My Son is Addicted...

To Robek?s (for those of you that are not familiar, it is a juice place). It has been going on for quite some time now, his love for "the juice"...it's actually kind of funny. The boy knows what he wants, and he let's you know when he wants it. His first Robek's experience, he shared one with me...he was supposed to share with me. Honestly, I had only planned on letting him take a few sips and I was going to enjoy the rest by myself. Little did I know that the last time I passed my drink to him in the back seat would be the last time I was going to see my drink. He sucked it down so fast, it wore him out, because he feel asleep in the car and I was able to bring him into the house and lay him down to finish his nap, where he slept for an additional 1 1/2. This was a surprise and great for me at the same time, considering he stopped taking naps MONTHS before.


Our second visit to Robek's...same thing happened. Did I learn my lesson, NOPE? I thought the first time was a fluke. I passed him my drink for a few sips, he sucked it down again (probably even faster then the first time), fell asleep, and took a 1 1/2 nap. By our third trip, I learned my lesson, so he was going to get his OWN drink, so I could enjoy mine. The difference with the third trip...he now knows the location! I know this may not seem like a big deal, but did I mention he is not two yet? So we pull into a parking space and he says " Wobucks"... yes wobucks is his word for Robek's. Daddy and I look at each other, and we both say..."he did not just say Robek's" so I guess he wants to let us know we heard him correctly so he says it again. What in the world, why does he know the place by site that fast...I guess it does not take much for kids these days to pick up on what they like and where to find it.


Now that we have established that he LOVES Robek's we can not even drive by the place or he will have a dang near melt down. We were going quite a bit for a little while, so when I would drop my daughter off at school he would say "Wobucks" "I want Wobucks" The first time he said this after dropping my daughter off, I thought he was saying something else, but low and behold it was good ol' Robek's. We were not even going after we dropped my daughter to school; we would go after we picked her up from school so we could all go together as a family. Any how for a couple of weeks, he would immediately say after we dropped her off "I want Wobucks."


I mentioned that he knows the location of the Robek's we go to...a couple of weeks ago after a long strike off not going we decided to visit our favorite juice place. One of the ways we go we have to pass by it first before we can pull into the shopping center...my son sees Robek's and yells out "Wobucks...I want some....PEEZE....PEEEEZE" (his word for please)...apparently he has been deprived of his precious Robek's. We passed it, like I mentioned to pull into the shopping center, so he thought we were not going for a brief moment and almost had a complete melt down. After he realized that we were going to Robek's he clapped his hands in delight and got all gitty...gotta love my little man, he is too funny!


So now he is back on his Robek's, believe it or not it did slow down for a little bit, but it does not help that my daughter asks him if he wants to go, and then tells him maybe we can go on Friday...I want to ask her if she has some Friday Robek's money...the nerve.LOL He mentions Robek's at least a couple of times a week, poor baby, I don't know how we are going to break him from needing his fix. Yesterday, I had to run to Costco, and the Robek's we go to just so happens to be in the same shopping center...I'm sure you know where I am going with this...


So I go through what we call the back way to go into Costco, unfortunately the back way has easy viewing of Robek's from across the street. I was at the stop light, it turned green and I proceeded to drive down the street to get to Costco, my son realizes "the location" of where he is and where is beloved Robek's and yells out "Robek's" (he has the pronunciation down now) and he throws his arms up in the air as if he were on a roller coaster. It was the cutest thing, but we were not going to Robek's...as I kept driving, which it did not take him to realize, he puts his arms down and says "not Robek's...Robek's" and then he has this face of disappointment. Awwwww...I felt so bad, but we could not go I had to run my quick Costco errand and get back home, plus it was not in the budget for the day.


Needless to say, my son has a problem. I will admit I prefer him wanting Robek's over McDonalds or any of the fast food places (which I guess it helps that we do not really go to those places), but he still has a problem. He has it so bad that during his nightly routine of tossing and turning and throwing out random words, just last night he says "Robek's....strawberries..." Are you serious son? Are you really talking about Robek's before getting settled in for the night??? LOL Again...gotta love him...he is too funny!
What is your son or daughter's favorite treat?

The White House Children

Unfortunately many Americans were not thrilled with the Policies of the Bush Administration nor were too many happy with the way he ran the country. I know I was not a big fan, but I will say this…he raised wonderful daughters. One must give credit where credit is due. If you have not already done so, you have to read the letter his daughters left for the daughters of President Obama. That was the most considerate letter two young ladies could have left for the next children of the oval office. Click here to read the entire letter “Playing House in the White House.”

My favorite part of their entire letter (although it was all good) “Our Dad, who read to us nightly, taught us how to score tedious baseball games. He is our father, not the sketch in a paper or part of a skit on TV. Many people will think they know him, but they have no idea how he felt the day you were born, the pride he felt on your first day of school, or how much you both love being his daughters. So here is our most important piece of advice: remember who your dad really is,” what better advise can you give then that? Even those parents who are not “high profile” get the bad end of the stick in society sometimes, or people view them poorly without even knowing them. I think it is very important for us to remember our parents for who they really are/were, and not how others portray/ed them. Whether your image of your parents is/was good or bad, only those who grew up in the house with them will know them best.

Please note that I am not condoning how Mr. Bush ran the country, but he is no longer in office. We need to move forward and leave the past in the past, and make the country better then it currently is. The Bush twin daughters helped the Bush family to leave on a positive note, and I honestly would prefer our last president leaving on a positive note then a negative one. Our country really does not need any negative energy floating around…we have a lot of work to do, to get back to a prosperous nation.

A New President!

Last year (2008) was not exactly the best year for most Americans. We had the crash on Wall Street, many lost their jobs and/or homes, and our healthcare system continues to fail us along with the educational system. Some of the listed made many lose trust in our leaders and our government. Will President Obama be able to change the view of government in the eyes of Americans? Will he be able to change the way our allies and ?enemies view America and Americans?? Only time will tell.

After being sworn in, luncheons and a night of inaugural balls(01/20/09) lasting to the wee hours of the following morning, President Obama ?Hit the Ground Running? on his first day in the Oval office. He has already put a freeze on the salaries of employees who make over $100,000 a year and issued new ?lobbying? rules. You can read more about it here http/news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090121/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_executive_pay. More changes are on the way, he does not seem to be holding back, nor does it seem like he will slow down anytime soon. Will he come through on the many promises he made during the election? I sure hope so, judging from his first day in office, the chances seem more then likely. I must say, please do not expect any overnight fixes; our economy did not get in the state it is in overnight.

I do believe positive change will come with President Obama, but I also believe strongly in him wanting us ALL to be responsible. He wants us all to play a part in fixing America. I like the fact that he is including Americans in his journey for change. If you want to be involved, if you want to express your thoughts/opinions, or if you have suggestions, send them to the current administration. You can visit the ?Official? web page of the White House at http/www.whitehouse.gov/contact/. This link will take you directly to the contact us page, but please look around the site and read about the plans that President Obama has for our country.

During President Obama?s election we were able to see just how diverse our country is. The young, the old, black, white, disabled, gay and straight, rich and poor, all backgrounds came out to support him. I saw some ugly sides in people too, but this time around, I saw more of the good in people. I saw how united we can be when we have a common goal. The majority of Americans wanted a change and they saw that change in President Obama.

Although everyone did not see him as the change for our future, it is clear from every appearance he has had since being elected (and even before then) that he is for ALL people. He is a proud, compassionate, intelligent, well rounded family man. My favorite aspect of him is that he is a family man. I like that he has no shame or reservations about speaking highly of his family. It is absolutely clear that he loves his wife ?The First Lady? and daughters (Malia and Sasha). Seeing him as a family man has actually made me trust him a little more, even respect him more. Knowing that he ran for president because of his daughters is admirable. It also shows that he cares about the future of his children, and all the children of the world. Considering children are our future, we have to leave them with something worth taking care of. That is the goal of all parents right?to leave our children in a better place then we found it, to try and make it so they can struggle less then we are/did?

I understand that not everyone was for President Obama, and that is perfectly fine, but let?s not dwell on the past. It is what it is, and our future lies with President Obama. But, with his administration everyone is encouraged to be involved. So get out there and make some changes. Whether you are a fan or not, our President needs our encouragement, strength, support, love, positive energy and prayers. Nothing is going to change if we do not back our President and give him our full support. Again whether you like it or not, he is the leader of our country. He can reach many great goals with Americans standing in his corner. Let?s all uplift him, keep him and his family in our prayers, as well as the entire administration and their families. "Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." ~Vince Lombardi


May God Bless us all! I will leave you with one last quote:

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." ~Henry Ford

I Think Elves came into my home....

I think Elves came into my home and sprinkled dust on the tables and threw toys on the floor and left dishes in the sink, and.....OH WAIT THAT IS JUST MY KIDS AND DADDY! I don't know why it seems like as soon as I clean up one area of the house a different area has gotten worse. I honestly think the oldest kid of the house (daddy) makes the biggest mess out of them all. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my family, and I LOVE staying home with my children, and I understand that part of being a stay at home mom consists of cleaning (actually even if I worked out of the home cleaning would still be on my plate) HOWEVER I did not sign up to be a 24hr housekeeper. Don't get me wrong, I like having a clean home, I don't even mind cleaning, "there is a place for everything and everything belongs in its place"...I just get a little irritated when I have cleaned up a room and it only stays clean for ummmmm 15 minutes. What is really funny to me is the dishes in the sink. I am pretty good at staying on top of that, but what is funny is the man of the house. Because he does not like to wash dishes so he will buy plastic cups "to help cut down on the amount of dishes in the sink." UMMMM...why does that matter if he is not washing the dishes? I told him to just use one of the many cups that we have because I will be the one to wash it anyway, plus it is better for the environment if he is not helping fill the landfills with plastic cups, every little bit helps right? Don't even get me started on dust. As much as I would like to pass the blame onto someone else in the house besides myself, no one really can take the blame for the occurrence of dust...unfortunately I am the one responsible for fighting with the dust bunnies that seem to keep having babies. As soon as I find the village of dust bunnies a good home (in my trash can) more of those suckers show up. Where is all the dust coming from??? I really do not want anyone to answer that question, I know where dust comes from. Any how, if anyone out there would like to come be a housekeeper for the same hourly wages that I am so lucky to receive ($0) please visit the contact us page, send me your resume and I will immediately set up an interview. The ideal candidate must love kids, have magical powers that keep the dishes clean and the toys off the floor, and must be a skilled fighter in order to eliminate the dust bunny family taking over our home.

The Importance of a Positve Male and Female in the Home

Does everyone think that there should be a mommy and a daddy in the home? No. Is it ok that everyone does not believe it makes a difference if a child has a mommy and a daddy in the home? Yes, reason being, we are all entitled to our opinions. Most parents do what they think is best for their children. None of us are perfect, and none of us have all the answers, most of us are doing the best we can to raise respectful, considerate, compassionate and intelligent little people. Nobody ?wants? their child to be a ?screw up,? and no one wants to be responsible for screwing their child up. After all there is no handbook on how to raise the ?perfect child? or ?how to be the perfect parent.? There is a lot of credible information out there on how to raise kids and how to be a better parent, but you really have to take it with a grain of salt. When it comes to child rearing you have to gage your child and see what works best for you (the parent/s) and the child.

In the past it was ?ideal? for a child to be in a loving home with a positive mom and dad. I can touch on this topic on many different levels, but I am going to try and stick to one. That would be, it is very valuable to the child to have both a male and female influence in the home. This is not always ideal or feasible in today?s society, because of MANY different circumstances (abuse, illness, military, ?dead beats,? parents separated, death) just to name a few, all of these circumstances can affect each individual child in different ways. The most important question to ask, ?Am I doing what is in the best interest of my child?? Once you become a parent, it is not about you any more. Your life now revolves around the child. Considering all of the many different circumstances out there as to why many children do not have both their parents in their lives, let me be clear when I say that it is still possible to be a positive role model in your child?s home, even if you do not physically live with them. The examples we set as parents follow our children outside of the home. So again, both parents do not have to physically be in the home to set a positive influence in the child?s life.

Is it possible to be a single parent and raise wonderful kids? Of course it is! Do I believe it would be easier to raise children with a partner? Yes, whole heartedly. I commend single parents to the fullest capacity (my mom being one of them) for all of the sacrifices they make, and being able to ?hold it down? alone. I don?t know how they do it. I don?t know how my mom did it for that matter. I do know one thing, my mom would not have had to work so hard and miss out on so much time with my sister and I, if my father was in our lives consistently. Sometimes parents think that they show their love by purchasing their kids the latest gadgets, the fashionable clothes, or the latest CD etc, but really all kids need and want is your love, affection, attention, and stability. Of course they need to be fed, clothed, and housed, but I am speaking on the tangible things, I am referring to what helps develop them, what helps mold them, and what helps develop their perception of you, their parent, which in turn develops their perception of how they should be as a parent. I know for me growing up all I wanted was both my parents and their love. I did not care about the material things. The time I did spend with my father was far and few between, but I did feel loved when I was with him. Definitely did not feel the love when I did not see or hear from him for years on end. I can remember some of the times I saw him when he came to visit us, he would buy me and my sister stuff, and that is all it was ?stuff.? What was most important to me was spending time with him. I would have been happy if my father was more consistent. He did not have to necessarily be physically in the home with us. Being in my life consistently would have been appreciated. Although I believe my mom did a great job raising my sister and I, I strongly believe I would be a different person today, if I had a male influence in my childhood, preferably my father.

There are certain qualities that men bring to the table, and there are certain qualities that women bring to the table, and I don?t believe either can take the place of the other. Mother?s (women) and Father?s (men) compliment each other by picking up where the other lacks, creating a balance. For example, I will be the one to teach my daughter how to be a lady, sit down with her and explain the changes her body will go through and how to respect her body, have the first ?talk? (birds and bees). Sure, her daddy could teach her those things, but she will most likely be more comfortable discussing them with mommy. She will also learn about being a lady, by the way I carry myself, actions speak louder then words. As we all know our children see and hear everything, they are learning from our physical examples too, not just our verbal teachings. Daddy will be the one to teach her about boys from a male perspective, and he will also teach her how a lady should be treated. She is already learning how a lady should be treated by how daddy treats mommy. Our son, he will learn how to be a man from daddy, by watching daddy and talking to daddy. He too will learn how to treat a lady from daddy, and he will hear how a lady should be treated from mommy. The physical example will come from him watching how daddy treats mommy. He will learn how a lady should treat him, by watching mommy interact with daddy. These are just some basic examples, there are many other examples. The most valuable lessons our children learn are from the examples they see and hear at home.

It would be ideal for a child to grow up in a home with a positive, loving, mommy and daddy, but it is possible for a child to still get those positive influences from both mommy and daddy, even if the parents do not live in the same home. Both parents have to make the effort to instill the positive influences in the child. Whether the child comes from a two parent home, or a single home, I believe the most important aspect that mommy and daddy can bring to the table is love. We all know that children can feel the love from family (grandparents, aunts and uncles etc.) and friends too, this article is just about mommies, daddies and their children, and how parents influence their children. To all the parents out there that give it their all, who are active in their child?s lives, who are supportive and loving, I commend you. Keep doing what you are doing, and hang in there, we all know that being a parent is a hard job.

Same Sex Marriage/Relationships and Kids

Does it make a difference if there is a mommy and a daddy in the home? My seven year old daughter seems to think so. Today, Tuesday, December 16, 2008, her father, her little brother and I went to pick her up from school and we began to have our usual ?how was school today? conversation. She was really excited to tell us about her day. She was excited about the dreidel she received today from one of her classmates. She proceeded to tell us how it works, and how you play. I then asked her who she received the Dreidel from, I always ask her who she is referring to so she knows I am interested in who and what she is talking about, plus I have been to her class a few times so I like to picture the person she is talking about. I guess you can say I am a visual person. She gave me the name and I said the one with?before I could even finish my sentence she said ?two dads.? My heart dropped, and I said ?what? she said ?he has two dads.? For a moment I really did not know what to say, I knew what boy she was talking about and I also knew that her classmate had two dads, but I had no clue that she knew that. I?m thinking to myself ?seriously, I am really going to have to a conversation about this sensitive issue?right now?she?s seven.? So after I picked up my heart, I proceeded to ask her how she knew he had two dads, she said ?they come in to class together all the time; it is never one of them it is always both of them, even last year.? I went on to say I did not know (classmates name here) was in your class last year, she says ?yes, he is the one that brought the Dreidels last year and his dads came in then too.? So then I ask her how she feels about him having two dads, ?I think it is fun for him, because he is a boy.? So I ask her how would she feel to have two dads, ?I would not want that, I am a girl I need a mommy.? So I ask her how she would like having two mommies, ?I like having a mommy and a daddy, I would not want two of the same.? So then I ask her if she treats her classmate any different, ?No, but I don?t like to sit by him.? Both her father and I tell her that is treating him different. She then explains herself, ?I don?t like to sit by him because he is loud and he spits when he talks and when he is eating.? I then tell her that is how most boys are, that is what boys do. Then daddy tells her your brother spits and is loud, he is spitting right now, her little brother did start spitting, but that was only because he heard the word. Any how, I ask her again, you do not treat him different right, and she says no. My daughter is very observant, like most kids, so I am just wondering how same sex marriage/relationships affect the children who are in them. My daughter seemed a little uncomfortable talking about it. She talks to us about pretty much everything, but when I asked her to express her thoughts on having two dads or two mommies, she seemed uncomfortable, I don?t think it was because of the topic, I don?t think she wanted to say anything that may hurt someone?s feelings even if that someone was not even in the car with us at the time. She is very observant and compassionate, and I feel bad that she even has to worry about yet another adult issue.

I personally do not care about who someone chooses to love or marry; it?s really not my business. However, I do have a problem when I feel adult matters are forced upon, young impressionable minds, the children of today. What I mean by this is, my daughter, or my son for that matter, should not have to worry about adult matters. They should not be exposed to things that do not make much sense at such a young age. Children today are being robbed of their youth. They are not allowed to be kids. I have to monitor what my kids watch on TV (luckily my son really only likes Elmo, so I am lucky to watch that over and over?that is another topic?lol) I have to monitor what they listen to on the radio. I have to monitor the computer to make sure they do not see anything inappropriate there. It just never ends. I know we are in an age where ?sex sales,? but can the children be left out of that? Even some of the children?s clothing stores, primarily for girls, are a little inappropriate in my opinion. What do any of those things have to do with my topic you ask? Just like I don?t want to have to talk to my daughter about any of the above topics (but I am forced to, so someone else does not talk to her that may not share the same beliefs) I don?t want to have to talk to her about same sex relationships, SHE IS TOO YOUNG. I am already dreading having ?The Talk,? does this mean that when I have ?the talk? with her, I am suppose to discuss who is ?suppose? to be in relationships? Should I feel bad because I want to teach my children about traditional marriages and relationships? Her father and I do not teach her to be judgmental, nor do we teach her to discriminate, but am I suppose to tell her that it is ok to be in a relationship with a girl/woman when she is growing up in a home with a mommy and a daddy? To me this just seems confusing to children. Children learn by example, this is why my daughter felt the way that she did when we had our discussion about having two mommies or two daddies. She is growing up in a home with a mommy and a daddy, and if her father or I were to tell her that people can not help who they fall in love with, even if that means if that someone is of the same sex as you, would be a contradiction to the physical example that she is learning at home by seeing mommy and daddy interact everyday. I just think it is unfair for those of us who want to raise our children in the ?traditional? way, with a mommy and a daddy, to feel bad because we may be discriminating against two people who love each other that may be of the same sex. Considering my children?s father and I came from homes with parents of the opposite sex, the only experience we can teach from is the one of a traditional sense.

I mentioned before that my daughter is observant, and compassionate, but she is also loving, kind, and caring. Having these qualities makes it easy for her to make friends, keep friends, and mediate between friends. However, I am concerned for her because of these qualities, because she will try to take on issues that she has no business concerning herself with while she is a child. She already takes on issues that are too big for her plate. I am also concerned for the other kids who are like her. It?s not fair that the children of today are forced to grow up so fast and take on so much. I feel for the kids that come from same sex relationships because of how cruel kids are. Although, I know there are plenty of children who are like my daughter and will be friends with someone no matter what their background is, and who there parents are, there are still plenty of kids out there who are cruel. Please do not misunderstand me when I say I have concerns about the kids who come from homes where there are two parents of the same sex, I know that they can love a child just like a heterosexual couple, and give them a good home, my question is, where is the balance? I will get into that subject more in my next blog topic ?The importance of a male and female influence in the home.?

Even though people should be able to marry who ever they want to marry and be in a relationship with who ever they choose, and for those who don?t agree with same sex marriages/relationships for what ever their reasons, whether it be religious, or spiritual, they should not worry themselves about it, they should leave it to what ever higher being they worship handle it. On the same token, those that do not agree with same sex marriage have just as much right to not agree with it, and feel they way they feel about it, just as much as the people who want to marry someone of the same sex or be in a relationship with someone of the same sex.

This particular topic is my opinions and feelings only, I am not speaking for any group of people, and I am not judging anyone, nor am I trying to offend anyone. I am sure if this will ever be possible again, but I would like for the youth to go back to being innocent. I can not stand that their youth and innocence is being robbed from them at earlier and earlier ages.