competition in December and if you're a regular reader of our blog, you will have read a teaser to what you can win.

http://www.blogpulp.com/blog

"We are pleased to announce a December cash competition.

We have been sponsored by the great team from Intuity Hosting, who are currently going through a remake of their hosting services and they are giving BlogAdvance members a chance at winning $100.

More information will be given soon, so look out for the end of November Newsletter for further information."

So stay tuned for further information on how one lucky member can walk away with $100.

Have a great weekend.

Commuting Is For Suckers

Welcome to my newest blog link Zero Commute and read about how you can make money right from home. I love the catch phrase "because commuting is for suckers". It's my dream to be my own boss. How about you? Check out this blog and learn more and also check out Problogger for more great ideas on how to make money blogging.

A Message From Link And Blog

If you haven't already done so, please visit our home page at Link and Blog .We are much more than just a blog directory so we have other benefits available to you!

On Link and Blog it's free to register as a member, and registration will be necessary in order to participate in a Link and Blog Challenge with other members! What's a Link and Blog Challenge? Stop on over and see!

Why would you want to register? Registration will provide you with access to participate in a Link and Blog Challenge!

Why would you want to participate in a Link and Blog Challenge? Completed challenges will provide you with the opportunity to build quality back-links from other members, provide you with inspiration for new post topics on your blogs, and increase your blog traffic!

Plus - as an added benefit, members who complete Link and Blog Challenges with other members, and report the challenges to Link and Blog may be featured in Link and Blog, resulting in even more traffic to your blog!

IMPORTANT NOTE:

When you register on Link and Blog, please use the same Member User ID as you have for the blog directory so you may contact other members through the personal messaging system at Link and Blog. By contacting other members, you will be able to exchange ideas to complete a Link and Blog Challenge!

I've Got A Secret

There is an underground swell that is slowly taking this nation by storm, but it's really no secret . In fact, the bearers of the secret are only too happy to share their knowledge with you....for a price, of course. Everyone wants a piece of the secret, including Larry King , who has featured the men and women of the secret on his show, not once, but twice, with a live audience present. Apparently, the show was so popular the first time around, that Larry decided to do it again last night. I have no problem with the secret, which is basically the simple idea that "mind over matter" is a very real concept that can change your life. All the people who hold the secret are filthy rich and basically, they got that way by taking the money of desperate people looking for a way out of their desperate situations. It's always the most vulnerable people who are desperate enough to want to spend more money trying to save their own lives, when they have the secret already inside of themselves. We are born with the knowledge to be able to choose our own destiny, but some of us lose our way and we need help getting back to it.....for a price. Some of those who claim to be guardians of the secret had desperate lives themselves at one time. Now theyh are rich beyond their wildest dreams because they made their money off of people like you and me, looking for answers. If it were true that it's really that simple, then wouldn't we all be millionaires being loved by one and all? I believe in the power of positive thinking, but the cynic in me just feels that the secret doesn't take into consideration the fact that none of us are perfect. Having a positive outlook on life and surrounding yourself with people who genuinely support and love you for who you are costs nothing to you. You just have to make up your mind to believe in yourself and that shouldn't cost you anything.

Making Movie Merriment For Christmas

Every Christmas season there are some heartfelt movies that will tug at your heartstrings, but then there are some very silly movies filled with physical, slapstick comedy to tickle your funny bone. There will be one out soon this year starring Danny DeVito about neighbors who compete for the very best Christmas decorations. Movies of Christmas pasts include one with Jamie Lee Curtis and another which appealed to the under 30 set called "Just Friends". They all had the same thing in common, someone's Christmas tree gets destroyed somewhere in the plot, but each and every movie is just a mere carbon copy of the original, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" starring the one and only Chevy Chase. No one can destroy a Christmas tree like Chevy and no one ever will. So, while we have to endure silly Christmas movies, year after year, you have two choices: you can spend $10 to see the wannabe or you can rent the original for a few bucks and enjoy a nice cold one in your Melk mug and have a very Merry Christmas.

Raising Awareness The Hard Way

Suzanne Somers has written many books over the years and most have been on the New York Times Best Sellers List, however, this last book called "Ageless" has raised more than money and fame for her. Her critics (mostly physicians) Have come out with guns ablaze as they attack her for touting bio-identical hormones. Suzanne and her good friend, T.S. Wiley, appeared on The Larry King Show last night to go nose to nose with some of her critics about how her last book has, as one critic said "gone over the line" in telling women that bio-identical hormones will not only solve your menopause problems, but keep you from aging badly and may prevent and/or cure cancer. The controversy continues as more doctors and the AMA come forward to beg for research regarding bio-identical hormones in order to truly identify the benefits and risks of taking and staying on bio-identical hormones for any length of time. If nothing else, the controversial book will force the issue and women can finally be better informed about the choices they make.

The Wedding Guest That Isn't

Is there anyone who isn't invited to the over-the-top wedding planned to be held on the 18th for Tom and Katie? Let's see, there's Jennifer Lopez and husband, Marc Anthony; Jim Carrey and girlfriend Jenny McCarthy; Will Smith and Jada Pinket Smith; Jenna Elfman and other assorted Scientologists and even Brooke Shields, who is only an acquaintance of Tom's. So who isn't on the list??? Why Oprah, that's who. So if Tom and Katie invited everyone they ever have met, then why wasn't Oprah invited? When asked about it, Oprah said that she thinks there are just so many people you can invite to a wedding and that she doesn't always invite everyone to her affairs either (very diplomatic of her). The truth is probably that Tom has wisely decided (probably along with his new PR people) to separate himself from that awful couch-jumping moment that became the punchline for every stand-up comedian and talk show host. However, I'm sure if Oprah really wanted to be there she could always do another road trip in Italy with her best galpal, Gayle, and do their wedding crashers thing again.

Luke And Laura

In celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary, Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis)Spencer will tie the knot again, tomorrow on ABC's "General Hospital". Genie was lured out of semi-retirement in her new home in Maine to reprise her role as Laura Spencer, who had been in a coma for four years. She is now, miracuously, out of the coma and the wedding is on. The original wedding garnered more television viewers than the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

He's Got The Moves

Congratulations to Emmitt Smith and dance partner, Cheryl Burke for capturing the prize last night. Emmitt seemed genuinely overwhelmed by the win, while Mario looked a bit shocked that he didn't win. This is Cheryl's second win in a row. She won last season with partner, Drew Lachey. Now most of the couples (minus Mario) will go on tour around the country performing for audiences everywhere.......Donald Trump recently became a father again with his third wife, Melania when they became parents to Barron earlier this year. Now Donald Sr., will be a grandfather too! His oldest son, Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, former model, Vanessa, are expecting their first child in early summer of next year. Everyone is said to be excited, but don't mention the word "grandpa" to Donald. Jaime Pressly from "My Name is Earl" is also expecting her first child with her fiance, Eric Cubiche........Who is People Magazine's sexiest man alive? George Clooney, of course. This is the second time for George to make the top of the list. Others on the list are Jamie Foxx, Patrick Dempsey and Justin Timberlake. By the way, George told People that his dreamdate would be with Sophia Loren, who is old enough to be his mother.

Dancing With the Last Two Stars

There are two stars left on 'Dancing with the Stars', and, after tonight's finale, only one will be left standing to claim the prize. The problem is, both are good-looking, both are boyishly charming and both can really dance. In fact, this season's 'Dancing with the Stars' has become one of the most watched reality shows ever, garnering fans from the very young, to the very old and everything in between. This may be the very first season of 'Dancing with the Stars' that I will actually be sorry to see end (unlike the very tired 'Bachelor', which needs to find a spouse and retire already). I am only mildly looking forward to 'American Idol' and I honestly don't watch any other reality shows anymore. So, like so many other viewers, I will be tuning in tonight to see whether the last man standing will be a hunky latin or a former football star with swiveling hips and, this time around, the end will be bittersweet.

If He Did It

Just when you believed that O.J. Simpson could not have sunk any lower than he already has, he rears his ugly head to the tune of a reported 3.5 million dollars. First, he will be interviewed by Judith Regan, found of ReganBooks, which is indirectly owned by Fox, on November 27th or 29th on the Fox Netword. Allegedly, there will also be a book (of course) to follow and subject matter of both the interview and the book revolves around O.J.'s account of the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole and Ron Goldman.......if he had done it. In other words, there's no admission on his part, but the National Enquirer has uncovered parts of the details of this interview which are "so detailed and so chillingly realistic", anyone watching or reading his book, can only come to the conclusion that he has been guilty all along (big surprise.....not!). Although he was found not guilty at the criminal trial, a subsequent civil suit found his to be guilty and he was ordered to pay $33.5 million to the victims' families. Ron Goldman's father is still attempting to keep O.J. from financially benefitting from any of his endeavors (autograph signings, public appearance, etc.). The interview and the subsequent book are reportedly to be entitled "If I Did It".

National Adoption Day

Every Saturday before Thanksgiving, hundreds of child advocates, including social workers, judges, lawyers and adoption specialists come together in almost every state in our nation to finalize the adoptions of hundreds of children. If you are interested in how you can make a child's dream of a permanent family come true, go to National Adoption Day . The next National Adoption Day will be held on November 18th, 2006

Save Our Earth - Stop Global Warming

If you believe that global warming is destroying our beautiful plant and wonder "What can I do to help?", here's your answer. Go to stop global warming and join all those who are committed to changing the world for the better. Read about all the people who have joined recently, including Christie Brinkley and be among those committed to the cause.

More Rachel News!

If you're a fan of Rachel Ray's and/or 'Iron Chef', then check out this post from Slashfood .

Chatting With Rachel

Do-it-yourself guru, Rachel Ray, has another book out (her 13th) entitled "Rachel Ray, 2,4,6,8 Great Meals for Couples or Crowds". She's been out and about promoting it and told one interviewer that she basically compiles all the information for her books and articles from all her other jobs, including her brand new, daily talk show. With all she has to do, it's a wonder that Rachel finds time for herself, but she says she and her husband make time for dinner, when she's not traveling, even if it's late at night. Here is an online interview that Rachel recently gave, just click Rachel .

Serious About Rocky - Part Two

Home Shopping Network finally added a page about the contest to win two tickets to see the opening of "Rocky Balboa" in Las Vegas. Sylvester Stallone's wife, Jennifer Flavin Stallone, will appear on HSN this week with great new products, but you don't have to buy anything in order to enter to contest to win a free trip to Vegas to see the movie. Just go to HSN Contest to get all the details.

A Flawless Face With A Pricetag To Match

Acquiring a flawless look comes with a pricetag. Short of plastic surgery and anything that you can inject into your face, finding great make-up has proven to be an expensive and often-times frustrating quest. For instance, there is a new product from that oh-so-hot cosmetic company, SKII. So hot, in fact that there is said to be a waiting list to buy this stuff. What is it? It is called Air Touch Foundation. The make-up is applied via a unique, battery-operated ionizer that disperses a think veil of foundation over the skin. Superstar make-up artist, Pat McGrath has been using it on her celebrity clients and she says the application is flawless, but natural. A starter set selss for $150 and the refills are $80, at select Saks Fifth Avenue stores. Another popular item for that flawless face is Yves St. Laurent's new Perfect Touch foundation, which is modeled after their very popular Touche Eclat concealer. Make-up artists prefer to apply foundation with a brush for an even and flawless look. This product has the brush built right into it. It is available for $50 at a number of department stores. What would a flawless face be without a good concealer? Prescriptives has added concealer to their list of products which can be custom blended for $32 at major department stores. For a less expensive, custom concealer, look for Cover Duet Custom Corrector with two shades of concealer (one pink-based and the other yellow-based) from Dermablend. The product sells for $21.50 and can be found at either Dermablend.com , or Ulta . The important thing to remember about these new products is that if they are successful, look for the less expensive, drug-store brands to copy them in the near future for less money.

The Ever Popular Uggs

If you walk through Nordstrom's shoe department around this time of year and try to get near the Uggs display, you'll have to take a number and wait in line. Uggs, which took this country by storm a few years back, is still as popular today as when they could first be found on the feet of young, hip celebrities from L.A. to Aspen. Finding them though is quite another story. Nordstroms was completely out of the mid-size boot in any color they carry, except on the sale rack where they had them in blue or pick in a size 12 (but, they were 1/2 price at $59.00). Both my kids have their heart set on getting them for the holidays and once again, I will rely on the internet to save the day and save me some money. Shop carefully if you plan on getting them on Ebay. The prices for Uggs there were no bargain and sellers will tacking on an additional $15 just for shipping. Look for free shipping where available on any style or price. A great website for Uggs is Shoes.com . I found exactly what I was looking for and they do have free shipping. Also, their prices are the best I could find for what I need. Again, shop and compare both prices and shipping fees. If you've never worn Uggs before, make sure you leave your socks in the sock drawer. Uggs are best worn and most comfortable when barefooted. When worn with socks, they tend to pull the socks off your feet through the day. Once you've worn them without socks, you'll want them on your feet all day long. They are that comfortable. This is not only fashion-forward footwear, but they are very practical as they will keep your feet toasty warm all winter long.

A Message From Link And Blog

If you haven't already done so, please visit our home page at the link below. We are much more than just a blog directory so we have other benefits available to you!

On Link and Blog it's free to register as a member, and registration will be necessary in order to participate in a Link and Blog Challenge with other members! What's a Link and Blog Challenge? Stop on over and see!

Why would you want to register? Registration will provide you with access to participate in a Link and Blog Challenge!

Why would you want to participate in a Link and Blog Challenge? Completed challenges will provide you with the opportunity to build quality back-links from other members, provide you with inspiration for new post topics on your blogs, and increase your blog traffic!
Link and Blog

Beautiful You

Want to look great for the holidays and have no clue where to start? Check out Sephora . Here, you can order anything from skincare with the latest technology for anti-aging or get the best in cutting-edge cosmetics. Their prices are very good for top-shelf, designer brands and they offer free-shipping on every order over $25. What else do they offer? Nice-sized try-me products (usually you can pick two or three with each order)which they will throw in free-of-charge. I always say "Why leave the house to shop?". Life's too short, use the internet!

A Wedding Befitting Italian Royalty

No, I'm not talking about the latest Bachelor, I'm talking about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Rumours will probably always surround this couple, but luckily for them, the latest ones are all good. The first is that their wedding may take place at Odesscalchi Castle on Lake Bracciano, near Rome, Italy. Although it is definite that they are marrying next week in Italy, the location is still a mystery. As recently as Friday, a red truck from a California-based logistics company has been seen regularly coming in and out of the castle's entrance. Should the wedding actually take place here, it would be one of the most romantic settings. This 15th century castle contains halls, gardens and even a chapel which can hold up to 1,400 guests. No one will confirm or deny this as the location of the wedding though. Other rumours that prevail are that Tom is looking for a film that he and Katie can both star in and that both he and Katie want to add a second child to their ever-growing family which already contains three children.

Bloggers Unite

My blogging friend, Tammara, has created a brand new blog directory called Link and Blog . Link exchange is one of the most vital methods of increasing legitimate traffic to your blog. More traffic means more readers and more readers will eventually lead to more profit for you and your affiliates. Go on over and check out Link and Blog and submit your blog link now.

The Comeback Kids

Well, they're not really kids, but they are attempting to make a comeback in roles that suited them much earlier in life. Up first, is Mel Gibson who stars in the action/adventure "Apocalypto". He's not exactly the most popular person on the earth right now and this movie might be a a hard sell. Not only because of the disparaging remarks he made after his drunk-driving arrest, but because the rest of the cast in this movie is unknown and a lot of it is in a language no one even speaks anymore. This is one movie that is set to be released during the holiday season. Another comeback kid is Sylvester Stallone who will star in "Rocky Balboa". You can pretty much guess what this movie is about just by the name. Apparently, he still has lots of fans who have been patiently waiting for the release of this movie, where we are re-introduced to a much older and wiser Rocky who is thinking about a return to the boxing ring. Finally, we have Peter O'Toole who will play a lecherous old man (not a huge stretch for him) in "Venus". These are just three of the gazillion movies that will be out this holiday season. It will be interesting to see how Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson do at the box office up against some strong competition.

Cool Nursing Scrubs

As I stated in my previous post, I work in a hospital one day a week as a volunteer in the hospital's family room. I don't have to wear any special uniform. I pretty much can wear what I want. I probably one of the few staff members that can do this. I work around a lot of nurses and they all have to wear their nursing scrubs while they are on duty. The nursing uniforms of yesterday, stiff white dress and cap, are long gone. The nurses don't have to wear any one particular color or style as long as they are dressed in regulation scrubs. Since this is a childrens' hospital, they all wear uniforms that denote that fact. Some have little animals on their shirts or they just wear nice colors, instead of the drab green scrubs that are worn in the regular hospital right next door. I guess if you have to wear scrubs, then you should be able to wear something that's as cheery as humanly possible. It's no fun for anyone who has to stay in a hospital for any length of time, whether it's the children or their parents who stay with them 24 hours a day. It's nice to see friendly faces with friendly uniforms to match. Little things like that make it more bearable.

Beating The Common Cold

Is there a way to beat the common cold? Not really, but there are some things you can do to reduce the amount of colds you get every cold and flu season. The most important thing you can do is stop the spread of germs in your home and work area. Cold and flu germs are expelled through the nose and mouth. When you touch your face and then touch anything else, you are leaving your germs for others to catch. Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly. How do you wash your hands thoroughly? You use soap and hot water and wash for around 15 seconds to completely remove germs from your hands. If you can't get to a sink, then carry a package of anti-bacterial wipes in your bag (these can be picked up at the drugstore) or keep a bottle of anti-bacterial gel at your desk (this can also be found at the drugstore). These really work by the way. I work at a hospital once a week and these dispensers are all over the place to keep everyone from spreading their germs around to hospital patients. Once you have a cold though, you can do all the things to comfort yourself like drink lots of liquids, take Vitamin C, etc., but it has to pretty much run its course. The myth that you can catch the same cold twice is just that; a myth. There are millions of cold viruses out there and each one is unique. If you catch a cold and then catch another one right after that, it's a different cold than the one you just had. As for the flu, get a flu shot since catching the flu can lead to more serious complications.

Britney And Kevin Divorce Shocking News?.....Not Really

I've been watching the entertainment news shows recently and most have been prefacing the news that Britney Spears' filing for divorce from husband, Kevin Federline as shocking. Not really! I mean, who didn't see this coming. This was a huge mistake right from the beginning. It makes me wonder that if the government is trying to control the institution of marriage by keeping gay people from marrying, maybe they should keep anyone under the age of 30 from marrying too. What was surprising news is that Kevin actually consulted a lawyer about filing for divorce from Britney before she did. Reportedly, she learned about this and that's what precipitated her decision. His counter-suit for full custody of his two children with Britney, is a thinly-veiled attempt to extort more money than he's entitled to from the pre-nup agreement, which supposedly has him collecting ten percent of the worth of Britney's Malibut estate. If that's really true, then he'll only be getting around a million dollars. So much for true love.

Making Baby Gifts More Personal

It's been years since my children were babies and most of my friends' children are the same age as mine. Instead of shopping for baby clothes, we are shopping for colleges. Still, some of my friends are at the point where they are expectant grandparents, waiting anxiously for their first grandchild to arrive. Soon, I'll be shopping for baby gifts for them. It's really amazing how much things have changed over the years with some things like strollers and carseats which have become as high tech as you can get, while other things never change, like cozy baby blankets, onesies and hooded towels. One thing I do know, is that personalized baby gifts add a special touch. I've found a great website for just such gifts called The Nest Baby Shop, which not only will help you personalize your baby gift at no extra cost, but has great baby shower ideas. You can find great baby shower favors, and fun games to play with guests, or get a great gift for baby. I can't say this enough; if you need to shop, use the internet first to find all the right gifts for your loved ones before you hop in the car and race around from store to store. It makes life so much easier and saves you money and time.

New Movie And New Son For Will Ferrell

Funny man, Will Ferrell, admitted on 'The David Letterman Show' that he and his wife, Viveca, are expecting their second son in early Spring next year. He went on to say that he told 'The Today Show' that she really didn't know the sex of the baby, but actually, he and his wife learned recently that they would be having a boy. Will, who is out promoting his new movie, 'Stranger Than Fiction', says that son, Magnus, who is 2 years old is not happy about the new baby. He said he told his son, "You better live it up now, because once that new baby comes, it won't be fun".

Everything Rachel Ray

If you are a fan of Rachel Ray as much as I am, then you are going to love this. An internet friend pointed me towards Everything Rachel Ray . This great blog not only gives you information about Rachel's various shows, books and book tours, magazines, show guests, recipes and more, but also points you towards other blogs that blog about Rachel too! Suddenly, I'm hooked! Last night, on a special '30 Minute Meals', Rachel did Thanksgiving Day Dinner in 60 minutes. It was amazing and inspirational.

A Christmas Gift Of Love

If you want to give someone a great gift for Christmas, how about a gift basket that's been personalized with all kinds of goodies and treats? It just so happens that you would be following the great tradition of giving treats to your loved ones. Historically, people would leave nuts, apples and sweets in shoes left beside beds, on windowsills or before the fireplace hearth. The custom was designed in celebration of St. Nicholas, who survived an attempt to stamp him out during the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Many years later the tradition was brought over from Europe to America and when John Pintard founded the New York Historical Society in 1804, he promoted St. Nicholas. St. Nichals has gone through many transformations over the years and eventually wound up as a jolly character with a clay pipe would would climb down chimneys to bring gifts. Out of these legends were borne the most famous poem that people still traditionally recite every Christmas Eve known as "The Night Before Christmas". In celebration of these wonderful stories, you can give beautiful Christmas Gift Baskets as a way of carrying on these traditions and keeping the spirit of St. Nicholas alive in the 21st century.

Weight Loss Support

Are you as addicted to "The Biggest Loser" as I am? Yes, it's true that these people are competing against each other for the big prize money, but they are also very supportive of each other and have formed a bond that will last a lifetime. This only further proves that if you are trying to lose weight, then you need to find a support group that will give you the confidence to keep trying, even when you fall off the wagon. One such group is Bootcamp Buddies . This is a forum for those who are following the Weight Watchers plan, but unlike the Weight Watchers website, you don't have to pay one cent to join. All you have to do is create a screen name and password and find a group that suits your needs. Whether you are a college student, mom, middle-aged or senior citizen, there's a group for you. There are also great tips about the Weight Watchers program including how to keep a food journal, weekly weigh-ins and recipes for every kind of meal, from appetizers to desserts. Also, if you do need a buddy to keep you going, you are sure to find one on this forum. Don't wait another minute to go it alone.

Message From Blog Advance

Here's a message from Blog Advance. If you want to join Blog Advance, just click the icon for Blog Advance in my sidebar.

It has been quite some time since we gave away a higher weekend surf ratio, so we have decided to do just that this weekend.

From now until Sunday, all users will get a 1:5 credits for every site they surf over the weekend.

If you are running low on credits and wanting to stock up, then this is the time to do it!

Happy surfing


The BlogAdvance Team
blogadvance@blogadvance.com

Link Popularity

My husband has had a website for his business now for a few years. Slowly, this website has been getting more visitors and business from the website, but he's been trying to figure out how he can increase the popularity of it. I've learned quite a bit from my own blogging experiences, including some new vocabulary. For instance, the term "algorithm" has to do with how a search engine operates in order to optimize the popularity of your website. Google (which is the most popular search engine) has a very complex algorithm which I don't fully understand. One factor, which no longer carries the weight it once did, is page rank. One reason why Google decreased the importance of page ranking is that it was too easy to manipulate. Instead, links have become much more important. More importantly, Google looks at where the link is place on the website or blog and gives more value as to whether the link is within textual content as opposed to sitting at the bottom of a page in a line of links. Google also looks at the text that surrounds the link and determines how that relates to the link and whether that will determine the importance of the link. There are many ways to increase the popularity of your website and there are too many to mention. Some of the more popular ones are trading links with other websites and link baiting. Of course, blogs have become a very popular way to draw attention to a website. It not only increases traffic to your website, but gives it a personal touch. You can try to improve the popularity of your website on your own, but the time it would take to increase link popularity would probably interfere with the actual running of your business. One company that is helping advertisers with websites increase traffic is Blogitive. They find the most popular links that coicide with the web release for your website and get bloggers to blog about those web releases and include the most popular links. By increasing the links that point to your website, you increase your visitors and, in turn, increase your business. It's that simple!

Extreme

Sharon Osborne, sporting a brand new hairdo, recently gave an interview that she is planning on having the band removed from her stomach that was placed there a few years back in order to help her lose weight. She says she wants to try to do it on her own without the band and is well aware that she may gain the weight back. This is just one of the many outrageous things you have come to expect from Sharon. She has just written a new book about her unusual life as the wife of Ozzie Osborne, called 'Extreme'. Of course, Sharon will not hold back one piece of information about her life or try to sugar-coat anything, including the time Ozzie, in a drug-induced state, tried to kill her. Through it all, she has pretty much stayed with her man, right or wrong, and could probably teach a thing or two to all those young couples who have been in the news lately with all their divorce woes (you know who I'm talking about).

The Art Of Living Well

Joan Collins has been acting for decades now. She doesn't lie about her age; she's 73 years young. She's written almost as many books as her famous sister, Jackie and her latest is called "The Art Of Living Well....Looking Good, Feeling Great". Of all the books she has written, this is the first "how to..." book about what she does to stay young looking and young feeling, but it's also her philosophy on life, including how she raised her children. I've always been a fan of Joan's since I first saw her in 'Dynasty' many years ago. I also like her style of writing because she writes like she talks; she gets right to the point, without mincing words. The book also has some beautiful photos of Joan through out her life. You can pick up the book at Amazon or click on the Amazon icon in my sidebar. Books make great holiday gifts!

The Fast And The Furious Take On New Meaning

"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" was one of the most popular movies made. One very smart car insurance company, Progressive Direct teamed up with Universal Studios Home Entertainment to insert a running tally of the destruction into the recent HD DVD. There is a a small display window that keeps track of the cost of all the damage. For instance, roof repair - $209; tallights - $451, etc. The calculator is labeled "Progressive Direct: Insurance Damage Estimates". This guage is the first in what Universal and other studios hope is a stream of branded interactive features on their new DVDs. Thankfully, the newer discs contain so much more room that these extra features can easily be added. Progressive created a web site and developed contests to promote the movie, while also giving themselves a chance to be promoted which is smart marketing. Technology has certainly given everyone, including the consumer ways of getting and sharing information. The same holds true if you want to compare car insurance . Make sure you find a company that will meet answer all your questions and give you the best possible quote for your insurance needs. This is another great way to use the internet.

You Can Catch The Gingerbread Man

Isn't this the most adorable kit from Philosophy? You can get it at Sephora by clicking on the icon in my sidebar. What makes these products unique is that you can only get them during the holiday season. The Gingerbread Man scrub, body and shampoo liquid soap and lotion are only available this time of year. The smell is beyond delicious and these products from Philosophy make wonderful gifts or just a great way to pamper yourself after all the stress of shopping for others. You can also find some other great gifts from Philosophy at Sephora like their wonderful lip glosses and body lotions. This time of year and all year round, in fact, these lovely products come adorably packaged, like the one pictured, so that all you need is a bow and a card and you're all set. Nothing could be easier and the recipient of your gift will love you for being so thoughtful.

Ageless

Suzanne Somers is back with yet another best-selling book for both women and men called 'Ageless'. You can see Suzanne making the rounds and talking about all the research she has done on bio-identical hormones. These hormones can only be prescribed by a physician who specializes in natural therapies and there are pharmacies that will make up the exact compound of bio-identical hormones that are just right for you based on testing done by the physician. Suzanne has been taking bio-identical hormones for many years (and so does her husband Alan). She is 60 and he is ten years older than her (you do the math). They live very full and busy lives and there's no argument that she looks amazing for her age, although I'm sure she has had some help along the way from Botox (which she doesn't deny having had). She makes a very intelligent case for bio-identical hormones, but there is still not enough information regarding the impact of taking them for long periods of time. Even Dr. Andrew Weil, the most popular physician who practices natural medicine, says that it's something that should be used in moderation for women in particular who suffer from the symptoms of menopause. I do, however, agree that there are many changes in lifestyle that can improve the quality of one's life including healthy diet and exercise, which she also says is an important part of staying ageless. She has said in interviews she has no fear of growing older or dying, just not living her life well and she wants to spread the word as much as possible. 'Ageless' is available at bookstores now.

Make Money On Stock Option Trading

If you even casually follow the stock market, then you know that it has hit an all-time high recently. You may be thinking about investing in the stock market, but no one should ever just jump in blind. Also, asking well-meaning friends may not be the answer either. In order to make the right decisions for you about investing, it's very important that you education yourself first before taking your hard-earned money out of the bank. The internet has become a wealth (pardon the pun) of information about how you can invest in the stock market. One very smart thing you can do is subscribe to a stock options newsletter. By doing this, you can learn ways to find, compare, analyze and make money on stock option trading. You get the convenience and control of educating yourself about investing without leaving your home or paying a huge sum of money to someone to tell you the exact same thing. Learn to automatically sort, filter and analyze all 2,900+ optionable stocks and 190,000+ online investments to meet your profit goals. Like anything else in life, finding and using the right tools will make all the difference in your success. Plan for your future, your childrens' college education and your retirement, but educate yourself first!

The Bare Escentuals For the Holidays

If you are looking to create a look for the holidays, then look no further than QVC for great buys from Bare Escentuals and Philosophy Beauty. Both companies were started by women for women and offer the very best in products to help you look and feel better. Look for Bare Escentuals to be offering a brand new Today's Special Value at QVC with a holiday cosmetic kit that will contain all the great colors to take you through Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve. I am a very big fan of all of these products that give you a very natural, but flawless look during the day and evening. Philosophy offers up great pamper-me gifts to give to loved ones or for yourself. Their scented products are beyond decadent and there is an array of these products just for the holidays in gingerbread and peppermint scents that are so yummy, you'll want to eat them. Stay home and shop and save yourself some gas. The money you save you can spend on yourself or a loved one. They won't be disappointed and neitehr will you!

Chris Daughtry

Who can possibly forget that rocker rebel from last season's 'American Idol', Chris Daughtry? Well, for those of you who became fans with every passing week, you will be rewarded in the form of a brand new CD from Chris to be released on November 21st. The new CD, simply called Daughtry is said to be a very good first release with original songs sung only as Chris can sing them. He's maintained a very strong fan base and made a decision early on to pursue a career as a solo artist, rather than fronting a band, even though he was offered several opportunities to do so. It will be interesting to see how well he does and how well this album sells. The album can be pre-ordered right not on Amazon . I'll be keeping an eye on this one to see if and when it begins rising up the charts. Previous contestants from 'American Idol' have done very well for themselves, even though they didn't make it to the finale. Many have gotten recording contracts or have appeared on Broadway and in feature films. This show has proven to be a great stepping stone for people wanting to break into show business. I can't wait for the next season to begin early next year.

Orlando Is Not Just For Kids

If you are looking for a great vacation for "just the two of you", don't discount Orlando. An Orlando Vacation is also a great choice for a honeymoon or just a getaway without kids. Yes, there are 52 theme parks, but beaches are only a short 40 minute drive away. You can stay in a resort, but you can also book a secluded private home with lots of privacy. Don't forget that there are top-rated golf courses all within a short distance and a large convention center as well. What's more, even if you come without the kids, you can still enjoy one of the theme parks. They are ever-changing, adding new attractions and rides and who doesn't want to feel like a kid again. It's a great vacation for the holiday season, when the weather is not too hot, but you can still enjoy the outdoors. If you want to include swimming as part of the plan, then how about Spring break or early Summer? If you haven't been to Orlando in the last three years, then it's time to return. You won't believe the changes! Of course, if you can't find a sitter for the kids, then you won't have to worry about how you'll keep them entertained when there's so much to do in Orlando.