Help Me To Understand?

Courtesy of www.keysmashblog.com

This past weekend I went to a birthday party. It was not a child's party. The hours on the invitation clearly stated that the party was for a grown man. The hours for the party were 8 p.m.-1 a.m.

Can someone please help me to understand why there were children there? One child was young enough that the mother was cutting up the child's food to feed them.

This made me think of the movie Sweet Alabama where Reese Witherspoon's character says to her long time friend, "You have a baby...in a bar?" Like why do you have your child here of all places.

Bars are for adults!

I am forty years old. On a Friday night between the hours of 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. I believe I should be able to behave like a forty year old. I should not have to alter my behaviour at an adult venue because there are children present; one who happened to be my second grade student. 

I truly don't understand. 
Parenting 101 Lesson One states this.... Sometimes you gotta stay home! If you don't have a babysitter, sorry, you gotta miss this one. There will be more events for you to attend.

True story, back in 2011, Candi had a birthday party. Chase had just been born. He was not even two months yet. Man I wanted to go and so did Eric. I am not sure why we didn't hit up the grandparents to babysit maybe because I was still breastfeeding(hated that!), but whatever the case, because we both graduated from Parenting 101 after having Channing, I knew, 'Sometimes you gotta stay home!

This is what we did. We attended the party in shifts. I went for the first shift then Eric closed out the party. I did not want to leave but oh well, I am a parent. So I left. Candi and I live so close to one another that after Eric arrived I could hear him having a good time. Literally, I could hear the music and Eric hooting when a good song came on. I sat at home and listened. I had to miss out.

But, according to some women of today, that would have been ridiculous. "Chile pack up Chase and take him to the party in his car seat!" 

WTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not Tiffany Yvette Hall. Why? Because 'sometimes you gotta stay home'!

I have seen children at parties, at the movie theatre at a late night movie, hanging outside a bar, in a bar. I am sure you have seen them too.

No one told these mothers that 'sometimes you gotta stay home'!

I just need someone to help me to understand why this is the new trend? Why are women not willing to miss out on a good time for the sake of their children?

Jeez!

Never forget, when you bring your child to an adult event, they see adult things.

Don't mind the noise in da market, our kids can't handle adulthood. They are children. Keep them in child-friendly settings so they can be children and adults feel free to be adults!

Until I mash people's corns again!
Tiffany

P.S. And then ya'll complain that this generation of children act too grown or even worse, brag that they are so wise. Wise beyond their years! Not so much people...not so much!

Can You Keep A Secret?

courtesy of www.samsclub.com

What does a 48 oz. container of delicious Planters Cashews have to do with a housekeeper?

Let me tell you...

A very dear friend of mine introduced and got me addicted to cashews. Every day she packed me a small baggie of nuts. To reciprocate this act of love I figured I'd go to my neighbourhood market and purchase a container of cashews so that I may share with her one day. This is what good, pardon me, great friends do!

And so I did. I entered Super Value, yes I am calling the company's name, walked straight to the snack food aisle and grew extremely excited when I glanced upon the stacks of cashews. Perfect! The store has cashews, I did not know if they would be hard to find. I don't do grocery stores, my husband is the food shopper.

Anywho, wap I grabbed the largest 48 oz. container of cashews. I have to get the biggest one because I know my friend and I are going to devour these in a hot minute.

Why is one let me repeat, one bleepity-bleep container, so what it is 48 oz., why is one container of cashews $30.99.... dollars that is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously?

I put the cashews back on the shelf. Oh well, I'm not that great of a friend!

And so, plan B, I made a purchase of cashews in the mighty land of America where one 48 oz. container is $15.98. I bought two. Thank you Tammie!

This leads me to my housekeeper. I have a live-in housekeeper who I absolutely adore. This is my third nanny and by far the best. My family is truly blessed to employ her. Since she is a live-in, you know where I am going with this, she has access to our kitchen and all the food that is in it.

And so, I recall the day I gleefully bought the cashews home. I was thrilled. Eric was thrilled. Channing and Chase are not included! Cashews are for grown -ups. My housekeeper said,"Cashews, oh I love me some cashews! Cashews nice!"

In less than a week, I'm talking five days, 48 oz. of cashews were slaughtered, kidnapped with no ransom letter, never to be found again.

Wth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One week?

Did I forget to post on the Hall Family Facebook and Twitter Page that these cashews need to last us until let's say hmm, at least December? Someone did not get the memo.

I took the can of evidence to Eric and interrogated him. Satisfied with his testimony I came to a verdict. My housekeeper has eaten the majority of my cashews!

Now don't get me wrong, I am not stingy with my housekeeper. She can eat whatever is in the house. She can drink anything except our liquor. I do not and never will be mean and not share nor provide for her. I believe when you hire a housekeeper, you have to treat her as an employee and give her boundaries but at the same token you have to treat her as you would want someone to treat you.But my cashews. My $15.98 cashews. My foreign-travel-on-da-plane-in-a-suitcase-gone-through-customs cashews! 

Oh Houston, we have a problem!

courtesy of www.8womendream.com

I have the solution!

Shhhhhhhh! Don't tell my housekeeper but...

I have strategically hidden the second container of cashews!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not even Eric knows, well maybe, but they are secured. 

How did I get here? I feel bad about hiding food from my housekeeper but I am desperate. Desperate people take desperate measures. Am I a bad employer? I so don't want to be but it is my job to keep 48 oz. of cashews safe. Who else will protect them from the housekeeper bandit?

Lord help me if she finds them!

Until I eat my cashews again,

Tiffany-still-praying-for-an-I-Phone Hall

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes...

As mothers we all know we have absolutely no privacy!  You try to sneak off to do some chore or activity and within minutes the little crumbsnatchers have found you and take over your life once again.

True Short Story...

Some time ago, as I was getting ready for work in MY bathroom located in MY bedroom both my children busted through the bathroom door with not so much as a knock.  Why you ask? Who knows!  Children just love being around their mothers I guess and it really doesn't matter where they are (I have to lock the door behind me because they just don't get it! LOL).

So putting on the kind of underwear that doesn't cover the buttocks, aka a thong, my daughter says to me, "Mummy why do your panties look like that?" In making that statement my 3 year old son is prompted to come over and investigate for himself.  He walks up to me, then walks around me, looks in the back and then looks up at me with a very concerned expression on his face and says...



"MUMMY, YOUR PANTIES ARE BROKEN!!!"

Courtesy of salon.com

...blank stare....


All I could do was laugh! LOL


What have your children said to you that made you laugh? Or even shocked you? 


Happy Monday Ladies... :)



Signed, 
a broken underwear wearin', Candilaria

Cocktails and Conversations

Married Working Mothers enjoyed a great evening out with four fabulous women! Happy Birthday once again to LaRosa and thank you for celebrating it with us. To top the night off, as we were leaving we watched a spectacular show of fireworks. We could only assume it was for us of course!  We hope to see more of you join us on Tuesdays at Luciano's of Chicago.

Until next time....

                          

Signed, 

MWMs Management

FIND THE MONEY

Last week was Halloween, Channing dressed up as Doc McStuffins. This was the perfect costume as she already owned a Doc McStuffins dress up set. The set included everything except the purple and pink polka dot leggings. As far as my husband was concerned, who cares about the missing leggings, just "Wear something else!" Wap!

Yeah right!

In the words of Doc McStuffins, "I have a diagnosis! Tiffany, you suffer from Things-have-to-be-a-certain-way-itis!"

I do! It was imperative for Channing to have a complete costume. I did not listen to Eric. Instead I ordered a brand new costume from Amazon just so Channing could have her leggings.

Let's do some math.

The cost of the new costume was $23.00. The cost to ship to The Bahamas and pay duty was $24.00. In total the second costume was almost $50.00. 

FIFTY FREAKING DOLLARS!

Doc McStuffins, Stuffy, her sidekick dragon and Doc's mom!

Did I mention Channing already had a costume just minus the purple and pink leggings? Okay fine, she looked just like Doc but this leads me to the purpose of this post. 

Why can I find the money to spend on my children but not for myself?

courtesy of www.theverge.com

At this present moment I want an
I-Phone, a gold I-Phone. I am forty years old. I work hard every day. I am a good person. I am a good mother and even better wife. I pay the bills on time and save when I can. I deserve a treat. I don't even own an I-Pad! My husband will tell you I rarely ask for material things. Materialistic is not a word to describe me. I am a woman who shops at Ross, wears the same exercise clothes from the last ten almost fifteen years and  washes, treats and perms my own hair. For all that I do and wisely do not do, I should have no worries about buying myself a new phone.

But...

I can list ten reasons right now why I won't buy me a phone. Amazingly, I did not have a ten reason list why I should not buy a new Doc McStuffins costume. That thought never went through my mind. She had to have the purple and pink leggings. No ifs ands or buts! I should be able to say, I have to have a new I-Phone!  No ifs ands or buts!

Now don't get me wrong. I can tell Channing "No" very easily. She does not get everything she asks for. There are times I have money when she wants ice-cream and I will tell her no she has to wait for another day.

I refuse to give her everything she wants. However, she must have everything I want her to have!

Once I deem she needs a purple headband to match her purple shoes....I will find the money! Once I deem she needs a certain type of fork and spoon to match her thermos, backpack and pencil case....I will find the money. Once I deem she needs every color of a shoe I've found on The Gap Website...I will find the money!

So why can't I deem I need an I-Phone and find the money?

It's because I am a mother. Mothers want the best for their children and will sacrifice until we get the best! We also have the annoying capability to deny ourselves of our needs and most definitely our wants.... unless you have disposable income!

I don't! 

My mother gave the best of herself to me. I realize now that you probably wanted to take a weekend trip and go to a Teddy Pendergrass concert but my ballet and school tuition were due so like the great mother you were, you stayed at home and listened to his records! 

Thank you for the sacrifice Mummy.

I live to raise my daughter as my mother raised me, to sacrifice for her betterment but jeez...I really want an I-Phone!

courtesy of student photographer Kyla King

Until I blog again,
Tiffany