Pics

Today I thought I'd post some pics of the family :) My coffee hasn't kicked in yet. I'll post some actual words later! The top picture is Popper and Poppit, second picture is Pop and Poppit and then there is me and Poppit right after I delivered him :)

Off Topic This Morning.....Government Assistance.

Going a little off topic this fine morning at 4:30 am. Something has been bugging me for awhile.

Welfare Queen, Welfare Rat, Lazy, Moocher.....the list goes on and on. There is a stigma attached to being on GA. Trust me, it's branded on my forehead. People assume anyone on GA is on it on purpose and because they want to take advantage of the system. Let me give you a little insight.

We get $209 a month for food stamps. That is for a family of 4. This means we need to get enough food every two weeks on $104.50. Now this is completely doable. It's just difficult and involves a lot of sacrifices. For awhile we were existing on $725/month that I get for SSDI. SSDI is NOT GA by the way. People always assume it is. I get SSDI due to an actual disability, my doctors decided it was best for everyone involved if I remain at home instead of going out into the work field. Believe me, you don't want me in the cubicle next to you. Pop gets $404 a month from the state to remain at home with me so we don't have to hire a nurse to do that.

Anyways back on track. Apparently if you are on GA you are not allowed to have nice things. And if you owned nice things before you were using GA you have to sell them and be left with nothing, I mean that IS the only acceptable way right? Wrong. I am so sick of people seeing our TV and saying "Gee must be nice to be on assistance and be able to buy a tv!"....um we bought this TV last December when I got my settlement from SSDI. Our 19 inch was about to die and this one was on sale for under $500. Same comments with the PS3. Pop got the PS3 for free when he was sent to a conference in CA when he was working at Best Buy. And yup, I sold the Nintendo DS he won me so we could afford gas to take our son to a hospital 2 hours away for surgery. It broke my heart to do it, but our son needed that surgery. I sold it for $60 with the games. Pop has also sold a guitar, we've sold our DVD's, we've sold video games. We recently sold his XBox for $30 so we could have gas money. That included 12 or 13 games. This is why I am so sick of people making assumptions about us. Like we don't sacrifice and get the money for free from the state. We have to account for everything when we apply, they look at our bank accounts, they look at our properties, they even take into account the car we drive ('94 Grand Marquis by the way). It's not like they just hand you a check.

Then we get into the territory of having children while on GA. Yup, we had a baby while on GA. Poppit. How irresponsible right? I mean if you are on GA you have no right to have any children and should be sterilized, correct? Wrong. Poppit was my last chance at having another baby. I didn't expect to get pregnant with him so fast. Imagine my surprise when 2 days before my birthday I see 2 pink lines on a pregnancy test. We were so excited. And scared. How on earth was Popper going to handle being a big brother? How were we going to afford a second baby? Why didn't we think of these things BEFORE we decided to try for another baby? Too late now, time to ride the roller coaster of insecurities. I didn't even expect to get past my 1st trimester. Imagine my surprise when I got past my 1st trimester, then my 2nd, and then entered my 3rd. As for baby stuff, yard sales people, yard sales. That and freecycle and craigslist. Second hand IS good enough for your baby, it's technically new to you. Then the day came and I was pushing and all of a sudden holding Poppit. Suddenly those fears came rushing back. How would we ever afford this little guy? We'll manage. And we are.

I know that a lot of people look down on those of us on GA. They view what we get as their money, their tax money. Which is probably why so many people feel like they have the right to make comments on our groceries once they see the EBT card. I mean it IS their money after all right? *insert eye roll*. The point is, we're human beings too. And no, you don't have the right to make comments, we do deserve respect, and no, we aren't scamming the system. If you know someone who is scamming, then please report it, they make it harder for those who truly need help to get it. But don't group us all in with them. We have enough of a stigma attached to our head as it is.

Here is a list of things Pop and I have combated while on GA:
~Fleas from another apartment
~Eviction
~Water and heat turned off
~Phone turned off
~Van getting repossessed
~Running out of gas on the road
~Health issues we couldn't get dealt with due to no insurance
~Losing a job due to lack of car because of mechanical issues we couldn't afford
~DCYF getting called on us (was later dismissed as unfounded)
the list goes on and on.

Oh and for those wondering, I got a tubal the day after my son was born because I know we can't afford anymore children. Yes, I was responsible, and yes, that is my biggest sacrifice to date.

Formula Wars

It has been a long long night. Poppit has been fussy and gassy all day yesterday and then all night. Pop stayed up all night knowing I was getting burned out pretty fast after being up for 2 weeks in a row.

We decided to see if it was the formula so we used the other stuff we'd been using, Parent Choice believe it or not. No gas. So it's the Similac we are assuming. Right now I am on the couch with Poppit in the Boppy next to me. This kid is so cute it's not funny.

So back to formula. That stuff is nasty. There is a reason I wanted to breastfeed. It smells nasty, is a royal PIA, makes a mess, and Poppit's diaper leaves much to be desired. Not to mention it's expensive beyond words. I swear it's a conspiracy. Let's do the math, $15 a can for the regular formula (not counting the hypo-allergenic kind). Each can lasts maybe 2 or 3 days. We'll say 3 days for good measure. Kids are on formula for a year. So that comes up to $1815 for a YEAR of formula. Add that to the cost of diapers, wipes, baby shampoo/soap, clothes, and any other things you deem necessary for the rearing of your child....ouch. I know in our case we could not live without Mylicon, $7 a bottle.

My head hurts from the thought of how expensive kids are. I have 2 children to raise on a fixed income, they may not have everything they want, but they have everything they need and that's the important thing.

Introductions.

I should start with the introduction of the stars of this blog. I will call them the Destruction Duo.

Popper. Popper is my oldest and almost 4 years old. This child is the most energetic ball of fire I have ever seen. He runs, jumps, yells and choo choo's 23 hours a day. That 1 missing hour is spent eating us out of house and home. With sandy brown hair and huge grey eyes, he is the picture of innocence, don't let that fool you. Underneath that adorable exterior his gears are turning trying to think up his latest escapade. He is the ring leader of the Destruction Duo.

Poppit. Poppit was born almost 2 weeks ago and a member of the DD in training. So far he has managed get me up at 6am every morning bright eyed and bushy tailed. I had him naturally and you could tell from the moment he was born that he is going to be trouble. Between Popper and Poppit I think my days of peace and quiet are gone. Not that I mind of course.

Last night I noticed it was quiet. Too quiet. I sent my husband, Pop, into the bathroom to see what Popper was up to. Going potty shouldn't take that long. Pop was in there for maybe 30 seconds when he called my name and said I needed to come into the bathroom pronto. I rush in there of course expecting tragedy. Nope, not tragedy. More like a little boy covered in shaving cream using his spongebob "razor" to shave his face. Thank goodness it's just plastic and has no blade. Meanwhile Poppit was sleeping happily in the pack 'n' play....for now.

I woke up at 11:30pm. It only took me a few seconds to realize Poppit was crying. My turn. But I was not going down alone. Prodding Pop I asked for a bottle. He got up like some sort of zombie from the grave and went downstairs to make one. Meanwhile Poppit's cries were getting more and more angry, and go figure this, as soon as Pop came back up with the bottle Poppit stopped crying and nuzzled against me fast asleep. So much for the bottle. And so much for sleep. It didn't end there. 10 minutes later he was awake again howling. I got up once more and picked him up and managed to get him to take the bottle. By this point I was starting to feel foggy. Not Poppit. It was like he sensed my tiredness. By midnight I was so tired I was having day dreams of sleep and my soft fluffy pillow and blankets. Pop was fast asleep. If looks could kill. How does anyone sleep through that screaming?

12:40am. Please, someone, anyone, help me. Pop wakes up occasionally, mainly when I start to get ugly and say "I am so not doing this alone! WAKE UP!". Suddenly I realize that we are not alone. Popper has come into the room and is fast asleep on the floor. What is it about that kid and sleeping on the floor??? So now not only do I have an angry baby on my hands, but my oldest is camped out on the floor next to the bed creating somewhat of a dilemma. How to make sure he doesn't wake up, but also comfort Poppit? I came up with the perfect cure. BINKIE!!!! One problem. Poppit HATES the binkie. He'll suck on it then spit it out and scream for it again. by 1am he is finally asleep. And so am I.

2:30am, Poppit is awake again, not wanting a bottle, just needing to cry. All I can do is hold and rock him while Pop relieves me by pacing with Poppit stepping over Popper.

5am...I give up.