One of life's little annoyances

Insurance is just one of things that you must have, but never seem to function smoothly. The only insurance I've never had a problem with was term life insurance. Of course, I never tried to make a claim with them so you never know.

Today I took my daughter to the doctor and their system still shows our old insurance, which I canceled six months ago. I have already faxed the necessary information to the new insurance back in June to remedy the situation, but of course I have to follow up because nothing can be done right the first time.

I used to work at an insurance company, and I can honestly say that I don't know how these companies stay afloat. There were so many office systems in our company that could have been improved upon and the lack of organization was staggering. Actually, that company ended up outsourcing the underwriting to a company in another state and laying off 80% of the employees in our office, so there you go.

Anyway, I am waiting for a call back right now to clear up my current insurance mishap, so we'll see how that goes. Wish me luck!

Playing dress-up

My children have been very much into playing dress-up lately. We have a bin in my daughter's room with fancy dresses, scarves, purses, play heels, and fashion jewelry. My daughter loves getting dressed up like a princess and parading around in all her glory.

Of course, her little brother idolizes her and he wants to dress up too. We don't have many masculine dress-up gear, so he usually ends up with lots of jewelry on, holding a purse, and wearing high heels. He says, "Don't I look so beautiful?" I think this is very cute and harmless, and he likes to dress like Spiderman or Batman sometimes too. So although most of his influence is feminine, he does have a masculine streak as well.

Florida is hot, in more ways than one

Despite being hit with a barrage of hurricanes and tropical storms every year, Florida still remains a hit for retirees and relocating families looking for warm climates and beaches.

Miami real estate is always hot, with many different amenities offered in the largest urbanized area in the state of Florida. I have never been to Miami, but we have enjoyed Orlando several times, and have relatives living in the western panhandle area of the state.

Something about Florida draws people there, much like Eureka Springs, the town I live in. No one can fully explain it, but you just feel like you have to be there and miss it if you aren't.

Rust already?

Since it has been so hot lately, we haven't spent much time out on our back deck. I went out there the other day with the broom to clean a bunch of spider webs from the deck and roof line. I was disappointed to see that some of the chairs in our patio set are starting to rust already. We just bought that set last year! Of course, it was very inexpensive, so I guess we should have known better. So now we will have to treat it with anti-rust spray and repaint the chairs. What a pain.

Of course, if we would have spent more money and got a teak outdoor furniture set like we originally wanted, we wouldn't have this problem. Teak wood is weather-proof and a very good choice for outdoor furniture. You get the strength, durability, and look of natural wood without the headaches that come with metal furniture. We'll know better next time.

Shop where you want

When I first heard about Mint credit cards, I thought, "Oh my gosh, they are making them flavored now??" Then I found out that it is actually a company in the UK where you can apply for a low rate apr credit card, a loan, or even insurance.

They also offer gift cards that can be used anywhere credit cards are accepted. This is better than a specific gift card because the recipient can use it in any store or restaurant or even to buy gasoline if that is what they need the money for. We've all been in the situation where we received a gift card for a store that we don't normally shop in, then we walk around aimlessly trying to find something, anything, to spend the money on. We end up with things we don't really need and an unsatisfying shopping experience. I would much rather receive a card I could use anywhere, and I would guess most people feel this way.

New school year underway

The new school year started Monday and so far the week has gone pretty well. It hasn't been as hard as last year for me to wake up early, and I have been going to bed earlier too. The first day of school, I drove my daughter in to help carry all her supplies and to make sure she knew where her new classroom was. Of course, she wanted to play on the playground before the bell rang, so we went outside. The first thing I noticed was a new "carousel" playground equipment out there. All the kids wanted to ride it at once and as a result, there were about 25 kids on it. They were spinning much to fast and a few kids fell off and rolled under while it kept spinning. One had to go to the nurse and I was wondering why the two teachers that were supervising didn't limit the number of children riding at once.

Then, when my daughter came home from school that first day, she was limping. I asked what was wrong and she told me that she flew off the carousel and hurt her ankle. She said there were so many kids on it that she didn't have a place to hold on, but she rode it anyway and several kids were thrown from the ride and got hurt. I called the principal and he said he would be instigating rules for the ride and instructing the teachers to supervise it very carefully for the first couple of weeks until the "newness" wares off and the kids go back to playing on the other playground equipment also.

Other than that, my daughter loves her new first grade teacher and she is doing very well with her homework. She had homework every day in pre-school when we lived in Colorado, then her Kindergarten teacher here in Eureka Springs didn't give any homework at all. Now in first grade, she has homework every day again. When she comes home, she is starving since lunch is around 11:00 and there are no afternoon snacks in first grade. So I let her have a snack, then we work on homework before dinner time. Our schedule is working out pretty well and she has been sleeping a little better at night since school started. Monday is parent back-to-school night so we will get to talk to her teacher more and follow up with some questions we have.

Cool Canada

Our plans for the Disney World trip in January are pretty much finalized. We are looking forward to this vacation very much since this is the longest we have ever gone without a vacation. Another vacation I would really like to take with the whole family is one to Quebec, Canada. All the relatives on my mom's side of the family still live there and while I have visited every five years or so, my husband and children have never been there or met any of those relatives.

There are many holiday offers on flights to Canada, including flights to Toronto and Vancouver through DialAFlight. They are a leading UK travel agency with offers on cheap flights, hotel, car rental. Holidays to Canada are one of their specialties and they will take care of all the details for you with one phone call to a knowledgeable DialAFlight agent.

My family living in Montreal is fairly large, and I have about twenty first cousins, some I have never even met and others that I haven't seen since I was a child. Plus, they have children of their own now, so we would have plenty of people to catch up with if we took a Canada vacation. Our children would enjoy meeting relatives their own age and hearing them speak French. Maybe one summer, when it is very hot here in late July or August, we could cool off by traveling north to Canada. I'll add it to my future goals list...

THE auditorium

Here in Eureka Springs, we are very proud of our wonderful auditorium right in the middle of the beautiful, historic downtown district. Many big acts have performed here, even though we are not a big town and are pretty far from any very large towns. The "aud" (as it is known around here) is a restored historic building with a large elaborate stage, theater seating on the main level and balcony, a great sound system, and wonderful atmosphere.

We have only seen a few small productions there, but are looking forward to blues legend BB King, who is scheduled to perform early next year. Here are some pictures of the auditorium as it originally looked back in 1928, and how it looks today.

Not-so-drastic measures

The heat and humidity we've had lately has turned everyone into homebody couch potatoes. No one feels like leaving their air-conditioned house, let alone go for a walk or a bike ride. I am definitely looking forward to some cooler weather in the next couple of months. One great thing about Eureka is the long, long autumn season!

Anyway, the reason I mention exercise is that walking has become a habit and when I can't get out and walk my daily two miles, I really miss it and feel "blah" all day long. I'm still working on losing a bit of baby fat that is hanging on from my last pregnancy. I don't really have a problem with how my body looks, (I've accepted what I've got to work with), I just don't want to be uncomfortable in my clothes and have to buy new ones. While I only wish to get rid of about fifteen or twenty pounds, I know some women would like to reduce their weight by fifty pounds or more.

These women have considered gastric bypass surgery, but that just seems so definitive and drastic. Now there is another option called lapband, short for Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding. During the procedure, an adjustable band is wrapped around the upper part of the stomach and tightened much like a wrist watch to restrict both the size of the stomach to enhance the feeling of quicker fullness, and the stomach outlet so food travels slower through the system, retaining a full feeling longer.

Way in the future plans

With a new school year upon us, thoughts of the future creep into my mind. I still have one child at home, but next year they will both be in school full time and I won't know what to do with all that time to myself. I will hopefully be working more hours at the library, and be substituting for the school regularly by then.

One thing my husband and I have been looking forward to when our children are older is finally taking a trip to Europe. We have always wanted to go, but we got married young, had our first child right after college graduation, and have been in the realm of child raising ever since. While I try to cherish the present, I can't help but look into the future as well at the freedom we will have when our children grow up.

France is especially intriguing to us, since both sides of our families have relatives from France. Hotels in Paris look so quaint and romantic, with the old world charm we adore. One town in the South of France actually has the same name as our last name, so we would have to visit the country and stay in another hotel with a different feel. It will be interesting to compare a Paris Hotel with different Hotels in France outlying areas.

Since my husband and I are both artists, with degrees in Fine Arts, we would spend a lot of time at the Louvre. It will be so amazing to see most of the works in person that we studied for years in college. The thing that strikes us the most about Europe is how old the architecture is, and how well preserved everything is. We consider buildings old here in the US that are only 100 years old, but over there you can find buildings that are 200 or 300 years old easily, with some being much older if you do a little research.

For now, we are happy in our "Little Switzerland" of the Ozarks, Eureka Springs, which has more Victorian-era homes per geographical area than any other area in the US. Plus, we are in the mountains, so we have fun hiking around town and discovering new stairways that lead to ancient stone foundations or old roads that are no longer used. Our town has history, and that is one reason we love it so much.

Kid's say the darndest things

I just wanted to document a few funny things that our kids have said lately, so I don't forget. My almost three-year old son had an ice pack on his forehead this morning after a bump into the wall and he just brought the ice pack to me and said, "Here, Mom, I don't need my ice purse anymore." A regular saying around here for him occurs whenever we call him anything other than his name, like sweetie pie for example. He answers with, "I'm not sweetie pie, I'm just a kid."

My daughter is six now, but even when she was younger she said very sweet, poetic things. One evening when the sun was setting and there were some clouds in the sky, she said, "Look, the clouds are gathering to say good night to the sun." The other night she was talking about when she grows up and gets married. She said she wants to live right across the street from us so we can visit all the time. Then I asked her how many children she wants and she said, "I think I will be able to handle three."

As time goes by

My oldest and dearest friend just had a little baby girl one month ago and she sent out the baby announcements, which I received yesterday to my great delight. The baby is adorable. She had told me that her daughter looked like her husband and she was right! Usually all newborns look kind of the same, but her little girl really does look like her daddy already. And their son looks like his mommy, so they have a really cute family.

I wish one of my children looked like my husband. So far, both my son and daughter are basically clones of me, but at least my son has his daddy's eye color. It's kind of difficult to tell, I guess, since my husband and I have the same color hair and some of our features are very similar. It is so enjoyable to watch how our children grow and change with each passing year and the anticipation of how they will look as adults and how their personalities will develop.

Custom signs and more

One of the best gifts we ever gave were personalized magnetic car signs for my father-in-law with his business logo and web address on them. He was very surprised and he has used them every day for the last couple of years since he received them. We went through a local print shop at the time to have the magnets made and we had to give them the logo on a disc to be printed out on the magnets.

Anyone looking to do this sort of thing now has a much simpler option. Going through Build-A-Sign.com lets you download your image, design your sign, proof it, and buy it in under five minutes. In addition to the magnetic signs, you can also design yard signs, real estate signs, street signs, parking signs, political signs, and even decals and banners. Best of all, they guarantee their work. If you are not 100% satisfied, they will work to make it right until you are happy. That's something you don't always see with traditional sign franchises.

Kid's Day at the Farmer's Market

Today was the first ever Kid's Day event at the Eureka Springs Farmer's Market. There was face painting, a monkey to pet and take pictures with, a watermelon seed spitting contest, and the Fire Department had their Smoke House on display to teach about fire safety in the home. Everything was free and a great time was had by all. I am thankful that we have so many people in the community willing to share their talents for free to benefit the children. My family hopes this will become an annual event.

Of course, there was lots of fresh produce available for sale, along with a couple of new vendors who make their own tasty jams, jellies, baby food, breads, and more!

Halloween the movie

I must admit I am not a huge fan of scary movies, mostly because I am somewhat of a chicken and I have nightmares when I watch them. I like the adrenaline rush of being frightened, but then I regret it when I am walking around the dark house alone later at night. I'm one of those people who will watch the movie, cover my eyes during the scary parts, but peek between my fingers.

The types of movies that scare me the most are the ones that I think could actually happen, like the Exorcist, Poltergeist, and Halloween the movie. Did you hear about the new Halloween movie being released on August 31st? It was written and directed by Rob Zombie, that crazy guy from the band White Zombie. I think it will be pretty gory and bloody, from what I gathered watching the trailer.



It is actually a remake of the original classic Halloween the movie, showing Rob Zombie's vision of the Michael Myers legend. Of course, the soundtrack kicks butt because Rob Zombie did the music as well. The soundtrack of a horror movie can make or break the film, as it is crucial to set the mood throughout the scenes. I think the movie will be a big hit and I'm looking forward to its release.

Ride the rails

This morning, we finally took the kids on an excursion train ride at the ES & NA Railway here in Eureka Springs. It was a nice ride, although very hot and humid today. While the train is moving there is a nice breeze coming through, so the ride itself was very pleasant. Also the conductor, Travis, was a kick. He had lots of stories and was in good humor.

The historical aspect is fun, I just wish the train tracks didn't run parallel to the highway for most of the time. If we couldn't see the cars, it would really feel like we stepped back in time one hundred years ago. Since locals ride for free, it was a nice family experience and we will do it again, but probably in the fall when it is cooler and the leaves are changing.

Search specific

Successful affiliate marketing is all about a targeted audience and very specific keywords and search terms. If you don't have all the right keywords in your advertising campaign, someone may not see your sight even though it is relevant to their search. The key is getting into the brain of the searcher, put yourself in their shoes and think of any and all keywords they may search for.

For example, if someone were looking for a lawyer, they would have to be very specific since it is such a broad subject. A key phrase like "medical malpractice attorney New York" would bring back much more targeted results than just "New York attorney". When the search is this specific, the user will find exactly what they are looking for and will be more likely to patronize the sites within the results they get from their search.

Virtual lives

There has been talk recently about Eureka Springs becoming the new headquarters for gaming, hosting the yearly seminars and such. Also, there is a new company forming here called Brainstem Games, which my husband may be helping with the sound design work. I have been pretty disconnected from the whole "gaming" community for a long time, since we have small children and just don't have any extra time right now.

Looking at some of the new games, I am amazed at how detailed the graphics are compared to games from when I was young and how much hype revolves around games that are played online against other users. Games like starcraft even have fan sites like CreepColony with forums for players to share experiences and tips. There are over 1,100 members registered and the forums are very active, with members even planning to meet up in person.

When you combine the popularity of social media sites and gaming these days, it is possible for people to have a completely virtual existence separate from their real lives. This is a good outlet for teenagers who find their daily lives too difficult, but users must maintain a healthy balance and not get too caught up in their online world while ignoring what is going on in the real world. In the case of children and teenagers, limits must be imposed by parents to ensure this balance.

the Island

There is a small, planned community just four miles north of Eureka Springs called Holiday Island. It has been around since the seventies, and as the name suggests, it is somewhat of an island. Technically, it is a peninsula that juts out into Table Rock Lake, but feels like an island when you drive out there. Other than the literal sense, Holiday Island is an island also in terms of its residents being quite different than those who live in Eureka.

For example, the first thing you will notice upon entering Holiday Island is a country club with golf apparel ladies and gentlemen all over the place. There is a golf course which snakes through most of the main sector of the city, with neighborhoods intermingled throughout the course. Holiday Island was originally set up as a retirement area, but has recently started to appeal to young families as well, since it is more remote and there is not as much tourism as in Eureka Springs. Many families move to Holiday Island after living in Eureka for awhile because the housing is cheaper in some areas and there is easy access to boating and other lake activities.