Get Me A Match And Some Eggnog

Just so you know I’ve had this post written since before Thanksgiving; since some of the stores were playing Christmas music in October. A bit of clarification before I proceed, I am a lover of Christmas music. LOVER! It's sick and wrong and I will play it year round. But there are some Christmas songs that in my humble and refined opinion should be banned from the Musac and 24-7 Christmas music station forever {and that might not be long enough}. We all have personal preferences when it comes to music, but these are the top three for me:

"Christmas Shoes"  Bob Carlisle

The rundown: Poor kid wants to buy 'Christmas shoes' for his dying Mom laying up in the hospital so she can look pretty for Jesus, or dance with Jesus.

Shut up Bob! Really? Really. Yes, if I was in the store with the poor kid, I would absolutely buy the shoes for him because he only has a dime. What monster would not? I get it, I get the whole 'could be worse' scenario, but Bob, you don't need to make me burst into tears every 25 minutes {statistical rotation of Christmas Shoes} because I have no power to turn it off.

I don't know, maybe I've been hormonal for the last five or so Christmases, but that song makes me have a teary breakdown. I don't want to hear it anymore! Pipe in some Santa Baby {which I hate} because at least I wouldn't feel like I wanted to dive into holiday traffic. Don't guilt me into the Christmas spirit Bob, I am already having an anxiety attack trying not to make eye contact with the Salvation Army person as I walk past. This is a whole other post entirely, I'm not lying, and I just gave at the last store.

Anything Jewel

The rundown: Jewel does Christmas out of desperation, and it involves yodeling and jazz scat...in the same song. Spare me, I can barely stand her any other time of the year, I need not be subjected to such things.  Had there been a top four, Mariah Carey would've made the list as well.

"Wonderful Christmas Time" Paul McCartney

This song makes me twitch. I don't know if it's the synthesized whatever the heck that is, but it makes me want to punch something; and I'm not violent! I think people might snap while holiday shopping due to hearing the same politically correct 10 Christmas Winter songs over and over.  I am not saying Christmas music causes or advocates pepper spraying or gun use, that's just straight up crazy people.

If you haven't heard any of these lovelies, you'll have to You Tube it, but you've been warned.  I WILL NOT provide the links to such annoyance on my blog here.

What Christmas song(s) drive you to drink more eggnog than you should?

What I'm Thankful For 10 Years From Now....

Let step in a time machine, oh maybe ten Thanksgivings from now and see what I'm thankful for shall we?

Absolutely thankful I won the lottery...that could NOT have come at a better time. The $250 winnings paid for my kid's orthodontics appointment.

I'm thankful that my car is still going strong with 367,000 miles on it and I haven't had car problems in 9 years, except for the whole horn thing.

Thankful for my friend, Christina, who I live on a farm with, in hiding, because we've single-handedly pissed off the entire blogosphere and after the third witch hunt we knew we had to go underground.  Seriously, pitchforks?

Thank GOD the cause of Autism was discovered, and it's eradicated; thousands of therapists lose jobs, and now have blogs.

I think the secret to me not having one wrinkle in these 10 years is directly proportionate to the wine and chocolate intake.

I'm still humbled by all the hub-bub about me finding a cure for cellulite; I stumbled upon it really as I was just puttering around the garage.

I'm thankful I'm not the black sheep of the family anymore, and the crown has been passed on to younger more naive siblings.

Thankful to all the hot men with-jobs-who-love-kids-don't-have-commitment-issues-or-wives-or-girlfriends, I've dated...wait, even a time machine is not a miracle worker; gonna have to refer to Jesus on this one.

Thankful for my kids, the two loves of my life that brings me peace, joy and absolute insanity.

Thankful for my friends, who are more like my family and support me unconditionally and without my need to ask for help.

Thankful for my family who puts up with me, and still reads my blog even though I have 5 readers.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving, my friends, hold those near and dear to you, close your eyes, take a breath and embrace how truly, truly, blessed we are.

What I'm Addicted To Now: Part 2

I've come to a realization that I have many addictions.  I'm not ashamed to admit it, so I might as well put that to good use and blog about it.  A series is born: What I'm Addicted to Now.  I've already done part one, black cardigan sweaters, so now I give you part two: The Twitter.  I never said they were exciting addictions.

If you're reading this blog, there is a 65.3502% chance you are also on Twitter. If you are on Twitter, there is a 56.9834% chance {these stats are totally accurate, by the way} that you may have a slight addiction to 'the Twitter'. Follow me on twitter @bubblegumcari. I'm known in social circles as the "Twitter Monster" and  "enabler" amongst other things, like "the pretty one".  But it's not my fault, Twitter is like crack and I might be your dealer.  Twitter should actually pay me for all the kids I hook.

I am confessing to the world here and now, Facebook, I really don't like you much and I've been cheating on you with Twitter. You heard me!  I'm not quite sure what to do on Facebook anymore, Zuckerberg, the subscribing and timeline have confused me.  But as you all know, I just use Facebook to pimp out my blog, yep, sorry 'bout that, and thanks for reading!

Naturally Twitter takes some getting used to, no more blathering on in a status about recipes or re-posting something because you think no one or everyone will repost it and you do it out of guilt so you don't look like an insensitive ass. Nope, you have a sweet little 140 characters to get it all out there. Call it a challenge if you will; perhaps this is why Twitter attracts snarky types like myself. Need a pick me up? Check Twitter. Got time to kill, or should be working? Check Twitter. Want to get into a conversation about something totally ridiculous like Christmas lights? Twitter is for you.

Twitter is also a self-esteem booster. For example, I have 589 followers on Twitter and I've only been tweeting since May of this year. Good or bad, I don't know.  Pretty sure half are spam bots; but that's neither here nor there, I like it and it makes me feel loved. After all that's 589 tweeple that took the time to press the "follow" button because I said something either totally hilarious, brilliant, or completely ignorant. Or maybe they like my blog, or follow me because someone brilliant told them to; surround yourself with funny people that are smart, that's all I'm sayin'.

You can follow celebrities on Twitter too, quite the moment if they follow you back, none for me. But I did have a celebrity tweet moment with Lisa Remini from King of Queens. I replied to a tweet of hers and she responded! We're tight now and I call her LeLe, although she doesn't know this. Went down like this:

@bubblegumcariCari

@LeahRemini Go big or go home Remini! ;) Haven't lived until you've been to Twitter jail.

13 Sepvia Twitter for BlackBerry®

LeahReminiLeah Remini

@bubblegumcari LOL. That's how i do it!!

13 Sep

See? I'm famous.  Love ya, LeLe!  I might tweet stalk her just a little.

We've already covered that blog friends are real friends, they are some of my besties. How about Twitter friends? I'm going to say yes. I have met phenomenal communities of tweeps via Twitter, from Single Parents to parents of children with Autism, to dazzling bloggers.

Which brings me to my point, how I spent my Sunday night on the Twitter and why I laughed and cried so hard I almost peed my pants. Those crazy Autism parents got on a hashtag roll! Hashtag you say? Goes something like this #. Then add verbiage, #SingleParentsTalking OR #youmightbeanautismparentif, this allows you to view any tweep in the conversation, whether you are following them or not.

So last night, about 5pm, I was on the Twitter and saw the hashtag #youmightbeanautismparentif. Naturally I participated in this, for HOURS, and so did the Twitter Autism community. It's still trending my friends. Tweeps were getting tossed into Twitter jail left and right and reaching following capacity.  I've said it once and I'll say it again, parents of kids on the Spectrum are some of the drunkest funniest people I know. It was no doubt one of the best times I've had on Twitter to date, {love you #SingleParentsTalking too}. I want to share a few of my favorites, oh, and you might as well open a Twitter account, because the Dalai Lama, the President and MC Hammer are on Twitter.  Why aren't you?

@LLA_PrincessAmy D

#youmightbeanautismparentif you always talk like you are in a social story....."And that's ok"

14 hours agovia Twitter for BlackBerry®

@MurasakiMoon♪ ♫ CyMbaLine ♫ ♪

#youmightbeanautismparentif you know what day of the week it is by the professional you have an appointment with

17 hours agovia Mobile Web

@leah_kelleyLeah Kelley

#youmightbeanautismparent if you can recite the Jedi Code from memory and use this to encourage self-regulation strategies in your home...

10 hours agovia web

@RaisingASDKidsElise Ronan

#youmightbeanautismparent if you know what ABA, IDEA, ADA, OT, PT, SPD, all mean IRL

17 hours agovia Power Twitter

@jodieworldJodie Collins

#youmightbeanautismparentif the answer to "What would you like for dinner" is "Something round"

17 hours agovia TweetDeck

@gregoriouslifeDDG

#youmightbeanautismparentif You grieved for the child you thought you would have, but rejoiced with the one God wanted you to have.

18 hours agovia web

Thanks to the tweeps that participated in the #hashtag throw-down!  You're my people...my tweeple.

Many thanks, props and a Bravo to @RaisingASDkids and @manyhatsmommyMI the brains behind the #hashtag!  Worth your follow, as are the other tweeps mentioned above.

If you leave a comment, leave your twitter handle too, so I and others can follow, connect and stalk you on Twitter!

If You Can't Blow It Out Here, Where Can You Blow It Out?

That title is my Vince Vaughn-ism for the day {From the movie, The Break-Up, site seeing scene} so knock it off pervs.  But let's move on shall we? On to my rant of the week, because if I can't blow it out here, where can I blow it out?  I have been seething about this for weeks. So warning to the squeamish, this isn't your normal post about sweaters and stuff, it's a departure for me and gritty as I'll ever get {boy I keep upping the ante here}. But I encourage other Single parents to take the ball and run with it and do their own post on the topic, even if you don't agree with me, because I'd like to hear it.

That's not Beard, it's Vince Vaughn

It started innocently enough, as a guest post for my friend Beard, about Single Parent Self-Esteem, short, sweet and to the point,  with a little bit of Jerry McGuire bashing. But definitely edited. So let's get to the meat of the issue here. Skank-a-licious Single Moms and why you give me a bad rap! Now, there is such a thing as skanky single dad too,  I'm going to leave that alone for now. I'm a woman; I'm going to speak from my point of view. You may call me bitter, I very well might be; but I do have a point. I'm also mildly attractive and have a good to slightly annoying personality, so I fall in the "able to get a date range". This is not being cocky, it is healthy.

If I already haven't proven it time and time again, I am accustomed to making an ass of myself, I host the Single Parents Talking tweet chat on Friday nights. We consciously try to make an effort not to whine about exes, dates, or lack thereof, loneliness and such, but I have made quite the discovery since starting the chat. Since the chat is on a Friday night, we may tend to draw in a crowd of parents that aren't on dates, mostly because these parents have their kids full-time. It seems parents who split custody have more time and the resources to date; and that's just a fact. No hard feelings.

But here's what starts making the blood boil. Single parents feeling sorry for themselves because they are home alone tweeting with me about corn and yoga and not out with some guy who looks like a glittery vampire! Sure, I know, bottom of the barrel and such, but I really am nice, sometimes funny, if anything entertaining. So these parents feel like "losers", their words, not mine, because they haven't been on a date in....well awhile. That makes you a loser? That you have been working your ass off taking care of your children and are dog tired and are trying to keep a roof over your head and not spending your money on babysitters to go on dates? Nuh-uh.

Okay, how many married people have been on a date recently with their spouse? And I surmise they aren't getting any either, just sayin', you know what I'm talking about marrieds. Why do we feel as a single parent that we need to be out, "playing the field" or there is something wrong with us?

Here's what. I'm rather tired and irritated at the amount of single parent blogs reliving their sexual escapades. And to add insult to injury here, they have record number of readers and often boast about how people will ask them for advice. Look, I'm no Dr. Ruth, but pretty much anyone can get some, not that hard, there are always willing participants. But really? It's a vicious cycle of flirtation, seduction, some kind of unsanitary sex somewhere usually inappropriate, and then the fall-out, boo-hoo what's wrong with me followed by the man bashing when it all comes crashing down and he didn't call you. Puuuuhhhhlease, stop.the.madness.

Did we not learn anything from High School and College? Oh, and p.s. don't use that an as excuse either, that you were some child bride and never got to sow your wild oats, you're an adult now.

So this gives Single Parents a bad rap. Single Moms are NOT a sure thing dudes! We all aren't so lonely and pitiful that we're going to give it up.  Maybe, just maybe, I'd like to get to know someone first? I am divorced, and guess what, I just might have learned from my mistakes, so why would I complicate things by jumping in the sack with you? I was married for 8 years and still didn't know that guy...going to be a while, my friend.  And speaking of complicated, where do you even have sex?  Not at my house, and NOT with my kids there. Refer back to inappropriate places to have sex.

I know I'm going to get reamed for this too, but from a woman's point of view, okay my point of view, sex without some kind of emotional connection does not exist. Sure, try to convince me otherwise, but it doesn't. If you have found a way, congratulations, I guess, but I'd rather have meaningful sex anyway as opposed to empty sex. Just sayin'. Sure don't we all miss sex and have needs and blah, blah, blah.

Single Moms, if it was your daughter, what advice would you give her? What kind of example would you like to be? A strong woman that values herself, respects her body, doesn't need to fill herself up with empty sex and frivolous dates with guys that treat her like crap to fill the hole in her heart because you pack your kid up every other weekend, or are still hurt and broken from divorce, or feel like you can't do it alone.

I'm going to say it again, you are good enough. And there is someone out there that will see that, and will love that about you if you give it the chance and don't settle for Mr. Right Now. I'd rather be alone and happy with myself, than with someone and unhappy. Learn to be by yourself and love yourself, that's the greatest gift you can give your kids.

{Use the hashtag #SingleParentsTalking Friday nights, 9pm CST, on Twitter}

Skanky Moms and Dads you are invited too, despite my rant, I still love you.

Now, the comment section is open for discussion, if I haven't offended you terribly, or made you stop reading with my outrageous usage of run-on sentences. 

Blog-je vu and I'm Probably A Prude

So despite all my wishing, Monday is here again. Today I feel like I have blog-je vu. I started typing a post for today that I swear I've written before...early Alzheimer's, fatigue or the brilliance of my beautiful mind maybe? Good thing I have this blog as a record of all the stellar literature that is Cari! After searching two pages, I decided to chuck the idea, as it was depressing and I was thinking, "Wow, I really wrote that?” No worries friends, this week I will be posting on grocery carts and skanky Moms, so I may have had a brief light bulb moment, but nothing’s going to change around here. Sorry.  Besides, the posts are already scheduled, and I haven't the time to do some kind of Oprah-esque blog transformation, perhaps making this blog readable and/or enjoyable.

So for your Monday enjoyment, if you're still reading, that is; I've decided to compile a short list of things I've never done. In the process a startling revelation was revealed that I am also a prude. So maybe skanky Mom isn't so skanky and it's just me? No. Prudey McPrude or not, she's skanky. Alright here you go friends, happy Monday!

Things I've never done:

-Flashed or mooned anyone. Lucky them. Public service, really.

-Never been to jail. I'd die there, just sayin'.

-Never actually met anyone raised by a pack of wolves or that lived in a barn. Mom, you've got some 'splaining to do.

-Never hula danced, belly danced or been within a 100 foot radius of a stripper pole. It's more a sanitary issue for me really; do you think they disinfect those?

-I've never had a robot. Face it they are smarter than me.

-I've never seen or read Twilight. Glittery-type vampires don't appeal to me.

-I've never been fishing. No desire here.

-Never worn a stiletto, I'd break an ankle.

-Never given all the money in my wallet to a homeless person. I should do that; you should too, just once.

-Never cooked live lobsters, kind of freaky.

-Never been on a tugboat, again, I could live the rest of my life without crossing this off the list.

So there you have it. Riveting. And I've told you tons about myself without actually telling you anything at all.  Have a great Monday!

Feel free to share something totally random that you've never done, I'm sure you can do better than me.

Mom vs. The Cat: A Daughter's Plea, You Decide

Monday my kids were home from school sick.  Naturally we did what any normal household does on sick days...we vlogged!  What started as my daughter interviewing me quickly turned to a conversation about pets, i.e. cats, and why she needed one.  My children beg daily for a furry friend.  I told her to convince you, America, to convince me to get her a cat. 

Seeing as it was Election day today yesterday, this post is perfect post for such an occasion.  But also seeing as it is no longer election day, the polls are closed.  Enjoy this piece of cinematic-no make-up-wearing-cough-cough-hacking genius.

*NOTE*  The cuteness behind the blog, Beard and Pigtails, vlogged a response to Audrey's cat plea.  Despite the fact that I'm being ganged up on by children here, it's worth a peek.
.

The Truth and Narcissistic Blogger Validation

Recent events in the blogosphere have prompted this post, so it's a departure from my normal rants about nothing in particular, and for the most part useless. If you're looking for funny, you may want to click over to the post on Eye Brow Waxing or Mechanical Bull-Riding.

"The Truth will set you free."

"The Truth hurts."

It is hard to navigate, even differentiate sometimes between truth out of necessity, truth to hurt, or being truthful to self and beliefs. I suppose they are all interwoven in some way, just interpreted differently. A recent satirical post {and the crazy-ass fall out} from one of my very favorite bloggers prompted my thoughts on this. I'm not going to link it, not because I do not support her, I do, but I do not wish to encourage anymore hate. And when I say hate, I mean vile, narcissistic, commenting bullies who have nothing better to do with their time than endorse character assassination. It's time to move on...”Mommy Bloggers”.

Don't we have to admit, just a smidge, that when someone says something we are offended by, there might just be an ounce of truth to it? That perhaps, we, despite our very best efforts, might be that which we do not like? Of course! And if you deny it, well, you're living in denial. Profound!  {This is a general statement, mostly about character and motivation, so don't get in a huff} Our defensiveness oftentimes is a knee jerk reaction to protect, because we're right, you're wrong, black, white, etc. That's was we are taught right?  To stand up for what we believe in no matter the cost?

It takes a heck of a strong person to stand up and say, "Geez, I'm a boring Mommy blogger that writes about dead roosters and cheese", why do people read it? Everyone's personal taste is different, and in that is hope.  Heck, maybe we can offer the world some unique perspective once in a while and not just stroke each other's egos for being the same. If you blog, you should be blogging for you, not for who may or may not read it; otherwise you're in the wrong business.

When I lose followers, and I do, shocking right?  Oh, there goes another.  I wonder, was it something I said? But at the end of the day, this blog is mine, I own it, and I'm pretty proud of it. That's right, and I'm sober 99.7% of the time while I write it. But every blogger is an egotistical narcissist in some form. Yeah you are. And there goes another.  We love the comments, we love the validation, we love that people want to read what we write. And I love you for it.  So when those motives come under attack, it is only natural to protect ourselves. NOTE: Protect, not become an irrational crazed lunatic. Ya'll are really going to want to read that post aren't ya?

So that sums up the truth hurts. On to the truth will set you free.  This portion also prompted by a fellow anonymous blogger.

What is worse? Telling the truth, even if it won't change anything? Or holding it in to keep the peace? Depends on the person I suppose. But here's something I know about truth. I'm divorced. Duly noted in blog here. My divorce is a partial result of some painful truths revealed. When you find out your spouse has been lying to you for five years about addiction, infidelity, finances and a myriad of other things; it not only hurts, it knocks you out. It takes your breath away and leaves you gasping for air.

Here's the hardest part about finding out those truths, it makes you question YOURSELF. That's hard.  How's and why's and a lot of brokenness. I think insult to injury is discovering the indiscretions on my own, and never, and still never, hearing it from my Ex. Rationalization for someone's bad behavior does not justify keeping the truth from them. Guilt will only eat you alive. Trust is what is most cherished in a marriage, honesty is owed to your spouse, even Ex, because it is part of the healing process. And well, it's the right thing to do.  I don't buy, the why tell them now it will just cause more pain line.  Yes it will cause pain, but I'm sure they are questioning themselves and need the whole truth to heal.

Would I like to believe all those lies would've been easier to hear coming from him? Sure. Do I wonder if it might have saved our marriage? Used to. Without honesty, all is lost. There are certainly days where I wish I lived in blissful ignorance and never knew. But the truth set me free, and healed me.

When weighing honesty, I most ardently believe it is the best policy. But with honesty comes responsibility. We need to take some responsibility and accountability for speaking our truth, hearing the truth, deciding if we want to know the truth, and accepting it. Are we being honest to hurt, to bring someone pain? Unintentionally, of course; in important matters, we must, with grace.

Is honesty necessary when someone gets a terrible haircut or has an ugly baby? Depends on your relationship. Don't even give me the, "all babies are cute" line, they aren't. Gifts, yes. Blessings, yes. Angels, yes. All beautiful, no. My kid was not a cute baby, that's right, I said it, he's cute now, but the first couple of weeks, I'm going to be honest, he had to grow into himself a little. So if I've ever said, "oh what a peanut you have", well now you know.  And that’s the truth.

This Is Not a Post About Co-Parenting

Well my apologies to anyone who read my horrid post today, a fantastic whoops moment if I do say so.  I suppose that is what happens when you schedule a post for a Thursday, start writing the post on a Tuesday, forget to finish and edit the post and publish a work of crap, only to figure it out half way through the day. 

Suffice it to say, I have lost my blogging mojo on the topic of Co-Parenting for tonight, and will finish it another time.  I also apologize for using the word, "hooker", won't happen again...well at least in this post anyway.  So because I have lost said mojo, I shall just post a picture of my children and hope the whole thing blows over.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, or, are still reading, then carry on.

Also, why do men with no front teeth always hit on me?  Is there something about me that screams, "Hey, I dig guys with no teeth, ask me out"?  Just wondering if anyone could clarify?  Now this post seems like a super long Facebook status, and I'm going to shut up.  Behold my pride and joy...



Witch and Ninja Turtle

The boy also has no idea what a Ninja or a Ninja Turtle is, he just had to have the turtle with muscles costume.

Fighting the Sass Monster

It's not often that I will blog about anything particularly useful; I suppose I've come to the realization that my blog is niche-less, not really parental in any fashion, far cry from the "mommy blogger". Useful? No. Humorous? Nope. At any rate, today is a departure from the Vagina Monologues of last week and I'm talking about something important!  I know, I'm as shocked as you are.

Those of you who may read my blog know I refer to my 6 year as the Drama Queen, I don't know where she gets it, I blame her father, I suppose. I may also be wearing a Tiara right now. But I'll say it again; I don't like kids who sass me. Who does?  Now before you start rolling your eyes, and saying things like, "just wait, ha!” I know, I know it's normal, I know it only gets worse, teenager, blah, blah. But really when is it too much? That's my question. When is the sass out of control? And...can you nip sass in the bud?

I've been called a lot of things, 'good Mom', 'strict Mom', 'crazy Mom', 'hot Mom', oh wait....there are others too, just can't recall, blocking out. My favorite insult regarding my no-sass policy and manner requirement was this line, "you are raising little adults"; uh, yeah, pretty much, but I digress, means nothing coming from the parent whose child is standing on his chair at dinner kicking his sister. Not bitter whatsoever. Here's the situation:

Drama Queen, the boy, their Dad and I were going to Toys 'r Us, long story, but we were going there together. In hindsight is good, because Toys 'r Us can swallow you up and spit you back out worse for wear. Drama Queen had $5 dollars to spend and knew we were going that day. All morning long she was a down-right brat, now I don't like to call my child a brat, but it is what it is. Sassy, throwing tantrums and huffing around, I had called her on it one too many times that morning and she and the corner were plotting against me. I had worn out the line, "knock it off or you will not spend your money today". Finally, at each incident I just got down to her level and said, "Remember how you are acting right now, and what you just said to me, because I'm going to ask you later." Four times I quoted that.

Now at the toy store I advise her Dad that she won't be getting anything, I had warned her. Had I not been there I think he would've crumbled. She started talking about what she was going to pick out and I said, "sorry, hon, you're not getting anything" {insert crying eruption} through the tears were why, why, whys and I calmly said, "remember when I told you to remember how you were acting and what you said to me...that's why."

Mean Mommy trick? Maybe. Okay, totally. But nothing else was working. Did I know this would cause a meltdown at the toy store? Meltdowns don't scare me, my son has Autism, I kick meltdowns ass.  Okay, sometimes they kick mine...but most of the time.  The threats of not getting anything weren't working; so I had to take action and follow through. If there is one thing I have learned as a parent it is IF YOU THREATEN YOUR CHILD WITH A CONSEQUENCE, BE PREPARED TO FOLLOW THROUGH. Otherwise, you lose all credibility. You may as well just hand over the car keys and call it a day, they're driving.

In the parking lot things escalated, a full-on screaming tantrum by the Drama Queen. Those are practically unheard of for her, so this was rare. I was walking in front with the boy, Dad had DQ by the hand, and we both said nothing. Tried the 'ol, ignore it approach. No dice. I supposedly ruined her life, was mean, etc. Okay kid; get it out of your system. Then she says, "you just hate me'. I finally whipped my head around and yelled, "Enough, you're done". We were drawing a crowd of on-lookers, and I was done with the pitiful me fest.

Now, I put kids in car, and told kid's Dad he was not off the hook and he was getting in and we were talking to this kid. We didn't really have to discuss our plan of action, because neither of us tolerate bad behavior, and I'm lucky in the fact that he will most often times back me up. I am the disciplinarian, always have been. Kids need to know their boundaries; otherwise it just leads to insecurity and anxiety, or acting out... Then there was fifteen minutes in the car lecturing the DQ where she ultimately lost Trick or Treating privileges for further sass, which she had to earn back; and did {she even got a note home from school about how she had gone out of her way to be kind}. So I consider this bump a success.

We are all blazing new paths on the parenting trail, and nobody has all the answers. One day I think I know what I'm doing and the next it's all gone to heck. I think this is especially hard when it comes to Co-Parenting. So as not to make this post too long, my Thursday post is all about co-parenting, discipline, giving in and guilt because of the absence of the other parent, oh yeah and the fun parent. Been there, done all of those.

Let's also not lose sight of the fact that there is a line between voicing your opinion and being disrespectful. Far too many kids are just downright disrespectful to their parents. I think I would be doing my child a disservice by allowing them to whine and sass me, that is not how you get what you want in this world.

So how much Sass is normal? And how do you deal with it? There is no parental judgment happening here, I sincerely want your opinion.  I am wielding the power of the blog and asking for your best advice, even if it is Dr. Phil-ish.

{Disclaimer:  I am fully aware that I am one of the most sasstastic people that has ever roamed the Earth and this is my Karma.}