Prom Dress 101

Your dress should NOT look like this!

Well, it's that time of year again. The air is thick with hairspray, glitter and perfume. Every nail is polished and every hair is teased. Welcome to high school Prom!
But before you shell out all of your cash for that perfect gown, you better make sure that your dress is in compliance with your school's dress code guidelines. Many schools are now restricting the more 'provocative' attire that includes low-cut necklines and sheer material. http://shine.yahoo.com/fashion/prom-dress-rules-high-schools-ban-sexy-gowns-182000932.html.

Remember girls that this is Prom (a school function) not Victoria's Secret!

Pink Tutu of Love

This is LOVE. This is giving of yourself to help someone else. This is a distraction away from the moment. This is making someone smile.

 http://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/photographer-8217-self-portraits-ballet-skirt-weapons-wife-185500363.html
The man wearing the pink tutu in the above picture is Bob Carey. He and his wife Linda (who has Breast Cancer) have take over 100 pics of Bob wearing this man-sized tutu at different locations ranging from the subway to the Grand Canyon. Their mission is to raise money with these pictures to help support other women diagnosed with Breast Cancer. And possibly make someone smile along the way.
Check out the Tutu Project at http://www.thetutuproject.com/. Thumbs up for Bob! Way up!!

Freedom of Speech 101

Austin Carroll was a senior at Garrett High School. Then he was expelled for an offensive tweet. Wait there's more...
A personal tweet that was sent from his home at approximately 2:30 a.m. to no one even associated with the school. Warning- the tweet uses the word 'f*ck' repeatedly.
Freedom of speech must not be taught at this school. Personally, I found the tweet amusing. Check it out and let me know your opinion. http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/high-school-expels-student-tweeting-f-word-204216086.html

Dolphin Rescue

This story is absolutely amazing!
In Brazil, about 30 dolphins somehow managed to beach themselves.  The people on the beach who saw this happen were able to drag the poor dolphins by their tails back into the ocean where they were able to swim away. I love how everyone worked as a team to save these beautiful creatures. This link has a video showing the entire drama. You need to see this. http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/32992/30+dolphins+rescued+by+brazilian+beach+goers/. I love at the end of the video everyone cheers for successfully helping and saving these dolphins. Way to go guys!! Kudos! This restores my faith in humanity. Thank you.

Rant: This is a flawed system people!

Imagine that you entered a contest, actually won the contest, received your prize and was then told "Nope sorry better luck next time." Personally, I would be livid! Well that's precisely what happened to Herbie.


At 15 years old, this Chicago teen admits that he has gotten into trouble in the past but, was honestly only paying tribute to local emergency workers with his sticker design. The winning sticker will be displayed on approximately one million car windshields in Chicago for a year. A fairly prestigious honor in my opinion. Herbie was selected as the winner with his design showing 'helping hands.'
Soon a wave of concern started like wildfire after someone noticed that the image could be misinterpreted as a gang reference. The city decided to scrap Herbie's design and instead  go with the design of the next runner-up. Read the whole story here; http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-08/news/chi-chicago-city-clerk-plans-to-meet-with-gang-experts-about-sticker-design-20120208_1_sticker-design-jody-weis-chicago-police
I do not know all of the details in regards to the gang reference, but I do understand the sensitivity of the issue. BUT, this kid did a positive thing (with his design) that ended up being interpreted as very negative (gang/racial/violence). Atta boy Herbie and keep your chin up. I believe that your heart was pure with your design. I think it's a WINNER! And shame on the city for not allowing you to modify your entry.

Highfalutin Heifers

A Texas high school cheerleading coach has recently been fired because she called the girls on her squad "highfalutin heifers." According to this article, http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/cheerleading-coach-removed-calling-team-highfalutin-heifers-133347843.html. Really? I admit that I'm undecided on this one. I know, shocking right? lol I can see both sides to this story. First off and more importantly, this coach is supposed to teach these girls both jumps and self-confidence and good sportsmanship. She definitely failed on that one. But in the coach's defense, what about Freedom of Speech and that fact that these girls may be little whiny bitches. Besides, it's not like she called them a racial slur. 'Highfalutin heifers' was what the coach said. Whoopdedoo! Just wait til you show up late to work someday, your boss will definitely call you worse!

Karma- It's a Good Thing :)

I've always been a big believer in Karma. What goes around, comes around. This article made me smile. 
In San Francisco, a guy took a short-cut through a construction zone and ended up getting stuck in wet cement. Oh yeah, did I mention that he was driving a Porsche? Check out this link to see pics http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/porsche-stuck-wet-cement-proves-karma-exists-210302568.html

Grandma's House

Noah Lamaide deserves a major 'atta boy!'
http://gma.yahoo.com/wisconsin-boy-saves-grandmas-house-foreclosure-185349531--abc-news.html
This 12 year old boy is making a positive difference in the lives of others. It started when he was nine years old and his mother challenged him to do a community service project each year. Soon he was foregoing birthday presents in exchange for donations to the local food bank, helping Hurricane Katrina victims, and raising money for terminally ill people to visit Disneyland. Noah even started his own website to help with fundraising for his community projects. Here's the link- http://dreamcatcher.bbnow.org/index.php
It seems that Noah's parents have taught him to openly help other people. And, he may have learned some humanity from his grandma who has been a foster parent to over 100 children! So when this same grandma fell behind on her mortgage payments due to health problems, Noah put out a plea on his website asking just four hundred people to each donate $25.00 to help save grandma's house from foreclosure. It worked!

Noah is a shining example of giving from the heart and he proves that charity begins at home. Please consider making a donation at his website- Noah's Dream Catcher Network (the link is posted above). Good job Noah!

Red flags are waving- Pay attention!

In New Hampshire, a 14 year-old boy shot himself in the face while at his schools' cafeteria during lunchtime on Friday. He is alive and listed in serious condition in the Intensive Care Unit. It was reported that he had been passing notes in class during the week saying that he was depressed. Really guys? This didn't tip off anyone?
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/nh-14-year-shoots-face-cafeteria-15558256#.Tzcd6PnQe8A
 

 In today's society, you can not be too over-involved in young peoples lives. Teachers/counselors/parents/principles/friends you didn't notice his depression? You need to be alert for warning signs! Generally speaking, these types of things do not just pop up randomly out of the blue. There probably was some telltale path of mood changes and withdrawal that occurred and everyone missed it. Shameful.
    Hunter my heart breaks for you. I sincerely pray that you can fully recover from the physical and emotional scars of this incident. Also to the many other students and staff that witnessed this tragic event.

just in time for Valentine's Day...

OMG, talk about romantic!
This guy was trying to find the perfect opportunity to propose to his girlfriend in a unique way. I think he succeeded. Congratulations. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/olympic-swimmer-proposes-girlfriend-medal-stand-video-151602945.html

A rave for this little piggy!

 This story is just too funny. Inmates at a Vermont prisons' print shop managed to alter the design of the states' crest. The official picture on the crest shows a spotted cow in the background. The inmates changed one of the 'spots' into the shape of a pig! For a year this image was on the side of police cruisers before someone noticed. Bahahaha This is classic humor like the whoppie cushion and "pull my finger."
And for the people who are upset about this saying that it dishonors police officers; get a gripe. Take it at face value- it was an awesome prank! Click here to check out the pic http://news.yahoo.com/vermont-inmates-hide-pig-official-police-car-decal-004403610.html;_ylt=Aqw4munhLKMYL9G2EPYXO58DW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTRjcnVpMmk1BGNjb2RlA2N0LmMEbWl0A01vc3RQb3B1bGFyIExpc3RpbmcEcGtnA2Q1MTQ5OGIzLWExMTgtMzQwNy1iNGQ1LTQ0YjM4MjAxYjcwNgRwb3MDMTAEc2VjA01vc3QgUG9wdWxhcgR2ZXIDYzMwOTllOTgtNGU4NC0xMWUxLWE0ZjUtNzhlN2QxNWU5MWUy;_ylg=X3oDMTFyNzExZWxyBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANwb3B1bGFyBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

Toddlers & Tiaras' should be named Toddlers & Tarts

The make-up, the costumes, the way they gyrate and shake around the stage. Eww nasty.
The TLC show Toddlers & Tiaras' is in my opinion showcasing and promoting little girls as hoochie mamas. Soft porn featuring five year old kids. I do not watch the show for this same reason. However, I just read about how some of the contestants get that extra sparkle. They are drunk on sugar. Literally. Some of the girls eat bags and bags of Pixy Stix to get a major sugar buzz so they can appear more alert and energized. This kid goes one step further. Check it out. http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/toddlers-tiaras-mom-defends-giving-juice-pageant-crack-6-year-old-daughter-alana-article-1.1019164?localLinksEnabled=false

Alana is six. Her mom mixes her up some homemade 'go-go juice' which is Mt. Dew and Red Bull mixed together because the kiddie crack (pixy stix) wasn't giving the toddler enough energy on stage. This child is hyper because she's about to go into cardiac arrest because of a major sugar spike! Really? wtf is wrong with these pageant mothers? 
I'll let Alana's mother finish off this blog...
"There are far worse things," she said. "I could be giving her alcohol."

Hiking Barefoot

This teams picture should be featured on a motivational poster for dedication! The group is called the Old Mutual Barefoot Kilimanjaro Team and they recently completed the remarkable climb to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa (19,341 feet) barefoot. Yes, you read that right. Barefoot.
I guess they must have been sitting around the kitchen table one night talking about all of the awesome things that they had done;
       swimming with the dolphins...done
       sky diving...check
       running with the bulls...check
Hmm, what to do next? "I got it" yells one guy. "Let's go climb a mountain barefoot! It'll be epic!"

All joking aside, I was both impressed and amazed when I read this article. http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/32592/climbing+expedition+attains+summit+of+mt+kilimanjaro--barefooted/ The incredible challenge of the intense week-long climb to reach the mountains summit is daunting as it is, but then imagine doing this task without your hiking boots. Holy crap! Some days I can hardly drag my fat ass of the couch and these people are doing extreme hiking.
I tip my hat to you o' great barefoot hikers. When the team finally reached the peak, I wonder if they felt empowered by their amazing feat? (pun intended lol) 

Power to the people!

The 21 hour work week.
I've always questioned why we, as a society, needed to work 5 days a week just to get a measly 2 days off. Who made this rule? Shouldn't these scales be somehow better balanced? Who's responsible for stickin' it to the working man? Whew deep calming breath. Sorry 'bout that I tend to get fired up sometimes.
I know that personally I work Monday thru Friday. Saturday is pretty hectic because of things that did not get done during the week. Then Sunday is spent getting ready for Monday again! What a rat race! I NEED MORE DOWN TIME! This is why I'm captivated by the idea of converting to a 21 hour work week. Recently I read an interesting article about this notion. Check it out. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-case-for-a-21-hour-work-week.html


First off, I will not pretend to understand exactly how the redistribution of wealth thing works. I do love the idea of having more free time to do whatever my little heart desires with the added bonus of lowering my overall consumption of products. I'm happy and the Earth is happy. Win-win situation.
The article does say that ideally people would be working less hours but with higher pay. Yay! And that less money should also be spent on material objects with a push towards recycle/reduce/reuse. Sign me up! I'm already pretty darn frugal. But, this may prove to be difficult with our societies over-the-top 'champagne wishes on a beer budget.' Need an example? Look at the number of people who took on HUGE morgage payments without the means to pay for it. Say hello to Foreclosure.

Here's another article that I found. Go ahead, go read it. I'll wait for you. http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/transition-21-hour-week.htm Pretty cool huh? Everyone just needs to get over their buy buy buy fetish. Only then can we hope to put an end to this vicious circle of working more than relaxing. Power to the people!

p.s. I also want year round school with 4 two-week breaks :) 









 

To Be or not to Be; Raising a genderless child

 Five years ago, a UK couple had a baby and decided NOT to announce the gender of that child to anyone but a small selection of family and friends. They named the child Sasha which was chosen as a neutral name. The primary reason for their choice was to release the child from gender stereotyping. Sasha was openly allowed to dress in both boy and/or girl clothes and played with all toys including trucks and dolls. They recently were forced to reveal the sex of Sasha as a requirement of entering school. Sasha is a boy.
http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/couple-finally-reveals-childs-gender-five-years-birth-180300388.html 

Next, is a couple from Canada. They have an adorable four-month old baby named Storm. They have also chosen not to disclose the sex of their child to anyone but a few exclusive people. Again they cited gender stereotyping as their main justification.
http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/boy-or-girl-this-4-month-old-is-being-raised-genderless-2487988.html

Is living genderless taking away something (self identity)  or is it adding something (appreciation for both sexes)? Or a little of both?


While it may not be my own personal choice as a parenting style (I have too big of a mouth to keep the secret! lol), I can however keep an open-mind to the possible positive effects that this may have on the later grown up child. I am all for the idyllic 'rose-colored glasses' type of world where everyone is holding hands and getting the same salary. This type of genderless upbringing may pioneer a whole new style of parenting. It allows the parents to free themselves from the rules/norms of society. An end to the blue and pink catastrophe!  
Overall, I hope for a general acceptance and tolerance of everyone. Remember, the world is no longer flat.

PBS does it again!

The platypus has a sixth sense. Really? Tell me more I said. My 12 year old son then began what can only be described as a rapid-firing, both barrels blazing, arsenal of facts about the platypus. I was told all about their sixth sense (which is kinda like radar), what they eat and so much more.
My son learned all of this by watching the PBS channel on TV. He is intrigued their new show called Wild Kratts. This show debuted January 2011 and appears to be a hit. While the show is geared for younger kids, my son just loves all of the animal facts and trivia. http://www.pbs.org/parents/wildkratts/episode-description.html


Without missing a beat, he then starts to tell me about the draco lizard. "He glides not flies." I was pretty much speechless by this point. Let me explain. My son has ADHD and one of his biggest struggles has always been his inability to retain information. But PBS (once again!) has made a high quality educational television program that does not feel like school work. Kudos!
PBS Wild Kratts has given children a view of the world that is outside of their own backyard. Thank you PBS. 

Let's not label

Have you heard about the new LEGOs for girls? In January, LEGOs introduced a new product line that is directed towards little girls who may feel left out of the fun at playtime. Check it out.
http://ideas.time.com/2012/01/02/lego-friends-for-girls-have-they-stooped-to-stereotype/?hpt=li_c2 

First off, yes, I do realize that this is a marketing strategy designed to increase the interest and general sales of LEGOs to young girls.
I got that. I simply do not like toys that are pigeon-holed as 'boy toys' and/or 'girl toys.' 
As a parent, I encouraged my children to play with all toys. When my daughter was small, one of her favorite things to play with was Matchbox cars. Every time we went shopping it seemed like she was picking out a new Matchbox car or Little Golden book (ahh those were the days.) 

Not everything needs to be 'this' or 'that.' The sexes do not need to be segregated. Some of the best selling toys manufactured are not gender specific. Don't believe me? Look at the Slinky. https://www.msu.edu/user/morenmal/Slinky/history.html 
 This toy has been around since 1945 and can probably contribute some of it's longevity to the fact that the Slinky is so universal; a real one size fits all concept.


Why in our society do we feel the need to constantly divide the  genders? If we keep separating the two sexes, how are we ever supposed to blend together for equality?
That's my Rant for the day.
 

Well so much for helping others...

Tens of thousand of dollars worth of designer wedding gowns were recently ordered to be destroyed. What a shame! When Priscilla of Boston recently went out of business, it still had many wedding dresses in their stock. The stores parent-company, David's Bridal, instructed Priscilla of Boston to destroy all remaining merchandise. The reason was to prevent the dresses from being copied. Employees used pink spray paint to completely ruin the dresses making them unsalvageable before they were then thrown into the trash. 

First off, let me state here that I do not know what this companies policy or protocol is regarding disposal of merchandise. I'm just mad as hell over the article that I read. I pride myself on having the ability to see both sides of the story (always said I shoulda been a judge lol.) However, in this case, it is pretty obvious to me that it was a disgrace to destroy all of these beautiful wedding gowns. It shows a blatant disregard for the economic struggles that many Americans are currently facing. The gowns could easily have been  donated to charity which would have been the proper thing to do (before they got caught.) 
A big thumbs down to Priscilla of Boston and David's Bridal!
http://shine.yahoo.com/fashion/closing-bridal-store-priscilla-boston-spray-paints-designer-173300210.html

Piano steps are hilarious!

This is brilliant! Whoever came up with this ingenious idea deserves a High 5.
http://www.noob.us/miscellaneous/piano-steps-trick-fatties-into-taking-stairs/ 
Volkswagen in Sweden used a side-by-side escalator/stair area to perform a study. They inserted musical keypads into the stair side and found an increase of people using the stairs by a whopping 66%! I don't have any clue as to why Volkswagen did this whole thing, but I enjoyed watching the video. This would be great exercise for people of all ages, as well just a big smile maker :)   

Give a Hoot- Don't Pollute

This is just one of the many mantras that I live by. ('can't we all just get along?' and  'lefty loosey, righty tighty' are often muttered by me quite frequently lol.) I do my personal best to NOT pollute the world. I do not litter and I actually enjoy recycling (yes it's true!) I am trying to do my part to keep the Earth as green as possible for my future grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I actually feel that it is my responsibility to save and recycle every single soup can and toilet paper roll that I encounter (key Rocky theme song.)

My rant for the day is the complete disregard for the hard work and effort of many people to recycle when suddenly Kimberly-Clark starts manufacturing stupid plastic decorative toilet paper roll covers! Great just MORE junk to deal with. "Respect the roll" is their new slogan; I say "Respect the Earth" and stop marketing such ridiculous junk!  
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/toilet-paper-goes-chic-designer-204723975.html

You be the judge, but I'm gonna just put my extra roll of toilet paper in the bathroom cupboard like normal!