The Ballad of Bert and Ernie

Have any of you seen this petition going around to get Bert and Ernie of Sesame Street married? The original intention of Bert and Ernie was to show how two people, or puppets in this case, can get along despite being very different. I see no reason for Bert and Ernie to get married because they are busy teaching children a very important lesson. I know I'd be mighty bored if all of my friends were exactly like me! And, really, Ernie is just not mature enough for such a commitment. But should Sesame Street even have a same sex couple at all? You bet your gay pride flag they should!

One thing people at a Facebook forum pointed out is that Sesame Street should be about teaching letters, numbers, colors and shapes but not sexuality. Fair enough. I agree with that. However, how is it that a heterosexual couple (i.e. Maria and Luis) isn't teaching sexuality but a homosexual couple is suddenly teaching sexuality? Are straight married couples not having sex? Population stats beg to differ.

But why not show a same-sex couple, raising their children on the Street? They don't have to announce they're homosexual any more than we expect Maria and Luis to shout, "Hey, y'all, we're straight!" Just show them existing like the normal people they are. Sesame Street has always been about diversity and acceptance of the people around you. Homosexual and heterosexual people are part of our world.

I know some of you out there might be saying "But I think it's wrong to be gay." Of course you are entitled to this opinion, but even if you think it's wrong to be homosexual that doesn't change the fact that we often have to co-exist with people who are different. Don't we want our children to still be respectful of others and able to deal with a variety of people? That isn't a skill you can suddenly teach at the age of 10 or 13 or whatever age we think they can handle such information. Kindness, I'm not even talking about acceptance here, has to be taught at a young age.

So, let's let Bert and Ernie be the goofy roommates they've always been and let's teach our children that not all families are the same.

Birchbox is here!

You know how it kind of sucks to go to the mail box. You know what I mean....junk mail, junk mail, bills, bills, BILLS! Right? Well, I went to my mail box yesterday and found this...




My first Birchbox had arrived!

If you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about, Birchbox is a service that lets you get make-up samples each month for a monthly or annual fee. They have a couple of pricing structures to choose from. I pay $10 per month. With the monthly option, I can cancel any time I want. You can always pre-pay for a whole year and get a slight discount. If you pay for a year, you can't cancel but you can transfer the membership. My plan is to try it for a few months to see if it is worth it.

Look at that lovely packaging. I love boxes I can reuse.

Let's get to the good part...what was in this month's box?

1. Tatcha Blotting Papers. I received three handmade sheets. I'm really excited to try this. I've been a blotting paper fan since high school.

2. Herban Essentials Orange Towelettes. I'm a messy gal, so I can always use towelettes.

3. Kate Spade Twirl Perfume. I'm not much of a perfume person so a little sample like this will last me a while.

4. Pureology Strengthening Control Zero Dulling Hairspray. This is a nice sized sample. This will last me quite a while.

5. Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Comfortable Body Cream. .50 oz. will do me a while. Perfect for sticking in my purse.

6. Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Glisten.You can never have too many lip glosses.

So there you have it, folks. My very first Birchbox. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this month's goodies. There are lots of brands in here that I've never tried and a good mix of products. I also have to thank Kaye over at Save Those Cents for letting me know about Birchbox. Kaye knows how much I love my make-up.

With next month's Birchbox, we're going to do a little contest so stay tuned for that!