Secret Keeper Girls' Crazy Hair Tour with Jayna

On January 28th, I took my Jayna girl to Secrest Keeper Girl's Crazy hair tour.  It was held at a local church, Hyland Height's Baptist.  As soon as Jayna finished gymnastics at school we got dressed, grabbed a quick supper to go, and fancified our hair in the van!

This theme verse reflects our desire to help encourage girls to become God-crazy:

“If I acted crazy, I did it for God…Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.”

2 Corinthians 5:13-14 (MSG)

As soon as we got there, we stopped at the Spirit FM photo booth, and they snapped these two pictures of us!  We had some waiting to do from  5:30 when we got there until 6:15 when the pre-show concert began.  We ended up with front row seats which was super convenient and allowed Jayna to be fully involved and engaged the entire night once she got over her nervousness-- no clue why my child seemed nervous!

 Jayna's styling hair due: 8 pony tails, purple and red spray plus glow in the dark and sparkle spray

Then the pre-show concert began with One Girl Nation.  Jayna was pleased with their fashionable outfits!

The kids were allowed to stand and come up closely on many occasions!  No one expected the kids to stay seated and be quiet the whole time, it really was perfectly geared towards their age range 8-12.

There was the mom verse daughter challenge using the beach balls.  As expected the girls won!

 They had many contests in which required a scream-o-meter between the pink and blue teams.  We were on the pink team with Charmaine, while Suzzy led the blue team.

The story of the night was Napolean the "Chicken", who was not NORMAL, and didn't act like the other chickens--- only to find out he was a peacock- and that it is ok to be different and not just normal. The bible verses were toned down to wording the kids could understand.  This is the one that went with that story.

“And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself.”

Ephesians 4:17-18 (MSG)

Another main emphasis was simple NOT to be normal, instead be God-Crazy! The core teaching emphasizes what’s “normal” — boy-craziness, obsession with beauty, being a mean girl—and what a God-crazy girl strives to become. Here are the verses that describe a “crazy” girl:

“Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.  You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.”

1 Peter 3:3-4 (NLT)

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”

Proverbs 13:20 (NIV)

Then there was about a 20 minute intermission.... so of course that meant more pictures!

When it resumed, it was time for the fashion show, where they were taught Fashion is fun and clothes are cool. Sometimes it can be hard to resist conforming to the world and desire to remain set apart. This is why we believe modesty and inner beauty matter so much.  It included clothing rules and these verses.

“You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.”

Song of Solomon 4:7 (NIV)

“And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.”

1 Timothy 2:9-10 (NLT)

Here is the "TRUTH OR BARE" Fashion Test to see if clothing is appropriately modest.  That night Jayna past it easily.  On most days she would pass easily.  

TEST #1: Raise and Praise

Target Question: “Am I showing too much belly?”
Action: Stand up straight and raise both arms high in the air, like you are pointing up to Heaven. Is this exposing any belly? If so, your mom has permission to poke it!
Remedy: Visit the men’s or boy’s department and buy a simple ribbed tank top (they often come in packages of three) to wear under your funky short T’s and crop tops or with your trendy low-riding jeans. Layering is an easy way to solve the belly problem!

TEST #2: Mirror Image

Target Question: “How short is too short?”
Action: Get in front of a full-length mirror. If you are wearing shorts, sit down criss-cross applesauce. If you’re in a skirt, sit in a chair with your legs crossed, applesauce. If you’re in a skirt, sit in a chair with your legs crossed, ladylike. Now, what do you see in the mirror? If you see undies, or lots of  thigh, your shorts or skirt is too short!
Remedy: Buy longer shorts and skirts! We know that due to today’s fashions, these can sometimes be hard to find. Fix the length problem by adding a pair of funky, bright-colored tights under your shorts and too-short skirts!

TEST #3: I see London, I see France

Target Question: “Can you see my underpants?”
Action: Bend over and touch your knees. Have your mom or a girl friend look at your bottom. Can she see the outline of your underpants? Can she see what color they are? How about your actual underwear because your pants are so low that you’re risking pulling a “plumber” exposure?
Remedy: If your pants are so tight that you can see the outline of your panties, try buying pants one size larger! Wear flesh-tone panties with white or very light pants.

TEST #4: Over & Out

Target Question: “Is my shirt too low?”
Action: Standing in front of a mirror, raise one hand up to God and place the other hand on the small of your back. Bend over. If anything comes out… Can you see a lot of skin? Your shirt is too low!
Remedy: Today’s fashions thrive on short, low-cut shirts. Layering them is often the only remedy. Consider a guys ribbed tank! The neckline comes up higher than most girls’ camis and they are much longer.

Jayna and I signed the Modesty Pact which states:

We believe that the fashion industry is pressuring little girls to grow up too fast! The findings of two years of study by an APA (American Psychological Association) task force state that clothing, which makes girls appear older, and the associated marketing efforts are linked to eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. Ironically, this early sexualization presented to young girls also has “negative consequences on girls’ ability to develop healthy sexuality.” We would like to request that industry leaders send a message to the fashion industry that we want to purchase age-appropriate clothing for our little girls and would like the fashion industry to evaluate the clothing they design and the messages they send to our girls through advertising.

Jayna high fiving Charmaine- which she was extremely excited about

Up close to the performers at the end

          The evening concludes with praise and worship and an invitation to become God Crazy and one of God's children.

“He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.”

Psalm 103:9-10 (NLT)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

After it was over you could get whatever autographed and pictures with 1 Girl Nation and the other performers.  This mom chickened out of that insane line and replaced it with buying a tshirt and this picture!

Then we left in the midst of a (somewhat minor) snowstorm, with cruddy road conditions. The spoiled girly got a slushy-- yes in the snow!

Should you have the opportunity, I am willing to bet your 8-12 y/o (and maybe even a 7 y/o0 would enjoy this).  It is was an affordable $15 ticket, so $30 for both of us.  You would pay more than that to take your child to a concert, granted a concert is longer than the concert we had, but it catered to my child's attention span where a concert thus far hasn't.

My Small Private School Love Story

This is a blog I never imagined writing....
The girl who is (or was) VERY pro-public school and was thoroughly miserable in a private school.
The girl who's life's goals included career and buy a home at 18 (missed that cut off by 4 months... was 19) and to NEVER move again and NEVER to uproot my kids from their school.
My eyes have been opened.
My mind has changed....some, not completely.
I am still VERY against one private school.
I wouldn't send my kids to that bully infested over crowding popular private school.  I think it is worse than public school but with a bible class thrown in for giggles.
And now 13 years later, I finally admit, I can't judge all private schools based off the excessive flaws of the one I was stuck attending.... and the same I am sure goes for the public school system.

My love story of my child's private Christian education....

Only in their small private school:

• Can you be facebook friends with the teachers... and they requested me not vice a versa and staff (May seem insignificant.... but...)
• Can you text a teacher and get a response
• Is it ok to contact the teacher and expect a warm and welcoming conversation, regardless the topic of conversation
• Do you cover your child in prayer during their parent teacher conference (this was an eye opening unique experience)
• Do you get a meeting with the teacher in a time frame of longer than 15 minutes(Got to love the cram fest conferences of public schools-- 10 minute time slots)
• Can a teacher tell their students they love them without fear of being taken wrong and any consequences that go with that
• Can you give your student a hug because they look upset or are having a bad/off day 
• Do the teachers choose to be counselors rather than disciplinarians as a first choice (something I saw so very, very often)
• Do they truly get to know your child.  They don't allow a child to get left behind socially or academically.  They know these kids personailities and ween them out of their shelves into a new found comfort
• Do they teach the students confidence, seriously they help them discover a higher self esteem and confidence-- something I had never before seen in my children
• Do you get to learn the responsibility of at school chores-- I think that is awesome each student has one!
• Do you get an amazing, educated, determined, skilled tutor, included in the typical tuition fee, who loves Jayna as much as her teacher and works so hard to help her educationally
• Do they get to experience a skiing field trip- not once but 3 times!  That is a total memory maker for a lifetime to come!
• Do they get to learn to perform in front of audiences for multiple events
• Has my super excessively shy child (around other adults of authority) learned to sing- in front of people he doesn't know!
• Will my child get a sweet note "Have fun tonight" regarding a non-school event from her teacher.
• Can my child talk to her teacher after a non-school event to tell them what they got to do
• Can my child consider their teacher a personal friend, a top notch supporter today, this year and for years and a lifetime to come
• Do you get a personalized education for your child
• Do you get to share you non educational thoughts, concerns, prayer requests with a teacher, and could actually consider them a friend, not just your child's teacher
• Do you get invited to join them (their teacher) at a holiday program, completely non-school related
• Do they care equally about your child's emotional and social well being as they do their educational well being
• Do they get a second chance to catch on to a subject without falling further behind or being held back as the only two options(if they didn't adequately grasp math in 2nd gr, they can continue to 3rd grade and take 2nd grade math until they are caught back up)
• Do the teachers take the time to ensure your rather forgetful child has his math homework in his backpack (I understand this is part of learning responsibility and not the teachers "job", but it just goes to show the extra 12 miles they go for their kids)
• Will you receive a text, note, or email just because the teacher is thinking of you, your child and are covering your family in prayer
• Do they teach the kids friendship building skills and match them up appropriately to a good buddy when they are feeling a bit out of the loop.
• Do they do countless service projects, something very near to my heart-- We've  done money for missionaries in Alaska, cards for a nursing home, Bible verse letters for prisoners... and I'm certain there are others I don't specifically remember or know of.
• Rare bullying--- other than my son refuses to wear his Steelers coat except as a last resort b/c no one else likes that team and he gets teased he says....oh dear child just you wait to see what team sports rivalry is!
• EXTREMELY dedicated teachers: they stay hours after school has ended volunteering as sports coaches, preparing for event, lesson planning, grading, and all the 12,000 other things a teacher does... except these amazing teachers have no aides or planning periods.... trust me this staying past your scheduled "get off" time is rare at most the city schools I have seen... although I am surethey too take work home.
• Free after, before school or during recess tutoring help-- unheard of during their school time at public school
• Field trips-- and not just one a year!
• A very personal, Christ centered experience

And this is just a brief overview of our first 5 months there.... Looking forward to see what else is in store for us here!
Although I did like the public school my children attended- it wasn't the best match for them academically or emotionally at the point we left... this is so much more in depth  for the kids and I am certain will pay off immensely as time passes.