Have You Forgotten?

I know that my family and I have not.



My son has been wanting to write to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan now for quite some time, but I have not been able to find one for him. You can no longer address mail to "Any Soldier". Many have pointed me toward various web sites, but many of those sites want a bigger commitment then just letters. Not that we wouldn't be able to send some, but I didn't want to promise anything more than letters because things aren't always easy in my household. If any one reads this and knows of a soldier that wouldn't mind writing to an eight year old boy, please let me know.

Saturday's Super Site

This week's Saturday Super Site is The Cluttered Eclectic Mind. When I stopped in to visit Ron, one of the first things I noticed was that he is an amazing writer. All of the articles he posts are well thought out, eloquently composed, and excellently presented.

Ron's blog is all about his opinions on life, politics, and family. He has the ability to look at an issue, weigh all sides of the argument, and present intelligent counter-argument without being derogatory, mean spirited, or rude. He is truly a breath of fresh air in the blogosphere. He wants to opinions of his readers, and treats them with kindness and dignity even if they may not agree. Something, I am sure all of you know, is rare for many blogs out there.

I urge all of you visit Ron's blog, The Cluttered Eclectic Mind. I just know you will enjoy the articles you find there.

You can learn about how to nominate a site by clicking on the graphic above.

Another Amazing Story

I read a story today that easily points out what is wrong with society and what is right. It also drives home my often voiced opinion of how having so many American soldiers in one place can't be a bad thing. Here is an amazing story of two great American's doing what American' do best, helping others. It also shows a perfect example of why I just don't understand other people's children. Even though "other's people children" are present in this story and giving a prime example of what is wrong in the world, it also shows that good can over come evil even if the odds seemed stacked against it. So, instead of loosing faith in humanity one person at a time, I chose to cling to hope and gain a little faith. Here's the story.

[PPP] Are You Looking To Buy A Car?

I am currently driving a car with 161,000 miles on it. I love this car, and it has been very good to me. I can tell it is getting old, but I don’t want to part with it. I don’t want to buy a new car, and I just got this one paid off. I don’t want to buy a new car because when I do that I want one that is just as good or better than my current one. I don’t want to spend a fortune on something that is going to break down constantly. This becomes even more possible when you buy a used car, which is the only kind of car in my budget.

I would love this car:
Escalade

This one:
BMW 3 Series

Or even this one:
Ridgeline

I could even live with this one:
Toyota RAV4

But this is probably more along the lines of what I can truly afford:
Rio
(God I hope I don’t have to drive a Kia.)

No matter which used care I can afford, at least I can use lemonfree.com to look them up and learn more. I can easily see what dealers in my area are asking, I can see the year and the mileage on the car, and in a lot of cases I get to see a photo. There are reviews of the car, and easy access to the crash test rating. The pages show what amenities the car has as well. VIN numbers are even listed making it easier to research the history of the car. As I search for my next car I have a feeling that lemonfree.com may come in very handy. If you are interested in checking out their pages yourself please click below:

Used Cars For Sale



This is a sponsored post.

Wednesday's Hero

This Weeks Solider Was Summited By Lt. Schneider

SSgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin
24 years old from Batavia, Ohio
Army Reserves 724th Transportation Company
MIA Since April 9, 2004



Strength, perseverance and determination is how you would describe the family of SSgt. Keith Maupin. Because even though their son has been missing now for almost three years, his parents still haven't given up hope that he's still alive. Said his father, Keith Maupin, "I'm saying it ain't over till the fat lady sings and when she sings, I'm going to choke her. That's what I say. They're going to find Matt." His mother, Carolyn, was quoted as saying, "We're to keep our hope up. And praying until they can prove to us 100 percent either way. And that's what I'm going to do. And I realize we only have a 50/50 chance here, but I'm not going the low road. I'm going the high road"

SSGt. Maupin, who was PFC. Maupin when he was capture and has since received two promotions, was reported MIA when his fuel convoy came under attack near the Baghdad International Airport. Along with Maupin was Sgt. Elmer Krause and seven employees of U.S. contractor Kellogg, Brown & Root. All of whom were either rescued or escaped. Seven days later, on April 16, Al-Jazeera aired a video tape of Maupin in which he was forced to admit that he was went to Iraq unwillingly. Then on June 28, 2004, Al-Jazerra reported that PFC. Maupin had been executed by a group calling themselves Persistent Power Against the Enemies of God and the Prophet. But no concrete proof has surfaced either way.

His parents have created a website called Yellow Ribbon Support Center if you would like to check it out. And while most in the media have forgotten Keith Maupin, Wednesday Hero hasn't.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by going here.

[PPP] Are You In Over Your Head In Debt?

For many of us debt has taken over our lives. I am no exception. I had more credit card debt that I could handle. I was barley able to pay the minimum every month, and we all know where that leads. The minimum after all rarely touches the principle, and the debt never seems to go down. That is when I discovered how to consolidate debt. I consolidated all of my debt into one payment a month, which was lower than all of the minimums that I was trying to pay. I cut up all of my cards, and I haven’t had one sense. That isn’t where financial health stops though.

I found a blog recently that had numerous postings and articles that pointed out some very important information. There are great articles there about what to expect when you go from renting your home to buying one of your own, and why that isn’t always the best idea for some, or why at the very least you should know what you are getting yourself into. There are common sense spending tips and other articles on debt relief and debt management. The blog is a slew of information.

When you are being swallowed alive by debt you feel helpless. This blog, when used with the other information available, and other tools at your disposal, will help you become educated in your options and what you can do to keep from drowning.

This is a sponsored post.

Would Be Rapists Beware!

From an article out the UK in The Guardian today:

The myth of the vagina dentata - vagina with teeth - has proved strangely compelling down the centuries, but who would have thought it would become real? Later this month, South African women will be able to arm their vaginas with the Rapex device, a product priced at 1 rand (around 7p) and sold over the counter. Shaped like a female condom and worn internally, its hollow interior is lined with 25 razor-sharp teeth, which fasten on to an attacker's penis if he attempts penetration.

The article points out a few different potential outcomes from the future use of this device. The part of the article that kind of got my hackles up was:

The biggest problem though, is that it places the onus for stopping rape not on the perpetrators, but on women - entirely the wrong way around. It implies that rape is an inevitable part of human culture and that women need to adapt accordingly.

I am sorry, but if I think I am living in danger of something happening to me at the hands of another person, I am not going to wait for them to change their mind or figure out why they are wrong. Are you? I think I will adapt accordingly if you don't mind.

Very Profound

I read the following at Walter Reed This Veteran's Life today. I found it very profound and full of truth.

This is what I see and hear.

I hear that we are losing the war.
I see a repressed country beginning to stand on its own.
What do you know about loss?

I hear that this war costs too much.
I see you drive off in your BMW sipping Starbucks.
What do you know about cost?

I hear that we are stretched too thin.
I see you protesting outside the recruiters' office.
Do you know what you are doing?

I hear that we are pulling out.
I see the people we are leaving behind.
Who will protect them?

I hear the pleas of children...
I see my service wasted.
How should I feel?

I hear the punishers coming.
I see the children blindfolded and bound.
What will become of them?

I hear this everyday.
I see this in my dreams.
What has become of me?

Blogger's Choice Awards

Um....so I don't know how to say this eloquently, so I am just going to say it. Please vote for me if you haven't already done so. You can do so very easily by clicking the really neat buttons at the top of my page that my wonderful husband made for me.

My thanks to those of you who have voted. I really appreciate your support!

[PPP] Are You Currently Searching For a Daycare Provider?

As a mother, I know how hard it is to find a day care center for your children. For a long while I was a single mom, and had to work more than 40 hours a week to make ends meet. My son was in day care from the time he was six weeks old, so it was very important to me to find and daycare center or baby sitter that I liked, trusted, and that would treat him well when I couldn't be there.

Life would have been a whole lot easier if I could have gone to one place and found the information that I needed. Having one place that listed all the centers in my area wouldn't have replaced a first hand inspection by any means, but it would have saved me a great number of pointless phone calls. I would have been ecstatic if there had been one place I could go to start to weed a few of the childcare centers out. A place I could learn which centers took children under the age of two, what their rates were, what their addresses were, if they had any openings for new students, etc. I could then have at least prioritized my search from the start. I would have known which places to call first as I could have known which fit a number of my needs best.

At the time I was looking, there wasn't any place like that. Now there is. If you are looking for daycare then Daycare Bear is where you need to go. Daycare Bear was launched in 2005, and they offer and easy to use website that allows you to search by zip code, or by city. It also allows you to be able to specify what type of day care you are searching for, including nannies, and in home daycare providers. Entering your child's age narrows the search even more. Once you enter the information that applies to what you are searching you get a list of childcare providers in your specified areas who have openings.

If you know of anyone searching for childcare, or know of anyone who provides childcare, send them to Daycare Bear. The service the provide is free to parents and providers.

This is sponsored post.

A Little Monday Humor

My mother-in-law sent this today, and I had to share it with the rest of you. Thank you Pam, you are probably my most loyal reader, and also my quietest. :P Enjoy!

The Iranian Ambassador to the UN had just finished giving a speech, and walked out into the lobby where he met President Bush. They shook hands, and as they walked the Iranian said, "You know, I have just one question about what I have seen in America." President Bush said, "Well, anything I can do to help you, I will." The Iranian whispered "My son watches this show 'Star Trek' and in it there is Chekhov who is Russian, Scotty who is Scottish, and Sulu who is Chinese, but no Arabs or Iranians. My son is very upset and doesn't understand why there aren't any Iranians on Star Trek." President Bush cracked his famous little grin, leaned toward the Iranian ambassador, and whispered back, "That's because it takes place in the future."

Happy Easter!

I wrote a long blog last night about being a good neighbor to a boy who is my son's age. A boy who's parents have to work too hard to get by in comparison to many of the rest of us. A boy who's mother and father both had to work on Easter Sunday. This little guy came to my house today right before we were walking out the door to go to my mother and father's for the traditional Easter festivities. Without thinking twice, we simply took him with us.

My family, the wonderful people who raised me, simply set an extra plate, hid a few extra Easter eggs and treated him no differently than they would have any of of their other three grandchildren. My sister included him in the egg dying and taught him a few dying tricks.

Our little neighbor boy had a much better Easter than he would have had he not asked if he could stay with us while his parents worked. It was a good day. Never forget that holidays are meant to be shared.

Now for a little Easter humor!

Ask Captain Dramatic

Welcome to the Easter edition of Ask Captain Dramatic. First off, my family and I would like to wish you and yours a very Happy Easter.

Me: "Captain Dramatic, do you have any advice for other kids on Easter?"

CD: "Yep! Don't eat eggs with furry yolks."

My husband and I couldn't stop laughing. No matter how hard I could have tried, I just couldn't make anything like that up.

The Power of Good Neighbors

I want to orate on the power of good neighbors. This seems to be lost in today's age. That is sad. So everyone, listen up.

Good neighbors are hard to come by. They are necessary none the less. Especially in this day, and age when both parents work full time, and grandparents are still doing the same. I AM A GOOD NEIGHBOR!!!!

I have an amazing set of parents who live two doors down. They have a child who is my son's age, but they had him late in life. They have other kids, that are almost my age. They aren't well off, by any means. Not, to say, they don't work hard. They work harder than most I know. Life just doesn't come easy for them. That happens to some of us. It just does.

They work long, strange hours. There are times when their youngest might be home alone. Early on, we established a rule with their son. If it is dark, and mom and dad aren't home, come here. Here is safe and warm and provides dinner. It wasn't even an option for me, and I never had to second guess myself. He is a child, and his parents are working long hours to provide. I was home. There was no other option. After all, I would hope the same for me son. Right? Nice, safe, warm place to go. Wouldn't we all want that for our children?

The point of this blog is, you do for others as you would want done for you and yours. Recognize what you can do, and do it without second thought. Especially where children are concerned. They don't pick their circumstances. They don't. As adults we sometimes feel helpless. Imagine how the kids feel.

Some parents that aren't be there all the time, and aren't there because they truly can't be. When that happens, they need good neighbors. Sometimes other family isn't there either, for various reasons. Those reasons don't matter. The child does. The child is the future of America. This may sound crass, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the state of America, and the the mind set of current politicians might just boil down to the fact that we couldn't be good neighbors when we needed too.

It is late, and I am very tired, so sorry for what may have sounded like a rant. Just be there for the kids. Realize that some parents aren't "neglectful" because they want to be. It is sad, but some seem that way because they have to be. Those that are neglectful by choice, have kids that need you ever more. That is another rant, on a different day...

I am going to fix the world, one child at a time. I promise.

It isn't too much too ask, is it?

While reading this, please give me a little credit for being a little out of my mind as I am very tired. In my heart, I know this is the right path to take. I am posting this now, and not going to revise it tomorrow when sanity is more prevalent.

Good night.

Thank you Sarge!

Thank you for the shout out Sarge! To all those visiting from Sarge Charlie's site, WELCOME! I hope you visit often!