We’re enjoying the long weekend here. We’ve been mellow, watching football, grocery shopping, and buying Halloween costumes. YEP. My kids have been talking about what they want to be for Halloween this year for months, so yesterday we went to the newly opened Spirit Halloween store near our house. Annabel loves her costume SO MUCH that I don’t see her changing her mind, and James just wants to be like Annie so I don’t think he’ll change his mind, either. It was nice to shop early — we had our pick of all the costumes in the store. So at least I have Halloween costumes checked off my list…even though Halloween is so far in the future that I hadn’t even added “buy costumes” to my list yet!
Alicia Keys says no makeup is cool. I’ve been cool for so long and I didn’t even know it!
Around The ‘Net
~FRAMED: She Was The PTA Mom Everyone Knew. Who Would Want To Harm Her?
~Little People, Big Woes in Hollywood: Low Pay, Degrading Jobs and a Tragic Death
~Mental Health In Schools: A Hidden Crisis Affecting Millions Of Students
~California Lawmakers Approve Mandatory Sentencing For Rape
~The Farewell Tour Comes to Vin Scully
~4 Years After Tragedy, A New Sandy Hook Elementary Prepares To Open Its Doors
~Drop In Teen Pregnancies Is Due To More Contraceptives, Not Less Sex
~Photos: This is the damage that tiny space debris traveling at incredible speeds can do
~15 “Magical” Parenting Moments That Are Actually Horrible
60,000 Thank Yous
Blogust is officially over and I am SO thrilled to report that we hit our stretch goal of 60,000 vaccines! We were responsible for 7,175 vaccines on the blog, and over 11,100 shares and comments on Facebook. Thank you all SO MUCH for the comments you left – we just saved the lives of over 18,000 kids!
Sales Time
Lots of Labor Day sales for those last-minute school needs (or maybe you’re just gonna treat yo’self)
~ASOS: 20% off fall styles
~Anthropologie: 25% off sale items
~Old Navy: 50% off jeans, tees, and dresses
~Forever 21: up to 70% off end of season styles
~Splendid: 25% off everything (including sale) with code WKND25
~Tea Collection: 20% off sitewide with code HELLOFALL
~Gap: 40% off your purchase with code PARTY
~Banana Republic: 40% off almost everything with code FALL40
~H&M: up to 60% off
Happy Sunday, everyone!
Jackson says:
I started wearing less make up as I got older and decided that blowing my hair dry and into some style was where I wanted to spend my time. Eventually I got to where I wear no make-up save for the occasional lip gloss (wearing tinted glasses helps with no eye make up). I thought, well, this is what happens when you “get old” and then I looked around me and saw young people not wearing any make up. Yeah!
Anna says:
Oh my gosh, my husband was just telling me about the PTA mom story because he worked with the Easters in Palo Alto! He said everyone who knows them is shocked by Kent’s behavior because he was always so nice, but that the wife was crazy. I guess he’s crazy too for going along with that nonsense. Can you imagine?!?!
Anna says:
P.S. You look fab with no makeup! Very youthful.
RD says:
I read every single word of the Easter/Peters article, and I’m genuinely curious what others think about the entire thing, particularly the end, specifically about the husband, Kent’s, fate. I found it a bit difficult to see them keep “kicking a dog” when he was so far down. I mean, this wasn’t like he got off scot-free for brutally slicing and murdering his ex-wife and her male friend. Also, *completely separately* from that, had Mrs. Peters been a minority in a really bad neighborhood, it’s almost a *given* that this would’ve had an entirely different outcome for her (which is sad, ALL the way around). What the Easters did to her re: the drugs was definitely reprehensible. The above-mentioned acquitted murderer of two, though, was ordered to pay only about five times more than what Kent was. In my opinion, the Easter crime was *not* simply five times less horrible than the brutal double murder. Yet the whole “thing” felt like the same type of witch hunt. Again, punishment was assuredly needed. But to what end??
Riley says:
I feel like this too. I read the whole thing, and was just left thinking what a privileged problem to have. I know having the police suspect you of something is scary but she didn’t lose time with her family, her volunteer position, everybody including the police was on her side basically from the beginning. If she had been anywhere else or especially if she had been a minority, she may have spent decades in jail for this thing she didn’t do.
There’s a comment on the original about the waste of providing an ASL interpreter to this lady who was almost certainly lying about her impairment….I just feel like what a waste of resources on this case from start to finish. And maybe on this article too, even though I did read it, I would much rather have the paper investigate the cases and prosecution techniques of those who may have been wrongly accused and are serving time…….
RD says:
SO many wonderful points, but your last sentence in particular: WOW. I couldn’t agree more. The wrongly accused are the ones who keep me up at night. Those cases are horrid precedents; they’re horrid all the way around. Thanks for the dialogue.
Anna says:
Yes, I can’t even imagine all the resources spent on this case over the years! And think about how many such cases there must be all across the country. Seems like a big waste of taxpayer dollars for sure. After finally finishing the series of articles, I had kind of a problem with the civil suit. Justice had been served criminally speaking, so why did Kelli Peters feel like she was owed millions and millions of dollars for her mental anguish? Sure, she and her family suffered over this, but…come on. Whereas with the OJ trial that RD was referring to above, he got off scot-free legally and really needed to be punished in some way. And the party with the piñata of the Easters’ mugshots filled with Payday and 100 Grand candy bars – so TACKY!