LifeLock

It seems like a lot of people are questioning the veracity of lifelock since it has been reported that the founder, Todd Davis' identity was stolen. Now, Experian is suing.

There are a two questions that need to be explored when considering this situation. The first question: What does lifelock provide? The second question: Why does Experian care?

The first question is easily answered and understood. lifelock provides a guarantee. They guarantee that you identity will not be stolen. However, since, in the day we live in, that cannot be a 100% guarantee, they back it up with up to $1,000,000 in money and services. That means that if it costs $20,000 in legal fees to get your credit repaired, they take care of that. If that means hiring someone to drive you to the DMV to get a new driver's license so that you're not driving illegally, they hire someone to do that. If it means spending $1,000,000 to pay fines and other nonsense that frequently gets put on the victim of identity theft, that's what they'll do. So, while they can't give you a 100% guarantee that someone won't find a way to perpetrate credit fraud or identity theft on you, they will do their best and cover the expenses of fixing it if they miss something.

The second question is easy to understand, too. You know all those pre-approved credit offers you get in the mail? The ones someone can steal and apply for credit in your name? The ones that you spend hours shredding because you don't need credit and quite frankly don't want it? Experian makes money from selling your credit information to companies. So, when they have to stop selling your credit information, they lose money. Do you really want them selling your credit information? You go to such pains to make sure that other companies are not selling your name and address to people and these people are selling your entire credit history (current and prior addresses, phone numbers, all debt info, you name it, they sell it).

So, do I feel sorry for the Credit Reporting Agencies for losing money? Not on your life. Do I use lifelock? I have been for about 6 months, now. Does that make me especially sensitive to the idea that their service might not work? Of course. But, it also makes me do the research to find out the answer. I still trust them and I plan to keep that 'back up' in place.

You could call it identity theft insurance. It's kind of like life insurance (which should really be called death insurance). It doesn't guarantee it won't happen, but it does help in the event it does.

Walgreens and Groceries

This was my grocery shopping trip for the week. As you can see, it includes a lot of convenience foods. We don't usually buy all this stuff, but we like it. It was on sale, so I bought it. It'll last a long time, so it was worth it.

Kroger

Total Out of Pocket (OOP): $30.35

Total Saving: $22.04

Meijer

Total OOP: $40.14

Total Savings: $26.18

Walgreens

Total OOP: $0 (I used $13.11 from my rebate gift card)

Total Savings: $102.26 (If you count gift card amount)

Total rebate amount: $$10.09

Summer Reading Programs

It seems that all the book stores have summer reading programs. Most libraries do as well. And, while most people know about their local library reading programs, it seems that the book stores don't have as good a PR team on this one. So, I thought I'd share some of what I've learned.

Half Price Books has a reading program that gives children $3 shopping cards to Half Price Books. The kids read at least 15 minutes a day for 5 days each week and they get a $3 shopping card. They can get one every week through August 2. This would amount to a total of $27 for each child in free books. One caveat, this is for children 10 and under only.

Barnes and Noble is also giving children a chance to earn a free book. In this program, they read 8 books, fill out the form and get a coupon for a free book. The free book has to come from the list they have (I don't know what it is). This is for children in grades 1-6.

So, then I called Borders and Books-a-Million and it seems that neither of them have a summer reading program, although they were more than willing to provide me with my child's summer reading list. Too bad they don't have it. LOL

Here's to free books!

Christmas in May

Like most of the homeschool moms I know, I am a curriculum junkie. I want to see, touch and read everything. I want to make sure my kids are getting the best they can. On the other hand, I am quite pleased with the curriculum we used this year. I did a lot of research before I bought any of it and it has all been a really good fit. The only thing I would have changed was our spelling program and I already did that. So, for the most part, the curriculum I buy is 'supporting' stuff. 'Regular' books for our library, research material like atlases, wall maps, and other sundries.

Today, was our annual big curriculum swap. Here's how it works. Everyone that has something they want to get rid of goes to the venue and sets up a table or blanket and sells their stuff to whoever wants to buy it. Easy, right? The hard part is walking away from books that you really don't need or want. Thankfully, I was on a mission and it was easy for me to walk away, today anyway. I did find some of the curriculum that we need for next year and the boys found some things that they 'needed'.

I was especially excited by the Story of the World Activity Book and the Critical Thinking books. I got the Story of the World for 1/2 what it costs and the Critical Thinking for less than that. These are both books I need for next year. Also, that Castles book on the top was a lucky find. Earlier this week, I was looking at it on Amazon. I had it in my cart, but decided to wait on it. It is $16, and I got it for $1!! Yay!!!

Then, part of my order from Amazon came in. Xavier is the one that said, "It's like Christmas!" (We're always getting lots of boxes as Christmas time since we live far from everyone.) For what it's worth, I got the Amazon prime membership last August. It costs $79 and you get free two day shipping for a year (not on used books). It has more than payed for itself. I order books at least once a month. Sometimes more often. Having prepaid shipping has really paid off for me. Obviously, if you're only going to order books a couple times a year, it is not worth it. But, if you, like me, have given up on your local library and are trying to build up your personal library, it can be a really good option.

Something else I discovered today is Half Price Books. I have not actually been to the store yet, but I have every intention of going next week. They're having a summer reading program for the kids. Plus, they give a 10% discount to educators.

Today was a very exciting day for all of us. Tomorrow, I'll post pictures of my grocery shopping trip and Walgreens excursion. Have a great night!

Walgreens Hot Coupon

Walgreens has a hot coupon! This coupon is valid Friday, May 30th, only. The coupon is for $10 off your purchase of $30 or more. You could really get some good deals with this. After you peruse my planned purchase, visit Money Saving Mom for some more ideas.

An important note: Friday, May 30th and Saturday, May 31st, you can use both the May and June Easy Saver Catalogs. Since there are several overlapping deals in there, you can get some really good deals.

man.=manufacturer's coupon, WEA=Walgreens easy saver coupon, WAL=Walgreens weekly in ad coupon

$ 8.99 Banana Boat Sun Protection (Buy 1 get 1 free) ($1 man.)
8.99 Banana Boat Sun Protection ($1 man., $8.99-get 1 free offer)
5.89 Orajel Kids Plaque Rinse (free after rebate)
1.69 Walgreens Light Bulbs (free after rebate)
11.99 Schick Quattro Titanium Razor ($3 man., $3 WEA -May, $4 WEA June)
11.99 Schick Quattro Titanium Trimmer Razor ($3 man, $3 WEA-May, $4 WEA June)
10.99 Schick Quattro Razor Refill ($3 WEA-May, Free Refill w/ purchase of razor man.)
10.99 Schick Quattro Trimmer refill ($3 WEA-May, Free Refill w/ purchase of razor man.)
11.99 Schick Intuition Plus ($4 man., $3 WEA-May)
2.38 Doublemint Gum x 4 (WAL-Buy 1/Get 1, Man.-Buy 1/Get 1=$2.38 man. coupon)
3.99 Edge Shave Gel ($1 man., $1 WEA-May, $1 WEA-June)
3.79 Pert Plus ($1 man., $2.50 rebate WEA May)
5.49 Off ($0.55 man, $1 WEA-May, $1 WEA-June)
______
$99.16 + tax Total
- 74.90 coupons
______
$24.26+ tax
-10.00 coupon (give them this coupon first! to make sure they take it off)
______
$14.26 +tax out of pocket

$9.98 rebate
+ .99 top off 10% for having rebate out on Walgreens gift card
______
$10.97 Total rebate


That's saying they have everything I want to buy!:) They almost never do.
I'll post a picture tomorrow! Happy shopping.

Home Depot Garden Club

While I was in Florida, I discovered Home Depot's Garden Club. This is an online club. I stumbled across it while exploring another website (who knows which one!) and I signed up.

While I haven't had a lot of time to go exploring their website, I have noticed that they have some cool ideas. Between Home Depot, Lowes, HGTV, and DIYnetwork (DIY is my personal favorite), I've just about stopped buying gardening magazines. Not only does this drastically cut down on the amount of clutter magazines I have laying around the house, it also saves me a lot of money.

But, the reason I am sharing this with you today is....They email you coupons. Last week I received a coupon for "Buy one shrub get one free". Now, that's a decent coupon. They also had coupons for plant food. I don't know about you, but I love coupons. I'm willing to get an email from Home Depot twice a month in exchange for coupons I may need. I'm very excited about this shrub one.

The U.N. Again

We all know the U.N. is a joke. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure members of the U.N. don't consider it a joke. I think they probably consider it a way to make extra money.

Throughout the years, the U.N. has called for lots of different things:

They want to abolish the death penalty.

They want America to give up its secret CIA prisons.

They want to do so much for human rights. Too bad they're not doing anything!

But, not only do they want a to control America and make the U.N.'s rules higher than America's own constitution, they also have no problem being extremely corrupt.

They skim money from everywhere they can find it. And, since we're all giving them so much, they're skimming quite a bit.

I say Abolish the U.N. I'm sick and tired of them!

Home

Wow! It is good to be home. I don't think I've ever been away from home that long. I've moved a lot, but my home has always gone with me.

There are lots of reasons it is good to be home. I'll share a few...

My bath tub!

A yard to play in!

My bed

(Yes, I know I should have made it before I took the picture, but I just want you to understand that I'm planning to climb back in it as soon as I finish this post.:)

My library

Gabriel said, "Time to get down to some serious reading!"

Toys, toys and more toys!

Unfortunately, there is one huge reason that it is not good to be home. And, since that reason is the reason we went to Florida in the first place, it is a hard reason to leave behind. I know that some people go to Florida because it is warm. Some people go to Florida for the beaches. Some people go to Flordia for vacation. Some people go to Florida for Disney World. We went to Florida for Gary. Gary is still in Florida. He'll be home June 20th. We only left him Sunday and I already miss him. Well, this is the last big school he has to go to, so we should see more of him next year! In the meantime, a couple pictures for you of why I wish I wasn't home yet. (Notice the mustache!)

Obama on Iran

Is Iran a threat? Well, I guess it depends on what you consider a threat. If you only consider a country that spends as much money on its military a threat, like Senator Obama does, then I guess Iran is not a threat.



Or, maybe it's just that he likes to talk in circles.

Obama said he wouldn't negotiate with Hamas and that talks with Iran would actually improve Israeli security.......Demanding concessions from Iran in exchange for offers of economic aid would give America "the moral high ground," he argued. That would make it easier to build international support for sanctions to pressure Iran into halting its nuclear program and its support of terrorism, he said.

Or, maybe, he just doesn't have a clue.

He reiterated that his outreach to enemies does not include terrorists and that he would not negotiate with groups such as Hamas until they renounce terrorism and recognize Israel's right to exist.

Ah, yes, he wants to talk to Iran, but then says he won't talk to terrorists. Oh, and he said that Iran is supporting terrorism. But, he won't talk to terrorists. I'm sorry, must be that he'll only talk to supporters of terrorism.

Get a life.

Fun Stuff

I love looking at tactical gear. Way back when, I perused military merchandise outlet catalogs. Now, I've found a website at just the right time.

5.11LA Police Gear has all kinds of cool stuff, including Surefire flashlights, Blackhawk gear, Under Armour, other stuff, and best of all, gun holsters. You see, this summer, I am going to be working to get my conceal and carry license. I'll be needing a holster. They have a descent, but not extensive selection. I am also excited because they have some knives on clearance. I need a knife. I've been carrying Gary's around when he accidently leaves it at home. It comes in extra useful. Unfortunately, he's been remembering to pack it in his checked baggage instead of forgetting that it's in his backpack and having to mail it home. Oh, well. Now, I'll just have to buy myself one.

Have fun tooling around this site.

Men and Women Not Equal Yet

To me, equality means not only 'equal pay for equal work', but also equal punishment for equal crime. It also means that if we can razz a man for being a man, we can razz a woman for being a woman. It means that when a woman does or says something stupid, we can talk about it just as much as we can when a man does.

So, when a woman abuses a teenage boy, there should be the same amount of uproar as there is for men abusing teenagers. Instead, we tend to ignore it or say, "Way to go, kid!" as if this is not just as damaging to boys as it is girls.

The women certainly don't pay the same consequences. They get a slap on the wrist. And, people are not near as prone to panicking about having their kids around a woman pedophile as they do a male pedophile. Does a woman even pop into your mind when you hear the word pedophile? Of course not. Yet, we have consistently heard of women 'having sex with' teenage boys recently. If a man had done that, it would be called what it is--rape.

The News--Kind of

You know what bugs me? It infuriates bugs me when I hear/read people saying this or that that they saw on the news and what ever it is is totally, completely wrong. And the person doesn't even realize that they've been taken for a ride!

Here's the deal, people. The news media frequently only tells part of the story. They also only report on things that support their agenda. That's really sad because the media shouldn't have an agenda.

As I mentioned in this post, the news publishes stories that support the point they want to make.

Something I noticed a few months ago is that many media outlets have basically stopped reporting on the war in Iraq. Now, why is that? For so long, they reported exclusively negative facts about the Iraq war. They 'reported' that our soldiers were baby killers. They accused our soldiers of unsubstantiated abuse. They reported, with baited breath, the deaths of our soldiers and complained when the families of those soldiers didn't want them taking pictures of their loved ones' flag covered coffins. They said that the intelligence was wrong and we don't belong in Iraq. They reported that this was a civil war and we shouldn't be involved. They reported that the war was lost and that we were just wasting our time, money and lives.

Now, the surge is working. The people of Iraq are rallying around us and working with us and the violence has slowed. The deaths of our soldiers have slowed. We all know that Saddam's regime supported terrorism. He supported it financially and by allowing them to train in Iraq.

Now, instead of saying that they were wrong, the media is just trying to ignore Iraq unless they can report something bad. What is sad to me is that people believe them. There used to be integrity in the media. At least, I think there did. Since we didn't have a T.V. when I was growing up, I can only assume that there was at least some integrity in the media at some point. I just wish that the people of the US realized how they're being taken for a ride.

Post Sharing

I just wanted to take a minute and share a couple posts that I particularly enjoyed this week.

Jennie C. over at Far Beyond Pearls posted about the in between times.

Rebecca over at Freaky Frugalite posted about being a Stay-at-home-mom.
(H/T) Shelly

and

Dana over at Principled Discovery posted about accountability.

No Rest for the Weary

Parents are always tired. But, can you imagine your child not sleeping for 3 years? Rhett Lamb had an experimental surgery recently to correct a brain condition called Chiari Malformation.

Chiari malformation is the condition that causes spina bifida. But, it also causes many other conditions. There are three types of Chiari malformation and they cause a range of symptoms: from no symptoms to paralysis. This condition can cause dizziness, muscle weakness, headache, problems with balance and coordination, and spinal curvature, just to name a few symptoms.

But, this boy's case caused him to not be able to sleep. That isn't good for a body. A person needs sleep. And, don't forget that the parents have to stay awake with this kid.

Since the surgery, Rhett has gotten some sleep and so have his parents. Doctors think it will take months, though, to really know the results of the surgery. The surgery cost $60,000, which I think is pretty cheap for this kind of thing, but was not covered by insurance.

And, to put another spin on this, what about the Mommy wars? You know, the I'm-a-better-mom-than-you because my kid started sleeping all night when he was a day old. I have to tell you, I have never been more thankful that my kids waited until they were 2, 7, and 4, respectfully, to sleep through the night. At least they were sleeping!

CrossFit

Several months ago, Gary started going to a gym called the The Chaos Compound. The Chaos Compound is a Crossfit affiliate.



Since starting the crossfit way of training, Gary has changed shirt and pant sizes (up due to larger muscle size). Quite frankly, this is both irritation and enjoyment for me. I enjoy looking at him. I don't enjoy buying him all new clothes.

On the other hand, I would love to buy myself all new clothes for myself. I would love to take the fat off my belly (or, as I read recently at Home is Where the Army Is, my flabdomen). More importantly, I want to be in good health for my life, my husband, and my children.

Gary and I are planning to take the boys on a hike on the Appalachian Trail the summer after they turn 15. So, I have 5 years to get ready for Gabriel's hike. That may seem like a long time, but when you've spent the last 5 years doing nothing, you realiwe how fast 5 years goes by.

Gabriel needs some work, too. I've been wanting to start a 'homeschool' gym class for them. We all 4 need to get more excercise than we are currently getting. I really like the crossfit concept. So, I'm planning to start this workout when I get home. Yes, I'm procrastinating. I know. In the meantime, I'll keep walking on the beach. It's one more week.

What's really cool is that you can download videos, plans and other stuff for this workout. Also, it's a pretty easy 'gym' to set up. It won't cost much money. Fortunately for me, Gary's already started setting up our home gym with the stuff I need. However, I'll have to get some stuff for the boys.

They also have a website for kids. CrossFit Kids is so cool. They have videos of kids doing the workouts and I think my kids will really enjoy competing with themselves to improve their times/scores. They already love being timed doing stuff. For instance, we time them diving for dive toys and it is one of their favorite things to do. So, I imagine that if we write down and track their improvement that they will be really into it.

I'm going to go one step farther. Before I start this, I'll report to you all my measurements. I know, I can't believe I just said that. Anyway, I'll also report my progess each week. That'll help me keep up with it.

Blogging for Money

When I started this blog, I was doing it exclusively as an outlet for my thoughts. I would love to be paid to do it, but I refuse to compromise the integrity of my blog. So, I'm trying out a couple different services to see which ones will work for me.




The first service I am trying is called payperpost. One of the things I like about this service is that you get to choose what you post about. It is not that they pay you to post about whatever you want to, rather that they list what advertisers want posted and you can choose to post about that thing.

I like the fact that I can research something before posting about it and that I can post as often or as rarely as I want to. So, my blog doesn't have to be mostly advertisements.

I like the full-disclosure involved in the opportunities available. I also like the fact that I can research something to find out if I even want to post about it prior to doing so. It is not so much an assignment as a commission.

Culture of Death

We have a culture of death in America. This is quite obvious to people who can stop listening to talking points and really look at what they're supporting. There are several different ways that we promote death in America.

The first, and most contentious form this takes is abortion. We have three major groups in the abortion 'debate'. I know what you're thinking, "Three????"

The first group is the pro-life group. This group believes that abortion is wrong. It believes that abortion kills a baby. This is the group I am a part of. To me, there is only one reason for abortion. That reason is to protect the life of the mother. I believe that the life of the already born takes precedence over the life of the unborn. However, as I explored in my post on the santity of life, and in my post on babies making a case against abortion, it is very difficult to know when a mother's life is in danger. Doctors frequently make mistakes in diagnosis and may say that a mother's life is in danger when it is not. I have to leave this call up to the mother. However, I don't believe in any other reason for abortion.

The second group is the pro-choice group. This group believes that before a child is born, it is just a fetus. It is not really alive. Most of them believe that even when the 'fetus' would be viable outside the womb (late-term abortions), it is still the choice of the mother to abort. They say that it is the woman's body. I would argue that it is a baby, not part of the woman's body, but rather supported by the mother's body until it is born.

The third group is the group that refuses to take responsibility for their opinion. They think that whatever you believe is okay. They think that while they don't personally agree with abortion, they shouldn't push their opinions on you. Really, they don't have any firm beliefs. All they have are vague ideas about right and wrong, but no reasons to back up those beliefs. As a result, they just sway in the wind and have no true position. This is becoming a larger and larger portion of America. It's the "Live and Let Live" group.

The second place I see the culture of death is in the entertainment industry.

There are several spokes to the entertainment industry. We have video games. We have music. We have movies. We have television.

In the video game industry, I see a very disturbing trend. The industry has come out with a rating system for video games. The only problem is that the ratings don't always make sense. For instance, my children were playing a game at a friends house. I was fine with what they were playing. Later, I found out that it was rated Teen. I was in shock. I could see no reason for this game to be rated Teen. Apparently, it is rated that for 'comic mischief'. Based on the type of mischief present in this game, I would imagine that they would rate Wile E. Coyote 'Teen' for 'comic mischief'. Yet, parents are expected to be able to tell whether or not a game is appropriate for their children with these ratings?
Then, the same industry that rates this inocuous game Teen, produces "Grand Theft Auto" a game which offers "much more than just impressive graphics, adding in sidebar games to occupy time beyond picking up hookers or accompanying drug dealers as the get-away driver." Uh huh. And realistic graphics enabling you to virtually pick up hookers and accompany drug dealers is a good thing. The sale of these games has boosted the sale of XBox360s, even in the midst of a downturn in the economy.

There has been a lot of research about the effect of violent games on children. There is nothing good about it. Yet, many children still have access to these games.

In music, we see a major problem in gansta rap music, in particular. There is evidence that watching gangsta rap music videos has a profound effect on teens. We see an increase in violence, sexual promiscuity, drug use, alcohol use, and illegal activities. This music promotes rape, drugs, alcohol abuse, and other types of violence. You can't tell me that it is good for children and teens to listen to.

I'm not even going to go into movies and T.V. There's just too much of it out there.

Then, a not oft talked about culture of death is the news. When you watch the news, you see death, death, and more death. While this may, at first glance, seem not that bad. After all, they're just reporting what happened. They're just informing us about what is going on in the world, right? Well, in all actuality, what they're doing is searching out stories that fit the profile that they want to report on. That means that when one station reports on a specific type of murder, others dig up similar stories that make people think there is a trend for this type of murder. If you watch the news consistently, you may have the impression only bad things happen in the world. Not to mention the fact that when you constantly see bad news, you become inured to it. Eventually, murder seems normal. You don't turn a hair at hearing about another murder. It's someone else's problem, anyway, right?

Do you know what really bugs me about media violence, though? The idea that when a person turns 18, they're old enough to deal with any and all images that come across their plate. I once heard someone ask the question, "Why would you invite someone in through the T.V. that you would never invite in through the front door?" (I apologize, I can't remember who said this.) What makes people think that when you're an adult, what you see and hear doesn't affect you?


In closing, I believe that so long as we continue to accept this culture of death, we will continue to see an upswing in the rate of violence. When we do not value human life, there is no reason to protect it. There is no reason to not desecrate it. We need to consecrate life, not denegrate it.

A Body's Reaction to Stress

The American Institute of Stress says, "Stress is not a useful term for scientists because it is such a highly subjective phenomenon that it defies definition. And if you can't define stress, how can you possibly measure it?"

Stress is hard to quantify. We can see the effects of it on our bodies. We can feel it. My body reacts very predictable to stress. I tend to shut down emotionally. My hair shaft gets thinner and my hair falls out. If you look at the hair that has fallen out, you can track stressful times in my life by how thick the shaft of the hair is. My fingernails become brittle, peel and break easily. My skin dries out. I consider all of these things to be signs that my body is redirecting nutrients to other parts of my body that were previously going to my hair, nails and skin.

50 common signs of stress, as listed by the American Institute of Stress are:

1. Frequent headaches, jaw clenching or pain 26. Insomnia, nightmares, disturbing dreams

2. Gritting, grinding teeth 27. Difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts

3. Stuttering or stammering 28. Trouble learning new information

4. Tremors, trembling of lips, hands 29. Forgetfulness, disorganization, confusion

5. Neck ache, back pain, muscle spasms 30. Difficulty in making decisions.

6. Light headedness, faintness, dizziness 31. Feeling overloaded or overwhelmed.

7. Ringing, buzzing or "popping sounds 32. Frequent crying spells or suicidal thoughts

8. Frequent blushing, sweating 33. Feelings of loneliness or worthlessness

9. Cold or sweaty hands, feet 34. Little interest in appearance, punctuality

10. Dry mouth, problems swallowing 35. Nervous habits, fidgeting, feet tapping

11. Frequent colds, infections, herpes sores 36. Increased frustration, irritability, edginess

12. Rashes, itching, hives, "goose bumps" 37. Overreaction to petty annoyances

13. Unexplained or frequent "allergy" attacks 38. Increased number of minor accidents

14. Heartburn, stomach pain, nausea 39. Obsessive or compulsive behavior

15. Excess belching, flatulence 40. Reduced work efficiency or productivity

16. Constipation, diarrhea 41. Lies or excuses to cover up poor work

17. Difficulty breathing, sighing 42. Rapid or mumbled speech

18. Sudden attacks of panic 43. Excessive defensiveness or suspiciousness

19. Chest pain, palpitations 44. Problems in communication, sharing

20. Frequent urination 45. Social withdrawal and isolation

21. Poor sexual desire or performance 46. Constant tiredness, weakness, fatigue

22. Excess anxiety, worry, guilt, nervousness 47. Frequent use of over-the-counter drugs

23. Increased anger, frustration, hostility 48. Weight gain or loss without diet

24. Depression, frequent or wild mood swings 49. Increased smoking, alcohol or drug use

25. Increased or decreased appetite 50. Excessive gambling or impulse buying



Gabriel chews and stammers. I gain weight-even though I eat less.

There are much more serious problems associated with stress, as well. Some of these problems include depression, heart attacks and stroke, and lowered immune systems (if your family keeps getting sick, you might think about the stress factor). Stress has a negative effect on all diseases and disorders.

Most of us have heard stories of couples who have been trying to have children for years. They are stressed. They repeatedly go for treatments. They take hormones. It just doesn't work. Then, they give up and decide to adopt. Suddenly, all their stress is gone. And, low and behold, just as they're accepting that new adopted baby into their lives, they find out they're pregnant. Stress plays a huge role. Oddly enough, doctors always tell you to go home and relax if you want to get pregnant. That is so much easier said than done.

The very act of attempting to reduce stress sometimes causes more stress for people. Stress is a natural part of life. We have to roll with the punches. We have to figure out what we can fix and walk away from the rest. That, too, is easier said than done. Some things we will continue to try to fix. Some things you can't walk away from. But, walking away from those we can will reduce the stress of those things we can't avoid or walk away from.

Assumptions

I've had a very interesting week. On the 2nd, I dyed my hair blue. I just put in highlights.:) But, I've had some interesting reactions. I think the last time I did it I was not in the public much, because I was not exactly prepared for the reactions I've gotten this time.

Last time I dyed my hair blue, I lived in Washington, D.C. No one turned a hair over it. I was not quite main stream there, but almost. When I moved to Kentucky, I had a couple people ask me if I was a fan of UK. There is a huge rivalry between Kentucky and Louisville. We're right smack dab in the middle of it. Apparently, having my hair blue in pursuit of being a fan of Kentucky is a great idea.

Now, I am in Florida. For the first 2 weeks we were here, I spoke mostly to other moms and retired couples. We mostly talked about our children. It's what mothers do. Then, I dyed my hair. That is the only thing that changed about me. I still wore the same swimsuit, was with the same people, and did the same things. However, the people I was speaking to and their reactions changed.

I don't tend to initiate conversations. I'm a little shy. The internet is a blessing to me. I have more interation with other adults because of it. I have reconnected with old friends. I have made new friends online that have become friends in real life. So, most of the people I have been talking to have initiated the conversations with me.

Since I dyed my hair, I have been hit on several times by men. Apparently, before I dyed my hair I was a mom, now I am a what? Other moms look the other way and take their children away from me like I'm going to contaminate their children. The retired couples still talk to me.:)

So, here's my deal. It really isn't bothering me that people don't want to talk to me. I am perfectly happy reading my book and watching my kids. But, it does give me something to think about. And, my brain always wants something new to think about. What bothers me is that people cannot get past surface differences to get to the person that is inside. I find it quite interesting that people make assumption based on the color of a person's hair. It can only make me assume that people are still making assumptions based on the color of one's skin, the sex of a person, or the color of one's collar.

Of course, I already knew this. The idea that a person has to be the same skin color to understand another person is ridiculous. The idea that a man cannot understand and support a woman because he is a man is ridiculous. The idea that a blue collar worker cannot understand economics, politics, or other things, just because he chose to be a mechanic instead of pursing an intellectual job is ridiculous.

I can deduct things about a person based on his actions. I can deduct things about a person based on the people he associates with. I can deduct things about a person based on his words. To assume things about a person without any proof beyond physical attributes is to not use your entire brain.

Worry

Update: Of course, Gary came home just fine last night. I know how these training things go. Sometimes they finish early and sometimes they finish late. They almost never finish on time.:) However, that will never stop me from worrying. I tell you, if he had been 15 minutes later, I would have started spending the insurance money! (A common, but not serious, way of ridding myself of worry. Maybe I'll share with you next time.:)

I had a bad dream during a VERY short nap this afternoon. Nightmares tend to make me worry.

I have had dreams come true in the past. Most of them were quite innocuous. For instance, when I was in high school, I had a dream about touring a submarine mock up in the middle of a long line of people. 4 years later, that happened in boot camp. That dream was never troubling and the results were fine with me.

However, occasionaly, they are more troubling. In early 2003, I was not watching the news or listening to it. My husband was deployed and I was utilizing the 'bury my head in the sand' tecnique to stay sane. One day, I dreamed of a space shuttle breaking up during re-entry. I did not even know there was a shuttle up until a few days later Gabriel's teacher mentioned to me that the shuttle Columbia had broken up during re-entry. These kinds of things happen ocasionally, so it bugs me when I have a bad dream, especially when that dream is about my husband.

I know the rate of deaths in special forces training. Currently, he is out there training. He should have been home an hour ago. So far as I know, no one he works with has my cell phone number. If his Blackberry was destroyed, or if they had no way to get into it (it's password protected), how could they get in touch with me? There IS one guy here that knows where we're staying. He came over. But, he's on Gary's team. What if something happened to both of them? So, here I am blogging when I should be sleeping. Why? It's all because of a bad dream.

Special Operations Warrior Foundation Fund Raiser

For those of you who don't know me yet, I want to give you a bit of background on this email. My husband, Gary, is full time for the Kentucky Air National Guard. He is in the Special Forces. Specifically, he's a Special Operations Weather 'guy'. They're the geeks of special forces.:) We moved to Kentucky in May 2007. Since then, he's been gone almost exactly 1/2 the time we've lived here. Now, he's in his 'final' school in Florida. That's why we're spending 5 weeks down here. We need to spend some time with him.

At any rate, the guys in his school decided that they were going to have a best mustache contest for the month of May. Then, they decided that they wanted to add a special touch to it. The Special Operations Warrior Foundation obviously has a special place in my heart. That's it.
Kristina

Dear friends,



I am currently completing the final phase of the Air Force Special
Operations Command's Advanced Skills Training course to compliment my
qualification as a SOWT. Our class is conducting a 'best
mustache' competition this month to raise money for the Special
Operations Warrior Foundation, an organization that provides collegiate scholarships to the children of military special operators killed in the line of duty. We are seeking sponsors to make the contest more competitive, fun, and most importantly, rewarding for the potential beneficiaries. No donation is too insignificant. If you have any interest in contributing, you can do so at www.specialops.org. Please specify that the donation be made in support of 'Advanced Skills Training (ORT)' in the comments section. Additionally, we encourage you to forward this inquiry to friends, family members, coworkers, etc. While Air Force regulations mandate that one's facial hair remain within certain limitations (sorry, no Rollie Fingers or Pringles Guy impersonations), we are confident that you'll be amused nonetheless.



Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.


Respectfully,


Gary Pelletier

Revolution Money Exchange $25

Right now, the Revolution Money Exchange is trying to get off the ground. They are similar to Paypal and are trying to establish themselves. As a result, they are paying people $25 to join. They are also paying people a $10 referal fee. If you join before May 15th, they'll pay you $25. I haven't seen anything bad about them. But, of course, you should check it out before you do anything. Anyway, if, after checking them out, you want to join, please use my button so I can get the referal fee. Thanks!

Walgreens/Product Review

This month, Walgreens has a Free after rebate toothbrush. The toothbrush is the Oral-B CrossAction Toothbrush. It costs $4.99. I got this toothbrush this week. I love it. It feels really good. I like the way it brushes. What I think is really cool is that the little doo-dad on the back of the toothbrush cleans my cheeks and tongue while I'm brushing my teeth. That feels really funky. I highly recommend this toothbrush, even without the refund. But, we all know I'm into saving money. So, here's my suggestion for how to get this toothbrush and make money off it.

This week, Walgreens has some great Register Rewards deals. If you purchase 3 items, you get $4 (off your next purchase). Buy 4, get $6. Buy 5-8, get $10. But, the really great deal is the buy 9 items, get $20 off your next purchase. There are a lot of different products in this deal. The best products to go for (if you use them) are the ones that are on sale for 2/$5. These include Cascade dish detergent, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, Mr Clean Cleaner, and Mr Clean wipes, Crest Toothpaste, and Oral-B dental Floss. These items all have had coupons in the paper recently. If you purchase 9 items and have 9 30cent off coupons, your total will be $19.80. Then, you will get $20 back in coupons for your next purchase.

You can actually do better than that. One scenario is this:

Buy 4 Covergirl products at $2.99 each (I found fingernail polish and makeup sponges for $2.99). These are on sale buy 1/get 1 50% off. So, you're actually only paying $8.97 for the 4. Use 4 $1 off coupons (in the paper this past Sunday).
Buy 3 Cascade dish detergents for $7.50. Use 2 30cent coupons and one 50cent coupon (in the paper this past Sunday).
Buy 2 Crest Pro-health Night tooghpastes for $5.00 Use $3 off 2 (Walgreens coupon in EasySaver catalog) use two 75 cent manufaturer coupons from paper.
This will bring your total to $11.87. Then, you'll get $20.00 back in coupons for your next purchase.

Then, you can buy that toothbrush for $4.99. Use a 75cent coupon and get it for $4.24. Then, you'll have $15 left over for other purchases. Another rebate available this week is for ConAgra Foods. If you use Chicken broth, Swanson is on sell for 59cents this week. You can get up to 4. That would get you $2 toward your $10 for the rebate. You may be able to find coupons for those as well. Also, Orville Redenbacher's popcorn is part of this deal. There are ALWAYS coupons out for those. You should be able to get a good deal on $10 worth of food. Then, you get $5.00 back. So, that's $15 used. Then, there is a $1 rebate on Electrasol or Jet dry. Again, there are coupons for these available.

If you went with these scenarios, you would spend a total of approx. $13 (with tax). Then, you would get $10.99 in rebates. Plus, all the stuff that you got for so cheap in the first place. Good luck! Have fun! Share your savings with me.

The Sanctity of Life

At what point do we have the right or the ability to determine when a person is dead?

The usual way to determine life or death is vital signs. There's only one major problem with that: life support. When we put people on life support, it is with the thought that they will eventually recover concience. However, sometimes it takes a long time. At some point, family members have to decide whether their loved one is alive or dead. This is usually done with the help of a doctor. The doctor tells the family that their loved one is brain dead. They're not responding to stimuli. As a result, you're just forcing their body to live while their spirit is already gone.

Then, the family has to play God. The family has to decide whether to believe the doctors or to believe that their loved one is still there. It is hard to know what to do. There is frequently disagreement about what to do. Some people have living wills that ask their family members not to put them on life support in the first place. Personally, I think that is the easiest choice. Your family member is not having to make the decision of what to do with your life.

However, there have been some publicized cases recently that made me think about this a bit more. Of course, we all heard about Terri Schiavo. The courts finally settled that one.

In 2006, Terry Wallis recovered after being barely conscious for nearly 20 years.

More recently, and, in my mind, more pertinent, is the 14-year-old girl that was in a coma. Haleigh Poutre was beaten so bad, she was left in a coma. She began breathing on her own just days before doctors planned to remove her ventilators. The Massachusetts Department of Social Services fought to have her removed from life support in September 2005. In January 2006, she began to breathe on her own and show brain activity. Now, 2 years later, she may be well enough to testify agains the man who beat her and put her in the coma. If they had allowed her to die, the man would have gotten away with it. But, more importantly, a life would have been lost.

In February, we heard about a woman in the UK, Yvonne Sullivan went into a coma after getting blood poisining during the birth of her child. Her child died during the birth. She went into a coma soon after. She was in a steady decline and the doctors said they were going to have to remove her from life support. At that point, her husband got mad and read her the riot act. A couple hours later, she started improving. She is now fully recovered. Imagine, the doctors wanted to remove her from life support. She recovered.

And at what point to you discontinue resuscitation? I have a friend from high school whose son almost drowned. He is 2. Aidan needs your prayers. They worked on him for 30 minutes before they rescussitated him. I didn't know you could go that long without being brain dead. There are so many questions in my mind at this point.

So, here's my deal. I don't want my family living with this. I don't want my family to live with the constant question of whether or not I would recover. I don't want my family to have to make that decision. I don't want my family to have to make the decision to unplug me and question themselves for the rest of their lives. I don't want them to spend years at my bedside. I want my family to live life. So, I will have a living will. I'm going to set it up right now. I want them to know that this is MY choice. I want them to continue living, grieve and get on with their lives.

On the other hand....I don't know if I could not put my children on life support.....