Christmas Vacation Update

Hi! I’m still here! I haven’t posted since before Christmas, which I know sucks, and I really have no good excuse except to say that I’ve been watching the backs of the boys’ heads while they play nonstop video games and letting Kaitlyn play way too much Nintendo DS doing lots of intellectually enriching activities with the kids, and that has kept me pretty busy.

As an overall holiday, Christmas was pretty good this year. We went to my parents’ house for Christmas Eve, which we do most years. My brother, his girlfriend, and her son were there, plus my stepbrother and stepsister, plus Dad and Jean, so it was crowded, but we had a lot of fun. We have a buffet dinner and the kids open presents, and when it gets too crazy we shoo the kids down to the finished basement to watch TV. A neighbor stopped by to drop off a gift and snapped a quick photo of everybody.

Everybody!

Thanks to the PR firm repping Bob Evans, I contributed a “Farmhouse Feast“  to our dinner. I have to give a shout-out to the manager of the Bob Evans restaurant on West Saginaw Highway in Lansing. I had ordered the Farmhouse Feast ahead of time and thought they said pick it up at 4:00, but they had actually said 3:00. When I walked in through the take out order door, the restaurant itself was closed and they had already put all the food away. The manager was so nice, she said if I could wait they would get everything back out and box it up for me. And then she kept apologizing to ME for making me wait, even though it was my fault for being late, and “for my trouble” she added an extra pie to the order. We gave her a $10 tip.

We had been planning to drive to Canton to my Grandma’s house on Christmas Day, but on Christmas Eve day we discovered that one of the already bald tires on the car was wobbling, making the steering wheel vibrate and everything. Yikes.  So the five of us piled into my parents’ Buick Enclave for the drive.  I could not believe that car held seven people totally comfortably.

My Grandma Culver is 84 years old and cooked the entire Christmas dinner herself. And it was so good.  We had ham and green bean casserole and her famous jello/cream cheese/pineapple salad, and because she is Greek (she’s my step-Grandma actually) she made a basic Greek salad that we all loved. Kaitlyn kept picking the tomatoes out of my salad and eating them herself.

As for the Christmas presents this year – well. Guess what I did? Nathan and I went shopping on Black Friday and I bought Ryan Fallout:New Vegas for the Xbox.  And then put it…somewhere. I have searched all of my usual gift hiding places, when it didn’t turn up in any of those, I started looking in non-usual places, like in the cabinet under my bathroom sink and the top shelf of the linen closet.

People, that game is GONE. It has been swallowed up by this house.  I felt so bad I used Amazon gift cards to buy him another copy, which I will put directly into his hands when the package arrives.  When I hide something, I hide it GOOD.

My Stepmom bought me Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy perfume. I’m not sure what Britney Spears’ Midnight Fantasies are exactly, but the perfume smells like fruit. Like…blueberry gum.

She bought Kaitlyn a Fur Real Kitty, have you seen these things? It’s a big stuffed cat with a battery pack, and it not only purrs, it responds to pats on the head by rolling over on it’s back so you can pet it’s tummy. And it lifts a paw and wipes it’s face! We were all taking turns with it on our laps :P

Me and Kaitlyn

The top gift of 2010, the hit toy of the year by far, is the Zoobles that my Stepmom bought Kaitlyn. Zoobles are little plastic creatures that start out rolled up in a ball, and there’s a magnetized spot on the bottom. When you touch the Zooble to it’s “Happitat” (yes, really), it pops up to reveal a bird or fish or cat or, well, some of them it’s hard to tell WHAT they are supposed to be. Kaitlyn took them to Grandma Culver’s to play with before dinner, and everyone started playing with them. My Aunt, my Uncle, the boys, Chris. Zoobles are fun for all ages :P

Zoobles

So yeah, that was Christmas 2010.  More photos are on my Flickr, send me a friend request if you’re on it too and we aren’t already friends there.

Coming up next – I’ll tell you about how I bought a significant piece of my childhood for practically nothing on eBay!

Just the usual Holiday Stress around here.

If I wasn’t a blogger, would the holidays still be as stressful? If I didn’t wake up every morning with a list of posts I need to write, reviews and giveaways and unanswered emails and sponsored posts that pay the bills, all swirling around in my head, if I didn’t wake up every morning thinking about all of that, would I still be stressed out just because it’s the holidays?

Probably.

I don’t even know what I want any more.  I love blogging. I love the opportunities it brings me, the people I get to meet both virtually and in real life, the new products I get to review, the giveaway opportunities that bring me new readers.  I just wish I could organize it all better, integrate it better into my family life.

Today is Nathan’s 12th birthday. I bought his presents, but I didn’t wrap them, didn’t buy him a card or order a cake.

I haven’t addressed or sent out a single Christmas card. Or wrapped a single gift. At least they are all purchased though.

Gah. I’m just a ball of stress today.

How are all of you holding up?

Gift for a Gardener – 1001 Sundials

The sundial is the oldest known device for the measurement of time, and is quite often found in backyard gardens. As the sun moves across the sky, the sundial casts a shadow on the roman numerals on the dial and tells the time. It’s pretty cool when you think about it!

1001 Sundials sells a wide variety of  brass sundial shapes and designs. If your garden has a theme or you use a particular color scheme with your other garden decorations, you’ll probably find a sundial that will coordinate!

Choose from round, octagon, scalloped, or clover shaped dials, and patterns like angels, butterflies, foliage, and birdbath-style. You’ll also find another style of sundial called armillary, plus pedestal bases to set them on.

It appears that every sundial on the site is on sale, with prices starting at just $31.99. Check out the site to find the perfect sundial for your garden or to give as a gift!

What Do The Sing-Off, The Persuasions, and Frank Zappa Have In Common?

I’ve been watching and re-watching “The Sing-Off”, a competition show on NBC for acapella singing groups. The episode from Wednesday night was so good, I’ve watched it three times already.

One of the groups that is in the finals is Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town. The name Jerry Lawson rang no bells for me when I first started watching the show, but after listening to the judges fall all over themselves with praise for the last two weeks, I had to do some Googling and find out just who this guy is.

And then I discovered the Frank Zappa Connection. Long-time readers might remember that my husband is a HUGE Frank Zappa fan, and although I’m still not a fan of most of his music, I’ve developed a respect for Frank and the contributions he has made in the music world.

Jerry Lawson was a member of an acapella singing group called The Persuasions, who were managed by Stan Krause, who owned  New record shop known as Stan’s Square Records.  Stan Krause called Frank Zappa from the store and had The Persuasions sing for him over the phone.  Frank was a big fan of both Soul and “Street Corner style” singing. He  immediately flew the group to Los Angeles to record their first album, appropriately called Acappella, in 1970.

The Persuasions recorded a total of twenty-two albums, and Jerry Lawson was with the group until 2003. He left The Persuasions and thought he would just live a “normal” life, but after hearing an acapella group being interviewed on the radio, and mentioning that they had always hoped Jerry Lawson would come sing with them, he drove to the radio station, introduced himself to the group, and that’s how Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town came to be.

See the things you learn when you read this blog?  Feel free to leave me a comment – do you like Acapella groups? Have you been watching The Sing-Off? Who do you hope wins the $100,000? I’m torn between Jerry and Committed, who are also so good.  Let’s discuss!

E-Stand LD-09 Laptop Stand – Great Gift Idea!

This is the E-Stand model LD-09 by The Next Success. It’s an adjustable laptop table (holds an iPad, too!) with a built-in cooling fan that connects via USB cable and is practically silent.  The adjustable laptop tray makes it easy and comfortable to use your laptop while sitting or lying down, and an opening behind it accomodates the power cord.

On the right side is a no-slip cup platform, pen holder,  and a section for your mouse.  The legs of the table fold out in seconds and can be adjusted to be longer or shorter depending on your needs.  When not in use, it folds flat and stores away very easily, it even fits in a laptop bag for taking on the go.  Comes in five color combinations: Black/White, Black, Pink, Red/Black, and Red.

I’ve been really happy with the E-Stand LD-09 that The Next Success sent me. I sometimes want to sit on the floor with product review stuff spread out around me, and the stand makes it easy to have my laptop right there with me. Sometimes I tilt it up, sometimes I keep it flat.

Anyone who uses a laptop or iPad can use an E-Stand. Check them out at www.nextsuccess.com. While you are there, look in the top left corner for stocking stuffers – the Mini Cooper USB flash drive is a great one!

Price: $39.95 SAVE $10.00 by using code table45 at checkout!

DVDs For Sale Still In Packaging, Super Cheap, Get Them For Christmas!

While looking for Christmas decorations in my basement, I found a cardboard box full of DVDs still in the plastic shrink wrap! See, when I do giveaways, a lot of times the fulfillment centers will send the giveaway DVDs to me. Since I don’t ship directly, the PR people tell me to keep the DVDs and they will send out more. So I have a whole bunch and they could be the perfect last-minute holiday gifts for you!

I have single DVDs and Box Sets. Single DVDs will fit in a Small flat rate Priority Mail box, those are $4.95. Box sets will need to go in a Medium flat rate Priority Mail box, those are $10.70.

Box Sets are TEN DOLLARS, which combined with the shipping, is still around 50% cheaper than the Amazon.com prize!

Single DVDs are $3.00, which combined with shipping, is still cheaper than Amazon.com! And, I can fit two DVDs in a single box, so you’ll only pay $4.95 shipping when you buy two DVDs!

First come first served, tell me which one(s) you want. I want to ship these out by Friday so you get them before Christmas.  I’ll invoice you through PayPal, you can pay with your PayPal account or major debit or credit cards. There is a 2.9% PayPal fee too. Once I get your payment, I’ll mail your package!

BOX SETS – $10.00 plus $10.70 shipping

1. Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives: The Complete Second Season

2. Giada At Home Season One

3. Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season

4. Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season (second copy)

5. Army Wives: The Complete First Season

6.Army Wives: The Complete First Season (second copy)

7. Avatar The Last Airbender: The Complete Book 3 Collection (includes bonus disc)

8. History Channel Battle 360° : The Complete Season One (4 discs)

9. Reno 911! The Complete Sixth Season (includes downloadable digital copy of every episode)

10. Private Practice: The Complete First Season

BOX SETS NO SHRINK WRAP BUT EXCELLENT CONDITION – $5.00 plus $10.70 shipping

1. Ugly Betty: The Complete Second Season

2. Transformers Cybertron: The Ultimate Collection

3. Rolling Stones: The Biggest Bang

SINGLE DVDS $3.00 plus $4.95 shipping – Two fit in one box which saves shipping!

1. My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Friendly Tales

2. School House Rock! Election Collection

3. 3-2-1 Penguins!: Save the Planets!

4. Johnny and the Sprites: Meet The Sprites

5. Johnny and the Sprites: Meet The Sprites (second copy)

6. Soccer Mom

7. Phineas and Ferb: The Fast and the Phineas

8. Wish Gone Amiss-Cory in the House, Hannah Montana, Suite Life of Zack & Cody

9. We are…The Laurie Berkner Band DVD + CD

10. Disney’s Minute Men

11. Birds of America (stars Matthew Perry, Ginnifer Goodwin, Lauren Graham)

12. Birds of America (second copy)

13. Into The Wild (stars Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn)

14. Brideshead Revisited

15. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (Miramax)

UNOPENED CDs $3.00 each plus $4.95 shipping or buy both and pay just $4.95 shipping!

1. Ralph’s World: Rhyming Circus

2. Disney Music Block Party

I’ll be checking comments here and on Facebook, so let me know as soon as you see something you want, it’s first come first served!

Kymaro Prize Pack Giveaway

You’ve probably seen the commercials on TV, and now you have a chance to win not one, not two, but TWELVE of the hottest products from California company Kymaro! Founded by BJ Fazeli, the name “Kymaro” comes from the first two letters of each of his three daughters’ names. Kymaro sells health, beauty, spa, clothing, exercise equipment, and housewares from their shopping site UbuyEZ.com. One lucky Table for Five reader is going to get a prize pack worth over $180.00 from Kymaro!  Here are images of the prizes, with the descriptions below:


  • The Body Shaper by Kymaro gives you a smooth, invisible look under your clothes and it’s excellent support can help your posture, too.
  • Kymaro’s New Bottom Shaper is a seamless shaper that hugs everything in place, leaving you with smooth lines and sexy curves.
  • The Kymaro® Cami was specially designed to shape and mold your midsection, much like the New Body Shaper, only now, with Clear Straps! Available in six sizes and in Nude or Black.
  • The Kymaro® Jet Flow Styler is a revolutionary hairbrush with an airflow channel design that dramatically reduces drying and styling time. It blowdries the top and underside of your hair at the same time!
  • With a powerful 1875 Watts, Kymaro’s ® Portable Hair Dryer includes a folding handle for easier storage and travel, a flat nozzle attachment for concentrated airflow, and a cool shot button to lock your style in place.
  • Kymaro’s® Clip-In Bangs have two clips that attach securely to your head and can be cut, curled, and worn any way you want. Wear them swept to the side, straight-across, or add lift and volume to the crown of your head. Because they are heat-resistant up to 365 degrees F., you can blow them dry, curl them, even use a flat iron or curling iron!
  • Kymaro’s ® Rechargeable Hair Straightener is compact, lightweight, and cordless, with 17 different temperature settings from 250 ºF- 400 ºF. It comes with interchangeable adapters for international uses and can even be charged in your car with the available car charger! (But please don’t straighten and drive, LOL).
  • The Kymaro Backless Bra is a pair of self adhesive, backless, strapless, stick on bra cups with a front closure. It’s perfect for brides, bridesmaids, formalwear, or that special New Year’s Eve dress! Self-supportive, practically invisible, and easy to remove, this bra will give you a natural look and feel with ample support and shaping.
  • Kymaro Bust Up Cups create deep, sexy cleavage and can increase your cup size buy one to two sizes, instantly.  You can even wear them under a bathing suit because they are waterproof and won’t fall out!  Plus, only Bust Up Cups give you lift and support while being lightweight and breathable thanks to the specially designed holes that keep you comfortable!
  • The Kymaro Glamour Eyes Glitz & Glam Kit comes with five sets of eyelash extensions in different thicknesses and lengths. They are handmade, professional quality, and a fraction of the price it costs to get eyelashes applied at a salon.
  • The design of the  Kymaro Rollaway Facial Threader is  based on the ancient art of threading hair removal, with a unique spring action that removes unwanted facial hair from the roots quickly and effectively.
  • Kymaro Curve Control Jeans are made with a special cotton, polyester and spandex denim weave that shapes, lifts, and flattens for comfort and great fit. A higher rise and stretchy waistband accomodate a fuller waist, the back pockets are specially placed to flatter your butt, and the darker wash makes your legs look thinner!
  • The Kymaro Sunless Tanning System gives you a natural, healthy looking tan, and it comes with something I’ve never seen with any other sunless tanning system – a light wand!  After using the Body Exfoliator in the shower, apply the Tanning Lotion made with natural oils and extracts, then use the light wand to look for spots you missed. No more streaks!

WOW. Right? That is a lot of really cool stuff for one very lucky Table for Five reader.  Here’s how to enter!

WIN: To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me which of the prize pack products you are most looking forward to winning. You MUST leave this main comment entry before any bonus entries will count. Open to U.S. mailing addresses only. Enter by 12/20/10 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

EARN BONUS ENTRIES: For additional chances to win, leave a comment telling me which of the following you do or have done-

  • Link to Table for Five on your blog. Add me to your blogroll or grab a button from the sidebar!
  • Subscribe to the Table for Five feed in a reader or by email. Links are in the header.
  • Follow @Table for Five on Twitter
  • Tweet about the giveaway, you can do this ONCE PER DAY and leave a new comment for each tweet: Enter to win a huge Kymaro prize pack worth over $180 from @Table4Five! Enter by 12/20/10 at 11:59 PM EST http://wp.me/p9SRW-212
  • Friend me on Facebook. Include a message in the friend request that you’re entering my giveaway so I’ll be sure to accept!
  • Like Table for Five on Facebook. My page needs more fans!

For FIVE Bonus Entries:

  • Blog about this giveaway including a link to this post and the ending date of 12/20. Leave five separate, numbered comments – example: #1 I blogged about this giveaway here (URL), #2 I blogged about this giveaway here (URL), etc.
  • Right-click on the 12 Days of Giveaways badge at the bottom of the post, save it to your computer, then post it on your blog. Leave five separate, numbered comments with the URL where you posted the badge.

Thanks for entering and good luck everybody!

Tips for reducing holiday stress from the Institute of HeartMath

Stress 39/365
Image by Crashmaster007 via Flickr

The holidays are stressful for a lot of people, me included. I’m totally stressed out about money, about getting all the gifts bought and wrapped, about finding time to address and mail Christmas cards, about the house being a mess, about the pile of work I have to do. The Institute of HeartMath, who makes the Wild Ride to the Heart game that I recently reviewed, has tons of resources on their website to help people like me learn stress-reduction techniques. You know, so I don’t explode.

In a recent survey, the American Psychological Association learned that while 69% of parents of tweens and teens say that their stress has slight or no impact on their children, a whopping 86% of children report that their parents’ stress bothers them.

“We don’t have to let stress deteriorate the quality of our lives when there are very quick and effective ways to manage it,” said behavioral psychologist, Deborah Rozman, Ph.D., who serves on IHM’s Scientific Advisory Board and is the author of Transforming Stress. “Taking a few minutes to learn one effective stress-reduction technique is a small investment of your time that can be invaluable for the countless moments ahead where stress will challenge us.”

APA and IHM say there is cause for national concern. “America is at a critical crossroads when it comes to stress and our health,” APA Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice President and psychologist Norman B. Anderson said in APA’s online press release about the survey. “Year after year nearly three-quarters of Americans say they experience stress at levels that exceed what they define as healthy, putting themselves at risk for developing chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and depression.”

During the holidays – one of the most stressful times of year for millions of American families – the institute is offering several free resources, including a guided emotion-regulation technique and a popular e-book.

I know that might sound like a lot of new-age mumbo jumbo, but here’s the thing – it’s worth a try. I used to have terrible, horrible insomnia until one day about 10 years ago at the bookstore I saw a guided meditation CD that said it would help me learn to relax my mind so I could sleep. I’ve been practicing guided meditation regularly ever since and I rarely have insomnia.

So, if guided meditation can help with insomnia, I bet it can help with stress, too. The stress experts at IHM recommend adults use their Inner-Ease™ technique when they experience feelings of overwhelm and anxiety and need to reset to a calmer, more balanced emotional state. A more detailed version and guide for this technique are available in the free e-book, “The State of Ease,” by IHM founder Doc Childre. It is available for download in several languages at http://bit.ly/StateofEase.

HeartMath stress experts say their technique can help people shift from negative feelings to a positive emotional state – one of peace and ease. You can practice Inner-Ease with the following adaptation of this technique:

  1. If you are stressed, acknowledge your feelings as soon as you sense that you are out of sync or engaged in common stressors such as financial worries, being stuck in holiday checkout lines, etc. Take a short timeout to do heart-focused breathing: Breathe a little slower than usual, and imagine you are breathing through your heart or chest area.
  2. During heart-focused breathing, imagine with each breath that you are drawing in a feeling of inner ease and infusing your mental and emotional nature with balance and self-care from your heart.
  3. When your stressful feelings have eased, affirm with a heartfelt commitment that you want to anchor and maintain a state of ease as you re-engage in your projects, challenges and daily interactions.

If you are at all stressed out about the holidays or anything else, I highly, highly recommend you visit the Institute for HeartMath website, and they are not paying me anything to say that.  The same person who sent me the Wild Ride to the Heart game sent me the press release about the holiday stress survey, and I just knew I had to write about it here.  I can’t be the only one feeling a whole lot of stress right now.  Try these links:

Download the FREE De-Stress Kit in PDF or Audio (highly recommended, it’s helping me through a tough time right now): PDF link

Watch the video Navigate Your Life With The State of Ease and learn a technique to reduce and prevent stress that you can use at any time.

Facebook page with tips for anyone who cares for a child: http://www.facebook.com/HeartMathMyKids

If you have any tips for getting through the holidays with as little stress as possible, please feel free to share them in the comments.   Let’s all have as stress-free a holiday as we possibly can.

Christmas comes too fast every year

This happens to me ever year – it gets to be 12 or so days before Christmas, and I’m suddenly launched into a panic about all the things I haven’t done yet. Like mail out Christmas cards or bake any cookies or, you know, BUY THE KIDS THEIR GIFTS.

It’s not like it happens at the same time every year and there are TV commercials and signs on store windows and reminders everywhere I turn that Christmas is coming or anything.

I would like to spend the entire month of December doing nothing but Christmas-related stuff.  I wish my brain wasn’t occupied with pesky thoughts like how many bills we have to pay and how I’ve had a Holiday Savings Account at the Credit Union since before Ryan was born and have never once put any money in it.

I want the picture-perfect Christmas. I want cookies and candy canes and Christmas carols and to wear silly fuzzy sweaters with reindeer on them. I want to visit relatives with tins of fudge and drive around looking at Christmas decorations. (We actually did that the other night, I just remembered. We drove through a huge neighborhood and found exactly five houses with any kind of lights. Most houses here in Lansing? No decorations at all.)

I want December to be about something other than scrambling to pay bills and get a bazillion product reviews and giveaways posted.  I want it to be about Christmas CHEER and whatever.   Is that unrealistic? Have Christmas specials on TV and decorating articles in Better Homes & Gardens given me unrealistic expectations?  I’d like to think not.

You know me and big pronouncements, I tend to say I’m going to do things and then not follow through. Although I did say I was going to lose weight and I am, so maybe I’m finally changing for the better.  Anyway, I’m opening my Google Calendar and making a note for next December.  Cookie baking and gift delivering and card sending and fuzzy sweater wearing, dammit, I am going to ENJOY CHRISTMAS next year.

As for this year – if you want me to send you a holiday card, I won’t promise it will get there before Christmas, or have a photo of my kids in it, but if you’d like a holiday greeting from me, please email me your address to table4five (at) gmail (dot) com. I promise your addresses will not be shared with anyone.

Why you should watch tonight’s episode of Community

Because it’s awesome, that why. Thanks to One2One Network, I got to watch tonight’s special Christmas episode of Community, titled “Abed’s Unconrollable Christmas”.  It’s the last day of classes before Christmas break at Greendale,  and while Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) makes the announcement that everyone is invited to express their holiday sentiments in their own constitutionally-approved fashion in specially designated zones (ha!), Abed (Danny Pudi) joins the group in the cafeteria and after wishing Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) and the rest of the group a Merry Christmas, asks what everyone is doing over the break.  Annie (Alison Brie) plans to read all of the books required for a class, Troy (Donald Glover) wants to make locking himself in his room with video games a new tradition.

When Abed is disappointed, Pierce (Chevy Chase) asks him why he even cares about Christmas, as a Muslim.  Abed tells everyone that it must be a special Christmas because everyone has been turned into a stop-motion animation character, something no one else sees.  Jaws drop, and then Abed suggests they stick with the traditional stop-motion animation format and sing a song.  He sings Christmas-y lyrics to the Community theme song before being, um, stopped (I won’t give that away), and then Jeff (Joel McHale) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) take him to see Professor Duncan (John Oliver) in the psychology department.

The episode really gets going when Professor Duncan suggests hypnotizing Abed to find out why he sees everything as a stop-motion animation cartoon.  The classroom disappears and everyone is flying through space to Planet Abed, the most Christmas-y place in the world. When they land, Abed turns everyone into a Christmas cartoon character. Here’s a group shot, plus click here to see 10 more photos:

Abed and the group hop a train for the North Pole, but as they go, members of the group start dropping out. Professor Duncan leaves but comes back with something that reveals why Abed is having such a hard time dealing with Christmas.  As Abed confronts the situation, he realizes that he does know what the meaning of Christmas is. There’s a happy ending that will give you a warm fuzzy.

In true Community fashion, this episode is simultaneously funny, touching, silly, and heartwarming.  I’m looking forward to watching it again tonight with my sons, who are big fans just like me.  We’ll most likely DVR it too so we can watch it again.  I’ll be chatting on Twitter tonight while watching the episode, if you want to follow along, it’s hashtag #nbccommunity and I’m @Table4Five2.   Thanks again to One2One network for letting me see the episode!

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