I’ve finally, after 3 years of toiling away on this site, made it to Internet fame.
Maybe you, like many others who email me to ask if I’ve taken up modeling or extreme dieting, have seen my photo featured in advertisements such as the one on the left of the screen shot below.
I contacted AdBlade, but the below ad is by Pulse 360. My photo seems to switch ads and companies. The link goes to a fakey fake Rachel Ray Diet website hocking a potion guaranteed to make you lose weight. The website owner is “private.”
I thought it was Facebook selling my photo to third party users, but I fixed all the preferences in Facebook and the ads are still appearing.
As soon as I find out who is using my photo, unauthorized, all over the Internet I’m sending them a bill.
This book gives insight into how a housewife with five children became the first female Speaker of the House in America.
It’s a fast easy read too. I always loved a good autobiography as a tween and teen. This book would be appropriate for a 5th grade reader and up. I tried to get Ainsley to give it a go, but Junie B. beckoned her instead.
What I liked best about Nancy’s retelling of her rise to power is that it wasn’t necessarily a rise to power. It was more like a gradual, softly stepping up where she was needed after her first priorities had been met.
She doesn’t talk about anxiously awaiting the time when her children were out of the house so she could finally make an impact on the world. Rather she acknowledges that making babies and growing children was the most fun, and most important thing, she felt she could be doing when she was a housewife.
She was an active Catholic and an active Democrat, participating in her local Democratic Party, which is where her rise to the most powerful woman on Capitol Hill began.
At the mundane Democratic meetings accepting positions like Library Board Member and behind the scenes Democratic Chair, first local and then national, positions.
Only when her oldest child was a senior in high school and told her mother to “get a life,” did she first run for a Senate seat. Twenty years later, with a hundred baby steps in between, she finally achieved Speaker of the House status.
I just like that story. I don’t know about you, but I often have to remind myself that I will have a long life after my children are grown up. There is no rush. Baby steps is how everything great is done. Enjoy this phase of my motherhood, because it is short and fleeting.
With all the Photoshopping that goes on, do you ever reflect on the beautiful women in your life and notice that it’s the “flaws,” freckling, variation in tone, hairlines, creases and wrinkles that make them uniquely, authentically beautiful? Especially when their laughing and all their crows feet and laugh lines and forehead wrinkles really bunch up?
I do. I have some stunningly beautiful friends and family who even don’t know how interesting and attractive-looking they are. Many of them wear little to no makeup. Sometimes they don’t feel so beautiful because they keep all these Photoshopped images in their heads of “beauty.”
I wish my daughter would be immune to the impact of Photoshop and it’s “perfect” beauty that takes all the nuance of a face away.
Peter Lindbergh photographed famous models without makeup or Photoshop in September’s Vogue. A preview of the issue can be seen on Models.com.The result is so much more interesting. So much more authentically beautiful. This is what these women look like to their husband’s and children. Untouched-up.
When I was 16 years old, I was stark-raving mad boy-crazy. Promiscuous, extremely provocative. My parents, my whole family, were fundamentally religious and I simply could. not. be. contained. I was hyper-sexual. However much my parents, my religion, my school pushed for purity and abstinence I resisted.
I wanted to attract. A mate. Boys. A boyfriend. I wanted to be hot. I was hot. I loved being hot. It was wildly exciting to attract boys. It was a total adrenaline rush to feel super . . . attractive and sexual. It was extremely stimulating to dress in a way that made my mother shudder.
Inappropriate, to say the least, from my current parental perspective. Inappropriate for my seven-year-old daughter and three-year-old son for sure.
Which is why I did not sit down with my young children and partake of The Teen Choice Awards. My kids are not a teens and they are not ready for this. I’m not ready for this.
In case you think the world has just ended because Miley Cyrus danced provocatively in front of other stark-raving mad, hormonally charged teenagers – just remember, girls generally come off this type of sex-crazed high once they get married and have children. Granted, this did not prove true for Britney Spears (yet). Still, most of us tend to come to our senses during motherhood.
I still love Madonna. A love born as a young teenager watching her be powerfully provocative and sexually experimental in the ’80s. Loved her then and love her now. How is this different? Like a Virgin, Papa Don’t Preach, anyone?
Just think of it as a Law of Attraction. It’s part of biological law that 16 year old girls are going to be intent on attracting attention to their sexuality. Once they’ve fulfilled their biological drive and reproduced they’ll see the whole mating-dance thing . . . as inappropriately as we do now.
What’s different about her sister Noah being photographed on a pole and her older sister Miley’s?
My daughter, like every five-year-old girl loves the Disney Princesses. I mean, we can’t really walk through any store without seeing clothing, dolls, books, backpacks, flash cards, puzzles, games, dress up clothes, videos, bed spreads or shoes that aren’t logoed with these girls.
Since banning the princess paraphernalia we like to play a little game. She tries to think up a princess who was an empowered girl and I explain to her why that princess is not an acceptable role model.
What’s wrong with Ariel, The Little Mermaid? Ainsley asks.
First, Ariel made a deal with the devil, Ursula is pretty much the evil devil character in the story. You must never assume the devil will look a certain way. You should never believe anyone who tells you they can give you something you desire if you give up your talents. Because most likely they are lying.
Second, Ariel had the gift of a beautiful voice. That’s a talent given to her by God. When God gives you a gift or a talent you don’t ever trade that for some guy. I don’t care who the guy is, if he loves you, there will be room for your gifts and talents to flourish.
Third, Ariel fell for the first man she saw. Smart girls date and have a few boyfriends before they settle down and get married. See, it takes practice and trying different boyfriends out before you really know what kind of man will be best for you. Never marry the first man you see.
Fourth, Ariel gave up her family for the prince. True love will never require that you abandon your parents or siblings or friends or life. If a man wants you to give up family or friends to be with him, then he doesn’t really love you.
Fifth, Ariel gave up her voice. No man worthy of your love will want you to give up your voice. You have important things to say, valid and worthy things. Any man you marry should encourage you to say what you think and voice your opinions. Don’t ever, ever let a man silence you.
by Nancy Pelosi on a flight from Salt Lake City to Dallas.
or 
where the messages are you can save yourself and you’re already whole and complete.
