Recession? Bah Humbug!

I am so sick of hearing about "the recession". Frankly, my life hasn't changed one iota in the last three months. It is actually cheaper to buy gas and the stuff in stores is marked down before the end of the year instead of after. Another good thing that has happened is all the obnoxious Xmas ads have been somewhat diminished so I am not as annoyed as I usually am at this time of year. So YAY for that!

The media is blowing this all out of proportion and it's becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. People are going into full panic mode and I just don't understand it. Sure the automotive industry for American-made cars is in trouble but they needed self-correction after innundating the roads with below-standard products for years. Don't punish the employees. They were just following orders and doing their job. MAKE A BETTER PRODUCT!!!

I suppose the people who are carrying a heavy debt load must be suffering but really, if you live beyond your means, you have to expect the bottom to fall out sometime. Today is the day. If you bought a big expensive house that you couldn't really afford, you deserve to go down with everyone else who runs their life like a business always in the red.

There are a lot of people out there who have no debt, live within their means, save 20% or more of their income every year. We are all doing just fine, thank you very much. We are not living a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget. We don't drive our cars to work every day and we don't eat out in fancy restaurants every night. And we use the crockpot every once in a while ...

Tis The Season To Kill Trees

We saw several stores advertising “live” trees for sale over this past weekend and when I saw them cut, bound and ready to be transported to someone’s Christmas tree stand for a short stint of celebrity covered in energy-sucking lights and tinsel that would clog landfills for years to come, I felt a little sick. Once the blade hits the trunk of any tree, it is d.e.a.d. :(

How do we get the balls to keep doing this, year after year? I have a great respect for trees and the positive contribution they make to this pollution-filled world we live in. What part of “An Inconvenient Truth” didn’t y’all understand? *sigh*

Anyway, at the very least, couldn’t they call them “real” trees? (Although even that would be stretching the truth in my opinion.). LEAVE THE TREES IN THE GROUND PLEASE! That is where they do the best work of their long, productive lives.

Is Beige the New Black?

I saw three people wearing beige today and I can tell you, I was not impressed.

What is with these overweight businessmen who hang on to their ratty, beige trench coats for years? And they tie the belt around their waists instead of securing it property. Rob ties his belt but then, he's got a 32" waist so it looks OK. Fat men who do this look like a sausage, cut in half.

Then I saw one of our neighbours, enjoying his morning coffee at a local cafe. He was wearing a beige "mock" turtleneck sweater under a chocolate brown sports jacket. I will admit that this man is also rather large but he is tall and carries his weight well. He has white hair and is rather distinguished looking. However the beige sweater simply negated all those good attributes. And why is it called a "mock" turtleneck? Is it a turtleneck wannbe???

Finally, I saw a young, blonde woman on her way to work wearing a beige down-filled, knee-length winter coat with running shoes. *sigh* There was so much wrong with her outfit, I don't know where to start. Frankly, blondes should never wear beige. It wipes them out colour-wise. The bare legs and the running shoes are also a big no-no. And while we're on the topic, wearing running shoes anywhere except the gym is just stupid.

I have yet to meet anyone who looks good in beige. I don't even like the sound of the word: b.e.i.g.e. It sounds icky and it looks icky. I think it should be outlawed in the fashion world and kept strictly for use in hospital morgues.

Honeymoon Hijinks

The cruise was F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. We were on the Norwegian Gem which is their newest ship -- only one year old. We had a mini-suite with a balcony and I was surprised at how big the bathroom was (we even had a tub!) and how much storage room we had. There were 10 restaurants and 11 bars on board and we only ate in the main diningroom once for dinner. We didn't like it. It was too big and the staff were too harried to make the evening pleasant. They were just moving people in and out of there as fast as they could.

As a result, we opted for the specialty restaurants: Mexican, French, Italian, Asian and Steakhouse. We ate at the Mexican restaurant twice we liked it so much! We ate at the Steakhouse for my birthday and it was really, really nice. They even had a cake for me (which we never ate). We also had brunch at the French restaurant (as well as dinner one night) and it was excellent. We had to pay an extra cover charge for the specialty restaurants ($10 to $15 per person) but it was worth it for the intimacy and the very attentive service.

We went to an art auction our only day at sea (the first day) and bought two prints which are being shipped to us in the next month or so. We didn't buy any jewellery or anything else on board except for booze and internet. I bought a few things for myself -- a silver filagreed Maltese cross in Malta, a Murano glass heart necklace in Nice (cheaper than in Italy!), a Barcelona ball cap, Herbes de Provence and Olive soap in Nice, pasta spices in Sorrento (Rob bought himself a new belt). We didn't go too crazy buying stuff because we were pretty close to our luggage allowance coming over and didn't want to go exceed the amount and pay extra baggage charges going back.

Our trips off the ship were great! We booked private tours in Malta and in Naples. The tour guide in Malta, Flora, was wonderful. The tour guide in Naples, Massimo, was a bit of a joke because neither of us could understand him -- his accent was so strong! LOL He took us to Positano and Sorrento, which were lovely and we skipped Naples altogether as we hadn't heard anything good about it at all.

Rome on our own was amazing! We took the train from the station which was about a 10 minute walk from the port. The trip took 50 minutes and then we grabbed a taxi to the Coliseum. The price of the train was €37 and the taxi was €15. The entrance fee to the Coliseum and Forum was €9 Euros each so we did the whole day for around $100 CDN. The cruise ship wanted almost $300US each for the same type of trip on a bus which would have been slower. We did the same thing in Villefranche and caught the local bus into Nice for €1 each way.

The hotel in Barcelona for our first night (Hotel 1898) was incredible and we loved it there! It was right on Las Ramblas which we walked a lot. The apartment in Barcelona was a little shabby but in a great location. We walked everywhere and saw a lot of sights: Palau de la Musica, La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Barceloneta (the beach!) and Plaza Catalunya. We even went into a big department store called "El Cortes de Ingles". I would like to go back to Barcelona and stay closer to Las Ramblas. It is a beautiful city and the public transportation works very well.

By the time we got to Amsterdam, I was ready to come home. Living out of a suitcase is not my idea of fun and there were just too many flights for my liking but we had nice weather and the apartment was better than Barcelona so we walked around quite a bit and got a nice feeling from Amsterdam. I don't know if we will ever go back but maybe. We didn't go to any of the museums so that is something that I would like to do eventually. There are bicyclists EVERYWHERE there and I found that a bit of a pain in the ass, trying not to get run over by them all the time. On our last night, we had dinner in a really cheerful Tapas restaurant right around the corner from where we were staying so that was definitely a highlight.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW 350+ HONEYMOON PICS

Wedding Pics

There are few photos here:

Casa MoMo Wedding Photos

Speech! Speech!

You may have noticed that I am not a traditional bride. :)

When I was a little girl, I never dreamed of having a big wedding with a white dress and sugar coated cake. I dreamed of writing the great Canadian novel, of travelling to faraway lands and doing things that only boys were supposed to do. Although some of you might not believe this, I wasn’t always a “girly girl”; I was a bit of a tomboy growing up. I know, I know – it’s hard to believe with these heels, right?

It is so gratifying to have my family with me here today, to witness my and Rob’s happiness. They loved him and accepted him from the very start. Frankly, I think my Mom is thrilled that I found someone after all these years. When we called her to tell her about the engagement, I told her she had to go buy a new outfit, something she’s been threatening to do since our third date! And Dad, you can stop worrying about me now, if that is in any way possible for a father like you to do. My brother Greg, thanks so much for being here and sharing in this joy with me. Looks like 2007 was a great year for both of us in the love department! :)

My godparents, Marg and Peter, are here, as well as my favourite aunt, Carmen, and my uncle Steve, who was more like a big brother to me and Greg when we were growing up. Thank you all so much for coming. It means so much to me to have you here.

And I have gained a new sister today! As you may know, Rob’s sister Jane came all the way from South Africa to attend the wedding and I want to take this opportunity to thank her for making that long trip. Jane, your presence here as the Morris family representative means a great deal to both of us.

By now, you have all seen my gorgeous Maid of Honour, Mary Ann. I’ve known this woman since Grade 4 and I sometimes think she knows me better than I know myself. . We have passed through so many of life’s milestones together – I never had any doubt that she would be the one standing beside me today. Thank you, my dear friend, for being here for me – today and always.

I’ve often said that I measure the richness of my life by the quality of my friends so, as you can see, I am a VERY wealthy woman.

Some of my friends have been a part of my life for more than 20 years. Some are newer friends but no less precious. The fact that you are here with me today fills my heart to bursting. Thank you all so much for your friendship and love over the years.

I also want to acknowledge and thank all of Lynn’s friends who have accepted me as Rob’s new wife and allowed me to share in your tender memories of her. Your love and support will go a long way in ensuring the success of our marriage.

Finally, there’s my Rob -- a “Man of Action” if ever there was one. I’ve been calling him that since our first date when he told me I should sell my condo, move in and marry him. He denies he ever said such a thing but I will never forget it. I didn’t know what to think of him. He was very persistent and seemed sure of everything, including me. We came into this relationship with very different lifestyles and I fought him every step of the way. But he wore me down with his tenderness, his zany sense of humour, his generous spirit and his unshakeable love for me. I didn’t stand a chance.

And look what happened today! OMG! I’m married!!! I can barely believe it myself sometimes. Rob, I love you and I’m looking forwarding to sharing the next 40 or 50 years with you. *wink*

Thank you everyone for sharing this wonderful day with us!

A TOAST TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!

Sadness

This photo on the cover of The National Post brought tears to my eyes today, along with the article about the repatriation of the latest Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan.

There is something so pure about a child's grief. It has the power to cut through all the polictics and all the rhetoric and get to the heart of the matter: Canadian soldiers are selflessly giving their lives for a country many of us will never see. They are proud of the job they're doing and believe they are making a difference.

The way Canadians in Ontario, along the "Highway of Heroes", are marking the passing of these amazing young men and women, is being noticed around the world.

Love This!

I was sent this today as part of a mass email about National Girlfriends' Week. Frankly, as far as I'm concerned, every DAY is Girlfriends' Day!

I Want A Dog!

Isn't this guy the cutest ever???

The Mysterious Bonds of Friendship

You may not see them all the time but when you do, the time and distance between you disappears and it is as if you were never parted. I have many friends like this (and you know who you are). Friends from grade school, friends from high school, friends met on vacations, friends from old jobs, old relationships and other decades. Friends who knew me as I was then but are excited to see me as I am now. These are my “accepting” friends – my “deep down, buried in my heart” friends.

I have a friend who I haven’t seen for 4 or 5 years now. She pops into my mind at the oddest times. I think of her often this time of year (spring and early summer) because when we met 22 years ago, it was early April. We slept in the same room for 10 weeks. After that we moved and slept down the hall from one another for many months until we finally parted over a year later. I always think about her in June because her birthday is the last day of the month. For the last week, I’ve been thinking about her constantly and frantically searching the internet for any sign of her.

Today I decided to google her email address and discovered her mother using it for a geneology search. I had met her mother a few times and really liked her. When I googled her mother’s name, I found an Ebituary. My stomach dropped. I scanned the listing quickly, searching for my friend’s name. She was listed as one of the bereaved. So was her mother. It was then that I realized her older sister had just died, six days ago. The funeral was held just two days ago. The skin on my arms started prickling the way it does when something unusual happens. I read the online condolences and added my own.

Today at lunch, I will be buying her a sympathy card, along with a birthday card and I will no longer put off writing her that long ago promised letter.

Putting Myself Out There

I've never been afraid to give my opinion, in writing or when asked personally. With the invention of the internet (yes, I'm that old that I can say the internet was "invented" during my lifetime), I have joined a number of forums or online bulletin boards, most which deal with Puerto Vallarta. I met my good friend Colleen on a PV forum way back in 2002 -- I was going on my first solo trip and was looking to hang out with some other single women. She responded to my post and we've been great friends ever since. In fact, I've met a lot of really wonderful people through the internets.

Unfortunately, when you go "public" with your point of view, anyone with a keyboard can take a metaphorical swing at you. That's the risk you take but, as I often say, life without risk isn't really living. I always use my real name and post my email address. I figure if anyone has a beef with something I've written, they can contact me directly. Unfortunately, postings on the internet can easily be misinterpreted (smiley faces can't always save the day!) and feelings get hurt. I've learned that people's interpretations can be grossly different, even with respect to the most simple and inane topics. And writing a blog puts you at risk of anyone taking offence to something you've written.

Oh well!

I received quite a few mean-spirited comments on this blog and the other one I wrote when I lived in Vallarta. Usually by some asshole named "Anonymous" who is big on providing their negative, defamatory opinion but not big enough to sign their name and take responsibility for it. Cowards. Thankfully, the positive feedback usually outnumbers the bad by 100 to 1 which just goes to show you -- if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. LOL

Me

Here is a recent photo of me taken with a huge glass of red wine. Someone remarked that it looked like I was holding a huge knife in my hand (apparently the sleeve of the waiter behind me looks like a butcher's blade).

Whatever ... people see what they want to see.

The TTC

Last weekend, the TTC gave the City of Toronto notice that they were going out on strike on Monday April 21st. Bastards. I think that we should all boycott them for a few days and see how they like when WE go on strike!

Actually, in preparation for the strike last Monday, Rob and I decided to try walking to work. I had no idea how long it would take us but I figured less than an hour. We had a whole week of beautiful weather in which to try our test.

Monday was gorgeous -- mild and sunny. We got up at 6:30AM (instead of the usual 6AM when we used to go the gym) and left the house at 7:30AM, wearing our running shoes with our business attire (not a nice look).

I wore a cotton top because I knew I would be glowing by the time I reached my destination. My Beloved spent most of his formative years in Yorkshire so he LOVES to walk. I had a difficult time keeping up with him!

We walked straight down Yonge Street. There wasn't a lot of traffic and not too many people on the sidewalks. We stayed on the east side of the street, out of the sun. There was a slight breeze. It was quite pleasant! The walk took 45 minutes.

Thankfully, the walk downtown is mostly downhill so it was a relatively easy walk. By the end of the week, I was quite used to it and my legs weren't shaking so much any more. I invested the $10+ I saved in TTC fare to buy a lottery ticket.

If I win, I will never have to take the TTC again!

Why I Don't Post ...

I know I don't post much any more and that bothers me sometimes. My new job is so incredibly busy, I barely have time to check my personal email, let alone blog. My new relationship also keeps me incredibly busy. Rob and I share an online calendar together so that we can keep all of our social and business engagements organized. We are now booking weekend in JUNE which, when I think about it, is absolutely ridiculous.

But we're very happy together and we love keeping busy. We still find the odd evening to sit at home and do "nothing" -- after dinner is made, eaten, the kitchen is cleaned up, the laundry and ironing are done, the personal phone calls and emails are returned, we occasionally find time to catch one of our favourite shows on TV -- like Dancing With The Stars (we can thank my Mom, the former ballroom dancer, for getting us hooked on that one!) and CSI.

Life is good! :) More to come ...

Happy Easter!

It's Winter!!!

Enough already! I'm not saying enough of winter but enough of people complaining about it. We live in Canada. It is winter. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect snow and cold in February and even into March. Hell, sometimes it even snows in April. GET OVER IT!

I think Canadians aren't happy unless they are bitching about the weather. I know I've done it myself but since living in a country with NO seasons, I don't harp about it any more. In fact, I'm not finding this winter too bad. Since I moved, I only have to walk two blocks to the subway so I'm not standing around waiting for a bus any more. Plus, I no longer have to take buses or trains to get out of the City. And I don't have to shovel snow (although I always liked doing it).

NEWSFLASH on Saturday March 8th --> It's still snowing and it's still winter! LOL

Photos from NYC

This was taken at Rockafeller Centre while the Zamboni was cleaning the ice of the skating rink:



This was taken inside Grand Central Station on Sunday afternoon. I just love the inside of old train stations:



Rob took this photo on our first night, while walking back on 42nd Street. It has a Gotham City-like quality to it which I like:


We were enthralled by some of building facades in Manhattan and the camera caught their sharp, detailed edges very well:

Snow Day!

It snowed over night and the park out the back of our place was a winter wonderland this morning. I don't mind winter so much any more. I enjoy all the seasons here in Canada -- each one has its own special charm.

I Ate New York!

If you want to eat in a good restaurant in New York, you have to make reservations. Rob made numerous suggestions but after doing some research on Trip Advisor and www.chow.com, I found a few I liked. Unfortunately, the Gramercy Tavern was booked at normal eating times (we could have had dinner there at 4PM or midnight). So our second choice for Friday night was Alcalá. It was sort of in the neighbourhood where we were staying but, because of the weather, we decided to take a cab. Unfortunately, there were none to be found so our doorman ran up the street to find an unmarked taxi who charged us $20 to go about 10 blocks. At this stage of the game (15 minutes prior to our reservation at 8PM), we weren't in any position to argue with the man. I was uncertain at first whether he was going to hold us hostage or take us to our destination but he proved to be a most admirable fellow (as were all the taxi drivers we encountered) and dropped us on the corner.

The restaurant itself was warm and intimate. We counted 36 seats and we got the last two at our reserved time. The couple sitting next to us were finishing a dinner of seafood paella so we decided then and there, that's what we were having. Our appetizers were a fabulous start -- mushrooms in garlic (lots and lots of garlic!) and a green mesclun salad. The bread was warm and freshly baked, served with creamy butter. We ordered a bottle Martinez Lacuesta Tempranillo Rioja 1999 for $48 but they soon informed us that they were out of that particular wine. Instead, they offered us the 1998 for same price! It was a wonderful companion to our meal. Most of the waiters were Spanish-speaking and Mexican so it was nice to be able to talk to them in their native language. No dessert for us after this fabulous meal but we decided to walk home since the rain had stopped.

On our second night, we had reservations at Basso56. I had again found this on the internet and was intrigued by their Italian menu and their self-depricating description of being "chic but unpretentious". We took a taxi and were there a few minutes before our 8PM reservation time. Although the restaurant was packed, we were shown to a table for four in the corner. My thoughtful companion had called ahead to request a "special table for a special evening". As is our habit, we ordered two appetizers to share -- grilled eggplant stuffed with goat cheese and pan-seared scallops with sauteed wild mushrooms. The bread was fantastic and they gave us fresh olives as well. We don't know a lot about Italian wine, preferring Spanish or South American wine, so we ordered something reasonably priced, at the waiter's recommendation and were not disappointed. My pasta selection was a little bit underwhelming with there being more pasta than shrimp and asparagus but Rob really enjoyed his meal and the coffee served afterwards. Again, we walked home from the restaurant to aid in our digestion of this wonderful meal.

On Sunday, we had brunch reservations at The View in the Marriott Marquis Times Square hotel. This place is huge and the elevator ride to the top of the hotel was terrifying for me! I'm not great with heights and have horrible motion-sickness on an empty stomach. Once there, I was still a little bit wobbly and then realized that the restaurant was revolving! So it wasn't just me ... LOL Sunday was actually a beautiful, sunny day so the view from The View was incredible. The food wasn't bad either although we spun by the dessert table far too early and when I saw the chocolate fountain for the first time, I was very excited. I didn't eat any "breakfast" foods other than a croissant. I had a small chicken breast, potatoes au gratin, basmati rice, ravioli with broccoli and fresh tomatoes. We had cheese and fruit and shrimp and salads and half a bagel each with cream cheese and delicious smoked salmon. I also sucked back a couple of mimosas (champagne and orange juice) before tackling the dessert table. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the chocolate fountain and every woman around me voiced her disappointment when we saw the various pieces of it being dismantled. Thankfully, it was fixed right before we left so we tasted a small sample with strawberries.

Brunch was great and VERY expensive at $70 per person!!! We had reservations that evening for a swanky French restaurant but opted out of that and settled for something smaller and simpler after our rather large, opulent brunch. And I almost forgot to mention this authentic French brasserie we found in Lower Manhattan on Sunday afternoon. It was one of the few places open in this construction-laden area of the city. It was called Brasserie Les Halles and it was a delight! I felt like we were in Paris again except with better food! LOL I had a thirst for some beer so we started with un pression (draught beer) and then ordered lunch. Rob had salad and a soup of black bean puree and pico de gallo. I had a chicken sandwich with frites and a small salad. The food was really, really tasty and perfect for a cold, windy day downtown.

Born Again Virgin

Against all better judgement, I went out today and got a cell phone for use in Canada and (apparently) the U.S. As many of you know, I've been resisting this step for a long time now and have only ever owned a cell phone out of necessity when I was living in Mexico and didn't have a land line coming into my apartment. So for $20 a month (plus tax), I have 200 minutes for incoming and outgoing calls. The only part of cell phone usage that I really liked was text messaging so I'm paying another $3 a month (plus tax) for the privilege of sending text messages to people in Canada and the U.S.

The catalyst was actually my 70-year-old mother who called me one night to tell me that she and her friend, Helen, were "Virgins". They'd been talked into buying cell phones by some guy at the mall. They both drive so a cell phone is probably a good idea (especially in this cold, cold weather). Since I don't drive, what's my excuse? Well, it's pretty difficult to find a working pay phone in this City. Plus I think it costs more than 25 cents now (I remember when it cost a dime!). There are a number of times when I'm out and about when I need to confab with my significant other (he has a Blackberry through his work) so I thought this was the lessor of two evils.

I went with Virgin because it was cheap (around $25 per month, in total); they have no extra charges for the service or 911 (everyone else charges $6.95+ per month for these items) and all the extras (calling waiting, call answer, call forwarding, etc.) are included in the price. Plus, I can manage the account online which means no trying to call real people to get answers to questions about my account. And there's no contract so I can change or cancel it at any time. So wish me luck and if you want to call me, send me an email for my number (which I can't remember right now -- must look in the box when I get home). LOL

This is NOT a Knitting Blog (not that there's anything wrong with that)

I used to knit quite a bit. In fact, I've made four adult-size Fair Isle sweaters "in the round". However, it's been a while since I've picked up any needles. After reading CAP's blog for a couple of months now, I've kind of had a hankering to start knitting again. I know, I know ... the power of persuasion. But I always liked knitting so I thought I would give it a shot, especially after she posted this really easy pattern for a "Mistake" Rib Stitch scarf on January 17th. I thought it was a great way to get back into knitting and I've been sort of obsessed with scarves lately.

So I bought some wool at Walmart. Remember when all department stores used to carry wool and fabrics and other "crafty" wares? Not anymore ... but I did find some great "wool" at Walmart for under $5 and the needles were even less. So for a small investment, I've got myself the makings for a beautiful homemade scarf. Unfortunately, I cannot wear wool or mohair or anything remotely related to a sheep next to my skin. So I bought 100% Acrylic "wool" and it is soft, luxurious and washable.

Here is the ball of acrylic product I bought:














And here are the sexy lavendar metal needles I bought. I wasn't sure of the size to buy because I wanted the scarf to be big, but not too big, so I settled on size 11(US) or 8 mm (Canada). Here's what they look like:














So then I started knitting. Actually, the pattern is K2, P2 so it's fairly easy and mindless. We watched the Godfather last night for about 4 hours and then I put in a few more hours this afternoon and the scarf is already over three feet long!














Anyway, I am having a lot of fun and Rob can't believe how fast the scarf is growing! LOL

Monster Children

I recently read this on an internet bulletin board:

I will be travelling to PV in a couple weeks with my family. My daughter (6) is a VERY picky eater -- no point in fighting her, she's stubborn, too -- so we're thinking of bringing along her favourite brand of peanut butter, ketchup and cheese slices. I know, she sounds awful, but she's a lovely girl, eating habits notwithstanding... I know that ketchup is readily available at the resort we're staying at, but not her brand (I know, I know...) My question is, is it 'legal' to import a small amount of these items for our personal use? It would be just enough for a week's stay. Thanks!

Being non-breeders, my girlfriends and I had a field day with this one! One of us thought the family should "stay home". Another one of us proclaimed that monster children grow into monster adults! I thought she would probably grow up to become a serial killer. LOL

We've all met children like this and the parents who coddle them in order to "keep the peace". We experienced a few of them when we were in Mexico, using the hallways of the condo as their "playground" or acting up around the pool. The one at the pool was especially evil since she insisted on emitting ear-splitting screeches every time her parents did not watch her performances in the pool. I'm actually surprised everyone's sunglasses didn't shatter from the level of this girl's screams. Her parents just smiled and capitulated to her every whim. I wanted to drown her.

My brother used to be a "problem" child. He was very hyper-active and loud. Well, to be fair, we were all loud on my Dad's side of the family because of that Italian blood. My Mom used to cringe whenever the whole "tribe" got together. My Dad has five sisters and even one or two of them in a small room can make a lot of noise! So whenever we were invited anywhere as a family, a familiar question was "Are you going to bring Greg?" I actually enjoyed having my brother be the centre of attention -- it left me free to do my own thing without any supervision. Haha ...

We finally decided that these monster children and their parents need an attitude adjustment. You only need to watch one episode of Super Nanny with Jo Frost to understand this. Once you let the kids run the show, it's becomes "all about them". If the parents of this finicky six-year-old don't fix this now, Miss Thing will be ordering peanut butter, ketchup and cheese sandwiches well into her 30s!