My Facebook rant when others say I'm on Facebook too much.

(Posted on Facebook 5.19.16.)

I'm going to rant. But I'm going to write a note. 'Cause it's not short.

Lately, others seem to be concerned that I spend a lot of time on Facebook. Which I understand. I used to notice people who held a full-time, paying position & wonder why they were on Facebook frequently, especially while they were on someone else’s time & receiving a paycheck. Then, I realized, it’s none of my business. I'm not the person paying them & that was the end of that. Not my problem. I don't work a paying job outside my home. I am a stay-at-home mom, to four kids ages 8-15, & no one pays me. Not monetarily, anyways. So if I’m on Facebook often, ain’t no big deal. I’m my boss.

I love Facebook & social media. As a stay-at-home mom, sometimes I literally go 3-4 months without having any in-person, adult conversation (aside from my husband - but he’s the extent of it). Honestly, I’m working on that issue because I deserve & need more adult interaction. I love people, I am very outgoing, very friendly, & life is too short to not share. Enter Facebook. My little connection to the outside, my adult ‘conversation’, via some wonderful fiber optics.

What may look like me being a constant presence on Facebook is possibly just a little deceiving. And I’ll tell you why. We are a family of six. This house does not run itself. I have four children. This house does not run easily, although I am working on that, as well. I work as hard as you do. I start my days at 5:00 a.m. Today? 4:30 a.m. I never hit snooze on my alarm & I never oversleep. I hop up, I shower immediately, I get myself ready, my husband wakes our children while I dry my hair & the day begins. The food in our home does not purchase itself. Do you know how much & how often kids eat? Food buying, prepping & cooking is almost a full-time job in & of itself, trust. The mounds of laundry, for six people, do not wash themselves. Or dry, or fold, or put themselves away. The bills, which appear faster than I care to admit, do not pay themselves. Our home does not clean itself. The large meals do not cook themselves. The kitchen & dishes do not clean themselves. The kids don’t drive, so they don’t deliver themselves to & from school. Three different schools, all three across town from each other, might I add. Errands do not run themselves. Extra curricular, life/school chores & necessities do not get completed on their own. My workouts don’t happen on their own. My vehicle & cute dog don’t take care of themselves. Research & searching for at-home employment do not google by themselves. Add in physician, optometrist & dental visits, phone calls, band activities, dance practice, extensive house problems, family issues, school problems, homework, showers for four kids, life lessons & so on. So when you see me on Facebook, good chance it’s in the morning, while my children dress & brush teeth. Or, after I return home from morning chores & I’m eating breakfast. On good days, I eat too. Maybe it’s when I’m in the kitchen after throwing some muffins in the oven & I grab my phone for just a few seconds of me time & check Facebook. Maybe it’s when I sit in three different parent pick up lines in the afternoon, waiting for children to be dismissed. Maybe it’s while I’m running an errand & I use my phone to post something that takes approximately 20 seconds. I promise you, if I were sitting on Facebook, our home & lives would be one hot mess. They are not.

Shaping four young lives to grow up to be honest, loving, responsible & hard-working individuals takes work, commitment & dedication. Children aren’t born with those characteristic traits, they are taught. I teach them. I have been degraded & belittled for being a stay-at-home mom (among other things). I have been referred to as “just a mom”, i.e., no one. Some seem to think when I quit corporate america, I lost my brain cells. Granted, I may be searching for a few. But hear me - just because I currently raise children & post on social media does not make me less important than you.

I am the heart of this family. I bust my butt daily. I am proud of what I do, how I do it & the amazing way my four children are blossoming. If you know them, or if you have the pleasure of meeting them, you would know they are so darling, mannerly, clean & friendly. I am so incredibly proud of each of them. We make one heck of a team. They are my joy.

I am perfectly flawed. I am realizing others have an issue with that. Please know, I do not. I am a person who strives every single day to grow, learn & improve. I no longer care what others think of me. I do not care what my husband thinks of me, what you think of me, what strangers think of me, what my estranged family thinks of me. I care what God thinks of me, what my children think of me & the memories/opinions they will have of me looking back, & I care about what I think of me. I no longer tolerate disrespect, constant negativity, judging, lying & talking behind my back. People need to grow up & realize their behavior shows their heart. I am tickled pink at the direction my life is headed & I’m going to control it the entire way.

So please, if my posting on Facebook is such a distraction for you, or something you feel the need to discuss about me - please, delete me as a Facebook friend. I promise you, I will lose no sleep over it, as ugliness is no longer welcome in my life. And if I could please make a recommendation - maybe you should try some personal growth & improvement for yourself, so there will come a day when you don’t care how often someone posts on Facebook.

Make it a beautiful day.

Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar are not to blame for Josh Duggar's actions!

I swear I'm about to blow if I see one more article blaming Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar for Josh's disgusting behavior. Really? Because I'm pretty certain there are hundreds of people sitting in sex rehabilitation centers right this very second that were not raised equal to Josh Duggar. As a matter of fact, I'll go out on a limb here & say that probably 95% of them were not raised like Josh Duggar. They were not "sheltered"; not to the extent he was, anyway. Most were probably raised open & free & free to explore, with 'typical' limitations. So, who's to blame for their choices? Their parents, too? No. Josh Duggar is not the first person to commit such inexcusable acts. Religion, upbringing, society, etc. does not make grown adults make poor choices. Grown adults make poor choices. One person alone is responsible for this humiliating, painful mess (poor Anna) & that's the 27 year old man - Josh Duggar. He obviously needs serious, professional help. Blaming his parents is just another avenue for people to belittle them & they have already endured so much. They don't deserve it.

Reading the bible every day, not watching tv/movies, not hanging with girls who dress like tramps, attending religious conventions, being home schooled, attending church, traveling to speaking engagements, performing musically for others, being on television, not going to the lakes or beaches, giving side hugs, not listening to rap/hip hop/current music, being chaperoned, getting to know someone before contact/marriage - NONE of these things caused Josh Duggar to do what he did. Not one. The children were not homebound their entire lives. They went out in public & they went out a lot. They have eyes, they saw. They have ears, they heard. There are certain things they were sheltered from & they weren't permitted to participate in, but they went out in society, so they knew about them. Have you seen their cousin Amy? Oh yeah, they knew, heard & saw lots of things. She was often in their home & she is anything but classy. As a matter of fact, I can't stand the girl. The fact remains that lots of children are raised like the Duggar children are & I think it's safe to say the majority are mature, responsible, honest, loving, Christian adults. That, too, is a choice. They chose the right choice - to live their lives with integrity. If the things I listed above truly, truly caused harm, there'd be a lot more Josh Duggars in the group of people raised like he was. You cannot argue that there is not.

I supported him after the first scandal in May. No one had any way of knowing this trash was going on behind the scenes - thank God he was exposed!! - so many of us supported him because he had had no other incidents since that young age & we thought (based on what we knew, saw & read) that he had turned his life around. The whole thing is just so heartbreaking, so unnecessary & I pray for Anna, as I cannot image how devastated she must be. I pray for his parents, I pray for his siblings. They didn't ask for any of this & to blame them for raising children in a positive, loving home is just almost unforgivable. They may not have done everything right but by george, neither have we. There is no perfect parent. You love your kids & do what you think is right - you do the best you can do. Growns adults are responsible for their own choices & it's time Josh Duggar is held responsible for his choices, not his parents or family.

Josh Duggar knew what he was doing was wrong. He chose to do it anyway.

I hope you'll join me in praying for his wife & family.

*I just read on TMZ that Josh Duggar also had a profile on OK Cupid - a dating site? So that's in addition to nasty internet viewing (without saying the word), Ashley Madison & now OK Cupid? How much more can there be? OMG his poor wife!

Here's another article re: the OK Cupid profile. Click here.

Blog URL change!

Hi! I don't even know if anyone reads here anymore! Heck, I don't hardly blog anymore! Life is just going lots of different directions. I'm not going to rid my blog, in case I ever want to return to blogging, but I am going to rid my domain. Why continue to pay money for a domain when I'm rarely blogging? So, I'm going right back to my free blogspot.com URL. It works & it's free, & I love free. In a few days, I'm hoping to switch this very blog address to:

http://www.adoringthesimple.blogspot.com

Just in case that doesn't work (I won't know until I try), be sure to follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/adoringthesimple & I will post updates with the new URL address.

I will probably, eventually, be ridding that page, but I'll keep it until I get my new blog URL all squared away.

I'm on Instagram & Twitter, too!

Twitter: adoringsimple

Instagram: Adoringthesimple

Josh Duggar & why I support the Duggar family.

I adore the Duggars. I commend the Duggars on how they raise their children. How strong their love is. How close their family is. How they help less fortunate. How they stay true to their faith. How they focus on the positive & not the negative. Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar are not responsible for what their son did. Josh is his own person & 12 years ago, Josh made his own decisions. I do not fault Jim Bob & Michelle whatsoever. What I personally am interested in is how they handled the unfortunate incidents. This is really just so awful. I thought I would just share some thoughts. This is my opinion only.

First, while all of this has been going on, I have never, ever, ever seen one person say "I defend Josh Duggar". I read tabloids, gossip sites, online articles, Facebook posts, etc. etc. No one defends Josh Duggar. Who in the world could? Who in the world would? There's NO justifying what Josh Duggar did. Anyone, in their right mind, knows that. I'm so tired of people saying "if you don't condemn him, then you're defending him!" Nope. Not at all. The acts Josh Duggar committed is disgusting. Violating others will never, ever be ok.

And then there are the lies. The twisting. My God. I know what Josh did. We all know what Josh did. It was 12 years ago. Does that make it right? Of course not. It will never be right. It will never be ok. It will never be acceptable. But really, what do people want? Do they want him to go back to treatment now? Do they want him to go to jail now? Do they want him to lose his family & children? Do they want the death penalty? People are out for blood! Which I totally get, had this inexcusable behavior continued. But it didn't, which even every single victim stated in the police report. When the Duggars realized they needed outside help, when the changes they had implemented failed, they removed him from the home immediately. They got him treatment. But oh, wait! That's not good enough, because it's not the exact, type of treatment 'everyone else' would have chose. Let's focus on the type of treatment & that people didn't approve, instead of focusing on the fact the treatment WORKED! Isn't that all that matters? The treatment was a success! Josh also got counseling, by a licensed professional, as did the girls. They all received professional counseling.

And the "they hid this information! They covered it up!" Really? They told people. They sought help. They contacted the church. And if there's one thing I know, if one has something to hide, something to cover up, DON'T TELL THE CHURCH! Is Josh supposed to go up to people now & say "Hey man, how are you! I molested 5 young girls twelve years ago! So nice to meet you & I hope to see you soon!" Or, Jim Bob? "It was so nice to get to know you. Thanks for helping me out today. Oh, by the way, my oldest son molested 5 young girls 12 years ago. Take care & lets get together soon!" What do people want from this family? Action isn't/wasn't good enough, change isn't/wasn't good enough, apologies aren't/weren't good enough, Josh resigned from his job, the show is temporarily off the TLC - what? Lives utterly & completely destroyed forever?? And ever & ever? No compassion, no letting them live life again, no thanking God he changed? And if you watched the interview, Ms. Kelly pointed out that statistics prove people who commit crimes such as this when they are younger - 90% never, ever do it again. (I can't remember the exact percentage, but it close to that.)

You know what else I really am having a hard time digesting? The language, the verbal accusations, the hate, the tone - all of it - I read from other 'adults'. I'll be honest, it's shocking. And it makes me sick. Everyone is not going to agree on a subject such as this. Disagreeing is ok. God made individuals, not duplicates. But the choice of words, the choice of assumptions, the choice of accusation (there WAS NO RAPE! There was not even skin to skin contact!!) & the downright disgusting language is actually making me click off of articles & stop reading. It's filth. There's no reason to resort to that. It just makes a volatile situation that much worse. And it lets me know that there are soooooooo many 'adults' out there who in actuality, aren't adults at all, & don't know how to conduct themselves accordingly. We live in such a sad society.

I feel so sorry for this family. All of them. Experiencing this type of nightmare hell has to be completely unbearable the first time. Talk about having your lives turned upside down. But to have all of this resurface, in a public, brutal, vicious way, with a lot of the information falsified, is heartbreaking. Frustrating, maddening, but mostly, heartbreaking. When does it end? Where does it end? Will it end?

This is what I know. Nothing will ever make what Josh Duggar did right. There is no making it right. There's just not. There is treatment(s), changing, growing, forgiveness, God & time. And praise God for all of those.

I support the Duggars. I've never met the Duggars (oh how I'd love to someday), but I pray for them & I will continue to do so. I hope their show continues because they bring hope & inspiration to so many who are lost. And now, after this turn of events, they might even reach more people who are hurt, confused & lost, due an incident(s) similar to what transpired in the Duggars lives all those years ago.

We must recognize the fact that good people do bad things. I agree with that wholeheartedly. We must understand people can be truly sorry after doing wrong. We must acknowledge when people change & prove that fact year after year. We must love. We must support. We must help. We must take a stand when we believe others are wronged. We must live, because life is short. But most of all? We must have compassion.

Blessings to you all.

*I made a comment on People.com (their FB page) that until someone actually lives this situation, you really don't know how you'll handle it. You might think you know what you would do, but there is no way of knowing, until you are actually faced with a devastating situation such as this. I think someone actually stated they would kill their child who committed the crime! Anyway, because of the comment I made, someone actually told me I should have my children removed from my home. Oh dear Jesus. People are insane. I think I will just pray & step aside.

Grand update on MckMama, including a fourth house foreclosure!

Our good friend Tracy Coenen, fraud investigator, did it again! Tracy is a professional, thorough & knows her stuff. I look forward to her information & so many appreciate her updates on MckMama (Jennifer McKinney) & her (MckMama's) consistent, deceitful, irresponsible life. And btw, after being separated for approximately one year, her husband, Israel McKinney, has allegedly moved back into the home. Read more on MckFacts.

Ok, back to Tracy's update. Easy peasy - just click the link below to read her updated information on MckMama.

http://www.sequenceinc.com/fraudfiles/2015/05/jennifer-mckinney-fraud-update/#respond

The only thing I disagree with is her comment about Network Marketing. Tracy does not believe in Network Marketing & that's ok - not everyone does. Personally, I fully support Network Marketing! Network Marketing is a true, legit business that offers so many an incredible financial opportunity, as well as amazing products. Network Marketing is just like any other business - it's up to the individual whether they work their business ethically or not. Network Marketing is just the 'type', it doesn't guarantee the person representing the company will be honest.

It's gorgeous in North Texas! Happy Monday! :)

The disturbing nightmare - thinning hair!

Prepare yourselves. Because I'm going to tell you right now - as you get older, your hair is going to start thinning, whether you want it to or not. It is alarming. It is disturbing. Why wouldn't it be? Who wants to lose their hair? Not one person, I know of.

I have done so much research on hair loss/thinning recently. Devoted so many hours upon hours in hopes of finding a solution to either stop or at the very least, slow down the process. I am NO professional in this area & I won't go into elaborate detail because it's so time consuming. If you have any questions, Google (& your dr., of course) is your friend. There is a lot of great information on the internet regarding thinning hair/hair loss on the internet!

Hair loss is one of the most difficult ailments to diagnose. So many things can contribute. From simple stress to serious health issues. The first thing you need to do, which is exactly what I did (several times), is see your doctor & rule out any serious problems. Be aware this isn't a simple process & it doesn't happen overnight. Literally, it can take several years. Which adds to stress & is more alarming, if you're losing hair. Ha! There's just no winning. I did realize one thing - don't stress over your thinning hair. Stressing won't make your hair grow any faster & really, it is what it is. Accept it, lower your stress (because remember, stress causes more hair loss) & just do what you can to get the problem rectified. Even rectified, like I mentioned above, your hair is still going to thin because that's a natural process with age. And it sucks.

Side note - I have noticed one thing. I have noticed (this is not a statistic!) about 90% of people who work out regularly do not appear to have major thinning hair. Coincidence? I think not, by that's just my opinion. Diet also plays a big part in healthy hair. Eat healthy, work out regularly & drink a ton of water. Three important factors for gorgeous hair!

Ok. So here is my regimen for my hair. I hate my hair. I always have. I'm very self conscious about my hair & that's why I wear visors almost every day of my life. - because I have this twisted thinking that hats improve the way my hair looks. True story. I have worn visors since about age 13! I have permanent indentions behind my ears on both sides of my head from wearing visors for so many years. I'm 47 now! That's long time! My hair is naturally curly = frizzy. And when it's humid (hello Texas) or rainy, good God, I'm so embarrassed. But now that it's thinning? I love my hair & want to keep it! I will do everything that I can to at least keep what I have. My researching will continue because new treatments are discovered & I want to know that they are. :)

Here's my DAILY regimen:



First things first - get rid of the crappy shampoo. Shampoos/conditioners with sulfates do nothing but dry out & damage your hair further. You can now find sulfate free shampoo at drugstores, which is awesome. They aren't that expensive. Currently, I am using Giovanni & I can get it at Walmart for about $8 - though I order mine from Vitacost & get it for about $5.00. Sprouts has it on sale occasionally for $5.99 & $6.99 (I've seen both). I love this tea tree/peppermint combination. Google sulfate free shampoos for more information & the damage harmful sulfates cause.

Nizoral is a chemical shampoo I use once a week to rid my scalp of any bacteria, etc. This is not a shampoo to use daily. It is very harsh & some people say it makes their hair loss worse. I only use it weekly, so I don't mind, because I know the Ketoconazole is effective. This is an anti-dandruff shampoo but others such as Head & Shoulders won't work because they don't contain Ketoconazole. That is the pertinent ingredient.

The rest are supplements. Side note - whenever I was low on a vitamin, I would pick it up wherever I happened to be shopping. Walmart, Target, Costco, etc. I don't do that anymore! I will never do that again. I have come a long way in the supplement department & now I only get them at Sprouts or Vitacost. I want more natural, effective supplements & many of them contain junk. When my drugstore brands run out, I am replacing them with better quality. There's not that much difference in price & to me, it's worth it.

Biotin - 10,000 mg daily
Evening Primrose
Zinc
Vitamin D
Iron - I am extremely low on Iron & Ferrin - I take 65 mg, 2 x daily - have your dr. check your Iron & Ferrin! It has to be requested.
B Complex
MSM
Vitamin C
Fish Oil
Garlic
Acidophilus (not pictured, because I keep it in the frig & I forgot to pull it out for the photo)
Calcium (not pictured because I ran out & I plan to purchase the Vit. D supplement that contains calcium next time)

My dr. is not a lot of help when it comes to supplements. As a matter of fact, after 8 years, her & I really aren't getting along, so I'll be searching for a new dr. who is more knowledgable about supplements & healthier lifestyles. Anyway, watch the milligrams on your vitamins. Many come in different milligrams & I'm still playing around with what works for me. Ask your dr. & do some googling.

Question of the year:

Am I seeing an improvement with my hair? YES! I fully understand that my thinning hair will not be rectified overnight. It's very similar to weight loss. It didn't happen overnight & it won't be fixed overnight. I'm ok with that! I do see improvement, even with my hair texture. I see improvement in my eyebrows! Yep, I sure do! I still lose a lot (a lot) of hair daily. I try to keep in mind that my hair is long (thank you God!!) & that my hair loss may appear to be more than it is, because of the length. But the texture seems to be thicker & building a bit more bulk & that makes me VERY happy. I have been on this particular regimen for about a good 2 months & I can't WAIT to see my results after a year or so!

This is what is working for me & it may work for you, too! Be sure to check with your dr. before adding a lot of supplements like this & if YOU have any additional tips for me - please leave them in the comments! I am always, always looking for better results!

Here's to healthy, gorgeous hair & happy weekend! :)

Hubby's Tator Tot Casserole.

Typically on Sunday evenings, my husband cooks dinner. He's really a better cook than I am (ahem) & much more adventurous. He decided to come up with his own Tator Tot Casserole & it turned out great!



Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef
1 - onion (hubby used used white)
1 - red bell pepper
1 - green bell pepper
1-2 cups of sharp shredded cheese (we shred our own - always - so much better!)
1 - bag frozen tator tots
Salt, pepper, garlic salt, chili powder
Plain greek yogurt

Brown ground beef with seasonings. While meat is cooking, chop onion & bell peppers. He didn't measure how much veggies - he just chopped up enough for our taste, probably about one cup+ each. In a separate skillet, pour a bit of the beef 'broth' in skillet & sauté veggies until soft. (I probably would have used olive oil or real butter vs. 'broth'.)

In a 9x13 dish, add meat. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of meat. Add onion & peppers on top of cheese. Top with tator tots & then remaining cheese. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes.



Quick, simple & delish! Even our kids gobbled it right up!

Not the healthiest recipe, but hey, better than fast food, right? I call that #winning!

Love when he cooks & I get a break. Thanks, hubby! :)