Archives for June 2010

Kathy Griffin Judges Kids Pageant

Imagine this 4, 5 and 6 year old girls looking like miniature adults with make up, tans, big hair and Kathy Griffin in the mix. Kinda scary isn’t it. I watched Kathy Griffin’s show, My Life on the D-List this morning. Kathy and her mother were judging a kiddie beauty pageant. Now I’m not much on children being in beauty pageants, seeing children made up to look like miniature adults is not something that I as a parent condone. I use the words “miniature adults” lightly, hookers would probably describe that scene a little better.
Kathy Griffin was hilarious. During a segment of the show there was a little girl, maybe 6 or 7, with tons of fake hair and getting a spray tan. She proceeded to tell Kathy that “if you can’t tone it tan it” and “beauty is pain”. What experience would a 6 or 7 year old have with toning or experiencing pain in relations to a beauty routine? Bikini or eyebrow waxing, lol. How sad for a little girl to be thinking that way. During another segment, Kathy stated that she was scared shitless of those little bitches, referring to the girls, because she believed they would cut you. Confirming that kiddie pageants were treacherous business, the kids were out to win. She also brought a few of her Emmys to the pageant, afterall getting a trophy was the goal.

It also showed Kathy asking a group of little girls about make-up tips. They clearly didn’t have a clue about make-up, which tells me these girls can’t possibly be making decisions on what to wear or how to wear it, but they did know about “cupcake hands”. Now for you moms who don’t know, cupcake hands is a position on how to hold your hands.

Can someone explain to me how a 1 – 2 year old can be furious competition? There was a mom who believed her daughter at that age was competition. Is this a mother living through her daughter or what? Kathy advised the mother to not have cosmetic surgery on the child anytime soon. The mother responded not before she was 6. Too funny.

This was the first time that I watched Kathy Griffin’s show, it was great for few laughs this morning. I may tune in again.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

My two year old grandson was visiting. Because I don’t see him often, he gets to sleep with Mama when he’s here. He wakes me at 7:30 am, and looks into my eyes. He says, “Mama, you have a booger in your eye”.

Mr. Potato Head

Mr. Potato Head is still alive and just as popular as ever. I remember playing with Mr. Potato Head when I growing up, when I came across these three adorable characters I had to have them for my grandson. I found these three at Big Lots. I love that store, you never know what you may find.

My grandson spends hours putting Mr. Potato Head together and taking him apart. Did you know that there is an Elvis Potato Head? Yes, Playskool will be producing an Elvis Potato Head (below), thank you thank you very much, lol. I loved Elvis when I was growing up. There was something about his smile and dance moves that just mesmerized me as a teen.

I doubt that I will purchase an Elvis Potato Head, there are others that are more appropriate for a 2 year old, but for those who collect Elvis paraphernalia here you go.

I also purchased a slinky for my grandson. I played with the slinky on the front steps for hours. Jacks was another one of my favorite childhood games along with hopscotch. He’s a little too young for these games, but I plan to introduce them down the road. We also had hula hoops and pogo sticks. These are games that can be played outside as well. Our children have lost the will to go outside and move, and as a result childhood obesity has become a big problem in this country. I refuse to allow my grandson to become an obesity statistic.  I will be writing on this topic in another post.  

What were your favorite games growing up? Leave us a comment, with the era that you grow up. I would bet that toy has or will come full circle and your children will play with those very toys/games one day.

Perez Hilton – What An Idiot

What an idiot! You’ve heard the controversy with Perez Hilton and the Miley Cyrus photo, right. If you haven’t, Perez Hilton placed a link on his Twitter Account that opened to a photo of Miley Cyrus getting out of a vehicle in an “unlady like fashion”. I watched him on The Joy Behar show tonight trying to explain himself. His explanation, she knew pictures were being taken of her, she should be careful how she exits a car. Hello, she’s 17 you fool.
I’m not a big fan of Miley Cyrus, but I am a mother. People are in an uproar over his attempt to exploit a 17 year old child in this manner.  Rightfully so, I would be furious if someone posted a photo of my minor child on-line with her skirt or dress a little too high because she was struggling to get out of a vehicle.  Perez went on to say he thought the photo was funny and further reinforced her provocative behavior so to speak. I saw the photo, and it appears that she just didn’t think about what she was wearing, her focus was just on getting out the car. The car appeared to be a low, 2 seater.  Have you tried getting out of one?  Hell, I have a difficult time getting out of an SUV.  My skirt probably would have been around my head if I had to get out of a vehicle that low. 
I don’t know of any responsible adult, that would post a photo of a child on-line and pretty much say she asked for it.  She knew she was being photographed.  She’s no longer a child, and it seems people want her to stay a little girl on the Disney channel.  Yes, she’s been photographed in what some would call provocative photos.  In particular, with a sheet wrapped around her, dancing up against an older man at a party and in her underwear.  Lets face it, there’s a new generation out there with a totally different view and manner of dress.  This young lady is growing up and she’ll make plenty of mistakes as we all have and are still doing. We’re just not in the eyes of the camera. 
There is no acceptable explanation for what is suppose to be a grown man who would post a photo of her in that position.  I wonder how he would feel if that was his daughter? We as adults need to remember that children should not be the objects of ridicule for any reason.  It’s funny, we’re suppose to be the adults and should be examples for our children. Perez Hilton made an attempt to show a 17 year old’s ass, but he ended up being the biggest one.

Kids Put On Wrong Flight by Delta

Would you allow your child too travel alone to visit a relative? Until I read the article today about Delta airlines placing two children on the wrong flight, I may have considered it. The Unaccompanied Minor Program is used by many airlines for children between the ages of 5 – 14 who need to travel without an adult. The airline is paid to take on the responsibility of the child until they reach their destination. The person who brings the child to the airport must show identification, and the person who is at the final destination must show identification before the child is released. They airline is suppose to ensure the child gets on the correct flight, feed them, make sure they make connections and turn them over to the right person for a hefty price.
It seems Delta Airlines needs some work on their program. Somehow they mixed up the paperwork for the children and placed them on the wrong connecting flights. How the hell is this possible? This is what you’re getting paid to do. My big question is, how do you mix up the paper work of a boy and girl? Did anyone ask them their name or put some kind of identification on them? Did anyone bother to check their identification? Obviously not. The little boy realized the mistake, he knew he was suppose to be in Boston and not Cleveland. Kids are so smart.

Can you imagine the grandparent’s or whatever adult that was on the other end’s fear. I would have been beside myself. Delta is conducting an investigation, and they are assuring parents across the country that the children were supervised at all times. Idiots! Delta has also stated that they issued refunds for the children and gave the families free tickets for a future trip. I may have accepted the tickets, but my child would never travel alone on that airline again. It’s doubtful that they would ever travel alone again.

To be honest, I’ve had a positive attitude toward this program in the past. I have witnessed children under the Unaccompanied Minor program in my travels, and they have been well taken care of by the airline. These type of incidents are suppose to be rare, but when they happen it causes you to become fearful and a little more protective of your child.

I may change my mind in the future, but tonight my little sweetie pie will get squeezed a little harder, and he will definitely receive extra hugs and kisses. What your thoughts on this incident? Leave us a comment.

Spaghetti Salad Recipe

 easy pasta salad recipes

 I  love this simple pasta dish, especially in the summer.  Turning on the oven or stove is something that I strive to do as little as possible in the summer.  Furthermore, I serve this dish at family  gatherings, baby showers, and office parties.  It is always refreshing and a big hit no matter where I serve it.  It’s a go to for any occasion:

 

  • 1 package of thin spaghetti noodles
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 1 bottle of Salad Supreme
  • 1 large bottle of Italian Dressing


    spaghetti salad recipe

Boil noodles according to pasta package.  Next, chop or cube the tomatoes and cucumbers. If you have a home garden, this is a perfect recipe to use those home grown tomatoes and cucumbers.  Next, mix the  noodles, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

Additionally, add a generous amount of  Salad Supreme.  This ingredient is just as much of a star as the other ingredients.  Finally add the Italian dressing until noodles are saturated.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.  The longer the salad is in the refrigerate, the more of an opportunity it has to merry the ingredients.  You can add more salad dressing if  needed prior to serving.

My family devours this dish.  It’s a nice summer dish on days when you simply don’t feel like turning on the stove, oven, or plugging in the crockpot.  It goes great with a sandwich or it’s great alone.

 

Friendship

How many friends do you have? I can count mine on one hand. There are people that I socialize with, and there are my true friends. My friends have been just that since childhood. There’s one friend that I did just about everything with in my teen years. She moved when we were in our early 20’s, and we stopped communicating. I’ve thought about her on many occasions. I would inquire about her when I saw relatives, but we never contacted each other.


She lost a son several years ago, her son and my daughter were a few months apart. I sent my condolences, still I never called her. I didn’t know what to say. Not only did she lose him, he was murdered by his girlfriend. More on this insane situation in another post.


I’ve thought about my far and few friendships over the course of the years. I really need to reach out more. This is something that I should have done years ago, but I put my focus on my daughter. Seriously, being a single parent can be an exhausting experience. My life and friendships went by the wayside.
Do you believe in second chances?  I do!  I’ve reconnected with the friend that I’ve been out of touch with for the pass 30 years.  How you ask?  We reconnected on Face Book. I woke up last week to a Friend Request from her.  I was elated.  I confirmed the Friend Request, we chatted on-line and she called me later.  It’s so amazing, we talked just like we did 30 years ago.  We vowed to never lose contact again.  It was a great reunion.  We talked about old times, our children and grandchildren, our failed marriages, and the murder of her son.  We’re planning to take a vacation together sometime in the near future.  I’m thankful for second chances.  I intend to do better with this friendship this time around.  Have you lost a friendship from neglect?  Leave us a comment on how you maintain your friendships. 

Fired For Being Beautiful

Don’t hate me for being beautiful. Yes, it seems that’s still happening in the world. Allegedly, it’s happening at Citibank. They don’t want beautiful women working for them because they’re too distracting. Here’s the story, according to Debrahlee Lorenzana, pictured above, she was fired for being “too hot”. From the pictures that I’ve seen, she is a very attractive lady. She’s 5’5, weighs 125 pounds and has a great shape. DebrahLee states where she comes from women dress up, put on makeup, and get their nails done to go to the supermarket. She’s from Puerto Rico, so her dress at the office is a part of who she is. Personally, I think women should take pride in themselves regardless of where they’re from. For some women its not a priority, but for those of us who do put it at the top of their list more power to them.

When I read the article I was in disbelief. This is 2010, lets get real. The world is full of beautiful women and beautiful women are now a part of corporate America. It seems that Citibank’s male managers and co-workers found her to be distracting. Supposedly, male co-workers complained that they could not focus on their work.  As a result, two male managers gave her a list of clothing she would not be allowed to wear. The list includes turtlenecks, pencils skirts, fitted suits and 3 inch heels. Are you kidding me. It is hard to believe that there are men that damn weak in Corporate America. It is absolutely one of the most ridiculous actions by a company that I have hear of.

As a woman in Corporate America, I have seen and experienced harassment by female co-workers as a result of the pride that I take in myself so I know dress can be an issue in the work environment. I received compliments from male co-workers, but never did I receive a complaint from a male co-worker nor was I called into the office by management as a result. Than again, I’m not built like a brick house either. Anyway because of the harassment I experienced, EEO was called into my area to do several presentations on diversity. The harassing employees were told if they continued, they would be fired from the company. The harassment stopped immediately.

Now I did not sport 3 inch heels in the office for several reasons: 1) 3 inch heels are not appropriate for the office and 2) I can’t walk in the SOBs anymore. I do own a turtle neck in every color and I wear then under my suits in the winter. Gives a very polished look. Besides, what is more covering than a turtleneck? Before I gained weight, I also wore pencil skirts and fitted suits. I’ve had to change my style, but suits, turtle necks, pencil skirts and fitted suits are worn in the office. It seems that the real problem is not the clothing for DebrahLee, this is a cover-up, it’s how she looks in these garments. She’s causing hard ons, lol.

I viewed several pictures of DebrahLee in her office attire, and I agree, she has a hell of a shape on her. Go on girl, strut your stuff. I’m not mad at you.

It seems Citibank’s lawsuits are piling up. Here’s another interesting case, a former employee who is Jewish, Dorly Hazan-Amir, is suing Citigroup for sexual discrinination. The men in the office took bets on how much weigh she would gain while she was pregnant, she was told that she could go a business trips when she learned how to play golf, and her boss stated that Jewish girls were turned on by men with beareds.

In my opinion, this country still has miles to travel on the diversity path and we really need to step up the education in the good old USA. It looks like we really need diversity training in Corporate America too. If this is what’s happening in our corporations, no wonder the country is in the state it’s in. People can’t make good judgements or do their job because they focusing on their erections and how someone looks in their clothing. Would love to hear your opinion on this one.