Glad It's Me Not You

As a mother of 5 I really hate hearing, "You've got your hands full." "Glad it's you and not me" and "You're done, right?"  I can not think of anything less sensitive to say to woman who is trying to wrangle their kids.  It's like saying, "I see you are having a hard time with your kids, and I am not going to help you because you did it to yourself."

Well to those three comments I have something to say back to you.  Yes my hands are full, full of love, hugs, kisses, book, awesome cookies, toys, sweet little feet, and always a hand to hold.  Those things are what I get back with my hands being full of dirty diapers, dirty laundry, dishes, messy house and  few moments of fit throwing and temper tantrums.  So my answer is yes my hands are full, but my heart is never empty.

And you know what I am glad it is me and not you.  God never gives you more than you can handle.  Yes I thought God was playing some cruel joke on me at first (because I always said that I would never have any kids), but I would not trade it for the world.

DONE.  I thought I was done 3 kids ago.  I tried to play God and do things to not get pregnant but God had other plans for me.  By the way, what business is it of yours anyway?  You make it seem like I have done some horrible disservice to you or my children by having so many. You don't have to be our friend if you don't want to; if that is your attitude I don't want to be yours.  And YES I love each one of my kids the same.  They are all special to me in their own way.  Who knows, just because I can not have kids biologically, we don't know what child might come before us in other ways.

 Check out Evil Genius Tees for great snarky large family gear.

Lego (Aspie) Land

So over the 4 day holiday weekend we went to Lego Land Discovery Center Dallas (thanks for the gift mom).  I have read from many other blogs how great Lego Land DC Dallas would be so great for one of my sons (Jarrett), because of his Aspergers.   I really didn't know what to expect when going to Lego Land.  My older son thought it was going to be like Six Flags.  It is not, my husband had the best description of it, a over sized McDonalds Play ground.  Kids of all sizes are running around while most of the parents are sitting on benches playing with their palm sized computers (not even to take pictures). As I tried to allow Jack (1yr) to play and be his monster self by tearing down towers of foam Legos, Ashlynn (3 yrs) weaved in and out of the array of children and sitting parents and got LOST!!  Luckily there is a guard at the exit who found another worker who walked to circle with Ashlynn to find me, but I was looking for her by this time because another parent who was paying attention better than I was, saw my daughter run off and came to get me. So as I gather Jack and Allie (6 yrs) to collect Ashlynn from lost and found I quickly scan for Jarrett.  Jarrett is over at Lego Racers.  OK.
As Justin and I switch shifts, I go enjoy a couple of times around the one true ride, Merlins Apprentice, with my oldest son (hey if this is what I have to do to have a moment with him I am taking it).  We come off the ride and I do quick scan, Husband (Check), Kids (Check) and Jarrett is at Lego Racers.
We spend a little time at the race cars, with even me building a couple and loosing.  As I stood there watching my husband doing a head count every couple of minutes, J.T. being a smart butt, Jarrett getting more and more detailed with his cars, the girls are trying to do anything and everything to keep up with their brothers and Jack is now back packing it on Justin, I see a child with a set of head phones on.  I kind of stare at him, watching him build a building that will survive an earthquake.  He is very methodical in building his building, he would build a little then shake it (to make sure it was sturdy), build a little more and shake it again.  It wasn't just that, it was the colors and layers he is using to build his building.  My Aspie-dar goes off.  As I start looking around among the chaos I see it, I see Aspie Land.  OH and Jarrett is still at Lego Racers.
I will have to say that I was slightly shocked at how well Jarrett did among the crowd and noise at LLDC. The only thing that would have made it even better for him would have been some Star Wars Lego display.  As I think about it then we would really have a Lego (Aspie) Land.

Doing Harm By Doing Nothing. Denied Do To Mental Disablility

Almost 24 hours ago I caught a post on Facebook from a disability parent-advocate , that I follow, about a 3 year old child that was denied a kidney transplant because of her mental disability, "mental retardation" they called it.  I am nurse myself and I still have a hard time saying that word "retarded". It just seems so mean and final, almost like there is NOTHING that that person can do.

Here is the blog for you to read Amelia's story and the stomach churning moment that no parent want to live through when trying to fight for their child.

As I read the story my heart just broke and I cried.  I cried because my faith in the health care system was just shattered.  As a nurse I tried to see it how the doctors see it, but I couldn't.  I called medical friends and tried to have them explain it to me, they couldn't.  I was at a loss for words.  These parents were not being told, "There is nothing we CAN do for your child."  They were being told, "We are NOT going to do anything for your child.  We feel your child's live is not worth saving."
Can CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) really say, "we did everything we could to save your child"?  I would say no.

I guess what really bothers me is that they are playing Darwin's , survival of the fittest (even though Herbert Spencer is who coined the term).  We allow abortions and death penalty, what have we really shown in regards to the human life.  Now it just seems to many that life is a game and not a treasure.  The only value is how much money someone is willing to pay for that person to live and some cases die.

I don't know what the future may hold for Amelia, I don't know what Amelia thinks or feels, but I do know that she already has shown a purpose on this earth, and that is to show no matter how little or how much someone can do, all life is worth trying to save.

Here is a petition for you to sign that Sunday of Extreme Parenthood started through Change.org  (while there check out their many other petitions that have been started by this organization).

Here is the information to file a suggestion, complaint, or grievance by discussing with the clinic, unit, or department manager or any other supervisory person, by contacting The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Family Relations Office phone at 267-426-6983 (inside the Hospital dial ext. 6-6983), e-mail at FamilyRelations@email.chop.edu, fax at 267-426-6990, or by snail mail addressed to the Family Relations Office, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Plain & Fancy Pasta

Here is an easy pasta dish, that you and your kids will like.  This dish really lets the pasta be the showcase by  not overpowering it with a sauce.  

Ingredients
l lbs of pasta of your choice (I used basic spaghetti)
6 TBS of butter (unsalted)
1TBS of garlic powder (can use fresh)
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
6 oz of fresh spinach
Chunk of hard Italian Cheese
(I used Piave vecchio)
Start your pasta according to package instructions.

While pasta is cooking, get large saute pan on preheat on
medium. 
Melt your butter.

Add your spinach to the butter to start to wilt.
It should be about 2 1/2 minutes.
Get all Paula Dean on the spinach leaves.
Half way through add your garlic powder.
(if you want more then add more)

Your pasta should almost be done so turn up the heat to medium
high.  Add your can of tomato sauce and mix.
Drain your pasta (don't rinse) and quickly add to the pan.
Mix together and keep it moving to avoid pasta sticking to the pan.
After it is all mixed well remove from heat.

Plate your pasta and garnish with shreds of your Italian cheese.
Shred it over the plate.  Again you can add as little or as much
as you want.
Now ENJOY!!!
If you would like a little wine with your meal get a nice
dry Rose.

Square Up...WHAT?

Another $45 dollars down the drain (monthly), and I didn't even sell $45 worth of stuff that month.  Why because I signed up with a credit card (CC) processor that didn't tell me all about the little fees.  OH and also, you can NEVER, and I mean NEVER, have a free credit card processing machine.

Wait a min.... I think I might be wrong.  Have you ever heard of Square Inc? Square Inc. is a San Fransisco based company that has found a way for us little people to process credit cards with the small computers we carry around, called a smart phones.  iPhone? No Problem. iPad? No Problem.  Android (most)? NO PROBLEM?  Square has you covered.

Oh but how much does it cost? Reader? FREE. Phone application? FREE. What about the monthly fee? Here is the best part, get ready for it, if you don't use it then you don't have to pay for it that month.  It is just a 2.75% per swipe (3.5% + 15 cents if keyed in) and that is it.

I know I know it seems to good to be true.  I thought the same thing.  After being completely shammed by my old credit card processor I was a little skeptical at first. But then it hit me.  I could not be any worse than the situation I was already in.  So I waited and waited to get my square and why?  Because I needed to get me a smart phone first.  So when my upgrade time came I went to Square.com and picked a phone that was compatible with their reader and app. (my reader even came in before my phone did).  I have been with Square for almost a year now and I have not had any problems.   I love how someone can order a bow and pay me right then.  I can go to a craft show and not worry if there is electricity or WiFi (it even saves me on booth fees if I don't need the electricity). I love how fancy it makes my business look and the questions about my toy.  So now all I am waiting for from Square is two things.  Online processing and an app for the Kindle Fire.  For now, I will just use my Samsung phone.

So if you are looking to get out of the round and round circle of your CC processor then you need to just Square Up.

Love this Machine. Just Wish I Had One.

The Janome Sewing Machine Company is having a great giveaway.  They are calling it the Friend-To-Friend Facebook Challenge.  All they want to do is reach 20,000 Facebook Fans. 

Here is the easy part.

Just Two Steps To Enter To Win

1. Visit janome.com each day, read the article of the day, and leave us a comment about it.
2. Keep an eye on our Facebook friends and followers total, and help us boost that number to 20,000.

So go and enter.  Then if you win you can give the other one to me.

Almost Not Famous

So being a stay at home mom it doesn't take much for me to get that fancy shmacy feeling or to feel like I met someone important.  Also, being a stay-at-work-at-home-mom I might have a little more time for the Twitter, Facebook, YouTube stuff.  While playing around on YouTube one day looking for some Criminal Minds stuff I found this really cool web series called PRETTY the Series. With my background of making beauty pageant accessories and having a young girl child that has been in them, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the mockery of it.  Why would I not? See for yourself.  You can read more about them and see all the episodes from season 1 to season 3 here.
So how does this all make me almost not famous?  OK. I was playing around computer and if you know me I am a HUGE Criminal Minds fan and I am so inspired in my work by Kirsten Vangsness's character Penelope Garcia (and by KV herself).  While tweeting a few little tweets in desperation to get her attention to make her something for Criminal Minds the executive producer for PRETTY the Series caught my tweets and offered for me to make a hair piece for her for the series.  HELL YEAH!!  So a few e-mails later, making a total of 7 pieces (figured it upped my chances on one getting on KV's head), one lost package, remaking all 7 pieces again and shipping overnight and then finding said lost package, my hair pieces made it.  And the rest is just a PRETTY dream for me.
 No, not everyone is going to know that it was me that made the (what I call) famous cross headband, that the "recovering atheist" character wears in so far 2 episodes (or a few other pieces).  But I do. So in my mind I am "almost famous". To you....... who cares.