mehsi's review
5.0
Parenting and holidays, what could go wrong?
I was looking around for more parenting books with humour when I bumped against this one. Scary Mommy? Holidays? Guide to survive those? Sign me up!
Though I hadn't expected it to have more than one contributor/writer. Given it is Scary Mommy, I thought there would be just one woman talking and telling us how to survive those holidays. However, in the end, I didn't mind it at all. In fact I loved the variety and loved seeing how these women were celebrating the holidays. We meet women who celebrate Hannukah (and how they have to explain to their kids that Santa doesn't come to them), but also those who celebrate Christmas. And there is a full part just about Thanksgiving and all that entails (turkey, drunk family members, so much food).
I learned a lot about American holidays and how they celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, and Thanksgiving. I already know a bit about it thanks to the movies, books, and series that have these events happening, but this brought a fresh non-fiction spin to it. That is why I was so delighted with all the recipes.
Yes, recipes! We get quite a few recipes that all (well, with the exception of those with nuts) all sound delicious and I definitely would like to try them out.
I had so many laughs at all the stories that these women tell us about their family, about the kids, and how to survive this holiday season and make sure you don't go crazy. :P Some really made something special of their story (like the woman who wrote a letter to some elf on the shelf (which is apparently some kind of toy??)).
I am going to be checking out the other book by Scary Mommy as I had tons of fun reading this one, and I hope that one will also be fun. As for this book? I would recommend it.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was looking around for more parenting books with humour when I bumped against this one. Scary Mommy? Holidays? Guide to survive those? Sign me up!
Though I hadn't expected it to have more than one contributor/writer. Given it is Scary Mommy, I thought there would be just one woman talking and telling us how to survive those holidays. However, in the end, I didn't mind it at all. In fact I loved the variety and loved seeing how these women were celebrating the holidays. We meet women who celebrate Hannukah (and how they have to explain to their kids that Santa doesn't come to them), but also those who celebrate Christmas. And there is a full part just about Thanksgiving and all that entails (turkey, drunk family members, so much food).
I learned a lot about American holidays and how they celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, and Thanksgiving. I already know a bit about it thanks to the movies, books, and series that have these events happening, but this brought a fresh non-fiction spin to it. That is why I was so delighted with all the recipes.
Yes, recipes! We get quite a few recipes that all (well, with the exception of those with nuts) all sound delicious and I definitely would like to try them out.
I had so many laughs at all the stories that these women tell us about their family, about the kids, and how to survive this holiday season and make sure you don't go crazy. :P Some really made something special of their story (like the woman who wrote a letter to some elf on the shelf (which is apparently some kind of toy??)).
I am going to be checking out the other book by Scary Mommy as I had tons of fun reading this one, and I hope that one will also be fun. As for this book? I would recommend it.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
smartgirlsread's review
4.0
As of this writing, there are only 73 days until Christmas. 73 days! I can hardly believe that, but it seems to arrive more quickly every year so I suppose I had better get ready. I've had Scary Mommy's Guide to Surviving the Holidays by Jill Smokler for over a year now, but I didn't have time to read it before the holidays last year and I wanted to save it until it felt a little more relevant...and until it felt a little cooler outside. This book is a collection of essays compiled by Jill Smokler, creator of Scary Mommy, a parenting blog followed by millions of parents that expresses in no uncertain terms that parenting doesn't have to be perfect. Scary Mommy's Guide to Surviving the Holidays takes us along with Jill and a few of her friends as we commiserate about all those little things that threaten to suck the fun out of the holiday season.
When I first started the book, I thought that it seemed like it might be a little too cynical for me. Sometimes our kids annoy us. That is just a fact of parenting, but some people can, at times, take that a bit far. This was the sentence that made me worry:
Getting through the holidays is no longer a matter of joy and celebration; it's a survival of the fittest.
I'm all for laughing at the way our kids make us crazy just to keep from crying, but I feared this was not going to be the book for me. But then I kept reading...
The first essay in the book is entitled Thanksgiving Etiquette Manifesto, by Leslie Marinelli. It begins with a recital of all the way she spends weeks "planning and preparing for the most highly anticipated meal of the year, only to have my Rockwellian dreams shattered in a matter of seconds by the arrival of my extended family." The essay goes on to provide a list of requirements for attending Thanksgiving Dinner. She knows that it will either make the day better, or people will get offended and not come. She is perfectly okay with either outcome.
This book is filled with hilarious essays to which we can all relate. From forgetting to thaw the Thanksgiving Turkey to a funny Dysfunctional Family Drinking Game; from hoping the kids will figure out that Santa is not real (I'm so on board with this!) to the torture that is the holiday card photo session. This book is also filled with great recipes that somehow still manage to be funny. And finally, there is also a great gift list for those parents you hate (glitter art kits and musical instruments).
One thing that I thought was absolutely wonderful about this book was something I found in the introduction. After years of hosting a very popular blog, Jill Smokler yearned for a way to help some of her readers, and others, who were in need. After a very short four day fundraising effort, she had raised $18,000 that would be used to purchase nearly four hundred Thanksgiving dinners for families in need. Suddenly, The Thanksgiving Project was born. It is now an official 501(c)(3) charity that has helped over four thousand families celebrate a holiday they otherwise couldn't have. This is an inspiring use of one's popularity.
This book was very funny and a very entertaining read. You really should read it and now is a perfect time. Not only is the holiday season upon us, but right now you can purchase the Kindle version for only 99 cents! You canNOT beat that!
I'll just leave you with these parting words:
Whether you are at the adults' table or the infamous kids' table, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. May you find the joy in the holiday no matter where you sit.
Check out more of my reviews at SmartGirlsRead!
www.smartgirlsread.blogspot.com
When I first started the book, I thought that it seemed like it might be a little too cynical for me. Sometimes our kids annoy us. That is just a fact of parenting, but some people can, at times, take that a bit far. This was the sentence that made me worry:
Getting through the holidays is no longer a matter of joy and celebration; it's a survival of the fittest.
I'm all for laughing at the way our kids make us crazy just to keep from crying, but I feared this was not going to be the book for me. But then I kept reading...
The first essay in the book is entitled Thanksgiving Etiquette Manifesto, by Leslie Marinelli. It begins with a recital of all the way she spends weeks "planning and preparing for the most highly anticipated meal of the year, only to have my Rockwellian dreams shattered in a matter of seconds by the arrival of my extended family." The essay goes on to provide a list of requirements for attending Thanksgiving Dinner. She knows that it will either make the day better, or people will get offended and not come. She is perfectly okay with either outcome.
This book is filled with hilarious essays to which we can all relate. From forgetting to thaw the Thanksgiving Turkey to a funny Dysfunctional Family Drinking Game; from hoping the kids will figure out that Santa is not real (I'm so on board with this!) to the torture that is the holiday card photo session. This book is also filled with great recipes that somehow still manage to be funny. And finally, there is also a great gift list for those parents you hate (glitter art kits and musical instruments).
One thing that I thought was absolutely wonderful about this book was something I found in the introduction. After years of hosting a very popular blog, Jill Smokler yearned for a way to help some of her readers, and others, who were in need. After a very short four day fundraising effort, she had raised $18,000 that would be used to purchase nearly four hundred Thanksgiving dinners for families in need. Suddenly, The Thanksgiving Project was born. It is now an official 501(c)(3) charity that has helped over four thousand families celebrate a holiday they otherwise couldn't have. This is an inspiring use of one's popularity.
This book was very funny and a very entertaining read. You really should read it and now is a perfect time. Not only is the holiday season upon us, but right now you can purchase the Kindle version for only 99 cents! You canNOT beat that!
I'll just leave you with these parting words:
Whether you are at the adults' table or the infamous kids' table, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. May you find the joy in the holiday no matter where you sit.
Check out more of my reviews at SmartGirlsRead!
www.smartgirlsread.blogspot.com
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