Britney Spears whith her kids

 Today’s news is about the one and only Britney Spears. The pop tartlet hadn’t seen her children since January 3. Now, thanks to Papa (Jamie) Spears, Britney is getting some things back together. Obviously she can’t be left alone with her children, but she did see them. She spent three hours with Sean Preston and Jayden James on Saturday morning in the company of her father, a lawyer, and one of K Fed’s bodyguards.

Thank You

Thank you everyone  for your kind comments about my post about my step-grandson's death this past week. Of course no one  is ever prepared for a random tragedy like this, but these situations have the ability to bring families together and to bring out the best in people.  I'm very proud of how my two twenty something year old children stepped up and became helpful and responsible in ways that had never been required of them before, from the big things like calling the coroner's office and LA Metro during the search to the small things like helping with the younger children while the parents and older aunts and uncles grieved.  All the drama will all be over next week after the memorial service, but I will always remember having seen an enduring transformation in my children.

Summer Travel - Virtual and Not So Virtual

Even after a crazy week in Las Vegas I feel like a virtual road trip because I'm constantly seeking summer, and it's not really warm yet in LA.
I'm not sure where I would want to go first...
Certainly visiting Jill at her El Paso abode on a night when she's cooking would be high on my list of places to go
along with visiting Ruth at her wild Wales country "cottage" with animals run amok...as long as she wouldn't make me drink Jack Daniels and chase after her chickens.

Now on the topic of not so virtual travel,

how did the parents of Abby Sunderland allow her to attempt to sail around the world ALONE at the age of 16? Now she is feared to be lost at sea.

I don't even want my adult children to walk alone in downtown LA after dark.

What is wrong with these parents?

Jewelry Biz - Cadmium Carcinogenic Charms For Children?

AP IMPACT: Toxic metal in kids' jewelry from China

LOS ANGELES – Barred from using lead in children's jewelry because of its toxicity, some Chinese manufacturers have been substituting the more dangerous heavy metal cadmium in sparkling charm bracelets and shiny pendants being sold throughout the United States, an Associated Press investigation shows.
The most contaminated piece analyzed in lab testing performed for the AP contained a startling 91 percent cadmium by weight. The cadmium content of other contaminated trinkets, all purchased at national and regional chains or franchises, tested at 89 percent, 86 percent and 84 percent by weight. The testing also showed that some items easily shed the heavy metal, raising additional concerns about the levels of exposure to children.

Cadmium is a known carcinogen. Like lead, it can hinder brain development in the very young, according to recent research.

OK...I'm going to show my age here

(but not in a Rachel Zoe kind of way)

When I was growing up little girls did not wear jewelry...ever.

Or at least I didn't

It was deemed inappropriate and unnecessary.

Of course I also wasn't allowed to wear nail polish or make-up either until I was a teenager...Perhaps the only accessory that I owned as a child was a pair of white gloves.

(you see...I really am old)

Maybe it was just part of my mainstream middle class WASP background, we're talking low WASP here not high WASP a la Privilege.

But as far as I can remember from my childhood, only Hispanic girls had their ears pierced

and the over adornment of children....especially the dressing of little girls in age inappropriate clothes and accessories, was considered the height of bad taste.

Naturally, I carried my cultural bias over to the way I raised my daughter. There were certainly no manicures of make-up for her. She did though have a gold charm bracelet that was only worn on special occasions maybe once a year. It was meant to be something that she would have as a child, but not actually be worn until she was a teenager.

So now we have a market for cheap children's costume jewelry that is carcinogenic.

You know how I feel about costume jewelry

Not only is it an utter waste of money...

now it can even be dangerous.