All Stressed Out and No One to Choke

I know I haven’t blogged in a while and I am feeling the pressure. Clayton – It’s all your fault!!! Since you linked to my blog, I feel I have to make an effort.

I am STRESSED OUT!!! Jace has dance competition this Saturday. She was sick and went to the doctor last Thursday. He decided she was on the downside of the flu and had a sinus infection and gave her antibiotics. Saturday night and Sunday she broke out in hives. I think it was a reaction to the antibiotics. Sunday night she started complaining with chest and back pain and difficulty breathing. I succeeded in not completely losing it and taking her to the ER that night, but made her go back to the doctor first thing Monday. She had pleurisy. We started giving her anti-inflammatory medicine and she felt better. She went to dance yesterday to work on her solo and rolled her ankle. She got up this morning and it was swollen and bothering her. We had to ice it before she went to school. I’ve had enough stress right now!!

Sick and Tired

Having a sick child is the pits. Being completely helpless to make your child feel better is a horrible feeling. She hasn’t slept well. She’s moaned in her sleep and coughed all night. I’m hoping this is the end of the illness!!! The doctor thinks she had a case of the flu and has a sinus infection. She’s worn out and has competition next weekend.

Wicked - Here we come!

I actually snagged tickets to go see Wicked!!!!! Jace was so excited. We have the soundtrack and she loves it!! I called her Friday after I bought the tickets and after her stunned silence, she yelled, “When are we going?” There are only a couple of things bothering me about the tickets. First, we are going on a Sunday night when she is still in school and second, they are in the nosebleed section. Oh well, that’s why God invented binoculars.

Look In Your Own Backyard

Sometimes you find the hungry in your own neighborhood. In doing a canned food drive at the dance studio where I am co-owner, I found out that the Tarrant Area Food Bank has a program called Backpacks for Kids. This program packs kid friendly snacks in backpacks and distributes them to 12 sites in 3 counties. The schools are chosen if 80% or more of their kids are eligible for free or reduced-cost meals. Nine of the schools are in Tarrant County. (You can find this information on the food bank’s website.) The backpacks are distributed to a child for the weekend and then returned to the school on Monday. They make sure that the backpacks are distributed in private to save the children from being embarrassed. Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the plight of people in foreign countries that we forget that we have people with needs in our own.

Take Care Of What You've Been Given

I’m really tired of the whole Global Warming argument. I’m not sure what to think about the climate change issue. I do think that some people have taken to Global Warming as though it’s a new religion. They walk around preaching their newfound gospel as though it paves their way to heaven.

As a Christian, I find the arrogance of science to be disconcerting. Scientific theories are just that – theories. They are not infallible. Only God is infallible. Only God knows what he has in store for us. God spoke the world into existence. He created this beautiful planet and gave it to mankind to tend. The ultimate issue is not whether Global Warming exists. It’s simply mankind living up to the duty and responsibility of taking care of the planet God gave us.

Cool Your Jets Perry

I've been disgusted with politics for quite a while now. I avoid the news like the plague. I don't care which party you belong to anymore, I am disgusted with the entire process. Take the new Texas Governor mandate that as of September 2008, all girls entering the sixth grade are required to receive the Gardasil vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. I have a daughter that will be entering sixth grade in September 2008. I am definitely going to have to research this issue, but more than likely I will be opting out. I have a child that is EXTREMELY sensitive to medications. She has broken out in rashes after taking other vaccines, she's allergic to red dye, and after taking ibuprofen since she was very small, she has developed an allergy to that medication. I am not about to give my child a vaccine that has only been approved since June of 2006.

Of course, I am extremely suspect of the motives behind Governor Perry's reasons for issuing an exectuve order. The Associated Press article of Feb. 3, 2007, by Liz Austin Peterson (http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8N1RSSG2.html) points out the following:

• Merck doubled their lobbying budget in Texas and funneled money through Women in Government.
• Mike Toomey, one of Merck's three Texas lobbyists, was Perry's former chief of staff.
• TexasRepresentative Dianne White Delisi, Perry's current chief of staff's mother-in-law is a state director for Women in Government.
• Merck's PAC (political action committee) gave $6,000 to Perry's re-election campaign.

Now, I'm no math whiz, but at a cost of $360 per child for the three shot series, with just the amount of students in Texas (which I was not able to find), that is one serious chunk of change in Merck's pocket. Based on his order, you are looking at all girls in Texas from between the ages of 9 and 21. Imagine that on a 50 state scale. Merck stands to make BILLIONS from this vaccine.

Now, I am not opposed to the idea of a vaccine that prevents cancer. I think it's a wonderful progress in modern medine, if it actually does what they are saying it does. I do have some questions. For instance:

• Is it a permanent cure or is it's effectiveness going to eventually wear off?
• If it's effectiveness wears off, will there be any sideeffects of revaccination?
• How often would revaccination be required?
• How do we know the virus isn't going to mutate and then we're back to square one? (After all isn't the flu shot just a best guess at which strain is going to be the strongest?)
• Do we know the actual success rate yet? The chicken pox vaccine hasn't been completely successful. Some kids still end up with a mild case of chicken pox. But is there such a thing as a mild case of cervical cancer?

Anyway, it's late and I will get off my soapbox now.

Blast From The Past

We are having an 80's banquet at church tonight. I am bringing a friend of mine from work. She thought it sounded like fun. So, to "get into the groove" (Madonna reference) I have been listening to I Love the 80's on vh1.com radio. I am currently listening to Oingo Boingo (no, I did not make up the name) singing Weird Science. Hopefully there will be lots of funny skits and interesting outfits. I am going for the layered look with neon pink accessories. I even have a pair of hideous flats that look like I pulled them from the depths of my closet where the dust bunnies hide. I didn't, but they look genuine. What's scary is that they are actually a new pair of shoes. Very cheap shoes, but new. When did I become so old that the styles I wore in school are now considered "Vintage" and the music I listened to is considered "Classic?" I really don't feel that old!!

Put Yourself In Their Shoes

I have gotten to where I hate to watch the news. As a society we seem to be intent on enjoying the misery and heartache of others. Just look at the current item of interest. I suppose it makes for good ratings, but this is really about the destruction of a family. Lisa Nowak is a married mother of three. With one event, she has caused untold pain and embarassment to her family and to herself. Her family still has to go out in public. They have to go about their daily activities now living inside a fishbowl. I personally do not find this to be entertaining. I think it's heartbreaking. Maybe if we tried to be more compassionate and loving to one another, the world as we know it would be a much better place.