If I was into investment property then I would choose a great location that is a summer vacation destination. One of my favorite spots is Tennessee followed closely by Branson, MO. Our last trip to Branson was so much fun. It’s best to leave the driving to someone else since traffic is atrocious. It’s best to go with a tour group or other transportation service.

A summer vacation property would not only be a way to earn money but to have a place to stay when you’re in town.

I got paid yesterday by check for some work I had done last month. It makes me miss direct deposit since it was so nice to get paid and not have to deal with the bank. I’ve become accustomed to banking being so easy. I will have to find my deposit slips. I haven’t used those in a while.

Even when I use a check at a store, it’s taken immediately out of my account. Their electronic check processing is fast and instant. It will take a few days for my deposited check to make the banking loop and actually be in my account.

Going to the bank use to be something I did at least once a week. Now it’s something I rarely have to do since I can do so much through my computer. Hopefully this company will soon change the way they pay into a faster, easier method.

When designing a room, I always seem to forget lighting. I usually don’t put much thought into it obviously. Lighting can be a good way to add to the environment of a room, therefore keeping your Sims happy longer.

Personally I love chandeliers to add to my room score. Another good thing about hanging lighting is that it doesn’t take up floor space like floor lamps or table space like table lamps. Ceiling lighting is out of the Sims way.

If you are like me and think of lighting last when designing a Sims home, put the lighting on ceiling since it doesn’t interfere with the floor layout of the room.

We have been working on our yard for a few weeks. Eventually we will like to add a deck with possibly a focal point like an outdoor fireplace. Right now I would settle for a comfortable chair and nice picnic table. This summer we will be spending a lot of time outdoors. Rae loves to be outside, and it’s good for her.

The yard is in disarray right now. We had begun a cleaning out project but haven’t finished it yet. Therefore we have some items in the yard that don’t belong. Taking care of this and adding some nice outdoor furniture will go a long way into getting the yard ready for summer.

If I add a few flowers and a few other small touches, then the yard will be a lot more inviting. Hopefully we will get a break from the heat so I will actually feel like doing some yard work this weekend.

It’s important to use that gray matter every once in a while to keep the mind sharp. Big Brain Academy for the Nintendo Wii is the sequel to the DS hit that tested various skills through a series of mini-games.

Dr. Lobe is back and helps Wii users use their brain power to complete many new mini-games. Everyone who enrolls in the academy will choose a Mii that will be their in-game representation. There are 15 new games that focus on five elements: Identify, Memorize, Analyze, Compute and Visualize.

Big Brain Academy for the Wii is for 1 to 8 players and is rated E for Everyone. Look for Big Brain Academy June 11.

After watching Shrek the Third, while somewhat disappointed, it still was a great movie. For me it wasn’t up to par as the first two. What makes Shrek so good is the cast of characters. This movie seemed to focus more on minor characters than the core ones.

There is a lot of adult humor in it. Many fairy tale characters make an appearance from Rapunzel who is in need of a hair transplant to Captain Hook taking on the role of Prince Charming’s henchman. It’s hard to capture the magic of movies like Shrek in sequels. It seems the film makers like to focus on content away from the main characters when it’s the main characters that we are interested in watching.

It was still a fun movie that the baby even enjoyed. Shrek the Third will definitely be a movie that we buy when released on DVD.

I like to keep some business cards in my purse to not only pass out to business contacts but to other Moms or gamers. At play dates or while hanging out at the local gaming store, I will run across someone who is interested in the same things I am. Giving them a business card is an easy way to pass my contact information to them without having to scramble for pen and paper.

Right now I just have standard business cards but in the future I will get some that have specific information like the best days to schedule a play date or games that I really enjoy. Since business cards have always been used for networking, why not use them for social networking too? If business cards only came in a bigger size, then I could put all my information on one card.