The Finer Things Club

Kalie Rae, Erin, yours truly, Whit

One year ago, September, I had a brilliant upon brilliant idea- a "time out" of sorts for me as a mother.  My idea was a mix of lots of things I wanted more of in my life: more time with my friends, more yummy food, ideas for recipes, a book club, a way to keep in touch.  From these little seedlings sprouted The Finer Things Club.  The title is not unique (it's taken from an episode of The Office), but the club in itself has become a treasure to the four of us.

Day in and day out we work hard as mothers worrying about our little ones; we spend days cleaning, cooking, running errands, teaching, wiping tears and kissing owies.  This club is how we take the time to worry about ourselves.  After every monthly meeting we walk away feeling rejuvenated and recharged- ready to tackle the toddler world all over again.

Kalie wrote about it on her blog, and I couldn't say it better myself- so I won't even try!  Here's what she wrote:

"I think every girl needs a Finer Things Club. After a year of much success, tear-inducing laughter, thought-provoking conversation, and waist-widening desserts, here are our essential ingredients, what you'll need to start a Finer Things Club of your own.

1.  Food. You must have food. The hostess for the month plans an entree + theme and assigns sides and desserts. Then we eat until our pants feel really, really tight. Fortunately, we are all pretty great cooks. But if you're not, spring for dinner out instead. You won't have to do dishes afterward, anyway!
2.  A Blog. You need a way to keep in touch, and forgetting to hit "Reply All" will have you tearing your hair out in no time. Start a blog! We post recipes for the dishes we bring to each meeting, questions about the read of the month (see #3), or any old thing we feel like (read: Handsome Men's Club). A Google group would also work.
3.  An Excuse.  Technically, our club is a book club, but really the book is just an excuse to get together.  We have read some really amazing books ... and also some terrible ones.  But if you're not into it, call it GNO or Playgroup or Canasta.
4.  Women.  Our latest read affirmed what we already knew: being around women boosts happiness!  So corral some of your favorite people and invite them.  We decided to limit our club to the four of us, not to be exclusive (okay, maybe) but because we were a group of friends who shared a very specific background. Four was the right number for us.
5.  Babysitters.  It just doesn't work with kids.  We tried.  And failed.

My most important advice?  If you are thinking, "I wish someone would invite me to a group like this," I am telling you right now:  everyone is waiting for someone to invite them to join a group like this. Be the fire starter and put it together.  It doesn't take a lot of work because everyone will pitch in.  And you will be so happy that you did."

Start your club!  We have one year under our belts without missing a single month, and we look forward to many, many years to come.  (Please don't ever move, friends!!!!!)