* This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!
Sometimes, when your parenting life gives you lemons, you make lemonade (mixed with your alcohol of choice). At least, that’s how Janet Frongillo, the lady behind the curtain at Muffintop Mommy, rolls. I read about her recent release, Mommy Mixology: A Cocktail for Every Calamity, in the Statesman and was happy she was willing to share one of her recipes from the book, a copy for a lucky LiveMom reader (see below) and a little bit more about herself.
Janet credits her three boys, who are all under six years old, for honing her coping skills and for inspiring her to start a blog three years ago. “I’m sort of a night person,” Janet explained, “and with a baby and two other boys four and under, as you can imagine, the only quiet I knew was late at night! I found myself with all these stories banging around in my head—funny, funny stuff. I figured, or hoped at least, that other moms would totally relate. So, I started to write them down in essay form on the blog at night.” Now, Janet says what she loves the most about blogging is getting to hear stories from her readers. “Hearing from them that something I wrote made them laugh, made their day better, or that they really related to it, makes me realize I’m doing what I’m meant to do,” she shared.
In what amounts to a fairytale story for most bloggers, a conceptual agent contacted Janet, thinking she had the perfect voice for a book idea. Publishers agreed, and Janet set out to do the “tough research” needed to come up with drink recipes to suit every palate and parenting “moment” she had encountered. As I read through the book, chuckling and nodding (mostly because many of these catastrophes are behind me), it struck me that Mommy Mixology would be a perfect baby shower gift and a great excuse to organize a Moms’ Night In. The recipes are laid out in five chapters, ranging from Conception to Kindergarten and featuring such gems as the “Cheesy Sea Breezy”, the “No!Jito” and the “Penis Colada”. Janet artfully walks the line between acknowledging that kids can sometimes drive you crazy and at the same time loving them with all our hearts.
Without further ado, when the holidays reduce your brain to a useless mess, maybe it’s time for a Banana Baby Brain:
Banana Baby Brain
Why didn’t anyone tell me having a baby lowers your IQ? I might’ve tried to save up more brain cells. (I’m beginning to wonder if the Beer Pong Championship of 1993 was really worth it.) I’ve driven off with my phone on the hood of my car, not noticing until it went airborne. I’ve left the garden hose on … for eight hours. Mo’ Nature, mea culpa, I know not what I do.
But bolting out of bed one night at 3 a.m. realizing I forgot to pay the cable bill—that’s most concerning. Because where would I be without Matt Lauer in the morning? Who else would I have coffee with? Baby doesn’t care about pressing issues like what’s going on in the Middle East and which jeans are right for my body type (die, skinny jeans, die!). And as much as I love to spend my nights reading and writing, I do love me some Jersey housewives. Watching those cat fights makes me realize I don’t need therapy after all—I can just have a drink and watch the madness ensue. If a phone has to die in the process and the earth runs dry, it’s a small price to pay for my sanity.
makes 1 serving
1½ ounces coconut rum
¼ ounce lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 banana
Lime wedge, for garnish
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve in a glass and garnish with a lime wedge.
Disclosure: LiveMom received a copy of Mommy Mixology to prepare for the interview (and no, we were not imbibing while writing this article!)
Would you like to win a copy of Mommy Mixology by Janet Frongillo? Leave a comment or fill out the form below by Friday, November 9th, 2012 by 9:00a.m. CST. One winner will be chosen via Random.org. The winner will be notified by email with 24 hours to respond. You must be 18 years of age to enter. There is no cash value. By leaving a comment or submitting the form below, you agree to the above terms.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://www.livemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Nicole-Basham-Sara-Marzani-Photography-livemom.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]A native Austinite and soccer-playing mom, Nicole uses her 6-year-old son as an excuse to rediscover her hometown through his eyes. In Thoreau’s words, her mission is to “suck out all the marrow of life”, or in her son’s words, to cultivate in him a love of “advenchers”.[/author_info] [/author]
