I personally have a lot of outdoor plants. I was actually outside cutting down a lot of my dead plants today. Since I am allergic to life itself, (Yes, you may laugh at that statement. However, I was allergy tested, and I was allergic to every single thing they tested me for,) I always wear gloves when doing any sort of yard work. I love my Ethel Gloves. First, I have super small hands. I never can find gloves that are 4 sizes too big.  However, these gloves fit like a charm (they also come in several sizes, so if you have bigger hands, they will fit you too).  Second, I love the feel of them.  The inside of these are super soft, so they actually feel nice to wear.  They also have elastic around the wrists.  For me, that is heaven sent, because when I am pulling weeds and dead plants out, I always get dirt into my gloves (which negates the use of the gloves most of the time).  With Ethel Gloves, I did not have that problem.  What is the thing I love most about these?  They are machine washable!

This definitely makes an awesome gift to the woman in your life if she does any sort of gardening outside.  We are always looking for fashionable gloves that fit well and do the job we need them to.  Ethel Gloves fits all of the above, so she’ll love them!

If you have athletes in your house, you definitely need to look into getting some Cleatskins.  This is one of those products that it is hard to believe no one has come up with before, because it is so genius.  They are designed to fit over cleated shoes and quickly and conveniently take athletes (you know, those people who don’t need to take Phentermine to lose weight) from the field to the street.  These fit over all types of cleats:  baseball, soccer, football and more.  I remember when I played soccer in high school, and I would have at least two pairs, if not three pairs, of shoes I brought school.  I hated that after practice or a game, we always had to change into a different pair of schools.  I know that this is something we will definitely be investing in when my kids get a tad older and are in sports.  All of the floors in my house are real hardwood, and I will not have them marking it up.  They also protecting your cleats from wear and tear, and are machine washable (that has to be a mom favorite right there!).  It also creates a sealed barrier which keeps dirt and grass out of your home and car.

If you have an athlete in your family, this is the perfect Christmas gift.  These come in a multitude of sizes and colors, so you should have no problem finding a Cleatskin for the favorite athlete in your life.

I swear my husband has the most disgusting vehicle ever.  I have often talked about what crappy gas mileage we get with the Jeep, but I have never talked about how gross and filthy it gets.  It is nasty.  Bill works a lot of time on job sites.  Now, this can mean everything from buildings already done to those that are just breaking ground.  He also carries a lot of tools and supplies for the guys in there.  Needless to say, his Jeep has a layer of dirt in there that I didn’t think was possible to clean off.

Turtle Wax ICE™ Total Interior Care came to the rescue.  I know when I think of Turtle Wax, I always think of the great job they do on the outside of our vehicles.  However, they do as great of a job on the inside too.  You know that layer of muck I was just talking about — gone.  It didn’t take much elbow grease either!  Our 5 year old Jeep looks almost brand new on the inside with its cleanliness.  I am impressed and I don’t mind sitting in the Jeep now.

It doesn’t get easier than this to use either:

· It is best to apply wax on surfaces between 55 and 85 degrees

· Apply the wax to soft, cotton, damp cloth and apply to the surface to be protected. Use a separate cloth to remove the wax

· Wax should be reapplied when water beading diminishes

The other cool thing with the Turtle Wax ICE™ Total Interior Care is that it has so many uses besides your car.  First, try this on your patio furniture.  It’ll keep the dust, dirt, and grime off it, and keep it looking like you just bought it.  My favorite — use it in the bathroom.  You can say goodbye to soap scum.  In the kitchen, you can use it to remove stains from appliances and other kitchen surfaces (like my old crappy countertops).   It will also clean stains on carpets and leather furniture!

There are so many uses for Turtle Wax ICE™ Total Interior Care that it is definitely worth every cent you pay for it.  You’ll be finding yourself running out to get more quite quickly when you see how good it works.

Dirt is a show on FX. It is all about the world of celebrity and tabloids. You get to see how they work together behind the scenes to get their pictures jumping on trampolines so stars can get some good press. I often wonder if Britney Spears watches it, since some of her life definitely mirrors the show. The first season was awesome. It was one of my favorite shows. However, this second season, I am not sure what is missing. It just doesn’t the same allure it had before. Instead of being awesome and great, it is just okay. The stories being told aren’t drawing me in like they did last season. I have watched two full episodes this season and am currently watching the third, and it just isn’t doing it for me. This could be due to the writers strike. I am not sure. All I know is that I want my Dirt from last season back!

The Discovery Channel has another great show that I have to tell you about. It is called Dirty Jobs. This show is great since the whole family can watch it. The premise is pretty easy — people write in with the “dirty job” they have. Mike Rowe, the host, goes to their job site and does their dirty job for a day. It is amazing, because there are so many jobs out there that you never knew that existed. He has done everything from being a skull cleaner to a sausage linker to a hot tar roofer in the middle of summer. He’s taken gum off the sidewalks, cleaned the gas tanks in planes, and cleaned the sewers in New York (at least, I think it was in New York). There was even a show with birds that puked on him. Sometimes, you truly wonder if he should get some Raleigh personal injury lawyers on staff, because I don’t think he always knows what he is in for. They have never shown him get hurt (yet). However, we have seen some definite OSHA violations.  If you need to appreciate your job or want some great TV viewing, then tune in to Dirty Jobs.

Take Me Out Of The Bathtub is another book that Madison loves. It is super cute. They change the words of songs like Take Me Out To The Ballgame to Take Me Out Of The Bathtub and I’ve Been Working On The Railroad to I’ve Been Cleaning Up My Bedroom. Madison loves to sing along when we read this book together. It is a classic and a riot too! My only problem is that sometimes I can’t remember the tunes to the song. Here’s Take Me Out of the Bathtub:

Take me out of the bathtub
Take me out of the suds
I’ve been here soaking since half past two
I feel so sudsy and wrinkle~y, too
Oh, I washed all over my body
My head, my toes, in between
I used one, two, three bars of soap
Take me out . . . I’m clean

This song actually has more versus, but you can definitely see the humor that is intertwined here. No songs about gold chains, but there is one about a dirty diaper.