I just received my FIRST ever blog award! I am totally over the moon! Thank you so much J from https://boobiesbabiesblog.blogspot.com/ ! You so rock! I totally feel like I just won a Pulitzer!:) You have so made my day, no my week!!! ( My pseudo Pulitzer acceptance speech! Yeah,I’ve never dreamed about this.)Oh, my Gosh…I’d like to thank my fellow Mommies, my dear husband ,without whom I would never have become a Mommy, and my girls, without whom this blog would simply be the ravings of a mad woman:) Hey, wait a minute….do I hear music swelling in the background? Don’t make me go all Robert Downey Jr. on your booties! This is my blog, I can ramble on as long as I’d like.LOL So, now that that’s out of the way, I would love to pass this lovely award on to some of my favorite blogs! I hope rocks your world the way it has rocked mine:) You ladies entertain and provide a sisterhood to me that you may never understand. Enjoy! The rules of having this award are:
1. Put this award on your blog, whether as an entirely new post like this, and/or on your sidebar. 2. Choose 15 other newly discovered bloggers that you love, and award them with this. 3. Send them a message/comment to let them know.
** These are the 15 lovely blogs that I’ve recently happened upon that more than deserve this great award: 1. J @ Boobies, Babies and A Blog (https://boobiesbabiesblog.blogspot.com/) 2.Peryl @ Parenting Ad absurdum(https://blog.seattlepi.com/parentingadabsurdum/) 3.Juliana @ A Blonde walks into a blog (https://blondeinablog.blogspot.com/) 4. The Toy Box years (https://thetoyboxyears.blogspot.com/) 5. It’s always something around here (https://www.itsalwayssomethingaroundhere.com/) 6.Sarah @ Cars, trucks & Teething rings (https://carstrucksandteethingrings.blogspot.com/) 7.Momtrol Freak (https://www.momtrolfreak.com/momtrolfreak/) 8.Amy @ Snarky Mommy.com (https://www.snarkymommy.com/) 9.Not Exactly Mother of the year (https://notexactlymotheroftheyear.com/) 10.Mommy Hood Exposed (https://mommyhoodexposed.blogspot.com/) 11.Double Duty Mommy (https://www.doubledutymommy.com/) 12.Coming Clean (https://parentingconfessions.blogspot.com/) 13.Aging Mommy- Thoughts of a First time older mom (https://agingmommyblog.blogspot.com/) 14.It’s a Mummy’s life (https://itsamummyslife.blogspot.com/) 15.Not Far from the Maddening Crowd (https://hearth-mother.blogspot.com/)
Have a great weekend everyone & keep up the great work, as you all entertain and inspire me daily!
Disclosure: This post about authenticity online was inspired and sponsored by Domain.ME, the provider of the personal domains that end in .ME. As a company, they aim to promote thought leadership to the tech world. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When I started this blog, The TRUTH about Motherhood, I was known to the Internet as Truthful Mommy. I picked this pseudonym because I planned to bust every parenting myth that ever existed and I was a little leery about putting my face to my truth. I didn’t plan on being the poster child for authenticity online but I had every intention of being the real me.
I wanted to be the voice of the “regular” mom but I wasn’t sure that I was a “regular” mom because I felt like I was doing it so wrong. I didn’t think I was special in anything but my inadequacy. I just wanted to have an open and honest dialogue with other moms online or offline about the ups and downs of motherhood and life. I exist beyond just being a “mommy blogger” on the internet. I am a real person and people need other people. This isn’t just my job, it’s my life. I just wanted a place where I could be my own authentic self.
When I had my first daughter, suddenly, I found myself overwhelmed and completely out of my depth as a parent and as a human being. Every other mom I met made everything look so effortless and they weren’t telling me otherwise. I felt like the ultimate failure. I had so many questions.
All the other moms looked so put together at Kinder Music and the Little Gym and I looked like death warmed over. Motherhood looked effortless on them; like those 18-year-olds who just wake up and look gorgeous. Those were the days before Zombies were all the rage but I’m pretty positive I was the original Mombie. I was perpetually exhausted and about as far away from perfect as I could get. I mean, I was a nice person, trying my best but my best just felt like it fell short.
Then I “really” got to know the other moms and I realized those broads were just as exhausted and out of their depth as I was but they had something called dry shampoo and they never told me about their mommy woes because they were afraid I was going to think less of them. ME? The woman who hadn’t slept in 2 years. The woman who only wore pony tails and makeup she could put on in 2 minutes or less because little people needed every bit of my attention. That’s when I knew, I had to tell the truth for all of our sakes. So I did and it was glorious.
I had to be honest to have authenticity online or it was pointless.
To be fair, I’ve never been much of a liar anyways and my poker face is completely nonexistent so it’s not like I really had a choice but I chose to be the voice of honesty, not necessarily reason, on the internet and that’s what I’ve been doing for the past 7 years. I hope I’ve helped a few people along the way. If comments and private messages are any indication, I’ve had my moments of truth that have landed on desperate ears that needed to know they weren’t alone. That alone was worth bearing my soul naked on the Internet.
I can’t imagine not being my authentic me online or anywhere else in my life. I don’t have the time or desire to be anyone else. I’m definitely rough around the edges, I’ve been known to curse on occasion, and I don’t always say the right thing but who I am online is who I am in person. In fact, the best compliment I’ve ever received has been when meeting readers in real life and having them say that I am exactly who I am online.
I am fully aware that there are times when I overshare and maybe should keep some things to myself. There are times when I hit the publish button and it terrifies me to think what a reader half way across that world might think of me; after all, my skeletons are not hiding neatly in some closet, they are right here for anyone with Google to read. But I can’t over censor myself and pretend that my life is all rainbows and sunshine all the time because it’s not. Sometimes it is but sometimes it’s really shitty; so I share it all here.
For me, being authentic online is the only way that I know how to be. Life is too short to spend all of my time trying to create some fake perfect virtual world that only serves to make others feel bad about what they’re doing. I refuse to be part of the problem. This is me and if you’ve ever read this blog, you know that I’m not perfect but at least with me, you know what you’re getting.
OK, my lovely ladies! I entered your entries into list randomizer at random.org in the order that I received them and then it generated a random order. Looks like the winner is ~J @https://boobiesbabiesblog.blogspot.com/. Thanks for participating.
List Randomizer
There were 20 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
I’m so excited to share with you Tim Burton’s all-new visionary live-action DUMBOthat is available everywhere on June 25th! Fall in love again with this heartfelt story when it swoops into homes on Digital in HD and 4K Ultra HD and Movies Anywhere, and physically on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD – with never-before-seen bonus features, deleted scenes, bloopers and more!
“Dumbo,” the grand live-action adventure from Disney and visionary director Tim Burton expanded on the beloved animated classic and sent spirits soaring. Disney invites fans to fall in love again with this heartfelt story, in which differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight, when it swoops into homes on Digital in HD and 4K Ultra HD™ and Movies Anywhere, and physically on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD — with never-before-seen bonus features, deleted scenes, Easter eggs and bloopers.
Stunning extras will transport viewers to the set of “Dumbo,” where cast members Danny DeVito (circus owner Max Medici), Michael Keaton (opportunistic businessman V.A. Vandevere), Colin Farrell (war-veteran-turned-elephant-keeper Holt Farrier), Eva Green (stunning aerialist Colette Marchant), Nico Parker (Farrier’s daughter, Milly) and Finley Hobbins (Farrier’s son, Joe) share their personal stories of courage and character.
Features explore how Disney’s timeless animated story was brought to life with an incredibly expressive, lovable, fully computer-generated baby elephant; the longtime collaboration of Burton, production designer Rick Heinrichs and costume designer Colleen Atwood, which resulted in jaw-dropping sets and costumes; and the creation of the visually colossal Dreamland parade sequence. Also included are nine deleted scenes, hidden and not-so-hidden Easter eggs, bloopers and a special performance of “Baby Mine” by Arcade Fire.
In “Dumbo,” struggling circus owner Max Medici enlists former star Holt Farrier and his children to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock. But when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting persuasive but sinister entrepreneur V.A.Vandevere, who recruits the peculiar pachyderm for his newest, spectacular, larger-than-life entertainment venture, Dreamland.
“Dumbo” will be released in several different formats, giving families the flexibility to watch it on a variety of devices. Viewers can watch the film in Digital 4K UHD, HD and SD, and bring home a physical copy of the film as the 4K Ultra HD Edition (4K UHD, Blu-ray and Digital Code), Multi-Screen Edition (Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Code) and a single DVD.
Bonus features include*: BLU-RAY & DIGITAL HD:
CIRCUS SPECTACULARS: Dumbo’s cast shares their experience of making the film—and get to the heart of a story about family and believing in yourself.
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: Explore how one of Disney’s most lovable characters went from an animated classic to a stunning live-action retelling.
BUILT TO AMAZE: Get a closer look at the film’s production and costume design.
DELETED SCENES: A compelling collection of scenes that almost made the final film.
Roustabout Rufus
Pachyderm Plans
The Other Medici Brother
Monkey Business
A Star Is Born
Where’s Dumbo
Elephant Heist
A Seat at the Show
EASTER EGGS ON PARADE: Discover the hidden and not-so-hidden nods to the animated Dumboin this narrated tribute to the Disney classic.
CLOWNING AROUND: Laugh along with the cast in a collection of big-top bloopers and goofs from the set.
“BABY MINE”: Visual video performed by Arcade Fire
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE:
DREAMLAND – ANATOMY OF A SCENE: From Final Script to Final Scene: The filmmakers and cast talk a lot about the feeling of “grand intimacy” in the film. Step right up as they bring the Dreamland parade to life, accomplishing the rare marriage of a massive spectacle combined with an emotional tenderness.
4K Ultra HD: English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 Descriptive Audio; Spanish and French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus Language Tracks
Blu-ray: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA and 2.0 Descriptive Audio, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks
DVD: English, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio Language Tracks
UHD Digital: English Dolby Atmos (some platforms); English, Spanish and French 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital; English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital (some platforms)
HD Digital: English, Spanish and French 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital; English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital (some platforms)
SD Digital: English, Spanish and French 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital; English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital (some platforms)
“DUMBO” CAST AND CREW: The film stars Golden Globe® winner Colin Farrell (“In Bruges,” “The Lobster”) as war-veteran turned elephant-keeper Holt Farrier, Golden Globe winner Michael Keaton (“Birdman,” “Beetlejuice”) as opportunistic businessman V.A. Vandevere, Emmy® and Golden Globe winner Danny DeVito (“Batman Returns,” “Big Fish”) as circus owner Max Medici, and BAFTA Award winner and Golden Globe nominee Eva Green (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” “Dark Shadows”) as stunning aerialist Colette Marchant. Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins make their feature film debuts as Holt’s children, Milly and Joe.
Here is a fun origami activity to do with your children in celebration of the release of Disney’s Dumbo.
The news is reporting that a 26-year-old upstate New York mom, Lacey Spears, has been arrested and pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in the death of her son, Garnett.
Garnett, Lacey Spears’ 5-year-old son died in January and hospital workers found toxic levels of sodium in his blood. The accusation is that Lacey was intentionally giving her little boy high amounts of salt, even when he was hospitalized. Garnett had been hospitalized many times throughout his young life. Spears took Garnett to the hospital on January 17, 2014 and then on January 19th and allegedly administered sodium directly into a stomach tube. An investigation also revealed that Lacey Spears had searched the Internet to study what effects large amounts of salt would have on the body of a child and allegedly asked an acquaintance to discard of an IV bag that had salt residue in it.
On January 20th, Garnett was alert. On January 23rd, he died and Lacey Spears posted to social media, “Garnett the great journeyed onward today at 10:20 a.m.,”
The media is crying Munchausen by Proxy syndrome, claiming that this “mommy blogger” ( though she only ever wrote 2 posts) slowly poisoned her child out of her own sick desire to be needed as his caregiver, to get sympathy from others and to gain traffic for her blog ( yeah, the blog with 2 posts). This could be true. Everyone is also suspicious of her need to report everything on social media. Alert the presses, a new mom is posting about everything her child does on social media in 2014.
This alone does not a murderer Lacey Spears make.
Hello, it’s 2014, most moms are reporting every poop their child takes on social media. It has become second nature and if documenting her son’s struggles on social media is a crime, well, let’s just say, she’s not the only one guilty. We all KNOW people who’ve snapped an ER photo and uploaded to Instagram or reported on their child’s sickness on FB, Twitter or their blog. Is it in poor taste? Hell yeah. Does it deduce murder? I’m not sure.
Me, I don’t know her. Maybe she killed her little boy on purpose or maybe she was desperate and sick and accidentally killed him. What I do know is that her son is dead. What I also know is that Lacey Spears was not a mommy blogger. I am offended that the media keeps calling her one because they are only doing it to sensationalize the whole thing. As if the case is not sick enough already ( a little boy is dead, people) but let’s make it even more despicable by alluding to the fact that his mom was always online and solely for the attention; that she was exploiting her child and his illness for traffic and sympathy. Maybe she was or maybe she was looking for support. I don’t know. I do know that, as a mom who blogs herself, I have turned to the Internet for support many times. This is my tribe. When I miscarried, the Internet was able to support me in a way that the people in my real life could not because I was like an open wound and too fragile to face family and friends in person. The Internet can be a one-sided conversation and sometimes that is just what is needed. The Internet has helped me feel not alone when I was parenting toddlers alone for 2 solid years/5 days of the week because a down economy forced my husband to work and live in another state. The Internet has been my community for 5 years, my blog, Facebook and Twitter are our meeting places. My blog community is my safe place. It offends me that the media is trying to make the entire thing out to be a seedy group of deviant parents who neglect their children and use the Internet as a place to validate their own bad behavior.
Maybe she really was just a worried mother, he was her baby, maybe she made poor choices and went too far. Maybe she was young, single and alone and didn’t know what to tell her son when he asked where his dad was. Maybe his dad was a tool who didn’t want to be a daddy. Maybe a lie to soften the blow on the heart of a small child was the best she could do or maybe she was plain crazy and so afraid of losing the only person she knew truly belonged to her that she did poison him to keep him dependent on her. Maybe it went further than she had intended? I don’t know and I am assuming most of you don’t either but people are calling her names, remarking on her son’s long hair, her short hair, and the story she told her son about who his father was.
What we know is a sweet, innocent little boy is dead and ,whether killed accidentally or on purpose, if she did indeed poison him his mother has to live the rest of her life knowing she had something to do with that. If she did kill him on purpose, she is a monster. The more I have read about the case, she seems to be prone to lying and somewhat delusional. She needs mental help. I’m praying it was all an accident, but I fear it wasn’t.
The one thing I know for sure is that a little boy died and lived in a very painful way and that breaks my heart but that is all I truly know about this case and my heart doesn’t want to believe that a mom could intentionally kill her only child, especially in such a long, drawn out and painful way. Rest in peace, sweet Garnett.
This whole Lacey Spears situation deserves a giant throat punch.
Today, I have the honor of having the fabulously awesome Jessica Gottlieb sharing her TRUTH about motherhood. *Excuse me while I squee. ( Yes, I actually used the word squee but I am just that excited) I’m sure I just lost some cool points with Jessica by making that confession but I don’t care. I must admit I have a little bit of a blogalicious crush on her. She is not only my blogging shero; she is intelligent, funny, witty, wonderful and the queen of snarkilicousness. She is a thinking Mom’s blogger. To top it off, she is the most honest, real, down to earth woman/writer that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She hardly needs an introduction but in case you are new to blogging or live in a little social media vacuum, Jessica is the brilliant author of www.JessicaGottlieb.com and you can also find her on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Momversation.com,www.tehuser.com and just about any place else that you might expect the grand dame of Mommy blogging to be found. But today, I am excited to say that she can also be found on the TRUTH about Motherhood. Thank you so much for sharing your TRUTH about motherhood with us!
The Truth About Motherhood is that You Lie A lot
Mothers are liars. Our children are weaned on lies. I learned to lie in my teens when my mother asked me where I was going. Nowhere. Who is going nowhere with you? No one. Are you smoking cigarettes? Absolutely not. I know you’re smoking pot. No mom.
So we learned in our teens to hide our boyfriends, our vices, and our nights out. I learned to hide my questionable grades and I learned how to cram and get myself out of trouble, well, most of the time.
I learned how to keep secrets, and little did I know how much I would need that skill in motherhood.
I can’t tell my children everything I think, I’m a mother for heavens’ sake. I would never tell them how utterly unprepared for motherhood I feel. I would never tell them that there are parts of school that really don’t matter. I tell my kids that they can be good at things that we both know they’re unlikely to excel at.
I told them about the toothfairy and Mr G told them they were bought at Babies R Us on a rare snowy nights. The snow made his hair grey.
I have told my children that you don’t have sleepovers with the opposite sex until you’re married, and I know I’m doomed because my brother has lived with his girlfriend for sixteen years. I’ve told my children that good things happen to good people. I never mention that captains of industry might behave like shits and get richer, or that children die and certainly a child couldn’t be bad.
I’ve lied to them repeatedly all the while demanding honestly.
The real truth of motherhood can be found somewhere among the lies.
The first thing I read this morning was a piece by my good friend, Jessica Gottlieb, Which came first the Anxiety Disorder or the Blog?Her post really resonated with me in a lot of ways but the most important takeaway that I had was the realization that I need to live more and blog less. This is nothing new. I have known this for some time now. Hell, I know that I need to back the fuck away from the computer and get out of my head and into my life. I need to unplug and it has never been as evident as it is this summer. (more…)
This week, I was all set to give the throat punch to Pastor Jerry Jones because lets face it, he is a douche bagger in a major way.Burning people’s Bibles, come on now. That is just not right. What’s next burning people at the stake?
But alas, in the last 24 hours, incredibly enough an even bigger douche bag, ass wipe has come to my attention.Oh yes, any blogger worth their salt knows of whom I am speaking. I don’t want to speak her name ( if she really even is a she) She He It has lied about everything else. I am not totally sure they are who or what they say they are. God knows, not one of their posts have they written themselves. That’s right. They have stolen every one of the posts on their site and had the gall to back date them.This moron even copied the about and uncut pages. Can you believe this? I highly doubt the photos of the children on the blog are even hers. Or real, for that matter. It’s probably some weirdo, no life having, living in their mama’s basement sort of douche bag.
As bloggers,we all know how hard it is to build a community and maintain a blog.It’s a lot of work. It’s like raising a child. If you want it to grow and be strong and respected, you’ve got to put your blood, sweat, tears, heart and a whole lot of elbow grease and time into it.That being said, it is a cardinal sin to steal someones content. That is stealing someones thoughts, experiences, feeling; their life, their talent, their passion. For that, you deserve a hell of a lot worse than my throat punch but that is all I have to give. I hate to do this but I feel its my duty to share the blog address so that you can all go check it out and see if this idiot has stolen your content. If they have, please report them to the appropriate people.I encourage all authors of original posts copied and pasted here, to fill out a copyright infringement claim at:
Here is the blog Outnumbered by Testosterone. I’m not sure what kind of racket this broad is running but she needs to be shut down.She’s like the single white female of the blogosphere and she needs to be locked up in a padded room , or at the very least locked out of the blogosphere. Yes, this weeks throat punch definitely goes to the crazy bitch that steals other people’s lives. Happy Mothering!
This post is sponsored by UMIGO but all opinions are my own.
Does your child struggle with math? Or are you just concerned that maybe math will suffer next fall due to summer brain drain now? Like any body part, if the brain is not used it loses a little of it’s ability to react as quickly.
I am always looking for creative and fun ways to keep my kids brains’ stimulated during the summer time. I think of it as calisthenics for the mind. So, when I was asked to check out UMIGO – You Make It Go – I was pretty excited for my 2nd grader to give it a try.
My girls always prefer to be outside playing over being inside on computers or watching television and I’ve worked hard to make that so but aside from fresh air and imagination play, I do need them to keep their minds sharp during the summer. I require that they both read for a bit on their own every day, I’ve even created cozy reading nooks and outdoor spaces for it but math is another story.
Both girls do well in math but I really wanted something that they could work on at their own level that didn’t require a whole lot of screen time or being locked in the house out of the fresh air and sunshine. UMIGO is awesome because you can start at your child’s level and if it’s really nice outside, the girls can take it on the deck on the tablet. It’s like those 20 minute workouts but for your brain.
It’s a fun, vibrant world of adventure that uses the building blocks of math to engage early elementary age kids in narrative-driven “appisodes.” Helping children develop the math skills they need for effective reasoning and problem solving.
But really, what exactly is UMIGO, you ask?
UMIGO’s free downloadable at-home activities engage families and educators in the child’s development of math and reasoning skills and are designed to make learning easy and fun. It feels more like play than work and that makes it a lot easier to engage your child, especially when they’d much rather be at the pool with their friends.
UMIGO’s educational content is aligned with the Common Core Standards for Mathematics for first and second grades. Which is perfect for my daughter.
On Friday June 19th, UMIGO kicked off the Summer of UMIGO on National Summer Learning Day in an effort to help combat the “summer slide.” In partnership with the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), UMIGO will bring its narrative-based appisodes, interactive games, activities, and educational resources to more than 70 communities around the country. You can find a location close to you by looking on the NSLA’s interactive map at SummerLearningDayMap.org.
We are huge fans of Aladdin. We fell in love with the animated movie Aladdin. Robin Williams as the genie stole our hearts. Our daughters fell in love with Disney’s Aladdin as toddlers. We saw the Broadway Musical Aladdin a couple of summers ago and fell in love all over again. The story is everlasting. We can’t wait to see how Disney adapts the story for the Aladdin live action film. The Aladdin cast has us excited.
I’m not sure how Disney Studios will top the original animated Aladdin film but I know it will be beautiful, exciting and cinematic magic. The first film set the bar really high but I have no doubt after recent Disney live action films like The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Maleficent and Beauty, and the Beast, it’s going to impress us.
A thrilling and vibrant live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic, “Aladdin” is the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be the key to their future. Directed by Guy Ritchie, who brings his singular flair for fast-paced, visceralaction to the fictitious port city of Agrabah, “Aladdin” is written by John August and Ritchie based on Disney’s “Aladdin.” The Aladdin cast stars Will Smith as the Genie; Mena Massoud as Aladdin; Naomi Scott as Jasmine; Marwan Kenzari as Jafar; Navid Negahban as the Sultan; Nasim Pedrad as Dalia; Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders; and Numan Acar as Hakim.
“Aladdin” is produced by Dan Lin, p.g.a., and Jonathan Eirich, p.g.a., with Marc Platt and Kevin De La Noy serving as executive producers. Eight-time Academy Award®-winning composer Alan Menken provides the score, which includes new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Oscar®-winning lyricists Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and includes two new songs written by Menken and Oscar and Tony Award®-winning songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE:
