My husband and I attended the 70’s Disco party I wrote about earlier. I wanted to get dressed up, but my conservative boring husband said “no.” Did we ever stand out like a sore thumb! The men were wearing 4 inch platform shoes, wild wigs & sunglasses, with enormous medallions on their chest. We saw women in white go-go boots just below their knees, psychedelic shirts and tight fitting sequined dresses. One guy wore a purple floor length jacket with his high top hat, and escorted his extremely pregnant wife (I thought she was going to deliver right there at the party) wearing the tightest fitting silver mesh spaghetti strap halter top!

We should have bought or rented a “real costume” … it would have been great.

They served ice blue Jell-O-vodka shots, seared tuna with a ginger dressing served over a crisp fried wonton, Twinkies and Ho-Ho’s, cigarette bubble gum, old fashioned Neco candy and gummy worms in all cosmopolitan drinks.

We had a blast.

Posted by Melody at 05:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I heard James Carville and Mary Matalin speak last year
at a major fundraiser I attended in Ft. Lauderdale. I thought they both were AWFUL. How incredibly BORING and uninformative they both were. After the fundraiser, the organization that paid them $50,000 ++ to speak was quite upset, as they heard from many people how disappointing and dull the speakers were. I sure hope they have more luck with kids.

Carville’s and Matalin’s newest venture, according to TIME, is that they have signed on to counsel high school kids who are running for school president. Apparently, they will help with campaign tactics and communication tactics, and help them run a better campaign
All I can say is that I hope the kids drink a lot of Coke or Pepsi to stay awake!

Posted by Melody at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was at my computer Saturday morning, typing my Blog, when I looked out the window and saw a humongous white tent erected in my neighbor’s backyard. Six tables of 10 were set up with gorgeous linen and bows, flowers, etc. Later that afternoon, as my 3 kids and their 2 friends were in my backyard screaming and playing, I heard music playing. I ran outside and saw the wedding processional had begun. I forced my kids inside (out of respect), and we all ran upstairs to watch the ceremony from the window.

Backyard weddings are GREAT! It’s intimate, close friends, not ostentatious. And quite economical. Think of it, having a wedding at a ritzy hotel costs an easy $35,000 - $75,000 for 150 people. You’re forced to pay outrageous prices for food, liquor and room rental. Inexpensive wedding ideas are plentiful if you are on a budget.

But a backyard wedding gives you unlimited flexibility and options. You can interview and select from multiple caterers, you can buy all your own liquor, wine and champagne from wholesale shopping clubs like Costco, or get wines delivered with personalized labels with EACH bottle having a private label printed “In honor of xyz’s Wedding and the date”.

You might be wondering “why” we weren’t invited, it’s simple … we don’t get along ever since their 10 year old son punched my 9 year old daughter. When we confronted our neighbor, there were no apologies offered. Oh well, we had fun watching without having to buy a gift!

Posted by Melody at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I’m totally stressing out. Only 5 days left before I attend a fancy wedding at a private estate, and I realize I don’t have a thing to wear! All my cocktail dressed are black (which I’m still under the old school of thought . . . you shouldn’t wear black to a wedding). Plus, all my dress shoes look old and out dated.

I went through all my other dresses and nothing fits or looks good. Nothing is dressy enough! I ordered, what I consider, an exquisite floor length gown out of a catalog and am expecting it any day. Given that the “Who’s who” will be there from Miami, I want to look my best.

Posted by Melody at 04:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Floor length, mid calf or above the knee? Such decisions to make when buying a dress for a special occasion. My smart advice to you … it’s better to always dress up and be a bit on the “fancy” side rather than be underdressed.

Ladies – figure out your most flattering part of your body and try to buy a dress that accentuates the positives, hides the negatives.

If you’ve got thick, bulging thighs and a small petite waist, then look for a dress that is very tight fitting at the waist with a flowing and quiet generous skirt.

If you have a gorgeous back … show it off with a revealing open back... better yet with spaghetti straps flowing across your back and shoulders.

Saggy breasts – make sure you have a dress where you can where a full coverage support bra. If you have rounded, perky breasts … show them off with plunging cleavages and push-up bras that add extra curves.

Color choices make a big difference too. Wear the colors that YOU feel look best on you. Stay away from dull, drab fabrics for the evening. Glimmer and shine, velvets and brocade, flowing silks and chiffon are always good choices for evening affairs and functions. Stay away from boring cottons and certainly NEVER polyesters.

Price is also a consideration. If you buy a dress that you feel you can wear to many functions, then it’s OK to spend a lot on a dress. But on the other hand, if you feel you can ONLY wear it once, or feel the dress is so “faddish” then don’t waste a lot of money. Discount/clearance items in catalogs and department stores may be your best bet.

Posted by Melody at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My daughter who is in Elemenatry school has a birthday coming up. All she wants is an iPod. Not because she is addicted to music, but rather because she’s the ONLY one in her class that doesn’t have one.

I have very mixed feeling about this. It’s not the cost, but rather the principal. Are kids getting too spoiled these days? Too much pressure to “fit in”. Fitting in is one of the most difficult issues pre-teen and teen students face. A great book I found, called Fitting In - Dealing with Peer Pressure is useful, and it even won some fancy awards.

However, what really works with kids are basic lessons on sharing, caring, and giving. In our house we talk a lot about charity and how lot’s of kids have no money to buy a single toy. I hear my kids complain “I have nothing to do” yet the playroom is filled with board games, puzzles, art projects … you name it. When my kids really get under my skin I say “OK, Let’s get a big black garbage bag and we’ll empty out the playroom and give away all the toys to kids who have none.”

Miraculously they find something to do.

So should I buy my child an iPod? We can afford it, and she rarely (if ever) asks for gifts. Maybe I’m just trying to justify spoiling my kid further.

Posted by Melody at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We’re going to a Studio 54 Disco Party this Saturday night. Half the people will be wearing 70’s costumes. I want my husband to dress like a pimp and I’ll be his whore (after 15 years of marriage … why not?).

I LOVE the 70’s music. Why? Because I can sing and shout my lungs out and actually understand what they are saying. Songs like Hot Stuff, Y.M.C.A., Rock-the-Boat and Funkytown bring back awesome memories. I wonder if I sound “old” admitting that I love this kind of music?

Posted by Melody at 03:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We’ve just been invited to a wedding. Of course we know and like the groom, but have never even met the bride. Buying the “correct gift” has already launched a major debate between my husband and me. Surprise! His FAVORITE and most memorable wedding gift were given to us by his best friend … a super cool kite. Yes, a kite that you fly out on the beach. That was our gift. It is still sitting in my Honda mini-van 15 years later!!! He uses it almost every time we venture to the beach.

I think you should buy off the registry . . . it’s what the bride wants (china, crystal, kitchen stuff etc) and they’re setting up a new home. They know what they need and want. Why buy something stupid like a kite!

My husband wants to buy off-the-wall, bazaar gifts that are fun. I can appreciate that but I still believe that a wedding gift should be off the registry. Save the “fun strange” gifts for birthdays and anniversaries.

This guy in my office bought an XM box for his best friends wedding. He thinks like my husband (what a scary thought!)

When someone in my office at Catalogs.com got married last year (her 2nd marriage) we gave her $$$$$. She loved it and said “perfect, now I can buy the bed linen that I really wanted.” How in the world would I have known what sheets to buy!

And so the debate continues within our marriage. I will win (I always do) and I think I know what I’m going to buy. The groom is a phenomenal swimmer and swims everyday so I’m going to custom order Ralph Lauren plush monogrammed towels?
http://secure.linensource.com/default.aspx?page=product&sender=search&uid=LOI&CategoryID=LOI

Posted by Melody at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

How important is “dressing the part” while playing a sport just for fun? I just finished playing a delightful tennis game with a girlfriend. I wore a flattering white tennis top trimmed in yellow with the latest trend in tennis shorts/skirts – called skorts (spandex shorts that hold tennis balls great with a skirt over the shorts.)

My partner wore Capri pants!

Who played better? She did! Does it really matter that she didn’t “dress the part” at our fancy tennis club? Did she look odd wearing Capri’s? Did she care? That’s what’s so great about my friend. She has the self-esteem and self-confidence to wear what she wants without regard to what others think. I really admire that quality in her.

However, according to many including Ericka Basile from Lifestyle Magazine, “playing a particular sport in the wrong attire could very well affect one's game and performance.”

I say BULL. Though I do love the way a sexy tight tennis dress makes me feel. Check it out ... the normal price $70.00, on sale for $9.99 at or this awesome hot pink tennis skort for only $29.95, regular price $45.00.

A Perfect Match Tennis Apparel states at the top of their website “Look Good. Play Well” implies that you have to dress appropriately. Contemporary vendors of tennis clothing, such as Chicks Rule!, market clothes to hip young women that are into being active, staying healthy by playing tennis, and looking good in day-glo tennis outfits with fashionable ethnic inspired tops and tie-dyed court skirts.

But I still say “You GO Girl” to my friend who has the confidence to wear whatever the hell she wants . . . and still wins the game!

Posted by Melody at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just received a $25.00 FREE Saks Fifth Avenue gift card in the mail . . . my reward for being a loyal customer. It says “Ease into something spectacular from our fresh collections and let us treat you to a little something extra.” It looks good, but when reading the fine print, I have to spend $100 or more with a given date deadline to get my $25.00 off.

Is this really valuable, when I never planned on shopping anyway? Now I feel “guilty” and wonder if I would be a fool to pass up a $25.00 gift certificate. But I was never planning on buying soon. Should I spend the $100 to save $25, or simply save my money?

My warning … BEWARE. If you don’t need to buy something then save your money. These direct mail come-ons actually cost you more than you think.

Posted by Melody at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)