yourself

Alfred's Teach Yourself to Sing (Book & Enhanced CD)
$19.95
I have voice training from my drama background, so I already had the basics of breathing. This book though, was a step by step guide of exactly how to manage your tongue, throat and body for proper production of the singing voice. I was amazed by a noticeable and instant improvement to my singing voice. Highly recommended for the beginning singer!

Yourself! Fitness
$39.99
I have had this program for years and have used it on and off during that time. I do yoga in the morning and evening, with a cardio workout in between. I use it almost every day, which makes me feel very energized and strong. And I like how it keeps you on your toes and makes sure that you're not overdoing it or not doing enough. Maya is very supportive and encouraging, which is nice to hear. Another good thing is that you can decrease or increase your workout at any time by pressing on the "O" button. Also, when you are coming to all of your scheduled workouts, you get awarded with a new place to workout. And the graphics are great, so you feel like you're actually in some of these workout spaces. One thing that impressed me is that there is an online forum where users can go on and record their workouts as well as interact with other users. Overall, it's a fantastic product.

I do have a couple of gripes about it, even though I do like it. One thing is that when you log in, if you do a 15 minute yoga session, it's considered a workout. After 10 workouts, you get a fitness assessment - so if you do yoga for most of that, you are not going to have a good assessment. (There is a guest pass where you can do a workout session and yoga between 15 and 22 minutes, so at least there's that - but you don't get credit for the workouts you do.) Another gripe is that sometimes when I workout, it freezes midway or white washes out the picture. You have to restart it and do it again - but you don't get credit for the previous workout time. And then there's the camera that travels around the workout space - often it just shows the ceiling, where you are unable to see the moves Maya is doing. There are some yoga/pilates positions that are close to IMPOSSIBLE to do, unless you've been doing them for a while. If I'm a beginner, I should be given realistic positions while making it challenging at the same time. Some of the workout exercises presume that you have a huge space where you are exercising - but for those of us who live in apartments or don't have large workout spaces, then it makes it difficult to do these exercises properly. The music is kind of lame. It's always the same music and it gets boring after a while.

I know that it seems I have a lot more cons than pros, but it really is a great product and I would suggest it to anyone who wants to get in shape but can't afford to go to a gym. It's definitely worth getting.

RoomMates RMK1253SCS Express Yourself Primary Peel & Stick Appliques
$12.99
We have textured walls so I was really worried that these letters would not stick but we have not had ONE problem! The only con to this product is that I wish they offered just a few more letters. I was only able to label a few big areas in the house for my son and I will need to purchase another set to finish the rest since I ran out of letters like "O" and "A."

Camco 65501 Boat Do It Yourself Winterizer
$49.56
I was very impressed with the quality of this item when I first saw it out of the box - especially the brass valves. I normally pay to have my boat motor (Mercury I/O) winterized on my boat lift, which cost me $175 last year. This year I spent $75 total for: the Camco winterizer, a Mercury flushing kit and the 5 gallons of RV anti-freeze needed - saving $100. Next year all I'll need to buy is the anti-freeze, so I'll save $160. The product worked flawlessly. You do need to let the motor reach operating temp so the thermostat opens before shutting off the fresh water valve and opening the tank to add the anti-freeze. Since my boat was on a lift, I had someone in the boat to shut off the motor when the 5 gallon anti-freeze tank was almost empty. I monitored the tank. It took about an hour all told for me. Great product!