Ascending: rising or increasing to higher levels, values, or degrees
Butterflies: The change from caterpillar though to the chrysalis and emergence as a butterfly is the greatest change in the animal world. It symbolises significant change in the course of one’s life, personality or way of thinking.
Putting them together brings us on an upwards journey of change and transformation, isn't that what we all strive for?
I so wish this post wasn't necessary. I walked away from my computer and dis-connected for 24 hours thinking very hard about this. I cooked stick to your ribs favorite meals, because cooking has always been a form of meditation for me. I had hoped the initial feelings that prompted me to want to write this would dis-appear but they haven't.
So that means it must be said.
WARNING: This isn't your friendly, happy, butterfly post, so if you'd rather perceive me as an emotionless creature, stop here. Seriously, stop here.
I'm a liberal who is teased often for it because I lead a very conservative life. I tend to live and let live, but something happened yesterday that just bares sharing. I attended a 'childrens themed' movie film screening, and the all around lack of ethics just totally appalled and disgusted me to be frank.
I spent a year writing where I was 'PR Free' and that included events too. I had read so many horror stories about blogging conferences and events, with people skipping the lines, pushing people and being un-professional, impolite and all around 'entitled' and 'obnoxious'. I didn't want to be around that kind of un-professional behavior (particularly because I'm still also in print publishing), and I didn't want to be associated with that.
It took a long time for me to admit that I was a part of this world and had to immerse myself in it to allow my brand to grow.
Yesterday at the film screening, early birds were asked to wait in the lobby until 3:30 when they would be letting people up.
For the most part a line naturally formed, so I breathed a sigh of relief. Soon there were children running like it was a park, hitting other children with sweaters and running up and down stairs. Oddly enough, many 'moms' were rolling their eyes saying "I would never let MY kids act like THAT", yet their children were doing the same thing they were complaining about as they were on their smart phones paying their children no mind.
Then some self entitled bloggers were walking right up to the front of the line that had formed. Then a group of them went up the escalator with their kids despite being asked NOT to. They were sent back down, and then decided to stand in FRONT of the formed line (you would think the embarassment of being asked to NOT to go up there and then be sent back down for doing so would make them humble).
I guess it's no surprise that the more entitled the parent was, the more obnoxious the child was right?
I'm going to preface this by telling you I taught Special Ed. I taught children with Special Needs and various degrees of skill set and learning ability. I had parents and family of those students watch me in action and I was told I had the patience of a Saint. I'm NOT saying this for a pat on the back.
I also was the first and ONLY teacher who was allowed to take the 'Special Ed' class to the same places around the city that only the mainstream classes had previously enjoyed.
I had managers and employees of venues tell me my classes were welcome back at ANYTIME. That my class was the most inquisitive, polite and well-behaved. Again I am NOT saying this for a pat on my back.
My dears if I can keep 30-40 children not only out of trouble and safe for almost 8 hours per day you should be able to do the same. If you are self-enttiled and obnoxious and think that by raising your children to do the same you are doing them a service you are WRONG.
The event goes on to un-fold into a nightmare of BS I feel I should NOT have been subjected to. Myself and my guest picked a row that was not roped off, did not have anything on the chairs (which would indicate they were occupied) and my guest has vision restrictions and needs to face a movie screen a certain way to ensure she would be able to see. We were asked after we had entered early enough and got seated, and after the theater got crowded for us to move off center several rows back to accomodate a child's seating preference. My guest was going to accomodate, but I didn't give her the chance to, she explained about her vision problem, and I told her she shouldn't have felt like she had to do that, I looked up and said NO! No is becoming my motto and my mantra this year. The word is more liberating than my butterfly wings are.
So first the craziness in the lobby, then this left me with a bad taste in my mouth already, but it gets better. There were two girls in front of us. The one in front of me spent the ENTIRE movie crying and yelling 'I'M SCARED' (by the way she was NOT a toddler, and this movie was NOT scary). The 'mother' and I use that term beyond loosely kept 'reasoning' with her. So we had to hear the annoying loud crying and then the 'mother's' non-stop talking as she 'reasoned' with her.
She needed to take her outside until she calmed down, or NOT bring her if she knew full well that at her age she was not capable of sitting still and being quiet.
The little monster in front of my guest was using her chair as a bouncy seat and pushing back with all her might rocking the chair back with so much force within a centimeter of her knee cap. We kept asking the 'child' to stop, not only did the 'child' give us a dirty look, it gets better, the 'mother' and I again I am using this term loosely, looks at us (as if looks could kill) and tells us tersely to 'SHUT UP!' and to learn how to speak to children.
That made me break out laughing which seemed to make this so called 'mother' more angry, because you can't fight or argue with someone who is actually laughing AT you and not with you. She then tells her daughter 'Don't listen to them. Ignore them. They have no right to speak to you that way, and I apologize for them.' I told her not to apologize for me because I was not sorry, and I told her 'If you don't like people reprimanding your child, then be the parent and do it yourself so no one will have to.'
I'm sick and tired of parents who wear their title as some badge of honor while their children are acting like little animals in public. Being encouraged by her own mother to ignore us made her more defiant. She kept looking back at us defiantly and began her rocking again. This time I looked right at her mother and told her, I'm an adult and I'm stronger, the next time she rears back I will kick that chair so hard it will propel her in mid air. And I also told her I would be waiting for her outside where we could continue this lovely conversation in private and not in a theater where we are supposed to be 'working'.
Just because it was a children's screening, doesn't mean we were supposed to be acting like children.
That theater at the end of that screening was the most filthy I have ever seen a theater, and I swear to God if someone writes that the theater hires ushers for a reason and that it's their job to clean it all up, I will really lose it.
People had the nerve to go 'That sound is so nasty' as they were leaving their rows to exit, when it was THEIR kids that left candy and popcorn on the floor. Two water bottles and one soda bottle rolled down the aisle during the movie hitting people in the ankle.
The people behind me kept kicking the chair.
I came out of that event so disgusted by the sense of entitlement that some people have and then they actually continue that poor behavior by teaching it to their children.
If you think allowing your child to mouth off at adults and act the fool is going to make them independent and successful you are sorely and sadly mistaken.
When your 'precocious'/'independent' child steps into a classroom, they have to abide the teachers rules. When they go into the workforce they have to abide by their boss's rules. YOU will NOT be there to protect them. When their nasty little mouth gets them detention (and they end up seated next to a troubled kid with a switchblade), you will not be able to get them out of it. When their nasty attitudes get them fired, even if you have your own business they can come and work for, that won't take away the fact they couldn't cut it at work because they can't take direction.
A 'Mother' isn't just a woman who had an infant slide out of her birth canal. There is WAY more to it than that. Part of your job title is "teacher', 'guide', and disciplinarian.
Apparently these 'women' and 'mother's don't know about "The Look". The Look is NOT an urban myth, it's not a urban legend, and it goes beyond the fodder of comedy shows where you probably heard the reference.
Let me explain how to use the look and what each look means:
Look one - This means: 'I saw you engaging in that in-appropriate behavior, STOP IT NOW!' - Even if the child doesn't repeat the behavior, they know this is going to be discussed when they get home anyway.
Look two - This means 'No you didn't just do that again, STOP IT NOW! I realize even adults can forget, this is warning two' - Now this is not only going to be discussed when we get home, you will face repercussions for your actions.
Look three - This varies, with some parents you get it then and there, with others this means 'STOP NOW! Because I'm about to tear that little a$$ up!' Look three stops ALL children who have the look system incorporated into discipline to STOP in their little tracks right then and there.
Look three is NOT a question, it's an answer. If you didn't get hit on the spot, you were going face major punishment when you got home.
The Look is actually meant to eliminate the need for corporal punishment. Used properly and consistently you should actually never have to hit them to teach them how to behave. It should be prefaced by a talk that outlines how you expect to them to behave wherever it is you are taking them.
Here is an interesting perspective on discipline and The Look that I found on YouTube:
I waited for 'mouthy mom' outside the theater, but she was more desperate to get a gift bag than to be held accountable for her actions. Karma is a B. She ran into me again in the bathroom where she seemed to have nothing to say, and I told her I'd see her outside the theater. And I did. She walked away in the opposite direction so fast with those monsters of hers in tow, and yes I gave her 'The Look'. Apparently she must know what it means because she couldn't get away fast enough, since she understood it, she should use it with her child and then maybe that encounter wouldn't have been necessary.
Sorry 'mothers', but you are harming your children and doing them a dis-service in life if you don't teach them common sense, rules and discipline and how to act in public. You are also hurting yourself, because if you tell them ignoring adults is OK then eventually they will ignore you too, and you will be so sorry when they become teens at risk. But personally I don't care what they put YOU through you deserve it if you don't want to instill common sense in them, but I DON'T.
I'm not invited to screenings because of my pretty face. I'm invited because I have well over 175K in overall monthly site hits. I was a professional film critic for print, this is work for me. I'm there to do a job, and I shouldn't have to put up with crap to do my job because you are an inept parent.
There are certain toy companies that host events in the city and on the invitation make it clear that no children are allowed. And I would hear some moms rant about this when they saw each other. They would all send nasty emails. Threatening emails, well if I can't bring my kid and you won't pay for a baby sitter I won't come. And in my mind I would always think 'yeah right 'ladies' you wouldn't tell your employer that, and you can't tell the brand that either, this is WORK, be a professional.' The sad part is, it's because those kids act like animals that they are not welcome. I personally applaud those brands, and I also do so with my support. I attend every event those brands throw, because they are a breath of fresh air, I don't have to worry about things flying through the air, kids bumping into everything, knocking things down and worse.
I'm tired of hearing women use the term 'mom' and 'mother' and 'motherhood' like it's some badge of honor and they've done something noble simply by giving birth. The job isn't over when you push the kid out, RAISE them, REAR them, TEACH them, GUIDE them, then you get to put on your badge.
And yes I'm expecting feedback from this post, I'm even sure the mothers of those little poorly reared children will have something to say (despite the fact I waited for them and they didn't have the nerve to do it in person), I'd tell you to be respectful, but if you weren't capable of handling your own child and teaching them to be respectful you probably will be even less capable of it, behind the security of your computer.
BTW, the movie itself was fantastic, and I will review it in a separate post. I get that child-rearing and discipline are always going to vary, but teaching your children how to behave in public and that there are expectations of proprietary and decorum in public and consequences for their action should be a given, I personally don't care how you do it, I don't care if you incorporate "The Look" or you don't quite frankly, JUST DO IT!
How did YOUR parents teach you to behave in public places? Share here!
Fashion Week in New York City wasn't the only place where you could see new colors and fashions on the runway! Even in baby land there were Fashion Makeovers this month, and not just one but 3 new hot colors! This year’s hottest shades — bright copper, mossy green and slate gray — will be the featured fashions on BRITAX’s line of B-READY strollers. BRITAX blended fashion forecasting with customer research to identify and showcase these three new colors in 2013 on its popular B-READY stroller. Check them out:
Britax B-READY Stroller in newest fabric color 'Copper'
Britax B-READY Stroller in newest fabric color 'Moss'
Britax B-READY Stroller in newest fabric color 'Slate'
“Our fashion selection strategy involves more than just changing or mixing primary colors,” said Davis. “At BRITAX, we draw inspiration from fashion research, listen carefully to our customers, and then bring colors that appeal to a parent’s sense of style. Together, these three new colors complement our evolving, fashion-forward stroller line.” ~ Michelle Davis, Director of Fashion Design, BRITAX
According to Michelle Davis, Director of Fashion Design at BRITAX, the B-READY’s new slate (gray) color frequently appears in home interiors, as families move beyond basic neutrals in search of a stately shade to complement a range of colors. BRITAX selected moss because the green hue is trending upward in apparel and accessories. Copper is increasingly popular as a chic accent in jewelry and decorative metals. So now your stroller can actually blend in and integrate with your decor and lifestyle!
Besides being chic, the B-READY stroller features foam-filled rubber tires and four-point suspension to provide a smooth ride. Baby can comfortably and safely ride from age 6 months (or from birth, when used with an infant car seat) up to 55 pounds.
The top-selling single modular stroller supports growing families with its integrated CLICK & GO system. It easily converts into 14 configurations that can carry one or two children using any combination of the top seat, 2nd seat, bassinet and infant car seats (sold separately). Additionally, its reversible top seat accommodates four recline positions.
The BRITAX B-READY’s (MSRP: $499.99) sleek new fashions will be available online and in independent and major retailers this February.
My Take:
With a look that both mom and baby can wear straight off the runway, what's NOT to love? I'm evenly tied between the three colors to be honest, but was toying with changing my living room over and painting the walls gray so the timing on the new slate gray couldn't be more perfect!
Which is your favorite new color Butterfly? Sound off with a comment here, who knows, maybe we'll even see a giveaway of one of the new colors here soon!
FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I am a Britax Latina Advisory Board Member and Hispanic Digital Outreach Blogger. All opinions, ideas, and stories are 100% my own. You can connect withBRITAXon Twitter and Facebook.
t Are you an
Emotional Creature? Aren’t we all? With all the
noise this holiday season, I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss this
off-Broadway hidden gem!
Emotional Creature, the secret life of girls around the world
ABOUT EMOTIONAL CREATURE
Written by
Eve Ensler
Directed by Jo Bonney
Music & Music Direction by Charl-Johan
Lingenfelder
Discover, celebrate and embrace your Emotional Creature! From the woman who shattered taboos with The
Vagina Monologues, comes a compelling, 90-minute theatrical experience.
Tony Award winner Eve Ensler’s new play empowers the Emotional
Creature within every human being. Staged by Obie Award-winning
director Jo Bonney, with original music by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder, the bold
voice of a new generation takes center stage with a cast of six outrageous and
talented young actors. You’ll laugh, cry and dance with them as they share the
heartbreak and thrills of being a young, alive, Emotional Creature.
This limited engagement runs through January 13, 2013 and is
playing at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square
Signature Center at 480 West 42nd Street between 9th and
10th Avenues in New York City.
Cast:
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ- Ashley Bryant
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ- Molly Carden
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ- Emily S. Grosland
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ- Joaquina Kalukango
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ- Sade Namei
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ- Olivia Oguma
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ- Kaliswa Brewster
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ- Leanne Cabrera
Get Social With It:
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @EmoCreaturePlay and use the hashtag #EmotionalCreature in your tweet.
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to their YouTube channel and watch cool clips!
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-You can also Pin with the play on Pinterest too!
Left: Mama Butterfly and Right: ME! Ascending Butterfly
My Take:
Me being ‘The Official #TwitterPartyDJ’ it’s in
part because I’m really always thinking music, if I had to give you a song to
describe this play it would be Beyonce’s Run The World (Girls), much because
this play, like the song, is part rally cry, and total empowerment with a young,
vibrant, and passionate edge to it.
Each member of this cast put in an incredibly
strong performance, powerful, raw and poignant. This isn’t one of those ‘fun
time’ musicals, the subject matter is heavy make no mistake about it, it
addresses so many stages in the transition from young woman to adult with the
complexities and questions that come with that transition. Ultimately you leave
feeling transformed, and hopefully with the desire to truly empower the young
women in your life and community.
It's also a great play for mothers and daughters to see together, I saw it with Mama Butterfly, and while I'm well past my teen years, it definitely gave us quite a bit to talk about, and if you are a mom of a teenager, this is definitely a play you should see together. (I'm thinking a nice break in the midst of the insanity that is holiday shopping in New York City!)
Win/Win:
Check out the list of Media Partners who are offering some pretty sweet deals just for showing your ticket stub or program/Playbill! And don't forget about their not-for-profit partners, I Am Worth More, cultureID, and while they are technically not an NP, also check out, Motherhood Later... Than Sooner!
FTC Disclosure: I was provided with my tickets as a member of the Digital Press, however this did NOT influence my opinion, all opinions expressed herein are 100% my own. This is NOT a sponsored post, no monetary compensation has been received to share my impressions.
Statistics show that women have trouble taking a compliment. When you tell a woman her dress is beautiful, she is prone to say 'This Old Thing?'. Why is that?
I have always wondered why this was so, and so does Dove. If you do too, you can participate in a Nationwide Conversation where you can join women across the country from October 5-7th, when Dove will be holding a nationwide rally to talk about Beauty, Confidence and Self-Esteem. Use this weekend as the impetus to commit to talking to the girl in your life during this weekend and beyond about both Inner and Outer Beauty. It all starts with a simple conversation and it all starts with you! Anxiety About Looks Begins at an Early Age and holds girls back from reaching their full potential Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 72 percent of girls (ages 10-17) feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Only 11 percent of girls (ages 10-17) are comfortable using the word beautiful to describe themselves Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - When girls feel bad about their looks more than 60 percent globally (age 15 to 17) avoid normal daily activities such as attending school, going to the doctor, or even giving their opinion
Aren't those statistics sad and shocking? Don't know how to begin the talk? Download the Guide HERE, it gives you great starting points and questions you can ask to help you learn what your daughter, god-daughter, or niece feels about herself and about Beauty. The initiative is also available in Spanish, where it is titled 'Vive Mejor Hablemos' or "Let's Talk". As a Latina, I am super happy to see that the initiative is being done in Spanish as well as English! Empowering
our girls before society can knock down their self-esteem is essential! They
still won't find enough faces they can relate to in mainstream media, so
raising confident young women and instilling that within them while they are
still young is very important!
The initiative can be found on Facebook in both English and Spanish and you can follow the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag @Dove #DoveInspired as well.
My family was great at instilling Self-Esteem, which was important because the school system as well as other students when I was younger certainly tried to knock it down, and having that strong foundation made it easier for me to remain confident even when the world told me I shouldn't be, even when the television really didn't have any faces I recognized or could relate to. Even though I was born here, my mother was and my maternal Grand-Mother was too, and we spoke 'perfect' English, I was pulled out of an honors class and put into an ESL class WITHOUT my parents consent. That day I told my mother and the next morning she was at the school correcting the situation. But it was scary and was a confidence shaker, and even though it was quickly corrected it was just a reminder that I was 'different' somehow from everyone else.
But the things that rob young girls of confidence are universal issues, bullies, boys who don't know how to be respectful, and more, it's up to us to make sure we keep up with the pulse of what that young girl in our life is going through. For me as a lifelong music lover I keep track of all things music and videos, and the highly sexualized lyrics and videos of much of today's popular music is actually having a very detrimental effect on the Self-Esteem of young girls. We need to be sure they understand that being objectified isn't beautiful and they should NOT feel like that is how they need to act or look to be beautiful, to be confident, or to be accepted.
When one of my nieces was younger, she accompanied me and another of her Aunts to a popular department store and we were swimsuit shopping for an upcoming family vacation. She picked up the skimpiest bikini on the rack much to my dismay and ran to a mirror and held it up to herself and said she wanted it. I knew that was my opening. I did not want her thinking that was appropriate or acceptable, she was way too young for a bikini, but most importantly I wanted to understand why she felt that swimsuit was important to her. What made her think it would make her more beautiful?
Me being the youngest Aunt there is an automatic assumption I will be the 'fun Aunt', but being fun and allowing them to get away with murder are two very different things. I always turn out to be 'tougher' than they expect. But for me it's teaching them life lessons in a way that makes them understand how to make the right choices, not just for the adults in their lives to make it for them.
In my family Inner Beauty was given the importance many place in outer beauty, we were taught one of the most beautiful things you could do was share with others less fortunate. Achievements were recognized not with bribes for doing the right thing, but acknowledgement for a job well done.
Teenage actress and singerKeKe Palmer, a voice of inspiration for girls, will kick off the weekend with a march to Times Square inNew Yorkto call for a national discussion on girls' self-esteem. Dove is committed to inspiring all women and girls to reach their full potential, and the weekend is one of the many ways in which the brand brings to life its vision to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety.
KeKe Palmerwill join 250 members of Girls Scouts of theU.S.A., Girls Inc., Boys & Girls Clubs of America and The Young Women's Leadership Schools (TYWLS) as they march alongside their moms and mentors. The girls will carry signs saying "Let's Talk," in an effort to ask women everywhere to start a conversation on beauty anxiety that girls experience and how it impacts their self-esteem. My mom actually brought the First Girl Scout Troop to our borough, and I remember all the struggles she went through back then trying to find space, trying to rally the parents to take the organization and what it could do seriously and not just use it for a free after-school child sitting service.
"Like most girls there have been times when I have felt insecure about my looks," saysKeKe Palmer. "I am lucky enough to have a mom that I can turn to in these moments. She helps me feel more confident, and I know girls everywhere need and value that kind of encouragement. The Dove Self-Esteem Weekend is all about starting a conversation and helping girls develop a more positive relationship with beauty." ~ Keke Palmer
Even the Award Winning Keke Palmer has experienced being bullied on twitter, she recently confided in a Huffington Post Interview. Even celebrity does not shield girls from attacks to their self-esteem. Empower your girls today!
Amazing Things can Happen When We Come Together – in English AND in Spanish
Dove Self-Esteem Weekend events will take place in cities across the nation, including New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. Boys & Girls Club of Venice, Calif., will host an event for 1,000 people on Saturday, October 6th. Teen singer Jessica Jarrell, who joined the brand earlier this year as an ambassador for the "Women Who Should be Famous" program, will perform. In Miami, parenting expert, People en Espanol columnist Jeannette Torres-Alvarez will host a parenting workshop about helping girls develop a positive relationship with beauty. Look online at www.Dove.com/self-esteem for further details about an event near you.
The Dove Movement for Self-Esteem aims to reach 15 million girls globally with self-esteem programming by 2015. Together with experts and key partners, the brand has reached more than 9 million girls. The commitment to this goal is underscored with a Spanish-language web platform that will house self-esteem resources and reach countless more girls. Women who wish to access these materials in Spanish can visit www.vivemejor.com.
Your Purchase Counts - Discover the Dove® Difference
Dove is committed to inspiring all women and girls to reach their full potential. The Dove Movement for Self-Esteem invites all women to join us in creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. Each time you buy Dove you are helping them and their charitable partners provide inspiring self-esteem programming for girls. They have reached more than 9 million girls so far and with your help they can reach their target of 15 million by 2015. Your day to day purchases can help to empower so many!
As for me, I never felt more beautiful than when I presented my College Diploma to my Mother, it was her dream for me because she didn't get to finish, and I think we BOTH shined that day, check out our happy faces below:
Achievement is beautiful, Honesty is beautiful, teaching your daughter she's beautiful, letting her get that positive feedback from YOU will shield her from a world of hurt later on!
I already know what you are thinking! But Butterfly, you are NOT a mom what would YOU know about Parenting Stress?
Actually I probably manage more little ones at a time than you do, when you are the only single girl left amongst married siblings, you somehow become the built in babysitter. And not just to one of your siblings kids, but try ALL of them! (and sometimes without even being asked if it's OK to bring them all over, but that's a story for another post I'm sure!) Let's not also forget about the Godchildren!
Sometimes it's not just for an afternoon or a day, but entire weekends with a tribe running around my tiny NYC apartment wreaking all kinds of havoc. Don't get me wrong, I love my nieces and nephews, and as a blogger I thankfully have an assortment of things to keep them busy even at various ages, and that coupled with my background as a Special Ed teacher (many moons ago), I have learned a thing or two about patience throughout the years!
TV personality and father of two, Poncho de Anda and family
“Parenting can be overwhelming, but my wife
and I work together to constantly improve upon what we’ve learned over the past
few years with our children,” said Poncho de Anda. “And we’ve learned a lot –
like relying on Huggies diapers and wipes, which stand up to the tests of our little
ones and have helped us make it through long flights and even spaghetti night
with ease!”
My tips for managing Parenting Stress:
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - No Mom is an Island - Rally the Troops! - Remember when the baby was born, and everyone came to visit? They all OOhed and AAhed and promised to watch the baby like 'whenever'? Call in those markers ladies. Take an afternoon to yourself. I know you'll be tempted to run household errands with that precious time, but I highly suggest you take that time and do something for yourself. It will make you a happier mom/mami in the long run! (As a loving Auntie, I highly suggest calling and asking first!)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Treat MESS like a Virus - Quarantine it! - Try to keep the mess contained to one room. If you can keep kids in one designated play area (particularly in winter when they are stuck indoors) it will make things easier to manage later.
Poncho's Youngest, Dani
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Embrace your Inner Santa - That's right everyone likes an important job, tell your little elves, ahem I mean 'Helpers' how important their job is, and have them put away their toy as soon as they are done with that particular toy. Before taking out a new toy, make sure you put the first one away.
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Let Go of the Better Homes and Gardens Ideal - Very few of us have maids, butlers, gardeners, and pool boys, let go of the idea that your home should like the inside of a featured house in Better Homes and Gardens. When you are living your life, it sometimes gets messy!
Want a peek at how Poncho's family manages Parenting's Messes and Stresses? Take a look at the YouTube Video below:
Want a shot at a cool prize? Put the new and improved Huggies Diapers and Wipes to the test for a chance to win a fully stocked Huggies Diaper Bag by visiting Huggies Latino on Facebook!
With BlogHer swiftly approaching, I haven't had time to post as many reviews and giveaways as I'd like, so as I hear of neat giveaways going on online, I'll share them here! After the conference is over we'll resume with some fun giveaways of our own!
(P.S. - And if you are feeling tweety I still have one more day to bug you all for votes, please tweet this:
@KristinaLibby Pls pick @Ascending1 to go from Chrysalis to #Butterfly during #BlogHer12 with a #windowstyle #Makeover ow.ly/cvwOm
You can check out yesterday's post and Tuesday's for more information as to why I need you to tweet this!)
It is Mother's Day Weekend Butterflies! Wishing all my butterfly mamas a very happy Mother's Day! I hope you made your restaurant reservations early, but if you didn't or are planning something more low key like a Movie, what better than a movie themed with Moms in mind!
I had the pleasure of attending a very intimate special screening of Girl in Progress, giving me the chance to catch up with some bloggers and editors that I know and meet some new ones and also check out a release that is hitting a theatre near you this weekend.
Grace (played by Eva Mendes) is a single mom. She is too busy juggling work, bills, and the very married Dr. Hartford (played by Matthew Modine), to give her daughter, Ansiedad (played by Cierra Ramirez) the attention she desperately needs. When Ansiedad's English teacher, Ms. Armstrong (played by Patricia Arquette), introduces her students to classic coming-of-age stories, Ansiedad is inspired to skip adolescence and jump-start her life without mom. While Grace becomes preoccupied with the increasing affections of her co-worker (played by Eugenio Derbez), Ansiedad enlists the help of her loyal friend, Tavita (played by Raini Rodriguez), to plot her shortcut to "adulthood". But as her misguided plan unravels, Ansiedad and Grace must learn that sometimes growing-up means acting your age.
Distributor: Pantelion Films Cast: Eva Mendes, Matthew Modine, Cierra Ramirez, Raini Rodriguez Director: Patricia Riggen Running time: 90 Minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content including crude references, and drinking – all involving teens. Release Date: May 11, 2012
The relationship between a Mother and Daughter is a complex one, it evolves with each stage of your child's life and growing up. The movie delves into those critical years where a young teen is struggling with her identity, struggling to be the total opposite of her mom (because at that age, no one thinks it's cool to be like their parents), and the process of learning that life is really in the journey and not the destination so don't try so hard to move it ahead too quickly.
There are some cons for me, the main one is that Eva's character Grace is having an affair with a married man. I don't condone it, and as a Latina I of course wonder why this was put in there. Couldn't Grace be a bit immature, or a struggling single mom of a teenage daughter without having to have an affair with a Married Man? It just felt to stereotypical for me. Yes I know women of all races are capable of this behavior, but why did it have to be this one?
Second, the underage drinking which I also know is really happening out there, so if you want to look at it as a reflection of what is going on in some homes, then it's accurate, but I personally didn't feel so comfortable with that. If you are going to see this with a teen, use that scene as a discussion point after the movie and use it as an opportunity to re-iterate to your child what your stance is on drinking as a whole and on under-age drinking especially.
Now that being said, it was well cast and the daughter, Ansiedad, portrayed by Cierra Ramirez was definitely a stand out first performance from a break out young star in the making! Her best friend Tavita played by Raini Rodriguez (sister of Rico Rodriguez, who portrays Manny on the popular ABC Television Series Modern Family), was also a dynamic performance.
Eugenio Derbez, who plays Grace's co-worker, called 'Mission Impossible' by his co-workers at the restaurant where they work also gave a great performance in this movie, if you haven't already seen it, he was also fantastic in the movie 'Under the Same Moon', He was also in Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill, he is unquestionably one of Mexico's best-known actors, the most recognized actor among the Spanish-speaking population in the United States and I'm happy to see him breaking ground in the mainstream US market too.
If you decide to take in this movie, please come back here and let us know what YOU think!
FTC Disclosure: I was invited to attend a private screening of Girl in Progress, food & beverages and a lovely gift bag were provided to guests. However, all opinions regarding this film are 100% my own. Questions about our Disclosure? Please visit:http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html
There is a new musical playing at Broadway's Westside Theatre in New York City. Rated P For Parenthood made it's New York Premiere at the Westside Theatre off Broadway on February 8th with the official opening held February 26th. I had the opportunity to preview it last week and really enjoyed the mix of music, comedy, and how it captured the good, the bad and the ugly of parenting from a variety of perspectives.
Rated P For Parenthood Entire Cast in Delivery Vignette
The show, which features book and lyrics by Sandy Rustin and music and lyrics by Dan Lipton and David Rossmer has a unique take on parenting from conception to college. With a four person cast carrying the 90 minute show, it's a fast paced ride that shares both the joys and pains of parenthood. The cast features Courtney Balan (who has played in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change), Chris Hoch (who has played in Broadway's La Cage Aux Folles 2010 Revival), David Josefsberg (who has played in Broadway's The Wedding Singer) and Joanna Young (who played in Broadway's The Drowsy Chaperone). Director Jeremy Dobrish and Choreographer Rachel Bress keep a brisk and enjoyable pace to the vignette performances that keeps the audience engaged all the way through.
Butterflies you all know I'm not yet a mom, but this play isn't restricted to parents only despite the Parenthood title! I found it sometimes funny, sometimes touching and constantly engaging and entertaining, in fact I went to see it with my mom, and if you get the chance I'd advise you to do the same. Be it your mom, spouse or your bestie, I'm sure you'll be poking each other in the ribs and laughing together in no time! There are so many relatable moments. Some stand out vignettes included a total hysterical performance of Dad's perspective on taking the kids up to summer camp (no spoilers, but it's super funny and I won't say why), a mom up late because of her crying baby (touching), Dads waiting for their childrens Parent/Teacher conference (funny!), and very funny bit about moms and their childrens soccer coach. Again no spoilers, but those were definitely stand out performances.
Rated P for Parenthood Entire Cast in Summer Camp Vignette
While I'm not sure I'll ever be ready for Destination Parenthood, this play certainly chronicles the journey well! I definitely recommend it!
“Rated P for Parenthood” is currently running at the Westside Theatre (for an open ended run so I'm thinking it's the PERFECT Mother's Day or Father's Day gift for your mom or dad), the theatre is located at 407 W. 43rd St., New York. Call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.ratedpthemusical.com. You can also get social with Rated P for Parenthood on Facebook as well as Twitter.
FTC Disclosure: I was provided with tickets to this play as a member of the Digital press, no additional compensation has been received. All opinions are 100% my own. I was under no obligation to post.
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