New Mom Gift Idea – Timi and Leslie Diaper Bags

How can we resist the style of this adorable Timi and Leslie overnight diaper bag?

Made of quality leather, this fabulous diaper bag is loaded with accessories, all sporting a tasteful circus animal theme. Packed inside, you’ll discover a plethora of baby essentials including an insulated bottle tote, a detachable shoulder strap and a whole bunch of fobs to attach your keys too. Also, there’s a changing pad, a diaper mat, a wrist bag, a medicine case and a baby wipes bag. Other features that we like are the waterproof lining and the zip up bottom that opens up a big space to store baby clothes.

A celebrity favorite, this little number has been spotted sported by Kelly Ripa, Faith Hill, Cindy Crawford and many more.

We snagged ours from Baby Oliver Boutique for a bargain $85.95

Steve McNair

Normally there is a big divide in our house hold over the purpose of anything sports related. Basically my husband sees the historical significance and statistical importance of a game – I see a bunch of overgrown children (eh..men) reliving their youth by throwing an object made of rubber/animal skin. So needless to say that the murder of Steve McNair should have basically gone unnoticed. However, I have to say, sadly this story has a little of something for everyone. Murder, Romance, Tragedy, Sports Legacy…it is all there. But what I want to discuss is what no one else is.

Well we are all saying it in our heads but not out loud. Because every wife….everywhere…WANTS to say….”See!?!? See what cheating gets you!?” Not to say that he deserved to be shot in the head, or in the chest…(Personally I would have okayed a mild beating from her own family member (father, son, brother, etc.) but not what he got.)

But I have to say there is a snideness to the commentary when I talked to any woman that is aware of what is going on. (Which frankly in my clique of women this story is referred to as “that football guy that got shot by his girlfriend because he was cheating on his wife and MOTHER OF HIS FOUR KIDS. (Insert explicative here).”   Frankly, that’s just the way we roll: we could care less about the impressive work ethic on the field or his overall passing yards. We don’t care what his arms, legs, or throwing shoulder could do…cause we are all focusing on what other parts of him did. Everyone close to the family claims that the wife did not know at all about the girlfriend….Yeah I can believe that because oh I don’t know…maybe she was really busy raising HIS FOUR CHILDREN. (Although I don’t care who you are, professional athlete should always be a red flag.)

Anyway, here is the question of the day…as the widow what do you do? I mean she has GOT to be FURIOUS – does she go to the funeral and say all nice things? Do you express any sort of anger? I like to think I would be classy about it but I think I would be slipping right and left in that eulogy. My comments would read something like:  “I will really miss his smile ..that cheating bastard.” “He was a wonderful husband…when he was not sleeping around with 20 year olds he met at Dave & Busters.” I guess you bite your tongue for the children that have already been disappointed enough by one parent…but how unfair that his wife has to not only endure the embarrassment, betrayal, and pick up the pieces of her children’s broken hearts – she can’t even say what she wants t?! She doesn’t even have the right to find out about the affair and yell and scream and vent.

What would I say? I don’t know what I would say if I was in the wife Mechelle’s shoes but I know at the end of the day…I think all I am going to say to my husband today is one simple word….”SEE?!”

Jaime Foxx : Underachiever

So of course every single radio station I turn to has the song “Blame it on the Alcohol.”  Seriously, if you haven’t heard it, it is time for an intervention. But let’s just say that since this song could be a personal anthem for more than one of my friends, I was curious who sang it. Anyway, realizing what a fine tune it is, I looked to find out who sings it. Turns out it is Jamie Foxx.  I was like…wait what? What a talented bastard this guy is.

He was in  TON of crazy good movies:  Jarhead, Ray, the Kingdom, not to mention a successful television career – he was on the show Roc, In Living Color and then he had his own WB show. He won an Oscar for Ray, then was nominated again in the same year for another movie. He is one of only five performers to have both a Billboard #1 single and an Oscar for acting. The others are Barbra Streisand, Cher, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Oh yeah, and because that wasn’t enough he has also has an awesome voice (he actually sang in that movie Ray – amazing!) and is dropping cds for the club….Great….no really Jaime could you just try to be something or do something with your life?! !

I mean honestly, I couldn’t do ONE of the things successfully in a lifetime and this guy…he is just dropping cds, throwing on glasses, swaying his head and winning Ocars. Oh yeah..and he is actually pretty good looking.  Of course.

If you just don’t feel quite impressed yet, you have to check out his long list of accomplishments here. Seriously. It is nauseating.

I mean does God even count out the talents he gives people? There is no turn taking or rationing them out kind of thing?  And the funniest part about it, is that he is all discreet about it – he is like the Russian assassin of talent. Look at Britney Spears — I mean the movie Crossroads was just crap, and while I believe she is a great entertainer her voice is mediocre at best. Yet she is everywhere, as if she is some amazing artist with dynamic and ever changing talent.

So today we celebrate the many talents of Jaime Foxx..Congratulations on being so awesome….Maybe we should get this guy working on a cure for cancer. I am sure he would find it in between his next Oscar winning movie,  and his next sold out concert.

No I am NOT bitter….I blame it on the alcohol.

Good Bye Michael Jackson – We Loved You!

Just received some terrible news! Today at 6:15 EST and 3:15 PST, Michael Jackson was pronounced dead at UCLA Hospital. The news reported he suffered a cardiac arrest, fell into a coma and died shortly thereafter!

This was quite shocking to me! I loved Michael Jackson as a young girl. As a matter of fact, I had a HUGE crush on him! His death was quite a shock! What a sad day! We’ve truly lost a unique and rare talent who transcended race, color and sexuality in the 80′s.
Can you believe he was the first black artist to be aired on MTV’s videos in 1982 ???

I posed this old photo of him as that is how I remember him in his best years. It feels like an entire era of my childhood has died with him. Michael was with me when we left Bulgaria and drove 3 days to Austria. I remember my mother saying how talented he was. I remember being in Austria as a political refugee with my parents and listening to Billy Jean in 1989 in our room. I loved dancing and trying to do the moonwalk while my parents were out working. Those were some of the most difficult years of my life. I didn’t speak much German, I was sort of isolated as we had just left all our friends and everything we knew for a chance to come to the United States and live a better life. For 2 years in Austria, Michael Jackson along with Madonna, was my favorite artist, my best friend, my dancing partner and probably one of the things that made me happy for a few minutes a day. Every time I hear one of his songs, I remember that time in my life.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who associates him with certain times of my life. People usually feel very nostalgic about certain songs, foods, smells, sounds, etc. that remind of periods in their lives. Michael Jackson is my teenage years so it was quite sad to hear he died today!

I hope his young children will be taken care of and will not suffer a lot. And I hope the media will let these children mourn properly and stay away from them and not turn this into a circus! This is not a spectacle! Unfortunately, what is most likely to happen is the same as Princess Diana’s death. The media will probably start hashing out all dirt and anything else they can find on this poor man for months now.

Once in a while, a true star is born, that shapes the tastes and fashion of the world! A star and introduces never-before-seen moves, sounds, looks, and influences others for decades! Michael Jackson is absolutely one of those stars. A true legend!

Rock on Michael! You will live forever in our hearts through your music and through the inspiration you have brought up in younger artists and through the memories you have created in all of us!

Baby Mama Drama: Gisele & Bridget

I was really shocked at the recent backlash against Gisele over her discussion of her stepson. While I am not a stepmom or a mother of children with a stepmom in their life,  I have had to share my children in perhaps the most unusual, and intimate way through a gestational surrogacy. With that in mind I feel I have a little more right to say what I am about to say.

First of all, Gisele was probably put in an awkward position. Her interviewer probably asked her how she felt about her stepson, or something to that effect. Now, let’s look at her options here: 1. She says she will not comment on him. ( That is going to get twisted in the press to make it seem like she either does not want to acknowledge him or that she doesn’t want to speak about it because there is an issue there. 2. She can say that she has a hard time being the stepmom, hates that his boyfriend’s ex was knocked up 5 minutes before they started dating or that she can’t stand the kid (that is all not going to work for obvious reasons) 3. She can talk about how much she really loves the kid, realizes that he has a mother but SHE loves him as if her is her own.  Here is what she said:

“I understand that he has a mom and I respect that,” Bundchen said of the son from Brady’s previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynihan. “But, to me, it’s not like because somebody else delivered him that’s not my child. I feel it is, 100 percent.”

Okay and this is a problem because!?

First off all, in this cruel and crazy world the more people that love your child the better. Would there be preferable for her to treat him as if he was someone else’s child!? Would everyone really feel better if she said “Well he isn’t really mine, so he is okay I guess.”

I hope if (God forbid) my children for some reason end up with a stepmother she feels as if they are her own. Why in the world would any mother NOT want to hear these words from the woman that your child is being cared for out of her presence?

Oh wait…I know. The green monster…

The ONLY reason why a woman would NOT want to hear these words is for the sake of her own ego – and there is no room for ego in motherhood. A mother should want what is best for her child at all times, regardless of her own emotional needs to be honored, respected, etc. as the mommy. Motherhood is about gettincg over yourself. Period.  I am not completely insensitive to how bad this must SUCK for Bridget (the mom). I mean let’s just see the raw deal she got – she finds out she is pregnant, her ex does not come back, makes a bigillion dollars, dates the world’s biggest SUPERMODEL…and does it ALL in the public eye. Yeah. Seriously, that otally is just a raw deal. But I again say….IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU. Once you have a child, it is about the child.

While Gisele’s words may be a little rough (let’s also remember there is a little bit of a language barrier too. People that learn English as a second language don’t always translate exactly right.) her sentiment is dead on.

The other issue everyone seemed to have was the Gisele was “parading the baby around.” Um really!? She was at the park with the baby, and then at a family outing with Brady and the baby.  She wasn’t exactly bringing him to a Victoria Secrets red carpet event. (Side Note: How freaking popular is that little boy going to be with his friends in his latter years!?) Anyway, she is taking the kid out..in public. Is that a complete no-no? Should she create some sort of bubble or something? I mean give me a break. The kid was nearly a year before we even saw him in a photo with her so obviously she was keeping him under wraps while he was little and fragile.

So in sum, I say – get over it Mommy. If you are the real class act  everyone believes you to be and you are thinking of what is best for your son you would suck it up, defend her in the press to some degree and simply say she is lucky her son has so many people that love him so much and leave it at that. Just as I know with my sons, at the end of the day your child knows who their “real mommy” is and no one is going to change that.

Celebrities Weight Issues: Boo-who

Today, as I waited in a hallway for the 4,643rd time this week for a child in an activity, I amused myself by reading a celebrity gossip magazine. And I got a huge laugh, and then felt totally annoyed after I read all about about some “actress” who was whining about the pressures to be thin, and how hard she has it because there is so much pressure to be thin. Now, I am totally with her on the standard for women in Hollywood is ridiculous – I mean a size 4 should not be considered “curvy” but there is a deeper issue here, that really annoyed me.

The actress acted as if she was feeling some unique struggle, or pressure unique to Hollywooed but the truth is I think we ALL feel that pressure. While we may feel pressure not to be a size 0 or size 2, most real women feel the same pressures – and we feel it without a trainer, a chef and all the help in the world.

The women in Hollywood probably DO feel a lot of pressure to be thin – but guess what!? So do women in real life. And you know what?! We don’t have a personal trainer, chefs, and two nannies per child. We are expected to look thin and we are not paid for it, praised for it, made designer outfits for it, or assisted in any way. It is not our offical “JOB” to look good, in fact it is just one of the countless responsibilities we have, but it is a celebrities job. We don’t get ANY money, let alone millions of dollars when we go back to our pre-pregnancy weight. As an actress it IS your job to look good. If you don’t want to deal with that pressure or anyone else commeting on your appearance – don’t make a career out of what you look like. It is like a fireman complaining that he loves his job but hates the heat of fire. If your job IS TO LOOK GOOD and you don’t like that pressure – get a different job.

I look at my friends, other women – you know that have real lives and responsibilities, and they all feel a great amount of pressure to be thin too. Looking at these women, the working moms, the stay at home moms with no help, you know the ones that get up at 5 am to hit the gym or do everything they can to manage to stay fit IN SPITE of all they have to do, made me realize what a disgrace these actresses are.

Blocking the bar : Breastfeeding Covers

 So with three toddlers to chase, and a baby to feed this all is going to add up to disaster. I can just see myself trying to push a cart at Target, feeding the baby, and screaming at the other three to PAY ATTENTION. Then I will probably have Max and Ty lifting the blanket I am desperately trying to cover my “girly bits “with. I am thinking using just a little blanket to cover myself is soooo not going to work.  I just ordered a  Peanut Shell Breastfeeding Cover and I think it is pretty rad. I feel all hippie chic pregnant. It is defintely great to have it attached so that I have an extra hand free and don’t have to try to move around to keep the blanket up. Been there, done that with the twins and it did NOT work out. I flashed more people breastfeeding than a stripper at a peep show (and I didn’t get a buck out of it!)  I LOVE LOVE LOVE their hippie dippie slings (Baby Bjorn STINKS!!). The patterns are so damn cute, and not queer.  Oh my God Kate Hudon is sooo going to want to be ME.

Jennifer Lopez : Hellllooo Mama

    I hear a lot of people talking about Jennifer Lopez, discussing how “huge” she is and I find it INCREDIBLY ANNOYING. First off all, the woman is pregnant – and pregnant with not one but TWO humans. Do you realize we are looking at 3 people in this picture?? Secondly I am the last person in the world to cut any celebrity any slack – they have personal trainers, and nannies, and chefs and it is their JOB to look good. That all being said, a pregnant woman is off limits in my book. Most of these celebrities are so damn hungry they probably just get pregnant so they can actually EAT. I love Jenny McCarthy’s book Belly Laughs because she talks about how she gained a TON of weight, and it was mostly because she was so thrilled she could actually eat! I have to say, having been pregnant many times,  no matter what I did I always gained the same amount (Okay except for my first pregnancy where I lived on Mexican food and donuts but every first pregnancy is a freebie. ) I think she looks great. Okay a bit bloated but her face looks so pretty a bit more filled out. Leave the girl alone. Let her have her moment in the sun to bask in her pregnancy glow. Can’t we all be respectful enough to wait until the babies are 6 months old to start critisizing her and calling her fat when she ONLY back to a size 6?! What is  this world coming to!?

Ah goo Baby Pads: Adult sizes??

I know as parents we are never supposed to begrudge or be jealous of our children, but I bought a baby gift today that I am incredibly jealous of because I want them to make a giant one.  Most of the diaper changing pads I have are pretty lame. I mean there are either like plastic and flimsy or they are cloth and hard to clean. Today I found the Cadillac of diaper changing pads they are made by Ah goo baby .  First of all the pad itself has this made of the type of foam you find when you lay down on those Tempur-Pedic beds in Brookstone. (Wait, those aren’t for naps for tired mothers?!) Anyway, it is super soft foam and then the cover is like this pure white almost furry, soft as silk little cashmere..yummy material. And best of all IT only comes in really cute patterns that DO NOT include cartoon characters or horrific licensed themes.  Then this amazingly soft and thick pad ….get this….ROLLS UP and then closes with an elastic tie at each end. It is like a big cushy yoga mat for babies …but to clean their poop not meditate. Seriously, they need a celebrity baby to endorse this thing because unlike most baby products there days it is actually unique. (Apple, Suri you available??) The ONLY problem with it!? It doesn’t come in adult sizes.

Hugh Hefner : Wants to be a daddy at age 80

At the ripe age of 80, Playboy Magazine founder Hugh Hefner is considering fathering another child.

“I wouldn’t say that there’s a plan, but there has certainly been a conversation,” he told The New York Daily News.”I don’t know if at this age it is physically possible but we’ve certainly talked about it and it’s certainly a possibility.

I think ‘probability’ is probably an overstatement but ‘possibility’ is very real. It began as a wish, and now it’s becoming, I mean, on Holly’s part, it’s a more serious conversation.”

Holly is 27-year-old Playboy Playmate Holly Madison, one of Hugh’s three live-in girlfriends, and the star of his E! reality show “The Girls Next Door.” Holly is considered his #1 girl, among his other two, Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt. On the show, she has repeatedly expressed her desire to have a baby with Hugh.

“This is the one,” he said of Holly. “It’s fascinating — I mean, with all the years and the romantic adventures and the marriages, etc. — to find something as special as this at this stage in my life is a miracle.”

Hugh already has four children from his previous two marriages, including his daughter, 54-year-old Christie Hefner, who is the chairman and CEO of his brainchild, Playboy Enterprises.

 

 

Um…really people. One word. Eww.

I am sure we are just as excited about this idea as his 54 year old daughter. And what shall we get her for a “sibling gift” to make her feel special too?

On the bright side, they can share a diapers, a double stroller, and get matching Feetsie pajamas. Although rumor has it, the baby will not be breastfeed because those Hugh will NOT share.

Source: NY Daily News

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