Category / cowboy

by Kelly Mattei

Sorority Party Box

Sorority Party Box.

Last year, my daughter pledged a sorority as a freshman at a big state university. Soon thereafter, a friend of mine sent her a “party box,” which turned out to be a fun, thoughtful gift that was absolutely perfect! Wondering what’s in a “party box”? Short answer: it should contain things she could likely use at themed parties or mixers, so the new sorority pledge is prepared for almost any themed party! Or at least she will have some useful pieces! If you know someone who has recently joined or is about to join a sorority at a big state university in the south (I don’t know anything about Greek life in other parts of the country), chances are she could use a party box too. Below, see some common items that are great for party boxes. You don’t have to get them all. Pick and choose which ones you want to add to your personalized party box:

  • Colorful glasses. These can be used for lots of different themes, whether it’s a color theme, a hippie theme, a neon theme, or something else. Get a multipack here. Or a neon multipack here.
  • Colorful bandanas. Again, the multiple colors can be used for a color theme, but bandanas can be used for a hippie theme, a cowboy theme, or even a pirate theme. Get here.
  • Hippie glasses/headband sets. The theme on this is obvious, but they could be used for a lot more too…Renaissance theme, for instance. Get here.
  • Face paint crayons. College girls love the face paint. Get here.
  • Tutus. Get multicolor here. If you already know sorority color (blue for ADPi or Kappa, Green for KD, Pink for Phi Mu, etc), you can get a 2-pack in her sorority color here.
  • Superhero capes and masks. Multicolor pack of 7 here.
  • Colorful knee high socks. These can be used with lots of different themes: color, neon, Barbie, silly…basically anything. Get here.
  • Colorful leis. For an island or Hawaiian theme, or even a summer or pool party theme, these are great. They’re also great for a color theme. Get here.
  • Grass skirts. Same as above…Get here.
  • Colorful wigs. What themed party isn’t more fun with a colorful wig? Get here.
  • Cowboy hats. Great for color themes or an obvious cowboy theme. Get here. Or see a variety of options here.
  • Disco Skirts. Disco is a popular theme. Pair one of these skirts with a tank top and some of the colorful glasses…you have a costume! Get here.
  • Tie dye T-shirts. Throw in a few tie-dye t-shirts for good measure. They will definitely get used. I recommend size L or XL for almost any college girl, because they can do a lot more with oversized t-shirts. Get here.
  • Multipack of plain t-shirts. College girls can turn a plain t-shirt into whatever they want it to be. These are a great, inexpensive addition. Get them here.
  • Feather Boas. A girl can always use a boa. Get multipack here.
  • Light-up accessories. Any light up item gets extra fun and extra attention at a theme party. Purchase some light up boas and glasses here.

When I say my daughter loves her party box and uses the items from it regularly, I mean she loves it. My friend included enough items in the gift, so my daughter can share with her sorority sisters when they need things too. It is a fun, useful, thoughtful gift that will definitely be appreciated by the recipient!

If you want to surprise a sorority pledge you know with a party box, you can do it in a cardboard box, or you can put it in a plastic bin with a lid. See some bins on Amazon here.

This is guaranteed to be a welcomed gift! Seriously, she’ll love it! In fact, I’m going to send a few new items for my daughter to add to her party box now!

Happy Shopping!

by Kelly Mattei

Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be…

Mammas, don’t let your babies grow up to be…

Songwriters Ed and Patsy Bruce wrote a country song titled Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys back in the 1970s, and Mr. Bruce released it on his album in 1975. (For the record, I prefer to spell it as “mamas” instead of “mammas,” but that’s how it’s spelled in the song.) The version I’m more familiar with was recorded and released by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson in 1978. I’m not a big country music fan, but for some reason, I’m familiar with that song. The song lists a whole host of reasons mammas shouldn’t let their babies grow up to be cowboys. You can hear it here.

I don’t recall anyone telling me, when I was growing up, that they wanted to grow up to be a cowboy. I remember my daddy saying that when he was little, he wanted to be a cowboy when he grew up. Western movies were all the rage then. But one day it occurred to him that his daddy was a cowboy…running a farm…and as soon as he realized it, he knew he didn’t want to be a cowboy. He didn’t want to do what his daddy did when he grew up. I’m sure he had mad respect for his hardworking daddy, but he didn’t want to follow in his footsteps that way.

Recently, I flew home from Miami on American Airlines, and I found myself seated next to a lady who works for a department within the federal government. I didn’t get her whole name, and I don’t even know her official position, but she told me she majored in Criminal Justice. My own daughter had expressed an interest in that at one time, and I said to her, “What are you going to do?” I don’t even remember what her response was, but I forgot about the conversation and moved on, thinking that was probably just something she said on a whim. But in talking with the lady on the plane, I began to second-guess myself. She had majored in Criminal Justice and loves what she does! I shouldn’t have been so dismissive of my daughter’s desire to major in Criminal Justice. It’s her life! She gets to decide what she wants to do with it, and maybe she knows something I don’t!

When I got home, I went to my daughter and apologized for poo-pooing her idea. We had a long conversation about her future, and I told her I had just gotten a reminder that it is her future, after all. She can major in whatever she wants, but we need to discuss, so we can make sure she gets all the information she needs before deciding on a major. She needs to understand what kinds of careers she can have with what kinds of majors. She needs to make an informed decision. And I was reminded of that once more just two days later, when we met with the assistant dean of a division of a university we visited. He talked with her about who she is and what she enjoys, and he suggested some majors she probably didn’t even know existed…and the careers that go with them.

It’s a big world out there with lots of opportunities. For me, I think I have realized it’s important that I help our daughter decide what she wants to do, but I don’t tell her what she can and can’t do. That’s for her to decide. It’s her life.

That being said, if she comes to me and says she wants to be a cowgirl when she grows up, I won’t tell her she can’t, but I might discourage her for any number of reasons. She has ridden horses but doesn’t have a whole lot of experience in that department. And there aren’t a whole lot of cowgirls in cities. I just don’t see her living in a rural area, so the cowgirl life could be tough for her in, say, the greater metropolitan Los Angeles area…or New York…or Chicago…or even Charlotte, for that matter.

She’ll be off to college next year, and who knows what she will major in or how many times she will change her major? I just want her to do something that helps her become a contributing member of society while being able to take care of herself.