QOTD Thursday

I saw this on a friends FB so I snagged it 

OK confession time!!! Post one thing that would mildly embarrass you that would surprise most of your friends (good for the soul!)

‎30 Day Song Challenge day 09 - a song that you can dance to

 I don't dance often in public... well never since i don't go to bars or clubs anymore. But I rarely even dance around the house (unless I am playing Just Dance) or by myself doing housework. Rick wished I would. I guess Nelly Furtado makes me move the most. I can't help it sometimes when I am listening to her and (Timbaland)




The 30 Day Song Challenge is Hosted Here...
Day 1 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here. 
Day 2 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here
Day 3 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here 
Day 4 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here
Day 5 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here
Day 6 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here
Day 7 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here
Day 8 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here

Wednesday QOTD

You know you are an Military Wife when _____.

Day 8 A Song you know all the Lyrics too

So I ask Rick when I can't pick the song for the day and he usually gives me a very generic answer... Day 8 was no exception. What song don't you know the lyrics too? He replied. Okay I am tone deaf and Simon Cowell's worst nightmare but I do sing when I love a song. I sing in church till I start my yawning thing. When I was pregnant it got real shitty. Anyways I chose for Day 8 No Doubt Don't Speak. In 2001 when I lived in Douglasville I would go to Peckerhead's and sing Karaoke and this was my go to song if I wasn't with my normal group. It was lots of fun and I like this song a lot. Its back to my Cali girl blood! 




The 30 Day Song Challenge is Hosted Here...
Day 1 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here. 
Day 2 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here
Day 3 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here 
Day 4 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here
Day 5 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here
Day 6 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here
Day 7 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here

Monday/Tuesday QOTD

Do You Ever Wish You Could Get a Baby Naming Do-Over?

Cats On Tuesday

Tinker Bell will be 4 years old April 17th

Lightening.

Mittens is 7 years old

Peanut is 1ish

My cats Mittens in particular is hard to photograph. Mittens has anxiety for whatever reason. She doesn't stop moving unless she is hiding. When she knows she is going to get petted or scratched she is all over me though. Purring up a storm. I can't get her to sit or lay down. She is scared of the orange "flash ready" light my camera gives off. Or is it a shutter light.. I don't know. As soon as I hit that shutter button she turns her head away from the light and the flash hasn't even gone off yet. So I guess I need to do some more work with her and know how to use my camera better so I can capture at least one good picture of her. The other two are laid back and don't care lol. Do you take pictures of your animals? What are some tips and tricks you know?

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

I am going to go ahead and fess up. I am not a crunchy mama. I don't use all organic or anything like that. I even let my kids have snacks and eat McDonald's on occasion. We don't eat there very often because we prefer Chick Fil A and Whataburger. They use fresh ingredients. But Rick and I do need to loose weight. I have Thyroid problems and he has Thyroid and Cholesterol problems. So I have been looking on Sparkpeople for healthy recipes and other places. I am not a cook at heart. I can follow a recipe (most of the time). I don't like too many fried foods or fattening stuff. But Rick and James are picky eaters who will eat Hamburger Helper. I can't touch the stuff I see the grease and fat YUCK!

I am a veggie and fruit eater. I will eat almost every one you put around me. Last night we had Garlic Chicken. It has Carrots and the Carrots were so full of flavor now I am craving them! I hope there is left overs for lunch!

So if you have any fairly simple, easy and cheaper healthy meals to share I would love to try them...

No Mom Talk Monday ~ Communication Devices

Lets talk about communication and how its come to be...

Who uses email, Instant Messenger, Black Berry Messenger, Social Networking Sites, or Text Messaging?

I use everything but BBM (only because I don't have a Blackberry LOL)

Do you think Email has replaced REAL letter writing? When is the last time you wrote a letter? Sent an actual Thank You Note vs an email... even worse an informal email? What about E-vites vs Invites?

I am actually shocked as I am typing this that my spelling checker is triggering these electronic things that we use everyday. 

So what do you do when someone doesn't respond to your phone call? Do you leave a voice mail? Send a Text Message, or Instant Message? Or something else?

I had a friend that when I didn't answer my home number she would call my cell and then Rick's... then blow up my phone with text messages. Maybe I didn't answer my phone because I just didn't want to talk? Its not like what she had to say was life or death! When I moved I ended up never giving her my home number. Honestly though I never really answer my home phone and I screen the calls because 99% of them are for someone I don't know that seems to LIVE using my phone number for everything. I have even had people tell me I need to be home because they need to serve court papers to this person... that I don't know... that never EVER lived at this address. So lets get with it people its the 21st century... Phone numbers don't come with addresses.... they don't directly relate. Every time I move I can change my number.... So don't assume Natasha Gillespie lives here or her cousin Johnny and her sister...

So I get those calls all day long until 9 pm... Its a pain in the butt!

So what makes it okay to blow up someone's cell phone? Lets talk about etiquette..

Ok I get certain Instant Message to Cell phone providers only limit the amount of Texts to phone... But TRY to finish your thought in that amount of words (1)... Don't ask me one question before you ask me another (2) I am working on a response and you will freeze my phone... my high tech smart phone freezes.... okay that's BAD! Okay... so you freeze my phone and I have to restart it... then my text message program has to go through its issue of being in shock (LOL) and your bombing my cell phone before I can even access my menu for text messages and your saying... Hello? Are you there? Why didn't you respond? Hello? Well I guess your too busy to talk.... BYE... Okay I have told these people hey don't talk so fast your freezing my phone (even when I had an older simpler not so smart phone it was just as bad if not worse!) So don't be getting freaking rude because your keyboard on your computer you can type faster than I can AND your freezing my freaking phone. I can't respond if I am reading. So please remember when your on your keyboard I am on either my touch screen if I only have one hand free or a keyboard smaller than my fist... 

Conversations go like this 

**Them** What are you doing? **Me** I am shopping. **them** What are you buying? **Me** insert eye roll.... like I want to type my grocery list on my tiny keyboard... all awhile Rick is yelling at me for texting!

So lets talk Texting/Instant Message etiquette...

Ok first of all I am a mom I totally get pulled away from my computer because the frequency of hearing MOMMMMMMMM from three rooms away following a *crash* *bang*.... I am NOT going to respond to the last IM until I have the situation under control... NO I am not stopping to put my away message up either... But unless on the rare occasion I can't come back to my computer... I won't leave you hanging for a hour. 

Secondly I do occasionally leave my instant messengers on if I am in a hurry or something or they come on *shock* by themselves. I don't have a whole lot of people Instant Message me soooo I shouldn't come home to a million different people. My Facebook Instant Messenger STAYS off... I don't like to talk to strangers and there are.... some strangers on my page. I don't like Instant Messengers that are attached to webpages anyways. I just don't like it... 

Ok so those are my disclaimers...

When you IM me especially if it goes to my phone...

I regret giving you my number

KNOCK BEFORE YOU ENTER. Why don't we try to say. Hey are you busy? Are you available? I might just tell you I am busy... If I do... then just say okay talk to you later... It drives Rick CRAZY when we are having a family weekend and someone is bored at home because they don't go out on the weekends like we do and your bugging me.

Oh and I just might be at church where I turn my phone down low... I am NOT going to respond during church unless its an emergency.

BE BRIEF okay so the article on PCworld.com says to treat an IM/Text like a post card... get to the point etc. If you have more to say write an email or just call. Okay so its usually EASIER for me to Text/IM instead of talking on the phone because I always have a kid screaming at me. William is very tech savy and if he see's me on the phone he is going to want to talk to Daddy. So as for me I don't mind carrying on a conversation in an instant message and sometimes text but I MIGHT be busy... so inquire first... be polite if it takes me a minute to answer... Your texting or IMing my PHONE... 

KEEP IT CASUAL Electronic Communication isn't a replacement for Face to Face in Person Communication. If you need to say it... say it to their face. If its important or life changing. Don't be rude in general... Your a guest interrupting their real life remember you burn that bridge you might not be invited back. Lately I have people say the rudest things to me. I think did you really just say that? Are you trippin? Is there something mentally WRONG with you? 

Some people just need to stick to the How's the Weather? conversations... 

AVOID SLOPPY WRITING 

I got this in my inbox a few weeks ago on Facebook

hey im new to0o da army life.. n ii will b marrying my hunnybun next week.. n iii want to0o try n learn new things so if u dont miind can u help.. or give some ideas

Don't talk to me using this bad English.. Okay I admit I am bad about using jargon and short hand but I am not so bad that its every other word. I am not so lazy that I don't try to at least spell every word out and use the correct spelling in grammar. You won't see from me " How U B?" I type things out in my communications 99.9% of the time so it may take a little longer in response and I just generally don't tolerate Typo hell especially if your doing it on purpose... Ignorance is bliss so go live in it and leave me a long.

AWAY When my away message is up or its showing me offline.. Then you can leave me a message and say hey get back to me when you can (IF it goes to my phone then you might be lucky and respond with What's Up?) If I don't answer with my away message up its because I am AWAY from my keyboard, I am NOT at my computer, or I just don't want to talk to you.

Don't have a conversation with my away message. I will get back to you when I can. If I don't respond the the possibility is there you just don't SEE my away message. Its technology not perfection. If I don't respond to your text. Maybe I didn't get it but that could also mean I am driving. Don't text and drive.... It could mean I am busy, in the can, I don't have my phone attached to my butt, I am at the doctor, or I just don't want to talk to you ... Please try again later. Yes it is possible I have a life that doesn't involve your blessed presence. As I said before there are times when I forget to turn it on or its not working or I stepped away for what I thought would be a few seconds and it turned into 30... so it happens but on to my last point....

If you forget, don't use, don't know how to use, or just generally don't have the politeness to say goodbye....pfft!

So do you have one of those people that are in the middle of a conversation and they disappear? Not for like 10 minutes but for like an hour or longer? So your just going in your best cartoon voice over "Where did they go? Where did they go George?"

Or one of those people who seem to only want to talk when they want something or your busy and they interrupt what real life you have and then they disappear?

On one hand your relieved that they are out of your hair then you get annoyed they took that time away from you.

So I ask... How long do you wait after a break in conversation to resume whatever you were doing before hand? Or are you sitting there praying that whomever has left the keyboard will come back and remember they were in the middle of a conversation with you?

day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event

‎30 Day Song Challenge day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event Scorpions Wind of Change was playing as we were driving to my Grand Fathers Burial. As I stared out of the car window on to the interstate and the line of cars that we follow and that followed us reflecting on everything that was said about my favorite person that day. Just remembering that everything was about to change


The 30 Day Song Challenge is Hosted Here...
Day 1 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here. 
Day 2 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here
Day 3 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here 
Day 4 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here
Day 5 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here
Day 6 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here

Military Monday & Pray for Me Monday

My adopted father was in the Air Force, My biological father was in the Navy, My grandfather a STRONG Marine. My sister also an Air Woman.

I come from a proud Military family but never did I face a deployment, death, or the truth and evil of war until I lived in Calhoun, GA. Thanksgiving week (Not sure the day) was my friend's daughter Cari's birthday at the art studio and from the Party I had to leave Calhoun and head to Adairsville for my sisters Annual Thanksgiving feast she always made for her friends. It was a huge spread. As we passed through the streets of Calhoun. They came out in numbers. So many people there with American Flags, Banners, Posters, Yellow ribbons welcoming home Cody. A fallen Marine very young like 18/19 years old. Killed by friendly fire in the back of the head. So much love from my community. I didn't know Cody but my co-workers did. 

Then I became friends with my future husband and as he talked of a pending deployment it struck me down hard. So hard I couldn't shake it. My brother in law had deployed years earlier with the Air Force, Another brother in law in the Navy. That didn't rattle me as much or at least not the same way. This was different. I was starting to care for Rick. I couldn't express to him my fears either. I expressed them to my then boyfriend Donnie. I never shook that fear and eventually Rick and I started talking about meeting, and having plans. It got serious and serious fast. A few months after we married we were getting ready for a first huge event. I was checking my old Alumni's website on Myspace and I read a friend from High School was killed in Iraq. I knew Blake.. we weren't close friends but we were friends. At least we were in High School. I was kind of a ROTC groupie, as my mom wouldn't let me join so I just kinda watched from the side lines. After high school I imagined a few would move on to the military as my sister did and as I TRIED to do. I tried to join the Air Force, Army, Navy... I am not suitable as a Marine I knew that but apparently not suitable for the other branches as much either. Days after Rick and I were married his oldest son went and left for BCT (Boot Camp)... fears of him ending up just like Cody struck me cold. It was hard for me to let him go. It was his choice and I barely knew the kid other than his heart and how big it was. Rick was shaking as if we watched Alex transform from a boy riding a bike to a man wearing a uniform carrying a weapon to defend his country. Then I had to watch my husband walk away from me the same way just a few months later. We survived our first deployment married. I got him home safe. Then a matter of months later Alex would deploy overseas. That deployment was terrifying, and very emotional for us. I had to face a lot of my fears that I kept to myself. I couldn't share out of making Rick have more fears than he needed. Thankfully someone watched over Alex and he is home for good and safe and sound. So many of our children don't come home safe. So many of our fiancées and husbands don't come home safe. Its unfair but I believe in the work the military does.

I honor and show gratitude for all Veterans and all the Fallen. I try to support Military Families and do whatever I can.

I have a friend who is a photographer for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. I look at her beautiful work and I can't imagine the emotions that she goes through or any of the emotions the families go through. I give my Soldiers (when I can) an extra hug and I send warm thoughts to my Mackenzie and squeeze Skylar & William a little extra tighter. 

A Soldier,Airman, Marine Seaman, Gave his life so mine didn't have to. Thank you for watching their backs!

I have angels watching over Alex, James, Mackenzie, Skylar and William so I can keep them just another day longer on this earth and I don't have to let them go. I am so grateful for that.

So please pray for me that I remember how important it is to be there still for the Military. Please pray for me if William or Skylar choose to follow in the family foot steps that someone protect them. Please pray for all our work overseas Missions and Military that enough peace will come soon so we can carry on and not let these men and women die in vain. Please pray for the families at Ft Bragg they have been loosing an unreal amount of children. Death is forever a circle of life but no Parent should have to bury their children or say good bye in a cruel way. No Wife should have to loose a husband to war. Please pray for me and for them.

Boy Reveals Jesus in Every Book of the Bible

Boy Reveals Jesus in Every Book of the Bible

‎30 Day Song Challenge day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere

‎30 Day Song Challenge day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere~ I was born in California and lived there off and on until I was ten. So living there in the 80's this song takes me back.


The 30 Day Song Challenge is Hosted Here...
Day 1 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here. 
Day 2 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here
Day 3 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here 
Day 4 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here
Day 5 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here

Amazing Story

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Friday QOTD

Are you or your child allergic to Peanuts or other food allergies? How do you deal with them? Are parents right in asking that a kid with a food allergy removed from public school because its just too dangerous? I know my daughters school has food rules. I can't send her to school with PB& J or any kind of cupcake for her Birthday because of Food Allergies. The rules are strict in standard for the protection of the children. Read the article and share your thoughts.






Parents want child with peanut allergy removed from school

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?entry_id=85498#ixzz1HiBei6fF

30 Day Song Challenge ~ day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone

day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone

Jordin Sparks ~ Tattoo.

is a song I dedicate to those in my past because good or bad without you in my past I couldn't be the me I am today and will be in the future. To me every person has a song so to choose one song that reminds me of a person would be hard. If I listen to a song I think of a person. event, place, thing, so every person has an inner song in their heart that instantly takes me back to them or that place and thing when the song was playing or the lyrics remind me of their story.

The 30 Day Song Challenge is Hosted Here...
Day 1 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here. 
Day 2 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here
Day 3 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here 
Day 4 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here

Speech and Language Developmental Milestones [NIDCD Health Information]

Speech and Language Developmental Milestones [NIDCD Health Information]

30 Day Song Challenge ~day 04 - a song that makes you sad

day 04 - a song that makes you sad. My first husband died too young. When I worked at the shoe store a girl that worked there.. had an emergency she had to get to... her best friends two year old died stricken with Meningitis that the hospital in Calhoun missed. This is my song to that little man I never met. Just hearing about how his mom dealt with the tragedy and I can't imagine how her and other moms heart break when loosing their babies. How a military wives heart breaks when the people in the dark cars and uniforms comes to the door. That IS like the movies.

• /Martina McBride - Concrete Angel  Martina McBride always moves me to tears whether it be happy tears, sad tears, or just tears of release or mixture of the two emotions. Concrete Angel is about an abused little girl. 
• Kenny Chesney - Who You'd Be Today
• Carrie Underwood - Just A Dream Is about the dreams of a girl in love with a Marine. Marine was killed in war. My husband was deployed when I heard this song and it set in panic and sadness. The Gold Star Wives/Girlfriends/Fiances/Moms are my heroes... I have been a widow before but not by war.
• Kellie Pickler - I Wonder  This is Kellie Picklers Story about her mother.
• Crystal Bowersox - Farmer's Daughter This is Crystal Bowersox's story about her mother and the abuse and neglect. 
• Pink - Fuckin' Perfect  
• Avril Lavigne - When You're Gone
• Simple Plan - Perfect
• The Offspring - Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?
• Evanescence - My Immortal
• Big & Rich - Holy Water
• Tears In Heaven - Eric Clapton
• The Bee Gees- I've Gotta Get a Message to You
• Christina Aguilera - Hurt
• Dixie Chicks Traveling Soldier
• Brad Paisley;Alison Krauss - Whiskey Lullaby
• Hurt by Nine inch Nails and Johnny Cash
• Christmas Shoes - New Song
• Building 429 - Always
• John Michael Montgomery The Little Girl
• Tim Mcgraw - Don't Take the Girl
• Sarah's Poem Its not a song its a poem but I thought it was necessary here.

The 30 Day Song Challenge is Hosted Here...
Day 1 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here. 
Day 2 of the 30 Day Song Challenge is Here
Day 3 of the 30 day song Challenge is Here