American Girl Doll - The Diversity Debate

I've participated in many debates regarding diversity within the American Girl Doll line of toys. It seems as if it's almost become the cliche argument both for and against modern day toymakers. And essentially, there is no winning the debate. A toymaker is damned if they do, and damned if they don't.

While I have an admitted love/hate relationship with the American Girl Doll Company, one thing I'll grant them in their favor, is that they get diversity right. Most of the time. And more often than any other toy manufacturer out there.

With my personal American Girl Doll experience, I don't see how ANYONE can say there hasn't been enough racial, ethnic, or even religious diversity over the years.

Just in our collection of 18 dolls, yes, we have 4 blonde and 6 brunette Caucasian dolls; but we also have two African-American dolls, three Hispanic dolls, a Native American girl, a Mexican-American girl, and an Asian-American girl. One of the girls is Jewish. Contrary to popular misconception, neither of the black dolls is a slave girl. One is a Truly Me Doll, but everyone seems to have forgotten that Cecile was a rather well-to-do child being raised in New Orleans elite society.

And our collection doesn't even include many of the beautiful faces of American Girl Dolls past. What about Jessa? Marisol? Sonali? Ivy? From Hispanic, to Mexican, to Indian, to Asian? How about Lindsay? She was another Jewish doll.

Where else can you find such a brilliant rainbow of skin tones, eye colors, hair textures, and historical, religious, or cultural backgrounds in ONE line of dolls?

You can't!

There has been much negative feedback surrounding the release of the 2016 American Girl Doll Girl of the Year, because although she comes with a darker skin tone, and gorgeous green eyes, her hair still comes with those pesky bleached highlights that prevent her from being politically correct in this day and age.

So many people are forgetting that the other 2016 featured doll in the Historical Characters line is indeed a "Girl of Color" and on that note, I'd like to introduce Melody Ellison.

Melody Ellison, available Summer 2016

According to the American Girl Doll website, Melody is an optimistic, enthusiastic girl growing up in Detroit, Michigan during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. In her currently available book, No Ordinary Sound, Melody has been chosen to sing a solo for Youth Day at her church. She is inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as she picks the perfect song.

Kids today might be moved by Melody's story; one that doesn't gloss over the unfair things happening to black people during this period of history. And I'd like to hope that, maybe, our future generation will indeed find that love and acceptance is much more than a skin-deep condition.

Perhaps our daughters will also be the ones that teach us that there are indeed real problems in the world that need our attention, moreso than a bunch of people arguing over racial diversity in a line of overpriced plastic toys.

Maybe, even at some point, our own generation can put away the hate politics and give American Girl Doll credit where credit is due. If we want ALL companies to do a better job with diversity, we have to recognize the ones that already put forth a commendable effort.

We're missing a few, including Kaya, but here is most of our collection.

The Biltmore Estate - Asheville, NC

Welcome to Biltmore!

The largest private home in America!

At 175,000 square feet, Biltmore, located in Asheville, North Carolina, boasts over 250 rooms, including 43 bathrooms!

We were looking for something special for Bibby's 12th Birthday. It's always been a bit of a challenge to have 4 winter birthdays within 3 weeks of Christmas. Between weather, finances, schedules, and everything else that life throws at you, it isn't always easy to navigate so many holidays at one time. Historically, it was always our goal to give all the "stuff" at Christmas, and save birthdays for going special places or doing unique things. Some years we've done service projects, other years we've taken day trips or overnighters to places like St. Louis, Indianapolis, Georgia, Legoland, Disney World...  It doesn't always work out that way for all 4 kids, but on this particular day, it did. ;)

This year, we decided a day in Asheville would hit the spot. We've had several annual passes to Biltmore over the years, but Bibby was pretty young the last time we went, so we knew she would be excited to visit again. I'm a huge admirer of the Vanderbilt family. We've visited multiple Vanderbilt homes over the years. This past year, I've also decided that The Men Who Built America is my favorite documentary ever, as it highlights several of my personal idols, including Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Henry Ford.

As are many of our trips, this one was a surprise. We left early enough that the kids slept all the way to Asheville. Upon waking, it didn't take Bibby long to figure out where we were. And, yes, she was pretty excited.

Upon entering, I was super stoked to get a much better deal on our new annual pass than the price that was listed on the internet. I have no idea why. She didn't explain it to me, but, hey, who am I to question? :)

The beauty of visiting Biltmore the first week of January is the perfect timing of it. The home is still fully decorated in its Christmas splendor, but all the crowds are long gone. You pretty much have the place to yourself.

We grabbed lunch at the Stable Cafe, which I will review in a separate post, then we continued on to the house tour. Luckily Ribby is a good kid as far as her behavior. I can't imagine taking a tour through a historic home, especially through 4 of 6 levels of a 175,000 square foot home, with a child that isn't prepared to behave. Everything in Biltmore is original and painstakingly preserved. They DO have alarms. They WILL go off. So, if you are a parent of a small child, definitely know what you are getting involved with before spending the money to see the home.

With that being said, though, Ribby still doesn't have the longest attention span in the world before getting antsy, so the home tour goes a little more quickly when you're trying to keep the Mommy ride moving. Mommies with small babies don't necessarily get to appreciate and absorb as many of the breathtakingly intricate details of each room. When Bibby and Bear were younger, I would keep them interested in the house by challenging them to enter each room and look at the floor, the ceiling, and then find an animal. Between paintings, decor, and other accessories, they can usually find one.

During the holiday season, you can also keep younger kids occupied with counting the Christmas Trees. Biltmore offers a "Scavenger Hunt" booklet full of rhyming clues that correspond with most of the main rooms in the house. It doesn't require any writing, but it keeps the mental wheels turning.

When visiting Biltmore, allow yourself plenty of TIME. If you just go for the house tour, you're really missing out on the full experience. Walk the grounds. Make a wish in the fountains. Stroll through the gardens. Enjoy the greenhouse. Maybe you'd like horseback riding? Be sure to tour the farm and the equestrian center. The winery tour is fascinating, and offers tastings for grown-ups, and grape juice for the kids. Obviously, there are many gift shops, offering everything from kitschy souvenirs, to boutique toys, to Victorian-era decor. You can even hike, walk, jog, or bring your bikes and partake of the many miles of hiking trails, and riverside riding pathways that traverse the property.

Our favorite outdoor activity at Biltmore? Just letting the kids run across the expansive front lawn! (see picture above!)

There are several restaurants and cafes throughout the property that offer everything from counter service and outdooor seating, to spirited Bistros with live music, to fine dining where you need to know which fork is which.  Choosing a restaurant onsite definitely enhances the Biltmore experience, but there are an absolute plethora of exciting meal choices anywhere in the Asheville area.

At the end of the day, even though it was a bit chilly outside, we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. If you visit Biltmore, we hope you have a great time as well!

Palmetto Love Roses - Savannah, GA

And for our second-to-last album on this extended Florida vacation, I leave you with one of my favorite things EVER:

What we refer to as Palmetto Love Roses.

Throughout areas along the Georgia coast and into the South Carolina lowcountry, from the Golden Isles, at least past Charleston and Edisto, you'll often find the locals wrapping up harvested Palmetto grass into these absolutely lovely roses. They also make baskets and other woven goods you can buy in open air markets, but I'm the kind of person that adores handing over a few bucks to the guy in the street weaving these gorgeous flowers for us, as he has for others his entire life...

It's a gift, straight from him and his people, to my children, and they are an absolutely priceless souvenir from a member of the Gullah / Geechee culture of the area.

Often you will even see children making the roses and selling them on random street corners.

If you take care of these roses, they will stand the test of time quite beautifully. We've had some for 10 years and they are still splendid reminders of not only vacations past, but of cultural pockets we are so quick to forget in the hustle of all our modern technologies and conveniences...

So, next time you are in the area, and see a young man, or even a family, weaving Palmetto Love Roses, stop and have a few made right before your very eyes for the special people in your life!