Boycot Abercrombe & Fitch

Have you seen this??? 

What an appalling statement. Why would anyone want to exclude shoppers.. then to proclaim that their store is only for the cool kids.. I WAS A COOL KID.. I was an athlete, a scholar, in the choir and welcome just about everywhere.. and guess what? I HAD BODY ISSUES.. 

I was told I was fat from as far back as I can remember. Oh I am fat now but I wasn't then. I had a 21" waste and hips.. those darn hips caused me plenty of problems, why? Because the stores didn't make products for hips. We weren't supposed to have them. I was raised in the Twiggy era and had a Marilyn Monroe body (ok, not the boobs but the rest) yep I had curves!! And because of idiots like this, I spent my formative years hating my body.. There was nothing wrong with my body.. it was healthy and fit... But I could never get it  to stringy. I lost so much weight once that when I was goofing with my friends and was rolling down hills, I BRUISED myself because with my hip bones.. and guess what I was still trying to loose weight...

People who make statements like this destroy self images.. they batter at a girls who are already over battered by what society says they should look like. When FINALLY people are wising up and standing up for what is a healthy body image. When countries are BANNING too thin models.. what an idiot.. 

My friend, author Sara Humphreys responded to this with a wonderful blog on the Huffington Post.. check it out by clicking HERE

I have never stepped foot in an A&F store and I never will.. I will also not shop in Hollister, RUEHL, and Gilly Hicks. which is owned by the same company... My kids already don't shop there.. and guess what I have cool kids.. ok, well adjusted kids.. who are well liked, good looking, some are thin and some are not.. but what they are is decent.. and secure in who they are. Consequently they don't need some idiot deciding that they will be cool if they wear clothes from his store. You want to be cool, create your own style and stay out of A&F

Shauni

This is SOOOO Cool!!

I received this absolutely awesome email from a friend.. All it had was a link to a Youtube Video.. Once I watched it I was fascinated. There are two more parts to this and I plan on watching them but I thought you all would really enjoy seeing this..



 

A Get a Clue Review

I recently read an article about how some people find this new official state logo offensive. Say it's not very female friendly and sends the wrong message. I suppose they could be right.. the thing is, seriously get a life. In my Honest and Humble Opinion, this is a clever and witty tie in to the business industry the state of Florida is trying to attract. Sure it has a tie in it.. but what better way to connect the dots? The tie is a recognizable symbol for a businessman. Ok, yes business man but we recognize what it represents and it works. 

Ladies, don't you have something better to get offended by? I can think of a list.. valid, actual complaints.. There is a time to consider what battles are worth fighting. I, and last I checked I am female, didn't even see an offense until I read the article. I just saw a clever logo. I am still not offended.. I have to wonder how many women agree with me. Oh sure they may be mildly offended, shrug your shoulders offended, don't care or disagree.. There are a lot of women out there. 

Personally, I would rather women get offended by spousal abuse, child abuse, breast cancer and a varied of other real issues than looking at a tie and saying oh this represents all that is wrong with America today. Do I see where you are coming from? Of course I do.. if we use a picture that is typically male, subliminally it means women are not going to go as far in the business world.. *rolls eyes* So wear a tie.. Sorry if I sound flippant I am just tired of over political correctness.

Oreo really does have all the answers!!

So I was doing my usual peruse of my facebook friends and family when I saw a post that sent me into convulsions.. Yes I was laughing so hard my body literally shook!!! Thought I would share it with you all.

Texas Teen Deported to Columbia Returned to States..

I was surfing the net and happened upon this story about a US citizen, a 14 year old girl that was mistakenly deported to Columbia. Everyone is pointing fingers, it's the ICE's fault, it's the Columbian Government's fault.. shoot it may just be President Obama's fault (and he wasn't even there) No where in this article say this child was at best a spoiled lying brat who caused everyone undue stress and at worst a troubled young lady.

Seems she ran away from home a year ago.. was going under various alibis and was arrested for theft. When arrested she told the police that her name was Tika Lanay Cortez, a Colombian woman born in 1990. The police ran the name and came up with the information that Ms Cortez was a Columbian National here illegally. The Colombian Consul, gave her papers, set her up in programs and got her a job in Columbia. Everyone did what they were supposed to do... well everyone except the girl, who was a runaway, a theif and oh yeah a liar.

Her family found her on a fluke, she posted something really odd on a facebook account she uses under yet another name.. The Columbian Government was informed and she was brought back into the United States.. The family claims, she looks 14 and she doesn't speak Spanish how could the officials confuse her for anything but a child? Hmmmm, have you seen some of those 14yr olds out there? And this was a street smart kid.. not some innocent ripped from her parents arms and sent Columbia. She lied, she schemed and guess what? Someone called her bluff.

Now I am sure we will soon be hearing about how this family sues the governments of both the US and Columbia.. I hope when that happens someone laughs in their face..

Top soccer team booted from playoffs for strange technicality

I was completing my normal routine this morning.. Reading my emails, responding to posts and comments on Bodice Rippers, talking with my BR associate, reading Dear Abby (every day since I was a kid.. can't help myself) and cruising through Yahoo News..

I admit, I like Yahoo News because it not only informs me of important stuff but tells me what other people consider important. Believe me I rarely agree with what they think but I do find it fun. Today I found a rather interesting article about a Soccer Team that was disqualified from the playoffs. The picture shows the team all decked out in their uniforms posing for what I can only assume is their yearbook picture. You are SUPPOSED to feel sorry for them. I find that while I do feel bad for the girls, they didn't do anything wrong, I have to agree with the decision.

The team, which is one of the best in the State of NY and who could conceivably win the state championship was disqualified because it played one too many regular season games. This is a newer rule as it is only two years old.. But that should be a reason why they actually are aware of it. It is not as the title implies a strange technicality, it was a rule that has been enacted for a specific reason. And the people who scheduled games for this team screwed up. Obviously, by playing one more game than the rest of the teams gives them one more chance at working together in a game environment. Fine tuning their team work and learning just a bit more about each other.

The school petitioned the State athletic board for a dispensation, fortunately they were turned down. Sorry girls, yes you are one of the best and you should be playing in these championships BUT don't blame the State. It wasn't the State that broke the rules. They didn't create it to hinder you.. it was in place in plenty of time for your schedulers to be aware of..

Part of athletics, the part parents today like to forget, is learning to work within the rules.. If you hit a ball between these lines you may advance to a base or two or three, if you shoot a ball while standing outside these lines, you get extra points, if you pitch a ball between the shoulders and knees and directly over the plate that is a strike!! There are rules for a reason.. life has rules, mommy and daddy don't get to go to your boss and make him change the reasons why you have to go in on Wednesdays, or how much you make.. No you have to do it yourself, these are the rules..

I hate the need to "FIX" everything for our children.. well not the need we all have that inside us, but rather the action of actually doing it. Ask any of the Beasties and they will tell you from an early age I expected them to fight their own battles, follow the rules and respect others.. So far they are pretty great kids/adults so I think I have done the right thing..

you can find the entire article I am speaking of Here

A Slight Correction

In my last blog I spoke of the woman who left her children on the side of the road and drove away.. I was not by any means condoning her actions.. I was really more angry than imagined because her children had no sense of team.. I know it sounds silly because as a parent goodness knows I have failed over and over again.. but I truly believe that my children have a strong sense of self and of their siblings. They believe in each other in ways I could only dream of.

Please understand when I said I understood her frustration I meant just that I understood it.. came close to doing something very similar I did not CONDONE it.. our children are our most precious commodity and should be coddled and protected.. loved and nurtured and we as parents should ALWAYS put them before ourselves..

Yes we need to provide structure and discipline, we need to teach them right from wrong and we need to tell them no... but our needs while important are not the most important... we need to be the parents they need not have our children be the children we need.. if that makes any sense at all.

I guess what hurt me so much about my previous post was the fact that this poor little girl was wandering around alone abandoned by her mother and her sister.. I just wanted them to be found together.. ready to take on the world.

Sighs guess we don't always get what we want.. of course I would prefer that their mother has been able to hold it together until she got to the end of their block..making them get out and walk in a familiar environment would not have been a bad thing..

Oh well she made a choice and will now pay for it for the rest of her life..