The Magical World of Disneyworld

We recently returned from the wonderful world of the mouse. We made the pilgrimage as a rite of passage - hoping for the best, but not having high expectations. I was surprised to find myself swept up in the magic on more than one occasion and we really did have an amazing trip.

Now, I'm a pretty cynical, skeptical person. And let me be clear - I am no fan of princesses. I feel fortunate I don't have to go down that road because I have boys. I hate what they stand for - that beauty reigns supreme. The idea that girls have to sparkle and that their natural beauty isn't good enough - ugh! It turns my stomach. The false expectation that girls have to sit around all sparkly, glammed up and wait for their price to come - puh-lease! Don't get me started (ok - too late!)!

So, there I am all cynical and hands full of boys who couldn't agree more that princess are yucky (albeit for different reasons) watching the Spectromagic parade. They are enamored with the lights, but haven't a clue who many of the characters are because they are from old Disney movies or from movies involving princesses (any movie touched by a princess is the equivalent of girl cooties and will never be welcomed into the house by these guys). We are loving the parade - swept up by all the Disney magic as usual. When, low and behold, along comes Cinderella in her pumpkin - all lit up and beautiful. I got goosebumps. WHAT?!? Yes, princess-hating, cynical me - mom to three boys without a spot of glitter in the house - got all verklepmt over seeing Cinderella strolling along in her pumpkin.

I suppose that means there's still a little girl in me hiding under this wet blanket of jaded cynicism! I guess that's how I came to be the queen of this castle ; ).

I hope I can remember what it's like to be me right now.

Time heals all - and helps us forget times that were less than pleasant. But sometimes, I think we need to force ourselves to bear the scars of the past and bring them along to make us better people in the future. Being a mom of little kids is a tough job - especially when one of them is a wild two year old. Although life can be challenging some days, overall I think my kids behavior is decent. I rarely experience any complaints from other parents and they save most of the bad stuff for our home - mercifully.

Those of us who have kids recognize that we thought we knew it all before we had kids and were shamed into admitting that we really knew nothing. As the saying goes, "I was a perfect parent before I had kids." As my kids get older, though, I'm starting to realize that some people forget what it's like to have little kids and maybe their judgment of parenting skills is even more harsh than before they had kids - thinking they've been there, done that, and done it all right.

More often than not, parents of older kids give me knowing smiles and looks of appreciation and understanding when they see me dragging along a two-year-old who has decided to become a wet noodle on the grocery store floor. But, occasionally, I have experienced the harsh stare from a parent who knows they would have done better.

Recently, I had an encounter with another parent who sent my mind spinning - and sent me back to my blog (insert audience cheer here!). Our church is under construction. It's been a pain, but change is sometimes painful. While my oldest goes to chime choir, the rest of us are left to find a place to sit for 45 minutes and I can tell you - that is no easy task!

We used to sit in a classroom where the music staff keep their office. However, Trevor started tearing things apart and after a couple of casualties we decided to make the hallway our home. The boys spend most of the time running up and down the hallway. They aren't bothering anyone - just being boys. No one is coming in that they are running into. Sure, they could be quieter. But just how realistic is that? They aren't in the sanctuary - they aren't being sacrilegious. Just trying to be patient for 45 minutes.

There's another mom who waits there - her older boys are teenagers. They are trying to read and do their homework. I think my kids are bugging them, but what can I do? There is limited space and we have to share. Yet another mom comes in. She is loving up my boys and encouraging them to show her how fast they are - she is living in the moment - remembering the younger days of her own kiddos. She says to the annoyed mom, "remember those days?" Annoyed mom says, "My kids would have tried to behave like that, but they knew I would pull their pants down and spank their bare bottoms." Stunned me gathers the boys and finishes the night waiting in the bathroom.

I hope I can remember the painful judgment of this day when I look down on younger parents for their inability to harness the energy of their crazy kids.

Karla

I am Proud

I set my facebook status today to "I am proud." Someone asked me, "of (what)?" And I knew I had my blog topic for today.

There is so much to be proud of today. First and most importantly, I'm so proud to be an American today. I can't remember the last time I said that, which is sad, but I'm saying it now. Every patriotic song is swirling in my head. For the record, Obama wasn't my first choice - I was/am a big fan of Hillary Clinton. But once her destiny was made clear, I leaned toward Obama (McCain's selection of extreme-right-winger Palin clinched my vote).

I am proud that our voters were able to either see beyond color or embrace color as part of needed change. I am proud that those who have felt disadvantaged in life-- regardless of their color, gender or ethnic background--now have a leader to inspire them by example to be the change they want to see in the world. I am proud that we have a leader that has motivated crowds of all ages and backgrounds to join the political process again or for the first time. I am proud that so many of us were willing to take a chance on an individual with big dreams and amazing eloquence.

I am proud that I was able to share this moment in time with my husband, children, family, friends and community members regardless of their party affiliations. I am proud that my kids were so excited to participate in "Kids Voting" and that Derek was even happier that Obama won than when the Phillies won the World Series. I am proud that Derek doesn't recognize the significance of the first African American President (it never occurred to him that race would be a stumbling block).

It's a day to be proud - for all of us. Even if you wanted the other guy, it seems difficult to dismiss the importance of this day and the barriers it breaks in the minds of so many.

I am proud.

Halloween

Ahhh...Halloween. You gotta love a holiday that makes cake and cookies look healthy by comparison.

This year, I had my usual battle with Derek to try to convince him to be something not bloody and oozing. Guess that's part of my lot in life with a house full of boys. I finally put my money where my mouth was and bought him a pricey Jango Fett costume just to avoid the $13 bloody face guy. But, hey... how can you put a price on winning the battle of the costumes?

Nathan was a doctor - not because he wanted to be a doctor, but because the costume came with fun toys. Later he changed his mind, but I told him he could pick a different costume next year. Score two for mom!

Finally, little Trevor was a tough-guy hockey player. Derek wore this same "costume" (really just a Flyers jersey) at Trevor's age, but had a real black eye to go along with it. Trevor sported his eyebrow scar, but you couldn't see it. We managed to get Derek's hockey helmet on Trevor, which covered his entire head and neck. He loved it and wore it the whole time trick or treating - until he discovered he couldn't eat chocolate with a full face mask. Priorities, you know!

Halloween is one of those times I feel just a *tiny* bit jealous of the moms of girls. The boys costumes just aren't that fun and the older they get, the worse they get. I loved seeing all the little girls in their sparkles and foofy dresses. Guess with a house of boys handing down their costumes to each other, there's more money in the budget for my Cinderella costume ; ).

On Being Grateful for Gifts

During a Sunday sermon, something our minister said broke through my internal running to-do list and sleepy no-caffeine-yet fog. It wasn't something new, but for some reason it happened to resonate with me. "Be grateful for the gifts you've been given." Of course - it's not a lightbulb moment, more like a "duh" moment (yes, I know next week's sermon will be "give us more of what you're grateful for," but we'll worry about that later). But, I took it to heart and spent the day trying to be grateful instead of complaining. It didn't work so well when I tried it on someone else...

Rob: This traffic is terrible. We are wasting our Sunday sitting here burning up gas.
Me: But, think of the time we have here together to talk, freed from the stress of being glued to the TV all day watching football. You have two good legs with which to drive, two good eyes to see the road and the means to afford a car!
Rob: We are wasting our Sunday afternoon sitting in traffic and I'm missing the games.

So, I can't fix everyone. But, I did spend the day trying to see the glass as being half-full and taking time to appreciate our home, that Rob has a job, that we have three mostly good and healthy kids and that Rob and I are healthy and mostly fit and happy. It's a refreshing way to view things and I will try to add a little more gratefulness to my life...so right now I'm grateful for a two year old who can speak his mind and is tearing me away from the computer.

I Love Carbs

To the tune of Sesame Street's Oscar's "I Love Trash" song: Oh, I love carbs...anything cereal or pastry or bready; anything sugary or sweet or oven-ready; oh, I love, I love, I love carbs! *sigh* Yes, I do love carbs and I especially realize it now because I'm trying to cut them out of my diet little by little. I'm hoping it will help squelch some of the sweet cravings, but for now, I'm just dreaming of having a big fat bowl of cereal for breakfast instead of an egg - blech!

The 80s Called...They want their pants back!

I got a flyer from Limited Express recently. That I know it as "Limited Express" and not just "Express" shows my age because I remember when they were just getting started. In fact, some friends and I helped them open their location in Lancaster when we were in high school. My friend stayed on to work, but I went elsewhere (can't remember where for the life of me!).

In any case... clearly they never heard of the saying "if you were old enough to wear it the first time, you're too old to wear it the second time around." There were many old-school fashions in the Express flyer, but this one in particular made me laugh.


I think they should have fine-tuned their mailing and removed anyone over 35 - and everyone over 100 pounds. I'm certainly no fashion maven, but these pants are just screaming for the "what was I thinking?" list of the future. Also, the large horizontal-striped shirts - I know I had a couple of those in my closet in Jr. High. The only thing I can't figure out is where are all the bangles and multiple earrings in one ear hole? The lace in the hair and fingerless lacy gloves? What about the big, roller-coaster bangs and foofy permed hair? Guess that would be taking the retro look a bit too far? But, at least a little purple eyeshadow past the eyebrows...give me *something* to hold on to!

Had I found these pants before my "seriously" post, they would have made the list ; )