Last but most certainly not least is our final Gift Guide for the season: The Stocking Stuffer Gift Guide. For many, stockings are the best part of Christmas. Don’t you love finding those little gems for each member of your family, especially those that do not cost a fortune?

Here are some great finds to fill everyone’s stockings:

FOR HER
	Hopscotch Necklace – Do not let the price fool you. This chunky geometric wooden bead necklace would be a stylish complement to a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Buy from Fleet Collection. $16.00
	Password Book – If she is anything like me, I can never remember my passwords. This handy little book can be kept in a locked desk drawer for safe keeping. The good thing is that she will never forget her passwords again. Buy directly from BobsYourUncle. $14.00
	Belt Buckles – These beautiful wearable art belt Read the full story »

I have several (unfortunate) pet peeves. Many of them are creeping up right around this time of year because they mostly revolve around the theme of entertaining and food service… For one, the idea of mistakenly drinking from someone else’s glass is extremely disturbing (eww, cooties) and second – but way more peeving: I CAN’T stand the thought of the nearly full soda cans or water bottles being tossed simply because their owners have abandoned them and yet merrily go on opening yet another drink – that they will also lose track of… Kids and adults are equally guilty. It’s mindless waste for the environment and the pocketbook. And it’s so completely unnecessary.

Which is why we really like this oh-so-simple-yet-brilliant solution: The DrinkiD bands.

It’s not that drink identifier and glass charms don’t already exist. We know they do, in all variations, but there the DrinkiD is the only one that will work on all types of drinking vessels, from water bottles, to wine glasses to soda cans. Available in a variety of colors and prints, the reusable stretchy bands easily slip around whatever glass, can or bottle so that you can instantly recognize your drink. Latex-free and biodegradable, the DrinkiD’s are made in the USA and are great for entertaining and make for a useful and fun hostess gift.

Buy online directly from DrinkiD.net or see the list of retailers here (it includes the Container Store).

Last year we did a Pet Gift Guide – Because We Love Them and we still do love our pets! But just because you have pets does not mean that your home has to go to the dogs. We have chosen (among other things) some great gift products that your (four legged) loving companion will love and that might also just add a great statement to your home. Plus, some fun games to play with little Fifi or Fluffy. We should really rename this gift guide the Gift Guide for Pet Owners. Enjoy!

FOR DOGS
	What Dogs Dream Bed – Designed not only to be comfy for your pet but also to complement your home. To see their whole line of beddings visit P.L.A.Y. $95.00
	Puppy Tweets – Ever wonder what your pet is doing while you are away? Now you can follow your dog’s twitter feed on your smart phone all day. The electronic dog tag has sound and motion sensors and sends messages to your home computer which in turn tweets. Okay this really is more of a gift for a dog owner! Buy from Amazon. $7.99
	Canine Protective Goggles – Protect their eyes Read the full story »

By Amie Valpone, Culinary Marketing Consultant & CEO of the gluten-free blog, The Healthy Apple.

When it comes to making healthy holiday choices, things can get complicated. Restaurants and food stores are stocked with processed foods and the items on sale are often the worst for us. This time of year, our schedules can get a bit hectic and crazy; we’re running around wrapping gifts, shopping for last minute presents, traveling and baking hundreds of Christmas cookies. If your head’s not spinning already it surely will be in a few weeks. It’s important to sit back, take a deep breath and take full control over your body and actions. Now, I’m not talking about refraining from buying those Cole Haan boots staring you in the face; what I’m referring to is focusing on maximizing nutritional value and taste while minimizing imbalance and unhealthy foods.

I’ve created a fun holiday recipe below that will help give you a clean outlook on your holiday schedule. No matter how busy your next few weeks become, remind yourself that taking care of you is most important as you’ll most likely be taking care of everyone else this holiday season. If you’re not at your healthiest, well rested, well fed and relaxed…you can kiss that mistletoe good-bye because you’ll end up drained, exhausted and not able to ice that gingerbread house. Oh, the horror!

It’s not every day you hear someone talking about Clean eating or asking their waiter for a Clean meal

Read the full story »

If you have any plans of shopping online, make them for tomorrow, December 16, 2011 which is – more or less officially – Free Shipping Day around the country.  It’s the fourth annual of such events which, this year, will feature over 2200 merchants (that’s double that of last year) who will offer free shipping for a delivery by Christmas eve. It’s a “universal” one day agreement by some of the top (and some serious favorite) online merchants. This year Free Shipping Day is happening tomorrow, Friday, December 16.

See the whole list of participating merchants here.

The merchants include the classic department stores (everything from JC Penney to Barneys New York), chain stores (Sephora, Apple Store, Best Buy…), but the list also features favorite fashion brands (Tory Burch, Chico’s…) and some cool independent stores (like this whole Etsy section). You can also easily shop by category (Beauty, Gifts, Electronics…)

Just going through this list of retailers is great for stirring up gift ideas.

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor

Thank you to 2nd.MD for providing me with a $200 stipend to test-drive this revolutionary online medical service.
Some of the best ideas stem from personal necessity and 2nd.Md definitely fits this criteria. The founder, Cliff Phillips, and his wife needed to speak to an expert regarding their youngest child’s health issue when she was only four months old. They had to wait six agonizing weeks to meet with a specialist. It was because of this experience that Phillips knew that there had to be a way for patients to immediately ‘meet’ with a specialist one-on one via the internet. As he explains in the video, this is how 2nd.MD came to fruition:

I was intrigued to discover this for myself.  Having suffered from Perimenopausal symptoms for almost a year now, I have been looking for solutions for my insomnia, night sweats, weight gain, irritability and just plain moodiness. I have done some research on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and, the more I learned the more confused I became with all the conflicting information out there. I jumped at the offer to speak to a Board Certified Gynecologist who specializes in perimenopause and menopause. I chose Dr Kent Bruice who was knowledgeable, easy to talk to, dispelled some myths and gave me enough information to confidently talk to my own doctor about HRT.

Although 2nd.MD is only a year old, the list of hyper niche experts in the various medical fields is, to be quite honest, impressive. Some of the top US doctors are listed. More than 150 nationally recognized specialists from top medical institutions such as the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins have been selected to join 2nd.MD.

It is easy to book a 20 minute appointment and talk to a doctor, from anywhere, through an online video or by phone, without delay. Simply state your medical issue, whether it is a disease, medical procedure or symptoms, and a list of doctors will be suggested for you. Each Doctor shows their curriculum vitae, allowing the patient to whittle down the list to the one doctor that would best fit their needs. If you are not sure which doctor would best advise you, you are able to ask them a question for free. Once you have decided make an appointment, you can send your medical history documents to the chosen doctor prior to the appointment in order to them to understand your needs by the time of the appointment.

Although medical insurance is not accepted and the second opinion is out-of-pocket, you are one-on-one with some of the most knowledgeable specialists in their field. A very small price to pay. One patient was told by his doctor that he was going to lose his eyesight. He spoke to one of 2nd.MD’s doctors who specializes in vision loss and received this timely second opinion that saved his sight.

Thank you again to 2nd.MD for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about 2nd.MD.  2nd.MD is also on Facebook and Twitter. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. #Clever2ndMD #spon

P.L.A.Y. (Pet Lifestyle And You)takes pets, their humans, the planet and the notion of design very seriously. In other words, P.L.A.Y. designs pet beds that are incredibly comfortable (for pets), that look great and are highly durable and washable (for humans) and that are made from post-consumer recycled product (for the planet).

P.L.A.Y. pet beds are completely unique in so many ways. The company is committed to doing its part in helping the environment. The P.L.A.Y. beds are filled with Planer Fill™ polyfiber which is made out of 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. A pet bed’s fill uses between 32 and 92 plastic soda bottles depending on its size. P.L.A.Y. is also very careful to keep packaging to a minimum to avoid post-consumer waste at that level. On the design side, P.L.A.Y’s Artist Collection commissions artists from around the country to design fabrics exclusive to them and then, to insure the very highest quality manufacturing, they have partnered with a manufacturer that has been making infant and children products. Since we know that most people treat their pets as they would their children, all this seems fitting.

And, as if we needed to make the company even more endearing, you’ll want to know that P.L.A.Y. has just partnered with the Petfinder Foundation to launch the Warm Bellies initiative that provides pet beds to animal shelters and rescue organizations so that those dogs may also have a comfy spot to sleep on.

The P.L.A.Y. pet beds are made from durable furniture grade fabrics and are all 100% machine washable. They are available in a variety of sizes, colors and designs and will actually make your home look more stylish. That is, as opposed to making the whole décor look dowdy, with the raggedy, clumpy gold/brown corduroy pet bed that now unfortunately sits in most of our homes.

Shop the luxury P.L.A.Y. pet beds here. And to hear of new developments and product at P.L.A.Y., you may want follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.