Hands-on healing

A few months out from the baby's birthday and she's already made her little presence known to my back: I've got that lower back pain that all moms know as the Lean. As in lean-back-so-the-baby-doesn't-flop-backwards-while-you're-standing. Ouch! After our last daughter who's now over 2 I actually hurt my back and went for some physical therapy. They asked if I had access to the kind of Massage Chair Benefits they often recommended their patients use for muscle relaxation. These chairs were so amazing that it's like having a live-in massage therapist there to provide a full body massage with just a touch!

Based on the relief the chair provided for me, I told hubby it would certainly be a nice present that both of us could enjoy... perhaps on the anniversary of our tenth Christmas together? It's never too early to plan for Christmas, after all. Especially when you have your family's physical (and mental!) health in mind. And we all know that relaxing and soothing treatments for pain are surefire tickets to happiness, especially when shared with loved ones. I'd always heard about amazing massage chairs that kneaded and rolled the tension right out of your aching body. But I never realized they were something actually accessible when the amount of money spent on physical theraphy and massage therapy was considered!

Cry me a river... of regret

Image courtesy: Recovered Liberal

I'm a glass-mostly-full kind of person. I probably don't always give off that impression in person, but it's the way I think deep down about most things. So when people talk about the end of America as we know it... even people who voted this administration in but now see the 'light, aka Right'... I do agree that while that may be the goal of certain powerful peoples in this country, it is the lowly citizens such as myself who will work to stop that from ever happening. The number of people who believe in the United States Constitution still outnumber those who would love to use it as nothing more than kindling to light up our country's flag.

Take the current debate on the nationalization of health care for example. The more people learn about it, the less they like it. Dennis Prager recently wrote an intriguing article titled Americans are beginning to understand the left. In it, he makes the point that:

The left has its first president – with the possible exception of Franklin Delano Roosevelt – and for the first time controls the Democratic Party and both houses of Congress. In the name of compassion for the sick and the poor and in the name of preventing worldwide environmental catastrophe, it is attempting to remake America.

Prager outlines 5 core principles that we must help Americans to see for them to truly understand... and expose the left. In my glass-mostly-full view of life, I do believe this objective is not as difficult as it appears.

10th Amendment Voters: America's new movement

From the annals of the governor the Right loves to love and the Left loves to hate: Gov. Sarah Palin has signed a joint resolution declaring Alaska's sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution– and now 36 other states have introduced similar resolutions as part of a growing resistance to the federal government:

Just weeks before she plans to step down from her position as Alaska governor, Palin signed House Joint Resolution 27, sponsored by state Rep. Mike Kelly on July 10, according to a Tenth Amendment Center report. The resolution "claims sovereignty for the state under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States."

Alaska's House passed HJR 27 by a vote of 37-0, and the Senate passed it by a vote of 40-0.

According to the report, the joint resolution does not carry with it the force of law, but supporters say it is a significant move toward getting their message out to other lawmakers, the media and grassroots movements.

It's a wild time we live in. Revolutionary, really! I've been so inspired by the shift towards so many Americans to taking their country back that while I was pondering various patio furniture sets to replace our rinky dink set, I stumbled upon and purchased a dozen pocket-sized copies of the United States Constitution to share with friends and family.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate summer... sharing the solution to what to do about the writing on the wall.

President Bush... the real legacy

From the better-late-than-never category Atlas Shrugs shares: "Six Thunderous Standing Ovations for President Bush" when he visited Woodward Oklahoma this past July 4th:

Bush was given six standing ovations as he spoke on a warm, humid evening in GOP-friendly Woodward, a town of about 12,000 residents in northwest Oklahoma and the latest in a handful of out-of-the-way places Bush has visited since leaving office.

During a 30-minute speech mostly devoid of political references -- he mentioned his successor, Barack Obama, just once in passing -- Bush thanked members of the military, spoke about the bravery of injured soldiers he'd met and told stories of people in difficult situations helping others.

''Patriotism comes in all different kinds of forms,'' he said. ''Freedom is beautiful, freedom is precious, freedom must always be defended.''

[...]

After the speech, Bush waded into the crowd for a few minutes, giving hugs, signing autographs and shaking hands. ''I didn't think he'd do that,'' Fanning said. ''I told him he's welcome back any time.''

[...]

In 2004, Bush won 80.9 percent of the vote in Woodward County as he defeated Democratic challenger John Kerry.

''I came because George Bush was coming down here and I wanted to see him,'' said 48-year-old Douglas Stewart of nearby Freedom, who had a U.S. flag attached to his ballcap. ''I helped put him in office twice. I'm proud to say I did.''
[...]

The town welcomed Bush with banners on restaurants, hotels and a highway entering Woodward. Three protesters standing outside the arena with anti-Bush signs left by mid-afternoon. No protests were seen inside the arena.

A snippet of the event:



Don't know what you got, til it's gone.

The original link to the NY Times article is now dead: "Page not found". Shocking.

No Bull

Photo courtesy: Swim at Your Own Risk

The fascinating "River Monsters" on A&E had a recent episode covering the occurrences of the saltwater deadly bull shark being discovered in freshwater rivers in Australia. Not a couple weeks later these fearsome creatures was discovered inhabiting a Louisiana swamp! It was a startling revelation for me who is truly fond of swimming, especially when I learned that bull sharks not only could survive in freshwater, but were so adaptable to their changing environment they were breeding in it as well.

Thanks to the masterpiece film "Jaws" terror in the ocean is synonymous with the great white shark. But I never knew that one is less likely to survive the bull shark attack over the great white due to the absolute viciousness of the beast. Poor Jaws. He's going to need someone even more fierce to defend his reputation... someone like an Oakland motorcycle accident lawyer for the Animal Kingdom to get his mug back on top after being bounced from the top of the 'Deadliest Shark in the World' list.

An offense to the senses

Medium WELL?

Ribeye?

Kudos to Bobby Flay for not doing a double take. The Grillmaster has obviously heard it all.

Blacklisting the Family

Stephen Baldwin, perhaps the only Baldwin with a brain between his ears, continues to refuse to shy away from controversy. The conservative actor recently let loose his views on Hollywood's liberal bent against the Nuclear Family, giving many of his colleagues what a few of them will undoubtedly consider a finger in the eye:

said the actor: we're allowing our culture and our youth to be assaulted by the derogatory content" of what is being released by Hollywood.

If anyone has watched television ads around the anniversary of the birth of Christ, they wouldn't be surprised. When do some of the most vile and graphically evil movies come out? I'll admit that the day we started researching moving companies Los Angeles style, was the start of some peace of mind of being able to put some physical distance between our family and those "values".

Let me show you where to stick that healthcare bill...

Photo courtesy: Photography Served

Gable Mountain Plutonium Vault, Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

Now THAT is a plan. A REAL plan.

A much better plan than mandatory vaccinations brought to your front door by intervention teams of state workers.

BTW, does ACORN know their Dear Leader is outsourcing community outreach?

Summer Reading

The NY Times has a new column out that is sure to get the attention of all you parents and it's not one of those scary-themed write-ups bemoaning the lack of jobs in health care while they push taxpayers to mortgage their kids' and grandkids' futures...

This one is by Nicholas Kristof and it is actually, legimately, for the children! It's a fun one called The Best Kids' Books Ever. Being someone who has probably read more than an elementary school's share of children's books both when I was a child myself and since I've become a mother to my 4 girls I was immediately drawn to title and dutifully armed with my own opinions about what should be on the list.

Most of the titles were familiar,... out of the 13 I've read 8. It's a good list with solid titles for older kids who are onto chapter books. I was surprised that a few popular favorites were missing from this category: The Cricket in Times Square, The Little House on the Prairie, Runaway Ralph, A Bridge to Terabithia, Alice in Wonderland, The Lord of the Rings...

If you have younger kids who like their pictures in addition to a fine & fun story, we also love Petite Rouge, Little Pea, Cowboy & Octopus, Skippy Jon Jones and A Story for Bear.

Breakfast version 2.0

Photo credit: Jonas T.

Is that crazy-delicious looking or what? So sinful, it should be... dessert.

Recently I tuned into a new show on Food Network called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate". I was immediately intrigued - especially with the bacon and BBQ episodes - and then disappointed when I learned that to try any of the amazing foods the hosts were reminiscing about through oodles of drool that I'd have to travel and not just print out a recipe.

I took one look at the Apple Maple Bacon donut (*above*) sold by Dynamo Donuts in the City on the Bay, San Francisco and knew that one day I'd be there to partake of that glazed goodness. Of course, I'd have to keep some diet pills close by to remind me not to buy, and eat, an entire dozen but I think I deserve to eat just one. And so do you!

Free Speech for me... not for thee

Shh. You might teach the children something they'd otherwise never learn in school. Truth.

Seventh Grader Sues School Over Right to Wear Pro-Life T-Shirt:

Anna Amador has gone to court on behalf of her daughter, who she says was ordered by her principal to change her shirt on "National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day." The shirt the girl was wearing displays two graphic pictures of a fetus growing in the womb.

The incident occurred in April 2008 at McSwain Elementary School, a K-8 school in Merced, Calif. Amador alleges in her legal complaint that school Principal Terrie Rohrer, Assistant Principal C.W. Smith and office clerk Martha Hernandez mistreated her daughter and denied the girl her First Amendment rights when they ordered her to leave the cafeteria and change her shirt.

"Before Plaintiff could eat [breakfast] she was ordered by a school staff member to throw her food out and report immediately to Defendant Smith's office, located in the main office of McSwain Elementary School," the complaint reads.

"Upon arriving at the main office, Defendant Hernandez, intentionally and without Plaintiff's consent, grabbed Plaintiff's arm and forcibly escorted her toward Smith's office, at all times maintaining a vice-like grip on Plaintiff's arm. Hernandez only released Plaintiff's arm after physically locating her in front of Smith and Defendant Rohrer...

"Smith and Rohrer ordered Plaintiff to remove her pro-life T-shirt and instructed Plaintiff to never wear her pro-life T-shirt at McSwain Elementary School ever again...

"Completely humiliated and held out for ridicule, Plaintiff complied with Defendants' directives and removed her pro-life T-shirt, whereupon, Defendants seized and confiscated it. Defendants did not return Plaintiff's property until the end of the school day."

Two graphic pictures? I'd counter those are two images direct from Life Magazine's spread on ... Life. But we all know the real reason they don't want the girl wearing that shirt: The other kids in the elementary school might learn a thing or two about the truth of that "unviable mass of tissue" and realize what abortion really is, and what it really does. The fight will go on to the Supreme Court, but the school has technically won, for now. They got what they wanted - the girl humiliated & the shirt temporarily banned. By the time this hits the high court, she won't even be a student there any longer.

Kudos to the student and her mom for standing and fighting for their rights - and the rights of all of us. If I could, I'd reward them with one of those incredibly relaxing Orlando vacations for fighting the good fight.

A wink and a nod

Caption:

Masahiro Tomiyama, a staff member of Sunshine City International Aquarium, holds baby fennecs, who were born in mid-May, in Tokyo, Saturday, July 4, 2009.

Aquarium? Okay... well, whatever these are, I want one.

Uncensored

I can't get my political news fix today. Apparently the only thing happening in the world is MJ's funeral out in California. That bankrupt state is forking out $2 million taxpayer dollars for the event. They can make money out of thin air but not water for the farmers apparently. I wonder if the memorial created any jobs for the over 11% unemployed out there?

I'm just wondering: Did everyone forget that this was a grown man who admitted on television that he enjoyed having young boys sleeping in his bed? And that he recommended it to everyone? If this was a non-celebrity you can bet he would have been castigated & shunned... certainly not celebrated in word, song and dollar as MJ is today.

And people like Al "Double Standard" Sharpton are out there acting as if there is some sort of double standard in how MJ is being talked about now that he is dead. What? The man's name is worth something like half a billion dollars. What double standard, Al?

When Elvis (who MJ is compared to frequently) died we found out about his drug & alcohol use & abuse, his gluttony and his marital problems. What's different? If only these two had gone to drug rehab they might have survived a little longer. No one person is emotionally equipped to survive the level of fame and celebrity and success that MJ amassed in his life. It's no wonder he had so many personal problems and resorted to drugs. If only the people close to him stopped enabling him and helped him with his demons, he might've incorporated some healthy living methods into his lifestyle and would still be here today as a father to his 3 children.

Shock & Awe: Alaskan Style

Fireworks've come early to Alaska! America's best-known governor Sarah Palin today shocked & awed talking heads everywhere when she announced she would be resigning her position as Governor in just a few weeks:

Palin, regarded as a front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, made the announcement from from the backyard of her home on the shore of Lake Lucille in Wasilla.

The governor emphasized she has been the target of 15 ethics complaints -- all dismissed -- at a cost of $2 million to the state and some $500,000 to her family.

"It has all been pretty insane," she said.

"And the people who offer up these silly accusations? It doesn't cost them a dime."

Sirius' Patriot channel played what was probably most of the Governor's statement. Various foes of Governor Palin's are already accusing her of resigning due to some unforeseen/upcoming scandal or health issue, while others speculate she may be readying herself for a run for the Presidency.

I'm wondering if this is a move not just to remove herself from the line of fire and the Alaskan taxpayers' burdens but to make the most of the private coffers who are sure to offer her untold dollars in speaking fees... all which can be used to cover the nearly 1/2 a million dollar pricetab her legal defense has amassed. MSNBC has shot its own load over the beltway, declaring Mrs Palin to be "out of politics for good." Wishful thinking mayhaps? Never has a vice presidential candidate been more maligned, ridiculed, scorned... or feared.

Sez the Governor herself? From Twitter:

We'll soon attach info on decision to not seek re-election... this is in Alaska's best interest, my family's happy... it is good, stay tuned

On again, off again

Image courtesy: First Friday Collective

I'm starting to wonder, as you might be, if this blog's focus is going to the bugs!

Less than a week after our 6 yr old was finishing up her Lyme disease antibiotics and on the day of our oldest's high school graduation, my husband started showing signs of a flu or Lyme disease too. I know, I know, it isn't contagious, but we live in the woods so it may as well be. Sure enough by the time we got the tests back confirmed they thought he had meningitis it was so bad. He started his medications and a week later I found another tick on my own leg. I'm in limbo waiting for symptoms or for enough time to have passed before it will show up on any blood test. Not a lot to look forward to when you're simultaneously nursing a baby!

With all the talk in the news about health care and the President's plan, I can't help but wonder if we will still be able to choose our own health insurance and purchase insurance online like we can now. We keep getting different answers from the media and the administration: yes you'll be able to keep your own plan, no you won't be able to, you might be able to under certain circumstances, etc etc. I'm not looking forward to whatever they have cooked up. I can't imagine my children having to wait 6-8 weeks for a dr's appointment so we can get the ball rolling for Lyme disease tests. All the horror stories about socialized medicine and having to wait months for what we have here --
have we all taken our health care for granted here in America?