Good Advice...

 Good ole Thumper gives great advice...

A Year-and-a-Half

 I will be at Disney World on my 40th birthday with my hubby and our six children.  My 40th birthday is exactly one-and-a-half years from today.

Do you think I should work with the kids to make a paper-chain count down so we tear off a paper chain every day?

One paper ring down, 548 to go!

We Don't Talk About Bruno

 Around my birthday, the kiddos made sure I sat down with them to watch their latest favorite movie, Encanto,

I have to confess... its now my latest favorite movie too.

I certainly enjoy good Disney movies, especially those with great music, and Encanto fits the bill.  The music is WONDERFUL, and it is a beautiful story about a multi-generation family.

One of the songs from Encanto, "We Don't Talk about Bruno", has officially surpassed "Let It Go" as the highest grossing Disney Song.

You should see my children singing and dancing to this song.

Princess Mothers

 Around facebook lately, I have seen some pictures and descriptions of Disney Princesses as mothers, and the question of which Disney Princess Mother you are most like.

They are pretty funny...

So, which Disney Princess turned Mother are you?

I am Snow White... but I am not a champion couponer... so please substitute the Cinderella trait of "stresses out when there's dishes in the sink"

Small Steps and The Next Right Thing

I saw this post on Facebook a few days ago, and the words held very true and timeless. They also reminded me, of all things, of a song from Frozen II.

This quarantine/COVID life has been interesting and trying and challenging to be sure. Some days I feel comfortable and safe with my family and some days I am at the end of my rope and I feel very hopeless for a future and overwhelmed by things outside of my control.

So, here are the wise words from the "grandmother" from the facebook post and then the youtube video of the Frozen II song.

Keep taking small steps and doing the next right thing.

My grandmother once gave me a tip:

In difficult times, you move forward in small steps.

Do what you have to do, but little by little.

Don't think about the future, or what may happen tomorrow.

Wash the dishes.

Remove the dust.

Write a letter.

Make a soup.

You see?

You are advancing step by step.

Take a step and stop.

Rest a little.

Praise yourself.

Take another step.

Then another.

You won't notice, but your steps will grow more and more.

And the time will come when you can think about the future without crying.

Words: Elena Mikhalkova

Image:Tasha Tudor,

American Illustrator 1915-2008

Youtube Video:

The Dream That You Wish Will Come True

A dream is a wish your heart makes

when you're fast asleep.

In dreams you may lose your heartache.

Whatever you wish for you keep.

Have faith in your dreams and someday

your rainbow may come smiling through.

No matter how your heart is grieving,

if you keep on believing,

the dream that you wish will come true.

Last night we were supposed to arrive at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

We were supposed to be at Animal Kingdom today.

My parents were supposed to join us this evening.

Tomorrow and Tuesday we were supposed to be at the Magic Kingdom.

Our kids were going to get mermaid and pirate make-overs.

We had our Fast Passes and meal plans all filled out.

We told our kids about the trip on Christmas morning.

They have been anticipating this trip for four months.

We made these reservations ten months ago.

We have been planning this trip for the past two years.

We have been saving for this trip since our honeymoon.

It is no secret that I am the most disappointed of any member of the family.

Hubby is handling it in stride.

My kids are bummed but they don't fully understand what they're missing.

I AM BUMMED!

We are, of course, very glad to be home and safe... but I am bummed.

This trip is rescheduled for Spring 2022... and it feels like forever from now.  

I am having a hard time believing that the trip will happen in two years.

But I am trying to keep on believing.

I am pretty emotional during these days... but I am trying to keep on believing.

No matter how your heart is grieving,

if you keep on believing,

the dreams that wish will come true.

Chills and Tears

Last night was one of my favorite nights with the kids in a long time.

Hubby was away catching up with his brother who came to the mountain to ski, and so I had the five littles on my own.

I rented Frozen II from redbox -- the first day it was released (I can't remember the last time I made a point to see any movie the first day it was released -- in theaters or on video), and I picked up pizza for dinner.

Simple as they are, those are two huge things for me with the kids.

I cook dinner for the kids nearly every night.  I make sure the leftovers don't go bad in the fridge, and I try to prepare them in a way that my kids will eat them night after night.  And some night's they're just told to eat it even though they think dinner is a disappointment.   If I order pizza for the kids, its usually for when a baby-sitter is here, not for myself to enjoy with the kids.

Then, the movie.  Lee Lee, Hunter, and I had not seen Frozen II yet.  Howard, Caroline, and Tracey saw it in theaters with Hubby, but they saw it once and have been asking to see it again ever since. 

The movie was SOOO good... and the night was really great.

Lee Lee is still a little too squirmy for movies -- especially movies that I actually want to see and pay attention to (she spilled some pizza sauce and some ice cream because I was focused on the plot of the movie and not on her)... but WHAT A GREAT MOVIE!!!

I'm really excited that its rented because I really want to watch it again tomorrow -- with or without the kids.

The music was, of course, wonderful... and the kids and I have been listening to the soundtrack ever since the movie came out, but seeing the songs of the movie made me notice a line of one of the songs, that I never paid attention to when I just heard it.

The words rang so incredibly clear... and I may be borrowing them frequently.  I could even potentially see them painted somewhere on one of the walls of my house... seriously, these words gave me chills and tears:

These days are precious

Can't let them slip away

I can't freeze this moment

But I can still go out and seize this day 

WOW!

I feel like that is the song of my heart and my motherhood philosophy poetically summarized and four beautiful lines.

And that's exactly what last night was.

A night with my five wonderful children.  An average Friday night... but such a special, enjoyable, memorable Friday night.

I can't freeze this moment.

But I can still go out and seize this day.

...

and I will.

Pasodoble

I enjoy the show Dancing With the Stars each season.  I used to just tune in from time to time, but when Sadie Robertson from Duck Dynasty competed a few years ago, I tuned in religiously (she finished as first runner up in the finals) and got pretty hooked on the show.  I don't always tune in on Monday Nights, and often end up with two or three DVR recordings waiting for me to catch up, but I do enjoy the dancing, the music, and watching the stars grow over the course of a season.

Last night was Disney night on Dancing With the Stars, which is always an audience favorite.

A star I had never heard of before this show, and I still can't remember her name -- she is a POP star, danced a Pasodoble to Mulan's "I'll Make a Man Out of You," with Donnie Osmond performing.  In my opinion, it was the showstopper of the night.

In the little dance I've learned from Dancing With the Stars, a Pasodoble is a very powerful Spanish dance originally designed to simulate a matador and a bull in the ring, in a challenging and acrimonious dance where the matador ends up defeating the bull.  What a perfect dance for "I'll Make A Man Out of You," which is a song about soldiers learning combat.

Then, to add to the appeal of the dance, it was a wonderful example to little girls of all that a Disney princess can be.  Sure, she can sing and dance, and she can also fight, climb, and be strong.

I hope you enjoy this clip as much as I did:

I'm Actually...

Oh yeah.

The Power of Motherhood

Its no secret that I'm an emotional person.  If you've followed this blog with any regularity you've probably noticed this for yourself.

I'm not sure if it goes along with my being emotional or if its my artistic nature (music major in college) but I have a tendency to make some silly things out to be much deeper than intended.

Now that I am home with my little ones most of the time, sometimes the things to which I am applying deeper meaning are made for children.

For example, The Lion Guard.

If you had asked me 6 months ago, I would have had no idea what The Lion Guard was.  If you had told me that it is a show that airs on the Disney Channel, I would have said, "Are you sure you don't mean The Lion King?"

But no, The Lion Guard is for the next generation and it is about Simba's son.  He and a group of other animals are the Lion Guard who sort of save the day in the pride lands.  They work together to keep the peace sort of like a police force.

I have always loved the music of The Lion King -- both the Disney movie, and the Broadway show has phenomenal music and the beat and the melodic and harmonic themes have always struck a very poignant cord in me.

It should not surprise me then that the opening credits to The Lion Guard impress me every time I see them.  If Tracey is watching the show, I literally stop what I am doing to watch the minute of opening credits if at all possible.

The credits has great music and shows each of the animal members of the Lion Guard participating in policing the Sahara.  Then, the final scene is the whole Lion Guard -- all six or so of them gathered on Pride Rock, overlooking the Pride Lands with watchful eyes over the ground below... and then the lion (Simba's son) roars...

And when this little lion cub roars, all of the clouds become lions and roar with him.

That is the magic of the lion guard... when the cub needs them, the power of his lion forefathers help them.

Every time I see these opening credits, I see the power of motherhood.  I'm not sure how the Disney channel would feel about this... or how the little boy who plays the voice of the lion cub would feel about my symbolism... but this opening segment is the perfect representation of motherhood.

Depending on the mother, she might not appear all that tough.  She appear be small, or plump, or tired, or a little dazed... but her ever watchful eyes are always on her children... and when her children need her, she calls forth the power of all mothers that have gone before her.  The adrenaline and strength that a mother calls forth when the situation warrants it is the most powerful force in the world... just like The Lion Guard.

I Just Don't Know...

I just don't know which movies near and dear to my childhood will I let Tracey Ann watch during her childhood years...

Sometimes we listen to the Disney radio channel on Pandora while Tracey Ann is in the bathtub... so last night, with Disney songs in my head, I decided to watch The Little Mermaid after  Tracey Ann was in bed.  I dusted off my old VHS tape from the basement to enjoy, what I thought would be, a sweet love story and a walk down memory lane.

What I didn't expect was that now I was watching The Little Mermaid from the perspective of a mother, and I'm not sure its a movie I want my little girl to see in her childhood.  Now, this is a movie I saw at age five, I earned the VHS movie by passing my advanced swimming test, and had memorized by age five-and-a-half.  I sang every song and acted out every line so many times, that much of the movie is still committed to my memory, whether I want it there or not.  How can I be considering withholding that story from my daughter?

But... this movie, innocent though it might be, teaches some principals that I don't want her to believe:

• The entire movie surrounds a daughter's disobedience to her father
• The father has a problem with outbursts of anger
• The movie involves a lot of magic
• The heroine makes a deal with the devil... for lack of a better way to describe it
• The heroine then pursues a man (instead of waiting on his pursuit of her)
• The heroine is desperately seeking a kiss from that man -- something I don't want my children to take lightly

Now, yes, the story is sweet, and funny, and has great music, and a good lesson about how great a father's love is for his daughter... but do those outweigh the strong themes that I don't want her to learn?

Do I keep her from the Wizard of Oz because it involves disobedience and magic?

Do I not tell her the story of Cinderella because the Fairy Godmother uses magic?

I just don't know.

I want her to have lovely, sweet, creative imagination, but I want her to know the difference between stories and the Lord God. 
Cinderella is a story... the Nativity is Truth.
Psychics and Fortune Tellers and not to be trusted, and are sinful... the Biblical prophets are Godly.

How do I draw a line in the sand and make the differences clear to my very naive, childish daughter, whom I want to learn Biblical truths, and learn the difference between right and wrong, truth, and pretend?

Do I have to put an end to all television and movies in our home?  Do I have to have a serious talk about every one that we watch?
I just don't know...   

Frozen

Hubby and I are trying to watch Frozen, the movie.

I say "trying" because we got through the first 30 minutes on first night of watching it... and about an hour the second night.  We didn't stop it because we didn't like the movie, but more because we were exhausted, and need to make the most of the hours when our baby sleeps.

So far, we really like the movie... and I am IN LOVE with this song:

Friday Letters: Thanks Thumper!

• Dear Friday, You don't really feel like yourself this week, but I'm glad you're here
• Dear Lexie and Lloyd, I love cuddling with you both in bed, just inches from each other :-D
• Dear Mexico, Thanks for a wonderful long weekend!
• Dear Hubby, Momma and Daddy, Thanks for a wonderful long weekend!
• Dear Thumper, Thank you for the great advice this week of the election

•  Dear Food Club, I'm glad you're coming over on Monday... my house needs to be cleaned and it will be done before you get here
• Dear Heat, I think you're coming on this weekend
• Dear Snowstorm, PLEASE give us feet of snow and keep it on the ground until April 30!
• Dear Thanksgiving, You are approaching REALLY fast!
• Dear Friends Expecting Babies, There are A LOT of you! Congrats.
• Dear Workout Routine, Let's get back together soon.

Wordless Wednesday

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