Flaws in the current MPAA Rating System

Hi Friends!  For many years, I have been very concerned about the movie rating system.  Lots of sexual scenes taking place in many PG-13 movies.  I just don't think it's appropriate and it's hard to tell your 15 or 16 year old that the movie's not appropriate for them, when it's "clearly rated for 13 and up, Mom!"  I recently sent an email to the MPAA with my concerns.  I have added it to this blog post and I highly encourage you to send your own email if you have similar thoughts and also think the system is flawed.  Thanks for reading! Email is below......

Hi ~

I am a mother of 3 teenage daughters, all who are over 13.  I believe our current rating system (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17) is flawed.  It is very concerning to me that a film that has sexual scenes or the implications of sex taking place can be rated PG-13.  Does the MPAA really think that watching sexual scenes (people lying in bed together, appearing to be naked; men and women acting as if they are about to have sex; men and women "feeling each other up" either through their clothes or with hands under clothes, etc) is really appropriate for a 13 year old?  I can't be the only person who feels this way.  Has there ever been any consideration in adding another rating, in between PG13 and R, say PG-16?  Normally, a 13 year old is in middle school.  I really don't feel that these types of scenes are appropriate for a child in middle school.  If sex wasn't glamorized so much to very immature minds, maybe we wouldn't have so many sexually active teenagers (producing more cases of stds and unwanted pregnancies)?

I would love to hear the MPAA's thoughts on this matter!

Thank you,

Michelle Proudfoot

Mother's Day...preschool style

We celebrated Mom's Day today at preschool. The kids made many things for their moms, &
their snacks were butterflies made of grapes and goldfish. The kids had a lot of fun spoiling their moms! On a side note, a couple preschoolers surprised me with a teacher appreciation gift. "My kids" really are the best preschoolers!

Nephew's Night

My husband's aunt started Nephew's Night last year in an attempt to bring/keep her nephews, sons and daughter closer. I love going as it is a chance to chill and catch up. The "kids" range in age from 42 to 22. Some just had babies, some are preparing to have babies and some are preparing for weddings. We are on the older (okay....the oldest) of the range, so we get to relive all those experiences with the youngers! Well, we brought dessert. I made some Strawberry Colada Cupcakes from my Betty Crocker Big Book of Cupcakes. They were yummy!
http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crocker-Big-Book-Cupcakes/dp/0470906723

Happy Anniversary to the Hubster

This anniversary came and went faster than we could find the time to celebrate! I'm still anticipating a nice dinner out, but we did exchange gifts. I received a super cool Keurig latte maker! I have been eyeing this baby for several months!  I was waiting for the email from Keurig to say it was available for purchase, but ol' smarty found it for sale on Bloomingdales.com. 







Scott received a Scavenger Hunt full of gifts and surprises. He had ten clues. Once he figured out the clue (only yes or no answers from me) he had to drive to the spot to answer a question and receive a gift. At the end he received a homemade gift. I made a song by choosing 1 meaningful (to us) line from each of the Top 50 Love Songs (compiled by Billboard). We had a nice time doing it together! Now....I'm going to go make myself a latte! ;-)

the er's of Ocean City

We were able to sneak away for a few days and "go down da ocean, hon" and whenever we do go, we have to make sure we fit in the three er's.  That would be Thrasher's, Fisher's and of course Dumser's. We even had back to back days of fries and ice cream, just cause we could! The weather was a little chilly, but we still had plenty of sunshine.  We had breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast spots, Happy Jack and we tried a new-to-us restaurant, Sunset Grille, which proved to be not only tasty, but a bargain for a family of 5!  It was a very nice few days away!

Happy Good Friday, friends!

I am immensely grateful to my Lord, Jesus, for the painful death he endured to free me from the bondage of sin. As it was on this day that he was beaten and hung to the cross...all for you and me. Thank you Jesus! As I have said before, I will spend each and every day working to repay you! I would like to share this Pinterest inspired painting that my daughter Alex made for me. Have a great Easter weekend y'all!

Banana-Coffee Caramel-Filled Cupcakes

Have I got your attention? Yummmm. One word to describe these scrumptious cupcakes I made. These little bits of Heaven got a thumbs up from everyone who tried them! If you'd like to make some of your own, head on over to:

http://www.goldmedalflour.com/recipedetail.aspx?idrecipe=48970-2&idcat=9&cat=Cupcakes

Happy Wednesday!

Heeelllloooo! I'm back!

Wow. It's been way.too.long! I can't believe I haven't written in over a year. Almost a year and a half. I've been busy, living with teenagers, but that's no excuse! Well, I've been doing a lot of baking lately. And crafting. I used to blog about thoughts and such. But, now I'm going to start blogging about my everyday life. Maybe that will get me on more often. I'm also going to be showcasing some of my daughter Alex's art and photography. So, to quote a famous mouse we love, I'll see ya real soon....

I've been away too long!

I've been letting life get in the way again. You've missed a great trip to Seattle and San Francisco. You missed my awesome (that's for another post!) 40th birthday. You missed a great beach vacation and a cruise to New England and Canada! You missed the start of school and all the books I read this summer! Okay. I've caught you up to speed! Some exciting things are going on these days. I just recently started my Amuse Studio business. . Scott, Tamara and I are having a 70's/80's party in celebration of our 40th birthdays this year...it's going to be a blast, I'm really looking forward to it! Pictures to follow!

As always, thanks for reading!
Michelle

The Life of My Dreams

I'm a dreamer. Always have been. Always will be. I live a really blessed life. But...if I could pick the life of my dreams, it would include some additions to my already blessed life.

1. Family. and more of it. Not more kids for me, but more nieces, nephews and cousins around. In the life of my dreams, there would be family get togethers often. Family would just stop by. I would have real relationships with members of my extended family...we'd know each other better. we would vacation together, regularly, and enjoy it.

2. Life perceived would be life reality. I believe I wear my heart on my sleeve, as the saying goes. But often I feel perceived differently. I would like to be seen for who I truly am and for my true heart.

3. I want to have the feel of the beach (you know when you are at the beach you feel warm, relaxed, no worries, sunny, and carefree?) on Lauren Ct in Ellicott City. I don't mean actually see the beach, I want to feel like I feel when I'm at the beach...everyday.

4. I want my kids to get along most of the time. I realize it's an impossible thought for any type of people (sisters, spouses, friends, coworkers, etc) to get along all the time. But if they have to argue, I want my children to quickly work it out, forgive each other and FORGET ABOUT IT! My children tend to remember every little detail, and use it for the next argument, that will be occurring in less than an hour. If this list was in order of importance, this would be #1.

5. In the life of my dreams, both my mother and my grandmother would still be living on Earth. and all people would only die after a long, long life. and everyone would know Jesus, personally.

and hey, since I'm creating the life of my dreams...can I just be a size 8/10...forever?

Being a mother...

is one of the hardest, most challenging, aspects of my life.

WARNING: this may be a bit of a whine fest, so if that's not up your alley, you may want to skip over this post!

I love each of my children dearly...but they can sure cut me to the core sometimes. In everything I do, I always try to have my family's best interest at heart. Sometimes I think that annoys my children to no end that I would actually care about their health and well being! Sometimes it feels like a bed and breakfast (w/extra meals and laundry service) around here! I know I went to school for hotel management, but I didn't think I'd be using it in my own home!

I know they are kids and I don't think they intentionally try to hurt my feelings, but I sure wish they would use a 'filter' every once and a while.

If you stuck with me, thanks for reading...maybe my next post will be a little more enlightening!

Ten Things I Know For Sure....

1. I am loved by not only my family, but by my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
2. Even though I've been in them for only (doesn't feel like only!) 3 years, and I have about 9 more to go, I WILL survive the teenage years, all girly 12 of them!
3. I always have the best intentions.
4. I don't always speak my mind, but I always want to.
5. I am a dreamer.
6. I love to look into my husband's eyes, especially when he's talking to me.
7. Laughter might be bad for wrinkles, but it is great for the soul.
8. Being a mother is like no other job in the world!
9. It's always a good idea to be patient, kind and considerate...you never know when someone might really need you to be.
10. Pray...not when all else fails, but BEFORE all else fails...and all else won't fail!

Thanks for reading! ;-)

I Wish: for others to see The Real Me vs just My Mistakes

Whew! I didn't make the "blog every two weeks" goal, but I made it here two times this month, so as far as I am concerned, this is progress!

I have recently been contemplating the real me, versus how I am perceived by others. I would not say I am totally obsessively concerned with what others think of me, I am concerned when others think things of/about me that are not totally accurate. I am in the people business....the little people business. What I do matters to me. I strive to do the best I know how. Sometimes I fail at this goal, but because I fail, it does not mean my intentions were not there and it does not mean that I am okay with the result. When the "real me" is not portrayed, it is very discouraging to me. If my actions need correcting, I believe I should be "held accountable" but I get concerned about whether the "accounter" knows my true intent.

So, my wish is to do my best (which I am already doing), but not be so concerned with what others perceptions are (this is the challenging part!), because in reality...I really have no control over it...right? God knows my real heart...and in that I am comforted.

Much Love!
Michelle

The Big 4-0, or the "anniversary of turning 30"

To all those that have noticed, yes, I failed at my "blog every 2 weeks" challenge. I missed the whole month of February. Which happens to be the birthday month for several who are near and dear to me. Forgive me, I was off celebrating. Several, who had BIG birthdays...you know...the big 4-0 birthday. So, tell me, those who have gone before me (yes, I still qualify to check '35-39' on the survey): what's the big deal about turning 40? Personally, I think age is a number and you are only as old as you feel. Birthdays are good for us! Statistics show, the more we have the longer we live! So, when my turn comes, I think I will choose to ignore the hype and be happy for another day....

Just finished reading The Happiness Project

by Gretchen Rubin. I read the book, not because I want to be happier (because I find myself to be pretty happy already), but because I was interested in what she thought would make one happy. I naturally find happiness in many things (my salvation, my kids, my husband, my friends...and when one of 'my' preschoolers tells me he loves me) but she really made me think about what makes one happy. In my opinion, it was not a page turner, but I did enjoy reading it. If you are interested in a happiness project of your own, visit www.happinessprojecttoolbox.com to read about her suggestions.

here's to being HAPPY!
michelle

The Infamous Bucket List

As my 40th birthday is approaching this year, I have begun to think of things that I have done, wish I hadn't done, and things that I'd still like to do. Some are small tasks that I'd like to complete and some are pretty big deals. So since I am not much for resolutions, here are the Top Ten Things Michelle Wants to Do in Her Lifetime:

1. Organize my stamp collection. I am always trying to perfect this.
2. Blog regularly.
3. Be more creative and funny.
4. Go to Hawaii (I once gave up on this dream, but I'm putting it back on the list!).
5. Own a VW Bug.
6. Live in Manhattan, NY for 1 year.
7. Travel the US with Scott in an RV.
8. Have relationships with my grandchildren.
9. Catch up on my scrapbooks!
10. Walk across the United States.

There ya have it. I'm laying it out there! So, what's on your bucket list?

want a hat and gloves to match the blue in this scarf

Top 3 Reasons I Love Target (NOT!)

Long time, no post, I know. But I'm back, at least for this post! I love Target, really I do. I get entranced by their decor, their trendiness, their cool looking ads and their colorful products. So, why do they try to make me not want to shop there? After all they...
1. Give me a hard time about taking my coupon.
2. They charge me a different price than what's on the price tag on the shelf. (WAY too often!)
3. When I wait my turn in line, and ask for a raincheck, they tell me to go wait in line at the service desk (when I've already waited in the department and I know they can give me a raincheck at the register) and then they proceed to say "Let me take this next (same raced, not mine) customer" behind me and make me wait.
Target, this is no way to keep a customer! Please try harder!

It's been a while...

hello all my faithful readers...(ha ha - all 3 of you!)
a good friend of mine reminded me recently that I hadn't posted a blog entry in...say..."how long?" so, here I am. schools out for me, schools almost out for my kids (this is a GOOD thing...it means a few more quiet days!) I am gearing up to celebrate my birthday...and I will not being getting any older, because this year I turn the infamous 39. so, my thought of the post is: are birthdays THAT big of a deal for adults? some people HAVE to celebrate their birthday on the day, some people wait for the weekend, some people take a whole month, and some don't celebrate at all! which category do you fall in? I'd say I'm the "wait for a good time to celebrate" kind of girl. my kind of celebration? steamed crabs and a corona light. love to hear your thoughts!

Ahhhh Good Friday...it's the start of Spring Insanity

Yep, you guessed it. The kids are home from school...for a week...and a day. It all started yesterday...at about 4. The air of "no school, no homework (even thought they have it, they don't need/want to do it) and I am going to be a bum, thus creating more work for mom." Don't get me wrong. I look forward to sleeping past 7 am and having no schedule. But I will miss my peace and quiet, and even my crazy days with 24 3-4 year olds. And one thing I know for sure...Good Friday makes me remember how grateful and lucky I am to not only have my three healthy girls (and husband), but also a Lord and Savior who thought enough of me to lay down his life (in such a brutal and painful way) for my sins and inadequacies. Thank you Jesus. I will spend my entire life trying to pay you back, and I am sure I won't even come close. ;-) Happy Easter Everyone!