Tampons and 9 Year Old Boys.

Have you seen this commercial for Hello Flo floating around the Internet? Take a 3 minutes to watch it (I'll wait), it's super cute and a really neat concept....I wish I had thought of it. 

Wasn't that funny? DR actually told me about it a couple days ago and pulled it up one evening for me to watch. This particular evening was like any other evening. Dinner was done, dishes washed and the kids were just hanging out around the house until bedtime. I was in the kitchen, on the laptop, trying to watch this three minute video without interruption. (right) Yip more than once came wanted to know what I was watching.

"It's a girl thing that you don't need to know about!! Beat it!", I snapped. Which he would respond to by immediately sneaking around the corner to watch the video behind my back. I kept pausing the video and shooing him off because really, explaining a period to a 9 year old boy just wasn't on my to do list for the day. 

As we were getting the boys ready for bed that night Yip just wouldn't let it go. "Mom, what was that video you were watching?" 

Of course that got Yap immediately interested, "What video? I want to see it!" *SIGH* The whole time the boys were badgering me DR was in the background telling them to drop it, shut up, just leave it alone and vainly trying to convince them that they didn't want to know anything about the video I was watching. 

But they just. Wouldn't. Drop it!! 

Fine!!! I caved! They wanted it, so I was going to GIVE IT TO THEM! 

May God have mercy on their souls! 

I broke out our handy dandy sex ed book....which DOESN'T explain periods...

....and found a uterus....

Now we've talked about sperm and eggs and where babies grow and they've looked through this book until it's ragged, not that they've read much so they know the black and white of the birds and the bees. Periods and sex haven't come into the discussion yet. 

Before I even started talking DR told them this, "Boys, Mom is going to tell you something you won't want to hear." 

"Yeah we do!!" heads nodding emphatically. 

"So...", DR continued without missing a beat, "tell her to stop talking when you've heard enough." Boys heads turn to me and the book enthusiastically waiting to hear the "big secret". 

They asked for it. 

"Women are born with eggs, here." I referenced above picture. "Once a month one egg travels down these tubes to here." Once again pointing at the illustrated uterus as I gauged my boys facing trying to decide how to proceed. Simple and straightforward was my best guess since they still looked interested. 

"Blood lines the walls here that will feed and keep the baby safe as it grows." I continued, still no reaction from my boys..they'd heard all this before, pretty black and white biology. 

"But, if a mother and father decide not to have a baby then the egg, which is very tiny, passes out of the uterus.....along with all that blood." I glanced warily at my boys faces and noticed they both wore slightly alarmed expressions. "That happens once a month to older girls and women." 

I was going out on a limb with my next sentence but, hey, they asked for it. "I have a period every month too." 

"STOP!!!" they both declared in unison. Well, I guess that was the tipping point.They didn't even remember to ask what the video was about. I hope I haven't emotionally scarred them too much! 

About that time DR was behind us giggling, pointing and saying, "I told you so!!" That was my first experience trying to explain what a period was to a boy, and I only got partway finished. Did you notice how DR didn't jump it at all to help? That's probably because he's just as confused by "women things" as the boys are. 

Okay, so all you mothers of boys out there....have you ever had to explain this to your sons? Or did someone else take care of it? Any horror/humorous stories to share? Any tips for me when/if I have to finish their education of periods, pads and tampons? 

The dress that I hope stays in the house.

Even though I grew up with three sisters none of us were really girly as children. We grew up on a farm feeding animals, driving tractors, hauling firewood. Only one of my sisters had any leanings toward girly stuff. 

Then I had twin boys so of course I knew trucks and Legos and dirt. 

Then came my daughter. Oh boy. 

If anyone tries to convince you that there is no big difference between little girls and little boys they are sooo wrong. Even surrounded by boy toys for the first couple years Yahoo has a passion for PINK, and DANCING, and RUFFLES! 

My mother, bless her heart, made Yahoo this dancing dress for Christmas. Three tiers of ruffles that a sparkly! 

My mom even thought ahead and made the elastic casings accessible that I can loosen it as Yahoo grows. Realistically, she could probably wear this dress for 3 or 4 more years! 

God Bless my mother! She definitely will do anything for her grand-kids, even make an incredibly GAUDY dress that I would prefer she didn't wear out of the house. I dodged a bullet this weekend though when Yahoo didn't choose to wear it to church. But I won't be that lucky forever! 

I guess I'm getting paid back though. I remember being about Yahoo's age and being obsessed with this striped crocheted yarn dress that I would wear all the time. My mom even admits to hiding it from me because I wore it so much. Okay, I guess Yahoo gets some of this girliness from me after all! 

Sunday Devotions - What You Are is Beautiful!

Psalm 139:14 
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

A friend of mine shared this link from Jewel on Facebook the other day. I'd listened to Jewel years ago but haven't for a while. I admit that when I listened to this song for the first time I cried. Take a minute and listen. 

Look in the mirror 

Not that's another story to tell

I give love to others

But I give myself hell

You don’t have to tell a flower how to bloom
Or light how to fill up a room
You already are what you are
And what you are is beautiful

As I was listening Yahoo came up to me and asked that we dance together to the song. Right in our kitchen I held her, with her sticky fingers and her mussed up hair and her mismatched clothes and she was beautiful. I hope that I can instill in her heart, way before she becomes a teen, that she's already beautiful and nothing she does on the outside will improve her because it's what's on the inside that counts. 

I've dealt with body issue problems for a long time. It's never been so severe that I've put my body in danger with any extreme diet but I have put my emotions under a lot of stress. For a long time I've thought, "I'm not skinny enough; I'm too bulky. The numbers on the scale are too high." I spent all my teen years in school sports and I couldn't help but compare myself to my team mates; their skills and yes, their bodies. It's hard to feel good about your body when it feels like everyone else is prettier than you are even if they aren't. I always felt awkward in my teen years and the way I looked wasn't good enough. I was VERY self conscious and as a result didn't have a lot of confidence. Even in my adulthood though those emotions are hard to put into the past. 

I still deal with those feelings with not having "the right body". I have to remember though that our bodies are physical; they grow and change and get old. God didn't design these bodies of ours to be perfect, whatever that means. 

I have to remember this. 

It is our soul that God is concerned with. So many of us, especially women, put so much time and effort and energy into improving the appearance of our outward physical bodies for others. Worrying if we are wearing the right clothes in public. Worrying if we are skinny enough. Worrying how we appear to others. But how much time have we spent improving the appearance of our souls to others? Are our souls shining when we go out in public? 

Dear Heavenly Father, I am fearfully and wonderfully made! Your works are wonderful. I am Your work and I. Am. Wonderful! Thank You for being a defender of who I am. I am perfect because I was created for You. Please help me to remember that who I am is a soul, not a body. Amen. 

Skills every little girl's mother should have.

Yahoo turned three this week and DR made the comment that I am much more girly now than I was when my sons were the same age. I've had to become more girly! Yahoo plays so different than boys I've had to learn a whole new skill set. 

I've had to learn all about Barbie hair. Did you know that you can actually change Barbie's hair? I always thought that once Barbie hair turned all ratty it was a lost cause. Yahoo's new doll had curly hair but Yahoo kept asking me to make it flat...so I Googled it...how to make Barbie's hair straight. 

Boil a mug of water in the microwave, about 2 minutes, and hold Barbie's head over the sink and pour the boiling water all over her hair and then comb. 

Voila!! Straight hair!! 

And it works the opposite way too. 

Do you have a straight hair Barbie who is desperately in need of a new style? 

Curl it up, I used pipe cleaners, and pour on the boiling water. 

Let it air dry completely, about 24 hours, and style!

Isn't she beautiful? Okay, Vidal Sassoon I'm not. 

Maybe she just needs a little backlighting...ah, gorgeous...yep, lighting makes all the difference! Remember that when you are looking at gorgeous models in magazines!! 

Geez, had you asked me a few years ago if I'd ever willingly style a Barbie's hair I'd have thought you were crazy. Not only that I've made Yahoo her own makeup. She kept getting into my makeup and you can't buy toy makeup that isn't just colored glop that gets used up in a day. 

I found this great idea on Pinterest, fake makeup. 

I cleaned out some old makeup containers. 

Then I filled up the compartments with some cheap fingernail polish. 

Warning!! This is very smelly! It will take a few days to harden so it's important to place it somewhere well ventilated. 

Great! Fake up that doesn't get all over the place. 

Being the mother of a little girl is like living in another world. I was such the tom-girl growing up and it's amazing the things I've learned to do since I had a daughter. Being the mother of a girl is having to learn a whole new way of thinking. But she's only little once right? 

What Little Sisters do at a Football Game

Three little girls....

....all little sisters to football players....

...thank goodness they have one another to entertain one another....

...otherwise it could be a long season!....

DR's Date Night Nightmare

DR and I had a date over the weekend...woo hoo!!

It doesn't happen very often and I was excited. DR kept asking me where I wanted to eat. Heck! I wasn't doing the cooking or cleaning up so I didn't care and told him to choose.

We ended up at Las Margaritas Mexican Restaurant.

 It was small and cozy and had really good food.

Yay! I had a margarita! I've always wanted about a dozen of those cactus glasses....I just think they are just too darn cute!

I had a great dinner but DR??? Mmmmm, not so much.

There was a table full of high school prom kids out at the table right next to us.I loved looking at all of those pretty dresses. I thought the girl in lime looked just like a blooming flower. There were nine very excited girls and one, very quiet, boy enjoying dinner before prom.

Oh, they weren't loud or crazy or anything but poor DR couldn't stop staring.

He wasn't staring out of fascination or admiration or nostalgia.

He was staring out of sheer terror!

DR: "Those are girls...teenage girls."

Me: "Yes honey. Good observation."

DR: "Yahoo's a girl."

Me: "Yes dear she's a girl. And she just turned two years old. How long did it take you to figure that out?"

DR shakes his head: "Yahoo's going to become a teenage girl!!!!" (He said this as though shocking information had just been revealed.) "She's not going to want to dress up like that.....is she?""

"Oh silly Daddy!! Of course I am! Ha ha ha...you have soooo much to learn about little girls!"

DR wasn't in much of a good mood for the rest of the night.

Me? I thought it was hilarious!

Girl Talk; Yahoo and Purse Gurl

Hope you don't mind the posts today; all pics, no words. Sometimes pics speak for themselves.

Is That a Curl I See?

Yahoo...come here...

Hold still...what is that?

That on the back of your head...is that...

Is that a...a CURL???

Are you going to have curly hair? 

What am I going to do with curls?

I can barely get you dressed!

Oh my. I don't know what I'll do with a little girl with big, bright blue eyes and curls! Everyone things you are just adorably wonderful the way it is!

Wait until your daddy sees this! He's already dreading your teenage years. What will he do with a blue eyed, curly haired teenage daughter?

Maybe we'll just lock the bedroom door.

Your dad's door, not yours.