Celebrities Trademarking a Child's Name . . . Yea or Nay??

Should celebrities be allowed to trademark their child's name??

This snippet is taken from Drew Reports.com:

Beyonce and Jay-Z want to control any green made off their beloved baby Blue. The proud parents filed a Jan. 26 application to trademark the name “Blue Ivy Carter,” their infant daughter’s now world-famous moniker. Queen B and her rap mogul hubby are asking for exclusive rights to use the name in connection with cosmetics, recordings, baby products, clothing, toys, video games and motion picture films, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.

First off I have no idea who Jay-Z is. I couldn't pick him out of a crowd if my life depended on it. All I know is that he has something to do with Beyonce. Truth be told I wouldn't know who she was either if it weren't for the Weight Watcher's commercials.

BUT!! Should celebrities be allowed to trademark their child's name? Personally, I think Blue Ivy is a stupid name for a child . . . Ivy not so much, but Blue Ivy . . . yeah . . . dumb name. I'll never understand why people have to name their kids such stupid names. What's wrong with a name that won't get your kid made fun of when they go to school??

[If celebrities think that their kid won't get made fun of because of who their parents are they've got another think coming. It's just my personal opinion, but kids of celebrities are more susceptible than non-celebrity kids. I mean c'mon . . . wouldn't you razz a kid because his or her father was Charlie Sheen?]

I may be wrong, but I don't think you can trademark a name to prevent anyone else from using it as a name for their child. If that were the case, then our names would be numbers now instead of words. I think as long as it's for business purposes only, then it should be okay . . . IF (and ONLY IF) that business is already formed. Try to imagine naming your company Microsoft or Apple.

If the parents set out to prevent others from using the name for their kid then it would piss me off. That would be like the Catholic Church trademarking the names of the gospels in the bible. Imagine not being able to name your kid Matthew, Mark, Luke, John . . . or Job!! LOL

When a celebrity states that their trademark application is for business purposes only . . . to use their kid's name only in relation to a business venture . . . is really suspect. I didn't have my kids because I was expecting to use them or their names in a possible business venture. I had my kids because I wanted kids. Not because I was expecting to make money off of them at some point in the future.

Maybe I'll come up with a business that has nothing to do with cosmetics, recordings, baby products, clothing, toys, video games and motion picture films and call it Blue Ivy Crochet Company. Yeah . . . why not?? :)

Please keep in mind that what I write on this blog is my own opinion and not that of anyone else on this planet. If you agree with me . . . that's totally cool. If you don't . . . that's cool too. If you want to post your own opinion feel free to do so, but please be nice and try and keep the cussin' to a minimum.

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One Million Moms BULLSHIT Has to STOP!!

I just watched this video of Ellen and agree with her stated traditional values. She's right on the money:

Honesty
Equality
Kindness
Compassion
Treating others the way you want to be treated
Helping those in need

I was also just on the One Million Moms website and I have to say that what they think is such crock of BULLSHIT!! Don't get me wrong . . . I don't let my kids watch smut or anything that would make them go "ewwww". I have morals and I'm a good person . . . basically.

Personally I couldn't tell you what companies sponsor any particular show on TV. I don't usually sit through the commercials. This is what I think: A company pulls their commercial from a TV show because these "concerned MOMS" say they will lose money if they don't. To me this amounts to this company being "bullied" by a minority of the people. I don't play like that. I would NOT buy from a company that gave into bullying.

I have to say that some of their "successes" are suspect. Take, for instance, the Playboy Club. It wasn't cancelled because of One Million Moms, it was cancelled because it was a stupid show and not very interesting. Even my hubby thought it was stupid and he's a boobs and leg man.

I believe in telling my kids what's real and what isn't real. Everything you see on TV is pretty much from the imaginations of some very creative people. Some of them are creatively warped people, but some of my favorite shows are kinda warped . . . Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Angel, Supernatural. Can you tell I like the spooky stuff?? LOL

My kids know that most of TV is fake and it's just entertainment. It's there to make you laugh . . . or cry. IT'S NOT REAL!! Ok . . . my 7 and 5 year olds will tell you that Spongebob and Phineas are real, but like I said they're 7 and 5 . . . they'll learn eventually. Do I wish that slayers, vampires and witches with magical powers were real?? You bet!! Are they?? Nope!! I can still wish they were though.

Even so-called reality shows aren't real. How can it be called a reality show if they tell the contestants/players/idiots what to say? Even game shows are scripted. What's next? Sports is the only thing on TV that's real any more. Fortunately, not on my TV . . . I find sports boring and an utter waste of time. (Sorry sports fans . . . that's just my opinion.)

This is what we can do with traditional values:

Honesty - I can honestly say that One Million Moms are a bunch of bitter women that seriously need to get laid.

Equality - One Million Moms are teaching their children that everyone is NOT EQUAL.

Kindness - I'm nice to everyone even if they don't deserve it.

Compassion - One Million Moms actually deserves OUR COMPASSION because they are so ignorant.

Treating others the way you want to be treated - Self explanatory.

Helping those in need - One Million Moms needs help in understanding that they are the MINORITY when it comes to their way of thinking.

A thought just popped into my head as I was re-reading this post. We've all seen the likes of One Million Moms before:

Adolf Hitler The KKK The Aryian Nation

They all thought they were better than everyone else. That blacks, gays and Jews were somehow inferior . . . because they are different. It's the ones that THINK they are better than everyone else that really aren't.

I'm sorry but this is something I truly feel strongly about. EVERYONE is equal and deserves my kindness, my respect, to be treated fairly and to be treated the way I want them to treat me . . .

. . . until they prove that they DON'T deserve it.

One Million Moms DOESN'T DESERVE IT!!

Please keep in mind that what I write on this blog is my own opinion and not that of anyone else on this planet. If you agree with me . . . that's totally cool. If you don't . . . that's cool too. If you want to post your own opinion feel free to do so, but please be nice and try and keep the cussin' to a minimum.

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Who Wants to Go Green With Me??

So . . . I've decided that I'm not buying paper towels any more. They are a waste of money. You should only compost paper towels if they don't have a design inked on them. Read: plain white paper towels . . .

I'm the one that does the majority of the grocery shopping, so I figure it's my decision on what to buy and not buy. My husband will stop at the store only if it's in his (or the kids) best interest . . . cigars, non-alcoholic beer, soda, etc.

It's about saving money, not wasting it.

It's about doing something good for our planet . . . before it bites us in the ass.

It's about being a little bit green and probably a lot dirty. What's the point in making compost if you're not gonna use it??

Dish towels are for drying hands. You can wash them as often as you need to. They are inexpensive. A pack of 6 costs just as much as eight rolls of paper towels and will last waaaaayyyy longer. Dish towels are usually 100% cotton. The best part is that once they've been used up and just really look like crap you can cut them up and compost them. They can be used for quite a few years before you would even consider needing to compost them. YAY!!

Just like dish towels replace paper towels, dish cloths can replace sponges for washing dishes. These aren't just any ordinary dish cloths though. These are handmade dish cloths. Handmade as in I made them with my own two hands. My dish cloths are crocheted with 100% cotton yarn. So guess what?? These are also biodegradable and you can just toss them into your compost pile when they get really really gross.

You can also use these as wash cloths in the bath or shower. I got a pattern for bath scrubbies from my friend Martha. I'm also going to be crocheting these so I can go back to using my Dove liquid bath soap.

My plan is to wash all my handmades on the gentle cycle with my "unmentionables" and then hang all of it on a clothes line . . . I just have to convince my hubby to put up the dang thing. Since my whole house is run on electricity this will save dryer time. I know I'm trying to go green as much as I can but I think I'll draw the line at washing my clothes by hand. With a seven person household I would NEVER be done!! LOL

So . . . for $7.97 (plus tax) I can get 3 dish cloths plus 2 bath scrubbies. The bath scrubbies at Wallyworld are $1.00 each but they're made of nylon or whatever scratchy material it is. They aren't biodegradable and don't feel nearly as soft as the 100% cotton ones are. Handmade bath scrubbies will last a lot longer than the store bought ones.

The dish cloths are to replace sponges that aren't so eco-friendly either. I suppose the sponge part may be (if it's a natural sponge), but if you buy sponges with the green scrubber thingy on one side I'm pretty sure that part isn't going to decompose any time soon.

Even though I use my dishwasher for most everything there are just somethings that won't fit no matter how much you want them to. For things like the crock for my crock pot and my turkey baking pan . . . those need to be washed by hand. They get a good soak first and then are scrubbed clean. How many times can you use a sponge in those types of conditions before it starts to smell?? For my household it was usually a week to ten days before it started stinking up my kitchen. Believe me it ain't a pretty smell . . . ew!!

Again I ask: Who wants to go green with me?

If you'd like to try out a dish cloth or a bath scrubbie just let me know. I'm sure I can point you in the direction of some of my Facebook friends that will gladly sell you some of their wonderful creations.

Please keep in mind that what I write on this blog is my own opinion and not that of anyone else on this planet. If you agree with me . . . that's totally cool. If you don't . . . that's cool too. If you want to post your own opinion feel free to do so, but please be nice and try and keep the cussin' to a minimum.

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Does Pregnancy Give You Brain Damage?

No . . . this is not a trick question!!

Does pregnancy give you brain damage?

Sometimes I really think so. Most days I can't figure out which kid is who. I haven't been pregnant in over 5 years so I'm pretty sure that the more kids you have the longer the brain damage lasts.

When I had my first daughter in 1987 I was 19 years old and in very good physical and mental shape. While I was pregnant I didn't have too much trouble in the "forgetful" department. Just the usual brain farts that everyone gets now and then.

Fast forward 11 years to 1998. I am now 30 years old and pregnant again. (I'm married this time too!) Again the brain farts show up but it's worse. Talking with a few friends confirm my self-diagnosis. "Yes!", they said. "I tried to tell my husband but he didn't believe me!" I'm sure there are plenty of other women out there that think this is true too.

It is now the year 2000 and we are expecting . . . again. Yeah, yeah . . . I'm an idiot. Been through all this already. I chalk it up to . . . you guessed it . . . BRAIN DAMAGE!!

2001 rolls around and dang it! I (we) did it again! 2004 and 2006 give me more of the same.

Ok . . . so now we are up to 5 kids from Patrick in 1998 to Wyatt in 2006. Plus I also have my oldest who is 19 years old. She is now the same age I was when I had her.

This is my theory:

A woman gets pregnant and half her genes and half the daddy's genes are given to the baby. With me so far? BUT!! Since mommy is the one carrying the baby whatever she eats the baby eats. Whatever she drinks the baby drinks. Now since baby feeds off of mommy wouldn't any normal person conclude that some of mommy's brain cells are being taken by baby too?

At least that's the general consensus from a few of my nearest and dearest.

Take a look at all these people with 18 kids, 20 kids, however many kids. You know . . . the ones that need to support their HUGE families by parading them around on TV . . .

This totally supports my theory. The mom keeps having all these babies. Once you pass say . . . baby #9 or 10 . . . there really aren't many brain cells left in mommy's head. She's totally running on residual memory. Like a robot that's stuck in one direction:

Get pregnant - lose brain cells - give birth - Get pregnant - lose brain cells - give birth. Over and over (and over) again until all brain cells are gone. These parents with gigantic amounts of children find that the ONLY way they can support their children is to go on TV and exploit the woman's lack of brain cells, the dad doesn't actually have to "work" and the world gets to see them all make fools of themselves on a "reality show". Having your own "reality show" doesn't seem to require a lot of brain activity . . . just look at Jersey Shore.

Don't get me wrong . . . I love my kids . . . adore them actually. They drive me nuts, but that's okay . . . at least they keep me laughing!!

Imagine this: a 5 year old boy, crew cut, wearing just his underwear and a cape made out of a pillow case . . . running around the house yelling, at the top of his lungs "You wanna piece of me?" Who wouldn't laugh at that?

Please keep in mind that what I write on this blog is my own opinion and not that of anyone else on this planet. If you agree with me . . . that's totally cool. If you don't . . . that's cool too. If you want to post your own opinion feel free to do so, but please be nice and try and keep the cussin' to a minimum.

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What's New For 2012 ?!?!?!?!

Well, today is the day after Christmas. It's a blah kind of day. All the excitement is over and your kids are already bored with their gifts. It makes you wonder why you go to all the trouble to buy what they want . . . that video game they've been begging for . . . and it took them most of Christmas day to go through all the levels. The first thing you hear on The Day After Christmas is "Mom!! I finished the game you bought me. Can you take me to Game Stop so I can trade it in?"

It makes me want to smash their Xbox 360 and dump the carcass in the trash can. I'm not allowed to take the hubby's hammer and smash all their games into little tiny pieces. He tells me: "My hammers are for putting nails in walls not for smashing games. If you need to smash a game go get a brick from behind the shed." Needless to say their Xbox and their games are safe . . . for now . . .

I have to admit I am lazy. Do I like it?? HELL NO!! I don't want to be the lazy Mom. I spent all day cuddling with my 7 and 5 year old sons on the couch watching Supernatural episodes that I DVR'd. I LOVE Supernatural. Jared Padalecki is totally yummy!! (Hey, I'm married . . . NOT DEAD!!)

New Years is the perfect opportunity for me to NOT be a lazy Mom. I have serious poundage to lose and I can barely keep up with my kids. I did gain 25 pounds after I quit smoking (September 2010) and I'm still more than 50 pounds overweight. I can breathe better but after gaining the weight I'm still a lot slower than I should be.

I freely admit I'm the cause of the weight gain. I can't really use the excuse that I gave birth to 6 children any more. My youngest is 5 years old and that excuse is invalid after breastfeeding stops. What I can say is . . . I love food. I can't say that I love to cook although I'm actually pretty good at it. I can say that I LOVE to bake and that's a HUGE problem in this house because everyone here loves the stuff that ain't good for you.

So . . . this is Me making a RESOLUTION!!

My 2012 New Year's Resolution
Walk every day it isn't raining, eat healthier food (that means I'll have to cook more . . . dang!), eat enough for ME not my entire family and drink lots more water.

Now let's see if I can stick to it!! Who'll take that bet??

Please keep in mind that what I write on this blog is my own opinion and not that of anyone else on this planet. If you agree with me . . . that's totally cool. If you don't . . . that's cool too. If you want to post your own opinion feel free to do so, but please be nice and try and keep the cussin' to a minimum.

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Gratitude Grubby Gal

How long do you show gratitude for an unexpected and unsolicited "gift"??

A friend of ours knows that our finances are in a downward spiral just like a lot of others across the country. She took it upon herself to send 3 large flat rate boxes filled with food. It cost her more to send the food than it actually cost her for the food. We didn't ask for it, but we are very appreciative that she sent it. It helped us out with meals for over a week . . . and we have 7 people to feed.

We received it almost 2 weeks ago and we've talked to her several times since then. She keeps bringing up that she was "so happy she could help us and take a bit of pressure off". She brings it up during every conversation. EVERY SINGLE ONE!!

We've thanked her profusely during almost every phone call. She'll ask if we ate this or that yet and what did we think . . . yada yada yada. Then it leads to her saying . . . again . . . that she was "so happy she could help us and take a bit of pressure off".

I AM grateful. I've told her I am grateful . . . numerous times. My husband has told her HE is grateful . . . numerous times. How long do we have to keep this up?? It's getting to the point where it's all I can do to avoid answering the phone when she calls. I am very GRATEFUL for Caller ID!!

Please keep in mind that what I write on this blog is my own opinion and not that of anyone else on this planet. If you agree with me . . . that's totally cool. If you don't . . . that's cool too. If you want to post your own opinion feel free to do so, but please be nice and try and keep the cussin' to a minimum.

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Are House Hunters Really THIS Picky??

HGTV is one of my top 5 favorite channels to watch. They've got great shows like House Hunters, Get It Sold, My First Place & Designed to Sell. They all have their good sides and they definitely have their not so good sides.

The one thing that all these shows have in common is everyone is so damn picky. I understand that people want what they want, but PUHLEEZE!! Some of the buyers on House Hunters are so snotty and worse than picky that it's a wonder that HGTV actually put the show on the air.

Is the fact that the kitchen doesn't have granite counter tops that big of a deal?? Not in my book. I would rather NOT have granite. Now if I had the bucks I'd be gettin' me some Connemara marble from Ireland . . . at least for my backsplash. LOL . . . yeah . . . that'll happen in my lifetime (NOT)!! I still don't want granite counter tops . . .

Does the bathroom really need to fit an entire football team in it?? Do you really need a shower separate from a soaker tub? Are these people that freakin' special that they can't climb into a tub one leg at a time to shower like the majority of the planet does?

I have to say that I totally get the gigantic walk-in closet thing. Unfortunately, I had to give up my walk-in closet to my husband because he actually has more clothes (and other things I can't mention) than I do.

I totally get the basement thing too. I grew up on Long Island and we always had a basement. Basements equal storage. Basements provide good hiding spots for Christmas presents!! We live in South Carolina now and what I wouldn't give to have a basement.

My First Place is another show that showcases the domination of one spouse over the other. Usually it's the wife/female partner getting her way and the husband/male partner is left flapping in the breeze. Some of those women really take the cake.

What's that old saying? "If your wife ain't happy ain't nobody happy!"

The inability of people to look past a color of paint to see the potential in one room is totally flabbergasting. It just goes to show how self absorbed these people are.

Sabrina Soto on Get It Sold is a rare individual. Ninety-nine percent of the time I don't have a problem with the way she stages a room. Every once in a while, though, something just doesn't look right to me. All in all she's a very talented designer and stager. If I had my pick of people to stage my home so I could "get it sold" it would be Sabrina Soto!!

Designed To Sell is probably the worst of the bunch. I just can't get past the way they throw around MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) all willy nilly like they do. I realize that it's a lot cheaper than using say oak or maple, but it still seems really cheap to me.

I have to say that most of what that show does makes no sense to me at all. Walk through a house that was on that show. Would you actually buy it if you knew what they did to it was just a quick fix to get the house sold?? Would you buy it knowing that that quick fix probably won't last a year and you'd have to do the work all over again?? NOT ME!!

I am definitely no where near as picky as 99% of the people on these shows. I can look at a house that's stuck in the 70's and see what it could be. I can also look at a Victorian from the 1890's and see that it should stay the way it was built. Believe me . . . you won't find any MDF in a 100 plus year old Victorian home.

Please keep in mind that what I write on this blog is my own opinion and not that of anyone else on this planet. If you agree with me . . . that's totally cool. If you don't . . . that's cool too. If you want to post your own opinion feel free to do so, but please be nice and try and keep the cussin' to a minimum.

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