Daycare Lessons

I work at a daycare with kids from ages 1-5, and they continually surprise me with the things they say and do. Mostly they make me laugh or roll my eyes, but the other day one little girl said something that broke my heart.

We were dancing and playing around like we usually do, and one of my coworkers said she heard that dancing for 20 minutes a day, even if you look as goofy and uncoordinated as I do when I dance, can burn x-amount of calories and help to lose weight. She said it quietly, and we thought our conversation was somewhat private. One of the girls commented, “I need to lose my stomach. It’s too big.”

Now, some people may think that is not a big deal, but I disagree. I’ve noticed the way this little girl acts around the other girls her age. She notices that she’s bigger than the other girls, and you can tell her self esteem is affected by it. She’s not unhealthy or on the fast track to morbid obesity. She’s just taller and thicker than the other few girls.

It just broke my heart to think that at the age of 5 she’s already comparing herself to what she thinks everyone should look like. She already feels pressure to fit in to a certain definition of beautiful. As someone who has struggled with weight my entire life, I understand the need to teach children about eating healthy and exercising. I’m all for it. I just wish that they would also be taught that being healthy is different than being the skinniest girl in the room. That eating right and exercising should be motivated by the desire to live a healthy life and not to look like Hannah Montana or whatever actresses the kids are watching these days.

I must admit (quietly so my bosses can’t hear me) that I have a degree in advertising, have no children of my own, and knew little about teaching children before taking this job. If I can teach them anything it will be that striving for health is admirable and attainable, but they don’t have to tear themselves down in order to do it. I’ll add that to the list right under saying “yes ma’am” and “no sir” and chewing with their mouths closed.

Pinterest 30 Day Challenge: Day 3

Playing catch-up here.

For day 3, I cooked delicious parmesan asparagus. I love asparagus, but I get pretty tired of steaming it. This way I get my same yummy asparagus, but I get to spice it up a little.

This is the pin… http://pinterest.com/pin/90705379964526248/

I started off by chopping off the tough end of the asparagus and washing it off.  I

then added 4 teaspoons of olive oil and heated my oven to 400 degrees.

After putting in the oven for 6 minutes, I took it out and turned it. Then, I put it back in for 10 minutes until it was tender. I sprinkled the parmesan and garlic mix onto the asparagus and mixed it up. Ta-da! Parmesan asparagus.

Delicious!

Pinterest 30 Day Challenge: Day 2

So, I’m behind in posting, but I have successfully completed one pin a day since the start of my 30 day challenge.

For day 2, I made scrapbook paper ornaments. Here is the pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/90705379964636484/

My mom bought some of the clear ornaments last year after Christmas for $2.50, and I had the scrapbook paper, paint, and ribbon. All I did was cut scrapbook paper or wrapping paper into strips and rolled them. After stuffing them into the ornament, I tied a ribbon to the top. I added the script Alabama logo onto the houndstooth ornament, but I decided to leave the other blank. I love the houndstooth, but I think the Christmas/winter themed ornament would have been cuter with darker paper or smaller strips. You live ,and you learn.

Pinterest 30 Day Challenge: Day 1

For the first day of my 30 day challenge, I was in a bit of a hurry and having an unusually busy day. So, I tried to pick a pin that would take the minimal amount of time and planning.

I recently purchased new makeup brushes, eyeliner and eyeshadow, and I felt confident in trying out a new makeup technique. I found a step-by-step tutorial for an “everyday makeup look” from Dana at Wonder Forest that looks a little something like this…

Of course my colors strayed a little from her wonderful tutorial, but I tried to stay as close to her directions as humanly possible. Here are my before and afters. I apologize in advance for the low picture quality, but they were taken with my cell phone.

Post-foundation but before any eye makeup.

And, the afters.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the end result. I may not go as white on the highlight at the brow, but I’ll definitely incorporate this technique into my everyday makeup routine.

Link to tutorial: http://www.thewonderforest.com/2011/08/8-step-makeup-tutorial.html

Pinterest 30 Day Challenge

The above perfectly describes the majority of my days.

As a lover of surfing the internet and watching hours of mindless television, I am constantly trying to find ways to get more out of it than lost hours and extra pounds. So, I am making the month of December all about productivity.

The first plan of action I’m putting in motion is a Pinterest 30 Day Challenge. I’m going to try to do something I find on Pinterest every day for the next 30 days. Whether it be a hairstyle, craft, or recipe, I’m going to attempt it and blog about my adventure into productivity here. Wish me luck.

Piecing Him Together

I decided to reread the Twilight books again before the new movie comes out in order to remind myself that there is a reason I am sitting in the theater. The beautiful way Stephanie Myer crafted the love story of Edward and Bella is heart- breaking, aching, and wrenching in all the right places; unfortunately, that amazing story is completely lacking in the films.

I hate the casting director and the actors he put in the roles he did (except Jacob – that was spot on). While reading, I’ve been picturing what I think Edward should look like, and I’ve mixed famous people with people I grew up with and every male model I’ve ever seen. Let’s just say R-Pattz does not do it for me…

Regardless, it got me thinking about what I would consider my perfect man. Just like how I always picture Edward, I find all these different men I’ve seen, read about, watched movies about, or even a few men I actually know. It’s mainly the same people, but I replace the male models with men who work at Apple stores.

It also made me realize that most of the men I surround myself with… I hope to find pieces of them in the love of my life. And, in turn, the women I surround myself with… I hope to find pieces of them in me.

In my perfect man…

I hope to find the kindness and constant support that I can always find in one of my childhood friends. He is always there for me regardless of whether or not I deserve it. He makes me feel special when I feel like I couldn’t matter less. It’s amazing how a text or surprise visit from him can completely change my mood. His know-how around computers and other forms of technology doesn’t hurt either.

I hope to find the fun loving spirit and ability to cross all natural social boundaries that I find from one of my high school friends. He’s completely ridiculous and always wants to do something that makes me completely uncomfortable. And, I usually end up doing it anyway. He gets me out of my comfort zone, and because of him, I try new things that I would not have otherwise. One of the things I love most about him is how every time we see each other after we haven’t for a while, it’s like a reunion of long lost friends. There’s running and embracing…and the screaming. It’s absurd, but we always act that way… even in public. We are also too comfortable around each other. Changing around each other, cuddling together, and then some unspeakable acts that I will continue to deny until the end of eternity.

I hope to find the comfort and similar interests that I find in one of my college friends. We could seriously talk about television shows for years without having to take a breath. And, if we aren’t talking about that, our conversations flow effortlessly even if we haven’t spoken for months. Our friendship has never felt like work. It’s always been simple, and in that simplicity, our friendship has been exactly what I needed.

I hope to find the loyalty and intelligence that I find in my brother-in-law. He has been married to my sister for almost six years now, but they have dated since the summer of 1996. Although during their growing-up years they had a few bumps in the road, I have seen him standing by her side for most of my life. He’s been with her through the worst times in her life and the best, and through all that I can see his unending love for her. He’s also one of the smartest men I’ve ever met. He’s witty, too. Though I would never admit the previous two statements to him, they are two of the things I admire most about him. Plus, he’s going to be an amazing father…

I hope to find the sarcasm, unwavering belief, and selflessness that I find in my father. I’m pretty sure I got the majority of my flat affect and sarcastic sense of humor from my father, and since those are two things that I’m most proud of, I love both of those things about him. It’s provided a lot of silent jokes between the two of us. He always believes in me, even when I have absolutely no faith in myself. He also has given so much of himself to his family. He has been such a great father to me and my sister. He has always stepped in and taken care of my grandfather and uncle when Mom has asked and even when she hasn’t. Even small acts, such as running to the grocery store on his way home from work to pick up asparagus because I called and asked him to when others might have made an excuse not to, show his willingness to put others before his own wants or needs.

All these men give me hope that the perfect man for me is out there, regardless of the absence of real life fairytales. If the man I marry has even one of these qualities, I will consider myself lucky.