A Slice of Life

Woodmans is a grocery store that is non-union. Now I understand that when unions are used correctly, they are there to make sure that employees are treated and paid fairly.

So here is my question. I drive by Woodmans almost every day and there are union members from somewhere with picket signs protesting the fact that Woodmans doesn't have a union.

Why is it that unions think that EVERYBODY should be part of one. Obviously some businesses work well without unions so why the big push? I used to work for Aldi and we were non-union. I had a great job. I was paid well, I had insurance and even a retirement something. It was so long ago, but for me, all I saw was a good company.

So that is my question. Why? Can anybody answer that? I know that things between union and non union members can get pretty nasty, but I just want to know why they push unions like it is a horrible thing if there isn't one?

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and I was just wondering if anyone out there has a tradition that is different from the usual, maybe go to church, have the family and or friends over, cook a turkey, eat til you feel dead and watch football or go hunting.

I don't really have any traditions for Thanksgiving except for what I mentioned above, but I want to know if anyone has anything special they do for the day

I am just wondering if it is me or if this is just the way things are now. I have noticed around my house that people totally forgot how to use stop signs. Not only do they blow through them, but they also seem to forget that you go through one or two at a time and when it is your turn and you go, they start to go and honk the horn at you like you are in THEIR way.

One example I have is that I was at a stop sign on Puetz and Pennsylvania. There were cars at every corner. Each one took their turn. I start to go through, and all of the sudden, this little gray truck comes whipping through the stop sign at like 40mph. I slammed on my breaks almost in the middle of the intersection and everybody else just kind of sat there for a second. Had this person hit me, my daughter and I would probably have been dead. Me for sure since she would have hit in my drivers side door and never slowed down.

Another time, I was at a stop sign and everybody took their turn, so I was getting ready to go, and the person to my right who just moved up because the car in front of them was the last through, started to go. I was already almost halfway into the intersection, and they are blowing their horn at me.

What has happened to people that they forgot their driving manners? I have seen so much garbage flying out of car windows, people speeding and passing on the right, people not caring about the stop signs, or the people who are crossing the street. And in parking lots, it has been worse lately too.

Oh, and the freeway, forget it. I have been cut off, or almost slammed into so many times I can't even count. My biggest pet peeve is when you are getting off at the airport and trying to get into the exit lane. People don't let you in, but yet when they get to the end, they get out of it anyway. So what difference would it have made to let you in if they didn't belong there in the first place? It is just so frustrating. Do we feel that important that nobody else matters?

So what is it? Do I just need to grow thicker skin, or should I expect people to actually follow the rules which are put in place for safety reasons.

Today started out as a regular day. Four kids in the house, plus the two that come for rides to school. We get everybody off, but the two younger kids and go shopping. First to walmart where I practically handed over my entire checkbook, then to the grocery store so that I could pick up what I needed for dinner.

We get in the store, and I tell my four year old daughter that she cannot walk backwards and hold onto the cart because she is going to get hurt, plus she can't see the people walking towards her.

So off to the bakery to get a cookie, then we go on to do our shopping. She is a very cute and articulate little girl. We spent the time talking and joking around. We are almost done, I just needed lettuce. So we get to the produce section and here she goes again, walking backwards and holding onto the cart.

In a stern voice, I told her that she is not allowed to walk backwards (she had almost walked into a person this time) and that she already knew that so to turn around. Yes I was stern, but no I didn't yell or go berzerk.

The next thing I know is this lady looks at her and says, "but she is walking forward now, she is so cute and so good, and mom, she will respond better to praise rather than scolding"

Ok, so, I am really biting my tongue at this time because not only did I not do anything inappropriate, BUT this woman had the nerve to in her way scold me in front of my daughter about how I chose to discipline her for not listening to me.

Now, I didn't say anything to this woman, but I really wanted to tell her to take my daugher home for a day or two and when she starts climbing on furniture and pulling shelves and pictures off the wall and throwing them on the floor, or diving off of the couch with her latest gymnastics routine, or tears apart her room and throws all of her clean clothes into the dirty laundry, she can tell me what I am doing wrong ONLY if she can handle all of that without getting angry or scolding.

I am sorry, but I am not one of those parents who believes that kids should never be scolded, punished, spanked, or given time outs. Each person parents differently, and each child reacts differently. Why do people think they have the right to butt into other peoples business being all self righteous and telling them how to raise their children.

I have walked into daycare centers and heard kids being yelled at or scolded. Is that wrong? Gee, I don't know because I wasn't there to see the entire situation. Not to mention that my four year old daughter is old enough to understand that no means no the first time.

I do expect my kids to behave and listen to me and I think that if more parents stood up and took care of their kids, we would have alot less problems with out of control kids. We are the adults and we are still in charge.

And for any parent to come up and say that they have never scolded or raised their voice to their kids is a lie, because I don't care who you are, but if you have kids, they have been sassy, or pushed your buttons multiple times. And if not, then let me learn from you because I want to know what it is like to be perfect.

I don't know. I am just so ticked that I was "scolded" by some stranger, for telling my daughter that she was going to be punished if she did that again. GRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Were you one of the people who hung the sign on the door that said "sorry, no treats" or did you leave to avoid the little monster and goblins running around? Or did you dress up, sit on your front porch and hand out candy to people you don't know?

I have to admit that I did have my "sorry, no treat" sign ready to go, but then decided that since my exchange student has never celebrated Halloween, it would be fun to let him hand out candy.

At first he was surprised that I asked him to do it, then the first few times, he seemed to like it, but by the time about 20 minutes had passed, he was begging us to let him stop. Of course, we are not the type of parents to let them give up so easily so we did everything possible to make it comfortable for him, stayed with him and even snapped a few pictures that he can send home to show his family what he did for Halloween.

We haven't gotten him to any haunted houses this year, but hopefully, next weekend.

So if you had trick or treat today what did you do? Did you go along with the fun, or avoid it?

Well, the summer totally blew by us and now it is another school year with lots and lots of changes. First, we moved about two weeks after school let out, and before we had time to unpacke, it was off to Washington D.C. and Colonial Williamsburg for vacation. We also poked around in West Virginia for a day before comming home. That is why I love driving. So then we get back and try to settle into the new house and survey the damage from the storms in early June. We decided that we had to put up the tile in the basement and do the entire floor so that was one project, refinish a very large deck that hadn't been taken care of for at least 10 years, and go to church.

Church is the important part here because when I got there, one of the women noticed that we hadn't been there and asked me why. I told her about the move, the vacation and work and that we had just gotten back on schedule. This is also the same person who had a few months earlier asked me if I would be willing to take an exchange student. At the time, I didn't know we were moving, it was kind of a last minute thing. We saw a house, offered on it, then had to hurry up and sell ours. And I am happy to say that in today's marekt, we sold it the first day it was up at almost what we asked.

So anyway, she heard me say "move" and her eyes got really big. Next thing I knew, I had an exchange student. Well, I had to go through a process first, but we got to look at the profile. We took it out and had a family meeting and let the kids decide. My son was the final decision maker because he was the one who had to give up half his room for a school year.

They were all excited and so we went through the application process, did the school thing, and I found out lots about my local high school, but that is for another blog depending on how things go. AND next thing we knew, we were at the airport at 11:00 the thursday night waiting for some kids we didn't know to come and live with us.

So far it is great. He got off the plane after over 24 hours of travel and opened his arms and said "I'm here!!!!!"  Right then, I knew that he was a good fit for our family. He is such a great kid and we are all having a good time. He brought with him some awesome gifts and lots of food type things. I even ate Black Fungus. It was actually quite tasty.

So anyway, my eyes have been opened to alot of things just in the past few weeks and while I still can't believe I actually did this. But I am looking forward to a great year and hope I can give my student the same.

Ok, I know there is a way to do this, but I can't find it so I thought I would blog it and hopefully somebody will see it. I am taking in an exchange student from China. I am looking for a phone plan that I can afford so that he can call home. I found a bunch, but don't know how to tell if they are legit or not. I found one that sounds a bit too good to be true, but then again, I have never needed to call outside the country, so I am totally clueless here.

All of these plans ask for a credit card up front and I don't want to do that until I know they aren't some scam. I would just look at the BBB, but all I have is their name and no other info. Searches there are generally not working.

Help?

 

 

Ok, so this happened a few months ago and I know this because I filled up in the morning, and in the evening, my gas light was on and when I saw that, it was on empty. I only drove a mile that day and I KNOW I don't have a gas leak.

So I got a locking gas cap. AND I have moved so I am no longer in the neighborhood where this happened. I got up the other day to go to my car and the door to my gas tank was open and the keyhole was messed up. Somebody tried to steal it again! At least that is the only thing I can think of because I know I didn't go out there in the middle of the night and do that to my own car.

Anyway, I guess this gas crunch is starting to get to lots of people and am willing to bet that this happens more often than we know.

School starts in three weeks. Does anybody have plans for their first days of peace and quiet? Or plans for the money not being spent on daycare? Possibly cleaning the house?

I don't know if I am excited for it or not. I love not having that "go go" schedule and all the running that goes with it. I also like the weather that comes with summer vacation, and it seems as if once school starts, it all of the sudden changes. I am not a fan of late fall, winter, and early spring.

I plan on settling into my new house, and just getting organized. What is everybody else going to do?

 

 

Ok, so I haven't seen much news coverage of it, but what happened in Congress yesterday? I only got a part of it, but from what I recall, the Rep. wanted to put a vote forward and for some reason, I don't know if the Dems thought it wasn't going to pass or what, but they ended the session for the next 5 weeks and that was that. What happend of "of the people, by the people for the people?"

I think that by ending that session just because one group seemed to be afrait to vote was a very good show of how we have exactly NO say in what goes on in congress.

We elected these people to speak for us. No matter what party you are from, if you are not going to let those voices be heard, then why do you get to get paid? I think that is totally wrong.

Any thoughts.?

 

 

Here is the story. You are driving on the freeway. You are in traffic. Then you see a sign that says two left lanes closed ahead. As usual, people decide that merging over isn't what they need to do until the last minute. So then they block up the entire freeway because you have a huge group of cars trying to get in at the last minute while you sit? Do you let those people in? Or do you let them wait for you to pass?

I let people in when they see the signs and try to get in. But tonight was rediculous on the freeway. First, the DOT closed two lanes at ONE time. So instead of merging one lane and then they next, two lanes went down to one lane at one time. That made it worse. I made up my mind to let people in to a certian point, but when we got to the point where it was obvious that they were just trying to get ahead and expected us to let them in, I decided that this time, they could wait for me to pass.

What do you do? Would you let them in?

 

 

Ok, my school suppies are bought and all labled and packed in the proper backpacks. Is anyone else ready? Have you found the greatest deals that you would like to share? Do you have any weird things on your childs list?

I shopped Walmart all the way and for all three kids got away with $80.00. Not bad since one is in Middle school and his supplies are more expenisve like a calculator (they even sepcifiy the model) and a Gym Uniform. Things like that.

One of my girls need TWO packs of twisty crayons. Last year she didn't even go through one regular pack. I don't get why we have to spend so much on crayons for that convenience. And 48 pencils. How many of you get to the end of the shool year and then your child brings home 40 half used penicils. I hate that.

So who else is ready?

 

 

Today is a sad day in the Christian music world and for people all over the world who have been touched by Steven's music. Yesterday, his baby girl Maria was struck and killed by an SUV that her brother was driving in the family's long and winding driveway.

This was an accident that has left a family with a big hole in it.

 He wrote a song not so long ago called "Cinderella" Today, I was told that little Maria inspired the song. I am not sure if that is true, but he did hit the nail right on the head with the lyrics when it comes to watching our kids grow up and realizing how they truly are gifts we have been given. In it he says:

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t want to miss even one song
‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone …

I didn't post all of the lyrics as I don't have permission, but you can find them on this site.

http://www.klove.com/Music/Default.aspx

And here is the entire story of what happened last night (wednesday) to his little girl.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID
=/20080521/TUNEIN/80521174&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSELa>

 

So what do you think? Is it a good idea to just be able to write down a license plate number and time of day along with location so that a warning or ticket can be mailed to the person?

I think that the idea is a great one, but what happens when you get a neighbor who decides that they want to get back at you for something and start to make things up and call them in? What kind of recourse do you have?

I don't live in Milwaukee, but we do have our share of cars that go thumping down our street during the day and late at night. It is irritating, especially when they park on the street and sit there.

Where I live, we are told that the actual cop has to witness the offense before they can do anything and of course if you are being loud, the second you see that squad car come down the road, you are going to quiet down.

So I see both good and bad if this noise thing passes through. Just wondering what others think.

 

We sang this song at the end of a bible study and it just touched me. I was told by our worship leaders that as long as I typed it exactly as they have it, I am ok to put it out here without breaking any laws. I love this song for a few reasons. One is that in my study, before we start anything, we go around our table and just talk a bit about ourselves and the week we had. We also send around a prayer book and we can write in our prayer requests, and those are mailed to us that day so we can keep our "sisters" in mind while spending our time with the Lord. So anyway, this is the song and I just want to share it because it gave me a new point of view.

 

The Servant Song by Richard Gillard

Sister let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you. Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey, we are together on the road. We are here to help eachother walk the mile and bear the load.

When we sing to God in eaven, we shall find such harmony. Born of all we've known together, of Christ's love and agony.

Brother let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you. Pray that I might have the grace to let you by my servant to. 1977 Scripture in Song, Maranatha Music CCLI #2265

I love this song because it is exactly what we should be able to expect of eachother, and what we should be to eachother. Could you imagine if everybody was here to serve their fellow man? We are all brothers and sisiters. We thrive when we have wonderful people around who can support us when we need it if we aren't too proud to let them know we need help, and also when we help eachother. It all goes together, and that is the key to a wonderful life for everybody.