Foolish Tricks
Image via Tasty Kitchen
Do you like April Fool’s Day? Or hate it?
It’s always a dangerous holiday around my mother-in-law. She is famous for her pranks… both big and small.
Here’s a few of her classics over the years:
One year she replaced our license plate cover with a very, VERY corny cover. My husband and I drove around for a couple of weeks before we clued in that we had the world’s dorkiest saying on our car. It was highly amusing to all of our family and friends every time we pulled up and it was still on the car. This joke would be really funny with sports teams. For instance I could switch my friend (who likes BYU) license plate cover with my favorite UTES cover.
We woke up one year to pink flamingos decorating our lawn.
When my husband was a teenager, she served his favorite cream filled cupcakes… except that a few of the cupcakes had cotton balls rather than cream. My husband claims he never ate one of the cotton ball cupcakes. RIGHT.
She had a giant sign made for a friend who had a pool and placed it in their front lawn. Apparently they were selling summer pool memberships that year.
Last year she made a flyer stating that my very unstylish and burly brother-in-law was starting a decorating business. She even snuck into his “Man Cave” and placed very gawdy decorations and photographed it for the flier. Then took the decorations away before he ever knew they were there. He clued in when he got a few phone asking about his style and his rates.
Image via Martha Stewart Living
Do you have any great plans this April Fools Day? My tricks are tame and consist of a forward dinner that only looks backward… Starting with the Bakerella’s Meatloaf Cupcakes from a recipe I found on Tasty Kitchen. For dessert, the Corn on the Cupcakes from Martha Stewart might be fun.
A few other tricks might be the classic trick bubble wrap under the toilet seat so it gives a good pop when someone sits down.
I also love the old sheet trick. Tuck the top sheet under the mattress at the top. Fold it in half and bring it back up to the top like normal. When the family tries to get in bed, they will only fit halfway.
I better spend today thinking of a few other little tricks… If you have a good one be sure to share. With a trickster like my mother-in-law to live up to, I could use all the help I can get.
My sister who had twins a year ago is going to have her sister in law who is pregnant now to pee on a stick, and then give it to her husband. I wish I could be there when he gets it.
This holiday is my birthday, so I consider it to be my privilege to play jokes on my family! Here are some of my favorites: put some ping pong balls on a paper plate on top of the fridge. Tape a piece of thread that matches your fridge on to the bottom of the plate, and onto the door of your fridge (under the handle or some place inconspicuous). When someone opens the door, the ping pong balls fall on their head. Put it back up each time and the same person will forget and fall for it over and over! One year I replaced the cereal in a box, with dog food that looked very similar. No one ate it, but they thought it was funny. I sometimes will also put food coloring in the milk… What a fun day! Good luck!
My favorite is to take a rubber band and put it on the vegetable sprayer. Then the first person who turns the sink on to get some water will get a nice shower. Just don’t be like me and forget that you did it and get yourself. :) ha ha ha
We are having the meatloaf cupcakes and pot pie that is really pie crust, vanilla pudding, starburst (for the carrots, corn and peas)
I think I would be scared to be at your house. LOL
My husband’s birthday is on April fools. We always wrap his gifts in Christmas paper. I had a pregnant friend take a pregnancy test for me when our son was 3 months old. I was laughing too hard to make him believe it for more that 5 minutes plus, it is his birthday so…
My husband and I share a dresser. I’m planning to switch the drawers so when he looks for his t-shirts he’ll find mine. Although I’m sure it will trick me a lot more than it tricks him.
Your mother-in-law sounds like a hoot! I remember my mom telling me that her grandmother would put cotton balls in her kids sandwiches on April Fools.
OK. This one you will love, and its really easy! Take your standard red plastic ketchup bottle, which you can get at any dollar store. Then take a good amount (a yard or so) of some red yarn and thread it through the tip of the plastic bottle. Tie a very small knot at the end of yarn that comes out of the tip of the bottle and trim the ends, you dont want it to stick out like a sore thumb. Tie at larger knot at the other end. This is the end that will stay in the ketchup bottle and a large knot makes it so that you dont have to re-thread this all the time.
Now…..do you see where Im going with this????? You basically can squirt ketchup all over someone but its not ketchup at all…..and boy, do they squirm and squeal!
You can also do this with the yellow bottle too :)
Its all in the delivery at that point.
happy foolin!!
some of my favorites:
* Use a basting stitch to sew all of their neck, arm and leg openings closed on their clothes.
* When your target is gone, switch all the furniture in their bedroom to the opposite side so the room is mirror image.
I’m boring. I think I will try to switch one of his drawers as ours are next to eachother. Look forward to reading what happens in your house!
I’ve never been good at pranks, but your MIL cracks me up! You all must always be on edge wondering what she has in store for you! Have a great day!
I love the pool membership offer in the friend’s front yard. I appreciate funny, smart jokes like that–no one was hurt or embarrassed…at least I hope not. Just good clean fun. That’s what I like :)
Go to Starbucks and ask for about 5 or 6 empty cups with lids. Then put the empty, capped cups on a tray and pretend you’re delivering coffee to your co-workers. Trip and send the cups flying over their desk. I’ve seen people levitate to get away from what they thought was hot coffee coming their way. Then, as soon as they recover, they ask if THEY can borrow my cups to play the same trick on someone else in the office.
My daughter’s birthday is April 1. She is 3 this year! It’s my goal to have her be a great trickster.
I was dying to try taping my daughter’s lunch baggies closed with clear double sided tape, and then she was sick! Always next year! Oh, and swapping out the bag of prepackaged chips with celery or something and taping that closed also!