Who do I admire?

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oday's Plinky Prompt was "Who do you admire & why?"

That question, or "Who is your hero" has never made any sense to me, because I don't look to celebrities or politicians to tell me how I need to be.

After I thought about the question, however, I remembered that I always admire people with disabilities who don't have the attitude "My life is over now. My disease/disability defines me."

Michael J. Fox is an example of that. He has Parkinson's (I think that's the one?) and he's still doing his thing. He has a new book that just came out called Always Looking Up.

Not only is he dealing with his disease, but he is doing everything he can to find a cure for himself and others. Like Christopher Reeve did and Montel Williams does.

I admire that.

I also admire all the mothers with more than one child that do their very best to raise their kids. They recognize that each of their children has a different personality and they respect and enjoy that. They do things than would have me pulling out my hair.

Betty Hayes (with one of her 10 [ten] children) is an example. When I watch the show Table for 12, I can tell that Betty and Eric love each other and every single one of their children. They do things with their children and for their children.

Rebecca, one of their 4 year old sextuplets, has Cerebral Palsy. They take her to a ranch with therapy horses so that she can get some core strength and maybe, eventually learn to sit up by herself.

Betty has a child who may never be able to say "I love you, Mommy". As a mother, I know how much it means the first time your child says that and every time your child says that.

We do so much for our kids that never seems to get recognized or appreciated, but we do it because we love them.

That's why I admire the women who can do a good job raising more than one child. More than one "normal" child. I cannot begin to imagine doing it with a child who has disabilities so severe that she may never speak, or learn to feed herself, or get a job, nodamene?

I admire that more than I can say.

Obviously, I'm not saying that mothers with one child don't deserve admiration, or that single mothers don't deserve recognition because I am a single mother with a one child. It's hard. It's the hardest thing I've ever done.

But when I look at what other people have to deal with compared to what I have to deal with... I feel like I should count my blessings and thank God that I have the life that I have.

My particular disability (Multiple Sclerosis) sucks ass. But it has made it possible for me to be able to stay at home and raise my son while paying my bills. My son is smart, handsome, funny and usually a joy. I feel like I've lucked out. :-)

I Love Jon and Kate Plus 8!

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just recently started watching the show a few weeks ago. I think it's because there was nothing else on. I fell in love with it immediately.

The Gosselins are a couple who were having trouble conceiving, so they tried fertility drugs. They had twin girls named Cara and Madelyn. After 3 years or so, they decided to try for just one more. They ended up with 6! Alexis, Aaden, Collin, Leah, Hannah and Joel.

I LOVE the relationship that Jon & Kate have! If I ever got married, that would be the type of relationship that I would want.

Kate is a bit controlling and OCD (She admits it). Jon has a very wry sense of humor (you know I appreciate that!)

Jon & Kate are funny together and separately.

All of the children are adorable. I cannot imagine having even one more child, let alone 7! *faint*

Honestly, I think I was extremely lucky to get the child that I did. I have learned so much from Evan. He is such a role model for me. He is much more compassionate & empathetic than I will ever be.

Pre MS diagnosis, I was afraid that if I had another child, it would be the total opposite of Evan. I might have a good pregnancy, but the child would be the Spawn of Satan, LOL.

Post MS diagnosis, I just felt that having another child would be selfish on my part.

I think I'm a decent mother to my one child. Kate deserves some type of "Mother of the Decade" award for the job she does with her children!

Furreal.

On Valentine's Day, she made heart shaped food all day. She puts little love notes in Cara & Maddy's lunch boxes. She recognizes and appreciates that all of her children have different personalities and respects and loves that about them.

She's the type of mother I would aspire to be if I had any aspirations. :-)

You should definitely check out their show on TLC, Mondays at 9pm EST. (It's also shown at a lot of other times. They had an all day marathon on Mother's Day.)

Verminators

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ave you ever seen Verminators on TLC (Mondays at 10pm EST)?

OH.MY.LORD! I watched this show the first time because nothing else was on. Basically, it's a reality show about exterminators. I admit that I have seen the occasional roach or spider in my house and I go directly to Wal-Mart & buy the Raid Foggers because those stories about kids with roaches in their ear have made me paranoid. I have the bug man come once a month, but so does MD. She sees the occasional roach too. And she's the most fastidiously clean person I know. I even had a mouse one particularly cold winter (before Al Gore ever told us about Global Warming or anyone had ever heard of El Niño). Killed that sumbitch with poison bait. Smelled like a dumpster in summer in my house until I found it dead and mummified in 'The Black Hole' (AKA 'The Closet That Shall Not Be Opened').

OMG. I ate a Taco Hot Pocket & I am having such bad heartburn right now but I'm too lazy to get up and get the Tums. This has nothing to do with roaches, mice or other vermin. But heartburn can be as irritating as vermin, so maybe it does. Whatever. I'm writing this in the middle of the night. Shaddap.

Back to the show.

So anytime I watch the show, I have to have some Anti-itch cream nearby because seeing people with DISGUSTING ROACH AND BED BUG INFESTED HOUSES MAKES ME ITCH SOMETHING TURRIBLE! I start "feeling" things crawling on me. *Shudder* I don't understand how people can live in conditions like that. WHY DON'T THEY DO SOMETHING BEFORE IT GETS THAT BAD?

Seriously. On the last show, some dude decided to brew his own beer. He had an infestation so bad that the owner (who, before going into the apartment said that nothing shocked him) came out of the apartment looking shell shocked. He told the other 2 men with him that it was the worst thing he'd ever seen or smelled. Not only did the dude have roaches, bed bugs, and black widows, but he had a hive of Africanized Bees in one of his closets.

Yes.

I shit you not.

WTF??????????

The dude was evicted. The landlord of that place only found out about the infestation because neighbors started complaining about a strange smell coming from that apartment.



Ewwwwwwwwwwww.

One of the exterminators threw up the place was so disgusting.

Well, he was going to throw up until he went to the bathroom and saw the toilet. I hope you're not eating right now. If you are, either stop eating or finish this post later.

The toilet looked like someone had had explosive diarrhea all.over.it. I'm getting queasy just thinking about it.

I can deal with a lot of filth and gore, but this show really is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen that didn't involve 2 whores and a chalice...

It amazes me that people can live in such squalor.

But I must watch it.

Because it makes me feel better about my lackadaisical attitude towards cleanliness, LOL.

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