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"How My Middle School Awkward Was Put To Rest" | Thanks to The BlogU Conference, Nickelodeon®, and a trophy for this story of triumph, humor, and inspiration. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Over the past couple of weeks my worlds have been colliding and my time machine has been revving up because middle school dances have been ruling my life. That’s right, people; you can never escape the past, history repeats itself, and clichés help round out a sentence nicely.

Not only did I help orchestrate my daughter’s eighth grade dance, I was the part of the steering committee for The BlogU Conference where Nickelodeon® anointed our Saturday night shindig as an homage to #MiddleSchoolAwkward.

Seriously, people, for a woman firmly in her fourth decade of life, that was A LOT of middle school partying to shoehorn into my calendar. And into my soul.

"How My Middle School Awkward Was Put To Rest" | Thanks to The BlogU Conference, Nickelodeon®, and a trophy for this story of triumph, humor, and inspiration. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Both events were pulsing with lights, lousy with balloon towers, and ripe with photobooths, but you know what was missing from my daughter’s dance . . . besides the appletinis? THE AWKWARD! I don’t know what it is with these kids today, but between Invisalign, superior acne products, and the propensity for flowing tresses, they are gorgeous! And not in a “all kids are beautiful in the eyes of their mothers sort of way.” I’m talking “where are the contracts and the cameras because Nickelodeon® could use them in their next show” kind of way.

"How My Middle School Awkward Was Put To Rest" | Thanks to The BlogU Conference, Nickelodeon®, and a trophy for this story of triumph, humor, and inspiration. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

I almost feel sorry for them. What will any one of these girls be able to do when Nickelodeon® asks them to submit an awkward middle school picture? They certainly won’t be able to come up with a gem like this:

"How My Middle School Awkward Was Put To Rest" | Thanks to The BlogU Conference, Nickelodeon®, and a trophy for this story of triumph, humor, and inspiration. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

They’ll never know the triumph of transforming from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan, or at the very least, into a handsome chicken. They’ll never take comfort in their crow’s feet as a measure to mark their distance from the train wreck of their adolescence. They’ll never be able to work so many avian references into one paragraph.

And they’ll never have the vindicating moment of glory when Nickelodeon® acknowledges that they were the second most awkward of them all.

"How My Middle School Awkward Was Put To Rest" | Thanks to The BlogU Conference, Nickelodeon®, and a trophy for this story of triumph, humor, and inspiration. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

My daughters’ reactions when I texted my family about my second place victory:

"How My Middle School Awkward Was Put To Rest" | Thanks to The BlogU Conference, Nickelodeon®, and a trophy for this story of triumph, humor, and inspiration. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

This right here is why I was not the gold medalist of awkward. For the love of a Flock of Seagulls, SHE COMBED HER BANGS FROM THE BACK OF HER HEAD. Established 1975 totally deserved first place. "How My Middle School Awkward Was Put To Rest" | Thanks to The BlogU Conference, Nickelodeon®, and a trophy for this story of triumph, humor, and inspiration. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

And quite honestly, I’m not sure how I beat Modern Mommy Madness out for second place. SHE HAD A BERET! (Please check out both of these ladies’ blogs to see how things have improved.)

"How My Middle School Awkward Was Put To Rest" | Thanks to The BlogU Conference, Nickelodeon®, and a trophy for this story of triumph, humor, and inspiration. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

But you know what? I don’t envy the beautiful girls of 2015. They still have the friend turmoil, grade pressures, and the rocky road of growing into the people they will become; but their pictures make you think everything is perfect. You look at OUR middle school pictures and you know we had angst. With my daughters and their friends, you have to imagine it, but it’s there. I have spent the past six years going through middle school two more times with my them. I KNOW.

They deserve some sympathy for their middle school years, too. Don’t hold it against them that their mother used up all of the awkward in her DNA so there was none to pass onto them.

"How My Middle School Awkward Was Put To Rest" | Thanks to The BlogU Conference, Nickelodeon®, and a trophy for this story of triumph, humor, and inspiration. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

At the very least pity them because they will never have this on their mantels:

"How My Middle School Awkward Was Put To Rest" | Thanks to The BlogU Conference, Nickelodeon®, and a trophy for this story of triumph, humor, and inspiration. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

BOOM! The glasses and suede vest were totally worth it for this moment. (No they weren’t.)

I wrote this post as part of Nickelodeon’s® sponsorship of The Blog University. The series “100 Things to Do Before High School” premieres on June 6 @ 8pm on Nickelodeon®. Tell your kids to tune in! Mine will!

-Ellen

How one woman’s #MiddleSchoolAwkward was put to rest. There’s a trophy involved.

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Last summer, Leaning In was the “new black” of attitudes and catchphrases. God bless Sheryl Sandberg for kicking over the proverbial corporate ladder–women are not limited to one straight shot to the top.

We girls are creative, we can forge our own path. Think of it like swinging from a jungle gym–there are different pathways and places to play for everyone. And the best part? You don’t have to be on the playground alone. According to Sandberg, the way to the top is with your sister girlfriends in hand, or in circles as she likes to put it.

Well, we saw the power of a posse play out on the runway of this summer’s BlogU Conference:

Leaning In and Leaning On Are Not Mutually Exclusive

Erin: Yeah, we brought out the bold for that sentiment.

Ellen: Although, now I kind of have the quippy sharks from Finding Nemo running through my head: “Fish are friends, not food.”

Erin: You know what? That works, too. You don’t have to devour another woman or bite a chunk out of her mojo to make yourself look better. As the idiom goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Ellen: And that is what the BlogU conference personified in spades . . . or oars or whatever will keep this metaphor going.

Erin: But don’t turn away, non-bloggers! These are NOT blogging truths. These are lessons that every woman needs: Collaboration is good . . .

Ellen: And absolutely possible. As part of the BlogU faculty we were lucky enough to be in the test lab that proves women can work together without ego, manipulation, or power-gaming.

Erin: We saw it happen. With thirty-six women. I mean just look at us.

Okay, this is some of the women. We can collaborate, but darn it if we can be on time for a picture. You can see the full BlogU Faculty here.

Ellen: And behold . . .

Real Lessons For Our Daughters

Some are silly, some are serious, but as we like to say, “Sensible and funny are not mutually exclusive.”

1. You can make your dream happen.

Lean In is So Last Year: The Real Lessons for Our Daughters - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Meredith from Mom of the Year (she did so much work!) and Stephanie from Binkies and Briefcases. (Photo by Motherhood, WTF?)

It’s great to dream, but action is what changes your life and the lives of those around you. Stephanie Giese from Binkies and Briefcases is the mastermind and owner of BlogU. She went from “You guys, I’ve always wanted to create a blog conference” to “I’ve booked us a space” to “Wow, that just happened” in less than a year. Many hours in between were spent herding cats. Yeah, we just referred to the lovelies above dressed in retro threads for the NickMom prom as unruly cats, but they know it’s true. Especially Karen Alpert from Baby Sideburns. See if you can pick her out in the picture above. Just give it a try. Oh heck, we’ll just lean in and help you out.

Eye of the Tiger

2. Making dreams happen is a lot of work.

“That just happened,” doesn’t just happen. Planning, striving, and putting in the hours is required. Each of the women on our keynote panel has “made it” in the blogging/writing world, but they nakedly shared just how much work their successes required. It could be said that they had some breaks, but what they actually did was make their own luck. Then they put their noses to the grindstone to capitalize on it. They did not just dabble, they cannonballed into their dreams.

People I Want to Punch in the Throat, Mommy Shorts, Baby Sideburns, Divine Secrets of a Domestic Diva

3. Buuuttt, there’s always room for silliness and fun.

You can be a powerhouse but still kick back and have a good time. Movers and shakers sometimes just have to, well, shake it. There is a definite confidence required to be silly. Silliness is what lightens spirits and binds girlfriends together. It is what you can hold in your heart to get you through rougher times.

This is a collage of blogging fabulousity. Just note, the chick with the pink bow is Ellen. Here’s the rest: Rants from Mommyland, Hollow Tree Ventures, Nicole Leigh Shaw, Kelley’s Break Room, House TalkN, You Know It Happens at Your Too, My Life and Kids, Kissing the Frog, Frugalista Blog, There’s More Where That Came From

4. You can relive your youth.

But there will be one difference . . . you’ll be free from the apprehensions and turmoil of youth so it can be even better. There is nothing more attractive than confidence.

Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms - Friends Let Friends Let The 80s Happen

Kelley from Kelley’s Break Room and Kerry from House TalkN are masters of transformation.

And if your prom dress still fits, it makes it even easier to relive the glory . . . or live something even better.

Last century’s bad teen attitude boosted Janel from 649.133: Girls, the Care and Raising Of. to today’s prom queen.

5. Sometimes it is freeing to just be with the girls.

It feeds your soul to hang out with your girlfriends. And we’ll take that one step further with a secret that took us 20 odd years to realize: Prom is better without the guys. All you really want to do is dance in a circle with your friends. NickMom was generous enough to give us our own prom where we made that happen. We love our husbands, don’t get us wrong, but a fun night out with the girls can be a very good thing.

The Faculty, Ellen dancing with Kelley from Kelley’s Break Room and Anna from My Life and Kids, and Amy from Funny is Family striking a pose.

6. Patting someone on the back is better than stabbing them there.

There is a whole lot of room at the top. Check out all the boys stretched out there enjoying themselves. If we want a Barcalounger there too, we need to help each other out and acknowledge the girls who are getting it done. Giving someone credit for her hard work does not diminish your accomplishments. And if she has what you want? Work for it! Save the petty jealousies for reality TV.

But “having your back” does not protect you from photobombs. Nor does it mean Erin gets help carrying heavy boxes when her friends are cutely dressed. There are limits. The crew: Anna from Random Handprints, Kerry from House TalkN, Karen from Baby Sideburns, Courtney from Our Small Moments, Anna from My Life and Kids, Jessica from Four Plus an Angel.

7. Get out of your comfort zone.

Sometimes we convince ourselves to think small, dream small, speak small. When you start out dreaming of going to the moon; don’t talk yourself out of it. Sure it can all be scary, but that’s why you hold hands before you jump.

So if your friend jumped off a bridge . . .

And never let yourself get too comfortable resting on your laurels. You are never too accomplished to accomplish something new. Keep leaping. Ilana from Mommy Shorts overcame her fear of public speaking at BlogU . . . and she enjoyed it. Prepare. Breathe. Leap.

Ilana felt so freed she ditched her cocktail dress and borrowed this polyester dream. Refer to point #3.

And last but not least . . .

8. Cupcakes are exciting at any age.

And good girlfriends tell you when you have frosting on your face. Never, ever, never, sweet daughters, forgo an opportunity to have that cupcake, to take that break. Enjoy the sweetness and enjoy the laughs.

Erin and Toulouse and Tonic. Even ladies will tear into a good cupcake.

So thank you Sheryl Sandberg for getting us all riled up last summer. When we made it to BlogU this year, we saw for ourselves that leaning in and leaning on are not mutually exclusive. There’s nothing sweeter than the taste of success especially when you got there with your friends. That might be the only thing that trumps cupcakes.