Smarty Mom: Mary Bowman

When you get married, you never know what kind of family you will inherit.  My husband has four sisters and I gotta say that I hit the in-law lottery with these gals.  If you hear me say anything funny, then it’s probably because I copied it from my hip sister-in-law, Mary Bowman.  She always has her finger on the pulse of NOW and the sayings and language to go with. I lifted some of my favorite phrases from her.
 
I first met Mary waaaaaaay back in 1997 and when I say love at first sight, I mean it.  We were fast friends.  I wasn’t even dating her brother (my husband) at the time however I knew we would be tight for life.
 
Over the last 17 years, we’ve laughed (a lot) and we’ve cried a lot (because we were laughing so hard).  There is truly no one who is more fun to be around than Mary Bowman.  No one.  It’s a guaranteed good time.
 
Smarty Charlotte, I’m bursting with joy to introduce you to my SIL, Mary!  
 
Engaged to: Jeremy Elliott (we refer to them jointly as “Maremy”)
Mom to: Gabriel (7 years old)
Occupation: Digital Account Manager, Baker & Taylor (leading distributor of books, videos, and music products to libraries, institutions and retailers)
‘Hood: Oakhurst
Hometown: Rochester, NY

1.You are the youngest of 5 children. Any comments about birth order and growing up as the baby of your family? Wow! Comin’ in HOT with these questions!  I suppose one would assume my answer would be about the hand-me-downs or the extra teasing I got growing up. But, honestly I think I was the luckiest to be born last. I got to be a front row spectator to 4 other childhoods, coming of age years but most importantly their adult lives. I have learned so much from watching, listening and relating to them. Although, it can be extremely frustrating having so many opinions on how I “should” be doing things I accredit almost all the things that make up my personality (that I am proud of) to them all.  I try to take the best of my siblings and strive to be THAT person.  They have been incredible “life teachers”.
 
2.  What advice would you give your 20-something-year-old self?  I would probably tell her that when the going gets tough learn how to rely on yourself. The greatest reward comes from leaning on your own strength to get through any hard time life is sure to bring.  Also, don’t second guess your initial gut feelings of all people and/or situations.
 
3. Who is your celebrity crush? I have a major girl crush right now onJennifer Lawrence. 
 
4. What is your favorite TV show? This one took me a bit… I love many T.V shows on many networks. But if we are being honest here? Anything on Bravo… Anything. 
 
5. If you wrote a parenting manual, the title would be…  “How to be the ‘Cool Mom’ without losing your child’s respect for you and your rules” 
 
6. What is your least favorite kid toy?  His matchbox cars, they used to be annoying because they were everywhere but now he quizzes me on what kind of car it is.  Some days, I just don’t care what the difference is between a Bugatti and a McLaren. (PS: I had to look up how to spell both of those cars yet, my son who barley can spell “automobile” has NO trouble with foreign sports cars in any search bar.) 
 
7. What is the household chore you despise the most? Hands down it is putting away clothes. I have no issues washing them or folding for that matter. It is the putting away that I feel a superior urge to call my nonexistent personal assistant to handle for me. 
 
8. What is the behavioral trait you hope Gabriel doesn’t inherit from you?  My main focus on weekdays is the family routine, lists, cleaning and work (Oompa-Loompa-like, if you will).  Life shouldn’t only be enjoyed on the weekends and I want him to learn how to not get overwhelmed and balance fun with responsibilities. 
 
9. The phrase you say to Gabriel more than any other at home is… “UM?! Yes Ma’am???” or Sir…reminding him of the respect he should show all adults. It seems to be sticking so far. 
 
10. What is the funniest thing Gabriel has ever said to you?  This is a hard question to answer.  He says so many funny things every single day.  He did tell me today I was one of the prettiest moms of his class but I would be a whole lot prettier if I picked him up from school every day in a Lamborghini.
 
11. What is your favorite Charlotte Smarty Pants blog? “The List” is my favorite for a couple reasons. The picture is of my favorite little girl’s handwriting. The requests on the list are just as ludicrous as they are ridiculously funny.  But most importantly, Susan’s responses to them are hysterical and TOTALLY dead on.