Psssssssssst.....

Has anyone looked at our ticker on the right? Less than three weeks left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not that we are counting or anything.

Sunshine

Thanks for bringing it my way.

Kindergarten Math

Isn't Kindergarten the best? This is Emma's Math (patterns) homework.

Maddie and I

Miss Madeline and I are having so much fun together now that Emma and Ryan are back in school. We're both a little lost without Emma to direct things, but we're figuring it out.

Cool Sisters

This was printed in the paper last month, but in case you didn't see it... we were downtown eating ice cream at the little parlor and the local photographer snapped this.

Our Carolina Finches

Last month, we came home from our trip to the beach to find that a small Carolina Finch had built her nest in one of the hanging flower pots on my front porch. The nest was almost beehive-like, with a small opening, which made it camoflauge nicely among the fuschia leaves.

After a few weeks, I checked the nest, and was pleasantly surprised to see five small white speckled eggs inside. Of course, I lifted the kids up one at a time so they could see and they couldn't believe it. It was all Emma could do to keep her hands off of it. We waited and watched, and little Ms. Finch hardly ever left her nest. She would sit completely still in her nest, only with her eyes peeking out.

We found out everything we could about Carolina Finches and their remarkable ways. The male and female stay together in pairs for long periods of time. While the female sits on her eggs, the male feeds her continually. And when the eggs first hatch, the mom stays in the nest with them and the dad feeds all of them! (Wow, gentleman, this male makes the occasional midnight run to Dairy Queen look like a walk in the park.) As they grow bigger, both parents begin to feed them, and within 13-14 days, they are ready to fly.

So one day last week, I heard a squeaking noise when I turned on the porch light. I climbed up and sure enough, those little eggs were now little birds. So cute! My kids loved it. We have watched them for the past week and they grew big so quickly and got crazy feathers that stuck straight up on top of their heads. Two days ago, some of them actually left the nest and wandered around the flower pot. I was so scared they would fall out, but they didn't.

We had become totally attached to our little adopted family of finches, so this morning when the front porch was a little too quiet, I was hesitant to even look. Sure enough, I climbed up to see that the birds were gone. Flying the world with newfound wings. The whole process was totally enthralling.

Just Say No to Absurdity

Let me be clear about one thing: If you have breast implants, I love you. If your breasts are naturally small, large, perky, flat, pointy, droopy, or lopsided, I love you. That's just it! I am no respector of breasts. But I am totally perplexed at how many women I see everywhere who are so dissatisfied with their own set of naturally beautiful breasts, that they would pay thousands of dollars for someone to insert silicone underneath their skin.

My last post made lots of people uncomfortable, I know. I even had one person comment, "I can't believe you would put that on your blog!" So why is it okay for so many women to get breast implants- simultaneously sending a message to the rest of us that ours are unnaceptable- but not okay for a woman to vocalize a preference for going natural? Personally, I have always been happy with mine so this is not about my personal issues. When I'm in the best shape I can be, I'm an A+ at best. When I'm pregnant, I'm a glowing C and while I'm nursing, there's no way I can wear a button-up shirt. After I finish nursing, however, I think my breasts actually deflate completely. I think these extraordinary female processes are not only acceptable, but totally and completely perfect. You cannot improve on them!

I used to blame men for society's absolute obsession over the "perfect" woman's body. But now I realize, we don't need to pin this on them. We're pretty good at holding ourselves to an unnatainable standard all on our own. Really, if we're buying into the absurdity, comparing ourselves to the computer-generated model on the cover of Cosmopolitan, or the lady at the pool with breast implants, we only have ourselves to blame. Beautiful woman after beautiful woman is undergoing surgery to become something that is simply unattainable...perfect.

Let's just say you decide to get breast implants. Do you really think having a larger set of breasts is going to help you feel better about yourself? Because I'm here to tell you that although you might think it is, the size of your breasts is absolutely not the issue. First it's your breasts, then you need a tummy tuck, lyposuction, a face lift, a little botox and then you realize you're still not happy. Give me a break! How about doing the work it takes to be not only physically fit, but mentally and emotionally fit. Let's work out these crazy ideas and stop comparing our weaknesses to other people's strengths. It starts with honesty. Honesty about what we portray to others through our appearances, our blogs, our church behavior, our perfectly detailed homes, our achievements, our designer clothes, our children. How about we all start being honest about not being perfect and in turn forgive each other for it? Let's just love each other anyway.

This isn't just about getting botox and breast implants. These types of self damaging beliefs lead women all over the world to anxiety, bulemia, anorexia, self doubt, depression, addictions and the likes. Absurd, I tell you! It is very rare that a woman who is physically fit also has large breasts. Since about 1/3 of the breast is made up of fat, the more fat a person carries, the larger their breasts will be. Duh. So why is it the "ideal" to be absolutely rail skinny, with large breasts? I hate to break it to you ladies (and men), but that is just not reality. The more women who are proud of our fantastic bodies exactly the way they are, the better. At the very least, get a push up bra. At the very most, forget the push up bra, and join millions of other women who know they are gorgeous just the way they are. Join my revolution and just say no to absurdity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XegOczOvfXY

And as Wesley on Princess Bride says, "There's a shortage of perfect breasts in the world. T'would be a pity to damage yours."

My Top Three Annoyances Today

1. John Edwards
2. "Brangelina"
3. Botox and Breast Implants

Just had to get that off my chest.

Freedom Never Cries

This video brings me to tears.

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/706270

Madeline's Big News

Drum roll please..................................................................Madeline is potty trained! I have to say after potty training three kids, the only consistent thing that I know is that each child is different and will do it when they're ready, end of story. This child required princess underwear, M&Ms, and a pink tricycle to motivate her. Will I miss changing diapers in parking lots and playgrounds or the minute before we're supposed to be out the door? Absolutely not. I told Shan he got a free ride on this one... he'll be home and no more diapers to change thanks to me. So let me have just a minute of glory.