2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Suggestions For Him

(Be sure to check out all the other great Gift Guide items and giveaways here.)

The Sportula is a great gift for a number of people on your list. Those that are hard to shop for, those who have everything, those that have a favorite hobby, those that love to grill – and, of course, tailgating!

The Sportula is a cross between a spatula and a fan item. The “flipping surface” of the Sportula has a laser-cut design that allows you to showcase everything from your favorite college team to your own corporate logo. They are made of heavy stainless steel, with the handle being hard maple with brass rivets. The lettering on the handle is custom heat-stamped and the end of the handle has a built-in bottle opener (also makes for a good hanging hook).

Sportula Products

Being from Kentucky, we are big UK fans. And most UK fans are quite serious about their tailgating. So I LOVE that the Sportula comes in a UK Wildcats design. I can think of a half-dozen people on our Christmas shopping lists that would love to show off their Cat Pride with one of these. (Hubby is looking forward to flipping some burgers with this.)

Sportula Products

If you’re not big into college sports, though, there are plenty of other choices. If you have a current or former member of the military you’re shopping for, they might like one of the patriotic designs. Or maybe you have a hobbyist on your list. They have everything from fishing, hunting, golfing – and a bunch more. You can even tell Dad and Grandpa how special you think they are.

Where to Buy:

You can purchase the Sportula direct from their website. Prices range from $19.99 to $29.99. They’re also available (on sale!) from Amazon.

Want to Win?

Two winners will each receive a Sportula of their choice! Giveaway closed.

I received a product in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% mine and my family’s.

I forgot this weekend to pick up the supplies that I needed for the craft I wanted to make this week, so today’s Make at Home Monday is a collection of great Christmas Craft pins I found on Pinterest. Next week I’ll have my supplies and I’ll be sharing a craft for the readers in your lives (maybe on your shopping lists?).

Salt Dough Family Thumbprint Christmas Tree

Clay Pot Snowmen

“Grinch” Pills

Tree Garland

Baby Food Jar Snowmen

Cinnamon Ornaments (I’ve made these before; they’re easy and smell great!)

Do you have any Christmas crafts you’d like to share?

Nutrisystem Nation Program

Ham & cheese omelet.
Chicken quesadilla.
Pepperoni pizza.
Chocolate brownie.

Those are just a few of the foods I was able to eat on my first day of the Nutrisystem Women’s Select plan. Sound good to you? It was! It all tasted good and I wasn’t hungry at all.

As I shared last week I am a new member of the Nutrisystem Nation Bloggers team and I’m really excited at the opportunity to take part. Not only do I want to finish losing the last of my pregnancy weight, I just want to ensure that I’m fueling my body appropriately so I feel my best. I read a quote the other day that really represents my thoughts. It said:

If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?

So true! Whether you have weight to lose, weight to gain – or if you just need to kick the four-Red-Bulls-and-two-chocolate-bars-a-day-instead-of real-food-for-energy habit – it’s all about taking care of the only “house” you have.

Each week I’ll be checking in with you all to share how I’m doing on the program, my favorite foods, tips, my challenges and my successes. I hope you’ll follow along! I’d love to hear from you, too – words of wisdom or encouragement, questions you may have, your own “getting healthy” stories – anything.

In the meantime if you want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem you can join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting http://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog.

As part of the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program, I am receiving a complimentary 4-month membership of meals in order to facilitate my reviews. I am not being compensated for my participation; all opinions are 100% mine and my family’s.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Baby & Toddler Suggestions

(Be sure to check out all the other great Gift Guide items and giveaways here.

If you wrote “adorable shirts” this year on your shopping list for babies and toddlers you’re going to be able to cross off a name or two. Puppy & Bean was started as a way to help caregivers remember the humor that comes with the job – humor that can sometimes be lost in the daily challenges of parenting or care-giving. The shirts are a fun way to embrace the moments that show us what complex little beings toddlers can be, and the ways they like to demonstrate it.

I had the pleasure of meeting Laurel at the ABC Kids Expo this year and she is just as sweet as her clothing line! If you’d like to “meet” her, too, watch the short video below.

The toddler shirts are 100% preshrunk combed ringspun cotton and the onesies and youth shirts are 100% organic combed ringspun cotton. They also carry a few other branded items, like tote bags, water bottles, mugs, and a signature shirt for women and men. I love a number of their designs, but the “Catch Me”, “love @ first sight” and “Silly Bean” are a few of my favorite. We received an adorable Snuggly Bean shirt which fits Baby C.’s personality perfectly. I love how soft the shirts are and how well they fit.

Puppy & Bean Shirts and Onesies

I’m not the only one who loves Puppy & Bean. Jewel had her baby shower sponsored by Puppy & Bean (the “love @ first sight” shirt above was designed especially for Jewel’s boy Kase). A number of other celebrities (Rachel Zoe, Nicole Sullivan) also love them. Google also just profiled them as a successful small business.

You can stay up-to-date with Puppy & Bean by liking them on Facebook and following them on Twitter

Where to Buy:

Visit Puppy & Bean and shop their online store. Onesies are $24 and toddler shirts are $20.

Do you prefer tees or onesies for your little one?

I received a shirt in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% mine and my family’s.

I haven’t had a chance to share yet but I’m excited to announce that I am going to be participating in the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program! For the next 16 weeks I’ll be following the Nutrisystem Women’s Select Program – and sharing my results with you. My first 4 weeks of food have arrived, but I’m not officially starting until Monday.

Eating during the holidays can be a challenge, but Nutrisystem has created 10 great tips for surviving the holidays. You can see them at the bottom of this post.

I’ll kick off my official posting on Monday, and then I’ll be posting an update once a week after that. If you have any questions about the program, how to get started, the food – whatever! – please leave me a comment and I’d be happy to answer. Continue reading »

Views From the Ville

Liza

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: The Sportula Personalized Spatulas #SfSHolidayGiftGuide

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Suggestions For Him

Where to Buy:

Want to Win?

Make At Home Mondays – Christmas Craft Pins

My Nutrisystem Nation Program Participation Kicks Off Today! #NSNation

Nutrisystem Nation Program

If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Puppy & Bean Shirts And Onesies #SfSHolidayGiftGuide

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Baby & Toddler Suggestions

Where to Buy:

Do you prefer tees or onesies for your little one?

10 Holiday Weight Loss Tips From Nutrisystem #NSNation