Online invitation sites like Punchbowl and evite.com are good for organizing guest lists and managing RSVPS.  While most holiday parties require an RSVP, if your family is like mine you already know who is coming to Thanksgiving dinner (depending on the relative, you might want to un-invite them as well) so using an online invite site isn’t needed.

While we don’t need the RSVP tracking, we’re using Punchbowl for their Potluck feature  or menu planning.  Basically it allows the dinner host to tell guests what they are serving, specify what they need in terms appetizers, entrees, desserts and drinks and then lets guests select what they want to bring or add items.  Simple, easy, efficient.

For the software and tech crowd I see this as Collaborative menu planning or workflow driven eating.  For busy Thanksgiving cooks - it’s a definite time saver.

Let me know if you try it or know of any other good menu planning sites.  Screenshot below from our team soccer party.

Tell them we sent you. 

SCITUATE, MA—

A girls soccer coach who told parents of his 6- and 7-year-old charges that he expected his players to “kick ass” has resigned.

Click here to read Kinahan’s controversial original e-mail and click here to read his resignation.

Michael Kinahan says he “meant to give parents a chuckle” but that people took his message on a the team he dubbed “Green Death” the wrong way.

In an e-mail message to parents last week, Kinahan wrote that the girls on his team would “fall, get bumps, bruises and even bleed a little. Big deal, it’s good for them (but I do hope the other team is the one bleeding).

“The political correctness police are not welcome on my sidelines,” he added.

Kinahan resigned after parents protested to league officials. Other parents have said they support his approach, said Chris Park, the registrar for the Scituate Youth Soccer League.

“He’s got a wry, sarcastic sense of humor. I think this whole thing just blew up on him,” Park said.

Kinahan also wrote that he expected “that the ladies be put on a diet of fish, undercooked red meat and lots of veggies … Protein shakes are encouraged, and while blood doping and HGH use is frowned upon, there is no testing policy.”

Kinahan’s email had some good competitive, coaching nuggets delivered in a funny, tongue-in-cheek manner.  His views on criticizing referees, however,  are absolutely wrong.   It’s unfortunate that his league wasn’t able to educate him properly on the value of “zero tolerance”.

Based on the age group he was coaching it seems he might have been new to coaching as well.   The issue is that his “competitive” message only applies to about 20% of his team and parents.  The rest just want to play with their friends and have a good time.  I think in time he would have figured that out.  It’s unfortunate he might not be given the chance.

Email Excerpts:

“The political correctness police are not welcome on my sidelines. America’s youth is becoming fat, lazy and non-competitive because competition is viewed as “bad”…

These are my views and not necessarily the views of the league (but they should be). I recognize that my school of thought may be an ideological shift from conventional norms. But it is imperative that we all fight the good fight, get involved now and resist the urge to become sweat-xedo-wearing yuppies who sit on the sidelines in their LL Bean chairs sipping mocha-latte-half-caf-chinos while discussing reality TV and home decorating with other feeble-minded folks. I want to hear cheering, I want to hear encouragement, I want to get the team pumped up at each and every game and know they are playing for something.”

What do you think?

The Peekskill (NY) Fire Department shared some interesting links and video with me last week. Thanks for all you do!