First Dental Appt For A Horse?

Yes, you read that right. Did you know that horses have dentists?

My filly is having her first dental visit tomorrow morning with the equine dentist. I'm a little nervous honestly because I'm not sure what to expect (and had to look up some terms to see what it all meant). This is my first experience with it. I hope JeeNee does well and behaves herself.

This month - my horse's first dentist appointment. Next month - my toddler's first dental appointment. Horses and kids. Animal kids and human kids sure need a lot of care don't they? I wish they made dental insurance for horses, lol. At least my toddler's is covered by insurance.

Girls!!

The boys high school track team just ran by our front window. My 11-year old daughter went to the window to watch them. I have a picture on one of my blogs somewhere of all our girls at the front window watching them. We're on their running route so I'm sure she will be plastered to the front window every time she sees them. It's starting too early! She should've waited until she was at least 14-15 to care about the boys track team running by! Don't you agree? (You should agree for this mom, lol!)

They Got It Right - For Once!!

I'm talking about school pictures. Usually, at least one of my kids' pictures don't turn out right. Usually it is my youngest off center (I don't know how they manage that every time with her but they do), but this time for their spring portraits, they got it right! All three of their spring pictures look so good. They brought them home today and they look great. I'm quite happy with them for a change. Now I won't feel so bad about spending all that money on them this year (they do hit your wallet pretty hard when you have several school-aged kids). I have such cute kids, lol!!

Look What We Can Build!!

This past weekend, my husband and I tackled a project that had been sitting in our garage for several months. I found this on clearance over the winter at Lowes so I grabbed it! I always wanted something like this when I was a kid and now my kids do (well, did, because they have it now). I couldn't pass up the clearance price on this kit. It took three hours to put together. We still have more plans for it - putting in a floor (it sat on the grass originally but the door wouldn't open that well so we raised it up and are going to put a floor in it), make a path to the door, add some flower pots on each side of the door, perhaps paint it the same color as our house...I think it'll look cute. I think the kids are going to plant a faery garden of flowers around it. They'll have the cutest playhouse around!

JeeNee's Training - Part IV

Here is the last part of JeeNee's training from last season. Her first trot with a passenger and she did great! You also have to check out the sunset in the background (makes for a darker video but pretty nonetheless). It was a beautiful night.



By the way, JeeNee turned four this month!! Happy Birthday, JeeNee.

Busy Bees

This weekend was such a whirlwind of activity. On Saturday, we celebrated one of our girl's birthday. She had a couple of neighbor girls over all day. Thankfully, they played outside for most of it. It was a beautiful day for it. We ordered pizza and then had cake and ice cream of course. My camera is messed up so it didn't tape us singing "Happy Birthday" to her like we thought it had. That's the first birthday wish song that won't be on videotape for our kids. I really need a better video camera. As we thought, our birthday gift to her (karaoke machine) was a huge hit. We hooked it up to our TV so they could see themselves singing thru the video camera on it. We ended up having to hide the mics and Cd's when we went to bed so they wouldn't be up all night long with it.

We had a bonfire outside that night. Of course, I took pictures of that too (I'm a picture taking freak.)

All the kids had a slumber party on the floor of the living room. I didn't hear too much noise above our head so they did good.

Sunday was another busy day. We put together a playhouse for the kids that I had picked up on clearance over the winter. Only took us three hours so that was good. We also took out the play gym for our toddler and put that together (she was happy to see that again since dad stuck it in the garage a few months ago...don't know why he didn't like it in the living room, lol). We took out all of our outdoor furniture. I was happy to see my Celtic birdbath come out again. The kids and dad played basketball while I relaxed with a Margarita. Yum! Tequila is my friend but that's going off topic. We also sawed off several large branches (well, I started to but was too afraid to let them drop so hubby finished them). Notice I said "saw" and "large branches" - no chainsaw here. I was very sore after that so I relaxed in a hot bath. How nice!

Then two out of four kids finished the day with fevers. *sigh*

Horse For Sale in Ohio

Jack is approx. eight year old, black and white walker/paint cross gelding, loving, for sale in Ohio, looking for a confident/intermediate rider and a job to do and some trails to ride with you. Approx. 14.2H. He's a great size! He loads, hauls, ties, and leads. He is good for the farrier. No shoes. Sound. He tacks up easily and respects your space. Has never tried to buck, bite, kick, or rear. Comes out to wait for me when I show up at the stable, nodding his head to say, "hello, come see me." His previous owner rode Jack (western) on country roads and trails in which he said that Jack was in water up to his belly with no problems. My 11 year old daughter has owned Jack for the last year and rode Jack English in an arena. I'm 5'7" and just love riding him. He's a great size! He walks, trots, and canters. He has also gone over poles. Intermediate/confident rider. The teen girls at the stable where he is boarded, who ride him for us, say he is perfect when they walk/trot/canter with him. $1500

If you would like to see pictures: More pictures can be seen here.

Jack is also shown here.

I Hate Them!

I am talking about bugs. I hate them.

First, the spiders are back. Found two of them yesterday crawling around my house. The second one when I tried to get him hung off my finger and had me screeching and dropping him as fast as I could while I jumped five feet back.

Second, I think my daughter had a tick in her scalp that she pulled out yesterday. Her environmental group planted trees a few days ago on Earth Day and a couple of the kids picked up ticks. I checked her but obviously I missed something. GRRRR!!! She was too freaked out when she felt something on her scalp and just tossed the dang thing so I can't know for sure it was a tick but it was burrowed into her skin and left a bloody mark behind. So I am watching the spot for a rash and will be calling her pediatrician tomorrow.

Third, I am sitting here on my laptop this morning and feel something fall into the top of my shirt. I am thinking it is another spider so I check out the cleavage and there is a bug there that had jumped down my shirt. It's not a spider though. I grab it with my fingers (ewwww!) and am going to put it in a tissue to look at it when it jumps out from between my fingers. He got away. I couldn't find him. I don't know what it was but I know it definitely wasn't a flea. Maybe the tick my daughter tossed yesterday? I didn't think so but I don't know. The only ones I've seen are online.

The bugs are back. Spring is here. I HATE bugs.

IRS Stimulus Payments Coming Earlier!

The IRS stimulus payments are coming out earlier than expected. The schedule was this. However, an article I read today in USA Today says:

"We're a little bit ahead of schedule, so we will start right on Monday with direct deposits," Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told Reuters in an interview Thursday.

Just an FYI for those who are waiting for this.

The Kids Won

My son had his 3rd grade music program this evening. Since dad was working, it was me and four kids - age 11, 8, 7, 2 - who went.

Mom -VS- 4 Kids

Who won?

Well, mom was beginning to dream about a prescription for Xanax by the time I was buckling them into the car to come home if that tells you anything.

My two-year-old had to say loudly, "mommy clap" between each song if I didn't get my hands together fast enough (which meant turning the camera off, slipping it down my wrist and then clapping which took a second so the kid got to me first usually) so everybody around us heard her. I'd "shhhh" her and the mom next to us thought she was so funny. She got a lot of laughs. They all thought she was cute. The people behind us, next to us - must be the blue eyes and white blond hair. Well, except for a grandma in front of us who gave me one of those sidelong glances that was all nasty, but ya know what? We weren't at the opera. We were at an elementary school for a children's music program and the bleachers were full of kids. Everybody clapped and talked between each song. If she wanted peace and quiet, she should've stayed home.

If she'd accidentally kicked grandma in front of her, I don't think I would've minded at that point. Bad Syn! Just kidding. Maybe.

Why is it that every time I go to a school function, I end up with at least one other child who isn't mine? Every.single.time we've gone to school functions (music program, basketball games) this one same child ALWAYS shows up to sit with my 1st grader. Where does she come from? Geez! She's not a well-behaved little girl either. Her parents probably shoo her away from them at these functions but come on! Watch your own kid! I don't even know who the parents are. No clue! There are various other kids who come sit with us (don't know where their dna providers are either) but this one girl always shows up. Seriously. Tonight I had the regular girl and then one other one. "Other one" tonight decided to kick the crap out of the bleachers with her cowboy boots several times. Then my two year old would imitate her and I'd stop her because that is just too obnoxious for me. Regular girl wants my 1st grader to run around the school with her and up and down the bleachers and doesn't undertand when I insist my kid stay with us and sit relatively politely in the crowd of people.

Who is parenting these kids?

Who lets their kids go off to sit with a stranger without introducing yourself or asking if the adult (ME!) minds if their child glues themself to us for the next hour or so?

Back to the kids winning, it's not like they were bad or anything. There were just a lot of people there and going in and out with four kids (and the two year old insisting on walking herself and be-bopping back and forth enjoying her freedom), plus no air conditioner after a warm day and squeezing all those people in the gym, plus the kids I seem to adopt for a short time at every function - I needed a drink or a xanax. I hear they work wonders.

Proof of Payment - Fairy Tale Treasure

If you like GPT sites, Fairy Tale Treasures is one that pays! I don't list them unless I've been paid by them personally (as you can see by the proof of payment below).
To register, check them out:

The Witching Hour

Why is it that kids turn into little monsters between the hours of about 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. - the Witching Hour it is usually called though I don't know why. When my kids get off the bus, I am happy to see them home, go over their school work, and just chat. My almost three year old, who has been good all day, starts throwing tantrums. She wants whatever they have, are showing me, or my attention. There is usually a tug-of-war between her and one of the older kids over some item they brought home from school. My other three school-aged kids turn into cranky kids within a few minutes of being home - arguing and sniping at each other. When they direct that A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E at me - uh-uh, I don't think so!

Then it is time to get dinner going and one child after another is whining or tattling (or in the case of my oldest - sulking). Of course, they choose this time to all need something from me. Forget about dinner preparations, they want me NOW. Of course, they'll also whine about being soooooooo hungry (you know how they draw out that whining), never mind that they interrupted dinner prep continuously.

Homework. My oldest gives up easily if she can't figure something out. She comes to me instead to "help her" (that means she wants me to find the answer she didn't want to spend the time looking up herself). She gets frustrated and she just stops. When I point out where she should read to figure it out, I get that sigh and sulk that pre-teens do so well. You know the one that says, "you suck mom." I'm hearing that sigh more often the closer my child gets to becoming a teenager.

Do I get to look forward to more of this when my four kids all become teenagers?

Collecting

My son collects rocks. Most are not special rocks in any way to anybody else...just rocks he picks up from outside. They're special to him. They could be shiny and colorful but they could just as well be dull, gray and like the million of other rocks in my flower beds. He usually forgets to take them out of his pocket so I usually find it in my washing machine or clothes dryer.

I have a small collection of rocks, gemstones, crystals and I've bought some for the kids as well (I also collect Egyptian god and goddess statues and knives). When the Harry Potter craze was on, I made them wands out of branches we picked up in the woods of northern Michigan complete with gemstone attached to the ends. They were kind of neat for a beginner, lol.

My son also collects comic books and Pokemon cards. All of our older kids have collected Pokemon cards at one time. My husband even brought them back from Japan with him so they had them in Japanese. Now that my son is that age, he likes to collect the same things his older siblings did (wish we'd kept their collection now). He's definitely a collector out of the bunch of them.

Actually, I think he's a Pack Rat in the making but only time will tell.

Don't Be A Soccer Mom Part II

I went back for a second glance at the Woman's Day article I posted about the other day but it seems I threw the magazine away. Usually I keep them for a few months but this particular issue irritated me, lol. I wanted to go back for a second look in case I missed something and didn't get the wrong idea before. Since I no longer have the magazine, I went online and found this on the Woman's Day web site:

Except for the major games, drop off the kids and leave? I don't think so!

From the summary shown at their web site right now (above) and my memory of what the article said that I posted on, I still think they are off on this part of the article, which is what I was posting about. If I see it at Wal-Mart, I will read it there, lol, just to make sure.

Stepfamily Woes

It amazes me how many stepfamilies there are now and that family law hasn't caught up with reality yet. They are years behind. I sure hope to see some change by the time my kids are parents! Geez! That's the speed they're going it seems like.

I write about blended family issues on my stepfamily blog.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 7th Birthday, Baby!!!

How I Blog

People are asking me how I work from home. Instead of having several little posts everywhere, I thought I'd post it here once and just give them this link. Much more efficient eh?

Here is what I did:

1. I went to Blogger and made myself a few blogs. They have design templates there you can use. Set up was pretty easy. There are other places to set up blogs (wordpress comes to mind) but I'm not familiar with any other ones so I'll only post about what I know. I have a few blogs. One is more stepfamily related. One is a mish mash of my life. My newest one is about Ohio. I also have an adult one but I won't post that link here, lol. Shhhhh, that's private. You can also set up blogs/hosting with a lot of different hosting sites instead of thru Blogger or a similar company. I haven't done this yet though I've thought about it and still might do it.


2. I went to Godaddy and bought myself domains for my blogs. You don't HAVE to do this (or use Godaddy...there are many places to buy domain names from). However, some advertisers don't allow blogs with urls from certain places so this gets rid of that problem. You can keep your blog at blogger but have its own domain name. Easy peasy.


3. I also have mine on a Feedburner so people can subscribe to them easily. Make an account and set up feeds for your blogs.


4. Start blogging. Most places you register at won't approve a blog until it is at least 30 days old with a certain amount of posts or ranking. Some are 90 days. So, post in it regularly.


5. Look up how to optimize your blog, get it noticed by the search engines.


6. Register at certain places that will pay you to blog/post for them. This is where you will submit your blogs for approval and find opportunities for working from home.
   

So, that's a start. There is a great forum where you can get loads of help.

One final note not related to blogging - beware of work from home scams. There are so many people out there trying to scam you! Don't pay for information that is readily available on the Internet. If you have to pay a company to work for them, DON'T DO IT! Since when do you have to pay your employer for work? Isn't is supposed to be the other way around?

JeeNee's Training - Part III

Here is Part III of JeeNee's training. This is her first time walking with a passenger on her back. She's such a good girl!!

Felons in the Military

A USA Today article today says the military is allowing individuals with felons on their record to enlist because of the pressure to increase their numbers.

Army Felons: 249 in 2006 and 511 in 2007
Marine Felons: 208 in 2006 to 350 in 2007

The article says that a majority of them are thefts and drug offenses but there are some with manslaughter, aggravated assault and sex crimes being allowed to enlist. Some of these offenses included incidents with weapons. Does that feel wrong to anybody else? Somebody who was convicted of a crime with weapons is being handed a weapon and taught to use it...and use it well? Huh?

Some were sex crimes. So these people being allowed to enlist are on a sex offender registry somewhere? Would that be accurate? Who is going to ensure they aren't committing any sex crimes during war to women and children? Who is going to monitor them then?

The article does say that most of the crimes were committed when they were juveniles but even at that...if they are the more serious crimes, I don't like that at all. Even juveniles, teenagers, should know better and who is to say that they aren't or won't commit anymore criminal acts?

Are we that hard up that we have to enlist felons to serve? We've stretched ourselves that thin that we've resorted to this?

This doesn't sit quite right with me today. I'm not sure what to think and obviously need more information than just this one article. I do have a bad gut feeling that I don't want any of these criminals with the more serious felons serving next to my nephew in the Army!

Hate it when that happens...

This morning I jump in my car to scoot to Wal-Mart to pick up the Hannah Montana cupcakes for my daughter's classroom birthday party at school tomorrow. I start my car and look at the gas gauge. It's on E. Uh-oh...when did that happen? I flip through the electronics and it says I have two miles left in the gas tank. Uh-oh again. Oops. I make it to the gas station, keeping a close eye on the gauge (like that would change anything at this point).

How did that happen? I never let it get THAT close to empty. I get that "beep" and light on my dash when I get within 40 miles of being empty. I don't remember hearing that the last time I drove. Then I remembered why. I had Alanis Morisette blaring on the stereo. I was listening to female angst at top volume and didn't hear the empty warning beep when it came. If I would've run out of gas before the gas station - talk about female angst!!! Nevermind the fact that my husband would never let me forget it if I'd run out of gas (like I never let him forget his speeding tickets) and had to call him for help...just the embarrassment of my car dying in the middle of the road would've been enough angst for me for one day.

JeeNee's Training - Part II

Here is Part II of JeeNee's training from the end of 2007 before winter set in. Part I can be seen here.

Birthday Girl

My middle daughter turns seven on Tuesday. She's growing up so fast. She's a good girl - a little OCD about things but a good kid. She gets good grades and her teachers always love her. She is a chatterbox - her engine is always on and going. She also has to get the last word. It's not that she intentionally tries to get the last word in the normal sense. Once she has a thought in her head that she has to speak, she just has to finish it. No matter what. She even tries to talk as the dentist works in her mouth. She's a mix of tough and sensitive. She's tough when it comes to certain things but her friend getting upset with her over something will have her walking off the bus crying. She loves pink! She also loves to sing. We are getting her a karaoke machine for her birthday. She'll love it!

Gas & Cigarettes

The price of gasoline is depressing. I was going over my budget last night and the price I paid to fill my tank, $75.49, caught my eye. When I bought the vehicle, it cost me in the early 30's to fill it. It's more than doubled since 2002! How is that possible? Why? What can we do about it? *Syn stomping feet here* I WANT TO KNOW! *tantrum over*

If you want to know what gas prices are in any given area, check out fueleconomy.gov.

I thought of something this morning...do smokers complain about the cost of gas? I mean, if you smoke one pack a day, isn't that equivalent to a gallon of gasoline or thereabouts (possibly more than a gallon of gas)? Gas is a necessary evil for work, grocery shopping, doctor's appointments unless you are within walking distance or have bus service (we don't). Smoking isn't. Seems to me it'd be better to quit the ciggies and spend that money on that evil gas.

Addiction though right? I'd have to equate it to my addiction to chocolate and Pepsi but not quite (in terms of need, not price). I don't have a pack of day of either of those and a 2 liter of Pepsi is $0.99 (I refuse to buy it otherwise because I'm stubborn like that) and chocolate bar even less. I can get by for several days before I'm climbing the wall for a piece of chocolate or glass of Pepsi and neither of those will likely give me lung or throat cancer. Pepsi might rot my gut. Who knows. Bad comparison.

My husband smoked for 16 years (before I'd met him). He decided one day he was going to quit. He quit. Just like that. His willpower is phenomenal. I'm glad because I fell for him hard the first moment I met him and if he'd stank everytime he spoke to me or kissed me, I'm not sure I'd have married him, especially with my asthma. It would've been a health hazard to marry my man, lol.

It's not like I've never tried smoking. I did for awhile. A very, very long time ago. It wasn't something I wanted an addiction to, left a nasty taste in my mouth (cigarette burps are really gross) and I stopped.

I am one of those individuals who support the no smoking in public ban, as unpopular as that may be with some. I don't think anybody else has the right to inflict damaging chemicals into somebody else's breathing space in public. My asthmatic lungs can't take it. I don't think anybody should have the "right" to smoke in public and possibly kill me because of it. I don't even have to be right there when they're puffing away...just walking through an area where somebody has been smoking is enough to give me an asthma attack. The front door where I used to work was horrible. All the smokers would congregate there and if I walked through it, even when nobody was there anymore, the smell was still there and got me wheezing (I guess from the butts or something in the tray...maybe the smell infused itself into the brick...who knows).

One of my coworkers lost her voice box to throat cancer. She was a heavy smoker. Do you think it stopped her from smoking after that? I wouldn't have brought her up if she had quit. She didn't. Sad really.

The 5 Second Rule

I just found out yesterday that my kids have a "5 second rule" when they drop food on the floor. They learned it from their friends at school when they'd drop something on the floor of the lunchroom and then hurry to pick it up before five seconds so they could still eat it. I don't buy it. I never did.

Floors carry the germs/bacteria brought in on your shoes wherever you were that day. Did you walk through the bathroom? What kind of bacteria do you think are on the bottom of your feet/shoes with that trip? Did you run around the backyard? How about that trip to the mall where everybody else has walked with all their various germs coming with them? How about all the people sneezing and coughing? Do you think their germs have hit the floor? Of course! That's just people. How about the germs your dog is tracking in from the backyard? I don't think the dog is avoiding more of his own "bathroom" germs wherever he steps, do you? Let's talk about walking barefoot and people who have athlete's foot. How about a little fungus with your food? Gross!!

That's my opinion of the "5 second rule" and I'm sticking to it. I find it disgusting.

IRS Stimulus Payment Schedule & Calculator

Are you wondering when your stimulus payment will arrive? Here's the schedule:

DIRECT DEPOSIT

The digits are the last two SSN digits and the date is when the payment will be transmitted:

00 through 20, May 2
21 through 75, May 9
76 through 99, May 16

PAPER CHECK

00 through 09, May 16
10 through 18, May 23
19 through 25, May 30
26 through 38, June 6
39 through 51, June 13
52 through 63, June 20
64 through 75, June 27
76 through 87, July 4
88 through 99, July 11

There are some variations to this if you didn't file on time and other considerations but this is the schedule for the majority of us (IRS Schedule).

For the calculator to figure out how much you are getting: IRS Calculator

Woman's Day Says Don't Be A Soccer Mom?

I'm a soccer mom. I cheer at all my kids' games. For practices, sometimes I sit and read a book if I don't have our toddler to keep an eye on but I am front row and present for all games. I am the same for my daughter's basketball games. I always thought that was the way it was supposed to be.

Then I am reading the May 2008 issue of Woman's Day and there is an article by Lisa Armstrong in there that says NOT to be a soccer mom. It says that "kids whose parents go to every one of their games are less likely to continue with sports as young adults" according to some author of some book (ok the author is Terri Khonsari and the book is called Raising a Superstar and some other stuff in the long title). It says that kids are often playing to just please their parents this way. It goes on to say to just drop them off and leave.

First off, I will NOT just drop my elementary age kids off at the park (which is where soccer games are played here) and leave them there for god knows what pedophile to get close to them! When they are this age, these sports are not school sponsored sports and parents are expected to watch their own kids! Perhaps this article should have been more age appropriate.

Second, if my kids weren't doing this for their own enjoyment, because THEY wanted to, they wouldn't be playing. Period. Does this author think parents have so much time on their hands that taking kids back and forth to practices and games is something every parent just can't wait to do? Nope, not me. Are there some parents like that? Yes, sure there are but that's them and not the rest of us. I encourage my kids to play sports and will do the required chaufferring around and cheering them on because I think it is good for them to get out there and have fun doing something they enjoy, getting exercise, learning the "team" mentality, but I am happy at the end of the season too. Yeah, it's over until next year! Mom gets a few months off from this. Yeah!

Third, not be there to support my child at a game? My kids would be upset if I wasn't. When I've dropped my daughter off for her basketball practice at the school without staying, she's upset with me for missing seeing her make that basket she was proud of even if it was practice! Practices? Maybe, but I'd never miss a game unless I was sick. That's the only reason I've ever missed any game of my kids and that's the way it'll stay too.

So, my opinion of this part of the article and the author of the book - I don't agree.

My Baby

Our family loves horses. We are as green as it gets pretty much, and we spook more than the horses do, but we love them anyway. I've had my filly for almost two years now but being part Clyde and so young, she was started slowly. Our trainer has done an excellent job of starting her right. We've just been working on ground manners up until this last fall when it was time to start getting her used to some saddle time. Here is the first video from that session. Turn on your speakers and enjoy the music while you watch. Her progress was all caught on video so I'll post the rest of the videos soon too.

April 19 - Walmart Giveaway

On Saturday, April 19, 2008, Walmart is giving away one million reusable bags starting at 8:00 a.m. local time (while supplies last).

Be earth friendly!

If you miss the free bag giveaway, you can buy reusable bags from Walmart for $1.

My kids are members of the Green Team through their school so I am sure I'll be getting my reusable bags as one of our family's attempts at helping the environment (along with all the recycling we do).

Pharmaceutical Companies & Our Health

Did you know that some pharmaceutical companies and our doctors may have a "relationship" that may not be good for our health? Doctors can benefit by receiving trips, luncheons, gifts, and consulting fees paid for by pharmaceutical companies. How many thousands of dollars do you think some doctors make each year from this on top of their regular salary? For some, probably more than we make in a year!

Do you think this has an influence over the doctors who treat us on what type of medication they prescribe? Probably. Is that best for our health? I wouldn't think so.

I see this as a huge conflict of interest and don't believe there should be any kickbacks offered to doctors who treat patients from any pharmaceutical company for promoting their product! Well, maybe pens for the office but that's it!

Pepperjam Network

I joined Pepperjam about a week ago. I've made $5 already (and I haven't done much to even promote it yet). Not bad considering I have been an affiliate at another network since last year and haven't made a penny off of it. For those who want to check Pepperjam out, here it is:

Shielding Mourning Families from Protestors

Have you read or seen on the news any of the protests done by Westboro Baptist Church? I can not believe this web site! It is horrific for me to read. They protest at the funerals of our fallen soldiers. If I was burying my child (husband, etc.) and protesters this hateful showed up at the funeral with their nasty picket signs and agenda, god help THEM because I would lose it. They were scheduled to picket at another soldier's funeral today.

They have the freedom to hold their protests, as hateful as they are, because American soldier's fought and died for them to do so. I don't think that registers in their small-minded brains.

There is a group who tries to shield mourning families from such hate at the funerals of our fallen soldiers. This group is the Patriot Guard Riders. They want our soldiers and their families to have respect and they show it to them by attending the funerals and doing their best to peacefully shield them from the hateful fanatics.

You know, you don't have to believe in the war. A lot of people don't. Even people who supported it in the beginning have changed their views. However, to show such horrific disrespect and fanatical hate to families in mourning, at a time when these families are burying their own, screams of MENTAL CASE to me!!

My Wanna Be A Punk Daughter

This is my oldest. This is what I let her wear for class picture day today - her Hannah Montana t-shirt, hair clip with pink curls (usually I highlight her hair fuschia or the latest was blue when she asks but this time I went with the $4.99 hair clip extension).

Tomorrow are individual pictures for her class so she'll be a bit more subdued for those, lol, but I figured for one, she might as well look like herself!

My Boy

This is my son (apraxia). He is my only son (I also have three girls); he's my handsome boy. He doesn't like school but you can't tell that from his grades - he's smart! He gets upset if he gets a "B" on his report card. He considers those "bad" grades. He's also sensitive. I don't know if that's his personality, genetic from dad who's a good guy, or the result of being raised with three girls (maybe all of the above). The boy is surrounded by estrogen (though he is starting to terrorize his sisters like brothers are supposed to do). He is a huge fan of video games, soccer, and his snake - Willy.

Read 100 Books for 100 Acres of Rainforest

My kids' school is participating in a reading program to read 100 books. I'm not sure if it is by class/grade or by school. By doing so, 100 acres of rainforest will be purchased in their honor.

My kids are so excited to do this. They each said their classes are each close to their goal!

Earth Day is April 22, 2008.

Raw Milk Controversy

I just read an article that talks about raw milk being popular now though the FDA opposes the sale and consumption of raw milk. I'd not heard of this before so I kept reading.

Consumers of raw milk claim better health - less asthma, less allergies, less autism, and less digestive problems (as a person with asthma, allergies and digestive problems - especially with milk - I am definitely interested in finding out more about raw milk). Some people don't want pasteurized milk from cows subjected to hormones, chemicals, and drugs and are turning to raw milk instead either through raw milk sales where legal or cow shares.

Raw milk sales are legal in 28 out of 50 states as of this date (4/14/08).

So, the FDA thinks it is ok to drink milk from cloned cows but not raw milk? I don't want milk from a cloned cow!

I'm not sure what my stance is on raw milk. I am definitely going to be researching more. I know I don't trust the FDA 100% and don't get me started on the pharmaceutical companies (though I am not against medications - - I have to take several in order to live right now...hmmm...wonder if raw milk would cure my asthma and thyroid disease so I wouldn't need those medications anymore?) Perhaps that is why the government is so interested in stopping the sale of raw milk - - if it really does reverse some of these common health problems, the big guys (pharmaceutical company's and the politicians) are going to lose money.

Definitely something to think about! I know I will be.

If you're interested in finding out more:

Real Milk
Raw Milk Facts

Motor Apraxia & Hypotonia

I posted before about two of my kids having speech apraxia. What I didn't go into was that my son also has another type of apraxia (motor apraxia) as well as hypotonia, affecting his fine and gross motor skills. For those who don't know what that is, here is a definition:

Apraxia: Total or partial loss of the ability to perform coordinated movements or manipulate objects in the absence of motor or sensory impairment. (source: Answers.com) This is a neurological disorder.

Hypotonia: abnormally low muscle tone.

It started with delays in milestones - rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking. All were delayed considerably. Then the fine motor skills - holding scissors, crayons, tying shoes, buttons and zippers. Things most kids learn to do easily enough were a great source of frustration for my son. Coordinating movements and manipulating objects was so difficult for him.

He spent several years in occupational therapy to help him learn how to do these things and building up strength, especially in his upper body where he had slack muscle tone. He has come a long way. He holds his pencil differently than most, but that's ok. He has great handwriting! He still has a hard time tying his shoes and in 3rd grade, that's an embarrassment for him. Up until last year, he'd go through his school day with his pants unsnapped, hidden under a long shirt, because he couldn't manipulate the snap and he was too embarrassed to ask for help. Snaps can still give him a hard time but he's a lot better. Buttons on jeans are still a problem so I try to find him pants that don't have a button to close them or elastic waists (thank the gods for athletic pants all the kids love to wear!). He is now in a size of shoe where they don't have velcro anymore so he's stuck with the laces. I lost count how many times he came home with his shoes untied this school year, not being able to tie them correctly to hold for very long. His fingers don't have the dexterity to tie them correctly. It's frustrating for him to see his little sister tie her shoes easily while he is left behind still trying to tie his shoes.

I watched him two weeks ago throw a bowling ball down the alley quite strongly and saw just how far he'd come from the baby who couldn't raise his head or roll over. My handsome boy has worked so hard! He was given the "disabled" label several years ago but the regular person on the street certainly can't tell anymore, if they look beyond the untied shoes and disorganized pants (which is a lot of boys actually, lol). He can run, jump, and climb with the rest of them. He's not as "rough and tumble" as a lot of his friends, and he may hesitate to think about how to do something most kids take for granted before doing it, but that's ok. He is doing great!

So what caused this? We don't know. The doctors don't know. We can make guesses but we will never know for sure. I tend to think it was the huge stress (from a major twit who thought she was big and bad to come after a pregnant woman) during my fourth month of pregnancy that started my labor early (got it stopped thankfully) and then getting punched in my lower back in my ninth month of pregnancy. It was definitely a stressful pregnancy (and the reason we moved to another state!). My son's doctor said those things could have caused it, but nobody can say for sure.

It's very important to get early intervention for children. We pushed our pediatrician to get the diagnosis when we did (we should have had it even earlier!). If you have a doctor who says to wait and see and your gut tells you different, go with your gut. You are the parent. You know your child. If we'd waited longer to get the tests done and a diagnosis, my son would've been that much further behind now. Who knows if we'd missed the window of opportunity to get those neurons firing for him to make those connections!

He also has sensory integration dysfunction that I'll talk about another time.

Malt-O-Meal Cereal Recall

A strain of salmonella has been found in two Malt-O-Meal cereals. 23 people in 14 states have become ill (three hospitalized, no deaths reported). The two cereals to be concerned about are unsweetened Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat. Salmonella contamination was found during routine testing. The company has voluntarily recalled them April 5, 2008.

Recall Information From Malt-O-Meal Site

Vacation

Well, it looks like our vacation to Tennessee is going to be put off for another year again. We love going to the Smoky Mountains. It's our favorite place to be, but it's also a huge expense that we just can't do next month. With all the updating on the house that was necessary the past few months and then spending way too much money for Easter and Spring Break activities with the six kids (not to mention the HUGE grocery bill feeding all of these kids), we're flat broke, lol.

We're going to head to northern Michigan instead where my in-laws have a nice place on the water. It's really beautiful up there though the drive is not going to be fun for the kids (or me).

If you are looking for places in northern Michigan to vacation at, there is quite a bit to do and see. You can have as much or as little activity as you want.

Mommy Guilt

The kids are all riled up today. Maybe it's the season change - the weather is getting nicer out and they have spring fever. Today seems like a particularly loud day. As I sit here writing, it makes it hard to concentrate to hear the kids arguing with each other and just having loud voices in general while they play. We've had to tell them several times to quiet down as it's getting quite aggravating, especially our two year old who doesn't know the meaning of inside voice yet or how to share successfully 100% just yet.

Well, our two year just came out to talk about playing "bobots" (robots). She sees her older brother and sister playing their fight 'em robots over the baby gate beyond where she can go and tells me all about it. I tell her to go watch them play but to do it quietly. She walks away with tears in her eyes and says, "sorry." Talk about breaking your heart! I call her back and she doesn't come right back.

When I go to get her, she is walking slowly back towards me trying not to cry, biting her lip with eyes welling. Talk about mommy guilt! Then the knife twists further as she says "sorry" again as I pick her up. Her dad and I melt and give her hugs and tell her we're sorry.

We let our impatience with the noise level while trying to work come out in our voices and we hurt her feelings. She'd apologized for being loud twice with big tears in her eyes. We hugged her as I tried not to cry myself.

So for a reminder to the parents out there who get caught up working, stop and give your kids attention and a hug. We know work is important but stopping to give them a few minutes of your time makes all the difference in the world to their little hearts. Hearing this tiny little girl say "sorry" with tears in her eyes had me in tears.

Moonlight - Two Weeks

I'm excited! I am sitting here watching the end of the new Ghost Whisperer (which I've been waiting months for) and what comes on? Previews for the new Moonlight! The show will be back in two weeks. It opens up with, "Did you miss me?" Heck yeah!

If you've not seen this show before, Moonlight is about a vampire. He's not a scary, "evil" vampire. He's a good guy. Did I mention he's a handsome vampire? The best ones usually are. I am a huge vampire fan! I love vampire books and movies so now that Friday nights has both Ghost Whisperer and Moonlight, the television is mine on Fridays.

Mark your calendars to watch Moonlight on April 25th on CBS. That's where I will be!

Petfinder

We are a family of animal lovers between our dogs, horses, and even a snake! We'd have cats too if I wasn't allergic!

If you are looking for a family pet of your own, a great resource to use is Petfinder. Petfinder will list pets for rescues and humane societies across the country. You can search by animal, breed, gender, age, and zip code! Give an animal a second chance at a loving home.

Children's Safety

I am the first to admit that I am neurotic about safety and protecting my kids. I don't allow my kids to wander the neighborhood. I have parental controls on the television and do not allow unsupervised computer access. I don't allow them over to other people's homes if I don't know them. I know a lot of parents allow their kids to spend the night here and there without knowing the parents well who own the home their child is sleeping in, but I can't do it. I worry about harm coming to my child. I also worry that knowing the parents may not be enough. What about visiting friends or family members that may be there that you don't know about? It is a scary world we live in.

I found a site online called Stop It Now! that has quite a bit of information that I thought other parents might find useful so I am posting about it here. It concerns child sexual abuse prevention and talks about the signs to look for not only for signs of abuse in your child but warning signs of an abuser in an adult or another child. Did you know that as much as 1/3 of sexual abuse in children is committed by somebody under 18 years of age?

To check out registered offenders in your area:

National Sex Offender Registry

More Pain at the Pump

I just read on ABC News the projections for gas prices this summer. They are forecasting $3.60/gallon by June with the possibility of rises to $4.00/gallon at times. This is ridiculuous. What family can afford this? When I spent over $70 to fill up my tank recently, I wanted to be sick. There is no way we, with six children - two of which we pay child support for, can afford those prices and for them to go even higher is an impossible expense for us.

I wish I knew what the answers were to this problem because I'd be making some noise to whatever agency I needed to in order to fix this. The problem is - I don't know what the answer is. I really don't.

Life Lately...

Things are not too bad lately.

The kids are going on their last marking period at school so it'll be summer soon. Not sure how I feel about that, lol. They're excited for 10-11 weeks off from school anyway.

Our toddler is taking naps all of a sudden. It's weird. She hasn't napped since she turned two (unfortunately for me) and now she is almost three and suddenly napping. The last five days in a row has been a nap everyday. She lays herself down and goes to sleep. I'm not sure if she is getting sick or having a growth spurt.

The weather is finally improving after months of cold misery. The kids are anxiously awaiting more consistent, better weather so we can push daddy outside to build their little playhouse. I bought it over the winter when it went on clearance at a great price so they'll have their first ever playhouse (I always wanted one of those as a kid myself). It's in pieces in the garage waiting for a hammer and nails.

We have kid birthdays galore coming up. One each month from April through July. My babies are going to be a year older! That makes me feel a year older. My 'baby' of the bunch is turning three. No more little babies in the house. That makes me want another wee one sometimes and that's BAD. It's really bad when I see babies about 2-3 months old. I thought the urge for another baby had gone away, but it didn't. I think I need to find somebody that will let me hold their tiny baby once in awhile and then give him/her back. Maybe that'll get rid of the urge.

I opened up the garage door the other day to find a mouse on the top of the stairwell of the garage. It didn't freak out at first as I suspected it would. I did though. He better not come into my house or else he'll end up snake food for Willy!

Speaking of Willy, he almost got out of his cage the other day. My husband didn't secure it when he was getting the snake's dinner ready for him and he was almost out and ready to drop to the floor when they caught it. Always secure the latch of a snake's habitat. They are quick to notice that way out quite quickly.

That's my life as of late. Just normal, everyday mom stuff.

Holding Government Accountable

The Jamie Leigh Foundation is a non-profit organization formed to aid United States citizens who work for the government outside the U. S. who become victims of crimes by other U. S. citizens. The founder's name is Jamie Leigh Daigle who worked for Halliburton and was sent to Iraq in 2005 for the company. She was allegedly drugged and raped within four days of her arrival in Iraq by her coworkers at Halliburton/KBR (Kellogg Brown & Root). Nobody has been charged. The rape kit went missing after being handed over to KBR security officers (who was the idiot that allowed them to get it in the first place?) and then recovered with important pieces of evidence missing. The government has done nothing to bring this to trial or give this woman any justice at all. KBR, of course, is pushing for arbitration so none of this gets out into the public as it would with a trial.

For more on this story, click here.

To hear another story about a military mom who claims she was brutally raped while employed by KBR, click here.

If anybody would like to contact the United States Department of Justice, here's the web site.

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It's no wonder that our kids today aren't held accountable enough for their actions with teens beating other teens and other crimes by children across the nation seeming to go up (and that may just be because of the internet and the swiftness in which information can be sent now), but it seems that enough adults aren't being held accountable for their actions either.

Pepperjam Network

Join Pepperjam Network today!

I recently joined Pepperjam, the next generation in affiliate marketing. I hope to get some banners up soon. Don't worry. I won't put too many up here and turn the blog into one big advertisement, lol. I will offer links on stores I think people may be interested in for fun online shopping. Other than grocery shopping, I do all my xmas and birthday shopping online. I don't really enjoy going out into the masses to shop so online works out great for me!

Join Pepperjam Network today!

Looking for Recipes

I am looking for the best recipes for a few different foods. I would like the best recipe for turkey scallopini and apple cider vinaigrette dressing. I used to go to a restaurant that had the best turkey scallopini! Their salad dressing was the best I'd ever tasted too. Unfortunately, this restaurant burned down and never reopened. If anybody has any great recipes they'd like to share, I'd love it.

I would also love to know how Olga's makes their Olgasauce that they put on their Olga's and their snackers are awesome. Love it! Unfortunately, we moved so there isn't an Olga's restaurant near us anymore but if I could make something close to their sauce and snackers, it'd be wonderful.

I think I should go make myself some breakfast. I have food on the brain.

This Makes Me Sick

A two year old was fatally beaten with a video game controller by her mother's boyfriend in PA. The article states that the mother said her boyfriend had abused her child in the past. She also said that she heard her child scream after her boyfriend beat her.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE? This mother (and she doesn't deserve that title) KNEW her child had been abused by this man in the past and still allowed him access to her. Not only access but it sounded like unsupervised access since she heard her scream after being abused (not saw her scream). You don't leave your child in a room alone with somebody who had abused your child in the past! Also, the article states that the "mother" said her boyfriend had brought her the child limp and wet from trying to revive her in the tub. If the "mother" had heard her child scream after the abuse (before being dunked in the tub to revive her), why didn't the mother go see why her child was screaming?

The boyfriend is being charged with several counts. The mother is only being charged with endangering the welfare of a child. I'm sorry but if your toddler is being abused and you allow it to happen again, that mother deserves to be charged with more than that. She deserves some type of accomplice or manslaughter charge at least. You help kill your child when you let a person who has already abused your child around your child again and that child dies from that person's abuse! This mother is every bit as guilty as the boyfriend in my opinion for not protecting her child and for putting her into a situation that she knew was abusive already.

I don't get people. I really don't. If you can not nurture, love, and protect your children, you have no business having them. There are too many other loving, responsible people out there that want children and can't have them.

USA Today - 2 Year Old Fatally Beaten With Video Game Controller

We have six children but I wish I could take as many innocent kids as I could to save them from monsters like this and I don't just mean the boyfriend. I mean the "mother" too.

Being Lazy Is Hard

This past weekend was a good weekend. The weather was fantastic. Of course, the first few days of this kind of comfortable, sunny weather after a winter of snow, ice, and wind is always a great site to see. On Saturday, I kicked the soccer balls around with the kids outside (until one huge kick gave way to pain in my thigh, lol). On Sunday, we spent a couple hours at the horse stables watching my oldest have a lesson after her horse club meeting (they learned to braid manes). I kept crouching underneath the arena fence going in and out instead of using the gate. Again, pain through the thighs. Are you seeing a pattern here? I think I am out of shape!

Spring seems to make people think more about getting into shape, firming up some muscles and maybe dropping a few pounds. I should do all three but willpower is always an issue for me. I don't plan on getting into any bikinis this summer (I've had four kids; I think the days of bikinis are behind me) but it'd be nice to feel good in clothes this summer.

I'm not sure where some people find their willpower to keep going. I do it for a few days and then that's it. How do people do it?

I guess if I made it a point to run around kicking soccer balls everyday, it'd help. Maybe go for a walk with the baby after my other kids get on the bus. Being lazy certainly is difficult, lol. It would probably be easier if I spent a little time exercising and watching what I ate better rather than stewing over it instead. I think I waste more time thinking about it than it would to do it!

Starting Another Blog

I am starting another blog. We moved to Ohio about eight years ago and surprisingly, I love it here! I didn't think I would but I've definitely become a Buckeye. So, I am starting a blog called Everything Ohio. I will be blogging about businesses in Ohio, tourism in Ohio, and recreation in Ohio. I've just started it so it's definitely not a huge blog yet, but I hope it will be eventually.

As I start adding more to my new blog, I hope you will take the time and check it out!

ISR - To Save Children from Drowning?

I read on Witchy Mama today about ISR. ISR stands for Infant Swimming Resource. It is an organization dedicated to preventing infant drowning by teaching infants and children from age six months to six years how to swim and save themselves in an "accidental water encounter". Their web site says they've taught more than 160,000 children these skills and documented 784 cases where children have saved themselves.

Parent Testimonials

Watch this video! It is hard to watch for me as a mother so be prepared. You might get a little choked up.

Writing Music

I am surrounded by music writers. My husband is always writing music. In fact, he's on the computer writing some techno stuff right now. My kids write too. My six year old especially loves writing lyrics. She also loves to sing. The kids are putting a show on for us tomorrow. It's on "the schedule" already, lol.

My husband wrote me a really nice song a long time ago. It's my favorite but I have to have somebody transfer it from a tape cassette (I told you it was a long time ago) over to a CD so I can listen to it. He said he'd just re-record it for me but I want the original. It means a lot to me.

Changed domain on other blog

I've changed the domain for my step blog to its own dedicated URL. You can check it out at Stepfamily Sanctuary. It should forward just fine from the old link but www.stepfamilysanctuary.com is its new home.

The Medical Field

I used to work in a doctor's office setting appointments, taking patient histories, and then medical billing. The medical field is a great field to be in because medical personnel are always going to be needed. I believe there is more job security in the medical field. It's consistent and I believe wouldn't have the up and down cycles that other fields would.

One area of the medical field that I've thought about looking into is training for an x-ray technician. There is always going to be a need for an x-ray technician whether in a hospital or doctor's office. There are now even imaging centers as well that would employ in this field.

As an x-ray technician, I could have regular hours, a good salary, and job security. Everything I would like for my family and for myself in a career.

The Weekend is Here

The weekend is here. Everybody is mostly healthy. The house is ours - no company expected this weekend. My daughter and son have an environmental club activity to do tomorrow to clean up a park and then my daughter goes onto a horse club meeting later to learn to braid horses manes. The weather is supposed to be nice so we should be able to get outside. I'm looking forward to cuddling after the kids go to sleep and then sleeping in the next morning. No dreaded alarm clocks for us this weekend! I'm hoping it's going to be a nice weekend.

Keep Your Private Numbers Private!

I signed up for Brring about a month ago. Brring is a number you use to hand out to friends, family, associates (whoever you want to) instead of your personal number. The person dials your Brring number (instead of your personal number) and hears a very short ad before being forwarded to your personal number. This protects your private numbers AND makes you money. Every time somebody uses your number, you earn money. I didn't advertise it before because I wanted to make sure it worked. Well, my check for $12.70 is on its way to me. Yippee! That was in one month of use without a lot of handouts of the number to people (used for business purposes only so far). Imagine what I'd make if I used it for family and friends! You can also download your own custom ringback tone, which I did very easily.

Check it out and see how it works for you.

We're Potty Training

We are potty training our toddler right now. She's doing it mostly herself. She wasn't receptive to it when I bought the little potty that plays music for her and left it out (it eventually ended up in the garbage). She became more receptive with a Dora soft cushion seat (Dora is everything to my daughter right now) but not entirely sure still. So, I just left it out for her and she's started using it on her own. Once last week (to BIG cheers) and several times the past two days. She just wanted to do it herself on her own terms in her own time. The adults just had to get out of the way.

She is sitting on my lap right now in big girl underwear. I have to admit that does worry me a bit. I'm waiting for my lap to turn warm. Ugh.

Oh, she just ran to the bathroom. She's doing great!! On her own. Without me.

My baby is growing up.

Becoming A Writer

My husband wants me to write a book. He asked me a couple weeks ago if I was just going to waste my talent (he's biased though). He asked me last night to write some lyrics for his music for him. I've always wanted to write a book (don't think I could write song lyrics though). I've even started a few books at one time or another but never finished it. I still have ideas for books that I'd like to write but the insecurity of thinking I am not good enough always stops me in my tracks. I want to write children's books and horror novels. I've had poetry published and have written many articles but that great novel is still wanting to come out. I wonder if it will one day.

Botox on the Brain

I don't use Botox. I can't imagine letting somebody inject a poison into my face! It just sounds BAD. Anyway, there is a study that was just publicized indicating that Botox may not stay where it is injected. It may actually travel to the brain. In rats, brain cell activity was disrupted. They found toxins had traveled to areas that control long-term memory, spatial navigation, eye-head coordination and back to the eye. These affects aren't just present in the first few days but still present six months later!

Does that mean it is doing the same thing in humans? No. I'm sure there will be more studies now that will determine its affects on humans soon (I hope). However, if it is capable of travelling in rats and affecting brain cell activity, I sure wouldn't let anybody near my face with a needle full of Botox!

For more information:

Study Finds Botox May Move From Face to Brain

Botox toxin gets into rat brains

So before you run out for your next injection to fight nature, think about what it may be doing to you inside. What good is a pretty outside (if you think a face that doesn't form expressions is pretty) if your insides are being messed up?

I Don't Get It

A 12 year old danced nude in a Dallas strip club and the city can't revoke its license? I sure hope they find some charges to slap on this strip club. There are two individuals charged but what about the club? Why is it still open?

Dallas Can't Close Strip Club Where Girl, 12, Danced

Blog Addiction

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Lets101 Quizzes - fun Myspace quiz

Great Ride

I had a good ride on my daughter's horse today. It was my first time riding him. He is a large horse but his size, surprisingly, didn't phase me at all. If you know me and how much I worry about everything, this would be a big surprise to you too. He is a well-trained horse who is going to teach my daughter and me how to become good riders I think.

His previous owners couldn't keep him anymore so we got really lucky to be able to adopt him. As you can see, my daughter loves her big guy!

If you know of anybody looking for a trail horse, contact me through the comments section. There is a handsome black/white gelding looking for a job with the right person who has a loving home.

Speaking of Doctors...

How many of you put off routine medical services? Whether you don't have the time or have fear of the results or exam itself, do you do this? I know I do. I am a stickler about taking my kids to annual preventative exams and six month dental visits, but when it comes to me, I guess I neglect myself. I always have a reason why I don't go, none of which are good enough. I need to make a point to change this over the coming months and get myself into a doctor. I'm not getting any younger, lol.

Hair Dye Stained My Tub

My daughter has been asking for blue highlights for a long time. I've done fuschia before for her but never attempted blue. So I bought this product called Splat from Rite-Aid. You can use it with the included bleach (bleach first, then blue dye for intense color) or just blue dye for more subtle blue. I didn't use the bleach...I'm not bleaching an eleven year old's hair. So, I used the blue only on her hair (it washes out after six weeks supposedly). It was a messy process from start to finish. It stained whatever it touched so when some fell on the bathroom counter - blue stain. I used a Mr. Clean Eraser and got most of it off my counter. The shower was another story. Blue splashed everywhere in the water - up the walls and everything! I was rinsing and scrubbing with Soft Scrub and a Mr. Clean Eraser for what seemed like forever. The stains never fully lifted out in some areas. The bottom of the tub has a blue tinge to it. I was SO mad. My daughter was blue stained all down her back, legs, and feet. A lot of scrubbing and she got most of it off her skin where it was diluted with water when it stained (direct blue dye on her skin wouldn't come out which I expected and tried to cover all the bases by applying vaseline first but of course, I missed some spots).

We won't be buying this brand/product ever again. What a mess!! I'll go back to using the fuschia product (that isn't a Splat product) or black or something else. Never again blue from Splat.