Hunger Hits Home: Premiere of The Food Network’s New Documentary
Food Network TV stars turned out to support the cause of childhood hunger
“I’m STARVING!!!” are words often uttered by my daughter after I pick her up from school AT 2:30 in the afternoon. During the 15-minute drive back to our house, I usually repeat to her some version of what I often heard – of what we ALL often heard – from our own parents when we were little: “Don’t say you’re starving! There are plenty of children around the world who are starving, and you’re not one of them – be thankful!”
In my mind, and I’m sure for many of us, those words implied that the children who were starving were far away from us, in some far off country; in a place whose conditions and financial economy were very inferior to the country we were privileged to have been born in. But I was very recently reminded that this is far from true.
Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the premiere of The Food Network’s new documentary Hunger Hits Home at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. Many of the network’s stars were in attendance and spoke about their concern for and personal contributions toward eradicating the problem of childhood hunger in America.
The evening's hosts, Pat and Gina Neely of Down Home with the Neely's
Share Our Strength has long been committed to the issue of childhood hunger, and it’s No Kid Hungry initiative aims to end childhood hunger by the year 2015. The organization has galvanized the support of government agencies, local non-profit businesses, volunteers and celebrities as well The Food Network to help them reach their goal. Hunger Hits Home was a collaborative effort created to cast a spotlight on a problem which many people in America haven’t realized is so surprisingly close to home.
The documentary, which is narrated by Oscar winner Jeff Bridges, centers on three American working-class families who have fallen on hard times, due to a struggling economy, company lay-offs and job shortages. The families in this film are not the vision that most of us have of homeless people with signs on the highway or living in cardboard boxes on the street. These are families that could easily be next-door neighbors to any us. In one of the more poignant moments in the documentary, the father of a small boy who is struggling to save his home from foreclosure says “I’m afraid that when I go into the local charity food pantry, one of my son’s teachers or friends might see me.”
The Tonight Show's former bandleader, Kevin Eubanks, came out to support this important documentary.
My husband and I have often taken our young daughters to serve food at local food pantries and after learning about Share Our Strength’s efforts to connect kids with healthy foods wherever they live and go to school, I look forward to investigating ways in which my family and I can join the fight for this very worthy cause. After all, as Gina Neely so eloquently put it last night, “childhood hunger is not just a local or government problem. WE are the village, so feeding these kids properly is a problem we must ALL contribute to solving.”
Hunger Hits Home premieres on April 14th at 8pm/7pm central on the Food Network. For more information visit the Food Network website.
To find out more about Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign, visit NoKidHungry.org
Want to know more about what you can do to help? Check out this No Kid Hungry PDF.
Young TV Stars Come Out to Support Hunger Hits Home
Juno Baby DVD Giveaway – Way to Go, Juno! (CLOSED)
A Juno Baby DVD is more than just entertainment. Each video strives to teach small children an important lesson, all while introducing them to the joy of music through original compositions performed by live orchestral musicians. The kids have so much fun listening to the wonderful music and interacting with the colorful characters, like Juno, that they don’t even realize that they’re learning at the same time – sweet!
The Way To Go, Juno! DVD teaches kids how to cope with common childhood fears. My kids watched this video when they were toddlers, and now even though they’re much older, they still sometimes sing the songs from it or ask to watch it!
What also makes the Juno Company so special, is that in addition to their entertaining line of kids DVD, CDs and other products, they are also committed to the idea of giving back. In their One for All program, for each product purchased by customers, they donate a very special music education DVD to a child in need. Way to go, Juno Company!
Enter the Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Review/Giveaway FTC disclosure: I received a Juno Baby DVD to review from Heard it From a Mom as part of their product relay. I only recommend products or services I have used personally and that I believe will be helpful and “family friendly.” Any opinions that I share are my own and I was not compensated in any way for a positive review.
Three Things Thursday: Embracing Your Dark Side
It’s always interesting to me when people complain about someone being a “bitch” or a “bastard”. The words are often spit out with such venom – as if it was the worst thing in the world anybody could be. Personally, I’d much rather deal with an honest bitch with an attitude than a “nice” person who did nothing but lie through their teeth.
We live in a society based on stereotypes and often it is the blunt or abrasive people who are pegged as mean and, to be fair, in many cases that does turn out to be true. But what if someone just isn’t the smiley type, or they don’t have patience for dancing around words in order to be “PC”? I am certainly guilty of having made judgments on these kinds of people in the past because for the most part, I AM a smiley type of person. And it used to annoy me to no end when someone didn’t return my smile. If I’m being 100% honest it still does get under my skin a little. Why, why is it so difficult to just return a smile, with even a little teeny one, for goodness sake?!!
Answer? Because they don’t feel like it. That’s why.
Now I’m not suggesting that everyone just prolong every transient emotion that passes through them even if it is negative and ineffective, but I am saying that it’s important to understand and accept that we all have a dark side. And some people feel like they just don’t want to hide it.
I do think a certain amount of diplomacy is good sometimes, but I also think that honesty can be very freeing if we more willingly allowed everyone, including ourselves, those moments of “being bad”. Not serial killer bad, just “that bitch!!” kind of bad.
Besides freedom, there are other benefits to “breaking bad” sometimes. In her article “Embracing Your Inner Brat”, Martha Beck writes convincingly about the upside of bitchiness:
“To be truly creative we must be willing to say to every other person on earth, ‘I really don’t give a damn how you do it‘. In other words, getting along is important, but “it won’t take you anywhere unless you frolic with your inner bitch“. She goes on to say “A certain amount of restraint is good, but remember, your inner bitch has instincts your practical side does not. Let her run once a day and follow whatever trail she sniffs out.”
That last line cinched it for me. Nice-ness does have it’s place, but sometimes…I’d just rather be bitchin’!
3 Things I’m “Bitchy” about:
- Getting my husband to respect my work/writing/quiet time
- Talking with people who hold me hostage on the phone when they initially said “oh, this will only take a minute”
- Listening to mean gossip
Bonus:
4. Any converstion about reality TV
So, what about you? What are 3 things that bring out the dark side in you? Share in the comments or, if you like, feel free to use my button below and post about “Three Things Thursday” on your own site!
If you’d like to add the “3 Things” button to your post, just copy and paste the code in the box below onto your site:
*Photo Credit: photo credit: LaurenV.
Opening this Weekend: Mirror Mirror
I’ve never been a big fan of fairytales. Especially with two young daughters, I wanted to approach parenting with a “no expectations” kind of attitude and let them choose their own place in the world, their likes and dislikes, etc., without feeling societal pressures to be “princessy” or whatever other girly role the world might want to assign to them – whether they fit the mold or not.
All was going swimmingly, until about age 3 or 4, when unprompted by me or their dad, they both started asking for more pink stuff, insisting on only wearing dresses (‘cuz that’s what girls do!) and deciding they needed some boy dolls to be the prince in their make-believe games.
So in spite of my intentions toward gender-role neutrality with my girls, life intrudes.
I must admit, however, that I don’t mind the intrusion so much when it comes clothed in a package like the latest dramatic retelling of the Snow White fairytale, Mirror Mirror.
The movie tells the classic story of Snow White, the beautiful princess who, after her father dies, is left alone to be raised by an evil and cruel step-mother who hates Snow White mostly because of her beauty. Everything in the movie stays pretty much true to the original story, but in a nice treat for kids and adults alike, there are substantial bits of humor which are sprinkled througout the film.
There are silly sight gags that the kids can, and will, giggle out loud about, and there is subtle adult humor that keeps the grown-ups amused.
It was especially enjoyable to see the role of the evil step-mother played by Julia Roberts, whose mega-star, leading-woman status rarely gives us a glimpse of her as being anything but charming, beautiful and clever.
Her cleverness and beauty remain here, but her incarnation as the step-mother is far from charming. It’s refreshing to see this role-departure for her, and she clearly relishes trotting out her evil acting chops for a bit of bad-girl fun.
The other acting muscle Ms. Roberts gets to stretch in the movie is her comedic timing. She is helped along brilliantly by Nathan Lane, as her royal right hand man and fawning stooge. Their scenes together are hilarious and one only need to look at Nathan Lane’s comical facial expressions to be thoroughly amused.
Rounding out the cast are Lily Collins as Snow White and Armie Hammer as the prince, who not only make a pretty pair, but have lots of chemistry and work really well together during several funny key scenes.
Mirror Mirror opens in theaters on March 30th.
My Grade: B+
Okay for Kids?: YES! Kids from toddler to teen years will get a kick out of this familiar story told with a funny twist. There is a scary-looking monster that may frighten very small children, but it only appears for a few brief scenes towards the end of the movie.
Extras
Check out the Mirror Mirror Dress Up App for Kids – it’s free!
See a fun clip from the movie.
Like Mirror Mirror on Facebook.
Follow Mirror Mirror on Twitter: @AskMirrorMirror
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And Don’t forget to
Idol Inspiration: Gladys Knight Singing at the W Hotel
Gladys: One of Motown's Best, Most Enduring and Elegant Artists
I went with a friend last night to see Gladys Knight singing at the W hotel in Hollywood. It wasn’t like a concert or anything and it wasn’t even a planned outing, but it was Gladys.
My friend knew a singer (the fabulously talented Brenna Whitaker) who was performing at the W, and when Brenna posted on her Facebook page that Gladys would be sitting in for a song during her set there last night, well, my friend was just beside herself.
Because it was Gladys. And Gladys is her favorite singer EVER.
So, even though I was cozily settled in for a Sunday evening at home and ready to watch “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, which I had been trying to watch with my husband all week because he’s never seen it (I KNOW!!), I agreed to get gussied up at the last minute to go to Hollywood.
Because it was Gladys. And even though I couldn’t possibly be as big a fan of her as my friend is, I do love me some Gladys.
What I don’t love, however, is concerts and I can count on one hand the number of times in my whole life that I’ve been to them. Actually, I can count them on two fingers – Janet Jackson and Patti LuPone. One performance I surely could have done without and the other was great. I’ll let you guess which is which.
I mostly enjoyed the one that I thought was great because it was in a small, intimate venue, which is more my style.
So, in spite of my feelings about crowded, noisy, concerts with “so-far-back-you-can-only-see the-star-on-a-giant-video-screen” seats – I knew that my friend’s friend was a cabaret-style singer who’s shows reminded me of the small, super-casual jazz club jam-sessions I used to visit in New York, so I was sure I was going to see Gladys up close and personal and not from the far-back corner of a roomful of screaming fans.
Well, actually, there were screaming fans, but my friend and I were front and center among them. And my friend was in tears. Happy tears that she had finally gotten thisclose to her idol. It was really touching to watch.
In all honesty, I’m sometimes envious of people who can be so instantly moved my someone that they truly admire.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I will cry at a sad movie or song in a heartbeat if they catch me at the right moment. But in general, it’s rare for me to encounter a live person and be so moved by their presence that I show a lot of emotion. In situations like that, I tend to be a bit more reserved. I analyze things. I think about what’s appropriate or not appropriate to say. I let my head rule. And sometimes, a great moment of opportunity is missed.
But my friend followed her heart yesterday and attempted to reach out to Gladys after her performance and let her know how much she admired her. In the end, because of circumstances beyond our control, my friend wasn’t able to make a physical connection, but she did make brief, meaningful eye contact. That, and being able to get thisclose to Gladys, was enough for my friend. For now.
I think she may be planning a trip to Vegas soon to see Gladys’ show there a the Tropicana, where I’m sure that, come heck or high water, she will make a connection with her idol. And I bet Gladys will be as moved by my friend’s emotional and respect-filled admiration as I’m sure my friend will be by just being in that space.
Oh, and just in case you want to hear what an inspired Gladys Knight super-fan sounds like, check out my friend’s music (yes, she is also an awesome singer!). That’s inspiration for you.
Fibi & Clo: Fabulous Home Biz Opportunity and Giveaway – CLOSED
Fibi & Clo Smoke Cascade Sandals
POST UPDATE: our winner is Susan Chester of Pregnant Katie’s Mom! Katie, please email me your address (tisha@bizmommy.com) so I can send off your shoes asap. Congrats!
One word: Shoes. And not just any old shoes, but really, REALLY cute ones!!
I’m really excited to share an opportunity with you today because not only does it include an awesome giveaway, but it also offers a wonderful chance for women to shop, have fun, hang out with friends AND earn some money to boot!
Fibi & Clo has taken the world of direct sales by storm and is a far cry from Tupperware parties or visits from your local Avon representative. Seeking to change the way direct salespeople do business, Fibi &Clo founders offer their “fashion agents” a free starter shoe sample kit and the opportunity to be the first sales reps offering at-home shoe parties.
The sandals offered by Fibi & Clo are gorgeous and given that the start-up cost is $0, it’s fairly easy to get profitable even devoting only a few hours a week to your business. But don’t just take my word for it – read more about the fabulous opportunity here.
And then come back and enter the giveaway to win your own pair of Fibi & Clo sandals!
Giveaway Details
The folks at Fibi & Clo were gracious enough to send me a pair of their most popular sandals for review, the Smoke Cascade model, but sadly my feet don’t do them enough justice. I wish I could rock these gorgeous sandals, but unfortunately, I have toes that look like my fingers (long and very skinny – thanks mom! 
), but these sandals were absolutely made for someone with little dainty toes (which my MOM has – go figure!) So if you’re a perfect size 8 and have a passion for shoe fashion, enter this week’s giveaway:
How to Enter:
There are 7 possible entries available per person. Please leave a comment for each one letting me know you’ve completed each entry requirement. The comment count will be used in determining the winner:
- Subscribe to Biz Mommy
- Like Biz Mommy on Facebook
- Like this post
- Follow Biz Mommy on Twitter
- Tweet this post
- Stumble this post
- Like Fibi & Clo on Facebook
Deadline for entry is Thursday, March 29th @ 11:59pm. One winner will be selected randomly by the WordPress plug-in “And the Winner Is”, on Saturday, March 31st.
Good Luck!
Carter. John Carter. Hottie from Mars
Taylor Kitsch as John Carter
Okay, lest it’s not clear by the title what I think of the star of the movie John Carter, let me just say it again in plain terms: the man is hot. I usually don’t get all impressed by the pretty boy type, but there’s something a little more than meets the eye with this guy in my opinion. Maybe it’s the Johnny Deppish-ness (who I think, btw, takes pretty-boyness to a whole new level!!), or maybe it’s just now that I’m in the so-called sexual peak of my 40′s, I can totally appreciate the value of a bit of “man candy”.
Okay, maybe that was a bit sexist, but I must admit, it did make me giggle. Alright, what was I talking about again?
Oh right, the movie!
Well, I was invited to a screening of the movie on the Disney studios lot a couple of weeks ago and since it didn’t look like something I should take my kids to, I went mostly because the babysitter was available and it was a rare chance to spend a couple of hours alone.
I was very pleasantly surprised, however, that even though sci-fi type flicks aren’t usually my cup of tea, I really got into this movie!
Now I know you’re thinking it was just the presence of Taylor Kitsch, who plays the title role, that got me interested, but you’d be (well mostly) wrong.
The story was interesting enough to keep me eager to find out what was going to happen and there was a lot of fast-moving action that kept things exciting and fun.
John Carter is a civil war era soldier who has lost his wife and child to a violent attack by bandits. He is clearly a haunted man who has given up all hope when he accidentally uncovers an alien relic that transports him to the planet of Mars, known to its inhabitants as Barsoom.
Once there, Carter finds himself able to leap very long distances in a single bound and before you can say “Star Wars” he gets planted right in the middle of an inter-planetary dispute involving the Heliumites, led by Tardos Mors (Ciaran Hinds), and the Zodangans who are ruled by Sab Than (Dominic West) .
Dejah - Warrior Princess
Although Carter initially refuses to fight on behalf of any of the parties, his allegiance becomes a personal matter when he falls in love with the beautiful Dejah Thoris, warrior-scientist and daughter of Tardos Mors. Played by the lovely Texas-born Lynn Collins, Dejah proves to be the captivating force that brings John Carter out of mourning and back to a life of purpose.
All in all, the movie has a lot of the same elements that made films like Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark successful and it may be argued that in comparison to those films the action is a bit formulaic, but the charisma of the lead actors, the moments of tongue-in-cheek humor and the fast moving action keep John Carter far from falling flat.
My Grade: B
Kid Friendly?: Perhaps for older kids, 10 and up. I think the love story and the mars/earth story-line might be difficult for little ones to follow.
“Like” JOHN CARTER on Facebook: http://www.facebook.
JOHN CARTER is now playing in theatres everywhere!
Back to Square One, AKA, Making Lemonade
When Life Throws You Lemons...
To get straight to the point: Marymount is dead in the water, so to speak. Got my rejection email last week. Although I’m disappointed, it’s still early in the game, so i’m just going to get going with a new batch of applications. Yes, I said batch. I don’t know why I just focused on the one and then waited. and waited.
Well, actually I do know why. ‘Cuz sometimes I get a bit cocky complacent. Plus, you know, the whole “mommy” thing – I ‘ve got 30,000 other things going on during any given week, so I’m more than happy to cross even just ONE thing off my list, let alone a whole series of steps which make up the pre-med program application process.
But, as so often happens, I digress.
The point is that I am down, but not out. I think that perhaps my Marymount rejection may be a sign that I should consider other options besides a post-baccalaureate program to get my pre-med requirements done. All of those programs are mega-expensive anyway. And I’m gonna need to save up all the duckets (yes, I just dated myself!) I can for when it’s actually time for medical school next year. PLUS, Marymount is hell-a far from where I live and where the kids go to school, so it would have been quite a juggle to have to do drop-offs, pick-ups and make classes on time.
So there. You see, things always work out they way they do for a reason. At least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
And now the plan for this week (which will probably spill over into next week), is to visit at least 3-5 other local colleges and talk to advisors there about whether I’d be able to get all the pre-req’s I need for med school. Then, based on which schools offer all the courses I’ll need, I will start the application process all over again – times 3, 4 or 5 schools. OY! It’ll be all worth it in the end though – of that I’m sure. See? Lemonade people, Lemonade!!
So, what’s on the agenda for YOUR week?
Whatever you do, have a GREAT one!!
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And Don’t forget to
100 Years of Girl Power
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts!
The American Girl Magazine was published by the Girl Scout national headquarters from 1920 - 1979.
I was never a Girl Scout, although I desperately wanted to be one when I was about 10 years old. Back then, however, my only reference or intention was wanting to be the one who controlled the cookies.
Although my cookie fixation has unfortunately remained firmly intact, my preconceived notions about the Girl Scouts and what they represent, have changed considerably…
Click HERE to read the full post on the MomsLA blog!
And, until next time…have a GREAT week!
Teaching Kids that Creativity Matters
Kids Learn that Inspiration can be Found Everywhere
One of the blogging communities I belong to, My Blog Spark, is promoting what I think are a really important series of live chats sponsored by Crayola. They are all about encouraging kids to use their creativity and teaching them how to keep the spark of inspiration and imagination going. These are things that my husband and I
talk to our kids about all the time, but of course reinforcement is always good, especially when it comes in a really cool package!
The live chats will feature artists, celebrities and parenting experts who will share ideas and information about expanding your child’s creative thinking.
And creative thinking, especially these days, is a crucial skill. It’s a skill that all children can learn and when it´s practiced every day, kids become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and leaders in the classroom, and they´re better prepared for professions of the 21st century. Read more…
The first “Inside the Crayon Box” live chat is Wednesday, March 7 at 9 p.m. EST. Join Crayola and musician, children´s author and mom, Lisa Loeb for a 45-minute live streaming video chat on the Crayola Facebook Page. Lisa, best-known for her number one hit “Stay (I Missed You),” will share as personal stories, practical advice and ways she brings a little creative play into every day for her daughter. We want to hear from you – participants can ask Lisa questions during the event, too!
Some of the topics that will be covered during the event:
- Why Does Creativity Matter?
- Growing Up Creative
- Simple Tips. Easy Ideas.
And no worries if you can’t make the live event! You can watch the session after it’s over on the Crayola YouTube Channel.
Also, be sure to check out Lisa’s book Lisa Loeb’s Silly Sing-Along: The Disappointing Pancake and Other Zany Songs (Sterling Children’s Books, 2011) available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. Sing, laugh, and play with pop Lisa in this fabulous collection of ten of the silliest songs ever. Fun activities, games, and recipes accompany whimsical songs. Take Lisa’s Silly Sing-Along with you wherever you go and get the high-spirited good times started. Includes a 10-song CD recorded by Lisa!
Disclosure: This information has been provided by Crayola through MyBlogSpark.
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