Wonderful Song

How can a song teach you to appreciate your life even more?

I saw him on Oprah and practically squeezed the life out of Carter with a big fat hug!

Look at the Big Boy!

Finally we have freedom from the baby carrier!

I never realized how heavy that carrier would be once Carter started getting bigger, and I am not a big person either. At just over 5 feet tall it was hard if not impossible to see over the carrier when it was in a shopping cart. And then there is the added stress of the carrier not fitting in all carts, for example his carrier would fit fine in the top section of the Target carts, but it wouldn't fit in the Wal-mart carts, so I would have to put the carrier in the bottom part which would inhibit how much grocery shopping I could actually do because half the cart was now full of carrier and baby.

So officially yesterday we graduated to riding in the cart without the carrier! I was worried how he would do since he barely started sitting on his own and he still tumbles over from time to time, but the little seatbelt held him nicely. I did have one of those cloth covers and this one actually has it's own strap that you can strap to the cart and also has toys attached which helped keep a teething baby occupied. Now towards the end we started to have a meltdown as he got tired of holding himself up, but all in all I would call it a success!

My Vlog Challenge...

Thanks to Tim over at Fort Thompson I was challenged to create a VLOG I didn't realize how hard it would be to get in front of the camera and talk about my challenges this week, I kind of copped out by bringing in the baby! :) I was going to get dressed and fix my hair, put in my contacts the whole nine yards...but this way you get the real me...the stay at home mom who lives in Pjs and ponytails Enjoy...

My dear sweet cat is...EVIL!

I should start this story by letting you know that I get freaked out by little bugs...so anything dead...forget about it!

My cat uses the doggy door and goes in and out freely, it was not my choice, but he found the door and quite frankly not having to deal with a litter box is nice. I was feeding the baby and he comes in and I noticed it looked like he had something...turns out it was a dead bird! Not a tiny bird either...a dove! It's head was floppy so I know it was dead...whether or not he killed it I have no idea. I tried to scare him back outside but he wouldn't budge! He was just sitting there making the most awful sound like a loud purr with a soft bark at the end. Finally he took it back outside and started eating it. So I am pretty much sure that he will catch some horrible disease and I don't even want to let him back in the house (even though I will). Ew...I will never look at my sweet little cat the same! At least my dear husband didn't get a call to come home for an emergency dead bird removal!

Where you born in a barn and raised by a pig?

I am so sick of hearing about the "swine flu" and people's stupid questions regarding it. Seriously it is quite simple

1. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze
2. Wash your hands...and this doesn't mean a quick rinse...wash with soap and water for 20 seconds! Sing the "happy birthday" song and THAT is how long you should be washing your hands. And not just against the Swine Flu...people that is gross if you leave the bathroom without sudsing up!
3. If someone is hacking and sneezing around you make your distance
4. If you are sick STAY HOME and DO NOT go the the Dr/ER call them to find out if they WANT you in their office possibly infecting more people
5. Keep your hands out of your mouth, nose, and eyes...that is how the virus on your hands enters your body.
6. You CAN eat pork...it has NOTHING to do with the meat.
7. If you get the Swine Flu you are NOT going to die...most people have had mild flu symptoms
8. You do NOT have to stay locked up in your house and cut yourself off from the entire world...just follow the guidelines above

The sad thing is that people have to be TOLD to do things like "wash your hands" and "cover your mouth" when these are simple things that we should be doing regardless of any outbreak of disease. Maybe this whole thing will will cause good basic behaviors that we were all taught as children to become a habit and hopefully we will see less people leaving the bathroom stall to walk past the sink and straight out the door...EW!

The Frightening Truth About the Internet

So I am sure we have all had those times where we felt that we have looked one too many times at someone's profile or updates. Be it on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or any number of social networking sites. New sites seem to be popping up faster than you can "update your status" on the first.

The question comes to me now and then...who might be "cyberstalking" me?

We put out all of this personal information to keep in touch with friends and family and maybe even connect with a few strangers, but what about the people who are lurking on our profiles with no good intentions?

I heard the other day that child pornographers have been busted with children's photos even as young as infants and toddlers that were downloaded from the internet for their sexual pleasure. Just the thought of some total creep saving a photo of my innocent 5 month old for anything other than thinking he is adorable gives me chills.

With our entire lives posted on the internet for all to see do we really stop to think about who might be accesssing it?

So the Economy sucks...SO WHAT?!

I know that everyone has problems and issues in their life especially with the highest unemployment and foreclosure rate that seems to still be climbing. I feel that we have no one to blame (ie. presidents past or present) but ourselves. We got ourselves into this mess both personal and business. Our parents and grandparents didn't have as much access to a little devil we call "credit". Growing up in "The O.C." also known as beautiful sunny Orange County California I know all about having bigger and better than your neighbor even though neither of you could really afford what you had even before you wanted to upgrade.

Everyone is so maxed out and "house broke" or "car broke" because there is never enough actual money so they borrow and borrow and then borrow to pay off the borrowed money. I am not exempt from this so I am no Suze Orman telling you what you should and shouldn't do, I am in the same broke boat as everyone else wondering how in the hell I will ever be free from those creditors that helped me get lots of "stuff".

I think this whole recession is going to be great for America in the long run...after all what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger right?! I DO NOT believe we are dead yet. I also don't beleive we have hit the bottom yet, but once we do get there we can only move upwards.

So we have two choices...wallow in our sorrows about how broke we are and blame everyone under the sun for it being their "fault" or we can look at what is really important to us. I just had a baby boy and he has taught me more in his 5 months of life than I ever knew before. Not only did he fight for his life within his first week battling open heart surgery to repair a Congenital Heart Defect, but it also made me see what really matters.

You can take away the money, the gadgets, the "extras", but you can't take away that baby's love...everytime he looks at me. He doesn't know what kind of car we have or how much his toys cost, or even how many inches that big screen TV is in our living room. All he knows is that he is loved and happy to have that love.

I look at it this way, stressing about the situation is NOT going to solve anything, it is only going to make things harder and make you more miserable. Secondly, you cannot change the past so don't have regrets about it, you can only live your life from today on. Also don't focus on what you don't have look at what you DO have, because I can guarantee there is someone out there who is in a worse boat than yours, and maybe they need YOUR support.

This is a time to focus on family and relationships more than money and "stuff" because guess what...you will be remembered for the impact you have made on people...not by what kind of car you drove or how much money was in your wallet when you passed. Use this time to give what you have to others whether that be a hug, a listening ear, or maybe a shoulder to cry on, but know that by helping someone else you are helping yourself.

Stay positive...there are brighter days coming America!