Men Obsessed

If you are here and a mom, it's most likely because all the boy parts worked, right (well, unless you adopted)?  Why are men so obsessed with their boy bits?  I don't understand but they are. 

I am one of the lucky women, married to a man who is so attentive and unselfish in the bedroom that I have no complaints at all.  14.4 years of marriage (and six kids total) and still shaking the chandelier.  Maybe it is the movie industry that skews a man's idea of what is normal or maybe for women, it is the thighs/stomach but for men, it's their boy parts? 

My husband brings up, every now and then, supplements like vigrx. I guess it's a really big industry. I don't know a whole lot about it.  Do any of you?  I am curious to hear more about it, other than those late-night television commercials.

My Thyroid Blog

I forgot to mention in my last post that if you have thyroid disease or think you do, I have a thyroid blog called Thyroid Hell that you should read.  It gives my story as well as links on where to go for more information (better information that most doctors don't know or won't give by people who have been there, done that). 

I have found huge amounts of disappointment for most of the years I've had thyroid disease in my doctors.  They just don't know how to treat it well.  I finally found a good doctor now and have lost 19 pounds so far.  Who knows how far he will take me.  I hope he gets me totally symptom-free to where diet supplements like Lipofuze are just research but I just don't know yet. 

If you have thyroid disease or know somebody who does, my other blog may be able to point you in some direction.  At the very least, you will know you are not alone in the thyroid struggle.  Who knew such a little organ could cause so much frustration?

Thyroid Disease and Pregnancy

It is common for some women to develop thyroid disease soon after a pregnancy.  It must have something to do with the whacky hormones or immune system.  I developed Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Hypothyroidism with goiter and multiple nodules after my third baby was born.  It started with neck pain and when I checked, found swelling.  Turns out that was the goiter.  Blood tests determine what type of thyroid disease I had.  A biopsy determined whether the nodules could be cancerous.

For almost nine years now, I've struggled with thyroid symptoms (brain fog, cold, weight).  The memory lapses and weight has been the hardest to deal with.  I was always skinny no matter what I ate.  Now I am always large no matter what I eat (or don't eat).  I considered weight loss supplements like clinicallix but so far, I've just been dragging my way through doctors trying to find one who treats thyroid disease to where the symptoms actually go away. You would not believe, if you do not have thyroid disease, how hard that actually is!

No Whacked Out Momma

I am such a procrastinator! Yesterday I was teaching my four-year-old how to make heart emoticons on Facebook when I was supposed to be working and doing some of our shopping online.  I need humidifier filters badly and we couldn't find them in the stores (well, duh, winter is over with). I know winter is over with but with our guitars, we need to keep the humidifier running on automatic to keep humidity levels even at all times.  Besides my horses, learning to play guitar is like another stress reliever for me.  With 4 - 6 kids, managing my stress levels is important.  Otherwise, my kids would have one crazy mom.  Who wants a whacked out mom? 

Should I Die Before I Wake...

I know, that title is morbid right?  It's something, as a parent, that has to be considered though.

When we were newly married and had our first child, we went right out and got a term life insurance quote in the event something happened to both of us. We bought that term life insurance policy.  Since then, we've also added a regular life insurance policy on top of the term life. We have to make sure our children will be financially taken care of should something happen to us.  It'd be a huge burden to put on my sister - the financial burden - as guardian of our children.  So, we've made sure they'll be well-cared for financially with our life insurance and emotionally because my sister just adores my kids. 

Have you thought about life insurance?  It really doesn't cost that much for a decent policy.

What a day!

This morning, every one of my four children found my last nerve and yanked on it as hard as they could.  What a morning! 

I've been messing with my Internet connection all day too.  It keeps going out on me and when it is on, which isn't often, it is more like dial-up than high-speed!

I can't wait for this day to be over with!

Preserve Childhood Memories

If you are like me, you take a ton of pictures and videos of your children.  It's important to preserve those memories and I do it at every opportunity...so much so that my kids wish I'd just put the camera away often.

I found a Slingbox online that allows me to watch my digital media on our new HD television. It can be used with my computer (wirelessly), DVD or with the Internet. Sounds cool.   Right now I have to create discs to play in our DVD player but if I could wirelessly watch videos that are stored on my computer on the television, that saves the middle steps I take now.

Going Back to College

I have wanted to go back to school since my first child was born.  She is now 13 years old and my youngest starts kindergarten in August.  What a great time for me to start school as my baby leaves me to go to school with her siblings.

I am looking for a school to get an online degree.  With four kids and two stepkids, it's the easiest solution for me to study online around their schedules as much as possible.  I am checking out Western Governors University right now.

They offer programs for teaching, business, technology and health programs.  I would love to get an online business degree.  Their tuition is based on a flat rate (not per credit hour). 

I was wondering about the name including 'Governors' and I came across interesting information on their web site.  19 governors from 19 states founded this college!

With federal aid or a low-interest loan, I wonder if we could swing my going back to school.

Great Compliment from Husband

My husband gave me a great compliment the other day.  We were sitting outside on our deck enjoying the nice weather, watching our kids hunt around the yard for Easter eggs.  We were talking about home improvements (the light on our deck needs a new lighting fixture) and then our kids came running around the house after the Easter eggs.

He told me that our four children would not be as well-behaved as they are right now if I would have worked outside the home and they'd been in day care all these years.  I was starting to worry and feel guilty because our youngest starts kindergarten in August and I didn't know if he expected me to go back to work full-time then.  Between all their activities, illnesses, and before/after school day care costs, I didn't know how I'd manage everything they do in sports, music, and with the horses, around an outside work schedule.  He doesn't.  We are raising our children ourselves completely (we have no family help nearby) and they're doing great.  They are all A/B students, no problems in school, and no behavioral problems at all.  All four of our own children are just really good kids.

Some women want a career or have no choice and have to work outside the home.  I had a great career outside the home making great money and I didn't want it when I put it up against my kids when we started having them.  We definitely had to tighten up the budget and forego many things with less income, but it was worth it.  I'm thankful I can work from home part-time so I am available whenever my kids need me and can leave at the drop of a hat to go to the school for a sick child or assemblies.

Great Mother's Day Gift Idea: Samsung Moment Cell Phone

I have a great Mother's Day gift idea.  I have this new cell phone called The Moment that has a ton of free applications on it.  I have apps for grocery lists, games, weather, weight tracker, facebook, and even an app for a barcode scanner that I use. The barcode scanner is really cool.  It uses my phone's camera function to scan a bar code in on an object (like a book for example) and then you can find online prices for the object. Great for finding the best prices on things! It's not like a retail scanner but it works for my own personal use.

I have to say that my Sprint Samsung Moment is the BEST cell phone I have ever had to date and I've had them since the clunky Motorola's came out way back when.

Mother's Day Gifts

Easter will be done in a few days.  After that, it's no holds barred for the top mother's day gifts. My husband always does awesome for Mother's Day gifts. He does great for all gift occasions actually. I am very lucky.

I've had diamonds, other gemstones, red cowboy boots, a red leather jacket, and a great saddle.  I wonder what it will be this year.  I am thinking it will be either a mini shopping spree for the expensive jeans he knows I like that I borrowed from my sister or something to do with my guitars.  Unless I want a new bridle for my horse...so many things to pick from!! 

What's a girl to do? 

Living Far Away From Family

My kids want to move back to our home state where the rest of our family live.  If jobs were what they used to be, we could.  With the economy being what it is, I don't see our residence changing states anytime soon.  It's hard being far away when you need somebody to help with the kids once in awhile.  We've been doing it all on our own for ten years now.

I could raid my sister's closet if we lived closer.  I won't spend a lot of money on jeans but she will spend $100 on jeans without a thought.  Before losing weight and constantly looking at diet pill reviews, I could never have done that. Now I can fit into all her expensive clothes.

We head back to our home state this summer. I am definitely going to raid her closet again. It will be time to update my mommy makeover she gave me this past weekend.

Horseback Riding in Spring

Spring at our house means getting out the riding helmets and riding boots to ride again after the frigid temps of winter are gone.  My daughter took her first ride yesterday after a few months of not riding and she found she outgrew her riding boots during that time.  Her riding instructor also had to lengthen her stirrups another hole too or else she'd be riding like a jockey. 

This is my oldest and her horse.  They both did great.  You couldn't even tell either had any time off all winter long. 

Now we have a shopping trip to look forward to for more riding boots because her size 7.5 are too tight!  I need to get her a pair of breeches too for those long, skinny legs of hers.  She just became a teen and she's growing like a weed!