Monthly Archives: August 2012

Dogs Get Tummy Aches Too

30 Thursday Aug 2012

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Dogs get tummy aches too.  My poor dog has been sick for two days now.  He cannot keep any food down.  Do dogs get the flu just as people do?  I always wondered about this.  I was told that dogs do not get colds or sick like we do.  However, my dog has a tummy ache and has been sick for two days now.  Is it something more serious or just the flu? 

Here is a website with some tips to calming your dogs’ tummy ailments:

http://www.justanswer.com/veterinary/6jkub-dogs-stomach-flu.html

One of the suggestions is to give your dog Gatorade to help prevent dehydration.  Just like us, if you have a tummy and intestine flu, you may get dehydrated and Gatorade helps to replenish your body by keeping it hydrated with the necessary electrolytes. 

We give our dog white-rice when we run out of dog food, but did you know that white rice will help a dog with tummy aches.  It is a good idea to fast your sick dog for twenty-four hours, but a meal consisting of white rice may coat and soothe his tummy ache.

Please be aware if your dog is sick for more than a few days, at this point he should have a visit from your local veterinarian to rule out anything more serious.

Featured Dog:

 

 

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Insert from DEAR PAXTON

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

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     Quickly, she turned on her heels, grabbing her purse while proceeding to slam the door harshly behind her on her way out and down the stairs.  Large crocodile tears spilled down her checks as she ran through the apartment complex desperately searching for her car.  She needed to get away, as for away as she could.  She knew he could find her if he wanted to and this she did not want. 

      He had crushed her heart beyond repair now.  Not only had he turned his back on her, but he had also turned his back on his own flesh and blood.  She loved this baby growing inside of her, but she knew she couldn’t raise it on her own.  She knew what she had to do, it wasn’t going to be easy, but she no longer had a choice of what she wanted anymore.  She had tried, fighting for her baby with all her might, but she had lost the battle.  

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

WHEN A HOUSE IS MORE THAN JUST A HOUSE

24 Friday Aug 2012

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We have all wondered how much more our economy and as people can take.  The mortgage crash of 2006 has severely affected our country and other countries.  So many families have lost and are still losing their homes.  It may just be a home to some.  It may just be hard times, some may say.  However, true these statements are, the fact of it is that a house holds a lot more than merely a roof over our heads. 

A house is our home.  A home is a place where we raise our children.  A home is a place where we keep our memories.  A home is a place where we grow as a family.  A home is a place to feel safe in.  A home is a place where we gain our future.  A house is a lot more than just a dwelling.  Our home is our house.

If you are losing your home, do not give up.  Write letters to your lending company.  I do not mean one letter, but letter after letter after letter, until you are heard.  Study your mortgage documents so you understand what the legalities of your documents mean.  What kind of mortgage do you have?  Was income verified and documented?  Do you have a fixed interest rate or a variable interest rate?  Is your mortgage owned by one investor or several investors?  Find any discrepancies you can in your documents.  The Government is working to create new programs for homes in distress and the longer you can hold on to your home, means the better chances are for you to save your home from foreclosure.  Fight back and do not give up.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Insert from Dear Paxton

21 Tuesday Aug 2012

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     The expression on her face hadn’t been there before – not until he had asked her about a boyfriend.  What could it mean, he thought?  Maybe she had just broken up with a guy and the thought of him had caused her heart anguish?  Or maybe, she still had a boyfriend?

     Just his luck, he thought.  Now his curiosity was getting the better of him.  He needed to know before he fell too hard for her.  He could feel his heart opening up to her already – it was her eyes – she had beautiful eyes, yet there was a sadness to them that haunted him.  Her eyes had a way of speaking and reaching out to him even without any words.  They made him want to know her better – he wanted to know where the sadness had come from.  She had such a young face, but seemed to have an old soul with too much history behind her eyes.

     She stammered nervously.  He was giving her the opportunity to tell him the truth.  She wanted to tell him the truth, but then again, she wasn’t ready to end this rendezvous.  She was enjoying the attention and really liked Randy.  “A boyfriend?”  She giggled anxiously again.  “Oh…no…of course not.”  She felt like a fraud –a big fat liar.  She had the chance to save a friendship and now there was no turning back.  Randy would not understand later.  Shame became her.

     Randy’s face brightened, “Good.”

     He chatted happily with her while he ordered them both after dinner drinks.  The conversation flowed easily; Randy seemed full of life, where Lisa now felt like a phony.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Breaking into the Writer’s World

16 Thursday Aug 2012

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Breaking into the writer’s world is not as simple as it sounds.  You have written your manuscript and now you need an agent.  You may think that the hard part is over, but it is only just beginning.  Now you need to find an agent and it is not as simple as it may seem.

Children can be so wise, but yet so naïve.  Anything is possible when you are a child.  You have the world in your hands.  It’s not just about youth but it’s also about attitude.  Today, I was helping-out in a fifth grade classroom, when a ten-year old boy approached me.  The teacher had announced to the class that I was a writer.  This ten-year old boy came up to me and asked me how many books I have written.  I told him two.  He was impressed.  He then blurted out that he would buy my book.  Just like that. 

A child’s mind still believes that anything is possible.  As we grow up into adulthood, that innocence slowly disappears with time.  You write a book and you will get it published.  You want to be a doctor and you will be a doctor.  It is magical. 

Breaking into the writer’s world, finding an agent, and struggling to pay the bills, are all a journey of life.  Believing in ourselves is magical.  Do not accept rejection when you send out a query to an agent.  Keep your head up and keep trying.  A New York agent told me once and I quote:  “You will succeed in getting your work published as long as you keep trying, but if you give up then you will miss out on the next opportunity and that opportunity may be an agent that is interested in your manuscript.”

Any comments or thoughts?

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Insert from Dear Paxton

14 Tuesday Aug 2012

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Suddenly, she was stunned back into reality, as she heard the front door slam shut.  She bolted towards the hallway, not caring about what little she was wearing.  From the railway, at the end of the hall, she could see Eric standing outside of his running truck, two-stories below her.  Cole hadn’t approached the vehicle, except that Eric had sensed a presence from above, as he looked up directly to where Lisa was standing.  He looked boldly into her tear-streaked face.  He stood silently for a moment, locked in the thought before Cole approached him, throwing his blue duffle bag into the cab of the white beat-up 1970 For.

Cole noticed Eric’s gaze towards the landing, noticing Lisa.  He smiled slightly, raising his hand to say goodbye.  Lisa wasn’t about to return the sarcastic gesture.  She didn’t wave, she didn’t want to say anything at all.   She was too tired.  All she coud do was to stand there, her hand frozen onto the handrail, too scared to move.  She was terrified.  What would her future look like without the only man she had ever loved?  He was her future.  How could he just leave her behind like that?  He was acting as if he was just going to the store of that she had never really meant anything to him at all.  They had history behind them; why had he dismissed it so easily?  She didn’t understand.  She realized that noting mattered to her without Cole in her life.

She wanted to die.  “Please God, let me die!”  She prayed out loud.  She meant it too, with every ounce of her soul.

In sadness, she watched Eric and Cole pull away from the curb, heading towards the busy street.  A deep, angry strength suffocated her existence as she visualized God.  She wouldn’t die because God wouldn’t have been that kind.  God was a cruel God and angry God.

Lisa would live.  She would be left alone to live in hell.  She would be like this for a long, long time.  God had taken her out of heaven and had sent her to hell.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

 

Back to School

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

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Back to school can be a very busy and stressful time for both mother and child.  Especially in August when the weather is almost 100+ degrees.  In my opinion, school should not start in August…. it is much too hot. 

Anyways……

Things to remember.  Although, as mothers, we are busy getting our kids tucked into bed, lunches made, and backpacks packed up, don’t forget to spend a little time on you.  Once the kids are asleep, sit down and read a book while having a glass of wine, take a bath, or go for a run.  Just do something you may enjoy.  It will alleviate a lot of stress and make your early morning wake-up call more pleasurable. 

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Insert from Manuscript “Dear Paxton”

06 Monday Aug 2012

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     “You don’t know!  You don’t have any idea why I may hate you right now?”  She screamed.

     “What are talking about?  Do you mean Sandi?  Is she the reason that you are so mad?”  She could only stare at him amazed.  He couldn’t really believe the lies that were coming out of his mouth, did he?  He was smarter than that?

     “Of course I am talking about that slut!  Who else?  She is the one that you messed around with and slept with!  Is she not?”  Now he knew that she knew.

     “What do you mean?”  He asked not wanting to give in to the truth.

     “I read that stupid letter that she wrote to you.  The one about how right you were about “kissing slowly”.  Oh it just makes me feel so sick!  Cole, how could you do this to us!”  She burst into tears.

     Sadly, he hung his head ashamed.  “Oh, Lisa I am just so confused.  I didn’t mean for it to happen this way.  It just sort of happened.  I don’t know why, she was just there.”

     “But, why did you need anyone else?  You had me!  And I loved you so much.  Oh, Cole I still love you so much!”  She didn’t know how to feel.  One second she was feeling really angry and then the next second she felt so sad, wanting him to hold her closely.  Then the emotions would start-up all over again. 

     “Lisa do you still love me?”  He asked.

     “Why?  What does it matter anymore?  You don’t love me anymore.”  She cried.

     “Yes, I do.  I don’t know what I am doing.  I just need some time to think, that’s all.  Baby, will you just give me some time to get my head straight?  Please?”

     “Don’t ever call me “baby” again!  I am not yours anymore.  You don’t love me!  If you did you wouldn’t have done this to me?  And you would not need more time to think about it.  When you truly love someone, Cole, it is forever.  You do not get confused.  And you never sleep with someone else.”  She was so angry.  He was acting like a child.

     “Was it good?  Was she better than me?  Is she prettier than me?”  She asked.

     “Lisa don’t do this to yourself.” 

     “Why?  You did it to me.  Answer my question Cole!  Is she better than me?”

     “No, of course not.  You were special to me.”  He said.

     “Special?  I WAS special?  You make me sick!  I am not special to you!  Get out!”  She screamed throwing herself at him, hitting him hard on the chest with her fists.  She could clearly see a huge hicky on his neck.  He hated hickies.  “Get out you jerk!  You make me sick!  I hate you!  I hate you for what you have done to me!  I will never trust you again.  You have betrayed me!”  Grabbing her hands, he stared hard into her face, shocked by her rage.  There were tears in his eyes.  He didn’t say anything more.  What was left to say?  The damage had been done.  He had ruined their special bond.  It was his fault and he admitted it to himself. 

     Lisa’s body weakened as Cole released his grip from around her wrists.  Tears were streaming down her face.  She had nothing else to say to him as she watched him shut the front door behind him, leaving her alone to silently die inside her soul, heart, and mind. 

     She didn’t know how long she had been sitting on the living room floor staring out the window, except that it must have been at least an hour, for when Shirley returned home from work, she had almost fainted from sheer horror.  What she saw was Lisa’s fragile body lying on the carpet in the middle of the living room surrounded by her own blood pouring out of her tiny, pale wrists.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

The Importance of Children Hygiene

02 Thursday Aug 2012

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Why is children hygiene so important?  The Webster dictionary definition for the word, “hygiene” means a condition or a practice conductive to health.

In other words, proper hygiene contributes to a healthier lifestyle.  A healthier lifestyle means less doctor visits, less dental visits, and less cost for medical expenses.

Who pays for the medical bills?  Some people have health insurance through work, private insurance policies paid by individuals, or governmental programs.

Teaching our children at an early age about good hygiene is important.  Such as washing their hands after school, after going to the restroom, after playing, and before eating meals.  Bathing on regular basis, meaning at least every other day.

Here is a great article from the Mayo Clinic on the importance of washing our hands.  It contains many helpful tips on the “before” and “after” washing of the hands:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hand-washing/HQ00407

Many of us take proper hygiene for granted.  We learn at an early age the importance of washing our hair, washing our bodies, washing our hands, and brushing our teeth.  But not everyone in our society has the means or the financial benefits to practice proper hygiene.  It can be costly to buy shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and household cleaning products.

With a struggling economy, people losing their jobs, losing their homes to foreclosure, losing their cars to repossession, and losing their dignity, they are faced with many financial hardships.  We have all looked down our noses at someone less fortunate than ourselves. Making comments, in our heads, such as, this….. “Why don’t they wash their hair?”  “Look how dirty that kid’s hands are, why doesn’t the mother care?”  But in reality, we have no right to judge.  We take proper hygiene for granted, but others less fortunate may not have the same luxury.

Governmental programs help the needy buy food, clothing, medical care and provide housing, but is it enough?

This shouldn’t be a dilemma, but in reality it is.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi