Premiere Week: Modern Family

SPOILER ALERT!

You've been warned. Proceed with caution!

Modern Family

Man alive, I LOVE this show! It is one of few that actually has me literally, LOL! The season kicked off last week in two parts. In the first half, Manny packs to leave on a trip to Columbia for a month. Jay can’t find Manny's birth certificate so they have to go get a copy at the court house. Gloria has a hard time with the idea of being away from him and Jay worries she won’t let him go. Jay knows that if Manny doesn't go, then the whole family comes to visit HIM! As he was leaving, Manny hands a note to Jay to give to Gloria. When Manny is gone, Gloria reads that it was a reminder for her to keep an eye on Jay :-)  Jay found it touching and ended up missing Manny even more than Gloria.

Mitch and Cam celebrate the passing of proposition 8, the legalization of gay marriage in California! We've always known Mitch and Cam together, so now that they get to make it "official," both start coming up with a way to propose to the other. Cam wants to be the first one to pop the question and plans a romantic date. Meanwhile, Claire convinces Mitch (in a few not so romantic ways) that he should be the one to propose.

Claire can’t take having the kids home from summer vacation. She and Phil try to find a time away from them by coordinating Luke’s camp with Haley’s beach trip and Alex’s volunteering excursion.

When Cam brings Mitch to a fancy restaurant, he knows somethings up. So he makes an excuse for them to leave so he can be the one to propose. Cam has a back up plan of his own, but on the way back home, they get a flat tire. They end up proposing to each other at the same time on the side of the road under the stars. Can't wait for the wedding planning to happen!!

In the second half of the premiere, Claire starts a new job at Jay’s closet company. She brings in cookies for her new co-workers which annoys Jay (who ends up eating them all himself). She doesn’t make a great first impression in the break room, and Jay finds out about it. Claire makes matters even worse when she tells the IT guy that he’s about to be fired without Jay’s knowledge. He ends up crashing the computer system and leaving before anyone knows.

Phil and Gloria take the kids to their first day of school. Both a little sad that Luke and Manny are starting high school, so they go to get coffee together. When they show up at the cafe, a commercial is shooting and the director asks them to sit in as extras. They take it a little too seriously and end up ruining the shoot. Can I just say that I love Phil!? He is so funny!!

Cam gets a call to substitute at the kids' high school. When Cam arrives he finds out the teacher he is filling in for is in rehab and the job could become permanent. Too bad it’s for AP History, and he doesn’t know anything about it. Alex is embarrassed when Cam shows up to teach her AP History class dressed in costume. It’s also quite clear that he knows nothing about history. So Alex takes over the class and teaches the rest of the students. When Cam shows up to tell the principal he can’t teach the history class, he ends up helping with the football team. So the principal offers him the gym teacher job as long as he agrees to coach the football team.

This premiere had everything we love about Modern Family all wrapped into one night! I'm so excited for this season :-)

Premiere Week: CASTLE!

SPOILER ALERT!

You've been warned. Proceed with caution!

Castle

If you're a fan, you know that at the end of last season, Castle popped the question. You also know that Beckett was offered a job with the FBI in DC. We were left all summer wondering whether or not she would accept either proposal.

Well, she did! She accepted both Castle's proposal and the job!

Fast forward two months later and Beckett is in DC, working deep with the feds. The first scene shows her going after a gunman with a hostage in an alley and she GETS SHOT four times in the chest!! If you're like me, you gasped and said, "What the heck?!?!"  Obviously she was fine. It turned out to be a training for the FBI. Still, what a way to start the season!

It all kind of fizzled from there. Beckett was working a case and Castle was interested, but because she is FBI now, it was classified and she wasn't able to seek his insight (strike one).  As he always does, Castle found a way to get info and tried to solve the case on his own... with the help of the guys back at the precinct.  Beckett's new partner did NOT like that and demanded that he stop.

Castle ended up being taken hostage by the guy that Kate was looking for. The guy was trying to get out of Castle what the Feds had on him when he all of a sudden dropped dead in the car!  The car crashes and when Kate and her new partner show up, they see that Castle was there.

Fast forward to the end of the show, we find out that the guy that died in the car actually died from an airborne poison that came from the vents in his car... the same car that Castle was in. We find out that Castle only has a day to live (yeah, right).

Personally, I have been waiting all summer for this episode! I absolutely love this show!  What I think makes Castle work, is the chemistry between not only Castle and Beckett, but also the Castle/Beckett/Ryan/Esposito team.  Unfortunately, with Beckett working in DC, we miss out on that in a major way. Slightly disappointed on that part. (strike 2)

With only one strike left, I'm actually hoping for Beckett to either get fired, or leave her job with the FBI so she and Castle (assuming he lives) can go back to New York.  I guess we'll see!

Premiere Week: HIMYM

SPOILER ALERT!

You've been warned. Proceed with caution!

How I Met Your Mother

The premiere of the final season of HIMYM was, for lack of better words, bittersweet.  All summer long I've been waiting to meet the mother after getting that glance in the finale last season.

Throughout the entire series, I've been guessing... Is it her?  Is she the mother? What about HER?  Until he started calling her Aunt Robin, I always thought that Robin was the mother.  Then when I finally saw her, I was SO EXCITED!... and then so sad because I knew that the next season would be it.  Barney burned his playbook and was settling down with Robin, Lily and Marshall had little Marvin, and now, we met the mother. *sniff, sniff, tear*

Last night's episodes were awesome.  It was the perfect beginning to the final season.  It started with everyone en route to Barney and Robin's wedding. Ted was driving Lily (leather driving gloves were definitely a must!), Marshall was with baby Marvin at the airport, ready to board his flight from Minnesota, and Robin and Barney were being driven by Rajit.

Ted was driving Lily nuts with his every stop at each little tourist trap along the way, determined to turn their trip into "Lil and Ted's Excellent Adventure!"  She finally had enough and decided to get off at their next stop and take the train to Farhampton.  "And kids, that is how Lily met your mother."  *sob sob*  

We got to see how one of the gang got along with Her. Thankfully, they seemed to have clicked! I'm excited to see if throughout the season, we get to see Her meet everyone else before meeting Ted :-)  Ted also paused and told the kids about the similarities of he and Her (the driving gloves, for example). What we later found out was that Ted purposely tried to ditch Lily so he could retrieve the LOCKET to give to Robin! Could he be the wildcard guest?!?!  I mean, we know how it eventually ends for HIM, but what about Robin and Barney??

Marshall wasn't having the easiest of times getting to Farhampton.

He found out that his mother posted a picture of him pretending to be a judge with baby Marvin.  If you remember, he accepted a position as a judge in New York and had not told Lily yet because she accepted a position in Italy and was planning on the three of them moving there! He was on his phone, trying to explain to him mom how to take the photo down, "CLICK OPTIONS!" He and the aggravated woman next to him were eventually kicked off of the flight because he refused to turn his phone off so they could take off.  After being kicked off the flight, he and his flight buddy eventually rented a car and decided to carpool to the wedding.

During their drive to the wedding, Robin and Barney were discussing wedding guests that could potentially ruin their wedding. That is when they both discover that they have the same cousin, thanks to Robin being Canadian and Barney being ¼ Canadian!

Thankfully, they found out that they do not share DNA :-)  While discussing who could be the wildcard guests, they NEVER even mentioned the names of any of their friends! I'm already nervous about the wedding...

I have a feeling that this season will be legen...wait for it...dary. (Even though Barney said he no longer needs to wait for it because he has Robin *tear*) I'm excited to see how The Mother meets the rest of the gang and finally, how Ted meets Her.  We kind of know that he is waiting for a train in the rain and that She has a yellow umbrella. We've seen that scene several times.

But, how did they get there?  It will be fun!!

#HIMYM

Five Things I Have Learned

1. No matter the situation, I will always have at least one person tell me I was wrong or that I have done it the wrong way.  No matter what, my good intentions will always be perceived as selfish to at least one person. I'm ok with that. If someone else has the time and energy to put into critiquing my every move, I feel sorry for them. Get your own life.
2. Hugs can stop temper tantrums 90% of the time. Taylor is smack dab in the middle of the terrible twos and has recently become an expert tantrum thrower. I get down to her level, speak in a soft voice, and hold my arms out. Most of the time she crawls right onto my lap and cuddles the bad stuff away. The times it doesn't work, I just walk away. She comes around eventually. Love her!
3. I will never have had enough sleep. I need to just get used to being tired all the time. It doesn't matter if I go to bed at 9:00 or midnight. I'll still be dragging when my alarm goes off at 5 in the morning.
4. Starbucks espresso HATES me. One heavenly sip is like swallowing 500 tiny daggers. My stomach turns into a solid, heavy bowling ball. I have switched from my non-fat no-whip mocha and my iced non-fat raspberry latte to an equally delicious yet safer iced coffee caramel non-fat. We get along MUCH better!
5. I have some pretty wonderful friends. It's nice to know that I have people that I can count on. I've wasted too much time and energy on high-maintenance friendships. If I have to work to be your friend, it's just not worth it. Don't get me wrong, if those people need me, I will be there because that is the type of person I am. BUT, if I am in need of someone, they will not be my go-to. I've been disappointed far too much.

Celebrating Mom: Meet Shawni

I'm celebrating Mother's Day all week by dedicating my blog to some extraordinary moms in the blog world!  So far, you have met Tia and her daughter Ellie, and Amanda and her daughter Rosie, Lora and her four children, and Abbey and her two kids.


I am finishing off the week with a mother that truly is an inspiration to not only me, but many, many others throughout the country!  Meet Shawni and her five incredible children.

Shawni and her husband, Dave, are the parents of Max (14), Elle (13), Grace (10), Claire (8), and Lucy (5).  Their youngest daughter was diagnosed with "Bardet-Biedl," a rare genetic syndrome that has caused many health issues, including and most recently, vision deterioration leading to blindness.

I want to know a little about your background.  Tell me how your mother influenced you.  What did she teach you that you hope to pass on to Max, Elle, Grace, Claire, and Lucy?  
My mother influenced me in every way imaginable.  From her love of babies and newborns to her adoration of the arts and music, and how she put motherhood on a pedestal.  But the most important thing she taught me is to always dwell on the good parts of people, to always put others first and to love others as God would.  She is an amazing role model and I strive to be more like her every day so I can pass on some of her amazing attributes to my own children. 

When you think of a beautiful woman, what images come to mind?  Have any of your daughters had any issues with self-confidence yet?  If so, how did you address them?  Do they ever talk about skinny/fat people?  Pretty/ugly people?  How do you react?  What sort of things do you tell them to help give them a positive self image? 
Our girls are all pretty confident so far, but they are still young.  How I hope I can shelter them from the onslaught of media images and worldly views of how women "should" look/be/act, etc.  I want so much for my girls to have confidence in their own uniqueness.  We strive really hard to help them figure out their talents and push them to be the best they can in their OWN way.  One way we do this while they are young is here: www.71toes.com/2010/04/talents.html.  

Since we have a range of "sizes" within our family (I worry so much about the heartache Lucy's weight in conjunction with her syndrome could cause), my husband and I try to concentrate on positive comments about how the kids think, and how compassionate they are rather than dwelling on looks.  I think that is so important!  It's what's on the inside that counts.  And we emphasize that on a daily basis.

As far as Max goes, what sort of thing do you and Dave teach him about the image of women?  Being a teenager, do you ever hear him or his friends talk about "cute girls"?  He seems like such a respectful young man. 
We have had numerous talks with Max about girls because he's so at that age right now where it's easy to give the "cutest" girls the attention.  We mostly talk about how every girl should be treated with respect and that the nicest girls are not directly correlated with who is the best looking.  I don't know how much of what we say is internalized because as a teenager his brain is wrapped up in a lot of other things right now, but hopefully most of it will sink in.  Because Max has so many sisters with different personalities hopefully they will prepare him to treat all women with the utmost respect.

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Shawni blogs at 71 Toes.  Such an inspiration.  Thank you, Shawni!


To learn more about Lucy's story, visit The I Love Lucy Project.

Celebrating Mom: Meet Abbey

I'm celebrating Mother's Day all week by dedicating my blog to some extraordinary moms in the blog world!  So far, you have met Tia and her daughter Ellie, Amanda and her daughter Rosie, and Lora and her four children.  Today, I want to introduce you to domestic goddess and mommy extraordinaire, Abbey, and her kids, whom she refers to as "Sunbean" and "Little Dude."  So cute, right?

Tell my readers a little about yourself.
My name is Abbey, and I'm the momma of two cuties:  E, who is 3, and H, who will be 1 at the end of the month.  I get to stay at home with my kiddos, and we fill our days with lots of playing, a little Wonder Pets, and the occasional temper tantrum.  In those golden moments where E and H are both snoozing, I love to sew and craft.

I want to know a little about your background.  Tell me how your mother influenced you.  What did she teach you that you hope to pass on to your children?  
I'm an only child, and grew up in the midwest.  If I had to describe my parents' role in my childhood, I would say that they were very involved.  They never missed a field trip, play, assembly, or game.  They knew my friends, and knew where I was at all times.  I didn't always appreciate this growing up, but now I do!  The best thing about my parents is that they are still involved.  They care about what my husband and I are interested in, and they love to spend time with their grandchildren.  We recently moved a few hours away, and they've been willing to travel to visit us often.  My parents understand the importance of spending time with those they love:  both quality and quantity.

In what ways do you help your children develop positive self-esteem?
One of my top priorities as a parent is raising children with a strong sense of self and a high self-esteem.  In today's world, that's a pretty tall order.  My husband and I try our best to always give our children specific compliments.  For example, instead of 'you did a great job', we'll say 'i love the way you rode the bike!', or 'wow!  you cut the paper all by yourself!'.  Our hope is that our kiddos grow up hearing about the skill set they have, rather than hearing that they are 'good'.

We also try to give specific compliments regarding appearance.  We certainly tell our children how beautiful they are every single day, but we also say things like 'i love your eyes' and 'your little toes are so cute'.  I want my children to be able to stand tall and feel confident in who they are, and I firmly believe that begins with the relationship they have with us, their parents.

Your daughter is still very young. What sort of things do you show or tell her to help give her a positive self image? 
Having a daughter, I pray daily that she will spend her life with men {father, grandfathers, brothers, friends, boyfriends, and eventually a husband} that love and respect her.  I want every man in her life to validate her beauty and worth.  She is a daughter of God, and has eternal worth.  My hope is that she only allows men in her life who respect her as such.  My husband will be the best example of this, and will hopefully leave an impression on her as she grows.

In regards to your son, what sort of things do you and your husband hope he learns about how to treat girls?  
It's my job to make sure he leaves my house treating the women in his life properly.  I have the giant responsibility of teaching him to be a loving husband and father.  I think it starts with a healthy self-esteem and self-worth.  It starts with family dinners eaten together, and silly games before bed.  It starts with open conversation and even discipline.

This all sounds like a big responsibility, but the good news is that these babies only grow older a day at a time.  We have years to teach our children how to make good decisions.  We have years to make memories with our families that will stay with our children for years to come.  Those years certainly fly by, but it is the little moments that shape who our children become.

So today?  Today, get down on the floor with your kids for a few minutes.  Give them a specific compliment and a kiss.  Ask them to help you with dinner.  Be present and available.  None of us get it right every day, but even a little goes a long with our our kids.

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Abbey blogs at The Naptime Report.  Head on over and show her some love!  Thanks, Abbey!

Celebrating Mom: Meet Lora

I'm celebrating Mother's Day all week by dedicating my blog to some extraordinary moms in the blog world!  So far, you have met Tia and her daughter Ellie, and Amanda and her daughter Rosie.  Today we are traveling north to meet a mother of four! Meet Lora and her kiddos.

Can you introduce yourself to my readers?  
Hi I’m Lora, I am 39 years young.  I have been married to my sweetheart for 15 years. Together we have 4 beautiful children – Josie (10), Jarod (7), Jack (4) and Jason (7 1/2 months).   I really enjoy being their mom, it’s an honour to be a part of their lives, watching them grow and mature each day.  My children are blessed to part of a family that treats women with respect – no matter how they joined the family (marriage, birth, or adoption). 

Tell me a little about your mother. How did she influence you?  What did you learn from your mother that you hope to teach your children?  
I know how important words are, how important it is to encourage a child when they are young.   My mom didn’t get the love and encouragement she needed as a child and as a result she still doesn’t see the good in her.  She is a beautiful person but doesn’t realize it.  I want all my children to realize that they are loved, wanted and a blessing to our family.  I want them to know that they are smart, beautiful and loving people. 
  

I'm sure Josie is getting to the age where she is beginning to notice herself and other people, and how words or actions can hurt.  Tell me about her.  

Josie and her friends have started to notice boys; the boys in their classes have also started to notice girls.  It’s amazing how a careless word or action can hurt so much.  One of the boys that Josie liked told her that he thinks she is ugly.  One of the boys on her school bus read her journal, out loud, to the back of the bus.  These actions hurt Josie but we worked through them.  I told her that boys at this age can be mean to be mean or sometimes they can be mean just to bug her.   I also told her that sometimes if a person hurts others because they are hurting inside.  Her dad told her that friends already knew her secrets and were still her friends.  It was really hard for me to send her back on the bus, not knowing what she was going to face.   By the time the weekend was over and she was back on the bus, the whole thing was in the past. 

Does Josie ever talk about pretty vs. ugly; fat vs. skinny?  How do you address issues when it comes to that?

I asked Josie if she thought she was pretty –she said yes.  She likes her hair and her eyes.  She knows that she is skinny, always has been but is not focused on her weight. She is too busy having fun.  I like the fact she is herself – she is silly, dramatic and a creative dresser.

What about your boys?  I know they are still young, but do they ever comment on what they think is pretty?

My boys have not noticed girls; they are too busy with Lego, Star Wars and in Jason’s case, learning how to crawl. I will in time, remind Josie and her brothers that you can’t judge a book by its cover.

What are your goals as a mom?  What do you hope your kids learn about confidence and self-appreciation?  

My goal/desire for them is to have self confidence, to like themselves, to feel pretty/handsome and to feel special.   I want to realize that they may not be the best at everything but God has a plan for their lives and if they trust him he will fulfill it.  I want all my children to realize that they are special, beautiful and smart. They may not be the best at everything but they can do their best.  I want them to realize that happiness is a choice – nothing or no one can make them happy.  It’s up to them be happy whether life is good or not.  I want them to continue to be nice and kind to others, to be friendly to everyone.   I want to know that they are loved and accepted by their dad and me.

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Lora blogs at It's Always An Adventure.  Thanks, Lora!

Celebrating Mom: Meet Amanda

I'm celebrating Mother's Day all week by dedicating my blog to some extraordinary moms in the blog world!  Yesterday, you met Tia and her daughter Ellie.  Today, I want to introduce you to a very good friend of mine not only online, but in real life, too.  Meet Amanda and Rosie!

Tell my readers a little about yourself. I'm a 30 (jeesh, when did THAT happen?!?) year old stay-at-home mom/full-time nursing student. My amazing hubby and I have been married 6 years and are the parents to one super-wonderful 19 month old - Rosalie Pearl. We live in Nashville with our crazy cat Olive and a gimpy goldfish named Mr. Bates.

I want to know about your background.  How did your mother influence you?  What did she teach you that you hope to pass on to Rosie? Eh, my childhood was difficult. I didn't have it the worst, but did have to deal with verbal/emotional abuse and alcoholic family members. My parents were sort of different. We moved alot (just for the heck of it, not for any real reason) and so I ended up going to numerous schools and living in numerous states which was so hard. My mother was a hippy at heart. Like the milk our own goats, make our own fruit roll-ups, store enough canned goods to get us through the apocalypse sort of lady. I hated it. All I wanted to do was fit in and here was my mom buying our clothes at Walmart and selling pies out of our house. I don't think it's really been until recently that she and I have become so close. My dad died in 2009 and I had Rosie in 2010. Now that I'm a mom I see all the ways she was an amazing mother. It was all in her own way but I didn't appreciate it until I was a mommy myself. She's taught me how to be frugal, to grow gardens and can food and how to stretch a dollar farther than you think possible. As a family living on one income this has been invaluable. She's also been one of my biggest cheerleaders as I go back to school. What I want to pass on to Rosie is that it's quite alright to march to your own beat. My momma was always herself and though I didn't appreciate it then, I see now what a huge impact that had on me. I want Rosalie to be happy in her own skin and to chase after what she loves. 

Seeing that Rosie is still so young, how do you plan to show her, or to teach her what true beauty is? Oh heaven's ... what a question! How do I plan to teach my daughter what true beauty is? As cheesy as it sounds, there's a little line from a Dr. Suess book that says, "a person's a person no matter how small." and that silly little bit of wisdom has always stuck with me. my story isn't a new one - i was bullied, i had a difficult home-life... i could go on about how unhappy alot of things were for me. but, what good does that do? i think stories and experience are very important and i will share them with my daughter, but from them I want to teach her about love and compassion. That every single person is a person. Treat everyone with kindness - even if you don't see eye to eye, even if you bug the crud out of each other, even if you have nothing in common, even if they look different or sound different - a little kindness goes a very long way. And as the momma of a little lady, teaching her true beauty - what a daunting task. Can I just say I'll keep her in a bubble, away from tv, malls and boys??? no? that doesn't work? 

What role do you foresee your husband taking in helping to teach Rosie about self-confidence?  I'm lucky to be part of a great momma/daddy combo and i think my hubby will take a huge roll in teaching Rosie true beauty. A positive father/daughter relationship is vital for giving her a solid foundation of who she is and why she's truly beautiful. 

How do you plan to teach Rosie about seeing more to a person that what is on the outside?I'll let her know she is beautiful for all the things she is. Not just her pretty, sweet, wonderful little face - but her laugh, her humor, her amazing little personality. I want to tell her every.single.day that I love her - for ALL that she is, no matter what. I know alot of it probably won't stick and when she's about 13 she'll probably think I'm the dumbest person on the planet, but this isn't going to stop me. I love you my sweet Rosalie - I'll tell you that every day! The moment I became a mommy I understood - having a baby truly changes everything. If I can show to her that I love her and think she's perfect and really mean it, then maybe some of that will stick in her sweet little brain?


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Amanda blogs at Babbling Brooke. She's fun and hilarious, and totally worth checking out!  Thanks, Amanda!

Celebrating Mom: Meet Tia

Since Mother's Day was yesterday, I'm going to dedicate my blog this week to some extraordinary moms I know in the blog world!  In today's society, I feel like kids, girls especially, have so much pressure to be a certain way, look a certain way, or act a certain way.  I grew up confident because of the praise I was given for the characteristics and talents I had.  My friends and I were comfortable being who we were.  We did not feel like we needed to fit into a Barbie doll mold to be beautiful.  I do my best to raise my daughters the same way.  Through blogging, I have met many mothers that feel the same way I do.  I've asked a few of them to share their words of wisdom with my readers!

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First, let's meet Tia and Ellie!

Can you tell my readers a little about yourself?

I am a 35 year old stay at home mom who is married to my high school sweetheart and best friend... I have a masters degree I have never ever used. I am an only child raising an only child. I love to read and play golf and hike and take my girl on adventures.

I want to know about your background.  How did your mother influence you?  What did she teach you that you hope to pass on to Ellie?
My mother was fantastic. She was an older mother and very comfortable in her skin. She was very active and her idea of a junk cereal was HoneyNut Cheerios. I am so lucky that she taught me the value of good nutrition and to just not care what others think. I was a worrisome kid. I worried about everything. She would always ask me, "what's the worst thing that could happen?" And then we would discuss what that was. For example, if I was nervous about a test, it would be that I would fail. Then we would talk about how I would handle that or what I could do to make sure it didn't happen.

Another great thing about her was her ability to make any situation fun. We could be a the grocery, I would be bored out of my gourd, and she would somehow make a game out of picking out which package of chicken to buy.

She died when I was 26. I never really got to know her as an adult and I miss her every single second of my life. She never got to meet Ellie. I want Ellie to always look at the bright side as my mother did, to take care of her body like my mother did, and to never be afraid to try new things, because "what's the worst that could happen?"

When you think of a beautiful woman, what images come to mind?
When I think of a beautiful woman, I see a confident, smiling, well put together person. There is nothing more beautiful than confidence.

Has Ellie had any issues with self-confidence yet?
Ellie has just started having some issues with self-confidence. She really likes to be the best at things, and now that she is in Kindy, realized that she isn't the best at some things. 

How do address those issues?
This has been a tricky road for us. We have discussions about how some kids are better shoe tiers, and some kids can ride 2 wheelers, and some kids are good skiers, and then we discuss what she does well. And we practice the things she wants to get better at. Our goals for the summer are to learn to ride a 2 wheeler, tie her shoes, and do a cartwheel. We are also really focusing on standing up for herself. This is a big one for me. I am horrible at it, and don't want the same for her. I want her to stand up for what she believes in, even if she is standing alone.

Does she ever talk about skinny/fat people; pretty/ugly people?

As far as fat/skinny, or pretty/ugly, she does not talk about or notice these things. Thank goodness. The word "fat' is not a nice word in our house, and is in the category of words that aren't naughty, but not nice to say. Other words in the category are hate, stupid, and ugly.

What sort of things do you tell Ellie to help give her a positive self-image?

I really really really try to have a positive self body image myself. Let's face it, this body has birthed a 8 pound kid, and you can tell it! But I never talk about myself being fat, or discuss the things I wish were different in front of her. I do make a point to exercise regularly and to let her know how much better I feel when I do it. She also comes with me on shorter runs or does crunches with me at home. We really focus on nutrition. Don't get me wrong, she has her fair share of sugar, but she knows it's a treat and not the norm. She also knows she feels better when she eats better.

She is a muscular little girl and she is a solid little tank! She is never going to have the little twiggy ballerina shape. I worry about this only because I know what girls like to see in themselves and I fear she will feel fat as a teenager even though she won't be. I make a point to mention that her body is beautiful and strong. That it does all the things she needs it to do. Isn't it silly that I worry about these things?? I do so want her to have a strong positive self image.

She's at a tricky age right now. She is spending the majority of time away from me for the first time and has questions about what she sees. She is becoming influenced by her friends as well. Parenting is definitely getting harder, not easier. But peer pressure works both ways. She is trying things she would never have tried before and finding out she can do things she never thought she could do. We are lucky we got her into a charter school where character development is a prime component. There is absoutely no bullying allowed, and kids are praised for nice words said, good deeds accomplished, and helpful gestures. This is instrumental in helping her bloom.

I try and build her up everyday, because sadly, there are already people ready to tear her down. I, of course, tell her she is beautiful, but I focus more of my attention on how smart she is. Cause she really is. She doubts herself though and I hate that for her.

Raising a girl is a wonderful challenge. I am very blessed. I have a good kid. She is eager to please, loves her friends, is brave, and already knows which are the right choices when it comes to nutrition, exercise, sharing, and being a good friend. It's only going to get harder. The best I can do is be her mama, love her, don't judge her, listen to her, and be with her as she navigates these tricky waters.

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Tia blogs over at My Life As I Know It.  Go visit her and read all about sweet Ellie :o)  Thanks, Tia!

I was...

I was three hours away from my family, going to college at Purdue University.  I had woken up that morning to get ready to go to class.  As usual, I immediately got online to chat with my buddies.  I started to see the away messages, "Pray for those in New York."  "I can't believe it."  "My thoughts and prayers go out to those in NY."  I had no idea.  I IM'd one of my girlfriends, asking her what all of the talk about NY was.  She told me to turn on the TV.  I remember asking her what channel, to which she replied, "It doesn't matter."

My roommate was still asleep.  I remember her waking up mad because I had the TV on so early.  We both sat there, on the bottom bunk of our beds, watching the events unfold.  I remember when the second tower was hit.  I remember it all like it was yesterday.

I didn't go to class that day.  Instead, I called home.  I wasn't sure what to think.  I was only in middle school when terrorists bombed Oklahoma City.  I was in third grade during Desert Storm.  This kind of thing was not familiar to me.  I live in the U.S.  I don't know war and terrorism.  That happens other places; not here.  I began to question everything.  Was I safe with the people I surrounded myself with on a daily basis?  How could our country let this happen?  How could a God that so many people believed in let such a horrible thing happen?  What do we do next?

I remember wanting to go home.  I don't know why I did, just that I did.  I remember Mom telling me to wait and see what was going to happen.  Eventually, I decided to go home.  Having a three hour drive ahead of me, I needed to get gas.  I remember waiting almost two hours in line to get gas because everyone wanted to go home.

That is all I remember about that day.  The fear.  The questions.  The need.

Eventually we started to move on.  Classes resumed.  There were rumors of one of the terrorists having learned to fly at Purdue.  Unfortunately, students took out their rage on the Islamic center on campus.  You didn't want to walk by that building; not because you were scared of the students there, but because you didn't want to be associated with those outside of the building.

If you recall, airways were shut down for so long.  Living on a campus with an aviation school, we were used to the constant sound of airplanes overhead.  We didn't hear planes for so long.  I had friends from California, New Mexico, Texas, Florida.  They were scared, not knowing when they would be able to fly home.  I can not remember the date, but I went to a memorial at Purdue.  I remember the exact moment when we walked out of the building and heard a plane overhead.  The entire campus got quiet, stopped, and looked up.  What was once a familiar sight, was now a reminder of what had happened.

I was a kid on September 11, 2001.  I was only 19 years old.  All I knew was that I wanted to get home to my Mom and Dad.

Ten years later.

Has it really been ten years?

As I sat and watched the reports on the anniversary of 9/11 today, my girls played around me.  Taylor just wanted to get on the bed and jump on me.  She wanted me to tickle her and play with her.  Jaden hears her laughing and rushes in, hoping not to miss out on all the fun.  They have no clue.  Someday they will learn about 9/11 and will ask Mike and me questions.  They will ask why it happened and honestly, I don't know that I'll be able to give them an answer.  I don't know that anyone will ever be able to answer that question.  I played with my kids today.  I knew I wanted to get this post written so I would have a memory of this day, but I thought of the families that were broken apart because of 9/11.  I thought of the kids that are growing up, never getting the chance to meet their fathers because they were killed on 9/11.  I played with my girls, but I did not forget the importance of the day because I do care.  I care about a future with my family.  I care about the people that ran into the terror to try to help.  I care about the people that ran away from the towers and survived.  I care about the people that serve our country and prevent another 9/11.  I don't "pretend to care."  I genuinely care.

I will never forget.

Mom Trumps Law

This morning on the radio, they were talking about a story coming out of Pennsylvania about a mom that was waiting at the bus stop for her child to get off the bus.  When the bus stopped, kids are yelling at her for help saying that her son wasn't waking up and wasn't moving.  From the window, she sees her son slumped over in his seat, unresponsive.  Being a registered nurse, not to mention his mother, she rushes onto the bus to help. The bus driver informs her that it is illegal for parents to go on the school bus.  Now, this woman is facing a $2500 fine and up to a year in jail.  As it turned out, her son was completely fine, just in a deep sleep.  What are you opinions on this?  Personally, I think it is absolutely ridiculous!  If kids were yelling at me that one of my girls wasn't moving and needed help, nurse or not, I am on that bus!  It is my duty as a mother to protect my children.  If I fear for their health or safety, you better believe that the law will take a back seat.  Also, shouldn't the bus driver have been more concerned with the child than keeping the mom who is a nurse off the bus?  Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't nurses and doctors required by law to help if they come upon someone in need?  What if the bus had been in a crash?  Would that mother still have been arrested if she went onto the bus to pull out the children?  Or, what if her child DID need medical help?  What if he really wasn't breathing and she did help him?  I doubt that she would have been arrested in that case.  What are your thoughts?

Baby, you're a firework!

As I'm sure most of you do, I have Monday off work for the 4th of July.  I am looking forward to hanging out with my girlies, my BFF, and her son.  Our guys are going to a party with beer and cuss words.  We have the day perfectly planned out and are heading to a cookout after the kiddos take a nap.  I'm sure it will be a great day and we will have lots of fun!  My only beef: It's a MONDAY.  Yes, we do get the day off of work, but we also have to go in the next day.  I really don't have a problem doing that, but my girls?  Yeah, they will be bears the next morning!  It is hard enough getting everyone up and out the door on time when they are in bed by 8:00.  How on earth am I supposed to wake them from their hibernation and be out the door by 6:55 in the morning if they don't even get into bed until closer to 11?  Coincidentally, my PTO days are renewed on July 1st.  Would it be horrible for me to take some time on Tuesday morning to let my kids sleep? 

This kind of falls along the same lines as the Superbowl.  There was a lot of debate on whether or not it was ok for parents to let their kids stay home from school on the Monday following the Superbowl.  In this instance, I say no.  I think it is a little different (maybe) because I don't have boys, but if I can remember correctly, my brother and I never got "personal days" when we were in school.  We were expected to go to school unless we were ill.  Oh, and I did go to work on the Monday after the Superbowl.

So, what do you think?  Are there any other moms out there that are calling in on Tuesday morning due to cranky kids?  Am I in the wrong or do you totally agree?

Stephanie Tanner said it best, "How rude!"

Listen up, ladies (and the few guys that read, too)!  When somebody so kindly invites you to a party (or any event that would warrant an invitation), répondez s'il vous plaît!  Seriously, it is just rude to not reply.  Here is your lesson.  Pull up a chair and grab a piece of paper... You'll want to take notes.

If you can not attend, or don't even want to, THAT'S OK!  That is an option!  Just call me, email me, text me, get a hold of me SOMEHOW and tell me, "Sorry! Ain't happenin', sista!"  I don't care what your excuse is.  I just want to know if I should plan for your attendance or not.  Obviously I want you there because I invited you, but if you can't, NO BIGGIE.  I hate the excuse, "Well, I didn't call you because I didn't want you to be mad at me for not coming."  To that, I give you a mental punch to the face, NOT because you didn't come, because you were rude and didn't tell me.  If attendance was REQUIRED, the invite would have said that.  When you see those four letters, that means that I understand that life happens and I may not be your first choice... Just RESPOND!

If you can come, don't assume that I already know that.  If I did, I would not have requested an RSVP from you!  Duh.  When I plan birthday parties for my girls, I usually don't request an RSVP from family.  For one, I'll most likely make the same amount of food whether or not one or two people don't show up.  Secondly, their parties are usually at my house so I don't need to give any sort of facilitator a head count.  BUT, should I happen to request a reply, there is most likely a reason behind it.  Do it!

Now, I get that it's not always black and white (dot blogspot dot com).  You may have an instance of, "Gosh, I already have something going on that day but if I can leave a little early, I may be able to make it..."  Than TELL me that!  I will probably just quickly text you a few days in advance and be like, "So, do you think you might be able to make it?"  To that, RESPOND.  Don't ignore.  Don't say that you never got the text because I will ask you to prove it.  Just reply to my text. 

Lesson learned?  GOOD.  If you are already taking the time to open and look at the invitation I sent you (and marvel in my creativity), take the time to look at your stupid calendar and at least text me!  Trust me, I'll be more ticked off at the fact that I can not read your mind and so therefore I have to call YOU, than I would be if you told me you can't come.  Deal?  Oh, and in case you were wondering, this applies to ALL invitations you receive, not just ones from me ;o)

Oh, and just so you know... I have not recently planned a party and not NOT got a reply.  This is just a general kick in the tush :o)  You're welcome!

Have a great weekend!

Babies Having Babies

I admit, I watch MTV's 16 and Pregnant.  Even though the title suggests that all of the kids are 16, most in the show are actually older than that.  I'd sit back and watch and be entertained as these girls are still having sleepovers with their high school buddies AND BABY.  Some girls would try to finish high school but in the end, they were too far behind and had to drop out.  They got it; babies take a LOT of work!  It's not just cute outfits and fun toys!

Last night, the pregnant teen was 15 years old and the dad-to-be was 16 years old!  Neither one had a driver's license or a job.  The mother of the pregnant teen tried to talk her daughter into adoption.  This mother was a single mom and was already struggling to provide for herself and her own teenage daughter.  She knew that it wouldn't be in her budget to raise another baby.  This mother was also a pregnant teen and she chose adoption.  The boy in the situation argued that his dad walked out on him when he was little.  He didn't want to do that to his daughter.  Ok, I get what he's saying, but he is only 16.  If he would have any common sense at all he, well first of all would not have gotten his girlfriend pregnant, but also should realize that he will not be able to provide for his daughter.  He should let responsible adults with jobs adopt her and give her the life that he felt was entitled to her. 

Ultimately, the girl kept her child.  She and her boyfriend arranged that he would sleep over at her house every other night so he could help out.  This is where the adult mom should step in and say, "Um, no."  I mean, come on!  These are kids!  Kids don't have boy-girl sleep overs!  I don't care if you do have a child together.  What do you think got you in this situation in the first place?  But, the boy slept over and thankfully MTV was there to capture all of his help.  He yelled at the teen mom.  He called her lazy.  He said she did nothing when in actuality, she was the one that stopped going to school, enrolled in virtual school, and stayed home to raise her child.  Again, all mistakes.  Yes, the baby is her responsibility but she needs to be in school.  It's just all so backwards.  I know that day care is expensive, but there are also government funded facilities and assistance for people that can not afford it.  If it was my daughter, she would be in school everyday and working every weekend to help provide for her child.  Last night, the girl decided that since she was due in a month, she should try to go buy some things for the baby.  She went shopping with $25.  That won't even buy a can of formula and a box of diapers.

I looked up the cost to raise a child today.  According to About.com, it will cost a middle-class U.S. family about $222,360 ($286,050 adjusted for inflation) to raise a child born in 2009 to the age of 17.  The costs for food, shelter, and other child-raising necessities total from $11,650 to $13,530 per year, depending on the age of the child.

I think that MTV's intention of this show was to show kids that raising a baby is hard work.  They are doing that, but I think that it is also making being a pregnant teen sort of a trend.  I also think that it is making it more ok in society's eyes for kids to have babies.  Something else needs to be done.  These kids think they are in love.  They have images of a perfect family in their heads.  They think it is always going to work out and be great and that they will have their "happily ever after."  Sorry kids... Your happily ever after just took a different path.  That baby should've been given up for adoption.  It would not have been abandonment, but love that the teen parents showed her. 

Disgusting.

You know how it is when you are in middle school and the teacher has a strict NO PASSING NOTES policy but because you are in middle school, you 1) Do the opposite of what the teacher says, and 2) Must pass notes because you absolutely HAVE to tell your BFF that your crush might have looked your way that morning (OMG!)?  Well, that's kind of how blogging has been for me this week.  I have so much other stuff going on and am really trying to squeeze it in when the teacher isn't looking...

I was called for jury duty on Tuesday.  Unlike most people, I was pretty excited!  I had never been called for duty before and was interested in everything about it.  I've watched enough Law & Order and have read enough Jodi Picoult to understand that sometimes people are wrongly convicted.  I was excited for the decision to potentially be in my hands!  I was going to go in with a clear mind and hear both sides of the story and no matter what, I would decide if the defendant was guilty or not guilty based solely on the facts...

...Until I saw that man and I heard the charges that were brought against him.  I walked into the courtroom with about 50 other potential jurors and sat while the judge read that this 45-year-old man was charged with three Class A felony charges of child molesting and a single Class C felony charge of child molesting. He was arrested on the charges in November.  While the charges were being read (in much more detail than you read in the papers, mind you), I watched that man.  I watched his face and I watched his reactions to the charges.  Before even knowing whether or not I was going to be on that jury, I knew in my heart that the man before me was guilty.  I listened as the judge and both attorneys questioned my peers.  I was never questioned.  I was not chosen to be a juror.  I was dismissed.  As I was walking out of the courtroom, I saw the now 13-year-old girl that suffered the abuse.  I was grateful to not have had to hear that sick man lie on the stand.  I was grateful to not have to witness the girl break down as she recalled what he did to her.  Later that day, that is what happened.  It makes me sick to think of grown adults taking the innocence away from a child.  A little girl.  Somebody's daughter.  I could not stop thinking about it.  I only hoped that the panel of jurors saw the obvious and convicted that man.  Turns out, they did.  He will go to prison and he will get everything he deserves for what he did to that CHILD.  Thank you, jury.

In honor of Will and Kate...

...I share with you photos from my royal wedding which took place almost five years ago.

 

...and we lived happily ever after!