Dear So and So....Miss Representation

Dear Anyone Who Has A Mother, Daughter, or Sister,

This is so important to watch. We should not accept the limited way women are portrayed in the media.

Newest Miss Representation Trailer (2011 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection) from Miss Representation on Vimeo.

Take the pledge. Find a screening. Let's see if we can have our children and young adults see women on the TV, in magazines and in fims portrayed as more than just sexual object. I want that for my girls. I want them to grow up and see that their worth is not based upon their appearance. I want them to see more women in political office. I want them to see more women in positions of power. I want them to know that they are empowered.

Thank you.

Love, Kat- A Woman on a Mission.

PS- If you live in the USA the entire Miss Representation film will be shown on the OWN network on Oct 20th at 9pm eastern.

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The Learning Experience

One of the things that I am glad my children have is a love of learning. LaLa especially has a thirst for knowledge that can not be tamed. She is forever saying "Mum can we Google..." just so she can find out more about something that she is curious about. Of course she usually asks when I am on the phone or up to my elbows in dish water, but that is neither here nor there. Seven year olds have a knack for timing.

LaLa is always singing songs by Percy Parker to help her learn her multiplication tables,

or telling me about a poem by Michael Rosen,

or asking to play Mathletics.

I like to add my own experiences to what the girls learn on top of what they have been shown at school. I think it is important to share with them the things I learned at a child in America. I show the girls videos of my favorite childhood poets,

or showing them Schoolhouse Rock videos.

I think encouraging our children to learn is one of the most important thing we can do. I think learning should be fun. I like sharing the fun things that I remember from my childhood with my children. I like hearing about what my children children have learned at school and then exploring the subject further with them. What are your favorite ways to encourage your child's learning experience?

The Chair

I was in the middle of writing a lovely post about how my kids are doing so well with their homework and how they have been such angels (minus a few bumps in the road), when my evening altered course. I was in the middle of cooking dinner, the girls were watching Garfield and Friends on the TV and then I heard a large crash and KiKi crying. I had a sickening feeling because I just knew that something important besides KiKi was broken (it wasn't the "I'm seriously hurt" cry).

I of course ran into the living room to access the situation. To my horror I saw my husband's deceased mother's chair tipped over, missing the back. This is the moment that I had my first honest to God panic attack. My face got hot, my forehead beaded sweat and I couldn't breath properly. I actually had to sit down for a minute before I could start to truly access the situation. I checked KiKi over, then sent her to her room. Then I went back to the dinner that was in the oven. I think I was still in denial. That chair just COULD NOT be broken.

You see, it isn't just that this chair belonged to my husband's mother, this was the chair I rocked my own babies in. Two generations of babies rocked in this one chair, and it was sitting in pieces on my living room floor like a jigsaw puzzle that had been cast aside. I was afraid that when my husband saw the damage that he would flip his lid, but actually to me it was more than that. I know it sounds silly, but that chair was sort of a weird connection for me to my husband's mother. You see, I never met her, she died when my husband was just a child, but we had both rocked babies in that chair.

I spent the better part of an hour putting that chair back together with wood glue and shear determination. I don't think anyone will be allowed near that chair for a very long time. It is just way too precious.

Dear So and So...Ready For The Weekend

Dear Mondays,

You are cruel. You always seem to either lull me into a false sense of security and the slam me with something unexpected or hit me like a ton of bricks before I even have a toe out of my nice comfy bed. I actually saw a scientific (by newspaper standards) study in the Telegraph that said that Mondays suck. They didn't really need a study to find that out did they?

Be kinder, Kat

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Dear Tuesdays,

You are the day that fills me with the most guilt. Mostly because I have WeightWatcher on Tuesday and I know that I am either going to skip the meeting, over indulge on good food, or both. Really, what good is going to weigh in and losing weight and then NOT celebrating if you lost a couple pounds, right? (There is sound logic in my way of thinking) (really, there is) So, if you could do me a favor and only come round every other week that would be great.

Love, Kat

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Dear Wednesdays,

You're pointless.

There I Said It, Kat

PS- You were completely ruined when people on Myspace used to post semi-pornographic pictures that declared "Happy Hump Day". No, it isn't a happy day. It is a pointless day. Thank you very much.

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Dear Thursdays,

You're alright I guess. No major complaints. You aren't nearly as fun as you were when I was in University and it was "ladies night" at most of the bars in my hometown, but hey, we all have seen our better days. Maybe you just need a better PR team.

Not Blown Away,

Kat

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Dear Fridays,

OK, I love you. Except for the fact that I still have to get out of bed in the morning to get the kids off to school, you're pretty much perfect. Kids in school, check. Dear So and So, check. Get to sleep in the next day, check. See, pretty much perfect. Keep up the good work Fridays!

Love, Kat

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Dear Weekends,

You are too short and therefore I can not give you top marks. I do love you though.

Love, Kat

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Dear Readers,

If you have your own letters, please link up. I love reading them. Have a great weekend.

Love, Kat

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Decision Time

We have a year left in the UK. It is now decision time. Do we want to stay longer or do we want to go back to the USA? I am pretty much firmly in the camp of I want to stay. I know this might be hard for my family back in the USA to understand, but I love it here. I honestly love the UK. I love my friends here. I love my life here. I love my children's school. I love my children's friends. I love the culture. I love being able to see things I would never ever have the chance to see if we lived anywhere else.

When I think about leaving I get choked up and a bit teary. I just can't even force myself to imagine not living here. This is in complete contrast to when I was leaving the USA for Britain. When we found out that we were moving here I was excited. I couldn't wait for the adventure. Yes, the adventure has had it's ups and downs, but I am not ready for the adventure to end. I couldn't wait to get out of the USA, not because I don't love my country, but because I wanted my kids to experience the world.

So, now, with my husband on the fence about staying, I am trying to pull out all the stops to convince him that we need to stay. Yes, this hasn't been the best assignment for him personally; he has been away from the UK more than he has actually been here. However, he has seen places that he wouldn't have otherwise. There aren't many Americans who can say that they have been to Romania, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Belgium, France, Afghanistan and Korea in the last three years (unless they are military members). He don't have many friends here and less ties to the community. He misses his family back in the USA, which I do too, but I guess I always think "We could be stationed in California and still be half the world away."

I want to stay, but the decision is ultimately up to him. And I hate that.

Silent Sunday

Dear So and So...Peeves

Dear World,

I thought maybe today I would just tell you about a few of the things that peeve me. They aren't major annoyances, just things that make 1) me get a tick in the corner of my eye 2) me want to shout at the person who does it.

Fair warning, it hasn't been a good week so these may end up being more than little niggling problems. I may just burst out into a full on rant. These things happen.

Consider Yourself Warned, Kat

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Dear People Who Swerve around Speed Bumps,

I probably should just laugh this off but I can't. See the whole logic behind your idea is flawed. You see, when you swerve around a speed bump that goes across the entirety of the road (and only leaves a foot on either side before the curb) it makes no sense at all; you're still going to get bumped. The only difference is that only one set of tires won't get bumped. In fact the only set of tires that is going to get bumped is ones on the driver's side. So because one side is level with the road and the other set is going higher, you're actually probably getting bumped worse than if you had continued to drive straight. I guess what really annoys me is that you are slowing down more to swerve that if you had just gone over the bump like a normal person. It really just makes me want to roll down my window and shout that your car isn't as nice as you think it is. It isn't so special that a little bump is going to make it fall apart. If it is that flimsy then maybe it shouldn't be on the road.

Keep This In Mind, Kat

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Dear People Who Don't Look Before Entering Roundabouts,

There is this one roundabout near my house that I have to make a u-turn on regularly (because to get onto the military base you can't turn right, you have to go down to the roundabout and turn around so that you can make a left hand turn)(yes this was piss poor planning on both the military and the Department of Transport's part) and I have nearly gotten side swiped as I have made this turn on several occasions. Let's be clear, if a person still has their indicator/blinker on it means that they are still turning. I am not the only person who makes a u-turn at this roundabout, it is done by hundreds of people each day. Let's at least have a glimpse at who is in the roundabout before you barrel through it like a bat out of hell. This might be a worse problem where I am because of the high population of Americans (that haven't been in this country for very long) who are not used to roundabouts, which I am just guessing close their eyes as they go into the roundabouts and pray they aren't hit. Just sayin'.

Look THEN Go, Kat

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Dear Taxi Driver Who Picks Up My Kids In The Morning,

I know that you see hundreds of people a week and talking to them all can be tiresome. However I have seen you for the past 5 days and you still haven't even told me your name. Now, I appreciate that it is early and the morning and I probably look a little like death warmed over with my hair a mess and in my track bottoms and hoodie, but common sense would say that because you will be transporting my kids to school for the foreseeable future, you might want to at least say something other than "I will be here at 8.40 to pick the children up" a "Hi, I am so and so" would be nice. I am not all that picky; I just want to know your name.

Thanks For That, Kat

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Dear WiFi Fairies,

I know my router is a bit damaged. It got dropped off the window ledge and the front is falling off a bit, but it still works! Please quit making it drop my wireless signal! It usually does it when I am in the middle of something important and tedious like paying bills or playing Pioneerville. Don't judge me. Now quit making my wireless signal drop!!

I mean it!, Kat

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Dear People Who Chew Gum Loudly,

You are not a cow. I don't want to hear you chewing. I don't want to see you chewing. Actually, if you have this problem, could you just not chew gum at all? I know I picked up this pet peeve from my Aunt A who used to yell at my brother for doing it, and now it is all in my head. I really just want to smack you on the back of the head when I hear you smacking your gum. It's THAT annoying.

Fair Warning, Kat

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Dear Readers,

I hope you have had a better week than me! Have a wonderful and safe weekend. If you are going to London for the MADs, please remember to misbehave for me.

Love, Kat

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