Should Smoking In Public Be Banned?

I believe smoking in public places should not be allowed.  My husband smokes about a pack a day so he may argue this topic with me.  With that said, he is also a considerate smoker.  He rarely smokes in public, especially if there are quite a few people around.    There are several reasons, in my opinion, why you should not be allowed to smoke in public.  One of the first reasons being that smoking is harmful to non-smokers.  I do think that smokers should have the right to smoke, just not at the expense of others.  If you chose to not smoke then you should be able to not have to subject yourself to that if you don’t want.  Being in public, there are times that you cannot escape the smoke.  I don’t feel that this is fair to those non -smokers.   A second reason I think smoking should be banned in public is that smoking causes pollution in the air.  There is a lot of research that shows that many kinds of gases are released by smoking and can be harmful for the environment.  Tar and carbon dioxide are two examples. Another reason smoking should be prohibited while in public is because there are other forms of nicotine smokers can use while in public.  There is nicotine gum and patches that you could use and would be more considerate of others and our air.

 For me personally, I think that smoking in public is more of an annoyance thing and I am around it every day.  My husband does go outside to smoke.  He has never smoked in the house or around my boys.  The smell of stale cigarette smoke is also another turn off, especially in public.  The smell tends to linger on your clothes and hair.  I will say again that I don’t believe smokers should have that right taken away from them, I just believe smoking in public should not be allowed.   

Bad Week!

I don’t know about any of you other mother’s out there but I have had a very stressful week!  I am so blessed to not have to work while I attend school, but I have to say that having two boys, carrying a full load at school and taking care of all the household things that need to be done can really make for a stressful week sometimes.  I typically try to look at all the positive things in my life.  This week however, has been so hard.  This is my 5^th year in school and I think I am truly getting tired and burned out.  I will NEVER quit, but it still doesn’t make it any easier.  I am down to my last year and it is just all I have anymore.  I know that sounds awful and negative but I’m wore out.  I feel like I can hardly ever get my homework done.  I spend my week taking my son to school in the morning and then coming home and feeding my 5 year old breakfast, bathing him, brushing his teeth, feeding him lunch, and then on Monday Wednesday and Friday he has preschool so I have to take him to school after lunch.  I come home and clean up the kitchen from both breakfast and lunch, and run the dishwasher so the dishes are clean before dinner.  By the time I take my youngest to preschool and come home to start everyday chores it’s time to go and get them from school again.  I get home from picking the boys up and before I know it, it’s time to cook dinner.  Where does the day go?  I hope there are others of you that feel this way because I kind of feel like a complainer right about nowJ .  On the days my youngest doesn’t have preschool; he doesn’t really let me get much done.  He’s 5 so he is full of all kinds of information. Lol.  It is constantly mommy I need this and mommy I need that.  I love my kids more than anything in the whole world and wouldn’t change my life for anything, just some days I feel so overwhelmed.  This is why my homework normally doesn’t get done until the weekend when my husband is home.  I can go lock myself in my bedroom and actually concentrate a little.  I know working is just as hard, I have done both.  The only thing with school is, this is the beginning of what will be my future career and I try hard to make good grades so I can maintain a credible gpa and all the deadlines for homework, quizzes, papers, and tests can be overwhelming.  Thank you for listening to me.  I promise I am not a negative personJ.  I have just had one of those weeks.  I am sure next week will be much better.  I tend to stress when I am feel flooded with school work and taking care of my family. 

Why Is Eating Healthy Important?

My husband and I are going to the beach this summer.  We both decided it was time to lose a few pounds and maintain a healthier lifestyle.   I have never really given much thought about what I eat.  I know that is so bad.  We started this almost two months ago.  We have started eating healthy and working out 5-6 times a week.  I already feel better and now realize the importance of eating healthy. 

Health is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being.  Good health is a result of proper nutrition, regular exercise, health care, and hygiene.  Obesity is a huge threat to public health.  There are approximately 70 million Americans that struggle with being obese.  Between 2007 and 2009, the obesity rate increased by 1.1 percent. 

I have discovered that maintaining a healthy lifestyle really isn’t all that hard.  It is all about making the right food choices and sticking with it.  The key to getting rid of daily stress and pressures of life is to lead to a healthy life and develop healthier habits.  You will find that you will be more productive and your mental attitude will become more positive. 

Eating healthy provides your body with the nutrients and energy it needs to function properly.  It helps to regulate breathing and fight diseases.   Nutrients provide the necessary energy to keep your brain active and your heart working properly.  It also helps to build strong bones and body tissue.  Fruits and vegetables help to lower blood pressure.  It can also help to lower your risk of certain cancers.  Less saturated fat in your diets helps to lower heart disease and high cholesterol along with cancer as well.  Eating healthy also assists in managing diabetes. 

The human body survives even though it gets neglected from poor eating and pharmaceutical drugs.  This can cause the body to become confused and activate to stressful reactions which lead to us getting sick.  Antioxidants play a role in protecting us from these free radicals and human body toxic triggers.  Healthy eating can be achieved by learning important nutrition basics and incorporating them in your daily regimen.  I have learned it helps to do your research and make yourself knowledgeable    about proper nutrition.  I have started teaching my children about why it is so important to eat healthy.  They have been a little confused as to why our eating habits have changed so drastically.  The lessons we learn apply will help us to enjoy the effects and benefits in the long run.

My Son's Broken Heart

I really like being able to post about things that have happened through the week or if I just need some advice.  This week I kind of need some good advice.  It has been a rough couple of months so let me start from the beginning.

I was married right of high school and had my oldest son.  It ended in divorce.  He was my high school sweetheart and we basically just grew apart.  We get along great now and my son has a good relationship with his dad.  He is extremely close to his grandparents.  (His dad’s parents)   I always joked that my son’s grandpa was closer to him than his own father.  He called him daily and they did everything together.  I mean everything!  They hunted, fished, camped, worked, built things, collected things, you name it and they did it.  His grandpa was his world.  On January 31^st I got the dreaded phone call.  His grandpa died in his sleep.  He had a massive heart attack.  He had never had never had any problems before this.  He was such a great man.  I got along with them so good.  It was nice to still be able to be so close to my ex in-laws and my son’s grandparents that he thought the world of.  My son is 9 so he is old enough to understand what happened to his grandpa.  He was with his dad the Friday it happened.  They were traveling to Rolla to see my son’s stepmother’s parents.  They barely got there when they got the call and had to turn around.  My son, Conner, called me about 8:00 that morning and was hysterically crying.  He was so heartbroken.  I felt like there was no way I could take away the pain.  He had a very hard time during the visitation and funeral and the weeks following.  He started to get a little better and just recently has started having major meltdowns again.  He is so depressed.  I don’t know what to do.  As a mother, I want to be able to take away his pain and in this case I can’t.  He has been able to spend time with him grandma.   In a lot of ways they help each other.  She tells me all the time she couldn’t get through this without Conner.  He was only 60 years old.  I guess I just need some advice as to what I need to do?  This is very traumatic for a young child.  He has never felt pain like he is now.  He is so young to have to lose the closest thing to him other than a parent.  I know it will take him a long time for his little heart to heal but I am worried about him.  Is a counselor a bad idea? 

Why It Is Important to Adopt an Animal...

One thing that I am very passionate about is saving an animal if you can.  There are several reasons you should choose adoption of a dog/cat instead of spending tons of money on one. 

The first reason is simple, you will save a life.  There are between 3 and 4 million dogs and cats euthanized each year just because someone doesn’t want to adopt an innocent animal.  There are so many people that would rather spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on that certain breed they want.  Too few people adopt and too many give their pets away.  Why not save a life?

The second reason is you will get a very happy and healthy pet.  Most shelters give vaccinations and examine the animal when they arrive.  Animal shelters have so many happy, healthy cats/dogs just waiting for that special person to come and take them home. 

The third reason is you will save a ton of money.  Adopting from your animal shelter is so much less expensive than buying an animal from a pet store.  If you get a pet old enough from the shelter it will more than likely already be spayed or neutered which would also cut back on cost. 

The fourth reason is you will feel so good about yourself.  There is nothing more rewarding than caring for an animal.  They have a way of putting a smile on your face and showing unconditional love.  A pet is like having a really good friend.

The fifth and final reason is you won’t be supporting puppy mills or pet stores.  Puppy mills are “factory style” dog-breeding facilities that put profit above the welfare of dogs.  Most of the dogs raised in a puppy mill live in poor conditions with improper medical care.  Puppy mill puppies are sold to unsuspecting customers in pet stores.  By adopting a pet instead of buying one, you can be certain you aren’t supporting cruel puppy mills with your money.       

Is everybody else tired of the snow?

Is anybody else sick of all this snow?  I used to think I was a winter kind of girl until all of this!  I was so excited when I heard how much snow we were going to get.  There is some kind of cozy feeling I get when I’m stuck in the house because the roads are so bad.  I am sure that sounds crazy.  It makes me want to just curl up on the couch and do nothing but watch movies all day.  Unfortunately, most of us can’t do that.  I loved watching the snow when it was falling, but I am so done with it now.  You can only stay in for so long, unless you work that is.  Just when I thought the roads were getting so much better it decides to snow another 4 inches or better today.  I had to get out this morning to take my son to the doctor and we were sliding everywhere.  It made me so nervous, especially when I have my kids in the car with me.  I had to make this appointment though.  I am beyond ready for spring when we don’t have to worry about the hazardous driving conditions and can roll down our window to enjoy the weather!  I think I have officially changed my mind on loving winter.  I am tired of being cold and having to tread through the snow to get anywhere.  I guess that is part of living in Missouri.  We get all the seasons.  Ask me again in August when it is 100 degrees out.  I am sure I will be praying for winter. Spring and autumn seem to be the happy medium for meJ!  I feel like I complain a lot on this blog.  It is nice to be able to have a gripe session about silly things though.  Thanks again for listening to me.  This could be my new favorite way to get out frustration.  It’s nice to be able to write about it.          

Vacation

This week I am posting about vacation.  Simply because we just booked it last week and I am terribly excited!  I have 4 older sisters; I am the youngest of 5.  Growing up, every summer we would always take a family vacation.  Sometimes it would be to Branson and other times it was out of state like Florida for example.  We always had so much fun.  This is one of my favorite childhood memories.  It is so important to be able to spend valuable family time together and that's what we did on our trips. My boys are ages 5 and 9.  We have yet to be able to take them to the ocean, which is something I have wanted to be able to do so badly.  Being a full-time student for the last 4 years has not allowed us to do that.  We have been fortunate enough to take them to Branson and to St. Louis to watch ball games.  We are big Cardinals fans!  It isn't about how much money you spend or where you take them, it’s the time together that matters most.

One of my sisters called us a couple of weeks ago asking if we would be in on taking a family vacation this year like we used to do.  I am 31, so it has been a good 20 years or better since we have done anything like this as a big family.  My oldest sister is in her 40's so she was moved out of the house by the time I was 10.
My sister called everyone in our family and we all agreed this would be such a great experience together.  We all gathered at my sister's house and picked out a house on the beach.  It was interesting trying to find a house that was in our price range since there will be 10 adults and 13 kids.  We have a big family!

We decided to go to Tybee Island.  Two of my sisters used to live near Atlanta so they thought this would be a fun Island to visit as a family.  My boys have never seen the ocean so they are beyond excited.  It is a long 16 hour drive.  I don't know if anyone has checked on plane tickets, but it is crazy!  Trying to fly 4 of us at the end of June was ridiculous so we decided to split the drive up into two days.  I hope we don't want to pull all our hair out by the time we get there!  It will be quite an experience.  I am so happy we are able to take them to the beach this summer and spend some good quality time with my sisters and their families.  I hope this didn't bore anyone to bad.  I just had to share this with you because I am so exited. :)  Thanks for listening!

Super Bowl XLV-"Go Pack Go!"

Green Bay deserves to win this super bowl, not only because of what Brett Favre has done to the team and to the fans but because Aaron Rodgers deserves this for having his career drug thru the mud while Brett attends press conference after press conference faking his retirement! 

Green Bay is the last little town to keep its team.  You root for the Packers in this Super Bowl for guys like the one on PackerForum.com writing about hearing his mom shriek downstairs and thinking she's in trouble and running down to find her in her robe and slippers shrieking in delight at the man standing in the doorway, Packers god Bart Starr, who had stopped by to drop off some gifts as thanks for the guy cutting Starr's lawn and shoveling his sidewalk this year.

You root for the Packers in this Super Bowl because Packers fans took a taunt -- "You cheesehead!" -- and turned it into a gouda thing.  In 1987, Ralph Bruno, burned holes in one of his mother's couch cushions while upholstering it cut out a hole for his head and painted it yellow.  This is where the "chesseshead" was born.  You can find chesse hats, along with many other "cheese" things, anywhere in Green Bay. 

You root for the Packers in this Super Bowl because of Ouida Wright and her boyfriend, who never dreamed being homeless in Green Bay would be lucky. They were on the street when the Dallas Convention and Visitor's Bureau sent a "mystery" man out, waiting for someone to address him with the secret phrase: "Have you been to Dallas lately?" Wright heard about it, said it to the right guy and now she's going to the Super Bowl with her boyfriend. Everything is paid for and yet when they return home they will still not have a place to live. 

If nothing else, root for the Packers because its the right thing to do.  They are a team that nobody can seem to hate!