The Busy Life of a Single Mom

By now anyone that watches the enws has heard about the Miley Cyrus and Vanity Fair fiasco.  Everyone has an opinion - a strong opinion. No one that I’ve talked to has a neutral standpoint on these photographs. So how do I feel?

This is an issue where the “Mommy” in me comes to the front. As Cameron’s mom I can assure you that she will not be seeing these photos. I find them totally inappropriate for the children and tweens that make up the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus fans.  But also as a mom, I can’t imagine letting my 15 year old take these pictures.  Vanity Fair says that her parents were both there for the shoot (except maybe for the last few minutes), and I’ve not heard anything from the Cyrus clan that this isn’t so. I did hear that maybe the most popular photo was taken in those few minutes when they were not there, but personally I find the photo with Miley and Billy Ray inappropriate also (and since he’s in it, they can not claim to have not been there for that one).

I am glad to see that Miley and family now do not approve of the photos. I question whether or not these are valid and truthful statements or what they think parents of her fans need/want to hear (or a reaction to Disney freaking out), but I’m trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. They made a mistake - a big mistake, but we all make mistakes - even as parents.

My question though is what impact will these photos have on the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus following? She’s one of the biggest stars to hit the scene in a long time. Her concerts sold out in just a matter of moments, you can buy almost anything with her name/image on, and there aren’t many little girls out there who don’t think she hung the moon. One thing that I think has helped lead to her popularity though is the “good/clean” girl image we (as adults/parents) have had of her - the level head on her (and her parents’) shoulders.  How much does this change it? Will any of us not buy the next piece of Hannah Montana merchandise our children ask for? Or will we ignore it and continue our love of this young pop star?

Personally, I do not think this will change our lives much. I do not think that I’ll tell Cameron “No” when she asks for a Hannah Montana shirt, CD, or movie just because of these photos.  I do think I’ll be watching more closely though for future signs of this young girl heading down the wrong path. I have to admit that I hope that I don’t see them.

 Here’s the pic of Miley and her dad:

Well, I took a few days off from blogging for multiple reasons, but I think I’m back - and happy to be so. Life has been super busy the last couple weeks, and I think it caught up with me this weekend. I was exhausted and all that ended up in I think some emotional mess too - all I wanted to do this weekend was lay around and think about life.

I think I’m back to normal though and back to my blogging (I hope). I’m watching Dancing with the Stars right now and will be back sometime tonight with my thoughts on tonight’s show. 

I just got an email and wanted to share it with you. 

Toys R Us is advertising that they will have more Wiis than ever before on Sunday, and you can preorder them now (in store). (Wii console requires a $200 deposit at time of reservation. MARIOKART Wii requires a $5 deposit at time of reservation. Deposit will be applied to purchase price. Limited quantities available. Sorry no rainchecks.)

In addition, they will be running some great specials on Wii games (In-store only. Valid 4/27 - 5/3/08, Limit one title per guest.):

• 50% off Mario and Sonic Olympic Games (with purchase of MarioKart)
• $20 off Hannah Montana or High School Musical (with purchase of MarioKart)

These sound like some great deals for anyone out there still in the Wii market. I’d love to pick up one of the games, but unfortunately we do not have a Toys R Us in our area.  Best of luck to all of you though.

Our school takes students on a trip each year. This year it was to Washington DC. Next year it will be an international trip. With this in mind, I’ve been surfing the ‘net looking at different options. I’ve never been out of this country (except over the border to Mexico briefly).  Today I found an interesting beginning traveler review website called Native World.  One of the best pages on this site so far is one on Antalya Hotels. I’ve never even heard of this, but it has a nice review and the pictures are appealing. If you’re planning an overseas trip, it would probably be worth checking out this website. I’ve bookmarked it and can’t wait to see it grow.

I just discovered a great website thanks to my friends in a forum I frequent - houseparty.com.  This is a great website that you sign up for free samples to host a party in honor of a specific product. For example, this weekend I am hosting a Hershey’s Bliss party in honor of a new candy from Hershey’s. 

First you go to the HouseParty website and see what parties they are offering and fill out an application. When the signups have closed, the company makes a final selection and lets you know you have qualified. You go back and give them the final details.

The week that you are supposed to host your party, you will receive your amazing packet of goodies for the party free of charge. How awesome is that?

The events that are currently listed that you can apply for are:

• June 1st: Ice Road Truckers House Party
• SC Johnson House Party
• Memorial Day: The Margaritaville House Party

Well I continued looking for ways for our family to be friendlier on the economy and found something interesting I thought I would share concerning recycling glass. I read that one glass bottle takes millions of years to degrade if buried in a landfill. Millions of years! Isn’t that creepy?  Glass Cullet is recycled glass gathered from glass containers. The trick is finding uses for them. In the industrial world, it can be used for making new glass products, but what can we as consumers use it for?  Just a few suggestions I found are using it in your fishtank for decoration and for landscaping purposes. I’m sure there are other purposes, but this is something I am going to investigate further. If I find anything else, I’ll be sure to let you know.

Ok. Well I started to say a great night, but I can just imagine what would have been crossing people’s minds so I’ve modified the title.

First, Cameron had a softball game last night and she won 25 - 6!!  It was so amazing, and we were so excited that we just had to take her out to eat to celebrate after that.  (And the only reason it was only 25 is that they limit us to 5 runs an inning!) . We are now 4-1, but this was by far our best victory. The girls did such a super job last night.

Second, I was able to relax and enjoy the game last night, and then I was able to come home and pull up Dancing with the Stars on my new DVR and still watch it!  I’ve had a hard time keeping up the last couple weeks with ball schedules, but no longer. I’ve now programmed it to catch all the Disney movies on the Travel Channel today while I’m at work.

Today I heard an interesting story on the news. San Antonio has set up a drug treatment center called the Public Safety Triage and Detoxification Center. This center is set up for mostly the homeless.  Currently the city of San Antonio is paying over $41 million a year on a system that picks up homeless people only to return them to the streets without helping them to solve any of their problems. The new program - Haven for Hope - is an attempt to get to the root problems of these individuals and help them to become better people. “We want to give them that opportunity to transform their lives,” said San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger. (WOAI.com)  Drug treatment centers get a lot of negative attention in the current system thanks to celebrities, but it’s nice to see a facility being set up that will not be a part of that chaos and instead setting out to really offer help to those that want and need it.

It’s not going so well I have to admit. I’ve lost 7 pounds since I started to really attempt to get serious. I’ve tried being more aware of my eating habits without being on a particular strict diet and think I’m doing much better. We are spending a lot on fruits right now and less on snacks which is good all around.  I ran out of Lipocerin though and have not ordered more. I have been happy with the loss of appetite that I have after taking Lipocerin, but not so happy with my weight loss so I spent this morning looking at other alternatives such as Leptitrix, Alli, and Curvelle just to name a few, but I’ve decided that these are either too costly or that the side effects look a little too extreme for me. Also, I don’t think I can fairly evaulate Lipocerin without giving it at least a couple months so I’m going to order another bottle and try to step up my exercising a notch now that the weather is pretty and I can get out more.  I’ll keep you posted.

We know that Dancing with the Stars led to a relationship between Karina and Mario in a past season and now rumors are flying about a relationship between Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough. A picture is floating around of the two who appear to be making out on the beach. Not surprisingly the questions are flying. Some what to know if it’s true. Others wonder if it’s just a ploy to get more votes on the show. And if it is a ploy, is it a ploy by ABC or by Shannon and Derek?

The couple is playing it mum and swearing that they are just friends, but co-stars have been quoted saying if there is a relationship budding, they wish them the best of luck. There’s no doubt their dances have been steamier every week. I’ll be watching close for more signs.

Want to see the beach picture? Check it out here.