The Avengers...an interesting sentiment

Recently I sat down with my children after a full day's work and watched “The Avengers”.  A couple of days later I overheard a couple of the older boys talking in the office. They were commenting on how many times the word “sentiment” was used in the movie. They found it a bit strange since 'sentiment' isn't a word typically used in everyday conversation.

It got me thinking, 'perhaps this is how faddish words and phrases get started. I remember my Grandma Pope used to use the word swell all the time. Richie Cunningham used to say 'swell' quite a bit as well, so I figure it came from the 50's. I mustn't forget 'Sit on it!' or 'Kiss my grits'. I recall “The Mod Squad” and “The Brady Bunch” using the term 'groovy' quite often (I may have used it as well, but I'll never tell). Who starts these faddish sayings anyway? (this is not a rhetorical question- I really have no idea.)

Think about it. People have had cool cars, a rad time, a groovy sound, a neato toy, a killer burrito... However today, to say groovy would not be "groovy". In fact, to say most of these words would be old-fashioned, dated, laughable.

It seems in some way these idioms serve to help define a generation. Generations like the baby boomers or the hippies all had their own idioms. But that makes one think, What is a generation anyway? I would think I am a part of today's generation simply by virtue of the fact that I'm alive and because I no longer say groovy.

 According to Dictionary.com I'm not far off the mark.

gen·er·a·tion [jen-uh-rey-shuhn]

noun

1. The entire body of individuals born and living at about the same time.( This one makes my above premise possible) 

2. The term of years, roughly 30 among human beings,accepted as the average period between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring. 

3. A group of individuals, most of whom are the same approximate age, having similar ideas, problems, attitudes,etc. 

4. A group of individuals belonging to a specific category at the same time: Chaplin belonged to the generation of silent-screenstars. 

5. A single step in natural descent, as of human beings,animals, or plants.

I suppose that all of this is an odd sentiment, but from what I can tell from “The Avengers”, having a sentiment is a very stylish thing and since I am evidently from this generation I might as well join the fad. I'll bet a lot of you remember some interesting words and phrases that identified a generation/era. Share them with us and remind us what generation they came from. I only ask that you keep them clean. Thanks for reading!


Robin Liner is a wife, mother of six, and the female mind behind the plus size women's brand, TheCasualWoman.com. Her busy lifestyle makes her a champion for quality casual clothing that can stand the test of time.

Wrestling with Rainy Day Restlessness

What do you do on a rainy day? I am rarely at a loss for what to do. That is what books and recliners are made for.

So why is it so difficult for a seven year old to see the value in my wise advice to “ Go read a book, or take a nap?” No, instead, I hear the words, “There is nothing to do,” nestled in between his claims of being hungry.

Well, things went a bit better the last rainy day we had thanks to my daughter. She decided to take my advice and read, but what she ended up reading were some of my old cookbooks. Somehow, she came across a recipe for peanut butter playdough and I knew I had been handed the proverbial stone that was about to kill two birds at once. My restless 7 year old, as well as my daughter were able to design and create and when they were all done, EAT. It was just the diversion I was looking for, since I had a whole rack of clothes that needed measuring before we could put them up for sale in our eBay store, The Casual Woman.

For all of you who have young children who occasionally can't think of anything to do but eat, I decided to share the recipe with you.

Peanut Butter Playdough
½ Cup peanut butter   ½ Cup powdered milk   1 Tbsp Honey

 








A menagerie of creative extras like raisins, chocolate chips, toothpicks, etc to add arms legs eyes and so on.

You'll see everything from flowers to snowmen, from dogs to space aliens. But more importantly you'll see smiles.

Do you have any favorite ways to engage bored and restless little ones? Share your ideas with us so we can build up our arsenal of rainy day activities. And if you have any pictures, post them to our Facebook page so we can enjoy them too. Thanks for reading.

Robin Liner is a wife, mother of six, and the female mind behind the plus size women's brand, TheCasualWoman.com. Her busy lifestyle makes her a champion for quality casual clothing that can stand the test of time.

Mamaw's Advice - pamper yourself!

It is so easy for us women to get so busy looking out for everyone and everything else that we can neglect ourselves. When I begin to feel like I have given all that I have to give, a little self pampering can make a big difference.  

Earlier this week I mentioned that I was going to share some great advice from my Mother-In-Law. Unfortunately, mothers-in-law often get a bad rap. Mine, however, was wonderful and she often gave very sound advice like the time my son Ethan decided to use his bedroom walls as a sketch pad. Her advice was, “Ah, just leave it there and date it.”   

As liberating as that golden nugget was, a different piece of advice is what I have integrated most fully into my daily life. It came not long after I had my second baby. Mamaw was there to help me and at one point sat down beside me and simply said, “Make sure to take some time for yourself everyday.” I’ve learned over the years that time for myself doesn’t always mean time by myself, but sometimes it does. Here is a short list of my favorites.

My Top 3 Ways to Pamper Myself

My Mother-In-Law, Dot Liner; A woman
with great advice.

1.  Curl up with a good book
I love to read. I prefer fiction, especially a good suspense thriller with a hint of romance. I recently finished The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark. I am always on the hunt for my next good read. Perhaps you can point me in a good direction.

2.  Climb into a nice hot bubble bath 
This usually takes place after dinner. It is good because I can fit it into whatever amount of time I can muster. I have become a collector of bath salts, beads, oils, etc. I truly love a wonderful smelling bubble bath. And all the better if I take with me a good suspense thriller with a hint of romance.
  
3.  Catch a cup of tea with a friend 
There is a sweet little coffee shop not far from my house. Sometimes a few minutes of mature female conversation with one of my friends is just what the doctor called for (you know, the kind where the other person speaks in complete grammatically correct sentences).

Mamaw understood that we can feel guilty about taking time for ourselves. But she also understood that when we are physically and emotionally refreshed we can enjoy giving of ourselves to those we care so much about. So my advice to you is,take some time for yourself every day.  Oh, and the next time little junior decides to use your walls as a sketch pad perhaps you should just leave it there and date it.

Robin Liner is a wife, mother of six, and the female mind behind the plus size women's brand TheCasualWoman.com. Her busy lifestyle makes her a champion for quality casual clothing that can stand the test of time.