Stupid Foot or Stupid Person

Why is it when someone puts their foot in their mouth…I react…then I feel bad about reacting? Because I’m a sensitive person and never want to hurt anyone’s feelings. :) Truth is I don’t usually react (unless warranted), because I believe most people don’t say mean things just to hurt you, it’s usually something they didn't think through and let it slip….impulsive behavior. I get it. I’m really not jaded enough to fester about this…most of the time…

However, at some point, people that do this frequently think this excuse is acceptable all of the time. It’s not! If you are one of those people that frequently apologizes for saying something insensitive….stop….accept you may just be an insensitive person….because obviously you frequently have insensitive thoughts that slip out.  Own it!

Example:

Friend – I’m sorry about Buster.

Me – Thanks.

Other Person – Guinea Pig? That’s a rodent, right? You should be happy…this is a good thing?

Me – (expression of WTHeck to person I just met) Umm…No! (In my head….you stupid insensitive flippety flap flap!!)

Who says something like that to a person who lost a pet? And, how do you respond?

To thee, I quote Thomas Edison, "You will have many opportunities in life to keep your mouth shut: You should take advantage of every one of them."

This led me to find out where the phrase “foot in mouth” originated? What other good will I get from stupid person being rude? This is what I found on dictionary.com (the example is pretty funny…Silly Jane):

foot in one's mouth, put one's

Say something foolish, embarrassing, or tactless. For example, Jane put her foot in her mouth when she called him by her first husband's name.

This notion is sometimes put as having foot-in-mouth disease, as in He has a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease, always making some tactless remark.

The first expression dates from about 1900. The variant, dating from the mid-1900s, is a play on the foot-and-mouth (sometimes called hoof-and-mouth) disease that afflicts cattle, causing eruptions to break out around the mouth and hoofs.

Quotes:

Winston Churchill

“In the course of my life, I have often had to eat my words, and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet."

Benjamin Franklin

"Better slip with foot than tongue."

As usual with the internet, my search ended in the bathroom….

 “Origins of Familiar Phrases” from Bathroom Reader.

SON OF A GUN Meaning: An epithet. Origin: In the 1800s, British sailors took women along on extended voyages. When babies were born at sea, the mothers delivered them in a partitioned section of the gundeck. Because no one could be sure who the true fathers were, each of these "gunnery" babies was jokingly called a "son of a gun."

GO BERSERK Meaning: Go crazy or to act with reckless abandon. Origin: Viking warriors were incredibly wild and ferocious in battle, probably because they ate hallucinogenic mushrooms in prebattle ceremonies. They charged their enemies recklessly, wearing nothing more than bearskin, which in Old Norse was pronounced "berserkr" or "bear-sark."

PAY THROUGH THE NOSE Meaning: To pay a high price; to pay dearly. Origin: Comes from the ninth-century Ireland. When the Danes conquered the Irish, they imposed an exorbitant Nose Tax on the island's inhabitants. They took a census (by counting noses) and levied oppressive sums on their victims, forcing them to pay by threatening to have their noses actually slit. Paying the tax was "paying through the nose."

If you have any other information on where "put one's foot in one's mouth" originated, I would love to read more. Wheek! Wheek!

Buster walks the Bifrost Bridge

Today has been a sad day for our family. We had to say goodbye to Buster the Amazing Guinea Pig. It’s been a difficult road for Buster and he fought very hard to stay with us. However, the pull from Asgard was too much. He was too Amazing for this realm of mere mortals.  So, today, he made that final trek across the Rainbow Bridge where he was greeted by Heimdallr before continuing to Asgard.  There he will join Thor, and continue to be Buster the Amazing Guinea Pig. To what quest he was called, I do not know. What I do know is he is a mighty warrior and he will fight for all he finds worthy.  

As for us, his mere mortal family, we will miss him, but understand he was needed elsewhere.  We have enjoyed every precious moment we had with Buster, and will remember him always.  Wheek! Wheek!

Anabelle asked me to write something to honor Buster. I hope this will help easy the sadness. Much Love, Mom

**The Rainbow Bridge comes from the Norse legend of the Bifrost Bridge.

The Reading Dilemma

I love love love to read. I’m a fan of fantasy fiction where I can get lost in a beautiful world with amazing creatures and landscapes described so vividly you can smell the fragrance of the flowers. (pretty good, huh?) Some of my favorite authors are Brandon Sanderson, Melanie Rawn, Anne Rice, R.A Salvatore, David Eddings, etc. I also like to take it down a notch and read easy books that are just quick and fun, like Kevin Hearne, Kim Harrison, Lev Grossman, Anne McCaffrey, Cinda Williams Chima, etc. Then, I sometimes even take it down to a whole different level and read smut. Yep, I do read smut from time to time.   

Reading is great….I love to read....and wow, according to this article in the Huffington Post, there are 7 Unconventional Reasons Why You Absolutely Should Be Reading Books: reduces stress, sharpens your brain, reduces risk of Alzheimer’s, makes you more empathetic, eases depression, strengthens your mind-reading skills (I’m already there), helps you sleep better….wait, what?!?!? Books do NOT help me sleep better. If I’m reading a book, it’s because I’m enjoying that book, therefore I can NOT put it down.  There are many nights I’ve stayed up til 3am reading. So, are these benefits enough?

Here’s the dilemma….Effects of sleep deprivation. According to another Huffington Post article, there are 8 Scary Side Effects of Sleep Deprivation. Need I say more?? Eight is clearly more than seven. And these 8 sound very scary.

I’m writing about this because it seems there have been lots of articles recently talking about how devastating sleep deprivation is to your health. Just take a look at this article from Heathline, The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Body . They’ll give you 17 scary reasons to close your eyes at a decent time! HEY, not right this minute, please.

Here’s where my mind-reading skills come into play….You are saying, “Put the book down at a decent hour and go to sleep…enjoy the benefits of reading without the devastating effects of sleep deprivation.” Since, you are so clever I’m not going to slap you!  Okay...hey you there, the person that’s 50lbs overweight, put the brownie down, get on the treadmill, and lose some weight….but I’m in a hurry and it was the "easiest" thing to grab. Get the picture!  Yes, that was rude and I apologize. The point is the “easiest” time for me to pick up a book and read is at night after putting the kids to bed. I’m starting my book at 9pm, and that brownie is so yummy I can’t put it down!

It’s time to find a balance! I’m working on it.

Wheek! Wheek!

She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

The kids are very excited about all of us blogging. Which I think is great since it will encourage them to journal and beef up their communication skills. However, I have been given strict rules by “She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” that I’m not allowed to blog/talk about her. I can respect that. I’m proud of her for recognizing that it bothers her when I talk about her to other people, and then voicing her objection to this. So, I will leave it at that and not mention her again on my blog (ok, seriously, I will try my best).

Instead, I would like to share an article I recently read, “Parenting Shy Children”, by Dr. Renee Gilbert. She has a website, Shake Your Shyness, that I’ve enjoyed reading. What I like most about this article is Dr. Gilbert gives you specific tools to help guide your shy child.  She recognizes that you, the parent, are most likely a shy person as well.  I’ve always found it funny when an article is telling a shy parent how to do all of these non-shy things to help their child not to be shy.  Dear Tail, one day I will catch you!!  Hello, really smart person who did research about shyness, you missed a part….the shy parent. (To be fair, there are a lot of articles out there that address the shy parent.)  If you tell me to be an example for my child by modeling situations like me jumping into a group conversation or giving a talk to a crowd, well, it’s not going to have the results that will benefit my child.  It will be quite the opposite. “Hi Group, I am socially awkward and would like to join your conversation. No, I’m really speaking English. I’m sorry you can’t translate my word jumble.” As my child watches me be awkward, she will be mortified and do everything to avoid this happening to her. I can’t even imagine her watching me speak to a crowd. No, that big thump wasn’t your mother passing out and hitting the floor. I’m sure she’ll be eager to jump up and take over the speech for me. Seriously, I’m not that bad, but there are social situations that are difficult for me and as much as I would like to come across as the smooth operator for my child, it’s just not going to happen. And, this is why I like Dr. Gilbert’s article.

Dr. Gilbert outlines obtainable goals to achieve with your child. She’s not telling you to take that giant leap out of your own comfort zone. She is giving you and your child baby steps. It’s as simple as practice smiling at eachother and making eye contact when you greet eachother, or simply opening doors for strangers. Yes, I’m shy, but I can do these things. It all goes back to Applied Behavior Analytics, ABA. One day, I’ll blog about all of our experience with ABA, but for now, I’ll just state “ABA Rocks!”  It’s all about modeling for your kids, but it doesn’t have to be grandiose. We are talking about keeping it simple and breaking it down to the basics….eye contact, smiles, manners, simple greetings and gestures. These all elicit positive feedback from others, and this is what will make your child comfortable in social situations. Who doesn’t seek positive reinforcements?!?! We crave it!

The other topics Dr. Gilbert covers are problem-solving and coping with emotions. Can you imagine how hard it is for a shy person to do something out of their comfort zone? Well, now imagine failing at that something. Holy Moley!!! I’m going back to my hidey hole (awww, to be a guinea pig).  With both of my kids, this statement from Dr. Gilbert is something we try very hard to emphasize:

”If at first we don't succeed, try try again. The ability to see our problems as challenges and failures as feedback---as information about what we need to do next---strengthens our confidence by reminding us that just because we didn't succeed at first, doesn't mean we won't succeed in the end. “

All we ever ask is that they try their best. I wish it were that easy to just state it and have it sink in. No, we have to actually model this. Crap on toast, this parenting stuff takes a lot of work!

I’m going to end my summary of this article, because I’d really rather you take the time to read it yourself than spend time reading my summary of it.  I can’t do it justice….there’s just way too much great stuff in her article!!

Happy Reading! Wheek! Wheek!

Information obtained from website http://www.shakeyourshyness.com/parentingshychildren.htm by Dr. Renee Gilbert. 

Buster....Posey?

You may think I’m talking about the amazing San Francisco Giants Catcher, Buster Posey. And yes, this would be a great blog post to read if I listed all of his accomplishments. http://www.buzzfeed.com/lindseyadler/magical-moments-with-buster-posey However, this post is about Buster the amazing Guinea Pig, who is named after Buster Posey the amazing Catcher.

Buster and Carrot joined our family this summer. We’ve now learned a lot about Guinea Pigs. First, they aren’t just rodents you stick in a cage. Nope, they’re cute cuddly pets that have the funniest personalities.  Even though they have lots of great qualities, they are fragile little critters that live 5-8 years and require a lot of attention. I’m sharing our experience for those who may be considering adding one of these babies to your family.  This isn’t to discourage you, it is to make sure you are informed before jumping in.

Guinea Pigs need a friend. They are social critters and get depressed if left alone. One Guinea Pig poops approximately 30 times a day….2 piggies will give you about 60 poop pellets a day. They eat constantly! Seriously…constantly!! Hence, the name piggies! They need fresh vegetables daily to provide them with vitamin C. We like to see our piggies scurry, but we don’t want them to have scurvy.  Their digestive systems are fragile, so you have to find the right balance of veggies for your piggy. Otherwise, you’ll be dealing with diarrhea, which is really bad for a piggy and the person who cleans the cage (me).  Did I say they are fragile??  A piggy that shows signs of sickness is probably near death. This is because they hide sickness until they are so sick they can’t hide it anymore. This is part of being a prey animal.  Which is also why they are easily startled and need hidey holes to escape. We all look like giant predators to them.  Stress is bad for piggies, this weakens their immune systems. Common issues for piggies are upper respiratory infections, digestive problems, and urinary tract problems. Guinea Lynx, http://www.guinealynx.info/ , has lots of great info about Guinea Pigs.

As for our experience, it started with Buster making wheezing noises. I did not research guinea pigs before we bought them, so now was the time for me to hit the internet. This is when I learned all about how fragile they are. I took Buster to the Animal Emergency Room…..yes, they treat Guinea Pigs. And, no, it is not cheap!  Buster was diagnosed with an Upper Respiratory Infection, given a shot of vitamin C and an  antibiotic shot, and then sent home with antibiotics to give him for the next 14 days. Day 13, he starts making the wheezing again. I take him back to the vet. After x-rays, it is determined he has pneumonia, so he is given another shot of antibiotics, a nebulizer treatment and sent home with another 14 days of antibiotics. Oh, he was also scheduled for a follow up visit for another nebulizer treatment. Surely, you can see this adding up. We now have the million dollar piggy!  At that point, I moved the cage out of Anabelle’s room to my bathroom. My thought was he was getting sick because his cage was next to the window.  Of course this all happened right before we had to leave to go out of town. Luckily, a friend came over and took care of the piggies while we were gone. When we returned, he was doing great, so I moved them back to Anabelle’s room and covered the window. Then a few days before finishing the 2^nd round of antibiotics the wheezing came back. I now have the piggies back in my bathroom, with a humidifier and heater.  Since Buster is still eating, pooping and playing, I’m planning to finish the antibiotics and see how he’s doing. He really is a cutie.

When I walk in the room, the piggies start chirping and whistling….Probably hoping I’m carrying a handful of veggies. Again….they eat constantly!! Buster follows me all around the bathroom and when I start to leave he starts wheeking. He loves attention! The other thing he does that is cute, but I worry may be bad for his breathing, he pulls the hay down from the hay bin, sticks his head in it and falls asleep. As soon as I clean it up, he pulls the hay right back down. I guess he’s preparing for those dreams where he needs a snack. Carrot is our wild man! He bounces all over the room at full speed. It’s the funniest thing to watch. He also loves back rubs. When you start rubbing his back, he’ll collapse like it’s the best massage in the world. Like I said they are very cute!!  

As much as Buster has gone through, I’m still glad we have them. They provide a lot of enjoyment to our family. I just hope Buster will fully recover soon. We are all worried about him.  That’s all for this post. Wheek Wheek!

Carrot and Buster

Blog Creation Day

Matthew created this blog for me. So, I'll try to think of interesting things for you to read. This could take a minute, so check back with me later. :)