LOVE ANGELES

Jerry and Rebecca Take Their Angels to Breakfast!

Source: Celebrity Baby Blog - Perhaps it was a birthday brunch? Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell brought fraternal twin daughters Charlie Tamara Tulip (l), and Dolly Rebecca Rose (r), along as they enjoyed a meal in Los Angeles, Calif. The girls turned one year old on Dec. 28th!

The Energy of Mother Mary in all Mothers and Children

Something was trying to get my attention this morning regarding the beauty of mothers and the sacredness of the relationship between mothers and children. In fact, it started last week in San Diego when I found myself standing in a kitchen with my sister, mom and both of my grandmothers. I remember thinking, man I'm not use to all this female energy, I'm used to being around Papa and his burly 24-hour caregiver next door to me in LA.

In line at Whole Foods this morning I had a powerful, life-filled conversation with a mother who was accompanied by her beautiful daughter, being aware of the love flowing between the two. Minutes later my soul-brother Jerry Lee Davis emailed me the second clip below of singer/songwriter Patty Griffin's Mary. While I was watching the clip, I could feel my joy expand and no sooner than that there was a knock on my door. A beautiful and inspired young girl who has been going door to door in my area spreading the love of God and her church community for some time, happened to be accompanied by her beloved mother. I looked in her eyes and thanked her for being so open to the Spirit of Love within her and sharing it with me and other people in the world. I also thanked her mom for doing a great job creating the foundation for her daughter to simply follow her heart. How could I not feel the magic?   

CanVolution

GOOD - "The can-volution takes canning out of the factory and puts putting-up food back on the table.

Canned foods were born in the early 1800s when a confectioner named Nicholas Appert invented a method for preserving food in airtight containers for the French army. From there, canned foods went on to become a safe, reliable staple of the workingman’s lunch and a source of pride for frugal homemakers. Canned food also became a symbol of modern industrialized society—as if the food itself were produced mechanically. Cans of green beans, Campbell’s soup, or fruit medley represent the promise (easy-to-use, pre-cooked food all year-round!) and the perils (bland, salty, overcooked food all year-round!) of modern culture.

While having canned beans available year-round—and, indeed, the can itself—is the result of a huge industrial effort (as James Parker recently wrote in a spirited defense of canned foods), a cottage industry of do-it-yourself community canners has cropped up again. Sales of canning supplies are reportedly up 30 percent this year, fed in part by an interest in local foods, awareness about contaminated processed foods, and a slumping economy. DIY home canning has also drawn inspiration from a generation of designers and tinkerers dedicated to customizing off-the-shelf products—computers, bicycles, food—that were once thought of as sterile, efficient exemplars of industrial product design.

Although producing canned food yourself may not be as cheap as buying the mass-produced version, it allows you to save your own seasonal foods, customize recipes, and enjoy your tomatoes with the knowledge that they weren’t picked by an enslaved Immokalee worker.

One enthusiastic cheerleader of canning’s new wave has been Kim O’Donnel, a Seattle writer who launched Canning Across America this summer. “I got inspired by Yes We Can in the Bay Area and I kept thinking about Hands Across America, where people would simultaneously hold events around this idea of putting up food,” O’Donnel says. “I threw an idea out on Twitter. I have not seen anything like the response I got in a long time and it was because of twenty-first century technology. We’re using social media to talk about a way of preserving food that dates back to Napoleonic era.”

Tim McGraw teaches his daughters how not to be like Kanye

 

First, I want to say that I looove Taylor Swift. She's so classy, poised and genuine in nature!!!

I know everyone who reads the main flow of media is tired of reliving the fiasco which took place at the VMA's the other night but I just had to tip my hat to Tim Mcgraw for the way he used it to teach his little angels. 

"He shows himself to be an idiot every time he does stuff like that. [My girls] were upset. But what he did do is provide a great example of how not to be, and my girls learned a big lesson."

My Kid Guru

Joaquin Ames has been on the planet for about 5 years now and he loves to wear costumes - so much in fact that our recent meetup in San Diego was one of the few times we've hung out where he wasn't in full suit (his mom wouldn't let him go swimming in his Darth Vader getup!) I met Jouaquin almost two years ago at his father's home in Larkspur, CA. David Ames, Joaquin's beloved daddy and my soul-brother from another mother, peacefully transitioned onward in July 2008 after courageously living with ALS just over five years. Reflecting on the time I spent with David laughing, praying and singing, I can honestly say that I recognize him as one of my greatest teachers of unconditional faith, hope, gratitude and love.

From the first time I met Joaquin and his big sis Isabelle, I immediately felt a strong connection with them. I will forever be grateful that I had the opportunity to express the connection to David and promise him that I would always do my best to be in their lives as a friend and unconditional supporter. I let him know all the time (through prayer and meditation) how grateful I am to have these angels in my life as my big teachers in little packages!    

Two years apart, Jouaquin and Issy vividly remind me of my big sis and me, when we were their age. Yet, when I spend time with them, I foget to notice their age just as I do when I spend time with nana and papa, despite their weakening bodies. Our spirits are connected and communicate to the best of our human abilities.

This last weekend in San Diego, Joaquin reminded me how to trust and let go of fear, when he decided he would shoot down the waterslide by himself (and w/o his floaties) for the first time! It was sooo exciting to experience his joy, enthusiasm and sense of growth!

By observing our youth, we are reminded of what life is like without filters, conformity and limitation. By oberseving our youth we re-learn how to live with excitement, joy and curiousity. Children are geniuses when it comes to growing! Why is that? They're passionate about life, learning, experiencing, loving and being loved. The whole life system was programmed in such a way that we would always be around children, especially at the precise moments we need to be reminded of the truths of life!