text:
Methods to Battle Insomnia, and What Else Could Be Preventing
You From Getting Powerful Sleep
Have you ever had trouble falling asleep? Or perhaps you frequently wake up at
night and can't fall back asleep? As you may already know, my initial work deals with
helping people with chronic insomnia cure their sleeping disorder at
http://www.wonderfulsleep.com/. If you've ever suffered from Insomnia, you're about to get
a crash course on what causes it and how to deal with it. You'll also be able to use
this information to increase the quality of your sleep.
There are three types of Insomnia:
Type 1) Sleep Onset Insomnia
When you cannot go to sleep, and usually have to lie in bed from 30 minutes to 3-4
hours (or more) before you finally go to sleep, after much anxiety, stress, tossing and
turning. You usually wake up with a massive headache, feeling drowsy, or with your
whole body aching.
Type 2) Sleep Maintenance Insomnia
You go to sleep normally, but you wake up during the night, once or several times,
and you can't go back to sleep, or it takes a long time for you to go back to sleep.
Type 3) Sleep Disturbance Insomnia
You go to sleep normally, you sleep for a normal amount of time (7-8 hours for adults,
5-6 hours for the elderly), but you wake up un-rested, with a headache, aching,
feeling drowsy, dizzy, etc.
Most Insomniacs suffer from a combination of type 1 and 2, if you suffer from type 3,
you are most likely suffering from Sleep Apnea, or PLM (period limb movement), or
other underlying sleep disorders. Also, if you are pregnant it is very common to
experience type 3 Insomnia, especially in the last tri-semester of pregnancy.
You've already learned about what makes sleep and qualitative sleep possible. You
might already have an understanding as to why most people can't sleep, or sleep
poorly. You've also learned some basics about the conscious and subconscious
mind. What you'll learn here is that there's a very interesting mechanism that actually
prevents people with insomnia from sleeping!
Types of Insomnia
Short Term Insomnia
There are two types of Insomnia, short-term insomnia and chronic Insomnia. Short
term Insomnia IS quite common, everyone in their life suffers from Insomnia at some
point or another, and it is in reflect to the natural occurrences in our lives, stress,
family and relationship problems, finances. Depression, medical and health problems
are also very common causes of short term Insomnia.
Here's where the real important thing you must understand comes into play. For
most people, short term Insomnia lasts only a few days, afterwards their normal
sleep patterns return.
For others, that period never ends, short term Insomnia becomes a part of their daily
lives, perpetuated by the Insomnia Cycle Effect, which turns short term insomnia
Chronic Insomnia
If you have regular sleeping problems, then you have chronic Insomnia. Regular
drowsiness, headaches, depression, and low energy is now a daily part of your life,
falling asleep is pure torture. Don't worry, I've been there, and I know how it feels.
The Natural Sleep Response
What is the difference between someone with sleeping problems and someone who
can fall asleep easily?
The answer lies in the natural sleep response.
As you recall, the first stage of sleep is Stage 1 Sleep. It's in this stage that our brain
waves lower from beta waves to alpha and theta waves, and we enter an Alice in
Wonderland day dream stage that takes us deeper and deeper into sleep. For most
people this response is automatic after they lie in their bed for a few minutes, I call
this response the natural sleep response.
Most of the time, when we lay our head on that pillow, when we feel the warmth of
the blanket around us and close our eyes, our mind gets the signal and says: "Okay
guys! This is it! Sleep time... lower the heart rate, lower brain waves, we're going for
a riiiiiiiiideeee!." By now, if we simply get out of the mind's way and let it go on its
own, we will naturally enter Stage 1 sleep and proper sleep follows.
Chronic insomnia happens because of a diminished natural sleep response. It's
possible for your natural sleep response to be completely erased by a process called
"negative anchoring", this is how chronic insomnia develops. Usually people with
chronic insomnia also live a life-style that involves all the bad sleeping habits we've
talked about before, which makes sleep even harder to obtain, and when they do
sleep, the sleep is very unfulfilling.
We will not talk about chronic insomnia anymore in this book, however you can
download a great free e-book I wrote on the topic right at:
If you're like most people, then you've most likely had a time in your life when you
experienced short term insomnia. Something happened, and you couldn't sleep,
perhaps this went on for a few days or weeks at a time. What prevents us from
sleeping at these times? and how can we battle short term Insomnia?
Short term insomnia happens when our natural sleep response is interrupted, and
we can't enter Stage 1 sleep. Despite the fact that we're in bed and our eyes are
closed, our brain waves stay in the beta brain wave stage.
The Racing Mind
You're lying awake, and you can't sleep because your mind just won't stop thinking!
Why can't your mind just shut up!?
Actually, as this is happening, your inability to sleep is NOT the result of your racing
mind. It's actually the fact that you're lying awake that's making your mind race!
That's a pretty interesting concept isn't it? Haha… Okay, allow me to explain.
Our thoughts work in the same way as a snowball that's rolling down a hill. The snow
ball gradually gets bigger and bigger and bigger. Our thoughts work in a momentum
like fashion, meaning that when you apply focus to one thought, you usually keep
thinking about that thought, and that thought leads to other thoughts of that nature.
Wow? Make sense? Probably not, let me make it a bit clearer.
Don't Do this.
Don't picture a bright blue mini van driving down a long road with two trees on the
right side of it.
Did you picture what I just said? Naughty Naughty! Told you not to!
Ha! My point is, our mind works by continuously taking in data and processing it.
This process is often outside of your control. You cannot NOT think about a bright
blue mini van because whenever I mention it your mind has to picture a mini van to
even think about it. Often times our mind has a "mind of its own" and it will move in
directions without you being even aware of it. If what you're thinking about requires
too much conscious thinking, this prevents you from entering Stage 1 Sleep.
The Rule is:
"Wherever focus goes, thought flows."
Most of us are conditioned to just think about nothing when we go to sleep, our mind
naturally just shuts off after a while and we go into Stage 1 sleep. However, during
stressful times, our focus is entirely different, and our thoughts continue to flow in
very un-sleepy directions. Let me give you an example, suppose you're trying to
relax when you're a bit stressed...
Your thoughts:
Hmm.... It would be nice to just be in a big park right now.
With the birds,
and the bees.....
and all the happy little trees...
I'm walking in the park, lalala... Look, there's a bench in the park,
Lets sit on it....
Hey... I'm sitting.
You know... I sit like this all day in the office too...
I don't like my job, why on Earth did I choose to work there, what was I thinking?
You know, my boss is a real jerk.
I can't believe he assigned me that project.
Oh No! The deadline is in a few days!
What if I don't make it?
What will the people think of me in that conference room?
The Conference Room... There's a coffee machine in there.
I drink too much coffee.
I had all these goals for proper nutrition and I failed to keep up with them.
Why am I always a failure?
This is like that time in High School when I failed my exam.
High school - there was that girl in high school I really liked.
She didn't like me!
This feels so awful! Why didn't she like me!? Is something wrong with me?
WHY CANT I SLEEP?! There's got to be something wrong with me!
Our thoughts can easily turn from a walk in a park to re-living stressful situations
over and over again, simply because of this momentum concept. So what's the
It's simple: You must focus your attention on relaxing, and not trying to *FORCE*
sleep to come.
Of course, relaxing is a challenge for most people too...
Okay, ahhhhhhh,... time to relax.
Wow! This feels good.
Okay, I'll just turn my head to one side there.
Yup... Relax.
Hold on, Gotta move my arm... There...
Okay you know what, I think I like the other side better.
You know, relaxing is a bit harder than I thought
Why Can't I just relax?
Okay... Just Relax...
Again, often the momentum concept takes over and a simple adjustment of position
leads to hours of tossing and turning! We'll deal with how to combat tossing and
turning soon.
The answer lies in focusing all your attention on getting relaxed, and focusing your
imagination on something very pleasant, that you can easily enjoy, without having to
think about it. Your goal shouldn't be to fall asleep, but to simply relax. The reason
for this is simple: The more you focus on trying to fall asleep, the more frustrated and
stressed you will become about the concept of not falling asleep, this will push your
thoughts into a very negative direction. When you completely relax your mind and
body, your brain waves lower - this has been proven scientifically by doing studies
on meditation. As you know, lower brain waves lead to Stage 1 Sleep.
Another reason why a lot of people tend to think forever when they go to bed is
because they engage in very thought provoking activities during the evening, such
as entering arguments with other people or working on the computer. You should
always allow yourself to have a wind-down period before you go to bed.
There are many methods to relax your mind and body. In the bonus of this book you
will find a body & mind relaxation section to guide you through this process in a few
simple ways. For now, lets look at just a couple of methods to quiet your mind in
times that you can't fall asleep.
The Science of Counting Sheep - Alternatives That Work
Why does counting sheep NOT work?
Well, if you were to think about it... a horde of hyper active sheep sporadically
jumping over a fence isn't very calming to the mind! The whole concept is also
ridiculous, when's the last time you saw sheep jumping high in the air over a fence?
Sheep are naturally very lazy animals that spend most of their day eating and
sleeping. If you're HELL BENT on counting sheep, count a bunch of sleeping sheep
with a bunch of ZZzzs forming in bubbles around their heads, on a peaceful green
meadow, this should work better :o)
Here are a few better techniques to slowing down your thoughts, when your mind
just keeps racing.
Thheeee sllooowwwwwwwww mmeeeetthoooodddd
This technique works very well. What you do is hear your thoughts as if you were
saying them out loud, or if you're a more visual person, you can visualize your
thoughts as if they were being written on paper or on a screen right in front of you.
Afterwards, begin to consciously hear/see your thoughts as if they were being played
in slow motion.
So for example, if this was one of your thoughts:
My boss is such a jerk, I can't believe what he did last day at work, I can't believe I'm
working at that company, what was I thinking!
Once you notice you're thinking this way, stop, and replay the thought in your head
very slowly:
Mmyyyy boss, izzzz , suuuuch, aaaahhh, jeeeerrrkkk........ eeeeeyyeeeee, caaan't
After you replay the slowed down thought, you can play it over and over again even
slower, making it shorter and shorter every time, until it fades completely. ie:
My boss is such a jerk...
My boss is such a...
My boss is...
My bo.....
This method is very effective for two reasons:
1) It gives you something else to concentrate on rather than being frustrated.
2) It puts focus on relaxing your mind, which will drive your thoughts into a positive
direction, and prevent your thoughts from sporadically racing around everywhere.
As you try to do this, you will notice a little resistance from your mind, from time to
time thoughts will come racing into your mind. Simply apply the same technique to
them over and over again, and you will find yourself relaxed and asleep in no time.
The Chalk Board Method
This technique works well if you're a highly visual person. If your mind is racing, you
can visualize your thoughts as if they were being written on a black chalkboard at the
same time. Whenever a new thought arrives, for example:
Oh no, what am I going to wear tomorrow?
Visualize your slowly wiping the thought off the chalk board, leaving it completely
This method will have the same effect as the previous one.
Battling with Tossing and Turning
We've all had those nights that we just couldn't find the comfortable part of the bed
and spent hours tossing and turning till the break of dawn. Why does this happen?
Well, your desire to "toss and turn", really isn't the result of you not being comfortable,
it's the result of you not feeling relaxed. On a deeper feeling our mind wants us to
relax, but most of the times we interpret the message as "find a comfortable spot on
the bed." True relaxation comes from within you, and has to be triggered by your
inner thought process.
For example: You could be in a hammock on a hot summer day in Hawaii, but if
you're thinking about whether the stock market will rise or fall, and you've got a 100
million dollars on the line and it's REALLY bothering you, it won't matter what
position you're in that hammock, you won't relax!
If you're lying in bed and you get the urge to toss or turn, wait it out, you'll be
surprised how quickly it fades! When you get the urge to toss and turn, ask yourself
"How can I focus on something else right now to feel more relaxed?" As you lie there
for about 15 seconds, you'll be surprised at how the urge to toss and turn simply
fades, and you realize that all you really want to do is relax.
Understand that if you do start tossing and turning, it will not end with just ONE toss
or turn, because of the momentum effect, you will just keep tossing and turning till
the break of dawn!
Sometimes the urge to move is really intense, or maybe you really are in a very
painful position on your bed. If you absolutely MUST move, do it in this way:
1) Move, but move very slowly. Remember what it feels like when you wake up in the
morning and you're very sleepy, do you move very quickly then?
2) As you move very slowly, put a big bright smile on your face, and take a deep
Another reason why tossing and turning keeps us awake is because we do it very
quickly, and the more we do it, the more it agitates us! So do it very slowly, and
make sure to smile and breath deeply, you will feel the difference :-)
Sleep Restriction
Sleep restriction is perhaps the most powerful technique to battle short term
insomnia and chronic insomnia. The rule of sleep restriction is simple:
If you can't fall asleep and you lie awake in your bed for longer than 30 minutes, get
out of bed! Stay out of bed until you feel a tired sensation coming over you, and then
go back to bed.
This works because it interrupts your pattern of thinking. If you've been lying awake
in bed for longer than 30 minutes, your mind is racing, and you can't relax. Chances
are you're not going to suddenly get hit over the head and relax instantly. You've
simply created too much negative momentum and it's keeping you awake! This is
why getting up and out of bed is the best way to interrupt this. Getting out of bed is a
great way to clear your mind, and get the feeling of drowsiness back in you.
Sleep Restriction will also help restore proper bed associations (see below)
Poor Bed Associations
Have you ever had this happen to you?
It's the end of the day, and you feel tired... perhaps you're even yawning a little. You
get into your pajamas, turn off the light, climb into the bed, and all of a sudden you're
wide awake and you don't feel tired anymore?! This is a very common experience for
anyone with sleeping problems. It's a result of poor bed associations.
As we're going through our day, our minds link certain experiences to emotions or
states of mind, this happens without us even being aware of it. In hypnosis and NLP
(Neuro-Linguistic Programming) this is referred to as state anchoring.
An anchor is an experience, a taste, touch, smell, or sound that instantly recreates
an emotional state in your body. For example, do you have a favorite song that
makes you feel a certain way? As you're reading this, try to remember that song.
Doesn't it seem that whenever you hear the song those emotions just come flooding
right into you? This happens because at some point in time you heard that song for
the first time, at that point you were feeling that way, and those emotions became
anchored to that song.
Often when people can't sleep they try reading a book or watching TV in bed to
induce sleepiness, these actions actually make insomnia even worse. Not only does
watching TV keep your conscious mind awake and racing, it anchors feelings of
wakefulness to your bed. This gets your mind to associate that your bed is a place
where you "think," not sleep. This completely disturbs the natural sleep response.
Your bed should ONLY be used for sleeping and sexual activity, nothing else.
A lot of people use their bed and their bedroom for a variety of purposes. People
also tend to have heated emotional arguments with our spouse/significant other in
the bedroom, this is a huge no no, as you link major feelings of frustration to the bed!
(this isn't good in any way!)
Avoid using your bedroom as an office, a workout room, or a storage area. Stay off
your bed during the day, don't lie on the bed when you're talking on the phone, use
your bed only for sleeping or sex.
Taking a Warm Bath or Shower
Another reason why you may have trouble falling asleep at night is because your
body temperature simply isn't dropping! If this is the case, it could either mean:
You're not getting adequate sunlight or exercise during the day. Or... you simply
need less sleep! Stay awake longer and this won't be a problem :-)
If this problem still persists, you taking a hot shower before going to sleep can help
drop your body temperature, however, you must do this right. A lot of people have
conflicting opinions whether taking a hot shower or bath before sleep actually helps
you fall asleep.
If you take a hot bath or shower, you must take it at least 60-90 minutes before going
to sleep, not less. When you take a hot shower, your body temperature rises very
quickly. This is why you feel so refreshed and awake after a hot shower in the
morning. However, after this quick rise, the body temperature rhythm begins to fall
quickly in response after about 60 minutes. This is why we usually feel tired and
lethargic in the first hour in the morning (unless you exercise in the morning.) Most
people choose to battle this drop of body temperature with caffeine...yuck!
A hot bath or shower can help put you to sleep, only if you take it 60-90 minutes
before you sleep. If you try to sleep right after a hot bath or shower, chances are the
body temperature rise will make it harder.
The drop in body temperature is a natural trigger for your mind to relax your muscles,
lower your brain waves and enter Stage 1 Sleep.
Room Temperature
Your room temperature can also affect your sleep. It can affect your ability to fall
asleep, as well as the quality of your sleep.
If you currently sleep in a very hot or humid room, you may experience trouble with
sleeping deeply as your body will have difficulty lowering your body temperature.
Naturally your body temperature will not fall as quickly either and your natural sleep
response may be interrupted.
Studies show that falling asleep in a cool room with an easy atmosphere is much
easier than falling asleep in a hot environment. You also sleep more deeply when
you're in a cool environment.
Take this advice, but not to an extreme! Obviously, if turn your temperature down to
the point where you're FREEZING, falling asleep might be difficult, as your body tries
to raise your temperature in order to survive.
How Light Creates Insomnia
As you recall, melatonin is a hormone in your body which controls your sleep, and is
regulated in reaction to the amount of light available to you. Melatonin is produced
when you're exposed to darkness. The more melatonin in your body, the easier it is
to fall asleep and to sleep deeply. If you have too much light in your room while you
sleep, your melatonin levels will be affected!
Recent studies show that melatonin is even affected by light touching our skin, not
just coming into our eyes. This is why it's so important to sleep in total darkness, and
again, why you should GET MORE SUNLIGHT!
If you currently have a nightlight in your room, or sleep in a room with street light
seeping in through the windows, light could be making your sleep worse. Try to
change your environment so it's as dark as possible.
Sleeping Pills - The Death Rattle to the Sleep System
Sleeping pills are complete poison to your sleeping system. Sleeping pills often turn
short term insomnia into chronic insomnia.
During the mid 19th century the only type of sleeping pills available were
Barbiturates. These pills were very dangerous and only an over dose of about 10
was enough to kill you. Marilyn Monroe died of over-dosing on Barbiturates.
Currently there are about 4 different types of sleeping pills.
1) Benzodiazepines (commonly referred to as BZs)
2) Anti-Depressants
3) Over the Counter Drugs
4) Synthetic Melatonin
We will not go over the details of how these pills work, and the side effects of each
one as it would go beyond the scope of the ebook.
Sleeping pills may put a person to sleep; however, they have many side effects and
leave chemicals in your body which can stay in your blood for up to 6 days! The side
effects of these chemicals are often day-time drowsiness, nausea, blurred vision,
weakness, loss of appetite, and in some cases very frequent urination.
The National Institute of Health recommends that sleeping pills be prescribed to
patients for a maximum of 4-6 weeks as the body does become habituated to
sleeping pills after a few weeks, and they lose their effectiveness. However, most
doctors prescribe them for months! or in some cases even YEARS! Sleeping pills
perpetuate insomnia because they support the belief that insomnia is a "disease"
that has to be cured with pills. As you know by now, sleeping is an inner system that
is very easily corrected if you know the mechanics of it! The main reason why
doctors prescribe sleeping pills is because they simply don't want to deal with the
patient's sleeping problem, as most doctors only receive about 1 hour of training on
sleeping problems, prescribing pills seems like a very easy solution. Patients often
become psychologically dependant on the drugs and end up taking them for years;
enduring the side effects which make their lives more miserable than BEFORE they
had sleeping problems.
Most sleeping pills work by depressing the activity of the brain, and forcing lower
brain waves. Because of the nature of how sleeping pills work they deprive you of
deep sleep. While you may get a full 7 or 8 hours of sleep, the sleep will be of very
low quality, leaving you with side effects that can last for days.
Sleeping pills are completely detrimental to your sleep system, and your health! A
recent study by Dr. Daniel F. Kripke (M.D) of the University of California shows that
people who use sleeping pills regularly to induce sleep have a much higher mortality
(death) rate than people who don't.
You may get full details on this study right here: Click Here for a Complete Study of
Sleeping Pills
In conclusion, if you're currently using sleeping pills, get rid of them! Not only are
they depriving you of quality sleep, they are depriving you of your day-time energy!
It's a myth that you can take a sleeping pill to get quality sleep and feel energized the
next day.
One final note about pills: Never mix sleeping pills with alcohol, if you do, you
are risking your life!
Insomnia is a "Symptom," not a Problem
Insomnia is often mistakenly looked at as a "problem" that has to be solved, when in
fact it is simply a symptom of a weak sleeping system. If your sleeping system is
weak insomnia is very likely to occur, and the only way to cure it is by strengthening
your sleep system through using the methods in this book! Inversely, insomniacs
often have very unbalanced wakefulness systems as a result, which is why they
wake up many times during the night and have trouble falling back asleep. These
periods of nighttime awakenings usually happen at the end of a sleep cycle in Stage
2 Sleep. If someone has a weak sleep system it is very difficult for that person to
sleep deeply, therefore they experience a lot more Stage 2 sleep, and awakenings
are even more likely to happen. You can see how this results in an endless loop of
poor sleep and day-time fatigue!
In the next section, we'll wrap up all the information you've learned so far to create
your own Power Sleep plan, to increase the quality of your sleep, decrease your
sleeping time, and get way more energy in your life!
Section Summary
Take this short quiz to better learn and remember what you've just read.
1. The natural sleep response is...
a. A channel that comes with a recent HBO package on TV
b. A natural response that lowers brain waves, relaxes the body, and prepares us for
Stage 1 sleep.
c. A part of your subconscious mind.
d. A point in the day where your body temperature drops.
2. Short term Insomnia is...
a. A common effect of trauma in our lives.
b. A leading cause of death in America.
c. A great movie with Al Pecino.
d. A & C
3. Sleeping pills are detrimental to the sleep system because
a. They are expensive and the stress of having to spend money prevents deep
b. They work by limiting brain activity, thus depriving you of deep sleep.
c. They have long term negative side affects that make you drowsy and tired.
d. B & C
4. A sure way to battle insomnia is to
a. Watch TV or read a book in your bed.
b. Strengthen your sleep system and practice relaxation exercises instead of
focusing on forcing sleep to come.
c. Count hordes of hyper-active sheep jumping over fences.
d. Sleep on your back.
5. To minimize the chance of insomnia, you should always use your bedroom...
a. As an entertainment room for guests
b. As your office.
c. For sleep and sex only.
d. For settling very important arguments with people over the phone.
Friday, December 29, 2006
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Neuronal networks in the visual cortex integrate synaptic inputs to make complex outputs that underlie vision. Most studies of visual cortical function and development have focused exclusively on neurons. Astrocytes are a non-neuronal cell type in the brain that are at least as numerous as neurons and perform multiple metabolic and support functions. Astrocytes perform several functional roles that can affect the processing of sensory information, evidence for which can be found in the somatosensory cortex, olfactory bulb, and spinal cord. In the primary visual cortex, orientation tuning and regulation of response gain are critical features of vision. The mechanisms underlying these features involve interplay between excitation and inhibition to establish the response properties of a given neuron. I hypothesize that astrocytes contribute importantly to this interplay. Among their functions is the removal of neurotransmitters from the synapse during activity. One of the most influential transporter systems expressed by astrocytes is the glutamate transporter system, which removes synaptically released glutamate from the synaptic cleft to curtail the time course of transmission and reduce the activation of extrasynaptic receptors or adjacent synapses. This serves as a mechanism to reduce excitation that may be important in visual cortex function. Preliminary evidence suggests that glutamate transporters are a critical component in the maintenance of visual processing, as inhibition of transporters prolongs neural responses and broadens the orientation tuning of visual cortex neurons in vivo. Glutamate transporters are also critical to the development of brain circuits, with evidence existing for abnormal cortical development when there is either increased or decreased glutamate transport. Dysregulation of glutamate transporters has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. Therefore, studies into astrocytic regulation of extracellular glutamate could provide valuable insight into neuronal network development and function through glutamate transporters. This proposal details an experimental approach that utilizes electrophysiology and state of the art in vivo imaging techniques to determine the role of astrocyte glutamate transporters in visual cortex function and development. First, the effects of glutamate transporter inhibition on neuronal transmission in primary visual cortex of mice will be assessed using slice electrophysiology experiments. Second, the role of glutamate transporters in cortical development and experience-dependent plasticity will be investigated using the well- established paradigm of monocular deprivation and mice that are mutant for astrocyte transporter genes. Finally, in vivo imaging and electrophysiology will be used to examine how inhibition of glutamate transporter activity alters orientation tuning and response gain of visual cortex neurons. The combination of these methods will allow for a critical assessment of how astrocytes modulate neural activity through glutamate transporters and influence visual cortex development and processing.
Astrocyte glutamate transporter dysfunction has been implicated in a number of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism. By studying and understanding the role of astrocyte glutamate transporters during cortical development and in modulating network activity in the visual cortex, potential drug targets for treatment of glutamatergic signaling disorders.


text:
...there lived children that ate all healthy meals and snacks and never a HFCS product crossed their lips. Yep, that's far, far, far, far, far away from our life. But like any mom with more to do than I can possibly accomplish in say 50 years yet before they wake up tomorrow, I try.
When they were babies I breastfed them, because I could and it felt right. I made it about 6 months with each and pumped like a banshee to allow them to have it mixed with formula as long as possible. I even made all their baby food from scratch. That's right, no jars of Gerber for me. I did it because I felt that if they tasted the real thing, they might be more apt to continue to like all the various vegetables and be less prone to adversity to textures, plus the SAVINGS! I also love to cook, so since I already feel guilty that I don't spend time enough time with my kids, at least I was spending that time doing something good FOR them.
That said, Jack is terribly adverse to textures, while Duke will try just about anything (some cajoling required). Jack eats only raw carrots, Duke only cooked. Jack loves apples, Duke can't stand them but both will devour applesauce. Put a bratwurst in front of Duke, watch your fingers because he just keeps eating. Jack will ask for peanut butter sandwiches every day of the week, for Duke it's yogurt.
Honestly they are both pretty balanced eaters, except over the past year you would have thought a serving of vegetables was the equivalent of a hamburger placed in front of a vegan. I had all but given up that the only green item they would touch was edamame, simply because they like to "pop" them out of the shell until I saw a tweet about a month ago from @thatkristen.
No secret, I love me some bloggers, particularly of the Mommy persuasion that are also saavy writers. There are several I follow both on Google Reader for their blog content as well as Twitter, because they are SO.DARN.FUNNY! I even have a twitter list I've named "4 Sanity Sake" because they are what keeps me sane on many a day surrounded by all things work, hunting, fishing, basically...men. I know none of these women personally, but we share, well, life, and that's just fine by me.
So, back to the tweet. Somewhere in mid November I caught a flash of a tweet where she had miraculously convinced her preschooler son that Luke got his Jedi powers by eating his vegetables. Shortly there after there was this on her blog, Motherhood Uncensored. I've always thought she was one smart cookie but that put her at certifiably BRILLIANT. I mean the woman gave birth to her 4th child at home, and not on purpose and then wrote about it 5 DAYS LATER. Oh, and that 4th kid, ya, that's the 4th UNDER 6. Seriously she is amazing and now this is starting to become an obsessive post, so back to the vegetables.
At the same time I saw the tweet we were mid supper, the kids that is, daddy was gone and it was a night they ate at the kitchen island while I nibbled on leftovers. Again, nary a broccoli touched when I so very casually came out with, "You know guys, those powers Yoda has, with the finger fire and all, he gets that from green food." Being that my kids are slightly obsessed with everything Star Wars and Jack believes that Yoda is IT, I figured I'd take a shot.
"REALLY" wide eyed and so naive they are at this age.
The rest is history. In the last month I have been ASKED to make peas for dinner. And last Friday, LIMA BEANS, that's right every last one of them in the veggie mix, GONE.
And since that time, we've had Chewbacca food, Obi Wan food, Droid food, Darth Vader food. You name it, we'll eat it. As long as the guys on Star Wars do, it's good enough for them. Even at school Jack has started back on his green beans, telling his teacher in no uncertain terms that it's Yoda food and that's YUMMY!
So, enjoy tonights image from dinner "Grandma's" Chicken Nuggets and...notice anything missing? Yep, the peas, ate 'em first. And the faces - oh, that's the powers that the Yoda food gives you, to SCARE Mommy. I have to do a little ducking and weaving behind the island, but worth every vitamin these two are scarfing down these days!
Kristen, this one's for YOU!


text: (The Day Ahead is an email and PDF publication that includes the day's major stories and events, analyses and other features. To receive The Day Ahead, Eikon users can register at . Thomson One users can register at RT/DAY/US. All times in ET/GMT) A survey of private sector hiring should provide a glimpse of the health of the U.S. job market last month, ahead of the U.S. Department of Labor's broader employment report. Private employers likely continued to add jobs for the 58 straight month in December. The payrolls processor ADP's National Employment Report is expected to report that private employers added 226,000 jobs in December, up from 208,000 in November (0815/1315). Separately, the U.S. Commerce Department will issue international trade data for November (0830/1330). Meanwhile, Mortgage Bankers Association releases its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity (0700/1200). Monsanto Co., the world's largest seed company and purveyor of genetically altered seeds and Roundup herbicide, issues its first-quarter earnings report along with an update on its research and development pipeline. Some analysts have recently downgraded Monsanto shares fearing a sizable drop in earnings - perhaps as much as 50 percent - and a flat second quarter. The company also faces increasing competition and accelerating consumer push-back against genetically engineered crops. Many analysts are keen to know how quickly the St. Louis-based company is advancing key new product lines and business platforms, including a farm data system. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans participates in conversation on the "Role and Impact of Monetary Policy in an Uncertain Economy" with Lars Peter Hansen of the University of Chicago (1730/2330). The Federal Open Market Committee will release the minutes from its December policy meeting (1300/1800). Eli Lilly and Co, whose earnings have been battered in the past three years by competition from generic medicines, plans to present its 2015 earnings guidance, weeks before the U.S. drugmaker announces fourth-quarter and full-year 2014 results. Wall Street expects Lilly's earnings to grow by more than 15 percent next year, when no new major generic threats loom, and new medicines for cancer, diabetes and other conditions are expected to bolster results. An independent committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to make a recommendation on Novartis' application to market a copycat version of Amgen's biotech medicine, Neupogen, to patients with low white blood cell counts. The panel takes into account the staff review released by the FDA on Monday. The Swiss drugmaker's generics arm, Sandoz, already sells a so-called biosimilar version of the drug in over 40 other countries, but the United States has been slower than other markets to establish a regulatory framework for biosimilars. Statistics Canada releases November trade balance data. Canada's trade surplus shrank to a smaller-than-expected C$99 million the month before as imports outpaced export growth (0830/1330). Separately, Ivey Purchasing Managers Index data is scheduled to be released for the month of December (1000/1500). European Union's statistics office Eurostat releases flash inflation data. Euro zone inflation is seen turning negative for the first time since 2009, boosting expectations that the ECB will carry out quantitative easing (0500/1000). Separately, the Bank of England holds a two-day Monetary Policy Committee meeting and is expected to announce interest rate decision on Thursday. (Compiled by Sourav Bose in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)


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Research 2000 and ARG just released two of Massachussetts's final polls - if not the final polls. ARG found a 7% lead for Brown (52% to 45%), up 4% from where he was just last week. Research 2000, meanwhile, found… a tie: Scott Brown and Martha Coakley receive 48% apiece, a testament to how unpredictable the contest remains heading into Election Day. While at this point any poll that doesn't have Brown ahead is a relief for Democrats, I don't have to tell you that even that survey is rough for Coakley: Just last week, Research 2000 found her ahead by 8%, which makes this yet another poll to found stunning momentum for the Republican.
Yet, Research 2000 also confirms the hypothesis I enunciated this morning, as an update to last night's post: Coakley performs better in polls that include Libertarian nominee Joe Kennedy, who will be on the ballot tomorrow. Pajamas Media and PPP, which gave Brown large leads yesterday, did not include Kennedy at all; surveys that have the race within the margin of error do include Kennedy, who for instance receives 3% in Research 2000. There's every reason to believe that Kennedy is drawing his voters from the conservative camp, so if the race is close his presence on the ballot could allow Coakley to shave off a few points off Brown compared to PPP's survey. (ARG's website appears to be down, so I cannot determine whether they included him.)
It's hard to think of anything but Massachussetts, but let's try to do just that: Over the past week, there was so much news to cover that I ignored an avalanche of polls, to which I'll now get to. Now that we've entered 2010, there will be more and more surveys released weekly - even daily - so I will obviously not attempt to cover each one in as much detail as I did over the past year; I will however start with polls that are testing election we've seen little data on. Today, those consist in 3 House districts and 2 Western Governor's races.
(Yes, this is a fairly long post… but I let polls accumulate without covering them for more than a week, so I wanted to get to them all at once to make sure I can focus on Massachussetts and other important news after this!)
Three House races find mixed results for Dems
NC-08: PPP managed to find a freshman Democrat from a swing district with solid standing! In NC-08, a district that swung from Bush to Obama, not only does Rep. Larry Kissell have a strong approval rating (45% to 30%), but he displays no sign of vulnerability in three match-ups against his challengers, leading Lou Huddleston 55% to 37%, Tom D'Annunzio 54% to 38%, Hal Jordan 55% to 39% and Harold Johnson 53% to 39%. Sure, none of these Republicans have much name recognition, but consider all the polls we have seen recently in which incumbent Democrats have struggled to mount any sort of lead against unknown opponents. Yet, not only is Kissell up big but he's also topping 50%.
ND-AL: The DCCC is relieved Rep. Earl Pomeroy decided to seek re-election, but it doesn't mean he is a shoo-in to win another term. A new poll by Research 2000 finds him solidly ahead of all of his competitors Kevin Cramer and Duane Sand, but he fails to clear 50% against either. (He's ahead 46-24 and 47-22, respectively.) This is all the more problematic when you consider that Republicans are 5 times more likely to be undecided than Democrats, so the GOP candidates have a lot of room to grow once they introduce themselves, and the NRCC especially has hope in Cramer (North Dakota Public Service Commissioner). In short: Pomeroy has a good standing and he is clearly favored to win re-election, but he is not safe.
OH-01: If Kissell and Pomeroy look strong, Rep. Steve Driehaus is sinking according to a SUSA poll commissioned by FiredogLake. We already knew that this freshman Democrat was one of the most endangered of the cycle (he is facing a rematch against the Republican he ousted in 2008, and OH-01 is a district with a substantial African-American population, so a drop in black turnout compared to the past cycle would be particularly hurtful to his chances), but SUSA's numbers are uglier than even optimistic Republicans surely expected: Driehaus trails 39% to 56% for former Rep. Steve Chabot. I don't need to tell you the odds that an incumbent who trails by 17% might win re-election. (Coincidentally, this is the same exact margin SUSA found against Rep. Vic Snyder on Friday.)
An unexpected Dem opportunity in UT, door is closing in OK
Utah: Democrats were excited at Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Coroon's decision to challenge Governor Herbert, and a Deseret News poll confirms that Coroon could make the race well-worth watching: Herbert leads 48% to 35%, down from his 56-32 lead back in November. There's no question that Herbert is heavily favored, but Coroon does represent one third of the state's population in a capacity that ensures he is a visible presence. At the very least, Coroon's presence on the ballot could help Democrats ensure that Rep. Jim Matheson isn't a victim of any potential red wave.
Oklahoma: Whatever Oklahoma's staunchly conservative status, Democrats had enough of a bench they were expecting to mount a highly competitive bid to defend the state's governorship. (Governor Henry is term-limited.) Yet, a Tulsa News poll finds that Lieut. Gov. Jari Askins and Attorney General Drew Edmonson are no match for Rep. Mary Fallin; despite their strong favorability rating (Edmonson's stands at 51-31), they trail the Republican 52% to 36% and 51% to 39%, respectively. A former Lieutenant Governor, Fallin is well-known and popular (54% to 29%). Democrats shouldn't entirely give up, but the race most certainly leans Republican.
Connecticut and North Dakota won't be competitive
From the moment Senators Byron Dorgan and Chris Dodd retired two weeks ago, we have known that the races to replace them are unlikely to be competitive. Three new poll confirm that John Hoeven and Richard Blumenthal are very heavily favored to be sworn into the Senate come January 2011.
North Dakota: Richard 2000 finds Hoeven leading 56% to 32% against Ed Schulz, 55% to 34% against former AG Heidi Heitkamp and 56% to 32% against Jasper Schneider. Sure, Hoeven's lead doesn't quite reach "overwhelming" status, but looking at the internals it's hard to see a path to victory for whoever Democrats nominate: There are few undecideds, including among Democratic voters; Hoeven enjoys near unanimous support among Republicans; and he has daunting leads among independents.
Connecticut: We've already seen a few surveys displaying Blumenthal's dominance, but over the past 5 days Quinnipiac and Research 2000 both released surveys confirming it. In Research 2000, Blumenthal leads Rob Simmons 54% to 35%, Linda McMahon 56% to 34% and Peter Schiff 56% to 33%. In Quinnipiac, whose brutal numbers for Dodd were as responsible for driving the narrative of his doom than those of any other pollster, his leads are gigantic: 62% to 27% against Simmons, 64% to 23% against McMahon, 66% to 19% against Schiff. Everything can happen if Democrats aren't careful (see neighboring Massachussetts), but Blumenthal isn't Martha Coakley.
CO, NH, NV, OH: 4 key Senate races, 7 rough polls for Senate Democrats.
Ohio: Democrats led this open race for much of 2009, but Rasmussen's new poll is its second in a row to find Rob Portman has grabbed the edge. He leads Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher 44% to 37% and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner 43% to 40%. These numbers are very interesting because the Democratic establishment holds Fisher to be a stronger candidate; yet, Portman increased his lead against Fisher whilelosing ground against Brunner! Overall, then, the two parties are roughly where they were in early December.
Colorado: This week, we received three surveys testing Colorado, which until this week an underpolled state:
- Rasmussen has by far the worst set of results for Democrats: Senator Michael Bennet trails former Lieut. Gov. 49% to 37%, and he's also behind lower-profile Tom Wiens (44% to 38%) and Ken Buck (43% to 38%). Former Speaker Andrew Romanoff trails Norton and Wiens by the same margin but is only behind Buck by 1%.
- In response to these ugly numbers, Bennet released an internal poll, which might have found better results but he is still behind Jane Norton, 43% to 40%.
- Finally, just this afternoon Research 2000 released the best news Bennet has received in quite some time: Bennet leads Norton 40% to 39%, Buck 41% to 38% and Wiens 42% to 38%; Romanoff trails Norton by 2% but leads Buck and Wiens by 1% and 2%.
There is quite a lot of disparity between these three surveys, and Bennet's camp will be delighted that he finally manages a lead in a poll - even if it's well within the MoE. That said, it is clear from all of these surveys that Bennet is stuck at 40% - a dismal place for an incumbent to be, even an appointed one. Colorado remains a major problem for Democrats.
New Hampshire: Another tough Rasmussen poll, since it shows that what once looked like a Democratic-leaning open seat might now be leaning Republican: Attorney General Kelly Ayotte leads Rep. Paul Hodes 49% to 40%. (This is roughly the same margin Rasmussen found in September.) Hodes does led lower-profile Republicans Ovide Lamontagne and Bill Binnie 45% to 38% and 43% to 37%, respectively. This is
Nevada: With everyone now aware that Harry Reid is one of the Democrats' most vulnerable senators, there's been speculation that the party might try to convince him to pull a Chris Dodd, as in retire for the good of the party. But a new poll released last week revealed that Democrats don't have a Blumenthal-like savior:
- PPP found Harry Reid trailing Sue Lowden 51% to 41% and Danny Tarkanian 50% to 42% - very ugly margins for a longtime senator against second-tier challengers. Yet, the Republicans enjoy similar margins against other Democrats! Rep. Shelly Berkley trails by 8% against both; Rose Miller trails by 10% and 11%, respectively. Only Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman manages to stay on an equal footing: he ties Tarkanian at 41%, leads Lowden 42% to 40%.
- If PPP's numbers were ugly, how can we describe Rasmussen's? Here, Reid is crushed Lowden 48% to 36% and Tarkanian 50% to 36%! He manages to stay close to former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, but even here he's stuck at 40%, trailing 44% to 40%.
If polls showing other Democrats doing better than Reid started piling up, the party could hope to convince him to retire; but PPP's survey cuts that hope short (Research 2000 will also soon release a similar poll), which allows Republicans to feel increasingly confident about picking-up Nevada.
OH, NV and MA: 3 key Governor's races, three tough polls for Dems
Ohio: If Ted Strickland started 2009 as the clear favorite, he starts 2010 trailing former Rep. John Kasich. Rasmussen finds him trailing 47% to 40%, which is actually a 2% improvement over December's numbers. Other surveys have found a closer race, but there's no question that Strickland is in for a very tough battle.
Nevada: Rory Reid is in as much trouble as his father, only the position they're vying for is different. Sure, Reid manages to lead incumbent Governor Jim Gibbons 43% to 36% in Mason Dixon's poll, but considering that Gibbons is even more unpopular (his favorability rating is 18% to 53%) than David Paterson that doesn't mean much; the favorite to win the Republican nomination, Brian Sandoval, crushes Reid 53% to 31%! In a three-way race involving Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who is considering running as an independent, Sandoval and Goodman are close (35% to 33% for the former), with 20% for Reid. There's no mystery as to why: Reid's favorability rating is 25% to 35%, Goodman's 43-15 and Sandoval's 36-5. Hard to explain Reid's numbers by anything but his last name.
Massachussetts: Two new polls confirm that Martha Coakley isn't the only struggling Massachussetts Democrat:
- PPP shows that Governor Deval Patrick has a dismal approval rating of just 22%. In three-way races involving Treasurer Tom Cahill (as an independent) and one of his 2 Republican opponents, Patrick is ahead but he receives less than 30% (!) and leads whoever is in second place by just 2% or 3%. In both match-ups, the 3 candidates are within 8%.
- The Boston Globe poll is more favorable to Patrick: His favorability rating is a bad but not horrendous 39/50 and his leads over Cahill are a bit larger. If the GOP nominee is Charlie Baker, Patrick receives 30, Cahill 23% and Baker 19%; if the GOP nominee is Mihos, the numbers are 32, 23 and 19 for Mihos.
Much will depend on how Cahill positions his campaign. A former Democrat, he has been inching closer to the right since announcing he would run as an independent, for instance asking a conservative Republican state legislator to join his ticket.
Democrats' silver lining is definitely Connecticut
Not only did Chris Dodd's retirement all but guarantee Democrats will save Connecticut's Senate seat, but Research 2000 shows they can look forward to in the Governor's race - and also the 2012 Senate contest. Susan Bysiewicz, who just dropped out of the race last week, was in a very strong position: she led Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele 52% to 33%, Tom Foley 51% to 35% and Mark Boughton 52% to 32%. But the Democrats left in the race look solid as well: Ned Lamont leads 46-36, 46-37 and 46-34 while Dan Malloney is up 44-35, 43-37 and 44-34, respectively.
Research 2000 also tested the 2012 Senate race. In a two-way general election match-up between Joe Lieberman and Chris Murphy, the representative leads the independent senator 45% to 26% - it's quite stunning to see such a longtime senator fail to receive more than a quarter of the vote. Not only does Murphy crush Lieberman among Democrats (71% to 20%), but also among independents (41% to 22%). Democrats might fear a lot of losses in 2010, but at least Lieberman looks to have too low support to have much hope to win re-election in 2012.


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A few weeks ago, I saw this question on Stackoverflow, asking how to integrate a Form Wizard with the Django admin. Although there's an accepted answer, it doesn't include any code, and doesn't appear to take advantage of Django 1.1 features (more on these later), which make integrating custom views with the admin much easier and more seamless. I thought I'd share my solution here, in case there's others out there asking the same question. You can download the source code for this example, if you'd like to follow along.
For our example, we'll develop a wizard to add employers to a database, for a fictional recruitment application. Adding an employer will be a three-step process:
- First, choose a username and password, which the employer will use to login. Make sure to verify the password, by entering it twice.
- Enter the name and email address of the contact person for this employer.
- Enter the company's name, description, address and website URL.
Clicking on "add new" on the employer changelist page, should display the wizard, rather than the default form .
A number of features I mention are specific to Django 1.1 — if you're already using 1.1, great! If not, maybe this'll give you one more reason to upgrade? I sure hope so. I'll assume you already have a functional installation of Django; head over to the docs if you need help setting up Django. I'll also assume you know how to start a Django project — there's plenty of introductory tutorials out there, including this one in the Django docs.
All set? Well, let's get started then.
Step 1: Setup
- Create a new Django project and add a new app to it (We'll call it "testapp"). Add the app to INSTALLED_APPS in your settings.py. Also, add "django.contrib.admin" to INSTALLED_APPS.
- Configure the DATABASE_* settings for your database of choice — I'll be using SQLite.
- Add the path(s) to the folder where you'll store your templates in TEMPLATE_DIRS
- Edit the main Urlconf, and follow the comments in it to enable the admin urls.
- Run "syncdb" to create the database tables, then "runserver" to start the development server.
Done? On to step 2 then.
Step 2: Create the model
Next, we'll create the Employer model. Save the code below as "testapp/models.py" (move your mouse over the code below, and click the "copy to clipboard" link, then paste into a new file):
from django.db import models from django.contrib.auth.models import User class Employer(models.Model): user = models.OneToOneField(User) company_name = models.CharField(max_length=60) company_description = models.TextField(blank=True) address = models.TextField() website = models.URLField(verify_exists=False, blank=True) class Meta: ordering = ('company_name',) def __unicode__(self): return self.company_name
Pretty simple stuff. We'll store the login and contact information for an employer in the User table, and the company information in the Employer table. Next, we'll create our forms.
Step 3: Create the forms
We'll need three forms for our wizard, one for each step of the employer creation process. Here's the code (save as "testapp/forms.py"):
from django import forms from django.forms import fields, models, widgets from django.contrib.auth.models import User from django.contrib.auth.forms import UserCreationForm from django.contrib.formtools.wizard import FormWizard from django.utils.encoding import force_unicode from testapp.models import Employer class ContactForm(forms.Form): first_name = fields.CharField(max_length=50, label="Contact's first name") last_name = fields.CharField(max_length=50, label="Contact's last name") email = fields.EmailField(label="Contact's email address") class EmployerForm(models.ModelForm): class Meta: model = Employer exclude = ('user',)
For the first step in the wizard, we'll reuse the UserCreationForm from django.contrib.auth.forms. The ContactForm and EmployerForm handle the second and third steps, respectively. So far, this is all pretty basic forms stuff; if any of this is new to you, you really should check out the forms documentation.
Next, we'll create our wizard. A wizard is simply a subclass of django.contrib.formtools.wizard.FormWizard, which defines a "done" method, specifying what action to perform once all the wizard's forms have been submitted; the actual forms are passed as a list to the subclass's constructor. Once you've created an instance of your wizard, you can use it in a Urlconf, just like any other view (remember, a view doesn't have to be a function — it just has to be callable).
We'll create the wizard below the other forms:
class EmployerCreationWizard(FormWizard): @property def __name__(self): return self.__class__.__name__ def done(self, request, form_list): data = {} for form in form_list: data.update(form.cleaned_data) # First, create user: user = User( username=data['username'], first_name=data['first_name'], last_name=data['last_name'], email=data['email'] ) user.set_password(data['password1']) user.save() # Next, create employer: employer = Employer.objects.create( user=user, company_name=data['company_name'], address=data['address'], company_description=data.get('company_description', ''), website=data.get('website', '') ) # TODO: Display success message and redirect to changelist. create_employer = EmployerCreationWizard([UserCreationForm, ContactForm, EmployerForm])
The code above should be mostly straightforward — we create an instance of User, save it, then pass it to the "create" method of the Employer model (well, strictly speaking, it's the Employer model's manager). Notice we call "set_password" on the User instance to handle the password hashing stuff for us.
We also define a "__name__" property on the wizard. We do this because I've noticed a number of Django decorators raise an AttributeError when you use them to decorate an instance, complaining they can't find __name__ (Python instances don't have a __name__ property, though functions and classes do). Since we'll be decorating our wizard instance in a moment, we provide the __name__ property, so everyone's happy.
See the #TODO at the end? We'll be adding code to handle that in a moment. First, though, a small detour to register our Employer model with the admin.
Step 4: Register the Employer model with the admin
Now things start to get interesting. We'll take advantage of two Django 1.1 features, to integrate the create_employer wizard with the admin:
- The "ModelAdmin.get_urls" method returns the URLs to be used for a ModelAdmin subclass in the same way as a Urlconf; because of this, you can easily add new urlpatterns to your ModelAdmin subclass.
- The "ModelAdmin.admin_site.admin_view" wrapper can be applied to any view, to mark it as an admin view. Each time the view is accessed, it checks the current user's permissions and redirects to the login page, if necessary. It also marks the wrapped view as non-cacheable, by default (in effect, admin_view is equivalent to applying the staff_member_required and never_cache decorators).
Here's the code for our ModelAdmin subclass; save this as "testapp/admin.py":
from django.conf.urls.defaults import url, patterns from django.contrib import admin from django.utils.encoding import force_unicode from django.utils.functional import update_wrapper from testapp.models import Employer from testapp.forms import create_employer class EmployerAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin): def get_urls(self): def wrap(view): def wrapper(*args, **kwds): kwds['admin'] = self # Use a closure to pass this admin instance to our wizard return self.admin_site.admin_view(view)(*args, **kwds) return update_wrapper(wrapper, view) urlpatterns = patterns('', url(r'^add/$', wrap(create_employer), name='testapp_employer_add') ) urlpatterns += super(EmployerAdmin, self).get_urls() return urlpatterns admin.site.register(Employer, EmployerAdmin)
There's a few things to note in the above code:
- We bind the create_employer wizard to the pattern '^add/$', which is the same pattern used by ModelAdmin.add_view; since our urlpattern appears before the default patterns, we've effectively overriden the default add view.
- We define a decorator "wrap", which applies the admin_site.admin_view wrapper to our wizard, and calls "update_wrapper" on the wrapped function to preserve its name and docstring.
- We pass a reference to the current ModelAdmin instance to the wizard; this allows us access to the admin from within the wizard's methods.
If you browse to the admin add view for the employer (if you're using the development server defaults, your URl should look like: http://localhost:8000/admin/testapp/employer/add/), you should get a TemplateNotFound error. Let's create a template, so we can see how everything looks.
Step 5: Create a template
By default, the wizard looks for the template "forms/wizard.html". You can change this by overriding the "get_template" method, but we'll use the default for now. Save the HTML below as "templates/forms/wizard.html" (assuming your TEMPLATE_DIRS in settings.py includes "templates"):
{% extends "admin/change_form.html" %} {% load i18n %} {% block content %}
 <form {% if form.form.is_multipart %}enctype="multipart/form-data" {% endif %}method="post" action="" id="{{ opts.module_name }}_form">
 {% if form.form.errors %}
 {% blocktrans count form.form.errors|length as counter %}Please correct the error below.{% plural %}Please correct the errors below.{% endblocktrans %}

 {% for error in form.form.non_field_errors %}
{{ error }}
{% endfor %}
 {% endif %} {% for fieldset in form %} {% include "admin/includes/fieldset.html" %} {% endfor %} <input type="hidden" name="{{ step_field }}" value="{{ step0 }}" /> {{ previous_fields|safe }}
 <input type="submit" value="{% ifequal step step_count %}Finish{% else %}Next »{% endifequal %}" class="default" name="_save" />

 </form>
 {% endblock %}
Now go back to the admin add view for employer and hit refresh.
What happened to the breadcrumbs? The page title? The form??
Don't despair though…the hard part's over. Go on and take a break — stretch, get coffee, grab a snack, talk to another human being.
Back already? You're pretty quick. Let's fix the template now, shall we?
Step 6: Putting things in Context
As you've probably figured out by now, our template context is a few variables short. From the ModelAdmin source code (somewhere around line 772 in "django/contrib/admin/options.py"):
context = { 'title': _('Add %s') % force_unicode(opts.verbose_name), 'adminform': adminForm, 'is_popup': request.REQUEST.has_key('_popup'), 'show_delete': False, 'media': mark_safe(media), 'inline_admin_formsets': inline_admin_formsets, 'errors': helpers.AdminErrorList(form, formsets), 'root_path': self.admin_site.root_path, 'app_label': opts.app_label, }
We can safely ignore a number of these (such as "is_popup", "show_delete" and "inline_admin_formsets"), but the others need to be present for the template to render correctly. Fortunately, the FormWizard provides a solution: the "parse_params" method.
According to the docstring, parse_params is a "hook for setting some state, given the request object, and whatever *args and **kwargs were passed to __call__()". Remember the "admin" keyword argument we passed in get_urls? That gets passed along to parse_params, where we can extract it, and use it to populate FormWizard.extra_context. Add the code below to the EmployerCreationWizard in "testapp/forms.py":
def parse_params(self, request, admin=None, *args, **kwargs): self._model_admin = admin # Save this so we can use it later. opts = admin.model._meta # Yes, I know we could've done Employer._meta, but this is cooler :) self.extra_context.update({ 'title': u'Add %s' % force_unicode(opts.verbose_name), 'current_app': admin.admin_site.name, 'has_change_permission': admin.has_change_permission(request), 'add': True, 'opts': opts, 'root_path': admin.admin_site.root_path, 'app_label': opts.app_label, })
Go to the employer add view again and hit refresh…much better. Our title now shows up, and breadcrumbs work. But what is up with our form?
It turns out that the "form" our template expects isn't an instance of "django.forms.BaseForm", but rather an instance of "django.contrib.admin.helpers.AdminForm". What we need is to convert our BaseForm instance to an AdminForm instance. Again, the FormWizard comes to the rescue, by providing the "render_template" method. Add the code below to the EmployerCreationWizard, below parse_params:
def render_template(self, request, form, previous_fields, step, context=None): from django.contrib.admin.helpers import AdminForm # Wrap this form in an AdminForm so we get the fieldset stuff: form = AdminForm(form, [( 'Step %d of %d' % (step + 1, self.num_steps()), {'fields': form.base_fields.keys()} )], {}) context = context or {} context.update({ 'media': self._model_admin.media + form.media }) return super(EmployerCreationWizard, self).render_template(request, form, previous_fields, step, context)
The AdminForm constructor takes a form instance, a list of fieldsets and a dictionary of prepopulated fields. We pass it the form instance passed to render_template, a single fieldset comprising all the fields in the form, and an empty dictionary (since we don't care about the prepopulated fields). Next, we update the supplied context with the form media, then pass both the form and the updated context to the superclass render_template.
Go to the add view once more, and hit refresh. Sweet, eh?
Step 7: Wrapping up
Remember that #TODO in EmployerCreationWizard.done? Let's fix that now. Replace the #TODO line with the following lines:
# Display success message and redirect to changelist: return self._model_admin.response_add(request, employer)
That's it, we're done. Go on over to the add view and try adding a couple of employers.
I hope someone out there finds this useful. If you've got other tips for integrating custom views with the admin, share them in the comments (or, post a link to an article you wrote on your blog).


text:
Welterweight Paul 'Semtex' Daley Released from Strikeforce Contract
Paul Daley and Strikeforce have parted ways, according to a release from the British fighter's representatives at Fight Management Limited.
According to the heavy-handed welterweight, Daley's release was due in part to his desire to fight more frequently.
"I'm happy that Strikeforce has granted my request to be released from their roster as I found it difficult to fight so infrequently," Daley stated in a release. "My whole career, I've wanted to fight as often as possible, as it keeps me in the best form and condition."
The news comes on the heels of Daley's split-decision defeat to former Pride Fighting Championships talent Kazuo Misaki, who edged "Semtex" in a March 3 unanimous decision at Strikeforce "Tate vs. Rousey."
Daley exits the organization following three consecutive losses for the Zuffa-owned promotion. The Team Rough House fighter earned his last Strikeforce victory in December 2010, when he demolished Scott Smith with a vicious left hook. Defeats to Nick Diaz, Tyron Woodley and Misaki would follow, though Daley did post a pair of victories over Jordan Radev and Luigi Fioravanti last year outside the six-sided Strikeforce cage. Known for his punching power, Daley has earned 20 of his 29 career wins by knockout.
"I felt that I put on nothing but entertaining fights while at the organization. The knockouts of [Duane] Ludwig and Scott Smith were some great memories for me, as well as the back-and-forth fight of the year I had with Nick Diaz," said Daley. "My manager has already started speaking to some promotions about my future today following the official release papers from Strikeforce, and I'm looking forward to the next part in my journey."


text:
Sharla Tilley spends most of her time with her crazy six year old and her awesome husband. She is a writer, storyteller, actress, speaker, starter of projects, and rabid chocolate fan who prays daily that she's not too distracted by every shiny squirrel to follow the path that God has for her.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Grace: Give as Good as You Get - A Guest Post by Sharla Tilley
3 comments:
Forgiveness was hard(er) until I had kids. I wanted to show them unconditional love and not hold grudges against them. That's not to say that it still isn't hard, but the desire to extend grace to them is there more with my kids then with any one else. It's the adults who wrong me that I have a harder time forgiving...the wrongs seem to personal (whether they are or not). Good thoughts, Sharla!ReplyDeleteReplies
- AnonymousJuly 1, 2015 at 1:29 PM
Thanks Holly! I think with my kiddo, I'm quicker to anger and quicker to forgive. (Really working on that "quicker to anger" part!) I think adults can be harder to forgive because I feel like they should know better. But we all mess up. If I can really figure out forgiveness, I know it will only make my life better!Delete
Love this post and your site. Found you through blog hop Tuesday. Bless you see you back around here in August.ReplyDelete
Hey!! We LOVE hearing from our readers and fellow Church Chicks! Please leave a comment to let us know you stopped by!


text:
I love working with Sketchy Thursday sketches. When I saw the sketch this week I knew I wanted to use a picture of Dave and I with a banner of hearts. It has been a rough couple of weeks at work so I was very glad to come home one night last week and relax a little with this layout.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sketchy Thursday sketch challenge
4 comments:
Beautifully done!! And I love that banner!!! The two of you looks so happy!! Hope things settle down for ya...here's to stress free work week (pfffffft.who am I kidding??? lol)
LOVE IT, Sandi! Great picture of you both! Have a GREAT Day,ReplyDelete
Me-Ma Kim
Love the hearts! Great layout!!ReplyDelete
Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee this!!! Loveeeeeee that heart banner! Thanks so much for playing along with Sketchy Thursdays! :):):):):):):):):):):)ReplyDelete
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text:
- started a hairbow making business
- nanny for triplets
- going to college and currently taking American Sign Language
- Preemie Awareness Advocate
- done a lot of traveling through caribbean cruises, even been through the panama canal
- successfully finished the B2SB2B challenge
- Love, Love, Love to scrapbook just wish I had more time to do it!
#1: Networking
2. Comments: I'm sure you're like me and read blog after blog and enjoy it! But how often do you leave a comment? If you have something thoughtful or pertinent to say, take the extra minute to comment. Everyone loves comments, no matter if they are famous established bloggers or a newbie blogger - a comment is a comment!
- Twitter: Kludgy Mom wrote an awesome eBook on Getting Over Your Fears of Twitter that has some great information on how to get the most for your blog out of Twitter!
- Facebook: Facebook is a great way to share your blog feeds with your friends and family! You can even take it a step further and set-up a Facebook Fan Page for your blog! Fan pages are great because you can share your blog feeds with fellow bloggers who aren't on your personal Facebook page!
- Stumble Upon: See above!
The Official B2S/B2B information about Networking can be found HERE. If you want more information for New Bloggers (less than 100 followers) click HERE]. If you want information for Growing Bloggers (100-300 followers) click HERE and if you want more information for Established Bloggers (300+ followers) click HERE.
If you want to check out the ENTIRE Back To School, Back To Blogging Challenge, you can check it out on Kludgy Mom's blog. If you are curious what I had to say about the challenge, you can check out my posts for the challenge HERE!


text:
I've been dealing with some depression the last couple months. All of my life I have gone through a cycle of ups and downs. Bipolar maybe? I have long thought that the women in my family suffer from bipolar disorder, but none of us have had the courage to seek a diagnosis. I am prone to major episodes of depression and it is the darndest to try and recover from those. However, I think I have found a godsend.
As you've read, I have had some minor pain episodes. When those happen I just pop an Oxcarb (aka Trileptal) and a Gabapentin (aka Neurontin). Sometimes I have to do this a couple times a day for a few days, just to keep the pain in line. I started noticing, whenever I take my doses, I feel better emotionally. The depression symptoms subside and I no longer feel a big gaping hole in my heart. I decided to test this out. The last two months I have been battling the depression and the manic episodes. (I am pretty sure they're manic but god forbid, I am not an expert, lest someone call me out on it). Anyway, when I feel a mood coming on, I pop a pair of pills. Within an hour or two I feel much better. I feel normal and I feel like I can enjoy life.
I was baffled by this and started researching the medications side effects. I came across some very interesting information.
"Anticonvulsants are used in the treatment of bipolar disorder as mood stabilizers. Although they were originally developed for the treatment of epilepsy, they have been shown to relieve the symptoms of mania and reduce mood swings." - http://helpguide.org
There are alot more sites out there touting the same info. I am wondering if this mood stabilizing is further proof of bipolar disorder. I did take one of those screenings during a depressive episode and ended up with the result of "moderate to severe signs of bipolar disorder." It seems that all my life I have had these cycles and they just seem to be getting closer together and harder to deal.
I am still thankful everyday that I do not have constant pain like I did last year. I can't believe it's already been 9 months (to the day!) since I've had my MVD surgery. I recovered well and I am handling the smaller attacks okay too.
Will keep the blog updated as much as possible, at least once a month.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me at misobrien at yahoo dot com and I would be happy to offer any advice or support.


text:
While all GOP presidential hopefuls with the exception of Ron Paul, are calling Obama to attack Iran for Israel – the Pennsylvania State police on Wednesday arrested Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 21, for allegedly shooting at the White House. However, the Zionist-controlled mainstream media ignored the news because the shooter has "Israel" tattoo on left side of his neck.
The Park Police, the authority in the area of the National Mall, found evidence, including a gun and spent shells, in a vehicle abandoned several blocks away that led to Ortega's arrest warrant.
Photos of a bearded Ortega pictured outdoors and smiling, and showing his "Israel" tattoo in a flowery script, appear on the US Park Police web posting on November 11, 2011.
The US Secret Service on Tuesday discovered two bullets that hit the White House. One was lodged in a protected glass window on the residential level.
Both Barack Obama and his wife were out of country at the time of the shooting.
I'm glad, the Jewish Lobby cannot pin this terrorist act on Iran.
Former CIA officer for 22 years, Professor Michael Scheuer (Georgetown University) said on Israel-Firster Glenn Beck's CNN Show: "Israel is such an enormous detriment to the United States, our relationship with the Israeli. That it's going to become clear to the Americans that this is just going to cost us blood and lives the longer we pursue this relationship with the Israelis".
Israel operates it largest espionage network in United States, the very country which has donated trillions of dollars to the Zionist entity since 1960s and has shielded its crimes against humanity at international forums since 1948. In addition to Katya (Jewish spies), Israel also maintains over one million Sayanin (local Jewish collaborators who works for Israeli espionage network) around the world.


text:
There's no going back.
When the alternative is death, there is no alternative.
Withdrawal of food and fluids is not withdrawal of treatment: it is murder.
A Matter Of Life Or Death
In 1984, 19-year-old Terry Wallis was thrown from his pick-up truck in an accident near his
Fortunately for Terry, the Pro-Death Candidacy was not then in the ascendant and, 19 years later, his family were over-joyed when Terry began to speak. Terry regained movement - and began to get to know his 20 year-old daughter!
Terri Schiavo fell foul of the Pro-Death Advocates in 2005 and was condemned to death.
Herve is to suffer the same fate.
In the case of Hervé, his wife took part in the decision. But his parents were not even consulted. His mother heard indirectly from another doctor at the hospital where Hervé lies that her son was going to enter into a "process" and that she had to prepare herself to lose him.
Life Site News
You could call it 'slow euthanasia'; you could call it murder.
Whatever is your belief, it is true to say that how you view the person affects how you treat the person, more especially persons some ethicists might classify as non-persons, as untermenschen because they have lost capacity.


text:
Santa Cruz Police and Fire Departments offer teens ages 14-18 the opportunity to learn more about law enforcement and the fire service in this summer's Teen Public Safety Academy. The Teen Academy will provide a total public safety experience with exposure to police and fire training, tactics and job duties.
Session #1 July 6 – 10
Session #2 July 20 -24
Session #3 August 3-7
Each action-packed session will include hands-on learning and demonstrations with Santa Cruz Police and Fire Departments. Recruits will engage in a daily physical fitness program in addition to dynamic instruction from expert police and fire personnel.
The Teen Public Safety Academy provides teens with an understanding of the Santa Cruz Police and Fire Departments and their role within our community. During the Academy, members of the Santa Cruz Police Department will provide instruction to the students in various areas of law enforcement, including patrol operations, criminal investigations, public safety dispatching, SWAT, and police K-9 unit. The teen academy recruits will also receive instruction on fire department operations and learn basic firefighting principles and emergency medical treatments.
Applications should be submitted as soon as possible. Spaces in the Teen Academy fill up quickly. The program fee is $40 and includes a T-Shirt and lunches.
CLICK HERE for an application.
For more information contact Officer Joe Hernandez at (831) 420-5952 or email him at firstname.lastname@example.com
For more information contact Officer Joe Hernandez at (831) 420-5952 or email him at email@example.com


text:
Sounds logical. But, I don't read or write when on the train. Rarely ever on the plane either. Definitely nothing serious. Perhaps I read a newspaper (no, not that newspaper.)
"I simply watch the landscape and the people. Real life is fascinating" I told him.
This train ride was no exception.
A young woman stood on the platform wiping with her handkerchief the tears from her eyes. When her hand was freed from the eyes, she blew kisses to the young man who was seated across from me, a row in between us.
We men do not have the luxury that females have when it comes to displaying emotions. Women cry at airports and train stations and the world is ok with it. If we men showed that kind of emotions, then even most women won't give us a second look! We act tough only to attract the female kind!
It seemed that the young man was trying his best to keep the emotions under check. He kept miming her to get going. She continued with the air kisses. He then texted her something--I think it was to her that he texted. She looked down, which I assume was at her phone, and then looked up and smiled at him and blew kisses his way.
The train started moving.
Tears flowed down her cheeks as she waved.
She walked with the train.
And then she jogged along.
That was the last I saw her.
The older I get, the more I feel troubled by the sight of a young woman in tears. Perhaps I see my daughter in every young woman. I am willing to bet that no normal father can watch even a minute of his daughter's cries.
The young man sat transfixed for a while. I was tempted to go up to him and tell him it is all ok. But then we are men. I sat where I sat, and he sat where he sat. If I had a son, would my reactions be different, I wonder.
Had I been reading, I would have missed out on all these. I will any day bear witness to the Juliets blowing kisses to their Romeos.
But then there are moments when I am convinced that reading is a much better option.
Had I been reading, I would not have known about a middle-aged man who was digging boogers out of his nostril. In the "executive class." I suppose that too is real life. A disgusting part of real life. But then such disgusting acts make those partings all the sweeter.
Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.


text:
Ages ago, I found some cute chick motifs when clearing out a cupboard. I put them aside in the hope of thinking of a use for them.
Today, I made this 'Chicken and the Egg' necklace:
Here's a quick tutorial on how to make one for yourself!
Time needed: 30~60 minutes
You'll need:
Chick motif
Egg-shaped bead or similar (I used a stone)
1 m ribbon (approx)
Bead-stringing wire
Jewellery wire
Needle & thread
1 split ring
Pliers (flat nose, round nose and side cutters)
1. First off, wrap your 'egg' with wire (see my agate necklace tutorial). Start by making the bails for the top and bottom of the egg...
2. ...then wrap it. At the back, I bent the end of the wire underneath itself so it won't catch on anything.
3. Cut a piece of wire longer than you want the beaded section to be:
(height of motif x2) + (length of beaded section) + 1~2 inches
Attach the split ring to the end of the bead-stringing wire with two crimps, spacing the crimps out. The distance between the bottom crimp and the top of the split ring should be slightly smaller than the height of your chick motif.
4. Thread on your beads. I went for a mixture of modern wooden beads, old green beads, plus a couple of gold ones to balance out the yellow of the chick.
5. Use a crimp to fix the other end of the bead-stringing wire to the bottom of your wire-wrapped 'egg'. Cut off any excess wire.
6. Thread your ribbon through the split ring...
7. ...and the top bail of the 'egg', leaving enough ribbon in between to slip your head through.
8. Tie the ends of the ribbon together in a bow.
9. Sew your motif onto the exposed section of bead-stringing wire and the split ring.
And you're done!
Linking up at:


text:
Project 52 - Lifestyle
Sometimes life gets busy and we don't take time in the small moments to soak it in and enjoy the little things. The little things are what make a big difference in our life.
I know I need to enjoy the little moments in my life!
I love her little feet in this top picture!


text:
First off, before I begin, I guess I've been working on this game on and off for like 2 1/2 years now. Almost 3. Mostly off, but still, it feels like a while. Anyway, yesterday I ran into someone at the local gaming store who said he'd been working on his game for 9 years, and was so excited that it was probably going to get finished by the end of the year (it looked like a neat idea, http://www.figurefight.com/). It kind of hit me: 9 years. Dang. There is a part of me that thinks of that as a bad omen. I really hope it doesn't take me that long. Like, get this done by the end of the year was my hope, but I guess we'll see.
Anyways, on to the theme. There was always something about escaping from a prison island that never quite sat right with me. I think in the end that the focus of the theme seemed too much about escaping, not about fighting. So, I think I'm going to scrap that idea. Instead, I'm replacing it with a new theme: basically, Illeria was once the world center of culture, science, and especially magic. Somehow, there was a downfall, and now everyone is trying to escape. Each battle will be about acquiring things that will help you on your route to escape, and in the end of each campaign, only a few will survive.
What is causing the downfall though is the problem. I'm letting the ideas jiggle around in my head right now. The favorite idea for now is a doomsday prophecy, but I don't know if I can make that fit with the other elements. I'm still not sure just why people would fight to avoid a doomsday prophecy. But yeah, I go into this with no ambivalent or reserved feelings though, so yay! Things on that end are, well, aligning themselves to fall into place.
Maybe I'll have lots of time this weekend to think about it during the unicycle rally.
"'Where to we go from here?' 'Who says we're here?'" – George Carlin
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
New theme
Posted by Simon Stump at 20:25
1 comment:
- demosthynes said...
ohhhh, Simon. ♥
Do you mind that I read your blog?
- April 4, 2009 at 2:47 PM
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text:
The most recent progress on the chopper is getting the final wheel spacing done and mounting the front of the gas tank. I cut off the tabs that would mount a rear belt guard to the frame. I wanted as much clearance for the sprocket as possible.
Plenty of clearance to the frame and the belt lines up nicely with the front sprocket.
I had previously set the spacing on the brake side to move the wheel as far right as possible and to keep the rotor centered on the caliper. My step dad Roger helped me with that on his lathe last winter. I am using an 87-99 style Softail rear caliper. The tire is a 150-16 D401 Dunlop and a 1&1/8" wide drive belt.
The rear wheel was originally on my 2005 Sportster. I'm also using the original sprocket from that bike for a 32T front 68T rear gearing combination. The chrome sprocket cover is from HD. It reminds me of a Torque Thrust D wheel that you would commonly see on hot rods. I put tape over it so I wouldn't scratch it up.
After careful measuring with a micrometer eye I marked the neck gusset and drilled a pilot hole for my front gas tank mount.
I then used a stepped uni bit to open the hole up to 3/4" and slid in my front gas tank mount. The uni bit worked very well for this. I made the mount from round stock to fit between the gas tank tabs and drilled and tapped it.
What a nice view. I still have to grind down the flat side mounting tabs on the back bone of the frame and the remaining tab under the gas tank. I'm going to weld a tab to the tank tunnel and mount the rear of the tank straight into the back bone with a single bolt. I love the way the width of the handlebars blends nicely with the triple trees and the gas tank.


text:
On HBO's Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver used Mother's Day to draw attention to the fact that — as much as we profess to love mothers and motherhood — the U.S. is one of only two countries that do not offer paid time off to new mothers who work.
With retailers vying with florists for Mother's Day dollars — even beer-and-wings joint Hooters pitches themselves as a place to take mom for Mother's day — Oliver said, "There is nothing that we wouldn't do for moms."
Well, almost nothing.
Pointing out that the United States and Papua New Guinea are the only two countries that do not offer paid time off, Oliver said, "Here in the U.S. federal law grants workers just twelve weeks on unpaid leave," before pointing out conditions that keep 40 percent of workers from being able to take that time off.
"So if a worker with no paid leave goes into labor at work, she better hope it's on her lunch hour and her co-workers don't mind if the break room gets a bit messy," Oliver explained.
Sharing a collection of stories demonstrating how women are forced back to work well before they should be leaving their newborns — with one women having to return, leaving her prematurely born baby in the hospital — Oliver pointed out lawmakers' resistance to providing mandates that support mothers and newborns, claiming it hurts businesses.
Oliver provided a clip of multiple lawmakers from Minnesota, who voted down a paid family leave bill, professing their deep and undying love for their mothers.
"Okay. Just pump the brakes just a bit," Oliver said. "Because moms are like feet. The more you talk about them in public, the more everyone assumes you want to have sex with them. So… just don't."
Oliver wrapped up with a video honoring America's mothers for their sacrifices; giving birth to us, raising and nurturing us, before saying: "Now get the f*ck back to work."
Watch the video below uploaded to YouTube by Last Week Tonight:


text:
"A community thirty miles away has fifteen fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous. Being a large place, we think that someday its fellowship will number many hundreds. But Life among alcoholics anonymous is more than attending gatherings and visiting hospitals, cleaning up scrapes, helping to settle family differences, explaining the disinherited son to his irate parents, lending money and securing jobs for each other, when justified -these are everyday occurrences. No one is discredited or has sunk too low to be welcomed cordially." - pg. 161 from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
There exists among us a fellowship of men, and young people that share their experience strength and hope. There is a joy emanating from us because we are aware of how blessed we are to have been able to receive detox and get sober. When we first get sober many of us had very little hope left. We might have thought we had exhausted our chances at recovering but we were pleasantly surprised to find that through going through Above It All Treatment, AA, or addiction rehabilitation that we all had a chance at happiness and getting sober. If you are struggling there is still hope for you all you need to do is reach out, have faith, and have a desire to change the way you are living. The fact is that through sobriety you never have to feel this way or go through anything alone again. We have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body and we are here to help show you how you can recover too.


text:
- No, I did crawl under a rock or fall down a rabbit hole last week.
- I did, however, have a bit of a relapse with the pneumonia....and spent much of the week as a coughing mess.
- Yuck.
- Some good news! My personal trainer did an evaluation at our last appointment, and I made considerable progress with overall strength. I love having muscles.
- More good news! My Princess ran for the student senate last week and won! She wrote a pretty amazing speech (all by herself) and created a poster for her campaign. We are very proud. I'm not entirely sure what an elementary student senate does....but I'm not at all surprised she wanted to be a part of it. My girl is a natural-born leader.
- Even more good news! The Pixie and I read a book together for the first time over the weekend. She managed most of the words on her own! I LOVE this stage. It's so much fun to watch your children discover they can read all by themselves....and to see the whole world open up to them in a brand new way.
- The Boy and I are in a bit of a stand-off over food. I refuse to let him live on a diet of all-brown and white. He refuses almost all fruits, veggies and meats. Project sneaky babysitter begins this week. What he doesn't know about what I sneak into his food....His mom and I are plotting. Love him like crazy, and I want to make sure he has the best nutrition possible.
- Meanwhile, the Cupcake has discovered she can climb...and boy is she proud of herself. Keeps me hopping!
- Oh, and last week I discovered the Cupcake standing in the dog water bowl, soaking wet up to her knees and laughing with great joy. It was pretty funny, and we've been laughing about it since.
- My husband's Halloween decorations have gone to completely new places this year.
- Wow.
- Come Christmas there won't be anything out front...but you should see our entryway now. He's planning on taking the girls to look for MORE decorations this week. I just smile and nod, happy that they are so happy.
- We had mild frost last week! Two days of weirdly high temps, and the colder weather should set in. Yay! Death to all ragweed! Hello to warm woolies!
- I know...I'm nuts when it comes to the cold weather. It's just so much easier to warm up than it is to cool off.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, Monday...Again!
1 comment:
- A Day That is Dessert said...
Congrats on all the good news! And it sounds like your house is the place to trick or treat!!
I hope you continue to be on the mend.
I love frost, too.
Happy Monday - Happy Halloween!
- October 31, 2011 at 1:34 PM
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text: Robert Timothy "Tim" Briles, 65, of Trinity, NC, died Thursday, July 10, 2014, at The Randolph Hospice House. Family will receive friends from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Monday, July 14, 2014, at Ridge Funeral HomeFuneral service is scheduled for 4:00 pm Monday, July 14, 2014, at Ridge Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow at Oaklawn Cemetery in Asheboro. Native of Randolph County, NC, Mr. Briles was born March 3, 1949. He was the son of the late Robert Briles and Margaret Gallimore Briles. Survived by his aunts and uncles, Donna and Gilbert Briles, of Trinity, NC, Wendell and India Briles, of Asheboro, NC, Ruth Ann Gallimore, of Trinity, NC, Ruth Tedder, of Asheboro, NC, Troy Loflin, of Statesville, NC, and numerous cousins.


text:
Thursday, February 17, 2011
'Turkey No Military Launchpad for US'
Turkish President Abdullah Gul says Ankara will not allow the US to use NATO bases in Turkey for military purposes against other countries.
In an exclusive interview with Press TV in Tehran on Tuesday, Gul said every military facility in Turkey is under the control of Turkish commanders, noting that "without our knowledge, nothing can happen there."
Gul arrived in Tehran on Sunday heading a high-ranking 135-member delegation upon the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.'
Read more...
Posted by DotConnector at 07:57
1 comment:
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text:
Bg 5.18
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
A Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not make any distinction between species or castes. The brāhmaṇa and the outcaste may be different from the social point of view, or a dog, a cow and an elephant may be different from the point of view of species, but these differences of body are meaningless from the viewpoint of a learned transcendentalist. This is due to their relationship to the Supreme, for the Supreme Lord, by His plenary portion as Paramātmā, is present in everyone's heart. Such an understanding of the Supreme is real knowledge. As far as the bodies are concerned in different castes or different species of life, the Lord is equally kind to everyone because He treats every living being as a friend yet maintains Himself as Paramātmā regardless of the circumstances of the living entities. The Lord as Paramātmā is present both in the outcaste and in the brāhmaṇa, although the body of a brāhmaṇa and that of an outcaste are not the same. The bodies are material productions of different modes of material nature, but the soul and the Supersoul within the body are of the same spiritual quality. The similarity in the quality of the soul and the Supersoul, however, does not make them equal in quantity, for the individual soul is present only in that particular body whereas the Paramātmā is present in each and every body. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person has full knowledge of this, and therefore he is truly learned and has equal vision. The similar characteristics of the soul and Supersoul are that they are both conscious, eternal and blissful. But the difference is that the individual soul is conscious within the limited jurisdiction of the body whereas the Supersoul is conscious of all bodies. The Supersoul is present in all bodies without distinction.


text:
Here are two more graduation cards made with Dustin Pike digi images. They are exactly the same (excecpt one is a girl and the other a boy).
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
More Dustin Digi graduation....
Posted by Terri at 12:23 PM No comments:
Labels: Copic Markers, Dustin Pike
Monday, June 21, 2010
Dustin Pike digi graduation dragon
I have been selling a ton of graduation cards this year. This little cutie was a freebie on Dustin Pike's blog awhile back. He has the most adorable images. Check out his blog and his website to order.
Stamps: Dustin Pike Digi
Ink: none
CS: White, Black, unknown patterened
Other: Copic Markers
Stamps: Dustin Pike Digi
Ink: none
CS: White, Black, unknown patterened
Other: Copic Markers
Posted by Terri at 10:28 AM No comments:
Labels: Copic Markers, Dustin Pike
Saturday, June 12, 2010
I was asked to make a bunch of wedding cards for my basket at work and for the store that I sell cards in. This is one of them that I came up with. Click on the picture to make it larger. I used a glitter pen on the edges of the wedding dress.
Stamps: Inkadinkado Wedding/Marriage
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
CS: White, Silver
Other: Nestibilities Dies, Big Shot Machine, Swirl Folder, Copic Markers, Glitter Pen, Ribbon
Posted by Terri at 7:13 PM 3 comments:
Labels: Copic Markers, Inkadinkado
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