My Favorite Finds of 2008, Part 2

Part 2 of a 4-part series. Coming up are favorite blog finds and favorite educational resources. You can find Part 1 (products) here.

Part II: Websites

In 2008 I became a bit of a web 2.0 freak and tried out a lot of sites. I ended up sticking (primarily) with Twitter and Facebook. I can still be found wandering around Mothering and a couple other forums, but those are the main ones.

I can't believe it was only last year that I found Ravelry. If you knit, crochet, spin or dye yarn you need to be on Ravelry. I wish all my hobbies had a resource like this. Or maybe not. I might not get anything done that way.

Pretty much all of the Cnet podcasts have landed on my iTunes podcast list. If you are looking for something that is really helpful and not too "tech-y" then you need to check out The Real Deal.

Google Chrome is slowly becoming my favorite browser. If only I could get an application like Twitterfox on it.

I've been bitten by the Flickr bug. I even purchased a Pro account.

Before buying anything online, I check Retail Me Not for a coupon. I've saved some serious money with them!

Etsy is so much better than most places if you like hand-made and vintage finds.

My Favorite Finds of 2008, Part 1

As 2008 comes to an end, I find myself using certain products, visiting certain stores, reading certain blogs and participating in certain social networking sites that I didn't a year ago. So, in honor of all of these foundlings, I share with you some of my favorites from 2008 and wish all of you a wonderful 2009!


Part I: Products

Kombucha I think all I need to say about kombucha (homemade or GTD's from Whole Foods) is that Batya is constantly asking for kombucha. If I'm out, she tells me to buy more. 'Nuff said.

My Keurig If you saw my last DITLO then you know how much I love my Keurig. Add in the hot cocoa cups for Aba and the girls and we are a Keurig family.

Laptop Lunches I bought a bunch of these through a co-op early in the year, but didn't really use them until recently. Almost every night, as I clean up dinner, I pack a lunch up for Aba.

My new mop from Gaiam. It uses microfiber cloths and has a bottle that you can fill with the cleaning solution of your preference and just shoot a bit as you mop. LOVE IT!

I was turned onto Skoy cloths by Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess. These are great for cleaning everything from the floor to dishes to windows. When you are done, just toss them into the washer with your rags and they are as good as new! I've gotten something similar from Whole Foods, but the Skoy cloths work so much better.

I recently started using Weleda Salt Toothpaste and my teeth have never felt cleaner. It does taste a bit funky, but my sensitive teeth can handle the scrubbing of my brush better than Sensodyne (which my dentist recommended).

Kidkraft Shabbat, Havdalah, Rosh Hashannah, Pesah and Hanukkah wooden toys are fabulous! I can't count the number of times I've witnessed one of the girls "saying" Kiddush, "cutting" challot, "making" Havdalah or "lighting" the hanukkiyah. When Simchat Torah rolls around this year, we'll be getting the Torah set.