On Mothering Day

It's no secret I'm not a massive fan of this holiday for personal reasons. But I do like to mark this day every year by thanking the women who serve as my surrogate mothers. 

Since I moved to LA, Susan Damante has been a treasure. Having a Buddha-mom like her is a blessing. My Godmother, Lucie, is always shining with her special blend of bright golden love & F-bombs. 

And then there's Dena. What a funny little twist of fate to end up with a surrogate mom who knows me so well, helps me in just the right way, and often seems psychically plugged into my brain. It's no wonder my friends call her my guardian angel. 

Mothering is a verb to me. A lot of people are mothering and nurturing a lot of people all the time. This day is about that for me. 

Plus! For fun, check out this photog mom who dressed her kid up like all kinds of inspirational women.

Amy Poehler's Smart Girls

While there are so many reasons to appreciate Amy Poehler, today, let's take a minute to revel in her creation of Amy Poehler's Smart Girls. It's a whole channel and website of content expressing appreciation for the awesomeness of ladies and living true to your authentic self. 

They have several fun series, including Ask Amy, Meow Meow Music, Operation Nice (love it!) Boy's Minute (even) and Smart Girls at the Party, where they interview inspirational women. The website also features a nice rotating reminder of all the kick ass women who have changed the world. It features a good many of my favorites right up front: Dolly Parton, Bernadette Peters, Michelle Obama and Suzanne Vega. 

Basically, this is one of the happiest, funnest places on the internet and one of the best ideas ever. Appreciation rules. Change the world by being yourself. Word up. 

BRAVE - New Sara Bareilles

Brave is pretty much my favorite word in the English language. (Snacks, perhaps a close second.) Which is why I couldn't be happier that one of the foremost voices for joy in pop music today, Miss Sara Bareilles, has a new single called just that. Brave. Not Snacks. That'd probably be a good single too. 

I'm 100% behind the message of this jam. Let your words be anything but empty.