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Laundry Survival Tips for Your College Student (and You)

Laundry Survival Tips For Your College Student and You! It's never too late (or too early) to teach your child life skills! Comprehensive laundry survival tips, advice and how-to for your college student and you! The bed-making and wrinkle busting tips are amazing! | Parenting Advice | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

First and foremost: THEY CAN DO THEIR OWN EVER-LOVING LAUNDRY!

Ellen: In a very few short weeks my daughter is traveling 1,147 miles away to college. In related news, I may personally make headlines if one more person asks me: “Wow, that’s far. Are you going to miss her?”

While that makes me want to kick a kitten, there is a dumbfounding twist to this irritating conversation that makes my jaw drop. They will say to my daughter: “Well that’s too far away for your mom to do your laundry. What are you going to do?”

“Um, do it myself,” she replies speaking veeeerrrry slooooowly. My high school sophomore daughter generally just stares in disbelief.

One woman of a soon-to-be college freshman even went so far as to tell us, “I told my son if he is coming home every weekend to see his girlfriend, she needs to do his laundry.”

My high school daughter (once again staring in disbelief) replied, “Or he can maybe do it himself?” To her credit, she saved, “Well, isn’t THAT a lucky girl?” for when we were back in the car.

At a party, the subject of laundry came up yet again (really), and a woman looked at me like I was Hermione Granger incarnate and breathed, “But HOW do you get them to do it?”

My high school daughter jumped in with, “Well, when we were too short to reach the buttons, she bought us a step stool.”

The woman may have lost some of her awe as she mentally lumped me in with the orphanage supervisor from Annie, but it’s whatever because this woman (me! it’s me!) is not her family’s laundress.

Erin: But it’s not only about how it benefits you, the parent, it’s about how it benefits your kid. While Ellen is getting an inkling of the laundry ineptitude at college, I KNOW about the lack of skills. My son was the hero of his freshman floor because he knew how to work a laundry machine and what products to use in it. He made lots of friends and he should have gotten a thank you note or two from some parents.

So to recap thus far:

  1. If your precious is smart enough to attend college, they can work a washing machine.
  2. It is not Quantum Physics. (See number one.)
  3. Girlfriends are not for laundry. (Neither are mothers.)
  4. Laundry skills = instant popularity.

Even if your kid has never lifted a stain stick, it’s not too late! Don’t let them learn about it on the streets . . . er, on the freshman hall. Bonus: they probably won’t even need a step stool. Here’s a laundry checklist/tutorial/pure genius to share with them.

Syllabus for College Laundry 101 |It's never too late (or too early) to teach your child life skills! Comprehensive laundry survival tips, advice and how-to for your college student and you! The bed-making and wrinkle busting tips are amazing! | Parenting Advice | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

Syllabus for College Laundry 101

Supplies:

  • Laundry bags, hampers, and/or baskets (Basically, containment for the filth.)
  • Zippered mesh washing bags (Sometimes called lingerie or delicates bags.)
  • Detergent pods
  • Stain stick
  • Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus
  • Dryer fabric softener sheets
  • Optional: Drying rack (Over-the-door models are great space savers.)
  • Optional: color catching sheets

The Basics

It’s all about the sorting.

Darks get washed with darks and lights get washed with lights. Don’t be the cliché who turns their underwear pink with a red sock; it’s sad.

Either have two separate hampers (the preferred method) and sort as you take the clothes off or sort at the machine. Have a bunch of mesh washing bags near your hamper(s) for things you don’t want to go in the dryer like bras, the tissue paper that passes for Forever 21 clothing, and sports jerseys. Put these items in the zippered bags AS SOON AS YOU TAKE THEM OFF to avoid mishaps.

Also, treat stains with your stain stick before you put them in your hamper. Chances are pretty good you won’t remember about that ketchup blob on laundry day. But take note of this: nothing sets a stain like a spin in the dryer.

It's never too late (or too early) to teach your child life skills! Comprehensive laundry survival tips, advice and how-to for your college student and you! The bed-making and wrinkle busting tips are amazing! | Parenting Advice | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

What to do with an item that is both light and dark? Most likely wash it with darks because then it becomes all about the water temperature (see below). There are also color catching sheets you can add to your load to “grab” any dye that bleeds.

Besides color, there is another consideration: texture and weight. For example, jeans are best washed in a load by themselves. Think about denim grating against your t-shirt for 40 minutes. It might not have a good outcome. If you have more than one towel, you may want to consider washing them by themselves. A couple of towels bunched up in a load can throw a washing machine off-balance, but this is not as big of a deal in a commercial machine.

One important note: don’t tightly stuff the tub with your clothes. They need room to agitate.

This is a good time to brush up on your reading.

Hey, when confusion sets in, read the label! It’s jammed packed with all sorts of information like what wash temperature to use and whether you should hand wash it. There’s a chart available here to help you crack the code of those symbols.

One caveat, cheaper clothes are often labeled “hand wash.” We often get away with washing them in mesh bags in the machine on a cold water setting. It’s all about the risk. If you would be devastated that your favorite shirt got ruined, hand wash it. If it was SUPER expensive and/or made of wool or silk and it’s labeled “hand wash,” you should heed the instructions. Buuuuutttttt, if it was a twelve dollar shirt that you probably won’t wear past one season anyway, it’s up to you to see what you can get away with.

It’s also about the temperature.

If you want to keep it simple starting out, wash everything in cold. But remember darks should always be washed in cold water. If you are feeling a little braver, lights can be washed in warm with a cold water rinse. Towels, sheets, and your gross light colored gym socks and basic underwear can be washed in hot if the labels say it’s okay.

SO many buttons.

The good news is that commercial washers are pretty straightforward and generally have instructions printed on them. Home washers tend to try to be fancier and more confusing, but all you have to do is Google the model to find the instruction manual.

In general, the “Normal/Cotton” cycle has a high agitation level good for dirtier clothes, “Permanent Press” is a warm wash followed by a cold rinse, and “Delicates” has the least rambunctious agitation and spin cycle.

Don’t forget the detergent.

Detergent pods are the best thing to happen to college students since their acceptance letters. No more schlepping heavy detergent bottles around. One note: the pods go in the bottom of the washer before you put your clothes in, not in the soap dispenser.

It’s dry time!

Back to that pesky label reading thing. Drying instructions should always be heeded. If a tag indicates an item should not go in the dryer, IT SHOULD NOT GO IN THE DRYER. For those things that can go in the dryer, throw in a fabric softener sheet and set the machine for the recommended temperature.

A good life practice is to fold/hang clothes as they come out of the dryer. For those of you snorting over this suggestion, see the next step.

Ironing.

Hahahahahahahaha! More jokes! Ironing barely happens in our own homes.

It's never too late (or too early) to teach your child life skills! Comprehensive laundry survival tips, advice and how-to for your college student and you! The bed-making and wrinkle busting tips are amazing!! | Parenting Advice | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Here’s Ellen’s situation.

Here’s what the ironing organizer is really used for on the daily.

Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus | It's never too late (or too early) to teach your child life skills! Comprehensive laundry survival tips, advice and how-to for your college student and you! The bed-making and wrinkle busting tips are amazing!! | Parenting Advice | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Which leads us to our next step . . .

Wrinkle releasing.

Here’s assuming your clean laundry is in a wrinkled heap in your basket. (We tend to be realists.) You can A) seek out the kid whose delusional mom actually thought she would use an iron or B) whip out your Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus. Just spray, tug, smooth, and hang and you’re good to go (remember to allow for a very wee bit of time for drying).

Laundry denial.

So you let your dirty clothes pile up under your bed, in your closet, or beneath your sleeping head? Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus can fix that too. Spray it, spray it real good, to eliminate the odor and ensure peaceful cohabitation with your roommate. (You can even spritz their piles if they are the offenders.)

Laundry karma.

Listen closely to this one. Never, EVER, pull a person’s clean laundry out of the washer and dump it onto the floor. You do NOT need to send that kind of bad juju out into the universe to bite you in the butt when you least expect it.

ONE LAST TIP!

It’s not an urban legend that a majority of students do NOT change their sheets. It’s a joke because people are laughing through the tears . . . because the funky sheets are making their eyes water. While we firmly believe kids should do their own laundry, we acknowledge that parents might have to do this trick at move-in.

  1. Put down the cushy mattress topper.
  2. Cover with a mattress protector.
  3. Put on a fitted sheet.
  4. Layer on ANOTHER mattress protector.
  5. Top with ANOTHER fitted sheet.
  6. Make bed up with the flat sheet, blanket, and comforter.
  7. Artfully arrange pillows.
  8. Take a picture because it might never look this way again.

So the thought is, that after a week or fifteen, your student can just peel off the top sheets and mattress protector and have a fresh bed. Of course this isn’t foolproof because your precious still has to tuck in a clean top sheet and change the pillowcase, but it’s worth a try. You probably should recommend frequent spritzes with Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus just to be safe.

One last picture because we’re ironic like this. Okay, we know it’s not irony, but we at least qualify for punny. Right!?

Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus | It's never too late (or too early) to teach your child life skills! Comprehensive laundry survival tips, advice and how-to for your college student and you! The bed-making and wrinkle busting tips are amazing!| Parenting Advice | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

While we were compensated by Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus for this post, all love for this product and hard-won advice about college laundry are all our own.

Get your coupon for Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus here!

Follow them on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter for more great tips!

 

Hey! Want to buy our new book? I Just Want to Be Perfect brings together 37 hilarious and relatable essays that showcase the foibles of ordinary women trying to be perfect.

I Just Want to Be Perfect

You can follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Check out our books, “I Just Want to Be Alone” and “You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth.”

 

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How to Prevent Bikini Line Bumps

Get summer ready! How to Prevent Bikini Line Bumps. Have you tried everything to prevent bikini line bumps? Think again. You may not have tried this cheap, painless, and easy solution. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

I have always been plagued by bikini line bumps.

Okay relax. There will be no pictures because TMI is not my thing, and I try rather diligently not to mortify my teens.

What is my thing is sharing brilliant solutions . . . that drop into my lap. You know how when you’re shopping around online and there are suggested products that pop up in the sidebar? Well, sometimes it’s terrifying how spot-on the internet elves who choose the recommendations actually are.

About a month ago, an electric razor popped up for me.

Panasonic razor

And now it’s living in my bathroom because review after review said it gave a close shave without a rash. Maaaaayyybbeee everything you read on the internet isn’t exactly true, but for $19.99 it was a no-brainer after what I have spent to banish those little bumps.

I have tried waxing and it made my skin very, very angry. And then I tried waxing again when I was fed the hype that it was actually dirty wax that caused the bumps. First of all, ewwwwww. Secondly, I’m pretty sure it was the molten hot wax ripping the hairs out by the roots that played a major part. I not only got a rash immediately after the torture, I got ingrown hairs when they started to grow back through my traumatized skin.

Oh, and then I tried laser hair removal: fairly painful, REALLY expensive, and a total waste of time for me. Sure the hair was sparser, but there was still hair so what was the point? I just had a little less hair to remove with some other method. I even went through two rounds spaced months apart to catch the hair that was in a dormant growing phase during the first round. Apparently, I have hairs that plaque me every other day now with their growth spurts, but were napping during the entire eight months of laser time. Sure.

That left me with plain ol’ shaving . . . and bumps all of the time. I tried depilatories like Nair, but who has that kind of time? And that smell? Yuck.

So basically, tons of money and time later, I was relegated to wear bathing suits with skirts. Now, don’t get me wrong, skirted suits are super cute, but sometimes you want to be able to choose something else.

But I have freedom of choice once again thanks to the Panasonic ES2207P Ladies Electric Shaver! Within one week of using it with post-shaving dabs of my secret solution of antibiotic and cortisone creams, my bikini line was smooth and clear. (More about that in a bit.)

Razor Pop Up

You can use this razor wet or dry and the charge lasts forever. The pop-up trimmer is what gets in there close, but it honestly doesn’t get quite as close as a regular razor so I have to use it every day. I have no problem with that because the bumps are banished! Also, I no longer have any ingrown hairs because the hair is not short enough to get trapped when it starts to grow. I use the tiny dabs of antibiotic and cortisone cream after each use once I dry off to make sure everything stay smooth and clear.

Cortisone and Antibiotic

So there you have it. This isn’t a sponsored post (it does contain affiliate links: you can buy it here), I just wanted to share the solution I have been searching out for decades. Hallelujah! No go forth and enjoy bathing suit season any way you see fit. The freedom is yours now.

-Ellen 

You can follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Check out our books, “I Just Want to Be Alone” and “You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth.”

 

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Inspirational Quotes for Graduates That Aren’t Cheesy

Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

It’s the season for endings, for new beginnings, and for change. It’s the season for both reflecting on the past and embracing the future. It’s the season for . . . graduation speeches galore. Nothing centers a speech—or even a graduation card sentiment—like a good quote, but enough with the “reach for the stars” and the “follow your dreams.”

Follow the road less traveled and skip the Robert Frost quotes. Be the cool aunt who throws down some Game of Thrones or the Valedictorian who kicks off their speech with a little wisdom from the Terminator. We’ve done the research, now all you have to do is deliver the clever.

Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.

-J. K. Rowling

"Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.

-Will Rogers

Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

-Arthur Ashe

 

Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Nobody else is paying as much attention to your failures as you are . . . to everyone else, it’s just a blip on the radar screen, so just move on.

-Jerry Zucker

 

Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very positive and essential part of success.

-Bo Bennett

"Opportunity Dances With Those Who Are Already On The Dance Floor." Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor.

-Jackson Browne

"Do. Or do not. There is no try." Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Do. Or do not. There is no try.

-Yoda

"The harder you work, the luckier you get." Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

The harder you work, the luckier you get.

-Gary Player

"Once you've accepted your flaws no one can use them against you." Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Once you’ve accepted your flaws no one can use them against you.

-Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones

"Just remember, you can't climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets." Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Just remember, you can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.

-Arnold Schwarzenegger

We know we’ve hit a nice even ten, but we couldn’t resist just one more. Graduates or the graduate in your life might not appreciate it, but if you are of certain age, this will make you smile. Consider it our gift to you.

"When I was your age, we didn't have the Internet in our pants. We didn't even have the Internet not in our pants. That's how bad it was." Nothing centers a speech, or even a graduation card sentiment, like a good quote, but enough with the "reach for the stars" and the "follow your dreams." Check out these inspirational quotes for graduates that aren't cheesy. | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 When I was your age, we didn’t have the Internet in our pants. We didn’t even have the Internet not in our pants. That’s how bad it was.

-Dick Costolo

-Ellen and Erin

Want some more reading about graduation?

Ten Things I Want to Say to My Son Before He Graduates

Graduation got you a little verklempt? 10 Things to Say Before They Graduate

 

Advice for My Daughter as She Graduates

Advice for my daughter as she graduates

You can follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Check out our books, “I Just Want to Be Alone” and “You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth.”

 

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Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0


Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be oppressed by their diabolical ways.

Okay, maybe that is a bit dramatic.  Anyway . . .

I enjoy, crave, and need coffee, but I am often running short on time. When I was gifted a Keurig with its magical ability to deliver delicious coffee in minutes, it was this procrastinating caffeine addict’s dream come true. So when that one went kaput after years of service, I trotted out to buy a new one without one lick of research. The only thing on the shelf was the Keurig 2.0 and I thought, “Two point O? Fantastic! This will be even better!”

Except the 2.0 didn’t mean improved, it meant more proprietary. Seems the company’s K-Cup patent expired in 2012 and copycat K-Cups sprang up to take a bite out of Keurig’s profits. In response, Keurig developed the 2.0 that has a sensor to pick up the technology they embedded in the newly patented, next generation K-Cups.

Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

This means old cups don’t work in your new machine even if they were designed by Keurig. Put an unlicensed or 1.0 K-Cup in your machine and you get this annoyingly cutesy message.

Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Okay, so no big deal. I only had three Earl Grey cups that weren’t working . . . or so I thought.

It all came to a head the weekend the Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms hosted a book signing party for Jessica and Norine from the illustrated humor blog, Science of Parenthood, to celebrate the release of Science of Parenthood: Thoroughly Unscientific Explanations for Utterly Baffling Parenting Solutions.

Science of Parenthood - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

The ladies are from out of town so they spent the night at my house, and because my momma raised me right, I gave them full access to the Keurig with a refreshed and overflowing basket of K-Cups. I was feeling pretty smug about being a good hostess until I heard them call from the kitchen:

“Hey, none of these coffee things are working!”

Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Jessica is rightfully sad.

I have a penchant for buying in bulk at warehouse stores, but I lack the gumption and desire to rotate my stock. Seems I had just been dumping new K-Cups onto the old, but we had finally reached the bottom of the barrel so to speak. There were at least three dozen K-Cups that weren’t going to work in my machine. Now THAT is a big deal.

But there is a way around it! You just need heavy-duty scissors and scotch tape.

It’s really pretty simple. You just need to cut out the “ring” of a 2.0 K-cup. (There is also a gizmo you can buy on Amazon called a Freedom Clip, but I have not tested out how that works.)

Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

You need to make sure to cut away the ridge or it will not fit in the machine.

Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

Cut the foil out of the ring and just tape it on. While you really need to cut neatly, the taping is not as finicky. Just make sure the ring is seated on the cup and that you don’t tape across the center.

Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

It worked! (To date, I have been able to brew ten cups of coffee with the one ring I cut out.)

Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

And Jessica and Norine celebrated!

Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

You know what would go great with that cup of coffee? Jess and Norine’s new book! These comic geniuses take all the highs and lows of parenting, apply the sciences to them, illustrate them up, and churn out humor we all can relate to.

Need an example? Check out this magnet gracing my refrigerator.

Science of Parenthood Inspired a Life Hack | Easy Hack to Use Any K-Cup in Your Keurig 2.0. This is a story of capitalism, big coffee, and the woman who would not be thwarted. |DIY | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

You can get your very own copy of their book on Amazon.

Science of Parenthood: These comic geniuses take all the highs and lows of parenting, apply the sciences to them, illustrate them up, and churn out humor we all can relate to.

Happy Reading and Coffee Drinking!

Ellen

You can follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Check out our books, “I Just Want to Be Alone” and “You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth.”

 

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Three Easy Container Garden Tips to Give You More Bang for Your Buck

Once upon a time, I gardened, I mean REALLY gardened. Flowers were my thing. Our first home was a townhouse and I spent the better part of a year transforming our postage stamp backyard into an oasis with pea gravel paths and carefully planned beds where texture, color and size were all carefully deliberated and coordinated. I even scoured catalogs to mail order plants that were not readily found at my local nursery. Just swish that sort of free time around in your temporal lobe for a second and savor it.

Then we moved to our current three acre homestead when I was 99.89% ready to pop with my firstborn. Not only was the vastness of the space overwhelming, it looked like a prairie. I’m talking swaying hip-high grasses that could have hidden a cheetah for all I knew. Let’s just say it was about a half a second from being foreclosed upon and the owners had bigger woes to worry about than curb appeal. We had to get a farmer to bale it. Yes, my yard was freaking harvested. It was enough to make a pregnant woman weep, or at the very least, give up.

Seventeen years later, I still don’t have a proper garden because . . . life. With tasks like finding a very specific red shin guard sleeve crowding my to-do list, it doesn’t leave oodles of time to hunt down the perfect blush pink iris. But my landscaping looks kinda good-ish, at least around the pool, and I still cultivate a beauty or two. My hydrangeas kicked butt and provoked envy this year.

Three Easy Container Garden Tips to Give You More Bang for Your Buck | DIY Garden Design Principles | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Basically, a lot of my much divided attention nowadays drifts toward two things: hardscape and containers. First hardscape because, oh my goodness, when it’s done, you’re done. I am a fan of permanent wow factors. Second, container gardening is dear to my heart because, well, it is so contained. A little plot of a garden would look lost in my yard, but a well-planted and well-situated container gives a pop of interest. When you combine hardscape with beautiful planters, well my friend, you have achieved the sweet spot for lazy easy gardening.

Here are three quick tips to make the most out of your containers.

Three Easy Container Garden Tips to Give You More Bang for Your Buck | DIY Garden Design Principles | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

1. Drainage

The major drawback to container gardening is the watering. They pretty much need a daily dousing to survive, but over-watering is a deadly sin too. They’re kind of like the Goldilocks of gardens. The key to keeping them “just right” is proper drainage. The easiest solution is a pot with a drainage hole, but sometimes your container is in a location where muddy water seeping out of the bottom would not be ideal, like next to a pool. If you have a solid pot, you need something in the bottom to provide a space for drainage. Gravel is the standard material, but it is heavy to haul and if your pot has any size to it, adding gravel makes it almost impossible to move.

I hit upon using my old, busted pool noodles in the bottom for drainage. Even if you don’t have old ones to use, you can find them cheaply at the dollar store or buy them from Amazon here. See the full step-by-step here.

Use Pool Noodles in Your Container Gardening | Recycling is good! Plus other helpful tips! | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

2. Fertilizing

Okay, this might seem like a big fat “Duh!” but you have to remember I’m really kind of a lazy gardener. So my pots stay out all winter . . . maybe even with the dead plants still in them. Did I mention I hate winter? Anyway, in one of my pots a ton of soil washed out so I tossed in some of the Miracle-Gro potting mix I still had from the pool noodle potting project. Let me be clear, the other poor little pot got none.

Three Easy Container Garden Tips to Give You More Bang for Your Buck | DIY Garden Design Principles | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

The results were so remarkable that even others noticed. “What happened with those puny flowers?” Favoritism. Favoritism is what happened. So if you’ve ever wondered if fertilizing matters, it does. And no worries, I added some Miracle-Gro to the pitiful one because playing favorites is not my thing. Remember, laziness is my thing.

 

3. Give Some Pop With Rocks

This is where hardscape meets container gardening to help achieve the design rule of three. What? I had electives in art history and architecture in college. Basically, odd-numbered pairings provide more harmony and force movement of the eye to create visual interest. Why do three objects create this feeling while four does not? I don’t know, I didn’t take that many classes, I was a microbiology major for goodness’ sake, but I do know the feeling of balance is real.

So where one big planter plopped down by the fence is pretty, a pot balanced with two other objects is much more interesting. I used larger rocks to add this interest and then took it one step farther to make it even MORE interesting.

Fast and Easy! How to Make Your Landscape Pop With Rocks | DIY Garden Design Principles | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

You know how wet rocks have a depth of color to them that just isn’t there when they’re dry? I created a permanently “wet” appearance simply by brushing them with glossy outdoor polyurethane.

So this:

Fast and Easy! How to Make Your Landscape Pop With Rocks | DIY Garden Design Principles | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Became this:

Fast and Easy! How to Make Your Landscape Pop With Rocks | DIY Garden Design Principles | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

See how that gorgeous red vein of color pops out? And I just brushed the poly on the rocks right where they lay. This isn’t really a project that requires perfection. I did make sure the forecast was clear for at least 24 hours so that they had time to dry. Know also that the can of polyurethane will be ruined for other projects because no matter much you scrub the rocks, dirt still ends up in the can. Use a brush you can throw away, too. While I’m usually a fan of foam brushes, I found that one with bristles worked better for this project to get into the nooks and crannies and to get under the edges of the rocks.

Here is one more:Fast and Easy! How to Make Your Landscape Pop With Rocks | DIY Garden Design Principles | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

The finish has held up for well over a year now. Here’s one featured in the Rule of Three.

Fast and Easy! Lanscaping with the Rule of Three | DIY design principles for your garden. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

By the way, this is the puny pot about five weeks after I added Miracle-Gro.

Now go forth to drain, fertilize, and pop! Bet you never got a directive like that before.

-Ellen

Can’t get enough of projects with rocks? See how to make this foot washing station here.

Foot Washing Station

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The Best Packing Tip You Never Knew You Needed

 

The Best Packing Tip You Never Knew You Needed! Organized travel can be yours with this simple trick. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

If you had told me at the beginning of this summer that when it came to packing I could do it better, the nicest thing I would have yelled at you is “Poppycock!”

You see, I have adhered to the “bundle wrapping” method of packing for YEARS. Friends and family are always amazed by how wrinkle-free my clothes are on vacation without ever dragging out an iron. Let’s be real, my kids have outgrown clothes before I’ve managed to iron them for a second wearing, so I’m definitely not wasting vacation time buddy-ing up to an ironing board. Rumor has it, the ironing board is not that into me either, so fair is fair.

I found the perfect video to show you what I’m talking about. I was going to go into my own description, but since bundle wrapping ISN’T EVEN THE MAIN TIP FOR THIS POST, I figured why re-invent the wheel. Plus, it looks like he had a professional production crew and stuff. Whatever.

There is a downside to bundle wrapping.

While bundle wrapping has saved me from creases and wrinkles, there are times when it just isn’t convenient. When you’re on a trip where it doesn’t make sense to unpack your entire suitcase, having your clothes in a big fat origami brick is a big fat pain. You know, like when you’re sharing hotel space with roommates at a conference, or when you are on a multi-stop/multi-hotel trip. Also, if you’re the personality type who wants to jump into the fun immediately–unpacking be damned!–your clothes might end up in a jumbled mess à la college dorm floor. I may or may not be that personality type.

Enter in the product I never knew I needed: packing cubes!

While researching a new suitcase, Amazon suggested I take a look at these bad boys from TravelWise.

TravelWise Packing Cubes: The Packing Tip You Didn't Even Know You Needed | Travel | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

I was all, “Thanks Amazon, but I am an excellent packer and do not need to spend $29.95 to become a better one.”

Amazon insisted, “No, you REALLY should look at my recommendation. Many geniuses have spent many hours coding algorithms to come to the conclusion that you NEED these in your life.”

“Well, when you put it that way, Amazon, I guess I could at least look at the reviews,” I said.

And you know what? The “where have these been all my life” reviews prompted me to plop these in my cart.

Score another one for Amazon because they are AMAZING.

And these packing cubes are amazing for the following reasons.

1. Sorting. Each category of clothes has it’s own discreet cube. For example, instead of cramming your underwear and socks around the periphery of your suitcase, they have their own special nest.

Packing 101: The Best Packing Tip You Never Knew You Needed! Organized travel can be yours with this simple trick. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

2. Still no wrinkles. Inside each cube, I still packed with a modified bundle wrapping/rolling method. The nylon compartments kept everything from sliding around and getting crushed.

The Best Packing Tip You Never Knew You Needed! Organized travel can be yours with this simple trick. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

3. Unpacking is a breeze! You can pop entire cubes into the drawers. Bonus is your drawers never have to be in contact with the drawers. If you know what I mean.

The Best Packing Tip You Never Knew You Needed! Organized travel can be yours with this simple trick. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

And if you have no place to unpack like in the cabin I stayed in last weekend, the cubes of clothes makes it easy to find your pajamas in the dark. You know, in case you’re in the loft and your kids turn out the lights before you are completely situated.

The Best Packing Tip You Never Knew You Needed! Organized travel can be yours with this simple trick. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

4. Packing back up to go home is a snap. Just zip up whatever clean clothes are left and toss them into your suitcase or duffel. Great for keeping the clean and the dirty from mingling, too.

So basically it’s the perfect addition to your jet-setting ways except for one thing. Why, oh why are they called cubes when they are clearly rectangular prisms? All geometry aside though, they are totally worth the money. They come in five different colors so the entire family can be color-coded. You can buy the packing cubes here.

But I’m not done yet, I have one more packing tip that is absolutely free!

You know how you always need a plastic bag or twenty for wet bathing suits or stinky socks? Well, here’s how to neatly fold them in seconds so they’re worthy to nestle up to your cubes.

How to fold plastic grocery bags to reduce your clutter. | Clean and Organized | Great tip for packing and travel! Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

1. Smooth out your bag.

How to fold plastic grocery bags to reduce your clutter. | Clean and Organized | Great tip for packing and travel! Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

2. Fold in half lengthwise.

How to fold plastic grocery bags to reduce your clutter. | Clean and Organized | Great tip for packing and travel! Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

3. Fold in half lengthwise again.

How to fold plastic grocery bags to reduce your clutter. | Clean and Organized | Great tip for packing and travel! Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

4. Begin with a triangular fold at the end like you’re folding up a flag or making a paper football.

How to fold plastic grocery bags to reduce your clutter. | Clean and Organized | Great tip for packing and travel! Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

5. Continue folding back and forth in that fashion until you get to the handle.

How to fold plastic grocery bags to reduce your clutter. | Clean and Organized | Great tip for packing and travel! Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

6. Fold the handle in half to prepare to tuck it in.

How to fold plastic grocery bags to reduce your clutter. | Clean and Organized | Great tip for packing and travel! Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

7. Tuck the tail in. Tuck it real good.

How to fold plastic grocery bags to reduce your clutter. | Clean and Organized | Great tip for packing and travel! Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

8. And neatness has been achieved!

How to fold plastic grocery bags to reduce your clutter. | Clean and Organized | Great tip for packing and travel! Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

 

So there you have it. Even if you have nowhere to go, at least your plastic bags can be neat!

What is your favorite packing trick?

-Ellen

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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Potty Training: Stop Stressing and Get Some Perspective

Potty Training: Stop Stressing and Get Some Perspective. Parenting advice and tips for those of us with a sense of humor. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

We are not about “Been there, done that.” Even when it comes to potty training.

In fact, nothing makes us cringe more than that phrase. It’s like smug and condescending got seasoning with venom and wrapped into the ultimate passive-aggressive burrito guaranteed to give you night burps. And chin acne.

No, we even poke fun at that kind of one-upmanship in “Motherhood, You Have No Idea.”

But in every serving of humor, there is a nugget of truth. We really didn’t have any idea what lay ahead when we were young mothers drowning in feedings, bath times, and diapers. Or more accurately, drowning in spit-up, bathwater pee cocktails, and poop.

Instead of relatives implying we just had to take our lumps, they should have thrown us a lifeline: useful advice and perspective. And while we’re a-wishin’, it would have been great if that perspective was candy-coated with humor so we could have avoided been-there-done-that indigestion.

So here is your useful advice:

Kids aren’t really potty trained at eighteen months, parents are. What do we mean? At that age, parents are heavily involved in reminding, scheduling, and wiping. There are accidents. No one-year-old is recognizing his needs and attending to them every time. We think this is more work than diapers. It’s okay to wait until your kid is old enough to really take charge.

Your kid won’t be graduating from high school in diapers. That is such an annoying statement, but it is true! If potty training isn’t working this week, just let it go. This isn’t all or nothing. It’s not like the plane is going down and you’re prepping her on how to use a parachute. You have time. Kids develop and change SO quickly. In reality, you are never stuck at one “stage” for more than a blink of an eye, although while you’re living it, it seems like slo-mo eternity.

THE SECRET TO KNOWING WHEN THEY ARE READY. Yep, you can’t even find this on WebMD. Ellen was taught this by an experienced pediatrician in medical school, but has never been able to exactly source it in a book. This is what is known as practitioner wisdom and why medicine is an art, people. (And why WebMD is no replacement for talking to a doctor).

Where were we? Oh, when your child can change directions abruptly when running, they can control their bowels. Boom! Sisterhood Secret right there. Worth the free price of admission.

Now here is your perspective dosed with humor:

Slow your roll because parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. You need to save your angst energy for all sorts of things, such as teen driving. Yep, that is the one that has crawled all up in our worry holes right now.

So without further ado:

9 Reasons Why Teen Driving Makes You Long for the Days of Potty Training. Parenting is all about perspective . . . and keeping your sense of humor. What do potty training and teen driving have in common? More than you think. Parenting advice you can use from Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms.

 1. Expense

potty training complaintOMGeeeee. Between the musical potty seats, sticker charts, pee targets, special wipes, underwear, pull-ups, wetness alarms, books, apps, and videos, you need to take out a small loan for all of the equipment and accoutrements.

Teen Driving Perspective 2For real OMGeeeee. You DID take out a loan for that vehicle they are commandeering down the highway. If they even crack a taillight on the mailbox, it’ll set you back $400.00. Oh and the cost of the mailbox.

 2. Special Equipment

potty training complaintMaybe one of the biggest drawbacks to early potty training is that toddlers fall through standard issue toilet seats with alarming frequency. This means cluttering your bathroom with pint-sized potty paraphernalia, but you do have choices. There are the toilet seat inserts (also known as toddler bum adapters) paired with stools (well hello there. double entendre). Or you can use the stand alone, pint-sized potty chairs, or as we fondly call them, open-sewage-container-you-are sure-to-kick-over-in-the-middle-of-the-night-when-your-spouse-forgets-to-empty-it. Either way, may we suggest adding a crate of Clorox wipes to your shopping list?

Teen Driving Perspective 2Oh you’re in luck! No special equipment is needed because IT IS YOUR CAR.

 3. Music

potty training complaintThe earworms! THE EARWORMS! For the next 18 months, you’ll be humming the electronic tune from that musical potty seat Grandma just knew you had to have. It’s not annoying AT ALL.

Teen Driving Perspective 2When your teen is behind the wheel, you’ll have nothing to hum to because no driving distractions means no radio. But no worries, the sound of your grinding teeth will fill the silence.

4. Books

potty training complaintSo many to choose from! How will you decide? Well, it’s all a matter of preference and how copiously Aunt Betty gifts them to you as “hints.” But here is our recommendation: throw those suckers away once Junior is in pants. Those things have been sitting on your bathroom floor for weeks months. No one needs your hand-me-down fecal matter contamination. No one.

Teen Driving Perspective 2Hey, once again, you’re in luck. There’s just one book: THE LAW. There’s even people paid to enforce it for you. Insert sarcastic “Hooray.”

5. Control

potty training complaintYou have no control! Yep. They’ll whizz in the corner if they want to. goshdarnit.

Teen Driving Perspective 2You have no control. Mwahahahaha! Push your foot through the floorboards all you want; it ain’t stoppin’ nothin’.

 6. Obstinance

potty training complaint“I do it myself!” Sure little one, do it yourself. But can we interest you in an all expense paid detour through this decontamination booth before you go suck down your juice and Teddy Grahams?

Teen Driving Perspective 2“I know what I’m doing!” You’re right! It was much more efficient backing through the garage door. That step of opening it first was a waste of time.

7. Messy Underwear

potty training complaintThe poopy underwear! You are constantly scraping, soaking, rinsing, and washing. Just so you know, we condone throwing the REALLY bad ones away. It’s the sensible thing to do.

Teen Driving Perspective 2Welcome to pooping your pants the first time they merge onto the freeway. Having a spare is not just for tires.

8. Parked in One Place

potty training complaintYou’ll spend so much time parked in the bathroom waiting for your offspring to do his business, that you’ll be forced to use the time to do your business too: conference calls, grocery lists, online banking, soul searching, dream squashing. Nothing increases productivity like cold tile under your keister and a cabinet knob in your spine.

Teen Driving Perspective 2THIS is parking:

Parking with teensThe only multi-tasking taking place is you chewing your nails down to the quick while sucking in gasps of breath in alarm.

9. Accidents

potty training complaintNo one told you being a parent meant being doused in someone else’s excrement. Nothing seals your anointment into the Fraternity of Parenthood quite like your progeny whizzing through her clothes and yours as she sits on your lap sharing a tender moment.

Teen Driving Perspective 2Gah! This takes on a whole new meaning that keeps us awake at night. We’d rather not talk about it. Besides, we’re too busy repairing the mailbox and the garage door.

Okay, we CANNOT leave you on that note. We’re not going to lie to you though. Teaching your teen to drive is a plate full of nerve-wracking and a bag of chips, but it is not that bad. We’re grateful to have some reasonably responsible teens. See for yourself in this video we made about distracted teen drivers. Feel free to click the “thumb’s up” if you like it.

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Toddler photo credit: ToddMorris via photopin cc

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Our DIY Halloween Costume and Humor Roundup

Our DIY Halloween Costumes: Pig, Blind Referee, Pinterest Board, and MORE! Recipes and party ideas, too.  | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

We’re a couple of sensible moms who love Halloween. When you think about it, it’s one of the more relaxing holidays. No big family meals to cook, no presents to wrap, no legends to impersonate (stop trying to make the Great Pumpkin happen, Linus).

Ellen: Pinterest is trying its hardest to up the ante, but you just have to resist. (And in some cases, just resist the awkward.)

Erin: Oh, resist? Like the year you created the zombie wedding to win the Trunk-or-Treat trophy?

It's a nice day for a zombie wedding. Trunk or Treat Ideas. | Halloween costumes  | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

This is what winning look like. Well, at least on Halloween.

Ellen: Hey, that was our elementary school swan song. It was really more about competition in general than getting crazy about Halloween. We have scaled back since then.

Erin: Really? Like the time you brought Pumpkin Spice Lattes you made from SCRATCH to my party?

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe: Delicious and Easy! Perfect for a Halloween or tailgate party! Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

More pumpkin recipes here.

More pumpkin recipes here.

Ellen: Well, you’re the one who has the annual Halloween Bash.

Erin: Okay, so we both can get a little swept away with the celebrations, but I think we balance it out with the way we drag our feet getting our costumes together.

Ellen: Despite the fact Walmart has been oozing with Halloween since August, I don’t think about my costume until I’m-About-To-Run-Out-Of-Time-End-Of-October.

Erin: Me too, but hey, we always look cute. We’re masters at pulling that mess together at the 11th hour.

Ellen: It doesn’t hurt to have a dress-up closet that looks like this:

DIY Halloween Costume Roundup - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

It just looks bad because there is a mirror doubling the mess. Yeah. That’s the story I’m going with. By the way, I want to go as a bank robber this year and not one stinkin’ black mask in that disaster.

Erin: Gah. It looks like one of those photos where the dog has torn up the door and the rug and the caption reads “I thought you were gone forever, so I panicked.”

Ellen: Well, it was Spirit Week for my high schooler and she did panic every day with the chore of dressing for the theme. In fact, one day her class had to dress up like Toy Story characters. She put her own spin on Hamm: dime adorned bow tie, tutu, duct tape piggy bank slot, and Converse.

DIY Halloween Costume: Hamm the Pig From Toy Story - Pig Ear Tutorial - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Ellen: Only problem was, we did not have pig ears and could not even find them in the store. There were zebra, giraffe, cat, puppy, bunny, cow, tiger, lion, cheetah, and elephant ears. But NO pig. However, we had pink bunny ears so I performed a bit of Halloween origami magic.

Erin: I do love me some ingenuity sprinkled over my procrastination. Behold what Steve and I came up with last year. Indiana Jones and Soccer Girl.

DIY Creative Halloween Costumes - Indiana Jones and Soccer Girl - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Ellen: I must have missed that movie. Are you sure ingenious is the word you’re looking for? You picked some soccer stuff up off of your floor and Steve threw on a leather coat. Maybe lazy fits this better?

Erin: I’ll take ingenious off the table, but I reject lazy. I’ll settle for brilliantly easy. And maybe you should dress up like a Stone Thrower because it’s not like you and Frank coordinate.

Ellen: Not true! There was that one year where I was a werewolf and he was the full moon. I might have just finished the Twilight Trilogy.

Creative Couples DIY Halloween Costume - Werewolf and Full Moon - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Erin: Okay, I’m mildly flummoxed with the adorableness, BUT yours is store-bought and his is just a t-shirt. I expected him to be a papier-mâché sphere or at least have a tinfoil satellite orbiting his head. Or give me some hipster cleverness. He should be wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt.

Ellen: I’ll have you know, I designed the t-shirt on Zazzle. And Look at the milkmaid brimming with ideas. You didn’t make this costume either.

DIY Halloween Costumes - Milkmaild- HILARIOUS - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Erin: No, my sister-in-law gave me this as part of my Christmas present one year and it has been the gift that keeps on giving. Some might say I’ve been milking it.

Ellen: Ba-da-bum. So sexy. But if you want creative, I’ve got your creative. Frank was a blind referee. Get it? A little duct tape for the stripes, the wooden dowel from the zombie wedding for the cane, and the bear whistle from camping plus my sunglasses from my Lasik surgery, and he had a clever costume.

DIY Halloween Costumes - Blind Referee - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Ellen: And just to double dose you with the Williams’ creative “BOOM!”, here is the ultimate Pinterest costume: PINTEREST!

Creative DIY Halloween Costume Pinterest Board - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Erin: Well, I got my own “BOOM!” I’m bringing the sexy so hard this Halloween that Toulouse and Tonic included me in her Sexy Costume Round-Up for Moms.

Toulouse and Tonic DIY Sexy Halloween Costumes for Moms with Erin from Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

There’s more where this came from here.

Ellen: Well, well. Good for you! Those costumes are hilarious. But we need a judgement call here on who is the winner between us. You may be bringing sexy back, but I have minions AND duck lips.

DIY Halloween Costumes - Minions and Pinterest Board - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Erin: I have an observation. You may say you find Halloween relaxing, but I think it just might be the most competitive of holidays for you.

Ellen: I’m glad you brought that up. Do you think you could have trophies for best costume at your party this year?

Happy Halloween!

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Picture a Great Conversation With Your Teen

This is your chance to write a love letter to your teen that won't be met with a scowl. "Picture a Great Conversation With Your Teen" - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms #ToMyTeen

Everybody should have a blog, and everyone should have a teenager.

Hear us out. We have not lost our minds . . . or at least that’s what the voices in our heads keep telling us.

Anyway, blogging has been a completely validating, delightful experience if you overlook the soul-sucking time spent falling down the rabbit hole of social media, the forays into the confusing  world of HTML code, and the time spent with trolls and other internet nasties. It’s even worth it if you don’t make money.

But seriously, blogging produced some unforeseen, but completely wonderful side effects for us. For one, we’ve developed fulfilling relationships with people who read our blog and with other bloggers. But more surprisingly, blogging opened up positive feelings and deeper communications not only between the two of us, but with our kids, too.

We’ll say that last bit again. Blogging has improved our relationship with our kids. This, of course, developed after the infamous quote from Ellen’s daughter in the beginning:

Middle Schoolers can be a little too honest. How to Get Conversations with your kids rolling broken down by elementary, middle, and high school age groups---Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Our blog is not just a place to write and express ourselves, but a place to express how we feel to our kids. The blog gives us a starting point to kick off some of the thornier conversations, and for that we are grateful. We can say, “Hey, we need to write about this topic for the blog, what to you think?” and the proverbial ball starts to roll.

It’s also a place for us to debunk the myth that the teenage years are awful. As we have transitioned ourselves over to Planet Teen, we have found that while adolescence can be rocky, in general, it isn’t so bad, and can actually be delightful.

The truth and enjoyment lies in bridging the Great Divide between what people want you to believe about teens and what teens are really like. Here’s the way we look at it. The kids you have loved, cheered for, and guided are now the interesting people you can share with on a deeper level. They have their own goals, dreams, ideas, and ambitions, and you have a front row seat to watch it all unfold. It’s pretty great.

And it’s so important to shout positive messages about teens from the rooftops because research shows that children who are validated by their parents and who feel confident are most resistant to peer pressure.

Since we are a wee bit iffy about heights, we’re going to ditch the ladder and shout it from the internet instead. For the #ToMyTeen campaign we were asked us to answer some prompts about our teens and to give some parenting advice. For fun, we decided to answer these without consulting each other.  Check out what we came up with.

Oh but first, just to refresh, Erin has two teenage sons, 13 and 17, and one daughter who is 15, giving her a whooping three out of five kids who are teenagers. Ellen’s two daughters are 13 and 16.

TMT_2_Our_Teens_AreErin:  After years of slugging through fart jokes, tears, and spilled milk, we are FINALLY able to have some real, thoughtful conversations around the old dinner table and I have to say it feels pretty great. You know what also feels great? Watching my kids be their best, most kind and generous selves. My heart swells when they weigh in on current events or just tell me what they really think and it melts when I see them lend a helping hand or offer a gentle word when needed.  The word thoughtful perfectly describes these two important aspects of who they are right now.
Ellen: My daughters are many things, but I chose to highlight their intelligence because it’s their brains that will get them ahead in life and get them out of sticky situations. People are quick to give compliments about how pretty they are, but it’s their personalities and intelligence that make them the people you want to be around.

 

TMT_Our_Teens_ArentErin: In my darker teen moments (think: empty linen closet because all of our towels are on my son’s floor), I can see why this stereotype persists, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.  In my experience, teens aren’t lazy so much as gifted in the art of procrastination and deflection. They prioritize different things than I do, but they work hard at school, in their sports, and at their jobs. I have seen my kids and their friends work tirelessly and selflessly for that which they deem important.  We adults need to focus on the positive and be open to seeing things from their perspective.

Ellen: To the effect of what Erin said, I hate how teens are portrayed on networks like Disney or Nickelodeon. My girls aren’t  smart-mouthed and they’re not one dimensional. They can’t be pigeon-holed into restrictive categories like jock, geek, or flirt. And once and for all, beauty and brains are not mutually exclusive.

 

TMT_Dear_ParentsErin: Trust but verify is a play on the toddler truism, “Never turn your back on them”, and it just happens to be a critical part of the teen parenting arsenal. Give them freedom with consequences. Be ready and willing to check in on everything.

Ellen: Setting boundaries and having your “No” really mean no when they are young will help you immensely when they are older and the stakes are higher. They will know in their DNA that no amount of theatrics will weaken you. At age three, it might mean not caving in to the tantrum for the lollipop in the checkout line. No big deal, right? But by age fifteen, the kid who is taller than you will know that all of the “you are ruining my life” slamming around will not sway you when you say no to an unchaperoned party.

 

TMT_Raising_TeensErin: I loved my kids when they were little, but I really like them now. They can turn any day into a good time. Not just fun but funny too, they remind me to take myself less seriously and enjoy each moment with them.

Ellen:  I just feel like I am raising people who will EVENTUALLY be my best friends. Right now, they are my favorite people to be with and I pray that never changes.

 

But enough about us, here’s the greatest part!

You can have what we have: the chance to communicate with your kids on a digital level! You can upload your own love letters to your teens for the #ToMyTeen campaign here.

Not only will you be validating your teen for everyone to see, you will be automatically entered to win a $50 VISA gift card though the month of October.

Still feeling a little camera shy? Remember what we said about validated teens being more resistant to peer pressure? Here’s one reason why it’s important to tell our kids they’re great and to open portals to important conversations: One in 25 teens abuses OTC (over the counter) cough medicine to get high.

Yep. That is scary stuff, but October is National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month and there is no time like the present to face stats like these head on . . .

Parents_ConversationStarters_Infographic

It is also important to know what to look for when it comes to OTC med abuse because knowledge is power. It is important to trust, but verify.

Skittling_Infographic

Don’t start hyperventilating in a paper bag!  You have the actions you can take:

  • Pick one (or more) of the awesome prompts.
  • Upload your picture.
  • Show it to your teen.
  • Start your conversation: “I did this to let you know I think you’re awesome because being a teenager can be hard. You’re faced with all kinds of pressures. For example, have you ever heard of friends using cough syrup to get high?”

Or maybe a less awkward start than that, but you get the picture. Seize the moments that present themselves for meaningful discussions, use the #ToMyTeen campaign to kindle the conversation, and remember that the most important element in a “talk” is listening.

You’ve got this. Even if you don’t have a blog.

-Ellen and Erin

This post was sponsored, but all positive feelings about teens are all our own. We LOVE this campaign.

You can follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Check out our books, “I Just Want to Be Alone” and “You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth.”

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