30 Things I want my kids to know about me Part 5

Wow, some serious spam and rude comments on my last post. Awesome. Well, to those of you out there, if you don't like, don't come back! I write this blog because it makes me happy, not to please any one else.

NOW! To continue on with the list!

Question Number 14:
Describe 5 Weaknesses and Strengths you have.
Weaknesses:
1. I am forgiving. I always think there is the best in people, so people end up using me and throwing me aside. Especially family.
2. I literally have no upper body strength. I can only lift about 40 pounds over my head. I am hoping lifting a baby everyday as they grow may finally help that though.
3. I have severe anxiety. Most people with this condition do not consider it a weakness, but I do. It has gotten worse as I have gotten older and honestly, I miss the days where I wasn't afraid to make phone calls or go new places.
4. I overload myself. I have a tendency to think I can take on more then I can possibly handle and I spread myself too thin. Some times I can balance the chaos and some times it kills me.
5. I am addicted to acquireing objects. Not exactly buying, although I love to shop! Not stealing, I am just rally good at always getting things for free! Which is bad when you come from a long line of hoarders.
Strengths
1.I am ambitious. If I want some thing I am always willing to work hard to get it, and there are some things in life that only hard work will get you.
2. I am creative. Whether it is making art or figuring out ways to save money or be greener, I use my creativity to think out side the box and find a better solution.
3. I am a multitasker. I do well with more the one focus at a time. As long as I don't over load myself I enjoy doing many things at once, or having various projects to work on.
4. I am caring. I love to help people. I enjoy volunteer work. I would nurture a sick animal in a heartbeat.
5. My greatest strength is my ability to walk away from the worst and over come it. Through hard times in bad I have always found a inner strength to carry on.

Question Number 15:
Describe when you knew your spouse was the one or how I fell in love.
This is really one of my favorite questions so far! I fell in love with Justin the day I met him. It was love at first site. Now don't get me wrong, we didn't start drooling over each other or nothing like that, but it was definitely big smiles and giggles all day. We had a afternoon date, where we went out to eat. We didn't eat, because we were both too nervous to. We went back to his place to hang out and listen to music and stuff, and he asked me to be his girlfriend. I felt such a strong connection with him I said yes, and I may have been really super thrilled he asked too. I had gone through probably 6 to 10 guys in the past 6 months, nothing serious, just a date or two and then over. I was really starting to think there were no guys out there that wanted to settle down and be serious. I had a great career, home and job, I just wanted some one to share it all with. Justin showed up and it was like a dream come true. Things weren't always perfect, but we worked through them, and he NEVER gave up on me. So, is there true love at first site? Yes, there is.

Question Number 16:
What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
Not necessarily in this order:
1. Bought my first home at 21.(Don't own it now, but I lived there for 2 happy years)
2. Finally getting pregnant at 25.(After two long years of trying)
3. Graduating High School after being kicked out my senior year for being injured. Not to mention my family degrading me, calling me a high school drop out.
4. Learning to love ME. After being made fun of by people I went to school with and family, it took me a long time to learn to love myself, and be proud to be me, and I finally am.
5.Adopting my first 'child' Coco. If you don't have a pet you deeply love you won't understand, but Coco will always be more then a dog to me. She was my training kid. We are really close and bonded and I don't care if I am homeless, I promise to always take care of my baby. She is the reason I know I will be a good mom when the time comes.

Question Number 17:
What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
Well, one of two things, I always wanted to be a great singer. I am ok, but not amazing. The other would be I wish I had gotten a serious college education, and had a real career in marketing and business. 

Question Number 18:
What do you think your spouse loves most about you?
I think he loves either the fact I love him for who he is or that I am smart. Up until recently, I was the one deciding and solving 99% of all our problems. Life is like a puzzle and he knows he can depend on me to figure out how it best goes together.

Question Number 19:
How did you feel the moment you became a parent?
The baby isn't here yet, but the moment the doctor said I was pregnant my whole world changed. It was like everything went from black and white to rainbows of color. I instantly had mommy vision. I saw cars and thought of if a carseat would fit in there, or would that be safe for my teen to be driving? I no longer saw the menu at the restaurant as what ever sounded good, it was what healthy? Do they offer a good kids menu? In the last three months I have been thinking about college money and buying his or her first car. Before, it would be me thinking of making crafts or jewelry and maybe looking for a flea market to sell my stuff. Or what could me and Justin do together this weekend. But now it isn't about me anymore. The moment I became a parent, I opened my eyes to a new world, a world for three instead of two.

Question Number 20:
Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
1. Not sure on a specific year or age, besides between the ages of 4 and 7. Every Thanks Giving and Christmas was a really awesome time at my house. Me and my brother were basically the only grand kids so holidays were celebrated at our house. My mom always went all out, huge meal, tons of decor, and tons of presents and family every where. I will never forget having such an awesome holiday and I hope I can provide my kids with the same.
2. I remember one time our back yard flooded, I want to say in the fall. The leaves had fallen off the trees and there was just enough moisture left in them that they coated the ground and it rained a lot, and it made it hard for the ground to absorb the water. So there was a foot to two feet of water in our back yard, and I played in it with my brother and step siblings, and it was just a awesome weird experience. 
3. When I was in kindergarten or first grade in the summer my mom had me lay down for a nap and she laid down for a nap.Before she went to lay down I asked her to open my window. I wasn't strong enough to open it myself and I had plans. As soon as she laid down I shut my bedroom door and popped the screen out of my window and got out. I went next door, a house my mom used to live in and used as storage, broke into there and got a kite out. I flew it all after noon. Then I put it back. But when I got home I didn't realize I couldn't get back in the window and had to go in the front door. It was a adventure, and my mom was pissed. Looking back now, I think I was a pretty clever kid.

30 Things I want my kids to know about me Part 3

Here is the third installment of my 30 things list.
Number 5:
What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
1. Justin. He makes me smile everyday and is the light of my life.
2. My pets. I love my dogs Coco, Cami, and Furby. Even though Quinn isn't living with me currently, it makes me really happy to see him.
3. My crafts. Being creative and making something always makes me happy.
4. Being Pregnant. It may not be the actual pregnancy itself, because I am sick as hell, but I am finally going to have my own baby and be a mom. I feel like a real woman.
5. Sleeping, honestly. Being pregnant has given me such super real and weird dreams that sleeping is actually more enjoyable then usual.

Number 6:
If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?
1. Wealth. Pay off my debt, buy a nice house, buy a nice car(my dream mommy van), and have money to send my kid to college and go to Disney World.
2. Perfect health for me and my family.
3. World Peace? I really don't know because the first two make my life perfect.

Number 7:
What is your dream job, and why?
This is an easy answer. I want to own and run my own thrift store. I worked for a year at a GoodWill store and LOVED what I did. But being there made me realize there are so many things they could do to help out the environment or the community. They could have donated broken ceramic dishes to the local high school to make mosaics with or we had a teacher come in asking for wire hangers, paying out of his pocket, so his students could do a project. Our store didn't sell them, they threw them out, BUT we weren't allowed to give anything away, not even trash. I want to run the kind of store that builds community value, helping where it can. A place that recycles more, and throws away less, and makes the world a better place. That's my dream job.

Number 8:
What are 5 passions you have?
1. Art. That is my biggest one. I love to paint, draw, scrapbook, and just plain create.
2. Being Eco Friendly/Frugal. I like to save money and do good for the environment. I know I could do more, but I try to save on my trash output, reuse when ever I can, and recycle.
3.Reading and Writing. I love a good book, and I love to write when ever I can.
Since I condensed my passions I only have three.

Number 9:
List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
1. My Mom. She was a super strict parent, and although she made a lot of my life hell she taught me important things like proper cleaning, and the importance of being organized.
2. Helen Keller. Never met her obviously, but I learned about her in elementary school and her will to learn and survive was and is very inspiring to me.
3. Maya Gaskins-Hickman. This girl taught me that being weird is ok, and she taught me how to shop, and trust me, that is more important then you would think.
4. Justin Moran. He taught me what true happiness is, and that everything is worth working through.
5. My first high school love. I would rather not name. He taught me that there was love out there, before him I had never been happy with a guy and didn't know I could be.
6. Mr. Stone. He was my 6th grade teacher and he was the first teacher to really open my eyes to my love of education and learning. He made learning cool.
7. Mr. Hurt. He was my middle school art teacher. He changed my perspective on art and let me run loose with the art supplies. I thank him for opening those doors.
8. My Grandma 'Mamaw'. She showed me not all love is the same. She taught me how to knit and do plastic canvas work, and never discouraged my creative side.
9. My Dogs. Oddly yes. You come home every day to them and they are happy to see you and love you. I try to remember that, because no matter what everyone deserves to be loved, your dog thinks so.
10.Jeremy Malone. Yes that dork. He has taught me it is okay to be goofy, to love weird things, and to have a passion for games. His influence has taught me to enjoy life more.
 

Sick

Well I have had this crazy head cold for a entire week now and I seriously starting to get really whiny about it. I am getting really excited about Christmas though because I know Justin is gonna get me some awesome gifts! I got him some good ones, so I know this will be fun. I picked up a roll of wrapping paper today, but other then that I am using gift boxes that are reusable to help cut back on cost and waste. One point for the environment! Speaking of that I have to find a way to recycle paper goods here in Mechanicsburg. I have been saving all my boxes and now I am starting to save my papers too. I realized how much wood byproduct I have been throwing out and it bothers me. Seriously, even if every person just recycles a little, it makes a huge difference in the future of our planet!
I bought Coco a dog sweater today at walmart. It is adorable. It is purple with a velvet purple bone on the back. She of course doesn't like it, but will wear because she is a good girl. I got it because I have been going back and forth to my moms a lot and I take Coco with me. I don't always wait for the car to warm up, so she can stay a little warmer with her sweater. Plus my mom has a tendency to keep her house kinda cold, so I usually take a light jacket myself. She has always been that way and it really sucked growing up there! I froze my butt off! But it saves on the electric.
Well I am off to bed and hope this cold will go away!

I just finished watching Seven Pounds with Justin. I enjoyed it more toward the end (where I cried my eyes out). The entire movie is a major clueless mystery, until you get to about the last 15 to 20 minutes of it. Then it all comes together in a amazing sense of heart wrenching loss and giving all at once. During the entire movie, I really didn't like it, but once the end came, I loved it. I really believe that one person can make a difference in the world. They don't have to die to do it like he did in the movie, there are so many things.
In a way this really hit close to home. The woman in the movie is dieing from a bad heart, and almost my entire family is suffering from a disease that they may not be able to afford to live with. That's why I am doing what I can to help them raise money to help pay for their medical expenses so they can live full healthy lives. My mom has started a fundraiser call Phoneraiser. Basically all they have to do is gather used ink cartridges and old cell phones. We can mail them into this company which will then recycle them, and pay us. All the money my mom makes will go toward paying for their medical treatment. My mom also sells homemade baked goods. We are having a bake sale at Clothing Without Walls on May 16th, 9:30am-12:30pm.

Lyme Disease

Today it was decided that my Mom, my sister Mickey, and my brothers Dakota and Holden have Lyme Disease. This Disease is something that for my family is a blessing and a curse. It is the answer we have been waiting for all theses years to my family's medical problems. Since they have have been sick all these years with different symptoms and no real cure, especially my mom, this all adds up to this disease. It is treatable disease, but highly expensive. It can be contracted from a tick. I have some information from the Iowa Lyme Disease Association.
First off I would like to list the symptoms they have that I am familiar with. I know there is more that they have, that I have no listed. Also as it states on the site for Iowa Lyme Disease Association, having the following symptoms does not ensure you have Lyme Disease, and there is no one test to find if you do think you have it. The exact type of Lyme Disease my family has, has not been decided yet.
Early Symptoms Include:
Fatigue(My mom always wears out so easily and the older the kids get the easier they do)
Muscle and Joint pain(We thought my mom had Fibro myalgia, which was caused by this)
Headache(My mom has had migraines forever)
Fever, chills(constant colds, and flu's for the next few symptoms)
Swollen glands
Migratory pain
Sore throat
Stiff neck
Rash - bulls eye, or other shape, or multiple rashes
Then Later on Symptoms:
Body
Migratory pain
Continual flu-like symptoms'
Low-grade temperatures
Muscle weakness and pain(My mom was told by her doctor she can only work 3 hours a day)
Numbness
Stiff, crunchy neck
Sore throat, swollen glands
Stomach pain
Diarrhea
Nausea, vomiting
Abdominal cramps
Anorexia
Unexplained, weight gain
or weight loss
Neurological
Migraines
Balance problems(my mom has fallen several times and broken bones and dislocated parts because of this)
Dizziness
Poor coordination
Paralysis
Meningitis
Loss of reflexes
Tingling in the extremities
Seizures
Motor dysfunction
Bell's Palsy
Tremors
Tourettes(thank god none of this YET)
Neuropsychiatric:
Mood swings(Sorry mom, your very moody)
Irritability
Poor concentration(my brother can read to you for an hour straight, but you have him doing an activity with you and he will walk away in the middle because he will forget what he is doing)
Cognitive/Memory Loss
Mental deterioration
Depression(my mom and my brother Dakota, both have had to deal with this a lot)
Difficulty making decisions
Difficulty organizing(umm the kids rooms are a mess, and they can't seem to get in a system)
Heart
Irregular Heart Beat
Myocarditis
Pericarditis
Palpitations
Heart Block
Enlarged Heart
Chest Pain
Pregnancy
Miscarriage
Premature birth
Birth defects
(My mom lost both my sisters before birth, Dakota was born deaf, and the kids have all had various birth defects)

Treatments
When to comes to treatment, it can get pretty technical. To keep it short and simple, my family will be on medication for the rest of their life, and have to go to the doctor for treatment for the rest of their lives. These treatments are extremely expensive and are not covered by insurance. The medication will be, but the treatments won't. Many people and families go into extreme debt because of this disease. If it goes untreated, it will eventually kill you.
My family has decided to start a Phoneraiser to raise money to help pay for medical expenses. Basically all I am asking is for your old cell phones, and old ink cartridges. We mail them to a company that recycles them and then they pay us, which will be put toward medical bills. Mickey is only seven and Holden is only ten, and they have been sick most of their childhood. I hope this has been informational and as I learn more I will be putting more up.

I should be sleeping, but I feel like crap. I have a head cold and it is kicking my butt. I have gone through a few sites online and I want to write more about it later, but I have found a few good charity sites that require your time, and not money. Playing games it a great way to work your mind with is very good for your health. These two sites I have found are simples educational games you can play and help end world hunger. The sites are:

http://www.freerice.com

and

http://www.freeflour.com

They are both cool and say you spent five minutes each day playing on them, then you could feed someone everyday! Doing your part to help others doesn't have to be hard at all. In many ways it can me fun. That's why I play the games on http://www.myyearbook.com and donate my earned 'money' to causes they have on there. They have several different ones including cancer, aids, child abuse, the rain forest and more. But I am dying now, so I am gonna head to bed, and maybe I will remember to post more about this tomorrow.

Go Green

This was a really neat find. I stumbled accross a womens go green site that has all kinds of neat things on it. The thing I find interesting that I am posting about here now is these designer purses. They are all made 100% from recycled mens suits! I think that is wild and they look neat too.
mandinka's Shop Announcement Welcome to Mandinka Designs' cyber store!Our unique line of bags, bugs and accessories are expertly crafted from reclaimed & recycled men’s suit coats. Each bag is a beautiful work of art -- inside & out -- and is an artful combination of jacket parts including sleeves, collars, pockets and even labels.

http://www.etsy.com/index.php