I can’t believe Christmas is almost here again! The holidays always seem to sneak up on me really quick. The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to go even faster. This year I said I was going to get a head start on my holiday shopping, but here it is Thanksgiving, and I haven’t even started yet.

I have several blogging friends who have put together some really great gift guides to help you find the right gift for everyone on your Christmas list. Check them out:

• Games, toys, and anything kids would want are included when you check out the kid’s toy and gift guide. There’s something for kids of all ages.
• Have a writer on your holiday list this year? Check out this writer’s gift idea guide to find just the right thing to make them smile.
• Smartphones, touchscreens, eReaders, 3G, 4G and iAnything have you confused? Make your gadget shopping easy – Check out the 10 Hottest Mobile Phones, Devices & Accessories on The Gadget Lovers Christmas List.
• If you have a photographer in the on your holiday gift list, here are some great ideas you can use to help them ste up their home studio. Even someone who just enjoys taking great photos with their DSLR camera will love this gift guide for studio photographers.
• If you’re looking for ideas for everyone in the family (especially the kids) check out the holiday gift guide at Life of a Home Mom.
• Want to make playing Secret Santa a little more outrageous this year? Check out the Secret Santa gift ideas at Gift Idea Diva.
• Looking for a gift idea for that co-worker you don’t know much about? This list of co-worker’s gift ideas may have just the right thing.
• Looking for something for the home or garden? Check out the home and garden gift guide.

Happy shopping!

Image Linette Gerlach

I got a Nook for Christmas last year, and it’s opened up a whole new world of books to read. I love to read anything I can get my hands on, and I love that I can now read ebooks by authors I wouldn’t normally get a chance to check out.

One of the latest books I read is Craved by Stephanie Nelson. I’ve become a paranormal fiction fan over the last couple years, and I’ve really enjoyed checking out books by independent authors since I got my Nook. I’ve found some real treasures, for quite a bit less than I would pay for a published book.

Most of the urban fantasy- paranormal fiction books I’ve read have been for young adults, but Craved was definitely for a more mature audience (18 and up). There were some scenes that were not for kids!

Here’s the basic plot:

WITCH FOUND DRAINED!

Gwen Sparks just wants to live a peaceful life in the supernatural town of Flora, but from the moment she read about the first murdered witch, all hope of peace was abandoned.

Possessing the rare ability to read the memories of dead, she volunteers to help catch the culprit behind the string of drained witches. Gwen has to team up with the one man who broke her heart, deal with a ghost who pulls her into the deathly realm at will, and a fight off the advances of sexy but frustrating vampire who not only craves what runs through her veins—he wants her heart.

Witches, warlocks and vampires, oh my! Over all I really enjoyed this book. I loved the story line, and once it got going I couldn’t put the book down. To me that’s always a sign of a good book. Like so many other self published books, this book could have used some more editing. I can always overlook that if the story line is good. This is the first book in the Gwen Sparks series, and I’m looking forward to checking out the next book when it comes out!

You can find Craved for Nook and Kindle:
For Kindle: Craved (#1 in the Gwen Sparks Series)

For Nook: Craved book

Or you can enter to win a copy on the Rafflecopter form below (it may take a moment to load).

What we’re giving away: One Craved ebook
The contest is open to residents in the US until November 16th. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and will have 48 hours to reply, or another winner will be chosen. Good Luck!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this ebook for review purposes.

I’ve been giving some of the paid post, and blogger campaign services a try lately. One of the latest I’ve stumbled on is Business 2 Blogger, so I thought I’d give them a spin and signed up this morning. I found them when I spotted their button while I was reading a post from one of the blogs in my Google reader. Of course I had to click through and see what they were all about.

I just signed up for the service today, but Business 2 Blogger is supposed to deliver an email to you at the most once per day with paid blogging opportunities from brands and companies. I’ve been working with a couple other businesses in this capacity, and I’ve come across some wonderful companies to work with, so I’ll let you know in a couple weeks how Business 2 Blogger stacks up.

If you’ve had any experience with Business 2 Blogger I’d love to hear about it!

Image sxc.hu

If you would have told me when I was 16 or 18 I would dread the day when I started going through menopause I would have said you’re crazy! I remember dreading the fact I would be going through this once a month for much of my life when I started my periods. In fact I’ve always hated “that time of the month.”

Now I’m in my mid 40′s and I have a different perspective on the whole thing. I’m starting to go through peri-menopause and it’s wreaking havoc on my whole being. Many have hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, or skin and hair changes. For me it’s been more about my nervous system. I’ve started having heart palpitations, and moments when I’m crazy worried about nothing at all (not hard to do in today’s world), I’ve also noticed I’m moodier and cry more often over minor things.

My periods have always happened monthly like clock work, but I’ve noticed lately my cycle is getting a little longer. I’m also more forgetful during certain times of the month.

I’m not going to take this lying down though. I’ve really been working on my overall diet for about the last year, and I probably eat healthier now than I ever have in my life. Incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables and watching my starches and grains.

I’ve also added regular exercise into my routine EVERY DAY. I’ve made it my priority in life to move for at least 20 minutes a day. I usually do more than that (30 minutes to 1 hour), but 20 minutes is my minimum. My favorite form of exercise is to walk, but I try to mix it up a little. I run a couple times a week (I’m up to about 2 miles), take a resistance training class, do some Yoga, and lift weights. I’m starting a Zumba class this week and I’m super excited to give it a try.

Meditation has helped my nervous system. I try to spend 10 to 15 minutes a day quieting my mind and my nervous system and it has done wonders! I used to scoff at people meditating, but there is definitely something beneficial to calming your brain even for a few minutes a day. I usually do it right before bed time. It helps me relax my body, and get ready for sleep at night. Even sitting quietly and just breathing in and out, being aware of my breath helps calm me down when I’m having extra anxiety.

I would like to go through this whole process as naturally as possible, but I know I’ll need a little help to get through the worst of the hormone fluctuations. That’s why I was excited to participate in the Estroven blog tour.

Estroven addresses many of the symptoms of menopause in a natural way. They’ve combined black cohosh and soy isoflavones with nutrients like calcium, folic acid, and essential vitamins. I like choices, and Estroven comes in a variety of formulas, including a Maximum Strength formula for those really tough spots. There’s even a formula for increased energy during the day and better sleep patterns at night. I’m doing better with the sleep, but for a while I was having difficulty shutting my brain down at night. It’s good to know there are options out there.

You can find more information on Estroven, and on the symptoms of menopause at Estroven.com.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Estroven and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NAVTEQ. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you navigation-ally challenged like I am? I have a hard time with left and right, and almost no concept of North, South, East, and West. During the summer it seems like we’re always going someplace new. We try to take weekly field trips, and then there are baseball games, and trips to the lake. It seems like we always spend more time in the car during the summer, on the go.

I have a GPS system in my car, but I don’t update it nearly enough. I recently learned that NAVTEQ is the company whose technology and maps drive most of the in-car navigation systems. They’re the system behind most of the leading brands of GPS-enabled devices in the U.S. You can find out if they’re the technology behind your in car navigation system by stopping by www.updateyourmap.com.

Updating your system is easy, just go to www.updateyourmap.com and follow the drop-down menus which correspond to your GPS device. Installing updated navigation maps, with the latest road changes, and places of interest only takes a few minutes.

I’m sure it will save me tons of time and keep me from the frustration of ending up on the wrong road, or at the wrong address this summer.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bliss Living. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m always the last minute shopper for Father’s Day, but this year I’m trying to do a little pre-planning (can you believe it?), so I’ve been looking around for that perfect gift for my dad and my husband.

Today I was checking out Bliss Living. I always thought they just had gifts for women, but I was wrong. They have a full line of gifts for Dad:

• Father’s Day gift ideas you can personalize  with their name, or a short message.
• Gifts for the man cave.
• Gift ideas for the sports fan.
• Business and office gifts.
• Gifts for dads who like to be outdoors.
• Jewelry ideas for dad.

I might have to get my husband the man cave sign. My son thinks it would be a cool gift for dad. I’m always teasing him about his man cave barn. It’s his own little home away from home. When his friends come over on Friday nights they know where to find him. Of course I hang out there on occasion myself…. especially on the weekends.

Even though Mother’s Day is past, don’t forget about mom! If you want to make her feel special too, Bliss Living has a wide assortment of jewelry for mom, for one stop shopping.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

WeReward is a new service from Izea that lets you earn points for completing real world check ins and tasks. Each reward point is worth a penny, so the more points you earn, the more money you make.

WeReward integrates with Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, so you can get your badges, share and earn points for something you’re already doing.

You download the application to your iPhone from itunes, connect it to your social media accounts, and you’re ready to check out the opportunities available. There are two different ways to earn rewards, check ins and tasks.

To earn check in rewards, simply check in at local participating businesses. Once you find an opportunity that sounds interesting, click on it to find out the details. Then just complete the task, and check in with an update about your experience.

Tasks are like check ins, but you don’t have to be in a certain location.

You can also earn reward points for referring your friends.

You can find more information on this new service at WeReward.com, or check out this video that walks you through the process step by step, and explains exactly what you need to do to participate.

If you think you’d like to give WeReward a try, visit the Social Spark website to Download the App.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of SaferBrand. All opinions are 100% mine.

I recently had the opportunity to give EndALL insect spray a try in my backyard orchard and garden. My favorite part is that it’s a ready to use spray. No mixing or watering down. Just take it off the shelf and you’re ready to go. It’s still early in the year here in my Ohio garden, but the fruit trees have just finished blooming, so I thought I’d take EndALL for a test run in our back yard orchard.

I’m not a big fan of insecticides, and I’m always on the lookout for an organic alternative that will minimize the damage to the beneficial insects in my garden, and have little or no environmental impact. EndALL is safe to use on flowers, fruits, vegetables lawn, landscape, ornamentals and houseplants.

I decided to use EndALL on my fruit trees. They’re just finishing up blooming, and setting fruit, so it was perfect timing to keep bugs off the new fruit.

I only have a couple fruit trees, and most of them are dwarf trees, so it doesn’t take much to spray them.  The spray went far enough that I could cover the whole tree with a few squirts on each side.

I can’t wait to use EndALL later this summer on the squash bugs that always seem to invade my garden about mid June. I’m going to have it ready and waiting for the first sign of infection.

I still plan to use the insecticide sparingly, even if it is organic, it can harm some beneficial insects. If you’re looking for an organic alternative to insecticides for those times when there’s just no other way to get rid of damaging insects, this is a great choice. Make sure you read and follow the package directions to keep the environmental impact to a minimum.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alvin and the Chipmunks. All opinions are 100% mine.

We went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel on the big screen right before Christmas. We haven’t had a chance to get the new DVD yet, but my son’s been begging me to get it, so I’m sure we’ll add it to our collection soon. He loved the movie when we went to see at the theater.

We even downloaded some of the songs right after we went got home. That’s why I’m excited about the Double DVD Pack. It includes “The Squeak Along” Bonus Disc, with more music, mayhem and all-new singalongs which my son will love!

I remember singing Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas songs when I was a child, and I loved watching the cartoons. It’s so fun to share that with my son today. We dance around the house singing and just have a blast with it.

Of course we had to go check out the Munk Yourself website and make our own crazy version of the chipmunks. My son had a blast making his chipmunk with a punk rock look. I made a Brittany Munk for myself.

I love that it’s a family friendly film we can add to our DVD collection. You can get More Munk Mayhem at FoxFamilyFlicks.com. The movie premiered on DVD on March 30th so it’s available for anyone to buy it now.

Do you have a gardener on your Christmas list this year? Why not give them a Garden-Opoly game. Players can buy their garden favorites, get aphid infestations, and care for their properties. Get a dandelion attack this January, and it’ll feel just like summer in the garden. Test your gardening skills against the other members of your household.

If you’d rather try your hand at running a farm try Farm-Opoly