Not too long ago, an article had been put out there by a mom who was frustrated with Pintrest moms. You know the ones that seem like they want to be the Martha Stewarts of every party, every meal is perfect, every "small gift" looks like $50 bucks was spent on it...you know: the one-uppers! And this mom was venting about how Pinterest has ruined the simplicity of the school parties, costumes, teacher gifts, snacks, etc.
Believe it or not, as much as I love Pinterest for ideas, I mostly agree with her.
Yes, yes, yes...I hear you!
"Hey! She posts things up of new recipes & crazy holidays. Who does she think she is?"
(totally said in my best Jim Gaffigan voice)
Here's my deelio:
I'm sure you might be shocked to know that I have a theatrical background. I understand your shock. And sometimes I love having the theatrics in real life, too. Holidays give me that opportunity. And I guess I'm along the lines of a "method actress." I will research & dig to get inspired on how to play out a part...or serve a meal...or wear an outfit/costume.
In doing these things, not only do you learn more things because you force yourself to research, but you may find that you can add to the mundane dinner menu rotation for the family!
Personally, I love to keep things as authentic as I can, but add a bit of a pun or quirk to it.
* A lot of this started in 2001. A little before then, too, but it really kicked off then. It was with Halloween coming & I came up with my Vulcan, T'Rek. Find out how that went down HERE!
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| The (half) Vulcan, T'Rek, circa 2001 |
* I learned about fashion & makeup from the 60's when I took an old internet quiz years ago about which supermodel I was most like. When it came up Twiggy...I started digging more into more about her.
* I learned about fashion, makeup & the times of the 50's when I was part of a diner theater (yeah...I said "diner") at our church, "Uncle Phil's Diner."
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| Me as Miss Donna Lee in "Uncle Phil's Diner", circa 2008 |
* I love using St. Patrick's Day to dig into some of my Irish background. So I try to keep it authentic. And I love learning how much we actually get wrong in overall celebrations. Check out some of my discoveries HERE.
* I love, I love to set my brain loose when celebrating that Dr. Seuss! Outfits, foods & rhyming galore; each March 2nd we try to do more. If you'd like to know which way to steer, check out what I've done before HERE!
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| March the 2nd is the date; a Seussy day to celebrate! |
* Aye! Me loves to take in & talk like a pirate! Each September 19th, we set creative ideas to sail a course of the day! Check out what I've done before HERE!
* I love marking the Ides of March & Pi Day, too! Check 'em out HERE!
But I'm also a shortcutter. If my kids need something for a school party, I will totally just send the valentines of their favorite character. I don't need to have a pencil or a Hershey's kiss/hug attached to it. Or if my kid has "hat day" at school, I'll offer up a brightly colored stovepipe hat, but am fine when they just choose a baseball cap. Eventually if they want to do more, I'll support them & help them...but if not, as quietly sad as I might be on the inside, I am still glad that they are willing to participate in something beyond the ordinary.
I'm not a Martha Stewart. I use Pinterest & Google to get inspired for things, but I am not (usually) going to put tons of money into what I'm doing if I don't need to. It's about setting an ambiance. It's about making memories. But it's not about killing myself to do it. It's not about being a one-upper. I do what I love to do. And if it inspires someone else to try something, that's awesome! It's never about setting some bar super high to prove no one can top it! Trust me...anyone can top me. I just know how my brain works. And then I go with it.
At times, I'm sure my family gets frustrated with my crazy ideas...but sometimes it proves to be fun & OK. Even if they roll their eyes...they will still be talking about it quite some time later...and might even ask if we will get to do it again!
And if you offer up any sort of creativity like that with your kids, it encourages them to think about what they would do, too. I've even had my kiddos start to make suggestions for some of these special days! And the ideas are often good ones. Heck...my hubby helps with the ideas sometimes, too!!
So where there is a semi-revolt against increasing hype for other holidays, I say go for it! Start small. Do what you can. If you think you need to one-up anyone, then you're doing it wrong. Just up your own creativity & dig into research for yourself. You will enlighten yourself & it will rub off on your family. It will be amazing to see what happens when you change up a couple of things while you have a history & explanation behind it.
You know what? Being that shortcutter allows me to find the quick way around fixing things up...where it's more about the presentation. I still want things to taste good, too...but I'm not above throwing some store-bought stuff together. I'm willing to fake it til I make it.
Really...you can, too. Trust me.
So go out there, have fun, celebrate, and just challenge yourself a little bit. You'll be amazed!
Stay tuned...
God Bless, AM~Erica
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