Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: The Family Home (05/29/08)
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TITLE: Worst...Advice...EVER. | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jan Ackerson
06/03/08 -
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Well, yes—yes it would, and more baby time was exactly what I needed. And more hubby time. More family time…I’d been blessed to get this writing job, but when Courtney clinched her offer with a bribe of her mother’s walnut brownies, I gave her my computer password and started to plan an actual home-cooked meal for Denny and me, the first in weeks.
Perhaps I should back up: I write a monthly column for “God’s Gals” magazine. The focus of the column is home-y advice with a twist. I’m no Martha Stewart, and I don’t know many people who are. It’s an impossible standard, so with a little bit of humor and a lot of practicality, I write about having a relaxed and happy home.
But I’m an old-fashioned gal—I still prefer writing in pencil, on tablets of lined paper. I’ve also been known to write on backs of grocery receipts, church bulletins, and defunct business cards. Courtney’s job would be to enter my writing on the computer, then send it off to my editor. Just for the relief of not having to deal with that infernal Mac—this girl would be worth her weight in walnut brownies.
I should have known better.
I had a great idea for a column called “What’s the Best Way?” It’d be a series of one-liners, questions about child-rearing, household tasks, marriage—with short, snappy answers. I scrawled the questions on scraps of paper while Paige fingered Cheerios, and on Post-Its as Denny and I watched baseball. When I had over a dozen questions and answers, I gave Courtney a fistful of mismatched papers and my blessing, then took off for the beach with Denny and Paige.
Courtney…bless her heart, it’s a good thing she’s cute, because she’s no nuclear physicist. She dropped the papers. And then, because she wanted to get to the mall with her bubble-headed friends, she just typed them up…well, like this. My over-worked editor couldn’t reach my cell phone, looked at her deadline, shrugged, and ran the column:
***
What’s The Best Way?
by Tina Kellogg
We women are nurturers and fixers, but too often we go about nurturing and fixing in the most difficult or time-consuming way, just because we think that’s somehow best. Here are some common problems in the typical home and family, and the absolute best solution for each of them. Enjoy, ladies!
What’s the best way to get rid of a tick?
--Candlelight, flowers, chocolate, and a little hanky-panky.
What’s the best way to keep the marriage fresh?
--Sit him on the potty chair until he produces something, then give him candy.
What’s the best way to potty train a teenager?
-- Wrap it in tissue paper, and store carefully in a cool, dry place.
What’s the best way to keep a fragile Christmas ornament safe?
-- Frequent application of an organic pesticide.
What’s the best way to maintain a beautiful lawn?
--Make swirly patterns with a fork.
What’s the best way to easily decorate a sheet cake?
--Nasal strips work wonders!
What’s the best way to quiet a snoring spouse?
-- Get some cork board and lots of thumb tacks.
What’s the best way to make an inexpensive message center?
-- Just flush it and replace it. No one will ever know.
What’s the best way to deal with the death of a goldfish?
--Be familiar with their world, but don’t try to be part of it.
What’s the best way to communicate with a teenager?
--Whip it like crazy with a wire whisk.
What’s the best way to make lump-free gravy?
--Drill, drill, drill.
What’s the best way to help a child memorize math facts?
--A firm “No” will usually do the trick.
What’s the best way to discipline a three-year-old?
--Squeeze its head with tweezers, and pull up firmly.
***
But you know, some of this advice might not be so bad…Paige will have to be potty-trained soon, and Denny has recently started to snore…
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-I absolutely love it, I am still laughing out loud here, literally! The mixed up one liners were hilarious, and so was the opening voice for it. Loved it to pieces!
Excellent.
Laury
--Squeeze its head with tweezers, and pull up firmly.
Such good advice. ;}
THanks for brightening my rainy day.
What's the best way to keep the marriage fresh?
Sit him on the potty chair until he produces something, then give him candy.
LOL. I love your sense of humor, Jan. Thank you for sharing this wonderfully funny piece. And don't worry about the typo...It made it even funnier. :)
What’s the best way to discipline a three-year-old?
--Squeeze its head with tweezers, and pull up firmly.
My twisted old mind just couldn't stop laughing at that one.
Great writing - Just great!
My fav:
What’s the best way to communicate with a teenager?
--Whip it like crazy with a wire whisk.
I am going to try that out this weekend on my "thick-headed" nephew ;)
Great Job!!!
This is humor writing at its best! Even though we saw it coming with air-head, it was pure delight! Each one was hysterical... Thanks for making my day..>
Am thinking of sharing a few of these at home church tonight. Thank you for your wonderful article. Hope you do really well because you sure deserve it.
Norms
My favorite line:
What’s the best way to keep the marriage fresh?
--Sit him on the potty chair until he produces something, then give him candy.
Absolutely hilarious, great writing as always!!
Oh, and BTW, that is a new twist on only hinting about the age of someone in your story, isn't it? Loren