A new year has begun, you know what that means? Time for all those New Year Resolutions! How many of you every year start out with a resolution to drop some unwanted pounds? This has been my resolution for many years, and do you know it is only of the top resolutions many people make, right a long with dropping the smoking habit?

There are many great companies out there that want to help you meet those goals you have set for yourself this year, including BistroMD. BistroMD is a meal delivery service, so it makes losing weight simple. Follow the meal plan, stick to eating the food prepared for you, and you will have no problems. BistroMD takes all that guess work and calorie counting out of your daily meal planning. One great thing about this program, all the meals are shipped to your door, a long with a simple meal plan. All you have to do is heat, eat and watch the pounds coming off, you are also responsible for moving. You have to remember just eating certain foods, does not make you lose weight, you also have to have exercise in your daily routine.

Many people forget your body needs to move, it needs a way to burn those calories, and sitting on the couch just isn’t working. Of course, unless you are lifting weights while you do that!

I was sent a week work of meals to try. I have to say these were different from my normal eating of macaroni and cheese, but I liked having everything laid out for me, the only way one would not lose weight with this meal plan is if they didn’t stick to it or do it properly, because you literally have everything laid out for you, from what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On what day to eat it, and also some helpful tips on how to prepare it.

We all know meals taste better when they are presented well, one of the suggestions is to place on a plate, and also add some seasonings. The meals are good without some spicing up, but I thought they tasted much better after I added some of my favorite seasonings to them.

BistroMD has four different plans to choose from, you can pick either 7 days or 5 days, and you also have the option with snacks or without snacks. These plans start from $129.95 and go to $179.95 per week. BistroMD has also been seen on shows such as the popular Biggest Losers, Dr. Phil, and The Doctors.

While sticking to this meal plan, I noticed the scale dropping. During the week I was on this meal plan I seen a drop in 2 pounds. Everyone is different some will lose more, some will lose less, it all depends on your body, and how much exercise you do! Plus it didn’t help that the holidays were here.

I highly recommend BistroMD for anyone’s 2012 New Years Resolution weight loss journey.

disclaimer: I received the 7 day no snack meal plan for review purposes only. This is only my opinion, and others will vary. Remember what works for some will not work for others, and you must also include exercise.

We recently had the opportunity to check out The World Almanac 2012 first hand, and I was pretty amazed. As my daughter and I was checking out the Almanac we came across a lot of great facts. I love all the historical information in this book, such as the Presidents, our Economic status, and the showings of the crime rates.

This will be one of the books my daughter goes to when it is time to write those reports, I know the information she will receive from this book, is actual facts. I love that the information used to publish this book, has been checked more than once to make sure we are getting all the proper facts.
Below you will find some of the notable features in The World Almanac 2012.

The World Almanac 2012 would also be great for those family debates.

If you have children this is a must have book for all those book reports your child will have to do through-out their high school years. If you are a person that loves reading facts, this would also be a great book for you.

I would have to say my favorite part of the Almanac is the facts about the starts, I love seeing how the different States got their names.

Michigan: From Chippewa words, mici gama, meaning “great water,” after the lake of the same name.

You can purchase The World Almanac® and Book of Facts on Amazon for $8.17 and is eligible for free shipping!

We received a copy for review purposes no other form of payment was received. This is our honest opinion and others may vary.

Super Sneaky uses for everyday things, is Cy’s 8th book in the series. This book includes activities that have never been seen before, and even has some sneaky fashion like the light up nails, and the sneaky bracelets and belts.

How many of you have kids that like to try new and exciting things with random things laying around the house? My daughter does, she is going to be one of those science geeks. It amazes her how things work. Her and daddy even made a door alarm once, and she is all about searching for finger prints.

Super Sneaky uses for everyday things, has over 30 new inventions! These new and exciting projects not only show you step by step directions for you to try at home, they also show you images, so you can see if you are doing it correctly, and give you a list of things you will need.

One thing I liked about this book, is the illustrations. I am one that has to see images as I am doing something, or it will not turn out right, and I would have never known you can take a part a 9 volt battery  to reveal 6 AAAA batteries, yes I said AAAA, and when in a bind you can make them work as AAA batteries. How awesome is that!

Want to try some cool tricks yourself? Check out the Sneaky Uses site for a few free projects, also make sure to check out their youtube page where they show you how to some neat things.

You can purchase Super Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things on Amazon for $10.16 and is eligible for free sipping on orders over $25.

We received a copy for review purposes only no other form of payment was received.

Product Features:
Manufacturer’s Suggested Age: 5 Years and Up
Includes: Instruction Manual, Vehicles, Figures
Number of Pieces: 395
Material: Plastic
Educational Focus: Shapes and Colors
Dimensions: 11.25 ” H x 2.5 ” W x 19.5 ” L
Product Weight: 1.25 Lb.
Care and Cleaning: Wipe Clean With a Damp Cloth

As the set is quite large and features 3 vehicles, 3 Mega Bloks people and some accessories. All 3 of us teamed up to put the set together. My wife and I took turns reading instructions while the other and our 10 year old daughter found the pieces and set them up for that step. Our daughter thought it was fun even for a boys toy and decided to keep it. This goes to show, just because something is made for a boy, those girls like it too!

Together with a few alternating breaks it took the 3 of us around 2 hours to complete the entire kit. Keep in mind our daughter put all the pieces in one big pile instead of leaving them separated as they came. This made it a bit more challenging to find the pieces for each step, but that made it more fun.

If you’re looking for a great block building set for one of your kids don’t let the Blok Squad Construction Site pass up your eye. Putting it together is quite fun and the resulting vehicles work very well as play toys. The moving parts; wheels, bucket etc. all perform well. We were pleased with the product and would surely suggest it to anyone looking for a fun and well made block building set.

You can purchase the Blok Squad Construction Site on Amazon for $14.99 and it is eligible for free shipping on orders over $25!

We received product for review purposes only no other form of payment was received. This is our honest opinion.

We had to check it out! So when we were invited to check out the new doughlift, of course we said sign us up.

I was extremely curios to see if the change suited this product. So when we received it, we had to play with it, to see if changed were indeed made. I noticed right away there was a big difference in the way the product played.

Before when you tried to make things out of the molds, the moon dough just fell apart. I mean it wasn’t all the time, but the consistency just didn’t fit well with what the product was intended for.

The new formula is a lot better, I also love the new molds!

As you can see in the above picture, the moon dough is sticking together better, making it a lot easier to form into playable foods. When I asked Gillian what she thought of the new and approved moon dough, she said it is a lot better, then the last set we got. She said it is easier to play with and not to fluffy.

I love how kids use such cute words to describe products.

More about the Moon Dough Breakfast set:

Moon Dough Breakfast Set. Create your own delicious breakfast with the Moon Dough Breakfast Set! Create Pancakes, Waffles and Toast in one easy step with the new Push & Pop Tools. Just Push, Pop, and Play! Stack up your creations, pile on the toppings, and serve up your own breakfast meal! And because Moon Dough never dries out, you can make tons of fun creations – again and again! Soft, light, wheat-free and non-drying, Moon Dough is out of this world! Includes: 3 Push & Pop Tools Topping Mold 1.5 oz. Red Moon Dough 1.5 oz. Yellow Moon Dough Play-mat Instruction Guide.

You can purchase the Moon Dough Breakfast Set on Amazon for $16.85

Make sure to connect with moon dough on facebook, and twitter.

We received the above product for review purposes only, no other form of payment we received and this is our honest opinion.

We recently had the opportunity to check out the Christmas Gift Basket Classic. Once we got the gift basket I had to try everything out!

The Gift Basket included…

· Almond Pecan-dy Crunch by Morley Candy Makers – 9.25 oz. – This ultra-luxurious candy crunch is made by covering gourmet popcorn and pecans in a rich, smooth caramel glaze.
· Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies by J&M Foods – 6 oz. – Made with only the finest of natural ingredients, these cookies will satisfy even the most discerning chocoholic.
· Dipping Pretzels by East Shore Specialty Foods – 6 oz. – These extraordinary pretzels are the perfect unsalted snack!
· Robert Rothschild Farm Raspberry Honey Mustard Pretzel Dip – 7.8 oz. – This gourmet raspberry honey mustard dip adds a flavorful zing to pretzels, and goes especially well with the East Shore Specialty Foods Dipping Pretzels that we have included in our Gift Baskets for Christmas.
· Salted Peanuts in Box by Feridie’s – 7 oz. – Only the finest peanuts, flavored with salt, these gourmet snacks are just as Mother Nature intended.
· Signature Dark Chocolate Bar by Lake Champlain – 3 oz. – This decadent and complex dark chocolate bar will satisfy the cravings of even the most discerning chocolate lover.
· Buttered Peanut Crunch by Old Dominion Peanut Company – 10 oz. – This flavorful peanut crunch is made with only top of the line gourmet peanuts, brown sugar, and “AA” grade butter. Taste them and you will understand that the best ingredients create the best peanut crunch!
· Metropolitan Trail Mix by GourmetGiftBaskets.com – 4 oz. – Our proprietary blend of nuts and dried fruit is a delicious and surprisingly healthy snack.
· Parmesan Artichoke & Garlic Cheese Biscuits by Salem Baking Company – 1.5 oz. – These crumbly biscuits will melt in your mouth leaving a trail of flavor to be savored.
· Chocolate Covered Cherries by Marich – 2.3 oz. – These indulgent gourmet chocolate covered cherries are one of the favorite snacks in our line of Holiday Gift Baskets.

And you know me I had to sample everything! So I took a little of everything, and my favorite was the chocolate chip pecan cookies! I think that was my husband’s favorite as well, he made that remark “these are the best cookies, I have ever had”. The peanuts were also amazing, I had never had ones like them before, they were extremely fresh.

We also loved the raspberry honey mustard, I used it on chicken breast and it was so yummy. I have learned from the past Gourmet Gift Baskets are amazing. The first time I ever had “gourmet” treats was a few years back and I wasn’t impressed, it was after I reviewed my first Gourmet Gift Basket I new why these sweet treats were such big hits.

Gourmet Gift baskets make great gifts for those hard to purchase for, with several different gift baskets to pick from you are sure to find one to please.

Connect With GourmetGiftBaskets:

Website: http://www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/gmtgiftbaskets

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gourmetgiftbaskets

You can purchase the Christmas Gift Basket Classic on GourmetGiftBaskets.com for $59.99

Also, don’t forget you have until December 10th, to do a blog post about the Christmas Gift selection on Gourmet Gift Baskets and sent back to me so I can get them to the proper person, so care packages can get sent to our troops.

I received the above gift basket for review only, no other form of payment was received.