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Long Live Routine by OlenaInStyle.com

  • posted February 26th, 2008
  • Fashion

March, April and May are often the hardest months of the working year as they usually do not offer us a holiday or a vacation break. It is easy to become depressed and stressed when all you see is work, home and traffic. Sounds familiar? If so, there is some good news: as strange as it sounds, routine can become a background of good health. If you go to bed and wake up early, sleep enough, work and eat at the same times every day, your body will definitely thank you because it likes consistency and works better on a schedule.

It is certainly important to exercise but sometimes hard to accomplish with all the work during the day and kids in the evening. Such a situation seems kind of desperate. However, it also has solid advantages. It turns out that people who have kids, a job and a spouse (or a partner who lives in the same house) have fewer chances to become overweight after 50. Sounds encouraging.

So, exercise whenever you can, take daily vitamins, eat healthy and the next time you get stuck in traffic for an hour, remember: it is not too bad. Relax and enjoy your routine until the next vacation!

TheFind.com’s Valentine’s Day Gift Suggestions

  • posted February 5th, 2008
  • Fashion

What Women Want:
Bracelet_2BlushDress          

          

       

      


Cuff Bracelet 
               Pink Quartz Shimmer Blush              Spring Dress

Diamond_earringsPrint_dressTrunk
    
   
   

  Diamond Stud Earrings          Floral Print Dress       Pink Quartz Deluxe Trunk

Bling’s the Thing:

Engagement_ringEarrings_cuteBracelet_bling    
         

 

      Engagement Ring                    Earrings                           Bracelet

Living la Dolce Vita:

ChocolatesChampagneOyesters    
 

 

Chocolates                                  Champagne                         Oysters

CigarsEspresso_machine

 



          Cigars                        Espresso Machine


Quiet Night In:

LingerieCandlesSalts         

 

        Lingerie                               Candles                              Bath Salts

Early Valentine’s Day Indulgence

  • posted January 25th, 2008
  • Fashion

Heart_box
It’s January, it’s cold, it’s raining outside and shopping has never been better! What can I say, it’s after Christmas and I have a wad of gift cards burning a hole in my pocket. Wandering through the mall, you find sale after sale after sale. The Spring clothing lines are making their way onto the racks and the Winter fashions are being shoved to the clearance racks — SCORE!!! How cool is it that it’s still dreadfully cold out and all the Winter gear goes on clearance?

In addition to all the clearance fun, there’s also an overwhelming amount of Valentine’s day gifts and decorations throughout the mall. Many of us will argue that Valentine’s day is one of those "holidays" invented by Hallmark, but I have to admit that some of the stuff they sell for Valentine’s day is really cute. All the corny little heart shaped things, funky candles and cupid laden gifts. You gotta admit that some of it is just adorable.

Aside from all the Valentine’s day cuteness, my favorite part is the vast variety of chocolates! You know by now that I’m a total shopaholic, but you may not realize that I’m also a chocoholic. If I haven’t admitted it before, I can honestly tell you that shopping and chocolate are my only two vices. That’s not bad, considering that I could be an over-caffeinated, smoking, alcohol drinking machine. But, I’m not! Just take me to the mall and feed me some chocolate and I’m good to go!

Or, change the scenario up just a bit…give me a nice red, heart-shaped tin of Mrs. Field’s premium assorted chocolates and a computer to shop online with and I’m also a very happy camper. I don’t discriminate when it comes to shopping in a mall vs. shopping online. I’m just as happy with instant gratification as I am having brown boxes show up on my doorstep. It’s all good fun to me!

Okay, so I ratted myself out. I stumbled upon a box of Mrs. Field’s premium assorted chocolates the other night; promptly bought them; went home, got into my pajamas and shopped online while indulging in the chocolates. Mmmmmmm…now that’s what I call a great night!

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Is Santa Coming to Town?

  • posted December 20th, 2007
  • Fashion

Santa Claus is Coming to Town — (the parents revised version)…

The kids better watch out
They better not cry
You better finish shopping
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town 

You got big list,
You’re checking it twice;
You already know who’s naughty or nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town

You see them when they’re sleeping
You know when they’re awake
You know when they’ve been bad or good
They better be good for sanity’s sake

Give them a Wii and games for it too
Keep them busy for hours so they don’t bug you
Santa Claus is coming to town 

You see them when they’re sleeping
You know when they’re awake
You know when they’ve been bad or good
They better be good for sanity’s sake

The kids better watch out
They better not cry
They better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
Coal
You’re real busy and have no time to play
You gotta fill all the stockings on Christmas day
Santa Claus is coming to town

…And if they’re naughty, Santa will give them some coal!

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Is Your Family Naughty or Nice?!?

  • posted December 19th, 2007
  • Fashion

Santa_2
I find family holiday stories to be both enlightening and entertaining at times (depending on the story, of course). There are some families who get together for the holidays, have a proper meal or meals together, exchange gifts and leave happy. There are other families who get together for the holidays, have a proper meal or meals together, exchange gifts and a whole lot of drama! So, which family do you belong to?!? Are you brave enough to admit it? :o )

My family typically falls under the second category, but we usually have *interesting* drama. The holidays tend to go one of two ways…a few people drink too much and all the old stories come out. Once the stories hit the table, the room gets loud as people debate and argue over what really happened Christmas of ‘86 (or whatever the topic may be) when the Christmas tree caught fire. What happens more often is that a few people drink enough to be silly and that’s when the fun starts: Grandma sings in Spanish (note: we’re not a Spanish speaking family); we have contests to see who can hang a spoon on the end of their nose the longest; we have dessert eating contests: who can eat the most or the fastest. It’s all very silly, but it’s fun and makes for some good memories.

Thankfully, we don’t have a rogue <insert relationship title here> relative who shows up drunk with a six pack in hand who’s slinging put-downs the moment he/she walks through the door. We used to have someone like that around, but she’s since been disowned. I know, that sounds bad, but there’s something to the old adage that "family is what you make it." It’s true, you can’t choose the family you’re born into, but you can certainly make alterations to the cast of characters. Unfortunately, that means that sometimes you may lose a few that you wanted to keep, but there isn’t a whole lot you can do to control that. Sometimes you do what you gotta do to live a sane life and be happy, right?

Or, what about the relative who shows up to every holiday function with a different date?!? Do you have one of those in your family? I suppose there’s nothing really wrong with it, but it’s a family function and these occasions should be reserved for family and really close friends, etc., not the "flavor of the week." I don’t know, what do you think?

Overall, I would say that my family is nice during the holidays. The real drama quotient is typically low and we have fun together. Chime in and tell us about your family!

Happy Holidays,
Payton

Too Late for Shipping? Find Gifts Locally with TheFind.com

  • posted December 17th, 2007
  • Fashion

Over the weekend, I did a mad online dash ordering most of my Christmas gifts. I’m not done yet, but I got the bulk of it out of the way. I found that everything I purchased *should* make it by December 24th. Lucky me! BUT, I’m not done yet and now I’ll probably be stuck with receiving gifts late or I’ll have to go out and brave the malls. Braving the malls is not my favorite option, but at least I can shop for what I want at TheFind.com and then run out and grab what I need. I’m going to call and try to double check if things are in stock though, just to make sure before I go.

I don’t know why I wait until the last minute to shop. I used to be so good! I would shop throughout the year and keep a running list of what I bought and who it was for and then I’d finish up my shopping on Black Friday. I don’t know what happened to that system. It worked really well! Perhaps I’ll have to reinstate that schedule for 2008. Who knows, maybe it will make my list of resolutions!

Don’t you just love this time of year? You party a lot, shop excessively, overeat and then make a bunch of "promises" to yourself that you’ll fix all the bad you’ve created for yourself. Something’s really wrong with this formula.

Anyway, for those of you who are still shopping and need a little help finding the right gifts, go to TheFind.com and type in what you’re looking for, then change the "Your local stores are within 10 miles of X City" to the city of your choice. You can adjust the mile radius as well. If you have any questions or comments about Local Search, please leave them here.

Happy Last Minute Searching/Shopping,
Payton

P.S.
Here’s an example map from TheFind.com’s Local Search for messenger bags:

Local_map

TheFind.com Announces Powerful, New Local Search Capabilities – a Boon to Last-minute Holiday Shoppers Looking for the Complete Holiday Shopping Experience

  • posted December 12th, 2007
  • Fashion

The Comprehensive and Complete Shopping Search Engine Integrates both Local and Universal Online Shopping within a Single Website

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–TheFind, Inc., the leading shopping search engine and web destination for discovering lifestyle goods, today introduced new local search capabilities that provide users with the ability to find products from local retailers.

Also new on TheFind is interactive maps that pinpoint a store’s location and show store contact information and website links. In addition, shoppers can use TheFind’s integrated in-store availability checking feature across the set of merchants that support this capability. Lastly, TheFind provides integrated marketing areas for promotional offers from local merchants such as coupons and other deals, to help drive in-store purchases.

Local search is one of the fastest growing areas of search engine technology, and integration with “brick and mortar” stores and location-specific data to facilitate in-store purchases is seen as the “last mile” in search. A recent study found that 86 percent of those surveyed used the Internet to find a local business from which to shop. TheFind is the first shopping search engine to merge these two consumer needs for online shopping and offline shopping research all in one single website.

“While there are a number of shopping sites that offer local search capabilities to varying degrees, with this added capability, we believe TheFind brings the most comprehensive and complete local shopping search to the market. TheFind is now the first shopping search engine to seamlessly integrate online universal shopping with local shopping results to most closely align with how consumers use the Internet,” said Siva Kumar, co-founder and CEO for TheFind.

“These new local features are an added bonus around the holidays, as shopping days begin to dwindle and consumers start to hurry to complete their gift lists. Leveraging TheFind.com, consumers can shop at home first and find products at stores nearby, so they can pick up the merchandise themselves, quickly and easily, avoiding costly rush shipping charges,” added Kumar.

The new, local search capabilities enable shoppers to:

    * Search for products available through local retail outlets. For example, a search for UGG boots in and around Miami would show store locations that are within 25 miles of the shopper’s location. Consumers can easily adjust the search area to comprise a 40- or 50-mile radius, if desired.

  • Immediately identify local retail outlets near you that carry desired items. After searching for a product on TheFind, search results will display items from both online retailers and local retail outlets – with local stores clearly identified via a “Local” icon.
  • Check in-store availability. For select outlets supporting this capability, TheFind enables shoppers to see which nearby stores have a particular item in-stock. Additionally, all listings for local retailers have phone numbers listed so busy shoppers can call to check in-stock status.
  • Quickly and easily determine which retail outlets offering the desired items are closest in proximity. For every search, TheFind graphically maps all the local brick and mortar stores carrying the items of interest. Consumers can use the map to determine which location is the closest to them, saving time and resources. The site also provides street addresses and phone numbers for each store location.
  • Compare each store’s offerings and obtain the very best deal. TheFind puts a wealth of information at users’ fingertips to enable shoppers to assess the total overall cost of goods. TheFind alerts shoppers to various considerations such as sale items and promotions and driving distance of retail outlets, so they can make purchasing decisions based on their individual preferences and criteria. Integration of online prices and local offers helps consumers determine the best possible options.

The new local search capabilities come on the heels of other new enhancements to TheFind.com, including the addition of mini malls, enabling consumers to shop specific types of outlets from boutiques or well-known department stores, and even shops located within famous shopping destinations such as 5th & Madison (in New York) and Rodeo Drive (in Beverly Hills).

TheFind.com crawls more than 500,000 stores on the Web to find more than 200 million products across all shopping categories. Its unmatched Web search ability includes access to unique and hard-to-find boutiques, brand stores and hip, must-have products. TheFind.com’s objective approach offers shoppers search results which are ranked by natural popularity, instead of offering results influenced by paid placements.

About TheFind Inc.

TheFind.com offers the leading shopping search engine that delivers comprehensive, authentic and visually compelling results for products, specializing in the lifestyle goods category. From the most popular e-commerce sites to the most unique, hard-to-find brands, TheFind uniquely crawls the entire Web to find more than 200 million products from over 500,000 stores. By using its patent-pending “product ranking” technology, TheFind displays the best-selling products, styles, brands and stores for any shopping search right on the first page of results – saving consumers time and money. TheFind Inc. family includes leading fashion shopping website Glimpse, which specifically caters to fashion-savvy shoppers searching for the latest trends and hottest apparel products, and TheFindGreen which finds organic brands, green stores and environmentally-friendly products all in one place. TheFind Inc. promotes shopping that gives back to the community through its Color For A Cause campaigns, which have included charitable beneficiaries such as The Susan G. Komen Foundation, Doctors Without Borders and Global Green USA.

TheFind Inc., headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., is backed by leading investors Bain Capital Ventures, Redpoint Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Contacts
Arora PR for TheFind, Inc.
Shaila Arora, 310-749-5006
Shaila@arorapr.com

Toy Safety — Be Informed

  • posted December 5th, 2007
  • Fashion

Being a parent of young children can be a bit frightening right now. Every time you turn around, there’s another toy recall. I seriously thought that we were well beyond the days of lead paint. It really sickens me that we have to worry about lead! I understand the recalls for small parts or things that fall off the toy easily. It’s definitely not a good thing, but it’s more understandable than lead paint.

If you’d like toy recall updates, sign up here. In addition, there’s a ton of information on the cpsc.gov site. If you’d like an easy to view list of toy recalls, go here.

Some basic tips for buying safe toys:
1. Check the recall lists BEFORE making purchases. It’s amazing some of the toys that get recalled.Turtle

2. Make sure the toy(s) you’re buying are age appropriate (there are reasons for this folks).
3. Skip the toys with really small pieces. You may think that your son or daughter would never ingest a toy, but I’ve seen small parts get stuck in kids noses and ears and that’s not fun for anyone.
4. Check all attached pieces to make sure they’re really secure (eyes, noses, accessories, etc).
5. Avoid toys with long strings and straps.
6. Assess the toy carefully and imagine the absolute unimaginable things that can happen with the toy and/or it’s parts. Kids are very creative and if there’s a one in a million chance that they can hurt themselves, they will figure out a way. It’s sad, but true.
7. If all else fails, by "green" toys!

Happy Searching/Safe Shopping,
Payton

Gifts for the Directionally Challenged

  • posted December 3rd, 2007
  • Fashion

We all have someone special in our lives who’s directionally challenged (translation: someone who gets lost frequently). I can write about this because I am especially directionally challenged! I get lost all the time and it’s very frustrating. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I sometimes get lost even when I’m using GPS in my car. Don’t ask me how, I guess I’m just ultra talented. Anyway, hopefully these new GPS gadgets will help steer your special someone in the right direction.

Trackstick_3 Trackstick is a cool gadget that won’t tell you where to go, but it will show you where you’ve been. Plug it into your computer and see the results on Google Earth for free! This is a great tool for sports enthusiasts to carry while running, cycling, horseback riding, etc. It will track anything that moves. Perhaps you have a teenager that you want to keep tabs on — find out where they were really at when they said they were studying at the library. I know, it’s not a nice thing to do, but sometimes parents gotta do what parents gotta do.

Navigon_3 Navigon GPS is the latest and greatest in GPS technology. This sleek unit is less than one-inch thick and displays 3-D images on the 4.3-inch (diagonal) color touchscreen.  Sounds like this is the GPS for me…the vocal prompter actually says street names (instead of assuming that you know how far 400 feet is).  "Turn right in 400 feet."  Say what?!?  You won’t have that issue with this smart GPS.  Free traffic updates that work right out of the box. No set up and no fees.

Forerunner

The Garmin Forerunner 301 is worth more than it’s weight in gold. This is the perfect gadget for sports enthusiasts. Take it with you when cycling, running, hiking, etc. to track where you’ve been or where you’re going. There’s even a multi-sport setting for triathlon! Comes with a bike mount and heart rate monitor. Upload mileage, stats, maps, and heart rate to motionbased.com. I own one of these and use it when cycling and horseback riding and it’s awesome! I can see the elevation gains and losses, the weather and wind speeds and much more!

GPS to get you where you’re going or tell you where you’ve been and how you performed. What more could you ask for for Christmas? I can think of a few things…stay tuned! More gifts to come. :o )

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

TheFindGreen on NBC11’s Bay Area Today Show!

  • posted November 29th, 2007
  • Green

TheFindGreen’s Larisa Hall was on hand on the morning show at NBC11 in San Jose, to show some of the best eco-friendly toy choices this Holiday Season. Here are the toys that she showcased during the show:

The King Eider Toy Set, Animal Alphabet Puzzle, Balancing Cactus, and Dig-A-Dino.

Larisa also talked about some tips that can help parents make smart eco-friendly choices. Those include 3 simple steps:

1) Always look for the words “organic, recycled or sustainable” on toys, product packaging, and product descriptions.

2) Avoid plastics as much as possible – as little as 3-5% of all plastics end up being recycled. The rest, sadly, end up in landfills or in our oceans. If you do go the plastic route, choose recycled plastic items. For safety, look for PVC-free materials, which ensure there are no toxic chemicals in the plastic products.

3) Look for educational toys that help kids learn about the environment and their place in the world. Many green-friendly toys come with additional books and pamphlets that engage children, and get them thinking about natural habitats and environmental issues.

And of course, TheFindGreen makes it easy to find any green products – from toys to clothes to household cleaners – and you can save and share your lists with friends, to encourage everyone on your list to Go Green this Holiday Season!

Are you looking for more ways to contribute to "green" initiatives? For the next few weeks, consumer searches for eco-friendly products on
the TheFindGreen that include the word “green” will generate $1 per
search for leading environmental charity, Global Green USA. Josie Maran Cosmetics,
a Global Green supporter and innovative cosmetics company dedicated to
developing environmentally responsible beauty alternatives, has also
endorsed the charitable campaign.

"Green" Search Examples:
green tea candle
green lip moisturizer
green jeans

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