Apparently I am not the only one on the planet with a sick sense of humor. This video has 3.3 million views and climbing fast. Enjoy! I am still giggling….shhh don’t tell!

I did not want to but I watched the movie Precious. After reading the book I wasn’t to keen on seeing the drama reenacted on the silver screen, but then I kept hearing what fabulous performances many of the actors gave. A true fan of a good drama I made my mind up and saw the movie.

I did not sleep that night. I suffered nightmares and a general feeling of discontent. I felt really lousy the next day. I wondered if this state really was because of the movie I had just seen. Honestly it was the movie, I was a bit traumatized. I read the book which was a really intense experience but then I was floored and taken aback to see the movie version. The visual the movie portrayed was overwhelmingly fierce. It is the most beautiful movie about a hideous reality. What a freakishly bizarre tale of sexual and physical abuse. It was hard to watch even harder to forget.

But after having suffered at the hands of some many conspirators whose goal was for me to witness this woe some tale, I got a little mad and wondered why along with another friend from Facebook. Why this sad story? Are we healed by the retelling of morally incorrect  behavior? Why does the African-American story get retold with such dysfunction for the world to see? Is this the way we will continue to show case our lives? What will be/is the effect on psyche of the American mind? Does this genre of movie enhance our image or create some real misgivings about who we are as a people?

I want the success story.

A friend named Owiso Odera, is an actor on a new hit show on CBS called Three Rivers. I just watched the premiere episode and am all a flutter with anticipation for the next! What a wonderful show full of things I like; technology, character development and a detailed plot. My greatest hope is that the show writers keep Owiso for the length of the show. He is a capable actor and beautiful eye candy for me to look forward to seeing every week. I also hope that the show remains available on-line so that I won’t miss an episode.

My daughter, Alana, and I lost a huge piece of our lives the summer of 2004. Her father, my husband died while at work and we were both devastated. In different ways and with different speeds we have plodded through and have managed to find some healing.  I have found a new partner and have had a new baby. My wounds are still there but because of my life experience I am able to cope better.

I do all that I can to give Alana the understanding that she is loved by us both and now she has a step-father to love her as well. Sometimes that message gets through and sometimes it doesn’t. I see the loneliness was over her. It seems sometimes as if, my youngest daughter, my new partner and myself have a world that she just can’t penetrate. Sometimes that wall can be reinforced because Alana looks like her father more than she resembles me.  We have had experiences when people indicate in a rather aggressive way that she does not look like my child. I see the confusion and pain that envelopes her and her shoulders sag. It often seems and I have heard that “If my daddy where here they would understand that I am yours, right mommy.” It is these times which spurred me to find something, an experience, therapy, anything that would affirm her and offer her numerous ways to think about herself, besides being the little girl whose daddy, died.

Through some small miracle in the form of an advertisement on Facebook, I found a remedy; Comfort Zone Camp. It is a bereavement camp for children 7 – 17 who have suffered the loss of a loved one. I am so grateful for the weekend Alana spent there. She came back better, happier, more confident and just as sweet as she was when I left her. I can’t say enough about what I witnessed and how this small experience rendered such large results in Alana’s life journey.  Now it didn’t cure all of her issues, but it did make it easier for her to identify and talk about them. For a seven year old that is huge.

Comfort Zone Camp is a not for profit , which depends solely on donations for its survival. The camp is FREE to those who need it. Pause, that right there made so much sense and instantly told me about what this camp was about. it wasn’t bout money it was about making a difference in the lives of young people in need.

I know that this year things maybe tight for many of us, but I am asking you to make a small donation or purchase an item from the on-line store to support the efforts of this camp. Not only will Alana and I appreciate you for it, so will many of the 2.5 million children who suffer loss in this country.

Build-A-Bear has recently unveiled a new bear called the Peace & Hugs Bear. He/She is very adorable and different from all the other bears, it is navy blue! With peace sign stamped all over, this bear is a down to earth addition to the Build-A-Bear family. Luckily, the Peace & Hugs bear is not just about being cute, he/she has a BIG message, LOVE and how each of us can contribute positively to the lives of others. To help the Peace & Hugs bear spread the message, singers Jamia Nash, Grammy Award winning, Natalie Cole, David Archuleta,  and Meaghan Martin have lent their voices to a beautiful song called, “Let’s Talk About Love.” The tune can be purchased from the Build-A-Bear website for a $1.00 donation to the Save the Children charity. Each artist brings their own flair to the song. Jamia sings an R&B rendition with such charisma and flair. She has been helping to raise awareness of Build-A-Bear’s campaign for kindness. and was at the event we were invited to signing autographs. She was super sweet to Alana who drew her a picture and asked for her autograph.

After hanging out with Jamia for a while we had refreshments and then went off to build bears. We each got a gift certificate to build a bear. Even I got a  gift certificate, which really pleased and surprised me because mommies usually don’t get the gifts meant for the kids. We each built a bear, yes even Asherah built a long eared bunny. Alana chose a horse and I chose Hello Kitty! I really enjoyed the process. It was super cute and I loved putting my heart into my Hello Kitty! The woman who helped us fill the stuffed animals was super helpful (but  I can’t remember her name YIKES! Sorry.)

In accordance with the new Peace & Hugs Bear’s philosophy of being kind, I am sponsoring a giveaway of two items, a $25 Build-A-Bear gift certificate and my Hello Kitty! From August 7th until August 21st you can enter by following the directions below!

Leave a comment saying which you would like the gift certificate or Hello Kitty! (this will determine what you win and you can only choose one or the other!)

Leave a comment on one other post on my blog. (Please comment on this post saying you did so)

Tweet this giveaway (you can do this once a day): Win a $25 Gift Certificate at the Let’s Talk About Love – Build-A-Bear Giveaway! http://bit.ly/15BUWw

Join my blog. (Leave  comment saying you did so please)

Good Luck, Godspeed.

Peace. Love. Light.

I have so much to share with you and I am truly excited to do so. But I keep falling asleep while nursing my wee one at bed time. I usually awaken about 2 AM disoriented and mad at the loss of yet another block of time I could have spent writing. I am however grateful to sleep if that is what my body needs but really, I need and love to blog. So tonight I plan on catching up and filling you all in on what has been going happening on planet Brooklyn.

If you have met me you undoubtedly discovered my general disdain for nearly all thing Disney. Yes, I said it, I don’t like the princesses, the incredible marketing campaigns, or the mind control they attempt on my seven year old. If my daughter has anything Disney, it was purchased as a gift by someone other than myself. I have several reasons for this attitude toward Disney. I can not think of any featured film that features an African-American in a positive light. Until recently (the ’90’s) Disney had a pretty awful record when it came to the portraying of people of color period. The powers that be at Disney try but sometimes miss the mark terribly and I just can’t help support the gross “mis-education” of the world. Granted, Disney is an entertainment company and not an education based company, but with all the power they hold over the minds of our children globally, I feel they have a responsibility to make movies that are entertaining, somewhat historically accurate and ethnically diverse.

I am happy to see the company getting it right in recent times more and more.  Raven Symone’s “That’s So Raven” is a great show and I allow my daughter to watch (via netlfix.com).  Today I got an email directly from Disney (don’t know how I got on their list) introducing the next American Princess! I am so taken away that I won’t even go into what was wrong with their first try at the movie… This time I am excited to see the film and not angry as a lunatic because of Maddy or Popa Doc (ok I couldn’t help myself, that last version was complete BS!) I look forward to being able to take my daughter to see this latest version of the movie.

As the Irish say, Fair play to ya’. Disney you got it right and I feel good about saying that I’ll $pend money to see this with my seven year old. Here is the trailer, it really is pleasing to see the first African-American Disney princess presented so well. She is beautiful and has typical African features and this time her prince is noticeably black, thank you!

If you are looking for a new and enthralling way to live life, get rid of your soul! Yup, you read correctly people, drop it off at the Soul Storage Company. If you really are adventurous, you can try somebody else’s soul on for a while.

Founded in 2005 by Dr. Flinstein (played by David Strathairn) on Roosevelt Island, NYC, the Soul Storage Company offers customers the opportunity to get rid of that heavy feeling your soul/consciousness can create. Getting rid of your soul can leave one feeling empty or bored. It empowers you to have new experiences without all the guilt or morality attached.

This cutting edge technology is so hot, it has spurred Paul Giamatti to film a movie detailing his life after he stored his soul! Cold Souls, directed by Sophie Barthes will be released August 7, 2009 for limited engagements in the USA, Nov. 6th in the UK. & Nov. 12, 209 in the Netherlands. Make sure you wear a diaper……

Here is the official trailer…

I so can not show the blog of this week to my husband. He has been begging me to do my blog in this style since I started and I just cant do it yet.

http://adiaha.com/ is the first mom vlog that I have found. I love this site. In my opinion Adiaha has a lot of courage to be doing this. I personally wont vlog because I have insecurity issues with my looks and I cant stand to hear the sound of my voice on video.

Adiaha has multiple videos on her site for a person to view. The vlogs range from motherhood to music to her random thoughts on life.   Read More!

Thank you Lucy! You are terrifically kind to do such a kind and funny thing!

I received an email today from the Customer Service Department at KidZui regarding my complaint that Poker was an inappropriate game for children. Their response was swift and generous. I am pleased with the manner in which they handled the situation. Below is the letter they sent me.

Hello,

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We sincerely apologize that you found this game to be inappropriate for your child. The decision to feature it was based on its inclusion within a variety of children’s gaming sites.  However, we take these matters very seriously and will make sure to have our editorial team re-review the game and verify that it meets our safety guidelines.

In the meantime we have extended a complimentary 3 month KidZui paid membership to your account.  Along with other membership benefits, this will give you the ability to block this specific game.  To do so please follow these instructions:

Please go to www.kidzui.com and click on the “Login” link in the upper-right corner. Next, log into the parent website with your email address and parent password.  Click on the Home tab near the top of the page.  Scroll down and you will see the Recent Activity Report.  This report contains a URL by URL report of your child’s activity within the KidZui browser.  Locate the URL you wish to block and click on it.  This will open a webpage details page on which you will see the a section located to bottom right that is title Manage.  Click on Block and the specific URL will be inaccessible in the KidZui browser.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly by replying to this email or calling 888-KIDZUI-8 should you have any other questions or feedback.

Again, we sincerely apologize and greatly appreciate you bringing this to our attention.

Warm Regards,

Sean Dazet