Stroller Rage!

I recently read an article about stroller habits that piss off the entire world.  I had to giggle because I am guilty of most of them!  Of course I have to throw my two cents worth in and explain the stroller issues.

1.  Not closing the stroller in a crowded restaurant-  Ok, for starters, crowded restaurants are a pain in the ass for everyone.  And depending on how many babies are in there… a high chair may not be available.  Now some may say that if one isn’t available I should go somewhere else.  I say, “If you don’t like it, you can leave.”  We usually try to stay away from crowded places but it’s not always easy.  We also try to eat outside to avoid the crowd inside.

2.  Hitting people in the back of their ankles-  I’ve only ran my hubby over so far with the stroller, but accidents happen people!  You don’t get all bent out of shape bumping shoulders on a crowded street.  Why get all crazy about this?

3.  Blocking the view at the zoo-  Teach your children patience!  Oh, and find some for yourself as well.  We all have to wait our turn at the zoo sometimes.  This one is just crazy to me…so petty.  Parents these days need to work on their parenting skills.  My children have to learn to wait their turn, why not yours???

4.  Refusing to fold the stroller on a crowded bus-  I’ve never taken the bus so I cannot relate to this one.  I don’t even see how someone could get on a bus with a stroller unfolded.

5.  Using the stroller as a walker-  Oh yea!  I’ve leaned on the stroller quite a few times!  Does it really bother you that I lean on the stroller?  How does it affect your day?  Seriously?  And have you gone days and days without sleep because your 5mth old has his/her days and nights mixed up?  Didn’t think so….so shut up.

6.  Knocking over store displays-  I haven’t had this accident but not saying I won’t.  Some stores are so cramped and have no organization.  I’ve been in some stores that made maneuvering a stroller about as hard as playing Operation!

7.  Taking up the entire sidewalk-  Really?  Go around or go play in traffic!  Geez!  How petty can people get?  We don’t control the width of the sidewalks.  Talk to your city council about that one.  Does this really piss you off or are you just trying to get smashed in the ankles?

8.  Using the stroller as a glorified shopping cart-  I admit that when I go to places like a swap meet or flea market, I use a huge ring thing that clips on the stroller handle that holds the bags.  But why does that piss anyone off?

Well, there you have it.  Just a few things that some people get irritated about for no particular reason.

Jealousy…

We’ve all been there.

We’ve all craved something that we didn’t have and been envious of those who have it.  We’ve all gone through that awkward teenage stage growing up and hated someone for having that special someone or wanted the person they had.  Anyone that claims to have never experienced jealousy is a damn liar.  It’s an emotion we have all dealt with before.

The problem is…some people never grew out of that phase.  And I’m typing this from a woman’s point of view, well, because I am a woman.  I know it’s different for men and they have different situations that bring on envy.  Some women just never got it through their heads that jealousy only takes you down a dark, ugly path.  It shows your lack of self-confidence.

Your self-esteem, I know, is a hard thing to gain and so very easy to lose.  But it’s worth fighting for.  Trust me.

I’ve know a woman who despised another woman due to the size of her home and her possessions.  I’ve seen a woman drop a friend who lost weight and began dressing with confidence.  I’ve known women who still pine for their ex boyfriends a decade later and attempt to cause problems.  Hell, I met a woman a couple months ago who refused to talk to a fellow Army wife just because their husbands were different ranks.  Seriously???

My two cents to you ladies…Quit being so damn miserable.  You bring others down with you.  If you like nice things, work hard and get them yourself.  It will mean more if you do it all yourself.  If you aren’t happy with your size, change it.  No one said it was easy, but at least try.  Eat right, eat less, exercise more and wait for the results.  If you still can’t let go of a past flame, get help.  NO need to make yourself miserable or wreck other relationships.  And rank, don’t get me started on that one.  As a wife, you have NO RANK.  Stop being so judgmental.

Bottom line…Life is what you make it.  Make yours beautiful.  Make it happy.  Make it great.  Make it YOURS!  Stop comparing your life to everyone around you.

Pregnancy surprises they forget to tell you about…

Pregnancy is a beautiful experience.  You will be growing a tiny little person inside your tummy.  You will feel him/her grow, kick, punch, hiccup and roll.  It is so amazing!

You will put up with nausea, low back pain, being tired all the time, constant peeing and lots of hunger!  BUT…there are few things people tend to leave out!  Allow me to enlighten you!

What mood swings???

• MOOD SWINGS – These aren’t just any normal mood swings either!  One minute you are fine and the next… BAM!  You are ready to beat someone’s ass or you are crying a river over socks that don’t match.  I haven’t had these but my husband swears I have!
• STUFFY NOSE –  You could be stuffed up the WHOLE TIME!  This could lead to nose bleeds too.  I haven’t been able to breathe for months!
• BLEEDING GUMS –  No matter how soft and tender you are while brushing and flossing, your gums will bleed like crazy.  No one wants to taste copper after brushing their teeth!  I have been as careful as possible and still deal with it daily.
• NO MEMORY –  Pregnancy brain does exist!  You will forget why you walked into the living room, what you were going to the store for and everything else that should be a “no brainer”!

Huh?!? LOL

• BOOB AND/OR NIPPLE PAIN –  I have heard so many doctors and nurses use the word “sore” when referring to these two body parts.  They lie!  They hurt like hell!  The pain is horrible and makes you wanna live in a bra.  Taking off the bra no longer means freedom!
• EVERYTHING SMELLS BAD –  A lot of my favorite snacks stink.  Most normal scents smell like 90 day old funk!
• CONSTIPATION –  I’ve never really had an issue with constipation until now.  It is a horrible feeling when you gotta “go” and can’t!  Hubby gave me Colace because it is supposed to make it easier “to go”.  What a crock!  “Easier to go” really means an entire day of diarrhea!
• ROUND LIGAMENT PAIN –  Now, they call it round ligament pain…it is actually intense cramps and stretching pains!  Imagine a rubber band being stretched to its limit and then slowly let back down to normal size.  When you sit up, roll over in bed, sneeze or cough you will feel this lovely symptom of getting bigger!
• ACNE –  Acne, acne, acne…in the weirdest places!  I had a little acne growing up, mostly on the forehead area due to bangs or wearing a ball cap during softball season.  But this is ridiculous!  I have little surprises popping up on my chin all the time.  My chin…makes zero sense.  My chest area has been plagued as well.  I have never had that issue before.  No matter what you do, the acne will just creep up.

Ain’t this the truth?!?

• BELLY TOUCHES –  This drives me up the damn wall!  People will want to touch and rub your tummy, even strangers.
• DREAMS –  I dream crazy crap anyway, but during pregnancy they get way weird.  I’m sure a lot of you could share some doozies!  Purple elephants, swimming in jello, flying penguins and other crazy stuff tend to plague you from month 5 till the end!
• PICKING A NAME –  Names put a lot of pressure on you.  You have to think about how his/her name will impact their life.  Will other kids pick on their name?  Is he/she going to go by their first name or middle name?  Is this a name you can see yourself screaming out the back door when it’s time for dinner?  And ultimately, will your child like this name?
• UNCONTROLLABLE PEE –  Your poor bladder gets karate kicked and squished constantly.  You always seem to be running to the bathroom…well, not running…more like waddling with your legs crossed.  Don’t laugh to hard, cough or sneeze without being prepared!  A panty liner is a good idea after month 6 or 7!

• BENDING –  Just thinking about this makes me giggle!  Shaving your legs is a riot!  I’m in my 8th month and bending down in that direction with a razor in my hand is dangerous!  Putting on socks and shoes gets a little rough too!
• BABY KICKS GET ROUGH –  Those little feet and elbows really do a number on ya!  Those little toes really feel like boulders being dropped on my bladder and hooha.  Laying down causes the baby to put on an alien show.  I can lay down around the same time every evening and just watch little hands and feet go crazy.  She moves, kicks and turns around nonstop.  And the bigger they get, the less room they have in there.  It gets a little painful.
• DROPPING THINGS –  In the 3rd trimester you don’t get around so good.  You will have a hard time seeing your toes and taking the stairs becomes an obstacle course.  Dropping stuff will become something you want to walk away from.  I’ve dropped utensils in the kitchen and said “to hell with it!”  Hell, if I am lucky enough to get down there, I probably won’t be able to get back up!
• PELVIC PAIN –  This is the worst one I’ve dealt with.  It feels like I’ve done a split everyday!  Getting out of bed in the morning is so damn painful!  Be prepared to use a body pillow at night.  Fold it in half and put it between your knees and thighs while you sleep.  It really helps with the pelvic pain.

Haha!

 

Some people…

Some people…

You know these people.  They are the ones that make you consider an orange jumpsuit!  They are so damn dumb and/or aggravating that a throat punch is all you can think about giving them.  Here are a few personal experiences I’ve had with these special individuals…

Mr. Ass

There is a teacher at my daughter’s school that drives all the parents crazy.  He has got to be the meanest, pickiest, most aggravating man I’ve met in a very long time.  In the afternoons he stands outside the school…no one knows why.  He just kinda stands around like a hall monitor staring at us.  Two weeks ago, a mom was there picking up her son in a rush.  She was extremely ill and headed to the hospital.  She parked her truck out-of-the-way, away from all cars and traffic, so she could grab her son and leave as quick as possible.  We all let her get up front to get him…he was standing just inside the door looking at her.  Mr. Ass begins yelling at her that she has to move her truck.  He is telling her that she can’t park there, she needs to move it, he doesn’t like it there, etc.  She tried so hard to tell him that she is sick and headed to the hospital.  She explains that her son is two feet from her and she just needs to get him and go.  This douche bag refuses to act like a human being.  He continues to yell at her, in front of everyone, and makes her move her truck before getting her kid.  What an ass!!!

Last week I had to go into the school with my daughter one morning.  We exit the car and get to the front door of the school about 20 seconds before the bell.  As I go to open the door, Mr. Ass comes rushing towards the door, looking at his watch, telling me we can’t come in for another two minutes.  I immediately laugh at him and the bell rings within 5 seconds.  I open the door and tell him to get a new watch as I walk by shaking my head.

Those two occasions are bad enough, but dealing with this man every morning is just a riot!  The school lot is so tiny.  Cars come through in a single file line, cause that’s all the space there is anyway.  We can ONLY GO ONE WAY.  But every morning, on the curb at the front of the school, there stands this man!  UGH!!!  He waves the cars on with one hand and points with the other.  He movements are just like a crossing guard, which makes it funnier!  Sometimes he says, “This way folks!”  THERE’S NO OTHER WAY TO GO, DUMMY!!!  I just smile and wave…I try not to point as I smile!  I mean, damn!  The parents aren’t stupid.  We drive all the time.  There is only one way to go and we are all in a friggin’ single file line.  Waving and pointing just makes him looks like a re-re and a bigger ass.

Ms. Dummy Bank Teller

This woman tripped me out a couple of weeks ago.  Now, I don’t know all the policies and such but, surely this was a bit too much.  My husband and I received a check from our bank.  Let me make sure I was clear on that….WE RECEIVED A CHECK FROM OUR BANK.  The check even had the words on it that we are a customer of the damn bank.  My husband and I pull up and he puts the check, signed with the acct number and all, and his I.D. inside the thingy that zooms up the cool little tunnel thing.  The woman, aka Ms. Dummy, asks him if his wife is with him.  He says yes and now she wants my I.D. too.  This is kinda dumb to me since the main acct holder is my husband, but whatever.  We are waiting and waiting.  Oh hell!  I forgot to mention the amount of the stupid check!  Get ready for this….drum roll please!  $7.28 That’s right people…a whopping 7 bucks and some pocket change.  Hell, we were only cashing it to  add to our daughter’s chore chart at home!  Anyway, after we send my shit up the tunnel thingy, we wait a little longer.  By now I’m wondering if she knows how to count.  It’s usually just a $5, two $1’s, a quarter and three pennies.  But what do I know?!?  Finally I lean forward and peer at the window so I can try to see what the hell she is doing.  She looks up and asks if we have an account with the bank.  Are you freakin’ serious???  The damn check says we do, account number is on the back and you are holding our I.D.’s!  I begin giggling, which usually means I’m about to lose my shit!  My husband cracks a grin, giggles and says that we do.  I’m bitching out loud now and he is telling me to hush…doesn’t help that he is still giggling!  She sends our stuff back through the tube.  My husband hands everything to me and begins to pull off.  I’m still in shock that it took forever for that.  It’s a wonder she didn’t ask for a friggin’ blood sample!  I just stare at her as he leaves trying to imagine how she managed to dress herself and get to work that day.  Damn!

Rude Maternity Store Lady

This was definitely one of those times I almost throat punched someone!  I am pregnant and carrying very low.  All that pressure makes my back hurt and it kinda feels like I’ve accidentally done a split everyday.  It sucks!  With that said, my husband and I go to the maternity store to see if they have those belly band thingys.  We walk in and are immediately approached by this woman asking if she can help with anything.  I tell her what I’m looking for and she corrects the term I use.  I can’t remember now if it’s a belly belt or band…but I guess I said it wrong.  She corrects me with a little bit of bitchiness and a lip pucker that makes you wanna head butt the hell outta someone.  I take a deep breath and try to tell myself that she didn’t mean to sound that way.  She takes one off of the rack and out of the box.  She then proceeds to tell me that she yells at people when she’s putting these things on ’em.  My response….I look at my husband and say, “She yells at people.” with that “I don’t f*%!ing think so” look.  He, of course, giggles.  I think sometimes that’s all he can do with me…just giggle.  She refrained from yelling but was yanking on these straps and making me hold my arms out to the side.  When she gets it on, I instantly feels better.  I undo it and ask my husband if he remembered where all the straps go.  I wasn’t entirely sure since it was below the baby bump.  She interrupts and in the meanest tone says, “Well, I’m gonna make you put on yourself before you leave.  You are gonna do this by yourself.  (insert lip pucker thing)”  I smile as politely as possible and tell her that I’m not putting it on right now but I would like to go ahead and purchase it.  She gets all bent out of shape and goes behind the counter.  As she is ringing me up she asked about a maternity bra.  I tell her “no thank you” and that I am wearing a comfortable sports bra right now and that I will be purchasing a maternity bra soon.  She gets pissed off and goes on a mini rant about how I need to buy a maternity bra, my sports bra is no good, blah blah blah…  I calmly explain that I am not purchasing a bra today and that I just want to purchase the band thing.  She continues to rant so I had to raise my voice just a little and ask her to ring me up for JUST the band.  She continues with the lip pucker and I am fuming now.  I think I was holding my breath trying not to go across the counter.  The rudeness was too much.  She is obviously a very miserable lady who loves to make others miserable and if I didn’t need that damn band I would’ve shown my ass, embarrassed her really bad and walked out without purchasing it.  The good/bad new is…I have to go back.  Haha!  The belt hurts me when I sit down so I have to go back for a bigger size.  This should be fun!

Letting go…

I talk to people.  I talk to people a lot!  I get to know them.  I love hearing life stories…the happy stuff, sad times, troubles, proud moments, joyful memories, etc.  I must admit though, I always hear stories about that one person that was just never happy with anything.  You know the one…he/she gets mad at nothing, blames everyone but themselves when shit goes wrong, never says positive things, etc.  We all know one!

They could be an aunt, uncle, mom, dad, sibling, so-called friend.  And I may not be the smartest or give the best advice, but here goes.  LET GO!  Stop trying to please someone who doesn’t care.  Stop being overly nice to someone who is constantly ugly to you.  Don’t beat yourself up when they say or act like everything is your fault.  Please understand that I’m not saying you should be mean and hateful.  Just stop wasting energy and getting stressed for something that isn’t your issue to fix.  It takes two people to make a relationship work.  Friends and family relationships take work, but you gotta work together.  If that person is not willing to do his/her part, let go.

I have personally dealt with a person like this.  I tried and tried and tried until I thought I would go crazy.  I talked, apologized, was so nice, gave space, took the silent treatment, dealt with the hateful words….and for what?  Life is a little too short to wade waist deep in crap.  Some people just need some time to come around.  They need to take a good look and realize you’re important too.  And you need to realize your life can’t revolve around just one person who doesn’t give 100%.  I know some of this comes off as me being cold and mean, but I promise I’m not.

Anyway, I hope this little bit helps and feel free to comment and vent!  Venting does a lot of good!  And feel free to disagree as well!  Haha…I know this has probably made a few people think I’m horrible.

Work from Home

Working from home is searched online countless times everyday.  There are so many people looking to gain and/or maintain a comfortable lifestyle from home instead of having to deal with traffic, gas prices, childcare, etc.  As an Army wife, I have seen so many spouses looking to do the same thing.  Working from home during deployments makes life a little easier as well.

Everyone wants to make money.  Everyone wants to live comfortably instead of paycheck to paycheck.  However, there are SO MANY that do work through Avon, Scentsy, MaryKay, etc.  I’m not downing these companies, but the success rates suck!  Think about it.  You have so many spouses at one post and a ton of them selling Avon…each consultant is gonna have a pretty hard time finding a demand for those products.  It’s the same with the others I named.  Why settle for selling makeup or smelly stuff for just a little bit of money when you could make a decent income actually working?  Why stuff envelopes or make hundreds of cold calls everyday?

There are several companies out there that allow employees to work from home making a suitable income.  I have checked out several of them and talked to women who work from home.  There are credit card companies like Capital One that hire customer service reps to work from home.  There are also mystery shopper jobs from home.  You place calls to businesses like Pizza Hut to check their customer service and such.  Here is a list of links you can check out.

https://www.alpineaccess.com/index.php/

http://www.westathome.com/

http://www.convergys.com/

http://speakwrite.com/WEB/sw/voice-to-doc.aspx

https://workers.virtualbee.com/

http://www.liveops.com/

http://affiliateprogram.1800flowers.com/

http://about.chacha.com/about/careers/

http://freedomathometeam.com/(S(3ly2x455s5eluwar5pgleb3n))/Home.aspx

https://www.leapforceathome.com/qrp/public/home

http://jobs.uhaul.com/

http://www.perstrat.com/

http://intelichek.simplicant.com/job/detail/10859

http://www.telexpertise.com/

Please keep in mind that those get rich quick schemes you see on t.v. aren’t always what they are cracked up to be.  You don’t get rich over night and you don’t sit back while the money rolls in.  These are JOBS that require work, real work.  Some have set hours like any other job and some let you make your own hours.  There are also freelance jobs available for writing and opinions.  Check WAHM.com to find more work at home jobs too.

The Ransom Box! Haha!

 Kids…

Kids are wonderful.  Kids are precious.  Kids make our world go round.

Kids have the power…to destroy a house in 3 minutes!

Admit it!  Kids can seriously destroy a living room in the time takes you to fix a cup of coffee!  All parents go through this lovely stage.  We go through the dreaded time of trying to teach them to clean up their messes and pick up their toys.

My daughter is turning 10 this year and we still have a hard time getting her to keep her room clean, dirty clothes picked up, and putting her toys away after playing with them.  We have used the chore chart in the past but that failed mainly because of me.  I would have my daily things to do while she was at school and would end up doing her stuff just to get everything done.  Ugh!  It was very frustrating for me to clean the house but have to leave certain things undone.  Another issue has been all her toys, crafts, and electronics left out.  She leaves her stuff everywhere!  My husband and I would gather her things and drop them in her room.  That left me feeling kinda crappy though when I would stay on her about cleaning her room.  I know I shouldn’t have felt that way, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I made her room messy by chunking stuff in there.

Well, we have finally found an awesome solution!!!  Drum roll please………….

The Ransom Box

We used one of my husband’s old Army boxes and a jar for the chores.  Anything that she leaves out goes into the box and she must draw a chore from the jar to get an item back.  She’s not allowed to go through the box at any time.  She must do a chore to open the box and then she can go through and pick one thing.  Last week she left her purse in the dining room, her craft box in the living room floor, and her school shoes under the kitchen table (again!).  She realized her purse must have been put into the box so she asked if she could draw a chore.  She completed her chore and went to the box.  I waited to see what she would choose, since she NEEDS her school shoes.  A few seconds later she walked into the living room and showed me her school shoes!  Haha!  This was her first lesson with the Ransom Box.  It didn’t take her long to figure out that keeping her stuff put away nice and neat would save her from having to do chores to get her shoes out!

My next goal…figuring out how to get my husband to pick up his stuff!

One of those days…

You know those days where everything seems to go haywire?

Yep, having one of ’em today!

Let’s start with the morning shower…I see my husband off to work and head to the shower.  I crank up some music and put on my rock show!  Yes, I normally sing in the shower, at the top of my lungs.  Halfway through the shower, Psycho Killer by the Talking Heads begins to play.  I freakin’ love this song!  So as a result, I sing even louder!  I am putting on a serious rock show!  Ya’ll, our foster puppy Bridgette began to make this horrendous howling noise.  It sounded like a cross between sheer pain and mourning a loved one!  I peek out of the shower curtain and she instantly gets quiet and tilts her head to the side while her ears do this sideways thing.  She looks like she is so damn confused!  I giggle and go right back to singing.  She starts howling again like I am torturing her!  LOL  Needless to say, I had to cut my concert short and hurry out of the shower before she gave herself a heart attack!

About 20 minutes later I was on the phone with my sister catching up.  I was in the kitchen fixing a cup of coffee.  I guess I was so into the conversation that I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing, because 30 minutes later I was scouring my kitchen trying to find the coffee creamer.  It is supposed to be in the refrigerator.  I check and recheck the fridge.  I check the countertop next to the coffee pot.  I check the rest of the counter space.  No luck.  How do you lose coffee creamer?  After about 3 minutes of rechecking these “normal” places, I began checking everywhere else in the kitchen.  I had put the damn creamer, that is supposed to be refrigerated, in the cabinet with the coffee cups!  What the hell?!?

The next “crappy” part of my morning also happened in the bathroom!  I had cleaned the tub, sink, and countertops.  I was in the process of cleaning the toilet, which is my least favorite part of cleaning.  I was wiping down the toilet seat rim when out of nowhere comes a sneeze.  Holy shit!  My whole right arm, up to my elbow, ended up in the toilet!  Now even though I had just cleaned the toilet, it still makes me cringe.  I was gagging and dry heaving all over the bathroom!  I got my arm out to side like it is crawling with the plague!  The amount of hand sanitizer I used after washing my arm was probably enough to clean the bodies of four adults!  Ugh!

And the last tragedy of my morning happened on the staircase.  I went upstairs to my daughter’s room to inspect the disaster area.  That room looks like a tornado went through it.  Clothes, toys, art supplies, etc. are everywhere.  I decided I wasn’t going to gather up the clothes.  She can clean that room up today!  Anyway, I checked her bathroom and such and was heading back down the stairs.  Now I’m guess my socks have zero traction cause that fourth step happened to be a doozy!  My right foot slipped out from under me and my hands didn’t make it to the banister.  My left foot decided it needed a turn next.  I hit my ass and bounced down eight steps.  I bounced hard too!  When the terror ride was over I just laid there.  I figured it was best not to move too quick!  Haha!  I’m pretty sure I’m gonna be black and blue tomorrow.

I’m gonna take it easy for the rest of the day.  It might be best to wrap myself in bubble wrap.  At least next time I fall I will be entertained when the bubble wrap pops!

Women in Combat (part 2)

Well, this ban being lifted has ruffled quite a few feathers!  I have been trying to keep up with the opinions being voiced, especially from active duty military and vets.  I don’t care too much about what the politicians think!  The majority of the men’s opinions are against women in combat.  Now, that is the majority of what I have read…I’m not trying to step on toes here, just being honest.

The opposite is the opinion of most women, of course!  Most, not all, of the women are screaming for equality and saying that they have already endured the complications and hardships of combat.  Let me tell ya something…I don’t truly believe that for a second.  Not to say it hasn’t happened, but I haven’t heard of a woman soldier being outside the wire for 72 hours or more on a mission.

(Sorry, but this was funny to me!)

I came across an article called “Five Myths about Women in Combat”.  This article had me shaking my head and rolling my eyes.  I know some won’t agree with me and that’s fine.  But I’m gonna break ’em down and give my opinion…of course!  Haha!

1.  “Women are too emotionally fragile for combat.” –  Women ARE more emotional than men!   I don’t care what the cause, but I really believe women are more emotional.  Hell, blame estrogen!  We all know estrogen makes us a little kooky!  Testosterone at least has the advantage of producing aggression and more muscle mass.  Aggression and strength are needed on the front line.  Being emotional only causes issues.  Putting your emotions to the side is essential.

2.  “Women are too physically weak for the battlefield.” –  This is true as well.  I have yet to meet a woman soldier that has the upper body strength to carry a 180-200lb man or the overall strength to drag a man of that size to safety in the event of injury.

3.  “The presence of women causes sexual tension in training and battle.” –  I don’t even know where to begin with this one.  Look, humans are sexual beings.  Stressful situations heighten sexual tension.  Those are scientific facts.  Now, am I saying that all men cheat?  No.  Am I saying that all women are homewreckers?  No.  I am saying that the stress and hardships of war do cause sexual tension.  Lots of women want to complain and file actions dealing with sexual harassment, yet many of them make sexual comments and actions toward men.  It seems to be ok for them to act that way towards the men but not ok for the men to make comments and such.  That’s bullshit.  You wanna act like one of the guys but can’t handle being treated like one (even though you are screaming EQUALITY!)???  Women, during a deployment, proposition men too.  Don’t be fooled and think the women are all innocent.  Men and women both make those decisions and both have to exercise will power.

4.  “Male troops will become distracted from their missions in order to protect female comrades.” –  I agree with this “myth” too.  Most of the male soldiers have expressed their opinions on this statement.  The majority agree that they would be more focused on protection of female soldiers…kinda like the whole damsel in distress thing.  The mission sort of becomes second on the list due to the fact that they are trying to keep an extra eye on the women and their safety.  If this is how the majority of male soldiers feel…then isn’t it selfish to put them in that position while in a combat zone?  It is risking their lives and the mission at hand… all for that female’s ego.  I know that sounds harsh, but I don’t want my husband’s life to be in even more jeopardy than already present in a combat zone.

5.  “Women can’t lead men in combat effectively.” –  Here again, I agree.  The main reason goes back to emotion.  I also think we should all consider the fear women should realize pertaining to the possibility of being captured during war.  The torture women would endure would be so heinous.  The emotion, stress, and fear of that torture if caught would greatly affect the woman’s ability to lead the men.

(this pic was sent to me a while back…not sure where it came from.  It did make me giggle though!)

Here are a few opinions from a woman veteran that I’ve seen…these were sent to me with no name attached to them.

I saw the male combat units when I was in Iraq. They go outside the wire for days at a time. They eat, sleep, urinate and defecate in front of each other and often while on the move. There’s no potty break on the side of the road outside the wire. They urinate into bottles and defecate into MRE bags. I would like to hear a suggestion as to how a woman is going to urinate successfully into a bottle while cramped into a humvee wearing full body armor. And she gets to accomplish this feat with the male members of her combat unit twenty inches away. Volunteers to do that job? Do the men really want to see it? Should they be forced to?

 The few integrated units in the IDF suffered three times the casualties of the all-male units because the Israeli men, just like almost every other group of men on the planet, try to protect the women even at the expense of the mission. Political correctness doesn’t trump thousands of years of evolution and societal norms. Do we really WANT to deprogram that instinct from men?

When you’re going over a wall in Baghdad that’s ten feet high, you have to be able  to reach the top of it in full gear and haul yourself over. That’s not strength per se, that’s just height and the muscular explosive power to jump and reach the top. Having to get a boost from one of the men so you can get up and over could get that man killed.

I would have loved to be in the infantry. But I would never do that to the men. I would never sacrifice the mission for my own desires. And I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if someone died because of me.

This ban being lifted is going to cause major problems…mark my word!  I know we all have different opinions and I respect that.  Thanks for taking the time to read my opinion.

Women in Combat

 Lifting the ban on women in combat…

HUGE ISSUE!

This issue has been causing an uproar online!  People are battling over whether this is a good decision or not.  Some say it is a great idea and that women should be allowed to do the job they want.  Some say women can’t do the job as well as the men do.  You got a lot of men and women saying that women are not physically strong enough to do the requirements demanded in combat.  I have seen several people state that a woman‘s emotions would cause issues in combat as well.

Well….I’m pretty sure I’m about to make some people really upset!  My opinion is that it is a bad idea.  I don’t agree with lifting this ban.  Yes, I know there are and have been women in infantry units and such…I still don’t agree with it.

I know several woman are proposing the “equal opportunity” side for this argument, but that gets blown out of proportion.  They set standards and tests that have to be passed in order to be able to serve in combat, but just as soon as one misses the mark and is turned down it becomes a huge battle!  It has happened in the past and it will happen again.  “They were too strict, they weren’t fair, they were too judgemental, they intentionally failed me due to my gender.”  Not all, but a lot of women would “milk” those excuses when in fact, they just weren’t physically fit enough or whatever to pass the tests or the standards put in place.  Bottom line…A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE TO PASS THE SAME PT TESTS AND SUCH AS THE MEN IN ORDER TO FIGHT IN COMBAT.  If a man has to do 70 push ups within a two-minute period…so does the woman!

The physically fit part bothers me too.  I have to admit, I agree with the women that have stated most women just aren’t strong enough to be dependable in combat.  You got a 200lb man needing to be pulled to safety…a 120lb (for example) woman probably wouldn’t be able to handle that situation.  I would think the men would feel better knowing their guys have their back and would have no problems physically pulling them out of harm’s way.  Just my opinion…so don’t take offense please.

Next on the list…emotion.  Yea, I know some are probably rolling their eyes right now.  But the truth is, women are more emotional.  I’m not saying men are all stone cold or anything, but men tend to be more “act now, think later”.  I think that is a good quality in combat.  I would think most women would be more likely to freeze up or hesitate.  Those two reactions are definitely not good in combat zones.  Stress levels run high during a deployment and being in combat raising that stress way above the bar.  Here again, I think men handle high levels of stress a little better.  I know several people are probably thinking about PTSD right now.  And yes, PTSD is a huge problem resulting from deployments, but I still side with men handling their stress and emotions better.

I’m gonna catch hell for this next one!  But here goes!  CNN just published an article called “Unplanned pregnancy on rise in military.”  This is a problem folks.  A unit trains together and prepares for deployment together.  It’s damaging to a unit when women have to stay behind, after training and preparing together, due to unplanned pregnancy.  It is irresponsible.  Yes, I know it takes “two to tango”, but being responsible for your part within the unit is necessary.  Also, this is an issue during deployments.  Here again, completely irresponsible.  It costs the military, as stated in the CNN article, around $10,000 to send a servicewoman home from overseas due to pregnancy.  You get sent home, your unit is down a soldier due to this issue.

So, there you have it!  I know lots of people will disagree with me and that’s ok.  I stand firm on my opinion.  I am more old-fashioned and I was raised that way.  I’m proud of that.  Women can do lots of things that men can…combat just isn’t one of them.

P.S.  I just have to add in this little funny tid bit!  I just ran a spell check and “servicewoman” was underlined in red.  When I clicked on it, the word that popped up (since red means misspelled) was serviceman!  LOL  Damn!!!