Jennifer Aniston returns to Los Angeles

Jennifer Aniston and her BFF hairstylist Chris McMillan were spotted at the Heathrow airport to return back to Los Angeles on Monday (November 30).

Image source from http://justjared.buzznet.com

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Angelina Jolie spread lies about Jennifer Aniston

After Brad Pitt left Jennifer Aniston for Angelina Jolie, there were news spreading that Jennifer didn't want children which cause their marriage breakdown.

In 'Brangelina: The Untold Story of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie', journalist Ian Halperin claims that those story was untrue.

One source said "It was Angelina who came up with the whole story about Jennifer not wanting to have kids. She was convinced that is the story that would resonate with all these women who saw her as a man-stealing bitch."

Source

The Little People Are Everywhere and WHY Won't They Stop Asking Embarrassing Questions?!

The constantly curious phase descended on our home some time ago. It hangs over us like a wet towel-- heavy, cumbersome, and suffocating. It haunts me like a demon in the night. I've run out of answers for most things or am simply too tired to keep answering. Give me vodka!

"Why, Mom?"
"What is that?"
"Why is he doing that, Mom?"
"Mom, why do we have to go there?"
"Why did you do that, Mommy?"

Most of the time these questions are just irritating in their rapid-fire manner; other times, like yesterday, they are really embarrassing.

We had the fabulous idea to take the girls to the T-Rex Cafe. We imagined the awe and wonder and utter joy that the girls would inevitably experience from the moment we entered the place--we'd never been and just thought it would be something fun & different to do on a holiday weekend. Here's a quick peek inside the prehistoric era restaurant where we gasped in horror once we saw the prices on the menu. $12.99 for a Brontosaurus Burger? Give me a break! But you can't really put a price on dining with the dinos--especially ones that move, roar, and come to visit you at your table & scare the pants off your kids! Yes, my kids were terrified. But their hunger outweighed their fear, so food won out and we stayed.

Abby's bladder is the size of a pea, so of course she said she had to potty as soon as we sat down. I needed to attend to some business of my own, so I agreed to take her.

We went into the ladies' room and chose a stall. I helped her go first and then it was my turn. I figured she'd be so busy pulling up her pants that she wouldn't notice the tampon I pulled out of my purse.

Abby doesn't let a thing get by her. I was stupid. But at home it's easier to have a little more privacy.

Why didn't you let her out of the stall, you might be asking? Simple. Because I'm a complete germophobe and my kids are the opposite. She may as well take her tongue and lick every freakin' surface in there. If I let her out, she will touch and inspect the diaper-changing station, the puddles on the floor and at the sink, and she'll dutifully pick up any trash on the floor and put her hands all over the garbage can to pry it open to throw the stuff away. So she stays in with me where I can keep an eye on her.

"Mommy, what is that?" she asks, as I begin to unwrap said tampon.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about it," I reply, easing my pants down. "Will you get me some toilet paper?" I ask sweetly, hoping to distract her. But Abby is good at multitasking even at age three (and three-quarters). She keeps her eyes trained on me as she yanks a completely useless sheet of scratchy paper off the roll.

"But Moooooooom, I said, WHAT IS THAT?" Now I can hear giggles coming from another stall. Thank goodness no one can see me because I'm blushing furiously.

"It's a tampon," I whisper, quickly stuffing the trash in the bin on the wall.

"What is it for, Mommy?"

"It's for my tushie," I say, as I quickly finish and yank my pants back up. You see, "tushie" is a generic term at our house which refers to the whole kit n' caboodle and doesn't often require any distinction. It's far better than my saying, "It's a wad of cotton I have to shove up my vag when I'm bleeding like a stuck pig."

"Can I have one, Mommy?"

"I don't have any more, Abs. Now let's go wash hands and get back to the table," I say, and fortunately this is the end of our introduction to tampons. That is, until one day she suddenly announces something to the effect of, "My mommy uses tampons for her tushie!" when we're surrounded by total strangers in Target.


Kids are funny. And just when you think they've forgotten all about something, they'll bring it up in the most unlikely/inappropriate way. So I'm just holding my breath, waiting for the tampon to rear its ugly head.

Jennifer Aniston in Marrakech, Morocco

Jennifer Aniston went to the re-opening of the Mamounia hotel on Thursday which is located in Marrakech, Morocco.

Her best friend Chris McMillan accompanied her.

Image source from JustJared

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Sunday Stealing: The Tell Me About Yourself Meme

If you'd like to play along, check out Sunday Stealing here.



1. When is your birthday? I'm a Virgo, baby! And I'm trying not to put too many important personal deets on the internetz due to crazy creeps who are surfing the web. But then does that mean blogging in and of itself is something I shouldn't be doing?! Oh well.



2. Where were you born? The Crescent City, The Big Easy, NOLA



3. Where do you live now? Dorothy & Toto land. But I'm not wearing red sequined pumps.



4. What is your heritage? um, it's very, very old. And exotic. Lots of different, um, stuff coursing through these here veins. Yeah! I'm half Yiddish and half British. Oh wait. I mean Jewish. And some American Indian.



5. Tell us about a weakness. I have so many, it's hard to choose just one. French fries, pie, Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, books, chick flicks, and two little girls who call me "Mommy."



6. What's a goal that you'd like to achieve? I'd like to be a good mommy. You know, one who doesn't rely on insipid cartoons, vodka, or babysitters to get through the day.



7. What is the most overused internet phrase? LOL



8. What was your first thought this morning? Hooray, the girls are spending the night out tonight!



9. When do you usually go to bed? when I'm tired. Which is almost always by about 10 p.m. Or maybe it should be earlier since I'm falling asleep on the couch by 9:30.



10. Do you smoke? If not, did you ever? I never bought my own ciggies. I bummed some off of people in college sometimes. You know, to pretend I was cool like that.



11. Do you like your current relationship status? married with children---love it!



12. Do you (or did you) get along with your parents? yup



13. How often do you drink alcohol? not often enough. I think I'd be a better mom with more regular & rigorous alcohol consumption



14. Have you ever tried drugs (that weren't prescribed)? just pot. None of that scary or hard stuff that requires snorting or injecting between your toes or whatever.



15. Have you ever gone skinny dipping? If yes, do tell. Um, yes. Um, no thanks.



16. If given the choice, how would you like to die? quickly and in my sleep after consuming vast quantities of french fries and pie.



17. What did you want to be when you grew up? a mommy and a writer.



18. Have you ever been dumped? yes. Grrrrr.



19. What's on your pizza? veggies! but NO bell peppers.



20. Have you ever shoplifted? no. I'm boring like that.

Be GreenER...a few more ideas floating around in my cluttered brain

I recently posted about big ways to go green and told you to stay tuned for more. If you haven't jumped on my GO GREEN GIVEAWAY Bandwagon, there's still time. Giveaway # 2 is in progress, go here to check it out and learn how to enter. Hurry though, because it ends at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 1st!

I've been thinking of other ways to get you to go green. Here they are in no particular order.

1.) First, try cloth napkins at meals. We stopped using paper towels and napkins some time ago. Pier One and Crate & Barrel have nice ones for adults, and for the kids, I did a search on Etsy for something cute & fun. Try these or even these. All I did was go to http://www.etsy.com/ and do a search for "kids cloth napkins." There are TONS to choose from. I just bought these for the girls, as their birthday is approaching and they are addicted to Olivia.


2.) Think about new uses for old things. For example, I save a lot of our old cottage cheese, margarine, and sour cream containers. I run them through the dishwasher. I use them for storing leftovers. I give them to the girls for use in their play kitchen. I use them for organizing small things like paper clips, rubber bands, and even the girls' barrettes. I use them as portable containers for water for the dog when we're at the park or on the go, etc.



3.) Be energy efficient: in the summer, keep your blinds and curtains closed to block out the sun & heat of day, and therefore keep your home cooler without using as much AC. In the winter, do the opposite to help warm your home. Use your ceiling fans to circulate air. Consider lowering your thermostat and piling on some sweaters and an extra blanket in the winter. Turn off the lights & tv when you leave a room. And realize that just because something isn't on doesn't mean you're conserving energy. I regularly unplug things like the toaster oven, the coffee maker, the girls' nightlight, my hair dryer, cell phone charger, etc. If it is plugged in, it is sucking up energy!



4.) Recycle/reuse old gift bags, tissue paper, & bows. Use the Comics to wrap gifts if you must. Or just tie some pretty ribbon around it and call it a day. When you're making purchases, say "No thanks" when the store employee automatically tries to wrap your purchases in tissue paper. And by now you'd better have your own bags to put all your groceries, gifts & goodies into! If not, enter my Go Green Giveaway # 2 here!



5.) Did you know your dryer is more energy efficient when it's already warm from use? In other words, it's better for the planet (and your bills!) if you dry several loads of laundry in a row rather than spreading the love throughout the week.



6.) Wash all of your clothes on cold water. Period. Not only is it better for the environment and your utility bill, but it's better for your clothes---less fading and color loss, less shrinkage!



7.) Opt for environmentally-friendly detergents, soaps, and cleansers. I've mentioned before that I really love Mrs. Meyers products (Geranium scent is my favorite, especially in her soy candles) as well as Method products. Seventh Generation is also good.** Mrs. Meyers is offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders placed on 11/30/09! What a great time to try some out!**

8.) Go to www.catalogchoice.org and register for a FREE account to stop all your junk mail. Then you can enter all the catalogs you don't want to receive (STOP them all, you can shop on-line and save some trees!). It will take a little time to enter everything (enter them as you receive them, that is the best way---it is quickest and easiest when you have the key codes & customer numbers handy on the back of your catalogs) and it will take a few weeks for the catalog companies to get the message and stop sending, but once it stops, WOW! Such a reduction in junk mail!

Now go forth and BE GREEN! Remember: baby steps at first. Do what you can a little bit at a time. If you set out to do it all at once, you're setting yourself up for failure. No one is perfect. Not even me. Hee hee! Everything you manage to do goes a long way, everything counts. Mother Earth will love you for it!

Erin's Go Green Giveaway # 2 begins now!

Good morning, dear readers! Hope you are not wrestling with a turkey hangover. We are having a lovely morning because Daddy doesn't have to go to work today, so it will be a nice family day here.

Anyway, on to the good stuff (and I don't mean leftover pumpkin pie!). But first I must add that if you've previously won a Go Green Giveaway (that would be you, Mary Jane), you can't win another one. I'm so sorry to be a party pooper, but I want to give other peeps a chance to be winners! And of course I want to spread the green around.

Up for grabs today is my very favorite reusable shopping tote. It speaks when you'd rather not. It is great for groceries, trips to Target, or even shopping at the mall. It is large (15" tall x 15 1/2" wide) and reads "Paper or Plastic? NEITHER" and then in smaller print, "I'm using my recycled shopping bag, thank you." It is woven from 95% post-consumer material, and 1% of sales from the bags support global environmental initiatives. And God help me, I still can't remember how to flip my photos the right way and no one has reminded me. Sheesh! (5 extra points for you if you tell me how to do this--email me or leave it in the comments!)

To enter:

1.) follow my blog - 1 entry

2.) follow me on Twitter (@erinlynn76) - 1 entry

3.) Blog about this giveaway with a link to my post - 5 entries

4.) Tweet about this giveaway with a link to my post - 5 entries

5.) Write your own GO GREEN post on your blog, listing all the ways you are environmentally conscious at home. - 5 entries

**You can tweet about this contest once daily, so that is a way to scoop up more entries if you are a Twitter user.**

This giveaway begins NOW and will end promptly at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, December 1st. Thank you so much for entering and for helping me protect our planet! Your support means more than you know!

Jennifer Aniston thinks she is fat and ugly

Jennifer Aniston feels low esteem sometimes. To an extend that she thinks that she is “fat and ugly” when she saw her bikini photos were published where she was sun tan in Mexico earlier this month.

A source said "Jennifer has always been insecure about the way she looks, but something about these photos set her off.She obsesses over every inch of her body. Some days she loves it, other days she hates it. And although she looks amazing for a woman of her age, when she saw those photos of herself in Mexico, she said she felt fat and ugly and burst into tears.

"Then continues “No matter how hard everyone tried to tell her otherwise, Jennifer simply wouldn’t believe them and kept going on and on about her weight.”

Source

If you don't already own these, make sure you buy them for yourself before Hanukkah/Christmas/Kwanzaa!

This year, treat yourself to two of my favorite kitchen gadgets, both brought to you by Crate & Barrel.

First, the Rub Away Bar. I love this thing!! I cook with a lot of onions and garlic, and we also try to eat a lot of fish rather than red meat. My pet peeve is that my hands always reek after throwing dinner together! Lemon juice sometimes helps, but it makes my hands dry and if you have a cut, WATCH OUT! This bar sits at my kitchen sink right next to my Mrs. Meyers hand soap. I lather up then grab the bar and rub it around. Does the trick and does it fast! LOVE LOVE LOVE (and no, Crate & Barrel didn't make me post this)!

Second, pie crust protectors. I love to bake all kinds of things, but pies especially. It really gets my goat when the pie itself is perfect, but the crust burns. I used to wrap long skinny pieces of foil around the edges, but they'd fall off in the middle of the process and/or I'd burn myself trying to fix them mid-bake. These stay on and I can throw them right in the dishwasher afterwards. Since I have already baked 3 pies for today, they've basically paid for themselves!

What are the kitchen gadgets you can't live without?

What I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving -- Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Our local newspaper asked us a few weeks ago to submit a short letter, in 150 words or less, about what we are thankful for this Thanksgiving. They called me last week to verify authorship, so I got pretty excited, but still wasn't sure it would be published. I woke this morning to find it in the paper. I wanted to do Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop today, but she asks for a poem about what we're grateful for. This isn't a poem, Mama Kat, but I'm going to be ballsy and just submit it anyway! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><<

My husband and I were desperate to have children, but a medical condition presented a roadblock. After a roller-coaster ride of Clomid, intrauterine insemination and in-vitro fertilization, I was lucky enough to become pregnant. I gave birth to twin girls in 2005 and am so grateful to the doctor who helped us. Without her, there would be no infectious laughter, no one to call me “Mommy” and no mess of Goldfish crumbs in my back seat.

I am grateful to my husband who has been my best friend through everything. There is no greater gift than sharing a Thanksgiving dinner with him and my daughters.

This year I will pause as we begin to heap our plates with mounds of sweet potatoes. I will choke up as I look at my husband and my daughters and think to myself, “I am the luckiest woman in the world.”

Jennifer Aniston and Orlando Bloom spotted at airport

Jennifer Aniston and Orlando Bloom were spotted at the airport. But both of them avoid being pictured together when they passby a group of paparazzi.

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My First Go Green Giveway Winner Is......

Drumroll, please......


Mary Jane at Life Interrupted !!!

Thank you everyone for entering & for being so enthusiastic. And if you didn't win, please don't despair. Just stay tuned for the next round!

P.S. I may be calling the Butterball Hotline today, that is, if I'm not at the vet with my dog who ingested some plastic shit yesterday. If you are having turkey terrors, please call 1-800-BUTTERBALL or email talkline@butterball.com

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Jennifer Aniston avoids white food

Jennifer Aniston wants to maintain her svelte body. Thus, she avoids eating processed foods and white starches.

A source told the National Enquirer “A girlfriend recently told Jen that she dropped a ton of weight by following one simple rule — stay away from any and all white food. Within two weeks of jumping on the no-white-food bandwagon, Jen felt less bloated and leaner.

“Now she won’t even bring foods with white flour or white sugar into her home. As an added bonus, Jen wakes up full of energy after only six hours of sleep, rather than the seven or eight she needed before.

“Jen’s current diet consists of a lot of fruits, veggies, salmon, tuna and even steak.

“She still indulges her love of Mexican food, but she skips the sour cream and swaps a flour tortilla for whole wheat or corn.

“Following one rule — no white food — is working wonders for Jen.”

Source

Post-It Note Tuesday

Wanna play along? Check out Supah Mommy's blog!

If you haven't already, please check out my first Go Green Giveaway, which ends tomorrow!!

Jennifer Aniston may challenge Martha Stewart in cooking

Jennifer Aniston has been encouraged by British chef Jamie Oliver to challenge Martha Stewart as a U.S. culinary queen.

A source tells the National Enquirer magazine, "Jen prides herself on planning dinner parties for friends and has dozens of recipes she's come up with on her own.."

The insider adds, "They are always emailing each other. He sends her new recipes to try and she shares some of her favourites with him."

Source

Erin's Go Green Giveaway # 1 starts NOW!

I'm back & here's the lowdown. And thank you all for your input!!

Go back to my last post about the giveaway and see which prize(s) you want.

The first Go Green Giveaway begins NOW and the winner will receive the set of three large green produce bags (the ones with the little owl on the corner of each one) and the set of two snack taxis. This is all for Go Green Giveaway # 1.

Here's how to enter:

1.) follow my blog - 1 entry (and yes, you also get one if you already follow me)

2.) follow me on Twitter (@erinlynn76) - 1 entry

3.) Blog about this giveaway with a link to my post on all the goodies - 5 entries (please send me your link!)

4.) Tweet about this giveaway with a link to my post on all the goodies - 5 entries (please send me your link!)

5.) Do your own GREEN blog post and show us what you do to keep our Earth healthy - 5 entries (please send me your link!)

For each entry I receive, I will write your name on a piece of paper and put it in a bowl. So the more entries you have, the better your chances of winning are. The giveaway will end at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday morning and I'll announce the winner sometime that day and hopefully ship your prizes out the day after Thanksgiving. How does this all sound? If something is screwy here, please email me and let me know. This is my first giveaway, so....cut me a little slack!

Let the games begin. Good luck! Thanks for playing!

Jennifer Aniston spotted at bar in Sunset Tower Hotel

Jennifer Aniston was spotted at the bar at the Sunset Tower Hotel. Joining her was a male friend. She ordered regular fries while her friend order truffle ones.

One source said "She was dressed cool and looked very cute.It looked like a friendly meeting, nothing romantic."

Source

Fun on a Friday --- My First Giveaway (and it's GREEN!)

Yes folks, you read right.

The Mother Load is officially hosting her FIRST EVER giveaway!

And get excited, because it's not just any old giveaway. It's a GREEN Giveaway. As you know, I'm passionate about my Mother Earth. And I want to encourage other people to be more eco-conscious, too. So here's a sneak peek at what the lucky winner(s) will receive:


A set of three GREEN owl produce bags. All large size. These are reusable, people! No more plastic bags for your apples, pears, or potatoes! There is a small owl in the top left corner of each bag, close up below (but photographer I am not). From Etsy.

Below are a set of two Snack Taxis. Oprah featured these on her Earth Day show. We love ours and use them often (and will use them even more once the girls are in school full time). They are great for toting snacks in the car. I loathe Ziploc bags, and this helps us cut down on them some. They are machine washable (cold water, gentle cycle, air dry). Velcro closure.

These are a set of plain white produce bags in three sizes, small, medium, and large. They have pink ribbon to cinch them closed. From Etsy. You get one set with one bag in each size.

This is a storage bag for all of your produce bags. Pretty pink print (because you know how I love my pink!) .This will come with the pink & white produce bags ONLY.

(This is what you will do with your fruit. Load it up and cinch the top closed w/ the ribbon). Be sure to use them often, keep them in your car, and tell everyone ALL about them--cashiers at checkout, other customers, friends, family, etc. ETSY, baby, ETSY!

Finally, a regular reusable shopping bag---for groceries and/or other shopping needs. Nice and large. I have one just like it. It's my favorite because it allows me to use my "voice" about being green without actually saying anything to people. It reads, "Paper or plastic? NEITHER!" Yeah, Baby! (p.s. someone please remind me how to turn my pics around the right way, thanks)

Finally, if you are a coffee drinker (I am not, but Hubby is), you should be bringing your own cup or mug. If you are not doing that, at least consider this reusable/cloth sleeve to keep your hands from burning. I bought this one from Coffee Girls. Love love love! It is soft and small and you could easily stash it somewhere in between uses.

So since this is my first giveaway, I'm not very organized about it. I do think it's too many things to have in a single giveaway. I was thinking of separating some of the items?? Please give me your opinions. I could do one giveaway every few days until it's all gone.

For entries, I will ask you to become a follower, follow me on Twitter, blog and Tweet about this giveaway with links to the giveaway post, and for even more points, do your own green post (and link back to me here).

The official giveaway will begin once you guys can give me some feedback as far as how to divvy up these things (i.e. I know some people may already have some of these things, or want some of it but not all of it). Or am I making it too complicated? Those of you with any experience in this, I'm looking for your guidance! Thanks in advance!

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop - prompt

Mama Kat is hosting her Writer's Workshop today. Check it out! Today will be my first time participating. One of her prompts was to:

4.)Share a diary entry from when you were 13...feel free to make one up!(inspired via twitter by @EricaVoll from I'm Still Fabulous)

Background: on this particular day, I wrote a letter to the object of my affections (never intending to give it to him, obviously). It is not dated exactly, but it is from late October or early November of 1989:
-----------------------------------------------------
Dear Joe,

I love you so much. I don't mean just a stupid junior-high school crush or anything like that. I mean TRUE LOVE!

Also I would just like to tell you that unless you like me back (crazy, I know), please don't pull my hair or call me or ask to borrow my Algebra book.

Every time you tap me on the shoulder or pull my hair or hide my purse, I just happen to think that maybe, possibly you could like me back just a teensy weensy bit. Maybe I'm wrong, though. I can feel it. It just seems impossible that my biggest dream ever would really come true.

I hope this letter doesn't ruin the relationship I know we have--and that is FRIENDS. I hope you feel the same way.

You know what? I cry sometimes. Because I feel like you like Jamie Smith and Jessica Jackson. Maybe you do or maybe you don't. I don't know.

I dream about you all of the time. I hope you know what I think of you. If you don't, here goes: you are extremely intelligent, you are very nice, you are very cute and you are sensitive to other people's feelings.

I will love you forever. I want to marry you someday.

Love,
Erin B.

Amanda Peet wants to have body like Jennifer Aniston

2012' actress Amanda Peet was quoted on whoes bodies she wants to have. She responded,
"If I could chooses an ideal body, I'd take Gisele Bündchen's. I challenge anyone to say she wouldn't want Gisele's body, deep down. Actually, I'd take a number of people's bodies. I'd take Jennifer Aniston's, too. I want boobs, a gentle six-pack, and a perky butt."

Source

Wordless Wednesday

This is a project I've been working on solo for a while, and just recently launched at our temple. You read about it recently in this post here. The girls came to help me set up the basket and my posters & signage. They posed so I could submit photos to The Jewish Chronicle. Hoping to get more people on board. If you still haven't done so, please check out Terracycle and find out how to begin your own brigade! It's fun to be green! You'll get extra brownie points for involving your kiddos and teaching them about being kind to our planet and recycling.

Writing Prompt: Polka Dots

My friend Ami's blog, Writing Out Loud, recently featured a post entitled "Polka Dotted Dreams." I was instantly inspired by her vivid description to write my own post based on her prompt over at her Creativity Corner. Go check Ami out now & follow her--she's such an amazing writer and a dear friend to boot. My own rather lame attempt is below. Please pardon my crooked pics!


A photo taken with my parents on the night of the Homecoming Dance.

My sophomore year of high school I decided I was going to the annual Homecoming Dance come Hell or high water. I'd missed it the year before because no one had asked me and I wasn't brave enough to do the asking. I mustered up every ounce of courage I had to call this guy. I blurted out in a breathless rush, "I-know-we-haven't-talked-in-forever-I'm-sorry-and-I-know-you-probably-don't-want-to-but-I'm-dying-to-go-to-this-dance-will-you-go-with-me?" He said he would, and I eagerly commenced making all the plans: who we'd double with, where we'd go out to dinner beforehand, and who'd be doing the chauffeuring.
I had to have this dress. It could have been worse, I suppose, but it sure was poofy on top. The large polka-dotted bow detracted from my annoyingly flat chest (or so I thought). I'd fallen in love with the polka dots. I had to have it.

The night was fun, but nothing especially memorable. A ton of hormonally-charged teenagers crowded in some rented room at a country club, dancing and laughing. I vaguely remember feeling self conscious, being rather quiet, and awkwardly making conversation with my date.

This polka-dotted dress symbolizes the end of my innocence. No, I didn't lose my virginity that night. But the morning after the dance my dad sat us all down and told us he was gay. And then he packed up and moved out.

The very same dress I'd loved and worn and shimmied on the dance floor in only the night before now sat in a rumpled heap on my closet floor. I couldn't look at it. It made me remember my other life, the life that had existed just hours prior, a life free from anger and resentment and shock and sadness.
I never wore it again. It's still hard to look at these photos and remember.
A practice run & dance lesson in the dress after we'd bought it.

Things I Need To Get Off My Chest (LONG) & Post-It Note Tuesday

(post-its are at the very bottom of this post if you feel the need to skip to the good stuff)

I've had this lump in my throat for days and it feels like all this stuff is brewing up inside of me and I've got nowhere to put it all so I'm putting it here because I know it will be safe with you.

It's been a rough and busy few days and as the holidays approach it's only going to get busier. I tend to feel overwhelmed and stressed out even though I always promise myself I'm going to do better. I'm still working on that, but I'm pretty sure this year won't the The Year for me.

Things got a little testy last Friday. Took the girls for haircuts at Great Clips, which we love. They do such an amazing job on my girls' hair. Check them out.

Anyway, they behaved really well, so I figured I'd reward them by taking them out for a little lunch. They were so excited. We headed to Governor Stumpy's, a local dive that serves good food at cheap prices, & is very family friendly. We've been numerous times before. We were seated in a booth after a short wait. Soon Izzy's lower lip began to protrude and the pouting began.

"Mommy, I don't WANNA sit in a booth. I want to sit at a table with chairs!" she wailed.

I calmly reasoned with her, explained that it was crowded (it was Friday at noon), and that the booth was our only option.

Loud sobbing begins. And it's real, not like that fake dramatic shit Abby typically pulls. There are tears and snot and she's sniveling and it's getting louder.

Oh, and she won't even sit down. Because she wants a CHAIR, not a booth. Perfect.

"Izzy, look what I have for you," I say, teasingly, as I start rooting for the candy that is somewhere in the bowels of my purse, only it's not and I suddenly remember I doled out the last lollipops during haircuts. Shit.

"What can I get you ladies today?" the waitress asks as she appears with crayons and place mats to color. I quickly order the girls each a milk and ask her to give us a few minutes. As I am pleading with Izzy to sit down and color, she returns with the milks. I secretly hope this will solve the problem or at least take the edge off. No such luck.

Izzy notices the top half of the straw wrapper is still on her straw (which the germophobe in me likes), which is stuck in her kiddie cup of milk. This only fuels her fire.

"I DON'T WANT A WRAPPER ON MY STRAW! I DON'T WANNA SIT IN THAT BOOTH!" Now people are starting to turn this way and that, twisting around in their chairs trying to figure out where all the racket is coming from.

She's being unreasonable. She is still standing up. Clearly she's tired. I guess the haircut was all she could handle today, but I was trying to play the good mom and do something special with and for them.

To make a long story short, I tried in vain to distract her, get her to color, have some milk, figure out what to order for lunch, but to no avail. She wasn't having it and she wasn't going to let me forget that she wanted a chair.

She got so loud I told her we were going to have to leave. She cried harder. I told her if she could calm down and get herself together, we could stay. She grew red faced and even more irritable. I knew we were down to seconds left on the clock.

I raked open my purse, thank God I had a $5 in my wallet, and I threw it on the table. I looked at Abby and quietly said, "We're leaving. Please bring your milk if you want and follow me out to the car."

I gathered my purse and every ounce of stamina left in me, grabbed my inconsolable child and tossed her under my arm. She completely let loose then. If people hadn't heard her before, their hearing aids must've been off. At this point every eye in the place is on me, and I look like the Mother From Hell who is dragging her poor child by her hair out of the restaurant. She is screaming at the top of her lungs, "I-DON'T-WANNA-GO, PUT ME DOWN, MOMMY!" I yell to a random server that we're leaving and I left our waitress some money for our milks on the table. He nods, and I can tell he by his silence he is grateful we're making our exit.

And a thousand eyes are burning into me. I am sweating and shaking and I'm so god damned mad I can hardly stand it. I'm a volcano about to erupt.

Erupt I do.

We get outside, I set Izzy down on the sidewalk, and I light into her, my voice high and cracking.

"WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU?" I yell. As soon as her feet touch the ground she's running. Running back to the door of Governor Stumpy's. She slams it open with one arm and has half of her little body inside before I can blink.

So if the whole scene hadn't already been bad enough, I had to go back in to grab her AGAIN and AGAIN drag her out.

All of this and we still haven't even eaten lunch. So I had to take them home and feed them. After lunch Izzy apologized to me in a shaky voice. And after that she took a nice nap.

Incidents this extreme are rare at our house. Yes, they are 3 years old, but...tantrums are not normally this awful. It shook me to the core. I handled it poorly, she was completely unreasonable, and I should have just skipped the lunch idea, period. But this set off something in me and I haven't been able to shake it. It's been a rocky couple of days since then, culminating in another episode this morning.

The girls were eating breakfast at the island/bar in out kitchen. Cereal, fruit, milk. Everything is fine, I hear chewing and gulping and the occasional little burp. I am making my own breakfast and the dog's and suddenly we hear a loud crash and Izzy's on the floor, her bowl of cereal on its side dripping milk and contents onto her head underneath. She's screaming.

She was fine, but it happened because she wasn't sitting properly on the bar stool and was bring typical "Izzy Busy," as we like to call her. Singing, talking, eating, bouncing around, and not really paying attention to the fact that she's on the edge of her seat. And she fell. Once she got over the initial shock, she realized milk was all over her. It wasn't that much, but she started crying again and insisted on ripping her pajamas off right then & there. So she ate the rest of her breakfast in her Hello Kitty panties. And I'm all like, whatever. At least she's eating and she stopped crying. And then I spend the next ten minutes mopping up the mess, only my floor is still sticky and I don't have the patience to mop it up again right now.

I am also stressed because I'm in charge of a kiddie Hanukkah event at our temple in a few weeks. I was supposed to be leading it with a friend, but she has something else going on that day, so it's down to me. I'm nervous. I have stuff planned, but....I'm freaking out. I have to make latkes, read them a Hanukkah story, plan activities, talk about Hanukkah/menorahs/dreidels and the significance of everything (but this is geared towards kids 5 & under, so it's not that difficult, but still I get nervous)....Oy vey! I know it will all work out, but....

And our anniversary is approaching. And the girls' birthday, too. And Thanksgiving just before with Hanukkah right behind. And then I am getting on a plane by myself with the girls to take them on a trip to New Orleans during Christmas week since Hubby will be here on double ER call. That is intimidating to me too, but I think I should just resolve to get completely drunk on the plane and everything that happens will just roll right off my back, like water off a duck. Right?!?!!?

Whew. I feel a little better now. So on with post-its!!!

Jennifer Aniston denies her wish Susan Boyle hit Angie with stick

Talking about the rumors that she wished that Susan Boyle would hit Angie with her stick, she responded with a laugh, "Oh, that's just some silly magazines getting their Jolies."

"Now I'm into it with Jolie AND Boyle! What does it matter? OK. I'm sorry Susan. I wouldn't compare your behavior with Angelina's in any way."

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Blake Lively wants to have hair like Jennifer Aniston

any ladies would like to have Blake Lively's hairstyle and Blake finds it strange. When she was small, she admired Jennifer Aniston's hair.

She tells Billy Bush about people's admiration about her hair, “It’s crazy.It’s very flattering. It’s kind of weird reading that because, you know, here I was when I was a kid wanting my hair to look like Jennifer Aniston’s.”

Then she continues“The way I do my hair in the morning, when I go to set on Gossip Girl, I just put my hair in a bun dry it and just twist it up in a ballerina bun, do my make-up and take it out and then it’s wavy. I like my hair to look not too done. I think it looks pretty if it looks like maybe it was curled the day before and then you wake up and it’s just like the sexy, messy look.”

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Jennifer Aniston wore sexy bikini in Cabo

Jennifer Aniston was spotted wearing a purple sexy bikini in Cabo, Mexico on Friday (November 13)

She was there with her friends. She still look great in her 40's.

Image soource from http://www.fadedyouthblog.com

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