Worth it or not: A shopping Guide SmartMoney.com - We've all been there, standing in the aisle of a store, spending way too much time weighing the small differences between two similar products. Will the more expensive umbrella really perform better? When it comes to a laptop bag, is $120 too much, too little, or just right? Here's some help. Each month, SmartMoney Magazine looks at sets of two similar consumer products, and assesses the better buy. This year, we looked at a wide variety of goods, including blenders, deep fryers and Digital SLR cameras. To aid in your holiday shopping, here are seven suggestions: http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/family-money/worth-it-or-not-a-shopping-guide/

MIT project tries to turn trash into a game CNN - Here's the problem with recycling: It's boring. But maybe it doesn't have to be. A Boston company called Greenbean Recycle is trying to make the act of keeping bottles and cans out of the landfill into a fun, competitive and engaging game for students at MIT. The new company, which won an innovation prize this week from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, has converted a beefy recycling machine on MIT's campus into a point tabulator of sorts. When students approach the high-tech trash can to dump in their recyclables, they punch their phone number on a touch screen. A bar-code reader in the machine counts the number of cans, bottles and the like that the person has dropped off - and then uploads that data to Greenbean's website. Recyclers can track their progress online, and even engage in competitions with fellow students. "We want to be like the Zynga of recycling," said CEO Shanker Sahai, 38, referring the maker of such social games as "FarmVille." Competitions between fraternities at MIT have been particularly fruitful, he said, with the houses trying to compete against each other to get the top spot on an online recycling leaderboard. Continue: http://whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/09/mit-project-tries-to-turn-trash-into-a-game/?hpt=hp_bn6

I'm Sara, and I just wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself to you, and let you know a little about what I do. I'm a Disney vacation planning specialist. My services are completely free because Disney recognizes the value of experts helping families plan their vacations. Here are just a few of the things that I can do: **assisting in making reservations and monitoring for new discounts **least crowded parks recommendations ** a custom itinerary showing park hours, parade times, crowd levels, and dining arrangements **tips on best viewing spots for parades and fireworks ** photo pass tips **attraction tips **fast pass tips **a list of free things to do at Walt Disney World ** unlimited access to me via phone or text to answer any questions that may come up during your vacation! You can reach me by email at sara@magicalmemoriestravel.com or by phone at 815-214-9832. You can also check out the blog for fun tips or to request a quote at www.disneyinstyle.blogspot.com

If you're looking for something fun to do with the kids this summer, look no further than the Baby Loves Disco Family Fun Fest! You will love dancing the afternoon away with the little ones at this Baby Loves Disco live concert Festival! We absolutely cannot wait for this event. My kids love music and dancing, so we will be getting down next month! The event is on June 9th from 12:00-5:00pm at the Electric Factory. The Electric Factory will be converted into the biggest party in Philly this summer –dance, sing, hear music, see comedy, see art, and eat great food with tons of surprises along the way. Tickets are $25, or $80 for a family 4-pack RAIN OR SHINE THE FEST WILL BE AMAZING: Don’t worry about the weather - we’ve got it covered inside and out - get your tickets now before it’s sold out!  Go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/02004889A1126B17 for tickets. 5% of all monies raised goes to Alex’s Lemonade Stand who will be serving up ice cold lemonade and taking additional donations.  Baby Loves Disco Family Fun Fest will have a full afternoon of entertainment. Inside - dance to tunes spun by DJ’s and outside on the big stage, non-stop performances by some of the hottest kindie rock bands (The Pop Ups, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Bubble Do Beatles), local dance troupes and The Great Holtzie. Expect lots of FREE stuff for your admission price, roving jugglers, street performers, circus arts, puppet shows, clowns (the good kind), face-painting and air-brush tattoos and lots of crafts. And Philly food trucks of course. Go to http://www.familyfunfest.tumblr.com/ for more info. Get 10% off your tickets thru May 27th with code MOM by emailing info@babylovesdisco.com with your request. Someone will get back to you asap! Share this info with your friends and enjoy!! Your whole family will love it. I work for Miles Of Marketing and this information was provided to me by them (www.milesofmarketing.com). We are a group of moms passing along great information like this to other moms!!!

awesome congrats to the winners! Philly Mama's ROCK!

Dr. Gary Neuman's 4 types of toxic people to avoid..... Dr. Gary Neuman, a family counselor and mediator, helped Jennifer and her daughter Alyssa understand the toxic functions of their relationship, and offered advice for how the two can mediate their differences. Not all toxic relationships are repairable, however, and Dr. Neuman believes there are some people who can be cut out of your life completely. "You either have to avoid them, confront them, or get help in changing the relationship," Dr. Neuman says on the show about the toxic people in your life. "You cannot continue to allow it to happen to you." Read more: http://www.andersoncooper.com/2012/02/13/dr-gary-neuman-4-types-of-toxic-people-to-avoid/#ixzz1mUF9ryhL