MY child's development

Thank you for writing this post first of all!

Here are my thoughts. <commence soapbox> I happen to agree with the opinion that moms are judged a lot harder than dads. I also feel that same judgment as Loriani when I find out my son hasn’t done something as fast as other kids. My response… “leave him alone, he’ll get there in time!” Ya, Timmy may have walked at 9 months and that is great for him but my son is taking his time and I’m actually grateful for that because this moment in time when he needs my help is going to end FAST and I want to preserve this baby-hood as long as humanly possible.





Now…don’t get me wrong I will try to teach him to walk and encourage his learning as best I can. What I refuse to do is compare my kid with yours, or your friends, or some child on TV. He’s happy, healthy and rather smart in my own opinion. All kids learn at different times and struggle with different things…this doesn’t make any one of them better than another.

If you are a mom, you should understand this so it boggles my mind that we judge each other or try to make ourselves feel better by our child’s accomplishments. We should be supporting one another. I would like to see a day when we can tell our stories without judgment of another’s family and offer experiences rather than “solutions” to another mom’s “problems”. Trust me I have gotten my fair share of "oh you know who's walking already?", "he's still on a bottle?" and the most condeming one of all "you let him watch TV?!"  

Now on the fairness of moms versus dads…. I think this will always be lost. Single dads get more praise than single moms. Stay-at-home dads get more praise than stay-at-home moms. I think it is just the nature of the beast. Maybe it is because women are more maternal and nurturing so it is assumed parenting comes natural to us. Whereas when a man tries to take on the role, it is surprising and people tend to be impressed they can do it. Come to think of it…if I were to build something, say a cabinet or fix something like a car….I can pretty much assure you that people would give me a lot more praise than they would if a man did those things. Fair, maybe not, but I don’t think it’s really about fairness. It’s more about the nature of male versus female and what we are innately better at …. or just programmed to think about our genders that way.

Maybe that should be our concern, not about who is getting praised but about how we teach the next generation to view the capabilities of them as a person and not simply about what their gender normally functions as. I want to teach my son to be strong and self-sufficient and “manly” but if he wants to be a nurse, a stay-at-home dad, a stylist, then I want him to be the type of man that can do that without taking gripe from other people.

XOXO, Sharon

Images from:

© Sharon Price

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/s/stay_at_home_dads.asp

http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/free-printables/greeting-cards/stay-at-home-dad-greeting-cards.html

Jealous....but why?

I have been thinking a lot about how I view other people and their situations, lives, opinions, etc. Sometimes I find myself being jealous of other women in different life situations or stages than myself. Women who have older children and seem to have the perfect marriage or the single girl who gets to go out with her friends whenever she wants without having to find a babysitter, budget it into the family expenses or clear it with her spouse to make sure nothing else is planned. The woman that gets to go full board with her hobbies or interests without a secnd thought. It’s not that I don’t like my life or am dissatisfied…it’s just sometimes…you wish you had a different life for just a day…an hour…a minute.

(Especially when I’m trying my best not to get a coma from my head falling on my desk due to my severe lack of sleep because my son was so unbearably uncomfortable because of constipation and gas that he couldn’t sleep without being consoled….I could use a nap of any amount of time, but no…I will go home, take care of my son, help make dinner, lunches for the next day and then watch little man all night so my husband can go to school so we can eventually have a more comfortable life. <<stepping down from soap box now>>)

I was driving home and then it hit me…I’m not jealous of these girls/women because of their life style or choices or circumstances…it’s because they seem so delighted and joyful with their lives and seem grateful for what’s happening to them. Now…I know they may not realize that is how they come off, or they may not feel that way at all, but that’s how I see them. I realized I need to start being more grateful for what I do have and not take it for granted lest it all go away or I miss out on my life because I’m too dumb to see how great it is now.

I have a great man by my side who is always there for me and has been for the past 8 years. Who still finds me attractive and wants to spend time with me and believes in me more than I believe in myself. I still can’t believe that someone this smart and handsome choose me to live out his days with. I have a very handsome son who cracks me up with his carefree, goofy, oddball personality (wonder where he gets that one, lol). I have a home, I have a wonderful family who I can count on no matter what. I have a job that I’m enjoying at the moment. I have great friends who push me to stick with my goals and who are always uplifting at just the right times. So…I need to stop seeing what I don’t have and start being grateful for what more I do have and have a little faith in how I have chosen to live my life…because I did choose this life.

I am grateful as well to those women I was jealous of because it brought me to this conclusion and determination to change my attitude. To change things about myself I have control over and to accept those that I don't. I hope those women are really as happy as they are in my mind and if not, maybe knowing that I was jealous of them would make them a bit more appreciative of their own circumstances. Maybe my realization of this will help me be more accepting and understanding of other woman and hope they return the same.  

Be Grateful. Be Happy. Be YOU!

Sharon

August 2011

Aug 21, 2011 Week by sabell82 featuring a sheer dress

Sheer dress
$50 - modcloth.com

Amazon.com: Bugillions! A Book About Counting (Look & See) (Googly...
$3 - amazon.com

Walmart.com: Gold's Gym GG480 Treadmill with Bonus 2 pair- 1lb hand...
$377 - walmart.com

Lexington Satchel
$47 - alloy.com

Talking to Kids...especially little girls

As I read this article (You can read the article here and here) ...it hit me that I do this with kids. Probably because I''m nervous and don't know what to talk to them about so complimenting something about them physically is the easiest thing to do. My niece, for example, I always tell her she looks very pretty because, well, she does. But I need to start thinking of other ways to engage with her without making her feel that all I think is important are outside appearances. 





I feel like sometimes we don't give kids enough credit, they do understand, they can critically think, discuss and offer valid and very truthful opinions on important subjects. Sometimes as an "adult" (I say this in quotations because I still feel like a kid most of the time) it is easy to forget how it felt to be a kid and how frustrating it was that adults didn't think you could understand what they were talking about.

So thank you Bethany for re-posting this article because I will take on this challenge. Hopefully I will make enough of an impact as someone she looks up to, to know she is beautiful inside and out. As part of my decision to change how I interact, I found this organization, Confidence Coalition, to help parents or anyone in contact with kids, or adults for that matter,  learn how to boost someone else's confidence.


I signed the pledge, can you?
 
Today, I pledge to be more confident in myself and my abilities.
I will be forgiving and generous to myself and others. I will embrace my unique beauty and do my best to ignore the stereotypes portrayed in the media. I will encourage those around me to focus on their true beauty. I will refrain from negative self-talk and be a role model to the girls in my life. I pledge to be less judgmental and more forgiving of myself and the women and girls in my life.
I will not attempt to sabotage anyone else’s self-confidence. I will not participate in any forms of physical or emotional abuse including bullying, cyberbullying, gossiping, hazing, exclusion, humiliation and coercion. I will lift up the women with whom I interact at work, in the community, and in my everyday life. I will treat others as I would want to be treated.
I will have the confidence to stand up for myself and others. I will not let pressure from other people lead me to forgo my values. I will respect myself enough to say “NO” to people and situations that are unhealthy to my well-being. I will not stay in an abusive relationship. I will offer support and guidance to my friends and others who may be involved in abusive relationships. I will encourage the girls and women in my life to live by their values.
By joining with others, I will make the world a better place for all women and girls. I will encourage confidence in myself, my friends, my family and others.

Operation Beautiful – Leave your Post-It out today!

“When you consider yourself valuable you will take care of yourself in all ways that are necessary.” --M. Scott Peck

Sharon's Favorite Online Retailers

Oh how I adore Mod Cloth….so much that I got a gift card for my birthday and can’t decide what I want because I want everything. I recently lost a lot of weight and still want to lose some more so I’m thinking of getting a super dressy, frilly, girly dress one size too small….but the budget-unfriendly mom and wife, thinks…. “buy a work dress and something that is practical” – either way still deciding J

Herbed Chicken and Vino Vegetables with Quinoa

 

I made this the other night for the family because I was tired of plain chicken, vegetable and starch. I needed some flavor….and since my day called for a rather large glass of wine, here is what occurred. Takes about 20 minutes.

First gather your thawed chicken how much? Whatever works for your family J. I have 2 ½ people in my family so I do 3 breast and save a half of one for lunch or S’ dinner the next day. (Now is the time to pound the chicken if you like it flat or have some aggression you need to get out). Grab basil, thyme, and black pepper, dried or fresh, doesn’t matter, whatever you have on hand…I had dried. Grab your grill, or in my case a grill pan and cook the chicken. Ok….since there was a time when I honestly didn’t know how to cook chicken without the CrockPot, here a link for my younger self.  

Season one side of your chicken to your liking. (Side Note: you can obviously add or not use whatever herbs you want…I just like the ones listed). Throw it on the pan seasoned side down and wait (while you wait, read ahead)…..now flip and cook it through.

Super Side Note – I know I am talking to the audience like you all have no clue…but I was (and sometimes still am) someone who had no clue and would have appreciated it. So if you get how to cook  seasoned chicken, skip ahead J

Grab your veggies – garlic, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, yellow squash and boiling onions. Cut the vegetables – tomatoes in half, asparagus about 3 inches long, squash length-wise then in thirds, garlic crush and onions peel but leave whole.

Bring a skillet (with a cover) to medium and spray with cooking spray and thrown in garlic and onions. After those have had a minute to release flavors add your asparagus and cook for 2 minutes with a cover on. (Don’t forget to flip your chicken!) Now add the remaining veggies and splash in some wine….be careful, you can add too much. Now steam cook until they are done the way you like. Remember to toss once in a while to ensure they are cook evenly.

Make your Quinoa (keen-wa) See this link for directions ….why rewrite the dictionary?

When your chicken is done cut your chicken how you like it and serve. My husband likes his chicken well done and cut tiny…so I do that, while I leave mine as a full breast.

Serve and I hope you enjoy!

Housewife Bio's

Sharon

Mom to Silas (Sigh-las) who will be a year old in August, and sister to Suzanne, Stephanie and Francisco. Living in Gilbert, AZ at the moment ..going through a separation. I have a soft spot in my heart for almost everything but love all things vintage. I’m a little weird and random and if you know me at all, my attention span for topics is short lived but I never leave them permanently. My mom and dad are still together after over 35 years and we were raised in an American Hispanic home…although we could have used more Mexican influences in language, food, etc. IMO.

In my postings I am going to try a recipe from someone else (or myself) and review what I find. I started a baking business a little bit ago and realized I need to hone in on my baking skills. So I am taking a mild break from that and learning technique from tried and true recipes and artisans. I can’t quit my day job or being mom to go to culinary school…so I will try to teach myself and blog about my experience. I hope that I can open a bakery of my own and be a more hands on mom someday. I’m also going to contribute to some vintage fashion, crafts and other areas of the blog so watch out!