The New Marriage Proposal

Will you marry me?

Why Tom, this is wonderful!

It is? So you’re saying yes?!

Well, under the right circumstances, I think we can come to a mutual agreement.

Uh, circumstances – mutual agreement – what are you saying?

Well, for one, which partner will have a controlling interest in this proposed marriage?

What? You know, 50-50.

Laughter… 50-50, hehe. What about 30/70, in my favor and I let you have a night out with the guys once a month!

Wait a minute! I’m not going any less than 60/40 and you have to change the oil in your own car.

Uh, well, if I give you 45/55, will you agree to back rubs every night…and no limits on my shopping?

You’ve got to be crazy! Oh, I got it. Let’s make it 55/45 and you promise no visits from your mother..!



Mommy Rhapsody

Mommy Rhapsody to one of my all time favorites - Bohemian Rhapsody! Rock on moms!

Mommy Rhapsody from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

The Dad Life Video

Hilarious Video! Definitely Matt and I see Jim Smith in here too, right down to the twin girls in the back seat.

Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Sex Offenders & Social Networking Dangers & kids

All I have to say, is one child molested or lured in to meeting w/an offender is one too many. This article kind of alludes to the responsibility of a teenager to not go there (during a time when hormones & emotions are raging through their brain, a lot of teens are lonely, abandoned, not cared for, looking to fill some gap with their undeveloped brain, lacking the ability for logical thought)and that 100 cases isn't that bad. I don't agree with that illusion. However, there is good information re:sex offenders here so I'm including the entire article.

by Anne Collier and Larry Magid

There has been a flurry of media coverage of North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper's announcement that MySpace had found more than 29,000 registered sex offenders' profiles on its site. As shocking as this news may seem, parents of teen social networkers deserve some perspective.

Finding and expelling sexual predators from social Web sites - something MySpace says it now does routinely - is a good thing. Other social sites are similarly cooperating with law enforcement. But this announcement from North Carolina Attorney General oy Cooper (see General Cooper's "Protecting Children from MySpace," a link under "What's New" on his page) was only possible because MySpace took the initiative to develop a law-enforcement tool the federal government called for in a recently passed law but failed to create: a national sex offender database that MySpace then donated to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for broader use.

* Beyond the Web. Sex offenders aren't just in social-networking sites online. They're in chatrooms and newsgroups, on discussion boards and file-sharing networks. They've been on the Internet since before there was a World Wide Web, long before social networking took off. Now social sites are helping to expose their online activities.

* The numbers. Let's put the 29,000 profiles in context: More will probably be found, but there are more than 190 million profiles on MySpace at the moment. Now let's move from the Net to "real life." There are 602,000 registered sex offenders in the United States. That's just registered ones - those who've been caught and convicted. The vast majority of child molesters are not strangers whom children meet online. Very, very few are strangers in real life even: According to the California Department of Justice, “90% of child victims know their offender, with almost half of the offenders being a family member. Of sexual assaults against people age 12 and up, approximately 80% of the victims know the offender."

* Actual cases. Last spring I was looking for a solid figure for sexual exploitation of minors in social-networking sites after hearing Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's reference to "the towering danger of sexual predators" (see "Predators vs. cyberbullies"). General Cooper's office told me there were approximately 100 known cases in MySpace in 2005, but that number was based not on government statistics but a Lexis-Nexis search of news reports. That's 100 cases too many, but an extremely small proportion of the 12 million teens who use such sites, and it pales compared to the number of kids molested by acquaintances and family members.

* No kidnappings. In all those cases, a teenager willingly got together with someone he or she met online and, contrary to what many people think, the kids often knew what they were getting into and, in every known case, went to meet the offenders themselves. This doesn't excuse these crimes in any way, but parents need to understand how this victimization works and what signs to look for….

* Who's actually victimized. At a recent hearing on Capitol Hill, David Finkelhor, director of the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center, gave a profile of what he described as a fairly typical victim of online predation: "Jenna" was 13 and "from a divorced family, frequented sex-oriented chatrooms, had the screenname 'Evilgirl.' There she met a guy who, after a number of conversations admitted he was 45. He flattered her, sent her gifts, jewelry. They talked about intimate things. And eventually he drove across several states to meet her for sex on several occasions in motel rooms. When he was arrested, in her company, she was reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement authorities" (see the full story). "Jenna" is not a typical teen or social networker; she's a typical victim of online predation, a high-risk teen offline, representing somewhere between 2% and 5% of online teens, Dr. Finkelhor indicated in a recent briefing on Capitol Hill.

* Social networking's very individual. Whether it's a positive or negative experience depends on who uses it. The vast majority of our online kids are for the most part using social sites to socialize with their friends at school. Some are decorating their pages and learning graphic design, writing software code, playing with digital photos, producing and editing video, and so on, all in a very collective way. Unfortunately, some teens are seeking the wrong kind of validation online for destructive behaviors such as eating disorders, cutting, and substance abuse. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline told us over a year ago that MySpace was its No. 1 source of referrals, so teens are also getting help in MySpace for depression, domestic violence, loneliness, and substance abuse, as well as suicidal thinking, through the work of 120 crisis centers nationwide whose work the Lifeline coordinates.

* Cyberbullying affects a lot more teens. So far two nationwide surveys in the US have found that about one-third of online teens in this country have been victimized by cyberbullying (one in Canada put the figure at about two-thirds for Canadian kids!). That's at least 8 million young people in the US (this too in "Predators vs. cyberbullies"). This peer harassment needs to be addressed, which will certainly happen at home and in school, as we teach our kids to be good friends and "citizens" online as well as off.

So let's keep these scary predator announcements in perspective. We want parents to have the facts so they can remain calm. When parents (and officials) overreact and start banning things, kids just go underground - as they have since the beginning of time. Only now they can do so online too - on hundreds of social networking sites, in IM, on phones and all sorts of other devices and at proliferating connection points in parks, libraries, cafes, and at friends' houses.

http://www.connectsafely.org/Commentaries-Staff/social-networking-dangers-in-perspective.html

Vote for Dilling!

A lifetime friend of Kayla's grandparents and her excellent English teacher at Woodinville High last year, he has submitted this video to Oprah with an idea for a new talk show. Watch & vote for Colby Dilling!

http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=video_details&response_id=12828&promo_id=1

Keep your home a sanctuary for your family.

It's a battle for your attention

In our media-driven culture we are being bombarded daily with messages of contradicting values. Men and women of faith are inundated with the theme of never being enough in the workplace or at home, as spouses or as parents. The presentation of "reality" is being warped and skewed at an alarming rate.

What about your children? Television, films and video games offer gratuitous violence; teen programs with provocative clothes and situations; pop-ups on the Web ... they're all fighting against the virtues and values you hold most dear and strive to instill in your kids.

Fortunately there are great, God-honoring alternatives worthy of your family's attention. For over 20 years, Focus on the Family® has been publishing magazines that bring trusted, age-appropriate entertainment, insight and issues right into your home--where influence begins and thrives. It's more important than ever that we be discerning of our media selections. You can be confident that Focus' magazines provide positive and informed fuel for the heart and mind. Generations of readers know the true value of these magazines, so check out the impact these good choices have made in their lives.

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

Slow Fade

Every time I hear this song I get goosebumps. We live in this visually, sexualized environment, which we've been groomed for desensitization ( a.To make (an individual) nonreactive or insensitive to an antigen b.To make emotionally insensitive or unresponsive, as by long exposure or repeated shocks) to the effects of stimuli on our brains and our kids brains from very early ages. The true importance of what we allow in to our psyche, via auditory, visually or kinetically has been lost. We've adopted the lie of "educate your children" by exposure that we're simply handing ourselves & them over to The Slow Fade.

-Casting Crowns

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away.

People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade.

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

(sung by a child)

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see.

Types of Depression UNIQUE TO WOMEN

In addition to the major types of depression that affect men and women, women also suffer from unique types of depression due to their special physiology and hormones. Estrogen, the “female sex hormone,” affects more than 300 functions in a woman’s body including regulating menstrual cycles, protecting the heart and maintaining strong bones. The fluctuating levels of estrogen during menstrual cycles, pregnancy and menopause may impact mood and, in severe cases, trigger depressive episodes.

Unfortunately, these types of depressive episodes in women and girls often are blamed on “being moody,” “that time of the month,” or “the change” and go untreated. It is time to get beyond stereotypes that prevent women from getting medical help:

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can be treated or prevented — there is no reason why women need to suffer so needlessly and frequently.
More than half of the women suffering from postpartum depression will experience it again with the birth of another child. It is critical to identify this danger and treat it early.
Rates of suicide for women are highest during the perimenopausal years; these are tragically shortened lives, considering women now live a third of their lives after menopause.
Recent research shows that women’s biology differs from men’s in many more ways than previously thought and these physical differences (such as different levels of estrogen, serotonin, cortisol and melatonin) are beginning to provide clues to why women are so much more susceptible to depression as well as a special type of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder
Stress plays a major role in depression, and it may be that women and men respond to stress differently — while women are more likely to suffer from “emotional ailments” such as depression, anxiety attacks and eating disorders, men are much more likely to act out aggressively and abuse drugs and alcohol.
Women’s fluctuating hormone levels during menstrual cycles, after childbirth, and during menopause contribute to forms of depression unique to women including Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), Postpartum Depression, and Perimenopausal Depression. The good news is that research is helping us to understand the biological factors for depression in women and identify ways to treat and prevent it. A woman may suffer from depression at any point during her life. Like depression in men, the underlying cause of depression in women is a combination of changes in brain chemistry, stress, trauma and genetics.
The major types of treatment for depression are the same for women and men. Women who have suffered sexual traumas (such as rape and incest) may want to work with a therapist who has training and expertise in this area.

In addition, a woman’s unique biology may predispose her to unique forms of depression not found in men.

The Power of Thought

One of the most common types of skills learned in psychotherapy today focuses on our thinking. Unbeknownst to many of us, we often engage in internal conversations with ourselves throughout the day. Unless we’re trained to examine these conversations, however, many of us don’t even realize we’re having them! For instance, imagine looking in the mirror at yourself. What’s the first thing you think when you look at yourself? That thought is a part of our internal conversation.

Having these kinds of conversations with yourself is perfectly normal and in fact, everybody does it. Where we mess up in our lives is when we let these conversations take on a life of their own. If we answer ourselves in the above example with something like, “I’m fat and ugly and nobody loves me,” that’s an example of “stinkin’ thinkin’.” Our thoughts have taken on an unhealthy attitude, one that is working against us instead of for us. Psychologists would call these thoughts “irrational,” because they have little or no basis in reality. For instance, the reality is that most everyone is loved by someone (even if they’re no longer with us), and that a lot of our beauty springs from inside us — our personality.

It is exactly these kinds of thoughts that you can learn to identify as you go through your day. Often times it will be helpful to keep a little journal of the thoughts, writing down the day and time you had it, the thought itself, and the type of irrational thought — or stinkin’ thinkin’ — from the list below. As you learn to better identify them, you can then learn how to start answering them back with rational arguments. In this manner, you can work to turn your internal conversation back to being a positive in your life, instead of a running negative commentary.

1. All-or-nothing thinking – You see things in black-or-white categories. If a situation falls short of perfect, you see it as a total failure. When a young woman on a diet ate a spoonful of ice cream, she told herself, “I’ve blown my diet completely.” This thought upset her so much that she gobbled down an entire quart of ice cream.

2. Overgeneralization – You see a single negative event, such as a romantic rejection or a career reversal, as a never-ending pattern of defeat by using words such as “always” or “never” when you think about it. A depressed salesman became terribly upset when he noticed bird dung on the window of his car. He told himself, “Just my luck! Birds are always crapping on my car!”

3. Mental Filter – You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively, so that your vision of reality becomes darkened, like the drop of ink that discolors a beaker of water. Example: You receive many positive comments about your presentation to a group of associates at work, but one of them says something mildly critical. You obsess about his reaction for days and ignore all the positive feedback.

4. Discounting the positive – You reject positive experiences by insisting that they “don’t count.” If you do a good job, you may tell yourself that it wasn’t good enough or that anyone could have done as well. Discounting the positives takes the joy out of life and makes you feel inadequate and unrewarded.

5. Jumping to conclusions – You interpret things negatively when there are no facts to support your conclusion.

Mind Reading : Without checking it out, you arbitrarily conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you.

Fortune-telling : You predict that things will turn out badly. Before a test you may tell yourself, “I’m really going to blow it. What if I flunk?” If you’re depressed you may tell yourself, “I’ll never get better.”

6. Magnification – You exaggerate the importance of your problems and shortcomings, or you minimize the importance of your desirable qualities. This is also called the “binocular trick.”

7. Emotional Reasoning – You assume that your negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are: “I feel terrified about going on airplanes. It must be very dangerous to fly.” Or, “I feel guilty. I must be a rotten person.” Or, “I feel angry. This proves that I’m being treated unfairly.” Or, “I feel so inferior. This means I’m a second rate person.” Or, “I feel hopeless. I must really be hopeless.”

8. “Should” statements – You tell yourself that things should be the way you hoped or expected them to be. After playing a difficult piece on the piano, a gifted pianist told herself, “I shouldn’t have made so many mistakes.” This made her feel so disgusted that she quit practicing for several days. “Musts,” “oughts” and “have tos” are similar offenders.

“Should statements” that are directed against yourself lead to guilt and frustration. Should statements that are directed against other people or the world in general, lead to anger and frustration: “He shouldn’t be so stubborn and argumentative!”

Many people try to motivate themselves with shoulds and shouldn’ts, as if they were delinquents who had to be punished before they could be expected to do anything. “I shouldn’t eat that doughnut.” This usually doesn’t work because all these shoulds and musts make you feel rebellious and you get the urge to do just the opposite. Dr. Albert Ellis has called this ” must erbation.” I call it the “shouldy” approach to life.

9. Labeling – Labeling is an extreme form of all-or-nothing thinking. Instead of saying “I made a mistake,” you attach a negative label to yourself: “I’m a loser.” You might also label yourself “a fool” or “a failure” or “a jerk.” Labeling is quite irrational because you are not the same as what you do. Human beings exist, but “fools,” “losers” and “jerks” do not. These labels are just useless abstractions that lead to anger, anxiety, frustration and low self-esteem.

You may also label others. When someone does something that rubs you the wrong way, you may tell yourself: “He’s an S.O.B.” Then you feel that the problem is with that person’s “character” or “essence” instead of with their thinking or behavior. You see them as totally bad. This makes you feel hostile and hopeless about improving things and leaves very little room for constructive communication.

10. Personalization and Blame - Personalization comes when you hold yourself personally responsible for an event that isn’t entirely under your control. When a woman received a note that her child was having difficulty in school, she told herself, “This shows what a bad mother I am,” instead of trying to pinpoint the cause of the problem so that she could be helpful to her child. When another woman’s husband beat her, she told herself, “If only I was better in bed, he wouldn’t beat me.” Personalization leads to guilt, shame and feelings of inadequacy.

Some people do the opposite. They blame other people or their circumstances for their problems, and they overlook ways they might be contributing to the problem: “The reason my marriage is so lousy is because my spouse is totally unreasonable.” Blame usually doesn’t work very well because other people will resent being scapegoated and they will just toss the blame right back in your lap. It’s like the game of hot potato–no one wants to get stuck with it.

Parts of this article were exercepted from the book, “The Feeling Good Handbook” by David D. Burns, M.D. © 1989.

The Impact of Fathers: Dr. Bill Maier

"A girl's view of men is shaped primarily by her father. Which is why it's so critical for dad's to be positive examples to their daughters."

Author & therapist Norm Wright:

"That little girl, whether we know it or not, is looking at us and she is learning what all men are like. She learns how to respond to a man, even in flirting. She comes in and says "Daddy, look at my new dress" and if he says "mm, that's nice" and doesn't pay attention to her, she begins to feel "Is something wrong with me?".

But if he puts down his paper and says "Boy, you're really looking nice. I really like that dress." That gives her the sense "My daddy loves me".

Dr. Bill Maier:

Without dad's positive leadership, affirmation & encouragement, daughters are often left with a lifelong yearning for love & acceptance. In fact, the more a father is involved in his daughter's life, the less likely she is to seek out inappropriate male attention as she grows older."

For more on fatherhood, visit focusonthefamilyminute.com

Fear of Lightening: Dr. Bob Maier

"Most adults love to sit & watch a good thunderstorm. But to a toddler it can be a frightening experience. Many kids are naturally afraid of thunder because it sounds so dangerous & powerful. Telling them there's nothing to worry about doesn't seem to do much to calm their fears. Instead, try finding a few children's books about storms and encourage them to talk about their fears. Ask them "What are you afraid might happen when it thunders". You might be surprised at their answer. They could say something like "What if lightening gets in our house" or "I'm scared of thunder falling on our roof". This gives YOU a chance to explain what thunder is and why lightening won't hurt them if they stay indoors. Just talking about it often makes things better.

Kids fears aren't always rational - but to them they are always real."

Focus on the Family, Dr. Bill Maier - familyminutes.org

America's Most Popular Prescription Drugs

Rebecca's Side:

I don't think it's a secret that I don't trust the pharmaceutical companies or immediately accept a doctors prescription as the best medicine. As I've aged I've discovered that these drugs are not always for my best interest and have experienced first hand the effects of narcotics on a family, while the physician continued to prescribe, with no accountability. I am often surprised to find much of the general public do not question or investigate drugs released for the market and pushed, especially for our children -(i.e. H1N1 vaccine w/mercury, pushed very hard to the public with fear advertising tactics & much of the vaccine given here in WA proved to be impotent anyway so mercury was injected into children in the chaos of the public "crisis" to "protect" ourselves). Don't get me started.

If you spend even an hour or so researching addiction, you will find we are living in a period of time where addiction is rampant and prescription pain medication deaths have superseded motor vehicle deaths. If you should see tin foil on the floor of a teenagers car, it could be the remnants of the new way to smoke Oxycontin. Look for Sharpie appearing black lines across the tin foil. They suck the coating off the drugs & then heat the drug up with a match under the tin foil and inhale the fumes with a straw. As the pill pushes across the tin foil, it creates a thick black "snail trail". This is only one of the new drug uses the street drug market have developed for us and our children. Vicodin, Oxycontin, Percocet.. etc all have a great street value. Meth - creates a feeling of orgasm in the stomach. The study of the effects of sexual contact on a brain shows that it creates a pattern between the neurotransmitters in the brain. The brain feeds off those connections. Craves more. Meth produces this feeling, which is why it's highly addictive. Combined with being incredibly cheap to produce, it's become a new drug of choice. Marijuana - 20 years ago, 10 years ago, it used to take an entire joint to get high. Today's Marijuana, 2 puffs and the user has the desired effect. It's not the 60's our parents parents worried about. It's not just the cars & planes & life that has sped up. The drug industry - legal & illegal - is trying to keep up as well, with faster ways to hook us and our children at younger ages. And, yes, at times, drugs are given to the public with a little bit of testing and the consequences are not realized for a decade afterwards. This is common sense people. And we are sheep for the herding.

Doctors receive these medications from companies that are driven by sales. Not by our health, but by their billion dollar industry. Since this is an area of interest for us, I have made an effort to educate myself to protect our children and ourselves. I recently took McKenna to urgent care for a migraine. We were hearded in & out like a cattle drive. The doctor readily handed us a prescription for Tylenol with Codeine. Now many of you are going to think so what? but this is a 14 year old girl who, the last thing she needs, is the introduction of an opiate drug. Later her pediatrician commended me for my decision and gave me a plan to treat her migraines with non addictive meds. This should be the first step for anyone, especially for a child. Especially for a teenager who's brain is in the most important part of developing! Drugs wreak havoc with the developing adolescent brain, of which if it is stunted, there is not a recovery of the lost development.

I am not saying pain medications don't have their uses. They do and I've used them after having a C-Section, oral surgery. I am saying that they are highly addictive. An alcoholic doesn't become an alcoholic with the first drink. It takes time, repeated exposure that creates a need physically, mentally for the substance. Unfortunately, I think we can all realize the age alot of substance abuse starts. Adolescence. The hook sets in early on during that formative part of development. And it is highly effective. Some of these drugs like Meth & Heroine are addictive from the first use (Meth has surpassed Heroine use due to it's availability, ease to make & affordability). One try and the user, the KID, is hooked. One doesn't think about the tens of thousands of dollars rehab can cost. Or the actual % of people that actually rehabilitate. The last statistic I heard was 5%. Staggeringly low. Creates a feeling of hopelessness, should one become addicted or have a loved one hooked.

This is not a game we are playing with ourselves or our kids. Yet media and the industries profiting off of our use would have us believe it's no big deal. So I encourage you to arm yourselves with knowledge & protect yourself, protect the next generation from being manipulated to addiction. From allowing someone else or some substance to control their developing minds. (this includes the internet, media, entertainment, all things that effect our brain connectivity, but that's another blog...).

So here's MSN's article today on the top 5 prescribed drugs today. # 1 - Vicodin.

A narcotic painkiller tops Forbes' list of the most prescribed medicines.
By Matthew Herper, Forbes

The most popular medicine in the U.S. was prescribed 128 million times last year, even as a panel of experts called together by the Food and Drug Administration recommended that regulators ban it.

The drug is Vicodin, a 40-year-old addictive medicine that combines the narcotic hydrocodone with acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol; the prescription tally also includes numerous generic versions. It is emblematic of the trend that emerges from our look at the most popular prescription pills: the death of the blockbuster drug.

Forbes' list of the 15 most popular drugs comes from IMS Health, a company that tracks sales at the pharmacy level for drug companies. The list shows how medicine makers are rapidly losing their grip on the average consumer. Only one drug in the top 15, Pfizer's Lipitor, is a big-selling brand-name medication. The rest are cheap generic versions of one-time big sellers that have lost their patent protection and become commodities. Generic copies of Vicodin go for 30 cents a pill, compared to $4 per pill for Lipitor.

Vicodin is a drug that is crying out to be replaced. Vicodin has a supporting role on the television show House, M.D. because the protagonist, a Sherlock Holmes-like doctor, is hooked on it. It is particularly dangerous because when patients develop a tolerance for the narcotic they start taking too much. This can lead to liver failure from overdoses of the acetaminophen component of the combo. Most of the 400 deaths due to acetaminophen poisoning each year result from misuse of the Vicodin or similar drugs. Last June an FDA advisory panel recommended banning Vicodin. The FDA is still deciding whether to take this advice.

"People are taking this as if they're taking a strong Tylenol," says Michel Dubois, director of pain medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center. There's nothing wrong with Vicodin after a surgery or tooth extraction, he says, but it's being used too often by primary care physicians with "minimal training" in dealing with chronic pain. "It has been trivialized, and it's wrong to trivialize this strong a pain medication," he says.


The failure to replace Vicodin is not for lack of trying. Pfizer once hoped its painkiller Bextra could be an alternative. But in 2005 Bextra, a chemical cousin of Merck's Vioxx pill, was pulled from the market because it increased the risk of heart attacks and allergic skin reactions. Pfizer paid a $1.2 billion criminal fine last year for marketing Bextra for unapproved uses like dental pain. Other efforts to replace Vicodin have come up short. Vicodin-maker Abbott Laboratories worked for years on a delayed release formulation but has not been able to get it through the FDA.

The second most popular drug in the U.S. is generic Zocor, or simvastatin. The cholesterol-lowering drug was once Merck's biggest seller, but Merck lost its patent protection in 2006. Doctors prescribed it 83 million times last year. One reason: It is proven to save lives, and it costs only $1 a pill, far less than Lipitor.

Zocor used to play second fiddle to Lipitor but became more popular after it went generic and health insurers pushed it as a cheaper option. Merck, Pfizer and others tried to develop new types of cholesterol drugs with little success; the cholesterol drug market is now dominated by generics.

Lipitor still wracks up $7.5 billion in annual sales, more than any other drug but only ranks seventh by popularity, with 51.1 million prescriptions last year, down from 75 million in 2005. The second-biggest seller by dollar sales is the heartburn drug Nexium from AstraZeneca. But it is a lackluster No. 19 in popularity. Overall, only eight of the 50 most popular drugs are still branded, compared to 20 in 2003, IMS says; 75 percent of all prescriptions are for generic drugs.

The third most popular drug, with 81.3 million prescriptions, is the blood-pressure-lowering medicine lisinopril, which used to be sold under the brand names Zestril and Prinivil. Overall, six of the top 15 most prescribed meds are blood-pressure-lowering drugs. There are so many good generic blood pressure drugs that it is difficult for brand-name drugmakers to improve upon them.

The No. 5 drug, azithromycin, is the generic version of Pfizer's popular antibiotic Zithromax. It tallied 53 million prescriptions last year. Like Vicodin, it's a much maligned medicine whose popularity was once blamed on overmarketing. It's not being advertised to doctors or consumers anymore, but it's still overused.

Brand name drug companies are inventing fewer drugs—a third as many were approved in 2009 as in 1999—and the ones they are inventing aren't selling. The last good year for new medicines was in 2006. Drugs launched that year generated $1.2 billion in first-year sales, says IMS. In none of the years since have drugmakers come close to this figure.

Companies are responding by trying to focus on medicines they can sell to small numbers of people at a higher price for rarer diseases like cancer, multiple sclerosis and ultra-rare genetic diseases. Ironically, that may include the next big painkiller: an injected protein drug that blocks nerve growth. It is being developed by Pfizer and could hit the market in a couple years.

The Top 5:

Hydrocodone/acetaminophen (painkiller)
Simvastatin (high cholesterol)
Lisinopril (high blood pressure)
Levothyroxine (thyroid disorders)
Azithromycin (antibiotic)

What's Irritating You Today?

Yesterday I went on a run. I had been listening to various podcasts for the past few weeks during my runs. I was ticked yesterday. Ticked as only a wife and mother can be ticked. My podcasts on my iPod are in a different menu from my music. I have 4000 songs on my iPod (yes I need therapy). And probably half are not christian songs. So when my iPod suddenly "shuffled", even though it was not in shuffle mode, to this song, I knew God was telling me to let go of my human irritations and appreciate & KNOW what I have to be thankful for. I spent the remaining 45 minutes of my run, absolutely soaked from the downpour, thankful for the spray from the trucks as they roared by and smiling at my beautiful amazing daughter that ran along with me.

What is irritating you today? Is it truly going to matter should you find yourself or that loved one at the end of life suddenly? An hour of uplifting, praise music, removing ourselves from ourselves and out of the pit of pity, can change your perspective, put a smile of true joy on your face & in your heart and help you achieve something so deep & worthwhile today. I hope this encourages you. I love you all.

.33 Miles, Thank you

What if in morning when I wake up, Even before I fill my coffee cup
I said thank You.

What if I look at the day and the hours ahead, And before I move forward I bowed my head - And said thank You
Oh I said thank You

What if I looked at my life in a different way, Took a little more time to stop and pray. I know it would change all the moments in between
So here I go

Thank You for everything
Thank You for loving me
It don't even matter what tomorrow brings
Well I will sing my

Thank You for sun and rain
For what You give and take away
For all Your goodness I will always say
Thank You

What if I lost everything that I had, I could smile and somehow still be glad
And say thank You. Thank you

'Cause life is joy, life is pain, But the prayer on my heart will never change
I say thank You. Oh I'll say thank You.

Multiple Sarcasms:A review of a review

Today while standing in Tully's, waiting for my much needed caffeine fix, I glanced over at the TV, which was promoting a new movie "Multiple Sarcasms". The quick synopsis talks about a man, married to beautiful wife, with a beautiful daughter but finds himself - unhappy. He quits his job and starts to write about his sad life. The review says in the end, he loses his marriage to divorce but ultimately he's happier.

That set off a hail storm of thoughts within my head about the complete idiocy of this quick review. I imagine some tired guy standing there, working long hours each day, feeling mid life and "heck, I'm not happy either but this guy, he got a divorce and was happier in the end". Hmmm.

This particular morning, I stood there worn out. The 2nd day in a row that started with constant hasseling w/my son, who just cannot be reasoned with or disciplined enough out of his behavior when he's deep in the trench. Yet, I fight the good parenting fight, get a card out to the my step daughter, a card out to my husband for our anniversary, post a video, photo's to his FB site, kiss my children good bye, get myself presentable for the office, wear the appropriate heels to go with the appropriate pants, to go with the appropriate business attire. To get to work, to make a paycheck, to pay for the appropriate living expenses, to meet the daily obligations of just existing, let alone raising your children, other's children, figuring out our way too full calendar, fitting in the Women's meeting, bible study, prayer time to keep it all moving, still managing daily responsibility for others who have wandered down the path of self fulfillment. The past 2 weeks have been a bear of complications in our home, highly emotionally charged situations, that have caused sleepless nights and hours of conversation to work through. It's LIFE. That's how it goes sometimes. I am not bitter. And sometimes I'm weary. Like a great many of us.

And maybe a little grumpy. And maybe at times, when the rain is coming down in wet Seattle and the Evergreens are green, feeling a little "unhappy".

But this movie has the answer! A divorce! Because ultimately, your happiness is most important. Of course, the movie isn't based off of a woman, the mother, realizing how unhappy she is with her unhappy husband, quitting her job, writing about it & leaving her life. No. Because unfortunately, we live in a society where that's expected and TOLERATED from the fathers & husbands. It's okay for our kids to grow up without their fathers who have a mid life crisis. And the media promotes it.

I haven't seen the movie. I probably will. So maybe it's better than what I'm reading but the danger lies in this quick snippet review that leads one to believe - and plants a subliminal message that if your life makes you unhappy, walk away from it. Regardless of the devastation that occurs to those around you. Obviously the review doesn't mention the reality of a daughter, wounded beyond comprehension at finding out her father disliked their family & their life and chose his own satisfaction over the road he had already committed to. Maybe the wife was actually happier. Hmmm, that's some consideration. Now I'll have to watch it and find out.

It's just a review about a silly movie. I mean no one takes them seriously, right?

Love, Marriage & Stinking Thinking

Apologies & Boundaries

I often wondered WHY is it so hard for me to forgive? I mean, okay, I've been to the boundaries classes. I've been educating myself for years with church, media, self help stuff and even when I've processed, dealt, grieved, let go.... it rears it's ugly head and I'm left shaking my mind, saying "What the heck?! WHERE did that come from?!".

I mean, you all know, Matt & I have NEVER offended each other.... (Lying is a sin...) so we don't have any experience w/this "get over it already" mentality men carry -or the "20 years ago...." female mentality. (We did know each other 20 years ago, ha!)

His topic is forgiveness after affair but he comments that the wound doesn't have to be that egregious. It could be "anything" (joke joke, we are talking about women you know).

Mark Gungor:

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage

We were blessed this week with tickets to this marriage conference. We will be seeing this guy on Friday and Saturday. Here are some snippets from his message regarding marriage. It had Matt & I rolling last night. Especially the concept of the man's mental "nothing" box.

If your local to Kirkland/Seattle, here's the website for this Friday/Sat conference at The City Church:

http://www.strongerfamilies.org/

Here's the snippet Videos:

Men & Women's Brains:

http://www.laughyourway.com/events/2010/05/Kirkland-WA/

Men's Sex Drive:

"A man's sex drive peaks at the age of 18. And declines from there" (I thought "What!?" - see the diagram & don't fall off your chair laughing.

http://www.strongerfamilies.org/index.php?nid=79393&s=ms&grpid=5851&grpDetails=true

To see the following videos, click on the link above for "Men's Sex Drive" and when that video is finished playing, there will be a row of other topic videos you can watch him speak on.

How to Train A Man?:

Men are a long term project. They are not a quick fix. (crud...)

Love Marriage & Stinking Thinking (has Late Night w/Carson feel):

"There isn't a Christian station in the world that will put me on. Because I talk about any adult issue"

Can the effects of Porn be reversed?

"These idiots that are telling our kids that great sex can be had by porn - it is such a lie. It is destroying these young people's lives. It has the potential of ruining their sex lives forever. We need to warn our kids. There's a reason to stay away from this stuff. It is poisonous, destructive, not helpful."


Hope this blesses you today and brings a tear of laughter to your eye ;P
http://www.strongerfamilies.org/index.php?nid=79393&s=ms&grpid=5851&grpDetails=true

Rekindling the Romance, Part 1

This is a great FOTF broadcast. I hope it helps you reconnect to your own spouse today. Enjoy.

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/popups/media_player.aspx?LatestDaily=1

"We had 3 little girls, all practically in diapers. They were the focus of our lives. I was building my own practice which took time, Sandy focused on the kids. We really had lost it. We were not "in love", had lost our passion. We didn't get married for this but we loved the girls. We prayed. We put in boundaries, dating, playful things, I ... See Moreheld her hand - that brought back the passion. I opened the door - I hadn't done that in years, there was always some kid to take care of. It was like traveling on caravan, even with one kid. We weren't getting divorce but it wasn't a whole lot of fun by then."

"We were getting bored with each other. Like roommates, business partners, parents. That's not what I signed up for! I married the blond because she was gorgeous and the most wonderful person I'd ever met! As a person, great character, spiritual. She came first. The kids came next."

"We are losing christian marriages at an epidemic rate. 1 out of 2. Men in particular, in pursuit mode is a beautiful thing. She responds. Marriage. Hunt down, her heads on the wall, love dies. When men are pursuing, they are involved, passionate, and the woman is passionate back because she's made to be pursued her whole life. Men workaholic... See More. Focus on career. This is not what we're made for. If you lose your marriage, you're losing your relationship with God. The world says work yourself to death, go through 2 or 3 wives. Women focus on the kids but that has to be the case for awhile but I had lost her. All about the kids. No romance."

"Empty Nest divorces. Nothing left once the kids are gone. The enemy and the worlds lies are you're never gonna get it back. You're still sort of young, move on. I believe that you can get it back if you follow Solomon's example. Hang in there!"

"in the middle of having kids with needs, the home parent often feels like nothing left to give. Homework, activities, special needs. Sometimes it feels like you have to choose between marriage & kids. A challenge. It takes time & energy. You gotta be a team. Each spouse steps up & help with the outside career/kids/house (to give energy for romance). Teamwork."

King5: Charlene Sanders Story

Wow. I have to spread this story. I woke up this morning to the radio's news about this family in Pierce county, who posted an ad on Craigslist for a ring they were selling. A group of 4 people showed up at their house to see it and when they got in to the home, they started tying everyone up. As the father (43 years old) turned to protect his son, who was starting to take on the attackers, they shot & killed him. When I went on to King5 this morning, this video was on the front "page". I clicked it, thinking she was going to be talking about the attack and was surprised to hear her talking about her faith. I can feel the emotions that she is keeping in wrap and the need to focus on The Lord, the need to make her husbands ministry count and to not be beat down by these people that took her love. I was impressed that King5 actually posted the interview.

We take so many things for granted - like our time here on earth and we are so wrapped up in really unimportant irritants with each other as humans (I am presently very guilty of this), that a story like this - what would you do if you were facing the end of your life this very second? A sobering question that we ignore too much. Her very end comment about them being a blended family and now her husband's son, who came to live with them as a family, no longer has his parent. What a rendering this boy has in his soul, one the enemy delights in using to destroy another human. Thank God for loving people who surround this family in their need and support them as they process their loss. Thank God for her courage to say what she did to news reporters! :)

How I fell in love with a Fish: Dan Barber

TED.com - great site, quick video podcasts of all topics. This is one of our favorites and hit home with sustainability and what are we doing with our food???