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Really? She'll be 4 next month. I tought she would be to young?
Hold on. My kids are 20 months apart. They can share. I just saved money! HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ME!
 
The apps for the Leappad thing are $20 a piece though. I'm not sure it's worth it. We ended up giving Izzy's away because we bought it at age 2 and it was too advanced for her. She uses my android phablet (phone/tablet hybrid) constantly and we're probably just going to get her a cheap android tablet this year, like a Kindle Fire or something, to play educational games on and maybe some animated children's books.
 
This is a thing once one gets their little grubs on it - no one will let go.
It is designed for age 3 on up.
Also second or third good for the long bathroom trips.
 
Izzy's upstairs in bed singing "Rudolph" very loudly instead of sleeping right now. When she gets to Santa's lines, she puts on her deep "man" voice, it's really something to hear. :D
 
Thanks,
Hubby is home and he said that he wants a tablet for x-mas so he can join the forum so he can talk to me! :ybiggrin:That's my cue to part ways. Good night y'all.:rosette1:
 
Considering what I remember of Izzy's history muppet ~ that must be a truly special and heartwarming sound ! :heart::heart:
 
CM, you need another daughter, right?! I had to quickly stuff my stocking full of junk from around the house last year as I hadn't thought about it. I think this year I will concoct a story about how Santa doesn't do mommies. UGH. But I am fairly certain that $600 is more than I have spent on Christmas in it's entirety. THat includes my cards and the tree ;)
Muppet. You poor wife. Hot pink footie pajamas are NOT a girls best friend. ;)
FW, my 5 and 2 year olds have kindle fire's ad both handle them fairly well...I was surprised.
 
CM I can't even explain this past year. She's gone from a little wooden puppet to a real girl over the past 12 months. I can't explain it and I don't care that I can't explain it. Every time I talk about it I cry.
 
Angie ~ Gab only asked for 2 things for Christmas and of course I had to tell her to pick one LOL
JJ has a relatively short list , but geezzz the items they want as teenagers are outrageously priced ! :p

I think someone should sneak your kiddos a note telling them that santa wants them to make mommy a coupon book good for chores, pampering (neck massage, manicure, etc), breakfast in bed ~ there's so many things they could do themselves and surprise you! That was one of my all time favorite gifts from my kiddos ~ and they didn't spend a dime :)
 
Izzy would be happy with a block of wood. Sarah wants a 3DS. She's getting a first gen model because Target put them on sale. She'll probably be disappointed it's not an XL. :p

She keeps reminding me that her iPhone is eligible for an upgrade in the Spring. I asked her what sort of job she's planning to get by then.
 
LMAO @Izzy's job! Izzi told me she wants an iPad. :faint: I told her she's second on the list, right after me. I just got a Kindle Fire in the mail this week...these kids don't know how good they have it!! I had twigs and berries to play with at their age (we grew up in the country, remember? ;))
 
iPad was Gabs second on the list - and JJ wants one too :/ I just can't afford two and other gifts they'd like.
I'm considering kindle fires ?
I have an iPad and I love it, but hardly use it. And the only reason I have it is because it was free :)
I'm considering restoring it to factory default and letting gab borrow it for however long - she knows this and says that's fine :)
Unless my numbers win in the lottery tonight ! LOL
 
I love the kindle fire...but then again I certainly am not up on technology. lol! Far more reasonable than an iPad. (Or gasp! two lol!)
 
Wow, Christmas is big business these days :ylol:. The problem with kids as they get older, the presents get smaller but more expensive. So come Christmas day, it looks like they're hardly getting anything yet we've spent alot!
We decided to spoil the kids for once since they have both had such a hard year! We were going to get Amy the Kindle Fire, but we decided to splash out and get them an iPad mini each. Nearly fainted paying that :yfaint:
Maybe it'll keep them amused at all the hospital appointments :thumleft:
 
izzi'smom said:
LMAO @Izzy's job! Izzi told me she wants an iPad. :faint: I told her she's second on the list, right after me. I just got a Kindle Fire in the mail this week...these kids don't know how good they have it!! I had twigs and berries to play with at their age (we grew up in the country, remember? ;))
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Hehe. No no, see, Izzy is the 3 year old who is quite content with whatever you may care to gift her. Sarah is the overbearing 14 year old who thinks the world owes her a data plan.. :D
 
muppet said:
Hehe. No no, see, Izzy is the 3 year old who is quite content with whatever you may care to gift her. Sarah is the overbearing 14 year old who thinks the world owes her a data plan.. :D
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Sorry...missed Sarah's name tucked in there...that's what I get for posting at work...:)
Hope you have more luck with your Izzy than I had with mine...she was content. Until this year. UGH! and 14...I don't even want to contemplate the future. Roses, butterflies, and rainbows in my happy bubble. (I'll end up like Dusty, plucking my eyelashes out lol!)
 
Instead of an iPad think about a google nexus. It is way cheaper. my oldest just bought himself one. It does everything the iPad does and is more portable. My kids haven't asked for much this year except my oldest. He wants flying lessons! I told him I would get home one. Today he is taking the ACT. If he does well we will get him another lesson. (For you nonamericans the act is a test you take to get into college. We have two here the act and the sat. You can take one or the other or both). Caitlyn was easy this year she wanted two pairs of fancy sneakers under $100 for both. My next one, asked for a bunch of fun things from the dollar store and one small gift. #4 he takes after his brother wanting more expensive stuff he is getting a ninjago set from Costco and some kind of car that turns into a helicopter and flies (I think that one is more for my husband then him. He loves those kinds of things! Sophia my youngest is getting a play kitchen I found at a thrift store for $12. She has been wanting one and we found a pots and pans set and a food set each for $10. She will be so excited!
 
I wanted a Nexus but they're still a bit pricey and the Kindle HD has some killer features like a subscription service for $5/month to a huge library of kids' books and games...

...oh yeah by the way thanks to all the Kindle Fire talk on this thread I just went out and bought one for my wife and one for Izzy as a potty training companion/incentive. I blame all of you!

Now I have to scramble to fit these into my shopping budget as now I've overspent on my wife by 50%. She's gonna be mad. :)
 
Christmas shopping shenanigans:
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for all the ladies who need a pick me up.

FW cover your eyes

for all others
there is always virtual chocolate:lol2:
and ESPN
 
:mademyday:

Thanks MLP!!

Muppet, Tell your girl to love that Iphone. My son, who's 15, still has a slider dumb phone that's pay as you go! It could be worse!!

Ryan's Christmas list is non existent. After we said no to the iphone, he hasn't said anything else. He just got 2 video games that he prepurchased at his birthday. Who needs more games and more reason to have argue about getting off his bum anyway! So Mom's gonna get creative and see what I can come up with that he needs/would want. This ought to be interesting!
 
Muppet...hysterical-love it!
Dear MLP...
Thank you for making my morning. and wherever that is, Izzi wants to visit ("That must be Hawaii!" she says lol!) I want to visit too. My idea of a vacation=a book, a beach, and a cabana boy.
 
MLP! I almost changed your screen name to bubble burster after that reality check on eczema...but then you redeemed yourself on the Christmas front. I have done not one thing yet!!!!! And have something like 50 gifts to buy not including hubby's staff! But then you posted that pic. Sorry girls but ewwwww those trunks are horrendous...too short...like something from the 70's! Go longer trunks or speedo buddy but that in between crap has gotta go! He needs a woman (or man no judging just love) in his life to fix him up right muppet?


As for gifts, we are usually pretty simple round here. Kids get 1 gift from each person and 1 from Santa. There are no lists or asking. If you ask for something you don't get it.

One year we did a $20 Christmas. No gift over $20 it was so creative and fun. Made us Concentrate on the true meaning. The family then went to the city and got 2 for tickets and saw a show and had a simple dinner...looked at the Christmas windows...that is our kids favorite gift now.

May have to reenact that $20 Christmas less show as hubby just found out no bonus this year (no FFLD cracks muppet...I saw your Christmas list;) and they are laying off half his department. Bah Humbug!
 
LOL we had many years of $20 Christmases and it wasn't for the sake of quaintness. ;) Before that, it was cookie Christmases where I put my dubious baking skills to the test. And our list is only like, 20 people. This year it's 8. Poor, poor Fairfield dwellers... :eek:utahere:

We're all scheduled for one-on-one meetings with our VP this coming month to "discuss our skillsets" on the eve of a major reorganization. The only other time I've ever been reassured of my job security so many times in one week was the last time I got laid off.

I hope your husband isn't part of the cut, CCT, there's nothing funny about layoffs.

Also if your pool boy friend up there was looking for a man in his life, he'd already have better fashion sense. :lol2:
 
God, when they were young I got al kinds of gifts. Toys are so fun to buy :mario2:, and their excitement over the tree, Santa etc...
But as they got older the kinds of gifts they wanted got really boring (to me, to buy) and their excitement turned to ennui.

They have so much stuff I've stopped buying gifts for Christmas.
They are both OK with this.
My adult daughter asked her boyfriend to donate to a no kill animal shelter for her gift.

I do love the music though, and the church services.
 
So, my wife was on U-Verse this morning searching for Christmas specials to record for the kids....
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Good job, U-Verse...
 
Farmwife said:
Why cover my eyes mlp?:ybatty:

I stare at that every day.

Y'all should be jealous:ylol:
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Ya know... when I saw the picture, the first thought that came to mind was' Oh, look, Farmwife's vacation pictures!' ;)

And, I'm with all of you in the 'hardships' of Christmas gifting - expensive, boring, stressful, etc.! It was so much easier when they were little and just loved toys!

When my kids were little (around 3ish??), they used to receive sooo many gifts (in addition to those from family, they would receive gifts (some small/inexpensive but that was irrelevant to them) from friends of mine, closer coworkers/friends who would get them gifts, etc.) and that one year, it was horrible - they'd barely torn off the wrapping from one before they were yelling next, next, next! Ughh!!! So turned me off!!! After that, I made a rule, they were allowed to open two gifts first thing (one fun and one that I knew was clothes...), and then one more gift every hour... They actually appreciated/enjoyed each gift and it kept the anticipation going for hours. The rule died away over the years as the number of gifts lessened and they got older... Now I can only afford to get them one anyway! :lol:

Crohnsinct - I love that $20 idea!
 
I'll never forget Sarah's 6th birthday. We bought her a Mac Mini and a keyboard and mouse, all wrapped separately.

My dad and his (awful, now gone) girlfriend were there with her young boy around Sarah's age, and of course they brought a gift or two of their own.

The kids played and we had lunch and then cake, and then the presents came out. We always let her choose which gifts to open first, and the first one she unwrapped was the keyboard for the computer.

The next few were from my dad and his girlfriend, opened hastily and tossed aside with "Nope, this isn't the computer, next!"

And then the whole scene was ruined by the lecture she got... hoo boy.
 
Tess and CICT...LOVE those ideas!!

I am SO tired of trying to limit the gifts that they get (Izz's birthday is the 19th on top of it all) but I LOVE the thought of spreading out the appreciation. I don't have them all day this year (just a few hours in the am) but when I DO I am taking full advantage.
We had to take turns opening...still love that!

Muppet...Christmas for all, huh? LOL!
 
A fb friend of mine does the four gift rule with her kids, one thing you need, one thing you want, one thing to wear and one thing to read.

Another fb friend that was hit hard this year with layoffs and such is making her grands(8 of them) quilts from her fabric scraps. Most of the scraps are from outfits she has made them through the years so they will be full of memories.
 
Muppet, you're less scary than kermit with the big gun. Just sayin'.
And my kids want to come play at your house. lol!
 
Clash said:
A fb friend of mine does the four gift rule with her kids, one thing you need, one thing you want, one thing to wear and one thing to read.
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I like the one thing to read thing - books are great - usually have one or a few on my list each year - and enjoy having a book to read start to finish over the Christmas holidays
 
Of all the days for our youngest to have a clueless substitute hastily trying to memorize faces of who will be picking up their 3 year olds at lunchtime, today is probably the worst one to pick.

Hopefully she's on the ball enough not to start expounding to a bunch of 3 year olds about the Newtown shooting. Our youngest doesn't know a thing about it and won't for years as far as I'm concerned.
 
Muppet and Crohnsinct (and anyone else I've missed who lives in Connecticut) - What happened is such an incredible tragedy! Impossible to even express my feelings. Everyone I've spoken with, here, so far away, is heartbroken, I can only imagine how difficult this is for you and your children being so close to Newtown. May God give those families strength to get through such an extremely difficult time! And I hope that those of you living nearby also find the strength to get through this and the knowledge to help your children deal with the tragedy. :ghug:
 
I really feel guilty that this shooting has affected me emotionally so much more than previous school shootings. It's much closer, it involves really little children, but still I don't think you can really call one mass school shooting more horrific than any other. Still, this one has hit me right in the gut. We really agonized over whether to send Izzy to school today or not, which really, is stupid. Of course she should still go. There's no reason I should be any more upset by this than someone in California or Canada or Spain. Or, we all should have been inconsolably upset about all of them. I don't know. I'm so depressed about this and I feel like I should be because that's what empathy is, but at the same time I feel like I haven't got any right to be upset because I didn't lose my tiny precious child, and I got to hug her this morning and kiss her head and tell her I'd see her this afternoon after naptime.
 
It must be hard being so close, muppet. I'm sorry.

You aren't the only one agonizing...I have friends here who kept their children home today. Some are talking of homeschooling. Hoping you find the strength you need to get through one day at a time. :heart:

I didn't tell my kids. My son is too young and dd worries about absolutely everything already. I am a bit apprehensive about what she will hear from her peers today but am prepared to discuss it if need be.
 
Oh Muppet! I have been feeling the same way. I am beside myself with grief and just can't get past it and also feel guilty. I can say that previous shootings of children also have hit me hard but like you say not like this one so close to home. One of the funerals was held in my town (we are two towns over) and I stayed home all day because I just couldn't face passing the funeral home.

I told my 9 year old a bit about it. At the time it wasn't random so she felt safe but now that the story changed I am not telling her. I made her lunch and put her on the bus today realizing how lucky i was to have that privelage and to never take anything for granted but also a tad skiddish. This whole thing also put Crohns in a totally different light if even for a little bit.

We have many friends through swimming around there but since my swimmers are older not many were at that school. Only today the stories and connections are coming through. One swimmers cousin died...another swimmers friend was one saved by Ms. Soto, parents of a slain teacher are members of our church.

I truly do believe the whole world is grieving this event and also hope that it enlightens all of us to atrocities near and far that we should grieve and pray for daily.
 
I still don't know what to do with it all. I want to make some sort of memorial to these kids and I didn't know any of them. I haven't come up with what's appropriate yet.

Only tangentially related, I sent this email to our superintendent this morning:
One thing I've taken away from this incident is that I'm even more angry than I was before about the locked doors on my kids' schools, with the door bells and video intercoms and remote locks, treating every visitor, including parents, as a potential threat or invader. They were always security theater with a side effect of making parents feel alienated in their own children's schools, and now they've been dramatically demonstrated not to work. Not only do school secretaries casually buzz people in without checking the camera around half the time, but in this case absolutely no one buzzed the shooter in. He broke in and did all that damage despite the school having had that security measure in place.

Take the round-the-clock locks off the doors and let's stop treating the entire community as suspect, since it demonstrably does nothing to stop a determined attacker anyway. If anything the locks and intercom provide a false sense of security which over time will cause even trained and oft-reminded staff to stop watching the entryway themselves. It's like I always tell my dog, who barks every time there's a knock on the door: "Burglars don't knock."

I realize this may be a bit of a non sequitur, but I remember a Plainville where the schools didn't masquerade as mini prisons and I miss it. This incident, I feel, has dramatically proven that the paranoid "for the children" culture which has surrounded our school system in the last decade or so has produced some ineffective and misguided measures that should be re-examined.
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I'm just tired of feeling almost guilty when I walk up to a school building with one of my daughters inside and need to come in for something. Doors locked, ring the bell, make sure I duck my head for the camera so they can see me, and justify my presence. It's very impersonal and prison-like and clearly unnecessary and ineffective. When my oldest was very young you could still simply walk through the door and report to the office. I think here's an example of a change made with good intentions but that has produced no good results. It shouldn't feel like a taboo to be in my kids' school. Maybe that taboo makes a school seem more of a challenge to a whacked out shooter, and therefore more enticing and interesting. How many moves and TV shows are there about prison break fantasies and bank heist fantasies. Maybe we're elevating schools to that level in the minds of sick people.

Even if we're not, what good is locking the community out of their schools when it doesn't prevent what happened in Newtown anyway?
 
Hi guys,

For those of you looking for a simple way to support the Sandy Hook surviving children, teachers and community at large, I thought I would pass along this very simple project. It is a particularly easy way for younger children to get involved. No need for grand gestures just a simple snowflake says it all!

Welcome Students to a Winter Wonderland

When school resumes for Sandy Hook, it will be in a new building. Parent-volunteers are working to ensure that the students are welcomed back by a winter wonderland with the entire school decorated with as many unique snowflakes as possible. We encourage senders to be as creative as possible, remembering that no two snowflakes are alike. Please make and send snowflakes by January 12, 2013 to the Connecticut PTSA address at the end of this email.

Thank you for your generous support and dedication to the children and families of Newtown, Connecticut.


Please send all snowflakes and donations to:
Connecticut PTSA
60 Connolly Parkway
Building 12, Suite 103
Hamden, CT 06514
 
I hope that helps somehow. Those kids are never going to feel safe again. How can they ever lead a normal life after a trauma this bad? Those parents and siblings, I can't even imagine. The scumbag didn't just take away the lives of those people, he tore chunks out of the lives of everyone near them, forever.
 
Muppet, I understand what you're saying and the ineffectiveness against someone like the shooter in Newtown, however, being one of those paranoid, neurotic moms, I do agree with the security (locked doors, etc.). It's unfortunate that we live in a world that requires us to go to these lengths but I would rather take these lengths and provide greater security to our children. The one situation (but has happened more than once) has been perverts gaining access to schools during the day and hiding/waiting in the girls' washrooms, in one case I remember, the girl was assaulted.

We will never be able to completely protect our kids from someone like that shooter (it could have been a school employee... bypassing ALL security measures) but it does provide a certain level of security.

But, addressing your concerns that you feel like a intruder in your own daughter's school... there are ways that schools can avoid that.... My kids' elementary school had similar security (locked doors, cameras, etc.), however, the front doors were open and there was free access to the main lobby where the office was located; to go beyond that, a visitor had to be allowed through a set of locked glass doors into the classroom areas. As a regular parent, you had only to wave at the secretary and she would unlock the doors as you passed through the lobby. Certainly wouldn't have stopped a shooter but neither did it stop a parent...
 
Well, I don't want to start a political debate or anything, but I think the locked doors on schools are about as effective as the TSA. That is to say: not at all, and actually damaging to society.

Something is only a security measure if it works. Otherwise it's nonsense. Like Lisa Simpson once said, I have this rock that protects me from bears.

In a perfect world where people acted according to their training day in and day out, this sort of system might work, but right now all those buzzers do is train administrators and teachers that the buzzer is the only thing they really need to watch out for, despite being trained to the contrary over and again.

And then the people who are directly tasked with watching the buzzer become so used to letting everyone in that eventually they aren't even watching it anymore themselves.

At my daughter's elementary school they don't even ask who it is anymore about 70% of the time when the buzzer rings. They've become so accustomed to recognizing everyone that they assume they will. Often when I walk in I have to get the receptionist's attention, because she wasn't looking to see who was entering the hallway. They buzz in whole groups of people at times. Parents hold the door open for whoever happens to be standing out there, not wanting to be rude. Etc. You can't replace vigilance and common sense with a button, but if you install the latter I think you encourage a loss of the former.
 
Hmmm...before we moved to the burbs, my daughter's school had one way in and out. After 9 a.m. doors locked and school had a uniform, armed police officer at the door. He was the keeper of the buzzer. Over time he got to know the families and you simply buzzed and were let in, signed in at the desk and went on your way. I never felt like an intruder but also felt safer that he was manning the door and not an office worker with half an eye on the job. If officer Dave walked away for a minute...no one got in until he returned. Extra benefit was he got to know the kids, neighborhood etc. Scared the neighborhood thugs away from the playground too! Maybe after I hire my resident GI I will hire my kids their own personal officer Dave!

In our town, schools are wide open. This makes me a little uneasy. Our office has big windows but they are always covered with posters, decorations etc. The locking system wouldn't have stopped this guy but at least it slowed him down and alerted the staff so 911 calls were made faster. I shutter to think how many would have died in my town's schools before anyone even knew what was happening. But yes, even one child is too many. And ugh! In the news yesterday, a high school swim coach fired for molesting high school swimmers...now how do we stop those people?!
 
When I was in school the halls were nearly empty during class periods, but all external doors were locked from the inside save the main entrance. You couldn't enter over by the gymnasium, but you could at the main lobby, which was watched.

A main lobby constantly watched by a fishbowl office with large windows is far more security than a buzzer will ever be. I hate to sound crass but the 20 seconds between glass being shot and the guy gaining entry isn't much of a head start. Every school in my town has this arrangement, with the recent addition of buzzers.

I think the extra faux-security teaches the kids to be afraid of the world at worst and at best it teaches them that the appearance of safety is the same as safety. This country has an overdose of fear as a part of mainstream culture since 9-11 and it's been to everyone's detriment. I don't want my kids feeling like they need an armed police officer watching them at school in order to be safe, and statistically, they don't, so why create the perception?
 
It's just sad that this has even become a conversation... my kids certainly grew up differently than I did... it was RARE that there were any kids playing on our street (and we live in a safe, suburban neighbourhood - no apparent reason to worry about kids playing outside!) so my kids grew up with structured activities. Not saying it was all bad, lots of great came from the hockey, soccer, etc. but I was always sorry that they had little of the 'adventures' of just hanging out in the neighbourhood...

I'm so sorry for the people of Newtown and other small towns... the belief they had that their kids were safe has probably been shattered. Just like when we all got the diagnosis that our kids have crohns, all of a sudden you realize that the 'it can't happen here', CAN actually happen! :(

I also think gun laws have to be changed. While Canada's may be tougher than those in the U.S., I heard on the news that Canada's are actually quite lax compared to the rest of the world. Again, another level of security that won't prevent EVERYTHING but, more security does it make it tougher for those that want to harm others.

As I said above, it's just sad that any of these issues are concerns that need to be discussed/addressed. :ymad: :(
 
When I was a kid, I ran around in the street, played in the woods, and came home when it got dark and/or cold. I wouldn't let my oldest play outside unsupervised until she was 12.

What's changed? I know what has NOT measurably changed:

* child abduction statistics
* violent crime statistics
* molestation and other sexual assault statistics

Our kids are not statistically in any more danger now than they were in the 1960s, so what's different? We're more afraid. Is that a good thing? I don't think it is.
 
We need to ban guns based on fire rate and magazine size, not silly things like barrel length and what type of stock they have. Nobody needs a gun that will fire 300 bullets in 15 minutes. Not one person. There's no justifying it outside of a warzone. If you feel you need a gun like that, you have a pornographic obsession with firearms, plain and simple.

The other thing that needs to be tackled is mental illness. We stigmatize it so badly that people are ashamed to seek treatment, and as a nation most of us actually believe that they should be ashamed for being so weak/evil/whatever.

In extreme cases where the sufferer will NEVER be willing to seek treatment, and that unwillingness is due to the illness itself, something still has to be done. The standards on forced incarceration for mental illness are very high by design but they need to be more nuanced, and there needs to be a reasonable number of facilities, with reasonable protocols and procedures and treatments in place, for those people to go once that very difficult hurdle is cleared.

Right now we have an insanely broken system with poor standards and almost NO facilities. In fact we've recently, in the past 10 years, closed down most state hospitals. Eventually those people are released from the system until they commit a crime so that they can be jailed.
 
 
This is so sad. Even though I live far away, this still hits close to home moreso than any shooting, maybe its because of being a parent. My heart and thoughts go out to the families. Muppet and Crohn'sinct, my thoughts are with yoiu and yoiur neighbours as well.
 
I second hawkeye's statement. I am far away, but not far removed from this tragedy. I am just so sorry. It makes me so sad that I can't wrap my brain around it.

I can't for the life of me figure out what has gone wrong with our society. It's not just guns, or mental health, but a compilation of everything. We've removed religion from society, isolated ourselves so that there's no sense of personal or community responsibility. Our leaders aren't in it for doing what's right, but for self promotion. They are supposed to lead by example, yet show no character at all...

Ok, stop babbling! I need a HUG!

I am going to get some of the neighborhood kids involved in doing snowflakes over the break! Let me see what other acts of kindness I can do to get out of this slump!
 
Muppet,

There's a movement going on facebook called "26 acts of kindness". Someone has challenged everyone to do 26 acts of kindness in honor of those lost. Simple, but meaningful.
 
I was trying to nott get involved in this debate, but I have a few thoughts.

I don't think it's about gun control, the lack of religion in schools, or inefficient security.

I do think it's about mental illness.

I work overnights in a hospital. EVERY SHIFT I WORK someone is brought in involuntarily under the mental health law. We have no psych ward, and the local hospitals don't have enough beds to fill the need. By the time the patient is seen by social workers the next morning, or after the weekend, often times their symptoms have subsided.


My uncle is in a mental hospital for shooting my grandfather 20 years ago. I was 15.

He was diagnosed and medicated, but stopped taking his meds.

My heart breaks for this mom:
http://anarchistsoccermom.blogspot.com/2012/12/thinking-unthinkable.html

I have to ring the doorbell upon arriving at the school. I don't think it is foolproof, but it doesn't offend me.

I believe that semiautomatic weapons serve no purpose in the hands of your average American, but I learned to shoot at a very young age and believe in the right to bear arms, although I currently have none in my home.

I believe that we need accountability. If that means God (Allah, Budda, etc) to you, or a higher power, or to the universe, so be it.

At any rate, my heart is aching for all those touched. It is unfathomable. :heart:

Whenever you face an evil element in this world that harms you or people you love. . .
Don’t give up.
Don’t just go on with your life.
Keep doing as much good as you can
because it’s good that overcomes evil.
 
I think it's probably primarily about mental illness, but I also challenge any gun rights activist to explain to me why anyone needs a gun capable of putting 300 rounds into 27 people in 15 minutes. You just can't justify that amount of firepower in civilian hands. We don't need it, fantasies about overthrowing a tyrannical government, surviving the zombie apocalypse, and beating all of the odds and turning away a determined home invasion notwithstanding.

But absolutely, the way we treat the mentally ill culturally, politically, and socially is a big mess with a whole host of issues that are screaming to be addressed.
 
The pathetic Westboro Baptist Church crazies are staying at the Motel 6 down the street from my house. If I weren't stuck at work I might have been arrested by now. Sorry if that makes me sound like an "Internet Tough Guy". I know they claim to love the negative attention, and probably they even do, but that doesn't mean they don't still deserve a punch in the mouth.
 
Completely agree with the above - Mckinley, Izzi'smom and Muppet. Something has definitely gone wrong with our society... lots of contributing factors from guns to loss of community to lack of funds for mental illness to glamourization of violence in entertainment (movies, games, etc.), etc.

And, unfortunately, there are sooo many issues to resolve, I'm not confident that they can be solved :(

But, I do believe gun control is an easier fix than some of the other problems... my husband is a hunter so, even in our home, there is the belief that a responsible person should have the right to own a gun. I 'accept' this but with reservation. As my husband only goes hunting once or twice a year (sometimes even less), he usually keeps the gun at a 'co-hunters' home, where there are no kids but, I believe that there's no reason guns can't be kept at a secure storage facility. Before you go hunting or target shooting, you go and pick up your gun from storage... Stephen plays hockey, his skates always need to be sharpened - we don't have a sharpener at home, nor does anyone else! Before games, you go to the store and sharpen the skates. This 'errand' doesn't take away from the enjoyment of hockey!

I realize this doesn't address the issue of people who are collectors (again, no real easy answers..) but I do think it would help in reducing the number of stolen guns that end up in the wrong hands. We had two random 'large' shootings in Toronto this year... one at the foodcourt of Toronto's biggest mall and the other at a neighbourhood bbq. A number of people were killed at each, including children! Lots of talk about change but nothing's been done. In both cases, gangs were involved and, I'm guessing, stolen guns were used.
 
I don't think any aspect of the fix is easier than any other. There will be no impounding of guns already owned, registered or not. I doubt there will be a nationwide buyback program, either. You can stop selling the worst of them by law, and over several generations they'll dwindle, but there's not going to be any overnight benefit from changing the gun laws since raids and impoundings are not going to happen.
 
NO WAY! Tell me they are not really going to show up at the funerals of those little angels and torment those families! Great! Just when I stopped crying and am right back to tears. I say we organize every CT citizen and our near by NY neighbors to go surround those churches, synagogues, funeral homes and block their access!
 
There was already a large counter protest being organized for the principal's funeral but the family requested it be cancelled. I think it's misguided on their part to try to "take on" the WBC on their own during their grief, but it's their call. I think they're worried about a circus. The best counter protest would be a silent wall of pitying looks in WBC's direction, but it's hard to get everybody on board with that, people can't help themselves shouting back and showing anger, which WBC thrives on.
 
:heart:I'm so proud of all of you. :heart:
I wish the media would be this respectful of the different sides.

So many good points from all of you.

My simple country view is to say I do hold to my God and my guns with pride.
I was taught by parents to respect firearms. As parents it's our solemn job to make sure our children's know not to touch them until there of age and understand what will happen if they do. Of course their unable to get to them but the doesn't matter, they should still know what can happen if they do!!!!!

My heart breaks for this town.
I was a proud teacher and loved each student as my own.
Those teachers did what came natural to them.
We all should be proud this town and hope and pray that if we ever face the same hell, we'll come out hero's like them.


Edit: I took out some statements here. :wink:
 
Last edited:
FW, It is a constitutional right not only to your husband's beliefs but also according to the constitution. Also a high powered rifle is what most use to hunt game with are you sure you didn't mean assault rifles? I just think it important when presenting your views to be clear about what you are conveying using the wrong words can change what you are actually stating your beliefs to be.
 
I just wish the mother of that shooter would have come to the realization that guns should not be in HER house. If you have an angry, withdrawn, young adult male child that has mental health issues don't have guns in your house. It is just the responsible thing to do. We can't predict who is capable of these unspeakable crimes but I hope that this 20 year old would have had a hard time raising the $1000 this gun would cost and going out and obtaining one. I would hope a gun dealer would engage this young man in a conversation before selling him a semi automatic weapon. There seems to be some common sense missing from the sane adults in our society.
 
Clash said:
FW, It is a constitutional right not only to your husband's beliefs but also according to the constitution. Also a high powered rifle is what most use to hunt game with are you sure you didn't mean assault rifles? I just think it important when presenting your views to be clear about what you are conveying using the wrong words can change what you are actually stating your beliefs to be.
Click to expand...

Clash,

Oops! Can you tell I don't hunt.:D
 
Clash

BTW, I thought I was being clear but........
that could be more my ignorance of proper sentence structure, then getting the right message across. If I offended you..sorry.:redface:
 
No, I'm not offended. I just felt certain what you had typed was not what you were trying to convey from the context of your post.
 
I remember my father being upset about the Australia gun buy back after Port Arthur. He had get rid of couple of guns but he still has guns and hunts.

One thing that happen with the buy back is that people who didnot know why had the gun in the first place handed them in. eg guns that were handed down it the family.
 
I don't know what the guns laws are anywhere else (certainly not an expert on even the Cdn. laws! :)) but, from my husband's explanations, guns here must be stored unloaded in a locked cabinet and bullets must be kept in a separately locked cabinet not within the same vicinity (not sure if that means separate room, etc.??) and you need a licence to buy the bullets. My husband made the point that, while it won't eliminate those using stolen guns and bullets, it does cause 'delays' during a moment of emotional rage. The delay in finding the gun cabinet, getting the lock open, finding and again getting bullets out of a locked cabinet may be enough time for the rage to subside and some rational thought to come back... Are the laws similar in the U.S., Australia, UK?

I'm not sure if I ever told you guys about the time I saw a guy walking around our neighbourhood (actually directly in front of my kids' elementary school) with an assault gun (I think that's what it's called :blush: - very similar to the one shown by the Newtown shooter)... I was driving by, saw a guy standing/pacing at the bus stop and thought he was holding an assault rifle! But, thought 'nooooo, that's crazy'. (This was about a week or so after the camp shooting in Norway.) But, then thought, if everyone thought as I did, who knows what can happen... so made a u-turn and drove back... repeated... ended up driving by four times! It was such a bizarre thing to see that it was hard to believe I was really seeing it (especially as I just drove by quickly - smart enough to figure out I shouldn't be slowing down! :facepalm:) - some guy, casually pacing the sidewalk with this assault rifle slung over his shoulder, in hand - (Husband later asked what was I thinking acting like target practice?!?! How did I know he wasn't going to start shooting at me?!? :lol:) Anyway, after my fourth drive-by, I saw a police car, flagged him down and told him... then went home. My husband and Stephen went out just a couple of minutes after and told me a couple of blocks up, the intersection had been closed and there were about 8 police cars surrounding a bus!!! :eek: I never did find out what happened... my moment of hero-dom! :rof:
 
It also creates delays in accessing the gun for self defense, which, even if you were able to get the gun "in time", your odds of shooting your own family, intruder present or no, are astronomically higher than ever shooting an intruder and preventing injury.

Half the arguments rationalizing why anybody needs a gun are just bad arguments. The only really valid one is "I have a right to own one" and in the US, you do, but some limits on that right need to be discussed, clearly.
 
I 'm same about Aus laws but we also have the two locked cabinet rule.

It being reported in our media that our laws are being used by both sides in US to support their position.
 
:bdayparty:On a happy note, six years ago today (literally right now, at 4:30 pm), my sweet Isabelle came into this world and gave me the best job ever, being a mama!
:)
We were discussing that she was a c-section yesterday before bed and I was conveying that I didn't care how she got here, just that she was a healthy baby girl. She said "I'm so sorry that I turned out to be sick". :cry::cry::cry::cry:
I just got home from three hours with twenty two five year olds and am about to host all of the family for her party. I am going to h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶d̶r̶i̶n̶k̶ premedicate before they arrive. :cheerss::eek:utahere:I will try and catch up later. :heart:
 
:bdayparty: Happy Birthday Izzi!!! :bdayparty:

And way to go mom for bringing such a beautiful little girl into this world!!! :cheerss:
 
izzi'smom said:
...We were discussing that she was a c-section yesterday before bed and I was conveying that I didn't care how she got here, just that she was a healthy baby girl. She said "I'm so sorry that I turned out to be sick".
Click to expand...
Oh, Angie! :cry:

I do hope that Izzi has a very happy birthday.
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL IZZ! I know you already have the best present of all..an awesome mom! Enjoy the rest of your special day!

:birthday2:
 
Tesscorm said:
my moment of hero-dom! :rof:
Click to expand...

Oh I don't know about that Tess..you have been my hero many times over!

Everyone on edge here. Some guy called in almost the same exact story as yours. Guy all in black walking by train station carrying a rifle slung over his shoulder. They locked down schools in three surrounding communities. Turns out the "rifle" was an umbrella. They arrested the person who called in the tip...now that seems wrong. I hope he is off the hook by now.

I went for a run with my daughter yesterday and was wearing all black. Our route takes us by the elementary school. She suggested we take another route...didn't want to freak people out.
 
Hey just realized the rubby ducky in our trunk or treat pic in my album has a big M on it and a football helmet...Is that a State or U of M Duck? I hope neither...I would hate to get in the middle of that war!
 
crohnsinct:yfaint:
You sitting...........
In a convertible:eek2:
Strapless:confused2:
No make-up:eek:
Bubbles (balloons) strategically (THANK GOD) place,:cool2:
And your worried about the duck?:ybatty:

:ylol:


Still the neatest idea.:ghug:
 
LMAO! You gotta point. Too bad it's on to of your head!

After seeing Mary's new avatar I told hubby I wanted glamour shots for Christmas!

Oh and hey I think I saw the footie PJ's Muppet got wifey. Oh and I was on line in a store and some guy offerd to let me go in front of him. I said no cuz my order is complicated (ya know being a high maintenance type and all) and he said "no really go ahead it is my 26th act of kindness"...how sweet!
 
Ah! You have to be in my inner sanctum of friends Muppet. If you want to really see the hideous photo send me a friend request (shameless the way I bribe people to be my friend). But also promise to look at the other pictures although they aren't any better...graduation 97 degrees and a wedding in summer where I sat in a car for 5 hours. I always seem to have an excuse huh?
 
I don't use photos of myself much online since I lost the ones from when I was good looking 10 years ago in a hard drive crash. ;)
 

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