fattyprejudice


Myspace Graphics, Mother’s Day Graphics at WishAFriend.com

Hello to you all.  Just a quickie update.  If you have been following my other blog at myheartvoice.com , then you probably know that I have begun a new journey.  I have started back to college to get my degree in Business Administration!  Yes, at my age!  For this reason, since I am just getting accustomed to my new schedule and trying to make time for school and homework, I have not had much time to blog.  So thank you for your loyalty and for stopping by. I promise that as soon as I get my schedule under control, I will be back with some interesting content for you. In the meantime,  Happy blogging!

I  know this is off topic, but it made me so mad and I thought it was just dumb enough to be hilarious that I had to share it here.  Some of you may or may not know that my husband is a German national, he immigrated here to the United States in 2001 to be with me.  His family and friends are still in Germany and they often send us his favorite things, anything from magazines to chocolate.  My 3 year old granddaughter loves these special chocolate eggs called Kinder  Uebarraschungs Eier (Childrens Suprise Eggs), they are hollow chocolate, shaped like an egg with a plastic capsule inside (about the size of a small egg) with a small toy that usually requires assembly.   We tell her that her great grandparents from germany have a chocolate delivery bird who brings them (we do this because we get about a dozen at a time and don’t want her to know that because she will want them all at once), she loves this, every day she asks if the “Chocolate bird” came LOL!  Ah the innocence of children. 

Anyway, I digress. Well one of my husband’s friends sent my him some of his favorite german television shows on dvd and along with that, a small Easter package with Kinder chocolate, which included a chocolate bunny, some small chocolates and 2 of the Kinder chocolate surprise eggs–the kinder chocolate is great for small children because it does not melt as fast as regular chocolate and is a little firmer, not hard, but almost chewy.  Well… I guess U.S. Customs decided to open this package of chocolate goodies and investigate them.  We noticed that it had been cut open with a box cutter (the childrens package) and it was obvious that a few things were missing.  Later in the day we recieved a certified letter from customs telling us that they had confiscated the Kinder Surprise Eggs because they were a “threat” to the United States!!! Are you kidding me?? Chocolate eggs???  There was no other explaination except that the value of the eggs was assessed to be $2.00 american.  I am assuming it was the small toys inside that may have small parts, I can’t figure any other reason these would be confiscate but all the other chocolates, including some of my favorite german chocolate bars were ok to send.  I guess you could put a small explosive device in an egg sized chocolate.. do you think??  Anyway, after we got over the surprise and the anger at the stupidity of it, we had a good laugh.  Have any of you had any similar experiences?  What do you think, could these innocent looking chocolate candies be a threat to US Security??  LOL!! Go Figure.

Happy Easter to you all. I understand that some of you don’t celebrate easter, either for your own religious  or non-religious reasons, and I respect that.  In our household, we celebrate with the Easter Bunny bringing easter baskets full of jelly beans, chocolate bunnies and other goodies to delight any child.  While this may seem sacreligious to some of you, it is how I was raised.  On that note, we also celebrate the reason for the season, which is the day that a very special man rose from the dead after being persecuted and crucified for our sins.  Jesus traveled a very long road with both faithful followers and enemies alike, spreading the word of his lord and father.  His doctrine is the number one best seller for many many years, you may have heard of it, it is called “The Bible”.  He died for our sins, only to rise again to sit at his father’s right hand to rule the kingdom of heaven.  I have done some reading to understand how Easter is celebrated in some other countries because my husband is from Germany and we live in America.  Since I was not raised Catholic as my husband was, I wanted to understand the way that his family celebrates and compare it to how we celebrate.  The source for the following is from wikipedia.  You can follow the link and learn more about how Easter is celebrated in other countries.  I hope you find this as interesting as I did.

“Western Christianity

In Western Christianity, Easter marks the end of Lent, a period of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter, which begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts forty days (not counting Sundays).

The week before Easter, known as Holy Week, is very special in the Christian tradition. The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday and the last three days before Easter are Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (sometimes referred to as Silent Saturday). Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday respectively commemorate Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem, the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday are sometimes referred to as the Easter Triduum (Latin for “Three Days”). In some countries, Easter lasts two days, with the second called “Easter Monday.” The week beginning with Easter Sunday is called Easter Week or the Octave of Easter, and each day is prefaced with “Easter”, e.g. Easter Monday, Easter Tuesday, etc. Easter Saturday is therefore the Saturday after Easter Sunday. The day before Easter is properly called Holy Saturday. Many churches begin celebrating Easter late in the evening of Holy Saturday at a service called the Easter Vigil.

Eastertide, or Paschaltide, the season of Easter, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts until the day of Pentecost, seven weeks later.

 English Speaking World

Coloured Easter eggs in the United States.Throughout North America, the British Isles, New Zealand and Australia the Easter holiday has been partially secularized, so that somefamilies participate only in the attendant revelry, central to which is (traditionally) decorating Easter eggs on Saturday evening and hunting for them Sunday morning, by which time they have been mysteriously hidden all over the house and garden. Chocolate eggs have largely supplanted decorated eggs in New Zealand and Australia.

In North America, Australia and New Zealand, parents often tell their children that eggs and other treats have been delivered and hidden by the Easter Bunny in an Easter basket which children find waiting for them when they wake up. Many families in America will attend Sunday Mass or services in the morning and then participate in a feast or party in the afternoon; the food cooked for the feast and the customs practiced at the feast may be influenced by Jewish cuisine and the Jewish holiday of Passover.In the UK children still decorate eggs, but most British people simply exchange chocolate eggs on the Sunday. Chocolate Easter Bunnies can be found in shops. Many families have a traditional Sunday roast, particularly roast lamb, and some eat Easter foods such as Simnel cake, a fruit cake with eleven marzipan balls representing the eleven faithful apostles. Hot cross buns, spiced buns with a cross on top, are traditionally associated with Good Friday, but today are often eaten well before and after. In Scotland, the north of England, and Northern Ireland, the traditions of rolling decorated eggs down steep hills and pace egging are still adhered to.

In the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, the most notable feature of the Easter celebration is the flying of kites to symbolize Christ’s ascent.^[48] Traditional Bermuda kites are constructed by Bermudians of all ages as Easter approaches, and are normally only flown at Easter. In addition to hot cross buns and Easter eggs, fish cakes are traditionally eaten in Bermuda at this time.

Belgium and France

Flemish-speaking Belgium shares many of the same traditions as North America but sometimes it’s said that the Bells of Rome bring the Easter eggs together with the Easter Bunny. The story goes that the bells of every church leave for Rome on Holy Saturday, called “Stille Zaterdag” (literally “Silent Saturday”) in Dutch. So, because the bells are in Rome, the bells don’t ring anywhere.

Similarly, in French-speaking Belgium and France, “Easter bells” (« les cloches de Pâques ») also bring Easter eggs. However, bells in churches are silent beginning Maundy Thursday, the first day of the Paschal Triduum, as a sign of mourning. It is said that all of the bells depart for Rome and return on Easter Day bringing eggs with them to drop during their passage.

Netherlands and Northern Germany

People watching the Easter fire in ‘De Achterhoek’ in eastern Netherlands

In the northern and eastern parts of the Netherlands (Twente and Achterhoek), Easter Fires (in Dutch: “Paasvuur”) are lit on Easter Day at sunset. Easter Fires also take place on the same day in large portions of Northern Germany (”Osterfeuer”).“

If you would like information pertaining to the history of Easter, and more on how it is celebrated in different countries, head on over to Wikipedia via this link.  It is filled with more information than you  probably ever wanted to know!

Have a blessed day!

Today is a sad day. Today I bid farewell to a good friend who has supported me in good times and bad.  This friend was very special to me, she was always there to offer me tight hugs and lifted me up when I was down.  I don’t think I will ever be able to replace her loving support, she was a good friend who fit me to a tee.  She made me feel better when I looked in the mirror and saw how old I had become, she never left me feeling flat or low.  All good things must end I suppose, so I am off to The “Avenue” to find a new friend, since this one is now going on to a better place.  Yes my friends, I am saying good bye to my favorite old bra, the one that is now  tattered and torn, whose left strap is now in 2 pieces as I lay her gently in her final resting place.  She fit me so well, but now I must break in a new one, allow her to caress me until she forms to my body and lifts me up and offers me support without causing me too much pain or chafing in the process.  Yes, I have other bras that  I can wear, but this one was special, no underwires to poke me, stretched out just enough so that I could move around, but still keeps me from sagging to my naval! :D  Wish me luck as I go out on this adventure for a new… friend.

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Boy, things have really changed since the 60’s haven’t they!?  This is an actual ad from a magazine back when a voluptuous  woman was appreciated and considered beautiful.  A little padding was the fashion from the days of renaissance era, and probably before that, so why do we strive to be as thin as possible now a days?  Admittedly, obesity is not the healthiest of lifestyles, but really, even women I know who are 10, 20, 30 pounds over what the fashion magazines say they should weigh complain about their weight.  My daughter has about 20 pounds, along with a  little belly, and all she does is worry about her weight!  I think me need to pay less attention to the bathroom scale, and more attention to living our lives without fear something so trivial.  The most important thing is to feel good, and live a healthy, happy life.  So what are you waiting for?? Stop worrying about whether or not you’ll fit in to that tiny bikins, Go have some fun!

Today is the day that I officially became a fat person.  How can I remember the exact date?  Well, today is my son’s 27th birthday, Happy Birthday Chris!  Before I became pregnant with him, I stood at 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 155 pounds.  During my pregnancy, I went food crazy and gained a whopping 75 pounds!  I’ll never forget the doctor asking me “So Vicki, do you think this is all baby wieght?”  Of course I didn’t think that, but I was pretty confident that I would lose it all.  After my son was born, I weighed Continue Reading »

I was visiting some of my favorite blogs today and I came across living with chronic illness, who posted a very good piece on “When  You Feel Like Crying.   After I read her blog, I was inspired to post about depression with chronic illness, because I know first hand how real this problem is.

A little history on my health issues if you are new to my blog or is you need a refresher course.  First off, I deal with chronic pain on a daily basis due to Rheumatoid Arthritis , and live on a regimine of 800 mg Ibuprofen 3 times a day, plus Hydrocodone (yes, Vicodin) up to four times a day as needed (I usually take maybe 2 as I don’t want to become more dependent than I am already since I’ve been taking it for about 4 years now), Ok, sometimes I take 3 in a day, but not at once because it makes me nausous and I  puke if I take too much! And I take 1 injection of Enbrel weekly. Anyway I digress.

I also have Diabetes , and for this I take 2 different types of insulin, one for 24 hour control, which I take once a day.  This one takes  my glucose levels down a few levels.  Then there is  a short acting one I am supposed to take at each meal (hah! Yeah… not always convenient, but I try), so essentually, I take injections  at a minimum of 3-4 times a day, no real pain, just a burning now and then if I hit a nerve, I take my shots in my stomach, hurts less and goes to work quicker plus it’s more convenient for me.

Now, the Graves disease .  Graves is, in a nutshell, hyper thyroidism (whice translates out to  high thyroid levels), this makes my heart beat fast and so hard that I can sometimes see it beating through my shirt, high blood pressure and anxiety, not to mention the weird dreams I have when it’s acting up (maybe a future post?) not a very nice feeling.   I take a pill twice a day for that now, but if it gets worse, they will dissolve my thyroid with radiation therapy and  I will then have to worry about low thyroid.. not good either because I am already weigh in at over 250 pounds and low thyroid makes you gain weight (along with diabetes).

Last but not least, I have chronic depression . I have suffered this disorder my entire life.  At first I thought it was because of my stressful life living at home with my mother and practically raising her 5 kids  after my father left (I was 11), but as I grew older, my insecurities and low self esteem, lack of friends (who has time when  you are raising 4 siblings?) made a perfect breeding ground for the depression bug to set in and take up permanent residence in my brain!  Now as a 51 year old woman, I realize that it is a genetic problem, my new doc believes it may be Bi-Polar 2 disorder.  Something I have never heard of until recently. I thought no way i could be bi-polar because  don’t have hugely manic episodes, but I definitely have the lows, but now that Bi  polar 2 is here, as much as I hate to admit it, Doc thinks I have it. Wonderful!  Sheesh!

So to make a long story longer short, I am on depression medications, I cry, I become angry for no reason, I feel lethargic and try to convince my self that I am ok, but I’m not.  I really want to have a happy life.  My granddaughter has been asking to go to Disneyland and as much as I would love to take her, the thought of walking around Disneyland, while it sounds great, scares the hell out of me!   I  know I will be in  pain, I’ll have to closely monitor all the snacks I eat, and I’ll have to be sure to project the “fun gramma” I truly want to be, after all, it’s not her fault!  Fortunately, I have a very, very understanding and loving husband.  He dotes and worrys about me way too much.

My reasoning for this post is that you will think about this and don’t suffer, if you feel depressed about having to live your life around your illness/disorder or what ever  you prefer to call it, talk to your doctor about depression, you might be surprised at how much better you feel.  Did you  know that depression can cause you physical pain??   Check it out here if you would like to learn more about how to deal with your chronic illness and live your life.  Take good care of  yourself, love yourself, be as happy as possible.

Our society has produced more obese people than ever before.  Whether it is due to our more sedentary life styles,  easier access to fast food, genetics or all of the above doesn’t really matter.  The number of morbidly obese persons in the United States has more than doubled since the 1980’s, according to an article called “Causes of Obesity” at Continue Reading »


Glitter Graphics
Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful day and are dripping in chocolate and swimming in kisses.  Valentine’s Day really is overrated, I mean it’s wonderful to celebrate your love and all, but you should show it all year round, not just on Valentine’s Day.  Give him a card just because, bring her flowers just because.  Remember, there are 364 other days to say I love you.

If you are not celebrating with someone special, not to worry, there will be another V- day next year.  Cupid has plenty of arrows that he is shining up for you, so enjoy the day but keep it real! :).  Love one another each and every day. Ciao!