Soapbox Thursday

Welcome to the debut of Soapbox Thursday! I created this blog carnival as an outlet for all those little annoyances we encounter...then we can move on and leave it behind. What's bugging you this week?

Soapbox: Customer service has got to be at it's lowest point in history! These days employees (and I apologize to the responsible teenagers out there) especially the young employees are more concerned with themselves than the customers they are hired to help. It really is quite ridiculous.

I love it when I walk into a very small business and you get personal attention and a feeling that they actually care that you buy something. Walk into a chain store with a 17 year old working the check out and you're lucky to get a smile. Forget asking one of them where something is! They'd rather you not find it anyways and save them the time it would take to check you out.

Even small businesses suffer with this. When my husband owned his practice we had employees that would text up at the desk ALL. DAY. LONG. Finding good employees is hard! Having been on the ownership side I personally take the time to inform the manager of my bad experience.

Unfortunately, for the owner many of the managers don't care either!

Climbing down now and ready for an irritation-free day ;)

Here is what you need to do:

1. Include, somewhere in your post, a sentence about Soapbox Thursday and link to my blog. If you aren't sure how, you can simply copy and paste the following HTML code (everything that is in the white box below) into your post and the links will magically appear:

<br>Welcome to Soapbox Thursday! This blog carnival was created by <a href="http://www.doineedabiggerplate.blogspot.com">Autumn</a>. You can head over to <a href="http://www.doineedabiggerplate.blogspot.com">her blog</a> to read what she and everyone else are yelling from their soapbox this week.<br>

2. Grab the Soapbox Thursday button by copying the code for the button from my left sidebar and pasting it into your post. This step is optional, because it wouldn't really mess anything up about the process if you didn't do it. But do it just for fun, if you find you need a little more fun in your life. And don't we all?

3. Finish off your post by writing your own Soapbox rants!

4. Use the Mr. Linky form below to enter your name or your blog's name and a link directly to your Soapbox post. Please keep the name used to describe your blog short. You do not need to type in the entire URL of your blog in the name section. Please use spaces between words and characters. This helps insure that Mr. Linky will function properly.

Radian 65 Car Seats

Where does the safety of your child end? Almost all parents would agree that a child shouldn't play with knives, put small objects in their mouths, noses or ears, or run across the street without looking both ways.

But what about car seats? Again, most parents would agree that a child should be in one. That is where any agreement ends, however. Despite stricter guidelines spoken by the almighty AAP to rear face past 1 year of age, the majority of parents gleefully await the momentous first birthday to turn their precious baby front-facing.

Was the child deprived in some way by rear-facing? Of course not, yet parents feel this insatiable desire to give their kids all that they have (as evidenced by 12 year olds having cell phones). The feeling is that if the parent is facing the front the child wants to also.

That child could care less to look out the front window. The child could care less that his legs are bent. The child could care less that you want him to be a "big boy".

What he does care about is whether or not he will be killed or paralyzed if you are in an accident. So what if his legs suffer injury from rear facing... he's alive!

Besides the fact that a child is best left rear-facing passed 30lbs there is the issue of when to grow your child up even faster and put them in a booster or shoulder harnessed carseat.

Even more disturbing to me than seeing an infant turned front-facing is seeing a spritely child barely 45 lbs in a simple booster seat. What the heck?? How in the world does one think that a shoulder strap is going to hold their kid in during a high-impact crash?

Oh wait, what are the chances you're going to be in a crash anyways?? I don't look at statistics like that when it comes to the safety of my children. I may trust my own driving but I sure as heck don't trust the crazy drivers on the road.

Plus, I've seen my 45lbs six year old in a shoulder-strapped car seat. She leans forward, takes her arm out of the strap, basically moves around freely. If she can do that I know it's not the safest option.

That's why I ordered 3 Radian 65 carseats. The Radian 65 allows for your child to be harnessed in a 5-point harness up to 65lbs. There is also a Radian 80 but most kids outgrow that one by height before weight.

The Radian 65 is also narrow enough to fit 3 across in a seat. Very good for me since baby #4 is soon to arrive and things will be tight in the mini-van. The new baby will use the Evenflo Triumph we have for a few months then I'll purchase a Radian 65 for him or her.

Just one more note about commonly misunderstood car seat facts. They DO expire. And NO it isn't just a way for car seat manufacturers to make more money. It doesn't take much to understand this fact. Take a plastic toy and put it outside in the sun for days, weeks or years. The plastic doesn't stay hard or even the same color does it?

Your child's car seats are made of plastic components that sit in a vehicle for years. A vehicle gets up to over 150 degrees in the summer. As this occurs the plastic breaks down on a level we can't see. But during an accident when the plastic's integrity is put to a test is when the damage can be seen.

Most car seats have a 5 or 6 year lifespan. The Radian is steel framed and has a lifespan of 10 years.

Death Always Hurts

Is it just me or do you also feel a sharp pain when you hear of a celebrity or political figure dieing? When Jett Travolta died I wanted to cry for the pain his parents were enduring.

If I can hardly control the tears over the death of someone I've never met imagine how I deal with death on different levels.

Last night we received one of those calls. Michael's biological father passed away yesterday at 4 in the afternoon. Barton (Bart) lived in Florida with his wife of a couple of years, Lynn.

I was blessed to have met Bart when Michael and I had a layover on the way to our honeymoon. This was the only time I ever saw Bart.

Like all of us, Bart made many bad choices in life. He was not a part of Michael's life after about 3 or 4. However, he was still Michael's father.

My only wish was that he would have gotten to meet his grandchildren. I did send him pictures that he proudly showed off to his friends, as any grandpa would do. He expressed a desire to come see them and I hear he even made a small effort to come to Texas last summer. Knowing that means something.

Bart died of congestive heart failure. He was 56. Lifestyle choices led to cirrhosis of the liver and diabetes. His liver shutting down ultimately led to the heart failure.

I am so grateful for the few pictures I have of Bart. Those pictures show us just how much our precious Paisley looks like her Grandpa Bart. What a neat blessing.

I wish so much that I could say that Bart was a Christian. I will never know but I did pray for a peace to envelope the Christian loved ones of his that may be struggling with that unknown right now. That's a great reminder to take advantage of every fleeting moment you have with someone to share with them the love of Christ.

With death sometimes the sting is brief, sometimes it lingers for years. But it always hurts.

My New Layout

Isn't it SO cute?! I got the background and Welcome Friends blinkie from thecutestblogontheblock.com

She makes it so easy to install that literally my 6 year old can do it. I must have chosen a background that a lot of people like because I found a blog with the same one! And I never read blogs!

Hope you enjoy it!

Girl's Night Out

Man could I get used to not cooking! Last night I went to my first Girl's Night Out as a married woman. I know...I am so sheltered.

My mom, sisters Riley and Samantha, my sister-in-law Brittani, and my beautiful big girl Haley went to BJ's. It was heavenly. Because I don't get to go there often I stick to my stand-by the Great White pizza. I would hate to try something new and it not be as good as the Great White.

And if that wasn't enough to engorge my walnut sized stomach (thanks to the 35 week baby floating high in my uterus), I topped it all off with a double chocolate pazookie with chocolate ice cream. You won't have ever caught me saying something was too rich...until I ate that! But it didn't stop me from almost licking the pan.

It was such a blessed time. Not just because the company was amazing but because in 5 days we will be moving. I won't be able to call the girls together and meet up at a restaurant. I will miss everyone here tremendously but I am eagerly awaiting the start of our new adventure.

Today was our last time to attend Denton Bible Church. I was emotionally detached from the parting moment until I picked Paisley up. As the 2 year old leader said "well, we'll know next time" I let her know that this was our last day at DBC. She quickly snatched Paisley back up for another squeeze and I literally fought back tears.

God was good in providing us with DBC when we moved to Krum and I know that He has a wonderful church waiting for us in Kerrville.

I have pictures from Girl's Night Out but I'll have to add those later (Michael has a billion things downloading right now *rolls eyes*).

Did You Know I'm A Soapmaker?

I've only done it once but hey that qualifies me as an official soapmaker. And it is really awesome soap.

Granted, I didn't really have to struggle to make this soap. An online friend, Heidi, is a professional soapmaker ;) On her etsy store Vintage Fresh Soap she sells kits for those challenged in the area of homesteading lol. She kindly sent me a soap kit with detailed directions on how to make soap. Everything I needed (mostly) is contained in the kit.

The soap turned out fantastic and even my husband applauded my endeavor.

This week Heidi is running a contest on her blog- Soapaholics Anonymous - for a wonderfully yummy giveaway. Hop on over to her blog and check it out. Don't worry you don't have to make soap or even have the desire to do so to enter!

A few pics from January

Our big move

Most people jump into decisions hastily or based on emotions. Usually that's me, but God knew I'd screw my life up big time if he didn't send me a husband the complete opposite.

In March 2008, we began planning in detail where we would like to raise our family. After many check lists the choice was obvious. Now we just needed to get there. Our house went on the market October 2nd. I packed up half our house and it was beautifully staged.

I naively estimated that the house would sell by December. That meant in storage sat all the Christmas decorations and music, the $300 box of Omega 3 oils and all my warm clothes. In early December we listed our house for rent as well. Again I thought it would go in a couple of weeks.

During this whole time, Michael was putting in 12 hour days working like a mad man to create a product designed for Chiropractors. Michael's launch date was set at January 5th. A deadline that could not be pushed back. As this date approached and Michael's put in more hours it was obvious that our house not renting or selling was God knowing better than us.

After a huge launch where we saw how huge this brilliant product was going to be for our family God began moving things with the house. We got the call that our house had a rental application on it and I was in utter disbelief. I knew that nothing is final until the lease is signed.

We went ahead with our scheduled midwife appt on Saturday the 10th and searched for houses in Kerrville. We found the perfect house and put in an application. When we got back on Sunday our tenants came over to sign the lease. It was now official. We could now move.

9+ months of planning, dreaming, doubting, worrying, praying had finally come to fruition. I mean it's not like I had anything to worry about (HA!). I rested in the fact that at least I didn't have to find a hospital and doctor to birth with! Yuck! I knew that it didn't matter where I was, I could birth anywhere. That was a reassurance from God but yet I still craved the knowing.

Where? Where would I give birth? I really really needed to have closure on that question. I did tell God that I'd be okay giving birth in our current house but that it wasn't really what my heart desired. I look forward to moving and getting settled into our new home.

Even now Michael is breathing a little easier about the move. There is no way he could have moved at the end of last year. Not with the insane amount of work he had. I am slowly starting to pack up some boxes. I'm sure the week before we move will be crazy.

Everyone keeps asking us why are we moving away from family? I wish they could accept that we didn't decide to move because we wanted to be further away from family. We made the decision that was best for this family. There is always something you could use as a crutch to stay where you are. Whether it be church, friends, schools, convenience. All of those things matter but they aren't what should dictate where you raise your family.

Our family has dreams and desires that cannot be met living in Krum, Tx. It's not hard for me to accept that another family is not going to have the same dreams as us... a little hard to comprehend but I accept it lol.

When we drive through Kerrville our whole body changes. Breathing in the clean, crisp air is the most refreshing experience. Driving through the neighborhoods and seeing the deer wandering across the road and through yards is something I'll never get used to.

I earnestly pray that our family will visit. I know we plan on visiting often. When our baby is born in about 7 weeks I want everyone to come see us. If they don't, well with God's help I will get over it :P

I can't even begin to describe the giddiness I have inside me anticipating this move. I know it will be hard physically and extremely stressful. But 2 months from now I'll be breathing easier.