because I said so...

I hated when my own mom said that, but those words are golden, there isn't always a reason.

Here's another one of my favorites: Mama's a people too.

I think moms/parents can do TOO much for their kids, so that their kids see their mom as a servant, instead of a person who also would like to be waited on sometimes, ha.

So I shy away from politics because the world is so corrupt. If you don't hate the president, they say, you are part of the problem. But I don't hate anyone. I don't like some things about him, but some things I admire, like how he says what he means without caring whom he offends. I like that he opposes abortion.

But anyway. Do you know there is an actress who said, "I haven't had an abortion, but I wish I had." It's the new cool thing. What sort of message are the young people in our world getting?

This post is all over the place this morning. I just don't know how it happened that morals and basic respect have gotten so out of style.

The three little children who were with me for 12 nights are back home again. Lydia comes each day, and when she left yesterday afternoon, it was like, wait, no small children to look after? We made dinner, and guess what? Char and Cam fixed their own plates, I had no chicken to cut up, no little cups to fill. It was strange. Paul was working at the basketball game, it was only Suzanne, Sonja, Jon, Charlotte Claire, Camille, and cousin Dani, and me.

Today is my little brother's birthday. From my grown up prospective, we simply ran wild as kids. All the kids in the neighborhood did. We waited at the bus stop with no parents present. We went sledding in the around-the-block neighbors' backyard. We played in the creek for hours, and ice skated on the swamp a few blocks away. No parents. We didn't even call our friends, we just went and knocked on their door, or went outside and got on our bikes, and met up. We played hide and seek all over the neighborhood, and huge games of kickball in the road. Drugs? When I was in middle school some kids smoked pot at the bus stop, and I was horrified, so I told my mother, and there was a neighborhood meeting...and I wasn't so popular. :(. But other than that, we felt safe. Things did happen to other kids in other places, but we weren't scared.

(Lest you think my life was idyllic, listen to this: when I was in 6th grade, in science class we had a tank of fish, and each student was assigned a fish, to name and observe. I was a nerd, and very excited about this. Then all the fish died. Someone had poured hydrochloric acid into the tank. I found out who did it, she was bragging about it, and I told on her. So...a whole group of really rough girls found out who told, and bullied me relentlessly. They pulled my hair on the bus, called me, "Narc", shoved me in the hallway, and worse, told me repeatedly they were going to find me alone and kick my arse. I didn't tell my mother this time, telling on people didn't seem to be doing me any favors, ha. Thankfully this blew over without me getting beat up, but seriously, sixth grade wasn't my year.

Anyway. Growing up with a strong sense of right and wrong isn't easy. Plus being a tattle-tale ha.

But shh, I wasn't an angel in high school, I'll leave it at that. I didn't go around killing innocent fish but...when I got converted, my senior year, things went much better for me.

Anyway. Sorry the disjointed post this morning.

Here's what's going on in real life: it's snowing out. There's white stuff everywhere. I have a roast to put in the crock pot, and some laundry to do. We are running out of bread and milk again, didn't I just go to the store? I made a triple batch of chocolate chip cookies yesterday and didn't eat any, nor any of the dough. Lydia loves helping me bake.

Tomorrow is our old ladies' hotel night, my girls are all going cross country skiing. Then next weekend I leave for Mexico! I had hoped to lose like fifty pounds by now, and I tell you, it's almost depressing to try things on. My jiggly arms and my jiggly thighs. Why didn't I work out every day like I wanted to? I did a little yesterday, because a week to get into fantastic shape, why not? I was actually disgusted at the depth of sorrow that I felt over how horrendous I looked in some of the things I tried on at Target the other day. Those awful florescent lights, those big mirrors, my back fat! oh mercy. I almost had to slap myself silly to get out of the funk! I preach to my girls about not caring what anyone thinks of you! I personally don't care, but then, wow, I really do, and I don't WANT TO. It's so silly and ridiculous when you think about it, to be so vain. When you're with someone you love and care about, do you really care if they have a little muffin top? okay, a BIG muffin top. Nah.

I'll tell you another thing, if you're not careful, you'll lose a lot of joy being fooled by internet envy. Here in my clutter, wishing I had Marie Kondo-ed my house. Following fat-girl-fed up (she IS amazing), and wondering why I can't seem to reach my goals, seeing someone's gorgeous house on Instagram and WHAT?

Nope, I am choosing to be thankful for who I am, for what I have (all the boxes and bins and piles of it, ha)...

Time to teach some children about their rights, and do some spelling...