What would you do?

If you came home at 6:00 in the morning and your kids were playing in the street ALONE (1 and 2 years old) Well that is what happened to me a couple days ago.... I had a babysitter watching them from 5:20 am to a little after 6:00am. The babysitter was sleeping when I went inside and my oldest son (2 and a half) had gone upstairs and gotten my youngest out of his bed (i know because the light was on and the door was open which my one year old can not do. Also the babygates were all torn down (all 3 of them) which only my oldest can do went down to the garage opened the door (which is really loud) and went outside. They also freak out when they wake up so i know they were crying. How the babysitter did not wake up to any of that is beyond me!
Well needless to say i was TERRIFIED! they could have been hit by a car, abducted, CPS could have been called.
I went and talked to my neighbors and asked if they saw them outside and one said he left for work at 6am and they were not out there at that time so it had to of only been a few minutes that they were out there but that is still scary that she didnt hear it and things can happen in the blink of an eye!

Kids Say The Darndest Things

My oldest son says the funniest thins! he is 2 and a half and the things that come out of his mind shock me everyday! we were praying at the dinner table and for the first time he wanted to pray without help. he starts "Dear Beasty Jesus, family, friend, baby Liam, food, AMEN!" oh my gosh i was cracking up! First of all i dont say "dear baby Jesus" when i start i just say "dear Jesus" and second BEASTY is that what he thinks they are saying at church? haha oh my gosh i couldnt stop laughing! everything has been a "beast" lately, and they are not a scary thing for him so i dont know what they are to him.
Also he started saying Crap and Damn it! UHOH! I when we are driving a person in another car does something dumb he says "FRICKIT CAR!" thats all on daddy! but oh gosh kids repeat EVERYTHING! i have to watch my damn it's and daddy needs to watch most everything he says! lol
do you have any funny stories about your kids and things they say!?

Dont trust the protectors!

Seriously get out of the military if you don't care. the country is counting on you to be there and do your job to protect us! show up and do the job asked of you! I hate that people are just coming to the musters when they feel like it, not showing up for duty, getting out of everything they can, and are just acting lazy! It is not a free ride to go to school and then you don't owe them anything. You knew the military meant work. Those fools are bringing all of the people who want to be there down and are doing their work, like my husband! He is sitting in the galley eating because we were supposed to go to breakfast and then church but instead the SAME idiots didn't show up so now they have to muster every hour until they do. Fat chance... one guy leaves for 29 days then shows up on the 29th day because on the 30th day of being UA he would be kicked out. He just strolls back on like he owns the place on the 29th day. I am so sick of the lack of honor courage and commitment! Is this what our country has become? A bunch of self absorbed people who care nothing for the good of mankind. I know there are MANY amazing men and women in the military fighting for us and taking on tasks they have never even dreamed they would have to do. These kids have never been on a tour they don't know what hard work is. if they its hard to show up they don't know what they got themselves into. people are getting kicked out of this TRAINING COMMAND! every day by the bunches for things from not showing up, to underage drinking/ providing to underage kids, to rape! I hear about it DAILY! It seriously makes me sick to my stomach!!! Think about all of the men and women who actual did something were in the battles and risked/lost their lives!!! Do you think your a hero for making it through boot camp? no that does not make you a hero. You are a hero for doing your jobs and going above and beyond, taking your job seriously, and being willing to put it all on the line. Get your butts in gear and start being the heros you should be!

leashes for children

I have one for my son. If i didn't then there would be no way i could let him out of his stroller anywhere. He twists all around if i try to hold his hand and i am afraid of dislocating his arm, he wont let me hold him, he runs off to whatever catches his attention and he is an adorable blond hair blue eye boy who loves talking to everyone and that scares me to death. I just feel so bad when people i don't even know come up to me and tell me how wrong it is to have him on his leash (which is the monkey one and he LOVES wearing it) He sees it and starts putting it on and hands me the "tail."
I know not every child needs one some like to stay with you and are shy and or cautious. If you child is like that you are lucky but mine is a little lightning bolt, and we all know those are fast and never strike the same place twice!
What do you think of children's leashes... cruel punishment or a useful safety feature?

Blended Families part one

It is so hurtful to the children when you divide them and look at them in levels. I was on the receiving end of negativity on my fathers side. He remarried this woman who I used to adore! She was nice and charming and had this daughter who soon became one of my best friends. I would come home to my mothers house and tell her all of the wonderful things she did with us and the great times we had having family dinners and family outings and playing board games. Soon the division started...
her daughter (who I never disliked through this we remained friends outside of their house) became obviously favored in that house. She lived there half the time and my brother and I were there every other weekend. My dad isn't one to start things or say that we should go out to the park or the movies or spend time together, he is a nice guy too and relies on other people to tell him what he wants to do. I think it rubbed off a little on me.
Christmas was always hard on me as a child, the presents were very obviously piled higher for one child. (by the way my sister is only 1 month older than I am) It really wasn't about the fact that I received less it was the obvious favoritism towards her. During the weekends I was there i would love spending time with my sis, her mother would get jealous and send me to my room to play away from her while she spent "mother daughter" time with her. She did get her other days too. This happened most weekends. I felt very alone in that house yet to try to bond more with my dad I moved in for a school year, BIG MISTAKE! It got worse and worse even though the excuse that she is there "half of the time" was no longer there the same things kept going on. I felt very ignored, my father (i believe escaping from life) watched a lot of TV and was very distant from me.
EVERY thing i did seamed to be wrong so i avoided things even more. One day i couldnt get a hold of anyone to pick me up from school not knowing it was a half day on Wednesdays and walked home, I knew the combo to the garage so i was able to get into the house (we lived less then 1/2 a mile from the school and other kids were walking too) I got in huge trouble because someone could have kidnapped me (i am 13 at the time) and i could have been killed. 2 DAYS later my step mom told me it would be easier if from then on I could walk to and from school. WOW! I still haven't gotten over the irony of it.
I decided to move out of that house the end of the school year and after that my father and I went about 3 years barely talking, I hardly went over to their house anymore maybe once every couple of months to see my sister who was born when I was 10 from my step mom and dad. The reason for this was because they said that I was no longer welcome in that house! It was the saddest thing to hear as a 13 year old girl.
Another Christmas I do not remember what year I went to my step mom's families Christmas party and my step sister did not go with us. When we were opening present guess who had NONE in front of her "I did not know you were coming" was the excuse yet my sister had many sitting waiting for her, y biological brother received a few (a fifty dollar mall gift card and some clothes) I sat there pretending to feel included in the family.
My mothers family did the whole blending thing PERFECTLY! They included my step brother and sister with open arms (after they got used to the fact my mom remarried lol they loved my dad) Christmas is always fun and warm and we all feel like a family! Everyone was included the the annual grandchildren Christmas party my grandmother throws! Everyone is open and talks and laughs and eats. We feel together. I just wish i could feel like that with my father.
I have tried several times to tell them how I felt growing up and how unincluded and alone I felt and they just don't understand! I am sorry big venting blog here! but there is much more to type on the matter but if you have a blended family make all of the children equal and included. Set time apart to get to know your step children and let your family know how much they mean to you and that they are your family! The people and things your spouse cares about are things and people you care about! They are human beings with emotions and lives that will live on past the time they are with you but the way your family is shapes them and their futures! I have a feeling a few more blogs like this will be to come! Sorry if it is irrelevant to you, but if not please listen, think about the hearts of those children and how you would feel in that situation, how alone it already is as a child and how you can make the awkward stages go by so much easier. You don't want to push your spouses children away from their mother or father! It isn't right or fare!
Thank you

Peer Pressure

Why do people feel the need to get people to do things they don't want to do. Is it the need to prove that you can make someone do it. Sometimes you get something out of it like pressuring someone to go further then they wanted to physically or getting someone to let you cheat off of their homework or test, but do you really feel good about it? What about getting someone to drink when they don't want to or smoking or driving faster, just getting people to do stupid things they don't want to do? Do you get a sense of self worth for this?
People, don't give into this! You are a stronger (MUCH STRONGER) and smarter person for sticking to what you think and know is right. Stay true to your morals and values. You have the right to choose for yourself on what is ok and not ok for YOU to do. Do not stoop to their level. You show you are a better person then them. Also it is much more fun to watch drunk people then it is to be drunk! Especially the next morning :)
So come on use the space between your ears!

Should all jobs allow men to take paternity leave

I believe so. It is very difficult as a new mom, in pain and exhausted to get the rest you need and care for the new little bundle of joy. Fathers also need that bonding time, women have an automatic maternal instinct men have to work for it, that is why there are so many more fathers that leave the families to "start over" then mothers. It is also why mothers usually have the majority custody in divorce. I am glad they give military men paternity leave because many tie they will become disconnected from their kids and they need all of the bonding they can get. I believe it should be this way in the mainstream work, all men need it.
I can't even begin to explain how much the mother needs someone there to help and it is best if it is the father. The way society is now that women work and share the same responsibilities as men in this world so why should only the woman care for the new child? Especially after all of the work they just did, the nine months of pregnancy and hours of labor (whether or not she had an epidural it still hurts.) Please listen to her and help her it is a very emotional time.

Lowering the Drinking Age

In my opinion if we lower the drinking age after it has been 21 for so long I do not believe it will help the underage drinking issue. I strongly feel it will lower the age of the underage drinkers. 18 year old have a lot more friends that are in the lower teens and will gain help them gain access to the alcohol. This will lead to developmental and behavioral issues. Many 21 year olds are already very irresponsible with their alcohol content, I saw the same idiocity over and over again while my husband was bar tending. I find it more fun to watch drunk people then dink personally, but it saddens me so much to see those same people sneak away to drive home. There have been way too many deaths and injuries due to drunken behavior. I believe we are all connected with someone who has been killed or has killed because of driving under the influence. 18 year old drivers are already among the top to be the cause of accidents, do we really want to risk raising the percentage?
Why is it such a big deal to start drinking at a younger age anyway? Do you really need to add even more mind splitting headaches and vomit to your life? Face it most 18 year olds do not know when to stop. They don't drink just to have a yummy drink, they drink to get drunk, to feel the giddy, I can rule the world feeling.
Now the military has a proposition for making it legal for those in the military to be able to drink at 18 only on base or of course in countries where it is legal. I do believe this is fare considering they are able to go to war and have made that choice they should be able to make those decisions to drink. On base they can also monitor it. What are your opinions?

Keeping Your Kids Out Of Trouble

Honestly Kids will find a way to get in trouble if they have their mind set to it. We were all teens, even if we weren't the trouble makers we knew them,
We also need to not tell ourselves our child is the exception. We discipline those we love and care for it builds respect for us. We still live under our
own self discipline and it first come from learning there are consequences for the things we do. We need to have an open relationship with our kids
where they have a healthy fear of you but can still come to you when they do something wrong and you help them fix it by figuring out a way that they
wont get stuck in that position again that is how you build self discipline, setting up a system that will keep you from doing the things you don't want to do.
Also when we were kids who were the people who were your friends no matter what you chose to do, whether you were partying, going to church, doing
your homework, got in a fight, or got caught doing something you weren't supposed to do. Teach them that true Friends will love them even if they do the RIGHT
thing.
Our children whether we want to think so or not are growing up in a harder world. Kids are having sex in Jr high and even Elementary school, drugs are being
offered to young children, and privacy is given in excess to children. They don't even have to tel their parents when they get an abortion or have an STD. You should be the safest place for them to come to but i should also be a challenge for them to tell you it shouldn't be easy but they need to learn to have courage. I was scared to death
when i found out i was pregnant but i knew my mom loved me and would help me, not everyone has that luxury but many people even if not your parents will hep you.
I was in no way a BAD kid i did things my parents didn't approve of, I didn't go to parties, I wasn't a druggy (i tried Pot a couple times but it wasn't a habit) I didn't
want to be bad. I did have sex in high school and i regret it now but I was in no means a skank of the school. I wish i had waited till i was married but that is another blog.
I just want my kids to be able to come to their mother and father when they are in a bind, if they drink too much and cant drive home and need me to pick them up,
if they get their girlfriend pregnant, if they get caught stealing something, if they are depressed, (i will definitely let them know i am not OK with it but
i want to be there for them through their hard times) it is OK to be mad and they know they are in trouble. I know some teens believe they have the RIGHT to do these things and that is when this doesn't work. But even as a young kid let them come to you when they do minor things and they will trust you with the major things.
Kids will find a way to do what they want to do, just help them find fun things they like to do that they don't need to sneak around to do. But always remember it is
not your fault for the CHOICES they make, everyone has a free will.