Monday, February 27, 2006

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

My oldest son, Russell is pretty quick. I am surprised at how quickly children learn to articulate themselves. He is only 30 mos. and he says things like, "Thank you for showing me that." when I show him something new or his grandpa shows him what he is working on. If I am working on something and do not give my full attention, he will turn my face to him and say, "Look in my eyes. Give me attention!". I am amazed at how well he expresses himself.

My youngest son, Connor, is a little mimic. We had watched the movie Madagascar and during one of the menus, a character says a few phrases that are on a loop. We had forgotten to turn off the surround sound, so you could hear this character while we ate dinner. So, every few minutes you would hear the character say, "Get me out of here, right NOW!" and Connor would repeat, "Right NOW!" and then the character would say, " Anybody out there? Somebody?" and Connor would repeat, "Somebody?". Without fail he would repeat the same lines. Even with his mouth full. If I am reprimanding Russell, telling him now or calling his name, Connor will repeat me, with perfect tone and inflection. It is most amusing to get him to say slang phrases like, "Wassup?" he does it with the same growl and hanging out his tongue. He says, "Cool dude!" and "Awesome!".

My most heartstopping moment was a few days ago. If you have children, you know what I mean when I say the following. You know how when your child is babbling away to themselves while playing, and you don't really hear specifics? You kind of tune it out. I was reading to Connor, and in the background I hear, "... babble, babble, babble... DUMB F*CK... babble..." I whipped my head around and asked Russell to repeat what he just said. "I am playing with my DUMB F*CK mommy." He says with this innocent little voice. So, I had to ask him to repeat himself one more time. So, he says, "I am playing with my DUMB F*CK." and lifts up his DUMP TRUCK. Whew! I am just glad my MIL and/or SIL were absent during this little episode.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Kill The Tax-Man!


It's that time of year again. The time when good ol' skeezy Uncle Sam starts patting down the country's working poor for the last bits of change in their pockets. If you are unlucky enough to be in a family, where the sole breadwinner is a commercial fisherman, it is an even leaner time of year.

You see, there are two types of commercial fishermen. There are the boat owners who have alot of tax right-offs and deductions just from the upkeep of a boat. Then you have the crew members, who don't have any right offs and not enough deductions to make a difference, but are in the same tax bracket as the guys who do. My husband is in the second catagory. Every year, it feels like the government is stripping us down at our lowest moment of the year. I scrimp and save and we never have enough when it's time to pay Big Brother. Then, we endure a year of warnings of "Intent To Levy" as we barely make each payment. I have written letters to our governor and senators to change the tax laws, but no one seems to care. I am hoping my husband will get a land job, because the money in fishing just isn't what it used to be and hasn't for a long time. It seems like we make alot on paper at the end of the year, but when you don't get paid on a schedule (a couple thousand here, then three months of no money and maybe six hundred there), and then are expected to pay the government 10 grand when you are barely able to pay basic bills, well... it just isn't fair.

I want to get out of debt so bad. I haven't been to the doctor since my youngest was born (I'm diabetic and cannot afford insurance), reuse some medical supplies to make it stretch, shop at the Salvation Army for clothes (thank goodness they get alot of nice stuff), and only shop sale items at the grocery store. I don't know what else to do. I am considering a debt consolidation company to help with the credit card debt (used them when we had no money and taxes due) and I am looking into "Offer and Compromise". I just cross my fingers and pray for good pay and maybe a few forgiving debt collectors. Things are getting a little tight and it's still pretty cold out.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

The BEST Brownies!

These are the best brownies I have ever made. It's like having my two favorite desserts in one: rich cheesecake and fudgy brownies. Easy too, because you use a brownie mix so it is quick to whip up and when you have kids, easy is appreciated. I made these for my FIL's birthday today and he loved them. I think I am going to make them for my husband when he gets home from crabbing.


Cheesecake Topped Brownies
Ingredients:
1 (21 1/2 oz) package brownie mix
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese; softened
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Prepare brownie mix according to the directions on the package. Spread into prepared baking pan. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and cornstarch until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture evenly over brownie batter. Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Allow to cool, and cut into bars.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

We Need Vigilante Justice!

Well, I had written a great post under the same title, and it seems to have disappeared. I would find it, copy and paste it into the page to repost it, it would be there for a few hours, and then it would be gone. I am starting to wonder if someone doesn't like my viewpoint on child molesters and the judges who keep releasing them to reoffend over and over again. So, I will try to rewrite it from memory now, since it disappeared for the fourth time and I have been unsuccessful at retrieving it. Bastards!

Have you had the opportunity to catch Dateline's series "To Catch A Predator"? They set up a sting and in three days, had over 50 sleazy, worthless scumbags show up looking to rape a 12-13 year old boy or girl (depending on the pervs preference). Some were violent repeat offenders who were suppose to be in "rehab" and "cured" while on parole. Obviously, the ignorant drivel of hobby psychologists is so wrong as to be criminal itself. In fact, if all crackpot psychologists and lazy judges, had to sit through a trial, where a pedophile was being charged for molesting one of their children or grandchildren, and endure hearing the judge sentence them to 5 years, with 3 suspended and 1 year probation and not feel the rage that I do, well, I would be very surprised.

Here is my suggestion for fixing the horrendous epidemic of pedophiles running, unchecked, throughout our neihborhoods preying on our children: If a judge is stupid enough to release a child molester who has countless victims (a true number is never determined because the one who gets them caught is rarely the first), and the perp reoffends (and they will!), the judge is then charged as an accessory to whatever crime they commit, disbarred from the bench and put into general public to serve time. I think that the first few judges to be charged will send a clear message: Take your job seriously and do it well or you will pay for your mistakes. I mean, if a bartender can be held responsible for continuing to serve an obviously intoxicated individual who later commits vehicular homicide, then why not a judge? When history has shown that someone is incapable of keeping their dirty, rotten hands off a child, then they should be locked in a dark, dank whole for the rest of their natural lives.

If anyone caused the kind of horrific damage that sexual abuse does, to either of my children (God forbid) I would hunt them down like the rabid, mangy, diseased animals they are and after causing excruciating and humiliating pain, kill them. Slowly. Painfully. I would do it and feel no remorse. Why? Because, if our justice system is unwilling to protect my children and yours, then I would have no problem doing that job for them. These worthless, subhumans have nothing to contribute to society but perpetually wounded children who are mere shells of their former innocent selves, broken and emotionally destroyed families, and many future child molesters. Because it creates an awful cycle of abuse, there are many out there, destined to follow in the steps of their tormentors.

So, now that I have worn out this soap box, who out their is going to step up and protect our world's children? Put the justice back in the justice system? Rid our world of a filth that is so evil, rehabilitation is not an option. Only death will truly rid us of this sickness. So, write your governors, mayors, senators, congressmen, even the president and demand the eradication of child molesters/rapists/killers.

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