The Three-Martini Family Vacation: A Field Guide to Intrepid Parenting - Softcover

Mellor, Christie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0811857336 ISBN 13: 9780811857338

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2007

Synopsis

Chill the glasses! The author of the wildly successful Three-Martini Playdate is back with more irreverent and useful advice about life with children. Wickedly funny essays offer helpful advice on harnessing the energy of toddlers-gone-wild: on vacation, out to dinner, even just when grandmother stops by for a visit. Parents will relearn the art of traveling, socializing, and eating out like adults . . . sometimes with well-behaved children in tow. In dozens of short, kicky chapters like Cocktail Parties: Actually for Grown-ups! and The Theme Park Vacation: A Last Resort, Christie Mellor gently reminds parents that family vacations can truly be fun.

About this title

About the Author

Christie Mellor, author of The Three-Martini Playdate, is a writer and actress. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their two always-angelic sons.

Reviews

In her latest guide to parenting under the influence (following The Three-Martini Playdate), Mellor delivers another clever, tongue-in-cheek self-help that scoots deliciously close to the edge of offensive while delivering laughs and lessons for the beleagured mom and dad. Typical suggestions are both smarmy and smart: "You should be running the vacuum cleaner, turning the volume up on the radio, and having a dance party when your infants are napping, so that they won't startle awake when they hear a dog barking in the next county." She also warns of "ornate décor made exclusively for children," and what exactly to expect from a babysitter: "You will be lucky if the sitter is able to feed your child reheated pizza before putting him to bed with his clothes on." Another sharp bit of advice: get those kids reading books as soon as possible; it'll pay dividends in countless waiting rooms, cars and airports. And addressing the topic of the day, Mellor enthuses, "It's amazing how many ideal holiday destinations are...a ten-minute to a three-hour drive from home," provided "a little flexibility in one's definition of 'ideal.' " Further tips are set aside for plane travel, theme parks, holidays ("Santa moves in mysterious ways"), mealtimes and, of course, hosting a cocktail party ("Actually for Grown-Ups!").
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Edition details

• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0811857336
• ISBN 13: 9780811857338
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 159