I watch a lot of Disney movies, both because I like them and because I live with a two year old.  Her two favorites happen to be Snow White and The Little Mermaid.  Since I’m taking a History of Hollywood class, I’ve been paying more attention to who produced what and when it came out.  Especially for movies from the 1920s and 1930s. 

Now that I’m watching these with an older set of eyes and paying attention to dates, I’ve noticed one thing.  You can tell that our culture shifted its view of beauty. It just so happens that Snow White came out in 1937, The Little Mermaid in 1989 and Aladdin in 1992.  That’s a 55 year difference between the first and last.  What differences do you notice about these heroines? Continue reading →

So a lot of times people ask, “At what age are you going to let your kids wear make-up?”

Often this sparks discussion about whether kids are becoming too grown-up too soon, or whether we’re telling children they’re just not pretty enough by making them think they need make-up, and so on.

Well, here’s my question.

I dream of writing the perfect Xanga post, the perfect journal entry.  A short, simple few paragraphs that sums up all there is to be said about politics, religion, ethics, education, relationships, and life in general.  Not everything I have to say, but everything there is to be said.  I know I’m right.  I think most people know they’re right.  Knowing you’re right is the easy part, it’s convincing everyone else that’s tough.

I want my post to explain my life to even the most distant of observers.  I want someone who has never met me before or read my site before to say, “Wow, I feel like I really know that guy” after reading what I have to say.  Preferably they’d like me too, but I know that not everyone will.  I can accept that.  I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.  I just want the people who don’t like me to dislike me for the right reasons.  I want them to truly understand who I am before they dismiss me.

Continue reading →

 Social worker: $43,200
Special events coordinator: $35,900
Probation/parole officer: $38,400
News reporter: $32,900
Music ministry director: $40,800 Continue reading →

Then what?

As most of you know, I’m going through a very long, very drawn out break up.  Periodically, I’m sucking it up and asking for advice from miscellaneous places.  You know what the most common advice I get is?  “Only think about the bad times,” or “Write a list about the things you hate about him for times that you’re agonizing,” or “Put all the things he bought you in a box and throw them away.” Continue reading →

Someone once told me that only children (children with no siblings) grow up to be very weird and, as they put it, “pretty effed up”.  They claimed that only children aren’t nearly as social as children with siblings, don’t make as many friends, are more prone to clinical depression, and become recluses/solitary people.

Well I beg to differ!!!!

Let me start off by saying that I do have a brother and sister.  However, they are my half siblings and when I was born, my brother was in his graduating year of his out-of-state college and my sister was in college as well.  So I have always lived with just my mom, dad, and family pet (we’ve had three so far.)  Of course, I’ve met my siblings and we’ve visited each other, but I did not grow up with them.  Technically, I am not an only child but I have grown up as one and there are plenty of things  I have not experienced that a child with siblings would have. 

Lets get the bad stuff out of the way first.  There are some things that I wish I could have experienced/gone through had I not been an only child. 

1) Sharing Continue reading →

Here at Healthkicker, we want to promote and strive for all of our readers to be healthy and safe. More importantly, we want to spread word about how certain diets and exercises can help or hurt all of you.

Because we’ve received so many messages about people being on or starting the “ABC Diet” (aka: Ana Boot Camp) our own MsEnergyDrink@healthkicker sought after a little bit of information regarding what exactly this diet entails. Unfortuantely, our results were not pleasant. Continue reading →

Last night my 13 year old daughter and her friend, Emily, approached me as I was in the kitchen cleaning.  They both were very mad and animated.  

13:  “Mom!  B__ has had my shorts and shirt for a year now and she won’t give them back even though I keep asking her for them.  AND she wore them to school today!  I’m so sick of it!”

EMILY:  “AND she has some of my clothes too that she won’t return!”

13:  “AND she has Brooke’s Vera Bradley backpack.  Brooke is pissed because she won’t give that back either!”

ME:  “Hold on.  Hold on!” 

I cut them off because for some reason the solution came as me instantly just like my standing decision to always grab a handful when in the presence of M&Ms (the perfect snack for all occasions, by the way -so delicious and non-messy). Continue reading →

Bear Stearns/Lehman Bros Investment Banker Continue reading →