Visit MomCentral.com Shopping Guide For Ideas and Prizes

Times are tight, but we're gettin creative! I'm a member of MomCentral.com, are you? Visit their site at www.MomCentral.com and register. Check out their fun Gift Guide at http://www.MomCentral.com/gift-guide
While you're exploring, be sure to enter the daily contests for prizes!!!


National survey finds 91% of Moms worrying about holiday shopping this year and
75% devoting more time and research to holiday purchases given the economic
recession. Mom Central’s First Annual Gift Guide provides just what they wished
for.


This year, given a now official recession, Moms are devoting more time and research to their holiday purchases. According to a survey just completed by national mom marketing agency Mom Central Consulting, 75% of Moms research items or seek out recommendations from friends and family before buying, and 91% find holiday shopping more challenging this year. In fact, 79% of Moms expect to spend less money this holiday season than last, and 58% of Moms think holiday shopping requires more creativity this year, since they won’t buy as many big ticket items.

“Making a list and checking it twice” serves as the mantra of the Mom Central team as
they alleviate the burden on Moms to research gift ideas by introducing their First Annual
Holiday Gift guide. The staff at Mom Central has done the homework for Moms,
evaluating hundreds of products in the following categories: for him, for her, for
baby/toddler, for tweens, for teens, and even for pets. The Mom Central team assesses the quality, availability, the claims each advertises and, of course, if it will put a twinkle in the eye of the receiver.

Since Mom Central receives some of these products before anyone else, providing Moms
exclusive access to new and innovative gifts. Products include affordable gift ideas from Sony, Philips, Nautilus, Casio, Playskool, Baby Einstein, Netflix, Hasbro, Razor, A&E, and more.

Mom Central will also give away thousands of dollars worth of products in multiple daily drawings. Each provides the chance to win an entire gift package that includes gifts worth hundreds of dollars – a great way to combat financial stress this holiday season.
Log on to www.MomCentral.com, register, and check out the gift guide starting December 1st.
For additional information on Mom Central's First Annual Holiday Gift
Guide, visit http://www.momcentral.com/gift-guide/

Finding Your TrueNorth

Now that the cooler weather has arrived here in Sunny F.L.A., I enjoy a nice, light and wholesome snack to keep up my strength as I dash through the Christmas Crazy Shopping Lanes and all those festive office parties. etc.!

I discovered my "TrueNorth" while working at my first not-for-profit employer - an association for retarded citizens in Putnam County, New York. P.A.R.C. was an amazing organization that helped serve this community with dignity and respect. I worked in the Day Treatment Program as the administrative assistant to the director of the program. I was amazed at the caring and compassion displayed reciprocally by the clinicians, teachers, and clients! The clients all wanted to learn new life skills and independence for the least restrictive environment possible based on their ability. It was a life-altering experience, and I've worked in the not-for-profit sector ever since!

I am totally "hooked" on TrueNorth brand snacks from Frito-Lay! These great snacks are great tasting and good for you! Lots of nuts for a nutty world, huh?

Frito-Lay's TrueNorth™ brand of nut snacks is built on a core belief that we all have inspirational stories to share and to celebrate, and they are dedicating themselves to using that brand to discover, document and share those stories with the world.

TrueNorth is inviting people to submit a story that describes how they (or someone they know) are pursuing his or her life's passion at www.truenorthsnacks.com/story. One story will be chosen to share with the world in the form of a 60-second commercial aired during the 81st Annual Academy Awards® broadcast on February 22, 2009. The inspirational spot will be directed by Oscar®-winning actress Helen Hunt and the winner will receive $25,000 to help in the pursuit of his or her passion.

Norton PC Tune-Up Service Info and Contest!

Greetings and Happy Gobbler Time! I'm just crawling out from the wreckage of the major Thanksgiving blow-out with the family~THE BIRD IS THE WORD!

Anyway, our life continues to revolve around our less-than-ideal technology items, including the three PCs, two laptops, and a partridge in a pear tree....

I discovered an amazing opportunity to get our computers running like new with the Norton PC Tune-Up Service. Norton by Symantec has created one elegant solution. Norton Premium Services allows Norton experts to connect with you one-on-one, listen to the problems your encountering, and then directly access your computer via the Internet so they can run diagnostic tests and fix the problems while you sit back and watch. In addition to making your PC run like new, they can also help with killing viruses, eliminating spyware, and installing Norton software, just to name a few.


To receive more information visit Norton at: http://www.symantec.com/norton/support/premium_services/premium_tuneup.jsp

CONTEST NEWS!~ 3 WINNERS
I am pleased to host a free contest to receive a complimentary PC Tune-up Service to test to help THREE OF MY LUCKY READERS to get your computer running right (valued at $69.99). Please visit the Norton site noted above and post your comment with your contact information on my blog Comments section. THREE winners will be randomly selected to receive this great prize! Winners will be selected and notified on Sunday, December 7, 2008. Prizes will be mailed to winners free of charge, no postage. US Residents Only. Thank you for visiting my site and participating.

Mom Central is a co-sponsor of the contest. You may learn more about this fun community of Mom Bloggers at www.MomCentral.com

My Family Is Goin' To Cabo San Lucas!!!!

Visit The Society at: http://thesociety.com/blog/2008/11/society-vacation-giveaway-week-1-winner/




Society Vacation Giveaway Week 1 Winner
November 12th, 2008 by Matt
Congratulations Kim Fritz!!!! Kim has won a 5-night getaway to Villa Las Olas in Cabo, compliments of Lifestyle Villas. Kim mentioned she will taking her family along and extending an invitation to her best friend and family. Thanks to some very creative writing that caught the eyes of our judging panel, Kim explained she attempts to master her daily 3-ring circus; work, home, and family.
“I try to keep the plates spinning, the lions fed, and the clowns in order…”.
-Why We Need A Vacation? Week One Winner ChosenNine (9) More Weeks of Vacation Available-
Lakewood, CO (November 12, 2008) – The Society of Leisure Enthusiasts (www.thesociety.com), representing 5,000+ of the finest vacation home rentals in the world is proud to announce the first recipient of the “Save the American Vacation” promotion conceived in response to the current global financial crisis to brighten the upcoming holiday season.
Ms. Kim Fritz of St. Petersburg, Florida will enjoy 5 nights of lavishness and opulence in Cabo San Lucas residing in the Villa Las Olas provided by The Society’s Luxe Alliance partner Lifestyle Villas of Los Cabos. Kim, her family and her best friend’s family will enjoy spacious living/entertaining rooms and 4 bedrooms within this magnificent example of contemporary Mexican architecture. Adjacent to the villa are two infinity-edge pools, a jetted hot tub, a large built-in gas BBQ, outdoor fireplace and outdoor dining seating 8 covered by a Palapa, all a stone’s throw from the Sea of Cortez…read more.
Congrats Again Kim & Family and Have Fun!!
Thank you to all the other contestants from week 1 and remember we have 9 more homes to giveaway and your registration puts you right back in the mix for next week when we giveaway the magnificent Lone Eagle in Keystone, Colorado donated by our Luxe Alliance member Summit Cove Rentals … AND the pot is sweetened this next week thanks to our new preferred vendor The Luggage Club. They have extended a $500 gift certificate to the winner toward luggage and/or equipment shipping to Keystone!! How great is that, no hassle travel!!!
If you haven’t registered, do so now at www.thesociety.com/giveaway or extend an invite to your friends and family!!!
Finally, a sincere thank you to Mom Central and Lifestyle Villas. Without great partners like these none of this would be possible.
Property Partner
Property Sponsor

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Featured Properties, Leisure Lifestyle, Promotions, The Society News, Vacation Rentals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Barbie & The Diamond Castle

Wow, as a mom of a young lady and Girl Scout leader I can really appreciate how our girls of today are growing up way too quickly! Mattel's Barbie has been a friend of mine since girlhood. I even have my entire Barbie collection saved from those fabulous days of dressing Barbie, getting her ready for a big date with Ken, and decorating her Malibu beach house! Oh where does the time go?

Back to reality, my daughter is still enjoying her Barbies, and we recently were treated to a copy of the new animated, feature-length DVD, "Barbie & The Diamond Castle" to watch with her friends at Girl Scouts. To top it all off, Mom Central (www. MomCentral.com) and Mattel provided the girls with a special viewing party complete with a new Diamond Castle Barbie doll to share, popcorn, and princess treat bags! The movie was a perfect fit for the girls (ages 9-12). They enjoyed it tremendously.

The plot of the movie has Barbie and Teresa share a fairy tale of Liana and Alexa, best friends who share everything including their love of music. The girls face challenges throughout their adventure and learn the importance of friendship. In today's crush of media messages featuring less than ideal childhood messages, I feel so inspired and gratified that Mattel and Barbie remain true to message that today's girls can be strong, smart and wholesome while having fun!

The troop has decided to give back to their community throughout the scouting year so last week we gathered up some cleaning supplies (provided by www.wesponsoranything.com and Greased Lightning Cleaning products) to thoroughly organize and clean our host church's Sunday School Room. The troop divided and conquered the mess and polished the room to a beautiful glow! The church staff were very appreciative of their hard work and efforts to clean the space.

The parents and I worked behind the scenes while the girls cleaned to create a fun surprise party for them when they returned from their cleaning. They were so surprised to find the room completely decorated and treats awaiting their return!

The best-friends movie gave our troop an opportunity to experience giving back and celebrating together with lots of fun and fascination.

MRSA: Resource, Facts and Tips

A startling statistic: More than 90,000 Americans are affected by MRSA each year! This is a hidden danger that is becoming a growing concern for parents. MRSA (methiciliin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a potentially life-threatening, antibiotic resistant Staph infection. We are hearing more news reports of the growing increase in reported cases which were traced to locations in community settings such as gyms, locker rooms, childcare settings, senior centers, and schools.

I have heard very sad stories from several acquaintances over the past year or so who have experienced this first-hand. My friend's adult daughter suffered disabling illness for many months before medical professionals finally diagnosed her with MRSA. It's a troubling situation, but I believe we are making progress in diagnosis and treatment!

I personally carry around huge vats of hand sanitizer goo in my purse!

I've also be doing my research to get the facts. One great resource is to visit the Stop MRSA Now website (www.stopmrsanow.org) and also try the tips below:

• Scrub up - Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand rub sanitizer.
• Wipe it down - Use a disinfecting bleach solution to wipe down and disinfect hard surfaces. (1 tablespoon of disinfecting bleach diluted in 1 quart of water)
• Cover your cuts - Keep any nicks or wounds covered with a clean, dry bandage until healed.
• Keep to yourself - Do not share personal items, like towels or razors, that come into contact with bare skin.
• Use a barrier - Keep a towel or clothing between skin and shared equipment.
  

AAGL and Less Invasive Gynecologic Procedures

When "Aunt Flo" visits each month, do you feel anxious about doing your daily activities due to heavy bleeding, cramping or other discomfort? I sometimes experience this, especially the last couple of years. It's frustrating to silently suffer and not be fully informed about the many new medical advances and options...I've been doing some research to see if I'm beginning the whole peri-menopause thing already - YUCK!

I am happy to share some valuable information I recently learned through MomCentral.com:

As women, and especially women who have had kids, many of us may find ourselves in a position where our OBGYN recommends hysterectomy to solve a variety of issues around heavy periods. The frightening prospect of surgery leaves us relying on our doctors to advise the best course of action. In such a situation, however, we need to know as much information as possible to ensure we sign up for the best treatment option, and it may not be the first one your doctor recommends.

Women now have more options regarding minimally invasive treatments for heavy bleeding as well as a number of other common pelvic health conditions - fibroids, stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. In fact, they are so common that one-third of women will experience one or more of these conditions in their lifetime due to a variety of factors - most commonly pregnancy and childbirth.

But, the good news is that there are treatment options for these conditions that do not require the traditional surgery, which frequently comes with a higher risk of complications and a longer healing process. Minimally invasive procedures, done quickly and relatively easily, usually require much less time to heal and there's a lot less pain, too. Yet many of us do not even know they exist, as we rely on information from our doctors who may suggest the outdated approaches because they lack the skill to perform the newer, less invasive ones or even because new endoscopic procedures bring less income to the doctor or hospital.

The US News & World reported that, out of the one in four women who receive hysterectomies, approximately 85% are still treated with traditional open abdominal surgical methods, despite the perfection of a decades old laparoscopic procedure that leaves the ovaries and cervix in place.

Women need to take control of their health care decisions so they can make informed choices. If a doctor proves unwilling or unable to perform minimally invasive procedures, they should feel empowered to seek out a second opinion from a gynecologist who offers less invasive options.

One resource to learn and understand your options for more info is to visit AAGL
http://www.aagl.org/healthcare-consumer

The site includes a physician finder to help you learn more about your local resources and lots of patient education topics through a basic search on their site.

Take heart - we're all in this together!

Thanks to Mom Central: www.MomCentral.com for this great opportunity to learn more about this great resource!