Beauty is not only found in THIN

I've pondered whether or not to post my thoughts about the recent hype surrounding Mike Jeffries.

For those of you who may be lucky enough to not have the foggiest idea who I am referring to, please allow me to enlighten you.
This not-so-lovely man
is the CEO of Abercrombie-Fitch ~
a clothing store that I NEVER even consider patronizing,
especially if my kids are in tow.
Just don't need my girls checking out the hard-bodies without shirts
and I really don't want my boys seeing mostly naked girls hanging all over the walls...
so unnecessary!
I have found the advertisements and the posters that hang outside their stores,
well,
how do I put this in a gentle way???
Never mind,
can't find a gentle way to refer to
the CRAP that is shown to any and all that walk past!
REALLY???
Have we no regard for leaving something to the imagination when looking at the body of another person?
I have been able to just disregard their approach to marketing...
doesn't suit me and that's okay.
I am not the end-all of what is appropriate or inappropriate....
I can turn my head,
I can lead my kidlets down a different aisle of the mall in an effort to miss their store entirely,
I don't have to shop where I don't wish to...
so that has been that...
no biggie.
(Please don't get me wrong, I can appreciate a beautiful hard body just as much as anyone else... I see where the washboard belly is nice and appealing to the eye, but I just really don't need it shoved in my face or the faces of my kiddos!)
I have felt no need to make a big deal out of what they deem necessary to sell their clothing line ~ even if I think they are totally whacked!!!


BUT
when it comes to his (Mike Jeffries) rude, insulting comments toward those who can't squeeze their voluptuous, beautiful bodies into a size 0 pant size, I get a tad fired up.

Speaking of a size 0...
what is zero???
Last time I checked, ZERO is NOTHING!!!
And to make it even a little better ~ how about you squeeze those little buns into a size 00...
what the heck?
I'm guessing a size 00 must equal a DOUBLE NOTHING!!!
All I can really suggest to these gals who can fit into a NOthing or a DOUBLE NOthing is watch yourselves and make certain you are never caught in a windstorm, I don't think you'd fare very well!!!  And if you find yourself in such a situation, I might suggest grabbing for the nearest tree and hanging on for dear life!

I have never squeezed my body,
not on my very best day,
into a size 0...
and I would like to add I would HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO DESIRE TO DO SO!!!

And guess what else???
I don't believe that I, or anyone else, have to be that thin to qualify as beautiful.
When you can't even purchase anything larger than a size 10 in this store, because anything above a size 10 is considered FAT CHICK STATUS...
well, let me say this as nicely as I can possibly muster up...
"Mike Jeffries, you, sir, can go suck rocks!!!"

Just so ya know...if I wanted to get a pair of those pants on this voluptuous body of mine, I COULD DO IT, size 10 is no big deal!
Trust me, I am a pro when it comes to laying down on the bed, sucking it in and zipping up...breathing is way overrated!
Remember, I was a teenager in the 80's and we learned how to paint those hummers on!!!  The tighter, the better!  (wink, wink!)

This stinky excuse for a man just makes me sad...
actually what makes me sad is that girls and women fall for this...they believe they are not good enough, or beautiful enough, or popular enough...fill in the "_______" enough for yourself ~ I'm sure you get the picture I'm attempting to paint.
Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes...even if men like him disagree.

Wish I could give credit for the little piece of artwork...
but I don't know who to give credit to (can't read the signature)
...so if this came from you ~ NICE WORK!  LOVE IT!!!


Had I ever had the desire to shop in this store, the following statement would forever change my mind:
A&F's aggressive pursuit of the preppy, highly-sexed 18- to 22-year-old demographic is largely down to its 68-year-old CEO, who explained his strategy to Salon in 2006. “That's why we hire good-looking people in our stores,” Jeffries said. “Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don't market to anyone other than that.” He went on: “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”

Just gotta say this...can't even help myself...
He is just a Big Old Stinkin' Pig!!!

Need to check it out for yourself???
Here are a couple articles to give you the scoop.
One article, Abercromie-Fitch CEO explains why he hates fat chicks along with a second article, Not available in XL, in which Jeffries is accused of only wanting thin and beautiful people; are two example of who this man is and what this store represents.
WARNING:  There is a photo that you may not love, so make sure your kiddos are not standing near as you open it up.

Done with my little rant...
sometimes we just have to stand up for what we believe...
As the momma of many children, I want my girls to know that their beauty is not dependent on a SIZE and for my boys, I want them to be able to SEE girls for who they are, again, not because they are some size that another has said warrants being the "cool, popular or beautiful"...

Mike Jeffries, it is time to begin to act as an adult...
try to see the beauty in others...
I believe you will find that life is a beautiful place to be when you find your way out of that shallow place you choose to exist in.

Good-night world!!!

MAYhem has arrived!!!

I don't know why every year I am SURPRISED by what May brings with it!

You would think it would be a nice winding down time, a time of relaxation, a time of reflection and joy...
Big ol' fat "N" "O"!!!

I am convinced that May is simply short for MAYHEM...
but they (whomever "they" are)
decided long ago that shortening it might be best for the morale of mothers across the world!
So, "May" it became and has stayed that way ever since...

I can't even really put my finger on it,
but each and every year, May hits with the same sort of vengeance and force.
I recall writing a year or two ago that Spring Break needs to arrive in May, not March...
during March, we are floating along rather nicely, not too much getting in the way of busy lives...we are still in the groove and happy to be doing our "thing".

But MAYhem arrives and all heck and beyond break loose!

We desire outside time
and free time
and lay on the grass and enjoy the clouds floating overhead time...
we don't want to be cooped up in the house doing the routine.

I attempt to break it up,
to give a little pizzazz to it all ~
that helps,
but the reality of it is
WE NEED TIME OFF during MAYhem month.

We don't need the entire summer off,
for crying out loud, it's hotter than the dickens out there
and it's refreshing to be inside and have something to be focusing on and enjoying.
YES, we really do enjoy school time and our life ~ just not so much during this blasted month.

SO, I am going to begin calling this lovely little month by it's official name, no longer May ~

MAYhem you are...

and I will embrace you and all that you bring
and I will go with the flow
and know that when June hits,
we'll be ready to fall back into a nice little schedule.

UNTIL THEN...
this little family is going to enjoy the cooler weather,
the budding flowers,
the baby birds chirping,
the bugs crawling about.
We will take advantage of our time to play together and enjoy life one lovely moment at a time.

May, it is quite possible that I could end up loving you, if we spend our time doing what comes naturally to us...maybe, just maybe, that is the lesson of this life...listening to ourselves and following our hearts and not letting anything else dictate what is most important for us and our kiddos!
What do you think?
I'm off to enjoy a little of this beautiful May weather...you ought to do the same, just sayin'!  (wink, wink!!!)

What do you do?

I spent this past weekend at a conference focused on Family Therapy.  During our first hour or two, we were asked to meet with another person in the room; our task was to answer four questions about ourselves and then switch, allowing the other to do the same.  

The room was filled with professional men and women, therapists, counselors, social workers, etc., along with a couple of us who are Professional Stay At Home Moms!  I ended up meeting with another mom…she and I had a lovely conversation, but I noticed something that has not left my heart and my mind.  When she was to answer the question about “what do you do”, she paused, shifted in her seat, let out a small, seemingly uncomfortable laugh and finally after a moment or two of reflection, replied, “Well, I do a lot of laundry and I drive my kids where they need to be.” 

Okay, fair enough.  

As a mom of a bunch of kiddos, I can totally relate to this, but I asked her to dig a little deeper…What else does she do?  

There have to be other things we are engaged in that fill our days and our thoughts…

ya know, the kind of things dreams are made of, 

the things that make us tick, 

the things that make our hearts beat a little happier and a little faster.  

Her eyes filled with tears as we spoke, she reflected and shared that she loves her early morning walks.  She loves the quiet and the time alone.   I asked her if she grants this to herself on a regular basis, she does not, so I challenged her to treat herself and while she was at it to find a keepsake to bring home each day, maybe a little rock or a sunflower alongside the road.  We talked about noticing the little things in our days, because they really are the big things.  I told her that I rarely go somewhere without bringing home a “treasure”, she was curious about what I do with these treasures – I told her sometimes nothing, sometimes I put them in my flower gardens or on a shelf, sometimes I just share them with my kids and then I’m complete.  I find that my kids now do the same, they find treasures in all the places we visit ~ maybe a pinecone or a leaf they’ve never seen, bark from a tree or a nest that has fallen to the ground.  These things awaken something within and I am so grateful I’ve taken the time to share this with our kids. 

So today, I challenge each of us to look at what we do…are you doing the little things in life that keep your heart happy and thriving?  Are you finding time to do a little something special for yourself each day? 

We all have loads and loads of laundry, 

we all have dishes that could trump Mount Rushmore on any given day, 

we all have places to go, 

deadlines to meet, 

kids to feed and little faces to wash…

but we also have minds that need filled, 

hearts that need lifted, 

and dreams that need conquering.  

So the next time someone asks you what do you do ~ 

give them a reply that will knock their socks off; 

you are so much more than the laundry piles and the stacks of dishes, you are more than the unpaid taxi driver or short-order cook.  

YOU are the Mom!!!  

Wishing you many treasure-seeking moments this month!

Love, Stacey 

(written as President's Message for DHSA)