This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of VitaDigest. All opinions are 100% mine.

I always have my cocktail fix everyday and it's no Bloody Mary, no Cosmopolitan, no Apple Martini. Instead, it is a bunch of vitamins and supplements that I make sure to take for my health. You will never believe the wide range of pills I have by my bedside, and in a convenient Sun-Mon pillbox in my purse.

I believe that an ounce of prevention is more than a pound of cure. So I make sure that I'm covered.

Here are my basics:
Vitamins C and D
Cardiovascular support like Garlic pills (to help prevent hypertension), CoQ10, Tocotrienols and Fish Oils (to help regulate cholesterol)
Biotin and Iron for my hair (oh, I had falling hair lately, that's why)
Multi-vitamin
Calcium

That's only the tip of the iceberg, urhm,I mean, the most visible bottles I see from where I am writing this.

(and I can't believe I'm looking at my end table scouring for more items to enumerate)

If you visit the website called VitaDigest (awarded INC5000 for 2009 as top 5000 Fastest growing company), you'll find the most interestinghealth stuff. Some of which you haven't even heard of, I bet, like what on earth is Camu Camu or Ashwaganda? If you think Herbology is only for Harry Potter, wait til you see the vast selection of supplements that are in there. It's a whole science altogether and is worth studying and knowing something about -- and taking too. I prefer natural over medical. Organic than synthetic, don't you agree? Roughly 13,000 vitamins, supplements, and other health products. Sports and Fitness products, Diet and Weight Loss (urhm!), Intimacy Enhancement (uhrm!uhrm!), Bath and Beauty, Organic Formulas, Childcare and Petcare, and even Shoes and Lingerie...Perfume and Fragrance and Designer Jewelry!

And here's the juicy part: there's a 10% off Coupon with coupon code “izb10jan” through the end of February!!! So hurry, we have a few days more. By the way, they offer FREE shipping on all orders over$100.

I'm going to go back window shopping for my next health adventure.

I believe that each person must have his own tailor-fit selection of vitamins and supplements to address his own needs. My selection might not be what you need, and what you take might not be what's good for me.

But I still want to know.

What's in your cocktail?

I've recently bounced back from being a "dormant" blogger into a "somewhat-interested-once-more-hopefully-taking-the-field-more-seriously-now" blogger. I have a goal to gain back the PR I've lost for my "Coffee, anyone?" site. The one that plummeted south from a sparkling 4 to a whopping duck's egg for unknown reasons though I suspect that it is largely due to the burnout I've started experiencing in July of 2009, and then having so many paid posts -- UGH, I MISS THOSE DAYS!! I'm now on a mission to gain back more writing jobs to add to the Wonder Wifey Grocery Fund (a.k.a. Chanel fund hahaha). Because with paid projects/advertisers largely depending on the blogsite's PR, mine now comes in trickles.

I just signed up with Entrecard and Adgitize. Late bloomer, don't you think? But I really never bothered about these before since I gained my originally stellar PR all-bah-mahselfffffff! Now that I need a little boost, I decided to jump into the bandwagon. Hopefully it works. I'm not ready to advertise yet (waiting for the spare bucks to come first) but at least I can now proudly say that I have an Adgitize account! (Do I hear bonafide blogger?).

If you're interested to follow suit, here's the button for you!

Having shelves stocked up with household needs and a pantry full of food just do not cut it if you have “emergency or disaster-preparedness” in mind. With the steady flood of calamities hitting different parts of the world these days like earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, wild fires (and perhaps alien or in-law invasions, whichever is worse), we’d want to ask ourselves…WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE HAVE TO FLEE? No, seriously, in the event of a hasty evacuation, what do we take with us as we head out that door and into the dark night?

One of the serious projects that my husband and I are embarking on is putting together a Go-Bag. A "Go Bag" is a bag which you pack today and hope you never need. It is a major component in disaster survival. Our existing Go-Bag is a small sports duffel bag that has a set of extra clothing for each of one: shirt, pants, underwear….and a small blanket, which is thrown somewhere in the trunk of my car. A failure waiting to happen.

Our main goal is to take emergency-preparedness rather more seriously, not in the likes of crashing in my sister’s place for the night if we get too tired to drive or an impromptu out-of-town adventure. We started out last week by buying a portable stove and a 4-pack reserve of Butane Indoor/Outdoor Fuel Canisters. Quite ambitious, isn’t it? But you’ll never know... So, based on some research I’ve done, I’ve culled and put together the following information which I would like to share with all of you:

SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:
Your Go-Bag may be a backpack or any container that is easy to carry in case you must evacuate quickly. Do not put this in a place which is difficult to get to. You may need to get out very quickly and not have a chance pull this out in the bottom of your Christmas decoration box up in the attic.

Consider having two sets of Go-Bags: one at home and one in your car or at work. You may not be at home when a disaster strikes so make sure you have what you would need for your immediate safety.

Make sure to have one Go-bag for each family member properly labeled with a name tag. Don’t forget to make a Go-bag for you pets as well.

A true 72-hour kit must contain enough to sustain your life for three days until help becomes available, or until another solution comes up.

Take the liberty of adding stuff to your Go-Bag depending on the potential for emergencies and the environment you live in. It is common sense that a bag put together by a person living in Montana worrying about wildfire would be more likely to have warm clothing than someone in Florida who worries about hurricanes.

Consider well ahead of time what you'd take if you had a day's notice, a couple of hours' notice to pack the car, or five minutes' notice to 'get out now' (ergo, the Go-bag). Make a plan and a checklist.

HERE ARE THE MOST ESSENTIAL ITEMS TO CONSIDER IN YOUR GO-BAG:

• Flashlight (solar/self-powered flashlights are recommended)
• Radio – battery operated (solar/self-powered radios are also recommended like those self-winding ones)
• Batteries (in different shapes and sizes -- in sets)
• A lot of bottled water
• Food (canned food are good but make sure to pack in a can opener with you)
• Power Bars -- because they are easier and more compact to store, and they last longer in the Go-Bag too
• Candles and/or kerosene lamps
• Lighters/Matches (matches will not work if they are wet unless you get those waterproof ones) and other Fire starting aids, such as a magnifying glass, magnesium "fire starters", info to build primative fire starting devices, similar devices as the need arises.
• A spare change of clothes
  -sturdy shoes
  -warm hat /boonie cap
  -socks
  -underwear
  -thermal wear
• Emergency cash in small denominations and quarters for stuff you might need to buy or "exchange money for". A couple of quarter rolls could come in handy for and make sure not to"flash" it around lest you get robbed or assaulted (people's behaviors change in disastrous situations)
• Prescription medications:If you have to take medications, make sure you keep them all in one place, and can sweep them into the go bag without any searching. Refill your meds before you're nearly out of them.
• First aid supplies
  -Painkillers like Advil
  -Antibiotic Ointments
  -Diarrhea meds like Immodium
  - Sanitary pads/Maxipads (for females who get their periods, and since they are sterile, they are good for addressing bleeder wounds)
  -Pepcid
  -Benadryl and other allergy pills
  -Theraflu
  -Bandaids (lots of it in different shapes and sizes)
  -Gauze pads / roll gauze and first aid tapes
  -Betadine
  -Hydrogen Peroxide
  -Blood Stopper trauma bandage
• Extra prescription eye glasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items (and any special-needs items for children, seniors and people with disabilities)
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Toilet paper and other toiletries
• Clean towels
• Gel antibacterial hand wash (non rinse) -- you can get them at drugstores for cleaning hands and even wounds.
• Blankets (I've heard of Mylar solar blankets and the like)
• Hand and feet warmers - get the carbon activated kind because they are convenient
• Copies of passport, driver's license, insurance, and any other important documents
• IDs. Keep at least one wallet size photo of your immediate members and pets for re-identification purposes. This is crucial in case you get separated and need to enlist the help of others to find your loved ones.
• List of emergency point-of-contact phone numbers and other contacts (include those who are overseas next-of-kin)
• Copy of health insurance and identification cards
• List of allergies to any drug (especially antibiotics) or food
• Local map (your area and those surrounding your area)
• Notepad and pen/sharpies and pencil to write notes and tape (better if indelible so you can leave messages that don’t get erased, especially when you leave a note for family to let them know where you went or where to meet.
• Ziplock bags
• Big black trash Bags - may be used as raincoats and tents
• Extra keys to your house and vehicle
• Whistle
• Dust masks (at least 2 per person)
• Work gloves/latex gloves
• Multi-Use knife (not meant as a weapon but as tools, one for fixing dirty things, one to use for food-related matters) - Leatherman, Gerber, Victorinox Swiss tool, preferably one with a saw blade. Invest on something durable and not easily broken.
• Ropes (make sure you review your scout knotting skills once in a while)
• Duct tape
• Watch – to tell time

YOU MAY TAKE THINGS TO THE EXTREME:

• Glow lights
• Spare Cell phone/ Satellite phone plus spare battery (if it works)
• Two-way radios like the Icom T90A HT plus the ARRL Repeater Directory, and spare AA Battery Pack
• Solar chargers
• Lots of canned food
• Camping stove and a pot
• Portable water purifier (because you'll never know what you will be drinking). I heard about this Steripen which destroys viruses, bacteria and protozoa--including Giardia and Cryptosporidium--using ultraviolet (UV) light and takes only 48 seconds to purify 16 ounces of fluid, 90 seconds for 32 ounces
• Guns and Ammo. (Only if it is legal to carry a gun where you live). In an emergency there may be people who will cause you and your family harm, you will need a firearm to defend them. However, you are statistically more likely to injure yourself or a family member during an armed confrontation unless you get qualified instruction from an accredited firearms instructor.

It always pays to watch out for the news. If there is a violent weather coming, or a fire burning nearby, consider packing a few things in boxes to be ready for an evacuation. It may be wise to evacuate BEFORE it's mandatory so you'll have a much better time compared to people who wait until the last moment and they end up stuck in traffic and other shortages, just like in the movies. It is also wise to make arrangements for places to stay well ahead of time. According to http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Go-Bag "Make a deal: If there's an emergency/evacuation, they can come to your home, or you to theirs. Crashing on someone's sofa or camping in their yard is infinitely preferable to a public shelter.
Do not use a shelter unless you absolutely have too. The people there will be scared, desperate, and a mob of folks is no place to be in a Major disaster. Three words to "think about". Katrina, and Super-dome... Yes there is safety in numbers, but only if those numbers are people you know and can trust."

I have carefully handpicked 25 special emergency-preparedness products and put them in a slideshow for your viewing pleasure:

(You'll be sending some cents my way if you choose to buy them by clicking on the product links above -- so thank you in advance for appreciating my little public service!)

Note: I would like to see pictures of your Go-bag when you have the time. I would like to publish them here at a later post, featured with your links/blogsites/websites. Please email them to me. Also, if you have any questions or other suggestions, please feel free email me at claire@wonderwifey.com and I will gladly add them.










References:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Go-Bag
http://72hours.org/go_bag.html
http://www.thegallos.com/gobag.htm

The Most Dangerous Cake: 5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE!!!

I just ordered a new attachment for our Dyson -- a soft dusting brush!

Product Features:
--Directs powerful Dyson suction through soft bristles to gently dust delicate surfaces
--Keeps fans, blinds, televisions, and keyboards dust free
--For use with all Dyson models


Oh, Dyson, what will I do without you???

Whoops! And this last one is an emailed request from a special Auntie!

Good news! Why am I so excited?

If you're one of those who haven't yet discovered the joys of Kindling... Now is the chance to get it!

You can purchase a Kindle or give it for Valentine’s Day with FREE Two-Day Shipping!!!! That of course is if you decide quick, and place your order from 11:00 am PST on February 3 to 9:00 am PST on February 11 for delivery on or before February 13.

Here, I'll make it easy for you by placing the links here for your convenience.

Here's the Kindle DX (if you like your reader big!):




And here's the Kindle like mine (if you like it small and handy):



What do you know. The price even went down to $221.78 as of today. I got mine for $ 249. and the first time I lusted for it back in early '09, it was $299. Good deal isn't it. Plus the free 2-day shipping (don't forget to select Two-Day Shipping when you check out -- offer valid for Continental U.S.)? Not bad at all. DON'T FORGET!!! If you're giving the Kindle as a gift, be sure to check the box labeled “show gifting options” before you proceed to checkout so you can add a custom gift note and send the Kindle unregistered.

There! All spelled out for you. I hope this post helps. I hope you're not one of those riding the iPad hype too. The Kindle has 1-week straight worth of battery power, and it utilizes e-ink technology -- so it's almost like print on paper. You get way less eye strain than a backlit reader. Take it from a "Kindler" like me who had a chance to compare...

And yeah, I know some of you out there love the smell of books, I do too (who doesn't?)...but in the long run, WE'RE HELPING SAVE SOME TREES TOO! *wink*



PS. Thank you for sending a few cents my way when you order from my links...

In response to some requests I got in my personal email, here are the links to some more quality baby stuff worth having:





I personally think the Maya Wrap is so awesome and will make any nursing mommy so fashionably fabulous!!! Or is that fabulously fashionable?!? It comes in different colors.

Click on. What are you waiting for?

Finally found the time to buy Baby Bops a Graco Soothing Center...Arriving hopefully on Friday or Monday. Do they deliver on weekends???