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I’m exhausted. Lukas had a bad day. I’m stressing about Potty Training (I know I’m not suppose to.) But more than that.

My phone rang last night at 20 minutes until midnight. Knowing it could be an emergency I ran to the phone. Nobody calls me at that hour. The caller I.D. listed my dad’s cell phone so I was petrified. He has a lot of heart problems and the last 2 weeks have been really difficult for him. I answered with an “ARE YOU OKAY?” He was, But my step-mom wasn’t.

My dad’s wife took a really bad fall. The ambulance had come to pick her up and he and my uncle (who is a mal-practice defense lawyer, and lives across the street) drove my father to the ER. He was calling to see if I could go try to clean the blood out of the carpet so that it wouldn’t dry there. The carpet is white and Susan (stepmom) is the queen of clean.

Long story of the night and today skipped…. She is now in the hospital and can expect to be there a minimum of 2-3 days. How the heck from a fall? That’s what I thought, but apparently it was a really bad one and her face ran into a few things on the way down. Her upper lip was sliced through all the way up to her nose. Her chin is black and blue with stitches in it, as well as her check and her eye. She has 30 stitches in all. All that will heal. The worst part is her neck.

Susan has incredible spinal problems. At one point years ago a doctor saw an x-ray and in his horrible bed-side manner told her he was suprised she wasn’t in a wheelchair. She has nothing in between her upper vertebrae. And so when she hit her face and her neck was hyper-extended it caused intense contusions and fluid to build up in her spine. After complaining of intense pain in her hands they did an MRI and noticed all the fluid. So for now she is on steroids every 6 hours and Morphine for the pain.

The Neuro Surgeon explained that she would need back surgury sooner than later. Something she has been told before, but this event only makes the case for surgury stronger. She will have to be wearing a neck brace during any possibly harmful activity, even riding in the car. And she won’t be lifting or driving for a long time.

So if you think about it pray for her. Pray first that maybe she could just quickly be healed from all this. And secondly for peace should that not be the answer. She hates the idea of surgury.

On another note. My dad’s heart is so bad. I’m afraid he may need a pacemaker. But he probably wants that even less that Susan wants back surgury. That one could use prayer too.

If you think of it Go HERE if you want to leave a word of encouragement to my dad.

The last ‘I Gotta Ask’ was so fun I thought we could play another crowd participation game.

1. How many Blogs are on your RSS feed reader (if you don’t know what I’m talking about your answer is 0)?

For me that answer is- 87…. although, many are inactive and probably should be taken off.

2. How many Posts does your RSS feed say remain un-read right now?

Me- 32, and I have to leave for an appointment so I’m sure I will have more than I could possibly get throught today!

3. Do you remember the first blog you ever read?

Mine was my brotherss and it was called Messy Church on blogspot. Now he has his on domain that he forwards to Wordpress.

4. What is your favorite type of blog to read?

This is a hard one for me…
I love so many different kinds. But I have to say that the ones that include personality into the content draw me in the most. Whether it is Political, Mommy, or Artistic… The uniqueness is what keeps me. I know that doesn’t really answer the question and being that I asked it I should. So in that case probably mommy/life blogs. But for the most part is a toss of for me.

Your TURN!

Great Post on Verum Serum about the rise in Child Pronography due to the internet. If you have read me long you know that not too many topics upset me (those are tame terms since I won’t cuss on this site), like the victemization of children. Any kind. And especially the sexual kind.

And I have meant to before and forgotton. But Verum Serum will be added to my blogroll, check them out.

So hard to get a picture of the boys together!

Future B-Boys? (that is breakdancers for the non hip hop friendly ;))

Yeh, I didn’t notice Lukas was touching gum until I uploaded this picture. Nice.

Pure Joy sliding down.

More Joy.

Giving his mommy rocks.

Toddler Contemplation

The boys in my life.

As I promised my husband, I did not chop my hair. But, my need for change did cause me to go dark again. I think my comment picture is dark as well… but that pic is a bit old. Most of the time my hair has many highlights. It is quite rare for me to go back to my natural color.

I have learned that dying brown from a bottle does not work for me. When Jeff and I got married, the thought of telling him how much I spent on hair was petrifying. All he does is shave his head in the morning! What does he know about highlights? As a result, I bottle-jobbed it brown to save money. Yuck. Bad news. Winter was in full swing, and so was my winter skin. I looked like a zombie.

These days I let the professionals handle it. As you can tell, I kept a few highlights. Anyway, this is closest to my natural color (if I can remember correctly :)).

Before I do this, I do want to do an overall blogroll link disclaimer And it doesn’t have anything to do with these particular links, but rather in general, a disclaimer.

If you find yourself offended by any blogs on my blog roll do not hold me accountable. I reserve the right to post blogs there that I visit frequently and have found interesting. As it goes in the world… it is not an endorsement of every single thing that may at some point be posted in another person’s blog, but rather a hat tip that they are in my cyberworld and I like them for one reason or another, or even a thousand reasons. I read a variety of different kind of blogs: Political, mommy, art and design, etc…. I may actually post the disclaimer on my sidebar in order to avoid the emails questioning me on on it

All that out of the way and said I wanted to mention so of my newest additions to the roll.

A frequent commenter here is Tieki Rae. This young lady keeps an intelligent thought provoking blog called Haemet Yeshachrer Otcha. She is a Christian and attends one of our nations finest schools. She is conservative though so my liberal friends beware

I also do not know if I have yet mentioned her Mother, Wytammic who blogs at Sunflower Desert. This is also a great political blog! I have loved getting to know this mother-daughter combo in the blog world. It is clear to see that passion can be passed on generationally.

TotalTransformationTest Also posts a lot of political content. HOWEVER, his main purpose is his current journey of transformation. From the inside out he posts about changes he is makeing. A lot of the emphisis is weighloss and excersize. It’s fun to cheer him on and inspiring.

AND have I mentioned Helvidius, a Pachyderm yet? She says her blogs are a mix of “federalism, feminism, and food”. She is incredibly talented at articulating her beliefs. She often posts on abortion, and her arguement of the pro-life perspectives come from a unique angle. I don’t know how many people could out-debate this blogger! I assure you she is someone you won’t be able to put in a box.

Leaving the political blog arena we have an incredibly refreshing design aprreciation blog, Terramia. I love virtually everything she posts! Her bright, refreshing, well-developed taste level is inspring.

These are just a few. But I encourage you to check out my sidebar often (if you like to surf.) I absolutely love getting to know so many interesting, unique, intelligent, talented people all over the world.

I’m sure I will post on some of the others soon, if not, eventually. I just have limited time right now! And of course there are always those few special blogs that I’m going to keep all to myself

Today isn’t necesarily crazy. But I’m exhausted. 2 nights of almost no sleep, and I won’t go into the details. It isn’t my children as they are amazing sleepers most the time. (I know I feel the eye-darts- sorry).

I thought I’d ask you all what you do when you have insomnia? or how you treat it?

You can give me serious answers or just be funny. I need help and I need a laugh, so both will do. I have a wedding to be at tonight and a sitter to prepare for. My house is a wreck because I did barely anything with my back out and took it easy on myself while jeff was gone. So though there isn’t much, it still feels like a lot today. I know, cry me a river.

Anyway, please send me your non-drug related solutions! (not anti-drug, I just have that covered!)

I found this interesting. If your interested mark your calanders or set your DVR for May 5th.

I’m only publishing the first part of this artical to read more follow link afterward.

MEDIA ADVISORY, April 26 /Christian Newswire/ — After ABC ran a story in January about hundreds of atheists videotaping themselves blaspheming the Holy Spirit, best-selling author Ray Comfort contacted the network and offered to prove God’s existence, absolutely, scientifically, without mentioning the Bible or faith. He and Kirk Cameron (co-hosts of an award-winning Christian TV program) challenged the two originators of the “Blasphemy Challenge” to a debate on the existence of God. According to Comfort, he and Cameron (an ex-atheist) are qualified to debate on the subject. Comfort had not only written a book titled “God Doesn’t Believe in Atheists”, but had spoken at Yale on the subject of atheism, and been flown by American Atheists, Inc., to their 2001 annual convention to be a platform speaker.

TO FIND OUT MORE CLICK HERE….

Parental Disclaimer before this post: If you don’t have children or it has been a long time this post may absolutely repulse you. Take it as a warning.

Being absolutely in need of a shower today I did what many logical mom’s would do who are caring for 2 toddlers while needing a shower…

I brought them in with me.

Side note: I will have privacy someday right?

Anyway, I got them out and dried them off. Of course they were completely in the birthday suits running around my room as I was trying to throw clothing on myself. (I left the diapers in the family room).

Next thing I know Owen, who I have prayed hard would soon have the desire to potty train goes, “O NO MOM, I PEED!” Thinking I would see a large spot of wet floor I turned around quickly. BUT NO, just a couple drops so I grabbed the small seat and sat him on it. He protested at first but I told him I knew he could do it because he stopped himself from going on the floor and I know he has to pee.

To which he said, “Then I need a magazine!” WHAT? A magazine?

I ran to his dad’s office and told him I needed a magazine ASAP and explained. Anyway, He wasn’t thrilled with the music magazine I gave him, but I left him to privacy and next thing I know “MOM I DID IT, I PEED!” And sure enough he had! Celebration ensued!

Meanwhile Lukas enjoyed his free time in our master bedroom. I had seen him squatting but thought he was just picking up a toy. No such luck! Jeff found a poop on the ground!

So as Owen is begging for a treat that I bribed him with to go potty (I know you aren’t suppose to do that,) and I’m trying to pick up poop, and I realized Lukas had stuck his finger through it. Priority moves to clean the child… It all worked out in the end. These are the days. I never want to forget it. I’m definitely holding this one over his head.

I wanted to open up a little bit of a discussion on the topic of choosing your embryo. This is now being done in Britain, and while it is a process that I am not sure I am at all comfortable with, the reasons for doing so are noble. I thought it would be interesting to see what you guys thought of it. I will copy excerpts from the Fox News story on it. But for full length article please see

Britain Clears Way for ‘Designer Baby’ Free of Breast Cancer Gene

And original article from the London post:
First Designer Babies to Beat Breast Cancer

Most of the Fox Article:

Tests will allow the couples to take the unprecedented step of selecting embryos free from a gene that carries a heightened risk, but does not necessarily cause, the cancer. The move will reignite controversy over the ethics of embryo screening.
An application to test for the BRCA1 gene was submitted yesterday by Dr. Paul Serhal of London’s University College Hospital. It is expected to be approved within months as the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has already agreed in principle.

Opponents say that the test is unethical because it involves destroying some embryos that would never contract these conditions if allowed to develop into children. Even those that did become ill could expect many years of healthy life first.

Some critics fear that the tests move society farther down a slope that will lead ultimately to the creation of “designer babies” chosen for looks or intelligence.

However, the first patients say that the technology will allow them to spare their children a devastating genetic inheritance. One couple in their 20s, who would only be named as Matthew and Helen, have lost three generations to breast cancer.
Last May, the watchdog ruled it acceptable for doctors to screen embryos for genes such as BRCA1, which raise the risk of cancer in adulthood by between 60 and 80 percent. Embryo screening was previously restricted to genes that carry a 90 to 100 percent chance of causing disease.
The application is the first to be made under the new regime after a year of research to identify the precise mutations that affect Serhal’s patients. Approval is likely in three to four months, once the HFEA has confirmed that the tests are reliable.

Women with a defective BRCA1 gene also have a 40 percent risk of ovarian cancer. It is linked to prostate and breast cancer in men, who can also inherit it benignly and pass it on to their daughters.
Serhal said that objections to screening ignored the harrowing family histories of the patients he is seeking to help, who have a chance to ensure their children avoid similar experiences.
“We are talking about a killer that wipes out generation after generation of women,” Serhal said. “You can have a preventive mastectomy, but this is traumatic and mutilating surgery that does not eliminate the risk.
“What we are trying to do here is to prevent this inherited disease from being a possibility in the first place. At least with these people’s children, we can annihilate the gene from the family tree.”
Supporters of screening point out that patients must use IVF even if fertile and many couples carrying defective genes will not choose this option. The HFEA code of practice also makes it clear that screening is allowed only for serious conditions.
When the license is awarded, the couples will have IVF. This will allow a single cell to be removed from the embryo at the eight-cell stage and be tested for the defective BRCA1 gene. Only unaffected embryos will then be transferred to the womb.

Josephine Quintavalle, of the embryo rights group Comment on Reproductive Ethics said: “There has to be a better way of curing disease than this. It is very likely that in the not-too-distant future there will be a way of treating breast cancer that doesn’t rely on eliminating the carrier instead of curing the disease.”
Last year, the Times revealed the conception of Britain’s first “designer baby,” who was screened as an embryo for inherited cancer. The baby has since been born healthy and free from the gene carried by her mother that would have given her a 90 percent chance of developing retinoblastoma, an eye tumor.

Please comment freely and if you disagree with a fellow commenter please use respect while doing so.

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