Things I learned from People magazine...

[luv]

Bonnie Franklin died.

Valerie Harper is dying.

Famous women in dresses are compared to Disney princesses, but don't really look like them.

Johnny Depp made a second album of pirate music (and that he, obviously, had made a first one).

Dallas will be airing the funeral for JR on November 23.

"The Emperor" got 2.5/4 stars.

So did "Oz..."

Michael Jackson looks about the same in wax as he did in real life.

Seal had a date with Erin, the girl in one of the Disney promo videos.

Kate Middleton might be having a girl.

Ron Howard has an adult son who looks like a nice kid.

The girl who played Blossom breast fed one kid until he was four and had both kids sleeping in bed with their parents. She is now divorced.

Brittany Spears' sister is engaged.

...and I am no longer hip to who most of the celebs are, much less what they're doing.

This concludes my summary.

 

[PUSH]

Brittany Spears' sister is engaged.

Haven't heard much about her sister since she got pregnant at 16? and got her popular Nickelodeon show dumped. Assuming it's the same sister.

PS- This thread made me chuckle to myself.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I've been kinda irked at how the media has been beating the headline about Jamie Lynn Spears' recent engagement to death. They act like its so shocking. She's been with the guy for like 5 years, they have a child together, she's 21 (I got married when I was 19). I don't get what's so news-worthy. Seems pretty normal and/or ordinary to me.

The bit @luv mentioned about the girl who played Blossom is kinda interesting. Breast feeding until 4 years old?!?! Um, eww??? One of my sis-in-laws breast fed her 4 kids what I thought was excessively long each time. We all sorta ribbed her whenever the kids got old enough to ask for "ninny" in a sentence and announce when it was time to change sides. LOL! Another of my sis-in-laws had her kids piled in bed with them for a lot of years. Yep, ribbing for them about the lack of availability of Pooh bedding in king size. That's what the Blossom bit made me think of. LOL!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

The girl who played Blossom was too attracted to Sheldon to stay married. (If you do not watch the Big Bang Theory, that made no sense to you.)

Oh, Erin! I remember her. That remains my brother's favorite WDW promo video.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I've been kinda irked at how the media has been beating the headline about Jamie Lynn Spears' recent engagement to death. They act like its so shocking. She's been with the guy for like 5 years, they have a child together, she's 21 (I got married when I was 19). I don't get what's so news-worthy. Seems pretty normal and/or ordinary to me.

The bit @luv mentioned about the girl who played Blossom is kinda interesting. Breast feeding until 4 years old?!?! Um, eww??? One of my sis-in-laws breast fed her 4 kids what I thought was excessively long each time. We all sorta ribbed her whenever the kids got old enough to ask for "ninny" in a sentence and announce when it was time to change sides. LOL! Another of my sis-in-laws had her kids piled in bed with them for a lot of years. Yep, ribbing for them about the lack of availability of Pooh bedding in king size. That's what the Blossom bit made me think of. LOL!

She's not engaged to the guy she had a child with; she's engaged to a different guy. Not that I care. I lost all respect for her when she got pregnant. Stupid decision that ruined her career.

Doesn't really surprise me about the girl who played Blossom (better known now as Amy Farrah Fowler). She's kind of strange...but also incredibly smart.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

She's not engaged to the guy she had a child with; she's engaged to a different guy. Not that I care. I lost all respect for her when she got pregnant. Stupid decision that ruined her career.

Doesn't really surprise me about the girl who played Blossom (better known now as Amy Farrah Fowler). She's kind of strange...but also incredibly smart.

Well the stupid radio people I was listening to in the car (last week ?) sure had the info on Miss Spears messed up. LOL! Still, she's 21 and been seeing the guy on & off for 3 years. I was married 4 months after meeting my old man at just 19. Not like it's so fast and shocking of her to marry the fella, to me.

Really? You lost respect for someone because they got pregnant? Sure she was a teenager who obviously used poor judgement at least once but that's youth. Filled with mistakes. Some have bigger consequences, I guess. To me, the fact that she chose the harder path and took responsibility for her actions is a far better way to look at the situation. I tell my boys all the time when they mess up: Your mistakes do not define you, what you do about them does. I'm grateful every day for second chances and people believing in me in spite of my stupidity.

Blossom was Mayim Bialik. Couldn't remember last night but I remember today. Go figure! She was on an episode of TLC's 'What Not to Wear' a couple years ago, I think. She seemed like a bit of a hippy-momma to me then...which that's cool. Of course, I'll always remember her as Blossom. Came on right before Fresh Prince of Bel Air. LOL! I knew she was like super brainy in real life. Holds a PhD! Yay for her! Smart smart! I only wish I could've breast fed my babies successfully. I don't think I would've done it for that long even if I could've. But, hey, it definitely worked out for her!

@luv, I'm no longer hip to the current celeb lineup either. I used to know all that stuff. Um, not anymore. I thought about that recently...kinda wondered when I crossed the threashold into my age of ignorance. Also perplexing is my lack of even giving a crap that I'm evolving into this out-of-touch state. Ya know????

 

[Sans Souci]

I've been kinda irked at how the media has been beating the headline about Jamie Lynn Spears' recent engagement to death. They act like its so shocking. She's been with the guy for like 5 years, they have a child together, she's 21 (I got married when I was 19). I don't get what's so news-worthy. Seems pretty normal and/or ordinary to me.

The bit @luv mentioned about the girl who played Blossom is kinda interesting. Breast feeding until 4 years old?!?! Um, eww??? One of my sis-in-laws breast fed her 4 kids what I thought was excessively long each time. We all sorta ribbed her whenever the kids got old enough to ask for "ninny" in a sentence and announce when it was time to change sides. LOL! Another of my sis-in-laws had her kids piled in bed with them for a lot of years. Yep, ribbing for them about the lack of availability of Pooh bedding in king size. That's what the Blossom bit made me think of. LOL!

Only out of a personal burning curiosity, I would love to see some data regarding people who identify themselves as practicing Attachment Parenting (AP) and divorce rates. I can't imagine that co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding and over-preening attention to your children facilitates marital intimacy.

Last year to coincide with Mother's Day, Time released an issue with a woman breastfeeding her toddler on the cover. He was standing on a stool and the headline was "Are You Mom Enough?" (Funny, you never see any dad ing contests. I hate when they try to create divisions within mothers.) Anyway, there was an article with Blossom talking about her research and AP. She also said she didn't believe in teaching her children to say "please" and "thank you." LOL

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Only out of a personal burning curiosity, I would love to see some data regarding people who identify themselves as practicing Attachment Parenting (AP) and divorce rates. I can't imagine that co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding and over-preening attention to your children facilitates marital intimacy.

Last year to coincide with Mother's Day, Time released an issue with a woman breastfeeding her toddler on the cover. He was standing on a stool and the headline was "Are You Mom Enough?" (Funny, you never see any dad ing contests. I hate when they try to create divisions within mothers.) Anyway, there was an article with Blossom talking about her research and AP. She also said she didn't believe in teaching her children to say "please" and "thank you." LOL

Oh I would find the Attachment Parenting info interesting. I'm more of a Practical Parenting gal myself. I'm a bit on the basic side. LOL!

Yeah, never got into the mom-contest bit either. I would never have even gone there. What I came from was my manual for things I didn't want to do so I would always look at other moms and question myself rather than try to out-mom them. I wonder how old Mayim's children were when she was not believing in "please" and "thank you". One of my husband's cousins used to tell us she didn't believe in telling a child, especially a toddler, "no" because it was defeating to their creative minds. We all laughed when she said it...and even louder when her first daughter was a toddler being told "no" and having her little swatted. Ideas are nice, application and life often dictate things differently. LOLOLOL!!!

Of course we were never going to allow our children to watch the likes of Barney and I was never going to have a toddler who threw tantrums. Yeah. Never say never...don't even think it...because that's the CURSE!!!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Well the stupid radio people I was listening to in the car (last week ?) sure had the info on Miss Spears messed up. LOL! Still, she's 21 and been seeing the guy on & off for 3 years. I was married 4 months after meeting my old man at just 19. Not like it's so fast and shocking of her to marry the fella, to me.

Really? You lost respect for someone because they got pregnant? Sure she was a teenager who obviously used poor judgement at least once but that's youth. Filled with mistakes. Some have bigger consequences, I guess. To me, the fact that she chose the harder path and took responsibility for her actions is a far better way to look at the situation. I tell my boys all the time when they mess up: Your mistakes do not define you, what you do about them does. I'm grateful every day for second chances and people believing in me in spite of my stupidity.

Blossom was Mayim Bialik. Couldn't remember last night but I remember today. Go figure! She was on an episode of TLC's 'What Not to Wear' a couple years ago, I think. She seemed like a bit of a hippy-momma to me then...which that's cool. Of course, I'll always remember her as Blossom. Came on right before Fresh Prince of Bel Air. LOL! I knew she was like super brainy in real life. Holds a PhD! Yay for her! Smart smart! I only wish I could've breast fed my babies successfully. I don't think I would've done it for that long even if I could've. But, hey, it definitely worked out for her!

@luv, I'm no longer hip to the current celeb lineup either. I used to know all that stuff. Um, not anymore. I thought about that recently...kinda wondered when I crossed the threashold into my age of ignorance. Also perplexing is my lack of even giving a crap that I'm evolving into this out-of-touch state. Ya know????

My opinion on teen pregnancy comes from having a friend who got pregnant at 16. Completely dumb, completely preventable, and most likely, not the first time it happened. Of course, my friend got pregnant 3 times...my own mother has not been pregnant that many times. She only has one child, though, as the other two were failed pregnancies. I supported her through it, mainly because I was glad she didn't hide it, she didn't abort the child, etc, but as far as observing, teens just are not qualified to be parents. I'm glad Jamie took responsibility for the child rather than aborting or giving it to her parents or putting it up for adoption, but it's still dumb. Though I've seen teen pregnancy more times than I'd like to count.

As far as her getting married, yeah, it happens every day. And she's an adult. My mom got married at 19 too, to my 25-year-old father. They've been married 27 years now. It all worked out, but it's not for everybody. She also didn't get pregnant for nine years...and she warned me that I better not get married at 19, which I'm cool with. 22 is the minimum for me.

The girl who played Blossom is on the Big Bang Theory now. I like her character on there, though her character is pretty strange as well. I think I remember her being on What Not to Wear. If the show weren't ending, I'd say that her character on Big Bang Theory needs to go!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

@StarWarsGirl95, I imagine it would suck to watch friends go thru the whole teen pregnancy thing. You're so right, it is totally preventable which is the worst part. Like my oldest told me the first time we discussed kids his age having sex (6th grade...yikes!), its just not the right time, its wrong for kids to have kids.

I'm definitely with your mom! Getting married young worked out for me but I do NOT recommend it. It's hard. And yes, I did get down the road ten years or so & find myself aware of all the things I didn't do because I chose this path. No regrets but it would be easy to feel differently than I do. I was married 2 1/2 years when our first baby came along. I was a 21 yro mom and I also wouldn't recommend that. I look back and see so much I could've been better at, especially more patient, had I waited a bit. Then again, I'm not even 40 and I don't have many years left raising my boys. Maybe when they're off living their lives and I'm still fairly young ((I know you're laughing because 40 is like half dead when you're still young...LOL)) I'll be happier about my impatience with having my family. For me, having a family of my own was the ultimate challenge, the thing I felt I was least likely to ever do or even succeed at. It was the dream I dared not dream. Yet here I am and I don't think I've done really all that bad. Certainly could've done worse! LOL! But yeah, I tell my boys what your mom tells you. Don't get married at 19...or 21! Savor your youth while you're young. If you find your person that young then great! Have amazing adventures living it up together then tie the knot a little later. No need to rush. Got your whoooole life to live! Glad your mom talks to ya about it, too. My mom never said a thing until I was engaged and she was freaking out. I look back at what she said to me and its one of the first handful of wisdoms I held onto from her. She said, "How can you know at 19 what you want for the rest of your life? You are just starting to figure out who you are! Wait until you're 30! At 30 you'll begin to have a clue!" That's true. Who I thought I was at 19 and who I knew I was at 30 are so unlike each other!

 

[dave&di]

I knew all those facts, I love celebrity gossip magazines!

They're my one guilty pleasure, I don't smoke and rarely drink, my own life is dull and I enjoy seeing pap photos of skinny blonde celebrities who have been papped showing a bit of cellulite!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

@sweetpee_1993 Absolutely getting married at 19 is not right for everyone. There's so much in your youth that you can do, which is the point my mom was making to me. She decided that she wanted to wait to have kids, though, since my dad had just gotten out of law school and since they didn't have a house. She's always said that she didn't want to have to take her kids to a playground; she wanted them to have her own. And with my dad making as much money as he does, that was possible. I had my own swing set that we passed along to my brother. And by the time I was born, they were able to afford to go to Disney several times a year. I've been 42 times now. It was good that they waited. Their marriage was very stable by the time they had me and they were financially in a good position. It's nice to have them say, "Don't worry, we'll pay for college." Granted, I got a really good scholarship and I'll be living at home, but still (but on the bright side, my dad says he'll send me to Disney on my breaks if for some reason I can't go with them. And I can take a friend.) Plus I have my own car, and I don't have to pay the gas or insurance on it. They'd rather have me at home helping out with my younger brother than out with a job, which is nice. And focusing on school, especially since I started taking AP (college level) courses my Sophomore year, and was already taking a rigorous course load. It's just smarter to wait IMO to get married and have kids. I know a girl who got married at 18, had a kid at 19, and currently lives with her husband's parents. Not smart.

My friend really just was...not smart with getting pregnant. She's not smart anyway, book or world wise, and always criticized me for staying a virgin. Like you're such a great example, was my thought. Another girl who's older than me got pregnant her Senior year of high school. That's so unimaginable. She just got out of rehab and seemed better, but still. Another example of it didn't happen just once...

Don't worry, my parents are 47 and 53. You do not seem old! I also have an uncle who's 29. And my aunt is 51 and has three grandkids. Yup. My family.

 

[luv]

I knew all those facts, I love celebrity gossip magazines!

They're my one guilty pleasure, I don't smoke and rarely drink, my own life is dull and I enjoy seeing pap photos of skinny blonde celebrities who have been papped showing a bit of cellulite!

OK, your definition of "papped" and what my mind landed on as a possible meaning are different, I am certain. But I don't know what it means.

Speak English, woman!

 

[The Mom]

@StarWarsGirl95, I imagine it would suck to watch friends go thru the whole teen pregnancy thing. You're so right, it is totally preventable which is the worst part. Like my oldest told me the first time we discussed kids his age having sex (6th grade...yikes!), its just not the right time, its wrong for kids to have kids.

I'm definitely with your mom! Getting married young worked out for me but I do NOT recommend it. It's hard. And yes, I did get down the road ten years or so & find myself aware of all the things I didn't do because I chose this path. No regrets but it would be easy to feel differently than I do. I was married 2 1/2 years when our first baby came along. I was a 21 yro mom and I also wouldn't recommend that. I look back and see so much I could've been better at, especially more patient, had I waited a bit. Then again, I'm not even 40 and I don't have many years left raising my boys. Maybe when they're off living their lives and I'm still fairly young ((I know you're laughing because 40 is like half dead when you're still young...LOL)) I'll be happier about my impatience with having my family. For me, having a family of my own was the ultimate challenge, the thing I felt I was least likely to ever do or even succeed at. It was the dream I dared not dream. Yet here I am and I don't think I've done really all that bad. Certainly could've done worse! LOL! But yeah, I tell my boys what your mom tells you. Don't get married at 19...or 21! Savor your youth while you're young. If you find your person that young then great! Have amazing adventures living it up together then tie the knot a little later. No need to rush. Got your whoooole life to live! Glad your mom talks to ya about it, too. My mom never said a thing until I was engaged and she was freaking out. I look back at what she said to me and its one of the first handful of wisdoms I held onto from her. She said, "How can you know at 19 what you want for the rest of your life? You are just starting to figure out who you are! Wait until you're 30! At 30 you'll begin to have a clue!" That's true. Who I thought I was at 19 and who I knew I was at 30 are so unlike each other!

Every choice has pros and cons. My mother married at 20 (pregnant) had 5 kids and celebrated her 60th anniversary before my father died. They had 20 years of retirement, and another 10 years of empty nest. I married at 25 (almost 26) and my husband was 30. Had my 1st child at 32, and my second at 42. We still don't have a totally empty nest (college), and have been out of sync with our friends and relatives (except for our younger ones) for the past 20 years. My parents lived to see some of their grandchildren reach adulthood, and were able to see great-grandchildren - along with one great-grand.

My eldest (29) has a SO, but they are not married and do not have children. I might get to see her children. If my son follows the same path (marrying after 30) I may never see his children. Just as my husband's mother didn't live to see hers, nor did she live to even see her youngest graduate med school and marry. My FIL died when my daughter was 2.

We were able to enjoy our 20s without worrying about children, and had a secure career and house before we started a family. My parents struggled to put food on the table, and didn't really have financial security until we were grown. But I sometimes regret that I won't be able to see more of the movie, as it were. My mother and I had a difficult time during my teen years, but I was her rock in her last decade of life. I'm glad she got to see the end of the movie, and even the sequel.

So know that no choice is perfect - but you can still find happiness if you focus on the pros, and don't dwell on the cons. As John Lennon once said "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."

 

[DisneyGuyNYC]

Haven't heard much about her sister since she got pregnant at 16? and got her popular Nickelodeon show dumped. Assuming it's the same sister.

PS- This thread made me chuckle to myself.

She's been recording a country music album and raising her daughter away from the press.

 

[luv]

They're all going to be just fine, no matter how they were living when they were two.

 

[dave&di]

OK, your definition of "papped" and what my mind landed on as a possible meaning are different, I am certain. But I don't know what it means.

Speak English, woman!

Papped = photos taken by paparazzi !!!!! I am English!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Papped = photos taken by paparazzi !!!!! I am English!

Speak American!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Every choice has pros and cons. My mother married at 20 (pregnant) had 5 kids and celebrated her 60th anniversary before my father died. They had 20 years of retirement, and another 10 years of empty nest. I married at 25 (almost 26) and my husband was 30. Had my 1st child at 32, and my second at 42. We still don't have a totally empty nest (college), and have been out of sync with our friends and relatives (except for our younger ones) for the past 20 years. My parents lived to see some of their grandchildren reach adulthood, and were able to see great-grandchildren - along with one great-grand.

My eldest (29) has a SO, but they are not married and do not have children. I might get to see her children. If my son follows the same path (marrying after 30) I may never see his children. Just as my husband's mother didn't live to see hers, nor did she live to even see her youngest graduate med school and marry. My FIL died when my daughter was 2.

We were able to enjoy our 20s without worrying about children, and had a secure career and house before we started a family. My parents struggled to put food on the table, and didn't really have financial security until we were grown. But I sometimes regret that I won't be able to see more of the movie, as it were. My mother and I had a difficult time during my teen years, but I was her rock in her last decade of life. I'm glad she got to see the end of the movie, and even the sequel.

So know that no choice is perfect - but you can still find happiness if you focus on the pros, and don't dwell on the cons. As John Lennon once said "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."

I guess it all depends on how long you live as well. My grandparents had their kids in their 20's, and except for my maternal grandmother, who suddenly and unexpectedly died of cancer two years ago, all are still alive. My Great-Grandmother lived to 95 and lived to see several of her great-grandchildren grown. She got to meet every great grandchild she had (I think they're all done having kids now.) My cousins on my father's side have kids, so my paternal grandmother has great grandchildren. It all depends.

Then again, it could not matter. I didn't meet my maternal grandparents until I was 13. They had a falling out with my mother, and hard as she tried, my grandmother never forgave her. So they ignored me and my brother. I never quite forgave my grandmother for that, and it remains a soft spot. My grandfather is trying to make up for it, but he's elderly and going deaf, so there's only so much he can do. He tries a bit more with my brother since he's the only grandson. My paternal grandmother is semi involved, but not really. I see her twice a year, and the only reason I know I'm the favorite granddaughter is because of the falling out she had with my cousin a few years ago. She tries when she's around, and she's okay, but really hasn't been much of a grandparent. We have a relationship more because I seek her out than anything. My paternal grandfather and his wife are barely involved in my life, but they have a son that they were still raising when I was born, so it's more understandable. The most involved grandparent was my great grandmother. She never cared what was going on with her daughter and my mom. Being a grandparent to my brother and me was always more important to her. My grandmother's younger sister is the person who I can say is my grandparent now. She's the one who's involved with my life and my brother's life. My mom respects her as a mother. My grandmother embarrassed me at a family get-together when I was 14 by introducing my two cousins to a neighbor but then forgetting my name. My aunt reamed her out for that. My aunt's the one who stays with us when we're sick and our mom can't be there, the one who goes to all of the performances I've had over the years, who makes sure we get gifts at the end of the school year, etc. Sad really. I've had 7 grandparents, yet I really don't have grandparents.

But hey, I've had it easy. I fully agree with my parents' decision to wait to have kids. One of my friends complains because her parents were in their mid thirties when she was born, and later in their 40's when her brother was born. I don't understand why she complains; she's had it easier as a result.

 

[DisneyGuyNYC]

Speak American!

Haha my friends who actually get papped call it getting papped too.