The Human Touch, only better

I have had a know on my back, just below my shoulder blades, that has been bothering me for days. Some days are worse than others, and sometimes the only way I can get any relief from the pain is to have someone rub it for me and put some ointment on it. Eventually though, these lazy girls in my house get tired of rubbing mommy's back and do a half hearted job that just does nothing for me at all.

Human Touch, the makers of foot massager and other massage products just came out with a zero gravity chair that I think may be beneficial for me. Yeah, I know, zero gravity sounds intense, doesn't it? I made me think it would be catapulting me into space or something high tech like that. Well, it's still high-tech and what it is is it's a massage chair that claims to reverse the adverse effects of gravity on the body. And believe me, at my age, I need all the help I can get against gravity. LOL!

Seriously, this HT 7450 massage chair is supposed to simulate techniques utilized by massage therapists. It is equipped with technology called the Quad Roller System which imitates percussion, rolling, compression and kneading techniques used by professionals. The description on the website claims this chair can work out knots and ease soreness. Does that sound just like the thing I need, or what? This chair sounds really high tech. It is supposed to be able to detect each individual's physique and adjusts its pressure points accordingly. You can program the speed, intensity, location and technique according to your personal preference or need. I sounds perfect!

Now who needs kids to rub your back when you got this chair?

Meizu MP3 Player

My daughter is just in love with her new toy. She already had an MP3 player but she and her sister Asi upgraded this year. While Asi went for the iPod, Jade picked this and she says she hasn't regretted her choice. She's also gloating that the screen on her MP3 player is way bigger than her sister's. Read her review on our finds.

Hot Water Lobster

If you're a foodie like me and you hear hot water lobster, you are probably thinking, "butter, lots of butter!", yeah? Well in this case, that's not what I'm talking about. Hot water lobster is a device that provides hot water real fast, faster than your usual hot water heater, and in doing so conserves energy and time.

The weather is getting cooler again, and I'm sure more of us are going to be taking hotter and hotter showers. Have you ever gone to take your shower in the morning and ended up standing in front of the shower waiting for the water to get hot enough for you to step in? During these times when we're supposed to conserve water, this step is just totally unnecessary with the hot water lobster. Using a control valve, the hot water lobster senses when the hot water in your pipes are cooling off and returns them to the water heater to heat up. This saves you energy because by maintaining a constant temperature, your hot water heater does not start from scratch each time it powers up. By having instant hot water, you save water because you are not running water while waiting for it to warm up. Hot water lobster.....that's because with this device, you're "always in hot water".

Are you a DIYer?

DIY? That's for Do-it-Yourself, which is what most of us are turning to these days. There is just something very satisfying about doing a project all by yourself. Standing back to admire your accomplishment is reward enough. At least in our house anyway.

My husband, because of his penchant for doing things on his own, is a power tool junkie. Even the kids, from an early age, have known this and always picked something to do with power tools for his presents. Now if we were in the U.K, he would be running to this site that offers great deals on power tools. They carry all brands, like Skil, Bosch, Makita and Panasonic tools. Whatever your project needs, they will probably have just the right tools to make it easier for you. If it's nothing but a power screwdriver or if you want to get fancy with a router, they have the power tool for you.

Portable Scanner

My husband is an artists and regularly consults with clients away from his studio. Sometimes something during the transaction will come up that makes him wish he was in his office with his scanner handy. Wouldn't it be great if he had a portable scanner?

The ScanShell 2000N (2000NR) portable scanner would be perfect for his needs. It is small enough, it is slightly less than a foot long (11.5 inches), only two inches in width, and weighs in at only 11.8 ounces. Weight is something to consider when you are lugging your laptop, portfolio and whatever else to a meeting. When you get past its cuteness, you will also realize that it is efficient for what it is designed to do. For a small unit, it scans pretty fast at 6 pages per minute. You can use the scanner to fax, email or just scan documents or photos by simply pushing one button. Speaking of photos, you can scan images, or any document for that matter, up to 600 dpi (dots per inch) resolution. That's pretty good for a portable unit. You can make pretty good quality prints from an scanned image at 600 dpi.

The scanner connects to your laptop via a USB interface and comes bundled with DocShell software which enables you to save your scanned images into the following formats: BMP, JPG, TIF, PSD, PCX, PNG or TGA. Once saved, you can use your scans in any application you have like the Microsoft Office Suite or Paint, or Photoshop. This scanner and software is also compatible with MicrosoftVista if you've already made the jump.

Fancy a Cuppa

If you are a coffee lover, it's great that Starbucks and other coffee shops are now found in practically every street corner and shopping center that you can get a java fix just about anytime you feel like it. There are times though, when nothing beats being able to stay home and enjoy the same quality cup of coffee in the comfort of your own kitchen.

For times like these, having your own espresso/cappuccino maker is priceless. Incanto Sirius Coffee and Espresso Makers come with a built in water filter and coffee grinder ensuring a perfect cup of coffee each time. The intuitive control panel allows you to control the brew strength. You can experiment with the strength of your brew by adjusting the water volume and amount of coffee grind, for instance. The hotwater dispenser and steam function in each unit, allows for a perfect latte or capuccino each time.

There are several models in varying price ranges available from many retailers to choose from.

Hang it Up

I spend so much time in the kitchen that I have always wanted a tv to keep me company while I cook or do other chores. We've never put one there though because we have a small kitchen and there was just not enough counter space to put a small tv on. Then we thought, how about if we hang it on a convenient wall? You would have thought we discovered oil or something. LOL!

Anyway, we found Dekomount.com which specializes in just this thing. Wall brackets for tvs! Unfortunately, they are a company in the United Kingdom. But, what is unfortunate for us is good for U.K. residents. They can find a variety of wall mount brackets to fit just their tv model including plasma lcd wall mount brackets. So if you're in the U.K., you should check them out. They can deliver the brackets to you the next day if needed. As for me, I'm still alone in the kitchen, but I have my fingers crossed that I will soon have a tube to keep me company.

Make Your Home Shine

My husband prefers wood to metal. He loves to work with wood, after all. But, when it comes to the kitchen and decorating around the house, he is drawn to things that are shiny and clean. Me, while I can't care less about the decor in the rest of the house, I am a kitchen person. I live in the kitchen, and in the kitchen, stainless steel is a good thing.

The Stainless Steel Store has a variety of high quality products that will not only enhance your decor, I love that most of them are practical and usable. They have some very unique kitchen accessories that are very affordable and very chic and sleek. And if you think that steel would be too harsh in the garden, check out their greens section and maybe you will change your mind.

I was just thinking while I was browsing through their website how many of the items would make unique wedding presents or just a gift for any occasion. I really like the fact their prices are very reasonable too.

Cell Phones & Kids

I used to say that kids should not have cell phones. I am not buying my kids cell phones. Heck, I don’t even have a cell phone! hehe! but that was because I just hate to talk on the phone.

As the girls got older, and were involved with more things at school that required them to stay later or go elsewhere, I soon realized how it would be most helpful if they had cell phones so they can call home if they need anything or so I can find them if I need to. So on their birthdays last spring, I decided to let them have phones. Nothing fancy though, god knows I can’t afford to have another $100/month calling plan to have us all on it. Instead, I decided we would try a prepaid calling plan. We all agreed that these phones will be for emergency only, not for use to chit chat with friends all day long. We also agreed that they will earn their own minutes.

Read the rest on Found Not Lost

The Motorola RAZR Phone

It is hard to believe that there was a time not so long ago when cell phones were a thing of science fiction and not everyday life. Can any of us remember anymore when we lived without a cell phone?

I resisted for a long time before finally deciding to get the girls cell phones. Our life style nowadays is such that we feel it necessary to stay connected with each other through technology. One of the places to compare cell phones and plans is cell-phone-plans.net. They offer a variety of phones and calling plans all in one place online without you having to jump from one provider to another. You can save time and money in a one stop shop, so to speak.

User reviews are also available from the site so you can see what people who have tested out the phones and calling plans have to say about it, the good and the bad. One of the best phones on the site is the RAZR v3m.

The girls love the features that come with the RAZR v3m because it has everything they need and lots of what they want. The Motorola RAZR v3m in silver is especially attractive. It has a very sleek and stylish look that is pleasing to everyone but especially teenagers like mine. With this thin razor in their pocket, they can not only use the phone feature, they also have extras like a camera phone, a music player and all integrated with bluetooth technology (like they need to do anything else with their hands while they are talking on the phone, listening to music and taking goofy picture of themselves and their friends).

Speaking of pictures, the camera feature is a pretty decent 1.3 megapixel with a 4x digital zoom and video! My daughter is already thinking of all the possibilities that she can use a cam phone like this on. If you look online, you will see that others have submitted positive comments about the razor particularly the Motorola RAZR v3m in silver reviews. The best part about this phone? When you sign up for a Verizon Wireless Account, it's FREE! That's a $249.99 value that you immediately save!