1) US Airways will exit Star Alliance on March 31st. Make sure to book awards on United and other Star partners with your Dividend miles before that date.
2) Don’t forget to redeem your Southwest Rapid Rewards points before April 1st, to beat devaluation.
3) There is an offer for Amex Platinum card that comes with 40000 Membership Rewards points and $450 fee and $5000 minimum spend in 3 months. I won’t be applying and personally would hold out for a better offer. However, you can read a post on it at Deals We Like blog HERE
While you are on that site, check the post for March 27th, on how you can save $50 off $250 Hilton stay if you have an Amex card.
4) Via Big Habitat, if you live near Kroger, there is an offer for extra fuel rewards on purchase of gift cards. More details HERE
Trip report
2004 Florence, Italy
Florence is the largest city in Tuscany (which comes from the word etruscan). That culture predates Rome and not much is known about it. Interestingly, the word “etruscan” originated from the Greek language and was later adapted by Romans. Etruscans actually called themselves “rasenna.” Confused yet?
The hotel we stayed at offered us a choice of an upgrade. Nice hot tub in the room facing the street or a room with the view of Duomo. We chose the view. It was very much like the Forster’s novel “A Room With the View,” which incidentally was set in Florence!
We went to Accademia gallery and saw the statue of David. I didn’t include the photo since it’s a family blog, ha! The part I enjoyed the most was watching families in the courtyard, playing with their kids and just living everyday life, Tuscan style.
On my mind
One of my readers said recently that he loved my blog and that my posts are “informative, fun to read and sarcastic.” Hooray for the first two (mission accomplished!), but a bit concerned about the sarcasm part. The last thing I want is to be known as the mean blogger or borderline “Angry.” It’s tough, because I want to be able to speak my mind and some issues are just too important not to discuss.
While I’m very careful as to my association these days, I don’t harbor ill will towards any particular blogger in the industry. In fact, they have my utmost respect, especially those who have been doing it for many years, half without a paycheck (the fact they mention quite often.) Here goes the sarcasm again. Darn it, I can’t help myself!
Blogging is very tough. Don’t ever listen to anyone who says otherwise. The higher the blogger’s profile, the more pressure there is to “bring it.” It takes a toll on relationships, since it eats up a lot of time, which could be spent with your family instead. It affects your mental state and can literally take over your life, if you are not careful. And here is the worst part: No one may even care. The saying “Build it and they will come” does not apply to blogging. Some do it for years and they (the readers) just never come.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
Nick, thanks for stopping by! Honestly, with my blog, I didn’t really have high expectations. This is an extremely saturated industry and my niche is “family.” Yawn. I do have some very loyal readers, though not a huge number. But it’s more than I thought I would have!
Reminds me of saying: I complained about the lack of shoes till I met the man who had no feet. The trick is not to compare yourself to others, but that’s what our human nature tends to do.
The readers come eventually, but it takes a lot of time. To get a lot of readers, you have to be (a) really patient and dedicated, or (b) some combination of ambitious, creative, and hardworking. A lack of ethics helps in either case but is not required.