Jessica Alba is an actress that most people are probably familiar with.  I enjoyed Sin City, and my kids like The Fantastic Four movies.  She is also the mom of two very cute little girls-Honor and Haven.  A few months ago I noticed she was starting up a new mail order company, The Honest Company.  My son is a little old for this, but I wish it was around when he was younger!  They delivery Non-toxic diapers and diapering essentials-all 100% natural and non-toxic.  The price is pretty right too, and you can find out all the info by clicking the link above.

Jessica delivers number 6 on our list:

6) Be Their Watchdog-LOVE THIS!  Ms Alba specifically addresses products we buy at the store and then bring in our home-food for our children and cleaning products.  And as parents, aren’t we the first line of defense?  When I started having breathing problems a few years ago I ended up being diagnosed with ‘seasonal asthma.’  Basically the changes in the season can bring on what the doctor likened to a pro-longed asthma attack.  Coughing, wheezing, and generally feeling out of breath, while no life threatening was certainly no fun.  The doctor prescribed an inhaler to be used throughout the year as needed.  But after doing some research I discovered the cleaning products i used could exacerbate the symptoms.  If I was feeling it, couldn’t it also effect my boys?!  I decided to change up my routine, looking for natural and non-toxic products to replace what I currently use.  Roy didn’t mind as long as they got the job done.

When it came time to decide what diapers we would use for Dean, I was determined to try cloth.  It was a learning process, but I ended up loving the brand we settled on. (if you are interested this is the website-Bum Genius)  Not only did it save us a HUGE amount of money the first two years of Dean’s life, but we had less diaper rashes.

But being an advocate for our kids goes beyond the type of cleaning products we use and the food we eat.  We need to be advocates for them in regards to their education. I think this especially rings true if you have a special needs child.  You will be called upon, at some point, to stand up for your child and be their voice.  Make sure yours is heard!  When it comes to their health, you know your child.  You MIGHT have to stand up and question a diagnosis, or a course of treatment.  DO IT!

As they get older, I also think it is important to teach our children to advocate for themselves.  Teacher’s aren’t always right.  Teach them to (respectfully!) question a grade they don’t think they deserve.  A first job is a right of passage, but teach them how to stand up for themselves, especially if they feel they are being taken advantage of.  And when our children are parents themselves, hopefully they will be advocates for their own children.

Ms. Alba speaks the truth!

I want to be famous!

I don’t remember the rest of that Pussycat Dolls song.  But when I was younger, I did want to be famous.  I LOVED the movie Grease, and I wanted to be Sandy.  NOT the poodle skirt wearing Sandy, but the one at the end of the movie.  I was about six when I begged my mom to let me be Sandy for Halloween.  She said sure, and I was convinced I would have a rockin’ black outfit with a tight fitting leather jacket.  I did not have either of those, and instead I had a baby blue poodle skirt with my white Sunday blouse.  I was not happy, but I did get a lot of candy, so I couldn’t complain too much.

When I finally figured out Sandy was just a role Olivia Newton John played, I decided to be Olivia Newton John. When my parents explained to me how that wouldn’t work, I thought I would be an actress. What little girl didn’t have that dream?  When I was about 13, I decided I wanted to be a doctor - specifically a pediatrician.  My mom was SO proud.  I held on to that dream until I was in 11th grade, when I realized that the idea of 10 more years of school and hundreds of thousands of dollars of school loans was NOT something I wanted.  Writing, more specifically story telling, was always something I excelled at, so I looked to journalism.  As you can tell, those plans went awry with the birth of my oldest, though I was fine with that.  Dreams change as we grow.  Right now, I can’t say I am doing the ‘job’ that I thought I would be doing when I played house with my friends, but I also can’t say there is any other job I would rather have right now.

Roy also wanted to be a doctor - a neurosurgeon… my own McDreamy!  And he got further along in his quest to practice medicine… two years of college, pre-med.  But his interests shifted into computers, and that interest brought him up to 2011 and the career he has now.

The boys on the other hand are all over the map…

Corey, who is about to graduate, should be thinking about the future in some respects. On the other hand, I realize it is a scary prospect for him.  He has always loved food. Eating it, making it, wasting it… you name it.  He took Culinary Arts 1 last year and really enjoyed it.  He is taking the advanced class this year, and I think he likes it even more. If we ask him right now, at this very moment, he wants to be a chef, but that could change.  All he knows is he wants to be involved in the restaurant/food business in some way.

Joe wants to be just like Dad (Roy).  But ask him what Dad does, and he isn’t quite sure, just that it relates to computers.  So, for now he just says he wants to be a computer programmer. But, truth be told, I’m not even sure what Roy does!

Addi is obviously being swayed by my love of tattoos and the TV show NY Ink.  He has decided he wants to be a tattoo artist. Of course, that will probably change next week, but you never know.  As it stands right now, if he was an artist that specialized in skulls with fire coming out of them, and there is a real market for that, he could make a bundle.

Hayden changes his mind quickly.  One minute he wants to be a member of SWAT. The next he wants to be a cop. Then he wants to be a “Black Op.”  Joe and I told him Black Ops are secret operations that special forces in the military perform.  So, while he changes his mind, often his interests all seem to have something to do with law enforcement.

I asked Dean what he wanted to be when he was big like Daddy.

“Hmm… I want to play with toys.” He answered confidently.

“You want to play with toys?”  I was amused.

“Yes, toys that Daddy buy me.  I play with them.” He replied.

And he ran off to tell his Daddy about his aspirations.  Roy is very proud.