I'm Gonna Cry. And I'm Not Ashamed!

Today is D-Day for millions of us. For years we have had been stereotyped as "lazy", "bon-bon eaters", "ass sitters".

When in reality, we were only escaping reality for an hour Monday through Friday. To join families that were, while imaginary, still like us in so many ways. And they tackled some of the very same problems that happen in everyday life.

After today, they will no longer be joining us in fantasy-land. Some of us have been watching since we were children. And some of our parents were still "kids" themselves when it first aired.

Today, we will say our final good-byes to the Mannings, the Buchanans, the Evans clan and to One Life To Live.

For 43 years, Viki, Asa, Dorian, the Woleks and a host of other characters in it's over-four-decades run came on to our TV screens. They made us laugh. They made us cry. Sometimes, they made us angry, too. But for an hour, their world was my world, and vice versa.

One Life To Live, as well as All My Children were what I used to escape my everyday life. Be it at it's regular time, or from my recording it on VHS tape to watch during the weekend.

It gave me a "normalcy" in a world that for me, was completely turned upside down due to the passing of my mother in 1989. During the summer, with exception to an episode here and there due to trips and whatnot, I watched religiously every single day. From 2-3 PM, Monday through Friday. Even my Nana got in to them. Mainly AMC. But it was something BOTH of us could relate to and talk about.

Since day one, I have always been a Bo Buchanan fan. Not so much a Bo and Nora fan, per say. And in all honesty, I liked the pairing of him and Paige the best (the second Paige of the three actresses that portrayed the character). Poor Bo. He's been through SO very much. And SO many loves and marriages. But all in all, he had ALWAYS remained true to himself and to those around him. Especially his "Pa", Asa Buchanan.

I wasn't around for the beginning of OLTL. But I am here for it's end. But like many other fans, it will ALWAYS be in my heart, in my memory and a topic I'll talk about from time to time.

For it may be a show to some people. But for myself, and oh so many others, it was an escape, and a place in time of Television where you could INDEED relate to someone, no matter who the character was.

Art imitates life. OLTL Creator, Agnes Nixon speaking of fake Soap, "Fraternity Row", while in reality, speaking of her baby, "One Life To Live"...




The embedding is disabled for the next one that I wanted to show you, but you can view it by clicking on THIS LINK (Viki's Voice-Over: "Soap Opera's Are About Families"). Again, in reality, Viki's portrayer, Erika Slezak, is speaking about OLTL and how us soap fans view our shows.

Clint Buchanan's revelation about "family" always being there, no matter what, can be seen under THIS LINK. As is watching Rex, Gigi, and Shane Balsam leave for England so that Shane can attend a prestigious Art School.

In 2007, Asa Buchanan's portrayer, Phil Carey had passed away. With the news of his death in real life, the show killed off Asa as well. He took no crap. Not on the show, and not in real life. A tribute video...




Also, the first "Clint Buchanan", actor Clint Richie had passed away after a "routine" surgical procedure. His tribute..




One Life To Live opening credits throughout the years of the show's run...




Thank you, Agnes Nixon, for creating a place for us that needed a helping hand in addressing problems of the world, and bringing awareness to them, and even a means to find how to help.

Thank you for giving me a place to call "home" in a world of fantasy, that in many ways over the years, mirrored my reality of the world around me. You had given me a place to venture out of my life of sadness, grief and depression, to smile a little bit, and even cry with the characters.

To the wonderful actors past and present, thank you, to EVERY single one of you, for your heart, dedication and LONG hours on sets to bring your fans a quality show and bringing out your characters in such a way, that they were true extensions of yourselves. And for making them BELIEVABLE, as well as relate-able.

To my fellow fans, I want to say thank you to you all as well. We have been able to give one another some WONDERFUL conversations. And even some civil arguments (LOL!).

But all in all, I will truly miss talking with some of my friends about what just happened to Clint, or Jessica. Or talk about how goofy David Vickers is being. Or how Todd Manning again has pulled a fast one and gotten away with something that in the real world, would have him locked up so fast, that your head would spin.

Thank you One Life To Live, because you have given SO much to us in your 43 years. I can't wait to see you all in future acting endeavors. But I will truly and honestly miss you all coming on to my Television screen from 2:00 til 3.

FUF .... With Angel and Christy

Well, it's been a good while since I have jumped on the band wagon. But now is certainly the time.

So, I'm joining Christy and Angel in letting off some steam. It's Friday. So that means it's..




Fawk you Walmart Online Shopping! I love you, but right now I don't like you very much. Why? Because when I had placed my order, it said that BOTH the comforter and the bed sheet set were in for me to pick up TODAY. Because it was IN STOCK. Only when I got it this morning (Friday), all I was able to get was the sheets. Your BOH (Balance on Hand) was all fucked up. It should have read ZERO. If it did, I would NEVER have placed the order. Instead, the dipshit that didn't do their job had it as 4 or 5. Were they invisible comforters?

Fawk you, cataract! You are screwing with me too much these days. I have a hard time reading small print and my night vision in that eye is TERRIBLE. But when it counts, like oh.. getting some READING glasses, your ass gives me 20/30 vision. So, now I have to wait three..count them, THREE more months before the doctor would consider giving me glasses. I so cannot wait to have us part ways and get my implant.

Fawk you, Pokemon! Get your shit together and put more merchandising of your brand out on store shelves. I looked, and looked, and looked, and... You get the idea. Not even Ebay, Amazon or Walmart had your bedding. Not in ANY form. My boy is nuts (yes, legally, but also in the (overly) excited sense, too) about your show and most of it's characters. With Dad home early in the mornings now, that is their pre-bus-boarding ritual to watch your show after the kids dress for school. Instead, I had to give him Transformers, which he likes, but I don't think he will almost pee himself from excitement from opening that gift of Christmas morning.

Fawk you, Blogger! Your not letting me see ALL of the blogs that I care to have in my Reader List is really pissing me off. I shouldn't have to constantly refresh, or even retry the entire link just to (hopefully) have the blog(s) I'd love to see in my Blog Roll.

"The Walking Dead"... The Humanized Version. And The "Mother" of All Questions.

WARNING!!! The video below contains graphic scenes, primarily of violence and may be disturbing to some viewers. Discretion is advised!



Last night, I had my husband watch this very scene from the show. It was then, as I once again was crying that he had asked me a very point-blank question. One that hit to the very core of me.

"If it were one of our kids, could you pull the trigger?"...

WOW! Powerful, isn't it? He wasn't asking me if I had thought that HE could put a bullet through our zombie-child's brain, or let alone someone other than us as their parents to do so.

I was asked if I myself, as their MOTHER, could bring myself to end my child's suffering by pointing the barrel of a gun at my their head and fire the shot to (finally) kill my son or my daughter.

In all honesty, I do NOT think that I could bring myself to shoot any one of my kids. Zombie-fied, or not. Even though it is for the greater good. For my child that is suffering the effects of being one of the un-dead, and to ease my own conscience as to start MY grieving process of losing my child to some crazy viral mutation.

As mothers, at least the majority of us anyways, because we all know that in today's society, some mothers should have NEVER had kids, as you can tell from news articles and TV spots, we can never imagine hurting our children. Especially in that manner.

We carried them for around nine months within the confines of our body. They were (literally) attached to us from day one of conception. We love them like no one else honestly can. We do our very best to protect them and to be vigilant in fulfilling their needs.

So, to see Sophia walk out of that barn's doorway as a zombie, it actually did break my heart. That horrid lump in my throat came bubbling up and my heart sank deep within my chest. To see Carol run after her daughter, Sophia as she came out of the barn was just sickening to my heart, knowing that there is NOTHING to do for her, but to end her suffering via a bullet to the brain.

As for Rick, as a parent/father himself, to BE the one to step forward, gun in hand, as his son, Carl, who was close friends with Sophia watched in unimaginable horror as Lori (Carl's mother) told her son to not watch, was taking on that leadership roll in a bold, new, albeit a gut-wrenching way.

If you watched closely as Rick aims the gun at Sophia, tears are stinging his eyes, as he tried hard to hold back. Hearing Carol's screams and cries I'm sure didn't help him with knowing that what he was about to do, HAD to be done. His jaw clinches and flinched just slightly as he pulls back on the trigger.

In one deep breath, it is over. Sophia is officially gone.

For all of those involved, it was a nightmare come true. Especially for the parents of the group. Primarily for Carol. To see the agony in her eyes, and hear it in her voice and in her cries about killed me.

And that question that my husband asked me in regards to being able to pull the trigger on my own child? It stuck with me and ate at me most of the night.

As for how the Makeup Artists made Sophia in to a zombie, I COMMEND THEM! They had done an explicitly excellent job of putting her humanity first, and the monstrous side to her, as a secondary attribute. She was the epitome and the if you will, spokes-zombie of the Walking Dead community. We got to see, thanks to Sophia (again, thanks to the Makeup crews!) as the little girl that (some of us) had grown to know and like (if not love), even though she was no longer completely human.

So to see her story end in this way, which indeed was utterly shocking, it left me, as a mom, heartbroken, but glad all at once. A mother lost a child. But in the end, there was and will be closure for Carol. And for the others.

Or will there be?

Criminal Minds. I Ain't No Criminal, But...

Sure, sometimes my mind can wander in to the criminal territory. Like when my ex pisses me off. Or when my kids drive me so (almost) incoherently insane. But otherwise, I don't have a violent bone in my body. Of course, if someone were to screw with my kid(s) in the (extremely) wrong way, I'd gladly go to prison, if it meant that they were safe and no longer being hurt.

But to see some of the stuff with the case stories on the hit NBC (but I watch on A&E and Ion TV) show, "Criminal Minds" is literally mind blowing. And in some cases, mind numbing.

I'm torn though. I loved it when Mandy Patinkin was on the show. But Joe Mantangna is pretty good, too. Thomas Gibson is still a hottie as he was in the "Chicago Hope" days. And the guy that plays Reed? What a cutie! In a geek-ish kind of way. Love his hair!

The show centers around a group of FBI agents (including two ladies, J.J. and Printess and one smokin' guy, Shemar Moore) who are on the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). They get involved in cases where there is a Criminal Profiling that needs piecing together, as to catch the killer.

Some of the subjects and cases that the show does are ripped right from the headlines. Others are storylines that the writers dream up. Either way, it's action packed, thrilling and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Because SOMETIMES, the killer is the one character that you would least expect.

All in all, I admit...

My name is Missy and I am a "Criminal Minds" crackhead. And yes, I am truly addicted.

Here's a clip of this talented group of actors, turned Federal Agents.

This May Piss You People Off.

I love my ABC Daytime. A LOT. I don't want to see "All My Children" and "One Life To Live" go off the air. It's two hours of my day, if I'm home that is, to sit and have TV time for ME. Not a time to argue over who gets what channel. MY time.

I'd love to see them spared and kept on ABC, or even have them moved to another network. I don't want to see Tad "the cad" Martin, or Bo (the "do gooder") Buchanan leave my life. But, that's what it is..Life.

So many fans are pouring their hearts and souls in to saving these two DECADES-long-running soap operas. And I say FIGHT!

But...

I think it's sad that people are putting MORE of their time, energy, efforts, hearts, souls and even MONEY in to "Save Our Soaps" protests, Tweets and blog/FaceBook postings.

Why? Because HELLO! *REAL* life is happening all around you, people. In the last almost 72 hours, OVER 200 people in three states have been killed. Their homes destroyed. Entire towns demolished.

States of Emergency are being phoned in. People are being rescued, or sadddr yet, "recovered" from the rubble which was once their home or business.

Where are all of you "soap-ers" now? I don't see you Tweeting or adding posts to your blogs or other sites in support of REAL LIFE people who REALLY need YOUR help.

I don't see you "Re-Tweeting" news reports, weather reports. All you *seem to* care about is saving television shows that just lost another about 150 of 200 fans, thanks to ravaging and KILLER storms.

Read the following captions from a CNN article, where yes, now even MY state has reported casualties... (From Breaking News via CNN)

"Entire neighborhoods were leveled and hundreds of thousands of people were without power. As of 4 a.m. Thursday, Alabama Power said 363,511 customers were without power, and as of 8 a.m. Georgia Power said 52,000 customers were without power. Bentley estimated as many as half a million to a million people were without power statewide."

""This could be one of the most devastating tornado outbreaks in the nation's history by the time it's over," CNN Meteorologist Sean Morris said."

"President Barack Obama announced late Wednesday he had approved Bentley's request for emergency federal assistance, including search and rescue support."

"While we may not know the extent of the damage for days, we will continue to monitor these severe storms across the country and stand ready to continue to help the people of Alabama and all citizens affected by these storms," Obama said in a statement."

""It literally obliterated blocks and blocks of the city," Maddox said. He told CNN Thursday morning the devastation was "unparalleled ... the city's infrastructure has been absolutely decimated.""

Get the idea now? I suggest you read the article in its entirety and get the full view of this tragic event. Maybe then, television and soap operas won't be AS important. Real people with REAL problems will open your eyes and give you a new perspective on what is REALLY important...

For me, it's not about television shows.

25 Days of Christmas (Day 12)

Tomorrow, I will start doing the actual "12 Days Of Christmas" where each day, right up to Christmas Day, I will focus on lines from the Carol. "Lords a leaping"?? What is that? Why FIVE golden rings? Don't worry, because as the days go on, you WILL find out the meaning behind them all.

But today, I think that I will give you these to watch and maybe have a few memories come back of watching these as children yourselves.

I'm only posting PART ONE of each. If you wish to see the entire episode, please go to YouTube and place in the show in the search bar and it will give you more options.

Media Reaction Over Compassion Regarding Grieving Children

As many of my "older" readers know, my mother passed away when I was twelve years old. She was forty-three years young, but suffered some health problems. In the end, the side effects of a massive stroke took her life.

I'd gone almost daily to either the hospital or to the Rehab Center/Nursing Home to sit with her, talk (really loud seeing as the hearing loss was great and due to the stroke). All the while, I KNEW deep within two things.

One, she was never going to come home the same way again.

Two, she wanted to die. And she WAS dying. Slowly and for the most part, painfully.

No child even remotely fathoms the thought of their parents' mortality. Not for a single second. Especially in early and middle childhood. To them, his or her parents are immortal. They are of Superhero status.

When a young child, at an age of understanding experiences the realities of life and death, usually it is not with the loss of a parent. It is difficult for them. But not totally agonizing.

But I ask you to sit where you are, as you are reading this right now, IMAGINE yourself being a child of twelve years of age.

Now, FEEL the emotions within from realizing that your mother or your father has passed away. You are shell shocked and in complete denial, because parents DON'T die.

Once shock wears off, look at your face when you come to realize that what you were told is in fact true. Suddenly, you crumble in to a heap of longing, despair, unimaginable heart ache and an insurmountable amount of grief as you cry out in longing for your mother or your father to come back. That you want them and you need them, as you BEG for what is true to not be.

That was me. In 1989 on October 29th. Sitting in the living room of the home that I had grown up in. As my father told me, "Missy, remember when I said to 'expect the unexpected' a few weeks ago?", I got hot and flushed in my face, knowing but not wanting to hear the next few words that FOREVER changed my life. "It happened early this morning. Your mom is gone."

All I could do, as people from my neighborhood stood there as a means of comfort was stare at my father, shaking my head and pleading for it to not be true. Finally it hit that what he said was not a lie, no matter how many times I verbally fought it with him.

In the days and weeks that had followed, amidst all the condolences and the "I'm sorry for your loss" people, I wanted nothing to really do with the outside world. I was grieving. Longing for someone that I will never see, speak to, or touch again.

It was a time of my wanting to isolate from the world and the people within. For me and also for my dad, our pain, sorrow and grief were of a private nature.

We needed the time together, as well as alone to deal with our thoughts, our feelings and the realities of what had happened to us.

This is why I am personally quite angry, and tired of how the Media hounds and preys upon children of big name politicos and celebrities in the midst of their loss.

Take for instance, Michael Jackson's children. For WEEKS, those children were followed around, having pictures taken of them, having news cameras in their faces. Even at their father's funeral! Those poor kids could not once get away and grieve and mourn their dad in private.

Now sadly, the media hounds have turned their attention towards the children of Elizabeth Edwards, who had lost her battle with Breast Cancer on Tuesday, surrounded in the PRIVACY of her home with her children (ages five and twelve), as well as former Presidential hopeful and former husband John Edwards, and other close family and friends.

It SHOULD HAVE stayed that way. Especially for those children. No one, no matter if it was a friend or not, should NOT have brought those children's grieving to the media's spotlight.

Depending on the type of service that is held for the late Mrs. Edwards, those poor kids will be forced to fall victim to the Media, having cameras and reporters, and magazine and news paper journalists shoved in their faces. Not once being able to privately hurt and long for their mother.

It will not be an easy road for these kids. It's going to be long, hard and painful. Especially since they are still so young.

I can safely say that even though twenty-one years have passed and life has gone on since my mother's death, at times, it is STILL hard to deal with. Her birthday. Holidays like Christmas, especially since having my own children. Mother's Day.

No child should suffer a loss as great as these kids have. But a child should still be allowed to be a child. Especially during the grieving process, which could take years. They shouldn't have to be the Media's 'Top Story' of the day.

Yeah. The Secret Is Finally Out.

I guess I can let this secret out. Even though a few "choice" friends may already know. Then again, maybe they don't.

No, it's not about my stalker like fascination with Nicolas Cage. That's already out in the open to the entire world most everyone.

But it is nearly along the same lines. See, I have been watching a Soap Opera of one kind or another since I was about nine years old. I would come in after school, my mom would be sitting there in the living room, watching Days Of Our Lives. Man! That was a great one back in the day (1980's).

After Mom died, I stopped watching Daytime Television (Soaps) for a good two or three years. Then, I started watching All My Children one summer, while off from school.

That show got REALLY good, and the characters were great! Especially three main guys. Edmund Grey. Trevor Dillon. And of course, Tad (The Cad) Martin.

At the same time, I was also getting in to the show One Life To Live. And there was one main character I had been "in to". That was Bo Buchanan.

Now you are probably sitting there, doing the math. Yes, I was an early to late-aged teenager back in the 1990's. And all these guys from AMC and from OLTL are AT LEAST oh, twenty years or more my senior.

And you are probably asking yourself why I didn't go for the teen guys or even the ones in their twenties (at that time).

The answer is simple. They did not appeal to me. Sure, I'm like any other girl. I love a hot, muscular body. But I want the personality, sensitivity and maturity to go with it. And none of those studs youngsters did it for me.

Even now, when I am approaching 34 29 years old, I will take Tad and Bo over Robert Ford and Ryan Lavery any day of the week.

Bo has the good guy quality. He is a hero and a stand-up guy. He is honest and forthright. He loves who he does with everything that he has and shows it.

Tad possesses uninhibited humor, loyalty to his friends and family and is the go-to guy when the chips are down.

If you put the qualities of those two men together, can you imagine the kind of man you could end up having? All I can say is WOW!

My ex-husband (Hayley's father) is sixteen years my senior. And after that train wreck, I decided to not have an "older gentleman" as a husband or a boyfriend again. Been there, done that, got burned.

Now, I am *not* saying that being in a relationship with an older man of more than five or six years than your age is ALWAYS asking for trouble. But I couldn't see myself if something happened (God forbid) to Scott (my current sucker husband) being with an older man like I was with my ex, again.

That is, unless it was Tad Martin or Bo Buchanan.

(*No copyright infringement intended. For entertainment purposes only.*)

"Where Were You On That September Day?"

If you recognize that line that I used for the title of this post, then you know which song it is from and what it symbolizes. September 11, 2001 will remain in many a heart and memory for generations to come.

Not for it's year in music or the Emmy that Television shows had won. Or the hot Summer Flicks that Hollywood spun out that year.

It will be remembered as one of the most prolific tragedies of our time. Of our generation, and of the Twentieth Century. September 11th is forever known as '9-11'.

That was the day that it did indeed seem that the world had stopped turning. Millions in America, and billions around the world had frozen in place as they had witnessed first hand, or had seen the first taped images of the root cause of the first Trade Center Tower being on fire, seeing as the second plane crashed in to the other tower as the first was being filmed on live TV, as it was on fire and had people JUMPING OFF the building, as to escape being burned alive.

Do you remember what you were doing at that moment in time? Be it in pieces, or in minute detail. I certainly do. All the way down to calling my husband at work, and listening to his description of how the customers and his co-workers reacted to the news.

When the news started breaking, they had said in past-tense that a plane hit the WTC Tower. As Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson from Good Morning America (back in those days) were trying to get more on the story, thinking a bomb (not a plane) had gone off, right behind them, on the back screen, in a live shot, the other plane came in at what seemed to be an odd angle.

Suddenly, as I sat there, engrossed and waiting for a more defined answer to what happened, the answer became horrifically known to me and millions of others in the nation as to what REALLY happened.

Sitting there, holding Bryce in my arms (he was three months old then, and Hayley was at school for her (then) developmental delays), I watched as the other plane hit and just blew up before my very eyes.

Suddenly, I began to cry and I notably held Bryce a little tighter as he sat upon my lap, oblivious to what was unfolding before him. Then the thought swept in to my mind, and I could hear myself say "What kind of world have I truly brought my children in to? Is this what they have to look forward to in their future? What did we as a nation do, to deserve this kind of terroristic-type act (not knowing yet that it INDEED WAS a terrorist attack upon out nation)?".

I'd sat there, frozen and silent. It wasn't until I came out of the 'trance' that I realized that I just witnessed a plane full of people, and people within that tower being murdered. The shock to see what I had, left me dazed.

After I got myself together, I called my husband at work (then, we didn't have cells, so I had to call the store) and I asked if they had heard. He'd said yes, as did all of the customers and fellow employees, being that they announced it, and then had a moment of silence...Customers left in droves to get home, or were on frantic calls right in the aisles, Scott said, making sure their loved ones in NY and that were to be on flights that morning were okay.

Just think, one week prior, I was flying home from Reno, Nevada, after a week's stay due to my grandmother (Nana, who's ashes I wrote about finally getting) had passed away. Even then, on the flight home, something seemed...'off'. But I could never place what it was. I just felt very uneasy. And I had never felt that way before when it came to flying.

Maybe I was sensing the tragedy that was about to unfold. But I just didn't "get it". The entire trip home felt 'weird'. Who knows.

Maybe there were a couple of those terrorists on board with me, getting "practice flights" or going to their final destination via my route to go home. This I will never, ever know for sure. All I know is that I knew that there was something big coming. I could feel it. But I couldn't pinpoint what it was. That feeling stayed with me...

All the way home on my flight upon American Airlines.

*The following has real footage from news tapes included in to this song's video.*

May we never forget.

I'm uber special. I can PROVE it!

Well, sort of. Seeing as only my friends can mainly see my profile.

But I have a certain celebrity now as a friend. And HE even wrote me back! I like the "stars" that actually take time to talk to their fans.

Let's see. He resides in New York. Has brown hair, brown eyes and has that look of pure "come hither" look, along with a smooth, deep voice.

Oh, and he does commercials! And sings, too.

What kinds of commercials, you ask? Take a look....





Now do you recognize him?? That is Michael McGlone in the first part of the Geico Commercial asking if the drill sergeant would make a good therapist.

He also sings! See for yourself...





Of course he is no Nicolas Cage, or a Brad Pitt. But I certainly won't complain.

Although, I must share this spotlight with one of my FaceBook BFF's, Lydia. If it came down to it, I bet we would mud wrestle over the guy. (=

Seriously though, Mr. McGlone seems to be a very nice, suave, down-to-earth gentleman. I'm happy to have him as a friend.

Oh and thanks Lydia! HE was the one to send ME the friends request. You must have really sucked up to the guy, huh? lol... Love ya, GF!

The House of Pain

Yep, I'm indeed believing that I made it in to hell. And it's painful.

No! Not the fire and brimstone kind. The "OUCH!! Man this hurts like hell!" kind. Stupid TMJ jaw problem. It locked and popped yesterday evening as my family and I were eating dinner. My husband thought that it was my SHOULDER that popped. When I told him that my jaw was the culprit, I thought he was going to need the Heimlich Maneuver performed.

Even the kids had their jaws drop. Luckily no food or drink was in them. Yes, it was seafood night at Golden Corral. But I don't like SEE-food.

Not long after that, my bad molar tooth started to act up. Needless to say, my jaw and my tooth have decided to tag-team and make my life miserable.

Now, I have been forced to down Advil, topped off with Percocet every six hours. Being that Scott is working and I'm with the kids on my own, I'm only taking half a Percocet, along with two Advil pills. For the most part, I get a bit tipsy, as if I had one too many beers. I might slur my words a little and feel sluggish and giggly. But I don't pass out and am still alert enough to keep an eye on the kids. And at times, depending on how in-to my system the drug is in my body, I tend to misspell as I type...A LOT!

So, they (only two of them are home, oldest is with her father for the weekend) have been (for the most part) quietly watching TV and just chilling out for the day. Later, when it is once again time (six hours from now), and being my husband, Scott will be home, I can FINALLY take a whole Percocet. Then, I will be the fool.

After taking a whole Percocet pill, I end up stupid (as in plastered-like drunk), can't talk, wobbly to the point of almost falling down, burst out laughing at EVERYTHING and then I pass out cold for several hours in a painless (YAY!!) haze.

Well, I better stop typing at this point. I only have about another twenty minutes before this current dose kicks in to high gear. Talk to you all later. I hope I am not needing a dentist to pull my stupid tooth. I really can't afford it at this time. So it had just better be my TMJ giving my tooth (and my sanity) a bunch of grief.

Discovery Channel's new Miniseries, 'Life' is making a big impact already on my kids!

I've got some of the best kids in the world. I really do! Yes, I know I sound biased. I have that right. They are MY kids after all. And who wouldn't be singing praises about their children especially after witnessing what I did last night. It was really an affirming moment for me. It told me that somewhere along the line, I've ended up doing something RIGHT with not just one or two of them. But with all THREE OF THEM.

On Discovery Channel, the highly anticipated 11-part Miniseries aptly named "Life" began at 8:00 PM. It's in two-hour blocks each Sunday. So, being it's an educational-inspired show, I'm okay with the kids staying up an hour late on Sundays to see this phenomenal series.

My family and I gathered downstairs, in the Family/TV area. Most of us huddled on the couch. Let me say that five people (consisting of Mom, Dad, a 10-year-old, a 9-year-old and a 5-year-old) trying to scrunch on to a 5-foot-in-length couch is a death-defying feat. You are almost crushed to death by those kids as they climb on you to find a comfy spot...Sounds like I have three more cats. Only human-size!

After settling in, the show started. And right from the start, we were amazed. All of us, including myself, were learning facts about nature's beasts (large, small and in between) that were never known to us before. And we were able to see the camera's capture of some of the wildest food hunts. A couple of them were documented on film for the very first time.

All three kids sat there in amazement as to what they witnessed on the screen. A couple times Scott and I heard "awww". A couple of "ewwww's" were thrown out. Including from yours truly, thanks to the big, hairy Tarantula Spider that was chasing his meal of a Pebble Frog.

The wildest part for me was when the Orca (Killer) Whales were hunting down a left-behind seal as their meal target. That seal got amazingly smart and was able to out-wit the three or four whales that were chasing after him.

But the saddest part came at the very end. A bison was hunted and bitten by a Komoto Dragon. They give off a toxic bite that sits and festers for WEEKS in the victim's system as it travels through the blood stream. He went down as he stood at the last watering hole available. By then, six Dragons were taling him, waiting for his death, which arrived in the middle of the night.

There were times during the show, that Skyler (the 5-year-old) would ask why something was happening, why an animal died, why this animal killed and ate another. But she was intrigued. She was interested in LEARNING about wildlife and it's raw, but fascinating world.

All three of them, in the end, after 'Life' has run it's entirety, I hope will carry away an even better respect, as well love, of nature, it's inhabitants and the power of the two combined. Since they were toddlers, my husband and I have been trying our best to instill good values in to our children. Including where animals and nature are concerned.

This miniseries is just one more tool that we as parents are using to get our children to understand 'Life'.