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Mom-Me Time: Pick Up a Copy of The Help

babysugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:30:49 -0800

If mama's got a few minutes to herself and is looking for something that will take her mind to another world, she needs not look further than this gold and purple hardback book. The Help ($12) is a quick read that will steal her attention and her affection and leave her wanting more. Kathryn Stockett's first novel, the book about the relationships between mothers and the women that help them (nannies in particular) will have mommy laughing out loud, tearing up in the eyes, dog-earring pages with special passages and thinking about how she relates to some of the closest people in her life.

Just pages into the lengthy text and I was hooked. Unlike any book I've read in recent times, the characters in these pages immediately come to life and fully color the imagination. You can picture their hair, dream up their clothes and hear their voices like they're sitting on the bus right next to you. While they may be fictional muses, I wish I could meet them, thank them, reprimand them and have a tall glass of sweetened iced tea with them. Though the book is set back in the early '60s, some of the conversations and lessons are timeless. For the rest of my review, read more.

Centered around the lives of three caretakers, the hired "help" who tend to high society's children may occasionally be called "mama" as they often forge a closer bond with the child than his own mother. And while some women may have their best friends to rely on, the housekeeper frequently knows and cares more than her "best" friends -the phrase "dirty laundry" having a double meaning when it comes to life behind closed doors. In the end, it is a story about women taking extraordinary measures to right some wrongs, even if it means risking it all. Of all the lessons to be learned from this rich novel, the golden rule speaks loudest - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Maybe that's why she wrapped it in a glowing cover.

Before this goes to the theaters, which it surely will, buy it, read it and gift it to everyone you know. It will not disappoint.

Share your favorite books, products, toys and trends with other parents. Join our Product Reviews group over in the LilSugar community!

Off to Market Recap: Thanksgiving Accessories

partysugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:50:19 -0800

Creating a memorable Thanksgiving is not just about serving a moist turkey and flavorful pureed potatoes. It's also about enjoying a meal with loved ones! To get excited for the big day, I searched the Internet for festive table accessories and functional turkey tools. Then I used our wonderful bookmarking device to save the products in the Off to Market group in the YumSugar Community.

This allows me to share all of my discoveries with you in one easy widget! I'm absolutely crazy for this three-section leaf server ($30). It can be used for appetizers like nuts, olives, and chunks of cheese. Or for the main meal, fill the acorn center with gravy and the surrounding dishes with turkey, sectioning off the dark and light meat.

Interested in learning more about bookmarking and creating product widgets? Check out the complete instructions here.

Infamous Reform School For Girls Closes Its Doors

TresSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

The idea of a reform school for girls seems to come straight out of a B-movie from the '50s, complete with stock characters like the naïve innocent, the hardened mean girl with a heart of gold who ends up plotting a way for them both to escape, and an evil warden who gets in their way. It's hard to believe that such a place could still exist.

Until August of this year, the notorious Beloit reform school for girls in Beloit, KS did exist, and the school, founded in the 1890s, only recently shut down because the state could no longer afford to house the remaining 21 girls to the tune of $200,000 a year.

Although the school's founders had good intentions, Beloit's dark history includes the severe mistreatment of girls, many of who were running away from physically and sexually abusive homes. In effect, the abused were shipped off to be further abused. How bad did it get? In the '30s, a superintendent who was influenced by Nazi eugenics practices had 62 of her charges involuntarily sterilized. To read more about the history of Beloit and how it evolved, read more

Beloit was founded and in part funded by the suffragist and pro-Prohibition group The Women's Christian Temperance Union in the 1890s. Sometimes, the girls there were practically "indentured" by farm families in this rural town in order to earn the food they ate. (This was all before the state took over.)

At the time, according to Russell Jennings, commissioner of the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority, girls "were really viewed in our society much more as property." They didn't even have to run away to be deemed "incorrigible" or "wayward." They only had to be, as he put it, "a pain in the neck."

In a file from a girl housed (incarcerated?) at Beloit in the '30s, her offenses were that she "associated with Mexican men" and "became intoxicated at dances." Another woman was sent to the reform school for "being immoral (with father)."

A federal law passed in the mid-1970s ended the practice of sending girls to reform school when their offenses, if they'd been committed by adults, would not be considered crimes. But their incarceration continued in Kansas until 1983. Now, troubled teenage girls are sent to community centers where they can get the help that they need.

In spite of its history, for some who stayed there, Beloit was a haven from abuse at home. "I will always believe that because of Beloit and the staff, I am where I am today," said a 50-year-old who is happily married with three children and counsels survivors of sexual abuse. "They saved the lives of unwanted children."

Source

Ask a Gay Woman: I'm Bisexual - How Do I Come Out?

TresSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:00:00 -0700

Conventional Wisdom is a different kind of advice column. Your questions will be answered by people from all walks of life rather than by advice experts. If you have a question you'd like answered on Conventional Wisdom, you can submit it here.

This week, an out and proud gay woman helps a 16-year-old girl figure out how to come out. After you read her answer, be sure to check out TrèsSugar's Lesbian and Bisexual Support Group in the community, as well as TrèsSugar's Group Therapy group where I found this question.

Today's question: "I'm a 16-year-old girl who's currently in a relationship with a boy. I'm taking college classes along with my high school ones, and I have poetry that's published. People tell me everyday that I'm gorgeous and absolutely amazing. My downfall? If they knew I was bisexual, I would be alone. I've come out to three of my gay friends, but that's it. I was voted most optimistic for favorites, but people don't know how really miserable I am. I'm in love with a girl, and I want to give myself to her completely. To kiss her, to hold her. But I don't want to be hidden, and I don't want to lose everything I have. HELP ME, I'M BEGGING. Signed, Tormented."

To hear what a gay woman has to say, read more.

Dear Tormented,

I know what you are going through is hard and scary. When I was growing up I felt very confused about the intense feelings I had for other girls, and I couldn't even admit to myself that I was bi or gay, let alone anyone else. So first and foremost I just want to say that you are very strong and brave to admit these feelings to yourself and reach out. Please don't take your fear as a sign that you can't handle this - if you couldn't handle it I think you would have buried it way down and not even bring it up as a possibility. There are a few different things about your worries that I want to address:

First, before you decide how to handle your feelings about this other girl, you have to figure out your feelings for your boyfriend. Do you really want to be with him? Or are you just being with him because it is safe and simple? It is too hard to figure out how you are feeling about your sexuality and the girl you say you are in love with if it is all wrapped up with shame and secrecy about possibly cheating on the person you are dating. If you know deep down that it is someone else and not him you want to be with, then break up with him. You don't have to tell him all the details of why you are ending it - just that it isn't working for you right now. Then you can have some space and time to think through the issue of your bisexuality without the anxiety of betrayal.

Secondly, I am not sure exactly what kind of community and family you are living in, so it is hard for me to address how real your concerns are that you will lose "everything." It sounds like you have some gay friends, which means people are out in your community and you have some support, so I think you should consider that maybe after the initial shock this wouldn't be as devastating as you think. Definitely it is still not the total norm, but living in fear that you won't be accepted is making you miserable, so I am not sure that finding out that certain people will be fine with it and others won't be could be that much worse. But I think you need to talk to some people you trust to help you figure out how to best handle your specific situation. If there is a gay and lesbian community center in your town you could get some confidential advice from someone. There are also some good websites: Sex Etc. (a website about sex run by and for teens) and this Planned Parenthood teen talk blog.

The most important thing is to know that you are absolutely not alone with this, that a lot of people go through this, that you will be OK, and that there is a lot of support for you out there.

Signed,

A Gay Woman

Cancer Patients Can Look Good, Feel Better

BellaSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:00:50 -0700

Cancer treatments are often accompanied by unpleasant changes in hair, nails, and/or skin, and that's why over the past 20 years, Look Good . . . Feel Better has been there to provide support. The organization, which also offers special programs for teenagers and men, focuses on providing free customized beauty workshops led by cosmetologists and volunteers. The idea is to help people maintain their self-esteem while battling the disease, giving them a chance to be pampered during a difficult time.

In the two-hour group classes, which take place at hospitals, treatment centers, and other community locales across the country, participants are taught makeup, skin care, nail care, and hairstyling techniques. Bonus: Those in attendance leave with a complimentary cosmetic kit customized for skin tone. But, if a patient is unable to make it, no worries. The website is loaded with an abundance of information, including step-by-step guides, videos, and a hotline.

Source

EPCOT's Pumpkins Earn Their Ears

YumSugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 01:31:31 -0700

When you think Disney World, you don't necessarily think sustainable farming - however maybe you should. When EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) was built it was intended to be a futuristic model community. These days it's mostly just an amusement park, however one area of EPCOT is still living up to its name: The Sustainable Agriculture Production & Research Center. The center has been at the forefront of experiments and growing techniques. If you visit you'll be able to see a huge "gravity-free" tomato tree, hydroponic leafy greens, and pumpkins "earning their ears."

Have you ever been to EPCOT's Agriculture Center? If so, what did you think?

Source: Inhabitat

Lindsay Stays Safe For Now

PopSugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:32:36 -0800

Lindsay Lohan continues to think that tights and high boots seem to qualify as pants. The starlet was spotted taking a break from her community service at the Red Cross center in LA yesterday. She seems to be able to find a lot of time to break while serving her community. Lohan's legal troubles are piling up so it's a good thing she is trying to stay on track since she got back from her whirlwind trip to Italy. LL may be one of the few that is happy about Hollywood's biggest party being canceled since it helps keep her out of trouble.

View 7 Photos ›

Bauer-Griffin

Sugar Bits - Jesse Metcalfe Checks Into Rehab

PopSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:32:10 -0700

Jesse Metcalfe has checked himself into a rehabilitation center for alcohol abuse after it got out that he went on a 4 day binge at the Mondrian hotel. Another day, another celeb off to rehab. - Page Six
Jay-Z stays true to his word. The rap mogul recently ponied up $1000 for a bet he made in 2003 that he would never come out of retirement. A small price to pay we think. - Page Six
Lil John has evidently made it into the next Guinness Book of World Records for having the Biggest Bling thanks to a chain and pendant made of diamonds that says Crunk Ain't Dead. Um...congratulations? - Gatecrasher
Woody Harrelson's father, who had been serving two life sentences in a Colorado prison for killing a judge in 1979 died last week of a heart attack in his sleep. - People
Vivica A. Fox was arrested Tuesday night for a DUI in LA after getting pulled over for speeding and failing a sobriety test. Sounds like some community service is in her future. - TMZ

Source

Laguna's Almost Over

PopSugar — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 08:16:43 -0800

LA Times has an interesting piece on one of our favorite guilty pleasures. The season is almost over and what will we do next? The article reports that the next season will begin shooting earlier so they have more footage but we are still left hanging as to who will be the center of the show.

Most of the article was about how the show has made the town look bad. The producers original choice was the town of Beverly Hills to make a real life version of 90210 but when that didn't workout they headed down south to Laguna. One kid in town said:

"We are a community that has stood for solid, meaningful principles â€¦ art, culture, the environment, quality of life, education," said Ostensen, an environmental consultant. "By contrast, MTV glorifies violence, drug abuse, the objectification of women as sexual objects, alcohol abuse, superficiality and a raft of other negative issues."

Maybe he's just jealous he was not a part of the show. I know most of you can't wait for tonight's episode to see what happens with LC and Jason. Will they work it out? It looks like she is going to give him a hard time but since they are still together today we know somehow she forgives him for kissing Jessica. Don't forget to watch Miss Seventeen after LB. This could be MTV's best hour of TV ever.

The Rabbis Get Mad at Madonna

PopSugar — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 07:42:45 -0700

Her new album has a song called "Isaac" about Yitzhak Luria, a 16th century Jewish mystic and Kabbalah scholar. Seems the rabbi's are pissed of since you are forbidden to use the name of a rabbi for profit. Some Rabbi's even want Madonna out of the community for this.

In the meantime, check out greasy Madonna and Guy leaving the Kabbalah center in London. Who wears Juicy sweats to pray on Rosh Hashanah?

2 more so including the ad for her latest album where she is a total redhead so read more

Source: JJB and ONTD