My mom was with us for 8 days up here in the Evergreen State. Days were spent preparing for her arrival. She and I had a nice time, trying to get her to slow down from her usual busy pace in California with grandkids, church activities, and Tuesday night Weight Watcher meetings.
We walked the dog, went shopping, had a mani/pedi lunch date with my mother-in-law, and had company over the evening before she left. I love having company, bringing out the good plates and setting the table all pretty, but it is a lot of work. The dinner consisted of my mom, this lovely couple from church that lives a block away, Eric and me. My mom helped a lot, but I still cleaned and cooked and set the table and had the responsibility of being the hostess. We had a nice time and it was all worth it.
On Wednesday, Eric shaved off his goatee. I'm still getting used to seeing him all clean-shaven!
Yesterday I burned out the vacuum and we had to get a new one. We braved the local Walmart and came home with this Bissell heavy-duty monster that is picking up so much stuff I almost miss vacuuming in blissful ignorance. Ick!
This morning we had a repairman (who was a woman) come to the house and do the yearly inspection of the heating/cooling unit. That took over 2 hours. It was a beautiful day and I could not stay inside so I went out and got some groceries, went to the bank and the post office, and...(she said sheepishly...) went and picked up the ring I had on hold that went on sale today. A little birthday $$, a little extra to supplement, and you have what I call my "40 'n Fabulous ring."
I wish I didn't have such a weakness for bling, but I do. I'm the 3rd generation on my mother's side with such a condition, I'm afraid. Anyway, I know it is completely frivolous, but I love it and plan to make it my new right hand ring. The original plan was to get a ring with my birthstone (aquamarine) but I'm just not a fan of that stone. When I saw this one with its Ceylon Sapphire and the rim of cognac diamonds I fell in love with it. Getting husband's and mother's approval sealed the deal.
Isn't being a girl fun? Even a girl at 40, which, I'm told, is the decade where you really relax and become truly comfortable in your skin. I can see that.
Speaking of girls, I'm going to segue into something more serious. Lately I have run across a few different blogs, postings, and articles about the way the media and advertisers are targeting girls at younger and younger ages to act and dress older. Today Abercrombie & Fitch were highlighted on Facebook for coming out with a padded bikini top for 8-14 year olds. Are you freakin' kidding me? As fun as I think it would be to have a daughter, I would be worried about raising one in today's world. Gail, Karen, Andrea, Trish, Sal, and other friends with preteen and teen girls...I can only imagine the challenge to keep them from growing up too fast. Even without a daughter of my own, I shudder when I see some of the clothes in the girls' and juniors departments at stores.
The other day I was on Gail's site and she linked to a recent blog entry by a mother who had had enough and just had to vent on the way products and clothing are becoming more and more suggestive and the daily challenge for responsible parents to preserve their kids', especially daughters', innocence. It is a fantastic read. Bye for now! Click the title:
"What About Our Girls? Childhood Cut Short."
1 comment:
I'm so glad your mom got to come spend a week with you!! And I love your new bling! It's beautiful! I like how you think, too. Maybe I should start looking for something special for my 40th next year... =)
As far as girls' clothing goes, it's definitely scary what people think is okay for little girls to wear, and there seems to be less and less difference between the styles in the juniors section and the girls section. Oy!
All I can say is teach, teach, teach, and start talking when they are still very young. I remember doing an FHE lesson using Barbies years ago. We dressed them up in all kinds of outfits then talked about what was modest and why and what things we didn't want to wear. A few weeks later, we were at Olive Garden for dinner, and it was obviously prom nite somewhere. A bunch of girls in beautiful dresses strolled by with their dates, and Courtney leaned over and said, "Mom, that girl's dress isn't modest." =) They can recognize it just like we can.
One other thought: I was at a stake YW activity last nite - in conjuction with the broadcast from Salt Lake - and the evening was all about being modest. Part of the program included a video with clips from different young men around the stake talking about how they view girls who dress immodestly. It was interesting to hear the two same points over and over again: 1) it actually makes them extremely uncomfortable and 2) their assumption is that the girl must not really care about herself very much.
It's almost a feeling of urgency for me. Looking at the state of the world and its values and wanting to do everything I can for my daughters. I keep coming back to making sure I teach them well - not only about what's right and wrong but also about who they truly are and building their confidence so they can more easily rise above the filth all around them.
Sometimes, those long-ago days of toddler tantrums look pretty good. =)
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