Toothpick Stuck in Foot

Originally posted February 12, 2010

Last Friday I stepped on a toothpick and got half of it stuck in the heel of my foot. Since I have to post so far in advance (no Internet at home), I could be dead right now, could have a toothpick cut out of my foot, or could have it still in there. It's a cliffhanger for sure.

Anyway, in my internet travels I came across this site, and I can't make this crap up. It is some priceless humor and grammar! 

Updated 12/8/2018: I see this post in my Top Posts feed, which makes me laugh :-) I have to wonder if a lot of people are having this problem or are maybe searching "toothpick erotica." YIKES.

Here's what happened: I was too big of a baby to let anyone dig it out or to do it myself so I put on Neosporin, slapped on a Band-aid, and waited overnight. When I took the Band-aid off, the toothpick LITERALLY slid out of my foot by itself.

Voila. Something to be said for being a big old baby.

I can't tell you how many times since then I have found toothpicks on the floor. Life with kids.

Here's a photo of my husband making fun of the toothpick in my foot. There was huge drama around this situation, friends. Don't worry, it's only ketchup.

Fall Starbucks Dates with My Kids

Yes, these are fall dates even though the weather is cold and it has already snowed here. Ah, but then the next day it might be 60 degrees and you are breaking out the shorts. Welcome to the Midwest!

I'll post these as we go on the dates; we're trying to do one per day for five days. We chose Starbucks since they all love coffee and want to try new flavors. It's a great place to go and chill in the middle of the day, listen to some good music, and chat. Also you can play Pokémon Go every 5 minutes there to get your digital goodies (I do it for Sam!).

Here is a post from 2015 about when we used to do dates.

Up first: the middle child on a Thursday afternoon. She got the toasted white chocolate mocha and I got the egg nog latte. We sat in comfy chairs by the front window and she answered some of my date questions. Then I asked her the Love Languages questions for teens so we could determine her love languages: first was Quality Time and second was Acts of Service. Later that day she did one of her favorite things: went to the eye doctor. She loves picking out new glasses frames each year!

Friday I picked up Sam from a sleepover and we headed out for some lovely coffee and Pokémon Go. He wanted the egg nog latte like I got, but he didn't like it. The barista then made him a Pokémon Go Frappuccino for free because they want to make sure everyone likes their drink. WOW! So I took home the extra latte for the other kids to devour.

 

Sorry about the wonky formatting. You would really think Blogger would get their crap together after 12+ years of me blogging here, but nope. They are pretty much the same as the day I started my blog, unfortunately. If I had the time to learn WordPress, that's where I'd be.

So here is Michael's Saturday date below! We headed out and figured the place would be packed but we found a table no problem. He took the Love Language test but got 8 on THREE different things! He's not into words and he's not into touch, but he likes time, gifts and acts of service. We talked about his work and some other things. It was great to spend time with him (and play Pokémon Go). He got a mocha frap and I got a straight mocha. It was a chocolate kind of day.

Normally we don't do things on Sunday that involve paying money (kind of a fast from spending and a focus on God), but today I made an exception so we could get all the dates done before Daddy got home from Kuwait. Eva and I headed out after church for a nice chat and coffees.

The final date was with Joel, my oldest. We went out on Monday and spent some time together figuring out his personality type as well.

Getting Through Life's Stresses And Strains

Image Credit Pixabay.com License CC0

Life can be stressful. That is pretty much one thing that every person on this planet can agree on. Nobody has it easy, and circumstances always seem to conspire against us to drag us down and make us feel bad. This could be relationship issues, falling ill, having an accident, or financial problems brought on by so many external factors. 

And when problems hit you, then everything else can fall down like dominos around you. Problems in work end up causing stresses at home. Soon you don’t know where to turn. Your life can feel as though it is inescapably stressful all of the time. The fact that you cannot find respite from the relentless problems that you are facing can make everything even worse. Sometimes, these problems have spiralled so much that you just struggle even to catch your breath.

Does all of that sound familiar? It gets to us all from time-to-time. However, some people seem to weather situations better than others. It may appear as though life’s significant hurdles are water off a duck’s back for some people. But it can be for you too. By developing strong coping strategies and noticing the signs of stress in your life early, and tackling them head-on, you can overcome them. 

Look After Yourself

The first thing that you need to do when stress starts to take over in your life is to stop and look after yourself. It can be very easy to neglect yourself when you are having trouble in life. You may not feel as though you deserve to feel better than you do right now. You need to make sure that you don’t punish yourself for the problems that you are facing. 

Make sure that you are eating a balanced diet. You will need your energy to get over this stress in your life. You should ensure you have the correct mix of vitamins and minerals. These will stop you from getting run down and will help you to stay as healthy as possible. 

Get lots of sleep. You will need a full eight hours each night. If you are cutting it short all the time, you will start to feel more anxious as a result. Tiredness is a friend to nobody. 

Getting some fresh air and exercise will help you feel better about yourself too. And, if you are struggling with your general health, diet, and exercise, then you may need to look at wellness programs.

Talk About It

They say that a problem shared is a problem halved. And you can really unburden yourself and share the load by talking to somebody. Talking through your problems can make you feel much lighter, but it can also help you to find solutions to your problems. 

Pick a friend who is a good listener. They may be able to give you advice and help you to see a new perspective on your situation. Opening up about your issues may help you to come up with a plan on how you will fix things in your life. 

5 Naturally Effective Ways to Fight against Depression

Image by 1388843 from Pixabay

Being depressed can be the most helpless situation you can be in. Depression is a disorder where a person loses all hope and ambition, feels lost, lacks energy, has low self-esteem, and feels sad most of the time. Depressed people mostly isolate themselves from everyone around them, and usually are by themselves. Depression can be caused if a person has been through a trauma, an emotional loss, has felt alone most of the time, or even due to improper functioning of the body.

Luckily, depression is not one of those problems which cannot be cured. With regular therapy, Depression & Relationship Counselling Services, and proper medication, you can fight against depression and leave the sadness behind. Along with the therapy and medication, your willpower and determination are also required. No amount of medication will work if you are not ready to overcome this problem.

Following are some of the natural techniques which you can apply in your day-to-day life to do your part in fighting against depression:

1.      Keep a gratitude journal: Being thankful for everything around you makes you appreciate the life you have. If you regularly thank people who stand beside you, or your therapist, or just be thankful to life in general, it helps you to see positive in every situation. If you cannot thank them in person, you can start by taking a small step; by making a gratitude journal. You should write at least 10 things every day about the things or people you are thankful for.

  

2.      Make short goals: I understand it can be difficult for you to take a leap. Taking a huge step can disappoint you, which can put you in misery once again. You should start by taking small steps and goals. For example, set a goal to go for a walk daily for a week, or going for a cup of coffee, or calling up an old friend. When you accomplish these small goals, you will feel positive and it will encourage you to take a bigger step.

3.      Detoxify your body: Being depressed has a lot to do with the toxins in your body. They do not let you think straight and pull you towards negativity. A cleansing diet will help you flush out these toxins. Not only will it help you to stay positive, but  also bring a glow on your face, help in cleansing your intestines, and bring your weight down.  

4.      Do what you love: You should try and indulge in things which make you very happy. You can pursue your favorite hobbies and the things you used to love as a child; be it painting, dancing, pottery, or reading. The main aim is for you to love and accept the child inside you so that your inner child can help you recover from depression.

5.      Be around people: This is probably going to be the hardest step towards battling depression. Being around people can be very terrifying for people who have isolated themselves for a long time. You can start by going for a coffee with your best friends, going over to a small get together or just wandering around at a crowded place.

FUNNY Math Word Problems Part 5 ... the kids are getting older now

Problem #1
If Daddy says dinner will be ready in 10 minutes and it's 5:50 p.m. now, what other activities are you going to do to fill your time until dinner is really ready at 9 p.m.?

Michael's 14th birthday dinner (sushi/California rolls) made by Daddy

Problem #2
If camp costs $375 per person in Kerrie's family and 3 people are going (husband and two kids), how many hours will Kerrie have to proofread to pay for it?

I cheated on this picture because Joel is featured here and he got to go free as a Savio servant. The ones I paid for were my husband, Callie and Michael. And it was worth every penny!

Problem #3
If X, Y and Z activities are all going on at the same time in the same week, calculate the trajectory of exactly when and where Kerrie will lose her mind. Bonus points for picking a mental institution for her that takes her insurance!

Problem #4
Calculate the distance between Kerrie's house and the nearest Starbucks. The nearest liquor store. The nearest chocolate shop. Bonus points if you call an Uber to pick her up and take her to all three. Super extra credit if you are buying.

Seriously, I rarely drink alcohol. This was probably water or lemonade.

Problem #5
If 2 kids raise their hands to go here and 3 raise their hands to go there, how many tears were shed by the ones who did not get what they wanted?

On the way home from Florida.

Here are parts ONE, TWO and THREE. And FOUR. Enjoy!

originally posted October 28, 2017

FUNNY Family Math Word Problems #4

Here are parts ONE, TWO and THREE. Enjoy!

1. I have 5 children. The first 3 are 22 months apart. Then there is a gap of 34 months, then the next 2 are 22 months apart. What is the probability that I've only had sex 5 times in my life?
   
2. The kids made $35 at our recent garage sale during two days of hard work. The adults made about $25. Three strangers asked personal questions like when am I going to stop breastfeeding. Why do I keep having garage sales?
   
3. I spent $123 at Aldi, $132 at Price Chopper and $21 at HyVee on grocery shopping for two weeks of eatin'. How much faster did I get my shopping done without children?
   
4. A stroller travels at a speed of 2 mph when it is empty. How fast does it travel when it is holding my 6th child (laptop Toshiba) and my backpack with my cell phone in it? With how much force did it hit the park lake last week? Why the hell did I not have the brake on the stroller? (don't worry; no kids were in the stroller!)

Hope you enjoyed this installment of Funny Math Problems. Have fun figuring out the answers and here is part FIVE!!

originally posted October 11, 2012

Funny Family Math Word Problems #3

I used to hate math when I was a kid. Now I love it. It can be so easy. Check it out!

1. It is 7:30 a.m. and I went to bed at midnight then could not sleep for whatever reason from 2-3:23 a.m. I have a 12-ounce mocha coffee and a 42-ounce bottle of water. About what time will I feel like throwing my computer mouse across the room?

2. There is a tree in our easement that is 35 feet tall. There has been a drought and the tree has a stress fracture. How many times will I have to call our electric company to get them to come take a look at the branch that is resting on our power line?

3. My husband and kids left the house at 7:10 p.m. and were gone for 2 hours. How many times did I run around the first-floor circle of our house naked? BONUS: how many calories did I burn doing so?

4. Kerrie spent 5 hours scraping wallpaper in the kitchen. She spent 2 hours washing and sanding one wall in said kitchen. How long will it be before she stops procrastinating putting on the spackle? When she DOES spackle the joint, how badly will she mess it up, and how long will it take her husband to fix it?

Be sure to check out Funny Math Word Problems #1 and Funny Math Word Problems #2!

Here's part four!

originally posted August 11, 2012

FUNNY Family Math Word Problems #2

Did you know that statistics show that 13 out of 6 people can't do math at all? Isn't that crazy, when math is so simple! Here are some problems for you.

1. Kerrie has 2 assignments that are due soon. Each assignment calls for 350 words. Is "panoramic views all around you" a redundant phrase?

2. Kerrie makes 1 gallon of chili for her husband's work chili cook-off. Her adorable husband makes 1.25 gallons for the cook-off.  Why did Kerrie let her husband sleep in their bed that night?

3. If Kerrie's husband works 15-hour days for 2 weeks straight, when will he get a freaking raise?

4. If the McLoughlin household runs the dishwasher twice a day and the washing machine once a day for one month straight, how many hours will Kerrie have to write to make money for a maid service? How old will the kids be when they will clean the house while Kerrie eats her bon bons in the tub?

Check out Part One of this fun quiz here.

And you can check out Part Three here, which leads to the others!

originally posted February 15, 2012

Seven Tips to Combat Single Loneliness

Image by Mabel Amber, still incognito... from Pixabay

Being single shouldn’t have to leave you feeling lonely. Whilst many singletons experience feelings of loneliness, there is no need for this. Finding yourself and being able to be happy on your own is extremely important. Your relationship status should not define who you are and your happiness- that comes down to you. Whether you have recently come out of a long-term relationship or you have been single for as long as you can remember, here are seven tips to help you combat single loneliness.

Find Happiness in Your Singlehood

If you are single and constantly looking for a partner or comparing yourself to friends and relatives, you are never going to be happy. Instead, you need to appreciate where you are now and look at the things you do have, rather than the ones you don’t. Enjoying the path that you are on will ensure you are happy. You won’t be single forever, so relish in this status for the time being. One way to get into appreciating your current status is to write down each morning one thing that you’re thankful for, or one person you are thankful for. This can instill a new mindset into you and leave you feeling happier from the minute you wake.

Get to Know You

Although you may have known yourself from the minute you were born, there is always more to discover. This is the perfect time to come to terms with who you are, so you can be truly content. Meditating is a great way to being at one with yourself and working on any negative thoughts you have of yourself is important too. Perhaps this is the perfect time to find a new skill or a new hobby.

Be in Love with Yourself First

The relationship you have with yourself is, without doubt, the most important relationship you will ever have. This means cultivating some self-compassion because until we truly love ourselves, we can never be 100% happy. There is no need to replace this love with a partner or else you will rely on them to make you happy. This also means having more acceptance of your body. Many people struggle with how they look and put themselves down. Whatever you don’t like about your body, now is the time for a change. Self-acceptance is key and without this, even when you do get into a relationship you may struggle to feel truly contented.

Take This Time to Do What You Want to Do

One of the best things about being single is you can do what you want. This means you have extra time to fill with anything you want. Make this time worth it and fill it with loved ones, hobbies, charity work, and church if you are religious. Many Christian women experience loneliness when single and this is something that should be addressed more often. As a Christian woman, it can be more difficult to find a relationship due to your religion, but you can use this time to help out with church activities, spend time with loved ones and volunteer. If you are a Christian woman suffering from loneliness or depression due to being single, find out more here.

Live with Others

Now is the perfect time to make friends and live with new people! Whether you choose this time to find the perfect housemate or you and a few friends decide to live together, being single brings you this opportunity that you may never get again. Living with others also gives you the option of less expensive rent and will help you to keep busy and distracted, meaning you have less time to think about being single. If you prefer living alone, this is fine too, but why not tackle your loneliness by getting a pet? Pets are well-known for combatting loneliness and keeping you busy. Check out this article for 8 tips for helping dogs and cats get along. We have two cats right now and are considering adding a dog to the family … this article was very informative!

Connect with Your Favorite People

Once you are in a relationship, you tend to spend a lot of your free time with your partner. Although this is never intentional, it is just a natural progression that occurs when you fall for someone. You should never spend every waking moment with a partner though, or this will cause feelings of loneliness and depression if you break up, as you have isolated yourself from friends and family. It is good to have a balance when in a relationship. If you have disconnected from people, now is your chance to reconnect with loved ones and surround yourself with them. Make an extra effort to make plans with friends and family or join a social club or group in which you can do so. Don’t forget that you can be your favorite person too! Some people prefer to spend time alone, so fill this time with activities you enjoy and relish in having some space for yourself. Even for those who prefer surrounding themselves with people, it is a good idea to have some solitude now and again.

Get into Dating

When you are ready to do so, get back into dating. The best time to do this is when you are happy in yourself and you are looking for a relationship because you would like one, rather than to combat your loneliness and find happiness. Sometimes on the path to true happiness, you may accidentally find a new love interest. Often, we find what we want when we stop looking. Ask friends to set you up on dates, attend speed dating events with friends or use dating sites. There are many dating apps out there, whether you are straight, gay or religious, you can find an app tailored to your preferences.

In the era we live in, people often put too much emphasis on relationships and dating. Whilst being in a relationship can make you happy, it shouldn’t be the only reason you are happy. Being single is the perfect time to discover who you are and learn to love yourself. It may sound cliché, but until you love yourself you can never be wholly happy.

Feel Those Positive Vibes

Life should be all about these positive vibes that so many people are feeling. By so many people, we mean all of the Instagram influencers you see, and the odd random person that you bump into, that's just full with so much happiness and optimism that it almost makes you sick. It's the jealousy that we have for people like this that should drive us, but instead, it just leads us to wish and hope for our own lives to change, without even doing anything to change it. But it is these positive vibes that we all need in our life, whether they be fueled by the people around us, or whether you're going to have to draw the motivation from within, it's definitely something that you should be trying to do. Positive vibes need to be spread throughout all aspects of your life, because there are so many factors that could bring you down. It's not secret that life has its twists and turns, and without that daily positive mental attitude, you're just going to be a walking ball of stress and sadness. So, let us show you how we think life should be lived, and if you struggle to be positive about anything, how you can turn it all around!

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Changing Your Mindset

The first thing that you really need to be able to do, is change your own mindset so that you're being more positive. For some people, this would involve changing their whole personality, which you obviously can't do overnight. When you've been the way you have for so long, changing your mindset into a positive one is going to work in a step by step process. You first need to think about why you're being so negative. A lot of people turn nearly every situation into a negative drama, simply because they can't be bothered to deal with what's happening.  So if this is the way that you think, think about how tackling the situation positively would go. At least if the situation doesn't even get resolved, you've still got a positive mind rather than a negative one that's bringing you down. You then need to think about creating positive situations for yourself. If you're just living the same life over and over, and surrounding yourself with all of the things that are bringing you down, then how do you expect to ever live a positive lifestyle again? So say for example your job, one of the most negative situations that you could find yourself in. It's hard to go to work and be happy and positive, when you don't even like the work that you're doing. You might not get on with your managers and what not, and it just ruins your whole day. Most of you will admit that if you have a bad day at work, you'll have an even worse night at home. So take yourself out of that negative environment, and put yourself into a line of work where you feel positive. The same goes with anything else in life that gives you a negative vibe. Remove it, and it's obvious that your life is going to change for the better!

Making The Most Of The People Around You

The people around you are definitely the ones that you need to be focusing on, as long as they're the ones giving you all of the positive vibes. But you had to admit, there are groups of people in your life that you know you can always go to, to help make you feel that little bit better. Your family, your partner, your friends, they're all people you need to be surrounding yourself with. Isolating yourself because you're ‘busy’ when really you can't be bothered, is just not what you want to be doing. The more happiness you're surrounding yourself with, the more lust for life you're going to have. But you need to be able to treat people how they treat you, and be able to show your appreciation at the right time. Getting gifts for your friends and family randomly should be a new thing for you to adopt, it shows them you care about them, and gift giving for most people really does feel good. You get a little buzz from showing the people closest to you that you care, and there doesn't need to be a special occasion for you to have to do this! As well this, just make sure that you're making as many memories as you can with the people you love the most, because life will pass you by in a flash!

Creating Better Opportunities

Ok, so we've spoke about how you should get all of the negative situations out of your life, but what are you going to do then? You need to be able to create better opportunities for yourself, so you can have the most enriched life possible. Now, a lot of people might have told you this before, but you really need to think about something like travelling. Travelling is one of the best ways that you can create a better opportunity for yourself. There's so many wonderful places that you can visit, and so many opportunities that can be created when you start to travel. We don't just mean going on your usual holiday, we're thinking about going to all of those far fetched tropical countries, with the most beautiful landscapes for you to explore. Take Bali for example. You could spend a three week holiday there doing something different every day. From surfing on Kuta beach, to walking around the monkey forest. So enrich your life through things like travel and other amazing opportunities, and it'll be hard not to be positive!

Doing Something Amazing

Being positive will come from the vibe you feel around you, so why not think about doing something amazing like volunteering. When you know you're doing something great for someone else, you can't help but feel positive and so happy. You suddenly realise how much you have compared to other people, and you can't help but have a newfound respect for life. There are so many organisations that you could volunteer for, you just have to find one you're passionate about!

Healthy Living: It's More Than What You Eat!

There are always conflicting views about what is right and what is wrong when it comes to health and fitness. You should eat red meat, you shouldn’t eat red meat, you shouldn’t run because it’s bad for your joints, but you should run because it’s good for your joints. So what are we meant to do with all of this information? Well, we’re to decide our own paths with it, because the more we focus on our health and fitness, the more we get into our own routine and we find out what works well for us. But the most common mistake that you could ever make, is the mistake that healthy living is all about diet and fitness. People are always so focused on what meal they’re eating next, but forget about all of the other bits of vital care that our bodies need. So, we thought it was about time that you read an article telling you all about healthy living as a whole, so that you don’t miss out on some vital care and well being that your body might be crying out for! We hope this article helps to improve your health!

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The Common Things People Ignore

We like to ignore a lot of things in life, perhaps without even realising it. But there are some common health issues that we seem to ignore, purely because we refuse to accept they’re happening to us. Take hearing loss for example, which can occur at any age. You don’t have to be over 60 to experience this, and it’s a lot more common than you think. So if you constantly find yourself asking people to repeat themselves, turning the TV up higher than everyone else, or picking up background noise instead of what someone next to you is saying, it might be time for hearing loss treatment. The sooner you begin, the more time you’re going to have with good quality hearing. Although you might only be experiencing slight loss, it will still continue to go gradually downhill, and the sooner you get the process of treatment started, the sooner you can halt the downhill spiral.

Guidance You All Should Be Following

Governments all around the world are giving out their own recommendations as to what we should be doing with our bodies, and what we shouldn’t be doing. But it is this guidance that’s given by health professionals that we all should be taking in. One common one that’s ignored, is the recommendation of supplementing vitamins. We all should be taking multivitamins each day to boost our bodily functions. Some countries such as the UK have vitamin specific recommendations like vitamin D. There are plenty of official health websites such as this one, which will inform you as to the current health recommendations. Hopefully it will help to keep you in tip top shape!

Keeping Your Mind Healthy As Well As Your Body

Mental health is becoming a big focus at the minute, especially with the self harm numbers going up and up each year. To keep your mind healthy, you have to find your happiness and peace with the world. Find a passion that you can put your all into, and surround yourself with people who make you happy. Anything that doesn’t, you’re just going to have to cut the cord with! If you feel low, always talk to those closest to you!