Princess Effect

Tonight Finley and I went to the Disney Princesses on Ice and as I sat there watching the princesses skate across the ice I was struck with the obsession we (women) have with princesses. The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast...all inspired names for little girls and chances are we know an Ariel, Jasmine or Belle. Is it coincidental or is our desire to be a princess so strong that we name our daughters after imaginary characters from the creative minds of Disney employees? Don't get me wrong, I definitely had my share of princess dreams and still get excited when Cinderella gets the makeover of a lifetime, but the "Princess Effect" has also caused me a lot of heartache and frustration.

For example, there is no "Prince Charming." There was only one perfect man and we're not married to him however, we still find ourselves with these unrealistic expectations for the men in our lives. Expectations for them to always know what to say and when to say it, for them to have that magical kiss or for them to always be perfectly dressed and polished. How many relationships have ended because we were expecting a make-believe prince from the realistic pauper? And to be completely fair, we aren't the princesses we think ourselves to be. More often than not our characteristics are more similar to the wicked step sisters or the evil witches than the princesses in the fairy tales we fantasize about.

BUT there is good news for all of us. We are indeed royalty. For the Bible clearly states we serve the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace and once we are born into his family we become heirs to his throne which makes us, you guessed it, PRINCESSES! So the next time you read a fairy tale to your little princess, be sure to remind her that she is one of God's special and most beautiful princesses and that HE is the only perfect one that can and will meet all her needs and love her unconditionally, forever.

So, I slacked on dinner tonight and fed the family frozen pizza. It was on sale and I was pressed for time but here's what's for dinner next week:

Baked Italian Subs with chips and fresh fruit
Patty melts with fries and chocolate shakes
Homemade chicken nuggets with a variety of dipping sauces, pasta salad and broccoli
Pork chops with egg noodles and brown gravy, green beans and candied yams
Chicken satay with salad and vegetable risotto
Italian sausages with peppers, onions and provolone cheese served on a bun

Alright, the clock is about to strike so off to bed I go...goodnight.