No Minivan

Sorry my first post back was so incredibly bitchy. The funk has decended this week and I can’t seem to shake it. Hopefully, it will pass soon.

In other news, did I mention I just got back from the motherfrakking Netherlands?!?! How cool is that? I stayed in a great litle village just a few miles from the sea and took a gorgeous bike ride to the beach one night. I was there for work, but I made sure to make time for fun this time since I was there for a week. On Friday night, I stayed at a hotel near Schiphol Airport and explored Amsterdam Centraal. For those up on your voetbal, you already know that was the night that Holland won against Brazil. Needless to say, there was great merryment in the streets. I’ll post some pictures and video soon.

During my mad travels over the last 3 weeks, I also made a stop in Raleigh, NC and picked up my very first designer handbag (yes, you heard that right: handbag. Not purse. Don’t be hatin’.). I was so impressed with Marty’s story of the stolen bag and the designer’s willingness to replace it for her, free of charge (who does that?!). Plus, the bags are so cute and damn near indestructable, I had to get one of my very own. Unfortunately, the bag I bought is too small for the great wealth of crap I carry around from day to day. Lucky for me, the very awesome Holly Aiken agreed to let me exchange my bag for a larger version when I return to Raleigh later this month since I haven’t used it!

Another exciting (to me) purchase was my new brown work shoes. My old ones were falling apart and I was having a terrible time finding a new pair that was comfortable and looked decent with a pair of khaki dress pants. These little gems fit the bill, with the caveat that I have to put band aids over the bone under my big toe otherwise they rub very painfully on that spot.

In kid news, the Kid smacked his little brother in the mouth with the metal gate that’s between the kitchen and the living room and chipped his front tooth. Luckily they both already had an appointment witht he dentist that week. Boo’s tooth is OK and the dentist filed off the sharp edge, but he’s going to have a chipped smile until his baby teeth fall out in a few years. The Kid has had a bad run of doing things that end up with his briother crying lately. I think now that Boo is getting a little older/bigger, he forgets that he still outweighs him by 50 pounds. I’ve got an older kid off the charts in weight/height and a younger kid below the 30th percentile. Add that to the fact that they’re 4 years apart and you can see that it’s a dangerous combination when they play rough (as boys are wont to do).

We have an appointment with the Kid’s principal and one of the teachers tomorrow. We had the school administer some additional tests to see if he could be accelerated to 2nd grade next year. Really, I’m not sold on him skipping grades (even though socially he does do better with older kids), I just want the school to formally recognize his “smarts” and teach him accordingly. It was ridiculous that a kid who reads on a 4th grade level (according to the school) be teached the basics of the alphabet and letter sounds for an entire school year. I want him taught on his level and to be challenged (more than just once a week in the gifted program), whether that’s in 1st or 2nd grade.

I’ve got a few other things I want to talk about, but I’ll save that for another post!

Saw “New Moon” today and it was teh awesome! I loved it, possibly more than “Twilight” just because the angst quotient was multiplied exponentially. Plus, shirtless Jacob is HAWT. Where’s the Taylor Lautner turns 18 countdown clock? I won’t feel right about ogling him until… oh, who am I kidding? The boy has some nice abs!

The only part that disappointed me was Bella during the “Oh my god, Edward left me!” scene in the woods. I really wanted to see more emotion from Kristen Stewart. I mean, hello, she’s supposed to be damn near suicidal and Kristen Stewart can’t work up a single tear? I guess it’s true that she has her own “unique” acting style:

My hubby’s ‘Mom’s Group’ (playgroup moms) contains many Twihards. For example, this was the cake for a mom’s birthday party made by one of the other moms:

This Friday we’re all going to gather at the ‘head mom’s’ house to watch the first movie “Twilight”. Saturday morning we’re going out for breakfast and then to a matinee viewing of “New Moon”. Squee!

Happy belated Halloween from Princess Nominimom and her Knight in Shining Armor:

We went to an adults only Halloween party with hubby’s playgroup on Saturday night. It was very fun and they had some great costumes. My favorite (of course) was Bella and Edward from the 4th book with the baby eating its way out of her stomach. Very cool.

Happy belated Halloween from…

G.I. Kid:

and Count Cutie:

The older I get, the curlier my hair gets. My hair has always had a lot of body, but now when I get out of the shower and scrunch a bit, I have these romantic, wavy curls. Sounds nice, eh? Yeah, if they didn’t frizz all to hell the moment they dry. Thanks to Dana, I’ve learned to encourage my curls by moisturizing the hell out of my coarse, thick hair. I now condition in the shower and then put in a leave-in conditioner after towel drying. I’ve recently started using a shine product which is fun, but using too much can make my hair resemble greasy Christmas tinsel.

So while I’m learning to embrace my developing curls, I still wish I had straight hair. If I had a few extra hundred dollars to throw around, I would totally get that thermal reconditioning all the movie stars are getting these days. Imagine waking up every day with prefectly straight hair and not ever having to use a straightening iron. As my hair gets longer, it’s taking me 20-30 minutes to straighten all of my hair and that just sucks. Luckily I don’t feel the desire to go through that very often.

However, tonight I’m going out with some old coworkers for dinner at Eleven Eleven Mississippi and then dessert at the Chocolate Bar. So I figured I should get a little dolled up for the snooty crowd down there. I’m not accustomed to going anywhere that has a dress code and charges more than $15 for an entree. Plus, I couldn’t tell you the last time I’ve been out with friends that didn’t involve scrapbooking. I’m an old married lady with kids and no social life. It’s a sad, sad tale.

So we’ll see how my straight-haired self survives a night on the other side of the tracks. What are you doing tonight?

This week has been so crazy for me and it’s not even over yet!

As you may recall, last Sunday I performed as part of the St. Charles Star vocal talent competition. I didn’t win, but it was fun. You can check out my performance below. Please be kind, I was just getting over the flu.

Tuesday night I got to take the grand tour of a multi-million dollar recording studio right here in St. Louis. Shock City is just amazing and it’s home to this Saturday’s Interactive Festival, which is why I was there. I was coerced volunteered to be co-chair for the Event Committee, which basically means the speakers are set, the publicity is out there, now I help organize everything else. Good thing I love planning parties! (And party we will with the help of our beer sponsors!)

Wednesday night the family and I went out to The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton for gift certificates for my two bosses for Boss’ Day (which is today, you slacker employees). Then we went to dinner at Mi Ranchito off the Loop in University City. Although it got rave reviews from our paygroup, I wasn’t that impressed. Los Pamos on Woodson is WAY better.

Thursday night we went to the circus! The Greatest Show on Earth was so exciting that the Kid fell asleep during the third act. Of course the PETA people were out front in full force. Honestly, I could do without the animal tricks. The human tricks are much more impressive to me. Plus, I can’t watch elephants perform without thinking one of them is going to go on a rampage like this guy.

Today I’m going shopping for tomorrow’s lunch with Dana, then tonight we’ll be setting up for the Interactive Festival. After that, it’s free food and drinks for all of us suckers volunteers who helped with planning and running this event. I can’t stay very late though because hubby will be out at Six Flags with his other wives (playgroup moms) so someone needs to come home and relieve the babysitter.

Tomorrow I’m sure I’ll be running around like a chicken with my head cut off making sure you all have a fabulous time at the Interactive Festival. Hopefully, I’ll have a fabulous time, too and won’t embarrass myself too badly on the one panel I’m speaking on. I’m part of the “You have a blog, now what?” panel. Which is funny, considering that I have a blog and now I hardly ever post to it! So don’t do as I do, do as I say.

Sunday I have auditions for the St. Charles Christmas Traditions show. I have to do a cold reading (read a script, not something prepared) and sing a traditional Christmas song. If I make through the first round, callbacks are that evening. Then after that, it’s off to a birthday celebration for my FIL.

Whew! What a whirlwind week for someone who normally spends her every evening planted in front of the TV. It’s good for me to be out and about and I’m enjoying the hustle, but it will be nice to have a quiet night at home next week!

Things I’ve learned in the last few weeks:

- Swine flu will not make you oink like a pig, but it will make you bark like a seal.

- T-Pain is T-Awesome.

- Online friendship is nice, but being there in person is so much better.

- Not every 5-year old grasps sarcasm as well as my son. He is truly gifted.

- Make a Foody Call to Houlihan’s and they’ll give you a free dessert. Small donuts drizzled with condensed milk taste better free (and after a flight of martinis).

- I may disagree with some of Dana’s politics, but the girl knows curly hair. Who knew over-conditioning my wavy almost-curls would make them bouncy instead of limp?!

- Driving to my old place of business makes me love my new commute even more. I wasn’t sure that was even possible.

- The season of busy weekends in upon me and I may not see another lazy Sunday until January.

- Lists are like the easiest blog posts to write, ever.

I’m no Martha Stewart, but I do love to throw a good party. I love planning parties and seeing my friends have a good time. A lot of people get stressed about party planning and get all uptight during the party too. So for those of you who worry too much, here is NoMinivan’s Guide to Party Hosting:

1. Clean the bathroom. I don’t care if the rest of your house looks like a cesspool (mine often does), make sure the sink and toilet have had a good wipe down before your guests arrive. It really takes no time at all, especially with one of these and some of these.

2. Make sure guests know ahead of time what will and won’t be provided. When you send your eVite or drop a message on Facebook, let them know if it’s BYOB or if you’d like for them to bring any food. It’s not necessarily rude to ask your guests to bring drinks or food (depending on what the party is for – if they’re bringing gifts, they shouldn’t have to bring food), but you need to let them know that up front. When we have BBQs, I usually ask the guests to bring a side dish to share and their choice of alcoholic beverage.

3. Provide basic snacks and drinks. Even if you’ve asked them to BYOB or to bring food, you still need to provide soda, water, and snacks as a minimum. Snacks might include chips, pretzels and/or cookies. Or you can hit up the prepared foods section at your local grocery store. It’s Basic Hostessing 101 to make sure your guests aren’t left hungry.

4. Make sure you have basic supplies stocked. You’ll need cups, plates, napkins, utensils and ice near the food/drinks and you’ll need hand towels, soap and toilet paper in the bathroom. This seems like a no brainer, but things get forgotten. You can pick up a lot of these items at the Dollar Store, if you’re on a budget.

5. Set the mood. Set the lighting at an appropriate level. Although I try to set a dim bar atmosphere at our karaoke parties, I know that people need to be able to read the song book, so the lights have to be brighter. Put on music that a majority of your guests will enjoy. When I have friends over to scrapbook, I like to turn on the Coffeehouse channel on Sirius radio as a background music while we talk.

6. Dress for your comfort. Sure you want to look good when everyone comes over, but your party will likely last 2 – 4 hours (or more) so make sure you can stand to wear those shoes or that skirt that long.

7. Make sure all of your guests are made to feel welcome. Take a moment to say hello as each guest arrives. Mingle throughout the night instead of spending all your time with one group of friends. Introduce your guests so everybody can get to know each other. It’s especially helpful if you can share something they have in common: “Hey Bruce, this is Tom. He’s collects truck nuts, too!”

8. Don’t clean up until your guests leave! It’s OK to throw a few cans in the recycling bin or throw someone’s plate away, but if you’re spending half an hour loading the dishwasher, your guests are missing out spending time with you. Also, many guests will feel obligated to help you clean up and they are not there to clean your house, they’re there to have fun with you! And, finally, it may send out the signal that you want your guests to leave. If that’s true, go right ahead and clean those dishes! But, if you want your guests to stay and have a good time, save the cleanup for after everyone leaves.

9. Have plenty of seating and surface space. Guests like to congregate around tables, around bars, around bonfires, etc. So make sure you have plenty of seats for all your guests. No one should ever have to sit on the floor. Also make sure they have a place to set their cup or plate down. This can be a table, a TV tray, an end table or any other flat surface. This will ensure your guests are comfortable throughout the party.

10. If possible, have party space inside and outside. Even if you allow smoking inside, many of your smokers are going to want smoke outside. Especially if the host/hostess doesn’t smoke. Regardless of smoking preference, some folks just get to feeling claustrophobic when it starts getting crowded inside. So it’s nice to give everyone the option of stepping outside for a break. Make sure you have ashtrays out there. Other nice touches include citronella candles to keep the bugs away and a way to shade the patio or yard, such as table umbrellas or sun shades.

These are just some of the things I do to host a successful party. What do you do to keep your friends coming back for more fun at your place? What are your hostess tips?

Hello out there! *crickets* Is anyone still coming around here anymore? (Hi Christy!) I know I have sorely neglected this blog for some time now and I’m not even going to bother making false promises of more frequent updates. The funny thing is that I’m an active member of the St. Louis Bloggers Guild and I’m a committee co-chair for the Interactive festival, but I don’t really ever blog anymore. Heck, I don’t even tweet.

So what do I do these days? Well, besides working and doing the family thing, I read books (just started the newest Kim Harrison), I watch TV (just started the 4th season of Nip/Tuck), and I play lots and lots and LOTS of mind-numbing games on Facebook (was Sorority Life, but now it’s Bloodlines). I know the thrilling excitement of my life should give me plenty of blog fodder, but I’m just not as adept at making the mundane sound hilarious as some people.

If I was a better writer, I would find an entertaining way to tell you about how big my little Boo is getting and how it breaks my heart to see him turning into a little boy. Or I could tell you all about the Kid’s adventures in Kindergarten and how we’re going to have to have a sit down with his teacher to explain that any 5-year-old who reads on a 2/3 grade level is going to misbehave when you bore him with learning letter sounds and sight words. Or I could tell you about my very first PTA meeting where no one bothered to introduce themselves to any of the new members. Or I could tell you about dumping my therapist (again) and my adventures in pharmaceuticals.

Oh look, I did tell you! Sorry it wasn’t more entertaining. Maybe Angela Pudding will be my ghost writer next time.