Grad Gifts and Spring Brings

WSG 34 me again

Happy Mother’s Day! A little late. I hope you and yours had a wonderful day. 

For those of you who missed it, and that’s nearly everyone, we had a lovely coffee last week. Elvis came! No he didn’t, but did that get your attention? Next coffee will be JUNE 8th on a Wednesday at Lucie The Colonnade Hotel Boston. I’m switching it up so Katherine can come. She has tennis on Tuesdays. 

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Spring Brings….

NEW NOTE: send me your Crapping photos and I will post them, anonymously, on the Instagram site: @womenssurvivalguide ! I am starting with my own. This will be a new segment of reader photo postings!

Disclaimer: the following story is purely fictional. Any similarities to anyone living (in my house) or other is purely coincidental. 

Around this time of year, if you have a college age kid (or boarding school), an annual event takes place: The Crapping Up of the House. When the beloved child returns from yonder lands they bring with them unspeakable loads of festering laundry and lots of stuff you don’t recall buying.  

I am amazed that a new virus hasn’t escaped from the experiment growing on the once-white sheets I found in a duffle bag (and threw out). No bleach will whiten self tanning cream staining on this level. I bought white sheets for my kids so that they could be bleached and returned to normal, but that was really naive. That thought process assumed someone was actually going to wash the sheets AND had bleach AND knew how to use it all while at college. Silly me. That is why stores sell gray wash cloths. But, the joke is on them because the face products that my kids use leave bleach spots on the gray wash cloths. Super.

“The Crapping Up” or “The Crapping” for short, starts at the front door and then oozes into the hallway, takes a right into the dining room and festers a bit. Then The Crapping continues through the living room, miraculously not leaving a trace, landing with a fart in the kitchen where the washer/dryer are located. I feel badly for the washer and dryer. They didn’t sign up for this. Pillows, duvets, sheets, sweaters, coats, hats, a multitude of socks, undies, actual rugs, once-white towels, pants, shirts, tiny skirts, cheeky bikinis, sports stuff, and on and on,  all shoved into the machines, as much as will fit. In general, nothing gets very clean. 

After these giant piles of mixed items are washed they might make it into the dryer after a few days. But, if that happens, which it did, the items need to be washed all over again because they smell gross from sitting wet in the washing machine for a few days. Maybe not as gross as when they arrived in a trash bag, but, gross. Rewash, claw out extreme amounts of stuff from dryer that was already there and throw into giant pile in corner of the kitchen, then shove new load into dryer.

Watch clean pile of laundry grow for a few days. Give in and fold items. Watch items sit folded for days on kitchen table. Give in and take piles of folded clothes upstairs to beloved child’s bedroom. Shiver and remember another beloved child is due to come back any day now with the same amount of gross stuff. 

What can be done about The Crapping? I wonder, do other people experience this event each Spring? Do other cultures? Is there a way to stop it that doesn’t involve physical harm? Any advice is welcome, though this is a fictional piece. Wink. SEND PHOTOS TO: womenssurvivalguide@gmail.com

Graduation Gift Ideas!

Graduation is upon us! I have a kid graduating from high school and wanted to get some ideas together. Below is a grouping, in no particular order of the gift ideas people sent to me.

1. Give a kid the gift of travel (bag). These are versatile bags built to last and very cool looking! They have other sizes, too. LINK to Baboon to the moon! The large is $219.

Also, the always loved Patagonia bag Link starting at $139. They also have them with wheels built into the back pack frame. Clever!

2.Pens:

Lamy Fountain Pen, fun colors and not expensive, $23.14. Also comes in a ball point pen. A traditional gift with a modern look. Go to Bromfield Pen in Boston on line or in person! They are amazing. Link the link is to Appleboom Pen Shop, which must own Bromfield, now.

3. Jewelry:

Lockets from Macy’s. They have a very nice selection starting at $123.00 link

Circle Monogram from Charmco: link

Very pretty, old fashioned charm in a good way! On the pricier side at $375.00.

Saint Christopher medallion. This is technically a Catholic tradition, but can’t everyone use some love and protection while away from home? Here is a very fancy charm from Heritage Jewelry ($2,180 for the medium) Link. There are much much less expensive versions out there…

Tiffany has a number of snazzy items and some aren’t too off the wall expensive and still come in the pretty blue box. This silver key chain is $190.00: Link

4. Linens

Weezie towels, monogramed. Pretty! Link

A nice set of sheets with a monogram and/or high thread count…check the size of the mattress! Might be a single XL. Try GarnetHill.com

5. Gadgets:

Nespresso: The gift that keeps on giving! One of our readers favorite grad gifts she got was a Nespresso machine. Cool!

Speaker/clock: Echo Dot (4th Gen.) Smart Speaker With Clock, $59.99. Smart!

Dyson Air Wrap. Link

Air Friers are all the rage on campus! check Amazon.

6. Miscellaneous

Threadwell: link This place has a ton of ideas. Robes, totes, key chains, blankets, lucite frames, pillows with college stripe and open and on. One of my favorite items was given to my girls when they graduated high school: a small canvas bag with the colleges colors in a stripe and the name. You put it together on line. Very cool and affordable. Put a some cash or a pen or something inside!

Monogram Blazer Buttons Link. Ben Silver from Charleston is a very fine looking store! All the essentials for a well dressed gentleman or lady and they even sell a CD of Winston Churchill’s speeches. Link

Monogram Silver belt Buckle Link

Get a song written for your graduate! DM @Bebe.Stockwell on instagram. Prices may vary

Starbucks Mug from kid’s home town or college town with candy and cash inside!

And of course, no kid should go with out: Link

A picture of a car they want to work towards. ha ha ha.

A shout out to my text posse “Chestnut st Peeps” for their super ideas!

That’s all for now or maybe I should say NOW (has something to do with a women’s organization). And remember. Get off your bum if you haven’t already. As someone told me, you’re living the life you choose to lead…not sure if that’s totally true for everyone (it’s not) but it makes for a handy thing to throw out there. xo k