Porn and the Effects

If there is one thing on this planet that I'm very weird on the topic of, it's pornography. It's a very lucrative industry yet one that can shape things incredibly in people's lives. Here are my thoughts....

SINGLE PEOPLE: If you're single, you have my thumbs up to watch as you will. Positive? It's cheaper than dating and much safer.... Ummmm well less risk involved. Negative? If you're a pornaholic, you can develop an unhealthy expectation about the other sex. No one will ever live up to your fantasy.

IN A RELATIONSHIP UNDER A YEAR: In my opinion, you probably don't NEED to look at porn during this time. Alot of couples (those that have sex before marriage) are like bunnies their first year.

IN A LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP/MARRIED: This gets murky. For the most part, my opinion is that if you're not replacing your sex life with porn, it's not doing any harm. With that being said, if you have a willing partner, I am puzzled why you'd want to watch. If they're in need of some finesse, schmooze them. Don't just blow them off and go watch some teenage MTV wannabe actress semi act out some fantasy of yours. Go be with your wife (or husband). Don't treat them like second best. Remind them why you love each other. It may not hurt to look at porn but it certainly doesn't help (most of the time).

But what if my significant other travels.... Tricky. Hmmm. Well my suggestion would be Skype but if not, porn while they're traveling on a trip of more than four days is acceptable. Less than four, wait it out. Absence makes the pants grow fonder...or something like that.

But she's never in the mood....well there might be a reason and it might be that she feels like you're not interested anymore. Get interested.... Get excited... Get her excited. The rest will fall into place.

But she knows and doesn't care....they always care, even if its buried deep. They always care. Thats a lie to avoid a fight. 

Stop making excuses and start treating your significant other like you're dating again. The benefits might surprise you.

Stealing

I'd like to post a short rant on stealing, but not physical things: Ideas. Ideas are highly personal and very valuable. Some ideas are meant to be shared... Enter Pinterest. There are some that share information on that site and others that want to give ideas to recreate.... cupcakes, crafts, etc. Then there are marketable ideas. These are the ideas people either share to market themselves or whose ideas are shared by happy consumers and such. These people work hard to create beauty and, while they don't mind inspiring, stealing their work is an abominable act of thievery. Don't steal ideas or even put people in a spot to have to give ideas that you can hand off to others to use. It's atrocious and immoral. Rant over.

Day off? Let's read!

My kids have MLK Day off. A lot of kids would look forward to laying around in their PJs watching TV. My kids want to use their Barnes & Noble gift cards to get a new book. Sheesh. I'm raising little nerds.

Their reading styles definitely for their personalities. Alyssa loves the fairy tales and romantic stories. Anthony loves noon fiction and fact books. Daniel loves superhero. Sydney loves anything girly but especially princesses. Regardless of interest, they all love to read. And I mean LOVE to read.... And THAT I love that they love it.

Broncos game day rules

There are more rules to Broncos day in my house than there are too raising Gizmo so he doesn't become a gremlin. Here is a rundown.....

1. Always wear your jersey. It is just how it is... Wear the colors or don't talk about the game. It's only weird if it doesn't work.

2. Wings must be made. In fact, it must be wings, mozzarella sticks, fried pickles, onion rings, fries, and whatever other greasy goodness we can have. It must be fixed at the start of the game by Tony and my plate must be brought to me. If I get up, it's bad juju.

3. No bathroom breaks till halftime. It doesn't matter how bad it is... Hold it.

4. No beer till halftime. Period.

5. Cherry Pepsi must be drank during the first half.

6. My hat doesn't get worn but it is set beside me.

7. Gnome-Shawn Moreno (our Broncos gnome) must be facing the television and without obstruction.

8. Horsey (the Broncos pillow pet) must be in someone's lap watching the television.

9. We must watch the pre game show.

10. No trash talk during the game... Trash talk must wait until the end of the game

Superbowl in 2 weeks.....GO BRONCOS!

Ramblings and Such

There are millions of ways to parent. Experts wrote books on the topic. Doctors and pastors and teachers offer their perspective. Other people throw in their two cents. By the time it's all said and done, more than anything we are left confused. I don't know what is best for everyone. What I can say with great confidence is that parents can be divided into three separate categories....

1. Parents that are always convinced their child is right. These parents are always convinced that other children are the problem... teachers are the problem... Babysitters are the problem. Their precious bundle of love can do no wrongs. These parents are usually characterized as using phrases such as "we don't say no to him" and"it's not HIS fault that...." These parents rarely go out for fear of their child behavior in public because they're never really disciplined.
2. Parents that are more 50/50. Yes sometimes my little angel isn't too blame for that argument on the playground but sometimes they're acting like buttholes and thry do mischievous crap. If their kids are too blame, you better believe these parents are stepping up and enforcing discipline. They are administering groundings and time outs. On the other hand, I dare you to blame an innocent child of one of these parents. Advocates is an  understatement. These parents are fierce mama lions.
3. The final group are the parents who don't care to contribute the time to find out who's responsible. Their only concern is how it affects them personally. This might take the form of a neglectful parent who blames their child for everything. On the other hand, it can take the form of loving parents too busy for troubling themselves with child related problems.
All of these groups have something in common... They love their kids. They just express it very differently. It's not to say who's right or wrong either. Maybe we all are. Maybe none of us are. The point is that much like everything else, moderation is key. Sometimes you're right, sometimes you're wrong. Sometimes you're high. Sometimes you're low. Remembering that you and your child aren't perfect but embracing becoming better people day by daddy is the best part of life.

Teenagers....oy

I'm gonna need time to recover from the teenage years when it's all said and done. The most recent teen tantrum was.... Brace yourself.... A Hello Kitty alarm clock. There sat my teenager, clutching this all lawn clock with The facial expression of a toddler having her bottle exchanged for a sippy cup. In that moment , I felt a mix of emotions. I felt sorry for her; clearly she is feeling confusion over the hormones causing her grief. I felt aggravation at the unnecessary drama. I also felt confusion; what the heck is going on!?! No wonder I'm already getting gray hair! Ha ha ha
Sadly I still have three more that are gonna go through this. If I escape the teenage years without losing it, it will be a miracle.

Learning by Example....food for thought

Researchers tell us that children learn by watching. They tell us that if we speak calmly, so will they. If we respond without spanking and swatting, they'll learn not to hit. So here's my question....where in the heck did my kids pick up yelling across the house? Let me sum up my night.....

DANIEL!

WHAAAAT?

DO YOU WANT THIS PAPER AIRPLANE?

WHAAAAT?

DO YOU WANT THIS PAPER AIRPLANE?

WHAT PAPER AIRPLANE?

THE ONE ON YOUR BED!

IS IT THE ORANGE ONE?

WHAAAT?

IS IT THE ORANGE ONE?

NO IT'S BLUE!

WHAT?

IT'S BLUE!

OH BRING IT HERE AND LET ME SEE...

SYD DO YOU WANT THE PINK ONE?

WHAAAT?

THE PINK AIRPLANE!

WHICH PINK ONE?

WHAAAT?

Not a single child got up on their perfectly healthy legs to walk across the house. Not a single one. So if children learn by example, why is that not the case....food for thought.