This is me...take it or leave it.....

This is a general blog kinda to go along with my introducation blog.... This is me take it or leave it.....

-I make it very hard for people/anyone to really get to know the real me.... Its just in my nature..... Id say maybe a handful of people know me good enough to where Ill joke around with them and be open....
-I find it very very very hard to trust people.... To this point there are about a handful of people whom I would actually let watch Noel.... If I dont trust you... You absolutely can not watch what is most precious in this world to me.... If you have in any way ever broken my trust just forget it...
-In person I am very introverted.... I dont like big crowds... Id rather sit at home and read a book... Small talk isnt really my strong point thus I dont care for it much.... Also, I like what I say to be fact based.... Thus, when Im asked a question Im not certain on Id rather go home and read into it rather then blurt out something that isnt necessarily truth...
-I as a person whom saw her life revolving around a educational atmosphere always had the general belief that people always have the option to improve themselves and that they ultimately want to better themselves and that they deserve to be better.... However, I have found in my life experience that some people are content not doing these things at all.....
-I as a person hate drama.... I hate people CRAVING the need to be in my business....
-I use to think people were generally good..... and not just good in front of your face so that they can get whatever they want out of you but then turn around and talk trash about you behind your back.... the later is what I have become to know is true with a good portion of people....
-I use to believe that trying to better your family whether by living healthy or living your life for Christ or working hard to provide for your family was something people would come to brag about and be happy for, instead these days people use that sort of thing to look at you and say "see they go to church or they eat organic so they think they are better then us"
-I use to think that ultimately my opinion didnt matter about topics, but now having a daughter has opened my eyes to the fact that my opinion matters because of how I choose to raise her and what kind of person we are producing
-Things I am very passionate about(breastfeeding,natural parenting, holistic dog food, holistic living, healthy diets especially for little ones, childrens rights for a happy healthy Christ centered childhood, God recognized marriage) certain topics so if the topic arises yes I will in fact be VERY VERY OPINIONATED and will usually pull facts out that I have actually read into and researched and believe....
-My husband and I are not the norm... whether that is because we have not always been stuck in this bubble known as east TN or for whatever other reason... we are choosing to live and parent differently then what most around us seem to believe ... however, we see it as best.... so no people I am not blindly leading my husband.... You dont have to go home and say poor poor Noel Kim is crazy and Christopher just goes along with the ride... We actually as a married couple sit down and talk about EVERYTHING... everything from what food to feed Noel next to what our feelings are about different topics like how to raise our child.... so No people its not just me....


I have a beautiful family and a roof over my head and heat when its cold and parents that are always a call away for help.... but with all the blessings I wonder why life has changed me to have this just negative outlook and/ or negative influences around me..... Why did I have to experience these people or these event to get me to the above conclusions or thoughts?.... I remember one of my first small group meetings we did a small activity with three different people with different characteristics and it baffled me to hear most everyone say they didnt know a person with some of these certain undesirable characteristics.... ....

At our weekly church small group meeting there were a few questions and one that really struck me was, "What do I as a Christian think a Christians characteristics should be?" There was a ton of great answers... humble, caring, patient,... but my sole answer was genuine..... Genuine to me is a characteristic that combines alot of other good characteristics... A person whom is genuine is a person whom is real, they care about you overall, they want what is best for you in every situation, they are helpful when needed, they wont stab you in the back for their betterment, they dont mooch or take advantage of you because they want whats for you, they encourage you when you are down and like I said they are just real they arent one thing infront of you and then another behind you.....


Let go into a situational experience:

***I am very opinionated(yet, again!)***
 I think sometimes my opinion is soooooo strong because I see so many offensive things.... This picture above caused a little stir on my personal facebook page because more then likely the way I worded the intro to this picture. In my very honest opinion I know that this product is crap combined into a cute lil monkey shape.... Please look at the ingredients.... I found it offensive that this product would A)be made for childrens consumption  B) That this would be given to my child to eat.... It is my full belief just like I believe in the Lord above that if something is not in some way nutritional for my child it should not be consumed.... seriously the carnauba wax that you see there in the ingredients list is used also in car wax.... exactly what I think should be polluting my precious angels body right?! (I understand some parents dont look this deep into things and to each their own.... I do and I find it crazy parents wouldnt look into it<--Personal opinion of which Im entitled to) Thus I was soooo offended I posted about it and yes maybe it came off insensitive and maybe judgemental but in my mind I had the whole world agreeing with me because this product is crap....and its offensive...

Now lets jump back to the genuine person talk a few paragraphs back.... After much thinking and a conversation with someone.... Have I been over exposed to these people/events whom are very not genuine thus making me the person I am now... someone who is cold and wouldnt be descibed as genuine... someone who is needing to get my point across in a very judgemental way instead of a Christ centered genuine way? I believe so.... Do I want everyone to see my side, even though many may see it as hippie or "better then them"? Yes... I believe knowledge is power and that people are only in the wrong if they know better.... Do I need to be so pushy ehhhh probably not...... Did I post the picture to harp and call out people whom dont look further yes and no.... Like I said I need to change my delivery I think.... So I guess what I could say is instead of harp on me and think Im crazy be in prayer with me to be more informative and less shame bashing/demeaning of those whom dont know better and would be open to information I may have to share..... And no Im not rude.... I am strong willed and strongly opinionated when it comes to my daughter.... :)

End rant/blog....

-<3Kim

Why smoking around kids stinks.....literally......duh,,,,

 I am writing this because I got such a thrilling (JP) response on an article I posted about smoking being child abuse. In all honesty it really took me off hand by the amount of opposition I had from people. After I got over the general shock of people finding this okay I felt sad that there are people in this world that find it completely acceptable to raise children around this nasty habit. I am going to go ahead and tell you that this information is all factual and if you are a smoker it may offend you….. However, it shouldn’t offend you because it is based all on facts. I am not singling anyone out. I have smokers in my family and in my extended family and in my husbands family. I also live with the thought that your not in the wrong unless you know better. So if you don’t know better I hope this blog will show some sort of awareness to you. If you do know better then quit it! I also want to say that I post this with personal ties from the effects of smoking I have a family member who has to rely on asthma medication to get them through the day because of being exposed to so much secondhand & thirdhand smoke. I also had a family member pass away from emphysema. Therefore, I am not posting this blindly.

I was taught from a young young age that smoking is bad. In my mind it is the persons own decision that they don’t care about themselves enough to want to do this to their own body, a slow suicide I guess you could say. That’s why it really boils my water when someone close to me decides to live this lifestyle. Let me also say it really didn’t so much bother me until I became a parent. Let me throw a few random facts at you real quick: (Yes….I’m sure you probably already know them.)

 

Tobacco use is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced.

• There are more than one billion smokers in the world.
• Globally, use of tobacco products is increasing, although it is decreasing in high-income countries.
• Almost half of the world's children breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke.
• The epidemic is shifting to the developing world.
• More than 80% of the world's smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.
• Tobacco use kills 5.4 million people a year - an average of one person every six seconds - and accounts for one in 10 adult deaths worldwide.
• Tobacco kills up to half of all users.
• It is a risk factor for six of the eight leading causes of deaths in the world.

Sited from: The WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS website

http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/tobacco_facts/en/

 

  If I wanted to I could completely write this article about how smoking sucks and that by doing so it’s not very smart. But you know what; I don’t smoke so that’s not my battle. I choose to live and want to have a healthy lifestyle for myself and for everyone around me including my daughter. That’s where it gets the point where I start getting aggravated about smoking. Its not that the person is silly for doing it it’s for the innocent children that have to suffer because of their selfish parents choosing to do this nasty habit. Look at the fact up there; “Almost half of the world’s children breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke.” That disgusts me. I am not the person that throws around the term child abuse lightly but, what is abuse defined as? Abuse is defined by dictionary.com as, “to treat in a harmful, injurious, or offensive way.” So by the definition how is smoking around your kid any different???? Its harmful to their health; and to top it off its offensive to make your child be subdued to being in the same environment!

  By it affecting a child or another person it can be classified as secondhand smoke. Well Kim, what is secondhand smoke? Defined on smokefree.gov this is the definition,” Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke that comes from your cigarette and smoke you breathe out while smoking. Breathing in any amount of secondhand smoke is dangerous.” (http://smokefree.gov/impact-on-others)  I think of secondhand smoking of the parent whom smokes around their child or is smoking in the same vehicle as their child. Some of the effects from secondhand smoking around children are children with: More severe asthma attacks, Bronchitis, pneumonia, and other breathing problems, Coughing and wheezing, Ear and lung infections, possible ADHD and many behavioral problems, cognitive impairments, and the list goes on and on. Another effect that is close to my heart because I have an infant is SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome.) Did you know that an infant that is exposed to secondhand smoke doubles the risk of having SIDS? Did you also know that a mother whom smokes triples her child’s chances of having SIDS?

 This takes me to a whole different topic. I am sorry if you get offended by this statement that I am about to make but if you are pregnant and your smoking its proves two things to me: A) your selfish…. Selfish in the thought that you can’t put your child’s health before your nasty addiction B) Maybe you’re not quite ready to be a parent. In my mind, if you are a parent, you are living everyday putting someone else’s needs above your own. By smoking while pregnant you’re showing that you don’t quite understand that concept.

The thirdhand smoke is a more recent idea that directly affects children. “Thirdhand smoke consists of the tobacco residue from cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products that is left behind after smoking and builds up on surfaces and furnishings. It may seem merely like an offensive smell, but it is also indicative of the presence of tobacco toxins. Tobacco smoke is composed of numerous types of gasses and particulate matter, including carcinogens and heavy metals, like arsenic, lead, and cyanide. Sticky, highly toxic particulates, like nicotine, can cling to walls and ceilings. Gases can be absorbed into carpets, draperies, and other upholsteries. A 2002 study found that these toxic brews can then reemit back into the air and recombine to form harmful compounds that remain at high levels long after smoking has stopped occurring. The homes, hair, clothes, and cars of smokers can have significant levels of thirdhand smoke contamination. Young children are particularly vulnerable, because they can ingest tobacco residue by putting their hands in their mouths after touching contaminated surfaces. (http://www.no-smoke.org/learnmore.php?id=671).”

A great video explaining thirdhand smoke is at this link: http://youtu.be/G2vlk_b6UyE

Thirdhand smoke can end in many of the same ailments that happen with secondhand smoking and even DNA damage. Yuck! Just another little side note my husband whom is a radiological technologist tells me all the time that someone whom smokes a pack of cigs a day gets 8 times more radiation then what a RAD worker can get in a year of work. But that’s cool right? Smoking is cool….Its calming…. It keeps you skinny…. Its harming your children’s quality of life…. But cool right?! Naw!

  Now that I have posted the facts and physical effects of it what about the emotional effects. Some of you may be say huh?! I worked within the school systems and one of the days I was working I remember this event very vividly because it made me sad. This little boy in second grade spent the better half of our outside play time trying to get someone to play with him. He finally broke down crying and when the teachers there with me and I asked him what was wrong he said no one wanted to play with him. When we asked the kids around that he was trying to play with why they wouldn’t play with him their answer was, “We don’t want to play with him because he stinks!” They weren’t lying he smelled like he came from a very heavily smoked in home environment. I can’t imagine what it feels like to be a kid that small rejected by his peers just because his parents are careless and send him out stinking like a smoke box. So yes it does affect them emotionally. I know personally if I know someone that smokes and smokes a lot I limit my exposure to them for the ‘mere fact that that smell ultimately gives me a headache.

I don’t understand why people got so upset and hurt by me posting my opinions about this topic.(Especially, when facts back my opinions.) But I do understand that when it comes to parenting no one whom may be guilty of an unsavory habit wants to hear they are wrong, even though they really do know they are. So suck it up people the truth hurts sometimes. I know the word abuse it a bit strong but if you sit and really think about it... it could apply based on the severity of it. I hope if anything my post shined a light onto the subject, even if you only read the straight facts quoted! There now you know better! ;)

-<3Kim

 

 

-Photo credits: google.com images search

Happy Happy Happy

  Well Noel and I had a full day... so by some grace of God, she is off in dreamland already. We spent the morning at a mommy and me class singing and dancing and playing away. Then we came home and did some baking, and then rushed off to our weekly church community group meeting where Noel got in some more playing with her friends! I figured while I have a few minutes I would update this lil gem of a blog! :)

  Can I first just say that God always provides for us. These last few weeks have been quite a transition for the three of us. Christopher got to come home from Chicago before Christmas time and we have be praying and waiting for a new job opportunity to arise. Ill be the first one to go ahead and say its not been easy. I still consider myself a newlywed...(Its only been 2 yrs).... imagine this all of my married readers... the thought that you have to get use to living with your husband again. Can you imagine that thought? Before Christopher started traveling that thought never crossed my mind. He would go to work.... I would go to work.... then we would come home together and do what needed around the house and go to bed and thats just how it was..... Everytime now when he comes home its like a conditioning period and I HATE IT! We usually end up having fights and getting on each others last nerve. Im mad he is doing something instead of what I think he should be doing. Im sure its the same the other way. I am use to the rules I have in place and the way I am living to have him come back in and change it all up again.... (Im not to fond of the idea of change....) Well 3 & 1/2 weeks later, I think we have finally passed the hump and on the downhill climb of this conditioning....

I guess what I am finally getting at is I can sit here and say I am happy/content. We are pretty positive Chris has a job nailed down. (Me not so much......) But I am happy...My husband is home, my child is healthy and growing, my family is well, there is a roof over my head and heat(brrrrr cold outside), I have a wonderful church & church family, my friends are awesome<- Of COURSE!, Im a SAHM... I look at my life and the way it was going about 6 months ago and how out of control and sad and the feeling of behing left behind and like a failure and I can finally officially say ....  I am happy again. Yes Yes I know I should not base my happiness on someone else...blah blah blah..... But I am married for a reason for the help the companionship and most of all because I am soooooooo head over heels in Love with my husband its silly! <3

ANYWHO;)

Heres a couple pictures from the last lil bit:

 

This is our everyday life pretty much playing with a mix of cartoons (of which today I decided she was getting too much tv so that shall be docked) with her baby sitter(Honey Bear)! :)

                                         Our Family Christmas Picture:)

                    Noels Christmas Morning spent opening gifts and playing with her new toys...She was the winner of the best presents award this year(I see that being a yearly thing) She got a tricycle, a rocking horse, and a ton of other things! And up there is a nice picture with her Grandparents even though her grandpa was being silly!

And this is the Christmas day Nap:)

                    The homemade pizza I made.... Im getting into this making from scratch baking.... That way I know whats in it especially with our all natural switch we are trying to do!!!!

Noels aunt Kelly and cousin Taylor came down and we got to go to the aquarium with them! Such a fun day! :)))

Many faces of Noel!!!

 

 

YAYAYAYAYAYAY We got a snow day! :))) *******

-<3Kim