Earlier today I was on my way to pick up the little man from school, and in a fit of utter spontaneity I turned on the radio, something I hardly ever do because HELLO, THE IPOD IS MY BEST FRIEND.
And do you know what was playing on the radio?
On the radio!
Singing “The Twenty-First Time!”
On the radio!
I promise you that I smiled from ear to ear for at least a mile. I was so happy for the M&N boys that I had to call both D and Melanie to tell them all about it, and honestly, it all sort of felt like that moment in “Coal Miner’s Daughter” when Loretta Lynn hears her single on the radio for the first time.
Except that since I’m not in fact a member of Monk & Neagle, I wasn’t the one, you know, SINGING A SONG I WROTE.
And I also wasn’t eating a bologna sandwich.
(Certainly I recognize that the whole bologna sandwich reference probably doesn’t make any sense at all if you haven’t actually seen “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”)
(But still.)
Anyway, once I got to school I couldn’t wait to hear all about Alex’s day because this morning I had to send something that all the kids could smell, and I was just a little bit proud of myself for thinking to send some Gain-scented dryer sheets.
And just in case you’re feeling a little bit sorry for me because sending Gain-scented dryer sheets to school is the lamest idea you’ve ever heard, then I probably shouldn’t tell you that I came thisclose to sending a bottle of apple cider vinegar.
Because really, what could be a better hands-on tool to teach four year-olds about the sense of smell than the delightful aroma of some pungent, fermented cider?
It would’ve been such a fond memory for the youngsters, don’t you think?
But anyway, Alex had little to report about the dryer sheets (COFFEE BEANS! I SHOULD’VE SENT COFFEE BEANS! AND THIS JUST OCCURRED TO ME!), but he did have a LOT of details to share about a new game they played and also, he had a LOT of reasons why we did not need to run any errands after school.
His pleas fell on deaf ears, I’m sad to say.
We spent a couple of hours tackling a big chunk of my to-do list, and I’m happy to tell you that I came home with my most favoritest cleaning product in the whole wide world, and oh my word I know I have mentioned this product about nine different times, but if you have never treated yourself to the delightfulness that is Mrs. Meyer’s, please let me assure you that one spray bottle of her all-purpose cleaner will change your whole attitude about cleaning your kitchen because OH, THE LAVENDER FRESHNESS.
No kidding: it makes me want to clean my countertops with great compulsion.
I have the same disturbing level of emotion about this soap and this lotion, by the way.
However, I wouldn’t recommend using either of them on your kitchen countertops.
Seeing as how they might leave a bit of residue.
But in fairness, your countertops would smell fantastic.
ROFLOL at the bologna. H*rnier and h*rnier. Oh, and you can totally delete this comment. I’ll understand.
is there anyone who hasn’t seen Coal Miner’s Daughter? Its like not knowing what The Sound of Music is, or Wizard of Oz!
oh my gosh – I am SO out of it. I never saw Coal Miner’s Daughter!!! The dryer sheet was a great idea though…and I’m with you on the Monk and Neagle thing. I too heard them singing that same song. I love it!!!
Love coming here–always fun– but really, I always feel as though I’m visiting another country, with whole other customs and heroes and anthems, etc. and way better food. I’m always up for broadening my horizons!
I had a funny reaction to that lotion, too–
Why We Homeschool: Reason #46
The first thing that came to my mind when I read that Alex had to take something to school for the kids to smell was “Daddy’s gym sock”.
NOBODY would want me to be homeroom mom.
Oh, and YAY M&N, and Coal Miner’s Daughter. Anyone who can rhyme “hard” and “tired” (pronounced /tahrd/) in a hit song (and make goo-gahs of $$ from it) is a-ok in my book. Referring to Miss Loretta, of course, though, admittedly I haven’t yet listened to all the M&N songs, so maybe they did too.
Lastly, I bow deeply from my considerable waist in humble homage to your maternal greatness at having such a well-trained boy. Errands make my kids get a teeth rash, so if Alex hung with you for the whole endeavor, I hope the last stop was at Ponies R Us.
You have to love any product with eucalyptus in it that’s called “Stress Relief.” I’m not sure I could go with all that lavender, though. But maybe if it’s really, really good and doesn’t just smell purple, I’d be with you on that.
Yay for M&N… they are well loved around here and any good thing for them is like a good thing for us.
That was profound, I know. My brain is not with me tonight. Some of that lavender lotion sounds mighty fine about now.
Well, you have just made me feel better about myself, thank you very much! When Maggie was in 3 year old preschool, something awful occurred in her backpack, and to get the smell out, my Mom suggested I put a dryer sheet in there. A few days later, I FORGOT about show and tell (mommmy of the year right here) and Miss Maggie just took that dryer sheet right out of her bag, sat down in circle time and told everyone (with great dramatic flair I am told) that the dryer sheet was a magic cleaning cloth that her mommmy used to clean the house! Okay, A) I’m pretty sure she has me confused with some other mommy who does housework and B) her teachers must have thought,”Lord have mercy that is a pitiful state of affairs in that house if the Mama can’t come up with anything better for show and tell than a dryer sheet! (Because, sadly, it was NOT “bring in something you can smell day” at her school.) So, see all of this is just to say THANK YOU, Boomama! I have honestly just released a little bit of Mommy guilt that I’ve been carrying around for the last 4 years. Thank you!
Might I say, with great enthusiasm, at just how HAPPY I am that someone else out there finds Coal Miner’s Daughter a valid movie, worth quoting! Right up there with Steel Magnolias.
Annelle: “Miss Truvy, I promise that my personal tragedy will not interfere with my ability to do good hair.”
My eyes are getting tired, so when I read the part that says “his pleas fell on deaf ears” I saw “his peas fell on deaf ears”.
If you find yourself feeling challenged creatively, see if you can craft a post in which peas fall on deaf ears.
oh i look at that lotion site every time you go on about it and i so wish i could try it out. i have a super sensitive smeller and strong smells give me a headache. but it sure sounds heavenly.
I confess…I have never ever in my life seen Coal Miner’s Daughter…so at your comment, I said Huh? I guess I have a new movie to add to our snow days :)
I thought the fabric sheet was a good idea! and it serves a dual purpose…’cause it makes everything around it smell good, too!
yay, except when you’re somewhat allergic to lavender. only the store bought kind, not the fresh kind… which makes me wonder what they really put in it!
Shut up about Mrs. Meyers. My faves are the lemon verbena counter spray, and the geranium shower spray.
I heard Monk & Neagle on the radio too, and I just felt so proud! Go M&N!
Well Oprah has seriously misled me in my cleaning products. I will have to toss out my seventh generation for something that looks too pretty to be a cleaning product.
I love Mrs. Meyers, right now I am using the geranium products!
I thought you meant that you WERE eating a bologna sandwich and trying to fool us into thinking that you weren’t. Totally didn’t get the quote at all. Shame on me.
Mmmmm, Gain
All my cleaning products are unscented and environmentally safe. All of my mother-in-law’s cleaning products are highly scented and full of phosphates and deadly chemicals of destruction.
We live in the same house.
Between that and the saurkraut, I’m surprised she and I get along so well!
LOVE Coal Miners Daughter. I have seen it over 100 times (spread out over many years, of course) and I can quote the whole movie. Obviously, I need a life. :-)
I think I’ve seen Coal Miner’s Daughter but it’s been like ages ago. I’ll have to put it on my Netflix list.
Gain dryer sheets, eh? Not a bad idea!
You could’ve also considered sending a bottle of vanilla extract, but they might have been tempted to taste it and that stuff’s just nasty tasting on its on. You can ask my youngest brother, he knows because when we were all kids we convinced him to try it.
I think I fell asleep during Coal Miner’s Daughter. Not that I think it’s bad but when I’m tired I can’t stay awake in a movie to save my life. No telling how much money I’ve wasted because of that.
I did something crazy on Saturday…I bought Monk & Neagles CD. I had forgotten they still made those. I was running on 4 hours of sleep due to a football on Friday night that was and hour & a half away and then a cross country meet which I had to have MissB to the bus at 5:50 for. After the cross country meet and the errand running I needed something to keep me awake on the 75 mile drive home. I’m sure the people behind me thought I was crazy when they saw my right arm waving in the air during “Hallelujah Jesus” but I really don’t care. Gotta give you a shout out for recommending them. They’ve got IT goin on!
We love Mrs. Meyer’s here too. If you haven’t tried her Lavender Laundry soap – it is incredible. If there is anything better than clean sheets on your bed – it is clean sheets that have been washed with Mrs Meyer’s lavender laundry soap. Sweet dreams!
I have seen Coal Miner’s Daughter and I LAUGHED OUT LOUD when you made reference to it!!!
You absolutely crack me up. Hope all is well with you.
By the way, don’t you just love this nip in the air?! After suffering from many weeks of triple digit temps here in AL, it’s been so nice to have degrees in the 70’s and 80’s!
Where’s my jacket?!
have a great week!
Oh I just bought Monk & Neagle TODAY! Ready to educate the rest of Michigan who needs to get on Boomama’s bandwagon.
Love the post – dryer sheet are ingenious. Any mom would think of coffee beans but you just upped it for the other moms :)
I love these rambling posts, mainly because I relate to them so well. It’s usually how I think.
And I think the Gains dryer sheet was BRILLIANT. So there. (But I did send coffee beans when my kids had that task – probably because I remembered that I had to send something the morning of and I was drinking a much needed, fragrant cup o’ joe.)
We just did the smell thing, too! I felt pretty clever myself for having sent cotton balls scented with lemon extract. Is it Pledge or ingredients to make a cake? Imagine getting excited about trying to stump second graders…
Mrs Meyer’s looks wonderful! Who thinks up Gingerbread Dish Soap. Yummy! Unfortunately, according to their store locator, there is nowhere within 100 miles of here that it can be purchased. Bummer.
As for M&N, if they play THAT song on the radio here one.more.time. I think that my hubs and I are going to SCREAM. Apparently it’s their favorite song at the radio station or something because it’s on about four times a day. Seriously, the rest of the cd is GREAT, so why are they stuck on ONE song?! Arrgghh…
But were you sitting next to the young Tommy Lee Jones? sigh.
Dryer sheets are cool. Much better than sending Daddy’s work out clothing. That would certainly smell, too. At least our daddy’s work out gear is stinky. But, then, I suppose you want Alex to have some friends and not be the class pariah. :)
Dryer sheets wrer the cleanest idea! I would have gone with that too!
My friend who had read about M&N on my blog told me that she heard the 21st time on the radio in Dallas. I thought it was very cool as well!
You could have sent some dirty socks. I think Gain is a grand idea.
Just for kicks I would have sent rum extract! Can’t you hear the chorus of 4 year olds chiming, “what’s rum?”
oh I love me some Coal Miner’s Daughter. it was a classic growing up. i always loved the photo shoot he set up for loretty with the sheet behind it.
Mrs. Meyers is great! I can’t use the lavender scent (google lavender oil boys to see the study), but I love all of the scents anyway.
Have you smelled Sprayway glass cleaner? http://tinyurl.com/2qpu2c It smells wonderful!
Mrs. Meyer looks a little like Mr. Meyer put his picture in a hair makeover generator, and picked a woman’s hairdo, then used that on the website. A bit rough. Yikes.
But I’m sure the cleaner is great.