Rock the Rhythm Beat the Odds – Update

May 21,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:General |

Students from all over the Santa Clarita Valley gathered at the College of the Canyons on Friday,May 18,2012 along with famous drummers and people from around the community in an attempt to break the record for the world’s largest drum circle.  Everyone in attendance had a drum in hand and beat their drums in rhythm for 5 minutes straight lead by Mickey Hart,best known for his former gig as drummer for the Grateful Dead.  The final determination of whether or not the record was beat will take a few weeks as videos and photos are analyzed to come up with a final count.

I was in attendance initially to take pictures of my boys but,quickly grabbed a drum myself to participate in the event.  Whether or not the record was broken,everyone had a great time and it showed that music and rhythm are such essential elements in our kids lives and it’s a down right shame that it is one of the fist things cut from our schools.

Just check out this picture of the thousands of kids gathering to take part in this event.

Go Santa Clarita,beat your drums!

A great job was done buy all who participated and organized the event,for more information,check out the website http://www.rocktherhythm.org/.

Our fingers are crossed that the world record was broken and that we see this group in the Guinness Book of World Records this year!

http://www.mommywarriors.com/

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The Allure of High Heels

May 16,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Entertainment |

My daughter and her friend wanted to do some shopping after their last volleyball tournament.  Hey,rather than fight traffic,we said ok!  As soon as we walked into the store,the girls made a bee line for the shoe department.  They were on the hunt for some high heels and boy did they find them.  Check out these two just trying to stand in these monsters heels!

beauty queens!

The funny part about the whole thing was that people in the store were looking at them pretty strangely based on the outfits they had on.  Those tight little shorts along with the high heels,folks in the store thought they were models,it was hysterical!  They must have tried on at least a hundred pairs and had a ball doing it.

So,here’s some mom advice,if you have teenage girls that are bored one day,just bring them to try on shoes,you can kill about an hour,easily!  It was like a free fashion show,we all had so much fun.

www.mommywarriors.com

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Anti-Family Airline Fees?

Planning any summer vacations that involve air travel?

If you want to sit with your kids on the flight, be prepared to fork over some extra cash for the privilege.

Several major airlines - including Delta, American and US Airways - have started charging more for window and aisle seats, meaning families will have to pay more to sit together.

Passengers who want to sit next to a spouse, child or friend will have to shell out upwards of $25 each way.

And as if that wasn't headache enough, United Airlines announced last month that they will no longer let families with small children board early.

The new policy is an effort to "simplify the boarding process and to reduce the overall number of boarding groups," United spokesman Charles Hobart told USA Today.

While it may make the boarding process easier for some, one thing is for sure - the new rules certainly won't make any easier to travel with kids.

What do you think? Will the new fees and regulations impact whether or not you choose to fly or drive on your next vacation?

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High School Baseball Team Forfeits Rather Than Face a Girl

An Arizona high school baseball team chose to forfeit the state championship rather than face off against an opponent that has a girl on its team.

Our Lady of Sorrows, a fundamentalist Catholic school, was slated to play Mesa Preparatory Academy in the Arizona Charter Athletic Association state championship. But they pulled out because of 15-year-old Paige Sultzbach, who plays second base for Mesa Prep.

"They wouldn't play the game as long as we had a girl on the team who was on the field. It violates their policy about boys playing against girls," Mesa Preparatory Academy headmaster Robert Wagner told Reuters.

What exactly is that policy?

"As a Catholic school, we promote the ideal of forming and educating boys and girls separately during the adolescent years, especially in physical education,” Our Lady of Sorrows said in a statement.

The two teams have played twice before, with Sultzbach sitting on the bench. But she wanted to play with her team in the championship game.
Her mother, Pamela Sultzbach, expressed her disappointment with the outcome.

"This is not a contact sport, it shouldn't be an issue," she told the Arizona Republic. "It wasn't that they were afraid they were going to hurt or injure her, it's that (they believe) a girl's place is not on a field."

What do you think about the school's decision?

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Does Facebook Wreck Marriages?

Does social media create serious relationship problems?

A new survey out of the U.K. found that more than a third of divorce filings last year contained the word Facebook, according to Divorce Online, a legal services firm.

“Affairs happen with a lightning speed on Facebook,” K. Jason Krafsky, who co-authored Facebook and Your Marriage with wife Kelli, told SmartMoney. “It puts temptation in the path of people who would never in a million years risk having an affair.”

Research revealed that 80 percent of U.S. divorce lawyers claim to have seen an increase in the number of separation cases using social networking. “I see Facebook issues breaking up marriages all the time,” divorce attorney, Gary Traystman told the publication.

What do you think? Do you know any couples who have split up because of Facebook?

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Teen Takes a Stand Against Airbrushed Models

Do you get frustrated when you flip through a magazine and see advertisements full of models without a single blemish, line or hint of cellulite?

One Maine teenager is protesting the use of airbrushing and Photoshopping in Seventeen magazine, and her cause has gained the support of tens of thousands of people.

Julia Bluhm, 14, has gotten more than 48,000 signatures for her online petition to “give girls images of real girls” in the pages of Seventeen magazine. The eighth-grader asked the magazine to commit to printing one unaltered photo spread per month.

In the petition written to persuade the editors, Bluhm wrote that girls are deeply influenced by the perfect images they see in the magazines and rip their own bodies and faces apart when they themselves fail to live up what they don’t realize are Photoshopped, airbrushed standards.

“Here’s what a lot of girls don’t know,” she wrote in the petition, “those ‘pretty women’ that we see in magazines are fake. They’re often Photoshopped, airbrushed and edited to look thinner, and to appear like they have perfect skin. A girl you see in a magazine probably looks a lot different in real life.”

“For the sake of all the struggling girls all over American, who read Seventeen and think these fake images are what they should be, I’m stepping up,” Bluhm continued.

Sounds pretty reasonable, right? Is it really too much to ask the magazine to print ONE SINGLE spread each month that shows a real girl?

Apparently yes.

Seventeen's editors met with Bluhm and released the following statement:

“We’re proud of Julia for being so passionate about an issue - it’s exactly the kind of attitude we encourage in our readers - so we invited her to our office to meet with editor in chief Ann Shoket this morning. They had a great discussion and we believe that Julia left understanding that Seventeen celebrates girls for being their authentic selves, and that’s how we present them. We feature real girls in our pages and there is no other magazine that highlights such a diversity of size, shape, skin tone and ethnicity.”

Translation: We sat Julia down and gave her a little talking to about the fashion industry. We think she now understands that girls need to stay insecure, self-conscious and obsessed with their appearance - honestly, how else would we be able to sell advertising space to all the cosmetic, hair and clothing advertisers who want to help girls look better?

In fact, Seventeen editors told the New York Times that they felt “slightly aggrieved that they had been singled out for picture-doctoring practices that are common in virtually all glossy fashion magazines.”

This feels like a pretty standard version of the classic teenage rationalization, "but everyone else is doing it!"

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Granddad is Telling My Life Story Again

By Guest Blogger Leslie Mitchell

Kazan

My daughter was born in Kazan,Republic of Tatarstan,Russian Federation in 2003.  I adopted her as a single mother in 2004.  She was slightly more than one year old and the only life she knows is the life she has with me and her family.  She has known she is adopted from her earliest memories.  When I began the adoption process I spoke with friends who were adopted or had adopted children.  Each person told me their life story and gave me valuable insight that I was able to use with my daughter.  I read books and articles and,like with your biological children,each adopted child’s story is different.  So is how they handle telling people they are adopted.  My daughter has had no issues dealing with being adopted but if there is one thing she cannot stand is her Grandfather telling strangers her “life story.”

My mother and I traveled to Kazan in July 2004.  Kazan was 1000 years old in 2004 and has a rich history.  It is a city of over several million people,home to universities, a chemical industry,a walled old city with Kremlin and it’s people are extremely proud of their “Tartar”heritage.  I have tried to instill that pride in my daughter and she will proudly tell you that she was born in Kazan or in Russia (current politics and past rivalries between the various republics mean nothing to an 8 year old.)  The one thing I have made clear to her as she got older was that it was her choice to tell people that she was adopted and if she chose not to tell someone,her family would honor her decision.  That is,everyone except her Grandfather.

We were not back in Connecticut from Kazan and Moscow for two weeks in 2004 before my father told the computer man installing a new computer his “version”of her life story.  I was furious with him.  I was not ashamed of her adoption but felt it was my choice to tell someone,not his right.  We argued about it,he claimed he was so proud of her and I accepted that but,asked that he refrain from telling people unless I brought it up.  Since that day in August 2004 it has been a battle with him.

My daughter is not only adopted but she was adopted by a single mother.  She has no father.  I have explained to her that mommy is not married and she doesn’t have a Dad but she has a Granddad that loves her very much.  It has never been an issue for her until the last year.  When we lived in Connecticut a girl in her class asked her why she didn’t have a father.  She told her,“I just don’t,my mom’s not married.” To her it was the end of the story and I used the situation to talk to her more about her adoption.  After a few minutes,she got bored and was onto something else.  This year,in her new school in Florida,it has come up again.  She just rolls with it and says the same as she said in Connecticut.  I honestly can say that she appears totally adjusted about it  because we have discussed it since she was two years old,telling her how Grandma and Mommy flew to get her,she flew home on a big plane and everyone was there to see her with presents.  I’ve told her that she was born early (she was two months premature) and was in the hospital and then waiting in the Baby Home for Mommy to get her;how her birth mother loved her so much that she wanted her to have the best life and knew Mommy would love her so much that she gave her to me.  She is very confident in herself and the love she has been surrounded by in our family.

My father loves to tell stranger’s HIS life story,whether they want to hear it or not.  Trust me,they don’t want to hear it.  Recently he told his physical therapist that my daughter was born in Russia and was adopted.  She heard him and was furious.  Storming into the house,she screamed that he was telling HER life story again to this woman.  She was very upset.  After calming her down,I spoke with him.  Again I got the same story as in 2004 but things are different now.  She is not 1,she is almost 9.  Although she is confident,kids know when they are “different”and they don’t need someone telling stories about them to a stranger.  Of course trying to impart this to my aging father is difficult.  He thinks he is right,she thinks he is wrong and I agree with her.  She is old enough to decide who hears her life story,who is privileged to hear about her wonderful background and see what a strong girl she has become,a Tatar by birth but American by upbringing.It is now her choice to share her life story with someone if she choses to do so.  A biological child’s grandfather doesn’t go around telling strangers about the circumstances of her birth,so why do people need to know the circumstances of an adopted child’s birth.  It is my daughter’s decision who she choses to share her life story with,not her grandfather’s and to a lesser degree,not mine anymore.  That is fine with me,I raised her with openness about her adoption and to be proud of who she is and where she was born.  I have information about her birth mother,less about her birth father.  If the day comes that she wants to see that information,I will share it freely with her.  We have talked about visiting Kazan,Moscow (where we spent several days) and going to St. Petersburg.  She wants to see where she was born and she will when we both decide the time is right.  Ultimately it is her life story and she should decide how it gets written and who will be privileged to hear it.  For the record,I asked her permission before writing this and she said yes.  Even as her mother,it is no longer my choice alone to tell her life story,after all,it is her life story not mine.

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Letting our Tweens Spread Their Wings

I’ve always thought “tweens”was a great term for middle school kids because that is exactly what they are.  They are in between being a kid and being a young adult.  But it’s not only the children who are in this “tween”stage,  the parents are as well.  I’m speaking from experiences as a mother of a 13 year old.

When your kids are in elementary school,  you know there are certain boundaries that have to be maintained.  Kids are not allowed to go walk to school by themselves.  They cannot roam the mall alone.  They cannot freely browse the internet.  They cannot watch movies rated higher than PG.  Whatever boundaries you set for your kids,  you feel pretty confident on where they should be and how to enforce them.  But as the kids start to mature,  those boundaries begin to shift,  sometimes before you’re ready,  and it is often difficult to know how and when to let your kids spread their wings.

Usually the kids are ready for this change before the parents.  We resist,  maybe in part because we don’t want to see our kids grow up and maybe in part because we are afraid that something bad will happen.  But as our little ones become “tweens”  we as parents have to learn to losen the reigns.

The kids in my son’s middle school all had a field trip to a Disneyland where many were unchaperoned.  I was speaking the day before with some other parents,  so many of whom were dreadfully afraid of the trouble the kids would get into without supervision.  Particularly if the boys were allowed to mix with the girls.

I remember when I was 13 years old,  some of the boys and girls were starting to “experiement”.  That’s the term we adults use when we talk about risky decisions we made when we were kids.  We were just experimenting! I don’t ever remember thinking I was experimenting.  I thought I was just making out,  but that’s another story…  However,  this “experimenting”or whatever you want to call it,  was an important part of our development and learning.  And the quality of those choices we made was based on how secure our bond was at home.  Whatever those experiences were,  they shaped us.

As I shared this perspective with the the group of parents I saw a lot of nodding heads looking back at me.  When we set boundaries for our little ones,  we are a dictator,totally in charge.  But when we set boundaries for our tweens we are inherently starting to lose control over them.  Therefore,  we have to think back to when we were young and set boundaries from a totally different angle.

One of the other parents told of how her mom and dad were extremely strict.  Her solution?  She learned how to be sneaky.  She’d lie,  get her friends to help cover up her lie,  and ended up taking much bigger risks than if her parents had just given her a little more room.

Our tweens are going to screw up and make bad choices from time to time,  but they will learn a tremendous amount in the process,  which will be a lot better for them than if we protect them from our worst fears.  We have to give them room to have those same opportunities to “experiment”that we had.  This is not an easy adjustment for us parents,  but it is important.  If we don’t allow them to ease into adulthood,they will find a way to jump into it with both feet and without our knowledge and support.  That,to me,is a lot scarier.

www.mommywarriors.com

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The Cost of Going to the Prom

May 1,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Family Platoon,School |

As my two older kids approach high school,I’ve been hearing tons of horror stories about the crazy amounts of money being spent on the prom.  There was an article in the  USA TODAY a few weeks ago that stated families with teens are spending an average of $1,078 on the prom this year,a number which is up $807 from last year.

Really,for a dance?  Add this to what is also already being spent on formals and other dances throughout the year and parents,you can make a few house payments on your mortgage!

When I questioned some parents as to where the money was being spent,I was shocked.  Fancy expensive dresses,matching shoes and accessories (that the girls refuse to wear more than once),professional hair and makeup (that also includes a run through,pre-prom,to ensure the teen is happy with is),manicures,pedicures,waxing of the legs,spray tans,flowers,pictures,limos,prom tickets and more.   Holy buckets!

It won’t be long until parents are paying as much for the prom as they do a wedding!  It’s just another competitive example in our society where the kids feel the need to look better than the rest.  That mentality is not only coming from the kids but also some parents who are out to show their status in the community by throwing a ton of money at something where it need not go.

The daughter of one of my neighbor’s recently went to the prom and when I asked how much they spent for her to go,I was pleasantly surprised,they were an anomaly at $200.  Their daughter set out to prove a point that you can look great for a fraction of what everyone else is spending.  She bought a great looking dress and shoes…cheap,did her own hair,makeup and nails,and borrowed a few flowers from the high school theatre to make her own boutonniere for her date.  She looked beautiful and laughed at others who spent a small fortune and thinking they looked the best because of it.

Heck we might as well roll out the red carpet and call in the paparazzi,it will be the battle amongst the parents to see who can get their kid’s picture into PEOPLE Magazine!

www.mommywarriors.com

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Should You Post Family Pics on Facebook?

Do you ever post photos of your children on your social media profile pages? Is it possible that sharing photos of your kids on your Facebook account could actually hurt you career-wise?

Writer Janet Paskin made a compelling point about this issue on the Wall Street Journal’s The Juggle Blog:

"Studies upon studies show that women with children fare worse, professionally and financially, than women without,” Paskin wrote. “Moms face more difficulty getting hired and earn less than their childless peers.”

Even though she keeps her Facebook page private, Paskin added: “. . . [M]y friends do include plenty of people I’ve worked with or for, or might hope to work with or for in the future. I also take it as a given that any potential future employer or reference would use all available tools to check me out - including finding out who we know in common via social networks.”

What do you think? Could posting kids’ photos and videos on your social networking accounts adversely affect your professional life?

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Mother’s Day Video 1

As we approach Mother’s Day,I thought I would share some fun mom videos with our readers over the next week!

Watch below to see how I used to spend my pre-mom Friday and Saturday nights at the Big Wheel!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

http://www.mommywarriors.com/

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Survey: Americans Support Working Moms

In the wake of the political dust-up between Ann Romney and a Democratic consultant who criticized Romney for her at-home motherhood, CNN asked over a thousand people what they thought about mothers and work.

The overwhelming response? Working women get a big thumbs-up.

When asked, “Do you approve of a married woman with young children holding a job in business or industry if her husband is able to support her and their family,” 89 percent said they approved and only 10 percent disapproved. On whether having mothers work is a “good” or “bad” thing for children, 52 percent it was good for children while 34 percent said it was bad.

When asked if they were “free to do either, would you prefer to have a job outside the home or would you prefer to stay at home and take care of the house and family,” 60 percent of the women said outside the home, 34 percent said they’d want to stay home. On the other hand, 72 percent of men said outside the home while 22 percent said stay at home.

What do you think? If given the choice, would you prefer to stay at home or have a job?

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Make Your Own Pizza Night and a New Favorite

May 3,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Family Platoon,In the Kitchen,Recipes |

Every once in a while we have a ‘make you own pizza’night dinner and my kids just love it!  I lay out all the basic supplies of mini crusts,pizza sauce,and cheese and the kids do the rest. Typically,they add the standard toppings such as pepperoni,sausage and mushrooms.  When they’re feeling a little wild and crazy in the kitchen,they’ve topped their pizzas with shrimp,chicken,bacon and even some left over mac and cheese.

Last night,one of my sons tried a new one,the hot dog pizza.  My other three kids were all over him telling him how disgusting it was,that it wold taste gross and all the yuck and ewww sound effects that went along with it.  My son said nothing and just put his pizza in the oven.

hot dog pizza

Ten minutes later,the pizzas were done.  When the hot dog pizza was placed on the counter,all of a sudden my other three kids changed their tune by saying,“hey,that actually looks pretty good!”

My son smiled and said,“yes,it does!”

All of a sudden,the other two plain and one bacon pizzas that came out of the oven didn’t look so appetizing compared to the hot dog pizza.

My son sat quietly at the counter eating his hot dog pizza as the other three waited for him to say something,anything.  He chose to finish the whole thing and then tell them how good it was!  He was then asked by his brothers and sister if he would make another hot dog pizza with the extra crust so they could try it.  He obliged and after the other three tasted it,there was a unanimous decision made in the house,the hot dog pizza is currently #1 on the family favorite list!

www.mommywarriors.com

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All I Want For Mother’s Day…

May 2,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,For Moms |

I’d love to wake up on Mother’s Day and find something new in my laundry room.

A machine that I can just throw piles of dirty clothes into.  I would push a button and it will automatically separate the colors,wash the clothes,dry the clothes,iron the clothes,fold the clothes and put all items into respective piles to be put away.

I dont think I’m asking for too much,am I?  Come on all you engineer dads out there (hint,hint,my husband),we can put people into space and explore the depths of the ocean but we can’t solve this dang laundry issue?  I see the whole thing as very simple,an energy-efficient,nice looking and cost effective machine that will…

take this       and turn it into this      

I’d even be willing to put a quarter or even a dollar into to start it all up!

www.mommywarriors.com

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Getting our Brains into Shape

My son cam home from school a few months back with a memory exercise they learned in science.  Here is how it works.  You take a deck of cards and two people.  One person flips the cards over one at a time to display to the other person.  The other person starts by having to say which card was displayed previously,forcing them to remember two cards,the current one and the last one.  Then in the next round the player has to say which card was two cards earlier,forcing them to remember three cards in sequence,the current plus the last two. Then it goes to three cards back,then four,etc.  The game,or really test,is to see how far back you are able to remember.  We tried it once and I sucked.  Clearly middle age dementia has already started setting in.  Either that or having three kids really does cause “momnesia”.

Then the other day I read an interesting article in the New York Times about the same exact type of game which you can play online.  The article,aptly named “Can You Make Yourself Smarter?” ,discusses scientific research which seems to prove that these types of exercises not only help the brain with memory,they help it with analytical skills as well,what they call fluid intelligence.   And,there is evidence that if done for about 20 minutes a day,5 times a week,it can help children with ADHD become  more focused.  After all,it requires a significant amount of focus and attention to play well.  Think of it as push-ups for your brain.

Besides using a deck of cards,you can play an even better version of the game for free online by visiting SoakYourHead.com.  This one uses both visual and audio memory,but I warn you,it is a little addicting and challenging.  I definitely felt brain fatigue after a few minutes.  But I figure while Alyssa is sharing stories about the 90 Day Fitness Challenge,why not do something that challenges and strengthens our brains,too.

Of course the real key is getting the kids to play this,but when there is so much evidence to show the benefits,it is worth figuring out a way to incorporate it into the kids’regular activities.  After all,I’ve yet to see any research to show that Call of Duty has the same effect!

www.mommywarriors.com

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Our Amazing Low-Tech Adventure with the Kids

The kids had Monday off,  and with any day off of school,  I was freaking out over figuring out what to do with them.  You know the feeling.  Holy Pizza Pie!  I’m going to have the kids home ALL DAY with no school,  no camp,  no scheduled activities.  WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!!!???  Think!  Think!! THINK!!!  There must be something we can go do!

I ran thru the usual list of options.  Disneyland?  Too expensive.  Beach?  Too cold.  Movies?  Too short.  Museum?  Too cerebral.  Besides,  they were going to the museum the next day on a field trip at school.  I had to think of something!  Something new.  Something different.  Something fun!

And I was not alone in my struggle.  My good friend Heidi was in the same boat.  Let’s do something together,we decided.  But what?  LORD HELP US!

Then I remembered.   During spring break I took the kids for a hike and they loved it.  I suggested we take our collective group of 5 kids,  pack a picnic and go hike a trail somewhere.  “Love it,”  she responded.  So I set out to find the perfect trail.

The criteria?  I needed a hike that was relatively close.  It couldn’t be more than 4 miles long.  It couldn’t be too steep.  And,  it had to have something cool to explore.  I found a spot,  Temescal Canyon just outside of Santa Monica.

We put together a quick backpack filled with nibbles and water and hit the road.  Within 30 minutes we were parked and on our way up the trail.  At first we were a little worried one of the kids might wander off as they race ahead on the trail,  but with a little reminding they quickly adapted to our stop and wait rule every time we hollered.  From that point on for the next 3 hours,  the kids were totally engaged.

Every hole in the brush was the home of some wild animal.  Every rock was a rare gem.  Every canyon held a mystery.  Rocks,  sticks,  leaves,  branches,  were inspected,  collected,  shared and compared.  Each kid had a turn being line leader.  Each kid had take turns helping carry the gear.  Each kid was involved in our decisions on which trails to take.   Each kid squealed in delight when we came upon the waterfall,  which Heidi and I had kept secret so that they would feel the full enjoyment of discovering it.  And then,  after working up a good sweat and fending off the kids begging to know how much further to the top,  we arrived at the summit.  And the awe in the kids eyes and voices was magical,  each one looking out across the view pointing things out.  “There’s downtown!”  “There’s the pier!”  “There’s Daddy’s office!”  “There’s Catalina!”   They beamed with an amazing sense of power having climbed up so high and being able to see for so far.  It was great.

When the excitement started to wane,  we sat and enjoyed our well earned lunch before heading back down.  While we descended the mountain,  Heidi and I both observed how amazing it is that you can fully engage your kids in nature with no rides,  no lights,  no special effects,  and no fast moving objects.  By taking them someplace where they could use their bodies and stimulate their senses,  with plenty room for their imagination to take hold,  we had succeeded in entertaining them fully.  And all for no money what so ever,  unless you count the $7 parking fee.

You hear parents complain that kids are addicted to action movies,  video games and over stimulation,  but unless we’re willing to find something else to engage them,  we’re the ones to blame.  So my recommendation for the week…take your kids on a hike.  Let the outdoors be the canvas for their imagination.  You’ll witness amazing things.  And don’t forget the other added benefit…You get your workout in,  too!

www.mommywarriors.com

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Tin Grins Are In

May 1,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Family Platoon |

My two youngest are not happy campers right now.  A few days ago they got their braces on.  I didn’t tell them until a few days before their appointment because they have been giving me such a hard time saying that they DON’t need braces.  Their argument,“we’re boys mom,we don’t have to have a pretty mouth with straight teeth like girls do!”

As we got off the elevator to go into the orthodontist I asked if I could snap a “before”picture.  As you can see from the picture below,they were thrilled with that!

After all their mouth metal was installed,I asked for an “after”picture,they were even more irritated now,but tolerated it!

My two boys were so down about their braces when we left the orthodontist.   They were even moaning in the back of the car,not because they were sore,but because all they could think about was that for the next two years they would have these darn things on their teeth!  I tired to cheer them up with the offer of milkshakes or making a trip over to GameStop but,nothing intrigued them.  When we arrived home,dad was all excited to see what they looked like and by this point they managed one more smile and asked to go school for what was left of their day.

For the next two days it was all about sore mouths,soft food and an occasional scream when one of their lips got stuck to a brace.  I don’t seem to remember the other two being this bad but,I’ve been trying my best to keep smiles on their faces.  I even told them that the day I got my braces on,my dad brought me home a t-shirt that said ‘tin grins are in‘,they found absolutely no humor in it!

www.mommywarriors.com

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No More Easter Bunny Pictures :(

April 25,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Family Platoon,Holidays |

This year my kids were very adamant that they would NOT go to the mall and take their picture with the Easter Bunny. The four of them made a group decision that they were too old and it was far too embarrassing to go to the mall and sit on his lap.   Being the good mom that I am,I told them that I was disappointed but,I truly understand where they were coming from and if they ever have a change of heart I would gladly drive them to the mall.

The other day they give me the picture below in a frame.  They knew that I was bummed out so on Easter they went outside and took a picture with AN Easter Bunny.   So,he wasn’t the guy dressed in the suit at the mall but,they made an attempt to make me feel better and it put a smile on my face.

Thanks kids!

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Still Waiting for Superman

I watched Waiting for Superman yesterday while paying bills.  A friend of mine had reminded me of the movie and it was one of those “meant to watch it,but never did” films.  I thought it would make bill paying less tedious.  That it did.

For those of you are don’t know the movie,it is a 2010 documentary on the dysfunction that exists in the US public school systems.

I know I’m kind of late to this party,but I felt the messages were just as significant today as they were when the film originally came out two years ago.  Our schools are failing,and it’s not the kids’ fault.  It’s the grown ups who are screwing everything up.  But there was another message I wasn’t expecting to get out of it.  Those kids who are born into the privilege of living in a neighborhood that has great schools or into a family who can afford to send them to private schools don’t know how good they have it.  And just as the kids in the movie were dealt a rough hand at no fault of their own,kids who have been dealt a good hand did nothing to earn it.

I remember the impact on me when I was a kid and I’d see TV commercials asking for donations to feed starving children.  I remember one in particular with a wide eyed young girl,protruding belly,and a fly crawling on her lip.  That one always made me shudder.  I remember thinking to myself,why was I so lucky to be born American and not in that little girl’s village?  Images like that haunted me and made me appreciate my life.

So I’m going to make my kids watch Waiting for Superman.  I want them to appreciate the opportunities they were born with despite any effort on their part.  And I don’t plan on stopping with Waiting for Superman,because the message is important and I don’t expect one film to say it all.

We can preach to kids all we want,but nothing has an impact like allowing them to see things for themselves.

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Fifty Shades of Shame

April 11,2012 | Written By: Nicole | Categories:Entertainment,For Moms,Nicole's Camp |

If you haven’t heard of the book Fifty Shades of Grey,  then you need to crawl out from under your rock for a moment to read this.  Fifty Shades is a book series that has been all over the press for the past month or two.  It is being called “Mommy Porn” because it tells a very salacious story about a young inexperienced woman who gets involved with a man who introduces her to the world of S&M,  and “Mommy” book clubs all over the country are devouring this book.  Apparently we moms have some secret curiosity about rough sex.  Who knew?  After all,  it’s certainly not the eloquent writing that is getting everyone…uh… excited.  If anything,once you get past the shock of some of the sex scenes,  you get a little bored with that part of it and start looking for the good writing,  interesting characters and a clever plot to keep you hooked,  the lack of which leads you to quickly browse thru the pages just so you can have some closure on the story.  Oh!  But I wouldn’t know because I haven’t read it!  I wouldn’t read stuff like that!

This book is a national phenomena,  a New York Times bestseller,  talked about on network TV,  yet I know NO ONE who has read it,  at least no one I know admits to having read it.  Hmmm…curious…Can you say plausible deniability?  “No one will know if I’ve read it or not unless I admit to it,  so my denial is absolutely plausible.”

This phenomenon of plausible deniability when it comes to having read the book has even spread to the White House.  A story hit the entertainment wire a week or so ago that a powerful agent,who happens to be a close confident to the Obamas,was meeting with the author of Shades,  E.L. James,and said that President Obama told him that Michelle had read the book and loved it!  Skip a beat… the next thing you know the White House issues a statement that the President was only joking and that Michelle had not read the book.  What did you expect?  It is an election year,  and I suppose the registered “prude” voters outnumber the registered “dominant / submissive” voters.

And why are we so defensive about having read this book?   Are we really that prudish?  So what if the book is filled with intense erotic scenes!  Are we afraid people will think we’re into whips and chains just because we’re reading a book about it?  And if we were to admit to reading it,  are we allowed to read it in the same places most moms read their book club books?   Is it appropriate reading at your daughter’s ballet class or your son’s martial arts class,  while sibling toddlers are meandering around you?  It doesn’t seem right,  does it?  It’s like a dad looking at a Playboy while sitting at Little League.

With the arrival of iBooks,  Kindles,  Nooks,  etc.  adults are reading more,  which is good thing,  but it also means we can all download and read anything we want anonymously.  No one needs to know.  We used to just take the book covers off and cover the spines when indulging in some trashy novel,  but now,we can go one better.  We just download it in the privacy of our own wifi network.  We can finally scratch every one of our literary itches!  Think of what this will do to crank up the demand for more fiction,  and perhaps non-fiction,that people would never want to admit to buying and reading,but which they can’t resist!  If trashy novels were a stock,  I’d say it’s time to BUY BUY BUY!  It makes me wonder,  though,  does this mean we’re all going to buy the Casey Anthony Story,  too?  God forbid!

So I guess I better just come clean and admit that I HAVE read Fifty Shades of Grey.  I downloaded it because I felt it was culturally relevant and I wanted to know what the fuss was about.  But I am definitely NOT reading the second book,  Fifty Shades Darker,  where they move in together and we learn why all of his subs have long dark hair.  I’m definitely NOT on chapter 7 of that book!

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