Misconceptions

Ok, so lots of stuff has been bothering me lately, and I need somewhere to clear my head, I figure that this is a good place because I do not really think many people if any read it, so it is very different from my facebook, and those who do read it know me well enough to know most of what I want to share, I know this is probably a way of hiding, but I am good with that, I have pretty consistently used this blog to vent, so I guess this is not such a bad thing.  Since the November election, then with Sandy Hook, and now today being the 40th anniversary of Roe VS Wade, it all has just built up, it has been building for a while. 

Misconceptions, people assume that because I am a homeschooler and involved in CubScouts I am a Christian, because I am from AZ I am a Republican, I am a college graduate so actually I must be very liberal, because I have kids I am antiabortion.  I am tired of people, many who know little to nothing about me trying to fit me in a box.  It is annoying as hell.  So I am just going to share things about me, they may not all fit, however, they are all me.

First off, I am almost 30 years old, I love to hike and rock climb, I am also FAT, so these are not things that happen easily for me anymore.  Yes I said it, I am FAT.  No I do not like being FAT, and no I did not decide to be FAT.  Medicine initially made me FAT, not overeating, but I have stayed this way because it was easier to hate myself than to change myself, that is changing, I am activity working on losing weight, and while it is hard, it is also worthwhile.  I am proud of myself for trying instead of hoping to magically wake up thin and realize that the last however many years were a nightmare and I was never really FAT, I know that is stupid, but that is what I kept waiting for.

Next, I am a NON-Partisan, this means that I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat.  I personally think the party system should be abolished, there are too many people who vote solely based on party affiliates, and I think that those people are STUPID!!!  If you cannot look up the issues and vote on the truth instead of the different party lines then I do not believe you should vote at all.  There are two many extremes associated with either party, I do not want to be affiliated with anyone other than myself and my family...

Next abortion, do I like the fact that unborn children are sometimes not allowed to be born, not particularly, would I ever choose to have an abortion, not by choice, however had I been raped, or been mistreated by a family member, if I knew that my child would only live for a little time, and it would be in agonizing pain during that time, I would have an abortion.  If it were me or the child, if one of us had to die, then that is harder, if it were my first child I would most definitely and willingly give up my life for my child.  If however I had other children I am not so sure I would be willing to die for one that I did not yet know and desert the others which I did.  I know that is horrible, but I also believe it is true.  I think people who protest at abortion clinics should have to raise and take care of the children that they 'safe',  these people who stand out there and tell these women they are murderers disgust me.  While I do not think that someone should have an abortion I also do not know there stories.  Maybe they want an abortion because they are homeless and know that there is no way they can take care of a child, maybe they want one because it was conceived in incest and this is the only way they know to protect that child from a life of HELL.  Also, do these people who congratulate themselves for saving a life know what happens to that life after it is saved, perhaps the child they saved today will end up in a dumpster cold, alone and scared in 6 months, after it is born in an alley, it will die there, much more painfully than if it had been aborted months before.  How does a person congratulate themselves for that, of course they saved a life, they just don;t seem to care what happens to it after that point, and that is a disgusting and terrifying thought to me. 

Lets talk about gun control next.  Anyone who believes that the government should be able to take away a persons gun is an idiot.  Criminals will still have theirs guns, they are not going to admit to owning one, or willingly turn it in.  If I ever see a gun kill someone, all by itself, then please lets get rid of them, however guns are unable to do that.  Guns are tools, how they are used are entirely up to the person using them, not the gun itself.  And it is just as easy to kill someone with a knife, or a hammer, or numerous other things, they may mean you have to be more up close and personal, but trust me, it is just as easy to do.  Possibly easier because you do not really have to aim, if I were attacked from behind I would rather have a knife than a gun, much easier to hit my target with out damaging myself.  I really do not understand why people are so up in arms about it, except of course that people are sheep and sadly 90% of them will believe what they are told to believe...

While we are talking about guns, lets jump to the death penalty, why are we allowing someone who murdered someone else to live, a relatively comfortable life, on our money.  It is stupid, I am a very eye for an eye type of person, they killed someone, then they should be killed.  I do believe that the proof should have to be nonnegotiable, we are talking about someones life here, but if the person did, they should also die, in fact if it was not for the fact that some other poor soul would have to repeat the crime, I would want them to be killed the same way their victim did.  If people knew what was in their future indefinitely, they would think a lot harder about killing someone.  I also believe that anyone who molests a child should be killed, there has got to be something seriously wrong with a person who would do such a thing to a child.  They cannot be fixed, we should stop trying and kill them, that gives the child and their family a very definite closure, it allows them to rest knowing that the person who hurt them and theirs so badly is never going to be able to come back again, and it protects other children, pedophiles do not stop, and I am obviously not talking about the 18 year old who is dating a 16/17 year old, and usually was dating them before they turned 18, I am talking about the 20+ who does anything with some 14 or under, Hell even a 16+ who does something with 12 and under, there are limits to such things, but really, anyone that sick needs to be shot.

These two have never been an issue for me, gays and race.  I do not mean to group them together, I am not doing it to lesson each one to something else, just because for me they have always been a non issue.  I do not care who someone else loves, or how they choose to show that love.  It is none of my business what people do in their love life, and I do not believe that it anyone elses business either.  I do not understand why two people who love each other should not be allowed to get married, it is ridiculous that they cannot.  Now onto race, I am not nor have I ever worried or cared about someone elses race.  This person is black, white, latino, asain, ok, why do I care, what does that have to do with anything.  It really pisses me off when someone says I have to be prejudice because I do not agree with something that our current president has said, it is stupid, and they are only showing how ignorant they are.  I have been to the South, and it was really stressful for me because people spend way to much of their time worrying about what color someone is.  Everyone is the same inside, I do not get why race matters.  Also, the most prejudice people I have met were either black or mexican, and both were prejudice against me.  I have had people refuse to serve me for no other reason than I am white, so really, how does that make them better than anyone else.  And just to clear it up now, I would say I am prejudice, against stupid and ignorant people, I really could care less what color they are.

Lets talk homeschool for a moment, I do choose to homeschool my sons because it is what is nest for them, because my oldest especially went through hell in school, he was bullied and misunderstood and left behind my a teacher or two, I do not believe this was purposely done,  he just was unlucky and fell through the cracks, he needed lots of one on one time before he got something, and with the schools as they are now, there was not time for him.  That is fine, he is my son and I have all the time in the world for him. I do believe with all of my heart that our education system is failing.  It has become to political, it needs to be fixed, and I am thankful I have the ability to do this for my child, that does not mean that I am a crazy religious person, I am so not, nor that I am all super protective, or any other homeschool stereotype.  I am just a mom who is trying to do what is best for her child...

Lastly I will hit upon religion, I am not going to share my beliefs here, not on this subject, my beliefs are my own, and they are very personal, and not something I am willing to share at so public a forum, at least not as of yet.  But I do think that the issue of religion in general is quite sad.  For as many years as religion has been around people have been killing each other and hating each other because of God.  God, if he/she exists is probably disgusted with the lot of us, I know I would be.  I do not believe that anything which created us would be happy with the way we treat each other in his/her name, not unless he/she was evil, which would basically mean we have been worshiping the wrong thing for too many generations to count.  Just like race, anyone who judges someone else based on their religion is ignorant, if you are going to judge someone then judge them on their actions, not on anything else.

There, I am pretty sure I have said my peace on everything that has been getting under my skin as of late, as you can tell I have some pretty mixed views and I do not like to be put into a box, because there is not one around that fits me, even if there was, I would still dislike said box, I am constantly learning and growing, as I hope all of you are.  I do not think my beliefs will change anyone elses, nor should they, they are mine and are based on my experiences, I only hope that yours are based on your life, not on what someone has told you to believe.  Think for yourself people!

Weight Loss

Hello all,

So I have been working hard this week to lose weight, I have lots of it get rid of, and I would like to do it as soon as possible, so I am only eating approximately 1400 calories a day, which really would not be an issue, except that I love Dr. Pepper, which is on average 550 calories.  It is all insane, I did not realize how much I was actually eating, and I went through a couple of days of hell when I first started the lower calorie count.  But I have adjusted, and I give myself one 'cheat' day a week where I try to stay around 2000 calories, and eat what I have been craving.  Now it is time to get rid of the Dr. Pepper.  But that is probably harder than chocolate.  =0)

What I have learned is that you have to really want to change, if not it is not going to happen.  While I have said for years that I am going to lose weight, this is the first time I have really committed to the changes in my lifestyle necessary to do so.  Exercise is not going to work for me, I am going to have to diet to lose this weight, exercise will help, but it will not do it all. 

This is my year, I will lose this weight, and I will keep it off, and I will be happier for it.

All right, I guess that is all, I will keep you guys informed, as much as I ever do at least...

365

So I have decided to do the 365 day photo challenge this year.  This is going to be a very personal experience for me, because I know for a fact that my photos always show more than I think or expect, especially when I group them together.  I am not going to blog them here, seeing as I will be posting them on Flickr, but if you all want to check in with them, here is the link!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65980638@N04/sets/72157632410282274/with/8335715973/

Enjoy, or don't, which ever...

Happy New Years Everyone!

Ray's first fish!!!

So to celebrate the end of summer, or maybe to just hold onto it a little bit longer we rented a boat again this last Tuesday.  It was wonderful, thankfully we live in Arizona, so I could still swim even though fall had officially started, this was a questionable thing, because it was definitely cold a few days before this trip. Happily though the weather heated back up again.  Anyways, not only did we swim, but the boys got to fish as well.  Michael and I do not fish, we do not eat it so we do not catch them, however my Mom and Claudie are avid fishers, and since they were with us the boys got to fish.  Ray was thrilled, he caught his first fish ever, it made the whole trip for everyone, even though we do not fish, there was no way for us to not catch in the excitement, the look on his face, it was a good day.  I thought I would share it with you all, so enjoy, Ray with his first fish!!!

Reeling it in!!!

Trying to pet it!!  =0)

"Dad, look what I got!!!"

Summer 2012

So it has been an eventful summer, we have gone to Holbrook, Raymond has turned three, and we have completely revamped our homeschool curriculum.  We had an awesome Fourth of July, with lots of fireworks, they had to make up for last year so we got double the booms!  My aunt has moved in, which is making the house a little bit small, and we are awaiting a new addition to the family.  So lots going on. 

We will start with Ray's third Birthday and Holbrook.  They are linked since the only reason we went to Holbrooks was Ray's 3rd birthday.  =0)  We had a great party at the park for Ray, he had a lot of,  people show up, we played with water guns, ate pizza and hung out!  We had a great time, and while we have a great group of friends, it is very eclectic.  So it is always interesting to see how everyone interacts with each other. 

The cake!

The Kids

The Birthday Boy!

Now Ray is very into Dinosaurs, so we took him to Holbrook which is like the Dino Capital of AZ, there are dinosaurs everywhere you go in this town.  Since we were in the area, we stopped by a few ghost towns, went to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, and slept in a Wigwam, it was only a three day trip, but it was a blast!

The boys at one of many dino stops along the way!

This was Ray's fave dino because he was hiding next to our hotel room, and he was Ray sized.

Our Hotel room!

The Petrified Forest!

The Painted Desert!

This is the Route 66 Memorial from within the park!

Lil Man checking out an old jail in the Navajo County Courthouse!

Fourth of July was also very fun, we had wanted to go to Benson this year, but we did not make it, again.  But we still had a great amount of fun!

Daddy getting finished with the color guard stuff or the VFW

Ray was ready to celebrate!

Lots of fireworks, we had a very colorful night!

:Lastly, I cannot remember if I already posted about it, but mu Sister Beth is having a baby, she is due in October and we are expecting a beautiful baby girl named Jazzlynn!

Miss Beth earlier this summer when we rented a boat for the day out at Patagonia!

Well that has been our summer in a nut shell, if you want to hear about the ghost towns we visited or about our curriculum choices, then please head on over to the blogs for those subjects.  I hope you had as great a summer as we did, and that your Fall is just as amazing!

San Diego

Wow, what a trip, we had a blast.  It was super busy though, we left early Thursday Morning and I drove the whole way which is never my favorite thing, not to new places, I like to look and see and capture.  But my husband had just gotten off a night shift, so he had to sleep, so I drove and it went fine, no problems.  We got there around 4pm, checked into the hotel unpacked and then went out to eat dinner, we ended up at Chuck E cheeses because the kids needed to be able to unwind after all of that time in the car.  We spent a few hours there playing and then headed back to the hotel for sleep, which I did not do.  Sleep has not been my friend as of late, but that is a different story you know.

Friday we decided to do all of the stuff that was North of San Diego, so we headed out around 8 am, after eating breakfast at our hotel which was surprisingly good.  You always end up with waffles and danishes at these places, and while they had those they also had eggs and meat everyday, so yum, and filling so that we did not have to stop for a big lunch any of the days we were out.  Anyways, we started out at the Birch Aquarium, where we saw tons of fish, an amazing view of the ocean, and a sub that my oldest wanted to take home with him.

The fountain at the Birch Aquarium.

From there we drove up to Carlsbad and went to Legoland, there is a ton to see and do at Legoland, rides, jungle gyms for the kids to climb all over while the parents sit and rest.  Miniland which is millions of legos built into famous cities in the US, and we were lucky enough to even see Star Wars Miniland which was a special exhibit.

The Lego Statue of Liberty.

They even have a waterpark which was too cold to play in and their own Sealife Aquarium, we really enjoy looking at fish, they had a few huge things in it thoughm the crabs and lobsters were insane...

From Legoland we headed to the beach, the water was freezing, but we still spent sometime running from the waves and splashing around, as well as playing in the sand, I love the ocean, it would be fin to live by it...

The last thing we did Friday was go to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, by the time we got there we were pretty exhausted from the rest of the day, our feet hurt, but we wanted to ride the tram, so we did, we learned a lot about there animals and breeding programs, and we got to play around with some other things as well.

Bat Boys

From there we found a restaurant for dinner, headed back to the hotel room and were all pretty well asleep by 930.

Saturday started fresh, but not as early as Friday, we slept in and did not get a start on the day until after 10.  First thing we did was head on over Seaworld, Michael and Daddy had a date with a penguin that we did not want to miss.  We got to watch Shamu do tricks and get a lot of people wet, saw a bunch of different animals and even rode a few rides.  It was a blast, and when we left around 230ish we were thinking that we may have to go back tomorrow...  The only reason we left was because three of the four of us were wet and sticky and needed new clothes, luckily our hotel was just one exit up from Seaworld.

Michael and Daddy in the penguin exhibit.

Shamu showing off his stuff.

After changing we headed over the the USS Midway, we went thinking we would be able to see it and the Maritime Museum before closing, however once we got on the Midway there was just so much to see that we never made it to the Maritime Museum and we ran out of time before we got to see all of the Midway...

After we got kicked off the Midway, we went to Seaport Village where we finished up our shopping for the family we left behind.  =0)  And we ate at a restaurant that was literally right on the water, sadly they served mostly fish, and being desert rats, we do not eat fish, so the food was just not that good in out minds, however the experience was worth the time and money spent there.  We got to see a pelican dive into the ocean, a otter or seal swimming around the base of the pier the place was on and ships coming into the bay, including the huge research vessel with a sub and open area in the back for diving...

After that it was back to the hotel for us and back to bed, the boys were asleep by 930 again though Michael and I stayed up a bit longer reading and talking about the next day, we thought it might be fin to go on a Whale Watching Cruise.

Sunday did not include any of the things we though it would.  We never did make it back to Seaworld or to the Maritime Museum, and while we did go to Balboa Park we ended up only visiting one Museum there and not even thinking about the zoo.  It started at Point Loma, I love Lighthouses, I have since I was a little girl, and anytime we end up by the ocean we always go in search of one and we never seem to find it.  This time however we did, which was great, but let me tell you, if we did not have the guidebook with the directions we would have missed out on this one as well, it was through an old military base and huge veterans cemetery, if we had not known for sure where it was we would have turned around before we found it for sure.  I am glad we found it though, the views were amazing and the lighthouse was beautiful.

After that we went to the Natural History Museum, it had dinos for Ray and an exhibit on the Titanic for Lil Man and gems for me and Michael, it was a good choice, and it was huge, it is in a 4 story building with a basement, and alot of that was closed off to research rooms.  But we all enjoyed our time there.

After that we walked up the central area at Balboa Park, there were street vendors and such hanging around so it had a cool vibe to it.

We decided that it was time for lunch, and that we would have a big lunch and then just grab some tv dinners for dinner because the kids wanted to go swimming back at the hotel, we had gotten back to late the other nights so we did not have the chance to do that yet.  So we ended up having lunch at a oriental place, which happened to be by a place called Boomers, it was like a Golf N stuff.  It was actually my least favorite part of the trip, the place was just trashy, there were beer cans in the ponds and it was not well cared for at all.  So we did a few things, but did not stay very long at all, maybe only an hour of that.

Ray did enjoy playing mini golf...

Monday we left and came home, Michael drive, yay!!!  That allowed me to really see the landscape and sights to see on the way back, which I enjoyed, there were lots of abandoned buildings, though I did not get to stop and explore them, I try not to do that with the kids seeing as how it can be dangerous.  And we stopped in Yuma to eat lunch and gas up, and we got to see the Territorial Prison. 

The prison guard tower.  

Leaving Yuma the winds got really bad, there was one point when there were at least 25 dust devels surrounding us, but it was not horrible, just windy, we still made it home safe and sound, getting back to SV before 6 in the evening, then of course we had to unload etc.

Anyways, it was a really great trip, and I for one cannot wait for the next one, though I bet that I am the only one, I know Michael enjoys the trips, but he also enjoys to be home with nothing to do!!!

Trips

This is my travel year, we do not have a lot of money, but that is ok, we do not need a lot of money.  We were intending to take one huge trip to the east coast this year, lots of stops along the way, it would have been awesome, but things change, so instead we are taking a lot of mini trips.  First a few weeks ago we spent a weekend in Phx, it was great, we went to the zoo and the aquarium we went and played and we had a blast.  Our next trip is to San Diego, we are going to go to Seaworld and Legoland, the ocean, possibly the zoo, definately the maritime museum and the USS Midway, so lots to do, that is at the end of this month, and I cannot wait, I hate being stuck at home, and with this we are so not going to be stuck at home.  *cheers* 

Anyways, I guess i am out, gonna keep watching the tat show, its a competition, and it is awesome, cool show!!!