The world is a beautiful place and we are allowed to marvel and enjoy her on a daily basis! Please take care of her! Recycle. Reuse. Reduce! Happy Earth Day 2010! The link I am including is a link to great ideas for Earth Day activities to do with your children. Go to a National park, the local farmers market, just go outside and enjoy the marvelous planet of ours! Peace!
https://holidays.kaboose.com/earthday-activities.html
https://player.ordienetworks.com/flash/fodplayer.swf
I LOVE THIS VIDEO!!! KUDOS to ROB PEARLSTEIN!!!! YOU ROCK, MISTER! Cause there’s nothing so sexxxy as Motherf*ckin MOTHERHOOD!!! LOL!!! Hope this makes you all smile!
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I saw this video this morning and it made me smile! Hope it does the same for you! Sometimes we just need to let our super freak come out and play![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
OK, Ladies. I know we are all perfect Mommies, as perfect as we can be, on any given day depending on whether or not we’ve had our coffee and/or enough sleep the night before. But I think Tuesdays should be our new vent day. I thoroughly believe that all Mommies need to ban together and help one another fight the good fight. Let’s support each other and learn from one another. SO, hence forth..lets take Tuesdays to air our dirty laundry or lets say to be truthful about some of our not so perfect moments. It will help other Mommies know they are not alone in the way they are feeling and it will probably be good for a chuckle for all of us. So, lets meet here on Tuesdays…https://motherhoodthetruth.blogspot.com/. Post something that makes you feel like less than a perfect Mommy, sign it anonymously if you’d like, get it off your chest and help someone else out! I’ll be here Tuesdays, I hope you will too!
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Last night, as I was up FB chatting and texting my bestie at 3 am, (no we are not vampires, yes we are Mommies) we started talking about this song and its been stuck in my head ever since. Basically, I am walking around with a theme song playing in my head now. So, I am sharing it, I think its going to be that kind of day. That’s what I get for staying up til all hours of the night trying to catch up on emails and bloggy business. But so worth it that my bestie and I got to actually “talk” with no one in the background whining….”Mmmmmmmooooommmmmmmmyyyyyyyy!!!” Of course, I think we were both pretty much slap happy and functioning at half speed at that time. It’s OK though, she’s known my flavor of crazy for almost 20 years now. In fact, she may be one of the only people who knows my flavor of crazy in its entirety, aside from the big guy. It reminded us both of when we were in college together. Good times. Yes, this post is pretty much pointless. I just wanted to share the song.I’m off to have my coffee and will return shortly with more insightful things to say….hopefully.
P.S. After further inspection of this video, it begs the question..Did Mic Jagger’s lips get bigger with age? Or did his head get smaller? Things that make you go hhhhmmm?[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
This throat punch Thursday is astounding to me. When I watched the video and read the article, I literally was speechless, can honestly say that I wanted to throw up a little bit and I certainly lost a good sense of humanity in people. Or rather I should say, I lost my faith in humanity. Once again, disappointed by the lack of scruples and regard for human life. Are you familiar with this story? Here is the video clip. Judge for yourself.
https://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=world/2010/07/29/black.france.babies.cnn
Seems in Douai , France the men are a little more oblivious than they are in the United States. Apparently, this woman, Dominique Cottrez, a nurse, has been married to Pierre-Marie Cottrez for approximately 20 + years . They have 2 grown daughters but she has a little secret. She has given birth 10 times, yet there are only 2 daughters. The math doesn’t add up. And her husband has absolutely no knowledge of her ever being pregnant other than the first 2 times. How oblivious must a man be to not notice a pregnant wife. He said she was overweight so it was easy to conceal. I’m gonna have to call bullshit on that one. Maybe once he could use that excuse or if they had never had a pregnancy together, but 2 daughters and 8 pregnancies later. If he didn’t see, it was because he turned a blind eye. No man is that stupid. The secret would have never come to light had the couple not sold their house. Can you imagine the poor new owners, minding their own business randomly finding baby carcasses in Ziploc baggies while tending the garden. Well, at least that explains all the phantom newborn crying they kept hearing. Seriously, this is not funny, this is sad and disgusting. They are trying to say the woman suffered from a first pregnancy that was “traumatic”. I understand PPD is horrible but to repeat the offense 8 times after giving birth to a second child..what was the difference between #2 and #3?
The babies were born between 1989 and 2006, but their exact birth dates aren’t known.She knew she was pregnant each time, she admitted to it and has said her husband had no knowledge of the pregnancies, births, or the deaths. After the new owners of the house found the babies in the garden, per policy, the police questioned the previous owners and Dominique readily admitted to her gruesome part in the worst recorded case of infanticide in France in recent history. Furthermore, she led them to the remaining 6 bodies buried in the garage.
This weeks throat punch with a Ziploc baggie on top goes to this out of her mind nurse who killed 8 of her 10 children. I seriously think that this woman is insane and most likely dying from the intense guilt, which is probably why she confessed so readily. She was already a mother to 2 children when she started doing this craziness.I can’t imagine what her children are feeling. They must be terrified. The throat punch also goes to her husband, who I believe, has no excuse for letting this happen and in my eyes is a liar. He had to know. There is no way he did not know. Maybe a hard punch to the throat will get his eyes and common sense back into working order. I don’t know what else to say but that I hope karma comes around and gives them exactly what they deserve.
I love this video, it shows just how effectively the New Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer absorbs instantly into your skin, so we women can put our clothes right on after moisturizing. I am not sure that I could put my clothes on quite as gracefully or in as cool a way as Emma, the dancer in the video, but it sure is fun to watch.
Of course, Emma is a professional dancer from London who was trained as an acrobat as a child and then switched to modern dance. She should be in Cirque du Soleil with those skills. I’m a mommy whose groove thang doesn’t work like it used to.
Can you believe the production team started by having Emma try 25 speed dressing tricks before they narrowed it down? Did you see her pull on tights while doing a back somersault across the bed? Holy moly, I would have fallen off the bed and broke my newly moisturized derriere. That was the hardest speed trick for Emma to pull off too, so I don’t feel so bad. Emma said the back walkover into a pair of heels was the easiest trick for her. Show off! I could never have looked so graceful doing those speed tricks; I would have definitely fallen and broken something. Emma was able to do every spot in a single take. Take a look at the behind the scenes video.
What’s not to love about the New Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer? It’s freaky fast to apply and more importantly quick to absorb into your skin. It has a convenient 360° spray that dispenses lotion quickly and evenly and you can even hold the can upside down and it still works. It absorbs in 10 seconds or less. What else can you do in 10 seconds? It sure is helpful to get out the door in the morning. My time is precious, and I am sure yours is too. I don’t have time to wait for my lotion to dry in the morning.
Here are some other tips I have for getting out the door fast in the morning:
Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer is a quick, continuous 360° spray lotion that moisturizes deeply and absorbs in seconds, so you can put your clothes right on and get on with your day! Available in three formulas – Total Moisture®, Aloe Fresh, and Cocoa Radiant™ – this fast to apply, quick to absorb line of lotions leaves skin instantly soft – not sticky or greasy. Find out more at www.maxthemorning.com!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Vaseline. The opinions and text are all mine.
As many of you know by now, this month I am celebrating my second blogiversary by having some of my bloggy friends share their Truths about Motherhood.I started this blog ,in part, because I wanted to share the truth but I also really wanted a place where other moms could come and see that they are not alone, that none of us are perfect.Perfect parenting is a myth! After reading the Truths of my fellow moms, their bravery,willingness to share and the vulnerability they have shown I am convinced more than ever that judgy moms deserve a really big throat punch.
I know we all have our preconceived notions as to what motherhood is supposed to look,feel and be like from the outside. The damn parenting books do absolutely nothing to prepare us for the real thing. It’s easy to sit way up on a judgmental petal-stool when you have been spoon fed bullshit. But once we actually experience it, are in the wake of it, then we should change our way of thinking.
It’s become the norm to mercilessly judge our fellow Mommies, while behind closed doors we secretly feel their pain…in triplicate. Wouldn’t it make more sense if we could all just be honest with one another in the first place and share our war stories; good and bad. If we could be honest, we could be supportive,we could lend an ear,we could build one another up instead of tear each other down. Life would be so much better for all of us.
So to all you Mommies, who haven’t figured it out yet..sisterhood is so much better than isolation. I don’t know about you but I’d much rather be having a party with my peers than be stranded on an island by myself. So this weeks throat punch, well more like a slap on the wrist goes to judgy Mommies. You are only getting a Chuck Norris slap because I think you know not what you do. Come read some of these truths of my guests or read my daily ones…this is the way it;s supposed to be. We support one another through motherhood. We share our ups and downs. We help each other make it through the rough patches and we are one another’s greatest cheerleaders in our parenting successes. Don’t fall victim to another throat punch…come join the party.It’s a lot more fun with a little help with your friends than being in the ocean of parenting without a life preserver.
Also, to see the sisterhood in action. Go check out Bruna at Beeswithhoney.com; every Friday she features a blogger to share with the rest of her community because she is awesome at the sisterhood through motherhood. She is a great blogger, with a lot of insight into motherhood and a wonderful all around person. This week I have the distinct pleasure of being her featured blogger. Go check it out.
I just finished week five of Nutrisystem. I am looking different and feeling different than I did just a few short weeks ago. Nutrisystem is changing my life. It is helping me learn to live in the skin I am in. My journey is as important as the destination.
Want to join me in losing weight and getting healthy on Nutrisystem? You can join Nutrisystem by calling 1-888-853-4689 or visiting https://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog
Disclaimer: Nutrisystem is providing my program free of charge for my participation in the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program but all opinions are honest and my own.
I’m pretty sure that you can say the words, Phantom of the Opera to just about anyone, anywhere in the world and they will know what you are talking about. It is one of my favorite musicals of all time.
I love the story because I am a sucker for a good love story but I love one with a plot twist and a good soundtrack even more so. But then you set that story in Paris and the romance level goes up about a billion percent.
Base on the classic novel Le Fantôme de L’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA tells the story of a masked figure who lurks beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine, and devotes himself to creating a new star by nurturing her extraordinary talents and by employing all of the devious methods at his command.
READ ALSO: Wicked Good for the Entire Family
I saw the movie. I’d seen the performance on PBS. I watched the 25th-anniversary performance at the Royal theater with my daughters and that was it. My oldest, she fell in love with the story and the music immediately. Obviously, this made my heart happy. It was like, check, this is something we can share and bond over. I told myself that one day, I would take my girls to see it.
As many of you know, I’ve made it a priority to raise the girls to be well-cultured. I want them to understand and appreciate the arts. For me, art is the great equalizer because talent is not something you can be taught but rather something innate. It is a gift given to you and it is your responsibility to nurture and grow it. It takes a lot of hard work and hustle to make it as an artist and there’s more who don’t than who do make it so I want my girls to understand how special those talented people are and how hard they’ve had to work to get to that stage.
We take the girls to as many shows as we can. I made this a priority when they were very little. We take them to live concerts. We encourage them to participate in the arts. They both dance ballet and play the violin. I’m working on teaching them to speak a couple other languages because I think people need to be diversified. It’s not enough to just be smart, you need to have common sense. It’s not enough to travel, you need to be able to immerse yourself into those cultures to truly enjoy the experience. And one cannot just watch art, one must be open to feeling it and being caught up in it. Even as a member of the audience, you have your part to play.
Last weekend, we finally found ourselves seated in the theater waiting for the show to begin and I looked around and that’s when I realized we were surrounded by a whole lot of people who had a genuine love of the arts, more specifically Phantom of the Opera.
When we see a show or hear a song, it is human nature to relate it to ourselves; a moment in time captured that makes us identify with the art. Phantom is about love; unrequited and the naiveté of young love. It’s funny too because depending on where you are in life, the different your interpretation and isn’t that one of the greatest things about art? Our interpretations can change as our experiences do, in that way, art is ever changing.
When I was younger, I saw the love story as Christine and the Viscount. I rooted for them and the Phantom was a monster. But now, I saw the love story between the Phantom and Christine. He was in love with her but he also wanted to possess her. Christine loved him, was intrigued by him, but at the same time was terrified by the way he looked and maybe even by the way she felt about him.
Was it shallowness or self-preservation? Once you’ve had your heart broken, it’s a little harder to put yourself out there, especially when you’re falling for a brilliant, monstrous beast of a man who wants to possess you. It’s a little overwhelming.
I found myself angry with Christine because she was so immature. How could she not love someone who loved her so much? And I found the viscount to be infantile in his pursuit of her but then again, that is young love. Impetuous and silly and beautiful and grand.
In the past, I would have instinctively rooted for him. It’s like when you watch rom-com movies. They do outlandish things. They cheat on spouses, they hurt people but you root for the main characters to get together and you ignore their bad behavior and you want it to work out but in real life, you’d think they were the worst people ever because of the destruction their affair caused to all those involved. Why are we so lenient in art where we are so rigid in life?
READ ALSO: Aladdin Broadway Tour
The thing is as I looked around the house, I saw so many couples because on the surface, it is a love story about a young man and a young woman but beneath is a beautiful love story about a man too ugly to be seen by the world who is completely devoted to a beautiful woman who sees his beauty within. Sadly, reality eventually makes her see his ugliness and, in the end, she chooses the choice society would deem acceptable. Or did she? Perhaps the true ugliness is his need to possess her versus to just love her.
The performance was stellar and the Phantom was outstanding. The entire cast was spectacular. If you have the chance to see the Phantom of the Opera on tour, do yourself a favor and do it. It will not disappoint.
Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is raved by critics “bigger and better than ever before” and breathtaking. It features a brilliant new scenic design by Paul Brown, Tony Award®-winning original costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Tony Award®-winner Paule Constable, new choreography by Scott Ambler, and new staging by director Laurence Connor.
The production, overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh, boasts many exciting special effects including the show’s legendary chandelier. The beloved story and thrilling score – with songs like “Music of the Night,” “All I Ask Of You,” and “Masquerade” – is performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this PHANTOM one of the largest productions now on tour.
The new production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is suggested for audiences aged 6+. The production includes gunshots and pyrotechnics. We encourage parents to consider these factors when making their decisions about attending the performance.
Disclosure: I was provided tickets to see Phantom of the Opera at the Morris Performing Arts Center by the Broadway theater league but all opinions and love of Broadway stage productions are my own. If you want to experience such performances, feel free to check out hadestown tickets.