madameblogalot

Having an older teen, one who is stuck in the middle of the teen years and keeping a toddler everyday, I started thinking about how much these ages are alike. At first I thought I would say that teens and toddlers are in the same world only on opposite ends of the spectrum. But I think they are pretty much going through the same things-physically, emotionally, and mentally. I mean, we can see a toddler’s body growing and changing, and for the most part that is the same with teens. It is harder to tell the emotional and mental changes going on inside a toddler, but again, maybe not any harder than it is to tell with teens! I mean, they are both figuring out who they are apart from Mom, Dad and other family members; who they are in their own right, in their own community, and they are adamant about expressing their individualism. The mental changes and growth going on within toddlers could probably be said to be about even with teens. Even though a lot of people might think that there is nothing going on in that space between a teenager’s ears, there is plenty of observation, thought processing, reflecting, stewing, percolating and making pronouncements and assertions about the world in which they live. I guess the one advantage that toddlers have over teens is that most people think they are still “cute”.

In all the swirl of life we are going through right now, there are so many needs that have to be taken care of. I cannot believe the amount of money that has been spent by us this year. Money for physical therapies, college fees, eyeglasses, driver’s ed, the dentist, sessions with specialists, required health insurance for a college student…and this is all among the regular expenses required just to live and run a household!

I know some changes are in store for the next year’s budget planning. Things like driver’s ed are over. Physical therapies have ended. And for eye wear I will definitely check into cheap eyeglasses . This year I let my daughter talk me into “glasses in an hour.” In the future I want to check out some prescription eyeglass web sites to help control some of the outrageous costs while still meeting my family’s health needs. I hear they can provide sturdy, affordable and yet stylish eyeglasses to help meet any budget. So while health care often feels like a luxury I am hopeful to be able to meet all my family’s needs while remaining safely within our budget.

I read an article this weekend about the corn industry’s push to re-name high fructose corn syrup on labels (read here.) I know this is a controversial topic recently. While I try to refrain from buying products containing HFCS I know it is hard to do in modern day America. With all the bad press it just seems disingenuous for the makers to try to change the name. That seems like trying to pull the wool over the public’s eyes. Let the consumer make his or her own informed choice (meaning we need to be given the full information.) After all, isn’t a rose by any other name still a rose?

There is not much that can be said that has not already been said. I have had a hard time watching images that have been replayed on tv over the past week, even ten years later. They are disturbing images even now. And yet there is an importance in remembering the tenth anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks. Not only is it a good way for us to deal with it, a kind of catharsis, but it helps to impart the meaning to our children.

As today is an important day for Americans to remember those who have fallen in recent history, it is important to teach the younger generation why it’s important to remember. Sometimes history seems like such a dull thing of the past to kids. Teaching them now about an historic event that we and many of them have lived through puts the human touch, emotion, and passion into history. It is important to impart not only information but values and lessons learned from such historic events. Today is a great day to recall why it’s so important to be mindful of and share such events.

I remember my granny talking about Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day, “a date which will live in infamy”, and how it is nearly forgotten by today’s generation. It is up to us to impart those values to the ones coming behind. To know what it is we stand for. To know how we got where we are and why we do some of the things we do. It is important that history not always repeat itself. That is why days like today are so important.

My friend Marathon Bird recently posted about her recommitment to weekly menu planning. I had kind of fallen out of practice on that too, and was so glad she wrote about it. It is not a hard practice and really does not take too much time and the benefits are greater than the effort it takes. It makes putting together a shopping list easier, it makes the evenings go more smoothly, and it does save time and money too. I have been putting together my weekly menu again and I am glad MB reminded me to do it!

Well, we got one kid shipped out. I thought we would have a cut back on the drama around here. But alas, it looks like we are in for three more years of it. I can only hope that by then there will be a reduction of the drama brought on by teenagehood!

My daughter can hardly wait for her brother to go to college. She is counting down the days until she has her own bathroom! She has plans for renovating and remodeling the bathroom they shared (that she never used-she always uses ours!) That is a whole story in itself. I was thinking about that project while I was scrubbing my kitchen sink the other day. And I started wondering if I should do the same with my sink.

When we did remodel our kitchen we got a white ceramic sink. It’s pretty. But it is hard to keep that way. It stains easily and it is filled with scratches. So I wonder if I should have went with a stainless steel Undermount Sink in the kitchen. I don’t know if that look would match the look of our kitchen, but I am guessing that all stainless steel Undermount Sinks pretty much match everything and are not as hard to keep looking nice.

It’s that time of year again. The time for new school clothes, new shoes, new school supplies, and spending a whole lot of money. I come from a family of what I like to call “Master Sale Shoppers.” My mother and my grandmother are both people that have achieved this “master” title. It seems that no matter where they shop they always find some type of sale. Unfortunately, however, I have not yet learned this skill. It seems to me that there are two choices when it comes to shopping: cute clothes - that cost every last dollar that I have; or cheap, affordable clothes - that for some reason never seem quiet as cute as the others. My mom and I go shopping together a lot. We go to the same stores but she will somehow always come away with 5 items that all added up to the same price as my 1 item. Every time I shop with my mom she always says the same thing on the way home. “You really need to learn how to shop,” she says, “you just never seem to find anything on sale!” Sadly, I know this is true. So, I recently decided to start trying to live up to my mother and grandmother’s reputation of finding amazing sales. I have discovered that it is actually possible to find some cute things - without spending all my money! I have found deals at Savings.com for just about everything! No matter what you’re looking for, whether it is clothes, electronics, or chocolate, there is a discount! Maybe with some help from sites like this, I can also become a “Master Sale Shopper” in my family!

It took me most of June and half of July to finish this book. *Spoiler Warning* It’s a Christmas gift for a certain someone who I am pretty sure will read this post!!

The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy: The Lion, The Witch and The Worldview: I bought this book on sale as a Christmas gift for my sister. The title really intrigued me and I knew she would love it. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it as I was afraid it would spoil the magic of Narnia too much. But, after reading the table of contents I went ahead and decided to read it. While I do not agree with everything presented in the book, it was very interesting and thought provoking. It made me both sad, seeing how much I have failed my own kids in so many ways, and it also made me long for Narnia like I did when I was younger. It made me want to re-read the Chronicles, especially wishing I had time to read all seven books to my kids again before my son leaves. I will rate the book as a HIT.

A Case of Need: This is one of Michael Crichton’s early books. In fact, he originally wrote it under a pseudonym. I enjoyed the story, though maybe not as much as some others. I will still rate it a HIT.

Mother: While away at a small bed and breakfast, this was one of the few movies available. It was not that good of a movie and only served to reinforce the feeling of dysfunction in my own relationship with my son. I rate this one as a MISS.

Cold Mountain: Another of the few movie choices. I went into it thinking I would like it. It was a romance set in the Civil War. While I know that people were brutally slaughtered, I don’t like to see it graphically displayed or sensationalized. Nor do I like to see folk’s brutally lewd side either. Even though I know the things probably represent very human things that happened, I do not want to SEE it! Nor do I even want to SEE the sexual encounter that is to represent “true, pure love” in the story. There were some big names in the movie-Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Renee Zellwegger, Donald Sutherland, a young Natalie Portman. Even so, I rate this one as a MISS.

The Source Code: This movie is tough to describe. My husband said it’s an Inception wannabe. It has elements of Groundhog Day and Knowing. It is an interesting concept-a man relives eight minutes of the immediate past in order to help change the future. The lead actors do a pretty good job. There is some rough language. Overall, I rate this one as a HIT.

The Great Train Robbery (novel): When I realized this was written by Michael Crichton I had to give it a try. This is based on a real event. I always love how Crichton does his homework on a book. This story was hard to follow at times because of the slang of the time which Crichton uses to make the story even more real. As always, I will give it a HIT.

In just a little under a month, my son will be leaving for college. It is a bittersweet time in our house. One good thing that is happening is that some reality is dawning and setting in for him. For example, this weekend he has cleaned out a living room shelf where he has kept “stuff” all school year. He cleaned out his room a bit more as well. He is finishing up little tasks, applied for a couple of on campus jobs, and even got his class schedule done! Today at lunch he told me how much he appreciates me waking him up for events like church and other things. But, now he wants me NOT to do that. He needs to learn on his own to start making sure his alarm is set and that he gets up to it, especially on weekends. I could only laugh and tell him that I think this is a great idea and a perfect time to start!