A Mother’s Patience or Strategic Retaliation?

Posted on by
Reply

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and you still don’t know what to get the many child bearers in your life. Where are the complete guides to gifting, the mother’s day restaurant lists, the unique, but idiot proof crafts that bring mom to tears?

Well, for starters, they aren’t here. Those posts are spectacular, don’t get me wrong. In fact, the Main Street Inn crew is guilty of perusing a few ourselves. However, we’ll save you some reading time and let you know the greatest gift for any mom is a stay at the Main Street Inn.

Now that your gift problem is solved, we still wanted to reflect on what makes mothers so special and hopefully bring a smile to your face while doing so. Laughter is, after all, the greatest gift.

I think most of us could agree that moms are special because they deal with inappropriate behavior, as embarrassing as it may be sometimes, and still love their children unconditionally. Some say it’s science. This chemical bond that can’t be broken. I say, from experience, that a mom is able to survive the early embarrassing stages because she knows that once the kid grows into a teenager or young adult, the tables turn.

Well, be it science or patiently planned revenge, the following scenarios either tested the strength of that chemical bond or had the mother conjuring up some pretty awful future retaliation.

Public Nudity – “I was trying on swimsuits at Banana Republic and I took my twins in the dressing room with me. They flung open the door when I was between trying on suits (which means I was naked as a jaybird). When I grabbed the inside hinge of the door to frantically close it, my wedding ring got stuck. The fitting room attendant had to help me get unstuck as my naked body is being reflected into the whole store and I had nowhere to hide. Utter. Humiliation.”

Promotion? – “We invited my husband’s boss over for dinner and it was an embarrassing nightmare. The whole night, my 4-year-old son kept calling him ma’am. I tried to quietly correct him without calling too much attention to it, but the kid looked at me like I was an idiot and kept right on doing it. And then my daughter asked him repeatedly when his baby was coming (he had quite a large belly). When dinner was over and he got up to leave, my son told him, “We thought my dad’s boss was coming, but I am glad you came instead. My mom doesn’t like him at all!”"

Holy Slip-up – “While discussing the 10 Commandments at Vacation Bible School, comparing “God’s Rules” with rules the kids might have at home, my oldest — then about 7 — shouted: At my house, you don’t drink from mom’s cup of soda when it has liquor in it.”

Mom’s a Star – “My daughter looked at the tabloid magazines and said to the next person in line, “My mommy looks just like the movie stars on the cover of this magazine.” Plastered across the cover of the magazine were pictures of ugly butts and the headline said, Stars With Cellulite.”

…More Embarrassing Moments

 

Have a story that trumps these moments? Share it for extra giggles!

 

Until Next Time,

Embarrass Free Angel Child

Mini-fy Meals: Add Your Twist to a Classic

Posted on by
Reply

In the last decade we have seen minis take over the culinary industry. And why not? They are fun, cute, a sensible way to make old recipes with new presentation, and Martha Stewart said they’re cool.

I guess we can blame hors d’oeuvres for the onslaught of tiny tastes…but Martha Stewart’s not off the hook for this one just yet! A French word meaning “outside of the main work,” the hors d’oeuvre concept of small bites was borrowed from early Greeks and Romans. It has stuck ever since, now taking over entire menus.

Embracing the trend, I found the cute size factor is not what excites me. It’s the mere joy of taking one bite and getting a taste of each deliciously awesome ingredient in that single bite. Have you had the experience yet? Man-oh-man, is it satisfying! That, paired with tidy plate presentation (I’m a bit of a de-clutter freak), has motivated me to mini-fy something at almost every meal.

Before your Betty Crocker butt runs off trying to serve an entire Thanksgiving Dinner in a phyllo cup, keep this in mind: opt for meals you already know.

I’m no master of the culinary arts but anyone can take an old recipe, divide it into mini muffin pans (got mine from HomeGoods) and VOILA! Trying this out on some of my usuals, like quiche and shepherds pie, has brought life back to the recipes! Although I only referred to hot food in this post, the possibilities are endless and there is Pinterest to prove it.

So next time you’re preparing a favorite meal, challenge yourself to make it smaller. Then again, some dishes, like the Creme Brule French Toast at Main Street Inn B&B, demand to be large and in charge. We don’t think the guests would have it any other way!

 

What have you mini-fied lately? 

 

Until Next Time,

Mini Maven Wanna-Be

 

The Night Owl Transformation

Posted on by
1

At The Main Street Inn Bed & Breakfast peaceful slumber is kind of a big deal. With snoozing quarters fit for a king or queen you might find yourself sleeping in a little later than usual. However, stay tucked in after the 11 am check out and you’ll have to answer to the wrath of Pam! One of seven kids, her father used buckets of ice water to punish those with a tardy agenda so who knows what the crazy Innkeeper is capable of.

Okay. Caught me. If you have stayed here before then you know Pam doesn’t use absurd tactics to wake her guests. Then again you also know that, regardless, she is still a bit of a crazy Innkeeper. All kidding aside, it doesn’t seem fair to frown upon late risers. The trait is basically engrained at birth.

I developed a clever childhood theory that if you were born in the morning, you were stamped a “morning person” and vice versa for those who “popped out” in the evening.

Needless to say, that theory was largely disproven by an enormous skew in scientific data. The outlier? My sister, Shena. The most interesting part isn’t that she ruined my hopes of winning a Nobel Peace Prize; it’s that she has since pulled a bit of a 180 on the night owl front. Maybe it’s the lack of a college schedule, absence of Miami heat, maturity creeping in (nahhh), or the fact that she now works at a Bed & Breakfast where the majority of work is done in the morning. Chalk it off to whatever you prefer but not without recognizing that this transformation is rare, and even unbelievable by some. While our PA Dutch, farm filled county is partial to early risers, there are perks to being a night owl just the same.

Leo Babauta, author of Zen Habits blog, recounts his experience of switching to an early rise and the benefits he found to come with it. Before reeling off the list of 10 perks, he assures readers “if you are a night owl, and that works for you, I think that’s great.”

Like Leo, I encourage everyone to go with what works.  I mean, think about it. If we didn’t have people who feel lively when the sun goes down there would be no night shift employees, no 24 hour diners, boring house parties, and a void in the life of every squealing teenage girl with a Robert Pattinson obsession.

Although I’ve attempted to play both sides at one very brief point in my life, it’s far easier to embrace what your internal clock prefers, as long as your schedule, or innkeeper, allows it. Hats off to my sister for her strange transformation and any others who have already pulled the switch-aroo! Best of luck if you’re trying to switch lifestyles currently or in the near future. I’d love to hear your reasoning, how the progress is going and what techniques, be it ice buckets or alarm clocks, work best.

Until Next Time,

The Early Riser