Still Looking For More Guest Bloggers

Don't forget - if you are interested in guest blogging here at On The Flipside - I'd love to hear your idea for a post or review a post from your archives to re-post here. Just e-mail me at ontheupsideblog@aol.com.

I have been so thrilled with all the great guest bloggers I have had so far that have offered wonderful topics and fabulous posts.

Also ... I am guest blogging over at Motherscribe on Saturday. I have pulled one of my favorite posts from my archives and offered it to JCK when she asked me to guest blog while she is on vacation. Go on over there - it might be a post you have not read and while you are there - take some time to enjoy JCK's wonderful stories and poems and writing - she's brilliant! And ... she's had some other wonderful bloggers guest posting during the week - check them out too!

Have a great weekend!

I've got a new post up over On The Upside - go on over.

Mind Versus Heart

On The Flipside Guest Blogger: Tania from Little Sweethearts

Tania wrote this post in Feb. 2008 and I asked her to repost it here On The Flipside because it is a great topic. Read Tania's post and then offer your opinion/answer in the comments. And ... don't forget to go over and visit Tania at Little Sweethearts - she has a great blog and beautiful family.

Mind Versus Heart

When my mind speaks it says:

you have two healthy children

a boy and a girl

they get along well most of the time

they each have their own room

they both go to school

there are no diapers to be changed

no bottles to be cleaned

hardly any broken nights


When my heart speaks it says:

why not one more?


It is weird how sometimes the heart can cloud the mind.


Originally Posted by Little Sweethearts at 19:53 2/18/08


So ... What do you think? Are two kids enough? Do you often have the urge to have more children? What are the advantages/disadvantages to having two children verses having more and vise versa?

Offer your honest opinion and don't forget to go over to the sidebar and participate in the poll on this topic.

Poll results: Do you often want more children? 24 people participated in poll. 6 (25%) said Yes - Definitely. 10 (41%) said Sometimes. 5 (20%) said No. 3 (12%) said Not on your life.

What Would You Do If ..."

On Wednesdays, I throw out a question that asks, "What Would You Do If ...?" and I would love to hear - what you would do.

I will not give my answer to the What Would You Do If - Wednesday question until late in the day - after everyone has had the opportunity to offer their ideas first.


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What would you do if ...


Your mother-in-law came into your home and constantly made comments on the poor job you were doing of raising your kids or ... constantly tried to give advise on how to do things better?

Would you confront her - ask her to butt out?

Would you just ignore the situation and go on doing things as you wish.

Would you ask your husband to confront his mother about being out of line?

What would you do?

I'm anxious to hear your answer - to see if you would do what I would do or are ... On The Flipside.

Also, please go over to the sidebar and participate in the poll on this subject.

Now, what I would do:

My MIL and I don't see each other often - thank goodness. She has - on more than one occasion - voiced opinions that I found to be offensive or hurtful and I have never hesitated to tell her, in return, what I thought about her opinion or suggestion. I have also often depended on my husband to intervene on my behalf when I have had the lack of energy or desire to deal with her. I am lucky to have a fabulous FIL, but my MIL needs to keep her distance and keep her mouth shut. She knows well enough by now.

Poll results: If Your MIL Constantly Interfered What Would You Do? 21 people participated in the poll. 6 (28%) said they would confront her. 2 (9%) said they would ignore the situation. 13 (61%) said they would ask their husband to get his mother to back off.

Afflenza - The New Epidemic

On The Flipside Guest Blogger: Adrian of Adrian's Crazy Life

Adrian has written a great post and so graciously agreed to be a Guest Blogger for On The Flipside. Please read her post below and then leave your opinion on this topic in the comments. And, don't forget to go over and visit Adrian at Adrian's Crazy Life. Thanks, Adrian!

Affluenza - The New Epidemic

Be honest - have you ever bought something expensive and then hid it from your husband or lied about it? I think "Affluenza" or over shopping has become something of an epidemic among women lately. For some people it's shoes or clothes, for others it's pretty things for the home, or craft and hobby supplies.


Because I run a rubber stamping and scrap booking business, I've seen this up close and personal. I've had customers buy products from me that I know they aren't going to use and some of them boast of hiding their purchases from their husbands. I've even seen T-shirts - "I can have all the scrap booking products I can hide".

A friend of mine had a customer purchase $900 worth of stamps in her first order. Now, how can you possibly use that much stuff? I guarantee you those stamps are sitting in a closet somewhere gathering dust. I don't even have $900 worth of stuff and I run a business where I use mine constantly.

I guess I'm more sensitive to the husband thing because I've been on the receiving end of it. I'm very proud that I've never lied to my husband about ANYTHING in our 25 year marriage. If I buy something and he asks about it, I'm very up front about it. Here's what I bought and here's what I paid for it - if he doesn't like it, too bad. But he hasn't always been that way with me. One time, he bought some expensive camera equipment on a credit account and hid the bills from me for months. When I finally did find out, I was furious!

So how 'bout you? Do you suffer from "Affluenza"? If so, do you hide it from your husband or significant other? Why? How do you justify it and what problems does it create for you?


Please be honest - whether you agree or are On The Flipside, and make sure you follow the comment rules and be nice to Adrian and to me and to other commenters. And, please go over to the sidebar and participate in the poll on this topic.

Poll results: Have You Ever Bought Something Expensive And Then Hid It From Your Husband Or Lied About It? 8 people participated in poll. 2 (25%) said Yes- Sometimes and 6 (75%) said No.

People Have All Sorts Of Pets

People have all sorts of pets - all sorts!


I'm okay with having dogs and cats and fish. Maybe a turtle or a hamster in a cage.


Aside from these critters - I am not one of those people that is okay - with ...


Oh ...

Pet skunks - PEW!

Or ... pet bats - EEEEEEEK! I find it hard to believe that people even keep bats as pets!

Or ... underground farm animals such as ground hogs - that should still be living underground behind a barn or out on the prairie on a farm!

Or ... over sized animals like llamas - even if they do look soft and cuddly and have cute faces and wear diapers.

I don't even have to explain why I would never let these creatures into my house!

Oooooo - how did you get in here? You are precious and I'd be okay with you!

Not you, though - NOPE - no ferrets in my house.

Now ... I would love to have me one of these tiny little miniature horses - but then I'd have to go into the country to buy hay and feed and I'd have to build a tiny little barn in my back yard - scoop up poop - NOPE! No tiny horses for us!

I'm not sure what kind of chicken this is - but he is awfully cute. I still would not want pet chickens in our coop!

Or ducks in our pool!

Or goats!

Or enormous PIGS!

Or MICE that make friends with the cats!

Or ... RATS - Good Lord - somebody needs to get that kid OUTTA THERE!

And - of course - NO ROACHES of ANY SPECIES - EVER!

Or SNAKES - unless I get this girl's body to replace mine - to go along with this pretty yellow snake!

And - NO prehistoric looking green iguanas in my bathtub - thankyouverymuch!

Or bat-like-squirrels flying through the den!

And ... no monkeys either! Even if they do look like people we know!

No ... we will be sticking with the normal household pets like cats and dogs and fish.

But ... this is just me.

How about you?

Are you like me and sort of conservative when it comes to your idea of an acceptable pet - or ...

Are you livin' on the wild side - On The Flipside - with what you believe is an appropriate or fun pet for your family?

Please go over to my sidebar and participate in the poll on this topic.

Poll results: What Kind Of Pets Do You Like? 9 people participated. 7 (70%) said cats & dogs & fish. 0% said exotic animals. 1 (1%) said farm animals. 0% said reptitles. 1 (1%) said small animals in cages.

Have A Great Weekend!

Lots going on this weekend.

Kids start school on Monday and we are in for a busy weekend.

Will be back with a new post on Monday.

Have a great weekend!!

The Talk

On The Flipside Guest Blogger: Brenda from What's Up Down South

Brenda originally wrote this post in June of 2006 and has pulled it out of her archives for all of us to enjoy and discuss - thanks Brenda.

The Talk

After paying my dollar at the gate at the ballpark on Monday, and watching the last bit of the game before Zach's, we found out that the team they were to play didn't have all their players so it was to be a forfeit. The coaches decided not to waste the empty ball field so they kept them there to practice. The mommies and couple of grandmas sitting around holding the bleachers down passed the time away by discussing the problems of the world.

And a few more things.

I'm not sure what route we took to get from the dangers of ATVs to "THE TALK" but we stumbled upon it somehow and it really got lively there for awhile.

One young mother told us of the wisdom of her 5 yr old daughter concerning the male anatomy. "Dogs poop out of their tails but boys pee out of theirs, except for Poppa, he doesn't have a tail." She went on to tell us that when she told her father of this revelation, he said, "Well I have to sit to pee when she's in the house because she stays on my heels and I can't get away from her!"

A couple of the young moms said that their boys didn't know anything about sex yet and they hadn't had "THE TALK" with them because they hadn't asked any questions yet. Myself and the other grandmother in the group informed them that it wasn't wise to wait until they asked because they were in school with other little boys who were certain they knew all there was to know about sex, and were glad to share the knowledge, so they probably already knew all they thought they'd need to know about it. This passed on knowledge is not commonly found printed in the health books of any generation.

I felt obliged to also inform them if they had plans for their husbands to have "THE TALK" with their boys, they should first have "THE TALK" with their husbands because a man's idea of "THE TALK" could also not be common knowledge found in the printed health books of most generations because they'd very likely learned all their facts from the same sort of little know-it-all youngun when they were growing up.

Before we knew it, practice was over and it was time to pack up and go home.

Originally posted by Brenda at 6/08/2006 10:11:00 AM (http://whatsupdownsouth.blogspot.com/2006/06/talk.html#links )

So ... what do you think? Do you agree with Brenda and feel that children should be told about sex before they hear random and even possibly bizarre explanations from friends at school or are you On The Flipside and feel that when they ask - is soon enough?

Give you honest opinion, but be sure to follow the comment rules and be nice to Brenda, me and to other commenters. And, please go over to the sidebar and participate in the poll on this subject.

Poll results: Should You Have "The Talk" With Your Child Before They Start Seeing/Hearing Things From Other Kids Or On TV? 13 (100%) took poll and 13 said YES.

Should Kids Be Rewarded For Good Grades?

I was never a good student.

I'm still not all that smart and sometimes have no clue how I made it through courses like history, geometry and chemistry.

My kids are all good students. All are smart and care about succeeding in school and making good grades.

I don't believe it has anything to do with rewarding them for their good grades - but ... we do it!

We have never had a report card, yet, from any of our kids, where their grades were a problem, so we have not been confronted with the "not rewarding" because there were poor grades. But ... we still offer a reward when the report card shows good grades (A's and B's).

I guess my feeling has always been that school is their job. They need to approach it as a duty - a commitment, and if they do it successfully - do it well - then the pay-off will be that their academic success will provide them greater opportunities.

And ... if I see that my kids are putting forth tremendous time and effort and being successful, then I want them to know that we appreciate their hard work - therefore, we offer a reward.

My twins usually request books as their reward. My son sometimes wants a new video game or a special toy - as does Alexis. We usually let them specify what they would like and either agree that their choice is perfectly appropriate (in price, etc.) or not.

My kids have come to appreciate these rewards - not expect them. There has even been times where they will say, "There's not anything I really want, right now."

This is just how we handle grades in our house - what about you? Are you FOR giving rewards for grades or are you On The Flipside?

Give me your most honest opinion - whether you agree with me or have a FLIPSIDE view. But, please make sure you follow the comment rules and be nice to me and other commenter's. And please go over to my sidebar and participate in the poll question on this topic.

Poll results: Should Children Be Rewarded For Good Grades? 11 People took the poll and 11 (100%) said Yes.

Profiling Is The Pits

On The Flipside Guest Blogger: Nancy from Marie Millard

Nancy wrote a very interesting post on her blog in February about Pit Bulls. Please read her post and then feel free to offer your opinion on this subject in the comments.

Profiling Is The Pits

I've posted photos of my son's Pit Bull, Bently. I know some people have definite fears and opinions of Pit's. Bently has been well trained and is a loving dog.

I was just reading about the dogs that were rescued from ex-NFL Player, Michael Vick's house. 22 were saved and are living and being rehabilitated at a rescue sanctuary.

With any dog that is not trained properly or has suffered abuse, there will be horror stories. The Pit seems to be the latest that gets a bad rap. And yes, there have been some awful incidents involving them. There are also incidents from many other breeds. Blame the ignorance of the owner, not the animal.

I remember years ago, when it was the Doberman or German Shepherd to fear. Then it was Rottweiler's. Now Pit's. A dog can be trained to attack and protect, but are also trained to listen to a command. Police and rescue dogs are a perfect example. Fear the people that keep and breed these dogs with cruel intentions.

The back-alley-breeder-gangsta-wannabe's are just ignorant. The Mike Vick's of the dog fight rings are just as ignorant. Mike's sentence of 23 months isn't enough. I hope his career is over too.

Do you know what a pit looks like? Most people see a big, mean looking, muscular, stocky dog and assume it's a Pit Bull.There is only one American Pit Bull Terrier in the photos below. What's your guess? Click on the photo and see if you're right. Leave the number of your first guess in the comment section please.

1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20

(photos from pitbullsontheweb.com)

Remember "Petey" from the "Little Rascals"?
A Pit

Originally Posted by Nancy (Marie Millard) at 5:42 AM 2/4/08

What do you think? Are you one of those people that is afraid of Pit Bulls because you have had honest to goodness negative experiences with this breed or ... just because of the "bad rap" they have been given?

Please offer your honest opinion, whether you agree with Nancy or are On The Flipside with regard to Pit Bulls. But ... please be sure to follow the comment rules and be nice to Nancy and to me and to all other commenters. And, don't forget to go over to the sidebar and participate in the poll on this subject.

Thanks Nancy for this great post and for being Guest Blogger On The Flipside!

Poll results: Do You Think Pit Bulls Are A Dangerous Breed? 21 People took poll. 11 (52%) Said Yes. 1 (4%) Said No. 9 (42%) Said it depends on how the dog is raised.

My Blogs

I just want to say ... I am thoroughly enjoying this new blog and especially because I have had several fabulous Guest Bloggers. I have many upcoming posts that will also be featuring wonderful Guest Bloggers. I love having others contribute their topics and posts and if you have the desire to be a Guest Blogger On The Flipside - please look through your archives and find a post that might fit in here (a subject/topic that asks a question or is controversial or has an interesting spin on the topic that maybe most people would agree/disagree with) or e-mail me with a topic you would like to post about. You can e-mail me at ontheupsideblog@aol.com.

Even if you don't have the desire to be a Guest Blogger - please continue to come by.

Also ... I have another blog I am planning on starting pretty soon - called On The Darkside. I have several ideas about what I want this blog to focus on ... but ... I would like to hear your thoughts. What do you imagine the focus will be of this new blog? I am curious to hear what you think.

Thanks to all of you that are my friends and loyal readers. I appreciate the time you take out of your busy lives to come by my blogs to read and leave comments - to say hello - to support me. I know I have not been by many of your sites in a while, but ... once school starts I am hoping to have more time to get back to visiting, reading and commenting - more often!

It's Too Late For Me

On Good Morning American a while back, there was a story about this college and how it is now offering degrees in Homemaking and it is offered exclusively to women.

They, of course, had a representative from the college on the show, and they also had this woman (writer) who had an opposing view.

I'm not sure how I feel about this - classes that teach women how to be homemakers.

I guess it's a good idea.

I know that I have been doing it for a very long time and I am quite the failure sometimes - I could have probably used such a degree. It's too late for me - I neither have the time, money or inclination to continue educating myself, nor do I think I would be the most receptive student. I already accept that I've long since reached my level of incompetence - I don't need some university professor to remind me of it day in and day out.

Once, when my son was small, he came from the family room after watching an episode of The Brady Bunch on TV. He walked up to me, stood directly in my path and asked, "Who's our housekeeper?" in a tone that implied that we surely must have one and he couldn't understand why he had never run into her. I looked down into his sweet little face and said, with my hands planted firmly on my hips, "You're lookin' at her." He turned and walked away, unimpressed.

I know one thing for sure ... degree or no degree ... it is the hardest job on earth!!

Another thing ... a degree is not going to get you anymore money - as we all know ... there is no salary. And telling someone that you graduated from "XYZ University" with a degree in Homemaking - just sounds a bit ridiculous. It's already difficult enough to say, "Oh ... me, I don't do anything ... I just stay home with my kids." Imagine trying to convince people that you actually spent the time and money to get a degree in the field. Imagine the thoughts that would go through their minds. Imagine how many times your name would come up at parties after this discussion.

I guess it's like a degree in Home Economics and eventually it'll catch on and people will respect such a degree. But ... I'm not impressed. I had to learn the old-fashion way ... sink or swim ... like my mother before me and hers before her.

I guess ... a degree is a degree. If some women feel the need to pursue such a degree - let them. In the future, when you go into the homes of these Homemaker graduates I'm sure they will have those prestigious degrees mounted on the wall in their foyers for everyone to see.

It may not make the job anymore legitimate, but ...those women will certainly have something to point to when their kids ask, "What's your job anyway?" And they will ask!

This is JUST my opinion. What do you think? Are you with me and don't see this degree ever much catching on or are you ... On The Flipside and feel this sort of education is a good idea and will become a common sought-after degree in the future?

Give me your most honest opinion - whether you agree with me or have a FLIPSIDE view. But, please make sure you follow the comment rules and be nice to me and other commenter's. And please go over to my sidebar and participate in the poll question on this topic.

Poll Results: What Do You Think About Degrees In Home Making? 5 People took poll. 3 (60%) thought it was a great idea. 1 (2%) thought it was a bad idea. 1 (2%) Will never catch on.

Lingerie

On The Flipside Guest Blogger: Truth from Piece of the Puzzle.

Truth wrote an interesting post on her site on 8/5/08 about lingerie and agreed to repost it her On The Upside - Thanks Truth!

Please read her fun post below and then I'd love to hear your opinion.

Lingerie

An invitation arrived in the mail. A Lingerie Shower.

The intention of a bridal shower is to aid the newlywed couple as they establish their own home The lingerie concept enables the bride to ditch her old, tattered, worn-out undergarments for pretty, new ones. After all, the new hubby will soon be privy to every hidden article of clothing his lovely bride could previously hide.

Or do young ladies today not keep tattered underwear and desire more, um, exotic under clothes and night wear? Years ago, we had two choices in underwear: briefs or bikini cut. That's it. With such variety, I figured I should ask what the preference might be. Surely there could be no embarrassment. The invitation already listed a bra & panty size. But wait, maybe the groom should get an opinion. I sent a text message to my son, Christopher.

"I know this is awkward, but I'm going shopping for Lauren's Lingerie Shower. Do you have any preference?" I waited for his reply.

"Mom. There is no way I'm going to discuss lingerie preferences with you."

I laughed and laughed. I suppose this is not unlike the shocking realization that your parents have had sex at least once in their lives.

Originally Posted by truth at 9:36 AM 8/05/08 on Piece of the Puzzle

I'd love to hear your opinion. Do you think men care about what lingerie women wear or is it really only the woman that cares?

Do you like lingerie? Buy a lot? Spend lots of money on lingerie?

Please leave a comment, but please follow the comment rules and be nice to me and to Truth and to other commenters. And, please go over to the sidebar and participate in the poll on this topic.

Poll results: Do Men Really Care What Lingerie Women Wear? 11 People tool poll. 7 (63%) said YES. 1 (9%) said NO. 3 (27%) said some men care.

What Would You Do If ...?

On Wednesdays, I throw out a question that asks, "What Would You Do If ...?" and I would love to hear - what you would do.

I will not give my answer to the What Would You Do If - Wednesday question until late in the day - after everyone has had the opportunity to offer their ideas first.

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What Would You Do If ...

Your neighbor - a middle aged man - routinely bathed in the nude in his back yard and the only thing between you and your nudest neighbor - was a chain linked fence?

Would you just ignore the situation?

Would you approach the neighbor and address the situation?


What would you do?



I'm curious to see how you would handle this situation - to see if you would handle it the same way I would or if you are On The Flipside.

Please answer honestly. And, please go over to the sidebar and participate in the poll question on this topic.

This is what I think:

This situation happened to my mother - but it was not a chain link fence - it was a wood fence (thank goodness) between her and her male neighbor. She was still able to see in his yard and she saw this guy - once or twice a week - but, left him alone - avoided looking towards his yard when she was out back in hers.

If I had a neighbor doing this and all there was was a chained link fence - I'd give the situation a little time - see if he grew out of this nudest phase - and if he did not - I'd ask him to STOP or ask him to build a privacy fence or plant some shrubs!

If he would not stop or build a fence or plant some shrubs - I'd call the police. I wouldn't allow his desire to sun bathe nude to infringe on my rights to enjoy my back yard. I think this sort of thing does make people uncomfortable and is also a problem if there are children around. I think if someone has the desire to sun bathe nude in their yard - they should be able to do that - but ... there should be a high enough privacy fence around them so others don't have to see "it".

Poll results: What Would You Do If Your Male Neighbor Insisted On Sun Bathing Nude In His Back Yard? 13 people took poll. 4 (30%) said they would ignore the situation. 2 (15%) said they would confront the neighbor. 3 (23%) said they would call the police. 4 (30%) said they would have their husband confront the neighbor.

The Child Harness

On The Flipside Guest Blogger: Pregnantly Plump

Elvis' Mom over at Pregnantly Plump has graciously agreed to post today On The Flipside. Read her post below and then please leave a comment offering your opinion about children's harnesses. And then make sure you go over to her blog (Pregnantly Plump) and enter her contest - to have a chance at winning one of these adorable Gold Bug Harnesses.

Harnessing The Love

I’m not one of those “I will never” moms. Bob and I are both pretty open to most things. My son has tasted (and LOVED) his share of sweets. He does watch TV – mainly Disney. I am a big fan of Handy Manny. Bob likes the Higgly Town Heroes and Little Elvis likes Ooh and Aah, the monkeys.

Little Elvis also wears a harness. Before I became pregnant, I worked in news. After covering some pretty heinous things, a harness was never out of the question, especially once our curious little guy began toddling everywhere and anywhere.


When he was about 6-months-old, we saw a woman walking behind a little boy wearing a monkey backpack. She was holding the tail of the backpack. We both thought it was cute and I set about looking for one.

We found it very easily – at Target and Wal-Mart. And at less than $10, we didn’t even have to spend days searching on craigslist for it. We picked out the puppy version of the Gold Bug Harness Buddy, and gave it to Little Elvis for his first birthday.

I fully expected to receive jeers and taunts when we first slipped the backpack on, but we didn’t.

Instead we received giggles, comments on the cuteness of both our son and the harness, and questions about where we purchased it. We use our harness at least once a week, and no one has been openly hostile. I think it's because the harness is just so cute.

It took us a while to get completely used to the harness. We’ve discovered that the side hook for the tail works much better than the hook in the bottom center of the backpack.

And we realized it was best to wait until he was fairly steady on his feet before trying to stop him with the harness. Those first few weeks, we just tried to keep up with our little toddler.

Now that he's more steady on his feet, we can stop him with the harness. Although, this usually causes him to sit on the floor and whine.

The harness is a great way to help us stay together. He can't venture too far from us, but feels like he has more freedom.


The Gold Bug Harness has been great for us, but as LeVar Burton says, “Don’t take my word for it…”

Gold Bug has agreed to give away one of its super-adorable harnesses to one of Pregnantly Plumps lucky readers.

The options include lamb, frog, pig, horse, panda, koala, bunny, cow, unicorn, pink poodle, giraffe, lion, monkey and dog.

All you have to do is go over to Pregnantly Plump and leave a comment telling Elvis' Mom which harness you would like, along with an email address.

If you want to comment, but don’t need a harness, feel free to. She will leave your name out of the drawing.

The drawing will take place on Wednesday morning.

Please give your opinion about harnesses whether you agree with Elvis' Mom or are On The Flipside and have a different point of view. But, make sure you follow the comment rules. And, please go over to my sidebar and participate in the poll on this topic.

Poll results: Are You Okay Seeing Children Wearing A Harness? 15 Participated in poll. 12(80%) YES. 3(20%) NO