Blogs

Mama Drama Part 1

by on ‎10-07-2011 05:41 PM

If you’ve been following me on my Facebook Page , you know that “Scarlett” came for a visit. Just for reference, Scarlett is the nickname I gave my Mom since she's the most perfect Southern Belle I’ve ever met. Let me also interject that I simply ADORE Scarlett. I’ve come to terms with the fact that we are not the same person and as an adult I can (most of the time) be entertained by our differences.


Let me introduce you: Scarlett is poised, polished, and presentable at all times. Her house is immaculately decorated like the pages of Southern Living. She is the most gracious of hostesses and she NEVER overcooks her chicken. Her outfits are perfectly coordinated down to the matching shoes and handbags. Are you seeing the picture here?


Yes, God has a sense of humor. He gave her ME as a daughter. I’m the one who failed out of Charm School twice (not kidding) and listened to countless hours of exasperated pleas as to why “young ladies should not be covered in mud or climbing in trees” and “how did you possibly FAIL charm school?” I'm generally a WRECK at all times. I often fly by the seat of my pants from activity to activity leaving small piles of fallout in my wake. I arrive at work with wet hair piled underneath a Turbie Twist and horror of horrors — NO MAKEUP — this is when Scarlett would tilt her head to the side, give a slight shake and say, “Honestly Albany, didn’t I….”


I work diligently at living up to Scarlett’s standards and my inner 5-year-old always seems to surface when preparing for her arrival. This hummingbird-type twittering from place to place around my house hiding piles of disorganized mess also sends my children and husband running for cover. This has been going on for years and we have now affectionately named this episode “Mama Drama.”


This year Scarlett was due to arrive for my birthday. The end of September means changing seasons; but it is also one of the busiest times around our house: school has just begun, soccer, baseball, and dance lessons begin again, and Fashion Week has me in NY (please decode Fashion Week to read: Mom is out of town and that means the kids/husband don’t have to do any household chores or pick up after themselves — the house will be a complete disaster upon my return.) So, when Scarlett announced that she had made arrangements to descend upon us on September 28, I said, “Oh, wonderful…this will be great" on the outside. My inner voice said, “Oh NO…I’ll never ever be ready…how on God’s green Earth will I pull this off. What was she thinking?!!!!” (There are really not enough exclamation points available to make my point here.) Thus the "Mama Drama" began.


My Bright Ideas with Albany show is really a result of my lifelong quest to be a better/more organized wife/mother/daughter/homemaker. I look at our “Tools of the Trade” today compared to what Scarlett had to work with when I was creating messes as a child. We simply have better, more efficient options for keeping our lives together. I’ve learned it’s the little things that make a difference in streamlining the process. Things like the “right” mop for the job or tips/tricks to keep the clutter under control. I'll continue this story next week; but just to give you a hint — the "Mama Drama" was EXTREMELY entertaining this visit. Yes, vomit was involved — in the car, no doubt. Yes, one of our cats did get stuck in the cords underneath my desk (she’s okay), and now we have a Cord Cover in the next Bright Ideas show. Until then, keep those ideas coming. I learn so much from you, too!


—Albany