We Do Hard Things: ending the whiny mommy bloggers

Greetings readers!
I have been on blog radio silence for a while. I'd love to say that it's because I'm so "terribly busy" but the truth is, it's because something has been stirring inside me that I've been wanting to write about for months, but haven't had the courage to. You see... I have a bit of a confession to make and it's a little controversial and a whole lot self incriminating. Here goes. I can't stand mommy whiner blogs.  

But Erin, you are a mommy blogger. Oh yes, I am fully aware of it. Hence the blog silence. Let me back up a minute and say that I don't dislike mommy bloggers and I do think that there are some blogs out there that are very helpful to mothers  searching for someone who feels just like them, someone who can validate their feelings. To those blogs, I bare no ill-will. No, I'm talking about a specific group of mommy blogs: the mommy whiner blogs. 

I am a believer in empowering each other, encouraging people. I am a believer in giving voice to your thoughts and feelings, I am a believer in being real about your life and in giving grace to others who are real about their lives. What I am NOT a believer in, is when you use your life's circumstances to excuse your unwillingness to move forward; to work on being a better you.

This whole thing started on facebook. I had gone through a particularly bad couple of weeks in the trenches of motherhood and as I would scroll through my newsfeed there would be blog link after blog link with titles like "Why I don't take my sensory kid to church" and "What not to say to a mom of special needs". For some reason, this really irritated me. 

Some facebook friends would post things like "This is so me guys." And then would link to this lady who was just making excuses about how hard her life was. There was no epiphany at the end, there was no challenge to work on, there wasn't even a way the writer would let you relate to them. It was all very much, a "this is why you will NEVER understand why it's so hard to be me" alienating diatribe.  I mean, I have 2 kids with special needs, I could throw down a whiner blog like nobody's business. Maybe I had done that. Had I done that? Suddenly I felt icky. Oh no, had I unknowingly become a mommy whiner?

 I thought about the whole reason why I started blogging in the first place. It wasn't to get thousands of hits, to make money,  or to go on trips. It wasn't to be featured in magazines or exalted for the most amazing and wonderful person that we all hope people think we are when we blog. I started writing because I enjoyed being authentic, and raw and real. I am terrible at talking about my feelings to people in real life. But somehow, alone  (or sometimes in a room full of kids) on a computer, I could say exactly how I felt. I could be exactly who I was. My blog gave me the freedom to say what was on my mind and to talk about the struggles I faced as a human being. Most of the time, those struggles are about being a mom because.... well that's what is important to me. There are challenges as a mother, there are obstacles. You never know if you're doing the right thing, or if you're making huge mistakes. You feel isolated, you feel doubt, you feel joy, you feel incredible love. Those are the things I like to write about. All of it.What I don't like about whiny mommy bloggers are the fact that they tell you how hard it is to do certain things and THAT'S why they don't do them.

 In my family we have a saying: We Do Hard Things. How can I look at my son who has trouble buttoning his pants, or tying his shoes and say to him "Son, I know those things are hard for you. It's so hard so just never mind. Don't do it."? I have to lead by example. I have to show him that whatever you find challenging or difficult, you still have to DO. Because the world will not just give you grace because things are hard. We do hard things. 

Fact: Taking my sensory kid to church is one of the hardest things I do all week....but I do it anyway. Fighting for my kid to get all of the therapy and medical attention he needs is hard....but I do it anyway. Sometimes getting up and getting your kids dressed is the hardest thing... but you do it anyway. Maybe going to work and kissing your babies goodbye is just the hardest...but you do it anyway. Why do you do it? Because...well because you have to. You can't just give up. It's ok to be upset about it. It's ok to want to quit. It's ok to even whine about it. But eventually, you have to put your big girl blog panties on and...do it the freak anyways.

I have a whole bunch of bright hot pink business cards. Right now they say:                     Erin Warkentin
                           freelance writer * blogger

Perhaps I need to be more specific, maybe a reprint is in order. What it should say is:           Erin Warkentin
                              freelance writer * whiner blogger

Forgive me if I've whined without giving hope, without trying to better myself, without picking myself up and continuing to just keep swimming, just keep swimming. If I've been that to you, I'm sorry. It has become one of my biggest pet peeves and I refuse to let my blog become my crutch for inactivity or lame behavior. 

Let's not settle for whineyness (is that even a word?) Let's become cheerleaders, and motivators. Does that mean that I will only ever write positive blogs from now on? Heck no. That wouldn't be real life now would it? It means I will write the good with the bad, as it comes wave on wave and that I promise not to enable my readers; my friends, to be inactive or to use their life circumstances as excuses. 

Chant with me friends:

Life is Hard...we do it anyways. 
We Do Hard Things.

This Year: The indie artists year

It should be noted that I have an extreme softspot for the independent artist. I am always in awe of the kind of spirit it takes to not only write and produce your own songs, but to promote, brand, and manage yourself all while touring the country and somehow making a living. I am always fascinated to hear how the independent musician makes their way in the world.

It's no secret that one of those artists, JJ Heller, is a favorite of mine. Maybe it's because she learned to play the guitar at my alma mater, or she is a DIY queen, or can pull of short hair like nobody's business. Whatever it is, there is something that is quite magical about her. Even more magical, is the month that she is having.

After coming off of a long, and I am guessing probably exhausting, Christmas tour, she spent a little time celebrating Christmas with her family. On New Year's Eve, she and her husband Dave sat down and penned the most amazing song about starting the new year off right. On a whim, they decided to record a live video of them (in their entryway) singing it. I love an artist who is so excited about a piece of work they create that they simply cannot wait to share it. In 3 days, it went viral and over a million people watched it. What??? Yeah, it was that good.

Here's what I love about the rules of being an indie artist: there are none. So, she and Dave took to the studio JUST DAYS after the viral video and recorded it. Of course they added a cello piece that can make you melt into a pile on the floor and within a week of them writing a song in their livingroom, it was recorded and available. Not only that, but radio stations were calling and requesting it. For an indie artist that is HUGE. Usually they have to go door to door like traveling bible salesman to get radio stations to play their singles.

I think the thing that is so fascinating about her story is that in a matter of 3 weeks, an artist who works incredibly hard and is incredibly genuine  not only created an incredible song, but took a chance and shared it with the world. The results have been astounding. There was nothing commercial about her approach. It's certainly not the way a label would do things. It's the kind of art that we should be supporting more. Because what we support matters. It makes radio stations and executives take notice that we're fed up with over-produced and underwritten songs. That we want fresh perspectives and positivity out there. We want choices. JJ Heller is a voice for that; it's one of the many reasons why I love her. That and the fact that she can also be doing a giant entryway project in her home at the same time.

Here's the original video she posted (and her cute entryway). If you like the song, go purchase it on itunes and let's support the indie artists who are brave enough to challenge the system and make this year the best one yet for JJ.

NOAH: an honest review from a hopeful spectator

I had the chance to screen the movie Noah this weekend, and I must say it was not at all what I was expecting. Being able to travel to visit the ark on set during production last year was incredible. The sheer magnitude in size and great attention to detail made me feel like I truly was there. Since that experience, I have been nothing but excited about the movie and how it would benefit mainstream media by bringing a message from the bible.

Perhaps my expectations were a bit high, and also more influenced by previous bible film experiences. And I know, after interviewing Darren Aranofsky, that he was trying to break the mold of traditional bible films. Let me tell you, he did and then some. Right from the beginning of the movie he introduces a mythology I am entirely unfamiliar with. Perhaps it is my sheltered, flannel-board sunday school mentality, but it begins much darker than I thought. The bible really puts an emphasis on how the world was wicked and God was displeased. But it doesn't say in what way it was wicked. And I must say, this writing changes the way I perceive wicked to be. But it's true, the world had to have been so incredibly, unbelievably wicked for God to want to wipe it clean like that. I'm sure I don't want to even imagine what it was like.

But in this world of dark and different, Aranofsky brings an almost Tolkien feel to it with mythical creatures I've only ever heard whispers of. He brings them to the forefront of the story in such an interesting way that while I am pretty confident that this is not how it happened, it still intrigued me. And I'm pretty sure that the whole point of writing this story the way that it was had more to do with making the world turn their idea of what really happened to Noah on it's head.

By the third act, things take such a dramatic turn that the story is almost unrecognizable. I found myself wanting to audibly ask "Why did you do that?" Fortunately for me, I had the opportunity to ask that the very next night as I sat down at a roundtable with both writers of the film: Ari Handel and Darren Aranofsky.

They spent half an hour taking apart each section of the film and explaining why they made the choices they made. Each time they explained, I found their case to be compelling and oddly....believable. At the end of the interview I found myself almost rooting for the film, having unearthed it's secrets and understood the direction it went in. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of hearing directly from the writers why they made the story decisions that they did, and consequently, I fear that the movie will suffer with religious viewers especially because it is so very different from what we have made up bible movies to be in our collective heads.

My hope is that viewers will enter the theater with open minds and check their expectations at the door.

Free Tilly: how an irrational fear turned me into an activist

So, I have probably mentioned a time or two on the blog about my fears. I have only a few great fears in my life, most of them have to do with animals. A lot of times when I tell people I am afraid of snakes, they nod in agreement, or at least sympathize.

When I tell them I am afraid of cats, they scratch their heads but eventually understand- afterall a lot of people are. But it's the third animal that I have a phobia of that often has people rolling on the floor laughing about. I admit, it is a bizarre animal to be afraid of, and not often something people understand.

The truth is, I'm deathly afraid of killer whales. It's sad but true. Last year just driving down the street and seeing a giant Seaworld billboard featuring Shamu sent me into hyperventilation mode, and my husband into hysterical laughter. I mean really, who is afraid of killer whales?

I can trace my fear back to an unfortunate visit to Sea World Orlando I had with my dad and grandpa at age 5. During a shamu show, one of the whales got out of control and had a "run in" with a trainer. I can remember my dad covering my eyes and potatoe sacking me out of the stadium.

Recently I got to talking with my brother about this fear and he looked up all of the instances a killer whale has had an "incident" with a trainer. It's astounding really the amount of them. However, he was quick to point out that there was never any documented proof that orcas have ever attacked a human in the wild. To which I sarcastically countered with "Yeah, because there probably weren't any survivors to come back and document." Okay I admit, perhaps that is too far. Maybe I should give them a little more credit than that.

Recently, the documentary Blackfish has shed some light on the current problem of orcas attacking trainers. Specifically, 33-year-old Tilikum who has been involved in at least 3 deaths. Tilikum is literally my nightmare. What I can't figure out is how in the heck after that many documented attacks they thought it a good idea to collect his sperm and use his DNA to fill their orca population quota? Do they not think that more incidences will occur with genes like that?

While some refute Blackfish and label it as useless slander, it's difficult to argue with that much evidence of dangerous encounters. Yes they are wild animals, yes proper precautions aren't always carried out. But some instances, like Dawn Brancheau, the attacks are completely unwarranted.

After seeing the film, I began to become killer whale crazy. An odd, discomforting desire to research and understand came over me. I began to research an organization I have only rolled my eyes at; PETA. Interesting fact: there are several PETA activists who serve on the board for Sea World, in efforts to change some of it's animal handling practices.

PETA, an organization known for extreme and sometimes ridiculous measures to get their point across, are taking a surprisingly ethical approach to the whole Sea World craze. Instead of wanting to "Free Willy" (bypassing a failed Keiko the whale experiment), they simply ask that Sea World move it's facilities to the coasts where the animals can live in natural water enclosures. It's true that most of the animals born into captivity would not be able to function if set free. But being able to experience the ocean and it's elements would at least give these animals a very very small taste of what their original habitats are like. Perhaps it would allow orcas to not be so violent towards humans, and each other.

And so, after a lifetime of fearing, loathing and generally having a large distaste for killer whales, I have found myself becoming an activist for them. What? How did this happen? How did I become pro-PETA? I have to say it's because of an animal, Tilikum, who both terrifies and intrigues me.

Facebook Stalkers

Recently I was at a get together where I saw some old friends of mine that I hadn't seen in a while. As I was talking to them, and filling them in on the happenings in my life, they politely interrupted me with a casual "Oh I know... I saw that on facebook."

 Interesting what facebook can do to a relationship. Particularily with acquaintances or casual friends. You know, the ones you don't see often?  Basically, the very little information you post whether it be about the weather, or what you ate for lunch, or this funny thing that happened to you, takes away almost all of your ability to relate that cool story to someone you don't talk to. What it gives you is very little, if nothing, to talk to them about. So you're just left awkwardly standing there trying to think of something to talk about that you DIDN'T post on facebook.

As we continued on in the conversation, I asked this friend if they knew so much about me on facebook, how come I knew nothing about what was going on in their life? Their response, "Oh me? No, I don't post anything, I mostly just look at other people's stuff."

This is a common trend on facebook. It's what I affectionately call, the facebook stalker. This is a person who wants to know what is going on in people's lives, but they don't care to interact with anyone or divulge any information about themselves. They want to comfortably view people's lives without them having to be involved in them. If you think about it though.... that's kind of what stalkers do.

I kind of understand this person. I mean, I try to understand them. But as I thought about it further I began to wonder if they really were a "friend" or just someone who wants to view my life? I thought about all the people whom I was posting personal things to on facebook. How many of those people did I actually talk to? Connect with?  And I decided... you know where a good place to view my life is? This blog! You can google it any old time you want.

I guess what I'm saying is.......

#Nohashtagneeded

Dear overly used Hashtag,

We know that your original purpose was to categorize posts on twitter. It was a glorious start to your career, those early days on twitter. When you lived a carefree life of one to two word sentences like #manicmondays and #tacotuesdays. Back when people didn't understand how powerfully obnoxious you could be.

Like television and movie executives, who took advantage of your splendor to measure their viewing audiences and gain free advertising for live events. Soon celebrities used you to shamelessly plug their fragrance and clothing lines.

Suddenly, you were everywhere. And that's when you leapt off of the pages of twitter and entered all sources of social media. Soon, even facebook was using you, though you had no apparent use on facebook.  As you began to gain momentum, so did the length of your taglines. Soon, people started using only hashtags to update their statuses or would use you to create obnoxiously long run-on sentences.

And then, you poor poor hashtag, people started using you in their verbal, everyday conversations causing their intellect to look considerably lower. You became a pop-culture language phenomenon without even trying.

Yesterday, just when we thought the uses for you could not get more absurd, it happened. Someone actually hashtagged #nohashtagneeded. It was almost as complex as the "if a tree falls in a forest does it make a sound?" reference. If there truly was no hashtag needed, then why was one used? And just like that you became obsolete; a flash in the pan.

Of course there will still be some of us that use you dear hashtag, it's inevitable. Your subtle sarcasm and overused puns are too tempting not to use. But just so were clear, it is NOT necessary to use you to appear more interesting, smart or funny. We do not need to use more hashtags than actual words and we do not, I repeat DO NOT need to hashtag that we do not need to hashtag.

Just so we're clear on where the line is old . Hashy.
Best,
Erin #peaceout
                 

Christian Indie Artists: The BEST music No one's listening to

 As a christian, I have come to find that there really are only 2 kinds of radio stations that I can hear christian music on. The first is K-Love, the old standby that play the same "new" song about 4 times an hour and only rest it to play some old 80's Michael W. Smith tune that you've hated since, well, the 80's. It gets annoying real fast and I find myself jabbing the stereo buttons as hard as I can to quickly change the station. So I do, and it's Air One which, in my hayday as a teenager I felt was a great alternative to the drab christian music of the 90's. Now it's full of ear-thumping pop hits, and screamo music that is much much less appealing. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure it has an audience, and I am sure there are many a thankful parent that are glad their kids are listening to this than some of the over-sexualized garbage that's on mainstream music stations. But I can't help but be terribly disappointed at my lack of options. I think the most frustrating thing to me.  Because of it, over the years I have turned to secular avenues to quench my thirst for creativity and easy-listening. You see, from a completely musical standpoint there is something that drives me crazy about christian music- it's tendency to be overproduced. All the music is perfectly recorded and edited. It's full sound all the time and it gets incredibly stale when you listen to song after song of the same perfect stuff. There's no edge to it, no diversity and sometimes I feel like it's also lacking musical heart.

In 2012, the Foo Fighters won a grammy from an album they recorded entirely in their garage. Lead singer Dave Grohl had this to say in his acceptance speech:

"This is a great honor, because this record was a special record for our band. Rather than go to the best studio in the world down the street in Hollywood and rather than use all of the fanciest computers that money can buy, we made this one in my garage with some microphones and a tape machine...

To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of music is what's important. Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that's the most important thing for people to do.It's not about being perfect, it's not about sounding absolutely correct, it's not about what goes on in a computer. It's about what goes on in here [your heart] and what goes on in here [your head]."

So what is a christian who happens to like good music to do? That's when I discovered the christian indie genre.

So what IS the christian indie genre? Well it's an artist who is independent of a label, a stereotype, or a brand. They are not always in mainstream radio (though some get to be there through a lot of hardwork). They don't have a record deal, or a publicist. They book their own tours, often sleeping in seedy hotels or in 15 passenger vans as they travel from sleepy town to sleepy town promoting their craft. They sell their albums at merch tables. Albums that were funded solely by themselves and often recorded in smaller private venues, or makeshift recording studios. They set up their own equipment, mix their own boards, play things until it "feels" right and are ok with things not sounding perfect in every song. They are their own manager, publicist, tour manager and roadies. And they make music because they believe in the craft, and in not selling out to please a music executive. To earn money for their next album, they often go on tour with other bands, secular or otherwise, as back-up singers or keyboardists. Sometimes they turn to kickstarter or facebook private donors, listeners who believe in their sound and are willing to help pay to make a good record. These are the dark horses of the christian music industry, the ones we don't hear or see as much, but the ones who are starting a whole new era of independent music on their terms and giving us the ability to not just choose between 2 mediocre radiostations. They are changing the face of modern christian music in an integrous way. 

So who are these christian indie artists Erin is raving about? Well, I'm glad you asked, because over the next few months I will be introducing you to some new artists that I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

First up is All Sons & Daughters who recently came out with a live album that I review HERE. Tired of the music industry, the way in which it was, David Leonard stopped touring and focused on being more involved in his church in Nashville Tennessee. It was there that he met fellow worship leader and songwriter Leslie Jordan whom he teamed up with to write and lead several new worship songs. Their creativity flowed from the needs of their church, where the body was and where they were headed. But it resonated with more than just their congregation and led to them releasing an EP and an LP. This week they released their first live album which was recorded in a chapel in Franklin Tennessee full of a congregation of eager worshippers. It is an amazing album and if you have a few bucks to spend on itunes, I highly recommend it.

Next is JJ Heller. You might be slightly more familiar with her music, as her music was first featured in a dance routine on So You Think You Can Dance. Her soleful voice, and guitar picking songs have become like a warm blanket to me on very hard days. She is one of those people that turns record after record, yet she remains so fresh and relevant. She also tours like a crazy person to help fund her art.Her latest album Loved was released last month and is also available on itunes, in fact it was the featured album on itunes the day it released which was a milestone in JJ's career.

And lastly, I give you The In-Laws who formed their Lumineers-style sound by being joined in the bonds of matrimony. Steven Curtis Chapman is a darling of the christian music industry and has even more recently signed on with Sony Records, a very prestigious gig. But it's his younger sons that have gone into the family business on their own terms. Forming The Band Caleb, Will-Franklin and Caleb Chapman started recording and touring themselves. On such a tour, they joined with Jillian Edwards, a christian indie artist in her own right, and her and Will-Franklin fell in love and got married. What was born out of that marriage, was a killer sound, and a catchy band-name. The In-Laws recently released their first EP and while it's only 3 songs, they were written, recorded and produced by the 3, (as well as promoted). It shows amazing talent and promise and talks all about the ups and downs of a solid christian marriage through the love and the arguments. These guys are entirely interesting and definitely worth investing time in.

Those are the 3 artists I recommend this week. Check back with me as I hope to uncover some more indie gems to help liven up your christian music listening.

 

Youtube Celebrity Wannabe

I was cruising through youtube a while ago and stumbled quite randomly onto what is known as a youtube celebrity. What is a youtube celebrity you ask? Because there are quite a few of them. Basically, they are young, goodlooking people who have zany, strange and random personalities. Requirements for being a youtube celebrity: Must have strange slogans, odd-looking clothes, be a bit of a nerd, and extremely technologically advanced (i.e. very good at filming and editing videos).

So think about the nerdy A.V. people at your highschool and those are pretty much the people that end up being famous. The amount of views on these people's videos are insane. I mean really, one 3 minute video of people making strange faces, wearing strange clothes and re-enacting their favorite pokemon scene gets 300k hits? Wow. 

They almost always have strange usernames as well. I mean, I totally get that, I also have a strange youtube username. But it's the name that they become known for. So people who spot them walking down a street call out in an insanely loud voice"Nanalew! is that you??"

What I find to be the most intrigueing part about the whole thing, is that they have found a way to make it a career. Most of these youtube celebs don't have regular jobs. Their videos are funded by ads (the more plays, the more adviews, the more revenue). They also tend to make appearances at conventions like VidCon and go on national tours. You wouldn't think that would really make much money, but the truth is, it DOES.

Sometimes I look at these very eccentric videos and I think, "How? How did they come up with that? How do they do this for a living?" It may not exactly be the kind of thing you can put on a resume, or brag about at a dinner party. "So what does your daughter do?" "Oh... she's a youtube celebrity."
It definitely pays the bills and no doubt can be a springboard for all sorts of interesting career tracks.

The nerd in me is always interested in the software they use, or the type of wide angle lens they film with. These are things I usually try to tell my husband INSTANTLY when he walks into a room asking me why in the world I'm watching a video of a girl with a bunny hat dancing around. "Um.... it's because of the lighting! I really love the lighting! And the retouch color finishes are fantastic. No really..... that's why I'm watching this absurd video."

See, now I've got you curious don't I? Don't worry, I won't leave you hanging. Here is a link to my possibly favorite youtube personality: Meekakitty
I like her because she's strange, and funny and loves to do fun music videos and lip synchs. But she is also a WIZ, I mean a total wiz with the camera and editing. Fantastic if you ask me. And while her videos can be a little eccentric, they have an oddly addicting quality to them.

Who knows, maybe one day I'll be youtube sensation: Lannyjane. And you can all point back to the day when I was just plain old Erin Warkentin, random blogger and livingroom dance expert.

If These Walls Could Talk

When I was a little girl my room was the bright pink foofy collection of flowers, bunnies, hearts and patterns that most girl's rooms are. After fighting my mother's interior design instincts for several years, I finally won the right to tack posters on my wall at age 12. Like most pre-teen girls, I flew to the pages of teeny bopper magazines with free pin up posters of my favorite boy crushes. So why am I blogging about this, you ask?

Last night I was lying in bed thinking about the boys I chose to riddle my walls with and how ironic my choices actually were.

First poster: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Long before he starred in Inception and Batman, and I mean long, long looooong before, he starred in my dreams. I watched him guest star in Dr. Quinn Medicine woman (and rewound it and re-watched it multiple times), I didn't miss the obscure Sunday night movie where he played a kid moving to Africa. And I watched as many episodes of 3rd Rock From The Sun as I possibly could before my parents deemed it unfit for me to watch. And while my crush for him faded, my interest in his work didn't. I followed his independent movies like Brick, which sidenote is an amazing movie, if you haven't checked it out.... you should. And then 500 Days Of Summer came around and I thought to myself how nice it was to have him back in the mainstream. Ofcourse, Inception, Batman, and Looper came into the mix and he just blew up. I'd like to think my hanging him on my wall had something to do with it.

Second poster: Leonardo Dicaprio

I'm sure most girls developed a crush on Leo during his Titanic debut as the adorable Jack who's famous last words were, "Never let go!" But I'm talking about the loveable young teen who was adopted by the Seavers in Growing Pains. Yes, I spotted a star in Leo even then. Of course his winning role as Romeo in Romeo + Juliet sealed the deal for me. I will not insult your intelligence in listing of the ridiculous amounts of amazing and Oscar-winning movies he's starred in, but I have to say that I'm not sure he would have been quite so successful if he wasn't tacked to my wall.

Third poster: Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Okay, so clearly I mistepped here, but in my defense, every seventh grade girl was taping episodes of Home Improvement and ever-watching The Lion King back then. Unfortunately for JTT, he stopped growing at age 12. Wah wah.

Fourth poster: Elijah Wood

I had a MAD obsession with Elijah Wood when I was a pre-teen. Forever Young was where I first spotted him, next it was The Good Son, where he was victimized by the kid from Home Alone. I could not get enough of him in Huck Finn. Shoot I even watched North a million times. But then, he just disappeared for a while. Where did he go? Would my crush ever come back? Then Boom. The Lord Of the Rings trailer came out and I turned bright red with embarrassment. Yeah, that's right, I was in college. Of course his stardom rose to the ranks of hall of fame status. I can't say for certain, but it might just have been because his poster was right next to my closet in eight grade.

In short, the walls of my bedroom when I was 12 read like a who's who of American Film Culture in 2012. Could it be because they're a group of extraordinary talented and good looking people? Oh possibly. But I'd like to think that maybe it's just because I plucked them from the pages of TeenBop and displayed them all over my room for a few years that was the REAL ticket to their success.

The Plot Christmas Forgot

It's that time of year, the one where you decorate your house, bake fabulous goodies and sip hot cocoa while watching a holiday movie. The other night, I had tucked in the littles and did what every parent does after they tucked in their littles, promptly plopped on the couch and let out a huge sigh of relief. Tim and I wanted to veg and turn on a good Christmas flick, and that's when I came to this staggering conclusion: Christmas movies are all the same. Sure there are the classics, like It's a Wonderful Life and White Christmas, and, of course, Home Alone. But I stay away from anything made from The Hallmark Channel, the Family Channel, or any other spiritual Television Network for one reason. Because every storyline from these heartwarming movies, always seem to fall under a short list of tired plots and even more "tired" actors.

Faulty Christmas Plotlines:
 * The main character has to go back to the small town that they grew up in against their will or better judgement, but eventually ends up falling in love with/saving the town.

* There is a failed relationship between the character and their ailing father, mother, sister or brother that a new relationship/ a kid ends up fixing.

*Somebody gets dumped on or before Christmas and hires someone to play their boyfriend/girlfriend and eventually falls in love with them.

*A kid's mother/father is dead and all they ask Santa for is a new parent, which, of course, the kid ends up getting.

*A groundhog day scenario where a person is forced to re-live Christmas day over and over again until their heart is in the right place again.

*A scrooge scenario where the character is a really bad person and eventually ends up being good.

*A wedding is planned for Christmas day, but ends up getting foiled with off the wall things. But eventually someone has a wedding and it ends with the camera panning out while everyone looks at the falling snow.

*A Grumpy old man befriends a kid and ends up not being AS grumpy anymore. 

*Santa Claus goes missing and an average Joe has to save Christmas

*Someone who didn't know they were related to Santa Claus ends up taking his place and changing their "evil ways" to become the new Santa.   


Try it next time you're wanting to sit down and watch a Christmas flick. It's really quite entertaining. Heck, some of them even have 2 or 3 of the plotlines listed. All I'm saying is, be original people. This kind of thing gets old and boring and I have better things to do than waste my time watching something I've watched one hundred times before. Got any plotlines to add to the list? Send them to me, or comment away!   

A Royal Pain in the wedding

Ever since I was a kid, I had a crush on Prince William. Mostly because I knew he was my age, and was a handsome prince. I mean, come on every girl dreams of marrying a handsome prince. But I wasn't one of those people who was eyeing every girl he dated or anything.

It seems like most of America was just fine and dandy reporting who Kate Hudson or Reese Witherspoon was dating for the longest time. Nobody seemed to care that the prince had a steady girlfriend. That is, until they announced they were engaged. Now suddenly that's all anyone is talking about.

You can't go through a grocery store without seeing Kate Middleton's name posted all over the checkout stands. TLC got their resident fashion experts together to create a whole show about what they speculate the wedding will be like. Really? A whole show about speculation? That's not even entertaining. In fact, it seems like that's what most people are reporting on. There's a whole lot of replaying of Princess Di's wedding. We're really using 30-year-old footage of his dead mother to try and guess what his wedding will be like? So weird.

It's sad really, because as Americans, we're not really there, we have no idea what's going on. How can we report news anything newsworthy? And it seems like every channel has a Royal Wedding Week. Why they would stoop to this level for something that broadcasts at 3am I will NEVER know. But I think the REAL shocker was when I was watching The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with my kids and they announced they were having a Royal Wedding Week. SERIOUSLY? A 4-year-old needs a whole week about this? WHY?

Don't get me wrong, I will sooo be setting my DVR to tune in because I am wildly curious about the wedding. It's just, I am not curious to the point of obsession. More like, I wonder what a modern royal wedding with unlimited money and resources between 2 good looking people would be like? I mean, come on, who isn't?

A Very Duggar Blog Part 2

2 years ago, I wrote a blog about the Duggar family. Since then, it's gotten hundreds of hits a week, and it's even hit the top 10 on google searches for Duggars. What I find interesting is that most of the people that read this blog, barely even read what I had to say. They just went straight for the jugular, defending the Duggars to death. But today, I had to moderate a comment that went too far.

I think it's interesting that people will go so far in defending this family,that they will actually threaten people, and make fun of other people's CHILDREN just to get their point accrossed. REALLY?? Wow. Way to show Christ's love people.

But it leads me to wonder...what is it about this family that gets people so fired up? To be totally honest, most of their practices and principles aren't really that bad. They're not exactly how I would raise my kids, but they're entitled to their own parenting methods...everyone is.

I think what makes this family so controversial is their decision to continue to have child after child. Sure, they have a lot of kids, but I don't think that's the real issue. A woman in her mid forties, with a history of complicated pregnancies and, just recently, an extremely premature birth should really consider how safe it is for her to keep having children. Her health and well-being is important when she has 19 children to take care of. Without their mama-bear, those kids would have a really difficult childhood. But I also think the safety of the baby would be in question.

It's amazing to me though that one little blog sparked such a huge internet debate. I guess it proves, all you have to do is say DUGGAR, and the wolves come out.