What is the “it” factor?

The "it" factor for me with Midcontinent is the capacity of their Internet. My family can have eight devices running at one time and nobody gets booted off. My son has started to get into Internet gaming and really enjoys it. MidcoNet Xstream® Wideband has no problem keeping him moving as fast as possible.

Before we had this lightning fast service, fights over the Internet were an everyday occurrence at our house. Can I get an “amen?” One person would be online, a second person would go online and the first person would get kicked off. Then a fight would ensue. Midcontinent has re-established peace in our house.

The other thing I love about Midcontinent is its On Demand service. I no longer belong to Netflix, and I don't have to use Redbox. I use On Demand! I love that I do not have to leave my house to pick a movie and I love that I everything is right on my TV so I can read a synopsis of the movie and even watch a preview from the comfort of my own couch before making my selection.
 

I love Skype and FaceTime! I use both to stay connected to family and friends. We don't have any extended family that live in our community, so these tools help us stay involved in our loved ones’ lives.

Since we have upgraded to MidcoNet Xstream® Wideband, we have never been kicked off of a call. It has been great! I can use my computer, iPad, iPhone, or iPod to communicate, no problem! It is very convenient, and makes us feel like we are together because we can see our loved ones and communicate with them in any room of the house, as if they were here.

Skype used to be my favorite way to communicate, but now that I have an array of Mac products, FaceTime is now my first choice. FaceTime has enabled my kids to be a part of their cousins’ lives, even though they live states away.

My whole family loves it—we are a FaceTime family!
 

There are many online tools that help my kids with their homework. When they cannot find an answer to a science or social studies question, it’s often easier for my son to Google the question than to read through an entire chapter in his textbooks. They also really like www.ask.com. When they are asking me for help, I like to look things up online and then help them find the answer. The Internet is a definite “must” for homework help!

Wow! We have had some hot summer days. The heat makes some days too miserable to be outside. Luckily, with wireless Internet and so many movies available On Demand – I am always able to find something to keep me entertained in my air-conditioned house.

Also, thank goodness for my Kindle! I love to browse the Kindle store at Amazon.com and download novels. This summer, I have read every book available by Kathleen Morgan. I love her books! She writes historical Christian fiction. Unfortunately, I forgot my Kindle at the lake this past weekend – major bummer. However, with wireless Internet, I was easily able to load the book I was reading onto the Kindle app on my phone and iPad. The best part is with wireless Internet no matter what device I read a book on, when I turn on the Kindle app it takes me to the last page read.

I also enjoy recording Hallmark movies on my DVR. Have you everchecked out all of the awesome movies available on Hallmark on the weekends? I scroll through the weekend listings and record multiple movies, and then I can watch them at my leisure. A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a movie night and invited some friends over, and we watched Hallmark movies that I had recorded. That was a good time.

My kids have also kept themselves entertained by utilizing Midcontinent services. My 13-year-old son loves to play Minecraft. He could play that from the time he wakes up until he goes to sleep. My 10-year-old daughter has been entertaining herself with her iPod. She has been walking around the house with earbuds in, either playing games or checking out iTunes. Midcontinent keeps us entertained no matter how hot it is outside.

I love Pinterest. 

I love summer. I love the birds singing in the morning, the hot afternoons and thunderstorms at night. I love that the kids have less pressure, and a more relaxed lifestyle. And I love spending the weekends at the lake. As I write this post, my husband is driving us back from our weekend at West Bay.

You can see West Bay online at WestBayResort.com. It may not look like much - but to us it is a time to get away from the pressures of the week and relax together as a family. We love to stay up late and then sleep in. A typical day includes getting up, having a big breakfast, and then playing games before dishes! After that we like to get cleaned up and hit the beach. We enjoy having a late supper and staying up late talking around the fire.

We are also planning a trip to Canada this summer. We are members of RCI and when planning this trip, I went to RCI.com and searched for available timeshares for a week in June. We decided to go to a resort in Clear Lake, Manitoba. It's only about three hours from our house and is beautiful.

In August, we are heading to Minnesota for a long weekend. To plan for this trip, I went to Orbitz.com to find great deals on a hotel. While there, we will take in the sights, and I am hoping before our trip to be able to find some coupons online for Valley Fair or Nickelodeon Universe.

My family has lots of fun adventures planned this summer. I love making memories that will last forever, and the Internet helps me find fun spots to travel. What sites help you plan vacations that create long-lasting memories?

I do not necessarily consider myself a high definition snob; however, I will chose HD over regular television when I have the option.

Over the past couple of years, Midcontinent has added a ton of HDTV channels. I have a 46" Samsung HDTV, and the picture is dynamite on the HD channels. The picture above I snapped with my phone can't capture the clarity!
There is depth to the picture, and it almost seems like you are right there in the middle of the action.

Midcontinent also offers a lot of On Demand movies that are available in HD. If I am torn between two movies, I always choose the one that is available in high definition.

Wouldn’t you? What types of programs do you refuse to watch without HD?
 

For no additional cost, Midcontinent customers who subscribe to HBO and/or Cinemax will now have unlimited access to the corresponding new online services at any time, on any computer in the U.S. with a high-speed Internet connection, as well as iPad®, iPhone®, iPod touch®, select Android™ devices and platforms such as Samsung Smart TV™ and Roku®.

To access, visit HBOGO.COM or MAXGO.com.

Once on the site, click "Sign Up" and register as follows:

1. Choose Midcontinent Communications as your TV provider.
2. Log in using one of your Midcontinent email addresses and password.
3. If you don't have an email address or lost your password, log into or register for MyMidco and click TV Everywhere!
4. Complete the sign up screen.

My all-time favorite TV show is “Days of Our Lives!” I have been watching that since I was in grade school. Whenever I was sick, I would sneak out to the TV between noon and 1 pm and turn on “Days” while peeking out the window to make sure my parents weren’t coming home for lunch. They did not think I should be watching TV when I stayed home sick.

Then when I went off to college, I arranged my class schedule as much as possible around “Days.” A few semesters, I ended up having to take classes over the noon hour, and I missed my show. Now – 20 years later – I am working and there is no way I can go home at noon to watch TV for an hour. So thank goodness for DVR! My DVR is set to record “Days” every day at noon. Every night when I come home from work, after I make supper, I enjoy about 40 minutes of relaxing in front of the TV and watching “Days.” I love it! I no longer have to rush or rearrange my life. I can watch it at my leisure.

The other show I love is “Army Wives.” I hate that it starts in February and only runs until summertime. When it premiered this year, unfortunately, I was sick and missed it. But my DVR remembered that I had it set to record any new episode of Army Wives from last year. I have it recorded and waiting for me when I have time.

I love all the women on that show – they are so strong. If you haven’t seen it you should watch it. I believe it’s Lifetime’s number one drama. I’m warning you though – if you watch it once – you’ll be hooked! It’s that good.

What shows do you love watching?

For the most part, it seems like some people like North Carolina and some others like Duke. Since those are the only two I really hear about, I made sure that they are the two that play at the end.

We'll see if I'm right!

Click here to zoom.

I love cold days when the kids and I can snuggle on the couch with popcorn and watch an On Demand movie. We get

Starz and Encore from Midcontinent and usually can find an On Demand movie from Starz. But if we can’t find one there, we can almost always find one to purchase on demand. It wasn’t long ago when we had to drive to a movie rental store. Now, we just punch a button on the remote and can have a new release loaded right onto our TV from Midcontinent. I love that!

The kids and I also like to have a “pizza party” once in a while. Normally, we do not eat meals in front of the TV. However, on special nights I will say let’s have a pizza party. We will call Pizza Hut and have a pizza delivered, set the boxes up on the wet bar in the basement, and then turn on an On Demand movie and watch together. The kids love this because it is something different than the normal routine and fun to do together. It’s gotten to the point that almost every weekend one of them will ask if we can have a “pizza party.” As they get older, I appreciate that there is still something they want to do with their Mom.

How do you enjoy spending your winter days with Midcontinent?
 

This year I decided not to make any New Year’s Resolutions, because they never seem to last. However, almost every other year I have had a resolution to get in shape and lose weight.

One tool that has helped me with this is the bodybugg from apex fitness. I found out about the bodybugg from the TV show The Biggest Loser. The contestants on the show wore the bodybugg on their arms in order to calculate the body’s caloric burn.

It comes with a USB cable that attaches to your computer so you can go online and upload the data. The website used for this is www.bodybugg.com. While online you can input what you have eaten. The website will help you set realistic goals regarding the number of steps you should take daily, the number of minutes of aerobic exercise you should do, and how many calories you should consume.

The website also will give you a menu plan that you can personalize based on your own likes and dislikes. The bodybugg sp also connects with my iPhone, so I can check my caloric burn, steps and calories consumed while I’m on the go.

The holidays definitely took a bite out of my budget. I use the Internet to save money by searching for the best prices on any big ticket item. I like to use Amazon to read reviews, but then I do a Google search for the item, and find it at the best price before securing a purchase.

I even scan items with my phone while in stores, and my phone tells me if I can get it cheaper elsewhere. In fact, I was at Wal-Mart debating about buying a game for my kids for Christmas, scanned the item on my phone and purchased the game for $10 cheaper at amazon.com - all while standing in the Wal-Mart store. It is crazy how much the Internet can help you with making smart shopping decisions.

One online tool that has helped me with budgeting in the past is mytotalmoneymakeover.com. This is a website developed by Dave Ramsey and his team. This website allows you to enter in your debt and expenses and helps you set a realistic budget that will help you get out of debt as quickly as possible.

I really appreciate the strategies developed by Ramsey. I used his principles to get totally debt free except my mortgage, but somehow have fallen off course, and am back in debt again. I signed up for his website again - and this time I hope to stick with it. It is amazing how rich you feel when you have paid off all of your loans. The key though is to save enough money to make big purchases (like cars) without having to take out a loan. This website is not for people who lack self-control and discipline in the area of finances. You have to be motivated to make a serious lifestyle change. However, if you desire to get out of debt and obtain financial freedom - then this is the website for you!

What websites help you find deals and save for a rainy day?
 

My favorite team is the Vikings. However, I really like Tebow from the Broncos, and last weekend I was hoping the 49ers would have made it into the the big game. Now, I will cheer for the Patriots, because I think it stinks how in overtime the first team who scores wins the game. The game between the Giants and the 49ers was basically decided with a coin toss, which I do not think is fair. So I DO NOT want the Giants to win, because in my opinion, they stole the spot.

On Sunday, we are going to have a party at our house! Our party will just include family. It's bound to get loud since none of our favorite teams are in the running. Some people decide to cheer for a different team just to tick everyone else off! Game ON!!!

Before the game, we will use the Internet to look at some stats for the players. Mostly we will use Xstream to see who all of our friends are rooting for. During the game, we will be on Facebook, chatting with friends and maybe even rubbing it in a bit. We will also be talking online about the commercials. After the game, we will be on the computer on Facebook talking about the game, the commercials and the half time show.

Without the Internet, we would not be able to talk to all of our friends about what is going on. It is so much more fun to have the Internet, because then you feel like you are watching the game with people who are hundreds of miles away. It’s just another way the Internet keeps family and friends connected.

Who are you rooting for in the big game?

Going Internet free for a week was definitely a challenge! It was especially difficult because it was Christmas time when I attempted this challenge. I missed Facebook and online shopping the most. I finally broke down and shopped online and paid my bills on Friday, after only four days of trying to avoid the Internet. I had to order a couple of Christmas gifts and needed to pay my bills.

This experiment made me realize that I rely on the Internet way too much. I don't know how I completed my business before. All of my bills are totally online, and I wouldn't have addresses or anything without the Internet. It's kind of scary actually, if my Internet ever goes down - I am in big trouble!
 

Before we had MidcoNet Xstream, sometimes his Dad would make him get off his computer because his Dad was getting booted off, now this is never an issue. The whole family can be online at once.

I had an experience buying computers that shows how important the Internet is when searching for a good deal. When I decided to go back to school to pursue my master's degree online, I realized I needed a new laptop to take school with me wherever I traveled. My desktop computer was also very dated since we had purchased it in 1998. I did not want to be using an old machine. I wanted to make sure I had a reliable computer that could do all the things I would need it to do over the next two years.

I used the Internet to read reviews on computers, and to make the best purchasing decision. I found a great deal at bestbuy.com to purchase a laptop, desktop, monitor, wireless router, netbook and Geek Squad setup and installation. It was like getting the router, netbook and installation for free. Without the use of the Internet, I would have never found this great buy. I also would not have been able to get wireless set up in my house, nor would I have been able to surprise my daughter with a netbook for Christmas.

I am an Xstream shopper!