In our collection we have a Talking Bill Clinton Barbie, Rosie the Riveter Action Figure, A giant Bobble Head of George Bush – he’s not supposed to say stupid things, but he does quote himself so it’s a freaking riot.

It’s not uncommon to see Bill Clinton hanging out with Tracy Turnblad from Hairspray in the Pink Bug I got at a garage sale.

I TOLD my husband we shouldn’t let the kids play with them. They are collectors items. Now Bill Clinton has no feet.

So when we gave way the bobble heads of Barack Obama and John McCain for Blogtoberfest I was really excited to find out about Jail Break Toys.

They have writers like William Shakespeare and Virginia Wolfe . Seriously, get a Dorothy Parker and I’ll snap that up.

Frued and Einstein and Beethoven.

They have a lot of not-so-great world leaders too like Lenin and Mao Zedong.

But, also some good ones like Gandhi.

They even had a do it yourself Obama - you can paint it yourself. There’s a home schooling/craft project. Ha!

Check out Jail House Toys. You’ll find some groovy stocking stuffers for the politico, nerd, or geek you love.

Post from: Blisstree

Jail Break Toys

We’ve talked a lot about The Feminine Mistake by Leslie Bennett’s here on Blog Fabulous. I’m thrilled to have the publishers send a copy of this fantastic book to Lindley from my post Gloria Steinem Got Married.

My book club read it and it was one of the very few books that nearly everyone finished and then changed their perceptions. None of us can stop talking about it.

This book talks about work and women. It examines the benefits to women and their families if women work. It examines the real and present dangers if women do not work.

Here’s the thing – I was prepared to hate this book and disagree with it’s premise. I quit my professional journalist job to be home with my kids. I was defensive about my Mommy War position and my reasons for “choosing” that.

Several of my book club friends have made similar choices. Several of my book club friends are professionals with higher education degrees who made the opposite choice as I have. I was kind of expecting it to be controversial within the club. It wasn’t. The only person who hated the book was the SAHM who didn’t read the book and kept feeling a need to defend the old SAHM arguments.

After reading the book – we all felt powerful enough to re-examine our choice in a more educated light. We didn’t feel trapped in our choices. We didn’t feel like we’d made permanent choices – we felt empowered to change our minds and reevaluate what we really want as women – wives and mothers.

Two of my book clubbies went back to college to pursue more ambitious careers.

One of the mommies quit looking forword to the day she could quit her job.

I let go of mountains of working mommy guilt and started accepting the feminine judgement that often has me feeling like I have to fence-sit to make everyone happy. Which really – makes no one happy – least of all me. Won’t half of you hate/judge me anyway no matter what I do? Making a choice to ward off judgement isn’t a “choice” it’s just cowardice.

I don’t know what your working/SAHM internal Mommy War is like. But, I do know this – every single woman I’ve ever met has some insecurity about it and it either makes them aggressive or insecure and defensive. This book will help you let go of that and re-examine your choices in a new less defensive light.

Or at least it did me.

More on themes of The Feminine Mistake:

Battle Ground of Feminism: The Home

15 Years – Suck It Up

Stress for SAHMS v. Working Moms

Motherhood is a Temp Job: The Feminine Mistake

Post from: Blisstree

The Feminine Mistake Winner

Portable Hard Drives aren’t so ugly any more, eh?

Congratulations to Patricia Skinner who won this sleek and sexy Seagate FreeAgent Go Portable Hard Drive hard drive. Thanks for entering my post Annual Argument With Husband.

One of the cool things you can do with this technology is take it to parties and hook it up to the TV to show off the volumes of photos of your kid. (OK, limit that annoying social behavior to Grandma and you’ll keep your friends longer.)

Post from: Blisstree

Seagate FreeAgent GO Winner

I’m happy to give Gina a gift of skin care products from Jan Marini Skin Research and a tube of Eye Lash Conditioner. They sent me some Enlighten Serum, an Enlighten Lotion, Sunscreen and a tube of Marini Lash Eyelash Conditioner.

I’m super-blessed because right after I my skin started looking better from being bled (yeah, you heard me correctly) Jan Marini sent me the wonderful products to try out.

Does my skin look better?

Yes, of course. I’ve been being bled.

Did the skin care products help?

Well, duh.

If nothing else they made me feel like I was taking care of my skin. After staring in the mirror with consternation and puzzlement from not knowing what was causing all those brown spots (a liver condition called Hemochromatosis if you just got here) it was nice just to pamper and appreciate my skin while using these products.

I’ve even skipped foundation or powder because my skin is looking so good. This morning I actually said, “I look fantastic!” Then I liked how that sounded so I said, “No Really, You really look fantastic today!” to myself in the mirror (that, my friends, is the secret to good self-esteem.)

My favorite is the sunscreen, because Hello – I’m not ever laying out again and I’m going to prevent aging sun damage as much as possible.

But, for some reason applying serum as well as lotion felt like applying magic. Serum sounds like alchemy doesn’t it?

I am most intrigued by the Marini Lash. This stuff promises to make your eye lashes grow back with a proprietary peptide. It retailsfor $160!

Have you noticed eyelids bald with age?

First, stop using Dollar Store Mascara and half of them will grow back on their own.

Second, hello Tracee, stop picking clumps of mascara off while you watch tv late at night and maybe wash it off – this will avoid actually pulling eyelashes right out of your eye lids.

Third, try the two step Loreal Volume Shocking Mascara that I wrote about in this hilarious piece about telling my daughter the lies inherent in beauty advertising.

Can I get them to grow back is a question I’ve never gotten an answer to. Jan Marini says I can. Now, my eyelashes do look fuller. Of course, it has only been a few weeks and you know how when you stare at your face long enough you can’t be sure you’re seeing reality after a while? Can I remember what my lashes looked like before?

So, I’m going to withhold judgment on that for now. I’ll continue to use it and I’ll let you know whether or not they really and truly are growing back in a few weeks.

In the meantime, there is one significant change that I am crediting to this make-up. My adult acne is better. Completely gone, not yet. But, it would seem the birth control pills were actually working for me in more ways than one. Since the vasectomy (and during both pregnancies) my acne has missed those birth control pills. (We’ve also recently started using condoms again – free of any reproductive reason to use birth control and we’re inventing all sorts of ways to bring it back it’s side effects.But that ladies is a story for another day. Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss it.)

Gina – you lucky duck – I hope this Blogtoberfest gift of Jan Marini Skin Research makes you appreciate your skin as much as it’s made me appreciate mine!

Post from: Blisstree

Jan Marini Skin Research Winner

Remember PIG = Pretty Intelligent Girl?

I’m not the only one who thought we needed the new millennium equivalent of the 1970s comeback from being called a pig.

Betty Hoeffner, president of HeyUgly.org did too and she made one.

U.G.L.Y. = Unique Gifted Lovable You

This fantastic shirt says, UGLY, it’s the new beautiful .

Whether you want to thank Ugly Betty for the new take on ugly or Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty for the new take on beauty or you want to accept that we were beautiful all along I’m digging the message.
Hey Ugly is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering teens with self-esteem and help them resist self esteem issues like bullying, eating disorders, suicide, dropping out, drugs, etc.

The organization offers an eM-POWERment Day presentation in schools to discuss bullying and help kids deal with their feelings.

HeyUGLY also has a Choose to Change radio show which features songs that nurture positive self-esteem and promote diversity, perseverance, peace and a healthy planet.

My favorite is the Acronym contest where they as tweens and teens to come up with positive acronyms for negative words like DORK, HATE, RACISM, STUPID or LOSER.

So, that’s why I say “I’m a PIg and You’re soooo UGLY!”

Congratulations to Jessi A for winning this shirt in the I’m a PIG contest.

Post from: Blisstree

I’m A PIG? You’re UGLY!

Dove was kind enough to send me a gift bag to share with one of my readers. The winner of the Say No to Save Sanity is . . . Noreen. There is a very hip and cool large bag, and inside they have sent Dove Shampoo and Conditioner for you to try.

They are doing a marketing partnership with The Women and have send a teen reporter to interview the cast and crew about beauty, check it out.

I was particularly fascinated to see what Meg Ryan had to say about Real Beauty.

It’s always been particularly confounding to me that she would loath the exact same lips that gave her the Girl Next Door smile American collectively fell in love with. So much so that she would get plastic surgery on her signature, money making lips to make them a caricature of trendy sexiness. And then to have it turn out badly?

How terrible.

In one of the clips Meg Ryan says coming to a place of self-acceptance about one’s beauty is a process.

You can also download self-esteem building tools for girls, moms and mentors at Dove.com.

Post from: Blisstree

Dove Gift Bag Winner

I’m desperately jealous of . . .Janet Fricano. Because I WANT this 17″ mcklein willowbrook detachable-wheeled women’s case from Kolobags. It was my Functional Status Symbol.

No longer does traveling with a wheeled laptop bag have to be such a drag. Vibrant colors such as blue, green, orange, pink, red, white, and then (of course) black are the hardest part of this decision. This sharp leather brief can travel solo or be a wheeled bag because of McKlein’s patented removable wheel and handle system. The laptop brief features an organizer section for media gadgets, a front zipper pocket for miscellaneous items, a removable high density laptop sleeve, and a retractable handle. In addition to protecting your laptop, you can protect your valuables in the front pocket which features a secure key lock. The bag is worth $215.

When I went to San Francisco, and before when I went to Austin as a Hillary Delegate, I was carrying my Macbook Pro 17″ laptop in an ugly black messenger bag. That’s what I had.

It was heavy and hard on the back and the strap dug into my shoulder.

Rather than take the opportunity to live blog the whole thing, I opted not to lug around a heavy laptop in an anti-ergonomic laptop case for 12 hours.

But, if I had this really hot, really beautiful laptop case on wheels – I’d have had not problem taking my prized Mac everywhere.

I’m trying to be happy for you Janet, I really am. But, inside I’m hoping you’ll give Kolobags MY address on accident.

Post from: Blisstree

Give this to me for Christmas – PLEASE!

“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes” – Erasmus

But, then I’m left with bunches of books – lots aren’t good enough to keep and I’m not a re-reader – and I have to sell them back or donate them. I am not rich, so I have to wait until I can find new releases used – which is usually only a few months, but I’d just as soon not have to deal with the shipping. I have this itty bitty library that charges $2 when they borrow books from other libraries and they rarely get any books I want to read.

Enter BookSwim.com – essentially, it’s Netflix for books. Is there a better idea?

You can get new $25 books – an entire box of them, without paying shipping – for $9.99 a month.

If you want more books out at one time, you pay a higher monthly fee.

“Machine Dreams” Jen won a 3 month membership to BookSwim.com.

Last week I wrote some Quick Pop Culture Reviews including some popular books.

The reason I was able to read several of those books is that they gave me a free one month membership.

I’m totally signing up. I have a book club and I end up spending $10-$20 on that book alone every month.

They will even buy a book you ask for and hope that other subscribers will read it to.

Post from: Blisstree

Bookswim Winner

Did you see Gloria Steinem on Oprah? Oprah asked her why she got married in her mid-60s after she had been famously quoted as saying, “Marriage is death.”

‘Well, you know, … I’ve fought for 30 years to make marriage laws equal, so why not?’” the feminist icon said.

Mommy cried today, my daughter told my husband.

I saw Gloria Steinem on Oprah, I explained.

Truly, I was hoping to pass on to my daughter the profound gratitude I feel toward this woman for standing up to the status quo and insisting on women’s political, legal and economic equality.

My daughter has grown up in a world in which her equality is a given. Gloria held no magic for her.

We’ve lately, with Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, have confronted our mother issues, our mommy wars, our equality.

I hope it’s clear to someone other than myself that now, our issues may just be our own. In Gloria’s day, it was the men holding us back.

But, because she spend 35 years changing their minds, I find the mommy wars are among . . . the women. Maybe a year ago I realized it was really an internal war – me against myself and the mother voice in my head and my fear of judgement from other women.

Then Sarah Palin made me realize that half of women judge me viciously no matter what I do so I should just do what I want as Gloria suggests.

There’s been lot’s of speculation about why John McCain would choose a woman with so little experience over someone like Kay Baily Hutchinson, the polling showed our own issues with our mothers highly influenced the women’s vote. It’s so complicated who dares hang an election on that?

In the workplace, it seems women are as many women wanting to hold women’s ambitions back as their are men. Certainly, we don’t create an emotional environment for each other where ambition and success are talked about or rewarded.

When asked whether young women today are ungrateful, naive, or entitled or wrong to take their equality for granted Gloria said No. “It’s part of the reason that women do get more activist, more radical, you might say, with age because we have to experience what the unfairnesses are in the workplace and who takes care of kids and who doesn’t,” she says.

The bar has been raised. Marriage laws are equal enough for Gloria to participate in. But, there are other frontiers – family medical leave act for instance. Women only get radial and active once they experience being 8 months pregnant and are then told: We’re sorry, we don’t offer 12 weeks maternity leave because we don’t have to.

Then, BAM – a Feminist is Born and Gloria Steinem becomes your personal hero.

This is a Blogtoberfest Post. I’m giving something away. If you leave a comment guessing what it is you’ll be entered to win.

Image Source: Oprah.com

Post from: Blisstree

Gloria Steinem Got Married

By 11 comments Trench Reynolds from My Crime Space won our Blogtoberfest Debate.

I hope he enjoys it because in real life the polls say his candidate is going to lose.

In case you’re getting all “ha ha ha we’re going to win” about Obama’s sure win let me just tell you: There is no sure win.

* Donate the money.

Polls are like the stock market – one minute they’re up 700 points and the next they are down 700 points. Oh and while you’re thinking about the stock market reflect on John McCain’s platform of Market Worship.

There is only one true God and it ain’t The Market driven only by short-term profit.

Deregulation, John McCain’s favorite economic policy, means they can turn your hard earned money into junk bonds and the only person walking away poorer will be you.

Not John McCain, not your real estate broker, not The Market, not the guy who’s trading your 401K without rules, regulations or taxes – just you.

(Not even Joe the Plumber who doesn’t have any money in real life and who thinks buying health insurance is a “penalty for success.” Whatever.)

Anywho .. . Terra Heck won a really cool Barack Obama Bobble Head from Jail Break Toys.com.

Don’t forget to vote and consider the consequences before you do.

Make sure you visit Blog Fabulous often next week. You could be the next Blogtoberfest Prize winner.

Post from: Blisstree

My Crime Space Won Debate