Mondays have so few redeeming qualities

Ack!  I am not a fan of Mondays on a good Monday.  Then there are Mondays like this one that make me want to curl up in bed with some good tea and a few good books.  I'm on day 3 of a whooper of a headache.  I probably should take my migraine meds but I really don't feel like not being part of the world for between 12 and 24 hours.  First thing this morning I called the school and asked to talk to Princess Bear's (PB) teacher.  Over the weekend my parents and I were very vigilant about not having the news on so she wouldn't hear anything about the shooting incident in CT.  The child has anxiety issues and I just didn't think it would help.  I wanted to touch base with the teacher though to see if they were planning on mentioning it.  If so I felt like PB should hear it from me first.  All the teachers and the principal had a meeting this morning on how to address the issue.  They observed a moment of silence for those in CT and didn't offer any details.  That worked.  I babysat my nephews this morning and G-d knows I love those little boys but it was rough today.  Tyler was in a mood and I wasn't in a place to make it a fun day for them.  Tyler wanted me to read but Aunt Sarah on 3 hours of sleep, a mega headache and her glasses no where to be found is just not conducive to reading time.  I got home around 1pm and tried to some housework and then just veg until it was time to pick up PB. The child does not know how not to leave a trail in her wake or how to not argue constantly.  She wound up being grounded from both TV & music today.  I think it was more of a punishment for me. 

I'm just hoping to get more than 3 hours of sleep and that this headache decides it doesn't need to stick around anymore.  Until then there is lots and lots of Excedrin in my future.  Have a good one!

There just aren't the right words

I was almost glad when Princess Bear (PB) came home from school and I turned off the coverage of the school shooting in Newtown CT.  What a horrible tragedy.  I think every parents worst nightmare is burying their child.  I can't even begin to imagine the angst of waiting to find out if my child is alive or dead in a situation like todays.  I can't begin to understand how mentally ill someone has to be to do something like this.  It is truly the definition of evil.  Regardless of it being based in mental illness or not it is most definitely evil.   My prayers go out to all the families that lost a love oned today.  My prayers go out to the first responders who will never ever forget the horrors that they saw today.  My prayers go out to the surviving children who will be so impacted by this most likely for the rest of their lives. 

Of course in the aftermath of the tragedy today many people are calling for stricter gun control.  Really?  Last time I checked anyone who had truly evil intentions was going to do exactly what they want.  They might have to change the method or do some illegal moves but they would probably obtain the weapons they want.  I won't even go into the Constitutional aspect of it.  Although that should be the beginning and end of it. I will go into the fact that disarming good people who might possibly have been able to diffuse a situation like todays if they were there would have been the best outcome.  I live in IL and was very glad when the conceal carry laws were overturned this week.  How many times lately have we heard of a homeowner protecting themselves from intruders because they were also weapon owners?  That is a perfect example of why we don't need stricter gun control laws. As cliche as it sounds guns don't kill people, people kill people.  The amount of leftist, liberal Hollywood types that are calling out for more gun control makes me sick.  First of all I believe there is a time and place and this isn't it.  It's time to come together as a country and support those in Newtown.  It's time to come together as a country and find the goodness and love in one another.  I really believe in many ways we've become an isolated society.  Neighbors don't know each other any more.  They don't look out for each other anymore.  People don't want to get involved in case things go south.  This should be a call for communities all over to bond with one another.  So tonight why don't we all say a prayer for those precious little angels that never got a chance to live their lives and for our country as well? 

Life is.....FANTASTIC!!!!

Yes, once again I disappeared.  I have signed up for Jen's Holiday home tour and need to start my 21 days over.  Yesterday was such an incredible day that I absolutely must blog about it!!!  We had our annual appointment at Shriner's hospital for Princess Bear (PB) yesterday.  My parents both decided that they wanted to come along.  It's a pretty rare thing for my dad to join us on these trips.  We had to be in Chicago at 8am.  That meant getting up around 3:45am and hitting the road by 4:30am.  My mom drove the first part of it so PB and I crashed out in the back seat.  She feels like the world is hers since I'm no longer stuffing her in a car seat.  I'm not loving it but she's 5'1 and 92 pounds (at 9.5 months!).  I have no idea where we stopped to grab some breakfast around 5:45am.  After that my mom decided she was done driving and my dad opted for the back seat.  Another one of those "this never happens" things.  I drove the rest of the way into the city.  All it took was 1 day of driving into Chicago during morning rush hour to remind me how much I don't like it.  I really don't like it when I don't have complete control of the radio and my navigator's skills are seriously lacking.  It reminded me that this girl is ready for some country living.  So we got to Shriner's 4 minutes before PB's appointment and she was still in what she slept in (sweats) and crazy hair.  After checking in and the LPN getting PB's vitals we had a few minutes to get PB changed.  Any visit to Shriner's makes for a long day because you're seeing an entire team of professionals.  A speech and language path, a psychologist, getting x-rays, having medical photographs taken, a pediatric dentist, an orthodontist, an audiologist and the surgeon.  It's usually an 8 hour day.  The psychologist and I were talking about PB's attitude in general and towards her physical anomalies.  The psychologist was the first person to mention that PB is a very happy, very bubbly, outgoing little girl who seems to have no issue with her appearance.  Her recommendation was to not have any further surgery unless medically needed.  Ok with me!!!  Then we discussed the possibility of PB having ADHD.  At first she was very much leaning that way and talking about how much Ritalin PB would need.  After spending some more time with PB she realized that while PB is a very fast moving, all over the place kid that she isn't ADHD.  Her issues in school might very well be sensory and the fact that she can't retain the information and use it in different settings.  This would explain why PB needs to hear things over and over and over again before it becomes a skill she can acquire.  She had PB reading from a chapter book and was very impressed with PB's reading skills.  She did say it would be a good idea if I could get a tutor to work with PB twice a week during the school year.  She was pretty disgusted when she heard how bad the school district here is and how much they have cut services to kids. After that the next relevant meeting was with the speech path who once again recommended way more speech than PB is getting at school.  She is contacting the school to see if they will increase PB's speech time.  She said if that isn't possible that I should look into some other sources.  There is a HUGE lack of speech paths around here but I'll see what I can get figured out. 

The entire time we were there the kids were getting showered with toys and things to play with.  I can't even list everything that PB received when she was there.  I know that a new stuffed teddy bear, a Polly Pocket, at least 4 books, 2 coloring books and a new DVD were part of the haul.  I honestly can't say enough about how wonderful the staff at Shriners is with the kids.  It's just amazing. 

Then we met with the surgeon.  He indicated that if we wanted to go ahead with the surgery to bring PB's eyes closing together and build up the bridge of her nose that it would be good to do in sooner rather than later.  I asked a few questions as far as whether it would help with her chronic sinus infections and it wouldn't.  So, since the surgery would not help with anything medically and it is incredibly risky coupled with the fact that PB is very ok with her appearance we decided not to pursue surgery.  If things change and PB starts to get teased and things change drastically then we can reevaluate the decision then.  I was so incredibly excited, grateful and relieved that I walked around randomly saying "no more surgery" for the next 6 hours or so.  That also isn't completely true because now we need to plan the surgery with the opthamologist to straighten PB's eyes.  After that she will hopefully be surgery free forever. 

The orthodontist also agreed that the surgery he previously thought PB would need to break her jaw and realign it would not be necessary.  She's going to need a whole heck of a lot of orthodontic work but again NO SURGERY!!!!

So I'm an incredibly grateful mommy that feels like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders.  I can't think of a better thing to blog about!

Um, what happened to free speech?

OK, today's post is based on THIS article.  Now I'm not about to say that what she wrote isn't incredibly stupid.   The problem is that stupid isn't illegal or really even the issue.  The issue is that she wrote something she felt and has subsequently been fired and is being investigated by the Secret Service.  This is so not ok on so many levels.  First and foremost being that we have this little thing called Freedom of Speech in this country.  I know this company is now on a fast track towards socialism but last time I checked the Constitution and it's Amendments were the law of the land.  Secondly, she did not threaten to kill Obama.  She just said that maybe he'll be assassinated this term.  Frankly she isn't the only person that has thought this.  I know that I looked at one of my closest friends after he won the first election and said that I hoped he'd written a letter for his daughters in case something like that happened.  Didn't mean that I was planning on killing him.  Just meant that we've had Kennedy and Lincoln shot while in office and an attempt on Reagan's life.  Anyone serving as President has to at least acknowledge the fact that their life is in constant peril.  As far as calling him a nigger- not cool and there is no need for it.  He has so many issues that he can be called on that are actually legitimate why bring up race?  Why do it in such a derogatory way?  Completely unnecessary.  I can't believe she lost her job for this.  How did her comment in any way, shape or form have any bearing on her job performance?  Personally I would check on the legalities of the termination.  As far as being investigated by the Secret Service I can't even begin to explain how simply ludicrous it is.  She did not make a direct threat for pete's sake.  What a waste of time and manpower.  I'll stop for now.  It's just disturbing how quickly rights seem to be disappearing. 

Last nice day of the year?

It was absolutely gorgeous here today.  In the upper 60's all day.  November in Illinois!  Who would have thought??!!!??  We'll probably pay at the tail end of winter but I'm not going to go there right now.  It's been a rough couple of days since Princess Bear (PB) has been sick again.  We're doing breathing treatments every 4 hours around the clock.  Consequently PB & I are extremely tired!  At this point I'll just be happy if it doesn't turn into pneumonia and she can return to school sometime this week!  My mom watched her most of today so I could help my dad with yard work.  Definitely not my idea of fun but you've gotta do what you've gotta do.  The back yard has now been rake or swept and everything bagged up.  The gutters have all been cleaned out and we just have a few more winter preps to worry about.  I tried convincing my dad that we should hang the Christmas lights today and just not plug them in yet since it's less than 2 weeks until we start decorating anyway.  He shot that idea down.  Know what that means?  We'll be outside freezing our dupas off when he finally decides it's time to put them up.  I should really attempt sleep since 9am mass is going to roll around way too early.  Have a good one.

Farm Kings Episodes 5 & 6

OK my blogging vacay meant a slight delay in my episode recaps and thoughts for the Farm Kings.  Never fear you're getting a 2 for 1 today.  Episode 5 is mostly dealing with the hail storm, damage and after shocks.  Episode 6 is mostly about the car wash for Special Olympics and some more about issues stemming from the hail and the New Kent market.

Episode 5 was really heartbreaking in that the drought had done its own share of damage.  After praying for rain the King family gets hit again by a major hail storm.  This is pretty much their worse case scenario.  The brothers try to salvage as much product they can but they've still endured a big loss.  The numbers for the projected loss kept on going higher and higher.  First number mentioned (I think) was 20k and then 50k and then the possibility that they are looking at possibly more than 100k in damages.  I loved when mama bear Lisa said that it would make the boys stronger and hopefully closer.  What a wonderful way of putting a positive spin on a really bad situation.  Although Joe's personality rubs me the wrong way at times I felt so bad for him when he was talking about it being worse case scenario.  He laughed and you knew that it was coming from a place of complete panic and hysteria.  It was kind of a God sent favor that Lily was with Joe when he went to check out the damage I think.  He probably didn't want to react in a way that would scare her and that in turn probably helped in the long run.  So in that aspect I give him props in the good Daddy department.  He also pointed out that when things get tough the Kings get working.  As always it just reiterates that that family is never lacking in work ethic or the ability to get their hands dirty to help the greater good.  You realize the magnitude of everything when Tim talks about the fact that the farm supports the entire family.  That's Lisa and her 10 kids and Joe's two kids counting on the farm being successful.  It's then when you realize why Lisa doesn't even like saying the word failure.  The whole family is very aware of the fact that their local community will be more supportive of the hail damaged veggies.  Dan comes up with the idea of having a hail damage table.  The end of the show also delves into the working relationship that Tim is developing with Sam.  It's kind of like Sam is his apprentice.  Tim is basically showing all the tricks of the trade to Sam so if Tim is needed elsewhere Sam knows the ropes and things can continue without a hitch.  Tim appears so quiet and laid back that it would probably be easy to over look him.  I think that would probably be a mistake.  The man obviously knows  a whole heck of a lot about growing veggies.  It's one thing to have the knowledge and another to successfully put it to successful use.  He's evidently also a thinker and planner as shown in his dedication to making sure he shares his knowledge with his brothers.  Ok last note on this episode- Tim is clean shaven at the end of it.  This is so hot so use that bic buddy! :)

Episode 6 is a bit of a hodge podge of things such as coming back from the hail damage, training issues at the New Kent store and the car wash for  Special Olympics.  An issue is the fact that Joe wants to get 10 cattle ASAP and Tim and Pete think they're already stretched too thin.  Joe thinks that his brothers are just making excuses and they just need to commit.  In this instance you actually feel for all the people involved.  You can recognize that Joe wants to get the pastures in use and make money on cattle.  Can't see any fault with that.  You can also see that Tim & Pete are spread pretty thin as it is and cows are living things that need reliable care.  They aren't saying no not now to be jerks or nasty they just want to be squared away before taking on even more responsibility.  At the weekly meeting Joe says something about how they did so much better when they were better organized and then it looks like they disband.  Now that could just be editing.  I hope so.  I hope they did some planning on how to become more organized.  There is a mention about Lisa always having things squared away and it makes one wonder if the boys will ever find anyone as good as mom.  Hopefully they are wise enough not to compare the women in their life to Lisa.  Oh don't get me wrong- I'm not saying she's bad.  Quite the opposite actually.  I want to be more like her.  I want to have just some of her energy and wherewithal.  I did like it when you see her having a death grip on her coffee during the car wash!  One of the ramifications of the storm is that money is now a huge issue for the farm and it's entities.  Joe decides to extend the Farm Market hours.  Dan's niche seems to be running the Farm Market and it looks like he's doing a fabulous job.  When Joe is talking to Dan about extending the hours the only thing Dan says is that it probably means less hours in the field.  You have to feel bad for him.  It's pretty clear that he would rather be in the field.  That with the fact that he is doing such a good job in the Farm Market probably means that there will be less and less time in the fields for Dan.  A complete bummer for him.  Again a King shows that there is always a silver lining when Dan talks about dealing with it and finding happiness within it.  He's a pretty young guy still and that kind of thinking is indicative of what an awesome man he's likely to become.  There is also time spent on the relationship between Tim and Ben.  It's been a pretty consistent theme throughout the show.  I just wonder how it is that Tim became the father figure (Lisa's words) for Ben.  It also makes one wonder just what in the hell happened between the family and the father.  It's pretty clear that this isn't going to be explained though so no time putting much thought into it.  It is what it is and it's none of our (the publics) damn business.  Bitty noticed that the girls working at New Kent really didn't have a lot of knowledge about the veggies.  It's always much easier to sell something when you know about it.  Joe goes up to the market to talk to Amanda (the New Kent manager) about it and he decides that the girls should help at the Farmers Market with Pete.  Lexi is the first up and it was kind of cute watching her work and Pete trying to teacher her.  It was beyond adorable when Pete told Lexi that she had a nice smile and that she should do it more.  Also where did that drawl come from?  The Kings did a car wash at the Farm Market for Special Olympics.  Earlier in the show was a baseball game with Ben's Special Olympics team.  Lisa & Bitty are there to cheer him on.  As always its so clear that the Kings love and cherish Ben just as he is.  They truly could be a great motivation for so many families with special needs kids.  The day of the car wash starts out raining and things aren't looking so good.  Thankfully it clears up and things go well.  Lisa does put in a call to see where the boys are.  They were out in the field and get there as soon as they can.  That leads to Pete standing shirtless on the curb trying to attract more customers.  A very wise use of available marketing!  Tim makes a comment about it being a good thing but I'm pretty much thinking any King could be up there shirtless and they would attract lots of customers.  It's so awesome to see the family working together and having fun.  At the end of the day the car wash brought in just over $500 and the King's matched that.  Again just one more way of showing what a great giving family this is.  They're facing their worse case scenario and they still give back to the community.  Pretty awesome.  It was absolutely a gag when Lisa was talking and Ben started teasing about her talking too much.  I loved when she tried brushing his hair back and he wanted nothing to do with it. 

So there you have it.  I'm caught up until tonight!  I have no idea when I'll recap tonight's episode since Princess Bear is home sick and feeling a bit clingy. 

The Presidential Election

I'm sitting here as I have much of the past few days pondering how anyone can vote to reelect Barak Obama.  It truly boggles my mind.  I'm not talking about the uninformed voter but that is a travesty in and of itself.  I'm talking about the intelligent, informed people that truly support the man.  There are a few people very near and dear to me that I just cannot grasp the logic of their thinking.  The man has increased the national debt more than ever before.  He's behind not 1 but 2 cover ups.  Nixon went down on Watergate and Obama literally has blood on his hands but nothing has happened.  Yes I'm completely disgusted.  There is the matter of Obamacare that I've talked about in previous posts.  I honestly do not see anything positive the man has done for the country in the past 4 years but there are scores of people trying to get him reelected.  I really wish I could understand.  My aunt is is Jewish, a nurse and a lesbian is completely pro Obama. Now if we pull the social justice issues out of it I'm really not seeing how she is pro Obama.  He has been the worst thing that has happened to US-Israeli relations since '47.

Ok, I'll get off my Obama rant for now.  I will say that I've been chatting with friends and family in California asking that everyone votes yes to prop 37.  I know that Monsanto has spent tons of money in an attempt to keep this proposition from going through but I'm really hoping it's voted in.  It would be such a positive move for consumer health.

OK, a short post but it is what it is.