+
Pop Culture

Jennifer Garner calls her senator about gun safety all while making brownie oats

Jennifer Garner is the queen of wholesome advocacy. Long may she reign.

jennifer garner pretend baking show, jennifer garner brownie oats recipe

People love her Pretend Cooking Show on Instagram.

Jennifer Garner often serves up sweetness with her beloved Pretend Cooking Show on Instagram. But this time, she’s added her own special dash of simple activism into the mix.

The episode begins with all the playful, adorkable charm we’ve come to expect from Garner.

"You know when you need to be living life, but your heart isn't ready? Sometimes you just need a little comfort-something," the actress-slash-baker says in the opening as she prepares a brownie baked oatmeal recipe from Danielle Brown (@healthygirlkitchen).

"Like, I have on a dress and thought I was being fancy, but then I put sweatpants under it. So, pardon me," she quips while lifting up her skirt. This happens right before she realizes that “oh, shipoopi,” she needs more peanut butter. Yes, she used “shipoopi.” She’s delightful.

Once the ingredients are mixed and the 6 x 9 inch tray goes into the oven, there’s nothing left to do but wait for 40 minutes. Or as Garner puts it, “the perfect amount of time to make a call in support of gun safety bills.” Talk about multitasking.


As Garner talks on the phone, a script provided by journalist and former CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin shows up on the screen, which reads:

"Hello, I'm a constituent. I'd like to let the Senator know it is important to me that s/he votes for the gun safety reforms coming before Congress. You can then say why that matters to you, if you like.”

On her Instagram page, Yellin has also provided the U.S. Senate switchboard number: (202) 224-3121, along with specific GOP senators open to a compromise gun safety bill. You can also find your state senator's direct number at senate.gov.

Yellin’s post adds, “I don’t typically post content that advocates a specific action or guides you to lobby Congress,” but contends that “gun safety reform…is not a blue versus red issue. It’s a ‘get the people’s voices heard’ issue.”

Garner ends her video displaying what looks like a truly decadent dish, which seems to pass her taste test.

“In case you need a little comfort,” she says with a smile. Voila, delicious brownie oatmeal with a side of social justice. All part of a balanced breakfast.

One of Garner’s many, many lovely attributes is her penchant for easy acts of kindness. From making cookies for frontline workers to packing essentials in Ziploc bags for those in need, she shares ideas that practically anyone could do, celebrity or not. And—despite her own superstar status—she does it while staying down to earth. That’s almost as tricky a feat as baking the perfect brownie. But she nails it, and we love her for it.

It doesn’t take an A-lister to make a positive impact, but it's great when they use their celebrity for good. Sometimes big changes happen with small, even (brownie) bite-sized actions.

A size 21 Nike shoe made for Tacko Fall.

A local reporter at Hometown Life shared a unique and heartfelt story on March 16 about a mother struggling to find shoes that fit her 14-year-old son. The story resonated with parents everywhere; now, her son is getting the help he desperately needs. It's a wonderful example of people helping a family that thought they had nowhere to turn.

When Eric Kilburn Jr. was born, his mother, Rebecca’s OBGYN, told her that he had the “biggest feet I’ve ever seen in my life. Do not go out and buy baby shoes because they’re not gonna fit,’” Rebecca told Today.com. Fourteen years later, it’s almost impossible to find shoes that fit the 6’10” freshman—he needs a size 23.

Keep ReadingShow less

"What Do You Know About The Female Body?" from Jimmy Kimmel

When Jimmy Kimmel takes to the street, you know you’re in for a good laugh at just how little we actually know about, well, seemingly anything. That goes for anatomy too. In this case, female anatomy.

In a segment called “What Do You Know About The Female Body?” men try—and hilariously fail—to answer even the most basic questions, like “does a female have one uterus, or two?” much to the amazement of some of their female partners.

Here are some of the very best bits of nonwisdom:

Keep ReadingShow less
Education

Former teacher shares the funny 'secret code' she used when talking to parents

“Your son is going to make a great lawyer" is code for: "Your kid won’t stop arguing with me."

Miss Smith shares the "secret code" teachers use in emails to parents.

There are many things that teachers think but cannot say aloud. Teachers have to have a certain sense of decorum and often have strict rules about the things they can or can’t say about children, especially to their parents.

Plus, it’s a teacher’s job to educate, not judge. So, they find ways to kindly say what’s on their minds without having to resort to name-calling or talking disparagingly of a student.

Keep ReadingShow less
via Pexels

A teacher lists his class rules.

The world would be a much better place if humans weren’t so … human. We all fall short of perfection. Common sense is, sadly, not too common. And there’s one guy out there who always manages to screw things up when things start getting good.

Call it Murphy’s law. Call it the great “reason we can’t have nice things.” Call it entropy. It feels like a whole lot of pain could be avoided if we all had just a little bit more sense.

But what if there was one rule that we all agreed to follow to make everyone’s life better? What would this magical rule be?

A Reddit user who goes by the name P4insplatter came to this realization and asked the AskReddit subforum, “What simple rule would fix the world if everyone actually followed it?” They received dozens of simple rules that if everyone got behind would make the world drastically better.

Keep ReadingShow less
@thehalfdeaddad/TikTok

Dad on TikTok shared how he addressed his son's bullying.

What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again.

Single dadPatrick Forseth recently shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution.


The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat racial compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations.
Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Igor Ferreira on Unsplash

Florida principal fired after showing statue of "David."

If you ask most teachers why they went into education, they'll share that it had nothing to do with the money and everything to do with their passion for teaching. Even with rapid changes in curriculum and policies, teachers who remain in the classroom are lovers of education and are doing their best to help kids learn.

Hope Carrasquilla, the former principal of Florida's Tallahassee Classical School, was one of those teachers who simply enjoyed teaching. As the principal, Carrasquilla was required to teach two classes. During her sixth grade lesson about Renaissance art, which is also a requirement of the school, Carrasquilla showed a picture of Michelangelo's "David" statue.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, three parents complained about their children being shown the picture. Two of those parents were mostly upset that there wasn't sufficient notice given before the photo of the sculpture was shown. The third parent reportedly complained that the statue of the Biblical figure was pornographic.

Keep ReadingShow less