Yelp.com
Looking for a new restaurant to try? Want to share a particularly good or bad experience at a local store? Yelp.com is the place to go. It’s a website devoted to reviewing local businesses and destinations and it has become the best place online to find out what’s happening in your city. Before I go to a new restaurant, I check reviews at Yelp to see what dishes are the most frequently recommended and which area of the restaurant offers the best seating. I also love the lists some users have created to tell me about the “best places to shop for kids” and “best cupcake in town.” Since I started reading Yelp, I’ve tried a ton of new cafes and explored several parks I’d never heard of previously. Hands down, this is one of the most useful websites to come along in ages.
Ancestry.com Press
I decided that it would be nice to hang a family tree on the wall of my son’s nursery. However, every time I tried to create one myself it became a giant DIY mess that didn’t look at all the way I’d hoped. The solution? Ancestry.com’s wonderful publishing service which allows you to simply enter your data and then works with you to customize a beautiful family poster suitable for framing. It couldn’t be easier, and it’s very reasonably priced. I was thrilled with the tree I was able to create here. Another bonus is that once you enter your family tree, Ancestry.com immediately notifies you about connections to other online trees and historical data. I inadvertently turned up a whole new branch of the family while working on this project!
Wii Fit
If you’ve had a chance to play a game on Nintendo’s Wii system, you know how much fun it is. Wii Fit takes the concept to the next level, allowing you to participate in any number of exercises, from yoga to simulated skiing and challenging you to improve your fitness. When you first begin with Wii Fit, the system calculates your weight and BMI and asks you to state any weight loss goals. It keeps track of these things, recalculates regularly and allows you to check in on how you’re doing. It also keeps track of how many minutes you’ve exercised in a particular session and encourages you to exercise with it every day. Then, you’re off to the exercises. You can try a little bit of everything, figure out what you like and then try to work your way into advanced levels. Some of the things I’m enjoying most include step aerobics, jogging, hula hooping and ski jumping.
Bumbleride Indie Stroller
Is it wrong to love a stroller this much? The Bumbleride Indie is strolling perfection, in my opinion. I wanted a sturdy stroller with inflatable tires, suitable for walks over uneven surfaces. I also wanted something light enough to lift easily and compact enough to fit in the smallish trunk of my hybrid. On all accounts the Bumbleride fits the bill. It handles like a dream, cruises over even the roughest sidewalks, folds down in one quick motion and weighs just twenty pounds. It’s got the sleek, modern look of much more expensive strollers and always gets a second glance when we’re out and about. The price is very reasonable and Bumbleride’s customer service is exceptionally friendly. I can’t stop raving about this stroller
Starbucks Card Rewards
Purchase a Starbucks card, preloaded with any dollar amount you choose, and then register that card at Starbucks.com to receive great savings on your coffee. You get perks ranging from free shots of flavor (for me a $.30 discount every time I buy a vanilla latte) to free refills and even complimentary beverages just for registering. You can even create a personalized card on the website, a really cute touch. If you are a frequent Starbucks patron, this is a great way to save a little money.
