mistaken identity

THE SCENE: in the car driving, while listening to "come see about me"

dash: mom, is this michael jackson singing?
me: no, it's diana ross and the supremes.
marz: this is a girl. michael jackson is a boy. we have a movie of him.
dash: michael jackson isn't in any movies.
me: yes michael jackson is a boy, but we don't have a movie with him in it.
marz: yes we do.
me: what is it about?
marz: monsters. and basketball.
me: that's michael jordan, sweets.
marz: oh.

i agree, but...

i was following behind someone today with a bumper sticker that said "PROUD TO BE AN ATHEIST" right underneath the other bumper sticker that said "HANDS ARE FAR BETTER WHEN THEY HELP THAN WHEN THEY PRAY" (or something to that effect. not sure on the exact wording).

i often find that those who want to go against the majority, are very adamant that everyone else hear about it. not always the case, but it seems to be what i've observed. the logical part of me definitely understands why it's hard to explain the existence of God. so i can see where an atheist would get their reasoning. and i can definitely relate to the helping instead of praying part. BUT...

i think people get caught up in the extremist side of things and then criticize an entire way of thinking based on a few extremists. i believe that balance is the key. of course if we spend all of our time on our knees and never get up, then our hands aren't really being used to their potential. i'm not very familiar with what other religions teach, but the one that i try to live by doesn't teach prayer w/o action to support it. i believe in doing our part, putting forth our humanly efforts. but i also believe that i can't do things on my own. i'm not capable. i guess i feel sad if someone believes they have to carry all of the weight themselves. what a burden that would feel like - to try and help the world without any intervention of a higher power. i'm not one that is high on the HOPE meter by nature, but i definitely would be a lot lower without any eternal perspective.

teen shopping

as most of you know, i do all my clothes shopping for my kids a year ahead of time. in the middle of summer and winter the stores mark all their stuff down and i get most things 75% off retail. there are always a few miscellaneous things they end up needing when the time finally comes around, and i hunt for those things at kid-to-kid or ebay. luigi hasn't grown for about 2 years. same clothes, same shoes. so last year i didn't buy anything for him when we did the big sale shopping. of course this season he decided to grow, and quickly too. we always knew it was coming. we just didn't know when it would finally kick in. a few weeks ago he needed some jeans, and i found some on sale at old navy, and also was lucky to find a pair at kid-to-kid while we were in vegas. well 2 days ago he comes to ask me if i think they look too short. YES! and then come to find out they're too tight on his waist also! a month? that's all i got out of 3 pairs of jeans? MAJOR BUMMER! anyway... now that he's back in public school he wants to look like all the other kids. leaving the old navy realm was a challenge for me. i had no idea where to get all the skater clothes. when did i become SO OLD?! last night we spent 4 hours of reconnaissance at 2 different malls trying on one thing after another. and that kid is SLOW to try on clothes! he really needs to be taught the art of speed shopping with a purpose. jeans for $30 and up?? REALLY??? for a teenager??? NO WAY! i wasn't going to spend that. but i really feel for the kid who wants to fit in. i was torn. i was so close to buying something expensive for him. we came home with 1 pair from the gap outlet for $16. i then proceeded to scour ebay for the right sizes and brands and colors. i was glad i stuck to my guns and left all the expensive stuff at the store. we won a couple bids on ebay and he's so excited! who knew shopping for a teen would be so detailed?