Saturday, January 30, 2010

A little paint never hurt the barn

I like clothes. A LOT. I notice things about clothes, thanks to my mom, that most people probably don't notice. Do the plaids match? Is the nap going in the same direction? Is it lined? And so forth. My taste in clothes FAR exceeds my budget and therefore Dior's only visit from me is via the web. If I were to have an addiction, it would be clothes.

I once had a boyfriend who told me that he questioned my ability to be a good mother. (Incidentally, this conversation effectively ended the relationship.) One of his reasons for this statement was because women like me, who cared about makeup and clothes, didn't make good mothers. Thankfully, I've a husband who appreciates my interest in looking good. I've never been the type to enjoy wearing pajamas all day or go an entire morning without makeup and for this he is grateful. We're a wonderful match!

I have questioned before if my desire to look good is just plain vanity. I'll be honest, sometimes it is. But, more often than not I like to get dressed and made up for my husband's benefit. He deserves to come home to a cute wife. I didn't slob around without makeup, unwashed hair and grubby clothes when we met- why would I 'give up' now? I truly believe that my attention to this detail shows him that I care about his opinion of me. What man really wants to come home to a slob of a wife? I heard a preacher once say "Ladies, a little paint never hurt the barn." How true. Even the Proverbs 31 woman dressed herself in nice clothes.


As with most things, I believe the motivation and purpose of the heart is the bottom line of this issue. Although I am quite certain that most feminists would take great issue with the fact that I dress to please my husband, I am not ashamed of this and am more than happy to check my lipstick and powder my nose before he walks in the door at the end of the day.

Must close for now....I heard about a sale.....:)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Simmering down

I'm ticked. It happened on Monday and I'm still a bit miffed about this. I consider myself a fairly forgiving person, but this insult was pretty intense. In the course of a facebook discussion on taxes, a friend of a friend made a statement that not only should the child tax write-off be done away with, but people should PAY a tax on each child. I can see where he is coming from with the tax write-off, but taxing people for having kids? Really? Doesn't China do that? How's it working for them? This person went on to make a direct comparison that not only flabbergasted me, but made me really angry. This person compared having a child to playing video games. Seriously. He went on to say that, based on my FB profile pic, that my child is 'obviously your hobby and playstation is mine.' What????? My hobby? Sorry pal, a child isn't a hobby.

This struck a pretty sensitive nerve with me. At first I felt quite insulted, that my role as a mother was being demeaned, but then I realized why I was so angry. The anger wasn't directed as much at this person, but at our society's view of parenting. It seems that our society views parenting as a side activity, not an investment. A child as a mere hobby? I assure you, if I had wanted another hobby I certainly would have chosen a hobby that didn't poop, wake up at odd hours of the night and put an end to sleeping past 7:30am. Perhaps if this person had a child of his own, he'd understand that a child is no hobby. Then again, he might not.

Fortunately, the Lord does not see parenting in the same way. We are told to diligently teach our children about God (Deut. 6:6-7). My desire is to help my child want to choose Christ. That's certainly not a hobby that can be laid aside at any given moment; instead it's a lifestyle of decisions, commitments and sacrifice- much of which I've yet to learn. So friend-of-a-facebook-friend, I wouldn't recommend comparing a child to a playstation hobby again. Ever.

Perhaps I should try to simmer down now.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

WARNING: Do not try this at home

Food has never been a priority to me. Don't get me wrong, I like food and I'm not a super picky eater, I just don't think about food until I'm really hungry. When I was single I pretty much existed on turkey bacon, corn Chex, strawberries, diet Coke and chocolate. Healthy, right? In truth, I'd rather have great clothes than great food. Sad but true. I happened to marry a man who really likes food. Plus, his mom is a fantastic cook. During our first few months of marriage I realized that it was necessary to plan our meals with much more creativity and care than a bowl of corn Chex demanded. I watched Food Network, bought several great cookbooks and got bold. We made it nearly 9 months before my first absolute flop. Perhaps a recap of the conversation will paint a clear picture:
Kyle: (with pained, trying not to gag expression) Ummmm, what are we eating tonight?
Lisa: (trying to swallow) Lamburgers.
Kyle: WHAT????!!!!
Lisa: Lamburgers. You know, hamburgers but made with lamb.
Kyle: Like 'Mary had a little lamb' lamb?
Lisa: Yes.
Kyle: I love you. You are a good wife and your meals are good. Please don't take this the wrong way, but could you not make this again?
Lisa: Yeah, this is gross.
Kyle: Can I throw it away now?
Lisa: Here's my plate too.

The recipe looked SO promising. We both like Mediterranean food and this recipe fell into that category- what could go wrong? I even talked over the choice of ground lamb with the butcher at Fresh Market. The feta was the perfect consistency too. I used FRESH rosemary and minced all of my own garlic for crying out loud. The stinkin' pitas were organic!! I think I was more angry at the fact that I could have bought a cute sweater or a fun necklace for the price of what we couldn't stomach to eat than I was at the fact that we didn't (after all of the effort) have a meal on the table.

Have your fears assuaged little lambs! You will not be eaten at our house.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

"But you're too smart to be a housewife!"

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that phrase, I'd be half-way to affording some lovely Christian Louboutins. (Would any of you judge me if I painted the bottoms of my Nine-Wests with red lacquer?) When I made the announcement that I was leaving the world of gainful employment for the world of diapers, vacuums and general servitude, I was met with some interesting responses. One person even said, "But you have a college education." There are certainly days when I feel like that Samford U diploma is merely a nice wall ornament. But more often then not, I am thankful for my education and for the ability to be a housewife. And isn't it sort of an ego boost for my husband to know that I don't have to depend on his provision, but rather am CHOOSING to depend on his ability to provide for our family?

I sort of view this season of my life as a true test of myself. How disciplined am I? When the actual pursuit of knowledge and learning are not being rewarded with grades or paychecks will I still pursue them? My child deserves a well-educated and knowledgeable parent; that incentive is of far greater worth to me than a paycheck or perfect GPA. When the only actual deadlines are equivalent to empty refrigerators and sock drawers will I still be proactive and not procrastinate? Will I still manage time well? Being a good time manager is even more essential at this juncture in life. Managing time well equates to peaceful evenings with my fabulous husband and fun weekends with my family. Is that enough of an incentive? Is that a worthwhile paycheck? You betcha!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

$75,000

Life insurance. Very few things characterize boredom with as much paperwork and decision making as life insurance forms. In this process I did actually learn something very interesting. My occupation as a domestic CEO (homemaker) is worth $75,000 per year. That is more than twice what my annual teacher's salary was! This got me thinking. Do I really earn my $75k per year? I guess I do, right? What if I had an annual performance review? Would I get a promotion? So I've made a decision, I will henceforth approach my position as CEO of Olson House, Inc with as much fervor, creativity and planning as I did my classroom. After all, my former students benefited greatly from my planning, shouldn't my husband and child receive and expect the same? More to come...