Looking for ideas for Houston's birthday invites, and came across a blog completely bashing his idea of a perfect party place. So here's the deal... I plan parties early, so when I asked Hoot where he wanted to have his birthday party] this year he never hesitated when he said Hooters. It's one of his favorite places. However, I will admit I was a little hesitant when he threw this one at me. Mind you, he also wanted to have his 4th birthday at Hooters, and I declined that request. However, I really don't see the harm in obliging him for his 9th birthday. If you have been to either of my kids parties, you know that there are usually more adults than kids and knowing most of the parents of the kids he wants to invite, I know they won't mind that it will be at Hooters. I have reserved the entire upstairs area of the restaurant so they can watch all the college football games and will have 2 Hooters girls at our disposal. So my question is... will parents not want their kids to come becuase of the location, or should I really care what other parents think??? Hmmm.... well, it's booked, paid for and going to happen, so I guess i just answered my own question lol! Any thoughts?? Hooters for a 9 year old birthday... Party On? or What's his mom thinking?? I can take it - lay it on me...

I know... I know... I've been gone for so long. All I can say is life happens. So I promise to be back soon with lots of useless whit, but here's a teaser for what's to come... Much love -

Today I want to be in France

It's days like today that I wish I were back in France again. I came across this picture of the gardens at Giverny and I was instantly drawn in -

Hey Hey... texting is illegal, not taking pics as you drift across the center line : )

I love this picture - and would be my definition of the perfect camping setup. If I would sleep in the woods with nothing but a thin piece of fabric between myself and the creepy crawly things that I can't see in the dark. I love how everything is all matching : ) Which is essential when you camp... well with me anyway!

Family Vacations

I laughed so hard after reading an article that my friend Amy wrote for the Tennessean. The part where our friend April said she gave her son an entire jar of peanut butter to keep him quiet brought back fond memories!! So I have decided not to take the massive family vacations. This year the boys and I have decided to stay poolside. I'm sorry did you say Disney World?? I'd rather eat thumbtacks. Sorry.

You can read Amy's blog below and follow her on coolmomscare.org

Multi-family vacations have their ups, downs
June 15, 2009

When the idea came up to take a vacation with a family close to ours, I imagined nothing but a great time: nights out with my husband while the other couple watched our children and great photo ops of the group romping in the sand — not to mention cutting costs by sharing a vacation spot. When I asked around about others' experiences, however, some less-than-idyllic stories came pouring in.

April Segadi of Franklin planned what she thought would be a wonderful trip with one of her family's closest friends. The children were around the same age as her then 2-year-old.
"We imagined this as an ideal time to take a vacation together — wrong. Really, our biggest mistake was taking one vehicle. We were so excited to gain a few bucks on gas. Of course you're all tired on the way home, but add two screaming kids to that. About two hours outside of Nashville, our son had completely lost it. The guys rode up front, and I won't name names but one of them had the nerve to turn around and ask me, 'Can you get your child to shut up back there?'
"I felt my body leaping through the vehicle to beat him. But after taking a deep breath, I decided to give my son an entire canister of peanut butter . . . that shut him up, alright — at least for a little while!"
A little advice
I did hear some helpful advice about making it an enjoyable experience for all. Nashville mom Jocelyn Smith and her family have a great time renting a beach house with two other families each summer. Ford, age 7, and 2-year-old Griffin enjoy playing with children outside of the family, and Smith says that having other adults around to help with childcare is a great way to spend a vacation.
"I like to swap out babysitting duties for dinner dates, or, even better, during the day so I can lay on the beach and read undisturbed," says Smith, adding that vacationing with others can be helpful for the budget because families can divide up all of the costs. "We usually order pizza the first night and cook a few big meals in; the other nights are for couple dinner dates."
The most important thing to remember is that you are on vacation, and the whole point is to relax and enjoy yourself. If you do decide to make it a group event, make sure you go somewhere with a variety of activities available. Having another rental car handy, or even a couple of bicycles for some exploring, can give you enough freedom to truly get away from it all.

Amy Hamiter is a mother of four who blogs at coolmomscare.org.

One Sick Pup

So I have the BEST dog ever! I mean it - every where we go he is the star! Otis is the mascot for the boys baseball team, their favorite at the groomers, my dad tries to steal him every time he comes for a visit. It's crazy! He has made a great transition from the big "D" to Nashvegas. However, as luck would have it, he has come down with allergies. Last night was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. It was like he was speed! Running through the house, even the dark rooms which was unheard of, and barking. Let me just say that Otis and his 34 pounds does not go anywhere fast, and rarely puts for the effort to bark. So you can tell he fits in well with us lol!

So we were off to the vet first thing this morning. Come to find out - yep - allergies and a hot spot?? I was clueless. All I know is that he has one heck of a bald spot, which they shaved at the vet, and enough medicated powder on him for an entire football team. After one cortizone shot, ear drops, an antibiotic and 2 big bills, we were back on our way home. Of course he woo'd all the ladies and even the Dr. before he left. As well as marked his territory at least 6 times. So now I'm thinking Pet Insurance?? I thought that was just for old ladies with 100 cats. Hmmm...

What did you do last night?

I spent the night working on Tyler's Science Fair project. I'm not one to start early or plan ahead, so I was surprised at how well it turned out to have only really worked on it for 2 days. Tyler did do it himself and I did help him design the layout for his project board, but he did the rest. When I was walking through the gym looking at all the projects, I was pleasantly surprised to see that you could tell most of the kiddos did do the work themselves. No solar powered life forms, live electrical currents or any of the really good stuff I was hoping to see. lol! I think Ty did really well with his version of Polishing Pennies with household products. Who'd have thunk you could clean your coins with ketchup! (thanks Robin)

What was your favorite science project when you were a kid? I kinda thought the dancing spaghetti in the coke bottle was pretty cool myself.

Amen Sister!

As I said I am a blog reader. Funny - I told my boys that I started to blog and asked if they knew what that meant. My youngest said, " yeah it means you are going to talk about dresses and girl stuff" haha! Love them!

This was posted today from one of my favorties, and I COMPLETELY agree and had another encounter this week myself with the stinch.... Read on - Read on

Patchouli
Damn you, patchouli! I cannot stomach your musky stink one minute longer. Much like peach schnapps (a long story involving a pint bottle, a frat party, and an acid-wash jean skirt), a whiff of you makes me throw up a little in my mouth. While this isn't a good thing in any situation, it's especially bad, since I really need to breathe through my mouth to avoid you as much as possible.I was recently on a plane and a couple of old-school hippies were seated next to me. They were ripe. While they ordered up milk and nibbled on the fruit they brought along, I aimed the vent right at my nose and tried my best to sleep. But my puny olfactory sense is no match for your mighty stench. What's worse, if I brush against anything with you on it, your funk spams itself all over me and I can't get it off. Can you imagine my nausea-laced mortification when I bumped into someone doused in patchouli right before an important meeting? It didn't take long for Eau de Woodstock to assault the senses. I was trying to impress and I smelled like Haight-Ashbury during a heat wave.To those fans of ratchouli, let me just say that dabbing on an overpowering fragrance in lieu of bathing only works for the French. Do you really think you can cover up your stank with this horrid scent? Are you trying to brand yourself as a free spirit, an anti-establishment hippie? Newsflash, Sunshine Rainbow Quinoa, you're trying to fit in by wearing comfort sandals and reeking of patchoupee, just as much as if you were wearing the latest trend or spritzing yourself with a designer fragrance.What to do? The answer is blowin' in the wind—downwind, that is.I think a full-body glycolic peel—the more chemicals the better—is in order to exfoliate that shit down the drain. Perhaps I'll follow up with a tomato juice bath to neutralize any lingering skunk. Then I'll douse you with the latest Prada cologne and stuff you into a suit and pointy-toed shoes. Now that you're presentable, prepare for punishment. My daisy-fresh friends and I will form a circle around you and pummel you with hacky sacks, while alternately spraying aerosol deodorant and room freshener in your general direction.

You can read more of her posts at Things I want to Punch in the Face -- I love that title too!

Day 1

Well I have finally done it. I'm joining the world of blogging. I'll admit first thing that I'm addicted to blogs. I read, bookmark, forward all of the above. So you've been warned! I crack myself up sometimes, so now maybe someone else will find humor in my off handed wit. My head is swimming with creative ideas, tons of really odd questions and I need a way to get it out. So bookmark me, read me and comment as you wish. I promise to read them all.

So... of course I have something funny (in my mind anyway) that happened to me today... I was at lunch in one of my once-upon-a-time favorite restaurants in Germantown and couldn't help but overhear bits of the conversation at the table next to me. There were 3 older individuals who at first were all in disagreement on the menu and that there weren't many choices. I was completely fine with my choices so I read (Wicked) while I waited and listened.

One couple was apparently from out of town and were a little disturbed by the "Green" hotel that they were staying at in downtown Nashville. His gripes were that he had to have his key inserted in the "hole thingy" so that the lights would work. Now, I do agree it's a good thing to do. He also said that the AC unit didn't have an 'off' switch. It now said 'eco' and he didn't know what in the world that was supposed to mean. The final comment that even had me giggle to myself was the absence of the room coffee maker. He said there was now a "fancy smancy cappacino maker in the hall way that he had to share will all the other guests on the floor and had to have the bellman show him how to actually use it!" So despite the fact that my lunch was less than desirable, I still enjoyed listening to the lunch time conversation.

It made me think that as I am a newbie myself to go Green with everything (I love my reusable publix grocery bags), but that it really will take an effort on my generation and the coming ones to make this work. Yes that's my opinion.

I'll leave now with a final comment from my lunch companions. As I was leaving one gentleman said to the other... "so do you have a girlfriend now?" "Yes, I do and a wife too" WHAT!?!

I promise the rest won't be this long!

JC