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Christi Diggs
on May 23 2013 - 06:00 AM
A drop of spin, a cup of deception and tsp. politics=Apathy
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Lindsay Metcalf
on May 22 2013 - 06:00 AM
When that tornado siren sounds, I'm in the basement
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mara williams
on May 21 2013 - 06:00 AM
Summer break has this mom on a house upkeep war path.
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- mr. stinky feet - Profile | Pictures | Blog
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Estrogen has been swirling around me all of my life. I have four sisters. I am still very close to my mother. And I once was the lone male writer for a woman’s magazine. One of the many things these women have taught me is to empathize with the everyday challenge most of them have with self image. Now I am blessed with two young daughters who will eventually go through it, and a wonderful wife who faces this everyday. There are many cultural factors that contribute, including the media and even our beloved sitcom moms – super moms like Carol Brady.
The Brady Bunch totally rules at our house. We’ve got the complete 114-episode DVD box set is constant rotation. We’ve got two lunch boxes, action figures, plush dolls, and the 500 piece puzzle (still partially finished).
It all started with some YouTube clips of the Brady kids singing. Innocent enough. Then, it turns out that my wife Jeni has the Brady Bunch album from when she was a kid. Ever since the first spin, Lyda and Willa have been dancing and singing along to hits like Sunshine Day and Time to Change.
Gradually this cute passing fancy has turned into a cute obsession. Lyda dressed as Cindy for Halloween last year. She thinks Bobby is the funniest kid ever and Peter is sooooo cute. And she claims the Bradys as her favorite singing group. I knew we were on a slippery slope when Lyda asked, "When do I get to meet the Brady Bunch?" This is not an unreasonable request coming from a girl who has met many of her musical heroes and has hung out backstage with some of them.
But there's something our Brady-centric household didn’t expect. Out of nowhere Lyda said to Jeni, "Mom, let's go shopping for some clothes and you can buy some skirts." Fair enough. So they go shopping and Jeni tries on a skirt and Lyda says to her, "It looks great! Can you wear that when you pick me up from school?"
By this point, Jeni was starting to get a complex that she wasn’t living up to the standard of the other moms. But what can we expect from a kid whose parents work from home in sweat pants and t-shirts, and sometimes pajamas?
So, then comes the kicker. As I'm tucking Lyda into bed one night she said, "Dad, when I grow up to be a mom, I'm going to wear skirts and dresses and lots of cool jewelry and high heel shoes."
"Around the house?" I ask.
"Well, mostly when I go out, but, yes, around the house. I'm going to have lots of clothes and lots of shoes just like..." you guessed it... "Carol Brady."
Poor Jeni. One-upped by the queen of mod moms. How can women compete with that Carol Brady wit, Carol Brady charm, and Carol Brady sense of fashion? As if the bar isn't set high enough already.
So, do you think we should introduce our girls to fellow TV super-moms Jane Jetson, Shirley Partridge, Clair Huxtable, and June Cleaver? Or should we just contain the damage and stop at Carol Brady?
(You can check out other Mr. Stinky Feet blog posts at http://www.mrstinkyfeet.blogspot.com/.)
Shoot, even Marge Simpson wears a dress, heels, and has her hair perfectly fixed each day. What's a woman to do?Start stocking up on Roseanne DVDs. No dresses and pearls there. :-) And thanks for the earworm. I think the Bradys are the bomb, especially when they sang Sunshine Day. I think I'll for a walk outside now...You just sold me on buying the Brady Bunch DVD set. I think Carol Brady is a great role model. I'm not familiar with the current TV shows but I'll bet these new moms don't hold a candle to Mrs. Brady.So Cute!!! I remember a few years back (quite a few years) I colored my hair sort of reddish/auburn and when I got home my oldest son, then 7 burst into tears and told me I looked like a "Spice Girl" ....I was shocked and to this day we all laugh when we remember the story : )Wonder how we can afford a Cosmetologist for my face, Hair Stylist for my hair, Fashion Designer for my clothes, and the costs that these certified specialists will need to make me OVER into a television "mom"? Of course, we'll need to include the people who know all about lighting and how to keep my extra ten (yah, just the EXTRA ten) pounds from showing on camera and, (the BIG AND), a full-time on-call "Alice" housekeeper. Wow, aren't fantasies fun!!:)Wonder how we can afford a Cosmetologist for my face, Hair Stylist for my hair, Fashion Designer for my clothes, and the costs that these certified specialists will need to make me OVER into a television "mom"? Of course, we'll need to include the people who know all about lighting and how to keep my extra ten (yah, just the EXTRA ten) pounds from showing on camera and, (the BIG AND), a full-time on-call "Alice" housekeeper. Wow, aren't fantasies fun!!:)"Supermom" Carol Brady? Well, yeah, it's easy to be Supermom when you have a full-time live in cook and housekeeper!!!! I'll bet even Carol couldn't do it all without Alice! Where are HER props??? And I'm with Jennifer. Roseanne is closer to the role model my kids have at their house!
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