If you are anything like me, you’ve totally slacked on blogging over the summer. I mean, the kiddos are home from school, the sun is shining, the pool is calling to you … the last place you want to be is in front of a computer screen tapping away at a keyboard.

Never mind the fact that the majority of all wonderful memories are made during the months your children are not in school. All these special moments you don’t want to forget and would like to capture in your own words, possibly accompanied by a photo or two, ON YOUR BLOG, so that you can go back and live them over and over again.  However, the blog post is only written in your mind … because you are too busy enjoying your next adventure. The next soon to be memory.

Am I right?

Of course I am.

But now summer is coming to a close. And the promise to pick up blogging again is in the forefront of your mind. You’re left wondering how to make your blog better. How to write and capture the never to be forgotten memories in the best way possible. To snap the pictures of the kids that are growing way too fast without blur and fuzziness. Yes?

Well you can learn how do just that! And lots more.

If you haven’t checked out I_Blog Conference, I strongly suggest you do. They are offering a “Back To School” savings code that will allow you to save $50 on your Full Event Ticket when you register.  It is:  Back2School and is good through August 31.  So don’t delay!

See? Back to school doesn’t have to be just for the kids! Who knew?

Take a minute or two and check out all the details.  The sessions and speakers who will attend the conference.   The hotel where the conference will be held, Hotel Pattee.  And then go register to attend.

I’ll see you there!!

As an ‘Iowa Blogger’, as well as an attendee and planning partner for this conference … I wanted to share this information with everyone.  I hope you will seriously consider registering for this event, as it will surely be very beneficial to any blogger!  Please feel free to pass along this information to anyone you think would be interested!

Beginning and experienced bloggers will find useful classes at I_Blog Conference, November 5-7 at the historic Hotel Pattee in Perry Iowa, announced event organizer and blogger Jody Halsted.  Ticket orders can be made here.

Registration is $199 for a full conference ticket.  The following “a la carte” tickets are also available:  Saturday only, $100; Friday evening social, $50; and Destination Midwest Saturday evening event, $50.

This year the conference will feature two tracks of classes: one for the beginning blogger and one for individuals who have more experience in social media.

Some of the scheduled classes and speakers include:

• Blogging Basics – Melanie Nelson, co-author Typepad for Dummies
• SEO and Why It Matters – Angela England, editor Blissfully Domestic
• How to Utilize LinkedIn – representative from LinkedIn
• How to Use Social Media to Build Your Online Presence – Claire Celsi, the PR Princess
• Pitch from Your Passion: Get Paid for Writing About What You Love – Beth Blair, freelance writer and member of The Vacation Gals
• Intellectual Content vs. Owned Content – Brett Trout, P.C.
• How To Make Money from Your Blog – Melanie Nelson and Angela England
• How to Use Your Camera to Add Great Content to Your Site – Darcy and Randy Milder from His N Hers Photography

Specially priced rooms are available at the Hotel Pattee for conference attendees.  To make a reservation, attendees should call the hotel at (515)465-3511 and use the code “iblogconference” for that weekend.  Reservations must be made by October 23 to receive the reduced rates.

Halsted said that unlike other social media conferences, the focus of I_Blog is on the sessions, “not the swag.”  She said, “Our goal is to build a community of Midwestern bloggers; to give them the knowledge to create a social media presence that will help achieve their goals and fulfill their dreams!”

Melanie Nelson, owner of Blogging Basics 101 and co-author of Typepad for Dummies, highly recommends attending I_Blog.  “I especially loved that everyone who attended last year (whether a new or seasoned blogger) learned something new, ” she said.  “All of the presentations were relevant to what people are doing regardless of their level of blogging.”

Conference sponsors are currently being accepted.  If your company is interested in being involved in I_Blog please contact Jody Halsted at jody@iblogconference.com. 

More information about, and registration for, Destination Midwest at I_Blog Conference can be found on the website at www.iblogconference.com and tickets can be purchased through Evenbrite.

If you are aware of a young woman between the ages of 13-24 who may be interested in competing in the upcoming Miss Johnson County & Miss Linn County dual pageant, please refer them to us!  We help young women develop their talent, their interview and learn how to use their voice in a productive and positive environment.

When:  Saturday, Feburary 13, 2010 from 7pm to 10pm
Where:  Clear Creek Amana High School

More Information Can Be Found Here

Sutliff Bridge and Baxa’s Sutliff Store holds many wonderful memories for a great deal of Iowa natives.  I’m not even “from” Iowa, as I only moved here 12 years ago, but I still have my own special experiences at Sutliff.  Many which include a cold beverage, some good fried food, and a picnic table out on the bridge.  I just noticed a smile form across my lips as I typed that. There is just something magical about that place.

Back in June 2008, when the flood waters came roaring through the eastern part of the state … they took Sutliff Bridge with.  It was a devastating time for many, as no one knew what would happen to this historical place that so many held dear to their hearts.

Recently, a survey was sent my way, asking my opinion on if and how Sutliff Bridge should be repaired.  I voted for Option 1, replacing the span of the bridge that was lost with one that is similar in appearance.  It would be awesome to sit out on that bridge again with a cold one.

If you would like to have your say … please go voice your opinion.  It takes literally 2 seconds and no personal information HAS to be given.

Keep Sutliff alive.  It’s such an important part of Eastern Iowa.

If you are reading this, then there is a good chance that you’re in Iowa.  Am I right?  Now my odds are going down a bit, but I’m betting that there are a good amount of you who have your own blog.  If you do and you’re anything like me, you have contemplated going to some of the large conferences held annually … usually in places much farther than I’m willing to travel.

Do we have that in common?

Well, whether we do or we don’t, you’re going to want to check into this.  Jody, Iowa Geek, has put together and is hosting this awesome event.  It’s a conference.  For bloggers.  Being held in Iowa!  All bloggers in the midwest are invited to come.  How cool is THAT?

Pretty cool.

Here are all the details:

Sounds like a great place to be.  If I were you, I’d seriously consider it.

#1 honeymoon spot in the US.  More hotels than any city in the US except for Vegas.  The vacation spot your kids are begging you to take them to.  And…the best place to vacation.  Period.

Okay, I will concede that the last statement was less fact and more opinion.  I’ve been to Walt Disney World at least once a year since it opened in 1971.  And in many of those years…many more times a year than once.

So when it comes to planning a Disney vacation, I humbly consider myself a pro.  I thought I might offer some travel tips to my place throughout the year.  If you have specific questions, be sure to e-mail me and I’ll post an answer here on the blog.  Please put DISNEY TRAVEL in the subject line.

Okay, so let’s tackle one of the first questions people always ask me.  Where should we stay?  Or more specifically, should we stay in one of the Disney hotels, on property?

Disney has hotel accommodations for just about everyone.  You can spend anywhere from $59 – $500/night for a room.  The hotels, even the budget ones, are beautifully designed and there are little details (like the hidden Mickeys) that you just won’t find anywhere else.

But that’s not why you should stay there.  While you can certainly find someplace cheaper to stay (remember, hotel rooms in Orlando are a dime a dozen and there are plenty of low rent options) you just can’t beat the perks of staying on property.

Here’s a very partial list:

• Free Magical Express transfer from the airport to your hotel.  WDW is actually about 30 minutes away from the airport.

• Extra Magic Hours – on certain days, as a resort guest — you can arrive early to certain parks, or stay late, after the park closes.  There are Extra Magic Hours at one of the 4 parks every day.  This means you can avoid the lines of the “big” attractions and save those for the much less populated Extra Hours times.

• Free transportation all over the Disney property.  There are many bus, boat (big and small) or monorail options.

• Babysitting and childcare options – if you are traveling with young children but want some grown up time — you can use in-room care or at several of the resorts there are “overnights” with the likes of Goofy.  What kid wouldn’t love that?

• Free parking at all 4 parks  for resort guests, if you decide to rent a car.

• Guaranteed theme park admission at the crazy busy times, like Christmas or Thanksgiving (avoid these like the plague unless you have to travel then).  Even if the park is filled to capacity (and they deny any more admissions) you’ll get in before anyone else does.

There is a magic about staying on property.  The cast members go out of their way to make your stay special.  The decor means you are immersed in Disney 24/7 which is really wonderful.

I’d highly recommend you stay on property — it means you are surrounded by the Disney magic for your entire vacation.  It really will feel like you’ve gone to a wonderful new world.

My little family and I are off to the state fair tomorrow.  I keep hearing that there are lots of new things to do, see and eat.

I’ve been perusing the website to try and get ideas of something different than what we usually do- which is wander around trying to find things I’ve heard about.  That rarely works.  So I am checking out the Just For Kids page now and can hopefully move on to a page that tells me what’s new.

So I am asking for advice.  Has anyone been to the fair this year?  What must we do?  Or do you have a favorite thing you always do that I should make it a point to find?

Let me know what we just can’t miss!

~ Jody

The Hotel Pattee, which closed in December 2006, reopens today (July 21).  This great gem of a hotel in Perry, which is listed on the national register of historic places, is known for it’s richly appointed rooms and exceptional customer service.

The hotel has 40 suites,each with it’s own personality, and rates begin at $149 per night.  (Unless you get in fast- for a limited time rates are set at $130/night.)

Perry is located about 40 miles north-east of Des Moines.

Posted by Jody @ Family Rambling

Just last week Kiplinger’s announced it’s 2008 Best Cities list.

And guess where #9 is located?  Right here in Iowa! Yep, we had better watch out because people are noticing our clean air, good schools and great living standards.

Pretty soon we’ll be swarmed with companies wanting to move here.  Oh, wait, we already are.  Des Moines is the third largest insurance center in the world.  And we’re pretty big in banking, too.

Wow, maybe someday you can fly from Des Moines International Airport directly to another country…

Posted by Jody @ Iowa Geek

If you’re like my family, a “real vacation” is not in the plans this summer. Gas prices, food prices, and trying to dig out of our debt have pretty much claimed any extra penny we thought we had. But if you’re not able to fly to Florida or drive to South Dakota, that doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun and create some memories with your kiddos.

One activity that my husband used to do with his family growing up was to play “Get Lost in the Country.” No, this isn’t that hazing prank where you find yourself naked and blindfolded in the middle of a cornfield. Instead, you just jump in the car with the family, gas up (I know, I know…THE PRICES!), and head for the outskirts of town.

Decide where you’ll begin, and then decide the order in which your kids will have their “turn” giving directions. Start driving, and when you come to the first place where you can turn, have the child whose turn it is say either, “Left,” “Right,” or “Straight” and then follow your child’s command. When you come to the next place you can turn, have the next child give the direction.

Now realize, this may lead you off the blacktop and onto gravel. Embrace the gravel! You will get your best glimpse into rural Iowa on the gravel roads. If one of your child’s directions has you driving on a dirt road, go for it, provided it’s not a mud road. Getting stuck and having to walk three miles to the nearest farmhouse is NOT part of the game. Once when we were playing this game with my husband’s parents (Yes, we even play this as adults!), we ended up driving on a dirt road that kept getting narrower and narrower until we came to a dead end in the middle of a cornfield. Now THAT’S getting lost in the country!

While you’re getting “lost,” notice the scenery along the way. Have your kids see how many different kinds of animals they can identify. Count the number of barns or windmills. What colors are the tractors you see? How about wildflowers?

After you’re good and lost, next comes the challenging part: finding your way back home. Now, it usually helps if you’ve got an Iowa road map with you. If you don’t, well, you’ll be playing the advanced version of the game! Show your kids on the map where you’ve driven and how you’ll now get home. Figure how many miles you’ve gone. And if you pass an ice cream shop on the way back, for goodness’ sake—stop!

You may be surprised at how refreshing it is to stop focusing on the destination for once and just enjoy the ride.

Contributed by Paula
boogers and burps