The day I looked forward to is finally here.

The day i looked forward to is finally here. I’m still wondering what to do with my pile of files, notes, books and whatnots. I can’t possibly simply shove it aside. There’re possibilities of *deep breath* retaining, right?
Guess i’ll contemplate for a while before I make my decision.  Im too tired right now. Somehow when everything is sinking in my head, i just feel so heavy headed.


I’m gonna hibernate now with my bed and Twilight and drown myself into a magical, mystical world of romantic Vampires. Although this class was a good one, I’m quite glad its over. I just wonder how long will it take for tension to dissipate, or at least dilute. And is the probabilty of a class, i repeat CLASS gathering really zero? But then again, maybe i shouldn’t wonder so much.

Are We There Yet?

Will you be traveling a long distance with children this Thanksgiving or perhaps another holiday coming up? Traveling with children can be, well, interesting to say the least! Surviving the drive to your holiday destination does not have to be a nightmare, so don’t worry; just have a game plan in place to help reduce your holiday stress! At least there are portable DVD players these days; they didn’t have those around when I was a kid!


One super-mom I know shared one of her travel secrets with me recently, her advice, drive at night. I think that this is such a great idea. Your children can be safely strapped in the back seat sleeping while you make the long trek to wherever it is you are going. The silence will allow for you to better pay attention to where you are going and what is happening on the road. Also, you will feel more relaxed not having a screaming kid(s) in the back or being repeatedly bombarded with that all time favorite question, “Are we there yet?” Another bonus to traveling at night, the roads should have less traffic on them since most people will be traveling during the day! So if you can make the trip at night I say, go for it!


If you can not travel at night or your kids are not sleeping even if you do, make sure you have lots of entertainment for them! Portable DVD players are great to take on a road trip if you can afford to purchase one. Your kid(s) will be distracted by whatever you throw up on the screen which will keep them happy and hopefully quiet. If you have headphones for the little ones to use that is even better, no distraction for you whatsoever!

There are also so many travel games out there to keep your children occupied during a long drive! There are even games you can play that don’t require you to purchase a thing! Play the license plate game. When I was a kid my sister and I would play the license plate game for hours! I think there are many versions of this game in existence but here is how we did it…Look out the window and look for license plates from different states; whoever spots the most license plates from the most states is the winner! Nice and simple, isn’t it? This game can also be played by replacing the state the car is from with what color the car is. Use your imagination to come up with more game ideas like this for hours of entertainment!


There are also a million different board games with travel editions on the market these days. You can get everything from travel Apples to Apples to travel Scrabble. So no matter what age(s) your kid(s) are you will be able to find something fun for them to play while you travel!

A Failure or a Victory in the Making

OMG, Last week's loss for marriage equality in New York state was a heavy pill to swallow for many LGBT rights activists. But despite the defeat, there's at least one positive outcome from having New York's State Senate debate same-sex marriage legislation: the world got a chance to hear from State Sen. Diane Savino.



Savino has become somewhat of a marriage equality sensation these past few days, testifying in support of marriage equality legislation on the floor of the State Senate. And while her argument might not have swayed enough votes in the legislature, it's certainly capturing the hearts and minds of thousands across the globe.


What was her message? Pretty simple, really. Marriage equality is about fairness and love, not Republican or Democratic politics.

A GAY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope you're having a wonderful day.


I wanted to bring back a post that was made a year ago from my mother who was celebrating Thanksgiving for the first time with her son and his partner. It's a pretty touching story, so I wanted to share it again this holiday season. Here's what she had to say:


"My son is 31 years old. He came out on his 21st birthday. He has been living with his partner for about a 8 years and a half. Until June of the first year we only knew of his partner as a roommate. After lots of conversation, lots of tears, I have accepted my son's sexuality and told him he and his partner will always be welcome in our home.


So, now it's the holidays. I'm cooking my first ever Thanksgiving dinner. I'm 31 years old so I guess it's time I become the grown-up and do the entertaining. We will have myself and husband, my two sons their dates, my two younger daughters. It's not the planning and cooking that's at issue. It's my youngest child.


My baby just turned 12 last week. She is just at the age where she is beginning to understand sex and sexuality. It hadn't been too long since we talked about sex and love and marriage when she learned her brother was gay.


For those of you who have good relationships with family, what helps most in breaking through uncomfortable barriers with family members? Is a holiday as good a time as any to have a first (after coming out) family gathering? Any words of advice for a 12 year old girl? And my big burning question, would I be out of line to ask my son and his partner not to show public affection in front of his younger sister?


Please, someone tell me I'm doing this right. I love my son more than life itself. I want him and his partner to feel welcome here. But I also am still responsible for my daughters' well being and I don't want to make her angry and confused. Boy, we thought parenting small children was tough. Those years were a breeze compared to parenting adults."

Sick and Tired

Why is it that the first trip to the ER never accomplished anything?  Went Saturday night, and now I'm going back because I'm not any better.  It gets very frustrating.  They sent me home because they didn't have any isolation beds, so they think I'm less contagious in the real world than I would be in the hospital.  Doesn't make any sense to me.  Hopefully they'll figure out what to do this time.  I get tired of going back and forth.

School and Long Sleepless Nights

Sleepless and stressfull night start playing havoc in you school and personal life. 

Everyone has trouble sleeping occasionally, but people with insomnia have trouble sleeping for more than three weeks without improvement(Sharon L. Schutte-Rodin, 2006). Their sleep problems also interfere with their ability to function during the day.



Studies have also shown a correlation between sleep problems and levels of stress.

Not getting enough sleep can increase a person’s stress. Studies have shown that people who sleep less have higher amounts of cortisol — a hormone that is related to stress, depression and cardiovascular disease — in their bodies. With a good night’s rest, the body regulates the levels of the hormone that can cause stress, according to the Newsweek article.

But another study shows that stress is the main factor in students’ poor sleep quality. The study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that stress from school and life keeps 68 percent of students awake. Of those students, 20 percent couldn’t sleep at least once a week due to stress.

“Students underestimate the importance of sleep in their daily lives. They forgo sleep during periods of stress, not realizing that they are sabotaging their physical and mental health" (Sharon L. Schutte-Rodin, 2006).

Sharon L. Schutte-Rodin, M. (2006, May 18). SleepEducation.org. Retrieved 11 21, 2009, from Academy of Sleep Medicine : http://www.sleepeducation.com/Disorder.aspx?id=6

Week of Horror

This week has been a god awful week in school. I can’t wait until this semester is over; I have just had issue after issue which makes it very hard to concentrate. One challenge I am facing at this point in class is communication. I feel that communication get lost in posts and emails. Communication is usually taken for granted—that is, until it breaks down. Why didn't my teacher get my point? How can I get my counselor to understand what I'm saying? Why does every discussion turn into an disagreement or conflict? Good communication skills help you express your ideas clearly, learn from other people, and resolve any conflicts.  These are guestions that I need to ask myself over and over agian.  If anyone can help let me know.  HELP !!!