Save It for Later Saturday: Empowering Your Princess

In Save It for Later Saturday you’re getting a brief run-down of the stand-outs from my week's "Read Later" list.  This week, like last week, please replace the word Saturday with Monday.  I thought about skipping my weekly recap all together due to its lateness.  However, my penchant for perseverance will not allow it to be.  Reality, though, is an unavoidable nuisance, and I must tend to other Monday duties.  So this week’s Save It for Later Saturday is brief.

I wouldn’t call myself a feminist of the stereotypical kind, but I am very passionate about female empowerment.  When I came across this article shared by @DrPriceMitchell, I knew it would be one I would include in this week’s review.  In 10 Wonderful Quotes from Women, Dennis E. Coats, Ph.D. give us his favorite quotes from famous females after acknowledging that, “Women raised the family. Men went out into the world, got educated and went to work. And so it has been mostly the voices of men that were recorded throughout history.” I was pleased to see included in his list a quote from one of my favorite authors, Anaïs Nin: 

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” 

One of the reasons I began Sperk* is because I saw blogging on a list of 100 ways to be a feminist.  Blogging takes courage.  No one knows this better than my fellow bloggers.  Let’s take it a step further and begin quoting each other.  Maybe one day it will be written that it has been mostly the voices of women that were recorded throughout history.

Continuing to focus on the topic of feminism, I bring you Princess debate part two: Peggy Orenstein on culture, gender, and parenting from Washington Post reporter Janice D'Arcy. D'Arcy interviews Peggy Orenstein, author Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girly-Girl Culture, which was released in paperback last week.  In the article, Orenstein reflects on the differences between girls and boys, the trouble with gender specific marketing (including the LEGO Friends controversy), and shares her insight about allowing ourselves to be true to our own visions for our daughters. 

In Dear Middle School Girl, Shannon Torrence uses wit and empathy to challenge girls to look within to become person who is being stirred by the voice inside:

Listen to and trust your own inner voice.  Act accordingly.  Do not try to be someone you are not.  Do not for a second think that anyone else is any better or cooler or more interesting than you are.  No one is perfect, but everyone has something wonderful to offer this world.  The point is not to be the coolest, most attractive, best-dressed kid in school; it’s to be a kind, thoughtful, responsible and compassionate human being.

Dear Middle School Girl is a great read filled with brilliant reminders not only for our daughters, but also for us as we navigate parenting through the middle school years.  I am thrilled to have discovered at Michelle in the Middle which was shared by Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms on that most powerful tool for the dissemination of information, Twitter.

See you next Saturday.

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The Paradox of Beauty

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My girls have hair appointments at a salon somewhat randomly chosen from a list generated by that trusty search engine, Google.  I am nervous about this afternoon’s pending trip to the selected beauty establishment in the Short North, a trendy, artsy neighborhood here in Columbus.  Why be nervous?

First, this means I must style my own hair and find something presentable to wear other than my favorite red plaid flannel jammie pants that I’ve sported all week.  (Yes, my older daughter, Sophia, is planning to submit my photos to TLC's What Not to Wear).  Second, this means I must convince my girls that after five months, they do indeed need their hair trimmed.  For some reason, they think if they get a trim, their hair will cease to be long.  They do not understand that without regular pruning, their long flowing locks will turn into thin frayed wisps.  Lastly, I am not looking forward to meeting a new stylist.  The last two hair experts we’ve loyally employed turned out to be unstable professionally.  Oh, things always started out great. But one stylist stopped listening to what the client wanted for she could not hear over her own talking, and the other refused to return money paid for tinsel extensions that fell out in one hour.

The trip to the new-to-us salon cannot be avoided.  Next week Sophia is performing in her middle school’s musical.  She has the lead.  She can’t have stringy Marcia Brady hair and convincingly portray Winnifred the Woebegone.  Antonia, my younger daughter, complains every morning that she hates her hair.  This fascinates me because, although it does need shaped up, she has a gorgeous head of hair with perfect color, texture, and wave.  Are the talks about self-talk failing? 

So, haircuts, here we come.  

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Maybe it’s not the actual experience of the haircuts that I am dreading.  Maybe it’s that I despise the fact that I see my girls beginning to be crushed by the societal standards placed upon women to be pretty.  You know what, my girls are pretty—with hair or bald, new clothes or hand-me-downs, a broken out forehead or clear skin.   I am frustrated that they do not see their own beauty, honor it, embrace it, and give it the merit it deserves.  

This brings me to a heavily debated question.  What merit does beauty deserve?   

If beauty deserves no value, why am I concerned about my jammie pants?  I can chalk that one up to wanting to teach my girls what it means to be appropriately dressed and taken seriously.  Yet, left to be answered is why we celebrate celebrities and movie stars but put down the woman we pass on the street who needs to lose ten pounds?   

Maybe I'll make a statement against the value of beauty by rolling to the salon just as I am, right now, sitting at my kitchen table with no make-up applied, hair wild, and a Chihuahua comfortably cuddled in my lap.  Possibly too extreme.  I will continue to contemplate until it is time for this little dog on my lap to be let outside.  While he is frolicking in the winter sun, blissfully unaware of his beauty, I'll give in to societal standards by applying  my make-up and doing my hair.  The jammie pants?  That's a rough one.

  

This Mom Loves Football

 

I admit I enjoy football.

I became enamored with football when I was a child, sitting crossed-leg on the floor in front of the television during a Steelers game.  Terry Bradshaw passed the ball.  It flew through the air in a perfect arch and landed in the arms of a receiver far down field.  It was absolutely magical, unreal, and unforgettable.

During the 1970’s the Steelers were football’s finest, winning four Super Bowls.  Living in a small town along the Rust Belt, not far from Pittsburgh, I could feel the elation for the team’s success permeate everyone in the community.  When the Steelers won, our little town won.  The emotions ran deep, and for me still do.

It is not unusual to find me glued to YouTube watching footage of the Steelers.  My favorites include Troy Polamalu, Mean Joe Greene, and of course Terry Bradshaw.  My favorite play, the one I always go back to, is after a missed Steelers field goal in Super Bowl X, Cowboys safety Cliff Harris mockingly patted the kicker on his helmet and thanked him for "helping Dallas out".  Harris was immediately thrown to the ground by linebacker Jack Lambert.  Talk about sticking up for the members of your team.   I have always wanted someone to stand up for me like that.  Pummel my nemesis right down to the ground.  Lambert's way of tackling is no longer allowed in the NFL.  But I still find footage of him defeating his opponents play after play inspiring.

At times, I can barely watch the Steelers play.  I get too emotional.  I have thrown remotes at the television set in anger and turned cartwheels in the living room in joy.  Even during the times when the Steelers have not been successful I have stayed loyal, watching week after week during the NFL season, waiting and hoping for an incredible Steelers win.

My worst moment as a Steelers fan this year was after the horrific loss to Denver.  One member of my household, who shall remain nameless because he’s a Colt’s fan and they are insignificant, spent the entire evening “Tebowing”.  He’s still not forgiven for that episode of behavior and never will be.

As I anticipate the arrival of Super Bowl XLVI, I feel somewhat agitated knowing there will be no black and gold on the field in Indianapolis.  But I am also relieved that I do not have to watch a potential repeat of last year’s biggest game of the year, when the Steelers lost to the Packers.  Even though a year has gone by, I can barely talk about it.  The weeks following that loss, I yelled at the TV every time a highlight aired.  Yeah, don't mention it.  Just don't.

But I will be watching on Sunday, even without a Steelers appearance.  Of course, I am looking forward to Madonna’s half time show, but more so, I am looking forward to a great game.  You see, football is like life.  Line up, run your play, if you get tackled get up, line up, and try again.  Try not to fumble.  But if you do, send in Lambert and get the ball back.  Then don’t stop until you cross the goal line.

Prompt for February 2, 2012: I admit, I enjoy

Linking up with Found the Marbles, Do Sweat the Small Stuff, and Rock and Drool

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Wednesday's Woman: Role Models in Educational Technology

You can be sure your child is getting the most out of school by staying informed on the latest educational practices and finding out how they are being implemented within your school district.  Educational technology, a trend coming into the light of mainstream education, is a vital necessity that should be incorporated into every classroom.  Our children's education should include experiences and tools that enable them to become informed, skilled digital citizens.  To raise awareness of technology’s critical role in education, today, February 1, 2012, educators across the country are celebrating the first national Digital Learning Day:

Digital Learning Day

Parents are critically important in ensuring the nation’s schools continue to improve. . . February 1 is just the beginning of a year-round campaign to improve outcomes for students. The potential is endless and it starts with you. Join us in a journey to bring education into the twenty-first century so the nation’s children are prepared for the world that awaits them! 

In accord with Digital Learning Day, Wednesday’s Woman highlights two stand-outs in the field of Educational Technology.

Kathy Schrock has been in the field of Educational Technology  ever since 1995 when she created Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators, an award winning site partnered with Discovery Education. She has worn many hats in the field of education technology including a school district Director of Technology, an instructional technology specialist, an adjunct education professor, and a middle school, academic, museum, and public library librarian.  She currently teaches online graduate courses for Wilkes University and is a world-wide speaker and workshop leader focusing on technology integration in education.

Judy O'Connell is on the Editorial Board of School Libraries Worldwide and on the Advisory Board of Horizon K-12 Project.  Her website, Hey Jude: Learning in an Online World, is beneficial to not only educators, but also to parents.  You’ll find information on the latest trends in educational technology with reflection on how to keep students, not technology, at the center of learning.  Judy O'Connell also keeps us up to date in supporting student's development of digital citizenship on Facebook at Digital Citizenship in Schools.

Because of their contributions to educational technology, 

Kathy Schrock 

and

Judy O’Connell 

share this week’s 

Wednesday’s Woman.

{This is the third article in my new series, Wednesday’s Woman.  Each week I will feature a story of an inspiring woman.  Last week I featured Jill Sterishevsky, author, lawyer, and advocate for victims of child sexual abuse.  If you know of someone who should be featured, please let me know!}

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Monday Listicles: 10 Songs That Best Describe My Life

Music has always been a part of my life. As a child, I heard it in every house—my own, my grandparents, my great aunts and uncles.  I spent hours in the kitchen dancing around to records chosen by my mom who listened to music while doing chores.  My dog, Sandy, would jump and chase, trying to catch the end of my nightgown with her teeth.  The song selection included an eclectic mix of artists: Hank Williams, Buddy Holly, Bobby Vinton, Leonard Bernstein, Gershwin, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, soundtracks from Walt Disney Movies, The Doors, Ann-Margaret, Emmy Lou Harris, Etta James. . .the list is endless.  No genre was ignored--classical, jazz, rock n' roll, polka, show tunes, and country.

When I was three years old, I attended my older sister’s dance recital, and instead of sitting in my seat, I danced in the aisle.  My mom enrolled me in dance lessons the next term.  Where there are dance lessons, there is music.  I danced all of my childhood and was eventually involved in Community Theater.  After high school, I wanted to escape to New York City and become a Broadway star.  However, the voices of practicality won, and I went to college.  But I majored in dance.   

I had a brief career as a professional dancer with a regional company.  But like most professionals in the world of the arts, I spent most of my time waiting tables in restaurants and night clubs.  Chicago was my town and live music was at my disposal.  There was one show I had tickets for but skipped because I was tired from working the lunch shift at Giordano’s Pizza and the night shift at Excalibur Night Club.  I had a feeling I would regret it, but thought, “Eh, they will come around again.”  But it wasn’t so.  Nirvana was short lived.

The Dave Matthews Band was an obsession that took me to 25 of their concerts.  It was somewhat similar to the obsession I had with Prince when I was a sophomore in high school.  Although I never saw him live, I listened to nothing but Prince for an entire year.  My mom was worried and tired of hearing her teen daughter listening to such provocative music, so one day she said, “We are going to the mall and you can pick out any record you want, as long as it’s not Prince.”  I chose Sting’s “The Dream of the Blue Turtles.”

After my divorce, I devoured music.  I searched for new bands on MySpace regularly and became interested in roots music, especially bluegrass.  I also went to my first music festival, Bonnaroo.  Pearl Jam headlined and I fought my way to the front with my man, whom I coincidentally met on MySpace while searching for music. 

Today, I continue to listen to an eclectic mix of music and choosing ten songs that best tell the story of my life is a daunting task.  I fear I will leave something out that is of significance.  Even so, music has always been there for me, an escape.  And I can’t resist this tribute, if you will, to something I am immensely grateful for, and without it, I would be someone else entirely.

10 Songs That Best Tell the Story of My Life

1. Ann-Margaret, Bye-Bye Birdie Reprise  
2. Soundtrack from Lady and the Tramp, The Siamese Cat Song
3. Lawrence Welk, Pennsylvania Polka
4. Linda Ronstadt, Love is a Rose
5. Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire
6. West Side Story (movie), Dance at the Gym  
7. Nirvana, Sliver
8. Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine 
9. The Avett Brothers, Kick Drum Heart
10. Pearl Jam, Who You Are

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