Evolution of the princess

You know how they say that everyone is a parenting expert until they have kids? Well, I always used to say that my kids would not become princess fanatics nor would they ever have Barbie dolls. Well, as you can see below, both of those things have failed to happen:

I'm not sure how this collection happened. It started with two Christmas gifts from a relative- their first 'Barbies' (though at least these aren't Shop n Drop ones or anything), another for birthday, and so on and so forth, until somehow we collected almost every princess out there. And you know what? Anna LOVES them. When she was littler, I tried to steer her away from princess stuff. We didn't buy any, we didn't watch any movies or TV about princesses, so I thought she would be immune. But every time we went somewhere with a princess picture, she was immediately drawn to it. Despite my own desires, she became a lover of princesses. I tried to fight it for a while, but I realized that I can't dictate what my children find joy in and what speaks to them. So, I decided that I just had to go with it. So somehow we ended up with princess dolls and dresses. We've watched Cinderella, Tangled (our favorite), Frozen, Sleeping Beauty (one of my favorite classics), The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. That doesn't mean we will be buying any true 'Barbies' in the future other than these classic princesses (I have to draw the line somewhere, right?).

Though I knew it wasn't possible to change the draw to the princess, and it wouldn't be right to 'deprive' (ha sounds so dumb) her of that aspect of play, I decided that what I could do was help her develop a healthy view of herself and build character; this can be done through almost anything, including princesses, I decided. I take every opportunity I can to point out the character qualities of the princesses- their hearts, when they are hard-working, serving, loving, strong, brave, and show perseverance, forgiveness, and self-sacrifice. There are some fine qualities about some of those girls. To me, Cinderella shows the epitome of sacrificial love and humility, rising above pain and maintaining a soft heart. Rapunzel is one of the sweetest, most loving, courageous heroines (I have a secret crush on her), and Aurora's gentle and grateful spirit, even while living as a peasant girl, drew others to her. It's harder for me to find the admirable qualities in, say, Jasmine, but I try, or at least focus more on the other princesses, ha.

When Anna talks about how 'beautiful' they are, I ask her what truly makes someone beautiful (their heart, their kindness, how they treat people, etc.) We talk about this a lot. Loving others, treating them with respect, finding ways to help people in need, showing affection, and recognizing when something can be done for someone else as a gesture of kindness. We talk about how the outward appearance is one thing, but God looks at the heart, and no matter how beautiful one is on the outside, it can never make up for an 'ugly' inside. We talk about loving people who are mean and unkind, because they are usually the ones who are hurting most and in need of love and acceptance.

I hope that my daughters can balance their love for beauty, princesses, and sparkly things with the way that God adorns our heart when we follow and obey him. I hope that somehow I can use the paths they tend toward, be it princesses or ninjas (somehow I doubt that will ever be the case), to see themselves in light of Christ, to see the beauty and image of God that is evident in all people.

I can't dictate what my kids love or who they are, but I can steer them in the right direction, guide their hearts, and build their character. That's my job as a mother, and I take it more seriously than any other responsibility I've ever had.

Things I'm Loving

I'm loving a lot of things right now! Here are some of them:

 

If you get short of breath everytime you have to spend $15 on a cartridge of razors, this will be music to your ears. For only a few bucks a month, the Dollar Shave Club delivers a razor cartridge to you in the mail (free shipping) every month or every other month. You can choose from two blades, four blades, or six blade razors. The handle is free. And the razors are awesome. I do the three blade once every two months, because they last for-eeeeeever.

 

 

 

 

 

Puddle jumpers are a seriously revolutionary flotation device for kids. Kind of like arm floaties on steroids. They can keep a kid completely upright in the water without any assistance. The girls love to swim around the pool in them, and since they are virtually un-tippable, my anxiety level of managing two toddlers in the pool at once is nill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cocoa powder. There is something called dry shampoo (or cornstarch for some) that, when rubbed into greasy hair, can transform it to non-greasiness. Unfortunately this only works well with fair-haired beauties. Dark haired girls like me end up looking like a gray haired granny. I've always been super jealous of people who can use this trick, because I only wash my hair every other day but the strands around my face can get greasy. Now I pull them back in barrettes while I sleep, and if I need to, I rub in well some cocoa powder (plain, the unsweetened stuff) into my hair and roots and it absorbs the grease. And I don't look like a granny.

 

 

 

 

 

I found this app through an add on Facebook that I actually clicked on (a first). It's awesome. You can send a high-quality postcard right from your phone, using a picture in your photo stream. I only recently got a smart phone (I was using an old flip phone for years until I inherited a used iphone and switched to a plan that was the equivalent of what I was paying for already- score!) Tangent aside, you can send all sorts of personal cards with fun photos.

 

 

 

Aldi is my grocery store savior. With the cost of food rising exponentially, I have been able to avoid marking up my grocery budget by adding Aldi to my weekly shopping trip. Originally I started going there because they have milk free of growth hormones at the same price as hormone-filled milk at other stores. Then I realized the great deals they had on other items. So far, their store brand has been excellent (only one dud- I don't recommend the baked beans). We now get their generic cereals (they taste great), canned veggies, frozen foods, dairy products, etc. On average they are 30-40% less than the grocery store. Crazy I know. You just have to get used to the self-service (self-bagging and grocery carting). They also have great deals on produce. It depends on what's in season, but most of it is locally grown and they have organic options on and off. For a while I got a huge bag of organic apples for 5.99 and a whole box of organic grape tomatoes for .99. I will say that they keep their produce out for a while (at least at our local store), so you have to make sure it's not on it's way out when you buy it or you will end up with a spoiled vegetable in a few days. Oh, and they taste fantastic. The strawberries were the best I had all season. Ditto on the grapes. We usually hit up Aldi first and then finish at Kroger. You can't rely only on Aldi since they don't carry all the traditional grocery items and their stock varies from week to week.

 

 

 

Our wedding dresses. Can't wait for the family wedding in a few months! Our whole family is going to be in the wedding so it should be a lot of fun! (This is my dress but not the actual color, though I do love this color)

 

 

 

 

 Charleston, land that I love.

 

 

 



 Good Reads for Kids

 

 

My new job!

 

I got a part-time job working for a private child psychologist! It took a long time to get there but I finally reached my destination. I had been praying for a part time flexible job, doing what I love, one that would contribute financially to our household, and where I had the potential of working more later in life when the girls go to school. Scripture supports a woman helping support her family financially if it doesn't interfere with her role of caring for her household and teaching and nurturing her children (Proverbs 31). I wasn't willing to compromise on the child care aspect. I wanted something where I could drop them off at school and pick them up or be there soon after. This job is one that I can do while the girls are in preschool and, if I am a little late, their teacher agreed to keep them at the school until I can get there (which shouldn't be long at all). Once the girls are in public school, I can head to work right after I drop them off and leave before they get finished. I can basically set my own schedule and schedule clients whenever I am free. I feel like God has given me so much favor!

 

 

 

 

My Book Club

 

 

 

 

Things I am NOT loving right now:

 

Lawn mowing and weeds in our yard and garden. We are about to throw in the white flag and surrender. NOTHING has helped rid us of them.

 

Inflation

 

Cockroaches

 

Medical bills

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



DVDs

Anna has to get a breathing treatment every day for her Reactive Airway Disease. Often we watch a DVD during that time. I like to get DVDs that are short (30-45 minutes) and pleasant to listen to (rather than commercial-esque obnoxious-ness). Anna is super sensitive so nothing with a lot of scary or sad moments will do. We have found some great ones that everyone enjoys watching! Here they are:

 

This is the most adorable, heart-warming animated short. It makes me cry every time!

 

 

This is a series of 7 shorts (20 minutes or so each) based on the Guess How Much I Love You book. They are a little too cheesy for me to enjoy, but they are perfect length for Anna.

The Snowman is based on the best-selling book. This animated film is set only to music and it's beautiful to listen to and watch! It's a classic Christmas story, but Anna watches it all year long.

 

 

These popular "Tunes for Kids" DVDs are wonderful. They feature Brent Holmes playing on his guitar and lots of real animals. The songs are funny, pleasant, relaxing, and Ben and I actually enjoy listening to them. At first I thought they were a little cheesy but the second and third times I started to love them, and Anna is obsessed with them. Island Tunes is her favorite, then Sea Tunes and Cow Tunes.

 

 

 

 

I bought this DVD at a yard sale for 1.00 and it was a great find. It features six narrated Eric Carle books.

 

 

This book/DVD set was Anna's favorite when she just turned to. It has a Dr. Suess-y feel to it. The DVD is basically an animated version of the book. It's short, only five minutes long.



All I want for Christmas

 

I wanted to share some of Anna's special Christmas gifts this year! As a family we decided to forego gifts considering all our money is going towards medical bills and Anna's next leg, so we really didn't expect many gifts around the tree... yet somehow family surprised us with some wonderful presents for Anna. Here are a few special ones:

 

 

This hand-made playhouse was passed down to Anna:

 



 

 

This adorable wooden kitchen from Anna's grandparents which is just her height:

 

 

 

This beautiful doll cradle hand crafted by Anna's uncle:

 



 

This winter hat from my sister:

 

 

Some little clay ornmants from my other sister:

 

 

 

And of course, new books for Anna. Her favorite!

 

I will post some more Christmas/baby pictures soon!