Mother’s Got A Dot Com

Here are a few photos…

Scenery:

Snow lanterns and tunnel, as seen from the outside:

And brats inside the tunnel:

Third brat, #6, on his way home from his winter break!

We had three fun days at our cabin. Upon arrival, we had to fight our way in with the little ones through snow that reached my thigh, and leave them indoors while we shoveled a path to get the luggage inside… Luckily, the snow was old, hard and heavy, so we got some serious exercise!

The roof hadn’t caved in. Apparently, there hasn’t been this much snow for many years, but it had fallen off the roof, as well-behaved snow should do.

The kids had loads of fun - they made lanterns and dug out caves and tunnels. There will be photos, as soon as hubby comes back with the car - my camera is in the glove compartment!

Oh, not for long. I’ll be back on Thursday. The 3 youngest kids and I are going up to our mountain cabin to put our feet up shovel snow for a few days.

So - there will be no Entrecard dropping (please keep dropping in here, people, I will be back!), no paid posts on either insurance, online coupons or light fixtures (I know, you’ll miss them, but please tune in again…), and none of the insightful, earth-shattering posts I’m putting out here on a regular basis.

There will be no linky-love either, but E-card advertisers: You will be mentioned on Monday, as per ususal.

I’m off to stuff the car with luggage, a dog and 3 brats soon, before braving the roads that are heaving with other stuffed cars on their way to a winter break… Must remember the key to the cabin. In fact, I’ll put that in my bag right now.

I’ve always wanted to go to Florence. For the architechture, the food, the wine and, of course, the classical Art.

For the latter, the undisputed place to go is the Uffizi Gallery. They’re all here - Leonardo Da Vinci, Philippo Lippi, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Titian, Rubens - even Rembrandt has his own room here. There are rooms dedicated to 13th and 14th century painters, to German and Flemish masters, to the Renaissance… and of course to all the great names of the history of painting.
You can go to the virtual Uffizi right now and see them all. The complete catalog is on display here. Not that a photo on a screen gives them justice, but it might just entice you enough to take thr trip…

In that case, the site also offers links to all sorts of tourist services. First of all - museum tickets. Don’t spend your holiday standing in line, buy your tickets to the Uffizi and other museums online, and skip the queue. Accomodation, from B&B, via Holiday farmhouses to Luxury villas in Tuscany can all be booked directly. You’ll find guided tours of Florence and the museums, limousine service - there’s even a link to guide you towards real estate, in case you don’t want to go home…
For your shopping needs, you can come prepared - explore the Hand Made In Florence section…

As for me - I’d spend my days in museums. The Uffizi, the Modern Art Gallery, the Medici Chapels, the Silver and Archaeological museums… intersparsed, of course, with lovely food and wine and a little bit of shopping… Oh, yes. Florence is on my wish list…

I think that if I were a student of human nature, I’d go to Las Vegas. To me, that must be an ideal place to observe people out of context.

From grand Casinos to flamboyant shows, from palace to cheap hotel Las Vegas is very likely a melting pot of all the things that would make it an antropologists dream.

I could be wrong. As a matter of fact, I probably am. One shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, and I usually don’t. I can’t help thinking, though, that Vegas might be all cover and no book…

Still, it holds a certain fascination. I think I’d need a holiday after having visited though. You know, the kind where you put you feet up, maybe read a book, and rest your eyes on something pretty and serene…

Have you ever thought of visiting… say Denmark or Iceland?

Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is rated as one of the world’s best cities to live in, despite the high cost of living. To the average person, though, compared to places like London or Paris, accomodation is quite affordable.
To help with your planning, and for last minute hotels and special deals, try these sites: Denmark Hotels and Copenhagen Hotels.

The Danish love music – from open air concerts and festivals to small bars and clubs playing all types of music. You’ll find whatever tickles your fancy in Copenhagen - ranging from jazz, blues, folk and pop to rock music. Copenhagen also has a heaving night life, and a must if you’re going in the summer is the Tivoli garden, that is both a gardeners delight, an amusement park and a popular concert venue.

You’ll also discover that the Danish are quite easy-going, that they love their food, and that they have hospitable and friendly dispositions.

Reykjavík, capital of Iceland, is often dubbed “the nightlife capital of the north”. It’s famous for its nightlife during the weekends. Icelanders tend to go out late - alcoholic beverages are quite expensive, so most people will have a drink with friends in private before going out. Bars that look rather quiet can fill up suddenly, usually around midnight on a weekend.

Beer was banned in Iceland until 1989, but has since become Icelanders’ drink of choice. There are over 100 different bars and clubs in Reykjavík; most of them are located in the city center. Often, an establishment that is a café during the day will change into a bar in the evening.
For great deals to visit this beautiful volcanic island of the North Atlantic, check out Cheaperthanhotels – Iceland. You’ll find affordable options for last minute booking or year round deals to combine with your business trip or vacation, at these sites: Iceland Hotels and Reykjavík Hotels.

After your night(s) out, treat yourself to a visit to The Blue Lagoon. It’s the world’s largest open air hot water source - and it’s a spa… There are many indoor facilities too, but the main attraction is the open air rock pool, naturally heated from the center of the earth, with reputedly miraculous effect on your skin, your mind and your hangover…

Denmark, Iceland or both… It’s up to you!

I’ve always loved dates. In this country, up until very recently, dates were something you had for Christmas. They were packed in little boxes, and they were small and rather dry. I loved those too.

Then, of course, the world grew smaller. Dates are still a Christmas treat, but you can have them all year round now. They’ve also changed… What we get now are large, succulent, sweet and aromatic fruits that make you want to move to sunnier climes…

Dates “au naturel” - Dates on tree - Dates with bacon….

All right, his birthday isn’t until October, and it may not even be for this year, but he’d so love a trip to the Houston Rodeo and Livestock show…

What’s great about the Houston Rodeo is that every day’s rodeo events are followed by a concert by some of the biggest names in various music genres. After the rodeo events, a rotating stage is moved to the center of the ring and provides a clear view of the artists for everyone.
Now, this would mean a little something for me too… Although I love horses, and enjoy a good display of expert horsemanship, hubby is the horse-person of the outfit. We’d both be enjoying the concert part equally though…

Houston Rodeo concert tickets for this year’s event in March are still available - I could even get so-called “Action Seats” in the first row for the Faith Hill concert - including a complimentary buffet…

I’ve never in my life attended a rodeo, neither has he - and even without the “Action Seats” (that I’d definitely try to get hold of!), I know we’d enjoy it immensely. It’s a huge event, ranked as the world’s largest rodeo with over 1 million spectators each year, so it would be a great first experience of the rodeo for both of us. A totally exotic one too!

Maybe it won’t be this year’s present, but this is certainly one worth saving up for. With his birthday in October and the event taking place in March every year, it also gives us plenty of time to plan ahead for such trivia as the care our own menagerie of livestock and brats while we’re gone. Perfect!
Now, all I need to do is make sure he doesn’t read this post…

When I was a very young adult, my father lived in Johannesburg, South Africa for 6 months, and my 3 younger siblings went there to visit him during the summer. I couldn’t, since I was working, and that’s something I’ve regretted ever since…
They went to the Kruger Wildlife Park, they went swimming at Umschlanga Rocks, they went to Cape Town and Lesotho… (Please note, I can remember these names, I’m not looking anything up… that’s how much I’ve regretted it.
In those days, flights to Johannesburg were an arm and a leg - that’s no longer true. The world has grown smaller in that sense.

Remember when you could telephone your travel agents’ and talk to a person? If you were really lucky, that person had been where you were going, or nearby, and knew what they were talking about.

At Dialaflight, that’s the type of service they’re offering. If I were taking my family of 8 half way around the world, I would like to talk to a person, thank you very much!
Imagine having booked at a hotel, only to find that it burned down 6 months ago… Or was closed by health inspectors last week… Not your ideal situation after an X hour flight, with cranky brats all over the place!

Dialaflight offers cheap flights to a wide variety of locations in South Africa. I wouldn’t mind having them tailor a holiday for me and my family to all those places I’ve heard about and seen pictures of!

Are you looking for something different? Getting away from it all, but in style? The wild outdoors, with the comforts of home - and then some?

Blueberry Lake Resort is tucked away in one of Canada’s most beautiful landscapes, near the ski resort of Mont Tremblant Quebec, and it will provide all that, and more.

There, you’ll find Beautiful Quebec style log cabins, that will sleep 6-10 people. They are also perfect for that romantic getaway for 2, in a pure white, emerald green or fiery yellow and red setting, depending on the season.
Whether you’re looking for somewhere to take your family or a group of business guests on an activities break, or you need to relax in the vicinity of the great outdoors, Blueberry Lake is perfect.

They’ve got everything! You don’t even need to cook for yourself if you don’t want to - their concierge service can take care of everything from cooking meals, booking activities and massages (oh, yes, there’s a spa…) to ordering in your groceries.
There are activities galore, in all seasons. Cross-country skiing, ice skating, snowmobiles or downhill skiing in winter, swimming in the lake or pool, biking, hiking, waterskiing in the summer. Plus the spa, of course…

Go and have a look at their site (which is beautiful, by the way), and see for yourself. The Laurentian Mountains are on my “must visit” list from now on…