Best 4 Years...

I'm normally not much of a crier and my husband even less so. We can watch most movies without shedding a tear. Now that being said as a parent within the first few seconds of this song coming on we were both bawling. I can not even come close to imagining the pain that this family went through as I watch my daughter build me a castle on the carpet next to me and laugh with me as she talks about the coming holidays. I feel as though this song should have gotten more attention online than I have seen it get and just wanted to share it. Whether you are a fan of the singer or not it very beautifully describes a parents love and everyone should hear it...

The Desensitization of America

I know, I know...the title makes this seem like just another blog about how TV and video games are corrupting the youth. And yes you would be somewhat right, but the difference is that I watch TV every night, I play world of Warcraft, diablo 3, and Star Wars on my computer, and I own an Xbox 360 which I am on at least once a week. I think that while I do all of these things I try to maintain a healthy balance opting to go out with friends and/or family rather than sit home. I really believe that if a person chooses to walk away from all of the electronics they can live a healthy normal life. Although that is where the problem lies. Most people today would rather sit at home and watch movies about murders and theft or play video games where you kill other people for money and prizes than go out in the real world and have to deal with other people. That being said, I am not the most social person in the world as I have very few friends but I try and go out when I can and meet new people. I feel as though the movies and games being put out in this day and age are reinforcing the idea that reclusive behavior is okay. Not only that but I think it affects what people think is appropriate behavior. When I was in grade school it was unheard of for someone to walk into a school with a gun, or for children to be posting naked pictures of themselves online, or for children to be having relationships with people they have never met before. I think technology today has provided us with a false sense of security like a tightrope walker who thinks there is a net underneath them when there is nothing but empty air. I think that the programs we have can be a gift or a curse depending on how they are used.

To the Ignorant People that think it is okay...

Dear Ignorant assholes who think that it is okay to bash someone because of their sexual preferences, beliefs, or appearance, I find you to be the shining example of intolerance and idiocy on this planet. While I may not agree with others beliefs or sexual preferences or even what they choose to wear I keep it to myself because lets be honest here...its none of my business what other people choose to do or believe. When companies such as the Oreo company, JC Penney, and Google all decided to show support for the G&L community I felt proud of them because they are standing up and saying exactly what I believe to be true, that nobody should give a crap if you are gay, straight, bisexual, black, white, indian, christian, catholic, agnostic, or whatever you are. NONE OF IT MATTERS. You say that the bible condemns gay marriage, but you are picking and choosing which passages you believe because I'm pretty sure that something about blended materials in clothing is forbidden if I remember correctly. Also "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." -Mark 5:10 is a verse that stands out to me in this case. In church I was always taught tolerance, acceptance, and understanding and I WAS NEVER taught that my beliefs went before what GOD wants or that picketing a dead soldiers funeral is okay because he is attracted to men or she is attracted to women...Yep pretty sure God doesn't support that. Even if I were not a religious person I would still believe that you people need to shut up and reread the bible a couple of times because I'm pretty sure that nowhere in there does it say that you can pick and choose what you want to follow and let me tell you that if there is a heaven you are gonna look pretty damn stupid when you have to stand up and account for how you have treated these people who have done nothing wrong to you. I'm really getting tired of this becoming a public debate seeing how it is no ones business. That should be the end of it. It doesn't affect you, your family, or how you live...you may have to explain to your kids but are you really that uncomfortable talking to your children for 5 minutes about it rather than making thousands of people live in misery because you don't want to have to explain it to your children? Its easy, here I'll talk you thru it...little Cindy has two mommies or two daddies instead of a mommy and a daddy, but they love her just as much as your mommy and daddy love you. There not so difficult, right? So shut the hell up and let people live their lives the way they want to. Sincerely, A heterosexual christian married mother of two (not that it matters to anyone but you...) PS. yes, this is geared more towards sexual preference than anything else since because it seems as though I cant watch TV or open facebook without seeing someone spouting intolerance for the G & L community like its their job.

Doctors, Specialists, and More Doctors...

So a couple of days ago I had blood work done because my Gynecologist thought my thyroid gland looked swollen. I'm not even really sure if they should be checking that but I'm glad she did. I found out that I have Hypothyroidism which means that my thyroid is not working hard enough which can cause a whole slew of problems including anemia, depression, fatigue, uncontrollable weight gain, and irregular period cycles (all of which I have at this moment). First off I am upset that my primary care physician did not think to test me for something like this when he put me on medication for depression or when he noticed that my weight has been steadily going up even though I have been increasing my exercise every day in an attempt to get back into my normal weight range. I have no problem saying that right now I am pushing 170lbs and that I should be at most 140lbs and I would like to be around 130lbs. My problem is that weighing this much doesn't feel healthy to me even though I have gone on a very strict healthy foods diet and have increased my exercise to 1 1/2 hr exercise every weekday. In addition to this new problem, the blood work had some abnormalities (which they wouldn't explain over the phone) and they wanted me to come in to talk about taking the BRCA test because of the abnormalities and because of my family history. This really freaks me out because I have had more than one cancer scare in the last few years, but my husband has actually really been great about it all. Now I have to see my primary care physician, an endocrinologist, my gynecologist, and a lab place for the blood work. That is WAY too many doctors for me and I really wish that someone could sit me down and explain everything to me in a better way than everyone has. I'm just not sure if there are things that I should know about all of this or if it is okay that I feel like a child lost in the woods.

Pregnant Stars Posing Nude for magazines...what do you think?

Recently I read an article on how Jessica Simpson posed nude for a magazine cover which some stores kept covered because they were getting complaints. Don't get me wrong I think being pregnant is a wonderful and beautiful experience but I think posing nude (pregnant or not) for the cover of a magazine comes off as a bit trashy. I get it when it's for magazines like Playboy, but when its a regular magazine like Elle or something not meant to be used as porn I really don't see the point in that. I think that they look just as attractive if not more so with their clothes on. Maybe that makes me old fashioned but how I think of it is would I want my kids, their friends, or even a potential boss to find these pictures someday down the road and take them the wrong way. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with a pregnant woman showing off the beauty that comes with being pregnant but I have seen plenty of women that have done that without taking their clothes off. I just don't understand the need to have pictures taken of you nude and posted on the front of a magazine for all the world to see. What do you think?

Potty Training...

Nowadays when it comes to potty training they have movies, books, and all sorts of potties from the musical to the sticker giving, and even a dance. I remember back in the day when it went from diapers to extra thick underwear and that was it. Now potty training has all of these whistles and bells that I really don't know if they are necessary. It has taken a few months for me to realize that the pullups we were buying for my daughter were enabling her to be comfortable still going in her pants. Last week we switched her to underpants to see how she would do and she had one accident and has since been going on the potty without a problem with the exception of nap and bedtime when we put her back in pullups. Now don't get me wrong I think some things are useful like the potty seat so that she doesn't fall in when getting on the potty and even some of the potty books to help explain why things change from going whenever wherever to going on the potty, but I really do believe that the musical potties and sticker ones and talking ones take it to a place that potty training just doesn't need to go. What do you find useful while potty training your little one? What do you think about all of the tools for potty training?

Bully the Documentary

No, I have not seen it yet, but there is a lot of hype surrounding this movie and I find myself almost outraged about it. It has gotten an R rating because of a scene where some children are using the F word excessively. I just dont understand it because the ratings of so many movies in the past that I feel are way worse than this documentary, which by definition is meant to show factual events, have gotten a mere pg 13 rating. You want examples? I am happy to oblige with movies that I personally have seen:

1. Sucker Punch "pg 13 for thematic material involving sexuality, violence and combat sequences, and for language"
2. Abduction "PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, brief language, some sexual content and teen partying"
3. Limitless "pg 13 for thematic material involving a drug, violence including disturbing images, sexuality and language"

because you know I would rather my teen see a movie about violence, drug use, teen partying, and sexual scenes than to learn about bullying...note the sarcasm. And these are just a few examples that I can think of off the top of my head.
I'm sorry but in my mind anything meant to teach my kids to not be bullies and to stand up and don't let themselves or others be bullied around them is something worth letting them see even if there are a couple of curse words in it which I'm sure by the time they're 14 or 15 they have probably already heard from their friends or other places as I know I heard it by that age from friends, neighbors, and even random people in stores even though cursing was not allowed in my parents house. My children are not yet old enough to understand this as both are not even at preschool age yet, but when they do get to the point where I think they will understand it I want them to watch it and to understand how bullying affects EVERYONE. I will list a few links in the comments that you can go to in order to read more about this.

Getting rid of the pregnant belly...

I am having so much trouble getting rid of the gut from my last pregnancy. I have been eating healthy and exercising every day and have even tried the waist thing that's supposed to help but I just cant seem to get rid of this gut that makes me look like I'm 3 months pregnant. This is really bothering me as my favorite time of year is coming up; Summer. I love going to the beach and to be honest I would be embarrassed to go looking as I do right now. The worst part is that I cannot seem to find an affordable bathing suit that would cover this gut up. There are either skimpy bikinis, old lady one pieces that look like they have floral skirts attached, or they are over 200 dollars and lets face it none of those options will work for me right now. I will try almost anything within reason at this point. My husband has me doing 50 sit ups and 50 crunches every day but it doesn't seem to be doing anything...any suggestions? because I have completely run out of ideas.

Sunny Days = A Happier Family

Sunny days in my house means a happier family. My kids have so much energy and getting them out of the house makes it easier for them to run around and have some fun without getting into trouble. Although they get dirty and will need baths at the end of the day. I am glad I get the kids outside because they get fresh clean air, LOTS of exercise, and time to get messy without a massive house cleanup for me. Not to mention that it gives them more time to run around with the dog who often likes to hide out in my bedroom. We just finished an hour long walk and it pooped my kids out so much that 30 minutes before nap time and they are both knocked out (which is rare for my 2 year old). I love this weather because it makes me feel more relaxed and I can sit with a cool drink on a chair and watch my kids run and play for a couple of minutes or I can run around with them teaching them about caterpillars and acorns and onion grass or catching bubbles or playing soccer etc... I feel as though warm weather provides an infinite amount of things to do with kids from riding bikes to making dirt pies or even gardening though unfortunately we live in too much of a wooded area for anything to grow and even if it did the deer would come and steal it at night. I love this weather. What do you think about this weather? What do you do when it is warm and sunny outside?

The Hunger Games

I remember the first time I saw the first book. It was the only copy in the store and it was shoved in the back behind a bunch of crappy vampire books jumping on the twilight bandwagon. What caught my eye was the cover. When I read the description I have to admit it looked okay, but once I started reading I couldn't put it down and when I finished that I waited eagerly for the next installment to be released and the same with the the final book. I ate it up faster than a flame eats through gasoline. It was different from all the form books that are copies of copies of copies of the same story with different names and slight alterations. This is why I am so excited about the movie. I love the actors/actresses that they picked (seen via commercial) and I really cannot wait to see how they portray the story. I'm hoping that I can convince my mother in law to babysit so that my hubby and I can go to the midnight showing with some friends that invited us. So if you haven't already go read the books!!!!

Those Rare Quiet Moments In My Life...

I have very few moments where I have a bit of silence nowadays. With two kids who love to make noise along with a dog that loves to bark I cant even use the bathroom without someone interrupting especially since I am a stay at home mom. Don't get me wrong I love the noise and fun I have with my kids all day but sometimes I miss those mornings sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee and watching other college students walk to class or even just being able to sleep in. So I just have to say that this morning is a total gift because the dog is napping in the sunlight and my two children are actually playing quietly together giving me the opportunity to write this while sipping my coffee and eating a bowl of cereal. If you knew my kids you would know how rare it is to eat anything without them begging to have some of Mama's food. It is just nice to be able to enjoy a moment of silence before the screaming, imaginary friends, and singing and dancing resumes.

Tangled, going back to the old style of disney movies?

I love the movie Tangled and when I say love I mean LOVE as in I know all the songs and the character names (Pascal, whom is pictured to the far right, is my favorite). It takes me back to the Disney movies put out during my childhood when the music was catchy and fun to dance and sing to and the plot kept you entranced to the very last minute. Even my husband admitted that it was one of his favorite Disney movies and my daughter has declared her undying love for Eugine (NOT FLYNN RIDER, MAMA!!!). I have to admit that the past couple of years have been a miss for me with all the Disney movies especially The Princess and the Frog which with all of the hype I expected to be amazing but not only didn't entertain any of the family it also gave my daughter nightmares for weeks after. When we saw Tangled at Walmart I was a bit skeptical about how good it would be especially after buying a movie (The Princess and The Frog) that after one viewing sits in the back of the movie cabinet collecting dust and taking up space, but my husband convinced me that we should buy it. I am EXTREMELY glad that we did because soon after we could not find a single copy of the movie anywhere and it gets watched at least once a week, not to mention listening to the soundtrack almost every day during clean up time. I really think that all of the effort put into Tangled was well worth it as this is a movie that when the disk gets to scratched up or breaks I would gladly buy over and over and over again.

Veggie Tales

Whether you are religious or not I believe that Veggie tales teaches some really good lessons to kids. I'm not talking about learning numbers or ABC's like in most children's shows today; I'm referring to the moral lessons that I remember from the shows of my childhood (Care bears, Barney, Fraggle Rock). They teach about kindness, compassion, sharing, helping those in need, thinking of others before we do something that might hurt them, etc. and while my family is religious, I still believe that the Veggie Tales series teaches lessons that all children could use a dose of nowadays. It makes me sad when we go out and people are surprised that my 2 year old says please, thank you, excuse me, and I'm sorry when appropriate or when I see a child cursing, demanding what they want (If I tried that as a child I would never have gotten what I wanted and I would have earned a long time out or punishment), and all of the bullying going on nowadays. It is enough to make my husband and I consider homeschooling to try and shield our children from that as long as we possibly can. Now that I'm done ranting about the lack of morals that a lot of children seem to have nowadays and the lack of concern over this that their parents have I will get back on track. We just purchased a new video from Veggie Tales called Robin Good and I have to say I really am a big fan. They keep both my 2 year old and 8 month old entertained while reinforcing the lessons I try to teach them. *For those of you that think I'm a horrible parent for letting my kids watch TV, I do limit their TV time greatly and the 8 month old normally wouldn't have TV unless he crawls over to sit with his sister when she watches her one show a day* I have also bought tickets to see Veggie Tales live with my husband and daughter as an early birthday gift for her. I am really excited about it mostly because it is a surprise, she has never been to a live show of anything, and she really loves Veggie Tales. If you have kids and a netflix account I would really recommend watching one of their shows and seeing how your kids react. I believe they still have one of their live shows on there. They really help teach my kids lessons I want them to know while also pausing and letting them get up and dance to small music numbers and having fun. By the way I swear I don't work for Veggie Tales and am in no way being paid by them or reimbursed to sing my praises of their products. So please if you have the chance really check them out because the lessons they teach are really worth it and if you are against the whole religious side please check out Barney (I'm not a fan either but you can't deny they have some good lessons) or Care bears (the old episodes not the new ones).

Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters...teaching aggression towards animals?

I know this may sound a little overboard until you hear the story I have to tell. My mother in law bought my daughter these zhu zhu pet hamsters and while at first glance they were cute until I saw the commercials of children hitting the hamsters back (where the button is) to get it to move. Ever since seeing this commercial my daughter has taken to not only hitting the hamster to get it to move but I have also caught her doing it to our cat and dog (which she has NEVER done in the past). She has always been very gentle with our animals in the past so this struck me as a little bit weird. When I asked she said "that's how you make the animals move". Since then I have been reinforcing the idea that we pet animals not push them (which also works to get the hamster to move btw), but I just wonder why wouldn't a company think of that when creating a toy commercial and try to avoid the outcome of children all over the world thinking that it is okay to hit animals b/c that's how they get them to move on television. I know it sounds exaggerated but seeing how my 2 year old reacted to it makes me worry especially since lately I am seeing news reports about children and adults alike being caught abusing animals and seeing nothing wrong with what they did...if you don't believe me look up the story about the two boys who put their pet in a microwave and threw it out of a second story building or the story on hoarders about a woman who had what was believed to be over 50 animals living in her home(most were found dead or sick, only about 20 of them were okay when animal control intervened)...

Open Communication with your Children

This morning while getting ready to head to Grammy's house for the day I had put on a movie for my daughter (namely one of the old school care bear movies that I loved as a child). In the movie they were talking about best friends and how they are always there for each other. My daughter while watching this paused and turned to my husband and said "my mama is my best friend!" which I love that she feels this way but it brought up the fear that I have that as she grows older she will stop feeling that same way. And I can imagine many of you thinking or saying to yourselves that I am not supposed to be her friend but her parent. My response to this is that yes, I will always be a parent first, but I want my children to be able to come to me about ANYTHING and know that I will always be on their side. While I am close with my mother now I never grew up being close to my parents and had great difficulty in talking to them about problems I was having and just about everything other than the grades I was getting in school. It was so bad between my father and I that for my 15th birthday my father and step mother took me on a dinner cruise not knowing that I hated water and got sea sick, that I couldn't talk to them when I first got asked out, when I had my first break up, or even when I just needed someone there for me when the custody battle over my sister and I became just too much for me. I don't want my children to feel that way and am not sure if that's something that I can control or if it is in my children's hands or a combination of the two. I try to take time out to talk to my daughter every night and if she is away from me at any point I ask her about what she did and if she had fun. My son is too young to speak as of yet but I plan to do the same with him. When they do something wrong I try to talk to them about it rather then screaming or sending them to a timeout with no explanation. What do you do to keep communication open with your children?

Dear NJ State Police

Dear NJ state police,
I understand that your job is protecting people throughout the state of NJ and often need to use your lights on your vehicles to get to a situation faster. What I do not understand is seeing not one but TWO state police vehicles switch on their lights approaching a red light (I was stopped at both) and turn off their lights after using them to blow thru the red light. It is my understanding that that is illegal not just for us regular citizens but for police as well. Had both cars not been going so fast I would have taken their plate numbers and reported them, but alas I am not as fast as the two cop cars speeding thru a red light. I am tired of seeing the police as an organization use their power as way to get around the laws they are supposed to be upholding (as I'm sure if I had blown the red light as they had I would have immediately been pulled over and given a ticket). I try and teach my children that no one is above the law and that if I do the same thing that my daughter does wrong I get punished the same way that she does. When seeing the state police vehicle blow thru the red light I have no way to explain to my daughter why they can do that (when there is nowhere they need to be, they just don't want to have to wait at a red light) and we can not even though my son cries through every stoplight and we really don't want to have to wait at the light either. I am getting very tired of the God complex I see in the police force as a whole and while I know a few really great police officers there are as many that use their knowledge of the law and the power they are given to uphold it to help themselves in whatever way they want. I saw a video of a man a few days ago who was pulled out of his car (while in diabetic shock) and pushed to the ground and beaten while the police shouted "stop resisting, motherfucker"...the man wound up with some broken ribs and a black eye. The worst part of the video in my opinion was when the police discovered that he might be diabetic they started laughing about the beating they had inflicted upon the man. If this is what the police force is turning into I would rather move to Canada or somewhere where the police don't use excessive force against a man who is unable to control his actions, where the police actually follow the laws they are supposed to be upholding, and where people respect the police because the police aren't seen doing shady things and beating people up on the news every week. I understand that you cant do much unless you know about these incidents but I wish the state would take a harder stance against the police breaking or using the laws they are meant to uphold to their own advantage. Thank you.
Sincerely,
A mother trying to teach her children that no one is above the law

BTW the video of the man in diabetic shock can be found here for those interested: