Category Archives: Personal Issues

52 Weeks of Blogging with a Purpose: How My Childhood Impacted Who I Am Today

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This week’s topic: how my childhood impacted who I am today.

This should be an interesting list.

[+] I am compassionate because my mom modeled it on a daily basis. She’s the one who would give money to people with “out of work” signs and buy the ingredients for a separate Thanksgiving dinner for the food pantry. I also had lots of service opportunities through school and Girl Scouts.

[+] I am creative because I had parents who encouraged me to read whatever I wanted, draw, and write stories. My mom has “books” that I made when I was 5 and 6.

[+] I am shy because I was bullied in school and consequently am really wary around people until I know I can trust them.

[+] I am good at thinking on my feet because of Girl Scouts, particularly my Senior troop. We got to do lots of activities where we had to think through all the steps independently and they taught me how to rely on my own everywhere from a job interview to the wilderness.

[+] I am focused because I wanted to be the best at everything and my classmates in middle schoo; and high school gave me a run for my money.

[+] I am a blogger because I was bored one afternoon in February 1997 (I think it was the 10th) and heard about this site called Geocities that allowed you to build your own personal website. I started blogging three years later.

[+] I am a Christian because I was blessed to have a neighbor who read me the Gospel when I was 6 years old and showed me what it was to be a godly woman. She was one of the Scripture readers at my wedding and I miss her so much! (She lives in Oregon now. The last time I saw her was 7 years ago when I was in Oregon for my grandfather’s funeral.)

[+] I am addicted to georgraphy because I had a first grade teacher who handed me a map and explained how it all worked. I knew all my state capitals before the year was up. Playing “Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego” obsessively in second grade also helped.

[+] I am a good cook because my mom had my brother and I “helping” her from the time we could pull chairs to the counter. It took her three times as long at first but we could follow a recipe by the time we were 7 and cook dinner by the time we were 9.

[+} I am a classical music lover because my mom had it on all the time. She also did the “You-Sing-It Messiah” with me in high school and college. By the time my awesome Music Appreciation class rolled around in high school, I knew more than most of my clasmates.

Now go see Becky and what everyone else was impacted by their childhoods.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 29, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 29, 2013

Outside my window… warm. We’re getting a chill at night though.

I am thinking… about the stray cat we dropped off at the emergency vet hospital after its legs ended up under my back wheels this morning. They thankfully have a Good Samaritan policy (we can relinquish strays and they will either treat or euthanize) and it’s making me feel mildly less horrible about the situation. At least if they have to euthanize him, he got some love and care in the last hour of his life.

I am thankful… for Jon being able to drive me to the emergency vet as I’m not in any shape to drive after not sleeping last night.

In the kitchen… I microwaved some chicken and cheese taquitos from the frozen food section. #healthyeatingfail

I am wearing… forest green v-neck shirt and running shorts.

I am creating… the last of the devotions for the book and starting on plans for NaNoWriMo this year (which pretty much consists of recycling my notes from last year).

I am going… to hope that I get sleep tonight.

I am reading… Sundays in America by Suzanne Strempek Shea. I need to just buckle down and finish it this week.

I am hoping… to get some walks in this week.

I am looking forward to… seeing my parents this weekend.

Around the house… working on laundry.

I am pondering… many things internally.

A favorite quote for today… ??If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.?? -C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… Crystal Light Iced Peach Tea.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ABA therapy for Daniel on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, audiologist appointment for Daniel on Tuesday, Ladies’ Night Out on Wednesday, nail appointment on Friday morning, possibly a massage that afternoon, interview with PCOS researcher on Friday afternoon, and heading to San Jose for the weekend.

A peek into my day… a lapful last night. (Pardon my lovely double chin that only appears when my head is tilted down.)

A lapful.

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The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 8, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 8, 2013

Outside my window… dark right now. Bloody hot even down in San Jose (got back up to my neck of the woods about 9:30 p.m.) and close to 100 up where I live. I’m watching the weather for Dallas right now because my evil twin is there for a training class and I’m laughing because he bragged about getting away to the Pacific Northwest to escape the heat… only to be sent to Dallas after a week of work!

I am thinking… about the situation in Syria.

I am thankful… for a wonderful weekend with my parents.

In the kitchen… lemon cupcakes from Friday and lots of dishes to wash.

I am wearing… my “Online Debate Team” t-shirt and running shorts.

I am creating… various posts.

I am going… to hopefully sleep better tonight.

I am wondering… when Edda will stop licking me. (Do I taste like shower gel? Is it a good taste?)

I am reading… Sundays in America by Suzanne Strempek Shea. There are points when I want to smack her but it’s been interesting to see her church visits through the lens of her experience and upbringing.

I am hoping… my new keyboard arrives soon. (I accidentally broke my H key off my laptop keyboard.)

I am looking forward to… my mani/pedi on Thursday. It will be a quiet morning and I have craziness for the next few days.

Around the house… unpacking and consolidating to do.

I am pondering… too many things.

A favorite quote for today… “There are three ways of taking the command to turn the other cheek. One is the Pacifist interpretation; it means what it says and imposes a duty of nonresistance on all men in all circumstances. Another is the minimising interpretation; it does not mean what it says but is merely an orientally
hyperbolical way of saying that you should put up with a lot and be placable. Both you and I agree in rejecting this view. The conflict is therefore between the Pacifist interpretation and a third one which I am now going to propound.
I think the text means exactly what it says, but with an understood reservation in favour of those obviously exceptional cases which every hearer would naturally assume to be exceptions without being told. . . . . That is,
insofar as the only relevant factors in the case are an injury to me by my neighbour and a desire on my part to retaliate, then I hold that Christianity commands the absolute mortification of that desire. No quarter whatever is
given to the voice within us which says, ‘He??s done it to me, so I??ll do the same to him.'” — C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

One of my favorite things… silence. I have it right now and it is glorious.

A few plans for the rest of the week: hearing aid appointments for Daniel tomorrow, Morning Prayer on Tuesday and possibly a Target run, haircut on Wednesday and ABA therapy for Daniel, mani/pedi on Thursday, quarterly meeting with Daniel’s autism people and the Regional Center in the morning on Friday as well as ABA therapy that afternoon.

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{Virtual} Coffee Date (vol. 5)

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{Virtual Coffee Date}

Once you’re done here, go visit Karianna and the other coffee drinkers.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that Thomas of Fuller Life finally revealed the gender of the twins. Note to self: get Thomas’ wife Alison a 12-pack of mani/pedi coupons and find someone nearby to take her for “girl time”. (Kidding, Thomas… when I do get mani/pedi’s, I’m usually reading something on my NOOK during the pedicure part and trying ignoring the outside world during the manicure part.)

If we were having coffee, I’d talk about how much I don’t want to go to the Social Security office tomorrow and how much I hate dealing with them. They screwed up Daniel’s SSI (AGAIN!!!!) and I have to go bring them copies of my 2011 and 2012 taxes… which they should already have. Seriously, I think they pulled numbers out of their butts for the latest determination. Oh well… I needed to clean my purse out anyway (they search it) and this will give me a chance to do some reading.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about the serious cuteness of the red panda cub this weekend at the Sacramento Zoo. The tiger cub was also pretty stinking cute, especially as it pounced its mama wanting to play.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you how addicted I am to the CW summer show, Breaking Pointe. I was able to cheat a little bit and look up who is still with the company on the Ballet West website but the whole process of whether Ian or Zach got the contract with the company and the saga with Allison and her fiancé as well as with Christiana and her husband Chris.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you how irritated I am that Qubo stopped showing He-Man at night. Seriously, that was my fall-back when the 9:00 shows on the other networks were disappointing. It was also a tie to my childhood.

Thank you for having coffee (tea) with me this week. Same time next week!

52 Weeks of Blogging with a Purpose: What Being A Mom Looks Like

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The topic this week: what being a mom looks like. I’m going to borrow Becky’s way of laying things out.

Being a mom looks like an octopus. I have joked for four years about waiting for my third arm to grow in and I keep being really disappointed that it hasn’t yet. It would enable me to hold Daniel propped against my waist while signing some kind of medical document while the third arm goes through my wallet looking for insurance cards. Another great scenario: one arm can be under Daniel who has fallen asleep in my lap while the other two type things up.

Being a mom looks like a DVD player with a copy of “Winnie the Pooh” stuck in it. “Winnie the Pooh” allows me to get so incredibly much done in our house and I was never the mom who claimed that she would limit her kids’ screen time. (That would be seriously hypocritical of me.)

Being a mom looks like a bobblehead doll. I know that I do so much smiling and nodding at the crap people tell me about how to parent Daniel and the “advice” in parenting forums because it is either a.) absolute crap, b.) based on pseudoscience, c.) Sanctimommy sludge, or d.) all of the above. When Daniel was diagnosed with autism, I made the rule that I would only listen to advice from other autistic moms/grandmas because I would probably claw the other so-called “experts” to death. However, Jon really hates me shedding the blood of the stupid, so I do a lot of smiling and nodding.

Being a mom looks like a much-needed shower. I joke that if I can’t remember the last time I showered, it’s probably time. I can’t leave Daniel alone for 10 minutes in order to shower so any showers I get are while he’s sleeping, napping, at school, or being watched by someone else. I have a very simple hairstyle and I don’t wear make-up for this reason — I have no promise that I can do much past combing my hair and brushing my teeth when it comes to my morning beauty routine.

Being a mom looks like a candle lit in a church. Daniel figures into so many of my prayers and I have hopes and dreams for him. It’s not uncommon for me to duck into a church and light a candle for something when I’m out by myself.

Being a mom looks like a gymnastics coach after their athlete has nailed a perfect floor routine to win the Olympics. There has been pain, frustration, tears, and focus to reach a goal and when it finally happens, you want to pick up your child and spin them around.

Now go see Becky and what everyone else thinks of when imagining a mother.

7 Quick Takes: Virtual 5K’s, Harmless Political Fun, and Overheating Laptops

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Slow going. My laptop is overheating despite being on a cooling pad so Facebook is being slow (and of course, I have 15 hours of status updates to read) so I’m switching over here to write a Quick Take every time Facebook has to load more stuff. Whee! This is what I get for not being at my laptop for 12 hours.

— 2 —

Endocrinology grumping. I cleaned up my diet and my A1C got worse. (I didn’t see my other numbers though my liver enzymes apparently continue to be beautiful — thank God for that!) I think my endocrinologist would be an awesome coffee date but she has no clue about what my life entails. I was able to test a little bit after eating lunch today but dinner eluded me because I’m sipping on tea a lot of the time. (I need to move from my Lipton Pure Leaf stuff to Crystal Light or something because the Lipton stuff *will* up my carb load.) My thyroid function is also the lower boundary of normal (thanks Mom!) so we’re going to up my Synthroid by half and see if that makes a difference. There was the usual fight over trying new drugs because my insurance company hates me so she gave me samples while a prior authorization could be worked out and also a discount co-pay card for the meds she wanted to give me. My glucose meter had died so they found me a new one (I use a Freestyle Light) and it had a $15 co-pay card attached for test strips. (They can be between $50-$150 if you have to pay for them at the pharmacy.) I see her again in 3 months and God willing, she’ll be happier with results. I mean, I dropped 10 lbs while sitting on my butt so my dietary changes actually did something.

— 3 —

Wow. For those who are fans of the musical Les Miserables, you have to watch this.

He also does an amazing parody of Disney princesses after their “happy endings”.

— 4 —

Humorous Amazon.Com reviews. Amazon.Com has done the world a favor and has compiled a list of their products with fake reviews. George Takei also should have a decent list on his Facebook page and you might even be able to find him as a reviewer on Amazon.Com’s website.

— 5 —

Some political fun. Al Franken is up for re-election in 2014 for one of Minnesota’s US Senate seats and he is engaging in a little political fun. He is letting people vote on what Minnesota State Fair food he will be eating in a virtual postcard to supporters. Choices are things like alligator, tater tot hot dish, a chocolate-covered pickle, a steak dinner-on-a-stick, ostrich, and walleye-on-a-stick. I’m linking it here because I think it’s creative and it’s some harmless fun where Republicans and Democrats alike can vote on something. It’s the 21st century equivalent of putting him on a dunk tank or a pie-throwing booth.

— 6 —

Run for Little Flowers Giveaway. Katie at Blessed with Full Hands is organizing the Run for Little Flowers again and is having a giveaway. There’s running gear, a $20 gift card (put up by me), and other things available. The virtual 5K raises money for the Little Flower Projects.

— 7 —

More on The Bloggess’ book. Like Jenny Lawson (the Bloggess), I deal with generalized anxiety disorder but I’m not quite as humorous about it. I haven’t told people about swallowing a needle at parties but I tend to be more likely to focus on one or two people and just have a conversation with them. Like her, I also sound so much more normal online than I do in person. I was interviewing a respite worker for Daniel and it was probably one of the more uncomfortable 2-hour blocks of my life. It’s been interesting to read her book because I can totally see myself doing the stuff she has… well, kind of but with less dead animals.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 18, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 18, 2013

Outside my window… dark. It’s a full moon tonight though and I’m pretty sure my in-laws’ mew-mews are out being lions or something.

I am thinking… about all that I have to get done this week.

I am thankful… for a good visit down here and for my mother-in-law who has taken on a lot of Daniel duty so I can sleep in and take naps. She keeps me sane on these visits.

In the kitchen… cleaned up the leftovers from the manicotti that a neighbor brought over for Jon’s birthday dinner.

I am wearing… charcoal shirt and running shorts.

I am creating… blog entries.

I am going… to have a long drive back up to northern California tomorrow. I’ll actually be reading through most of it so I should hopefully be able to clear some of the “Mount TBR” on my NOOK.

I am wondering… what my kitties are up to back home.

I am reading… Confessions of a GP by Benjamin Daniels MD. It’s an interesting look at how the NHS looks in Britain in addition to anecdotes about his experiences as a doctor.

I am hoping… all goes well with my father-in-law’s surgery on Wednesday. If you could spare a prayer on his behalf, I’d appreciate it. His name is Ray.

I am looking forward to… my mani/pedi on Wednesday.

Around the house… nothing to report because my mother-in-law keeps a completely sterile house to the point that I could eat off of her kitchen floor.

I am pondering… what things to talk about for Thomas’ link-up. (If you have any thoughts/blog posts/etc on what was helpful when your kids were babies, go participate in the link-up. Thomas’ wife Alison is pregnant with twins and he’s picking the brain of the Internet on what to use.)

A favorite quote for today… ??When I lay these questions before God I get no answer. But a rather special sort of ‘No answer.’ It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze. As though He shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, ‘Peace, child; you don’t understand.?? ? C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… solitude.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Daniel starts back to school on Tuesday, Morning Prayer on Tuesday, endocrinologist appointment and mani/pedi on Wednesday as well as my brother visiting, nothing on Thursday (thank God!), and ABA therapy on both Wednesday and Friday for Daniel

A peek into my day… My bed kitty while I’ve been down here. My cats are going to kill me.

Arthur

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