Public Service Announcement

To all Drivers:

You should not notice the men down the hill and through the trees, nor look long enough to figure out that they are golfing.

You should not notice the fact that the houses behind that thick stand of trees are crowded.

You might notice the airport (it's hard to miss), but please try not to notice the details on the planes.

Finally, please do none of these things while tailgating. Otherwise, your passenger may come unglued.

Look What Was on my Clothesline

What's that doing there? Why is there a tiny girl thing amongst my huge boy things? Well, my sister had a baby, of course. She was nice enough to have a girl.

Welcome to the family, Ashley Cadence.

I Want President Obama to Fail

And these are only a few of the reasons:


ACORN to Play Role in 2010 Census




Gates readies big cuts in weapons

House Readies Passage of Volunteerism Bill

The bipartisan commission will be tasked with exploring a number of topics, including "whether a workable, fair and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the nation."

Fannie Mae to Pay Bonuses of up to $611,000 for Four Execs

Attorney General Says Some Guantanamo Inmates May End Up in U.S.

So, yeah, I hope he fails.

Are Violent Video Games Doing Enough?

I love the Onion!


Are Violent Video Games Adequately Preparing Children For The Apocalypse?

Why You Don't Want Socialized Medicine

Lately, my knee's been acting up, so I thought I would share the story of my knee injury.

In August of 2006, my children and I drove to Oklahoma, from D.C., to see my dad before he was to undergo surgery the next week. Anyway, come Friday, we were ready to head back home. I got up at 4 to leave. Since I didn't want to wake up the boys, I carried the two little ones downstairs. Xavier was first. I wrapped him up in his blanket and proceeded down the stairs. I was wearing a pair of wide leg pants that fall somewhere below my feet. So, I made sure to roll them up first. Too bad I didn't make sure Xavier's blanket wouldn't fall. I tripped on it on the 2nd step. I then proceeded to stay upright from the 2nd step from the top to the 3th step from the bottom. How did I do that? By bouncing down the stairs on my feet. Then, I lost it and fell forward, dropping Xavier. I screamed because I dropped Xavier, then landed on top of him. That scared the bejeezes out of me. I thought I had killed him for sure. Of course, the only injury he had was a bruise on his cheek, where I had hit him with some part of my body.

I, on the other hand, felt like I had been through the ringer. Not only did I have bruises from the fall, but I also had impact injuries from hitting several steps with my heels on the way down. At this point, most sane people would have put their child back to bed and gone to the hospital. But, apparently, my brain doesn't work at 4 in the morning. Instead, it was saying, "You're already up, you might as well get on the road. After all, you don't want to delay your trip. The boys need to start school next week."

So, I brought Dominic downstairs, got an icepack, took some Motrin, and got on the road. An hour later, I was on the phone to Gary, crying. Did I do the intelligent thing and turn around? Ah, what do you think? Of course I didn't. I kept driving. I wanted to get home. I remember stopping at a gas station and getting out of the car. I thought I was going to pass out from the pain.

Finally, I stopped in Louisville for the night. I knew I needed to go to the hospital, but I was stubborn. However, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to force myself to drive the next day. So, Gary flew in to take me to the hospital and drive us home. Just driving to the airport the next morning was torture. Getting in and out of the car nearly broke me. But, like I said, I'm stubborn. Gary dropped me off at the ER. Now, I need to tell you what our family looked like. Gary had been at some course where he was doing some shooting. A few days earlier, a hot shell casing had burned his cheek and he looked like he'd been in a fight. Xavier had a bruise on his jaw from some part of my body. Dominic looked like he'd been in a car wreck. His new favorite activity was running, bent over, while pushing a car on the driveway. He had fallen repeatedly and scraped his face. I had bruises all over me and could barely walk. Gabriel did not have a hair out of place. He was definitely the winner in the fight.

At the hospital, they did many, many x-rays. It was finally determined that I'd badly sprained my right knee. I had also sprained and bruised my left knee, both ankles (remember the bouncing down the stairs?), both elbows, and my right wrist. I had bruised ribs and my entire body hurt. They stuck me in an immobilizer, gave me some good drugs, and told me to follow up with my primary care physician. Fine, I could handle that. Gary picked me up and took me back to a hotel that had been chosen for the simple fact that it was close to the ER. It had the added benefit of being a wonderful hotel and we were staying in room 626. The children were thrilled to be staying in "Stitch's" room.

When we got back to D.C., I immediately began calling to schedule an appointment with my primary care manager. They didn't have any appointments available. I called every day for weeks, until I started having severe pain in my left hip. It was waking me up through the wonderful drugs that had given me. Thinking I had injured it without knowing it, we went back to the ER. Turns out, the immobilizer had given me bursitis in my other hip. Geez. The ER doc told me to "Follow up with my PCM." I just laughed at him. He then gave me Percacet. It is very nice to find out that you're allergic to medication. It could just save your life some day. Note: Never give me Perccset. Okay?

We moved to Kentucky nine months after I fell down the stairs. I had been attempting to get an appointment with my primary care manager for 9 months. I know I needed physical therapy. After all, you can't be in an immobilizer for 3 months without needing physical therapy. Plus, I was never told when I could take it off. I just did. After all, I wasn't going to go to the ER just to ask if I could remove my immobilizer.

Last summer, I did my own version of PT, and my knee improved drastically. After a year, I was able to walk without pain. Of course, I have re-injured it now. But, this time, I have a primary care manager that I can actually see. Why? Because I'm not using military health care this time. I have a civilian primary care manager. I fully expect my knee to be taken care of in record time.

You see, there were not enough military doctors to accommodate the case load in D.C. There is a huge military population there. We could not even get Xavier seen for his asthma. We moved here after he had been transported to the ER in an ambulance twice with asthma attacks, but 5 months later, he still hadn't been seen by anyone in the allergy department.

You don't want socialized medicine. You may think that having Uncle Sam paying your medical costs is a good thing. But, when you can't get care, you'll rethink that. Why do you think people in Great Britain are having "health" holidays to other countries to get surgeries? They can't get them in Great Britain. The waiting list for things is terrible. And that's if you can get approved for the procedure. Right now, we have amazing doctors and health care in this country. Do you really think that will continue when the doctors aren't getting paid and you have to wait for years to be approved for a procedure? Stop dreaming.

Unmotivated Youth

I felt a rant coming on last night. There is a girl that I've only recently met. She is in my Tae Kwon Do class. She is much more advanced than I am. She is extremely unmotivated. Quite frankly, I sometimes wonder why she is there. She obviously doesn't want to be. In fact, she spends quite a bit of time complaining about Tae Kwon Do. She talks about how boring it is. She wonders why she is there. She talks about this and that, and always with an air of disdain for the entire process. Last night, she completed her slide into that special place I have for certain people. I now hold her in total contempt. *sigh* When she saw me reading a book, she proudly pronounced that she had not read any book in years, except for the Twilight series. While I don't have a problem with her reading that series (many of my friends have, and I guess I'm going to have to break down and join the pack), the fact that she would be proud of the fact that she has not willingly read anything in years is just sad. (By the way, this is not what completed her slide, but I'm going to leave that out of this post.) She seems completely unmotivated to accomplish anything.

The problem is, she's young. She's a senior in high school, and I know how this age can act. Seniors are, after all, the top dogs in a very small kennel. They have not experienced the real world yet. They don't understand that their disdain for the mundane is affected. They don't have life experience from which to draw wisdom and knowledge. They can't understand the effect they are having on other young people when they say things.

Some day, she will grow up. Maybe she'll become a decent human being. In the meantime, I'll just avoid talking to her in the hopes that she won't fall even lower in my esteem.

To My Dearly Beloved Husband

When we met, I wasn't looking for a romantic relationship. I certainly wasn't looking for a husband. In fact, I wasn't even looking for a boyfriend. I was looking for a friend. You fit that bill perfectly.

We met in an interesting way, with me finding out all the pertinent information right away. We quickly became friends, as we found out that smoking was not the only thing we had in common. Soon, we became lovers. When you brought me a full Thanksgiving meal while I was in the hospital, I knew I was in love with you. Of course, there were other things, but let's get real. It's all about the food with me.

You were the nicest guy I had ever met. You understood me like no one else had ever done. You were willing to love me, even though I was a horrible housekeeper. You went out and bought a Janis Joplin CD after I told you she was my favorite singer. Then, you went about changing my life so that her songs no longer held meaning for me. You took me as I was and didn't ask me to change. You made me laugh. You let me tell you the same stories 50 thousand times, without complaint.

Then, you asked me to marry you. Two weeks later, we found out I was pregnant. I knew you didn't want children, yet. But, instead of being upset about it, you took it in stride and supported me, all the way. You dealt with my extreme morning sickness like you had always been dealing with it. You did whatever you could to take care of me. Then, you married me.

12 years ago, we stood in front of a woman that neither of us could understand. We agreed to who knows what, in order to spend the rest of our lives together. The past 12 years have not always been easy. But, they have always been worth the struggle.

You are an amazing man. Thank you for being my best friend. I love you. Happy Anniversary!

Updating the Blogroll

It has been an extremely long time since I updated my blogroll. Instead of just updating it, I thought I would update you on my favorite blogs, at the same time.

These are the blogs I visit daily:

Family Blogs:
Rosetta Stone: This is a wonderful family blog that occasionally has rants thrown in. Michelle has 6 children, homeschools, and is wife to Bill, a soldier who also blogs.

Lifetime Learning: A personal blog by a gifted writer. She includes pictures, and farm news. Some of her farm news is hilarious, especially when she talks about her chickens. Plus, I know her in real life. She lives a few blocks from me.

The Mom With Brownies: This is a homeschool blog. However, Shelly goes out of her way to include information on frugal living. She has some amazing tips on frugal and free homeschooling. She also talks about parenting quite a bit. She has 5 sons, 3 of whom are adopted, and were her foster children before she adopted them. They are currently waiting for a little girl to foster. Exciting stuff after so many boys.

Dear Home Front: This is another family blog by another military wife. She also makes beautiful dresses.

Lord, Guard and Guide: This is a family blog by an Air Force vet who is married to active duty Air Force. She has two little girls and is due to give birth to another one at any moment, now.

Sgt and Mrs Hub: What can I say? She takes beautiful pictures. Her family is beautiful. She's a great cook. Always an uplifting read, and she always makes me smile.

The Pioneer Woman: If you are not already reading this blog, and you are reading my blog, I am extremely shocked. But, it might happen. Ree is one of the funniest bloggers I have ever read, closely followed by June Cleaver after a Six-pack. If you're wondering what life on a cattle ranch is like, want some great recipes, want to see pictures of men in chaps, or little girls working cattle, this is the site to see it at. You'll also get a good laugh.

The Joy of Home: Someone else I know in real life. Sheri is funny, has attitude, and lets it out on her blog. But, she mostly blogs about educational things. My favorite feature on her blog is her Character quotes. She comes up with some great ones.

June Cleaver After a Six-Pack: I'm not sure this actually qualifies as a "family" blog. I mean, she does write things about her family. Really, though, it is more of a long, hilarious, ramble about her life. If you need a good laugh, you should visit her on a regular basis. And, since laughter is the best medicine...

Political Blogs:
Quaffs and Quibbles: Bill is the husband of Michelle of Rosetta stone fame. I love reading both their blogs and seeing the variety of writing. Bill writes about Quaffs - he does beer reviews, and Quibbles - things he has quibbles with. I like the title of his blog. But, I also like what he has to say about things. Quite frankly, I enjoy both Michelle and Bill immensely, and if they wanted to move in next door, I would be quite happy with that.

When Evil Prospers: I don't always agree with Dr. Washburn, although I usually do. His writing is well thought out, and worth reading.

Woman Honor Thyself: Angel uses pictures to great effect. She is on top of many issues dealing with Israel, Jews, Muslims, and terrorism. She engenders strong emotion. Either you'll love her or hate her. Either way, she's definitely worth your time. Check her out.

Principled Discovery: This blog is mostly dedicated to information about the homeschooling community. Dana keeps us up to date on many important things that happen in our community, whether it be legislation or debates about the homeschooling community.

Consent of the Governed: What can I say? I agree with Judy about 60% to 70% of the time. Her posts are always extremely thought provoking, which means that I love reading them, even when I don't agree with her.

Cocking a Snook: I almost never agree with these ladies, but I enjoy reading their blog, none the less.

Constitutional Republic: Chas has some great rants. I especially like his Politricks as Normal post.

Threedonia: Quite frankly, these guys don't seem to have enough to do with their time. They have fun with politics. Who wouldn't like that?

As you can see, I spend way too much time in blog world. But, I enjoy it. So, it's worth it to me.

School Funding

I've repeatedly heard the complaint that children have to raise money to buy computers. I've heard this attributed to the economy. I've even heard it attributed to the war in Iraq. And, I've never heard this to be considered a good thing.

But, I ask you, why is this a bad thing? We had to raise money for computers when I was in school. One way we did it was to bring in receipts from our local grocery store. The school then traded them in for new computers. It was similar to the Campbell's labels or Boxtops programs.

That was a long time ago. Today, there are more programs available to help schools purchase things than there have ever been in the past. Every store seems to have some type of school purchase program. These programs give the schools money when their students shop at the school. Most stores will give schools and teachers discounts for things used in the classroom.

Why is it considered a bad thing for students to raise money for computers? Why shouldn't children work for the things they use? Why must they be given everything? Where is the character building in that?