Wednesday, November 29, 2017

The Lesson on Curse Words

Yesterday was a typical Monday. Busy with simple things until the kids got home. Then we dove into homework, making dinner, and awaiting my husbands arrival home from school. While I was putting the final touches on dinner, I heard a word that is forbidden in our house. 

Let me just say, that my husband and I don't use curse words. Not unless there is a sudden and extreme pain inflicted. And even then, we usually scream it in our heads or say something else like "mother of fudge" or "freakin A". So, our kids are not likely to say such words without having learned them from an outside source. 

So there I am, cooking. I hear my younger son saying a word while playing a video game.
At first, I thought he was saying beach. Except it was contorted. Then my older son says, "Mom, Allen said a bad word!" I asked Allen and he acknowledged he had, but tried to say he didn't know that b*tch was a bad word. In an effort to keep my cool and get to the bottom of it all, I ask where he heard that word. Of course, he had heard it while visiting my ex husbands house. They were watching YouTube videos of guys playing video games. I also found out that when the guy playing had something unexpected happen or he lost, he would exclaim curse words. So guess what the dinner table conversation was about? You got it, curse words. We had to discuss what they were, what they meant, and why they are inappropriate and will not be tolerated in our home. We covered quite a lot of ground. My kindergartner and second graders all now know that those words are not allowed in their vocabulary. They already knew a couple of them. After all, they had dropped the F bomb on me a few years back after visiting my ex husbands family. Then another word came up after being with the babysitter. Now, they have about 95% of them known. Along with meanings, good and bad. What has the world come to? When did kids so young start hearing such language used around them?
Today, my oldest started asking about a couple other words we hadn't covered yesterday. Apparently, the bus/school bully uses some pretty heavy language. I had to explain what the MF word meant and why we don't say it. (Didn't get into too heavy detail on what the F part actually meant.) And the word A$$ brought up the tally to 95%. Why? Why are kids hearing this regularly? What happened to covering your kids' ears when you had to curse. Who remembers when that happened in the movies? My parents muted certain parts of movies when they knew a curse word was coming or made an extra loud grunting noise to sort of show it was a bad word. Are we conditioning our kids to use the language of adults and expecting they will do so the right way and when acceptable in public? 

My husband and I have become disheartened by the way things are in the world. So much so, that we have been talking about homeschooling the kids. Especially since I'm not working anyhow. We got the bullying situation under control, then were faced with ridiculous homework pages. The information they are teaching the children is not only beyond what he and I learned in school, its pretty useless. And now we have to worry about what they are hearing. And did you hear about the Mom who is facing felony charges because she put a digital recorder in her daughter's backpack to get proof on the bullying? I think that school should be investigated. What could they be hiding that they would call the police on the mom for that?! Thankfully, the school wised up and dropped the charges. 

I just don't know where to go with how things are working out for our children in the public school systems. Things have changed so drastically than when I was in there. It is more and more like a dangerous prison for kids, than an institution of learning. 


What are you thoughts and what are you dealing with? Do you think your kids should (or others') should be allowed to curse if you do?

Monday, November 27, 2017

Puss on Boots

Today's post will be short and sweet. While visiting my in-laws recently, I had worn a pair of boots. Upon entering the house, I had kicked them off near the front door. Mistake on my part. Especially when I know that their oldest cat has a thing for shoes. This cat, Oliver, is the brunt of many jokes. He's very old. Very ornery. To the point that we tease my husband as Oliver tends to like to be around my husband even though Andrew is very anti-cat. Oliver will come close to him and attempt to get Andrew to do something to him. That is when someone makes the comment, "He needs to fill up on hate from you Andrew. Gotta get his fix." The cat really does seem to live on hate. He likes to be abused. Now, let me clarify. No one really abuses that cat! But he likes to be nudged by feet. Like a soft kick in the side when he lays down before you. He also likes to be rubbed on the belly by feet wearing shoes. To me, this is bizarre. And then there are times when he likes to get in your way and trips you... Anyhow. He's old, evil, and crazy. And while there, I snapped this picture. Who needs Puss in Boots? We have Puss on Boots. 
So, here is where I get you involved. I want everyone to send a picture and short story about something their pet(s) did (or kids if you are like me) that you find adorable or weird. Or downright crazy. You can send it to me via texanmama08@gmail.com. I will create another post with them (or the best 3, depending on how many I get). If you don't have that, leave me a comment about the best you have seen elsewhere!

Sunday, November 26, 2017

New Recipes My Family Loves

I have been trying to pull my family out of the dinner rut. We duplicate so many meals every couple weeks. So throwing in something new here and there, keeps us from feeling food stale. Here are some of the recipes we are liking in the mix. Enjoy!


Our version of Chinese Dinner Night - Sometimes, you come across products that might not be homemade or authentic, but your family loves them. Our local HEB offers just such options. My family loves our version of Chinese Night. I get Sesame Chicken, General Tso's Chicken, Potstickers, Egg Rolls and make homemade fried rice to complete the assembly.
Hearing the call for seconds and thirds is a normal occurrence on these nights. So, I greatly encourage you to check out your local grocery store for similar items. I'm not the best with foreign cooking, but if you can manage to make such foods, even better!
 One Pot Cajun Chicken and Sausage Alfredo Pasta was a huge hit at our house. It reminds me of the Cajun Chicken Pasta dish served by Cheddar's. 

Teriyaki Meatballs and Fried Rice is something we made while trying out Kikkoman products. 2/3 of my kids loved them! (The baby isn't ready for them yet.) My mom even used the recipe to make a meatloaf from it! So it you are looking to get tangy with your cooking, this is the way to go!

Breakfast for dinner! We don't often get to eat breakfast as a family. In fact, several of us are not even morning people. To better enjoy these wonderful foods, we have them for dinner. And the best part of all? There are so many "breakfast" options that you can switch it up from time to time. We like pancakes or waffles, hash browns (or rounds), eggs, bacon and/or sausage, biscuits or toast and fresh fruits or even a smoothie to complete the meal. 
Slow Cooker Creole Chicken and Sausage is a personal favorite. Not as much to the kids, but my husband liked it too. You can spice it up or keep it mild depending on how your family prefers it.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Journey to Pain Relief: Chiropractor Care

Speaking of chiropractic care, that is another option found to assist in pain relief and treatment of the causes themselves. For me, my main issues that has caused all these others is scoliosis. I've been told, that there is a chance that it can be slightly repaired by chiropractic adjustments. And I'm not the only one. My supervisor at my last job, had some of the same problems I have. She lives in pain like I do. She was referred to a chiropractor. They can be pricey, even with insurance. So be careful. 

By the way, if you are in the San Antonio area and need an amazing house-call chiropractor - Dr. Alexandra (Alex) Sweeney and her husband are the ones you want to call! They were fantastic. They came after work, so I didn't have to miss work. I served them dinner one night. We even had a blast talking about nerdy things! My kids loved having them over. Highly recommend them. Plus, you get serviced for half an hour at $75. Deep tissue massage and adjustments. They bring their equipment to you. You can also split this price and time with others. Make it party! Save money and feel great at the same time. 

I would suggest checking your insurance to see what is covered. Then call around and see what they have to offer and pricing. There are some great options, but as I mentioned, they can be very pricey. Know what you need. You don't have to be a doctor, but at least have an idea of what is wrong with you or causing you pain. You don't want to be given a run for your money (because sometimes, that's all they are after!) so get an idea of what you are looking for.