WOW. I don't even know where to start here. When did sharing your opinion become such a crime? Where is all this hate even coming from? Over the last few days I have silently followed many posts on the matter of Gay Rights and Gun Control. I have kept my opinion out of it, while I do have one I am not really in the mood to defend myself so publicly. I would be happy to have a one on one conversation with anyone about it, but as I have witnessed, making a social media declaration has lead to a lot of harsh words and immaturity.
Firstly, I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that it does not have to be the same as mine. I think that everyone sees things differently, and that is what makes us individuals. That is why we must learn tolerance and love. Does your best friend, your father, your spouse etc. think the exact same thing as you on every subject? NO silly, you would be clones, not real people. I would not like it if someone told me that my opinion is wrong because its an opinion, just as you would be equally offended if the same were said to you. Obviously from some of the strong reactions I have witnessed.
Secondly, have you ever heard the saying "If you can't say anything nice, than don't say anything at all?" Don't get me wrong, I think you should be able to voice your opinion the same as anyone else, but there is a line.. and a not so thin one either, between voicing your opinion and looking like an idiot. Don't attack someone else for seeing things differently. Don't resort to name calling and childish behavior and arguments, especially when it is right there for hundred of people to observe. This does not convince anyone to agree with you, it just makes you look like you are 12. Be an adult. You are one in age ( at least most of you) be one in action.
Thirdly, Social Media is meant to share your daily ins and outs, pictures, things you support etc. If you don't even like someone in real life WHY ARE YOU FRIENDS WITH THEM ON FACEBOOK? It's simple. Either don't accept their friendship (or request them as a friend) and if you have already done so sadistically, go to their page and unclick the box that says "Friends". It's done and you don't have to read about their lives or share yours with them. This will not however prevent them from seeing your comments on mutual friends pages.. sorry for the elementary explanation of this, but apparently it was over the heads of a few people today.
I am a lover of all people, and it takes a lot for me to dislike someone. I appreciate everyone's input and I respect the rights of others to say and do as they please, just as I expect them to respect that it is my right to do so. If you feel someone is wrong, by all means speak your mind..I am not asking that you agree with everyone, but remember that doing so does not mean that you have to turn to terrible language, insults and brainless accusations,you don't have to agree to be civil and respectful, . I would really like to think that none of my friends --- in everyday life or on Facebook--- are child molesters, rapists or into beastiality.. YET... according to Facebook today I know at least 8 of them. WHAT?!?!?
Come on people.. grow a brain, and I am not referring to anything off of the movie Waiting... I know where some of your minds are... I have seen your posts too.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Saturday, March 23, 2013
My Lesson Plan for Parenting.
The closer I get to delivering baby #3 the further I fall in love with #1 and #2. I didn't think it was possible for my heart to grow any larger for them than it already was, especially with all of my other organs currently misplaced and short on space. I was wrong.
Every day they grow more. They are using full sentences and talking clearly. Ellie is officially potty trained and I don't have to follow behind her every few minutes to make sure she is not peeing on the steps... or pooping in the kitchen... again. The faster they grow the more I realize that there are so many things that I have to teach them. They need to know a million things about the world, and with each day that passes they come closer and closer to experiencing life for themselves.
I both fear and anticipate the day that they get to go off and meet the world, the real world, with their own eyes and minds, but before they can do that there are some very important things they need to know.
1. Nothing you can do will ever make me love you less. You are going to make mistakes, you will hurt me and disappoint me, I will heal and I will always be your Mommy.
2. Be kind to others. This sounds cliche, but its not. It's important to be kind and loving. It's important not to hurt others, they will be hurt enough by the world, don't add to their pain, take away from it.
3. Never be a bully. Never point out someones flaws and use it to hurt them. You too are flawed. You are not any better than them, and God does not want you to judge anyone. That is for Him and Him alone. You should stand up for anyone being picked on, even if it places you in the line of fire.
4. You are Beautiful just the way God made you and I grew you. There is nothing wrong with taking care of your body, and accentuating your beauty, but nothing about you needs to be removed or enlarged. Do not hide your individual beauty from the world. (unless it is in an inappropriate place, in which case you should save that for your spouse.)
5. Your father and I are not naive. We too have done things that we are not proud of, things we knew were wrong and things we thought we got away with and didn't. That does not mean that we will be the types of parents to let you get away with whatever. You will have rules, and we will have standards. If you fail to abide by them there will be consequences.
6. Use your manners. Please, Thankyou, Bless You, Excuse Me, Sorry, Yes Ma'am, No Ma'am, Yes Sir, No Sir etc. These are not only polite, but contagious. In a world of rude and disrespectful people it will not only make you stand out as a good person, but using your manners will distinguish you from people with little character.
7. Be an honest person. Nobody likes to be lied to, and if you lie to others, you open the door to be lied to. Be honest and never allow someone to believe something that you know not to be true. Lying by omission is lying.
8. It does not matter what others are doing, it matters that you do what you feel is the right thing to do. You will feel pressure to do and say things that you know are wrong, things that you know we would not approve of. Doing these things anyways will only result in you feeling badly about yourself and will not lead down any path that you will want to take.
9. Have a positive self image. Having struggled for years I speak from experience when I say that not only does self hatred lead you to make poor decisions, but it changes who you are on the inside. It makes you less attractive to others, it leaves behind negativity and negativity duplicates itself without your permission. You should never allow something like that to take hold in your heart.
10. Don't be afraid to speak your mind. Your feelings and opinions matter. Don't ever let someone tell you that they don't.
11. Cleaning up after yourself may be annoying and unpleasant, but cleaning up after someone else is even worse. Learn to take care of that at an early age so it becomes habit, trying to teach yourself later in life is really hard.
12. Take care of the things that you have. It does not matter if it was cheap or expensive, given to you or you paid for it. Take pride in having nice things, and caring for the things you have. If you don't you will end up with nothing.
13. Spend time with your family whenever you get the chance. They are important, and they may not always be here. Cherish the time you have with them. Make memories together and never blow them off for no reason. Sleep can wait, your friends can wait, television is not that important.
14. Technology is wonderful, but it does not replace quality time. You still need to make eye contact, have in person conversations, and pay attention. Turn the TV off, put the cell phone away and turn off the games. They will wait.
15. Respect your elders. You don't really need a reason, just do it.
16. Don't rush to grow up. You are not going to miss out on anything by staying a child a little longer, but you will miss out if you decide you don't want to be one anymore. I know how hard it is to wait for things, but trust me, anything worth having is worth waiting for.
17. Take the nap. One day you will wish you had, like me. But instead you will be awake with your 3 year old who refuses to take one wondering why you ever wanted to skip nap time when you were his age. You are keeping me from napping... just take the nap!
18. It's ok to get messy. As long as you are not wearing your nice clothes and we are not on the way out the door. Play outside, touch dirt, get paint in your hair and play in the rain. I am not telling you to eat other peoples gum off the ground or anything, but don't be afraid of a little dirt.
19. Be gentle to animals. They can not tell you what they have been through. They deserve love and respect just like humans. Never torture or intentionally hurt an animal. It is not funny, it is cruel. They have memories and pain just like we do.
20. Always keep your word. If you make a promise you stand by it. If for some reason you can't you make sure that there is a good reason, and that you are honest and forthcoming about it.
21. Try your best, but it is ok to fail. You are not always going to be the winner. You will not always be the best. Sometimes you may come dead last, but as long as you put forth every effort you could, it was good enough. Try again. There is no shame in taking more than one shot at something. The only shame to be had is in giving up. That is when you become a failure.
22. Try new things. Do things you don't want to. You will be surprised to find there are things you really like that you never would have thought you would. Step out of your comfort zone every once in a while. It will grow you as a person and make you more relateable and approachable.
23. Laugh often. Laugh at yourself, laugh with others. Laugh at life's little moments. Nobody likes someone who is always serious, and laughing is good for your soul.
24. It is ok to cry. The world is an emotional place. Do not be ashamed to show your emotions to others, but do not allow them to rule you either. Find a happy medium, and remember logic when making decisions.
25. Love whole heartedly. It's important to give your heart away, but that does not mean that everyone you give it to will be gentle with it, or worthy of it. Don't allow fear of being hurt stop you from loving life and loving others.
26. It is important to share. Share what you have with those who have less. Share with your friends, Share the word of God, share your possessions and share your joy.
27. Life will hurt you. When it does I will be here. I may not be happy about your decisions, I may not agree with you. I will not tell you what you want to hear in order to spare your feelings, but I will Always Always Always hold out my arms to you and hold you until it stops hurting.
28. You will always be my little babies. JT, you are my first born, to me you will always be my handsome. When you are a man I will still look in your eyes and see the day that my world changed. The day that I stopped being Stacey and became Mommy. To me your eyes will always belong to a 6lb 15 oz blonde haired, blue eyed baby boy. Ellie, I am sure that you will test my patience more as an adult than you do as a toddler, but there will never be a day that you will not be my little girl. I will want to protect you and smother you with love and advice until the day I die. I will do my best to keep your Daddy from running off every boyfriend you ever have, but I make no promises. Dont hold either of these against me. It is how I am designed and one day you will understand.
29. One day you will be grown and getting married. When that day comes I hope you remember that relationships are not easy. They take a lot more work than you are expecting and there will be days when you want to give up. A marriage is a commitment that you make, and if you are both willing than no matter how hard things get you can make it. No love is perfect. No person is perfect. Your father and I have had our good share of rough days and we have only been together for 7 years. I can only imagine that there will be more in the years before you read this. If you give yourself a way out, its always an option. Human nature is to take the easy road.
30. You will never understand why I say the things I say, and do the things I do until you become a parent. Your whole world changes in the blink of an eye and suddenly you will realize that so many things make sense. Your hearts will grow and your views will change. I expect us to fight and disagree, just as I did with your grandpa.
31. Never forget that I am proud of you. I was proud of your first steps and your first laughs. Proud of you as you learn and proud of you as you grow. You will never have to do something monumental in order to impress me. The only thing I want from you is for you to be a good person and to be happy. That alone will make me proud.
32. Never let anyone tell you you can't do something. They would be lying. You can do whatever you want to do. You can be whatever it is that you wish. I hope that those things are good things, but be prepared that doing good takes more effort than the bad.
33. Be curious about the world. Ask questions, and don't allow others to keep knowledge away from you. If something feels wrong, it usually is. Know what you are getting into, because ignorance is not always bliss.
34. Do not allow money to buy your happiness or your loyalty.
35. You are in control of your actions, your emotions and your life. Only you can make decisions for yourself. Chose to be happy. Chose to be kind. Chose to be good. Chose to be trustworthy and friendly, to be outgoing and exploratory, to be faithful and serving, to be a survivor and never a victim, to be a positive person and to believe in yourself and others. Chose to LIVE and not let life pass you by worrying about what others think say and do.
I know there will be more that I need to say. More that I need to teach. I hope to do so in a manner so that they will remember. So that they will listen. I wish I had, rather than being so stubborn. There is nothing in my past that I regret. I am happy with who I am today and I know that all of my past experiences have shaped and molded me. I do however hope to spare my children from some of the messes that I had to clean up, and the awful feeling it is to know that you are the reason for someone else's pain. In time they will know all of these things, and more, but for now I can relax knowing that I still have time where they really are just my babies. That I can rock them, hold them, kiss away the boo-boos and distract them when I need to. I just wish time moved as slowly watching them as it did when I was in gym class in high school.
Every day they grow more. They are using full sentences and talking clearly. Ellie is officially potty trained and I don't have to follow behind her every few minutes to make sure she is not peeing on the steps... or pooping in the kitchen... again. The faster they grow the more I realize that there are so many things that I have to teach them. They need to know a million things about the world, and with each day that passes they come closer and closer to experiencing life for themselves.
I both fear and anticipate the day that they get to go off and meet the world, the real world, with their own eyes and minds, but before they can do that there are some very important things they need to know.
1. Nothing you can do will ever make me love you less. You are going to make mistakes, you will hurt me and disappoint me, I will heal and I will always be your Mommy.
2. Be kind to others. This sounds cliche, but its not. It's important to be kind and loving. It's important not to hurt others, they will be hurt enough by the world, don't add to their pain, take away from it.
3. Never be a bully. Never point out someones flaws and use it to hurt them. You too are flawed. You are not any better than them, and God does not want you to judge anyone. That is for Him and Him alone. You should stand up for anyone being picked on, even if it places you in the line of fire.
4. You are Beautiful just the way God made you and I grew you. There is nothing wrong with taking care of your body, and accentuating your beauty, but nothing about you needs to be removed or enlarged. Do not hide your individual beauty from the world. (unless it is in an inappropriate place, in which case you should save that for your spouse.)
5. Your father and I are not naive. We too have done things that we are not proud of, things we knew were wrong and things we thought we got away with and didn't. That does not mean that we will be the types of parents to let you get away with whatever. You will have rules, and we will have standards. If you fail to abide by them there will be consequences.
6. Use your manners. Please, Thankyou, Bless You, Excuse Me, Sorry, Yes Ma'am, No Ma'am, Yes Sir, No Sir etc. These are not only polite, but contagious. In a world of rude and disrespectful people it will not only make you stand out as a good person, but using your manners will distinguish you from people with little character.
7. Be an honest person. Nobody likes to be lied to, and if you lie to others, you open the door to be lied to. Be honest and never allow someone to believe something that you know not to be true. Lying by omission is lying.
8. It does not matter what others are doing, it matters that you do what you feel is the right thing to do. You will feel pressure to do and say things that you know are wrong, things that you know we would not approve of. Doing these things anyways will only result in you feeling badly about yourself and will not lead down any path that you will want to take.
9. Have a positive self image. Having struggled for years I speak from experience when I say that not only does self hatred lead you to make poor decisions, but it changes who you are on the inside. It makes you less attractive to others, it leaves behind negativity and negativity duplicates itself without your permission. You should never allow something like that to take hold in your heart.
10. Don't be afraid to speak your mind. Your feelings and opinions matter. Don't ever let someone tell you that they don't.
11. Cleaning up after yourself may be annoying and unpleasant, but cleaning up after someone else is even worse. Learn to take care of that at an early age so it becomes habit, trying to teach yourself later in life is really hard.
12. Take care of the things that you have. It does not matter if it was cheap or expensive, given to you or you paid for it. Take pride in having nice things, and caring for the things you have. If you don't you will end up with nothing.
13. Spend time with your family whenever you get the chance. They are important, and they may not always be here. Cherish the time you have with them. Make memories together and never blow them off for no reason. Sleep can wait, your friends can wait, television is not that important.
14. Technology is wonderful, but it does not replace quality time. You still need to make eye contact, have in person conversations, and pay attention. Turn the TV off, put the cell phone away and turn off the games. They will wait.
15. Respect your elders. You don't really need a reason, just do it.
16. Don't rush to grow up. You are not going to miss out on anything by staying a child a little longer, but you will miss out if you decide you don't want to be one anymore. I know how hard it is to wait for things, but trust me, anything worth having is worth waiting for.
17. Take the nap. One day you will wish you had, like me. But instead you will be awake with your 3 year old who refuses to take one wondering why you ever wanted to skip nap time when you were his age. You are keeping me from napping... just take the nap!
18. It's ok to get messy. As long as you are not wearing your nice clothes and we are not on the way out the door. Play outside, touch dirt, get paint in your hair and play in the rain. I am not telling you to eat other peoples gum off the ground or anything, but don't be afraid of a little dirt.
19. Be gentle to animals. They can not tell you what they have been through. They deserve love and respect just like humans. Never torture or intentionally hurt an animal. It is not funny, it is cruel. They have memories and pain just like we do.
20. Always keep your word. If you make a promise you stand by it. If for some reason you can't you make sure that there is a good reason, and that you are honest and forthcoming about it.
21. Try your best, but it is ok to fail. You are not always going to be the winner. You will not always be the best. Sometimes you may come dead last, but as long as you put forth every effort you could, it was good enough. Try again. There is no shame in taking more than one shot at something. The only shame to be had is in giving up. That is when you become a failure.
22. Try new things. Do things you don't want to. You will be surprised to find there are things you really like that you never would have thought you would. Step out of your comfort zone every once in a while. It will grow you as a person and make you more relateable and approachable.
23. Laugh often. Laugh at yourself, laugh with others. Laugh at life's little moments. Nobody likes someone who is always serious, and laughing is good for your soul.
24. It is ok to cry. The world is an emotional place. Do not be ashamed to show your emotions to others, but do not allow them to rule you either. Find a happy medium, and remember logic when making decisions.
25. Love whole heartedly. It's important to give your heart away, but that does not mean that everyone you give it to will be gentle with it, or worthy of it. Don't allow fear of being hurt stop you from loving life and loving others.
26. It is important to share. Share what you have with those who have less. Share with your friends, Share the word of God, share your possessions and share your joy.
27. Life will hurt you. When it does I will be here. I may not be happy about your decisions, I may not agree with you. I will not tell you what you want to hear in order to spare your feelings, but I will Always Always Always hold out my arms to you and hold you until it stops hurting.
28. You will always be my little babies. JT, you are my first born, to me you will always be my handsome. When you are a man I will still look in your eyes and see the day that my world changed. The day that I stopped being Stacey and became Mommy. To me your eyes will always belong to a 6lb 15 oz blonde haired, blue eyed baby boy. Ellie, I am sure that you will test my patience more as an adult than you do as a toddler, but there will never be a day that you will not be my little girl. I will want to protect you and smother you with love and advice until the day I die. I will do my best to keep your Daddy from running off every boyfriend you ever have, but I make no promises. Dont hold either of these against me. It is how I am designed and one day you will understand.
29. One day you will be grown and getting married. When that day comes I hope you remember that relationships are not easy. They take a lot more work than you are expecting and there will be days when you want to give up. A marriage is a commitment that you make, and if you are both willing than no matter how hard things get you can make it. No love is perfect. No person is perfect. Your father and I have had our good share of rough days and we have only been together for 7 years. I can only imagine that there will be more in the years before you read this. If you give yourself a way out, its always an option. Human nature is to take the easy road.
30. You will never understand why I say the things I say, and do the things I do until you become a parent. Your whole world changes in the blink of an eye and suddenly you will realize that so many things make sense. Your hearts will grow and your views will change. I expect us to fight and disagree, just as I did with your grandpa.
31. Never forget that I am proud of you. I was proud of your first steps and your first laughs. Proud of you as you learn and proud of you as you grow. You will never have to do something monumental in order to impress me. The only thing I want from you is for you to be a good person and to be happy. That alone will make me proud.
32. Never let anyone tell you you can't do something. They would be lying. You can do whatever you want to do. You can be whatever it is that you wish. I hope that those things are good things, but be prepared that doing good takes more effort than the bad.
33. Be curious about the world. Ask questions, and don't allow others to keep knowledge away from you. If something feels wrong, it usually is. Know what you are getting into, because ignorance is not always bliss.
34. Do not allow money to buy your happiness or your loyalty.
35. You are in control of your actions, your emotions and your life. Only you can make decisions for yourself. Chose to be happy. Chose to be kind. Chose to be good. Chose to be trustworthy and friendly, to be outgoing and exploratory, to be faithful and serving, to be a survivor and never a victim, to be a positive person and to believe in yourself and others. Chose to LIVE and not let life pass you by worrying about what others think say and do.
I know there will be more that I need to say. More that I need to teach. I hope to do so in a manner so that they will remember. So that they will listen. I wish I had, rather than being so stubborn. There is nothing in my past that I regret. I am happy with who I am today and I know that all of my past experiences have shaped and molded me. I do however hope to spare my children from some of the messes that I had to clean up, and the awful feeling it is to know that you are the reason for someone else's pain. In time they will know all of these things, and more, but for now I can relax knowing that I still have time where they really are just my babies. That I can rock them, hold them, kiss away the boo-boos and distract them when I need to. I just wish time moved as slowly watching them as it did when I was in gym class in high school.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
How Ellie Scared the Pants off her Mama.
This past weekend was one filled with family time. We don't really have many weekends around here that are not jammed full of things to do, so we like to take advantage when we can. We decided to go downtown Saturday, to pay a visit to a friend who owns a jewelry store. Ian needed a watch fixed and my mom had a ring there that was being repaired. While we were waiting, the kids were playing a version of Ring Around the Rosie.
Ellie, being the patience tester that she is was not in the mood to listen. The moment that Ian walked into a store, leaving me outside with both children, Ellie decided to take off running towards a group of St. Patrick's Day celebrators. Picture me- 7.5 months pregnant running down the streets after a toddler who can clearly move faster than her short chubby legs should allow- with JT following after us leaving my purse sitting on the ground where we started.
A few minutes after Ian came back outside we were standing there talking with the kids walking around and around on a grate in the sidewalk, when Ellie decided to take off between 2 of the parallel parked cars and into the road. Of course there are 10-15 people staring with their mouths open as Ian runs full speed into the street to catch her. Ellie thought it was hilarious, and did exactly what she does every other time we chase her- runs faster. She made it about 3/4 of the way into the lane before Ian caught her. She received her first public spanking. We are blessed that there happen to be no cars coming at the time.
I held it together long enough to explain to her that she could really be hurt. That she was not to EVER do that again and that it was not funny, it was scary. I was proud of myself for not losing it. I gave her a hug, told her I loved her and showed her that the cars were driving by and that they could not see her because she was too little. Then JT gave her a hug and told her that what she did was "too dangerous." His utter concern for her safety has always touched me. He is a great big brother.
That is when I lost it. Standing in the middle of downtown, tears streaming down my face trying to hold back sobs and a million things are racing in my mind.
What would I do if I lost her? She may be a pain in my rear end, and there are days where I am convinced that she will be the sole reason for my loss of sanity, but she is irreplaceable. I admire my cousin for her strength to keep going after she last her little girl last year. I tear up every time I think about how hard that must be for her every single day, and how much strength it must take to look her little boy in the eyes after losing a child. She may not know it, but she is my hero.
How on EARTH could I bond with our son who is coming in a few short weeks if something were to happen to her? That is not nearly enough time to grieve, how could I show a new child love if I were to lose one?
My little sister just lost the use of her legs, what if that were to happen to Ellie? How would you explain something like that to a 2 year old? It has been hard enough for my sister and she is 10, a toddlers brain is not capable of processing that kind of information.
Good GOD we are BLESSED. I may have a thousand little complaints, about the house not being clean, or not seeing my husband enough. About wanting to do things that I am not capable of doing right now, aches and pains that I wish I did not have, but on the other hand... I have 2 beautiful and healthy children, another on the way. We have a house and animals, we love each other and we have all of our basic needs met. We have everything we need and most of the things we want. We are blessed to have mostly positive attitudes and be healthy and happy. I would do well to remember that more often.
Needless to say, Ellie gave this momma a good scare. We went for frozen yogurt at Sammy T's after that, and even though it was beautiful outside and noisy inside, we sat at one of the aluminum tables and enjoyed ourselves within the confines of the tiny store instead of allowing any roads to be too close for comfort. I will not be braving any more trips without a stroller or cart that will require waiting for any length of time, especially outside where people are driving around. And I am thankful that Porter is almost here so that I will have the double stroller at all times again and I can strap her in to that 5 point harness, and breathe a little easier.
My children are my world. without them I have no idea what kind of person I would be, where I would be in life and what I would be doing daily, but that little scare made me even more grateful for everything I do have, including the ability to stay home with them daily, and raise them the way I think they should be raised and discipline them the way I think they should be disciplined. It also made me realize that my husband is by far the most fabulous man I have met. (aside from my Daddy of course, because if you know him, you already know he is awesome, and if you don't know him you should. He is super cool and you are missing out) I could not ask for a better husband, and I appreciate his ability to watch me cry in the middle of downtown, give me a hug and tell me that I am still pretty when I am red and blotchy--- who can tell he has done this pregnancy thing a time or two??
Ellie, being the patience tester that she is was not in the mood to listen. The moment that Ian walked into a store, leaving me outside with both children, Ellie decided to take off running towards a group of St. Patrick's Day celebrators. Picture me- 7.5 months pregnant running down the streets after a toddler who can clearly move faster than her short chubby legs should allow- with JT following after us leaving my purse sitting on the ground where we started.
A few minutes after Ian came back outside we were standing there talking with the kids walking around and around on a grate in the sidewalk, when Ellie decided to take off between 2 of the parallel parked cars and into the road. Of course there are 10-15 people staring with their mouths open as Ian runs full speed into the street to catch her. Ellie thought it was hilarious, and did exactly what she does every other time we chase her- runs faster. She made it about 3/4 of the way into the lane before Ian caught her. She received her first public spanking. We are blessed that there happen to be no cars coming at the time.
I held it together long enough to explain to her that she could really be hurt. That she was not to EVER do that again and that it was not funny, it was scary. I was proud of myself for not losing it. I gave her a hug, told her I loved her and showed her that the cars were driving by and that they could not see her because she was too little. Then JT gave her a hug and told her that what she did was "too dangerous." His utter concern for her safety has always touched me. He is a great big brother.
That is when I lost it. Standing in the middle of downtown, tears streaming down my face trying to hold back sobs and a million things are racing in my mind.
What would I do if I lost her? She may be a pain in my rear end, and there are days where I am convinced that she will be the sole reason for my loss of sanity, but she is irreplaceable. I admire my cousin for her strength to keep going after she last her little girl last year. I tear up every time I think about how hard that must be for her every single day, and how much strength it must take to look her little boy in the eyes after losing a child. She may not know it, but she is my hero.
How on EARTH could I bond with our son who is coming in a few short weeks if something were to happen to her? That is not nearly enough time to grieve, how could I show a new child love if I were to lose one?
My little sister just lost the use of her legs, what if that were to happen to Ellie? How would you explain something like that to a 2 year old? It has been hard enough for my sister and she is 10, a toddlers brain is not capable of processing that kind of information.
Good GOD we are BLESSED. I may have a thousand little complaints, about the house not being clean, or not seeing my husband enough. About wanting to do things that I am not capable of doing right now, aches and pains that I wish I did not have, but on the other hand... I have 2 beautiful and healthy children, another on the way. We have a house and animals, we love each other and we have all of our basic needs met. We have everything we need and most of the things we want. We are blessed to have mostly positive attitudes and be healthy and happy. I would do well to remember that more often.
Needless to say, Ellie gave this momma a good scare. We went for frozen yogurt at Sammy T's after that, and even though it was beautiful outside and noisy inside, we sat at one of the aluminum tables and enjoyed ourselves within the confines of the tiny store instead of allowing any roads to be too close for comfort. I will not be braving any more trips without a stroller or cart that will require waiting for any length of time, especially outside where people are driving around. And I am thankful that Porter is almost here so that I will have the double stroller at all times again and I can strap her in to that 5 point harness, and breathe a little easier.
My children are my world. without them I have no idea what kind of person I would be, where I would be in life and what I would be doing daily, but that little scare made me even more grateful for everything I do have, including the ability to stay home with them daily, and raise them the way I think they should be raised and discipline them the way I think they should be disciplined. It also made me realize that my husband is by far the most fabulous man I have met. (aside from my Daddy of course, because if you know him, you already know he is awesome, and if you don't know him you should. He is super cool and you are missing out) I could not ask for a better husband, and I appreciate his ability to watch me cry in the middle of downtown, give me a hug and tell me that I am still pretty when I am red and blotchy--- who can tell he has done this pregnancy thing a time or two??
Friday, March 8, 2013
The Wonderful World of Google
Apparently there IS a downside to Google. Obviously Google is amazing, I mean do you remember how we found things out before Google?? The LIBRARY... (gasp!) Now I know there are a few people reading this who are younger than me, so let me clarify... That is a place you go to read books, yup, they make those in paper form. And Google was not always around, we used to have to look things up in Encyclopedias. OH the HORROR! I mean real social interaction, face to face, and we used to have to HAND WRITE those book reports. Can you imagine?
Now I can look up whatever I want to on my cell phone, while in the bathroom, in line at the grocery store or sitting on my couch. And Google knows everything. Like when your little brother does something silly, or you make a gingerbread house in German class in high school. Today I found out that Google also knows things like when someone who has the same name as you gets arrested for being a Meth dealer. SWEET.
Obviously it's not fair to look up yourself using your married name, you have to go maiden or go home. So, a 44 yr. old woman named Stacey Lynn Linkenhoker was arrested in 2009 in GA. She and her boyfriend apparently lived at a storage facility (I assume they ran the place, as most facilities of this nature do have live on site attendants) and were dealing drugs on the premises. It was part of a huge undercover sting and there were a bunch of other people dealing for them. She appears to have several other charges including Possession of Marijuana, Failure to comply with court drug orders, failure to appear and a few others. She was also on the run for a little while. She seems like a real winner.
Her mugshots are great too. You should look it up, it's rather interesting and provides some entertainment when you are having a rough day.
On the upside, I am not in my 40's and I don't live in GA so we can not get confused for one another. Nor have I ever done Meth. . A huge upside in my opinion.
I do love Google, and do not fault it for providing true and accurate (as well as occasionally skewed ) information. I feel that you have to take Google results with a grain of salt and decide for yourself if the link you click is a trustworthy one. But if you ever get bored you can look up all sorts of amazing things. . like who you were in your past life, and how peanut butter is made. Google away my friends.
Now I can look up whatever I want to on my cell phone, while in the bathroom, in line at the grocery store or sitting on my couch. And Google knows everything. Like when your little brother does something silly, or you make a gingerbread house in German class in high school. Today I found out that Google also knows things like when someone who has the same name as you gets arrested for being a Meth dealer. SWEET.
Obviously it's not fair to look up yourself using your married name, you have to go maiden or go home. So, a 44 yr. old woman named Stacey Lynn Linkenhoker was arrested in 2009 in GA. She and her boyfriend apparently lived at a storage facility (I assume they ran the place, as most facilities of this nature do have live on site attendants) and were dealing drugs on the premises. It was part of a huge undercover sting and there were a bunch of other people dealing for them. She appears to have several other charges including Possession of Marijuana, Failure to comply with court drug orders, failure to appear and a few others. She was also on the run for a little while. She seems like a real winner.
Her mugshots are great too. You should look it up, it's rather interesting and provides some entertainment when you are having a rough day.
On the upside, I am not in my 40's and I don't live in GA so we can not get confused for one another. Nor have I ever done Meth. . A huge upside in my opinion.
I do love Google, and do not fault it for providing true and accurate (as well as occasionally skewed ) information. I feel that you have to take Google results with a grain of salt and decide for yourself if the link you click is a trustworthy one. But if you ever get bored you can look up all sorts of amazing things. . like who you were in your past life, and how peanut butter is made. Google away my friends.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)