I’ve gotten a taste of the warmer weather, and now I’m ready to do my favorite thing to do in the summer: Go camping!

I know it’s not quite that warm yet, but the beautiful sunshine that keeps peeping through the clouds has given me the fever. I hope we get to go at least a few times this year. Last year we didn’t get to go much because I was working on weekends, but this year I’m setting my own schedule all the way. As long as I don’t have deadlines to worry about, I can pick up and go camping whenever Hubby has the time.

This time around, I’ll have to take some pictures and post them. The place where we’ve been camping is too beautiful not to share.

It would be great to be at the beach right now. I’ve never been myself, but I plan on going as soon as we get the money.

I’m not much of a swimmer, but I like to wade. When I was young we lived about 20 minutes from a sandy lake, and my big sister took me there often during the summer. I had a blast splashing around in the water and playing in the sand. I also loved to build sandcastles.

Beaches Resorts has a fun little website on which you can build sandcastles online. I’ll bet Pumpkin would have a ball with it if she weren’t sleeping in this morning. I’ll have to show it to her and let her play with it later.

In the meantime I made the sandcastle above for her. You’ve got to try this out. It’s easy, and so much fun. First you choose from one of their breathtaking beach settings. Then you can build your very own sandcastle, complete with color, shells, flags, and other beach accessories. There are even peaceful beach sounds playing in the background. It’s quite relaxing.

If you’re busy and broke like me and can’t make it to the beach right now, you can have a little piece of the beach right on your desktop. It would also be a good way to keep the kids busy for a while.

I haven’t been to a concert in ages. I would love to go see a good one, but getting Hubby to go would be like pulling teeth. He hates crowds and waiting and all the other frustrating things associated with concerts.

I can overlook all that stuff. The one thing that does really frustrate me is trying to get tickets to a popular show. These days it’s next to impossible if you go through the box office. But Premium Seats USA can help. Whether you want Miami Heat tickets or tickets to see the Police, they have them. And don’t worry about having to sit in the nosebleed section- they can hook you up with the best seats in the house.

I enjoy looking at the stars on a nice, clear night. But I’ve never studied astrology, so I have no idea just what I’m looking at on any given night.

Enter the Meade mySky Personal Planetarium. It’s a stargazer’s dream come true. You can simply point it at any object in the night sky, and it will identify it for you. It will also map out any object that you wish to find. It has images, video, and audio descriptions of over 500 objects. How cool is that?

The Meade mySky Personal Planetarium would make a great gift for the astrology buff. I wouldn’t mind having one myself, even if I don’t know the first thing about astrology. It would be a great way to learn.

I have always wanted to go to Disney World. One of my coworkers is planning a trip there this summer, and I must admit that I’m green with envy. One day I will get to go there.

Lodging is one of the biggest concerns when going somewhere like that. You have to really be on top of things to find an affordable hotel room when going to such a popular attraction. But at Homes.OrlandoVacation.com, you can find great deals on vacation homes near Disney World for rent. Talk about having it made! And it’s not like Disney World is all that the Orlando area has to offer. Anyone who rents a vacation home there can enjoy numerous other theme parks, golf courses, and many other family-friendly attractions.

There are some great homes available at even better prices. If you’re thinking about going to Orlando, take a look. You’d be surprised at just how affordably you could stay in one.

I would love to take a vacation this year. I’m not sure whether or not we’ll have the money, but that’s only part of the problem. I’ve never planned a real vacation before, so I’m afraid I’ll forget something important.

Fortunately vacation planning is a lot easier than it once was. Vacations.net offers some great all-inclusive packages at savings of up to 50%. They have offerings from many resorts that include your room, meals, drinks, and activities all in one price. So you don’t have to totally stress out when planning a relaxing vacation.

There is plenty of information on the site about their destinations and accomodations, so you’re sure to find just what you’re looking for. They even have virtual tours. If you want to get away from it all this summer, they can set it up for you.

Video sharing is one of my favorite things about Web 2.0. I don’t get the time to seek out videos online very often, but every time I do I find something that makes me laugh.

It’s not just web users that are getting in on the act. Web marketers are realizing the value of a good viral video. For example, I’ve never played backgammon in my life. I don’t know the first thing about it. But BackgammonMasters.com has got my attention thanks to a video of their new animated mascot, Jean Claude the tiger.

Jean Claude is the star of a five part video series to promote the backgammon site, and he’s one cool cat. Viewers can win prizes for answering trivia questions after watching the videos, and are offered rewards for script ideas. You’ve just gotta love Jean Claude- he’s got style, attitude, and a used car empire. I can’t wait to see the rest of his videos. Below is the press release… read all about it!

http://www.BackgammonMasters.com is using a ground-breaking and original approach to promote and establish their skill game software in the online game market. Introducing the #1 Player at BackgammonMasters, Jean-Claude the animated tiger. BackgammonMasters creates a new dimension in online backgammon branding in their 5 part interactive animation series titled ‘Life According to Jean-Claude’. Jean Claude - Backgammon Masters Animated Tiger Movie BackgammonMasters brought this character to in a well-designed and cleverly scripted effort to illustrate to a wide audience the appeal of backgammon as a skill game truly loved and played by all people, from all walks of life from around the world. Jean Claude is BackgammonMasters’ pioneering mascot who is setting a new standard in online game entertainment. Viewers win prizes for trivia questions after viewing, and are offered rewards for suggestion any script ideas used. Clips can be easily forwarded to friends who will create the viral marketing buzz that only a character like Jean-Claude is capable of generating. “BackgammonMasters creates a new dimension in online backgammon branding in their 5 part interactive animation series titled ‘Life According to Jean-Claude’.” In the series we are exposed to a hilarious explanation and comparison by Jean-Claude of how to succeed at everything from playing backgammon to chopping onions, to fulfilling ones dreams and make important life choices. In the opening clip we, find Jean-Claude, a tiger, humoristic, mafia type, dressed in 70’s clothes (bell-bottoms and cream-colored shoes, a button-up shirt with a dice print and a large dollar sign chain around his neck) sitting in his trailer in the used junk car lot he manages. No, he doesn’t feel pathetic or sad amidst the junk, on the contrary. He is full of street smarts obtained during his many years in the University of Life. BackgammonMasters has maintained a high profile in the news lately not only because of Jean-Claude, they also recently launched a 3-in-1 game lobby offering games such as Backgammon, Poker and Perudo (Liar’s Dice), all in one download. To get a sneak peak at the animations go to: http://www.backgammonmasters.com/jc.html To download the BackgammonMasters 3-in-1 free software go to: www.backgammonmasters.com Report by Gammonish.com - online backgammon resource for news and information. To learn more about the backgammon game and online backgammon rules visit http://www.gammonish.com.

Every since Pumpkin was born, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get her to Disney World. I have never been there myself, but that just makes me that much more determined to take her there.

OrlandoFunTickets.com has the guaranteed lowest prices on Disney World Tickets. And if Disney World’s four theme parks and two water parks aren’t enough, they also have discounted tickets to lots of other Orlando attractions.

Orlando has a lot to offer- Universal Studios, Sea World, Kennedy Space center, and much more. If you want to see all of that, it would pay to get the best possible ticket prices. So go to OrlandoFunTickets.com and see what great deals they have!

Hubby, Pumpkin, and I all love to go camping. It’s one of our favorite things to do in the summer. We load up the tent, four-wheeler, grill, fishing poles, and a few other things, and we’re all set for a weekend of fun.

Camping Earth is a great online resource for information about all things related to camping. They have articles on everything from making the perfect s’more to luxurious Class A Motorhomes. Now how’s that for comprehensive?

If you enjoy camping, you might want to bookmark Camping Earth. And be sure to take their camping quiz to find out what kind of camper you really are.

I love to go camping. I never really discovered how fun it was until this past summer. Now I can’t wait until it gets warm again so I can go back.

I wish I could be a kid again and go to summer camp. That’s something I didn’t do when I was young, and really didn’t have much desire to do. But now that I have experienced the joys of spending time in the great outdoors, I wish I could do some of the organized activities that are offered in summer camp.

Maybe it’s not too late. Lonehollow, one of the fine Texas summer camps, offers programs for families as well as for children. With over 3,000 acres they have a wide variety of activities, from basketball to kayaking to horseback riding. Their cabins are air conditioned and have awesome views. It looks like a great idea for summer vacation!

Maybe in a couple of years we can load up and go. I think it would be a great experience for us as a family. And maybe when Pumpkin gets a little older we can consider sending her for the summer camp for boys and girls. No sense in Mom having all the fun, right?