My Daughter’s Life is Not for Profit

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Fact: Insulin was discovered and isolated in 1921, nearly 100 years ago by Sir Frederick Banting, Dr. Charles Best, and J.J.R. Mcleod.

Fact: In the Spring of 1922, Dr. Banting opened a private practice to treat diabetic patients, effectively saving their lives.

Fact: Prior to the discovery of insulin, diabetic patients were put on a starvation diet, which merely prolonged their lives.

Fact: Eli Lilly bought the patent on Frederick Banting’s first insulin for $1.00 almost 100 years ago. There have been advancements, but Lilly’s most commonly used form of insulin, Humalog was approved by the FDA in 1996 as a “fast acting” insulin.The cost has increased to over $400 per vial today.

Fact: Without insulin, a Type 1 diabetic like my daughter will die.

I am thankful that we have good insurance to help us cover these costs, but not everyone does. There are families who have to choose between paying for insulin and paying their rent or mortage. Like the EpiPen, the cost to consumers for these life-saving medications have increased by 400% or more. These companies have placed a price on people’s lives and I’m not okay with that.

My daughter’s life is not for profit. Please sign the petition. The makers of EpiPen are now under fire. The makers of insulin should be too.

http://www.petition2congress.com/21615/reduce-insulin-costs/piZap_1472937069778

No More Perfect Moms: January 1- New Year

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As per usual, I’m a couple days late starting a blog/photo challenge. Maybe working on my procrastination should be a New Years resolution. Then again, I can always put it off until next year.

For the month of January, I’m participating in the No More Perfect Moms photo challenge. I don’t know much about Hearts at Home, I’ve never read their books or blogs, but I saw this photo challenge and think it’s a great idea.

So here we go. This is how I started my New Year. I went to bed at 10:00pm. Exciting, huh? I didn’t ring in 2016 at a fancy party or all dolled up. I slept through it with my 6 year old daughter by my side, and snapped this pic when I woke up.

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How did you ring in 2016?

 

My Kids Don’t Always Wear Clothes That Match, and I’m Okay With That

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I came across this article on Facebook this morning, and one of them hit home with me. As a kid whose mom made them wear matching clothes whether they were comfortable or not, and who was forced to dress as a doctor instead of a ballerina for Kindergarten Career Day, I’m taking a different route. Here’s the link to the original article if you’re interested in reading it:

These Battles Just Aren’t Worth Fighting, According To Real Parents.

I absolutely don’t battle my kids on their clothes. My husband and I decided, that for us, it wasn’t worth the stress. Believe me, if they go to school looking like they picked the most random, quirky, mismatched outfits ever, their teachers know they dressed themselves. As long as it isn’t a huge distraction, they’ll laugh about it with you.

It was never really an issue with our son (7). He likes to match. Our daughter (5) though, she’s our free spirit. She wants to wear what she wants to wear and she thinks she looks fabulous. Does it hurt anything for her to wear a frilly yellow and white lace dress with black boots and jean shorts? No. As long as all her bits are covered and she’s warm or cool enough, we let her be. She’s proud of her little outfits and who are we to squish that self confidence in a 5 year old? Look at her, running around and being a happy kid!

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I hope she stays this way.

I hope by us encouraging her and not comparing her to the other little girls in matching outfits (which are very cute and that’s okay to wear too), that I’m building her confidence enough for her to know she doesn’t have to be like all the other girls. That it’s okay to be different. It may not matter now, but down the road, following the crowd isn’t always a good thing. When they’re little, we try to teach them to be like all the other little kids. When they’re teenagers, we pull the old “If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you” on them. Well of course they would! That’s what we beat into their little heads from the time they are born.

Conform!

Don’t you want to wear pretty outfits like Susie?

Let them be different. Let them be them. Seeing their little personalities shine through is amazing. If it makes them happy and it isn’t detrimental to them or anyone else, let them express themselves. It’ll make for excellent pictures to embarrass them with when they’re older.

Man’s Best Friend: Women or Dogs

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Yesterday was both National Dog Day and Women’s Equality Day. I don’t know about you, but my social media feeds were full of cute canines. Here’s mine for the record, the big goof:

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He’s 9, but looks and acts like a youngster still.

Do you know how many posts I saw about Women’s Equality Day yesterday? Two. That’s right, two. Now, I know that dogs are important. They’re part of the family. We look at them as furry kids or siblings. They impact our lives in amazing ways. They impact the present. What about the future? Shouldn’t the future be equally as, if not more important than the present?

Our dogs aren’t going to teach our daughters to know their value. They aren’t going to teach them that being raped isn’t their fault, no matter what they were wearing. They aren’t going to teach our kids the importance of consent and that “no means no”. They’ll teach them a bit of responsibility if we make the kids care for them. They’ll teach them to love and be kind to animals, but that’s about it. There are many other vital lessons to be taught, and our dogs can’t do that. They’re dogs.

We as mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and friends have to step up. Teach our girls that their opinions are every bit as valid as our boys’. We have to teach our boys that it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to wear pink if you like it. It’s okay if you’d rather be a nurse than a doctor. None of this makes you less of a man. We need to let our children be themselves and love them unconditionally for it. Above all, we need to teach them to treat one another as well or better than they treat the family dog. To be kind and compassionate to their fellow humans. It might just make this world a little better.

So why were there so many posts about dogs yesterday and so few about Women’s equality? If you ask me, there are two reasons:

  1. Dogs are cute and fluffy and make everyone happy
  2. Equality discussions (women’s or otherwise) show us that even though we’ve made progress, we still have a long way to go. And that makes us uncomfortable.

What do you think? What was the ratio of dog posts vs. equality posts on your news feeds yesterday? I’m sure I wasn’t the only one with such a huge gap.

First Day of School

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It’s that time of year again. Time for new backpacks and the smell of crayons. Am I the only weirdo that loves the smell of crayons? Or school supplies in general? Yes. Okay then.

For many kids, this is the beginning of the new school year. In our house, we now have a second grader and a [gasp] kindergartner. My baby girl starts school tomorrow and I’m bittersweet about it. I’m happy that she’s excited. I’m happy that I’ll have more time to get things done around the house and write. Maybe I’ll even look for a day job. But she’s my baby! She’s my snuggly little cuddle bug who likes to start her mornings in my lap. To be honest, I’ll have a harder time with the transition than she will.

As we dropped my son off for his first day of second grade today, he actually gave me a hug. In public. Right in front of the whole school. I’m afraid this might be the last year he does that. He’s already pulling away from hugs and snuggles at home. Hugging me in public is almost unheard of. I held on to him a little longer than he probably wanted, but hey, I didn’t kiss him because I know he doesn’t really like that anymore. I should be given a medal for showing that level of restraint.

So here’s to all of you who are like me. Let us shed a tear over the fact that our babies are growing up, but enjoy going to the bathroom without being walked in on! Have a great first day!

What’s Old is New Again

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It’s been said before that Hollywood is out of original ideas. I disagree. Remakes and reboots have been around for years. This isn’t a new phenomenon. I think it’s simply that we talk about it more thanks to social media. Films and television shows adapted from books and plays are nothing new.

How many versions of Shakespeare’s work have been turned into films or TV shows? “Romeo and Juliet” alone has been done countless times.

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Films and shows adapted from comic books? Do you think this is a new thing? Guess again.

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We’ve also had G.I. Joe movies, Transformers, and a very unfortunate Masters of the Universe. Now we’re getting Jem and the Holograms in a live action film, a Point Break remake (let’s hope it’s better than the Red Dawn remake), and another National Lampoon’s Vacation flick.

I’m actually excited about the Jem film. I mean, I was a little girl in the 1980s, and the hair and makeup are pretty on point.

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So yes, they are remaking and rebooting franchises. They are taking things from our childhoods and turning them into films. This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. Let’s cut them some slack and enjoy the nostalgia. I know I will.

What reboot, remake, sequel, or prequel are you looking forward to?

Mama Bear’s Playlist: “You Really Got Me” by The Kinks

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Time to redeem myself after my “Xanadu” post. For the letter “y”, we’re going way back to 1964. I wasn’t even a glimmer in anyone’s eye yet. Van Halen has a pretty awesome cover of this song which is usually preceded by “Eruption” when it’s played on the radio. I actually prefer the version by The Kinks. If you haven’t listened to anything by The Kinks, please go look them up. The have some really great tunes that can be appreciated by anyone, young or old.

Mama Bear’s Playlist: “Xanadu” by Olivia Newton John

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So, a day late and a song short. I will admit that I had no songs on my playlist that began with the letter “x”. There aren’t many song titles for this letter. “Xanadu” was the first thing that came to mind. Believe it or not, I have watched the film “Xanadu”. I can’t tell you much about it other than it is about the muses and has some roller skating, both of which can be seen in this super-snazzy video.

Mama Bear’s Playlist: “Wanna Be a Baller” by Lil’ Troy

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Soooo this is on my playlist. I won’t apologize for it. I had an ex-boyfriend who played the hell out of this song. Dude was never going to be a baller. He was the biggest redneck ever. This song apparently stuck with me though. I had to give a little love to hip-hop. I do listen to more than just 90s rock and 80s pop. Expand your horizons. Listen to a different genre today than you normally do.

What’s a song that your friends would be surprised to find on your playlist? Leave a comment and tell me!