I think this is another one I got from Grey’s Anatomy. Just another one that makes me smile.
August, 2008
Saturday, August 30th, 2008
Home Alone
Yesterday afternoon my husband picked up my oldest son from school and headed straight to South Carolina to spend some time with his parents who are visiting down there. I was invited but chose to stay home. I haven’t been sleeping very well and I thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up on some sleep and do some things around the house.
Well, I still had trouble sleeping and still woke up early and couldn’t go back to sleep. So much for that! But I did get several hours completely uninterrupted which is always helpful.
And now, instead of doing the cleaning I’d planned on, I’m meeting a friend for lunch in Carthage. Oh well…this is more fun, anyway!
So while the goals I set for myself are not being met I’m still enjoying the blissful peace of the house. They’ll be home this afternoon and I’m glad…I miss my boys, all 3 of them!
Friday, August 29th, 2008
Wow. That’s an…interesting…move.
This is my 2nd post today…and if you only read one post, I’d rather you read the other one! So if you’re not interested in the political babble, please scroll down and read that one instead. 
I am blown away by McCain’s VP choice. He has either just won or just lost the election. Wow. Bold move is an understatement. And I have to say that I am thrilled by the fact that for once this country will have someone other than two white men in those top offices. One way or another, history is being made. Either we will have an African American president or a female vice president. It’s exciting and I’m so thrilled to see it! Is it strange that I’m considering scheduling my c-section on January 20th so I can tell this child that the day he or she was born was a historic day for our country?
But I have to be honest…I see this as a move designed to garner the votes of the Hillary supporters who are still undecided. And I’m not sure it will work. Because Sarah Palin’s conservative values are polar opposites of Clinton’s liberal values. And I am sure that a lot of people will see it as pandering and be turned off by it. So if that was his aim, I think it hurts more than it helps.
I also think that when you take his age and past health issues into consideration her extreme lack of experience is scary. And considering that’s been one of the main criticisms of Obama, the irony is staggering. Her political experience is limited to terms on the city council and as mayor to a city smaller than Sanford, and she is (I think) only halfway through her first term as governor to the least populated state in the country. Wow. Her approval rating there is high, but I still think she lacks the experience to step in as president should McCain become unable to perform the duties of the office. And let’s face it…his age has been a big concern for a lot of people. Just as Obama’s lack of experience is a big concern. Now you have both problems on one ticket! Was that a good move?
And I’m going to be judgmental and sexist here, but I do not believe that a woman with a 4 month old baby who has special needs should be considering a job such as VP of the US. Frankly, a man shouldn’t either. And not knowing the extent to which he is affected both medically and cognitively by his Down’s Syndrome (and they may not know for several years) I worry about her ability to be both an effective parent AND an effective VP of the most powerful nation in the world. And please don’t assume that I am saying that women shouldn’t work, or women with babies shouldn’t work, or that women with babies with special needs shouldn’t work…I am saying that the VP position (and remember, she will be first in line to be the president!) appears to me to be a very important and demanding job. As a mother myself, I cannot imagine pursuing something like that with an infant, much less one with special needs. Nor could I be supportive of my husband doing so. (Maybe I’m not being as sexist as I think I am?) With older children, I’d feel differently. I do think she has the potential to be a tremendous advocate for not only working mothers, but also for children with special needs. We need more of that in this world, particularly in positions of power. I very much see the working mom of a small child thing being a huge sticking point for the uber-conservative and evangelicals in this country, too. Why alienate your biggest voting base?
I do like a lot of things about her. Her son is about to deploy to Iraq. If she supports the war (and I assume she does based on this) then she’s not leaving it for others to fight. She is pro-life and has carried a child to term knowing there would be problems. I have a lot of respect for people who back up their words with actions, and both of these situations show me that even if disagree with her stances she’s not going to expect people to do something that she would not do herself. (I don’t think I’ve articulated that well…I hope that makes sense!) I think it boils down to her not being a “do as I say, not as I do” type. Big thumbs up for that! She opposes gay marriage but does support same sex partnership benefits. She has exposed corruption in her own party, something which we need more of on both sides of the aisle. From what little I can find, she seems to be fiscally conservative, which is generally the issue I find myself to be most conservative on. Though I don’t see much fiscal conservatism on either side much these days!
I guess what it boils down to is this…should McCain die or become unable to perform the duties of the presidency, is she a viable choice to assume those duties? And since McCain is 72 years old and a cancer survivor, the sad reality is that this is something people really have to consider. I’m just not sure it’s a smart choice.
Friday, August 29th, 2008
Trying the church thing again.
Way back when I first started this blog, I made a post about church. I loved going as a kid, but as an adult (especially with children) I find it very hard to get there and do so in a way that doesn’t involve me yelling or getting stressed because someone isn’t getting ready or the clothes we need aren’t clean or whatever. So we have been churchless for several years. Some of it’s due to our nomadic lifestyle, some of it’s due to my social anxiety, some of it is our slightly liberal belief system, and some of it is just pure laziness.
But with the new stresses in our life, I’m feeling the pull for spiritual fulfillment, as well as a social outlet. I really have very few friends here, and absolutely nobody I can just call up and say “Hey, I had a bad day…want to go grab some coffee and chill out for a little while?” It’s wearing me down and I just feel like I really need all of the stuff that goes with finding a church home.
I have been intrigued by Brickcity Community Church ever since we moved here. It seemed like it had what we were looking for, but walking into new social settings literally terrifies me. I’ve had panic attacks over it before and have been known to go back to my car and leave if I can’t handle it. I’m starting to feel queasy and shaky now just thinking about trying to do this on Sunday. So does anyone attend that church? Can you tell me a little more? Like, if we all show up in jeans are people going to look at us funny? What types of service do you do in the community? If my beliefs are a little different than others, is that going to be a problem? (And truly, my beliefs may be like everyone else’s there…but I’ve had bad experiences with Christians before when I have spoken up and said I feel that God calls us to love everyone and that judging is His job, not ours. Apparently that only extends to people who are “like us.”) I love that their services are at 10AM and 11:30. An 8:30 contemporary service (which is what many churches seem to offer) is not going to work for us…we just can’t get out the door in time! I’ve never understood why so many churches have their contemporary services so early. With 3 kids to get dressed and ready, as well as getting ourselves together, it is not feasible for us.
If I can get up the courage and convince my husband, we’re going to try to go on Sunday. I need this! And if you attend a church that you think has what we’re looking for, let me know. I attended a “traditional” church as a kid, but I think the contemporary services seem to be more my style these days. Even a traditional church with a contemporary service would work as long as the opportunities to serve and worship suit us.
Thursday, August 28th, 2008
World by Five for Fighting
This one just makes me think and I love it when music does that to me. It also gives me hope, and goodness knows I need lots of that these days!
This one can’t be embedded, so you’ll have to click to see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-kpR32B-Uk
Thursday, August 28th, 2008
If I had a million dollars…
There has been so much whining about money here lately, hasn’t there? Well, I’m going to do some more of that. Feel free to skip it if you’re sick of it!
So, this being my last pregnancy, I wanted to commemorate it in a couple of different ways. First being a maternity portrait session some time around Christmas…a month before the baby is due when I’m nice and round but not huge and swollen. We did this about 6 weeks before my last child arrived (though it was supposed to be 8 weeks before!) and I have some lovely family photos that I really adore. None of me alone, though. I don’t want anything super wild. No bare belly shots or anything like that…just some nice *professional* (sorry, not Sears or JCPenney!) portraits of me and my husband, me and the kids, and me. To commemorate the last days of my last pregnancy. But financially it is out of the question now and probably will be even if some money comes in before that. We just have too much to buy between now and the baby’s arrival and this is really the bottom of the list when it comes to things we need to spend money on.
The second was to have a 3D/4D ultrasound at Prenatal Peek in Durham sometime in November. We did this last time and it was so amazing! The technology wasn’t widely available with my 1st and though we do have ultrasound videos of him (which I watched last night and cried over!) they are grainy and you can’t see much. These 3D/4D ones are amazing…we could see all kinds of details and when I watched ours last night I cried my eyes out. I relived the entire amazing experience and I’m so sad that I can’t do it again. And just because I can, here’s a short video clip and a photo from that ultrasound.
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
Have you ever had a kidney stone?
Count yourself lucky if you can say no. I am not one of those people! I have had 4 lithotripsies, (a surgery where they bust them up via shock waves, it’s non invasive and not particularly terrible unless they don’t break up well and you have to pass large fragments) a cystoscopy under general anesthesia to remove one that was caught in my ureter, a cystoscopy to place a stent, (right before the c-section birth of my last child, so luckily I’d had a spinal!) and one cystoscopy to remove that stent where I had no anesthesia. And if you don’t know what a cystoscopy is, you can get more info here. I won’t go into details for the squeamish who may read my blog. Let’s just say it’s unpleasant and leave it at that. Not to mention I’ve passed quite a few stones with no intervention whatsoever!
Last night, I started experiencing that unmistakable telltale pain that tells me I have yet another one. I started guzzling water and then ate some tomatoes and cucumbers in vinegar, then drank the vinegar left in the bowl. This may sound slightly crazy, but there is some evidence that vinegar may help to dissolve kidney stones that are calcium based, like mine. If you’ve ever had calcium deposits on a shower head or faucet, you’ve probably used vinegar to remove them, right? It’s the same concept, and it does seem to work. A couple of months ago I was experiencing some twinges that made me think I had a stone and immediately started drinking a few tablespoons of vinegar and water every few hours and a day or 2 later passed something that vaguely resembled a stone, but it was very crumbly, for lack of a better word. Typically kidney stones are like a small piece of gravel you’d find on the ground outside…literally, like a rock! This was very different. And it was pain free!
So last night after I took something for the pain and had a warm bath to soothe me as well, I went to bed, expecting a middle of the night awakening in pain, or a bad morning. Nope…I am pain free and so thankful for that! I definitely haven’t passed anything yet, so it’s still there somewhere, but at least I’m not hurting anymore. I’ll report back on whether this natural remedy worked. One time may be a fluke, but if it happens twice, I’m prepared to call it a success.
And if you come to this later by googling “natural remedy for kidney stones” or something similar, DO NOT do the coke and asparagus thing. It does not work. (If you haven’t heard of this one, you drink a six pack of coke in something like an hour, then follow it by eating several ounces of pureed asparagus. Not only does it not work, but it made me violently ill!)
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
Sitting here with everything and nothing to say.
I have had this window open for a couple of hours now, just trying to decide what to post about. The main thing in my head is the fact that my husband is currently in Asheboro, pitching to a company there in the hopes of picking up some work. I alternate between praying that things go well and feeling like I’m going to throw up from the nervousness.
As for the other stuff bouncing around in my brain, here’s just a sample…
- With the arrival of the new LUSH store in Raleigh at Crabtree Valley, I’ve finally been able to try a couple of bath bombs and LOVE them. Now I want to try their hair color. The idea of my grays becoming bright red is strangely appealing. Has anyone tried it? Does anyone want to have a LUSH hair color party with me?
- I have a hair appointment scheduled for tomorrow. I am anxious to see what she makes of my badly thinning hair. I’ve never had this problem while pregnant…it usually becomes very thick and pretty. Right now it’s dull, thin, and lifeless. Yuck.
- Nobody in town will pierce my nose while I’m pregnant. Which doesn’t surprise me, but there goes my fabulous 33rd birthday gift to myself. Oh well! I still plan to have it done, but it may be a little bit longer. I did find some really cool opal nose screws, though!
- As difficult as 2 year olds can be, this may also be my favorite age. Right now he’s running back and forth from the art table with various pieces of scribbled paper and saying “look, look!” He is SO proud of himself!
- Both boys have requested a baby sister. I hope they’re not disappointed if it’s a brother instead.
- Yes, we do know what causes pregnancy. Yes, we wanted another baby. No, we don’t care what your opinion is. Why do people think it’s OK to comment on this?
- I am excited about the location of the new YMCA, which will open right before the baby arrives. It will be about 5 minutes from our house and I plan to utilize it as soon as I’m cleared for exercise! I just hope our income permits it at that point.
- With just me and the youngest home today, I think wee’re going to go have lunch at McD’s and then head by Shoppes of Steele Street so I can get some *good* chocolate. Must go do something with my nasty hair and maybe put on some make-up…
Monday, August 25th, 2008
Bodies by Drowning Pool
My musical taste is really eclectic and extends to pretty much everything except country (spent too much time in Nashville where that’s practically ALL you hear!) and rap. And honestly, even those are sometimes my music of choice. But I do love a lot of rock/metal, and this is one song I could listen to over and over again, turned up as loud as it will go!
Monday, August 25th, 2008
Stay tuned!
There may be some funkiness here today…as much as I love my little pink bird, season changes always make me want to look for a fresh new theme for my blog. So instead of setting up a test site, I’m going to do the adjusting live on this one. I’ll get it back to normal ASAP, but in the meantime pretend you don’t see the man behind the curtain, OK?
EDITED: I think I’m done. If anything isn’t working, let me know! You may notice I added a verification feature known as captcha on the comments. I’ve been getting massive amount of SPAM comments lately and I can barely keep up with them. Hopefully this, in conjunction with the updated Akismet plugin, will cut down on it again. You don’t have to register or anything…just input a 5 letter word along with the other info when commenting.
