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More details are surfacing about Annabelle Neilson's unexpected death.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Westminster Coroner's Court confirmed to Radar Online that the Ladies of London star died from a "cerebrovascular accident," or stroke.

Related: Tina Turner's Oldest Son Dead By Suicide

However, the Bravo personality's sister Camila Neilson released the following statement claiming she died from a "heart attack."

"Very sadly, we have been informed today that my sister Annabelle, died as a result of a heart attack at home last Thursday, It has come as a complete shock, as she had many plans having recently returned from Spain... My parents and I are devastated and shocked by this news. We would ask the media to respect the privacy of our family and Annabelle's close friends during this very difficult time. We will not be making any further statement at this time. We thank you for your consideration."

Annabelle was 49.

[Image via WENN.]

Teen Mom is missing out on some drama!!

On Tuesday, former MTV star Farrah Abraham was arrested in Beverly Hills for battery and trespassing!

According to TMZ, the 27-year-old was taken in by authorities last night after she supposedly got into an argument with a male employee at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It's said the momma allegedly struck the employee, and that's when the cops were called!

Related: Farrah Livestreams Her "Designer Vagina" Surgery

They say police believe alcohol was involved. And on top of all this, their source tells them that Farrah was trying to pull the "celebrity card." As you can tell, it clearly didn't work.

Here she is during happier times earlier in the day (below):

Entrepreneur’s workin even at the pool @mcuban @kneilson333 ☀️☀️☀️#summer #beverlyhills #2018 #texasA post shared by Farrah Abraham (@farrah__abraham) on Jun 12, 2018 at 2:30pm PDT

Sadly for her, this isn't her first arrest. You may remember she was booked after a 2013 DUI.

We can only hope Miz Abraham does better after this.

[Image via Sheri Determan/WENN.]

Rose McGowan is tired of the bullshit.

As we reported, the Brave author's book reading turned ugly on Wednesday when a woman in the crowd confronted her about transgender rights.

The 44-year-old activist is now canceling all of her upcoming appearances while saying the heckler was a "paid actor."

Related: Rose Says She Was Molested By Another 'Very Famous' Hollywood Predator

She tweeted on Friday:

I am canceling upcoming public appearances because I have given enough. I have given beauty, in return I was VERBALLY ASSAULTED for two full minutes @BNBuzz by an actor paid to verbally assault a woman who has been terrorized by your system. And no ONE in that room did anythinghttp://perezhilton.com/2018-02-01-rose-mcgowan-alyssa-milano-lie-hollywood-pimp-problem-caa
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) February 2, 2018

And everyone from my publicists, t assistants, managers and every person sitting in their chairs frozen by their weakness, a weakness called COMPLICITY. The truth is you all failed me. Again. And again. And again.
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) February 2, 2018

Rose went on to demand an apology from the Barnes & Noble staff and those who sat by idly as she was accosted:

I would like an apology from the manager of the Union Square @BNUnionSquareNY and all security people, and the audience, who did nothing and let the paid verbal assault of an assaulted woman happen. Cool?
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) February 2, 2018

We're not sure what innocent attendees were supposed to do... but we guess that's how she feels the complicity machine keeps turning.

Thoughts?? SOUND OFF in the comments (below)!

[Image via Michael Carpenter/WENN.]

Mother’s Day isn’t all roses and breakfasts in bed. It can be an in-your-face reminder for Secret Moms of all that they have lost. Secret Moms are those women who have said goodbye to a baby, yet are mothers nonetheless.

A Secret Mom still carried her child, rocked it in the womb, sang lullabies, told stories in the direction of her growing abdomen, and loved the baby within her in the most sacred of ways. That love of a mother for her child is an unabashed flame, burning brightly, radiating its light and warmth in every direction.

That love lives on, even in the face of loss. Even in the face of early and ravaging cramps and the bleeding. Even in the face of the inner-knowledge that something is terribly wrong. Even in the face of doctors’ facts and nurses’ compassion. The statistics proving no comfort. Even in the face of natural order thrown violently out of order. Still, the Secret Mother’s love burns on. It cannot be extinguished — or silenced.

The room my son Zachary was born into was as quiet as death. He emerged that October day without the newborn cry. He never opened his eyes. His life was counted in gestational weeks, not in candles on a birthday cake. That was the moment I went from naïve to wise. I knew the world differently after that day. After that one silent day, but for the pitter-patter of the thousands of tears I shed on the dampened floor around my hospital bed. A floor my son would never step on. His feet forever virgin to this earth.

Now I know the world of Secret Moms. I call them sisters. As we share our stories, we look each other in the eyes. The bond is immediate. Soulful. As deep as the ocean. Because no one else can fully know those depths of sorrow without having loved and having had to say goodbye within one breath of hello. It is a bond as intimate as family.

Everyone’s loss is unique. As is their grief. As is their healing.

For me, blessed with living children, I kiss them longer, hug them tighter, pray for them more fervently, check on them more frequently in the night, save all their drawings in mountainous piles — all because I know. I know the ache of the Secret Motherhood. People cannot count what they do not see. They look at me and see three. Three blonde children with my smile and my husband’s eyes. But there is a secret one for whom my heart is still ablaze with love.

Yes, Mother’s Day can be a trigger, a date on the calendar that elicits all kinds of longings that can never be fulfilled. The day interrupts routine, begging for pause. A day to take stock of what it means to bring a child into this world. To account for the many gifts of mothering. There are the visible things, such as stretch marks and photo albums of family vacations. The boxes of old clothes and envelopes of baby teeth and tufts of hair from the first cut.

And then there are the invisible things. Mother’s Day is a chance to slow down and marvel at the wonder of life and how we didn’t know our hearts could contain this much love. Love for little beings that only take, yet we never tire of giving. And we need nothing in return. These are beautiful things, yes, and yet their absence is a sting for Secret Moms, enduring these Mother’s Day reminders.

To every Secret Mom: This is still your day. Your day to step out of the silence and be heard, your children counted among the little ones loved. Yes, the greeting cards, billboards, commercials, radio jingles do not understand. Your pain is not marketable. Thank goodness for that. Today, Mother’s Day, is not about counting anyway or having to justify who you are. Mother. Is the love there? Yes! Is the heat of it keeping your memories alive? Yes! Is its light illuminating all that really matters? Yes! Then those things trump all the rest.

I celebrate you. I celebrate your child — or children — who have died. We are sisters, mothers, friends, fellow sojourners on this expedition through grief and healing and every moment of this “new normal” as it’s so aptly called. And today, claim it. It is ours. Today is our day.

Donald Trump got back at his sexual assault accusers and Barack Obama all in one bill.

The House vote for the GOP's disastrous health care reform bill narrowly passed on Thursday, which threatens to take away the healthcare of about 24 million Americans.

If the bill passes, it will reshape large portions of Obamacare -- like getting rid of employer mandates and making huge cuts to Medicaid, which provides care for the poor and disabled.

But the poor and disabled aren't the only big losers in the American Health Care Act. An amendment in the Obamacare replacement bill will allow states to deny coverage for preexisting conditions -- which includes sexual assault.

Related: Girls Who Code Founder SLAMS 'Complicit' Ivanka Trump!

Before Obamacare, rape survivors who sought treatment for their injuries could be denied health care later on.

Obama's Affordable Care Act guaranteed coverage to those with pre-existing conditions -- but Trump's replacement bill is going to take it all back.

The new MacArthur-Meadows Amendment will allow insurers to discriminate based on medical history; which includes rape, postpartum depression, cesarean sections, and surviving domestic violence.

States can also deny coverage for essential health benefits like gynecological services, mammograms, vaccinations, blood pressure and cholesterol, mental health care, and substance abuse treatment.

Related: Former Congressman Slammed After Comments About Kimmel's Son

Despite what you're reading, the amendments insists:

"Nothing in this Act shall be construed as permitting health insurance issuers to discriminate in rates for health insurance coverage by gender."

Well, maybe someone should tell Trump's Golf Club of an administration that the majority of people who get domestically abused, sexually assaulted, or pregnant are women.

Then again, shouldn't Trump know this from personal experience?

Where you at, Ivanka Trump?

First of all: I’m so sorry I’m just now posting photos of The Merc! To say things have been crazy, nutso, frenzied, hectic, and wacky over the past two weeks—and particularly the last five or six days—is an understatement, and I’m just now coming up for air.

Some highlights:

* I lost my voice. By Saturday, it was getting pretty scratchy, and by Sunday (the day before we opened) it was pretty much gone. Fortunately, I go to church with our family doctor and he told me to follow him to his house after church so he could give me medicine. It helped! My voice is back and it’s a little raspy but fine. I tell myself I sound (and look) exactly like Demi Moore.

And then I wake up.

* We had a wonderful opening day. The nicest, most fantastic folks showed up to shop, eat, sip coffee, and nibble on pastries, and I got to meet and hug many of them.

And babies. So many babies. Swoon!

* Paige, my second baby, is a barista in The Merc—did I tell you this? It’s her first job (well, except that job she’s had on the ranch since she was born) and she’s really enjoying learning a new skill that has nothing to do with wrestling calves to the ground.

She makes me lattes. Often.

* I start shooting a new block of my Food Network show on the ranch today. Great timing, huh? Haha. So I’ll be splitting my days between shooting and being at The Merc as often as I can, then falling into bed at night and touching feet with Marlboro Man so we don’t forget each other.

The week before Thanksgiving will mark the end of shooting for the year, and will usher in a period of rest and relaxation and Merc fun!

* To make things extra exciting, my holiday line launches today! I am madly in love with it, and it makes me happy!

At least I waited until Halloween was over to post it! Ha.

So now…for the pics! My friend Jay Gullion took all of the following photos because I knew I’d be too busy soaking up the fun to take any comprehensive pics. I hope these make up for the long wait!

 
This is what we did to the windows, just to give a glimpse of what’s goin’ on inside.

 
Our “welcome” mat looks like it’s been there forever!

 
Awnings over the deli entrance.

 
The Merc sign glowin’ away.

 
Chandeliers in the background. They’re sparkly!

 
And here’s a peek at the store.

 
Another peek. These tables make me happy!

 
We have a cow (me)…

 
And a bull (M.M.)

Ha.

 
And all sorts of fun things.

 
And don’t get me started on the clothes. We’d be here all day.

I like tops.

 
And then there’s the deli. My home away from home!

 
And the coffee. My REAL home away from home.

Why is coffee so magical?

 
I highly recommend the multi-grain pancakes. Soooooo scrumptious.

 
Here’s the menu. It’ll change/evolve over time.

 
And most importantly: The people!

I have to repeat: I have met the kindest, most wonderful folks in the past few days. They have smiles on their faces, and that makes me happy.

I’ll share more as the week goes on!

Love,
P-Diddle Diddle

I’m beginning to wonder how all mothers don’t go completely insane by the time their kids are grown.

I’m not referring to the mind-numbing effects of sleep deprivation, or the relentless noise and chaos of a house full of little people with no volume or impulse control, or the baffling, sanity-crushing things our children do on a daily basis. Those things alone can feel like enough to break you over time, but moms have been dealing with that stuff for millennia. I think women have evolved with some sort of psychic overflow valve that saves us from completely losing it over the normal craziness of motherhood.

No, what amazes me is how moms manage to do all of that while being bombarded with a constant barrage of mixed messages from society, experts, family members, and the internet. That’s the stuff that will lead you to the asylum. We have several decades’ worth of parenting “expertise” all written down and all of the world’s information literally at our fingertips, so we seem to have this subconscious idea that someone must have figured out the best way to raise a human being.

So we listen to parenting advice, even when it doesn’t make sense, and we pay attention to opinions even when we don’t want to. And often that advice and those opinions are at odds with one another. Modern moms get hundreds of mixes messages thrown at us all the time.

You’re going to have a baby? Make sure you have a natural childbirth. You’ll be more successful with that if you have a home birth, but don’t have a home birth because that’s what hospitals are for, and you don’t want your baby to die, do you? Don’t have a hospital birth, though, because pregnancy and birth aren’t illnesses, and hospitals are full of germs and sick people and MRSA. You don’t want your baby to die, do you?

Make sure you breastfeed because it’s the best, but not for too long, and don’t stop too early. And never breastfeed in public, but if you do, cover up, but at the same time, make sure you normalize it. If you can’t breastfeed, don’t feel bad, but good luck feeding your baby poison. But don’t worry, formula saves lives and the benefits of breast milk are overblown, but if would be better if you could dispense that formula right from your breasts, because skin-to-skin contact, you know.

Don’t let your baby sleep with you because they’ll form bad habits, but don’t let them cry themselves to sleep because they’ll never trust you again. You can let your baby sleep with you, but only in your room, not in your bed. But intimacy is important, so put the baby in another room. You’re too tired for sex? What’s wrong with you?

You should stay home with your kids, because why have them if you aren’t going to raise them? But you also should work, because how are your kids going to learn that women can pursue their career dreams if you don’t show them how it’s done?

Make sure your kids get the benefits of sports and music and camp and community service. Oh, and chores. But make sure you don’t overschedule them. Make sure they have ample time for homework, and make sure you help them with their homework, but don’t help them too much with their homework. And make sure they get to bed early. But make room for family time.

Make sure you get quality one-on-one time with your kids, too, because kids come first, but make sure you don’t play favorites. Make sure you get quality time with your spouse, too, because your marriage comes first also. And make sure you get quality time to yourself, because if you don’t take care of yourself, how can you take care of anyone else? But don’t take too much time for yourself too often, because your kids come first when your marriage isn’t coming first.

Your house should be spotless and organized and well-decorated, because that’s what the houses look like on HGTV. But it should also be messy because your kids are making memories. Your kids’ rooms should be tidy and clean because that’s how they learn (life skills!), but you should really give them their own space and let them deal with the natural consequences of their own mess.

Don’t be a helicopter parent, but never let your kids out of your sight even for a second. But don’t put them on one of those leash/harness things either. They’re not dogs. Just glue your eyeballs to them. Oh, you have three kids and only two eyeballs? You probably just shouldn’t go anywhere, ever. Make sure your kids get out of the house though. Just don’t send them outside to play because your neighbors might call CPS.

Make sure your kids learn computer coding, because technology is here to stay. But make sure they don’t get too much screen time because screens melt brain cells after an hour or something. Give your kids a cell phone because we live in a terrifying world and they should be able to reach you at all times, but they don’t need a cell phone because we survived without cell phones while walking uphill to school both ways in the snow, dammit.

Give your kids limits, but let them make their own choices. Teach them independence, but make sure they know you’re in charge. Meet your kids’ emotional needs, but don’t coddle them. Be your child’s advocate, but don’t fight their battles for them. Make sure your kids feel confident in their abilities and comfortable in their own skin, but don’t praise them unless you praise them in exactly the right way using exactly the right words at exactly the right time.

Moms are given so many mixed messages it sometimes feels like our heads might literally spin right off our necks. Nothing we do is right. Everything we do is wrong, even if it’s the opposite of the thing we just did that wasn’t right. Moms can’t win.

I figure there are only two choices: Lose your mind, or learn to silence the noise. I mean totally and completely. Shut it down. Nobody knows your family and your kids like you do. Nobody has the right answers for you. We all need some help sometimes, but none of us needs this cacophony of constant criticism.

So ignore the thousands of voices telling you what you should be doing and how you should be doing it. Find what inspires you. Find what feeds your mothering soul. Find those things, and give them your full attention. Let the noise and the voices and the internet juries fade into the background until all you hear are the simple sounds of you and your family.

Only you can decide what’s right for you, and the only way to do that is to listen to your own mind and heart. Nix the mixed messages. Silence the noise. Save your sanity.

The post The Maddening Mixed Messages We Give Moms appeared first on Scary Mommy.

This "Retro Desserts Recreated as Bundts" themed cake, is yet another example of how things can go wrong in the kitchen, leaving me to deal with the mess that I inexcusably created in my exuberance to create the perfect Bundt Bakers masterpiece. This month Felice from All That's Left Are The Crumbs is our Bundt Bakers host, and in no way can she be held accountable for the cake disaster that took place over my kitchen counter. I fully take all responsibility.

This is definitely not the first time that I have tried to turn out a bundt cake, only to discover that it has no intention of cooperating with my wishes. However, this was the worst case of bundt-stickage that I've ever experienced in my many years of baking. It was not pretty folks, and there may have been a few tears shed in the process, and perhaps 15 to 26 curse words uttered aloud for the entire Town of Herndon to hear.

So, how do you keep a Bundt cake from sticking to the pan? That's the million-dollar question. Most recipes tell you to grease and flour the pan before adding the cake batter to it, but I will have to say that 50% of the time this makes absolutely no difference. That cake is gonna do what it wants to do, no matter what you have to say about it. Use all the curse words you want, because you are going to carefully piece that cake back together as best you can, slather it with frosting, and hope that no one takes notice of the cake disaster underneath all that marshmallow buttercream and ganache.

After years of experience with bundt cake failures, I have come to a few realizations.

• First, always use butter, because it not only tastes better than vegetable shortening, but it tends to be better at helping the cake release from the pan. Once again, butter comes to the rescue, and wins everyone's heart in the process.
• Second, use a pastry brush to slather the bundt pan in every nook and cranny with that miracle room-temperature butter. This is especially important when using a "fancy" bundt pan with lots of intricate details.

No matter what substance you utilize to grease your pan, you will still need to dust your bundt pan with flour before pouring the batter in. Or, maybe you should throw caution to the wind and experiment with different options. Be totally daring and add bread, cookie, or brownie crumbs in lieu of flour to the greased pan. It will help prevent sticking, as well as add flavor and texture; basically it's a win-win. 

Anything has got to be better than the cooking spray and flour combination that never works out in my favor. The oil tends to collect in the bottom of the pan, which means the flour clumps up there as well, leaving the top of the Bundt cake looking odd and tasting like oiled flour.

Last but not least, there is time to consider. How long after you take that sugar-wafting pan of loveliness out of the oven should it take before you dare to flip it out onto a baking rack to finish cooling? Once again, I'm obviously no expert, considering 5 out of 10 times my cake requires a spatula to piece it back together, but after much trial and error, I do have a strong opinion on this matter. More time is always better. Forget that 10 to 15 minute crap that most recipes shove down your throat, especially if the cake is an extremely moist one.

I now frequently err on the side of caution and wait at least 2 hours before even attempting to see if my cake is melded to my bundt pan forever like an old married couple celebrating 50 years of marriage together, or is instead comparable to a couple that may have had a few too many drinks in Vegas and drunkenly visited a drive-thru chapel with Elvis officiating the quickie ceremony, only to wake up the next morning and shamefully sneak away from one another as fast as possible.

No matter what happens, always remember that you can save whatever catastrophe you are left with after the cake finally separates from its pan. Without a doubt, swear words work wonders in this situation as well; don't hold back on my account. Be creative; come up with a few combinations that make even the cat stare at you in confusion. You'll feel all the better for it. Then, after all of that cathartic venting, I suggest whipping up tons of frosting.

More frosting than you think would possibly be necessary to decorate a cake with, and then when all of that frosting isn't enough to fix the disaster of a cake in front of you, whisk up a batch of ganache to top it all off with. Perhaps you could go even one step further, by giving your cake a wacky name to make is seem like all that frosting and ganache was meant to be. Use the word lava, and have everyone believing that your cake is brilliant, and not just a sad pieced together bundt cake hiding under a thick layer of frosting and ganache posing as an inside-out version of your favorite retro snack cake.

INGREDIENTS

Cake:

• 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
• 1 Cup Water
• 1/3 Cup Cocoa
• 1 Teaspoon Fleur de Sel
• 1/2 Teaspoon Instant Espresso Coffee
• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
•  1 3/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Chocolate Extract
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
• 1 Cup Miniature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour

Frosting:

• 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
• 2 (7-oz.) Containers Marshmallow Creme
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 Cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted

Ganache:

• 6-oz. Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• Pinch of Salt

DIRECTIONS

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter and flour a bundt cake pan; set aside.
3. Over medium heat, combine the butter, water, cocoa, fleur de sel, and espresso. Cook until the butter is completely melted; set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking soda.
5. Slowly whisk the cocoa mixture into the flour.
6. Whisk in the eggs one at a time; followed by the extracts, and then the sour cream.
7. In a small bowl, combine the 1-tablespoon of flour with the miniature chocolate chips.
8. Fold the flour-coated chocolate chips into the cake batter with a silicone spatula.
9. Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan, and then bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
10. Place the cake on a baking rack to cool for two hours, before removing it from the pan.

Frosting: 

1. Cream the butter for 3 minutes on medium speed.
2. Add the marshmallow creme and vanilla; mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
3. Slowly add the powdered sugar a cup at a time; mix for 3 minutes on medium speed.
4. Use a petal cake decorating tip to create ripples falling down the bundt cake.
5. Refrigerate cake for 2 hours.

Ganache:

1. On medium heat, combine the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and salt.
2. Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted; remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Spoon the ganache down the sides of the cold cake to create a lava effect.
4. Refrigerate cake until 2 hours before serving.

Suggestions:

• The Chocolate Extract in this cake is optional. If it is something you do not have in your pantry, feel free to leave it out of the recipe.
• If your cake should happen to stick to the pan, do your best job to reconstruct it. The frosting and ganache will easily hide any cake surgery.
• If you do not have a petal cake decorating tip, place the frosting in a large Ziploc bag, snip off the tip, and then pipe cascading lines down the cake or use a knife or spatula to spread the frosting onto the cooled cake.
• I suggest purchasing this 29 Piece Decorating Set for all of your cake decorating adventures. There is a tip for almost every occasion, and the storage container keeps everything clean and organized for when you need it and your hands are covered in frosting and ganache.

Improvements:

• Fill the middle well of the cake with your favorite candy or edible flowers for decoration.
• Instead of putting frosting on the outside of the cake, cut the bundt into several layers and spread the frosting between each one.

Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck

- Colleen

Image via Gareth Cattermole / Getty

If you think electronic devices intended for kids are safer and more secure than most, prepare to have those fantasies shattered into a billion pieces. The electronic toy company Vtech had a recent security breach, and the details coming out will make your stomach turn.

According to the tech blog Gizmodo, a hacker successfully broke into the servers for Vtech’s wifi-connected tablets, digital camera, and smart watch, and made away with the full names, email addresses, passwords, and home addresses of some 4,833,678 parents. Even worse, they also took the first names, genders, and birth dates of over 200,000 children.

Just in case that’s not disturbing enough, it also came out yesterday that the hacker downloaded about 190 gigabytes — equal to tens of thousands — of photos from Vtech’s KidsConnect app. The KidsConnect app allows parents to use their smartphones to chat with their kids via Vtech’s tablets. Users are encouraged to upload a headshot, and those headshots are what was ultimately stolen by the hacker.

By far the most troubling element of the entire ordeal is how little Vtech was doing to protect the privacy and security of their customers. Most of us would assume a company with the names, home addresses, and photos of hundreds of thousands of kids would have an ironclad system in place to keep that information under wraps. As this hack revealed, Vtech was basically not even doing the bare minimum. The KidConnect app’s main security measure was an easily crackable algorithm that scrambles passwords, which was deemed “no longer safe” for use in 2012.

Security researcher Troy Hunt tells Gizmodo that all Vtech communications happened over “unencrypted connections,” even when those communications involved passwords, photos, and other personal information. Encryption is a process of encoding data so only authorized parties can read it, and it’s among the most basic security steps a company can take. The fact that Vtech wasn’t even doing that, in addition to having virtually no other security measures in place, is appalling and should make us seriously question what’s going on at other kid-friendly companies.

If there’s one bright spot in this entire mess it’s that the hacker actually spoke with MotherBoard and says he has no intention of selling the data he collected. During an encrypted chat with writer Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, the anonymous hacker even shared in our collective distress, saying, “Frankly, it makes me sick that I was able to get all this stuff. VTech should have the book thrown at them.”

Even though this security breach is specific to Vtech, it leaves us with some lingering questions about our kids’ security when using other types of devices. Vtech is not the only company making smart devices intended for children — there are any number of kids’ cameras, tablets, watches, and even smart Barbie dolls on the market. It’s not a stretch to imagine other companies could be skimping on security just like Vtech.

As we head into the holidays and are anxious to find that perfect, cool device our kids will love, we should also take into consideration the information being accessed by that device and how it can be used against us. Hopefully this breach will lead to a crackdown on kid security. Still, parents can never be too cautious.

The post Vtech Hacker Steals Thousands Of Kids’ Photos In Scary Security Breach appeared first on Scary Mommy.

It’s taken over my Facebook feed. Share after share of the supposedly eye-opening video made by YouTuber Joey Salads, where multiple playground moms who thought they’d drilled the “stranger danger” thing into their little ones’ minds are shocked to see them walk away with a man and his puppy, without any hesitation. One share can a save a life, the video caption tells us.

Or, more likely, it’ll just give us all heart attacks and a new crop of premature grays.

The concept is sound: let’s illustrate just how easy it is to abduct a child even when said child has been lectured by mom and dad to never go off with a strange man. But that’s not novel — does anyone know of a kid who WOULDN’T think it’d be fun to go see this friendly man’s van full of fluffy, happy puppies? This is, of course, why the video is so terrifying (and why it’s receiving so many hits and shares). It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. But make no mistake, this viral video is no PSA.

As I watched the video and saw all of these mothers’ jaws drop as their children walked off in search of more puppies, I waited for the takeaway. Yes, this is horrifying, but what do we DO ABOUT IT? The answer was…well…there wasn’t one.

We see one mom, understandably flustered and probably terrified, lecturing her little boy about how he is always supposed to ask her first before going off somewhere. But let’s be honest: that boy wasn’t thinking about asking his mom at all. That man seemed nice! That puppy was so cute! My guess is that, if you put that little guy in the same situation ten more times, he’d just be on the receiving end of ten more lectures (“but puuuppppiiiieeeess!”).

The comments section of the video seems to have come to its own conclusion: the problem is that moms aren’t vigilant enough, that they don’t pay enough attention to their children at the park, that they’re too busy burying themselves in their phones. But is that really true? Parenting experts tell us the exact opposite — we are hypervigilant, we are terrified, we are so afraid of harm coming to our children that we won’t even let them play outside alone. The message we are left with is crippling: being a helicopter parent is bad, but, oh, by the way, if you relax one iota, your kid’s going to get abducted and it’ll be your fault. No pressure.

Regardless of your parenting style, everyone wants their kids to be safe. Nobody wants to be the mom saying, “but I just turned my head for two seconds.” This is why videos like Joey Salads’ hit such a nerve on social media — we are terrified. It doesn’t matter that, statistically, our kids are safer than perhaps ever before. It doesn’t matter because all it takes is one kid — our kid — to be the exception to the rule. Videos like these don’t help keep our children from being kidnapped; they just exploit our fears for clicks and shares, leaving us more afraid than we were to begin with.

Being a parent is hard, and the world can be a very scary place. But the last thing we need is someone pointing that out in a video on Facebook.

Related post: I Ignore The News to Stay Sane as a Mom

The post Why I Won’t Share the “Stranger Danger” Social Experiment Video appeared first on Scary Mommy.

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Back to School, 1970s:

1. Take the kids downtown to go shopping at Sears for back to school clothes the last week of August. Get everyone a new pair of corduroys and a striped tee shirt. Buy the boys a pair of dungarees and the girls a pair of culottes. No, Jennifer, you can’t have that orange and red poncho. Promise you will crochet her a better one with much more fringe. Get the girls a package of that rainbow, fuzzy yarn they like in their hair. You are done. You have spent a total of $43.00. Now take everyone to the Woolworth’s lunch counter for grilled cheeses and chocolate milk.

2. On the night before the first day of school (that would be the Sunday night after Labor Day, of course, you know, mid-September) throw the kids in the way back of the station wagon and drag them downtown to Eckerds, K-Mart, Ames, Dollar General, Drug Fair or the like and hurry them over to the back-to-school area to pick out a lunchbox. Make sure to tell them get a move on because you don’t have all night for them to make a damn decision. They need to get in bed by eight and yes, they’re going to miss the Wonderful World of Disney if they can’t decide between The Fonz and Dukes of Hazzard. Good Lord, why is it so hard for them to pick? Tell Kimberly if she can’t make up her mind between Holly Hobbie and The Bionic Woman then you’re going to pick Pigs in Space and you don’t want to hear another word about it until June. Grab a composition book for each of them and a pack of pencils too. That’s all they need. Remember to save some grocery bags so they can cover their textbooks with them after the first day of school.

3. Buy yourself a pack of Virginia Slims on the way out and smoke three of them on the way home.

4. Get up in the morning and make yourself a cup of Sanka with Sweet ‘n’ Low. Line up all the lunchboxes on the formica counter top in your kitchen. Open up a bag of Wonder Bread and do this assembly line style.
5. Spread yellow mustard on bread. Slap bologna on bread. Unwrap American cheese slices and put on top of bologna. Put top on the sandwich and wrap sandwich in tin foil or wax paper. Put it in the lunchbox. Every kid gets the same exact lunch. Period.

6. Alternate sandwich choices could include: Peanut butter and grape jelly, peanut butter and marshmallow fluff, the end of last night’s leftover roast beef or the ever popular with children tuna fish with large chunks of onions and celery and Miracle Whip.

7. Put some Planter’s Cheese Balls into a baggie and close with a twist tie.

8. Take Twinkies out of the box. Put one in each child’s lunch box.

9. Fill thermoses with either Kool-Aid or whole milk.

10. Include a red delicious apple even though you know that damned apple is just going to come home uneaten again, which is fine because you can keep adding the same one until it practically rots.

11. Close the lunchboxes. You’re done. Go put some Barry Manilow on the record player and celebrate that your kids are out of the house until dinner time. They’ll grab them, along with a frosted, dutch apple Pop-Tart on the way out the door as they walk a half mile down the road to get to the bus stop.

via H&M

Back to School, 2014

1. Take five deep breaths and say a positive affirmation. School begins in two weeks. It is the middle of July. Don’t worry, you still have time to order BPA-free bento boxes and authentic Indian tiffins made with special stainless steel that did not involve any child-labor, sweat shops or animal cruelty. Remember, you have Amazon Prime. You can get the free two day shipping and you will have plenty of time to read reviews and make this very important decision because your kids are in summer “camp” which is actually just another word for school in the summer because OH MY GOD you were so tired that day you had to have them home all day with you and you couldn’t go to your restorative flow class at yoga. And that was also the day something went terribly wrong with the homemade glitter cloud dough recipe that was supposed to go in their sensory bin and the very same day that they were out of soy milk at Starbucks and you had to immediately email corporate to let them know that duh, they should actually be selling almond milk and/ or coconut milk. Get with it Starbucks. Soy is so 90s. Ugh, but you digress. The tiffin. The bento boxes…

2. One Week Later: The bento boxes and tiffins have arrived. So has your childrens’ school’s annual list of school supplies that you must purchase and deliver. It is three and a half pages long. It includes a ten pound bag of flour and several cleaning products and also requests a Costco-sized package of toilet paper.

3. Begin frantic online search for backpacks and school bags made from all natural materials yet still “cool.” Have them monogrammed.

4. Take kids shopping at the mall for new school clothes. Buy them each a completely new wardrobe from Gymboree and Crew Cuts. Spend $2,387.07 on your credit card.

5. Take children to the child psychologist to prepare them mentally for the difficult transition to a new grade, new teacher and new classroom.

6. Intently study the allergy list the school has sent you which lists all the items that other children in your children’s classes are allergic to and thus cannot be sent in your child’s lunch either. This is extremely stressful because the last thing you (or anyone) wants to be responsible for is sending a second grader into anaphylactic shock. Make notes on your phone so you can remember what not to buy when you go to Whole Foods.

7. Purchase school supplies for your children. Not to be confused with the 3 1/2 page list of classroom supplies you are also responsible for. They will need paper, pens, folders, notebooks, a calligraphy set, fifteen new apps for their tablets, a graphing calculator, a scalpel, an electron microscope and a centrifuge.

8. Go to Whole Foods to shop for school lunch items. This will take 4 hours and 15 minutes because you have to read every single label to make sure you are purchasing organic, locally sourced, non-GMO, gluten-free, allergy friendly products. You come home with tahini, bananas and a package of brown rice cakes. You somehow spent $76.19.

9. The night before the first day of school prepare the bento boxes. Fill containers with organic, local strawberries intricately cut into the shapes of sea creatures. Include homemade, nut free granola made with certified gluten-free oats. Make a sandwich on vegan hemp bread out of tahini, kale and jicama. Form it into the shape of your child’s favorite Disney character. Make flowers out of non-dairy cheese slices, olives and seaweed. Photograph the finished Bento Box and post it to Instagram.

10. Write your child an encouraging note which includes an inspirational quote.

11. Include a sheet of stickers for good measure.

12. Fill a Siig bottle with filtered water and also include a box of chilled coconut water in the Bento Box because children can never be too hydrated. Ever.

13. Blog about this experience. Pray it goes viral and is picked up by HuffPo.

14. Get up at 4AM on the first day of school. Make first day of school signs for each child to hold as you photograph them on the front step. Make a bunting to hang above the front door. Blow up balloons. Actually, go ahead and make a full on back to school photo booth.

15. Make pancakes in the shape of the letters of the alphabet.

16. Dress kids in coordinated outfits and spend 35 minutes posing and photographing them (with your phone).

17. Load everyone into the car to drive them to school.

18. When they are safely in their new classrooms, return to your car to cry for the next 20 minutes. But it’s okay, really. You’ll be back in six hours to pick them up and drive them to Synchronized Swimming, Cello and Urdu classes this afternoon.

Related post: 10 Ways to Give Your Kid a 1970′s Kind of Summer

The post Going Back to School: The 1970s vs Today appeared first on Scary Mommy.