I remember growing up in a home with a SAHM. Oh, Mom wasn't known by that acronym then, she was a "housewife". I also remember the commercials that were on during the day.

Commercials for Tide - telling us how it got out even "red Georgia clay". Ajax with that "white tornado" coming out of the bottle to make the house sparkling clean. Chiffon margarine and it's spokes person telling us it was so good it was like butter "It's not NICE to fool Mother Nature!".

Magazines focused on sewing patterns, rib sticking meals, decorating tips. Mom made our clothes, cooked from scratch, made out birthday cakes.

Fast forward 40+ years and I am the SAHM. The commercials I see on television today are for Medicare supplements, osteoporosis medicines, power chairs & life alert systems!

Oh there are others, the law office commercials. The IRS rescue commercials. Soon it will be the political ads.

I know that the baby boom generation, of which I am a part, has aged and the ads have changed with them. But I think much of this change is what is marketed during the day  is on the assumption that those at home are either disabled or retired.

Now, the time that I will be  searching out a Medicare supplement is coming all too soon. And, truth be known I probably should start taking an osteoporosis medication. But I don't need the power chair, the life alert, the lawyer - yet.

There are many of us who choose to stay home. This seems to be another area which shows how devalued our roles as SAHWs and SAHMs has become.  And it saddens me.

Katie - "Amanda! Daddy, she filled the entire bathroom sink with mud!"

Thank God for our blessings!

We joined the local Y. We had a little windfall and I begged and pleaded that we join. John is not as excited, but ever since the girls found out they can go swimming in the winter they are ecstatic.

Friday I had an appointment with a trainer in the Fitlinxx room. If you aren't familiar, the Fitlinxx machines know you by code, and track your progress, monitor your heart rate, etc. It's really cool.

My trainer, Heather asked my goals. Of course I could stand to lose weight, but that is not my primary goal. As the 49 year old Mom of a 9 year old and a 5 year old, I need energy and stamina. Getting off the blood pressure medicine would be my second goal. Everything else is gravy - okay maybe gravy is not a good analogy here.

I did the recumbent bike and the treadmill for 10 minutes each. Babysteps - still it ended up being close to 2 miles. I am going back in the morning.

Saturday I took the girls to open swimming. They had a ball. Amanda was beaming as soon as she hit the water. Katie took a friend and they were busy trying on flippers.

Besides thinking it was cool to get to go swimming in the winter, they loved the swimsuit dryer thing in the women's locker room. My kids are easily amused.

Katie starts a Kidfit program tomorrow evening. Amanda actually wants to go into the child care room and play. I am thinking a few laps in the pool might be relaxing.

So now, our family has reason so sing "It;s fun to play at the Y-M-C-A!"

I decided to take part in this since the girls and I are sick today and at home being bums. The head congestion has clogged my brain and I can't think very well.

This is a picture of DH and Katie at their first Daddy Daughter dance at the school. It shows me the love between them, but also reminds me of how special my Daddy was to me as well.

...I would think my DH was a cat in a previous life. He has taken to bringing me gifts - but dubious ones.

Now, I appreciate the thought, I really do. But, it is kind of like when you cat leaves you a dead mouse on the porch  :P.

First, he brought home a crock and lid from a crockpot. They had a pitch in at work and someone brought baked beans. Their crockpot thermostat broke, so they threw that part away and just brought the crock. They said they were tossing that too, so DH brought it home. It is too big for my crockpot....

Then, last night as he was leaving bell practice, he ran across some flowers from Sunday's service. They were lovely roses - once. He brought them home and put them in a vase. Poor little things look like they are praying their heads are bowed over.

Gotta love the thought though.....

My 5 year old is notorious for having a tantrum if she doesn't get what she wants when she wants it. (She is getting better, this generally only happens when she is really, really tired now.)

It was my turn last night. I love being a SAHM. I generally love being the old-fashioned kind of homemaker who doesn't understand the point of microwaveable rice or uncrustable sandwiches.

But, last night I was feeling pretty much unappreciated. Seems like I can work all weekend to try and make our home a haven, and the weekend sees it all undone. I know it is because everyone is home, and I really wouldn't trade that for an immaculate house.

However, generally liveable, and this side of condemnable would be great. Last night I headed to the kitchen because my girls were whining for dinner. Sundays are pretty laid back at our house, and they generally eat sandwiches.

I got into the kitchen to find the sink full of dishes (did I mention that I am currently the dishwasher since ours is on the fritz?), the pantry door was open, the trash was overflowing the trash can, and the silverware caddy was out of the drawer on the floor.

Add that to the mess that seems to gravitate to our bedroom, and the living room mess, and I just lost it. I turned the kitchen light off, and headed upstairs, where I donned my jammies and sat down to read. Then the tears came.

Okay, I admit it was a pity party, but I think I am entitled once in a while. Sometimes it would be nice to hear thanks, or great dinner Mom, or just a hug. Somehow, it feels like disrespect to me that my family takes it all for granted.

The kids have chores, and they are mules about doing them. Dh is not very neat either, so it counts as having 3 kids to pick up after. I am not asking them to clean, just pick up after themselves, take dishes to the kitchen, socks to the laundry room, trash to the trash can, and replace the trash bag when it is full!

I am still a bit put out this morning, but I'll get over it. Moms having feelings too!

I could stand to lose a few pounds. Okay, more than a few. But, I am tired of stressing over it. Looking at all my aunts, and grandmothers, only one of them was rail thin, and she smokes like a chimney!

So what makes me think I am gonna be skinny? Granted, I need to get in better shape and get off the blood pressure medicine. But do I really need to try and be so thin that I look good in "today's" fashions? (As an aside - most women who wear "today's" fashions DO NOT look good in them!)

And, when I speak of voluptuous, I mean genuine curves. Not man made, man enhanced, man implanted. If they don't fall into her armpits when she lies down on her back at the gym - THEY ARE NOT REAL !

Yes, it would be nice to not huff and puff going up and down the hills at summer Mother-Daughter camp. My goal is to start walking. If I shape up a bit okay - but breathing better is the top priority.

My favorite author - Liz Curtis Higgs - is a voluptuous woman herself. Her own self description is that she is, "A big beautiful woman in a narrow nervous world"! Ain't it the truth!

I have never been small. I have always had curves. When I was in high school and we were all wearing boys Levi jeans (because the girl jean market was not in high gear yet), my jeans were snug at the hips and gapped at the waist. The invention of Lee Relaxed Rider jeans ranks right up there for me with waterproof mascara and chocolate coffee creamer.

When will we stop buying the drivel that Madison Avenue puts out for us? When will we stop comparing ourselves to models and actresses and yes, even Oprah. If I had a chef, a nutrionist, a personal trainer, an assistant and a wardrobe consultant I'd look great all the time too!

Let's remember what God told us in  Jeremiah 1:5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Jeremiah 1:4-6. God knew us before we were born. Do we think He didn't know we were going to be Big Beautiful Women?

Remember when you actually KNEW your neighbors? Maybe I am older than most of you, but when I was growing up, we knew everyone on our street. Most of the Moms were SAHMs. Most of our church friend's Moms were SAHMs.

As kids we used to run from one house to the other. In the summer, we were out early and home late. Our Moms never really worried about where we were because we were always under the watchful eye of another neighborhood Mom.

We used to take our bikes and ride all over the neighborhood. We never worried about being abducted or assaulted. Someone's Mom always had an eye out for us.

This is another thing I think we have lost in today's society. With most Moms working outside the home, kids come home to empty houses. Our neighborhoods are sadly lacking in the joyful sounds of kids playing in the afternoon - because they are in after school care.

Okay, okay I am not bashing women who choose or have to work outside the home. But, it is a reality that there are very few kids playing in our neighborhood until after 6 PM. I would venture to guess it is the same in your neck of the woods.

I am lucky compared to most SAHMs I think. I have a neighbor across the street who is home all day as well. Her kids are a bit younger than mine, but they all still play together. We get together for coffee once in a while.

There are 2 other Moms in the neighborhood that I know I can count on. One is next door, and her daughter is best friends with mine. If we need someone to meet one of our kids as they get off the bus, we know the other will do it.

The same with the Mom around the corner. If I need to take my youngest somewhere and know I won't be back in time for the bus, she gladly takes Kaite home with her until I can get home.

When my youngest had eye surgery, she met the bus and welcomed my daughter. Her daughter is the same age, and in the same Brownie troop, so they got to play together.

We borrow sugar, eggs, ketchup. We know what is going on. We water each others gardens when one is on vacation, or check on the pets when someone is out of town. We get the mail, the paper, keep an eye on the house. We share house keys - "just in case".

We care about our neighbors. We had a family on the corner whose child recently died from cancer. The neighborhood took meals, sent cards & gift certificates to restaurants. We gathered with church friends and had a candle prayer vigil in their yard.

I know I am luckier than most. My Mom, who is 86, is blessed as well. She is the last of the original people in the neighborhood. There are new families, with young children in most of the homes now.

But, they check on my Mom. She is still spry and busy, working in her yard, mowing her grass, driving to church and her Friday hair appointment. But, it is comforting to me, 500 miles away, to know that if I am worred about her I can call a neighbor to check on her.

Maybe we need to rethink our "upwardly mobile" view of life. Since we moved in the house in 1993, we have watched 4 families move in and out of the house on our left, 3 in the house on the right. We can count the people across the street in the house down the row, and none but one are originals.

Most of us live miles away from any close family. A friend who was a nurse in a pediatric office once said she got so many calls from new mamas with basic questions, because none of them had the mom or grandma support nearby.

Is it really benefitting us to keep running after bigger and better? What are we losing in this search? Maybe I am a throwback to the 50's, but I miss the idea of home being a haven and our neighborhoods being little communities.

My girls and I always seem to have deep discussions while we are driving to drop Katie off at school. This morning we discussed voodoo, of all things.

To back up, for Katie's birthday I got her the Mary Frances book of Knitting and Crocheting  Mary Frances Book . She took it to school and started reading it yesterday, When she got home, she wanted to make a "Yarn Baby", which is one of the characters in the book. I gave her some yarn, and she went to work.

This morning, she asked me if her yarn baby was a voodoo doll. We quickly dispelled that notion! Then we talked about Native Americans and pioneers making babies out of corn husks. Teaching moments are precious.

Back at the home front, we need a new vacuum. Ours is kaput. It wasn't that great to begin with - I don't think "bagless technology" is all it is cracked up to be. Especially when you have 2 small children, and once had a long haired cat!

So, we are on the hunt for a new vacuum. Well, we are finding that there are as many choices for vacuums as there are for cold rememdies. It sure is hard to choose. But, God works in mysterious ways, because on Fox and Friends this morning, the Consumer Reports segment was on vacuums! Yay! The Sears Progressive Vacuum (canister and upright)  got best buy, and best value. Costs more than I would normally pay - but maybe that is the reason I need a new vacuum!

Amanda and I had a talk about choices on the way home this morning. We talked about how she has special gifts given to her by God, and she should use those. I told her she can be anything she wants to be. But, I want her to know that choosing to be a wife and a mom is just a valid a choice as choosing to be a doctor or a lawyer!

Having come of age during the height of the Women's Liberation movement, it was hard to just come out and say, "Hey! I want to be a homemaker!". Anyway, I won't stand on that soapbox today - I just want my girls to know that being at home is just as valid a calling as anything else!

If you are further interested - check out this book - Feminism: Mystique or Mistake.

It is getting warmer here in NC - in the 60's today. All my bulbs are blooming and the kids played outside without coats. Just thought I'd post a few flower pics to show you what is coming up.

The hyacinths are my favorite. They smell so nice! These are right by my front walkway. They remind me of an old Bette Davis movie where she loses her sight right before she dies. She exclaims "We have to plant the hyacinths....."

The daffodils on the side of the house. I forget every year that I planted these until my kids come up with the ones they have picked!

My crocuses. These used to be by the walkway where the hyacinths are. And, there used to be white and purple ones. I guess the yellows are the hardiest.

One little daff blooming by the bunny statues.

The tulips are starting to green up - I can't wait to see them bloom!