Who's Business is it Really?

Okay, so the topic on my brain right now is about Nadya Suleman. This woman has suddenly rocketed into the nation's radar since giving birth to her eight babies. When it first happened and the family asked that they have their privacy, I thought, seriously, leave the family alone. They are probably overwhelmed as it is. Then more and more information started becoming available about her online, the radio, the news and most recently on Dr. Phil. I totally get that this woman really wanted to have children and all that, so she went through with In-vitro fertilization. Its her business. Part of me really feels that this poor woman is getting a lot of flack for her decision. We all make poor decisions from time to time, so cut the lady a break, right? Well, I also didn't know that she was on welfare and food stamps to help take care of her previous 6 children at home. I guess I'm a little baffled to know that a woman who can spend $100,000 on multiple procedures to get pregnant can also apply and qualify for welfare. Doesn't that seem a little odd to you? Part of me is angered by her decision to have 14 babies when she can't support them on her own, but the other part of me feels sympathetic towards her. She says she is still planning on continuing her education to get a masters degree, so that's good. She has a plan for the future, and hopefully she will be able to financially support her 14 kids without government help. Not many people would go through with a selective reduction, so I sort of can't blame her there. I mean, who wants to kill off one of their offspring? It feels inhumane. So, now that she is everywhere, everyone is talking about her actions and the fact that us taxpayers here in California are going to possibly have to foot the bill (literally) for her premature babies' hospital stay. On one hand, I'm angered, but on the other hand I'm not. Its a tough situation and I'm sort of having a hard time deciding which side of the fence I stand on. I say, leave the poor woman alone and let her take care of her family. She didn't intend on having 8 babies at once. It wasn't her plan, but I do think she should have been prepared. At least that.

Call Me a Tree Huggin' Flower Child . . . If You Want

No, I'm not a "tree hugger" or a "flower child" or anything like that. I just so happen to care about the planet that we live on. Don't worry, I'm not about to go burn my bra, start making my own clothes out of home-spun cotton, making my own food instead of taking short-cuts. And I'm definitely not about to start smoking pot like the hippies of the 60's. There was once a time when I littered and didn't really care about the environment, but now in my ripe old age (hahaha) I care. I want to make sure that there is place left to live in when my children are my age. I can get carried away sometimes when I talk about preserving nature and all that jazz, which is why Mark often shuts me up by saying, "There's a tree. Go hug it!" He's such a smart ass sometimes, but I love it. I can't do everything that I would like to do, like buy only organic foods and become a vegetarian. I'm a woman who loves steak, burgers and bacon, but I also love my veggies. I don't like the use of pesticides polluting the air that my family has to breathe. And if I don't want to breathe it, what makes you think I want to eat it? We have one of the poorest air qualities here in the valley. The valley acts like a giant suction cup refusing to release all things evil. Instead it holds them hostage, so that the surrounding areas aren't compromised. Oh, but then that leaves us; eh, who cares! Anyway, so, I like to do things like recycle things that can be recycled. After-all, we are provided with a recycle bin to throw those things into. We don't have to sort them, so that makes it all the more easy. We do recycle our own aluminum cans. We don't receive any paper bills. They are all sent electronically. I try to save paper. I don't use paper towels to clean things. Instead I use cleaning towels which I then wash in a full load of laundry. I use the auto-sensing setting on my dryer so it only runs until my clothes are dry. I make my kids turn off lights when they aren't in their rooms, and when they leave them on, I tell them that they are polluting the Earth. Harsh, isn't it? I don't think it is. Its not that I am trying to 'guilt-trip' them into being responsible people. Okay, so maybe a little. But in the end, I want them to realize that when they leave their lights on they are creating pollution. Pollution is bad for the air and for our planet, and if they don't help stop it, they are only assisting in the demise of our world. They get it. They recycle and sometimes even tell me that I forgot to turn a light off. They brush their teeth with the water off. We have auto-sensing night-lights and even have timers on our Christmas lights so they are only on at certain times and can't be forgotten to turn off. I run my dishwasher at night, we rarely use our heat, and in the summer we only use our ac at night. I recently just purchased the new arm & hammer cleaning solution. They sell you an empty bottle with a concentrated solution. You mix that into the bottle with water and wa-la, you have an all purpose cleaner. Not only is it cost effective, but it is also Eco friendly. You don't have to keep buying new big plastic bottles of cleaner. Instead you only have to purchase little 2 inch tall bottles of solution, and the best part of all is that the solution is plant based! I've started using Eco friendly dish detergent. I do quite a bit more than the things that I have listed here, but my point is that I CARE. You should care. Everyone should care. But most don't. I want to ensure that my kids will have a healthy and safe place to live and raise their children, just like my parents did. We recently watched the movie Wall-E and I think it is a great movie for kids. Sure it's based on environmentalist ideals, but hell, what a better way to get your kids thinking about pollution and the earth than by watching a kid's movie? If you haven't seen it, watch it. It may go to the extreme, but sometimes that's what it takes. Going to extreme measures may be the only way to get your point across. So, call me tree hugging flower child. I don't mind.

Thoughtfulness and Effort Doesn't Go Unnoticed

For a few years now we have received cards in the mail at Christmas time and on Veteran's Day. It is a card from a complete stranger and I can't even begin to count the number of signatures on it. The first time we got a card in the mail I cried. I haven't cried since that first card, but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate it or that I value it any less. Every time I see the scrawly handwriting on a card addressed to 'Mark Rummel and Family,' I get a smile on my face. I have no idea who this man is. He's never met myself or the kids or Mark. He's a friend of Mark's grandfather, (or so I believe.) He has taken it upon himself to send cards to us to tell us how much they appreciate his service to this country. Every member of that church must sign the cards. They have to! There are so many signatures on the cards that they have to write on the backs of them! That many people have taken a minute or two from their life to write a simple "Thank You" or "God Bless you and your family!" They, have taken time to acknowledge that there is more to life than what they have and see. When I cried the first time I got the card it was because very few people say thank you or even appreciate what Mark does. Now I smile because I know that LOTS of people appreciate him (and every other service member). I smile because to those people, he is a hero. I smile because they aren't afraid to say thank you. I smile because they care. I smile because it means a lot to me, the kids and Mark. So, for that little old man, his wife and the members of the church he attends, I have to say 'THANK YOU!" Gratitude is not gone from this country, and the proof is in the card.

Enough Already!

I'm not huge on politics, and I don't typically discuss my personal political views with others unless otherwise prompted. I'm a little old fashioned, I guess, or maybe I just don't like imposing my beliefs on other people. Everyone has a right to believe what they believe. Okay, on to the point of this blog. Its on the political side, but doesn't really have to do with my 'beliefs' per-say. Its more about mail. Have you ever noticed that around election time your junk mail seems to skyrocket? In the last week, I have received something in the mail from Fran Florez or Danny Gilmore. They are both in the running for California State Assembly. I see about 5 commercials a day from them, each. My point is, when is enough, enough? I mean, here you have two people that are fighting for a position and they have all of these ideas and beliefs and are supporters of so many different things. I have only received a couple of things in the mail that were only about them and their candidacy. Everything else is just a bashing to the other. Politicians tend to play dirty when the rough gets going, and that kind of irks me. At the same time, it doesn't do anything except remind me that politicians are like the majority of us Americans. We have feelings, we get emotional and when someone says something mean or ugly, we usually backlash with the same. They are no different from you and I in that sense. They are spending thousands upon thousands of dollars that have been donated or raised for their campaign. Both of them have talked about the environment, yet they are both wasting more trees and creating more pollution in creating all of these ads that get sent in the mail. Here they are spending all of this money to convince people to vote for them. Honestly, I feel like the money could be better spent. Yeah, sure there are bylaws and fine print about all of their money, but whatever, its all black and white. I'm sick of getting junk mail from them. My mailbox is clogged full of their ads and personal attacks of each other. I'm also sick of getting political phone calls. I don't care if it is a prerecorded message from the president encouraging me to vote. I vote every year. I feel like it is my duty not to mention my right to vote. If I want there to be a change, I can't be mad if I didn't vote. Oh and enough with the surveys! You aren't getting a 'yay' or 'nay' from me! I'll tell you I'm undecided even if I already voted. Just wait until the votes are tallied and stop trying to count your chickens before they hatch! So, just let me be. I've already decided who I am voting for, and your oodles of paper ads, commercials and annoying phone calls are doing nothing more than just annoying me! Stop clogging up my mailbox and stop calling my home! I've voted. End of discussion!

Could You Try Not To Speed?

That is the very question I was asked today by a complete stranger. I was leaving the house with Ryleigh in the back seat. A car was in front of me, and I was just driving along. (going the speed limit!) It irks my nerves to no end when I see people zooming down the main road here by our house. Not only does this road go straight through housing, but it is also a school zone. Taylor walks or rides his bike to school on a daily basis so it makes me mad to see people speeding. I think that people should really slow down and pay attention. Its dangerous to other drivers, but most of all its dangerous to our kids. There are crossing guards on the main road, but that doesn't stop people from speeding. After all, they are just that, crossing guards. They aren't posted on the corner of the street holding speed guns. lol. But some of those kids don't pay attention and they don't wait for the crossing guard. They just run out into the crosswalk without looking, or they just zoom across on their bikes. I always tell Taylor to stop and look both ways, even if there is a crossing guard. He also has to walk his bike across the street. Its much safer that way. Anyhow, so my point here is that I deliberately keep a watchful eye on my speedometer on a daily basis when I am driving on and off of base. There were days when I would speed off base, going 80 in a 65. I've never had a speeding ticket. But one day, as I was speeding, I thought to myself ,'Why am I in such a hurry?' There was no reason. I just felt rushed. I always feel rushed. I don't know why, so about 6 months or so ago, I decided that I would no longer allow myself to feel rushed. I will go the speed limit and that is that. If people don't like a law-abiding citizen then go around. I especially make it a point to not speed on the base. The last thing I want or need is to have my driving privileges revoked on base. So, there I was driving along to Austyn's school. I pull into the parking lot and find a space. The car that was in front of me is no longer in front. They are now behind me. As I get out of the car with Ryleigh on my hip, this woman rolls her window down and says to me, "Ma'am, do you think you could try not to speed through there?" I'm sure I looked like she had just asked me if she could take Ryleigh for the day. I was in shock. Really? A complete stranger asking me not to speed. I admired her sense of responsibility and courage. I would not have the courage to follow a stranger and ask them to not speed. However, I was also mad. I was NOT speeding! I looked down at the speedometer several times and was actually going 24 miles an hour. So, I said to her, well, thank you for your concern, but I know what the speed limit is, and I make it a point to follow it. I have a son that walks down that road every single day to get to and from school. So, believe in me when I say that I know the importance of obeying the speed limit. She continued on to say that just yesterday someone was pulled over for speeding, and that just now, I zipped passed her. I really felt like telling her that if she hadn't been so involved in texting on her cell phone on that road, she might have realized that she actually was going far below the speed limit. I understand her concern and I agree with her that speeding is a problem. I was just shocked that she said something to me . . . when I wasn't doing anything wrong! I think about those kids and their safety. I guess she could only think of speeding as being dangerous and didn't really correlate her texting as dangerous. Some people.

Welcome To The New Blog & Why I'm Voting NO

Hey guys! First, I want to say welcome to the new blog, and thanks for visiting. I hope you all enjoy taking a minute to read about my thoughts, opinions and views on various different things.

This first blog is about Proposition 8 here in California. First, let me say that if you don't really know what the prop is truly about or what it states, let me ask you to research both sides of it as I have. Or at least research the side you are voting on. If it doesn't make sense, read the opposition. If the side you are voting on makes sense, I would encourage you to read the opposition anyway. There may be something there you don't know about, or a consequence you didn't think of before.

Prop 8 is not mostly about teaching children about marriage in schools. Prop 8 is about same sex people being able to legally marry each other. At the end of the day, who teaches your children about what their family beliefs and values are? You, the parents, not the teachers. Yes, they may teach your children that same sex marriages are acknowledged BY LAW, but you can teach your children that you don't agree with that, or what have you. You have the opportunity to instill your values and beliefs to your children without jeopardizing the rights of others.

The majority of people that I know will be voting YES on this prop, however, I will be voting NO. Most of the people I know that are voting YES are voting based on the commercials they have seen on TV. The commercials say that this prop is going to enable schools to teach our children that same sex marriages are okay. I understand that everyone has their values and beliefs about religion and marriage, and that's fine. We are all entitled to our own beliefs, values, traditions and decisions. No one should be able to tell us that what we believe in is right or wrong.
It is true that the California Education Code requires schools to teach about marriage in Health Education classes. Now, granted, I was in school quite some time ago and attended school in Texas. But when we had our sex-ed portion of Health class, our parents had the option of allowing or not allowing us to participate in that part of class. I'm not sure if things have changed, or if they do that here in California, but it should be an option. If you decide to vote YES on this prop, schools will teach that marriage is not valued or 'worth' anything unless it is a man and woman that are married.

The previous law that was undermined by four Supreme Court Judges is a law passed in 1977 when, lets face it, times were different. The justices argued that the limitation of marriage to opposite-sex couples enacted in 1977 and 2000 was similar in important respects to the laws struck down 60 years ago by the court (Perez v. Sharp, 1948) that had restricted marriage to same-race couples. At the time, the majority of the public was opposed to mixed-race marriage, but the court ruled that civil rights of a minority should be subject to the law, not the whims of the majority.^[11] (taken from http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=California_Proposition_8_(2008) In the 70's, homosexuality wasn't as prominent as it is today. Marriage between homosexuals is a touchy subject to most. I think I may be biased in the situation, but all in all, even if my entire family were heteros, I do think I would still feel the same way. Is it really your place to decide whether or not two people should be married? I don't think it is.

The same could be said for people deeply involved in their faith. Would you ban your child from marrying someone outside of your religion? Would you ban your child from marrying someone of a different race? Who are we to judge?

As for the education aspect of it all . . . I don't mind my children learning about same sex marriage. I don't want them to be sheltered and closed minded. I value the importance of well-rounded, aware children. I don't want my kids to be appalled by things in 'the real world' when they get out there on their own. On the same token, I'm not going to be teaching Austyn that boys can marry boys at the young age of 3. I think everything needs to be learned at the appropriate age, and at the age of 3, he can't comprehend that. However, if he were to ask, I would give him an honest answer.

Taylor recently overheard a commercial where the mom said she was appalled when her son came home from school telling her that his teacher told him that boys can marry boys if they want to. He asked me if that was true. My answer wasn't cloudy or over-protective of what my child might be exposed to. He's not being exposed to anything that is harmful. I told him that yes it is true that boys can marry boys and girls can marry girls. I told him that just like he may like being friends with one person, someone else may not, and that is perfectly okay. Not everyone likes the same things. Everyone is different. People are all different colors and sizes. I asked him if he would be friends with someone if they didn't like baseball. He said Yes. I said, well you see, just because someone doesn't like something, you don't make fun of them and you can still be friends with them. So, it doesn't matter what people like, dislike, or even what they look like. You just don't treat people badly for those things. And the same rules apply if a boy likes other boys or a girl likes other girls. It's not your place to judge, or your place to tell them that they are wrong! Its a personal choice.

At the end of the day, I'm just a dreamer, hoper and a wisher. I wish everyone could just get along and treat each other equally. I wish that people didn't meddle in other people's private lives and decisions. I dream of a world at peace and a world of non-judging people. HAHA. That will never happen, but hey, I did say I'm a dreamer!