I was sitting in the stands this past weekend at the final game of my son's weekend AAU basketball tournament out in who-knows-where-Georgia. They were trounced by the best team in the state so I wasn't too upset. But they also lost their fight about 3 minutes into the 2nd quarter which was quite disheartening for all us parents who dragged ourselves out there at the crack of dawn to root for the team.

Once the next game began a fellow parent struck up a conversation with me and soon we were doing what I've often accused most older black men of doing when they get together at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners: we were trying to out-top each other with descriptions of a point we both agreed on.

The topic: The disconnect that kids have been sports and academics. It was a wonderfully illustrative discussion filled with laughter and analogies that would make any storyteller swell with jealousy. After going back and forth a few rounds, my new friend struck this final death blow:

"I got one even better for you, sir," he said. The classroom is where the kids learn the basics - the fundamentals of math, English, science, etc. --- the game [of learning]. The teachers are the coaches. Then it's up to the kids to go home and practice what they learned to adapt it to their style of learning and understand how to make it work for them. That's the practice that goes on after the scheduled practices. And when they go back to school, the tests," he said, pausing to make sure I was listening to him and for effect, "the tests are the games! But these kids don't get that. And I'm old so I don't know nothin' anyway."

He shrugged his shoulders the way Jordan did that time after one of the greatest slam dunks of his career. He had me.

I had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Photo Credit: StuSeeger

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Here's a question for you to answer in the comments:

What's most important to you?

1. A healthy diet?
2. A healthy attitude?
3. A dedicated workout routine?
4. Some combination of all of the above.
   

Please think about it and leave your answer in the comments section beneath this post.

Thanks!

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Anyone who has been to Brazil for Carnival knows first-hand the powerful hypnotic rhythms of Samba and the explosion of colors so intense it's absolutely intoxicating (if not unbelievable) to the eyes.

From the makers of the hit ICE AGE series comes RIO, a comedy adventure about taking a walk on the wild side. Blu is a domesticated Macaw who never learned to fly, living a comfortable life with his owner and best friend Linda in the small town of Moose Lake, Minnesota. Blu and Linda think he’s the last of his kind, but when they learn about another Macaw who lives in Rio de Janeiro, they head to the faraway and exotic land to find Jewel, Blu’s female counterpart. Not long after they arrive, Blu and Jewel are kidnapped by a group of bungling animal smugglers.

You'll have to take the family to the movies to find out if and how Blu & Jewel escape and who they meet along the way.


If you're a parent, and even if you're not, you may have noticed in the last few years that soundtracks from animated movies are better than most of the music currently being spit out. And I do mean spit. Most of these albums include music the entire family can jam to. The soundtrack for Rio The Movie is no different. Especially if you can dig samba rhythms like I do.

In advance of the April 15th debut of Rio The Movie, Makes Me Wanna Holler.com readers will have the chance to enter to win the original motion picture soundtrack. This CD covers the range of Brazilian music featuring tracks by Bibel Gilberto and Carolinhos Brown, Jermaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords), Latino sensation, Taio Cruz, Jamie Foxx and multi-platinum artist Will.i.am.

CONTEST RULES
One (1) winner will be selected at random from three (3) drawings held on Thursday, March 24, Tuesday, March 29, and Tuesday, April 5, 2011 beginning at 10 am EST. Only (1) "Like" per contestant will be allowed on each drawing day. Only one (1) CD will be allowed per winner. Winner will be selected within 24 hours of each drawing. Winner will be selected via Random.org. Winners have 48 hours to claim their prize after being selected. The RIO Official Movie Soundtrack will be distributed by Big Honcho Media after the conclusion of the final drawing and once the product becomes available to ship. Contestants must be over the age of 18 and have a valid Continental U.S. mailing address.

HOW TO ENTER
"Like" the above image on each day of the drawing on the Makes Me Wanna Holler Facebook Page. Contests will launch between 10 am and noon on each contest day. Valid entries can only be made within 24 hours of the posting of the drawing on each contest day as listed in the Contest Rules. In order to enter you must be a member of the Makes Me Wanna Holler Facebook Page.

Any entries not in compliance with the above will not be considered. This giveaway ends April 6, 2011 at 10:00am EST - the projected conclusion of the 24 hour time frame of the final April 5th contest.


E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

During the early years of this blog I wrote a lot about both my kids. But now that my son is a teenager I don't expound too much on him. He lives a pretty routine teenage life when he's not angering me to no end. Truth be told he's a good boy with good grades and he (and we) keeps his nose out of trouble. I snapped this a couple years back when he was still shorter than me and not the 6 feet 1 inch tall that he is. I ran across it the other day while trying to organizae my photos.





E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Answer the following poll and check out the results!





E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

One of the challenges that has come with moving from a single level apartment to a home with three floors is contending with the bumps and creaks in the night. Like anything else standing, a house is a structure that carries the burden of the weight of itself. It's prone to a few moans and groans, cracks and pops. Aside from that, most of the knocks that go bump in the night are the ice maker in the refrigerator, a broom falling or my son dropping his cell phone on the floor because he's finally released his death grip on it in his sleep.

I know this and by now the wife should too, but without fail, at least once every two weeks the following occurs:

Wife(shaking me awake): "Did you hear that?"

Me: "Who are you?"

Wife (In her quietest screaming whisper): "Eric! Get up! I heard something."

Me: "Where am I?"

Wife(now elbowing me in my ribs): "Eric!"

Me: "The alarm is on, so we're fine."

Wife: "You're the man of the house! You have to go check."

At this point I am awake and my eyes are rolling around in my head. She always gets me with that "Man of the House" crap. I'm the Man of the House when it comes to going downstairs defenseless to get my head chopped off by Chuckie, but on most other Man of the House issues that arise under our roof my wife is beating her chest and burning her bra at every turn.

So as always I convince my body to move from beneath the sheets. I tiptoe down the stairs and walk around to find...nothing. But what would happen if I actually did find something? What if, God forbid, a monster attacked or a shot rang out, then what? Will my family all huddle in a closet and wait to meet their maker? Will they hide in the attic? Because it's not like the wife is right behind me with a meat cleaver backing me up, or down the hall on alert in front of the kids' rooms. She just lays there in the dark waiting to see if I return to bed. What makes more sense is for all of us to huddle by the alarm control panel in our room, behind the locked door and hit the panic button connected to the police station. But that's just me.

As always, I crawl back under the sheets and she asks what made the sound. Most times I tell her it's the icemaker when I know that it is. And other times when I don't know what knock or bump she heard in the night I still tell her it's the icemaker.

I don't plan on ever owning a gun, but maybe I should pick up a nice, solid Louisville Slugger to keep in my closet. That way I won't feel like I'm being ripped from sleep to be a human sacrifice because I'm the Man of The House.


E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

A Guest Post by Renee Ross

In November 2009 I decided to finally stick to my guns and begin a journey to healthy living. It wasn’t my first attempt, I’d tried two other times in very public ways during that year but was unsuccessful. However, given the alarming statistics regarding African-American women, obesity and the subsequent repercussions on our health I could not continue to be a statistic. My entire family has a history of hypertension and my aunt was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. in November 2009 I weighed in at over 200 pounds on was on the fast track to health problems.

The week of Thanksgiving I embarked on the journey to healthy living and seven months later I’d lost 50 pounds, ran my first 5K and was prepping for a half-marathon. Although I’ve always known the tools for healthy living - my emotional state prohibited me from making the best decisions for my health. My decision to live healthy, hopefully prolonging my life and stay around for my son is one that I don’t regret.

I will not lie and say it has been easy. Like everyone battling the bulge I have good days and bad days. Sometimes I ease back into old habits like emotional eating. Other times I just don’t feel in the mood to exercise but the difference between now and years ago is that I don’t let myself completely give up. I recognize that tomorrow is another day and even if I gain a few pounds I have the tools in my toolbox to get rid of them before it becomes problematic.

I will say here and now that I will never be obese again. I will be fit and healthy and I will work on it daily. Although being healthy is challenging I am committed to living a long life. In October I ran the Nike Women’s Half-Marathon and raised over $5000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. On Sunday, February 27th on the day after my 41st birthday I ran my 2nd half-marathon, the Disney Princess, and it was totally and completely for me. Although I was not as prepared as I was for my first endurance race I remained committed to my goal and completed it with a smile.

This Princess has plans to stay around for many years to come. If you need encouragement on your journey to healthy living you can certainly visit me at my blog, on facebook, twitter and YouTube. Inspiring others inspires me and I love hearing success stories!

Renée is the author of Cutie Booty Cakes where she blogs about her life as healthy and fit mom. She is a contributing editor for BlogHer.com and has appeared in The Atlanta Constitution Journal, Parents Magazine, Southern Living, The Victory Project on MSN and has been seen on National and local television. In a nutshell, she is one busy lady!