From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

Here is my Thursday Thirteen list, a suggestion of things to do with tweens in L.A. I thought up most of it at the mall last week, as I was waiting outside a store for my two tween girls to emerge with their purchases. It’s amazing what you can get accomplished in seven hours.

1. Hot Topic - This could really cover items 1 – 13 on this list, since as far as my two girls are concerned there isn’t any need to venture anywhere else. Give them a backpack full of snacks and a fully-charged cell phone and they could probably stay in there for weeks spending my hard earned cash on Juno t-shirts and black glitter nail polish.

2. Art Museums – We’ve been taking our kids to art museums since they were babies, but it’s gotten particularly entertaining lately to hear their expert commentary. It’s always amusing to hear things like, “OMG – naked!” when standing before a majestic sculpture by Rodin, or “I TOTALLY want that for my new bunk bed comforter” while contemplating a canvas by Jackson Pollack.

3. Soup Kitchen –I’ve never actually visited a soup kitchen with my tweens, but it’s something all the PC parenting guides say you should do in order to teach your kids to be grateful for what they have. In all honesty, I’m not sure how my two girls would fare – I’d really be embarrassed if they sat down at a table, waited for a menu and then asked the homeless guy sitting next to them if he recommends the buffalo wings or the grilled cheese.

4. The movies – Any movie will do. Just sitting in a nice cool theater chowing down on hot buttered popcorn and Junior Mints is enough to keep them happy. The 9 – 12 year old set aren’t very discerning moviegoers; In fact, it may be the only time you’ll hear “Garfield: The Movie” and “awesome” in the same sentence.

5. Target – Maybe this is only applicable to tween girls, but mine love the aisles filled with cheap loot, cds and video games. Also, lots of eco t-shirts that say things like ‘Tree Hugger’ which is apparently all the rage now. You might just get them to listen to your Hendrix albums after all.

6. Yogurt shop – Yogurt is the new black. Menchies is our favorite, but Pinkberry or any other one will do. But try and take them to Baskin-Robbins and be prepared for much eye-rolling as they’re forced to mingle with the four-year-olds enjoying a scoop of Shrek Swirl with their grandpas.

7. Starbucks – This is the new version of sneaking a sip of your mom’s wine when you were seven. Tweens like the idea of sipping a grown-up coffee drink (I order decaf for mine) and it’s great for coffee addicts like me who can get their daily fix guilt-free. You know, it’s for the children.

8. Bowling Alley – They may last for one game of bowling, but what they really want to do is head to the arcade for some DDR (Dance Dance Revolution for you total squares.) Bring a bat or rolled-up newspaper if you have girls, though – the last time I was there a small crowd of teen boys gathered to watch my daughters and their friends bouncing around to the music until I shooed them away.

9. California Pizza Kitchen –According to the highly scientific poll I conducted with my girls and their friends while driving back from the mall in my van last week, this is the sanctioned eatery to dine with your parents. Added bonus – it’s the only place they don’t feel embarrassed about ordering from the kids menu since “the macaroni and cheese, like, rules.”

10. The Library – Believe it or not, tweens are rediscovering the library, mainly for the treasure trove of manga books they have there. At $9.99 each, it gets expensive to keep buying them at Barnes & Noble. However, do not even suggest they try out any of the library-sponsored teen events such as cupcake making or scrapbooking – you may as well tell them to invite their crowd over for a rousing game of rummy.

11. The beach – The beach is ideal for tweens and their unpredictable moods. They can indulge both their sloth-ly instincts by laying on their towels all day, or burn off energy by hitting the waves for some boogie-boarding. Also, the close proximity of a snack bar serving pizza and every variety of greasy, deep fried food will make them think they’ve died and gone to heaven

12. The park – My girls are just starting to notice boys, and members of the opposite sex are in abundance here, especially during soccer season. Bring along that bat that you took to the bowling alley

13. At home, with their parents – They’re not going to want to be seen with their dad and me for long, so we’re savoring all these days just hanging out together. So what if they roll their eyes when I suggest the fifth game of CandyLand?

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

Just because our country’s in a recession doesn’t mean you can’t afford to go on that Girls’ Getaway you’ve been planning. You’ll just have to make some, uh, adjustments. For example, maybe you used to splurge on a four-day cruise on a private yacht where you’d sip Cristal out of a Manolo, but now you might just have to settle for a four-minute putt on the Balboa Island Ferry to pick up a Coke.

Here are some other ideas for you to stretch those pennies:

Before: Napa Valley Wine Train Tour, where an elegant rail car takes you through the scenic majestic wine region while enjoying gourmet meals and expensive vintages.

Now: Los Angeles wine tour, where you and your gal pals pile into your van and enjoy a five-hour tour of all the BevMo’s within a forty-mile radius. Crash at a local hotel, where you’ve only paid for two guests and then snuck-in your other three friends. Proceed to ‘sample’ all the varietals you’ve purchased straight out of the bottle. Splurge and split that $10 can of Pringles from the minibar.

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Before: “Sex And The City” weekend in New York City. Make like Carrie and her friends and take the city by storm: Designer boutiques during the day, fine dining and dancing at night. Stay at the posh Carlyle Hotel, featured in the movie.

Now: “Knocked Up” weekend in L.A. Drive by the Wilshire Boulevard offices of E! Entertainment, which is where Katherine Heigl’s character worked. Then head to the dive-y Del’s Saloon in Santa Monica to enjoy a couple of brewskies and to see where scenes from the movie were filmed. Then head on over to your brother’s friend’s house to play video games and pass the bong around, just like Seth Rogan and his pals did in the movie! Remember to bring along a condom so life doesn’t end up imitating art.

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Before: A spa getaway at La Quinta where you and your BFFs would enjoy pampering massages, spa cuisine and luxurious rooms.

Now: Head to the beach, where you and your posse can frolic in the healing waters of the Pacific. (Be on the lookout for signs of raw-sewage spills.) Take a barefoot walk in the sand for an instant pedicure! Save on meals by packing your own sandwiches and share a twelve-pack of water from Trader Joes.

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Before: Three-day shopping extravaganza to Fashion Island in Newport Beach. At night, rest your Bloomingdales-weary body at a nearby swanky hotel.

Now: Split the gas three ways for a trip out to the Outlets in Cabazon. Go ahead and have lunch in the food court, but remember to bring along the other half of that six-pack from Trader Joes so you don’t have to part with $2 for water. Sorry, you can’t afford a hotel, but if one of your girlfriends agrees to host a sleepover you can stay up all night admiring each other’s new purses.

Every now and then women just need to get away from everything, and there is no finer medicine than a trip to South Padre Island. Even though this island is only a few miles wide, it is packed with beautiful beaches, every kind of water sport you can imagine, shopping, restaurants, and charters.

Before you go, it’s a good idea to do a bit of research. First of all you’ll need a place to stay! I recommend Suntide III Condominiums but for a full listing of what is available you can check Trip Advisor, just put in South Padre Island and you’ll have a multitude of choices.

What you do next depends on how you like to travel, whether you like to have everything planned and plotted out in advance or kind of just fly by the seat of your pants and leave it all to chance. Personally I do a bit of both, I do just enough research ahead of time to have an idea of what there is to do but I don’t set specific times or goals or plan an itinerary.

South Padre offers something for whatever mood you’re in, whether it’s lying on the beach sunning, sitting in the shade watching the ocean, learning to surf or snorkel, or chartering a boat for some deep sea fishing. That last one sounded kind of “manly”, didn’t it? You’d be surprised how much fun it is to go fishing – you never have any idea what you will catch. It could be a puffer fish, a shark, a swordfish, you just never know. And you haven’t lived until you’ve tried surfing! We used South Padre Surf Company and it was worth every penny – they are just great. However there are a ton of companies to choose from and you can find them as well as other activities and events at the South Padre Parade website.

I also recommend taking the time to read some warnings from those who have visited the area before; there are some very helpful tips at the Virtual Tourist site.

You really can’t go wrong by taking a trip to South Padre Island, even in the winter it is a beautiful area and the temperatures are mild enough to make it enjoyable. Do you have any tips or recommendations for someone wanting to visit South Padre?

Until next time . . .

Paige aka PJsTravelinTexas