Entry#5: Pink Slime.......

 I want to say that I am surprised but after watching Food Inc. and the countless slaughterhouse documentaries I can't say that this video surprises me. 

 Are YOU curious?? Well here is the link!

 If anything was shocking about this video is that majority of it is fed to our children in their school foods. So much for healthy and nutritional food! This industry is a joke and an embarrassment to the world. There are starving children out there dying of hunger but we are adding ammonia in our meat products. Instead of just sending this unusable meat to just dog food plants since dogs have the stomach to fight off these types of bacteria's, they have found a way for ammonia meat to reach the plates of our children. I had no idea the outer cavities carried Salmonella and E-coli and we can only hope that they would avoid using these portions to prevent sickness and death among people, but I am sure the excuse would be that they are wasting product and money. Who cares if a few thousand die! We have billions on people in this world, whats a few thousand!!!! 

(THEY TRUST US AND WE DECEIVE THEM)

 I have already made my transition to organic produce and I am only purchasing my meat from sprouts! I pay so much more for my food now but it's so worth it for me. Yes, I am a couponer and I love to save money but when it comes to fresh produce and meat that has no chemicals, hormones, or antibiotics, I will gladly pay extra for! I am not just thinking about me but my family! I want my children to have the best and healthiest food possible. That is why I prep my daughter lunches when she goes to the babysitter and that is why she and her sister will have their lunches made when they both start attending school. When I did my research months ago about slaughterhouses and the meat that leaves those plants, I knew that schools got the crap end of the stick! Which did shock me at the moment because I would expect schools to serve good and healthy food and that spending extra money in that department would be worth it. We're suppose to set an example for our children and show them how to eat healthy and nutritional meals but our schools cover them up with lies and post signs all over about the benefits our kids are getting from these meals. For those that have seen Family Guy, in the words of Peter Griffen, what really grinds my gears is that they offer free meals during the summer for those that cannot afford it. Who is the meat industry attacking more??? The poor, the minority and those that do not have access to internet or truly have the time to uncover the lies that are being told to them. Even if they did, can those who are on food stamps truly afford to go organic and feed their families, I think not. To know that those children consume 15% of ammonia in their meals a day is disgusting! They wonder why we're cancer stricken, obese and the unhealthiest country out there. Look at what they feed us!

Potty Training

 Can it be done????
                    My daughter Emma is a month away from being two years old and she is still not potty trained. I know every kid decides when they are ready but my daughter refuses to go near the toilet we bought her. I made her dad buy her a cute pink Minnie Mouse toilet that even shouts "Horrraaayyy" when you flush and still she won't go near the toilet. I don't know what to do! She lets us know when she's pooped or peed but when I suggest using the potty in the bathroom her response is a simple, "noooo"! I have to admit it's a pretty cute no to, but doesn't she know that her mommy wants and needs her potty trained before her sister is here.

(The famous and expensive toilet($25) she refuses to go by)

   I am eleven weeks away from my due date with my second child and potty training her by than is definitely a stretch but I have to try! Having one child is expensive enough, I can't imagine buying diapers for two babies! I am hoping she warms up to her potty soon because we're gonna have to start learning sometime soon. If I can get her to just sit on it even with her clothes on would be amazing! I just have no idea how to make it happen. 
  This really makes me miss being single! Not having such responsibilities! Many people my age worry about what club or fun drinking event they have planned for their weekend and I am worried about potty training my toddler! Haha, man has life changed! I wouldn't trade it for the world! My Emma is my joy and the light of my life and we will take this potty training monster down together.

My wild child Emma, walking around with Mickey!

Emma and daddy enjoying Flagstaff weather. 

It's a girl! Miss Amelia is due December 9th!!!

Entry#4: Food

 After watching "Food Inc." I am even more disgusted with the food industry than ever before. I already know what goes on behind closed doors at the hundreds of slaughterhouses that plague our country, but now knowing how deceptive our government is makes me really angry!!! As if murdering and torturing these animals before death wasn't enough now their feeding the world with lies. The one thing that really got me was how we've become the number one corn producers by taking away the corn fields from farmers in Mexico and putting them out of business. If that wasn't bad enough, then we post jobs in America in their local newspapers!! It's unbelievable! We talk about the many problems that come from illegal immigration yet we are bringing these people here to work under terrible conditions. These illegal Mexican immigrants don't leave their land because they don't like it but because they need jobs to support their families. This really opened my eyes and made me look at illegal immigration from a whole new perspective. Our government talks about change and wanting to secure our borders but we're driving big buses into Mexico and crossing illegals over! They find ways to distract the public from whats really going on in this world.

How scary is this photo above? We as parents are told that baby food is healthy and safe and something we should feed to our children but their hiding the fact that they use GMO's in their products. Really?? My daughter ate Gerber foods and now I am more angry than ever! We wonder why there are so many sick babies and so many rare diseases we cannot cure but we continue to feed our children food's with GMO's. I should have researched this when I had my daughter but before my daughter I had no knowledge or interest in knowing about the foods I consumed. Shame on me! It's amazing how our lives change when we become parents.

Yup!! I will be that parent that makes organic lunches for their child everyday! I do not want my child exposed to this! After doing researched months ago on how meat was produced, I learned that schools get the short end of the stick when it comes to nutrition and food. Did you know that the food that's served at schools are what is left over of the dead animals at slaughterhouses? Yeah, there is nothing good or nutritional about school lunches. God only knows what "meat" children are really eating!

THIS IS ENOUGH TO MAKE ME GO ORGANIC! HOW ABOUT YOU?

One More Time!

Oh my goodness!
If I hear one more time what I should or shouldn't do during my pregnancy, I think I am going to lose it! I work at Starbucks, as we all know by now and my co-workers just love to baby me! Even the ones who have experienced being pregnant before. If I order a coffee it's followed by, "would you like that in decaf?". That is when they receive the look of death! No, I would not like deaf people!! Come on. Everyone assumes that coffee is so terrible for pregnant women but I have done my research and they is no definite evidence that shows the damage it can cause. Unless you're drinking ten cups of coffee a day, if you have one or two your okay. Not many people realize that I am not a huge caffeine drinker! I rarely have a can let alone a two liter of soda at my house and even when I do it usually goes stale before I even finish it. So when I order my cup of coffee I would love it if someone would just ask me if I want it hot or cold and leave it at that.

Coffee isn't the only place where they stop! It's like they're watching every move I make. They tell me what I should or shouldn't pick up, that I should relax because I am pregnant. Lets get one thing straight people! I am pregnant not handicap. Not that there is anything wrong with those that are handicap but pregnant women shouldn't be treated like they are incapable of doing simple tasks. If I can't do something, I have no problem asking for help but when I am told what to do well than that's a problem for me.

Good thing my co-workers love me and deal with my crazy pregnant self! I know that they are looking out for me and just trying to make sure that I am safe at all costs but until someone can experience pregnancy for themselves than they cannot understand where I am coming from. Not to mention the fluctuating hormones 24/7. I think all pregnant women should come with labels!! My all time fave would be.............
                                    "I am pregnant and I don't need your opinion"
See what hormones do!

I hope I made you laugh and not afraid of pregnant women! 

Entry#3: Wall-E

 "Big and Large". Isn't that the world we live in today?
Think about it. When we go to a fast food restaurant, after we place our orders usually they ask what size we want our order. Can we for once just order and get a regular size and be happy with that?

 What really resonates with me is the fast paced world we live in and the increase in technology dependence. Even though technology is an amazing invention that allows us the capability to talk to family thousands of miles away or even turn in homework online for college classes; we cannot let it absorb our lives. Everyone in this clip is fat because all they eat is fast food. They do whatever they see and are told on their little TV screens to do. Sounds like the world we live in only we're not all fat and riding around in scooters. There is so much relevance to our culture and society today from this clip. Our children are exposed to fast food at a young age and they start with TV commercials. They suck in our children with the thought of getting a toy but parents are just as guilty! They see chocolate milk or apple juice advertised with it and they assume that these meals they are feeding to their children are healthy and that it's a win win for the parent and child. Wrong!
  Everyone here is distracted by the their TV screen but our society is distracted by their phones. We rarely see strangers stop and talk to each other on their way home from work or at the grocery store. Nobody is concerned with talking to each other face to face or getting to know someone new but more about "get in and out and go home" type of attitude.

 When I was a kid I used to love going to Home Depot with my mom and buying new plants and planting them together. Even though technology was around when I was a kid, it didn't have the high importance that is does now. I can see the impact that technology has and it can be a great and negative all at the same time and it is up to me as a parent to limit the use and importance of technology towards my children.

What is sleep?

 Are you a parent? Well I am and let me tell you do I miss my sleep. We all have had that night where we've slept so well that we wake up before our alarms up and ready to go. Yeah well, I haven't felt like that since I had my daughter almost two years ago. Every parent out here knows what I am talking about. We all love our children and they bring us so much joy but we all wish for that good nights rest. The ones you had in your single days.
  I remember the days I would sleep in till ten, eleven and sometimes even twelve just because I could. Now I am lucky if I sleep in till seven even eight in the morning. My daughter likes to wake me up the same way every morning, "baba?". This child and her baba (milk) if she doesn't have it she will not sleep and she will ask you a million times until you get up! if you haven't noticed by now, my daughter Emma has invaded our bed. We not only lose out on our sleep but privacy. 
  When my daughter was eight months old she decided that she no longer wanted to sleep in her crib, so she cried for over an hour straight before we both caved in and let her in our bed. Since than she has invaded and it's looking like she is staying. She has become so attached to the both of us that we're hoping once her sister Amelia gets here she will want to sleep in her room. Maybe just maybe we might get some form of sleep. If anything we won't be kicked, punched, slapped, or smacked with the bottle through the night. 
  To add to my madness, I am pregnant, working at Starbucks part time, a mother, wife and a full time student. I have no life and no sleep what so ever! With all of my classes and assignments I stay up for hours sometimes completing homework before my work week starts. Of course I had to work at Starbucks. A place where starting early is a must and yes, this takes away from my sleep too!!
  Even though I lose out on my sleep I still love my little stinker!!! I am just hoping her sister isn't as wild as she is! So I could get a little extra sleep through the night!

Yes, my Emma is only 22 months old!! I always have people asking me what her age is. She's tall and you can see who she gets it from.

Books

 Last semester I took a children's literature class that I absolutely loved. I hadn't picked up a book in a few years and I figured what better way to educate myself on children's lit than taking a children's literature class. I first took this class to better prepare me as a teacher and to know how to pick the proper books to read and educate my students with. I ended up taking so much more from this class than just learning about children's literature. I strengthened my knowledge as a teacher and a parent. Since, day one I have been reading to my daughter. I know how important education is and I wanted her to love reading and not feel like it's a chore and something you only do at school. I am so lucky I started her out at such a young age because anytime I ask her if she wants me to read a book she get's so excited. 
  Apart of this class was also reading children's books. We read four different books and I enjoyed every single one of them. We started out with Winn Dixie, which I haven't read since I was a kid but feel back in love with the book. The book that stands out the most to me is The Hunger Games. 

  I hated this book in the beginning. Oh my god did the first three chapters drag. They were so long and overwhelmed with information my brain could not process it all. Once I was able to get passed those three horrible chapters I could not put the book down. Every chapter after that left me guessing on what would happen next and I just couldn't wait to find out. If it wasn't for this class, I would have never read this book and I would have been missing out on so much. But that's what happens when you become a parent. You barely have enough time for yourself and everything in your life that you don't have time to pick up a book and read. I have yet to read the rest of the series but it is definitely on my to do list before the new movie comes out. 

What size would you like today?

  Starbucks

 You think great coffee and I think, "oh, no! Do I have to go to work?"

When I started this job in the beginning of April this year, I never thought I would dislike it so much. I expected to be in a relaxed and calm environment with friendly workers and customers. At least that's what I thought it would be like. I used to go to Starbucks on a regular basis and that was the impression I  got. 

  From the beginning my job has been nothing but hectic and far from what I imagined or expected. Very little of my coworkers were friendly and almost none of them were interested in getting to know the new girl. Why you say??? Well because Starbucks, like every other company is only concerned with their numbers and sales and if we happen to have a bad week, well our manager has no problem sharing his feelings. Starbucks doesn't refer to their employees as employees but partners because they want to make them feel like family. They hit the nail on the head with that one. When we think of family we think of bonding and getting along, but imagine a house full of moody grumpy teenagers, that's my environment at work.   

  There have been several times where I have just wanted to quit because of the way our store is run and how we are treated. I am glad I toughed it out though! I get 30% off of EVERYTHING and free coffee every time I work. It works with my school schedule most importantly and I think that is the only reason I haven't tried finding anything else. Until, I am done with school and teaching I will be forced to work at this lovely store of mine. 

  Don't get me wrong I love coffee and finally our store moral has improved and more of us girls are getting along but it's not a job I wake up with joy to go to every morning. I do enjoy talking to my customers and making them feel special for the few minutes they are there visiting. If anything it's what I enjoy most about my job. I am a people person and I love meeting new people everyday!! We also get our regulars everyday morning who we remember by name and we make their drinks before they even step through the doors. Just to see the smile on their face and appreciation is all worth the pain I deal with sometimes. 

  Not that my career choice is going to be any easier but just like I enjoy greeting my customers everyday, I will enjoy seeing twenty five beautiful faces every morning who I will be teaching. I know that nothing is life is easy and sometimes we have to get through the bad to get to the good and maybe this is the life lesson Starbucks taught me. 

Entry#2: Technology

   Since, I am going into education to become a teacher I thought this video would be perfect to share! 

  
  This video is nothing fancy but just enough to get the point across. Technology in education is a must. While the rest of the world is moving in that direction we must as well. Technology is everywhere and our children are constantly exposed to it, so why haven't we transitioned our children? Yes, iPad's and computers are expensive but if we can think of fun and creative ways to keep our students excited about learning, why not?  
   Career's in technology are only growing and what we learn today will change tomorrow. Other countries like China and India are pushing their children into technology because they know that's where their future is.  Technology is constantly changing and jobs are never ending. If we want to compete with the rest of the world we must follow in their direction. 
DON'T BELIEVE ME?
 Look at these studies!!
http://www.securedgenetworks.com/secure-edge-networks-blog/bid/86775/8-Studies-Show-iPads-in-the-Classroom-Improve-Education

 It's unbelievable to think about how great these studies are and the data behind them and yet we are slowly moving in the right direction. I think it's time to speed this process up! Don't you? 

Entry#1. Learning About Blogs.

   My first ever exploration of blogs. I honestly have never considered into looking into blogs. I had no idea how intense they were either. I mean, these people compose these sites on their own and manage them. How incredible and time consuming! I was asked several years ago to start my own blog about couponing but who has time for that. Especially after what I looked at today. To be a blogger is a ton of work, time and yes, more time, time that I don't have.
  So the first blogger site I visited was Thebloggess.com by Jenny Lawson . The critics defined her as dark but hilarious and man did they hit the nail on the head. She has such a sarcastic humor that I love. She is also so blunt about the things she talks about, pins, or shares can be and mostly is a little racey.  I think that's why I could relate to her and enjoy her blog because of her openess and sense of humor. She has that "I don't care attitude", that I can appreciate. I, also love that her page is pink. That could have helped it too!
  The second blogger I visted was by Jenny Williams,  What My Daughter Wore. Before entering this blog site, lets just say I expected a little more than what I came across. Williams has illustrated pictures of what her children and their friends are wearing these days. Which is so creative but its just illustrations. There are no stories behind them, no funnies, nothing really to grasp you. I think her art work is amazing but I would have liked a story or a comment about todays fashion, whether she liked them or not. I think that would have given her page a little spice.
  The third blogger I visted was the 20-Nothings by Jessie Rosen. I liked this blog as well. I like this blog a little more then The Bloggess. I like the way the page is set up and how it started out as the 20-nothings but she than turned it into 30-nothing, since she is no longer in her twenties. She talks about what we as women go through as we get older and she finds a humerous way to express it. I enjoyed her post about the VMA's (video music awards) and her reaction to them at the age of thirty. I guess I have a old mind or I might be what u call "mature" for my age, but I agreed with everything she listed. I, also had a nice laugh to go with it. I am definitely coming back to this blog to continue further exploration.
  Now that I have looked at these blogs, I am wondering if I have been visiting blogs this whole time and not have known it.  So, I went to visit my favorite site, bargainbeliver.com and who would have know that was a blog. I live off of this blog when I am not busy with being a mom, worker, student and a wife. Ultimately,  it's my favorite and only because I am able to save so much money and perfect my couponing skills. I wish I would have learned about blogs sooner.