Gadgets `n Gizmos for Guys

Christmas shopping is upon us and chances are you know a boy - or a guy who acts like a boy - who is nearly impossible to buy for. I have a bunch of `em in my family, so I now consider myself something of a pro in this area. I've put together a fun list of Quick Picks that will hopefully make your holiday shopping a little easier!!

Cleanliness is next to torture
It's always a battle to get my kids to wash up. One day I grumbled, "Why can't you just wash your hands without having to be told every time?!" to which my sons replied, "Because we don't WANT to smell nice and girly!" Ah, revelation... and the answer: Bacon Soap. While you're at it, ladies, how about some Sawdust Cologne Spray to get your man's attention? What else rules in a boy's world? All things gross and gooey, of course - so these Scabs Bandages should be a big hit.

Ninjas, Spies, MacGyver, and other boy heroes
Way back in my day, we lived it up with board games. Surely one could entice a boy away from his Xbox, Playstation, or Wii with something like Intrigue or Ninja Versus Ninja? How about an "educational" slant - like the Book of Totally Irresponsible Science or perhaps Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do At Home But Probably Shouldn't, and you can't go wrong with Backyard Ballistics either.

Cool toys for all boys
One of my favorite sites for quirky toys is ThinkGeek.com. They've got everything from a Darth Vader desk clock to kits for testing your blood type to these Hollow Spy Coins for the Double-O-Seven Dudes in your life. Other cool possibilities for the slightly older crowd include rockin' guitar-shaped key covers or sporty Uniform Grill Covers. The whole family will like this Ice Cream Maker Ball... because even in December, who doesn't love ice cream? Sheer genius.

For some really unique gift ideas with a personal touch, check out these "10 Unique Gifts You Can Make With Help From The Web"

Happy Holidays!!

Nifty New Food Storage Tool

This month, Emergency Essentials is offering a free $10 gift card to anyone who tries out their new Food Storage Analyzer program and posts a review. That was enough motivation for me to give it a look, thinking, "They didn't say it had to be a positive review, right?" But I can't help myself - I genuinely like this gizmo! This is not just a calculator that tells you how many calories or pounds you need per day of storage... this analyzer goes much further and lets you see exactly where you are in terms of your food storage.

You input the number of family members, ages, and gender. The analyzer pulls up a list of foods with brief comments about their nutritional content (ie - "high in fiber" or "good source of iron"). You can enter in the amounts that you currently have in storage and the program will break it down by calories, nutritional content, and how many days that will last your family. Some items are linked to recipes. (What to do with that wheat? How about Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes, Bread Crust Zucchini Quiche, even Chocolate Cake with Raspberries!) There's also a printer-friendly view with inventory to tuck in your purse when you head to the grocery store.

The Analyzer calculates all types of food storage: dehydrated, wet-pack, MREs, etc, and... it's totally free to use! Create a user account and you can also save your data. I admit it - I'm impressed. I'm also relieved that I never again have to rely on my Excel spreadsheets for this information!

A Beautiful Voice

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE music and listen to almost anything (except rap or mariachi). I especially enjoy being surprised by an unexpected blend of music (ie - cellos with an electric guitar) or being bowled over by a really great voice... which happened today!

A friend of mine from high school married a singer and did a little plug for her music. I'm always afraid of situations like that because I can't help but think, "What if I don't like it and feel like I have to pretend that I do?" But when I heard Lori Cunningham's music, I was blown away! She has a gorgeous voice, satiny smooth and dreamlike. It's somewhat reminiscent of Evanescence, with modern electronic rhythms and piano wrapped with ethereal yet strong vocals.



Did I mention that there is a great sale on her CD right now only at her website? Yeah, and she writes and composes music and is beautiful too. Makes you almost want to hate her, doesn't it? So what I really want to know is: Robert, how did you get a girl like that?! ;o)