Suzie Thompson/ Sierra M. Graham

Been gone too long....

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:49:00 +0000

Just to give you guys a heads up....

I know I've been gone for so long. I haven't written any new articles in a while. Things got so hectic after Jeff's fire, and now I'm enrolled in CNA classes (which I'll be done with on May 1st... woo hoo!!). But, I am working on three new articles for Helium that will be in the Health and Beauty section, and I'm working on another article that is CNA related (two articles actually, but the second will take a bit longer, I think).

Thanks for being patient, I'll post as soon as I get the articles done.

Movies that will make you cry...

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:18:00 +0000

One of five things must happen for the tear ducts to start following. Losing a love will make most all girls start bawling, losing a child can make even the most hardened man tear up, and losing a parent will touch the sentimentalist in all of us. Some of us get emotional when it’s about a lost friend, and losing a pet will take us back to child hood and our own lost pet, cause the tears to well up.

Based on that information, I’ve come up with a list of one movie in each category sure to make me start crying each time.

Losing a loved one –
…
… read full article here.

Worst Films Of all Time...

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:29:00 +0000

A person could write a full length novel based on the worst films of all time. Instead of putting a person through that kind of torture, I've narrowed the list to three. These three movies had such great potential, but instead should have ended up entirely on the "cutting room floor".

Winner of the worst film of all times goes to:

Punch Drunk Love (2002) staring Adam Sandler and Emily Watson and is portrayed to be a romantic comedy. I rushed out and rented this movie when it hit the stands. Being a huge Adam Sandler fan, and this movie being advertised as a romantic comedy, I couldn't wait to watch it. I didn't laugh once. With a slow start, slow finish, and dreadfully dragging middle, if there is a worse movie out there, I can't think of it. And after watching it, I couldn't wait to forget it. I was left staring at the screen after the credits started rolling thinking, "What the -"

A very close runner up....

…read full article.

What is the deal with men acting like babies when they are sick???

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:01:00 +0000

I just don't understand something... My seven year old son caught the stomach virus going around at school one day. I get the call to go pick him up. Once I bring him home it's a off and on game of "make it to the trash can or toilet" before vile is spewed all over the house, truck, or in one instance - Movie Gallery's carpet. My son was feeling bad, couldn't hold much of anything down. For the most part, except for the moments right before or right after he threw up, he would be more or less normal acting.

And to top that off, I took my seven year old son and seven month old daughter to ER last night, and they both have chicken pox.

This morning I wake up to my husband asleep in his recliner, instead of at work where he was supposed to be. Concerned, thinking he set down to rest and dosed off, I nudged him awake and asked what happened. He told me he woke up and begun vomiting. His day was spent dozing on and off in his recliner all day. The vomiting, just like with our seven year old, diminished about mid-afternoon.

And, at about mid-afternoon, our teenage son began getting sick. So, now I’m dealing with two children with chicken pox, three people with nausea and vomiting, and a seven month old who still wants her normal feedings and attention.

So, what does my husband do? Whine the most, groan the loudest, complain the longest. It’s pretty dang gum bad when my seven year old, who has a stomach virus and chicken pox is behaving better then a 32 year old grown man. Which leads me to this question…

Are men naturally big babies when they are sick?

And now that I’m feeling nauseous and sick…

Dear old hubby’s symptoms are getting worse, though the stomach virus only lasts about a day and he hasn’t went running to the bathroom in at least four hours.

I guess Mommy’s don’t even get sick days.

What to Keep in Your Car...

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:02:00 +0000

There are essentials that you can place in your car to make your life a lot easier should the unexpected happen. Whether it's an accident, flat tire, or your car breaks down in bad weather there are a few inexpensive items to keep on hand to help you get through your experience.

Blanket Mostly for the colder months, though a blanket kept in your car during summer or spring gives you an instant plays to set when at a park or lake.

Disposable camera For accidents. Even though with cell phones today mostly having cameras, it's still better to be able to provide pictures from something that can't be digitally enhanced.

Knife Keep a sharp knife near by, preferably in the console or glove box (always be honest with a police officer if they ask about concealed weapons, and explain why you carry such a thing) in case you ever need to cut your seatbelt off.

Can of Ranch Style Beans (or other food editable cold) and a can opener and... … read full article

Should protestors be banned from Military Funerals?

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:30:00 +0000

I'm all for freedom of speech. I'm all for our rights, as US citizens, to speak our mind and make our own choices. It's one of the many things I love about being an American. But, I believe people take significant advantage of those rights by trying to force their views and opinions on other people. A funeral for one of our military personal that has died for what they believe in is NOT the place for protestors to try to force their beliefs down mourning family and friends throats.

Honest to God, I'm waiting for the day that protestors pull this stunt with the wrong family. The blame will solely fall on the mourning family and friends shoulders and I don't think that's right.

If you don't believe in war, if you think it's a senseless act of murder, if you believe that family wouldn't be mourning their lost love one, that is your right to believe. Go to congress, rally together a march, take out ads in newspapers, and write emails or letters. Use the millions of other ideas at your disposal to protestor your beliefs.

Just remember one thing

The soldier who died for …..

…READ FULL STORY!

Epidural or Natural Child Birth?

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:03:00 +0000

I don't believe there is a right or wrong answer here, or one set way for child birth. It's all in the person perceptions and the child birth its self. I chose epidural side, because I believe if an expectant mother is reading this, trying to decide which to do, I don't want them to think that natural childbirth is there only option or that society or anyone else will look down on them if they choose to have an epidural.

I had an epidural with all three child births. Each reason for an epidural was different, but I still don't believe I was a failure in having an epidural or for not going at it naturally.

…read full article

How to Tell if Your Neighbors are Dealing Drugs and What to do...

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Easy advice flows from the mouths of people that live in gated communities and richer neighborhoods on ways to tell if your neighbors are dealing drugs and what you should do about it. Drug dealers, in those types of neighborhoods, are trying to hide, but when they get busted they have no initial clue where the snitch' came from. But what about the people that live in the rougher neighborhoods, where drugs and gangs are common occurrences?

We grew up rather poor, living in these types of neighborhoods. Keeping to ourselves until we found somewhere else to go, slowly pulling our self out of the bad neighborhoods, and your knowledge of what's going on in your neighborhood in those cases are obvious, but if you turn them in your taking the chance of retaliation coming to your family, your children.

The clues are the same, regardless of where you live, on how you can tell if a neighbor is dealing drugs.

…read article here

Should you turn in a friend for drug use and child abuse?

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:23:00 +0000

Since asked as a single question, then my reply would be "Yes, without a seconds thought."
If someone is abusing drugs and their child, the chances are the child abuse is a direct result of drug abuse. And child abuse is never okay, not for any reason, not for any excuse.

They could be the best person in the world when not on drugs, but the fact remains, they are taking drugs, they are abusing their child, and the only way that will change is if you step in.

Very few people will step in to save a child from abuse, rather believing it's not their place. If not your place, then whose? Or they believe someone else will intervene, thus freeing you of the responsibility. What if everyone believes that someone else will step in? Look at it like this instead, if not for you…

…read full article here

Organ Donations: One Family's Story.

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:16:00 +0000

This story wrote in memory of my cousin, Lewis Wayne Haggy II.

June 9, 1979 - March 11, 2006

A bright, sunny Sunday afternoon in March of 2006 started out as any other day. Lewis Wayne Haggy set out with his friend, Levi Earley, There was no way for my family to know that my cousin, Wayne, would wreak his 2000 Polaris ATV and we've spend the next six days in a waiting room, praying for a miracle.

For unknown reasons, Wayne's attention was taken off the road and towards the sky. His friend said he started pointing upwards toward the sky, and when Levi looked where Wayne

The ATV's collided, and Wayne was ejected. With severe head trauma, he was air lifted to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa. He was rushed to surgery, but because of the severe nature of the head wound, there was nothing more the doctors could do. They didn't want to come out and tell us that we would lose him, they just told us that the chances of him making it through this were slim to none. He was placed in ICU. We were told he probably wouldn't make it through the night.

The first night at ICU a nurse stopped by where our family had gathered in the waiting room, and asked if we wanted to donate Wayne's organs. When our family was faced with the need to consider donating Wayne's organs, my first thought was selfishness. It's not a very kind or humane thought for me to have, but I was losing a loved one, watching him slowly fade away from us everyday. Who did these hospital personal think they were, asking us to care about helping someone else when we couldn't help the person we loved. We discussed it as a family and came to the only conclusion that made any sense in this mess that had happened.

We decided to donate his organs because… pointed, he only saw the blue clear sky. Then the accident happened.

…read full story

Wildfires Sweep Across Texas: One Families Story.

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:27:00 +0000

High winds Tuesday morning mixed with dry air, and dead grass, is a flammable combination when mixed with a carelessly tossed cigarette. An eyewitness saw flames off the side of the road, and called it in to Paradise County Fire Department.

James Ward, single father and oil field worker, received the call at 10:48am that would forever change his and nine year old daughter, Skylar Ward's lives. His mother-in-law, who lives across the street from his home, informed him "everything was on fire".

Finishing the hour long drive, he tells us that he could see the smoke "miles away." Parts of Highway 114 were blocked by police…

…read full story here

Poetry: Remember

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:23:00 +0000

When words are flung like missiles of hate,
When we're cussin' at each other and at fate,
When we can't remember why we're trying again,
And sure as hell don't know where to begin.

Remember, I love you.

When everything else is distorted and unclear,
When self-doubt and anger grow and appear.
When you want to run and have your doubts,
And I lose control and start to shout.

Remember, I love you.

When my fingers itch to follow through on a threat,

…

…read full poem here!

How to Mend Broken Family Ties.....

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:48:00 +0000

It's been two years. The death of a beloved family member ripped my family apart. For some people it became a contest of who was grieving the most, other just withdrew into themselves to grieve and pray for their own non-existence, and I'd wager the rest of us wanted to grieve privately in our own way, in our own time, where we didn't have to be subjected to additional pain we couldn't handle or games we refused to play.

Repairing our family's time has come. So, how do we go about doing this? When every time we try it's like ripping open the pain and exposing ourselves to heartache again?

The cause of the broken tie depends on the ease with which it can be mended.

1. Contact is the only way to fix the problem. It's the first step towards rebuilding your family. Here are several options

Personal Visit:

… ...read full article

Debates: Should Deadbeat Dads Face Jail Time?

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:20:00 +0000

I believe the question is "should" and yes, they should. If there is a court order in place, and the man has fallen several hundred, or more, dollars behind, I believe they should face jail time. Let them work off the back child support payments at a fraction of even minimum wage rate (I believe I heard at one time you earned something like two dollars a day in jail), and I guarantee you there will be a dramatic drop in deadbeat dads out there. Back child support would be caught up and stay caught up.

All the excuses in the world aren't enough to convince me that a dad should abandon his child or children financially or emotionally. Financially, if they've been "ordered by the court" to pay child support, why should they get away with not obeying a court order? Emotionally, if they run that's something they'll have to live with one day.

No Job:

Why aren't they keeping a job? Immature, irresponsible? A combination of both? I'm sure they are having no problems with paying for their food, their rent, their utilities, gas to get to work, or their sources of entertainment boys night out on the town every weekend. If anything the mother…...read full debate article here

Poetry: The Reason for My Tears....

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:18:00 +0000

The Reason for my tears:

Last night I closed the door on that chapter of my life,
Last night I learned that you had a beautiful wife,
Last night I cried myself to sleep,
Last night I learned the pain was too deep.

This morning the tears have not dried,
This morning my body feels deprived,
This morning I learned I had to live without you,
This morning I learned to me I must be true.

Tomorrow I will grow stronger,

…

...read full poem here

Contest, Marketplaces, and Articles........... Coffee please?!?!

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:17:00 +0000

My head is spinning with all the things that I need to accomplish. There's a 'contest' of sorts on Helium in the Pulitzer Center area that have great topics, with lots of research needed attached to them, and I am looking over four topics to write about.

Not to mention that I found three topics to write an article about for the marketplace on Helium, or was it four... I can't remember?!? Plus, I am nowhere NEAR my 100 articles that I want to have written for Helium before the April 15th deadline for the Write-a-thon contest there.

Oh, yeah, and I can't forget about AC, I've submitted a poem that I need to check the status on, and I have an article I need to finish about exercising from your desk chair, since that seems to be where my butt is planted most of the time!!

I need lots of coffee with my hot chocolate!!! I think I'll be at this desk for the next four days, straight... yet, here I am, blogging, instead of working!! Freelance writing is great, isn't it!!!!!!

Okay, seriously, off to get coffee and then get to work.

Photo courtesy of http://www.squidoo.com/royalty_free_images

Choosing the Best Name for Your Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:23:00 +0000

Fido. Sadie. Killer. Max.

All these names could be for a Chinese pug or a pit bull. Naming your dog can be something as simple as looking out your window and naming it the first thing you see, or you could have fun with it. You certainly don't want to start out with one name, only to change it later on. Talk about confusing poor Fido. Here are some helpful hints on giving your new family member a fitting name, with and without kids.

Without Kids:

Naming dogs can be more fun then naming a child, in the aspect that generally a child's name is picked out before they're born, and at the parents preferences. But with a dog…

…read full article

Ten Things Every Guy Should be Able to Do.......

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 01:56:00 +0000

In an effort to be fair to the opposite sex I've came up with ten things five of what, I believe, defines a man's man, and five of what lean more towards a family man.

Car repairs: While I understand not ever man can tear an engine apart and rebuild it, a basic understanding of cars is required. I want a man to know more about cars then I do. If my truck starts making a sound that I can't identify then I expect a man to be able to tell me what the possibilities of that noise is.

Repairs around the house: If a water pipe breaks and starts spraying water over my kitchen floor, I want to know that my man can stop the gushing water and replace the pipe without spends tons of money out of pocket to pay someone to do it. Or if the dryer stops heating up, he should be able to tear it apart and find out how to fix it, not instantly want to buy a new one.

Defend his loved ones: As barbaric as that sounds, a man should be able to defend himself and the people he loves, whether it's with… ...read full article here

Best Drivers: Men or Women?

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:53:00 +0000

Wow! If that isn't a load question, I don't know what is. I guess one big question to help answer that would be "of what age group?" Let's break it down into age groups and answer it individually that may help the answer here.

Ages 16-20:

Guys feeling the power of the engine and need for speed, they slide behind the wheel and set off with more then just the purpose of getting from point A to point B they want to get there the fastest. OBJECTIVE: Get there ten minutes, twenty minutes, quicker then their buddies. Hmmm

Girls add their personal touches through out the car. The scrunches on the gear shifter (within easy reach), sunglasses in the cubby hole, and all the pretty dangly things on the rearview mirror, blocking their view of the road. Objective: Get to point A to point B while attracting the most attention. Hmmm..

Ages 20-30: …

...read full article here

Lethal Injection Under Scrutiny: Is it Unjust?

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 07:12:00 +0000

Let me ask you something when a person is on death row, set to die by lethal injection, do you think their victims had a voice in what was an unjust way for them to die? No, don't rape me, that's unjust just make it a quick bullet in the head? Oh, wait, don't strangle and kill my wife and children that would be unjust, just kill them quickly? Or do you think that a family on their way home from a holiday with family and friends that are killed by a drunk driver would see their deaths as justified?

What was fair and humane was left out of the equation when the person on death row committed whatever crime landed them in prison, awaiting their death sentence. Why should we give a damn if the way they are set to die is unjust? Forgive me for caring more about the innocent victim that had no choice in how they were……….

...read the full story!

Should Medical Marijuana be Legalized?

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 06:04:00 +0000

I wouldn't be opposed to marijuana be legalized, medical or otherwise. Easy there, before you go thinking, "Oh, she's one of those" listen to my reasoning.

First, the otherwise end of legalize marijuana. Yes, I used to smoke weed. USED to. I haven't touched the stuff in close to thirteen years. It's just not my thing. But, there are people that I know that do, and some abuse the use of it (much like an alcoholic) and some don't (much like someone who would drink a glass of wine to unwind after a stressful day). If marijuana is to remain illegal, why not alcohol too? And what of people that Why make every person that does not abuses a substance be penalized because of the people that do?

Second, someone very close to me is bi-polar and suffers from panic attacks, and can't always afford the expensive medication he must take. It's cheaper for him to purchase something illegal then it is for him to purchase the three or four prescriptions a month he must take, and he claims that the prescriptions don't help as much and tend to give him suicidal thoughts. I'd hate to believe that I have a higher risk of losing this person to something the government and laws have approved then to something deemed illegal and hazardous...

...read full article here

When Mother's Hide a Father's Identity from Children..

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Is it morally wrong, or protection of her children? I was all for ripping into this article, attacking anyone that would hide a father's identity from child or child's identity from a father. But, about halfway through my article, I started to think.

Why would a mother hide the father's identity? Is she ashamed she got pregnant by him? Is he married? In a high position career, where this information could damage his life? Is he someone she wouldn't want her family and friends to know she'd gotten pregnant by? In any of those cases, it's completely unfair to deny your child's right to know his or her parentage. Suck it up, you got pregnant. It may not have been the ideal pregnancy you fantasized about as a young woman, but you did put yourself in that position, and your child deserves to know the truth.

What about a woman that was raped? What if she refused an abortion, believing it wasn't the innocent unborn child's fault? Or, a man that was abusive to her and she finally escaped? What would damage the child more, knowing or…

...read full article here

Are There Easy Ways to Lose Weight?

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:13:00 +0000

Regardless of your families "gene pool," regardless of your personal history, and regardless if you are have been big your entire life, there is one simple, easy way to lose weight. And it does not consist of going without eating, which has been proven to be more harmful to weight lose. If you have no calories in your body, where do you find the energy to exercise, even if that exercise comes from vacuuming your house or playing with your kids?

Understand your body and limit yourself accordingly.

Here's what I mean.

If you have a fairly high metabolism, but you still find that you are adding pounds, it's probably because you are…

..read full article here

Are You Ready for a Relationship with a Man Who Has Children?

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:10:00 +0000

Don't be fooled into thinking because you have a kid that means you're ready to start a relationship with man that has kids that aren't your own. Or believe that because he already has a child or children that all children will be treated equally. And don't be blinded into thinking because you have a child with that man that it will make it easier when he has custody of his child from a previous marriage.

Is it easier for a man to enter a relationship with children already there, then it is for woman? Do we have the mommy gene so ingrained in us that we seem stand-offish with another woman's child?

In my experience, and this is one I've had recently, I had no problem with his child. She was a great kid, beautiful, smart, and she behaved better then my children did. But the truth is every parent is different. And, if you're not right there, from the beginning, odds are the other child was brought up differently then how…

...read full story!

Do Opposites Attract?

noreply@blogger.com (Suzie) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Opposites attracting is what every woman looks for, young or older, whether they know it or not. Opposites attracting is just a more socially acceptable way, probably made up by someone's grandmother, of saying two people have intense passion for one another. Sparks fly, heat and passion guide your relationship through days and nights. Make up sex is on the agenda almost every day. There's never a dull moment.

I love to debate, every subject, ever thought, ever point of view. And someone that is my exact opposite makes for very interesting debates emotionally and physically. There's nothing like a relationship with an opposite.

Depending on the level of opposite, be leery, because a relationship this intense has a high let down rate. And the fall sometimes feels like it can kill you.

You wake up one morning and start thinking. What am I really doing here? Is this all there is to life? And you try to find common ground. Something anything that can be your positive link between each another, but no matter what you do…

…read full article!