What I'll be saying to everyone as I leave work today!!!

HOORAY

Spare The Rod - Create A Monster

Happy Weekend Eve- I've missed you guys.. Let's get to business.

When I became a mom almost sixteen years ago. I prayed to God that my child would not be as hard headed, mean and rebellious as me. And for the most part besides the normal teenage pouting, occasional under the breath whisper and ignoring me from time to time. I pretty much got what I prayed for. He's a really great kid. I've been blessed.  Although, During the early 2000's, the whole new age, holistic parenting was in full swing. Everyone was referring to the Dr. Spock methods of raising children as opposed to the way us 70's and 80's babies were reared.

Children had almost become like science projects with the if you take this out of there diets they won't do that or if you add this to there diets they'll be more like this. (Ugh) The internet and 20 something med students had all of us new moms in a funk. While many of my peers chose to follow the new age child rearing method. I was determined that I was going to go with the old adage of "If it ain't broke don't fix it". My mom had been a single mother of 3. Two girls 12 years apart and a boy in the middle 9 years older than I. Now, don't get me wrong. We were "hell". We did our fair share of goofing off. However, we were always accountable to our mother "and" her heat for the seat. ( Her wooden paddle). It was nothing for my mom to pull out her little friend and bless us with a pop if we got out of line. Me being the youngest, I was spared a lot of those beatings because I had older siblings to rescue me and take the blame. :) Thanks guys. But no matter how out of hand I got I knew that my Mama would check me at the front door and slap me across the mouth if I stepped to far out of line. I can't help but notice in today's society how it seems that children are no longer accountable to there parents. There is no fear of what will happen when I get home if I do this. My mind can't help but go to a story that I saw recently in the News headlines about a teenage girl being beaten and then killed in school by a group of girls over a boy. When I see articles and hear of these sorts of sad misfortunes it brings me back to that old biblical saying " Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child". Our children are completely out of control. And I can not help but feel that this is due in part to us as parents allowing society to tell us how to raise our children. We all know that it is as the bible says The End Days. But what is happening in our society when it comes to our young people is a direct result of our parenting skills and styles. So many parents want to be friends and stay on the good side of there children instead of doing what your job is and that is to lead, direct and grow them up into respectable, law abiding citizens. I could go on with this topic forever. So this is To Be Continued. Tomorrow we will pick back up on this topic. Chime in with your thoughts as to why our children are in this current state.

Until tomorrow Stay Blessed and Beautiful my loves... #Smooches 

Continued...(whew) Hey y'all. TGIF- To continue on the topic from yesterday. This morning in the midst of this post.  I heard on the news of a father who has been charged with boxing with his son because his son apparently skipped school. Now this is sad. Apparently the kids face was beat up really bad and dad was sent to jail. By no means was this discipline.. That was just foolishness. As we discussed yesterday I am an advocate of disciplining your child through a spanking here or there. But to bash your kids face in during a boxing match as your form of chastisement (uh uh.. no) these sorts of extremes are the exact same reasons that spankings are frowned upon from sincere, concerned parents just trying to make there children accountable for there actions. There is a right and a wrong way to do everything. My belief is, you have to find a happy medium. When it is time for discipline be sure that you have given yourself time to think out the punishment as opposed to just laying it down. Being slow to execute gives you time to rationalize and calm your nerves and think clearly. Helping you to better discipline in love and not anger. Parenting unfortunately does not come with a handbook. We have all got to do some major soul searching when it comes to being parents. Its a tough job. And heads occasionally roll in my house. ( Don't call the people on me). I can personally attest. At 15 5'7 and all of 155. My son knows that I don't play. I don't like repeating myself and please don't do what I asked you not to do. My rules of course didn't start at 10,11,12. At 2 and 3 I was very stern with him. Especially when it came to disobedience. I know that we will not all have the same views and opinions about child rearing. That's what makes us individuals and unique. But I feel that our generation has clearly gone wrong in some way based upon the outcome of this next generation. Beating up women, Dippers, and  ya'll know the rest of the mess they do. And its time we become a unit and teach where there is a need to be taught. The African Proverb "It takes a village to raise a child" mentality is what we need to grasp again. Proverbs 13:24" Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them". Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it"

RED AND BLUE DON'T LOOK GOOD ON ME NO MORE

I can remember watching my Big-mama as a little girl and thinking

to myself wow, she can do everything. She'd cook, clean, chop wood, go to work, babysit me and about 6 of my other cousins all while being a wife and mother. I got a little older and watched my own mother quickly pick up the torch of being everyone's everything with ease and class but tired. As I began to mature and became a mother myself. I started noticing this undeniable trend and found myself falling into the same exact mentality of, I can do it on my own. I began to notice as my son started school and extra curricular activities. That there was a clear and concise difference within the African American community. THE BLACK WOMAN.. We have taken on the mindset that we can do it all on our own. Raise the kids, work, go to school, be wives, friends, children deal with our insecurities, sadness along with the infamous racial employment divide that constantly haunts us. We have grown accustomed to taking on everyone's responsibilities including our own. I know that I have. Technically I have been a single mom since my son was born. I mean his dad and I lived together and he was there for most of my sons younger years but when it came to the responsibility of doctoring, nursing and financially caring for my sons daily needs. Yea, that was all me.. And  trust me not because I wanted to.In an effort to not take anything from my sons other parent. I will say that he blessed me with the best part of himself. And for that I am eternally grateful to him. I'm now 38 years young, single and still doing it all on my own. I use to think, Why even ask anyone to do anything. They'll just mess it up. Yea well, I'm taking my cape off. That mentality is killing us.. Blood Pressure, Heart Disease, Depression and all sorts of other illnesses are overtaking our communities and bodies and it has become an EMERGENCY..

Lets Kill this Superwoman Mentality. We are worth it. I am blessed to have a huge support system in place to vent, cry, babysit, or merely hangout with. If I didn't have these ladies and gentlemen in my life I don't know where in the world I would be. I am also the same for them and will always lend a hand where needed. Its what we have to do for one another.

LUKE 6:38 - Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  "Thats word yall"..

Stay Blessed and Beautiful my loves... #Smooches

When you find the perfect red matte lipstick

I Squat, You Stand

Hi gals, Happy Moanday. I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. I was told by a close bigmouth friend of mine to stay away from this topic. She said its too controversial, I should hush and find another subject. Well, I will listen to some of what she said and not completely divulge. But, she ain't my mama. ( Don't hit me). What I will say on this topic is that last week as I was walking out of a public restroom stall I bumped into a 6'4 person with an Adams apple, cheap patent leather shoes,fishnet stockings,matted wig and thee worst five o'clock shadow I have ever seen.

No, No, No and No.. #idontlikeit #yougotaweewee #yesisaidweewee 

Keep pushing sisters.. Keep pushing...

#Loublife #Retailjunkie

Awesome read...

To Thrift or Not to Thrift- That is the question

TGIF ladies..Its a cloudy, rainy day here in the good ole DMV but lets make the most of it.

We've all seen it. The girl walking down the street with the perfect pair of gently worn boots or the woman in line in front of you at the Sephora counter, wearing a pair of distressed jeans that you've seen time and time again at Nordstrom or Saks Off Fifth. You've been watching, waiting religiously checking your email for a coupon or a sale on these must have items that never seem to get discounted. You walk up to the jean or boot girl and ask. " Where did you find those". The answer makes you second guess everything you ever thought you knew, when she answers. " Oh this, I got it at a consignment shop" . "Wait what". You have got to be joking.

Nope!! Over the past year or so Thrifting and Consignment shopping have become a ritualistic pastime for millennials and the Urban Chic community. I've gotten frowned upon by my Youngest niece about my niche for the hobby. You know the questions like, Are there bugs in those, what if that person died wearing those shoes. (Blank Stare). I can not tell a fib. I absolutely love it. The rush of going into the shop and finding a pair of  Stuart Weitzman platform boots that would typically cost me no less than $350 for $25. I mean come on. Who can beat that. Exactly- no one. While there are items that you should definitely steer clear of like underwear, headphones and toothbrushes. :).

The most common items that we Thrifters look for are clothing, shoes and jewelry. Yes guys I do get the items dry cleaned and I think that you should buy the anti bacterial and anti-fungal spray for the shoes. Jewelry can be gently cleaned with alcohol and you should be good to go. Its definitely a hunt so be ready to walk ferociously through the shop looking rack to rack. After all nothing will be out in plain site. It'll all be cramped on some rack right next to a red crushed velvet dress and a pair of moms Lee jeans. But once you find that perfect designer item it'll all be worth it. I'm tryna tell ya'll!

Until Next time.. Stay Blessed and Beautiful my loves... # Smooches

God is great.. And worthy to be praised...

RIH PRINCE

SUCH A SAD DAY

The Great Debate- Are you mad or Nah?

4/21/2016 

Happy Thursday my sisters. This is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad.

The decisions are in, the gavel has dropped and the majority has ruled that our US treasury Department shall replace Alexander Hamilton's face with the late great Harriet Tubman on the US $20 bill. To mark the 100th Anniversary of Women Suffrage. I have been honing in and listening to everyone's opinions of will they, wont they, should they, shouldn't they. I had sorta made up my mind not to even give my opinion on it one way or the other. After all this is the first time in history that America has debated on whose face should go on currency. Well,I'm back pedaling on my decision. ( Don't Judge Me) Side eye.

After seeing all the meme's and tweets on social media turning this great stride for not only women but African American Women into a mockery. I couldn't hold my tongue any longer. 

Harriet Tubman- Born Araminta Harriet Ross in 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland to Harriet "Rit" Green and Ben Ross. Her parents were owned by two different slave masters who eventually married and I am assuming combined their slaves on one plantation. Early in Harriets life she is said to have suffered a head trauma, causing seizures and severe headaches. She would also have intense dream states, which she classified as religious experiences. Harriet has been viewed as a leader in civil rights, human rights as well as women rights. If you erase the color of her skin from the equation. ( which I am assuming is what has everyone's feathers ruffled). She was a pioneer for freedom and equality as well as an entrepreneur in her own right as she had to raise money to fund and support the venture of the Under Ground Railroad. And finally successfully escaping to freedom in 1849. History books say that Harriet was never financially secure in spite of her fame and notoriety.  So it is without any apprehension from me that this is an honorable and just decision by our United States Government to honor and acknowledge Ms. Tubman's contribution to the people. Galatians 6:9  And let us not grow weary of doing good , for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. I didn't say it. That is what the word says.

Job 8: 6-7 If you are pure and upright, surely then he will rouse himself for you and restore your rightful habitation. And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great.   

Stay Blessed and Beautiful my loves... #Smooches 

Just a word of encouragement

The Power of Love

4/20/2016

Today as my co-worker and I  sat talking about life and love. I began to realize why heartbreak is always so devastating. How you can love someone so much that you literally feel the euphoria and nostalgia of it over every inch of your body. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says " And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love". I pondered on the word greatest. And i found that it means- Significant, Special, Substantial and Considerable. Oh how sweet that sounds to be considered and special and just to feel significant. Isn't that what we all long to feel from our loves ladies? I know I do. I then began to think do I feel this way about myself. It is ever so important for us to learn to love God first in this way. After all he is the creator of us. He knew us in our mothers wombs. I'm 38 so that was a long time ago. :) Our love for God should surpass any and all the love that we have for anyone in this earthly life. In him is where we find our peace. I then began to think clearly God is the creator of love. So maybe if I go to the master, study his way of love, learn to love him. Then maybe I will learn to love myself and in turn maybe someone else can learn to love me as God loves me. Just a thought Sisters. You know one of those epiphany moments. Until next time. Stay Blessed and Beautiful my loves...#Smooches