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can I be evil for 1 minute?? Here’s a pic of Katie Holmes & Suri (holding hands)…are they NOT loaded… can she NOT find a dress that fits her little girl??!! She could SO be dressed amazingly… and yet, it looks like it’s a crappily made dress, and looks too big, it just hanging off her shoulder! UGH… what are they thinking??
I go through little spurts where I dig on one musical artist for a period of time and totally try to absorb their essence through their music. I’ve been on a Mahalia Jackson kick lately. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the “Queen of Gospel Music” you are MISSING OUT!! This woman is truly an inspiration to me as a singer with her powerful contralto voice~and her deep faith alone is inspiring. When she grooves on that “hallelujah” in “Go Tell It On the Mountain” it’s amazing!! Many of her gospel songs have their roots in “Negro spirituals” that encouraged slaves to find their hope in Jesus~and to embrace the ideology that they were not carrying their burdens alone. This deep spiritual feeling can be felt in Mahalia’s songs from beginning to end.
Mahalia Jackson was born in the 20’s in New Orleans and died in Evergreen Park, Illinois in the 60’s. She has strong ties to both places, both the Big Easy as well as ChiTown. (Which happens to be where Goosie hails from also!).
I’ve been soaking up Ms. Mahalia’s gospel tracks of late on my ipod and I must say she is one INSPIRING chick! Not only did she record over 30 albums during her career but they mostly focused on her deep Christian faith. Her father was a baptist minister and it’s understandable where her musical tendencies sprouted from. At the ripe age of 16, Mahalia moved from the south to Chicago during what was then called the “Great migration”~a time of movement from many southern blacks to the north. In the late 20’s she met up with Thomas A. Dorsey, a very prominent gospel singer of the day~they toured together for a decade in half until the spotlight shone exclusively on the southern singer turned Chitown gal. In the 1950’s she was the very FIRST Gospel singer to sing Carnegie Hall in New York (You go girl!). What an accomplishment, for a poor black girl growing up in New Orleans sharing her home with many siblings and surviving on the income of a poor black baptist minister. She is truly an inspiration to me~and it shows me that you CAN overcome ANY obstacles if you take the God given talent you’ve been given and apply it! I remember as a child I’d often see on my report cards in the teacher comments section, “Heather needs to apply herself more”…not anymore teach, just watch me go, I’ve got that mahalia fire in my belly and I’m overcoming obstacles, using the gifts God has given me and I’m loving every minute of it. Someday, I will arrive~as a woman in business, as a girl from a “broken” home, as an artist trying to find her market and her niche, as a mom raising three children, struggling to make ends meet…someday…and until then, I will have Miss Mahalia as my inspiration!
In the past, I’ve homeschooled my two older children~and now I’m embarking on a journey of homeschooling my youngest. He is preschool age (four years old) and I have learned so much about feeding the child inside the child rather than putting them in front of the television or video games.
How many memories of your own childhood do you have of playing dress up, having tea parties, playing house with dollies and dressing them up?
Some of my fondest memories of my own childhood include moments of these very things! My Grandfather used to come home from work during the week and usually one night a week after we finished dinner, he would join me in my bedroom and play some silly form of dress up fun with me! He’d let me put curlers in his hair, wear a wig, sip pretend tea or whatever this silly little goose wanted to do! What a wonderful time that was! Children learn through play~they experiment and replicate many of the daily life scenarios we, as adults carry out thoughtlessly but to a child this is a WORLD of fun. When I was a child, I had a box of old clothes, purses, high heels and even wigs in which to dress up in.
Perhaps these heart warming memories of dressing up, and pretending to be a princess sipping tea with the Queen (my gramps in a dress, LOL!!) is what has birthed Goosie Girl Boutique, or drives the creativity behind the items in my Etsy Shop. (?) I’m not sure, I just know there is sooo much wonder, creativity and FUN to be had when little girls play dress up. A recent interview in USA Today noted these concepts as being an important part of how children grow and learn when they are encouraged with open ended toys, costumes, and environments in which to play:
Make-believe is more than child’s play. It’s crucial to the development of creativity, empathy, learning and problem-solving, but it’s being squeezed out of the lives of many children, says psychologist Susan Linn. In her new book,The Case for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized WorldLinn says parents must limit their children’s screen time and give them simple tools that encourage creative play. USA TODAY talks to her about the building blocks of make-believe.
Q: Why is play essential to children’s mental health and creativity?
A: Children use make-believe to conquer their fears and explore their hopes and dreams. It’s in play that they get to initiate action instead of just constantly reacting. It’s a safe haven for honest self-expression.
Q: You write that studies show the time children spend in creative play has diminished over the years. Why?
A: Kids are spending about 40 hours a week engaged with electronic media after school. That’s time taken away from creative play. The combination of this screen time and all the toys based on TV shows and movies narrows children’s options for make-believe. So do these best-selling electronic toys where all you have to do is push a button, and the toy talks, walks and does back flips by itself. It’s like the toy is having most of the fun, but it’s not giving children a chance to be creative. When it comes to toys that encourage creative play, less is more. A good toy is 90% child and only 10% toy.
Q: How will the toys associated with some of the movies, now out on DVD—Indiana Jones, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Dark Knight — help or hinder play?
A: These very violent movies are spawning thousands of new toys and other licensed media-linked products. Kids play less creatively with media-linked toys. These toys come with a built-in script. There is a particular character with a particular history, and it does particular things. That’s not conducive to creative play. I see this with little girls and the Disney princess movies. There are 40,000 Disney princess items on the market today. Girls see the movies again and again. And so when they play, they often just reiterate the movie instead of inventing something new or bringing something of themselves into it.
Q: What kind of things should parents have available for children ages 3 to 7 that will encourage creative play?
A: Invest in art supplies, including paint, crayons, markers, glue, glitter. Give them dress-up clothes, puzzles, blocks, old sheets for pretend tents and caves, dolls that aren’t sexualized, puppets and stuffed animals that don’t have computer chips.
Goosie Girl and Les Tissus Bows offers an amazing assortment of items that foster creative play for little girls! From Tutus, to costumes depicting fairies, princesses and animals such as frogs and bunnies and bumblebees. Each item is made with the most love and attention to detail we can muster. Come on by the website or etsy shop and browse our current selection:
Goosie Girl Boutique
“Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix, a 3 1/2-inch-long tube of tissue that extends from the large intestine. No one is absolutely certain what the function of the appendix is. One thing we do know: We can live without it, without apparent consequences.” (web md)…WHEW!! I’m relieved to hear this! LOL!! I swear, I have had a run-in with every non-life-giving organ located within my body! Yes, Goose is now 4 grams lighter than she was a week ago~(I was wondering why my jeans fit better today!) he he.
Last weekend I went to the emergency room in a fair amount of pain on my right side, thinking I had a UTI, however, after 2 ultrasounds (actually 3 if ya count the one they had to re-do because the tech didn’t get good enough pictures on one of them) and it showed an angry appedix.
I wasn’t expecting to stay in the hospital when I arrived, I actually thought they would find a UTI, give me a script and send me home…however, that wasn’t to be the case. The ER doc wanted to be extra careful so he wanted me to also have a CAT scan to be sure, after I was injected with the contrast dye, I began itching. No big deal, the ER nurse gave me a shot of benadryl and then the doc told me I had a bad appendix and it would need to be removed ASAP….ugh…a wrinkle in my weekend plans to say the least but it was supposed to be a laparoscopy (through my belly button) and the hospital stay was expected to be a day or so, no biggee…I have had 3 c-sections and countless other abdominal surgeries, it would be a breeeeeeze, or so I thought.
After the CAT scan, and the benadryl, they wheeled me directly to the operating room where I met the the anesthesiologist and the surgeon (whom eerily resembled Paul Blart, Mall Cop, and Elvis Costello respectively)
Let there be no mistake, his ability to pull off a WAY cool pair of specs and a hospital hair net simultaneously did not interfere with his ability to also remove an inflamed appendix with ease and grace. Dr. D’Alesio did an awesome job as did the anesthesiologist. He was as funny as hell and was like a rockstar with those drugs coming at me hard and fast, and yes, to set the record straight, right before he put me under, I remember quoting Pink by saying “let’s get this party started” to which he laughed his ass off. Haaa!
This would have been a wonderful story, had it ended here….however, when I woke up from surgery (which was supposed to be about an hour, that turned into 4 hours of waiting for my family who began to freak out in the waiting room) I couldn’t breathe & began clawing at my throat. It felt as if I had a softball wedged in my throat! I was gasping for air and they were telling me I was fine because I was talking…let me elaborate I was not talking, I was gasping and saying “I can’t breathe! something is in the way!!”…it was then that they realized being inverted during the surgery, having had bronchitis recently and an acute reaction to the iodine from the CAT scan had constricted my airway in a huge way! The choice was made quickly to re-intebate me (yeah, that’s like what you see on tv when they cram a metal shoe horn thingy down the throat and then they say “I”M IN!” and then they put a breathing tube down your throat.)
OMG, this was the absolute worst thing I have ever experienced, if I was asleep that would have been one thing, but I was AWAKE…hello?! Can you say WTF?! NIGHTMARE in a word!!I was put in ICU and continued to have other complications for the next couple of days, and then was moved to a standard room. While I was in ICU I had the opportunity to experience the drug Michael Jackson was jonesin’ for when he overdosed and died. Let me tell you…it did not knock me out, so you can either take that one of two ways…I’m one hard biatch to medicate or Michael Jackson was a wussy…well, you do the math… 
So here I am, a week out from surgery! I am home now and am hoping that I have effectively reduced my chances of having any other illnesses, sicknesses, trips to the hospitals or injuries for the entire coming year. It was an incredibly rough ride, of which the surgery itself was the least of my worries!I’m so very grateful to be alive. I really have had some time to re-evaluate my priorities and I’m doing some re-arranging in 2010!
Thanks for reading, and thank you to my family and friends who has supported me through this past week, I never ever would have come out half as well as I did without the prayers & love from all of you. I am blessed beyond measure to have you in my life.
Now onto bigger & better things this year, I’ve been given a 2nd chance & I’m not about to throw it away… Goosie love you long time!
One of my dear friends is in labor!!
I’m sooo excited and can’t wait to meet the new little one!
We already know it will be a girl and they’ve chosen the name of “Peyton”.
My friend says she has loved that name for years…
her husband swears it’s NOT in honor of HIS favorite Chicago Bear,
Walter Payton…
I’m not so sure!! he he!
Welcome to the world little Peyton Rose,
I can’t wait to meet you, Auntie Goose loves you already!
Cookie magazine is having a contest and the prizes ROCK!! (A trip to New York City AND a $500 gift card to the Children’s Place!!)
You should totally check it out…
If you have a little one that has a style all their own, then get snapping that camera and get on it!
Goosie Girl Boutique is offering (for a very short while) a promotional offer for Father’s Day!
We are offering one color tutus (pink, shocking pink, lavender, peach, turquoise blue, white or ivory) for only $22.00 including shipping. We have teamed up with a few fantastic photographers to bring you savings on having her picture taken at their studios in her tutu! (order by 5/20, as father’s day is 6/21!)
Photography by Patrice
Photography By Patrice
located in eastern PA, the Lehigh Valley
Located not too far for those in NJ and NYC. The Studio is 1.5 hrs from NYC and the same distance from Philly.Portrait photography with a unique perspective. Specializing in babies, children, teenagers, family, pets, actor head shots and models. On location sessions in the Lehigh Valley PA. …
Offering: 25% off services (sitting fee and prints) to Goosie Girl Customers, mention offer at time of making appointment.
Toni Hamel Photography
http://www.tonihamel.com
985.215.6573
Located in: New Orleans, Madisonville, Mandeville, Covington… Louisiana.
Offering: 30% discount on all services to Goosie Girl Customers, mention offer at time of making appointment.
These ladies are professional & top notch at capturing the sweetest moments and expressions of babies, children, and teens! Go to the Goosie Girl Website, purchase your “Daddy’s Little Girl Tutu”, make your appointment with either of them. Your tutu will be shipped within 10 days of receipt of payment, take it with you to the photography session, and then give your print of your special “Daddy’s girl” to Dad for Father’s Day! What a WONDERFUL gift idea!
Yesterday Chicago became the first municipality ban to the sale of baby bottles and cups that contain the chemical bisphenol-A, known as BPA. The ban applies to all food and beverage containers intended for use by children under the age of 3.
But, according to The New York Times article, “the American Chemistry Council and other industry groups maintain that there is little evidence that the chemical harms children. They have lobbied strenuously against any ban on BPA, which is used in many other food and liquid containers in addition to baby bottles.”
My opinion/viewpoint…
…interesting….isn’t it? It seems to me BPA is more of an eco concern or an environmental question mark, it seems anything “green” gets through under the guise of “safety”. I’m surprised this wasn’t being overseen by the CPSC or addressed in the CPSIA of ‘08. And…it seems any legislation that makes claims of danger to children immediately passes~whether it is fair, or grounded in science or not. Don’t get me wrong, we all want what is SAFE and GOOD for children. I don’t want to see any children get sick or harmed, but if there isn’t any scientific proof then what basis does this legislation have? I’d be interested to hear more about that! And…if it’s as dangerous as some have claimed, why is this ban only happening on baby bottles and cups and applicable to children under 3 years old? Why not ALL food/beverage containers and for EVERYONE, not just children? This reminded me of the whole CPSIA issue we’ve been covering here on the Goosie Girl Blog~so I thought our readers would find it interesting. Thanks for reading!
Looks like Tori Spelling and Donna Martin now have more in common than just the same face. Tori Spelling is designing a children’s clothing line called “Little Maven”. Tori says that the clothes are inspired by her own little 90210-ers, Liam and Stella. Tori, who is most famous for being daddy’s little girl and the worst actress to grace the famous zip code, says she has always had a passion for clothing design. Tori’s latest projects before this clothing line are a reality show she stars in with her husband and children, called “Home Sweet Hollywood”. A new tell all book called “Mommywood”. And, of course the famous feud she has been involved in with her mother, Candy Spelling.
Tori says she is designing clothes for kids that have fabrics that feel good, are functional and most important, look stylish. The tags on the clothes all have a monkey on them, which is her son’s favorite animal. The line will sell for $24-$88 at department and specialty stores. Tori’s clothing line is slated to come out this fall. Now, if she can only get David Silver to be her agent…
*We’d like to welcome a new contributor to the Goosie Girl Blog…Holly, a dear friend of mine that I’ve known most of my life! She’s a fab girl and I encourage you to check out her blog…Holly U!. It’s a fantastic way to read all about awesome products and more importantly, how to use them to your best benefit! We’re excited to add her to the awesome line up here at Goosie Girl~she’ll be sharing beauty and makeup, fashion and celebrity news here on the blog. Welcome Holly!!
I’ve got some awesome resources to find new homes for, just click the “buy it now” paypal button and they’re yours!!
This is a slightly used, special edition of the Beyond Five in a Row Christian Character & Bible Study Supplement. Full retail price is $10.77, get it here for $5.50
Also available today is the awesome hard cover classic, “What your kindergartener needs to know”
an invaluable resource for the homeschoolers just beginning on their journey who wish to make sure they’re covering all the bases!
Retail value is $26.00, get it here for $5.50
Shipping is $2.00 on each, or if you buy both today, shipping is FREE. (offer only valid today, 4/27/09)
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