Obama for President

 As a general rule, I am not a very political person. I have never actively campaigned for a President (or anyone else) to be elected but I am hoping that my voice will help the President be re-elected this year because I think the USA would be in dire straits indeed if we have Romney as President. Here are my reasons why.
1. Romney is a criminal, in my opinion. It is against the law to not pay your fair share of taxes and I fully believe he is hiding money offshore so he doesn't have to pay taxes on it. I also don't buy that he had 'no idea' what Bain was up to and didn't know they were defrauding the government by stashing funds offshore. I, myself, don't want a proven criminal in the main seat of government and I think most Americans feel the same way.
2. Romney's economic stance. I get that he is in the fortunate position of being in that top percentage that would be helped by less taxes but why shouldn't those tax breaks go to the people who need it most? I think our economy will benefit more from Obama's plan to strengthen the middle class than by offering tax breaks to the super wealthy. Most of the lower classes do NOT have health insurance and have no way to afford it. Romney's plan is to get rid of our only chance to get medical care or ever be able to afford it ourselves. I really don't appreciate the fact that people like him get free health coverage for life on my dime when I can't afford it for my family. America is supposed to be about equality. How about showing some of that? The super rich don't NEED the extra money. The lower classes do. It's great that you can run a business but America isn't a business. Learning to run a business is nothing like running a country, in my opinion. Business skills don't teach you how to deal with people other than customers. Just because you can make money from people doesn't mean you know what's best for them. As far as I am concerned, yes the economy is in the crapper but Obama had to work with what he was left with and things are getting better, regardless of what the Republican Party would have you believe. Economic recovery takes time and I think Romney will continue to run us into the ground, economically while Obama will pull us up and make us stronger as a country.
3. His abortion stance and ideas about women's rights in general. Believe it or not, women are voters too and I believe any woman would be a fool to put Romney in office. While I myself don't agree with abortion, I do understand that it is every woman's right to choose for herself and by taking rights away from people (women are people too) we take away from the ideal of America. The Republican Party for the most part, would like to believe that the only voters we have are white men and America is so much more than that. I am all for God and country but God made women too and he didn't make them to be stepped on by men. There have been loads of news stories lately where republicans are talking about what 'rape' is. These for the most part are men who have never had to deal with the trauma of a rape or the fear of that happening. One politician likened rape to a child being born 'out of wedlock' which is just ridiculous. A child born out of wedlock is very likely a child born to two people who love and respect each other. There is no love in rape, it's a crime that's about overpowering someone and forcing them to do what you want. Why would you want to carry to term, and possibly have to share parenting, with someone who forced you to have sex? Women should have the right to give their bodies to who they want, not who forces them. I totally believe that the Republican Party would like to keep all women, barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. I don't think they believe women should have a voice and. to me, that is intolerable.
4. Romney's public works. I have seen nothing anywhere about Romney doing anything for anyone other than Romney. On the other hand, Obama, and Mrs. Obama, are both proven in their charitable works and you do at least hear about them trying to help others improve their circumstances. If a President can't help others that are less fortunate, why should we vote for him? I, myself, would like to have a President who can not only say that he has heart and compassion, but show it as well. As for Romney, you can say what you like. but giving a very small portion of your millions in earnings each year doesn't compare to actually getting your hands dirty and really doing something for others without having someone tell you to do it. I think the President requires heart and compassion to do a good job.
5. Romney is no diplomat. How can you go on a world tour and insult other countries? If you don't have better sense than that, I don't think you are smart enough or deserve to be President. A President must be diplomatic above all things and Romney just isn't. Even I have enough sense to know, if I am in another country, I should study basic things about the country before I go, so I don't unwittingly offer insult, and I'm just a housewife.

All in all, I think any person who has eyes to see with and a brain to think with, should vote for Obama because if we vote for Romney, I truly believe he will run is into the ground while he plays at being President and gives all his wealthy buddies all the advantages while the rest of us pay for it. Obama is an open book to anyone who cares to read it. Romney is a wildcard. He has shown (by refusing to be open by his tax returns) that he thinks he is above the 'little' people. While I understand that he may not want people to know what he makes per year, I also know that, by him hiding information that lets the public make an informed decision, he is not the person I want in top office. I want my President to be an open book. I want to know that he will lead me fairly, diplomatically and with an eye to what's best for everyone and not just a select few.

Just so you know: http://www.propublica.org/article/romneys-tax-mysteries-a-reading-guide
                              http://current.com/shows/the-war-room/blog

Sons

I have 4 wonderful sons. They are a whole different ballgame from daughters. I have been blessed really. All of my sons are good men, for the most part. They do screw up every now and then, but they are still young. They are all highly intelligent and usually behave like perfect gentlemen. They all know the importance of treating women well, and this includes their mom. My sons mean the world to me and I wouldn't trade them for anything. They are all solid as a rock and I can depend on them to be there for me, just as I am there for them. We have always had a good time in our house, laughing and joking. I think this is important as we all need to learn how to take ourselves and life in general a little less seriously. My sons are all handsome, smart and well mannered men and I am so proud of each and every one of them!

Sugar n spice?

We only have one daughter and four sons. We raised her  to be able to stand up for herself, of course, with 4 brothers, she had to learn quick. We never wanted to have to worry about some guy walking all over her, so she was raised to know how to throw a punch. She is a remarkably strong woman now and I don't worry too much about anybody trying to hurt her because she is well capable of taking care of herself. She needs a man who is man enough to not feel threatened by a strong woman and is capable of giving her everything she deserves. She is a great mother. She had her son when she was 17 but she never complained about not getting to go out and staying home to take care of the baby. She has always worked for herself and her son (except when she was pregnant) and she doesn't skip work either. She has loads of health issues and plenty of reason to complain but she never does. She just puts her head down and does what needs to be done without any prompting. She is a natural mother and I am very proud of her for the job she has done with her son. He's a wonderful kid and he has manners and everything. I really couldn't ask for a better daughter. I am extremely proud of her and I wanted everyone to know how great she is!

Jason

So... I got to see Jason yesterday!!!! I have missed him so much. Hopefully things are worked out now so we don't have to go through that again. He was so cute! We took him to get something to eat and he played with me the whole time we were there. He fed me imaginary hot dogs, then informed me they were too  hot so he took them out of my mouth, blew them off and gave them back lol. He also wanted me to cry but I told him we didn't cry in restaurants. He is such a little stinker but he's my little stinker and I love him to pieces!

Books

Mists of Avalon
I think this is a fabulous book. I could read it over and over. It's a King Arthur and the knights of the round table story told from the point of view of the women in the story. It is well written and it seems that every time I read it, I find new things that I have somehow missed before. It tells more of the emotional story and not so much of the battles and stuff like that

Mercedes Lackey
While this is an author and not a book, I absolutely adore all of her books. She keeps you entertained from page one all the way through the end. Then, when it's over you want more.

Terry Brooks
I haven't read all of his books just the Shannara novels and the Landover novels but they are also books that I can read over and over. They are well written and there's enough action to suit everyone.

These are just a few of my favorites. I love books that you can read over and over without becoming bored. My budget doesn't cover new (or even used) books that often so I like something that won't get boring. I never have been one for romances or crap like that. Right now I am on a fantasy kick and have been for at least a year. I am reading solely fantasy now so if you know of any good authors, please feel free to share!.

My favorite things

For the next little bit I am going to review some of my favorite things. At the moment, I really don't want to write anything personal but I want to keep my blog going. I thought a good way to do this right now was to tell you about some of my favorite books, shows and other things. I am a huge fan of fantasy books. I used to read a lot of horror stories and stuff like that but now I find that I would rather enjoy tales of chivalry, magic, wizards and things we don't find in our world. Life has quite enough horror in it already so I would rather dream of what might be. My taste in books doesn't carry over to tv shows though. I am a huge fan of reality tv. I absolutely adore Gordon Ramsay and watch ALL of his shows. I also watch a lot of Food Network and I love Survivor, Big Brother and The Amazing Race. My favorite drink is probably Pepsi. Coke is okay if you drink it over lots of ice but I find that Pepsi is much easier on my stomach. I have lots of favorite foods. I am a certified foodie and I love eating. I don't eat any seafood though, I just can't force myself to get past the fishiness of it. I am definitely not a health nut. I like foods with loads of calories but I don't eat a whole lot of sweets. My preference has always been for 'real' food instead of junk food. In fact, for snacks, I am more likely to cook a meal than grab chips or cookies. As for movies, I don't watch many adult movies. I mainly watch Disney Movies with the grandbabies. I like movies okay but I don't wanna sit still and watch for as long as it takes. I get bored with tv. I never go to the movies because it's a fortune to go and I will wait until I can watch it for free because I'm cheap like that lol. I think Walmart is a great store. I can buy everything I want there and I have always had excellent customer service from them. I love cooking and thought about doing recipes but I never really follow a recipe, I am more of an experimenter and I don't measure stuff I just kinda know what it should look like. I could give you a list of ingredients and tell you what to do with them but you would have to figure out amounts for yourself and most people wouldn't appreciate recipes like that lol. I enjoy writing and making lists of things. I have notebooks full of lists lol. I also like to draw house plans because one day I intend to win the lottery lol. I enjoy painting and crocheting but I haven't painted for a while and really need to get new paint before I can. I think I'm a fairly good artist. I paint landscapes and I like them. I usually only crochet in winter because it's just too hot to hold it in your lap in the summer. I live in the mountains now and while I love the mountains, I miss the beach so I am planning on moving soon so I can live near a beach. I also want to live somewhere where I don't have to be so isolated. I miss public transportation and flat ground to walk on. Anyway I think that's enough about me for the moment. Starting tomorrow, I will be doing reviews of some of my favorite books and things.

Jason

I will not be posting any more blogs until Jason comes home. I don't really have the heart to write anything. Will let everyone know when I start posting again. Thanks everyone

Jason

Jason is very much on my mind. I wonder if he's safe? Is he happy? Does he know we love him and we are fighting to get him back home where he belongs? He shouldn't have to be going through this and it's something I will never forgive his dad for. How can you say you love your child and put them through something like this? I haven't decided just what I am going to do about it yet. I imagine God is watching and God can take out vengeance much better than I can. I hate that my daughter is having to go through this as well. She is pregnant and is going through enough without having to go through this as well. God knows we only want what's best for Jason, with us it has nothing to do with 'control' which is what his dad said. How screwed up is that?

Prayers for Jason

This weekend, Jason's dad decided he was gonna be 'in control' and decided to keep Jason. Now I know he's his dad and deserves to see him, my issue is this: He has not had, nor wanted, anything to do with Jason since he was born. Even when they were married and living together, I babysat Jason because his 'dad' refused to watch him and put him first. It was always much more important to him to go play sports than to be a dad. He has done nothing to financially support this child. As long as I have known him, I think the longest he has ever had a job was a month. Most jobs he quit within days because 'his boss was watching him' or something else equally stupid. Let me let you in on a little secret, stealing a woman's child will NOT make her run into your arms. If anything she will stay as far away from you as possible. How could you do this to your child, who you supposedly love? Children shouldn't be drug into the middle of your problems. For example, I can't stand Jason's dad but Jason has no idea of this because I know that no matter my feelings, he is still Jason's dad. I would never have dreamed of keeping Jason from seeing his dad but I also thought he had better sense than this. We have plenty of evidence to make sure a court doesn't award you custody, then what? Now you aren't trusted to take him for a visit. You made your bed, you sleep in it!!

Jason

Today, I am having a pretty good day. Jason spent the night last night and he has a way of healing what ails me. He is always so full of love and compassion. We had a great time, we built with blocks, played ghetto basketball (with a coffee can and ball lol) and pretended to give each other various things. He likes to pretend to give me heavy things or hot things so he can see my over-exaggerated expressions. He has the sweetest laugh ever and I would do anything to get him to laugh. He is getting so grown up now though. We rarely have any behavior problems with him even though he's only 3. He likes to play on the computer (with nanny's help of course) and he likes watching cartoons as well as playing quietly by himself or loudly with me. While he is here, I completely turn my tv over to him to watch what he wants and he and I take turns playing on the computer. It surprises me how well he does playing games on the computer. He knows how to make the mouse work (I have a laptop) and he knows what he needs to click on each game. If I have something else to do, I can safely leave him playing on the computer and he does fine. I usually put him on pogo simply because there are no ads there so he can't click into anything different. Also he likes pogo because it's more cartoonish. I am so very proud to have Jason as my grandson and I wanted to tell everyone. He is the sweetest child and he has no issues with showing it. A big thank you to our daughter for making sure we get to stay in his life. I couldn't imagine life without him.

Don't you hate it when.....

This is just going to be another fun post for me.

1. Don't you hate it when, just as you're starting to fall asleep, the phone rings and it's someone who just wanted to talk for a few minutes? This happens to me quite often but I keep weird hours so no one really knows 'when' is a good time to call me.

2. Don't you hate it when you drive all the way across town to pick up one item on sale at the store and get there only to find out that they are sold out?

3. Don't you hate it when the person in front of you at the buffet, takes the last of what you really wanted? I mean, really, who wants to wait for them to being more out?

4. Don't you hate going to the express line at the grocery store with 1 item and the person in front of you obviously can't count because they have over 100?

5. Don't you hate it when, you want to watch something different on tv so you go to the other room only to find that you can't hear your tv over the other one? This is a big issue in my house lol. Hubby and I rarely watch the same things and his tv is just loud.

6. Don't you hate it when you have to pee really bad and have to wait in line for the bathroom?

7. Don't you hate it when you get home from a big shopping trip to find you have left a bag at the store?

8. Don't you hate it when you are having a conversation with someone and they interrupt you to answer their cellphone or even worse, to answer a text?

9. Don't you hate it when you can't pull into your own driveway or parking lot?

10. Don't you hate it when you are fussing at your kids and forget their names?

Whine Alert

If you read this far, you have no one to blame but yourself lol. I have a few things to say about being sick. Unless you have had the same problem I am having, you really can't fathom what kind of torture it is. It's the worse thing in the world (in my mind, anyway) to be a foodie and not be able to eat. I love food, love to cook it and love to eat it. For the past 4 months, my repertoire of 'foods I can eat without having having pain or vomitting' is slowly dwindling. I can't eat most of the food I like. In fact, I have found that even foods which didn't bother me to eat 2 months ago, now I can no longer eat. It's very frustrating having to watch other people eat so I try to stay away from other people as much as possible. I know hubby doesn't intentionally do it, but he wants me to fix food for him and he doesn't understand just what torture that is. Dammit, I wanna eat!!!! What's bad, is that I have other, much more serious issues with my health (so far as things that could be fatal) but I find myself dwelling more and more on the not eating. Until you can't do it, you don't realize just how enjoyable eating is. Even if I could eat comfortably once or twice a week, I would be okay with that! I no longer get to enjoy anything resembling a 'meal'. Sometimes I can eat mashed potatoes, sometimes I can eat pudding, sometimes I can even eat ravioli but I can't eat any vegetables, most meats, pastas and grains are off limits, eggs are off limits, too much dairy of any sort is off limits, raw fruit is off limits. well really raw anything. I am losing weight like nobody's business, but this isn't the type of diet I would recommend. I might not mind so much if I had a weight problem to begin with, but I don't and I can't afford to lose any more weight. I already look like a skeleton with skin stretched over it (except for my belly, I have a little bit of weight there because I have had 5 kids) and this can't go on. Hubby keeps telling me to drink broth. Ummm can we say 'yuck'? That will do nothing to fill me up, I am starving. I am used to having lots of high calorie food whenever I want. I don't want flavored water. Not to mention, most spices are also off limits so it wouldn't even be really good water. At this point, I am getting totally frustrated. I feel like I am going on a hunger strike, without wanting to. I do know I can't continue like this, I'm going nuts and starving while doing so. By the way, I know I keep using the word 'starving' but that's really how I feel. This has totally consumed my every waking moment and I can't sleep much because when I lay down, it makes me want to vomit more. I have thrown up more in these last 4 months than I ever have in the whole rest of my life combined. Doctors tried to give me medicine but it made me throw up worse. Surgery is the only thing that is going to fix it, in my opinion, and right now that's just not an option. Okay, end of rant. I will try to be back later with a more 'positive' attitude :)

Getting Old

I know this is a subject lots of people write about, but I am sure that I have new insight into it, lol. As I age, I find that you have to be careful about laughing about things in public, and for God's sake, don't cough or sneeze. Women get the extra joys of peeing on ourselves when this happens. Yeah, I know it's gross but what are ya gonna do? I never realized this was an issue until it happened to me. This is not something women ever talk about. We learn to be proficient at hiding our little 'accidents'. We keep bladder control pads in our purses because we may have to switch while we are out. Sorry guys, but thongs aren't really an option too much anymore. There just isn't enough material there to hold a pad and if you don't have one on, not enough material to catch the pee. Then not only do you have wet underwear, but it's also running down your leg. Then you have to try to walk, while hiding you're wet spots, and pretend your undies aren't sticking every time you move. By the way ladies, a large handbag or long shirt helps tremendously here. I'm pretty sure all you guys are thinking how totally gross this is, but older women know where I'm coming from with this. I can pee 500 times before going to the store and drink nothing at all, but just one sneeze and it's all over. My kids made fun of me when this first started happening (told ya we had a weird sense of humor lol) but now they do like everyone else and try to ignore it. This is not a problem that we can afford to ignore any more. We, as women, need to come up with a solution to this because the men are too busy laughing at us. I have tried medicines that are supposed to help with this. They work... you can't pee at all when you take them and I can't imagine that's healthy. I keep hoping I will just kind of dry up and the problem will solve itself. Now, onto a whole different aspect of aging. I find, as I get older, that it rarely crosses my mind to go do something exciting and dangerous. Where we used to laugh at fear now we have embraced it. I have discovered that when I fall, it hurts and I don't much like it. When I was younger, we used to do some exceedingly stupid things (shooting each other with bb guns and running over each other with minibikes comes immediately to mind) and never thought twice about how painful or stupid it was. Now if someone asks me to do something new, my immediate thoughts are, a. Is this gonna hurt? and b. What are the odds I will get hurt? I have found that as I get older, it takes me longer to heal from everything. Even giving blood leads to a month long bruise that stays swollen. I don't mean a measly little gray bruise either, mine are usually a spectacular shade of purple mixed with black that covers half my arm. Good thing I don't shoot up because I could never hide it. I would just be one big bruise lol. Also, now we take more into account things that are supposed to improve our health. Like eating right. Did you ever really care when you were a teenager that fast food wasn't good for you? Me neither. I think God wires this into us because I find that as I get older, not only does fast food not taste that great, but it makes me run to the bathroom within minutes. I would much rather eat a nice meal at home. I have also discovered that I am 'set in my ways'. I like everything to go just the same every day with no surprises. I enjoy my schedule and don't like for things to come up that interrupt me. Of course, if it was a great surprise, like I won money or something, I am sure I could make the adjustment. I also find that I run out of things to say on the phone, my sister and I used to talk for 4-5 hours a day easy. Now I find it hard to find conversational material for a 15 minute conversation. all-nighters? Not any more. I need every bit of my sleep, and everyone knows when I didn't get enough. For those of you who are getting older, you know exactly where I'm coming from and for those of you who are still young, don't worry. your day is coming.

Online Friends

I have been pondering this subject for days and trying to decide if I really wanted to say something about it. I think it is something that needs to be addressed. Let me give you a little background on me so you know where I am coming from on this. I am a housewife, my children are grown and I live out in the boonies where we don't have public transportation and everything is uphill. We also do not own a car. My big adventure is going to the grocery store on payday lol. Needless to say, I have few friends. I am not really a 'people' person and it takes me a while to get comfortable enough with other people to make friends. I thought that the internet would be a perfect solution for me. I could meet lots of people from all over the world and make friends with people I would, in real life, have no other way to meet. I have only met one person online who I consider a true friend and we have been friends for over 10 years though we have never met for real. I thought facebook would be a good vehicle for me, since I like to play different games and you have people who don't know you add you as a friend for the game. While I have met several, potential new friends this way, it hasn't been quite what I expected. It is disheartening to put a status update that is important to me and it just gets ignored. I realize that people do have their own lives and that most people have loads of friends that post constantly. I am not a big one for updating my status and I try not to clog anyone's feed with game crap or stupid little messages like I am eating or something because really, who cares right? One post in particular comes to mind, when I lost my darling little granddaughter and asked for prayers. A lot of my supposed 'best' friends didn't even say anything. It has been a surprise to me that some of the people I least expected it from, simply because we didn't know each other that well, were some of the most supportive. The same with the blog. Other than family, I have only had 2 friends comment about it at all. I do the best I can to comment to any friend's post that asks for prayers or asks for an opinion, because you never know when you are the only person they can look to and call 'friend'. I have always tried to be careful about 'offending' any of my facebook friends but those days are over. They can take me as I am or not at all. Up until very recently, I spent a lot of time with hurt feelings (which is stupid over facebook) because I felt no one cared enough to read my posts. They were perfectly willing to share cute little pics, after all, so I knew they were seeing me. I have decided though, that I will stick with the few friends who have proven themselves as friends and to hell with the rest. I refuse to spend any more time worrying about what someone online thinks of me. I know that I am a person worth knowing and that's what matters most. If you like me for me, I would love to have you as a friend. If you don't, then I really don't need you in my life. I have realized that facebook friends generally don't act like 'real' friends. Speaking for myself, I want deeper relationships than Facebook can provide, I want the whole give and take that you get from a real friendship. For those of you who are trying my method to prevent yourself from isolation, find a few near and dear friends who really care about you and the person you want to be. Find friends who encourage you and make you smile even when you are most down. One great friend is much better than 10 mediocre friends. I am saying this from personal experience, I wouldn't trade my friend Eamonn for the world! He helps me even when he doesn't know it and I know that if I ever need to talk about anything, he is there for me. We sometimes go for long periods of time without speaking but when we do, it's just like we never skipped a beat. Everyone needs at least one person that they can unload to, someone who has no stake in it other than your happiness. Also, I will say again, please feel free to comment, even if it is just to say 'I was here'. Although I love my family and appreciate their support, I would also like to know that there are other people reading as well lol.

Why are we treating this as a 'non-issue'?

I have discovered a disturbing trend in my area. There are homeless people in almost every city in the USA but I have noticed that in my area, most of the homeless shelters will not accept children. They will take a single adult but not a child. Seems to me, our children are much more deserving of a roof over their head than an adult, no matter the circumstances. The children aren't to blame because their parents can't, or won't in some cases, seek employment. There are very few resources available to families with children, the people who need it the most. I think it speaks ill of us, as a society, that we refuse to help the ones who are complete victims. It is heart-breaking to me to think that children are living in the streets because society has failed them. How can we expect children to respect authority and society when they have been so badly mistreated by them? No child in America should be living hungry on the streets. How can we call ourselves the greatest nation on earth and allow this to happen? All children are blameless. They shouldn't have to endure the consequences of either society's or their parent's bad judgment. If the parent's are at fault, take the children away from them. Don't just throw your hands up in the air and say 'that's just the way it has to be'. No it's not. Children are our future and they deserve to have every advantage we can give them. How else can we expect them to become productive citizens? We are not teaching them anything except hate by letting this go on. We should be teaching them love and compassion for their fellow man. There is already too much of the attitude that 'nobody did it for me, why should I do for them?' Be thankful that you have what you have and give to others freely, because you never know when that rug will be yanked out from under your feet and you will need a helping hand. I understand that not everyone has the resources to help as much as they would like, but, really, would it kill you to offer a homeless person a sandwich? Every little bit helps and I think society as a whole needs a total revamp in their way of thinking. How can you let a single man, who refuses to support himself, have shelter and refuse a child who has no way of supporting themself? There is a serious problem with those that think this way. I do understand that some adults are just having a hard time and need a little help. I am not trying to belittle that. I just think any child is way more deserving than an adult. After all, when push comes to shove, an adult can survive and protect themselves while living in the streets, a child cannot. For those of you who doubt, I have lived on the streets myself, I am 5'1 and weigh about 115 lbs. I survived and took care of myself. A child is not capable of doing so even without the added threat of child predators. They have no way to make money legally therefore they have no hope of things ever improving. We, as a society, have to step in and take care of these precious commodities. I personally wouldn't want to have stand in front of God and try to explain why I turned a blind eye to homeless adults, let alone homeless children. Everyone needs to stand up and make your voice heard on this issue. If you give nothing else, give your voice. All shelters should be forced to accept children or they should not get public funding and their non profit status should be yanked. Maybe that would open some eyes. Ignoring it won't make it go away and as one of the richest countries in the world, we can, and should, do something about this!

Blogs are good for you

I have come to realize, that in my case at least, having a blog is beneficial to my health. I tend towards depression, and I find that being able to set down my thoughts in this way, helps me to relax and keeps me from staying awake at night with racing thoughts. In fact, when I lay down and my thoughts do start racing, I find that just saying to myself, 'Oh, I will write about that tomorrow' soothes me almost instantly. And I find that, while I would like to have lots of readers, it's not nearly as important as the freedom I feel from writing it down. I do check my stats several times a day to find out if I have new readers lol. I find though that even when no one reads it but me, I am a calmer and more relaxed person. I would definitely recommend blogging to everyone. It helps that I didn't really specify a topic for my blog other than my opinion. Good thing too because sometimes I tend to jump from topic to topic. It works for me because I get all the 'clutter' out of my brain and then I can settle down to what's really important, like facebook lol. I also tend toward what I call the 'what-ifs'. I am a born worrier and this helps with that as well. It's important for me to feel that my opinion is getting out there, especially in matters that I feel are important. I know that I still haven't quite gotten the hang of blogging as much as I would like to, but I am having fun with it and that's what's most important!

To all olympic athletes

To all of you who are Olympic athletes, congratulations! You have shown the world what the best of the best looks like. While those who win medals in their chosen sport get most of the limelight, even those who come in last deserve as much honor and attention as the medalists. For the most part, we have seen great examples of sportsmanship and I think that deserves to be noticed as well. If you didn't medal, don't look on it as a crushing blow but rather as a learning experience. Use that experience to improve your own game and come back even stronger next time. Most of you will have many more opportunities to participate in the Olympics and next time it won't all be so new to you so you will be more comfortable performing for a worldwide audience. As a result, you may not have those last minute jitters. I just wanted you all to know that we think you are great, medals or not. For those of you who did win medals, congratulations! Use the experience to be a graceful winner and show the world you can win with style. No one likes a sore loser or a bad winner. Remember that even though this is just one chapter in your life, you may be inspiring millions of others to follow in your footsteps.

Yes I'm a dork, so what?

Our family takes 'dorkdom' to whole new levels. In fact, when I first started dating my husband in 1987, he was warned that if we ever got married, he would be joining 'The Dork Family'. After all, it's only fair to warn potential mates. We all find humor in things most people don't think of as funny. For example, one of my father's favorite things is to tell you a 30 minute joke that has no point at all. If you ever meet him, ask him about the blue barracuda. We all are extremely good at laughing at ourselves and each other. New mates think they aren't liked because when we get together, we all gang up on the newcomer and everything they say is picked apart for 'hidden meaning'. By hidden meaning, I mean anything we can make fun of. And for God's sake, don't get caught in a stupid mistake or fall or anything. For the next 20 years, we will remind you of it, just ask my husband. He is a good sport about it (good thing because we pick on him a lot) and he has learned that he has to give as good as he gets. We have a great time in my family though. We laugh a lot (mostly because, even though we have all learned to be careful what we say and do, there is no shortage of stupidity in our world) and we all have learned to have sharp wits. This is a trait that I passed on to my children, we are all perfectly capable of laughing at ourselves as well as each other. When we were on a road trip to Florida, we broke down on the side of the road, the kids and I thought it was hilarious, hubby didn't agree. In this world, you have to be able to laugh at yourself and others or you will spend all your time miserable. If one of us falls, we get a blow-by-blow of our expressions all the way down. We do ask if you're okay between snickers though. You can ask my children, I have taken them to the emergency room after a fall and told the doctor it happened because they were an idiot. Not because I am trying to traumatize my children, but because that's just how we are. I would expect the same from them. My children know that I love them more than life and they never doubt that. It's just that we have an ingrained habit of not taking things seriously. We invent our own words as well. There for a while, one of my sons decided he was anti- N. Anything that had the letter N automatically got a T instead. Needless to say, we came up with some creative words. We also still pick on our kids for games they played when they were toddlers (they are all in their 20's now) and can spend all day doing so. That's the way I wanted my children to be raised. They have a healthy sense of humor and they can laugh at themselves as well. We don't always find the same things funny as other people do but that's okay because while others laugh at one thing, we will find something you aren't even seeing to laugh at. We also make up our own jokes that are stupid. One of my father's favorites is 'ask me if I'm a tree' and of course when you ask him, he says no. This is the kind of thing we find funny. It's just dumb enough to appeal to our sense of the absurd. So if you see me out somewhere and I'm laughing, you probably don't want to know why, and to ask is to invite me to bring you in on the joke, sometimes at your expense. Don't get me wrong, I am not generally a mean person but I think everyone else should be able to laugh at themselves. I can also take it as well as I can dish it so if you see me making a mistake, feel free to point it out to me!! You have probably all noticed by now that I don't 'do' paragraph breaks. As far as I'm concerned, everything I am saying is all 1 paragraph lol. I include this because I did just ask you to point out 'mistakes' and I wanted everyone to know I am already aware of that one and making fun of myself for it. In fact, I want to write a book but don't know if an editor will take it as all 1 paragraph. Everyone learn to laugh at yourself and those around you, it makes for a much happier lifestyle.

Do we really want a president who doesn't know geography?

Yup, you guessed it, I think it would be a monumental act of stupidity for Americans to vote for Mitt Romney. Not only has he insulted several countries around the world but he wants the taxpayers to pay for the wealthy to take more vacations. You didn't really think they would use those 'tax breaks' to benefit the lower classes did you? Guess what Mitt? I can't even tell you the last time I went on vacation because I am on the whole other end of the spectrum. It takes every penny we have to survive and we get NO public assistance so we foot the bill for us, not the taxpayer. I think if maybe Congress and the Senate and all our upper level government employees took a pay cut and learned to live here on planet earth like the rest of us, our national debt would be solved. Start selling off those vacation homes or, better yet, donate them to a homeless family who has nothing. The average person would like to get a break every now and then instead of watching them go to the people who need them least. To be honest, I would be shocked if anyone in upper level government could survive on what the average american taxpayer does. Our budget doesn't include dinners out that often, doesn't include movies out and vacations are just out of the question completely. Our entertainment is internet and cable tv. We don't even own a car because it's an expense we can't afford. Oh, and by the way, we also have no public transportation here, so we WALK everywhere we need to go.Sick? Better suck it up because it costs me 1/3 of my rent to go to a doctor and I don't have that kind of extra money laying around. I am personally sick and tired of doing without so people like you can vacation on my dime.

10 Ways to get rid of a telemarketer

When we get calls from telemarketers, we like to have fun with them. It's way better than getting mad about it. I know they are only doing their job but some of them are downright annoying.

1. Hand the phone to a toddler. This works best if your toddler doesn't speak that well. They are thrilled to talk on the phone and the telemarketer generally hangs up. After doing this several times, they will take your name off their list.

2. Keep interrupting to ask them questions about themselves. Explain by saying you like to 'know' who you are speaking with.

3. When they ask how you are, really tell them. There is a free complaint board for you.

4. Ramble. In the telemarketing business, they know that the more calls they make, the more sales they get. If you take up their time, you are doing mankind a service.

5. Pick a fight with them. Any subject is okay, again the idea is to waste as much time as possible.

6. Randomly insert a word (any word) as many times as you can in the conversation.

7. Argue them down on price then refuse to buy unless they give you a free vacation.

8. Let them talk but refuse to answer. Eventually, they get tired of talking to themselves.

9. Lay the phone down and walk away. A lot of systems won't let them hang up on you so as long as you don't hang up, neither can they.

10. Waste their time demanding as much information as you can think of about the company. If they comply, tell them you aren't really interested in buying anyway.

Household Tips

Here are a few household tips that have helped me plus a few different websites that have a much larger collection.

To unclog a drain, I pour 1 cup of powdered laundry detergent down the drain and follow with a dutch oven filled with boiling water. Unclogs instantly usually. The phosphates in the detergent eat away at the clog.

To clean a stainless steel or glass pan that has food burnt on to it, I pour powdered dishwasher detergent on it and sprinkle with a few drops of water. Let it set until dry and usually the burnt on food will peel right out with the dish detergent. Also, you can use oven cleaner, spray on, let set for 30-45 minutes and rinse and wash. Just make sure you wash well with hot, soapy water.

To make homemade vegetable stock, I keep a bowl in the freezer full of unused vegetable parts such as vegetable peels, tops of carrots, etc and when I need stock I just add my bowl from the freezer, spices and water. I also keep 4-5 butter bowls full of stock in my freezer so making soups is a snap.

To prevent ants, wipe windowsills and doorframes with a bleach based cleaner. Bleach erases ant trails.

To prevent slugs, pour beer around the area you want to protect.

Windex will remove food stains and odors from your hands.

To save money, we buy the bulk packages of chicken breasts and slice them in half. We get twice as many meals that way. For those of you who think that won't be enough, just add extra sides.

To prevent lemon seeds when you are squeezing a lemon, squeeze it upside down. It keeps all the seeds in the peel.

Vinegar will remove paint from brass safely. Just put item in a bowl and cover with vinegar and let sit for 1 day. When you pull it out, paint rubs right off.

For lettuce that is starting to brown, put it into a bowl, fill with ice and water and put in a few drops of lemon juice. Brings it back and doesn't change the taste.

To make your own pillows, cut up old sheets and sew them together then stuff with fiberfill. The pillows stay cool and you can make them any size you want. Also you can use an old pillowcase and stuff it with fiberfill.

If you get stung by a bee, hemmorhoid cream cools the sting and reduces swelling.

Coca cola removes acid from terminals on a car battery.

When putting vap-o-rub on a toddler, put it on their back instead of their chest, Keeps little fingers out of it and they still get the full benefit.

Save empty jars to store small items like screws.

My family can tell you, I save everything. Anything that can be used as a container of any sort is saved at my house. When we empty jars, we wash them and save them to store stuff in, sour cream, butter containers, coffee cans, we save it all. But, I almost never have to buy containers because we do save everything. I am also a big fan of lining baking dishes with foil. Saves loads of time doing dishes and you can use the cheapest generic aluminum foil to line with. It's mainly just to keep you from having stuck on food. This is a big help with lasagna and other foods that have melted cheese. I also like to keep zipper bags and such on hand because we buy everything in bulk and then separate it into portion sizes. For those who are not really fond of cutting up fresh vegetables, I find it much easier to come in from the grocery store and cut up everything at once then store in refrigerator or freezer. Then when you need, say, cut up onions, you already have them cut up in your freezer. Saves time when you need it most.

http://tipnut.com/category/household-tips/
http://www.mortonsalt.com/salt-facts/household-tips
http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/02/02/useful_household_tips.php
http://www.thefunplace.com/house/tips/hhtips.html
http://www.youtips.net/household-tips.php

Losing myself

  For years I identified myself as a mom and housewife. This was my whole identity. I had wrapped myself so completely in my relationship with them that there was no other 'self'. I had no identity of my own, no Vickie, I was just a conglomeration of everyone else's idea for me. As my children grew up and moved out, I have had real issues with that way of thinking. I have spent so long in that identity that now it's hard to find the real me. What do I like? What do I want to do? For many years, my answers were based on my family. Also, I had children young, so I didn't get a chance to find out who I was before I took on the role of mom. That makes it even harder to find out who I really am. I don't know if all mothers go through this, I just know that it has proven true in my case. I have to discover me after all these years. Yes, I still have the mom identity, and now grandmother as well, but it's just not the same because they don't depend on me like they once did. I find myself struggling with this. I am so used to being just that, that I no longer can find me. I need to try to find a way to refocus my energies on me. I want to find out just what my favorite everything is. I want to know that I can depend on myself for all my needs. I want to learn how to have fun, by myself. My kids tell me that I have 'empty nest syndrome' and I'm sure that's part of it, but the biggest part is that I no longer feel useful. All I can think of is 'What am I supposed to do now?' It's hard to lose the biggest part of yourself and have to start over from scratch. I spend a lot of time scratching my head and wondering just how I am supposed to do that. I guess I can just take it one day at a time and eventually I will find a brand new me. A me that doesn't depend on anyone but myself.

Don't use your kids as pawns

     You may think you are getting back at your ex (or whoever the case may be) but really you are causing damage to your child, who is blameless. Whether you like it or not, your child loves that person and you are hurting them as well. I'm not talking about cases where there is abuse or neglect. In those cases, you are doing best by keeping the child away from the person who is hurting them. I am talking about those cases where one parent decides they are going to 'fix' the other by refusing them access to the child, and in some cases, they even extend this 'fixing' to include all of their ex's family. I believe that children growing up in this age need everyone who loves them. Children don't understand that you are just mad and that's why they can't see daddy or mommy. When you insult the other parent to the child, you are insulting your child, who is half that parent. Husband and I split up when our children were younger and I never tried to keep them away from him. I also did my best to not insult him to them because I knew, that regardless of how I felt, they loved him. Even worse is when you deliberately lie to the child to cover up your own pettiness. Be assured, everything always comes out in the end because even if you think no one knows, God does and God has a way of bringing all things to light. It is not fair to your children to prevent them from seeing family just because you are not grown up enough to set your own feelings to the side and think of your child. That's my two cents worth on the matter!

Why I think we need National Healthcare

  I hear a lot of people speaking out against National Healthcare here and I wonder why. The only reason I can come up with is because they are already insured. There are millions in the USA who have NO options for health care at all other than their local emergency room, which should not be used for that reason. Take me for instance, I have no health insurance and can not get coverage from an employer. First of all, I do not have an employer, husband does but I also have pre-existing conditions (COPD) which makes me a bad risk for insurers. So that option is out. What about medicaid? Well that might be an option if I lived anywhere except in Tennessee. In Tennessee, they no longer have traditional medicaid, they have TennCare. In order to qualify for TennCare, you have to be either under 21, over 65 or have children under 18 (you also have to be a single parent with kids under 18) and none of those criteria fit me. I have several ongoing medical issues that really require monitoring by a doctor but have no way to go to a doctor regularly because I have to pay $150 up front per visit. Now, I don't know about you, but I just don't have that kind of money available to me. In the area I live in, you can't even go to the local health department because they only see people for 'women's problems'. So what are my options? At the moment, I can't see any. I had a doctor sign me up for a regional program that is supposed to help you get specialist care. They would not help me because I had seen another specialist before for the same problem and he doesn't participate in their program. I told them I would happily see another doctor but they refused to allow me to switch doctors. Now because of that, I cannot go to a specialist for a somewhat serious problem that requires specialist care. See, I have a hiatal hernia that prevents me from eating almost everything. I have been to the emergency room 3 times in the last 2 months because I was throwing up everything I was eating. I have lost over 20 pounds in this period and the emergency room doctors told me I really needed to get it surgically repaired since it is causing such problems. Since then, I have tried every option I can think of to try to get specialist care to no avail. I have written emails to my state governor and everything, which he never replied to, by the way. People like me have no option for ongoing healthcare. I ignore potentially fatal issues because I have no option other than an emergency room and I don't choose to go there if I can at all avoid it because I feel they should be there for true emergencies. I know I am not the only person who goes through this. National Healthcare would give people like me a way to enjoy a healthy life. And for those of you who think it couldn't happen to you, I thought that too. You never know when circumstances beyond your control will conspire to put you in the same boat I am in. This is why I think we NEED National Healthcare.

From mom to grandmother

   When I had my first child, I knew what true, unconditional love was. To look down on that tiny perfect little boy who depended on me for everything. Over the years, as I had my other children, that love just grew and grew. I couldn't see any possible way for that love to ever grow any stronger. That was before I held my first grandchild. Grandchildren truly are the greatest blessing in the world. The love you feel for your grandchild is a totally new experience unlike anything else in this world. The first grandchild I got to spend any significant time with was my daughter's son and he has taught me a lot. He teaches me new things constantly lol. He has taught me that it's okay to slow down in life and just enjoy what is happening in the moment. He has taught me that it's okay to play and act goofy sometimes. He teaches me new ways to sing old songs (because it's okay to mix the words up however we want them) and new ways to count. I wish that I had slowed down and taken the time with my own children. We have a pretty good relationship but it could have been so much better. Maybe it takes the distance of age to help us learn to slow down and appreciate what every day brings us. Now I have a wonderful time anytime any of the grandchildren are here ( just as long as it's not all of them at once lol) we laugh and play the whole time. We enjoy reading stories to each other and building with blocks. I couldn't imagine ever not having grandchildren now. I am enjoying their delight when they see or learn something new. It helps you to gain perspective when you view the world through the eyes of a child. They appreciate the truly important things like love, family and toys, of course. I have 7 wonderful grandchildren and I wouldn't trade them for the world. There is nothing like the feel of your grandchild's arms around your neck. It's funny, even when they aren't here, I find myself wondering what they would think of this or that and imagining their reaction to things that happen. I used to laugh at all the older people pulling out pictures of their grandkids, but guess what? I am really bad about it and I don't want to show you 1 or 2, I want you to look at the whole stack from the time they were newborns lol. I have learned that it's way more important for them to have flowers to pick than for me to grow them. I have learned that I even like flowers that have all the petals gone because my grandson thought they were pretty so he kept the petals and gave me the stems lol. Grandkids are a constant source of delight and wonder so slow down and take time to talk to kids and listen to what they have to say and learn all the new tricks they can show you.

Things that make me scream

  I thought that every few days I would add a post that's just for fun, so here are a few fun facts about me or at least things that really irritate me :)

1. Finding dirty dishes in with the clean dishes.
     All you moms out there know where I'm coming from here. They just kind of rinse the dishes and put them over to dry and you go to grab a glass and it's covered in grease. Even worse is when you can see pieces of food stuck to the plate. Then when you say something, they say 'well I tried isn't that worth something?' NO it's not worth anything because the dishes are still dirty!!!

2. Going to the bathroom only to find that there is no toilet paper on the roll.
     How hard is it to change a roll? Apparently very hard since a lot of people can't seem to grasp it. At least in my house although hubby is usually pretty good about it even though he puts it on wrong.

3. Websites with misspellings.
     Sorry but I am not going to much trust your product or my info with you if you don't make the effort to make sure you don't have any misspellings on your site. I realize that everyone has typos but when the same word is always misspelled, it's not a typo.

4. Commercials with annoying sounds.
      If your ad irritates me, I don't want to spend money on your product. Seems to me that would be common sense. You want to be remembered for a good reason and not because you made me mute the tv.

5. Half commercials.
     I don't know if that's just something with my local cable company but any time I want to watch a commercial, they only show the first half of it then the rest is something entirely different.

6. Sequels.
     In my opinion, most movie sequels are just crap. Just because it made money once doesn't mean it will continue to do so forever. So far as book sequels, they are only okay to start when the series is finished because I guarantee I can read much faster than you can write a new one and I don't want to wait a year to find out what happens.

7. Empty packages put back in the cupboard or refrigerator.
     Again, this is a mom thing. My kids are still awful about it and they have kids of their own! It seems to me it takes way less effort to throw it away than to put it back empty.

8. The whiplash moment
     This is when you are going 50 mph down the highway and someone pulls out in front of you doing 5 mph and takes forever to speed up. Not very smart since you have no idea how good my brakes are.

9. The leg shake
     This is what we call it in our house. Hubby and sons all have to keep moving so they all shake their legs constantly. Funny thing is, hubby will fuss at boys for doing it and he does the same. The house always has a slight vibration from someone shaking their leg. Even worse is when hubby does it in the bed. I have told him I will push him out of the bed but he still does it.

10. 'My kids will never act that way'
      Usually it's people who have no kids that say this since everyone who has kids knows that YES your kids probably will act that way and you only hope they won't do worse. Kids are people too and have their own minds so they just usually won't always meet your standards of  'proper behavior'. I don't know of many parents who have never been embarrassed by their kids.

11. The disappearing act.
     This is when I buy a special treat for myself and put it away to have when I want something sweet and then, when I get ready for it, I go to get it and it's gone because someone else ate it already. Even worse is when it's something that would go for several snacks (like 1/2 gallon of ice cream) and ALL of it is gone.

12. Putting it up so I won't lose it
     That's a sure sign that, whatever it is, it has just entered the great abyss. I will probably never find it again.

13. Grocery store again
      Getting home from the grocery store only to realize you forgot an important ingredient for tonight's dinner.

14. Who is it?
       People who call you and say 'who is this?' Don't you know who you called? I am not going to give my name to you just because you called me.

15. Doctors who are too smart for their own good
       There is nothing worse than going to a doctor and having them talk down to you and treat you like a blithering idiot. You tell them something is wrong and they act like you couldn't possibly know when something is not right with your own body. This may also be a local thing because when I lived in other parts of the country, this was not an issue.



    Well there ya have it! That's just a few of the things that make me want to scream so watch for more :)

Don't paint me with that brush!!

    I see a lot of 'Christians' saying and doing things that, to be honest, kind of throw me for a loop. The latest example is of course the whole Chick Fil A thing. I want to make it clear, I don't really think that they thought it was going to be nearly as big a deal as it has turned out to be. I don't think they intended to insult and hurt so many people (at least, I hope they didn't, as that would have been a monumental case of stupidity for anyone trying to run a business) they just stated their opinion, which they are entitled to. My whole thing is that my bible tells me repeatedly that we are not to judge others. We are supposed to lead by example, by showing people the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. I really don't think Jesus hates anyone whether they are gay or not. So I think at the very least, Chick Fil A owes the whole gay community a huge apology. I have read in several places of gay employees of Chick Fil A being devastated by the huge turnout to 'support Chick Fil A' which was really just a way to show hate and intolerance for a whole group of people. Jesus didn't preach hate and intolerance, he preached love and forgiveness. The Westboro Church is another good example of this. They picket soldier's funerals because they say that God is punishing the USA for having homosexuals. Really? I guess they think that gay people are only here and not in EVERY country. I think it's just an excuse for them to try to spread their homophobic attitudes and try to get as many people as possible to join them in their hate. Don't we have enough real issues without adding hate and prejudice to the mix? I think that Jesus loves everyone. He loves us whether we are straight, gay, bisexual, any shape, any color, male or female he loves us ALL. I also think that those of you who are judging others should be very careful of this as it tells us in the bible  in Matthew 7:1-5 Judge not, that ye be not judged.For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Basically, it's saying that we ALL have sin so who are we to judge someone else's sin? Just because someone's sin is different than yours doesn't give you the right to hate anyone. All sin is abhorrent to God. He doesn't pick and choose. Yes I'm a Christian, and yes I sin just like everyone else so I do my best to love everyone just like Jesus taught me.

My2Cents

    Hi! My name is Vickie and I am a newbie at the blogging thing so please have patience with me and I am sure I will get better as time goes on :)
    Just so you know a little bit about me, I am 41, married, a mom and a grandmother of 7 (soon to be 8). I decided to start a blog so I would have a place to, shall we say, air my opinions. While I would like to think that I am always right and so are my opinions, I do understand that there is always more than one way to view everything. Things are seldom black and white. So I just want to get my thoughts out there.
   I plan on using this platform to comment on things going on in the world as well as things that are near and dear to my heart. I welcome everyone's feedback and if you have suggestions on how I can make a better blog, please feel free to share :)