Old Is Cute

by Amy Platon

We just had a lovely week. My kids’ Auntie stayed with us for 7 days, which meant some much needed fun and relaxation. It’s the only thing I would change if I could do it all again, I’d live closer to family.

It’s funny what memory does. It’s like it holds out. My memory of Auntie had her pretty much stuck at oh, 45. So every time we get together, I’m surprised at how much older she has gotten.

The things I’ve noticed has me on the look out in my own life. For instance, you know you’re old when you use the window in your wallet (the one that’s meant for your driver’s license) for your insurance card. You also know you’re getting older when you spill your coffee on the floor as you walk, but you have no idea until twenty minutes later when you’re wondering who spilled coffee all over the floor. (And some of you know, I don’t drink coffee.) You also know you’re old when you say stuff like “What is a blog honey?”

I say all of this in love, and because old is cute-when it’s on someone else.

So while Auntie was here, husband and I took off for one night to relive our youth downtown. Oh don’t laugh like you haven’t done that.

Again, my memory left off when I was in my 20’s. But oddly, I didn’t feel old when we were out. We had some drinks and watched a cover band play songs older than us, and we had fun. Then we started saying to one another, "Hey, remember Barbarellas? Wonder if they are still playing the Smiths."

So we payed our tab and marched down to what has now been renamed Independence Bar. And they are still playing the Smiths! We got carded at the door (how cute) and our adrenaline was on the rise as we realized the place hadn’t really changed that much. We grabbed a beer at the front bar and made our way to the back of the club where all the dancing takes place.

We arrived to an entire club (I mean entire club) of people rocking out to Sister’s of Mercy - we were loving it. Although, as our eyes adjusted to the smoke and strobes, we began to sense something was not quite right. (No it hasn’t become a gay club – not that there’s anything wrong with that, I have friends who are gay.) But it turned out that everyone dancing was in their late 30’s early 40’s. And it was like the exact same crowd we remembered when we used to go there, only fifteen years older, fatter, and poorly dressed. Oh my god! Husband and I looked at each other and our mouths dropped. “It’s us!”














We drank our beer and he grabbed my hand - not a moment too soon. We hit the dance floor and danced like two birds splashing in the fountain of youth. We blended right in and had the best time we’ve had in forever!

Cheers - Here's to gettin' old! And having A Beautiful Life, hope I'm cute!

Zoning In

by Amy Platon

If you’re the parent of a toddler, then you’re thinking about schools for your child. A tense nervousness arises as your child approaches the free voluntary pre-kindergarten age of four. Because, if you know any parents of VPK students in the Nona area then you’ve heard how challenging it can be to get your child enrolled into a school near your home. And that has you off-center because, up until now, there have only been a handful of schools near us that offer the free VPK program, so they fill up fast. But you've had that yoga class– Ohm.

We are fortunate to have access to some of the best schools in the district and now you can add another school to your list. Discovery Zone Preschool has just opened their doors to the Nona/Vista Lakes area, and is now enrolling for summer camp and fall.

This curriculum based education center is equipped with two three year-old classrooms, four VPK classrooms and a two year-old classroom. They offer full and part time schedules between the hours of 9-3 Monday through Friday and flexible VPK schedules starting in August ‘09. Alright, so hands up, and stretch.

In addition to large spacious classrooms, the school is also proud to offer separate rooms for art education and introduction to music. They also have plans to incorporate daily yoga classes as well as ballet.

Ok, now roll your neck and take a deep cleansing breath in. Because this is great news to all the parents on waiting lists to get into other area pre-schools, as well as parents who want to secure a VPK slot for their child. You ready? Discovery Zone offers priority VPK placement to all current students. And, they make it even easier by offering a summer program, so your child can glide seamlessly into VPK without missing a beat.

“Our summer programs are fun and laid back with hands on summer themed learning, that offers children a soft introduction to the more structured school year program.” Says the school’s director.

Discovery Zone Preschool is centrally located in the Shops at La Vina at 9145 Narcoossee Road. To register your child for current classes, summer or fall, call 321-235-3003 or stop by to take a tour. And then exhale, because you’ll be one of those sparkling, ultra-calm parents who has it all figured out.

If you or someone you know does advertising and may be looking for a fresh way to catch some eyes in an ad placement, then please pass this along and/or email me. Something like this would run about $50 depending on the level of circulation. This ran in print for the Narcoossee Navigator which has a three zip code circulation of about 10,000 homes.

Scribble Ink Cafe Home Page