Yeah I know some of you are like wha? Debate? On vegetables?? Yeah well there are a few. And I'd like to take some time and some information to address the debates!
First of all, yeah I skipped the cute little story intro this time, (weird change up but hang with me - stories to come!) here are the biggest things I hear about vegetables. That fresh is better than frozen, vegetarians are healthier, if you use dressing it's not healthy anymore, and if you don't like hundreds of thousands of vegetables you're a weird loser. Yeah these are all totally legit!
Fresh is better than frozen. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who is DIE HARD frozen vegetables. But when it comes right down to it, frozen is right up there man. New research has shown that frozen vegetables retain MOST of their valuable nutrients due to improved freezing processes. In fact, some people think they hold more because the vitamins and minerals are locked in (no this isn't a commercial it's real just bear with me!) during the freezing process making them much better for you at the table. Fresh veggies you buy in a typical grocery store have to be picked, processed, usually sprayed with something, travel and be put out for you to purchase. That's a long time off the vine my friends. Yes I am fully aware that not all veggies grow on a vine! It's just a turn of phrase. Don't argue with me you're making this post longer! GAH! So what many experts and scientifists (Not a typo just making the word scientist funny) say is that frozen is creeping up on the fresh veggie market! Plus the fact that frozen last so much longer and come in convenient self steaming bags! Bottom line, you're best bet is to buy fresh vegetables at a local farmers market. It helps support local and small business while giving you the freshest produce possible. But when we, in the real world, know that's not always possible. Don't be afraid to reach for the frozen every now and again. They're not as bad as you think!
Now, many of you have figured out, or are about to, that I am an omnivore. Yeah, I eat it all and am proud of it. I think that a healthy balance of meat and vegetables are what we are meant to eat. So it kind of pains me to hear that so many people are going vegetarian and vegan. Here's why. A woman on the Ellen Show is vegan and was talking about how unhealthy and weird it is that humans drink cow milk which was made for cows. Okay, she had me thinking. But THEN, they went to a segment where this woman was helping a family go vegan. They were preparing a meal of MEATLESS meat tips. Now for those of you not yet following me here's my concern. Cow's milk is naturally occurring in nature and it has desperately valuable nutrients that humans need like vitamin D and calcium. Meatless meat tips have to be made in a factory somewhere. Meatless meat doesn't happen naturally in nature. Period. I have heard that many people off the meaten path ... (yeah did ya catch that? not beaten but meaten. Whatever I'm hilarious.) say that they take plenty of supplements to get all the nutrients they need. Well here we go again. Not that taking a vitamin supplement here and there is bad. But relying on them to get in what you're not consuming on purpose is weird to me. (This is not taking into account people with digestive or other health concerns, I know some people can't eat certain things and that's not what I'm talking about so don't panic. Take a breath and keep reading!) Why are people afraid of things that are perfectly natural? What do you think humans did millions of years ago when we didn't have corn fields? Yeah they ate meat. Granted they didn't live as long, but they weren't exactly the brightest crayons in the box either. Remember when you were in elementary school and your health teachers talked about the Food Pyramid? Well it hasn't gone away. It's still around, modified, but around none the less. ( https://www.google.com/search?source=ig&rlz=&q=the+food+pyramid+2012&oq=The+food+pygs_l=igoogle.3.1.0l10.941.2257.0.5635.11.10.0.0.0.0.215.1672.0j8j2.10.0...0.0...1ac.1.Do9CAJfNy0Y ) There should be a balance. The fact of the matter is you're always going to have some people say this or some people say that. There are ALWAYS exceptions to every rule. But there are billions of people on the planet. What works for 5 of them might not work for you. Eat a balanced diet. Meat, vegetables, fruits and even fats.
This segment is short. Eating vegetables any which way is much better for you than not eating them at all. Me? I can hardly eat raw veggies. I need em cooked, I really do. So what? It's still better for me than not eating them at all. Is it best to eat my carrots plain? Of course! But who wants to do that when I can dip them in a little ranch and gobble them down. Now, I've explained in posts prior that everything in moderation. If you use more ranch than carrot we have a problem, but a tablespoon of ranch will easily slay 10-12 carrot sticks. And at the end of the day, it's better to eat them with ranch to get the value of the carrot than to not eat them at all.
Lastly, if you don't like 50 million vegetables you're a freak and a loser. Well lets just lay that one to rest right now. I'm awesome and I only like about 20 vegetables. Sorry some of them I just can't love. And it's not all genetic either. My mom would eat the world out of house and veggies if she could. But not I. I can't get on board with the sweet potato fad. I'm too attached to my regular taters, I just can't go sweet! It's like a contradiction in my mouth. Or mushrooms. Those things never shoulda been consumed in the first place. Everybody wants to put them in everything all the time then say you can't even taste them! THEN WHY PUT THEM IN THERE?! Most mushrooms are poisonous, why did someone go out and find the few safe to eat? Shoulda let it go man! But as a mom, I've tried my very best to buy every different kind of baby food, put every different vegetable in my kids mouth as she'll let me. It's not my job to tell her what's gross, she'll figure it out all on her own one day.
And I'd like to close with this. The unsung hero's of the vegetable world. Baby spinach, the fresh leaf kind. It's really good. Pair that with some good ole fashioned ice berg lettuce and you've got my attention my friend! Brussels sprouts. Man they get a bad wrap but they're actually quite delish. I like them cooked very thoroughly so they're soft. Either baked with some oil or a little melted butter and you've really got something! Broccoli and Cauliflower. These have got to be my two favorites and you never hear people talking about them! You can integrate them into so many dishes and they always taste so good. And lastly, the onion. Yes it is a vegetable. And it's good in almost anything (except eggs ... quit putting onions in eggs!). It is highly beneficial for your skin, believe it or not, and it's just good! I recommend - when you're not on a date or about to go on a date - chopped onion on tortilla chips. Now there's a snack!
So eat your vegetables any way you can. Dip that celery in peanut butter pal! I'm so glad you're branching out and eating things that are good for you! And don't believe all the hype about vegetarians. It's more work than it's worth and when it comes right down to it, I love me some chicken! Or lean turkey!
Omnivores unite! Lets eat it all and like it!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Busy Busy Busy ... BEE!
Going from the corporate environment to the home environment has been a little tricky for me. Besides the obvious like when my day starts and ends, the feeling is different. In an office tasks during the day are typically measurable or in some way tangible. At home, I do the same 3 things over and over so I feel like I'm constantly doing things, but if you were to walk into my house you'd think differently.
Take for example yesterday. I took a "Lazy Morning." I say lazy because I talked my daughter into taking an early nap, the dog was sorta up and I just wanted to watch a movie my mom lent me and drink a cup of hot chocolate. It was a pretty exhausting weekend, and to be honest, I didn't have it in me. But want to know the best part? I didn't feel guilty!
Isn't that sad? That if we are part time or stay at home parents - or even if we just have a day off work, if we're not constantly moving society calls it being lazy?? Why is that? It could stem from the work-a-holic world we call the good ole US of A! The vibe that our society has created to be constantly on the go. And if you take a break you're a lazy loser! Well like I felt yesterday, I needed a break. And I didn't care if things waited to get done til the afternoon, when I did start doing things.
Recent studies have shown (and no I don't have any websites to give reference to, you'll just have to trust me that I have read this a while ago) that our country more than any other is obsessed with work. We take less vacations and less time off than any other place in the world. And accordingly we are rewarded with promotions and bonuses. Only furthering our drive to be competitive in the work place the only way we know how. By working more. The same applies at home. I know some stay at home parents who's homes are immaculate! So when I step into mine and see it a disastrous mess, I think I'm lazy. I don't work hard enough to keep up with the demands my house has.
But here's the good news! (I knew you were waiting for it! SUSPENSE!) We are the LEAST productive country in the world. Yeah ... all that work and where does it get us? Not as far as we'd hoped. Because just because we're at work, doesn't mean we're working. Human beings are programmed to rest, rejuvenate and re energize to be at our optimal levels. In most European countries there is a mandatory 3 month vacation time for all employees. That's like 12 weeks our time. When most Americans are lucky to get 2 weeks! But are encouraged not to take them. And yet those studies by smart people I was talking about, PROVED that the Europeans who took their 3 months of vacay were vastly more productive. How bout that? It's something that American companies don't want to grasp. They think that time is money, and time away from work is lost production. When in reality, it's the opposite. Giving people time away from the computer and desk is astronomical for both physical and mental health. Did you know that people who have desk jobs are significantly more likely to die early? Yep.
The fact that I'm trying to drive home here is that while it's EXCELLENT to be productive and get things done, it's EQUALLY important to sometimes take a break. Stop and smell those roses! I know for me when I get out of the house for awhile I come back rip roaring ready to go. I can clean and organize for hours. But if I've been home for a few days in a row, I get stuck, I don't want to do anything and tend to sit around.
If you have a desk job, get up every hour. Go get some water, use the restroom, take a walk around the building. It's good to stretch and move. It will greatly improve your health. Seriously. And don't say, well I'm gonna work out after work. Health experts say it doesn't matter. You need to be moving during the day.
Additionally, if you're at home, don't feel bad if you sit down to eat your lunch! Or fold laundry while watching TV. It's not laziness, it's called giving your body what it needs. Time off. If when your other comes home from work, work out a schedule so you get to have a little you time. That's what my fab husb and I are working on now! I run about 3 times a week, and I get time to do things maybe I couldn't do when I had the kid around.
Take a breath kids! Sitting on the couch for 30 minutes isn't going to turn you into some potato, or pumpkin, or the couch turns in to a log and you're a bump on it. It's letting your body take a second so you can keep going.
Stay healthy! Stay active! But don't forget to sit! :p
Take for example yesterday. I took a "Lazy Morning." I say lazy because I talked my daughter into taking an early nap, the dog was sorta up and I just wanted to watch a movie my mom lent me and drink a cup of hot chocolate. It was a pretty exhausting weekend, and to be honest, I didn't have it in me. But want to know the best part? I didn't feel guilty!
Isn't that sad? That if we are part time or stay at home parents - or even if we just have a day off work, if we're not constantly moving society calls it being lazy?? Why is that? It could stem from the work-a-holic world we call the good ole US of A! The vibe that our society has created to be constantly on the go. And if you take a break you're a lazy loser! Well like I felt yesterday, I needed a break. And I didn't care if things waited to get done til the afternoon, when I did start doing things.
Recent studies have shown (and no I don't have any websites to give reference to, you'll just have to trust me that I have read this a while ago) that our country more than any other is obsessed with work. We take less vacations and less time off than any other place in the world. And accordingly we are rewarded with promotions and bonuses. Only furthering our drive to be competitive in the work place the only way we know how. By working more. The same applies at home. I know some stay at home parents who's homes are immaculate! So when I step into mine and see it a disastrous mess, I think I'm lazy. I don't work hard enough to keep up with the demands my house has.
But here's the good news! (I knew you were waiting for it! SUSPENSE!) We are the LEAST productive country in the world. Yeah ... all that work and where does it get us? Not as far as we'd hoped. Because just because we're at work, doesn't mean we're working. Human beings are programmed to rest, rejuvenate and re energize to be at our optimal levels. In most European countries there is a mandatory 3 month vacation time for all employees. That's like 12 weeks our time. When most Americans are lucky to get 2 weeks! But are encouraged not to take them. And yet those studies by smart people I was talking about, PROVED that the Europeans who took their 3 months of vacay were vastly more productive. How bout that? It's something that American companies don't want to grasp. They think that time is money, and time away from work is lost production. When in reality, it's the opposite. Giving people time away from the computer and desk is astronomical for both physical and mental health. Did you know that people who have desk jobs are significantly more likely to die early? Yep.
The fact that I'm trying to drive home here is that while it's EXCELLENT to be productive and get things done, it's EQUALLY important to sometimes take a break. Stop and smell those roses! I know for me when I get out of the house for awhile I come back rip roaring ready to go. I can clean and organize for hours. But if I've been home for a few days in a row, I get stuck, I don't want to do anything and tend to sit around.
If you have a desk job, get up every hour. Go get some water, use the restroom, take a walk around the building. It's good to stretch and move. It will greatly improve your health. Seriously. And don't say, well I'm gonna work out after work. Health experts say it doesn't matter. You need to be moving during the day.
Additionally, if you're at home, don't feel bad if you sit down to eat your lunch! Or fold laundry while watching TV. It's not laziness, it's called giving your body what it needs. Time off. If when your other comes home from work, work out a schedule so you get to have a little you time. That's what my fab husb and I are working on now! I run about 3 times a week, and I get time to do things maybe I couldn't do when I had the kid around.
Take a breath kids! Sitting on the couch for 30 minutes isn't going to turn you into some potato, or pumpkin, or the couch turns in to a log and you're a bump on it. It's letting your body take a second so you can keep going.
Stay healthy! Stay active! But don't forget to sit! :p
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Down Set ... I Hate Football?
Believe it or not when I was pretty young I hated football ... let me repeat ... hated. But I think it's because I didn't know what I was missing. I was a mama's girl and always got annoyed with how loud my dad yelled at the TV when some ref some where got some call wrong. I just wanted to watch TV upstairs with mom in peace! My whole family was big on football, so it was weird for me not to be. Sometimes if we had big family gatherings 80% of my family would go out back and toss the pig skin around. Not me. I'd be playing dress up or coloring or playing dolls. Something productive!
Until 5th grade. I'm pretty sure that's when my life changed. Starting seeing more football, going to high school football games with my family. I now knew what I had been missing. The hitting, the excitement, the hail mary! Ah! FOOTBALL! Why had I spent so much of my life hating what I didn't know?!
Well, it seems there are MANY women out there who hate or dislike football. It's a shame! It's a sport that anyone can get behind and now, for whatever reason, they make the colors, we die hards bleed, in pink. There's a little something for everyone! So I want to share some information to help some of you get behind the ball! (See what I did there? Behind the ball? Yeah if you don't we'll get to that!)
Now, I can't reasonably explain the entire game in one blog post. That would take a millenia to type and even longer to read. So we'll just do some of the basics. First of all football is the one where they wear helmets and throw the brown oblong ball around. Now that we got that out of the way, here we go.
There are 11 players on each side. There is an offense, those trying to score, and a defense the opposite team trying to stop the offense from scoring. The main players (pun intended) are the quarterback, linemen, running backs and receivers for the offense. (Remember you footballers this is the basics, we're not gonna go into detailed positions so just sit tight!) The defense has linemen also, corner backs and safetys. Linemen are easy because they all line up facing each other on what's called "The Line of Scrimmage." This is an imaginary line on the field where it has been determined the ball starts and so must the offense. The quarterback is the one who makes the play happen for the offense. He either hands the ball off or throws it to another player. The defense is always trying to down the ball. That means make the play stop. They do that either by sacking the quarterback (Tackling the quarterback while he still has the ball back behind the line of scrimmage) or by tackling the player he gives the ball to.
The goal of a game is to score points. You can do that a few different ways. The main and most important way is to score a touchdown. If your offense can get down the field and into the end zone (the end of the field usually with a team name in it or some colors. It's 10 yards deep) - it's a touchdown which is 6 points. If you score a touch down your kicker comes on the field and you have an opportunity to kick the ball through the goal posts for an extra point. Making the whole drive worth 7 points. A teams defense can also score a touchdown by either picking up a fumbled ball - the offense loses possession of the ball before they are called down, or by interception. That's where the ball is throw by the offense and caught by the defense. If either of those happen the ball is still live and the player can run it into his end zone for a touchdown. The other main way to score is called a field goal. This is where you have exhausted all your downs (I'll explain that next) in an attempt to score a touchdown and now you want to still score points by kicking the ball through the goal posts. (Goal posts are the big yellow posts at the back of the end zone) This can happen anywhere on the field, but it usually happens from the defense's 40 yard line or closer. A field goal is worth 3 points. There are also scoring opportunities called safeties. This happens when the quarterback is tackled in his own end zone (that's the end zone to his back, not the one he is trying to reach to score) This is worth 2 points. A team can also go for a 2 point conversion after a touchdown instead of the extra point.
Now what are these things called downs?? You read my mind! (Pun also intended there) The offense has to move the ball by either running it or throwing it 10 yards in 4 tries. Each time the ball is declared dead, or no longer in play, that is a down. If you move the ball 10 yards from the original line of scrimmage, that is called a first down. Meaning all your tries start again and you maintain possession of the ball. If you fail to go the full 10 yards in your 4 tries you must give possession of the ball over to the other team. This usually means the team on offense will bring on a kicker and they will punt the ball down the field to the other team.
The game is regulated by referees. They have several names determine by a letter on their shirt (L for Line judge, B for back judge, R for referee etc) They are located in different positions around the field to see every play from several different angles. Take for example if a player runs out of bounds, the Line judge is there to see it and whistle the ball dead and the play is over. There are many many different fouls (or illegal actions) in football so I won't cover them all. They main calls you will see are Holding. This is when a player holds onto another player in an illegal way preventing that player from making a play. This is indicated by the ref throwing a yellow flag at the spot of the foul and they will go on camera and he will grab one wrist with the other. Another big foul is False Start. This is when the offensive line moves before the ball is snapped back to the quarterback. Once both teams are set in their starting positions on the line of scrimmage you must remain still until the center snaps (or throws through his legs) the ball back to the quarterback to start the play. This will be indicated by the ref rolling his forearms - kinda like, "come on ride the train!" It's actually the same motion refs use in basketball to indicate a traveling violation. The third biggest foul you will see is Pass Interference. This happens when one player illegally prevents another playing from catching a thrown ball. This is indicated by the ref putting both hands forward. All fouls are indicated by the yellow flag(s) and when the ball is declared dead a whistle blast to let all players know the play is over.
There are various penalties for fouls. Holding is a 10 yard penalty against the team charged with the penalty. If it is on the defense it results in a first down for the offense. A false start is a 5 yard penalty and a repeated down. (Because false starts are only called on the offense) Pass interference is a 10 yard penalty as well in pro football and 15 yards in college. Needless to say it behooves a team to not accrue any penalties against themselves!! Look at me I used a big word!
So that's a start! It's some of the most basic information I can give on such an awesome sport. The best way to learn is to watch. They have super annoying commentators that do a great job of stating the obvious so everything gets over explained. Plus the refs have microphones now so they say what was called and why.
There's a lot more to learn, but it's easy once you get started. Plus, men LOVE a lady who knows football!! Even if it's just, "What?! That wasn't pass interference!! That ball wasn't even catch able!!" (If the team you're routing for is on defense) Or, "No way that was a hold!! That was textbook blocking!" These are usually things you should shout only after you see his reaction by they way. Especially if you really don't know. But he'll be impressed that you're trying to learn, and even more impressed that you know a little bit!
So hang in there ladies!! Football is an AWESOME sport that we should all come to embrace and watch! Hopefully this gives you more info for the next time you need to watch some. It gives you something to hang on to so you can intently watch the game instead of being bored out of your mind!
Go Bucks (The Ohio State Buckeyes are a college team) and Go Browns (The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team)!
Until 5th grade. I'm pretty sure that's when my life changed. Starting seeing more football, going to high school football games with my family. I now knew what I had been missing. The hitting, the excitement, the hail mary! Ah! FOOTBALL! Why had I spent so much of my life hating what I didn't know?!
Well, it seems there are MANY women out there who hate or dislike football. It's a shame! It's a sport that anyone can get behind and now, for whatever reason, they make the colors, we die hards bleed, in pink. There's a little something for everyone! So I want to share some information to help some of you get behind the ball! (See what I did there? Behind the ball? Yeah if you don't we'll get to that!)
Now, I can't reasonably explain the entire game in one blog post. That would take a millenia to type and even longer to read. So we'll just do some of the basics. First of all football is the one where they wear helmets and throw the brown oblong ball around. Now that we got that out of the way, here we go.
There are 11 players on each side. There is an offense, those trying to score, and a defense the opposite team trying to stop the offense from scoring. The main players (pun intended) are the quarterback, linemen, running backs and receivers for the offense. (Remember you footballers this is the basics, we're not gonna go into detailed positions so just sit tight!) The defense has linemen also, corner backs and safetys. Linemen are easy because they all line up facing each other on what's called "The Line of Scrimmage." This is an imaginary line on the field where it has been determined the ball starts and so must the offense. The quarterback is the one who makes the play happen for the offense. He either hands the ball off or throws it to another player. The defense is always trying to down the ball. That means make the play stop. They do that either by sacking the quarterback (Tackling the quarterback while he still has the ball back behind the line of scrimmage) or by tackling the player he gives the ball to.
The goal of a game is to score points. You can do that a few different ways. The main and most important way is to score a touchdown. If your offense can get down the field and into the end zone (the end of the field usually with a team name in it or some colors. It's 10 yards deep) - it's a touchdown which is 6 points. If you score a touch down your kicker comes on the field and you have an opportunity to kick the ball through the goal posts for an extra point. Making the whole drive worth 7 points. A teams defense can also score a touchdown by either picking up a fumbled ball - the offense loses possession of the ball before they are called down, or by interception. That's where the ball is throw by the offense and caught by the defense. If either of those happen the ball is still live and the player can run it into his end zone for a touchdown. The other main way to score is called a field goal. This is where you have exhausted all your downs (I'll explain that next) in an attempt to score a touchdown and now you want to still score points by kicking the ball through the goal posts. (Goal posts are the big yellow posts at the back of the end zone) This can happen anywhere on the field, but it usually happens from the defense's 40 yard line or closer. A field goal is worth 3 points. There are also scoring opportunities called safeties. This happens when the quarterback is tackled in his own end zone (that's the end zone to his back, not the one he is trying to reach to score) This is worth 2 points. A team can also go for a 2 point conversion after a touchdown instead of the extra point.
Now what are these things called downs?? You read my mind! (Pun also intended there) The offense has to move the ball by either running it or throwing it 10 yards in 4 tries. Each time the ball is declared dead, or no longer in play, that is a down. If you move the ball 10 yards from the original line of scrimmage, that is called a first down. Meaning all your tries start again and you maintain possession of the ball. If you fail to go the full 10 yards in your 4 tries you must give possession of the ball over to the other team. This usually means the team on offense will bring on a kicker and they will punt the ball down the field to the other team.
The game is regulated by referees. They have several names determine by a letter on their shirt (L for Line judge, B for back judge, R for referee etc) They are located in different positions around the field to see every play from several different angles. Take for example if a player runs out of bounds, the Line judge is there to see it and whistle the ball dead and the play is over. There are many many different fouls (or illegal actions) in football so I won't cover them all. They main calls you will see are Holding. This is when a player holds onto another player in an illegal way preventing that player from making a play. This is indicated by the ref throwing a yellow flag at the spot of the foul and they will go on camera and he will grab one wrist with the other. Another big foul is False Start. This is when the offensive line moves before the ball is snapped back to the quarterback. Once both teams are set in their starting positions on the line of scrimmage you must remain still until the center snaps (or throws through his legs) the ball back to the quarterback to start the play. This will be indicated by the ref rolling his forearms - kinda like, "come on ride the train!" It's actually the same motion refs use in basketball to indicate a traveling violation. The third biggest foul you will see is Pass Interference. This happens when one player illegally prevents another playing from catching a thrown ball. This is indicated by the ref putting both hands forward. All fouls are indicated by the yellow flag(s) and when the ball is declared dead a whistle blast to let all players know the play is over.
There are various penalties for fouls. Holding is a 10 yard penalty against the team charged with the penalty. If it is on the defense it results in a first down for the offense. A false start is a 5 yard penalty and a repeated down. (Because false starts are only called on the offense) Pass interference is a 10 yard penalty as well in pro football and 15 yards in college. Needless to say it behooves a team to not accrue any penalties against themselves!! Look at me I used a big word!
So that's a start! It's some of the most basic information I can give on such an awesome sport. The best way to learn is to watch. They have super annoying commentators that do a great job of stating the obvious so everything gets over explained. Plus the refs have microphones now so they say what was called and why.
There's a lot more to learn, but it's easy once you get started. Plus, men LOVE a lady who knows football!! Even if it's just, "What?! That wasn't pass interference!! That ball wasn't even catch able!!" (If the team you're routing for is on defense) Or, "No way that was a hold!! That was textbook blocking!" These are usually things you should shout only after you see his reaction by they way. Especially if you really don't know. But he'll be impressed that you're trying to learn, and even more impressed that you know a little bit!
So hang in there ladies!! Football is an AWESOME sport that we should all come to embrace and watch! Hopefully this gives you more info for the next time you need to watch some. It gives you something to hang on to so you can intently watch the game instead of being bored out of your mind!
Go Bucks (The Ohio State Buckeyes are a college team) and Go Browns (The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team)!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Off to work I go ... Hi Ho Hi Ho Hi Ho!
By the time I got to high school I really broke out of a shyness shell. From the girl who literally hid from Santa, to the girl doing ridiculous things to make my friends laugh and "hott" guys notice. (Even if they were noticing with raised eyebrows and a look of concern) I became independent in high school. I felt like I was the pack leader. Yeah I know we're not dogs, but you know, everybody runs with a "pack" a solid group of friends you do everything with. Our group changed and expanded over the 4 years. Which was awesome, but it felt like I was the most outgoing and by far the most outspoken, so my group relied on me to be crazy and weird but most importantly funny. I was always good for a laugh. Which made me feel good! I love making people laugh. Which is one of the reasons I wanted to start a blog! So I could put humor into every day situations to give people (women mostly) humor and insight at the same time.
Well, the point of all that is, I knew I never wanted to be a stay at home mom. I knew I wanted to get married at some point to some guy, and I knew I wanted to have kids, but I didn't want to rely on someone to pay my bills. It bothered me. And yet here we are ... life's funny huh?? The one thing I knew I never wanted and yet, I'm home 24/7 with my sweet cakes and the girl. (For those of you who don't know me well enough to get that joke, I called my dog who I got first my sweet cakes and I have a daughter who ergo is the girl. It's not funny when you have to explain it!) Needless to say, there are plenty of days I'm glad I'm home. Like I was the first one to see her roll over, crawl, walk etc. But it still begs the question, would we as a family be better off if I were working?
This question is one MANY moms struggle with. Some mommies don't have a choice, they need to go back to work to support the family. But in families like mine where I was not, nor will I ever be, the primary bread winner, we had to take a long hard look at me going back to work.
There are several things to consider when thinking about working after having that baby. First of all do you want to? There is a difference between need and want. For some it's a need. (In fact there is a larger number of women making more than their male counterparts today! HAHA sorry but that's just cool and I'm not even a scary women's lib kinda girl!) I digress ... as usual. But do you want to work? Decide whether you need to to make your budget work, or if not, do you want to stay home? Some women don't, and that's okay!
Second, finances. If you decide that you don't need to work to pay your mortgage but you still want to go, is it financially responsible with the costs of childcare? You need to do some numbers crunching. For our family, I have to find a job with literally a certain salary amount to make it work. Otherwise, I'm shelling out the dough to work, and that's backwards.
Third, finding child care. It can be, and should be, at least a little scary leaving your kid with a stranger. That's why it's important to look into many child care facilities. It's always nice to get a recommendation from someone, but don't stop there. Never take someones word for it when it comes to your child. That's not good parenting. (Sorry for those of you disappointed with that statement - truth hurts!) Stop by the facility and ask for an unscheduled tour. If it's a good responsible facility, they will let you. It's a sign they have nothing to hide. I hate to say this, but I learned that lesson when looking for a place to board my dog. Took someones advice and went to a place that I almost reported for animal cruelty. Disgusting. Went to another place and took an unscheduled tour and it was fabulous. All the dogs seemed happy, it was extremely clean, and they answered any and all my questions. That's called good customer service. Which if I was that picky about my dog, think how I am with my baby! (My other baby!) The facility you choose should be transparent with you. It's good customer service, and it means that what you see is actually what you get. Not a staged "look we'll take great care of your kid because we put away the knives and TV before you got here!" If that doesn't suit you, find someone you know well, through work, church, library where ever, and see if they will care for your child for a fee. Women with children are usually best suited for this kind of situation, but it can be anyone as long as you know them well.
Lastly, this will affect your schedule in a major way. Who will drop the child off? Who will pick up the child, who will care for them until the other person comes home etc. It's a family decision you need to talk about. In order to make things as flawless as possible (because with children things never are) you should work out the minor details as best you can ahead of time.
At the end of the day, you should really know that no matter what your decision you're not a bad mom. Some people or articles or news reports might make you feel that way. But really, it's a personal decision that you and your partner have to make together. No one can tell you what's right for your family. Just because one way works for someone else doesn't mean it will work for you. Always remind yourself of that. And if you think your baby will grow up resenting you, stop. My parents both worked, and I turned out pretty okay, or something. Well I'm not on drugs or in jail so there's that! Just know your kids will respect you for trying to make a good life for your family. I do.
Take care and happy decision making!!!!
Well, the point of all that is, I knew I never wanted to be a stay at home mom. I knew I wanted to get married at some point to some guy, and I knew I wanted to have kids, but I didn't want to rely on someone to pay my bills. It bothered me. And yet here we are ... life's funny huh?? The one thing I knew I never wanted and yet, I'm home 24/7 with my sweet cakes and the girl. (For those of you who don't know me well enough to get that joke, I called my dog who I got first my sweet cakes and I have a daughter who ergo is the girl. It's not funny when you have to explain it!) Needless to say, there are plenty of days I'm glad I'm home. Like I was the first one to see her roll over, crawl, walk etc. But it still begs the question, would we as a family be better off if I were working?
This question is one MANY moms struggle with. Some mommies don't have a choice, they need to go back to work to support the family. But in families like mine where I was not, nor will I ever be, the primary bread winner, we had to take a long hard look at me going back to work.
There are several things to consider when thinking about working after having that baby. First of all do you want to? There is a difference between need and want. For some it's a need. (In fact there is a larger number of women making more than their male counterparts today! HAHA sorry but that's just cool and I'm not even a scary women's lib kinda girl!) I digress ... as usual. But do you want to work? Decide whether you need to to make your budget work, or if not, do you want to stay home? Some women don't, and that's okay!
Second, finances. If you decide that you don't need to work to pay your mortgage but you still want to go, is it financially responsible with the costs of childcare? You need to do some numbers crunching. For our family, I have to find a job with literally a certain salary amount to make it work. Otherwise, I'm shelling out the dough to work, and that's backwards.
Third, finding child care. It can be, and should be, at least a little scary leaving your kid with a stranger. That's why it's important to look into many child care facilities. It's always nice to get a recommendation from someone, but don't stop there. Never take someones word for it when it comes to your child. That's not good parenting. (Sorry for those of you disappointed with that statement - truth hurts!) Stop by the facility and ask for an unscheduled tour. If it's a good responsible facility, they will let you. It's a sign they have nothing to hide. I hate to say this, but I learned that lesson when looking for a place to board my dog. Took someones advice and went to a place that I almost reported for animal cruelty. Disgusting. Went to another place and took an unscheduled tour and it was fabulous. All the dogs seemed happy, it was extremely clean, and they answered any and all my questions. That's called good customer service. Which if I was that picky about my dog, think how I am with my baby! (My other baby!) The facility you choose should be transparent with you. It's good customer service, and it means that what you see is actually what you get. Not a staged "look we'll take great care of your kid because we put away the knives and TV before you got here!" If that doesn't suit you, find someone you know well, through work, church, library where ever, and see if they will care for your child for a fee. Women with children are usually best suited for this kind of situation, but it can be anyone as long as you know them well.
Lastly, this will affect your schedule in a major way. Who will drop the child off? Who will pick up the child, who will care for them until the other person comes home etc. It's a family decision you need to talk about. In order to make things as flawless as possible (because with children things never are) you should work out the minor details as best you can ahead of time.
At the end of the day, you should really know that no matter what your decision you're not a bad mom. Some people or articles or news reports might make you feel that way. But really, it's a personal decision that you and your partner have to make together. No one can tell you what's right for your family. Just because one way works for someone else doesn't mean it will work for you. Always remind yourself of that. And if you think your baby will grow up resenting you, stop. My parents both worked, and I turned out pretty okay, or something. Well I'm not on drugs or in jail so there's that! Just know your kids will respect you for trying to make a good life for your family. I do.
Take care and happy decision making!!!!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate ... THAT is the question!
Remember when we were kids?? I'm sure some of you do. We all got vaccinated. Pretty much. And our parents were LUCKY that they had vaccines. And our grandparents, well they didn't get vaccinated and many of them developed debilitating illnesses. Polio what? Awful. And before that Settlers handed over smallpox infected blankets to Native Americans and literally wiped out entire races of people. But then came advances, as they tend to happen, in science and medicine. WOOT! But what's happening now? A new kind of epidemic. Parents not vaccinating their kids. There has been some information out there in the world that says if you vaccinate your kids they will be Autistic. And parents in fear of a trending disease, have decided it best to either not vaccinate or to hold off on vaccinations. After reading an article in Parade you may change your mind about what you knew about vaccinations!
The information I'm going to relay to you is taken from Parade Sunday, October 7, 2012 edition, article The Vaccine Controversy: Truth and Consequences by Seth Mnookin. ( Read the entire article here: http://www.parade.com/health/2012/10/07-why-so-many-parents-are-delaying-vaccines.html )
The fact of the matter remains, do I elevate the risk of my child being Autistic. New information you heard here first! Or last or somewhere in the middle. No. WHA?! Yeah no. Your child has just as much chance developing Autism with or with out vaccines. In fact they have a better chance of developing Autism than they do of becoming a professional athlete. Okay so Christie give me some facts! Right. The fact is that the rumor started with a British gastroenterologist named Andrew Wakefield. He interviewed 12 ... yep JUST 12 parents with Autistic children who were vaccinated and said there was a connection. No research, no additional snooping. Just jumped to that conclusion. Neat huh? Didn't matter the information caught hold and spread like wildfire. Some people have even devoted websites and time and energy to back the theory. But, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and several universities have done numerous studies to discover there is NO ... lets repeat NO causal link between vaccinations and Autism.
So where does that leave us? What difference does it make and why do you care so much Christie? I'm so glad you asked! Not having your children vaccinated does NOT only affect your child, but literally everyone around you. Yeah weird huh? Doctors and the super folks over that the CDC - who if you don't know tend to take their jobs SUPER seriously because they prevent little things like Pandemics and whatnot - work off of a theory called "Herd Immunity." Yeah I don't care for the name either, but that's why I'm not a scientist. It means that 85-95% of the population need to be immunized to prevent the spread of illness. Take for example France, the annual number of measles cases jumped from 40-50 to 15,000 in just a few years. Nearly 4,000 people have been diagnosed with pertussis (Whooping cough - highly deadly to infants) in Washington State this year where a full-blown epidemic is under way. Basically medical professionals say that if enough people accumulate that aren't vaccinated, an explosion of illness starts. Illnesses that haven't been seen in decades are breaking out in record numbers. Like whooping cough or Hib meningitis. Seriously, the last thing we want is smallpox runnin rampant!
To make matters worse, many states have adopted new legislation relaxing laws on early childhood vaccinations and allowing parents to opt out for reasons other than health or religion. This has caused a lot of problems in and of itself and many states have began to retract that legislation. Not only does anti-vaccination or delayed vaccination affect that child, but also young babies too young for vaccination, the elderly and those who have immune deficiencies to certain vaccines.
So after all that, whatever happened to the guy who started it all? Well he had to retract his paper AND the UK took away his medical license. Yeah. That's how wrong he was. No longer a doctor. That's like getting a shot from Doctor Phil ... not wise.
So if you are the parent of children or planning to be a parent, READ this article in it's entirety and do additional research. Basically vaccinate your kids or we're all at risk! The decision is ultimately yours, but the science speaks for itself. Your kid will grow up happier and healthier vaccinated, and so will all the other kids in your neighborhood.
Happy parenting and happy shots everyone!!
The information I'm going to relay to you is taken from Parade Sunday, October 7, 2012 edition, article The Vaccine Controversy: Truth and Consequences by Seth Mnookin. ( Read the entire article here: http://www.parade.com/health/2012/10/07-why-so-many-parents-are-delaying-vaccines.html )
The fact of the matter remains, do I elevate the risk of my child being Autistic. New information you heard here first! Or last or somewhere in the middle. No. WHA?! Yeah no. Your child has just as much chance developing Autism with or with out vaccines. In fact they have a better chance of developing Autism than they do of becoming a professional athlete. Okay so Christie give me some facts! Right. The fact is that the rumor started with a British gastroenterologist named Andrew Wakefield. He interviewed 12 ... yep JUST 12 parents with Autistic children who were vaccinated and said there was a connection. No research, no additional snooping. Just jumped to that conclusion. Neat huh? Didn't matter the information caught hold and spread like wildfire. Some people have even devoted websites and time and energy to back the theory. But, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and several universities have done numerous studies to discover there is NO ... lets repeat NO causal link between vaccinations and Autism.
So where does that leave us? What difference does it make and why do you care so much Christie? I'm so glad you asked! Not having your children vaccinated does NOT only affect your child, but literally everyone around you. Yeah weird huh? Doctors and the super folks over that the CDC - who if you don't know tend to take their jobs SUPER seriously because they prevent little things like Pandemics and whatnot - work off of a theory called "Herd Immunity." Yeah I don't care for the name either, but that's why I'm not a scientist. It means that 85-95% of the population need to be immunized to prevent the spread of illness. Take for example France, the annual number of measles cases jumped from 40-50 to 15,000 in just a few years. Nearly 4,000 people have been diagnosed with pertussis (Whooping cough - highly deadly to infants) in Washington State this year where a full-blown epidemic is under way. Basically medical professionals say that if enough people accumulate that aren't vaccinated, an explosion of illness starts. Illnesses that haven't been seen in decades are breaking out in record numbers. Like whooping cough or Hib meningitis. Seriously, the last thing we want is smallpox runnin rampant!
To make matters worse, many states have adopted new legislation relaxing laws on early childhood vaccinations and allowing parents to opt out for reasons other than health or religion. This has caused a lot of problems in and of itself and many states have began to retract that legislation. Not only does anti-vaccination or delayed vaccination affect that child, but also young babies too young for vaccination, the elderly and those who have immune deficiencies to certain vaccines.
So after all that, whatever happened to the guy who started it all? Well he had to retract his paper AND the UK took away his medical license. Yeah. That's how wrong he was. No longer a doctor. That's like getting a shot from Doctor Phil ... not wise.
So if you are the parent of children or planning to be a parent, READ this article in it's entirety and do additional research. Basically vaccinate your kids or we're all at risk! The decision is ultimately yours, but the science speaks for itself. Your kid will grow up happier and healthier vaccinated, and so will all the other kids in your neighborhood.
Happy parenting and happy shots everyone!!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Pinterest Interest
So we all know everyone is Banana Crackers for Pinterest. I'm 100% certain I am the only female within a thousand mile radius of internet connection who isn't a Pinner. Kinda like I'm not a Tweeter. I figure I'm a big enough twit in real life I don't need to Tweet about it. Besides, who really needs an instant play by play of your life? Famous or not, I don't really care what you're doing right now on the toilet, or what restaurant is taking forever to feed you. But alas, I digress. What's with all the Pinterest Interest??
So glad you asked!! I'll tell you!! As I visited the website this morning, it is an internet club (yes I'm calling it a club because when it started you had to be invited to join ... so ner!) that allows you to view thousands perhaps even millions of ideas great and small for all things creative. I've been invited several times, I've been told I should join, make an account and PIN TO MY BOARD!!!! AHHHHHH!!!! SO MANY PINS!
Well let me tell you a few things that I know about it. (Because quite frankly those are the only things I'll ever tell you about. Things I know, because if I tell you about things I don't know, then we'll all be confused because you don't know and neither do I then we'll really be in a dilly of a pickle now won't we?!) I think Pinterest is an incredible amazing idea. I truly thought it was completely stupid at first, as I also thought Facebook was a complete waste of time and now look at me. I really think that Pinterest is awesome. But I won't join - at least not yet anyway, and here's why.
This is in AMAZING website for those of you with the fortitude to actually do. With the creative mind running wild you can do just about anything. But for those of us with a creative broken, uh well, it's not so good for us. I'm fairly certain I was born minus a creative. Every time I try to draw or paint or do anything right brained it turns out weird. Which is funny because I'm not left brained either ... so I guess I'm just brainless then! Sure I always throw out ideas for this that and the other, because I keep telling myself if I'm not science minded I must be art minded!! Especially because my husband the engineer tells me my degree is in arts and crafts! But my ideas are never accepted, which leads me to believe I stink. At the end of the day I'm not sure if it comes down more to my tremendous Lazy Bone or my Cheap Bone. Both are very large and I get some funny looks sometimes. Either way, I'm left not doing any of the things I know or should, to be creative, crafty and fun!
Okay you caught me. I told you a few posts earlier about some fun shower gifts. Okay okay so I do do some fun stuff sometimes! I paint, I take pictures, but we all know deep down, they're good enough for a gold start but that's about it! Long story longer, I don't have a sewing machine, a craft drawer or mountains of glue and glitter. So why don't I want to get on Pinterest? Because I KNOW I will see Billions of ideas, thought up by someone else better than I and I won't ever use them. I'll have a Board the size of Europe but that doesn't do me any good unless I do them! I clip recipes and they sit in my box. I buy cheap ribbon at Christmas nearly every year, and use mostly bags! It's a never ending nightmare of ideas gone to waste. I'm not a big fan of waste. Even if it is imaginary. I don't think thinking about spending so much of my time Pinning and thinking and dreaming only to find that to buy that bobbamagigger at Michael's is gonna cost me $40 is a good idea. So why again shouldn't I just save up my money and buy it? Isn't that what craft fairs are for? Sure I would be far more proud if I did it myself, who wouldn't? But do I have time? Do I have the resources? And do I have the ultimate desire to do it? The answer is no. And not because I'm a negative Nancy, it's a realism thing. I look at my world pragmatically and practically. With an 18 month old, a 30 pound overweight Great Dane and a Sugar Daddy (I mean that he is the sole income bringer inner at our house, so we're broke), we're looking at not much time, or energy or finance to complete my grandiose ideas.
I usually use stories in my posts so lets drive home my point with one! I was reading a book on happiness not to long ago thinking that it would hold the key to changing my life forever. It was written by Dr. Henry Cloud, an amazing speaker author and therapist. (Nothing more cliche than reading a self help book ... am I right?!) Well there was really good advice in this book. And I decided that I wasn't going to just read I was going to do. Big Step. One of the ideas, which I have done a LOT in my life being a former athlete - which is pry why I did it!, was goal setting. Set goals for yourself to accomplish, it gives your life meaning and purpose and makes you think toward the positive. One of my goals was I wanted to start painting. I go to a church that has live painters every once in a while and it truly inspired me! I went to Michael's, of course, and spent Birthday money stocking up on painting supplies for dummies. Brushes, a pack of canvas, sponges, paint yaddi yaddi yadda. I have done one painting last winter. Yep one. A year ago. My ultra amazing hunky husband told me don't buy an easel I'll make you one! So I didn't and because I don't have one, it's not easy for me to paint and thus haven't done it. That and the fact that my idea didn't turn out right, as previously mentioned - it was a little weird. So even when the supplies are there, there is a lacking in the doing. Sure I could start now, but my daughter will wake up 5 minutes after I start, I have to take them for a walk, go to the bank, come home finish that laundry and you get the idea. Life takes over and my projects lie in a cabinet somewhere quite unfinished. So I have learned not to start. Not only can I not afford most of the ideas I want to do, but I really just don't have time! I'm on parental single duty from 8-8, that's a 12 hour day folks, and sometimes longer. I get one 2 hour break in the day (nap time) but that's spent Blogging, cleaning, trying to eat a peaceful lunch, folding laundry - whatever I can't do with a kid around which is everything.
So I really think Pinterest is amazing in theory. I think bringing so many ideas together makes the creative person drool. But all I see is my SUPER limited computer time gone in a flash looking at everyone else's good ideas!
So Pin away you Pinheads of the world! Enjoy the site! I may join at some point for the interest of my blog (which was a valid and excellent suggestion) but until then, I'm going to try to keep my Pinterest sanity and wait it out til I have no more good ideas of my own.
PS this isn't to say crafting is a bad idea! It's not, just my thoughts on why not to join! You'll be inspired out the ying yang, but no further along in your craft life than you were before! Or at least that's true for me!
Pinterest ... Out. (Get it like Seacrest out ... you know Ryan Seacrest the host of stuff ... yeah I'm a moron!)
So glad you asked!! I'll tell you!! As I visited the website this morning, it is an internet club (yes I'm calling it a club because when it started you had to be invited to join ... so ner!) that allows you to view thousands perhaps even millions of ideas great and small for all things creative. I've been invited several times, I've been told I should join, make an account and PIN TO MY BOARD!!!! AHHHHHH!!!! SO MANY PINS!
Well let me tell you a few things that I know about it. (Because quite frankly those are the only things I'll ever tell you about. Things I know, because if I tell you about things I don't know, then we'll all be confused because you don't know and neither do I then we'll really be in a dilly of a pickle now won't we?!) I think Pinterest is an incredible amazing idea. I truly thought it was completely stupid at first, as I also thought Facebook was a complete waste of time and now look at me. I really think that Pinterest is awesome. But I won't join - at least not yet anyway, and here's why.
This is in AMAZING website for those of you with the fortitude to actually do. With the creative mind running wild you can do just about anything. But for those of us with a creative broken, uh well, it's not so good for us. I'm fairly certain I was born minus a creative. Every time I try to draw or paint or do anything right brained it turns out weird. Which is funny because I'm not left brained either ... so I guess I'm just brainless then! Sure I always throw out ideas for this that and the other, because I keep telling myself if I'm not science minded I must be art minded!! Especially because my husband the engineer tells me my degree is in arts and crafts! But my ideas are never accepted, which leads me to believe I stink. At the end of the day I'm not sure if it comes down more to my tremendous Lazy Bone or my Cheap Bone. Both are very large and I get some funny looks sometimes. Either way, I'm left not doing any of the things I know or should, to be creative, crafty and fun!
Okay you caught me. I told you a few posts earlier about some fun shower gifts. Okay okay so I do do some fun stuff sometimes! I paint, I take pictures, but we all know deep down, they're good enough for a gold start but that's about it! Long story longer, I don't have a sewing machine, a craft drawer or mountains of glue and glitter. So why don't I want to get on Pinterest? Because I KNOW I will see Billions of ideas, thought up by someone else better than I and I won't ever use them. I'll have a Board the size of Europe but that doesn't do me any good unless I do them! I clip recipes and they sit in my box. I buy cheap ribbon at Christmas nearly every year, and use mostly bags! It's a never ending nightmare of ideas gone to waste. I'm not a big fan of waste. Even if it is imaginary. I don't think thinking about spending so much of my time Pinning and thinking and dreaming only to find that to buy that bobbamagigger at Michael's is gonna cost me $40 is a good idea. So why again shouldn't I just save up my money and buy it? Isn't that what craft fairs are for? Sure I would be far more proud if I did it myself, who wouldn't? But do I have time? Do I have the resources? And do I have the ultimate desire to do it? The answer is no. And not because I'm a negative Nancy, it's a realism thing. I look at my world pragmatically and practically. With an 18 month old, a 30 pound overweight Great Dane and a Sugar Daddy (I mean that he is the sole income bringer inner at our house, so we're broke), we're looking at not much time, or energy or finance to complete my grandiose ideas.
I usually use stories in my posts so lets drive home my point with one! I was reading a book on happiness not to long ago thinking that it would hold the key to changing my life forever. It was written by Dr. Henry Cloud, an amazing speaker author and therapist. (Nothing more cliche than reading a self help book ... am I right?!) Well there was really good advice in this book. And I decided that I wasn't going to just read I was going to do. Big Step. One of the ideas, which I have done a LOT in my life being a former athlete - which is pry why I did it!, was goal setting. Set goals for yourself to accomplish, it gives your life meaning and purpose and makes you think toward the positive. One of my goals was I wanted to start painting. I go to a church that has live painters every once in a while and it truly inspired me! I went to Michael's, of course, and spent Birthday money stocking up on painting supplies for dummies. Brushes, a pack of canvas, sponges, paint yaddi yaddi yadda. I have done one painting last winter. Yep one. A year ago. My ultra amazing hunky husband told me don't buy an easel I'll make you one! So I didn't and because I don't have one, it's not easy for me to paint and thus haven't done it. That and the fact that my idea didn't turn out right, as previously mentioned - it was a little weird. So even when the supplies are there, there is a lacking in the doing. Sure I could start now, but my daughter will wake up 5 minutes after I start, I have to take them for a walk, go to the bank, come home finish that laundry and you get the idea. Life takes over and my projects lie in a cabinet somewhere quite unfinished. So I have learned not to start. Not only can I not afford most of the ideas I want to do, but I really just don't have time! I'm on parental single duty from 8-8, that's a 12 hour day folks, and sometimes longer. I get one 2 hour break in the day (nap time) but that's spent Blogging, cleaning, trying to eat a peaceful lunch, folding laundry - whatever I can't do with a kid around which is everything.
So I really think Pinterest is amazing in theory. I think bringing so many ideas together makes the creative person drool. But all I see is my SUPER limited computer time gone in a flash looking at everyone else's good ideas!
So Pin away you Pinheads of the world! Enjoy the site! I may join at some point for the interest of my blog (which was a valid and excellent suggestion) but until then, I'm going to try to keep my Pinterest sanity and wait it out til I have no more good ideas of my own.
PS this isn't to say crafting is a bad idea! It's not, just my thoughts on why not to join! You'll be inspired out the ying yang, but no further along in your craft life than you were before! Or at least that's true for me!
Pinterest ... Out. (Get it like Seacrest out ... you know Ryan Seacrest the host of stuff ... yeah I'm a moron!)
Thursday, October 4, 2012
"I am not a crook!"
Okay so many of you pry aren't old enough to know the quote title of this post. But it's still funny! Mostly because nearly ALL politicians are crooks in some fashion or another.
I remember growing up and my parents literally never once talked about politics in front of us. I even went with my mom to the polls before and I asked her who she voted for. You'd have thought I just shot someone with the death stare I got! That was NONE of my business. And she meant it. So I think it's funny that I gone 20 years not even knowing my parents political affiliation and I have similar tendencies - always have. Weird. But it also goes to show that you can place on your children the morals and values you care most about with out telling them about politics.
But if you think I'm going to go on a political rant about what I care about let me stop you right there. I CANNOT (nor can anyone else) and WILL NOT tell you who or what to vote for. I can give you some guidelines about voting to make it less of a headache and more of a, look at me I voted!
First and foremost, if you are not registered to vote and you are 18 years old and an American citizen YOU NEED TO REGISTER. Why do you need to register to vote you say? Because you have to register to vote in order to vote! It is not only a duty as an American citizen, but it is a RIGHT that has been hard fought to have!!! At least two wars and SEVERAL liberation movements ... to say the least. So do everyone a favor and register and actually VOTE. I could sit here and give you thousands of reason to and there is not ONE reason you could give me to not.
Second of all, you need to be educated. And not everyone's favorite method of education ... facebook. Your educational background on who and what to vote for should not stem from someone's opinion. Vocab lesson! That's called ... IRRESPONSIBLE. That's right kids! Taking someone else's word for it is not being responsible. Which means? You're going to have to think for yourself and put in the time to be knowledgeable. Awwww man! I know I know it's like a horrible homework assignment come every 4 years! But the good news is there are easier ways to be educated and know what you are voting for! HOORAY!
The first presidential debate for this election happened last night. I will be upfront with those of you who are actually still reading my blog, I did not get to watch it in it's entirety. (Which doesn't mean I won't, but I haven't yet) This is your best bet to get a feel and a vibe for the candidates. If you didn't know anything up until this point, you will be vastly more knowledgeable after watching it. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkrwUU_YApE ) There is the link to watch it on YouTube ... you're welcome! See! I live up to my promise!! Making your life better already!! ( Insert terribly cheesy smile here!) Watch, learn decide for yourself. Take notes if you need to or want to - yeah I'm not kidding. You can watch this anytime you want no one has to know! And even if they did, who cares! You're being a good citizen and taking the time to do the right thing! It's like picking up trash on the side of the street. It's the right thing to do but nobody ever wants to do it.
Another step you can take is get a Sunday newspaper. They're like $1.50 (plus you get coupons ladies!!!) and skim the headlines. Yep skim. Easy right?? When you see something related to the election, read it. Heck skim it if it makes you feel better, at least you are extracting information. This process really does not take long at all and you will learn more than you thought you would! Be sure that you are not just reading articles from the same authors though! You can get caught in the media bias trap!! YIKES! In a land where free speech is well ... used like toilet paper, you have to be careful that you aren't reading all the same rhetoric all the time.
The same could be said for my next step. Google!! WOOP WOOP hooray for the internets! Can you believe that today's college students have always had internet? That's banana crackers to me! Poor encyclopedia Britanica salesmen! Anyway, you can't get caught up on what you read on the internets either. (No it's not a typo I'm actually saying The Internets ... it's funnier!) You can put anything you want out there! Look at me for Pete's sake, I'm a schmuck who decided to start a blog and I get to put whatever I want on it! Google with caution. Read the DailyBeast. A website with predominately liberal authors, but good and valid information. It's a political website that isn't afraid to say what they want. On the flip side, for every article you read on there you should read one from the HuffingtonPost. A notoriously conservative website equally unafraid to tout their stuff. You need a good balance to really make informed decisions. Plus, take a HUGE grain of salt with everything you read regardless of where it comes from. Everyone writes with bias (except me right now which is turning out to be harder than I thought!). I don't want to have that on my conscious that I successfully brainwashed people to my way of thinking. How do I know it's even right? Most of politics are based on beliefs and opinions. Sure they throw out facts and figures, but at the end of the day the vote comes down to what? Who you BELIEVE will do the best job for the country. No one but Nostradamus could say for sure, and welp ... he's dead. So we have to form our own opinions to make the best decision we can.
My final suggestion, which I must say comes with a bit of hesitation, is to go to a candidates speech. There I said it! It's out lets move on! Sheesh so picky out here! You won't get anymore bias than from the candidates themselves. But the truth of the matter is, you can hear it straight from that pony's mouth. It would be interesting if you could go to multiple speeches to see if candidate "Bob" ever changes his story. Does he tout different slogans and policies when he's around different people? Could be fun if you had a lot of time and a lot of patience on your hands! But in all honesty, you can't come to an all inclusive decision with out hearing it straight from them. Which is why the debates are my first choice. Watch whenever you want, there's a moderator, and you get both sides at once. Rallies are nice though because you can get an uninterrupted stream of his thoughts and ideas. And just so everyone out there doesn't think I'm trying to be some know it all dummyhead telling you to do things I haven't done, I've heard 3 presidential speeches in real life. Two were from the same president but in different areas. It's eye opening for sure and awe inspiring! That dude is president now or could be! Sweet yo!
At the end of the day the biggest thing I want people to know is that when the political heat is on ... DECIDE FOR YOURSELF. No one can tell you what you believe and no one SHOULD tell you how to vote. Take for example myself, I've always made up my own mind about ... okay well about everything, but when it comes to politics if I'm not educated I don't vote. Think about it this way. If Hitler were alive (Thank God he's not) but if he were and he were running and he was good looking (which he wasn't) and charismatic and well spoken (which he was) and just looked the part and everyone voted for him because of that but didn't hear his words or understand what he was wanting to do. Look what we'd end up with. A horrible person running our country. If you can't fill out all the information on the presidential ballot, don't. There are no laws (I promise because I've done it) that say you have to fill out everything. If you want to do additional research and check out all the Issues, by all means!! But don't feel compelled because you saw a yard sign on your way to the polls that said vote YES on 52 so you do but don't know that voting yes on 52 means that no one is allowed to have front doors on their house anymore, and you like your front door, then you made the wrong choice. Better to be silent than make the wrong choice. That being said, vote for the President. It is important and your vote MOST DEFINITELY matters. If a million people all said their votes don't matter, but they would have voted for the candidate that lost, then I say it most DEFINITELY would have mattered!
Be responsible and take part in the democratic process. It's not just a duty it's a right. Your right to be heard and make a difference! But know what you're doing when you hit the polls November 4, or earlier now because some people are doing that these days. Or whatever. Just know what you're doing!
Don't fly a plane before you take a lesson.
* PS ... unrelated to this post, I have had some feedback that people cannot post comments. I don't like that! So I'm going to have my tech guru have a look see and see if we can't fix it or make it easier! In the meantime, please don't hesitate to e-mail me, even if you think it's "stupid" or "unrelated" I would LOVE to get your opinions and feedback! So feel free to shoot me some any time! christielynnmeyer@gmail.com THANKS!! *
I remember growing up and my parents literally never once talked about politics in front of us. I even went with my mom to the polls before and I asked her who she voted for. You'd have thought I just shot someone with the death stare I got! That was NONE of my business. And she meant it. So I think it's funny that I gone 20 years not even knowing my parents political affiliation and I have similar tendencies - always have. Weird. But it also goes to show that you can place on your children the morals and values you care most about with out telling them about politics.
But if you think I'm going to go on a political rant about what I care about let me stop you right there. I CANNOT (nor can anyone else) and WILL NOT tell you who or what to vote for. I can give you some guidelines about voting to make it less of a headache and more of a, look at me I voted!
First and foremost, if you are not registered to vote and you are 18 years old and an American citizen YOU NEED TO REGISTER. Why do you need to register to vote you say? Because you have to register to vote in order to vote! It is not only a duty as an American citizen, but it is a RIGHT that has been hard fought to have!!! At least two wars and SEVERAL liberation movements ... to say the least. So do everyone a favor and register and actually VOTE. I could sit here and give you thousands of reason to and there is not ONE reason you could give me to not.
Second of all, you need to be educated. And not everyone's favorite method of education ... facebook. Your educational background on who and what to vote for should not stem from someone's opinion. Vocab lesson! That's called ... IRRESPONSIBLE. That's right kids! Taking someone else's word for it is not being responsible. Which means? You're going to have to think for yourself and put in the time to be knowledgeable. Awwww man! I know I know it's like a horrible homework assignment come every 4 years! But the good news is there are easier ways to be educated and know what you are voting for! HOORAY!
The first presidential debate for this election happened last night. I will be upfront with those of you who are actually still reading my blog, I did not get to watch it in it's entirety. (Which doesn't mean I won't, but I haven't yet) This is your best bet to get a feel and a vibe for the candidates. If you didn't know anything up until this point, you will be vastly more knowledgeable after watching it. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkrwUU_YApE ) There is the link to watch it on YouTube ... you're welcome! See! I live up to my promise!! Making your life better already!! ( Insert terribly cheesy smile here!) Watch, learn decide for yourself. Take notes if you need to or want to - yeah I'm not kidding. You can watch this anytime you want no one has to know! And even if they did, who cares! You're being a good citizen and taking the time to do the right thing! It's like picking up trash on the side of the street. It's the right thing to do but nobody ever wants to do it.
Another step you can take is get a Sunday newspaper. They're like $1.50 (plus you get coupons ladies!!!) and skim the headlines. Yep skim. Easy right?? When you see something related to the election, read it. Heck skim it if it makes you feel better, at least you are extracting information. This process really does not take long at all and you will learn more than you thought you would! Be sure that you are not just reading articles from the same authors though! You can get caught in the media bias trap!! YIKES! In a land where free speech is well ... used like toilet paper, you have to be careful that you aren't reading all the same rhetoric all the time.
The same could be said for my next step. Google!! WOOP WOOP hooray for the internets! Can you believe that today's college students have always had internet? That's banana crackers to me! Poor encyclopedia Britanica salesmen! Anyway, you can't get caught up on what you read on the internets either. (No it's not a typo I'm actually saying The Internets ... it's funnier!) You can put anything you want out there! Look at me for Pete's sake, I'm a schmuck who decided to start a blog and I get to put whatever I want on it! Google with caution. Read the DailyBeast. A website with predominately liberal authors, but good and valid information. It's a political website that isn't afraid to say what they want. On the flip side, for every article you read on there you should read one from the HuffingtonPost. A notoriously conservative website equally unafraid to tout their stuff. You need a good balance to really make informed decisions. Plus, take a HUGE grain of salt with everything you read regardless of where it comes from. Everyone writes with bias (except me right now which is turning out to be harder than I thought!). I don't want to have that on my conscious that I successfully brainwashed people to my way of thinking. How do I know it's even right? Most of politics are based on beliefs and opinions. Sure they throw out facts and figures, but at the end of the day the vote comes down to what? Who you BELIEVE will do the best job for the country. No one but Nostradamus could say for sure, and welp ... he's dead. So we have to form our own opinions to make the best decision we can.
My final suggestion, which I must say comes with a bit of hesitation, is to go to a candidates speech. There I said it! It's out lets move on! Sheesh so picky out here! You won't get anymore bias than from the candidates themselves. But the truth of the matter is, you can hear it straight from that pony's mouth. It would be interesting if you could go to multiple speeches to see if candidate "Bob" ever changes his story. Does he tout different slogans and policies when he's around different people? Could be fun if you had a lot of time and a lot of patience on your hands! But in all honesty, you can't come to an all inclusive decision with out hearing it straight from them. Which is why the debates are my first choice. Watch whenever you want, there's a moderator, and you get both sides at once. Rallies are nice though because you can get an uninterrupted stream of his thoughts and ideas. And just so everyone out there doesn't think I'm trying to be some know it all dummyhead telling you to do things I haven't done, I've heard 3 presidential speeches in real life. Two were from the same president but in different areas. It's eye opening for sure and awe inspiring! That dude is president now or could be! Sweet yo!
At the end of the day the biggest thing I want people to know is that when the political heat is on ... DECIDE FOR YOURSELF. No one can tell you what you believe and no one SHOULD tell you how to vote. Take for example myself, I've always made up my own mind about ... okay well about everything, but when it comes to politics if I'm not educated I don't vote. Think about it this way. If Hitler were alive (Thank God he's not) but if he were and he were running and he was good looking (which he wasn't) and charismatic and well spoken (which he was) and just looked the part and everyone voted for him because of that but didn't hear his words or understand what he was wanting to do. Look what we'd end up with. A horrible person running our country. If you can't fill out all the information on the presidential ballot, don't. There are no laws (I promise because I've done it) that say you have to fill out everything. If you want to do additional research and check out all the Issues, by all means!! But don't feel compelled because you saw a yard sign on your way to the polls that said vote YES on 52 so you do but don't know that voting yes on 52 means that no one is allowed to have front doors on their house anymore, and you like your front door, then you made the wrong choice. Better to be silent than make the wrong choice. That being said, vote for the President. It is important and your vote MOST DEFINITELY matters. If a million people all said their votes don't matter, but they would have voted for the candidate that lost, then I say it most DEFINITELY would have mattered!
Be responsible and take part in the democratic process. It's not just a duty it's a right. Your right to be heard and make a difference! But know what you're doing when you hit the polls November 4, or earlier now because some people are doing that these days. Or whatever. Just know what you're doing!
Don't fly a plane before you take a lesson.
* PS ... unrelated to this post, I have had some feedback that people cannot post comments. I don't like that! So I'm going to have my tech guru have a look see and see if we can't fix it or make it easier! In the meantime, please don't hesitate to e-mail me, even if you think it's "stupid" or "unrelated" I would LOVE to get your opinions and feedback! So feel free to shoot me some any time! christielynnmeyer@gmail.com THANKS!! *
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