Send a Call From Santa

Know someone who could use a call from Santa? Then you need to check out SendACallFromSanta.com. This site lets you personalize and send a call from Santa to a loved one or friend. It's all free too! I just tried it out for my wife, and it is pretty cool! Go send a call from Santa to someone and brighten their day!

Finance Friday - PocketSmith

You may remember my previous post about Mint.com. Well, if that site didn't strike your fancy, then maybe PocketSmith will. PocketSmith has many of the same benefits of Mint.com to help you with your budgeting, but with more of a focus on financial forecasting. It has some pretty neat features that show you your account balances on a calendar, to truly show you where you stand in the future. You can even forecast to see if you fix your car today, will you have enough money to get through the month. Pretty cool stuff.

Source: PocketSmith

GeoEye - High Res Satellite Images

All right, here are some "Oh, Cool" high resolution satellite images to enjoy from GeoEye. Check them out!They've got everything from images of the the man made to the natural occurrences. Pretty amazing stuff. This one here is of the airforce graveyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.

Source: GeoEye

Stash Hotel Rewards - stay independent

Would you like the benefits of a hotel rewards program without the restrictions of having to use a specific hotel chain? Or maybe you just prefer staying at independent hotels because of the more meaningful experience they can offer. Whatever the reason, Stash Hotel Rewards offers a great new hotel rewards program for independent hotels. With their program, you can earn reward points to be redeemed at their independent hotels, from historic hotels to landmark hotels, all across the U.S.

SparkPeople - motivation for healthy living

Okay, so Turkey Day has come and gone, and we've all gained the obligatory five pounds. And who knows how much more we'll gain through the holidays if we're not careful! Lucky for you, SparkPeople has a pretty good (and free) solution to help you through and get on pace for a healthy lifestyle. From a calorie counter and fitness planner to motivation system and feedback reports, it has the tools you need to stay on top of your healthy eating and exercise plans. So, while the season is all about giving, don't forget to give to your body a little bit as well, and get it healthy!

Dream Water - sleeping pills no more

Do you ever have those nights where you just can't seem to fall asleep? I sure do, but I don't suffer from sleeplessness often enough that I would want to take a prescription sleeping pill for it. So, what's the next best thing to do? The folks at Dream Water believe it's as simple as drinking a glass of water - Dream Water that is! They figured, if people were drinking energy drinks all the time to keep themselves awake, why not make one that will help you fall asleep? Dream Water is made will all natural ingredients, including melatonin, GABA, and 5-HTP to help with sleep and relaxation. And as an extra benefit, the bottles are small enough to pass through airport security, so you can take a nice snooze on your next long flight! Sleep well!

prezi - create eye-popping presentations

Tired of being put to sleep by boring powerpoint presentation? Then tell the world about Prezi. Prezi is no ordinary presentation maker, it allows to create amazingly creative and interactive presentations with an easy to use presentation builder tool. And best of all it is free. The only way to truly understand is to check out a presentation created with Prezi, so see below. Now, stop showing boring presentations and amaze your friends and colleagues!

Power of storytelling on Prezi

GrowFrame - the growing photo frame

Okay, this is a pretty neat invention. The GrowFrame is a series of photo frames that all basically snap together with magnets, so you can build endless different size and shape photo frames. To get the full effect, you really need to watch the video. For those with kids, it's a great way to show your child's growth over time, as you just keep adding pictures as they age.

The GrowFrame from GrowShow on Vimeo.

uShip - easily ship your stuff

Moving across country and need a mover for all your stuff, including your car, your boat, or maybe even your dog? Or maybe you're downsizing and just sold your baby grand piano on ebay to a guy three states away, and you're not sure how to get it to him. Well, when you need to move something big, you need to check out uShip. This company offers an online marketplace where you can find people to ship your freight, cars, furniture, pets, or just about anything else.

GrandCare Systems - live independently

Do you have an aging parent that is still living independently, but you are constantly worrying about them? Maybe you've even wondered if it's time for them to move to an assisted living home? But, you know that they aren't ready to give up their independence, so what do you do? GrandCare Systems has a great answer for you; they offer a system that will allow you to monitor and stay in touch with your parents, while still giving them their independence. Their system "combines aspects of smart home technology, internet communications, and telewellness in one flexible, user friendly, and affordable package."

Here's what it can help you do:
-Assess "normal" activity for your loved one
-Set up customized rules to receive email, text or telephone alerts
-Print out blood pressure, weight & glucose graphs to bring along to doctor visits
-Save Money by allowing a loved one the freedom to stay at home
-Receive daily email/web activity & wellness reports about your loved one
-Monitor door openings, blood pressure, weight, meds, eating, wake ups, etc.
-Send pictures, messages, reminders & more to the loved one's TV
-Coordinate schedules on-line with family & caregivers
-Exchange/record notes and memos between family & caregivers
-Know your loved one is happy, healthy & independent at home

Finance Friday - Free Shipping Kits Delivered

Everyone say thanks to the United States Postal Office. USPS is offering a Free Flat Rate Holiday Shipping Kit that includes four Flat Rate Boxes, a Gift Card Envelope, and Flat Rate shipping tips. Simply go to www.prioritymail.com/myholiday, and they'll send you the kit. The holiday season is stressful enough as it is; now you take going to the post office off that list!

Flat Rate Postage Rates:
Flat Rate Gift Card Envelope, 10" x 17" = $4.90
Small Flat Rate Box, 8 5/8" x 5 3/8" x 1 5/8" = $4.95
Medium Flat Rate Box, 11" x 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" = $10.70
Medium Flat Rate Box, 13 5/8" x 11 7/8" x 3 3/8" = $10.70
Large Flat Rate Box, 12" x 12" x 5 1/2" = $14.50

Language - free language learning tools

Interested in learning a new language in your spare time, but don't want to sit through a boring class or pay for some program in a box? Here are two great resources for you then! Free Language and the BBC each have great sites with a plethora of resources to help you learn that new language. I was just checking them out to brush up on my Spanish a bit, and I wanted to come up with a creative Spanish phrase to end this post, but apparently I need to watch a few more videos before I can come up with anything. Guess I need to head back to their sites! Adios, amigos!

Ecosquid - resell/recycle electronics

If you are looking to get rid of some of your old electronics, don't just chuck them in the trash! Go check out Ecosquid and recycle or resell them. It's a pretty cool service. You just describe the electronic, put in your zip code, and it will give you a long list of places you can recycle or resell it. I've had our old desktop computer around for a long time, just sitting in the corner of our bonus room, but I looked it up on Ecosquid, and I plan to drop it off to be recycled with Best Buy. I can simply go in and drop it off with them. How easy is that!

Holiday Joy - free in-flight wifi

If you are flying home for the holidays, make sure you bring your laptop along, as you'll now be able to get free in-flight wifi on Delta, Airtran, and Virgin America airlines! From November 20th, 2010 through January 2nd, 2011 you'll get free internet on every single domestic flight with these three airlines. Who do we have to thank for this? Well, the all mighty Google! Check out the details here - FreeHolidayWiFi.com.

Khan Academy - free classroom to the world

Do you enjoy constantly learning? Does your kid need a little more help progressing through fractions? Then, with over 2,000 short educational videos, the Khan Academy is a site you need to check out. This site has a mission of "providing a world-class education to anyone, anywhere." The founder Sal Kahn creates short (typically 10 minute) videos that teach on all number of concepts. Recently, it has even been praised by Bill Gates, and Google gave them $2 million to keep the site growing - and to keep it free. The site's a little clunky to navigate, but it is truly a treasure trove. And while the videos are simple, they are far from that boring history professor that will put you to sleep. So, keep learning and help your kids get ahead in school with these great, free educational videos.

Finance Friday - Charity Navigator & Guidestar

If you want to get a better understanding of the charities you are currently giving to, or maybe one you're thinking about giving to, you can check them out on Charity Navigator and Guidestar. Both of these organizations compile tons of data, mostly financials, on thousands of charities. Whether you want to know how much their CEO makes or how much goes to programming versus administration, you can find it all here. Just remember, at the end of the day, it's not about the dollars, it's about the impact those dollars actually have on the community. Some charities have low administration costs, but also low impact, while others have high administration costs, but also huge impacts. So, just be sure to look at the whole picture.

Calcmoolator - calculate anything financial

Wondering how the numbers would work out if you stay on unemployment versus get that part time job? Or want to calculate if it's worth buying that more expensive, yet much more efficient car? Well, you can calculate those as well as tons of other things with the Calcmoolator! So, as they put it, "Math is Hard, Calcmoolator is Easy!" So, if your parents or spouse won't let you get a dog because they think it's too expensive, now you can calculate it out and show them exactly what it will cost! Start calculating!

Squirrel Paperclips - yes, really...

Want to put a smile on your coworker's face? Then hand them your next report with one of these paperclips attached to it. Yep, I donno, people come up with and sell some of the craziest products. Who would have thought we needed a paperclip shaped like a squirrel. Apparently we do! If you are so inclined to buy, you can do so here!

GO VOTE!

If you haven't voted by the time you read this blog, then get out there and vote! This privilege is what separates our country, truly the greatest in the world, from many others across the globe. You have a voice! Not sure where your polling place is or who's on the ballot? Our friends at google can help you out! Simply go to maps.google.com/vote, put in your address, and it will tell you where your voting location is and a few other details. Now go vote!

Support Our Soldiers - donate your candy

Do you have extra candy that you didn't hand out last night from Halloween? Well, you can either eat it yourself and gain way too many extra pounds, save it for next year (and get kids sick!) OR you can donate it to our soldiers overseas who didn't get to celebrate Halloween back home this year. If you've got extra candy, check out Operation Gratitude. You just need to make sure you ship it to them before Dec. 3rd. You can check out their site for more details.

Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard

17330 Victory Boulevard

Van Nuys, CA 91406

Charlie Othold: 818.437.6201

Homeminders - home reminders

Do you have trouble remembering the last time you changed your home's air filter? Or maybe you've been searching for the manual for one of your appliances, and you can't find it anywhere. Or another good one we never remember until we are already on the road heading out of town is turning down the hot water heater. Wouldn't it be nice if there we some fool proof system that would remind us to do all these things and keep up with all our house information? Well, there is! It's a site called Homeminders. From a monthly maintenance schedule emails to weather alerts, and vacation reminders to document vaulting, Homeminders is the ultimate service for every homeowner.

Rentometer - rentals made easy

Are you a landlord or a tenant? If you answered "yes," then you should check out Rentometer. From the tenant side, you can compare your rent with other local properties to make sure you're not paying too much. You may even be able to send maintenance requests to your landlord through them; reducing the hassle of tracking down your landlord. For landlords, there's a plethora of services designed to help you manage your rentals, from Craigslist posting and tenant screening to a dashboard to manage all your rentals in one place. So, if you're a landlord or a tenant, check them out and see if they're right for you.

NoNotes - stop taking notes

Are you a college student who finds it hard to listen to your professor and take notes at the same time? Or maybe you're heading to a conference this weekend, but your colleagues aren't, and you want to fill them in on all the talks? Well, then NoNotes may have the answer for you.  In NoNotes own words, they are "a high quality low cost transcription and translation provider. We take your audio files and turn them in to text and we can translate any document to more than 80 languages." Transcription services are nothing new, but they've simply made it easy to do. You simply send them the audio, and they'll send you back a complete word-for-word copy. So, next time you "don't want to miss a thing" (as Aerosmith would say), check them out.

Little Librarian - encourage your little reader

Does your child love going to the library and reading books? Well, now she can take it to the next level. With the Little Librarian kit, she can become her own librarian in her own library! What a great way to encourage reading, and the skills of organizing, sharing, borrowing, and returning. So, if you've got a budding librarian or reading enthusiast in your midst, you need to check this out (and you don't even have to return it or deal with late fees!).

Voting - Knowledge is Power

As most of us are heading to the polls in the next couple weeks, it's a good time to remember that voting is an incredible privilege that we have as Americans. And as it is an incredible privilege, we need to be sure to educate ourselves. To that end, here are a couple of sites for those in Georgia that will help you get ready. For those not in Georgia, do all you can to learn about your candidates and the amendments that will be on the ballot. A simple Google search will get you a lot of the information you need.

Constitutional Amendments on the Georgia ballot - http://lwvga.org/CAs.htm

Find your Georgia voting location and a wealth of other information about the elections in your area - http://www.sos.ga.gov/mvp

Pillbox - which pill is that?

The National Library of Medicine and the FDA are partnering to bring you a new resource called Pillbox. Pillbox helps you identify unknown pills. You simply enter some of the characteristics like color, shape, and other markings, and then it will tell you which pill it is! How "Oh, Cool!" is that! So, next you can't remember if the blue pill is your heart medicine or your thyroid medication, this site can sort it out for you! (Now, the site is still in beta, so be sure to check with a pharmacist at the end of the day.)

Own an Island - your piece of the world

Ever thought about owning your own island? Well, Private Islands Online allows you to search and view private islands for sale across the world. And if your pockets aren't yet deep enough to purchase an island, you can search for island rentals as well. Hey, and if you're pockets still aren't deep enough (like mine!), you can check out the site and just have some fun daydreaming!

Finance Friday - Life Insurance

Do you have life insurance? Do you even need life insurance? If you're single and have no dependents or family to speak of probably not, but if you have a family that depends on you, you definitely need it. From all the research I've done, here's what I would recommend - a term life insurance policy worth about 10 times your annual salary. This is typically enough to help cover the costs of your burial, paying off the house, covering the kids' colleges, and a few other things to help take the pressure off. And if you're a spouse that does not work? Well, yes, you probably need life insurance too. It's a little harder to calculate how much you would need, but think through what the other spouse would have to pay for if you were gone - childcare costs, etc. Term life insurance is really not that expensive, and it is totally worth it! If you need help calculating it, let me know. I have a spreadsheet that I got from one of my personal finance classes that really helps you put it all together.

Cousins Camp - fostering family ties

Here's a pretty cool idea that I ran across. As many families live far away from each other, cousins don't often get to know each other very well. To foster family ties, work with your family members to create a Cousins Camp. Send your kids (cousins) to one of the family member's house for a few days, have structured activities, and let the kids bond. It also works well to send them to Cousins Camp at the grandparents house. This is a three way win - the cousins get to bond, the grandparents get to bond with their grandchildren, and the parents get much needed time to focus on their relationship with each other. However you do it, this is a great way to keep families close when they live far away!

Manpacks - socks/underwear/t-shirt subscription

Huh? A new company, Manpacks, is now offering manpacks (a mail-order subscription to replace your old socks, underwear, and t-shirts) to "give men (and the people who love them) more time to build empires, climb mountains, slay dragons... to achieve the goals they aspire to." Yep, that's right. If you (guy) or you (girl who has to clean up after the guy) are tired of  hole-y t-shirts; permanently brown socks, and worn out underwear, BUT you don't want to be hassled by going shopping to replace them, then you can sign up for this subscription service that will mail you a manpack with new socks/underwear/t-shirts every few months. I'm not sure if this is a genius idea to help out lazy men, or a completely crazy idea. Either way, there you have it!

Corn Maze - How they do it

Okay, I've received a few requests to find out and post how corn mazes are created, so here you go. After a little research, the mystery is solved. A maze is cut into the corn by a tractor with a GPS! No, it's not as simple as taking your GPS out of your car, throwing it on a tractor and heading off into the fields, but it's not that far off from it.

Basically, you plant your corn throughout the acreage you plan to use for the maze; usually doing it in double rows, so it's thicker for the maze. Then you use the special software program to design your maze and plug it into your GPS. Once the corn is a foot or two high, you can hook your GPS up to your tractor and have at it!

Prior to GPS, they would use a grid system in the field to create the maze. Yes, think back to those high school math classes. Glad we have GPS now! In case you feel like starting your own maze someday, you can check out these guys at Corn Mazes America. Thanks to them for helping me solve the mystery!

Finance Friday - Stay At Home Vs. Work

I ran across this really interesting blog post the other day on Money Help For Christians entitled "Stay At Home Mom Math Analysis - What’s a Paycheck Worth?" It gives a sample chart of how much a parent would really make if they worked outside the home rather than stayed home with their kids. It's a pretty eye-opening chart when you look at the numbers. I've never seen it truly laid out in numbers quite so plainly, so it was pretty neat to see. My wife stays home, and I always think in the back of my mind about the "what ifs" if she went back to work, so it's "good" to see that we've made the right choice (financially speaking) to have her stay home (Thanks for all you do babe! I know it's more work than any job would ever be! I appreciate you!). Check it out and see where your family stands on the chart.

Pumpkin Patches And More - find one near you

Whether you're looking for a pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay ride, or any other type of Halloween fun, pumpkinpatchesandmore.org is your place to find it. It's not the prettiest looking site, but it has tons of listing all across the US, and 6 other countries (in case you're traveling?). Anyway, take your family on a hayride, enjoy some hot chocolate, and take a pumpkin home to carve. What better way to spend a day with the family!

Indeed - find your next job here

Okay, so obviously with the world we live in today, many people are looking for jobs. So, here's a great place to go to search for one - Indeed.com. This site is basically a search engine dedicated to jobs; when you search it aggregates the jobs from all the other job search sites and lists them out for you. So, whether a company listed their job opening on Careerbuilder, Monster, or some other site, it will probably turn up in this search. I've used this site many times in the past, and when I'm looking for a job down the road some day, I'll probably use it again. If you're looking for a job right now, check out this site, and good luck in your search!

Violight - cell phone sanitizer

Did you know that your cell phone may be dirtier than the sole of your shoe or even a toilet seat? Yep, that's pretty nasty all right. With our daily, and sometime hourly, use of cell phones, it makes sense that they can get pretty dirty. In fact, take yours out now and look at it. See all those finger print smudges? Now think about the last five places you set it down. Unhuh, it's pretty nasty all right. Well, a company called Violight has developed a UV Cell Phone Sanitizer that eliminates 99.9% of germs in just minutes (they actually came out with a toothbrush sanitizer a couple years ago as well, so if your toothbrush looks a little gross, you can take a look at that product too!). Okay, on that note, I'm going to go wash my hands!

Paper Soap - "soap on a ropes" little brother!

Do you prefer to bring your own soap when you travel, but hate packing a wet, filmy bar of soap? Or maybe you're heading out into the wilderness this weekend, and you've already remedied your coffee problems after last week's post, but now you need to figure out how to clean yourself while you're camping? Well, "soap on a rope" move over! Paper soap is here to play! Basically, you take a sheet of soap into the shower with you, add water, and work it into a lather. Hey, and it's airplane carry-on safe!

Finance Friday - Last Will and Testament

Okay, so this one is probably more to motivate myself than for anyone reading this, but, well you all may need some motivation as well. So here's my plan, my wife and I do not have an official Last Will and Testament; yes, I now that's pretty ridiculous considering we have kids. But, anyway, I plan to rectify that this weekend. I heard the other day on the radio from Dave Ramsey about his special deal through US Legal Forms - just go to www.uslegalforms.com/dave. It looks like you can get your Last Will, Living Will, and Power of Attorney for yourself and your spouse for about $44. That sounds pretty reasonable to me. So, the challenge to myself and to those who are in my same boat is to make it happen this weekend! Whether you use US Legal Forms, an attorney, or some other method, just go make it happen!

Double Shot Press Mug - brew coffee on the go

As it is getting cooler out these days, I thought this would be a good product to show you all. The Double Shot Press Mug from REI is a coffee brewer and mug all in one. So, whether you're enjoying a weekend camping and need your morning pick me up, or you're just on the go and in a rush, now you can enjoy fresh coffee anywhere! I'm feeling warmer already!

LEGO Ice Tray - fun for snack time

Everybody knows LEGOs. And if you have a young child, he/she probably has bunches of them strewn all over the house. Well, to make it more fun, you can add this LEGO Ice Tray to your repertoire. It's a creative way to add more fun to snack time drinks, or you could even use it as a candy mold if you want to spice it up a bit. LEGOs aren't just for playtime anymore! 

VRBO - vacation rentals by owner

You may have noticed that I missed a couple of posts (Friday and Monday); that's because we needed some R&R, and we took off to Destin, FL. Every now and then we all need to unplug and get away. And that brings me to today's "Oh, Cool!" It's VRBO.com; a great site where you can book vacation rentals all over the world. And these vacation rentals aren't hotels or inns, these are folks 2nd homes/vacation homes that they are renting out to you. So, often for the same price or less of a hotel room, you can book a sweet house at the beach, or maybe a cozy cabin in the mountains. Whatever your preference, just be sure to take some time to get away and recharge every once in a while. 

And as a plug, if you're looking to go to Destin anytime soon, I know of a great house you can rent, and I may even be able to get you a deal! Check out this house - http://www.vrbo.com/161555. If you're interested, let me know!

Tether - access the internet anywhere

For those of you who are a bit more tech savy and have a blackberry, here is a pretty cool app. As they put it on their website..."Have you ever been stuck in an airport, hotel room, coffee shop, or on the road with no Internet? Frustrated paying $9.95 for 30 minutes of internet service? Resorting to your Blackberry but wished you could use your laptop? Tether is here to provide a solution to all those worries! Tether is an application that allows your PC to take advantage of your Blackberry's data plan, allowing you to access the Internet on your laptop anywhere there is cellular coverage from your BlackBerry." Hey, and today only, they are running a special price; it is 50% off!

GetHuman - the ultimate consumer tool

Are you stuck on hold waiting for a customer service rep as you read this post? Can't seem to get through to a human being or waiting on hold for what seems like hours? Then get ready for the answer to your prayers. GetHuman is your "ultimate consumer tool with phone numbers, shortcuts, reviews, tips, and more for companies worldwide." So next time you need to call a company, check this site first, and learn the tips on how to get through quickly and effectively. No more waiting, no more talking to computers, and no more dialing around for the right numbers. Don't you feel your stress melting away already?

Pogoplug - your personal online storage

Okay, so you may remember me writing about Dropbox a little while back. Dropbox offers online storage and sharing of your files. Well, if Dropbox wasn't robust enough for your needs, Pogoplug is! Pogoplug takes a different angle on the whole online storage / cloud computing thing. Rather than saving or linking your files online, it simply hooks your external hard drive up to the internet; thus, you can access anything on your external hard drive from anywhere with any device. It is of course password protected, there are no ongoing fees, and it is incredibly easy to use. You basically just plug one end into your computer and the other into your external hard drive. Then, voila, you are your own online storage! The device is only $129. So, if you have lots of files you need to access away from home or you have pictures you want to share with others, this may be a great option.

Beer Garden - grow your own beer

I saw this and have to write about it, as my brother-in-law brews his own beer. This product, brought to you by the folks at ThinkGeek, allows you to grow your own hops/wheat/barley to use in your own beer brewing. So now, not only can people do all the brewing and fermenting, they can even grow the ingredients to put in the brew. This is perfect for my brother-in-law! And hey, I think he has a birthday coming up fairly soon! Do you know any beer brewing enthusiasts? If so, this might be a fun option for them too!

Terrafugia - making flying cars a reality

Do you remember watching The Jetsons fly around in their "car" as they went from home to work and everywhere in between? Well that family vehicle of the future is almost a reality. A bunch of MIT grads and MBAs are toiling away to make the first truly mainstream "Transition Roadable Aircraft" (aka Flying Car) through a company called Terrafugia. It's getting pretty close; the first models will probably cost close to $200,000, which is obviously way out of most our price ranges. But, just think, in 5 or 10 years, these vehicles could begin to come into our price ranges. Now, how much would that change our world? Cool!

Spokeo - not your grandma's phonebook

Okay, so this is a little scary. The folks at Spokeo have aggregated a huge amount of publicly available information on people. Try it on yourself. Visit their site and type in your name and city/state. You'll be amazed at what comes up. For those who want to snoop on others this is great, but for the average person, this is a bit creepy. Click HERE to see how you can remove your personal profile from this site. Of course, this information is all publicly available, but you can at least make it a little harder to get at.

BlogTalkRadio - let yourself be heard!

Have you ever listened to the radio in the morning and thought, "I would love to be on the radio!"? Well, now with the help of BlogTalkRadio you actually can! Their website allows anyone and everyone the ability to host a live, internet radio show by simply using their telephone. So, whether you want to rant about college sports or talk politics, you can broadcast yourself to the world. Hey, or maybe you're tired of your local radio stations and want a change. BlogTalkRadio has preserved millions of conversations on their site for you to listen to. Their site even integrates with your social networks, so you can quickly tell the world what you're up to! Now get out there and start talking!

Compassion International - sponsor a child

Growing up in extreme poverty in other countries is a statistic to many, but through Compassion International, last year it became a single name to us - Yoselin. Last fall we began sponsoring a young girl named Yoselin in Guatemala. By simply donating $38 a month, we are able to help her break the bond of poverty and grow into a strong, fulfilled Christian adult. We write back and forth with her and exchange pictures. It is awesome to know that we are changing the trajectory of her life forever. I highly recommend Compassion International, and I challenge you to think about sponsoring a child. Now, how "Oh, Cool" is that!

Finance Friday - Mint.com

If you're looking for a great way to manage your money, you need to check out Mint.com. Not only is it a great online tool to plan, budget, save, and do just about everything in terms of tracking your dollars, it's totally free! So, whether you're new at this whole budgeting and saving thing, or you're a pro who wants to take it to the next level, Mint.com has the tools you need to get it done - easily. And that's the key isn't it? If it's hard to do, you're not going to do it! Set-up on the site can take as little as five minutes, and then you're off and running. In this economy, every dollar counts, so don't let one get away without knowing where it went.

CrowdedInk - social media coffee mugs

Do you find yourself constantly hanging out on Facebook or tweeting with your friends on Twitter? If you just can't get enough of your friends online, now you can take them offline too! CrowdedInk has popped up to offer social media mugs. Basically, they'll take the profile pics of up to 184 of your friends and plaster them onto a coffee mug. That's a pretty cheery way to start your morning! They even have keychains, so you can take your friends with you wherever you go.

Cool-jams - tired of night sweats?

Tired of waking up at 2:00am in the morning drenched in sweat from getting too hot in your bed? Maybe your pregnant wife is always hot, no matter what time of day? Or may the love of your life has hit that point where the hot flashes are coming left and right? Interestingly enough, wicking clothes are no longer just for sports! Now you can get moisture wicking sleepwear from Cool-jams. They say their clothes even have a "cotton-like" feel, so you won't have to give up your comfort. They're definitely not cheap, but if you wake up often sweating, it may be a pretty cheap solution for a good night's sleep!

Identity Stronghold - keep your credit card safe

Do you have one of the new credit cards that has an RFID tag, so you can simply tap the credit card reader, rather than swipe your card? Well, it may make your purchases a little easier, but it also makes it easier for a criminal to steal your card number. If a thief with a card reader gets close enough to your purse or wallet, they can steal your card number. Check out the video on Identity Stronghold's website to see how this can happen. Luckily, this guy has come up with a pretty easy solution to the problem with a foil card sleeve. You can purchase them through their website if you have one of these cards. Also, if you have a Passport that is from 1996 or newer, then it has an RFID tag too. But don't worry, Identity Stronghold sells sleeves for those too. Now, no one has yet been caught stealing card numbers this way, but as you can see in the videos, it's an easy target. So my advice, if you are often in crowded areas where people could be getting close to your cards, then think about getting these card sleeves. If you aren't, then you you're probably all right.

LinkedIn - facebook for business

If you haven't gotten a LinkedIn account yet, you are missing out. LinkedIn is basically the Facebook for business networking. You set up your profile, listing out your previous job experience (basically your resume), and then you connect with all your current and previous business colleagues. This is THE BEST way to network when looking for a job because not only can you see all your business colleagues, but you can see all of THEIR business colleagues. So, if you want to work for "ABC Company", you may have a colleague or a colleague of a colleague that works there who can push you through the clutter. I actually got my current job this way. I currently have 125 connections on LinkedIn, but my extended network is almost 2,000! That's the power of LinkedIn!

WebMD - diagnose yourself

This one is one I use all the time; it's WebMD. If you are ever feeling sickly or just have a random question about your health, this is the place for answers. They even have a Symptom Checker (scroll down on the left). It's a good tool when you don't have any idea whats wrong; you can click on the part of the body that hurts, and it will zone in on possible causes.

P.S. This is why there was no post yesterday - my wife ended up with an incredibly severe case of Poison Ivy and Impetigo. Don't know what Impetigo is? Well, check it out on WebMD.