Telling It Like It Is

Mother Of The Bride Dresses, Special Occasion Dresses, Cheap Bridesmaids Dresses

Are you shopping for Mother-of-the-Bride dresses, special occasion dresses, affordable Bridesmaid Dresses or Wedding Dresses for an upcoming wedding? Although I’m not the mother of the bride, but am the step-mother of the bride who is getting married soon, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find a special occasion dress to wear to the wedding.

Until now, it hadn’t occurred to me how time-consuming it would be going from one special occasion dress shop to the next in hopes of finding the perfect dress, in the right color, style and size to wear. The price of some modern, unique, beautiful Mother of the Bride Dresses that were also age-appropriate nearly caused me to keel over and faint.

Special Occasion Dresses

In some local dress shops I visited, the cost of special occasion dresses for a wedding was almost the same as a designer wedding dress for an expensive and extravagant Cinderella wedding! Fortunately, there are Cheap Bridesmaid Dresses that come in every color, style, length and size that won’t break the bank.

I did spend a few days checking out the local special occasion dress shop sections in stores like JCPenney, Dillards, Nordstrom, as well as local discount bridal consignment shops, but I didn’t find anything I liked. When I was looking for a prom dress for my daughter, I went to a bridal/prom store in Dallas called “Whatchamacallit” that has thousands of dresses, but if you’re not a professional seamstress who can fix the fraying threads, missing buttons, broken zippers and other problems, you’d be wasting your time there.

I do almost all of my shopping online, and buying a special occasion dress online is no different. I always check the sizing charts and usually buy a dress one size larger than my normal size to leave room for alterations that are almost always necessary. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all dress, unless you don’t mind your dress looking like a tent or potato sack with rhinestones or sequins sewn on.
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Posted in Dating, Family, Marriage, Relationships, Reviews, Shopping, Teenagers, Women on July 15, 2009

Tags: Tags: cheap bridesmaid dresses, cinderella wedding, designer wedding, mother of the bride, mother of the bride dresses, special occasion dresses

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Free Slurpee Day 2009 at 7-11 on July 11, 2009

FREE Slurpee Day 2009 is tomorrow, Saturday, July 11th. Grab your free slurpee at your local 7-eleven and enjoy one of the yummy slushy slurpee treats in flavors like cola, pina colada, blue respberry, root beer and green apple. I hear 7-11 has a new slurpee flavor I must try out called “Liquid Artillery”, which is a combination of strawberry/pineapple and lime flavors.

Free Slurpee Day starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m. (while supplies last) at all participating 7-11 locations, in celebration of 7-Eleven’s annual birthday. This year marks the 82nd birthday for 7-11 convenience stores, so what could be better than to celebrate with a delicious, and don’t forget FREE, brain-freeze induced Slurpee?!

At 7-11, you will receive a free 7.11 ounce Slurpee in the flavor or your choice, or mixed flavors if that’s your thing.

7-Eleven typically runs a free Slurpee promotion in coordination with other summer promotions. This year’s Slurpee promotions ties into the G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra movie coming out this summer, which is where the new Slurpee flavor “Liquid Artillery” comes from.

Keep in mind that the Slurpee drink flavors will be different at each 7-11 location, since the convenience store themselves decide on the flavors based on what is hot in each sector. Enjoy your FREE Slurpee at 7-11 tomorrow while enjoying the other fun things to do this summer!

Posted in Children, Family, Men, Reviews, Teenagers, Women on July 10, 2009

Tags: Tags: free slurpee day

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Today Is My Birthday and I’m Taking The Day Off

Another year has rolled around and today is my Birthday once again. Happy Birthday to Me! Is it just me or does it seem that Birthdays seem to come a lot faster the older we get? Hmm

Anyway, since I’ll be out of the office and not spending much time online today, but basking in the sun of doing absolutely nothing but fun things with my husband and family, I want to share some articles from other blogs for your reading pleasure.

I also want to welcome new subscribed readers from the DFW area, especially those living in and around Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney TX and surrounding suburbs. Thank you and welcome to Telling It Like It Is!

How to Take Fireworks Pictures – by my friend Todd Morris. I’m not much of a photographer myself, so I appreciate the tips and advice offered on taking good fireworks pictures. Now, if I could just manage to keep my thumb from appearing in photos I take with my digital camera, I’d be a happy camper.

How to Get More Time to Blog – by another friend Michael Martine. Finding the time to blog and post articles used to stress me out, but I’ve come to the personal decision that I write as often as I possibly can and when I have something to say. If I don’t post an article for a week or two, so be it. Readers that are truly interested in what I have to say are very understanding and patient, and don’t mind a brief lull in postings.

Living Your Passion: What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur – by Jeff Nickles. I thoroughly enjoyed Jeff’s article on being an entrepreneur and the “grit” and determination needed to achieve our goals, ignoring the self-doubt or fear of success and just going for it! We really are our own worst enemies when it comes to creating and building our own success stories.

Enjoy your day! I know I will! See you soon!

Posted in Family, Friendship, Humor, Marriage, Relationships, Reviews, Women on July 5, 2009

Tags: Tags: happy birthday

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Kaboom Town 2009 Addison TX July 4th Fireworks Show – DFW Goes Kaboom!

Kaboom Town in Addison TX, just north of Dallas, is having their annual Kaboom Town fireworks show in celebration of the July 4th Independence Day today, Friday, July 3, 2009 starting at 5:00 p.m. until midnight tonight. Are you going to Kaboom Town in Addison today?

Kaboom Town Addison TX fireworks show is the biggest and best fireworks show around DFW, and Kaboom Town is always a spectacular fireworks show. Since Garland and Carrollton have canceled their fireworks shows due to budget cuts, we’re trying to decide which July fourth fireworks show we’ll be attending this year.

Since we live in Plano Texas, we may attend the Frisco fireworks show because it’s closer than Addison, or we may have our own cookout in the backyard and just watch nearby fireworks go Kaboom and light up the sky. Fellow Plano resident, Stephanie Cleveland, shares her own thoughts about Kaboom Town and it’s enormous appeal to Texas residents living in surrounding towns and cities.

Kaboom Town in Addison always occurs on July 3rd every year, and with thousands upon thousands of people attending Kaboom Town, visitors would be wise to arrive very early in order to get the best spot to watch the 30-minute fireworks show, and to find a decent parking space that doesn’t require walking from Plano TX. Yes, there are THAT many people expected to attend Kaboom Town this year.
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Posted in Children, Family, Holidays, Men, Reviews, Teenagers, Women on July 3, 2009

Tags: Tags: 4th of July, Happy 4th of July, Kaboom Town

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Barbie Alternative: Only Hearts Club Dolls the Best Bratz, Barbie Alternative Doll Review

Barbie alternative? Appropriate dolls? Parents are looking for an age-appropriate alternative doll for their little girls to enjoy, especially since Barbie dolls and Bratz dolls, Dora the Explorer (amongst others), have been “updating” the clothes these dolls are now wearing to include inappropriate, racy, “sexy” outfits on dolls for young kids. Meet the Only Hearts Girls by Only Hearts Club, a great alternative to Barbie dolls and Bratz girls. Not only are the Only Hearts Club girls baby dolls that look real, but the Only Hearts girls are appropriate toys for young kids to play with.

What is Only Hearts Club? Only Hearts Club (OHC) is a family owned and operated company dedicated to creating a positive message to children through its line of realistic baby dolls and toys, and have been making dolls for 5+ years. Only Hearts Club Dolls are 9-inch dolls that look and dress like real little girls from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Realistic Baby Dolls That Look Real

Len Simonian, toy and lifestyle expert and president of Only Hearts Club said, “Dolls influence the image and behavior of young girls. From Bratz to Barbie, to Hannah Montana these companies each portray vastly different images through the marketing and ‘lifestyles’ of their dolls.” Simonian added, “Parents and grandparents can play a big hand in determining what dolls their kids buy. It’s up to us as parents of young girls to do our own due diligence about each brand’s messaging.”
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Posted in Children, Education, Family, Friendship, Holidays, Parenting, Reviews, Shopping on June 20, 2009

Tags: Tags: barbie alternatives, barbie dolls, bratz dolls, dora the explorer, hearts club, life like dolls, making dolls, only hearts club, realistic baby dolls, sexualization of children

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Mom Songs, Wedding Dance Songs, Songs For Moms and Dads

Mom songs are very popular for Weddings, Receptions, Birthdays, Mother’s Day and throughout the year as a “just because” gift for moms. The ability to download songs for mom and dad to make into a CD, or listen to on an MP3 player or iPod, is a creative and unique gift to the mom or dad in your life.

If you are getting married and looking for wedding dance songs, perhaps for a special father/daughter or mother/daughter dance at your wedding reception, review this list of 101 songs for ideas with some of the best mother songs and songs for dads. You will notice there are songs from various genres including pop, rock, country etc.

Some of these songs are a bit sappy for a father/daughter dance or mother/daughter dance, so you might want to consider mixing things up like in this father/daughter dance, where the typical traditional dance quickly turned into a funny White Wedding spin. Enjoy!

101 Songs For Mom and Dad
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Posted in Dating, Family, Marriage, Men, Relationships, Reviews, Shopping, Teenagers, Women on June 15, 2009

Tags: Tags: father daughter dance, Mom Song, mother daughter dance, parenting adult children

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Parents Television Council Says American Idol Finale Crossed the Line

Parents’ Television Council is angry about the American Idol Season 8 Finale results show, aired on May 20, saying American Idol crossed the line of decency and cautioned FOX that the popular “family-friendly”, “family-hour”, prime-time show may alienate viewers. Parents Television Council (PTC) is a self-proclaimed, non-partisan Watch Dog group, founded by Brett Bozell in 1995 as an “education organization advocating responsible entertainment, to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence and profanity on television and in other media”.

PTC President, Tim Winter, says the “finale of American Idol demonstrated all the aspects that make television great — a months-long competition coming down to two finalists with a Cinderella story ending. Unfortunately, it also demonstrated what’s wrong with television when Fox decided that gratuitous shock value in front of a huge family audience is a good thing, rather than a bad thing. If Fox isn’t careful, they will alienate the family audience foundation upon which the success of Idol has been built.”

PTC voted American Idol on Fox the worst TV show of the week, followed by Family Guy in the number 2 spot. Vote For The Worst, probably the bane of American Idol’s existence, flippantly reported: “PTC is angry that Kara DioGaurdi took her dress off, Bikini Girl made an appearance, and the Black Eyed Peas performed a song with swear words in it.” VFTW concludes that PTC’s concerns about Katrina Darrell’s return as the Bikini Girl showing off her “new enhancements”, and the Black Eyed Peas performance of “Boom Boom Pow” with sexual lyrics and profanity means “they’re just homely old shrews who need to get a life”.
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Posted in Children, Education, Family, Men, Parenting, Reviews, Shopping, Teenagers, Women on May 25, 2009

Tags: Tags: American Idol, american idol finale, american idol finale results, american idol on fox, idol on fox, parents television council, profanity on television, TV Watch

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American Idol Season 9 Auditions at Dallas Cowboys Stadium 2010

American Idol season 9 auditions and tryouts are coming to the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium for American Idol 2010 hopefuls and wannabes. Whoohoo! American Idol announced the confirmed cites, venues and locations of where auditions will be held, after Wednesday’s American Idol 2009 Finale show where Kris Allen was crowned the winner of American Idol.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has a strong American Idol connection to Dallas-area season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson who was raised in Burleson, and season 7 finalist Jason Castro who was raised in Rowlett TX, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that auditions for American Idol Season 9 are coming to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

DFW area Idol auditions were previously held at Texas Stadium in Irving, TX. Arlington City Council member Robert Riviera spoke with FOX4’s reporter Brandon Todd outside the Cowboys Stadium Wednesday night, immediately following Kris Allen’s not-so-surprising win over Adam Lambert, before confirmation came in that American Idol auditions for season 9 will be at Cowboys Stadium.

Rivieria said, “This is something that would be very exciting for not only Arlington but for the greater North Texas area. It’s something we would warmly embrace and we would welcome visitors to our city to stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and shop in our retail centers.”

Yeah, I bet.

Arlington’s part of building the HUGE, $1.1 billion Dallas Cowboys new stadium is a whopping $325 million, so having Idol auditions held locally may help put a dent in the costs.

American Idol audition hopefuls would do well to learn how to audition for American Idol in order to not find themselves on the list of Idol ‘freaks’ and wannabes that couldn’t sing to save their lives. Who tells these people they can sing anyway? Audition performances end up on video sites like YouTube, where people around the world can laugh and poke fun at the worst singers and performers ever seen on American Idol. Pssst, they’re not laughing WITH you, they’re laughing AT you.

One of my favorite parts of Idol are the American Idol Spoilers, where lists of songs to be performed are leaked and plastered across the net even before American Idol goes live on Fox.

I, for one, am very anxious for the American Idol Season 9 auditions coming to Dallas sometime over the summer. I’ll be watching closely for updates on the dates, times, rules and additional information for the upcoming auditions for Idol hopefuls that I know.

This summer is going to be a lot of fun for me since I bought American Idol tickets for the Idols LIVE summer concert tour at the American Airlines Center in July, and of course watching the Idol audition videos online.

Are you going to see the Top 10 during the American Idol LIVE summer concert tour? Are you going to audition for American Idol at the Cowboys Stadium? I wish you all the luck in the world!

Posted in Children, Reviews, Shopping, Teenagers on May 22, 2009

Tags: Tags: american idol auditions, auditions for american idol, dallas cowboys, dallas cowboys new stadium, how to audition for american idol

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Study Ball: Study Ball and Chain Makes Kids Study and Do Homework

Heard about the new Study Ball? The Study Ball and Chain contraption is an electronic device intended to make your kids study and do their homework. I heard about this study ball prison-style thingy on the radio this morning and couldn’t help but laugh outloud. Seriously? Parents really need the Study Ball to get kids to study and do homework?

The Study Ball’s red digital display counts down the “study time left”, then the electronic ball beeps and unlocks when study time is up to release your child from “jail”. The Study Ball weighs 21 lbs, making it difficult for kids to stop studying and doing their homework, so they can of course go play video games and watch television.

The Study Ball cannot be locked for more than 4 hours at a time, and comes with a safety key to allow unlocking the device when desired. The Study Ball and Chain is sold online at Curiosite (www.curiosite.com) and costs about $115.00.

The website says: “Quite often, students who are having problems concentrating tend to get up every ten minutes to watch TV, talk on the phone, take something out of the fridge, and a long list of other distractions.

“Were they to dedicate all this wasted time to studying, they would optimise their performance and have more free time available.

“Study Ball helps you study more and more efficiently.”

Study Ball Designer Emilio Alarcon came up with the idea after a friend likened revision to being in jail.

He said: “Studying can be fun and enriching if you do it once in a while, but no one likes to study for days on end, especially not with an exam date looming overhead.

“The project was born of a conversation I had with a friend who was studying for a civil service exam.

“He said ‘I haven’t left the house in a week, this is like being in jail’.”

Wow. I bet kids won’t be adding this to their BillMyParents want list anytime soon. The old-fashioned “ball and chain” goes techie! What do you think about the Study Ball? Would you buy it?

Posted in Children, Education, Family, Humor, Parenting, Reviews, Shopping, Teenagers on May 21, 2009

Tags: Tags: BillMyParents, Study Ball

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BillMyParents: Socialwise BMP BillMyParents Online Payment For Teens and Tweens Shopping

BillMyParents (BMP) has announced its “cute” new launch by Socialwise for teens and tweens to get parents to pay for their ever-increasing want list. With this new BillMyParents online payment system, teens and tweens can shop at online stores to their hearts content and spend their parents money, without parents actually giving teens their credit card.

BillMyParents, powered by Amazon.com, is of course a simple and easy process. What is BillMyParents? Teens and tweens browse and shop at online stores for things they want to purchase err, things teens want parents to purchase FOR them and when it’s time to “check out”, that’s where BillMyParents online payment system kicks into gear.

Parents receive an email or mobile text notification from BillMyParents (www.billmyparents.com or www.BMPshopping.com) that there’s something your teen/tween wants you to buy for them, then you as the parent decide whether to approve or deny the purchase. If the parent decides to allow the online transaction, the parent then puts in their credit card information to complete the purchase. The parents credit card information is not accessible to the teens/tweens.

Teens and tweens can purchase anything from Amazon.com via Socialwise’s online shopping site, and the company has partnered with online gaming websites to help teens and tweens indulge even more in their video game addiction obsession, as well as virtual worlds and social networks Habbo, Artix Entertainment, Outspark and Rock You!, among others.

Making a living by selling products or services is one thing, but targeted marketing towards children so investors can make a windfall from sales off of tweens and teens entitled wants and whims is just gross.

“Currently the video game companies need to try to target a small group in their advertising approach. Generally they cannot advertise to parents, since parents really don’t always know which games their kids like. So what they stick with is marketing to late teens to early thirties to capture the market that will respond to the ad and have money to buy the product. This is their main market. Of course younger groups will see an advertisement and bug their parents till their parents buy it for them, but this is only a bonus.

You must note, some of these games, and gaming systems will sell out in hours or days. We are talking MILLIONS of copies at $30-$60 each (not including gaming systems and controllers which can easily hit $400 or more). So what if a gaming company could advertise directly to the 10-18 yr. old group? Basically BMP solves this problem for every company in this situation. They can market right to the younger kids and advertise “Buy this now with BMP”. With the excitement about this market, IDAE has secured lots of discounted ads. This is a nice first step.”

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Posted in Children, Education, Family, Men, Parenting, Reviews, Shopping, Teenagers, Women on May 18, 2009

Tags: Tags: BillMyParents, Socialwise, video game addiction, video game companies

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