Cost Captain offers some great deals for educators on Microsoft products. The Microsoft products include Vista, Office 2007 Suite, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Expression and more at excellent prices. These deals are for full versions of the programs and only require that you provide academic eligibility prior to shipping. Costcaptain.com offers academic pricing on a variety of software products in addition to the Microsoft software packages already mentioned. Check it out. Don’t assume you wouldn’t be eligible just because you aren’t a teacher, check out their eligibility guidelines to see if you qualify for these special deals on Microsoft software. Home schools qualify as well.

I’m sure you are like me and know how much this software cost!! I love a good deal and especially love it when I can find a good deal that I can order online. They ship your order out quickly with a tracking number and provide great customer service.

A gift certificate might be the perfect gift for your favorite educator, librarian or other school staff.

LapBand by JourneyLite is a surgical procedure to help lose excess body weight and improve your quality of life. The procedure sounds very simple. It is done by a lapband surgeon and the lapband is likened to a wrist watch being wrapped around part of your stomach creating a smaller pocket …. in a sense making your stomach smaller to hold less food.

LapBand is short for Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding. You’ve probably heard about this procedure. Most of the people I know who have had this type of surgery have been very successful in losing and maintaining significant weight loss and a healthier life style. I can’t personally recommend the procedure, but I do recommend you look into it and find out more about it if you are thinking of taking this route for weight loss.

Northeast Florida is really appealing this time of year. Its cold here. Really cold. I love taking a vacation to a warm climate in January or February to break up the winter chill. I’ve been looking at some of the destinations in Northeast Florida for a mid-winter break and have found some really wonderful and little known places. Any of them would make a great place to go to get warm when the winter winds are cutting through to your bones.

The 75 miles that encompasses the Northeast coast of Florida is rich in diversity. From the earliest European settlements in the Americas to modern seaports, from small towns with local color to secluded beaches with all the beauty of nature, Northeast Florida has it all. You can find mysterious 17th-century forts, vast prairie lands and wide beaches lined with sand dunes there. Click Here For More Information on Florida's Northeast Coast

My own personal top reasons for visiting Northeast Florida include:

Amelia Island - a tiny enchanted island teaming with history, beauty, shopping, beaches and a charm that is unique and legendary.
The Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine - Many people believe this is the point at which Ponce de Leon first stepped foot in the Americas. Its one of the oldest sites in St. Augustine and archaeologists are still discovering more historical information about the site.
Castillo de San Marcos - The Spanish began building this fort in 1672. Again, it is one of the oldest sites of colonialist America. It is America’s oldest masonry fort.
Fort Matanzas National Monument - on Anastasia Island is the site of many attempts by the British to invade St. Augustine.
Greathouse Butterfly Farm - One of the largest butterfly farms in America. Visitors actively assist with the release of butterflies from their dormant state.
Dolphin Conservation Center - guests interact with dolphins at this center.
Anastasia State Park - Gorgeous secluded beach teaming with a variety of wildlife. This is a great place for beach walks and enjoying the surf.
Vilano Beach - Another beautiful beach. You can fish off the peers, stroll the beach and play in the surf.
Casa de Solana - An Inn in the Old City that offers romance, relaxation, historic beauty and spa packages for couples.
San Sebastian Winery - What else needs to be said, wine tasting.

I hate it when everyone at work brings in their kids fundraising stuff and puts it out for everyone to buy. I used to buy something from every one just because it seemed like the decent thing to do. I ended up with tons of candy, wrapping paper, popcorn, candles and do-dads that I didn’t really want and were terribly over priced. Its not just one group, it seems like its every group every family is involved in. The school, community groups, recreation groups, sports teams. It goes on and on. I finally made a policy that I wouldn’t buy. I admit that policy didn’t make me any friends, but it saved me a lot of grief … and money. I just told every one that it was my policy not to buy fundraising items period. I’d rather make a donation to whatever cause I feel strongly about.

Today I read about Shoutbox which is an online auction site that works with individuals, groups and organizations for fund-raising. Just think - no more annoying and potentially dangerous door-to-door selling. Using Shoutbox, you can raise money for children’s field trips, school supplies and other educational needs, along with athletic groups. You can post and share photos, too. At Shoutbox, you can shop, sell and save.

This is really cool. If you are wanting to learn to play the piano spruce up your skills you can get help with that on the internet. PlayPiano.com publishes a free piano lessons email newsletter on Piano lessons & piano chords. You can sign up for the email newsletter for free and receive a new edition every five days or so. The free subscription lasts for 101 issues.

As I said, the subscription is free. You can get the email newsletter and get the opportunity to improve your piano skills or learn to play from the get-go. You an also buy complete piano courses on DVD for adults. Don’t worry though, signing up for the newsletter does not obligate you to any purchases at all. They are just there should you decide you want to use them to refine your piano playing skills.

It is so cold outside! Time to be thinking about how to get a little extra heat in the house … or office. I like to have an extra heater under my desk for my poor cold feet. At home I like to have an extra heater by the chair I usually sit in for the same reason. Another thing I’ve been considering doing is getting some vent free gas logs to put into one of the fireplaces in the house that we don’t use very often. These gas fire logs are great because you don’t have to worry about stoking firewood or the mess of cleaning up the ashes. I love the fireplace, but it does make a mess. We have a fireplace we use in another room and the smoke gets into the room sometimes not to mention that its just dusty in that room a lot because of the fireplace. That’s what makes me think that the gas logs are a great idea for the other fireplace.

I didn’t realize until I read the DESA Online Outlet website that you can get gas logs for unvented fireplaces. They have a ton of options for different sorts of heaters and heating options at very reasonable prices.

I’ve been to a lot of weddings this year and helped plan a couple myself. I’m always amazed at how effortless the wedding itself appears to be since I know the stress and almost frantic planning and organizing that goes on in the months, if not years, ahead of the actual wedding. It seems to me that is the sign of a well planned wedding. The guests should never know how much you sweated over the planning of it.

So how do you pull off such a feat? Its not easy. Just like with any social event you plan, it should appear to be effortless. The guests should not feel the stress. They should only see it as fun and relaxing. That’s the whole point of socializing - well, sort of anyway. If you are planning such an event, then get some help and do it up right. You can find ways to do it without breaking your bank account or giving yourself hives.

For example, if you are planning a Chicago Wedding then you absolutely must check out the help you can get from 1WeddingSource.com. You can go there and find all the resources you need to plan the perfect wedding for you in Chicago. These days, with the internet at our fingertips we have the resources we need to make a lot of the leg work more manageable. 1WeddingSource.com is one of those places through which you can do a lot of the legwork in the comfort of your living room and have the resources all in one place.

One of the weddings I went to this year had a dove release during the reception. It was such a nice touch. You can find where and how to get that done in Chicago with the help of 1WeddingSource.com. You can find out about invitations, ice sculptures, wedding cakes and anything else you might want to include in your wedding. Find out whatever you need about vendors in your area, articles on wedding etiquette or ideas for enhancing the wedding, wedding themes, the nuts and bolts you’ll need for a wedding (such as invitations, flowers, photographers, etc) and much more. If you are planning a wedding in the Chicago area you would do well to check out the resources at 1WeddingSource.com.

art credit: Popeye Wong

Now is the time to get away to Amelia Island, Florida. If you are sick of the cold weather than you can find warmth and relaxation on Amelia Island. It is a tiny enchanted island that is just waiting for you to find it and explore its history and mysteries. The history of the island is rich with tales of pirates and Spanish conquistadors. It boasts an authentic Victorian seaport village and so much more. It is truly an escape for the rush and the worries of modern day life. Its especially a wonderful escape from the cold.

Amelia Island was voted one of the top islands in America by Condé Nast readers. In addition to its rich and fascinating history, you have fantastic golf courses, shopping, restaurants and unlimited activities and adventure. It is really the perfect place for a winter get away.

Right now is an especially great time to plan a visit to Amelia Island because they are offering a lodging special. When you book two nights, you get the third night FREE. This offer is good at any of the twelve participating hotels and beds and breakfasts on the island. The special is good through the cold season, now through February 29th, 2008.

If you like online shopping for Christmas than you can’t do any better than to use the many shopping opportunities that use coupon/coupons/promotions/discount codes in addition to the already fantastic deals you can find. Check out edealfinder, for instance, for a list of constantly updated shopping deals, along with coupon codes and discounts on every merchant. There’s a huge list of merchants to chose from.

Check out the deals you can get using Proflowers coupon. There are coupons, bargains and promotions on mini-Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces and traditional holiday bouquets. You can also find Overstock.com coupons on all sorts of different items. You can get deals on anything from furniture to clothing to electronics and more. I know every one loves Overstock.com. Get on over there and check it out. You are sure to find a great deal.