Have you Voted?

Today is November 4, 2008, aka Election Day. Today the people of America will vote and the next president of the United States will be chosen.

I have voted. I voted early because I didn't want to wait in line today. Yeah, it kind of loses the thought in translation but at least I voted. I know some people who are registered to vote and "can't find the time" today to vote. It aggravates me but maybe one day they'll get it too.

I think America is so jaded by everything right now and we need a change. My fear is that no matter who's chosen that nothing will change and everything will be the same. We'll see what happens.

For now my message is this: GO VOTE! Do your part in being an American. :)

Discipline

I am not a main stream parent. I do not believe in spanking, hitting, yelling, etc to get your children to mind. Now, just because I do not believe in it doesn't mean that it doesn't happen sometimes. Yes, sometimes I loose my temper, and I do end up yelling at them, but I really try to prevent it.

I think what bothers me the most is hearing "You are a bad boy" or "You are bad". I know that sometimes it just happens to slip out to some people, but they don't realize how detrimental those words can be to a young child's self esteem.

Apparently they have never heard of self fulfilling prophecy. Self fulfilling prophecy is when a child is told something so often in his/her life that they make it come true. For example: let's say Tom is told repeatedly how horrible he is, how dumb he is, and how he'll never amount to anything. Because Tom has heard this his entire life, he'll make it come true; not because he isn't good enough, but because he doesn't think he'll ever be any different.

I think a child who hears how he/she is bad is just setting them up for failure and a low self esteem. The job as parents and caregivers is to help provide a stable, positive home environment; to help children grow emotionally and physically so they are good adults. I think that sometimes people forget that children are equals, not lesser people. Children deserve the same amount of respect as any other person in the world. To talk down to a child is teaching him/her to talk down to everyone they come in contact with as they grow. To talk down to a child is setting him/her up for a horribly low self esteem and problems for the rest of their lives.

Some people who read this may think I'm off my rocker, but this is how I think. This is how I parent. My children are equals to me. Yes I am Mommy, and I make the rules, and they should listen to me, BUT I consider them just as human as me with the same rights.

Cleaning

I hate cleaning, I really do. I don't mind cleaning up after my boys and myself but when it comes to other people who are perfectly capable of doing it themselves, I hate it.

I hate cooking for other people too, especially when they're picky and won't eat much, or always complain about what I'm cooking.

I spent all day yesterday doing laundry. To be perfectly honest, I started on Friday night because my diapers take forever to wash and I finished last night. I didn't have that much laundry to do but each wash for the diapers takes 2 hours and then each wash for normal clothes takes an hour and then I was doing stuff in between. Why does it seem like laundry never stops? I did most of it yesterday and there's more to do today. *sigh* I can't imagine doing everyone's in this house. I'd probably die from aggravation from doing laundry all of the time.

Okay now time for homework. I have a week from hell this week coming up.

National Blog Posting Month

Today kicks off the day for blogging for 30 days straight. I am going to try my hardest to do it and to not miss a day, unlike last year. I was doing really well last year until I decided to go spend the night at Kasey's and I missed it. Oh well, life happens. :)

Speaking of life, mine has been completely crazy but it's fun. The boys are awesome, Zach is still nursing (woohoo), and school is going well.

Here's to a month straight of blogging every day!

Cloth Vs. Disposable

I wrote this paper for my English class. I thought I would share it here for everyone to read.

Cloth Diapers Vs. Disposable Diapers

When a couple finds out that they are going to be parents, one baby item that is always needed is diapers. Soon-to-be parents start buying diapers from the beginning in order to have a stockpile since diapers are needed so often and so many are needed. Most parents go to the store and start buying disposable diapers, because they think that disposable diapers are their only choice. When parents hear the phrase “cloth diapers” they automatically assume that it is more expensive, more trouble, and not as absorbent as a disposable. Cloth diapers have changed since twenty years ago. Gone are the days of pins and wet clothes. While disposable diapers are what parents usually use, cloth diapers are just as convenient.

One of the first things parents think about is cost. They know that diapers are expensive and they are needed all of the time so there is no break in buying diapers. Many parents work buying diapers into a monthly budget and will allot a certain amount of money a month towards diapers. They think that disposable diapers are cheaper because the money will buy more. A box of disposable diapers is $40.00 for 100 diapers. Those diapers last two weeks before more have to be bought. A family with one baby can spend at least $80 a month on disposable diapers. If a family is struggling to make ends meet, that money towards diapers can mean the difference between having enough money to buy food or skimping on food for the month. As a whole, Americans spend $7 billion a year on diapers alone. That $7 billion can make a huge difference to a lot of families if it was saved every month instead of spent on diapers.

Cloth diapers are more expensive in the beginning but once a parent has enough, more do not have to be bought. Cloth diapers are a one-time investment and that is it. Once a parent has their stash of cloth diapers, there will not be any more late night store runs because the baby used up all of the diapers. One cloth diaper ranges from $10-$20 but that diaper can be washed and reused over and over again until the child is potty trained. Cloth diapering mamas recommend having no less than 8 cloth diapers for one day. Obviously a parent would have to do laundry, but having a baby means doing laundry so washing diapers is not much more work. Parents think that by washing another load of laundry, the electric and water bill will increase but in reality it only goes up a few cents a month.

Another thing parents like about disposable diapers is that they are easy to use. The caregiver takes the diaper out of the package, unfolds the diaper and places the diaper on the baby. The diaper is on, sometimes leak-proof, and the baby can get down and move around. After the diaper is soiled, the caregiver removes the diaper and throws the diaper away in the diaper pail and the process repeats. During a diaper change, sometimes diaper cream is used to heal or prevent a rash but the process is the same. The soiled diaper is removed, thrown away, and new diaper is put on with some diaper cream. The diaper changing process is done through out the day and even over night.

What most parents do not realize is that cloth diapers are just as convenient as disposable diapers. Most cloth diapers now are made with Velcro or snaps to secure the diaper on the child. Most cloth diapers are one diaper with no extra pieces needed for diaper changes. A parent takes the cloth diaper, unfolds it, puts it on the baby, and the baby can get down and run around. Leaks and messes are very uncommon with cloth diapers because they are more secure and fit the baby better. If the thought of messing with dirty diapers makes a parent shy away, there are disposable liners that can be thrown away or flushed. What most parents do not know is that with cloth diapers, very rarely is diaper cream needed because rashes are uncommon. When mixed with urine or feces, the perfumes in disposables cause bacteria to grow and can cause diaper rashes. In cloth diapers, there are no perfumes, chemicals, or additives so nothing is against the baby’s skin to cause a rash. Moisture is kept away from the baby’s skin better than in a disposable so it is more comfortable for a baby. The inside of a cloth diaper is mainly fleece or micro-fleece so it is extra soft to keep baby clean and dry.

Lastly, when parents decide between disposable diapers there is not much choice between colors and patterns. A parent gets a choice of Disney, Barney, or Blue’s Clues depending on which brand they decide to use. Most disposable diapers are white, gender neutral with a character on the front and back of the diaper. They are boring, dull and plain, but that is what is offered so a parent has to deal with it. If a certain brand does not work on your child, you have to buy another brand that is just as dull and boring. The outsides of diapers are not soft and often cause irritation to delicate baby skin.

What parents do not know is that there is an option in cloth diapers. A parent can get any color and any pattern of the rainbow on their diapers. There is a choice, and diapers can be bought to coordinate with outfits, seasons, likes, characters and softness. Most diapers are cotton outside which is soft and does not irritate the baby’s skin. Other diapers can be fleece, which is just as soft as cotton, and comes in more prints and patterns. Some diapers are mink, which feels like a blanket, and can help to keep the baby warm in the cold winter months. Cloth diapers can be custom made to fit what the parent likes, and to fit what the parent wants when it comes to a diaper. Some diapers can represent a favorite sports team, a favorite character or a favorite print. As babies turn into toddlers, diapers can be fun for them as well, especially if a diaper has their favorite cartoon character on it. With cloth diapers, there will be no more boring, dull, gender-neutral prints. Cloth diapers are fashionable and fun.

Disposable diapers have been the norm for years. Parents automatically grab disposable because they are “easier” and parents do not know better to change. Cloth diapers are just as easy, they are cheaper, and they are more fashionable than disposable diapers. Cloth diapers are also easier on sensitive baby skin than disposables, which cause rashes and irritations. As more parents become educated about cloth diapers, cloth diapers will become more popular. Eventually, cloth diapers will become a norm instead of a rarity.

Mac vs PC

I broke down. I did it. I finally made the switch from PC to Mac and I can say that I LOVE my Mac so far.

It takes some getting used to, to not have a right click mouse thing, or be able to touch the mouse pad to click and to have to figure out things but I like it. I really like how uncomplicated it is. Give me a few more weeks and I'll have an updated Mac vs PC blog entry but for now...that is all I know. :)

Now I'm obsessed with accessories for my laptop. I want a hard shell to protect the beauty of my laptop or maybe some type of pretty sleeve for it. I already have Office (which I need to install) but there are so many fun things I can do on this. I haven't even discovered all of it yet.

I'm happy with it. It makes me happy to have it. :)

Sleeping Angels Contest

My wonderful friend, Casey, linked me to a contest through 5 Minutes for Mom for a new bedroom set. This bedroom set is from Home and Bedroom Furniture and they are offering the South Shore Children's Bedroom Set in either Lily Rose or Summer Breeze. Seeing as I don't have any girls, obviously I'd choose the Summer Breeze. The ironic part about that bedroom set is that it was the one I wanted for Ray but I never bought because we were in Guam and it was too expensive to ship it over to us, even if we bought it through the Exchange.

In order to enter this contest you have to blog a picture of your sleeping angel(s) so here's my beautiful picture. Before I took this picture, I was in between the boys and when I got up, Ray moved towards Zach to get closer to him.





Thanks for looking!