Screaming is rarely good

And when I hear Baby screaming, usually it's because she's throwing a fit. But Mommy can tell the difference. I called the kids in last night, and heard her blood-curdling screams as she ran around the side of the house. I really expected that Little Boy had pulled her elbow out of joint again, but she was holding her hand.

I was scared to look at her hand; I don't do well with blood or pain. When she finally let me see it, I was sickened and relieved at the same time. It could have been worse - brother could have gotten all four fingers at the same time. But I knew that I needed to take Baby to the ER.

It was time to check Little Boy's blood sugar, and it was high. So I tried to figure out what to do! Why do these things always happen when Husband is at work? I called him and he helped me figure it all out. But not far down the road, I thought, "I should have given her some Tylenol!"

She was actually more upset that Little Boy had wrapped a rope around her, but I kept telling her that was not how her finger got hurt. I also explained to her numerous times that it was an accident and that she was going to have to forgive him. We were almost ready to leave the ER when she told him she wasn't mad at her anymore.

She cried and screamed from the time of the accident until we pulled into the parking lot about 45 minutes later. I am so glad the stroller is still in the trunk! She wouldn't walk, and I couldn't carry her. We were there about 9:45 pm. We got into the car at 12:20 am. We got home at 1 am, and the kids were in bed by 1:12 am.

It was just a really long night, and today as Husband left for work, he told me he hoped he wouldn't get any ER calls. Me, too!

Get your head out of the sand

Our president and administration are trying to destroy our country. They are setting us up for disaster, and they will then put their socialistic agenda into action through the infrastructure they are building behind the scenes.

The Healthcare Bill is full of back doors; no wonder they wanted to push it through before anyone had a chance to read it!

Let me just share one section with you: Section 440 "Home visitation programs for families with young children and families expecting children."

Wow. Sounds like a great idea? Page 837

"(a) PURPOSE. - The purpose of this secton is to improve the well-being, health, and development of children by enabling the establishment and expansion of high quality programs providing voluntary home visitation for families with young children and families expecting children."

Under the section describing the programs, the assurances, the results of needs assessment, and the assurances from the State that -

"(A) in supporting home visitation programs using funds provided under this section, the State shall identify and prioritize serving communities that are in high need of such services, especially communities with a high proportion of low-income families or a high incidence of child maltreatment;"

Allotments are made for Indian Tribes. (Don't they already have programs in place that don't work?)

"'Eligible expenditures' means expenditures to provide voluntary home visitation for as many families with young children (under the age of school entry) and families expecting children as practicable, through the implementation or expansion of high quality home visitation programs that -
(i) adhere to clear evidence-based models of home visitation that have demonstrated positive effects on important program-determined child and parenting outcomes, such as reducing abuse and neglect and improving child health and development;
(ii) employ well-trained and competent staff, maintain high quality supervision, provide for ongoing training and professional development, and show strong organizational capacity to implement such a program;
(iii) establish appropriate linkages and referrals to other community resources and supports;
(iv) monitor fidelity of program implementation to ensure that services are delivered according to the specified model; and
(v) provide parents with -
(I) knowledge of age-appropriate child development in cognitive, language, social, emotional, and motor domains (including knowleged of second language acquisition, in the case of English language learners);
(II) knowledge of realistic expectations of age-appropriate child behaviors
(III) knowledge of health and wellness issues for children and parents;
(IV) modeling, consulting, and coaching on parenting practices;
(V) skills to interact with their child to enhance age-appropriate development
(VI) skills to recognize and seek help for issues related to health, developmental delays, and social, emotional, and behavioral skills; and
(VII) activities designed to help parents become full partners in the education of their children;

page 846 Addresses state reports - "Each such report shall include a description of -

(4) the characteristics of the recipients of services provided through the program, including the number of recipients, the demographic characteristics of the recipients, and family retention;
(9) other information as determined necessary by the Secretary.

"So?" you ask. "What is wrong with teaching parents?"

What is wrong with just supplying people with "What To Expect When You're Expecting"? There are books that also address the first year, the second year, and 3s and 4s. Also, many of the areas the program seeks to address are addressed by PEDIATRICIANS. Ever heard of them? The government keeps stepping into the role of the church. Christians are supposed to teach these aspects through the light of Scripture.

My concern is that what is deemed voluntary now, will suddenly become mandatory if the Secretary determines it necessary. And while it appears that the statistics that will be reported will be anonymous, that is not guaranteed if the information is determined necessary by the Secretary.

And you think because your children are not younger than school age, you don't have anything to worry about. Do you suppose your children will ever get married and have children of their own?

If the government can start interfering in our homes, it can interfere in ANY aspect of our lives. It concerns me that vague terms like "maltreatment". And as a parent, I want to teach my children what I believe is age-appropriate. As a homeschool mom, I already am a "full partner" in my the education of my children.

Don't think this doesn't involve you - contact your representatives and senators and let them know how you feel about the Health Care Reform bill as a whole. It contains many infringements on our RIGHTS.

Are you willing to let your rights be taken because it's too complicated?

Seriously?

How many of these can one little boy hold at one time? Do we NEED all of them? He has a couple western rifles that didn't make it into the picture. And I think one of the machine guns belongs to Baby. But, really?

Another beautiful rainbow

Wild Children

My children haven't been very nice to each other lately. I don't know why, but it's getting old. Baby is sitting in her room b/c she was very sassy to me. We have them sit until they are settled down, and then they tell us they are ready for us to start the timer.

She's back there yelling (screeching), "I'm REEEEEAAAAADYYYYYY!"

Not really the "ready" I'm looking for.

I get tickled...

when famous (?) people respond to me. :0)

I've gotten 3 direct messages from Karl Rove on Twitter! And today, in a live town hall online, Paul Ryan was read my comment - that Pres. Obama has spent more time picking a dog than he has put into this health care plan! (I heard that on FOX News - not my original thought, but accurate!) He and others laughingly agreed. Mr. Ryan went on to say that time is not on the side of the Health Care bill, and Obama is trying to rush it through before people - THE PEOPLE - figure out what is happening. EXACTLY!

My head

almost hurts as much as my heart. It's just so hard to see my son go through the things he does. And today the insurance agent told us she could sell us a life insurance policy that would cover my husband, me and my daughter, but not my son b/c of his diabetes. I wanted too scream at her and throw her out of my house. It may not be her fault, but it has to be someone's fault.

Last week

was vacation Bible school, and I didn't post anything because I was WHIPPED. And even after it was over, I had the slide show to put together.

There were many things that went very well, and some things that need attention and can be greatly improved. DH and I were talking; he doesn't want me to do VBS next summer. I tried to explain that VBS is an area where I feel like I can make a difference in the lives of kids in our neighborhood. I can't go out door-to-door or do other activities that people who live closer to church can do, but I can help coordinate a great VBS.

I don't know for sure how many hundreds of dollars I have helped the church save in the last 2 years, but I know it's probably more than $800. We were able to use that money toward hosting the carnival.

This year I had more help and it was so much easier on me, but I still felt like I was running around like crazy.

The Great Pumpkin

or Little Jack O'Lantern, at least.

Tonight I smiled

I went grocery shopping today. It wasn't long before I started feeling down. Everywhere I look are foods that aren't good choices for Little Boy. I can give him whatever food we want, as long as we cover it with insulin. But when I can give him a cup of pasta or a cookie, I have to make the wise choice. So, I get sad. It isn't fair - I should be able to give my son a cookie when I want.

So I bought packaged rice krispy treats, and that's what my kids had for dessert tonight. And I watched Little Boy's face. He opened it and got excited. "I haven't had one of these for a long time."

He took his first bite, with his eyes closed, and said, "Ummmmm. This is so good Mommy."

And I smiled.

It's a first!

Today I wrote my first letter to the newspaper editor. There are many times that I want to, but this time I had to.

This guy - a retired English professor - is well-known in our community as a loud liberal. (I Google'd him.) He wrote a letter to the editor blasting those of us who are against the Cap & Trade bill that passed in the House. My first thought was, "Wow. Whoever wrote this used correct grammar and spelling." But as I read it, I got ticked off.

He ended his letter saying that we will never fix global warming until we do something about the population explosion; he called it a cancer.

Well, that was it. So I wrote a response. When I did a word count, it was 1200+ words! I kept working on it until it was below 1000. And then I looked again at the rules for letters to the editor. There was a 700 word limit. Great. So I worked on it until I got it below 700. Now to wait and see if it gets printed.

Here's what I wrote:

Thankfully, God the Father is in charge.

My letter is a response to Dr. Etchison’s letter: “Mother Earth won’t give us a second chance.” Americans have been sold a full closet of Emperor’s clothing. Global warming – an environmental fear-mongering hoax was initiated by the UN and perpetuated by Al Gore and the media. Our children and other gullible people unknowingly buy into emotional or cute propaganda, as portrayed in An Inconvenient Truth, Happy Feet, and Wall-E. Proponents of global warming treat their theory as gospel truth. Any disagreement, even backed by actual data, is considered scientific blasphemy. A recent Rasmussen poll shows only 42 percent of people believe that humans cause global warming.

The Cap and Trade legislation aims to reduce CO2 levels by 80 percent to lower Earth’s temperature by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2050. But Dr. Alan Carlin, Senior Operations Research Analyst, reports that while CO2 levels have steadily increased in the last 8 years, the temperature of the earth has steadily decreased, as recorded by thermometers on earth and by satellite measurements. Where’s the warming? http://cei.org/cei_files/fm/active/0/DOC062509-004.pdf

The EPA submitted its pro-regulation recommendation to the White House without Carlin’s findings. The EPA stated Dr. Carlin’s “comments do not help the legal or policy case for this decision.” The EPA withheld the whole truth to conform to an agenda. The theories presented were based on expectations, not facts. Carlin is concerned that the EPA has broken with tradition by adopting outside scientific conclusions without thorough review. A 38 year employee of the EPA, Carlin is not alone in his conclusions. 30,000 scientists (9,000 of whom have PhDs) along with John Coleman, founder of The Weather Channel, filed a lawsuit against Al Gore for fraud (global warming).

Dr. Etchison cites a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists. However, Joseph D’Aleo, the executive director of IceCap.us and a certified consultant meteorologist, states the report is lacking in science. D’Aleo also concurs with Dr. Carlin that the earth has cooled in recent years. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=577700

Buried in the 1200-page Cap and Trade energy tax bill are requirements: California EPA standards for emissions would be applied to heavy-duty vehicles, marine vessels and locomotives, among others. New houses must meet CA building standards to improve energy usage by 30 percent now, and eventually 50 percent. Houses for resale would be subject to those standards. Imagine the cost! Houses built before 1976 should be demolished and replaced with EnergyStar efficient manufactured homes. By 2020 regional fuel usage would be reduced by 15 percent by using public transportation. Water, electricity and fuel usage – all are slated to be rationed. Rebates, credits, incentives - all sound great, but where will the government get that money? Unemployed, homeless citizens won’t be paying taxes. Will the FED just print more money?

“We can save much if we are willing to shoulder the burden,” wrote Dr. Etchison. Our community will not survive if President Obama can eliminate the use of coal. NewPage would not survive. The coal mines in our area would become obsolete. Anyone who depends on these industries would suffer greatly. What will be saved?

Dr. Etchison’s disturbing last paragraph proposes that we do something about the cancer of population explosion. Does he see a specific group, age, race, IQ or global location that needs to be eliminated? How horrifying! Who would be audacious enough to make that decision? Hitler? Seventy-five million people should be killed? Or certain people should be denied the right to procreate? Worldwide, there are already 42 million babies murdered yearly through abortion, and we should add 75 million to that number?

Dr. Etchison credits “Mother Earth” for our planet. I contend that God the Father was powerful enough to speak the universe into existence; surely He is able to protect the earth and sustain it. We must be responsible with what we have been given. We must preserve our resources out of necessity and respect for our Creator. I would not dare to substitute the faulty reasoning and science of fallible man for the omniscience of Almighty God. He is a loving Father Who DOES give second chances.

My Name
My city, state

Therapy

I wonder? Does everyone have a huge disparity between their perception of themselves and how others perceive them? I know I do. My therapist tells me about it all the time. But when I analyze my thoughts and intentions, and line them up against Scripture, I am so lacking in every area of my life.

I recently talked to a former student who thanked me for being such a great teacher. I remember those two years. I was so depressed, I could barely drag myself out of bed each morning. I'd plow through the day and hurry home where I'd spend the evening watching TV and napping and then I'd get in bed and the sick cycle kept going on. My apartment was horrible, depressing in and of itself. I was broke. I was stressed. Teaching HS art and coaching HS volleyball were the bright spots in those two years.

Was I such a good actor or so good at hiding how I was feeling? Were people just that blind to the pain? I don't know. I get tired of trying to figure things out.

Why?

So why is it that on the few days I feel motivated to get things done, my feet and back hurt so bad? My kids and I are sitting watching Diego before they go to bed. I've got my feet up, but I'm not getting much relief. I'll have to take some Ibuprofen tonight. Hopefully I won't need Benadryl, but if I do, I'll be taking it earlier than I did last night.

I tried some cream for psoriasis, thinking that's what I was dealing with. But if that was it, I might have waited too long to try the cream. So at 3 am, I got up and took some Benadryl. About 4 am, I was about to fall over and the itching had stopped. Kids got up before 8. DH got up with them even though he only had about an hour more sleep than I did. I slept on and off until 10:30 a.m. I need to get to bed earlier or I am going to get sick.

Next week is VBS and I am not excited or ready. Yikes.

Our founding fathers

It amazes me (and not in a good way) when I hear people deny that our country was founded on Christian principles and the Bible. Statements of that type could only be made by people who are willingly ignorant of American history. The evidence to the contrary is deep; there are so many references to God, the Bible and Christianity in the writings of the founding fathers that any one who has read their writings would know better. The founding fathers saw the Scriptures as a text book for their lives and for their children.

In April, 1775, about a year before the Declaration of Independence was written, John Adams and John Hancock made the statement:
We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!

John Adams:
"I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen."

“The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”

John Adams wrote this in a letter to his wife Abigail on the day the Declaration was approved by Congress:

“[July 4th] ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.”

She's SO stinkin' stubborn!

I honestly think my daughter is more stubborn than I am. She defies me, and I would give up, but I am NOT going to let her win.

At this point, I don't even care if she takes a nap. If she doesn't go to sleep, she's staying in bed til morning, with the exception for going pee. She can get up, pee and go back to bed. And I've started taking toys. Not just taking them, but they are being delegated to the ... rummage sale. (Say it with a deep voice and an echo in your mind.)

Little Boy is taking a good nap; I could have too, if it weren't for BABY. Gotta go. She's at it again. I'm going to have the best rummage sale EVER. Thanks, Baby.

It's the 4th!

I've always enjoyed the Fourth of July. It is probably because I love fireworks, and it meant my birthday was not far away.

Over the years, the holiday has meant different things, and I think my love for it keeps evolving. I love our country. Where else on earth could one be so blessed? I have a much deeper love and appreciation for the men and women who have served to keep us safe and free. I am passionate about the flag and what it has stood for over the years.

I am not happy with the direction our country is being driven, right now. And I'm not alone. There were probably a hundred plus at the TEA Party today. And I'm sure more people showed up after we left.

On the way there, Little Boy said he had a headache, and Baby said she was feeling car sick. Great. We directed more air toward them, and Daddy rolled his window down. I was thinking she was feeling badly b/c she hadn't eaten any carbs that morning, just a fried egg and some sausage. I found a bag of fruit snacks - that should help her blood sugar right away.

We got there, found a nice place to set up our chairs, got the kids settled, and then. Baby started saying she needed to pee and that her belly hurt. I was really thinking she might barf. But she kept saying her belly hurt. I thought it would be wise to take her to the bathroom and put a pull-up on her. We went in search of a bathroom and ended up in a porta-potty. Ick. She took one look down and freaked out. I finally MADE her sit and pee, and I put her pull-up on her.

We walked the short distance back, and she started crying, saying she wanted to go home. Well, I wasn't about to do that. We had just gotten there. Soon she cried, saying she had pooped. I took a quick look, and sure enough - it was a doozy. We went back to the port-potty. I don't know if you're supposed to throw pull-ups in there, but I did. Sorry, people. Thankfully, when we got out of the car, I had grabbed a small handful of paper towels and I had two bottles of water.

I got her cleaned up, put her undies back on her, and we went back to the "party." She wanted to sit on my lap, and she seemed better. Soon, though, she started crying. She had pooped, again. In her undies. Great. I told DH we were going to have to go, but I had to get her cleaned up first. I won't go into all the disgusting stuff, but I threw her little Jasmine undies in the porta-potty, too. It took a LONG time for me to get her cleaned up, and we had to put her slightly icky skort back on until we got to the car. I had her take it off, and wrapped her in a towel we keep in the car for car sick kids.

We got home, I gave her a quick shower, and ate. DH rushed off to work, and here I sit while kids are supposed to be sleeping. But I can hear her playing. We might not make it to the lake to watch the fireworks. Which at this point, would be ok. But I know Little Boy would be very sad. We'll see.

SS teachers sleeping on the job

My kids are really in need of new SS teachers.

Little Boy and Baby have not heard of the rubber chicken in the story of Jonah! You know, the one that went overboard when the sailors were lightening the load? And ended up in the whale with Jonah, and then ended up on shore with him when the whale barfed. THAT one.

At least, that's what I heard.

Is Hell too kind?

I was flipping channels, and settled on an old episode of 20/20 on We TV. It was about abducted children. A boy who was never found, a girl who was found 3 years later - murdered, and a girl who was rescued but was severely abused.

My heart aches when I see dead animals on the road, but when I hear stories like these, I just about lose it. I fear for my kids' safety with so many degenerates in our world. I find small comfort in living in a small community, but that is no guarantee. Many times, abductions take place in small communities, too. Is there any thing worse than not knowing where your child is, or if they have suffered at the hands of another? Is there anything worse than knowing your innocent child was sexually abused and murdered? Is there anything worse than watching your innocent child, broken and used, struggle to find a safe place again? I guess being the child being harmed by someone who is supposed to protect you rates right up there.

I know there are horrible situations - watching your child suffer in illness, handicaps, heartaches. But missing children (and adults) just kills me.

So I cannot help but think that in these situations, hell is too kind.

It was a good day

We didn't do a whole lot this morning; this afternoon we went to get haircuts. By the time we got home, it was WAY past naptime. But the kids went to bed pretty easily. I got a nap, and when I woke up, DH had fixed pizza for supper. We ate, the kids played, we put 'em to bed.

Looking forward to a couple of normal-schedule days.

Baby and the bedtime battle

Almost every night when we put Baby in bed, she gets up and turns on the light. I don't know if she's afraid of the dark, or what. Most nights she'll find another toy and a book and climb back into bed. When we tuck Little Boy in, we see her light on under the door.

Last night she started peeling wallpaper, again.

Tonight, Daddy saw her light on, and checked on her. He found this:

Trip to the Zoo

For awhile, we've been looking at the calendar - trying to work some day trips in during DHs 4-day weekends. We won't be taking a vacation this year in an effort to save some money. So today we got things gathered, put the kids in the car, and told them we were going to the Pittsburgh Zoo. It's only about 3 hours away. Ha. Plus a stop to eat lunch, a little time burned up turning around after wrong turns, and we were there.

The kids were not so thrilled when we first told them. As we were entering the park, a family was leaving and they offered to give us their cart. At first I thought we'd be ok, but the mom pretty much insisted. It ended up being a life-saver. Carrying water, snacks, Little Boy's diabetes stuff... it adds up. And Baby and Little Boy ended up riding in it. At times they were more concerned about hopping in than looking at animals. Little Boy was hung up on wanting to see the sharks. The aquarium was toward the end of the loop, so that's what we heard the whole time. Baby was NOT happy about leaving; I promised her we would come back. People walking by heard her crying, and then heard me promise and they were all "aww-ing" her. Daddy ended up carrying her to the car.

Before we were out of the parking lot, she was out. We ended up hitting rush hour traffic leaving Ptsbrgh, but soon we were out of the city and made good time. At some point, we hit a couple bumps, Baby woke up and she was mad. She cried and fussed and started throwing anything she could reach onto the floor. We tried to ignore her for as long as we could. She settled down. We stopped at Burger King at Baby's insistence. She did great. Until it was time to leave the playland. Again, Daddy carried her to the car.

We got home, put the kids in bed and now we are winding down. Both kids kept talking about how great the day was, and about their favorite parts of the trip. Baby liked the polar bears; Little Boy liked the sharks. :0) Mommy's favorite part was the sea otters. Baby was standing by the glass, and the sea otters kept swimming against the glass right in front of her.

Baby slept a little on the way; Little Boy thinks this expression is funny. IDK.

Pittsburgh Zoo has a new baby elephant. So cute. Little Boy is 6. I know I wasn't that tall when I was 6. I was only 4'11" in HS. I grew 4 inches after HS. How crazy is that?

The African animal exhibits are nice. While we were looking at zebras, giraffes, elephants, my kids were mesmerized by the fish in the moat.

Here are my two sweeties watching monkeys. I will not say anything sassy. :o)

Little Boy is 6!

Little Boy was on the steps waiting for his first gift. This was his face when he saw it:



Daddy brought it around where he could see it.



He quickly took it from Daddy.




He gave Baby a ride, but I put the kabosh on it when I saw him take off and her feet flew up in the air.



Here's his cupcakes.



Gifts:



His diabetic educator, Vicki.

And Baby, after she fell in the lake.

Last Friday

Just some cute pics my husband took of the kids, and he took some pics of my spirea bush.

Sprinkler!

Wednesday was hot and muggy, so we got out the sprinkler. The kids had a great time. Thursday we got it out again, but Little Boy tried to move it to make it more of a circle and it split at the seam. So Friday when I went shopping I got them a new one. These pics are from Wednesday.

Nothin' says summer like freezer pops and a sprinkler!

Bowling

Baby and Little Boy have been earning points. Baby earns points by keeping dry until naptime. Little Boy earns points by checking his blood sugar without fussing. Our church has been going bowling on Monday nights - it's a dollar for shoe rental, and a dollar apiece each game. So we took the kids bowling last week.

6 years ago

I was HUGE - I was counting the minutes until Little Boy was delivered. I had a planned C-section. The OB/GYN said there was no way the baby would fit through my pelvic opening.

We didn't find out girl/boy beforehand by choice. I had an ultrasound a couple days before the delivery and the tech offered to tell me, but I said no.

I was sure we were having a girl; DH wanted a boy and I didn't think there was any chance that I wouldn't disappoint him. (Like it was my "fault" or something.)

One of my good friends from Schaumburg had a horrible catastrophe - in the time from her appointment one day to the time she went in for delivery the next day - her baby died. I had that stress on my mind. I felt like I couldn't breathe until I delivered.

I was sleeping in the recliner - had been for months. Pelvic separation was so painful. I couldn't wait to sleep in my own bed.

Mostly, I kept talking to our baby - "Who are you?" "What do you look like?" "Please be cooperative." I was anticipating seeing that little baby face.

And was a cutie! I look at his pictures and he was so beautiful.