Reviews by laurabrat

laurabrat says "a very helpful community with one goal, to help you be healthy." about Sparkpeople

laurabrat — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:10:45 GMT

I joined Spark People through the MyPoints program, and viewed it as easy points, plus something to help me with my diet. What I found was a great community with the goal of helping me be the healthiest I can be.

Every day in my email I get at least three emails from Spark People. If you think that's overkill, the nice feature is you decide what emails you want from them. You get points for every email you read, plus they include articles you can click to read through, polls to take, recipes, exercises, and profiles of members.

The points system is fun, and even though it's mostly for status, it's a motivator and that's what I need in my life to work toward my goals. You get points for reading the emails, answering the polls, reviewing the recipes, and reading the articles. Plus you get login points every day, and there is a long list of activities you can track to also earn points. Each activity has a maximum number of points per day, so you can't make a million points in...

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laurabrat says "A true surprise at the theatre, we were glad we went." about The Game Plan

laurabrat — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:04:37 GMT

First of all, I did not want to see this movie. When I saw the commercials all I could see was the Rock hamming it up for the cameras and overacting. The little girl in the movie is part of the TV show "Corey in the House', which I find boring and not well acted. It looked like a bunch of other movies I'd already seen and I had no desire whatsoever to go. However, I have an eleven year old daughter who felt differently. She was dying to see this, and I am a sucker.

The positive to this story is that I loved the film. Yes, the Rock was hammy, but that was really who the character was supposed to be. Yes, I could have told the whole story before the first five minutes were up pretty much, but sometimes it's not about the twists and turns. The actors sold me on their characters, sold me on the relationships with each other, and sold the film in general.

It turns out, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is actually a pretty good comedic actor. He's got timing, and had some funny scripted...

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laurabrat says "My favorite lip gloss/lip balm ever." about Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers

laurabrat — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:45:31 GMT

I had heard of Burt's Bees products before but never bought anything until I found these lip shimmers. Everything I had heard was positive, but there was no area I felt I needed a product I couldn't find elsewhere just as good and at a better price. I'm really not sure what first made me try the lip shimmer, but I think it might have been the pretty pink shimmery color, I can be a sucker for pink. So I picked up a tube of the Champagne color and have been hooked ever since.

The first thing to strike me was the tingle in my lips when I put it on. It was that sensation that lets you know there is healing taking place. I would say that is the peppermint oil listed in the ingredients, which also can be smelled in the product. Sometimes the scent of peppermint seems out of place, as in the middle of summer, but it's not overpowering or too medicinal of a fragrance.

The second positive I noticed was how smooth the product felt on my lips. Often these products can be anywhere on...

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laurabrat says "The camera for the serious learning photographer with a budget. " about Fujifilm - FinePix S700 Digital Camera

laurabrat — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:18:53 GMT

I bought this camera for two reasons, one was because I had managed to break my old digital, and two because I wanted to take a step up in the digital world. I am not an expert on cameras by any means, but I am very very happy with my purchase of this camera.

First off, I want to say that I love Fuji products in general. I know some people will only buy Kodak, will only print their pictures on Kodak paper, etc. I have always used their film, their paper, anything, because of the value, and have never had a problem with the quality. My first digital camera was a smaller Fuji and I absolutely loved the ease of use and quality of the camera. I literally beat it into the ground before it broke (long story, not intentional!).

This camera has a host of expanded features that are helping me learn to be a better photographer. The speed settings alone expand my capabilities quite a bit, and the manual is explicit and written in easy to grasp language. Everything is clear cut and concise,...

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