Before and After Kids- A Mother's Reflection

There's a picture I have on my bookshelf with me and my friends from a party circa 2004. My hair was a little bit shorter, my nails were done and I was probably a size or two smaller. I don't remember much about that night and if it weren't for the picture I probably wouldn't even have thought twice about it. It just made me think about how life BK (before kids) was and how it seems like such a distant memory. The picture was a year before I got the title of "mommy", but I just wanted to share some ways my life has changed since then.

Y'all know about that club pose, don't front.- 2004

College Graduation- Dec. 2003

My baby shower Oct. 2005

Before Kids:
- My girl would call me up, last minute, sometimes after midnight to go hang out and I would be up and out the door. Now- there are no calls after midnight. There are no calls after 10 for that matter.

-I would hang out/ party at least once a month. Now- I still party, but it's usually in the company of babies and grade schoolers- a lot of them.

-Sleeping in meant getting up around 10 or 11. Now- sleeping in doesn't exist, these kids are up at 7:30 every morning.

-I would go the restroom alone. Now-  they want to hold family meetings when I'm on the porcelain throne.

-Going out to eat was a normal, everyday thing. Now- there has to be a budget/ coupon/ 2 for 1 special to feed my family of 4.

- I felt cute and sexy 80% of the time. Now- I find it hard to come out of "mommy mode" for some grown and sexy time. (Sorry hubby).

- I didn't even like kids. Now- I still don't. I love my children dearly.

- If I was sick, I would lay down and sleep it off. Now- moms don't get sick.

- On my days off, you could find me at the mall, at a restaurant or at the movies. Now- A day off from work just means a day on for housework and errands. In other words, moms don't get off days either.

- Date night was nothing but fun. Now- date night can be stressful when you have to find a babysitter, spend money you don't have on a movie that you may or may not like or fall asleep on.

- I could finish a meal with no interruptions. Now- yeah right.

I never knew that these little people could control my life in this way. Now- I can't imagine my life without them.

July 4th, 2014

Forever loving my B.A.D.D. kids,
Rhonda

I'm officially DONE with Chuck E. Cheese

So for those of you who haven't heard, there was another brawl at a Chuck E. Cheese last night. This makes the third one for the metro Detroit area in the last couple of months. Yeah, I know the economy is on a slow crawl up, people are mad at the world and they just have an attitude for whatever reason, but really? At Chuck E. Cheese? What kind of example is that for our kids?

I haven't taken my kids to one since November, 2010 for a birthday party. If I remember right, it was early Sunday morning, so it was quiet then. But, we went the next week on a Friday after work and it was full of kids and parents behaving badly. Parents weren't watching there kids, they were trying to steal my kid's tickets from the games, they were cursing and being rude (both parents and their kids), so me and my husband decided we would have to find somewhere else to go because Chuck E. Cheese was not it.

Take a look at the coverage from Fox 2 Detroit.

Mich. Family: Grandmother Assaulted at Chuck E. Cheese's: MyFoxDETROIT.com

Unfortunately, we've gotten to the day and age where you can't say anything to anybody for fear of retaliation, but what do you do in a situation like that. Do you tell management, do you leave, or do you go ahead and talk to the people who are causing the problem? Apparently, you only talk to the person causing the issue if you ready for a fight. Chuck E. Cheese is supposed to be a place for children, parents. It ain't about you!

It's crazy that people don't know how to act these days. I would like to assume that people are aware of behavior that is inappropriate, and if they don't have a filter, than they need not go to public places. I stopped going to movie theatres where I had to be patted down a long time ago. I no longer go to restaurants or bars where I'm looking for the nearest exit all night, and now that Chuck E. Cheese obviously needs to higher security, I think it's better that I not subject my kids to pure unfiltered ignorance.

Word to the wise (and I use this term loosely), if you know that your family is not cut out for kid friendly functions, tell them to keep they behinds at home. Please and thank-you.