A detailed account of the Last Supper…“The meeting is called to order. Jesus asks Romaine who he is and what he’s doing here. Romaine asks if this is the meeting for Creative.Jesus sayeth upon him no. That’s tomorrow. Romaine thanks Jesus and announces he’s going to a club called Wicker Baskets tonight. He exits the conference room. Jesus puts forward that he wants to sit in the middle of the table, and everyone should sit facing the same way. The motion fails 7-6. But then Andrew changes his vote because Jesus has an ominous look on his face. Everyone now sits facing the same way. Jesus begins by predicting that Peter will deny knowing him three times before rooster crows the next morning. Peter looks up from his BlackBerry and says, “Sorry, what?”
A former “one-upper” mom reflects on the moment she realized she could stop scouring Pinterest…“For a few years, I got caught up in the “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better” parenting model, which mandates you scour Pinterest for the best ideas, execute them flawlessly, and then share the photo evidence with strangers and friends via blogs and Facebook posts. Suddenly, it came to me: We do not need to make our children’s childhood magical. Childhood is inherently magical, even when it isn’t perfect. My childhood wasn’t perfect and we weren’t rich by any stretch of the imagination, but my birthdays were still happy because my friends came over. It wasn’t about the party bags, perfect decorations, or any of that. We popped balloons, ran around in the backyard, and we had cake. Simple. But when I look back on those times, they were magical.”
Something to look forward to…A feature film about the life and mysterious death of Vincent Van Gogh, the first fully painted feature film in the world, directed by Polish painter and director Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman.
The difference between being happy and being meaningful….“There’s the “pleasure” type of happiness that comes from just eating ice cream but then there’s the warm kind that comes from helping friends. What kind of happy do we want to be? And which one, in the end, is better? One researcher found out and he did it in the craziest way possible: he started by studying what disgusts us. He looked at things that were universally morally offensive — and learned a few things you and I need to know to be truly happy. Go down this rabbit hole with me, won’t you?”
As the author suggests, there will come a day when “you can’t plan one more meal or push the car through the frigid produce aisles one more time” and when that day comes, if possible, it’s important to reach for a moment of solitude, to look inward…“There is the necessary, satisfying work of serving others in all the places where you are loved and needed. But there is also this: the soul’s work, which you ignore at your peril. And so, for today, anyway, you commit yourself to it fully: The journey inward to find your own truth. The stillness of your mind behind the noise of your doing. The willingness to see the beauty inside yourself, and to honor that. You are a little rusty and awkward in your quest. The privilege of solitude is also a skill that requires practice.”
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| Found on two-add-two.bogspot.co.uk |
A foster mom reflects on the pain of losing her foster son, and yet the joy outweighs the pain…“I worry about him. I worry not because I think he should be mine. I worry not because I think I am the only person in his life equipped to parent him. I worry about him because I love him. I worry about him because I will most likely have no contact with him from this point on. This is not my choice, and it is not a choice I agree with. But it is not my choice to make.”
A mother reflects on aging with grace and pride…“Here’s why I like my body now, after two live births, and the so-called disasters of pregnancy and aging. When I put on a bathing suit these days and look in the mirror these are my thoughts: “Wow. You look pretty good.” Here are my thoughts when I would put on a bathing suit back when I was at the apex of my physical “perfection” (ages 16-26): “You’re so fat. You look awful. That stomach. Ugh.” As I age, I’m actually getting better looking.”
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| Found on littlemountainlady.tumblr.com |
An outline for teaching girls to be fearless and adventuresome…“3. Practice Bravery -As Eleanor Roosevelt once famously said, “Do something every day that scares you.” Give equal or greater air time to bravery. “Bravery is an emotion that’s unfamiliar for girls. It’s considered the purview of boys and men,” says [Caroline] Paul. “No one questions a mother’s courage to protect her kids, but it’s so odd that we don’t attribute bravery to women otherwise. At a young age, if girls learn to value bravery like boys do, they’re going to be so good at it.” Paul suggests encouraging your girl to practice five acts of “microbravery” each week, like picking up that icky spider on the kitchen counter. And when your daughter does something gutsy, name that too. Repeat after me: “that was brave!” “
After being on the receiving end of road rage by an entitled white man, Jan Wilberg cannot help but liken Donald Trump supporters with a particular demographic – “white men who get no respect”…“Women whose men like Donald Trump because he speaks his mind need to be careful. Because I don’t think it’s possible to endorse Donald Trump without endorsing his fundamental philosophy: Women are inferior.”
THINGS TO DO & THEATRE TO SEE
LA families looking to get their craft on, mark your calendars for the Echo Park Craft Fair May 7 & 8 (Mother’s Day weekend). For cinema, IMAX’s new documentary A Beautiful Planet, narrated by Jennifer Lawrence, comes out on April 29th and before that the documentary Queen Mimi about a local legend hits theaters April 15. With this year marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, be sure to catch plenty of Shakespeare starting with Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum lineup. Interested in dance? The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre will be returning to Segerstrom Center for the Arts April 6- 10, but come out for their free community event this Sunday, April 3 from 11am to 1pm, and learn some moves from the company members themselves! Other dance companies to watch for are Hubbard Street Dance Chicago coming to Irvine Barclay on April 28th and New York-based Bryn Cohn + Artists Dance Company making their Los Angeles debut May 6 & 7.
In New York, catch some fun musicals like crowd favorite Disaster!, iconic classic Fiddler on the Roof , or a 95 year-old musical’s triumphant return: Shuffle Along. New York Theatre Ballet presents Cinderella Florence Gould Hall April 17th. Also check out The Secret Inside You at the American Museum of Natural History. Be sure to get your tickets now for David Harrower’s new play Blackbird and also go see The Humans on Broadway! Also, mark your calendars for Amanda Pare’s giant bunnies, Intrude, a public art installation opening April 17th in New York.
