Friday Frivolity - 11/11/11

There is much frivolity to be had today, which is a good thing given the overall gloomy and weird news to be found in the mainstream media these days.

First, thank you to the wonderful and witty writers who have responded to our earlier post this week.  We are having great fun pouring over your blogs and writing pieces and will be in touch shortly.

Now, there are few things closer to our mostly mannerly hearts than corduroy.  So when we discovered in the WSJ over our morning coffee that today, 11/11/11, is "...the day that most closely resembles corduroy ever," according to Ms. Pieloch, director of "cordination,"for the Corduroy Appreciation Club,  we were delighted.  You can read all about it in this article. 

As the weather cools our thoughts turn to our dear friends who will and will not be spending Thanksgiving in Paris (you know who you are).  This piece by Julie Blakely might come in handy as well as these general tips for personal Frenchification wherever you are.

In other news, we loved our friend Kayce's post last night about her "Aunt Lilly."  Yes, that Lilly.

Have you had a chance to peruse the Nov/Dec Lonny Magazine?  Pure fun! Plus, we are intrigued by this new lifestyle shop C Wonder that recently opened in Soho and is featured in the magazine.  Sadly, it does not yet seem to have an online shopping component. 

Finally on this Veteran's Day, thank you to all the men and women who serve, have served and sacrificed so that we may prattle on in safety and peace about corduroy, fashion, beauty and decor ad nauseum.   Happy weekend!

photos from LL Bean, France in photos, Flickr and CWonder

Blogger Wanted

 Are you a new mother who knows nothing about children?  Did you once have a viable career with productive days or even weeks at a time?  Are you polite?  Considerate?  Interested in people and the world around you?  Are you wondering what you are doing in this strange new world of babies?  Can you write? 

If the above description sounds like you and you would be interested in writing for Manners for Modern Mothers every couple of weeks, please email us at info@mannersformothers.com. 

Thank you.

photo from the blog daddytypes

Friday Frivolity - Post Halloween Giggle and Mini Rant

Hopefully this funny piece from WNYC.org will help with your Post-Halloween traumatic stress syndrome.  We love it because it is mannerly, modern and very funny.

And another thing, when did it become vogue to "donate" used Halloween candy to  our military, homeless people and food banks?  Ironic, non?  Of course, we all want it out of the house but if it isn't good enough for our offspring why is it good enough for these segments of the population?  What if everyone just composted the candy and sent these groups a can of butternut squash soup?  Who's with me?  Aside from the fact that you can't compost candy...

 Enjoy the weekend. 

Photo and recipe from our friends over at Smitten Kitchen

Friday Frivolity - Boo To You

We hope you and your little goblins have a wonderful Halloween weekend and that the snow does not impede your fun.  For a good laugh please read this piece by Maria Semple in The New Yorker about the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead.  Thanks to Amy and our friend at Google for sending this our way.  Enjoy the weekend!

Redshirting - The Last Conversational Taboo

There are, it seems, these days very few topics modern parents must avoid when making 'pleasant conversation' with people whom they do not know well.   Race, religion, politics, sex, reproduction - all fine.  But whatever you do, please save yourself (unless you are someone who just like to stir the pot and see how far you can get people going) and do not bring up REDSHIRTING.

Redshirting (in case you live on the moon) is the increasingly common practice of delaying kindergarten for children who turn 5 any time after April (assuming a September 1 cutoff for kindergarten).  As wealth disparity grows in the US, elite colleges take smaller and smaller percentages of applicants, academic expectations shift downwards ('first grade is like seventh now), and parents read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell this practice seems to make sense.

And then! Just when everyone is on board with the concept - research and articles like this one, Delay Kindergarten at Your Child's Peril  pop up in the New York Times and the frenzy begins all over again.

'So why is this such an incendiary topic?' a mannerly mother with the excellent fortune or insight to only give birth between October and February, might ask.  After all, who cares what other people do?  Do they honestly think it will make that much difference?  Don't these minor advantages in kindergarten even out by middle school?  If a red shirted child is valedictorian of her high school class, has she usurped that honor from the rightful heir in that age group?  What about those coveted spots at elite institutions?  Do colleges look at birth year? What about the child's self-confidence?  Is there academic data supporting this approach?  What about the parent's emotional baggage?  Does a red shirted student have a better chance of getting a scholarship? A better job?   Really doesn't it all come down to everyone wanting to do what is best for his or her children?  And the controversy lies in what he/she believes that to be.  But again, probably not the best questions to ask in a getting-to-know-you sort of way.

Of course the editors here at M4MM can not begin to advise you on the merits of either approach - we are just here to help you avoid this conversational minefield - should you wish to do so.

Lester Bangs: What, are you like the star of your school?
William Miller: They hate me.
Lester Bangs: You'll meet them all again on their long journey to the middle.

Photos from Google Images and Almost Famous web site.

Are You Wearing Pants?

While perhaps a bit remedial for our seasoned and sophisticated readers, the question "Am I wearing Pants?"  can be a tricky one to answer in these anything goes times of lycra, leggings, jeggings and just plain forgetfulness.   Wonder no longer mannerly modern mothers!  Thanks to the below flow chart discovered on the Huffington Post by our tech guru Amy and also brought to our attention by Alison over at Daily Outfit, you will never need to doubt your pant status again.

Flow Chart from Huffington Post designed by Amy Sly

A Thank You Note to Steve Jobs

We wanted to take this opportunity to agree with the kind and witty thank you note Stanley Bing of Fortune Magazine recently wrote to Steve Jobs. It is everything a thank you note should be; sincere, thoughtful and entertaining.  Thank you Bing for saying it so well.  And thank you Steve for all of it.

You can read the note here.

Images from Google