D'Andra: My New Hashtag is #SexyTime!

My #HotHousehusband is back everyone! I’m so glad this week I get to share the screen with my honey, and give the “Mama Drama” a rest. Or should I say the "Mama Dee Drama," because I’m the mom in the house now!

I love thinking back to when I first introduced Jeremy to my parents. Jeremy is a very affectionate guy (sorry for the PDA in my closet everyone) and I just remember thinking, “OH MY GOD stop kissing me, my Daddy is RIGHT THERE,” haha! Jeremy and I were long distance dating for almost a year, so whenever we saw each other IT WAS ON...including the weekend he met my parents! Jeremy comes from a family that is demonstrative and unreserved with their feelings…to say the least. The LOCKS are definitely LOVING! I think I was more concerned than my parents were about Jeremy expressing his affection towards me, because they could tell that we were just so in love. I know it made them happy to meet this man who was truly crazy about their daughter. My mother LOVES Jeremy; I always joke that she likes him more than me!

I will always be grateful that my Daddy and Jeremy were given the time to bond before his passing, and that we were able to have his blessing on our relationship. When Jeremy asked my Dad if he could marry me, Daddy said, “If you can afford her fancy taste in food and wine! You know she likes gourmet food and fancy restaurants as much as she likes shopping…so good luck and God Bless You!”

This week the roles of the house are reversed a little as I step (more like dive head first) into my responsibility as a stepmother. Jeremy has two sons from his previous marriage, Keatin and Koen. They are both great young men, and we are so proud of them. As parents, most of all we want them to be happy and achieve their dreams in whatever career or path they choose.

Keatin came to live with us after needing some motivation and a change of pace to the relatively small tourist and military city where he grew up in South Carolina. I know that the challenges of being a stepmom are something that MILLIONS of women across the country deal with every day, and I send my sincerest support to all the amazing stepparents out there; because it is a hard job, especially when you come on the scene at a time when your step kids are already young adults, and you have to find a balance of parental guidance and spousal support. Jeremy has always been so supportive of me and of my relationships with his sons, and he is one of the most dedicated fathers I know.

I have never wanted the boys to feel like I am trying to be their “mom”, or take their mother’s place, or be a super BOSSBITCH either, but at the same time, I don’t JUST want them to think of me as the new wife of their dad. I am here to help them when they ask for help, give them advice and be here for them as a mentor. It is obvious that Keatin needs help at this time, or he would NOT have left his friends and family in South Carolina to move here with us. Our new family dynamic is a tricky situation that you will see play out this season. But the dresses you saw were never sold, so…you best believe that will be coming up in a future conversation. And, Keatin cringes when his dad and I say SEXY TIME, meaning we need some time alone! We do it often just to bug him and watch him turn bright red! My new hashtag is #sexytime!

I am BEYOND happy that Stephanie Hollman and Brandi Redmond were finally able to put their hurt feelings and raw emotion aside and sit down like adults to get to the real problem at hand. The conversation brought up lots of past hurt for both girls, and you could see how lost they had both been without each other’s friendship for so long. I can’t speak for them, but I know that I am a tough cookie, and once you break my trust, it is very hard to be gained back, and at this stage in my life, I don’t eagerly give second or third chances. I am a little hesitant to see Brandi and Stephanie enthusiastic to embrace each other as “besties” again so quickly. I hope it is genuine, and I also hope that they don’t let their guards down with one another too fast, only to end up in another blow-up fight down the road. When you just brush over the exterior of a problem, instead of getting to the root of it, you leave the possibility of future trouble dangerously close to the surface.

I was honestly disappointed to see LeeAnne Locken’s Halloween Costume. LeeAnne has worked so hard to convince everyone that she is not that mean person that she sometimes came across as last year, and then she goes and sticks her own foot in her mouth with this little caper! To show up to Stephanie’s home dressed as an “evil” version of her is not only distasteful but downright rude! I love LeeAnne like a sister, but sometimes I want to stick her on a naughty stool and make her put her nose in the corner to think about what she has done! I do think that LeeAnne wanted to see Brandi’s reaction to her little “costume spectacle” to see if she would automatically take sides. I am glad to see that she didn’t! Brandi did a great job of balancing her friendship with LeeAnne and with Stephanie during the party. Now, can she keep up this balancing act? Time will tell… LeeAnne was definitely the TRICK and not the TREAT of this Halloween Party!

In other news, was I the only one that picked up on the “Bad Romance” theme of this soiree?! If there had been a REAL costume contest, Bill Clinton and I would’ve taken the gold!

Last, I must interject that Cary Deuber is a very good cook! Many times she whips up her delicious cookies for a sweet treat at the end of a meal at their house. And, Cary sister, I feel your pain because Mark is a perfectionist in everything like Momma Dee. Take that Mark Deuber!

And really last, Court’s eye roll is epic! I hope Kameron Westcott’s business plan is spot on. I have a feeling he doesn’t suffer fools lightly! I hope Louie is prepared!

Until next week! Hoping you all have lots of love and #sexytime and don’t spend too much time on the #naughtystool!

D'Andra Simmons