The day after Christmas my family took a vacation to Amelia Island, after a couple of days first spent in Savannah (read our adventures in Savannah in another blog post).  This was our first time on Amelia Island and really our first family vacation in Florida that didn’t include The Mouse.  The weather was really nice, most days there was a high of 68 degrees; jeans, a tee shirt and a hoodie were our everyday attire.

The Ritz-Carlton, Ameila Island

We stayed at The Ritz-Carlton (we are brand loyal fans of The Ritz), which is right on the beach and very casual.  Our room was very comfortable; the closet and drawers were big enough to hold ALL of our luggage and clothes (if you saw the video from the Savannah blog post, you would know that’s a big deal).   I found the beds comfortable and there always enough towels.  The bathroom was large and accommodated all of our toiletries.   We started off with a coastal view room of the dunes and the ocean around the corner, but we were upgraded to an ocean view room and it was very nice (we could see the sunrise).  Every room has a balcony with a table & 2 chairs.  There is a mini-bar in the room (that we didn’t use).   I’m not sure if there was a dvd player because we barely turned on the TV.  There was space near the terrace door for Girly to play on the floor.

The the rest of the hotel was just beautiful and decorated to evoke an elegant, yet relaxing atmosphere.  Because it was Christmas, all the common areas were  beautifully decorated for Christmas with greenery, lights and a Christmas tree; there was even a HUGE gingerbread ship in the lobby.  Unfortunately the decorations were taken down without warning overnight on Dec 30^th and we didn’t get to take any photos. The hotel had 2 pools, 2 hot tubs (indoor and outdoor) and a kids’ pool with a rain umbrella.  There was also a playground near the pool.    Outside of the lounge on the patio was a big firepit surrounded by sofas.  Beyond the patio was a lawn perfect for playing and used for various programs.  Surrounding the green space were lawn chairs and fire pits.  We really enjoyed sitting by our own fire pit each evening talking and gazing at the stars.

There are 2 restaurants on site and food could be ordered in the lounges and at a poolside grill as well (the poolside grill was closed for the winter).  We ate at the lobby lounge a couple of times; there is a limited menu of burgers, cheese plates, salads and chicken wings.  We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at Café 4750 and it was very good, if expensive.  The breakfast buffet was the best!   The lunch and dinner menus were similar, so  it was good that we were able to eat outside the hotel for variety (and less expense).  We did not eat at Salt, the 4 diamond restaurant, although we heard it was very good.  There was also an adult sports bar with a pool table.  We didn’t go in there because of our kids, but we did poke our head in; it was very nice and had a more contemporary vibe than the hotel lobby bar.

This Ritz-Carlton is very family-oriented.   (more…)

© 2009 – 2010, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

So, I go to Whole Foods today like I do every Monday to grocery shop.  I usually have the kids with me, but I didn’t feel like shlepping both kids and groceries in the rain, so I went before I picked them up from school.  Grocery stores can be very zen-like if you have the time and in the right mood.  I was enjoying my time in Whole Foods, talking to the employees, listening to the music (they are always grooving in that Whole Foods) and contemplating the many food choices.  Not a roaring good time, but relaxing….until I came to the dairy aisle.  

Let me say right here that I HATE milk; I always have since I was a little kid.  I hate the smell of it, the look of it and I would never ever drink it even if it was the last beverage on earth and I was dying of thirst.    I only handle a carton of milk as a service to my family because I’m self-less like that.

All that to say that I have a phobia about milk, so I am very careful when I select milk from the grocery store because sometimes there is spilled milk on the bottom of the carton and that just won’t do at all.  Uh-uh, nope.  I usually buy Whole Foods 365 brand organic milk because it is $3.19 whereas Organic Valley is $4.69; that is a huge price difference.   

$4.69

However, when I picked up the 365 milk today there was milk dripping from the bottom; it almost got on my Uggs and I jumped back about five feet.  I quickly grabbed the Organic Valley milk, checked the bottom and got out of the dairy case before I hurled.  My husband calls me quirky; perhaps this is the kind of thing he is referring to?

The rest of my grocery shopping experience is milk-free.  Next I go to Border’s.  I don’t really need anything in there; I just have to use the bathroom and the one in Whole Foods skeeves me out.  I walk around to act like I’m buying something and come upon this book:

Armed in America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes by Kyle Cassidy

It kind of freaked me out too.  Not as bad as the milk, but close.

© 2009, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

My son is on a camping trip with the entire 8th grade class and I miss him so much.  The house is noticeably quieter!  Even though Girly is the loud/talkative/demanding child, just having one kid here brings the activity level down quite a bit.  

Not that Girly minds or misses him, I’m sure.  Not after the other day.  We were all sitting on my bed watching a YouTube video about Disney World;  Girly was next to Daddy and I happened to be sitting behind The Boy.   When he noticed that I was behind him, he just leaned into me and I wrapped my arms around him.   All was fine and cuddly until Girly glanced at us, did a bug-eyed double-take and immediately began to whine about how she wanted to sit with Mommy.   The Boy wasn’t having it; he told her that he never gets to have Mommy and she would just have to wait her turn.    I supported his statement because it was true; Girly is always in my lap.   Time alone with him is so rare these days that I wrote a blog post about a great day that we had together, just the two of us.

Well, Girly did not like the way this was going at all!  She started crying and pouting, but I didn’t give in.  I gave a big speech about “how Mommy has enough love for both of her children” and opened one arm to put around her.   She reluctantly sat this way, pouting the whole time, until my son moved away to do something else.   Then she scooted herself squarely in my lap and clung to me like a little monkey, sighing “Mommmmmmy”.

© 2009, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

*I don’t get paid for my opinions in any way; this is just me sharing stuff that I like and I think you will too.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I love my iPhone!  I have a few apps, but really I am not utilizing the iTunes App Store as much as I could be.  So I added Pandora, Tap Tap, Tipulate and Shazam…..and to this date I haven’t used any of those.  But I did find this cool new app that I just have to tell you about.

I’ve been sort of in a funk lately (as opposed to funki, which is the preferable modus operandi) and so I’ve been thinking that I need to start a gratitude journal to focus on the good stuff.   The trouble is, as hard as I try, I’m not a very good journal writer.  I buy a pretty journal and pen, set them next to my bed, write in it for about two weeks and then fall off the wagon.   And about six months later I repeat the process again.  Instead of feeling grateful, I end up feeling like a failure.

That’s why while reading the latest issue of Skirt! I was so happy to read about an iPhone Gratitude Journal app by Happy Tapper.  For .99¢ I figured that I could give it a try and I must tell you that I absolutely love it!  I think that this will work for me!  The app is also very user friendly and has a feel-good, groovy feel.  The little Buddha is so cute and makes me smile.

You can change the background and even lock your journal from curious eyes:

The quote displayed after each journal entry is a nice touch (or you can turn this feature off):

I like the fact that I can type in my “grateful thoughts” the minute they happen in a concise bullet format and I love that I can add a photo to my journal entry as well (the photo goes in the spot of the little Buddha in the first screenshot).  

This week I have been grateful for:

a great pedicure

the ice cream truck

good iced tea

• a fantastic facial
• beautiful weather
• nice visits with my parents and mother-in-law
• a listening ear in Renee

And I am very grateful for my iPhone and the Gratitude Journal app.  Namaste. 

© 2009, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

Everyone in my family is a food critic!  First there was my son, Captain Cuisine & The Gastro-teens, and now my husband, James Andrews/The Keyinfluencer writes his first restaurant review for Funkidivagirl.com. 

Ann’s Snack Bar: Atlanta’s Best Burger 

By James Andrews

My family is always on the quest for a good burger.  As the family leader I think that I am the cause of this; I was brought up in California which many call the capital of all burgers.  McDonald’s, Bob’s Big Boy and In And Out Burger were all birthed in California.  And those are just the mainstream/commercial burgers.  

But the hoods of California– that’s where the best burgers are found.  From Nation’s and Quarter Pound Burger  in The Bay Area hoods to Quick N Split and Mo Better Meatty Meat Burgers (the best turkey burger ever) in Los Angeles, I have tasted the best.

Upon moving to Atlanta my family had been hearing about Ann’s Snack Bar and the “World Famous Ghetto Burger” so today we decided to give it a try.   Joining us in the hood on Memorial Drive East was our friend Matt Arnett and his two kids.  

When you arrive at Ann’s Snack Bar  you can almost guarantee that there will always be a wait.  Why you ask?  Mainly because Miss Ann has a protocol; you do not come inside the kitchen, you wait in the patio area with all the others until you are asked for your order.  Not knowing this protocol, we arrived hungry and immediately went to the door where the other patrons stopped us dead in our tracks with a “You have to wait, sir.”

Put off a bit, we retreated to the wire seats in the waiting area with all of the others.  It only took a little while for us to realize that there was a “Miss Ann’s Snack Bar Protocol” and soon we were mentoring the other patrons who came behind us and weren’t familiar with the “house rules” (think of the “Soup Nazi” from Seinfeld and you have a good idea). When we finally had our chance to order, of course I ordered the “World Famous Ghetto Burger” but opted out of the chili; the chili-cheese fries that I had coming was enough.

Now while ordering is the first part of the protocol, waiting is the second.   After a good 35 minute wait (which included a trip to the package store for a few bottles of Tahitian Treat) a tap on the window signaled me to retrieve our order.   I rushed to pick up the red trays which resembled the old school cafeteria “china” you remembered as a kid.

The first burger that I grabbed was the “Ghetto Burger with chili” that my 13 yr old son ordered.  It was by far the biggest burger that I have ever seen.   The thing was so huge that it scared the people waiting and made my wife shriek.

My “Ghetto Burger” (no chili, but I kept the bacon) was big and juicy also.

I took my first bite; the very well seasoned and hand-formed patty was a pleasure to sink my teeth into.  The best way to describe it is “a Momma Burger on steroids.”   Matt Arnett commented that the bun was nothing special, but a burger of this size required a solid bun.  It is clear why Miss Ann gives you plenty of napkins and forks and knives as tools for the meal as it is plenty messy.   I barely made it through the burger but I was determined and I’m happy to say I’m conquered it.

The entire experience of the fantastic burger and Miss Ann’s protocol makes this a must do in Atlanta. This is definitely the biggest and top 3 burgers I have ever had; clearly I have been to the mountain top.   I look forward to my annual trip (I can only do this type of eating once a year) back to Ann’s Snack Bar.   The rumor around town is that Miss Ann is retiring in May, so I must go back soon. 

© 2009 – 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.