What Makes A Hero?

To me, this dad is a hero to his son. My husband is a hero to me, as are my parents, siblings and my friends for various reasons. Thank you all for standing by me.

And, suddenly my problems don't seem so big....perspective is everything!

(watch this video first http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM&feature=player_embedded )



(and then watch this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GphmdhLMGE&feature=player_embedded )

Gethsemane Song

Below is a video with a slideshow of pictures of Christ with a song that is very moving to me. Enjoy!

If you want the direct link to youtube, here it is -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uSGSvKy6Io

Facebook vs. Blogging

Ok, so I completely suck at blogging! SORRY! I've been carried away captive into the land of Facebook and that's where a lot of my updates are given! I've thought of so many things EVERYDAY that I could blog about, and by the time bedtime hits and I finally get a minute alone at the computer, I've forgotten about every single one of those things. I seriously need to invest in a recorder that those reporters carry around ("note to self...blog about this particular mishap"). I guess I'll do my best to just update you the best I can.

Celeste:
She is growing like a weed and has graduated to size 18 month clothes already (and she's not quite 10 months yet). She had her 9 month check and was pretty advanced in many things. They gave me the 10 month screening chart to fill out because they couldn't find the 9 month one, and she could do everything on there except 1 thing...they said to give her a couple of weeks and she'd have it figured out. GREAT! Yet another creative child in my house! She's just shy of 22 lbs and 30 inches, so she's in the 90% in both with an average sized head! She also JUST got her 1st tooth the other day (after 3-plus LONG months of teething!). I'm hoping that teething goes a lot easier on her with the rest of them!

Tyler:
Oh, where to start. For a long time I've watched him and noticed little things here and there that just weren't quite right, but whenever I'd broach the subject with anyone, I'd get quips about how smart he is and there's nothing wrong, I'm just being paranoid. Well, after an incident that happened the other day, I brought it up with the Parents As Teachers rep that comes to my home every so often. She had given me some screenings to fill out a while ago for Tyler, so I sat down with Chris and filled them out. He's not quite where he needs to be and it's been decided that he needs to have occupational therapy. They'll do in-depth screenings for hearing, vision and motor/sensory skills. Anyway, the incident was...Tyler figured out how to open the back gates (which is difficult for an adult to accomplish since they're kinda rusty) and wound up out in the middle of the road. Anyone that has been to our home knows that we live on a blind corner. Some teenagers, goofing off, were speeding down our street and came around the corner, slamming on their brakes and just missing him. He just sat there throwing rocks in the middle of the road, and none of this seemed to phase him in the least. The screaching tires and the screams to get out of the way just went in one ear and out the other. That seems to be the norm with him...we could scream and holler, do everything short of cartwheels to get his attention and he'd turn and finally look at us like we were daft or something. So, I'll keep you updated on that as things unfold. In other areas, he's completely healthy and is STILL growing like a weed. He's almost surpassed James in growth. Some of the 4T clothing is getting tight on him, but we're making due!

James:
He's started Preschool this year. Now, he loves it. The first day, he was undecided. I went in and dropped him off and, as I was leaving, he asked if he could come with me. When I told him no and that he needed to stay in school, he offered to come with me and then come back later. I again said no and that I needed to put kids down for naps. So he reluctantly agreed and put his play dough right in front of his face to hide the tears that were forming. He never did let those loose, but it still broke my heart! What a huge difference from Terra's first day (she was telling me to leave). Anyway, each day has been better, but he still asks me to come in and talk to his teacher for a minute, but by the time I leave, he doesn't really even notice anymore. He loves riding the bus home everday, so that gives him something to look forward to!

Terra:
She is LOVING Kindergarten this year. It's all-day out here in this school district, so it's been really quiet. The schedule is, Chris gets up, and gets Terra ready and out the door to school, and then I get up and get everyone else ready and take James in the afternoon. She also gets to ride the bus home everyday with James and she gets so excited about that still everyday (and it's been 2 weeks). She comes home and tells me of all her friends that she's making, but when it comes to telling us about what she did in school, we have to pry that out of her. Secret combinations, I guess! LOL She's also growing like a weed, and her 6th birthday is coming up in 3 weeks. She's so excited. I'm kind of at a loss though. Not sure what to do for her b-day party. We asked her what she wanted and she just said, cake, ice cream and a pinata! Easy for me, but I wonder if she wouldn't want more than that. Something to ponder that's for sure!

Chris:
He's been doing well. Dealing with frustrations from work isn't always easy, but he takes things in stride (better than I do, that's for sure). He's been trying to get his green house up and running and has finished a good majority of it. He's quite excited about that. Another thing he's excited about is one of our chickens hatched 2 eggs and both babies seem to be doing well. She's quite the fiesty momma though!!! He takes great pride in our barnyard we've got going out there. We've decided, though, that things were expanding a bit too quick, so we're having to remedy that today. Two turkeys will become dinner in the coming weeks/months. I just have to say that I'm SOOO glad that he's the one that takes care of that....ew!

Sandi:
I've been doing well. Some days go better than others, but that's with anyone, I suppose! I've started up a new chapter in my life. In my road to self-discovery (that I should have taken a long time ago, but alas...) I've finally decided what I want to do with my life. Idealy I'd like to become a midwife, but with the family and schedule that I have now, that wouldn't really be a realistic choice right now. So, instead, I decided to take another route at helping people. I registered for some online classes in Natural Health and Nutrition. My goal is to become a Bio-Meridian Homeopathic Practitioner. I'll get my diploma in Health and Nutrition and then take the course to become certified so I can get the equipment to start my own business. We live in a place where I could run this right out of my home. There's a room in this house that could easily be turned into an office area for me, and even has a door that leads outside, so it would be completely separated from the rest of the house. I've also started up another business that will help pay for all of this and it seems to be going well so far. I'm a PartyLite consultant. I don't have my website up and running yet, but will let you all know when it is so you can come check it out! I'm still doing my qualifying parties and stuff, so if you're interested in helping me out with that, you can visit my up-line's site and purchase things to help me put points toward my parties I've got going on.

www.partylite.biz/jeannemcghee
click on "shop"
click on "look up your host"
type in "Sandi Nelson"
Click on my name and go ahead and start shopping.
All items with be shipped to me with the rest of the party order and I will get them to you ASAP. If you live out of state, I will either have to come visit or ship them to you (whichever option is available to me at that time)!

I'm also enjoying having some quiet afternoons with the kids in school. I come home, put Celeste in bed for her nap and it's just me and Tyler, and sometimes he naps too! It's a huge change going from 4 wild and crazy kids running around to 1 or 2 to make noise! I love it and do miss my kids when they're gone! Crazy thought, and one that I never thought I'd say, but I do!

We hope everyone is doing well, and hope to hear from all of you soon!

Trying To Shop in English

It's easier said than done around here, I'm afraid! I went to the store a few days ago and we're looking for some hanging baskets for our fruits and veggies (if anyone has any suggestions, I'm open). While in Wal-mart, I searched and searched and finally just grabbed the last few items on my list and then as a last-ditch effort, I made my way to the produce section, thinking maybe they might have some on sale there. There happened to be an employee that was putting away some fruit, so I ventured to ask her if she'd seen any. She just shook her head and blabbed off something completely unintelligible to me (seeing as I only speak/understand English) and waved me on to another lady down the isle. I again repeated my question "do you know if you guys carry hanging baskets for fruits and veggies?" and she gave a blank stare and said, "basket bowl?"

"No, a basket to put things in...you know?"
"A bowl or basket bowl?" (very thick accent, by the way, almost sounding like she was saying "basketball")
"No (getting a little impatient, but keeping my cool), a basket, for vegetables and things!"
"OH!" She got a very excited look of comprehension and races down the isle. I follow her and she reaches out and grabs something and turns to hand it to me. It was a veggie platter, complete with dip in the middle.
"No, a BASKET!"
"Basket bowl?!"
"NO!!"
She then holds up her finger and runs to another lady and she comes over to "translate". Another lady with a thick accent. We went through much of the same conversation as before, without her getting the platter for me, and she finally said the word "housewares" and turned back to her work. At this point, I'm thinking it would be very beneficial to speak another language (and surprisingly, it wasn't Spanish they were speaking...LOL, one was an African dialect and the other was an Indian dialect!)!!! Better brush up on those learning skills, I guess!

Women or Whales

I loved this post, it cracked me up and really, it hits the nail right on the head, don't ya think?!

Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said:

¨THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?¨

A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern:

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life, they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barren Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them not to mention how could they have sex? Therefore they do not have kids either. Not to mention who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store? The choice is perfectly clear to me; I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver and a coffee with my friends. With time we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, Good gosh, look how smart I am.

Obamacare...makes me sick!

I saw this link on a friend's facebook status. Here is the webpage I copied this from. Very interesting read...

http://townhall.com/columnists/ChuckNorris/2009/08/11/dirty_secret_no_1_in_obamacare

Health care reforms are turning into health care revolts. Americans are turning up the heat on congressmen in town hall meetings across the U.S.

While watching these political hot August nights, I decided to research the reasons so many are opposed to Obamacare to separate the facts from the fantasy. What I discovered is that there are indeed dirty little secrets buried deep within the 1,000-plus page health care bill.

Dirty secret No. 1 in Obamacare is about the government's coming into homes and usurping parental rights over child care and development.

It's outlined in sections 440 and 1904 of the House bill (Page 838), under the heading "home visitation programs for families with young children and families expecting children." The programs (provided via grants to states) would educate parents on child behavior and parenting skills.

The bill says that the government agents, "well-trained and competent staff," would "provide parents with knowledge of age-appropriate child development in cognitive, language, social, emotional, and motor domains ... modeling, consulting, and coaching on parenting practices," and "skills to interact with their child to enhance age-appropriate development."

Are you kidding me?! With whose parental principles and values? Their own? Certain experts'? From what field and theory of childhood development? As if there are one-size-fits-all parenting techniques! Do we really believe they would contextualize and personalize every form of parenting in their education, or would they merely universally indoctrinate with their own?

Are we to assume the state's mediators would understand every parent's social or religious core values on parenting? Or would they teach some secular-progressive and religiously neutered version of parental values and wisdom? And if they were to consult and coach those who expect babies, would they ever decide circumstances to be not beneficial for the children and encourage abortions?

One government rebuttal is that this program would be "voluntary." Is that right? Does that imply that this agency would just sit back passively until some parent needing parenting skills said, "I don't think I'll call my parents, priest or friends or read a plethora of books, but I'll go down to the local government offices"? To the contrary, the bill points to specific targeted groups and problems, on Page 840: The state "shall identify and prioritize serving communities that are in high need of such services, especially communities with a high proportion of low-income families."

Are we further to conclude by those words that low-income families know less about parenting? Are middle- and upper-class parents really better parents? Less neglectful of their children? Less needful of parental help and training? Is this "prioritized" training not a biased, discriminatory and even prejudicial stereotype and generalization that has no place in federal government, law or practice?

Bottom line: Is all this what you want or expect in a universal health care bill being rushed through Congress? Do you want government agents coming into your home and telling you how to parent your children? When did government health care turn into government child care?

Government needs less of a role in running our children's lives and more of a role in supporting parents' decisions for their children. Children belong to their parents, not the government. And the parents ought to have the right -- and government support -- to parent them without the fed's mandates, education or intervention in our homes.

Kids are very important to my wife, Gena, and me. That's why we've spent the past 17 years developing our nonprofit KICKSTART program in public schools in Texas. It builds up their self-esteem and teaches them respect and discipline. Of course, whether or not they participate in the program is their and their parents' choice.

How contrary is Obamacare's home intrusion and indoctrination family services, in which state agents prioritize houses to enter and enforce their universal values and principles upon the hearts and minds of families across America?

Government's real motives and rationale are quite simple, though rarely, if ever, stated. If one wants to control the future ebbs and flows of a country, one must have command over future generations. That is done by seizing parental and educational power, legislating preferred educational methods and materials, and limiting private educational options. It is so simple that any socialist can understand it. As Josef Stalin once stated, "Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed."

Before so-called universal health care turns into universal hell care, write or call your representative today and protest his voting Obamacare into law. Remind him that what is needed in Washington is a truly bipartisan group that is allowed an ample amount of time to work on a compromise health care law that wouldn't raise taxes (for anyone), regulate personal medical choices, ration health care or restrict American citizens.