Lily, A Birth Story

It was Sunday March 26, 2006. I awoke feeling amazed that I had slept so well, all night long. It had been at least 4 months since I had last slept through a whole night. Wow! Gonna be a good day. Then I tried to get up and realized that it was NOT going to be a good day. I looked down at my giant belly and was instantly pissed. I was still pregnant.

The previous afternoon, at precisely two o'clock, I chugged two tablespoons of Castor oil mixed in Pepsi in a desperate attempt to force my last child into this world a week early. I had had a promising start. I experienced the diarrhea that is typical of Castor oil use, and contractions started about two hours after drinking it, they were irregular but getting stronger and more frequent. I was on my way. I sat next to Greg that evening watching TV, confident in my plan for inducing labor. Around midnight I decided to help labor along by walking and went to the only 24 hour store in town... Walmart.

Two hours later I returned home exhausted and frustrated. My contractions not only failed to progress, but stopped all together. Perhaps my daughter was fearful of a "Hollywood fast" delivery and didn't wish to live her life known as "The Chubbuck Walmart Baby"? I can't say that I blame her. A person can only have so much red on the neck of their family tree and this would have pushed our family over the edge.
So, I was awake and so very disappointed, my baby girl still wasn't coming. The baby I never dreamed would be possible, not because I have fertility problems. No, I have been blessed in that arena. But a GIRL! My husband's family is not known to make very many of them and I wanted one. I wanted her so badly. It was so unbelievable when I was told she was a girl i refused to open anything I had bought until she was born (I broke down anyway two weeks before she was born) But she had her own plans. I would have to wait.

I waddled my way to the bathroom that morning, shuffling my feet and kicking proverbial rocks. My husband was in the bathroom already when I sat down. I looked up at him, very sad and near tears, "Greg, we didn't have a baby last night." He put on his empathy face, looked down at me and said, "I'm so sorry honey." I stood up, pulled my underwear up, and was just about to walk out of the bathroom when... SPLASH! I looked down, he looked down. My water had broken, and then we smiled at each other. "We're having a baby today."

That was almost true. I hung out all that day walking around wearing those pads old ladies with no bladder control have to use waiting for my labor to start. A the 12 hour mark my midwife had me come in to get me started. Worked like a charm too. Four hours later and just after midnight on Monday March 27, 2006 my little pink dream came true. Lily Mae Harmon was born. She was 6lbs 15oz and the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Happy Birthday my angel.
"she's the answer to the pray I hadn't found
she's the answer to the silence, she's my sound.
oh what a girl. oh what a beautiful girl she is."
~Blue Does by Blue October

Fame Whoring In The USA!

Just watched Tiger's "speech" and all i can say is, L to the O to the L! At what point did it become necessary for an adulterer to apologize to the nation? The people he owes the "I'm sorry to" are his wife, kids, and his mama for ruining her good name... in that order. He needs to quit wasting his time in "rehab" and muggin for the cameras and use the time to be on his hands and knees at his wife feet doin whatever the hell she wants him to do. Everything he said should have been handled at family dinner on Sunday.

I was sad to hear him say that Elin never beat on him. It gave me the warm fuzzies to think that she took a few whacks at him with that club. It seemed to level the field a bit. Pity.

However, HANDS DOWN the best thing to come out of this press conference is Gloria Allred's rebuttal complaining about how Tiger didn't apologize to his former porn star mistress. Yes, the all powerful Gloria wants to know why Tiger didn't say he's sorry to his girlfriend of three years... Perhaps because the home wrecking trollop doesn't deserve one! She is just as guilty as he is. There is NO WAY that that woman didn't know he was married. There isn't a person on this planet that hasn't heard of google... that ho knew he was married. There are some places that you just don't go, and a married man's bed is one of them. You should see this mess. It's a lovely example of fame whoring and it's enough to make you puke.

So a quick reminder for Tiger on how to have a happier life. Marriage is sacred. Period. You DO NOT cheat. No matter who you are. "Best golfer in history tag" does not give you a license to swing your dong around like it's a magic 9 iron. Famous has NEVER equaled God.... maybe he could have it engraved on his golf clubs, or tattooed on his man parts, lest he forgets... again

A Bountiful First Time

Today was my first crack at doing Bountiful Baskets and I AM IN LOVE! It is a nonprofit organization that basically works like this: you go to the web site on Tuesday morning and place your order (you pay online) and print out your conformation voucher. For just a basket it is $16.50, (your first time there is a one time charge of $3) but there are other add-ons you can purchase. Saturday at the given time and place you show up with your laundry baskets/boxes/bags etc. Show your voucher. Pick up your food. Take it home. Try to find room for all of it.
This idea is so fantastic and such a great way to save money, and incorporate healthier foods into your diet. The retail value of what you get is generally in the $50-$70 range. AMAZING SAVINGS! This is what I brought home.
1lb Strawberries
1 Honey Dew Mellon
8 Apples
5 Grapefruit
1 Pineapple
1 Butternut Squash
4 Tomatoes
6 Yams
5 Ears of Corn
2 Cucumbers
9 Bananas
2 Bags of Spinach
and for $14 more a
20lb box of mixed citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits)
ALL THIS FOR $33.50

Old Drivers

This is recycled from a myspace blog I did...


Let me preface this with saying for the record, I love old people. The summer that I was 13 I volunteered for hours at a convalescent center and I used to work at a veterans home. Next to being a mother, it was the most rewarding thing that I have ever done... and I did it all. I have read to them, fed them, put their clothes on them, combed their hair, lit their smokes, and put out the fire when they dropped said smokes. I've talked about their lives with them, danced with them, tried to maintain their dignity and protect their privacy. I’ve battled it out with nurses who refused to listen to me when I knew they were in pain. I’ve spent more time with them than their own families, and I’ve held their hands and told them that it was ok if they didn’t want to fight anymore and just wanted to go into the light... and i’ve
watched them go.

That said I F-ING HATE OLD DRIVERS!!! Sweet merciful Zeus get off the road! I was behind some silver haired tortoise today doing 25 in a 40..... GET OUT OF THE
WAY GRANDPA!!! My dad is approaching 70 and he said not too long ago that he hopes that he has the sense to give up driving when he becomes a danger. I said, "Dad, you don’t have to worry about a thing. I’ll take your keys away for you." see i care about the public... i’m a humanitarian.

Look at this woman, she can’t even handle
her electric cart.

Another Year, Another Burning Desire To Punch People In The Head

I just dropped off my children at school for their first day of fifth and first grade. I am always taken aback when I walk into a school and I am reminded of just how damaging last year was. I go in prepared to fight, it reminds me what a great child Stark is because he doesn't go around stabbing kids with pencils.

(Right about now you're asking yourself, "who is Stark?" That is my son formerly know as Travis. Stark is his middle name and it's so awesome he's decided to use it now. All of the bullying and unpleasantness that happened last year happened to Travis, so I think by becoming Stark he feels like he isn't that victim anymore. I'm just gonna go with it.)

QUICK LIST OF WHY SCHOOL DISTRICT 25 ADMINISTRATORS HAVE THEIR HEADS UP THEIR COLLECTIVE ASSES

~Even though my child transferred to L&C last year I still have to register them at their "home school", S, and apply for the transfer every year. Then there is still no guarantee
~I didn't find out until Tuesday that the transfer was approved.
~I didn't find out until Thursday who their teachers are. Today is Monday their first day of school, that left me a whopping FOUR days to get their school supplies
~I was told I could get the school supplies list off of the district web site. L&C was the ONLY school who had NO LIST available on the net.
~I was informed that because my children were "transfers" and not "overflow" that the district would not provide transportation. Well does it matter that I had to transfer them because my boy was getting the shit kicked out of him every day and NOTHING was being done about it?

I forget how angry I still am about this. It's isn't something I dwell on until I have to enter a school and then it hits me. It is definitely something I have to work on letting go of. I know this.I hate feeling so hostile because I'm used to just not giving a crap. Apathy is my friend... I'd like to get back to that. I'm too lazy to stay pissed off.

Idaho State Journal Article On Bullying

The article in the Idaho State Journal came out today. It was front page and a really, rather large picture of my really, rather good looking boy. I didn't even know it was out until i got the 1st phone call. TS' soccer coach from last season called to say that her daughter went through the same thing and she now home schools her. then the mother of a girl that has been in TS' class before called to say that they are going through it too. she also told me that there was a comment section on the ISJ web site where you could comment on an article and someone, conveniently named "anonymous" had said that her kids said TS was a bully.... OH NO SHE DITN'T!!!!! so i did something i never do cause it's dumb and i got into an internet pissing contest with an unknown person. she accused my son of being a turd and that just wasn't going to happen. (i wish like hell i could give you the link to it, but the journal has changed the site and it's gone and i'm a dummy for not saving it.) i pointed out that none of the parents of students at Syringa school know me well enough to claim that i don't spend enough time with my kids, so she really didn't know what she was speaking about... ENTER JEFRI!!!!! i had posted a link to the page with his picture on myspace and good old Jef went to take a look. she saw what "anonymous" had said about me and mine... she didn't like it. (we grew up together and even after all these years she's still got my back.... love you Jef!) so she SCHOOLS this lady and "anonymous" ends up lookin like a straight up tard! i got so many phone calls today that said so many wonderful things. this is not something that i do. i let stuff go... it's why G and i have been married so long. but when something is broken at a school.... i mean, that's our kids! it has to be fixed! i love my son. he's smart, gorgeous, kind, and has infinite possibilities for his life. (hope y'all are ready for a time machine cause he's pretty sure he's gonna build one) i could not sit by and let poorly disciplined children and an apathetic principal start his life on a path that could lead to self destruction. he's better than that. God gave him to me at a time in my life when i was headed for that same destruction. he is divine intervention at its blond haired, green eyed best. a gift. a message from the Almighty himself, "YOU CAN BE A BETTER PERSON THAN YOU ARE RIGHT NOW. HE WILL HELP YOU BECOME THE PERSON YOU ARE MEANT TO BE. HE IS ONE OF MY FINEST, MY STRONGEST, AND NOW HE IS YOURS. LOVE HIM AND HE WILL SAVE YOU!" how do you ignore that? i had to scan the article so here are the photobucket links Front Page Article

We Aren't The Only Ones

it has been too long! i always go months without blogging and it makes no sense because i have a million ideas everyday about funny stuff to say... i take that back. it makes perfect sense. i have 3 children and constantly get interrupted so most days i feel like, "what's the point?" (for example i didn't even get to write one whole sentence before TS, who was supposed to be in bed an hour ago, busted in wanting chap stick)

those of you who read my blog know about the trouble we've had at school. TS is 10 and was going to some ghetto school that breeds future criminals. the bloody noses and bruises became too much so we have moved him to a new school and he is doing VERY well. for the first time he has friends and feels safe.

i had let the bs that happened a Syringa go, we were moving on, but yesterday i was told about a local chiropractor who's son is at Syringa and is having trouble. then a few hours later, the mother of one of the only friends that TS had at his old school called to tell me her daughter was being bullied as well. this is just too much and i have decided to not "let it go" the principal of that school has lost all control over there. (her name is Miffy Lane.... yeah.... that's right MIFFY?????) she refuses to call the police because then there is an official record and she looks bad. she also loses all control over what happens to the student. (did i mention she's also a dumb ass?) so i have written to the school board and here is a copy of that letter.




Dear Members of the School Board,

My son Travis is in the fourth grade this year, and, until recently, he has attended Syringa since kindergarten. This year the bullying escalated to such a degree that it was no longer safe to continue to send him to that school and we moved him over to Lewis and Clark.

My son was tortured at Syringa. He has had cuts, bruises, bloody noses, and foot shaped bruises on his chest. He was attacked by two boys in the bathroom and put into a headlock. He became so scared to go to the restroom at school that he developed urinary track infections because he was "holding it" ALL day. He quit sleeping, and would throw up Sunday nights because he had to go back to school. Even through all of this, he still had good grades and was never a discipline problem for his teachers.

Miffy Lane did NOTHING to stop it. She never called the police, and she never enforced the so called punishments that she handed out. When Travis was dog piled by five, (that's right FIVE!) older boys because they tried to steal his soccer ball, Miffy thought a fair punishment for them would be one month without being able to play soccer. Within a few days my son came home to tell me that those boys were playing soccer again. I ask you, what kind of lesson did those boys learn? Nothing! Not a DARN THING! and that is why the violence is escalating at Syringa and a child will be seriously harmed if something isn't done.

I have been told that Miffy is retiring at the end of the year. I say, good riddance! Our children are not safe with her. She cares more about covering her own behind than the safety of anyone in that school. It is the reason why she doesn't call the police. She loses all control over what happens and there is an official record of the mess that goes on in her school.

I left a message with the district offices before Christmas about wanting to file a complaint about Miffy Lane. I, of course received no return phone call. I have the feeling that you all are hoping to not have to deal with "the Miffy problem". That she will just retire and she can move to Miami, or wherever worthless educators go after their time is through. Now that my son is in a safe place I was going to let this go, and move on. However, I have spoken to two sets of parents who's children are also being bullied at Mrs. Lane's school. This has made me see that, something stinks at Syringa and it's coming from Miffy's office. I feel like I still have a stake a Syringa because I have a kindergartner that is still there (we didn't wish to disrupt his school year too, so he stayed at Syringa). I do not anticipate a response, as I said I'm sure you're all just waiting for Miffy to go away. As a result I will continue to be in contact with other parents, gathering as many as necessary to make the biggest noise possible. I will also be writing to the Idaho State Journal as well as the local news.

I beg of you, do something about this. There is no reason for children to be scared to go to school. Where is your "zero tolerance" policy? I will tell you this, if the parents of a child who is a bully had to shop around for new schools because their kid got kicked out of his last one for being a punk, I'm quite certain that those parents would pay more attention to what kind of person their child is becoming, and double their efforts to be better parents. As it stands, it's up to the parents of the victimized child to find a safe place for their child to go to school.


Sincerely,
Kiley Harmon




so there it is. just for the record i would like to say that my boy is no wuss. he handled this nightmare like a damned hero and i am more proud of that boy than i can say.