Blurbal Perspective

photo credit: yahoo images Days after MTV announced that they were bringing back our favorite Jerseyians in a Jersey Shore spinoff, the reasons as to why Sammi Sweetheart opted out of the reunion are being made known. Turns out, Sammi declined the reunion because she is over the past drama with ex Ronnie. A source close to the reality TV star had this to say about Sammi's absence: "Everyone was invited to come on the show but Sammi was the only one who didn’t want to. A big reason for that was because she didn’t want to be around Ronnie. She has been enjoying her life off of TV and didn’t want to change that." Sammi and Ronnie had a highly public and tumultuous relationship during Jersey Shore's 2009-2012 run. They couple broke up for good in 2014. Both have moved on from the relationship, with Ronnie briefly dating Malika Haqq earlier this year. Sammi has been in a relationship with Christian Biscardi. My Two Cents I can understand wanting to leave cert

Photo Credit: inquisitr Best news to come out of daytime TV: Rap goddess Eve is joining 'The Talk' as a co-host. She will be joining Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Julie Chen, and Sheryl Underwood. Eve had a week-long test run and she "felt the energy" to join the hit talk show. During an interview with Deadline, Eve gushed about the opportunity to join the panel: "I think what I’m looking forward to the most is showcasing my personality and who I am now as a woman. In my career, people know me from my music and I have done certain things in entertainment, but this is a different avenue for me." Eve did mention that she has no intention on censoring herself: "I’m just in a place in my life where I was looking for a platform to express myself." You can catch her all week long on CBS, now and always! My Two Cents I think it's time for me to look into getting cable TV. I hope the producers are ready for their ratings to skyrocke

Photo Credit: Getty Surprise! Jordin Sparks is a married woman, with a baby on the way! The "This is my Now" singer announced the news exclusively to People recently. She secretly married longtime love Dana Isaiah back in July during a vacation in Hawaii. Along with that happy news is Jordin Sparks is pregnant with her first child! The newlyweds are expecting their first child together late next spring. Congrats to the newlyweds, and now parents-to-be! Yay!

Photo Credit: HuggiesAU One of the most annoying aspects of being pregnant are the changes that happen with our breasts. Whether or not you will be breastfeeding your little one when he or she is born, we all have to deal with the changes. Early on in your pregnancy, you may notice that your breasts become increasingly sore. They also become bigger, and if you already had big boobs, this may be an unwelcomed pregnancy symptom. During the middle part of your first trimester, you will notice that your bras don't fit as well as they used to. You may find yourself investing in some maternity bras. Maternity bras do provide some relief from the symptoms, but they won't get rid of the symptoms entirely. The rest you kind of have to get used to. Some other symptoms to look out for include: - Vein changes (they will be come more visible on and around your breasts). - Darker areolas -Bumps on the ar eola s - Leaky breasts (during month three, some women may notice a

What is Vitamin A? Vitamin A is a vitamin that is stored in the liver. This vitamin is important for your baby's growth during the embryonic stage. It aids in the development of your baby's eyes, bones, heart, kidneys, lungs, CNS, and respiratory system. It is also important during pregnancy, as it aids in postpartum tissue repair, immune system support, regulating fat metabolism, and maintains healthy vision. Foods that are rich in Vitamin A include: Eggs Milk Fruits Veggies There are many conflicting reports as to how much vitamin A is " too much " to take in during pregnancy. If you take too much, it can result in birth defects and liver toxicity. If you don't have enough vitamin A, night vision and your immune system can become weakened. So how much Vitamin A should you include in your diet during pregnancy? Women ages 19 and older (regardless of whether or not you plan on breastfeeding your little one) should have no more than 3,000 mcg RAE

Photo Credit: scarymommy When you become pregnant for the first time, you will undoubtedly get advice from your mom friends. They will tell you what they went through, from the very beginning, right up to delivery. You might take in their experiences in and wonder if your experience will be the same as your friends. I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt (and as someone walking their talk), your experience will be unique. When I learned, for sure, that I was pregnant, some of my friends told me how they were able to work right up to the moment they delivered. Some told me that they were on bedrest for a good majority for their pregnancy. As someone who was finally back to being independent (after dealing with a spinal cord injury for 5 years), I was hoping and praying I would be like my mom friends who worked up to the very minute they delivered. I tried hard to make my job and the life I prayed for, for so long, work, that it almost cost me something I was already falling i

One thing that I've been learning about pregnancy is that I'm in the midst of the biggest event that will ever happen to me. I'm in this surreal experience that I didn't think could ever happen to me. Each moment, something happens that makes this whole thing more real for me. Yesterday, something happened that made my pregnancy 100% real to me: I found out what I'm having. Yesterday morning, I went for a drive to clear my head and sing to my favorite songs. I tend to do that when I'm looking for a release and some clarity. While I was out, I received a phone call from my genetics counselor about my Natera test results. As I mentioned in a previous post, Natera is a blood test that checks for chromosomal abnormalities. Along with all of that, it also tells you, with 99% accuracy, what you will be having. Not only is my unborn baby 100% healthy, I learned that I am carrying a boy. Throughout all of this, I was sure I was having a girl. When she told me that

I'm in the middle of my 12th week, and it's still so surreal for me to be carrying a life inside me. I have been through so many changes thus far that I'm nervous to see what the rest of my pregnancy will be like. As I near my second trimester, I been noticing that my hormones are all over the place. I cry when I listen to music, when I watch things on TV, and when my cat does something cute. I swear, I feel like I am going crazy sometimes, LOL! I was watching scenes from the show "Nashville" and I would absolutely stat balling my eyes out! I would watch "The Voice" and cry during most of the show (because everyone is so good and you can see how much these people want to sing). I would watch my cat roll around and get into these cute poses while she sleeps and I would just tear up. What the heck is going on with me?! When it comes to food, I learned there are two types of people: those that crave weird ass food dishes, and those that crave MORE of

What just happened on 'Dancing With the Stars?' That was the question we all had when Witney and her dancing partner Frankie Muniz were getting feedback for their awesome dance routine. It all started when Carrie Ann Inaba gushed about the routine: "So far for me, that was the closest thing to perfection. I mean, you are so exquisite when you dance, it's just so clean. I look for mistakes, but I don't see them -- except for when you almost lost control of Witney there."    Longtime 'Dancing' host Tom Bergeron chimed in, saying: "I'm guessing he's not the first guy who's lost control of Witney." The audience was stunned, but no more so than Witney Carson and Frankie Muniz. After the show ended, Carson, 24, told reporters that she was confused by Bergeron's comments. She decided to "brush it off." Muniz told reporters that he felt it was "make Witney uncomfortable day." Of course, social media er

Sad news, fellow indie-writers. Macmillian program Pronoun is shutting down. Pronoun made a public announcement Monday and sent an Epilogue to current members. "We are proud of the product we built, but even more so, we’re grateful for the community of authors that made it grow. Your feedback shaped Pronoun’s development, and together we changed the way authors connect with readers. While many challenges in indie publishing remain unsolved, Macmillan is unable to continue Pronoun’s operation in its current form. Every option was considered before making the very difficult decision to end the business." They are expecting to shut down the site in early January 2018. Current members will be able to access their account until that time. Unfortunately, the site will not be accepting new members. There is no word as to what prompted the decision to shut down. My Two Cents As an indie-writer, I am sad to see any self-publishing platform shut down. I first heard about

Photo Credit: ravishly Actor/Fellow Blogger/My First Crush, Wil Wheaton, went on the attack after Paul Ryan sent out his prayers and condolences to the victims of the Church shooting tragedy. Ryan tweeted for a "call to prayer." Wheaton subsequently posted the following in response: "The murdered victims were in a church. If prayers did anything, they'd still be alive, you worthless sack of s**t." After receiving a TON of backlash, Wheaton tried to explain his tweet in a series of later tweets: "Hey, real and actual people of faith: I hear you. I apologise for insulting you, in my rage at Paul Ryan's refusal to address gun violence." He also stated that Paul Ryan is someone who exploits his faith by hiding behind his words without conducting actual good deeds. Wheaton also expressed his upset that Ryan refused to address gun violence. My Two Cents The thing I love about Wil Wheaton is that he is not afraid of expressing his opinion.

On Sunday, a man walked into a Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas and opened fire, killing 26 men, women, and children. The shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley, had a long history of assault. In 2012, Kelley was court-martialed on charges of assaulting both his wife and child. Kelley was sentenced to 12 months of confinement. There are reports that Kelley's former in-laws were members of the Church he opened fire in. Donald Trump gave his two cents on Monday morning, both on Twitter and during a news conference while in Japan. Along with expressing his thoughts and prayers, Trump also said the following: "This isn’t a guns situation. (He is a) very deranged individual [with] a lot of problems over a long period of time."   My Two Cents I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I sort of agree with Trump blaming mental illness in this situation. What I don't agree with is his comment about this not being a gun situation. In fact, this is both a guns and m

Photo Credit: eonline Mazel Tov! Actor/Comedian Patton Oswalt and actress Meredith Salenger are married ! The couple said "I do" in Los Angeles at Jim Henson Studios on Saturday. Oswalt shared the happy news on Twitter on Sunday, with a pic and caption that read: "What'd you guys do yesterday?" Photo Credit: celebrityinsider Oswalt and Salenger went public with their romance in June, and became engaged shortly after. The romance came a little over a year after Oswalt's wife Michelle McNamara suddenly passed away in her sleep. McNamara passed away in April of 2016. Oswalt publicly mourned his wife, expressing his gratitude to her, his grief over the loss, and how he was determined to persevere through tragedy. My Two Cents To continue on that last thought, there isn't a timeline as to when you fall in love. When the right one comes along, you just embrace it. Perhaps, McNamara blessed Oswalt with Salenger, and wanted Oswalt to be with

Kevin Spacey was one of the most respected actors in the world. He had a number of incredible movies under his belt, and his Netflix show "House of Cards" was a big hit. Then the world learned of his secret life. A growing list of men have come forward, accusing Spacey of sexual assault. Recently, news broke that Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted actor Anthony Rapp when Rapp was 14 (Spacey was 26). Within the last 24 hours, Harry Dreyfuss, son of actor Richard Dreyfuss, came forward and accused Spacey of groping him when Dreyfuss was 18. Not only has the list of actors accusing Spacey of assault grown, so has the punishment Spacey has endured because of his actions. Spacey was removed from a prestigious actors group, he was dropped by his publicist and agency, and he was fired from Netflix. There are rumors surrounding the future of "House of Cards," and whether or not the show has been cancelled. As of right now, the show has been cancelled. However, there

Around your second prenatal visit, your doctor may recommend that you take a blood test called Panorama. This test is very important, as it will test to see if your child has Down Syndrome, Trisomy 13, Trisomy 18, and other genetic disorders. The most incredible part about this test is that it can also detect your baby's gender! You may be wondering how accurate this test is in detecting your baby's gender. According to my doctor and genetics counselor, it has 99% accuracy, and you will get your results in 7 to 10 calendar days. With this test, there is no waiting until your 20th week of pregnancy to know the gender of your baby. My experience with Panorama I was introduced to this genetics test during my first prenatal appointment. Since I was only 8 weeks at the time, it was too early for me to do that test right then and there. Now that I am 12 weeks pregnant, I was able to do the blood test. I took the test this past Thursday, so I am anxiously awaiting the results.

Photo Credit: Momtastic The last 3 months have been the most challenging of my life. I had to deal with the father of my unborn child bailing when I refused to have an abortion. I've had to deal with losing my job due to health issues that have arisen due to being pregnant. I've had to deal with preparing to move back to my hometown since I can't make rent. The most tragic of all of these: My grandfather passed away a few weeks ago. He passed away after a long battle with dementia. He was placed on hospice a month before he passed away. I got to see him a few weeks before he died, and I told him that I was pregnant. I even gave him my first sonogram picture and put it in a frame next to his bed. Even though the dementia had taken most of him, I know there was a part of him still in there, and I know he was happy that I am bringing a child into this world. During the last 24 hours, I made a huge sacrifice for the health and safety of myself and my unborn child. The iss