I Think a Few Changes Are Only Fair

     There are a few things that are unjust in the world and I would like to point them out and propose some changes. The first is what happens to women's bodies when they have a baby. It's bad enough what we go through during pregnancy and childbirth itself, but we should not be left with stretch marks and saggy breasts. I propose that with every child a woman has her skin becomes more supple and free from stretch marks or scars. This includes c-section scars. They should heal in a week or two and be gone forever. I also propose that with every child you breast feed your breasts become slightly larger, firmer and perkier for all the wear and tear.
     Now, to address all those sleepless nights that we have as moms. How many times have you stumbled through your day because you were up all night holding a fussy baby. When you look in the mirror the next morning someone who resembles the Incredible Hulk is staring back at you, complete with the greenish tone to your skin. To remedy this I propose that with every child we have, we need, lets say, two hours less of sleep each night to feel refreshed and looking our best. By the time a woman has three or four babies she won't need hardly any sleep at all and could conquer the world. Can you imagine all that you could do if you only needed two hours of sleep each night?
     How about the sickness part? It's bad enough that we have to clean up the vomit and diarrhea for our beloved children for years, a mother shouldn't have to go through this herself, ever! After having the worst case of the flu this weekend that I have ever had, I propose that after giving birth a mother should be totally immune to any and all illnesses that beset her family. It's only fair that if we have to take care of them that we should be able to do so without fear of contracting such disgusting bugs.
     Who's with me here?  Who do I contact to see this becomes a reality?  

Batten Down the Hatches, Here They Come!

     Did you miss me yesterday? I had to be at the dentist with the hubby at a horribly early hour yesterday and by the time we got home from that and running errands it was time to pick up kids from school. Now, I don't know how it is for all of you, but once the kids get home it's all down hill from there. And this time of year seems to be busier than any other. Both our boys have both soccer and baseball practice and starting next week we will have baseball games in addition to it all. Then there is scouts and school stuff.
     It makes my head spin trying to remember who has to be where at what time. It is moments like this when I wish we had reached the point where we could clone ourselves. It's really bad on Tuesday when the hubster is out of town on business and I am on my own. I spend the afternoon and evening in my car.  I'm so glad I have a Kindle I can take with me and catch up on my reading, while I wait at the four different practices I attend.
     I wondered if other mothers felt like this and yesterday my good friend Jamie posted on Facebook and said, "I can't believe it's time to pick up the kids from school already. I need another hour..or two... or three." It was then I knew, I am but one of many mom's who always need just a little bit more time to get the things done we need to do before we have to batten down the hatches and face the rest of an already exhausting day.
     Here it is Friday already and for us here in Utah, it's early out. Which means the kids get home even earlier. Whose idea was that? If the schools really cared about us moms they would keep the kids until five on Fridays. After all, we have them all weekend. :)

The Lucky Seven

  

  I was tagged by another writer/blogger to be one of "The Lucky Seven". It's a fun way of posting seven lines of a work in progress from either the seventh or seventy-seventh page, where you go seven lines down and post seven lines of your story. I had to read this a couple of times to get it, but I'm challenged that way.
     This is supposed to be very random and for fun, to see what is happening in a few lines from the middle of no where is your book. So here goes.
     These few lines are from my first book. The hero, a post Civil War Texas Ranger, has been shot and almost died and he's remembering the murder of a good friend and his family. The book is called, "In the Shadow of the Mountains."

It was a part of the risk of living in a wild and untamed land, but that had changed six months ago when his friend Nate Moreland and his family were slaughtered. 

            Memories of what had happened to the Moreland's haunted him.  He tried to chase away the images but they wouldn’t leave him.  Tom closed his eyes and saw it all.

            Nate in his night shirt, lying dead on the floor of his own parlor.  Eliza, Nate’s wife, was behind him on the stairs. She had been shot in the throat and her blood had run down the wall like bright red ribbons.
     Usually you post the first few pages or a certain kind of scene. To pick a random passage feels very strange to me, but here it is.

     Now I have to go and tag seven more writers. Have a good day all. I have Tiffinie Helmer to thank for this. Her second book Moosed-up is out today on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I enjoyed her first book IMPACT so I am looking forward to the second. She writes about Alaska where she grew up and still spends the summer doing commercial fishing. What a life, you should hear her talk about it. Here's a link to her blog check it out if you are interested.

http://tiffiniehelmer.com/blog/?p=88

Is Self-examination Good for the Soul? I wonder?

     Why is it that we doubt ourselves so much? We can be over-achievers and lead a near perfect life(I'm not referring to me here) and still we doubt what we are doing. I have written two books, which are over 100,000 words, and still I wonder if I can to it. I have started about 27 others and I wonder.
     Is it the nature of women and people in general to doubt what they can do? Is it a positive form of self-examination, or a way of bringing ourselves down. Maybe, it depends on how you use those doubts to change what needs to be changed and make improvements.
     I know I am a good mother, at least I try to be the best mother I can be, but I still question myself and wonder if I could have done, or do better. Could I keep my house cleaner? Definitely. Could I be kinder to my family, of course. I could, and should, be more careful with money, but I don't go to the mall and buy summer wardrobes either. I gave up coke, but still eat my share of unhealthy foods. I could go on and on about all the things I could improve on, but is it empowering or demeaning? For me mostly demeaning. It makes me feel like a failure. I need to see the books that I have finished and not the 27 that I haven't, yet. I need to see the good in my kids and not the mistakes. I need to see all the things I have accomplished and not the things I still need to work on. Or am I wrong? What do you think?
    

I Can Do Hard Things

     One of the hardest things about being a parent is when your children make choices that aren't good for them. You know them and can see how wrong decisions are going to affect their lives, but they don't listen. They have to learn for themselves and some of them have to learn the hard way.
     One of my favorite quotes lately is, "A wise man learns from his mistakes. A wiser man learns from others mistakes." Such wisdom in so few words.
     Parenthood is a never ending job. When your kids are young you think as soon as they are out of high school, I'll be done, or as soon as they are married, I can relax. Not so. The problems just get more serious and with spouses and grandkids you have more people to worry about. It never gets easier.
     Once you have a child, it's not about you any more. Your whole life is about helping those you love be the people you know they can be.
     I have a much larger family than most so the challenges are multiplied. Rarely do we get any down time when there isn't some kind of crisis happening. Would I go back and change things if I could? No. My children have taught me as much as I have taught them. They have made me a better person. They have made me a stronger person and they have taught me that you can survive the most excruciating pain imaginable and become stronger for it. Like the refiners fire, we are tempered by our trials to be the best we can be.
     My faith is strong and so I say, I accept this challenge and I will do my best to meet it and grow from it.

A Few Thoughts On Marriage

     I have been thinking about marriage lately, it seems no one in the public eye stays married anymore. Why is that? Have our attention spans become so short that we can't stay focused on anything for more than a few years? Or is our lifestyle of instant gratification making us bored in our marriages, to the point were we can't stick it out? I wonder.
     Marriage is hard sometimes. Ask anyone who's been married for more than a few years. It's hard, boring and sometimes your beloved can really drive you crazy. Not my husband, of course, he never drives me crazy.
     I remember when my hubby and I were first dating and some of our friends would break up and then get back together and then break up again in typical teenage fashion. When we started dating we talked about it and decided that if we ever broke up that would be it. It wouldn't be a back and forth thing. That made our relationship more stable from the beginning.
     Maybe we have made divorce so easy that no one takes their marriage vows seriously anymore. They seem to think, we can just get divorced like everyone else.
     I'm grateful that our church puts so much emphasis on marriage and family. Strong families truly are the backbone of society. I love sitting in church on Sunday's and seeing so many husbands with their arms around their wives and wives tenderly resting their hands on their husbands necks and other tasteful displays of affection. What wonderful examples they are being for their children.
     I wish more couples would take divorce off the table and work out the problems in their relationships rather than walking out at the first sign of discontent.
     Divorce should be the last recourse, not the first.
     These are just a few of my thoughts today.

Important Issues

     I have been thinking about the presidential election coming up and I have one question for all of you today. What is the most important issue you think our country is facing? I really want to know your thoughts,so please leave them here or on Facebook.