Late or Prepared?

I took this picture a few days ago...so I ask you - are they late or prepared?

I also want to note that this isn't even half of the decorations that are up.

HELP!

Ok I know I promised funny on Fridays but well I'm not in a funny kind of mood. You may have seen this on my FaceBook but I'm up to my eyeballs in rage right now. This horse needs help and I am bound and determined to find it help. I can't take driving by this poor thing day after day and seeing it like this. So I'm posting a picture for all to see and hoping someone will have an answer. Funny will be back next Friday.

A side note, I know I haven't gotten to emails because I've been sick but I promise I have read every single comment. Thanks...love y'all!

Welcome to Picture this Thursday! Join us and play along!!

It works like this. I will post this weeks photo's and also inform you of the category for next week. Which will allow anyone that wants to participate but that may not have a photo for that category an opportunity to get those pictures! There will be a linky (because I want to see everyone's photos!) that will be open for probably 2 days.

So I know you've probably seen it before but I L.O.V.E my dog!

 

Yep he's a poser! He knows he's cute!

Sickly Me

I know I usually do my Awareness Wednesday post and I have one planned but I didn't get the pictures I took uploaded yet. I have strep throat and just didn't feel like doing anything yesterday. I'm at work today so I can't put the pics on my comp till I get home. Sorry!

I Love My Online Friends ~ Blog Hop

Good Morning friends!

It's time again for I Love My Online Friends, Monday blog hop! For my new followers I am so happy and excited to have you. Please leave a comment so that I know you are following and I can follow you back!

Funny Things Friday!

Ok so I'm terrible, and I did not write down funny things this week. What? I know...but well...ok I don't have an excuse so I won't give one. But I did find some funny things to share!

Uhm...what did they expect to find in there???

Well personally I would've thought it dropped off at age 20...you know the whole not a teen anymore. I could be wrong though!

As opposed to the dead one representing him?

I know ladies...I should've posted this one before Valentines Day! Sorry!!!

All photos courtesy of www.huffingtonpost.com 

Consultant Work

Own a business and looking for a consultant? Go and check out a consultant directory and find one that suits your needs. Find a consultant that specializes in exactly what you need. You don't need to settle for one that is only a mediocre fit for your business when you can go to one place and find the right one.

Looking for the answers to all your questions and aren't quite sure what to ask your prospective consultants so that you know they will be the best for your business? Need to figure out what type of consultant you need to help boost your business? Have questions how to hire a consultant, or need to know exactly what a consultant can do for you? You can get all those answers and find one in one easy to use web page.

Are you consultant looking for a job? Need to find a company that you know you can help? You to can go there and get listed in their consultant directory and let businesses find you. This one site will list consultants for hire and help you find the right company to work for. They make the best matches to help you and the company come together.

Describe you needs, get proposals quickly and then interview and hire all in one spot. It really couldn't be any easier than that. They do most of the work for both the business and the consultant. So make looking for your next job or looking for the best suitable consultant for your company a little easier.

Dear Friend...

Dear Friend,

I met you at one of the lowest points in my life. My world was crashing down around me and I didn't think I would make it through it. I was in such a deep depression with so much confusion in my head, my heart and my life.

Then I happened across your blog...and you happened across mine...and a friendship formed. We talked about casual things, we talked about little life issues and then we talked about my falling apart world.

There was a time when I was driving down the road...allowing my mind to wander and it went into a dark place. The darkest of them all. I thought about ending it, about getting away from this world...but then I got home and I emailed you. Within minutes you responded. You listened to me whine, rant and cry. You let me dump all my problems on you and you helped me to see a better way. You saved me!

I never imagined that I could meet someone in blog world and feel so close to them. I never thought I would trust someone I didn't know as much as I trust you. I wish there were a way to thank you. I wish there was a way that I could show you how much your words and advice has helped me. Especially in the last 4 months. Never once judging me for the things I said, did or felt. Never telling me I was wrong for thinking the way I was. You were always honest but not pushy or degrading. You have brightened my world, you have helped heal my heart and you have had a huge impact on my life.

Dear friend you know who you are. Today I say thank you! Thank you for listening, for caring, for helping and for being there. Even if you did boycott my blog for a little while.

Relationship Wellness

February is relationship wellness month! I think with my recent post and knowing that we can all improve in one area or another I thought this was a perfect awareness to bring light to. So I found some great tips I thought I would share with you.

Create Intimacy - Ok so this is one of PC's and I's biggest problems. I think it's all too easy to get caught up in daily life and lose that. We work opposite schedules, have different days off and only see each other a few days a week. Here's a few things I think we need to try.

• Lie down on the bed and spend two minutes looking into each other's eyes without saying anything. (Blinking is OK.)
• Next time you're in bed pull the covers over your head and have a whispered conversation. If you whisper first he'll probably whisper back—it's incredibly intimate.

Speak - I think we forget to talk to each other sometimes. I don't mean that we don't say anything, but we aren't really talking to each other.

• Say something positive—anything at all. Researchers have found that happy couples have a ratio of five positive comments to each negative comment.
• Compliment something that he's improved upon.
• Tell him he makes you a better person, and then tell him how.

Kiss every day for at least 10 seconds - This may sound silly, but the research shows that couples that connect through physical touch every day are happier overall in their relationships. Now at times, the last thing you may want to do is kiss your spouse; I understand that. However even if we are not feeling something, sometimes the action changes how we feel. So plant a big one on your spouse tonight!

Compliment your spouse at least once a day. Yep, I know I fail miserably at this one, but I'm going to try harder.

Go on a date - PC and I used to go on a date every week. We have slacked off. I find that when we go on our weekly dates I felt so much closer to him.

I found these tips at Mental Health Matters and Your Tango.

I also purchased The Love Dare app for the iPod touch. I'm going to do my best to get my marriage back to where it should be.

I Love My Online Friends ~ Blog Hop

It's that time again for the 'I Love My Online Friends Monday Hop'. I hope to see lots of new blogs participating this week and I hope that everyone gets a few new blog followers and friends from this week's hop. 

Okay so let's get started.

RULES

1. Follow the host (me) and the guest hosts on GFC. For this week, we are the number 1 and 2 spots on the linky. (We will follow back.) Leave a comment to let us know.

2. Follow as many people as you can and be sure to let them know that you are from the 'I love my Online Friends Monday Hop'. 

3. You are not required to, but it will be great if you could grab our button and make a post about this hop. (At the bottom of the hop, you can get the code so that the same linky list will appear on your blog).

4. Every week I will pick one person to 'Guest Host' the hop with me. If you would like to be considered for the guest host position, all you need to do is grab our button, write a post about the hop and follow me on GFC. Leave a comment under this post to let me know if you are interested in guest hosting.

30 Day Journals

A great blogger Margaret @ The World As I See It does these awesome 30 day journals. Well I was jealous and wanted to do some also so she was kind enough to share them with me. If you want to do them also I will put the link she gave me so you can do them also. You can go here and get the list.

Now you know I'm a chatter, so I will not be doing these 30 days in a row, but it will help you to get to know me a little better.

So day 1 ~ A photo of myself and how my day went.
Well I've been sick so I'm not going to do a pic from today but here's me...I'm sure you've seen it but it's me!

Oh and that last one...yeah that's me at 14! It's the only picture I have of my younger days now and that's because a friend posted it on FB. Ha!

So how my day went today....well I've been sick. I haven't done much of anything. Every single ounce of my body is aching. There is a ton of snow outside because mother nature is having a good time screwing with me.

**Just a side note...this will post on Friday and while I say today I'm really writing this on Thursday. But I posted today's post yesterday because I lost track of my days.

CoverGirl

 

Check out the CoverGirl Facebook page for incredible information. CoverGirl is celebrating their 50th Anniversary and you could win free samples or once-in-a-lifetime experience for you and your friends. Join in their celebration today! Like CoverGirl on Facebook to stay up to date.

Funny Things Friday

Since the nasty virus bug has hit me I have no funny stories to tell...y'all are getting funny pictures! I hope you find them as funny as I do. I also will be catching up on your comments today...hopefully!

**All photos from I Can Has Cheezburger**

After posting this I realized it is Thursday...Boo!

National Stop Bullying Day

Today is National Stop Bullying Day! I think with all the teen suicides that have been in the news lately it's so important to bring this to light and put a stop to it.

I have gathered some information to share with you from Stop Bullying Now and a great website for parents to share with their children Hey Ugly. Just to make it clear UGLY stands for Unique Gifted Lovable You.


A lot of young people have a good idea of what bullying is because they see it every day! Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself. Usually, bullying happens over and over.

• Punching, shoving, and other acts that hurt people physically
• Spreading bad rumors about people
• Keeping certain people out of a "group"
• Teasing people in a mean way
• Getting certain people to "gang up" on others

Bullying also can happen online or electronically. Cyberbullying is when children or teens bully each other using the Internet, mobile phones or other cyber technology. This can include:

• Sending mean text, email, or instant messages

• Posting nasty pictures or messages about others in blogs or on Web sites
• Using someone else's user name to spread rumors or lies about someone  

Go this site for some Prevention and Intervention information. We can help!

When Is It OK?

***WARNING...if foul language offends you then skip this post because I am in a foul mood and it's bound to come out***

So when is it ok to throw your hands up and say I give the fuck up? How much does a person keep fighting?

I feel like I have been in  one constant battle for the past 4 months. Battling my ex, battling my daughter, battling with my husband, battling with bipolar and depression, battling the stupidity at work. I'm tired of the fights, I'm tired of the emotional drainage and I'm tired of feeling like I'm drowning in my own life. I try so hard to please everyone and make them happy. Yet it seems to be a constant fail.


I had to battle my ex in court for custody of my son. He lied...viciously and he was given custody. I can't even begin to explain the pain that caused me. The anguish I went through. But I had Christmas right around the corner and I had a family to make happy during the holidays. So I put my big girl panties on and tried my best. I think I succeeded a little. I know the kids had a good Christmas, they were all happy with their gifts.

Bipolar and stress don't go well together. Bipolar and holidays don't go well together...because they tend to be stressful. I've been on such an emotional roller coaster my head is spinning out of control. Most days the meds work, but there are days that seems like I had nothing at all even though I have. My energy is completely depleted because of all the emotional damage and the stress. 

My daughter...well you read about that the other day. Some of you I scared, and some of you are going through similar situations and can understand what I'm going through. I'm so very sorry for all the crap I put my parents through and never realized what emotional strain it put on them. I honestly have no idea how they came out with hair.


My marriage...well that's been an ongoing battle. I feel like I try and try and fail. I guess where I feel like I'm trying, he feels like I'm not. I've been struggling to hold on and the past 2 days...the fights and me feeling uncared for, disrespected and as if there is no understanding or compassion. Some days I feel as if I'm the only one who cares, other days he can make me feel like the most amazing person in the world. That in its self is an emotional roller coaster. 

My job...well I feel unappreciated most the time. I am sick of some people getting away with crap and knowing if I did it, I'd be out the door in a heart beat. I work and work, I fill in for people and I do more than my job description....A LOT more. I do anything that is asked of me. I know my immediate super visor appreciates me and she is constantly telling me so. But it's the worry of losing my job every single day. And well now that fear just jumped by 1000%. 


Don't get me wrong....I love my husband...I love my kids...and I love my job. I am just fed up at this point. I'm tired of everything. I'm ready to throw in the towel and say I give the fuck up!

I Love My Online Friends ~ Blog Hop

It's that time again for the 'I Love My Online Friends Monday Hop'. I hope to see lots of new blogs participating this week and I hope that everyone gets a few new blog followers and friends from this week's hop. 

Okay so let's get started.

RULES

1. Follow the host (me) and the guest hosts on GFC. For this week, we are the number 1 and 2 spots on the linky. (We will follow back.) Leave a comment to let us know.

2. Follow as many people as you can and be sure to let them know that you are from the 'I love my Online Friends Monday Hop'. 

3. You are not required to, but it will be great if you could grab our button and make a post about this hop. (At the bottom of the hop, you can get the code so that the same linky list will appear on your blog).

4. Every week I will pick one person to 'Guest Host' the hop with me. If you would like to be considered for the guest host position, all you need to do is grab our button, write a post about the hop and follow me on GFC. Leave a comment under this post to let me know if you are interested in guest hosting.

The Untouched Subject

I just realized that I talk about my kids but never really about parenting...and today you are in for a mouth (or finger tip) full of my parenting frustrations.

You see that little girl in the above picture? Isn't she just beautiful? Do NOT let that fool you. That hormonal teenage terror little girl is going to make me gray, wrinkle and go bald by time she's 18. She's had me to the point of calling my dad and begging for his forgiveness for my teenage years. I honestly don't know how they made it through. I'm so ready to throw my hands up in the air and just say I give up but I don't give up that easily. So lets start with a little back history from November:

Lexi talks to me a lot about her friends and what not and what's going on in their lives. Well she comes to me and tells me that her best friend (we are gonna call her Sue for the sake of this post) is going out with this boy (we'll call him Butt Head Bob) and BHB tells Sue she can't talk to Lexi anymore because he doesn't like her. So Lexi is all upset because Sue has stopped talking to her and they've been BFF's for years. I told her that eventually Sue and BHB will break up and the only thing she could do is be there for her friend even though she made a stupid decision...because that's what friends do. Which of course being high school students they broke up. End of story right?? NOPE!

Now we move on to Christmas break. Our home phone rings at 3:00 am and I immediately go into panic mode because certainly if my phone is ringing at that our someone must be seriously injured or worse. So Prince Charming gets up and answers the phone. Some stupid boy dared to call my house at 3:00 am and ask for my daughter...oh we were in a rage. When Prince Charming asks who it is, he tells my husband "it's none of your business." Really kid! So we write the number down and when I get to work, tired from being jerked awake by some idiot, I have someone call the number from their cell phone and find out who it is. It was BHB! I was mad...told her she was not allowed to talk to him, text him or FB him. That boy is disrespectful and not allowed to speak to him on anything that I pay for.

Fast forward to 2 or 3 weeks ago: Prince Charming and I are sitting on the couch enjoying one of our favorite TV shows when the phone rings. We look at the number, don't recognize it and ignore it. They hang up and call right back. I asked Prince Charming to answer the phone because what if it's an emergency. That's the only reason you would call, hang up and call right back right? So he answers the phone and it's BHB who claims he's Lexi's boyfriend. WHAT?!? That can't be possible, she already knows he's an idiot because of how he treated her BFF and I told her no talking to him. Prince Charming goes and grabs the iPod Touch and we start looking through it (did you know you can text on those things?) and sure enough she's been texting him and he's her BF. I'm sure you can picture the steam coming out of my ears right? So I being the smart mom that I am start digging further. I look at our phone records and it seems she's calling him at night after I go to bed. I was speechless...angry...furious! Well she got in trouble, we took away the iPod and TV and forbid her from carrying on with this relationship. 

A few weeks goes by and I have a spy in her school...she informs me that Lexi and BHB are still dating. She's seen them holding hands and kissing (so glad the school offers them the time to do this). I asked her to take a picture and send it to me which she did last Friday. Prince Charming and I sit her down on Sunday and ask her if she's still dating him. She insists that no she isn't. He asks her if we can trust her, she of course says yes. He asks her if she knows what will happen if she is lying, she says yes she will get in trouble. Yet insists that she's telling the truth. That's when I bust her...let her know I know the truth. Ask why she lied and what does she say...."I don't know." I REALLY hate that answer. So we take away everything else...all her makeup, nail polish and radio. This kid literally has only her clothes and books.

Do you think that stops her....NOPE! Now I'm ready to lose it. Really....what is it gonna take?

I talked to a few people at work and ask them, they say "Well the more you tell her not to do it, the more she will. So stop telling her not to do it." REALLY people....she gets to call the shots. I'm just going to ignore the fact that she's disobeying me and just accept it because other wise she will do it more. I don't think so! 

So I ask you...what would you do?

I know I should have made this a 2 part post...this is short compared to my really long post the other day right?

I'm also joining in for the first time withVanessa @ Dilly Dally on Picture This Thursday. She will give us a theme each week to post pictures on. This weeks theme is Winter.

So there you have my pics...go link up with us her!

Womens Heart Week

February 1-7 is Women's Heart Week and it's such an important week to educate you on. So I come armed with some information from Womensheart.org.

Heart Disease is the number one killer of American women. Recognizing symptoms and risks, making lifestyle changes and getting timely care can save a woman's life. Women's Heart Week is a national outreach campaign aimed at improving women's outcomes from this deadly disease. Heart disease is America’s leading killer of women over the age of 34. Most women are not aware of this fact and fail to recognize their own risk factors for heart disease. Women’s symptoms, especially those that are milder, often go ignored. Women often miss out on critical opportunites to save their own lives. Women's Heart Foundation (WHF) recognizes that women are busier than ever as they juggle career, family and care-giving responsibilities. For many, each day resembles a jig–saw puzzle in which a woman is required to piece together her time and obligations. Now, more than ever, women need to take time out for themselves and be given a reminder: Take Care of Your Heart.

Some scary statistics for you to think about as well:
Less than one-third (31.8 percent) of U.S. adults get regular leisure-time physical activity (defined as light or moderate activity five times or more per week for 30 minutes or more each time and/or vigorous activity three times or more per week for 20 minutes or more each time). About 10 percent of adults do no physical activity at all in their leisure time.

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight (BMI > 25, which includes those who are obese).[7] All adults (20+ years old): 129.6 million (64.5 percent) Women (20+ years old): 64.5 million (61.9 percent) Men (20+ years old): 65.1 million (67.2 percent) Nearly one-third of U.S. adults are obese (BMI > 30). All adults (20+ years old): 61.3 million (30.5 percent) Women (20+ years old): 34.7 million (33.4 percent) Men (20+ years old): 26.6 million (27.5 percent)

About 25 percent of young people (ages 12–21 years) participate in light to moderate activity (e.g., walking, bicycling) nearly every day. About 50 percent regularly engage in vigorous physical activity. Approximately 25 percent report no vigorous physical activity, and 14 percent report no recent vigorous or light to moderate physical activity.

So I ask this of all my readers. Get check ups, make sure you are healthy and know your family history. I can tell you that in my moms family we have a ton of heart disease. My mom passed away at 49 from a heart attack, her sister passed away at 48 from a heart attack. This hits close to home for me.

A Really Long Post

Ok y'all I know I've been MIA but we've had some stuff going on. I'm taking today to play catch up and will be back to my regular posting tomorrow.

A New Home

Do you dream of moving somewhere far away from where you are. Maybe to see new things, or get away from the stresses of where you live? I do! I have all kinds of dream places that I want to live. I dream of living somewhere that is warm year round or living north for the summer and south for the winter.

Moving to somewhere like Santa Cruz, CA would be nice. The temperature averages in winter months is in the 60's! I could handle that. 70's during the summer...that's lovely. I think that may be the perfect place to live. Imagine perfect weather year round. Ok so I know it's not perfect, but I could really deal well with mild temperatures.

Then there is the beautiful scenery. Have you seen the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk? My goodness it looks beautiful in those pictures. I could walk out on that every single day. Oh and the romantic walks at sunset with Prince Charming! I'm practically packing my bags now.

The average home value was $649,572 in 2009. Now I know that may sound like a lot but I'm sure there must be a pay difference in the area...right? When I think of a home like that I think of a castle. So a castle in Santa Cruz I could live with.