Happy Thanksgiving! Now shop around the clock

The super-mega-almost-outlet mall a few towns away is going to open at 11:59 pm tonight and be open all night, all day the next day, and close at 9:30 pm on Black Friday.

The mall will be open for almost 22 hours straight.

Now, I know this mall is a tourist attraction.

But does it have power-nap cots in those out-of-the-way corners?

Will they have paramedics standing by for the die-hards who actually do show up and shop all night long? (Just in case.)

Will the Starbucks be open during that time to provide required caffeination?

Are all the fire extinguishers ready to cool down any overused credit cards?

If you're going to shop all night and all day, these are things to think about. Oh, and you also might want to bring along a designated driver -- someone who's not shopping.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chief Osceola

Airboat tours on the land of the Sovereign Miccosukee Seminole Nation.

Turkey

Not a Thanksgiving turkey. I'm the turkey. I need to take a few weeks off from blogging. With Thanksgiving coming, a weeklong vacation I've been counting down the days to, projects and tasks that are piling up because I spend most of my free time sitting at the computer -- and, oh, maybe a birthday and relatives coming into town -- I am crying uncle and just need to admit I can't run my blogging empire (cough) and pretend to have a real life too. I will miss you and hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving. I hope to poke in now and then, but I won't be back for reals until some time in December.

Winterfest Boat Parade

One of the coolest things about South Florida happens at the end of the year: The Winterfest Boat Parade. Yachts owned by big shots of the corporate and private kind get decorated with lights, then parade down the Intracoastal Waterway for several miles while throngs -- hordes -- masses of people crowd along the route to see how the other 2% party for the holidays. That's because almost every boat is a floating party with music playing and people dancing.







The biggest, baddest, most-decorated yacht is usually the main sponsor, which for the past several years has been the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. And every year, the parade people hire a celebrity to be the grand marshal, who rides on the sponsor's yacht and greets the people watching along the sides of the Intracoastal. This year, it's Jim Belushi.

Once in college, I staked out a spot hours in advance under a bridge with friends so we could watch the parade from there. Another time, I had out-of-state family in town and got tickets to watch the parade from a state park that had a viewing area near the water. Last year, my husband's office party was at a hotel along the route where we watched the boats go by from an upper terrace.

My husband has relatives who were once invited to join the party aboard one of the yachts, and they said it was actually boring. The boats have to line up in advance, make their way down the parade route and back again, and the relatives said it was one loooooong party where everyone just got drunk.

Nothing like being stuck on a boat for hours with drunk strangers, eh?

That wouldn't be a problem, though, if my husband and I entered our boat (unfortunately not this boat) into the parade.



With some rope lights, a mini Christmas tree and iPod speakers, I think we could give those yachts a run for their money. We could fasten glow-in-the-dark rave bracelets to the paddles. I think the crowds would root for the underdog.

So, what do you think?


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

River of Grass

Everglades National Park

Not sure anyone wants to see this

Great bloggy friend Heather at Cool Zebras is making me asked me to do a photo meme. It's an easy one, so I figure why not?

She told me to go to my sixth picture folder and find the sixth photo, then post it.

But I'm not sure if anyone is ready for this picture.

Most moms' blogs have adorable photos of super cute children and babies.

I guess my blog / computer file system is a little different.



I photographed this alligator in Big Cypress National Preserve, which is a little over an hour's drive from my home. And I'm pretty sure I used my long lens.

Anybody else want to do this meme for an easy post?

What kind of mother do you think I am?

This past week, I never once lost my cool or thought about crying because the terrible twos really aren't that terrible after all. It's OK if my son likes to be covered in sticky cough syrup and dirty kitty litter.

This week, I never went anywhere fun and just stayed home and was bored.

I cannot say that when I took my son to Home Depot, he did anything so unruly as to knock a train off its track while wandering through the Christmas displays. And I never would have made the situation worse by trying unsuccessfully to put the train back on track or pushing buttons on the control unit that made extremely loud train noises. And I certainly didn't slowly back away from the train display as if nothing happened.

I didn't let my son crawl in the middle of the road just because he likes the pretty painted stripes there.

This week, I didn't forget for three days to make my son brush his teeth.

What kind of a mother do you think I am?!



(I kept seeing this weekly meme at fellow Holly's I Heart Bowheads and thought it would be fun to play along.)

How to tell I live with males

This is the scene in my family room.


We might not have anywhere to eat, but by golly, we can play with trains!


Whose side is whose? Hint: I'm the one who likes towels folded.


Care to borrow a book from our selection? Here's a sample.


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Mood music

My son cozied up to me and sat in my lap. I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled my nose in his soft hair.

This was a nice break from those terrible twos.

I started to sing him one of his favorite songs and rocked him slightly back and forth.

And then he farted.

While I was wondering if I could keep singing and rocking as if nothing had happened, he farted again.

Then I had to stop and giggle.

Kitesurfing on Ft. Lauderdale beach

And this is why they call it the terrible twos

The boy hit the floor, crying, the moment he and his mama stepped into Target.

The boy ran away from his mama at the park to chase ducks. Repeatedly.

The boy ran away from his mama at home to run right into the street.

(The mama's legs and back were getting tired.)

He spit out the carefully chosen prescription to help his constant straining cough.

He spit it out again.

And again.

Timeouts wouldn't work.

Timeouts in between tries to get the boy to take medicine didn't work.

(The mama gave up trying and went to soak his medicine-stained shirt.)

The medicine-sticky boy played in the dirty cat litter box. Cat litter stuck to his sticky skin.

(The mama angrily gave the boy a quick shower.)

The boy didn't want to eat a carefully prepared lunch.

(The mama unceremoniously put the boy to bed for a nap.)

The boy napped...

...but not for long.

The boy wanted to play. Without wearing a diaper.

(The mama put the diaper back on.)

The boy took off the diaper again. Then he sat on his mama's lap.

(The mama tearfully washed a stinky brown spot off her pants.)

The boy chased the cat and pulled her tail. Repeatedly.

(The mama spent an hour cooking dinner while trying to cheerfully play with the boy.)

The boy ate a handful of food, then raced cars across the table.

(The mama and dad tried to cheerfully play with the boy doing what he wanted to play.)

The boy didn't want to sleep. He purposely head-butted his mama while she was trying to calm him and rock him to sleep. The he bit her.

(The mama called it a day and unceremoniously put the boy to bed for the night.)

The boy threw his drink across the room.

The boy didn't sleep until 10:30 at night.

And that is why his mama didn't blog yesterday.

First flowers

Is there something in children's DNA that makes them want to pick flowers?

Is it something innate, part of human nature that makes small people want to tug at colorful growing things even though they've never been taught to do that?

Do all little boys like to collect the flower heads of weeds, wad them up in their fists and hand them to their moms?

Or is it just my Man-cub?



Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Bahama cassia

My Bahama cassia is in bloom and has never looked better. Ahhhh....

Let free-dom ring

Today I plan to vote and then go to the beach with friends.

No matter how long I might have to stand in line, I will celebrate the fact I have the freedom to vote in a great country that is just going to get better.

And then I will celebrate my freedom and this great country by loafing on the warm sand in November. (I sincerely apologize to all my northern bloggy friends.)

And then I will celebrate by taking advantage of the Election Day freebies offered by Krispy Kreme, Starbucks and Ben & Jerry's.

Is this a great country, or what?!

When men take phone messages

My friend sent me this through e-mail. Maybe you've gotten it too.