It’s not that hard to stay classy

The Effort and Elegance of a Thanksgiving Feast: A Lost Tradition? Preparing a Thanksgiving feast for your family is no easy task. It requires hours of love and labor, starting a week or more in advance, along with meticulous planning. The night before, I meticulously set the table, ensuring everything is in place for the final touches. As I scroll through social media and see countless Thanksgiving pictures, I can't help but notice a change. Families no longer seem to live up to the norms of the past. Some strive for social media perfection, while others opt for canned spam. Hats are worn at the dinner table, and children's appearances are disregarded when it comes to capturing the perfect picture. Makeup and holiday attire are almost nonexistent nowadays. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Thanksgiving myself, but if you're going to celebrate it, why not go all out? It may seem insignificant to some, but showing a bit of elegance and class doesn't take much effort, especially if you were raised right. Let's bring back the tradition and celebrate Thanksgiving with style!

Confessions of a Confused Soul: Women Who Don't Work

I just can't wrap my head around it. The idea of not needing some kind of purpose in life, whether it's through work or volunteering, seems alien to me. Why wouldn't a woman want to contribute to the family's financial well-being? It's almost like some women want to go back to the 1950s, where being a stay-at-home mom was the norm. But let's get real here - the women of the 50s were breaking free from that mold to become breadwinners themselves. Now, we don't have that luxury anymore. We need two incomes just to put food on the table. Now, I'm not bashing women who choose to stay home with their children. I understand that raising kids is tough, demanding, and incredibly important work. But come on, when they're at school, what does a woman do all day? There's so much potential! I just can't fathom not wanting to be more than one thing. Personally, I wanted to be the best mom and also have a job. And you know what? I was lucky enough to have a profession where my children could be with me while I worked. But before that, it wasn't possible, and I still enjoyed working just as much as the precious time I had with my kids. Maybe there's no right or wrong answer here. Maybe we all just need something more in our lives to keep us occupied and fulfilled.

No to NOVEMBER Drama! Eff that noise!

Let me paint a picture of my October for you, folks!  Or perhaps I will just post one! 

As someone who has always adored the fall, this season has really given me a run for my money. First off, I had the unfortunate pleasure of experiencing allergy-induced bronchitis. And let me tell you, it's TRUE!!  Ain't nobody got time for that! To make matters worse, I had to help my mom move apartments, which led to a near-walking pneumonia because I didn't take the bronchitis seriously enough. Cue two rounds of antibiotics and a delightful pack of steroids later, and I'm finally on the road to recovery. But wait....

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I had a clumsy encounter with a hole in the yard and ended up spraining my ankle pretty damn bad. The ER confirmed it wasn't broken, but boy did it hurt like a bitch. While the soft cast was a saving grace for my ankle, those damn crutches were an entirely different story. My armpits were in for some serious pain.  I only lasted a measly four days on those torturous things before deciding limping around was a better option. Sitting around did nothing for my bronchitis, which was apparently clinging to my lungs like a stubborn ex. To top it all off, I was blessed with a fun little bout of vertigo that stuck around for weeks. Because who doesn't want to be dizzy while trying to walk?

To add insult to injury, we also experienced a tragic loss in the family and had to travel for a funeral. The silver lining was seeing my sweet Aunt and cousins, but returning to reality meant heading back home to work. With all these ailments piling up, I had to postpone surgery three times!  But I eventually had to bite the bullet and have the surgery the morning after Halloween.And let me tell you, as a daycare owner and a grandma to 11, that was no piece of cake!

Here's to hoping November treats me a little kinder! 

If Your Sling shots not Loaded, his attitude is

My family having a blended political conversation over our family GroupMe 🤦🏼‍♀️

1:22 p.m. 

Dad: Make sure your guns are loaded and your fridge is full!!!

Benjamin: ?

Stephanie: 👀

Benjamin: I think I must have missed something.

Stephanie: same

Dennis: And your money is under mattress 

Stephanie: Again… 👀

Benjamin.: I have all my money in beanie baby stock

Stephanie: 😂

Dad: Look what’s happening in Israel, our fucking leader released 6 billion $ to Iran, a lot of these people coming across border are from Iran, they are chanting death to Americans, shits happening! Just my thoughts.

Katie: I'm scared

Katie: My fridge is Def not full lol

Stephanie: 🥴🫣

Dennis: And now that goofy fuck says start building the border wall, too late, terorist all ready in America.

Tanner: 1 more year with this idiot dad

Benjamin: I heard he started building it again. Pretty ironic 

Stephanie: You said goofy fuck 😆😆

Benjamin: But I'm not sure he's making the decisions. He's barely alive.

Dad: He not making any decisions, Omar, Talib, Obama making ALL decisions 

Katie: So are we moving in with you Dad? 

Katie: 🙃

Tanner: I’m scared now. I don’t have any guns!!

Tanner: I have a hockey stick, some knives, and a slingshot. 

Stephanie: 😂

Katie: Lol this is why its good to have at least 1 gun

Matthew: I’ve got a pretty big attitude. That otta be enough 

Tanner: 😂

Tanner: Well I got two guns, just no bullets. ;-)

Katie: Doesn't do much good without bullets lol

Tanner: *flex*💪🏻

8:22 p.m

Mom: Goodness!!!