Happy Caturday! :)

I'm an animal lover, growing up with 3 cats, a cockatiel, a guinea pig, a few hamsters, millions of fish, and an adorable dog, I loved them all. There was nothing quite like the loyalty of the dog, or the adorable witty-ness of the cats, the magic of the hamsters (well at least, their escape attempts), the love of the cockatiel who only cared for me for some odd reason, even the fish, as bland as they seemed, offered a serene quality of calm when watching them swim without any cares.
After I left home, I always yearned for the companionship of an animal, mostly cats. Since I moved away from home, I've owned, Le Stat, an all black male stray cat given to me by a boyfriend. I took him for a walk on a leash one night and he slipped off his collar and bolted. :( I heard he made his way back to my boyfriend's house but we had broken up by that point so I'm not sure. Next there was Belinda, a tuxedo female, we called her Bellah for short after an Irish goddess. We found her outback of an apartment complex, quite beaten up by her brothers and sisters. She was the sweetest thing with a broken voice, so her meow was kinda crackly. She'd sit patiently in our living room waiting by the backdoor as my roommate and I would have our evening cigarettes out on the back porch, as soon as I came in, I'd say "Bellah, bedtime" and she'd flitter off to meet me onto my little twin sized bed where she'd curl up between my fetal positioned legs for the rest of the night. I had her for over 3 years, until I had to leave the room I was renting and move back home. My parents said no cats because my grandma was living there and she was highly asthmatic and cats set it off. Luckily the guy I was renting a room from, was my best friend's dad, and he had fallen in love with Bellah, plus he had 4 cats of his own that she was bff's with, so she stayed with him and is still alive and well. I then met love's dad, he was highly allergic to cats, but dogs were ok. He had a white female boxer named Nala, who was such a lovable and gentle lady. She passed away about 2 years ago and it kinda rocked Love's world because Nala had become like an aunt to her, from the very beginning, Nala would sit tenderly rocking Love in her infant swing making sure all was ok in Love's world. Even though Love's dad and I were not together, I can't deny the mother like love Nala provided to Love.
Unfortunately, Hun grew up learning that animals were only good for 1) work, and 2) food. He grew up on a poor mans farm in Vietnam. He did have a pig, but it was raised only to be sold for food. Plus he thinks animals are dirty and full of germs. I moved in with him knowing full well that animals would never be a part of our lives. I thought that I would be ok with that. When we 1st separated, I immediately began looking for a furry companion. Luckily, a friend of a friend had a cat that had a few kittens that would be ready to go to their new home in a week or two, so I raised my hand and got the last kitten, and named him Edward. Edward was the most adorable thing ever, mischievous,but adorably so. The kids and I were in love with the cuteness overload, but after only a few short weeks, Babe started getting hives and constantly sick, so a decision was made to say good-bye to Edward, as he went off to stay with his sister at my friend's house. I still searched for a suitable companion, one that would teach the kids responsibility, so I got two female guppies, in hopes they would be the only guppies in the tank. Two days after bringing them home, I woke up to find 2 dozen or so little guppies swimming around, which in a few weeks turned into a lot more. I ended up giving over 100 little guppies to my dad to feed his oscars and continued to supply him with more on a biweekly basis. So yeah, it was out of control. The tank ended up developing a bacterial infection which wiped out a large portion of the population, even after bleaching the tank and filter, the bacteria continued to spread. The only thing left to do was to kill the whole tank and start new. I just felt so guilty that I hadn't been able to "save" the fish, and was afraid to start over so I gave up on fish. I dumped the tank out back, bleached everything and tossed it to the curb. The next week. I had a beautiful black polydactyl cat come up to my door meowing for food. She must have smelled the fish, ate them and decided she wanted some more. She was so friendly, and we had just had babe tested for allergies and found he was non- reactive to cats, I decided she had to stay. Since she was so friendly, I figured she must belong to someone, so I put up found cat signs around the neighborhood and posted it up on Craigslist too. After a month of no response, I called up my landlord and asked if it was ok to have a cat in the apartment. Thrilled that she said yes, I named her Bella. (I'm a huge twilight fan - Edward was named for the team I routed for, so a female obviously needed to be named Bella!) Almost 2 years she was a part of our home, then Hun and I reconciled. I was torn between the sweet companion we had made part of our family, or being under one roof and being a real family. I found Bella a new home, with a good family that lives right down the street, but I haven't been able to bring myself to visit her, because I don't want to impose on the family.
Still I long for the companionship, and so do the kids, but changing Hun's mind on the subject won't be easy. We have stray kittens living in our shed out back, and secretly, they are mine. I feed them and watch them as they sneak around, but they are feral and won't let me near them. Now we are working on fixing up the backyard, which involves tearing down the shed, leaving these kittens, shelter-less. Hun is trying to find traps to catch them, and put into a shelter, where I know they would be euthanized, so I would much rather have them here, in the backyard, than in a shelter.
That is my current dilemma. So I turn to you for advice, how would you convince him to let them stay? Would you keep them? Would you put them in a shelter? Would you find them safe homes? What animals could you suggest other than fish, that might not be "dirty" as Hun thinks. He hates hamsters and bunnies and anything that poops. :(
Please help!!

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Throwback Thursday: 1987 - When I was 6!

The year: 1987, I just graduated from Kindergarten! Wasn't I the cutest thing ever?!?! I was so proud of myself. I also walked up the aisle like I was in a wedding because we had rehearsed for my Aunt's wedding the night before, so I thought I'd show off my "wedding walk." Yep, I was cool like that.

Most of my days were spent hanging out in the driveway out back with all the neighborhood kids. I grew up in a row-home in the Mayfair section of Philly, so that back driveway was THE place to hangout, very little traffic, all of your friends lived right there, it was a party everyday! One of our neighbors had swings hanging from their garage, one was a flat seat and one was a squishy butt seat. (That's what we called it.) One day, there was something going on at my house, a party or something like that, but I wasn't interested. So, I went out back went to my neighbors swings and decided I was big enough to try the flat seat which my mom had warned us we were too little for. I ended up doing just fine, but then I decided, since I was big enough to ride this swing. I was big enough to jump off and land gracefully on my feet. WRONG! I jumped, fell on my face and slid, scraping the one side of my face clean off. Imagine the horrified look on my moms face when I came running in with tears and blood dripping down my face. My poor mother, how she managed to stay somewhat sane is beyond me!
That year, I had been playing softball for the local pee-wee team - The Lansing Lightning. Now, admittedly, I don't do sports, but it didn't stop my mom from trying to have sports enthusiasts for daughters. The same week I had scraped up my face, I had also decided to catch a softball with my other eye. I must have looked a mess! I kinda wish my mom had a picture of me looking all beat up, but since it was 1987, she would have had to pay a decent amount to have the pictures developed, so our camera was saved for special events and vacations.

Speaking of vacations, My very first trip to Disney World was that year! We went with a friend of my mom, and her family. there were 4 adults, and 6 kids total on the trip. I don't remember much, except the pool, which had an awesome slide through a rock waterfall thingy, and the arcade where we were allowed to run off to alone with out any parents to watch us. I was 6! the same age as Love right now. I would never allow her to run off on her own! What were they thinking?!?!
I have a few horror stories from Disney that year. 1) I got lost after coming out of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I was so scared, but I told a park employee and we stayed right in that spot and my mom was there in probably 30 seconds but it felt more like 10 minutes. 2) That awesome pool I just told you about, yeah, another moment where I tried to be big. I decided to go down that awesome waterfall slide (with an inner tube for safety). My parents had no idea that I had run off and decided to try this thing all by myself. I went down, the innertube slipped off me, and I was left in 12 feet of water and unable to swim. Luckily, my "boyfriend" saved me, thus dubbing him my hero for the remainder of the vacation. He became extremely annoyed when I tried to kiss him for the 100th time and we haven't spoken since. So sad. He was sooo cute! We would have made awesome little babies together. LOL!

My favorite toys were my Barbies, Rainbow Brite dolls, Pound Puppies, and Care-Bears plushes.
I can remember dancing to "Bad" by Michael Jackson in our back driveway with a few friends. I was in love with the Bad boy leather look, every father's worse nightmare. My sister fell in love with the movie The Princess Bride. We would tell our parents "as you wish" each night before going to bed, if you don't get the reference, go to netflix and download that shit, you are missing a vital piece of history! Another movie, one that we weren't allowed to see, yet all of our friends were talking about it, was Dirty Dancing. It may have been another 10 years before I got to enjoy the sway of Patrick Swayze's hips, but it was 10 years worth waiting for.
I did get to watch some pretty awesome movies though: Batteries not included, Adventures in Babysitting, The Brave Little Toaster, and 3 Men and a Baby, just to name a few. Such a good year!

As if that wasn't enough for your throwback to 1987, I decided to look up a few facts about that year via this awesome site: http://whathappenedinmybirthyear.com/ - go there and see what happened the year you were born!

1. The top selling movie was Fatal Attraction. 
2. The academy award for the best movie went to The Last Emperor. 
3. The top actor was Michael Douglas for his role as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street.
4. The top actress was Cher for her role as Loretta Castorini in Moonstruck. 
5. The best director? Bernardo Bertolucci for The Last Emperor.
6. The number one US bestseller of the time was The Tommyknockers by Stephen King.
7. Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 
8. Supernova 1987A, the first "naked-eye" supernova since 1604, is observed. 
9. The Simpsons cartoon first appears on The Tracy Ullman Show. 
10. NASCAR driver Bill Elliott sets all time fastest lap at Talladega Superspeedway, with 212.8 miles per hour.
11. Guns N' Roses release their debut album, Appetite For Destruction. 
12. The video game of the day was The Legend of Zelda. 
13. MTV is launched in the US.
14. The AIDS pandemic begins.
15. Heavy Metal and Hard Rock bands are extremely popular. 
16. Gay rights become more widely accepted in the world.
17. The rise of Techno music begins. 
18. College Rock enters the scene with bands like the Pixies, REM and Sonic Youth. 
19. The Hip Hop scene continues to evolve. 
20. Teletext is introduced.  
21. Opposition to nuclear power plants grows. 
22. The A-Team and Seinfeld are popular on TV. 
23. US basketball player Michael Jordan bursts on the scene. 
24. Super Mario Bros, Zelda's Link, and Pac-Man gain fame in video games. 
25. People wear leggings, shoulder pads and Ray-Ban sunglasses. 
26. The song La Bamba by Los Lobos topped the US charts.
27. Aaron Carter, Joss Stone, and Tom Felton were born.

Tell me, where were you in 1987? What was the music on your radio? How old were you? 

Wordless Wednesday! Spring is here!

 Had our first spring like day on Sunday, so we jumped at the opportunity to get out of the house and go to the playground. Love learned how to cross the monkey bars by herself, and Babe proved that anything she could do he could do just as well and crossed the monkey bars by himself too. They made a few friends and got the much needed fresh air we've waited 4-5 months for!

Caught her mid-jump!

I want to be a billionaire so freakin bad...

What would you do with unlimited income? What if you had the ability to print your own legal money? Whatever you wanted for that day, just print out what you need and off you go, what would you do? Who would you help first? It's a great thing to fantasize about, it's even better if it were true.

"I have dreams like you, no really
Just much less touchy feely
They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny!
On an island that I own
Tanned and rested and alone
Surrounded by enormous piles of money!" 

First things first, I'd fund a research facility in every major city, in every country for Cancer research. I'd hire the best of the best and pay them billion-dollar-a-day incomes to get that shit handled. In the meanwhile, I'd pay for everyone to get the best treatment at the best places, so they have a better chance of being a survivor rather than a victim. Additionally, I'd supply medical staff and their families with unlimited income and make everyday medical care free for anyone who works 20 hours a week or goes to school.

Next priority, I would erase hunger for everyone around the world. I'd set up free groceries stores across the globe where all you'd have to pay is a voluntary charity donation for unlimited groceries. Additionally, those who are left homeless on the streets would be invited to stay at my homeless "hotels" where they could receive free medical treatment, hot showers and warm meals with the condition that they volunteer an hour of their time per week to help others out, as well as agree to talk to the free psychologist on staff once a week.

Now, I have taken care of the world's biggest problems, it's time to take care of my family and friends. I'd buy everyone a home, whichever house that they want, and pay their property taxes for the next 1000 years. I'd pay for their education expenses for the next ten generations. I'd set up vacation accounts for them to take up to 10 weeks vacation per year for the rest of their lives to the destinations of their choice. All outstanding debts they currently have would be paid of as well as additional money paid into utility, cable, phone, and internet bills. I'd pay for the furnishings of their houses and the weekly/monthly services to upkeep everything. They'd all have their own personal chefs, maids, butlers, landscapers, personal trainers and chauffeurs. They would wake up in the morning to their own stylists and closets full of the most beautiful clothes. 

Finally, there is me. I'd have all the above obviously, but I'd own a home in every city of every country, as well as a private jet to get there. I'd own my own cruise ship and pretty much live out the rest of my days traveling from place to place, meeting all the amazing people of the world who are all obviously so in love with me for saving the world. 

So in short, I'm the best candidate to be in control of the worlds money. Someone better get this legal money printer into my possession soon! Lives depend on it!

 Ok, ok, ok! I'm awake now! 

What would you do with an unlimited supply of moolah? Go!

My 25th post - The Liebster Award

Well, here goes nothing. Most of you know that there is this awesome Blog Award that goes around, called The Liebster Award. It is kinda a nice little boost to your day when you get it, So thank you to Karen over at Your Daily Dose of Damn! for the nomination!

The award goes as follows: I’m supposed to post 11 random facts about myself, answer the 11 questions Karen posted, nominate 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers, and create 11 new questions for the bloggers I pass the award onto, and go to their page and let em know they have to do it too. (yes they HAVE to do it, otherwise I'll send out my ninja penguin army and they will rue the day that they ignored such a high honor from me! Side note: what does rue mean?)

11 Facts:

1) I am writing out question one.
2) I just made you roll your eyes, or laugh.
3) I made you laugh.  
4) My son had a great first moment today - the first time is underestimated his "toot" - totally Sharted! 
5) My computer tower is on the floor at my feet and I just accidentally hit the button to open the CD rom tray thing with my toe, when it opened I felt it brush my ankle and jumped up thinking there was something under my desk. - I'm a little nuts.
6) I'm in a playful mood today, someone throw me a ball of yarn. :)
7) I am a very big animal lover, but we can't have any animals, not even fish, because someone has a giant bug up his tush.
8) I am no going to be babysitting anymore after March 15th, and I'm kinda sad and very worried I won't find a new job QUICK. (because then someone will have an even bigger bug up his tush)
9) seriously, I'm only on 9...I am skipping to 10
10) I am not going to write a fact for 11. :)
11) I lied in number 10. 

11 Questions:

1) When was the last time you were truly embarrassed?  I want the story.  

    When I was 22 or something to that effect, I had gone on a 2nd date with this guy to a ski resort. First, we went to pick up a ski outfit because I had to look the part, and I tripped and fell backwards over the line divider thingy ( you know tow poles and a nifty rope/belt thing in between) I pulled a whole row of em down with me. as if that wasn't bad enough, I wore a cute all white track suit kinda thing.On the drive up we stopped for a pee break and I slipped on a wet spot and slid down a muddy hill on my backside, it looked like I had a massive diarrhea incident and I think I scared a few people as I stood in the backroom sans pants - washing mud out in the sink. And to top it all off, I had a pretty bad accident coming down a huge hill we dared each other to try, I tore the ligaments in my knee and had to be carried on a board all the way down, while he walked beside the medics.

2) Have you ever had a Brazilian wax? 
No. I'll handle that area on my own thanks.
 
3) Let’s say you’re passive aggressive, like I am.  Pretend I’m the person you’d love to tell off, but never would to his/her face.  Let me have it. 
I....can't. I need to have motive, you haven't given me a proper reason to be pissed off at you...I don't want to mouth you off for the wrong reason!
 
4) Have you ever looked through someone’s phone without them knowing? 
No, I would NEVER do that...*looks around guiltily*

5) Toilet paper – over or under? 
Under - It looks neater.

6)What is your guilty pleasure? 
Lemoncello, Facebook, Candy Crush Saga

7)Name 3 blogs that you regularly read. 
The Crumb Diares - Curveballs, Crazy as Normal, and Monday's Nugget

8)The stupidest thing you did to impress a guy. 
Attempt skiing. see question 1.

9)If you were a superhero, what would your super power be? 
  Umm, seriously, don't you know I AM a superhero?!?! I'm a mom! Hello!

10)What would your superhero name be? 
  See question 9, "mom" "mama" "mommy" "mother" "ma"

11)Manscaping – Preferred?  Or not so much? 
Yes! Very Preferred, very much preferred.


  
11 8 Nominees  


Mom Gone Green

Princess Among Superheros

Perspective

Walking Talking Polly Pocket 

Epic Mommy Adventures

Through the Newlywed Lens

Healthy Life, Happy Life

A Momless Mom

11 New Questions:

1. What kind of people do you hate the most? 
2. If tomorrow you are made the President of your country for 1 day, what will you do 1st? 
3. Who is your favorite cartoon character and why?
4. If some wizard or witch appears and request you to ask 3 wishes, what will they be?
5. What is your fondest memory? 
6. Tell one thing you did in your childhood that you laugh at now and wouldn’t mind doing – if you could?
7. Who is your all time favourite author? 
8. What is your favorite candy?
9. Who has impacted on your life the most? 
10. Do you believe in miracles? Why? 
11. What would you rather not be caught doing – which you do, of course?

My First Wordless Wednesday!

I can't be entirely wordless though! LOL!

Thanks to Lana over @ Monday's Nugget for posting up this cute DIY blog which gave me a project for the day! :) I've been playing with the image on Pixlr.com all day! Now I can't wait until Love gets back from school so I can do one for her too! :)

Filter: Vignette & Poster Art

Filter: Vignette

 

Filter: Vignette & Tri Color

Filter: Vignette & Night Vision

Filter: Vignette & Kaleidoscope

 

Filter: Vignette & Hope

Keepsakes

A few weeks ago Hun asked me if I had kept any clothes from when the kids were babies. I hadn't, so he was disappointed because he had hoped to have something to remember how small Babe once was.
I get his point, sort of. Maybe one or two outfits from that first year would have been nice, but I hate clutter. I am constantly throwing stuff away and wondering why I keep it. I have photos and videos and I think that should be enough. I can keep all of those on the computer. Otherwise you end up with a house full of junk. I have saved their lovey's which they still enjoy, I might save them forever, if they are in decent condition. Other than that, I haven't saved anything at this point. Have I just thrown away the memories of their childhood? Am I the worst Mom ever?
Seriously, who needs to hold on to baby hair? I'm not that sentimental. Unless, if years from now scientist will be able to cure any disease just from the baby hair kept safely in the scrapbooks and memory boxes across the world, I see no other point.
What things have you kept for your kids? What traditional keepsakes do you find ridiculous?

I can explain...

Spring begins on Wednesday, 20 March 2013

15 days, 4 hours remain till 

The Official First Day of Spring

Well, we all most made it through winter without any serious illnesses. Almost. Every year between December and February, someone in my family gets seriously ill. An illness that typically results in at least an overnight hospital stay. The worst illness was my mom's ruptured brain aneurysm in 2010 which nearly took her life and had her in the hospital for a few months. The least concerning was a minor drug interaction for me last year, which could have been much worse, and warranted only a brief overnight stay.
 This time it is Babe. He started with a cold two Saturdays ago, when his sister brought it home from school. It was just a simple cold, although he was known for high fevers. Last Tuesday, he was started on a 3 day course of prednisone for the croup. By Thursday morning, he was bouncing back. Then Thursday night, he was lethargic again, Temp of 105 again, Coughing non-stop again. I called the pediatrician knowing it was after hours(9:30pm) knowing they wouldn't be able to do much other than tell me to put him in a steam shower, turn on the humidifier, Vicks Vapor Rub, Tylenol, Motrin, light clothing, plenty of fluids...like I haven't been a mom for 6 winters, like I haven't committed this to memory at this point!
 I was hoping there was something in the visit notes from Tuesday which stated an Antibiotic may be needed, but no. Same old schpiel, call back tomorrow morning for an appointment. Fine.
I called on Friday, I was told the same exact thing from the night before, as long as he can breath he'll be fine no appointment needed. I gave up. I was battling a cold too, and Daddy agreed that maybe just pump him full of Tylenol/Motrin, Benedryl and all natural cough stuff, maybe it'll get better. That was Friday.
Today, I had an appointment set up for my doctor at 9am. I have a little bronchitis, nothing to worry about. I asked her if she thought I should call the doctor again for Babe, he was still fighting a fever and his cough was almost non stop. I was hoping that she'd say she'd take a look at him because she is a great doctor, but I knew it was better he'd see his own doctor. She did highly recommended calling the doctor though. So, I got out of her office at 9:45am, called for an appointment for him but they didn't have one available until tonight. I look in the rear view mirror and his face is getting pale, his lips are turning blue, this is more than just a bad coughing fit.
I turn into Sally Field in Steel Magnolias and tell the woman on the phone, "I am bringing him in NOW! Either you will see him now, or I will meet one of the doctors at the ER." She schedules him in for 10:45, (she obviously didn't understand when I said NOW!) I got there at 10:00. His eyes were rolling in back of his head, he was limp in my arms. They rushed us back and gave him a quick nebulizer treatment. His fever was back up to 104 and he started shaking in my arms.
I have never felt so helpless in my life. I've had asthma attacks before, I know how much they suck, but never realized how much they suck as a parent of a child having one. I could do nothing but sit there with him on my lap rocking him as I held the nebulizer mask on his face. The doctor and nurses are fluttering here and there, calling radiology for a chest x-ray, calling in the antibiotics I asked for 4 days prior. His color started to return, although he was still out of it. Off we went for the Chest X-ray and sure enough, he has Pneumonia.
Thankfully, we avoided the hospital. A round of strong antibiotics, and at home nebby treatments should kick this out. Meanwhile, I have all the upstairs windows open for the afternoon, washing all the sheets and spraying our house down with Lysol in hopes to keep these germs away. 

2 more weeks, 1 more day, and 4 hours until spring...

Losing my religion

I was about 12, maybe 13, when I started to question the validity of the religion I had been taught. I couldn't fathom some huge figure in the sky controlling the way the world moves, damning me to hell for lying to my parents or "borrowing without the intent to return" my sister's clothes, unless I go into a box and tell my sins to a priest. God would forgive me right? I know, I know, that's not how it works.

I began to research different religions and different theories on creationism, to find what did fit my beliefs. I tried my hand in Wicca and Paganism, found it to be all a bit nonsensical, but took from it some beliefs that were similar to my catholic background. I researched into Taoism, Hinduism, and Buddism. While I felt more connected to Taoism, I still couldn't commit myself to the religious practices them self. I concluded that organized religion is just not for me.

Religion stemmed from the questioning of how we got here and where do we go when we die. People needed to find comfort that their loved ones weren't gone forever, but just continuing to be in a different form, or a different place. People needed answers, stories were told, and those people chose to believe them, much like children believe in the tooth fairy or Santa Claus.

Do I believe in Santa Claus? No - I am "Santa Claus" I know how it all works. Yet, Do I still feel excited on Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning? Do I still fill up with the spirit of the season Beginning November 1st? Yes. Because Santa isn't a person, it's a concept. It is love. Giving to others, treating others kindly, helping the needy.

As is the same with those who say they feel Jesus alive in their hearts. They are filled with love, they feel blessed, they are thankful for the day, and they need to spread the word. I have felt that, I have felt connected to some "energy source" with in my own body, but I still can not say "yes, I do believe" and I don't know why.

My biggest hang up is that if I say that this "energy source" has a name, like The Goddess, God, or Jesus, I am committing myself to the religion of that name. That religion which has rules and rituals that I am not comfortable with. That religion which uses it's beliefs and teachings to put shame on to people who are different than them. Religion to me, is a clique, the popular club to belong to. Religion should be embracing everyone, connecting together to bring positive forces in the world, not the negative ones the religions of today's world are spewing out to eachother! I can not stand for a religion which teaches of an all loving God, yet allows hatred of a certain race, ethnic background, sexual preference, or anything  of that nature in His name.

The hardest thing I have to do as a parent is teach my children a religion which I don't agree with. Love has asked me numerous times about God and Heaven. I don't want to fill her head with all these beliefs, but I also don't want my lack of faith to stop her from finding her own way. So we have enrolled her in religious ed classes for next year. Here is hoping she finds her own path.

What are your beliefs? Do you have a mixed religion family and find it hard to teach your children one over the other?