I just blew up my own blog by posting so much but this topic is something that I have been thinking about the last few days. I know that I am probably going to sound so old by ranting about this topic but it really makes me think what life will be like for my kids.
I am nanny this summer for an 8 and 10 year old girl. Not the most glamourous job I will admit, but it does give me the ability to look back at my childhood and see how much life has changed in just a mere 10 years. I am scared what my kids will do on a daily basis. Call me old fashioned but I swear that there are going to be strict rules in my house about what technology my kids are going to be able to have around. I want my kids to be outside playing. I want them to be creative and spend time working on art projects. I want them to play with action figures and dolls. I want them to go to camps and I want them to be friends with all the kids in the neighborhood. Birmingham, Alabama was definitely not my favorite place to live in my childhood but I will give it credit for the fact that I remember my summer days being full of stuff other than technology. It makes me wonder how other people my age are going to treat their children as well. Are we going to feel the need to keep up with technology or will we take a step back and remember what we did in our childhood and hope that our children have as much fun?
Why I bring this subject up is because as a nanny I have started to despise television! I don't want to see another episode of Disney and Nick's most recent show. I have been trying to get my girls to do other things and some days they will agree to leave the television off. I have come to realize that television is not the evil any more. They can sit around all day and play on their dad's iPad or plug themselves into their iPods never even realizing that the television is off or that their nanny is asking them what they want for lunch. There have actual been times when they have said no to play outside with their friends because they are more absorbed in the game in front of them.
I want to be a working mother but I have come to realize that means that I will have to spend a good amount of time away from my children. I am going to make sure that my nanny has all the resources that she needs to make sure that my children do other things besides becoming nombie like figures in front of an electronic device. Call me an irrational future parent but remember those days when your parents told you to do something else besides sit in front of the television. Think about all the fun we had trying to find something else to do and none of the technology that exist today was at our disposel.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
College Bucket List
My absolute favorite task this summer has been thinking of all the things that I want to do in Athens before I leave in two years. I am hoping that this list will help me update my blog more in the next few months complete with pictures and stories of my wonderful adventures.
- Eat at the following restaurants
- 5 & 10
- Amici
- Black Forest Bakery
- Casa Mia
- Clocked
- DePalma's
- East West Bistro
- Ike & Jane
- La Dolce Vita
- Mama's Boy
- Speakeasy
- The Grit
- Go to the Georgia Theatre
- Get a DG family picture by the downtown frog
- Get 21st B'day shirt from Athens Bottling Co
- Find the Creamery
- Go to the farmer's market
- Find the Iron Horse
- Frolic in the fountain on North Campus
- Ring the Chapel Bell
- Go to Georgia Florida
- Go to Jimmy Buffett
- See the UGA Acappella groups in concert
- Get a picture with our mascots
- Stand on the football field
- Get a picture by the "tree that owns itself"
- Be in Athens for Athfest
- Go to a baseball game
- Go to a basketball game
- Go to a gymnastics meet
- Go to a few away football games
- Ride a bike through Athens
- Go to the Botanical Gardens
- Go downtown on each night of the week
- Spend time in the Chapel
- Experience Twilight Weekend
- Go to Sips and Strokes to paint
- Get a hot dog from the hot dog guy near North Campus
- Walk throught the Arch- meaning that my time at UGA is done and hopefully I have had the time of my life!!
Movies Summer 2011!
I thought I would follow up my books with movies that I would like to try to watch before I head back to Athens in August. Enjoy :)
1. Gone with the Wind: I have already watched it once this summer (my first time!) but I want to watch it again to absorb all the details of the film.
2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding: probably one of my favorite movies. It came up in conversation when I went to Athens a few weekends ago and ever since I have wanted to watch it.
3. Harry Potter: I want to watch the film for any of the books that I get through this summer. I feel like it's part of the experience. Just have to find a time when I can sit for a few hours straight and catch up haha!
4. Easy A: I was told by a friend that this movie was one of the best she had seen. I just need to track down a copy of it. Hopefully Redbox will be on my side!
5. The Help: I know this movie hasn't come out yet, but it is definitely one that I will spend the money on to see in theaters. I say that a lot of the time though and then it doesn't happen because it's too expensive. I want this movie to be good because the book was so great!
6. Something Borrowed: This movie is not currently available but is coming out in August on DVD. I wanted to see this movie at the beginning of the summer and never got around to it. Maybe I will be able to end my summer with it.
7. Cars 2: I have heard that it is not as good as the first one but I don't really care. Cars is one of my favorite Pixar movies. I hope that the girls I am nannying are up to seeing this with me.
8. Up: A Pixar movie that I have yet to see. I have heard that it is really good, so I feel like I need to experience it.
It's very hard for me to sit and watch a movie without fidgeting and wanting to do something else, so everyong make me watch these please :)
1. Gone with the Wind: I have already watched it once this summer (my first time!) but I want to watch it again to absorb all the details of the film.
2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding: probably one of my favorite movies. It came up in conversation when I went to Athens a few weekends ago and ever since I have wanted to watch it.
3. Harry Potter: I want to watch the film for any of the books that I get through this summer. I feel like it's part of the experience. Just have to find a time when I can sit for a few hours straight and catch up haha!
4. Easy A: I was told by a friend that this movie was one of the best she had seen. I just need to track down a copy of it. Hopefully Redbox will be on my side!
5. The Help: I know this movie hasn't come out yet, but it is definitely one that I will spend the money on to see in theaters. I say that a lot of the time though and then it doesn't happen because it's too expensive. I want this movie to be good because the book was so great!
6. Something Borrowed: This movie is not currently available but is coming out in August on DVD. I wanted to see this movie at the beginning of the summer and never got around to it. Maybe I will be able to end my summer with it.
7. Cars 2: I have heard that it is not as good as the first one but I don't really care. Cars is one of my favorite Pixar movies. I hope that the girls I am nannying are up to seeing this with me.
8. Up: A Pixar movie that I have yet to see. I have heard that it is really good, so I feel like I need to experience it.
It's very hard for me to sit and watch a movie without fidgeting and wanting to do something else, so everyong make me watch these please :)
Summer Reading 2011!
I am stealing this idea from my wonderful friend, but I think it's great to share with other people books that I am enjoying while on a break from school reading. Enjoy :)
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Heart of the Matter by: Emily Giffin
I absolutely love Emily Giffin's books. Each book has gotten better and she has a way of making the ordinary chick novels have an extraordinary ending. I guess you could say I was expecting a lot out of this novel and it didn't quite meet my expectations. I didn't know how I wanted it to end because it is difficult to choose between two characters that you have come to know. I guess in the end I realized that the title of the book is very true. Love is more than just a feeling.
The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery
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I am hoping HP won't take me the rest of the summer, so I can update this post later in the summer with more amazing books that I have been able to complete.
I absolutely love Emily Giffin's books. Each book has gotten better and she has a way of making the ordinary chick novels have an extraordinary ending. I guess you could say I was expecting a lot out of this novel and it didn't quite meet my expectations. I didn't know how I wanted it to end because it is difficult to choose between two characters that you have come to know. I guess in the end I realized that the title of the book is very true. Love is more than just a feeling.
The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery
I think I picked up this book two summers ago and never got around to reading it until now. I don't know why I picked it up to begin with but it was definitely something that I needed to read this summer. It's about a pig that basically takes hold of everyone's heart in a small northern town. Sy describes how this pig lives such an easy life and it just gave me prespective on what is important in life.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
See the previous post. One of the best books that I have ever read. It is still resonating with me even a month after I have finished it. I just keep thinking about the ending and what it meant for so many people.
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
It might not have been the best choice to follow The Help but I don't actually know if any book could follow The Help and capture my heart more. This book's ending also threw me for a loop but I am starting to discover that not understanding the ending of the book on the day you finish is not necessarily a bad thing. These are the books that you continue to think about and only truly understand after you have thought about it for awhile. This book is all about the power of women and how a herd of southern women can change the course of one girl's life. It makes me want to become even more southern and have the power to be whoever I am meant to be. It shows how a child's struggle can be changed by the power of unconditional love.
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
After much convincing from my little sister and others, I have decided it was probably time for me to tackle this ever so popular series of my childhood. I started about two weeks ago and I am already halfway through the third book. I guess that is saying something about the books addicting nature. I haven't decided if I am going to split the series and maybe read part over Christmas break or next summer or just trudge through them this summer so that I can say that I have partaken in the phenomena of my childhood.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
"The Help"
I have lived below the Mason Dixon line my whole life. Yes, part of that time was spent in Texas which really doesn't adhere to the Civil War era label any more but 12 years of my life have been spent in Alabama and Georgia. Seeing as how all of my elementary school years were spent in Alabama and my high school years spent in Georgia, you could say that my education in history has been somewhat limited and never made it past 1899. We would sit in class for weeks discussing the Civil War and by the time I got to middle school I was ready to be done with "the war". I yearned to learn about the roaring 20s and the Great Depression that followed. The wars that changed the face of world and the challenging times of the 20th century never graced the conversations that took place in most of my high school classrooms. Most of my education in these subject matters came from the literature I read in English classes. Can I say I fully absorbed the ideas that were be presented to me then? No, but now I have the opportunity to learn on my own.
I just finished reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett which was as much of an enriching novel as it was a history lesson for me about the the 1960s. Almost every woman in my family has already read this book and when I mentioned that I had started reading it there was a new doorway opened to the history of my family. Most of the people I surround myself with can remember the times when the details described in the book were common place. Those are the types of stories that I like to hear because it makes me realize how much my parents and grandparents have witnessed.
I am tryng to imagine what in today's society is as taboo as the race relations described in "The Help". I still can't decide what I think is going to be my generations' taboo topic. Maybe we won't have one, but it's hard to imagine that we have gotten to a place in our lives where there isn't something that you just can't talk about. We learn from our past and I understand that in the 1960s people didn't know any better but it is continuously shown that most of the time all it takes is one person who is willing to risk their life to make a difference. I am greatful for those people throughout the past 100 years. My life wouldn't be the same if there weren't people fighting for what they believed in and fighting so hard that sometimes they just so happened to change others opinions.
The book points out how important it is for those people to speak their mind. It doesn't even matter how many lies they have to tell to keep people from finding out their secret. In the 1960's, colored women couldn't speak their minds in fear of the consequences. The fact that a white women was willing to take on the task of collecting the stories of the maids and compiling them together to create a complete picture of Jackson, Mississippi shows the bravery of a person who has the chance to change the world. How would we all feel if we got the opportunity to see ourselves through the eyes of someone else? We probably wouldn't enjoy reading about our own actions but if we care as much about our images as the women of the 1960s did then a manuscript of our own lives would probably make us change our tune real quick.
The most surprising thing about the book was the ending. Since the book is told from three different perspectives it's hard to imagine how everything should be tied up. It's not one of those books where you can predict whose going to live happily ever after. There actually isn't complete closure at the end of the novel, yet as a reader you know what comes next. I got the feeling that the three women in the novel had the freedom they deserved which alluded to the years to follow in their lives when most people would also get that freedom.
Definitely a book that made me think, but that's something that I have wanted recently. I want to be challenged by the things I spend my free time on. I want to learn about our past and make a difference in my future. I am glad that such an enjoyable book has opened up my eyes.
I just finished reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett which was as much of an enriching novel as it was a history lesson for me about the the 1960s. Almost every woman in my family has already read this book and when I mentioned that I had started reading it there was a new doorway opened to the history of my family. Most of the people I surround myself with can remember the times when the details described in the book were common place. Those are the types of stories that I like to hear because it makes me realize how much my parents and grandparents have witnessed.
I am tryng to imagine what in today's society is as taboo as the race relations described in "The Help". I still can't decide what I think is going to be my generations' taboo topic. Maybe we won't have one, but it's hard to imagine that we have gotten to a place in our lives where there isn't something that you just can't talk about. We learn from our past and I understand that in the 1960s people didn't know any better but it is continuously shown that most of the time all it takes is one person who is willing to risk their life to make a difference. I am greatful for those people throughout the past 100 years. My life wouldn't be the same if there weren't people fighting for what they believed in and fighting so hard that sometimes they just so happened to change others opinions.
The book points out how important it is for those people to speak their mind. It doesn't even matter how many lies they have to tell to keep people from finding out their secret. In the 1960's, colored women couldn't speak their minds in fear of the consequences. The fact that a white women was willing to take on the task of collecting the stories of the maids and compiling them together to create a complete picture of Jackson, Mississippi shows the bravery of a person who has the chance to change the world. How would we all feel if we got the opportunity to see ourselves through the eyes of someone else? We probably wouldn't enjoy reading about our own actions but if we care as much about our images as the women of the 1960s did then a manuscript of our own lives would probably make us change our tune real quick.
The most surprising thing about the book was the ending. Since the book is told from three different perspectives it's hard to imagine how everything should be tied up. It's not one of those books where you can predict whose going to live happily ever after. There actually isn't complete closure at the end of the novel, yet as a reader you know what comes next. I got the feeling that the three women in the novel had the freedom they deserved which alluded to the years to follow in their lives when most people would also get that freedom.
Definitely a book that made me think, but that's something that I have wanted recently. I want to be challenged by the things I spend my free time on. I want to learn about our past and make a difference in my future. I am glad that such an enjoyable book has opened up my eyes.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Letting Loose
I have discovered that there are very few moments in my life when I can say that I am completely relaxed. Most of the time when I try to forget about everything that is going on in my life I end up worrying more about something slipping my mind. This weekend I had the opportunity to turn off my commitments and just enjoy being a 20 year old sorority girl. Are there things that I should of taken care of? Yes, but I am learning that people understand. It might hurt me in the long run but right now I have to make myself believe that in the end as long as I am keeping up, people will understand.
This weekend, I finally lived like most 20 year olds. I had friends spend the weekend at my house, staying up until 3 a.m. watching chick flicks and talking about random topics. I got to attend my first wedding for a sorority sister and just enjoyed the evening with all the girls who I have come to love the last two years. The most surprising thing to me is how much you can relax while dancing to some of the best music at a wedding. I love when a couple finds a great DJ for their wedding because it makes the whole atmosphere so much more inviting and relaxed (if I can't use that word enough haha). It is surprising to me that I am coming back to music (I wrote about it in a previous post) because it wasn't until this year that I really discovered my passion for it.
Last night at the wedding reception, I let loose! I let myself dance to all those songs that the DJ was spinning and I realized that by being rigid, I am missing out on an experience. As one of my sorority sisters said, "everyone underestimates you". I am always the responsible one and it takes a lot for me to just give in. I am coming to believe that some people think that I can't have fun. I am here to admit that is completely untrue. Am I self conscious about breaking out of my shell? Yeah but I have come to believe that most people are self conscious about a few things. The benefits of breaking out of my shell and just letting loose far outweigh the cost of trying to follow my own personal rule book. And guess what? It's my own rule book, so I can say that rules are meant to be broken and things can change.
I am making an oath to try to let loose more often in the next few months. I am more conscious of how outside activities can effect my academic life, so I will have more of a handle on making sure that I make myself happy in my academic endeavors but I also realize that making yourself happy in all endeavors can be the best thing you can do for yourself. All of these thoughts were validated today when I realized that not allowing yourself to let loose can lead to much worse outcomes than any consequences that might come from not responding to an email within 24 hours. I am glad I got to enjoy this weekend :) I can't wait until the next time that I absolutely "let loose" and enjoy all the little things that life has to offer.
This weekend, I finally lived like most 20 year olds. I had friends spend the weekend at my house, staying up until 3 a.m. watching chick flicks and talking about random topics. I got to attend my first wedding for a sorority sister and just enjoyed the evening with all the girls who I have come to love the last two years. The most surprising thing to me is how much you can relax while dancing to some of the best music at a wedding. I love when a couple finds a great DJ for their wedding because it makes the whole atmosphere so much more inviting and relaxed (if I can't use that word enough haha). It is surprising to me that I am coming back to music (I wrote about it in a previous post) because it wasn't until this year that I really discovered my passion for it.
Last night at the wedding reception, I let loose! I let myself dance to all those songs that the DJ was spinning and I realized that by being rigid, I am missing out on an experience. As one of my sorority sisters said, "everyone underestimates you". I am always the responsible one and it takes a lot for me to just give in. I am coming to believe that some people think that I can't have fun. I am here to admit that is completely untrue. Am I self conscious about breaking out of my shell? Yeah but I have come to believe that most people are self conscious about a few things. The benefits of breaking out of my shell and just letting loose far outweigh the cost of trying to follow my own personal rule book. And guess what? It's my own rule book, so I can say that rules are meant to be broken and things can change.
I am making an oath to try to let loose more often in the next few months. I am more conscious of how outside activities can effect my academic life, so I will have more of a handle on making sure that I make myself happy in my academic endeavors but I also realize that making yourself happy in all endeavors can be the best thing you can do for yourself. All of these thoughts were validated today when I realized that not allowing yourself to let loose can lead to much worse outcomes than any consequences that might come from not responding to an email within 24 hours. I am glad I got to enjoy this weekend :) I can't wait until the next time that I absolutely "let loose" and enjoy all the little things that life has to offer.
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| Delta Gamma Girls |
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Cleaning
I made it through the final weeks of the semester and even though I might not be overly thrilled with how my grades ended up, I can say that I made it through the toughest five months of my life. I will never have the opportunity to relive my sophomore year of college but I can't say that I really want to. I think that everything I have done in these past few months has been a learning experience.
My most recent learning experience came with the realization that some people don't know how to survive in the real world. I will preface with the fact that I in no means have my life figured out. I feel like I should be responsible enough to pay some of my bills or live on my own but then again it is just too easy to not have to worry about those things. I will say though that my parents taught me the right way to treat my surroundings. Even though I didn't like the fact that we got rid of our maid in my teenage years, I understand the importance of cleaning up after myself and consistently cleaning the room that surrounds me. How would I ever survive in the real world if I didn't understand those basic concepts? I got to see how some people do it by cleaning out a very large house over the weekend. We had a maid come on Friday afternoon and by Saturday evening there was two times the trash piled up on the back porch then what the maid had taken care of the day before. My mother would of been horrified if I had left my room in such a disarray. I hope other mothers would feel the same way if they saw what I had to clean up over the weekend. I guess it just shows me that having a little bit of respect for your surroundings can make a difference in the long run. Hopefully I can convey to people next year that respect for their surroundings is something that is expected not a happy accident.
Yes, that whole incident was a learning experience on my part and one that I will take with me if and when I get my own place but I am also learning the importance of purging your belongings. I don't really think I cleaned out my room last summer. I kind of moved stuff around to make room for some the things I brought home from college but mostly I just kept everything in the living room downstairs to be moved back to Athens in the fall. This year I decided that in the fall I am moving back to Athens with a minimalistic attitude. I also got home on Sunday night and realized that I no longer had enough room in my closet for all my clothes. Well after three days of looking through all my belongings I have about four trash bags worth of stuff to get rid of and still not enough space on my bookshelf or closet. How did I accumulate all of these things? I have enough t-shirts from my sorority to get me through a month without repeating. I am over stuff. There is too much of it but yet I know that I am still tied to it in some way. Everything has a meaning and it is not until that meaning completely wears out that I can get rid of something. I have been working for three straight days trying to get my room in order and it will still probably take at least two more to be completely finished. Hopefully after this purging session, I will be good for a while but who knows how much I can accumulate within the year.
Cleaning is a necessary part of life. One that has become more apparent to me within the last week. I know from now on I will make myself take care of my surroundings and question myself more often when I want to buy something because I would really prefer not to have to get rid of something that still has the tag on it three years later. It's a skill that needs to be learned by everyone and one that I seem to be mastering pretty quickly. Oh the simple things in life :)
My most recent learning experience came with the realization that some people don't know how to survive in the real world. I will preface with the fact that I in no means have my life figured out. I feel like I should be responsible enough to pay some of my bills or live on my own but then again it is just too easy to not have to worry about those things. I will say though that my parents taught me the right way to treat my surroundings. Even though I didn't like the fact that we got rid of our maid in my teenage years, I understand the importance of cleaning up after myself and consistently cleaning the room that surrounds me. How would I ever survive in the real world if I didn't understand those basic concepts? I got to see how some people do it by cleaning out a very large house over the weekend. We had a maid come on Friday afternoon and by Saturday evening there was two times the trash piled up on the back porch then what the maid had taken care of the day before. My mother would of been horrified if I had left my room in such a disarray. I hope other mothers would feel the same way if they saw what I had to clean up over the weekend. I guess it just shows me that having a little bit of respect for your surroundings can make a difference in the long run. Hopefully I can convey to people next year that respect for their surroundings is something that is expected not a happy accident.
Yes, that whole incident was a learning experience on my part and one that I will take with me if and when I get my own place but I am also learning the importance of purging your belongings. I don't really think I cleaned out my room last summer. I kind of moved stuff around to make room for some the things I brought home from college but mostly I just kept everything in the living room downstairs to be moved back to Athens in the fall. This year I decided that in the fall I am moving back to Athens with a minimalistic attitude. I also got home on Sunday night and realized that I no longer had enough room in my closet for all my clothes. Well after three days of looking through all my belongings I have about four trash bags worth of stuff to get rid of and still not enough space on my bookshelf or closet. How did I accumulate all of these things? I have enough t-shirts from my sorority to get me through a month without repeating. I am over stuff. There is too much of it but yet I know that I am still tied to it in some way. Everything has a meaning and it is not until that meaning completely wears out that I can get rid of something. I have been working for three straight days trying to get my room in order and it will still probably take at least two more to be completely finished. Hopefully after this purging session, I will be good for a while but who knows how much I can accumulate within the year.
Cleaning is a necessary part of life. One that has become more apparent to me within the last week. I know from now on I will make myself take care of my surroundings and question myself more often when I want to buy something because I would really prefer not to have to get rid of something that still has the tag on it three years later. It's a skill that needs to be learned by everyone and one that I seem to be mastering pretty quickly. Oh the simple things in life :)
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