Let's level the playing field!

I thought it would be fun to just do a post sharing more about myself. Yeah, we know I have a ton of kids, I have lost a baby, I have pets, I'm a gym rat, married for forever, etc. I want to share more and really let you feel like you KNOW me.

1. I love cutting up! Love it! I even goof off at the gym. My friends never know what I'm going to say or do at any given time.

2. When my kids do some things, I have to walk away. Not because I'm going to hurt them, but because I can't keep a straight face and want to crack up. I'm totally guilty of laughing while trying to punish a kid and it just throws everything out the window. Some things are mind blowing!

3. My mother's thirteen month old Sheepdog has been in training since she was about 4 months old. She is one of the best behaved dogs that I've ever seen. However, when I am around, I can get her going nuts. My uncle and I are the only two people that she does this with! It's awesome!

4. A year ago, my mom lost one of her sheepdogs to cancer. My baby sister, stepdad, and I bought our mom a new sheepdog pup (the 13 month old one). That pup has made her so happy and really helped heal her broken heart. I still get tears in my eyes remembering everything. I still remember my mom's voice and her words. It was so hard! I will do anything for her.

5. I am so scared of teen pregnancy/STD's that I began talking to my children about sex years ago. I had a friend whose son fathered two kids at 12 and it scared the crap out of me! I am totally and completely open with them about everything. To be totally honest, I also don't want a daughter in law like my ex-sister in law or my nephews mom. Thinking with your genitals can lead to a lifetime of misery for more than the people who had sex!

6. I do let my kids crawl into my bed because I really like my sleep and if they'll go to sleep in my bed and not affect my quality of sleep, I don't care. I do hate waking up and having soreness because I've had to contort my body into positions that no human being should.

7. My older kids and I can recite the lines from Stepbrothers and Super Troopers. We've even been known to start in on them for the heck of it.


Any other tidbits you would like to know, feel free to ask!

Let's level the playing field!

I thought it would be fun to just do a post sharing more about myself. Yeah, we know I have a ton of kids, I have lost a baby, I have pets, I'm a gym rat, married for forever, etc. I want to share more and really let you feel like you KNOW me.

1. I love cutting up! Love it! I even goof off at the gym. My friends never know what I'm going to say or do at any given time.

2. When my kids do some things, I have to walk away. Not because I'm going to hurt them, but because I can't keep a straight face and want to crack up. I'm totally guilty of laughing while trying to punish a kid and it just throws everything out the window. Some things are mind blowing!

3. My mother's thirteen month old Sheepdog has been in training since she was about 4 months old. She is one of the best behaved dogs that I've ever seen. However, when I am around, I can get her going nuts. My uncle and I are the only two people that she does this with! It's awesome!

4. A year ago, my mom lost one of her sheepdogs to cancer. My baby sister, stepdad, and I bought our mom a new sheepdog pup (the 13 month old one). That pup has made her so happy and really helped heal her broken heart. I still get tears in my eyes remembering everything. I still remember my mom's voice and her words. It was so hard! I will do anything for her.

5. I am so scared of teen pregnancy/STD's that I began talking to my children about sex years ago. I had a friend whose son fathered two kids at 12 and it scared the crap out of me! I am totally and completely open with them about everything. To be totally honest, I also don't want a daughter in law like my ex-sister in law or my nephews mom. Thinking with your genitals can lead to a lifetime of misery for more than the people who had sex!

6. I do let my kids crawl into my bed because I really like my sleep and if they'll go to sleep in my bed and not affect my quality of sleep, I don't care. I do hate waking up and having soreness because I've had to contort my body into positions that no human being should.

7. My older kids and I can recite the lines from Stepbrothers and Super Troopers. We've even been known to start in on them for the heck of it.


Any other tidbits you would like to know, feel free to ask!

Extended Nursing- My take on it

     As I am creeping upon my nursling's third birthday, I can't help but look at the subject of extended nursing in my eyes.

     The nursing relationship itself hasn't been any different with this child than my others. However, the attitudes  that we have come across have left me shaking my head. Recently, we found ourselves on the receiving end of breastfeeding discrimination and I was HOTTTTT. Luckily, the woman I dealt with with was handled by superiors, one of which had been a nursing mother herself. I had the support of the local breastfeeding center, too. It was a win/win for not only myself, but other nursing mothers there.

     During this relationship, these are the thing's I've been told-

She should stop because I'm just a pacifier.

If I don't stop nursing her, she won't stop.

Nursing in public is illegal.

Other children shouldn't see me nurse.

It loses it's nutritional value.


     OK. Let me state that I am free to nurse my nursing child anywhere that I am allowed, by law, to be. It is not illegal to nurse her outside of my home or vehicle. Breastmilk will not magically squirt out of my breasts all over every surface around me. If a child sees me, it will not be a source of trauma or sexual perversion. The child may ask questions or they may not, but if they do, you are free to answer them truthfully. If you cannot handle awkward questions from your child, honestly, you should of thought about getting a cat or puppy, because kids are full of questions. When I nurse, 99% of the time, you cannot see anything at all. My milk is nutritious no matter how old she is, whether she's a newborn or if she's 10. Still nutritional!! Yes, my daughter likes her "boob snuggles", mainly when she's tired or just needs mommy. Sometimes, I wish I could get her doing something else because I get boobed out. Sometimes, I can sense the negativity from those I am around and don't feel we are in a safe nursing environment, so I don't want to do it there. I prefer to be low key and do not want attention.

     Getting props from others is strange to me. I'm not out to get back pats from others for doing anything I do. I don't feel that I am doing anything super awesome or anything that makes me superior. I'm just doing what we do because it works. I believe this is the case with most of us who practice extended nursing. I never set out to nurse this long. If you would of asked me how long I planned to nurse, I would not of said three years. I remember getting angry with my husband for letting me know he wanted me to nurse for at least two years.

     I don't get why the issue of breastfeeding, in general, has become such a hot button topic. Back when I had my oldest, it wasn't such a huge thing. Perhaps this was due to the internet not being such a huge thing yet. I never had to deal with anything more than someone giving me formula because his wife didn't nurse her one child successfully, so they wanted me prepared when I couldn't do it either (my sperm donor was not the brightest bulb, still isn't). I don't remember being angry about it or anything. Yeah, that was it. It seemed, in those days, that we were left alone. I would nurse everywhere and not a word was said. I've always been told when my kids should be weaned because "they didn't need to nurse anymore", but I've always ignored it. Seriously, other than that, that was the only issue I had with others. I don't get the deal these days. I also was NEVER one to shove it in people's faces.

Nowadays, I say, leave nursing moms alone. We are not hurting anyone, not our kids, and certainly not perfect strangers. Nursing moms, leave formula feeding moms alone. We all do what works for us and our children. As long as the child is loved and cared for, that's what matters. Let's leave the judgement/personal opinions for those who do not care for their children and I am sure we all know a few of those types.

Extended Nursing- My take on it

     As I am creeping upon my nursling's third birthday, I can't help but look at the subject of extended nursing in my eyes.

     The nursing relationship itself hasn't been any different with this child than my others. However, the attitudes  that we have come across have left me shaking my head. Recently, we found ourselves on the receiving end of breastfeeding discrimination and I was HOTTTTT. Luckily, the woman I dealt with with was handled by superiors, one of which had been a nursing mother herself. I had the support of the local breastfeeding center, too. It was a win/win for not only myself, but other nursing mothers there.

     During this relationship, these are the thing's I've been told-

She should stop because I'm just a pacifier.

If I don't stop nursing her, she won't stop.

Nursing in public is illegal.

Other children shouldn't see me nurse.

It loses it's nutritional value.


     OK. Let me state that I am free to nurse my nursing child anywhere that I am allowed, by law, to be. It is not illegal to nurse her outside of my home or vehicle. Breastmilk will not magically squirt out of my breasts all over every surface around me. If a child sees me, it will not be a source of trauma or sexual perversion. The child may ask questions or they may not, but if they do, you are free to answer them truthfully. If you cannot handle awkward questions from your child, honestly, you should of thought about getting a cat or puppy, because kids are full of questions. When I nurse, 99% of the time, you cannot see anything at all. My milk is nutritious no matter how old she is, whether she's a newborn or if she's 10. Still nutritional!! Yes, my daughter likes her "boob snuggles", mainly when she's tired or just needs mommy. Sometimes, I wish I could get her doing something else because I get boobed out. Sometimes, I can sense the negativity from those I am around and don't feel we are in a safe nursing environment, so I don't want to do it there. I prefer to be low key and do not want attention.

     Getting props from others is strange to me. I'm not out to get back pats from others for doing anything I do. I don't feel that I am doing anything super awesome or anything that makes me superior. I'm just doing what we do because it works. I believe this is the case with most of us who practice extended nursing. I never set out to nurse this long. If you would of asked me how long I planned to nurse, I would not of said three years. I remember getting angry with my husband for letting me know he wanted me to nurse for at least two years.

     I don't get why the issue of breastfeeding, in general, has become such a hot button topic. Back when I had my oldest, it wasn't such a huge thing. Perhaps this was due to the internet not being such a huge thing yet. I never had to deal with anything more than someone giving me formula because his wife didn't nurse her one child successfully, so they wanted me prepared when I couldn't do it either (my sperm donor was not the brightest bulb, still isn't). I don't remember being angry about it or anything. Yeah, that was it. It seemed, in those days, that we were left alone. I would nurse everywhere and not a word was said. I've always been told when my kids should be weaned because "they didn't need to nurse anymore", but I've always ignored it. Seriously, other than that, that was the only issue I had with others. I don't get the deal these days. I also was NEVER one to shove it in people's faces.

Nowadays, I say, leave nursing moms alone. We are not hurting anyone, not our kids, and certainly not perfect strangers. Nursing moms, leave formula feeding moms alone. We all do what works for us and our children. As long as the child is loved and cared for, that's what matters. Let's leave the judgement/personal opinions for those who do not care for their children and I am sure we all know a few of those types.

Helplessness in Parenting

When we get pregnant, we see those two lines and immediately start dreaming about the future. We think of how our child will look, their personalities, all the things you get to do with them, names, celebrations with extended family, etc. We dream about it all. We take our vitamins, even if they make us puke. We avoid certain foods and chemicals so that our babies don't get sick. We do everything within our control to ensure our child is safe and healthy.


          What happens when something happens that we can't control? As I sat in the exam room with my 10 year old son yesterday, I couldn't help but think "I feel so helpless". We have done everything and yet here we are dealing with a second relapse with his eyes. We were free and clear, he had been looking perfect, and four days later, it was coming back again. His issues aren't life threatening, but it threatens his vision and that scares the hell out of me. I don't want my son to go blind and neither do his doctors, but this is beyond our control aside from medications and constant appointments. We can't magically fix what is going haywire in his little body.


          This leads me to think about everything and how we really have no control, as much as we like to think we do. It's scary. How can we do everything we can to care for and protect our children and have it still not work? Yeah, this is pretty depressing, but it's true, we are helpless here. It's a really sucky feeling.


          I think about parents whose children are dealing with deadly diseases or new parents watching their premature/sick infant fighting for it's life in a NICU or parents dealing with a severely handicapped child. How do they do it? What support do they have? What can we do to lend support? What can we do to raise awareness of some kind? Think about your strengths and how you can be a valuable asset to parents like these. Let's be there for one another so these parents aren't feeling so helpless. Let's lend them our strength just so they are a little stronger when facing another day. We need to do something! Parenting is divisive enough, so let's unite this way.

Helplessness in Parenting

          When we get pregnant, we see those two lines and immediately start dreaming about the future. We think of how our child will look, their personalities, all the things you get to do with them, names, celebrations with extended family, etc. We dream about it all. We take our vitamins, even if they make us puke. We avoid certain foods and chemicals so that our babies don't get sick. We do everything within our control to ensure our child is safe and healthy.


          What happens when something happens that we can't control? As I sat in the exam room with my 10 year old son yesterday, I couldn't help but think "I feel so helpless". We have done everything and yet here we are dealing with a second relapse with his eyes. We were free and clear, he had been looking perfect, and four days later, it was coming back again. His issues aren't life threatening, but it threatens his vision and that scares the hell out of me. I don't want my son to go blind and neither do his doctors, but this is beyond our control aside from medications and constant appointments. We can't magically fix what is going haywire in his little body.


          This leads me to think about everything and how we really have no control, as much as we like to think we do. It's scary. How can we do everything we can to care for and protect our children and have it still not work? Yeah, this is pretty depressing, but it's true, we are helpless here. It's a really sucky feeling.


          I think about parents whose children are dealing with deadly diseases or new parents watching their premature/sick infant fighting for it's life in a NICU or parents dealing with a severely handicapped child. How do they do it? What support do they have? What can we do to lend support? What can we do to raise awareness of some kind? Think about your strengths and how you can be a valuable asset to parents like these. Let's be there for one another so these parents aren't feeling so helpless. Let's lend them our strength just so they are a little stronger when facing another day. We need to do something! Parenting is divisive enough, so let's unite this way.

Weights are for girls too!

Hi, I'm Bambi, and I'm addicted to weightlifting. The above photo is one side of the leg press machine at my gym. There's a total of 400lbs on this bad boy! 

Let me back up here. My younger sister got married in May 2010. When I saw the pictures, I got so depressed about myself. I was the only fat bridesmaid and the dress definitely did not flatter me! That summer, I walked at least 3 miles a day and watched my calories. I lost 18lbs. Then, I fell off the wagon and gained most of that back. In March 2011, I decided to give it another go. This time, I lost 12lbs. Again, I fell off the wagon. 

Finally, in Feb 2012, I got a group of friends together online and we became accountable to one another. I took up pilates video's on Netflix and began counting calories. A few weeks later, we purchased a family membership at a local recreation center. I would go and just do cardio for an hour and a half five days a week. Then, I got curious and began using machines. That was pretty cool, so I did both. I still kept watching everyone in the weight section. One day, I threw caution to the wind and wandered over there. I've been there ever since. I only hit the treadmill so that I could get my running distance up to over a 5K in preparation for The Warrior Dash. I now only hit a treadmill when I'm in the mood for running!

Many, Many people hear "women weightlifters" and think of a male bodybuilder body with a woman's head attached. This is one of the largest fallacies out there. Female bodybuilders that are large are large due to them taking crap like steroids. Normal women do not get large. We get nice defined muscles! 

Since I began lifting, I've lost 30lbs and over 25 inches. I'm now a size 5! I never thought that I would be in this good of shape and I attribute it all to weightlifting. I encourage all women to lift. When I say lift, I do not mean the little plastic 3 to 10 pounders you see at the store. This means lift as heavy as you can that you can do a set of 8 to 10 reps. Also, if your breasts need a little pick me up, chest exercises are your best friend!

I truly love hitting the gym and doing everything the boys do, sometimes heavier and/or better. Mind you, I work out amongst men who have been lifting for years, men in law enforcement, professional bodybuilders, amateur wrestlers, and just regular guys . They challenge me in many ways, always pushing me to my physical limits. It's awesome!! 

Weights are for girls too!

Hi, I'm Bambi, and I'm addicted to weightlifting. The above photo is one side of the leg press machine at my gym. There's a total of 400lbs on this bad boy! 

Let me back up here. My younger sister got married in May 2010. When I saw the pictures, I got so depressed about myself. I was the only fat bridesmaid and the dress definitely did not flatter me! That summer, I walked at least 3 miles a day and watched my calories. I lost 18lbs. Then, I fell off the wagon and gained most of that back. In March 2011, I decided to give it another go. This time, I lost 12lbs. Again, I fell off the wagon. 

Finally, in Feb 2012, I got a group of friends together online and we became accountable to one another. I took up pilates video's on Netflix and began counting calories. A few weeks later, we purchased a family membership at a local recreation center. I would go and just do cardio for an hour and a half five days a week. Then, I got curious and began using machines. That was pretty cool, so I did both. I still kept watching everyone in the weight section. One day, I threw caution to the wind and wandered over there. I've been there ever since. I only hit the treadmill so that I could get my running distance up to over a 5K in preparation for The Warrior Dash. I now only hit a treadmill when I'm in the mood for running!

Many, Many people hear "women weightlifters" and think of a male bodybuilder body with a woman's head attached. This is one of the largest fallacies out there. Female bodybuilders that are large are large due to them taking crap like steroids. Normal women do not get large. We get nice defined muscles! 

Since I began lifting, I've lost 30lbs and over 25 inches. I'm now a size 5! I never thought that I would be in this good of shape and I attribute it all to weightlifting. I encourage all women to lift. When I say lift, I do not mean the little plastic 3 to 10 pounders you see at the store. This means lift as heavy as you can that you can do a set of 8 to 10 reps. Also, if your breasts need a little pick me up, chest exercises are your best friend!

I truly love hitting the gym and doing everything the boys do, sometimes heavier and/or better. Mind you, I work out amongst men who have been lifting for years, men in law enforcement, professional bodybuilders, amateur wrestlers, and just regular guys . They challenge me in many ways, always pushing me to my physical limits. It's awesome!! 

Meet my puppies!

I recently sat down and thought "what will I blog about now since I am switching gears?". I had said that I want readers to get to know me, so I'm going to take that and just go with it. I'm going to do a series of posts just sharing different things about myself!


Please meet my awesome pups! I love them to pieces!

 This is Savannah. She's a 12 year old border collie chow mix. I got her three months after Mary passed away. She was in bad shape and had some male aggression issues. Now, Savannah has the sweetest personality and is just wonderful. She has arthritis, but will get playful when the mood strikes! She loves being bathed and brushed, too. She's great!!

This is my Max. He is a 5 year old saint bernard. We've had him since August 2010. He's pretty well mannered, but tends to think he's about the size of a shitzu. This means he will get on my bed to sleep, jump on newcomers, try to lay on your lap, etc. He is a frequent visitor at the elementary school. The kids love him and he LOVES children. Luckily, he is a dry mouth, so the children aren't covered in slobber! Even teachers love seeing him.

This is Xena, our warrior princess, another saint. She was my weight loss/birthday gift. She actually came home four days before my birthday. In the first photo, she was one day shy of 5 weeks and was incredibly sick because, it turns out, the people who owned the mother was not taking proper care of mom or pups. She was a whole 3.3 lbs. When we got the initial call from the humane society in that county, we were told she wouldn't live through the weekend if we didn't remove her and get her vet care immediately. As you can see in the bottom photo, she is alive and healthy as can be and very happy! She still annoys my other dogs, but luckily, my mother has two large breed pups that Xena loves, so we have frequent playdates.