Michelle Cove
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Time to rethink that souvenir, ya'll

4/8/2013

4 Comments

 
I LOVE MONDAYS Tip of the Week

I want to rock me some cowboy boots like these:

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That’s just one of the things I learned while speaking at the “Celebrating Women: Mind, Body, Spirit” conference in Galveston, Texas last Friday. I mean, you don those babies and there is no way you aren't going to own the room. And unlike heels, which I still teeter in like a little girl practicing to look like her mama, I feel like I could get my true saunter on with these gems.

It was a fabulous conference filled with with bright, bold women exchanging enlightening information. It was also a glimpse into my future. I learned from Dr. Catherine Hansen about sex in our sixties (i.e. Did you know that Crisco is a safe lubrication?) and from Dr. Tristi Muir how to “mambo through my menopause” (I don’t know when it will hit but I want serious amounts of estrogen patches, air conditioners and good friends at the ready).

Here’s something I learned from Texas comic Lyssa Graham, who sat next to me and kept me in stitches: proper etiquette in the South demands that after you make a snarky comment about someone (i.e. “That guy is as lost as a ball in high weeds”), it should be followed up with “Bless his/her heart.” Apparently, the latter puts you back in good graces. I’ve already gotten this phrase jump-started in the Northeast corridor among my friends. Thank you, Lyssa, for sharing this gift with us Yanks. We owe you one.

And now we are finally getting to the I Love Mondays tip of the week: when you’re travelling for business and have no time to get your daughter a souvenir, grab hotel bath-items to bring home as a spa kit. (Sorry, hotel staff, but a working mama does what she has to do.) Here’s the one I put together for Risa (I supplied the small basket):
                                                                                     

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I suggest in I Love Mondays that it is a big (if understandable) mistake for working moms on a business trip to promise souvenirs for their kids. It's a tempting way to cheer them up when they miss us ("I have a big gift for you!"), but it leaves us in the likely position of 1) letting down our kids, 2) having to keep upping the stakes on our travel gifts, and 3) most likely, making ourselves insane when we don't have the means/time to hunt down the gift. What we don't need is more stress in our lives! I like this strategy from one mom I interviewed last year: bring home a magnet at the airport from whatever state you're in--no problem to track down, cheap, and easy to pack. Let's keep it simple, mamas.
4 Comments
Dana Bateman
4/7/2013 23:56:27

I love this idea! And there is no shame in the keychain from the airport game, either. My kids have them on their backpacks, dangling off the zippers and think its great. Another thing from hotels, my kids discovered the existence of shower caps while at the hotel in DC this weekend, hilarity ensued! This tips are great as I leave for the first of two big trips in the same month!

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Michelle
4/8/2013 01:07:45

No shame at all with keychains - will def add to repertoire. (It's amazing that all these years later, shower caps still bring so much joy...)

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Catherine link
4/8/2013 04:17:44

You are AMAZING! It was so awesome to meet you at the Galveston Women's Conference, you make me feel (almost) normal and that is a refreshing treat for a working, insanely busy, mother of 3! Keep up the good work, Michelle! Can't wait to start my new book (I Love Mondays) and indulge in more helpful hints. Hope to see you again soon, Catherine Hansen MD

Reply
Michelle
4/8/2013 08:58:28

Thanks, Catherine. And if you're even a LITTLE normal with a career and three kids, you're doing fantastic!

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    THE COVE

    I am a journalist, filmmaker, author, wife, and mom to an 8-year-old daughter. My most recent project is I Love Mondays: And other confessions from devoted working moms. Other projects explore raising only children, happily ever after, raising strong girls, and hot topics for Jewish women.

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