First, I should start off this post by saying that perhaps its content will offend some people.  If you think you are still interested, please read on.

I have been inspired to write this post by Ricky Martin's recent proclamation that he is officially a gay man.  Now, let me tell you something about myself.  Personally, I am happy when someone finally "comes out of the closet".  I think it is truly a terrible thing to live your life with a secret.  A secret which makes you pretend to the world that you are something you are not.  I know that as a mother, I only want the best for my own child.  I would never want her to be anything other than extremely happy and pursue that happiness with every bone in her body.  This is why it is refreshing and pleasant to hear when another human being puts down the burden they have been carrying and simply pursues their own personal truth.  Luckily, I have never had any troubles of this magnitude to have to deal with.  Several of my gay or lesbian friends have told me that their "coming out" moment has been one of the most defining moments of their lives.  So, to all of the celebrities out there who have publicly disclosed who they really are...KUDOS!

Now, of course, there are many celebrities who disclosed this information a little too late, in my opinion.  That is the real content of this post.  I mean, were we really surprised by the following celebrities publicly admitting that they are gay or lesbian?  Below is a list of celebrities that I was NOT SURPRISED IN THE LEAST to hear their declaration of sexual preference.  The only thing that surprised me about the following people was that they actually believed that anyone still thought them heterosexual!

But wait, there`s more! »

The Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment MILLION MOMENTS: GREAT MOMENTS, GREAT CAUSES mobile van tour will donate one million moments from its robust catalog of DVDs to community investment partners across the country. Working in conjunction with Fox Gives, the company's philanthropic arm, the tour will travel to 18-cities over 14-weeks with the ultimate goal of donating one million movies. 

The mobile tour gives film fanatics and consumers nationwide the opportunity to recreate their favorite scenes from beloved Fox movies, filmed against a green screen. The tour van will double as a dressing room trailer, complete with hair, makeup and wardrobe, giving participants the feel of really being on a movie set. Once filmed, the video clips will be uploaded to GREATMOMENTSGREATCAUSES.COM and will be one-click sharable across all social networks.

The Cleavers were invited to the A Year of a Million Moments: Great Moments, Great Causes Tour when it came to Houston and we were so excited to take part.  Houston was the ninth stop on Fox's Million Moments Tour with 550 DVDs donated to the Houston office of the U.S. Veterans Initiative.  Members of the media as well as members from Houston's U.S. Veterans Initiative were on hand to ham it up in front of the big green screen to recreate a favorite scene from a beloved FOX film.  There was even hair, makeup and wardrobe there to make the film authentic.

Keep reading to see which three movies my family and I re-enacted!  Even Riley got to make a film!  :big grin:

But wait, there`s more! »

Riley's really gotten into doing crafts here lately and making masks is one of her favorite things for her and I to do!

But wait, there`s more! »

I don't really know what to say here, but my daughter has managed to leave me speechless on this Wordless Wednesday!  She came running up to me, wanting to show me our dog's water dish.  All she kept doing was pointing at it, laughing and saying "Boog!" over and over again.  As soon as I looked, I knew what she was referring to...SHE ACTUALLY PUT A BIG BOOGER IN NOEL'S WATER DISH!

Okay, I'm now officially SPEECHLESS!  :)

It seems like forever since I've posted a Wordless Wednesday, so here's one that shows what a little toot toddlers can be at times.  Nice picture of a mother and daughter?  NOT TODAY!  :no-no:

For those of you who don't know me well and maybe even for those of you who do, I am an ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE GARDENER!  Believe me, it isn't for a lack of trying either.  I used to be a Science teacher before becoming a mommy and I adore all living things.  So, it is definitely to my own dismay that I find I don't have the proverbial "green thumb".  I think it would be a more accurate description to say that I have a black thumb, because any plant that I touch and take under my wing to care for will surely be at death's door within the week!

As Spring is springing all around us, it leads me to the thought that nature is truly the best gardener, for every time I basically turn over my plant friends to nature and leave them be, they seem to flourish!  I guess I'm feeling a little philosophical, because I think that this is a good lesson to apply to our own lives as well.  When we try to control every detail and do everything little thing we think is right for ourselves, we can sometimes make things much worse.  The best course of action can sometimes be no action at all.  My roses in the backyard have taught me this today.  They are absolutely beautiful and doing better than ever and that's because I've let them be and truly let nature take its course.  No fertilizer, pesticides, pruning, etc.  Their lives have only had natural sunshine and rain in them and they're blooming beautifully!

So my thought for today is this...if life isn't going as planned and things are looking dreary, maybe the best thing to do right now is just sit back, relax and trust that in the end, everything is going to work out just as its supposed to.  As the Beatles so prophetically told us, "Let It Be"...