When you get to 4

For every well meaning comment to me in public about how I must have my hands full with my 3 kids and pregnant belly, I'm sure there are at least 2 people thinking Don't you have enough kids already? because clearly its their job in life to tell me how many kids I should be allowed to have in my family. Throw in the Don't you know how that happens? and the Tell your husband to leave you alone already comments and sometimes I am quite tempted to just slap someone. Luckily for these people I don't like to be in the grocery store longer than necessary, so I ignore them. 

By the time you get to your 4th kid, pretty much everyone has an opinion. They think you have enough kids, you don't need another one. They ask how you are going to afford another kid, like its their business. They scoff at the idea of another baby shower, because shouldn't every baby just wear its big brother's clothes which don't exist because I got rid of them and would've been seasonally inappropriate anyway. Everyone asks if you're done having kids, even though I thought I was done after the 3rd. They write you off and act like a 4th kid doesn't deserve just as much love and gratitude as a 1st kid. And you know what? That's not true. When did everyone decide that we should have small families? Because I didn't get the memo. 

I happen to live in an area where a lot of people have more than the average of 2 kids. And still there are so many people who judge families who decide to have more than that. People who look at me wide eyed in the grocery store, wondering if I'm crazy. Like its irresponsible to have 4 kids. Like I couldn't possibly want to have more kids, its probably some crazy religious thing and I'm like the people on 19 Kids and Counting. Honestly, I don't think 4 kids is that many. I know a ton of people with more than 4 kids, and I don't go around asking them if they're done having kids, or if they have their hands full. They probably do have their hands full, because having kids is a lot of work. But if you ask any parent if its worth it, they will say yes. 

I am way too pregnant for people to be inserting their rude opinion into my day. I didn't realize it was socially acceptable to say whatever you want to a pregnant woman. Its actually kind of dangerous. You really want to ask me how much I weigh/how much weight I've gained? You think that's a good idea? Then you want to comment that I look tired? Of course I'm tired, every parent is tired. Its pretty much something you deal with because its the trade-off for having lots of kids and lots of love. You want to know if I'm done being pregnant. That's a tricky one, because I'm not the kind of person who will ever complain about being pregnant. I'm lucky to be able to have the chance to add one more person to our family. But am I always physically comfortable? Probably not. Am I going to share the details of this with you? Not likely. So don't ask me How are you feeling? because I'm going to tell you I'm fine whether I am or not. 

At some point everyone should just listen to what all of their mothers probably told them when they were little, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" because honesty is not the best policy if your honest opinion is rude. Let's all just take a few seconds before we speak and think about whether or not what you are saying is appropriate and whether or not it will get you punched. And eventually, if you keep speaking your mind to pregnant women, you will end up with a black eye. 

Go Ahead and Unfriend Me

There have been times recently when I was looking at Facebook, and I noticed that someone who used to be my "friend", wasn't. I know I did not unfriend them, so the only option at that point is that they unfriended me. And you know what? Screw them. If my tolerant political views (which I never post on Facebook) and the pictures of my children offend them so much that they don't want to be my Facebook friend, then they aren't my real life friend either. I wash my hands of them.

Not too long ago I had someone send me a friend request, and after I accepted they asked me for a favor, which I did because I'm a nice person. Not long after that I noticed they had unfriended me. Clearly they had gotten what they needed, but was it completely necessary to unfriend me after that? Is my presence on their list of "friends" really bothering them that much that it required deleting? Obviously not everyone on my list of friends is someone I want to hang out with everyday, but if I don't want to see their Facebook feed because if I want to see a bunch of dumb political opinions I'd watch Fox News then I just unsubscribe. If they are constantly liking pictures of girls showing off their cleavage and I don't want to see that (true story) then I unsubscribe. Its that simple.

I guess if I still cared about what people thought, like I did when I was a teenager, then I would care more when some dumb person I went to high school with doesn't want to be my Facebook friend anymore. But if we were ever really friends, they wouldn't delete me. I don't even really get why someone wouldn't like me anyway. I'm not that bad. I'm a decent cook (not that they can taste my food through Facebook), I'm reasonably polite, I'm kind of funny. I'm not horrible to look at, and neither are my kids. I don't post about drama or fish for compliments/sympathy. As far as I know I'm tolerable. Maybe the pictures of my children offend them, or the occasional anecdote about my life. I guess I'm just too edgy for most people, they cannot handle it, and that's fine. I'm only mad I didn't unfriend them first.

I'm Raising Tiny Socialists (Insert Gasp Here)

A few days ago at a red light I was stuck behind someone with SO MANY BUMPER STICKERS. Not just a large quantity of bumper stickers, but somewhat offensive (to me at least) bumper stickers. Its like bumper stickers are the quickest way of letting people know you're an asshole without actually meeting you. Mission accomplished in this case...

The first sticker I noticed said "Pro-life" which incidentally, I do not find offensive. The second one I noticed said "Anti-welfare" which I actually do find offensive, because of its relationship with the first sticker. You cannot be gung-ho pro-life, but then stop giving a crap about that baby once it is born. It just doesn't make sense to me. Not everyone has the funds to raise a baby without help. Kids are expensive. They insist you feed and clothe them. And they also like it if you change their diaper periodically, and diapers are the most pricey thing you are going to buy for your kid to pee on.

Airing your political laundry on the back of your gas-guzzling vehicle is one thing. Being a total jerk about all things relating to your political views is another. If you want to compare the president to Hitler/Nazi Germany for taxing you, that is your opinion. Its an insane opinion, because you're not being rounded up and placed into concentration camps, but I digress. Opinions aren't facts, so you can go around forcing yours on people all you want, but it won't make a difference. I happen to really love chocolate chip cookies, but I do not have a bumper sticker stating that. I also do not go around insisting everyone agree with that opinion, forcing them to eat cookies and belittling them if they say they prefer peanut butter instead. Because everyone gets their own opinion. 

Recently Alana came home from school saying how one of her classmates claims he hates the president. We paused to think about what to say. Everyone has something to say when it comes to the president, but regardless of what you think, you can't change it. I explained to her that her classmate's opinion was probably more reflective of his parent's opinion, and no matter who the president is, you should be respectful about it, because they are the one who was voted in, and complaining about it does no good. I happen to have voted for Obama twice, but that doesn't mean I always completely agree with everything he does. I am a democrat in a town of republicans, but I'm still entitled to my own political views, even if half of my Facebook friends incessantly post their conflicting ones.

Among the most important goals that I have for myself when parenting, raising children who do not grow up to be assholes is pretty high on my list. We teach our children to share when they are young, there is no reason for that to stop when they are adults. Teaching our kids to look down on people on welfare, who are not all drug addicts and lazy people, is teaching them that charity is pointless and we should never help anyone in need. After explaining to Alana why some people don't like the president, and why some people don't agree with welfare, we asked her a question. If you have a dozen cookies, do you keep them all for yourself? Or do you share them, because you have more than enough and some people don't have any? When she answered she would share them, that's when I knew I was raising a tiny socialist. If giving to people who need help, loving someone in spite of their differences, and not being an asshole are things that make my children small liberal "socialists" then I'm okay with that.

It is entirely possible that my kids will grow up to have similar political opinions to my own. I would prefer that outcome, but I want them to reach it on their own. I was always raised to be a tolerant, generous, and hardworking person who treats everyone the way that I want to be treated. I think a big part of who I am now is reflective of that. No one ever told me what to believe, because the goal here is someone who thinks for themselves. I don't know what exactly triggered me to become a liberal person in a town of conservatives, but I'm hoping for the same outcome with my own kids, even if it means they grow up and disagree with all of their Facebook friends.

Things People Say at Inappropriate Times

I am possibly the only person in my family who does not own a gun. Barring the occurence of a zombie apocalypse, I have no personal use for one. It is not something that interests me. I do not hunt or participate in any other gun related hobbies. And it is not because I am "anti-gun" it is because I have no reason to. I have enough hobbies.

My dad owns guns. He kept one in his glove compartment in his truck my entire childhood. He shoots at stuff for fun (inanimate objects, let's be sure to clarify that). I have no objection to this. He even used to take me shooting with him when I was little but I do not remember thinking it was fun, it was too loud.

I do not care if people own guns. I do not object, that's fine. The only thing I hate is when there is a gun related tragedy and everyone and their brother goes around talking about how Guns don't kill people, people kill people. That may be partly true, but this morning this happened. Now I'm sure I won't be able to go on Facebook or watch the news without hearing pro-gun arguments and that makes me a little sick to my stomach.

I'm not getting into a debate with anybody about gun control. That's other people's issues right there. My issue takes root with people who use tragedies as a platform to support their beliefs. Owning a gun for hunting/shooting/whatever type of protection you may need is another issue. Don't use the deaths of kindergarteners as a basis for your argument.

I do not care if people are offended by this or disagree. What I am saying is not pro- or anti-gun, its anti-people shooting other people for no reason. No one has to agree with my opinions on guns, although I've left them slightly vague. The only thing that I want people to agree about is that when stuff like this happens it is a tragedy and the only thing people should do is come together and support each other, not fight about personal opinions.

It is possible I have too many opinions

I believe I have stated my previous opinions on photography. But a major pet peeve has popped up recently. Everyone and their mother is starting their own photography "business." They go out, buy the cheapest dSLR camera they can find, add some vignettes to their photos and BAM! they're a photographer. Then they post their stuff on Facebook and await compliments and set up photography Facebook fan pages and such. And that is fine, they can start a business, I won't hold that against them. My number one problem, the thing that really bugs me, my major beef, is that I cannot take someone seriously if their work does not support their claims.

Maybe I'm being too picky. I personally have taken a couple of people's pictures for money. Well, one. One is coming up in a couple of days. And I'm anxious about it, because I have really really high standards. I will not charge someone for mediocre. And I'm not even charging them very much. But a couple of paid photo sessions does not make me a professional photographer anymore than my free blog on Blogger makes me a professional writer or having three kids makes me an expert on childcare.

I have had a "nice" camera for about two years now and there are still things I don't know. I still want more lenses and even dream about upgrading my camera body to a full frame camera that I'd have to save for years to buy. But I'm still learning. I can't imagine starting a business based on two months of owning a camera.

I only consider my pictures above average. Some are pretty good, but for every five good ones there is a dud, and this ratio is only improving with time. And I'm not a photographer anymore than I'm a baker for making too many cookies.

Now look at pictures of my cute bratty kids so you can forget about how judgmental I probably just sounded. And remember, I'm not a photographer.

The Irony of Black Friday

I do not want to put up my Christmas decorations a week before Thanksgiving. I do not want to completely ignore my favorite holiday and its pumpkins and turkeys just because a fat guy in a red suit is supposed to bring people presents. I do not want to sing Christmas carols, ever, I hate them. And I do not want to go shopping on Black Friday. I won't. You can't make me.

I don't shop on Black Friday, which is now encroaching upon Thanksgiving. Its too crowded. People are insane. You cannot find a parking space at the mall, much less get to any of the stuff you want to buy because of TOO MANY PEOPLE. And we have bought most of our Christmas presents already. That makes it kind of unnecessary for me to go out into the cold at 4 am to buy something I don't need or want.

The thing that bugs me most about Black Friday is the need for things. The need for stuff and consumption and useless crap less than 24 hours after a holiday about how thankful we are for everything we have. I fully support trying to save money on gifts and stuff for your loved ones. That is understandable. But waiting outside of a store overnight in freezing temperatures to buy a cheap computer is stupid. I will never do that. Guaranteed. Pushing other people down and pepper spraying them for an Xbox 360 is horrible. Put that lady on the naughty list. And take away her credit cards. No shopping for her. Trampling someone who is in the way and stepping on them to the point where they die, so you can buy Tickle-Me Elmo or Barbie or whatever toy your kid doesn't need is wrong, that one kind of goes without saying.

Christmas needs to back up. Its kind of a bully, pushing poor harmless Thanksgiving out of the way. Thanksgiving is supposed to be about family and football (at least at our house) and being content with what you have. Instead its the eve of shopping at 4 am and stepping on other people to get things for Christmas. I don't think Christmas means to be so pushy. Christmas has good intentions, with the giving and the charity and the Jesus/church type things that are supposed to be the entire reason behind it. Except that they're not, because of the presents. And the stores with all of their Christmas stuff up on fricking Halloween, oh how that annoys me. Christmas is bullying Halloween too, it doesn't even wait till kids have taken off their costumes before the inflatable snowmen appear over the Halloween aisle at Walmart, leering at you and making you buy cheap Walmart Christmas decorations.

We buy our kids more than enough Christmas crap. I am just as guilty (mostly because David LOVES Christmas) of having too many things at Christmas. Then I have to find a place to put all of the stuff they get because there is so. much. stuff. My efforts to scale back our Christmas present buying this year have been only mildly successful thus far, but I'm apprehensive because we're not even in December yet. My own family's need for things is annoying enough, I can't deal with everyone else's quest to own more stuff on Black Friday.

Maybe its just me. I know some people like going shopping on Black Friday. Helps them get into the Christmas spirit. I try to avoid Christmas spirit, but if I must have it I will accomplish it with cookies and fudge and rice krispy treats, not toys and movies and stuff I don't want my kids to own because Witten will try to eat all the small parts. I will not acknowledge Christmas again until after Thanksgiving, despite David's tireless nagging to put up the tree. I'm going to put off even looking at red and green stuff and make some pumpkin flavored high calorie food, because that's what Thanksgiving is about. Family, football, and pumpkin flavored high calorie food covered in whipped cream.

It's Not Bias, It's Fact

Do not ask to see my baby and then not comment on his cuteness. I'm not asking you to lie here people, but I know he is cute. So if you approach me in the grocery store and specifically ask to look at my new baby, say something! Don't just stare at him awkwardly with a blank look on your face, because I will be offended.

I personally never say that I think a baby is cute unless that is my actual honest opinion. But I also don't seek out a glimpse of people's baby who I probably already saw on Facebook unless I think I will have something nice to say about it.

And seriously people, he is cute. That's not just my opinion, it's general knowledge.

Its Only Gonna Get Bigger

Where in the rules of etiquette book is it written that just because someone is pregnant its okay to ask them how much they weigh? Seriously. It isn't an appropriate question. And its not even that I mind answering that most of the time, but I think its about the context under which it is asked.

If you just blurt out How much do you weigh fatty? (The fatty part is just implied. I can read between the lines people). I find that too direct. Same with So how much weight have you gained so far? The problem with this one isn't the wording, its the emphasis on particular words. So, HOW MUCH WEIGHT have you gained SO FAR? This not only implies I've gained a lot, that I'm a giant pregnant person, but it also implies I'm going to gain far more in the next 12 weeks.

Under the right circumstances I'm more than willing to discuss weight. If that is the topic of conversation, its fine. But if you outright ask me I'm gonna dodge the question. Its an awkward question. Why do people even want to know that?

I'm not the person who gains a lot of weight when I'm pregnant. I'm just lucky. I gained exactly 25 pounds with both girls, putting me at 150 on delivery day both times. That's fine with me. It also means sometimes other women give me dirty looks when I tell them this. Sorry. It wasn't anything I did or didn't do. Its really just luck. My belly is normal sized. There is no basis behind the question of Just exactly how fat are you lady.

Just to clarify though, once and for all, I started out 122 pounds. I am now 28 weeks pregnant and weigh 139. For all the math geniuses that is 17 pounds. I have 12 weeks left. I will probably gain 30 pounds total. I have come to terms with that. I prefer the lower end of the range, but 30 is okay. I will probably get induced before my due date anyway, so maybe that will shave a couple pounds off.

For the record, How much do you weigh? and How much weight have you gained so far? are NOT on the list of acceptable things to say/ask a pregnant woman. If you think they're a fatso, shutup. If you don't have something flattering to say about my weight, don't say anything at all. You may make comments about general belly size that are considered flattering such as You're all belly or You don't look pregnant from behind. These are reasonable, believable, and somewhat flattering. You may inquire about the baby's gender, my due date, etc, but only once per person. If you forget, don't ask me again. One last time for the Alzheimer's crowd: Its a boy, due July 4th. Thanks again.

Challenge Accepted

I'm in the home stretch of my second writing class, which has basically been 8 weeks of analyzing short stories and poems, not exactly rocket science. Now I have to write a final paper. And I had to post the subject on the discussion area for everyone else to read. Fine. I did. Now all the haters are doubting my subject.

For those interested or who know anything about poetry, I'm doing my paper about Sylvia Plath's poem "Daddy", which she personally said is not autobiographical. Some of the other students are doubting I can get enough info on that subject, or that I can complete the 1800 minimum word count just writing about that. Hello people, summer semester I wrote 6 full pages about high fructose corn syrup, and I got an A. An 1800 word paper talking about how everyone else is wrong is a walk in the park. I could write 1800 words right now about how I'm right and they're all wrong, but I won't. Cause my keyboard is being stupid. But if it wasn't, they'd better watch out. Stupid people. Telling me something is not possible just makes me want to do it more. Are they all getting an A in this class? Probably not, but its confidential so I don't know. Judging by their papers that I've read they are not. So take that. I'm doing it.

Not Pictured

My camera has returned to me. Yay! Hooray! Jump up and down with excitement and stuff! Hug a Fed Ex guy! Celebrate!

After a 3 week absence, that was preceded by 2 weeks of it not working correctly before I finally caved, I mailed it to Canon so they could fix it. I knew it would be cutting it close because Alana's birthday was coming up, which was why I waited to mail it in the first place when it was still functioning somewhat, but I was still optimistic that it would get back since they had almost 3 weeks to fix it.

Fast forward one and a half weeks after I mailed my camera, when I knew for a fact that they had received it because it was insured. They had no record of it. Couldn't locate it. Were in fact very snobby every time I inquired about it. I swear I only ever got the same snotty lady named Lakeesha each time I called. Finally, over a week after they received it, I got a vague email saying that they had evaluated it and were going to fix it. Expect it in 7 days. If that had actually happened it would've made it back in time for Alana's birthday. The vague email didn't say what the problem was, whether the battery and charger were working, whether I was just crazy and the camera actually worked.

Last Thursday, the 29th, Canon emailed me again saying the repair was done and the camera had been shipped. Expected arrival date: October 3rd. Two days after Alana's birthday party and one day after her actual birthday. Great timing, but at least it was on its way home to me. I used my sister's camera to take a couple pictures at her party, but it wasn't the same. It was weird to look at a screen again instead of thru a viewfinder. I missed my camera. Curse you Canon!

Finally on Monday morning I got it back. The official diagnosis was that the circuit board had become disconnected, which cut off the power supply. It was covered by the warranty, so they had to fix it, they just didn't have to do it quickly. Then I took like 50 pictures on Monday, since September was essentially a pictureless month. I let Alana redo her candle on her cake, cause it wouldn't light at the park and she needed to make a wish. I hoped she wished to go to Disneyland, although it wouldn't matter cause we're going in December anyway!

I'm really unsatisfied with Canon's customer service, since they had the camera for almost 2 weeks before they even acknowledged it and took forever to fix it and were kinda rude whenever I called them. But they fixed my camera and I have it back so let's just let bygones be bygones. Its old news.

My real issue was all the photo ops I missed. Besides the huge one of Alana's 5th birthday, I missed countless times when my girls were doing something cute, something priceless, or something that will be blackmail worthy in the future. On Sunday Alana wore a pink football jersey, a purple & green plaid skirt, black Halloween tights, and Halloween socks over the tights. It was a super classy outfit, very festive for her birthday. And I didn't get a picture of it. That really irritates me. Now I have to make up for lost time.

She was pretty insistent on a Barbie cake, and she talked her Nana into buying one.

This isn't even all of her presents, just the ones I fit into the frame. She also got a baseball bat that I wrapped all awesome so it was obvious that it was a bat, but she opened it before I got a picture. Just picture a bat, completely encased in polka dot paper, and imagine me trying to convince the kids it was a Doodle Bear.



We have to take a family pic. Its our duty to document our awesomeness. And David has to keep commenting on how good he thinks he looks in this picture. At least he's modest.



Birthday candle do-over. Lots of wishes were made.

My pretty five year old. I think she missed my camera too, cause she kept asking me to take her picture.



My bratty two year old, who is growing out her mullet. Its looking pretty sweet.



***This isn't intended to be a compare & contrast between point & shoot cameras and dSLR cameras, but it definitely makes me glad I got a new camera. Even if I didn't have it at Alana's party!

Note to Self: Read the Fine Print

So far September is kinda sucky. No tragedies, but kinda crap.

I was all stressed out last Friday about a lab book for biology that I didn't know I needed, so we sold some old books and video games and scraped together the money to buy it, and it got here Tuesday. I felt slightly less stressed out, but I was still waiting for my textbook I ordered two weeks before. On Thursday the box came with the textbook I ordered before class started, but guess what? It wasn't a textbook. It was the exact same lab book that I had been stressed out about, and now I had two copies.

Why did I have two copies of the lab book and no textbood? Because the ISBN (that is like a book id #) on the school's website was the one for the lab book. I thought I had ordered the textbook, but didn't pay close enough attention to the cryptic way that the book list was presented to realize that I needed two books. So then I had to borrow money, which I really hate doing and have managed to avoid until this point in my life. I wouldn't even of asked if I wasn't completely desperate. Stupid book was like $150, and last week I was all stressed out about buying the cheaper book that I already had.

Now I have two copies of a book I was all stressed out about, and no copies of a book that I thought I had already ordered, that will be here Tuesday thanks to express shipping that is delayed cause of Labor Day. And the drop deadline for the class passed the day before I realized that I still needed a book.

I can return the extra lab book for a full refund, minus the shipping, thankfully. It will be a week or so before I get my money back, but at least I'll get it back. And Amazon still owes me money for my old camera that I sold on there, but they won't pay me till the 9th. Speaking of cameras, mine was acting all crazy yesterday and kept shutting off and refusing to come back on until I put the battery in the charger for a couple of minutes. I guess it could be the battery, but the clicking noise it made each time it shut off made me think it might not be.

My camera is less than one year old, so it still has a warranty. Repair means sending it to California though, and living without it for a few weeks, which is depressing. Alana's birthday is the very beginning of October and I don't want to miss out on pics, but I guess I can't take them with a broken camera anyway. I don't have any money to ship it right now anyway, cause I have to ship my extra textbook back ASAP to get a refund. When I do ship it I'm definitely getting the insurance, cause that camera is like my third kid. I'll be worried till it gets back to me safely.

September can only get better from here, at least that's what I keep telling myself. I'll be done with biology halfway through October, then I'm just taking another writing class and those don't really require any real studying on my part. I just want September to go quickly, cause October has Alana and David's birthdays, then Halloween, and I love that time of year. The weather is so nice and perfect, and I will eat anything pumpkin flavored. Then before I know it Thanksgiving will be here, and its my favorite holiday. Tons of food, no pressure to buy everyone presents, and brisk fall weather? Yes please. Just gotta make it through September, with at least a stupid B in biology, although if I get a B I think I'm gonna retake it.

Shopping Cart Karma

Pre-children Jennifer was very judgmental about people putting their shopping carts back in the designated area. I was all How lazy are you people that you can't walk an extra 20 feet to put it back to make the job of an underpaid grocery store employee a little easier?

In reality, it is kind of lazy not to put your cart back, under normal circumstances. If you're just going to the store, no kids attached or disability that prevents you from pushing your cart back to the designated area, and you don't put it back, then I'm gonna think you're lazy and kind of rude.

Post-children Jennifer, always one to contradict myself, doesn't usually put my shopping cart back in the designated area. Gasp! Past Jennifer would've judged me harshly, but current Jennifer has an excuse. Two kids.

When you take your kids to the store with you, which I kind of loathe doing, its a big enough job to keep them intact and prevent them from picking an apple out of a produce bin and eating it right there. True story. Especially when you're taking a 2 and 4 year old. I really don't know how moms with more kids take them all to the store without losing their minds. Child-free grocery shopping is my dream. Sometimes I go to the store at 6 or 7 am, before they've gotten up, just so I can shop peacefully.

So post-children Jennifer is a little more realistic. Once I have my kids loaded in the car, and then my groceries, and the car is running cause let's be real people this is AZ so if the car and ac aren't on my children's would be all sweaty, I can't take my cart back to the designated area. If I take my cart back, then I have to walk away from my ladies, in the running car, and leave them unattended. Not gonna happen. No one is stealing my ladies or my only car on my watch. So I have to leave my cart at the front of my car. Sorry cart retrievers at Benson Walmart. I wouldn't do it if it weren't necessary. I promise when my kids are bigger that I will always return my cart and make your job slightly easier.

Also: If you park in the fire lane at the grocery store, you better be an emergency response type of vehicle. None of this I'm just waiting for someone who just ran in real quick. They'll be right back. Except that they still aren't back after I've loaded all my stuff in the car and my kids and I'm leaving. They won't be back for at least five minutes, and that is plenty of time to find a legal parking space. Those red lines and no parking signs are there for a reason, rude old guy reading a magazine, because you're not supposed to park there. That area is for people with emergencies, not people with a sense of entitlement. There are plenty of parking spaces and they're not that far away.

People Are Crazy

Somebody just shot Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Congress Woman, in the head. They shot her point blank, while injuring at least 12 other people. One of the reported casualties was a nine year old girl. How is that justified?

Why would anyone do something so extreme? I can't even begin to understand people like that. She will probably die of her injuries, with her blood on their hands, all because of someone's political views were different than hers.

I voted for her numerous times, and I think she was a great leader with lots of potential. Now because of some crazy person, who probably had some crazy views on immigration, she is in surgery and might not make it. This person didn't even take into consideration the fact that she has family and people who love her. They just acted on an insane whim and did something so extreme that it cannot be taken back.

I am basically speechless at this point. I am so mad! I can't even properly form a sentence, much less convey how angry I am. I don't think I've ever cried over the death of someone I didn't know until today. I supported her and her views, but even if I didn't I wouldn't of wanted this fate for her.

Did this person believe so strongly that illegal immigration was personally affecting them that they needed to lash out at someone who doesn't support SB-1070? Did we not all descend from immigrants at some point? Building a stupid fence won't help. What was this man afraid of anyway? Health insurance? Immigration reform? Higher minimum wage? How narcissistic was he that he thought killing off one democrat and her innocent supporters would greatly affect the entire country and the direction of Congress?

The most ironic part of events like this, and other political assassinations, is that people some claim to do it in the name of Christianity. Last time I checked Christians don't believe in killing somebody because you have different beliefs than them. There is never a time when hurting or killing someone like this is justified. Never. If you want to make a difference, hurting innocent people is not the answer. The difference that you're making will never be a good one if your solution to your problems is violence.

My thoughts are with her and her family, along with the families of the other innocent people who died today.

I'll Be the Judge of That

I can sometimes maybe on occasion not on purpose be a tad little teeny-tiny bit judgmental. I can't always help it, its just the way my brain works. I'm working on it, but I'm a work-in-progress.

I judge people who drink, especially if they drink too much, because I just don't see the point. It tastes gross and makes you do dumb stuff.

I judge people whose kids look like they just rolled out of bed. But I'm a parent. I know that little girls don't always let you brush their hair. And sometimes they insist on wearing pink shorts and pink Romo jerseys and pink shoes. I do take it seriously though when its the middle of winter and I see kids without a jacket and its freezing outside. That deserves a little judgement.

I judge people who can't spell, because its always come so naturally to me I don't realize its not second nature to others. I seriously proof-read everything. Billboards, marquees, other people's blogs, facebook updates. I pick out the typos and shake my head, wondering how people got through middle school, when they can't even spell school.

I judge people who smoke. I don't understand what makes someone start smoking in the first place. You had to know you'd get addicted, now you're paying $6 for a pack of cigarettes. Bet you're rethinking that decision. Smoking is disgusting, no matter what.

I judge other people's fashion choices. Don't people own mirrors? I wonder what they were thinking leaving the house in that mesh tank top and fanny pack. But maybe they thought they looked good.

I judge people for watching dumb stuff on TV. I don't watch that much TV, my kids are TV tyrants and I just can't justify sitting on my butt all day to watch stuff that will not make anyone any smarter. And I just don't get why people like Dancing with the Stars. That's the worst show ever.

I judge people by the contents of their shopping carts. Why are people only buying horrible fattening convenience food and zero fruits and vegetables? Hamburger Helper isn't helping anyone. Just cause something is convenient doesn't mean its healthy. I may eat my share of cookies, but I also eat more than enough fruits and vegetables, and so do my kids. Same goes for David, even if that means I have to peel an orange for him. Fish sticks and macaroni are not a balanced meal.

I judge people with different opinions than me. How could you possibly think that? What is the deal? I suppose they're entitled to their opinion, even if they have no facts to back it up. I'm not changing my mind though.

I'm not trying to judge people. I don't really want to. But I'm not sure I know how to stop. Sometimes our mean girl society enables judgmental behavior. If a guy has lots of girlfriends he is applauded, but when a girl even thinks about more than one boy she is a slut. We're all quick to judge each other, without knowing anything about the circumstances.

And maybe my opinion isn't the only one that matters. Some people think Hamburger Helper is helpful.

Some Thoughts on Politics

Disclaimer: I'm a democrat. Almost as liberal as possible. I make no apologies. But if you don't agree, don't read this.

I am so glad that mid-term elections are over. I'm not exactly happy with all the results, but you can't win 'em all. I'm talking about you Jan Brewer.

I was so tired of hearing and seeing negative political commercials. There is so much mud-slinging that by the end of every election just the sight of political signs annoys me. Here's a thought politicians: Instead of focusing on what you consider to be the negative aspects of your opponent, how about you instead focus on you. What are you going to bring to the table? What can you do differently than them?

I hate that everyone is so concerned with their opponent that they don't even bother to tell us how they'll be any different. And I couldn't escape. There were signs all over the place forcing negative comments about the incumbent Congress woman. She forced OBAMA-care on you. She opposes SB-1070. She will eat your children alive. (I made one of those up. Guess which?). First of all, you can't fault someone for voting with their party. She voted the way she promised to vote. Just leave her alone. She won in spite of your mud-slinging.

Arizona was in the news a lot this year for some controversial "anti-immigration" laws. SB-1070. It basically gave cops the right to ask anyone for proof of citizenship, just because. Some parts of it were repealed so it is slightly less controversial. I am opposed to this bill. Are we not all descendants of immigrants? Your grandparents were probably anchor babies. Everyone's ancestors had to come here from another country at some point, so why do people hate immigrants so much? Not everyone who crosses that border is a criminal drug mule looking to break the law. Some people just want a better life, or a job doing something none of us want to do, like migrant farm work.

Our country is always so divided. Everyone is so I'm right and you're wrong and I'm not going to compromise no matter what. People only have their own best interests at heart. People are not willing to take responsibility for their actions, they are only willing to pass the blame onto the next person. The Bush Tax cuts were set to expire in the next president's term. That's how they were designed. But now people want to blame the current administration for raising taxes. You can't be anti-federal defecit and oppose taxing the richest people in the country.

And tea party people. Seriously. You can't be anti-taxes and then hold your rallies in a public park. You can't be anti-taxes and drive on public roads, send your kids to public school, go to the public library. Where do you think the money came from to pay for those things?

Its fine if you dislike the president, I personally don't care much for George Bush. But Obama was elected, he is our president and you should respect that. He inherited this mess. It took several years for our economy to reach the state its in, its gonna take more than 18 months to fix it. He is not a socialist, a muslim or Hitler.

America just needs a little more moderation. Fewer crazy people dressed up as the Statue of Liberty holding up a sign saying Get your government hands off of my Medicare. I've got news for you people. Medicare is a government program. Don't use your Social Security check to pay for anti-government signs. We need fewer crazy people saying they're pro-life and then killing an abortion doctor. Fewer people who flat-out refuse to compromise. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and we should all respect that.

Maybe I'm so liberal and tolerant because I grew up in a place that wasn't. I wasn't the same religion as everyone else in my small town, I wasn't any religion at all. I'm not saying I was bullied or anything because of it, but sometimes I just felt different. Sometimes people weren't allowed to hang out with me because their parents thought I'd have lower standards, which was so untrue.

I don't know what my kids will think of politics when they grow up, but Alana knows the president by name and I just hope they learn to respect other people, no matter what their opinions. I'm just hoping for tolerance.

Thanks for making a liar out of me lady

Stupid lady who was gonna buy my carseat decided at the last minute she doesn't want it. If she didn't want it she shouldn't of set up a meeting time with me tomorrow, then waited for me to call her to say she changed her mind.

Stupid Craigslist. Stupid lady. Stupid me for buying stuff I didn't need with the money I did have because I thought I'd be $90 richer tomorrow.

Now I have $12 to my name. And 10 diapers. Lucky for me Target's diapers are livable and only cost $6.

If I have any luck at all then someone will call me in the morning wanting to buy it when I'm in Tucson tomorrow to visit my (drumroll please) .........................................NIECE!

I was pretty skeptical about my sister's chances for having a girl after she already had three boys. But anything is possible right? Now my ladies finally have a girl cousin, I have a niece to buy some pink stuff for and David owes Alana $5 (they bet on the gender of the baby, Alana totally won).

James Cameron isn't as original as he thinks

If you're one of the two people on earth who hasn't seen Avatar yet let me sum it up for you: Big mean bad humans want to rape and ravage some plants on another planet because they want $$$$. Trees feel pain. You can connect with the planet and be at one with it. There is a giant tree to which all other trees and life connect.

There is a big horrible polluting machine that can possibly be used to harvest the $$$$ making stuff from the planet. Humans are mostly villains. They do not consider the consequences of what they're doing. There is a culture of people who live in the area that humans want to destroy. Humans do not care. Etc etc.

I didn't watch most of this movie because A: I was bored. And B: It looks fake to me.

But I saw enough. Enough to know it was totally ripped off from another underrated classic movie. Yes. I'm talking about Ferngully, The Last Rainforest.

Ferngully is about evil humans who want to chop down the "last" rainforest to make some $$$$. They use a big evil machine to cut down the trees. This rainforest in inhabited by tiny little fairies, who fly around talking about how trees feel pain and such. Then a human accidentally gets turned into fairy size and makes a love connection with a hot fairy. Sound familiar? (Just substitute hot fairy for hot blue Na'vi Zoe Saldana).

Eventually the human sees the error of his ways and helps the fairies battle the evil giant machine to save their mother tree.

There are to many parallel story lines for me to even remember. Evil greedy humans. Check. Interspecies love connection. Check. Trees that feel pain. Check. Liberal agenda. Check. Happily ever after(ish). Check.

It took James Cameron years to finally complete Avatar. I think he was probably just waiting for everyone to forget about Ferngully.

If you ask me, Avatar could've used a little more singing and dancing. And maybe a bat voiced by Robin Williams.

Things old people say

As previously mentioned, we can't help but turn into our parents.

But we can control the things that we say. There are things that old people say that automatically make them sound old.

If you ever start your sentence with When I was your age, then young people will stop listening to you instantly.

When you say I used to walk 8 miles to school, uphill both ways, in the snow, no one really believes you. You are then labelled old, and for good measure you are now also crazy.

At my parents house they have a table older than me. It is sturdier than we give it credit for being. Yet whenever a child comes near it everyone over 25 says Don't lean on the ends of the table, they're only held on by pins. Call me crazy, but I don't think after three generations of abuse those table ends are coming off. Or maybe they're still there because of the caution taken by all the adults?

If a new song comes on the radio, and your response is not tapping your feet along with the beat and singing along, but saying All these songs sound the same these days. Kids these days have terrible taste in music. Just stop listening to pop music then. Listen to your fuddy-duddy old songs that the adults of your childhood looked down on.

When you go shopping, please refer to sandals as flip-flops or something of that nature. If you walk into the store asking Do you have any thongs for kids?, the sales clerk will look at you like you're speaking another language.

Nowadays, we only call womens underwear thongs, so if you say that, that's what people will think you're talking about. And they will picture little thong underwear for children. Maybe kids these days have too many visible panty lines and we need to do something about this immediately, but thongs for kids isn't the answer.

Anytime you say I remember when...insert stereotypical thing like kids didn't have cell phones, people had morals, people didn't watch so much tv, computers didn't exist (you get the picture). People are always evolving and our culture is always changing. Kids didn't have cell phones when I was in high school, and that was ten years ago. Now we're all texting and surfing the internet on our phones, and not listening to old people.

Most of the time if you talk about your medical problems, your grandchildren won't listen that closely. These new orthopedic shoes I got were so expensive. Stupid Medicare didn't pay for them. For me personally, I don't really want to hear a ton of detail about anyone's medical problems, so hearing about your cheese allergy isn't that compelling to me.

Last but not least, complaining about the price of things makes you seem old and cheap. Everything's just getting so expensive, I remember when a gallon of milk was 5 cents. Prices get higher. Thats just how it is. And milk will never again be 5 cents a gallon. Never.

I hate to be the one to break it to you ladies...

But men DO NOT change. They will not, they cannot and they don't really want to.

They are capable of evolving slightly, maybe growing up a little bit, but for the most part they will always be the same guy.

If a guy treats you like crap, verbally or physically abuses you or cheats on you, he probably always will.

If he is expecting a baby with someone else, you should just throw in the towel, cause there's probably not any hope for your relationship (I know this one from personal experience).

There are cases that prove this law wrong. Men are capable of growing up a little bit when their first child is born, but if this doesn't do the job, then nothing will. And if having a kid doesn't make them grow up, probably nothing ever will. (I am not advocating having a baby to make your guy grow up, babies put pressure on relationships that you didn't know existed).

I've been cheated on by all but 2 boys that I dated, and I married one of them. More than once I gave boys second chances, and they always went back to their old ways. They made me realize that what my dad told me my whole life was true, men are pigs. Even my dad and brothers are pigs. That's according to my dad. He is right.

The problem with finding a nice guy is this: They are few and far between because of this: Women don't always like nice guys. They like bad boys or guys that kind of treat them like crap sometimes. My youngest brother is a good example. He was born a pig. He is cocky and rebelious at times, and since kindergarten (literally, he was engaged on the first day of school) he has had a steady stream of girlfriends. His first real long term girlfriend put up with a lot, and I secretly hope for a reunion someday (I'm team Beth!).

Women almost don't know how to deal with guys who treat us nicely. We put them in the friend category. Its hard for them to break out of that once they're in it. I had David in the friend box for over a year before we started dating, now he's lucky enough to be my husband (yeah David, that's what I said, you know it). Now I have a husband who treats me right, doesn't cheat or abuse me, and shares my same views on life. And he's a good father, that's more important than anything. Even if he makes me be the disciplinarian. What a wuss.

He may be a little obsessed with the Cowboys, but you can't win em all. I can't change him. Even if I were to try, what would I change? Ok, maybe I wish he'd pick up his shoes every night when he goes to bed, but that's not really a dealbreaker.

Grouchy Thursday

Brought to you by: really long and exhausting Wednesday, which left me sleep deprived with a sore back and obliques. Yesterday's exhaustion has carried over into today, which makes me irritable. So now I will list the things that have annoyed me more than normal this week.

1. Dora the Explorer - With her high pitched voice and her Spanglish, this stupid show drives me crazy. Its so dumbed down and has way too many trolls for one show. And all of the songs are extra bad. And annoyingly catchy.

2. Dumb people - Nothing annoys me more at the bank than when I pull up to the drive-up ATM and there's some idiot standing at it, no car in sight. This ATM is made for people to drive up to, not park and then stand at! Walk around the corner to the regular one and get out of my way!

3. Walmart's produce section - I shouldn't have to make an extra trip to a second grocery store just to buy zucchini. Why does Safeway have plenty but you don't even have one? And I'm not going to do all my shopping at Safeway, cause I'm not rich, so I have no choice but to go to Walmart.

4. My new neighbor - Sorry the landlord told you it would be perfectly quiet back here, but its not. If you want 24/7 silence, don't share a wall with someone with two kids. Sorry if you have a mental illness (he seriously does, the landlord told me), but that doesn't mean you can knock on my door and ask me to stop pounding on the wall. No one was pounding on the wall, we were all in the living room. You are crazy and imagining things. And don't open the front door just cause you heard a kid say "come in". Who does that? If you are knocking on a stranger's door you don't just let yourself in. You wait for them to open the door. And don't count on complete silence. This is an old duplex. When you are in the bathroom at the same time as your neighbor, you can hear every drawer open, water turning on, toilet flushing, etc. If you want quiet, move. I've lived here for seven years and I'm not going anywhere.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I feel much better. I'm ready to go swimming.