So, i’m stupid.  Dumb, dumb dumb.  I went out last night and spent $40 worth of Halloween/Autumn decorations for the house and did not check our finances first.  So of course, I checked with our bank first thing this morning (like I always do) and we are $100 in the hole!  Bleh!  Stupid me! *slaps forehead*

Now i’m sitting here looking at those Halloween decorations as the most useless items on the planet.  I wasn’t sorry when I bought them (I was quite excited actually because they are downright cute!), but I sure am sorry now… knowing that it cost me an extra $100.  Live, learn, and then buy Luvs…. right?

In other news…. Clay Aiken finally came out of the closet.  Raise your hand if you were surprised to find out that he is gay.  *scans room*  … Anybody?

In reality trash news… Bret Michaels will be the star of yet another “Rock of Love” only this time he will find love on the road.  I have to say that although i’m excited to see another Rock of Love hit the airwaves, i’m just a little over Bret Michaels.  I was hoping they’d get Tommy Lee or Richie Sambora to be the next ROL front man.

Bleh… I can’t stop thinking about my financial blunder!  Well… at least I don’t have to spring for any Ferrari parts. Heck, we don’t even own a Ferrari. I now consider myself a Minivan mogul!

In a small way, I feel like I understand Britney Spears. Okay, before you slap the crazy stick on me, hear me out.

It isn’t easy being a mother under normal circumstances. We have to be everything to everyone. We love our role in life but at the end of the day we are just plain exhausted and no amount of caffeine can rejuvenate us. We are under the microscope of our own mothers and those who have come before us. We hear helpful child raising tips that sometimes go in one ear and out the other. I think all women crave to do this on their own. We are all territorial to a point and would have no one else fill our shoes for us. As spent as we are, we enjoy it. (oh just admit it, you love it!)

Now, imagine being extremely famous (okay a stretch for most of us I know… ) and having the camera mark your every move. The cameras that follow you, know where you eat, sleep and even sometimes know when you pass gas. They catch your best moments (perfect hair, makeup and posture) and your worst moments (hair thrown up in a bun, no makeup and you are wearing…egads!… sweatpants!).

Finally, imagine being Britney Spears. You are being scrutinized for everything… from your clothes, to your weight, your love life and even your parenting. You have reporters asking you all kinds of personal and private questions from every angle. You like entertaining and feel that the artistic part of you should be and is always open to the public. On the other hand, your private life should remain private. When it isn’t…. well maybe you start to resent the limelight you’ve always grown up in and that throws you in a tailspin of rebellion.

When Britney lost custody of her sons, I cannot imagine that it was a happy day for her. Her behavior has been erratic, I agree. However, do any of you wonder if there is a deeper problem plaguing her? I had heard recently that she is being diagnosed or was being diagnosed with Bi-polar disorder. I hope that she gets the help she needs and regains custody of her sons. I can also see her battling PPD at the same time. Imagine doing that in the face of all of the cameras and America!

I guess what I am trying to say (and used Britney as an example) is that sometimes, we need to put ourselves in the shoes of others before immediately throwing stones. I agree that we need to have bold lines between right and wrong but I also think we need to have empathy, compassion and understanding toward our fellow man. Once we lose the empathy and compassion, how can we define what is right and what is wrong if we have lost part of the very foundation that makes us humans? Flesh is weak but our spirits are able to guide us with our conscience. This is the same spirit that allows us to love deeply. Christ had that spirit. It poured out of him.

Just something to think about on a Monday night…

Britney Spears once again has made headlines for bizarre behavior. The newly shaven maven has reportedly served legal documents to … get this… her mom! It has been reported that Brit is angry with her mom for partnering up with her management team so as to bully her into rehab. In addition to forcing Brit into rehab, her mom also has taken Kevin’s side in the Sean Preston/Jayden custody battle.

According to X17 Xclusive:

“Apparently Britney’s fuming over her mother’s visits with the kids at Kevin’s house. She feels it gives time to her ex and her mom to plot against her, as she claims they did earlier this year to force her in to rehab. The restraining order is obviously a last-ditch attempt to get full custody of her kids, which Britney so desperately wants.”

So, miss BS has filed a restraining order against her mother in efforts to keep her away from Sean Preston and Jayden. Hah! As if a judge would approve that!

Personally, I can understand why BS is so angry. I would be angry too if my mom were siding with my ex. Though I don’t think anger warrants the sort of extreme action she has taken in this situation. She could have tried communicating her feelings to her mother first instead of lashing out like a spoiled child. She has to see on some level that her behavior has been unpredictable at best. She is not a world touring pop princess at the moment. She’s been reduced to a Hollywood party girl and in my opinion she needs to get her stuff together. Her partying ways are only strengthening the world’s perception of her as a bad mother and role model. While she may argue that she never wanted or intended to be a role model, the fact remains that she is a public figure of sorts and is a role model whether she wants to be or not.

If she can’t save her career at least she can save her relationship with her family. After all of these tabloid goodies, her family might be the only thing she has left.

On a side note, I think Britney has a bad case of post partum depression. Her actions have been so erratic and her anger has been very apparent. All you need to do is look at her eyes, her body language and you can see that she is not herself. For that reason, I really hope that she can get the help she needs for her children and concentrate on them. This other stuff right now needs to be placed on the proverbial back burner. If she can’t even take care of herself, then how is she supposed to manage her career and her children?