Terrific Tuesday

I'm trying to think of things for the kids to do today that would make it feel like a "Terrific Tuesday" to them. They are out for Spring Break, and even though it hasn't made it above 60* yet, they are tired of being cooped up in the house. I can't say as I blame them. :/

I mentioned that I have to go to the laundromat today, and while that doesn't sound "Terrific" to me, I got excited responses from the kids. (Not from Jared - he is at Josh's today. I don't think he would be quite as excited ;)

Maybe the park to play during loads? Or to the dollar store to get some cheap junk food? I was leaning toward Spring Cleaning as being pretty Terrific, but the kids.. not so much.

Yesterday, though, I did get a little Spring Cleaning done... but it isn't finished, so it feels more unfinished than when I started. When Jared gets back from Josh's, I'll have him help me. I'm sure he'll be delighted. ;)

Yesterday I put some of the girls' dolls in with my vintage dolls in the display cabinet. (My display cabinet is not a fancy one - it came from our feed store, but it works.) I think they look cute:




(By mistake, I think I finally learned a trick about taking photos inside after these two pics. I'll try it again tonight and see if it still works when it is even darker. :)

What is in there, you ask?
My first Barbie (red swim suit), a vintage Darcie doll (with toes that have been munched by a dumb dog), a pillow with a doll's head in the middle that my mom made for me, a rock that was painted on by my Aunt Pearl, a Mickey Mouse Club doll, a very old doll in a crocheted dress with hair that is coming unglued, a doll that resembled Amber and another that resembled Emily, porcelain dolls including: a ladybug, a unicorn, a bunny, three fancy ladies two in green and one in white, and an Oriental lady, Thumblina, a Mommy and Baby doll that winds up and plays a lullaby while the Mommy rocks the Baby, a Bride doll that also winds up,and a Winnie the Pooh pillow.

I love dolls, everything about them. I love the smell of a new doll. I love the cuteness of baby dolls and the beauty of porcelain dolls. I loved to play with my dolls when I was a girl. Sometimes I liked playing house with the baby dolls. I liked lining up the older looking dolls into rows and pretend to be a teacher. And then other times I loved playing with the Barbie dolls; I loved her fancy clothes, shoes, & rings. I loved how beautiful and elegant she was.

Barbie is a controversial doll, you know. Some folks think that she sets unrealistic expectations in young girls about their own bodies. The Sunshine mama was better for girls, is what I heard. Sunshine mama had small, little breasts, a normal waistline and normal hips. She was plain looking: no glamour makeup for Sunshine mama. I mean, she was cute and everything, but she was plain. After all, she was a mama. Her clothes? She and papa Sunshine dolls looked like hippies. Mama had a floor length dress. No showing any leg for Sunshine mama.

Barbie is sexy and glamorous. She has a tiny waist and a big bust. She is thought of as a floozy, I guess. But wait: as a young teenager I had a big bust in relation to my peers. As an older teen I LOVED glamour makeup. But I was and still am *very* (read: very prudish) modest. In fact, as a teenager my brother in law once advised me that I should unbutton a button or two on my all-buttoned-up blouse because boys "don't like stuffed shirts". Truth be told, boys liked how my shirts were stuffed {and told me so, much to my horror!}, and I wanted to discourage their glances! But I wondered if *I* looked like a floozy too. Could it have been the Barbie haters that wrecked my self-esteem? Possibly, after all, I was a good girl, not a floozy! I hated my big bust & tried to hide it under baggy shirts. Girls are already self-conscious enough about their bodies, to make Barbie with her big bust taboo just makes it worse, IMO.

Anyway, Barbie wears her big bust with pride. Ken seems to like Barbie for who she is whether she is teacher Barbie, mama/babysitter Barbie, career woman Barbie, or glitz and glamour Barbie. They have been an item for years. Ken and Barbie are all about monogamy.

So c'mon folks, give Barbie a break! Quit having full-busted-lady envy. Let women be women. There is nothing wrong with breasts. Men have known that for years!

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Anyway, I loved playing with Barbie and Darcie. Letting them ride in flashy cars, airplanes, or even the Scooby Doo van. My brothers even gave me a townhouse for my Barbies which came with an elevator! How cool is that?

Okay, I've wasted enough time debating Barbie & Ken and the Sunshine Family for one day. On to: Terrific Tuesday! Let the fun begin!