How to Get Organized- Starting with Your Closet!

Ever feel as if you are downing in disorder? Is your closet a compilation of every article of clothing you have had since the 80’s? Do you have a hard time figuring out what to wear each day due to your messy wardrobe? Don’t wait for spring-cleaning to get organized, do it now! Here are some ways to combat your cluttered closet and de-stress your life at the same time.

1. First, decide which section of your closet to battle first. For example, start with either all of your shirts, or all of your pants, etc. Then take those sections out one by one, and put them all in a pile. It even helps to separate clothes by the seasons you would wear them in. You can put all of your long sleeve (fall/winter) tops in one pile while the short sleeve (spring/summer) blouses in another. Do the same with shorts and pants, dresses, lighter jackets and heavy coats.
2. Second, go through each pile one by one. If you have not worn a piece of clothing for a year or longer, it is definitely time to get rid of it. If it is in good condition, fold it up and put it in an empty garbage bag to donate it to good will. If the article of clothing is over worn, ripped, or not wearable, just throw it away.
3. The next step is optional but highly recommended. Organize each pile of clothing by color, starting with the rainbow colors and then moving on to neutrals. For example, place all the reds together, then pinks, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and purples. Then put together all whites, grays, tans/beiges, and of course, blacks. Your jeans can even be organized from light to dark or vice versa. This will create optimum organization and make it much easier for you to get dressed in the morning.
4. Next, you will want to decide how to arrange your clothes when putting them back in your closet. It is best to put your pants and dresses on the tallest rack because they are the longest articles of clothing. Shirts normally fit best on the shortest rack. If you do not have different shelves in your closet, it would be very worthwhile to go to the nearest home store and purchase a closet organizer kit that comes with several easy to install shelves. New shelving will provide a lot more space for your clothing. Put all of your clothes back in you closet, each pile having its own place and remaining in color order.
5. The last step is organizing all of your accessories. All belts, bags, shoes or any other things that are in your closet need to have a space as well. A hook for belts is ideal, a shelf for all your purses, and of course placing all of your shoes in their rightful pair and faced forward in your closet. If you have any shoes in boxes, labeling them with a permanent marker will help you identity them.

Now that your closet is clean and neat, you should feel less stressed and empowered to take on the world! Or at least to take on that untidy dresser of yours.

Blog #3- Angelos

I am here to tell you about a girl named Jo. Jo was quirky and cute, with gangly limbs and soft brown curls that framed her face. Her smile was slightly crooked and she snorted when she laughed. She had a great life and loved everything and everyone around her, with one exception, feet. Jo hated feet. She didn’t know why, she just knew that she did.

Now Jo was in college but was undecided on her major, so she was just taking classes that interested her, like Art and Bowling. Jo was in no hurry to finish college, she was more excited about the experience than anything. She went to class every day bright eyed and bubbly, curious to find out what she would learn that day.

On day before class, she was craving a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, so she made a quick stop to the nearest Starbucks to satisfy her craving. “Thank you,” she said to the barista and laughed and snorted with glee.

When she got to class she sat in her favorite spot, the same spot she had been sitting in all semester long. The teacher began his lesson, and due to her earlier caffeine fix, Jo was wide-awake and all prepared to take notes. However, Jo would never be able to take her notes. This day would turn out much different than other days. This day would be bad.

Just as Jo was about to put her pen to the page, an incredibly powerful and foul smell overcame her. She gasped and gurgled as she tried to figure out where the smell was coming from. As she nonchalantly looked around the classroom she was thinking about what it could be. Her neighbors body odor? A dead and rotting animal hidden in the room? Something oozing from the walls that surrounded her?

No. What Jo discovered was even worse.

To her disgust, the girl sitting next to her had taken off her shoes. The putrid smell was coming from her feet. As I said before, Jo hated feet. This was probably the most horrible thing that Jo could possibly encounter while she was trying to learn. Not only was Jo distracted by the awful smell, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the hideous feet. It was like road kill, she didn’t want to look, but she couldn’t stop.

After snapping out of her stare, Jo pointed at the feet and emerged from her chair, screaming aloud. “Stop, stop, stop!” she yelled repetitively. Her long, thin legs carried her away from the classroom that she suddenly despised, and she ran and ran and ran and ran, until she couldn’t run anymore. Sadly, that was the last day anyone ever saw Jo again.

Banner- Midterm

After reading the blog, report, and watching the interviews with Leonard Downie, Jr. and Michael Schudson, I feel as though I have taken in an abundant amount of information about the idea of government funded journalism. I am going to process all my thoughts about the topic as I continue to write. So here goes:

First, I would like to say that I believe that print journalism has so much value to it. I cannot deny the value of online journalism as well, and I realize that the internet is the future of journalism, but I also realize that the availability and easy accessibility of news online is making print news more and more obsolete. And this saddens me.

If simply advertising is no longer sufficient enough to support print media, well, then there must be another way to get the funding needed. The idea proposed is government funding for local public-affairs journalism. And to that I say, why not? If the government is willing to help out the media by providing the necessary funds, it would be foolish to turn them down. But before I go any further with that point, I would like to make it clear that, with the acceptance of government funds, there would need to be restrictions put into place.

For one, the government should not be able to control what the media publishes. News should not have to change if it's receiving federal money, and the news should not become politicized. If this is possible, then there should be no reason to deny government funding. Also, if the government has truly been involved in new reporting like Downie and Schudson says it historically has, there would be no significant affects to the news by accepting federal money.

As the old phrase goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. I can understand the fear that might be behind federal funding of local news, but if the money is accepted under specific terms and does not affect reporting, then maybe this is the desperate measure that print media has been looking for.

I love how optimistic Downie and Schudson are about the future of journalism. It is incredible to see how many different outlets there are for good journalism to emerge, and how many publications exist in our nation. The public will always have a desire for news, therefore the public will always have a desire for journalism. I am so looking forward to my chances to further contribute my talents to the field of journalism.

I would like to end with a quote from the President of Columbia University, Lee C. Bollinger, that I am particularly fond of. "As a great university committed to finding solutions to society’s great challenges, it makes perfect sense that Columbia’s Journalism School would contribute practical ideas to this vital conversation about the future of quality news reporting," said Bollinger. I think this quote just sums up the power of finding a solution to an issue and the dedication that many people have to good news reporting. It's great!

Angelos Blog #2

The article I read is found on ChristianPost.com and is titled "Scholar: Churches Can Use Internet to Reach Non-Seekers." I found this article under the "Missions" tab at the top of the page and the headline caught my eye instantly. After reading the article, I found that it is all about the need for Churches to become more technology savvy and to use the World Wide Web to spread the Gospel around the world. A scholar named Peter Fischer-Nielsen has been researching church communication on the Internet and believes the Internet to be a great way to reach people in both believing and non-believing countries. It is noted in the article that many churches has seen successes from evangelizing online.

This article was written very newsy, and the angle seems to be just to give a general and informative synopsis of the topic. The lead is basic but captivating. It is as follows: "The Internet is not only useful for churches in communicating with seekers, but it can also be harnessed to reach people not actively looking for answers, says a Danish scholar." It is not really a direct quote, but it refers to what Fischer-Nielsen said.

This article was very informative and interesting, but it was not very colorful and descriptive. Of course, since it was clearly written in hard news style, it was supposed to be this way. I think it wold be interesting, however, for this article to have been written more like a feature because that could have made for a potentially even better article. I do believe that the strongest part of the story was the topic in general. It is not often I have thought about using the Internet to evangelize, but in this day and age it is one of the most popular ways to communicate. Churches can definitely use the internet to their advantage. I also think the factual/statistic information that is included adds a great deal of strength to the article.

The writer, Jennifer Riley, interviewed scholar Peter Fischer-Nielsen and GMO founder and chair Walt Wilson. Riley probably asked these two gentleman their opinions on the Internet and how it relates to the Church, how evangelization can be done online, what websites should be targeted, how successful the World Wide Web has been so far in spreading the Gospel, etc...

I believe that Riley wrote this story because it is about Missions, which of course Missions are important to Christians, but it also defines a 21st century way of delivering the Word of God. This story is very relevant to a large group of people, including Churches and Church goers, people who use the Internet, Christian scholars, organizations that are involved in evangelizing, and Christian people in general. It is a very interesting concept and is a good idea for Churches to get involved. The importance of this article is summed up in the this quote from Fischer-Nielson, "The Internet has come to stay and the Church must continually be in dialogue concerning how the Internet can be used to serve its mission.”

My Favorite Bible Verse- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

^"4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸Love never fails."

I had a difficult time choosing a verse for this entry, but I finally decided on this one. There is just something about this passage that always makes me smile, always inspires me, and always makes me feel so safe in this world.

I read this passage I am reminded of the power of love. I am reminded of the pureness of God's love for me, and how blessed I am to know His love. There is nothing better than that.

Love is such a beautiful thing, and I can only attempt to love the people I care about the way God loves me. I know I am only human and have flaws in my love, but I try very hard to love wholly and purely.

There have been a few difficult times in my life where I have forgotten how lucky I am to be loved by God, and to be loved by my family and friends, and this verse has helped me get through times like that. This verse also helps me when I get angry or upset over a situation, and it re-focuses me on what it important. God says we have to love our enemies, and this verse tells us HOW to do that.

This passage can help others in their life and relationships. If you love say you love someone, love them like the verse says. Do not get caught up in the horrors of the world and let it tear your relationship apart. This passage can help marriages, friendships, family bonds, and even when dealing with people who may be considered “enemies.”

Banner Blog- What makes me angry

There are very few things that genuinely anger me, but I have to admit that one of those things is rudeness. More specifically, rude customers when I am working.

I work at a restaurant called Mimi's Cafe. I've been there for nearly four years and have truly embraced every part of being a food server. The only aspect of it I will NEVER embrace is the occasional rude customer that walks in the door and chooses to spit fire at me because they are unhappy.

For example, just last week I had a man come in and sit in my station. When I went up to him to take his order, he proceeded to yell at me about how many times he has had to send food back because it was so awful or cold or dry or whatever that he couldn't eat it, and that if I didn't get his order "100% perfect" that he would be very angry. This wouldn't have been as hard to take if he didn't actually raise his voice to me, or act as if I was a robot as opposed to a person. So I politely told him that I would do my absolute best to make sure his food was "perfect," but that wasn't enough. He then told me that my job isn't that hard and that he was not just some guy off of the streets that I could serve anything to. (This then made me realize that he has obviously never worked in the service industry before and that he has no compassion for people.) Suffice it to say, the whole three hours this man stayed at my restaurant he treated every server, and my manager, like dirt. He was the absolute definition of rude.

And that was only one example of the kind of people you run into when you work in food service, or any other service industry position, as I can imagine. I have been mocked by, yelled at, and even cursed at by customers, all for things that are completely out of my control. I don't understand what makes people feel like they have the right to be rude to me, or any of my coworkers. We are all there to make their life easier by serving them food and drinks that they don't have to cook or get themselves.

I try to be understanding of people (as much as I can be) when they are rude. Perhaps they are just going through troubled times in their life or are simply having a bad day. So I act nice and try to make things better for them by making their experience a good one, but when there are circumstances like the one I mentioned above, it is so difficult to be nice back. I am a person; I have real emotions and really don’t like to be treated like rubbish. I never treat any server like that when I go out, so it makes me quite angry to be treated like that when I am just trying to do my job.


So, hopefully, it goes without saying, be nice to your food server, not rude. They are probably doing the best that they can for you, but they are not miracle workers. Sometimes mistakes happen, and they can always be fixed. Also, if you are having a bad day, don’t take it out on them! It’s really NOT their fault.

Music Makes You Lose Control

I love music. There is never a day that goes by that I don't listen to music. I enjoy a wide variety of genres, acoustic, alternative, electro, dance, indie, rock, powerpop, folk, blues, experimental, etc... The only genre I don't really listen to a lot of is country, with the exception of the occasional Taylor Swift or Shania Twain song! (No offense to you country lovers!) 

Anyway, my point to all this is to say that music is a very essential part of my life. It helps get me through my studies by providing much needed background noise for me to focus, it always wakes me up in the morning by listening to a song that puts me in a good mood (and trust me, I NEED that sort of pick me up in the a.m. I am so NOT a morning person), and it has even helped me get through some of the toughest times in my life with lyrics that I could totally relate to. 

Since I have such a love for music, it is no surprise that one of my favorite pastimes is going to concerts. I have been to several in my life and have some of the best memories from them. I recall my first concert, with slight hesitation, being Enrique Iglesias when I was a lot younger. I say with slight hesitation because people used to make fun of me for being a fan of Mr. Iglesias! But hey, when I was a young girl he was a big hit, and he was cute! But since then, I have seen various bands from Cobra Starship to No Doubt to, most recently, Blink 182.
One of my favorite bands to see is Boys Like Girls. I have seen them live three times, once in San Diego about 4 years ago, once in Anaheim a couple years ago, and then again just last month in Ontario. I’ll be making it four times on October 24! I absolutely love this band, and have to admit that I have a slight crush on the lead singer. It’s hard for me to resist a guy why can play a guitar and sing a love song.
The last time I saw Boys Like Girls live, I actually even got a few pictures with the band members. The picture you see above is of me with Martin Johnson, the singer. I felt so silly when I met him because I was pretty much speechless, which is something that NEVER happens to me. It is rare that I am at a loss for words, so that should tell you how incredibly excited I was!
There are a lot of things I love about going to concerts, and dancing tops the list. Nothing gets me dancing more than good music with good people, and since I am always at concerts with my best friends, it is so much fun. 

Angelos Blog #1

WORDS:

1. i. don

ii. verb

iii. Define: put on (an item of clothing)

iv. Derivitaves: n/a

v. Origin: contraction of do on

2. i. lament

ii. noun/verb

iii. Define: noun 1 a passionate expression of grief. 2 a song, piece of music, or poem expressing grief or regret

verb 1 mourn (a person’s death). 2 lamented or late lamented a conventional way of referring to a dead person. 3 express regret or disappointment about

iv. DERIVATIVES: lamentation noun

v. ORIGIN: from Latin lamenta (plural) ‘weeping’

3. i. epic

ii. noun/adjective
iii. Define: noun 1 a long poem describing the deeds of heroic or legendary figures or the past history of a nation. 2 a long film, book, etc. portraying heroic deeds or covering an extended period of time.
adjective 1 relating to or characteristic of an epic. 2 heroic or grand in scale or character.
iv. DERIVATIVES: epical adjective epically adverb.
v. ORIGIN: from Greek epikos, from epos ‘word, song’.

4. i. sublime

ii. adjective/verb
iii. Define: adjective (sublimer, sublimest) 1 of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe. 2 extreme or unparalleled: sublime confidence.
verb Chemistry (with reference to a solid substance) change directly into vapour when heated, typically forming a solid deposit again on cooling.
iv. DERIVATIVES: sublimely adverb sublimity noun.
v. ORIGIN: Latin sublimis, from sub- ‘up to’ + a second element perhaps related to limen ‘threshold’ or limus ‘oblique’.

5. i. allude

ii. verb
iii. Define: 1 hint at. 2 mention in passing.
iv. Deravitives: n/a
v. ORIGIN Latin alludere, from ludere ‘to play’.

6. i. figment

ii. noun
iii. Define: a thing believed to be real but existing only in the imagination.
iv. Derivatives: n/a
v. ORIGIN: Latin figmentum, related to fingere ‘form, contrive.’

7. i. spectacle

ii. noun
iii. Define: a visually striking performance or display.
iv. Derivatives: n/a
v. ORIGIN: Latin spectaculum ‘public show’, from specere ‘to look’.

8. i. poise

ii. noun/verb
iii. noun 1 graceful and elegant bearing. 2 composure and dignity of manner.
verb 1 be or cause to be balanced or suspended. 2 poised composed and elegant or self-assured. 3 (be poised to do) be ready and prepared to do.
iv. Derivatives: n/a
v. ORIGIN: Old French pois, from Latin pensum ‘weight’

9. i. desperate

ii. adjective
iii. Define: 1 feeling, showing, or involving despair. 2 extremely bad or serious: a desperate shortage. 3 having a great need or desire for something: desperate for a cigarette. 4 violent or dangerous.
iv. DERIVATIVES: desperately adverb.
v. ORIGIN Latin desperatus ‘deprived of hope’, from desperare

10. i. construe

ii. verb
iii. Define: (construes, construed, construing) (often be construed) interpret in a particular way.
iv. DERIVATIVES: construable adjective construal noun.
v. ORIGIN: Latin construere ‘heap together, build’.

11. i. deviate

ii. verb
iii. diverge from an established course or from normal standards.
iv. Derivatives: n/a
v. ORIGIN: Latin deviare ‘turn out of the way’, from via ‘way’

12. i. ingratiate

 ii. verb
iii. Define: (ingratiate oneself) bring oneself into favour with someone by flattering or trying to please them.
iv. DERIVATIVES: ingratiating adjective ingratiation noun.
v. ORIGIN: from Latin in gratiam ‘into favour’

13. i. cantankerous

ii. adjective
iii. Define: bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative.
iv. DERIVATIVES: cantankerously adverb cantankerousness noun.
v. ORIGIN: perhaps a blend of Anglo-Irish cant “auction” and rancorous.

14. i. serendipity

 ii. noun
iii. Define: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
iv. DERIVATIVES: serendipitous adjective serendipitously adverb.
v. ORIGIN: from Serendip (a former name for Sri Lanka): coined by the English politican and writer Horace Walpole (1717-97), after The Three Princes of Serendip, a fairy tale in which the heroes were always making fortunate discoveries.

15. i. intrigue

ii. verb 
iii. Define: (intrigues, intrigued, intriguing) 1 arouse the curiosity or interest of. 2 plot something illicit or harmful.
iv. DERIVATIVES: intriguer noun intriguing adjective.
v. ORIGIN: French intriguer ‘tangle, plot’, from Latin intricare ‘entangle’.

 STORY:

Once upon a time in the suburbs of Riverside lived a princess named Sarah. Sarah, with her sublime beauty and witty personality, was the most sought after woman in all of southern California. Men from all around came to her house, desperately wanting her hand in marriage.

One rainy morning, Sarah awoke to don a pair of jeans and a pale blue cardigan. She walked to her window, as she did every morning, to greet the gentlemen who have traveled from the surrounding cities to see her. However, this morning was different from any other. When the princess looked out her window, she witnessed an epic, and very wet, battle between two of her admirers.

With such poise, Sarah considered her options. She thought about letting them continue fighting, and perhaps marry the winner. She also thought about stopping the spectacle to inquire about the two men who were so passionate for her. After deciding on the latter, Sarah asked the men to deviate from their intense warfare and had them tell her their names.

One man cantankerously replied, “My name is Jasper.” The other kindly smiled and said, “My name is Jason, and I am here to marry you.”

Princess Sarah was immediately turned off by Jasper’s bad attitude, but hoped it was just a figment of her imagination. He was quite handsome, with California tanned skin and blonde messy hair. She construed him for a decent man, and would lament ever turning him away for his rude response.

But then there was Jason, dressed in a black shirt with dark jeans, who intrigued the princess. He was trying very hard to ingratiate himself by shouting sweet nothings across the yard for the whole neighborhood to hear. As Sarah listened, she heard him allude to his love for her, and she found him to he mysteriously romantic.

What a challenging decision Sarah faced. Yet as the men continued in their childish combating, she serendipitously realized that she didn’t need a man like either of them, and she lived happily ever after. 

A Whirl-Wind Trip to the Windy City

My summer consisted of several very fun memories, but there was one particular trip that stood out to me:

My trip to Chicago to see my friend john graduate from boot camp was long awaited, and when it finally came all my worries about his journey were put to rest.

The flight there was smooth, my only complaint is that it was open seating, so my mom (who I decided to bring along for moral support) and I were not able to sit together on the plane. My nerves grew when we had a layover in Nashville, as I was so anxious to finally see him again after three months of only communicating by snail mail.

I didn't know what to expect the next morning when I was sitting at his PIR. As soon as he got liberty I raced my way down the bleachers to find john, avoiding falling on my face since I was in heels. The sea of white-hatted sailors rushed towards the crowd and I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to get to john as fast as I wanted to. But then I saw his face.

I climbed down the remaining four bleachers and reached my arms for a hug. He looked healthy and happy, and I was so thrilled to see him that way. After we hugged I backed away, giving space for his mom and dad and grandparents to hug him as well. My head was spinning with joy, and with the commotion. There were so many things to be said, yet I stood there, absolutely speechless. I was just looking at him, smiling. 

The weather outside was awful; the sky was gray and rain poured down from the heavens. It was such a happy day with such miserable weather. The rest of the day was a blur, we were all exhausted from lack of sleep and we were all scrambling to get a word in edgewise. We mostly listened to stories that john had, but when there was a pause in his breath, everyone spoke up to fill the gaps. After 8 weeks of only writing letters, there was a lot to be said.

The day following John’s graduation was a much better day. We all went out to breakfast, and then spent the remaining part of the day at Six Flags Great America.

It was so funny how serious john was, and I suppose he has to be when he is in uniform. I suppose I would be, too. I think that is why he seemed so different, because he and I are usually big goofballs together.

We had to take john back early again that night, and only had a couple hours with him on Sunday morning. Before my mom and I had to fly back to California, we spent the time at the Navy Exchange store buying souvenirs to take home.

I stayed strong when I was saying goodbye to him, and we hugged for what seemed to be too short of a time, but was probably longer than I realized. I got into the taxi and we pulled away. I hate saying goodbye. Just hate it. 

Sadly, John wont be home until April 2010. I feel sad every time I think of that, but I hold on to hope that he will for sure come back to California. I pray for his safety and guidance while he is in a-school, and I look forward to the next time I get to see him.

 

Successful Semester.

This semester was fabulous. I actually got to do what I love, write, and boy did I write a lot. Writing for The Banner this semester was fun. I really enjoyed both my Culture/Perspectives pieces I wrote, one about the best "hole in the wall" places around Riverside, and the other about the struggle food servers face in the service industry due to the current economy. Those articles were my favorite because I was able to write about something that affects me directly (being a server at Mimi's Cafe) and also write about some of the best places in my hometown. The" service industry" story was for Issue 12 and is definitely the one I am most proud of, I love the quotes I was able to include from fellow students who are also servers. It was a great story to write. I have always been partial to feature writing, but I broadened my horizon this semester by writing a couple news stories as well. Maybe in the fall I'll attempt a sports story! Ha. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first semester in Banner and look forward to my next in the fall. It was nice to be paired up with mentors from the start because I always had someone to go to who had more experience than I. It will be nice being a mentor myself next time around. I have learned a lot this semester and can't wait to lend some help and also write some great stories myself. 

My hopes for the future are to write for a fashion or women's magazine, eventually working my way up to be an editor. I also plan to write children's book in my spare time, maybe I'll get one published one day! I think that would be so awesome. I really just love writing and having any position that let's me do so is going to be fantastic. 

I'll see you next semester, have a beautiful summer!!

Nadya Suleman: Octo-mom

After Google-ing Nadya Suleman's name, one of the first websites I came across was "The Nadya Suleman Family Website." My curiosity peaked and I clicked on the link, only to come across a main page displaying heart-wrenching photos of the premature octuplets covered in wires and tubes. At the top of the page there is a picture of Nadya, with a caption that reads, "Proud mother of 14 children." Proud indeed, I'm sure. Proud of the 8 newborns she successfully gave birth to? Yes. Proud of the 6 other children she already had? Yes. Proud of not being able to support her first six children, let alone the additional 8? I sure hope not. Proud of the selfishness of having children and relying on others to help care for all of them? You be the judge. 

 

I do not believe Nadya Suleman deserves the title of "proud mother." Maybe "unstable mother," definitely "foolish mother," but most certainly not "proud mother." How can you be proud when your family website only has two links, one to comment about the octuplets, and the other to make a donation to the single mom who irresponsibly had 14 children to help cure her loneliness. I believe that the media’s critique of Nadya is well deserved, because what single mom in their right mind would possibly think that they could care for 14 children? Which in turn leads me to believe what Nadya is not in her right mind. Even Octomom’s father questioned his daughter’s mental stability when interviewed on Oprah on Feb. 24. “Now I’m no psychiatrist, but I question her mental situation,” Ed Doud said. Ed, I concur.

After watching a YouTube.com video titled “Octomom and Mom Brawl Part I” I am completely convinced that the octuplets would be much better in their grandmother’s care as opposed to their mother’s. Nadya argues with her mother about the care of her children and says that she will care for her children by accepting help from others. Hello Nadya?! Why don’t you get some help yourself?! Or at least get a job, something to pay the bills so that you can buy diapers and formula without requesting online donations. She has not even brought her children home from the hospital yet and her view of reality is totally distorted. I fear for her children, all of them, because it is going to take an army of help to support and provide for that family, especially since octomom is too lazy to do so herself (or even try, for that matter.) At least the grandma is looking at things realistically, and recognizes the dangers that lie ahead for the children. She would probably realistically find a solution to the struggles of the future and help those babies grow up healthy and happy. But Lord help those 14 children in the hands of the irrational octomom.

With that all being said, I sarcastically congratulate Nadya and her doctor on successfully flexing her reproductive rights and, by doing so, putting 8 children’s lives at risk. Way to go. 

My Mom- The One Who Makes a Difference

     My mom has by far been the most influential and most important person in my life. I do not believe that there is another person in this world who has cared for me, inspired me, motivated me and taught me like my mother has. I truly would not be the person I am today without my mother's love and affections, along with her life lessons and dedication to my family. She always acts out of selflessness, which is one of her most admirable qualities. I aspire to be as great of a woman as she is one day.

     My mother had several struggles in her childhood, with multiple traumatic experiences that I will not go in to. From what I know, I would compare her youth to that of Cinderella's. She was always cooking and cleaning for a wretched family, but consistently staying positive despite her "difficult situation" (to put it mildly.) I know my mom does not like to discuss her childhood much, but I believe the times that she has talked to me about it is when I have the most insight in to her soul. The times when she talks about her youth is healing for her and learning for me. She sets the perfect example for me to see that no matter what life hands you, you must make something out of it that works, instead of drowning in your own sorrows. 

    She has also always provided me with the best advice in any situation, and she does so without judging. She has helped me get through so many tough times, and I can always talk to her like a best friend, and get the advice of a mother. I hope to have the same relationship with my future children one day. My mother has never once abandoned me on any level, and even in situations when she knows I may be making an ill decision, she sticks behind me and advises me anyways, knowing that even if I have to learn the hard way, that I will learn, and she will be there if I fall a few times before I do. A specific occurrence I can recall is when I was a senior in high school looking into colleges. I had my heart set on going to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and majoring in Fashion Design. She took me to countless interviews with school directors and several campus tours. However, my mom knew that an Associate’s degree in Design is not what would really be best for me. She believed very strongly in my talent as a writer, and wanted me to pursue getting a Bachelors degree.  And, of course, she was right, because I cannot imagine doing anything else but working on a journalism major at CBU. 

     My mom is my role model, my advisor, my support system, and the most influential person in my life. She makes a difference in my life every day and will continue to do so as long as her beautiful soul blesses this earth.