Archives for March 2010

Lee Dewyze “Treat Her Like A Lady”

March 31, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Well, I started with FOUR favorite American Idol contestants.  I now have THREE left in the competition. 

That’s pretty darn good.

Lee Dewyze is definitely my front runner. And he had his big MOMENT last night singing “Treat Her Like A Lady.”  He’s got such a great voice and a great swagger about him.  He just needs to recognize how truly talented he is so he can relax. Hopefully that will boost his confidence and carry him to the finals. He also just seems like such a nice, down to earth guy.  Plus, he’s cute.

Here’s Lee’s performance from last night:

Filed Under: Pop Culture

Quintuplet Surprise

March 28, 2010 by 1 Comment

I found my new Jon & Kate Plus 8. 

Introducing the Jones Family from Austin, Texas. 

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Discovery Health Channel did a special documentary about the Jones Family and how they went from a family of three (they have an older daughter, Eliot) to a family of eight.  They had fertility problems before using IUI to conceive their first daughter.  Then they used the procedure again and got pregnant with quintuplets.  They refused to undergo a doctor recommended “selective reduction” which would have aborted some of the fetuses. 

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the family about making that decision, specifically in their hometown.  TLC has now picked up their Discovery Health test show.  Could they be thinking about making the Jones Family their new Gosselin Family? 

Dad Ethan and Mom Casey Jones also have a personal blog about their life with quintuplets (ie: their “Fab Five”).  I think the family is adorable and oddly relatable.  I’d love to see more from this family, but I suggest they go to mandatory marriage counseling FIRST.   Here’s a segment from their test show:

Filed Under: Pop Culture

Walt Disney World ’10

March 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

We finally did it!  We took the kiddies to Walt Disney World for the very first time!

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We live in Florida so it was easy to plan a one day visit to the Magic Kingdom.  And when I say PLAN, I mean I had a completely organized print out of all the Magic Kingdom lands we would hit and at what time we would ride all the toddler/preschooler appropriate rides and at what time we would stop and eat at certain restaurants and watch shows and parades, and, OF COURSE, all of it went out the window right after breakfast.

But I like to be overly prepared.  And we did start with the perfect breakfast. We went to Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary Resort. I read some great reviews about the character breakfast, but I had to cross my fingers while I called them everyday to try and get some last minute reservations.  I also went on their website reservation page five times a day.  You usually have to book them 6 months out.  But, finally, hours before we left, I had confirmed breakfast reservations.   Woo Hoo!  

Chef Mickey’s was adorable. They took a family photo for us. The breakfast buffet was super yummy.  All the main Disney characters were there to dance, sign autographs, and take photos at every single table. We all enjoyed it so much, but this was Annabel’s big Disney moment.  She went BONKERS. She danced and clapped and hugged them all. 

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Annabel LOVED all the Disney characters. But Annabel HATED  all of the rides.  I tried everything, even Cinderella’s Carousel, but she surprisingly didn’t want to do any of it.  Daniel, on the other hand, LOVED all the rides.  He had his favorites (Dumbo Flying Elephant, Mad Tea Party Teacups,  Tomorrowland Speedway) and he wanted to go on all his favorites two or three times each.  

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He was not thrilled with It’s A Small World, so he did not want to go on any of the other indoor boat rides.  Since I missed out on all the rides with Annabel, I tried to get Bean to go on Winnie the Pooh or Peter Pan with me. He was not having it.  He wanted to be with Daddy.  So Mama did not go on ONE SINGLE RIDE. But, I took Annabel on a lovely stroller tour of the park which included three circles around Cinderella’s castle and visits to all of the Mickey Toon Town houses, random Christmas shops, and multiple refreshment stations.  

We had lunch back at our hotel and took some much needed naps and then we headed back to the park. We found a great spot to watch the 3:00 PM “Dreams Come True” Parade with some Mickey Mouse ice cream.  

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We ended up having a fast food dinner at the park so Daddy and Daniel could utilize their fast pass tickets to ride the super popular Thunder Mountain ride at 6:45 PM.   Bean deemed it “the scariest train ride ever” but he did not cry, so that was a success.

Overall, it was a blast!  It was a little overwhelming and exhausting, but the weather was gorgeous and it truly was the most magical place in the world!  Even at the worst of times (ie: waiting in line to take Annabel through Minnie’s Country Cottage House for the 5th time in a row), it was still so much fun and there was always another ice cream stand 20 feet away.

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Filed Under: Kid Stuff, Mommy Life

Grateful

March 15, 2010 by 1 Comment

I’m been thinking a lot lately about how blessed I am.  I was really emotionally invested in the story of little Layla Grace who lost her battle with pediatric cancer last week.  I just can not imagine losing a child.  I can not imagine not watching my beautiful baby girl grow up.  I try to wrap my head around the idea and it just makes me want to sit in the corner of my closet and cry.  I’ve started exercising, so now these thoughts make me want to go outside for a really, really long walk.  That helps.  I guess I feel guilty too.  I feel guilty that I’m sad when I have nothing to be sad about.

I was watching Giuliana & Bill last night on the Style Network.  I really like their chemistry.  Giuliana is the host of E! News with Ryan Seacrest and she’s fun and cute.  Bill Rancic was the first winner of Donald Trump’s Apprentice and he’s now a traveling public speaker.  They are a great match. 

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Last night’s episode featured Giuliana & Bill’s struggle with infertility.  They desperately want to start a family and are having troubles conceiving. They have turned to IUI treatments which have been unsuccessful.  They are now considering the pros and cons of IVF.  It’s been an emotional ride for them and I was surprised how honest and open they are about it all on their show.

It’s hard for me to watch because, again, I can’t IMAGINE what it would be like to want a baby so badly and you just can’t have one.  I can’t imagine the pain they must feel to constantly have negative pregnancy tests.  I feel a little guilty for having been so upset that it took four months to conceive Bean.  I think every couple that starts the pregnancy journey fantasizes about the plus symbol and how they will tell their partner the big news.  You never start the journey wondering how long it will take or if you might have some challenges or if you might not be able to get pregnant at all.

I just feel really grateful. 

I wonder sometimes how I got so lucky.  And I hope I can remember that every single day. Even if it sometimes takes a broken hearted mother’s Twitter account or a celebrity reality show to remind me.

Filed Under: Mommy Life, Pop Culture

Jessica Simpson talks to David Letterman

March 11, 2010 by 1 Comment

Jessica Simpson talked to David Letterman last night about her romantic relationships with Tony Romo and John Mayer.  I think she handled herself beautifully.  You go, girl.

Filed Under: Pop Culture

Layla Grace

March 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Beautiful Layla Grace from Houston, Texas lost her courageous battle with pediatric cancer this morning.  She was 2 years old.  I have been following this little angel’s story on twitter (http://twitter.com/LaylaGrace).  Earlier this afternoon her parents wrote:

“Layla went to play with the angels early this morning. Rest in peace precious Layla. 11/26/2007 – 3/9/2010.”

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It’s been heartbreaking to follow Layla Grace on Twitter.  I remember when I first saw a celebrity tweet to “please pray for Layla Grace.”  It was one of a bunch of tweets on my home page that day.  But, for some reason, I clicked over to Layla’s page.  I began to read all the updates from her Mom and Dad.  I read about her story on their website, www.laylagrace.org.  I became so attached to Layla and her family because of their amazing honesty, raw emotion, strength, and spirit.  They let us into their lives.  I saw my daughter in their daughter.  Her big blue eyes.  Her love of pink and the book “Pinkalicious.”  Her love of tutus and flowers.  Her love of Hello Kitty.  Her beautiful smile.  Layla was only 3 months older than my daughter.  

I continued to read their twitter updates, website blog entries, and look at the many photo albums of Layla Grace and her two older sisters.  Every entry would break my heart, but it also inspired me.  Layla inspired me.  She STILL inspires me.  In the simplest of terms she just inspires me to be a better Mom. She reminds me to not let one day go by without telling my kids that I love them.  She inspires me to appreciate each and every moment with my family.  She inspires me to DO something.   I want to help, because right now I just feel helpless.  I want to help raise awareness for this horrible disease.  I want to get involved with my local children’s cancer charity.  I want Layla’s family to know that their daughter made me want to make a difference.

Layla Grace died from Neuroblastoma.  During a radio interview her mother said it is the most common pediatric cancer.  Yet most people still say to her, “What is that?  I’ve never heard of it before.”  I had not heard of it either.  There are about 650 new cases of Neuroblastoma each year in the United States and 50% of those occur in children under the age of two.  And now, because of Layla and her family’s outreach on the Internet, Neuroblastoma has touched my life.  And thousands of others lives too.  She has over 40,000 followers on Twitter alone.

No, I have never met Layla.  No, I have never met her family or her friends.  But I feel deeply connected to her spirit.

Is it comforting to know that she is now, as her Mommy and Daddy wrote this afternoon, playing with the angels. 

You completed your job here on earth, little Layla.  Rest in peace.

Filed Under: Pop Culture

Oscars ’10

March 8, 2010 by Leave a Comment

There are SO MANY reasons to be excited for The Hurt Locker winning SO MANY awards last night, including Best Picture. First, it’s a GREAT film.  Second, it’s one of the only nominated films I was able to squeeze into a Friday night this year, so I was rooting for it all the way.  Third, the movie is so amazingly shot and directed that it feels like a documentary.  Finally, the many strong performances, led by Jeremy Renner, were honest and captivating. 

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I know Jeremy will be getting film offers left and right.  He’s a super talented (not to mention good looking) leading man.  I read he was romancing Jessica Simpson at a pre-Oscar bash and I think that would be great.  (No matter what you think of Jessica, she definitely needs to find a good man.)

History was also made last night.  It was the first time a female director won the Best Director honor, so that was doubly awesome for The Hurt Locker’s Kathryn Bigelow.  She looked really nervous and truly surprised.  I can’t wait to see what she does next.

I have to mention Sandra Bullock winning Best Actress for The Blind Side.  I loved that her acceptance speech was equally touching and heartfelt as it was cute and witty.  Her husband looked so proud.

Another highlight of the evening was this tribute to the late director John Hughes.  It was so cool to see many members of the original “Brat Pack” on stage to talk about their experiences with the director.  This clip reel of his work really made me remember his many iconic films from the 1980’s that were so REAL and filled with such SOUL.

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin did a C+ job as our hosts for the LONG evening.  I will always love Steve Martin.  He’s such a likable Dad from films like Father of the Bride and Parenthood.  I just don’t GET 30 Rock (Sorry!), so it’s hard for me to rally around Alec Baldwin.  I just think of him as the crazy Dad yelling at his daughter on the phone.

Finally, can I PLEASE LOOK LIKE THIS when I’m her age??  Or, right now even?  She looked GORGEOUS and was the best dressed of the night.

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Filed Under: Pop Culture

Sunday Morning

March 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment

I had to capture this image of my boys getting ready for church this morning.  I think it’s so cute that they are both in dress shirts and dark socks. 

And, yes, my hubbie is the best.  He IRONS.

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Filed Under: Mommy Life

Orianthi = Girl Power

March 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment

I love the new song by Orianthi called “According To You.”   My favorite part of the music video is her rocking the guitar with cute purple nail polish.  I first saw Orianthi in Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” movie.  She was amazing.  I’m excited that she’s out on her own and she actually reminds me a little of Kelly Clarkson.  I also just really appreciate talented artists who sing and play guitar.  Here’s the video:

Filed Under: Pop Culture