What would our favorite Disney princesses be donning if they lived in our modern world? Sydney Emerson of Polyvore ponders this question in this collection of style collages.
What do you think? I especially love Snow White and Ariel’s!
Yesterday, I experienced one of the deepest disappointments in my experience of motherhood thus far.
Yesterday, Claire got physically violent toward her younger sister.
Aerin was trying to climb onto Claire’s chair — the seat she practically considers to be her throne — and Claire expectedly became upset. She then proceeded to KICK Aerin.
It wasn’t so bad. It was more of a slow shove with the foot than an actual kick, and I was right behind Aerin so she fell into my lap. Aerin seemed unfazed by the event and went about as if nothing had happened.
But while the kick/shove did not cause any physical harm to my younger daughter, I felt as if I had been kicked in the chest.
J and I immediately took action.
“No! You do not kick your sister! You never hit another person!”
We’re not entirely sure if the message went through to her. She certainly seemed downcast after the reprimand, but it was hard to tell if she was thinking about her wrongdoing, or if she was angry at us for defending Aerin.
Enjoying a day at the park with halmeh
Motherhood is full of “firsts.” The first tooth. The first steps. The first day of school.
What I hadn’t realized is that I should also brace myself for the unanticipated, and oftentimes unwanted, firsts as well. The first fever. The first knee scrape. The first tantrum.
And in this case, the first time I have been disappointed in my child.
I know that at 22 months of age, Claire cannot be fully held accountable for her actions and deeds. And as her mother, as her primary caretaker as well as the person she loves and looks up to the most, I can’t help but wonder if I had failed in some way.
These are all normal mommy experiences and feelings, to be sure. But man, if only kids came with instruction manuals…
Illustrator Emma Cook has designed a set of alphabet flash cards for the next generation of hipsters. I personally would have used NPR for the letter N, but I’m loving every other example. 🙂 Can you think of better alternatives for any of the letters?
So. Many. Dildos.
Via I Waste So Much Time.
P.S. — Is anyone else as excited as me for J.K. Rowling’s first adult novel, The Casual Vacancy? I’ve already pre-ordered my copy!
Long time readers are well aware that I have a thing for colors; it should then be obvious why I’m loving this installation by New Orleans artist Marin Dearie.
Titled Shades of Change, each set depicts the changes in nature and pop culture through a series of color charts. I’m especially diggin “Lil’ Kim’s Hair” and “Egg to Chick to Chicken.” 🙂
I believe that The Avengers was one of the most entertaining movies I have seen this year. And after having re-discovered my love for Firefly earlier this summer by rewatching all the episodes (and the movie)…
How could I not share this fantastic cartoon by Gutters? Oh if only this were the case…
P.S. — I once read that Gina Torres, the actress who plays Zoë in Firefly, was considered for the role of Storm for the X-Men movie franchise. Umm…who else thinks that she would have made a much more KICKASS Storm than Halle Berry? I mean, nothing against Ms. Berry, but I always felt that her portrayal of Storm was not dark enough.
One of the most memorable novels I have ever read is American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis. (And in case you weren’t aware, yes the movie is based on the book.) While the book is meant as a satire of 1980s American materialism, greed, and superficiality, the reader cannot help but be horrified — and transfixed! — by the narrator’s description of his murders and the thought process that goes behind them.
It’s actually a great read for those who do not easily get queasy, or can appreciate genius in its various forms.
When I read the book for the very first time back in my early twenties, I remember thinking that the author must have one sick mind to even IMAGINE these scenarios and thoughts.
I also remember feeling relieved; I felt fortunate that I had not yet in my short life come across anyone with disturbing thoughts such as these.
But the more I think about it, how would I know?
Does anyone really know what’s truly going on in the heads of their neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances…even their friends and relatives?
The answer is that we don’t.
And I couldn’t help but be reminded of this as I read a highly appalling story on Reddit yesterday.
The following is a screenshot of the original story that was found in a post somewhere in the deep web. It may be a bit difficult to read as it is in image format, but I highly doubt that anyone would want to re-type this story as it is CREEPY as hell.
Warning: the story below is extremely graphic and disturbing!!!
Do you now want to go wash your eyes out with Clorox? Do you want to go sob in a fetal position under a shower? Are you now haunted by images of these “dolls”?
While there is a very good chance that the story is fake (see: “urinary track” vs “urinary tract”), it can still be very disturbing to think that someone has imagined this tale and most likely ENJOYED writing it.
And I thought The Human Centipede was bad.
My mother tells me that when my sister was born, everyone predicted that we would become best friends because we were so close in age (we’re 22 months apart). However, that turned out to be not the case because our personalities were soooo different.
While we get along fine now, my sister and I didn’t have the best relationship growing up. If we weren’t fighting, we were ignoring each other, or doing completely different activities. In fact, we didn’t begin to really talk to each other — by this, I mean engaging in meaningful conversations and confiding in each other — until we were both in our mid-twenties.
My mother recently observed that Claire and Aerin also seem to have completely different personalities, and expressed her concern that they too would fight like cats and dogs as they got older.
I admit that I’m a bit worried about this too. 🙁
We recently got rid of our coffee table in an effort to create a larger play area for the girls.
Aerin, being much more easygoing, sociable, and adventurous, has recently taken to following Claire around the house. It is clear that she already looks up to her older sister and wants to play with her. However, Claire tends to get annoyed or upset at Aerin and is still having a hard time learning to share not only her toys and books, but also her loved ones’ attention and affections.
I would say that at this time, at the ages of 22 months and 9 months, they get along and play together about 50% of the time.
And when they do get along, it is plain adorable. Like the times Claire tries to “read” to Aerin by flipping through the pages of a book and pointing out pictures and jabbering away in her own special language. (Aerin usually responds by trying to eat the book. Claire says, “NO!” and tries again. They repeat this for a few more minutes. Finally, Claire gives up and walks away, shaking her head and muttering under her breath.) Or when Claire pushes Aerin around in the walker, as evidenced by the video below:
I guess that at this time, all we can do is keep encouraging and nurturing their relationship, and hope for the best.
Illustrator Andrew Wilson has done a fantastic job creating the following poster in celebration of some of the greatest movies of 1988. Can you recognize all four movies referenced in the poster?
I’m loving the tributes to Akira and Beetlejuice, but I’m a bit disappointed that another great 1988 movie — Die Hard — wasn’t included. (Did you know that J gifted me the Die Hard trilogy in Blu-Ray for my first Mother’s Day? He knows me so well! 
) Can you think of any other great movies of 1988?
If you’d like a 18″x24″ giclée print of the poster — limited editions numbered up to 50 — it can be purchased here for $70.
And, just because the dinner scene from Beetlejuice is too epic not to post:
Via Geek Tyrant.
I went out for the first time in I don’t even remember when and two great things happened. The first: I got carded! The second: I got hit on by three different guys — mama’s still got it!
I was rewarded for my adventures the next morning with a raging hangover. I definitely can’t handle liquor the way I used to…and a hungover mommy is neither attractive nor fun. This is why, boys and girls, I should always remember to keep my alcohol intake to a minimum.
My in-laws discovered a restaurant in Chinatown that sells not one…but TWO Cantonese-style ginger scallion lobsters for only $16. Score!
My cousin visited to see my daughters for the first time. It was so strange to remember that years and years ago, I used to change her diapers. Now she is a college grad with an enviable career who is obviously ALL GROWN UP.
The Hunger Games Blu-Ray I had pre-ordered arrived and I watched it with J that very night. I still believe it is one of the best book-to-movie adaptations I have ever seen, and J liked it as well. (He hadn’t watched it in the theaters.)
I finalized the plans for my trip to LA next month. I can’t wait!
Aerin began to really crawl, not just scooting backwards like she has been doing for the past month. Since Claire never crawled, I almost felt like a first-time mother again as I dealt with this newfangled trick.
We began receiving RSVPs for Claire’s birthday party. I’m still in disbelief that my oldest daughter is turning two soon.
I like books, gadgets, spicy food, and art. I dislike shopping, hot weather, and the laws of entropy. Although I am a self-proclaimed computer nerd, I still have a love for handbags and makeup... and I am always teetering on high heels. To learn more about me, visit the "About" page.
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