Owner: Virtue Alert URL:www.virtuealert.blogspot.com Join Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:40:36 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: The rants and raves of an author mom smack-dab in the trenches of teen culture. Virtue Alert is the official blog page for author, Vicki Courtney, who has written numerous parenting books. She created the blog as proof that she's anything but an expert... Site statistics:Click here
Flashback Friday: Simple pleasures. 2008-03-07 07:50:00 Vintage 1990: One man's trash is another man's treasure. If I could find a picture of this same room two years later, you would find a palette of primary colors and all things Little Tyke. However, I can't imagine that my kids had any more fun playing on their high-dollar toys than they did in our cardboard creations. Welcome to Ryan's "condo" as we called it. When I found these pictures, I had an instant flashback of trolling the neighborhood in my hail-damaged Dodge Caravan looking for treasure. Our neighborhood was a new development and if you were patient and determined, it was just a matter of time before you hit the appliance box jackpot. Take your shiny new appliances--just give me the boxes! I crack up when I think of the creative ways I would haul these boxes home. As my kids got Read more:Friday
, Simple
Purse-nickety fashion tips 2008-03-06 11:36:11 First of all, let me thank each and every one of you for your words of encouragement and especially, your prayers regarding my last post. God is doing an amazing work and I have no doubt that what occurred was a direct answer to a specific prayer that I had been lifting up for some months. God is good...all the time. Now, onto other important matters such as spring fashion. A couple of days ago, I received a comment on my "Open Letter to Hoochie Mamas" post from a woman who clearly took offense to my distaste of "hoochie-wear" for older women. She passed on some fashion advice of her own and said, "Maybe if you quit wearing your comfortable shoes and dorky clothes and show some skin every once in awhile, your husband would be attracted to you." Ouch. Talk about hitting below the belt. The
Dear Satan, Get lost. 2008-03-04 17:05:48 I had every intent of making a celebratory post yesterday announcing with great relief that I emailed my 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter manuscript to my publisher. Which by the way, I did, so praise God. Normally, when I reach that moment where I attach my chapters and table of contents on an email addressed to my editor and press the send tab, a feeling of euphoria sweeps over me. It's similar to when you were in college and you took your last final exam in the Spring. Remember that feeling? When you turned your test in and walked out of the building you wanted to turn cartwheels or something. Writing this book was similar in that I wrote it over a course of five months. I read fourteen books and nearly a hundred articles in my research. I surveyed women and girls to get Read more:Satan
Flashback Friday: The Nanny diaries. 2008-02-29 14:16:53 Vintage 1990: I was a mere 26 years old and clearly not mature enough to be a mother of two. Oh, how my children loved their "nannies" (pacifiers). I'm not quite sure where that name came about, but maybe since I couldn't afford any real help, I rationalized this was second best. Or maybe Ryan just tried to say "passie" and it came out "nanny" and the name stuck. Yeah, that's probably it.Now that I think back on it, it explains so much. Like when other moms would look at me funny on visits to the park when I would say things like, "It's time to go--where's your nanny?" Or "Did you bury your nanny in the pea gravel?" Or after searching for a good half-hour, "That's it. I'm getting rid of the nanny." I'm pretty sure they jotted down my license plate number on that one. And what's up with my Read more:Friday
, Nanny
BOSTON imPROPER 2008-02-28 17:15:39 This past week, I received a clothing catalog in my mailbox from a company called Boston Proper. Never heard of them. I'm not quite sure how I managed to get on their mailing list, but suffice it to say, I am not exactly their target consumer. Given the age of the models (25-35ish) and the type of clothes they're wearing, I hereby dub Boston Proper the catalog of choice for hoochie-mamas-in-training. Think Desperate Housewives, here. The tagline on the company logo is "subtly sexy fashions." I endured 92 pages of not-so-subtle fashions like this and this and this . I always thought "subtle" was analogous to "toned-down" or "low-key." Apparently, it means "braless" and "implants." And given that they are trying to reach the aspiring "hoochie-mama" segment of the population, I tried my ha
Hit the road Jack 2008-02-27 10:16:58 Talk about taking the standard "sex sells" marketing strategy up a notch. Jack in the Box is clearly, taking the raunch factor to a whole new level. Try explaining this one to your kids...As for me, I'm saying so long to seasoned curly fries. Next time I think about driving through, I'm driving by.
Separation anxiety 2008-02-25 23:26:05 I, Vicki Courtney, do hereby solemnly swear to never, ever badger my children about their unhealthy attachment to their cell phones, again. Ever. In fact, I would call and inform my children of my new pledge, but my beloved cell phone is plugged into the wall charging in my kitchen...and I am in Nashville. Yes, tis true. I am going on nearly 18 hours with no cell phone. The trembling subsided a few hours ago. I made the discovery when I pulled into a parking space in the airport parking garage this morning. As per my standard travel procedure, I reached into my purse for said cell phone to snap a photo of the painted number above my parking spot. This is a little habit I developed about a year ago after pulling my rolling bag up and down four levels of the airport parking garage for a full Read more:Separation
, anxiety
Flashback Friday: Perspective. 2008-02-22 11:39:32 Vintage 1998: I can still remember the day I walked into Hayden's room and saw this bit of artwork on his month's-old, Cargo bookcase. Imagine that dimple-faced little boy in the picture holding a purple crayon and looking at me with the same sense of accomplishment Leonardo Da Vinci must have felt when he painted the last stroke on the Mona Lisa. "My teacher told us to practice writing our name at home. Kinda like homework." Hmmm...did she mention anything about paper? I wondered to myself. He was in kindergarten and practicing his newly acquired skill of writing his name in the italic handwriting he was being taught. By the third child, I had mastered the art of distinguishing between "willful disobedience" and "childish irresponsibility." Clearly, by the look on his face, he was not awa Read more:Friday
, Perspective
Attention teachers of America: Dogs do in fact, eat homework 2008-02-21 10:07:50 Being the skeptic that I am, I have never bought that "the dog ate my homework" excuse...until now, that is. My little Scout Muffin Courtney has made me a believer. What you see before you is a sneak peek of a section, or rather pieces of a section, of my "Between Us Girls" magabook for tween girls, due to release this summer. My Publisher had sent the section of color page proofs with the simple instructions to look over the images for approval. You think Scout has a problem with the image on this page? Note to self: Don't leave manuscript on floor next to writing chair. And yes, in case you're wondering about the mangled bear in the photo, it used to be a cute Hallmark Christmas bear in a previous life. He sat peacefully on my sofa during the holidays minding his own little business. App Read more:teachers
, America
The bribery (Part Two) 2008-02-19 13:21:40 Well bloggie friends, I have an outcome on the steak dinner bribery
, um, I mean offer. You might remember that several weeks ago, I had a conversation with College Boy about the trend of "hanging out" and thus, the extinction of old-fashioned dating. At the end of my conversation, I made an offer to my son of a steak dinner for two if he asks out a girl on a real-live date in the next several weeks to follow. And I must say, I couldn't be more proud of his response. Here is a summary of my conversation with College Boy:Me: Well Son, time's almost up on the offer. What's the verdict?College Boy: Okay Mom, I've thought about your offer and here's the deal. I decided that right now, there's not really anyone that I think I might be interested in like dating, ya know, so I wouldn't want to ask Read more:Part Two
Flashback Friday: The tired years. 2008-02-15 08:27:19 Vintage 1993. Never mind that that bedding doesn't match. Or that the 3 year-old still has a passie. Or that I swore I would never bring my kids into our bed. Desperate, sleep-deprived mothers do desperate, whatever-it-takes-to-get-some-sleep, kind of things. This post is for all you sweet mommas with little ones. Yes you, who sometimes wonder if you'll ever sleep through the night again. Alone. Uninterrupted. Without a baby monitor on your nightstand. Without a pallet at the end of your bed. Without a toddler who appears stealth-like at your bedside because he's "uh-scaaared."Oh yes, my friend, you will sleep through the night again. And it will be quite lovely. But not quite as lovely as this. Read more:Friday
, tired
My valentine to you... 2008-02-14 15:23:58 I remember the first time I experienced proclamations of love from someone who didn't fall into the relative category. It was my 3rd grade class Valentine’s party. I have fond memories of the decorated shoe box filled to the brim with candy and valentines from classmates. I could hardly wait to open them up when I got home. Somehow, reading the messages on the valentines was more thrilling than eating the candy (probably a girl thing). Most of them were the standard, store-bought valentines with a simple signature. That is, until I pulled a valentine out of the box from Gary, a quiet and somewhat distant boy in my class. I could hardly believe my eyes as I looked at this homemade valentine. He must have spent hours cutting and pasting this masterpiece together. Inside was a poem that beg
Dear Mr. Hip-Hop Artist from tha Hood 2008-02-13 21:52:20 I have a bone to pick with you. I have logged six years of watching dance performances inspired by your music (if it can be called that), and it's a sad state of affairs to say the least. Now, you know the kind of dancing I'm talking about because the girls in your videos dance like this. Whether it's a pack of pint-size grade school girls booty dancing at a cheer competition or a dance team grinding at a pep rally, enough is enough. For years, I have stood by in silence with a lump in my throat, but I just can't take it any longer. I know I'm not alone in my frustration. Over the years, I have heard from mothers whose talented girls spend years in dance or cheer classes only to have to give up their dream at the high school level when they see what is required to "make the team." I have h Read more:Artist
Do you see why I'm bonkers over this dog? 2008-02-12 16:30:53 Lexie and Scout have a doggie door in our game room that leads out to our back deck. Scout (in the picture) loves to spend time out on the deck, but if he hears my voice inside, he bolts to the door and jumps up and down with excitement. Not a one of my family members gets this excited when I walk in the room, which explains why I am crazy about this dog. He has done wonders for my self esteem. Kind of reminds me of that bumper sticker that says, "Lord, help me be the person my dog thinks I am." Also, let me thank you for your puppy prayers! Scout had his blood work done again today and this time the test came back in the normal range! They will test him again in about a month just to be on the safe side.
January give-away! 2008-02-11 15:22:02 It's time for another give-away! Congratulations, btw, to Xandra for winning the last one on my book-cover contest (a landslide decision, by the way!). This month, we are giving away a fun little package of spa items (Avon!) donated by author, Cindi Wood along with a signed copy of her fabulous book,"The Frazzled Female." Okay, so here's what you need to do if you want to enter for a chance to win: Comment on this post and let us know a few things about yourself such as, age; married/single; kids (if yes, how many and ages), and last of all, how you heard about this blog. Basically, we want to get to know you! Also, don't forget to leave an email if you don't have a blogger profile where we can track you down if you win. We'll leave this post up for about a week and then draw for a winner! Read more:January
Even Hannah Montana has not-so-picture-perfect moments 2008-02-11 13:36:21 I love Miley Cyrus. Love her. If I had her address, I would send her a thank-you note for being a breath of fresh air at a time when other pop stars are self-imploding. I would thank her for having the decency to wear panties in public. I would thank her for knowing how to exit a limo gracefully without flashing the paparazzi her private parts. I would thank her for steering clear of the nightclubs and tattoo parlors. I would thank her for dressing with "decency and propriety" (1 Tim. 2:9). I would thank her for not having a cigarette in hand every time the camera flashes. I would thank her for thinking highly enough of herself that she doesn't feel a need to impress the guy she likes by texting him nude pictures of herself. I would thank her for having a track record that doesn't include Read more:Hannah
, Montana
Flashback Friday: Rah. 2008-02-08 14:28:50 Like mother, NOT like daughter. Aside from the fact that we were both Varsity cheerleaders, don't let the picture fool you. We couldn't be more different. This fact became abundantly clear when my daughter was a mere ten years old and we ventured into the grand opening of The Container Store when it opened down the road from us. Upon walking through the doors, Paige literally gasped, grabbed her heart, and said, "Are we in heaven? This must be what heaven looks like." Excuse me? For the first time ever, I wondered to myself if it was possible that she had been switched at birth in one of those hospital mix-ups you hear about on the news every so often. You see, when we walked into the store, I, on the other hand, broke out into a cold sweat upon seeing all the containers stacked row-after- Read more:Friday
If you have not yet been enlightened to the fact that dogs are on the level of humans, skip this post 2008-02-06 21:53:02 If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know that in addition to my three children, I also have two fur-children, whom I've referred to at times as "the 4th and 5th child my husband refused to have." My two Yorkies, Lexie (age five and a whopping six lbs.) and Scout (age one and barely four lbs.) have brought untold joy into our home. So, if you have ever talked baby talk to your dogs or included your dog in the family portrait, you will understand this post. Both my dogs went to the vet yesterday with issues. Lexie has a chronic eye infection that refuses to heal and had to have a tissue biopsy today as a follow-up. The results will be back next week, but I'm told it's treatable (for a price, hah!). Scout, on the other hand, had some blood work done because every so often, he sha Read more:enlightened
, level
, humans
Bravo to Virginia Beach for busting Abercrombie & Fitch for obscene ads! 2008-02-04 16:13:35 Can you see me doing the happy dance? First of all, let me say thank-you to Janet in Houston for suggesting Abercrombie
& Fitch
as a future Virtue Alert rant when we asked for your suggestions last week. We had a great response to the request and I'll be working on some of these in the weeks to come. In Janet's email, she described a full poster ad she recently saw at an A&F store in Baybrook Mall (Houston) of a young girl who was braless--every Pedophile's dream-come-true.Now, if you've been following my Virtue Alerts for quite some time, you know that I have ranted in the past about A&F and the culture of filth they have peddled to our young people through their ads, quarterly catalogs, offensive messages on screen print tee's, and let's not forget the biggie news story in 2002: Thong u Read more:Bravo
, Virginia
, Beach
The redemption post... 2008-02-01 22:13:47 In an effort to make amends to my youngest son for posting embarrassing baby pictures this morning on my blog (cough, cough, and telling a few girls in his grade at the basketball game tonight to check 'em out), I am posting a video clip from tonight's game. His days of knicker pants and knee socks long behind him, Little Lord Fauntleroy had one of his best games of the season, scoring 17 of our 30 points in the first half. (White jersey, #20)Further proof Moms, that a pleated romper or two in the early days will not do long-term damage. Read more:redemption
Yep, I'm pretty sure he's going to need some counseling 2008-02-01 07:51:13 I was going through a shoe box of old photos today (note, that I said "shoe box" and not "scrapbook"), and I stumbled upon some interesting photos of my youngest son (aka: "the baby"). Mind you, he is a freshman in high school now. When I saw the pictures, I was instantly reminded of something I had written in my Your Boy book regarding the way I used to dress my oldest son. Here is an excerpt from the chapter entitled, "Warrior or wimp--How not to raise a mama's boy:"When my son, Ryan, was little, I loved dressing him up in dainty smocked rompers and sailor suits with matching hats. His dad would groan and tell me that I’d be lucky if he’d ever speak to me again once he was old enough to see the pictures and witness this assault to his budding manhood. While Keith patiently tolerated
Does anybody hear her? 2008-01-31 12:26:12 This post was inspired by a couple of comments I received from a dear sister, "Corleone," on my last post. Here is a portion of her comment: I know that the Bible speaks of a God of love and understanding...In 1 John, the Bible tells us that "God is love"..In Romans 5, it tells us that "while we were still sinners He died for us" -- that he loved us that much to die for us while we were sinners. Pslams tells us that "He puts our tears in a bottle"...It sounds wonderful; and i only wish I could believe and feel these promises the way you do. Knowing the verses; knowing the talk doesn't help the emptiness of your soul when its all for show and you feel empty and alone -- I hate the feeling like I'm the only one in church not getting god...I wonder is everyone faking? It is clear by "Corleone
Update to Clearasil post below 2008-01-29 16:47:41 Yikes, I meant to include the information for contacting the company in the post below, but it won't allow me to add it since I posted it straight from YouTube. After watching the Clearasil ad below, will you take a minute to let the company know what you think? Remember, there's power in numbers when parents unite and demand virtue! Read more:Update
I have fallen head-over-heels for a pair of designer jeans 2008-01-29 11:18:51 What is it with me and jeans? Seriously. After my little mis-hap from last week with my painted-on jeans, I finally broke down and bought a new pair. I know, I know. The original plan was for me to drop a quick five-ish pounds, so the jeans in my closet would pass the virtue test once again. Last thing I want is to become the very woman I rant about in my hoochie-mama post. So, with the best of intentions, I headed out for the grocery store last week and stocked up on Lean Cuisine's. For extra credit, I put Dr. Oz's book, "You On A Diet" on my nightstand. It's been in the Amazon shrink wrap since I ordered it on a whim several months ago when he talked about it on Oprah. I have no intention of ever taking it out of the box--I mean seriously, who needs that kind of guilt? So anyway, I was d
Clearasil gets a make-over 2008-01-28 16:39:48 Other than the fact that Clearasil is notorious for not clearing up acne, their new raunchy ad campaign is reason enough to zap the zit-zapper off our list.What really infuriates me is that one of their racy ads just aired today during a Full House rerun on ABC's Family channel! (I have a sick one at home who still tunes in to this classic, on occasion. And let me just say that it was nice to see the Olsen twins without a cigarette, for a change.)The ad above is one of three ads in Clearasil's new "may cause confidence" campaign. Another ad features a teen boy hitting on his friend's mother in the kitchen. Yet another ad, features a male student standing up at the beginning of class and telling his professor to feel free to "picture me naked." He then turns to a female student seated next
A sad state of affairs indeed 2008-03-12 15:23:43 Perhaps you heard the rumblings in the news yesterday regarding a new study from the Centers for Disease Control that found that at least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease. Take a minute to let your mind wrap around that statistic. Now let it roll off your tongue: ONE IN FOUR TEEN GIRLS HAS AN STD. This is not to be mistaken with the previous statistic that found that one in four "sexually active teens" has an STD. No, this is one in four teen girls, period, has an STD. Consider that the study found that nearly half of the girls in their sample were sexually active and among those, 40% tested positive for an STD. The study further found the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in girls age 14 to
This post will serve as proof that I need to get a life 2008-03-11 13:08:42 I have a fun survey for you that could perhaps, be the strangest survey you have ever taken. My pint-sized pocket pup, Scout, loves to play the game of keep-away and will swipe items off of our coffee table or the bottom shelf of our pantry. It has provided much entertainment for our family and alas, I had my camera nearby to capture a couple of clips for your entertaining pleasure. I am considering using one of these clips at my upcoming You and Your Girl event in Virginia next month to illustrate a spiritual truth and I need your help. Which clip is your favorite?
Thanks for helping me out! Also, if you have a tween daughter, be on the lookout for "Between Us Girls" that releases on July 1, 2008. Scout contributed an article to the magabook about his traumatic experience of breaking Read more:serve
A few good role models...at least for now 2008-03-11 09:50:51 There was a buzz in the media this past month when The Jonas Brothers (Kevin, Joe and Nick) revealed they'd each made a promise to themselves and God to avoid sex before marriage and wear purity rings to back it up. If you're not familiar with The Jonas Brothers, just ask any tween or teen girl and they should be able to help you out.Julianne Hough, the 19-year-old Dancing With The Stars regular is also vowing to remain a virgin until she gets married. She recently told CosmoGIRL!, "I want to be with that special person. I think (the choice) to have sex before marriage is an individual one, but if you're just with one person, it's only for one good reason, and (waiting to have sex) will strengthen that relationship. I'm not trying to preach consequences here, but I think when you say no, d Read more:models
, least
, few good
Extreme floor makeover 2008-03-09 21:05:20 I finally have pictures of our lake house floor makeover. You might remember hearing about flooding in Marble Falls, Tx, this past summer when 18 inches of rain fell in a single day. We were on vacation at the time and didn't discover that we had some flood damage until a couple weeks later. I was stepping out the back door when I suddenly noticed that the carpet felt squishy. Apparently, our gutters filled up too fast and poured rain back into the outside walls and flooded the edges of our carpet. We bought the 40 year-old home a couple of years ago and it had harvest gold shag carpet downstairs and blue shag upstairs. At the time, my dream was to replace the carpet with easy to maintain stone or wood laminate floors, but alas, it wasn't in the budget, so I settled for a neutral low-grade Read more:Extreme
Flashback Friday: The 70's. 2008-03-14 11:44:31 This clip needs no introduction. Abba. Olivia Newton John. Andy Gibb. Some of my all-favorites that make me proud to have journeyed through the sensational 70's. Check out those wings on Andy Gibb! And that outfit! Have a great weekend! Read more:Friday
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