Dishwater Dreams

This Mother's Day, I'm working with Clever Girls in support of Macy's Heart of Haiti to shine a light on the "trade, not aid" program, which provides sustainable income to Haitian artisans struggling to rebuild their lives and support their families after the 2010 earthquake.

When I was just a few days old, my mom got a call at school that would change both of our lives.

Her baby girl was here.

I was adopted when I was just a few days old. When my mom got that call, she left school where she was a teacher, and never went back. From that day on she was a mom. She devoted her life to me and my two younger sisters. She was, and is, always there when we need her.

I wish I could really find the words to express how grateful I am that I had a mom who always wanted the best for me and has always believed in me. It really has made all the difference in my life.

Now she is making a difference in the lives of my children. You can tell that she loves being a Grammy just as much as she loved being a mom, maybe even more!

This Mother’s Day do something for your mom that makes a difference in her life and the lives of others. Flowers are nice, but they don’t have the lasting impact that an act of service or charity will. Do something for your mom that she will remember for a long time.

Also, I would also suggest reaching out to those who don’t have their moms here anymore. This is a difficult holiday. Don’t forget to offer a kind word, a hug, or a shoulder to someone missing mom.

;

Thank you to Macy's Heart of Haiti for sponsoring my participation in this “Share Your Heart" promotion. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

{ 1 comment }

Mother's Day is a lot like Valentine's Day. Its one day you are supposed to show love for someone you should be showing love to everyday.

Since I have been a mother myself, Mother's Day has just about become a stressful holiday. I have to coordinate several holidays, in essence, all in to one day. I am a mother with two children. I have a mother who has three children and a husband who has a mother who lives in another state. I was adopted and have a birth mother. My mom has a mother who passed away recently so this holiday tends to bring up some painful memories as well as happy ones. Do you see where this begins to get complicated?

What I want for mother's day is to not have to get dressed at all that day. I want to spend the day in my pajamas. I don't want to cook anything. I don't want to clean anything. I want a hot Italian guy who speaks no English at all to come give me a pedicure, while I veg on the couch in my pajamas.

Ok, so I'm getting a little bit into fantasy world there.

I don't want this holiday to be a day where everyone has to be on their absolute best behavior so as not to hurt anyone's feeling by not wearing the right clothes, buying the right gift, or making enough of an effort to prove on this one day that you love your mother enough.

Instead lets just relax. Hang out in our PJs. Eat ice cream and popcorn. Read books. Have a totally relaxing day.

What I want most for mother's day is a low stress day. And a hug from my kids.

{ 7 comments }

Why do they call them apartments if they are all stuck together?

Who was the first guy (you know it was a guy) who though jumping out of a plane was a good idea? Or even the guy who decided that putting people in the air to fly was a good idea? Or putting a bunch of gunpowder in a stick and setting fire to it? Or climbing tall really tall things? Or putting a couple of guys into a military missile and igniting it to see if they could make it to space?

If the black box always survives the plane crash, why don't we make the whole plane out of that material? And shouldn't there be parachutes under the seats instead of flotation devices?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

If we wear a pair of pants, a pair of socks, a pair of shoes, a pair of earring, why do we wear one bra?

If Pluto and Goofy are both dogs, how come one wears clothes, talks, and walks on two feet while the other lives in a doghouse and walks on four?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why do banks think its a good idea to charge you for insufficient funds? They know you don't have any money.

Why do people point at their wrist when they want to know what time it is but don't point to their butt when they want to know where the bathroom is?

Why do dogs run away when you blow in their face but stick their heads out of car windows?

{ 2 comments }

Performance art is something that has always been widely criticized and often misunderstood. It is usually shocking as well.

This performance of Swedish artist Makode Linde at World art day on April 15 at Moderna Museet Stockholm was no exception.

There has been an outcry all over the internet spanning many different countries claiming this installation be racist. Yes. It is racist. It is supposed to be. It is supposed to be showing the horrific things that are being done to aboriginal black women. They are being mutilated!

The purpose of art is to invoke a response from the viewer. I think this piece of performance art has been wildly successful in that respect. There isn't a rule in art that says that the viewer's response should be happy, pretty, politically correct, or likable in any way. You aren't required to LIKE the art you see.

It doesn't make a difference whether the artist is black or white. It doesn't make a difference that a highly ranked political official ate the cake in the instillation.

What matters is that the issue was brought to light. What matters is not holding artists back because their opinion is unpopular, or unpleasant, or down right horrific. This cake is horrific. So is genital mutilation. So is racism.

I don't think there is anything wrong with this performance at all. I think the problem is that this mutilation is done on REAL women. What do you think?

{ 0 comments }

A few weeks ago a friend of mine invited me to play Draw Something. I took at a look and a first glace it appears to be a harmless Win Lose or Draw type of game. You choose a word, draw the word, and your friend tries to guess what you drew. Easy enough.

I was WRONG! Instead this app is intended to drive casual finger artists completely insane. My phone, who was once my best friend and my long lost soul mate, has now become my nemesis.

Let me demonstrate what I mean.

Me

Not me

Me

Not me

Me

Not me

Not me either

I will obviously not be the next great Draw Something artist. I want to see your Draw Something drawings! Post them!!! Unless you are really good and then don't.

{ 6 comments }

I myself am not superstitious. However, I got a itch today to find out what the big deal was with Friday the 13th. There will be 3 Friday the 13ths in 2012. According to some sources it is the most widespread superstition in the United States. But why? Its just a day. Right?

Jason, of course it one reason. I don't watch horror movies anymore and the origins of the bad luck came way before the movie.

Another theory is that there were 13 people in attendance at the last supper, 12 disciples plus Jesus. The crucifixion of Jesus took place after this meal, and was on a Friday. Some sources even say Eve ate the apple on a Friday, the Great Flood started on a Friday, and the Tower of Babel tongue-tying happened on a Friday. None of these except the crucifixion have I found substantial proof for though.

In Ancient Egypt, the number 13 represented death. Of course, the Egyptians celebrated death and saw it as a desirable transformation. No other culture, that I know of anyway, has though the same about death at the Egyptians. Thus, if 13 represents death, it must be bad.

Twelve gods were invited to a banquet at Valhalla. Loki, the Evil One, god of mischief, had been left off the guest list but crashed the party, bringing the total number of attendees to 13. True to character, Loki raised hell by inciting Hod, the blind god of winter, to attack Balder the Good, who was a favorite of the gods. Hod took a spear of mistletoe offered by Loki and obediently hurled it at Balder, killing him instantly. All Valhalla grieved. And although one might take the moral of this story to be "Beware of uninvited guests bearing mistletoe," the Norse themselves apparently concluded that 13 people at a dinner party is just plain bad luck.

In Rome, Friday was execution day. Just trust me when I tell you their execution methods were very gruesome.

Superstitions

It is not good to be born on Friday the 13th because it means bad luck for life.

It is not good on that day, change your bed because you will have bad dreams.

Also one superstition says, the one who pass a funeral procession on this day will die tomorrow.

On Friday the 13th, do not cut your hair because a family member will die.

Also, do not cut your nails, it will be followed by bad luck.

Do not start a new job or business on Friday the 13th, it will be followed by collapse or bankruptcy.

Do not start traveling on this day, only problems can occur.

Also, ships should not be allowed to set sail because they can sink into the sea. (see history of HMS Friday from Britain which was set sail on Friday the 13th 100 years ago to try to quell the superstition. The ship was never seen or heard from again.)

Do not consult the astrologer on Friday the 13th, because of superstitions.

Never change your sheets on Friday the 13th as it will bring bad dreams.

Are you superstitious about Friday the 13th?

{ 2 comments }