Gaiam Balance Ball Chair

Disclosure- the below was provided to me in order to complete this review.  All opinions are my own and honest.

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If you are like me, and most people, you are sitting behind a desk all day. Obviously, one of the most difficult places to exercise can by at your desk at work. Sure, there are small things you can do to keep moving. Frequent breaks, go for a walk, desk side exercise and my personal favorite copy machine yoga.  (kidding- they might institutionalize you if you tried that.)  But there is a new breakthrough in seating, called active sitting.

Active sitting is when your body has to do micro-balancing maneuvers in order to keep balance on the chair. This doesn’t mean tip your chair to the brink and keep it there all day, there are special chairs especially made to do this. One such example is the Gaiam Balance Ball Chair. This chair takes the familiar Balance Ball classically used in exercise programs, and sits it on a stable stand with wheels on it. This makes the ball the perfect height to sit on easily and do your daily desk work while still getting a work out. It might not seem like much, but after an hour or so you will notice some odd muscles that you didn’t know existed worked out in one of the easiest ways possible. Some notes to keep in mind are do not try to sit all day on this chair the first day, build up on your time on the chair so you don’t have a lot of strain and that “ow” feeling” the next day. The chair is also brightly colored and has a ball on it so kids will probably gravitate to it. This isn’t a problem unless they take the ball off and start to throw it. Just a point to be aware of. Personally I love the chair, sitting still too long drives me nuts even if I am busy with work. This chair helps keep my body busy while I am keeping my mind busy.
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CVS Gold Emblem Snacks and Chocolates

Disclosure: I’m proud to partner with CVS/pharmacy for the Gold Emblem and Total Home Prep for Holiday Entertaining campaign. I am being sponsored to help lead this campaign, but all opinions expressed are my  own, and all product claims or program details shared should be verified at CVS.com or with the appropriate  manufacturers.

cvs snacks

It’s about that time- the house is full, family is here, almost all the spare beds and floor space are now taken up by aunts and uncles. Now comes the fun part. Party time. When looking for the perfect party supplies and snacks, there is one place which is both local, reasonably priced and most importantly- available.

When the family comes by wanting salty treats while watching TV or chocolates after dinner. Sure, a supermarket could work too, but with the long lines and lots of people they are not fun this time of year. The local CVS will be less packed and a quicker trip. The Gold Emblem line from CVS not only represents a great quality of products, but also a great value. Gold Emblem is committed to quality ingredients, and great taste. That commitment brings the tastes of well honed recipes to your home. They are so confident in fact they guarantee every item or your money back.
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Beautiful Baltic Amber Jewelry

Disclosure- We received the below in order to facilitate this review.  All opinions are our own and honest.

amber necklace

I love to wear fun jewelry- I don’t wear tons of it, but when I do, I like what I DO choose to wear to be something a little different.  Something a little special and that will stand out a bit.

It’s nice to have a little something to make your outfits pop, something that makes you feel special and pretty. There is a great online shop called Spark of Amber (www.sparkofamber.com). They sell beautiful, hand-crafted Baltic Amber jewelry for all ages.

Baltic Amber jewelry is very unique, and something not found everywhere. Spark of Amber obtains all their Baltic Amber beads directly from Lithuania, where the finest Amber is found.  When I was younger, I spent some time in Lithuania, and they are indeed very proud of their amber, and it is some of the best in the world. I have some really fond memories of my time there, which makes me like this necklace even more.  But I digress.
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New amiibo From Nintendo

Disclosure- we received the below in order to facilitate this review.  All opinions are out own and honest.  My son is a Nintendo Kid Reviewer.

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Brand new and just in time for the holiday season are Nintendo’s new amiibo (Wii U compatible). The best part about these video game figurines is that you don’t need to buy a portal or system upgrade to use them- just the figurines.  This cuts the cost and makes them more accessible to everyone. Buy only the ones you want, customize them in the games, and interact the way you want to.  This is new experience for Nintendo fans in the game play and toys coming to life area, joining the likes of Skylanders and Disney Infinity.  These amiibo characters are ONLY Nintendo, and they interact with Wii U games and across multiple games (like the relatively new Super Smash Brothers).  The figures retail for about $15 each, and you can collect many of your favorite characters now.
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Win Betty Crocker Gift Basket

If you are ready to get your holiday baking on, you know you need some Betty Crocker.  We love to bake, and we create some great memories together while cooking in the kitchen as well.

pic4The Betty Crocker crew has created a basket filled with baking goodies. The basket (image attached) includes:

  • Kitchen tablet stand
  • Betty Crocker™ Mixing Spoon
  • Betty Crocker™ Oven Mitt
  • “Get Your Betty On” Apron
  • Gingerbread Cookie Cutter
  • Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie Mix
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Win Sonic Boom for 3DS or Wii U

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Sonic Boom is speeding its way onto the scene with a brand new CGI show on Cartoon Network, two new distinct games, and a full line of TOMY toys. There aren’t many characters that speak to mom, dad and kids but with almost 25 years of history, Sonic the Hedgehog is one of them!

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric exclusively for the Wii U system, is an original game developed by Southern California based studio Big Red Button Entertainment in collaboration with Sonic Team and its head Takashi Iizuka. Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric finds Sonic and his friends Tails, Knuckles, and Amy as they release a powerful snake-like villain named Lyric from an ancient tomb sealed deep within an island. The group must put aside their differences and work together as a team to save the world from Lyric’s evil plan and his army of war mongering robots!
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Skylanders Trap Team

Disclosure- We received the below in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are our own and honest.

Skylanders are here again?  Still? Either way the new Trap Team game is a blast to play.  Not only for adults but also for kids.  This is one of those games that will bring parents and children together in the same game with the same goals and game play.  The controls are simple, jump, attack, explore, with special powers unlocked the more you play.  Trap Team takes this familiar game play of the previous Skylanders games and adds a new element, the traps.  Traps come in many different types all of which can be used to capture enemies in the game and change them into your own playable characters.  This includes for the first time Kaos himself.  This element doesn’t sound like much to the uninitiated but it is actually great fun with added sound effects and voices which come from the portla itself as your new conquests are sucked into the trap crystal.
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Jan Marini Holiday Skin Exfoliators

This holiday season, get skincare into the spirit – add a little sugar and spice with Jan Marini Skin Research’s (JMSR) limited edition Holiday Exfoliator in Cranberry Orange and Sugar Cookie.  This exfoliant is softer then most are, it doesn’t have the “scratchy-ness” that many of them do.  The scent is not at all overpowering- in fact, there is little smell until you are in the shower, actually using it. It’s sort of s strange consistency- my son called it “peanut butter”, but it worked well and had a great aroma that lingered on the skin for quite a while.

pic4 This uniquely designed scrub eliminates harsh abrasives to gently and safely scrub and resurface the skin.  The popular, clinical-strength resurfacer that immediately refines texture, leaving skin with a radiant, polished glow has two new scents for the season.
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