iMama meets iCarly

I'm adding this picture today trying to WILL in some cooler weather. Nothing else seems to work! We've had a busy few weeks around here and I feel like I've been beaten with a stick!  I am oh so thankful that we made the decision to forego dance and gymnastics this fall. Adjusting to a new school hasn't been easy and we've needed that extra time together in the evenings.  Overall the girls are wonderfully happy at EBA now and we've started to get into a groove that works for us.  Ali is busy with cheerleading and Addie is just happy to have her Friday sno-cones.  She LOVES her teacher and especially enjoys reenacting her daily devotionals in the afternoons. It warms my heart to hear them.

Recently, I had the opportunity to actually sit down and watch TV with the girls. We've been swamped   and we haven't had much TV time, which I don't consider a bad thing- especially after this particular experience! Ali was watching a show I'd previously considered harmless, iCarly.  I could not believe the haughty disrespect the characters had towards their teacher and the flippant attitude they showed towards the adults on the show. The show portrayed parents and teachers as stupid, silly, irrational and totally incompetent.  Occasionally over the last year Ali will say something with a very sharp tone and I do a double take. When I correct this behavior she honestly does look at me like she has no idea why I'm upset. Now I know why. She sees this behavior in her favorite shows on TV. I have always been very careful about what the children watched on television. They were never allowed to watch cartoons with indiscriminate violence.  Shows like Spongebob, that are obnoxiously loud were kept to a minimum. I never even allowed the girls to play any sort of  hunting games on the Wii. I come from a huge family of carnivorous sportsmen and while I'm not opposed to hunting in the least, I believe children should understand that when you shoot an animal it dies. Indiscriminate use of video games with guns desensitizes children to this truth and I've always avoided it. But here I am watching iCarly and all of a sudden I realize that I have fallen down on the job!  

Recently John Rosemond, a child pyschologist, wrote an article about such a problem. His column can be found at www.rosemond.com.  I was relieved to hear him say that although today's children are bombarded with this "incompetent parent" scenario, Dr. Rosemond says that reminding them about acceptable tone of voice in MY home will win out if reinforced. Ali and I had a long discussion about the acceptable tone of voice a child should use when talking to an adult, especially a parent or a teacher. She still needs to be reminded occasionally to "try that again", and she always does so successfully.

Raising kids is not getting any easier.  Society isn't making it any easier. We are constantly told that kids don't need a dad in the home, that we can make irresponsible decisions and the government will take care of the consequences, that parents should obey their children, and that disregard for authority is cool.
I am working overtime to keep my children from falling into this terribly detrimental way of thinking, but it's not easy!

 Have a good week everyone. Hopefully some cool weather will be here soon! I'm about to melt out there watching football games. Where's the hot chocolate weather?

win or lose...Glory to 'Ol Georgia

It's been awhile since I've blogged and that's mostly because we are swamped at the house of Bennett.  I guess it's a good kind of swamped. We've got ball games and cheer practices and such. There's a fine line between overscheduling and keeping the devil away from idle hands. I'd decided early on to avoid any "lessons" for Addie this fall until we could get settled in a new school and Pete could get acclimated to a new job. The result has been a happier less hectic home and that makes for a happier less hectic mama.

Ali did go and see her pediatrician who had mercy on us and prescribed a very small dose of Concerta, a time released Ritalin. We have been utterly amazed at the difference. She can now complete her homework in an hour rather than two or three. She has made 104 and 108 on the last two spelling tests. She is doing much much better in her other classes as well. I have not been giving it to her on the weekends but she told me she wanted to take it today because she could concentrate on the cheers better when she takes it. She is not hyperactive in the least and so I don't think her teachers ever realized how serious her attention deficit
was until now. We're starting to get into a rythym and I can see things settling down around here soon.

I bought a new bedspread last week from overstock.com! It is REALLY nice.  It was called "Antique Chic" and I liked the classic quilted look but also liked the unique fabrics. It went well with my dark wood  bed. It was only 79 dollars for a kind sized quilt, two shams and two decorative pillows that were really pretty.

 Our old one we'd had since we built the house three years ago and it looked terrible. There was everything from dry erase marks to kool aid stains to fingernail polish oh and don't forget the burned spot where I laid a hot curling iron on it on the NIGHT my house was on the Christmas Tour of Homes!   I had to run furiously through the house to find a throw to put over the foot of the bed. Good times!  Also bought the girls some fall clothes since Gymboree had a 30% off sale. Addie got some skirt sets from Etsy.com but I'm beginning to wonder if the weather will ever get cool enough to actually WEAR fall clothes.

And one last thought today...  seriously guys. Why are so many people so ugly when it comes to sports? I'm talking 9 year olds all the way to college ball? Why? I am so glad there are men who are willing to go out in the hot sun and coach 9 and 10 year old boys and women who are willing to coach pre teen cheerleaders for nearly no pay. I want role models for my children. I want coaches who teach them about life and that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose but you do both gracefully, fairly and with dignity. Winning with humility and losing with grace are wonderful life lessons. I spent four wonderful years in Athens and not that you have to go to UGA to be a diehard fan, but if you DO, it gets in your blood and when people say such ugly things about the Dawgs, I feel like you're talking about my family! In my family we have at least 7 degrees from the University of Georgia and at least 4  from Virginia Tech. Maybe I shouldn't feel that way but I do. Don't talk ugly about the Dawgs or Hokies. Just root for your own team. Be nice to each other and THINK before you SAY.  Those are good life lessons too!