Oops, she did it again. Susan Boyle sang her heart out again on Britain’s Got Talent and in a matter of hours, we’ll all find out if she takes the crown. Good luck Susan, we are rooting for you!
Popcorn Picks
There’s one thing I love most about summer. And no, it’s not the bathing suits or the beaches. It’s great family movies! And I’m happy to report, there are plenty of them to enjoy on those lazy rainy summer days or after a long day lounging in the sun. Recently, we caught “Night at the Museum 2” and before we even walked into the theater, I did a Facebook poll and the consensus was that almost everyone who saw the film loved it. I’m happy to report, the Feldman family are among that list too. Ben Stiller is back to save the day when his favorite museum friends are whisked off to the Smithsonian where they’re going to spend the rest of eternity in a storage room. But this time, a few new characters add more hilarity to the mix. Hank Azaria is great as a tough talking Pharaoh with a lisp and Bill Hader from SNL cracked us all up as General Custer. Plus, Owen Wilson and Robin Williams are back with some laugh out loud moments and this time, there’s even a love interest – Amy Adams plays Amelia Earhart who helps save the day. And Jonah Hill is also laugh out loud funny as a bumbling guard who attempts to keep Stiller from touching a rare exhibit. There are some great one liners (“Boom boom, fire power”) plus a great twist at the end so don’t miss a minute. It’s action packed fun for the whole family.
Next up, is Up! What can I say? I am a sucker for animated films and anything created by Pixar is usually a grand slam. And this one definitely makes that list. Up! is the story of an old man who decides to embark on the ultimate adventure rather than spend the rest of his life in a nursing home. But unbeknownst to him, when his home takes off into the clouds, a chubby young adventure scout determined to earn his “helping the elderly badge” winds up coming along for the ride. Up! is a bittersweet film packed with laughs, action, scary moments, a goofy oversized bird named Kevin, tons of dogs that talk and of course, a happy ending. What’s not to love? If you’re still not convinced, watch the trailer and then hit your nearest theater!
The Girdle Chronicles
So it’s day four of my quest to lose weight and I of course blew it yesterday by inhaling all the things you’re not supposed to eat while embarking on a healthy weight loss plan. For those of you trying to sincerely slim down in time for summer (rather than those of us who say we want to get thin and then dive spoon first into a gallon of Chunky Monkey), I’ve compiled that list below so that we are all clear on the foods we should not eat at all costs.
Food that I ate yesterday that you shouldn’t eat if you’re dieting:
Two small biscotti – dunked them in my coffee at a bakery in Astoria with my parents. Operative word…why?
Pizza (from the movie theater – what a waste of calories – doesn’t taste great, lots of cheese, oil and a gazillion calories)
One cup of fruit juice – to wash down the greasy pizza. Ugh.
My son’s french fries and one chicken tender. Because I was hungry. Bad move.
The sweet potato fries on my own plate. I reasoned they were healthy. Healthy if I cooked them but they were from a restaurant. Can anyone say “fry cooker?”
Two glasses of white wine – that’s another two hundred calories that caused me to eat the next item on my list.
Marshmallow smores – two graham crackers are healthy. But the Hershey Bar and fat free marshmallow that’s crisped to perfection? Not so much.
One small oatmeal cookie – I ate it because it was there. Another senseless waste of calories.
I don’t want to tally up the calorie count on all these items because it doesn’t even include the meals I had to go with it. Let’s just chalk it up to I had taken temporary leave of my senses and I swear that today is a new day and I will live to eat healthy again. In fact, my new favorite website is Healthy Eats which offers a great way to cook burgers this summer without packing on another 10 lbs.
Oh – on the bright side – I did complete day two of my EA Sports Active and it was grueling. Lots of lunges, leg lifts, running, kicking and stretching. Plus a fun tennis game thrown in too (not real tennis, Wii Tennis). I burned 133 calories during that 33 minute routine. So in essence, I think I burned off my biscotti.
So now that I’ve confessed my serious binge, what foods have you eaten lately that you know you’d be better off just pasting to your thighs and calling it a day?
Visit Role Mommy
The Find’s Pick of the Week
The Ultimate Beauty Multi-Tasker and It’s Organic Too!
This little beauty all-in-one balm does it all. hair, skin, face. The perfect solution for busy women on the go. Made of certified organic ingredients, Revolution Organics beauty balm has over 22 uses, it is the ultimate beauty multi-tasker. Toss in your handbag, diaper bag or desk drawer. The handy portable twist up product is a moisturizing balm instantly softens and smoothes skin. It is great at soothing chapped lips, rough knees, and parched cuticles. Tame unruly flyaway hair and eyebrows. Preps your makeup and improves skin texture. Moms will love the preventative effects on stretch marks. The balm is enriched with organic butters and oils rich in vitamins A, B, C and E.
Get Ready for Your Close-up!
Ever since our back to back Mother’s Day events, we’ve been a bit mum about when we’ll be announcing our next shindig and this time, Role Mommy is headed to Chicago!
On July 23, Role Mommy is thrilled to be one of the hostesses for a pre Blogher ’09 event at a gorgeous penthouse suite at the Hyatt Hotel along with five incredible women. Join us for a pampering party to kick-off BlogHer ’09, the largest blogging conference of the year. Join hundreds of other bloggers on July 23, including the biggest and brightest names online, to socialize, relax and have some good old fashioned blogger fun! You don’t want to miss it!
In addition to amazing attendees and pampering galore, the BlogLuxe Awards will be presented at the Swiffer SocialLuxe Lounge. Be sure to nominate your favorite bloggers on the Swiffer SocialLuxe Lounge website starting now!
Additional sponsors include Kodak and Lands End, with many more to be announced soon. In addition to great food, drinks and conversation, there will be plenty of places for primping with the help of celebrity hair and make-up artists, manicurists, massages and a special performance by the incredibly gorgeous and talented Chris Mann. There will be more exciting news to report as we get closer to the event, but for now, if you’d like to find out more, just visit the Swiffer SocialLuxe Lounge site for all the up to the minute news about what promises to be an unforgettable event!
The Role Mommy Fave Five
Today’s Fave Five features everything from fabulous writers, to inspirational stories and a really cute photo that I snapped on my trusty BlackBerry. So without further ado, here’s our picks for today.
1. My new favorite mom blogger is Chicky Chicky Baby. I knew from the moment I saw her Twitter photo (a pic of an adorable baby) that I’d like her. And then I clicked over to her site and read this post about her run-in with ticks and knew that she is my kind of writer. She’s real, sarcastic and had me laughing out loud from the moment I started reading about her scary tick filled saga.
2. Check out this touching post at Our Life Upstate about what this mom thought about while her infant was sleeping. Such a sweet entry!
3. Katja at Skimbaco Lifestyle shared this story of her very special day with US soldiers, Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs and Hanes Underwear. Don’t get any ideas, it’s actually a really cool event that she hosted along with her husband.
4. Over at Traveling Mom, my Blog Talk Radio partner in crime features a video of my mom sharing how I got my love of luxury travel. Plus, she has a great interview with Lee Woodruff and incredible advice from her network of traveling mom bloggers. Coming soon from yours truly will be some laugh out loud road trip stories involving bikes and cars. Now all I need are planes and trains to make it complete.
5. 
If you’ve been reading Role Mommy, then you know that we recently adopted a kitten. Well, here she is. And I know, she looks real cute sitting there on a plate, but I have to tell you – she can be as wild as a squirrel monkey. Either way, if you have a cute pet photo, send it to me at beth@rolemommy.com and you can make our fave five too!
My Mom Makes it To Traveling Mom
Check out my favorite Role Mommy of all time – my mom who chats with Traveling Mom’s Kim Orlando and shared how I got my penchant for luxury travel.
The Girdle Chronicles
Okay Role Mommies. The Memorial Day barbecue and dessert fest is now behind us and that only means one thing. It’s time to diet…again! Every summer I experience the same thing – I see my butt in a store window in Southampton and think to myself, crap, I really need to get in shape.
And so, with the help of EA Sports Active and my good blogging mom friends Julie Maloney at Wii Mommies and Jessica Smith at Jessica Knows, I am making a concerted effort to start burning some calories and shedding some pounds stat! Created by Oprah’s fitness trainer Bob Greene, the EA Sports Active game for Wii offers a variety of challenging exercises – from cardio to strength training to yoga, kick boxing and even roller blading. And, it even comes with resistance bands to help you tone your legs and arms. I’ve decided to try the 30 day workout and so far have completed one day. Not much yet, but I’ve got 29 days to let you guys know if my butt, thighs and Hadassah arms are noticeably smaller.
Plus, I’ve got fabulous dietician and nutritionist Toby Amidor on my side too. She’s one of the expert bloggers on HealthyEats.com a sister site of the Food Network who will be appearing on Role Mommy on the Run at the end of each month offering great advice and recipes on healthy ways I can finally lose weight for good (and not just for now). Listen in to the show and you’ll come away with some fabulous tips.
My Cleaning Crew
You know the best thing about having kids who are finally at an age where they can help out around the house? If it’s a busy holiday weekend and you’re expecting tons of guests and don’t have time to cook and clean, just hand your kid a Swiffer and let them take care of the dust bunnies.
Do you have a photo or video of your personal cleaning crew? Send it to beth@rolemommycom and we’ll feature your little helpers on our site.
Memorial Day Recipes
It’s been a while since we’ve shared some stellar recipes with our readers and since it’s the holiday, I figured I’d share some of our favorite dishes that are Weight Watcher friendly. So before you bite into that 4 million calorie burger, here are some good tips for eating what you love and not bursting any buttons.
Tuna Sliders Anyone?
The first time I ever tasted a tuna slider was at a party thrown by CBS that kicked off the launch of the Rachel Ray Show. So I have to admit, this is not an original recipe, it’s actually Rachel Ray’s recipe for Asian Tuna Sliders. So stay away from those Bubba Burgers and fire up the tuna steak!
Lenore’s Famous Ambrosia
This one’s a classic that my mom has been whipping up since I was a kid spending my summers in the poconos. The ingredients for this one are simple. Throw in all your favorite summer fruit along with bananas, mini marshmallows, coconut shavings and a dollop of cool whip on top. You can also replace the cool whip with vanilla yogurt, but personally, I’m a Cool Whip fan all the way.
Lenore’s Patriotic Strawberry Shortcake Extravaganza
Here’s another simple recipe. You can either purchase an angel food cake mix and a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple in its own juice.
Mix the two ingredients together, take a fork and make sure the cake batter is moist and mixed thoroughly.
In an ungreased pan, 10.5x 8.5 bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. When ready to serve take cool whip, cover the top and make the flag. For stripes on the flag use strawberries. For stars use blueberries.
Happy Memorial Day! Here’s to great food, conversation and a relaxing holiday!