The transformation is complete – my little man is just like his father. Brian can proudly say he has a mini-me. 

Brian has been trying since the kids were about two years old to make Doran a Star Wars fan. Doran received Brian’s Star Wars action figures collection at an early age and promptly lost most of them. Luckily, he managed to hold onto most of the Star Wars spaceships he inherited. And, he seems to be happy to be a little version of Brian. It’s cute to see Brian and Doran play-fighting each other with light sabers around the house (even though I’ve told them no light saber fights in the house). I really think Brian had kids so he could relive his childhood. Even though he gets tired of playing the same video game over and over with him, I know Brian enjoys hearing Doran squeal with happiness at the chance to play Lego Star Wars on the Wii again. …CONTINUE READING »

Last week, my husband and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Well, he worked and I played. On Wednesday, I trudged through Epcot to watch singer/ songwriter Vanessa Carlton take the stage during the festival’s nightly “Eat to the Beat” concert series.

I’ve been a Vanessa Carlton fan since the release of “Be Not Nobody” in 2002. The singer is known for top 40s hits such as “A Thousand Miles,” “Ordinary Day” and “White Houses” and her music is on regular rotation on my iPod. Naturally, I was thrilled to see she would be performing in the concert series during my vacation.

At 5:15, I happily took my seat at the American Gardens Theatre. She started off with a bang, playing several songs from her current and past records on the piano and singing; however, when she began one of her better know songs, she slipped up on the lyrics and stopped, using a four-letter expletive. She apologized and began the song again. There was nervous laughter around, and at the end of her first performance, Carlton apologized, bowed with her guitarist, and left the stage (that’s her beating a hasty retreat at left). …CONTINUE READING »

If you know me just a bit, even via blog, you know that I am not a sports fan. Sorry dudes, I have the kind of brain that enjoys watching So You Think You Can Dance! Unfortunately, this doesn’t work out great for me, considering my live-in boyfriend is a complete sports nut. As in, he gets us kicked out of bars during stressful games type of nutty. He’s tried to convert me to his kind time and time again, even going so far as purchasing me a complete wardrobe of purple, gold and sports paraphernalia. But no. I can not be bought. However, I’ve learned to cope, some way, somehow.

Last night I was tricked into attending a football game viewing party at one of our regular dinner joints — Hudson Grille Perimeter in Atlanta. I was lured into attendance by the promise of a 32″ flat-screen that they were giving away to one lucky diner. Since I love electronics as much as the next spoiled North American, and since I was just feeling darn lucky, I agreed to go even though we just purchased a new 42″. The bathroom needs a TV, too.

When we got there, it was pretty empty — around 7 pm. There was a 680 The Fan (sports talk radio) van parked outside, and sure enough, when I got inside, there were a bunch of guys and their poor girlfriends/wives (bless their hearts) dressed in red, gold, and baby blue, ready to watch the UNC vs. Florida State (I think?) game that was to start at 8 pm. Fine…one hour…we’d be done eating by then, and maybe one flat-screen richer, so who was I to complain? …CONTINUE READING »

I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m a certifiable Disney nerd. So much so, in fact, that I’m decorating our new basement with theme park memorabilia sourced from eBay and salvage Web sites like Mouse Surplus. We go to Walt Disney World at least once every year as a family (don’t laugh but I’ve been three times this year alone) and sometimes, my husband and I combine business with pleasure and go alone (without the kiddo! Shocking, I know!). We’ll be back next week as my husband attends a convention and I hit up the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

I recently planned an entire trip from start to finish for a neighbor and her family. They’ve never been to Walt Disney World, and the kids have never flown. It was a great experience to plan someone else’s trip, albeit last minute. I put together a list of my TOP 10 Tips and Tricks for them. Curious? Here you go! …CONTINUE READING »

After years of whining, my husband finally gave in and let me get an iPhone 3GS in July. It didn’t take me long to drop my antiquated pink phone like a bad habit. I now get why these mobile units are so popular: iPhone applications are ADDICTIVE. I had to buy a second charger to keep at work so the phone would be 100-percent charged at all times. You know, in case I need to feed my iPet dog or feel the need to fish.

My mother, brother and sister-in-law all have iPhones as well. It’s amazing how different our phones actually are –– each of us has our own favorite applications. My daughter has also become addicted to several apps on my phone, and I’m getting really tired of hearing “Mommy, can I play on your iPod?”

With that said, here’s a list of a few of my favorite applications:

• Pocket God. At just 99 cents, this app is a steal. Frequent updates and a fan blog keep users coming back for more. My daughter loves flicking the Pygmies into the volcano. Mini-games also add to the fun. …CONTINUE READING »

On Sunday, I’m packing up the family for a trip to Niagara Falls. Well, it’s actually a work trip, but I’m fortunate to be able to mix business with pleasure most of the time. We’ll be flying into Buffalo and staying on the Canadian side of the falls.

Our six-year-old daughter has become quite the traveler. We visit Walt Disney World annually, and she’s been to Arizona a couple of times. She took her first flight at 22 months, and each trip has brought new challenges.

At age two, her little legs were just the right length to kick the back of the seat in front of her. Trying to tell a toddler to stop kicking is like telling a fish to stop swimming –– not easy! A year later, she was out of diapers and that meant trips to the bathroom. By four, she had traveling down pat and could pack her own backpack full of DVDs and coloring books.

Here are some steps I take to make our trips easier:
• Fruit chews. Take-offs and landings are hard on little ears, so I typically take a couple of packages of fruit snacks for her to chew on. Be sure to consider layovers and bring enough for each flight.

• Take the shoes off. Socks don’t have quite the impact shoes do on the back of a seat.

• Portable DVD players. Consider your flight times. If our flights are short, I’ll bring a DVD of her favorite 30-minute show and tell her that we’ll arrive at our destination in “two-and-a-half iCarlys”. It gives little ones a sense of time. Don’t forget headphones –– we actually bought a pair of child-sized ones that control noise and fit her head better. …CONTINUE READING »

Sure, I like shopping and pedicures just as much as the next girl, but every year, I get excited for Fall, because to me, Fall means Football! I know that the so-called “Football Widows” have shared their perspective about this time of year already, so I thought it only made sense to talk about the other side of the story, the story of the female football fan.

I grew up with two younger brothers who always played some sort of sport. My dad always either coached or helped out with whatever team they were on, further cementing the bond between father and son. Not to be left out, I took an interest in football, the sport my dad loved the most, and fondly remember watching his favorite teams play and asking him questions to learn about the game. That’s how I became a football fan, and to this day, I still cheer for the teams my dad cheered for when I was growing up.

Because of those Sunday afternoons watching football with my dad, I can hold my own in a conversation about professional and college football (not to mention most other major sports). My fall weekends are spent watching college games on Saturday and NFL games on Sunday. I am the commissioner for a girls only fantasy football league – The Gridiron Girls. We are an uber-competitive group of girls who don’t make picks and trades based on how a player looks, but just like the guys do, on how many points that player will get us each week.

My husband shares my love of football. He looks forward to watching the games with me each week. In my family, football is a rite of passage. Learning the sport, cheering for your favorite team, and then talking about the weekend’s best games on Monday morning is a ritual in our house, and one day, if I am lucky enough to have a daughter, I will raise her in hopes that she grows up enjoying football weekends as much as I do.

Atlanta is turning quite apocalyptic. Last year it was the gas shortage, turning the city into a bad Mad Max movie. Now it’s the flooding, haunting us with memories of Katrina, washing out roads and bridges and turning 20 minute commutes into day long excursions to find an open road.

These experiences have changed the way I view my world, the infrastructure of my life.  I take much less for granted and try to be more prepared.  Since we in America, and particularly here in Atlanta, spend so much time in our cars (and I always seem to be in my car when something goes wrong) here are a few things I’ve learned about being prepared for an emergency.

Keep the gas tank full.  Nothing is worse than sitting in a traffic jam caused by flooding or some other catastrophe worrying if you can get to the next exit and get gas – if there is any gas!

Maintain your tires.  Keep them inflated properly and check wear and alignment on a regular basis.  You do not want a flat at a time like this.  Or ever!

Keep water in your car. It’s easy to toss a gallon jug in the truck. Just be sure to update it regularly. Ugh, no-one wants to drink funky water.  And that water jug comes in handy for more than emergencies – such as after a long hike or soccer game.  Trust me, I know. …CONTINUE READING »