smock totally lifted this pic from one of her favorite retro sites, aptly named retro planet. browse it here. don't miss the retro gifts & kitsch section -- it's totally faboo.
smockmomma: October 2008 Archives
for monday, october 27th.
Outside My Window... is outside my window.
I am thinking... i need sleep. serious sleep.
I am thankful for... my smocklings could have something worse than the stomach virus they are sharing.
From the kitchen... something needs to be cooked for dinner, but what that won't make everyone start another round of rebounding their food?
I am wearing... black pants, black tee, black flip flops. standard smock uniform.
I am creating... not a darn thing.
I am going... to lose my mind iffin the smocklings aren't well soon.
I am reading... medicine bottles to figure out who can have how many to bring down fevers.
I am hoping... everyone has uneventful sleep tonight!
I am hearing... sopi barking from her crate.
Around the house... every single trash can we own is filled with baggies waiting for another round of vomit-spewing.
One of my favorite things... is an illness free home.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: get everyone well again before friday.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...
better late than never ... enjoy, you sexy mama!
Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...
Conscientious, Fulfilled, and Spiritual
15 Renaissance, 7 Islamic, -1 Ukiyo-e, -15 Cubist, -29 Abstract and 8 Impressionist!
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that profoundly affected European intellectual life. Beginning in Italy, and spreading to the rest of Europe by the 16th century, its influence affected literature, philosopy, religion, art, politics, science, and all other aspects of intellectual enquiry. Renaissance artists looked at the human aspect of life in their art. They did not reject religion but tended to look at it in it's purest form to create visions they thought depicted the ideals of religion. Painters of this time had their own style and created works based on morality, religion, and human nature. Many of the paintings depicted what they believed to be the corrupt nature of man.
People that like Renaissance paintings like things that are more challenging. They tend to have a high emotional stability. They also tend to be more concientious then average. They have a basic understanding of human nature and therefore are not easily surprised by anything that people may do. They enjoy life and enjoy living. They are very aware of their own mortality but do not dwell on the end but what they are doing in the present. They enjoy learning, but may tend to be a bit more closed minded to new ideas as they feel that the viewpoint they have has been well researched and considered. These people are more old fashioned and not quite as progressive. They enjoy the finer things in life like comfort, a good meal, and homelife. They tend to be more spiritual or religious by nature. They are open to new aesthetic experiences.
Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy
by way of julie at happy catholic.
like a very good girl, i attended my weekly weight watchers meeting with mamaT just yesterday. i lost .2 pounds last week -- whoopie, right? hey, at least i was headed in the right direction. and, we had an awesome session where we learned the importance of avoiding HALT: hunger, anger, loneliness and tiredness. all four of these being triggers for addiction, including food addiction. i thought, well now, if i watch out for the triggers, i can beat this hefty monkey on my back. really, it was a terrific meeting. i was so inspired that i even went home and drank eight -- yes, e-i-g-h-t -- glasses of icky ol' h2o. i was feelin gooood.
so then, how is it that i found myself at the olive garden this afternoon elbow-deep in oven-baked smoked mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and romano cheeses, served up all yummy-gooey on warm peppered tuscan bread? i mean, i wasn't particularly ravenous, i was keeping delightful company, and i wasn't angry in the slightest. heck, i wasn't even chagrined. so, what's up with my need to inhale all of that delish?
they say they're like family over at the olive garden -- and yes, i am aware that the place is called "olive garden" not "the olive garden" but i'm suthren, so bear with me, okay? anyway, they pride themselves on being like family. "when you're here, you're family" being their big ol' motto and all. i say, okay, so you're like family. just like aunt mildred who always insists that even though you've made three trips to the buffet table, you still have room for a helping of her famous pecan pie. i mean, c'mon. it's a helping. who can pass up a helping? and don't forget the whipped cream. oh! and a scoop of vanilla ice cream to cut the sweet. she simply would not take no for an answer.
well, josh-- that would be our waiter - must have been channeling aunt mildred today.
because there i was, slumped back in my chair with my belly all puffy, feeling like a big ol' tick with a lopsided grin (which i am quite sure resembled a hazy heroin addict's grin) all over my face when josh insists we try the pumpkin cheesecake. we had to try it because it's a seasonal item. that means "it won't be here for long and you just simply cannot miss it." well, I couldn't hurt ol' aunt mildred's feelings now could i? so i split a slice with my partner in crime (another weight watcher who shall remain nameless). i absolutely and positively relished every succulent bite of my creamy melt-in-your-mouth slightly spicy pumpkin cheesecake topped with fluffy whipped cream, caramel sauce and the most delightful little ginger cookie crumbles. it was practically a religious experience.
now, i'm not sure why i'm writing all of this apart from the fact that they say confession is good for the soul. that said, here's my theory: heaven is a big ol' buffet. seriously. i do not think that it is by accident that GOD has chosen to offer Himself to us by way of food and drink in the Mass. at a dinner table no less. and, food is such a delight. food brings people utter joy. i know it makes me downright happy. happy, happy, happy. want to test my theory? ask yourself what's your favorite flavor of girl scout cookies. a-ha! see what just happened? you started thinking about all of those delicious flavors. thin mints ... caramel delites ... cinna-spins ... i know. drool. it's okay. i'm not passing judgment.
speaking of judgment, what about hell? is it perpetual drought and famine? starvation without death? that thought is seriously scary. and the complete antithesis of a buffet. but whatever it looks like, i can guarantee you there will be no doughnuts in hell. of course, moderation is good. but i cannot shake the feeling that it is not unlike purgatory. can i live purgatory now? i guess i'd better learn. as smockdaddy always says, learn it now or learn it later. mmm, now and laters. ack! stop it. so, i bet that's it. purgatory is like a perpetual single-serving. of all things green. with only one cheese -- slimy ol' ricotta cheese. shiver.
you might not be able to wear your favorite pair of pants if you gain a few pounds, but you can always wear your favorite pairs of shoes. ~sara vass
i say, amen, sistah!
introducing the guess "cabana" mary jane. on sale for less than $100. now that's a sexy bargain. look for it in your size here.
What was the last book you bought?
mississippi sissy by kevin sessums. complete impulse buy. i loved the little boy on the cover, what can i say?
Name a book you have read MORE than once.
are you kidding? too many to name, but at the top for number of times would be the little prince by antoine de saint-exupéry, the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde, and the catcher in the rye by jd salinger.
Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
unfortunately catcher in the rye only exacerbated my already jaundiced-eye world-view for YEARS. on the flip side, reading "my first catholic dictionary" at the age of 25 completely changed my view of the catholic church FOREVER.
How do you choose a book, eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews?
i usually choose by recommendation or author, as i tend to read everything an author writes iffin' they are any good. erm, also? i am the sort who chooses her books by the cover, mamaT. case in point, see the answer to the first question above. sorry.
Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
non-fiction hands. down. i'm a complete voyeur. and to all of my "reality t.v. sux" friends out there -- reality t.v. has been around since time immemorial. only it was called memoirs, journals, non-fiction, biographies, etc.
What's more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
gripping plot.
Most loved/memorable character (character/book).
from recent memory it would have to be the original odd thomas. i absolutely fell in LOVE with him.
Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
confessions of an ugly stepsister, mississippi sissy, and the catholic church in pictures. all of which are still uncracked. such a pretty fat and seduced by madness, which i'm wading through.
What was the last book you've read, and when was it?
bright lights, big ass. finished about a week or so ago.
Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
yes. lots of them. if it doesn't hook me by one-fourth of the way in, i'm outta there. nine times outta ten, i'm reading for pleasure. so, if it isn't entertaining, why bother?
i remind the children that...well, at least i'm not lindsay bluth funke.
to vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question. and a biggun at that. i started studying the options about thirteen years ago, when we had to decide whether or not to vaccinate our firstborn. at that time, it was still highly unusual not to vaccinate; but, being the sort who enjoys bucking the system on occasion and considering this was something that could affect the life of my child forever, i wanted to get a clearer picture of what was going on with vaccinations. smockdaddy and i read several articles, a few books, talked to different parents and weighed the pros and cons to the best of our ability. and then we decided to vaccinate. in the interest of full disclosure, we did opt out of the varicella vaccine as it was still relatively new when "big d" was still wee. his doctor - whom i adored - didn't bat an eye over our decision. he said he understood our concerns and noted only that we may need to apply for an exemption later on when we started school.
call me naïve, but i never even considered that the choice could be something that could cause any negative response. that is, until i actually witnessed a bitter argument firsthand. at an impromptu play date gathering at a local park, i witnessed two moms get into a virtual shouting match over their vaccinated and non-vaccinated children. being the nosy parker that i am, i intervened by asking the pro-vac mom what the big deal was. if her son was vaccinated, what the heck was she so worried about? she then began to argue about social responsibility -- to which i inwardly scoffed, writing her off as a wacko socialist. [this was 12 years ago; i've mellowed somewhat.] anyway, after some very awkward silence, the non-vac mom finally bundled up her son and left. it wasn't my intention to "pick sides" - i honestly didn't see the big deal. for either side. and i ended up leaving the park very upset by the whole situation because i just didn't like seeing a mom in the minority being treated like an outcast.
fast forward twelve years and the decision to abstain from vaccines has become more popular. and now i am the one who finds myself being treated like a social pariah. and, because i have lots of crunchy friends (hi guys!) who choose not to vaccinate, i've been asked to defend my decision to vaccinate on more than one occasion. i don't like being put on the defensive, so i've put even more time into researching the more liberal/freethinking/crunchy side of the argument. but i still respectfully disagree with it.
as i understand it, moms who choose not to vaccinate sometimes claim that preservatives (in particular, thimerosal) in vaccines may be linked to autism. thimerosal was removed from infant vaccines in 1999; and even after thimerosal was removed from infant vaccines, the autism rate has continued to climb. the cdc, the american academy of pediatrics, the institute of medicine and several other prestigious medical organizations maintain there is no known link between vaccines and autism. studies published in the new england journal of medicine and elsewhere also have found no link. now, i'm the most subjective person i know. i'm all about the gut reaction, feelings, and emotions. hello? my mantra is "math is hard" so exactly how scientific do you think i am? but the cdc? aap? the new england journal of medicine? these are all highly regarded sources with huge reputations to uphold. are we supposed to believe that this is some gi-normous medical cover-up they are all involved in together?
seriously, what motivates some to completely ignore the majority of the scientific data out there? one cannot write them all off as conspiracy theorists. and, to be fair, some moms that i've spoken with agree that there isn't enough scientific data to prove a link, but they contend that the bottom line for them is this: if there is even a remote chance that vaccines are related to autism, it is a risk they are not willing to take. i say, fair enough. but speaking of risks, there is another side to this coin.
the answer to the debate is not as simple as it seemed to me back on that playground twelve years ago. it was easy to be cavalier back then, but with recurring outbreaks of infectious diseases, i'm even more concerned about this debate now than ever before. even as a parent who has chosen to vaccinate all six of my children, i cannot be sure that just because they are vaccinated that my children are completely protected from these diseases -- or protected from others who may be carrying the diseases. according to the american academy of pediatrics, vaccines are only 90 percent to 99 percent effective. so the question then becomes do we as parents who have chosen to vaccinate our children think that a possible 10% chance of contracting a life-threatening disease if exposed is worth the risk?
consider this: measles, a highly communicable disease, was declared eliminated in the u.s. in 2000, but outbreaks of infection attributed to incoming travelers have increased this year. at least 131 cases have been reported so far this year alone -- the highest number of annual cases in twelve years. and whether we like to admit it or not, officials cite parents' refusal to vaccinate their children as the leading cause for this jump. this is serious, folks. this is a disease that once infected 3 - 4 million people a year, causing 450 deaths and 4,000 cases of measles-related brain infection. per annum. and there's more. there have also been outbreaks of other childhood viral diseases, such as polio and mumps, in recent years. all of which can be prevented by vaccines.
on a personal note, i am friends with a mother whose son has autism - a condition she fears was caused by vaccinations. on the other hand, i am friends with a mother who nearly died because, as an adult, she contracted measles. both situations very real and very frightening.
can there be any doubt that we all want what's best for our children? of course not. and, we need to understand that there are two sides to this debate. we need to work together, calling for continued long-term research; and in the meantime, we need to treat each other with respect and dignity.
