Writers in the Storm

A blog about writing

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March 26, 2012

April Fools!

Our in own in-house comedian, Charlotte Carter, is here today preparing for the arrival of that one day of every year when "everyone" is a comedian. April Fools Day. Yes, she's early with this but having a jolly good time takes careful and gleeful planning. Smiles are required so put one on right now.

By Charlotte Carter

BREAKING NEWS!! Romance Writers of American has been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. Each member will be honored with a lapel pin to mark the occasion when the awards are presented in Stockholm later this year.

“The members of this outstanding organization devote hours and hours of their time, often with very little remuneration, to bring peace, joy, laughter and love to millions of women readers across the globe,” says Bobo Bjørson, head of the selection committee. “If RWA members can keep our womenfolk happy, then I say they deserve the prize.”

Congratulations RWA!

In truth, I’m not one for practical jokes. But when my two girls were young, I did pull a few stunts on April Fools Day.

Once I tied the legs and arms of their pajamas in knots. By bedtime they’d forgotten it was April Fools Day, which made it all the funnier. Oh, yes, another time I short-sheeted them. They couldn’t figure out why they couldn’t get into bed. (Just a little trick I picked up in my college sorority years, proving my degree was not a total waste of time.)

For one special April Fools Day breakfast, I had switched the sugar in the bowl to salt. Eewwww.... Of course, I had to throw away the bowls of cereal.

So my husband didn’t feel left out, when I made his lunch I stuck a note inside his sandwich. Apparently he ate it without even noticing. (You can’t win ‘em all.)

The girls claim they’re still mad at me for pulling those tricks on them. I don’t think they really are. They just think their mom is weird.

I won’t disagree with that.

What tricks have you played on friends and family for April Fools Day?

Happy reading, Char

Books that leave you smiling

Montana Love Letter, Love Inspired, 10/2012
Big Sky Family 
Montana Family, Love Inspired, 11/2011
www.CharlotteCarter.com 

0 comments on “April Fools!”

  1. I usually don't realize it's April 1st until I get a joke played on me. But -- thanks to this post -- that won't happen this year. ; ) And I wonder if the younguns who read this are even gonna know what short-sheeting is. If they don't, maybe we can talking them into going Snipe hunting...
    = D

  2. Oh, you are bad, Char!

    I'm one of those people that jokes are always played ON. I bumble through the day, not even realizing, until someone pulls a prank and I stand there like a geek, blinking, trying to figure out what the heck is going on! Yes, I'm an easy mark.

    And I'm staying away from you, until April 1 is over.

    1. I'll be hiding right behind you, Laura! The only reason I'm aware of April 1st these days is it's my blogiversary at More Cowbell.

      I don't think I've ever been together enough to get my April Fool's jokes ready in time. (Shocking, I know...)

  3. For the one who has the reputation of being the "funny girl" among my circle of friends, I must say ditto to Laura. Yes Char, I am more likely to be on the receiving end of this one day of foolishness. My only revenge? No one ever expects that on all the other 364 days of the year, I might be lurking in a dark corner and jump out to get them ... BOO !!

    1. LIke the way Ellen De Generes does on her show! I love the way she does that. She's willing to take the mickey out of anyone, and you gotta love someone who's willing to do that. Me? I'm too scared to pull a prank on anyone in case they do it back to me!!
      Yvette Carol

  4. Squee! Had to scroll up to see who posted the "I am the one on whom jokes are easily played."

    Did I know her? YES! It's Laura! And, then, I see Florence is also a great target.

    Oh, gosh. I haven't played any on my husband. He has a sense of humor, but it doesn't stretch as far as mine. So, most of mine come from back-in-the-day. Vaseline smeared on the bathroom doorknob is fun. Saran Wrap stretched across the toilet seat. Critical on both of the above: You do not share a bathroom with your target.

    Fun, fun, post. There are more, but I can NOT reveal them here. Who knows who I may see or email on April 1st?

    1. I'd love to play an April Fools on hubby too, but like you Gloria, his humor doesn't stretch as far as mine. He'd probably just give me "the look" the one that says, "Really?" My kids used to love to get me though. I'm Mrs Clean and they'd come running to tell of a disastrous mess they supposedly made or worse, one of them would tell me that the other had just been hurt. As if I didn't have enough white hairs. One day, I'll teach their kids those jokes. 🙂

        1. Oh, don't get me wrong. He loves a good joke. But he's of a different culture and different cultures don't always get us crazy Americans, esp pranks. He'll laugh louder than any one else sometimes.

    2. Oh yes, Gloria. I remember the Saran trick. I, of course, never employed same - which probably saved me from getting seriously hurt. I'm sure if you put your heart into it, you and your family will have a great April 1st.

    1. I don't know. It's the same when I do standup. The jokes are all based on the truth, with just a tad of exaggeration, of course. Then again, maybe I am a mean mom.
      Char......

  5. Oh, you reminded me of short-sheeting beds when I went to camp. I'd just quietly watch and smile as kids tried to get into bed.

  6. For my Cub Scout troop I found one of those picture puzzles where you had to find the differences between the two pictures. I made a copy of one of the pictures twice - and my scouts kept looking to find something different, but there was nothing to find.

  7. Char...I have to admit I haven't even thought about April Fool's day since my schooldays! But I can clearly remember going to school in a state of panic on April 1st. My pranks/jokes were always lame whereas everyone else seemed to be nasty. However, on the topic of pranks I do have a couple of rather dastardly suggestions for all your pranksters out there. Shame on you but live long and prosper!!
    One is a joke my nephews did to my son when he was sleeping. They drew rude pictures all over his face. He got up and went out for the day without even noticing!
    And another is a trick my friends played on me once in our teen years. They asked me to draw around a coin with a pencil a number of times and then they asked me to roll the penny down my face. I couldn't understand why everyone was laughing. Until I looked in a mirror (much later) and discovered the dark line running from my forehead to my chin 🙂
    Yvette Carol

  8. One year my son rearranged the furniture on the main floor of our house - in the kitchen were an area rug, lamp and rocker. In the dining room, the piano. In the living room, table and chairs. The amazing thing was that he neither damaged the floor nor woke us up doing all that by himself!
    But the best joke was the year my husband and I got married - stood up in front of a judge at 9:00 on April Fools Day and got hitched - 32 years later, it's still a good laugh!

  9. I just thought this sweet April fools; following an actually headline; how about this one......Latest Headline is that, through an anonyomous source, we have just learned that one of the winners of the 640 Million Dollar Mega Millions Prize on Friday night was none other than a trusted staff member of the Obama Council.....The White House has chosen not to commit on the alleged winfall of the Maryland Winner.

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