I'm suffering from "BHTB Syndrome"...help!!

It is a very real and serious syndrome. It is a silent syndrome. Full of stereotypes and judgement. People don't like to talk about it.

I have seen friends and family suffer. The effects from this condition last for years and whole families become victims of BHTB. I have been afraid of becoming a victim for some time and unfortunately my fears are becoming reality.

Professionals are concerned that they are nowhere near finding a treatment let alone a cure for this syndrome.

I therefore, am taking it upon myself to make people aware of this condition and supporting me in my cause.

What is BHTB Syndrome?

"But He's The Baby".

The symptoms are subtle at first but quickly become easily recognizable.

He is still called the "baby" at 2 years old.

He simply points and grunts at an object and no less than 3 people rush to bring it to him.

You no longer hear that annoying whine or cry. You have simply learned to tune it out even though people in the same room would like to put him outside with the dog.

Rules that were strictly enforced with older siblings are either ignored or simply forgotten.

A smile or pout provides "the baby" with whatever he wants.

When the "baby" gets hurt it is always someone else's fault.

He stays up much later than older siblings and gets to sleep with mom and dad.

You find yourself absent-mindedly letting him drink from your glass of Dr. Pepper without even realizing that he's doing it.........and then let him do it again 5 minutes later.

Time-outs last about 5 1/2 seconds.

"No" really means.."keep asking me and eventually I'll give in".

Please...I need your help! The closest I've ever come to knowing a celebrity is dating a guy who once met Carrot Top in an airport bathroom so this is a grass roots effort. There will be no Celebrity Telethons hogging all the channels.

We must inform mothers everywhere. This an important issue. If it continues to go unaddressed, we will all suffer. We will be surrounded by spoiled, entitled, "give me what I want" adults. We must act now!!

Oh, I have to go...the "baby" needs me.

Uhm....seriously?

Man sells pot to pay for police academy
August 24th, 2010 @ 10:40am
By Randall Jeppesen
OREM -- A man who says he was just trying to save up the money for the police academy is now looking at the other side of the justice system because of what he's accused of doing to get the cash.
According to the Daily Herald, police got a search warrant to check up on the activities of Marcos Antonio Ramirez of Orem after reports surfaced he had been selling drugs. Officers found he had marijuana, a scale, a stolen gun and drug paraphernalia.
Ramirez admitted to knowing the gun was stolen and that he was selling the drugs, but the reason he gave was a little unique.
The Daily Herald reports Ramirez told officers he had been selling pot for five months to pay for the police academy.
Police arrested Ramirez on suspicion of possession with intent to distribute, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.
E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com

This makes perfect sense right?
You know, like the woman who became a prostitute to pay for her wedding
or the guy that sold child pornography to pay for his elementary education degree.

Satan makes it so easy for us humans to rationalize decisions.
I don't think anyone wakes up in the morning and says, "I think I'll make a really bad life choice today that will effect not only me but those around me."
Satan is much more subtle than that.
He's crafty. (and not in the glue-gun, decoupage kind of way)
He makes things that are bad look not so bad (that movie was great except for a couple of parts)
He makes things that are good look nerdy or old fashioned.
He's a stinker.
We all make small everyday decisions that effect our entire lives.
My parents used to be voluntary clergy out at the prison. I remember the stories they would tell of the men and women they worked with.
Most of them would not be experiencing those heartbreaks if they had only made a few small choices a little differently. "If I hadn't listened to that friend", "if I hadn't gotten into his car", "if only I had not gone to that place"...
little choices.

One of my greatest worries is that my children will make one or two bad choices that will lead to a future heartbreak. That they will be influenced and let other people make choices for them. That I will have failed as a mother.
This is fear. This is Satan. This is trickery.
One of my greatest expectactions is that my children will remember what they have been taught. That they will have the confindence to stand up for what they know is right. That they will be leaders and will influence others to make good choices.
This is faith. This is a loving God. This is hope.

I know that my children will make mistakes and bad choices. We all do. It's part of the learning process. I only hope that they will learn from those mistakes, that they will recognize the tricks of Satan and that they will embrace the power of Jesus Christ.
And above all, that they will never think that it's okay to sell drugs to become a cop.

Here's to faith, hope and some really good rules.

(I do love them so)

Balanced meal?!?

So ya know when kids start thinking they're big enough

to make their own plates at family parties?

Ethan thought it was time for him to be a 'big boy' and

dish up his own plate at a recent family party.

I decided to let him go for it and see if he has listened to

me when I lecture the kids about making healthy food choices.

I was fairly confident that he would make me proud.

Don't ya love it how kids keep you humble and remind you

that there is always something to improve on?

What? What's wrong with olives and Fritos?

There's some grain in there somewhere.

And I'm sure the "it's a 'veggie' factor" far

outweighs the "they're loaded with fat" factor.

Whatever.

and p.s. Mindy, don't ever let his hair get that long.

It's not cute.

What's wrong with this picture? Church Edition

So everyone knows that sometimes church can get boring right?
Oh stop it! You know it does.

Since Greg was put into the Bishopbric, I am now in charge of getting
5 children and myself ready and to church by 9:00 a.m.
It rarely happens. We usually stroll in around
9:04...ish.

So for those lucky people that get to sit by the Dibbles
at church, I have created a game to help them stay awake.
It's called the "What did Mindy forget today?" game.
It allows our fellow hard chair patrons the opportunity to
notice what is missing from either me or one or all of my children's wardrobes.
It's fun.

couldn't find Kenna's matching ribbon.


No tights for Olivia.

Where are Ethan's shoes?

Who ironed Lindsay's skirt?

Not me.

and no one's happy when Tyson's treats are forgotten.

(This was not part of the game and will never be ignored again!!)

I'm just trying to serve my fellow man.

I do what I can.

Your welcome.

I'm sure there will be many more editions to come.

Now I'm a Believer..

Remember this post?
I was having a pretty rough time finding the energy I needed to get through the day.
I was not sleeping well and was therefore tired all the time. I wasn't eating well. You know how it goes right? You pick the leftover PB&J off your toddler's plate, throw down 1/2 a bananna and a Dr. Pepper and that's lunch. I had misplaced my "ummppphh" and it was affecting me in all aspects of my life.
I know, I know, I have 5 kids and a husband and lots of responsibilities. Of course, I'm going to get a little run down. But it was something different. My body felt weighted. And I don't mean fat or overweight...I felt heavy and slow...like a slug. I was exhausted. No amount of Dr. Pepper or Red Bull was going to help.
I knew I needed...something.
And then Greg came home and told me of a cleanse he had recently heard about. I had heard about colon cleanses and didn't want to do that. He said that this one supposedly cleansed not only your colon but your whole body. It would remove the toxins in your body, give you tons of energy AND one of the side effects is.....weight loss.
WHAT!?!?
Give me energy and lose weight?
Now, if I were a super-hero..my name would be 'Skeptagirl'. My powers would be to doubt everything that sounded too good to be true.
I would have a sidekick called 'The Yeah Right Kid' who would roll his eyes and say
"Yeah Right!" all the time. My arch nemesis would be the "As seen on T.V. people". I would go around exposing all the charletons and saving humankind a fortune in $19.99 increments.
(and of course, I would look smokin' hot in my super-hero outfit).
So naturally I was not convinced but at this point I was so desperate for some energy that I had two options to chose from.
1. Try the cleanse.
2. Get hooked on Crystal Meth.
Seeing as how Crystal Meth is illegal (I don't look good in orange or jumpsuits) and much more expensive than the cleanse, I decided that doing the cleanse would be the better solution.
Fast forward to me 10 pounds lighter, 10 inches smaller and filled with energy.
And I sleep better.
Now, you must know that I would tell you if something was a bunch of hoooey. I wouldn't exaggerate or mislead. I will tell you what I really thought about it.
It takes a certain amount of discipline but nothing too difficult.
A chocolate (or vanilla..if you're boring) shake in the morning, a sensible lunch, a shake at night. And tons of water.
Then there are the cleanse days. They consist of the cleanse drink and snacks. And tons of H2O.
It was actually much easier than I thought it might be.
I hate it when people don't tell how much something costs or try to make it sound less. You know what I mean? Cause $39.99 sounds so much cheaper than $40.00. Whatever.
The 11 day cleanse costs $150.00 and was worth every Wendy's junior cheeseburger
I won't be buying. It has made such a difference in the kind of mother and wife I am.
I did gain back about 3 pounds since then but I would have willingly gained 3 pounds in exchange for the energy I felt and the knowledge that I was cleaning my body from the inside out. The everyday toxins we put into our bodies are bad. They're like dryer lint. If you don't empty that dryer lint thingy, all that lint sits there and it makes your dryer run twice as hard and use much more energy and probably eat socks. I just needed to empty my dryer lint thingy.
I feel like one of those shiny energy efficient front loading dryers (in super-hero red of course).
So now, I've convinced Greg and my sister to do the cleanse. They will be starting on Monday and they are very excited about it. Let me know if you want to be a shiny new dryer too.
The cleanse is from Isagenix and you can go here to learn more about it. If you would like to do it with Greg and Melinda on Monday, let me know and I can get you the product in time.
For the low, low price of $19.99...or so.
Here's to healthy, clean living.