You can see some footage here:http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/09/78384/index.html

On another TV note (can you tell I’ve been sick and trying to get some R&R?), why does the jon/kate trainwreck seem to never end? My opinion on it doesn’t matter as much as the eight kids that have to live through the whole thing. I can only imagine how they feel about it and what they’ll think when they look back on all this 10, 20 years from now. What stood out to me from the interview Jon Gosselin did on ABC, was, “I feel like I lover her more than I did Kate”, referring to his current girlfriend, whatever her name is. Sheesh. You know, for someone that complains about the attention, you’d think he would have kept that to himself and not make a dig to his kids’ Mother so publicly. Sometimes it’s hard to believe these are the same people that started out on the TLC show way back when.

photo by ramana.charming

For the first time I had given my kids the flu vaccine and they came down with it just weeks following. So why did we get sick?

Well, I’m not a doctor, but what two things I’ve learned from the experience are:

1)      It takes a few weeks after the flu vaccine to build up all the immunities.

2)      Everyone living in a household with a person vulnerable to the flu should be vaccinated.

 In our case, my husband and I did not get vaccinated last season, and he must’ve caught from school/work and brought it home. The kids received the vaccines late into the season.

I have always been wary of vaccines. However, I’ve come to believe that there are some benefits that outweigh risks, and paired with proper admission, I think it’s a good idea for my family. One of my sons is asthmatic, and I am, too. So it’s important to me that I take steps to keep my kids health robust. I make an effort to keep my little ones bodies as pure as nature intended by feeding them nutritious foods, teaching proper hygiene, and using medications only when necessary.

After having felt so terribly and missing a big milestone in my baby’s life, I don’t want to take any risks. We are all going to get the flu shot this year. It’s an easy step to take in order to have an additional layer of protection. It’s very much worth it to us.

by flightlessXbird

I’m trying, really REALLY hard, to be a good person.

I’m so grateful to be able to stay home with this beautiful family of mine. It fills my heart with warm gooey goodness, and all I want is to be the best “me” possible. So that I can be a great Mom, and a decent woman.

Sometimes, it seems, if I want to be honest, it means hurting someone else’s feelings. I hate hurting anyone’s feelings. I’ve made the mistake of just going along and pleasing others way too often, and 95% of the time I feel unhappy about the outcome. So how do I make the choices that are right for me, without being hurtful to others?

What I’m realizing is: you can never please everyone. That goes double if you happen to have the people I do in my life: mostly argumentative and confrontational. At this point, my priorities and my loyalties are shifting back to me and my boys. What’s best for our lil family?

I don’t think it’s selfish. I think it’s necessary. I also expect for some people in my personal life to feel unhappy about things I may say or do, especially when they are accustomed to me avoiding confrontation and just going along with whatever makes them happy. It may hurt their feeling to know that I disagree with them fairly often. It might be hard for me to balance being nice, and standing up for myself. I’m not sure I’m ready for the fallout.

I am, however, ready to be an example to my kids. I believe they should ALWAYS trust their best judgment no matter what; and that, their opinion is just as valuable and deserving of respect as anyone else’s. I wish I had learned that earlier on.

photo by Avolore

How about taking a short break to lighten the hussle and bussle of back to school shopping?

If you want to have some fun and maybe win a few prizes, join me for the Back To School Lands’ End Twitter Party event Lands End is taking part of with 5 Minutes for Mom.

If you haven’t taken part of a Twitter party, you should know that the ladies over at 5 Minutes for Mom are great hostess, and they know how to throw a great party. I’m looking forward to it, and can’t wait to party with Lands End. You can find all the info on their Twitter party taking place and their Back to School giveaways on their site, but if you want to be briefed:

The Twitter party will take place THIS Thursday, August 20th, 2009 at 7pm- 9pm CST. You can use the hashtag: #landsend .

Giveaways are happening from August 14^th -28^th (right now) on the 5 Minutes for Mom site. Entering the giveaways is as easy as leaving a comment on their site.

There are sure to be great prizes to be won at the Land’s End Twitter party, too. Be sure to check out their site before hand for a leg up.

Here’s another neat find from Lands end:

My cool 4 year old and I designed it.

You can design your own backpack, too! Just go to http://sc.landsend.com/packland/

I’ll be at the Land’s End Twitter party @OrbitMom, so say, “Hello!”

photo by kippster

It’s here.

The last week of summer vacation, and the last days my sisters can spend their time freely at my house without having to worry about homework and projects and quizzes. My own boys won’t start school this year, but I do plenty of pickups afterschool for the girls (my three sisters). The oldest of them will be a senior in high school now, and she’s gearing up for all the last hurrahs and the college admission process. The other two girls will be attending adjoining middle and elementary schools.

I’ve seen the long lists of school supplies (jeez!), and I’ve also witnessed the excitement of trying on new shoes and packing the backpack.

 I’m always such a sap, all I keep thinking is, these kids grow so darn quickly! Next year one of my own will start K; but I know that the year will pass before you know it. Then once they start school, that’s it: they have school all the way to college, maybe grad school, and they are off. Oh goodness. I get knots in my stomach, I swear. So silly, I know. Believe me, I enjoy every minute I spend with my boys, and even with my sisters. I know one day they’ll be all grown and independent with families of their own. Time just goes so fast.

Photo by OrbitMom

1)I’m technically a professional photographer….technically. I’ve been taking photos for an auto dealership and for a Realtor in south Florida for a few years. While I wish it was with a great DSLR, it isn’t. All the work is done on a trusty Sony digital camera, (previous years with a Kodak, recently I received an awesome gift, the Sony, so the Kodak has been handed down now.) I also manage/maintain a website for the same auto dealership. Yea, you wouldn’t know from the looks of this blog right?!

2) Although I am a Mommy always first and foremost, I am also a young woman in college studying Geology and Meteorology, with a side of physics/astronomy for my own personal interests. If you haven’t yet guessed, that’s where the “orbit” in “orbitmom” derives from.

3) I love that my boys are so sharp and have a genuine interest in learning. My most fond moments are when we do “home learning” and I can see how their little brains are grasping at concepts and sometimes asking questions that send me to the books!

4)I’m blogging because I find writing keeps me sane. I make lists and I know I can have my mind free of the to dos because its all down on paper. I write here because I’m sharing something about myself for myself, and any other person reading that may take something away from it. No fluff, and I’m still learning how this whole thing works as I go along.

So now I’ve given you a bit more info on me (and I’ll let you in on more as I go along this week).

BTW, my son still wets the bed, but we’re down to about every 2 or 3 days/week occurrences, so I’m ecstatic about the progress! I know, it’s lame: that get me “ecstatic”.