As you can see, I did a little redecorating yesterday.

To be honest, I'm a little iffy about the layout.

I hate that you have to scroll over to get to the other side and how the main title of my blog is so small. If you can't tell, this is the first time that I used the CSS section of LJ or basically did anything like this, so if you have any tips, feel free to share ;)

I got the background and html info from ntu_lj, specifically from this link.

One Flaw in Women

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don’t take ‘no’ for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They’ll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what
makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their
family and friends.
Women have vital things to say
and everything to give.
HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

--Unknown

Keep in mind that I don't actually believe that women only have a few flaws, if any period. EVERYONE has flaws. Anyway, I don't think that's what this piece is implying really ;)

Stuff like this makes me wonder about Republicans and Conservatives....(credt goes to Oh No They Didn't:  Political)

Conservative Group:  Time to Purge Muslims from Military
community.livejournal.com/ontd_political/4576055.html

Bill O'Reilly:  'We Can't Kill All the Muslims...So We Wanna Win As Many Hearts and Minds As We Can' 
community.livejournal.com/ontd_political/4589274.html

Westboro Baptist Church Sets Their Eyes On Obama's Girls. Guyz, Is Time for Justifiable Homicide...
community.livejournal.com/ontd_political/4579776.html

I think there's some more, but I'll post these three for now.

Speaking of posting.....I have GOT to be more consistent about posting on this thing lol.

I was flipping back and forth between Glee and Cougar Town.  In one of the last scenes in Cougar Town, Courtney Cox's character gives a speech about how easy single divorced dads who are her age have it .  They can date younger women without being judged and aren't criticized for doing so, while the situation for single divorced moms her age are the complete opposite.  She says alot more than this but I can't remember it all and I don't really want to spend alot of time writing down some bits that I do remember.  Lazy, I know.  But I bet that you can watch that episode online by tomorrow.

One of the parts I do remember is how her son telling her that he wishes for her to be a "normal" mom.  What exactly is a "normal" mom.  This reeks of archaic, stereotypical, and perhaps patriarchal BS.  And perhaps that's the shows goal....to point out that it's BS.  I mean, if all the older men are dating younger women, then who are the older women going to date....you got it.....younger men.

But anyway, back to a "normal" mom.  Do "normal" moms spend all their times at home, have no life outside of family or outside of both work and family?  Do they not have their own identity?

Now when it comes to dress, it can be embarrassing for your mother to not dress her age or like a "skant" (look at old episodes of Maury for examples).  Perhaps, this is a good example of a mom that's not a normal mom.  But that doesn't mean that they should always dress like absolute prudes.  There is a balance.

The idea of a "normal" mom is nothing but remnants of old-fashioned, archaic ideas which were in a way used to mold women into the "ideal" woman - a woman that didn't challenge societal ideas, that wasn't outspoken, wasn't true to herself, wasn't assertive, etc., etc.  Anytime you tell or rather imply that a mother should put EVERYTHING and EVERYONE before her, make her whole identity a wife and mother, and nothing else, you devalue and disregard her sense of self....I think that's the right way to put it.  It nothing but a form of control, which was a popular thing back then when concerning women.

Ideas like this is why moms, especially new moms have this issue about being a good or the perfect mother.  Why aren't dads held to this high standard?  I think it's because our society tells us that dads aren't as important as moms and that we shouldn't expect as much from them except to bring home the bacon.  I mean think about it, mothers have always been held to this mythical pedestal while fathers were ignored except in pushing for the idea that he should be wear the pants of the family, the provider, stuff like that.  Nothing about child-rearing itself.

I know I not the most eloquent person when it comes to words, but I think I made my point lol....For those reading, feel free to add anything else. 

Well, I'm finally doing it....I'm posting an entry on my own blog!

I have always been a thinker.  I think about what's going on around me, in the media, and society.  I had all these thoughts, opinions, and musings...and nowhere to put them besides other blogs and websites.  

But now, I have my own place to express how I feel and what I think :)  So expect to see posts about issues, articles, topics, and other blog entries that I've found online and what I think about them (who exactly am I talking to here lol).

~Renee