Measles

I dislike all the negative attention non-vaccinators are getting because of the measles outbreak. The measles didn't start spreading because of people who were unvaccinated. In fact, if you read the two little lines, in the middle of the whole article they posted about it on KSL today, you would know that some of the people infected had in fact been vaccinated. Not vaccinating your children does not make you selfish or stubborn. To assume that the reasoning behind the decision not to vaccinate is based on outdated, falsified information is just ignorant. Parents have the right and the responsibility to make important health decisions for their children. I don't think there's anything selfish about it. It's a personal decision that, for all of the non-vaccinating parents I know, took a lot of thought, prayer, and research. You can't judge another parent for not making the same healthcare choices that you make. I don't go around verbally attacking parents who choose to vaccinate their kids. I think that they love their children, and they feel responsible for their health, and they made the best decision they could. For them. As did my husband and I, for us. So please stop. We're all doing the best we can here.  

If you don't have something nice to say....

When I was pregnant with Henry I got so fat and cranky that I just sat at home for 6 months, eating ice cream and Reses Puffs, and being mean to everyone. This time I vowed that I would be more pleasant. Things were going really well for the first couple months. Then I started feeling sick, and I don't know what happened, but I've lost all desire to be pleasant. It actually makes me feel better to be unpleasant. One day I went grocery shopping, and when I went to pay for my groceries, I didn't have my ID with me, so they wouldn't let me use my credit card. I yelled at the checker. Like in front of a whole line of people. And I wasn't even embarrassed. And then I took the suckers we didn't pay for out of my kids mouths, and put them on the counter, and everybody got to hear them scream all the way out of the store. Today I said some swear words and honked at an old man in his car. Sometimes when I'm out in public people will talk to me. Like they'll bump into me, and say sorry, or they'll comment on how cute my kids are. All nice things. But I hate them. I have awful thoughts, like why are you wasting my time talking to me about my cute kids? I know they're cute. I know that if I don't have something nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all, but saying the awful things out loud really makes me feel good. Please tell me I'm not the only one who's this mean when she's pregnant. Right now I'm just enjoying that I've done this 3 times now, and I know it won't last forever. My poor kids need a nice mom again. Not to mention Jeff. He's nice for staying married to me.

We've been making some changes in our lives over the past few months. We decided to sell all our rental properties, because it would allow us to pay off all of Jeff's student loans, and get rid of the idiots who rent our houses. When you're a landlord you get to hear the most tragic stories about people's lives. Coincidentally, it's always around the time rent is due. For the first few months I really felt sorry for their dead mom's and lost jobs. Then, after 5 or 6 months, I realized I had been duped. So far we're down 1 house, and we've got 2 more to go. One of them should be closing any day now. It's such a relief to not have that burden every month. To not have to text or call our renters every single month around the 15th, and find out why rent hasn't been paid, and then panic when you can't get a hold of them for another week, and then drive to their house to post an eviction notice on their door only to find them home and well. With a fresh tragedy to explain why rent got pushed aside. Who doesn't pay their rent?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Like when you're trying to decide between paying rent and paying anything else, how does rent always lose?! Can I just say, if you are a renter, do not tell your landlord what you spent your money on instead of paying rent.

We really want to buy a house before the baby comes. We've been watching a lot of Rehab Addict, so we're loving the idea of buying a really old house, and fixing it up. We've gone back and forth with locations, so once we decide on that I think we can start looking for a house. That will be a fun little break from puking and yelling at my family. Despite my crankiness, we have been feeling really happy and blessed lately. We had a perfect Christmas with all of our family, and have been loving the kids. Grace has finally grown out of the terrible two's, and she's the best little helper. She practically takes care of Henry for me while I lay in bed all day. Henry has started the terrible two's, and is even worse than Grace was, but he's so cute, I can almost put up with it. So that's that. I'll blog again in another 6 months, and hopefully be telling you that I have a new baby, and a better attitude:) I was going to post some pictures, but I don't know how to get pictures off my phone, and onto my computer, and then onto this blog. I know, I'm such a Grandma. Instead I'll leave you with this.