As I was leaving my girls' preschool today, I overheard a Mom talking to her son about not being sure if she would be able bring in cupcakes for his 'half Birthday' this year. She then muttered under her breath - 'This is the THIRD half Birthday this year in your class..." I could tell that she was exhausted - exhausted and defeated. Her son was the oldest of two - her other child was a very small baby in a stroller. I walked up to her (I have never met this woman in my life) and said - "You know what... I think celebrating half Birthdays is seriously INSANE. Come ON..." I winked at her and proceeded to my car. She started laughing and heartily agreed with me - "Right? Who has time for that!?!??" I yelled back at her - "Not me, sister! Never gonna happen here! Have a great weekend!" She was delighted - seriously drunk with laughter - that another Mom could validate her feelings. Don't get me wrong - I love a great party and doting on my girls, but I often feel like I am taking it entirely too far. Who?!!? MEEEE?!?!? In fact, we had a similar discussion one day at my MOPS table about how nice it must have been to be OUR Mothers during Halloween. They literally walked into Kroger and bought a Strawberry Shortcake or Smurf costume with a plastic face and plastic body suit and called it good. We wore that plastic costume once. For Halloween. Today is a whole different universe. We have Halloween class parties, we have Halloween play group parties, we have a Halloween neighborhood party, we have Trunk or Treat at the church, we have Halloween Birthday parties, we have Halloween parties with your kid's extracurricular activity teams, THEN we have Halloween. It is a full month of ushering your kids to different parties in multiple outfits and costumes. It is exhausting!!! I can remember when I was in my 20's that my Mom used to tell me that the older I get, the less I would care. And, it's SO true!! I hardly wear makeup when I leave the house - I can rock the homeless chic look like no other. In fact, when my friends DO see me dressed up and in full makeup, they immediately ask what the special occasion is?!!? If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be walking around daily IN public sans makeup and in a quasi-pajama uniform, I would have told you that you were crazy! And, yet, here I am. A couple of weeks ago, I was researching ideas for Valentine's Day cards/goodies for my girls' class parties when I thought of my Mom yet again. When I was a child, I would just pick a box of paper Valentine's Day cards at Kroger. The only decision that had to be made was which character I wanted representing me that year?!?!!? Would it be Barbie, Cabbage Patch Kids, Rainbow Brite, or My Little Pony??? Once I chose my favorite character, my Mom just put that box in her cart, and I passed them all out to my classmates. Today, not only do we have to pick out completely original V-Day cards, but those cards need to be delivered in tandem with a coordinating goody referenced on said Valentine to each classmate. In my research for Valentine's Day cards, I came across some actual vintage V-Day cards that I must share with you!
As I read these, I was appalled! My Mom probably gave some of these to HER friends when she was a kid! What was WRONG with my Mimi?!?!?!?! Then, I realized something... If times were simpler when my Mom raised me, imagine how much simpler times were when my grandmother raised my Mom?!?!?!? These were not tacky innuendos at all - just cheeky phrases. Our society has made things so much more complicated and so much darker than it needs to be... My plea with you is to make life simpler again! We don't have to be perfect - just try our best and be there for our kids! Dude. I need a drink!
Since I have the uncanny knack to turn the purest of things into something completely twisted, let's learn how to make the Naughty Girl Scout cocktail!
Ingredients:
2 ounces of Kahlua
1 ounce of Creme de Menthe
1 ounce of half and half
Mix all of the above ingredients and serve over ice! Cheers!
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