Because what better way is there to celebrate all the good things in our lives than to fry up a nice turkey?

I hope your turkey turned out as well as ours, and you are able to be home with your families enjoying the day.

Tommy’s a damn good turkey fryer, isn’t he?

Well, certainly not me. Or Tommy. Or my two sisters or my brother.

My older sister and I had our wisdom teeth out when I was 15 and she was 16. Without Valium. Just Novocaine. That’s it. We were awake the whole time. And we each remember every minute. My brother on the other hand got his out while he was knocked out. SO much better. And more fair.

But enough of me whining (and sympathizing with my sister who had hers done first and so felt much pain when she had to wait for our mom to pick up the painkillers after work).

Tommy had his done while knocked out.

But anyway…cut to The Boy having his wisdom teeth out this past Friday.

You see….he just got all his teeth neatly straightened and is now on retainers. But there was a problem…his wisdom teeth had already started to form. And they were pointed sideways instead of straight up. And so…really….was there a choice? Well, no. Braces are expensive and it would have been really painful had those teeth fully formed – pointed toward the nerve in his jaw at one side and toward his straight teeth on the other.

So we scheduled the extraction for the Friday before the Thanksgiving break. Because I felt he at least needed to get a day off if he was going to have to go through that.

Okay….after only waiting 25 minutes and seeing him come out so happy with no memory of what just happened to him? Let’s just say I’m really glad we paid extra and had him knocked out. I strongly recommend going the knocked out route vs. the shots only route….it’s a LOT more painful and time consuming just to do shots. SO not the right plan.

When the nurse put him in the car with his little ice pack deal wrapped around his head, he said (many times on the way home): “I feel fine.”

Okay let me just say…at no time did I EVER feel fine during or after the wisdom tooth extraction process. Not to be too graphic…but there was blood running down my throat constantly, the smell of bones being burnt by the drill, and the feeling of teeth being cracked, then extracted from my skull. SO much better to get rid of them when they are barely there…and while knocked out.

Anyway….getting knocked out is great for the procedure and just after, but kinda sketchy that first day. Lots of ice, pain killers, and TLC were required.

But….by 7:00 a.m. the day after? The Boy was up, refused all pain killers except Advil, and was back on the computer playing games, enjoying his break. That’s our boy. He’s one tough kid.

We’re glad it’s over. And so very proud of him for getting through this with so little to complain about…except for how he has to wait for me to make his shakes!

Word to the wise: If your dentist or orthodontist says the wisdom teeth need to come out…do it as early as you can. The Boy will be healed by the time he has to cut into that fried turkey on Thursday! Oh…and definitely get your kid knocked out for this. You won’t be sorry.

If you pack and ship your gifts ahead of time, neither the TSA nor those pesky baggage handlers can unwrap, inspect, break, and/or steal “confiscate” them. They don’t have the authority to do what they do to packages shipped via UPS, FedEx, Airborne Express, or even the USPS (yet).

So do yourself and (especially) your fellow travelers a huge favor this Christmas. Ship before you fly.

That is all.

On Immunizations

One immunization compliance waiver could kill. At least that’s the way I see it. Many school districts “require” that kids be immunized to protect all from life-taking diseases. However, in almost all cases parents can claim a waiver for religious or medical reasons. Even when judges issue orders forcing parents to comply or face penalties, there are still waivers. See?

Circuit Court Judge C. Philip Nichols ordered parents in a letter to appear at the courthouse Saturday and either get their children vaccinated on the spot or risk up to 10 days in jail. They could also provide proof of vaccination or an explanation why their kids didn’t have them.

Note: Explanations in the Maryland district comprise either medical or religious reasons why kids aren’t immunized.

I think medical reasons can be very valid. Especially in the cases of immuno-compromised or highly allergic kids. Their bodies simply cannot deal with the shots.

Religious reasons could be valid….I guess. I don’t see it but it’s all a matter of faith so who am I to judge?

So basically there are always a certain number of people that do not get their kids immunized, for whatever reason. I had a relative that didn’t do it for a while (she eventually got all the kids their shots), citing all the studies on the harmful effects of immunizations. Although the numbers say there is a greater chance the kids could get the diseases and possibly die vs. having an adverse reaction to the shots, some people still drink the kool-aid and refuse to take their kids to the doc for shots (and in a lot of cases, for little else that relates to illness with their kids).

Many people that don’t get their kids shots feel the odds are in their favor for not being exposed to disease because most everyone else is immunized so there is little chance for exposure. But what about the thousands of illegals out in public every day – serving food, stocking grocery shelves, working at other stores – the kids are exposed to them,? School isn’t the only place they are around other people. I would guess that many of those that live under the radar do not have shots – not because they refuse to get them, but because they don’t want to be noticed or can’t afford them.

One touch of a door handle touched by someone with measles or mumps or a bite of a sandwich made by someone with Hepatitis B and an open wound could make all the difference. Once. That’s all it takes. To either make ill or kill an unprotected child.

But…..that’s the choice parents make for their kids. I don’t agree with it, but I don’t want to live in a nanny state either….look where it’s gotten France? The threat of working a few more hours has caused country-wide unrest with people who have become used to, and even feel entitled to, handouts from a government that manages many areas of their lives.

I immunize…to protect my child….from those that don’t (for whatever reason).

On Child Safety Seats

I draw the line at not strapping kids in safety seats. That’s downright immediate negligence. There’s not a question of “if” a child will get hurt in an accident if they are not strapped in properly. They will. That’s why (unfortunately) the government had to step in and require it. The upside to this is reduced medical cost for all and revenue generation from tickets issued to negligent parents. It falls on the plus instead of minus side of governmental intrusion in our lives.

On Being Paid To Have A Child

Having a child is a choice. Either the pregnancy is planned or the person decided to have unprotected relations and wants to keep the baby anyway. Either way, it’s a choice. We still have the right to choose in this country, so yes in the vast majority of cases it’s a choice.

Now some are pushing for those that pay taxes to pay for the choice of others to have a child. That’s right…another entitlement to pay for someone to stay home for up to three months with a new baby.

Hey – nobody paid me to stay home with The Boy. We planned for him, and saved accordingly. Because that’s what responsible people do.

I don’t like paying for other people’s responsibilities. Especially in a case where the choice is made stay home when money is needed to put food on the table. It probably sounds really cold to some…I mean, shouldn’t everyone be paid from my paycheck to stay home for three months after deciding to have a baby? Um…..no. It’s called personal responsibility. If a person wants to have a kid, they should have a kid. But they should be prepared to support that kid themselves….not make plans to stand in line with their hands out for money out of someone else’s pockets.

We are at virtually full employment in this country. People that need to work can find a job. They just have to decide what’s more beneath them…supporting their own child in a job that’s not necessarily all that glamorous, or standing in line to take someone else’s hard-earned money. It is really that simple.

All entitlement programs breed corruption. Workers Comp. Social Security. Welfare. Medicare. Medicaid. They are all very corrupt systems with many taking entitlements where they shouldn’t. I guess the only bright spot with paying for people to have kids is that at least they will have to prove there is a kid to get the money.

On Taxing Junk Food

I’m all for this nanny state idea. This type of food is not necessary to live. Taxing it will not only bring in revenue to pay the medical cost of keeping those that eat themselves into very poor states of health alive, but it just might help people decide it might be cheaper to buy the salad vs. the candy.

On Higher Taxes on Cigarettes

Same idea. If people want to smoke themselves into poor health, let’s at least raise taxes on the cancer sticks so the money can go toward medical costs associated with this very vile habit.

So no, I think you can tell I don’t believe in a nanny state. Unless it’s necessary because people either can’t or won’t do the right thing.

 The TSA failed another screening test.

The latest security nightmare came to light Wednesday in an advance release of a government report detailing how undercover agents successfully smuggled bomb-making parts through airport security checkpoints allowing them to potentially be carried onboard.

If you didn’t see this coming, you should have.  I knew as soon as the government took over the TSA things would go from bad to worse.

I mean really, when has the government EVER run a program that was a success?  Look at our roads.  Look at our almost bankrupt social security entitlement system.  Look at Medicaid.  Look at Medicare.  Look at the wasteful spending on pet projects for the military (tires that don’t even fit vehicles in the inventory).  The list goes on and on.

The bottom line is…..do we want more government wasting more of our money, or do we want less government so we can decide what to do with the money we earn?

We all have our choices to make.

That’s right. I found a whole new way to use the Swiffer.

What do you do when you have several wasps hanging out in the window many feet above your front door?

Why….you pull out your Swiffer, of course. The one with the extended handle.

And then you tape it to a really long duster handle thingee.

And then you pull a kitchen chair up to the front entry by the door.

And then you go to the garage and pull out the can of Raid wasp and hornet spray.

And then you spray the hell out of your Swiffer thingee.

And then you get on the chair.

And then you stretch the long handle containing the wasp-sprayed Swiffer thingee as far as your arms will reach.

And then you dust as far as you can up the window and poison those bad boys.

And then you get off the chair.

And then you drag the chair back to the kitchen table.

And then you change out your Swiffer thingee and continue to dust the very high ceiling fans and light fixtures.

And then you wait.

With the fly swatter close by.

And then you finish off the wasps as they fall to the ground in a semi-dead state.

From the wasp spray you spread on the very high window.

With your mad Swiffer skills.

That is all.

The Boy was practicing a book report tonight.  Here’s what transpired:

Me:  “You’re talking way too fast.”

The Boy:  “No, I’m not.  You’re listening too slow.”

Well, I never thought of it that way.  But I will now!

P.S.  I still made him slow down.  Because that’s what moms do. 

Because really, I need to know.  Are school bus drivers allowed to put out their stop sign and flash their lights to stop all traffic…..just so they can cut in front of everyone and change lanes to turn left?  I mean, I understand the whole lights and stop sign thing if they’re dropping off or picking up kids.  They have to do that.  But if they forget to change lanes, is it okay for them to stop all traffic so they can conveniently turn left once their bus is empty?  Can they do that?

Or…even if they can do that…should they?  It just seems really rude to me to stop traffic just so they can go back and park their bus.

It’s right here.

Thanks, Paula!!

Because apparently having one after I work out could be better for me than water!

The hydration effect in those who drank beer was “slightly better” than those who drank water….

You can see the full article here.  I’ll take “slightly better” as an excuse any day!