OK, so I'm not even close to done... <br /><br />Because I have a scrapbooking tote directly next to my desk. And if I'm gonna make a book I'm gonna make it pretty... It could be a bigger project than I anticipated...<br /><br />I got the basic idea from <a href="http://jessicaknows.com/2009/01/moleskine-hack-for-moms/#comments">JessicaKnows</a>... I'm holding her responsible...<div class="feedflare">
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<div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Warning! This post involves poo. Do not read while eating!</span><br /></span></div><br />I'm not really pushing the whole potty training issue with Caelan. I have no interest in trying during the winter and I'm not going to frustrate myself by trying before she is ready. I made that mistake once and I'm not going to repeat it.<br /><br />That said, Caelan is actually doing quite well at "training herself". She has the whole control thing down. In fact, she has been known to "hold it" for over 24 hours because she doesn't want to soil her diaper but she doesn't want to use the toilet. She has even told us, a couple of times, "I need to potty". Of course this is followed by toilet time that produces nothing, but it's a step forward.<br /><br />Well, this morning, after not p'ing for over 16 hours, she wet completely through her diaper and down her leg; thoroughly soaking her clothing and socks. I changed her and wiped her down and she went happily on her way. A short while later she calls to me, quite happily, "Mommy, I'm poopy!" And she was. But she wasn't wet. And the poo was quite solid.<br /><br />So, I removed the poo to the toilet, wiped her tukkis and the diaper as best I could and put it back on her.<br /><br />Have I crossed the line with frugality? Because, seriously, the diaper is still good... Isn't it?<div class="feedflare">
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This Christmas I presented my mother with a customized calendar as a gift. I used photos from our Ireland vacation and filled in all the important dates. And I added a little something else…<br /><br />Every other month I put in a post-it note with an activity and suggested date. This month’s “featured outing” is a visit to a tea room- girls only. As we go through the year we have day trips and even (hopefully) another jaunt overseas.<br /><br />But, if that doesn’t pan out, I’m considering a long weekend in Branson. Since I’ve begun telling you all about how “new” and, dare I say,” hip” Branson has become it has really made me want to visit.<br /><br />Because, while we’ve been through Missouri and even owned land in the Ozarks for a time, Branson just hasn’t been one of our stops in well over 5 years (since before Doug &amp; I married). <br /><br />Now, if we end up in Branson that means I don’t get to go to Ireland this year. So I would want to take in what little bit of Irish I can find- namely Spirit of the Dance and Daniel O’Donnell. If my sister-in-law Amanda joins us she won’t miss Liverpool Legends, the Ultimate Beatles Experience. And you can’t skip the show that started it all- the Baldknobbers.<br /><br />As for where to stay… Well, that’s a given. I want a spacious room and relaxation. And both the <a href="http://socialspark.com/metrics/click/post?slot_id=30454&amp;url=http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/HROBRHH-Hilton-Promenade-at-Branson-Landing-Missouri/index.do" rel="nofollow">Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing</a> and the <a href="http://socialspark.com/metrics/click/post?slot_id=30454&amp;url=http://bransonconventioncenter.hilton.com" rel="nofollow">Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel</a> provide fine accommodation and amenities I need. (Hello? Internet access!) Both have suites and condos; it just depends on if I want a view of the lake.<br /><br /><div align="center">

Oh, yes indeedy it is! I just started what is the first of many loads of laundry. And have mapped out ideas for my <a href="http://jessicaknows.com/2009/01/moleskine-hack-for-moms/">Moleskine hack</a>. The first of many toy-pick-up projects have been begun as more toys are brought out. And I have managed to avert no fewer than three major crisis...<br /><br />OK, that may not be exciting for you. How about this:<br /><br />I have secured some wonderful items for <a href="http://www.donttrythisathome.typepad.com/bloggy_giveaways/carnival_guidelines.html">Bloggy Giveaway Carnival</a>! I've got bags, books, videos and travel items so far, with more sponsors on board (I'm just waiting for the info on what they'll be donating)! I can't wait for the end of January!<br /><br />And don't forget, I've got three book giveaways going on right now!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.iowageekonline.com/2009/01/magicians-book-review-and-giveaway.html">The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.iowageekonline.com/2009/01/be-strong-curvaceous-review-giveaway.html">Be Strong and Curvaceous</a><br /><a href="http://www.iowageekonline.com/2009/01/love-and-other-natural-disasters-review.html"><br />Love and Other Natural Disasters</a><div class="feedflare">
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And I'm still trying to get organized! I am actually an organized person so the craziness of my house right now makes me a <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">teeny</span> bit crazy.<br /><br />My computer has been residing in my kitchen so my desk has piles and piles of paperwork that needs organized and filed. (Yet another reason I want that ultra portable <a href="http://us.acer.com/aspireone/">Acer Aspire One</a>. No more lugging my laptop up and down stairs!)<br /><br />So I'm thinking about how unorganized I feel and Jessica has to go and write about her <a href="http://jessicaknows.com/2009/01/moleskine-hack-for-moms/#comment-3426">Moleskine hack</a>, which looks super cool to me. Yeah, yeah, I got a Franklin Covey planner 6 months ago but it isn't "perfect". I really like the thought of creating my own. (Besides it's a pen &amp; paper project... I love pens and paper. Back to school was my favorite time of year. Crisp new notebooks, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils...)<br /><br />So, while I make my way through all the stuff on my desk I'm just gonna send ya'll over to my <a href="http://www.flatbellydiet.com/">Flat Belly Diet</a> blog to read about <a href="http://buzz.prevention.com/community/iatraveler/new-numbers">my progress</a>- actually I should call it lack of regress- which I'll be happy with right now.<br /><br />Oh, and in case you're wondering how I'm doing with my <a href="http://www.iowageekonline.com/2009/01/its-2009-what-are-you-gonna-do-about-it.html">one-and-only resolution</a>... I haven't missed a day yet. It's pretty interesting to read the Bible from the beginning.<br /><br />And don't forget about my giveaways! <br /><a href="http://www.iowageekonline.com/2009/01/magicians-book-review-and-giveaway.html">Books</a>...<br /><a href="http://www.iowageekonline.com/2009/01/be-strong-curvaceous-review-giveaway.html">Books</a>...<br /><a href="http://www.iowageekonline.com/2009/01/love-and-other-natural-disasters-review.html">Books</a>...<div class="feedflare">
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When I read the summary of Love &amp; Other Natural Disasters it intrigued me. Mostly because I know exactly what it's like to me the mommy who feels disconnected from her husband because of a) kids, b) household, c) headache after listening to screams all day, d) blech or e) all of the above.<br /><br />It's difficult enough to be a busy couple without something like this happening:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">Eve is eight months pregnant and in the middle of a Thanksgiving celebration when she discovers that her husband Jonathan has developed an intimate relationship with a woman over the past year. Jonathon asserts his innocence (an affair involves physical intimacy, and he didn't have any), while Eve feels deeply betrayed by the emotional connection he shared with someone else. What Jon has done seems so terrifyingly out of character that Eve finds herself questioning her entire reality. Did she ever really know Jon at all? Was their happiness together a lie? Is emotional intimacy more forgivable than sexual intimacy? And can their marriage survive?</span></blockquote><br /><br />While I enjoyed the book overall I have to admit that I really didn't "like" the main character. She seemed to have issues above and beyond her husband's emotional affair that she didn't acknowledge; everything was his fault. I did, however, really enjoy the supporting characters. The side bit about Eve's brother adds a really fun character that you just don't expect.<br /><br />This book makes you think... "which is worse?" and leaves you to find the answer. It will definitely make you think about your marriage- which we all should probably do just a little bit more of.<br /><br /><div align="center"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=iowgee-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=as1&amp;asins=0446504777&amp;md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><br /><br />I want to thank Miriam at <a href="http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/">Hachette Book Group</a> for letting me review this book. Thanks to her generosity I am passing on my book to one lucky reader. It's like new- I have a crazy respect for books.<br /><br />To qualify visit <a href="http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_new-releases.aspx">Hachett's New Releases page</a> and let me know which book interests you most. Leave your response in the comments.<br /><br />For an extra entry subscribe to Iowa Geek (you can do this near the top of the page in the left column) or take my button. Leave another comment telling me which you chose.<br /><br />For a third entry either blog or or retweet this contest (if RT copy &amp; paste this: RT@iatraveler Win Love &amp; Other Natural Disasters from Iowa Geek http://bit.ly/15wjy ) Leave another comment with the blog link or your twitter id so I can confirm this entry. And be sure to follow me on Twitter for contest info &amp; giveaways!<br /><br />International entries welcome!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Only three entries per person, please. Make sure I can easily find an email to contact you; I will not search for one. Contest ends Sunday, January 11 at 1pm. I will draw the winner shortly after that time. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to respond. If I do not hear back from the winner within that time another winner will be drawn.<br /></span></div><div class="feedflare">
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I'm trying to remember what kind of books I read when I was a tween. I think Sweet Valley High was a pretty popular series in the early 80s. But what else? Anyone...? Anyone....? Yeah, it was too long ago.<br /><br />What I do know is that I never found a series like the All About Us novels by <a href="http://www.shelleyadina.com/">Shelley Adina</a>. I got to read the third book in the series, <a href="http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780446177993.htm">Be Strong and Curvaceous</a>, and I can only say that I wish this has been around when I was in my teens and struggling to fit in.<br /><br />Granted, I was never in a place like the elite "Spencer Academy" but I can completely understand the longing to fit in, trying to hide just how poor we were and crushing on a seemingly unreachable guy. I also really appreciate the powerful but subtle way the author brings faith to the forefront of the characters' lives.<br /><br />Though this is a tween/teen novel I found myself engrossed in the story and read it in one evening (I was up <span style="font-style: italic;">way</span> past my bedtime). I <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> wanted to find out how it ended...<br /><br />Here's the overview from the back of the book:<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">After spending spring break in Mexico with her grandparents, Carly Aragon can't wait to get back to school at Spencer Academy in San Francisco. With Lissa Mansfield and Gillian Chang by her side, she's ready for anything . . . except a new roommate.<br />Lady Lindsay MacPhail, flamboyant daughter of the Earl of Strathcairn, quickly becomes Carly's worst nightmare. "Mac" not only swoops in and steals Carly's privacy, she's also dating Brett Loyola--Carly's biggest crush!<br />But when Mac starts receiving strange, threatening e-mails, she and Carly must come together to figure out who's behind them and why. In the end, the fate of one girl will lie in the other's hands. Will the two learn to trust one another and trust God?</blockquote>Although I haven't read the first two books (I'll have to see if my local library has them) I'm going to say this is a great series for tween/teen girls. Shelley Adina's tag words on <a href="http://www.shelleyadina.com/">her website</a> are "Friendship. Fashion. Faith." I tended to think of the book as more "Trust. Trust in yourself, your friends and God". But, however you look at it, it's a fun read with values.<br /><br /><div align="center"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=iowgee-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=as1&amp;asins=0446177997&amp;md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><br /><br />I want to thank Miriam at <a href="http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/">Hachette Book Group</a> for letting me review this book. Thanks to her generosity I am passing on my book to one lucky reader. It's like new- I have a crazy respect for books.<br /><br />To qualify visit <a href="http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/authors_Shelley-Adina-(1504658)_Bibliography.htm">Shelley Adina's bibliography</a> and tell me which of the other All About Us novels you would want your tween/teen/granddaughter (or yourself!) to read. Leave your response in the comments.<br /><br />For an extra entry subscribe to Iowa Geek (you can do this near the top of the page in the left column) or take my button. Leave another comment telling me which you chose.<br /><br />For a third entry either blog or or retweet this contest (if RT copy &amp; paste this: RT@ iatraveler Win a copy of Be Strong &amp; Curvaceous at Iowa Geek! http://bit.ly/pne1 ) Leave another comment with the blog link or your twitter id so I can confirm this entry. And be sure to<a href="http://twitter.com/iatraveler"> follow me on Twitter</a> for contest info &amp; giveaways!<br /><br />International entries welcome!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Only three entries per person, please. Make sure I can easily find an email to contact you; I will not search for one. Contest ends Friday, January 9 at 10am. I will draw the winner shortly after that time. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to respond. If I do not hear back from the winner within that time another winner will be drawn.</span></span><br /></div><div class="feedflare">
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I can remember reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis sometime in elementary school. It was the only C. S. Lewis book in the small school library so I missed out on the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia until many years later.<br /><br />By the time I read the rest of the Chronicles I fully understood Lewis' Christian allegory within the stories. Not being brought up in a religious household this didn't bother me in the least. In fact, the entire idea of Aslan was comforting to me.<br /><br />Laura Miller, on the other hand, felt almost betrayed when she realized the connection between Narnia and Christianity. Her book, <a href="http://www.magiciansbook.com/">The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia</a> takes you through her life and the life of C.S. Lewis. It is a fascinating read but not so quick as I had initially thought it would be. By the end of the book you will feel like you spent a week with your most intelligent friend in deep discussion.<br /><br />You can access an excerpt of The Magician's Book <a href="http://www.magiciansbook.com/">here</a>.<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/center"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=iowgee-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=as1&amp;asins=0316017639&amp;md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></a></div><br />I want to thank Miriam at <a href="http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/">Hachette Book Group</a> for letting me review this book. Thanks to her generosity I am passing on my book to one lucky reader. It's like new- I have a crazy respect for books.<br /><br />To qualify visit <a href="http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/">Hachette Book Group</a> and take a look at the most viewed books on their site. In the comments section tell me which of those books interests you the most.<br /><br />For an extra entry subscribe to Iowa Geek (you can do this near the top of the page in the left column) or take my button. Leave another comment telling me which you chose.<br /><br />For a third entry either blog or or retweet this contest (if RT copy &amp; paste this: RT @iatraveler Win a copy of The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia at Iowa Geek. http://bit.ly/tr0S ) Leave another comment with the blog link or your twitter id so I can confirm this entry. And be sure to<a href="http://twitter.com/iatraveler"> follow me on Twitter</a> for contest info &amp; giveaways!<br /><br />International entries welcome!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Only three entries per person, please. Make sure I can easily find an email to contact you; I will not search for one. Contest ends Thursday, January 8 at 10am. I will draw the winner shortly after that time. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to respond. If I do not hear back from the winner within that time another winner will be drawn.</span></span><br /></div><div class="feedflare">
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After staying up well past my bedtime last night... Along with Brenna who made to see the New Year roll in... And Caelan who woke up slightly after it arrived... I forgot to turn off the alarm on my phone. So, after 5 hours of sleep, I am awake. I foresee a nap in my future.<br /><br />I am not a fan of New Year's resolutions as I never keep them. In fact, I very quickly forget I even made them. So, no resolutions this year. I do, however, have a goal. I am going to read my Bible this year. The. Whole. Thing.<br /><br />Last year I picked up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0736916547?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=iowgee-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0736916547">The Bare Bones Bible® Handbook: 10 Minutes to Understanding Each Book of the Bible</a>

There is a new community on Facebook that I would like to share with you. It's called "<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Mothers-Promise/49179387384?ref">A Mother's Promise</a>". It could easily be called "A Parent's Promise" or "A Promise to Your Child". The name really doesn't matter, the mission, however, does.<br /><br />This community, supported by Evenflo, is focused on the safety of children while they are in the car. With fewer flights and the high cost of air travel more and more people are making the decision to travel farther distances by car. Let's do all we can to keep our babies (toddlers, elementary age children...) safe.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/t2BHzd_CuGE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/t2BHzd_CuGE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />It only takes a moment to join the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Mothers-Promise/49179387384?ref">Facebook</a> group. What's your promise?<div class="feedflare">
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<p width="100%" align="center"><embed pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://www.yourminis.com/Dir/GetContainer.api?uri=yourminis/twittermoms/mini:tmnetwork" wmode="transparent" width="210" height="210" FlashVars="fontsize=12&cr=10&dividerVis=0&view=full&appparam=http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch_feeds?hl=en&scoring=d&q=link:www.twittermoms.com&ie=utf-8&num=25&output=rss&auth=&numberlines=5&subtext=0&inline=0&tooltips=1&newwindow=1&mininame=tmnetwork&textcolor=13123841&imgalpha=34&color=8130817&fontstyle=Cambria&isPlaying=true&skinimage=http://www.twittermoms.com&inlineview=false&appparam2=anchor and bird four years exactlyqQqanchor%20and%20bird%20%20four%20years%20exactlyqQqanchor%20and%20bird%20%20four%20years%20exactlyqQqanchor%20and%20bird%20%20four%20years%20exactlyqQqanchor%20and%20bird%20%20four%20years%20exactlyqQqanchor%20and%20bird%20%20four%20years%20exactlyqQqanchor%20and%20bird%20%20four%20years%20exactlyqQqanchor%20and%20bird%20%20four%20years%20exactlyqQqanchor%20and%20bird%20%20four%20years%20exactlyqQqanchor%20and%20bird%20%20four%20years%20exactl&uri=yourminis/twittermoms/mini:tmnetwork&swfurl=/widget_rsscontainer.swf&width=200&xwidth=210&height=200&xheight=210&title=TwitterMoms Blog Network&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed><br /><a href="http://www.twittermoms.com" target="_blank">Twitter Moms: The Influential Moms Network</a></p><div class="feedflare">
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Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my ramblings this past year. I truly appreciate every one of you!<br /><br />Look for great things in 2009 (including 3 book giveaways to start the year off right!)<br /><br />Be safe tonight! I'll see you all in '09!<div class="feedflare">
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Go over to the<a href="http://blog.havekidwilltravel.com/"> Have Kid Will Travel blog</a> and check it out. Let me know what you think!<div class="feedflare">
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Let's see... Last week we replaced our hot water heater and the brakes on Doug's car. That cost us about $3000. Which destroyed our emergency fund and caused us to use a credit card.<br /><br />With Doug's check last Friday I was able to pay bills and replenish about 3/4 of our emergency fund.<br /><br />Which is fortunate... Because the Explorer started making weird noises yesterday. Loud, screeching noises. It was embarrassing to drive it. So I dropped it off at the local mechanic (BTW, if you're in central Iowa I highly recommend <a href="http://www.grahamtire.net/">Graham Tire</a>)... They know me so well that I take them Christmas treats every year.<br /><br />Greg, the friendly head mechanic, just called to give me the bad news...<br /><ul><li>water pump going out</li><li>rear differential needs oil changed</li><li>3 different belts need replaced</li><li>and other assorted "little" things should be done</li></ul>And this will cost me in the neighborhood of $600. Which we, thankfully, have. Barely. But it means, again, rebuilding our emergency fund. Ugh.<br /><br />So, if any auto manufacturers want to give me a vehicle to drive and review, I'm available! Or if there are any readers out there who need donate some cash for a tax write off I'll be your long-lost relative. Or maybe you just feel sorry for this <a href="http://www.iowageekonline.com/2008/12/damn-murphy-i-think-he-must-like-my.html">trio of bad luck</a> that has come our way the past couple weeks... <br /><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"><input name="hosted_button_id" value="2165359" type="hidden"><br /><input src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donate_LG.gif" name="submit" alt="" type="image" border="0"><br />

My <a href="http://buzz.prevention.com/community/iatraveler/is-it-the-new-year-yet">most recent post</a> is up at my <a href="http://www.flatbellydiet.prevention.com/default.asp?keycode=0A1230&amp;sname=DefaultOffer&amp;mktSSOfferId=PVN17769&amp;mktBKOfferId=PVN17610">Flat Belly Diet</a> blog.<br /><br />In the immortal words of Inigo Montoya I've gone "back to the beginning".<br /><br />Yep, I indulged a bit too much... Was it worth it? The verdict is out, but I'm gonna say yes...<br /><br /><a href="http://buzz.prevention.com/community/iatraveler/is-it-the-new-year-yet">Go on over</a> and see what happened...<br /><br />AND<br /><br />Hurry, now, because this offer is only open to the first 500 people to sign up...<br /><br />Follow <a href="http://buzz.prevention.com/community/flatbellydiet/facebook_application.html">this link</a> and register for 3 free months of the Flat Belly Diet online program! You must have a Facebook user name to sign up!<div class="feedflare">
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/p/5D70179A4EB9C7EC" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="321"></embed><br /><br />I’m finding that the busier I get the worse my typing skills appear to be. And my “O” key is having issues today, as well. So the idea “writing” a blog post or surfing the web using my voice… Well, it’s sounding better and better all the time. Besides, I talk much faster than I type… Take a few minutes and watch the video above to see just how cool it could be to “talk” those posts, reports and spreadsheets…<br /><br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/648a9u" style="float: right;">

Doug and the girls just left for his aunt &amp; uncle's house about and hour &amp; a half away. His aunt called me last night and said they were having a gathering today, could we make it? Well, all who know me know that I am a "planner" and to drop something like this on me at the last minute is like dropping a bowling ball onto a mirror. It's not good. I had my day planned out weeks ago and there is stuff I really need to get done before the week begins.<br /><br />So Doug, who had no bigger plans than to sit and veg with the girls all afternoon, gathered up my little balls of energy and left me alone to get stuff done.<br /><br />So, what's on my agenda? Well, I want to:<br /><ol><li>Create a new logo and button for Have Kid Will Travel. <del>And I want to get all my older posts relocated to the new blog site and shut down the old one. Lots of copying and pasting</del>.</li><li><del>I need to create a Fab Food Friday button, as well.</del> <del>I'm also behind over there and I have a wonderful beverage to share before New Year's Eve arrives!</del></li><li>I want to set up both my and Doug's blog roll in <a href="http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs">Bloglines</a> to unclutter the sidebars of the new template I'm working on. <del>And while I'm there I need to set up "subscribe with Bloglines" buttons for Fab Food Friday and HKWT</del>.</li><li><del>I need to get my Iowa Geek Review email working through Outlook</del>.</li><li><del>I must write a post for my Flat Belly Diet over at Prevention. And I need to make a link for that to add to the new sidebar on the new template.</del></li><li>I have three books to write reviews for and give away.</li><li>And I need to create a new schedule so I can get things done on time! Deadlines are beginning to become part of my life- which is good!</li><li>And, big news, I'm going to <a href="http://blissdomconference.com/">Blissdom'09</a>! It's a blog conference in Nashville February 6 &amp; 7. I got child care lined up for Friday and if I book before the end of the year I can save some money. I've got the OK from Doug, so I am booking tonight! W00T! And, hopefully, Paula from <a href="http://boogersandburps.blogspot.com/">Boogers &amp; Burps</a> will be joining me! Anyone else from central Iowa interested?</li><li>I really need to make a list and hit the grocery store. We're out of string cheese (which has become Caelan's favorite snack) and practically everything else!</li></ol>So, on to the list... Let's see how much I can get done...<br /><br />OK, it's now 2:07 pm and things are getting done!<br /><br />Here's my Fab Food Friday button and code if you want to take it:<br /><a href="http://www.fabfoodfriday.com/">

It's been a busy couple of days here at Casa Geek.<br /><br />Christmas Eve we were at church shortly before 5:30pm until 8:30 or so. The girls dragged into bed late which results in added drama at bedtime.<br /><br />The gifts from Santa were prepared and set out (one each) and I, grateful the day was over, went to bed.<br /><br />I woke at 6:45 Christmas morning. We must not have our children sufficiently excited about Christmas morning yet, because they slept until 8:45am! When we finally made it downstairs the girls noticed the gifts "from Santa", front and center.<br /><br />Brenna was very excited by hers, a Frieda <a href="http://blog.havekidwilltravel.com/2008/11/30/trunki-ride-on-suitcase.aspx">Trunki</a>, "Just what I wanted for Christmas!" Caelan got a <a href="http://blog.havekidwilltravel.com/2008/12/03/tika-kids-makes-a-great-take-anywhere-bag.aspx">Tika Kids</a> Crayon Bag, which was immediately put to use.<br /><br />The gifts from Mommy &amp; Daddy followed, with Brenna receiving a microphone and Caelan a toy violin. And then from the girls to each other: Brenna got a Hooked on Phonics touch screen learner and Caelan got her own digital camera (so she can leave Brenna's alone!) That's 3 Christmas gifts; Jesus received three so we don't give our children more. We are, after all, celebrating the birth of Christ. <br /><br />Gifts from the grandparents in Texas were books (always popular in our house) and a LiteBrite cube. Very fun!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bGFQXeEAqLw/SVZFyHkVGzI/AAAAAAAACP4/z4r1rAPcWew/s1600-h/Christmas Collage.jpg">

<div align="center">From Our Family to Yours</div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bGFQXeEAqLw/SVJQrAm_2sI/AAAAAAAACPo/DrLuL8mbFPY/s1600-h/8x10 family lights 001 tag.jpg">

OK, so I haven't been so good lately with all the Christmas parties and such. Maybe that's why I've had a headache almost daily for the past week...<br /><br />Read all about it <a href="http://buzz.prevention.com/community/iatraveler/so-hows-it-going">here</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.flatbellydiet.prevention.com/default.asp?keycode=0A1230&amp;sname=DefaultOffer&amp;mktSSOfferId=PVN17769&amp;mktBKOfferId=PVN17610">Click here for more about the Flat Belly Diet</a><br /></span></div><div class="feedflare">
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Murphy has been here for a few days. You all know good ol' Murph, right? Mr. Can &amp; Will Go Wrong himself, has been visiting us for the past few days.<br /><br />It began when our water heater began dispensing boiling water. I'm talking 200 degree water coming from the tap the minute you turned it on. My dad, who is a handy guy to have near by, came over and said it might just be the thermostat. So we turned it off for the night. Of course it couldn't be that easy as we found out when Doug went to light the pilot light the next morning and found a nice rusted-out gaping, leaking hole that had managed to leave our storage room quite wet.<br /><br />Hello new water heater and goodbye to my thoughts of a new <a href="http://us.acer.com/aspireone/">pink Acer Aspire One</a>... A light &amp; lovely 8.9" laptop with Windows XP {sigh}...<br /><br />Then, today, on his way into work Doug had to fill the tires on his car... Again. So he asked me to call our mechanic and see if he could get in to have the tires checked for leaks today. Turns out it wasn't the tires but the brakes.<br /><br />Of course this happened after I told him that I really wanted to attend <a href="http://blissdomconference.com/">BlissDom</a>, a blog conference in Nashville this February.<br /><br />So now we've spent a bit over $3000 in two days which has eaten up our entire emergency fund and then some. We've got to begin the <a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/cms/index.cfm?intContentID=2867">Baby Steps</a> all over again.<br /><br />So... If anyone out there feels like donating a lovely little laptop for me to review or sponsoring my trip to the conference let me know. I'm sure we can work out a deal...<br /><br />Acer? United Airlines? Target? Anyone???<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:85%;" >Bueller? Bueller?</span><div class="feedflare">
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Right now I’m wishing that Doug &amp; I could talk our families into getting away for Christmas. Yes, I know I have a “rule” about spending Christmas at home… Kind of. The rule, as I have laid it out (and Doug has agreed, because he’s good like that) is that if we are home on Christmas we don’t leave town- so no heading off to relatives across the state. However, we have agreed that vacations during the Christmas holiday are permitted. And with the bitter weather we’ve had lately anyplace sounds better than here!<br /><br />If we could only get our families to think like we do we might be able to work out a meet up in between Iowa and Texas. In, say, Branson. That’s in Missouri, for those of you who have never heard of it. Branson has become the entertainment capital of the Midwest with theaters lining the streets, shops filled with everything from kitsch to high end glitz and a water fountain in the town square (with lights and fire choreographed to music- it’s a rival to that one in Vegas).<br /><br />Here’s my thought… Book a great package, like the Winter Escape Package at <a href="http://socialspark.com/metrics/click/post?slot_id=29653&amp;url=http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/HROBRHH-Hilton-Promenade-at-Branson-Landing-Missouri/index.do" rel="nofollow">Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing</a>, with a big, comfy room. Do some shopping, take the girls down to the pool and enjoy a lovely dinner onsite. Repeat daily. Oh, yeah, that would be nice…<br /><br /><div align="center">

I actually had a website I have worked with ask me for a button! The only problem? I didn't have one. So I worked up this graphic this afternoon. What do you think? I really like the mom on a laptop and the daughter leaning on her reading. Cozy... And kind of how I picture my household in a couple of years. I'm not sure about the lettering on the side, though. With all the background olors it's difficult to find one that was easy to read. Thoughts?<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21274446@N05/3129595736/" title="Iowa Geek button by iatraveler, on Flickr">

When Brenna &amp; I flew home a couple weeks ago we went first class... It was <span style="font-style: italic;">nice</span>...<br /><br />But the customer service was great from the beginning. <a href="http://blog.havekidwilltravel.com/2008/12/22/uniteds-customer-service--first-class-all-the-way.aspx">Kudos to United</a>.<div class="feedflare">
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