Celebrity marriage

This is a topic that never goes away. Not that is necessarily interest women more than men (although it might), I think we get more exposure to it. Topics about celebrity relationships, marriages, and divorce cover the pages of women's magazines and many of the television shows that we watch. I will admit, it peaks my curiosity. I know that it shouldn't. In one sense they deserve their privacy, especially with a topic as personal as marriage and divorce, but one the other hand is any publicity bad publicity in show business? I personally couldn't handle that kind of scrutiny and constant observation. I don't even have Facebook because I don't really want people to know what is going on about me. I know I am probably one of the 20 American's that don't have it, but I'm holding out and really at this point not even tempted to joint. I will say that I do miss out on a lot of invitations to events, and I would like to see pictures of my friends and their families. Many of the people that I graduated high school with have children that I have never seen which is strange since I am from a very small town (not even a caution light small).

Anyway, back to those fabulous celebrities. I often wonder how they feel about having their personal lives smeared everywhere for everyone to see and read about. Do they intentionally make themselves accessible? Do they make every effort to ward off the photographers? There are a lot of details about their lives out there for everyone to see. Oh, and just think of the money they make if they are willing to sit down and do an exclusive interview or allow those first pictures to be published. The numbers that rumored to be payed for first baby pictures is crazy to me. I think it is safe to say that this is something that I will never have to worry about.

I noticed a story today about Sara Michelle Gellar and her husband Freddie Prinze Jr discussing how they had been married for a decade. It's unfortunate that this is really very uncommon. So many times two celebrities for a relationship and we see the pictures of how well matched they are and it's easy to believe. It is sad to see it fall apart for anyone. Relationships are hard and I'm a hopeless romantic that continues to love a good love story with a happily ever after ending.

Nearing the end!!!

Well we are getting close! I don't know how everyone else feels, but for me it has been quite the semester! Really I have to say that overall I am very disappointed with myself. I have never before had a difficult time keeping up with my classes. I guess this because never before have I worked full time and been a mom to a new baby full time. I know I am definitely not the first to do this and I certainly won't be the last. I knew that it would be difficult, but truly I have to say I was not prepared.
I am so glad that we have almost made it to the end and I am one more semester closer to success. Actually along the way I have learned to redefine success for myself. Sometimes success is making it through the work day, or the week, or sometimes just that one assignment. My definition of success changes from day to day. So, if I can make it though this semester that will definitely be success at that point. I generally am very hard on myself when it comes to my education and grades. I feel that if I am going to continue to go to school, then I have to do it well, but this semester has presented a whole different set of obstacles for me. I hope that I make it through with grades that meet my expectations. I guess it won't be long until I know the outcome. I'm sure everyone is feeling the same stress. It's just that time of year. Everyone is tired, they have spring fever, overwhelmed, all of those things that add up to end of the semester frustrations.

I tried to stay focused on the end result. I picture myself walking across the stage (I think). Really, I don't like being in front of people and I will be graduating from the University of Missouri and in my mind that is a really big stage. I don't know that it will be worth all of the anxiety that I will have about it. To be completely honest, I don't even like to the restroom in a restaurant. I guess you could call it stage fright. I'm always thinking about falling or running into someone. You know, all of the different way I can embarrass myself. I'm sure I'm not alone on this one, but maybe most people don't quite to the same extreme. So, anyway with that being said you can see how the idea of walking at graduation at MU would seem a little overwhelming. That is a long ways away. Today I'm going to define success as completing my assignment and then the semester.

How many children to have?

This is a tough one. For the longest time my husband and I didn't think that we should have children. It was something that we had given much thought. After about seven years we decided that maybe we would give having a family a try. We are very thankful and feel blessed that we were able to have our little girl. Now comes the questions of whether or not we should try to have any more children. We have thought about it and gone back and forth about the pros and cons. I kind of think that my daughter might like to have a sibling, but then on the other hand I realize that not all siblings get along. Maybe she wouldn't enjoy having a brother or sister.

Also, there is the financial aspect of how expensive it is to have a child. She isn't so expensive right now, but she will be in the future. It is such a hard decision to make. My husband is just as undecided as I am which doesn't help. I think we even change our minds from day to day. I wonder if it isn't the best thing for us to have another child if we aren't completely sure.

I think about about how she might enjoy having a sibling, someone to play with, someone to share things with. That could back-fire on me though. They may not play well together at all. Maybe she would be happier if everything stays just the way it is and we don't make any changes.

My delivery was a little scary both for me and my husband. I had to have an emergency c-section. My husband has said that he don't know if it is something that we should risk. I wonder if knowing our risks would improve the entire process. I like to think so. I guess we will give it a little more time. Our daughter is still very young. Hopefully it will all become clear after she gets a little bit older.

Early Spring Weather

It happens every year. When the weather starts to turn a little warmer I start to get a little nervous. It has always been this way for me, but it got so much worse after the tornado in Joplin nearly one year ago. I clearly remember that day. I leave near Joplin, but was not affected by the tornado which I feel very fortunate about. I was at my home watching the weather forecast on the local news station and pacing the floor while holding on to my nine day old daughter. Storms always got my attention and made me a little nervous, but it is so different now. I was surprised at how having my daughter had changed me. I couldn’t sit down. I just kept walking the floors, looking out the window, and praying it would pass. As I listen to the news reports I was shocked and saddened by what I was hearing.

                Since that time, I have been even more nervous when the weather starts to turn warm in the spring. It is amazing how quickly everything can change. It goes from so pretty to so ugly in just a blink. I do love the warmer temperatures. I enjoy getting outside and planting things and digging in the dirt. I’m excited to get my daughter outside this year to enjoy the spring weather. Last year she was just too little to get her out much. So, when it comes to spring weather I’m a little torn.

                I find that I am already trying to better prepare myself for the potential dangers that the spring weather might bring. My husband and I have put together an emergency plan including where we would go and what we would do if dangerous weather becomes possible. I have never been as concerned before. I found that over the past few days I have paid even more attention to the watches and warnings. I have included an emergency kit that includes everything that my daughter might need. I want to keep all of her pictures protected too. It’s so much to think of. If the sky turns ugly I just want to be able to grab our family and pets and head to safety and not have to worry about gathering items that we might need.

                I hope that this year is more peaceful for everyone with less heartache and loss.

Presidential Campaigning

            I strongly feel that the current President of the United States should only be allowed to spend a limited amount of time campaigning. I feel that majority of that person’s time and effort should be spent being President. It is a really big job that I think should take most of a person’s time. If the President is busy recording campaign commercials and doing campaign speeches then it is taking time away from their other responsibilities.

            I just think that there must be things that are being neglected when the current President sets time aside to promote themselves to the public. It seems to me that the job that they have been doing should be enough to convince the American public to vote for them or in some cases not. We are paying that person to do a very specific and important job and it should not include campaigning. I think that their time in office should be the very biggest part of their resume. The time they have spent in office is their true track record and the decision they have made in office shows what they really stand for. The Presidents values should be more obvious than any other candidate. They have had to put it all on the line for the nation to see. The current President should have a clear advantage over other candidates that is if they are doing a good job.

            When I see a current President touring the nation, making campaign stops for speeches and town hall meetings I become frustrated. I can’t help but think of all of the things that they could be doing for our country instead of what they are trying to do for themselves. I don’t blame the other candidates if they feel the same way. The President has had a chance to prove them-self and if they couldn’t get the job done in four years then maybe there is a better person for the job. Even if the current President has done a great job, in the end there still may be a better person for the job.

Cord Blood

 It is amazing to me the number of things that you have never heard about that become major issues once you’re expecting a child. There are so many choices to be made. Everything from which doctor to use, where to have your baby, to find out the gender or not, what color to paint the nursery, oh and what label your new little person will be referred to for the rest of it’s life. Well, those were all things that I was expecting and had probably thought about at one time or another, but one of the things I had not given any thought to was weather or not to store our daughter’s cord blood.

I read a lot about the procedure. I wanted to know how it was done and if there would be any harm done to my daughter or myself in order to save her cord blood. I didn’t think that there would be, but I wanted to be sure. The more I learned about the procedure the more interested I became. It sounded like something that I was very interested in and as my husband and I talked about it he expressed that he was interested in it to.

There are numerous diseases that are now being treated and cured with the use of cord blood. Diseases such as sickle cell anemia and multiple types of cancers just to name a few. The cord blood provides a blank slate to become any type of body tissue.

The only negative aspect that I could come up with was the cost. It was well over $1000 to have our daughters cord blood collected, picked-up, and stored for one year. We chose a company to trust to transport and store our daughter’s cord blood. We had to call that company on our way to the hospital and within one hour of having her and be sure to give the collection kit to the labor and delivery nurse. Within one hour of having our baby we had to call the storage company and notify them of her birth. Within a short time there was a lady at our hospital room to pick up her cord blood to put it on a plane and fly it to the facility for storage. I was surprised at how smooth all of it went.

This whole process was one more thing to worry about when it came time for us to have our baby, but in hind site I’m so glad we did it. Every time I hear or read about something great that is being done with cord blood I get excited about our decision all over again.

There are many cord blood storage companies to choose from, and it might not be for everyone, but I think it was the right decision for us. 

Summer Weather!

I’m so excited for summer! I have been enjoying the great weather so much! It gives me spring fever. I find that it makes me want to get into shape, get a tan, clean my house, and the list goes on and on.

I really need to clean my house! I have really been craving organization lately. It’s almost like that nesting period I went through at the end of my pregnancy. I want everything in its place. I want to clean all the corners and cabinets. The only problem with this is that I don’t have any time to do it. My little baby girl keeps me so busy. I work five days a week as a nurse for a neurosurgeon which is a job that I love, but I don’t have much time left at the end of the day. She makes cleaning very difficult. Everything that I do, she comes behind me and makes a mess of it again. She’s just so cute that I can’t be upset with her. She is such a curious little thing. Everyday I am amazed by the new things that she is able to do. Being a mom is wonderful and it gives me so much pride.

That warm summer sun makes want to have a little color to my skin for those summer clothes. Warmer weather means more skin exposure. I am pretty pale at the beginning of the summer. I know that I shouldn’t, but I usually go to a tanning bed a couple of times at the beginning of the season. Once I get a little bit of a sun kissed glow I stop going. It is terrible for me and I should probably consider a different method of getting myself ready for summer. My health should be more important than a little bit of color.

I also become a little more aware of what I am eating. I want those summer clothes from last season to fit. Sometimes they do, and sometimes it takes me until a few months into the season before I can wear my complete wardrobe from the year before, but usually I get it done. I decided that dieting to fit into the clothes was much cheaper than buying new clothes. I don’t even really enjoy shopping that much. I would rather spend my summer doing other things. Really anything outside is better to me than shopping. I thing spending money on clothes is really a waste. I appreciate a nice outfit and when other people dress nice I would like it for myself too, but I just have a hard time letting go of the money. It seems to cost so much for nice clothes. I know there are tricks to getting good quality at good prices, but I don’t feel like I have the time necessary to devote to my wardrobe.

Well, I may not be tan enough for summer, fit enough for summer, or have a clean enough house for summer, but I am ready for it all the same. 

Going green

It seems like "going green" is the thing to do these days. It's not just the thing to do because it's popular, it's endorsed by celebrities, the right thing, it benefits and the environment and everything connected to the environment. Everyone seems to be catching on to the movement. Children even seems to know about recycling and saving energy.  There are many ways to motivate kids to go green. Organizations like Live Strong help with recycling activities and energy saving ideas and games for children of a variety of ages. Children are often motivated by money which is also the same for adults. The Live Strong website gives tips on encouraging kids to recycle by making it part of earning their allowance. I thought this was a great idea. It's good for kids to help with jobs around the house but by being responsible for sorting the recycling they gain more than just money.

Business also can be seen promoting recycling projects and energy saving actions within their work environments and within their local communities. There are many large corporations that are making efforts to be more environmentally friendly. The efforts range in scale from very small to large and global. Some things that are seen nearly every day are the initiatives to get customers to choose paperless billing. By sending customers their billing statements or new-letters via an electronic source they can not only save themselves money, but make a positive impact on the environment at the same time. Some companies do even small things to help make a difference like sitting out waste containers labeled for aluminum cans only. This may seem small, but every little bit helps.

Automobiles makers are making huge strides in the area of going green. With the push to be competitive in this area all of the different car companies are trying to out-do one another in a very positive area. They aren't trying to be the biggest or the fastest, but the most economical. It's a nice change that benefits the consumer and the environment. Although, the cost advantage may not seem obvious in the beginning after spending what it costs to buy one of these new hybrid vehicles. They are probably a good choice to consider for the person who plan to buy a new car anyway.

We may not all be able to do a lot, but if we all do a little it will add up to a lot! I commend all of those individuals that are making the effort to create positive change!

Diet Soda

I don't think that I am much different than a lot of people in the fact that I drink way too much soda. It's really all of the time. I enjoy an occasional cup of coffee too, but not in the way that I like my diet soda. I say diet soda because I'm not incredibly particular to the kind that I drink. I have my favorite which is Diet Dr.Pepper, but I'm good with a Diet Coke, Dr.Pepper 10, Pepsi Max, really I like them all.

I start my day with one, every day. Then I will have another one with lunch if not before. Oh and then there is the afternoon bottle and one with dinner. Well, I'm sure you get the picture, it's a lot! Actually, I have to make myself drink water. People think I'm a little crazy, but water really makes me gag just a little bit. Probably the worst part is that I know better. I'm a nurse and I realize that the chemicals in these beverages are bad for me, but I drink them anyway in excess. I like everything from the taste to the burn as it goes down my throat. Now I will admit that I like the regular stuff better. It's hard to beat a "fully leaded" Coke or Pepsi, but I guess I know enough to realize that I don't need that many empty calories.

My husband really dislikes the amount of soda that I drink. Frequently, he will ask me, so when was the last time you drank water? I always hate that question because the answer just sounds bad coming out of my mouth, "I don't know." I go in phases where I do a little better. At my best I make myself dink a glass of water before I can have a soda and if I'm really doing well, I will keep that pattern up for the rest of the day.

I know I need to make some changes to my beverage choices. I guess I could kind of relate it to the addiction that some people have with smoking. We do it even though we know it's bad. I would like to think that smoking is a little worse, but I'm afraid we will find out in years to come that there is a much clearer negative impact on the consumers health from drink soda than we once knew.
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Health recalls

I was amazed recently to hear on the news that certain drug companies were recalling some of their birth control pills. Patients taking these pills were at an increased risk of experiencing an unexpected pregnancy. I cannot imagine this situation. There are so many things that people take oral medications for and really the idea than any of them get recalled is pretty scary.
I guess to me it is similar to other messages that I hear on television regarding re-calls for things like hip or knee joints that have been used in joint replacement procedures. I think this is crazy. I can't imagine going through such a painful procedure and then to think that I had to have it done all over again. A joint replacement just seems like one of the most painful procedures that I can think of. I have talked to many patients who have undergone these types of procedures and more often than not I am told that the pain after their procedure was less painful than living with ongoing chronic joint pain.
The re-call of a medication like birth control is unimaginable to me. I actually have a friend who now has a beautiful baby boy due to a batch of recalled birth control medicine. She had no way of knowing that the medication she was taking was not effective. For her, the situation worked out and she and the baby's father are together and they have a happy and healthy baby together. I’m sure this is not always the outcome.
The recall of prescription medications could lead to a long list of other health problems. If medications for heart disease or stroke are recalled they could have deadly results. Patients take many different medications with a great amount of confidence not only in the physician that is prescribing the medication, but also the pharmacist that dispenses the drugs, and ultimately the manufacturer of the medication. I don't think that most patient think that far down the line when they take a prescription drug. I'm sure that they worry about allergic reactions, side-effects, and the expense of the medication but until recently I don't think that effectiveness and potential recalls were a major concern.
I feel bad for patients who experience having one of their prescriptions recalled because outside of the health risks and potential complications, they have to worry about their disease process getting worse, getting pregnant, or becoming very sick.
To give you an example of the magnitude of the problem, according to NBC news, one drug company recently recalled over 1 million packages of oral birth control. I think this is a huge problem and I hope to see improvements in the near future.

Boating!!

I guess I should start from the beginning. My husband has a job that has always taken him away from home for six months at a time. His working season was always March through August. This work schedule always took him away during those really fun summer months. Well, this year we are hoping that he has a new schedule. We want to have time together as a family and enjoy warm weather activities. During his working season he was only able to come home for about 4 days over that period of time. It was always hard having him gone that long and I always miss so much. In the past I was able to hop on a plane and fly to wherever he was working and get little mini vacations together. That always helped break up the long stretch of time that he would be gone. Now, we have our daughter and so hopping on a plane at the last minute isn't really an option for me. We are literally more grounded and now and I wouldn't change that for anything. She is so wonderful!! It will be so much harder for him to be away from home this year. I really hope that he can stay home with us.
Anyway, back to the boating. So, if he is home this summer we will have time together to go to the lake. Last year while I was pregnant we bought a boat. I love the water and the sunshine and I'm really excited to get to use it. We have gone out with our friends on their boats in the past and had a great time. It will be so nice to get to have that experience any weekend that we want. It has been really frustrating to see the boat just sitting in the garage. The boat was my own little bit of additional motivation to loose my baby weight. It's been pretty frustrating to have invested money in it, but we haven't ever even had it on the water. This year should be different though.
We also love to camp and fish. Really we enjoy anything outdoors. We just recently missed opening day of trout season on March 1st. It's normally so very cold on opening day, but we still enjoy going out into the river bright and early and try to catch our limit. It's something we have always enjoyed doing together. We look forward to it every year, but it doesn't always work out because of his work schedule. The years that he gets a late start on the road we are able to hit the river and it is great!
I hope that our daughter shares our love for all things outdoors. We plan to expose her to all of the great outdoor activities that we enjoy so much and let her decide for herself. It would be wonderful if she would want to do some of those activities with us and we could make great family memories camping, fishing, and boating!