Who needs a plumber? Not me!

So today I went out with my mom, she insisted on getting the replacement parts that I needed for the toilets.

That was a good thing, the bad part was when the guy in the toilet section of HD basically said that I couldn't do it because I'm female, I was like "Excuse me?". Yeah, not such a good idea for that guy.  I wanted so badly to just hit him across the jaw and shut him up. Why do some men do that?

Anyway, I got to work on the toilet in the hallway and found that I was able to fix it without replacing the parts.

I cleaned it out by using some vinegar then I adjusted the float level which reduced how much water is in the tank. So far it hasn't made that awful flushing sound that it was making.  The other toilet on the other hand...it needs to be gutted and possibly replaced.

Not a bad evening...tomorrow I need to pick up a few tools and price toilets so I know what I need to save up so I can replace the toilet if I have to.


More later, this gal needs sleep.


< /RANT >

It's gonna be a long year....

Father's day, his birthday, my birthday, Bug's birthday, 1st day of second grade, Thanksgiving, Christmas, our 16th anniversary, New Years Eve, Mother's Day....that's what my love will be missing as far as dates go...everything else is priceless, tooth loss, day trips, 1st camping trip for Bug, apple/peach picking...so much will be missed...we miss him so much...

For those of you that have your loved ones at home with you, hold them close and remember that men and women like my husband are out there making sure that you CAN be with your loved ones tonight while myself and other spouses like me go to bed alone in a cold bed, wake up alone in the middle of the night, are deprived of their touch, their smile, their scent, sex...and our children are deprived of their parents, like Bug's without her daddy...

We sacrifice a lot everyday.

You don't know our names, you see our faces but not our tears. My heart breaks when Bug asks me "When is daddy coming home?" All I can tell her is next April..which is the truth.

Strider said that he may not even be able to come home on leave at all while's out there.  And now he tells me that the 2 years IA out there not longer counts as 2 years sea time! When did the change that and why?  Even the Chief's I've spoken to since he left have all said it still counts as 2-3 years sea time, so either they're out of the look, misinformed or someone's lying through their teeth to Strider. It all comes down to what it says on his orders...he's not over there IA...he's been PCS'd there...which means it's only 1 year of sea time, so he'll owe 3.

I wish he could have been there today for Bug's speech therapy session today so he could have heard it right form the therapist that she has weak lips instead of from me.  I know that sounds odd, but there are times when I wish he was here to hear what the doctors have to say.

So, Bug needs to do lip exercises three times a day, and she'll be having therapy 2-3 days a week for a few months to see if it helps.  I really hope it does.  I do plan on talking to her doctor, once she's assigned a new one, about the problem and see if we need to see a neurologist about it. I just want to know what could have caused the weakness in her lips.  Was it something that could have been avoided had the hospital treated me correctly when I went in with a fever of 103+? Was it one of the 103+ degree fever's she's had over the past few years? Could the weakness in her lips and the issue with her eyes be related? There are so many frightening causes for this sort of thing that I really want a good solid answer from a neurologist...we need piece of mind.


It's going to be a long year...


< /RANT >

Prayers for Oklahoma

As a parent I've had the nightmare that I can't get to Angie, that's she's arms length away, or behind an invisible wall, in a place that should be safe, so many night I've woken up shaking from that very nightmare...

A parent isn't supposed to outlive their children...the pain is not something you can describe, the tears of a mother who lost her child aren't easily dried, the broken heart of a parent that lost their child isn't easily mended...

I can't even begin to imagine what the parents of the children that were in the Plaza Towers Elementary School are going through right now. So many children around the age of Bug were injured or killed in a tornado that ripped through Oklahoma yesterday.

My chest hurts just thinking about it, the tears that sting my eyes are for those parents who've lost their children in this great tragedy.

May the Gods be with the people of Oklahoma as they go through this most troubled of times. May the children that were taken at far too young an age be welcomed into the after life with open arms. I pray the parents have some peace in this, their darkest hour.


< /RANT >

Military Wife & A Mom...

Co-parenting is difficult when one parent is away, I can say this from experience. Yes, there is a comparison, in a small part, to being a single parent, in the respect that you're alone doing it all state side while your spouse is off in a foreign country where he or she could possibly get hurt or killed. So yes, there is a lot of stress, between the deployed member being gone, the kid(s), bills, house, family and everything in between. It may feel as though you're a single parent, but in reality you're not, even though your spouse may be gone, they're still there when they can be to talk to you. Having no one here to help during a crisis, tantrums, fights in school, illness' surgeries....yes, it hard as hell doing it ALL alone. Last year Strider was gone for 6 months, home for a little over five months and now gone for a YEAR.

When the spouse is gone you can't always wait for a response on how to handle a situation, I know that when kids are young you can't wait to decide what disciplinary actions should be taken, you do what you feel is right then tell your partner later. That's what I have to with Strider gone, that's what ALL military parents do, the ones I know that is. Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs you'll ever have, especially when you're married to the military, this comes from 15 years of marriage to a military man and 7 years as a mom.

While they're gone you may feel inadequate, vulnerable, alone, scared...it's all normal and natural to feel that way when you're tossed into a situation that's new to you. Just breathe, and ask for help. Your civilian friends won't get it, they'll try to compare their husbands going away for a weekend to what you're going through. Your family may not get it, unless you come from a military family. Some other military wives will be there to support you, and some will be three to tear you apart.

Remember this, you're perfect, you're more than adequate, you're strong, you're brave, you're NOT ALONE.

The separation is only the beginning, to be honest. The homecoming is just as hard, sometimes harder. They have to readjust to life state side, to the way the house runs, how the kids act...everything. After they get re-acclimated and re-acquainted with the family, then you get to try to go back to the way it was before he left, that can be rough.

And Gods forbid if they come home wounded, that's a whole other ball game.

When I hear or see women who are married to deployed soldiers call themselves single moms, I want to slap them, they're not single moms, they're wives and moms of the military!

Hold your head up high, stand proud of who you are and what you do! And remember this, you're what gives them the strength, courage and drive to fight for our freedom, you're the reason why he comes home, you and the children! I know Strider will be coming home to me and Bug, and I know that he misses us and that he loves us.



< /RANT >

Self reliance in a can...

This past weekend I canned stewed tomatoes (8 half pints) and four pounds of pickled beets(13 half pints), I still have four pounds of beets to pickle.

Over the next two weeks I'll be canning 20 pounds of carrots, 60+ ears of corn, potatoes, green beans, pasta sauce, fire roasted peppers and who knows what else.

Now that the pantry is empty of the manufactured veggies, jams, jellies and so on, I can finally restock with the homemade all natural stuff. By the time I'm finished we should have about 6 months worth stocked up, if not more. I also plan on making my own juices sometime this summer, and canning those as well.

Bug loves helping with the canning, she gets to snack on the stuff as we make it. My mom's been a big help with this as well, she's been helping with the supplies since she wants me to can stuff for her too. This will help us out a lot, and make it so we're more self-reliant.

We already made strawberry preserves this year and have plans to make more kinds. We're planning on making blueberry, black berry, and boysenberry. Not to mention spiced apples, apple sauce, apple butter and sliced peaches.

Sure, it's a lot of work, but the end result is well worth it, especially when it means more time spent with Bug and teaching her as well as having fun. Not to mention the fun of going to the farms and picking the fruits ourselves, that's always a blast!

So, between the canning and all the fun day trips we have planned, this summer should not only be a blast for Bug and I, but it should also go by quickly, and the quicker it goes by the better. And when Strider gets home we won't have to worry about much as far as fruits and veggies.

I'm also planning on fixing up the back yard, if I can, as well as digging a fire pit.


< /RANT >

Kids and televisions...

Are the kids of today really that hooked on the television that they have no idea what to do without one? Bug has a friend over who has asked me several times of we have T.V. cause she wanted to watch it, she seemed shocked that we had none, that we had cancelled our cable. She even went so far as to ask what Bug does without one.

Well, Bug does crafts, draws, paints and even sculpting with clay.  Why are kids today so dependent on the television for entertainment? Do the parents really not do things with their kids and leave them to watch the television all the damned day?

When we were at dinner with L and her girls, she didn't seem happy when she heard that Summer vacation starts in about a month or so.  Guess she doesn't know what to do with her girls, but as she said, she wants to get a job so she doesn't have to be around them all the time. Honestly, I'm looking forward to it! It means lots of time with my Bug to go out and do things. Hiking, going on day trips and so much more.

Maybe I'm odd, but actually enjoy the days off that Bug has from school, the weekends and especially the summer.  Yet another summer without Strider, but we'll make it good, even if it's hard.


< /RANT >

Prostylization banned by the Pentagon...

An article is circulating about how the government is making it illegal to prostylize your religion. While there are people who feel this is wrong of them to do...I agree with what the government is trying to do. You can read it here.

There are a lot of people who are against this, saying that it goes against our constitutional rights. Where in the constitution does it say that we can forcibly convert others to out faiths? Can someone please show me where it says that? It's not there, that's why no one can show it to me, or to you for that matter.

What the government is trying to stop is when they try to convert people to their religion. When they prostyltized the Native Americans, or any other peoples of different faith, it was a "convert or die" mentality, they did the same thing to the pagans, even going so far as building their churches on the sites if temples and places of strength for other faiths.

I think the government is trying to avoid that from happening again, especially with all the "home grown" terrorists that have been "converted" to the Muslin beliefs. And in that respect I completely agree with what they're trying to do. This isn't just about Christianity or Catholicism  it's about ALL religions.

Now if you look at it all from a different perspective, this could cause "witch hunts" of people who are accused of prostltizing their faith(s). I don't want to see more blood spilled because of religion, if it's a belief of tolerance and love, then why, tell me why, is there so much strife over what people believe? Yes, we should have freedom of religion, but we don't. What we have are faiths that demean and attack other faiths. My religion is attacked all the time, back in the late 1600's people were burned for little more then fear. Most of them were healers or midwives yet they were burned at the stake as witches...why?

If you look at the Christian and Catholic religion historically, they have a very bad habit of raping, murdering and burning people just to get them to convert.

Have a look at what different religions do - (from Wikipedia)

Bahá'í Faith

In the writings of the Bahá'í Faith, the endeavor to attract people to the religion is strongly emphasized. The process of attracting people to the religion is referred to as teaching. The term proselytism is given the connotation of aggressively teaching the religion to others, and is prohibited.

Every Bahá'í has the obligation of teaching their religion, as it is seen as the path toward bringing peace and justice to the world. Some Bahá'ís move to other countries or cities where there are a small number of Bahá'ís to help spread the religion, and this is called pioneering. Some other Bahá'ís move from place to place in a process called travel teaching.

When moving or traveling to other countries Bahá'ís are encouraged to integrate into their new society and apply Bahá'ís principles in living and working with their neighbors. In total, however, only a small minority of Bahá'ís are directly teaching their religion to others.

Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, wrote that those who would be teaching his religion should emphasize the importance of ethics and wisdom, and he counseled Bahá'ís to be unrestrained and put their trust in God. At the same time he stated that Bahá'ís should exercise moderation, tact and wisdom and not be too aggressive in their teaching.

In sharing their faith with others, Bahá'ís are cautioned to make sure the person they are proposing to teach is open to hearing what they have to say. In most countries becoming a Bahá'í is a simple matter of filling out a card stating a declaration of belief. This includes acknowledgment of Bahá'u'llah as the messenger of God for this age, awareness and acceptance of his teachings, and intention to be obedient to the institutions and laws he established. It does not necessarily involve negating on one's previous beliefs, due to the Bahá'í belief in progressive revelation.

Christianity

Many Christians consider it their obligation to follow what is often termed the Great Commission of Jesus, recorded in the final verses of the Gospel of Matthew: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

The Acts of the Apostles and other sources contain several accounts of early Christians following this directive by engaging in individual conversations and mass sermons to spread the Good News.

Evangelical Christians often use the term "witnessing" to mean discussing one's faith with another person with the intent of proselytism.

Most self-described Christian groups have organizations devoted to missionary work which in whole or in part includes proselytism of the non-religious and people of other faiths (including sometimes other variants of Christianity).

Some Christians define "proselytism" more narrowly as the attempt to convert people from one Christian tradition to another; those who use the term in this way generally view the practice as illegitimate and in contrast to evangelism, which is converting non-Christians to Christianity. An Eastern Orthodox writer, Stephen Methodius Hayes has written: "If people talk about the need for evangelism, they meet with the response, 'the Orthodox church does not proselytize' as if evangelizing and proselytism were the same thing." However the boundary varies from group to group. For instance the Moscow Patriarchate has repeatedly strongly condemned what it describes as Catholic proselytism of Orthodox Christians within Russia and has therefore opposed a Catholic construction project in an area of Russia where the Catholic community is small. The Catholic Church claims that it is supporting the existing Catholic community within Russia and is not proselytizing.

Recently, the Balamand declaration on proselytism was released between the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches.

Groups vnoted for proselytism include:

Anglican
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jews for Jesus
Roman Catholi
Seventh-day Adventists
Southern Baptist Convention
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Indian religions

Buddhist proselytism at the time of king Ashoka (260-218 BC), according to the Edicts of Ashoka Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism are largely pluralistic. Hinduism places faith in a Vedic proclamation which states that "Truth is One, though the sages know it by many names"; Hinduism has no conversion/re-conversion rituals whatsoever—one is free to choose any religion he/she wants, follow any philosophy or belief one fancies and worship any god in a manner he/she deems fit. Religion for a Hindu is merely a path to a universal destination. This is inherently due to the karmic nature of the religion: you will reap what you sow. It is also not uncommon for Hindus to visit holy men of other religions.

Mahavira (599-527 BC), the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, developed an early philosophy regarding relativism and subjectivism known as Anekantavada. As a result of this acceptance of alternate religious practices, the phenomenon of proselytization is largely absent in these religions but not unknown.

Hare Krishna

One group that takes in willing converts in Hinduism, but without calumniating other faiths, is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness also known as Hare Krishnas. Devotees of the Krishna Consciousness have no codified rituals of conversion, but promote recitation of the Hare Krishna mantra as a means to achieve a mature stage of love of God. ISKCON adherents view Krishna as the supreme deity that those of other faith traditions worship.

A commonly accepted notion among Krisna Consciousness devotees is that ISKCON allows one to recognize the primacy of the supreme deity, Krishna, in the practices and traditions of other faiths. Krishna Consciousness promotes the concept of Sanatana-Dharma, the 'eternal law' that other faiths can uncover.

Sikhism is a proselytizing religion, however, proselytism is largely discouraged "through force or inducement" out of the belief that each person has a fundamental right to practice their religion freely. Although Sikhs freely share their faith with others, offending other religions is against the tenets of Sikhism. However, Sikhism does accept voluntary converts.

Islam

In Islam, inviting people to the religion is a meritorious activity. The Qur'an states "Let there be no compulsion in the religion: Surely the Right Path is clearly distinct from the crooked path." Al-Baqarah which is taken by Muslim scholars that force is not to be used to convert someone to Islam.

According to Abul Ala Maududi there are those who view proselytism to Islam as a religious duty of all faithful Muslims and that Jihad, religious war, should be waged against Jews and Christians because they are guilty of "committing Shirk", non-Islamic beliefs about the Day of Judgment, and by ignoring laws of Islam. "The Messenger of Allah invited the Arabs to accept Islam for 13 years. He used every possible means of persuasion, gave them "incontrovertible arguments and proofs", showed them "miracles" and put before them his life as an example of piety and morality. In short, he used every possible means of communication, but his people refused to accept Islam. When every method of persuasion had failed, the Prophet took to the sword. That sword removed evil mischief, the impurities of evil and the filth of the soul. The sword did something more—it removed their blindness so that they could see the light of truth, and also cured them of their arrogance; arrogance which prevents people from accepting the truth, stiff necks and proud heads bowed with humility."

The Hadith (Muhammad's words) describes the following, " ... Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war, do not embezzle the spoils; do not break your pledge. When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withhold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them. Then invite them to migrate from their lands to the land of Muhajirs and inform them that, if they do so, they shall have all the privileges and obligations of the Muhajirs. If they refuse to migrate, tell them that they will have the status of Bedouin Muslims and will be subjected to the Commands of Allah like other Muslims, but they will not get any share from the spoils of war or Fai' except when they actually fight with the Muslims (against the disbelievers). If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya (penalty tax). If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them. When you lay siege to a fort and the besieged appeal to you for protection in the name of Allah and His Prophet, do not accord to them the guarantee of Allah and His Prophet, but accord to them your own guarantee and the guarantee of your companions for it is a lesser sin that the security given by you or your companions be disregarded than that the security granted in the name of Allah and His Prophet be violated."

Judaism

Unlike in the Hellenistic era (Second Temple Judaism), in the modern era most branches of Judaism do not actively proselytize to non-Jews. Instead non-Jews are encouraged to follow Noahide Law, which is said to assure a place in the World to Come.

Some groups, however, will encourage nonobservant Jews to be observant, such as Aish HaTorah or Chabad. Many branches of Judaism are open to the conversion of the non-Jewish spouses of already existing mixed marriages to convert to Judaism. Orthodox Judaism in theory, neither encourages or discourages conversion, however their standards for conversion can be very challenging but persistent and sincere requests for conversion are conducted.

Currently the Dor Deah branch of Orthodoxy is the only group known to actively encourage the proselytizing of Gentiles to Judaism. Today there is no official Dor Dai movement, but the term is used for individuals and synagogues within the Yemenite community (mostly in Israel) who share the original movement's perspectives.

Propriety

Views on the propriety of different types of proselytism differ radically. Some feel that freedom of speech should have no limits and that virtually anyone, anywhere should have the right to talk about anything they see fit. Others see all sorts of proselytism as a nuisance and an intrusion and would like to see them restricted (either completely or to a limited arena). Thus, Prof. Natan Lerner of Tel Aviv University observes that the issue is one of a clash of rights—the perceived right of a person to express his or her views versus the perceived right of a person not to be exposed to views that he or she does not wish to hear.

Some don't mind preaching but are concerned if the speech is accompanied by material benefits (e.g., a soup kitchen that provides food, but only under the condition that the recipients listen to an evangelical discourse) or new converts are given material benefits not available to those who don't convert. Others are concerned if the preaching is aimed at children without the knowledge and consent of the parents.

Exclusivity

Many religions, including Christianity and Islam, believe that their religion is the One true faith. Judaism discourages active proselytism and maintains an exclusivity doctrine on adherence while Christianity and Islam both doctrinally advocate active proselytism, while discouraging converts from maintaining multiple adherence’s or apostasy.

Legal standpoint

From a legal standpoint (international, as well the European Union, or nationally India, Canada and United States), there do appear to be certain criteria in distinguishing licit from illicit proselytism. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 18 states,

Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.

Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.

The first amendments to the constitutions of United States and India, the European Union Charter of Human Rights and the Canadian Charter of Right and Freedoms provide that all people have: the right to have religious beliefs (or to not have religious beliefs) (Freedom of Religion) the right to form organizations for the purpose of worship, as well as for promoting their cause (Freedom of Association); and the right to speak to others about their convictions, with the purpose of influencing the others. (Freedom of Speech).

By the same token, these very rights exercise a limiting influence on the freedoms of others. For instance, the right to have one's religious (or non-religious) beliefs presumably includes the right not to be coerced by the government into changing these beliefs by threats, discrimination, or similar inducements.

Proselytism is considered inappropriate, disrespectful, and offensive by some individuals. As such, it is not protected in certain environments open to the public or are owned privately: government buildings, public education (grade schools and college campuses), the workplace and private properties like ones' home or front yard. These environments, due to either their openness or privacy, are often where proselytism takes place and can come from a variety of sources depending on the environment (e.g., students or teachers in schools and colleges, coworkers or employers, office workers, family members, or neighbors in a community).

Limits on proselytism is a combination of what is considered legal (and this varies from country to country) and what is considered moral or respectful (and this varies from person to person).

Some countries such as Greece prohibited all proselytism until 1994 when Jehovah's Witnesses were legally recognized as a religion and allowed to preach. Some countries such as Morocco prohibit it except for Islam and in Canada or certain parts of the USA, socio-cultural norms suggest proselytism is improper. Some restrict it in various ways such as prohibiting attempts to convert children or prohibit offering physical benefits to new converts.

Religious groups also draw lines between what they are willing to do or not do to convert people. For instance the Catholic Church in Ad Gentes states that "The Church strictly forbids forcing anyone to embrace the Faith, or alluring or enticing people by worrisome wiles." The World Council of Churches in The Challenge of Proselytism and the Calling to Common Witness states the following: (Note: this document uses proselytism in the negative sense only.)

Proselytism as described in this document stands in opposition to all ecumenical effort. It includes certain activities which often aim at having people change their church affiliation and which we believe must be avoided, such as the following: making unjust or uncharitable references to other churches’ beliefs and practices and even ridiculing them; comparing two Christian communities by emphasizing the achievements and ideals of one, and the weaknesses and practical problems of the other; employing any kind of physical violence, moral compulsion and psychological pressure e.g. the use of certain advertising techniques in mass media that might bring undue pressure on readers/viewers; using political, social and economic power as a means of winning new members for one’s own church; extending explicit or implicit offers of education, health care or material inducements or using financial resources with the intent of making converts; manipulative attitudes and practices that exploit people’s needs, weaknesses or lack of education especially in situations of distress, and fail to respect their freedom and human dignity.


< /RANT >