Outraged

So, I was born in Maryland and consider the Eastern Shore of Maryland my true home.  However, for the last fifteen years I have lived in West Virginia-  the Mountain State.  My husband was born and raised here, my children were born and are being raised here.

And I happen to love it here!

Imagine my dismay when I discovered this piece of journalism trash posted on the website of a DC television station’s website (that I used to watch, USED to watch)

Here is the full text of the offensive article:

Now the news that West Virginia has put a whole bunch of its important vital records on the Internet certainly raises the possibility of all kinds of cheap shots at our yokel neighbors to the West.

But that’d be completely unfair, a gross stereotype about our neighbors’ tar-paper shacks, which probably don’t even have enough electricity to power a Commodore anyway.

But if they did have one, they’d be able to log on to the new Web site and do all kinds of research, says the Herald-Mail. Here, for example, is a listing of all the birth certificates for people named Cletus. Here’s a listing of all the Twittys who’ve died in the state. And here’s a listing of all the weddings in the state where both the bride and the groom had the last name “Smith.”

Isn’t it enough that they have to poop in their backyard, running through the cold, fearing that the trap door on their red flannel pajamas should pop open early, exposing their nether regions to the bite of the winds? Why do we have to make fun of them for their misfortune?

So we won’t.

The site has all the data they have that’s legally shareable. Birth certificates can’t be shared for 100 years; death certificates are on ice for 50. Records from the Civil War aren’t available, as well as a few gaps where fire or flood took out a courthouse or two.

But if you’ve ever wondered what Hank Williams’ death registry looks like (you can put your hand down), now you can die happy. (And have someone from WV look at it 50 years later, once the Internet finally comes to the state.)

Copyright NBC Local Media First Published: Dec 18, 2009 8:50 AM EST

While I am aware there are people in this state living in extreme poverty (as there are in many states) the insinuation that to live in West Virginia means that you are an uneducated “yokel” infuriates me.

Why am I sharing this with you, my dear readers?  Not just for the sake of venting about something that has me very upset but because I know that  many of you live in the MD/DC/VA/WV area.

If this is the case I am asking you to join me in asking for a public apology by the station and the “reporter” who wrote the original piece.  You can do that by clicking here.

Now, I am going to drink a cup of coffee and enjoy the beautiful view of snow covered mountains from my front porch.

Not My Child Monday

Have you ever had one of those days that your kids made you want to turn your head and deny the fact that they were birthed from your loins? I have had a few of those this week:

~My 5 year old nephew (who is staying with us right now)did NOT come to my hubby with palm opened and say “Uncle Mike, this fell out”. The object in his palm was NOT a turd and we were NOT at Chik-Fil-A. I did NOT laugh so hard when hubby told me this story that I peed myself.

~ My eleven year old did NOT take a half arsed shower for the first time in three days, get out semi wet and put on the same clothes he wore the day before and slept in. We are a family that values hygiene, sheesh!

~ My just turned thirteen year old did NOT announce that his plan B if he does NOT make it into the NBA after college is to become President (of the United States). He is NOT the shortest kid in his class, he does NOT have ego issues and darn it, that boy is going places someday, I tell you.

What did your spawn NOT do this week? Go ahead, no judgement here!

Not Me Monday- my crazy week edition

I have had a Crazy week with a capital “C“.  I thought that the style of denial (the Not Me Monday way)would be the best way to go to share it with you guys, to keep me laughing instead of crying….anyway, here we go…

• I did NOT make a last minute 8 hour trip (each way) to pick up my brother and nephew the day before vacation.  I am NOT incapable of saying “no” when my family needs something NOR did I turn the adventure into a girl’s road trip with my friend Rebecca- just for the fun of it.  I do NOT enjoy being away from my family every once in a while and sleeping in Red Roof Inns in the butt crack of Ohio at 3:30am.  Nope, not me.
• On said road trip, I did NOT sleep through the alarm at the Red Roof Inn, putting us two hours behind our already ridiculous tight schedule.  Nope, not me. 
• My brother, father of the year that he is, did NOT forget to bring any toys for his four year old child for the trip back to Aunt Lissa’s house.  This did NOT prompt me to make a stop at a Walgreens in Indiana to buy some things for the poor child to do and to maintain our sanity make the trip more enjoyable for my little nephew.  With limited choices available I did NOT buy dinosaurs which turned out to have little beads that easily come out and I did NOT end up with those beads all over the floor of my car.
• I did NOT forget that I had also purchased crayons for my nephew.  Since I did NOT forget that, crayons did NOT get left in my sweltering car while we were on vacation and did NOT melt in a colorful mess on the backseat.
• My Raystown Lake houseboat vacation will NOT require it’s own post, even though it took up five days of my crazy week. (Post coming, I promise
• I did NOT cry when we dropped Chloe (my adorable puppy) off at the kennel.  I am NOT a crier.
• I did NOT cry when we picked Chloe (my adorable puppy) up from the kennel.  The kennel had NOT fed her almost an entire bag of food (that usually lasts for eight weeks) in five days.  She did NOT have a rash of unknown origin on her little tummy and I was NOT mad enough to vow never to leave her again.  Nope, not me.
• I did NOT take the easy way out and buy storebought *gasp* cupcakes for my nephew’s birthday party because I was too tired to bake.
• I did NOT (almost) completely forget about Father’s Day and have one heck of a time finding acceptable cards for the father’s in my life on the day before Father’s Day.  Since when do I NOT wait until the last minute?
• I did NOT overdo it this week and I am NOT barely able to move, let alone tackle the craziness that is the week ahead of me.  I am aware of my limits and I respect them.

What confessions do you NOT need to make?  Head over to My Charming Kids for more Not Me Monday’s.

Not Me Monday- the Chloe edition

As my sweet puppy lays beside me sleeping so innocently and sweetly, I am so thankful she did NOT do any of the following things that would prove her to be ANYTHING BUT cute and innocent:

~Chloe does NOT scream like a banshee every night when it is time to go to bed (crate).
~Chloe does NOT expect that she will be take on every outing and does NOT throw a doggie temper tantrum when I leave the house without her.
~Chloe does NOT continue to eat her own poo even though we add the “this is supposed to make the poo taste bad” pills.
~Chloe did NOT completely ignore the piddle pad when visiting friends and tinkle on their couch. A sweet thing like her would NEVER do such a thing.
~Chloe does NOT whine when hubby leaves the room, NOR does she jump off the couch and take off running expecting Mommy to come catch her, NOR does she deliberately kick water at me when I am giving her a bath (to the point that I’m the one that ends up looking like a wet dog). She is much to adorable to do such things.
~Chloe has NOT brought me joy and the companionship I was desperately craving and so therefore I do NOT forgive her for any of the above that may occur….

What has NOT been going on in your world this week? Head over to MckMama’s blog for more posts!

Not Me Monday- Living Well edition

Please continue to keep MckMama and baby Stellan in your prayers. You can keep up with situation on her blog or follow MckMama on Twitter.

So, if you follow my ministry blog (and if you don’t, why not? BIG things are going to be happening over there very soon!)then you know that I am on a mission to eat healthier and take better care of my body. I just finished the first week of Montel William’s plan for 21 Days to Living Well. I am documenting my progress on the other blog but thought I would share some of the outtakes, I mean things that did NOT happen this week on my quest to become healthier.

~I did NOT take pictures of myself in my underwear and nearly go blind from the very white glare coming from the mirror, and it was NOT from the flash.

~I did NOT spend a half hour looking for a kid and hubby free hiding spot for said pictures, as the plan doesn’t call for us to look at them again for awhile.

~I did NOT hover over then blender with a handful of lettuce to add to my strawberry mango smoothie, physically unable to release my grasp on said lettuce until I was holding it over the hamster cage and NOT my blender. Lettuce in a smoothie, I mean- come on!!!

~I did NOT eat three chocolate chip cookies that my youngest had made while we were watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua on Friday night. I am stronger than that and can withstand temptation without giving in, sheesh.

~I did NOT skip day five all together because this girl doesn’t do fish. Especially NOT sardines and anchovies- bleck!

~I did NOT feel like I was going to pass out after five minutes on my stationary bike- I am in better shape than that- honest!

On to week two, folks!

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Not Me Monday- mama to boys edition

MckMama is still on NMM hiatus due to Baby Stellan being in the hospital (still). He is now in Boston and prayers are still needed. Please continue to lift this family up to our awesome God!!

Here is my Not Me Monday- Mama to boys edition. There is just something unique about raising boys. They are so rough and tumble, literal, wear their heart on their sleeve humans. I did NOT have some moments with them this week that made me wonder where God got the male chromosome idea from…here are a few of those incidents that did NOT happen:

~Jared did NOT fall in the shower and hit his head on the porcelain tub. An ER visit later did NOT show that he has no permanent damage. The ER doc did NOT say my child must have the hardest head he has ever seen (I coulda told him that). Jared did NOT spend the rest of the week looking like he had been in a bar fight.
~Matt did NOT go to school and tell all Jared’s friends exactly what had happened so that Jared had no hope of saving face. And Matt did NOT enjoy it.
~I did NOT go to watch my DVR’d episode of Dancing with the Stars (yes, I like that show) only to discover that Matt had recorded episodes of Star Wars the Clone Wars instead, again.
~Jared did NOT come home from a sleepover at a friend’s house reporting the fun they had catching frogs and throwing them back in the creek. I did NOT gasp in horror and think 1. poor frogs and 2. you better not get warts.
~Matt did NOT groan and complain about cleaning the bathroom saying “This is disgusting, someone peed on the seat”. Hmmmmm, wonder who that could have been?
~I did NOT find my sock drawer ransacked because some tween, who shall remain nameless, decided it would be easier to borrow mom’s socks then match his own. **Note to self- replace all of my socks with purple and pink stripes to prevent future sock napping issues**

So, what did not happen in your house this week? Please share!

Not Me Monday- mini vacay edition

Please continue to pray for baby Stellan and his Mckmama.

Well, Wednesday we left for a long holiday weekend at my grandparents. I consider their house “home”, as in where I grew up. Not only did they raise me for part of my childhood but they have lived in the same house since I was five and it is the most relaxing, welcoming place on earth for me. My kids and hubby love it too. These are the things that did NOT happen while we were there:

~I did NOT bring my new puppy to my Mommom’s house, despite the fact she is allergic to dogs. I am a grown woman and know the puppy would have been fine with my mom while we were gone.

~I did NOT totally have Twitter and blogging withdrawals because I did not bring my laptop and had promised my kiddos I would spend the time with them. I did NOT have moments of “this would make a great post” or “wonder what @soandso is doing today. If I did these things I would need to admit that I am addicted to the internet and find an appropriate treatment program.

~I did NOT forget and leave one of our other dogs outside and have to call my stepdad to come over and let her in the house while we were gone. It did NOT take seven hours for this realization to hit me.

~Since the above did NOT occur, I did NOT blame the above on my multiple sclerosis short term memory issues. I am a good doggy mama.

~I did NOT laugh at my son, who teetered off the sand and into the frigid Chesapeake Bay water while playing at the park. It wasn’t funny to watch his brother give him a piggyback ride back to the house since his shoes were NOT so wet he “could get frostbite”.

What did NOT happen to you this week? Please share and let us all have a laugh. I could use one!

Not Me Monday- sorta

I am not writing a Not Me Monday post today because I am NOT too exhausted from babysitting BFF’s kids Friday and Saturday, dealing with sick puppy and doggy ER this weekend, meeting deadlines, baking and cooking for hubby’s birthday, having kids home from spring break and waking up to one of my other dogs puking his guts out this morning to even think about blogging. I am not in a feel sorry for myself, snappy, hormonal, I need a friggin’ nap mood. Nope, not me!.

Not Me Monday- special Stellan edition

Not Me Monday is a meme started by MckMama. It is usually a time to make and poke fun at ourselves for the ways we goofed up in the past week. However, little Stellan is sick and in honor of his sweet, God fearing mother, Not Me Monday will focus on them this week. Please keep them in your prayers and you can follow MckMama’s Twitter updates on her blog. To see other Not Me Monday posts this week visit Emily’s blog.

~I have not talked about Stellan as if I know him personally all week, asking people who don’t even know what a blog is to pray for little MckMuffin.

~I have not cried wanting to comfort his mama when she has been tired, pissed off and strong. I am not a crier!

~I have not stopped what I was doing several times this week to lift little Stellan up to the Lord because he was on my heart.

~I have not talked about this baby so much that my boys ask how MckMuffin is doing when they get home from school.

~I have not obsessively checked twitter and MckMama’s blog for updates to check on Stellan and MckMama.

~I have not thought of how hard it must be for Prince Charming to be torn between the hospital, working and taking care of the many small children. He has not been in my prayers as well.

~I have not looked forward even more to meeting MckMama on the MckCruise in 2010 so I can tell her in person what an awesome, inspiring person I think she is and what a difference her faith has made in my life.

Love, prayers and hugs being lifted up to the MckFamily,

Not Me Monday

*************URGENT PRAYER REQUEST***********************

When I went to post this Not Me Monday, MckMama had a post about baby Stellan on her blog. He is in the hospital with SVT (superventricular tachycardia) and things are dire! His heart rate is in the 280-290’s and has been for hours. The doctors are trying to get it down. The last update from MckMama was on Twitter around 5:00am and still no response to the meds to slow his heart down. I beg of you to take a moment and lift this precious miracle baby and his sweet family up to God! You can read more about their family by visiting their blog- My Charming Kids.

Welcome to my weekly dose of therapy- you can join in the fun at MckMama’s blog- it is free after all

So onto the things that did NOT happen in my week, if they had I would be embarrassed and ashamed and I’m just not into that!

~I did NOT have to ban my son from using the DVR as he has NOT been recording every Star Wars movie that comes on TV. This does NOT irritate me because it takes up precious room on my DVR for my favorite shows NOT to mention that the child does NOT own every single Star Wars movie ever made. Why would you record them when you have them on DVD- can someone please explain this to me? Good thing he’s NOT doing that because it would really tick me off!

~I did NOT waste hours of time that I won’t get back blog hopping during this Ultimate Blog Party thing sponsored by 5 Minutes for Mom. I have NOT added a gajillion blogs to my reader that I already can’t keep up with. I am NOT a glutton for punishment.

~I did NOT tell my hubby that I couldn’t stand him while trying to do our taxes this weekend. I am a rational loving human being who NEVER allows things to slip out of her mouth that she really does not mean. He does NOT know me so well that he just ignored me and kept inputting the tax info in the computer. His calm attitude and demeanor did NOT infuriate me even more, like I said- rational human being over here.

~I did NOT volunteer to help register little girls for my little sister’s competitive cheerleading squad at the Kid’s Expo at our mall this weekend. I did NOT leave there wanting a little girl to dress up. I mean have you seen the clothes they have for little girls- ahem, cute fashion so not at the same level for boys!!

~I did NOT look at a puppy this weekend thinking that will fulfill my baby fever (that I do NOT have). The puppy was too big (I do NOT want a baby after all) so I managed to have some restraint and will NOT be waiting for the perfect puppy that I know is out there for me- or a little girl- ya never know

So, what did you NOT do this week…go ahead and share. There is no judgement here!

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