Oneida Stainless Pro Series – Stainless Steel Multi-Pot
The Oneida Stainless Steel Multi-pot is such an awesome part of the kitchen that I wanted to use it as soon as I unwrapped it from the packaging. Whether you’re making pasta, steaming some vegetables, or making a delicious winter soup, Oneida and the Stainless Steel Multi-pot have got you covered. This is the first multi-pot I have owned and I knew I was going to love it from the moment I started using it. Cooking is a breeze no matter what you make with this pot. Just drop your pasta into the colander and you can cook and drain it all in the same pot. Steaming vegetables has also never been easier. Oneida gives you plenty of excuses to make family-style meals that the whole family can enjoy, all in one pot.

You can learn more about the Oneida Stainless Steel Multipot at the Oneida website. You should be able to find this where fine kitchen products are sold online or offline. It currently has a list price of under $70 on Amazon.

Cuisine Foundations: The Chefs of Le Cordon Bleu
It doesn’t seem to matter whether you know how to cook or you’d just prefer to eat, most people are familiar with the Le Cordon Bleu name and reputation. This is one of the reasons that I am thrilled to recommend Cuisine Foundations. Sold in a box set, you receive two books that will take any cook and make them a chef, if only for a meal. Not only that, but if you can’t cook this will be sure to propel you to at least a basic cook status.

If you have no cooking knowledge reading or looking through Cuisine Foundations can be a daunting task, but if you read and follow the basic instructions you will find that cooking is easier than you ever thought it could be. With a wide range of recipes you have the ability to start in your comfort zone and venture into the unknown once you are more comfortable. Each book offers plenty of full-color illustrations, step by step instructions, and the ability to look up cooking terms as you need them. The Cuisine Foundations set also includes a Chef’s Tea Towel.

Any foodie that likes to cook from recipe books needs this set. This will end up being the foundation for any gourmet meals cooked by new chefs at home, so if you’re buying for the person that loves to cook you should really consider this set for their present this year. Amazon has the Cuisine Foundations Set available for around $50.

Capresso Automatic Milk Frother – FrothPRO
The Capresso FrothPRO is the absolute perfect gift for the budding barista. Coffee drinks are incredibly popular these days, but they are also unnecessarily expensive. That being said, with a FrothPRO and a cappuccino, espresso or even a coffee maker there is no reason why someone can’t create the same amazing drinks at a fraction of the price. The froth PRO includes settings for hot, warm, and cold and you can choose to froth or just warm something up. While the froth setting will help to create delicious coffee based drinks, the warm setting is perfect for creating hot chocolate or just warm milk, if you like that sort of thing. The froth PRO is a standalone small appliance that won’t take up much space. It even includes an auto shut-off feature for safety. Two frothing discs and one heating disc is included. All parts are even dishwasher safe, so even cleanup will be a breeze.

I love our Capresso Froth PRO and use it often. While it may not seem to be the normal holiday gift, if you have a coffee shop fan in your family, this will be an invaluable present and they will love it!

The FrothPRO is also cost effective as far as presents go. You can order this through the Capresso website for $59.99. If you really want to splurge (or let your relatives feel like they live in a coffee shop) you might even want to consider the Capresso Impressa C9 One Touch Coffee Maker.

NuWave Oven
The NuWave Oven was something I had been curious about for some time. Whenever I see something on an infomercial I tend to write it off and move on, but I kept coming back to this intriguing item. The thing I liked the most about this was the convenience factor. Cleanup is simple and there is almost nothing that this oven won’t do. The NuWave oven will fry, bake, broil, grill, and dehydrate. I am sure it does other things, but you get the idea. You can cook poached eggs in the NuWave for breakfast and have ribs for dinner. You can even cook meat from a frozen state.

Using three cooking methods (infared, convection, and conduction) the NuWave Oven offers a fast, easy, and simple way to get dinner made in a healthy, delicious way. The NuWave doesn’t take up too much space but it will hold plenty of food. It comes with an extender ring to allow it to hold more food, but to give you an idea, without the ring it will cook a ten pound turkey. If you add the extender, the turkey can be as heavy as sixteen pounds! After hearing about this I considered buying it just for the convenience during holidays. I don’t know about you, but I always need more room in my oven. Foodies might be shocked at this present, but everyone I know that has one loves it. It will just take one meal for them to be incredibly thankful (if they aren’t to begin with).

You can learn more about the NuWave Oven at the NuWave Oven Website. This is available through the website for $120 and you receive numerous free extras at the time of purchase.

Conserving Now – Bring Your Own – Family Starter Eco Kit
If you have someone in your family that wants to make shopping trips easier or that cares about the environment then Conserving Now needs to be on your radar. Offering a host of eco-friendly products including ways to educate classrooms on the environment, Conserving Now offers excellent products at fair prices. We received the family starter eco-kit, which includes two oversized cotton totes, a set of three market bags with a cinch bag for storage, a bag recycler, some door hangers, and some static clings. While things like the door hangers and the static clings have not really been used by us, I have found the bags to be invaluable. They are huge, hold a great deal and are incredibly well made. With that in mind, these make a fabulous gift for shoppers and people hoping to avoid plastic bags in the future. These bags would easily hold the contents created in a small to medium shopping trip.

You can learn more at the Conserving Now website. The Family Starter Eco Kit is available on the website for $40.99.

Green Ostrich – Preserve Recycled Plastic Large Apple Green Colander
Green Ostrich offers a host of products that are all eco-friendly. Offering everything from kitchen products to various school supplies, Green Ostrich has you covered. I was shocked to find out how much I loved the Preserve line they carry. We recently moved and I was missing some key kitchen essentials so we decided to focus on those things. We received one of the Plastic Large Apple Green Colanders and its been love at first use ever since. Not only is it sturdy and made to last, it’s also incredibly inexpensive. I have priced other (non eco-friendly) colanders of this quality and found then to be in the $20 range. The Preserve colander is $8 less than that. It’s also a vibrant, gorgeous color. If you’re looking for practical gift options, I highly suggest putting this towards the top of your list.

You can learn more about the Preserve line and the Apple Green Colander at the Green Ostrich website. The Preserve Apple Green Colander is available on the Green Ostrich website for just over $12.

Green Ostrich – Preserve Recycled Plastic Apple Green Tableware Pack
Preserve eco-friendly tableware made me consider switching to completely eco-friendly dishes. While I have yet to make the full transition I will say that for about the last month this set of dishes (cups, plates, and bowls) has been our main set. We use them for the majority of our casual meals and snacks. As someone that needs to diet, I love the plates because they are a tad smaller than some dinner plates, which means less food. I still end up getting enough, but find that I am not taking too much because there just isn’t room for extras. Cleanup is simple and these packs come in a variety of great, vibrant colors. We chose the green and I absolutely adore them! These would be great for young families, college students, and people considering the switch to eco-friendly products.

You can learn more about the Preserve line and the Recycled Plastic Apple Green Tableware Set at the Green Ostrich website. The Preserve Apple Green Tableware Set is available on the Green Ostrich website for just under $20.

George Foreman Healthy Cooking Smart Kitchen Multi-Cooker
One of the coolest brands for cooking with small appliances these days is George Foreman Healthy Cooking. I have used George Foreman products in the past and it seems that everything works fabulous for my needs. We have an Evolve Grill that we received awhile back and I use it often. I was thrilled to try the Multicooker because it’s not what you’d normally expect from the George Foreman Healthy Cooking name. However, it works just as well as other products in the brand. Sporting a 26-cup (5 quart) cooking space, the Smart Kitchen Multicooker can steam rice, cook vegetables and meat, and is the perfect space to make delicious soups and strews. Like other Smart Kitchen products, this Multicooker is nonstick so you do not need to use excessive amounts of butter or oil. It’s also a cinch to clean. The Intelli-Probe has cook settings for rice, steaming, and different temperature settings including searing for stews and other foods. A stainless steel steaming basket is also included for fish, vegetables and other foods. Best of all, when you’re done cooking you can remove the pan (which is quite stylish) and bring it to the table for some delectable family style meals. This makes an excellent gift for the entire family or your favorite foodie.

You can learn more about the Smart Kitchen Multicooker at the George Foreman Healthy Cooking website. Some other great options (I have yet to try, but have my eye on) include the Skillite Searing Skillet and the Panini Grill. You can order the Smart Kitchen Multicooker at the George Foreman Healthy Cooking website. It’s normally $80, but is currently on sale for $40 so it’s the perfect time to buy one. We’re also giving one away so make sure to enter for your chance to win one!

TJ Maxx Kitchenware Products
I have been a TJ Maxx shopper for years. While the clothing section can always be hit or miss, I often find amazing deals on home products. If you’re looking for a brand name cookware set at the fraction of the price or you want some beautiful accent pieces to brighten up your kitchen TJMaxx is the perfect store to look. On a recent trip I purchased some glass canisters for around $12. They sit on my counter holding dried pasta, sugar, and flour. This is just one of the great finds that was available that day. From knife sets to gourmet pans, TJMaxx has just about everything your kitchen might need and could be missing. This makes TJMaxx an excellent option for holiday shopping. If you have any picky relatives or friends you’re buying for, TJMaxx offers such an eclectic range of products that you shouldn’t have a problem finding something for everyone. If you find you like what you see, but can’t find that perfect gift you can even consider a gift card, which would allow the gift participant to do the shopping for themselves.

You can visit the TJ Maxx website to find a store near you!

Novica Hand Blown Glass Products
We have had the pleasure of writing about Novica products in the past. We received a few items from them when we moved into our home. One of the items that we received, the Spirals of Thought Glasses in Blue were a huge hit. These handblown glasses are absolutely amazing. They are thicker than your average glasses and the art work involved in creating these offers something simple yet dynamic. The spirals running through the glasses are fabulous. Our friends love them and we use them all the time. Purchasing from Novica also allows you to support artisans from around the world. The glasses we purchased were made by a duo of artisans that are incredibly talented. The men hail from Mexico and offer a number of different products through the Novica website.

You can learn more about The Spirals of Thought glasses at the Novica website. You can currently purchase these glasses for under $40 and there are a host of other amazing products available on the site.

Noodle and Boo Reed Diffuser
I’m a sucker for any product that adds a light, breezy scent to the room. The Crème Douce scent of the Noodle & Boo Reed Diffuser is simply exquisite. It combines the scents of peach, water blossoms, mixed berries, clover honey, milk and vanilla beans. You’ll get a whiff of the individual scents, which combine to form a sweet, delicate flavor within the air. What I love about the Noodle & Boo Reed Diffuser is that the scent isn’t overpowering. Just the right hint of each scent combines to form a new, layered scent that gently wafts through the room or any other environment where you place it.

This gift is great for those who are looking for ways to make their home unique. This is definitely an original product. So many air fresheners do not last, but this reed diffuser is continuous, leaving the room smelling delicious. To find out more about Noodle and Boo visit the following website.

Don’t forget to visit our other holiday guides:
Food – Books – Toys

Technorati Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide, Gift Giving, Ten Items, List of Ten, Home, Kitchen, NuWave, TJ Maxx, Novica, Recycled, Preserver, Capresso, Le Cordon Bleu, Oneida

Signing up is just like your traditional movie subscription service, except that you will receive books. You visit the Book Swim website and pick your plan. For this review we were offered the three books at a time plan. Once you’ve signed up it’s time to fill your queue. We didn’t have any problem finding things we wanted to read. Dominick loves Patricia Cornwell books, so we added some of those and CT has expressed an interested in reading the Percy Jackson series, so we added The Lightning Thief to the queue, as well. We added a variety of other books, but the first three we received were two Cornwell novels and The Lightning Thief. This is pretty fitting because they were the first books that we added at the time.

The quality of the books that we received varied greatly, but they were all readable. If you’re used to checking books out at the library you know what I mean. For example, one of the Patricia Cornwell novels looked almost new. On the other hand, the Percy Jackson title looked as close to worn down as it could look without ripping. One of the obvious differences was that the Jackson title was older and it was soft cover not hard cover. Obviously, it was going to be easier to gain that worn look, especially if it was well-read, which this copy seemed to be.

Once the books are read you just put them in the enclosed envelope and attach the shipping label and send them back. All books need to be sent back at the same time. You receive a certain amount at a time and send them back when you’re done. It’s really that simple.

Shipping time didn’t seem to take more than a few days at most. Once we signed up and picked the books we wanted, we had the first set within three days. Return acknowledgment happens within two to three days after you return them and a few days later you have new books. It’s safe to say that within a week or returning your books you will have new ones.

Book Swim offers a variety of membership options based on the amount you read and how fast you do it. The best plan for most is the three books at a time plan, which runs you about $24 a month. It’s worth it because Book Swim gives you the convenience of letting you pick the books you want to read from home. You won’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on books or spend gas money driving around town to get them. You will also save plenty of time and energy in the process. After all, no one has to know that you’re ordering books for the whole family in your pajamas. If you find that you have plenty of readers in your home, Book Swim is a quick and easy solution to getting the books you want at a price you can afford.

Technorati Tags: Book Swim, Rental Service, Product Review, Books, Reading, Rent, Convenient

In our mini-guide we are promoting books that we would love to read if we had access to them or books that we have read that were just awesome! If we’ve read the book we will link to our review so that you can see our thoughts. Otherwise, we will be offering the book description since we cannot offer a recommendation other than to say that these descriptions seriously piqued my interest!

This Mini-Guide is part of our Ultimate Summer Buying Guide.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future by Michael J Fox
Book Description: In A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future, Michael draws on his own life experiences to make a case that real learning happens when “life goes skidding sideways.” He writes of coming to Los Angeles from Canada at age eighteen and attempting to make his way as an actor. Fox offers up a comically skewed take on how, in his own way, he fulfilled the requirements of a college syllabus. He learned Economics as a starving artist; an unexpected turn as a neophyte activist schooled him in Political Science; and his approach to Comparative Literature involved stacking books up against their movie versions.

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The Meaning of Matthew by Judy Shepard
Book Description: The Meaning of Matthew follows the Shepard family in the days immediately after the crime, when Judy and her husband traveled to see their incapacitated son, kept alive by life support machines; how the Shepards learned of the incredible response from strangers all across America who held candlelit vigils and memorial services for their child; and finally, how they struggled to navigate the legal system as Matthew’s murderers were on trial. Heart-wrenchingly honest, Judy Shepard confides with readers about how she handled the crippling loss of her child, why she became a gay rights activist, and the challenges and rewards of raising a gay child in America today.

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A Brave Vessel by Hobson Woodward
Book Description: In 1609, aspiring writer William Strachey set sail aboard the Sea Venture, bound for the New World. Caught in a hurricane, the ship separated from its fleet and wrecked on uninhabited Bermuda, a bountiful island paradise its passengers would inhabit for nearly a year before reaching their intended destination, the famine-stricken colony of Jamestown. Strachey’s meticulous account of the wreck, the castaways’ time on Bermuda, and their arrival in a devastated Jamestown was read by his contemporaries and remains among the most vivid writings of the early colonial period. Following the life of this ordinary man, Hobson Woodward tells one of the neglected but defining stories of America’s founding. Strachey had literary aspirations and sought to capitalize on his epic experience, but his writings did not bring him the acclaim he sought. Only in the hands of another William would his tale of the wreck and its aftermath make history as The Tempest. A Brave Vessel is the fascinating account of a near-miss in the settling of Virginia, the true story behind one of Shakespeare’s great plays, and the tragedy of the man who failed as an author but who contributed to the creation of a masterpiece.

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The Girls of Murder City by Douglas Perry
There was nothing surprising about men turning up dead in the Second City. Life was cheaper than a quart of illicit gin in the gangland capital of the world. But two murders that spring were special – worthy of celebration. So believed Maurine Watkins, a wanna-be playwright and a “girl reporter” for the Chicago Tribune, the city’s “hanging paper.” Newspaperwomen were supposed to write about clubs, cooking and clothes, but the intrepid Miss Watkins, a minister’s daughter from a small town, zeroed in on murderers instead. Looking for subjects to turn into a play, she would make “Stylish Belva” Gaertner and “Beautiful Beulah” Annan – both of whom had brazenly shot down their lovers – the talk of the town. Love-struck men sent flowers to the jail and newly emancipated women sent impassioned letters to the newspapers. Soon more than a dozen women preened and strutted on “Murderesses’ Row” as they awaited trial, desperate for the same attention that was being lavished on Maurine Watkins’s favorites.

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Composed by Rosanne Cash
Cash writes compellingly about her upbringing in Southern California as the child of country legend Johnny Cash, and of her relationships with her mother and her famous stepmother, June Carter Cash. In her account of her development as an artist she shares memories of a hilarious stint as a twenty-year-old working for Columbia Records in London; recording her own first album on a German label; working her way to success; her marriage to Rodney Crowell, a union that made them Nashville’s premier couple; her relationship with the country music establishment; taking a new direction in her music and leaving Nashville to move to New York; motherhood; dealing with the deaths of her parents, in part through music; the process of songwriting; and the fulfillment she has found with her current husband and musical collaborator, John Leventhal.

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Knife Music by David Carnoy
Book Description: Tense and twisting, Knife Music is the story of a doctor struggling to clear his name after being accused of raping and causing the suicide of a young girl. The novel pits Cogan, a 43-year-old surgeon and self- described womanizer, against Hank Madden, a handicapped veteran detective. From the outset it’s not clear who is victim and who is victimizer, as the usually dispassionate Madden grapples with his long-suppressed prejudices and his obsession with bringing Ted Cogan to justice at any cost—to the doctor or himself. It all leads up to the most stunning surprise ending since Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent.

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Psycho by Robert Bloch
Book Description: Norman Bates loves his Mother. She has been dead for the past twenty years, or so people think. Norman knows better though. He has lived with Mother ever since leaving the hospital in the old house up on the hill above the Bates motel. One night Norman spies on a beautiful woman that checks into the hotel as she undresses. Norman can’t help but spy on her. Mother is there though. She is there to protect Norman from his filthy thoughts. She is there to protect him with her butcher knife.

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The Signal by Ron Carlson
Book Description: Backpacking into the Wind River Mountains on their tenth annual trip, Mack and his wife, Vonnie, find the magnificent woods and stunning mountains of Wyoming full of ghosts and danger. Mack comes from a long line of ranchers, and his dedication to keeping the family land has led him into penury and a life of crime. Vonnie is a fiercely intelligent, headstrong girl who came west for love, only to have it stolen from her bit by bit. They’ve made this trip to say goodbye to each other, but as they navigate the trails they know so well, they come to understand the true nature of their wounds. And Mack has one more secret: he is trying to receive a signal and retrieve something that has fallen from the sky. It is a beacon that will lead them into a wood far darker than they’ve ever imagined. Ron Carlson’s love for the mountains and his mastery of fiction radiate in the pages of this thrilling, fast-paced love story.

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Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan
Book Description: The man who calls himself David Loogan is leading a quiet, anonymous life in the college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He’s hoping to escape a violent past he would rather forget. But his solitude is broken when he finds himself drawn into a friendship with Tom Kristoll, the publisher of the mystery magazine Gray Streets-and into an affair with Laura, Tom’s sleek blond wife. What Loogan doesn’t realize is that the stories in Gray Streets tend to follow a simple formula: Plans go wrong. Bad things happen. People die.

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The Wet Nurse’s Tale by Erica Eisdorfer
Susan Rose isn’t the average protagonist: she’s scheming, promiscuous, plump, and she is also smart, funny, tender, and entirely lovable. Like many lower-class women of Victorian England, she was born into a world that offered very few opportunities for the poor and unlovely. But Susan is the kind of plucky heroine who seeks her fortune, and finds it . . . with some help from, well, her breasts. Susan, you see, is a professional wet nurse; she breast-feeds the children of wealthy women who can’t or won’t nurse their own babies. But when her own child is sold by her father and sent to a London lady who had recently lost a baby, Susan manages to convince his new foster mother, Mrs. Norbert, to hire her as a wet nurse. Once reunited with her son, Susan discovers the Norbert home to be a much more sinister place than she’d ever expected. Dark and full of secrets, its master is in India, and the first baby who died there did so under very mysterious circumstances. Susan embarks on a terrifying journey to rescue her son before he meets the same fate.

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The Secret Eleanor by Cecelia Holland
1151: As Duchess of Aquitaine, Eleanor grew up knowing what it was to be regarded for herself and not for her husband’s title. Now, as wife to Louis VII and Queen of France, she has found herself unsatisfied with reflected glory-and feeling constantly under threat, even though she outranks every woman in Paris. Then, standing beside her much older husband in the course of a court ceremony, Eleanor locks eyes with a man-hardly more than a boy, really- across the throne room, and knows that her world has changed irrevocably… He is Henry D’Anjou, eldest son of the Duke of Anjou, and he is in line, somewhat tenuously, for the British throne. She meets him in secret. She has a gift for secrecy, for she is watched like a prisoner by spies even among her own women. She is determined that Louis must set her free. Employing deception and disguise, seduction and manipulation, Eleanor is determined to find her way to power-and make her mark on history.

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Song of the Dragon by Tracy & Laura Hickman
Once Humans had a magical alliance with Dragons. Now they and the other races have been enslaved by the Rhonas Empire – the elves – and can’t even remember the world the way it used to be. But thanks to the intervention of one determined dwarf and the human slave warrior known as Drakis, all of that is about to change.

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Omnitopia Dawn by Diane Duane
In an increasingly wired and computer-friendly world, massive multiplayer online games have become the ultimate form of entertainment. And the most popular gaming universe of all is Omnitopia, created by genius programmer Dev Logan. For millions of people around the world, Omnitopia is an obsession, a passionate pastime, almost a way of life. But there’s a secret to Omnitopia, one that Dev would give his life to protect-the game isn’t just a program or a piece of code. It’s become sentient-alive. And it’s Dev’s job to keep it that way…

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The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi
Idyllic but remote, the Greek island of Thiminos seems untouched and untroubled by the modern world. So when the battered body of a young woman is discovered at the foot of a cliff, the local police – governed more by archaic rules of honor than by the law – are quick to close the case, dismissing her death as an accident.
Then a stranger arrives, uninvited, from Athens, announcing his intention to investigate further into the crime he believes has been committed. Refusing to accept the woman’s death as an accident or suicide, Hermes Diaktoros sets out to uncover the truths that skulk beneath this small community’s exterior.
Hermes’s methods of investigation are unorthodox, and his message to the islanders is plain – tell the truth or face the consequences. Before long, he’s uncovering a tale of passion, corruption and murder that entangles many of the island’s residents. But Hermes brings his own mystery into the web of dark secrets and lies – and as he travels the rugged island landscape to investigate, questions and suspicions arise amongst the locals. Who has sent him to Thiminos, and on whose authority is he acting? And how does he know of dramas played out decades ago?

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Insatiable by Meg Cabot
Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper.
But her bosses are making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.
Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die. (Not that you’re going to believe her. No one ever does.)
But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side. It’s a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.
The problem is, Lucien’s already dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met whom she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own.
And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.
Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future. . . .
If she even has one.

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Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
In America’s Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota–and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it’s worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life. . . .

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Know of any additional books that I need to keep my eyes on? Let me know if the comments

Technorati Tags: Books, Summer Reads, Mini-Guides, Ship Breaker, Insatiable, The Girls of Murder City, Composed, Rosanne Cash, Psycho, Michael J Fox, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future, The Messenger of Athens, Omnitopia Dawn, Song of the Dragon, The Secret Eleanor, The Wet Nurses Tale, Bad Things Happen, The Signal, Knife Music, A Brave Vessel, The Meaning of Matthew

Still, in the real world Ringwald has aged with all of us. She left high school, got married and has three kids. She’s turned 40 (now 42) and is currently starring on a popular television series. I remember hearing Ringwald would be playing a mom. I wondered where the time went. Now I realize, as long as you can still apply your lipstick with no hands then age is just a number. Life is about more than that, and anyone that thinks otherwise needs to do a little re-evaluation.

Getting the Pretty Back is all about Ringwald and her quest to once again be pretty after the age of 40. As she points out, pretty is a state of mind, not necessarily just about age or fashion. Pretty is taking your shoes off and walking in the rain. It’s about not caring who is watching what you’re doing. It’s about doing it because you know it’s you. The prettiest moments for any woman occur when they are comfortable with themselves, happy, and content to just do what feels right. Ringwald wants to help all women achieve that again.

As you can tell, this is not an autobiography. If you’re hoping to find out what it was like to work with Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, John Hughes, and the other members of the pack then you probably won’t be that interested in this. She mentioned Emilio once, but it’s just in passing, as he gives hair advice on the side of the street.

Instead, women of all ages get essential fashion advice. The advice is perfect for the seasoned pretty girl that has lost her way or the fashion victim looking to become something prettier. You learn the essential closet items, some of the best brands and colors of makeup, and hair advice based on Ringwald’s preferences. Some might think that the goal of this book is to create a bunch of Molly clones, but it’s clear to me that Ringwald’s point was to share her own preferences while encouraging women to go out and find what is right for them.

I will openly admit that I only read this book because it was written by Molly Ringwald. Normally, I wouldn’t bother reading a fashion guide. Still, I was charmed and enchanted during the entire reading process. I also got a lot of good fashion advice. Most importantly though, I was entertained. Ringwald provides a helpful and amusing book filled with adorable graphics and decent advice. I highly recommend women of all ages check this one out.

Technorati Tags: Molly Ringwald, Getting the Pretty Back, Book Review, Fashion, Hair, Makeup, Lipstick, No Hands

The stereotypical characters are here as you would expect them to be, if you were imagining the author of Gossip Girl was writing a new book. You have a rich blonde, a druggie, and a jock. You have a pair of siblings that are on the outside, looking in. You have a beautiful setting in which to enjoy sex, drugs, rock n’ roll, and of course, Starbucks. All of the usual characters are represented.

It becomes apparent very quickly that if you’ve seen or read Gossip Girl that this is not going to be enough to please you. It always feels like a cheap, less interesting version of the series, but in a different setting that is equal in its ability to allow excitement. The actual book is meant to give you a glimpse of freshman year. Most people that went to college won’t remember it being like this! In some ways, it makes it a better, guilty pleasure, so this isn’t a complaint.

The main character is Shipley Gilbert. She is a blonde beauty that hails from Connecticut. She decides that Dexter College, a liberal arts school in Maine, is the perfect place for her to attend. Her roommate, Eliza, is sarcastic and not exactly fit from the same mold as Shipley. Meanwhile, the boys they are paired with (for lack of better words) are Tom, the athlete with a creative side, and Nick, the nature loving (even though he’s allergic) pot-head.

Shipley’s missing brother, a former Dexter College student that disappeared, plays a part in her interest in going to the school. She sheds her good girl existence learning to chew gum and smoke on the way to school because those are things that college girls do. Her relationship with the jock takes some twists and turns, but nothing outrageous ever happens.

There are parts of Cum Laude that drag on and on forever. The climax happens a little too quick which ends up feeling rather disappointing. Some of the novel, for example, the relationships that develop, are extremely predictable. Meanwhile, other parts are good, but cut too short to make you love this.

At the end of the day, Gossip Girl fans are better off re-reading one of more of the GG series books. Likewise, fans of the semi-racy, relationship-driven, college novel would probably be well advised to find another novel to sink their teeth into. If you’re not looking for anything filled with substance this might work as a summer read for you. However, I highly doubt anyone will revisit this after reading it once, which makes it a pointless purchase unless you need fillers for your bookshelf.

If your older children/teens have read the Gossip Girl series, this might not be too far out of their league, but there is a fair amount of sex and drug use to be found here. They call it an adult novel for a reason, so it is a step above what they might have read or what they should be used to. It’s important to consider this when purchasing this book for them. This would be best for adults.

Technorati Tags: Gossip Girl, Cum Laude, Book Review, Adult Novel, Shipley, Dexter College, Guilty Pleasure, Stereotypical

This was the reason that I asked to review his newest book, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future. While I usually will pass up nonfiction titles, I wanted to read this because he wrote it. I wasn’t sure that I knew what to expect. Fox writing it was enough for me. Little did I know, I would be pleasantly surprised and thoroughly entertained the whole time.

One thing I didn’t know about Fox was that he was not a high school graduate. He eventually got a GED and has more than one honorary doctorate from different schools, but the traditional route was not for Fox. Of course, that mattered little with the talent and success he had, coupled with the fact that he was smart enough to figure things out for himself. Not all people are that lucky. Fox recognizes this and the part that luck and good timing played in his success. Ass a result, he does not recommend the path that he took. For most, school is going to be the right path. For others need to go out and make their own way, educating themselves on their path, through life.

The idea for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future came when Fox was asked to give a commencement speech at a graduation. This caused him to reflect on what education truly means and what he was going to tell this eager graduating class that was ready to enter the workforce. What he learned and what he teaches throughout this book is that education is relative. We all learn certain life lessons. It’s just that college allows you to get this education at a pricier end point and with an easier method of trial and error. Without college you still learn many of these lessons, it’s just different in the way that you are forced to learn these lessons in harder ways, most of the time.

Fox sets out to teach this fact with sections on Economics, Comparative Literature, Physics, Political Science, and Geography. In each section he explains the lessons that life taught him when he was a struggling actor and then when he was succeeding beyond his wildest dreams. No punches are held back when he offers an honest candor about discovering his early onset Parkinson’s, his innate need to ignore and deny it, and his eventual acceptance of the disease that has changed his life in a number of ways.

Now that I am done with A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future I have decided to hand it over to my mom to read. She normally doesn’t read books, but I am certain that she will not only read this book, but that she will like it, too. It’s just long enough to tell the story how it needs to be told. This makes it perfect for people that normally pass up books (though Fox recommends that people read more) because it’s not so long that they feel like they are reading as a hobby, something non-readers apparently wish to avoid for whatever reason.

Nonfiction fans and fans of Fox will certainly enjoy this, as well. If you read strictly for fictional reasons, this might not be your cup of tea. However, after reading it and watching the pages pass by with ease, I like to think that A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future has at least one or two elements that everyone can relate to and enjoy. Of course, the choice is yours to decide if that rings true for you. As for me, this comes highly recommended.

Happy Reading!

Technorati Tags: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future, Book, Book Review, Hardcover, Michael J Fox, Alex P Keaton, Marty McFly, Hyperion

What I learned is that Buckingham is not only incredibly funny (I was quite amused and enjoyed reading her writing style), but she’s also incredibly smart. Some of these advice offerings seemed a little unnecessary, but plenty of them made sense. Even better, they made sense and made me wish I would have thought of them before reading them in this book.

For example, Buckingham recommends carrying tweezers with you in the car and while you’re on the go. The reason for this (as ladies know) is that the occasional facial hair or rogue eyebrow issue is only visible when we are in public and cannot do anything about it. Let’s face it, once you see the hair, it doesn’t matter whether anyone else sees it or not. You know it’s there so you will feel self-conscious the entire time you’re out. This completely alleviates that problem with a simple solution.

Of course, this is just one little tidbit of advice out of a book full of advice. The Modern Girl’s Guide to Sticky Situations is filled with wisdom, but Buckingham makes sure not to take herself or her advice, too seriously. She always makes room for a laugh.

Take the dating section, for example, here is some of her advice on dating:

-If your date shows up drunk, make sure to assess the situation. If he’s just a little drunk you can take him out for a carb-heavy meal or take him to the bar so that you can catch up with him. If he’s seriously drunk, don’t play AA. Put him in a cab and let him go home.

-If a friend’s crush goes after you and you want to reciprocate make sure that the friend approves. She may say yes if she hasn’t put a lot of work into her new interest. However, if she’s logged plenty of hours it’s only fair to let her have the man. As Buckingham so astutely put it, “Hos before Bros, yo.”

-If you have feelings for a friend, but aren’t sure how they feel about you Buckingham suggests either throwing a John Hughes film festival and trying to throw some hints or just tell him the truth.

Through the course of Sticky Situations, Buckingham gives it to you straight and is the girlfriend that you wish you had. She’s not going to sugar coat it and nothing is too sticky for her to talk about. This is the kind of manual that all girls need laying around because if it’s a sticky situation, Buckingham likely has a section for it.

If you haven’t read The Modern Girl’s Guide to Sticky Situations, I highly recommend picking it up. It makes a great summer read, an excellent manual for what to do in those tough situations, and it would make a great present to any of your girlfriends that find themselves stuck in sticky situations more than they would like to admit.

Technorati Tags: Book Review, The Modern Girl’s Guide to Sticky Situations, Jane Buckingham, Chick, Nonfiction, Advice, Relationships

I knew CT was not like other children from about the time he was two years old. CT is now a teenager and has been diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (Asperger’s) and Bipolar for several years. In all of the years since his birth, CT has only had one babysitter and that only lasted for about a week. All of those other moments when I could not be there to care for him were spent with my family. Still, having a child with special needs can be tricky and I often felt a small amount of worry, just in case I forgot to remind someone of something.

If I would have had By the Book: How to Take Care of my Kids, I wouldn’t have had to worry as much. This book is so simple and yet incredibly amazing! By the Book is housed in a binder for ease of use and split up into a number of sections that allow you and the people caring for your children the comfort of knowing everything they need to know about your child is in a quick and easy location. It’s also worth mentioning that if you run out of pages you can order more from the By the Book website.

The book is split up into five sections including: The Basics, Caregiver Notes, Emergency, Medical, and Parents Only. A more detailed description of each section is listed below so you know what is included.

The Basics are all about the basics of your child, their routines, and your home. This is where you list your child’s allergies; mention what they do after school or where they might need to go, and how to handle things in your home. For example, if you don’t like your child touching the remote until after homework is done then you would put that in this section. If the remote is hidden from view you can also place where the remote can be found in this area, too!

Caregiver Notes has sections for the Sitter and the Nanny. The sitter notes are simple one page sheets that offer all the basics that a sitter would need. They will be able to see where you’re going, when you will return, a phone number where you can be reached, and what needs to be done (or not) while you are gone. The nanny section is called Nanny News and is set up to allow the Nanny to let you know all that happened in your child’s day. You receive a detailed account of what (and when) they ate at meal times and snacks, medicines that were dispensed, a naptime and bathroom movements schedule, how they felt, and where (if anywhere) they went for the day.

The third section is one of the most important sections. The Emergency section gives you access to Consent to Treat a Minor forms and also offers a wealth of emergency phone number spots and information about emergency plans in case something should go wrong.

The Medical section is broken up into Well Care and Sick Notes. The well care section has numbers to your children’s doctors, immunization records, and information on well visits in case your child’s sitter/nanny takes them to the doctor for you. Sick notes is all about your little ones’ illnesses. There are some one-sheets that give the basic information about the illness and how it’s being handled. There are also some Quick Look at Illnesses charts that give spots for dates an illness began and stopped, the symptoms and treatment provided, and comments about the illness.

The final section is just for Parents. This section includes names and numbers for any possible babysitters that you might have and Nanny Applications that will help you find the right nanny for your family.

If you need help with organizing everything, like I do, By the Book, will be an invaluable part of your life, raising your children. It’s so easy to forget to tell someone something and then fret the entire time you are away from the kids. However, with this book you don’t need to worry about that. You just sit down and fill everything out and the information is there whenever you (or they) need it.

By the Book is well worth the price you pay. The website even offers an e-book option, so if you do not want to pay for the hardcover you can purchase the less expensive e-book and print out the pages as needed. This book comes highly recommended.

Technorati Tags: By the Book, Caring for my Kids, Book, E-book, Review, Book Review, Karen Berg, Melissa Bishop, Nanny, Babysitter

To enter you need to be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be sent an email shortly after the end of the contest. To claim your prize all you will need to do is send us your address in a reply to the congratulation email that you will receive. If we do not receive a reply from you within three weeks, your winnings will be forfeited and your prize will be offered to another contestant.

We will begin emailing winners for this the week of September 6, 2008, which means you have until September 5, 2008 at 11:59 to enter.

More about The Self-Esteem Trap:
Kids today are depressed and anxious. They also seem to feel entitled to every advantage and unwilling to make the leap into adulthood. Clarifying an enormous cultural change, THE SELF-ESTEEM TRAP shows why so many young people have trouble with empathy and compassion, struggle with moral values, and are stymied in the face of adversity.

Young-Eisendrath offers prescriptive advice on how adults can help kids—through the teen and young adult years—develop self-worth, setting them on the right track to productive, balanced, and happy lives.

Polly Young-Eisendrath is a psychologist and Jungian analyst.

Technorati Tags: Polly Young-Eisendrath, Psychologist, Jungian Analyst, Giveaway, Contest, Book, The Self-Esteem Trap, Empathy, Compassion, Moral Values

To enter you need to be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be sent an email shortly after the end of the contest. To claim your prize all you will need to do is send us your address in a reply to the congratulation email that you will receive. If we do not receive a reply from you within three weeks, your winnings will be forfeited and your prize will be offered to another contestant.

We will begin emailing winners for this the week of September 8, 2008, which means you have until September 7, 2008 at 11:59 to enter.

More about A Is For ATTICUS:
Today’s Millennial generation of baby namers want their young ones’ monikers to reflect something deeply meaningful and personal. Where better to draw inspiration than the books they cherish and the characters they love?

A IS FOR ATTICUS is a fresh collection of dynamic, modern, and meaningful literary names selected from great books and authors like Beckette after the Irish playwright Samuel Beckett and Esme from J.D. Salinger’s For Esme with Love and Squalor.

Learn more about Lorilee Craker at her website: www.lorileecraker.com

Technorati Tags: LI Kids, Five Copies, Books, Giveaway, Contests, Lorilee Craker, Author, A Is For Atticus, Beckette, Samuel Beckett, Baby Names