What Happened to Good, Clean Movies?

I recently watched Singin' in the Rain with Gene Kelly with my family. I had never seen this musical before. My children loved it and enjoy reenacting the "Make 'Em Laugh" scene. I know another family who said their son was inspired with tap dance because of this movie.

It's just good, clean fun. Why don't we have movies and talent like this anymore? The performers can sing, dance, and act. We have so many special effects, voice overs, and stunt people these days because there is a lack of talent.

There are some good movies out there, don't get me wrong, but they are few and far between. I think I will visit the classics section at the video store a bit more. The content of the classics are so inspirational too. If anyone has any recommendations, they'll gladly be received.

Be Thankful

This Thanksgiving week is usually a time when we reflect on how thankful we are for our family and friends. We are thankful for our jobs and our material possessions. How many times, though, do we express gratitude for the things that we usually take for granted or things that we often complain about. For instance, I really despise the laundry situation. With 4 small children, and a tall husband whose 1 pair of pants takes up a full load, I feel like it never ends.

...But, I need to be thankful.

Be thankful for laundry, for you have clothes.
Be thankful for clothes that are too snug, for you have enough to eat.
Be thankful for the taxes you pay, for you are employed.
Be thankful your lawn needs mowing and you windows need fixing, for you have a home.
Be thankful for your heating bill, for you are warm.
Be thankful for the space at the far end of the parking lot, for you can walk.
Be thankful for when people complain about the government, for you have freedom of speech.
Be thankful for the alarm that goes off in the morning, for you are alive.

I hope we can all find it in our hearts to show thankfulness and gratitude for the mundane.

Too Competitive?

Today, my 10 year old son played in the championship game for his flag football league. His team came in 3rd place out of five teams before the single elimination playoffs. His team beat the 2nd place team on Thursday to advance them to play against the undefeated 1st place team. We knew it was going to be a tough game, so we just wanted the boys to go out and have fun.

Ours boys started the game with some good defense to keep the opposing team from scoring in the first run. I will make a long story short by saying that my son's team played a tremendous ball game and won the game 13-7. During the game though, the coaches and some of the parents did get a little intense. One dad (from our team I am ashamed to admit), came a little on the field and performed a little victory dance after our team scored a touchdown. I thought it a bit much and could not help but think of the numerous occasions of sports rage that leads to fights, not just among the kids. In fact, it has become more common that sports rage involves the coaches and parents.

Why has this violence become more common? I think, as parents, we try to live vicariously through our children. I must admit that I am a very competitive person. Yes, I did find myself getting extremely excited at my son's game today. Even with the USC Trojan football game tonight, I found myself yelling at the TV. I do work very hard to refrain myself, or at least I hope to think that I do. All that to say, that I believe we are too competitive when it comes to youth sports. We also teach our children this. We really need to chill out and model good sportsmanship for our children. We need to teach our children how to lose and win gracefully. It is embarrassing for us and our children to act in such a way to bring so much attention. We can take the lead as an example for our children and those around us.

Congratulations Minor 49ers and Fight on Trojans!!

The Choking Game

Today's Oprah show revealed something new that I had not heard of. As a mom of a pre-teen, I want to be sure that I am aware of my child's activities. I want to be involved in his life so as to be sure to guard off from drugs, huffing, dusting, and now the "choking game."

In our thrill-seeking culture, children get bored easily and have to go to extreme measures to experience excitement. Note the rise of "extreme sports" and the huge popularity of the X-Games. Whatever happened to Pac-Man and Centipede, playing Kick the Can in the streets, and collecting bugs to scare your mom. Drugs are illegal and may be difficult to come by, but the children of America are clever. They have adapted and devised ways to experience a high without the use of illegal drugs. Don't be naive, though. Just because you do not recognize signs of illegal drug use, we must be aware of the signs of these other hazards.

This is not intended to lead to paranoia, however one of our greatest jobs as a parent is to protect our children. We must stay aware, involved, and connected at a deep level.
As we continue to do this in our children's lives, and we provide the security and sense of belonging in the family, as well as fulfilling other needs within our children, hopefully we can build them to make smart choices.

Things My 4 Year Old Says

Inspired by a friend's blog (sleep-deprived), I wanted to share some of the funny moments inspired by my four year old. As a back drop, my four year old is the third child and the second boy. He is quite the comedian and enjoys hip-hop, freestyle dancing. What a character.

Yesterday while we were driving, like most days, we were listening to Radio Disney. There was a fun upbeat song on that had lots of rhythm. My son starts to get a little groove on and remains very aware of his surroundings outside of the car. In the San Fernando Valley, we have been experiencing the Santa Anas which are very strong winds. The palms trees and leaves have been all over the roads. My son noticed that the palm trees were swaying what seemed like purposefully to the beat of the song. He said, "See, even the trees are dancing." I must say that the palm branches did seem to have great rhythm.

About a week ago, my husband came home from the grocery store with English muffins. He was so excited and went to share about the new purchase with a friend, "Just a Woman." He said, "Look we have English muffins. They speak English." We then wondered if French toast speaks French and Spanish rice speaks Spanish. If only our food could talk!

I actually have more material, but I must watch Alias before it gets too late.

Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?

As CHRISTMAS approaches, I have already heard the debate about whether we should say "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas". Some would say that it depends upon what faith the person you are addressing adheres to. Others would say that it is politically correct to say "Happy Holidays" because it is inclusive of all faiths and religions that are celebrating during this season. Some feel that "Merry Christmas" would be a Christian greeting.

I think that in the desire to become sensitive and tolerant, we have become insensible. To say that Christmas is purely a Christian holiday and celebration is unfounded. The celebration of Christmas began even before the birth of Jesus. It is a holiday that has been celebrated by many nations and religions. The traditions that surround the Christmas season have been largely commercialized and adapted from a myriad of cultures and customs.

I do not understand why corporate employees cannot say "Merry Christmas" and yet are able to say "Happy Halloween." Halloween is a Celtic religious celebration. Christians can very well find that offensive. But you do not hear the whistle blowing on that!

I think it ridiculous to alter our Christmas greeting. It is not to exclude those who do not celebrate this holiday. It is simply a greeting. Should I not say "Have a great day," just in case you do not want to celebrate a great day. I guess I have to be sensitive to the fact that you might want to have a miserable day. Sounds absurd, no? We are in America where Christmas has been celebrated for religious, as well as, traditional reasons. I would dare say that most Americans celebrate Christmas out of tradition and not religious belief. It is not a greeting to demand religious exclusivity. It is just what it is.

On that note, have a great day!! I will post more later at which time I will be able to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

To Do...Vote!

With the arrival of Election Day, the mail overflows with voter guides and mailers and the answering machine relays pre-recorded endorsements. Don’t we have enough to do everyday, that every two years on a Tuesday in the month of November we have to go and vote too. Do we really have enough time in the day to add one more line on the “To Do List.” According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number one reason for not voting in the November 2002 election for females was “Too busy, conflicting schedule.”

As a Mom of 4, I can certainly understand that sentiment. A typical Tuesday for me goes something like this…

Wake up and fix bottle for the baby (16 months)
Shower and ready myself for the day
Breakfast for the other 3 children
Change diaper and dress baby
Start school with oldest two children (I home educate a 6th and 1st grader)
Clean up messes from youngest two children
Put baby down for nap
Continue with school
Prepare lunch
By 1:00pm we are at a Mommy & Me group for an hour
At 2:00pm we are headed back home to continue school
Tap at 4:30pm and football at 6:00pm
Then home for homework, dinner, and bath time

Despite the overwhelming feeling that I may get just from typing this, I am thankful that I get to vote. I am thankful that we have the freedom to choose how many children we can have in our family. I am thankful that I have the freedom to home educate my children. There are so many other things that we can so easily take for granted that allow us to do what we view as the mundane things in our days.

I am grateful for the opportunity to vote and express my opinion. It is a privilege and duty for me to do so. I hope that all moms will consider these things and increase the percentage of female voters. Life is busy, but what are we setting as priorities. Perhaps I will have to wake up a little bit earlier to work in the trip to the voting place. Such a small sacrifice for such benefits in return. See you at the polls.