Duchess Parades More Than Her Tiny Prince

I’ll admit that I was anxiously awaiting the news of the birth of England’s tiniest Prince. I wasn’t obsessed, but definitely was one of those who checked the news feeds every few hours. Then, after the birth, I did become a little obsessed with seeing the first pictures.

Though, while the couple and the baby were as beautiful as I would expect, a couple of things disappointed me. First, was the baby’s weight. I know you are thinking, “8 pounds, 6 ounces … that’s a healthy weight.” Yes, but he is a prince. For some reason I wanted to hear something a little more dramatic. Maybe I expected an announcement something like:

“The Prince has arrived at a whopping 14 pounds, 15 ounces, and has already taken his first steps and uttered his first word … ‘Mum.’”

Yea, okay. I guess it’s slightly refreshing that he is as normal as any other newborn … I guess.

What’s also refreshing is seeing how Prince William and Kate are going to be as normal as any other parent. I did see the picture of the baby in the car seat, and yes, it’s a little shocking that they didn’t have the baby secured properly. But, I’m sure after the billions of comments by mothers all over the world, the message has made its way back to them. I sure remember the frustration with those car seats the first time we left the hospital … and we didn’t have thousands of onlookers as we struggled. Apparently the normalcy is also that there is never anyone to help … just the 80-year-old volunteer who can barely push the wheelchair to the curb. Or, in their case, some security detail, who is more concerned with keeping them from being attacked or mauled by paparazzi.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

But, there is one thing that especially stood out to me, and I’m sorry to say it is not normal … but it should be. There I was, watching the video of the Royal family and their new prince outside the hospital. So much to gawk at, including the fact that this new mom was standing there in heals with her hair beautifully coiffed. But, then, something really jumped out at me. Kate handed the baby to her husband, and there she stood, holding her post-baby belly like she was proud of it. I know I am among many women who has felt self-conscious about her belly—even one day after childbirth. But, beautiful Kate showed women all over the world that the belly we find repulsive on ourselves was something we should be parading. Who knows, maybe it was purely out of habit that she was cradling her tummy. But, I’d like to think that she consciously sent a message to women everywhere that they, too, should be insanely proud of their post-baby bellies. Thank you, Duchess, and congratulations.

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Fork vs. Toddler

In this case, the fork met its demise. A little advice if you are in the market for utensils for teething toddlers, do NOT buy ones with rubber handles. Or, maybe the fork tasted better than my cooking. Hmmm.

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Moms=1, Insecurities=0

I don't usually repost articles on this blog website, but this one was too special to share with only my Facebook followers. These are beautiful photographs of real moms ... insecurities and all. I'm so proud of these women for embracing what we all wish we could. Here is one example. Find the rest here.

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Cinderella has Boobies

So, my 4-year-old daughter whispers in my ear last night, "I saw Cinderella's boobies."

Of course my initial thought is that Disney has gone R-rated on me. But, after probing a little more, I find out that she just meant that she saw the bumps in her clothes. 

She has been seeing Cinderella and other princesses (with boobies) for quite a while now. I have no idea why she is just now noticing their racks. She plays with Barbie dolls, too, but has never once mentioned their boobies. She also seemed a little embarrassed by it at the same time. I imagine she'll feel the same way about her own chest in about 8-10 years. 

It will probably be more like, "What's up with the bruises on my chest and why is one of them bigger than the other? If these are my boobs, I hope this is some kind of sick joke God is playing on me and when I wake up in the morning I'm going to look like C-cup Annie Krupp from my volleyball team. If not, I am going into hiding until they even out."

Ah, boobs ... after having a baby, that might be the #2 most talked about topic ... after poop, of course.


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A Good Day for Equality

I hope when my children learn about the Supreme Court ruling from today in their history lessons, they think, "Why in the world was that ever needed? It makes no sense that people would be discriminated against because of who they want to marry." 

Kind of like how we think of the 21st Amendment. It makes no sense to me that alcohol would have ever been banned. Were there no parents of children ages 18 and under at the time? If that happened today, I would totally LIKE "Speakeasy for Parents" on Facebook.

Photo courtesy of Sonoma County Lawyer Blog.

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A Lesson in Sharing

My twins learned the cutest lesson in sharing from their 6-year-old friend. This 6-year-old had a dollar bill, and was so kind to want to share it with my 4-year-old twins. So, since there are two of them, what did she do? Yep, tore it in half. I'm pretty sure those halves don't count as a half dollar in the monetary sense, but what a moment it was when all the adults standing around gasped, then smiled in adoration of that little girl.

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Doolittle Raid History Lesson

Are your kids in a summer coma yet? If so, here is a perfect chance to give a history lesson to your children. The following was sent to me in an email. I do not know who wrote it, so if this ever makes it to the author, please find me at www.facebook.com/crapnoonetellsyou so that I can give you proper credit. The reunion the author speaks of was just held in April of this year, and turns out it was the last reunion these brave men will have.

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It's the cup of brandy that no one wants to drink.

On Tuesday, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, the surviving Doolittle Raiders gathered publicly for the last time.

They once were among the most universally admired and revered men in the United States. There were 80 of the Raiders in April 1942, when they carried out one of the most courageous and heart-stirring military operations in this nation's history. The mere mention of their unit's name, in those years, would bring tears to the eyes of grateful Americans.
    
Now only four survive.

After Japan 's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, with the United States reeling and wounded, something dramatic was needed to turn the war effort around.

Even though there were no friendly airfields close enough to Japan for the United States to launch a retaliation, a daring plan was devised. Sixteen B-25s were modified so that they could take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. This had never before been tried--sending such big, heavy bombers from a carrier.
   
The 16 five-man crews, under the command of Lt. Col. James Doolittle, who himself flew the lead plane off the USS Hornet, knew that they would not be able to return to the carrier. They would have to hit Japan and then hope to make it to China for a safe landing.

But on the day of the raid, the Japanese military caught wind of the plan. The Raiders were told that they would have to take off from much farther out in the Pacific Ocean than they had counted on. They were told that because of this they would not have enough fuel to make it to safety.

And those men went anyway.

They bombed Tokyo, and then flew as far as they could. Four planes crash-landed; 11 more crews bailed out, and three of the Raiders died. Eight more were captured ; three were executed. Another died of starvation in a Japanese prison camp. One crew made it to Russia .

The Doolittle Raid sent a message from the United States to its enemies, and to the rest of the world: We will fight. And, no matter what it takes, we will win.

Of the 80 Raiders, 62 survived the war. They were celebrated as national heroes, models of bravery. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a motion picture based on the raid ; "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo," starring Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson, was a patriotic and emotional box-office hit, and the phrase became part of the national lexicon. In the movie-theater previews for the film, MGM proclaimed that it was presenting the story "with supreme pride."

Beginning in 1946, the surviving Raiders have held a reunion each April, to commemorate the mission. The reunion is in a different city each year. In 1959, the city of Tucson , Arizona , as a gesture of respect and gratitude, presented the Doolittle Raiders with a set of 80 silver goblets. Each goblet was engraved with the name of a Raider.

Every year, a wooden display case bearing all 80 goblets is transported to the reunion city. Each time a Raider passes away, his goblet is turned upside down in the case at the next reunion, as his old friends bear solemn witness.
   
Also in the wooden case is a bottle of 1896 Hennessy Very Special cognac. The year is not happenstance: 1896 was when Jimmy Doolittle was born.

There has always been a plan: When there are only two surviving Raiders, they would open the bottle, at last drink from it, and toast their comrades who preceded them in death.
   
As 2013 began, there were five living Raiders; then, in February, Tom Griffin passed away at age 96.

What a man he was. After bailing out of his plane over a mountainous Chinese forest after the Tokyo raid, he became ill with malaria, and almost died. When he recovered, he was sent to Europe to fly more combat missions. He was shot down, captured, and spent 22 months in a German prisoner of war camp.
   
The selflessness of these men, the sheer guts ... there was a passage in the Cincinnati Enquirer obituary for Mr. Griffin that, on the surface, had nothing to do with the war, but that emblematizes the depth of his sense of duty and devotion:

   "When his wife became ill and needed to go into a nursing home, he visited her every day. He walked from his house to the nursing home, fed his wife and at the end of the day brought home her clothes. At night, he washed and ironed her clothes. Then he walked them up to her room the next morning. He did that for three years until her death in 2005."
   
So now, out of the original 80, only four Raiders remain: Dick Cole (Doolittle's co-pilot on the Tokyo raid), Robert Hite, Edward Saylor and David Thatcher. All are in their 90s. They have decided that there are too few of them for the public reunions to continue.
   
The events in Fort Walton Beach this week will mark the end. It has come full circle ; Florida 's nearby Eglin Field was where the Raiders trained in secrecy for the Tokyo mission. The town is planning to do all it can to honor the men: a six-day celebration of their valor, including luncheons, a dinner and a parade.
   
Do the men ever wonder if those of us for whom they helped save the country have tended to it in a way that is worthy of their sacrifice? They don't talk about that, at least not around other people. But if you find yourself near Fort Walton Beach this week, and if you should encounter any of the Raiders, you might want to offer them a word of thanks. I can tell you from firsthand observation that they appreciate hearing that they are remembered.
   
The men have decided that after this final public reunion they will wait until a later date -- sometime this year -- to get together once more, informally and in absolute privacy. That is when they will open the bottle of brandy. The years are flowing by too swiftly now; they are not going to wait until there are only two of them.
   
They will fill the four remaining upturned goblets. And raise them in a toast to those who are gone.

For a recap of the reunion, click here.


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