Summer Vacation Sucks

As a kid, summer vacation is the next best thing to sliced bread, and I mean that really yummy Hawaiian bread that could easily pass for cake, but as a parent, summer vacation sucks. Here it is, day two of my daughter’s school vacation, and I’m about ready to shoot myself in the head. The whining. The demands. The constant “I’m bored”. It’s enough to make me want to shove her back inside me until Fall.

She’s enrolled in camp which starts next week, so it’s really only one full week that she’s home, but already, I’m counting the days. It’s so amazing how you can love someone so much, and be so glad when they’re gone. Oops, did I just say that out loud (or the written equivalent of that joke)?

“Sex & The City” Doesn’t Suck!

I did it! I lived long enough to see the Sex And The City movie! Since the film was given the green light last year, I’ve been eating my veggies, getting plenty of rest, and driving within the speed limit so I’ll be safe and healthy come May 30th when the film premiered.

Since the series ended years ago, and I shed my tears reading “John” on Carrie’s sparkly pink cell phone, I’ve ridden the waves of indecision about the fate of the film. I’ve read about the cat fights with Kim Cattrall, and about the botched salary negotiations. I’ve heard the rumors about the film being a “go” only to plummet into despair when I found out the rumors were false. As any true fan of my book series knows, I’ve made many jokes about the possibility of the movie, and now that it’s here, I couldn’t be happier.

Is it a brilliant film? Is it a flawless script? Who cares! I could watch my girls pee for two hours and still give the movie a big thumbs up! I loved the fantasy of it. The great clothes, the amazing lifestyles, and the idea of reading poetry in bed with your man while wearing a great strand of pearls! So, if you haven’t done so already, go out and treat yourself to a great movie! And don’t forget to wear your pearls so you won’t feel underdressed!

Having a Picky Eater Sucks

If your child is a picky eater like mine, it can be exhausting to get them to eat well. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up over the years to help the good food go down:

Make the food fun. When my daughter was younger she refused to eat whole wheat bread so I toasted it, cut out a circle with a large biscuit cutter, scraped out eyes and a smile, and presented it as Tubby Toast! She couldn’t get enough. Yogurt makes good Tubbie Custard too!

Have your kid help make the food. I’m not sure what the psychological basis is, but if your child helps prepare the food, they’re much more likely to eat it.

Buy protein pasta (they sell it next to regular) and mix it with the non-protein kind.

Keep the food simple. Don’t add lots of flavor or “lawn” (picky eater kidspeak for herbs).

Give the food a fun name. They don’t call it “Ants on a Log” for nothin’!