Help to Prevent Brave Princess Merida Makeover

I was saddened to read today that Disney is looking to revise the image of Princess Merida from the Pixar animated film "Brave" to appear somewhat more voluptuous with more defined breasts, hips and curves. She doesn't look like a young girl anymore but instead a mature woman.

Why the change?

There was nothing wrong with Merida the way she was. I even loved that she was no nonsense and not shaped like an unrealistic version of what society deems as beautiful.

Really?

Apparently, the change was recently unveiled to "coordinate with Merida's official crowning as Disney's 11th-ever princess" at Walt Disney World, according to Movie Talk on Yahoo.com.

It is a shame to turn a fun-loving, feisty character who has a lot of spunk and confidence into a person that is years beyond her age and with a more mature look and unnecessary sexuality.

"This one character may not do any damage to a girl's psychological development, per se," child development expert Dr. Robyn Silverman tells me. "But Merida joins a barrage of thin, sultry characters for girls, making her yet another facet of our sexed-up, thinned down messaging."

According to an official statement from Disney, “Merida exemplifies what it means to be a Disney Princess through being brave, passionate, and confident and she remains the same strong and determined Merida from the movie whose inner qualities have inspired moms and daughters around the world.” 

Merida is all these descriptions, then why does she need to physically makeover?

What we love most about Merida is that she is a fun-loving, endearing, funny and an engaging character who is ever more real than other Disney princesses, and she is relatable.  It's not all about relationships, finding love and looking a certain way.

I have no problem with princesses as my daughter loves them. However, when she starts to ask questions about why the new image of Merida looks different than what she is used to, how as a parent am I to explain without causing concerns inside her young, impressionable mind without her seeing her self only through physical attributes being considered more important?

As a parent, I focus heavily on the personalities, skills, mannerisms and interests when it comes to the princesses.  For example, we love Belle because she likes to read books and help others,  we like Cinderella because she is kind-hearted and cares for animals and we like Tiana because she is hard-working and dedicated to fulfilling her dreams.

To take action against this ridiculous change in Merida's image a blogger for a site named "A Mighty Girl" has started up a petition called "Keep Merida Brave." I have taken action and signed the petition to prevent this unnecessary makeover.  Please join me in this quest to keep beauty in the eye of the beholder and to take action and sign.

It's hard enough that our magazines are filled with models and celebrities in bikinis focusing less on their good deeds and endearing accomplishments but instead on physical attributes.  I want to make a shout out to companies like Dove who are taking women seriously and focusing on the woman inside and out.

Women are smart, funny, caring, loveable, compassionate and beautiful regardless of their dress size and you can bet that I will continue to be cognizant of this as I raise my daughter to become a strong and confident women proud of herself and her accomplishments and living out her dreams without focusing on her weight and body type.  What I will continue to do is instill in her health eating habits and a strong sense of self, as best as I am able to do.

Mommy Suffering Allergies

With Sarah home sick this weekend with a low fever, she started to get cabin fever so I took her outdoors, just to the front of the house so she could get some fresh air and a cool breeze, away from anyone she could get sick, except me.

As a result of being outdoors with her yesterday, with my allergies in overdrive this season, today I am really suffering. Unfortunately, my typical allergy medication is doing very little to ease my symptoms. The pharmacist encouraged me to amp up my protection with another treatment, which has always worked well for me but unfortunately am still feeling no relief. I am more stuffed up than I have every been. My nose is dripping, I am sneezing, and my eyes are so itchy I want to rip them off my face.

A nice visual, huh. 

On top of it all, Sarah is home sick again today. While she does not have a fever my gut said that she is still not quite herself and felt it was important for her to remain home another day as she was not really her true self.

Thankfully, I work from my home office for my job. Thus, today, I don't intend to leave the house no matter how nice it is outside. My allergies are keeping my butt parked indoors away from allergens that are making my face feel foreign to me.

So, today, Mommy is sick and boy does it suck.

I admit that Sarah will likely watch enough television for the week but when mommy is sick sometimes another babysitter needs to help out.

My empathy goes out to all who suffer from allergies. It's amazing how you can truly become useless when your head hurts, your sneezing constantly, and all you want to do is lay down and rest.

Right this moment I want to be a turtle and crawl my body inside of a shell and not come out until I am feeling better. But, as a parent, we all know that that is not really all that possible.  So, I will do my best to keep my head up, manage Sarah as best as possible and not beat myself up with the reality that she may just be watching television all day today so I can try to get work done and not actually try to tear my head off my shoulders.

I wish relief to all who suffer from allergies.

I love being a MOM!!!

Photo credit:  my brother, Brian Wagner,
on  his ride home from evening
Mother's Day celebration 

Being a mom is the greatest experience, and most challenging, of my life.  It has also been the most rewarding.

Some people choose not to have children, and that is perfectly okay.  For me, it was without question something I wanted and needed to do.  I wanted so much to have a child who I could inspire, encourage, mold and grow. And, most especially, I wanted to feel a love like no other.

This is all very true of parenthood.

Thinking back to the full year that I was nursing Sarah, is a time I will never forget and memories I will cherish forever. I can say that now of course as the first month was incredibly difficult and I wanted to give up due to pain and breast infections. However, with help from a lactation consultant, support from my mommy friends, and patience, Sarah and I found our groove. It proved to be an incredibly special time bonding with my daughter.  It also forced me to sit down long enough to just stare at her, soak it all it, and wish the world for her.

Thinking of Sarah's first words, learning to walk, and inevitably running, understanding numbers, colors and shapes, and doing her first cartwheel, among so many other things brings me great joy and happiness. While I would have loved to have done it again with another child, it just was not in the cards.  I am thankful everyday for my daughter who is my blessing.  I live life vicariously through her and join her in her many journeys until she decides to go at it on her own.  I will always be her biggest cheerleader and support her in her future endeavors.  

It's amazing to watch a child try new things and experience new experiences for the first time, with reckless abandon and then see them grow and develop even further. Seeing Sarah play soccer, for example, is incredible to witness as she has learned a great deal and how to own the ball and commands a presence on the field.  It's even great fun to share in these situations with a child feeling like we as adults are reliving them for the first time too from a different perspective.

Photo credit:  my brother, Brian Wagner,
on  his ride home from evening
Mother's Day celebration

While there are many days that my daughter drives me up a wall and refuses to listen there are many more days that are just plain beautiful, and not so much for the trips we take and the activities we do, but mostly because we are a family and we do a lot together.  We are a team.  We know how each of us ticks.  In fact, being just the three of us enables both Daniel and I to enjoy all of Sarah's activities together versus having to split up to manage other children.  One of the many silver linings to having one child.

Being a mom is indeed a love like no other.  My husband, of nearly 10 years knows that I love him very much.  Even though I have know him and loved him longer than our daughter has been alive the love I have for her is far and beyond. I would walk through fire for both of them, that is without question.

The world we live in is unfortunately filled with violence and hatred.  While I will continue to do everything I can to protect my daughter I also know that I can't keep her from life or live each day in fear.

I fully intend to continue to cherish each moment I have with my daughter and squeeze her as tight as she is willing to let me.  I will always love her even on days when I may not like her for things she may say or do. I will always support her even when it may take me time to process.

Motherhood is a blessing.  And, while I have only one child, I am still every much a mom as someone with more children.  I love fully with my heart wide open.

In the bible there is a phrase that always gets me..."The bible is a closed book until it is read with an open heart."  This is also true for parenting. You must be open-minded to the journey that lies ahead when raising children as there is no manual, and there are winding roads.  There are also rainbows and many sunshines. However, if you are not open to the unpredictable nature of parenting it will be nothing more than a chore instead of a fun, trying, loving, challenging and heartfelt experience.

To all the mothers out there and those who help care for others just like they are mothers, here are some special Haiku to celebrate you and your devotion and love to others.

Happy Mother's Day

Love and appreciation

For all that we do

Time with family

Celebrate time together

Being a mother

Moms around the world

Acknowledge, fuss over them

Celebrate their role

Being a mommy

Challenging and rewarding

Love all around us

M. O. M. M. Y

Love, hugs, appreciation

For all that they do

Have a wonderful Mother's Day.

Enjoy!!!

Tissue Paper Wall Art

Easy and fun arts and crafts project

Last month Sarah and I went to the arts and crafts store Lakeshore and did an art project as part of their free weekend workshops.

These free activities are a great way to expose kids to different mediums and ideas, and are a good excuse to do a fun activity that doesn't cost money. It is also a great way to find inspiration too for arts and crafts activities to do at home.

The experience is like an in-person version of Pinterest where you get to see the ideas up front and close but then you get to take action and develop yourself with complimentary supplies.

The art project that day was a dragon in which tissue paper squares were glued to the outside of a paper cups along with streamers through the bottom of the cup. 

I had never worked with this material to do art projects in the past, so I was intrigued to see what we could develop.

What I liked most about the tissue paper was that it was really easy to handle and use.  The opportunity for creativity was really endless.  Its was a project I could feel comfortable having my preschooler do at the kitchen table with minimal supervision.

Therefore, since I liked using the tissue paper, and Sarah seemed to have a good time with it too, and seeing the impressive ability to transform something so simply and easily, I decided to purchase a pack that included (if you can believe it), 10,000 tissue paper squares, for $9.99. You can buy a smaller size (3,000 pieces) for just $3.99 on Amazon.

Fast forward...a few weeks later Sarah and I were hanging around the house during a weekend day  chilling out and doing some art projects.  She was taking a break and I had an idea.

I found an old canvas that I painted, ironically with a cherry blossom tree and painted over it when I realized I didn't love it as much as I had when I developed it. However, I held on to it thinking I might be able to breathe new life into it later on.

I had already painted over the initial painting a while back and the surface just could not get smooth. I then chose to spray paint it too but to no avail I could not d something I was happy with. So, it went into storage. It was then that I remembered that I had it and I figured, what do I have to lose by trying something else. 

So, with the tissue paper I began to glue one square at a time.  At first I had no idea what I was going to create and then a vision of a cherry blossom popped into my head and I kept going.  All the while I was thinking, if it didn't come out well I could just get rid of it.

About an hour later I developed the cherry blossom tree above. Because I was having fun Sarah wanted to get involved too. She started to hand me the individual squares one by one until we were done.

Sarah has since insisted that this new creative piece live in her bedroom. It now hangs on her very bright pink wall, and it's the first thing she see when she wakes up in the morning.

The feeling I have when I see this new cherry blossom it is something like making lemonade from lemons. I had no idea what would transpire that day when I decided to create from nothing. Inspiration crept in, and sharing in the process with Sarah was a beautiful experience.

It's great to try new things. And, showing our children that we can create with our imagination and see what comes about its a beautiful concept, and not focusing necessarily on the end result of perfection. 

As Dale Carnegie used to say in his ever popular, and personal favorite book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, "practice makes permanent"...not perfect.

Teaching Kids Independence

Many of us think that it's better to get things done faster and; therefore, we often opt to just do a task ourselves to save on time and because our patience may be thin. 

Sound familiar?

We likely have experienced this in the workplace and also in our personal lives.

When it comes to children it is indeed faster to help them do something but if we continue to do things for them, how will they learn?

Certain tasks such as personal hygiene may take a bit longer in the beginning to teach children to do such as brushing teeth properly, washing hands effectively, combing hair, and even taking a shower.

For years my daughter was a "bathtub" kid.  And, she still loves it. I tried to encourage her to consider taking showers but should just refused to try. So, I waited. I certainly wasn't going to force her to do something she wasn't ready to do and take away the fun of bath time that she loved including playing with toys and splashing around.

So, I waited.  And, I introduced the idea again and again. 

One night, on an especially busy evening trying to get everything done in the few short hours after work and school I said to Sarah, "hey, want to take a shower with mommy?"  

She said, "yes."

Let's just say it was an interesting experiencing.  Trying hard to keep the soap out her her eyes was the biggest challenge. And, so was trying not to waste too much water was the other.  

Fast forward a few weeks now and shower time has become a regular task.  The bathtub will always be something fun for Sarah but now I think she has moved on over to this more grown up approach to cleanliness.

Tonight, because I was so tired and suffering still from my allergies, I asked Sarah if she wanted to give it a try on her own and take a shower independently.

She said, "yes."

While I knew it would be a somewhat more exhaustive process explaining everything versus just doing it for her, the reward for both of us was significant. 

Sarah succeeded in taking her first solo shower and listened very well.  Through the clear doors I instructed her on what to do, which she pretty much already knew.  It turns out that she did everything I asked her and the shower was shorter than any we had taken previously.

It was a great accomplishment all around.  I was so proud of Sarah for trying something new, and for me having the patience to step back and let her function independently with supervision.

So, while certain tasks with our kids may take less time if we do it for them the reward is much more satisfying when we watch them develop, grow and evolve.

Proud parenting moment.

Parent Fear and Gun Control



My heart stopped yesterday at 11:30 am when I got a phone call from my brother-in-law telling me that some of the schools in our area where my daughter goes to school were in lock down as a car with an empty gun holster with ammo was found on the back seat in plain sight.

I got off the phone right away and called the director of Sarah's school to find out what was going on, and what was happening on their end. I was glad to hear that the school had already spoken with police and that they were on high alert and that the children would be remaining indoors.

Fortunately, the lock downs were lifted around 12:30 pm as they found the owner of the vehicle and discovered that the gun was registered to him.

What an idiot this man was. Not very bright.

This yahoo scared a number of people including my family who had children in one of the schools locked down. One of the parent's was actually inside the school when the lock down happened and remained there until it lifted and then chose to take her daughter home.  I would have done the same had I been inside.  She later told me that she called another mom/relative whose three children were also inside the school trying to update her without panicking her.

As you can imagine, I thought of a number of times of getting into my car to go get Sarah from school. But, after watching the news and talking with my husband we realized it was best for us to sit tight before taking action.

The good news is the the local police departments in my area took aggressive action to manage the matter.  In the one hour that I had learned of this situation, and the problem was resolved, it pretty much shaved off a few years of my life.  I am thankful to the pedestrian who saw something unusual in the car parked on the street, that the police were called and that immediate action was taken.

You can bet that as soon as my child walked into the door last night I lifted her up and hugged her and refused to stop until she begged me to put her down.

My life without my child is unimaginable.  Just thinking about it makes me sick.

I think now what parents across the world are feeling when their children become the victim of gun violence. I know that I am preaching to the choir when I say this but it cannot be said enough that guns are in the wrong hands and there needs to be better gun control laws. If it means that an individual requires a more extensive background check, than so be it. If a person wants a gun so badly they should be willing to jump through hoops to get it.

I hate guns and the fact that we live in a world where children can access unprotected weapons to use against harmless others, or that disturbed adults who think they can fix problems by taking others lives makes me sick to my stomach.

My heart goes out to the families whose lives have forever been impacted by gun violence. I cannot begin to understand your loss and suffering but please know I feel pain for you and your loved ones and wish you strength and peace.  If it means I hug my child harder every day or go to sleep at night praying for her safety, I will continue to do so.

We cannot live in fear every day but we have to pray and hope that peace is possible and to get help for the people who need it most, as innocent people are on the receiving end of this ugliness and it just hurts all of us around it.

What we can learn from this situation and sadly many other tragic experiences we have had on American soil is that if we see something that seems odd or out of place just call the police and talk to them. Let them decide if it's something to investigate.

I dedicate this blog to the individual who took a chance and expressed their concerns and suspicions. I also applaud our law enforcement officials who acted quickly on this matter while many parents and loved ones were worried and scared. Thankfully, this was some idiot's mistake and hopefully he will realize the err of his ways and be more careful in the future.

Our Alex's Lemonade Stand

Our very own Alex's Lemonade
Stand run by Sarah

Last month I decided to host a yard sale.  Anyone who has done one of these knows that it's a lot of work, and a commitment until the end.  

Our yard sale was no exception. It was indeed work.  

Daniel pretty much said every hour, "is it four o'clock yet?"  I called my sister, a yard sale veteran, several times saying that this was likely going to be my first and last yard sale.  

I don't like the haggling especially from people who are just trying to get one over on you. While I like to think of myself as a good negotiator (I do public relations for a living). So, when people arrived who I could tell needed what we were selling I worked with them. Many things I practically gave away because in those instances it wasn't at all about making money. 

In the end, the reward was great on many levels. Not only were we able to clean out some of the garage but we were able to make some money as well, which was a nice bonus. However, the yard sale would not have come about had my inspiration been only about money and free space. Instead, my inspiration came from wanting to do something for Sarah that was a childhood accomplishment that I wanted her to experience -- her very own lemonade stand.

So, I asked Sarah before any signs were put up and before a date was set for the event if she wanted to sell lemonade and treats.  She was very excited.  

It was then that I remembered back to a recent oncology medical meeting for work that I attended last month where I saw on the exhibit floor a booth for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. I knew all about the cause and found inspiration.  

It was then that I tried to explain to my five year old about cancer. It was not an easy conversation and I tried to keep it light.  What she took away was that a little girl named Alex had cancer and she loved to have lemonade stands. In fact, in 2000 when Alex was just four years old she hosted her first lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. The Foundation, Alex's Lemonade Stand, has evolved into a national fundraising movement with thousands of supporters carrying out her legacy of hope.

Since I love to volunteer and to help others, and have been sharing this passion with Sarah over the years,  I asked her if she would be open to dedicating her lemonade stand to the cause, and she agreed. Not only was she willing to donate some of her proceeds, she was okay with giving them all for this special cause.

I am pleased to share that Sarah did very well with her first-ever lemonade and treats stand. Along with pink lemonade and chocolate chip cookies that she helped make, at 25 cents each, Sarah earned just shy of $30. Before the sale Daniel and I told Sarah that we would match her dollar for dollar on whatever she made that day.  In addition her Uncle B and Aunt E chipped in another $25 to make the grand total $85.  Not bad for a days work running a lemonade stand.

Not only did we help Sarah to raise money for a special cause, we also got to benefit from many people's personal stories and experiences with cancer. It was day in which we truly connected with others and I am so glad that Sarah, at such a young age was able to experience it.

If you would like to set up your very own Alex's Lemonade Stand with your child check out the Foundation's website - http://www.alexslemonade.org/get_involved as they provide tips and advice and support as well. You can also develop a personal fundraising page too if you want.

Let's continue to band together for important causes helping others with life-threatening illnesses that require much-needed research and support.

Writer on a Mission

I am sure you are all done with my excuses on why I have not been writing here regularly.  Many, if not most of you, understand why because life does get in the way, that this is my "fun" thing to do when work and parenting aren't so crazy.

Therefore, I am going to try an experiment.

This week, I am going to try to blog everyday and step a bit away from the long and detailed posts and just write and share because that is what I love to do and educate where possible to provide you, my readers, important and valuable information.

I will not be fixated on churning out comprehensive pieces and will be trying to add some new flavor and inspiration around me.  It could very well be a photo that grabs my attention, a funny moment in my life as a parent, Haiku, and more.

Thus, I end on positive note, especially since I now have to get my work day started.

Each day is a gift
Treat it like it's a present
Reward will be great

So, during this week
I aim to write every day
Mommy's Point of View

Join me on this path
Experiencing this life
All that lies ahead

Share with me your thoughts
Come join me here and guest blog
Your ideas, welcome.

Have a wonderful day.  See you tomorrow.

Special Easter Treat

Sarah and I wanted to join in your Easter celebration by sharing this drawing she made and some specially made Haiku poetry to commemorate this important day for you and yours.

A Happy Easter
To all friends and family
A time together

Bunnies and egg hunts
For all the kids to enjoy
Tasty chocolate treats

Jellybeans and treats
A time for sweetness and joy
Enjoy your Easter


A sacrifice made
That impacts hearts everywhere
A time of belief

Celebration time
For all Christians who believe
Time for renewal

Enjoy holiday
Time with friends and family
Fast comes to an end

Happy Easter!!!

Deborah Sittig: Mom on a Mission for HPP

Deborah Sittig, HPP Health Hero

Being a parent is a tough job, as many of us know and experience first hand. We worry about our kids when they are little and as they get older, and even well into their adulthood. The reason: because being a parent never stops and that's what we do. We love our children to the point that it hurts. We want to protect them from harm’s way and to prevent them from getting hurt emotionally and physically.

Now, elevate that worry for a parent who is raising a child with special needs. There is a whole different kind of concern that they have to live with and manage on a daily basis to keep their children safe and protected.

Imagine what it would be like to raise a child living with a rare disease that only 1 in 100,000 people are diagnosed with and where there is no cure or currently approved treatments to do more than just manage the disease's symptoms.

For one mom in particular, Deborah Sittig, this is her reality. And, in honor of Rare Disease Day today, here is her story.

Her son Cannon, one of her three children, lives with a disease called hypophosphatasia (HPP), an inherited metabolic bone disease that results from low levels of an enzyme called alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which is normally present in large amounts in bone and liver. Abnormalities in the gene that makes ALP lead to production of inactive ALP for people living with HPP.

The severity of this disease varies from patient to patient, which includes both children and adults, with the most extreme cases failing to form a skeleton in the womb and are stillborn to those mildly affected showing only low levels of ALP in the blood, yet never suffering any bony problems.



Cannon Sittig, HPP patient

When Cannon, was just 4 months old, Deborah noticed something was a bit off about his body and his development. She said, “His wrists looked wide. He did not bear weight on his legs. He was not a strong sitter. My pediatrician blamed it on low muscle tone and said this one “won’t be our athlete.”” 

Deborah could not let it go. She wanted to figure out what was causing the low muscle tone and why her baby’s wrists looked the way that they did.

That is when her extensive research began. She frantically scoured patient forums, read every possible website, emailed and chatted with patients, and conducted endless Internet searches leaving no stone unturned to get to the root of her baby's problems.

When Cannon turned 18 months he received his HPP diagnosis. Deborah said, “That was the one web search with results that left me breathless. Children diagnosed with HPP have a 50 percent chance of survival. Many go on to do quite well.”

I don’t know about you, but I am having a hard time breathing thinking about what could have gone through Deborah’s mind with worry for her child.

Having a child with special needs was one thing, but having a child to endure life with a rare disease where very little information and resources were available, let alone treatments to cure or even manage symptoms was a very scary place for Deborah, and the many parents and caregivers of children and adults living with HPP.

As a result, she began her mission for awareness and public policy around HPP. Deborah founded an organization called Soft Bones: The U.S. Hypophosphatasia Foundation. Because there were little to no resources specifically dedicated to this disease impacting her son, or a place to vent, cry, express, and share, she made it her mission to create that haven for others.

The mission of Soft Bones is to “provide valuable information, education and support for people living with HPP, their families and caregivers." The Foundation also promotes research of this rare bone disease through awareness and fund-raising efforts.

The following heart felt video was created of the many faces of HPP around the world to commemorate today, Rare Disease Day, and to recognize this terrible disease, HPP.

Here are also some Haiku to commemorate today and to acknowledge Deborah Sittig, mother and health hero.

Deborah Sittig

Loving mother and hero
HPP her cause

Rare Diseases Day More than seven thousand kinds
Let's support this cause

Life with HPP
Can be challenging, scary
A mother's mission

To help show support, let's take action let's tweet and post this story and the mission of Soft Bones in various social media channels and share it around to help spread the word. And, if you would like to do more, feel free to visit the Soft Bones website to make a donation to research this important cause.

Deborah is one of many health heroes. But, at the end of the day she is a loving parent dedicated to doing everything she can for the sake of her children. It's her commitment to helping others that makes her someone I admire and a force to be reckoned with.