snowed in

Thanks for the post from Lynn Guy

Last year, after a big snow storm, our cable was out for weeks. So this year, before the big storm hit, I decided to get direct tv elsmere. Being snowed in for a week and not having any television is painful let me tell you. Luckily, this year since we had Direct TV we had television the whole time that we were snowed in. Usually we are able to prepare and get the roads clean before it hits, but every few years there is a really big snow storm. When you are hold up with your family in the same house and can’t leave for a week, you have to have something to do to keep you entertained and not at each other’s throats. I decided that we were going to a television in each of the kids’ bedrooms so that they could be separated if need be. With Direct TV they can also watch different shows in each room , which is great, because we avoid arguments and fights about what each child wants to watch. The snow storm was so much more pleasant this year, thanks to our main form of entertainment, the television

Canada Post

I recently found a website with a great selection of men's clothing. Canada Post has a large variety to choose from, and something to fit nearly every size! This website is a comparison shopper site so you can be sure to get the best deal on whatever it is you're looking for!
Along with a large selection of men's clothing styles, Canada Post also has accessories including hats, scarves, watches, belts and even cuff links. You could buy a whole new wardrobe in just one stop! If you're looking for some clothes for your husband for Christmas, Canada Post is worth a look!

Busytown Mysteries

Looking for a fun, easy, family game to play with your toddler? We came across this game last spring and picked it up to give to our son for his 4th birthday. We had no idea what it would be like, but we found it on sale, and knew how much our son loves games. Turns out, this game rocks!

There is no set winner. Everyone wins, or the pigs win. The game board is about 6 feet long and comes in 3 pieces that lock together like a puzzle. The game is played by spinning a spinner in which you either land on a number, "pigs eat" or a mystery. At the end of the game board is a picnic blanket with 6 pieces of food. The object of the game is to make it to this blanket on Picnic Island before the pigs eat all the food. Each time you land on "pigs eat" you remove one piece of food. When you land on a mystery you flip a card and everyone tries to find as many of that item as you can before the sand timer runs out. Each time you find one of the pictures you place a small magnifying glass on it. When the time runs out, you count how many you have found. The number that you find is the number of spaces that everyone gets to move.

When you reach the ferry at the end, just before Picnic Island, you wait there until all of the players have reached the ferry. At that point each time you spin a number the ferry moves so that all players reach the island together! Unless the pigs have eaten all the food, everyone wins!

My 4 year old and 2 1/2 year old have tons of fun playing this game. We've sat and played it for nearly 45 minutes at a time in the past. The game itself really only takes about 10 mintutes to play through.

Cooking Online

Cooking Online

Contribution by German Flowers

Getting satellite Internet at home was one of the best things to ever happen to my ability in the kitchen! My husband credits it with changing the way we eat and I have to admit, it’s nice having healthier options now that we’re at home together and eating out less often. Sometimes I’ll spend all Saturday surfing around trying to find something new to bake him for his work week and I know he really appreciates all the effort I put into our dinners each night. I like trying out new techniques like baking bread in a cast iron pan, etc. It’s always fun to play around in the kitchen and it really gives me an opportunity to be creative which I just love. There’s nothing more relaxing for me than chopping vegetables and really getting into the dish I’m making which is just what I’ve taken to doing each and every night of the week. It’s better than therapy if you ask me and it sure ends up being a whole heck of a lot cheaper!

Wow, I'm old.

Wow, I'm old.
Guest written by our friend Sergio Chaney
I’ve just come back from my 40th—yes, I said 40th!—high school class reunion. It was lots of fun to see folks I haven’t seen in over 35+ years. You see, I moved away from my small town when I left for college and only went back for short weekend visits to my parents. Thus, I lost touch with all of my childhood buddies and this class reunion was a good opportunity for me to see where everyone was in their life. As you can imagine, the hot shot athletes and cutesy cheerleaders were fat, bald and never left the hometown. I can honestly say that I no longer had much in common with a lot of these people but there were a few that I enjoyed spending time with. Since I returned to my ranch in Nevada, I checked on internet service from http://www.satellitestarinternet.com/ to stay in touch on Facebook. I’ve already “friended” some old pals and we’re trading gossip about folks at the reunion. They say you can never go home again but staying in touch via Facebook is going to work out well enough.

RepairPal

Ever had something go wrong with your car and didn't know where to turn? Ever been stranded in an unknown area when your car broke down and couldn't find a repair shop? Have no fear! RepairPal is here!

RepairPal.com is a website that helps you solve your auto problems. If you like to try to figure it out on your own, RepairPal is still a good tool for you. By entering your car make and model, along with the problems you are experiencing you'll recive a list of possible problems with your car. Those of you who have enough car knowledge can then feel like the hero be fixing it by yourself.

Don't know your cars engine from you fender? RepairPal can help you find a repair shop near you! Enter your cars make and location and you'll recieve a list of nearby auto shops! It's that easy! You can even get an estimate on what your repairs will cost you. Well worth a look if you own any kind of car!

Keeping Track of the Runners - guest post

Guest post of the week by Austin Fields
As a fitness coordinator, it is obvious that I enjoyed running. My job is a gym employee where I help train a few individuals and a couple groups of people in bettering their health and improving their self-image. Outside of work though, I am a volunteer fitness coordinator for a group of high school track runners.

Each Friday and Saturday, during the spring, I plan a running regime for a group of twenty to thirty rowdy track runners. After getting my pack together, I set my home security alarm (Adt home alarm) and head out to a local park to meet up with the teenagers. The typical regimen is a short half mile run, followed by a brisk two mile jog, then a quick fifteen minute break. This week, I decided that after the break, we would all run to the school, and then do one suicide run. The school was about a mile and a half away, and when the whistle blew, they all took off running like the wind!

Once we got to the school, me last to make sure everyone made it safely, they were all complaining on how tired they were from the run! I could not believe it. So instead of a suicide run, I said whoever gets to the ice cream parlor first will get a free cone. It is no wonder how fast they ran

online shopping made easy

I love shopping online. There isn’t the stress of finding a parking place, or having to get 3 children in and out of the car at every stop. It’s so much easier to compare prices from the comfort of my own home using my computer. I can bookmark pages to easily come back to them as soon as I’ve made my decision. There are a million different sites out there to shop on and I was recently introduced to a new one by my sister.

Become.com is a one-stop shop for nearly all of your shopping needs. You can simply type in what you’re looking for and the site brings up a list of everything meeting your search criteria. It lists items from different stores in the same category so that you can compare prices right there! No more having to bounce from site to site, or store to store! How is it that they made online shopping even easier?

You can find tons of great things here, and at great prices. Everything from Hello Kitty Car Accessories to Lawn Mowers can be found in one place. In the market for a new digital camera? Check out their listings for Nikon cameras. You’ll never have to spend hours upon hours shopping for that perfect gift again!

Coffee Anyone?

I used to absolutely hate coffee. The smell was bad, but the taste? Gross. As I've grown up I've come to love coffee. Unfortunately I don't get to drink it very often with having been pregnant or nursing for basically 4 consecutive years.  So when I do get to drink a cup of coffee, I want it to be good. ROASTe.com has an amazing selection of coffee to choose from. On their website you can find anything from Colombian Supremo Decaf Coffee to Vivatace Espresso Dolce Coffee. They even have a huge selection of flavored coffees such as Candy Cane Flavored Coffee or Sticky Bun Flavored Coffee. Yum!
On top of all that they have coffee brewers as well. I'm sure you're probably thinking that coffee that sounds this good must cost a fortune, but it doesn't! Just check out the site. The prices are very reasonable.
Right now you can get $5 off your first purchase with coupon code BLOGME5 and you get FREE shipping on orders that are $35 or more! Can't beat that! I think I'm going to go order the Chocolate Chip Flavored Coffee because it sounds too irresistable to pass up!

my new favorite cookbook

I got this cookbook from a friend, and have fallen in love with it! I always enjoy getting new cookbooks and trying new recipes, but generally I only end up making a couple of recipes out of the book. I have had this cookbook for just a couple of weeks and have already made several things. And the added bonus? The entire family has enjoyed the things I've made!

 Last week I made the "No-Fry Doughnuts"
Yum! They took a little bit of time because you use yiest and have to let it rise, but it was well worth it.

Can you see the yummy glaze dripping off? Delicious!

We've also made the "Spicey Honey Pretzels", "Herbed Tortillas" "Herbed Tuna Sandwiches" (a nice change for a Friday night during lent), and "Ham and Apricot Crepes" which I changed up a bit because we're not a fan of apricots.
The "Salmon-Stuffed Potatoes" were another big hit in our house. My husband's brother even came over to enjoy theym with us. He's kind of a foodie and even he thought they were great!

titles

Choosing a title for your blog is much more difficult than it should be. Or at least it is for me. You can't just pick some random words and hope they appeal to your readers. The title of your blog is what people see first. It tells them what your blog is about, and what they can expect from it's content. You can spend hours or even days contemplating what you want your blog title to be, but even when you find what seems to be the perfect title, your quest may not be done. After all, you have to make sure that your domain name is not already taken.
I spent a considerable amount of time thinking about what to title this blog. I wanted it to be easily remembered, and hold key words to what the blog is about. I picked several catchy phrases, but alas, they were all taken, and I was not about to add my name to the front of it just to make it work.
So here we are, "Just For Your Review". A blog full of my opinions on sites, products and services. I'll be writing short articles about things I like, things I don't like and random people, places and things you might find interesting. This blog is strictly for the readers. If you want ooey-gooey all about my life stuff, check out my personal blog. And if you want to see super cute hand-made perfect for a new mommy or baby, check out my shop blog.