I
f you're reading this, chances are you're a mother. This is the Yummy Mummy Club. Chances are also good that you're thirsty. You take care of little people every day; that can be very dehydrating. Nothing a refreshing libation can't fix though, right?
Fellow mom and author Janet Frongillo shares stories, sympathies, and some strong drinks to keep you laughing in her book, Mommy Mixology: A Cocktail For Every Calamity.
Perhaps you can relate to the inspiration behind some of these recipes?
When your toddler digs in his heels and comes back with “NO!” 367 times, shake it off with a refreshing NO!Jito.
When your little darling starts to pick up on—and repeat!—every word you say, clean up your language with a Son of a Beach. When that budding Georgia O’Keeffe uses her skills to redecorate the home in permanent ink, clean up while sipping a Markerita. When your 3-year-old pushes down his Pull-Ups and learns the difference between boys and girls, sit back and laugh with a Penis Colada.
Janet is a fellow mom in the trenches, fighting the good fight with funny bombs and fruity cocktails. Here's an excerpt from her book.
Beerios:
It's 5 p.m. Your house looks like a stage-5 hurricane ripped through it. Everyone is screaming. Or crying. Or screaming crying. Yours eyes land on the Pottery Barn catalog, where children clamly sit in playrooms nicer than your home. They color on paper–not the walls. The mom has no muffin top. No junk in the trunk. Varicose veins? Um, no.
You need a mental break, so you hop on Facebook, hoping desperately for something, anything to lift you from your own temporary madness. Instead you're on long enough to see that your childhood nemesis is in killer shape, is wealthy and aging well, and has a tremendous career. Bitch, no! She probably flies first class and doesn't buy her clothes in a red cart with her Market Pantry snack treats.
Your seething is interrupted when toddler swipes the warehouse-sized Cheerios bag, squealing as he trips, while Cheerios rain down everywhere. Don't get your granny panties in a twist–beer-thirty is on! All is right with the world.
1(12-ounce) bottle cold beer
Market Pantry chips (optional)
Freeze a beer mug for at least 30 minutes. Poor beer into frosty mug. Repeat if necessary. Serve with Market Pantry chips, if you really want to get all crazy.
BOOK GIVEAWAY
And we're giving away two copies of Mommy Mixology courtesy of Ulysses Press! To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below and tell me which one of these cocktails fits your life. You have until December 7th, 2012 to enter. You must be a YMC member and please be sure you've registered your email address in our commenting system so we can contact you if you win.
Yummy Rules and Regs: You must be a YummyMummyClub.ca member to win. Click to sign up! It's free and filled with perks. One comment per member. Entries accepted until December 7th, 2012. Contest open to Canadian residents (excluding Quebec). Winners will be picked using www.random.org. See full contest rules.
I went shopping for gifts today in my pajamas. Not like this (though, I do admit to driving the kids to school in my flannels once or twice-ish).
But like this. All comfy and satany. Typo. I meant satiny, but I'll leave it, since they're both true. I was a devil with the family credit card today. Satan in Satin. That sounds about right.
Online shopping is the way to go, without, you know, actually go-ing anywhere. Here are the gifts I bought for the littles in my life today, without even having to put on shoes or brush my hair.
For Tweens: What's on my 12-year-old niece's wish list this year? An iphone-5 and a horse. I settled on a sporty headband from Under Armour, nail polish and decals, a tween mag, and these cool personlized Mabel's Labels for tweens! They come in two designs—Sassy and Sporty—so they're perfect for both boys and girls.
For Toddlers: My nephew lives overseas, and finding something small to send in the mail poses a challenge. I ordered a Name Your Tune CD for him today . . . and one for my daughter. She has the second version and LOVES it, so I thought the original would be a perfect stocking stuffer.
For Babies (And Their Parents): This book is a great gift for any new or expecting parents on your list. You can buy The Baby Signing Bible: Baby Sign Language Made Easy in stores, but don't worry, you don't need to go putting on shoes—you can order it online, as well. I'm also giving one away at Forever In Mom Genes, so pop over and enter to win a copy.
Happy online-pajama-coffee-sipping-shoeless-ratty-hair-shopping everyone!
And be sure to check out Ruth's blog for "Five Cool Gifts You Can Buy Online." Uh oh, I've go my credit card out again.
*Notice how "teens" is not checked off my list? That's because there are no teens in my family. Not yet, anyway. But next year my niece turns thirteen. Abercrombie and Hollister have online stores, right? Perfect.
To regift or not to regift? That is the question a recent national survey conducted by Bookoo.com asked respondents as they prepare for the holiday shopping season. According to Bookoo’s 2012 Holiday Regifting Survey, the holidays are the most common time of year for people to regive presents that they previously received from someone else.
Instead of Buying New Gifts Why Not Exchange Gifts Like This?
While frowned upon by some, a whopping 92 percent believe it’s completely acceptable to regift items, and more than 87 percent believe they too have been a recipient of a regifted item. And, with shoppers looking to save more and spend less this holiday season, more than 62 percent plan to regift an item to a friend, neighbor or colleague for the holidays.
Here are some other fun facts about regifting:
Women tend to regift more often than men (3:1)
People are most likely to regift during the holiday season (62%), for birthdays (58%) or for housewarming gifts (50%)
People who regift are most likely to regift items to friends (63.7%), neighbors (45.5%) and colleagues (34.6%)
The most commonly acceptable regifted items are home décor products (63%), antiques (63%) and books (59%)
Frequent regifters have mastered the art and take precautions to ensure it stays a secret, including re-wrapping the item to look new (53%), inspecting the item and removing any gift cards or receipts from the previous giver (50%) and planning ahead and making sure they do not give the gift to anyone associated with the original gifter (66%)
Don't buy wrapping paper. There's need for balls and bows when you have brown craft paper, paint and a little imagination
Some of the oddest regifted presents Bookooers reported receiving include:
o Monogrammed items with someone else’s initials
o Two-year-old fruitcake (that the person had originally given the gifter)
o Box of chocolates with bites taken out of several pieces
o Outdated desk calendar
o Partly used gift cards
o Toys with broken pieces
o Used toilet seat
Do you plan to recycle a gift this holiday season? If so, remember to take off the card that says, "Merry Christmas Susan! All the best, Uncle Irwin" That just *might* give you away... Ho, ho, ha, ha!
By the way, regifting is good for the environment. Check out this green, red and green gift exchange idea: Nothing New For Christmas!
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