if you are an opponent to spankings and corporal punishment, please don't read here if you flame...

a lot of things going on in my head.

i am not quite sure where to begin.
i think one of the biggest goals is to get some shit done this weekend before tracie comes home and kills everyone here.

this house is so messy. the living room is the cleanest place. everywhere else is a disaster area.
i have bags of toys that i was going to give away to the goodwill or salvation army. i had them set away in my office before i left on my cruise and i came home to find that the kids had gone through them and pulled out some toys.

i told them yesterday that i would pull out as many toys as i saw fit and put them back into the bags. we can't have this much shit in this house.

growing up, i didn't have a lot of toys. my mom and dad really couldn't afford that kind of stuff, but my mom would occasionally go to the goodwill and pick up nice things for us. i was always greatful and never felt like i was left out because most of the kids on my block were the same way.
all broke.
no joke.

life goes on, but in this house it will go on with fewer clutter.

i had quite a few things broken while i was on the cruise.

they weren't little things.

the two major ones were the cord to my blinds: the largest set in the house. the cord was broken and then tied back together. that is some shit. no one has said a word about it, so i guess i will have to ask my brother what the hell happened.
and i had a party lite set where one piece was broken and they don't make this set anymore. i am not happy with the unwillingness to fess up to this type of shit.

the kids must think i am so mean.
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for example, i gave the kids fair warning about how it was time for bed and it was time to lie down and be quiet. they played and talked and made a big noise until i went in again and gave them a quiet on 3 countdown.

i told them that after that, they had to get quiet and that i would eventually come back in with the spoon.

lo, and behold they don't quiet down.

i came in with the wooden spoon. asked for hands and proceeded to deliver their licks.

marcus put out his hand and took it well. milo put out his hand and accepted it graciously then buried his face in the pillow and screamed until the sting went away.

then we got to Jordan.....


i said give me your hand.
she said it would hurt.
i said that she was getting punished because she could not listen.
she kept telling me it was going to hurt.

this went on for about 6 or 7 minutes.
all the while the boys are just watching her wondering if i am going
to give in to all of her begging and pleading and not smack her hand.
that wouldn't be fair to the boys.
she gets away with alot because she gets the adults to cave in.
it hasn't been that way.
just because she doesn't we the bed does not mean that she can have all the water she wants before bed. they boys can't and neither can she.

so the battle royale raged on and on.

i asked the boys if their hands still hurt. milo said a little and marcus said it didn't hurt anymore. i explained to jordan about the temporary pain to help her remember that i meant what i said and that she should work on listening better.

i finally laid it down......

i will count down from 10 and if you don't give me that hand then i will get your behind.

but i will hurt! (who might have guessed that would have come out of her mouth?)

i counted down from 10 and you could see her hiding under her covers working herself up into a tizzy.

i gave her the last chance to put out her hand. then i swatted her butt. you would have thought that i was trying to kill her.

my brother then took his cue. he came in, kissed the kids good night and slunk back to his room. good brother, good good brother.

there are 6 people living in this house.
that is a lot of people.
there needs to be more free space.

the kids room is a god awful mess.
the toys. yikes.

they wake up in the morning and drag out their blankets to the living room, sit and eat and watch tv.

they all have housecoats. they should wear them.</cut>

*sigh*

i hate to be so strict, but what can i do. milo was near meltdown last night because he is sick and i spent all day yelling. maybe i should give up yelling for Lent. nah. not this year.