Best Money Ever Spent

What, you ask? What was the BEST money I ever spent? If you know me much at all, you probably know that my bargain-hunting prowess could make me a contender for Miss Frugality. At the very least, I could be a significant contributor to the Bargain Hall of Fame. (Perhaps that would set me up for a coupon for reduced admission.) Heck, I could have millions in the bank ( although I most definitely don't), yet I'd still be a coupon-cutting and sale-searching fool. Alas, the thrill of the hunt is so engrained in me it is part of who I am these days and forevermore it seems.

So, I digress. The best money ever spent was ...drumroll please... having Sam's birthday party ELSEWHERE. In past years we've had them at home and nearly killed ourselves trying to make sure the yard doesn't look like the Munsters live here, weeding, cleaning, planning, cooking, arranging, cleaning up afterwards, etc. And then of course I should not leave out the most exhausting part of party-giving -- entertaining, working the party so to speak while still trying to be Hostess with the Mostess getting the chicken nuggets and cake served to keep the Little People happy.

So this year we ventured forth and had it at Inflation Nation. (Incidentally Sam calls it "Summation Nation" while his friend Caleb calls it "Inflation Inflation.") You know what place I mean anyway, that cavernous warehouse place set off Hull Street with more bouncy houses inside than I have ever seen in my life. (And I've seen many a bouncy house in my day.) Sam's party was basically his friend Lucas' birthday party Part II, since we copied him by having it at the same place and inviting many of the same kiddos -- classmates from the "Red Room" and from our same 'hood. (Generally speaking it is the same 'hood. Some would say that Rosemont is separate from Salisbury and far more exclusive, both of which are quite true.)

So the kids bounced and bounced and bounced, and Daddy mac and I even got to do some bouncing too. It was such a treat to actually be able to converse with people instead of being busy orchestrating the whole schebang. After an hour and 15 minutes, we all adjourned to the "party room" and had pizza, chicken nuggets and Batman cake. The best part of it all was that there was a girl, I mean, young lady, from Inflation Nation who was in charge of coordinating it all, including cutting up the ginormous sheet cake and handing it out to all the munchkins. That alone was worth the price of admission and then some. After 45 minutes in the party room, it was time to go, and it was Inflation Nation kicking everyone out, not me. (Another euphoric moment.)

The most brilliant part of it all is that these bouncy house places are rigged so that once you go into the party room, YOU CAN'T GO BACK INTO BOUNCY-HOUSE-LAND. No how, no way. NO! Everyone big or small has to leave by a separate door that spills out in to the lobby. That is huge! It saves every weary parent from having to plead, cajole, pull, and/or carry their frosting-filled child out of bouncy-house-ville kicking and screaming to continue to bounce the day (and night) away.

The whole central lobby idea is made even better when you take into account the little shopping area there! I do have to give my friend Debster credit for finding it and scoping it out. We bought the same awesome flip-flops in the lobby that are quite comfortable. As a matter of fact, I have them on right now! My rationalization for buying them is that they were my party favor. Another bonus -- instead of a trashed house I got my 20th pair of flip-flops!

Oh, and did I mention that I had a coupon, too?

LibbY

Hello, Insomnia!

Are you a friend or foe? You come to me in the middle of the night (usually after a potty break) and keep me awake until the wee hours of the morning. Just when I am so ready to go back to sleep before daybreak, I realize that I would feel far worse getting only an hour or so of sleep before having to get up for the day. Those long nocturnal stretches can be a lonely time, but most often I usually love the gift of unexpected time to myself. In fact, I savor the ongoing silence as an infrequent opportunity to collect my thoughts, catch up on paperwork and emails, make some new lists, review old lists, and then merge the two together into one new super-duper list. Look out, here comes Ms. Organized. Maybe I am hallucinating.

Now Nap, I know you are always my friend and will be forevermore. I look forward to catching up with you this afternoon for some quality zzzzzzz's.

Who Is This Big Little Boy?

Sam turned 4 yesterday. I never envisioned that he would ever really get that old, but he did. Whoever came up with that expression "the days go slowly the years go quickly?" was so on the mark. I owe that person a really cool sticker, perhaps even a coveted Bob the Builder one. Is this really the same teeny-weeny baby whose head we had to hold up four years ago?

At 4, he is a full-fledged little boy now, not a baby, not a toddler, but thankfully still a "preschooler" for two more years. And so much of the "apparatus" is now gone, thank God, banished to the attic to collect dust bunnies. No more sippy cups, baby food, diapers & diaper bag, strollers, crib, etc., to deal with anymore. The list of accoutremonts goes on and on, and they are all gone, gone, gone. Oh, and did I fail to mention that the nap is gone, gone, gone, too? Now that it is totally and finally gone without him being a complete and total wreck in the mid-to-late-afternoon, I must say it is pretty nice to go out and do things without being a slave to the almighty nap schedule.

His big bad birthday bash is not until Saturday, so we got to enjoy celebrating his "real" birthday with just the "fam." We went to meet Daddy Mac downtown in front of the James Center for a picnic on the James Center "beach." And don't you know it, it was just the day that a real race car from the Indy 500 was downtown Richmond, circling the block over and over again. The McNamee boys were thrilled to get a close-up view. However, a lucky few were getting actual rides. Of course the Saminator (and Daddy Mac) wanted to get a chance, but somehow I didn't think Sam's car seat would fit so well in the back seat. The poor driver would probably be the laughing stock of the race community if any of his cronies got wind of that scenario.

When one of Daddy Mac's friends asked Sam how old he is, he shrugged and said, "I don't know." WHAT?! Then on the way home he asked, "Why did Jesus have to die? I don't want to die. I want to stay on Earth." Now how did he come up with all of that? And, yes, this is the same boy who didn't know his age. I guess he has been so busy ruminating on life, death, and eternal salvation that he didn't pay attention to such rudimentary facts. Who knows what goes on in that little mind? Not I, that is for sure.

By the time we got home, I was wiped out and more than ready for a siesta. And no-nap-Sam was not tired at all, so he decided that he would tuck me in for little snooze. I kid you not! He pulled up the covers and then scampered off to his room, returning with his blue bear and a Lego race car. Offering them, he announced, "You can play with them while you are asleep." And then he headed back downstairs. If that isn't a tuck-in, I don't what one is!

Happy birthday, Sam! And don't forget, you are FOUR now!

Libby

Back to the Zoo!

We used to be real regulars, like regular regulars, at the Metro Richmond Zoo back in the day when Sam was two. Gosh, we were there once a week at least. In the last couple of years, though, we haven't gone much at all. There's no real reason why, we just never quite made it there with preschool and the multitude of activities galore. So with a lull between various camps we set off to check it on out. I felt like I was there with a completely different kid, which is pretty much true since he has changed so incredibly much over the last year or two. Man, it was so much easier and so much more fun -- at least for me anyway. For the first time we actually saw every animal at the zoo, and I didn't have to push a stroller, pull a wagon, lug him or restrain him in any way. All in all a good day was had by all.

The best comment of the day was when we were about to look at the lions. Sam noticed a Coke machine off to the side and exclaimed (loudly), "Mommy, there's a beer machine! Do you want a beer? And I could get a water." I was laughing so hard that he started laughing too, even though he had no idea why he was laughing in the first place. His thinking was eerily right on the mark -- it was so insanely hot that a nice cold frosty one would have been the perfect libation. Alas, it was in fact a mere conventional Coke machine. I had to make do with a Sno-Cone, which was pretty tasty, too. It was a perfect day even without a beer. I guess I've matured, too.

LibbY

PS Metro Richmond Zoo is in Chesterfield County off Hull Street in Moseley. Check out their website at www.metrorichmondzoo.com

A Day Out with Daddy

Daddy Mac has been working seven days a week for quite a long while now and finally has a whole entire two-day weekend off. Yee ha! Hallelujah! Today he gallantly took the Saminator up to DC to see the Natural History Museum and Air & Space Museum. This field trip was all inspired by seeing the "Night at the Museum" movies this week. Sam and I saw the new second one at a matinee the other day, and we both absolutely loved it.

Here's some background for you -- we saw "Night at the Museum" after we originally went to see "Up" movie. However the plot thickened when the previews scared Sam so much he ran out of the theatre and refused to go back in. So after much coaxing by the manager of the theatre, we tried "Night at the Museum," which I thought would be another surefire disaster. However, he did not find humungous dinosaurs, spear-wielding Pharaohs, or Ivan the Terrible scary at all. Go figure. To be fair I didn't think I'd like it either as I'm not a big Ben Stiller fan. Much to my surprise, it was very entertaining, clever, and witty. Since we liked Part 2 so much, we watched the first one with Daddy Mac last night while drinking take-out draft beer from our favorite BBQ haunt. (That was Daddy Mac and me, not Sam.) Surprisingly enough Sam and I decided we both liked the Part II version much better, the first time I have ever liked the sequel better than the original.

So anyway Sam took Daddy, I mean, Daddy took Sam on a DC adventure. Look for the trailer for "A Day at the Museum" coming soon to a theatre near you! I took the opportunity to duck out to the outlets in Williamsburg to return a truckload of stuff to LL Bean (only a slight exaggeration), peruse Brooks Brothers for Daddy Mac, and of course ransack the Carter's store searching for bargains galore. (You know they are there somewhere, you've just go to dig in and find them where they live!)

Tomorrow will be Daddy's day to do his own "thang." You deserve it. Plus Sam and I need some time to plan our upcoming Father's Day festivities!

LibbY

Father's Day Approacheth

Did you know that Father's Day is next, yes, next weekend? That makes it a mere week from this Sunday. As my father would say, "Jeesh. How 'bout that?" I just made that startling and highly disturbing realization moments ago and already visions of ridiculously priced Hallmark cards are dancing in my head. Seems like it was just Mothers Day, and as a matter of fact it was only a few weeks ago. So, people, the next time you decide to restructure the calendar system, please try to leave a bigger gap between these two holidays to protect the forgetful and unprepared, including myself.