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Showing posts from June, 2008

Just say NO to Frumpy Mom

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I admit it. I had fallen into the trap of being a "frumpy mom". So many reasons for it. Not enough time to shop for myself. Not enough energy. Wanting to save money for the family. Wanting to be perceived by my husband as a team player/frugal wife financially. Being perpetually pregnant/nursing. There were symptoms. My daughter had commented over the past few years that I needed to update my wardrobe. It isn't that I don't own nice outfits. It is just that most of my nice stuff is for going out. And that rarely happens nowadays. Otherwise, it was mostly jeans and t-shirts from Costco. The last straw came when I was in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend. My aunt, bless her heart, never criticized me. It is just that she spoke at length about my favorite grandmother and about how well she always dressed. And the few times we drove by the Ann Taylor store she waxed poetic about how wonderful the clothes were there and how much she likes them. And she proc

CARMEN ELECTRA: 'I'M IN NO RUSH TO MARRY'

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Model -turned-actress CARMEN ELECTRA has laughed off reports she is getting cold feet about marrying former KORN guitarist ROB PATTERSON, insisting she in no hurry to walk down the aisle. The Scary Movie star became engaged to the rock musician during the weekend of her 36th birthday (20Apr08) - and has faced constant questioning about when the big day will be. Electra tells People.com , "It's funny, everyone else puts so much pressure, (asking), 'When are you getting married?' "If it was up to everybody else, we'd be married and divorced already." The twice-divorced model/actress recently travelled to Boston, Massachusetts to meet Patterson's parents. She adds, "We're taking it slow, and we're happy."

ANGELINA JOLIE REPLACED AS FACE OF SHISEIDO

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Actress ANGELINA JOLIE has been dropped as the face of Japanese cosmetics giant SHISEIDO to make room for a new celebrity face. The 33-year-old star signed on as the brand's ambassador in 2006 - but after two years of appearing in commercials and print ads for the brand, she has been outed from her post by British supermodel Agyness Deyn . Deyn can be seen as the brand's new spokesmodel in their Fall 2008 Maquillage ad campaign. It's not the only contract pregnant Jolie has lost - she parted company with fashion house St. John last month (May08), ending a three-year relationship with the company.

A very Special party

My 5-y-o DS's birthday party last weekend went well. A handful of kids from his preschool classroom came with their parents. Most of the other kids were children of friends of mine from the neighborhood. I realized that there were a lot of children with special needs in attendance, including the birthday boy's older brother, a neighborhood boy with Sjogren's Syndrome, a neighborhood girl with XXX trisomy, a friend's boy with autism, and neighborhood girl with profound deafness. Everyone got along great. I was particularly impressed by my friend's son with autism (age 4). Up to 6 months ago he was unable to attend gatherings without screaming at the top of his lungs for about 75% of the time. This time he was able to move among the other children, use the bouncer, and find his mother without becoming overly anxious. I told her that I was surprised that he progressed so far so fast. She told me that she really appreciated the comment because she is with him s

Nursing Strike

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The nursing strike has ended already, thankfully. But let me tell you what happened. Baby A caught this 6-day fever illness that has been going around town lately. DS-5 and Miss I caught it as well. Baby A's nursing habits had been getting worse over the course of the week, and Thursday night he would only drink from one side. By the time I woke up the next morning, the other side was hard as a rock. He nursed, one side only, then refused to nurse for the rest of the day. By noon I decided to pump because I was engorged and in a lot of pain. He ate some food by spoon and in the afternoon I got him to take 2-ounces of breastmilk by dropper. Whenever I tried to put him to the breast, he arched away, crying, as he had been doing all day. I did a search on Nursing Strikes and got some good information. What causes it? According to the La Leche League International, some of the most common reasons for a nursing strike include: • Mouth pain from teething, a cold sore, or an infe

New Album From Vanessa Hudgens

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What does Vanessa Hudgens think about her new album Identified? According to a recent review in Entertainment Weekly, she deems it “definitely sophisticated” but also believes it’s “funky and fun.” Hudgens’ sophomore release is due out on July 1st and includes standout tracks “Sneakernight,” “First Bad Habit,” and “Gone With The Wind.” Check out the early review in full at EW.com. “Sneakernight” is available on iTunes now.

Giselle Bundchen does interview with GQ, also has topless pictures

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the interview is great! Oh that interview is so insightful! Lets discuss the interview more, k? Yeah, just kidding, who cares what she has to say? Her boobs are hanging out in this spread. When Giselle Bundchen’s boobs are hanging out, I typically can’t hear her. Actually, I couldn’t hear a fire alarm in a nuclear facility if her boobs were right in front of me. But hey, some of you take pride in reading, so here’s an exert. Forbes has reported that you made $35 million last year, more than twice as much as any other model in the world. Do you think that’s important to me? Look, this is my job. I take pictures. There is no big deal. I would like to know who this reporter is finding out all of these amounts. And I would like him to talk to my accountant and figure out where is the cash that’s missing. Because I haven’t seen it.

Michelle Williams calls shenannigans on Ledger family.

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With the Dark Knight set to debut in mid-July, the sound of money landing in bank accounts is getting louder. And Michelle Williams wants her and Heath’s daughter to see a little of that cash. Page Six says, An insider said, “ Michelle is furious with Heath’s family and threatening to boycott the premiere. Matilda is supposed to be the beneficiary of the will, but Michelle has seen nothing from them. Heath didn’t have much in cash, but there was a big house in LA and a back-end deal for ‘Dark Knight’ [that] could reap millions. ”

Celebrity Fashion : Pull Over, Jennifer Love Hewitt!

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Following the 2008 Annual Saturn Awards - held at the Universal Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on Tuesday - which of the following is more surprising: The fact that Jennifer Love Hewitt wore a dress that looked like nothing but a sports bra and skirt from behind? Or the fact that Jennifer Love Hewitt was named Best Actress on Television for her role on Ghost Whisperer? read more on : thehollywoodgossip

Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal Shack Up

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Recent press reports state that Gyllenhaal, 27, quietly moved into Reese Witherspoon’s $5 million dollar Los Angeles home and is already becoming a part of her fiercely guarded family.“Marriage is definitely what they are working toward,” a source close to the actress, 32, tells press of the couple who’ve been together for a year. The Jarhead star is even helping to raise her two kids – Ava, 8, and Deacon, 4 – from her former marriage to Ryan Phillippe. “They literally don’t want to spend any time away from each other,” a Witherspoon pal adds."

Crazy Summer Schedule

Summer is here again, along with the crazy schedule. My teenagers are out and about. DD-19 is staying with her dad in anticipation of going to Rome in August. DS-17 is staying over there as well, working part-time as a tutor. The popped in this past weekend for DS's birthday party. The party turned out well, by the way, except for the record-breaking heat. And I forgot to give out the party favors at the end. Anybody want a sack full of candy/toys? Tuesdays and Thursdays are busiest because of martial arts classes, so here is a typical Tuesday schedule. 6:45am wake up DS for summer school. 7:15am neighbor picks up DS for summer school. 8:30am Miss I takes boys to preschool. 9-12 shower, pay bills, shopping, cleaning projects. 12:30pm boys and DS arrive home from school. 1:00pm leave house for swim class for 3 boys, leaving baby with miss I. 2:30pm arrive back home 2:45pm drive DS to tutoring service 3:30pm Miss I leaves 4:30pm pick up DS from tutoring service with car full o

Sanctuary

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I love breastfeeding. It is especially great when it forces me to stop what I am doing and take a rest. I have been working on the baby's room and moved the bookcases to a new location because of the carpeting. Moving bookcases is a big deal because I earthquake-proof them by tying them into the wall studs, so it is a lot of work. Here is the newly situated nursery. My favorite addition is the blue rocker/recliner. It used to be in the office, a high-use piece of furniture where the kids liked to watch the DVR. Now with the new leather couches downstairs, the old couches moved upstairs and I got to take the rocker recliners and use them in bedrooms. Yay! Here is Baby A, in his 17 1/2 pound glory. And here is my recliner. When I'm in the recliner, I have this view of the bookcases. The picture on the left says "Tranquility". My thoughts exactly. Here are the coathooks by the door. I felt so handy. I used those plastic expansion shields and a level when I sc
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Emma Watson Instyle front cover - Looking very hot in these pics, I think she’s still 17 though so I don’t know.. We’ll see when she turns 18 shall we ! does seem a bit disheartening though, however she never denied it - let’s just hope that good contract comes soon for Emma Watson.

Deal or No Deal Girl and Music Video Model, Claudia Jordan Covers Heart and Soul Magazine

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Congratulations to Deal or No Deal Girl and video vixen, Claudia Jordan on her new cover of Heart and Soul Magazine. Claudia has been featured in numerous music videos and was a regular on the Price is Right and now Deal or No Deal. Much continued success for her. more sexy Claudia Jordan picture

HUGH HEFNER WANTED FOURSOME FAMILY

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n his upcoming book, “Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream,” Steven Watts writes how after Hefner wed his first wife, Millie, in 1949, he enlisted his friend Eldon Sellers, who would later help him co-found Playboy , into a staging a foursome. The book relates: “One night after [Hugh] and Millie watched a stag film with Janie and Eldon Sellers, he suggested that the four of them make love on the same bed, each husband to his own wife. They did and in Sellers’ words, ‘It was different and exciting.’ According to Millie, Hugh began to hint at switching partners, apparently suggesting it with the Sellerses, although the swap never materialized.” Hef then went further, trying a foursome out on his own family. “It did happen with his brother, Keith, and his wife, Rae, one evening,” Watts writes. “[But] while Millie ultimately backed out of having sex with Keith, Hugh slept with his sister-in-law.” The book also claims Hef once tried a gay tryst. “Hefner’s thirst for sexual experi

I got that compliment again

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I was at the store and the sales lady asked about the baby, "So, is he your first?" "No, he's number 6" "You do NOT look like you've had 6 kids!" I have been getting this comment for a long time. But today I put the question to her. What is a mom of six kids supposed to look like? Portly? No makeup? Scraggly hair? The lady got a twinkle in her eye and went on to help the next customer. Can anyone help answer this question? What about walking dead with dark circles under the eyes? I mean what???? Something like this perhaps?

Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair

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My latest project/passion

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It all started a few months ago when my daughter said it was sad we had never video taped her as a baby because she would love to see what she looked like. My eyes grew wide and I told her that I had a video in a box in the garage. I had copied all of the baby videos from the tiny tapes onto a large vhs tape before her dad and I split up back in 1991. 3 years of adorable footage of her actual birth day in the hospital through her 3rd birthday and her brother's birth through when he was crawling. 4 hours of tape which I copied onto DVDs and mailed to everyone. Aunt and Uncle in Chicago, my mom and dad and my daughter. At one point, dd said she cracked up because her dad is heard remarking on the tape that he would embarrass her someday by showing these videos to her boyfriend. And there she was sitting and watching it with her boyfriend. :-D Watching those almost 20-y-o tapes gave me the desire to get my hands on a video that my mom had made of the super-8 movies my grandfath

No child left unabused

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You have heard it. Comments like: It was meant to be. Everything happens for a reason. Other unintentionally hurtful comments. And yet. And yet. I couldn't help thinking, as I sat there hurting inside watching the festivities last week and the elementary school's Blue Ribbon Celebration. There must be something I'm learning from this experience. Some way I'm growing inside as a person. There must be something to be gained as I sit in the perspective of a parent of one of the Struggling Children. It was a knife in my heart when ds told me he knew he was the "slowest in my class in math." Bad enough that it was true. Worse that he knows it. Worse that teachers have hurt him these past years with criticism after criticism. We KNOW his knows this material. Why can't he produce in on a written TEST! 2 out of his 4 years being threatened to be held back a year and watch all his friends and classmates go on without him. Not allowed to play Littl

tortoiseshell sunglasses trend from Sienna Miller

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As far as this year's sunglasses trends go, we haven't seen too much of the tortoiseshell trend on the streets. But one-time 'it' girl Sienna Miller is usually an early adopter of any trend.Out and about in London with her beau, she wore a Grecian-inspired white dress, sandals, and a pair of tortoiseshell framed sunglasses. Here the sexy sienna miller picture sexy sienna miller

Megan Fox in the backless trend

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It's not completely backless or as low-cut as some of the other backless trend examples we've seen, but Megan Fox's white and silver mini-dress certainly captured the essence of highlighting one's back.

Shocking success with school administration

I was called yesterday by the school to schedule an emergency IEP (Individual Education Plan) meeting for today. The call was not a surprise, because I had dropped off one of my infamous letters at the school earlier in the day. I had been ruminating at home about the end of the school year and the upcoming IEE (Independent Educational Evaluation)and it occurred to me that some problems that **** had been dealing with probably had not been documented in his file. And if they were not documented, as far as the evaluator was concerned, they might as well not have happened at all. So I sent a letter to the school. Dear Mrs. C***, I want to make sure that certain incidents that occurred in school this year are documented in ****’s file. There were several incidents when **** was bullied and one time that he manifested self-mutilation. The first incident of bullying was brought to my attention by a concerned mother on April 7, 2008. I was told that a mother who volunteered in ****’s c

Who Is the Sexiest Celebrity Vegetarian?

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Even if you're a meat eater, you can probably appreciate PETA's annual Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity contest. Voting is now open for this year's awards, which honor one male and one female celeb for their sexy meat avoidance. Past winners include Kristen Bell , Prince, Tobey Maguire, and Carrie Underwood . This year's list of nominees includes about 100 men and 100 women who practice vegetarianism. More on fitsugar.com

Hilton sisters promote Japan's fashion brand

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Paris Hilton (L) and her sister Nicky pose at a promotional event for Japan's fashion brand Samantha Thavasa's handbags and accessories in Tokyo Nov. 5, 2007. (SOURCES: news.xinhuanet.com )

Paris Hilton now as fashion designer

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Paris Hilton now can add fashion designer to her long list of accomplishments. On Tuesday Paris showed her collection at California Market Week, and it seemed like a million looks came down the runway!! All the models were carrying number cards, and I think she covered every trend that was seen on the NYC, London, Milan, and Paris runways. She showed lots of plaid, metallic clothing, leggings in super bright 80's colors, lots of bows, and menswear inspired pieces. more on cosmogirl

Vera Wang's style message: "Casual can be dressy. Dressy can be casual.'

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Fortunately Vera Vang is bringing back the MOD style with that chic 'bob hair 'do as you can tell with the models seen above. Launch nationwide at Kohl's on September 9th, Vera Wang is joining the growing list of couture designers marketing their designs to departments like Target, H&M, and now Kohl's. Roberto Cavalli is bringing his sass and finesse to H&M. Visit Red Carpet Style Awards for further details. Vera Wang's style message: "Casual can be dressy. Dressy can be casual.' Vera hopes her line would 'encourage women to have fun' and a have 'a little fashion in their lives.'

Jessica Alba Has Baby Girls:I`am a mother

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It is being reported that Jessica Alba has given birth to a baby girl. It has been rumored that the baby will be named Honor. Congrats to Jessica and Cash! according Peoplemagazine has confirmed that Jessica had her baby girl, and her name is Honor Marie Warren.