What in the the world.....

Happened to modesty?

Did society *which is a group of people made up of parental units*  go on mental and moral vacation? At what point did parents lose control or in some cases cede control to others as to what is acceptable in clothing options?

Our family just spent time at a local Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park. While there I saw every imaginable combination of body styles and bathing suits or lack thereof.   There are sometimes when just because they make a bathing suit in your size does not mean that you should be wearing that style of suit.  Its one thing if your 18 and have the body of a model and want to show that you can wear dental floss for a swim suit,  but just because they have swimsuits of similar style in a size 6X does not mean it is appropriate for a young child to be running around in a skimpy string bikini!!!  I am sorry but this is something that REALLY REALLY bothers me..  That and seeing young girls maybe 10-12 years old running around in same suits and falling out of them!!!  HELLO!!  These kids do not have the mental maturity to know that their suit is shifting about and that they need to be conscious of what is and isn't being covered.  They just know that they want to run from point A to point B and jump around in the water with their best friend.   I think there are a lot of parents out there who have mentally checked out when it comes to appropriate attire for young girls.

For the most part i grew up with the rule *thank you mom (Susan Smart) for passing that along*  " if you can wiggle, jiggle, shimmy, shake, bend over, squat, or sit without anything important coming close to falling out or showing then you can leave the house."   Now that still leaves a lot of room to show, expose, oh heck lets just say it, embarrass yourself, and when your 18 + and make that choice fine.  But i am sorry to say that parents need to stand up and make it known that NOT EVERYONE - (and i have talked to a few and know I am not alone in this idea)  wants to wear shorts that make your butt cheeks fall out the bottom or jeans that show your butt crack!  Nor is it appropriate for our young girls to wear them or for our young impressionable young men *those of you with teen boys know what mean* to be exposed to it!

I mean seriously what happened to taking your new 7th grade daughter shopping for school clothes and finding a pair of jeans with more than  4" between waist band and crotch????  not to mention the inseam lengths of shorts!

My daughter LOVES LOVES LOVES to wear dresses and skirts, but again why do the clothes that are available to purchase in stores  have to be so short they cant bend over without showing just about everything. And we all know 12 year old girls do not realize where that draft just came from when they bend over.   Whether they are too short or in some cases cut with cleavage to the belly button they are NOT appropriate..  So since my daughter loves to dress in a feminine way I started making many of her skirts and dresses.  I have the ability and time to do so, but not everyone does.

What is it going to take to get the fashion industry to realize these things?  I mean how many parents are there out in the world who feel the same way I do but  buy what they find in the stores regardless only because they don't have any other options?

I had much more to say on this but will save it for another topic at a later time.....

Getting back on track.

So here i am 1 month after vacation and just now starting to get things moving again.  We are officially on the 8 day countdown to school starting. I am sad to say that yes I am counting the days until I no longer have to fight with these kids every hour of the day to either get along, stop fighting, running in the house, teasing each other, laying on the dog, talking about video games (that sadly i have no interest in), and to do the chores I asked them to do the right way like i asked them to do three times ago.

Don't get me wrong. I love my children dearly. However there are times when I can not wait for them to be back in school.  While in school they have time away from each other, time where they can have their own space and not constantly be trying to butt heads like little rams over Legos, or whose turn it is to let the dog out, who did or didn't do the dishes correctly, or even whose fault it is that we re washed the same load of laundry twice!!

<Sigh>  Taking a deep breath without feeling the need to hide in the closet is something I am looking forward to.   This has been a very busy summer, which isnt a bad thing since it kept us on the go.  But at the same time the feeling of GO GO GO GO GO felt never ending.

We have made 3 trips to Six Flags in St. Louis *with at least 1 more trip planned*

Riding Coasters 

Learning how to Fork Fight  *doesnt work as well as Spork Fighting*  

 So far 2 of 3 concerts at Six Flags.

Casting Crowns in the pouring rain

Building 439

 

Matthew West

 

 Had grandma come visit in June.

 We went on a trip to Ohio where the kids got to meet Grandpa Larry

Then on to PA where we spend some nice time with Family. 

Pappy and the kids at Breakfast

Rebecca with cousins Tessa and Brylee

Thomas and Nanny Hazel

Chris and Nanny

Becca and Nanny

Lots of Exciting things have been happening this summer.

Rebecca and Thomas were baptized by their father Rev. Robert W. Hudson Jr. 

Summer is not quite over.   

We still have another trip to Six Flags planned for the water park.  

A concert with Tenth Avenue North. 

There is even the possibility of a camping trip before too long although that might wait till it cools down a bit. 

Not mentioned above, the three kids also spent a week away at Church camp on 3 separate trips. 

Now you see why I say we had a busy summer?  

Vacation

We are currently on vacation and wanted to let you know I haven't forgot about blogging.  I have lots of ideas for when I get home.   Spending time with lots of family..  Kids are having a blast. 

Letting Go...

First steps, kindergarten, new school, new sports team, school dance, and youth camp.  They all have one thing in common.   It means letting go of the control you as a mother have with your child.   It means taking a step back and letting them stand on their own, knowing that you will be there to pick them up if they fall, get hurt, don't make friends, feel excluded, dumped by the date, or don't fit in.   This all comes together for me this morning as I prepare to send my 15 year old son to youth camp today.

Today's Saying is

" Being a mom means being over-protective.  Its genetic."

That is a powerful statement, and one that I am sure almost every mother out there can relate to.  When your child takes his first steps you're cautiously reaching your hands out to catch him if he falls, wanting to protect him from the hard ground. These first steps are repeated over and over in his life. Each and every time mom has her hands outstretched ready to catch him when he falls. While you may not physically be reaching out to catch him, it may be emotionally, or mentally, you still do it. Sometimes wondering if letting him take that first step is the right choice.  Not wanting to let go and let them make the choices, the friends, the mistakes,  that you know in your heart they will eventually make is one of the hardest things a parent can do.  As the statement says, its genetic. 

The idea of letting your child go and do something isn't always about whether or not they are ready to do it. Sometimes it is about whether or not you are ready for them to do it.  Most often YOUR not while they have been ready for a while.  I know I am not..  We know all about the problems that they could, might, and probably will encounter, and we want to protect them from the pain, heartache, bumps and bruises of life.  I think the hardest thing for us to do is to step back, fight that deep feeling of panic, and let them do whatever it is they are going to do.

Chris leaves today for a week long youth camp.
- Thankfully its a church camp, so it "should" be more in line with our morals/values/ beliefs.  But at the same time its a Co-Ed camp  for grades 7-12. So of course momma in me worries about the gender aspects.
-Then there is the fact that we don't personally know of anyone else attending this camp.  Doesn't mean that he will know NO one, but we haven't heard about anyone in particular..  So momma worries he wont know anyone, wont make friends.  
- Chris is hearing impaired.  Will the other kids accept him, will there be a social barrier between them.  Will he remember to take care of the $3000 worth of hearing instruments that he has worn since he was 4.. yes after 11 years he knows when to take them off but he is still a kid and sometimes accidents happen.  HELLO...  teenagers + lake = worry.

Wow  strangely enough I thought I was worried about more than that but after putting it down I realize the list wasn't that long.   I also realized that it doesn't matter what happens, Chris is a good kid, and things will happen as they are meant to happen.  Its time to step back and let God guide Chris.  Will it be easy?  OH heck no.   Will I stop being mom?  NEVER.. Will I not take back control when he comes home? Nope..  but I remind myself, he is still a kid, and will make his own decisions,  and he will be just fine.  

Man am I going to miss this kid.   Just think next week I get to send my daughter to camp. Now who is going to have a harder time with that one.. Me or Daddy?

Well Begun is Half-Done

To steal Mary Poppin's quote "Well Begun is Half-Done"  we started our day out great, but had to stop half way through doing a chore...

As a recent result of excessive rain, our lawn is growing beautifully!  It is a thick, lush, green carpet that is growing abundantly.   My only slightly irritated at having to mow the lawn at 8:30 in the morning 15 year old, went out to mow this morning..   Half way through the mower died so we now have a half mowed yard... 

So I called over to the local (20 minute drive away) repair center and they said it is a possibility that the engine has locked up and if that is the case its not cost effective to repair it.  We would need to buy a new mower.....  FUN FUN FUN!!  NOT!.. 

We will cross that bridge as we come to it. 

 

 



 

 

 

New Beginnings... again..

How many times have you sat down to write things out and say to yourself "I will start blogging."  "I will keep it up."  only to find 3 weeks later you have only made two entries.   Or you forget all about it when Life rears its ugly head, only to come across your blog 2 years later and go "oh yeah I remember starting that"  Yep I have been there too, many times actually.  Well now here we go again.  I always seem to have all these things running around my head but never seem to remember them to put them down in writing.  Sometimes they are funny, sometimes thought provoking, and sometimes just plain dull.  However, this time I am going to challenge myself, to try and put those many thoughts into words. 

A new beginning.

The Summer officially started the end of May, but our family's busy schedule has just begun.  One of the things I have my kids do everyday is read a book for at least  one hour and then write me a summary of what they read.  Yeah I am a mean mom, and yes I do know its summer, blame the educator in me.  So if I can make my kids read and write the least I can do is do the same thing. 

OK picked up this little book at a Christian bookstore called Mardel in Independence, Mo.. Anyway the book is called 1001 Things It Means To Be a Mom...  surprisingly enough its actually fairly accurate so far in the reading..  I was totally shocked that it was written by a MAN!!! 

So I will be periodically sharing some of these thoughts.. and my reactions to them.  The first one was ..

1. "Being a mom means thinking your the luckiest person in the world." 

I love this as its actually very true..  I have 3 wonderful children.  They are 15 year old Chris,  12 year old Becca, and 10 year old Thomas.  For the most part they are really great kids,  yes they have their issues, but don't we all?   For other people they are perfect angels, always behaving, minding their manners, friendly, and outgoing, but for us their parents, they can be very trying.  In the BIG picture though, I can look at them and say they are not THAT bad.  They are your typical siblings, fighting over games, who sits where at the dinner table, and who didn't do it.  They are also some of the sweetest kids I know.  They love to snuggle up against you while watching movies, hug you until you want to scream, hang on you in public, and love you unconditionally.  Becoming a mother was one of the BEST things that has ever happened to me. As the quote says I do think I am the luckiest person in the world.  I have been blessed by God with 3 healthy children, who are just that children.  I have also been blessed with a wonderful husband who has provided us with a comfortable life, and me with the ability to be a Stay at Home Mom and watch these children grow in ways that I never thought I would be able to see.  I look at my children and see them growing taller than me, and learning all the things I can teach them, and realize how lucky I am.   I get to watch them grow up daily, not work in a job all day only seeing them for a few hours before they nod off in their beds, and one day realize they are grown..  I get to snuggle on the couch with them every day during the summer while watching cartoons.  I have the blessed ability to take them down the street to get a soft serve ice cream at 2:30 in the afternoon, just because I am there and can.  I also am lucky enough to be able to sit and enjoy those chocolate chip cookies that my daughter recently removed from the oven just because she wanted to bake.

I could look at my kids and try comparing them to their peers and in some cases cringe and say "oh my at least my kids don't act like that!"  or I can look at them and say " WOW, my kids are growing up as kids, doing all those things that KIDS do."  I AM the luckiest person in the world because my kids are just that...  Still KIDS. and I wouldn't change anything.  Even when I am pulling my hair out because Thomas is teasing Becca, and Becca is Screaming at Chris, and Chris is oblivious while listening to his headphones too loudly, I wouldn't change it.

I love my kids.