Friday, August 12, 2011

School Supplies = Feminism

Yesterday, the Bookworm and I went "back to school" shopping to get all of the "necessary" school supplies that he needs for the new school year. After shopping for his school supplies yesterday I am on my soapbox more than ever and I am on a roll with this Blog Post, so I hope you're sitting down and drinking your coffee while reading this!

I have to admit that before we even stepped into a Store yesterday to shop I was ready. I had my sale papers in hand and had everything circled that was on sale that he needed, and I was prepared that we may have to go to multiple stores to get all the supplies that he needed.

First stop.....Target. First thing on our list were 2 pencil pouches for his binders. The Bookworm immediately spotted the pencil pouches hanging on a rack and went to them to look for 2 that he wanted for his binders. Much to my dismay, there were none for him. Why you ask......they were all "femine". They were all aimed for girls. Pretty pink and purple and teal colors, flowers and circles and dots, cute little kittens and puppies and birds! You name it and it was all for girls! We looked at eachother and said, NEXT!

Next on our list was binders and he needed 2. So we went to the aisle with the binders, and by the way we are still in Target. He begins looking and automatically says I will get a black one, so of course we immediately find a black one. Then he's looking around and the only other color he saw that he could get was white, but unfortunately they didn't have the size binder that he needed. So we look at eachother and I tell him to just put the black binder back that we would go to Office Depot to look for binders. If any place is going to have binders, it's going to be Office Depot. Once again when looking for binders if you were shopping for a girl, you would have had it made! Binders in pretty pink and purple and yellow, with kittens and puppies and birds, and of course there were those with flowers and circles and dots! Yuck! Come on companies that make this stuff, GET REAL, there are boys in this world too! NEXT!

Next on the list was pencils. We automatically found the traditional woodend pencils and colored pencils and threw those in the buggy, what took us awhile to pick out and find were the mechanical pencils! We couldn't just grab a pack of mechanical pencils because most of the pencils were once again femine! Colors of pretty girly purple and pink and teal and yellow and mauve. Gee!! Finally and I do mean finally after much searching, we found a Target brand of mechanical pencils that had red, blue, green and yellow. Solution to the yellow pencils, give them to his sister The Princess! NEXT!

Next on the list was a new book bag. It didn't take him long to scan the aisle with the book bags and the Bookworm immediately say that he didn't see anything. Why didn't he see anything..........once again they were aimed for girls! Pretty colors of pink and purple and teal, kittens and puppies and birds, circles and dots and flowers! We looked at eachother and said lets get out of here! NEXT!

The second stop on our School Supply Marathon shopping trip was Office Depot. Immediately upon entering Office Depot we went to the binder aisle and mind you we needed not 1 but 2, so on the hunt we went for 2 masculine, not femine binders. Of course there were all the pretty femine colors! What colors was the Bookworm able to come out of Office Depot with: Navy and Black! Seriously companies start thinking of boys too! NEXT!

Another item was a hand held pencil sharpener. Now how hard do you think it is to find a masculine pencil sharpener? Answer: Obviously we found out it's pretty hard! After much looking we walked out of Office Depot with a green one. Seriously ready to get home by now! NEXT!

Remember those 2 pencil pouches that he needed, yeah, we found them at Office depot, the only 2 masculine colors that they had navy and dark green! Why is it that girls have so many other options?!? NEXT!

Another item on our list was 3 packs of 5 tab dividers for his binders. Let me just say that we always get these each year at Office Depot because all other stores are ALWAYS out of them! We found them, but of course most of the colors in the pack are once again femine. By this time I was really dismayed ay all the options that girls are offered and very disappointed at how boys are thrown to the back burner. And I must add that while in Office Depot we ran into a Mom and her Son and they were having the same problems as the Bookworm and I were! NEXT!

Last stop on our great adventure in looking for school supplies was Walmart, yep Wally World and if you know me Walmart isn't exactly my favorite store! On the agenda for Walmart was disposable gloves for his Science labs, tissues, paper towels, cleaning wipes, hand sanitizer and notebook paper. (Sorry teachers, but all of the optional items on our list, you can get them yourself because after spending almost $100.00 on supplies for 1 of my children only, you can get your own dry erase board markers!) It was quick and easy to find all of the items that we needed, except for the hand sanitizer, they were all out. In fact the 2 previous stores that we had went to were out of it as well. My plan is to just get it this weekend at a Grocery Store. Oh yeah, and we had luck at Walmart with a bookbag. Not much of a variety of colors for boys like girls when it comes to bookbags. Gotta love that beautiful color of black and gray that the Bookworm picked out!! Wow he had so much variety and color to choose from he couldn't contain himself, so he got a black and gray one!

So, what's my point to this Blog? Companies need to wake-up and realize that there are not only girls in the world but boys also. Why do they make so much stuff for girls and aim their items toward them? Answer: Because they know that girls want cute and pretty and colorful things! And they know that Mom will buy it for them! So that makes money made for Companies. My take, companies need to add more masculine colors to their items. If you are a Mom of boys I know that you are right there with me! How many times have you gone school supply shopping and you've noticed how everything is femine? If you have never paid attention I encourage you to go to your local Target, Walmart, Kmart, etc. and just walk around in the School Supply section.....you will be amazed! I know that I am not alone! So wake up with me Moms of boys, it's time boys are heard and who is the best person to stand up for our boys than us Moms!

My plan, although it may not change the world, but my plan is to write or call the companies that are making these products and tell them to go masculine and cut the femine! Who knows, maybe I'll get some freebies out of it, but best of all I am taking a stand! And taking a stand for my BOY!

Moms of boys....unite with me!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

You Had Them.....You Raise Them

It's amazing to me to see people that have children and they don't take care of them. I mean, they don't attend things at their children's schools, or go to their extra-curricular activities, or the parents don't cook and the family doesn't eat together, or they don't go to Church together or they don't watch their kids. Sad, just sad.

There is an old saying: You had them, you raise them! It really annoys me to see "parents" not doing for their children. Some want to be their children's "friend", let me say one thing, we are not our children's "friend" we are their parent! There is a difference between being a "friend", and being a good parent that has a close relationship with your child. God said that we(parents) are to train up a child and to train them up in the Lord.

Can you believe that sitting down to dinner at night is almost null and void! Yes, it's true! Why would anyone not want to sit down to dinner at night and eat as a family?! I cook every night and we sit down to dinner every night as a family and eat together and talk about how our day was and then we have a 5 minute devotion. Who wouldn't want to be apart of that with their children? It saddens me to see parents going through the drive-through every night and not eating together. Oh yeah, and lets not forget that they don't even stop before they eat and thank God(say the blessing)!

And talking about the blessing, lets talk about those parents that don't go to Church! Seriously people, how can you make it the whole week without going to Church and worshipping God! How can your children grow up and not know God! My heart breaks for those that do not go to Church and for those that don't walk with the Lord. It is not just to go to Church only at Easter and Christmas or for "special occasions". I have always wondered what goes through the minds of those that only attend Church at Easter and Christmas or those special occasions. I would be embarrassed, you know, that they know, that they should be in God's house every Sunday. This also makes me think of those that send their children to a Christian/Church School and they don't even go to Church........really......what is the point?

Then there are those that just don't want to watch their kids. Yes, there are those that work and have to put their kids in day care, that is understandable, but then you have those that don't work and they just throw their kids in day care or off on others at the drop of a hat! Oh, I need to go to Sears, can you watch my kids, oh, we want to have time by ourselves, can you watch my kids, oh, I need to take a nap, can you watch my kids. Or better yet, there are also those that put their kids in things and expect others to take them to what they put them in......really? I am not saying that there is something wrong in having someone watch your kids, but get a sitter, yes, everyone needs a break, but do they need a break everyday!?!

I have seen a lot of this from living all over the world, and right here on the East Coast.........I could go on and on, but to be blunt, You had them, you raise them! And raise them in the way in which they should go!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Surgery and Sickness at The Cottage

The most anticipated day finally arrived on Thursday, this being the day of my hand surgery. It started out with my surgery being at 12:30, then moved to 2:00, then the morning of with me getting a call to come as soon as I could to the Hospital. That being said, I called the Major on his cellphone and told him as soon as he got home from registering the Princess for her Sophomore year of High School that we needed to leave for my surgery.

We arrived and I was taken back and pre-oped for surgery, the Major was able to go back and stay with me which was nice. For me having to hurry and get there, it wasn't until alittle after 4 pm when I was finally taken back to have my surgery. The Major hadn't had anything to eat all day as well as myself. God provided in the form of an Angel named Erica. She was the head nurse in charge of surgery and she came in at 3:30 to meet us and to see how we where doing, she asked the Major if he had eaten anything and he said no, but that he would wait until they took me back to surgery. She left saying she would be right back and when she returned she called the hospital cafeteria to see what time they closed then she handed the Major two 5 dollar vouchers to the cafeteria and told him to go get something to eat and that he could bring it back up and that if they tried to take me while he was gone that she would make them wait. The Major later told me that he was worried about eating up until that point because earlier he said that God told him that he would provide food for him. What an awesome God!

Not longer than 20 minutes after the Major returned they came and took me to surgery. What do I remember........nothing! I remember being rolled into the operation room and seeing the light above me and asking the anesthiasologist if he had given me something and he said yes, and that was it! We were home at around 6-6:30. It was an all day event! I got home and was in the bed, and then the Major started not feeling well adn he was in the bed too! Friday found the Major going to the Doctor and then home and in the bed resting all day with me still in the bed as well sleeping and resting with my arm propped up. Saturday found the Major returning to the Doctor yet again, still very sick and back in the bed along side me! With ear infections, sinus infection and blisters all in his throat he was not able to eat anything and barely able to drink anything too. So life at the Cottage has been quite interesting since Thursday!

Thanking the Lord for my parents! They came up yesterday and checked on us. My Mom brought homemade chicken and vegetable soup and they took the kids to lunch. Thank you Mom for calling and checking on us during the day as well! Also the Princess has really been taking care of the Major and I too! It hard with only having one hand to use until the 9th! She has helped by opening up pill bottles and things for me. Saltine crackers and coke have been my friend for the past 4 days, finally yesterday I was able to eat without feeling nauseous. The Major started feeling somewhat better late last night and he was finally able to eat some of my Mom's soup even though he was very much in pain trying to swollow, Praise the Lord he was able to becuase he had to eat something besides jello and vanilla yogurt!

I thank my parents for constantly calling and checking on us and for the two people from our Church that called checking on us, and for the one friend that sent a card. It really doesn't take a lot of effort to pick up the phone and call someone and see how they are doing, or send a card. Sometimes people just need to know that others care about them and that they are being thought of and prayed for.