Recently one of my friends posted something about jealousy and how to overcome it and it got me thinking long and hard on things and I realized something. Anytime I've experienced jealousy from someone else it happened to come from another woman....Never a man. Are we as women programmed this way? Is just put into our nature from a young age? It seems to like men typically, see one of their friends get a new car or motorcycle and ask to take it out for a spin, shake their friend's hand, buy them a beer to celebrate and that's it- no cattiness there from jealous at all. It's all rather cut and dry.

Women on the other hand will sulk when someone has something or numerous something's that they don't have or can't afford. They will sit there and watch in the wings and make slightly rude yet slightly positive comments from the sidelines at times and then run off and bad mouth when the person isn't within earshot of hearing. Now, I'm not saying every woman does this- I've met numerous women who are more then willing and open about the fact that they are jealous about something you have and they don't but on the other hand there are women out there who just make little comments that come off as cold when you do something or get something before them. Why is that?

I mean, as women you are encouraged to express yourself. People want you to discuss your feelings and everything under the sun but when it comes down to jealousy and jealousy with one of your girlfriends everyone suddenly becomes catty and unable to use their words. How is that you can't simply use your words to say you are jealous over this, that and the other instead of sitting around sulking or making snarky comments to one another. Its much easier to speak your mind and not be passive aggressive at the end of the day.

We all have different goals in life and different things that we are good at but we all do have flaws. I do tend to think that some of us do hide our flaws better than others. You also shouldn't have to worry about being like everyone else. If there's one thing I've learned over the years is that just because someone has something or met some goal doesn't mean you have to follow suit to keep with the 'in crowd'.

We as women are held to an insane standard already- why even try to compare yourself to another woman? She has her own personal standard for herself which doesn't have to match your own. The fact that her own standard doesn't match your own doesn't send out the bat signal for cattiness either..Sorry, ladies but it doesn't. Most of the time this happens in mommy land in all honesty but I've seen in other places as well. We shouldn't all be expected to be Superwoman that's simply impossible- if you spread yourself too thin then at the end of the day no one will be happy. There is no need to be running on a treadmill in an imagery pissing contest.

In this respect we should learn to take a lesson from the men. If your girlfriend gets a new car, their kid achieves something, they met a personal goal for themselves...whatever it is that day or that year simply shake her hand or hug her and honestly mean your congratulations to your friend- no cattiness or anything in there. Is it really that hard to be honestly proud of a friend?

 Now, today on the news they ran a story about a very cute little boy who was suspended from school for kissing a girl on the cheek. Yes, he got suspended for that- see here: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/6-year-old-boy-suspended-school-kiss-cheek-article-1.1543266

How is this possible? What has happened to the world today that THIS is acceptable. This child has no clue what sexual harassment is nor does this six year old boy know or understand what sexual harassment is or happens to be which makes for some awkward conversations happening WAY too early. These are kids and this is a normal thing.

Everyday I take and pick up my daughter from school. There is a little boy there who mostly on Friday's gives her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. I don't mind, she's making friends and clearly the little boy likes her a little bit from the descriptions I get from my daughter at the end of the school day. I don't make a huff about it because that would just be silly these young kids who are simply showing affection. Contrary to popular belief affection is a good thing. This is for sure taking it too far with our young ones. He for sure shouldn't be punished for a simple kiss on the cheek.

newsflash: Our kids are behind and last I heard many other countries are beating us academically. Maybe part of the reason why we are falling behind is that we are too worried about being politically correct and other minor issues with our children that shouldn't be that big of a deal in the long run. How about we focus on the learning?  Allow our kids to get ahead by letting them learn both about simple emotions and also about their letters, colors and the alphabet. Stop suspending kids for little minor things that well, they shouldn't be kicked out of school for- its insane and you aren't encouraging them to learn. Let kids be kids and make learning as fun as you can! I know I am constantly impressed by the school that my daughter is going to. Although out of district, they are doing a great job at getting things across to her and making it FUN! The more fun young kids have and are allowed to have the easier learning is and the more kids want to learn. Us adults who are sticks in the mud and party poopers aren't allowing the kids that- let them have fun and LEARN!

My daughter turns eight on Sunday and somehow we have managed to keep her belief in Santa alive. By now, most other kids have let that wonder and excitement go and know that there is no Santa. I know its only a matter of time until someone(possibly a kid around her age) tells her that Santa isn't real BUT I am enjoying the time now that she does believe in Santa. She even believes in the Easter Bunny! Of course, she respects the Easter Bunny more than Santa since she's always been fond of Easter...Now, I'm just babbling but anyways...

We have always encouraged her to be imaginative and all of her teachers tell her how imaginative and creative she is- we like to change up the holiday and make them our own since we aren't really religious at all in this house. This year, I figured the cat would be out of the bag on Santa with her age and all but it isn't. I did all of the Christmas shopping online and after a dentist appointment on Friday boxes of stuff started to show up. Naturally, she knows you can order stuff online and get it delivered to your door by now so when the boxes showed up and I didn't open them in front of her she started to wonder what was going on and I told her "These are gifts that Santa sent. I'll open them later." She accepted that and we moved on with the day. A few hours later she wanted to know if Rudolph had sent her something. Yes, along with us making the holidays our own and her love of Santa's reindeers we always make certain there's a gift in there from a reindeer or two. I told her "Yes" and she wanted to know what it was and I told her she had to wait until Christmas. She again, didn't question much because she still believes.

I know its not much but the fact that she still has this belief is an accomplishment since I've heard stories of kids figuring out that there is no Santa as young as three. I'd love to keep her a kid forever and allow her to believe in magic as long as possible but I know the end is near where she will realize Santa is really Mommy and Daddy. Until that day comes, I will enjoy the moments of wonder with her believing in a big jolly man who brings gifts.

Its that time of year again! Yes, the holiday season is upon us. You can't escape Christmas music no matter where you go and well, you just can't escape the joy of Christmas no matter what- its all around you. Also, the return of Elf on the Shelf happens this month as well!! If you don't know what an Elf on the Shelf is- let me show you.

Yes, this little guy- he's the Elf on the Shelf. Basically, what you are suppose to do is buy this little guy and through the month of December when your kids go to sleep you move him around the house and have him getting into things. This same idea has been done with toy dinosaur's.

Anyways, I can't help but see a creepy elf. Is the elf suppose to be cute and I'm missing it? He seriously looks rather creepy to me and that this little elf may possibly poke my eye's out in the middle of the night. Sure, maybe I've watched one too many "Puppet Master" movies but he does look like an evil little elf. I would think that at least one in five kids would find this elf scary. I wouldn't want a crazy elf roaming around my house while I slept. I know the idea is to keep the magic alive with kiddos but come on, at least make the guy NOT look creepy. Am I the only one that finds this little guy creepy? Please, tell me I'm not the only that thinks this way...

So, I wrote a post a while back about peanut butter and jelly being considered a weapon since certain kids are allergic to peanut butter. Now, today in my newsfeed on Facebook I see this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/11/is-peanut-butter-and-jelly-racist_n_1874905.html

Really? Now its racist? So, little old peanut butter and jelly is a weapon and its racist. When did peanut butter and jelly get such a bad rep? I remember a time when it was simply a sandwich or a late night snack while you were up all night writing a term paper.

When did people get offended by everything? When did this trend start? Is there money in being offended by things? Sometimes, I wonder if there's money in being offended by things with the way people get upset over the tiniest of details. I understand that yes, certain people have nut allergies and I also understand that in certain cultures people don't eat bread but does that mean we shouldn't EAT it because it may upset someone? Should peanuts be labeled clearly in products incase the person has an allergy. Yes! Should kids with allergies know they have the allergy. YES! Should we understand that certain cultures don't eat bread. YES but we should still have the freedom to eat it! We were founded on freedom. Weren't we? We are slowly taking away our own freedoms because someone may be upset by something and somehow the good old peanut butter and jelly keeps getting into the mix of everything.

I beg of you! Leave the peanut and jelly out of this! Its an innocent sandwich.

This is a serious question...When did Christmas take over? It seems like everything nowadays is geared towards Christmas. The second November hits- Christmas throws up all over the place. What about Thanksgiving? When did Black Friday not become Black Friday anymore? Stores are now opening 8pm on Thanksgiving. That's not Black Friday at ALL seeing as how its still Thanksgiving and Thursday.

The hubby took me out for my birthday. We were at the mall and Santa was already there on the 7th of November!! I remember back in the day when Santa didn't show up until Black Friday or even December 1st. The media keeps pushing Christmas down our throats so early that by the time the holiday rolls around you are worn out of the music and the holiday cheer. In fact, this is where our families tradition on Christmas eve comes from..Every year, we order out for Chinese food and we watch "Mortal Kombat". I know, it seems silly but since the world keeps pushing Christmas on us sooner and sooner it seems like we get burnt out on Christmas by the time it rolls around. I love Christmas movies as much as the next guy, but you can only watch those movies so many times before you want to tear your own hair out with tweezers.

I think we all need to take a time out and realize how ridiculous this whole thing is- I think we need to step back on the whole Christmas/make money idea and simply make way for Halloween and Thanksgiving. How about we don't push for sales to happen as soon as possible? Do you really NEED that new flat screen TV anyways? I know I worked retail for three years and I HATED Black Friday- it was my least favorite time of the year. I can imagine what employees are feeling nowadays with having to go work on Thanksgiving night instead of slipping into a turkey coma and enjoying some time with family who may not always be around year round.

Seriously, Santa..wait your turn!

So, after having taken my daughter to the dentist not once but twice with one more visit to go next month before we're back to just cleanings AND one exam myself and a consultation appointment. I do believe I may have been wrong about dentists. Mind you, my little bit of work is taking place once the new year begins but I am not as afraid as I once was..why?

To put it simply, I may have taken a long time to pick out a dentist and a taken a little longer than I hoped to get over my fear to go or even to get over my fear even to take my daughter BUT the dentist I found is gold. My husband called to set up me my appointments this week and they were thrilled that I was going to go through with it and not chicken out. My doctor also knows about my anxiety and decided to not give me an anti-anxiety pill because it may make me cloudy and since I have a little one, I wouldn't want that which is true. Now, sure..I may still freak out before but I have my ear buds in hand and I'm ready. My dentist has given me ways to work through my fear and face it. I mean come on, my daughter had a few teeth pulled and some cavities filled and sure, she was upset for about an hour but after that she went back to playing and being her normal self rather soon after her work. If she can do it, well then so can I!

I also realize that "Little shop of horror" is a big root of my fears.

Yes, I know it seems silly but I watched "little shop" when I was young...WAY young and I had a male dentist at the time which only made things worse. This time around I picked a female dentist- so yeah, obviously I'm not seeing images of Steve Martin singing about being happy about creating pain in their patience.

Needless to say, I think I can do this and once its done I will be happier. I love taking pictures and I hate having to hide my teeth in pictures..period. It'll be nice to not have to worry about hiding my teeth and what people will think...so you know what, I'm going win over this fear..Once and for all!

If you haven't heard of this by now well, you should..So, here you go:

http://www.inquisitr.com/1013900/halloween-obese-letter-woman-criticized-for-plan-to-shame-fat-trick-or-treaters/

Really? What is wrong with people nowadays? Why do they feel the need to open up their mouths on EVERYTHING? What ever happened to the good old days when people actually respected each other and didn't say everything because they could..

This is just another form of bullying. Not just between adults/parents but also to the kids. How does this mean old woman not know that one of the kids she deems 'obese' has a health issue? Not only does it make the kids feel horrible it also makes the parents feel horrible. Kids also go through 'chubby' phases, lady. This crabby old woman should simply be handing out crayons to the kids or something that isn't candy or a healthy food like raisins. You do have to take a 'stance' on a holiday that is suppose to be fun for the kids. You are not only ruining it for the kids but also for the parents of these kids.

I also wouldn't be surprised if her house ends up egged or covered in toilet paper by the end of the night. One year, when I was living with my ex Halloween fell on a Friday. We all somehow ended up having issues getting off of work on time to get the festivities started. Yeah, kids got mad and killed the mailbox overnight. All because we were about an hour late on starting the candy hand-out. I can't imagine the ripple something like this would cause in the community.

Further more, kids are creative nowadays..I wouldn't be shocked to find out that the kids in the neighborhood started putting rotten apples on her front porch or even throwing apples at her house since they are 'healthy' now aren't they.

The moral of this story yet again is that yes, we have freedom of speech. Yes, you can say things because you want to but that doesn't mean there won't be backlash and people will upset with what you say. If you think maybe just maybe it'll make someone angry or upset..Don't say it! Oh, and just so I can say it yet again(I've said it in a few other blogs before) Mind your own business!

Yes, as of next week its been ten years since I started dating my now husband. Yep, a full decade and well, let's take a look back at the world of 2003.

-Cell phone companies charged per word with text messages back than(I remember back when I was texting with my husband on the way back from my trip and we both ended up just going to the computer to save on money)

-The biggest blackout in history happened. The hubby and I were in it. He was traveling out of it and I was traveling in to it.

-Saddam Hussien had just been captured.

-Britney Spears was still sane.

-There was no social network.

-Chartrooms still had people in them.

-People still used dial up.

-The whale from "Free Willy" died.

Yes, its been that long and realize it has been that long that I've been with my husband. This begs the question though: Once you've been married for far too long does it disqualify you from giving dating advice? I seem to think so but my husband disagrees. Here's why...

The world was vastly different back than as I have shown you. I mean, nowadays you can just jump online and look up someone who you went out with or look up someone who are about to go out with. There is no mystery anymore involved because you can pretty much find anything out about the person online. I just don't think I'm qualified to give dating advice anymore for that fact. I've overheard people talking while I'm out and about and I shake my head at some of the stuff I hear that people do nowadays. I think I would be seriously lost in the dating world of 2013. I don't want venture into it and I have no plans of venturing into it. In fact, I am happy I don't have to deal with the dating world today. You single guys can keep it and good luck out there but I'm pretty much content being an old married couple. Of course, my husband doesn't like me saying that but I figure once you've been with each other for a decade you are pretty much an old married couple. Most marriages nowadays barely see year 5 let alone 10. I'm counting myself lucky.

Anyways, cheers to us! Just don't come to me asking me about dating advice. If you want relationship advice where you are only seeing one person and one person only though- I am game!

So, I have been taking my daughter to and from school via a cab for about a month now and I have to say that it is just like a bag of nuts! Sometimes they are overly nice and sometimes....Well, they just drive you crazy. You know, just like that one nut that you can't seem to get out of the shell and I don't know..Understand your simple directions. Not being able to understand what left means is rather maddening for the passenger. Thankfully, I know the way to the school like the back of my hand but still certain cab drivers are maddening.

I had one cab driver actually hand me a sheet of paper to write down the addy we were going to for him because he had that hard of a time understanding spoken English, two cabbies have taken personal calls while I was IN the cab and trying to give them directions. The one cabbie actually had his cell phone hooked up to where it would be speaker phone through out the entire time. Yeah, he was talking to his wife and getting in trouble for not knowing if he'd make it to the back to school night. Many, many drivers are not 'from around here' and generally need you to hold their hand the entire drive and guide them. Urgh, I have a hair appointment coming up and I generally cab it and with my experience at hand now. Well, I am going to make sure I have a better idea of where we are going so that I can help them out a bit.

Mind you, I have also had my fair share of GREAT cabbies. The ones that I adore are the ones that know the area and like kids since my daughter is in and out of the cab as well as I am. One time just this week I had a fellow parent who actually was armed with stickers for kids that got into his cab. Turns out his wife is a teacher at one of the local schools and he likes to remain working within the area. Another cabbie I got went to school in the area and the entire time he was telling me stories of how he got in trouble at this school and that school.

Part of me hates the transportation part of my job that's been newly added but at the same point in time I do kind of like it. It gives me a reason to get dressed in the morning and well, generally..It's kind of like a bag of tricks waiting to happen and I could be thrilled or not so thrilled at the end of the day. My own theory standing now is every third cabbie will be bad. So far, that has not been proven untrue. Anyways, that is my rant for this evening.