Some people tune in for the big game while others are more interested in the commercials. Last week Doritos first teased their Super Bowl ad starring Jimmy Kimmel and Mindy Kaling. Today, they released a second teaser revealing that Flat Matthew is in fact Matthew McConaughey.
We haven’t seen what Flat Matthew actually looks like but we do hear McConaughey’s voice.
In last week’s teaser, Kimmel introduces his mysterious talk show guest to a shocked Mindy Kaling. “Did you see him backstage? He’s got a whole new look. Like a look that no one’s ever had before,” says Kimmel to Kaling referring to the mystery star.
Doritos has been a Super Bowl fixture for more than two decades, this year the brand is bringing a whole new dimension to gameday with the highly anticipated return of Doritos 3D Crunch.
Now we can only guess how McConaughey will get back to his original shape. No doubt it will involve a bag of Doritos 3D Crunch.
We don’t know about you, but we can’t wait to see how this unfolds.
We have a photo wall in my house of black and white pictures from different important stages of our lives. I love the pictures, I love how the wall looks, and I stare at it often. Sometimes I take a moment to really look at it, not just fly by. I usually just look at the kids, but the other day I stared at my face in each picture.
I have no idea what prompted me to do that (I hate looking at myself in general, let alone analyzing a photo of myself) but each face—my face—told a story.
In my wedding photo, I was ecstatic. It was hands down the best day of my life. The picture is of me with my husband during our first dance. I’m beaming with a smile ear to ear…I’m truly happy. We had no time to choreograph our dance, we were barely in the same city, let alone the same room before we got married. But I didn’t care how lame we looked just holding each other and swaying like teenagers—I was married to the love of my life and I was the happiest girl in the world.
The next photo is of my son, exactly seven days after he was born at his Bris (a religious ceremony—and probably the most stressful life event for a new Jewish mom). In the picture, my husband and I were holding him and kissing the top of his head. I looked terrified, my face a complete look of self doubt and uncertainty. Am I holding him too tight, too loose, is he okay, will he be okay, what happens if he cries, what happens if he doesn’t cry, is he too hot, too cold? I literally worried about everything and felt responsible for every single emotion of his—and I was certain I was going to mess it all up.
The next pictures were taken two weeks after my daughter was born. My son was 2 and-a-half years old. My husband and I had a house, a mortgage and two kids. I felt like a real grownup. We could actually afford a fancy studio photographer and fancy birth announcements. I now had two little people counting on me…and I was…exhausted.
In this particular picture of the four of us, I looked impatient. I looked like I had a fake smile and I remember thinking, please everyone just look at the freakin’ camera…just one decent picture. Hoping my naked baby does not poop on me. Hoping my son doesn’t tantrum and refuse to be in a picture, hoping we can get the perfect birth announcement… Thinking: just keep it together people!
Looking back at all these photos, I thought what I would tell my past self, knowing what I know now.
Dear Wedding Day Me,
Remember this day and this feeling forever! The love you have will literally carry you through some dark times. You will be challenged, beyond the point you think you can endure and you will doubt yourself…a lot. Some days will feel like it’s too hard to keep going.
You will walk through fire, sometimes alone, sometimes with your husband by your side, sometimes him holding you and sometimes you holding him. But you will come out the other side holding each other and completely in love! You are stronger than you think.
Dear New Mom Me,
You have so many doubts, everything in you is unsure and worried. That’s okay. Your son doesn’t see any of that. He doesn’t care if you nurse him or give him a bottle. He knows you love him with all your heart and he loves you right back.
You’re his rock, the one he comes to when things go wrong. Tou figure sh-t out and tell him it will be okay. And he believes you ’cause you’re mom. You got this, and…You are stronger than you think.
Dear Veteran Mom Me,
The next couple of years will be tough. You’ll feel like you will never have your stuff together…again…or ever! Your kids will get hurt and you will feel like the worst mom ever. Sh-t gets real. But things get better. They always get better. You’ll walk through fire again…and again…and again—but you get through it, stronger every time.
You will meet many guardian angels throughout the way, in many different forms: just be open to it, to all of it.
Life is messy and unpredictable and so hard for your Type A personality—but you gotta let it go girl! Just let it go and enjoy these fleeting moments. They don’t last. Be present and don’t worry about the perfect picture, because it’s the memory behind the picture that is so much sweeter and better.
And never forget: you will always be stronger then you think.
I'm a mom to 2 busy kids and a pediatrician. My blog is about all things mom, doctor and how the two come together. My goal is to help you find your voice while I find mine and help you become your best version while I become mine!
Without a doubt, the holidays are going to look very different this year. Many retailers have altered their business hours and safety protocols due to the pandemic. Now amid the rise of cases across the country some stores are making the decision to close businesses on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26.
As of today, these are the retailers that will be closed this Thanksgiving. The list will be updated as more stores make announcements.
Walmart
On Jul 21 Walmart announced all of their locations and Sam’s Club locations will be closed for Thanksgiving Day.
“We know this has been a trying year, and our associates have stepped up. We hope they will enjoy a special Thanksgiving Day at home with their loved ones,” said Walmart U.S. president and CEO John Furner in a press release. “We are certainly thankful to our people for all of their efforts.”
The company also announced another round of bonuses for employees working on the front lines of the pandemic: $300 for full-time hourly workers and $150 for part-time hourly and temporary workers.
Target
On Jul. 27, Target announced that all national stores will be closed for Thanksgiving this year.
“This year more than ever, a joyful holiday will be inseparable from a safe one, and we’re continuing to adjust our plans to deliver ease, value and the joy of the season in a way that only Target can,” said Target CEO Brian Cornell in a statement.
Best Buy
In a press release on Jul. 28, Best Buy announced they will close all stores across the country for Thanksgiving Day. Shoppers will still be able to purchase items online and via the Best Buy app.
Best Buy will also be enhancing the way it fulfills orders, including offering more convenient pickup times at stores and making sure online orders arrive on time.
DICK’S Sporting Goods
On Jul. 27, DICK’S Sporting Goods announced they will close all stores and distribution centers for the Thanksgiving holiday. The company also announced a 15-percent premium through the end of the year for store and distribution center employees.
“We are so thankful to our teammates for their hard work and dedication,” said Ed Stack, Chairman and CEO in a news release. “They have navigated this year with strength, commitment and care for each other and for our customers. We will continue to do all we can to support them and show our gratitude.”
Kohl’s
Kohl’s announced they will be closed on Thanksgiving in a press release on Jul. 29. “The holiday season is when Kohl’s shines brightest, and as we move into the holiday season of this very unusual year, we are adapting our plans in response to changing customer expectations and behaviors,” said Michelle Gass, Kohl’s chief executive officer. “We are deeply appreciative of how our team of Kohl’s associates have shown up to serve our customers through this pandemic and know that they will continue to show Kohl’s at our best throughout the holidays.”
Mattel is continuing to show support for essential workers on the frontlines who are leading the fight against COVID-19. Today they introduced their newest initiative, the #ThankYouHeroes Barbie program. For every eligible career doll sold between May 14-17, Barbie will donate a doll to the First Responders Children’s Foundation.
As part of the Barbie buy a doll, donate a doll effort, the brand spotlights everyday heroes supporting the community such as medical professionals, food-service workers, scientists, firefighters, and more. When an eligible Barbie career doll or playset is purchased during the promotion period the brand will donate a doll to the First Responders Children’s Foundation to be gifted to these heroes’ families to inspire play.
“As Barbie has always highlighted role models to inspire the limitless potential in the next generation, we are proud to launch a program celebrating the real-life heroes working on the front lines and supporting their families through the First Responders Children’s Foundation,” said Lisa McKnight, SVP and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls, Mattel. “We want to do our part to give back and inspire today’s kids to take after these heroes one day.”
“First Responders Children’s Foundation is excited to deploy Barbie to first responder families across the country during a time when their children are in need of a little joy in their lives,” said Jillian Crane, President of First Responders Children’s Foundation. “There’s no doubt that first responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic are sacrificing so much to protect our families, and it’s our responsibility as a nation to help them through this crisis by providing grants, scholarships and partnerships such as our program with Mattel that encourage consumers to support these efforts with the buy a doll, donate a doll program that benefits first responder families. This partnership also marks the official launch of the Foundation’s Happy & Healthy Child Program, an initiative that will support the year-round needs of first responders’ children.”
The new Barbie program follows the launch of Fisher-Price’s #ThankYouHeroes collection, the first product line to be introduced as part of the Company’s Play it Forward platform. Additional brand programs will be launching in the coming weeks.
Girls know how to create stories on Instagram. They are experts at Snap streaks. They can run circles around us when it comes to using social media platforms to share photos and their highlight reel as well as self-promote. Yet, they do not always know the power and potential of their own voices.
When it comes to speaking up for what they want and need or advocating for social injustices, they hold back. There’s a global trend for growing girls: a loss of voice.
How can their competency shift from bolstered confidence on a screen to vanishing self-confidence when it comes to their own voices? Fear. The fear of being misunderstood, criticized or condemned or, worse yet, rejected or ostracized.
As girls will tell you, when they must choose between fitting in with the group’s consensus and standing out with an opinion their own, they’ll choose conformity over individuality every single time. Researcher Carol Gilligan calls this “psychological dissociation” whereby girls silence their voices or their knowledge of feelings, desires and opinions in order to stay connected in relationships.
Looking at the maturation and developmental process can give us insight as to why this happens. Around age 10, an interesting trend emerges, as the result of both biology and sociology. Being hard-wired to connect, girls seek out social bonds to feel safe and secure, to relieve stress and to gain social support. In the process, a sense of belonging becomes more vital for survival than honoring their own thoughts, feelings and opinions. Whether she’s connecting online or in-person, she can feel self-conscious or “weird” for having different beliefs and ideas. She’ll doubt her voice, hold back and say what others want her to say.
In my newest book Raising Girls’ Voices, I interviewed girls ranging in ages from eight to 23 years old. I gained insight into how they view themselves, what makes them feel strong and powerful and their opinions on school, friendship and social media. I learned they not only had a voice but they had a lot to say. They talked about their struggle of wanting to say what they truly thought yet feeling worried they’d risk judgment and exclusion.
Given her strong need to fit in and the fact she wants to talk, how do we teach girls they not only have a voice that matters, but the necessity of using her voice? Here are four ways to guide her as she realizes the potential and power of her voice:
Teach girls to listen to their inner voices.
In a busy, noisy, distracting world with so many competing interests, it can feel almost impossible to ask a growing girl to slow down let alone listen to her inner voice. Yet, we can teach her to take time for herself: to be still and quiet and yes, put down her device so she can attune to her voice.
Not the critical voice telling her what she should have said or done, telling herself she’s not good enough, reprimanding herself for a mistake or error in judgment, but the voice that urges her to keep going, to dare to dream and that shows her the way. A few minutes each day is all it takes.
Remind girls to trust their inner voices.
Most girls I know are filled with self-doubt and uncertainty. What’s it going to take to shift them away from asking us what we think of their decision to trusting herself enough to know what’s right for her? Trust takes time and experience. Girls need to know they have intuition and instincts, a sense or a feeling.
The best way to trust her inner knowing is to ask her questions without answering them for her. For instance, as her questions such as how she feels about the decision, what she thinks of how she was treated by her friend, or even, “When you first met the new girl, what was your impression of her?” These questions encourage self-reflection and redirect her away from approval seeking to self-trust. Over time they just know; they know because they’ve done this before.
Encourage girls to share their voices.
When girls share, they almost always feel relieved and normal. One thing I know about girls is this: they have stories—interesting stories—to tell and they long to offer their experiences. So often, they hold back, they give is the minimized version. “I had a good day.” They need so much encouragement to tell us more.
We can start with assuring her that what she has to say matters. Further, we can ensure she knows we will listen without interrupting or critiquing. Also, girls need to share their ideas and insights with other girls they trust. From my experience, sharing breaks down their natural tendency to compete and compare and builds up their depth of connection.
By being vulnerable, girls learn courage and empathy; they come to understand each other better and feel normal. It’s the “me too” experience in the most positive sense of the word and the embodiment of “we are more similar than we are different.”
Empower girls to use their voices.
Not every girl has this privilege. In fact, many are silenced—shut down, dismissed, disregarded. So, girls who can use their voices, should. This means standing up for themselves when they are mistreated and disrespected. At the same time, it means standing up for others who don’t yet have the confidence or the ability to self-advocate. The challenge is insecurity.
We need to give girls the power to stand strong in their beliefs and voice their opinions if they feel it’s right to do so, regardless of what others think. We can best empower her by first asking about her opinion and giving her time to get her words out and second, by listening. When we truly hear her and validate her thoughts, she comes to understanding her words matter and she grows more comfortable in expressing herself without over-explaining or apologizing.
Prompts to try can include: “I believe…,” “I think…,” “I agree because…” or “I disagree and here’s why…” This power is what then enables girls to think beyond their homes to create positive change and to begin to make the world a better place to live
In Enough As She is, Rachel Simmons writes this, “As little girls, they might be feisty and spirited, forceful and stubborn, but as the unwritten rules of young womanhood sink in, this once fierce voice becomes muted or even silent” (xv). Let’s challenge these “unwritten rules.” How? By guiding girls to listening to, trusting, share and use their voices. Girls need both the confidence to know their authentic voice matters and the inner strength and courage to raise their voices.
I am a girl advocate and girls champion; the founder of Bold New Girls, teaching and coaching for girls and their parents. As well, I am the author Growing Strong Girls and Rooted, Resilient, and Ready (available on Amazon and Audible). I am an international speaker and an instructor with Udemy.
A high school teacher’s clever idea for a mental health check-in chart for her students has gone viral—and now it’s helping teens across the country.
Erin Castillo, a teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Fremont, California, shared the mental health chart she created for her students in an Instagram post that has since gone viral. The chart invites students to write their names on the back of a post-it note and stick the note to the column that best describes how they are feeling on any given day.
The options are, “I’m great”, “I’m okay,” “I’m meh,” “I’m struggling,” “I’m having a hard time and wouldn’t mind a check in” or “I’m in a really dark place.” If students choose one of the last two, Castillo will check in with them privately and refer them to the school counselor.
“I’ve had a lot of students in the last five years of my career that have struggled with self-confidence, self-doubt, image, had suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide and, after seeing all that, I’ve been making it a theme in my classroom and trying to check in with them,” Castillo said.
It has also become a useful tool for kids struggling academically as well, Castillo explained. “I’ll have a student that will be struggling with something I’m teaching and they’ll put a post-it up instead of raising their hand,” she said.
Not only has Castillo’s post been liked thousands of times, but it has also inspired other teachers to create and share mental health charts of their own. “If it can help one student, then it’d be better than where we’re at now,” Castillo said. “I hope it gets to a place where we can talk about our struggles openly and our mental health. This looks like a step in the right direction.”
From Furbys to Frozen, each year brings the hottest, must-have toys that fly off the shelves at the holiday season that every kid wishes they could bring home.
The past ten years have brought about plenty of new trends in toys, like surprise eggs or blind bags and robotic pets. Of course some classics never go away, like Barbie and Elmo. As a nostalgic look back to the toys your kids loved and wished for, Walmart has complied a list of the most popular toys of the decade. Check out the list below.
The top toys selected weren’t simply the biggest sellers. Instead, Walmart used its unique insight as one of the world’s biggest retailers to develop the list after reflecting on some of the most talked-about toys from over the past ten years.
Walmart also referenced top picks from their Chosen by Kids program which began in 2013. According to Walmart, the last five years are a reflection of the items these kid-experts loved the most.
There’s no doubt these toys offer a trip down memory lane for both you and your kids.
There’s no doubt that one character from Disney+’s new The Mandalorian has quickly become a fan fave. Baby Yoda, a.k.a. “the Child,” has skyrocketed from a series surprise to a Star Wars super-celeb—and now the oh-so-cute character has its own merch line!
Reportedly the merch line, which is set to include everything from accessories to apparel, will hit stores as soon as Friday Nov. 22, 2019.
photo: Amazon
So where can you snag baby Yoda gear? According to CNBC, the merchandise is coming to retailers across the nation, such as Target, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Hot Topic and Box Lunch along with online e-tailers such as Amazon and Zazzle.
As a Disney franchise, it’s likely the new character’s products (including toys) will also hit the Disney Store, ShopDisney and Disney Parks stores soon.
If you just can’t wait, this Baby Yoda Decal Vinyl Sticker is already available on Amazon for $6.99 or you can get in the holiday spirit and snag this O Come All Ye Forceful Baby Yoda Ugly Christmas Sweater Shirt ($27-$33).
My feet were dangling off the chair lift as I contemplated how far the ground was below my skis. It was my first-time skiing. I felt awkward and uncomfortable. I was contemplating giving up. Then I vividly remembered seeing my first client while working towards my Master’s in Social Work. In my head I was thinking, “Wow, this woman has some significant concerns, she should see someone for help.” I realized that I was that “someone.” Feeling overwhelmed and uncomfortable then, I wondered if I should give up.
This morning I had an opportunity to go to a shared workspace called, The Wing. I wondered if I could make phone calls there, if they had coffee, and if it would be comfortable and friendly. I thought about going to a familiar Starbucks. Forcing myself to press the buttons on the elevator, I felt self-conscious, uncomfortable and thought about giving up.
None of the above examples felt good or comfortable. All of the uncomfortable feelings caused me to question myself and what I was doing. I thought about surrendering to the fear and discomfort and giving up. In all three cases, thankfully, I didn’t. I skied down the mountain. I connected with my client. At the workspace, I had coffee, was productive, and ran into someone I knew! In all those examples I had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable in order to do something positive. While these moments seem like minor accomplishments in the grand scheme of life, each uncomfortable experience that you face helps you become a little more comfortable with being uncomfortable. Not to mention that the practice of feeling uncomfortable, in the relatively less impactful moments is the practice you need to face the bigger and more impactful uncomfortable moments, like your first summer at away camp, going off to college, starting a new job, or moving to a new place.
Now, I am not saying that feeling of being uncomfortable feels good or goes away. It is uncomfortable, after all. At every stage in our lives, there are moments, big and small, that will make you feel uncomfortable. One of the most important skills that every person needs to develop is finding a way to be comfortable, feeling uncomfortable. If you do not develop the skill of being comfortable while feeling uncomfortable, then you are, and will stay, stuck. You can not move forward or grow as a person if you are stuck. The way to get unstuck is to find ways to be comfortable while feeling uncomfortable.
Let’s start by taking smart risks and knowing where your supports are. When I was sitting on the chairlift for the first time, feeling uncomfortable, I knew that people go skiing every day and that the group instructor was there waiting for me. When I was looking into the eyes of my very first client, feeling uncomfortable, I remembered that this was what I was in school to do. I knew I took classes and knew that my Social Work supervisor was going to review the session with me too. When I was stepping into the shared workspace, feeling uncomfortable, I knew that people before me had figured it out. I had my computer, phone, and could network with people. I believed in myself and that, however self-conscious I felt, I could face the unknown. In each of these situations, I knew it was a safe risk. I knew what my supports were, and I knew I would never be able to move forward in the life experiences I wanted if I didn’t find comfort in being uncomfortable.
We live in a world where we see the very feeling of being uncomfortable as “bad” and a thing to avoid. The more we avoid the thing that makes us uncomfortable the more anxious we become about the uncomfortable feeling. Avoiding the uncomfortable feeling gets in the way of doing the things we want to do, of growing, and truly living the lives we want to live. Ironically, avoiding the uncomfortable feeling does not make us less uncomfortable, but actually makes us anxious. When there is an avoidance of feeling uncomfortable we unconsciously begin to doubt our abilities and become insecure. That grows our anxiety and makes us anxious. The anxiety brings more self-doubt and self-doubt makes us uncomfortable. It is a vicious circle of feeling uncomfortable, avoidance, self-doubt, anxiety, and back to feeling uncomfortable. It keeps us stuck, insecure, and anxious.
The interesting thing is that the antidote for anxiety, self-doubt, and being stuck is to find comfort in feeling uncomfortable. We have to learn that feeling uncomfortable is not harmful, but actually helpful. We have to allow those around us to feel uncomfortable and not rescue them from that feeling. We have to model that we can feel uncomfortable and get through that feeling by facing it. When feeling uncomfortable in a situation, remind yourself of your preparation for that situation, your support systems, and believe in a positive outcome. By finding a level of comfort in the uncomfortable we can push forward in a positive way and embrace life to the fullest.
The good news is, we can get comfortable feeling uncomfortable. We just need to practice. Get on that chairlift, believe in the preparation you get in your education and training, trust in who you are, and try new things. Embrace the feeling of being uncomfortable and teach yourself what you need in those uncomfortable moments to feel that fear, and do that thing anyway. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Laurie is the Owner/Director of Camp Echo Lake. Psychology and Education major from Emory. MSW from NYU. She serves on the American Camp Association NY-NJ Board, the Girls Leadership NY Board, and with Project Morry. From Port Washington, NY, lived in NYC, Laurie now happily resides in the Adirondacks, surrounded by love and happiness.
Actress and dancer Jenna Dewan is pregnant with baby number two! The mama to six-year-old Everly (who she shares with ex Channing Tatum) recently announced that she and boyfriend Steve Kazee are expecting.
Dewan confirmed the pregnancy to People, saying, “We are beyond overjoyed and couldn’t be happier to be expanding our family!”
While this is Dewan’s second child, it’s the first for her beau. Dewan and Kazee have enjoyed a low-key relationship, out of the public eye, for nearly a year. Rumors started swirling about the pair last October (2018), but the couple didn’t go “Instagram official” until June.
A source told E! News of the couple, “Jenna and Steve are crazy about each other and have a great relationship.” The source went on to add, “She feels very confident and secure with him. He makes her feel like the most important thing in the world and there’s never any doubt. They are very much in love.”
So when is baby Dewan-Kazee due? As of now there’s no info on how far along the Step Up star is.
