Potty Training for Dummies

My sister and my best friend have recently both been diligently working at potty training their little loves. Having been through this already, twice, I have some words of advice. Take it or leave it...that's what everyone says when people are throwing all of these words of wisdom at you while you're raising your sweet little angels, right? Without further ado, my potty training experience with Kai.

With Kai being my first I wanted him to do everything perfect, and I wanted to follow the book completely. Literally if there was a book written about "What to Expect" or how to make my child the "Happiest on the Block" I had read it. I was like a round, fact-spewing, about to pop mama. Many of the things I literally followed the books precisely on. I went with the Baby Wise sleep method book, and it worked great for us. I knew exactly what milestones he should be reaching each month, and I was secretly so excited when he would reach a 6 month milestone at 4 months. He was my baby, so he had to be a genius, right? I'm glad you agree. Anytime he didn't hit the mile marker I knew it had to be the Tamez genes that were floating around in him...I kid. He was never on a paci, he was crawling right on schedule, he was off bottles before his first birthday, and he took his first steps on the same day that he turned one. Our future looked bright.

Then he turned two....and he was still in diapers. As a matter of fact he had no intentions of potty training. This was traumatic for me...he was falling behind on where he was "supposed" to be. I tried everything, and many times I was so frustrated, why couldn't he just get it?!?! Finally I gave up, I was certain that because he wasn't potty training at 2 years and 3 months that there was no way he'd ever get an academic scholarship to a prestigious university. I really wasn't that concerned, truth be told, I just hoped that he would get it before he started Pre-K. As we got closer to 3, I was certain however, that I would definitely be stopping by his classroom and having to change his diaper before lunch. He just wasn't having any part of this using the potty thing.

Finally about a month before turning 3 he decided he'd start wearing big boy underwear. We made a big deal about picking out a really cool pair, and that batman didn't want him tee-teeing on him, so we had to use the potty. I also started letting him tee-tee off the porch when he needed to go. He really picked up on it this time, it was like we just woke up one morning, and bam he was potty trained...except for number two. This is where we had the biggest problem. He rarely had a tee-tee accident...but he was going to poop his pants every.single.time. Then one day I stumbled upon an approach that I'm positive no one has ever used. I will never forget the moment that I figured out the magic key to really potty training a toddler. Let me set the tone....

          We were in Galveston for our yearly beach vacation, and he wanted to go outside and play. So, we were siting on the porch under the beach house just playing around when he said "Mom, let's kill zombies". So, we played around a little bit pretending there were zombies around every corner, sort of like a modern day cowboys and indians. Yes, our world is twisted. After playing this game for 10-15 minutes he asks me what a zombie looked like, so I happily googled "zombie" and showed him a clipart "friendly" zombie image. I had no idea what was going to happen next, but it worked out well for us in the end. He took his little finger and swiped it across the screen so that he could see the next image....the most grotesque, horrifying, straight off The Walking Dead set zombie appeared before his eyes. He immediately looked at me and said, "Let's go inside."Now most parents would have been worried that there kid was traumatized by seeing this image. They would have let their child sleep with them for the next week just in case he had a zombie nightmare. I on the other hand immediately recognized that I could use this to my advantage.

So, now for the first time, I'd like to introduce you to the Zombie Potty Training Approach. It basically goes like this....
Take child to the restroom.
Tell said child to poop in the potty and not in his underwear.
Threaten to call the zombies if he poops in his underwear and not in the toilet.

Boom. Just like that we were totally accident free. Just think of it like most parents use Santa around Christmas time..."Billy, if you don't mind, I'm going to call Santa"...
This is just in a more sadistic/traumatic manner..."Kai, if you poop in your underwear again I'm going to call the zombies".

I will admit that this is not the most common, nor will it ever be the most popular method of potty training. I will however stand behind it and say it gets the job done. If you are at your wits end with cleaning poo out of underwear, I can promise that a couple calls to the zombies will fix the issue every time.
You're welcome in advance.

Disclaimer- I do promise that my son is not traumatized (I don't think), and there is no reason to report me to Child Protective Services.

These are a few of my favorite things...

If you follow this blog then you obviously know I love books. So, here are a few of my favorite books product/things :) 

First, my Kindle Fire...I was hesitant about owning and using one because I love the feel of a book in my hand (nerd, I know). I will say though that the convenience of going straight to amazon and purchasing the next book in a series mere seconds after completing a book is worth every penny spent. 

This cute Vera Bradley Kindle cover would be next. The bright colors make it easy to find at the bottom of my school bag. Plus it protects my screen...win, win. 

This amazing little app right here known as Goodreads. I literally probably go to this site 10 times a day...no joke. They have the best summaries and reviews on books. Plus, you can log the books you've read and rate them, then it will customize a list of book recommendations to suit your preferences! Love it. Oh yeah, and it's free. 

My new favorite obsession...this app. I will place a disclaimer here and say I'm not sure this is legit, but I love it. If you want to know where the free stuff is, just ask a teenager. They opened my world to this website and it's free books! Not the sucky ones, but the really good, new ones! Like I said, I'm not sure how legal this is...but I'm using it while it lasts!!! The last 3 books I've read have been off of this site. Oh the website is 

eprint-studio.com

You're welcome. 

Last but not least, this fun little website called wattpad. This is where all my writers go and publish their books for the public to read and give feedback. You can also get on here and read upcoming books by new authors. I'm not a writer, but I enjoy following my students and reading their works. 

Ps. I promised these two gentleman a plug in my next blog topic, so if you would be so kind as to click on these sites and read their writings. They're obsessed with seeing how many reads they get (literally they check it every 15 minutes). 

http://www.wattpad.com/user/Jayelinj

http://www.wattpad.com/user/RobertStrisko

Blonde moments...

It's an ongoing joke around our family how "blonde" I am. When it comes to common sense, I'm not the brightest crayon in the box. My sister got all of those genes...however I did get the book smarts, sorry, Shea. I bring this up because I had a really large blonde moment this past week. Before I share, I'll give you a few in my past that my family can't seem to let go. 

During my senior year of high school I broke my ankle...I didn't realize it was broken, so every evening I would stick my foot in a bucket full of ice water. One particular evening I was also watching tv, with the remote in my hand. Something happened and I nearly dropped the remote in the bucket of ice water...I panicked, screamed, jumped up and out of the water, and almost dumped the bucket over. When my mother came running in to see what had happened, I frantically told her that I had almost electrocuted myself!!! Of course she died laughing and explained you can't electrocute yourself with a battery operated remote control. 

I had an all out argument once with my sister that a DPS officer and a state trooper were not the same thing.

I again argued with my sister another evening over the fact that you could not possibly get "mad cow" disease from chicken fried steak because it was chicken...duh. 

I was washing my car once and literally knocked myself unconscious with the water hose. I came to lying on my back in the grass...I have no idea how long I was out. 

In high school I took a food home economics class. We were going to make frosted banana bars one day. After cooking the bars, I headed to the freezer to put our batch in. The teacher stopped me and asked what I was doing, I explained that I was putting them in the freezer to frost....you can figure out the rest.

 

I've had to have help popping popcorn because I literally could not figure out which way the bag should face. This particular incidence left my mother in tears...not because she thought it was funny but because she was genuinely concerned about me.

The list could go on and on, but this brings me up to this week...Btw, I'm only sharing this story so that I can help any other blonde friends in the future. So, this week I decided that I was tired of being pale. I however have told myself that I'm going to try and not tan in a tanning bed this year...which leads me to sunless tanning lotion. Sunday night I lathered myself in it, knowing that when I woke up the next morning I'd have a nice summer glow. Unbeknownst to me, it's not a good idea to stop at the ankles when applying sunless tanner. It was awful! The first thing I noticed were the super white feet compared to my nice brown legs. It never crossed my mind that this would happen! I just assumed that it would all blend nicely. Wrong.  Stephanie Hudspeth and Jackie Cryer had quite the laugh at the track that evening. So, tonight I'm giving it another shot...and this time my feet will be nice and tan in the morning! 

I hope you had a good laugh at my expense. It's alright really, I'm very much used to it. **Although, the image below did not actually happen to me, I could see myself doing it. **

A simple chord...

Have you ever heard something that took you back to a place and a time, and you could feel that moment all around you? I had something last week that did just that. It flooded me with the memory of a thousand Sunday mornings at home.

It started with me helping a few students find a book, and while I was occupied a teenage boy walked in with his guitar. Knowing that I wouldn’t mind, he started playing…*gasp* *swoon*  *faint* ….yes, I let a student play an instrument IN the library! The way I see it is that at least he is in fact IN the library…unlike the numerous kids that never grace the doorstep. I digress, sorry, back to the subject at hand.

This young man was picking out a song, and right in the middle of me helping another student I stopped and said “play that again”. It was the beginning chords of “Dust in the Wind”. For a split second I was 12 again, or 15, or 19, pick any age that had me at home on a Sunday morning before church.  It’s a song that my dad will inevitably pick out each time he pulls his guitar out of his black case with reddish/maroon velvet lining. I guess it’s like a warm-up song for his fingers because I’ve never known a time he didn’t pick out that particular series of notes when holding his guitar. I had the student play it over again, recreating those images in my mind of growing up with a father that played an instrument. It’s funny to me how a sound, a noise if you will, can bring back a memory so clearly that you can almost reach out and touch it.

I had almost forgotten about this happening last week until today, this same young man brought in a friend who also had a guitar. They sat down in the corner and started playing softly, just going back and forth on songs they knew. One of the guys started playing “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. It once again took me back to the first time that my dad introduced me to that song and artist, I fell in love immediately. I am blown away how memories that were lost, are brought back so quickly with just a few strums on a guitar. I can think of so many songs that have a memory attached to it just like these I’ve mentioned. I have songs that my friends and I sang at the top of our lungs, at 16, while driving our very first cars, that hold memories that I’ll never forget.  Songs that bring back the thought of a friend or loved one that has passed, but when you hear that song you can remember even the smallest of details about them. I’m amazed at what music can do for the mind and soul.

I told the boys today that they are more than welcome to come and play in my library anytime they want. The music is soothing in the background, and if it brings a crowd to the library, all the better…..perhaps I can even get a few to grab a book on their way out.

WIRW

So, it's Wednesday again, and I did say I would try to do a What I'm Reading Wednesday post....I did not disappoint! Not yet anyway.

This week is a little different than normal, I am of course reading a book on my Kindle, but that's not what I want to spotlight. Instead I want to tell a little story. This is my fifth year in the library...for the first four years I was primarily at the elementary campus. Close to the end of last year I started splitting my days between the high school and the elementary. I wasn't sure how I would feel about this, as I've always been at the elementary. I was shocked last year at how much I enjoyed having, seeing, and talking with those high school students. 

This year has opened my eyes to where I eventually want to be as a librarian. Do not get me wrong, I love my time at the elementary, that is where they first learn to love reading....but they can't take a book, break it apart, dissect, and then discuss with you what they got out of it like the high school kids are capable of. I treasure my daily chats with those students that come in and tell me what they love or hate about the book they just finished reading. I love when they walk in with excitement in their eyes because I helped find a book for them that has "so totally" changed their life. Let's be honest getting a high school student to like anything, much less a book, is often times difficult. Most importantly though, I treasure the trust that these students choose to place in you when they really get to know you. 

This week I have had the opportunity of reading three manuscripts that students in our school have written. They each walked in the library at separate times and said they'd love to have my opinion on a story they were writing. My opinion! Do you know how much of an honor that is that they would trust me with their piece of writing? Well, it's a huge one. I will be honest with you, I was blown away. Do you know how much talent kids have hidden deep inside them? I didn't. I do now. These stories that they have started are unbelievable. I've read a lot of books, and one requirement I have is that it needs to catch me and draw me in within the first few paragraphs. All three of these student written stories hooked me from the start and carried me through until the end.

So, this week, my What I'm Reading Wednesday goes to Tristin Mitchell, Jayelin Jordan, and Robert Strisko for their unbelievable starts to what I can only imagine will be amazing novels. 

Glasses for the girl...

For the past few months I've noticed that Paislee's left eye had a tendency to fall inwards. Not being the worrying type I didn't give much thought to it, I thought I'd keep a watch on it to see if I should be concerned. One afternoon my mom noticed it and recommended demanded that I take her to Dr. Fidone. After a week of her hounding me daily, I made an appointment. Fidone looked at her eyes, and said that he was going to set her up with a pediatric ophthalmologist in Tyler. So, this past week we traveled up for a day of shopping, eating and eye dilating. 

Paislee is a wonderful little mini me, she enjoys shopping and eating yummy foods, so we always have fun on our girl's days. We did some shopping at Gaudy Me, some little children's boutique and a few other stores.

This is her at McAlister's...cheesing as always.

After our morning of shopping we trudged off to the dr. She did really well through the entire visit...this is her while they were checking her vision...mini John Lennon. 

Everything was smiles and giggles until they had to dilate her eyes...

Luckily, Andy's Frozen Custard put a smile back on her face...

All in all it was a great day. However, we did find out that she in facts does need glasses. So, all week I've been preparing her for the fact that she would get to wear her very own glasses soon. We read all sorts of books over princess with glasses, and she's been with excited about all of it. She also has a wonderful big brother that has told her daily how beautiful she will be with glasses. So, introducing for the first time...my girl with glasses.

The thing to do...

So, my sister and a friend of mine posted a random facts blog today. It was fun reading, I always enjoy learning new things about people...even if it is people I know really well, I still manage to find out something relatively new about them through these things. So, for your reading entertainment, here are mine...at this point I have no idea how many I'll come up with, I will just go until I'm over it.

1. For starters, on Monday of this week I bought my kids a box of Gushers as a treat. I decided to hide them and enjoy them myself...I finished off the box today. 

2. I could not ever, nor has it ever been a desire of mine to be a stay at home mom. The outcome would probably result in me in jail and them in the hands of CPS. I do well to manage summer vacation. Some people are cut out for it...I am not one of those people. 

3. I always secretly thought it would be fun to be a librarian. :) 

4. I'm not a worrier. As a matter of fact it stresses my mom and sister out that I do not stress. Oh well, is what I say to that.

5. All of my life I've thought of myself as a people person...but the older I get the more I realize I'm sort of a loner. I like to go on trips by myself. I don't mind going to movies all alone (the past two movies I've watched I went by myself). I just like the rare moments that I don't have to talk to a single person unless I choose to. 

6. I do.not.like. to commit. As you can see above, I didn't put a number on this...that would require me making a commitment and sticking to it. I'm more of a free spirit...all good things are wild and free right? Plus, I'm a believer in finding adventures in daily life...making commitments mean you might miss something remarkably fun by trying to make a deadline. 

7. I could be a hoarder...but only with certain things. For instance, I have 6 bottles of empty mascara bottles in my makeup bag. Only one has any in it...I just can't seem to make myself throw the old ones away. It's sound even more ridiculous when I actually admit it. 

8. I'm not good at every day task. Such as checking the mail. I've actually been known to check the mail, and then put it back in the box, and close it because none of interested me and I didn't want to put forth the effort of taking it to my car. 

9. I'm a HUGE fan of board games. Any and all..except Monopoly. I've never really enjoyed it. I know, Stephanie Rye Hudspeth, that comment is an abomination to you. 

10. I don't match my socks. My kids are thrilled when their socks match...when it happens it's not on purpose.

11. I'm debating going back to college. Crazy. 

Ps. I only went to 11 because I knew it would drive my OCD friends crazy that I stopped on an odd number...and a prime one at that. Muwahahaha. 

Battle of the Books

First, I want to thank you so much for helping me with this!!! Here are a few of the specifics that I need when you start writing the questions...

Each should ask a detailed question with a discrete answer found on a specific page. (please note the page number in which it is found out beside your question...if you're reading on an e-reader just write down your location)

• Questions can be fact-based or inference questions, but must have clear textual support.
• Fact-based question: In which book is there a dog named Chauncy?
• Answer: Deep and Dark and Dangerous, by Mary Downing Hahn (page 72)
• Inference question: In which book have two characters been keeping a secret for a long time?
• Answer: Deep and Dark and Dangerous, by Mary Downing Hahn (location 1275)
• The type of question you choose to ask can look like any of the following....
• 1.  “Name of important character or significant nickname of a minor character”
• 2. “In what book” questions
• 3. “Important setting or location”
• 4.  “Quotation directly from the book” 
• 5. “Why” questions 

Now that we have the specifics covered, here is the fun part! The books!!!
All of these books have been chosen from the 2014 Tayshas Reading List (The Tayshas High School Reading List (THSRL) is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table (YART). The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 9-12 to explore a variety of current books.)

 All the Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry- Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

The Sin-Eater's Confession by Ilsa Bick- People in Merit, Wisconsin, always said Jimmy was . . . you know. But people said all sorts of stupid stuff. Nobody really knew anything. Nobody really knew Jimmy. I guess you could say I knew Jimmy as well as anyone (which was not very well). I knew what scared him. And I knew he had dreams—even if I didn't understand them. Even if he nearly ruined my life to pursue them. Jimmy's dead now, and I definitely know that better than anyone. I know about blood and bone and how bodies decompose. I know about shadows and stones and hatchets. I know what a last cry for help sounds like. I know what blood looks like on my own hands. What I don't know is if I can trust my own eyes. I don't know who threw the stone. Who swung the hatchet? Who are the shadows? What do the living owe the dead?

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black- Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave. One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats- This powerful historical fiction debut, set in medieval Wales, follows Cecily whose family is lured by cheap land and the duty of all Englishman to help keep down the “vicious” Welshmen, and Gwenhwyfar, a Welsh girl who must wait hand and foot on her new English mistress. As issues of prejudice, heritage, and occupation come to a head, both girls have to find a way to survive.

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt- When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List:

1. Run for pep club secretary

2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree

3. Sew a dress for Homecoming

4. Find a steady

5. Do something dangerous

But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

Reality Boy by A.S. King- 

Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life. Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school.

Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban- 

Tim Macbeth, a seventeen-year-old albino and a recent transfer to the prestigious Irving School, where the motto is “Enter here to be and find a friend.” A friend is the last thing Tim expects or wants—he just hopes to get through his senior year unnoticed. Yet, despite his efforts to blend into the background, he finds himself falling for the quintessential “It” girl, Vanessa Sheller, girlfriend of Irving’s most popular boy. To Tim's surprise, Vanessa is into him, too, but she can kiss her social status goodbye if anyone ever finds out. Tim and Vanessa begin a clandestine romance, but looming over them is the Tragedy Paper, Irving’s version of a senior year thesis, assigned by the school’s least forgiving teacher.

Jumping between viewpoints of the love-struck Tim and Duncan, a current senior about to uncover the truth of Tim and Vanessa, The Tragedy Paper is a compelling tale of forbidden love and the lengths people will go to keep their love.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock- How would you spend your birthday if you knew it would be your last? Eighteen-year-old Leonard Peacock knows exactly what he'll do. He'll say goodbye. Not to his mum - who he calls Linda because it annoys her - who's moved out and left him to fend for himself. Nor to his former best friend, whose torments have driven him to consider committing the unthinkable. But to his four friends: a Humphrey-Bogart-obsessed neighbour, a teenage violin virtuoso, a pastor's daughter and a teacher. Most of the time, Leonard believes he's weird and sad but these friends have made him think that maybe he's not. He wants to thank them, and say goodbye.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell- Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

What I'm Reading Wednesday

"What are you reading?"...it's a question I get asked a lot, and I love sharing :) So, each Wednesday (I don't like to be tied down to anything, so don't expect this to really be every Wednesday) I'll give you a glimpse into what I'm reading at the moment! 

At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: "degenerate" works he despised.

In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others, called the Momuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture. 
Focusing on the eleven-month period between D-Day and V-E Day, this fascinating account follows six Monuments Men and their impossible mission to save the world's great art from the Nazis.

Don't worry, be happy...

I am not a worrier, and I know it's very hard for people with that type of personality to be around me, but I'm just not. I feel the world would move a little easier if people wouldn't worry about things they can't control. 

For instance, here are something's I've noticed people worry about that absolutely roll off of my back likes it's no issue. 

What my kids are doing every second of the day. I realize my kid just ate something off of the floor, guess what, can't do anything about it now . Not worried about it. It's 25 degrees outside and my son doesn't want to wear his jacket...his choice, no stress. (*disclaimer...I do not have teenagers, so I realize this might and more than likely will change eventually).

Being late. Oh, no I'm going to be ten minutes late to the birthday party, family Christmas, surprise party, any event in my life!!!!...the world will keep spinning I assure you! Anytime I plan an event I always give people a time frame, for instance, be there between 6 and 6:30. This way no one stresses! Well, except for the early bird that gets there at 5:55. That will never be me, btw. 

What people are saying about me. So, someone doesn't agree with something I've said, what I wore, how I look, etc. etc. etc...glad they're thinking about me. So my kids are screaming in walmart, and the hag next to me gives me the "control your kids death glare"....obviously she's never had kids or has been blessed with angels straight from heaven (for those of you without kids, mine are the norm, hers are not)...oh well, she'll get over the look when I enter the next aisle. I wasn't born to please everyone and guess what, never will, no need to sweat about it.

Work and anything related. I do my best at what I do everyday. Whether that's with my actual job or school work when I was in college. I'm not great at meeting deadlines weeks before they're due (see worry, or lack of I guess, in bullet 2)...but I get it in on time, and generally it will be better than what someone else pulled off 3 weeks before the due date. I know sometimes it really makes it hard to work with me because of this laisse faire attitude, but I've been blessed to work with principals that know that although the deadline is tomorrow and I haven't started on the Veteran's Day program slide show yet, I will pull it off and it will be just what they wanted. 

Relationships. The friends I have in my life are there because they provide a worry free area for me. They are not surrounded by drama. They also do not expect a lot out of me, that sounds terrible but they know my personality, they accept it, and that's why they're in my life. So you don't get the wrong idea about that last statement here's an example...anytime we have a get together we generally all bring food. For starters, if I have time I might cook something , but they all know 99% of the time I'm going to grab something pre made. It doesn't bother me to not have a homemade dish, and it doesn't bother them that I brought the Del Rio green sauce vs preparing the stuffed jalepenos wrapped in bacon. I do not have to pretend to be Better Homemaker or some woman trying to live up to a Pinterest standard. Oh, and they also know I'll be late for the gathering. Guess what? No one cares! 

Things I can't control. Oh my gosh my mother and sister are pros at this category!!! They will worry about what they might be doing on a Saturday two months from now! I don't understand it. I've literally said those exact words to them. I can't control the weather, the government, small town politics, etc, etc, etc!  I will not let things that are totally out of my hands cause wrinkles on my face. 

I know this isn't typical, and many Type A personalities are cringing at every worry I've written about or thinking, yep that's me.  As mentioned earlier, those include my madre and sister. Often time we do not see eye to eye because they are walking stress balls waiting to explode, and I'm big ball of "just don't care"...not that I don't care, I just let it go. 

In saying all of that, I will admit I have some pretty out there irrational fears...I'll save that for another time. I also have had my moments of very high stress, I can probably count those on one hand...and within a few hours I was over it. We always laugh and say I will be the last person (besides my dad, who worries even less than me) to die of a heart attack. I'll take those odds. 

Review: Lone Survivor

I have been anxiously waiting to seeing the movie Lone Survivor, so that I could write this review for both the movie and the book at the same time. I apologize in advance for the length of this review, but I have a lot to say on this particular book. Also, this review contains many spoilers, please wait until you have A. Read the book or B. Watched the movie before you read this.

As most of you are probably aware, the book focuses on Marcus Luttrell’s journey through making it as a Navy Seal. As a matter of fact the book is basically broken down into two parts. The first fully details his days of grueling training in becoming a Frogman, followed by being sent out on Operation Redwing and the terrible aftermath.

There are probably thousands of reviews on this book, and I’m sure many of them will focus on the amount of time that Marcus spends detailing every minute of his training along with being the best at what he does. I read a few reviews right after reading the book, and I had to disagree with the majority of the ones that take Marcus as a an arrogant, boastful, pat-himself-on-the-back kind of guy. I believe that he is proud of his accomplishments, he is honored to be of service to the United States of America, and he was privileged to have fought alongside with some of the best in the military.  We are talking about a man that stared death in the face and overcame it, he deserves recognition.

Many Left-Wing Liberals will also bash the comments that he made regarding the Rules of Engagement and his utter disapproval of them. Or the fact that he mentions the Geneva Convention in a negative manner. I have mixed feelings on both of those things. I of course believe that, yes, as a country we have to do as much as possible to follow the rules of war, but I also know that war is just that…it’s ugly, and it’s brutal, and as Luttrell says himself, “we know about bad guys, what they do, and, often, who they are. The politicians have chosen to send us into battle, and that’s our trade. We do what’s necessary. And in my view, once those politicians have elected to send us out to do what 99.9% of the country would be terrified to undertake, they should get the hell out of the way and stay there.” I also have to agree with Luttrell when he explains that this war is behind enemy lines, they are faced with extenuating circumstances every second they’re out there, and for them to have such strict guidelines is sometimes, and in this case, a matter of life or death. It’s a job I do not want, and it’s a job that I’ll gladly let men like himself accept on my behalf….with that said I also believe they have the right to do in those circumstances what will keep them alive, no matter the price. He said it best when he said “and we’ll go there. All day. Every day. We’ll do what we’re supposed to do, to the letter, or die in the attempt. On behalf of the U.S.A. But don’t tell us who we can attack. That ought to be up to us, the military. And if the liberal media and political community cannot accept that sometimes the wrong people get killed in war, then I can only suggest they first grow up and then serve a short stint up in the Hindu Kush. The probably would not survive.”

However, since this is my review, I will stop focusing on what many people did not like. I will instead explain why I loved this book and movie. For starters, I enjoyed reading about what it took to become a Seal. It was something I didn’t have much prior knowledge on, so seeing what these men put their bodies through for the sake of our freedom was aweing. The explanation of Hell Week, going three days without a single hour of sleep, running miles upon miles, the hunger, exhaustion, blood, sweat, and I’m sure tears at some point and all because you want to fight for the country that I live in. And then those final moments when you completed the task, and became a US Navy Seal, can you imagine the shear pride that you must feel in that moment. I love that Luttrell has given us the honor of peaking inside what it must feel like to work so hard at a goal, and accomplish it.

 What was even more aweing was the bravery that these brave men bestowed even up until their very last seconds upon this earth during Operation Redwing. I’m not sure that I can every imagine the courage and selflessness that it took for Lieutenant Michael Murphy to walk out onto open ground with bullets firing all around him and make a call that his men were dying. I can’t fathom what it must have been like to see your friend openly give his life to try and save yours. Or the courage that Luttrell showed during his hours of being totally isolated in a country so far from home.

One of the most moving things, in my opinion, about this book was the hospitality of the Afghan tribesman that took Marcus in and protected him at all costs. In today’s world Afghanistan is a place full of Taliban and extremist, and while this is true, we never get to see the world of those ordinary people that live there and fight the force of these terrorists day in and day out. I had never taken the time to study the Pashtun people, nor had I ever heard of the word that saved Marcus Luttrell’s life, lokhay. That word translates to mean that the entire population of the village that takes in a wounded man will literally fight to the death for that man, no matter the price. It is inevitably what saved Marcus Luttrell and why he made it to see another day.

As far as the movie goes, I believe they did an excellent job portraying as much detail as possible. As always, the book has far more detail, and I would encourage you to read the book before seeing the movie…if you’ve watched the movie already, then I encourage you to read the book anyway. There are entire parts of the book that the movie leaves out, not crucial parts, but parts that bring the story even more to life. You miss the raw emotions of a mother waiting to find out news of her MIA son, the humor of Dr. Luttrell along with that darn Pepsi bottle, you miss the deep kindness of the tribesman that hid, clothed, fed, and doctored Marcus, and you miss the group of men that traveled all over those mountains to recover the bodies of those fallen soldiers because they never leave anyone alone.

This book captured my heart. It opened my eyes to what really goes on behind those enemy lines. It made me remember what our country could be like if we didn’t have such brave men and women fighting everyday for the freedoms that we take for granted. I will end with one of my favorite quotes from the book “as a Navy Seal I am sworn to defend my country and carry out the wishes of my commander in chief, the president of the United States, whoever he may be; Republican or Democrat. I am a patriot; I fight for the U.S.A. and for my home state of Texas.”