Put down the spoon.

I am not a pot stirrer.

I run from conflict and controversy.

Some people embrace it.  Derive energy from it.

I am not one of those people.

I am way too sensitive.  I struggle with people pleasing.  Approval addiction.  I am open about that.  I don't like it, but I am constantly working on it.

So when I sat down to schedule a few posts to keep all of you entertained, and the looters away from my house while we were on vacation, I never anticipated the strong feeling the princess post would bring out.

I had no idea it would turn into an epic battle between

Team I Heart Princesses

vs.

Team Disney Is Evil.

Jeannett summed it up brilliantly in her two word comment:

Dude.

Drama.

I honestly thought the illustration was funny.  Snarky.  With a grain of truth.

But here is the deal.

I have three daughters.

Three daughters that I am doing the best to raise in Orange County, California.

Three daughters who have a dad in full time ministry.

Tell me that is not a monumental and overwhelming task.

I am a lover of books.  Of stories.  Of music.

I am of the thought that what you watch with your eyes and hear with your ears, does indeed influence your heart and your mind.

Am I perhaps a bit on the strict side?

Absolutely.

I make no apologies for that.

I love what Jenni said:

...we only get one shot at raising our kiddos...

Am I blaming Disney for anything?

No.

Not in the least.

I am well aware that Disney was not the original author of most of their movies.  I know that there is some sort of darkness and trauma in nearly every timeless story and nursery rhyme.

I read them as a kid.  I watched them as a kid.  I do not blame them for my issues.

All Disney has done is made an entire culture out of their Princesses.  Aisles and aisles of culture.

I do not expect the Princesses to be my girls' sole role models and teachers.

I know that responsibility lies on the real humans that influence their lives day in and day out.

I love how Enchanted turned the whole princess mythology on it's head.  

I do not love how The Little Mermaid is a case study in disobedience.

But do we own nearly all of the movies?

Yes.

Do we watch them?

Yes.  Together.

Then we talk about them.  A lot.

We talk about Tinkerbell's temper.  Wendy's jealousy.  Ariel's disobedience.  The list goes on and on.  

But we also talk about some of the beautiful qualities.

Bravery.  Friendship. Loyalty.  A kind heart.  Hard work.

In this house Belle is our favorite.

In case you were wondering.

Belle and Star Wars.

little miss sunshine.

I would like to say that I spent the afternoon burning bags full of money.  In fact it felt like I did.  Or that I bought a used car.  An invisible used car.  But I spent it in the dentist's chair.

Crying.

Like a crazy person.

Partly because I was in so much pain.  Partly because I was hungry.  {Five days of smoothies and hummus can make one stabby.} But mostly because I found out how truly not awesome our dental coverage is.

Oh, how I wish all it took to soothe me was my thumb and blankey.

She is my first kid to be attached to a blanket and to suck her thumb.  I find it honestly, truly, deliciously, adorable.  Except when the blanket goes missing.  She has a backup, but how in the world do kids know with 100% certainty the difference between two of the exact same things?  She has the real, much preferred "fuzzy" and the sad forsaken "fake fuzzy".  I'm also afraid that the thumb sucking will land her crying in the dentist or orthodontist chair too someday.  Sigh.

But she doesn't worry about dental insurance.
She isn't concerned in the least.
Just give her the fuzzy and she is full of peaceful sunshine.

Oh, to be one again.
I love my happy little sunshine girl.
I love the new letters for her room.  A rainbow of happiness for my bald little baby.

You can find them at Love, September.  They come in so many beautiful fabric choices and fonts. I am so smitten with everything about them.  Adore.  But now I am thinking she needs the rainbow ribbon banner to match...

Back.

From my happiest place on Earth.

I went straight from Betty to Bass Lake.
That in itself is craziness, but it was just what we needed after this hectic summer, and right before school starts.

However, now the challenge is to force myself to unpack and do laundry, instead of baking up some yummy treats.
Not an easy task.
At all.
But I will be disciplined.
The oven can wait.

Even if I can't.

{The fact that I have a molar that is hurting SO BADLY, I cannot chew a single bite of solid food, and have heartily considered going all frontier on it with a pair of pliers, may be part of the reason for the willpower to stay out of the kitchen.  I hate you dental insurance.  Hatey, hate, hate.}

Happy Sunday.

oh oh.

As frequent Disney passholders, as well as a mama with girls who love the Princesses, I struggle with the underlying themes in the movies, versus the fun and magic that my girls are drawn to.  Pretty sad when you stop and get all philosophical about it...
But something to think about, perhaps talk through.  
Parenting is complicated.
Beautifully, wonderfully, complicated.