Thick Hair Problems

I was blessed with thick hair. Very thick hair. And since it's long, it's a pain in the butt. It was always straight until about 5 years ago and then it started curling on it's own. All of the styling products in the world barely tame this mess.

I can't just wash, dry and go. Unless it's a ponytail day, which happens quite often here lately. This is what happens when I blow dry my hair:

 It frizzes so bad and gets 80's hair big. Where was this hair in the 80's?

So if I want to wear it curly, I have to first use a detangler spray (which I do if drying it too), use a big comb and struggle to comb out all the tangles. This comes after washing and conditioning. Then I use John Freida's Dream Curls. (Mine are nightmare curls, ok?) Then I just let it dry on it's own. And that takes hours and that's no joke.

But if I want it straight, I have to flat iron for about 45 minutes to an hour after drying for that same amount of time. And sometimes I need help with the flat ironing or straightening, as some call it.

The day of my daughter's wedding I wanted to wear it straight. So I asked Mark to help me. Now, like I said earlier, straightening takes almost an hour. I sat at the kitchen table, handed him the iron. After 4 swipes through my hair he said "ok" as in okay I'm done. Oh, my love, I wish it was that simple.

Here's what a good straight hair day looks like for me:

And this is a good curly day for me:

Yeah this is just some random gibberish but I'm about to straighten my hair and thought I'd give those in the same boat a chuckle.

Happy Thirsday!

If you have nothing nice to say...

First of all, let me just say that this post isn't meant to hurt anyone's feelings or "out" anyone. When I strongly feel a certain way about a subject or situation, the best thing I can do is blog about it. 

You know it really sucks when you wake up, check your Facebook notifications and instantly get pissed off.

Back before Halloween this year I had posted a throwback Thursday picture of my two oldests and a cousin on Halloween when they were all little. I tagged the appropriate people and until today I hadn't given that picture much thought. 

Today some twat waffle (not anyone on my friends list) had left a comment insinuating that my cousin who is tagged is a pedophile. 

The cousin that this is in reference to is homosexual but so what? What's it to ya?

Did you know that most pedophiles are straight in their sexual orientation? Just because someone is gay doesn't mean that they're child molesters. 

And while I'm on the subject, did you know that just because someone is homosexual it does not mean that person is attracted to everyone of the same sex? Are you attracted to everyone of the opposite sex (if you're straight)? No, I doubt you are and neither are homosexuals. I've had male friends think that just because a gay male talked to them, they were being hit on. Really? Do you think you're so awesome that you're irresistible to all orientations?

There's so much ignorance out there these days it just makes me sick. I'm not saying that I'm the smartest cookie but would it hurt for some of you to think before you speak?

And while I'm on the subject of homosexuality, let me just say that I'm glad our state is finally coming out of the Stone Age. If I have the right to marry the man I love, everyone should have that right. True love is something that only the lucky are able to find. And I say if you're lucky enough to find it, everyone should be able to put a ring on it.

Let the Facebook deleting begin.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let this serve as my warning label

Because I didn't come with one.

I've noticed on Facebook that some people who used to comment on my posts (my personal page, that is) are no longer commenting or liking. I thought maybe they had unfriended me but I guess maybe they just used that handy unfollow feature. It's okay! I use it A LOT too. 

I realize that I'm hard to handle. And there are many facets to that.

I have the mouth of a well educated sailor. And I don't save it for the ship. Along with the fact that I have the mouth of a well educated sailor, I didn't come with a filter. So if a thought comes to my head, more than likely it gets posted, four letter words and all.

I have a crude sense of humor. If it strikes me as funny, you can bet I'm gonna share it. Of course, there are some things that even I don't find funny. I am a Southern belle, after all.

I do believe that marijuana should be legalized in all states for medical and recreational purposes. I don't want to get into a heated debate here because I have came to realize after a debate on my personal Facebook that the people who are against it are misinformed. And hey, it's not like I'm saying that meth or cocaine should be legalized.

I'm a redhead. No explanation is needed for that facet.

I have tattoos. Many tattoos and have plans for many more. If you think that makes me unworthy of your time, then YOU are unworthy of mine.

Yes, I post everytime I workout. I don't care if Morpheus says that it isn't necessary. It helps keep me accountable because believe it or not I am partly a people pleaser in the fact that if I think people are watching my progress, I don't give up.

I crochet and some people have a problem with that and have even went so far as to tag me in posts, making fun of my chosen form of art. Whatever.

And the list could go on and on. Bottomline is: I am me, I am weird, I am opinionated, I am quirky, I am happy. Your opinion of me and my life does not validate me.

And speaking of weightloss, here's a progress picture:

Today was Thursday in this picture.

Happy Saturday y'all!

Dear Butthurt,

Get over yourself!

Since I started hunting this season, I've seen more negative anti-hunting posts than ever. A lot are from vegetarians but most are from just ignorant people.

So take for instance the story about the kid in Michigan who shot the albino deer. People have made death threats against this child. What the hell? Threaten to kill a kid because you're mad that he killed an animal? That doesn't make any sense. The kid didn't do anything illegal. It's not an endangered species and with the overbreeding it's not even really all that rare.

I do have a question for those against hunting: if one jumped out in front of your car, late one night on a lonely country road would you still be that deer's biggest fan? After it totals your car and possibly brings injury or worse to the occupants of your car I doubt that you'll still be cheering for the deer.

Do you understand that without hunting there would be such an over population of deer that they would be invading suburban areas becoming nuisances? Are you just gonna shoo them away? 

I know that some people hunt for just the sport of hunting, that's none of my business and it's none of your business either. And truth be known, I would be thrilled with the rack of a 10 pointer hanging on my wall. And that's none of your business either.

I've seen comments saying that hunting is barbaric and inhumane. I dare you to go on YouTube and search for how cattle is killed in slaughter houses. Honestly, a shot that drops a deer, whether it's from a rifle or a bow and arrow, is a lot less inhumane.

Mark and I hunt for food. It's why we fish. It's also why we don't duck hunt because we don't eat duck. Financial times get hard but it's nice having a skill that allows you to feed your family.

Venison is a lot leaner than most other meats too. I found that out the other night when I was putting my venison cubed steak in my food diary on My Fitness Pal. Just a bonus benefit.

I do realize that everyone is entitled to their own opinions on every subject under the sun but just don't be ignorant about it. 

It's not like he killed a cat.

Signed,

Andrea

Thank You TLC

If you haven't heard, TLC has put an end to Here Comes Honey Boo Boo! And to this a say a big thank you and:

Like I said earlier to my daughter I don't know why I even care, it's like a car wreck that you should look away from but you just keep staring. I keep reading.

And the WSSL FM's Beth Bradley posted this on her blog this morning: http://m.wsslfm.com/onair/beth-bradley-41258/how-can-a-convicted-child-molester-12912547/

Mama June is dating this convicted child molester, Mark McDaniel, and the thing is, he molested one of HER older kids. Why on earth would you invite that perv back into your life? It's like saying "I've got another daughter. Would you like a turn with her?" It's not okay June. Wtf are you thinking? And if it happens again, June, do you realize that you're as guilty as him? You can be convicted and you'll be listed as a sex offender. Wake up honey, he's only dating you to get to your daughters! 

Alana's dad, Sugar Bear, is very upset about this and according to Beth's blog and other articles I've read he's seeking custody. Can't say I blame him there. There's just so much not right about all of this. Never has been.

And if you've read my blog for a while now, you know this isn't my first post about those seemingly inbreds from Georgia. The fact that they're giving my South a bad rep is just too much! We are not all like that. And I'll just bet that you folks from the North & West have some people you're not so proud of from your areas too! 

We can only hope that this is just a scandal to keep Mama June and her clan in the public eye. It's sick if it is but at least if it is, Alana and her sisters aren't in any danger. From day one these people have been going about it the wrong way to get attention and the longer it goes on the worse it gets.

I doubt this will be my last post about that crew and that's sad for me to admit. But thanks to TLC, what's been seen can't be unseen.

Here's the link to my first post about them: http://caviarandcornbread.blogspot.com/2012/10/oh-puh-leeze.html

Migraines in a nutshell

There are a lot of people out there who are still under the assumption that a migraine is just another name for a headache. Well, sillies, if it were we'd just call it a headache. Let me walk you through one of my typical migraines.

First, there's the nausea. It may bring on a puke fest or it may not. It normally does bring on the productive festivity that I mentioned for me. (And I try not to say the "p" word too often for those with weak tummies.)

Next, I go blind. Sometimes it's in both eyes but normally it's in my left eye and has lasted anywhere from 10 minutes to 48 hours.

Then, imagine your head, but only one side of it (usually the right side for me and rarely the left) in a vise grip. Someone is turning the crank thingy on the vise until your head is close to popping. Oh, if only it were just a headache. But no! It doesn't stop there.

Because there's also sensitivity to light. Not only can I not see out of my left eye but it feels like my right eye is being impaled by shards of glass. "Sensitivity to light" my ass! That lovely phrase makes it sound like a walk in the park while wearing shades.

Then we have "sensitivity to smells". Oh brother. Try "using dollar store perfume for nasal spray" to be more accurate. The scent of everything is magnified by a million. Something that's usually a delight to inhale becomes a nightmare.

And lastly, sensitivity to sounds. We have five 2 week old kittens. During a migraine there tiny cries sound like King Kong slamming one of those bells like on a receptionist's desk, over and over again with Thor's hammer.

No, a migraine isn't just another name for a headache. And after reading this, you still think so, I'm gonna beat ya with Thor's hammer! Lol

Good night!

Pet Peeves

We've all got them but the older I get, the more I have. Here are mine, in no particular order:

1.  Going through the trouble if shaving your legs, being proud of yourself for taking time to do it and then when you get out of the shower and start putting your lotion on only to find a strip of hair running the length of your leg that you missed.

2. People who stare. I get lost in though often and when I do, I try to make sure that I gaze at an object not a person. It drives me insane when it feel that someone's eyes are locked on me.

3. People who chew their food or chewing gum so loudly that you can hear it. That's just rude.

4.  Being interupted.

5.  Bad grammar.

6. People who have a high school or family reunion in the center of an aisle in Walmart. Or at the opening. Last weekend, we stopped at Walmart and I stayed in the car while Mark went in. Two ladies stood in the doorway talking forever...well, like 15 minutes, but still.  People were annoyed as they had to work their way around them just to go in the door.

7.  People who allow their kids to run around, unattended, in stores or restaurants.

8.  People who use their day to continuously post complaints on social media. From time to time it's okay. But when every single status update is a bitch about something. That's just too much!

That's pretty much all I can think of right now. I'd love to read yours though so post them in the comments!

September 12

Yesterday was the 13th anniversary of September 11. It was a very scary day in American history. Many innocent lives were lost. Children lost parents. Husbands and wives lost one another. Our nation cried.

Kourtney was in the third grade and I rushed to the school to pick her up. As a mother, I was thinking that schools could be the next target.

Then came September 12. Our nation united and consoled one another. American flags graced nearly every home on every street in America. We didn't care if you were black or white, gay or straight, Atheist or religious. We were Americans. Period.

Where did that American spirit and unity go? 

We're back to hating anyone who isn't like us. If another person's lifestyle and choices doesn't match yours, they're unworthy of your compassion. 

With as many people that were killed on 9/11, I'm sure there were many homosexuals, Atheists, and the list goes on and on in the variety of people that were senselessly killed that day. Now that you realize that they weren't all like you, is it still a sad tragedy? To me it is. Not everyone is like you.

Yesterday as I sat on Kourtney's front porch having my morning coffee, I purposely scanned her street, both sides, both directions. Do you want to know how many American flags I saw flying from homes? Two. Only two.

Where has the love and unity that we felt on this very day 13 years ago gone? 

Why is it that when someone is killed, whether it be they were shot by a police officer, in a car accident, etc that race becomes an issue? Why can't it be that a human was killed. It's the human condition, not the black, white, Asian, Mexican, insert your race card here condition.

And hate crime? Crime of passion? Those terms make me laugh. 

It's the human condition folks.

So my question is this: why remember the ugly things that happened on September 11, 2001 if we're not going to move forward and continue in the unity and love that we felt on September 12, 2001?

Why does it matter to you what color, sexual orientation, or religion (or lack of) is? If they're not hurting you and yours, mind your own business but care for them. 

We're all human. We all come off the assembly line pretty much made the same. Sure there are birth defects. We all come in different skin tones. But we are HUMAN.

It's the human condition.

Facebook Page

I created a "like" page for this blog, so I'd love if you'd do me a solid and go like it. You can find it here: https://facebook.com/Caviarcornbreadblog?ref=bookmark

I post mini posts and lots of silly pictures there. I think it would be cool also to "see" just who is reading my blog posts.

Dear Kourtney,

Today is your last day of being pregnant with Jax. It's bittersweet because you'll miss the little kicks but having him in your arms is even better.

Tomorrow when you see Jax for the first time, you'll feel the most powerful of all loves. And until tomorrow you won't know that it exists. 

It seems like yesterday that I was standing in the kitchen at Mama's and you called me and said "mom I've gotta tell you something." Somehow I already knew what you were about to tell me. My heart exploded with joy when I heard you say it. Yes, even though I jokingly told you last week that he couldn't be born until my grey hairs had been covered and I'd had a manicure, never once did I think "I'm too young to be a grandma." My thoughts have always been "I'm gonna be a grandma!!!!"

I've seen many posts on Facebook about how wonderful it is to be a grandparent. So tomorrow I'll experience a love that I've never felt before.

For just a little while the nights will be long and loud. You will live on coffee. You might smell like puke and look like vultures have vomited all over your once favorite shirts. It's all worth it!

Now I don't normally give out advice that's not asked for but when I became a mom I wish I had listened to whoever told me this: when Jax naps, you nap. The dirty laundry and dishes aren't going anywhere and they WILL be there to be done later. Until the little man gets a good sleeping pattern down at night, you sleep when he sleeps.

Remember that dream I had just before Alex was born about him being born and he was a chihuahua? Well, last night, I dreamed Jax was a cat when he was born. We know it's not happening because on his ultrasounds there was no signs of a tail or point ears on top of his head. 

I know that you're gonna be a wonderful mom and Justin will be a wonderful dad. I already know this.

Thank you for making me a grandma!

Love,

Mom

I Decided To Take Up Running Today

Actually, Jason Vorhees decided that for me. Or maybe it was Leatherface, Freddy Kruger, Bloody Mary, or any other horror story star. You don't think those movies are scary until...it happens to you.

I walked the kids to the bus stop this morning and the first bus comes at 6:30 am. The last bus comes at 6:50 am. It's still pretty dark in some areas of our 0.3 mile driveway that early in the morning. 

This is our driveway in daylight:

So as I'm walking back to the house, I glance into the forest to the right of me. I saw nothing but my over active imagination got the best of me. Every horror movie I've ever watched came to mind. 

So I started running. There's hills (going up when you're going towards the house) so those nearly killed me. At that point I decided I'd rather die of a heart attack than have some deranged lunatic hack me up and wear my skin. Wouldn't it just sound better in your obit for it to say: died from a heart attack while running than attacked by insane monster?

As I approached the deer stand, I just knew someone or something was going to jump down and attack me. No one would find me until the buzzards had picked my bones IF Jason left anything of me. I started running harder which made the dogs start barking. The barking dogs alerted Mark's mom so she looks out the window to see me running.

My phone rings:

Me: hello?

Mark's mom: I heard the dogs barking and when I looked out I saw you running. Are you ok?

Me: yeah, I just decided to take up running. (Not wanting anyone to know that I let my imagination get the best of me)

Mark's mom: with a coffee cup and mail? (Drats! Foiled again)

So now, I'm tired, sweaty, and scared to get in the shower. You've seen Psycho, right?

And we're back...

I was hoping that after our fishing trip last week I'd have a bunch of pictures to share of all the fish that were caught. To do that though, we would have had to catch fish. We fished for 15 hours and the only things caught were a few tiny brim that we used for bait and two turtles. Needless to say, we had two very disappointed 11 year olds on our hands. This is the only picture I took. I thought they looked so cute and tiny sitting there!

Oh yeah, I took this selfie:

I was smart and sprayed down with some 100 SPF sunscreen. No burn for mama this time. I learned my lesson on July 4th.

The 4 youngest are back in school. Nick seems to love it. He really loves riding the bus.

The weirdest thing happened last Sunday night. I was playing a game on my phone and all of a sudden I get a pop up saying that I needed to be connected to the internet to play that game. When I closed out of the game I noticed that it said searching instead of having a signal thingy. We live in the sticks so sometimes I don't have a wonderful signal and I can usually restart my phone and everything is ok. Not this time. Still the searching thing. It was almost bedtime so I figured that by morning whatever was going on with my phone with be resolved. Monday afternoon there's still no signal so I use my phone and call my carrier. We try a few things and nothing works so the tech guy tells me to go somewhere with wifi and gives me a list of things to try. That didn't work. Everyday, I'm on the phone with tech support. Twice I was hung up on by supervisors. Finally, on Thursday I get an agent with new ideas and he really did try to help me. He even apologized for his co-workers. Since my phone was no longer under their warranty, he told me to go to an Apple store for a replacement because my phone was still under their warranty. I was elated because many tears and four letter words came out of my face through the week.

So Friday we drive to the mall and go to the Apple store. There was a girl working there who was very noticeably checking out Mark. Who wouldn't? He's a very sexy man. But I thought that I was gonna have to do this:  

No one to me that you have to have an appointment at the Apple store but the above mentioned female employee informed me of this. An appointment was made for the next day (yesterday) and many more tears and four letter words were shed on I 385 on the way home.

We went back for the appointment (and on the way I did inform Mark that I may have to lick him) and the same girl magically fixed my phone. She did get dangerously close to Mark but we did leave there without me having to mark my territory.

It's not that I'm that addicted to my phone but my firstborn could give birth to her firstborn any day now. 

So it's 3:35 am and I'm still awake. Just thought I'd give a rundown on the week from hell.

Oh and I made these curtains this week.

Hot Flashes & Coffee

For about a week now I've had so little sleep that I could count the hours of sleep I've had on one hand. All of my usual remedies like Benadryl, Tylenol PM, two beers, etc just aren't working. As I laid there for hours tonight, trying so hard to fall asleep it dawned on me why sleep has been hard to come by lately: hot flashes! And according to my period tracker app, Aunt Flo is 14 days late. Maybe menopause has decided to come be a part of my life?

Sleep was very important to me especially this/last night because I was gonna wake up at 4:30 am to start getting ready for Mark & I to take Alex & Justin fishing at our favorite pay lake. We wanna be there when they open at 6 am. So at about 3:15 I gave up, turned off my alarm and turned on the coffee maker.

Now, yeah, I could have just slept a little while and leave later for our day of fishing but in a bedroom on the other side of the living room are two excited 11 year olds who would "just die" if they couldn't leave at the ass crack of dawn to put some worms and chicken livers in the water and let's face it - I'm as excited as they are.

Tonight when those hormonal infernos started heating up, I felt like I was suffocating so that started an asthma attack and it's been so long since I've had one it took a second to realize what was happening. Well, thank goodness for that nasty bout of bronchitis last fall because I still had an inhaler in my purse that hadn't expired.

To be honest, I already knew I wasn't going to sleep well, if at all, because just before bedtime, I had to call Mark in from doing guy stuff outside to kill a spider in the hallway. Now, I'm no sissy because I will kill small spiders as long as there not above my head but this was no small spider. I'm not kidding when I say that it's body alone was bigger than my big toe. And I think the damn thing wanted to die because it just sat there on the floor from the time I saw it until Mark came in and squished it. It just sat there. Or stood. Or whatever it is that those creeps do.

Now, how weird is it that I have a writing spider tattoo? 

So if you've read this blog for a while you know that my weight loss conquest has been going on for a while. I'm happy to report that I've lost 150 lbs and I can finally tell that I've lost weight. The funny thing about being the fat girl for most of my adult life, I have had a really tough time seeing anything but that 375 pound person in the mirror. 

The coolest thing happened Thursday. I was getting ready for the day and I pulled out a shirt that Mark's mom had got me. I had never worn it before. I looked in the tag to see what size it was. It was a cute top and when I saw that the size said L with no X's in front of it I was sure I'd have to save it for later. But I put it on. And it fit. Not snugly, not just barely, it fit like it was made just for me. I cried! Tears of joy. Here's me wearing it:

I told you it was a cute top! I haven't worn anything that didn't have at least one X in the size since before I got pregnant with my daughter 22 years ago.

I did this without pills, shakes or any other voodoo magic. Just good hard work. If you're on your own conquest, I just want to tell you to not give up. It's so worth it.

Ok, so I've got two cups of coffee flowing through me and I've got lots to do before I wake the men folk up so I'm gonna do it.

Happy Saturday!

Wedding Bells

My first born got married last night. Yes, my 7 lbs 15 oz baby girl who as soon as she was born 21 years ago looked at me and flipped me off, married her guy today. I'm also going to be a grandma for the first time this fall! (It's a boy)

The week was hectic. Some stuff just can't be done ahead of time so that leaves a lot of scrambling to get things done. Like making a wedding cake. From Thursday to Saturday, every waking minute was dedicated to my daughter's cake. And I didn't mind at all.

I got up early Saturday morning, frosted the tiers, made really cool fondant leaves, birds, flowers and tree limbs to be put on once we arrived at the location of the ceremony.

I noticed a few spots in the buttercream could be smoother but I was taking the frosting with me to attach the fondant pieces and thinking that if any damage came to the cake during our hour and 20 minute journey, I'd just fix it all when we got there.

Wrong!

Once we arrived and started unpacking the cake paraphernalia, I realized that I had left the frosting at home. My wonderful fiancé knew I was about to crack so he took matters into his own hands, literally, and placed the fondant pieces on the cake (and if you didn't know, a drop or two of water on the back of fondant pieces helps it bond to buttercream). I didn't get to fix the rough spots but this is our finished cake:

Here are a few more pictures from the night:

 Exchanging rings

The kiss that made her foot pop (remember in The Princess Diaries)

The new Mr & Mrs H

Bride & groom and the wedding party

My two oldest

The two families

A wedding day selfie

Me & Mark

My beautiful daughter and I

Self explanatory

And you wanna know something funny? I'm usually the first person to cry in these situations. But I never shed a single tear. I hadn't been drinking either. I think that because I'm so very proud of out daughter, how beautiful she looked and the smile on her face the whole night kept me strong....

Until Mark and I got in the car to go home. And then the floodgates opened. I'm not sure why. I wasn't sad. I think it's just that I realized that time goes by so fast that one day you're rocking babies and the next day you're watching those same babies marry their soul mates and having their own babies.

And we only have to go through this four more times.

No Excuses

We read about these stories every summer: parents or caregivers leaving children in hot cats. Most recently, a man in Georgia was charged with murder for leaving his toddler in a car for eight hours. The child died.

I posted a link to the story on my Facebook page yesterday. It was commented on by a few friends who, like me, agreed that it was horrible, how could someone forget their child, etc. Then there was this one person who says that she wouldn't be surprised if her boyfriend didn't leave her child in the car because her child's car seat is behind the driver's seat. Then she went on to say that a scientific study shows that people go on auto pilot. Auto pilot is for airplanes and is no excuse for killing a child.

Shouldn't some things just be common sense? Everyday I believe more and more that common sense is a rare gift. Animals take better care of their young than some human beings. Animals have that protective instinct. Why don't some humans?

I don't understand why at some point during those eight hours the. Man in Georgia didn't remember there was a child in the car. Maybe it wasn't part of his normal daily routine to drop the child off at daycare but isn't he a father everyday? Daycare and work probably wasn't a commute that was very far so I'm not understanding how he could forget he had put a child in his backseat and forgot the child was back there. Even if the drive was several hours, there's no excuse.

In closing I just want to say that if you wouldn't be surprised if your significant other could do such a thing, maybe it's time to reevaluate your relationship.

Pt 3....More of What's Wrong with America

I'm on a roll!

I hadn't heard about the story from a Marianna, Florida reform school where at least 55 bodies have been found with the possibility that the number could exceed 100 by the time the exhumation is complete. I heard about this from my daughter and then decided to Google it.

If you're like me and haven't heard of this, go here to read about it. Like I said in the first part of this subject a few days ago, the media doesn't report real news these days.

Anyway, I have so many questions about this. Did the families just dump their sons off at this reform school and never checked on their well being? How can your child just go unaccounted for? Why did this go on for so long? The school was open from 1900 to 2011 so even after there were so many allegations of abuse and even a class action lawsuit against one of the instructors for abuse, this reform school was open for a total of 111 years. I have no doubt that the number of bodies that the anthropologists will find will exceed 100.

I have no doubt that the boys that were sent to this reform school had discipline issues. But did they deserve such cruel punishments and conditions? These days, pedophiles and murderers are treated better in prison.

So what's going to be done? It appears that the state of Florida isn't very concerned with punishing any of the living faculty. Imagine that! It's not like Florida has ever really cared about punishing the guilty, anyway. Seriously though, these former employees of the reform school should be held accountable for the torture and killings of these boys. There's many living witnesses to the abuse that happened there but Florida's government doesn't seem to want to dirty their hands with this.

But not only are the people who ran this school guilty. I think that the parents or guardians of these children are somewhat accountable, too. How can you just let your kid go to a place like this and not care enough to check on them and not know that they've disappeared off the face of the earth?

What's wrong with America? America wants to look the other way when such things happen. America would rather pretend that something didn't happen and that such injustices don't exist.

Pt 2 Of What's Wrong With America

Earlier today I started seeing posts on Facebook about Utah school's taking lunch away from children because their parents owed for lunches. This isn't something new, we see it all the time. At my son's school they do the same thing, hand the kid a piece of fruit and call it a replacement. Then they THREW THE FOOD AWAY.

Do our school systems understand that this might very well be the ONLY food that a child gets all day? Do they understand that the parents probably owe the debt to the lunch lady because things are tight at home?

We see the starving children on TV commercials daily, wanting us to donate money to feed them. My heart breaks for them, it really does, but did you know that we have starving children right here in the good old US of A? And it's not just in the Appalachian mountains or New York City or in homeless shelters. It's children in your town, maybe even on your street, in YOUR neighborhood. We have children coming home from school to an empty house because mom and dad are having to work to try and make ends meet, yet the cabinets in the kitchen are empty.

You can call it bad money management or whatever but face it, times are hard and they're not getting any better. Yes, there is public assistance but that doesn't pay for everything and honestly, I'm sick of seeing the memes on Facebook about drug testing welfare recipients. Yes, drugs are a problem and I do agree that a lot of welfare recipients are addicts but we can't punish the kids that are receiving these benefits because their mom and/or dad have messed up. And if you think they should go to foster homes, that's not going to help them much.

The so called system in America just sucks. Kids are slipping through the cracks because of budget cut backs. These cut backs mean less DSS/CPS workers and bad situations aren't getting looked into.

Back to my original thought....schools are throwing away food that could go to these children whose parents can't pay for their lunch. What is the point of throwing it away? Isn't that just wasting it? Wouldn't it be better to let a hungry kid eat that food instead of sending it to a landfill?

If that ever happened to one of my kids, you'd have a mad mama on your hands, Mrs. Hairnet. Just sayin'.

What I Think Is Wrong with America...(or some of what is wrong with America)

Unless you were living under a rock this past week, you had to see all over social media, the TV news and other media outlets that Justin Bieber was arrested for drag racing, DUI, resisting arrest without violence, and driving with an expired driver's license. There's also other reports of stuff going on with him. A few months ago, your Facebook feed was filled with cracks (no pun intended) at Miley Cyrus, memes depicting her "twerking" on Beetlejuice, etc. When she performed on the Rockin' New Year's Eve show I was afraid to let my children watch but she was a "good girl" and kept it clean. Over the past few years celebrities like Justin, Miley, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, (and I could go on and on) and their law breaking antics have filled newsfeeds, gotten millions of Tweets and memes, only to be forgotten within a months time. In two years we won't even remember who they were much less what they did.

So what's wrong with America, you ask? Media is over sensationalizing these celebrities. Have you noticed that these people drop down a bit in popularity and then the next thing you know they show back up in handcuffs. Why? Because they know that's going to get their names out there again and whether it's good or bad publicity, their names are on the lips of every person in America, if not the world.

What I think we need to do about this is just stop giving them that attention. Stop clicking on the news stories about these negative icons that are influencing the next generation. Let them just do what they do and not give two $hits about it.

AND what we should do is start drawing more attention to stuff like the California teen, Audrie Pott, who was raped by 3 teens, had pictures of the assault passed around to classmates through text, and then committed suicide because she said "My life is over, I have a reputation for a night I don't even remember, and the whole school knows."  

How sad is it that this beautiful young lady, who had so much going for her before this horrific night, felt that she had to end her life because of what those monsters did to her.

I also feel that the world is a lot different than when you and I were growing up that you literally have to tell kids that this (insert heinous crime here) is wrong. You can't just expect them to know. I'm not sure what it is that has changed so much with the human mind over the years but it has. I know that things like what happened to Audrie are wrong. You know it too. Most people of our and earlier generations know this. The only people who (and I'm not saying it's right) don't clearly know this have a mental illness (and I'll get to that in a moment too) People (not all of them) of younger generations for some reason do not have that app installed in their brains that tells them "hey, I shouldn't do it that. It's wrong!" Could it be that is caused by parents being afraid to discipline their kids? I'm not sure but something has changed.

Mental Illness. It's out there. According to the NAMI-GC, globally, 1 in 4 people have some form of mental disorder. Mental illness is not prejudiced. It affects men, women, children, and all races. There's not enough funding, government or private, to take care of these people. It's like one of those things where the powers that be think that if they ignore it long enough, it will go away. It's not going away and these people need help. So many times you hear on the news when something bad happens, "they had a history of mental illness". Oh yeah? Then why hasn't someone bothered to help this person? Why don't the family care enough to make sure this person gets help or at least isn't on the streets doing bad things? Because people don't care about other people. People are too self absorbed. Seriously.

I could go on and on about what's wrong with America...or actually the world but does anyone really care? Probably not but I hope you do.

Happy Sunday!