Words can make or break you

Once upon a time, we were eating at Chili's. We had two children via birth. We were in the process of adopting an African American child. Our lives were surrounded with diversity and color. Yet, on that particular night, my 4-year-old turned around to see an African American couple sitting down in the booth directly adjacent to ours, and declared (with a sneer), "Mom, they're blaaaaaaaaack."

I was mortified. I was sure that this family was looking at our pasty whiteness and thinking, "From the mouths of babes, you racist pigs." Now, I know that my children had never heard anything of the sort in our home. I knew that my child's preschool teacher (whom they ADORED) was African American. My children had never said anything like this before. I also know my kid was at a developmental age where they were noticing differences coupled with ZERO filter.

I immediately responded, so the family could hear, "Why, yes, they do have black skin. Who else do you know with black skin? (listing teachers, friends, etc) And what color is your skin?" At that point, something shiny floated by and I'm sure my kid was thinking about how funny farts are, and I no longer existed.

Still ... my face was red until we left and I so desperately wanted to crawl under a table and hide. MORTIFIED!

Yesterday I started a discussion with my older kids about banned books. It ended with extensive education on anal and oral sex. Cause, ya' know, that's how we roll, despite the fact that I could just let their middle/high school friends educate them on this. *cough* Yet, somewhere in the middle, the term "LGBT" came up. Perfect opportunity to break it down (side note: "bi" was the only one that stumped them).

I wasn't sure if they remembered the term "heterosexual," so I threw out, "What does it mean if you're 'straight'?"

What I heard caught me off guard.

One child, without even thinking or realizing what it implied, said, "Well, like, it means that I like (insert opposite gender here) ... like perfect."

And then another said, "It's when you like people, like normal."

Of course, I waited til all opinions and ideas were expressed, and then I lovingly said, "Let's talk about some of the words we used."

I know that in this instance it was coming from trauma histories, and kids who rarely feel normal or perfect. However, I had to really sit on this for awhile. I still am. I don't want to leave it just yet.

Even in my home, where we constantly emphasize equality, social justice, compassion and love ... words like "perfect" and "normal" flew out of mouths without any thought. I'm forcing myself to evaluate any hidden bigotries and blanket statements I have never addressed in my own mind. I am listening to myself closely to see if my words ever get lax, and go against what I actually feel and believe to be true.

I'm also pondering another aspect. How would this conversation go down in a public school classroom? A coffee shop? Around the water cooler? In a church foyer?

Not the anal and oral sex conversation. Although, if one of you wants to also try that as a social experiment, I would LOVE to hear how it plays out!



(photo by jendo neversil, used with permission)

We don't need no stinking jack!

I'm a dread head with piercings and tattoos ... and also a mother of five who drives a minivan.

Cause that's cool, yo!

Our minivan does not have an auxiliary jack of any kind. It has the little covered up spot where one COULD exist. Yet, when you buy newly used vehicles, you take what you get. We have a wanna-be jack.

So, I have this silver plug-in thingy we bought way back in the day. I think it was originally to plug in a DVD player which did not have a charger dilly. DC adapter? Something like that? Oh, I don't know! From this moment forward, it is now refereed to as a "dilly." Like "Dilly Bar." Crap. Now I'm hungry.

Soooo ... silver plug-in thingy. I also have approximately three sets of cheap speakers we have collected. We will one day get a speaker dock thing-a-ma-jig for our iPhones, but right now that would simply be too practical and make WAY too much sense.

Soooooooo ... cheap speakers connected to silver plug-in thingy. Then we have the speakers attached to my iPhone, where I can crank Spotify. At which point, I look at the little covered up spot where the jack should exist and say, "I do not need you. You are dead to me, little jack wanna' be."

And then my kids are all, "Mom, we can't hear John Tesh on the radio over you cranking Liam Lynch."

And I'm all like, "Whatever."

I'm not putting on headphones. That would be WAY too many wires.

Magical Milk Pic-o-the-Week

This picture was taken downtown Fort Worth at Sundance Square - "we were participating in a Breastfeeding Flashmob of sorts."


(photo by DFW Momma Photography by Silvia Johnson, used with permission)




**you may submit your own Magical Milk pic to christinemoers [at] hotmail [dot] com**

Happy people are grateful

Sonja Lyubomirsky is a psychology professor at the University of California, as well as a research psychologist. In her studies, she has discovered 12 things that happy people have in common.

I am happy. Even when I'm feeling crappy, I am a happy person. People are forever asking me how I reached this place. It wasn't because I prayed enough, or took a magic pill, or held my mouth just right while dancing on one foot, or was just born happy (um ... NO ... you can ask my mom about that first year). Yet, I have discovered that self disciplines, even the ones which result in fun, have radically changed my life. These are things I learned through my own therapy and medicinal treatment for depression and anxiety. If you realize the concepts in this series are simply not enough, seek help. Insist on it. Find your own personal level of healing, which is different for everyone. Sometimes I speak "happy" with an accent, because I still dance with depression and anxiety - and that is okay.

I thought I'd focus my Mondays on each of the 12 common factors. It makes sense, because Mondays can totally slurp on the happiness meter.

*******************************************





What are you missing right now in this moment? Where is the happiness all around you?

Stop, and find the things for which you are grateful. The things you already have.

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” — Henry Miller

I have a friend who tweets out her daily gratitudes, and has been doing it for a long time, now. I think she has built in an accountability she did not expect. If she skips a day, everyone wonders where she is! It's also a reminder for ME, daily, to be grateful.

Another friend recommends journaling gratitudes in some way, every single day.

When I deliberately stop, become aware of being present in the moment, and reflect for just a minute, I am typically overwhelmed by all the amazing things around me, in my life and in my heart. It's "turn that frown upside down" on steroids. Even the negatives become positives.

No. Really.

"GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings."

- from the prayer "Be Thankful," which you can read in its entirety in "Why Living a Life of Gratitude Can Make You Happy"

If this post irritates you or makes you angry, sit in that feeling for a minute. Try to discover what lies underneath the anger. Dare to nudge yourself through it and force yourself to find gratefulness, even in your current dark places.

Then do it again tomorrow.

This week's interweb queue

Just a few things I have perused this week.

"We knew from the outset that NCLB and its goal of 100 percent – every child proficient in every area as determined by a single test on a single day each year – was patently, blatantly and insidiously absurd, but we took no concerted action." - from Maureen Downey's "No Child Left Behind: A conspiracy against public education that too few called out"

"So right about now my ego’s the size of the former USSR, and I fully expect the president of the planet earth to call me at any moment offering me their job." from Phire Phoenix's "In Which I Win the Internet"

"In video recordings of conversations, rich people are more likely to appear distracted, checking cell phones, doodling, avoiding eye contact, while low-income people make eye contact and nod their heads more frequently signaling engagement." from Brian Alexander's "The rich are different — and not in a good way, studies suggest"


Seeing how "crap" is one of my favorite words, this video REALLY caught my ear when I learned that it was actually an acronym.




"Many religious liberals and atheists agree that both theism and atheism are sufficiently moral and practical to generate similarly successful cultures." from Greg Paul's "Atheism on the upswing in America"


And on a lighter note ... ah, Dwight.

Source: plus.google.com via Christine on Pinterest

You can't do it alone

"You can't do it alone. As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life." - Amy Poehler

(photo by Luca Baroncini, used with permission)

Free-Your-Hips Recap

Another fun week of hooping.



Hip bump success - f.i.n.a.l.l.y.





In my kitchen, wearing my PPP shirt.






First pair of Birks. And how cute is that skirt? Want it to be even cuter? My friend bought it for me ... for a QUARTER?! Right?






Using the side of the minivan as a mirror. More like a funhouse mirror.






This was totally scary fun. Like a perfect tie between the "scary" and the "fun."




One more week to go in September. Keep those hips happy!

FaceBook, Zuckerberg and giving a crap

I'm sure none of you have heard, so let me be the first to break it to you: FaceBook has made a lot of changes lately. Oh. my. hooch. Am I really writing a post about FaceBook? While simultaneously looking at said social media site and reading about our friends in Haiti who are simply trying to save lives every day?

Yeah. The ridiculousness is not lost on me.

The only reason I'm bringing it up is because of my gut reaction after reading this:

"A tipster tells us that Zuckerberg sent an email to Facebook staff reacting to criticism of the changes: "He said something like 'the most disruptive companies don't listen to their customers.'" Another tipster who has seen the email says Zuckerberg implied that companies were "stupid" for "listening to their customers.""

Sit on that for a minute.

It was painful for me to read, especially considering our small tiny business we own and live out every day. You see, our area has been flooded with work, as oil lines are being put throughout the area. Our little RV park is bursting at the seams. Our little town is overrun with people living and buying and washing and spending and spending and spending. We keep a waiting list constantly, just simply for a site to open up.

And we hear stories. At times like this, people can take advantage of the increased business. That is a very polite way to say that we are watching people get the holy heck gouged out of them. We could gouge. Absolutely. But we don't.

Sometimes I feel frustrated, because I know just how much money we have to drop on something like pumping the septic tanks or having a dead tree removed. They're the kinds of things you don't necessarily notice, especially in comparison to the cost. I want to remodel the bathrooms. I want to do some more landscaping. I have moments where I fear people look at us in the same way. But it's not lost on these guys. While I'm apologizing for the early morning noise of our "tree guy" working, I have person after person thanking me. "Other parks just don't do this. They don't maintain things like this." That makes us very happy. We like to take care of people in all the ways that we can. I'm not saying that to make us sound unique and special. THAT SHOULD NOT BE UNIQUE AND SPECIAL!

That's why I struggle with a mentality of ignoring those you serve. We can't bow to every little whim. And trust me, some campers have some pretty interesting requests that would never be cost effective. There is balance, absolutely. Yet, that's not the big picture. The big picture is - still loving and appreciating and caring about people ... even when you don't have to for the sake of your business.

I watched a social media site ignore the tiniest of improvements for years. Along comes Google+ and BOOM - it was like a scramble. Along the way there was never a, "Hey, we love our peeps who utilize our site. We want to honor them a smidgen, and it really isn't going to put us out. Let's tweak this a little, shall we?"

I'm not leaving social media in protest of Zuckerberg's selfishness. Yet, I do plan to be purposeful in using this to make myself even more mindful of what I do in my own little world today.


(P.S. - you could win the art you see in the pic above)

Blog upcycle amidst love

Unless you're blind, you have noted that things look a little different around here. Well, that's nothing.

Like, seriously ... you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Welcome to My Brain is getting a makeover at the hands of an old friend, David Dewese. If you know DD, then you are currently writhing in jealousy. That's okay. Better than writhing in anger. And I would be, too, as the guy is fantabulous. His family has been crazy special to my family over the years. So, it makes my heart very happy to have him working on this.

I haven't touched the design of the blog in ... hmmmm ... what year is it? Yeah, it has been a long time. I liked how it remained all trashy and old school. Yet, it's time to start some parent coaching, as well as organize all of the therapeutic parenting tid bits which have exploded. This blog has turned into a garage. It's full of many valuable things, many pointless things, and all of it has just been crammed into this space without regular organizing or cleaning. I know that the information helps people, so I really am making a solid effort to create a more user-friendly space.

When will it be done? When it's done. I have no deadline. I simply want it to be done well, and be reflective of me. Yeah, no pressure. You should all send Double D a sympathy card!

In the midst of this process, I have also experienced the gifting of something huge from a complete stranger. I will reveal that at a later date, and it will involve a giant sap-fest. Yet, let me just say that, despite the greed and selfishness we all seem to smother in throughout the world, there is still plenty of love and good and thoughtfulness to mankind in general. A virtual stranger has said, through his actions, "I find worth and value in you, and I want to share without receiving anything in return." It's more than "what" they are providing me. It was the spirit in which it was given.

Today, on World Gratitude Day, I want to honor this person. Thank them. Let them know that the tears still sting my eyes when I think of their gift.

Stay tuned. We are cleaning out the garage. Sorting through the junk room. Making the help more helpful. Hopefully creating a space that is easy on the eyes and quick on the fingertips.

And fun.

And creative.

And me.

Magical Milk Pic-o-the-Week

I have never done a Magical Milk montage, but these three simply had to stay together. Big thanks to a woman who quickly became a wonderful online friend, Jamie from I Am Not the Babysitter.



**you can submit your own magical milk pic to christinemoers [at] hotmail [dot] com**

Do it anyway

Source: gotopublicschool.com via Christine on Pinterest

My marriage sucks

It sucks just like yours.

We are not some magical never-have-problems phenomenon.

My guy was once on staff at an institutionalized church. Have you seen the divorce rates for those couples? Higher than the national average.

We are the parents of kids with special needs. Have you seen those divorce rates? They are astronomical. Some put them as high as 85-90% (and we would both nod in agreement - can totally see that).

We have had a lot of uphill climbs all this time. This is a tough gig. Life is a tough gig. It's hard.

IT'S HARD!

When it is good, it is very, very good,
and when it is bad, it is horrid!

Who knew that poem was actually about marriage?



Yesterday my marriage celebrated 16 years. It's finally old enough to drive. We should celebrate 16 years. That's a long, friggin' time to still be trucking along with the same person. We spent a lot of time looking back, remembering, laughing, hurting, pondering. And the consensus is that you can't go this long without sharing a thick existence together that simply cannot be replicated. Whether you like it all or not.

Our marriage has never been better. It has also never been more real or raw or at a point where we still have to work beyond belief to get through the difficulties.

And we do it.

Some people say, "Well, you already have a great marriage." Like we lucked out. Like it just was. And that's true ... if by "the same" you always mean "completely different." Cause that's ridiculous. It's wonderful and it's work.

Just this week there were tears of fiery hot anger and tears of fiery hot love ... ON THE SAME DAY!

We are given a choice every day to stay in this. We are both given individual choices to do what we need to do in this partnership. We are both given choices to be patient when the other person is getting there. And we both keep making those choices in a way that keeps us together. I realize that doesn't always happen, and I am so very thankful for the both of us, while still wondering how our humanity hasn't jacked it up beyond repair.

My marriage sucks - just like yours - and I love it. Even when I hate it.

To sixteen fantabulously lovely and sucky years! *clink*

Hip Swivel Recap

Still going strong in the 30/30 Hoop Challenge. Here are some highlights from the week. The best part, which I cannot capture, are the dozens of people giving this a try and hooping for the first time. Finding it fun, therapeutic and healthy. The FaceBook pics and messages are so encouraging.

My husband has been hooping with me many days. Taking pics of us was beyond fun.








Go ahead - mock. I get it ... me? Worried about what people think about me? Sucks that I have to be a little less whickity-whack in front of new park peeps. At least until they absorb all that I am. heh.

Kept looking to the side, because my husband was to return soon, and I was going to make him video for me. He was probably down with everyone, saying, "Just keep watching. Dude, she is TOTALLY talking to herself!"




This is an amazing person I met via Pandora's Healing Hoops. I discovered she does a meet-up on Wednesdays. The kids and I are occasionally able to make it out to that one.





Free your hips, and the rest will follow!

Don't tell me not to hug you

(the view from my front yard - this makes me very happy)

Today there is a crew of oil workers pulling out of the park. They've been here awhile. They have grown on us from day one.

Line them all up, and you have quite a motley crew. From the guy who looks like he just stepped out of prison, to the mumbly-awesome cajun who goes by "Spanky." Just like some people probably make assumptions about me ... I know that people make assumptions about these guys.

But oh my, how we love them.

And they love us.

In our line of work, you have people who come for a short time, and you never really have time to connect with them. Some of them hook up and leave within a few days of their rent being up. No phone call. Paid up and just gone. We always chuckle at that, because it just seems weird. Abrupt. But the world comes to our doorstep regularly and the world is full of diverse people.

Then you have other experiences. You have the crew that grows on you. I know they all sit around over a beer at night and talk me up. There's so much to talk about, and I may be the first person in their life who looks like I do! And they love me. They go overboard to take care of the park. We communicate and laugh and share in their real life stuff when they invite us in. Our office is our kitchen, and when they stop in to pay we talk and catch up. Sometimes they sit down and make themselves at home. Sometimes they are in a rush to get supper and get to bed. More than once, they are in a hurry to fire up the grill and are forever offering us whatever they're cooking.

Really, great, amazing people

I just received a knock on the door. It was a guy we adore. He was heading out to work, but wanted to stop and say good-bye because they're all pulling out of the park later.

He was drenched in sweat. I went in to hug him, and he was backing away and telling me how gross he was.

I told him to shut the hell up.

And I held him extra long while his sweat ended up all over my own shirt.

Magical Milk Pic-o-the-Week

"The photo is me and my son who was 1 in the picture. He was born at 28 weeks, and he never developed that wiring to suck well. He has a g-tube to help him eat. But I pumped religiously day and night for a year to keep up my supply so we could nurse, even just little bits at a time. It was the hardest and most wonderful sacrifice I've ever made. This photo is the last time he ever nursed. I knew our time was running out, he had gotten worse and worse at sucking, and I am so grateful I had the moment documented."

(photo by Staci at "Scooping it Up - Sweet. Messy. Life.")




*you may submit your own Magical Milk Pic to christinemoers [at] hotmail [dot] com*

The Hill Shade Love Salad

Once upon a time, I stumbled across a recipe that was blandly named "Rice and Garbanzo Bean Salad with Kale." And the Moers family said, "It was good."

We made it for our best friends, and they fell in love.

This summer, when we drove a gazillion hours to see those friends, they made a giant bowl of it to eat as we swam beside the pool. Cause it's awesome. And perfect.

During Labor Day Weekend, I made the traditional ginormous bowl of said boring-name salad. More friends fell in love. One insisted that it must have a name more suited to its wonderful wonderfulness. Thus, I give you (with my omissions and changes):

The Hill Shade Love Salad

4 cups cooked rice (we love brown rice or jasmine)
2-3 cans garbanzo beans, drained
2 cups raw kale, chopped up into bite-sized pieces
1/2 bag baby carrots diced up
basil leaves, chopped up (or dry basil in a pinch)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
lime juice squirted all over it, to taste (once you go lime in this recipe, you'll never go back to lemon)

Mix it all together in a giant bowl.

Join the Hill Shade Love fest. Then make more and share.

peace

Source: weheartit.com via Saskia on Pinterest

Hey, the sun came up again

Source: carriecan.blogspot.com via Christine on Pinterest

The good, the bad and the WTH?

Things from my brain this week. Please do not act even a little bit surprised that it is so random:



This picture is a crack which runs under our entire double wide - a very vivid depiction of this drought.


Very glad that our compost is in a tumbler, up off the ground. Things are bad in Texas, right now. Really bad. We were spared from recent outbreak of wildfires, but no one is out of danger yet. This drought still has no end in sight, and triple digits are returning this weekend. Compost piles are spontaneous combustion just waiting to happen.


A friend of mine is working on her graduate research. You can help Meggan out by taking her survey on abortion, the criminal justice system, and women’s rights. "All your responses will remain anonymous, meaning we will not be able to link your answers to you."


I have watched just about every video by the Police Hugging Squad. Still LOVE, and laugh. "If we could have a cuddle, would that be okay? Would you arrest us if we gave you a hug?"




There are some super amazing women who will join me in my villa in Orlando next March. This week I discovered one of them is in a kickin'-A alternative rock back. Check out Ditched by Kate, and then be really jealous.


You all know how I LOVE my Diva Cup. So, it's no surprise that a post by Laura Willard caused me to almost laugh it right out. Warning - some explicit terms and much hilarity will be found in "This One Time at Band Camp, I Stuck a Menstrual Cup in My Vagina."


My favorite Robin, whom I have never met, reminded me to

Source: rawbinrobin.blogspot.com via Christine on Pinterest

Um ... okay!

Carry on - happy weekend.

The day a nation climbed into Chaz Bono's pants

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Chaz Bono is going to be competing on the next season of "Dancing With the Stars."

If you have heard that news, you have also enjoyed extra discussion on, not his dancing ability, but details of what is going on inside his pants. Or not going on. Or whether or not you want your children to know what is going on inside his pants. Or not going on.

Or whether he is "she" or "Chastity" instead of Chaz.

I have stood back, dumbfounded.

I have so much to say, I'm not exactly sure where to start. So, eenie, meenie, miney, MO! I think I'll just focus on the biggest argument among the critics.

When my children see Chaz Bono dancing, I will not have a discussion with them about what it means to be transgender. Why? Because that is SO old news in our home. They already know what it means. Could probably teach a class on it. They share life with people who vary in their gender identity and sexual orientation. They care much more about whether or not a person will play the Wii with them, or if they had Legos as a kid. When I read some of the things critics were saying, in reference to Chaz, and their concerns that his presence on the show would be confusing to children ... well ... my children looked at me - very confused! To quote one of them, "That's dumb."

If you are itching to join the approximate 27 people who forwarded me the appalling article by Dr. Keith Ablow, please refrain. The article was titled "Don't Let Your Kids Watch Chaz Bono On 'Dancing With the Stars'." The piece is scientifically unsubstantiated (unless, of course, he plans to use the argument that he knows this from his "own personal experience" - apparently that's some sort of new science these days). I do not mind people stating their beliefs and standing strong on them. Yet, I think we all agree that "because I said so" is the apologetics of the fearful, and only leaves you looking like a person choosing ignorance as their hill to die on.

In addition, David Badash of The New Civil Right Movement reminds us, "This is not Ablow’s first ignorant, pop-​psychology attack on Chaz Bono. In May, Ablow penned a column attacking Chaz Bono so viciously, calling Bono “psychotic” and classifying him as “delusion[al]” that Fox actually removed it."

I want people to express their beliefs and opinions, and I want to learn their reasoning. I will always share my own personal experiences, but I wouldn't dare make the assumption that it, in any way, reflects the big picture. We look like baffoons when we do that. No man is an island.

So, to be clear: I do not believe that exposing my children to truth and differences will make them become that "thing" or "idea" or whatever. It simply teaches them about people and life and reality. In fact, I purposefully expose my children to people who are different from them. Yup. I do. On purpose.

Also, can we stop dancing around (pardon the pun) the elephant in the room for a minute? If you are already letting your children watch "Dancing With the Stars," you have openly exposed them to a myriad of choices, lifestyles ... not to mention a full time slot of deliberately sexual costumes and dances. Come. on. A man who looks like the average dad is what is going to make DWTS no longer family friendly? Really?

Source: google.com via Christine on Pinterest

Magical Milk Pic-o-the-Week

Joanna got together with some friends in June and someone captured this fantastic picture. The babes on the outside are 2 weeks apart (5 months old at the time), and the toddlers on the inside are 2 days apart (21 months old at the time). Left to right: Ann, Teresa, Ashley and Joanna.

Cross stitch safety manual

A friend of mine has lit a fire under me to do a little subversive cross stitch. Let me say, once you get all sassy and tacky with your stitchin', you just can't stop. Every tacky thing anyone says is followed by, "I need to cross stitch that!" I now have 73 ideas. I must get busy.

I used my holiday weekend to dive in. It was fun and relaxing. The girls were starting little projects. All rainbows, lollipops and roses, until ...



So, apparently injuries can happen in this intense sport.

Even worst, you will have no idea how you received that injury. You'll just know it wasn't there before you started, and appeared sometime upon moving on to make some dinner.

Kids, you should absolutely try this at home.

Twice.

Sometimes you have a choice

Source: hairudy.net via Christine on Pinterest

30/30 Challenge weekly recap

(this is me on Day 1 - hooping in my kitchen because hell has not yet left south Texas)

It's not too late to join the 30/30 Hoop Challenge. All you have to do is hoop for 30 minutes a day for the 30 days of September. You don't have to actually BE hooping. You can count the time you are picking it up off the ground!

I did this in June (even keeping it up while on a family vacation). I was amazed at how it took me to a whole new level of being flexible and more comfortable with my body and coordination. I took pictures each day, and looking back on those helped me to see my progress. When you improve little by little, you don't realize how far you've come!

Hooping is therapeutic. There is a "feel" to it that relaxes you. So, imagine how this can be of benefit to you, or your children, on really rough days. If you hoop together, you are receiving many benefits, including the fun, playful time spent with them. Kids love it when their parents step outside their comfort zone to join them in something fun.

Wait ... no. Kids live for when their parents step outside their comfort zone to join them in something fun.

Children with a history of trauma desperately need to play every single day. It is one of the ways they heal (write that one on your bathroom mirror and read it every morning). That is an area where I was painfully misguided when I first started therapeutic parenting. I took a stance of expecting them to EARN their play (AND I WAS WRONG!).

Now I know better, so I do better.

Yet, it's a natural tendency of every single parent to withhold playfulness when their kid is having a rough day. The 30/30 Challenge will force you to do something fun with them every single day. Sometimes we are strong enough to just do the right thing. Most of the time, however, we need something pushing us. I will be the first to raise my hand on that one. Christine ain't Super Woman with a heart and hormones of steel.

So, we just started up September's challenge yesterday. Feel free to join us. Who cares if you miss a couple of days, or a week gathering supplies and making your hoops? Do it anyway! Right now I know of at least 15 people who are joining me, via comments on FaceBook. Anyone else out there who is in?

If you are, be sure and "like" Pandora's Healing Hoops, as she is the reason I'm doing this. Heck, you can like her even if you're NOT participating and just follow along. Her page is a great place for people to comment and keep up with everyone else in the challenge. You can also post pics and videos of yourself hooping, which I highly recommend. Hoopers are the most loving and accepting group of people on the planet. They embrace and celebrate everyone, whether they can hoop fire, or if it's still falling every three seconds! It's all FABULOUS!


(early morning hoop in my living room, before the kids are awake)

My two pair of jeans

I have two pair of jeans.

They are at least seven years old.

Both from Old Navy.

They are identical.

Okay, fine. One is "just below waist" and one is "at waist."

I have no idea what is in style when it comes to jeans. These are boot cut. So ... I wear boot cut. I have worn boot cut for at least seven years.

I patch holes. The bottoms hit the ground (again - I'm pretty sure no one wears them like that right now ... or maybe they do?). One pair has all frazzled out at the bottom hem. I love that. I am not crazy in LOVE with my jeans. They're not funky or unique. They're just, ya' know, jeans! They fit. They're comfortable. If they get tight, I know I'm not eating right. So, they're kinda' like a free accountability partner to boot!

I love simple things like this. Jeans that I keep for a super long time. Not needing more. Not needing new. Using what I have as long as I can.

And well-worn jeans are like a best friend you can just "be" with.