Taking the Kids out on Your Florida Spring Break

Archive for May, 2006

Taking the Kids out on Your Florida Spring Break

Wednesday, May 31st, 2006

Florida is the spring break capital of the United States and has something for everyone, families and party-crazy college students alike. There are many types of vacations to choose from, depending on your personal tastes, with many locations to visit, both coastal and inland. You can even combine excursions, depending on how much time and money you have to spend. From the northern to the southern part of the state, popular attractions, national forests, and state nature conservancies abound. The Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean are both only a short drive away if you want to be near the water and you can visit more than one of those great Florida beaches for fun, sun, and surf!

If you’re planning on taking the kids on your Florida spring break, Disney World in Orlando would be an excellent choice, with its outstanding theme parks and attractions, including the popular Epcot Center and Magic Kingdom. For the space enthusiast, there is Cape Canaveral, NASA, and the Kennedy Space Center close by, with many onsite tours, museums, and gift shops that offer a great selection of must have souvenirs. If a family vacation is not what you had in mind, you might want to brave the hoards of crazy partying college students at some of the most popular Florida spring break destinations, Daytona Beach, Panama City, St. Petersburg, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, or Miami Beach. The Florida Keys and Key West may offer a quiet stretch of beach, but rest assured, that this will be a rarity during this time of the year.

There are many websites you can check out to find a Florida spring break vacation that is right for you. Also, you can request information ahead of time from the State of Florida regarding tourism information, weather, events, and activities. Most resorts and hotels cater to travelers at this time of year as well, and it is possible to find some great discounts with many freebies included. Since many students are traveling on a budget, these offers are very attractive and hotels book up quickly. So if you find something that looks attractive at the right price, you better grab it. Online travel tips are also available for students regarding some of the darker aspects of spring break, such as date rape drugs, a sure way to spoil spring break. Whatever you decide to do, you’ll have a great time in Florida, the sun capital of the country!

Posted in Children, Family, Living Together, Marriage, Others, Special Events, Travel, Vacations | No Comments »

Who Provide the Wedding Money?

Tuesday, May 30th, 2006

Everyone knows someone who has been married or has been a member of a wedding party. Weddings have not really changed too much over the centuries. Basic rules and decorum still stand the test of time during the ceremony and reception. People basically know their roles and responsibility during this rite of passage.

However, wedding money remains one topic that seems to be a little confusing for most couples and families. Basically, it comes down to the question, who pays for what? One would think that sources of wedding money are common knowledge, but I recently was put to the test, and failed miserably.

First of all, I was shocked that most of the expenses seem to fall on the bride’s family. This side of the party has to come up with wedding money for a number of things. They pay for the reception hall, the caterer and the entertainment for the reception festivities. Not only do they provide wedding money for the food and entertainment, but for the decorations, too.

Parents of the bride also pay for the church or location of the nuptials. I was really surprised by this because I just assumed that the bride and groom would be responsible for this. I was equally surprised that the parents of the bride come up with wedding money for invitations as well.

It seems as if the parents of the groom have to come up with a lot less wedding money for the occasion. They pay for the rehearsal dinner and for liquor served at the reception, if any. I was surprised that this was the only things on the list of responsibilities for this side of the party.

However, this does make some sense if we look at the history of wedding money in general. Years and years ago, the bride’s family would offer a dowry to go with their daughter. Perhaps the division of duties among the families reflects that basic concept.

I continued down through the rest of the list and was struck by the groom’s responsibilities. I think that we can let his parents slide on some of the wedding money. The groom may need a loan from them after all is said and done. The bride was not responsible for any wedding money whatsoever.

I am curious how other people financed the wedding. I heard of dowry from my Asian friends. They seem to have very strict rules on who to pay for which item. I began to think how lucky my husband and I were that we simply financed the whole thing ourselves.

Posted in Engagement, For the Wedding, Honeymoon, Living Together, Marriage, Others, Party, Special Events, Wedding Anniversary | No Comments »

Bridesmaid Dresses

Monday, May 29th, 2006

My sister is planning her wedding to take place in early Fall of this year. There is so much planning to do, from the basics of choosing colors, to the intricate details of selecting fabrics for dresses.

I talked to my sister recently about how her wedding planning is progressing. She has chosen to go with brown and pink as her wedding colors. These colors seem very suitable and are a welcome reprieve from more traditional colors that seem to be chosen most often. She will likely choose a wedding dress with some well-placed embroidery of brown and or pink flowers over the background of white. From some the photos she’s shared, the effect should be quite breathtaking.

The next step will be to choose the wardrobe for the bridal party. Since I will be included, the most exciting part for me with be selecting bridesmaid dresses. My sister will likely have a group of friends stand up for her. We’ve talked about it, and along with our other sister and me, she will likely ask a couple of other friends as well. While we were talking she went into some detail about her vision for the bridesmaid dresses. She is thinking of having them made in a shiny brown material with an empire waistline. Along the waistline there will be some ribbing likely in a velvet material in the particular shade of pink that she’s chosen. The bridesmaid dresses will be floor length with flowing skirts and will be sleeveless. Chiffon scarves will be worn by all the girls in complementing colors to complete the effect.

At first, my sister had intended to buy off-the-rack bridesmaid dresses, thinking that this would cut back on the bother and expense involved. However, with so many people being in the bridal party it’s very difficult to select one style of bridesmaid dresses that will suit everyone involved. Seldom does one style suit all manner of body shapes, heights and serve to highlight best features, while downplaying less flattering areas. So, she’s realized that choosing fabric and having these dresses made is likely her best bet. She plans for the bridesmaid dresses to all be very similar, however, she is open to slight variations to each dress, according to the preferences of each girl who actually has to wear them.

I think this approach is very considerate, reasonable and will make for the best end result. I’ve been involved in weddings in the past where the bride was an absolute dictator, with no consideration for the feelings, likes and dislikes of those supporting her by being in the bridal party. This only served to create an atmosphere of hurt feelings and animosity. The bridesmaid dresses that this particular bride insisted be worn, turned out to be very unflattering and downright ugly, and the resulting pictures left for much to be desired.

If you are still unsure of your bridesmaid dresses, you can try asking your bridesmaid tailor for some fabric samples. This will be a good start.

Posted in Engagement, Family, For the Wedding, Marriage, Party, Personal, Special Events | No Comments »

How Far to Trust a Birth Chart?

Monday, May 29th, 2006

Ever since we discovered that my wife was pregnant, life itself changed drastically for both of us. We were no longer the misty eyed, loving couple we had once been. Almost overnight, as soon as the pregnancy test turned positive, we morphed into what I can only describe as a pair of paranoid, over concerned would be parents. But the changes were more than mind deep. They went deep down into our souls and schedules. And nothing could have impacted our lives than the discovery of the birth chart.

My wife, in her constant trawl on the web for baby resources, had come across a birth chart. Simply put, this birth chart is nothing but an excel file that tracks the progress of the pregnancy month on month and keeps us updated on the changes that she would be undergoing. Notice that I say she, but what I actually mean is we. After all, being directly responsible for the pregnancy in the first place, I could not hope to escape the havoc that the birth chart would wreck now, could I?

Anyways, to get back to the birth chart, it soon became an integral part of our lives. My wife had printed out the whole thing and it ran into 40 pages of color coded blocks of text, indicating the various stages of her pregnancy. While I was initially enamored by the birth chart, as the pregnancy progressed, my wife began looking at it as some sort of bible that would tell her how to live her life.

The first area where the birth chart had an impact on our lives was naturally on our diets. Suddenly, some of my best loved foods were banished from not just the kitchen, but the household as well. When I tried to question her, she gave me that I know what is best for me and our baby look and effectively silenced me. The second area that was soon invaded and conquered was the waking and sleeping moments. Rather than wait for the baby to be born in order to adjust our sleep cycles, my wife mapped out the predictions and comments in the birth chart to regulate our sleeping moments. Which is why I would suddenly find myself rudely being shaken out of my beauty sleep in order to feel the baby move at all odd times of the day and night.

But I drew the line when the birth chart was used to regulate my dressing as well. I mean how did it matter what I wore as the baby could never see me of hope to be influenced by it. If I had a nagging suspicion before that my wife was using the birth chart to gain control over my life, it was now confirmed.

As much as I hate to be waken at odd hours, it’s worth it. Even before her birth, she is already a part of our everyday life. My wife and I find ourselves talking with her all the time! Our bundle of joy.

I have brought a Canon PowerShot SD450 Digital Camera especially for her.

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Digital Camera Recommendation: PowerShot SD450 Works for Me.

Sunday, May 28th, 2006

I have asked my friend for digital camera recommendations before, but ended up in such a nightmare of an imbroglio that I will never ask him again. It was the day after Thanksgiving, the day known as Black Friday and the day I have faithfully avoided participating in as I have kenophobia (fear of being crowded/crowds) and, well, just have no interest in competing for a hotdog with the other angry, anxious, screaming, bumping customers on line.

But as my friend had been seeking his own digital camera recommendations and had found a flyer for an awesome one-day-only deal, I had promised to keep my friend company at the popular electronics store sale which started, ugh, at 6 a.m. that day. The sale featured this Canon for 200 bucks, normally priced 350. The offer was for one per person, and since my friend wanted two, well, you get why I went along. Such a good friend am I.

The line to the store (which hadn’t yet opened, as it was 5:45 in the morning, still dark, for God’s sake) was around the store. The others in line were fresh, alert, perky, and even friendly. Some were discussing recommendations for TVs or refrigerators, others were probing strangers to find out what items were the most coveted, others were free with their offers of digital camera recommendations that pointed AWAY from the best deals. It was false friendliness and cutthroat prep time. It was already getting me hyperventilating.

Once the store clerks opened that door, the crowd in a reasonable line dispersed into aisles for the computer supplies and equipment, the DVD aisles, the big screen TV and huge appliance aisles. So I thought we were safe. We asked a courtesy clerk to direct us to the Canon on sale. He pointed gave some labyrinthine instruction, we followed it, and we knew we had arrived in the right place because a SEA of customers were crushing and pressing against a tiny warehouse counter. There up front, one clerk would hold up one camera box and all the hands would go up as if waiting for the bride to throw here bouquet or the all-star ball player to hit the ball in their direction. There was no line, so sanity, no air.

Then the clerk gave a visible shrug and empty-handed gesture that made the crowds dissolve, leaving the polite ones without, of course, a camera. But we were clever: we asked a floor-walker to check for the model my friend sought, by asking if we could have the floor sample, the last one on the shelf on display. She went off to ask and in the meantime a bunch of greedy freaks began milling about our area, sniffing out the potential for pouncing. The young woman returned, unlocked a lower cabinet drawer, and voila! There were about six more of this particular camera. Immediately, of course, tens of hands and bodies were lunging. I would have none of that, however, and hip-checked their asses away. At the same time, this nice man who had been chatting us up while we waited was in the drawer, scooped out a camera box, shoved some brat to the side, and handed us the camera. Now that was the moment my faith in the last of the well-mannered was replenished.

I still, though, make my own digital camera recommendations, now, for you to avoid the same nonsensical pain. Order one online.

I own a Canon PowerShot SD450 Digital Camera. It’s awesome. The camera is equipped with a 3x optical zoom lens with a focal length of 5.8“17.4 mm (35 mm film equivalent 35â€“105 mm), which is ideal for a wide range of photography including snapshots and scenic shots.

If you are interested in getting one for yourself, check out Amazon.com.

Posted in Children, Family, Gifts, Living Together, Marriage, Others, Personal, Travel, Vacations | No Comments »

Archive for May, 2006