We know we all do it, we get busy in the build up to Christmas, go away on holiday tired, and then sit around thinking about all of the things we could have done better this year and the things we want to do next year. If we could change somethings in our life to make it better, what would they be?

Do you know what you would change and how you would do it?

We all know that 2009 is going to be an interesting year and I say interesting because I refuse to get caught up in all the negativity that says it is going to be all bad. So instead of next year being about doom and gloom, for me, it is going to be about a year of change. Hence my new section, “New Year, New You”.

I don’t know about you,  but I think I’ve been stuck.   I have been waiting for the right time to do things.  The right time when my life is not so busy, so I can dedicate some time to myself.  But I get it now, that time just never comes. We have to make time for ourselves, to put ourselves on the list. The list of important things we have to do. I am going to set goals this year. I am going to post them in this section and tell you about how I am going to achieve them in 2009. You will be able to track my progress on how I am getting on. What I have found out that works and what doesn’t.

I have been reading a book given to me for Christmas by my thoughtful sister-in-law, Lyndal.  The book is “Life Makeovers” by Cheryl Richardson. It is great because it is split in to 52 practical and inspiring ways to improve your life one week at a time. A great example is, week one, which is about reflecting on the good things from last year and what you did get right. It is all to easy to remember the negatives but surely something must have gone right. At the start of the year I had every intention to blog every day. I feel pretty bad that I did not achieve that goal. But when I reflect back on all of the positive feedback and the huge growth in readership, I have to be proud of what I have achieved. Cheryl is right, looking back at what you have achieved rather than what you didn’t is a much more positive way to start a new year.

My first suggestion in New Year, New You, if you want to join my journey, is to buy yourself a copy of Cheryl’s book. The book is insightful, well written, easy to follow, with practical advice and exercises on a wide range of topics. It is like a weekly meeting with a life coach and not just any life coach, Oprah’s Life Coach!

Stay tuned, to keep up with how I get on and I need to brace myself, it could be a bit of a bumpy ride.

Life Makeovers by Cheryl Richardson    

Available All major booksellers            Price $10.36 American via Amazon

   In the last minute rush to Christmas if you are still hunting for that Wow gift,  check this site out.  It’s called Montgomery Road and has some great products for some of those hard to buy for people, or if you are just simply looking to upstage everyone else with fantastic pressies at Christmas.

Montgomery Road searches the globe for high quality electronic equipment and retails them for very competitive prices.

One of their products is the Nu Dolphin swimmer MP3 player, yes you did read that correctly, an MP3 player you can swim with.  Now that is cool.  It’s 100% waterproof and is designed especially for swimming, using in the spa and other water sports.  Doing those lengths in the pool  just got a whole pile more interesting.

Another great gift idea is the Ez’ech Music Showcase, which is a waterproof iPod speaker case.  Just pop your iPod into the Showcase and boggie your day away.   The Showcase is waterproof to depth of 1 metre or up to 30 minutes, it floats in water and doesn’t corrode or rust.  It has a clear, shatter-proof body, bumper guards and a big sound.  I can just see myself parked up on my lounger, with a good book and listening to my sounds on my Ez’ech Music Showcase.  Bring on the holidays.

So go and check this site out, I love the products they sell and you might just find that special gift you were looking for.

Available at:www.montgomeryroad.com                  Price:depends on which product

My Christmas List for 2008 is here. I hope that there is something amongst the list that is a great idea for someone special. It could be inspirational or just simply I want one of those for me so I will put it on my list for Santa.  Happy Shopping.

Cuddle Buddy for children is a must have, it’s become the ‘I can’t go to bed without it’ thing for the girls.  It is great for in the car travelling, on a plane and also to cuddles up to at night.  It is also used for injury rehabilitation, but really it’s just an all round great gift.

Available:www.cuddlebuddies.co.nz                                         Price:$30.00

This site has the biggest range and at good price. You may also find them at a stall in your local mall in the build up to Christmas.

Indoor/Outdoor Beanbag I just love this as a gift, I bought them for family a couple of years ago and they are fun.  The best part about them is their versatility in being able to use them inside and out.  They also have this year a new take on it as in the Kids Bean Chair.

Available: Ezibuy                                                                   Price:$59.95 Style 8QZ 32551 for the big one and $39.95 for the Kids one Style 8QZ 40053

Gingerbread House Kit this is a great way to keep the kids amused in the holidays and encourages their creativity while building it.

Available:Living & Giving

Price:$39.95  or you can choose one at Ezibuy which are $29.95  Style 8QZ 40164

Australian House and Garden Magazine Subscription as this is probably the best Home magazine on the market - you can’t go wrong with this as a gift subscription for Christmas.

Available: www.magshop.co.au                                                                         Price:$59.95 (Australian)      12 month subscription(12 issues)

Save $23.45 (Aus) + shipping which will be calculated at time of purchase

www.magshop.co.nz is a great place to buy magazines subscriptions, their titles include Next Magazine which you can save 35%, Boat which you can save 35% and many more.

There is just about every title you can think of here and when stuck for a gift, this is the gift that keeps on giving.

Available: www.magshop.co.nz

Kikki.K is one of my most favourite stores, it really appeals to me every time I make that desperate attempt to be more organised.  The products are just lovely, fantastic for helping to organise your life.   My all time best buy here would be the Family Calendar which helps us busy people to keep everyone on track with where they are supposed to be.  Anything from here is a great Xmas gift.

Available: Kikki.K stores   www.kikki-k.com.au  (they deliver worldwide) or their shops are all over Australia, in Newmarket and at Queensgate, Lower Hutt.

Mecca is another of one of my Favourite spots to shop at, located in Kirkcaldie and Stains in Wellington.  The staff there are just lovely and you wont walk away empty handed as there is 30 exclusive brands to choose a gift from.  Everything  they stock is lovely and would be a “wow, that’s a cool gift” for that someone special.

Available: Kirkcaldie and Stains

O’s Big Book of Happiness - it’s doom and gloom everywhere at the moment, so why not fly in the face of that and say no, I am going to be inspired and not depressed about my life.  O’s Big Book of Happiness is put together from the O magazine and interviews she has done with famous people.  Love her or hate her, you can’t deny there is something inspiring that makes us all want to live a great life.

The Best of the O Magazine, Wisdom, Wit, Interviews, and Inspiration

Available:  Bookstores                                           Price:$52.95

The Big Game Company has a range of games and leisure equipment. The giant size versions of games such as snakes and ladders, chess and pick up sticks are especially cool.

Available: www.thebiggamecompany.co.nz              Prices from $49.95 up

Logitech Harmony 525 Universal Remote Control is a great way to simplify your TV life. Now you can have one remote control that controls all your Audio Visual gear including SKY decoders. The big plus with the Logitech Harmony is how easy it is to set it up. You install software on your computer and plug the remote into the USB port. The computer software allows you to configure all the functions just as you want them. It is far easier than using complex combinations of buttons on the remote for programming.

Available: Dick Smith Electronics                            Price: $99.00

Seedling New Zealand is a niche market producer providing high quality, experience driven products for young people. They have a huge range of neatly packaged quality gifts for children. In a world of mass produced toys that either fail to hold the child’s interest for long or break as soon as they get them out of the packet. The Seedling gift sets provide good old-fashioned experiences for children with products such as: Homemade Paper Greeting Card Kit, Become a Sushi Shefu (Chef),  Multi Medium Collage Set, Outdoor Explorer kit, The Worm Farm Kit and many more.

Available: throughout New Zealand or www.seedling.co.nz   Price: Varies

Remote Control Drinks Cooler is an ingenious battery operated ice bucket that is capable of moving up to twelve bottles of beer. The RC Drinks Cooler features four sure-grip wheels exclusively intended to speed up the delivery of cold drinks to thirsty barbeque goers.  This is a really cool site with lots of other great ideas, so check it out.

Available: www.iwantthat.co.nz                        Price: $189.95

When you have to buy for a person who has everything a great idea is to buy them an experience. The Waiheke Wine Festival is held each year at Waitangi weekend and combines great wine and good music to form the perfect day out. Buying tickets for a specific event is better than an experience vouchers because they are more likely to be used as the date has been set.

Available: www.ticketek.co.nz                         Price: $65.00 Adult, under 13 Free

For those that are serious about the Weather, this is the ultimate Weather Station. It has a wireless connection between the outdoor measurement device and the touch screen display inside. Plug it in to the USB port on your computer to download the data so you can display graphs over time of rain fall, wind speed, temperature etc.  Its not cheap but it is packed with features.

Available: www.ferrit.co.nz               Price: $449.00