With Father’s Day rapidly approaching, here’s a way to affirm him with a unique desktop gadget – the iwavecube™ personal microwave. While Dad is toiling away in his home away from home, having his very own personal microwave in his cubicle will certainly bring immeasurable joy. Considering how nasty shared use office kitchen microwaves can be, he’ll appreciate your thoughtfulness.

With a iwavecube™ personal microwave in the corner of his 8×8 cubicle, Ole Dad could be sipping on some reheated Starbucks coffee, a SmartOne or instant soup for lunch; or freshening the air with popcorn while reviewing TPS Reports.

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I was twittering one night and Judie mentioned that she had this product to test. Only problem is that the product claims to remove cigarette and tobacco odors and she doesn’t know any smokers.

Lucky girl.

Much to my eternal shame, I told her that my beautiful, intelligent teenage daughter has decided she is a smoker. The really great part is that the wretched child thought it was a secret even though everything she owned absolutely reeked of cigarette odors.

At first she tried to tell me it was from hanging around friends that smoked. She thinks I am stupid. (I hear that is a common teenage malady.)

So one day I tell her, “If you think that your smoking is a secret, you are mistaken.”

Foolish me. Now that the cat is out of the bag, she no longer makes any attempt to hide it!

Every time I walk into her room and it smells (even though she never smokes in the house) I get angrier. I don’t smoke. My husband doesn’t smoke. Why should I be made to suffer with a house that smells of smoke?

Vamoose! to the rescue!

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For those who don’t know, a year and a half ago I weighed a lot more than I do now. It was at that time when I went in for my regular physical at my doctor’s office, and it was at that time when I was told I would have to start taking medicine to keep my blood pressure down. This was nothing serious, but it scared me. I was 36 and I had High Blood Pressure.

I was bound and determined to make a real life change: I decided to not let food rule my life anymore. So I ate a lot of salad, fruits and veggies, and other things I would have never eaten before, plus I tried to work out at least 3 times a week. Sometimes I would get all of my workouts in and sometimes I wouldn’t. My ultimate goal was - and is - to be OFF of the medicine, no BP meds at all.

After starting my life change, I went from 349 to 279;  I am not done with my battle, I am just stagnated right now.

So when presented with the opportunity to try the Smart for Life Weight Loss cookies, I thought I might be able to jump start the next weight loss; boy was I wrong.

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Have you wondered just how healthy that meal at your favorite restaurant is? There’s a cool book that spotlights less healthy restaurant meals, and provides suggestions for alternative healthier dishes. Men’s Magazine took the book and compiled a list from it of the 20 worst foods in America and it’s quite an interesting read. I’ve always known that the Chili’s Awesome Blossom wasn’t terribly healthy - according to the article it has 2,710 calories and 203 g of fat — and that’s just for an appetizer! Check out more of what Men’s Health has compiled as the 20 Worst Foods in America.

Link: Men’s Health Magazine - 20 Worst Foods in America
Link: Order “Eat This Not That” Book from Amazon

Until about a week ago I’d never heard of Pre-Wrap. When I asked my hairdresser earlier in the week whether she’d heard of it, she nodded her head and promptly produced a small bottle of liquid used prior to coloring hair. Wrong! Pre-wrap is not a liquid, it’s a foam underwrap used primarily by athletes before putting on athletic tape. But someone discovered another great use for it. Creating hair tie backs for female athletes (and non-athletes). Because it’s sold in rolls of varying colors, you can stock up (like I did) and always have a color ready for any outfit (Note: My daughter did the testing , since my hair isn’t long enough for pre-wrap).

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I first saw a post regarding a concept shoe with convertible heels on Book of Joe back in 2005, and now it looks like an easier to operate variation of the same idea has actually come to pass. Say hello to CAMiLEON, a company which produces women’s shoes with heels that can adjust from a pratical walking height of 1½” to a sassy 3¼”.

CAMiLEON’s heels contain “mechanisms that hold it into place for both the high heel and low heel positions and a stainless steel rod, which runs through the entire length of the heel. The portion of our heel that is stowed underneath the arch region of the shoe, when in the low heel position, is actually made out of aluminum. Additionally, every heel is coated with 6 coats of paint, resulting in a beautiful high-gloss finish. While essentially every other brand of high heel shoe attaches its heel to the shoe with nails, or nails and glue, we attach every heel with four screws.”

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First, before we get into today’s review, I want to talk a little about Sleep Apnea. Sleep Apnea is when you stop breathing while you sleep. The worst part of Sleep Apnea is a lot of people who have it don’t even know it. Symptoms of sleep apnea can include:

• Loud snoring.

• Waking up gasping for air.

• Waking up in a sweat.

• Feeling unrefreshed in the morning.

• Headaches, sore throat and dry mouth in the morning.

• Sleepiness during the day.

Now I know what your going to ask. How do you know for sure if you have Sleep Apnea?

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About 3 months ago I saw an AeroGarden advertised in Sharper Image and did further investigation as it seemed interesting. An appliance you just plug in a seed pod, 2 nutrient tablets and water (no soil! Yay!). And on your counter you’ll quickly have enough fresh herbs to last a lifetime. Being the gadget geek that I am there are very few home devices that have a microprocessor that I don’t own. So this was new and somewhat exciting. Combine nature, healthy eating, and a touchpanel….Joy!

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Have you ever wished that you could have a little extra help when biking? That when your legs got tired an electric motor could kick in and pick up the slack? Here to make your commuting more pleasurable, potentially much healthier, and definitely more ecologically friendly are the OHM Hybrid Cycles.

The design is based on a standard bike wheel base, with a center mount battery pack to provide better balance and maneuverability. The technology incorporates a simple control console, microchip processor, long-life rechargeable lithium-ion battery and a brushless electric motor integrated into the hub of the rear wheel. The system automatically manages power distribution during pedaling – the more effort the rider exerts, the more boost the electric motor provides.

This looks like a great way to stay fit and save some gas money on short errands around town.

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While waiting at Valvoline to get my oil changed I was introduced to the Keurig Brewing system which they had in their lobby. This is a coffee and tea machine that uses self-contained cups of tea, cocoa or ground coffee. I’d previously used Senseo machines (leaky, somewhat messy). What interested me about the Keurig was that the coffee is all enclosed in a K-Cup - so there is no messy cleanup or annoying need to grind coffee. So, is this better than the old drip makers? Does it outperform similar machines like the Senseo?

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