Happy and safe New Year to all my fellow VP-ers!!!

Well, I got the Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred workout DVD for Christmas...by request.  I'm getting ready to get off the couch for my first try, so in a month, I'll be reviewing it...if I'm still alive!  If you don't hear from me in a few days, somebody poke me!  :)

When I have heard other people discussing their grief at the loss of a loved one, so often, the phrase is, "Time was just too short." As we near the death of my father-in-law, as he is dealing with Stage 4 cancer, I am learning more and more how true that is.  I could not have been given a better set of in-laws...the jokes about interfering mother-in-laws and eye rolls around holiday get-togethers are not something I can relate to. My in-laws are among the most generous, loyal, and hard-working people on the face of the earth. I remember when going through a particularly hard time, I stopped at my in-law's home and talked to my father-in-law. Bless his heart, when I started crying, he didn't know how to comfort me..."Want a sandwich?" Nothing like my big Polish father-in-law making me a bologna sandwich to make me feel better. As I face that he will not always be there to give me his sugar-free hard candies (that I really don't like but would never tell him!), fix me a sandwich, or give me a big bear hug, I am truly grateful for the wonderful family into which I married and the wonderful example of dedication to family that my father-in-law has set for us.

I set up an account on Twitter forever ago and hated it. I was totally a Facebook girl. But if I get one more request to do some stupid Mafia Wars, or Sorority House, or Farm ANYTHING game on FB, I'm going to scream! So I have a new-found appreciation for Twitter...status updates without all the stupid invites! Same screen name as VP, so love to see you all on there!

Did anybody see the first football game of the season last night?  Woo hoo!  Go Steelers!!!   I am a die-hard Pittsburgh fan living in Bengals country.  There is nothing like going to work wearing Steelers gear on "Support your Team Fridays."  Gonna be a good season...

Some of you know I am a mental health care professional...I am also related to someone who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. As both a family member and a provider, I am a huge supporter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI strives to reduce the stigma of mental illness, provide resources to those who are dealing with a condition and their family members, and to affect change at the federal and state level to ensure that peoples' needs are being addressed. We have having a NAMI Walk on October 10th. If you would like to make a secure online donation to support NAMI and my walk to raise awareness of the issues that those who are suffering from mental illness have to deal with, please visit my personal webpage at http://www.nami.org/namiwalks09/BCO/dmlichnerowicz. Also, if you live in Southwestern Ohio, we'd love to have you join us for the walk! See my page for the link to join as well. Thanks for any support you share...we have to be the voice for those who cannot advocate for themselves.

OK, if you haven't noticed, I had a recent Bath and Body Work haul. Gotta love store credit and gift cards. I've got a couple more of their product reviews coming up. They have several newer lines, and I picked up several products that haven't been reviewed on VP yet. Hope they're helpful!

My faith in our fabulous community here has been restored! Y'all have been so sweet in putting my mind to rest about over-the-top "haters," for lack of a better word. Thanks to everybody for being so supportive when I had a bit of a negative experience with someone who is clearly a cat-vocate (ha ha, I crack myself up). Much love to you all!

I'm feeling a little freaked out...somebody left a pretty over-the-top couple of comments on my cat food review, and I'm a little agitated about it. First off, his spelling was horrible, and that drives me nuts. Second of all, I've had such great experiences with everyone else on here, and it threw me for a loop! Then I even started getting paranoid...I have personal photos on here, a picture of my house...what kind of people might be looking at my stuff? Feeling very exposed right now, all because somebody didn't like my opinion about cat food. Aaagh! I hate this! Hopefully he'll back off and leave me alone.

Well, thanks for everyone for all the sweet congratulations on my being featured writer this week. Is this not the best community of opinionated people out there? LOL!!! I was telling my mom about the site this weekend, and she wanted to see my profile, so we have one new convert to Viewpoints! Check out my fabulous mom's profile...tims1girl. She's a Pampered Chef diva, so I'm sure she'll be reviewing tons of their stuff. I love her so much!!!

Hey, all! If you've looked at any of my reviews or discussion board posts, you know that natural products are a high priority for me. There are some really concerning stats out there about the risks we take when we use products that are found everywhere...bleaches, formaldehyde, ammonia...all those products are increasing our risks for health problems. Did you know that stay-at-home moms are 55% more likely to get cancer than the rest of the population? The time spent in homes that are full of cleaning solutions drastically impacts their risk of getting sick. If you're interested in more information on health risks and more natural solutions, check out www.ahealthcafe.com/timeforachange. Hope you find some new ways to take good care of yourself and your family!