Me, My Kid and Life

Dogs and Baths

2011-12-14T12:06:00.000-08:00

This morning my Shitzu, Jeffrey Higgins, took a long await bath. Bathing my dog is not my favorite thing to do. I have a half bath in the 2nd bathroom which is all his. For me, it means bending over to wash him. By the end of the bath, the dog is clean and my back is killing me.As always, I've been looking for new and different ways to create streams of income. The latest thing I've been looking

Pure Spa Yoga Gym Granada, Nicaragua

2011-10-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

I went to Pure after being rather disappointed with the quality of the massages at the Hotel Spa Granada (no matter the type of massage I ordered - reflexology, mini-massage, deep tissue) all the massages were basically the same) and the attitude of the masseuses (bothered them that I didn't speak Spanish) I decided to branch out to see what else I could discover.My goal was to find a nice

Massage & Safety at Hotel Spa Granada in Nicaragua

2011-10-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Since I am staying at the Hotel Spa Granada a half hour massage, a pedicure, a facial or a manicure comes with each day of my stay.It was always my intention to also have longer massages along side my massage or treatment that came with the room.On my first day, I had a half hour 'mini-session'. It was fine. Nothing special and nothing that really felt like it had an added benefit - meaning I

Transportation Between Managua and Granada

2011-10-06T21:35:00.000-07:00

From my hostel in Managua, the bus was only a couple blocks away - apparently, a couple of rather dangerous blocks to walk... but only a couple blocks nonetheless.Once on the main road there was a bus which which cost 20 cordobas which is the same as $1 US dollar (actually slightly less). The bus felt safe and the people were friendly. It was not a large school bus but a smaller, newer bus. No

Open Market in Granada, Nicaragua

2011-10-06T00:45:00.000-07:00

Today, I visited the Open Market in the city of Granada in Nicaragua. Perhaps I'm spoiled. I've been to many open markets.For years, my local open market was the Farmer's Market on Third and Fairfax in West Hollywood. Posh. Clean. Fabulous. In my late teens and early twenties my sister and I would meet there for Belgium Waffles. The Grove is now adjacent to the Farmer's Market.When we lived in

Hotel Spa Granada - Day Two

2011-10-05T14:47:00.001-07:00

I slept great last night after going to bed around 9:00pm which is extremely early for me as I tend to hit the hay shortly before the sun comes up.The room had air conditioning which I only used for the first half of the night. Conveniently, the air conditioner has a remote so I didn't need to freeze instead of getting up to turn it off or be bothered with getting out of bed.I had two massages

Buying Nicaragua Honey

2011-10-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

Since honey can help a person build an immunity to a local environment I've decided to pick some up.It cost $4 US for an 8 oz. container at the Hotel Spa Granada where I am staying. In all honesty the price is comparable or more than what I would pay in the States, even NYC where I can buy a 5 lbs jug for $19.99. I'm not complaining but do think it is noteworthy particularly when the cost of

Hotel Spa Granada - Day One

2011-10-04T15:06:00.001-07:00

Today is my first day at Hotel Spa Granada. I found it on Yahoo Travel's Best Boutique Hotels around the world. It looked cool and Sophie wanted to experience a different culture.The hotel grounds and rooms are lovely. The furniture and art are perhaps not the best and sometimes limited in execution but the idea is nice. Sometimes it feels like the styles are a miss match. This is not something I

Water & Cashews in Nicaragua

2011-10-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

So, I had some tap water and cashews about an hour ago and now I feel sick. The last few cashews tasted kind of weird so I'm inclined to think it wasn't the water plus the lady at the hotel (Hotel Spa Granada) said the water is fine to drink. That being said, who gets sick from cashews?!? By the way, the cashews were local as well. I'm in Granada now.Everyone says don't drink the water in Mexico

Managua Backpackers Inn (Very Unsafe!)

2011-10-04T00:52:00.001-07:00

Well, I needed a place to crash for my first night in Nicaragua. My flight didn't arrive until 12:14 am and from everything I've read it is not safe to travel at night. I paid in advance to have a taxi meet me at the airport and did not leave the glass doors of the airport until I saw my name on a piece of paper staring back at me. I was the second person through customs and had no problems with

Packing for & Traveling Light in Nicaragua

2011-10-04T00:11:00.000-07:00

One 12.9 pound travel bag that fits in front of my seat on Spirit Air is all I packed for an eight day trip to Granada, Nicaragua to celebrate my daughter's 20th birthday. To bring more luggage would cost more ($20 each way) and make me look more like a tourist during my travels in Nicaragua.I suppose if I really felt the need to have additional luggage I'd spend the money on it but, generally

Allergies and Local Honey

2011-05-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

Twice a year Sophie has her seasonal cough. It's a deep, rough cough that always gets me plenty worried and always leads her to say in her sweet little voice, 'Mom, it's just my seasonal cough'. Well, we're full into allergy season as we watch the pollen float freely though the air and reports on my mail serve claim this allergy season may be worse than most... yet, neither the kid nor I are

My Birthday & My Kid with Jodie Foster's Beaver

2011-05-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

During last night's Q&A at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jodie Foster was asked how an unknown writer could get someone like Foster to look at her script. Foster's new film, The Beaver, was written by a 1st time unknown writer which was sent to Foster by her agent and which had been listed as one of the top 100 unknown (or unmade? something like that...) scripts. In short, Foster said, if

Does Black Friday Shopping Mean Savings?

2010-11-19T06:10:00.000-08:00

I like to shop. I'm thrifty and frugal. Therefore, I like decent prices.You'd think Black Friday would be a great time to get great deals. But maybe that's not the case when we take a closer look. Yesterday I was at the Premium Outlet Mall in Orlando. Sophie and I were there in early October as well when we went to Disney to celebrate her birthday and visit Mickey's Not-So-Scary!We bought Sophie

Cruising for Christmas

2010-10-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

Although Sophie and I had already booked a 18-night stay in Vegas for the Christmas holiday, last night we changed our plans. (Thank goodness hotel reservations can be canceled!)Instead, we decided to take a Caribbean cruise. Don't get me wrong. We LOVE Vegas! It's kitschy Americana is just our style and the idea of shopping at the Premium Outlet Mall in Vegas right after Christmas gives me

Retirement Plans for Teens

2010-10-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

Since Sophie is self-employed and just turned 19-years-old we've started to look into retirement plans for her. Since she lives at home, she can put money away that she would otherwise need for bills.Her goals are to:1. Never retire as she plans on acting forever but to be able to retire at 70-years-old.2. Have a million dollars saved by the time she's 70-years-old.3. She's planning for a

Too Cute Willow Smith

2010-10-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

As parents and society as a whole, we need to be supportive of creative expression and originality with our youngsters. Out of the box thinkers make great business people.Kudos go to Mr. & Mrs. Will Smith! Thanks for setting such a wild and fun standard for today's youth.

Considering an America Without Oil Drilling

2010-06-07T23:52:00.000-07:00

I posted the below on my Facebook."If our government were really serious about stopping BP's oil leak which is destroy the Gulf, the environment and neighboring economies Obama would end ALL BP DRILLING in the US until the leak was 100% sealed and all harm created by the leak healed, fixed and cleaned up. Our country can not afford to have ineffective government. It is simply not working for the

Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves

2010-06-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Hint for a happy moment:If you ever need a little pick me up go to Youtube.com. Search "Sandra and Keanu" and watch some of their junkets and interviews. The two of them are independently quite adorable and together so sweet it'll put a smile on your face and warmth in your heart.Love stories and friendship are necessary for all of us whether our personal strong suits or not. Keanu Reeves and

W.I.F.E. T-Shirt

2010-06-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

Sophie and I saw this t-shirt on a guy while vacationing in Barcelona. It was the first time I had seen it. Wow!That being said, I had no problem at all finding it again on the internet for this photo. The full photo consists of a cute young woman (who appears completely senseless with this top on) with a huge grin on her face.Sooo, is she a W.I.F.E. ??? Is she just happy someone wants to take

The Kid is Cooking: Lasagna

2010-05-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

Sophie's been cooking again. It's one of her favorite pass times. This time she made lasagna - one of my all time favorite dishes.My stepmom used to make a wonderful lasagna dish with cottage cheese rather than ricotta. I've made it a couple times and it has come out quite well. Today, Sophie was initiated into the lasagna club with her rendition.The lasagna came out great! Sophie got called into

Chatty on Airplanes

2010-05-27T05:18:00.000-07:00

When Sophie and I were walking out of the airplane ready to switch planes she started laughing and said how chatty I was on airplanes considering how I'm not much for talking to strangers elsewhere.On our way to Barcelona, we sat next to this very interesting, pretty 20-something lady from Poland who lives in Atlanta with her boyfriend and his two children and is an Economic student, but plans to

Bathrooms in Paris: Even More at CDG Airport

2010-05-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

And here's the carousel ride free for all to ride in the Charles de Gaulle Airport.Unlike the conservative, uptight nature of the French populace, the French bathroom design at CDG Airport is fun and light-hearted, colorful and vivid. Too bad you can't say the same for the people of France...If you think I'm being harsh on the people of France, you clearly haven't spent enough time there. My

Bathrooms in Paris: More CDG Airport

2010-05-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

While France might scoff at the idea of being kind to tourists, Paris takes toilet time and all things related very seriously. France may not think civility high on its list... but bathroom tranquility... now that is essential for all.Apparently, in Paris, one must feel at peace with the world before, during and after crap-time. Perhaps it is fair to say the French take potty-time as seriously

Bathrooms in Paris: CDG Airport

2010-05-11T11:29:00.001-07:00

Fine whimsical example of France's fun approach to bathrooms at the CDG Paris Airport.France has begun to cover its public bathroom walls, floors, doors and entry ways with slick themed murals helping to flush the dull drums in Toiletville right down the sh*tter.