There are certain scents I associate with the holiday time. For example, if I smell pumpkin pie, I think Thanksgiving. If I smell pine needles, I think Christmas. Glade must know this, so they came out with some great holiday candles.  Some of the yummy (and I mean yummy flavors) Glade has this year include Bayberry Spice, Homemade Gingerbread, Hollyberry Wreath, Peppermint Crush, French Vanilla, and Apple Cinnamon.  There is nothing better than walking into your house and smelling gingerbread or cinnamon. It’s a great way to set the scene for some holiday parties and just enjoying the holiday overall.

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One of the funnest and funniest games that is coming out for Christmas is Giraffalaff Limbo.  Not only will your kids be giggling but you will be too!  This isn’t like any Limbo you’ve ever played though.  You have to spin the wheel and find out which silly animal walk you have to do under the limbo bar.  It you hit the bar, it’ll start giggling at you, and you are out of the game!  Is it silly?  Definitely!  Will your kids love it?  Yes!  You will have your kids constantly yelling at you to watch them do their silly walk.  The limbo bar is made out of foam, so you have no worries about anyone getting hurt.  I love that this game is more about having fun than who wins or who loses.  It also helps your little ones with their coordination.

If you want hours of giggling, Giraffalaff Limbo definitely fits the bill!

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If you are looking for a Mother’s Day present for the weekend, have no fear, See’s Candies is here for you.  I don’t know any mom who wouldn’t want chocolate for Mother’s Day.  Things I love about the keepsake box is that it is cute,  and you can use it again.   It is filled with 3 different kinds of chocolate, truffles, and fail covered milk chocolate hearts.  There is definitely something here for everyone.  I know I liked it a lot (and I didn’t share it either).  The best part is the price.  It is $19, so it is definitely an affordable gift!

Another Mother’s Day gift you should check out is the Keepsake of Hearts Bag. This bag is filled with foil wrapped Milk Chocolate hearts.  The organza wrap matches the keepsake box, so you can give the mom in your life both!  This cute little bag is only $6.75 so it is very affordable.  (On a side note, I can see giving this as a gift to bridesmaids at a wedding too if they periwinkle matches you colors.  I know chocolate also makes a good gift.)

See’s Candies has been around for over 85 years and has one of the largest chocolate selections I have ever seen.  You can definitely find something for everyone there.  The chocolate tastes excellent, and their tagline “Quality Without Compromise” definitely holds true.

Ok, I guess that is a little dramatic.  However, I do have some winners for you for contests that ended over the weekend.  The contests ended Saturday night.  I was at a Christmas party Saturday night, and ended up cleaning and making cookies and wrapping presents all day yesterday (and have another day of it tonday).  That being said, I have three great items to be giving away today. I am looking at Ficklets, a book, and a gift certificate. So without further ado, here are your winners:

Ficklets:

The winner is an extra entry from Kat!

Sixty Five Roses book:

Congrats Jo!

Build a Bear Gift Certificate:

Congrats Andreah!

I didn’t want to give you a list of the hottest DVDs of the season, because well, you know what they are already.  I wanted to introduce you to some little treasures I’ve come across that you should get.

I have two kids that are always on the go. Madison, my 4 year old, never ever stops. She literally bounces off the walls 24-7. Will is a tad more laid back, but at 18 months, he really is on the go most of the time. A great DVD I found to help wind both kids down is Zen Baby. I wish I came across this DVD when my kids were younger, because I would have loved to start using it then.  This DVD is full of relaxing music and awesome images:  baby faces, bees, clouds, grass, water, and bubbles just to name a few.  Zen Baby has also received six awards since its release including the Dr. Toy Best Children’s Products and the National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval.  This is also the perfect length; it holds Madison’s attention and that is a difficult feat.  I even have found that it has inspired my kids to take a closer look at things.  This is a great movie to watch right before bedtime, naptime, or just when the kids needs to sit down and take a break.

The Child King is about a boy with Down’s syndrome who takes his little brother to the North Pole to find Santa Claus.  The younger brother has his doubt about Santa, and Jeremy, the older brother, was to prove it to him.  This is a great movie that teaches the importance of reaching for the stars.  This is something I definitely want to install in my children — that everything is possible.  Besides this being a great movie, all proceeds from the DVD sales are donated to individuals and organizations that help those with intellectual disabilities.  I don’t want to give away whether or not they find Santa, but this should definitely be on your holiday watching list.

Do you have a pressure cooker and would like to learn how to use it? A pressure cooker is one of the things we ask for; yet, we have no idea how to use it effectively. Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look, Delicious Dinners in Minutes has now come to the rescue.  While you are watching this 75 minute DVD, you will actually feel like you are in a cooking class.  Jill Nussinow has been teaching pressure cooking for over 12 years, so she definitely knows her stuff.  Did you know that vegetable soup cooks in just 3 minutes in a pressure cooker?  I didn’t either!  You also reduce your energy usage, by using a pressure cooker.  I also love that she showed me if I could boil water, than I could use a pressure cooker.  It isn’t any harder than that.  I also love that this DVD gives you 14 recipes to try including Hot Cereal with Cranberries, Apples, and Walnuts (which only takes 3 minutes to make!).   If you own a pressure cooker, this is a DVD you definitely need to add to your collection.

We all know we need to exercise more.  However, the majority of us gets into a rut and we quit.  Heading into 2009, how many of us have New Years Resolutions that involve getting healthier?  Moving Free Longevity Solution is the answer to all of us who find most of the other DVDs and prgrams out there too demanding.  If you are looking for videos that you can actually do and follow, these are it.  It is a slower approach that has more easily attainable short term goals.  Do you have five minutes a day to dedicate towards excerise?  Then you can do this program.

You start with the Ease-In DVD which has 6 workouts (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 minute workouts).  You do the 5 minute workout until it feels like it is too easy.  Then you move up to the 10 minute workout, and just keep repeating.  Once 30 minutes seems too easy, then you are ready to move up.  This is where most fitness programs start at.  Now you are ready for Cardio Dance Level One, Strength Level 1, and Flexibility Level 1.  Level 2 for all of these DVDs is coming out in 2009.  This is an exercise program that we can all follow and pick up at any point in our lives.

These DVDs all would make great additions to anyone’s DVD collection.  Make sure you go check them out.