Don't worry...no eating disorders are being promoted! Unless it's eating rich sauces, seafoods, gravies, deep fried foods of every description, BBQ, potato salads, banana puddings, homemade ice cream, and the like, and lots of sweet iced tea, lemonade, or cokes! (You need to find the thread with the discussion about what a coke is in the south if you are somewhat new to the forum...just do a search for coke and you will probably find it ...or ask Mr. Spice or the AE4 because they now know the answer...oh, and Kim or Jodi know...or Stauri may tell if you ask her nicely. LOL)

Sadly, as far as eating disorders go, we are about the same as the rest of the USA, either dieting to excess or eating to excess. Both are eating disorders.


Let's see..."suck in your stomach and straighten up those shoulders, girl...if you keep slouching like that you won't have good posture and you'll grow up with a slump" and "put some color on...you need a touch of lipstick before you leave the house so you won't look dead" (which one of my sisters is always telling our own mother! LOL Even if momma is just running down to the grocery store for a quick stop, Seashell-Sherri makes her put on lipstick! Gypsy-Terri might do the same if she was there...and she is not home until next week-end, so no good coffee for another week. Can anyone say "wren is too lazy to make her own coffee?" Actually, I don't bother when it's just me.)

Now, I haven't read the book, so I don't know what it says. However, I have heard the above statements quite a few times in my life and not just from my own momma and grandmas...but from my aunts and some of my best friends mommas too. I think they feel it's their duty to tell all us girls these things. As I only have sons, I have to help train them how to be gentlemen, especially as their father is not from the south at all...he is what we call a transplant that came here and stayed...we have a term for those who do that, but it's not ladylike to say...and I get to help tell my nieces the stuff they need to know. Fortunately, my dear hubby is a gentleman, so my sons are learning all the right things, too.

While I rarely wear very much make-up...I didn't leave the house with my family today without putting on my lipstick. All we planned to do was have dinner and pick up some light bulbs at Wal-Mart. Oh, and ladies, very important...if you can put your lipstick on without looking in a mirror to do so, you qualify as a hussy! Don't feel bad...both Gypsy and my momma can do it! I would look like Bozo the Clown if I even tried... It's so disappointing!

Btw, the book is a humourous take on real southern advice momma's give their daughters...like being careful about wearing blue eyeshadow. If that's not done right, it's just tacky, kwim? So, I wouldn't say it's a joke book...just a look on the light side of some real life southern ways. There is a summary on Amazon.com at the link Kim provided if anyone wants to read it. I think I would like to read the book, myself. Just in case I've forgotten anything important, y'all!

Also, y'all is the proper way to spell y'all. It means "you all." So, you put the contraction where the missing letters go and push the two words together. Remember that little rule when you learned about contractions? It is pronounced like the word all with a /y/ sound in front of it...as one word. Y'all understand?

wren...sometimes you wish I would just be quiet for awhile, huh? Sorry, it's just not gonna happen!

Okay all that talk about food Wren had my mouth watering for a good barbecue.

Yes, Jill...BBQ does sound good! It will soon be the right time for a cook-out!

Hey, I've learned to put my lipstick on without looking in a mirror...as both my irl sisters could do it, I couldn't be the only gal in the family who couldn't.

wren

I think you should know that I can put my lipstick on without a mirror too Wren. But I always knew I was a "huffy" oh wait that is a bike I mean a "hussy".

J4...you may be a northern girl, but you got plenty of belle in you!

W2

Thank you W2. I felt that to be true.