Responsibility

I just heard a commercial on the radio that makes me want to scream.....

Someone please tell me when we as a world, nation, city, family, individual are going to start taking responsibility for our own actions.

Since when is it perfectly acceptable and expected that I can sue anyone for any dumbass decisions that I make?

And I am sorry but ignorance is not an acceptable excuse.

In this age of immediate information and gratification, few, very very very few people can really lay claim to living under a rock.

Sorry, I forgot that all of you were not in my bedroom folding laundry listening to the rise up show on the radio to hear the same commercial I just did, so let me fill you in. I can not remember the commercial verbatim but the crux of it was if you do not have proper car insurance, it is not your fault. It absolutely must be the fault of your stupid car insurance agent for not giving you all the coverage you need! The commercial ended with saying that if you do not have bodily injury coverage and someone with no insurance hits you, call us, we will personally go after your insurance agent on the grounds of omission and not making sure you have all you need and have your best interest and your familys safety at heart!!

Are you freakin' kidding me? I have been driving for almost 20 years. I have had many different insurance companies, and yes, some I questioned whether they were legit. BUT.... through it all, I have always been given the options of what insureance I wanted to choose. If I didn't understand something, I asked. Yep, even when I was 19, a college student, more interested in partying than insureance. I STILL ASKED!

Seriously, this to me is as stupid as the whole spilled McDonalds coffee incident.....

PEOPLE NEED TO WAKE UP, STOP BLAMING THE REST OF THE WORLD FOR THEIR STUPIDNESS AND START TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS.....

Ok, sorry if this offended anyone....I usually do not share my personal opinion on many issue's like this with all of you..... but I feel better now...maybe I should start a new blogging category...soapbox sunday...whatcha think? LOL!!!

Back to folding laundry now...

I'm sorry.....what????

"M.....Is very frustrated right now... Just cuz i don't earn a check every week doesn't mean what i do everyday isn't important!"

This was a status update posted by a friend of mine on facebook earlier today..........


Now, I will admit that I had to stew on this for a few hours before I could respond. To further the honesty, I am praying as I type that He helps me watch my tongue so I do not offend anyone!!!!

I would wager the house that she has spoken the words EVERY SAHM has thought, at least ONCE. The world over, I have yet to speak to another SAHM who doesn't feel sometimes frustrated at feeling inadequate as a person because they stay at home. Sometimes these feeling of inadequacy are brought on by others, strangers, spouses, friends. Other times, these feeling come straight from inside of us.

We do not need anyone to remind us that we don't pull a paycheck for wiping noses, butts, tears. I know the checkbook doesn't register the boo-boo's I kiss, the arguments I break up, the games I play. The bank doesn't keep track of the dance lessons I drive too, the dinners I cook, the fevers I cool.

Additionally, we don't need anyone to tell us that working mothers do these things too. We know you do!!!

Here is the part that you working mothers out there may not know.............. I. AM. IN. AWE. OF. YOU!!!!!

Really, honestly, I have no idea how you flippin' do it. I admire your strength, your ability to adapt so quickly to the role in front of you.

There are days I have no patience. no energy. no desire to go to work. PERIOD! Yep, it's true. There are MANY days us SAHM want to call in sick!

I can not fathom being mommy, chauffeur, nurse, teacher, chef, wife, friend, and WORKING!

I know the chaos that is my life now, it is fun....I can not imagine the chaos that would be life if we both worked, not so much fun.

There are many working mothers who have to; there are many that choose to; there are some that love to.

There are many SAHM that have to stay home, that choose to stay home.

With all this being said....whether you stay home or not, really isn't important. Whether you spend 15 hours or 1.5 hours a day with your child isn't what matters. Whether they own a Wii, Nike's, or shop at American Eagle, really is insignificant.

What matters is that your child know you love them. That your child knows you are there, you will keep them safe, you care. What is significant is that you teach your children about being kind, loving others, giving to those less fortunate and not judging....

M.....don't be frustrated....what you do everyday is important.

What we all do everyday....teacher, police officer, secretary, student, stay at home parent, producer, nurse, wildlife trapper, bank teller, mommy, daddy.....is important!!!!!

When you choose to have children, you choose to put your life 2nd...you choose to wear your heart on your sleeve and accept it will get broken...A LOT....you choose to have and give unconditional love...you choose to be strong......

Farkle

I have recently discovered that I have a very addictive personality. Ok, not the you are addicted to me kind, but rather, the I get addicted to things easily kind.......

For the record, my life would be easier if it was the former rather than the latter!

In high school, I was addicted to talking on the phone and shopping for clothes (ok, maybe still struggling on these, lol)!!!!

Right after school I started smoking...ugh...not only a very expensive addiction but one that also lasted 13 years. Thankfully I can say that this addiction is done (4.5yrs ago). There are days that I think about smoking again...more for an excuse to go outside and have some peace and quiet, lol. But, seeing that I have an addictive personality, I fear that 1 drag and I would be hooked!

For a long while Mr. Producer and I had a credit card addiction. I will not disclose how many or what we owed, but thankfully we were introduced to Dave Ramsey! I heart Dave!!!! While we still have 1 more cc to pay off, it has been almost 2 years since we used a credit card and really we couldn't be more secure!!!!

When myspace first entered the screen a few years back, it didn't take long for me to make excuses to check that a couple times a day! When Myspace was no longer "cool" I followed the piedpiper to facebook! OH BOY!!!! I still only check this addiction a couple (hundred:) times a day....lol! AND please note, in the past I have attempted to overcome this....well..... here goes....

Hi, my name is Tracy and I am a facebook addict!!!

Not sure if there is a 12 step program for this and pretty sure I would fail anyway...lol!

In the past I can say that my current addictions have only numbered 1 or 2 at a time.

Sadly, this is not currently the case!!!! UGH!!! Now, I suppose I could turn this into a matter of semantics seeing as how some of current addictions reside only on facebook (farkle, farming) but really, we have suppressed the English teacher this long, let's keep it that way! LOL!

The most current addiction, really it is a good one, is running and exercise. I WANT MORE!!! This addiction is a double edge sword though because it seems like the only time I really have to run is at 6am! Ummmmm.... have I mentioned that I am also addicted to sleep! lol!! Additionally, thanks to my new ipod shuffle, I think I could become addicted to itunes....sorry honey, this is not my fault, blame it on your friend!!! LOL!!! Friend...... THANK YOU!!! Really I got the better end of this past week....

Also, I should take the time here to mention that I have also become addicted to texting! I heart texting!!! Unfortunately, Mr. Producer does not have a phone with a keypad, so his texting abilities are slowed down and I often fire them off quicker than he can respond.... sorry honey! We will work on that!!!!!

Lastly, I think I have become addicted to my friends kids...... I have had the pleasure of being with 2 wonderful, funny, sweet, helpful, loving, gorgeous, kind, gentle, helpful, did I mention GREAT kids?????? Alas, their equally wonderful mother comes home tonight and I am pretty sure she wants them back....... seeing as kidnapping is against the law, I will return them.... only with the promise though that I can have them anytime you need me too........ I heart them.....

Confession time over.......

p.s. I am still addicted to the phone and shopping for clothes (which are getting smaller and cuter)!!!

strength

When you think of strength, what comes to mind?

A body builder? An olympic diver? A police man chasing a criminal?

A person in the heat of rescue lifting a car of a victim? A mother fighting to bring her baby into the world? A child reaching for that last monkey bar and making it?

Who do you picture when someone asks you to picture the person in your life that is strong?

Your dad? Husband? Brother?

The single mom you know? Your friend serving in Iraq? The fireman down the street?

Mr. Producer made a facebook fan page for my blog this week. In doing so, he opened up my world for many of my friends to read. Some of these people I have known for years. Others only more recent. Some shared in my greatest moments of happiness and others held my hand through many tears. Yet, there were some that I have known for years that maybe never really knew me/us. Some that knew bits and details of our lives in passing. Some perhaps making judgements for themselves without the full story.

I was, quite honestly, shocked when someone who has become a dear friend sent me a message and stated that I had moved them to tears. (Don't worry your identity will remain a secret on account of you having an image to uphold ;) I was elated when they said that they felt my emotions through my writing. I giggled when they said if I was not allowed to blog anymore. Mostly, I was stunned, genuinely, honestly, truly stunned, when they said I was the strongest person they knew.

My initial reaction was, no I am weak. I falter, I fail, I am tempted, I sin, I get angry, I dream some days of running away.

Then I remind myself, that is what makes us human.

Then I sat down to blog. I was going to say all these great things about everyone being strong when they need to be. You never know what you can do/succeed/accomplish or just merely live through until...you do. God never gives you more than you can handle...

All of these sentiments are very true....not 1 can be discounted.

What I will say is this.....strength isn't something everyone has all the time. Sometimes we are all weak. Sometimes we all have to rely on others to get us through. Even Jesus had to. Our strength, and each persons is unique, comes from our experiences in life and how we are willing and able to process them. Would I have chosen to lose a child, nope not at all...am I grateful that He knew better than me and had great plans for my life...yep! Some struggles make you know that you can accomplish anything and others are only a catalyst for something bigger.

For some reading this your strength may be finishing college, struggling to pay the bills, working out your marriage, conceiving a child, being a parent.
Everyday we all face things that are hard, from surviving the flu to surviving traffic jams to surviving until bed times. Being strong is really just the attitude you choose to have to get you through.

So, yea, we are all strong and with the right people in your life and Him guiding your life, you will always be as strong as you need to be.

Now, when someone asks who you think of when they say strength, let at least one of those people be yourself. It is ok to be strong and even more ok, to admit when you aren't!

Confidential to you...thanks for the compliments, they made my day ;)

underwater

Have you ever felt you are watching your life unfold as though you were viewing it through someone else's eyes?

Please tell me you too have days where you feel like you are swimming underwater?

Sometimes do you too long for your brain to be like an etch-a-sketch, just shake and clean?

With that being established, how do you "come back"?

With so many vacations (I know, I know...rough, huh?), play time, unscheduledness (yea, I make them up as I go along), I am feeling very unsettled.

If you know me well (or even a little) you know that I am type A. I like to be in charge, I like to have a schedule. I plan months in advance for anything and everything. I have a system for how to do most everything. I think there is a right way to do things (ok, so it is my way, lol). I am not partial to messiness.

If you have just stumbled into my life you may have taken note of the fact that I have 4 kids?!

I think I have done a pretty good job of balancing flexibility, life, chaos with type A. I plan when I can, I pout when I can't! I put everything away, except what I don't. I have outgrown the urge to always make the kids rooms spotless. Really, I have, it is called closing the door. Hey, even Monica had a closet! I still think my way is more right than yours, but I am willing to listen (or at the very least, pretend to). I am still in charge being they are only 7, 4, 2 and 2 (oh and 36, lol) I still have a schedule. It is around here somewhere. Oh there it is, we are on a schedule. Up at 7, breakfast 7:30, lunch at 11:45, nap at 12:30. Up @ 2:30, get Adam at 3, dinner at 6:30, bed at 7:30 and 8:00.

What, wait a minute. I only have a schedule for eating and sleeping?

Well, that explains it.... somehow, somewhere, I lost my schedule. ACK!!!

It all makes sense now. The reason for more chaos, more fun, more whining, more underwater swimming.....our schedule got erased by the etch-a-sketch.

Can you hear the sigh all the way over there?

Ok, well mystery solved. I can go back to watching my life through my own eyes. In our world, all we need is a schedule to "come back"

I wonder though, when I make the new schedule for the year (see I still operate in teacher mode), when shall I incorporate time for my latest addiction: farkling?