It is that time of year again.  There’s about to be some serious cookie baking going on over the next couple of months.  What are your favorite holiday cookies?  I’m on the hunt for some fun cookie recipes to make with my three year old son for the holidays.  Got any ideas? 

Sponsored link; however all content is my own, including my genuine interest in cool cookie recipies!

I have strong views about health insurance.  We are fortunate to have coverage through my husband’s provider and I’ve had it through previous employers, but there have also been times I CHOSE not have coverage because I chose to spend the money elsewhere.  I don’t believe in being FORCED to have “acceptable” health coverage. I do believe there are a select few with little to no options, but I do not feel a full overhaul of the system will truly meet their immediate needs and will only do additional damage to our weakening economy.  My thoughts? Focus on small steps we can take to help THOSE select few. Also? Let us purchase health insurance across state lines to break up monopoly systems and reform the litigation part of medicine. Small steps = massive improvements.

Are you looking for health insurance quotes?

Sponsored Post: The link is sponsored; all other comments are purely my own thoughts and opinion.

C’mon, who doesn’t like free stuff?  Better yet, who couldn’t stand to declutter just a little bit?  I for one am in both of those categories!  Through Listia.com, you earn credit based on items you post to giveaway.  You are then able to use then able to use the credits in your account to go shopping for free stuff others have posted.  Listia is set up auction-style - you bid on items but on credits instead of a cash value. Many items offer free shipping, but there are some you will need to pay shipping on. 

EXAMPLE:

This nearly new Kodak Easy Share digital frame is currently at 76 credits with 10 bids.  The auction ends in approximately 7 days.  I currently have 200 credits in my account, and will earn more sign-up credits once I post my first item, so this would be completely free to me at the current bid. Once I list items for “sale” and earn additonal credits, I’ll be able to continue picking up items for free.

Listia is currently offering 300 credits when you sign up and list an item.

Sign-up & explore Listia for yourself.

Sponsored Post
Personally written by Christy at ShakeTheSalt.com
Using the sign-up referral link above will credit an additional 50 credits each to your account and the account of ShakeTheSalt.com.

Back To Yourself supports self-treatment of back pain and specializes in Back Exercises.  They are currently offering a free trial – a great way to get hands on with their program to see how it could work for you.

NOTE: These exercises are to relieve chronic back pain; extreme caution & consultation with a Doctor is advised if you’ve recently injured your back or are under a Doctor’s care for back pain. 

BabySafeTravel.com offers a one-stop shop for searching travel deals, reading travel reviews, and purchasing baby travel gear.  Search for deals on hotels in the United States as well as in Canada, Australia, Europe and other International destinations.  Priceline, a name you trust in travel searches, powers their search features for hotels, air and car. 

You’ll find five featured hotels with the price per night listed on the home page, which can be helpful if you are looking for a good deal and are flexible about your travel destination.  Other great features on the site include climate themed baby blogs, travel tips, and connecting with parents in your area. 

Bumble Bee Foods is donating $0.15/mile for every mile logged through October 31, 2009 at BeeWell Miles (up to $200,000) to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength.  This is an awesome opportunity for each of us to help make a difference - and not only do we not have to dig deep into our own pockets, but it also provides us with an extra incentive to get walking! 

So far today (as of 6:00 PM) I have walked 2.47 miles and I’ve logged it at BeeWellMiles.com - if I walk an average of 2 miles each day (my average day at home, no errands, is typically 1.5 miles and higher when I’m out and about) then I could reasonably contribute $60 to the cause - just by walking and logging my miles!!

Now, what if I could get YOU to join me? And what if YOU walked an average of 2 miles each day too? If I could get 9 more to join me, together we could raise $600!!! Just for walking! (And really, if you are chasing after kids, you are doing that anyway, LOL! So, all ya have to do is log them.) 

BeeWellMiles.com has a lot of great features, beyond logging miles to support the Breast Cancer Network of Strength.  Interact with healthy living experts, log your miles and discover the calories you burn. Calculate your route’s mileage. Share your favorite walking/running route with others. You can even enter your meals to understand their caloric values, then see how your activity and nutrition offset each other. Interact with other guests and share ideas and tips on getting healthy and staying their. Plus, each day you log miles or game codes from pink Bumble Bee cans you could instantly win one of 15,000 prizes!!

Is the current economy affecting your business and overall sales? This may be a good time to get back to the basics and evaluate your business presence.

How are your customers finding you? How are you reaching your customers and potential customers? How are you connecting with your clients?

In this day and age, it is important that your business have an online presence. It is also very important that your online presence be managed effectively. 

Website: Your business card online and the “hub” for your other online endeavors.

Blog: For promotions, mini-press releases & other business news, etc.

Social Networking: Twitter & Facebook are two options for opening up conversation between your business and your customers.

Store: If you sell products, you should have an online store. People are making their purchases online in increasing numbers, so put your product where the shoppers are.  The more payment options available, the less likely a customer will purchase elsewhere.

In some cases, you may wish to consider small business loans to help finance changes you are considering in your business.

What are you doing during this slow economy to continue to move your business forward? 

As a consumer, how can a business better reach out to you?

Planning a vaca on a budget? Check out these Sandels Resort deals & coupon codes. {FindSavings.com has codes & deals posted for numerous travel spots, as well as online stores, so hop on over!}

It is no secret that Valentines Day is hands down the busier flower day of the year, as it is also no secret that 1-800-Flowers {their web url also} is one of the most popular places to order flowers for Valentines Day and other occasions.  They offer a wide and beautiful selection, from tulips to roses to daisies to carnations to many others.  You can even get your flowers delivered the same day!

My personal favorite flower is the white calla lily, which was our wedding flower, but I am also quite partial to the very traditional red rose, though I love all the colors that roses are now available in and love the more vibrant colors.

With all the different holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, dinners, get-togethers, special occasions, events, and seasonal celebrations, it is always party season!  When you throw a party or put together a special event, do you tend to stick to the basics or do you kick it up a notch, go for the gusto, and throw a theme party?

I was checking out Celebrations party themes and was thinking that an Island Bliss Getaway Party would be a lot of fun. We’ve been talking about taking a cruise, and it has been forever (it seems!) since I’ve visited the islands, so this could be a fun way to bring the islands here! Some decorating tips from Celebrations includes decorating with beach towels & flip-flops, bowls filled with seashells & tea lights, and tropical flowers. Serve up some conch fritters, grilled mahi mahi, keylime pie, and tropical drinks complete with little umbrellas and you (me!) are good to go!

What theme would you choose for a fun party?

This year, there is going to be a lot of changes around our house. Painting, new furniture, and other changes in décor throughout the whole house. I’m very excited about getting it started (though you couldn’t tell b/c my Dining Room still sits waiting for that second coat of paint!). 

One of the rooms we will be focusing quite a bit on, is the bedroom.  It seems that with everything else going on (and isn’t there always lots of “everything else” going on?) the bedroom has just been a place to sleep at night. I’ve been checking our magazines and watching lots of HGTV and getting ideas on how to make it more of a place to wind down from the day, a mini retreat of sorts.  Since the bed occupies the majority of the space in the room, I’ve been thinking of making some changes there too. I was browsing Time 4 Sleep Beds, gathering some ideas – they have a nice selection, including divan beds, but at this point, I’m not exactly sure what I plan to do. We may keep our mattresses, but I’m pretty set on a new headboard and footboard (and of course a new bedding set or two!). I sleep fairly well once I can actually get to sleep, but I probably shouldn’t throw the idea of new mattresses out the window – I might be surprised what a new mattress could do! Looking at the ones at Time For Sleep Beds sure makes the idea tempting. There is a huge selection and reading up on them makes me realize that my mattress may not be quite up to par, LOL! 

Are you in the market for a baby sling? When my son was an infant, I bought a couple different ones, but never really figured them out, so never used them.  Looking back, I wish I did – and plan to if/when we have another baby.  There are tutorials online and you can also go to a La Leche League meeting & they’ll show you how it works. I think it seems more complicated than it really is (isn’t that true with most things?).

If you are shopping for baby slings, you may want to check out Baby Slings dot com.  They offer a wide variety of baby slings and you can browse by type, brand or size. I was checking out the Baby K Tan sling carrier – very versatile as it can be worn in 8 different positions.  It is sized for both men and women and comes in sizes Extra Small through Extra Large, as well as being offered in lots of colors and designs.  The Pink Octagon is a fun design, but I would personally probably go for a solid color to better coordinate with outfits.

Have you tried the Baby K’Tan sling carrier? What is your favorite baby sling?

The Gallery Collection has an absolutely stunning collection of Business Christmas Cards and it isn’t too late to order! As long as you place your order by 1:00 PM EST December 22nd, you can receive them on December 23rd.  There is also a 40% discount sale currently going on. 

If you have your own business, then you should ensure that your business Christmas cards stand out and represent who you are.  Make an impression with those cards!  Let the cards speak for you and let others see what a professional, first class business you operate.  Don’t forget business Christmas cards are an ideal way to tell your customers “thank you” for their business and patronage – and it will also place your company name in front of them, remind them about you, and may even lead to future sales. 

A few of my favorites from The Gallery Collection are the Snowflake Sparkle Card, the Golden Sleigh Bells Holiday Cards, Glittering Pines Seasons Greetings Card (reminds me of our very recent visit to Utah – ah, snow!! So beautiful when it is freshly fallen!), and the adorable Peace On Earth Holiday Greeting Card with the polar bears (this one reminded me of a trip way back I took to Alaska and polar bear prints & cards I bought there).  Take a look around the site and I’m sure you will find some favorites too. 

The Gallery Collection is offering free downloads of Charles Dicken’s “Christmas Carol” on DailyLit.com, so be sure to hop over there and get your copy. 

http://dailylit.com/books/christmas-carol

Are you a resident of the United Kingdom and thinking it may be time to shop around for new automobile insurance?  You may be interested in checking out Auto Net Insurance Group.  (It isn’t just automobile insurance, by the way.)  They offer car insurance, home insurance, bike insurance, courier insurance, hgv insurance, motor home insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, caravan insurance, and business insurance – basically every type of insurance to meet your needs.

Auto Net Insurance Group is one of the country’s largest independently owned insurance brokers and they have formed excellent relationships with many of the UK’s leading insurance companies.  If you are in need of insurance, the Auto Net Insurance Group may be a great match for you.

Auto Net Insurance Group offers online quotes, and hints at some pretty remarkable rates (car insurance up to 65% off and van insurance up to 70% off, plus others).  The site also mentions that you may be interested in calling directly for a quote as they keep some of their deeper discounted rates off-line so it is not directly available to their competition. 

Visit Auto Net Insurance Group (UK residents) to check out their rates & see if it may be possible to lower your insurance payments. 

Have you started decorating for Christmas yet?  We have officially started: Hubby insisted the tree come out the day after Thanksgiving, ‘cause… well… that is just how things are done, LOL!  We have a pre-lit tree and most of the “pre-lit” part about it has finally bit the dust. He is in the process of removing all the lights and we will purchasing a whole new set of lights for the tree. {So yes, our tree is up, but BARE! LOL!}

 We will be jumping full swing into holiday decorating any moment now, so I was checking out some holiday decorating online and found Celebrations.com – they have some great tips, especially for a holiday party (but those tips can be applied even without having a party).  One tip I like (suggested as a last minute décor idea when guests are on the way) is to wrap several gifts and use as a centerpiece.

I found a recipe on their site for Reindeer Munch, a combination of Crispix cereal, chocolate or butterscotch chips, peanut butter, and powdered sugar – YUM!  This will be a great, fun snack for my son! 

How cute is this Santa Suit Shoebox? This would be perfect for smaller gifts and for the littlest ones who haven’t yet got down pat the concept of unwrapping gifts.  They would also be great for gifting baked goods.  It is a Do-It-Yourself craft project, perfect for the economic crunch right now. 

There are tons more ideas on Celebrations.com if you are still looking for ideas for holiday decorating, parties, or just some DIY gift / craft ideas. 

What are you working on for the holidays? Crafts? Homemade gifts? I have a two-year-old and would love some ideas for him, too.