What happened to common decency?

I swear I sound like an old lady sometimes but I have my morals and I wonder why some parents aren't passing the same morals down to their little girls.  I do not have children yet but I would like to think my little girl/boy would have a good set of morals and understand the term common decency. 

I went to dinner Saturday night with my husband.  As we were pulling up to the restaurant he jokingly said "OMG look at all the 'hookers'!"  Thinking he was making fun of some random women hanging out in the front.  I replied "No babe, those girls are going to homecoming".  When we got a little closer he could see how young they were.  Now we are not THAT old but there is definitely a massive difference between what I consider appropriate for a High School homecoming and what these girls' parents think.  These girls were 16/17 years old and seriously looked like they were waiting to pick up a John on the highway.  Almost every one of them was wearing a sequined mini-dress, that was either strapless or had teeny tiny straps with cleavage peaking out, oh an don't forget the glittery/clear 5-7 inch heels.  I am not exaggerating!!!

One girl I saw was beautiful.  She had very long light brown hair with subtle curls/waves.  She was so cute and then I looked at her outfit and *tsk tsk*.  It was a gold sequin mini-dress the came just below the butt, it was strapless with a sweetheart neck showing some cleavage and it was SUPER tight, which she could pull off because she was 90lbs but still.  Not to mention the glittered 5" heels that she couldn't walk in.  So all in all I think it was maybe a yard of fabric...I might be being generous.  My point is she was so pretty a garbage bag would have looked fab on her but her outfit made her look cheap.  The proudest moment I saw was when her date covered her up with his jacket, good boy!

I'm no fashion guru but there are ways to look "sexy-classy" not that a High School girl should be going for sexy but whatever.  If you are going to wear a flashy dress, tone down the shoes.  Go for a lower heel that isn't as bling bling, since the dress is already bling bling enough.  If you want a short dress to show off the legs than cover up the top a bit.  Pick a looser fit, have some sleeves, cover up that cleavage!  If you want to show more arm/chest, pick a longer dress (not to the floor but at least mid thigh) and maybe not have a dress that is painted on, as in not as tight.  If you want SUPER tight to show off the curves make it a little longer and cover the top.  Trust me people will still notice the ta-ta's even if they are covered in a tight dress.  In all scenarios do NOT wear a 5" heel unless you know how to walk in them!  You look like a baby giraffe learning how to walk, its not attractive. If you want to be a big girl and wear super heels practice walking in them BEFORE the dance.  And if you must dress like the youngins I saw this weekend wear a cardigan to dinner! 

Come on girls, make the guys work for it.  Dressing like that makes you look easy!  Maybe that's what they were going for, the "hey I give it up" look.  What made me cringe even more was I found out the dance they were going to was a CHRISTIAN High School!!!  I went to a Catholic High School and they wouldn't have let me in the door looking like that (good Lord I sound like my mother).  We had to look respectable otherwise we weren't getting in the dance!  I know if my butt was on the verge of hanging out my dress, the ladies at the door would have called my momma to come get me...just saying.  Not that my momma would have let me out in public looking like that...she wouldn't have bought me the dress in the first place and like hell would she have put my in 5" stilettos...much less let me leave the house with out something on my shoulders!!! 

There was just so many things wrong with what I saw.  These young, beautiful girls looked so cheap and trashy.  I know our society glamorizes sex/sexy/slutty but its the parents job to say no...you are too young...when you are 20 something you can dress like a hooker but not while I'm in charge.  Like I said, no need to look like a nun but come on!  Parents step up to the plate and be PARENTS!  Tell your kids no because this is your one chance to mold them into respectable adults.  Being their friend will get you NO WHERE.  It will get you a 16 & pregnant, high school drop out that struggles through college with a baby...IF she even goes to college.  Or something even worse...you know what kind of MESSED up people will be ogling your baby girl.  If the prepubescent boys are getting a hard on, imagine the dirty, sick older men that are imagining doing God knows what to her.  You have ONE job as a parent...do your job!  Teach them right at a young age and they will grow into a proper adult.  If they still choose the wrong path at least you know you did what you were supposed to do as a parent.  If you don't try and they eff up royally you have no one to blame but yourself and it will affect the relationship you have with them as they get older.  They will not respect you for being their friend but they will forever cherish you for setting them on the right path. 

And I know I don't understand it all because I do not have kids yet but I have morals and expectations and I do not want my future daughter(s) or son(s) to live with regrets because of poor decisions on my part.  

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SLEEP NUMBER® m9 Bed

Today I visited my local Sleep Number store.  I was greeted promptly by sales personnel and given a wonderful look into the world of sleep number beds.  I found out my sleep number is a 35 which apparently isn't uncommon.  First I was showed the c5 in the classic series.  It was pretty basic but quite comfortable.    I was showed my pressure points at 100 and at my sleep number (35).  It was eye opening to see how much pressure was relieved by changing the firmness of the mattress. 

Next he showed me the p5 in the performance series.  It felt more like the mattress I currently have because of the pillow top layer.  Once we put the bed to my sleep number he showed me the way the feet and head areas raised.  I could immediately feel the tension release in my lower back even more.  He showed me the memory setting in case you have a favorite setting it will remember it.  I liked the feel of my usual bed with the perfect firmness and the ability to elevate my feet and head at will. 

Finally I was shown the m9 in the Memory Foam Series.  This is by far my favorite.  I like memory foam anyway but adding the ability to adjust the firmness with the dual air system made it that much better.  He also put it something called zero G.  It made you feel close to weightlessness.  It was an odd sensation but I think I could learn to like it.  It also has a cooling feature which was really neat because I am hot when I sleep.  I played around with settings for a while, lifting the legs and head areas until it was most comfortable. 

Honestly I think I would really enjoy having a sleep number bed to sleep on every night.  My only complaint is the upfront cost is so high.  I know they offer financing which will help.  These are two to three times higher than other mattresses but they come with a 20 year warranty which is significantly longer than a regular mattress.  So the cost is balanced out by not having to buy another bed as often.

I am a member of Smiley360 and receive products and services for free to try them out and give my opinion to you.   

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Glade Expressions Collection

Being a BzzAgent has introduced me to many new products I may not have tried otherwise.  I love Glade products but they are sometimes pricer than store brands so I am less likely to just try them without a coupon.  I am so glad I was able to try the new fragrance mist and oil diffuser from this collection.  The Cotton & Italian Mandarin Mist smells delicious.  It doesn't have that artificial smell many room mists have.  My only complaint is it doesn't last as long as I'd like it to.  The Lavender & Juniper BerryOil Diffuser keeps my living room smelling fresh and welcoming.  It smells quite delicious also but I think I prefer the Cotton & Italian Mandarin so next time I may try that out in the oil since it lasts longer.  Having dogs & cats I need home refreshers to keep that animal smell that sometimes creeps in at bay.  And honestly these products have won me over.  The fragarence mist also helps with the food smell after I finish cooking.  Not that my food smells bad but you don't need to be smelling Monday's dinner until Thursday.  Plus the longer the smell lingers the more likely it is to get in clothes and other fabrics so I always like to spray some room refresher to help it move along.  So give them a try and see what you think. 

I'm a BzzAgent.  I received coupons to get the above mentioned products for free to test them out and give my honest opinion of them.   I also receive free coupons to share with friends/family to help spread the Bzz.

Dailybreak

Dailybreak: I tried Dailybreak.com through Smiley360! You can join the fun and win rewards at http://bit.ly/O3cxhb #Dailybreakmission. I think its pretty cool and lots of fun.  Some of the challenges are silly but most really make you think.  I received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360.

Only in NOLA. . .

As always this weekend was stocked full of crazy events in the NOLA area.  There was the Red Dress Run,  Dirty Linen, Jason Mraz concert and all kinds of other regular weekend activities that take place in and around the area.  The first two guarantee a crazy time in the quarter, the rest is just lagniappe.

Lets begin with the RDR.  There was a marriage proposal, a few arrests (normal) and lots of public indecency (also normal).  The biggest indiscretion is probably the people who think its ok to publicly urinate.  I know it happens all the time in the area but the bigger the crowds the more likely it is you may actually SEE someone doing this.  There were, as always,  a few instances where you may see a shadow behind a vehicle or dumpster relieving themselves which is gross but at least you don't see much.  This weekend was the first time in a LONG time that you could actually witness blatant peeing in public.  I will list them in order of grossness not necessarily the order they occurred.  The first incident was a guy in a red dress. . .he sure did just whip his *ahem* out and start peeing in plain view.  No shame at all!  And he was itching his sack area which just made it that much more oogie.  The next was a girl in a red dress who just squatted on Bourbon.  At least ask your friends to surround you so others cannot see what you are doing but no she just wandered off to the side of the group and squatted as a stream of liquid ran down the sidewalk. . . um ew!  The last one I will mention is the craziest thing I have EVER seen. . . and I used to work in the quarter, you'd think this wouldn't surprise me.  There was a girl (attractive girl) pulling her red dress up and showing some full frontal panty.  She was in the nook of a building and talking on her cell phone.  She saw a group of people walking up (us) and pulled her dress down. . . then as we walked into said building she started to pull her dress up again and then dropped her phone.  She saw us standing by the security desk inside (which contained a guard) and she walked across the street. . . she then proceeded to hike up her dress again.  She pulled it up above her waist, yanked her panties aside and began to urinate.  . . while standing. . . in broad daylight while leaning against a parking meter.  I think we were in shock some of us stared in shock, the rest turned away.  She was a just peeing away. . . this may be TMI but it was splashing ALL OVER and there was a group of people that walked by right near her and she just kept going like it was the most normal thing ever.  The guard was like is she. . . did that just happen.  I almost couldn't believe it but we are in NOLA and some strange shit happens here so yea.  My thing is there are businesses, bars and even port-o-lets all over. . . why pee in the street?!

Moving on to Dirty Linen, this was less eventful in that respect.   But there were a couple of things worth mentioning.  One, if you are going to block off a street for pedestrians to wander do not make it impossible for emergency personnel to get through.  We saw a fire engine almost take out one of the drink tents that was literally set up ON Royal Street.  It was taking up more than half of the road and they had to scramble to get it moved so the engine could get through.  There was lots of cursing and name calling and the fire men were quite agitated.  Two, if you are going to open your gallery/shop on Dirty Linen night do not get angry when people bring in drinks.  Its NOLA, people usually have drinks in hand and there are pop up bars all along the street.  Either suck it up and let people bring in drinks and hope no one destroys anything or don't open that night.  So many artists/artist friends were irritated with 'drunk' patrons with drinks.  I heard more than a few heated exchanges over silly things which seemed unnecessary in most cases.  Blatantly drunk, stumbling and spilling, ok I get that but just people walking around. . . doesn't seem that big of a deal.  Three, careful what you say.  These people are opening their business to you.  It is not necessary to openly insult their products or artwork while in the shop/gallery.    Its OK if you don't like it or think its overpriced but you don't have to loudly announce in the gallery that it "looks like a child drew it".  The reason I say this is because one of my friends did this. . .it wasn't intentional but the artist hosting the gallery was within hearing and looked so embarrassed.  Clearly his art isn't for everyone but no one wants to hear that.  Just be courteous and at least wait until you are out of ear shot to make the comments.  Of course I'm sure he forgot all about us once he sold his abstract scribbles for $3,500. 

Next on the list, going to a bar on Bourbon.  Usually good times but oh the things people wear.  Too tight, too little clothing and too much air humping.  I was assaulted by someones big booty in leggins while sitting at the bar.  She was a shaking and a moving and her bootay broke my bag of goodies I bought.  Then she gave me a sweaty hug (thanks....).  We also had a creeper who was stalking one of my friends, he was standing way too close and practically undressing her with his eyes (ew).  There was also "snoop dogg" who was fascinated with my friends hair. . . actually touched it, like stroked her hair.  There was more red dressers who got into a "slapping game".  He slapped her, she slapped him and so on until she moved he missed and hit her drink and that spilled all over the back of my other friend.  Then there was the random patron who offered our bartender cocaine.  I'm sure there was more but I'll leave it at that. 

The sights seen in the Vieux Carre never disappoint.  They may scar you for life but they usually make for good stories.

5-hour ENERGY®

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