Week 10 Blog 2

I know everyone is sick to death of hearing about my house renovation but it has been a complete and total nightmare!!!!!!

We, of course, had to move everything out of our house and cram it all in our garage. We were going to do the living room, bedrooms, and hall one day and then move that all back in and do the dining room and kitchen the next day. Well, let’s just say that it was bad from the get-go. The man that was going to lay the carpet took 3 days to lay it instead of the one day he had originally said. Now, when he told me it was only going to take him one day to lay the carpet I questioned him because I know how big the rooms are. My living room alone is 40’ X 36’ and my bedrooms are all oversized. So, I was right in questioning him. He waited until the very end of the third day to tell me that the flooring that had been ordered (or supposed to have been anyway) was not in yet. I was really proud of myself because I stayed somewhat calm knowing that I could at least get our bedrooms and living room put back together.

Now, when he told me the flooring hadn’t been delivered yet he assured me that it would be there the next day…which would actually be day 5 of this supposed 2 day project……WRONG!!!!! He told me this on a Wednesday and said it would be here Thursday (2 weeks ago) and he would be here to start as soon as it arrived on the truck and would finish up on Friday. WRONG AGAIN!!!!!! It actually didn’t show up in Springfield until the following Monday and then nobody bothered to go pick it up until Tuesday and then he didn’t bother to come and do it until Saturday….We are now in week three of this “two day project” and still aren’t done. He was supposed to finish the floor last Saturday. He said his saw that he was going to use to cut the quarter round broke so he would have to come back Monday and finish. I just simply made the comment that we did have a Lowe’s in town and I was just sure they would have a saw for him to purchase so he could finish up and I could have my house back. Can you believe that s**t head had the nerve to raise his voice and get mad at me?????? I was in total shock and all since of calmness went right out the window. I am just sure things flew out of my mouth that should never come out of anyone’s mouth. Needless to say I kicked him out of my house and refused to pay him a dime until he could come back and  act like a grown man doing business for himself.

Well, today is Thursday and we are approaching week four BUT he did come today and finish up. Lucky for him I was in a better mood.

Week 10 Blog 1

I am just beside myself about the baby Lisa case in Kansas City. Someone knows something but they aren't telling. Right about the time I am convinced the mom did something there is new evidence. The guy walking down the street in middle of the night is strange and there are three eye witnesses. What about the cadaver dog that smelled death in the mothers bedroom?? That is kinda crazy if you ask me. Has anyone checked to see if the walker and the mother are in cahoots together?

I have to admit that I could be a little behind on the case because I haven't been able to watch the news the last few days. I did a little research and found this from Fox News. If the mom has nothing to hide why is she recanting some of her original statement? Like the time she last saw her baby....why would you say 10:30 pm when it was actually 6:40 pm?

I then stop to think about all the judgement and speculation that the parents are under. The mother was absolutely wrong to be drinking so much while at home with her children. I mean don't get me wrong, I love a glass of wine or a cold beer on occasion. Notice I said A glass of wine or A cold beer. I mean one glass or one beer. I see nothing wrong with having a drink while out to dinner or sitting at home. I do, however, pass harsh judgement on those that feel the need to get drunk while they are supposed to be caring for their children. 


Here is another article I found about the specialist that was going to interview the older brothers of baby Lisa. I hate that these little boys have to be put through such trauma again. I thought most police questioning that was done with children was video taped so children would only have to go through it one time and therefore would not be made to take the stand in a court of law. If it's not the norm it should be!! These poor boys have been through enough already. I just really hope that their mom is innocent so they don't have to lose her too. That would be even more devastating to them.

Here is another article about the police re-enactment of the night the baby went missing. A former Kansas City police officer says that he doesn't think they found much evidence at the scene because if they had they probably would not be doing a "walk through".

I really hope they find baby Lisa soon. I know it's a long shot but I really hope they find her alive. Please say an extra prayer for her tonight as I will be doing the same.

Week 9 Blog 1

I can not for the life of me figure out why I am doing so poorly on tests this semester. I have been doing TERRIBLE!!!!! I have very high expectations for myself and my grades and it seems no matter what I do this semester I can’t get the grades I want. You would think that I am not studying the way I should but studying is literally all I do all day long.

Is there anyone else that is having an “off” semester? My in-laws told me that when they were in college they had an “off” semester every now and then but geez come on.

So far I have managed to keep a 3.85 GPA and I am really getting scarred that this semester is going to bring it down. Now, I would love to carry a 4.0 but I think with being a 40 year old wife and mother of 3 I’m not doing too bad….that is until I encountered this semester. Maybe I need to re-think taking all my classes on-line and come to campus some of the time.

Does anyone else have mixed classes? If so, which do you prefer? I would think on campus wouldn’t require quite as much time as on-line but I could be fooling myself too. I think maybe I could retain a little more if I were to sit through some of the lectures instead of trying to do it all on my own. Doing all classes on-line requires tons of dedication and LOADS and LOADS of reading and teaching yourself. Please don’t misunderstand me, I do think classes on campus require time and dedication and you most definitely have to study but do you have to study as much???? So I guess I am both gripping and asking.

I have a “C” in history right now and I have NEVER had a “C”. I probably study more for that class than the rest of my classes put together but still can’t manage to do anything the way the instructor wants it. Maybe that is just the way some instructors are but this is defiantly my first and I sure hope my last!!!!

Talking about my grade in history leads me back to an earlier blog I posted about the importance of these classes. What am I going to use in my Criminal Justice degree that I need to know what happened in 1492??? Can anyone shed some light on that for me because I am just not seeing it right now? I start studying for that class and my eyes glaze over because I just don’t get it. I could have very possibly just answered my own question. Maybe I’m not doing so well because I simply can’t understand the importance and quite frankly do not care what happened in the 1400’s.

Week 8 Blog #2

As I was driving down the street in my local town I noticed a little dog running down the street. It was so scarred it didn't know what to do. I felt so sorry for the little thing and wanted to help him. I contacted the local animal shelter and was to meet someone there so they could take the little dog in and make sure he had food and water.

That is when I started wondering just how many animals out there didn't have the proper care and nutrition. It seems like every week or so I am hearing about some breeder or animal shelter getting shut down because of mistreatment to the animals. I did a little research on the Missouri Humane Society and this is what I found. I knew there were a lot of problems with humans being cruel to animals but I had no idea that one humane society would have eight pages of tragic stories.

I think being cruel to a poor animal is comparable to child abuse. I have a Shih Tzu and he is just one of the family. I could never be mean to him or not feed and water him. The little guy sleeps under the covers right next to me in bed at night and wouldn't know what to do if he had to stop. Not to mention the fact that Oliver's mama (the dog and myself) would be just as upset as he was.

There are so many resources available to people that decide they simply don't want to care for their pet anymore. I found this website and they offer a number of resources for people. Including help with your pet, community support, school programs, etc. The school programs are a great idea because most children love animals and they need to be taught how to properly care for them.

I once had a HUGE Great Dane that was in the house and that dog was one of the best dogs ever. He lived to be 12 and for those of you that know anything at all about Great Danes that is SUPER old for that big of a breed. The normal life expectancy is 7-10 years according to this website. Anyway, once he got so old he started having trouble with his hips and one of my (cough-cough) brother-in-laws told me he could just take him out and shoot him so we didn't have to spend any money on him. Needless to say, I got so incredibly mad that he would even suggest a thing like that, I kicked him out of my house and was never to return until further notice. I can't understand how people look at these animals as nothing more than a "thing" instead of a living being. I went on to spend lots of money on Jack (the great dane) and would do it again in a heart beat.

The whole point to this story is, if you can't give your animal the love and care that they not only need but deserve...don't get one!!!!

Week 8 blog #1

Does anyone else have a child that is ready for braces? Well I do and let me tell you they are not cheap!!!!! My oldest son had braces when he was in 8^th grade (he is now 20) and I thought they were expensive then but now they are crazy expensive. The orthodontist told us the estimated cost is between $5500 and $6000. Now that was a shock to the pocket book!!!!My husband and I figures they have increased in price by about $2000 over the last 6 or 7 years. Now I know everything has increased in price but really…..$2000 is a little much if you ask me.

When we did our oldest son’s braces they were right at $4000 and you could set up a no interest payment plan. You had to pay a small amount down when the braces were initially put on and then pay $125 per month for either 18 or 24 months, I can’t remember which. Now with our middle son we have to pay almost $1000 before they even start and then pay $250 a month for 20 to 24 months. That’s almost a car payment! Wonder how much they will be by the time we get to our 8 year old.

The thing that really gets me is that the orthodontist said his bottom teeth were small so after the braces were off we might have to build on to a few of them. Ummmmm….NO!!!!! I asked why this needed to be done and I really don’t think he ever gave me a straight answer. He just seemed to talk in circles. I said to him “so what was going to be a $6000 braces project is turning into a $10,000” and his reply “pretty much”. I told him right then and there unless he could produce some really good hard facts about needing to build onto his teeth then there was no way I was spending $10,000 on his teeth.

Now please don’t get me wrong, as I said, if he can produce a good reason why this NEEDS to be done then I will absolutely take care of him but I need proof. Cold hard FACTS!!!! It appears to me that he is just being a good dentist and wants Jake to have perfect teeth. Which I get because that’s what they do, it’s kind of like a hair dresser wanting you to have all the latest hair color and perfect hair cuts, that’s what they do so it makes sense. However, for those of us that aren’t dentist or even hair dressers, we need proof….at least I do anyway.

Week 7 blog 2

I just finished getting my Halloween decorations down from the attic and had to think twice about putting them up. I am getting new carpet and hardwoods next week so we have to basically move out of our house and what good is it to put the decorations up now?

I love holidays and decorating for them. I am always the first one on the block with my house decorated up. I love Halloween because it thrills me to see all the kiddo running up and down the street having such a wonderful time. Reminds me of how much fun I had when I was a kid. My aunt and uncle have a huge farm of about 500 acres and every year they have a big bonfire and hayride specifically for all the kids. The whole day is filled with bobbing for apples, sack races, hunting skeleton bones, face painting, roasting hot dogs and of course making s’mores.

They spend at least a week getting the field ready for the hay ride. She puts up scary decorations and finds scary costumes for the dads to dress up in. We have a not so scary ride for the little kids and then a really scary one for the bigger kids. They love all of it and it’s great to hear all the loud shrills coming from the field. We usually make hot chocolate with marshmallows or warm apple cider for the kids to take on the hayride, of course it usually ends up spilled all over someone by the end of the ride.

Once the hay ride is over we gather all the kids and do a huge piñata filled with more candy than I have ever seen. They love the witches kettle that is filled with juice and dry ice so it looks like it is boiling and they think they are so big when they are dipping into it.

Now that we have done this for so many years all the kids friends have caught on and always want to come. We always say the more the merrier and as soon as October hits they are all asking when the big hay ride is.

After talking about it I am really excited to get it together. There are tons of goodie bags to be made and at least two trips to Sam’s. I wonder who really has more fun…the kids or us parents that enjoy watching them have so much fun!

Week 7 blog 1

So….my question is….can the flu shot actually cause you to get the flu???

I took myself and my kids, as I do every year, to get our flu shots yesterday and Miles (my youngest) woke up at 1 am with a 102 fever. He gets one every year due to his asthma and he has never done that before. I wonder if it is just a fluke thing or if the shot actually gave him a touch of the flu.

I decided to do a little research just for curiosity sake and found http://www.umm.edu/features/flu_vac.htm.

According to this article from two UM experts this is a total misconception. I always thought there was some live virus in the shot to boost your immune system but they say there isn't. However, they do say that some people do experience a common seasonal virus after they receive the flu shot. Am I crazy or is that the same thing??? They say the flu shot doesn't cause the flu but in the very next sentence say that people do get "the common seasonal virus" after they get the shot. Seems to me that they are kind of talking in circles. 

I decided to look at another website here they say its "not uncommon" to have some side effects shortly after receiving the vaccine. They say that the side effects can be a mild fever, achiness, and fatigue that may "feel like the flu to some people"....that's the flu if you ask me!!!

It appears to me that all the professionals are trying to downplay by not actually calling it "the flu" but are listing all the side effects for flu-like symptoms

It's kind of crazy really. He has never had a side effect before so I wonder why he did this time. I wonder what the nose spray does and if it's basically the same thing. I know because of Miles having asthma he can not have the nose spray but his pulmenologist (however you spell it) says he MUST have the actual flu shot every year because he is at a very high risk for developing complications from the actual virus and everyone in our house must also get vaccinated to reduce the risk of bringing it home to him.

Remember a few years ago when people were dying from the "swine flu"? Of course you do, who could forget. Anyway, that entire winter, under the doctors strict "advise", I could not take him in public AT ALL because his asthma was acting up so bad that his doc said if he did get that particular flu he would most likely end up in the hospital with "very severe problems". The poor little guy could go to his Nannie's and that was it!!! He hated being stuck in the house all the time and we would sometimes have to put him in the car and go on long drives just so he felt like he was getting to do something. I have never been so glad for Christmas lights in all my life. We hit every neighborhood in every surrounding town several times over. People probably thought we were stalking there homes but we were just trying to keep, a then 4 year old, from going in sane and taking us with him.

I have never been so excited for a season to end as I was that particular year. Thank goodness it's over now!!!!!