You are the only one impressed

I think it's way past time that you realize that you are the only one who is impressed with your big pickup truck. The rest of us are not. Maybe it's just where I live that a good portion of the population has it in their heads that being the owner of a large truck makes them immune to the laws of nature. For example; if you are driving a pickup truck at 60 mph and the distance from my rear bumper is about 6 inches, then you will not be able to avoid rear ending me if I slow down even a little bit. Heaven forbid I have to hit the brakes. The " speed up or get out of the way" attitude of truck drivers around here makes me laugh. I'm not speeding up or getting out of the way, I don't give a flying fig what you drive. Everyday I drive by accident sights where pickup drivers have rear ended someone, and the really fun part is that the part that really gets these criminals going is the damage to their poor death machines. Forget about the mother of four and her kids whose minivan has just been totaled.
 I think the licensing process needs to be just a bit more selective. If you are a moron who thinks that you need a truck to push the rest of us off the road then you don't get a license and we export you to moron island with all your other same minded friends. Then you can all be big bad asses together and the last one standing gets to rule.

Mob Mentality

I am always amazed by the ability of a group of adults to turn into mindless sheep when put in a room together. Anymore than three people in a group together has the potential to become a mob. Be it positive or negative, a group mindset can be a very dangerous thing. Think of riots, wars, political parties or company “training” events. How easy is it to become swept up by the rhetoric that is being spouted by those strong personalities that we think of as “leaders”?

When I think of the intelligent, strong and mature adults who become susceptible to these strong personalities I am awed by their weakness. “Know thyself”. Are you the type of person who goes along with what you are told or are you the kind of person who questions the status quo? Are you a mindless sheep or are you strong enough to take a stand and be ridiculed for it? How would you fare in a mob?

What would it take for you to stand up?

 Would you fight for your spouse?…think the witch trials.

Would you fight for your religion?....think the inquisition, Nazi Germany, the birth of Christianity

Would you fight for your politics?...think of all the governments currently fighting their own people.

Would you fight for the rights of your fellow man?...think of the foundation of our own country on the          

    Backs of the Native Americans, African Americans and Chinese that we imported to build our    railroads.

What does it take for you personally to say “that’s enough!!!”?

I’m not against being a part of something that you believe in, I just want you to take a minute to question what that belief is based on.  Taking something on faith is just fine, but what is the foundation for that faith. Is it just a product of what you have been told or have you taken the time to investigate what you believe for yourself?

Be a leader. Be a follower. Be a Believer. But most of all be Informed. Don’t just regurgitate what others have spouted before you.

Why go anywhere else?

Seeing the seven wonders of the world is a great idea. Vacationing in the islands, rafting down the Amazon, climbing the highest mountains. How often do people imagine their grand vacations outside of the United States? How often do they overlook what our country has to offer? How many citizens of this nation of ours have taken the time to travel the mother road and see all that makes this country great?

For hundreds of years we have fought to make this country all the it is. A place where we can travel state to state without travel visas. A place where men and women of all ages, races and nationalities can be free to enjoy the splendor that is our cities, towns and remote vistas. Sure it’s still a work in progress, but think of all that we’ve accomplished in just the last hundred years.

My husbands grandmother is a great example of the history of this country. She was born in 1915. Think about that for a moment. Her childhood didn’t involve radios, televisions or even paved roads. Imagine what our country was like before highways and fast cars. Before commercial airliners. Before mega stores and shopping malls. Imagine knowing your neighbors and their kids. Imagine having a personal relationship with your doctor, your  preacher and most of the members of your family.

Imagine a harder life. A life where indoor plumbing was not the norm. A life where you didn’t need sleeping pills or a few beers to help you fall asleep at night because you worked your freakin butt off all day long.  Imagine eating because you were hungry, not because it was time to eat or because you wanted to “go out”. Imagine a trip to the movies as a major life event. Imagine all the electric powered devices in your house right now and then imagine a life without them, because most of them didn’t exist in the average house yet.

Wow, look at how far we’ve come. 

In this high speed, get it done faster world of ours, how many of us are missing the wonder that is all around us? How many of us don’t have the kind of relationships that make life worth living because we’ve filled our days up with a bunch of meaningless crap? How many of us are all pissed off at politicians all the time, but really don’t have a true understanding of how our political system is set up? How many of us citizens claim to be patriots, but have never taken the time to see our own country?

Amazing and depressing when you think about is long enough. Want to change the way you see the world?   Buy a tent, pack a cooler, gas up the car, load up the family and don’t forget the fishing polls.

And then, just drive. You don’t need hotels or resorts. You really don’t even need a map.  The American road trip is a family memory that lasts several lifetimes. If you don’t know where to start, go online and look up “the biggest” in your state. Biggest rocking chair, biggest frying pan, biggest ball of twine in Minnesota.

Remember it’s great to be “Proud to be an American”, but you really should know what that means.

Being a Dependent Woman – I Am The Joke I Used to Make

Growing up in a small town, I couldn’t wait to get out and be on my own.  I wanted to see the world, learn a dozen languages and change everything that was wrong with the world. I had all these big dreams and big plans. Oh, how plans can change.  A year after I graduated high school and enlisted in the Air Force I was married and had my first child. Nineteen, young and in love. My little girl was only six weeks old when she went to daycare for the first time. And she was six and half years old when I finally gave up all those childhood dreams and made her dreams the most important thing in my world. When I was in the service I worked crazy hours. I had five daycare providers and managed to destroy that young love that my marriage was based on.

 When you get that first taste of freedom from your parents everything is new and exciting.  And then reality sets in. When there are bills to pay, diapers to change and a full time job to deal with love and understanding often take a back seat in the everyday scheme.

When I was young and working I used to laugh at stay at home moms. Women that dedicated their  lives to home and family. I accused them of being lazy, undereducated and unmotivated. Now that I am a full time mom I realize that it is the most under appreciated job there is. I don’t get payed, often I go weeks without a thank you and when I meet new people and tell them what I do I get zero respect.  

Society beats it into women that we need to have it all. Good husband, successful career and kids. It also tells to be involved in our husbands careers and our kids active lives. We are supposed to superwomen ALL THE TIME. What society doesn’t tell us is how exactly how we’re supposed to pull all of this off. If we are working full time in a competitive career field then you know we are putting in a lot more than 40 hours a week. If mom and dad are both working then when the school calls then who’s turn is it to explain to our boss that we need to leave AGAIN. When we as women are trying to “do it all” we never really do anything. Being pulled in to many directions we never have the time or the chance to really be good at any of it. We have mediocre careers and kids that feel neglected half the time. And when are we supposed to work romance into all of this?

On the other hand society doesn’t have the same expectations of men.  All they are supposed to do is have a good job, bring home a pay check and that’s about it. Maybe some work in the yard or on the car, but nothing like what the world wants of us women.

I know that it’s not a popular opinion, but screw all that. More and more men and women are stressed, depressed and popping pills left and right, because they don’t feel good enough.  Because of all the outside pressure telling them that they aren’t doing it the “right” way people are losing their minds.

So even though I spent my young life believing in being everything to everyone all the time. Now I have found happiness in being the best mom and wife I can be all the time. I never wonder who will be there when the school calls, because I know that it will be me. And for those of you that think it’s a nice life if you can get it, remember that when I was working I was paying so much in childcare that at the end of the week I was taking home less that $100.00. That little amount of money really wasn’t worth it.

So the next time you think less of a mom or dad that doesn’t do anything but be a supporting member of the household, remember that even the president needs a support staff and those guys get no glory and have the hardest jobs in the world. Being a full time parent and spouse it a lot like that. Not a whole lot in tangible rewards, but still a very important job to be done.

Who is Spring Break Really For

As a full time mom, I often wonder who this Spring Break is really for, My kids get 5-10 snow days every year. Their school break isn't anywhere near Easter and spring in Michigan is like a lower level of hell. Now imagine if I was working outside the home. Then I would have to consider if I was going to take a week of vacation or pay more than I make to have 3 kids in daycare for a week. My kids are bored ALL THE TIME and the stress involved in entertaining them for nine days straight is reeking havoc on my sanity. My cousin recently said that until someone came up with a spring break for moms then everyone could just shut up about how great these school vacations are. I agree. I know that 50 years ago women complaining about mom duty would've been unthinkable. But lets face it. Times have changed. Parents work to much and are often to stressed out to spend quality time with the children they've brought into this world. And kids have so many ways to entertain themselves that they have gotten to the point where nothing keeps them entertained for long. The United States educational system is falling behind the rest of the world and our kids aren't prepared to face the work force. Can someone please tell me who is benefiting from this spring break thing?

My Very First Blog Post

Well I've never done this before and I am not an English major so please be kind to me. I am forever getting wrapped up in conversations on facebook and wanted another forum to vent. So a very good friend told me that I should try blogging. I'm not a big fan of putting myself out there for the hole world, but oh well. The entire world is in each others business anyway, so why not mine. I haven't figured out my topics or ideas for this blog, but I will and then I will share it with those in my inner circle and see what they have to say. If you have any ideas that you would like me to talk about then please email me and I will address them as time allows.  At the very least if I end up hating this then I can just delete the blog and take it is a lesson learned.