A Week In Pictures

We just got back last night from our beach vacation.  We usually go to the Outer Banks, but this year we decided to change it up and go to Fenwick Island, DE.  It's right next to Ocean City.  We had a good time - great weather all week.  I'll write more about the vacation later.  Just wanted to post some pictures first.  

Andrew tries out his new floatation device and Jacob takes full advantage of an opportunity to make fun of his brother.

 Crabbing off of the back deck.

 Gathering the courage to touch the crab.

 "It's loose!  The monster is loose!"

 Yes, the ever safe "one finger to the back of the head" caress.

 Aw...doesn't look so menacing, does he?

 Jacob sees no point in wasting bread on ducks, when he can make a beautiful necklace instead.

 Andrew and Ella confer about the next move in the sand castle expansion project.

 "Ella, I'm having second thoughts about water front property."

"Don't be silly, Andrew.  It's a prime location."

 "We'll just put a big pool out front and no one will notice the tidal wave damage."

 All of that haggling with Andrew made Ella tired and hungry!

 "Pay no attention to that boy behind me.  My GQ prowess rendered him incapable of boogie boarding, and washed him onto the shore." 

 The newest members of the family - hermit crabs.

 Nice paint job.

 The first attempt at a Surrey ride.

 Don't let the expression fool you.  Jacob was thrilled about posing for a picture with this giant shark replica.

 Why yes, an anchor is a quite comfy spot for a nap.

 The actual Surrey we rode.  Quite the entourage!

 Let's go fly a kite!

 Me, Greg & Andrew.  

 Chasing the seagulls.

 Everyone was so excited about our recent Toyota Highlander purchase, that we all decided to reenact the 1980's commercial.  Toyota!

 Greg went canoeing for crabs in the bay almost every day.

 The Econo Lodge.  There was a little mix-up with the house reservations, and we had to spend the first day of our vacation at the Econo Lodge.  Andrew loved it.  I was impressed with the wide variety of individuals I was able to observe.

 "Hey, Dad.  I think I see a shark out there."

 Oh...yep...definitely a shark...

...or maybe a dolphin...you decide!

 Jacob was King Neptune for the week, commanding the waves to do his will! 

 Well, most of the time, anyway!

 My mom, Aunt Kathy, Aunt Betsy, and Aunt Annie.  Sisters at the beach.

 Shielding himself from the dangerous backfire of a cap gun!

 Justin, Andrew, Larry, Dustin and Ella relax a little before dinner.

 Andrew and Ella watch a movie on Dustin's iPhone.

 Greg tried to get Kathy drunk, so he could beat her at Tonk.  He still lost.

 Kevin sprained his ankle in a basketball game before they came down.  What a bummer for a beach vacation, but he was such a good sport about it.

 Our bedroom was on the top floor with lots of windows and white, paper thin curtains.  We put our comforter over Andrew's crib so he would sleep past 5 a.m!  He loved it!  It was like his own little tent!

 A little guy contemplates the great big beyond.

 That's my kind of surf fishing.

 Wowed by his own work!

 Beach front pedicures are a must for the most pampered preschoolers.

 Most of us on our deck one evening.

 Sunset view from our front porch.

 Sunset view from our back porch.

 Andrew and Ella put on a light show with glow sticks for us.

 Jacob and Mimi

"Hey, brother.  Need a hand?"

And that is the bulk of the photos.  Whew!  What a week.  It was a great vacation, but I must admit: "there's no place like home."

Men Have It So Easy

I'm so sure you all want to read about the grueling details of my cycle, that I decided to write a blog entry devoted solely to the woes of my period.  Thrilled, aren't you?  Tough.  It's my blog and this is what's on my mind.

I'm tired of menstruating.  Well, actually, that's not true.  My periods are pretty easy.  They are generally short and I usually have minimal discomfort on the first day only.  I suppose it would be more accurate to say that I am tired of being governed by a mess of surging hormones. 

I got my period when I was 10.  That means that at age 34, I have already been menstruating for 24 years.  I have a short cycle, usually about 21 days.  I bleed for 5 or 6 days, but the PMS leading up to the actual bleeding lasts normally a week to ten days.  That's the time I hate the most.  I have no energy, and excruciating continuous breast pain.  I'm no stranger to irritability and unhealthy food cravings either.  So, if I have a 21 day cycle, and possibly 16 days are spent in some kind of hormonal flux, that leaves about 5 days each cycle where I am symptom free.  That's roughly 87 free days in an entire year.  Less than 24% of my life is lived without some kind of hormonal discomfort.  I don't want to rush menopause, because that brings its own can of worms, but ugh, being a woman sucks.

I find that I actually live for that "good" 24% of the time.  At least I know during that partial week, I am in my right mind, I feel well and anything I say or do is done with a sincere heart.  It's sad and terribly discouraging to think that 75% of the time I am either filtering (or not) my words and pushing myself to find energy I don't really have.   It's like my body is under siege.  I'm sure many of you can relate.  I'm betting many of you have it worse than I do.  My sympathies.  It sucks.

It's worse in the summer and around the holidays.  In the spring and fall, when things are less hectic in general, I feel a little better.  I know that at least part of it is the fact that during those times, I am drinking lots of water from plastic bottles with BPA leeching into my system, carrying food around in plastic (portable) containers, and I'm not eating right.  When I pay attention to what I eat and avoid plastic containers (the plastic is absorbed into the food and therefore into your body.  The body reads the plastic chemicals as pseudo-estrogen and throws hormones way out of whack, especially in people who are already sensitive to hormonal shifts) I feel much better.  Maybe the hormones go to less extremes.  I'm sure they are at least somewhat stabilized.  But I think the bigger influence is my overall health.  I'm better nourished, better cared for, and more resilient to the external (and internal) forces on me.

This last week + has been absolutely awful for me.  I have barely been able to stand to be hugged or to play with Andrew, because of the chest pain.  I have been a real bitch, or trying very hard not to be a bitch, which in turn makes me bitchier because I'm bottling up emotions.  I feel fat, ugly, tired and hungry.  I woke up this morning to blood and I felt utter relief!  The first half of today will begin my return to normal.  By evening, even though I might have some cramps and I'll be bleeding like a stuck pig, I'll feel better.  Thank God. This last week has been a wake up call for me that I need to get my body back on track.  I hate, hate, hate feeling like I have for the last 10 days.  I made an appointment with Dr Luke, my chiropractor and I'm doing a full blown purification program starting Tuesday.  I start Tuesday, because my appointment isn't until later in the afternoon on Monday.  I'm so ready to get back to eating right and feeling better. 

So for now, I am going to take a deep breath, feel the relief of finally getting my period, and try to muddle through the weekend.  A purification is coming. I will be going back to work the following week. Routine will be restored soon, and hopefully, with it, my sanity.

Confessions of a Cleaner

I recently spent a period of time with my extended family.  Now, I'm not saying that they are slobs, but let's just say that it is very hard for a compulsive cleaner to live with a large group of people who do not share the same need for order.  On the first day, I completely unpacked my suitcases, put my own clothing and the boys' clothing onto shelves, the toiletries in the bathroom drawers, and found nice, neat, tucked away places for all the other odds and ends that you bring on vacation.  I even needed to rearrange my room a little before I was completely settled.  I realize that many people live out of their suitcases when they go away, but I just can't live like that, not even for a week. I can't wake up to a suitcase on my floor, half empty, rummaged through, every day.  Talk about anxiety - certainly not the way to start each day of vacation!   I also need to have the furniture set up in a way that is conducive to my own order, so I had to rearrange it a little when we arrived.  At one point, my sister came into my room and said, "Um...what are you doing?"  I replied, "making the space work for me."  She didn't get it.  Whatever.

So, I try not to allow my compulsive need for order to impose on other people.  I have learned over the years that it's not going to work and will just frustrate everyone,especially me, so I keep my order to myself.  By the third day, I had straighted my room so many times that it could not possibly be straightened any more.  I still felt uneasy, so I threw in half a load of laundry, for a quick fix.  It worked for that day.

On the fourth day, I got up at 3:30, because I just couldn't sleep any more in a queen sized bed with a husband who is well over 6 feet tall.  It was killing my back and my right arm was going numb, because I'm not a side sleeper - I'm a stomach sleeper, but in a queen sized bed, there's just not enough room to get comfy on your belly.  Anyway, when I can't sleep, I usually just get up and enjoy the quiet instead of tossing and turning for two more hours.  I wish I had a photo of the disaster I walked into when I came down the stairs.  It looked like the house my friends lived in while we were in college, with the twist of small children!  Paper plates and cups all over, juice boxes and pop cans on the counters, a pair of dirty socks on the kitchen table, dishes all through the sink and scattered about the counters, crumbs everywhere, half eaten packages of chips, pretzels, cookies, you name it.  Gross! 

So, I began cleaning the clutter.  I cleared the kitchen counters, put away the food packages, consolidated what I could, threw out the garbage and loaded the dishwasher.  Then I walked into the living and dining rooms.  Same deal.  I straighted up as much as I could without moving too much stuff - I didn't want people to be angry because they couldn't find their things where they left them the night before.  Then I sat back, drank ten cups of coffee myself and enjoyed the 3 hours of cleanliness and order that only lasted until the crowds stirred from their slumber.

No one even noticed. 

Or if they did, they didn't let on. 

I'm pretty sure they didn't notice. 

And that's the way the vacation continued.  I'm not the only cleaner in the family.  There were others who organized, tossed, washed and cleaned, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who felt compelled enough to do it in the wee hours of the morning before dawn. 

Oh well, it was vacation, and on vacation you do what makes you happy.  Cleaning makes me happy.  Well, the feeling I get when my living space is clean makes me happy, so I guess in a way, cleaning makes me happy. 

That's my confession.  I'm a cleaner...and I'm a chronic insomniac.   But this isn't news to you, is it?

Etiquette For Non-Runners

Running is a fairly unpretentious sport.  I think there's very little in life that is complete devoid of potential snobbishness, but some things are more snooty than others.  Golf, for example, would be a sport I would consider higher on the pretentious scale.  It's costly, you have to have club memberships, adhere to a dress code and have specific (and pricey) equipment.  Polo would be an example of a sport that is ridiculously elite.  Lawn darts, well, not so much.  Sailing = high snoot factor.  Walking = pretty low key.  Do you see what I mean?

That said, I think running falls on the lower end of the snoot-scale, if you will.  Some would say that you need good shoes, but that's debatable, depending on who you talk to.  Barefoot running is becoming more and more popular.  You can buy fancy, tailored clothing, but it's not necessary.  You can get an iPod, a Garmin runner's watch, fancy belts to carry drinks and gels, foam rollers, etc.  Again, these things are nice.  I use all of them some of the time, but none of them are necessary to be a runner.  All you really need is yourself and a place to move your feet.  It's highly adaptable, readily available, and potentially Scott free. 

Most runners that I know are fairly down to earth.  We run for the pure joy of running.  We readily swap stories, tip and resources.  We are courteous while we run. Our carbon footprint is small.  We don't use large equipment that produces noxious fumes or loud noises.  We run on trails or tracks.  When we run on the street, we do not hog the road.  In fact, there is nothing that makes your more aware of your own mortality than having a large tanker trunk plummet past you at warp speed with only a fraction of space between you. That's enough of a notion to keep most of us running on roads with large shoulders, and to stay as far away from the actual driving lanes as possible.  I think that most of us do not litter, but instead carry what little garbage we create to a proper disposal.  I personally don't even like to throw my cup down on the ground during a race! It really bothered me to toss my cup on the ground during the last 15K I ran, because they had no garbage can set up at the water stations.  At least I knew the volunteers would clean the litter.  Still, I hate leaving a mess for someone else to take care of.  I even clean hotel rooms before I go, putting all the towels in a pile in the bathroom, and making sure no trash is left strewn on the counters, that the bathtub is rinsed, etc. 

So, with all of the above in mind, can I please ask of some reciprocated etiquette from you non-runners out there?  Now, I would say that most people I come across are friendly and courteous to runners.  Rudeness is not the norm by any means, but still, I am shocked by the number of people who are rude.  Sometimes I think it's not intentional, but rather just simply not realizing what they are doing.  Other times it is unmistakable meanness. 

Let me explain.

When you are driving, if it is at all possible, pull away from the berm of the road when you pass a runner.  I understand that sometimes there is oncoming traffic and it's simply not a possibility.  That's OK.  I chose to run on a road with cars.  I get it. But I can't tell you the number of times I have been running on a back road, with practically no traffic, and some car or truck came barreling past me without budging an inch.  Really, it may feel like you have plenty of room to you, but think about the person you are driving past. 6 inches feels awfully close to my unprotected body.  If you hit me, it won't really hurt you.  It could potentially kill me.  I have had times that I felt like a truck practically shaved the hair off of my legs, it was that close.  If no one is in the other lane, pull out a few feet.  For those of you who go to extremes and drive in the opposite lane, well, it's not necessary to go out that far, but truly, I send my thanks for being considerate.  And actually, if I am running and someone pulls far away to make room for me, I always wave a thank you.  It is sincerely appreciated.

Here's another thing - don't honk your horn.  I have had people who I know beep at me to say hello and people who are just kidding around (teenage boys, mostly).  It scares a runner who is not expecting a beep.  It scares the shit out of me, actually.  I'm not anticipating honking.  I'm aware of my surroundings, but I am going about my business, in my own zone, and assuming that you are doing the same.  Don't honk.  One time when I was running in Hollidaysburg, a man and woman in a pick up truck drove past me and laid on their horn, just to be jerks.  It was such a loud and long beep that I actually thought for a moment that he was going to hit me.  I was so shaken.  It was so mean of them, and so utterly unprovoked that it infuriated me.  I'll admit, I gave him the finger as he drove past, and in return, he stuck his hand out the window and flipped me off too.  Why?  Why on earth would it anger someone to see a person running on a low traffic road, completely unassuming and certainly not bothering his drive?  Now, I realize that probably no one who reads my blog would ever do something as mean as laying on their horn or heckling a runner, but my point is this:  don't beep.  Period.  Unless you truly need to get the runner's attention for some safety issue. You may not realize it, but it's startling from a runner's standpoint.

That's pretty much all that I, as a runner, ask of non-runner's sharing the same space.  I am assuming that none of you would make cat calls or whistle or call out insults to runners either.  I have had that happen too.  But, like I said, that stuff usually comes from immature teenage boys or stupid, immature, out of shape men.  It's really not a lot.  Share the road and don't beep, and we can all be happy doing our own things together!

Backyard Hide Out

What kid doesn't dream of having his own totally awesome club house?  I know I did!  When I was little, the neighborhood kids and I would do all kinds of things to create make-shift cabins, from tying sheets to trees, to making seats out of twine on the highest level we could climb to.  We drove my parents nuts with mess making contraptions strewn all through their yard and the neighboring lot, which was vacant when I was little.  I hope that some day my boys do those things too - it's good to have a sense of creativity and accomplishment in making your own fort, but for now, they have something even better - their own official club house.  

 Awesome job, Dad! Thanks!

 This club house gets two thumbs up from Jacob.  Andrew, on the other hand, is still searching for his thumbs.

 "Oh, hey!  I found them!  Thumbs up, Dad!"

 "OK, Jake.  Enough with the thumbs, you show off!"

 Here it is, painted in the exact opposite color scheme as our house, so it coordinates nicely in our yard. 

I don't know who is more excited, the boys or Greg.  I guess you're never too old for a clubhouse! 

And lucky for him, the boys are still young enough to want to give him the secret password! 

July 4th photos

As always, my in-laws held their annual 4th of July picnic again this year.  The little kids had a blast and so did the big kids (a.k.a husbands/dads/grandfather!)

Tony had a Lego themed birthday party.  Here are the kids playing a Lego game. 

Patti & I seriously contemplate our performance at the race earlier in the day.

Pap Ed, grilling machine.

Rob & Jim 

Andrew can make a bathroom anywhere.

Jake and Tony, best buddies.

Greg, giddy like a girl over a Polish cannon.

Dad, that thing is too loud!

You know what they say about boys with big guns...

They make big bangs!

Yay!  Poppers!

Jake was just a little psyched out about the fireworks.

This holiday is really about the grown men, not the little kids!

This is what your brain looks like on sugar!

Honda Girl

In case you were wondering, I kept my dear, sweet Honda.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I Honda loyal at heart.  This car was the first car I purchased on my own, without help from my parents.  It was a dream when it was brand new, and in many ways, it's still my dream car.  It's small and I can park on a dime.  It gets great gas mileage, and let's face it - it's cute!  

OK, maybe the cute factor isn't such a big selling point anymore.   Truth be told, it's showing its age.  There are rust spots on the hood, too many little "dimples" to count, the upholstery is peeling off of the inside of the doors and the "chrome-like" plastic coating on door handles is chipping.  It's actually funny how blind to imperfections you become when you see them every day. I mean, I have known that the car was looking a little ragged for a while, but it wasn't until we got the Highlander that I became highly aware of the Honda's blemishes!   Two days ago, while I was driving the Honda, I thought I would just take it through the car was and shine it up a little, but when I opened the container where I keep my emergency coin stash (for car washes or parking meters), it was empty!  I sent a text to Greg and found out that he had emptied the coin container to cover an emergency Tasty Cake craving at work!  Oh the injustice!

So the boys and I decided to give the car a nice hand-washing today.   They boys helped some, but I think most of their efforts were spent soaping up and squirting down one another, not the car! Nonetheless, we shined it up as best we could.  Don't want the poor old girl feeling like she's second fiddle!  

4th on the 4th

This just in: 

I placed 4th in my age group during the 15K yesterday! 

OK, truth be told, there were only 7 participants in my age group, so it's not that impressive.  But... I never even considered placing in an event before.  I just ran against myself.  I still think that self-competition is the best for me.  I want to do my best, be my best, and challenge myself to beat my best until the day I die.  Before yesterday's race, I told my friend's young daughter, "It's not about the others.  Run for yourself."  I meant it too.  For me, running has always been something that is personal.  It's not competition or recognition that drives me.  It's my own motivation, my own tranquility, my own satisfaction.  But getting 4th place, so close to getting a medal has made me consider trying to place at the next local event.  Hey, I'm never going to be some hot-shot, super fast, ultra-impressive runner.  I'll never even run the Boston Marathon, let alone place in it, but I might just have it in me to kick a little local ass.  Just a little.  I don't need to be the biggest fish in the small pond, but I kind of like not being the smallest one either!

Feel Like A 15K?

Well, I do!  Or, I should say, I did! 

I met my friend, Patti, fellow 1/2 marathon runner in Altoona this morning to knock out 9.3 miles before celebrating Independence Day! Hey, we earned the good eats and drinks that we are going to partake in tonight! 

 It was a nice race.  Obviously, not nearly as crowded as the Pittsburgh 1/2, but lots of people there nonetheless.  I started out strong, and stayed strong for most of the run.  I finished in 1:28, according to my watch, but I actually forgot to stop it when I crossed the finish line.  Plus, my watch said I ran 9.4, which is a tenth of a mile longer than I should have run, so I am thinking that I started it early.  So, because of those things, I'm not exactly sure of my over all pace.  The watch said 9:27.  That sounds fabulous to me, so I'm sticking with that number...at least until the final scores are posted online!

I actually found this race to be harder than the 1/2.  I'm not 100% sure why, but I think at least some of it had to do with the heat.  I love running in the winter.  I'm a cold weather runner, for sure.  I would easily choose sub-zero windchill to 85 and sunny.  The heat just zaps my energy.  I also ran faster - almost 45 seconds faster per mile, according to my watch.  Over the long haul, that's not a shabby time shaving for a long distance in less than two months time, with a two week hiatus to boot!   Plus, about half way through the race, I had to pee.  Bad.  But there were no port-a-potties along the way!  I considered stopping at Sheetz or Kings Restaurant, but the thought of what that would do to a pretty decent time (for me - hey, I never proclaimed to be fast!) killed me and I, therefore, killed the idea of stopping.  I just kept trucking.

Close to the end, I ran past my old neighbors playing for the runners!  What an awesome sight!  I used to babysit them when I was in high school, but they are grown now (and I am old!).  Adam has a wife and a little boy of his own, and Jonathan is in college.  They're becoming musical sensations around here!  I see them playing all the time.  Very cool.  And it is their sister, Abby, whose blog I have referenced several times.  She's also a runner, and I gather a lot of tips from her.  In fact, I think her chia fresca helped not only to fuel my run today, but to prevent the nasty gastro-intestinal problems I had last time.  I drank some before the run, and although I needed to use the restroom when I got home, it was a very uneventful occurrence!  Yay!

 That's me in the background getting close to the finish line.  I think the woman in the right corner is much happier than I was to be done!  Go, lady!  Whoever you are!

Even though this was  local race, and it ended at 930 in the morning, which is hardly early, Greg and Andrew were the only people who came to see me finish.  That's OK.  I don't do it for anyone, but me.  God bless Greg, who stayed up all night working and then postponed his sleep to stand for an hour and a half in a crowd with a 3 year old waiting for me.  He's such a supportive and enthusiastic husband.  I don't know where I would be without him.  It was awesome to see him, and my little guy, Andrew standing literally, in front of the finish line, cheering me through the final steps!  

 When we got home, Greg went to sleep, and Andrew and I used the foam roller and stretched together. 

Then we iced our knees together too! 

Next year, although he doesn't know it yet, Greg is going to at least run the 5K that they hold simultaneously.  Maybe I'll have Jake up to that distance by next year too.  And Andrew can do the Lolli-pop run.  We'll make it a family affair! 

Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients?

What do you all think about this little idea for legislation?


Florida's debated welfare drug-screen measure kicks in  (Click to read full article)


At first glance, it seems like a good idea, right?  Make people who get government assistance be drug tested in order to qualify for benefits.  If they fail the test, no benefits.  If they have kids, well, then they need to appoint someone who is clean to be in charge of the child's assistance.  Hey, you and I work hard for our money and health care.  Many of us are drug tested.  We don't just milk the system, sit around and collect.  In fact, we are the ones paying for these low-lifes, giving them the opportunity to loaf in the first place.  Let's quit supporting these good for nothings who do nothing at all except tax society's resources and leech off of the rest of us hard working Americans.   It's infuriating to see drug abusers and welfare bums getting money for nothing, feeding their addictions when we work our asses off to pay their way.   Let's start testing them!  Sound good to you?  


Hmmm....think about it a little more in depth.  


This bill is not very well thought out, in my opinion.  There are so many compounding factors that have not been taken into account.  Let's start with the kids, who should, at least in theory, be our number one concern. Not everyone has a responsible guardian they can appoint to take care of their kids. If they did, the drug problem wouldn't be so rampant to begin with. Poverty and drug addiction, to a large extent, are a culture. That's why we see generations of welfare "bums" and drug addicts. This culture is a combination of learned behavior, mental health complications and socio-economic barriers.  Poor coping skills and skewed priorities are passed down from one generation to the next.  People in the lower class levels do not see the need to plan for the future when they are faced with such monumental struggles as just making it through each day.  If you are struggling with addiction, that addiction has probably literally taken over your life.  Worrying about where to get your next fix replaces the worry about how to pay for your kid's college.  In fact, why on earth would you even think about sending a kid to college?  It's not the same for them as it is for middle class, educated citizens.  These people worry about eviction notices, finding their next meal, how to get heat in the middle of winter.  Schooling, saving for retirement, even getting a job - the things that you and I plan for - are too far in the future to even consider, much less make a priority.  Daily life for the poverty ridden becomes a matter of survival, sometimes literally a matter of life and death.   It's not fair, and it's not feasible to categorize people living in this culture of poverty and drug addiction with the same standards that we use to gauge our own prosperity.  It just doesn't work that way.  


Sure drug use happens across all socio-economic classes.  It effects the wealthy and middle classes too, but not quite to the extent of the poorer, less affluent classes. This point brings me back around to my beginning - the kids.  If all kids had good role models in their lives,  someone who could pick up the pieces that their afflicted parents dropped, then there would be much fewer people struggling.  The addiction issues would not cycle out of control like they are, and we would not be facing such a dire situation in the first place. 


So, that said, if there is no one the family can appoint to take care of the child's needs, (and I think a large percentage of families will fall into this category), then who will carry torch?  Would the kids then be entered into the already over-burdened foster care/child welfare system?  I've got news for you, Florida.  If that's the case, then the responsible tax payers are still going to be bearing the weight.  And we will be compounding the issues by causing potentially irreversible harm by interfering with the parent's natural ability to raise their children.  Oh, I realize that many addicts are terrible parents, but there are also functional addicts, people who are indeed good parents despite their addictions.  This legislation is too black and white to account for that, however.  A hot test, is a hot test, is a hot test.  Forget about child-parent bonds.  We just want our money!

So let's say, just for argument's sake, that the kids still get assistance despite parent's addictions.  Then what?  Well, I think we will see an increase in procreation, just for the cash the kids bring in. It's already a problem - having children to increase assistance money. Creating a drug testing policy could potentially put a lot of children in harm's way, and bring a greater influx of unwanted children into being.  How's that for being financially responsible?  

But let's say that none of the above is a concern.  It still has kinks.  If we don't provide assistance to addicts, how will we care for these people. The bill actually proposes that the threat of taking away benefits will deter drug abuse.  Really?  Was that backed with scientific research?  If an addict will choose a drug over her own child, what makes the government think that she will miraculously choose health benefits over her addiction?  Come one, people!  Get with it!  Denying public funding is not going to stop the drug abuse. These people are dealing with addictions, which go way beyond rationality. I think an infinitely small percentage of people would avoid drug use because of this legislation, and I highly doubt that any addict would get off of drugs simply to qualify for assistance. So then we are left with a bunch of users with no insurance, no cash and then what? Who pays the bills and takes care of them? In the end, we are still stuck with the burden. I honestly can't even believe that this section was even part of the proposal.


Denying assistance to drug users is great in theory.  I can understand the impetus behind it.  Personally, I go back and forth between anger for having to support these people, to a sense of duty to guard their children, our nation's future.  I work with this population every day.  Sometimes I feel bitter that they seemingly have more than I do on some levels, and work much less, but when I really look at their situations, take the time to hear their stories, relate to their troubles, I see a different world. I feel their struggles first hand, right along with them, and try to give them the tools to overcome some serious barricades.  I see the pain they go through, and I feel the need to protect their beautiful and innocent children.  Our nation is in danger.  Our future is wrought with kids who are being raised in sub-par conditions.  Drug abuse is rampant.  Poor mental health prevails.  The gap between the wealth and the poor is increasing.  But denying government assistance is not the answer.  A better idea, in my opinion is to increase a sense of responsibility to both family and society, to educate our children, to create safe havens, to improve mental health, to empower people to rise above the cycle of poverty, to find strengths in our weaknesses and build from the bottom up.  America used to be the land of opportunity.  It can still be that great nation, but the problems we face are not going to be corrected by simple government assistance legislation. They're just too deep and complex.


I certainly don't have the answers, but I can tell you that this little piece of legislation, to deny assistance to those who come up hot, is not going to work.  No way, no how.  What do you think? 

Gadget Overload

I was recently making my list of items to pack for the beach.  Among the standard beach towels, sunscreen, bathing suits and clothing were the following items:

* my iPod
* Jake's iPod
* camera
* camera batteries
* fan (we need it for white noise while we sleep)
* GPS for car
* my cell phone
* Greg's cell phone
* Garmin Forerunner (runner's watch)
* baby monitor
* Kindle
* cell phone charger
* iPod, Garmin and Kindle charger
* Sonicare toothbrushes for boys
* Sonicare toothbrushes for Greg and me
* toothbrush chargers (just in case)
* DVD's (We are not taking the portable DVD player for the car, because it makes Jacob car sick, and I don't want to run that risk with Andrew as well...especially not in our new car!)
* CD's
* Jake's DS and games

Good grief!  That's 19 items dedicated solely to the electronics category!  It just made me think about beach vacations before the technological age.  We certainly didn't have all this stuff when I was a kid going on vacation.  I don't remember my grandmother bringing 300 books all compacted into a tiny reading device, or my mom bringing an electric toothbrush.  When my aunt Kathy went for a run, she didn't even have a Walkman, let alone an iPod and GPS enabled running watch to calculate her pace, distance, and calories burned. Forget about a digital camera, with instant review and delete features, which allows you to share 500 of your favorite beach pictures with friends on Facebook before you even start the drive home.  We were amazed with the Polaroid cameras, which ejected little square snap shots  that you had to shake dry while the image magically appeared before your eyes!   We didn't have a GPS to talk us through every turn en route to our rental home.  We didn't even have Map Quest to print out turn by turn directions.  Instead we used a real map and stopped at gas stations to ask for directions!  We didn't have an entire extended family of cell phones all connected to the Verzion network for free, unlimited calling and texting, so we could check-in with each other every inch of the way, forwarding information on traffic, weather, or just dumb correspondence to beat the traveling boredom.  In fact, I remember driving to the beach with my friend's family when I was a senior in high school.  My friends and I drove in one car, and her parents and sister drove in another.  We took walkie talkies to communicate to each other in case of emergency!  Heck, at one point in my life we didn't even have a car with air conditioning!  I remember driving to the beach with my mom one year when I was probably 8 or 9.  It was so stinkin' hot  and we were stuck in traffic somewhere in Maryland.  My mom took her shirt off and drove most of the way in her bra!  My mom has never been a modest person, and in heat like that, any remaining inkling of modesty had completely evaporated!

In a lot of ways, technology has improved and enhanced our lives.  We are more connected with friends.  We keep in touch with people who we might not stay connected to otherwise.  We don't have to try to unfold and refold big bulky maps, locate our destination and read the routes while maneuvering a large vehicle full of screaming kids (hey, some things never change!) through unfamiliar city traffic.  We don't have to worry about staying within eyesight of each other on the road, because we can call or text at any time.  We don't waste tons of money developing film to find only one or two decent shots in the whole roll.  We don't have to suffer through taking turns with control of the radio, listening to each other's vastly different tastes in music. With satellite radio, we don't even have to scan through the channels when we lose signal anymore!  We don't have to lug along 4 or 5 big novels to keep us entertained while we soak in the sun.  Our teeth are whiter and healthier, and if the weather is bad, we are not stuck at the mercy of local television programming, but can rather watch any movie we want, any time we want.   How wonderful things have become!

But sometimes I wonder if it really is all that wonderful.  All this technology makes our lives easier...until you are trying to set up something unfamiliar, or worse something you thought was familiar stops working.  Is there anything more frustrating than trying to figure out how to fix a computer problem?  Is there anything more confusing that trying to start up a new gadget by reading an instruction manual seemingly written in Swahili?  Isn't there something to be said for knowing how to read a map, and learning the value of tolerance by listening to your brother's hokey Sesame Street tunes?  Isn't it good for us to sometimes completely unplug ourselves?  I mean, no cell phone, no Internet.  It is a vacation, after all - a time to get away from your normal life, a time to recharge your internal batteries, to disconnect from the stresses of every day life.  How can you do that when work is calling you and people can find you (quite literally) at any given moment?  I have heard it said that this age of complete connection has in fact disconnected us from one another.  I believe that is at least partially true.  I think it is especially true for the younger generations.  When we are all sitting in the living room of our beach house, and my teenage cousins are on their laptops, texting friends back home or listening to their iPods, how are they actually spending quality time with family?  All of this technology creates, in a way, a generation of people who are not fully present with one another, but instead connected to media.  When they need support  and comfort in their lives, can they really meet those needs via computer interactions?  Technology is a great means to stay connected, but I think that we need to make sure our children (and ourselves for that matter) are also cultivating true real-life relationships, ones with living, breathing bodies which can hold and comfort one another, laugh and play together, as both children and adults.

Don't get me wrong.  I am a media junkie on some level myself.  I check my Facebook account every day.  I check my email several times a day.  I blog and read other people's blogs.  If I want information, I look online.  I send frequent text messages and I love my iPod and my runner's watch.  I'm just as guilty as the next person.  I'm not denying it.  I think the difference for my generation is that we still remember  a time when technology was not as available, so we appreciate the value in real face to face relationships.  I worry about the generation of teenagers and younger children.  Quite honestly, I worry about my own generation at times too.  I think a gadget overload can do much more harm than just weighing down your suitcase.  I fully recommend unplugging, at least a little, every once in a while.

Insanity, Pediatrician Style

Most people say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly, while expecting different results.  Those people don't have two boys who couldn't get along if their lives depended on it.  Repeatedly doing the same thing is just a part of normal life around here.  What's insane is thinking that it's a good idea to book both of your children's annual physical exams at the same time, a time which also happens to be smack dab in the middle of your younger son's nap time.  Yepper....that's insane, alright!  It's not just insane, it's downright stupid.   As they say, live and learn.

Mom, what were you thinking?  Bringing us here together is as crazy as these gowns we're wearing!

Oh, we think this idea is just so funny, we'll see to it that you NEVER bring us back here together as long as you can help it again.

And that, folks, is exactly what they did.  When they weren't kicking and fighting over who got to sit on the exam table, they were chasing each other around it.   Andrew tried to lick Jacob...no, Andrew did lick Jacob, repeatedly.  Jacob freaked out.  Neither child allowed the doctor to talk to me or do a proper physical, and both threw fits while we were leaving which were so loud that I was actually unable to hear the receptionist over the screaming of my boys.  I threw the check on the counter, muttered an apology, and took my kids home.  I didn't even stay to get their well-check papers for school.  I think I'll just call in a few weeks and have the office mail them to me.  I'm praying that the kids don't get sick any time soon, so I don't have to show my face in the office for a long time.

Boys.

 Heaven help me.