TheFind Blog

Long Live Routine by OlenaInStyle.com

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

What Women Want:
          
          

       


      

Cuff Bracelet                 Pink Quartz Shimmer Blush              Spring Dress

            

  Diamond Stud Earrings          Floral Print Dress       Pink Quartz Deluxe Trunk

Bling's the Thing:

              

 

      Engagement Ring                    Earrings                           Bracelet

Living la Dolce Vita:

      

 

Chocolates                                  Champagne                         Oysters

 

          Cigars                        Espresso Machine

Quiet Night In:

         

 

        Lingerie                               Candles                              Bath Salts

Early Valentine's Day Indulgence

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?

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

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?!?

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:

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

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

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.
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

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 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 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.

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!

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

Hottest Product Searches on TheFind.com

How much holiday shopping did you complete over the long holiday weekend? It was the biggest shopping weekend of the year! Did you brave the crowds, stay inside and shop online in your cozy pajamas, or did you ignore it all? Whether you shopped or not, here are the hottest product searches that we saw over the big holiday shopping weekend.

Women's Apparel - Metallic Jeans

Kids Item - Footie Pajamas

Hottest Gadget/Toy - Nintendo Wii

Jewelry - Promise Rings, Stackable Rings 

               

Hottest Color - Red: Cell Phones, Coffee Makers, Blenders, Purses

   

Hottest Cosmetics - Bobbi Brown

Hottest Home Item - Roomba Robotic Vacuum (And Red Items Listed Above!)

Hottest Green Brand - Loomstate

 

Most Unique Search - Decorated Turkey Cookies

So, there you have it...nine categories of products that people just like you were shopping for this weekend. I hope it gave you some good ideas for some of the people on your list. I'm thinking everything RED this year. What do you think?!?

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

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

TheFind.com Unveils Innovative New Site Features Just In Time for Holiday Shopping

Just Launched Offerings Let Consumers See Results from Specific Store Groups Such As Boutiques or Well-Known Department Stores, Virtually Shop Famous Shopping Destinations, and More

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TheFind, Inc., the leading shopping search engine and web destination for discovering lifestyle goods, today announced multiple new features enabling a richer and more targeted shopping experience. The following four new features - launched today – have arrived just in time for the holiday shopping season:

Looking for distinctive gifts, and need to see only products from unique boutiques? Just want to see what’s available at the major department stores? Now, with TheFind.com’s Mini-Malls, you can! The new Mini-Mall feature now lets consumers search and quickly see just the matching products from a select group of stores – you can choose from Boutiques, Department Stores, Mall Stores & National Retailers or The Marketplace, which turns up results from online marketplaces like eBay.

Sample Mini-Mall searches:

    * Diamond earrings from boutiques
    * Crib bedding from mall stores
    * Cashmere sweater from department stores

Want to spend a day shopping in Beverly Hills or New York City – but don’t live nearby? Introducing virtual shopping districts! TheFind.com has created special Mini-Malls that bring fashion hot spots Rodeo Drive and 5th and Madison directly to consumers across the country. Online shoppers simply select the Rodeo Drive tab or the 5th and Madison tab located at the top of the search results, and the products from just the retailers that have storefronts in these exclusive regions will instantly be shown. Consumers can effectively shop these high-profile destinations from the comfort of their own home or office - regardless of where they physically reside.

Sample Rodeo Drive and 5th and Madison searches:

    * Cropped Jacket on Rodeo Drive
    * Tunic on 5th and Madison

Interested in more product information, or products related to your chosen item? New mouse-over product page display delivers!

TheFind.com has also enhanced its mouse-over page, which appears when you drag your mouse over any product displayed in the results. The mouse-over page now shows all the product specific information at a glance, without the consumer having to click through to another Web site. In addition, mouse-over page also shows shoppers related products, such as a matching purse, shoes, and/or bracelet, which the store also recommends. Finally, merchants have a targeted advertising location at the bottom of the mouse-over to include sale notifications and money-saving coupons, as well as links directly to the retailer’s site.

Making a List, Checking It Twice? MyFinds enhancement adds personalization with simplified shopping list management!

Continuing the quest to deliver the simplest, most comprehensive and personalized shopping experience, TheFind.com will now offer even more search personalization via its newly expanded capabilities of the MyFinds bar. Users will now have their “recent searches,” “recently viewed” items, and “recently saved” items all housed within the MyFinds bar, which serves as a powerful bookmarking tool for busy holiday shoppers. Search now, save items for later. Users can also email items from the items in MyFinds to friends and family, creating a perfect tool for shoppers to share products and lists throughout the holidays.

“Our core belief is that our shopping search engine should give consumers access to the full scope of what is available from all the online stores, but without having to sift through hundreds of search results that don’t fit their needs. We’re continually enhancing this process for shoppers – adding new features, search categories and simple ways for them to share their finds with friends and family,” said Siva Kumar, CEO of TheFind, Inc. “Shopping online is supposed to save time and energy, especially around the holidays, and we’re here to make sure that is always the case when it comes to pinpointing the right products from the right store for each shopper.”

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

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

Veteran's Day Brings More than Memories

It's no coincidence that many people become more thankful towards the end of the year. We launch into the holiday season with Veteran's Day, which is recognized today (Nov 12th). We're thankful for the military veterans who fought for our country. November 11th is the actual anniversary date of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. 

As with most things in life, people express their appreciation in different ways.  We all have our own ways and styles. I know some people who display flags for Veteran's Day, light candles, and have moments of silence or reflection. While others visit homes where veterans live and spend time with them and show their appreciation in person. And, some of us reflect while shopping. I know, it sounds shallow, but retailers are in full support of this type of appreciation. If they weren't, they wouldn't have such great sales, right? Check out the fashions below for some amazing sales!

So many fabulous trench coats to choose from this season. What color will you choose?

I'm really into scarves this season. They take any lingering chill right out of the air.

Long sleeved tunics are perfect under a trench coat. Spice it up with different colors.

You can't go wrong with dark denim skinny jeans. They go with everything!

And my very favorite addition to so many outfits...tall boots baby! What else?

That's right, all the links above point to hundreds of sale items. It's even better than shopping at the mall. They suck you in with the sales and you fall for the non-sale items every time, don't you? I know, we all do it. So, shop away and thank our veterans for fighting for our country and inspiring retailers to have more sales. Shop on!

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Must Have Tools for the Home

Over the holiday weekend, I had aspirations to complete a few home projects. However, when I went out to the garage to get some tools out of the toolbox, I found that it was mostly empty. How's a girl to do projects without tools?!?

I started thinking about all the tools that are used regularly around the house. Then, I started thinking about the best way to organize them to help encourage everyone to replace them after using them. I really don't know where they all disappeared to because the house is clean and they're not lying around in the garage. I wonder if someone put them in the dryer (you know, that's where all the socks disappear, right?). Anyway, I wrote out a shopping list of all the tools that are needed regularly for household projects and here's what it looks like:

1. Hammer
2. Screwdriver set (philips & flatheads)
3. Wrench set
4. Pipe wrench
5. Socket set
6. Utility knife
7. 25 ft tape measure
8. Hack saw
9. Putty knife
10. Vise grip
11. Needle nose pliers
12. Allen (hex) wrench set
13. Cordless drill
14. Drill bit set

In addition to the tools listed above, I think it's necessary to have a few key supplies on hand in order to get projects done around the house.

1. Duct tape
2. Nails
3. Screws
4. Picture hangers
5. Thumb tacks
6. WD-40
7. Goof Off
8. Mr. Clean's Magic Erasers
9. Spackle/putty
10. Sandpaper/sanding blocks

So, here I am with some handy lists and hardly any tools to work with. I gave up on trying to get any projects done over the weekend. Instead, I went off and rode my horse. Priorities, meh! It was a holiday weekend...I had a right to play. Meanwhile all the projects are still waiting for me. So, now I need to replenish my tool box and supplies and get some stuff done. Wish me luck!

Happy 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

Father's Day Adventures

Take Dad on a Father's Day adventure that he'll never forget! Forget about giving him a shirt, a tie or a new coffee mug. Take him out to have some fun!

Does your Dad enjoy sports? Take him to ESPN Zone for a hands-on sports overload! He can watch all kinds of sports just about anywhere he goes in the "Zone" on any of their 150+ monitors. Does he have a favorite sport? He can play until his heart's content. Visit your local "Zone" or travel to a location of choice: Anaheim, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, New York, or Washington D.C. Bring a camera to capture Dad in his element.

Need a little more adventure for Father's Day? Take Dad skydiving! Now, that's exciting, right? You can find skydiving outfitters all over the U.S., so it's easy to stay local or to take a trip to a desired location. Make sure your Dad doesn't have any heart issues before investing in this adventure. If he has a clean bill of health, then go jump out of a plane together. I promise it will be an experience to remember. Most outfitters will video tape the jump for you as well (for a nominal fee, of course).

Would you prefer a water-based adventure instead of flying through the air? Take Dad to the rapids for some white water rafting! Rafting is one of those things (Do we call it a sport? I don't know.) anyway, it's one of those things can be really freakin' intense and scary and just when you think you can't take it anymore, the rapids break away to a calm, surreal stillness that you coast through quietly. Don't get too comfy though because there's another breaker around the bend! It's a real blast! Again, make sure that Dad doesn't have any heart issues before embarking on this adventure. Most outfitters will provide photos for purchase at the end of your ride.

If you read this and the first thought that came to your mind was, "That's great, my Dad hates sports and had a double by-pass two years ago, so none of these work for me." If that's the case, I suggest you go play golf. Oh come on, it's not a sport! Well, it might be if you actually walk the course, but it would better qualify as a sport if you ran the course instead. Think about it...extreme golf!

If all else fails, take him out to an outrageous dinner! Take him to a special place that you wouldn't normally dine and order one of everything on the menu. :o)

Happy Adventuring/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