New Year?

Where the hell is the time going? I feel like I am going to wake up one of these days complaining about my hip replacement and rushing the fridge for my Ensure fix. I don’t remember a time in my life when the years went by so fast. In high school it felt like it would never end (in a good and bad way). I think that having kids is a lot like pressing the fast forward button on the remote controlling the movie of life. I spend so much time going from one phase or one first to the next that before I know it my oldest is 7 months away from entering the school system and my youngest isn’t far behind. Where did it all go?
I think it is the constant suspension you live in as a parent. Watching these people I made grow and thrive while fighting against the person they have made me. I have struggled since Remy’s birth with losing my self in the boys and I worry that I have taken for granted the years up until now. I have memories of them as babies but it all feels so rushed. Should I have appreciated more? Should I have worried less about who I was supposed to be after them? Should I have just stopped and enjoyed the sweet smell and stumbling steps along the way?

With this year I am realizing that I struggle less with the stay at home mom I chose to become. Seeing how secure, healthy, smart, and happy my boys are is slowly showing me that my decision to give up the career I worked so hard for was not wasted. I went into teaching to make a difference and found out quickly that with the current climate that was impossible. After staying home with my kids these past 4 years I am realizing that the difference I wanted to make with everyone else’s kids is being made right here in my own home. Everything I wanted to offer strangers I am here to give my own children. In college I always said if I reached just one child it would make it all worth while but, now I am reaching two in a more thorough way than I could have ever achieved in the school system.

My boys have made dreams come true I held long before they were even an idea in my head. I have spent too long worrying about all having them took from me. I should have spent it seeing all they had given me. So what if society defines your self worth based on how much you make and what you achieve. I am achieving more than my past station allowed. Someday they will need me less (if at all) and then I can find out who I was supposed to be but for now, starting with this new year, I am going to enjoy just who I am. A stay at home mom to Lash and Remy. Two little people who make the years go faster but also make them much more rewarding.

Time or circumstances may creep in like a thief and take the ability to make Lash, Remy, and Dave my sole focus. So, since you can’t get it back, from this year forward I will no longer squander this gift of time Dave has worked so hard to give to us. Life isn’t passing me by, it is escorting me into a very bright future.



Happy New Year to anyone still reading. Let’s all remember to love ourselves and live up to our own expectations and forget about those others place on us. You are the only one you have to impress.

Day 3

Today is day 3 of Lash’s first week of preschool and I have to tell you I have felt emotions I am not used to when it comes to my kids. I mentioned a few posts ago about the new found sentimentality but along with that came insecurity, anxiety, and guilt. I had no idea what an emotional shit storm school would bring (and this is just preschool for one of my children). I have spent so much time looking forward to school as some type of escape and the path back to my freedom as a person that I didn’t know it would feel more like depression than liberation. Lash, the intelligent little adventurer that he is, was so excited on the first day. I dropped him off with the other sour faced children then proceeded to bust a tear or two in the front office on my way out (don’t worry, he was not within view of his blubbering mother). It’s not like I wasn’t happy, I was nervous for him and sad that such a huge part of my life is coming to an end. Though he only goes 3 days a week I know this is just the beginning of chaotic days and activities without mommy. Since the boys turned 2 and 3 it has been so overwhelming that I almost couldn’t deal and just wished for more me time and to be doing something MORE with my life. Watching that little dude leave me for the day snapped something and made me realize I have been doing something MORE.

As people we are so programmed to believe that only high paying respectable jobs are honorable accomplishments. Don’t get me wrong, these are important and have helped our society to stave off  the upcoming entitlement generation. It makes people strive and work but, what happens when you step out of the race to raise a family? For me, the first year was fun and being that I was pregnant with Remy during  most of Lash’s first year it was also a blessing. As the years have worn on, I have started to feel brain dead and worthless. Like I wasn’t giving back and I was losing myself in the monotony of child rearing. I watched my mother go through the same thing at a young age and I finally understood why she tried so hard to get out there and reclaim herself.

Watching my oldest son go to school was rough but it was last night I had my Aha! moment. I realized that my self worth is still intact because I am creating PEOPLE. I have been blessed with the ability to be here day in and day out for the formative years of my children’s life. I have been able to educate and show them things that working full time may not have allowed (don’t get yo panties in a bunch working moms, we’re all doing well in our own damn ways). Though I haven’t brought home a paycheck in almost 4 years I have done a job most would not enjoy. I have done it well too. By no means am I done, it’s only preschool after all, but I am shaking off that feeling of uselessness that was starting to swallow me. As I watch my son take on school like it’s nothing I can see what being home has done for me and my family. As their days become filled and mine empty I do hope to do something part time (what that may be is a topic all it’s own) but instead of wishing to be doing something more I now hope to just be able to do what I have been doing. I am fine with being a SAHM and I’m not going to be hatin on it anymore.

It’s only the 3rd day and soon he won’t be so excited but on this 3rd day I feel good about my boys and myself as a mom. I fuckin rock the mom thing like it’s no one’s business and my paycheck is not only what I receive but also what I am giving back to the world. My boys will be happy well adjusted adults. I am doing the job of giving the world something it is starting to lack, motivated and decent humans (fingers crossed because no matter what parents do kids can go either way).  Preschool has awakened more than sentimentality, it has given me purpose and direction (as well as some much needed break time). You’re never too old to learn and at 32 the lessons just keep on coming.

Fallout from the Housing Crisis or Karma?

I truly believe in Karma. Not in a overly new age hippy way, but I do subscribe to the belief that what you put out is what you get back. When I was younger I did not hold this belief and lived my life accordingly. But, as I’ve aged like the fine wine that I am, I have made decisions and dealt with people in a manner that is as honest and non destructive as humanly possible (sometimes fall out is unavoidable but I do my best to make it as small as I can). I think some of my earlier years are catching up to me though.

Recently our neighborhood has seen a rise in crime. My husband has lived here for over 10 years and though the neighborhood has changed rapidly due to the recession he has been slow to catch up. Feeling safe and usually being completely distracted (a phone grows out of his ear from morning till night) Dave had been less than vigilant with locking our cars. Now, he has done so in the past with no repercussions but in the last 2 years someone has marked our cars as easy targets (duh) and taken advantage. We have had about 5 “get ins” (cannot call them break ins when you leave it unlocked) which resulted in the theft of a wallet, GPS device, jewelry, and other little shit which didn’t matter. Though I was perplexed and felt completely violated I have started to think it might be Karma having her PMS revenge on my husband and I for past actions. As teenagers we both shoplifted. We never stole from an individual deciding instead to “stick it to the man” and steal from large stores. I don’t think we realized until later that shoplifting affects everyone because it costs the stores which in turn costs everyone. Needless to say, these actions were a part of our history and we learned valuable lessons from committing our petty crimes. We both ended our thieving ways before entering our twenties but, Karma, being the vengeful and lazy bitch that she is, seems to be paying us back now. The losses we’ve had hurt but if this is Karma, we have accepted our medicine and now are vigilant about our cars and belongings. We repent our sins.

I mentioned previously that it might be Karma because my second thought (and what I feel is the more solid theory) is that maybe these incidents aren’t Karma but the unmentioned after effects of the foreclosure boom. The reason I think this is because these thefts are happening to those who remember to lock up their shit as well as those of us that don’t. A recent example is my neighbor across the street took his son camping this past weekend and someone stole his box trailer from up the street. These fools pulled up with a truck and hooked that bad boy up rolling away like they owned the shit. My neighbor is the nicest guy and that trailer has been in this hood for years so why the hell now? Is Karma rearing her ugly head at our neighborhood collectively or has the explosion of renters and short sale procurements brought an element to our neighborhood for which none of us are prepared?

I am in no way saying all  renters and people lucky enough to swoop up a 250,000 dollar home for 50,000 are bad people. In fact, until I married Dave I was a permanent renter with no hope of ever owning anything (husband numero uno was not a productive team member). What I am saying is that the renters and short sale buyers we’ve seen move into our area recently are less than impressive folks (of ALL races). They’re the type of people who do not care for their yards or their children. They are folks who move 25 people into a single family residence and then take up all available parking. They are couples who move in with their teenage children then seem to disappear leaving said teens to roam freely into all hours of the night. It is a diverse yet disappointing group of newbies to say the least.

Since we live in Las Vegas many would think the criminal element would be everywhere but I have to tell you that the area we live in is pretty (or was) quiet until this whole recession debacle hit. Now we have thefts, loud people hanging out on the street behind our house at midnight, and beat downs of the poor old dude that works graveyard at the gas station on the corner. That is why I wonder if everything is Karma or if the news and government has left out a very important repercussion of the housing crisis.

If all of the bad juju was limited to my husband and I, I would attribute it completely to Karma but since it’s spreading like crabs in a nightclub bathroom stall I am beginning to think we need to get our move on. We have always discussed buying property and building our own little compound but it seems some unknown force is pushing us to stop discussing and start doing. It’s sad when having neighbors becomes the plague and all you dream of is enough property to separate yourself from everyone and anyone around you. To get your house far enough off the street and your property wall tall enough to block out the world at large so you can keep safe those possessions you may have forgotten to lock up but did not forget to PAY FOR. What happened to the days of neighborhood barbeques and occasional egg loans? Evidently our neighborhood has traded those days in for petty larceny and geriatric bullying.

What do you think? Karma or social deterioration brought about by the sudden easy access of shady individuals to quiet, law abiding neighborhoods?

Teachers Make Easy Targets

I am livid with the current discussion regarding education. Being an ex teacher I am becoming more and more personally offended for myself and my ex colleagues who are also my friends. Lately the discussion about education has come back to the forefront and many of the reasons the system is failing are being either completely ignored or blatantly lied about. Where the hell are the teachers? Are we as a group so beat down that we’ve just given up and will let everyone say what they will? Where the hell are the unions we pay dues to so that they will represent and stand up for us in situations like this? I am appalled at the current education climate as well as where everyone is placing the blame.


Now don’t get me wrong, as you see in any profession there are bad employees and teaching is no different. It is impossible to have perfect employees all around no matter what the job. The problem is, one bad teacher can ruin many so weeding them out is very important. At the same time, blaming teachers as a population for the downfall of public schools is completely unacceptable. If anyone sat down to think about it, there are many ways to seek out the defective teachers and none of them have to do with “Standardized” testing. As far as standardized testing goes I feel that was the final straw in the downfall of public education. For one thing there is nothing “standardized” about our children. No one person learns or performs in a “standardized” way so why is so much riding on such tests. They use the tests as a means of doling out much needed funds and have thrown around the idea of linking the tests to teacher performance. If you want to know how a teacher performs then you have to SEE it live. There needs to be more unannounced classroom observations done by principles or district officials. Someone should observe several lessons in different subject areas on an unannounced basis throughout a particular week. Then at the end of the week to get an idea of student performance and teacher effectiveness graded assignments from a random few of the observed subjects should be requested. Since the teacher doesn’t know when the observation will happen or which subject results will be required there can be no lesson faking or grade padding. If this is done a few times over the course of a school year (or a school quarter) you will get a view of teacher effectiveness because those students should be performing better over that period of time. The person observing will also see the more visual activities which make an effective teacher such as questioning students to insight thinking, proper lesson planning, knowledge of subject matter, etc. While I appreciate the need for one neat little package that says pass or fail education is not a place where that should be expected.


The other night on the news it was mentioned that it wasn’t the parents or the government taking down the public schools and after my teaching experience I beg to disagree. The school at which I taught was in a low income area with a high turnover rate (many kids moving in and out throughout the year. I had one girl move in and out of my class 3 times throughout the year). During my parent teacher conferences I would work hard to start off with the positives about my students then delve into the areas where they struggled. Many students as we know struggle with reading. I would advise parents that reading is not taught in the manner that math or social studies is, that I was giving them the strategies to help them read but in order for their children to successfully read they would need a platform to practice those strategies. We did some of this in class but I asked all of my parents with struggling readers to read with their kids for 15 to 20 minutes per night. I have to say that almost 70% of those parents told me they didn’t have time and 2 or 3 gave me the great “Isn’t that your job?” answer. I understand being busy and coming from a town with many people working odd hours I offered alternatives like reading to siblings or whatever caregiver that stayed with the child while they were at work. No dice. I also offered to stay after class for an extra hour 3 days a week to offer math tutoring. I offered this to all students then made sure to let parents of my struggling students know because 5th graders aren’t great at making the decision to stay after and get help. Only 2 kids showed up. Even though I hunted my struggler’s parents after school and begged them to make their kids come 2 showed up. One mom told me her daughter (who could not do multiplication in 5th grade and was one of the kids I was extra worried about) just did not have a “mathematical” mind and wanted to be a mom when she grew up so there was no need to push. Another example was this great report I assigned for social studies. Each student was to pick a historic figure they admired or were interested in then study and investigate the person for a multi format report. Only 3 students had parents that were willing to take them to a public library to get information. Since our school library was limited I went to the public library with a list of each student’s choice and checked out as many books as I could to bring to class and check out to my kids so their reports wouldn’t be limited (I did this on similar reports we did on the states). Without parental support, I was swimming against the tide at all times. In addition to teaching many of my students had tumultuous home lives so I spent a lot of time trying to help them focus through the haze of nasty divorces, drug abuse, and violence.


I don’t want to come off placing all blame on the parents because our federal and state governments need to shoulder the majority of the blame. The standardized tests I mentioned earlier have made the local governments go crazy. Here in Las Vegas we have a school district the size of Los Angeles yet we only have 1 superintendent. Now this person (following in the foot steps of his predecessor) along with the assistants and other decision makers in the district have purchased programs to be used throughout the school day which take all creativity and thought out of teaching. My day as a teacher found me with a 1 hour and 45 minute reading program which consisted of a text book that took some of our most loved chapter books and broke them down into 25-30 page atrocities. Then we had to do 45 minutes of math (another scripted text but with less rigidity) and an hour of language arts (text based program also). The students had an hour for lunch and an hour for electives (P.E., art, music, and library). At the end of my day I had to squeeze in social studies and science intermittently. Since they no longer had time to read chapter books I would also squeeze in 20 minutes after lunch during which I read to them. I was able to read them Matilda and Bridge to Terebithia during the year. Because of this, they were motivated to check out books and read at home on their own (I provided the books because they could only use the library once a week so I purchased over $700 in books for my classroom library which I then checked out to them myself).


In college I was taught to make lesson plans based around chapter books like Where the Red Fern Grows or Bridge to Terebithia but here was this one book with a program I had to follow (I had an actual script). Remember book reports, gone. In boxes in storage I have several lessons for all elementary subjects I made up myself according to the district standards. These lessons included tasks that were meant to reach all learners. We were taught everyone learns differently so lessons should include ways to reach each child. There were 7 main learning styles which we built our lessons around; Linguistic, Logical, Spatial, Musical, Bodily, Intra/Interpersonal (to find a description of each go to The 7 Learning Styles b y Stacy Mantle or Google “7 learning styles”) . I was never allowed to use these lessons even though they were written with the required learning. I was made to use the magical programs the district spent a fortune on but offered little support with. If you’re a teacher or parent you know about in service days when teachers go to school for training and kids get a day off. We spent these days with “specialists” of the reading program, constantly asking how to personalize the program without compromising it. They could not answer the questions, advised us to stick to script, and they would try to figure it out later. Teachers used to be effective because they would take the expectations of the district and use it as a framework to create a lesson. I don’t know about teachers in Ohio but here in Las Vegas, we don’t have that freedom. With the day being so full, we also don’t always have the opportunity to go back and redo a lesson the majority of the class may not have gotten. The local governments also have an issue controlling class size. I had 35 students at one time. A private school can usually provide a 16 to 1 ratio giving teachers there the ability to provide better one on one care when needed.


Another very rarely addressed and slightly large problem is the new belief that anyone can teach. Here in Las Vegas and at several schools throughout the country we have a program called Teach for America. It is a program which takes graduates of other professions such as political science or accounting and offers them a full or partial pay off of their school loans in return for teaching 3 years in a struggling school (this financing option was told to me by the Teach for America student I worked with making it heresay so I have included the link to the program's website above for those who wish to investigate). These students get 2 years of “training” and then are sent into really rough schools to try to save the world (and their future bank account). While most teachers have 4+ years of education these folks are coming in with a year of the basics and are motivated extrinsically. People who chose to teach know there is little to no financial reward which is what sets them apart, but you get a psychology major looking to rush through 3 years of teaching so he won’t have school loans and what kind of education do you think is going to be handed out. I worked with one of these students. He was a very young, nice guy who majored in political science and entered our grade level with big ideas for how he would run a classroom. The problem was he was going to run it from a political point of view and the students weren’t having that. Because teaching was not his chosen profession his passion fizzled quickly and by the middle of the year we were doing everything to get him to the end. The poor guy had little to no real classroom management training, did not understand lower income families, and could not relate to his core audience. That guy left the program the following year and sought out a job in his original field. Teaching can not be done by just anyone. Would you allow a program called “Surgery for America” where graduates from other professions got a condensed overview of the field of surgery then were released perform tonsillectomies on the general public for 3 years? Maybe if teachers got some respect back and the profession regained some of it’s public regard there would be more motivated and effective teachers. I know respect is earned but I feel in this case it has been taken so that the public and politicians can avoid their share of the responsibility for the current education debacle.


Understand, I am not saying all parents are bad, the government sucks, and all teachers are greatest people ever. I am trying to speak out on behalf of teachers who at this point and time are taking the brunt of the blame for a flailing school system which we should all be sharing blame for. I have been watching people this week talk about the obliteration of public schooling as we know it. This system was set up for a reason; people have the right to a free and GOOD education. As long as we keep seeing kids in all 50 states as standardized this will never be a reality. I believe teachers need to be held accountable but I also believe they need the freedom to control that which they are being held accountable for. Districts like Las Vegas need to dump these magic bullet programs and go back to old school ways of offering information. By standardizing our way of achieving funds we have standardized the manner in which we teach. I believe funding should be fair and when it’s based off one test for all that is an impossible feat. Here in Las Vegas students in the wealthier areas perform better because they have the mental and physical support system they need which in turn earns them the funding. What about those kids whose single parents work 2 jobs or who have parents who were never worthy of children in the first place. Those children are not going to perform the same. Maybe funding should depend more on real academics. Break it down by state in a more real life way. The information and standards a school district in a rural area deems important is not going to be exactly the same as a district in a metropolitan area so why would we give students from such differing areas the same exact test to determine their worth? Break it down, individualize schools and programs, and then go into the actual schools and classrooms for your results. If Washington wants to judge a teacher they need to back off of the school districts and allow them to empower their teachers to create their own lessons using their own districts standards as a framework. Then, education bureaucrats and district employees need to come out from behind their desks and go observe what is happening in classrooms. As I said, if you watch actual lessons then take the results on a continuous yet sporadic basis you will receive an honest view of what that teacher is doing. If you want independent thinkers with the skills needed to perform in society quit placing them in a standardized box and stop trying to place blame in one place for the failure of all. It truly takes a village to educate our children and for a long time now all inhabitants of our village have been failing to do their part.


I’m sorry this was so long but I’ve been mulling this over for a while. I may take heat for this post but these are my opinions based on my experience in one of several school districts and they in no way reflect the opinions or experiences of all teachers in America. Though, I am guessing they represent more teachers out there than I think.

Dudes vs. Chicks; Parenting

I know this topic is not one of originality, but I have decided to blog about my personal take on it based on my experience with my own Mr. Wonderful. It has been said and written about before, men and women are different (duh). I could not agree more. We are different in many aspects, especially parenting. These differences often lead to strife in relations between the sexes because while men are relaxed and seem to inherently understand we all do things in different ways, women believe our way is right and men are unqualified to make their own decisions on how to perform the daily parenting tasks. So, for your amusement here’s some of the parenting differences in my home, Sabreena vs. Dave edition:

Feeding: I am anal about feeding times. My boys eat breakfast upon waking, lunch at noon, a snack after nap, and dinner by 530 (I let up on weekends occasionally). Snacks are not sweets and if they get any sugar it’s after dinner. My husband on the other hand does not subscribe to this philosophy. Breakfast is the same but lunch comes when he gets hungry or if he wants the boys to go take a nap. Snack can be a cookie and should he buy them candy it is immediately consumed with dinner as an after thought. Snacks themselves can be overly frequent under Daddy’s watch as well. Now, I don’t starve my boys, but I keep snacks to a minimum so they will eat their main meals. Dave will feed them snacks all the way up until dinner or lunch. Our ideas on feeding are very different and though I don’t agree I am just thankful he remembers to feed them and usually grateful to get a break from the responsibility.

Servicing the Beasts: For whatever reason though my boys are 2 and 3 I am still in that baby phase of getting them what they need right away (notice I said need not want, I’m not crazy). Should they require beverage service I will usually stop what I am doing to get it. The boys need something that is out of their reach? Mom will get it right away. Dad on the other hand, it could be days minutes before he takes care of it. If my husband is doing something he can drown them out until their little voices grate on my nerves and I end up doing the deed. Don’t get me wrong, he does not neglect them and will eventually fulfill the need, but he makes them wait longer than I would. I actually admire this quality as they are old enough now to wait a few extra minutes and they do need to start sharpening their patience skills. Dave’s like Super Hearing Loss Man and I am constantly jealous of his sound blocking powers.

Bedtime Business (i.e. Prelude to Happy Hour): Now this particular part of the day is almost never done by my husband. He has put the boys to bed maybe 4 times during their short lives so far. When I do bedtime we do “jammies, teeth, story, nigh night” (exact verbiage used in our home). The pajama tops and bottoms always match, I do the teeth brushing to ensure maximum cleaning, and after story they get covered completely with blankets. The few times el Dave has done this chore it has gone much differently. Pajama components rarely match (some don’t get put on at all), he will skip teeth, and his half ass blanket job leaves most limbs exposed. As I said, he rarely performs this part of the day so when he does I leave him to it, happy it’s not me.

Showering: We both shower with the boys most times. I am in charge of baths when we do them but to save me the time on the weekends my husband or I will take them in the shower with us. I wash the boys with their Johnson & Johnson no tears products faithfully. Dave, on the other hand, has been known to use Axe shower gel and occasionally no shampoo. Let me tell you, hair does not smell too good after a shampoo-less shower.

These are just a few examples of how differently things can go down in my home depending who is on duty. Most of the time we’re both on but as with any good team each player has their parts (I play majority of the parenting positions though). I don’t always agree with how my husband does things I am so glad he does them. I am thankful I found a man who not only loves and takes care of me but is also hands on with our walking genetic reproductions. I have sat back and let up on my expectations because he needs to be able to do things his own way in order to enjoy parenting on his terms. If I get in the way or demand he do things in a certain manner he will not have the interest in helping out that he does now. Sure, any man will do as they are told, but my man actually gets to enjoy caring for his children because I am not hovering over him all of the time reminding him of how wrong I think he is. He parents his way and I have mine. His way of parenting is different but it allows my boys to connect with him in their own personal way. We stick together on important things like discipline and rules but as for the day to day stuff we are different and that’s good for us and our kids. I watch too many women micromanage their men around their kids and in turn I see some of those men just going through the motions of care. They love their kids but aren’t getting to enjoy coming up with their own little daddy rituals. Some men aren’t allowed the freedom women have to stumble through parenthood and find your own way of doing things because they have mama hen clucking at them too much.

My point is, I have learned that if I let Dave put his own spin on the day he has fun with my boys and actually looks forward to his portion of the care. As long as the boys survive and are happy (and I get to shrug off some of the pressure) who gives a shit how it was done (except the teeth thing honey, that has to be done even if it’s half ass because the lack of that activity has the potential to cost us mad Benjamins later in life).

2 Cent Tuesdays: Making Fame out of Nothing At All

As you know from my previous post Porn Stars Make Bad Mistresses I am a little stuck on this topic. It seems everywhere you turn some family wrecking hooker is interviewing or spreading for a magazine and I am starting to wonder where our celebrity culture is headed. I have wondered this in the past with Ocotmom, Jon and Kate, any one of the Real World jackasses, and the list could go on but lately it seems folks are scraping the bottom of the barrel. With all of the "alleged" cheating going on you can throw a rock without thumping one of Tiger's or Jesse's mistakes. I usually won't blame in these situations as it takes 2 to tango but with these bitches I am appalled.  I saw on Chelsea Lately that Vanity Fair did a photo shoot and article with like 5 of Tiger's dirty little secrets. Jesse James's little Nazi slut actually got herself an interview somewhere in which she included an apology to Sandra Bullock. Classic, sorry I fucked your husband and then leaked the news the day after YOU won an oscar but I felt betrayed. This is disgusting. Ignore these women already. They knew these dudes were married and famous therefore leading me to believe they knew full well what they were getting in to so I say screw them (that's right, someone already did). It’s not like they were tricked by some married guy who told them he was single and promised them a future. They did their part (mostly on their knees) and now they are obsolete. The men have their tails firmly placed between their legs and are attempting to fade into the background so why not just rid our magazines and televisions of the offensive chicks those sum bags chose to ruin their lives with. I do not intentionally watch or read anything about these debacles but they keep invading my shows without my permission and it is pissing me off. These females are not special and in most cases they are far from hot. These bitches are plain and simple home wreckers. Many better women do this quietly everyday so why can’t they?


New rule; no more air time for cheaters or their chosen not so hot messes. These women need to get jobs (or keep the ones they have) and go back to their sad little ho like existence quick like before they spawn a breed of little hookers looking for their 15 minutes of fame in some B rate celebrities' pants.

Porn Stars Make Bad Mistresses

I haven't been following the whole Tiger Woods debacle that closely but happened to see his press conference recently and afterward I found an article on AOL about how that porn star he slept with is planning a rebuttal conference. This is the same bitch that posted his nasty sexting on a website and sold the texts to several magazines. I am just completely disgusted with this tramp. Tiger is a scumbag but how low do you have to be if you're the other woman and you proceed to torture his wife with the sordid details of his affair. As a woman she should have a little respect for the wife and kids. She claims she wants an apology but that makes no sense. What should he apologize for? You came forward in your bad wig with that viper of a lawyer Allred. You made yourself the center of attention chick. I don't see the other 12 or however many chicks talking to every magazine that calls them. She acts like she's all hurt and embarrassed but if you read the texts she was nothing but Tiger's little whore. If she thought there was a relationship maybe she should go back and read the text messages herself because I deduce from them that he was just down with doing a porn start who would pretty much ho it up in a way most women won't. I don't usually feel very strongly about celebrity culture but I am really disgusted with such a trashy woman. She should think about how she would feel if she were in Elin's shoes. You've already been completely lambasted in front of the whole world and now one of your husband's several indiscretions decides to take her role as hooker and use it for a continued 15 minutes of fame. It's just wrong. She needs to go get her shit in order and move on. If I were Elin I would take that 3 iron out of the Escalade window and place it solidly up that porn sluts overly used ass.

Washington's Chickens Roost in our Homes

Why do we expect such moral aptitude in Washington when we ourselves do not practice what we preach? I am not saying everyone is corrupt, but many people are when it serves their purpose. Small to large business and the home have increasingly become places of questionable practices. Some infractions small and some big, but all pushing the moral envelope.
In construction it can be found in the client who awards a contract to a contractor mentioning during the meeting that there is a need in their personal life as well. Never mind hiring the contractor because they do a great job and serve your company well. No, you’re entitled to some type of assistance because you just gave their company work (which they deserve and you required anyway). While most times this isn’t identified as a kick back (kick back in sheep’s clothing) because assurances of wanting nothing more than to pay for this extra work are made, the contractor feels the pressure to charge less than market value or nothing at all because the “extra” was mentioned while signing paperwork for a job that will keep their employees working. Don’t think the person doing the asking isn’t aware of this fact. Why else would they ask at such an opportune time?
Or the hypothetical example of the couple who can afford their home but because values have dropped and the house isn’t worth what it should be they walk hoping to get something bigger and better that someone else honestly could not afford. According to statistics these strategic defaults aren’t that prevalent. Yet. With more and more people becoming upset by the overspending and backdoor deals in Washington and the few banks coming back for more bailout these strategic defaults are in danger of being justified by flimsy excuses. If the banks or our politicians can act irresponsibly than why shouldn’t we? Maybe in this instance some thought should be given to what a strategic default will do to your neighbors who now find their already depreciated investment falling even further because of a frivolous foreclosure just happened next door.
There’s also shoppers that feel entitled to super deals and complete flexibility in the market place because times are tough (I am flexible on this one because it’s hard to judge someone for trying to get a deal on things for their family and/or enjoyment). Who cares that a 70% off sale may put a smaller store in the red, it’s a buyers market and if you want our business you better offer some incentive. Does it matter that the goods being sold outside of food and clothing aren’t a necessity and deal or no deal it’s on the buyer to make responsible purchases for their home? Of course not, we drive prices down by flocking to warehouse store sales for that bigger TV (which we finance in hopes we’ll pay it off soon) making smaller businesses take risks in order to keep some kind of business going. Is it immoral to ignore Harry the home town appliance store owner to get a better price at Best Buy? Probably not, but I wonder when I make such purchases (again this example is a little sketchy because in Vegas we don’t have many Harry the small shops so of course you go to a large warehouse type store. Who am I to judge others then? My husband and I do however, frequent small restaurants in our area as often as possible instead of the more lavish and hip ones to help keep the small ones going).
These examples lead me to my title, Washington. Everyone is so appalled and dismayed about the state by state deals in our health care bill or the fact that Congress pockets its unused travel per diem instead of giving it back to the taxpayers but out here we’re no better. My belief is that your expectations of others should match those you hold for yourself. It is unfair to hold others to a higher standard than you are willing to uphold. Even if it is public office, it is held by a human being just like you are me (actually a little different because that human is rich and hasn’t lived like you or I in a very long time). Either way, if you’re out in the world looking for a kickback, why not expect your Senator to be doing the same? It’s wrong yes, but all too acceptable everywhere for anyone to be amazed it’s happening at the highest levels. Maybe politicians and banks would feel more inclined to do moral business if “we the people” led by example. If that bank is offering you a loan you know you can barley afford turn it down. I know it’s not all black and white and it sucks not to own a home but it sucks more to know ownership only to lose it later. And I know no one reads the fine print but on a purchase as large as a home don’t you think the fine print is worth some of your time?
If you are hiring a contractor or accountant to do work for your company keep your personal shit to yourself. Even if you’re not looking for a handout and honestly just need some work done you should know in the back of your mind that the person doing that big job is going to feel they should do your personal job for less, so just take that shit elsewhere. Am I saying everything can be fixed by doing unto others or that the corruption in the world is entirely our fault? No. What I am saying is that many times as individuals we are the example and if we aren’t being such a great example then we can’t expect others not to act accordingly. We can’t stand by and allow people (Washington) to rip us off for years when it’s convenient and times are decent then throw a fit when things are tough. We need to demand morality in a uniform manner in order to receive it as such. I’m not saying everyone’s a crook or that Politicians should be held to a lower standard. I’m definitely not saying I am perfect and have never taken advantage of a sale (hello Black Friday) or fudged on my morals here and there throughout my life. I am saying that I am starting to feel that if we want to see morality in business or in our capitol, maybe, it starts at home.

Why Do We Fall For It? How Massachusetts Got Me Thinking.

Our government has become like our worst high school boyfriend. Sure he cheats on us with no regard for our feelings and we’ve been with him far longer than we should but we just keep going back. I was reminded of this last night while watching the Massachusetts Senatorial Race. I’m not big on politics, I am registered as Non Partisan because I am not hooking my wagon up to any of these sinking ships. Coakley lost which was a surprise because I thought everyone was just going to go for whoever Obama told them to. It was great to see people actually thought for themselves.
Watching Nancy Pelosi before that election say they will push through healthcare no matter what made me question my fellow San Franciscans. How can they be proud of someone who only cares about her ideology even though the government is there to represent everyone. My husband is a small business owner, we do not have health insurance (I know, that’s like Russian roulette with kids) so I do feel something needs to be done but what is on the table is just wrong and we all know it. I would love to see TORT reform, here in Nevada we’ve lost hundreds of great doctors because they can’t afford the lawsuit insurance. I would also love to see competition across state lines, my in-laws live in California and have access to Kaiser which we would love to purchase but can’t here in Nevada. Opening up the market would force Sierra Health (Nevada’s Hitler of health) to lower their rates and provide better care. I would LOVE to see pre-existing conditions abolished because my last pregnancy which I found out about right after purchasing insurance was denied because of such a clause.
I am not just bagging on the Dems, the Republicans suck too. You can’t run anything based on straight negativity with no clear message the way they have. I say that the government officials are like a bad boyfriend because some of these fuckers have been in office for 20+ years and people keep electing them. Look at Arlen Spector, not only is he old but he doesn’t even have set beliefs. I know your outlook can change over the years but that dude bails when it looks like he’s on his way out. That’s not conviction, that’s cowardice and self preservation. This trait is okay in your neighbor or boss but shouldn’t the people who represent our beliefs and best interest be above that? How can any of those people relate if they’ve been living the good life for so many years? How do they know what we go through if they’ve never owned a company or it’s been a decade since they carried a real job? I do not agree with Obama and have not since day one but I was down with the change thing that came along with him. I get it, we are sick of the same. If that is true why don’t we start to wash out some of these incumbents come November? If we are ready for change lets start where the real decisions are made, the House and Senate. Don’t vote for someone because they’ve been there, vote for someone because they are new and daring (no I am not supporting Sarah Palin either). With all of these back door deals and double speak we should all be pissed at the whole rotten lot of them. They are selling you a bag of shit while telling you it’s roses. We are smarter than that people. I wish everyone (or more people) would go out and register Non Partisan, then they can’t claim you before an election and they would have to work harder because they would have no idea which way the vote was going to go.
I am not trying to preach I am just stating what I see. Maybe people are changing as some of the news stations were labeling what happened in Massachusetts last night but I don’t have that much faith. I think there are far too many of us that will just go along with what we’re told and vote along our party lines because that’s how it’s done. One thing I do know, the only party I subscribe to and will look out for is the human party. When I vote this November I will be thinking about my kids and yours, our families and their needs/future, not about whether or not Harry Reid and I are on the right or the left.

Black Friday Observation (a little late)

This year for the first time in a long time I ventured out on Black Friday. My husband wanted to look at electronics at Best Buy and we wanted to hit up some of the Toys R Us sales. So we stood in line for an hour and a half at Best Buy to buy a new television. It was uneventful at most. There were several women who didn't even bother to change out of their night attire though it was 9am. Later in the evening we left the kids and went to Toys R Us. Though the store was ransacked that trip was also uneventful, pleasant even. When we got home is when I saw all that we had missed by going out later. News footage showed people standing in huge lines at 5 in the morning. We saw masses running into Targets and Walmarts everywhere. Overweight housewives with no make up and a crazed look in their eyes were caught on surveillance cameras bolting past the shopping cart station toward who knows what. These people had that look of someone who's been stranded on a desert island for months only to be rescued by a Navy ship with a buffet on board. Complete with unkempt hair, pajamas as fashion, and I'm going to guess a lack of oral hygiene. It made me wonder where have we really gone as a society. People so driven by sales they bum rush security guards to buy a navigation device touting 100 dollars off. Does a 10 dollar toaster really mean that much to you? I know we're in a recession and any deal helps, but could you shower and maybe change out of your pajamas before hitting the local super center? Is it too much to ask that everyone enter the store in a mannerly fashion instead of like a heard of cattle who've just been allowed to pasture? I don't know, maybe it's because I am a bitch and don't enjoy shopping like a sardine but Black Friday is not for me. I don't want to experience the masses in their unwashed greed driven stupor. I guess I'm just more of a Cyber Monday girl or I'm just a bitch being judgmental of people who need a deal. Either way I gotta go, my 3 year old just tried to hand me a piece of shit from his diaper putting me in the running for most glamorous among the Black Friday shoppers.

Moms Gone Bitch!!!!!!

You know who you are. You were cool before kids but now, not so much. I don’t know what it is about having kids that causes some moms to go bitch. You know those women, walking around with that look on their face like they just caught the scent of shit and it’s smeared all over you and your kids. Giving unsolicited advice in a manner that makes you want to bitch slap them and run away quickly. I myself have developed certain quirks I never had before such as stress induced episodes of intolerance toward my family and laziness that is beyond embarrassing. I noticed this bitchy gene when my first son was born and I joined an advice community called Babycenter. It is supposed to be a place to gain advice and feel connected to others going through the crazy shit all mothers go through. Through this website I noticed that some women use it as a platform for their never ending judgmental “I’m and expert at mothering” attitudes. I quickly realized this attitude isn’t reserved for the website. It has infiltrated playgroups, birthday parties, schools, and anywhere else we hens tend to gather and cackle. The last time I was judged so harshly or so often was in high school. That was a cakewalk compared to what we go through as mothers because of each other. I have avoided playgroups outside my small circle of friends for this reason. At least with my friends I can say “Hey you’re being kind of a bitch right now so could you please back the fuck up” and I won’t be evicted from the group. My kids are actually pretty well behaved but when we’re out or with some people the only things I notice is what I think other moms will pick up on like my son taking any toy he sees in another toddlers hands or how I yell after the 5th time telling one of my kids to stop touching stuff at the store. If you happen to be there during one of my "episodes" don’t give me those condescending or disgusted looks because you know your perfect ass and your little asshole offspring are guilty of those behaviors sometimes. You’re just better at not doing it publicly. Instead, smile at me with that look of “been there sister” like some of the nicer species of mom do. It’s great that you’ve mastered a skill for which there is no training camp or book but could you please kick that knowledge down to the rest of us in a manner that is a little less, well, bitchy?