Blog 11 and 12

I guess this week my blog hits a little more at home for me. I feel like using this like my diary. I have some feelings to share about feminist issues and I figured, who better to share them with than my women's studies class.

Like I have said previously, I am a stay at home mother. I have four of my own children and I babysit for my nephew and another little girl. I love being at home! I feel like home is where I belong. I like raising my children. I like knowing that they are taken care of by the one person that loves them the most in the world. I am here to make sure that my son gets to and from school safely. I am here to make sure my little ones get the naps that their bodies so desperately need. That is only a small part of what I do as a stay at home mom.

I feel like I sound like a big baby! Since I am the one home all day, I do all the housework. Laundry, dishes, sweeping, garbage, etc. I feel like I should because I am at home. I do not mind these things. I am happy doing them. I am happy making sure that my families needs are met.

Sure I complain sometimes. Everybody does. No one is happy all the time. Without naming names, I will get to my point. I am tired of being told that my job is so easy. I am tired of being treated as if I am not equal because I do not make money outside the home. I know that I do not get a paycheck. I feel badly sometimes. I do feel that being at home is equally as important as having a job that earns a paycheck. I feel like what I do is very important. It may not be as physically demanding as a different type of job, but it is emotionally demanding. I get worn down as much as the next person. With the cost of daycare, being at home seems like a better choice.

Tonight I feel sad. I am tired because my family of six has been very sick for three weeks! I am not really motivated because I am sick of feeling like I do not do enough in some people's eyes. I am confused! I want to feel happy in my decision to stay home. It is hard to feel that way when some put down how important I feel that my job is. It is hard to feel that way when I am treated badly because I do not put a check in the bank every Friday. How do I decide what to do? I feel like I need to be at home. Atleast until I get my kids into school. They need me here. Unfortunately that makes things financially harder! I know that I am not the only person to feel like this. I only wish that the world appreciated stay at home mothers more. I for one appreciate those who work outside the home so that women like me can stay in the home. Hopefully life quits throwing curveballs.

I am glad to have a safe place to write my feelings. It is nice to be in a woman's studies class. There is no one better to talk to about this! Thank you all!!!

Blog 10

This weeks readings really bothered me. It was all about violence. Sexual assault, rape, etc. All of the information was scarey, but the fact that scared me the most was that most violence against woman happens at home. This has somehow got to change. We, as a parents, spend 18 years of our childrens lives raising them in their home. Our home. We, as parents, make them feel safe there. we tell our chindren that home is where mommy and daddy will always make sure that they are taken care of and where they will always be safe. We eat, drink, and sleep while thinking about our children. I still remember that when I was sad I would go home. Home, where my family was waiting. I never grew up fearing my home. It was and still is my safe place. It saddens me to know that one day, my children's safe place might be taken away from them because of violence. Violence that comes from someone that one of my children has chosen to trust. This is wrong. Home should always be a safe place. I can see being scared to be in a dark alley at midnight by yourself. Laying in your bed, in your room, in your house should not be the least bit scarey. If we can't trust the one that we choose to share our lives with, then who can we trust? This is just one more reason for me to stay strong. I will continue to teach my boys to be men! I will continue to teach my girls to be safe in who to give their hearts to. I will continue watching real close to make sure that I am there so that nothing bad like this happens to my boys or my girls.

Blog 9

I have been thinking about what I wanted to do my blog on this week. My favorite topic so far this semester has been motherhood. Mothorhood is also the biggest honor of my life! Like I said previously, I have four wonderful children. My biggest fear raising my children is messing up! I know that every parent messes up. I know that parents are not perfect. I also know that as a parent, I am the most important person in my young children's lives. I want what is best for my kids.

The big question is, "What is the best for my children?" That is a hard question for any parent to make. One of the things that my husband and I decided was best is that I stay at home with our children. It is important that our children are taken care of. For me, I do not believe that anyone can raise my children with the same amount of love that I can raise them with. I know that that sounds selfish, but daycares do not always provide love. I worked at a daycare. I worked with some that really cared about the children, but I also worked with those that thought that working there would just be an easy paycheck. Because of this, I am afraid to leave my children in a daycare. I feel better knowing that it is me teaching them life lessons. I feel better knowing that it is me talking with my children when they make a mistake. I feel better knowing that my husband and I are doing what is best for our children. We are sacrificing a paycheck for our children. A sacrifice that is well worth it.

Another fear that I have is am I teaching my children the right morals and values? I want the best for them. I want my daughters to grow up and be strong, yet loving women. I want my sons to be great men, but I also want them to be caring. I want all my children to be considerate of others feelings, but I do not want them to be walked on. Being a parent is scarey. There are so many things to think about while raising them. I am lucky that I was raised in a family that taught me all the things that I want to teach my children. I think that that makes a huge difference. That is why our kids are so important. Our kids are our future!

Blog 8

This assignment is my favorite assignment every week. It is were I can go to say what I feel. No one to judge me or interupt me. I can just type what is in my mind. Again this week, the readings were personal. This week we read about women's work inside the home and outside the home. I have experienced both in my life. They are both stressful. They both have long hours. They both provide good and bad days. What is the difference you ask. Well, the biggest difference I see is that with one, you get a paycheck! If you ask me, working in the home is much more rewarding than working outside the home. Yes, I hate that my husband is the only one that makes money. I on the other hand get to watch every minute of my young children's lives! I may not get a paycheck, but I get a hug when my son walks for the first time. I get to stand at the bus stop the first time that my son rides the bus. I get to take my daughters to their first day of school. What job out there gets a paycheck worth missing that once in a lifetime stuff? I do work alot of hours at home. Probably more than the average 27 hours. I make sure that everything is taken care of. The house is clean, dinner is made, shopping is done, calls are made, and most importantly the kids are completely taken care of! To me this is worth being at home with them. One day I will have a job outside the home. I will have more money in the bank because my husband and I will both be working. For now though, home is where I belong. Screw the stereotypes. How many chances do you get to raise your children? They are only young once. Sooner or later they will have their own kids. Then all I will have is a job outside the home.

Blog 7

This week in our readings, we read about "mothering". This is a subject that interests me because I am a mother. I think that being a mother is the best thing that will ever happen to me. I know that it is the most important thing that I will ever do. I know the readings say that little girls grow up with the expectation to be a mother and a wife. I do not feel like I grew up like that. I did grow up wanting to be a mother one day, but I did not feel like I had to. Same goes for marriage. I, as a mother, am expected to do certain things. I am expected to be good to my kids. I am expected to make sure they have food on the table and that they have a healthy life. There are many more expectations for a mother. All which I am happy to make sure are done. I am like other womaen though. Now that my children are getting older and starting to go into school one at a time, I want to find a career outside of the home. I want to work outside the home. I want to find a job that makes me as happy as being a mother. I am sure that there is nothing that will even come close, but I am sure that I can find something that makes me happy. I want my kids to grow up being proud of who their mother is. I want them all to know that you can work outside the home or you can work in your home. I want them to know that they are both admirable choices!

Blog 6

Tonight I want to talk about Britney Spears. She is on every channel tonight. It is a huge deal that the court ruled to have her kids taken away from her. I do think that she has been doing some things that are not good. I do think that she needs some help. Is the choice to take her babies completely away from her the right choice? I do not completey think so. She still needs them and they still need her. This is a perfect example of why we as women need to raise our children right. This is why we as mothers need to be strong! Britney needs a mother that is someone that she can look up to. A mother that steps in and helps her to make the right choices. Where are the women in her life. Why aren't they standing strong next to her to help her move in the right direction? Why aren't they stepping in and saying we are going to get you the help that you need so that you can go on to be there for your children? I will tell you what. She needs my mother to stand there next to her. She is the strongest woman I have ever met. I am the responsible, loving, nurturing mother that I am because of her. She was that way. I learned because she taught me by doing the right thing. I am proud to have her as someone tom look up to. If I was on drugs or drinking too much, she would have stepped in by now and gotten me help. She would not have left my side. If I was putting my kids in danger like Britney, my mom would have stuck her foot up my ass by now. The court would not have been able to take my kids, because she would have had them long ago. She would not stop there though. She would have stood strong by me and gotten me the help that I needed. She would not have let me give up. I would have succeeded because of her. Instead of the press saying so many bad things about her, they need to back off. Instead of her mother helping K-Fed take the kids, maybe she could be there for her daughter for once. Intervene and help her see where she is going wrong. This is why it is important for women to do what is right for their children. Stand by them! We are what shapes the future!!! Our children are little pieces of us.

Blog 5

This week, we read alot about body image. We all know that body image has been important to us since we were little. If you were a bigger kid, you were called "fat". If you were too tall, you were called "beanstalk". If you had glasses, you were called a "dork". Amazingly, this all starts when we are all just young! When my son started school, he came home and told me that some of the kids were teasing him. This bothered me because I know how cruel kids can be. I was one. I ask myself, why is body image so important, even as a young child? Why are we so stuck on having to be skinny, beautiful, and well dressed? Why do we only feel like a "sexy" women if we are showing lots of skin? Why was I jealous of so many other girls? I remember some of my most embarrassing moments, being jealous, were in middle school. The gym locker room to be exact. In sixth grade you have to change into gym clothes. I still remember starting to change into mine. While glancing around, I saw everyone else had on bras. I did not. I did not even have breasts at the time. That was so horrible. It almost made me feel like there was something wrong with me. After that, I did wear a bra, but I also dressed in the bathroom. Years later, I still do not have a big chest, but I do not care. I am who I am. I am old enough now to know that I am beautiful, even without gorgeous long hair or a size D chest. What about our young children though? Our young girls love barbie's and brat's. They play with these toys, thinking that this is how girls look. Barbie has the perfect body. How many people do you know that look like her? Not many because she is not real. My point is, we need to teach our children that everyone is different. No two bodies are the same. That is ok, because we are all beautiful in our own ways. If I teach my daughters anything about body image, I hope they just take in that all I want for them is to be healthy. Same goes for my boys. Big, small, muscular, whatever! Just be healthy and happy. Everyone is beautiful in their own unique way!!

Blog 4

Well, what to talk about today. Let's pick the crazy influences on T.V. Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan to name a few. These people are not little girls anymore. They are women now. Rich women with a lot of power over the little girls in our society. I am not blameless. I as a parent realize that children do not become who they are because of music or because of the people that they see on T.V. I know that children become who they are because of what type of parent we are. Reguardless, these women on T.V. are unfortunately not people that our little girls should look up to. Reality is, some little girls want to be like Hilton or Spears. They want to live the life of luxury. They want to be superstars just like them. They want to go to the clubs, have the cameras flashing in their faces, and live in a house the size of a hotel! I am all for dreams. I hope all my children follow their hearts and reach for the stars. I also want them to use their future success for something great. These women are getting arrested, getting pictures taken of them getting out of cars without underwear, partying every night, and the list could go on and on. These women have power. I wish that they would show our little girls that they can have all this success and still be good mothers. Mothers that protect their children and spend time with their children. I wish that these women would show our little girls that you can have a little meat on your bones and still be beautiful. My wish list goes on and on. I want those women to show my little girls that alcohol and drugs are a waste of time and power. I want my girls to know that these things are not pre-reqs for being famous. These three women have the opportunity to show the world that women can be strong and beautiful. They can be successful and intelligent. You can go through your whole life without smoking pot and still win an Emmy when you are older. If these women were listening I would beg them to show my little girls that women are wonderful people. Use your money and power for all the little girls that think you are so great! Paris, show my little girls that you can be someone to look up to. Stop wasting your life! Appreciate the women that did so much to pave the way for you. 100 years ago this would not have been possible for women!

Blog 3

I was watching T.V. last night. I was flipping through my guide looking for something good to watch. I came across a show called "The Girls Next Door". I turned it on and began to watch it. I was stuck. I could not turn it off. I just could not believe what I was watching. Three girls were all living with Hugh Hefner. Not only were they all living with him, but they were all his girlfriends. This may not directly pertain to our class, but what are these women doing. All the women in our past that have given up so much for us to be free, and this is what these girls are doing. They are dating a man that cannot commit to just one of them. They are throwing their naked bodies around for him like it is nothing. All for what? To live a life of luxury. Holly designed a calendar on her own in the episode that I watched. She seems so intelligent. I do not understand why she feels like she has to get naked all the time and share her boyfriend with other girls to get what she wants in life. She seems strong. I would think that you would have to be to feel comfortable doing the job that she does. She could do so much just by being a strong women and proving her talents to a company that appreciates her brain instead of her breasts. What bothers me the most is that I have two daughters that one day might see that show. What are these three girls teaching my daughters? I will tell you what they are teaching them. If you want to live the life of luxury, forget using your brain like a women, just get naked!

Blog 2

It is me again! I am a day late doing my blog. It is because of this, that I know what I want to say this time. WOMEN ROCK!!!!!! For the last week and one day, my family has been extremely sick. A couple of my children got so sick that they were in the hospital. I got extremely sick and so did my husband. It has been horrible. I noticed though that as a mother, I did not even realize how sick I was until days after it had started and when I knew all my kids were all better! It was as if all my pain went away and my focus was on them. This is not the first time that I have noticed this. I have had migraines that would normally knock me off my feet, but when the kids are awake it stops mattering until they are in bed that night. When I was a little girl, my mom was the same way with us. I have also noticed that my four year old and my two year old daughters are the same way! If someone is not feeling well, they want to help them with anything they can. They have a baby brother. When he is not feeling well, they will rub is back, cover him up, WIPE HIS NOSE ON THEIR CLOTHES, and wipe his tears. I am not trying to say anything bad about men. The men in the family were there to help too. It is just weird. I don't feel like I have raised my daughters any differently than my boys. I feel like I have raised them all to be compassionate, loving, and emotional. It is almost like we are hard wired to be motherly when we are born??!!?? It is almost like we have something in our brain that says take care of others first no matter what. It is something to think about anyways!!

Blog !

I encountered something that I believe pertains to our class during a sad experience. This week, my daughter got very sick. We had to take her to the hospital and we had to spend the night. We were there for atleast 24 hours. During that time, we saw doctors, nurses, lab people, x-ray techs, and many others. I did not realize while we were there, for obvious reasons, but the people with the "higher" title, were men! The wonderful nurses were all very sweet and loving women. The doctors were intelligent, but very quiet, men. The x-ray techs were very PATIENT women who understood that my daughter was very scared. After the x-rays were developed they were sent to a man to be read. I could keep going, but the more that I think about it, the more I see a very common picture. It almost feels like the hospital was behind in times. I wonder now if it was just that shift or if woman just are still not in high positions there. If they are just not in higher positions I also wonder why? Do woman just not want to go to school for as long? Are they made to feel like they do not belong in those types of schools? It really has gotten the wheels turning and now I want to know more. The arrangement seemed to work. The atmosphere was great and my daughter was in very good hands. Does it really work though? I wonder how the women that work there feel? I wonder if they even notice????

Learning new things

As an assignment, I needed to create a blog. I thought that this was great. It was pretty neat to make the page the way that I wanted. I think that I am going to enjoy continually customizing this page the way that I like it. I hope everyonre enjoys this! Hopefully I will.