By Blonde Mom on August 31, 2010
If your kids are like mine, Howdy Doody sounds like a crude joke from Suite Life of Zack & Cody and they assume all burgers come from fast food restaurants with obnoxious indoor playgrounds and kids’ meals with obnoxious plastic toys that mysteriously disappear every time they stay overnight with their grandparents.
Sometimes you need to expose your kids to another era, a simpler time when 5-year-olds thought a bluetooth was something you got from eating too much candy. A short 20 to 25 minute drive west of our home is a great little roadside 1950s style hamburger joint called Stratton’s.
My husband’s grandmother’s farm is in the rural community of Ashland City in Cheatham County and before Grandmother Jen (that’s Jennie Belle to everyone who grew up with her) passed away we would drive up to visit and it was on one of those trips to the farm that we discovered Stratton’s. During his summers off from college my brother-in-law worked for our hometown gas company and he and his co-workers would drive the 20 minutes to Stratton’s for lunch on a regular basis. It’s just one of those places well worth driving a country, winding road to.
Stratton’s is closing its doors forever this Saturday, September 4. The owner got a sweet deal from Walgreens and is retiring after 38 years in the restaurant business. I wish them the very best, but I will definitely miss their burgers and fries, and stepping back in time with Howdy Doody, Elvis, and a homemade shake.
Posted in Nashville, Travels | Tagged ashland city, cheatham county, stratton's, Tennessee
By Blonde Mom on August 28, 2010
This morning after a delicious breakfast outside at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel, one of those breakfasts that makes you wonder why you don’t sit outside and enjoy your coffee each morning more often and then you remember it’s because usually you have all of about 2 minutes to suck down your coffee while grabbing your purse, keys, and children, I remembered that one of the guests at dinner last night mentioned the hotel was a short walk to the Torrey Pines Gliderport overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
I glanced at the time. I had less than 40 minutes to print my boarding pass at the hotel business center and take a quick walk. I could make it there and back in time to catch my 8:45 airport shuttle. I hadn’t been to the San Diego area in 10 years and I wasn’t going to miss the chance to at least get a glance of the Pacific.
The air was cooler and thick with moisture and it was overcast. I walked to the rear of the hotel property and cut through a parking lot where a security guard pointed me in the right direction. Not many people were out, but as I headed up a small rise behind a modern building I could see SUVs lining the street and people out walking their dogs toward the bluff. The landscape changed slightly to sandier terrain and the horizon was clear so I knew I was getting close.
Finally I saw it. I walked toward the beginning of a trail that meanders down the bluff that is frequented by local surfers. I stood and enjoyed the view and snapped a few photos, knowing full well I looked every part the tourist dressed in jeans, and whipping my camera out of my purse, already overloaded with a book I was planning on reading on the flight home.
I had to jog back part of the way so I wouldn’t be late for the shuttle, especially once I realized that I had to circle around the entire hotel property to the front lobby entrance because I’d already turned in my room key, but the view was worth it.
I can be set in my ways and jaded so many times, encumbered with the stress of everyday life. I don’t want to forget that deep down inside I’m still a girl who will take an impromptu detour that leaves me breathless.
Posted in Travels | Tagged california, la jolla, san diego, torrey pines
By Blonde Mom on August 26, 2010
My oldest daughter is obsessed with mysteries.
We’re not talking your ordinary variety kid love of Scooby Doo, either. We’re talking O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D. I’m not sure where that personality trait comes from…ahem.
And, just an observation, ”What exactly are they SMOKIN’ in the Mystery Machine?”
She loves to watch Roxy Hunter on DVD, the few we’ve been able to locate, a modern day Nancy Drew. She loves reading mysteries and nearly skipped with joy into the library yesterday when I told her that the Three Investigators books the gracious librarian had recommended to her were available for pick up.
At least once a week I catch her looking off into space quite melancholy, a look she also gets when her hair is not quite perfect.
“Mommy, I REALLY want to solve a mystery. Why can’t I have more mystery in my life? I need to solve some mysteries!”
This is always punctuated with a huge, exaggerated sigh, and much angst which tends to freak me out because I realize the angst potential for the teen years is HUGE. HUGE people.
One thing we’ve reiterated to her is that you don’t find mystery, it finds you, which is great because it encourages her to turn off the dang TV already and read or go exploring outside.
I’m also loving this because honestly it’s a mystery to ME how she can watch the Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Hannah Montana over and over every afternoon without fail.
Are your kids obsessed with any particular types of books? We’re also big on fairies at our house. Miss C’s 3rd grade teacher has stressed the importance of our kids finding the books that they love and how that will translate into developing life-long readers.
Disclosure: Amazon affiliate link included in post.
Posted in My Girls, Parenting | Tagged 3rd grade, miss c, mystery, reading
By Blonde Mom on August 25, 2010
As soon as the girls and I walk in the door after work and school I spend at least 15 minutes wandering around the house, gathering up abandoned shoes and placing them by the back door, loading breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, and picking up rejected outfit choices off Miss C’s bedroom floor. She is already insistent that she change clothes every time we leave the house, so can you imagine what it will be like when she’s in high school?
Last Friday I had had it. Even though the girls help me around the house it just seems like I am constantly nagging them to pick their dirty clothes up off the floor and put them in the hamper in the laundry room. We live in a one-level, ranch style house so it’s not like I’m asking them to take the elevator from our third level down to the basement because the live-in butler is off for the weekend, you know, the one who helps me run our 5,000 square foot McMansion. Come to think of it, I could put a butler to work, despite not having a big house.
I had three loads of laundry to fold and I recruited the girls to help me put their neatly folded stacks away. Maybe they couldn’t get excited about picking up dirty clothes, but perhaps they could get into putting away clean clothes. I cranked some dance music and we went to work. Sorting socks to Lady Gaga was kind of fun. Who knew?
Miss A trotted eagerly to her bedroom after I handed her a small stack of clothes and yelled back, “Mommy, don’t come in my room! I’m going to surprise you. OK?”
About 10 minutes later she emerged, beaming with pride. She asked me to close my eyes, grabbed my hand and led me to her bedroom. I knew this was a big deal.
She had taken all of her gowns and pajamas out of her drawer and neatly folded them.
This Friday I think I’ll show her the joy of toilet scrubbing to Selena Gomez.
Posted in Parenting | Tagged chores, housework, Miss A
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