Sunday, November 17, 2013

Things I'm Not Going To Do



Facebook, twitter, blogs, radio, TV, things go crazy on there sometimes. I don't know why the world thinks they need to tell us what to do. As long as I'm not harming anyone, then I think the fact that I'm not realizing my potential is no one else's business but mine.

There were some things shouted out to me this week, that no matter how loud, how in bold letters you type, how many automatic set to tweet every four hours, I'm just not going to do.

Things like this:

--Rainbow loom is making our children obese and cross-eyed! Get them off rainbow loom! No. I won't. He loves it.

--Only Five Thursdays until Christmas! You need to shop and buy everything now and spend money, it's the only way to show how important they are to you! No. Not gonna happen. I prefer the excitement of the last minute and my kids really check out if there's too many gifts. They do.

--Make sure your Thanksgiving is perfect. Order your holiday dinner from us by November 19. Better than home-made! Again, I like the race against the clock and cranberries bubbling in sugar leaving a sticky mess behind on my stove for me to clean up later at 3 a.m. It makes me smile. 

--Over age 45, a woman needs an hour of exercise a day, half an hour of stretching, and an hour being outside. You also need to schedule weekly spa care for facial treatments. I can do the exercise, some stretching, and being outside, probably for an hour total, for all three. The weekly facial treatments? That's some serious spa time. We'll revisit when it becomes dire.

--Make time for date night every week, coffee time with friends every week, game night with your children every week, volunteer at your children's school every week, and don't forget gramma! I want to do all these things, but not at the cost of an already overburdened schedule. I will do what I can, but I work. But when I do any of the above, I'll be in the moment, and not just ticking the time together off the weekly checklist while I hold my phone in my hand the whole time.

--Your children need to be ready for our ever changing world! Tell them about all that lurks out there, it's better if they know! This is something that every home determines on their own. We know our children best. I will share with them information in the way I know they'll understand. I prefer they hear from me first, but I know, sometimes that doesn't happen.

--Technology changes every day! If you want your children to be accepted into the best colleges and to get the best grades now, they need all the electronic devices out there. Also, you don't want them to feel different from others, do you? Eh, maybe. I don't know. We do okay here without smartphones, they like their iPods and my iPad.... really, I think they'll be fine. I still read to them, so there's that.

--Remove all food dyes, food additives, non organic food sources, canned foods, frozen foods, foods with artificial ingredients or GMO's from your family kitchen. This is half useful. We have food allergies in our home, and food dyes and some food additives bring on symptoms. I am a food label reader but, I've also seen how some children in homes with a no to a lot of what other kids have, go crazy when not around their parents. This past summer, I brought boxes of Popsicles to a picnic, and there was a little boy there who ripped the white sleeve of a frozen treat open every two minutes, saying out loud, "We can't have food dyes at home!" He must have had ten, I swear.

-- If you love your spouse, then you'll buy them one of our beautiful jewelry pieces this holiday season, prices starting at only $1999.00. But hurry! I'd rather have someone be kind to me on a daily basis, than pop in with diamond necklaces in the month of December. Just be nice to each other, all the time, that's the precious jewel you can give them.

--Watch Scandal! Watch Homeland! Watch Revenge! Watch Vampire Diaries! Watch the shows! How am I supposed to watch all these shows and have date night and get facial treatments and exercise for an hour and still get at least six hours of sleep?? We watch Amazing Race and Undercover Boss together. I always cry. On my own, I'll eat lunch while watching Modern Family because I love Gloria.

And besides, if I want to know what's going on with these other shows, I just have to follow along with that week's media shouting on FB, twitter, radio, TV....

The Master Rainbow Loom Maker: Still eagle-eyed and you can't pinch an inch...

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20 comments:

  1. From what I can see, you're doing just fine with the decisions you make for yourself and your family... and your kids still like you! You don't need anyone else telling you what you need to do.

    Someone had a haircut. It looks good!

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  2. nice...my boys are rocking those bracelets right now too....we have gone through quite a few bags of rubber bands....ha....we had a weekend long date this weekend...woohoo....a break before the rush of hte rest of this year...

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  3. I'm glad I read this. I didn't know any of these things! I'm not a very good listener, that's why.

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  4. I never miss Modern Family. I also happen to think that Rainbow Loom is pretty awesome.

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  5. It is a wonderful post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Keep up the good work.
    Gluten free

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  6. I'm with you, Alexandra. I got so tired of all the parenting red-code alerts and warring stories (SAHM versus working mothers, parents of single children versus multiple children, etc.) that I finally unsubscribed my FB feed from a popular parenting journalist. All the noise and static prevent me from being able to develop my own inner voice and confidence. (I especially love what you wrote about spouses just being kind to one another. We don't do jewelry anymore and my husband also knows I'd rather get a book!). And we LOVE rainbow loom in our household!!

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  7. I'm glad to know there's another family out there without smartphones.

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  8. Like minded people, I love you all. You know, I get so sick of the FB alerts and tweeting in ALL CAPS: done with it. Big sigh of relief. xo

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  9. I think when a boy loves his rainbow loom and his mom's friends make him feel proud of himself and he creates a modern day, facebook, rainbow loom lemonade stand, why then that child is a blessed child indeed. Some rainbow loom lemonade stands are on quiet streets because their moms aren't social media goddesses. And some luck the heck out because the karma of a mom who casts her love net far and wide begets lots of customers who know the value of good lemonade.

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  10. I think it's pretty cool that your Master Rainbow Loom Maker is having fun, doing a wonderful job and becoming quite the entrepreneur! There is such a barrage of noise out there about how to do more, be more experience more...blah, blah, blah. It can really mess with the mind; clutter it up and prevent us from fully enjoying the lives we choose to live for ourselves. Right on, Alexandra! I love this post.

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  11. I was just going off about this the other day - stop telling me how to parent my kids better, how I'm poisoning my body, how everyone is superior to everyone else! I'm really sick of it. Thanks for this, Alexandra. Much needed and appreciated.

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  12. Ahhhh, the holiday jewelry commercials. I seriously DO NOT GET IT.

    I still have just the one diamond ring (a small one, even, gasp!) my husband gave me 18 years ago when he proposed.

    Oh yeah, and I also have the two beautiful children and the countless days of happiness he's given me since then, so there's that.

    Sure, he drives me crazy sometimes and I do the same to him - but neither of us does it on purpose. We're just human and humans are crazy. Good thing he knows that instead of giving me a bracelet, I'd rather he rub my feet and tell me a joke.

    That'll do, babe. That'll do.

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  13. We appreciate your flair for the last minute and second it!

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  14. It does get tiring be told what we should be doing all the time, doesn't it? I agree with you, at 48 I am really learning to take what I like and leave the rest!!!

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  15. In the end, you just do what you can and let the rest slide. Life is too important to worry too much about the little things.

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  16. How long am I supposed to sit on my couch in pajamas reading blogs each day?!?!?! That stretching business had better not interfere! ;)

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  17. Thanks everyone. I am getting old and curmudgeony. I've just had it. Leave us all alone. xo

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  18. I cannot listen to any of it. I'm throwing out the rule books and doing what I can do. I just try to do my best each day.

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  19. I'm so glad you said it, because I say it all the time and I'm tired. ;)

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