Not Me MOnday and First Kiss "All about Meme!"

A couple of things before we begin:
JUST A FEW DAYS LEFT TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!!!!!

Visit me at http://becauseidontscrapbook.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-first-giveaway.html to enter to win a pair of beautiful, authentic fairy wings!

Also, please click the link below to participate in our discussion of February's book "The Moorchild" by Eloise McGraw and to learn about the four possible books for April. Don't forget to vote!!!http://becauseidontscrapbook.blogspot.com/2010/02/march-1st-book-review-moorchild.html

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Welcome to NOT ME MONDAYS, where where we confess to the things we did (NOT) do! Please click on the link above to link up with your own post.

I'm doing something a little different today, because, well, I haven't been a perfect parent or anything, but I'm just having a hard time coming up with anything substantial. So here goes:

Lies I do NOT tell my children:

"All the toys left on the floor in 10 minutes are going in the trash! If you want to keep them, pick them up!" (I did NOT spend the money on those toys, and throwing them out would NOT be like throwing away money.)

"Scarlet, if you get out of bed one more time, I'm going to put you in your crib!" (The reason she's even IN a toddler bed already is because the crib doesn't hold her back. She does NOT climb out of that thing as though it were nothing but a speed bump. So, that threat is nil.)

"Do you want a spanking?" (All three of my kids cower in whiny-pants terror when I say this. In the end, though, they all know I rarely spank.)

"If you do that one more time, you'll be grounded from the television tomorrow! That means no PBS kids, and no movies!" (If I were to ground my kids from the television IN THE DEAD OF WINTER, it would only mean that I would have to entertain them all day long. In the summer time, SURE! I'm all for the TV. being off all day- playing outside is spectacular...but seriously, grounding them from TV in the wintertime is indeed a punishment for me and me only.)

"We'll talk about it later."( This is used (And Lilly and Mahone know it) when I'm tired of talking about something, but the answer is still 'no.' I have NO intention of talking about it later, and it's a good indication that they should not bring it up again. )

Scarlet does NOT think that this Obi Wan Kenobi Pez dispenser is Jesus.

Scarlet also did NOT have to go to the instacare today. She does NOT have croup. (POOR BABY!)

I have allergies, as our trees are already sprouting buds, and my nose is constantly runny, so I of course carry tissues with me. Still, Scarlet is NOT constantly telling me that I have "cheese" on my nose. I do NOT have a complex about wiping my nose now.



Mahone was NOT found spinning so madly in his room that he didn't watch where he was going (which is no surprise, really) and smacked his cheek into his bed frame, which did NOT leave an awful black bruise on his smooth little face. (sorry- it was several days ago. By the time I thought to take a picture of it, it's so light you can barely see it.)


Lilly does NOT wear this dress every single time it's clean and washed. She does NOT ask me every single morning if it's clean, even if she wore it the day before.




Lilly did NOT wake up 8 TIMES on Saturday night. She did NOT, subsequently, wake up sick to her stomach on Sunday morning.

Today's All About MEme by Supah Mommy is: Your First Kiss.

Honestly, I'm ashamed to admit that I remained what was unaffectionately deemed "virgin lips" until I was graduated from High School and about to leave for college.

Still, there were many many....MANY almost first kisses. I was a major flirt, but the boys were fickle, and often, I was too 'old fashioned' to be the initiator. I wanted to BE kissed, I didn't want to be the one layin' it on thick.

I will not go into detail about ALL of my almost first kisses, that would just be obnoxious. But there are a few that were really pretty memorable.

Jaxson (above)- An amazing guy that I really should have given more credit, and more of a chance. He was my first date, he was one of my best friends. It's simple. And really juvenile. We were slow dancing on the tennis court at a beginning-of-the-school-year stomp. But I was just barely 16 (a mormon's way of saying "i'm finally able to date, please ask me out.") and didn't want any other 'cuter' boys to think I was in a relationship. So I let him kiss my cheek.

Paul- Paul and I were easily the best ballroom dancers in the school. We kicked everyone's trash in class room competitions, and were paired together so that our teacher could, essentially, show everyone how to do it CORRECTLY. We spent hours practicing at my house, he stayed for dinner lots of nights, and once, on valentines day, he sent me a singing telegram from the Madrigals (essentially the school's glee club). It might have been romantic except that it was in front of the entire ballroom class, and it was a gorgeous (and somewhat famous now) ex boyfriend who sang "Earth Angel" to me on one knee while the rest of the Madrigals chimed in with Ooooh's and opportune harmony moments. Once, after dinner, outside my house, he hugged me goodbye and brushed my lips with his. I was stunned, not expecting it, and I told him I've never been kissed and pulled away. We stayed friends, but nothing else happened. I don't count that one.

Brian (above)- Okay, seriously, I'm still bitter about this one. Brian was in my drama class, and he was a great great friend of mine. He used to write me teeny tiny notes and put them in odd places about how he loved my hair or my eyes. I asked him to the Sweethearts Ball, which was girls choice. It happened to be on Saturday, the 12th of February. All night, he made me feel like a princess. He told me I was gorgeous, and he kept touching my face and hair. I was all smiles. On the way home from the dance, my friend Rachael and her boyfriend drove 15 mph down the freeway because Brian had unbuckled my seat belt and pulled me onto his lap, locking me in an everlasting eye contact. I should have just kissed him, but I didn't. I was too old fashioned. So, when we went over a speed bump while entering his neighborhood, he blinked, shook his head, and got out of the car without a goodnight. On Monday, which was officially valentines day, I got a letter from him all about how everything he said, he meant, and it was true, but since he was on the seminary council, he wasn't supposed to date exclusively and...this is what gets me bitter...he had a reputation to consider. O.M.G. I thought for sure he'd ask me to prom. He didn't.

Dylan (Die-lun). Dylan was my actual first kiss. And he was my best friend in the world. Many many evenings we spent on the phone until 2 am, or analyzing poetry, and I was constantly telling him what his dreams meant. I knew more about him than anyone else in the world, and likewise, he with me. But I had a different boyfriend at the time (A boy who wasn't yet 16, and so I hadn't kissed him, though there were lots and lots of almost there too.) and was never REALLY into Dylan. Anyway, the summer before I went to college, and the summer before he went on his LDS mission to Taiwan, my friends and I were all involved in community theatre, and Dylan met a girl there who played the flute in the orchestra pit. Andrea. Before I knew it, his phone was busy (this was before any of us had cell phones) all night, he stopped coming over, and when we DID talk, it was all about her. It took me a whole weekend of being with him every day, all day, and him listening quietly and intently as I stuttered out that I loved him, and didn't want him to be with Andrea. He kissed me on my front porch. Obviously, it didn't work out. And for the best. ~Shrugs~ But it makes an okay story.

Now LINK UP and tell us about YOUR first kiss!!!

March 1st Book Review: The Moorchild

Just a few days left to enter the giveaway for a beautiful custom pair of Authentic Fairy Wings!
Please visit me at
http://becauseidontscrapbook.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-first-giveaway.html
to find pictures and instructions on how to enter the giveaway for multiple entries!
Also, I'm up to being #12 on the SAHM catagory on Top Mommy Blogs! Please help me out and vote for me by clicking on the Top Mommy Blogs button on my upper left hand sidebar! Thanks, friends!

Thank you to everyone who voted this month! The book we will read through March and discuss in April is The Witch Of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare.

This will be an excellent book to read. It is inspiring and eyeopening. Your adolescents and teens will enjoy it too! Let them in on the fun!

When I first read this book when I was a sophomore in High School, it was because I was wandering through Barnes and Noble book store, as I often did when life was simpler, and I came across this book. The cover caught my eye, and I know that they say "Don't judge a book by it's cover", but I was, and am, always mouthwateringly obsessed with all things Fairy (or Folk as they are called in this book) I found myself opening this book to the inside cover where i read the words "This book is dedicated to all children who have ever felt DIFFERENT." And I was sold. Because I was always different.

By the time I was in second grade, I spent my recesses perched atop the jungle gym spiderweb with a book. If everyone was playing tag, I was off somewhere on my own pretending i was Kira from "The Dark Crystal". I had lots of friends. But I guess I danced to the tune of my own penny whistle. I was always a little different. My opinions were often overlooked, and i was usually alone. Even when i wasn't.

This book was for me.

Moql'nkkn, as she is known by the Folk, and Saaski as she is known by her human mumma and da, and her Gran'mum, Old Bess, is half human half Folk. She is found out as a youngling when she is unable to wink out of sight, and so is changed. Old Bess knows at once, as the baby, who was once docile and easy to care for, not only screams relentlessly day in and day out, but also looks different. She has dark skin, like a Gypsy's and she has curly tufts of matted white hair, and eyes that change color from lavender to green to gray, but never blue like her mum and da's. The baby has other tell tale signs, as she is afraid of St. Johns wort and Yanno, her da, is the iron smith. She is terrified of him, and everyone knows that Folk are afraid of iron.

Of course, Old Bess tells Anwara and Yanno about her suspicion, and the ways to get rid of the changeling which includes beating her or throwing her in a fire or drowning her. Of course, neither of them believe her, and Yanno cannot fathom beating his own child. But Saaski, who is listening, learns that she must try to forget about her past on the Moor or she will find herself in an ill fate.

Anwara is always fiercely defensive of Saaski who learns very quickly as she grows to stay away from the other village children who taunt her, and trick her, and generally are really mean.

I think this was the part of the book that astounded me the most. I did not remember the violence and meanness being quite so prominent, and I was pretty shocked. Something so different. I can say, as a mother, that I would have made my children play with her, and be her friend. Instead, the other children are encouraged by their parents, who also talk about her and tell their children to cross themselves when she comes near. The constant ridicule broke my heart for her.

Fortunately, Saaski has Tam.

Saaski, from the time she was very small, has run away to the Moor, over and over and over again, where she feels at ease, away from the teasing, away from chores that she can never get quite right, away from everything except for Tam.

Though Saaski develops a touching relationship with Old Bess, and even learns to love Anwara (we'll get to that later) it is Tam that shows her unconditional love. He is where she belongs, with his three goats, and the old dog, Warrior.

Once, while she is essentially under house arrest because her human parents fear the moor, Saaski finds a set of old bagpipes that belonged to her Da's father. From the first shrill sound, she is able to play it like a pro. This further leads the townsfolk and her parents to wonder if the ability is fiendish. Yanno wants her to put them away and leave them alone, but it is Anwara that talks him into letting her keep the pipes.

Because of her Folk half, which doesn't experience the same range of emotions as humans do, does not understand either the meanness of the children in the village, or the swelling of need to repay Anwara for the favor she gave Saaski by letting her keep the bagpipes. Saaski does not understand why the children are mean, and she doesn't like it, yet she does not wish them harm for it. Tam, on the other hand, gets very perturbed when Saaski shows up on the moor with a new bruise or scrape. Saaski asks him to explain what Hate is, and he says it's the opposite of Love. She decides that her desire to give Anwara a wonderful gift must be what Love is. But she cannot figure out what to give her, as all the things she brings to her tend to disappoint, though Anwara does her best to act like it doesn't.

It is only on Midsummer's eve, when the town is preparing a bonfire of Rowan wood and putting yellow St. Johns Wort flowers on all the doors, and salt on all the windowsills- three things that Saaski cannot stand, being half Folk, that things boil down, and Saaski gets her idea.

The villagers want to throw her into the fire that Midsummer's eve. So Anwara and Yanno agree to let her run away to the moor, away from the villagers. They do love her. And they are scared for her. Saaski decides that the only thing Anwara wants in the whole world is her own baby back.

Saaski and Tam know that Midsummer's eve is their only chance. Saaski trades her pipes to another Folk man, Tinkwa, for safe passage for herself, the child, and Tam. Tam is warned not to eat or drink inside or else when he comes out, he will be many years older than he is. His eyes are bedazzled, and Saaski gives him an ointment for one of his eyes, and he is able to see that the Folk world is only dirt and berries instead of Crystals and roasted swans and peacocks.

Inside the mound, they find the little girl that was stolen from Anwara and Yanno. The name they call her by is Lekka, which means only "Stolen", Saaski is severely disturbed by this name, i think, because she understands how important this child is, and they don't. Because they don't know better. Her human side is showing compassion.

Upon carrying the child out of the mound, she becomes a baby again, only near to being able to toddle. "Time runs differently in the mound", as they say.

Saaski returns the baby to Old Bess, and runs away to the Moor to live with Tam and play their little whistles while the goats munch on thistles.

Anwara and Yanno, of course dote on their delicate, beautiful daughter, who is exceptional in all ways as she grows, but occasionally, they do think about Saaski, and their hearts ache for the memories of that past time.

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I absolutely give this book 6 out of 5 stars!!!!! As I mentioned before, I'm appalled by the way the children treat this child, and I would have none of it. I wasn't a mother when I read this book the last time, and I see it from a different perspective. I want to always make sure that my children know that they should treat everyone well, and stand up for those who can't do it for themselves, and even the ones who can.

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PLEASE VOTE ON APRIL'S BOOK!!!
(all book photos courtesy of Google Images, and all synopses courtesy of wikipedia.org, unless otherwise specified.)

The Screwtape Letters by C.S.Lewis

The Screwtape Letters is a Christian apologetics novel written in epistolary style by C. S. Lewis, first published in book form in 1942. The story takes the form of a series of letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, a junior tempter named Wormwood, so as to advise him on methods of securing the damnation of a British man, known only as "the Patient".

Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson

An excellent re-telling of the Robin Hood myth, with more emphasis on his motivations behind becoming an outlaw rather than the actual acts of stealing. Despite what the new cover looks like, this is not a mere romance novel. It's a very detailed historical fiction that Jennifer Roberson did a lot of research to make it feel real, and it shows. Of course, it's not going to be the exact same Robin Hood myth that people are familiar with, considering there's so many versions of the story floating around that contradict each other, but she does an excellent job of making a believable version of what really could have happened.

(synopsis of Lady of the Forest taken from
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6089273-lady-of-the-forest )

The Giver By Lois Lowry


The Giver is a 1993 soft science fiction novel. It is set in a future society which is at first presented as a Utopian society and gradually appears more and more dystopian; therefore, it could be considered anti-Utopian. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life. The society has eliminated pain and strife by converting to "Sameness", a plan which has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is selected to inherit the position of "Receiver of Memory," the person who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness, in case they are ever needed to aid in decisions that others lack the experience to make. When Jonas meets the Giver, he is confused in many ways. The giver is also able to break some rules, such as turning off the speaker and locking his door. As Jonas receives the memories from the previous receiver—the "Giver"—he discovers how shallow his community's life has become

It's Not You, It's Biology by Joe Quirk

(Synopsis courtesy of BarnesandNoble.com)


At last, here's what you should've learned in high school biology! This paperback edition is an Everyman's humorous look at the real differences-biological, historical, psychological-between men and women...with fun and provocative insight into what really drives behavior and interactions between men and women. Men talk about women to men. Women talk about men to women. Men and women talk to each other (or try to) about relationships. It's Not You, It's Biology provides insight, ammunition, snappy comebacks, and interesting cocktail party banter for everyone who ever wondered why we do what we do vis-a-vis the opposite sex. It's Freakonomics for the Relationship-Challenged.

PLEASE VOTE- Poll located on upper right sidebar!

Sunday Sonnets- Shakespere's Sonnet #18

PLEASE don't forget to enter to win a lovely pair of Authentic Fairy wings! Visit me at http://becauseidontscrapbook.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-first-giveaway.html and follow the instructions for multiple entries!!!

(Photo courtesy of http://stantonssheetmusic.wordpress.com/)

Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day?

By William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

This sonnet is lovely because it's what every girl wants to hear from her lover. She's beautiful, she's perfect, and she will never ever grow old or gray. Except that we all know that isn't true. No one stays young forever. Is he lying?

The part where Shakespeare is reveals his cleverness is the last two lines which read

"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this and this gives life to thee."

He is imortalizing her in the poem. As long as men (people) can read this, she is there. I think, for the day, it was like taking a lovely photograph.

More prodding about my giveaway, and Letters of Intent

Please don't forget to stop by and enter to win a beautiful pair of authentic fairy wings!!!!
VISIT ME HERE FOR MORE INFO AND PICTURES!!!! (You'll LOVE them, I promise!)
My First Giveaway!!!!

Come on over to The Girl Next Door Grows Up for more
Feel Good Friday!!!
Go ahead and link up! It's fun!

1. I think there's a pretty good chance I'm pregnant this month (Which, if I'm wrong may be a source of 'feel bads' instead of 'feel goods' by next Friday, but hey- what the heck. For now I'm optimistic.)

2. At bedtime, I surprised my kids with big fat glow sticks (Magic wands according to them) and it was really fun to see them so excited.

3. Book club is coming up! I am SO excited to discuss one of my favorite books EVER on March 1st! The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw. It's an easy read, you and your children will LOVE it, and there is still time! Please come and join me!

4. I am also SO excited for my very first giveaway! (See above.) I really am. I am so excited to get to make a new pair of wings and send it off to one of my deserving readers. I think I like this so much, I will be doing a giveaway each month!

5. The Military finally paid us. You really don't know how happy this makes me. (But you WILL when you read my letters of intent.)

As always ;) click the button for more wonderful and insightful Letters of Intent!!)

Dear Doctor's Office,

I don't want to beat around the bush since because of you, I have much less time on my hands and much more work to do. So I will get straight to the point.

Do you NOT understand that "going paperless" does NOT mean what it implies? Just because all of your info is now on computers and you now are able to do all your work on computers does not in any way mean that it is okay for you to skip out on making hard copies.

When we returned to Utah, having been all over the country, I brought all three of my children in for their visits and promptly handed you their hard copies of their medical records from their ENTIRE LIVES (and believe me, just because they're little doesn't mean there is any lack in doctors visits. You're a doctor's office. You MUST know how many times a child is required to visit the doctor in the first year of their life, and that's JUST the well child checks!)

Maybe 6 months ago, I received a call from you. It seems that your "Paperless" computer system had crashed and you no longer had any records for my children. Or any of the other children you treat for that matter. Did I have any I could fax you?

Um....no....because I GAVE them to you near 2 years ago!!! Okay, okay. I do have records. I'm smart that way. I kept hard copies for myself. (It's a good thing too. We were at 2 military bases, plus the one here in Utah for our immediate appointments upon arrival. Do you have ANY idea how hard it would be for me to call them all? To be able to track down what YOU lost because you think that a computer system is so reliable that you don't need paper copies? Or at the very least a BACKUP????? Oh, wait, i DO know, because I have to DO it. Wait for it... I'm getting there.)

Okay, medical records check. Shot records? Um...what? No go.

I had all 3 of my children while my husband was Active in the United States Air Force. I don't know how it is done everywhere else, but my children's shot records were in the computer, and each time they got their shots, I got an updated printout. The shots were administered in a completely different appointment than the doctors appointments, and for some reason the military did not see fit to include the shot records when they gave us our medical history when we separated.

No, I do not have a yellow card with signatures and shot records on it. Nor have I ever been given one. Can YOU give me one? Oh, that's RIGHT!!! I waited 45 minutes and 3 reminders for a nurse to come back with one for each of my children the day I BROUGHT you the records, but had to leave after that because my daughter puked on my lap because she'd eaten 6 bags of gummies while I was trying to keep her quiet due to the dirty looks from your desk attendant. So when you call and ask if I have any shot records for them, my answer is NO. YOU should have them. YOU are the doctor's office that is supposed to protect and keep our information.

Furthermore, I am appalled that you will not fax, mail, forward, whatever, all of our family's records to our new doctor (not only because you're idiots, but because we now live an hour away from you, and let's face it, that's just not economical in this economy.) who is just down the street from us, and might I add, phenomenal.

When i called and asked for you to send my children's records to the Doctor's office that week before my daughter was seen for her Kindergarten check, I was told that I would have to come in and sign some paperwork. And pay a minimal fee. A FEE?

Really? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm so happy that you are protecting my privacy, but when it comes down to it, what is the possibility that I am changing doctors because I have moved? Well, as stated above, that is one big reason. Also, what is the possibility that I might be in a different state where I could not just saunter in and sign what you want me to? I do not want to drive for an hour just so I can prove to you that I want a different doctor. I can verify anything on the phone- addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, social security numbers, birth marks, hair color, etc. I mean, really. I'm not even asking you to send it to ME, I'm asking you to send it to my children's DOCTOR, who also requested our info via fax and got a negative.

Before I continue, can I just ask: What is WRONG with you?

So, my daughter has to register for school with an incomplete shot record, even though i know she is up to date because you people are beyond inept. I will have to spend a small eternity calling three different military medical clinics to try and collect my children's shot records so that they do not have to get them AGAIN (because, yes, I DO believe whole heartedly in Vaccinations, and am not going to take the easy way out and tell the school we've decided not to vax.) It might not seem to be a big deal to you to make a phone call, but I was a military wife for 4 years and I can guarantee that they will make it even more difficult to get our records than you can even imagine. In fact, they will probably want me to meander my way to their clinics in Alabama and New Jersey and pick them up in person too. Hill AFB has already said they don't have the records, even though it's all said to be an inter web between all military clinics. So, that signifies to me that there is the possibility that we will not be able to get them at all.

Please shape it up. I'm tired of fixing other people's mistakes.

Signed

I Hope You're Happy.

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(Photo courtesy of Google Images)

Dear Uncle Sam,

Okay, I don't really hate you per-se, we had a good 4 year round, and I didn't wholly hate it. (I hated Alabama, but that's beside the point.)

However, even though we are no longer part of your active duty group, we are facing some serious turbulence caused in large part by you.

First off, we spent four years letting you own my husband. He missed the birth of his first child. He was away on TDYs several times, which, admittedly is a thousand times better than a deployment, but it doesn't make him any less gone from our lives. We have paid our dues.

In return, we are granted the GI bill, which is the reason we enlisted in the first place. So, essentially, that money is OUR money. Not yours. And you don't have the right to screw with it.

So, considering the last comment, can you please answer a question for me? Maybe a few?

WHY do we have to call and harass you each month before we get the money we are entitled to? Are you hoping that somehow we'll forget that we earned it? Why, when the money is SUPPOSED to be automatically deposited in our account by midnight on the first day of each month are we left, literally penniless and unable to pay our bills (like our mortgage, which is covered by the GI bill as a housing allowance. It's part of the deal.)

Yes, Brandon has a job. It's a decent job too. But we don't make enough from it to live on it. That's the whole REASON he's going to college! (And THUS the whole reason he joined the military so that he could get the GI bill and we wouldn't have to deal with crap like this! Apparently we were mistaken.) And let me tell you- we do NOT live extravagantly.

My point is, Uncle Sam, did you ever stop to think that MAYBE the reason people do their time so they can HAVE the GI bill is because they are LIVING on it? That they DEPEND on it? Yeah. Well, I guarantee you that I'm not the only person who is sincerely pissed off because you took a MONTH to get us our money, and caused us to be late on several bills. Why is it that outside of the military, legally, employers HAVE to pay their employees ON TIME or there can be repercussions, but you are above it? What kind of a world is it coming to where the government thinks that they don't have to adhere to the same rules as everyone else?

Now, I'm warning you. Just because you didn't pay us until the 23rd of February does NOT mean that it's okay for you to delay our March payment until the 23rd too. We have a mortgage payment due in one week, and just because you dropped the ball does not mean that you can play catch up with all these lives that are in your hands and wait until time has elapsed. That's OUR money. And I don't like what you're doing with it.

Further more, and on to a new topic, why in the world would you choose to only give us selected medical records when we left you for greener pastures? For example, we have a whole bunch of medical records for Lilly, some from New Jersey where we started out, and some from Alabama, where we finished our prison sentance. Since there are some from New Jersey, I KNOW you must have had them transfered, in whole would be my guess, to our new station in Alabama. HOWEVER, these records from New Jersey start in July of 2006. My daughter was born in April 2005 and received ALL her well child checkups on a military base. So there's a whole year and a half missing! Where are our records?

In addition to my irritation about only receiving SOME of their medical records, I am also really ticked off that you did not see fit to include any of my three children's shot records along with the official medical records. Seriously? I mean, really. Seriously? I'm actually asking.

You will be receiving several calls from us (likely my husband, not me, which is in your favor because he is infinately more patient than I am, and also because in my experience with you and your medical system, I am essentially ignored, blocked, tagged, and hung up on since I am not the beneficiary. I didn't spend time in a uniform, so, it seems, to you, that makes me invisible. Thanks. Thanks SO MUCH for taking my husband away from us for just that much longer. Military: The gift that just keeps on giving- loads of crap.)

Signed

I Wish I Could Threaten You, But You're So High And Mighty, I'd Probably Just Go To Jail.

(For the record, I also usually participate in Feed Me Books Friday, but due to my long and involved Letters of Intent, I have to pass on this one. Back next week with more books!!!)

Please Enter My First Giveaway!!!!

Usually, my Thursdays are spent writing up stuff for Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. Instead, though, today, I'm promoting my First Fantastic Giveaway!!!

The contest ends on March 7th, so hurry and get your entries in!!!

VISIT ME HERE
My First Giveaway!!!!

The prize is a beautiful pair of SMALL, child sized fairy wings, made by me. They are custom, so you can choose shape, color, and flower color. I'll whip them up, ship them off, and they're YOURS!!! Please remember, though, that while your little girls (Or boys!!! I make dragonfly and bat/dragon wings too!!!) will LOVE them, these wings are fragile, and can be dammaged easily. It is best to use them as a wall hanging, or for photography purpouses.

(These wings are NOT child sized and are only available through cusom request at my etsy shop http://www.gossamerjewelbox.etsy.com/ )

(These wings ARE child sized and are TOTALLY makeable if you win!!! Isn't he PRECIOUS?!)

THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!! Do NOT forget to leave comments at the below link! I need to know ALL of the things you've done. I don't care if you do it in a seperate post per entry, or if you add them up and tell me what you did in one big post, HOWEVER, if you put my buttons on your blog, I will not KNOW unless you TELL me!!! I will not know if you VOTED for me if you do not TELL me! Also, someone just purchased a Spoon for Scarlet, and no one here has mentioned it. If it was YOU, let me know so I can give you those extra 5 entries!!!!

1 entry- Leave your comments HERE Tell me what kind of wings YOU will want if you win!


1 entry- become a public follower, and let me know about it here in a comment.

1 entry- VOTE FOR ME by clicking the Top Mama Blogs icon on my left sidebar.



3 entries- Grab my button, or the button for and put it on your blog. (Again, let me know about it in a comment!) Each button is worth 3 entries. Both are located on the top left sidebar!!




Finally, 5 entries go to those who purchase a Spoon For Scarlet and help me help the children of Primary Children's Medical Center!!!!
Happy blogging and GOOD LUCK!

Wordless (almost) Wednesday

WHILE YOU'RE HERE:
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As you can see, I don't usually get in FRONT of the camera unless I'm in costume, ready to ham it up.

I'm the one in white. A swan and peacock for a formal occasion.

Touchy Topic Tuesday- Public Discipline

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OR

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Welcome to Touchy Topic Tuesday!!!!

Today's Topic:

Public Discipline

Sundays are always hard for us. I don't know whose brilliant idea it was to put sacrament meeting last, but I'd really like to know so I can give him a piece of my mind.

After 2 hours already of behaving in class, we shuffle our children into the chapel to endure another hour and 10 minutes (unless the speakers are long winded, or the person saying the closing prayer is one of those people who has to list every blessing we have- in which case, it can be more like an hour and a half.) of talks, songs, and scripture.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like sacrament. Usually. But I haven't heard much of a talk, or sung an entire hymn in near 5 years now. You know, since I became a mother. I'm actually quite fond of our little ward. There are a lot of kids. And it is rare that my child is the only one talking during a prayer (Mahone), or crying because the sacrament water just wasn't enough to quench her thirst (Scarlet).

Still, even though our congregation is blessedly and comfortably loud, there are occasional instances where one of my children has to be taken out and beaten disciplined. Of course, on more than one tired Sunday morning, when a child was being hauled out into the cultural hall for a good talking to, the whole ward could hear such blatant terror in our children's voices when they shouted for all to hear, things like "Don't DO it daddy!", "Spanking is NEVER the answer!", "Mommy, save me!", or "You don't want to do this!"

Of course, within minutes, the culprit walks calmly back into the chapel, arms folded, smiling like an angel, and has a seat on the pew to much on a bag of gummies or play with transformers.

Likewise, once a week, at least, I haul all three of my children to Wal-Mart (the only grocery store here in my small town) to do our shopping. You would think that they'd have behavior down pat, since it's a common occurrence for us. And, admittedly, they usually do. But, there are a lot of weeks in one year, and there have been several times where I have had to haul my children to the back of Wal-Mart, where the restrooms are, and plop their little bottoms down on one of the benches back there and make them sit out a tantrum or time out.

Then on our way we go, merrily as the boat in the song.

Over and over again, I have heard, both from friends in random conversations, and from complete strangers who see one of my children in the throes of a tantrum, flailing on the dirty tiled floor, that if my child is misbehaving the best way to nip that in the bud is to pick up and leave.

But really?

Obviously, that will work in some cases. At the playground, perhaps? Sure, if my child is having a heck of a day trying to get along with other children, then yeah, you scoop the kid up and take him home, and let him know that next time, if he can remember to play nicely, then we can stay.

But what about other places? I really do HAVE to go grocery shopping. I really do NEED to be at church. What kind of a message does it send to a child to know that he can throw a fit whenever he wants, and mommy will drop everything to take him home? How long do YOU think it will take him to figure out that a temper tantrum will get him back home where he wants to be, instead of having to hold on to the shopping cart as we slowly meander up and down all the isles EXCEPT for the one HE wants to go down? You know, the one filled with candy? The one that STARTS his tantrum?

I'm sorry, but while my children are my whole world, I am not willing to

1. Give them that kind of power over me and my necessary duties

2. let them feel that the whole world revolves around them

3. Let them think that things, such as Church, are not important enough for me to stick it out, even though it's just as hard for me to be there WITH crying, hungry, tired children, as it is for them to sit there AS crying, hungry, tired children. This is an important place for our family to be. They will never learn to sit and listen and be reverent if we up and leave with every disobedience.

or

4. Walk out of a store, leaving behind a shopping cart chock full of groceries that I NEED to feed said dear children with, just so I can come back another time and do it all over again. Call me lazy. I'm not doing it.

Besides, even at the park, isn't it nicer to make them sit next to you for 3 minutes on a time out, then talk to them about their problem, and let them practice what they've learned from their experience, than it is to haul a screaming child home, only to listen to him continue to cry and beg to go back?

As far as the type of public discipline, I think that if you are not comfortable using your type of discipline in public, then you probably shouldn't be using that type of discipline at all- even when you're at home.

And for the record, yes, I spank. And yes, I have spanked my child in public. That is not to say I beat the kid, but a swift swat on the bum while I sit them on the Wal-mart bench isn't anything worse than what I do at home, nor is it something that will draw major attention. As I have experienced before, it's usually the child screaming at me that draws the attention. Not my discipline measures.

So what do YOU think? Do you discipline in public? Do you discipline differently in public than you do at home? Or are you one of those parents who up and books it out of a public place whenever your child acts up?

I'd love to know! Lets chat! Leave a comment, and play nice!

NOT ME MONDAY! (AND DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!)

While you're here, stop by and enter My Very First Giveaway!!! for a beautiful pair of authentic fairy wings! I'm so excited! It's going to be great!

(You know how it works! Click above for MORE Not Me's!)

I did NOT let my kids go barefoot in their crocs to play outside, even though it's still cold, because there were buds on the trees, and so I did NOT feel that this was Mother Earth's way of telling me that I should let my children behave as though it were summer time.

I did NOT wear knee high boots and a long skirt to church explicitly so that I would NOT have to shave my legs. I am NOT that lazy.

I do NOT bribe my children. Daily.

Lilly does NOT constantly tell me what SHE is going to do when SHE is a mommy, and it is NOT infinately better than what I do. NOR did she, when I wasn't looking, stick her whole hand into the bag of sugar I was using to bake with, and scoop out an entire fistful to eat raw.

Scarlet did NOT wake me up this morning, stark naked, and then refuse diapers/underwear all day long.

Scarlet is potty training, and when she needs to go, she does NOT yell "Goody time!!" instead of "Potty Time" like I tried to teach her. As stated above, I do NOT bribe my children.

Since Scarlet is potty trainng, she is NOT running the house naked 98% of the time. And she does NOT have such a cute little baby bum that I do NOT have to spank it (love-tap) every chance I get.

Mahone did NOT swing from the kitchen bannister from Hunter's dog leash while wearing his Indiana Jones hat. He does NOT insist that it is a whip, and he does NOT want a real one for his birthday.

(OMG, he does NOT look JUST like my husband!)

Mahone does NOT refuse to answer to anything but "Super Jedi Annikin Skywalker" - Unless it's Indiana Jones. Then he's okay with it.

Hunter, since the ground is thawed and no longer frozen, has NOT dug up the whole backyard and brought in NO LESS than 9 bones.( I thought I was pretty good at keeping them inside, where he could just chew them and then I'd throw them away. Aparently we have a dinosaur in our yard or something, because I don't think all those bones were his to begin with.)

Once again, click the button above to visit Supah-mommy!

The MEme of the day is: AS SEEN ON TV

I'm not an infomercial watcher. My brother is. He's 16 now, but from the time he was a really young child, he would wake up early on Saturday morning, drag his blankets down the hall, footie jammies padding along the way, and curl up for a morning full of...cartoons? NO! Infomercials! Every hour or so, he would wander in to lecture my mother on the new vacuume cleaner or blender or food storage containers that he just knew she needed.

Me? I was never interested. Mostly, it's because I've never been too much into television. Yes, i watch a lot of movies, but I don't see very much television.

Admittedly, when I gave birth to my youngest baby, Scarlet, a little over two years ago, i was bored out of my mind in the hospital. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for the break, but there wasn't much to do. My baby slept a lot. And I watched television.

And I became obsessed with Turbo Jam workout videos.

I remember that it was on all day long on a certain cable channel. Success story after success story filled my brain with promises. I really think it was the mom of 7 babies (All at one time) that did it for me. She was a size 12 after delivering them by c-section. Now, she was a size 2.

Of course, having given birth less than 24 hours before, i was flabby and fat. It was a no-brainer. i HAD to have the videos. With my credit card and the hospital telephone in my hot little hands, i ordered the dvds before my daughter was a day old.

At least I can honestly say that they weren't a waste of money.

It worked. And it worked well. Within 6 weeks of getting my OK to work out from my doc, I had GI-Joe lines, and my belly was flat. Albeit, I really did work hard, and i followed the nutrition regimen.

Unfortunately, I got comfortable, and i quit working out. it's been two years, and instead of the size 2 I was 10 weeks after my baby's birth, I'm a size 4. Not so bad. But I could be better.

I am definately dragging it back out after I have my next child. I know by then I will be motivated.

As seen on tv? YES! My brother was proud.