Tell It Like It T-I-Z Tuesday - Spanking

Better late than wait until next week!


I was watching The Today's Show this morning with Kathie Lee and Hoda... or at least it was on my TV while I was bouncing from room to room trying to get ready for Miss Missy's doctor's appointment... and I had to stop when I heard a segment come on about disciplining other people's kids. I have some opinions on that issue, but the main part that I tripped off of was about SPANKING.

AHHHH, the dreaded and most steer clear subject on the blogs.

Well, today, I feel a little controversial and a little brave at the same time, so I'm going to go ahead and open up this can of worms.

Yes, I am aware that all of my 3 or so readers won't agree with me or my parenting tactics, but everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I'm about to give mine.

Sorry guys, but I. spank. my. kids.

And when this chick, Linda Fears, editor and chief of Family Circle magazine said that if she saw a mom in Bloomingdale's spanking HER kid, she would walk up to her and tell her that tell her to stop I almost coughed up my omlet! She says that she in entitled to her opinion, even if it isn't her business.

HA! You know what? If she walks up to the WRONG one on the WRONG day she might get her opinion knocked down her throat! Many of the parents I know may not take well to Miss Thang's "expert opinion" while little Johnny is running through the clothes, tearing them from the racks and screaming about getting gum from the bubble gum machine. Not something my kids have done, of course, but you get the point. LOL!

Sorry, but I'm not the one to constantly ask my our kids to "please stop or I'm going to call your daddy". Nun uhh! And I refuse to leave a store because some little pint-sized mini-me want to scream his or her way through the store. AND, I'm not going to handle it when I get home! We are going to rectify the situation right then and there. Get it together or "I'm going to embarrass you in this store!" is what my mom use to tell me! And I use those same words today.

I'd rather spank my kids now than to have them growing up being spoiled rotten, not understanding that there are harsh consequences for their actions and pulling a Columbine type thing of some kind, or thinking it's okay to sue your parents.


I know that all the studies show that spanking is no longer the "right" way to discipline children these day. I'm aware that psychologist and psychiatrists alike will tell you that you should never hit your children in any way. I've heard it all. I just really don't believe the hype!

I love my children more than I love myself, and guys, that's a whole lotta love! But I have come to believe that for me, and for my family, the mere threat that there may be a swat to the butt if you mess up keeps my kids in line. They know that momma means business when she starts talking about the belt and most of the time that is enough to get them back to walking that straight line.

I have very good children. I have very few tantrums thrown by them. There are never times when I feel that I can't take my kids to the store for fear that they are going to act out and embarrass me. They know the consequences of their actions and for the most part choose not to travel down that road.

Does that make me a bad mom? I don't know if it does by your standards, but I have three very happy, well rounded and well-behaved kids that are constantly in a competition to see who can get the most hugs from me before going to bed at night, and who happen to think that I'm the best thing since sliced bread! And that tells me that even though I discipline my monsters with the fear of spanking, they have turned out to be wonderful kids.

So screw your studies!

So that's the way I see it and that's how I TELL IT LIKE IT T-I-Z!!

Wanna join in? I'm not gonna add Mr. Linky, but you can just leave me a comment so that I can some over to your page and ready what you have to Tell It Like It T-I-Z about this week!

GA testing has begun

It is the very first day of CRCT'sat my kids' school. You know, those dreaded tests that take 3 days to a week depending on your grade level to finish?

Well, I have pretty good kids and they seemed to have it all together. They weren't in the least bit nervous and they seemed very prepared for what they think is to come.

Amazingly enough, both boys looked forward to studying this weekend. Runnin' Man asked his teacher for extra work for studying. Although he only did 2 or 3 worksheets, before realizing it was a beautiful day and he better take advantage of it, I was still proud of him for his efforts. He is learning the importance of studying, although academics seem to come pretty natural to him. He is required to pass the reading portion this year.

Sir-Talks-A-Lot's teacher stressed to the kids that there was nothing to worry about. The kids in her class seemed stress free and ready.
Sir-Talks-A-Lot let me know that there is no reason to be worried about this test. He said he is going to pass because he knows all that stuff.

It is most of the parents that make a big deal over it. It's the parents that stress and make the kids worry. Me, I haven't made them do anything different in preparation of the CRCT. They are smart kids and I trust that their teacher have taught them well. On the inside, I'm a little worried, but they'll never know that!

I fell in love with.........

I've been in the market for a new whip for the last few months.



No, I'm not taking up a new career as a dominatrix (although in these hard times...... NO NO JUST KIDDING)!



Hubs has convinced me that because the Navigator is in it's 11th year, it's time to invest in something a little more youthful.



I, on the other hand have been very happy with my old Gator, as she has given me very few problems since we got her. AND SHE'S PAID FOR!



So, it has taken a lot of convincing to get me to agree to look into getting a new whip. I mean, YEARS! Hubs has been trying to get me to get rid of the Gator since the day gas prices started to spike.



I was convinced that she was the car for me and that I would simply suffer the consequences of having to spend more time at home to balance out the gas allowance.



I mean, she still runs very good. She has all the space in the world for anything I might want to do and anyone I might want to take with me. She's in good health, a non-smoker and hasn't done be bad. She looks real good after her paint job last year and, dang it, she's paid for!



No car note! I'm loving having no car note on either of our vehicles.


But it took some time, but low and behold he has convinced me that because the Gator is getting up there in age, she is bound to start getting a few aches and pains. And, because Hubs is supposed to be getting deployed to Afghanistan in August for a year, and because I don't know squat about cars, and because mechanics are known to be pretty shady when it comes to women, I have been convinced.



We started looking into cars and I was sure that in order to save a little gas, I need something smaller. But I refuse to go to a car, not with growing, active boys and a princess.

I decided I want a crossover.



I've made my decision on what I really want. And if you are in the market for a new whip, You simply HAVE to test drive the Buick Enclave.

I LOVE THIS CAR!

LOVE.........

LOVE........

LOVE!!!!!!

It's so roomy on the inside. Has a third row and still plenty of cargo space. It is quiet, and smooth and luxurious............. much. like. me!

Okay, so I'm not too thrilled with the 40G's plus on the price tag. A little out of my price range. Okay a LOT out of my price range, but this vehicle was made for me!

I don't get excited about cars. As a matter of fact, when I agreed to let Hubs by me another car, I told him that he could get whatever he wanted, as long as it had a 3rd row.

But this baby reeled me in and shock cupid's arrow through my heart.

Yes, I will be disappointed of we don't find a used one in our price range.

Yes, I might cry.

I have fallen in love with this luxury crossover and I feel that I deserve nice things. Right?

I KNOW I gained weight, okay???

You know, sometimes it's hard to get over things that people say, even if they really have the best intentions when they say them.

When my dad was here on Tuesday, he made a comment about how "I better lose weight". Of course, as I usually do, I laughed it off and said I know. At the time, I didn't really think much of it. I mean, he didn't say it in a mean way. He didn't say it in front of anyone. And I know that he wasn't trying to make me feel bad about it. But I KNOW this already!

But later on, what he had said came back to me. And it started to sting. I started to think about how he ALWAYS has something to say about my weight when he sees me. Sometimes he'll politely say, "You lost some weight." and I'll say NO, because I don't think I have lost any noticeable weight in 2 years.

Years ago, when I got honey blond highlights, I thought I was the cutest thing in GA. He let me know how much he hated it every time he saw me.

And I don't think that I can forget the time when I was in my early 20's, a young wife and mother, and he told me that I needed to go in the house and put on some makeup. I didn't even wear make up at that time. Nothing except a little lipstick every now and then.

Okay, that I was a little offended by. I wasn't even allowed to wear make up until I graduated high school, so you mean to tell me that all of a sudden it was that important? Wear makeup just to sit in the house.

I think that my dad has always been a little critical of the way that I look, be it good or bad. He is all comments when I am at my highest, but surely shows disgust when my appearance is less than perfect. But in his usual charming way.




Or perhaps I'm a little sensitive because of my not so perfect figure.....

Writer's Workshop: Back at the Playground

Mama Kat has given another assignment and it is time for me to get to work.

Get over there and see the prompts and I bet you'll want to join in. Come on! You know you wanna!






This is the promt that I chose:


5.) Tell us about that time at the playground when that thing happened.

Okay, as soon as I read this, my mind immediately went back to I was just a little tot.

(cue the wavy lines of the screen of my thoughts)

I was in my first grade class, maybe. I really think that it was before that, like back when I was in pre-school.

I was was on the see-saw with another kid and I thought that it would be funny to jump off and watch him plummet to the ground and fall off. Seemed pretty innocent to me at the time. And quite funny.

So I waited until the perfect time when I didn't think he was paying a lot of attention, you know, right at the point when he was as high as he could be, and I jumped off!

Only it wasn't funny at all as he fell and the the handles of the tetter-totter smacked him right in his chin.

Yeah, he was bleeding and I'm pretty sure that he had to get stitches.

Of course my mom was called and this was just one of those things that I can't forget because she talked it about it for the years to come.

Needless to say, that was one stunt I never pulled again.

Dear New School Bus Driver

Dear New School Bus Driver,

I've been watching you as you pick my kids up and drop them off. Now, I don't know what they teach you in your child/bus safety classes, but something just ain't right!


You wait until the kids are in their seats before diving off to the next stop and not one of them goes flying to the back of the bus.

What's wrong with you?

You slowly come to a stop and don't slam on the breaks. They're not screaming as their heads hit the back of the seat in front of them.

What kind of driver are you?

You don't let them dart out in front of the bus before it comes to a complete stop. You make them have eye contact with you and wait for your signal before they cross the street.

Who does this?

You don't seem to find it necessary to tell them jokes, pat their heads or try to tag them as the are getting of the bus so that they are so busy laughing at you, they miss the last step.

The nerve of you!

These things are really important to you? How dare you care about our kids' safety like that. I think it is because of you, my kids don't come home complaining of a headache because the bus was so loud. You mean, you can actually concentrate on the road and hear what is going on outside the bus?

For Shame!

Okay, you've been driving for us for a while now and why haven't you hit any mailboxes? That was the highlight of my kids' bus experience. You're taking that away!

As a mother, Ms. New Bus Driver, let me be the first to say....................

THANK YOU!!!!!

Spring break is over dag nab it!

Day two of the week after spring break.

Already I have been nominated to do PTO VP all over again and been asked to bake. BAKE? I don't remember signing up for that committee!

It's for the soldiers who helped our school during spring carnival, so it's for a good cause. And when it comes to thanking the soldiers, I'm all for it. Not only are they protecting our lives and our freedom, but they are also a huge part of our every day community, and for that, I'll do what I can to thank them!

But I guess the old saying, "No Rest For The Weary" rings true! You must keep persevering no matter how tired or overworked you are, in the eyes for this PTO demons (not me, them!)

There was a time when I never thought I'd say this, but Thank Goodness for Spring Break!

I've got that TOUCH!

You know, sometimes it takes a while to discover that you have something great right at the tips of your fingers.

Okay, normally I'm not much of a gadget-girl. Not really into having the latest of this, that and the other. Never really understood why people spend so much money on a Blackberry or an iPhone when they can wait until they get home to get updated on the Internet happenings.

I stick with my cellphone until it falls apart (or in the toilet, whichever comes first).

I don't have one of those great looking sets of washing machines because my ten year old set seems to just keep kickin'.

And if it hadn't been for Hubs wanting an HDTV, I would be just fine with the old 32" tube without HD and a picture that now seems fuzzy to me.

Things like that really aren't a big deal to me.... until I have them.

Back in February on Valentines Day, (what is that? Two months ago?) I bought Hubs an iPod Touch. Now, I have the old Nano, which I acquired from my father, who luckily for me, likes to give me things that he doesn't use much. Well, for Christmas, the boys got some MP3 players, too. Everyone else, except the 4yr old, had an MP3 player, so I figured Hubs would like to have one of his own. He almost never treats himself to anything, especially if it is expensive. So I figure it would be the perfect gift.

Well, other than playing with it for a little while, adding a few songs on it, and checking the weather every now and then, he seems to barely use it.

Well, I decided to give the thing a whirl. I found that as long as you have wireless, you can surf the web like a normal computer, pretty much. That's pretty much like having heaven at your finger tips, right? I mean, really! I have a desktop, not a laptop, so to check email, Facebook, Twitter, and my blog regularly, I can almost never leave my computer room/Wii room/TV room/workout room. Yes, that is one room!

But for the last week, I have found it so much more simple to use the Touch to check in, rather than sitting and waiting for my dinosaur to load every page. NOW I GET IT! Now I get why people pay so much to have Internet at their finger tips!

Though I can't blog as much because I just can't get past not using a conventional keyboard as the words are flowing from my mind, it is so much easier to check in on those things that are important online, all while cooking dinner, folding laundry or having a conversation with Hubs, who, by the way has recently threatened a divorce. It's either him or the Internet.

Shhhh! Luckily the Touch is small enough to hide when he walks into the room!

I'm making it through Spring Break

Okay, it's not officially over, but I have to say that Spring Break has not been as bad as I thought it was going to be.

I usually complain, kick and fall out on the floor knowing that my boys are gonna be home for a week. I never look forward to having them here because of the the arguing, the fighting the bickering, the tattle-tailing, the MOMMA! MOMMA! MOMMA!

My, how these kids know how to push a few of my buttons. I just think that it's better that they spend their days in school, under supervision, being productive and learning something. ANYTHING! With their teachers. They are outta my hair for 8 hours a day, and I love that.

I could never home school.

But THIS was spring break. And while I usually go into it with tears in my eyes, this time I was actually eager for it to come in. PTO is a LOTTA work! And this was a much need break from the 40 hours they want me to put in a week (yeah right). I always say that there is no such thing as a stay-at-home mom who really STAYS AT HOME and PTO has certainly made that a reality for me. So, I was looking forward to the break.

To my surprise, thus far, I have enjoyed it. I enjoyed the time that I have have spent with the twerps more than I thought. LOL!





On Monday, we stayed home. I babysat my adorable godson and I have to say that I completely forgot how busy a one-year old can be. I forgot what it is like to have to keep your eye on a kid a at all times.

Two plants knocked down, two poopy pampers (I sure don't miss that) and, a tortured dog, and one really short nap, and I have to say, I am DONE with the baby days. Nope. No more for me. I'm gonna to get my tubes tied!





Tuesday, I took the kids to the library, my favorite place when it comes to my kids. The boys picked books on drawing and Miss Missy, well, I picked her books. She just wanted to play in the play center they have set up for the kids. The boys spent most of their time on the computer.

After that, I took them to their very first (and my first) 3-D movie, Monsters vs. Aliens. Okay, that was the coolest movie I've ever seen. I was amazed at how far animation has come. That chick's hair moved with her body and looked really real. Leave it to a girl to notice something like that, huh?

I got a kick out of how the kids kept reaching out to touch the things that seemed to be right in front of them. Okay, so did I, but I ain't telling nobody else!

Wednesday, the library had an Easter Egg Hunt. They boys were reluctant to go because, of course they are WAY too big to hunt eggs, right?

But Runnin' Man was good sport and helped his sister get a basket full.

Sir-Talks-A-Lot? Umm, not so much.

They did become pretty excited when they saw that there was more than an egg hunt.

BUBBLES! Well, these cool bubble cups! I love these things and we finally got a smile out of Sir-Talks-A-Lot.

Oh, and let's not forget the cupcakes. I love my local library!

After running a few errands, I took the rugrats to the playground and snapped a few pics. Okay, did I ever mention that I got this cool new camera for Valentine's Day which was like the best gift ever because I have always SOOOOO loved to take picture? Oh, well, I did, and I have my wonderful, Hubs to thank for that.

So, okay, I'm trying to teach myself how to use this thing and how to be a "photographer" without actually taking a class, because who needs a class when you have CLASS A photographers two houses away who you can call and bug to give you pointers when you're stuck on something?

Okay, my neighbors really are great. They took that picture of Miss Missy on my sidebar and that was the cutest picture ever!

So, here are some of the good ones (to the untrained eye anyway) that I got yesterday.


I know, I know! They look just like their MOM!

April 4, 1968

On this day, 41 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered.

Today, I honor that brave man.

Because I too have a dream!








Watch CBS Videos Online

9 days gone, 9 days of catch up.

Well, today marks, I think, the 9th day since my last post and I'm pretty sure I just set a personal record. I wanted to leave the last post about Stellan up for a week in honor of him and the prayers that he has needed on his journey to recovery.

It was pretty easy to do just that as this week has been a hectic one. Stay-at-Home Mom my patootie! I pretty sure there has not been a day, other than today that I have actually stayed at home. This is the norm for me though.

AHHH the life of a Stay-at-Home Mom! Last Saturday, we took the kids to the circus. Not only was it their first time, but it was also Hub's first circus, and it melted my heart to hear him laughing and see him smiling and enjoying it right along with the kids. Miss Missy's favorite part was the elephants, which she had been looking forward to all week. I SOOOOOO regretted telling her that we were going 5 days before the actual event, as I NEVER stopped hearing "Are we going to the circus TODAAAAAY????" What was I THINKING?????

Monday was the Pre-K lottery. Now for those of you who are not familiar with this wretched and nerve-wrecking event, it kinda goes like this. 81 students. 20 slots. Pray.

Yeah, well you'd think that since I put in 40 hours a week, (volunteer time, mind you) at that *@#&* school, I'd either automatically have a Pre-K spot waiting or get to put our name in the box a few extra times to give me an extra chance or two or three.

Uhhhhh NO! Something about guidelines and trying to be fair and getting fired........ excuses! excuses!

So, NO we didn't get picked and YES I was pretty darn bitter by this as I had already imagined the idea that I was gonna be putting three kids on the bus in the morning and GETTING BACK IN THE BED!

So instead, I'll be placing her in a daycare facility that offers the lottery funded Pre-K, getting up every morning, getting dressed, combing my hair and getting cute (cause you know this sista ain't the one to be going no where in her PJ's) and driving Miss Daisy to school. fun.

Thursday we found a Pre-K and I like it. She wanted to attend the first one we looked at simply because the building is trimmed in pink. Go figure!

Friday, I attended and spoke at a tree dedication ceremony in honor of one of our school's custodians who passed last month. I'd spent the week searching for a Japanese Maple and a bench to put by the school in her honor and I must say, I'm very happy with my choices. The tree is a Peaches and Cream Japanese Maple, very unique and VERY pretty. I found it at the little shop called Greenbriar Nursery and I have to say, as did everyone who saw it, it is beautiful. A very unique tree.

Oh, A almost forgot to mention that in the afternoon, I went BACK to the school as I finished my grocery shopping, and walked the in Mini Relay for Life with my kids. Miss Missy walked too. I walked in honor of MY cancer-survivor, my dad. Read his story HERE.

Saturday, which is today............... well just look at the pictures. They pretty much speak for themselves.

Spring Cleaning. Just the kids' rooms. ALLLLLLLLL this stuff was pulled out of 2 rooms. The boys had SO much stuff in their rooms that needed to be trashed. So, needless to say, they spent another Saturday being SLAVES. Hey, they have spring break next week, so don't start trippin! They have a WHOLE week to enjoy the Georgia Sunshine!

I went through their clothes and found so much that they couldn't wear or that was just way too old to pass on. I went through Miss Missy's closet and came up with plenty of things that are now ready for Kid to Kid, my favorite little consignment shop.

Spring Break is next week, and I have never been anxious for it to arrive. Matter of fact, I always that WHO NEEDS A SPRING BREAK?? The kids are at home and I've never looked forward to that glorious QT before. Now I look forward to being able to sleep in for a week and not have to get up and get out the house for anyone except me. WONDERFUL! My kids usually sleep in until 10 or so, so I am BLESSED!