Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

Hello and Happy almost Friday! Sounds better than just plain old Thursday doesn't it? I must say, I am in a very good mood this morning. Why you ask? I am the latest recipient of a spray tan. Well that, and I have a bit of a caffeine buzz on this morning. As I look down at my bronzed arms typing away, I must declare spray tans are not just for Britney Spears and the cast of Dancing With the Stars. It may be the perfect Mommy pick me up. Look like you got away to the Carribean without the price tag. And, you get the appearance enhancing quality without going all Heidi Montag Pratt (that's code for crazy plastic surgery). Perhaps it is not the spray tan itself, but the fact I got mine via a "Spray Tan Party" that I hosted last night and did this in the company of six other girlfriends. Fun!

I was totally ready to trade in my "winter glow" (white glow worthy of avoiding any black light) for a summer one (bronze glow synonyous with relaxed summer days and less makeup) and had a conversation with some friends who felt the same. I have another friend who provides the spray tan service and was looking for business. This business girl knows a win win when I see it. Turns out my friend who does the spray tanning does it in a party format, so I said, "Sign me up!" My spray tan friend offers the service for $35. Helloooooo bargain (instant happiness)! If you ask me, this also beats the pants off of $35 of doo hickies you would buy at a typical demonstration. Now, this is not the party you can invite the masses to, you really need to go eight or less unless you want to party into the wee hours (hmmmmm on second thought). So I gather some of my neighborhood posse and we got giddy over our little aesthetic shin dig.

What do I wear? Could we be any more predictable in asking this question? We all wore something bathing suit-esque and were told to wear dark loose clothing for afterwards. We all showed up in our bathing suits and little pool cover up dresses (most were black - there's a shocker). No make up, hair up, equals Instant pool/vacation vibe. I was happy everyone opted for a pomegranate martini which we renamed the "Tan-tini" for the evening festivities. Truthfully I wanted to create a new cocktail for this with some sort of orange juice and orange flavored vodka. Two sips of my first not-so-successful concoction made me realize I would be hammered by 4pm (roll tape for Housewives of Montgomery County...no thanks). I settled for my favorite, renamed.

Can she spray tan abs and boobs on me? Sadly, no. It was a spray tan party, not an airbrush party (I would pay big bucks to go to that one - wonder if that could be the next millionaire mom idea?). The best I could do was serve light fare for food as to not create additional bloat.

How are we going to do this? My friend/technician set up a tent in my garage which we stood in to get all tanned up. For ventilation purposes, the garage door had to stay open. No worries, the tent saved everyone from passing eyes. The tan process also gave us a chance to laugh at ourselves as we posed as a body builder, egyptian and as if we were being arrested to make sure all body parts were "tanned" sufficiently. As each person came back into the kitchen we cheered them on and admired their tan.

Special instructions? Yeah, there's a good number of those, the most important being, no showering 6-8 hours afterwards. However, be sure to shower before you go into your next sweat session alas, your tan will turn green. I will admit I get a bit "Grinchy" in spin class, but no need to get all literal about it.

Facing facts, standing in front of a gal in your bathing suit in someone's garage...let's just say you could have snapped a picture (as if) and planted it next to "awkward" in the dictionary. My friend/technician was great in making us all feel comfortable...even me who is still a bit post partum blobish. Anyway, if anyone wants her name to throw your own party, drop me an e-mail. (There's nothing in it for me...just spreading sunshine)

So I am still basking in the glow (literally) of my most recent gathering. Girlfriends make the world go round. They are there for the good, the bad and the ugly. Who got me my last job? Girlfriend. When I was in potty training hell with my daughter, who had the solution? Girlfriend. May I say, "Girlfriends for government!" I'll bet you we could find a solution to the BP oil spill (no levity to be found there). May I propose "Girlfriends Day?" Kind of like Mother's Day, but instead of flowers and brunch, you gather your girls and get some sort of spa service and have a cocktail. Brilliant right?! Until we get that pushed through, gather your girlfriends and celebrate your friendship. Whether it's a tan party or not, you'll still come out with a glow.

The Business of Father Time

Greetings peeps! I know, I know, I have been crazy absentee. The past few weeks have been nuts as many of you moms can sympathize. Apparantly there are some nazi bloggers out there who say you need to write consistently two to three times a week. My thought is, until it pays the bills, it's called a hobby and doesn't always make it to the top of the to do list. Well, that and the past three issues of Us Magazine didn't give me anything I was really excited to write about (clearly the first sign of the apocolypse). The real source of my problem though is Father Time. If he were on Facebook I would totally "unfriend him"(or at least provide justification for a "dislike" button). That being said, it is time to put Father Time in the hot seat.

Now bear in mind, when it's all said and done, I'm a business girl . I appreciate making a deal, creating "win win" situations, and am all about my customer. Father Time clearly has not gone to business school. If he were on The Apprentice...color him fired. Here's what I'm talking about.

Economics 101 - The basic laws of supply and demand. Hellooooooooo! We're dying down down here (I say "down here" because I have this vision of Father Time being some God like figure watching over us...perhaps I give him too much credit?). If your customer is demanding more you're supposed to increase supply and create some sort of balance. We are screaming with demand, but yet you give us nothing. Don't give us the daylights savings schpeal either, because you may give us an hour, but then you yank it right back...totally doesn't count. Not only is this unfair, it's just confusing. Do I turn the clocks, forward, backward, how the H E double L am I going to get my infant to sleep past 5 a.m. in this scenerio? Just make it straight forward, give us more. We need it, we want it, throw us a bone. If the makers of Zhu Zhu Pets can figure out supply and demand, so can you.

Making the Deal / Creating the Win Win - It's time to get a power meeting on with Mother Nature. As time marches on, why must we decompose? Time to renegotiate. Frankly, it's a no brainer. You give us more time and in direct proportion Mother Nature slows the aging process. If you want to get really ambitious you can throw a little "Curious Case of Benjamin Button," in there. You know, have us age backward so we get younger as time goes on. Be creative! Great ideas don't have to be confined to fiction, get on it! Make it happen! It worked for Apple and Google, it can work for you.

The Monopoly - Three words. Don't go there. Oh sure, you may think you have control over it all, nobody can touch you, and we all have to put up with you and your sub-par product, but it usually doesn't end well. If you want to take what I'm talking about out for a test drive, go to a crowded cocktail party and mention the word "Comcast." amongst a group of men and watch the disgruntled sparks fly. Then watch the sunshine appear as people talk about how they LOOOOOOVE their Verizon. I'm just saying I think there could be a Verizon to your Comcast. Who's with me in developing "Mother Time Efficiency?" I've got ten bucks that says we can develop a far superior product that people will love! Why would we put time in the hands of of a man anyway? They have four hours and they play a round of golf. Women have four hours and we clean the house, plan an event, make two meals, chauffeur to two activities while simultaneously returning phone calls. Look out Father Time, we're going after your market share!

And there it is. I'm off to tackle the to do list that doesn't have the decency to take Sunday off. Then we're going to celebrate our nephew's college graduation. Hard to believe he was only ten years old when I met him. Whether it's managing to do's or watching your family grow up, it really all boils down to time and it's value. Cherish your time and more importantly the people you spend it with. Have a great day everyone!