Parks

I love being outside. I acquired this love for nature when I was very little. Even in a snow storm I would talk my mom into letting me play outside on the front porch. Right now I have a schedule to where I can do anything during the day and just have night classes, this way I could stay home with the kids. It's finally Spring and the weather is mostly beautiful everyday. On the super nice days I like to take my kids on a walk to the park and let my 3 year old run around for a couple of hours playing on the equipment they have for kids. The only problem I noticed is that the parks in Carthage are not up to code on safety requirements. I understand that being in a recession cities don't have as much money to put toward leisure things, but I really want just one nice and safe park to bring my children. Schools here have good playgrounds, but by the time school is out I'm getting ready to leave for school myself. One estimate I found interesting is that 57 percent of injuries that occur on playgrounds are at parks or schools. Here's some more Playground safety facts. I wish I won the lottery so I could buy some safe equipment for the Carthage area. I'm constantly finding myself following close behind my son when he plays on the equipment out of fear something might happen. Not only that, but it seems to me most of the parks in Carthage are also rusted over, which if a child gets cut on the equipment it could cause them to get tetanus. I was looking online if there was any advice on how to get your city to make improvements on local parks and this is a very good site with so much information that was very helpful. Build A Park  I think I might actually take this project of improving our parks on.  This subject is very near and dear to my heart because I believe that play was the one thing that kept me happy as a child. Here is some play research that shows that play is vital to a child's happiness and health. Play Research I just really believe that communities need to start coming together to benefit our children.

Physics blows my mind!

Last semester I had finished my last math class needed to graduate, at least that's what I thought. So, for this Spring semester I enrolled in a couple of classes I didn't technically need to graduate because I had all my pre-reqs done. One of those classes was my physical science night class. The very first night of class I walk in to find the teacher passing out papers that were filled with math notes. He then went to the front of the room to introduce himself and tell us that he was going to do the math part of the class first to get it out of the way. What?!? A math class again? REALLY! I was beside myself and wanted to switch classes right away, but I'm no quitter and decided it will just strengthen my math skills. You know all those allegebra classes where everyone asks where we'll ever use this stuff...well, I found out majority of the stuff we learn in allegebra is used in physical science. I have learned so much from this class. What really blew my mind was when we were talking about liquid mechanics. I learned through bernouli's principle how airplanes can fly. I always really wondered how airplanes were lifted by such small wings. Well, it really has to do with the fact about the speed lessening the pressure so the plane can rise. Learning how our world works is so amazing to me and I'm so glad I took this class. I especially like the astronomy that I learned. Don't get me wrong, this class is very difficult, but I really enjoy what I've learned out of it. I've always like biology, but never took an interest in physical science until now. I think my teacher is just very good at explaining everything that I couldn't grasp before in my highschool classes. Also, being older now I see how blessed I am to have schooling and don't take it for granted like I did when I was younger. It's really amazing how well you can do when you really put your all into something. Just wanted to put it out there that if you want your mind blown with every class then you should take physical science. Beware because it isn't a class for the faint of heart. It is very difficult and you have to really put a lot of time into it.

Ready for Summer Break!

I've been getting so anxious for summer break. This was my first year back to college and it has been quite a ride. When I applied for the fall semester I didn't even know if I was capable of passing online classes, but I had to do online because I was pregnant last fall and didn't want to miss classes when I gave birth during midterms. I feel like this semester was even harder than the last though, mostly because of my physics class. The exams in that class are crazy and so far I've taken 5 out of 8. That means 3 left to go for the last 4 weeks. Last night I felt all the stress of everything that has been piled on before the close of the semester and I also felt that feeling of summer break being so close yet so far. This past year has been very eventful for me and my family and I can't wait to just focus on my kids during the summer. I look forward to playing in the sprinkler everyday and having Popsicles for a snack. I'm so thankful that summers aren't mandatory for school. At the same time I can't wait to start the program either. I'm so excited to see what the future holds for my family. We just need to hang in there for a couple more weeks. After the next couple weeks I've concluded that my daughter will probably start to crawl and by the end of the summer hopefully begin to walk. Just thinking about her growing and being able to be here to see her major milestones makes me the happiest person in the world. Right now I feel as if I have got the best of both worlds; getting to be an active mom and attending school. I want to wish everyone good luck on the exams that are inevitable at the end of the semester, I know they are usually the hardest.

So Close!

I'm not sure if any of you have really small kids or have ever dealt with them, but being the parent of a 3 year old is not for the faint at heart. He just turned 3 in March and has been starting to behave better, but you never know what's truly coming when they are just cute little babies. My oldest Josiah was one of the best babies I could have asked for. I could easily take him in public and he never fussed. He also listened when I said no to things. I felt like I was a great mom and that my son would only get better and better. DUM DUM DUM!!! Then came along his second birthday, it was like a switch was internally flipped from good baby to bad toddler. Really, ever since his second birthday he has tried my patience. He has talked back, gotten into things, and blatently ignored me so much this past year that I would be unable to count. And the very worst thing of all is the huge tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants. I remember being a teenager and looking at kids who threw tantrums in the store and would think that they had little backbones and needed to punish their kids more. Now I know the truth as does every parent that has ever gone through the terrible twos. A tantrum has nothing to do with the parent and how they raise their child. It has to do more with how the child melts down and is incapable of calming his or herself. It's actually a very normal thing when a child doesn't know how to deal with their normal emotions. Here's a link I found that has a good explanation on the terrible twos and a couple of tips for parents. Terrible Twos Anyways, for the past month I have seen more improvement in my son's behavior than in the past year. I finally see the light out of this parenting dilemma of having a two year old. Along with his behavior slowly getting better, his speech and understanding has improved too. Yesterday we were pretending to be birds when I asked him to fly and he said he couldn't fly because it was too hard and he didn't have wings. I don't know where he learned that from, but it really made me realize how he has started to analyze things now. I think two year olds are so difficult because they can't communicate what they want and it frustrates them. I took Josiah to the park yesterday in Pittsburg, Kansas, where my sister lives and he listened so well the entire time and even helped me with his little cousin. And his cousin just turned two and he has just started driving his parents crazy. His cousin kept trying to run away and even tried to jump into the pond. It gave me a good reminder of how far my son has come. So for any parents who have a two year old right now, keep you head up, it will end and things will get better. Not saying that kids can't go through a rough patch in their threes because all children are different. There are some that actually continue bad behavior well into their threes. This is a site on the Terrible threes and what causes it. Terrible Threes I really hope Josiah continues in his improving and I look forward to him turning four because that's when he can start being involved in sports and fun activities. This blog wasn't meant to scare future parents because even though your child is difficult they still bring so much joy to your life and it's so worth it. I would obviously do it all over again because I had another baby who is now 6 months old. Being a parent teaches you what real love is. There are times when mothers need emotional support and here's a good site that helps mothers in need of support. Help for Mommies Being a mom is like being on a roller coaster ride of emotions ranging from Great to not so great, but most moms will tell you they wouldn't change a thing about motherhood or their child. Good luck for all future parents!

Impending Storms

     I'm not sure if I'm the only one freaked out by the possibility of really serious storms tomorrow and on Sunday, but just the rain today has really freaked me out. I never used to be scared of storms before the May tornado. I actually used to love them. When I was a kid, a storm meant going to sleep over at my grandma's house who had a basement. My grandma always had a lot of snacks on hand and games to play while we waited out the storm. I can't believe I was so brave as a child because I was scared of everything else. Now as an adult with children to care for, my mother bear feeling comes out when there's a storm going on. I'm constantly trying to think of ways to keep my family safe if something were to happen. It doesn't help that we don't have a basement or any middle room without windows. We live in a ranch style house that is on top of a hill. I feel like we're just sitting ducks when a bad storm comes along. Anyways, with all the hype today about impending storms I've been trying to find different tips online about ways to stay safe during a tornado. Here's a great site with tips on what to have ready and where to go.Tornado Safety
    Lately, my husband and I feel as though storms are getting worse all over the world with hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and tornadoes. So we are very much into the idea of getting a storm shelter. They are expensive and we can't afford one right now, but we are going to start saving for one very soon. Here's a good site if you want to start looking into buying one for your family. Storm Shelters
    Anyways, if anyone hasn't watched TV at all today and hasn't heard of the possibility of severe storms this weekend then you should probably be ready and have a survival kit packed and on hand and avoid going out for a long period of time. I already have plans on bringing my family to my grandma's house, yes, the same house I went to as a kid. Sadly, this time won't be to have fun, but to keep my family safe. Here's a site that shows the weather alerts for today and the next couple of days. Weather Forcast I just wanted to warn everyone that I possibly know about this. I know I sound like I'm crazy, but I don't think I'll ever be normal again after the tornado that hit Joplin. I still remember everything that I did that day, including the whole morning when the weather looked completely normal to that night when we raced our car to my in laws house for safety. It was scary and I really want to move out of this area once I graduate.

Finding the Key to a Strong Relationship

As a kid my first example of a relationship was my parents, which wasn't a good one. If my parents were in the same room they would be yelling at eachother and tearing eachother down with every word. It was a horrable environment for me and my siblings. There were six of us kids all together. So early on we learned that relationships equalled a lot of fighting and stress. We carried out our fighting with one another and never got along. Most parents know that when kids get older they will mimic their parents behavior and words, and that's exactly what we did. As I got older I realized that our whole family was dysfunctional and I took it upon myself to help my family get closer. I read every book strong families and relationships that I could get my hands on. I even watched a tv series about mending relationships. So, after I made a decision to try and change my family I was found in the middle of every fight that went on, including the fights between my parents. I was never able to help my parents, but my siblings started to see the same thing that I saw and one at a time changed their behavior. Finally, I got to the point where I was engaged to my husband and really saw how much my family had changed. I felt accomplished even though my parents were the same, but I was scared of my family going back to their old habits once I was gone. I was gone for only one year when I had found out that things had escalated since I got married. My parents ended up getting divorced and my younger brothers were physically fighting and beating the crap out of eachother. I felt as though it was my fault that things got so bad, but I realized that I can't babysit my family forever. Eventhough things got bad for my family, I realized how much I had changed over the years with how I reacted in my marriage from the very beginning. I finally found the key to a good, strong, and enduring relationship. It's respect for one another and honesty. To this day my husband and I have never yelled at eachother. We do argue, but we respect and love eachother to the ends of the earth. So I wouldn't change a thing I went through growing up because I learned how to love and respect through the mistakes that occured in the beginning of my life. It made me who I am today.

I Love Easter!

I have two kids, as everyone who reads my blog knows by now, and having kids makes holidays so much more enjoyable. Easter is an especially fun holiday for me. Remembering back to last Easter, my son had finally understood that he must pick up the egg and put it in his basket. This year I'm hoping to see a little more of his competitive side. I believe that my son's personality is very similar to mine growing up. As a child I was very competitive, hyper, and just loved to have a good time. Is it bad that I want my son to find the most eggs and get the best goodies? I love to see him succeed and it would be so great if he could beat his older cousins to the eggs this time. I was telling my husband that we need to have a mock Easter egg hunt on the Saturday before Easter so we can train him to win. He kind of snickered and looked at me like I was crazy. He just doesn't understand the fun of beating others. My husband obviously doesn't have one competitive bone in his body. He lets me win with everything, which I do like. I think it's so sweet of him. Anyways, I got him to agree to the Saturday Easter practice! It's on baby! It's on! Just thought I would let every parent know to watch out because my three year old with obliterate the competition! Also, I do want to say that I love the reason why we celebrate Easter too. It's just that I finally enjoy the Easter egg hunts and chocolate bunnies part of Easter now that I have kids. I definitely find Easter one of the holiest holidays of the year besides Christmas. I just can't wait to see Joey having fun with the other children. I especially can't wait until Kaitlyn can get in on the action too!

What are your views on Trayvon Martin

I kind of want to put in my two cents on this subject that was so widely spread by the media. If anyone hasn't heard of him, he is a 17 year old black male that was killed by a neighborhood watch. The neighborhood watch, George Zimmerman, pursued the young teenager and then shot him after an altercation. Full Trayvon Martin Story I know everyone has mixed views on what actually happened, but I believe that this child was innocent of any wrong doing. They have yet to arrest Zimmerman for killing Trayvon because he claims it was in self defense. In my point of view, Zimmerman shouldn't have followed Trayvon and this said altercation would have never happened. I'm definitely on the side of the parents in this case. Trayvon was not carrying any weapon with him, just skittles and a tea. Yet Zimmerman had a gun. It is possible that Zimmerman started the altercation just to use as a reason to shoot Trayvon. I believe that what really went down was a hate crime toward the fact Trayvon was african american. The FBI have even started their own investigation because they believe it to be a hate crime also. FBI Investigation Begins All I know is that if I were the parent of the child shot that I would be beside myself right now. The person who shot their baby is free right now to do whatever he wants. I mean what kind of neighborhood watch carries a gun with them. Zimmerman seems like someone looking for the kill. On the other side, he might just have a major paranoia disorder. Maybe paranoia is what led him to follow Trayvon in the first place. The sad thing is that we can only take Zimmerman's word for it. The only other witness is dead. You'd think our justice system would do more about this tragedy. Here's another little piece of information I found on a newspaper website: Zimmerman has already escaped arrest for the Feb. 26 killing because of a Florida self-defense law that "grants people more leeway to attack and even kill someone who is threatening him," wrote the Wall Street Journal. This law is absurd that you can attack someone and kill them just from a threat. This needs to be changed! Hate Crime? Anyways, I feel this law allows for too many loopholes for a killer. Trayvon deserves justice and isn't getting it

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/04/3530435/commentary-ethnicity-is-a-red.html#storylink=cpy