The focus has changed a little bit, but before I share what is coming in 2011, I’d like to revisit where Alex was in 2010.

The Sunday Give aWay has been popular and will continue into the new year. We gave away a cardholder and notebook cover from Destination Handmade, handmade hair bows from Mommy’s Sunshine Designs, Tangled T-shirts from Disney, and a fun bracelet from www.amethystcottage.com.

Alex also did some fun reviews and plans on more. I did the first video review for Zennie optical and shared my experience with the toning shoes from payless.  I also gave feedback on some fun food stuff – gluten free bisquick.

Most recently, Fashion Fridays showed up and there will be more going forward.

Lets take a look at what’s coming up for 2011.

I’ve hired help so that I can manage the blog, the new directory, the new Deals site and make the important connections it takes to make this all work.

The small business directory has been on the books for a while and is now ready to start taking listings. I want a place for small and indie businesses to get noticed. My hope is that it will become a go-to place for people to shop and find what they need when they need it.

There are a ton of daily deal and coupon sites that have hit the internet lately and we’ll be jumping on the bandwagon with our own version in the next few months.

I’m excited! Are you?

But, my potential weakness comes in the form of a shoe that says it can help work the legs and but even harder than the same excersize performed using typical shoes. Is it true? Well, I’m testing it out and I’ll let you know when I’ve tried them over a period of time.

Before that happens though, I thought I’d share how hard it is for someone with short toes to get a good fit out of this shoe!

I started by trying on the Payless brand version which was much too long in the toe area. In order to get my arch and heel in the right place of the foot bed, the toe post was about half way up my toe, instead of being in the pit of my toes. Uncomfortable!

I then went to try on Sketchers brand at a department store to see how they felt. The size 6 felt better on my toes, but still worried me.  These cost nearly $50 and that is simply out of the question right now for something that may not fit well. So, I looked on ebay and amazon. While they both had sketchers brand, what I found in my size and the particular color I want, was nearly retail price. I only shop ebay to find rare items or true bargain prices. But, I found a knock off and decided to try it.

Here’s what I got. LA Gear Trim Step The seller was awesome. I had them in 2 days. However, when I wore them last night for a short walk and at a slower pace than normal thanks to my ancient basset hound, they left me with blisters on the insides of my toes! The part of the shoe that goes over the top of my foot (the top of where my arch is) was very tight and rubbed almost to the point of blistering also.

Today I went to Target to get something completely unrelated. Guess what? They have a version called TrimStep. It looks exactly like the LA Gear version. Here’s the difference. They had a size 5 and it is the right fit.

So, four pair of shoes later and about $30 used, I have a size that is 1.5 – 2 sizes smaller than I ever wear!

Tonight I took the new pair for a walk. I walked fast on gravel and pavement and they felt good. In fact, I felt propelled forward and while these are not a soft cushy type of rubber, they felt bouncy while I walked. I felt something in my calves. Something like being worked out! My left calf was kind of yelling at me at one point so maybe they really do work?

 I plan on wearing them to work at a 9 hour a day job tomorrow to see if they also help my back which is another proposed benefit of this style of shoe.

We’ll see, and I’ll let you know.