Melanie...

Family Dinner

One of the simplest and most effective ways for parents to be engaged in their teens lives is by having frequent family dinners.

There is a strong connection between family dinner and academic performance, stress and self-esteem.

Frequent family dinners ( five times a week) are associated with lower rates of teen smoking, drinking and drug use.

Teens that have family dinner are more likely to say that their parents are proud of them and to go to their parents with a serious problem.

Teens who have 7 family meals a week are almost 40% more likely to get As and Bs in school. Family dinners... a fantastic thing!

I found the above statement on another blog and when I read it I thought there must be some kind of truth to this....Here is how my family grew up and this is how Joe and I have always done things at our house..I have a few friends that also follow this same practice about dinner and their kids see to fit the above profile too..

 

Dinner rules when I was growing up:

Momma cooked

We all gathered around the table and ate as a family ( let me tell you , when Momma said "supper is ready" you better drop what you were doing and get to the table )

Dinner time was not a time for negative discussions or punishment

No body started to eat till EVERYBODY was seated and ready( this especially meant mom cause usuallly she was still getting the last min stuff on the table.

There was no singing at the dining room table ( not sure why that was a rule, but it was)

We were never made to eat stuff we didnt like.  At least try it but never made to eat it if we didnt like it.

Prayer wasnt always said at supper ( well sometimes my grandpa would say some kind of funny grace like .Good food Good meat Good God lets eat)

Nobody left the table till everybody was finished and you didnt dare start cleaning the table till everyone was finished eating

My mom put all the food she cooked in bowls and put it on the table.

We always had a meat, veg, bread and a dessert

 

NOW DINNER AT THE BRIDWELL's

 

Most of the same rules applied:

I cooked most of our dinners with the exception of baseball nights ( we still ate together even if it was takeout or concession stand)

I dont put all the dinner on table , in fact we barely used our dining room table , we mostly would sit around our coffee table ( but we were still together)   I did buffet style unless it was a Holiday dinner , then I put it all out.

We have meat ,veggie, bead , salad and dessert

BUT :

We all waited on each other to eat

We dont sing at the table

We dont talk about negative or punishment

We dont talk on cell phones or text

We dont answer the phone if it rings

AND WHEN MOMMA SAYS TIME TO EAT YOU BETTER GET YOUR BUTTS TO THE TABLE !!!!!!!!!!

 

and guess what:

kids dont smoke

they are both A/B students

they both have self esteem

they both know that mom and dad are proud of them

What's your tradition?

 

 

 

Polish Update

So I went into the Ulta store.  Essie polish 8.00 bottle or buy 2 get one free...Guess what .....I walked out with 3.

I still think I like the way the OPI goes on.  But I have 3 new shades.  I hate to paint my own toenails and I hate to pay to have my nails painted....so I think I am gonna take my own polish to the nail salon and have them do my toes, then I will have the polish at home to keep my nails painted.

It was too funny , I didnt mean to but one of the shades I got was the same one the PW liked..(mink muffs) and i got forever young( red ) and little brown dress ( chocolate )

Oh and I got a Yankee Candle at Ross   (autumn celebration) they are 9.99 at Ross.

I must stop working from home.  The Groves is just too close for me to shop on my lunch!

Mel

Sinus Issues

How can sinus make you feel so bad.  I have had a headache since Sunday.  I guess it was because I mowed.  I have taken all kinds of stuff from OTC to prescription.  I feel like a knife is stabbing me in the eye.  I have tried the remedies of putting hot wet wash cloth on your face to standing in the shower and letting the hot water run on my head.  Just hurts dang it.

Anyway, nothing new on this end.  OH except my friends husband had a heart attack at 48.  He will be ok but she said when they called "code blue" she felt her knees buckle.

The kids are knee deep in school work.  Midterms coming up already!  Christmas will be here before you know it! 

Thank you to my husband for stopping by Ford yesterday and getting me a new gas cap.  25 bucks!  But if it doesnt close tight all kinds of lights and whistles go off on that crazy car.  My grandaddy used to stick an old red shop rag in his gas tank when he lost his cap and that ole truck ran just fine.  Yea I know a little "redneck"but I am a "girl raised in the south".

Let's talk fingernail polish

In the 80's it was Revlon for me or Covergirl polish.  Sometimes I hated to pay 2.50 then it went to 3.00 , now I thinks its closer to 5 or 6 dollars.  However, after getting pedies I love OPI.  Yes call me crazy but I have bought a few bottles at 8.50.  Now after reading PW blog and her talking about ESSI , I thought I might try that.  I was at Target last night and saw they carried it.  I looked at the price and it said 15.99.  I said "oh hell no"

I rarely paint my own toes or nails.  My nails usually dont get painted and I usually just get a pedi and they put that paint on so well I have to go back to get it off.  My eye sight is so bad , even with my glasses, that I just dont have the patience do to it myself. Or at least that is how I justify the cost.

Now I ask all you ladies "just how much do you pay for a bottle of polish and would you pay 15.99?

Hell a gallon of paint dont cost 15.99.

Have a great day...

oh yea by the way , Im going for a pedi today

Sox was a little tired after all the football games, then he didn't like the flash.

If you are reading this I can't believe you clicked on my name.

I have gotten so into Facebook that I never blog.  Do you know that I havn't even kept up with other blogs.  For years I have read blogs everyday.  Not sure what happened to me.  I do want to get back into the blogging scene so here I am.

Most of yall know what I have been up to because of FB or the last FGT crop so I won't even bore yall with the past.

I have spent all day Saturday and now this morning in my house almost by myself.  It has been nice to just rest and chill out.  I don't think this is something that I would want to do the rest of my life , but it was nice.

Today is Joey's birthday.  Happy 23rd Joey.  This time 23 years ago I was giving child birth and Joe was on the golf course.  Sorry honey, I know you didn't know Joey would be 7 weeks early.  But I will never let you forget it LOL!

Yesterday when my kids were tailgaiting in G'ville and in the heat and having a blast I was sitting at home in the air watching the game and getting a better view.  I am old !!!!!  I was remembering the days that Joe and I would tailgate at the old Sombraro and stumbling my way into the game.  Then I would stumble back across Buffalo ( MLK) hoping to not get hit by a car or fall in a ditch.  The games were so bad and the stands so empty that the only think to do was party.  Hmmm, almost seems that way again some 20 years later.  But I wont go there. 

It is a gorgeous day outside.  Since the inside is clean and laundry caught up I think I will go out and mow.  I work from home this week and want to look out to a nice mowed lawn. 

Joe is at work, Joey will be coming in from Gville in a few hours and hopefully I will see Meg next weekend.

Love Yall