Bluetooth Bracelet

Don't you hate it when you miss a call because you can't hear your phone ring? Maybe it was in your purse, or perhaps you forgot you had it on silent. Well, then, check out this cybergadget! It's a bracelet that let's you know when you're phone is receiving a call! It's compatible with any Bluetooth phone.

Isn't that cool?

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Is your lotion toxic?

I heard some DJs talking about Cosmeticsdatabase.com on the radio the other day, reminding me of this cool site. My favorite section is on sunscreens - which ones really work without ingredients that are believed to have serious health risks.

The results of the Environmental Working Group investigations showed that only 15% of 952 suncare products analyzed met their criteria for safety and effectiveness, and the leading brands were the worst offenders. Ouch!

I was relieved to find that the makeup I use is not only on the safe side, but is also not tested on animals (yeah! I've been meaning to ask the makeup counter about that!) However, I did get a little nervous about "anti-aging" products - most of them seem pretty sketchy in the health department.

You will also want to check on the products you use on your kids. One popular brand in the baby world has lotions with ingredients linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, organ system toxicity, contamination concerns...the list went on and on.

So be sure to check out this site to discover what NOT to buy, and learn more about the cool stuff they are doing.

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Save on stuff you actually need

Find coupons and discounts you can actually use at MomsWhoSave.com. It's not a pretty site, but you can find deals on clothing, photo printing, computers and more.

I particularly like that they post offers on Twitter, making it easy to browse through the daily bounty. Cool way to save!

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EepyBird.com (aka Mentos & Diet Coke Guys)

I met Stephen at the SNCR Excellence in New Communications Awards a while back. He and Fritz are some very interesting guys that managed to take something viral and turn it into a marketing opportunity, while most of us try to do just the opposite.

This one's my personal favorite, but they have all kinds of fun stuff on their site.

Check out their EepyPicks page to see cool videos they found on the "Webernet", like Human Tetris and a guy that can play the piano backwards.

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Dance-Powered Night Club

Brilliant. A dance club that harnesses the power generated by dancers.

These guys really walk the walk. The cool British night club doesn't charge cover if you arrive by public transportation, bicycle or foot, equips bathrooms with air flush, waterless urinals and low flow toilets, sells drinks in polycarbon cups, and donates a portion of profits to charity.

They even have an eco-friendly destination resort scheduled to open in 2010. Check out Club4-Climate. Very cool!

Funny Cat Videos

I've truly never heard my 4-year old laugh so hard!

http://www.funnycatvideos.net/funny-cat-video-compilation-1.html


http://www.funnycatvideos.net/funny-cat-video-compilation-3.html

Note: you can get rid of the annoying ad by clicking on the "x" at the top right corner of the banner.

Kermit the Frog Used to Be a Coat

Ever wonder how your favorite Muppet was born? I found a great blog post on the origins of many a favorite muppet. Some tidbits from this cool stuff blog:

• The original Kermit the Frog was made from Jim Henson's mom's coat and some ping pong balls
• Cookie Monster was originally made to be in TV commercials
• Count von Count used to be able to hypnotize and stun people
• There does not seem to be a consensus on who Animal was modeled after, but some theories out there include Keith Moon of the Who, Ginger Baker from Cream and John Bonhamm from Led Zeppelin
• Oscar the Grouch is inspired by a cranky New York cab driver. And in Israel, he's not "Oscar" but his cousin, Moishe Oofnik, who lives in an old car

Some other fun Muppet sites:

• Muppets.com (great videos good for a giggle!)
• Muppet Central - Guides
• IMDB Muppet Trivia
• TV.com Muppet Trivia
• IMDB Sesame Street Character Trivia
• Test Your Sesame Street Knowledge (may want to turn sound off for this one)

Clothing Becomes Interactive

Got something to say? Now your clothing can be part of your social media brigade. Reactee is a Web site where you can create a personalized t-shirt that invites others to text you (without giving up your number!)
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So, Reactee is owned by TextMarks, which creates a unique TextMark keyword for you. When someone sends a text to 41411 with the keyword you had printed on your Reactee shirt, they receive a message back that you have pre-set (and can update at any time).

Still don't get it? It took me a while, too. Some examples may help (and yes, I just made up the following):

• A huge advocate for Free Tibet may create a shirt that reads "Why Free Tibet? Text TIBET to 41411". Then they would set up a new message every week that talks about the human rights violations occurring on the other side of the world. Anyone who texts "TIBET" to 41411 would receive those messages.
  
  
• A local coffee ship owner may create a shirt that reads "Get Free Coffee. Text CUPOJOE to 41411" and set up the account so that anyone that texts his keyword would get a "coupon" texted to their phone for a free sample.
  
  
• A night club DJ might create a shirt that reads "Whadda Ya Wanna Hear? Text REQUEST to 41411" so dancers can text song requests.
  

The possibilities seem endless. Your t-shirt becomes a billboard, a conversation starter, a way to support your favorite cause, the newest booth-babe attire at trade shows...

What would YOUR t-shirt say?

Stuff to do in Austin and Houston

Here are some fun little gems forwarded to me from a friend: Austin Tidbits, Austin Kidbits and Houston Tidbits.

You sign up for tidbits via email from gotidbits.com and they send you fun new things to try in Austin and Houston. The Kidbits one is my favorite - they tell you when Beauty and the Beast will be performed at Zilker, who has yoga classes for the wee-ones and where to go in Austin to get creative.

The Austin and Houston tidbits tell you thing like where the party is, who's having a sale, how to rent designer clothes, and more. You can check out previous tidbits to see if it's up your alley before you offer up your precious inbox space. Pretty cool stuff!

My Personal Renewal Group

Now, I'm not usually one for self-help books and "learn to love yourself" seminars, but I must say that I've found a lot of value and made some good friends through my Personal Renewal Group.

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The book is designed to help busy career moms not only cope with the struggles of balancing work and life, but how to succeed in your various roles and reconnect with "who you are".

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So, you can buy the book and do the exercises on your own, but I've gotten the most insight and "ah-ha" moments from discussions with the group. Ideally, you'd have a trained Facilitator. But if that doesn't work for you, I don't see any reason why you can't get a group of moms together once a month to read the chapter and do the exercises. Though you may need to nominate a leader to keep you on track.

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The book guides you through a journey of self-exploration (yeah, I know, I'm starting to sound like a self-help book now) and helps you realign your priorities, while the discussion group provides an opportunity for validation, reality checks, support and ideas. Plus, it's another good excuse for moms'-night out!

Fun with Photos

Always trying to find something fun to do with the kiddo, I ran across an interesting site: Scrapblog.com. This is a free service that allows you to create online scrapbooks to share with family and friends.

Now, I'm not a big scrapbooker. And when I do scrapbook, I prefer the cutting and pasting version. However, this site is great for inspiration and, better yet, kid entertainment. After clicking on the "Get Started" button, start with a blank page. Then, find a good picture of your kid's face and upload it to the page. Reduce the size, then copy/paste until you have a page of wallet-sized images of your kid.

Click on the "stickers" button on the right and the scroll through the options (at the time of this writing, I couldn't get the "search" function to work, but you may want to give that a try). Select wigs, crowns, silly hats, etc. by clicking on them. Your kid can help you pick them out, though this step may take a while.

Now, for the fun part! Click "Done" on the stickers page, and all the stickers you selected will be on the left side of the page. Click the one you want, position and size it on your kid's photo, and walla! Your kid with purple hair, as a pirate, at the baseball game...how cool is that?

Nordstrom.com rocks

I've been a Nordstrom fan for years. Cute clothing, superb customer service, great quality. What's not to love?

But then I discovered the Nordstrom.com sale section about a year ago. I normally don't like shopping for clothing via the Internet - the colors are never quite right and I never know if I'm going to fit in the small or the medium, a size 4 or a 6 (I'm apparently right in the middle).

Nordstrom.com is the one site that is the exception to my rule. They offer one-price shipping no matter how much you buy. (They recently raised it to $8, but still!) You can return items to the store or online. And, because it's Nordstrom, it's all a very pleasant experience.

The site is very well designed, easy to navigate, and gives you the ability to view an item from various angles and in different colors. And I know that if I can't make it to the twice-yearly sale, I can just go online!