Jude, Emily's is ready to go, and the stupid Halloween letter circulating

My head is full of a lot of topics right now so bear with me as I try to sort them all out.  Jude is doing well. He is full of smiles and has been very talkative lately. He is still having some issues sleeping at night so I still resemble a frizzy zombie with frumpy clothes. Jude is still scheduled for his Botox injections and then he will have a follow up with the orthopedic doctor. I am still up in the air on the surgery. There is a part of me that doesn't want to subject him to something so painful, but I worry about the future pain he may endure if we don't go through with the surgery. Jude has his Halloween pajama's ready to go tomorrow. He is going to be a "Fire Chief".

Emily is growing up very fast and has a full blown teen attitude. However, she is still a great kid. She has a steady boyfriend who seems very polite, funny, and has huge goals in life. So I am hoping they stay responsible and remember they have a bright future ahead. Emily has exactly 30 days before we leave for Texas Teen USA. Her head shot premiered the other day on the website. You can go to www.misstexasusa.com and click on contestants. Emily is Miss Tarrant. Since her contest is only 30 days away Mike and I talked about what it takes to get ready in life for any type of major goal. In this case she needs to be interview, swimsuit, and evening gown ready. We talked to her in detail about how eating well is good for your body and your brain. We advised her that if she learns proper eating habits now then her body will thank her later. We tried to convince her that what you put into your body is what you get out of it in regards to fuel, looks, brain power, and more. Of course, talking to a 15 year old about this subject without her thinking it's about body image is a tricky thing to do. However, I think we got through to her. I explained how her boyfriend drinks a lot of hydrating liquids and eats protein to prepare for a football game. He does that so his body won't dehydrate and he can give the best he can to his team. So I asked her "what do you think would happen if you cut back on sugary Sprites and pizza and replaced them with water and increase protein". She understood it would mean more fuel for her body and better brain function. Of course a few minutes later she was asking for Starbucks :/, but she is 15 so that's expected. I have always made pretty good meals for our house, but I was to reiterate the fact that proper eating leads to a healthy lifestyle.

Finally I am sure many of you saw this ridiculous flyer that a woman in West Fargo is passing out to children who trick or treat at her house that she considers "obese".

Shaking my head. It's hard to find a proper response to this letter. I sometimes wonder as a society as a whole why we find the need to be judgmental and tear people down vs building them up. We women are especially guilty of this. Even in our friendships we have habits of belittling our girlfriends and judging them VS accepting them for who they are. We as women should lift each other up as sisters not tear each other down in any negative fashion. So when reading her letter I just sighed. I know in her mind she thought she was doing the proper thing, but basically she is just a big bully. We talked to Emily (who is skinny as a rail) about proper eating habits because this is healthy not due to weight. This lady is pointing out to these children in front of their peers and family that they have a weight problem. People like her can never understand the suicide rate in pre-teens and teens either and see they may be part of the cause. She could have simply handed out healthy treats, tooth brushes, or little toys. There was no reason to single children out and call them FAT! It's just unacceptable regardless of how much she has convinced herself she was going it for the good of others. No excuse.