Days 8-9 Great American Road Trip - Yellowstone

During the next two days at Yellowstone, we saw some of the more familiar sites - geyers, fumeroles, mudpots, sulphur springs and other volcanic activity:

Very pretty and interesting, but not as good as the flora and fauna that make up the rest of the park.  We did see Old Faithful, but it wasn't as impressive as good old Fountain Hills.  The highlight of that particular experience was gathering with the rest of the crowd on the edge of the "boardwalk".  Kent took some video of Old Faithful erupting, but all you could hear was the female park ranger screaming at the lone man who wouldn't get back on the boardwalk:

The kids think Kent should remix the video to a rap beat so it will go viral on YouTube.  We don't know how to do that, but our 10 and 12 year olds could easily figure it out.

We're about a week into the trip now and living in a RV together 24/7 is beginning to make tempers fray.  This was heightened by the lack of internet connection - no Minecraft or Instagram!  Mom and Dad weren't so cheerful either without cell service or Facebook.  The general complaint was about the poor WiFi at the KOA.  We did manage to muddle through without hurting each other too much, but some days are better than others.  Here's to another day in Paradise!

cindy

My Baby Has Discovered Social Media

As parents, we love to celebrate the milestones of each of our children.  First steps, first day of kindergarten, learning how to ride a bicycle are all scrapbook events.  But for this current generation of kids, technology is the norm and milestones as techies are more common.

My son discovered his newest obsession - Minecraft.  He would play it 18 hours a day if you let him.  If you don't know what Minecraft is, it's a building game where the player can create homes and villages and more, with detailed features like vaulted ceilings, hot tubes and treasure chests.  The weird thing is that the graphics are very crude - all blocks with few pixels.  You can play the game in creative mode or survival mode.  Survival mode includes evil characters, but more importantly, interactive play on the internet.  Enter social media.  He has "met" other players online with very little real interaction, but he looks for his "friends."  He also has his real live friends join him remotely.  Minecraft is not my favorite activity, mostly because of the YouTube videos where older players have live screen shots but commentary that may not be appropriate for children and tweens.  However, if you can avoid YouTube and monitor Minecraft, it's not a bad activity.

When I bought my new cell phone, I had an extra one that my daughter immediately appropriated.  Although it doesn't have phone service (like she wanted), it does have Wi-fi.  Enter Instagram.  Wow - who knew that a 9 year old with a private account could have such a good time!  All her friends have Instagram accounts and they exchange some crazy pictures.  Here's one special one:

I'm relieved to see that all her friends have private accounts too.  It seems as if they can't take enough pictures, even the most mundane:

She does take some good pictures:

But best of all, she has discovered the art of using Instagram to tell the world what she's having for dinner:

I'm so proud of my children's accomplishments - they've discovered social media - in a safe and age appropriate way.

cindy

Blog Resolution

Yesterday I talked about how most New Year's resolutions die very quickly and I offered a SMART method for setting goals and sticking to them.  Now it's time to apply it to myself.  I have some blog resolutions.

Obviously, I have the same resolution of most bloggers - to get more traffic, write more interesting content, develop a following and maybe monetize.  Great resolutions, but are they SMART?  More traffic - is that attainable?  How do you gauge that and more importantly, how do you control it?  That's just an example of why these broad open ended resolutions won't work.

OK, let's turn to my resolutions.  Well, they are exactly SMART just yet.  In fact, I haven't passed the S yet.  So here are my non-specific blog resolutions:

1.  Get myself on a regular blogging schedule and plan ahead.
2.  Increase my traffic by 25% over the year.
3.  Get involved in a community - see this great article about that from the SITS Girls
4.  Improve my social media skills generally.

I will readily admit these are not yet SMART goals.  However, here's what I will do.  I will spend the month of January researching each of these general resolutions and come up with a SMART goal with a plan.  Hopefully, I can transform each of these into a SMART goal and blog about it once every week beginning next week.

Yikes - this is scary stuff.  Now that I've put it out there, I have to at least carry through to February - or maybe through next Tuesday.  Baby steps . . .

cindy

Cyber Monday - How To

Tomorrow is the big day - Cyber Monday.  Some retailers are calling it Cyber Week.  (Those are probably the ones that were open on Thanksgiving.)  While it's awesome to shop in your pajamas (or at your desk at work), there are a few things you should know.  Here are the tips, and at the bottom of this post I have the best prices for a few popular items.

1.  Make sure your computer has security software that is up to date.  Also, if you use Microsoft, check to make sure it is up to date.  Don't assume - go into the program on settings and look for "updates" and run it to be sure.

2.  Don't be surprised if websites load slowly.  Don't even bother to try dial-up.  Don't assume that it's OK to use your work computer to shop.  Remember, it's not your computer.  It is your employer's computer and your employer has the right to retrieve any information you look at or search for (something to keep in mind every day of the year.)

3.  DO NOT USE PUBLIC INTERNET OR UNSECURED WI-FI.  This includes the library, the free wi-fi at restaurants, libraries, hotels or anywhere else.  This also applies to your cell phone.  Use the phone line, not the wi-fi.  If you use wi-fi, you might as well write your credit card information on your forehead.

4.  Don't use a debit card or account routing number for your transactions.  Stick with a credit card or Paypal.  They provide protection for bad transactions.

5.  Make sure you only enter financial information into encrypted sites.  Look for "https" at the beginning of the URL and a closed padlock on the lower right corner.  It should be on every page that asks for personal information.

6.  If the site is loading slowly, don't resend information on the order (financial information etc) by pressing "send" again because you may end up buying more than one of the product.  Be sure to check your receipt and print it.  Check that receipt against the one in the shipping box when you receive the item.  If there is a discrepancy, call the vendor immediately.

7.  If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.  If you aren't familiar with the vendor, check for reviews.  This is especially true if you came to the website by clicking on a link.  Use Google to look up the business.  Also, be careful what you are clicking.  Watch out for peripheral ads or links through emails.  Be very wary if you see you are being redirected as the website is loading.  You may just be bait for phishers or inviting key stroke loggers over for dinner.

8.  Don't buy things online this week unless you are getting FREE SHIPPING.  Everyone is offering free shipping and the difference of paying for shipping can quickly turn that great price into a bad deal. Also, make sure the item is in stock and an estimated delivery date.  If the item is out of stock, find out the estimated availability date and try to reserve it without paying now.

9.  Think about setting up a new email before you start shopping.  The email addresses you enter at those websites will be flooded with advertisements.  Most are probably legitimate, but if you use the same email for important communications, you won't want to wade through hundred of emails a week to find the important communications.

10.  Don't feel pressured to buy NOW because the price seems really good.  You may miss the best deal, but if you aren't sure you want or need the item, it's not a good idea to buy it.  Everything will be on sale (and should ship for free) until December 15.

Shopping for the "best" deal can be tedious and you may waste a lot of time to save pennies.  Here are a few "deals" I found tonight, but it literally took me a couple of hours.  Stick to the main retailers (Amazon, Walmart, Target) for most items, and a few other specialty retailers.

X-Box 360 console - $189 at Walmart

UGG Boots - Chestnut short Women $131.71 and Kids $101.00 at shoes.com

Master Moves Mickey $48.85 (Amazon & Walmart)

Fisher Price Jake and the Neverland Pirates $39 (Target, Walmart, ToysRUs & Amazon)

(Don't wait too long for the toys because they do sell out)

Good luck and happy hunting for the great deals!

cindy

Christmas Shopping Yet?

Halloween is coming and Thanksgiving will rush by on its heels.  Then the intense fear and desperation sets in.  How do I find a special/unique/desired/timely/inexpensive/wrappable gift for my spouse/child/mother/brother/cousin/great-grandmother or our mailman/babysitter/Starbuck's barista/landscaper/boss/employee?  It can ruin your happy holidays.

Have you ever considered Etsy?  I can hear a few of you - what's Etsy?  Etsy is the premier source for all things creative and handmade.  There are things you might expect on a website for handmade items, but Etsy is so much more.  It includes vintage items and supplies for the creative people of the world.  That's right - the world.  Etsy's reach (and sellers) are from all over the world, so the most unique and one-of-a-kind gift is waiting for you on Etsy.

Each week through the middle of December, I'm going to feature items from all kinds of artisans on Etsy.  I'm not going to feature any description of the items (other than the name), so I can get you a lot of eye candy.  Ready?  Set?  Go!

This week I'll feature 10 items for the woman in your life - wife, mom, sister, grandmother, etc.

"Forgive" handmade postcards with envelopes:

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Vintage 60's bag and shoes

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Multi-functional I-pod stand

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Monogrammed Flower Bag

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Catholic Charm Bracelet

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Vintage Look Nightgown

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Sage Pillar Candle

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Sage Green Quartz Necklace

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Woodland Garden Apron

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Grandma "Nana" Keychain

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Whew!  I could go on and on, but you get the idea.  Hopefully, you noticed this too:  not one of these items cost more than $100, and only one cost more than $50!  If you are interested in any of these items, click the picture which will take you to my Pinterest page and then click the picture there to go to the Etsy listing.  While you are at Pinterest, you can "like" my page so you can see all of the items on my "Etsy Finds" board.  You can always repin any of these images to keep the Etsy links.

I could easily find 100 more unique items on Etsy.  Look for more Etsy finds next week right here, or better yet, start your own Christmas shopping on Etsy today.

Don't forget to take a look at my little Etsy shop - Pretty Pretty Cindy

cindy

Wordle

Do you sometimes feel like everyone knows about something you don't?  I had that feeling tonight when I found my daughter playing on a website called Wordle.  Once I looked at it, I realized how many of you are doing your word art.  Shame on you for not sharing!  I'm still not great at this, but I'm having fun trying.  (Please excuse my screen shots, I haven't figured out how to get these images in anything larger than a thumbnail)

Just so no one can accuse me of failing to share . . . Wordle is a website where you type words or paste text and it creates a word "picture".  The more you use a word, the larger it appears.  The picture above represents some of my labels from Straddling the Gap.  

You can use the "Randomize" button to create different font, colors, backgrounds without trying.  Here are words A to Z in two different settings:

Our school has started to use this as a way for kids to practice spelling words - isn't that clever?  It makes it fun to practice their spelling words (and it's great for mom because Wordle has spell-check.)  Here are Mackenzie's spelling words this week:

You can also design your word art the way you want.  You can pick from a bunch of fonts, align horizontal, vertical or any which way, choose colors and backgrounds.  I'll warn you now - it's pretty addictive - not Pinterest, but great for a half hour or so.  However long you like to do it, your elementary kids will LOVE it.

cindy

Chance Encounters

A friend of mine lost her teenage son to leukemia today.  I haven't spoken to this friend - ever.  I've never met her in person.  Yet I've known her for over 9 years and have been there during many of her major life events - bankruptcy, divorce, her son's diagnosis, bone marrow transplant and now his death.  If that seems strange to you, you probably aren't a blogger.

I met my friend online over nine years ago when I was a SAHM.  We both sold children's clothes on Ebay.  There was a big group of us - women in Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Washington and Ohio.  During Hurricane Katrina, we were online with one of our friends who was in Slidell with her two kids waiting for her husband before she evacuated and another who fled to Florida during her third trimester and returned to find nothing left of her home in Port Arthur.  There are many other stories, including my own, but you get the idea.  Blogging wasn't quite as popular then as it is now, so most of our conversations took place in a chat room format.  Eventually we created private chat rooms, especially for one particular friend, because she always seemed to draw the trolls.

It's really hard to explain to someone how you can be so involved in the lives of people you have never seen in person.  Sometimes I can hardly understand it myself.  Yet today I find myself in tears, worried about how she will make it financially.  I worry about her loss of faith during her son's illness.  I'm not sure how she can make it without leaning on God.  I'm also worried because her son was her life.  She is disabled and doesn't work outside of her home, so it's going to be a lonely place for her.

I do know that she has plenty of friends around the country, just like me, and we are all praying for her tonight.  Many of us will send her cards and a little money or a gift card to help out.  I just hope and pray she will reach out to at least one of her friends who, like me, have never met her in person.

cindy

Social Media Maven?

Hardly.  But I have spent a good deal of time recently getting plugged into all things social media.  It started with the SITS Girls Spring Fling, in which the amazing ladies of blogging showed us how to spruce up our blogs and become social media mavens in just two weeks.  I didn't keep up, but I did get connected with a bunch of social media.  Here's my list.  I would love if you would "like" "share" "Tweet" "pin" "join" "become a fan" "include me in your circle" or "follow my blog" (or two or three of them!)

1.  Facebook - My favorite and best (other than my blog).  Now, I'm not only me, I'm "Straddling the Gap"  This is the easiest one and I'm having a good time with it.  Click and like me.



2.  Twitter - I'm just starting to get this after my initial confusion.  I have a few friends who actually talk respond to my tweets.  I'm starting to build some followers.  I irritated some atheists the other day and I wasn't even trying.  (See below)  If you would like to be one of my followers, I'm straddlinggap or you can just click this link and follow me too.





3. Pinterest - No one had to tell me to do this.  I've been a Pinterest fan for a long time.  If you are one of the 5 people who hasn't joined yet, let me know and I'll send you an invite.  Or you can check out my pins by clicking below:



4.  Instagram - I have yet to take a picture because I have a little cell phone issue (I'll get to that tomorrow), but I do have an account and I'm really looking forward to using it.  I should have some pictures later this week.  In the meantime, I am straddlingthegap (notice a pattern here?)



5.  Google +  I signed up, but I don't really understand this quite yet.  I'm trying to click on the plus button when I like a page, but I'm not sure what else to do with it.  If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.

6.  Klout - I'm in, but this one feels like watching the stock market.  My score is up, my score is down.  Heck, Klout thinks I'm an influencer on Atheism because I made one comment on Twitter and was spammed by 10 atheists.

7.  Tumblr - Again, something I have, but I'm still not sure what to do with it.  I think the tool is for following blogs, but maybe there's more.  I use Bloglovin and like it very much,

So, that's my resume for a social media maven.  I doubt it will be a profitable career, but I'm giving it the old college try.  I'm sure I will stick with some of these, especially the mainstream ones, but who has enough time in the day to work with these and write a blog too?

Just my 2 cents.

cindy

Constant Computer?

I have this little problem in my house.  It looks a little like this:

No, Brodie doesn't really use the computer, but everyone else in the house does.  There are two kids and two adults living here.  There are 3 laptops, 1 tablet, 1 I-Touch and 2 smart phones.  Yep, we're pretty wired.  While it's a great convenience, it's become a real problem.  The kids spend too much time on the computer and we parents aren't much better.  I do feel pretty comfortable about what we're *not* looking at - we have Covenant Eyes installed on our computers and it's a pretty good filter.  However, I'm still pretty concerned about things like YouTube, even with the filters.

About now you are thinking - just turn it off, and you're right.  However, computers are to my kids what TV was to me.  It's going to be a bit of a challenge now that school is out.  We're trying to keep them busy, but I definitely think we will have to set specific time limits on computer time.

If anyone has any similar experiences, suggestions or alternatives, I'd love to hear from you!

cindy

Spring Fling With the SITS Girls

I'm participating in the Spring Fling!  It's sponsored by the SITS Girls, which is a collective of over 40,000 bloggers who work together to promote each other's blogs.  The Spring Fling is a two week effort to help participating bloggers (like me) to improve our blogs and traffic. 

What does that mean to my readers?

Well, you should watch for some subtle changes coming to Straddling the Gap.  I will be fully using social media, including Facebook (getting my own STG page), Twitter (I'm already there as straddlinggap), Pinterest (there as Cindy Campbell) and even Google + (which I know absolutely nothing about).  I'm going to work at sprucing up the look of the blog.  I might even host a linky party or blog hop.  (For those of you who are not bloggers, don't worry, it's cool stuff).

What's all the fuss about?  Well, Straddling the Gap is celebrating its one year anniversary next month and I want to make it big.  I also may be taking another internet step that I don't want to talk about just yet, but hope to reveal in June. 

Hopefully you will like all the changes and improvements.  Stay tuned.

cindy

If Our Mothers Had the Internet . . .

Every time I go to a linky party I see some amazing things.  It's mind boggling.  I'm speechless when I see all the creativity and talent from bloggers and on Etsy.  You can use the internet to find anything and learn to do anything.  It makes me wonder what our mothers could have done if the internet existed in the 70's and 80's.  I suspect there would have been less valium prescribed.

We could have linky parties featuring macrame plant holders and owl swings.

Just imagine what we could do with Jello!

Ponchos, legwarmers and tie dye, O MY!

Somehow Brats dolls don't translate as well to cakes

Don't forget those latch hooked rugs!

If our mothers had the internet they could have been more crafty, thrifty, and fashionable, even with mod podge, felt and egg cartons

Wait - I think I saw that last week in a linky party!

cindy

The Joys of Online Shopping

This has been a banner year for online shopping and I have certainly done my part.  But now it's December 21 and my shopping (online and offline) is DONE!!  Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the rest of my family.

This is Brodie:

He was caught in the act of online shopping, probably shopping for a new bone.  His big sister Shellie couldn't keep her nose out of unwrapped Christmas gifts.  Now the bones are gone and this sad tale has taken an unexpected twist.

Time is running short for last minute shopping.

cindy

Loving Me Some Sparkpeople!

`Have you checked out Sparkpeople??  This has to be one of the best weight loss sites on the web.  There's so much to say about it but I'll give you ten of the best reasons:



1.  It is completely FREE.  No, really, it is completely free.  It costs nothing to sign up and you never pay a thing.
2.  It is NOT a diet site.  It does not encourage you to pick a "diet," but one is available if you need it.  Mostly it is a support site with great tools to help you.
3.  You can track your weight, food and fitness levels, as well as energy, measurements, goals or anything else.
4.  There is a huge community of people, both local and groups with common interests where you can participate for advice, support or ideas.  There are message boards, blog opportunities and a place where you can create your own page.
5.  Sparkpeople has workout plans, exercise demonstrations, reports of your activities and suggestions for improving your calorie to exercise balance.
6.  There are great articles on health, fitness, recipes, nutrition, motivation and lots more.
7.  You can motivate yourself with streaks, challenges, group activities, spark mail and emails (only if you want them) and stages of weight loss/improved fitness/increased wellness and health.
8.  There is a mobile application to track food, fitness, weight, water consumed and give you reports about the same (oh yeah, it's free too)
9.  The site was started by a guy who approaches weight loss, increased fitness, wellness and lifestyle with a practical and easy methodology (balance calories consumed with the amount of exercise done)
10.  Did I mention it's FREE??

Free Online Diet Plan at SparkPeople.com

I can't say enough about this website.  If you are interested in a place where you can get practical advice, support, a place to track your progress and a never ending supply of information, Sparkpeople is like no other place on the web. By the way, I was not compensated (or even asked) to recommend Sparkpeople.  I just believe in it.

cindy

Time Island

I received a request a little while back to try out a new virtual reality game, Time Island.  I'm not much of an online gamer, especially virtual reality games.  However, I do have an avid gamer in my house who spends more time in "virtual" reality as opposed to "reality" reality.  I had my young gamer give Time Island a try.  It looks like a famous early reality TV show - you know, the one where you outlast, outwit, outplay (or something like that).  On Time Island you become a castaway and need to find a way to survive on a desert island.  First thing is fashion - don't forget that!

Time Island includes other players that you can meet and form "tribes."  It's not like other virtual reality games where the multiple players move around in parallel.  On Time Island you need to work together to find food, build better shelters and save each other from Goggs (big ugly green things).  There are plenty of places to see on Time Island and lots of gear you can use to survive.  (My gamer did mention that the cell phone didn't look too useful because you can't get reception on a desert island :)

The best part of Time Island is that you can't get through it all quickly.  For a virtual reality world it's a must.  It has to keep you engaged for the long haul.  There is so much to do, it would take a long time to get all of it.  The other good thing is that it's a SAFE place to play.  There are actually "rangers" who roam the island watching for inappropriate behavior.  The Parents' Forum keeps you in the loop, so you can understand what's happening while your young gamer can enjoy the island.

Get out there and survive on Time Island!

cindy