Monday, 27 April 2015

From Hollywood to Mommyhood – Parenting Tips from Celebrity Moms

Great news, everyone! Heartiest congratulations to Liv who has just welcomed a beautiful baby early this month! Boy or girl? Well, you’ll just have to wait for Liv to tell you herself. My lips are sealed.*grins*

So what do you give someone who has just become a mom for the first time in her life? Tips on how to be a good parent of course! And wouldn’t it be fun if those words of support and encouragement came from mothers who are super famous? 

Mind you, these moms may have it easy with their personal entourage of nannies, chefs, assistants and what-nots, but when you think about it, it doesn’t matter how much money or the amount of hired help you have at your disposal. It all comes down to each mom just trying to do what's best for her kids. So this one’s for you Liv, and all the other new mommies out there – parenting advice from celebrity moms! Enjoy!

Reese Witherspoon
"No one feels 100 percent confident as a parent. We are all just trying our best. As long as you are always trying to be better at it - reading parenting blogs in the bath, swapping stories with other moms during a yoga class, googling how to talk about puberty with your preteen - you are doing a good job."

Jennifer Garner
“If you look at the pictures taken every day of my life, you’ll see that I do not make it work most of the time. I am in jeans that are on the floor from last night and one of the five T-shirts that I rotate. I do know moms who pull it together every day – I am not one of them. But when I do, I try to really pull it together so it makes some kind of impact. Sometimes, for yourself, you just need to take a shower, put on something clean, put on a little blush and go out the door.”


Julia Roberts
"I try to call my mother, Betty, with more regularity because I think, 'What if Hazel didn’t call me for two weeks?' I’m able to see her mothering now from a different vantage point.”

Heidi Klum
“Roll with the flow. Our house is full of life, laughter, and mayhem. Every dinnertime, something spills. Or they are wearing uniforms for school, and when we have breakfast in the morning, food gets all over their hands. You can tell them a thousand times, ‘Do not wipe it on your pants,’ and sure enough, they wipe it on their pants. But that’s when you roll with it. My house is not like a museum - you can't sit here and you can't touch this and everything has to be put in its place. You can see that children live there. It’s their house as much as mine. You come into our house and a giant elephant and lion are welcoming you. We have toys and things everywhere."

Nicole Richie
"My kids operate best when I let them have a voice and I really explain things to them. Because, really, kids want to be told the truth. They just want you to be truthful. They know you more than you know yourself."
Kate Winslet
“To me, parenting is about consistency, among other things, and routine. Children love routine. They like to know when they’re going to have lunch, and in what order things will happen during their day.”

Victoria Beckham
"I really enjoy being a mom, I love my children and I’d do anything for them. But I also love what I do. I think anyone who says it’s easy is lying."

Tina Fey
“I think every working mom probably feels the same thing: You go through big chunks of time where you’re just thinking, ‘This is impossible – oh, this is impossible.’
And then you just keep going and keep going, and you sort of do the impossible.”

Nicole Kidman
"My instinct is to protect my children from pain. But adversity is often the thing that gives us character and backbone. It's always been a struggle for me to back off and let my children go through difficult experiences."

Uma Thurman
"You know how parents rattle on to you about, 'Oh, you won't believe your life will never be the same,' and you think, Why can't these people just get over it? All they're doing is yakking about their kids. It's such a bore. And then you have kids and you just want to do the same thing."

Madonna
"Humor is essential for teaching children. Children have to understand that being a good person doesn't mean you can't have fun."


Elizabeth Banks
"Be open to any help. Many moms today feel they have to be super moms, while historically we’ve always had a village to pitch in. I think it’s really important to know when to ask for help."

Faith Hill
"Before, my career came first. All I had to think about was myself. Now my children prevail. It doesn't mean my career is less important; I just have to position things differently."

Christina Aguilera
"I'm definitely an understanding mom ... but discipline is a big thing for me too. I'm not raising no brat!"

Britney Spears
"Parenting is all about history. What we as mothers are doing is creating history with our kids that we can look back on." 

Cate Blanchett
"I don’t know what a normal childhood is. I think childhood is a deeply abnormal thing. I think all children have a fantasy life, and we live a kind of circus existence, but like all working parents you try and work that out by keeping things stable."

Angelina Jolie
"I would never be the kind of parent to force somebody to be something they are not – I think that is just bad parenting. Children should be allowed to express themselves in whatever way they wish without anybody judging them because it is an important part of their growth."


'Till next time, Happy Mommying!
Lotsa Luv

Saturday, 11 April 2015

Why You Gotta Be So Rude

How’s everyone doing? It’s been a while since a great song caught my fancy but when I heard it, I just had to let the world you guys know. The song is titled “Rude” and the single was first released in October 2013 by a Canadian reggae fusion band called Magic!.

Nasri Atweh, the lead singer, wrote the song based on a real-life relationship he had with an ex-girlfriend. However, the band gave the song concept a slight twist and the outcome is a song about a guy asking his girlfriend’s father for his daughter’s hand in marriage, but the father slammed the door in his face, prompting the guy to ask “Why you gotta be so rude?”. 

Have a look at the cute music video and get the lyrics here if you want to sing along.



What you MUST check out next is the hilarious response to this song by Benji Cowart, a dad from New York. When Cowart heard the song, he rewrote the lyrics and posted his own music video on YouTube. 

“You say you want my daughter for the rest of your life ... well you gotta make more than burgers and fries ... get out your momma's basement boy and get you a life ... son you're twenty-eight ... don't you think it's time,” Cowart sings in the video, which has now been viewed over fourteen million times.


“Why you gotta call me rude ... for doing what a dad should do ... and keep her from a fool like you ... and if you marry her anyway ... marry that girl ... I'm gonna punch your face ... marry that girl ... I'll make you go away ... marry that girl,” sings Cowart, the father of a girl and two boys.
Cowart, who was joined by his wife, Jenna, in the video, told ABC News that there was one specific line in the catchy song that inspired him to re-write the hit.
"I caught the line "I'm gonna marry her anyway" and the dad in me reared up ... so I had to write a response for all the dads with daughters out there,” Cowart told ABC News by email.
Cowart said he has been impressed by the “great sports” the four members of Magic! have been about the parody. “It’s all been in good fun,” Cowart said.

Magic! themselves retweeted a link to Cowart’s YouTube parody and sent out a tweet expressing gratitude for all the covers of “Rude.”


Lotsa Luv



Monday, 6 April 2015

And Then It Is Winter



I was so moved by this piece of writing that I feel obliged to share it with you guys here.
The thought-provoking message, which was written by an unidentified author, has been around on the Internet for quite some time. However, it only gained traction here in Malaysia after it was made known that the late Tan Sri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis had posted it to his WhatsApp group just a few days before he and five other people perished in a helicopter crash on April 4.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of the late Tan Sri and the families of the other victims. May the souls of the dearly departed, through the mercy of Allah, rest in eternal peace. Al-Fatihah.
AND THEN IT IS WINTER
You know ... time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.
But, here it is... the "back nine" of my life and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?
I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that "I was only on the first hole" and the "back nine" was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.
But, here it is ... my friends are retired and getting grey... they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me... but, I see the great change ... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant ... but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd become.
Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore ... it's mandatory! ‘Cause if I don't on my own free will ... I just fall asleep where I sit!
And so ... now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though I'm on the "back nine", and I'm not sure how long it will last ... this I know, that when it's over on this earth ... it's over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done ... things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.
So, if you're not on the "back nine" yet ... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you're on the "back nine" or not!
You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life ... so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember ... and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!
"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY! HAVE A GREAT DAY! Remember, "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. LIVE HAPPY IN 2015!
LASTLY, CONSIDER THIS: Your kids are becoming you .... but your grandchildren are perfect! Going out is good ... Coming home is better! You forget names .... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!! You realize you're never going to be really good at anything ... especially golf. The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore. You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep". You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch…You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"..." ??? Now that you can afford expensive jewellery, it's not safe to wear it anywhere. You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!! What used to be freckles are now liver spots. Everybody whispers. You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet ... 2 of which you will never wear. But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!
Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!! It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.
TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY!
Lotsa Luv