It was Mom's Weekend last week at Washington State University, and University of Idaho will follow with their own "act like a co-ed" weekend beginning today. It's funny-- the universities also sponsor a Dad's Weekend, but it seems to me as though this is a time for the whole family to come to campus (mom, dad and younger siblings). But on Mom's Weekend it is mostly just the moms.

I call them "act like a co-ed" weekends for a reason.

Many moms who attend often try to relive their college years (or the ones they never had) during the two days they are on campus. They sleep in the dorms with their kids, wear skirts that are too short, shirts that are too tight and drink more in two days then they do all year at home. The university towns don't help either-- to some extent they encourage it. There are several wine tastings scheduled and the bars advertise that no mom stands in line for a drink.

But really, they don't need much encouragement. At last year's UI men's lacrosse game during Mom's Weekend, the moms brought their own wine glasses and bottles of wine to the sidelines. I hadn't realized lacrosse was such an upscale sport, but I guess it is the Northwest's polo.

What makes women act like children during this university weekend? Is it being away from their partner, their jobs, their regular lives? Are their kids embarrassed by them and for them? I know I would be embarrassed if my mom came to visit me on campus and got inebriated and out of control. Frankly, that would not have been an issue with my mom, but I can imagine if it was how embarrassing and uncool it would have been.

To all the moms out there, there are a few simple ways you can make your visit special without the drinking and debauchery. 
Take your student grocery shopping. Take them out for a nice meal that doesn't involve ramen noodles and mac and cheese. Buy a University of Idaho Mom sweatshirt and wear it proudly all weekend to show support.

Be a real mom.

I think about food all the time. Even right now, I'm thinking about what to make for dinner and whether I should buy more romaine or skip the salad and have mashed potatoes instead, or just skip dinner all together and eat half a chocolate mousse cake. See how that happens? A simple, reasonable thought about food turns into this unhealthy obsession that causes my brain to battle it out with my stomach.
We host many barbeques and dinner parties at our home. We enjoy doing it -- great food, good conversation and even better friends. It's a lot of work, but at the end of the night we go to bed full (not just of food, but life and happiness). The thing is, at these dinners we talk about food. Everyone shares a story about their most recent food experience, their favorite hometown restaurant or the recipe they tried last week. It's natural to talk about food while eating food, but it can go too far. I've had a friend comment on how she enjoys watching me talk about food. She said it was as though I could taste the words coming out of my mouth. (Those were her words, not mine. To me it sounds a little like vomit, seeing as how it is coming out of my mouth.)

Isn't this plate of food beautiful? This mozarella and pasta dish was prepared and photographed by Framed Cooks. (Talk about feeding my food obsession- she's amazing.)

Her comment got me thinking, and I tried to listen to myself when food came up in conversation. I realized I sound as though I am talking about my first love, or recalling my happiest memory. I love food, I have a passion for food-- not just eating it, but preparing it, admiring it and sharing it. The trick is how to find the balance between my love of the art of food and how eating it makes me feel or is a result of how I feel. How do I enjoy food without using it to calm my nerves or allow a celebratory event to become an excuse to have more food? (What? Armistice Day is not a good enough reason to have a three-course meal and dessert bar?)

In any case, I'm still working on that balance. Let's just say, it will be a lifetime battle-- especially since I just became the proud owner of my very own KitchenAid mixer. Can you see how this might be problem?

Isn't it gorgeous?

Today is the end of Day One—No Sugar Challenge. I did better than I thought I would. I resisted the lemon cheesecake bars in the fridge and was actually very proud of myself until I remembered we were taking the girls to the county fair. I did have a quarter of an elephant ear with sugar and cinnamon on it. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Wrong! Have you ever seen an elephant ear at a county fair? But, tomorrow is another day, and I will not be going to the fair.

This is not the actual elephant ear I helped eat, but it is pretty darn close. Looks good, huh?

I think you could fry just about anything and brush it with butter and drag it through cinnamon and sugar and it would be delicious. Not delicious enough for me to ruin my challenge again. I will not be defeated.

I wrote this column for the Arts section and thought it was a lot of fun. Feel free to add more of your life lessons.

Robert Fulghum wrote that all you really need to know in life you learned in kindergarten. He included things like play fair; warm cookies and milk are good for you and share everything. While this poem rings true for most times in a person’s life, it doesn’t cover some of the things students encounter in college, specifically at the University of Idaho. So, to demonstrate the concept here is a new list:

Some of the things you need to know about college and life you can learn at the University of Idaho

·        Warm cookies and milk may be good for you, but they’ll cost you more than $5.00.

·        Fifteen minute parking really means 15 minutes.

·        Elevators, no matter what you may think, are slower than taking the stairs.

·        Bullies aren’t just found in grade school.

·        You don’t think you could possibly make more than 500 copies in a semester and then you do.

·        Throwing away your garbage takes a Ph.D.

·        It’s possible to alienate all your friends and co-workers with social networking sites.

·        Just because some one is legally an adult, doesn’t make them a grown-up.

·        Going to WinCo on Sunday is like trying to part the Red Sea.

·        Women’s centers aren’t just for girls.

·        Drinking copious amounts of caffeine doesn’t guarantee you’ll stay awake during class.

·        When the ad says the apartment is 800 sq. ft., only about 300 of it is livable.

·        Sometimes you wonder why “Animal House” is not considered a documentary.

·        Projects that require you to work in a group don’t always promote good relations.

·        Uggs and leggings are not a fashion statement — they are a necessity.

·    

·        College students couldn’t communicate without their opposable thumbs.

·        You should look both ways before crossing the street, even in a crosswalk.

·        Covering your mouth, washing your hands, using hand sanitizer and staying home when you’re sick   won’t always prevent the spread of illness.

·        It’s okay to miss your mom. 

      Happy cows can come from Idaho, even if they have holes in their sides.

·        Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean it isn’t important to someone else.

·        Paying for classes you don’t attend is a waste of money.

·        College doesn’t really prepare you for real life, real life prepares you for college.

·        No matter how old you are, it’s never too late to get an education.

·        Getting the mail can be the most exciting part of the day.

·        Some textbooks were never meant to be read, they were meant to make someone money.

·        You might need notes from your waitress one day, so make sure you tip.

·        The word ‘orientation’ is a misnomer.

·        Misnomer means giving something a wrong or inappropriate name.

·        You don’t care what a misnomer is.

·        Home-cooked meals are cause for celebration.

·        You’re not as smart as you think you are.

·        Having money left in your wallet at the end of the month is an amazing feat.

  And…

  No matter how hard it gets or how overwhelmed you become, you will get through it.

I have decided to join a club. The Breakfast Club to be exact. The Breakfast Club is a restaurant downtown that is only open for breakfast and lunch and serves breakfast all day. They have thick cut bacon, obscenely large sausages, crispy hash browns, and everything huckleberry. This includes huckleberry zucchini bread that you can get instead of toast and huckleberry coconut pancakes that would make a nun swear they are so sinful. After all of that, imagine my dismay when they told me that there was no actual club, that the closest they could offer me was a coffee card (after 10 coffees, the 11th is free), and I don't even drink coffee.

Regardless of this terrible upset I do believe that I may become a frequent diner at the Breakfast Club. In fact after only one meal I am pretty sure if I go there even once a month I will gain back the 45 pounds I lost this year. I am really going to have to start going to the gym. Yoga with the Wii Fit just isn't going to cut it anymore.

So if you are ever in town, stop by my house and I will gladly treat you to a breakfast where I am currently their unsolicited newest and only member.