I sat down, for an interview, with Billy, my boyfriend of over a year and a half.  He, too, goes to college full time and spends about as much time as I do taking care of Lilie.  I asked him a few questions about his experience so far.  Click below to hear more.

Ever heard the statement “chivalry is dead?”  How do you feel about it?  Is chivalry no longer a part of our every day life?  Is it no longer an expected quality of men?  Why?  What caused this change?  Or better yet, I want to ask ‘who?’  Who is responsible for the murder of chivalry?

As I sat on the shuttle bus riding through campus the other day, I witnessed a thought-provoking act.  It was the end of the day and most students’ schedules were wrapping up for the day.  The bus was super duper full to the point where people were standing in the aisle.  People hung on for dear life as they tried to ride out being slung side to side with every turn or shot forward and back with ever stomp on the gas or break peddles.

The bus stopped, the doors opened and a girl, we’ll call her ‘Marla,’ got on.  Marla stood close to a guy, who we’ll call ‘Walter,’ who was sitting.  These people looked as though they had absolutely nothing in common and obviously did not know each other at all.  I love people watching and am a confessed eves-dropper, so I take in everything that happens around me on the shuttle buses.  Walter looks up at Marla and offers his seat to her.  Marla  in turn declines Walter’s offer.  I think Walter must have had a friend close by.  I heard him say, across the aisle to another person, something about “just trying to be nice by offering her his seat” and Marla said something like “Really, I’m ok to stand.”

Then, my ever-going brain decided to chew on this scenario and look at the big picture.  Is it really men’s fault chivalry is dead?  Or is women’s fault for being so proud and “independent?”

What if the next time Walter is in the same situation, he thinks about offering his seat again to another girl but then he stops and thinks, “Oh what’s the use?  She’ll probably just say ‘no’ anyway.”  What if this is the exact thinking of most/all men?  After offering over and over and consistently being rejected or declined, wouldn’t you just stop asking, too?

What are your thoughts?  Who murdered chivalry?

After a Valentine date like this, I consider myself one lucky girl.  I have two of the best Valentine’s around.  You should all pretty much by jealous.  Yep, totally jealous.  Ready for the run down?  Think you can handle it?

My amazing night started off at a classy five star restaurant.  My dates were so polite!  My delicious entre was made up of chicken nuggets and fries with a Dr. Pepper to drink.  It was fabulous.

From there, my dates escorted me to see an absolutely wonderful picture show.  “Gnomeo & Juliet” is a take on the Romeo and Juliet story told through garden gnomes.  It was perfect for the occasion.  It features the voices of James McAvoy and Emily Blunt.  Elton John both helped produce the film as well has create the music.  It was definitely a good family movie.  Cute and full of laughs.

Following the movie, we made our way over to Stakz Frozen Yogurt.  For those of you who have never been to a Stakz, I pity you.  Poor dears.  Stakz is a most excellent self-serve frozen yogurt shop.

You get a styrofoam cup and just go to town.  There are about 12-16 flavors of frozen yogurt to choose from and you can mix, match and blend to your heart’s content.  Then you have a candy/cookie/cereal/fruit/syrup bar of toppings to select from. At the end of the line, you weigh your bowl and pay $.45 per once.  Here’s the best part: it was all 50% off for Valentine’s Day.

“What were our recipes?” you ask. We created the following frozen yogurt masterpieces:

Lilie’s Recipe:
(bottom right)
Triple Chocolate frozen yogurt with Oreo crumbs, mini chocolate chips and a cherry on top.

Billy’s Recipe:
(top center)
Triple Chocolate mixed with Cookies and Cream frozen yogurt with Oreo cookie crumbs, mini chocolate chips, Butterfinger pieces, gram cracker crumbs, hot fudge, caramel, chocolate syrup, cherries and whipped cream on top.

Meghann’s Recipe:
(bottom left)
Cheesecake, Espresso Bean and Tahitian Vanilla frozen yogurts with Oreo crumbs, Andes Candy crumbs, caramel syrup and a cherry on top.

After achieving our sugar high, it was time to head home.  My lovelies surprised me with a two-in-one camera lens for my DSLR and I couldn’t have been more happy with it.  Lilie and I cuddled in bed for a little while and watch an episode of Dora on Netfllix.  We then read an exciting story about Fancy Nancy and ended the date with a kiss. I couldn’t have asked for a better Valentine’s Day date.  I am such a blessed girl.

So, admit it. You’re jealous, aren’t you?  I knew it.  Now tell me… how did you spend your Valentine’s Day?

With a face like this, how could a mom not be proud?  Haha, but no really.  I am so incredibly proud of this little girl, for so many reasons.  Lilie is such an inspiration to me.  She has so much optimism for the world around her and such an amazingly innocent heart, even when she is a little terror.

Ok, so I want to be that mom who obnoxiously brags on their kid for just a second.  Hang with me, though.  I promise not to take up too much of your time and besides, there is some meat with this one.

Since Lilie was a baby, I have kept a small radio in her room for when she sleeps at night.  I was told that doing that would keep a child from needing absolute silence to sleep.  This comes in handy when naps aren’t able to be taken in a quiet bedroom.  Sometimes she would listen to some mainstream, sometimes it was classical; but for the past few months its been Christian.

Once we made the move from Owensboro to Bowling Green, we’ve had a lot more options for Contemporary Christian music radio stations.  We landed on a really good one not long ago.  Its a Bowling Green station called Way FM.

We almost always have the radio on in the car, because Lilie insists, and a song came on the other day that my little three-year-old started singing along to.  Guess, what, It wasn’t Justin Beiber or Taylor Swift or any of those other overly commercialized artists that sing about the same empty story over and over again.  It was a song by Chris Romlin called “I Will Follow.” Something with some substance.

I’ve heard the song several times before, but after hearing the lyrics come from that cute little voice, I had to stop and listen to the song completely.  After a while, I got to thinking.  How often do we treat our lives the same as I had the music on that station?  We just go through our days doing the same things we always do, but not really living it.  Kind of like autopilot.

I think we all get stuck in the same routines of life and kind of lose ourselves in it.  We forget the meaning.  We forget the drive or the purpose.  Its empty like that.  These songs are the same way.  I listen to these stations to keep my mind on the right things, to help me stay on a path.  But what’s the point if I’m not really taking it in?  If I’m not really hearing the lyrics and taking them into my heart, how much good can they do?

So, the point to my madness is this: whether your a Christian or not; whether your trying to stay on a Godly path, or just one that’s leading you to a desired goal, don’t forget to live it with all you have.  Don’t hit autopilot and just hope for smooth sailing.  Take the wheel and drive.  Take it all in.

I’d like to leave you with one of my favorite quotes:
“Life is not found wrapped in a neat box, it is experienced, savored, lived, tasted, loved, cherished, danced, cried, emptied, filled, embraced and squeezed of every last drop.”

Do you remember what your favorite toy was when you were little?  G.I. Joe?  Maybe a Cabbage Patch Kid?  When was the last time you walked down a toy aisle?  Chances are, if its been a while, a lot has changed.  When I learned I was pregnant and started baby shopping, one of the most exciting parts was the idea of shopping for and playing with toys, again.  But oh, how the times have changed.  Let’s compare, shall we?

First of all, coloring.  Coloring is definitely a favorite past time of mine.  Crayons, markers and colored pencils were all I had, though.  The most exciting thing (according to today’s standards) was when we melted all the broken crayons down in a cupcake pan.

Today, however, there is an assortment of coloring accessories.  A whole section for it, actually.  My favorite might be the mess-free arts and crafts.  There are several different products out there that use crayons, paints, markers and special paper that prohibit “accidents,” like coloring on the walls or furniture.  I’m sure my parents would have greatly appreciated something like this back then.

A second thing I enjoyed playing with, was an E.T. read-along story book.  These were the basic story books that came with a cassette tape recording of someone reading the book.  A nice little ringing notified you when it was time to turn the page.

For Lilie’s third birthday, I did my research and purchased a Fisher Price iXL Learning System.  This toy does more than just read along to a story.  It plays games with the child, teaches them letter recognition and tracing, allows mp3s, photos and other compatible game softwares to be installed on the device and more.  It has a place to insert an SD card for more memory, a port for headphones, is something she’ll be able to use for the next couple of years and is absolutely great for traveling.  I definitely would suggest this to other parents.

My final comparison is video games.  The first video game I really remember playing and getting into was Super Mario Brothers on Nintendo.  I doubt I have to give much of a description on that.

Lilie’s version of that would be the Kinectimals game on the XBox 360.  With the latest installation of XBox systems, you can also purchase a piece of hardware called the Kinect.  Instead of trying to explain all the fine details, I’ve embedded a video, below, that will fill you in.  Its taking some trial and error, but she’s figuring it out and enjoying it.  The thing I like about this game is that she’s actually up and moving around.  No more sitting on your tush and working your thumbs.  This will keep her active and smiling.  Its great for these cold, snowy days we’ve been experiencing, lately.

Well, this has been a fun little walk back in time as well as a catching up with the times.  I hope your next walk through the story store won’t be as confusing, as it may have been before.  Keep reading, as I plan to do similar posts with children’s movies and story books.  See ya later, alligator!

Tonight, while tucking Lilie in, we read “The Poky Little Puppy.”  This Little Golden Book was actually one of the original twelve and was written in 1942.  It has sold over 15 million copies and is one of the most popular children’s books out there.

Most children’s books are written to entertain the child and enhance their imagination while also quietly sneaking in a small dose of morality.  If you haven’t read this book, I highly suggest you purchase a copy (only knocking your wallet back a couple dollars) or just read the synopsis.

While reading “The Poky Little Puppy,”  I see this story as one about a disobedient, slacker of a puppy, who can’t seem to learn a lesson.  When the book ends, he still only “feels sorry for himself.”

Then I got to thinking.  How could I look at this story from a different perspective?  I always tell people “Put yourself in their shoes.  How would you feel?”  So what if I were the Poky Little Puppy?

Maybe the Poky Little Puppy isn’t as bad as I thought.  I mean, he may be a bit of slacker, but at least he pays attention to detail, unlike his siblings.  In fact, if it wasn’t for him, they might have completely missed out on their precious dessert.  And what sort of thank you did he get in the end?  Nothing.  Not one crumb.  Those selfish brothers and sisters of his ate every last bite of that shortcake before he even got home.  And not only that, but they filled in the hole he was to use to get back home.

So.  Moral of the story?  Don’t trust your siblings.  If you smell brownies in the air, don’t say a word.  Sneak home, blame the hole on them and save all the dessert for yourself.

I would like to take a moment to introduce you to my study buddy, a truly unique little creature.  Her name is Lilie Jolie, but you can call her LilieJo or just Lilie.

Lilie is a three-year-old, curly headed, colorful little thing.  She likes to snack on chocolate milk and Pony snacks and enjoys playing with teddy bears and train sets.  Lilie’s favorite playmate is Frankie Taylor and her favorite pet is Bogie, the family cat.  She loves books so much, she insists on sleeping with one every night, along with her favorite teddy bear, LJ.

To pass the time, LilieJo and I find fun in dance parties, swinging on the playground and creating fabulous pieces of art.  We also love baking the occasional batch of brownies or cupcakes. (yum)

Though there is a 22 year age difference, Lilie is my best friend.  She gives new perspective to every situation and, unknowingly, always finds a way to make people smile.  The girl makes friends every where we go.  I envy the spunk and imagination of the kid.

So, here we go, on this college adventure. She’ll “help” me with homework, while I pose as her “personal assistant.”  Get comfy in your favorite college sweatshirt.  And while you’re up, might as well grab yourself a juice box (or maybe two, because we’re still working on sharing.)