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