I love finding new toys to put on my blogs  This widget is something I am hoping to incorporate over at my travel blog shortly.  However, I wanted to make sure that anyone who was interested in travel checked out this widget first!

This is Flash travel map that is very easy to embed into your site.  You can display flight route information and is free to to download too.  You can fully configure it so that you can show your readers a fixed departure point, fixed destination point, fixed departure and destination, or an ‘anywhere to anywhere’ open search.  There are 20 languages to pick from, and it can also be added to added to iGoogle Netvibes, and your desktop.

Even though Skyscanner the most powerful and flexible flight search engine in Europe (which provides instant online price comparisons on over 300,000 flights and over 600 airlines), this maps tool widget works for the United States also.  I used it to map all of the trips I took this year without any problems.  When I typed Chicago into the Maps Code Wizard, I was able to pull up all three airports here (Midway, Ohare, and Rockford).  This is a great way to show your readers where you are going when leaving for vacation.  If you do live in Europe or have a big European readership, this is a great way for them to check prices for trips. (see Cheap Flights Map Widget)

Head over to Skyscanner and check out their maps tool widget!

Over the past week or so, I have been reading an awesome book called The Secret of Wellington’s Map.  Granted, this isn’t my normal reading genre (usually if I can get a few minutes away I pick up Stephen King or Dean R Koontz book), but you know what?  I enjoyed this book just as much as I do books by those authors (though I think this book would be considered in either the sci-fi or mystery genre).  I would say that The Secret of Wellington’s Map is probably geared towards the ten and up crowd.  However, as an adult, I truly enjoyed the book too.  I found the author’s style a joy to read, and she really caught the essence of teenage girls in this book.  I also enjoyed finding a book that girls are the heroines.  The other thing I liked is that even though the main characters are teenage girls, they weren’t boy crazy.  Granted, there were a few boy mentions, but their lives didn’t revolve around boys.  The author had the girls talking, acting, and dressing like teenage girls, so I found them very believable.  There is also a bit of real life history intertwined into the story.

The story centers around two girls, Jaime and Nicole, that had expected a carefree summer.  However, after they come across a magic map, they go on an adventure of a lifetime.  I hate to go into more of a synopsis of the book, because I don’t want to spoil any part of it for you.  I will tell you that the map is somewhat of a time space portal, and they do go through it and end up in 1885.  However, if you want to find out why and if they make it back, you have to go read the book!

Madison wanted these, so we got them. To be honest, they taste exactly the same as the regular Spaghetti O’s (the price was the same so I was willing to try them). However, I have to admit was I was impressed with the shapes. I figured they would have Dora and that was it. Instead, they have Dora, Boots, Backpack, Map, Star, and Swiper. The shapes even look like the characters. Madison loves them, so I give them 2 thumbs too.

This show on the SciFi channel is another one of my guilty pleasures. I cannot tell you how excited I was that the second season started up again last night. Eureka - Season One was awesome.

The back story for this show is pretty simple. Eureka is a town that the nation’s greatest thinkers live and work on the “next era of scientific achievement”. This town has the best of everything. However, it never appeared on the map and is financed by the Department Of Defense. The series is about what goes on in this quirky town.

Quirky is an understatement for this town though. This show is both dark and humorous. I know, an interesting combination you do not normally see together. Bill and I both enjoy this show a lot (it is hard to find shows that we both like). The characters are interesting and make you want to keep watching.

This is definitely a show worth watching.