• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • Cookies
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Cookies
    • Birthday Cake Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans
  • Shop

Mama Says

October 13, 2012 by Joy the Baker 196 Comments

img040

I was so fortunate to be raised by two loving, generous, good-humored, hungry, ball-busting parents.  Both my mom and dad taught me a plethora of life lessons that range from real to ridiculous.  Oooh man… these parents of mine loooooove a good life lesson.  They relish it.  My mama, in particular, is full of hearty gemstones for living.  She didn’t teach me much about eye-liner or kitten heels… that I sort of figured out on my own (by making soooo many mistakes trying to copy Blossom).  Mama-knowledge was more along the lines of ‘you know I raised you better than that, now act right and eat your apple’.  The older I get the more I appreciate the woman who raised me… mostly because the older I get the more I realize what a ridiculous youth I must have been to endure.  She’s a strong one and I feel blessed to have her.

Mama Says (or heavily implies):

–  Do not steal a person’s scissors.  More specifically, do not steal my scissors.  Just because you see scissors in the house does not mean they’re your scissors.  They’re for fabric, not construction paper.  Do not make the mistake of stealing my scissors.  Thank you.

–  We’re going to hem your pants and you’re not going to like it, but we’re going to do it anyway.  I don’t care if your friends at school don’t hem their pants.  If your friends at school tripped and fell off a bridge because they didn’t hem their pants, would you trip and fall off a bridge too?  No.  You’re welcome.

–  Always leave a place cleaner than you found it.  This often means cleaning a bathroom you do not want to clean.  Do it… even though you don’t want to.

–  No, you can not borrow my calligraphy pens.  Thank you for asking nicely.  Still… no.

–  Be the best of you that you can be.

–  ‘Shut-up’ is a bad word.  (Joy’s personal amendment:  unless you mean it in a good way.)

–  Donate everything.  Mostly your time and your clothes.

–  Happy 12th birthday.  I’m going to teach you how to do your own laundry now.  That’s that.

–  Hand-wash means wash by hand.  Follow directions.

–  Don’t do it.  You’ll get pregnant.  You really will…  don’t do it.

–  Don’t you dare come in this house pregnant if you don’t mean to be pregnant.  I don’t care if you’re 31.

–  You’re hungry?  Eat an apple.  You don’t want an apple?  You must not be hungry.

–  Yes I have Tums in my purse.  No, Joy… they’re not candy.  Get a hold of yourself.  Do you want an apple?  You must not be hungry.  Again… Tums are not candy.

–  I don’t put up with nonsense and I didn’t teach you to put up with nonsense either.

–  Doing things you don’t want to do when you’re a kid is really good practice for a being an adult and doing all the things that you don’t want to do… that’s why we’re picking you up from your best friends sleepover party early on Sunday morning and dragging you to church when none of your other friends have to leave early and go to church.  It’s ok that it’s not fair.  It’s ok that you’re whining.  You’re learning discipline and it’s a reeaallllyyy hard lesson to learn.

–  Because I said so.

–  Be braver than you think you can be.  Take my lead.

 

Previous PostNext Post

Filed Under: Beyond the Kitchen

Previous Post: « Brittle and Jam Blonde Brownies
Next Post: Sharp Cheddar Cheese Crackers »

Reader Interactions

All Comments
I Made This
Questions
  1. Rachael

    May 11, 2015 at 8:59 am

    Sounds like your mom and mine were cut from the same cloth. Her ultimate compliment is, “I can see you are going hard places and staying there longer. I’m proud of you.” There’s a glory to suffering in that generation.

    Reply
  2. Pat

    May 10, 2015 at 5:35 am

    Thank you, Joy.

    Reply
  3. Megan

    May 7, 2013 at 4:44 pm

    Oh Joy. I love this. Your Mom totally rocks. Also, I think you need to re-vamp this up on the podcast too (aka share stories that go along with the points). Along with your happy 21st birthday list. Thanks much. :)

    Reply
  4. Jodi

    May 7, 2013 at 5:12 am

    I love that you know how lucky you are to have a mother like the one you’ve got. We are not all so lucky.

    Reply
  5. Barbara

    May 6, 2013 at 8:45 pm

    I like your mom. She reminds me of me!

    Reply
« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. She Pushes a Mad Whip says:
    June 8, 2015 at 10:23 am

    […] ~ Joy’s Mama […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Beyond the Kitchen

Oscars 2023 Party Menu

Since I was raised on movies, the Oscars ceremony is my Super Bowl. I look forward to it all year long and always try to watch all the contenders. Of course I’m in it for the films, the celebs, and the clothes. But I also love a good theme party—who doesn’t? My ideal Oscars party…

Read More

Fat Tuesday aka Paczki Day

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! We’ve arrived at the day before Lent, where everyone loses their minds and indulges before 40 days of meatless Mondays and fish fry Fridays. Chicago, while having faith from all corners of the world, is an incredibly Catholic-centric city – kind of like New Orleans. Growing up non-denominational Christian I never…

Read More

New Year, New Orleans

If you can spend a holiday away from home, do it. Christmas on a beach with a cocktail? Yes, please. Santa can bring his swim trunks! This year I decided to ring in the new year in New Orleans, my favorite place outside of Chicago, with my girlfriend Breyon. A bae-cation, if you will. We…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

BREADS YOU’LL LOVE

jambalaya buttermilk biscuits in a row

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya Buttermilk Biscuits

inside of warm cinnamon roll on plate

How To Make The Best Single Serve Cinnamon Roll

Orange roll on a plate with a fork.

Christmas Morning Orange Rolls

LET’S MAKE COOKIES!

wider shot of lemon bars stacked on a plate with a bite taken out of one lemon bar

My Favorite Classic Lemon Bars Recipe

completed recipe close up shot of a blondie so the toasted almonds, chocolate chips, and sea salt can be seen

My Best Classic Blondie Recipe

cowboy cookies close up showing texture.

Cowboy Cookies with salted cereal brittle

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker and author of books and magazines
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
💁🏻‍♀️Classes with me @thebakehousenola
🍰 Products with @williamssonoma

joythebaker
Life Skill No. 458: How to Make 1️⃣2️⃣ Cup Life Skill No. 458: How to Make 1️⃣2️⃣ Cupcakes with just 1️⃣ Stick of Butter⁣
⁣
Full recipe linked in my bio! xo
Someone call @foodnetwork because Dad and I need a Someone call @foodnetwork because Dad and I need a baking show stat. Here’s our very best chocolate chip cookies and all the little tips that make them perfection. ✨🍪 Find the full recipe linked in the profile!
We’re baking the classics on Joy the Baker this We’re baking the classics on Joy the Baker this month and up next, my very favorite Lemon Bar recipe with fresh lemon juice and the tiniest hint of coriander. ⁣🍋🌼✨
⁣
Find the full recipe linked in the profile and bust out the white chocolate and macadamia nuts for next week’s bake! ⁣
⁣
#lemonbars #easybaking #bakedfromscratch #joythebaker
Day in the Life: out in the woods writing a little Day in the Life: out in the woods writing a little cookbook about camp food. 💖🏕️🙋🏻‍♀️
Homesick Banana Bread. Recipe linked in the profil Homesick Banana Bread. Recipe linked in the profile (and you don’t have to be homesick to make it). #bananabread #sundaybaking
Let’s make one single GIANT PANCAKE which is the Let’s make one single GIANT PANCAKE which is the perfect Breakfast Dessert or Spiral Bake - whatever you need it to be. ⁣
⁣
Pro Tips: Smell you buttermilk and decide it’s probably fine. Flip the pancake with reckless confidence. You can sit to eat - you don’t have to eat like you work in a restaurant anymore. ⁣
⁣
Find a version of the full recipe linked in the profile. Xo.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up