Summer vacation is drawing to a close (if it hasn’t ended already). Can you believe it? That means it’s time for another blogging roundup, so let’s get started.

Olivia Lasting of This West Coast Mommy offers a completely different take on the all-inclusive summer vacation. Most people think of beachfront resorts with swim-up bars. Her family took a different approach with a luxury guest ranch holiday in Colorado. Yes, it really is all-inclusive too, including all meals and activities, like hiking, fishing and horseback riding. There’s even a kids program. And it’s intimate, as they max out at no more than 45 guests at a time.

Razzaq Siddiqui of Razzaq Was Here describes his Canadian road trip adventure. In particular, he’s sharing some highlights from his trip through Prince George and into Jasper. As you can imagine, he was treated to some rather spectacular views along the way, as well as some small town charm in McBride. They certainly packed a lot into one day on the road!

Kevin Zelenka from Families of Multiples discusses some of the top questions you should ask when picking a preschool. Everybody’s circumstances and requirements are going to be different, of course. We ended up choosing a parent participation preschool and it worked out wonderfully. Regardless of what you choose, it’s important to know what a typical day looks like.

Krista O’Reilly Davi-Digui over on No Sidebar asks a rather poignant question. We’re constantly told that we should never settle, that we should always strive to have more, be more, do more. But, as Krista asks, what if all I want is a mediocre life? They say that happiness is the difference between reality and expectations. Rather than trying to elevate our reality, what if we simply lowered our expectations? Wouldn’t we be happier and more satisfied, just the same? What if good enough could actually be good enough?

Nic Casey from The Faithful Geek closes out this month’s speedlink with something quite special: Mom’s spaghetti. Not literally. I’d like to think that the biggest highlight of his summer vacation was that time he “sang” karaoke on a camping trip during the Fourth of July weekend. His song of choice? “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. And yes, his post contains video of the whole performance. Would you capture it? Or just let it slip?