TheFind Blog

What WON'T You Eat on Super Bowl Sunday?

Super Bowl Sunday is fast approaching...are you ready? Whether you're hosting a party or attending one, chances are great that you're going to have to prepare food for the big event, not to mention you'll be eating a lot of food as well. So, what's it going to be?

- pizza
- nachos
- buffalo wings
- fried chicken
- 7 layer dip
- chips and salsa/guacamole
- potato chips and onion dip
- popcorn
- veggies & dip
- fruit salad
- spinach dip
- hot dogs/polish sausage
- pigs in a blanket
- spicy meatballs
- chicken & ribs
- steak (steak sandwiches)
- hamburgers
- mini cheeseburgers
- french fries
- onion rings
- pizza rolls
- Bagel Bites
- soft pretzels
- taquitos
- quesadillas
- burritos
- tacos
- Chinese food
- sushi

Ugh! Just looking at all the food on that list is giving me a stomach ache. What about dessert? Who's in charge of dessert this year?!? Some faves...

- brownies
- cupcakes
- cookies/cookie bars
- ice cream sundaes
- popsicles

Do we really need more than that? Probably, but that's my contribution for now. And finally, drinks:

- BEER
- soda (variety)
- margaritas
- water

Did I cover it all? Is there anything else that anyone in the world needs in order to enjoy Super Bowl? If so, please let us know! I'm dying to know if there are any other Super Bowl faves out there.

I don't know about you, but I'm ALL about the ads during Super Bowl. I was very happy to hear that there won't be any political ads this year. Thank goodness! This is the time for advertisers to shine and show their best and sometimes craziest stuff. It's the Super Bowl of advertising and I can't wait.

BTW, who's playing?!?

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Is Your Family Naughty or Nice?!?

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

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:

Oh Happy Day -- One Year Ago Today...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I hope your day is filled with fun experiences with family & friends, a focus on the things you're thankful for, and fabulous food!

In addition to Thanksgiving, we're celebrating our blog's first birthday. :o) One year ago today, our blog was born. TheFind.com was a mere 3 weeks old when the blog came to life. Ahhh, it's amazing how fast they grow. Okay, I'm being silly, but it is crazy to think that a whole year has passed already!

We've been really busy over here responding to user feedback by refining our site, improving functionality, and increasing the number of products and stores. The coolest thing, in my opinion, are the tabs at the top of the search results. Have you checked them out yet? The first thing you see is all the results that we can find for your search, but you can choose other tabs to see only the results from boutiques, department stores, Rodeo Drive, 5th & Madison, mall stores, and eBay/Markets. My favorite is the mall stores tab. I like to get an idea of where I might find a specific item if I wander into a mall. It can be an incredible time saver!

Tomorrow's "Black Friday" which marks the official first day of holiday shopping. What will you be doing tomorrow? Shopping online in the comfort of your home in your toasty pajamas or bundled up and ready for "war" with the crazy crowds?!? It seems that some malls and stores are opening at midnight tonight, while others are opting for the more traditional "Black Friday hour of 5:00am. Although, I have heard about several 4:00am openings too. So, what's it going to be? Chaos or using TheFind.com's "sale" filter to bring up only sale items (check the box next to the "sale" icon on the left side of the search results).

As you can tell, I'm all over the place today. It's an exciting day! It's a big family & friends day. A great eating day. A day to reflect and be thankful for your life and the wonderful blessings in your life. Our blog's a year old today. And tomorrow, will be shopping madness no matter where you do it! Black Friday has got to be one of the most exciting days of the year. The sales are unbeatable!!!

Happy Thanksgiving/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Enjoy the Holidays Without Gaining Weight

How do you get through the holidays without gorging and gaining weight? It's not easy, but it is doable. Here are some tips and tricks that can help you enjoy the temptations without going wild!

1. Before going to dinner or attending a party, indulge in a salad or eat an apple. Give your body some good nourishment and some fiber to fill you up some.

2. Control your portions!
    a. Don't grab food off every tray that passes by as you're chatting with people. Pay attention to what and how much you're putting in your mouth. It's easiest to monitor if you put a few snacks on a small plate and then leave it alone.

    b. If you're sitting down to dinner: fill half your plate with vegetables (salad, side dishes, etc);  reserve one quarter of the plate for protein (meat, fish,  beans); and reserve the other quarter of the plate for carbohydrates (rice, potatoes, pasta). This allows you try lots of dishes without getting up for seconds and thirds and over doing it.

3. Wear tight fitting pants or belt. I know, it sounds funny but you'll be very aware when your stomach expands. And guess what, it's definitely time to stop when that happens.

4. Share food with a friend or loved one. Rather than indulging in whole portions, cut them in half and share. This way, you can sample more foods without taking in all the calories.

5. If you can't say no to sweets, fried food, butter, cream sauces, salad dressing, and gravies, then do your best to control your portions (once again).  Eat one fried shrimp instead of five.  Skip the butter and dip your bread in the gravy that you're already enjoying on your potatoes. Ask for salad dressing on the side and dip your fork in it before spearing your salad. You get the idea, right?

6. Get moving! If you're not currently exercising, start a walking program for yourself (take your dog, if you have one). If you are currently exercising, add more cardio fitness to your workouts during the holiday season.

Hopefully, one or all of these tips will help you get through the holidays without gaining weight. If you have any other tips or tricks, please let us know. We'd love to hear more ideas!

Happy Holidays/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Thanksgiving Cooking, The Bon Appetit Way

It's here! I just got the latest edition of Bon Appetit magazine. The Thanksgiving dinner issue is my absolute favorite! I love all the Thanksgiving ideas that they publish. My Dad was always a huge fan of their Thanksgiving recipes as well. He was an amazing gourmet cook and would often use Bon Appetit's recipes/meal plans for Thanksgiving and they were always wonderful. Since Bon Appetit has always been such a big part of this holiday for most of my life, it's come to be something that I really look forward to.

A few years ago, I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for a group of friends and it was a lot of fun. We followed recipes from Bon Appetit and had an Indian feast! I haven't looked through the recipes for this year, but I can't wait to check them out and decide what to cook! It's the little things in life that make me happy and for that, I am thankful.

Happy Cooking/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Yet Another Way to Wake Up in the Morning

If you liked "Clocky," the cute little alarm clock that jumps off the nightstand and runs away then you'll LOVE this alarm clock too!

Ladies and gentlemen, check out the Flying Alarm Clock...it wakes you up with a loud, annoying shrieking alarm. But that's not all, it has a cute little propeller that launches off the clock and flies into the air. You can't smack this alarm clock's snooze button to turn it off, instead you have to drag your butt out of bed and catch the propeller. Once you retrieve the propeller you must plug it back into the alarm clock before the shrieking alarm will turn off. And voila! You're awake!!! If you can go back to sleep after all that chaos then you clearly win the sleeping award of the year. :o)

Happy Snoozing/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Dinner on the Go!

Some of you may assume that dinner on the go means "take-out" or "fast food," right? Not for this blog post. And, I'm not writing about making a sandwich and running out the door either. Nope, I'm talking about a home cooked meal right in your car! Yep, you read that right...cooking in your car. The really cool part is that you wouldn't be cooking from the tailgate while you're parked outside a stadium. Instead you could be cooking dinner while sitting in traffic on your way home from work (or insert whichever starting and ending points you'd like).

How do you perform this minor miracle from your car? It's easy, if you have a Burton 12 Volt Lunch Box "Stove to Go" Cooker. The 12 volt cooker plugs into an outlet in your car (You know, the ones you use to charge your iPod?) and instead of juicing up your tunes, you can cook a casserole, soup, stew, or whatever you want. You can even heat up leftovers or a frozen meal!

The cooker holds up to 5 1/2 cups of liquid and it reaches up to 300 degrees farenheit. There's a 6 foot cord, 18 recipes and 3 foil pan liners to get you started. What more could a busy commuter ask for?!? You're right, you could ask for a personal chef, but if your life's anything like mine...it will never happen. So, go for the next best (affordable) thing and try cooking while driving. Your commute will never be the same!

Happy Cooking/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Make Waking Up Fun for Kids

School's back in full swing and for many kids the honeymoon period's over. The excitement of jumping out of bed to meet new teachers and new friends has grown old and many kids are back to their old tricks of attempting to sleep in as long as possible. If this sounds like your child, your morning woes are over...just purchase this cute little alarm clock called "Clocky" and you can focus on getting yourself ready for the day instead.

It's a pretty awesome concept: set the alarm; the alarm goes off at the specified time; when the user hits the snooze button the alarm clock jumps off the night stand and rolls around the room to hide. The snoozer then has to go find the alarm to turn it off. Clocky will continue to beep until turned off or until the 4 AA batteries die (which won't happen anytime soon). :o) The alarm beeps in various patterns so it's really hard to ignore. This is the annoying pet your child's been waiting for folks! It comes in a variety of colors: almond, aqua, mint, or mustard. Or if you really want to get into the spirit of the pet theme, choose a shag Clocky instead: various colors available.

Note: You can set Clocky to jump off the nightstand immediately if you don't want to rely on your child to hit the snooze button. This alarm clock is an effective way to force adults out of bed as well.

Happy Snoozing/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

New StyleGuide: Sunny Styles for Little Ones -- from A Bargain Boutique

It's never too late to buy Summer clothes, right? And what better time than when all the Fall fashions hit the racks and warehouses. Check out this warm weather StyleGuide for some of the hottest fashions for boys and girls. Take advantage of some "off-season" sales and ride the heat wave as we surf into Fall. Or, stock up on fashions for next -- adjust sizes accordingly.

Shopping Tip: Watch for the "sale" icon on the search results tiles. If you'd like to only see sale items, check the box next to the "sale" icon near the top of the browser page.

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

What Back to School Really Means

Going back to school marks the official end of Summer, even if the calendar tells you differently. Kids are both sad and excited during this time of year. Some experience both feelings: pangs of regret that their carefree days of sleeping in and having fun in the sun are no longer; thrills of excitement in starting a new school year and not knowing what to expect. While others are either happy that their boring Summer has ended and now they can return to the routine they know and love or they're forelorn over the schedule and expectations that are forced upon them. Regardless of how any one individual feels about this time of year, the end result is that it's time for change. As we know, for some people change is good and for others it's not.

Even for those who don't like the end of summer/start of school-time, I imagine that the thrill of buying new clothes, a new backpack, new school supplies and a new lunch box is enough to get anyone excited. I know I always enjoyed it. Now that I'm on the other side of the credit card, it's not as thrilling for me, but the shopping part is still fun.

The real bummer about everyone going back to school is the fact that traffic is back in full force! Everyone's back from vacation, the kids' schedules are back in place and everyone's driving to work again. BUMMER! This change affects everyone regardless if you have kids or not. I suppose it doesn't phase the retired folks as much unless they're hitting the freeway during peak traffic times, but something tells me that they're wise enough not to do that.

On the flipside, everyone's schedule's are back to "normal." The previously regularly scheduled dinner time is back, kids are playing organized sports again, and homework is back with a vengeance. Ahhhh, life is chaotic, but organized once again. The days of getting up at noon and eating dinner at 9:00pm are no longer, but that's probably better for everyone anyway.

What does back to school mean to you? Do you have any specific routines that were abandoned over the Summer? What will you miss now that Summer's over?

Happy Schooling/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Red, White, and Blue(berry)

Celebrate our country's independence with a good ol' fashioned BBQ with friends and family! The BBQ part is easy...steak, chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, fish, veggies, whatever you want. A BBQ just isn't a BBQ without a few staple dishes: green salad, watermelon, potato salad, chips and dips. But the desserts are what it's all about! Have fun making easy themed desserts to share with your friends and family.

American Flag Cake
One of the easiest themed desserts to create is to bake a cake in a 9x13 pan and frost it with white icing. Top the left corner with a square space filled with blueberries. Then, create rows of sliced strawberries to create the stripes on the American flag. Be sure to leave white space between the strawberry rows to account for the white stripes. If you prefer, you can bake a shortcake instead of a traditional cake and "ice" it with whipped cream instead of white icing.

Star/Flag Cookies
Sugar cookies are a perennial favorite for many people, but they're particularly popular with children. Every child I've known loves to help make sugar cookies. If you have children around, bake a huge batch of sugar cookies and show them how to make a star on the round cookies and flags on the rectangular cookies for some Independence Day fun! Individual creativity is the limit here!

Lemon Bar Flags
Bake a batch of lemon bars and dust with sifted powdered sugar. Cut into individual, rectangular serving sizes and stripe with red decorative icing and use blueberries for the stars. (Lemon/blueberry go really well together- yum!)

Red, White, and Blue Popsicles
Pick up some popsicle molds and wooden popsicle sticks to get this quicky dessert started. Pour a red juice or soda of choice into the mold (fill about 1/4 of the way), cover with plastic wrap or foil and insert the wooden popsicle stick. Freeze about an hour or until solid. Remove plastic or foil cover and pour in a clear/white juice or soda of choice, recover molds and freeze for about an hour or until solid. Repeat with a blue juice or soda of choice. In the end, you'll have cute flag colored popsicles. For variation, try alternating juice with soda or vice versa.

Chocolate Cupcake American Flag
Bake chocolate cupcakes and frost with red, white, or blue frosting. For this project, you'll be creating a flag with all of the cupcakes instead of individually decorating each one. You can alter the number of cupcakes based on the amount you need, but I'd suggest that you frost as follows:

9 blue cupcakes (embellish with white stars if you'd like)
42 red cupcakes
33 white cupcakes
84 cupcakes (total)

With this, on a rectangular platter create a square section of blue cupcakes in the upper left corner.  The first row that extends from the blue section should be a red row of 9 cupcakes. The second row that extends from the blue will be 9 white cupcakes and the third row will extend another row of 9 red cupcakes. After that section is filled in, start immediately below the blue section and create a row of 12 white cupcakes. Alternate with the red and white, ending on a red row. When it's complete, you'll have a rectangle that's 7 cupcakes by 12 cupcakes (or 84 square cupcakes).

Have a happy and safe 4th of July! Eat well!!!

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Travel Light with Travel Size Toiletries

Do you have the "3-1-1" on packing your carry-on luggage? It seems that every time I go to the airport there are new regulations to follow. Have you found this to be true as well? The funny thing is that I travel fairly often and find that I have to consult the regulations everytime I pack for a trip.

Here's the 3-1-1:
3 = 3 oz bottles of liquids, gels, aerosols (or less)
1 = 1 quart zipper bag
1 = 1 bag per person

If you want to get through security quickly, follow the "3-1-1," otherwise, you'll run into delays and they'll make you throw away any excess. Here's a tip: if you're traveling with others, you can use space in their carry-on for your toiletries if needed. Make sure they get to bring on what they need and supplement with any overage you may have. Click here for a full list of items that are allowed and prohibited.

Packing toiletries in your carry-on will likely include many of the following travel size (3 oz or less) items:

shampoo
conditioner
facial wash
body wash
deodorant
hairspray
styling gel
mousse
shaving cream
after shave
toothpaste
sun block
cologne
perfume
body spray

I provided some general ideas and search results above, but you can always search by brand names if you're looking for something specific. Or, purchase some travel size containers and fill them with your favorites! Best of luck with your travels and getting through security drama free.

Happy Traveling/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Making Life Events More Memorable

I thought with Father's Day coming up and with graduations happening that it might be a good time to focus on what makes events like these really special. In your opinion, what makes a special event in your life more memorable? Is it the event itself, is it the people involved, is it the gifts you receive, is it the pictures/video you capture? What makes an event really memorable to you?

When I think back to special occasions in my life, I remember who was there and what we did together. Occasionally a specific gift will stand out in my mind, but more often than not, I remember the events of the day. I remember graduating from high school and college. They were both very exciting and special days for me. I remember who was there to celebrate with me, but I don't remember a single gift that I received. I have photos from both events that captured some of the memories and that's important to me. I enjoy receiving gifts (as most people do), but they're definitely not the focal point for me.

It's interesting to think about all the things I've experienced over the years. Obviously, some things are more pivotal than others and some things I've forgotten entirely until someone brings them up or if I come across photos to remind me. It's funny, I can always look at photos and remember where I was and what was going on, but I can't always remember everyone's names. It makes me sad, but time moves on and sometimes our friends do too. Perhaps I should catch up on years of scrapbooking and start recording people's names with their photos. Ha! Well, I can dream right?

I'd love to hear what makes life events more memorable, please comment and let us know!

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

More Fabulous Mother's Day Gifts

Have you checked out out Mother's Day StyleGuides yet? There are some fabulous gift ideas for your Mom! Shopping at thefind.com is easy...we bring you thousands of products and merchants AND thoughtful StyleGuides (also known as gift guides). What more could you ask for?

ConnectingMoms presents cool gadgets, fun gift baskets and more! While Eating Out Loud brings fabulous food finds to the table. Go ahead and find the perfect gift for you Mom now. What are you waiting for?!? Do you have any great ideas for Mother's Day gifts? Comment here and let us know! I may even blog about it.

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Cook for Your Mom and More!

Some Moms have it all, so they're not easy to buy gifts for. If you have a Mom like this, you may want to try cooking for her instead! I stumbled upon Cook for the Cure®, another brilliant Susan G Komen endeavor to raise money to cure breast cancer. Please note that Cook for the Cure is not your average family dinner. Instead, it's a dinner party where the dinner party attendees bring donations for the foundation. It's pretty brilliant, really. Why not donate money for Mother's Day instead of buying gifts?!? You could host a Mother/Daughter Cook for the Cure dinner if you'd like. Of course it could be a Mother/Son or Mother/Child dinner, whatever strikes your fancy! Heck, you could host a table for everyone's dogs too if you want to get them in on the fun. Isn't half of America hosting dog birthday parties these days anyways. Gone are the "kids tables" of yesteryear...make way for the "dog tables!" Okay, I'm being silly, but I wouldn't be surprised if somebody did host a "dog table" at a formal dinner gathering. And you know what, I say, more power to them! As a side note, I did attend a horse's 2nd birthday party last summer. It was a Barbie theme because we all refer to this prissy little horse as "Barbie." She's a Palamino with long blonde hair and she's not a fan of getting dirty. How else would you describe a horse like that?

Sorry, I've digressed. If you perform any searches on thefind.com, then you know that we've been raising money for Susan G Komen for the Cure by donating $1 for each pink search performed everyday (one per person, per day). TheFind is a very community-centric company and we're really vested in doing good things and raising money for great causes. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I stumbled upon this dinner party idea and thought it would be fun for Mother's Day. I was thrilled to find out that this also benefits the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation!

The Cook for the Cure site is great! They give you all the tools you need to plan and organize your party: invitations, recipes, menus, coordinating donations and more. I'm thinking about planning a dinner party for both Mothers and Fathers along with their children to celebrate a Mother's Day and Father's Day   together. What do you think?

Get into the spirit with some pink and white decorations. There are quite a few pink ribbon decorations that you can use the set the tone for the party.

Happy Partying/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

A Little Mother's Day Humor

How many times have you blamed your screw ups on your parents? I think most of us have at one point or another, right? Don't worry, whether your parents admit it or not...they blame themselves for your screw ups too. ;o)

Enter Bald Guy Greetings...these cards have just the right amount of humor -- lightly dark (I know, that's an oxy moron) with a touch of sarcasm. They have cards for all the holidays and a host of situations and they're really cute! Check out this Mother's Day card:

Okay, okay so some Moms won't appreciate a card like this, I know. But, you got to admit that it's pretty funny! There's nothing wrong with bringing a little humor into Mom's life, right? Just make sure you give her a mushy, loving card as well and all should be good in the world of Mom. (Be sure to work in a gift too and you're golden!)

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Dazzle Your Mom with Amazing Chocolate Truffles

If you can't find the perfect gift for your Mom, then give her the perfect chocolates. At the risk of grossly generalizing, I'll venture to say that most Moms love chocolate. I don't know what to tell you about the ones that don't love chocolate...I can't imagine such a thing!

A friend of mine turned me on to this fabulous chocolatier. The chocolates taste amazing and they're beautiful too! They make the perfect gift chocolate if you ask me.

One of my favorites are the Cupcake Truffles--yummy and oh so cute!

The Spring Bonnet Collection is pretty and fresh. They're sold out on Moonstruck's site, but you can get them here still. Act fast though, they're sure to go quick with Mother's Day coming up.

I also fancy these darling Truffle Tea Cups and Saucers. I would commit myself to 4 o'clock tea if these were served everyday. What a fun treat!

Cleaning up the farm takes on a whole new meaning when you're talking about Country Critter Truffles. I think they're almost too cute to eat!

If you want to find more fabulous chocolates, go explore here to get lost in all the beautiful chocolate. Enjoy! :o)

Happy Chocolating/Searching/Shopping, Payton

Fun & Useful Mother's Day Gifts (Promo Code Below)

Mothers are not unlike most people in the world...some are easy to shop for while others are difficult to please. As a rule of thumb, I like to believe that Mothers enjoy anything and everything that their children buy for them. Reality shows me that that's not always the case. Sad, but true folks! If your Mother is hard to please then try going out of your way to find her something cool for Mother's Day.

Show your Mom some love by buying her a cool necklace.

   

Perhaps your Mom would prefer something cozy to wear instead.
                                                                                                    

What about some really fun stuff for the kitchen or entertaining?
                                                                                                   

Perhaps your Mom's more into pampering rather than cooking, hmmm?
                                                                                                       

Order now and use PROMO CODE: THEFIND and you'll receive 10% off your order!  Act now to ensure enough shipping time. The promo code expires May 11th. Enjoy!

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Shouldn't Everyday be Earth Day?

Today is the day that we officially celebrate/recognize Earth Day, but shouldn't we observe it every day? While the technological advances that we've made over the past century or so have been amazing, many of them harm our environment. The biggest offender that comes to mind for me are the cars we drive. They may be sporty, fast, hold a lot of people, haul a lot of stuff, but at the end of the day, most of them are extremely harmful to the environment. But that doesn't stop most of us from driving...we have places to go and people to see and very little time. Isn't that how it goes?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not exempt from this lifestyle; I live it too. I often fantasize about moving to a smaller city where getting around on bike or mass transit is easier. Living in the Bay Area makes it tough. Everything is so spread out here, it's crazy. I would love to bike to work, but it's more than a 20 mile ride one way and I just don't have to luxury of time for that kind of commute both ways. Who knows, maybe I'll give it a shot one of these days.

Aside from giving up cars, there are other things we can do to save the environment. Planting trees is very good for the environment and it's gratifying to watch them grow (over time people, not like watching paint dry). If you plant fruit trees, you get the added benefit of home grown fruit!

Recycle as much as possible and reuse things like water bottles, canvas grocery bags, dishes and flatware. Disposable items are convenient, but they're not good for our environment, so take the extra minute it takes to wash your plate and fork after lunch.

This is a no-brainer, but don't throw trash on the ground.  If there are no trash receptacles around, use the camping rule: pack it in and pack it out. Go the extra mile and pick up trash that's lying around in the street, at parks or wherever you see it. I see a man out walking most mornings on my way to work. He carries a bag with him and picks up any litter that he encounters. That's a really cool thing to do!

The bottom line, do your part to help the environment. Do you have any other suggestions for Earth Day (or everyday)? Please comment and let us know.

Happy Earth Day,
Payton

From Car Seats to Heelys Shoes

Whether you realize it or not, from the time babies are born, they require lots of gadgets. If you're a parent, you know what I'm talking about. When new parents leave the hospital, they're required to put the baby in an infant car seat before they can take the newborn home. And yes, the hospitals do verify that you use a car seat. It's funny that they make sure you have a car seat, but they don't make sure that you have diapers. A friend of mine had a baby recently and she didn't have any newborn diapers at home. She didn't even think of it! Sorry, I've digressed.

Anyway, the infant car seats last until the baby is about 22 lbs and/or 29 inches long. From there, the baby graduates to a convertible car seat. These seats are used until the baby's about 40 lbs. They're convertible because you can use them rear facing or foward facing. It is suggested that  the car seat remain rear facing until the baby is a year old and at least 20 lbs.

Once the child is about 4 years old and 40 lbs, they move on to a booster car seat. Booster seats work work with a regular seat belt. The booster raises the child up high enough so that the shoulder strap and lap belt properly restrain the child. Children should remain in booster car seats until they reach the age of 8 and/or they're 4 feet, 9 inches tall.  Once they reach that height, they should be big enough to ride in a car without a booster and have the seat belt fit them properly. Children should ride in the backseat until the age of 12.

Outside the car, little ones require other types of "wheels." Most babies start out in strollers, which come in all shapes and sizes depending on your needs and lifestyle. I've noticed that many parents start off with big fancy strollers, but they quickly move on to the easy-to-use umbrella strollers. While the sporty parents invest in jogging strollers.

Naturally, kids move on to ride tricycles, scooters, bicycles made for girls or boys. Some kids even zip around town wearing Heelys shoes. The list goes on and on, but I'm pretty sure I've made my point. Babies and kids require a lot of gadgets. The bigger they get, the more expensive the gadgets. Hence the "need" for a hot rod to cure a mid-life crisis! ;o)

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail. Hippity hoppity Easter's on it's way. Do you remember singing that song as a child while you impatiently waited for Easter to arrive? I certainly do!

Easter marks the start of Spring when all the beautiful flowers bloom and animals give birth to Spring litters. It sounds so Disney-like, but it is typically a beautiful time of year. Easter Sunday is a religious holiday for many, but the younger set tend to be focused on the Easter Bunny, Easter baskets full of candy and toys, and Easter egg hunts.

When I was 10 years old, my Grandma started conducting very elaborate Easter egg hunts.  She would  set it up as a scavenger hunt with crazy clues that had us kids running all over her 36 acres of land. Each clue would bring you to an egg, along with another clue. There were also randomly hidden eggs that weren't tied to clues. I think she did that to throw us off a bit. Anyway, the clues would get increasingly more difficult as we go closer to the end. At the end of the hunt, we'd find the final clue to our Easter baskets. It was great fun!


I really enjoyed the hunt, but the real treat was finding the basket full of goodies. I could care less about jelly beans; I used to throw them at my step-brother. All I cared about was the chocolate!  Grandma knew that I didn't waste time with the hollow bunnies. I was all about the solid chocolate! Okay, I still am, let's be real. Regardless, the baskets were full of sweets and fun little toys to play with that kept us occupied until dinner was served.

Dinner was always an elaborate multi-course affair with enough food to food to feed an army! The food was top notch and Grandma always provided several desserts. Needless to say, Easter at Grandma's was always a favorite of mine.

Happy Easter,
Payton

New Patio Furniture for Easter?!?

Easter is a week from Sunday, so if you're in charge of entertaining people for Easter, you should use this weekend wisely to prepare. If you followed the Spring Cleaning tips I posted, then your house should be sparkling and ready to go. But, what does the backyard look like? Around here, it's been pretty sunny and nice, but there's been some rain too. That combo makes it prime weed season! If you haven't visited your backyard in a while, you might want to get up early tomorrow morning to check it out and get to work!

I won't tell you how to clean up your yard, but I will show you some nice patio furniture that you can add. If the weather's nice for Easter, it would be great to have the big meal outside, don't you think?

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

New StyleGuide: Mother's Day Gifts to Nourish Mom's Soul

It's never too early to figure out what to buy for Mom. She works hard year round, so she deserves the very best! Check out the amazing gift ideas on the Mother's Day Gifts to Nourish Mom's Soul StyleGuide brought to you by Eating Out Loud.

If your Mom enjoys eating, drinking and/or cooking, then I'm sure you'll find something in this StyleGuide that will bring her joy this Mother's Day. So, what are you buying for your Mom?

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Spring Cleaning -- Fun for Kids

As promised, I'll take you through some fun things you can do with your kids during the Spring Cleaning process. I probably don't need to say that you should be cautious with chemicals and young children. They're usually not a winning combination. Older children can usually help out with milder cleaners, just make sure the room is well-ventilated (end disclaimer).

Kids can be a great help. They may not always be the fastest cleaners, but they can handle some chores that can really help you out. All you need are some extra rags and a bit of patience. Are you ready?

1. When you're sorting through things to put in the designated boxes, let your child be your "box runner." It's like a "go-fer," except in this case they're taking the item from you and delivering it to the box. This will save you time from walking back and forth, etc. Label the boxes with numbers, colors or shapes, whichever is easiest for your child to recognize and keep straight.

2. Put some old gym socks on your child's hands and let them help you with the dusting process!

3. Teach your child how to vacuum the base boards. They're closer to the ground than you are, so this is a natural task for them!

4. If you're child's not too young, you can probably put some latex gloves on him/her and let them "erase" all the muck from the walls with Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. It's the opposite of coloring on them!

5. When you're in the kitchen and you need to clear out the cabinets that are near the floor, ask your child to help you with this task. Make sure that the cabinet they're clearing out doesn't contain anything breakable.

6. Encourage many rounds of "trash can basketball!" Anytime you need to throw away garbage, ask your child(ren) to shoot a basket into the garbage can.

Want to add some more fun to the process?!? Hide some goodies for your kids around the area you're working in. It would be fun for them to find little "treasures" along the way, like candies or small toys to reward them for their help. It also creates a distraction and give them a break so the task doesn't become too long and daunting.

Set up races between you and your child (or amongst the children). The race can be the first one to complete the task or the first one to beat the timer. If you have more than one child, set a timer or play music. When the timer or music turns off, have the children swap tasks.

Do you have any other games or tasks that you give to your kids? Please comment and let us know. We'd love to learn more!

Happy Spring Cleaning with Kids,
Payton