It's going to be a few long months before Milwaukeeans can frolic in an outdoor swimming pool, so our leading recommendation this week concerns a terrific facility in the Wisconsin Dells. We also single out an auto amenity, a geeky tech column, a memory enhancer and a fine night at Riviera Maya.

Great Wolf Lodge during the winter -- My family and I have been to all of the major water parks in The Dells, and I can wholeheartedly suggest staying at the Great Wolf Lodge -- particularly in the winter months. Great Wolf has three water areas -- ranging from splash pads for babies to thrilling water rides for adults or daring older kids -- and it's all under one roof. We loved the Wilderness Resort, but it's a drag in the winter when you have to walk or shuttle between water areas with wet-haired kids. The Kalahari is nice, too, but it doesn't offer quite as much as Great Wolf does. (Although the Kalahari is renovating and expanding.) Also, we found staying in a condominium to be the cheapest and most comfortable. If you shack up with another family or two, the condo rate costs less than a dinky room. Plus, with a condo, you get a full kitchen for healthier meal-making and a living room (usually with a fireplace!) so the adults can whoop it up or watch a flick after the exhausted, waterlogged children are splashing around in Dreamland. --Molly Snyder Edler

Pogue-o-matic -- New York Times online columnist David Pogue is kind of a geek. (Sorry, Dave.) But that's why I like him. His no nonsense and down-to-earth gadget and technology reviews are dependable and entertaining. His publication's latest interactive feature is "Pogue-o-matic." It's an easy way to get reliable information on cameras, camcorders, smart phones, TVs and other gadgets. An animated Poque talks you through your selections. Once you find something you are interested in, data can be e-mailed or texted to your mobile device. Check it out here before you buy that new TV. --Jeff Sherman

Heated car seats -- My new (to me, anyway) vehicle has heated seats. I always thought that the "bun warmers" were an unnecessary extravagance -- the type of thing that I poked fun at in the past. After navigating numerous winters on a cold, unheated leather seat, I'm looking forward to a little luxury. I tried it out on a recent chilly morning and it was pretty sweet. --Drew Olson

Dealram.com -- I'm now old enough to remember when 2 MB of RAM cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars (and actually, before a megabyte of RAM was even an option). Now, 8 GB of flash memory, that is, the storage medium we use in our digital cameras, costs as little as $17. An ample 2GB card costs $6. Mind you, if you try to buy it at Target or Best Buy, you can easily spend four times that amount for an identical product. Dealram.com, however, scours the Web and sorts RAM by type and cost, including shipping. I've used the site as a resource for several years and several memory modules and have never once ordered a defective product. With memory so cheap, buy early and often -- and never wonder if you'll run out of space or computer horsepower again. --Andy Tarnoff

Tuesdays at Riviera Maya -- Tuesdays are packed at Riviera Maya, 2258 S Kinnickinnic Ave., and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with its 2-for-1 margarita special. Don't get me wrong; the food is wonderful, but something tells me it's more than mole pulling that many people through the door so early in the week. The special is good for the classic margarita, which always means lime, blended or on the rocks. The drinks come in a gigantic bulbous glass with a salty rim and a lime and are possibly the most potent mixtures of tequila and lime juice I've found anywhere in town. The Web site describes them as "the strongest (margaritas) you can possibly continue to enjoy." If you can continue to enjoy more than two of these bad boys, I'm impressed. --Julie Lawrence

Using (or updating) a newsreader -- During the Brewers playoff run, I saw a colleague surfing the Web before a game and he had dozens of favorite places bookmarked, most of them for sports news sites. I couldn't help asking: "Don't you use a newsreader?" He said "What's that?" It struck me that plenty of people don't know what a newsreader is and how delving into the world of RSS feeds can streamline your online experience. Since efficiency is critical these days, I figured I'd recommend using one.

What a newsreader does is collect items from your favorite sites and send them to one place. Google has an outstanding option with an easy to use Gmail-style interface that lets you rank, sort and adapt your content based on "relevance" and other factors. If you haven't used a newsreader, Google's is a great place to start. (Click here for a demo). If you haven't looked at yours or updated it recently, give it a look and check out the bells and whistles. You'll still find ways to waste time online, but it will make your essential reading easier and faster. --D.O.

Writing an obituary -- This isn't as morbid as it sounds. I am, though, recommending that you write an obituary for a friend or family member in the coming weeks. Not as a terminal premonition, but as a thoughtful way to give thanks for friendships and family bonds. It's easy to think that we all tell one another how much we care and love, but how often do we truly spend the time to think of all the important people in our lives and how they touch us? Life is short, so before you have to write a real obit, take some time to pen one for someone you love. Trust me, it will make you feel good and even more thankful for life's blessings. --J.S.