Household Chores: Washing & Hoping They'll Go Away


Chores are like Spanx – love 'em or hate 'em, ya gotta do 'em! I wish it was simple enough to snap my fingers and a genie would come out of her bottle, clean my house, and instantly make it spotless. Well, it’s not that easy.

When I was growing up, I had chores, whether it was to make my bed, clean my room, or take turns with my brother to feed our dog. As we became older, our chores increased into helping mom with cooking and cleaning other rooms in the house. Chores have been part of my life, but when I began living on my own, it was quite an eye-opener. I was in charge of my household, doing everything from the dishes, laundry, dusting and whatever else was needed for it to look nice. I’m not one who’s really clean or organized (isn’t it a sign of creativity to be messy?), but I’m not a hoarder either…well, except for books. While I don’t mind actually doing the work and am thankful for dishwashers and washing machines, it’s the work that comes after that I find to be so time consuming, such as the folding and putting away or emptying the dishwasher.

Now that I’m married, the work has definitely increased. There are more dishes to clean, more laundry to wash, and someone else to clean up after. (What’s with men taking their paper plate to the kitchen and leaving it on the counter right above the trashcan?) My husband does help, but since I work at home, it’s easier for me to do it when he’s at work – that way we can spend more time together.
This past year I got a book for Christmas called, Porn for Women. It’s full of pictures of very attractive men doing housework, mainly for overworked and exhausted women. It got me thinking about how much has changed. We’re no longer living in the days where it was only men who had jobs. Women are becoming more powerful, running companies, and are still able to run a household – with or without children (unless you consider your husband a child, too). I give a lot of credit to these women because they are able to do it all!

How do you handle the housework in your home? Do you clean your clothes and dishes and let your husband clean his? What chores do you give to your children, or are you superwoman and do it all?

Isabella Louise Anderson is a member of the RWA, and she is the owner of the website Chick Lit Goddess. She resides in Dallas, Texas, where she’s a housewife and mother to 12-year-old cat, Thorndike. A regular contributor at Good Humor Girl, you can read all Isabella's articles and learn more about Isabella.

Who Says Pretty Girls Aren't Funny? 5 Examples to the Contrary


While the "duck face" pose is absurdly amusing to nearly everyone except for the photographic subject, not every pretty girl spends hours in front of the mirror practicing her best saucy pout in anticipation for any lurking camera. Even some of Hollywood's most beautiful stars rely on more than their alluring appearance to make their mark in Tinseltown.

Whether by musical talent or modeling, sheer intelligence, a sharp wit or some perfect storm combination of all of those traits, Hollywood's leading ladies have to catch everyone's eye. Looks without personality generally don't make for a lasting impression, no matter how stunning. Below are five female celebs who have the rare capacity to grasp the eye's immediate attention then proceed to hold you captive with her style and sense of humor.

Brooklyn Decker

One such pretty girl, Brooklyn Decker, a world famous Victoria's Secret model, has chosen to venture outside of the modeling world and has made her mark in the acting realm. Not only has the super model chosen acting as a means to stretch her talent and show more of her sparkling personality, she has taken it a step further and has jumped into the comedy pool. Decker has made guest appearances on such popular television shows as "Ugly Betty," "Chuck," and "Royal Pains," along with a few different films that include "Just Go with It" to help her continue sharpening her comedic skills.

Aubrey Plaza

While Aubrey Plaza's looks are more of a combination of girl-next-door and nerdy than Brooklyn Decker's appearance, she is pretty, smart, witty and speaks to her generation's slightly jaded view of the world. Her stint on NBC's sitcom hit "Parks and Recreation" gives Plaza a chance to deftly show her character's nonchalant and slacker approach to life. Never has eye rolling and frustrated sighing been so endearing as when channeled from Plaza to her character of April, since the audience understands that there are layers to her character that serve to make her identifiable and sympathetic.

Tina Fey

The Queen of Television Comedy, Tina Fey made the transition from sketch writer on "Saturday Night Live" to leading lady on NBC's "30 Rock" look effortless. Her observational wit and screwball humor has always garnered attention from critics and TV watchers; from fart jokes to making Jon Hamm seem less appealing, Fey is a one-woman wrecking crew of comedy. Fey is also known for her spot-on impersonation of Sarah Palin, complete with the glasses and nasally Alaskan accent to go with the politician's sex appeal. Fey has sparked plenty of interest and turned heads as a powerful writer, but its her "sexy nerd" look that also gets the attention it deserves.

Chelsea Handler

The late-night comedienne has made jokes on everything from Rosie O'Donnell's eating habits to her own colorful sex life. Her books have topped best seller lists, and her deadpan delivery and crude outlook on all things relative have given her a unique comedic edge. The sassy funny woman is also known for her blonde hair, toothy smile, and sparkling blue eyes, giving her the classic bombshell look America has known and loved since Mae West. Chelsea Handler is far from all beauty, no brains. She is never far away from dishing out the dirt on her life as well as those she deems opportunistic, such as Angelina Jolie. No one is safe from her comedic wrath.

Elizabeth Banks

Another bombshell that turns on the comedic charm, Elizabeth Banks has injected her zany humor in Hollywood for the past decade. Banks has landed two Emmy nominations for her guest appearances on "30 Rock," topping even the regular crack-ups like Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan. Her memorable roles in "40 Year-Old Virgin" and "Zack and Miri Make A Porno" prove her comedic strengths, and her blonde locks give her the sex appeal of a Hollywood starlet.

Embracing The Person You Are Today


Let’s face it ladies… things change over time. Whether you’ve had kids, too many rich meals, or time is simply following its normal course, chances are you may not look quite like you did in high school.

In my novel, Momnesia, an average mom is struggling between her “momminess” and her “sexiness.” Life has taken over, and she no longer feels like “herself” anymore. She sets about trying to finesse a new version of her old vivaciousness. In my chats with women of all ages—both with children and without—most of us can relate! The problem? She doesn’t feel sexy anymore, and according to many women I’ve spoken with in real life, this is very common. In fact, one of the most frequent comments I hear is, “Sexiness? Yeah, right!”

Many of us have a tendency to look back at who we used to be. Whether a high school cheerleader or an average gal, we often feel like we’ve strayed so far, it’s almost unimaginable that we’d ever feel the way we did before. (Before kids, before our careers took over, before whatever other changes may have occurred, etc.) Between that and all we see in the media, it’s no wonder so many of us feel decidedly un-sexy!

To some extent, we’re right. The fact is, we’re not in high school, and we’re never going to look and feel exactly like we did back then. In the story, the main character comes to this conclusion and realizes that if she “waits” to feel sexy again, she could easily be waiting forever! She also concludes that it would be extraordinarily unlikely that she would look back in ten years and think she looks any better then, than she did right now: “The Chicken Belly Flap Thing and all the other imperfections would undoubtedly still be there, but there would also be innumerable other blemishes; physical woes I hadn’t even thought of yet.”

Personally, (difficult though it sometimes is), I try to remind myself to take inspiration from this character on an ongoing basis. Sure I’d like to be thinner and not have a muffin top! But I’ve decided that, while I am working toward that goal, I’m not going to “wait” until I’m “perfect” before I put on a decent blouse and do my makeup! I try to embrace today’s version of my sexiness, rather than cheat myself out of self-esteem in the meanwhile. And self-esteem is sexy!

So many of us are “waiting for” something to happen before we “allow ourselves” to feel sexy again, but really it’s up to us to make it happen in our own hearts and minds. In our actions. In the way we think about ourselves. Instead of mourning all of the things that have changed, we can make the choice to appreciate the positive characteristics we do have, right now, at this time in our lives.

So, what do you say ladies? Shall we bring our sexy back starting now? You bet!

Lori Verni-Fogarsi has been a freelance writer, journalist, columnist, and seminar speaker for over fifteen years. She is the author of the novel, Momnesia, contemporary women's fiction,  as well as the nonfiction book, Everything You Need to Know About House Training Puppies and Adult Dogs. Lori is a happily married mom of two, step mom of two more, and has two cats, both rotten. Originally a native New Yorker, she now divides her time between Raleigh, NC, and Lake Gaston, VA, where she is hard at work on her next novel. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, boating, traveling with her husband, napping, and attending her children's many activities. Lori invites you to learn more at her website and enjoy her active communities on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

What’s In Your Bag?

 
Accessories add something to make you stand out from the crowd.  That’s right, accessorize!  What do some call their “favorite accessory?”  A purse!  Whether it’s a purse, handbag, or clutch, a lot of us try to match it with what we wear, especially when going out on the town at night.  But if you’re feeling fun and fearless (like Cosmopolitan women), and want to add a bright colored purse, then go for it!

I recently bought a small, bright blue clutch to add a splash of color to my new White House Black Market top and black slacks.  There was only one problem.  I couldn’t fit everything that I normally carry.  Not even my iPhone would fit without stuffing, causing the material to bulge out.  While small bags are cute, they just don’t cut it, especially everything that a modern day woman carries.  I’ve seen women carrying enormous bags with everything stuffed in there from books, magazines, water, baby bottles, running shoes, hair brushes, iPads, Kindles…the list could go on and on.  I could only imagine what a mom carries in her bag (with oversized purses, what’s the point of a diaper bag anymore?).  This led me to wonder what other women carry in their bags.

Us Weekly is my favorite magazine for celebrity gossip.  In it is an article titled What’s In My Bag? where a featured celeb (example: Miranda Lambert) shows and explains the contents in their purse, clutch, or handbag. Celebs really aren’t any different than us. Another featured article in the magazine titled, Stars – They’re Just Like Us! (except for living in luxury, having personal trainers who can magically make them thin, and being trailed by a nanny and their six-plus kids), shows how they always seem to look fashionable while carrying any size bag.  By doing so, it gives non-celeb women a look that they might want to try (instead of buying the real thing, go for knockoffs – nobody will notice).  I’ve seen many bags that are organized, but I’ve seen a lot that are messy (such as the Today Show’s fourth hour co-host Hoda Kotb’s wallet, just imagine her purse).

For the past few months, I’ve carried a small bag that holds only the essentials: keys, iPhone and lip-gloss.  Unfortunately, my favorite wallet is too big to fit, so I bought a silver case like thisIt has made it so much easier because I can go anywhere and don’t have to wonder if everything will fit in my small bag. I highly recommend getting one.  While smaller purses are nice on the go, I prefer them to be oversized, but this creates a problem for my pack-rat tendencies.  I’m sure that if I look through my bags right now, I’ll find a receipt from last year at the very bottom!

What’s in your bag?

Isabella Louise Anderson is a member of the RWA, and she is the owner of the website Chick Lit Goddess. She resides in Dallas, Texas, where she’s a housewife and mother to 12-year-old cat, Thorndike. A regular contributor at Good Humor Girl, you can read all Isabella's articles and learn more about Isabella.

Don't Call Me Nancy Drew


It’s no secret that I love Who’s the Boss? I watched the episodes when they first aired, but I really fell in love with the series, and especially Tony Danza, when I was about fifteen. The reruns used to be on Fox Family. Anyone else remember Fox Family before it became ABC Family? Anyway, I watched Who’s the Boss? every day for a long time, but when the reruns stopped airing, I was heartbroken. I found a random website that was selling the whole series on DVD, and even though I knew it seemed shady, I went ahead and paid over $300 so I could still see Tony, Angela, Mona, Samantha, and Jonathan on a regular basis. To my surprise and disappointment, the episodes on the DVDs had been recorded from TV, so they were poor quality and included commercials, and some of the DVDs wouldn’t even play. I was so annoyed that I had been fooled by this company selling crappy DVDs that I set out on a mission to try to get some sort of justice since they wouldn’t refund my money. I couldn’t even get in touch with them anymore. 

When I discovered an article from a Canadian newspaper where the company was supposedly located saying that the website had been ripping off a lot of people, I felt a little bit better that I wasn’t the only one who fell for the scam. The newspaper gave a number to call if anyone had any other information about what had been going on, so, of course, I called. When the recording on the other end was in French and then in English, I realized that I had called the Canadian Police -- The Mounties. Oops! Immediately, I hung up. I didn’t think I needed to involve the police in the Who’s the Boss? DVD scam. Surely, they had more important things to do. Plus, I was a teenager, so anything having to do with the police kind of freaked me out, especially police in a foreign country. So, that was it. My sleuthing days were over. I was out over $300 and no longer trying to help crack the case. Don't call me Nancy Drew. A few years later, the first season was officially released on DVD, so I snatched it up at a reasonable price. But, sadly, the rest of the seasons haven’t been released. 

Now, I have to settle for hearing Tony Danza’s famous catchphrase “Ay, oh, oh, ay,” from the first season DVDs, the few episodes saved on my DVR from when the show was rerunning a couple years ago on the Hallmark Channel, and wait until another network decides to air it again. However, for the will-they-won’t-they magic that Tony and Angela had in every episode, that kind of chemistry can be found on Melissa & Joey, because let’s be honest, they are incredibly similar. And trust me, that’s a compliment. I’m loving this updated version of Who’s the Boss? because it’s exactly the kind of show I love.  And who knows? Maybe Melissa and Joey will get married at the end of their series. Tony and Angela got close, and I love how it all ended (I cry every time I watch Tony show up at the door asking for a job just like in the first episode), but I’d really be thrilled to see a different ending for Melissa and Joey. In the meantime, I love watching every week, and I really get a kick out of seeing all the similarities. And now, since pretty much every show is on DVD way before the series is even over, it’s safe to say I won’t be scammed trying to get Melissa & Joey episodes, and I certainly won’t be calling The Mounties. 

Have you ever done anything foolish to see a TV show? Have you ever fallen for a scam? I want to hear all about it!

Nancy Scrofano is the editor of Good Humor Girl and the author of True Love Way. She is also the editor of The Chick Lit Bee, a book blog that promotes and celebrates women’s fiction, and she writes book reviews for a prestigious book review magazine. Nancy is at work on her next novel. For more information, please visit www.nancyscrofano.com