The Tampon Bunny

For those of my readers who enjoyed the Turkey, Angel and Menorah during the holidays-here is the newest tampon creation. The tampon Easter Bunny-and it looks so cute! Who woulda thunk it, eh? Check out White Trash Mom's post here for the full instructions. With Easter still 12 days away, you have plenty of time to create your own Easter Bunny decorations.
And for the monthly series of tampon crafts check out Tampon Crafts and see all the latest in blowguns, toupees and many more fine tampon projects. So, gather up your children, purchase your tampons and get to crafting because it'll be that time of the month before you know it! Oh, and don't forget to send me pictures of your finished projects so I can show off all your creative talents. Send photos to mrschattypants@gmail.com. Happy crafting!

If We Snooze, We Lose

Having been out of touch this weekend, today I read about President Obama trying to win approval of increased regulation of financial firms at the Drudge Report. And my head starting spinning so fast, I thought it would pop right off of my head. Check out the story here.
I can already see the road our new dictator is leading us down. First, it will be regulation of financial firms, then regulation of our medical care, how much we spend, what we buy and how much air we consume.
I don't think so.
For the last week, I have been trying to figure out what our beloved dictator was trying to divert our attention from with the whole AIG thing, but now I know. His real agenda is control. Little by little, he is rapidly trying to divert the attention of Americans away from the real issues.
Say goodbye to capitalism people.
Get ready to hail the new dictator because the race to socialism has gathered momentum and if we the people, do not get involved, it will be too late.
Soon our right to bear arms will be taken, my right to peaceably voice my opinion on my blog will be taken away and so will America's ideals and principles.
I am so distressed by the fact that many people do not see what is really happening here. We are being led on a leash by the master himself. His rhetoric is presented to confuse, not to educate. He is saying that he is trying to change the economy but frankly, he is doing the exact opposite. He is making us more dependent on government and leading us into greater debt.
Since the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence, we the people have been granted the RIGHT to hold our government accountable and to abolish any government that does not uphold the safety and happiness of its people-the unalienable right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. For 233 years we have maintained those rights and now, they are quickly being cast aside.
To date, America has prospered under a capitalistic society. Why would we want to go backwards?
Go back and read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The verbiage is clear. The people must decide and we must hold our government accountable. The founding fathers sought to preserve that right.
I for one, do not want to give government control over financial firms, banks and the people. Our political leaders and our government have proven time and again, that they are not capable of spending wisely or creating programs that will foster independence. The less government tries to "fix", the better off we are.
Having lived in Florida for most of my life, I was privy to the government response to Hurricanes Andrew and Wilma. I will tell you first hand, it sucked. Hurricane season has taught me to be dependent on me. No one else. I am responsible for protecting my home, ensuring that I have a two week supply of food and water for my family and securing the materials necessary to protect my property after the storm. Trust me when I say, the government is not going to swoop in and save the day. In reality, they just complicate the issue.
It is time for the companies that are not fiscally responsible to fail. It is what is right. It will ensure that people will have to rethink how they spend their money, invest and may also bring the consumer back to the forefront. Failing is not easy. I should know, as I have failed many times. But I am not a quitter and America will survive if we the people do the right thing.
America is about capitalism. It is about working hard and achieving your dreams. If the government is controlling everything, how can we be fiscally independent? And what about consumer or product independence? If we do not stop this march to socialism, the government will decide how and what we buy, where we get medical care and exactly who is eligible for what kind of coverage, medication and treatments. That is not how I want to live. I want to be able to control my own life and make decisions that are beneficial for myself and my family. It's like having parents that do not allow their children to grow up. It is like allowing our parents, the government, to make our decisions for us. It is wrong. It is not the America that many men and women have given their lives for. It is not what the founding fathers sought to achieve.
What will it take for people to start speaking out and doing something about this? I am just a mom looking out for her family. I want to protect my children and leave the freedoms I have enjoyed for the last 38 years intact. I want my children to know how to be independent, educated, hard working and love their country. I want them to be proud to be an American.
As their mom, I will not allow a politician to decide the future for my children. Especially, when the politician is not on the side of the people he is supposed to be protecting.
Another question I keep coming back to is where is the media? They cover ridiculous stories about Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears, but not how President Obama is maligning the country. It is disgusting. The purpose of the media is supposed to be to provide both sides of the story, an unbiased view, just the facts. At least that was the case when I studied Journalism. Now, they just cover the side that either pays the most or has the bigger perks. It is absurd. I'm sure my college journalism professor is rolling in his grave right about now. He always stressed the importance of reporting the facts. It seems the media today, must not have had the quality journalism instruction that I had.
So I sit here typing and thinking of the many reasons we owe our servicemen and women. Especially those who gave their lives for our freedom and the families they left behind. Our military personnel are strictly a volunteer force. How profound that is. In what other country do men and women risk their lives for freedom-for ideals and principles, like in America? I am proud to be an American. I am grateful for the courage those military service men and women had to stand up and fight for our freedom. For the right to speak and do as we wish. I do not take their sacrifice lightly.
I'll be honest, nothing in my life, to date, has made me more frightened then the current state of our country. What will be our fate? Will capitalism and a free people remain in power or will socialism prevail? These are the questions I ask each day, each time I read about our President completely distancing himself and our principles from the Constitution. I feels like he is flipping off the founding fathers, the Constitution and the American people.
In essence, everything our founding fathers believed in and everything we as a country have stood for, is coming to an end. It's time for ordinary, hard working Americans to stand up and starting asking the President and our Congress hard questions. It is also time to make them accountable for the decisions they are making on our behalf and ensure they are the decisions that will benefit we the people. More people need to stand up and ask questions. I do not know a lot about politics, in fact I was very reluctant to blog about anything political. But I know what is right and I know what is wrong. I have realized that it is OK if I don't understand everything I read or hear. I ask questions and I search for the answers. We must all ask questions because no one knows all the answers. It's a great learning curve. It is when we stop asking questions that we have the problem. Like now. We Americans, have let down our guard and now our freedoms are in jeopardy.
I recently joined the We Surround Them and the 912 Project established by radio commentator, Glenn Beck. Not because I am conservative or a Republican, but because I believe in the principles and ideals that America was founded on. For me as a mom, I feel it is my responsibility to protect my kids from the threat of socialism. To allow them to grow up and be grateful for the freedoms we have been given and know they are not only a right, but a privilege. The documents created so long ago are timeless. They still speak of the need to protect the people and it transcends the party lines. It is about unity and power for the people. That is the freedom that is most precious.

Dessert Creates Family Strife

Years ago, I used bribery to get Monkeyboy to eat regular "good" food and told him he could have dessert if he ate all of his food. As a new parent, I obviously was clueless as to the dilemma this would present later in life. Duh, what was I thinking?
See, Monkeyboy was fascinated with cake, cookies, ice cream and really, any kind of sweets. He is not a big candy eater though, except for chocolate. Everyone in my home, except Mini Me, likes chocolate. Well, Mini Me will eat chocolate if it is 1) a brownie, 2) an Oreo, and 3) a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting or a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. He is my picky child.
But I digress.
So, knowing his weakness for treats, I would cajole Monkeyboy with these sweets to get him to eat his dinner. Well, it has seriously come around to bite me in the butt. Now, as a result of my cajolery, I have three children who feel entitled to dessert each night. This means, that I must have some kind of sweet for their palettes. Yep, I know, I only have myself to blame. So, what's a mommy to do, now, after 12.5 years of dessert bribery? Run away? Declare myself the dessert Nazi? Hardly. That's Mike's job anyway. I like dessert too much to do that.
Mike is the one that has a cow each night when the kids ask if they have eaten enough for dessert. And he's right, but we have conditioned them. Well, I have conditioned them. And by the way, they eat good foods and none of them have a weight issue. Oh, and also, for your information, sweets last awhile in my house because it is not a novelty. Yeah-that's how I convince myself I have done the right thing. But I must say, it gets extremely old to have to come up with dinner and dessert each night.
Especially since I hate to cook. Seriously, now. I can cook, I don't like it, but I can do it. I mean, I love to bake and as I have rambled on about before, I bake when I am stressed. So, yeah, there has been a whole lot of baking going on in this house, lately. The kids are spoiled too because they love my baking and apparently so do their teachers and lunchroom staff, because they are generous and share their home-baked goods at school.
Whatever.
My dilemma is how to nix the dessert from my menu. Mike is better at introducing fruit and say ice cream or whipped cream as a dessert than I am. I guess that's why he does not have a weight problem and I do, eh?
Regardless, dessert is a major battle in our home. Last night, I thought I saw blood shooting from Mike's eyeballs when Mini Me came up to him with his bowl in hand and asked if he had eaten enough for dessert. The planet and the stars were all in alignment, because his bowl was clean and Mike didn't have much to say. He just gave an exasperated sigh, rolled his eyes and said yes. Mini Me walked over to the kitchen, dumped his bowl in the sink and asked me to cut him a piece of cake. Since he and his siblings had eaten all of their food, and actually, Monkeyboy and Panda had seconds, I cut them the requisite piece of cake. Mike too. And I cut one for myself as well. And, to toot my own horn, it was delicious.
My other issue is when there is no dessert, they start crying or get really whiny. I have to say, this is the only time my kids really pull out the tricks. Mini Me takes it as a personal affront if he does not get dessert. Case in point. Sunday night, Mike promised the kids he would make them funnel cake for dessert. My dad called and asked Mike if he could help him with his computer. Not able to help him over the phone, Mike went to his house to fix the issue. When he got home, it was too late to make funnel cake and he told the kids he would make it another night. Mini Me burst into tears and was like "but....I didn't have any dessert." Yeah. I told him to suck it up and deal. Then I told him to go to bed. I know, I'm such an empathetic mom aren't I? Whatever. So he trudged off to bed all huffy-like and crying because he did not get any funnel cake. For the record, neither did the rest of us. And we survived. Just so you know.
So, being a desperate mom already on the brink of insanity, I am asking for advice from those of you reading my blog. Any ideas on how to break this dessert habit I have created, without causing a riot? Please show me some reader love and leave me your ideas in the comments section.
In the meanwhile, I will be in the kitchen, baking. Today's dessert is chocolate chip banana bread. Just so you know. And if you want some, you gotta leave me a comment. And for the record, I make a delicious chocolate chip banana bread.

Filling the Crapper

So it's like this. Mike still has no job and frankly, the money tree has seriously shriveled up, died and been taken out to be mulched. Just so you know. He goes on interviews and he gets told he has too much experience, that he is over-qualified, they cannot afford to pay him what he is worth or that they will not hire him because he will ultimately end up leaving when he finds a job that pays more. The best is when they wait until the third interview to tell him this. This has happened twice. Encouraging, eh?
Yeah.
WTF?
If a job opportunity does not materialize soon, our little boat is going to sink.
Yeppers, I'm pretty frustrated right now.
It seems like doors keep slamming in our face each time we try to crawl out of this hole. I know that this will pass and I am very grateful to have Mike and the kids, but this seems to be the never-ending spiral. I'm over it already.
I keep repeating my I am grateful list and it is so not working. I'm at a loss as to how to proceed. I believe that God only gives us what He knows we can handle-well, I hope He has been working out, because He is gonna have to carry my ass and let me tell ya, He is gonna have to channel Hercules for that. He might just drop me on my ass and say hoof it. Ya know what I mean?
So, even if things are not so great in my little corner of the blogosphere, someone else is having a more difficult time. I'm sure of this because I watch the news.
Sometimes.
And it's always bad.
Sigh.
And since I know that God only gives you what you can handle, it seems God must have bigger problems to contend with right now. I guess I will have to wait my turn. For the record, I am tired of waiting. But that could be the very lesson I'm supposed to learn, eh? Patience. :)
With the economy being so crappy, people are not spending money. So, my customer service gig is not providing us with enough income. The call volume has dropped tremendously and so has the amount of my paycheck. I'm making less than half of what I made before and working more hours. Definitely not cost effective.
As a result, I have missed my monetary goal twice now and I am pretty ticked off. My bills are pretty mad as well. They keep multiplying in protest. Whatever.
In addition, my goal to grow my blog has taken a back seat to making money. Since it requires time away from work and some cash outlay, I have to wait until we are financially stabilized. I feel like I am just waiting for things to happen and that is really not my nature. I like to do what needs to be done and make things work. Obviously, patience is not one of my strengths.
Right now, I am frustrated and embarrassed that Mike and I are in this position. I know that I am not alone, as many people are facing tough times, but I am not sure how to stop this free fall to hell. And I am just so tired.
So I am blogging. Spilling my guts if you will. And airing my dirty laundry. Sometimes we all need a diversion, I guess.
Regardless of my diversionary tactics, Mike and I are hanging in there or hanging by a thread. Whichever you prefer. Hopefully, the spiral will stop soon and we will be cruising along again. Just another bump in the road.
And as my friend Volunteer Mom always says, "and this too shall pass." Them are fighting words if I ever heard some.
And for the record, I really do not like that phrase. It sucks. It actually means you gotta deal with more crap until the crapper is full. Just so you know.

MrsRamblypants

I have been a bit of a blogging slacker this week. I've been busy trying to catch up and do a little spring decluttering. And honestly, I haven't made quite the progress I intended to. It sucks. Only got the kids bookshelves and closet done. Still lots more to do. Yuck. I have to do it when they are not home and cannot convince me to keep their toys. I am weak like that. I love toys-just not the little pieces.
St. Patrick's Day was fun. We jump started the day with green eggs and biscuits and the kids got a kick out of that. Mini Me was more concerned with whether or not his poop would be green after eating all this green stuff. Yeah. We told him just to be sure it would be, he would need to have his green cupcakes and juice after school. So, I spent the day preparing the green foods necessary for turning Mini Me's poops green. I made green cupcakes, with green frosting and green sprinkles. Oh, and green lemonade. There was some green rumonade for Mike and I, but I fell asleep before I got to drink any. And Mini Me conveniently forgot to check his poop for greeness the next day, so I was spared. Yeppers, just another day.
Wednesday, lucky me got to visit DrPain and have my nose numbed by three stinkin' needle sticks. My right eye also went a bit numb as a result. It felt weird, kind of how I imagine a droopy eyelid would feel, except all numb and tingly. DrPain then proceeded to grind the heck out of the skin on my nose so as to make it appear smoother. Whatever. After the sticks to the nose, I was really contemplating keeping any imperfections. I'm not perfect, why should my nose be? I am a realist like that. Or a weenie, you choose.
So after all that grinding, my nose is now emitting this clear oozy stuff. Nice visual, eh? I'm sure. It feels wonderful. The best part was this morning, after I peeled the gauze that had attached itself to my nose off, I had to borrow a non-obnoxious bandaid from my neighbor, Photo Chick. I only had bright yellow and green Spongebob bandaids left and I did not want to draw anymore attention to my nose than necessary. Plus, the colored bandaids clashed with the red tshirt that I was wearing. Go figure. All I really wanted was a nice, plain old beige bandaid. Sometimes, life gets more complicated than really necessary, ya know?
The bright spot in my week was I got to hang with my friend Sally and my friend Volunteer Mom. I had brunch with Sally at Einstein Bagels and I must say, there are way too many weird people out there. We had picked this rather large table to hang out at and really, so we would not be bothered. The place was pretty empty. And, in mid-eating mode, some old guy just seats himself at our table and starts talking to us. Now, I'm not unfriendly, but truthfully, I just wanted to hang with my friend and chat. Without having to censor my words. And then his son joined him. Oh and by the way, he was a young guy, obviously didn't know us and he seemed pretty oblivious as well. Hello! You were not invited. Go away! Truly, I have four of my own cling ons, did I need 2 more strange ones at my table? I think not. So, Sally and I chatted, ate quickly and hightailed it to the bookstore. Ughh!!! Very annoying. And weird. I guess my weirdo magnet was flashing again. Sigh. I really need to do something about that. Truly.
Sally and I hung out in the bookstore and had some fun friend time and then left, well, because life was rudely inserting itself back in. Go figure.
In the afternoon, I visited with my friend Volunteer Mom. She is having serious drama with Monkeyboy's old VeryScaryMiddleSchool. Her son is being bullied and well, they do nothing to at that school to help the victims-they just aid and abet the perpetrators. Bottom line-they suck. No accountability. If they would just do their freaking job so many kids would benefit. Sigh. I get so disgusted by this that I want to smack the hell outta people. What I wouldn't give to bully them back so they know how it feels when the system that is supposed to be protecting them, doesn't. It pisses me off that these kids are forced to rely on these incompetent assholes to do the right thing and they drop the ball. It is truly maddening.
Having been there in November, I commiserated, and advised her to dot her i's and cross her t's and make the school accountable for their actions. Basically, I hung out with her and lent her some morale support because the ignorance of the VeryScaryMiddle School administration is so frustrating.
Truth be told, aside from the middle school crap, I had a great day hanging with my friends. Sometimes a mommy just needs to hang with the girls for awhile and get her head back on straight.
In a nutshell, that's been my week. Clearly, my inability to string two coherent, non-rambling sentences together is evident. Sorry. Just having an off week I guess. I'm hoping Friday will be better.

The Right Choice

It's been almost two months since we pulled Monkeyboy out of traditional school and started doing the virtual learning. I have to say, I have definitely seen an improvement. Once we resolved his math issue, and bumped him down to a lower class, he has been doing wonderfully. I am really proud of him.
At first, it was a little complicated teaching him to effectively manage his time, but he is doing well. He does his work and sometimes, he slacks, but he is responsible for doing his work on his own, which is exactly what I want him to do. When he doesn't, HE must answer to his teachers, who waste no time calling him out on the carpet. If he doesn't complete his work according to the schedule mandated by the teacher, he receives a zero, but must complete the work or he cannot move on to the next assignment. Monkeyboy learned real quick, whether he does the work on time or not, it still has to be completed and it was better to be completed on time and actually receive credit for it then to just get the zero and still have to do it. The first step in responsibility and maturity, I say. He now has a schedule, which he follows, and typically does about four hours of schoolwork a day. Once his work is completed, he then has to time to read, write his fan fiction or hang out.
Personal responsibility. What a lesson he has learned.
Virtual learning has made a tremendous difference in Monkeyboy's attitude and behavior. He is no longer cruel or antagonistic to Panda and Mini Me. He is more tolerant, patient and kind. In fact, both Monkeyboy and Mini Me have really bonded because Monkeyboy no longer treats Mini Me (and Panda), as his pesky little sibling. He has adopted a different way of dealing with their annoying tendencies, is much more tolerant and not so resentful. He has taken them under his wing.
In essence, the virtual learning has brought peace to my family. They care about one another and show compassion for each other. Respect and love are back in full force. I am very grateful, as Mike and I work hard to create unity among our children and each other. It is the basis of our family.
In traditional school, Monkeyboy couldn't deal with the kids at school. This frustration was reflected in his schoolwork, how he carried himself and how he treated the people around him. He was angry and we didn't understand the reason for the anger. He had never acted like that before. The last month, Mike and I have seen his anger subside and his attitude has changed. We are no longer yelling or screaming at him, nor are we punishing him for his disrespectful behavior. What a change.
If we hadn't made the change when we did, we would have lost him. I have seen changes in the last two months that have brought back the son I have always loved and known. The eye rolling is gone, the attitude and the nastiness are also gone. I guess he adapted that attitude/persona to survive. Regardless, as a mom, it was really scary to see my son at that low.
Fact is, his traditional school housed a bunch of animals. Seriously. Never in my life have I ever seen children act the way those kids do. I get the whole middle school thing and that it is a difficult time, but the inmates were running the asylum. I knew something had to change when the teachers I met, outside of school, told me they were leaving the school or had already left because of the kids and the administration. I met parents that also pulled their children out and had their kids reassigned to another school. It's sad. School should be a safe haven for the kids. Not a battleground. Puberty is hard enough without all that added drama and strife. Monkeyboy was starting to travel down the not-so-good path. Mike and I were really worried. I must say, we intervened at a good time.
I get a lot of flack from my family and some friends about the virtual learning, mainly because of the socialization. What can I do? The alternative was to lose my son to unacceptable behavior and anger. Since it has only been two months, I'm not so worried about his socialization. We are looking for activities that he is interested in, to combat the isolation. The bigger picture is that Monkeyboy is doing well in school, likes his classes and his teachers and is no longer in danger of becoming one of the lost.
Everyday, I am grateful for the changes virtual school has brought about for both the Monkeyboy and our family. I know it was the right thing to do.

Tooth On The Loose

Well, no sooner had I clicked publish last night when Panda's tooth popped out. Minus the blood of course. Blood only plays a part in the school time hours when I am not there to make her deal. But I digress.
Last night, before Panda went to bed, she came running into the cave saying she had to have a piece of paper so she could write the toothfairy a note. Yes, my children write notes to Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Leprechaun and the toothfairy. Whatever. I know I am corrupting their little minds, but it's so much fun.
Sooooo...she writes her letter and puts the letter under her pillow. Of course, being the slacker parents we are, Mike and I forget about the tooth. Until 4 am, when Chewy is barking ferociously at Fatboy, (well as ferociously as a 7 pound Cavapoo can bark), after his nightly bully session, and I awaken to rescue the mutt. Then of course, I remember the tooth and that the fairy's part has not been fulfilled. I wake up Mike and we scrounge the requisite dollar.
It's a recession OK? The value of baby teeth has decreased and even the toothfairy is feeling the pinch.
But again, I digress.
So, after Mike sneaks into Panda's room to retrieve her tooth and leave the money, he comes back with her letter laughing hysterically. Now, in the past, I have mentioned my capacity to be anal and controlling and well, apparently my daughter has inherited that gene. Check out her letter to the toothfairy. To translate Panda speak the letter reads:

Dear Toothfairy,
When you give me the money put it in a bag for me.
Love, Panda
P.S. Have a goodnight








On the back, she writes:














P.S. take the note.
toothfairy take the note.

OMG! It was too funny. Look at the spawn I have produced. I have created a monster who is so anal that she asked the toothfairy to put her money in the bag. And I wonder why she is anxious and does not deal with change. Hello! She has been this way since birth. So help me God.
Oh, and advising the toothfairy where to leave her money-not gonna happen. She cannot control the toothfairy-just so you know. This is another reason the toothfairy was cheap. The toothfairy doesn't like it that she assumed she was getting money. What if the toothfairy had no money-could she have left an I.O.U.? Would it have been OK to leave a new toothbrush instead? Hey, the economy is pretty bad and a toothbrush IS a necessity. And she is the toothfairy.
OK-it's silly, but the truth.
This thankfully, ends the tooth saga for the moment. Until the next one becomes loose and we are forced to contend with the matter. Hopefully from here on out, she will be able to deal because now she knows the drill. Right? The tooth gets loose, it bleeds, it falls out and the tooth fairy visits. End of story. I can only pray that she will be less anal the next time. I am so totally not holding my breath for that one.
But for today, the tooth is gone. I expect there will be no calls from Panda's teacher today. Hopefully.
One can never be too sure.

The Bloody Tooth

Each day that passes, I find that my sanity is slipping further and further away. This is occurring way faster than I would like and frankly, it disturbs me. In fact, I am so rapidly approaching the funny farm that I have now begun distinguishing my different Sybil personalities. Today, Sybil #5 was unleashed and unfortunately, Panda's teacher felt her wrath. It is truly embarrassing, but whatever.
This morning I had to schlep Monkeyboy 25 minutes to his virtual school for standardized testing. To kill time while he took the test, I went to Barnes & Noble to blog. Alas, for the third consecutive day, my laptop craps out on me. Not wanting to drive all the way home, only to turn around and come back, I kill 2 hours reading books I cannot afford, in the bookstore. After speed reading three books, I leave, pick up the Monkeyboy and we go home. I am home 20 minutes when the phone rings. Mike checks the caller ID and informs me that it is the school. FYI-when the school calls at 12:30 in the afternoon, it can only be a problem. Just so you know.
Yeah.
So, I'm like duhhh...answer it. He follows Sybil #5's sage advice and begins a conversation with Panda's teacher.

MrsSecondGradeTeacher: "Hi Mr.Mike. Everything is OK. Panda wants to talk to you about her tooth.

Mike to MrsSecondGradeTeacher: "Is she OK?"

MrsSecondGradeTeacher: "Yes. She just wants to talk to you."

Panda (sobbing uncontrollably): "My tooth is bleeding on my sandwich and it hurts."

Mike (very patient-like. A complete act I tell ya.):" That's OK baby, your tooth is loose and coming out. Only a little piece is holding it in. "

(me, rolling my eyes, not even believing this conversation is happening).

Panda (more sobbing and sniffling): "It's bleeding."

Mike: "That's normal baby. It will bleed a little when the tooth comes out and then stop."

(me, very happy it was the hubby who answered the phone instead of me. )

Panda (like this is news to her? OK, she has a brother who has almost totally bankrupted the tooth fairy. The sobbing continues.): "Bleeding?"

Then, my dear husband wusses out.
Mike: "Panda, why don't you talk to mommy? Here she is....."

And he makes me deal with the drama queen.

Me: "Hello? Panda?"

Panda (sobbing uncontrollably still): "Mom, my tooth is bleeding in my sandwich. And I can't eat my lunch cuz there was blood on the bread. And it hurts and dad told me to take out my tooth."

Me: "Panda, you're tooth is fine. Just eat on the other side of your mouth. You know that sometimes your tooth bleeds. Go back to lunch, you'll be fine. "

MrsSecondGradeTeacher: "Hi, Mrs. Christine."

Me (very annoyed and channeling Sybil #5): "Hi MrsSecondGradeTeacher. She's fine. You are way nicer than me. I would have told her to stop crying, deal with it and go back to class."

MrsSecondGradeTeacher: "Do you want to tell her that?"

Me (flabbergasted that this conversation is still continuing): "Sure. Put her on again. I already told her that, but will be more than happy to tell her again."

(MrsSecondGradeTeacher hands phone to Panda).

Me: "Panda, calm yourself down and stop crying. You are fine. There is nothing to cry about. Eat your food on the side, get over it and go back to class."

Panda (sniffling and whiny): "OK mommy. I'll eat on the side."

Call ends.

OK, what was the purpose of that call? Can you please tell me?
The teacher couldn't deal with my daughter flipping out over her tooth and she has to call me because why?
I truly am having a problem understanding the thought process of MrsSecondGradeteacher here. Seriously.
I have never given the teacher any reason to call me or tiptoe around my child-ever. In the past, I have had to tell her to be more firm and hold her ground with Panda. When I volunteer at the school, I do not stop in her classroom, harass the teacher or anything like that. I do my volunteer job and disappear as quickly as possible.
Truth be told, I steer clear of Panda's class simply because I know she has anxiety and is able to manipulate the teacher. I don't give in. When she is in school, she has to deal with whatever issues that arise on her own. It is called growing up. Her teacher, however, continues to enable her even after I have told her not to do so. Yeppers. I told MrsSecondGradeTeacher to ignore Panda's tears and even if she looks cute and needy, to harden her heart. Tough love.
Yes, I did have to tell her teacher that.
I am truly amazed. MrsSecondgradeTeacher is an experienced teacher who has been teaching for twenty years. She is not a rookie.
Now, just so you know, I love my daughter's second grade teacher. MrsSecondGradeTeacher is an excellent teacher and a good, caring person. I appreciate the fact that she likes my daughter-that she has compassion and cares for her and the other children in her class. But, my concern is by allowing Panda to manipulate the situation, how is she helping her? As the TEACHER, she certainly does not need my permission to do her job and make Panda do what she needs to do. She has the ultimate control over her classroom, so what gives?
Sigh.
The real problem, is she doesn't want Panda to have a panic attack and freak on her. Why? Because she doesn't want to deal with her having a panic attack.
Whatever.
So, she calls me, lets me be the meanie and we move on.
And the issue is not that I don't like being a meanie-I know what I have to do to get Panda to move past her anxiety and I do it. I make her deal because if she wins, my life becomes like a reality TV show, minus the sex. The real issue is that the school is placating her and I don't understand why. Is this a school policy? Are they afraid I might go Sybil on the teacher/school for letting my daughter cry about a loose tooth? What?
Help me here.
Edumacate me please.
As a parent and a former teacher, it makes no sense to me to perpetuate the drama from my daughter instead of telling her to suck it up and deal. Come on. It only makes the situation worse and allows the opportunity for future problems. Right?
And as her parent, I gave MrsSecondGradeTeacher permission to make Panda deal at all costs. So, WTF?
Do I have to do the school's job too?
Seriously.
I am extremely frustrated by this blatant lack of accountability. I am held accountable for how I raise my daughter. I don't want her to be a sniveling weenie and I don't allow it. As the teacher, MrsSecondGradeTeacher needs to step up to the plate and put on her meanie hat and give my daughter the smack down. It is the right thing to do because it takes away from the other more important issues, like learning. Again, I love Panda's teacher and do not mean this as an attack. It just blows me away that if my child can control the dynamics of the class, and she is not a discipline problem, what about the other more problematic kids? What is the message we are sending?
Obviously, I am not the parent who makes excuses for my child or expects the school/teacher to cater to my child. Far from that. I want her to gain the academic knowledge she needs to be successful, as well as gain the independence she will need both academically and in real life. She has to learn although she is special to her mom and dad, she is not special and should not be treated as such. It is why there are too many monster children in our schools and why the good teachers burn out or leave. The inmates and their parents run the asylum.
End of rant.

The Nerd Gene

All my life, I have been a book nerd. My favorite place growing up, other than Disney World, was the library. I loved the library because I could check out as many books as I wanted and read about other people's adventures. I'm just nosey like that.
Nothing, apparently, has changed.
Hey, inquiring minds want to know.
As I got older, my love of books has continued and now, my favorite places have gone on to include Barnes & Noble and Borders.
Sigh.
Can I just tell you how much I love books?
Yep, I'm a nerd. And proud of it thank you very much. Disney is still my favorite place ever, but the bookstore and the library tie in at second place.
Thankfully, my children have inherited this obsession. Apparently, I have done my job well indoctrinating them into the magical mind-numbing world of Disney magic, and creating a love of books.
Master Yoda would be proud.
My kids are pretty abnormal, in that they carry a book wherever they go. I love it. I have created more book-loving nerds who enjoy the simple pleasure of reading.
So, this week, Mini Me discovered the Captain Underpants series of books. Not sure what I was thinking, when I pointed out the book to him, but he latched onto it right quick. And what six year old boy would not love a book about pooping, toilets, boogers and so forth, right? Yeah. Clearly, I must have been delusional to think he would like to read the Spiderwick Chronicles, as opposed to Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers. I know, what was I thinking. It made me feel good to hear his deep belly cackling over that book. He was so excited that he HAD to read me "the most funniest parts ever." He is silly like that.
Both him and Monkeyboy have taken their book enjoyment to new levels-now they are writing their own books and please, say a prayer for me now. Monkeyboy is writing fan fiction, which until recently, I had no clue what that was. Apparently, it is fans writing additional parts to an already existing book they have read. To me, I don't really get it-I would rather read the author's story, but hey, that's what makes the world go round. Monkeyboy also writes some interesting stuff as well. But being only twelve, he is not as dedicated as he could be. Mike and I keep encouraging him to write his "book" and we would help him publish it, but he is not quite there yet.
Mini Me is ready, willing and able to write his own books. He likes to re-tell stories, create comic books, illustrate-he is a one man operation. He even binds his own books-well, with my help of course. Naturally, given his selection of books, he likes to write about bodily functions, people being defeated by ninjas and of course, boogers. Whatever. He is self-publishing and even though only six, on his way I tell ya.
Panda is a book reader. She is really picky about what she reads and takes everything so literal. She is me. God help me. She has a wicked sense of humor and likes books that make her laugh. She can also be so serious. She also has a love of books, but publishing is not her forte. She is just nosey. Like her mother. We don't know quite where that skill will take her just yet.
Above all, my little potty reading monsters have a love of reading and for this, I am so happy. Our family, Mike's and my own, think my kids are crazy because they ask for books for their birthday and holidays. Secretly, I love it. I would rather them read and expand their horizons than sit in front of a video game. But, I must say, video games really allowed Amanda to expand her vocabulary. Whatever. I am a desperate mom who will stop at nothing to get her kids to read. And I must say, aside from Disney, their favorite place is the bookstore.
My mommy job, in my book, is done. I have created more book nerds. Now, they can go out, read and reproduce their own work so I have something to read.

Freedom to Choose

The other day I expressed my outrage with President Obama and his staff. It is not about him being a Democrat or the color of his skin. Those are labels. And I don't do labels. It is about setting an example. President Obama has a tremendously difficult job to do and he has a choice. He has a choice between doing the easy thing and the right thing for America. Unfortunately, he has chosen the easy path, which is not the right thing for our country.
As a parent, it is my job to set an example for my children and teach them American values and ideals. I focus on giving them the tools to be successful-such as education, a love of learning and the ability to think for themselves. Tools. These tools alone, will allow them to be successful as adults. When I throw in my values-like hard work, dedication and perseverance, I am enabling them to use their tools within the framework of their value system and be successful people. To live the American dream the right way. The true way. The way our founding fathers designed it to be.
This is why the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence came to be.
The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are amazing documents created out of a need to assemble the people of a nation and unite them through core values and ideals. The people that created those documents believed in the power of the people-not a ruler or a dictator. A belief in the people as a whole. Those documents allow us, the people, to stand up and protect our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To live the American dream free from fear and manipulation. To be true to oneself.
Many men and women have given their lives for this privilege. We call it a right-it is not a right, but a privilege of being an American. An honor.
We as a nation, have forgotten what true honor is. The ability to do the right thing, face adversity and still come out on top. For doing what is right and what is true. For remaining steadfast and staying the course. Instead, we have chosen the easier path-we have sold ourselves out. We have sold out the founding fathers.
President Obama is continuing this vicious cycle. Our President is not doing his job. He is not upholding the basic principles established for the betterment of the American people. Instead, he is taking the easy road and allowing the government to control its people. He is becoming a dictator.
And I, as an American and as a parent, will not allow it. It is not the right thing to do.
As a mom, I teach my children to stand up for themselves and be proud of who they are. I teach them to treat others with respect and kindness and to work hard for everything, because nothing is free. Most especially not freedom.
Each time we allow the government into our lives, we are jeopardizing our freedom and our way of life. President Obama is taking the easy road by bailing out companies, banks and people who cannot sustain themselves because of greed, selfishness and corruption. And again, it is wrong. He is selling out the American way of life and it is not acceptable.
President Obama's attack on Rush Limbaugh is a prime example of the easy way. He is using bullying tactics to force Rush to succumb to his ideas and stop him from encouraging the thinkers to think. The message Obama is sending is that if I can't change you, I will destroy you.
It is fascism at its best.
Yet, the sheeple keep grazing. They hear his words, but do not listen to their meaning.
Let me be real clear here-it is about government control. This is not an option for me.
In many ways, President Obama is no better than Hitler or Mussolini. His bullying tactics send a very clear message-if you do not do what I say, I will beat you down.
Hello fascism.
President Obama is trying to lead our country through fear and manipulation. Things, as a parent, I do not wish to teach my children. Things, I do not want to expose my children to. It is wrong and it is not about what America stands for. It is not how we roll.
I am disgusted because his office is supposed to be about integrity and honesty, yet he cannot even be honest with the American people. Where is the transparency? He is the leader of the free world and the example he gives is one of fear and manipulation. In schoolyard terms, a bully.
In my opinion, that is not how a leader, a president, leads his country. His actions do not depict the American way of life as our founding fathers meant it to be.
I myself, have made many mistakes and have had to do the harder things, the right things, to fix my predicament. I do not ask anyone to do what I myself am not willing or have not, already done. I implore other parents-other Americans-to demand that President Obama lead this country in a way that will preserve our freedoms, values and belief systems that is both right and true. For the sake of our children and to preserve the American way of life.

Are You A Survivor?

As a mom, it is my job to hold the family together. It is my self-imposed responsibility. Sometimes I kick butt and take names and other days, it is a struggle. The old adage "if momma ain't happy, than nobody is happy" is very true. With our economy and world changing so drastically, I try to be positive for my kids. Truth be told, I am just a mom, who loves her family and I'm just trying to survive like everyone else. I'm a person.
Sometimes, in the drama of families, we forget that.
Recently, my husband was laid off from his job and things are pretty stressful right now as he searches for a new job. The kids are old enough to understand the trials and tribulations of life, so I tell them how it is. I hope they learn the powerful lesson that they create their own destiny. That sometimes, when something unexpected or "bad" occurs, it is for a reason. I try to explain this to my kids because it is important to give them hope and realize the need for change comes in different ways. It is important to be flexible and look for new ways to excel. It is never easy. And I must say, I am really proud of the adjustments they have made. I am very blessed to have terrific children and a great husband. Sometimes, the stress of life takes precedence over our family and this should not be the case. I am guilty of this-MANY times over. But, I try to correct myself, set a new pace and move on. It is what it is.
Recently, I read the book, The Survivors Club, by Ben Sherwood and took the survivor test. Click here to check out the website. Very interesting stuff.
Anywhoo.
My results revealed that I was a connector. Meaning, I connect with people, have empathy for people and am able to gain my strength from my relationships with friends and family. The results also stated I rely on my resilience and faith to get through tough times.
Actually, the test was dead on.
I am a people person and I always take care of others before myself. Always. It is who I am.
I am a survivor because I can always readjust my thinking to do what needs to be done. I have had to do this before, not in any life-threatening situation, but in other times of crises.
My grandmother was very much like this. She did what she had to survive and live the American dream. She did it and I can to. We all can.
My goal, however, is to give my children the tools they need to survive. Whatever they may be. I guess, when I think about it, that may seem pessimistic. It's not. I want my children to grow up to be strong, independent successful people who can think outside the box, calmly and rationally, in any situation. To do the one thing I cannot personally do all the time-protect them.
So, for now, I am working on strengthening the natural survival characteristics for each child, as they become apparent and I hope, that I will provide them a way to remain strong and able to handle any crisis situation. At the very least, they will be able to fend for themselves and beat the crap out of anyone who messes with them.
Seriously.
Ahemmm...A mother's job is never done.

Obama Is A Fat-Headed Bully

I am extremely outraged at the White House and President Obama for their recent attack on Rush Limbaugh. Check out the Drudge Report, here, where it was reported that the White House, Democrats and President Obama have stooped to new levels of bipartisan tactics. They truly are manipulative and a disgrace to our country. It is disgusting and it is embarrassing.
And the biggest proponent of these tactics is the media. Our media needs to wake the hell up and get out of bed with President Obama and his goons. Yes, let's just call them what they are-goons. They are bullies carrying out Obama's orders in the name of "democracy." As a result, our media enables this behavior by broadcasting this despicable behavior for America and all the world to see.
Our country is in serious trouble.
The recent attack of Rush Limbaugh and the Republican party is ridiculous and uncalled for. If President Obama and his staff spent more time devising productive ways to stimulate the economy and preserving the freedoms and ideals that America stands for, our march to socialism would end. It is pathetic. Instead, they launch a lame-ass attempt to make Limbaugh the Republican scapegoat. Please. Do not insult the intelligence of the American people. Call it what it is-an attack on an American citizen speaking his mind because as president, Obama is too weak and ineffectual to get the job done.
Black and white.
President Obama and his White House goons are trying to divert the attention from the real issues our country is facing and use Limbaugh as a distraction from the truth-Obama cannot fix the economy. He does not have the experience or the support system in place to create the change he promised. Thus, the Limbaugh diversion.
It's ingenious really. Create a diversion for the American people to latch on to, so they do not really see what is coming down the pike. Use Limbaugh, a radio host, to launch an attack on the American people, divide the country and open the door for fascism. I wish I had thought of that. They get paid more than I do, they perpetuate the ignorance of the sheeple and they maintain the power. What a sweet deal!
I believe most Americans want to be prosperous and are honest. They believe in the power of the Presidency to shape the country and keep it afloat.
President Obama has already failed to keep the country united and is losing sight of the big picture. He touts bipartisanship, yet he divides. He creates a stimulus, but only creates more debt. And most importantly, he creates cynicism and negativity against anyone who disagrees with his ideas.
Last time I checked, that was a dictatorship.
Obama does not want the sheeple to rise up and think for themselves because they will realize he is not doing his freakin' job. And his agenda is not what he said it was. So he continues to spew rhetoric and tell the American people what they want to hear. Then he does the opposite. The media praise him and the sheeple flock to the Messiah like the herd that they are.
It is so frustrating that people are so ignorant. The sheeple want so much to believe in President Obama's hopey change crap, that they have no clue what is really going on behind the scenes.
So the latest attack on Limbaugh is yet, another diversion. By attacking him for his views and political thoughts over the airwaves, President Obama is violating the rights of the American people. He is setting an example. If you buck the system, the heavy hammer of fascism will come slamming down and the offender will be silenced. It is political and last time I checked, Rush Limbaugh is not a politician. He is just an American citizen working as a radio commentary. He is like you and me. He is doing his job, which is to entertain and to facilitate discourse. Again, his job.
He is not threatening President Obama but apparently, President Obama is threatened by the potential power of his listeners. Because they are thinkers. They do not accept the information spewed as fact. They research and look to confirm the truth. They question the role of government and they focus on being self-sufficient.
In a fascist regime, this is not acceptable. Thus, Obama's attack and the creation of a website poking fun at Republicans who disagree with Limbaugh is about putting the smack down on the thinkers.
This diversion will buy him some time to enact the changes necessary to embrace a global economy and socialism. Thinkers are not in the plan.
President Obama loves the sheeple. He needs the sheeple to promote his agenda and strip the United States of America of the very rights he swore to uphold. He is violating the office of the President.
During the Bush administration, many things were said about George Bush by people like Randi Rhodes, Al Franken and Obama himself. One thing about former President Bush, is that he did not lower himself to their level-to comment on their rhetoric. To do so, would have devalued the office of the president and would have violated the rights of its citizens. The rights to free speech, free press and the right to peaceably assemble. He did not do this because it is fundamentally wrong. He upheld and maintained the integrity of his office-he did his job.
By focusing on Limbaugh and other radio hosts, President Obama violates the terms of his office. He is infringing upon First Amendment rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right to peaceably assemble. By launching a political campaign against a non-political American citizen, Obama is being a bully. He is using his White House goons to wield the hammer of fascism and smack down the freedoms we as Americans enjoy. It is wrong. It goes against what the President of the United States is supposed to stand for.
The job of President Obama is to preserve those freedoms-he promised to do that when he was sworn into office, yet again, here is a case of telling the people what they want to hear and doing the exact opposite. In the name of freedom, of course.
Right.
And I've got the deed to the Verazano-Narrows Bridge to sell you.
Wake up sheeple!!
President Obama needs to take care with the people he employees because his goons do not have his best interests or those of the American people in mind. The attack on Limbaugh is proof of that.
It is a violation of the American ideals and freedoms President Obama swore to uphold and he can be impeached for violating those rights. However, he is arrogant enough to think he is above this. That Americans are too stupid to think for themselves. He is banking on the sheeple remaining ignorant and looking to him for guidance.
As Americans, it is time to for us to stand up and stop the attacks on a radio commentary just doing his job. The Office of the President should be above petty and manipulative tactics to push their agenda. They need to focus on more important issues-like the economy, the job market and protecting the rights and freedoms of the people. As the people, it is our right to stand up and demand that actions be taken to secure our freedoms and ensure our President and others in office, uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.

Rubberstamp and Scrapbook Expo

Sunday, I went to the Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo in Fort Lauderdale with my BFF Sally, and we had a blast. Surprisingly, not a whole lot of vendors and really, not a whole lot of people on Sunday. Nevertheless, we had fun.
A few of the the stamp vendors I am familiar with like Stampin' Up and Close to My Heart were there and not being versed in the stamping vendors yet, many others I cannot name. The thing I was a little disappointed in was, that there was not a whole lot of paper to drool over. I guess stampers use more solid color paper than us scrapbookers do. We like pretty patterns, neat textures and sparkly accents. And of course, they must coordinate with each other, stickers, stamps, fibers and different embellishments. I am a paper slut, just so you know. Love, love, LOVE pretty paper. Especially the sparkly kind. It was mainly a rubber stamp convention, hence the name rubber stamp. Yeah. I think they tacked scrapbook on to the expo name to draw from that crowd as well. Some stuff was for scrapbooking, but for a stamper, this was the place to be. Maybe I'm wrong, again, I am not an avid stamper. Sigh, I am just a paper slut who likes to craft with paper, so any excuse to walk around looking at paper, stickers and cool, expensive gadgets and accessories to make my papers more interesting is fun.
Only one thing grabbed my interest enough to contemplate buying and it was a really unique stamp that had an image of a jersey or a jacket on it. It was to be stamped on paper and the sides of the jacket had a zipper so a real zipper could be added, and then zipped up. They also had stamps of a jersey, a purse and luggage like this. Very cool for creating a mock sports jersey (Go Panthers!) to put on a scrapbook page. It was different.
Oh, and I spied my glitter for creating sparkly chipboard letters. One of the ladies from a local store, Scrapbook Central, was helping out at that booth. She versed me in the ways of the dark side. She even gave me a pink, sparkly glitter-filled butterfly. I love that stuff. I had to walk away from that booth quickly as my resolve was disappearing. Being on spending restriction, I didn't want to give in to the dark side. Being my faithful friend and knowing the signs of surrender, Sally steered me away quickly.
A company from Canada was doing this very unique (well, unique at least to me) demonstration of fusing fibers with a stamped image and heat. Truth be told, I am also a yarn/fibers slut as well as well as a paper slut. I'm just saying. But, I saw this really neat technique where a stamp is inked in black, different colored fibers are placed on the image and then heated to melt the fibers together into the image of the stamp. And, aside from the fibers, the only tool you need is an iron. How about that!! What a perfect use for my old, neglected iron! The demonstrator did place a piece of parchment paper between the iron and the fibers as protection from the heat. It was way cool.
Check out the picture of my beautiful butterfly made at the convention. I'm hooked. Where can I get me some pretty fibers for ironing? I wanted to do another one because the lady neglected to use my favorite colors, but Sally gave me the look and dragged me away. Real huffy like, I acquiesced, but I really wanted a pink, purple and green butterfly. Emphasis on the pink and purple.
But I digress.
So, the expo was a good way to get my creative ideas following. Although, I was disappointed about the paper issue, my pocketbook is extremely grateful that there was nothing to tempt me too bad. The best part of the whole day was that I only spent $6 to get in the door and nothing at the expo. Whoooo!!!! That my friends, is a true miracle.