Ah, New Year’s Eve. It really is a time for the young, but not too young. While the night is made for twenty-somethings to rock it out, the preschool set is often left completely out. It’s hard to be tucked in at 8 o’clock when all of the focus is on the magic of midnight.
That’s why we were beyond delighted when our reader, Sandra Tuckman, shared one of her family traditions with us.
The real magic is how stinking easy it is. The Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy should take notes.
Show your precious snowflakes a plate of Cheerios.
Let them sprinkle milk and/or Magic Dust of choice on the little Os.
Explain to your kids they have to be asleep waaaaayyy before midnight for the magic to happen.
Enjoy a quiet glass of champagne with your sweetie at midnight . . . or 10 PM. Whatever.
Remember to replace the Cheerios with doughnuts!
Behold their delighted faces in the morning.
So simple! But remember to match the number of Cheerios to the number of doughnuts. Makes more sense that way . . . like a bunny delivering eggs or a fairy collecting teeth.
Now you can up your game if it all feels too simple. Remember the Magic Dust we mentioned? It allows all sorts of room for creativity.
Sprinkle cocoa for chocolate doughnuts.
Sprinkle powdered sugar for powdered doughnuts.
Sprinkle cinnamon for, you guessed it, cinnamon doughnuts.
Use sprinkles over the Cheerios, then do the same for the doughnuts.
If you really want to impress Pinterest, you could dip the Cheerios in icing and sprinkles for frosted doughnuts.
We absolutely loved reading all the different places people met “The One.” In movie terms, these are the “meet cute” scenes where the romantic leads lock eyes for the first time in an adorable, entertaining, or amusing way.
Our readers shared “meet cute” settings ranging from church, the library, and high school to Arby’s, the Pentagon, and even, one of our favorites, adjoining driveways. Apparently love blossoms anywhere. You all were so generous with your stories, we felt like we should be equally magnanimous with ours. Here are our “meet cute” scenes that led to twenty-plus years (and counting!) of true love. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have nothing on us.
And as a special bonus, our husbands are chiming in with their two cents (and corrections). They do help to keep us sensible and honest.
Erin: In August before my senior year, I came back to school early because I was going to be a resident assistant. For a full week before classes began, I hung out with a group of great people who would also be working in the residence halls.
One day between sessions, I was hanging out on a grassy knoll with some of my new friends and someone commented on my shiny new shoes. We had all been together for a week, so I guess conversation was running a little thin. In any case, I felt it was the perfect time to see if anybody wanted to be my new running buddy. Steve piped up right away. Apparently, he had new shoes too and wouldn’t mind waking up at the ass crack o’ dawn to run with me. He didn’t look like a serial killer or a date rapist, so I said sure. It took us a full two months of running for me to figure out that a) he didn’t really have new shoes, b) he had never really run before, and c) he liked me. The rest is history.
Steve: Cute story, but that’s not really when we met. This is just when you remember meeting me. I actually met you a whole year before at a party of a mutual friend.
It was the night of the Christmas Dance. I was majorly interested in one of the girls I had met through some Student Life activities. I even worked up the courage to ask her if she wanted to go to the dance. Though I didn’t see it at the time, she politely told me “no” by suggesting that I meet up with a bunch of friends who were going to the dance together. Several days later, but still excited, I arrived at the meeting place apartment to find it mostly empty, but with people straggling in. Introductions were being made. “Oh, hey, I’m Erin,” was the basis and full extent of our first and apparently unmemorable first meeting.
I would also like to clarify some things from Erin’s “memory.” For the record, I did have new shoes. And while I hadn’t run regularly since high school, I had wanted to start jogging. Also, Erin never specified that we would be running so early in the morning. Finally, I didn’t know that I liked her at the time. It wasn’t until one morning jog when Erin stumbled that I realized I felt differently. As she fell, she blurted out, “Don’t leave me!” to which I realized I never would.
Ellen: Oh Sweet Cheezits! If Erin’s memory is, shall we say “extrapolated,” on something this life-altering, I have no hope.
Anyway, my “How I Met Your Father” story began in early September before classes started my junior year at the University of Maryland. But I was not there for a pursuit as noble as becoming an R.A., I was there to fight . . . for my right . . . to parrrr-tay. If you read that to the beat of The Beastie Boys, you are my people.
I was in a sorority and the week before school started was a wild time in the Greek system—all of the socializing, none of the interference from pesky things like classes. We’re talking partying so intense it should be an Olympic sport. My sisters and I primped and polished and headed out on the scene around 4:00 pm. By 2:00 am, our shine was dulled, to put it kindly.
I was sober amongst the tipsy and more than a little frustrated I hadn’t connected with my formal date from last spring. To up the annoyance factor, I was marooned on a fraternity house lawn waiting for my friend. She was incoherently babbling to some guy about how much she “lerrrvvved” his roommate. I wasn’t going to leave her, but I was too irritated to stand within earshot. My goodness, I just wanted to go home.
So there I stood in the middle of the revelry, as bristly as a school marm during a lice outbreak– metaphorically tapping my foot and actually scowling—when this cutie in a pink Monkees t-shirt approached me. Despite his appeal, I wanted no part of what he was laying down, but he forged on through my eye rolling and something “clicked.” In fact, we connected so well that when my old friend from high school sauntered by, she was fooled into thinking we had known each other for ages instead of minutes.
The minutes of banter stretched into hours of talking that night and when he showed up to my sorority rush practice the next day, he “clicked” the lock on my heart and stole the key forever.
Frank: First of all, the Monkees shirt was an award-winning Greek Week garment and secondly it wasn’t even mine. It was about the third or fourth shirt of the night due to the excessive amount of beverage spillage occurring at my fraternity’s crush party. By 2 am, it was the only dry piece of clothing in my room.
With my alluring shirt choice locked in, I scanned the crowd for a promising companion, and spotted a very attractive girl by herself on the sidewalk in front of my fraternity house. Little did I know I was strolling down the steps to approach my future bride. I cannot remember exactly what I said, but it did incur the wrathful and infamous Ellen Scowl. I knew what I was getting into from the start.
Of course I did not let that stop me; I had gotten far worse reactions from the opposite sex before. As Ellen said, we did hit it off quickly, but it got a whole lot more challenging when a local law enforcement officer interrupted us (and our party!!) and told me, “Why don’t you just take the young lady home?” This guy was killing me! I replied to Officer Smooth Talker, “I think the young lady might have something to say about that, sir.” Ellen deigned to give me her number and the rest is history.
Ellen: So if we were to marry where we met, I would have a gorgeous Georgian style mansion in the background, but my altar would be made out of empties and my guests would be seated on ratty plaid couches.
Erin: And I would be married–in running shoes, of course–on a grassy knoll nestled between three residence halls, because even if we did meet at a party the year before, our story didn’t really start until we met again.
In fact, our college has a beautiful chapel which we probably should have considered for the big day, but, ladies, for the record, don’t ever bring up something like that after the proverbial ship has sailed. That’s the kind of stuff that happily married people fight about. Just sayin’.
So you’ve decided to sign your darling up for a sports team. Unless you have a chauffeur, a nanny, or a flux capacitor to split yourself in two, you’re going to need a mom posse. And if you do have those things, what the hell are you doing? Go get yourself a nap, a merlot, and a pedicure.
In the land of youth sports, it’s the luck of the draw who you get to hang with for the season. You need to swim in the pool you paid for, so to speak. The kicker? You’ve never needed help more. There will come a time when older brother needs to go in one direction, your Pele-in-the-making needs to get to the play-offs in the other direction, dad is trapped at work . . . in Dhubai, and the cat is puking out its pancreas. But this situation goes from doom to doable if you have a mom posse to fall back on to at least take Pele to soccer. You’re on your own with the puking feline.
The secret to the posse is to choose wisely and develop it early.
1. Preparation starts at home. The first practice is not the time to be rocking your best boots, 7 For All Mankinds, and perfect blow-out. It makes you look like you don’t really need the help. If that is the case, rock it out, Sister, but if you do need help, you might want to dial down the mom glam for now.
But don’t let the pendulum swing too far the other way. Holey pajama pants and grungy slippers gives off the impression you feed your kids PopTarts for dinner, your entire family is sharing one towel, and most importantly, you don’t have your shizz together enough to transport someone else’s precious babies. Remember, the posse is all about reciprocity. Aim for approachable – best yoga pants, clean top, and neat ponytail. We’re not suggesting being Ms. Fakety-Fake, just don’t let it all hang out until, let’s say, practice six.
2.Get to the first practice early. Posses are for carpooling so safety comes first. Watch the other parents roll up in the parking lot. If a driver doesn’t at least slow down to 5 mph before opening those minivan sliding doors to eject her spawn, then you might want to mark her off the potential chauffeur list.
3.Follow the herd. When everyone is sitting together like ducks in a row, line your chair up too, Buttercup. If the group decides that selling blood is the best way to pay for the team’s new warm-ups, roll up a sleeve and offer a vein. On second thought, you may want to run, but in most cases now is not the time to be the Lone Ranger. Your kid’s not the only one who joined the team. Every time you make an effort, you’re upping your posse potential.
4.Start chatting parents up to see where they live. Carpooling only makes your life easier if it doesn’t take you a tank of gas to take the extra darlings home. Try not to be creepy scoping out addresses, though. If you can’t ask where someone lives without triggering a background check, work that smartphone. Take a picture of the team and show it to your potential posse member, “Look how cute this is!” If she just grunts, consider the screening process to be in full swing and move on. If she coos, say, “Hey, are you on Facebook? I could tag you in it.” If you become friends on Facebook, you are golden! You not only have access to location, you can make sure they don’t participate in demonic goat square dancing . . . or at least they’re discreet enough not to post about it.
WARNING: Do not scroll through and “Like” every one of her pictures because you’ll be detouring through Creepytown. Remember, you were trying to avoid that?
5. Work your kid. This will go a whole lot smoother if you correlate your connections with your kid’s buddies. Don’t fall into the trap of setting up a carpool with the second baseman who wipes his boogers on your son’s glove. Building friendships is good for your child and good for you and nothing builds friendships faster than sleepovers. Suck it up and send out an invite. Just make sure your bathrooms are clean and you remember to feed the kids. Passing out bananas for dinner doesn’t put you at the top of any posse lists.
6.Be the posse member you want to attract. Offer to help a mom you see in distress, carry that über complete first aid kit so you can save the day, create the hang out spot for the kids on your snazzy waterproof picnic blanket, hand puppies out from the back of a van . . . wait, scratch that last one. Just be a team player.
7. Send up a flare. If subtle action fails, don’t be afraid to beg. In fact, lay out your situation in an email or surely you could work it into a conversation during that 3 hours on the sidelines. It’s time to tamp down that pride, put on your big girl panties, and ask for exactly what you need. The people who respond when they know your chips are down are just the type of people you want in your life any way.
Bottom line: Mom posses make all these extracurriculars “posse”-ble. (Yeah, insert rim shot here.) So get out there and make a carpool buddy today! Friends don’t let friends drive both ways to practice two days in a row!
Because Facebook doesn’t show all of our followers all of the awesomeness all of the time we have . . .
One of the most entertaining things about writing a weekly wrap-up is seeing how the Facebook updates and blog posts shake down and flow together. We love to find a common thread for these follow-ups but we never go into a week planning a theme; we just have to look in the rear view mirror and see what happened. You know, like when you swerve to miss a chipmunk and you look back praying there isn’t a bloody mess? Well anyway, for this week the common thread is seriously “Poop and Party.” See if you agree.
I put up a funny graphic about toilet paper this morning. A reader commented about some people using cloth squares instead because of the fear of the chemicals in toilet paper.
I must get your opinions:
How do you feel about reusable toilet paper?
Click here to see the hilarious discussion. Things like “Hell NO!” may have been muttered more than once. Even many fans of cloth diapers couldn’t get on board with this. We were wondering who had enough time in their lives to wash, dry, and snap back together this Etsy roll. Our toilet paper spindles are left empty enough of the time as it is.
The party is going on at Finding the Funny! There’s still time to link up your own humorous post or just scroll around for something to brighten your day. You know what brightened Ellen’s day? Avoiding this disaster:
But what’s a party without gifts?
Well how about a chance to win a Custom Facebook Cover made by the fabulous graphic designer Sara at Cormier Creative? That would give your blog or even your personal Facebook page a boost.
Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. (And be sure to visit Sara at Cormier Creative!) Giveaway ends on Sunday, June 16 at midnight.
We’ve Found Bloggers to Love Who See the Humor in Poop Too
Science of Parenthood is our new blog crush. Created by Norine and Jessica, their tagline says it all – “Because raising kids defies all reason, logic and most of the laws of the universe.” Go check them out. There are more illustrations where this one came from. They have a whole The Scoop On … Poop (And Other Potty-Related Things) Pinterest board.
While you’re checking people out on the party scene, we recommend you follow us, too. You can squeeze it in before going to the store for more toilet paper.
In fact, you can follow us in all of these places.
Because Facebook doesn’t show all of our followers all of the awesomeness all of the time we have . . .
If your school year has not ended already, the time is drawing near. And that time is BUSY. We wish we could gift you with secretaries, chefs, party planners, and personal shoppers to make your lives easier, but let’s be real. If we had access to that kind of help we would be keeping it for ourselves. So how about some handy recommendations instead? It’s almost the least we can do.
Recommended Gifts
Don’t have an end of year gift for those special teachers? We have some easy suggestions right here.
Speaking of good reading, did you catch our summer book recommendations? There is something for most tastes on this list. Pick up a few for your beach bag or Kindle today.
Recommended For Your Health
May has been Skin Cancer Awareness month. Please read our post Stop Skin Cancer Because You Can. We want you around to share our funny.
Recommended To Tickle Your Funny Bone
Recommended Exercise Routine
Recommended For Your Belly
Wondering what to have for dinner this weekend? How about some scrumptious wings? A recommendation never tasted so good. And seriously, they’re baked so it’s not ironic at all that we posted them after an exercise funny.
Erin guest posted over at Three Things For Mom. This blog is the brainchild of Lauren Warner who writes her own blog, Sipping Lemonade. In quick, bite-sized blog posts, Three Things for Mom looks at the same three topics (a truth, a tip & a find) through the eyes of guest mom bloggers. It really is a great way to discover new writers and pick up some simple truths about Motherhood, share tips, and learn about some great finds. See what Erin had to say.
A great blogging idea.
While we could sit here and list wonderful blogs on the rise to follow, Kim of Let Me Start By Saying already did so for us in her post Today Everybody Wins. Including Me. She believes in the power of being nice and so do we. Here’s to the power of sharing and caring.
Okay, we can’t resist.
Kim’s idea is so good, we have to recommend someone ourselves. Something Clever 2.0 is a witty, sharp writer who deserves a Facebook “Like” from you. Click here to make it happen.
And while you’re feeling generous, we recommend you follow us, too. Pretty please.
In fact, you can follow us in all of these places.
Because Facebook doesn’t show all of our followers all of the awesomeness all of the time we have . . .
We are so ready to get our summer on, and we are NOT just talking about the flip-flops, vacations, and poolside cocktails either. Nothing beats summer eats! Bar-B-Qs, fresh salads, and anything off the grill are on the menu. To that end, we were talking food this week.
Nothing says summer like dishes that can be pulled together in about 20 minutes. This will be a go to recipe all summer long. Healthy, delicious, nutritious. YUM!
Want our blog posts delivered directly to your inbox? Follow us on Bloglovin. It is SO easy even your four year old could do it! In fact, let your four year old do it. They gotta learn this stuff young!
Because Facebook doesn’t show all of our followers all of the awesomeness all of the time we have . . .
Mama Mia! This week we talked about being moms a lot. Not all that surprising because we began the week with the Mother of all holidays, but still. We usually keep our uterus-toting, estrogen-pumping ways on the down-low.
Seriously though, we hope that each and every one of you had a lovely Sunday. Whether your morning was mostly runny eggs and homemade cards culminating into a day that looked pretty much like every other day or one where your family got their shizz together and made you queen for a day, we hope you all had a chance to sit back and marvel at this job we call Motherhood.
We sure did. This week in The Sisterhood, we . . .
Partied Like Rock Stars
Sort of.
We told you just how lucky our moms are to have us! And you all LOVED this, so you must be equally legendary in your own right. Rock on!
Then we offered some stellar recommendations for your summer reading. . .
Then we shared some wonderful stuff from other Moms on the webz. . .
Starting with Kim Bongiorno at Let Me Start By Saying. She is having a great giveaway to celebrate reaching 10,000 fans on Facebook. If you aren’t already a fan, you should be. She is one of the nicest, most talented bloggers. If you’re already a fan, you know what we we’re talking about. So head on over there, check her out, and join in the fun.
Then we shared this pitch perfect card from Tara at You Know It Happens at Your House Too. If you haven’t checked out her funny blog, well, you are missing something. Doesn’t this card just sell itself?
And then we shared The Pregnancy Game version of Would You Rather from Hilary at The HillJean: Because my Life is Fascinating. We think you’ll love her blog’s mix of cynical and sweet as much as we do. Check out this funny, but painfully real game. She is right there with you in the trenches, are we right?
Overall it was the perfect week to celebrate Moms.
So we’ll leave you with your FAVORITE Facebook post from this week.
Have you joined The Sisterhood yet? No worries. We always have room for one more. Just one click of the badge and you’ll be hanging with us in no time.
In fact, you can follow us in all of these places.
Our Pinterest Boards take hours of our time! Commit to losing a couple hours checking them out.
Want our blog posts delivered directly to your inbox? Follow us on Bloglovin. It is SO easy even your four year old could do it! In fact, let your four year old do it. They gotta learn this stuff young!
Because Facebook doesn’t show all of our followers all of the awesomeness all of the time we have . . .
The Lucky Duck Edition
This is our 13th Facebook Follow-Up Friday! We are aware that no good usually comes from the marriage of Friday and the number 13, but things are different here in The Sisterhood. We have got your back and for that you are one lucky duck, er, follower.
We are always at the ready with. . .
Some Great Advice
And this one could save your life. Ellen’s shared a PSA reminding everyone to have a skin cancer check, because May is Melanoma Awareness Month, and, oh yeah, this is probably the easiest piece of preventive medicine you can do. Make your appointment today!
Please click on this graphic to Pin it to spread the word!
Just in time for Mother’s Day, we’ve got the Mother of all Pintershits with this Anti-Guide to Gift-Giving. We are here to keep you on the right side of your Mom’s affection, so heed this advice. We are also here for some laughs and this piece is sure to tickle your funny bone . . . if it doesn’t scare the bejeezus out of you.
And . . .
We Weren’t the Only Ones Celebrating Mother’s Day With a Blog Post
Because this is your lucky day, we’ve rounded them up for your reading pleasure.
And to take this into another dimension, we’re including a wrap-up from My Life and Kids of Anna’s favorite Mother’s Day posts . . . and she included us! So, here is us looking at her looking at us looking at her: All Things Mother’s Day.
And . . .
Memes You All Loved
Coffee and alcohol in one meme. Can you say SUPER-lucky???
A meme that just nails it and drives the point home! Score!
And because Mother’s Day is Sunday, a meme that tells it like it is.
And we were lucky too because there are more of you to love!
We ended this week with over 4000 fans!
Thank you, welcome, and go catch up on anything you may have missed!
Not yet a fan? No worries. We always have room for one more. Just one click of the badge and you’ll be hanging with The Sisterhood.
In fact, you can follow us in all of these places.
Our Pinterest Boards are fun! Spend a couple hours checking them out.
Because Facebook doesn’t show all of our followers all of the awesomeness all of the time we have . . .
The WTH to Gross to Tender Edition
We did a bit of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde this week although without the evil overtones. Alright, maybe it was more like a chimera. . . or maybe yin and yang. Well anyway, we took you from the depths of WTH moved on to gross and then whisked you to the heights of tenderness. Does your neck hurt from the whiplash? We firmly stand by the disclaimer: All’s fair in love and blogging.
For starters, we began the week talking about vaginal spelunking.
Ellen was In The Powder Room with her guest post Your Vagtastic Vagina Is Not A Black Hole.
See what we mean by WTH?
Ellen’s Refrigerator
So how do you follow up a post about finding things in vaginas? Apparently by trotting out what you find in your fridge. This is where we crossed over into gross.
Just click the picture to see all of the guesses. They are hilarious!
Spoiler alert!
Just to keep moving on the Classy Train:
Let’s swing this around from gross to tongue in cheek: