Anyone who thinks little girls are fun to dress up doesn't have one

I hate shopping with my girls.  It is not fun.  For me or for them.  People think that if you have little girls, they are so much fun to dress up and make look pretty.  Not my kids.  About the time they learned to talk, they started having an opinion about what they will and won't wear.  Out went the bows and frills and most things cute. 

They complain that I don't like anything they like.  I complain they don't like anything I like.  I remind them that my mother let me go out of the house on numerous occasions looking like a doofus (sorry mom) and that I refuse to let them go out of the house looking like a doofus.  Sometimes I even show them proof pictures of me looking like a doofus.  They laugh, as I'm sure many people did who saw me then.  I also complain that the dress options for my size 7-16 girls stinks.  Most of them are just ugly.  My 10 year old tried on a dress that literally looked like something I have actually seen my grandmother in.  Modesty is not a problem for us right now.  Thank goodness.  Our fight is over taste.  I have it, they don't.  haha.  That was kinda a joke. 

I digress.  My 5 year old will still mostly let me have a say over what she wears and will usually go for the frills.  In fact, for her, the frillier the better. 

For the most part, I let them choose their clothing. I get the final say, usually based upon whether or not it's appropriate for what's going on that day.  But for special occasions, I like to have more of an input. I want to be able to help them look nice without squashing their own sense of style. 

 I will admit that part of the problem this year was that the dance (the event we were buying dresses for) is Friday and we didn't start looking till Wednesday after school.  We were under the gun.  Not a lot of time. 

It's the Father Daughter dance again.  Last year they had a great time.  I'm sure it'll be lots of fun this year.  Next year, I am going to institute some pre dance changes. 

My 5 year old is wearing a dress she already had, her flower girl dress from my brother in law's wedding.  My 7 year old ended up getting a dress that we both could agree on that she is very excited about.  My 10 year old's dress is still up in the air.  We'll see what I can come up with today.  The dance it tonight.  It's now or never! 

 

Fight! Fight! Fight!

So, did everyone enjoy the sex bowl...I mean the super bowl last night? 

My goodness!  Between the PG-13 commercials and all the gyrating during the half time show, we had to put something else on for the kids.  And the way women were BLATANTLY objectified makes it difficult to raise 3 young girls with a healthy self image and to teach them that they do not have to behave that way to get anyone's attention or to be liked. 

My good friend, Alison, has made it her business (literally) to fight the media's idea of how girls should behave and what they should look like.  She helps girls to know how to be comfortable in their own skin and to understand that the media's idea of beautiful is so very distorted.  We are all children of God, made in His image.  We are all beautiful.  Not so, according to TV or magazines. 

If you are interested in finding out more about my friends business, called Body, Beauty, Bravery, check out her Facebook page,  or check out her website; The Body, Beauty and Bravery Project.

Fight!  Fight!  Fight! 

My 3 beauties.

Another post about Disney

This past year, I applied for a position on the Disney Parks Moms Panel. http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/. In case you are unfamiliar, the Moms Panel is a place where you can go and ask questions of a panel of 19 moms (and dads) about planning your next Disney vacation. The advice the moms give is based on their own experience and expertise on all things Disney.

To be on the moms panel (they choose 19 out of 14,000 applicants), you have to know a lot about Disney. From what I understand, the interview process, should you make it that far, is pretty intense. Though I've been to Disney literally 100s of times as a child/teen and have been quite a few times with my own family, I'm not confident I know enough to beat out 13,981 other applicants. Still, I think it would be fun. I like to talk about it. I feel I do have good advice and tips to offer on planning a Disney trip. And if I don't know the answer, I'm pretty sure I could find it. (I have certain resources).

I'll apply again this year. They take new applicants every September. I still have to beat out those darn 13,981 other folks though.

So, in the meantime, I'm starting my own, Mom (singular) Panel. If you are planning a trip to Disney and have a question, feel free to ask me. I might know the answer, maybe I won't. Maybe my friend, Alicia (a fellow Disney fanatic) can answer. Maybe we'll just have fun talking about it. I need to practice for when I apply again in September for the official Moms Panel.

 

You can find my Disney page via a tap at top of this blog.  Once you enter my Disney page, you can click on the "tips" page for basic tips and ideas.   

For now, we have another trip to Disney planned for next month. It'll be a short trip but we are super excited. Even my hus is excited, though he won't admit it with the gusto that the kids and I do.

*Disclaimer: Nothing on this page is "official" Disney info. This is all from my own experience or gathered from other non-official Disney sources. However, if any info on this page has been collected from an official Disney site or source, I will indicate so. Don't get mad at me if you read something on this page to be inaccurate.

Double Digits

I know.  It's been a while since I've blogged.  I'm trying to get back to the blog world.  I'll get there. 

So Anyway,
My oldest child recently turned 10.  Yep.  Double Digits.  (hence the title).  She's 1/2 way to 20. 

And she's awesome. 

For her bday this year, she said she wanted a gymnastics party.  No she doesn't take gymnastics.  Hasn't since 1st grade.  But she wanted an "active" party, so that is what we did. 

I scoured the Internet for gymnastics party ideas but came up empty.  So I decided to go with a mustache theme. A what?  you might ask.  Well, in case you don't know, for some reason, moustaches have become all the rage as of late.  They have moustache earrings, moustache t-shirts, moustache erasers, moustaches notebooks, etc...  It's also very popular in photography photo booths, to hold a moustache on a stick up in front of your face as a fun way to encourage silliness and personality.  In case all that doesn't clear anything up for you, I googled just how this craze got started.  One site I found said PETA started it with a campaign they laid out a few years back with a cat or a rabbit or some kind of furry thing sporting a moustache.  The tag line stated; "Grow your own fur."  It made me laugh. 

Anyway, who cares.  The kids like it and I looked like a cool, with it mom to all my daughter's friends.  And it was easy.

So here are some picture to clear up any further moustache related questions.

My 3 darlings, with moustaches.

  

 

 Cupcakes courtesy of Costco, with my own added touch of a moustached smiley face. 

(I forgot my cupcake display platter, so the plastic holders they came in had to do).

 

Everyone got their very own mustache, to wear or not to wear.

 

 

The birthday girl!

 

 

My 7 year old is demonstrating one of the activities during the party.  There was pretty much a free for all on any and all gymnastic apparatuses.  (apparatusi?)

 

 

My 5 year old did her best to keep up with all the other 9 and 10 year olds and did a great job I might add.  And, did it all with a big smile on her face. 

 

 

 

The 5 year old.

 

 

The birthday girl. 

 

 

 

 

I printed these labels from the computer.  I attached them with clear packing tape which kept them dry and gave a bit of a professional edge to them. 

 

 

To top it all off, everyone went home with 3 chocolate moustaches.  I made them with a moustache mold I found at Michaels.  They seemed to be a big hit.  I heard one kid say, "this is the best birthday party!" 

Music to my ears. 

 

Happy Birthday!

The Geometry of Butter

My oldest daughter is an enigma.  Sometimes she's all "like, you know" and "OMG" (the G being gosh in our house).  Then there are times when you would think she's a Mensa candidate in a little kid body.  She sometimes talks like she can't imagine what it would be like to only be a 9 year old girl. 

So, for some reason unbeknownst to me, my kids claimed they didn't know what a stick of butter was.  Granted, for table butter, we usually go with the tub and I reserve the sticks for cooking, but still.  So I was trying to describe to them what a stick was vs. the tub, when my oldest exclaims in sudden understanding, "oh, you mean it's a rectangular prism!" 

Yes.  That's what I meant. 

Free time, what free time?? and other ramblings

So, who said I was going to have lots of free time once all my kids started school???  School's been in for almost 2 months now and I'm still waiting for that free time.  Honestly, I think I'm more busy now, with less down time, than I was last year when I still had my youngest home 2 days a week and had shorter child free days. 
What's up with that??

It's been good though.  I do think my youngest likes being at the school with her big sisters.  But it'll all be over before I know it.  Then she'll be in 1st grade and then second before I know it, and then my oldest will be in...*gulp* middle school.  Oh, I don't even want to think about it!

And now fall is here/coming.  We are in that awkward stage of season change here in N. GA.  Some days are coolish, some days are warm, some days start out fairly chilly and then warm up to fairly not chilly.  Do you bring a sweater?  Wear pants?  Dare I bring out the boots? 
My general rule of thumb (and yes, I have a rule of thumb concerning the weather) for what to wear this time of year is, if the high is in the 70's, jeans with short sleeves.  If the high is in the 60's, long sleeves and jean and boots if the outfit calls for it. 

There are a few signs of color.  It's coming.  At the very least, it's definitely not summer anymore.  It's flummer. 

These pictures are from last fall.  The one above was taken on one of the days my youngest was home with me (she was in preschool 3 days a week).  I often take my kids on photo shoots just for fun.  Fun for me.

The picture below is my oldest playing in the leaves.  I can't wait for the leaves to change all the way so I can take new pics.  Fall is my favorite time of year! 

The Funnies

My husband was cleaning out a bedside drawer and came across an old cassette tape.  My 9 year old, who was near by, grabbed the tape and said, "Oooo, I wanna watch it!"
*sigh*

We were quizzing the kids on the books of the Bible by asking, what's the the 2nd book, the 5th book and so on.  When my husband asked what the 4th book was, my 7 year old was a little stumped.  So, he told her.  Numbers.  To which she replied, "26?"  And he said, "No, Numbers."  "18?" 


*(in case you are unfamiliar with the Bible, the 4th book is called Numbers.  It is not A number as my 7 year old was suggesting)  We thought it was funny.