How Do You Spell Happy?

Lately I've been playing Scrabble with my seven year old and for our vacation I decided to grab the game and take it with us. It must be telling that at least for part of our vacation we spent the time spelling. (We were truly committed to cost effective fun.) T-r-i-d-e-n-t was my high point...a surprise for my husband and mother.

I can't remember laughing as much while playing at 2 a.m. with my mother who accused us of cheating, and my husband defending his vocabulary with a host of explicit adult phrases. Although his law school conversations were quite the point of interest while dating - he tells me this week, "I've never played Scrabble before." We had large doses of rip roaring fun with politically incorrect words and misspelled slang to establish supreme spelling rights.

We failed to have a dictionary on hand and that was the least of our rule issues. Challenges were handled a bit off the cuff and reworking letters happened often for folks who truly can't spell worth a dang. Spell check has made us pretty lazy. Riden anyone? Nutbag? I am so not kidding. And yes, I did indeed win three very competitive games.

Yet, I'm not posting about winning. Our vacation was based on the root word - vacate. As in - all I wanted to do was to make sure that I was able to vacate my home and traditional obligations. Our experiences were based on many a oxymoron. For some small period of time it didn't matter that I did laundry at the Holiday Inn - I didn't do it at home. It didn't matter that we had bad takeout - I ate in my grandmother's dinning room, as she watched on while 3 generations soaked up her cable, couch, hospitality and love. (Not to mention she had gone to the Senior Center that day - blog readers - the one I enrolled her in!)

My daughter drifted off to sleep in "Uncle Brook's room" a place that gets smaller and smaller every time I go home - but seemed larger than life when my mother placed him closest to her room and the bathroom when we first moved in 25 years ago.

We went to the pool, plenty. I'll post later about the swim lessons at the Country Club - they deserve more than a brief mention. Yet, my daughter only cared that for consecutive days she was immersed in sun and fun. The process of learning to swim coupled with French braids and the ability to go to the pool daily has made her very happy. The boys identified watching cable (Disney Channel unlimited) at Bigmama's as one of their favorite Summer experiences - just when I was ready to pay for another week of camp!

So, we spent a bit of time with family and friends. We played together, walked in 90 degree heat to visit zoo animals, climbed the rock wall on our Children's Museum membership (free bonus!) and I ate too much sugar. I just wanted to document cheap thrills before you endure a 3 page post about some future Disney trip that we can afford or the first time I take all the kidlets abroad. Right now my daughter is at a sleep over where a dear friend took 10 pre-teen girls to Benihana and jewelry making. (You go girl!) My sons are eating cereal for dinner (yes, I said it) and I'm blogging about the power of words.

Simple.
Happy.
Together.
Family.
Friends.
Summer.

and to top it off - I'm getting ready to learn how to swim. Funny. Vacation. This will have to replace my slacker camp or camp underachiever post. I think we done good.

For the Love of Starbucks...Ratatouille

I don't care one iota about what people say. I like my Starbucks. Specifically, although I have no business purchasing $3.80 coffee - a grande, sugar free hazelnut, non-fat latte, with 2 splenda is good for the soul. I think, when made correctly, it has the power to genuinely alter your day. If it has the required service and the atmosphere of making you feel as if it is the most important drink made in the entire day - I save have it. Heck, if you can afford it, and you skipped the 500 calorie cold treat, I say you deserve a prize.

Yesterday, while at Starbucks (armed with a gift card) I encountered Sneak Preview passes for the movie, Ratatouille. I was going to pick up my kids that had been in the care of a good friend, and I was picking up her favorite drink as a way to say thank you. Her drink is an entirely different story - diva at its worst. But she's worth it.

So the passes were an "admit 2 free" for tonight's preview of Ratatouille. Kidlets ages 7, 5 and 3 have been on a roller coaster of "inexpensive" Summer treats, and we've had our good days and our bad. I didn't put my hopes up as there are usually way more passes than seats and although we try hard we are are rarely more than 20 minutes early. It was loosely in the back of my mind but I hadn't even told the kids.

Fast forward to the short version. I had a difficult start to my morning. In the process, I decided to spend $2.00 hard to come by "mommy dollars" on a iced tea at Starbucks. My great hope of the morning was that one of my giftcards had enough to make my purchase a few pennies at best. I hit the JACKPOT! A card with a $16 balance from I don't even know when. I took it as a divine sign.

Armed with renewed energy - we went to library programs, read 10 books, went to Tae Kwon Do, and I packed a bag of snacks, and we headed to the theater. I know they could have easily harassed me about my book bag of a purse - but not a peep. As long as I wasn't taping the movie - I was fine. We arrived in time to get good seats, the kids thoroughly enjoyed the movie, only one bathroom interruption, Lay's baked chip snacks, and......walaa. Reason 456B why I love Starbucks - first, Akeelah and the Bee, now family entertainment for 4 (dad worked late) yippee!!

In case you want to ask about my $3.80 drink, it would have cost $38.00 to take 4 people to an evening movie with snacks and beverages and I am so sure that I came out on top. Now, if you calculate what I have spent in my lifetime on Starbucks, without owning stock - well Ratatouille on you.

A simple tale of a rat who wanted to be a chef, friendship tests, complex worlds, a heartfelt desire to be more, living up to expectations - or the lack thereof in your life, the tagline that "Anyone can be a (you fill in the blank kid lesson)" , and wonderful graphics of Paris that make we want to go even more - priceless. Well, in this case $3.80. Now, I might ask why this animated kids film needed two kissing scenes, but some reviewer will nail them for it. (Please.) Good entertainment, and their brand loyalty is safe on me, at least for the remaining balance of the many cards that are in my home. I am so glad people that love me support my addiction so well...they should be happy to know, upon occasion, it blesses the entire family.