We’ve been spending a lot of time here…catching up on our favorite TV shows.

 I also spent a little time in this baby for a fabulous friend’s birthday celebration. I sang (soft enough for others to drown me out for everyone’s benefit) but did not use the pole – I have standards (which means they didn’t ask me!).

In between splashing in the pool and nibbling at a yummy BBQ, here are some of my favorite posts from this week for you to enjoy:

• To The Moon And Back ~ Carpool, Couture and Cocktails
• The Cicadas Sent Me To The Mall. Yes, REALLY. ~ Let Me Start By Saying
• Graduation Is All About The Crap And Gown ~ Donna Highfill
  
• 12 Most Lip-Smacking Recipes For A Memorial Day Cookout ~ Mary Dell Harrington/12Most
• My Being A Mom Has Absolutely No Bearing On My Business Acumen ~ Morgan Shanahan

What are your Memorial Day Weekend plans?

Have a fun, safe and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend!
XO

The post Memorial Day Weekend Roundup: Let The Fun Begin appeared first on Carpool Goddess.

Fresh from the oven. Try not to lick the screen.

Chocolate Chip Cookies are my weakness. Not only do I bake them, I have to buy them EVERY TIME I see one in a bakery. I’m forever on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie: crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle.

These delicious little creatures that bring comfort and joy to my life were first created in 1930 by Ruth Wakefield at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Mass., when she dropped pieces of chocolate into her butter cookie batter thinking they would melt when baked. They didn’t, and the rest is history. (Read the story in the L.A. Times here.)

Some of my favorite homemade chocolate chip cookie recipes were created by Nestle Toll House and Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa.

So get your baking sheets out and get busy!

What are your favorite chocolate chip recipes?

The post Chocolate Chip Cookies: Easy To Make & The Ultimate Comfort Food appeared first on Carpool Goddess.

I have sweet memories of my brother, sister, dad and I, making breakfast in bed for my mom. I’m pretty sure there is a pancake still stuck to the ceiling from my dad’s excellent flipping technique. And somehow, by the time we finished washing the dishes they seemed dirtier than before.

But my mother was always a good sport. No matter what screaming, clanking and crashing sounds she heard from the kitchen, she did as she was told and stayed out of the way in the comfort and safety of her bed. When the tray, overflowing with eggs, pancakes, bacon, toast, tea and a rose from her precious garden finally arrived, she would smile and feign surprise.

Then we’d gather around her and wait for her to take the first sip of tea, which usually caused her eyes to bulge and lips to pucker. (Were we supposed to steep the tea bag three minutes or was it thirty? Better to be on the safe side and let it sit until the meal is finished cooking, right?!) “How is it mom?!” said one. “Did we get it right?” asked the other. Her eyes watering, all she could do was nod. Cheers erupted.

Another successful Mother’s Day!

Here are some of my favorite links from this week’s Mother’s Day Roundup:

• Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2013 (Elle.com)
  
• Free Mother’s Day Gifts I’d Love to Get (Babble/Ciaran Blumenfeld)
  
• Best Movie Moms: Word From The Muthas (DailyCandy)
  
• PSA: Spend Mother’s Day Without Your Kids (Ooph/ Stefanie Mullen)
  
• The Best Thing I Learned From My Mother (Generation Fabulous bloghop)

 Wishing you all a joyous Mother’s Day! xoxo

The post Mother’s Day 2013: Pancakes on the ceiling and other stories appeared first on Carpool Goddess.

1. This too shall pass. It annoyed me endlessly when she said this, but it’s probably the best advice she ever gave me and I tell my kids the same thing. Time heals most wounds (or at least it dulls the pain). And in the case of something embarrassing, people have short attention spans. I can barely remember what happened yesterday, so I know this is true.

2. Pinch your cheeks. Everyone looks better with a rosy glow. My mom never spent a dime on blush, she just pinched. Many years (and broken capillaries) later, it was worth it. I don’t have to buy blush either. Think of the money I’m saving.

3. You could use some lipstick and while you’re at it, brush your hair. For a person with kinky curly frizzy hair who didn’t have a clue about hair gel, this was more of a curse. She really just wanted us to look our best before we walked out the door, (“You never know who you’re going to meet!”). To this day, I feel naked without lipstick. It’s the frizzy hair I’m still struggling with.

4. They’re just jealous. When someone was mean to me at school, this was her go-to line. Even if it wasn’t true, it made me feel better. I say this to my kids. They’re buying it too.

5. It needs a little salt. My mother is a good old fashioned cook. Most of her recipes came right of out the shtetl (little Eastern European towns where cholesterol meant nothing either). It’s amazing we didn’t have clogged arteries in our twenties. I try to eat healthy, so when she reaches for the trough of Mayo or butter, I have to look away. However, if she says something needs a little salt, she’s probably right.

6. Anyhoo. My mom’s favorite word when she wants to change the subject or avoid a confrontation. Completely crazy and lighthearted (the word, not my mom), it never fails to put a smile on my face.

7. Don’t run, you’re going to hurt yourself. As a kid, I was a super fun combination of klutzy and foolish, so we had our share of emergency room visits. Practically every time I moved, she thought I was going to poke an eye out. Twenty years later that almost happened during a rambunctious “Head, shoulders, knees and toes,” but that’s another story.

8. Your face is going to freeze like that. I was the queen of funny faces. I could make my eyeballs shake and flare my nostrils on command. As you can imagine, my parents were very proud.

9. Put on a sweater, I’m cold. I promised myself I would never say this to my kids, but I do. At least I no longer remind them to pee before they leave the house.

Anyhoo…Happy Mother’s Day!

Any words of wisdom from your mom you’d like to share?

This is a bloghop! Continue reading posts from Generation Fabulous about what they learned from their mothers by clicking here.

The post Things Only a Mother Could Say appeared first on Carpool Goddess.

Whichever comes first.

What’s on your bookshelf?

The post What’s On My Bookshelf – Wordless Wednesday appeared first on Carpool Goddess.

Like many moms I relied on the advice and shared experiences of other moms. Those that have been there before me and left me a path to follow, or at least a light, so I wouldn’t get lost. But most of my friends had children the same age or younger – it was the blind leading the blind and we were all crying in our salads. What was I to do?

I went to the internet. I’m pretty sure I googled something like “OMG, I’m going to be an empty nester, now what?!” That’s when I came across my very first “mom blog.” I’ve got to admit her post was very depressing. Much like mine would have been had I posted the first week of my child leaving for college too. (I did write one, the tear streaked copy is sitting on my desk. One day…)

So I kept looking and found a few posts that conveyed the bitter and the sweet of kids going off to college, and the realities of college life. Some comforted me, some warned me, but I felt better having a sense of what to expect.

Here are some wonderful posts by moms (and one by a student) who have walked the walk. Enjoy, learn, and take comfort in that you’re not alone.

• The Long Goodbye by Old Tweener
• Home by Carpool, Couture and Cocktails
• Empty Nest’s Silver Lining by Grown and Flown
  
• The Empty Nest: 6 Things I’ve Learned Since Septembe by After The Kids Leave
• Six Tips For Adjusting To Your Child Going To College by Empty House, Full Mind

Do you have a story you’d like to share?

The post College Moms Share Their Stories – Part 1: The Good, The Bad, And The Laundry appeared first on Carpool Goddess.

What The Heck Was I Thinking, Part 1

A Disco Queen Is Born
One Day You’ll Have A Kid Just Like You
Do As I Say, Not As I Do
Can’t We All Just Snuggle On The Couch And Play Nice?
The Sky Is Falling Grab A Hard Hat

What The Heck Was I Thinking, Part 2

OMG, I Had A Kid Just Like Me…Make That Two
Whaddya Mean The Kids Grow Up And Leave?!
It’s All Fine And Dandy Until Somebody Breaks A Hip
Online, Divalicious, And Got Time To Burn
The Clock Is Ticking, Get Busy While You Still Can

What would your 10 chapter titles be?

The post What The Heck Was I Thinking: A Fauxmoir appeared first on Carpool Goddess.

The eyelashes add a little extra something. Don’t you think?

The post Wordless Wednesday: Sitting Pretty appeared first on Carpool Goddess.

It’s been almost three years, and I never gave you the proper goodbye you deserved. Yes, we had our disagreements. Clearly we had our struggles. But we also had history. And, twice, yes twice, we made beautiful music together.

But, it’s time for some closure.

I first came to “know” you about thirty-six years ago. You introduced yourself to me right before my first boy/girl party – and showed me who’s boss ever since. You were rough on me in a sucker-punch kind of way. Ah, the tricks you played. And in exchange I cursed you and medicated you unmercifully. I thought you had it coming. I am ashamed.

Of course, at the time, I was just thinking about myself and what a royal pain you were (literally), and not the amazing vessel of life that you were going to prove to be. I took for granted how you would change my life forever. For the better. Helping to carry, nurture, and bring my two beautiful children into this world.

And then…you seriously kicked my butt. You went wild and unpredictable on me. Like an annoying neighbor who shows up unannounced and then never leaves.

So we had to have an intervention. I didn’t really want to do it, but you were no longer good for me, and everyone who saw you said it was time. I was scared to let you go, but part of me knew it was time to go our separate ways. It got ugly. Knives were involved…that’s all I’m gonna say.

I cried for days when I realized the finality and significance of what I was doing. I thought we were to be together for all eternity. I could literally hear a door slam on one of the most beautiful and fulfilling periods of my life – my childbearing years. That part of my life was over. Kaput. And I was sad.

I had no idea how much my identity was tied to you or the wave of emotion I would feel after you were gone. I felt empty beyond measure (no pun intended). It was as if that primal part of me that made me a woman and whole was gone.

Thankfully, after several months, my body healing, my surging hormones stabilizing (I finally stopped crying during commercials with babies and puppies!), and going back into living life full-swing, I began feeling like myself again. Without any missing parts. Without U.

So I say goodbye, adios, adieu. Thank you for all you’ve given me. Your memory will always be a blessing.

Are you missing a few parts too? Please share.

This post is also featured on Generation Fabulous. A website for midlife women who rock.

The post Farewell, My Uterus appeared first on Carpool Goddess.

I wonder how many chose the camel?

The post Wordless Wednesday: Wanna Ride? appeared first on Carpool Goddess.