Among Friends

[Winifred]

They did NOT remove the children yesterday. But the entire ordeal was just that - an ordeal. What those agencies put down on paper I would get arrested for. LOL. I think the Judge was seeing through a lot of it. This does not mean things are fine - nope, not at all, but it was a notice for them to obviously get their facts straight. They had a ton of information submitted by the ADoption agency "lady" and it was mostly opinions, very little facts. Lot of innuendo's - I could not believe it was even allowed. But at any rate I have a hunch I will have a lot of unannounced visitors at my door and frustrating phone calls. They had pulled my home certification with NOTHING I have done, or not done, as a reason. They were ordered to start re-certifying my home again - it will be a continuing nightmare for a while. But they are just not telling what their real reason is as it is against the law. They cannot legally use my age so they are trying other tactics. Time will tell. I will be the first to admit it is not, nor has it been, easy to care for two little firecrackers. Bottom line however is whatever is done must be best for the children - that is a given.  I cannot begin to tell you some of the garbage they had in there. They did mention Shannon's vehicle - which is not real pretty but it is legal and sometimes gets her around. She was able to buy it CHEAPLY with no back window. They mentioned they saw it here and it had no back window and they wondered if perhaps it was broken out by someone smashing it????? None of their business but they used an entire page to describe that car. Also that the children are not allowed to be in or around it??? That old miserable car has nothing to do with anything and they do not go in it anyway as they are not allowed to travel anywhere with her and they had already put that stipulation on it. Then they made a big deal as I would tell them the kids do not ride in the car, etc. Just stupid.You read about things concerning children that these agencies get their hands on - let me tell you a lot if not most of what you can read is true!

Need to try and get my bedroom somewhat cleaned up - my entire house is a pigsty for sure but my room needs the attention now. Have been tossing things in there and I need to get it together. Would love to live a normal life again LOL.

The little girl is off the bottle and she is NOT happy about it so the other night I did give her one to simply calm her down. She is now in the process of being potty trained and she seems to be loving it. She has had her lab work done to check her iron levels and her flu shot. Ricky had his flu shot and both kids are good to good for a while. Whew!!!

Shortly will also get some oatmeal - will be interesting to eat it without the two little ones standing by me for their share of MY oatmeal - they love eating it that way. They are at Sherry's as I had to get them there for yesterday and not quite ready to make another long freeway trip to get them back. Probably will later today or tomorrow - have a lot of things to attend to today and most can be done on the phone without any travel necessary so that is another reason I am grateful Sherry is keeping them today also. Am going to see if my pulmonary MD will let me do a PT scan in January instead of next month. My go pay goes down over half the amount come January, sometimes these insurance companies do something right but it should go down - has been costing me $150 co pay every time I get a scan - pretty pricey.

Have a great day one and all.

[Bird mama]

@Winifred  Oh Freddie I believe you when you say that they are working every other angle when you know it's your age that is their issue.  I was so fearful for you all day and into the evening.  I trust no one and was afraid they would snatch the little ones away from you on the spot.  I don't put anything past the so called 'authorities'.  I understand that all involved want the best outcome for the little ones - there needs to be a proper process for assessing and determing that.

[yock]

Sounds as tho the Judge was getting the picture.  I wish they could manage to arrange more in house help for you.  Im glad you are able to drive and have willing help close by. 

Wonder on what what basis they pulled your certificate. Seems like they should be able to tell you that. How else are you supposed to conform.  Well no matter. For now you are back on track.   Enjoy the quiet for awhile.    

Love and prayers conquer a lot!

[mousiegirl]

---

@Winifred wrote:

They did NOT remove the children yesterday. But the entire ordeal was just that - an ordeal. What those agencies put down on paper I would get arrested for. LOL. I think the Judge was seeing through a lot of it. This does not mean things are fine - nope, not at all, but it was a notice for them to obviously get their facts straight. They had a ton of information submitted by the ADoption agency "lady" and it was mostly opinions, very little facts. Lot of innuendo's - I could not believe it was even allowed. But at any rate I have a hunch I will have a lot of unannounced visitors at my door and frustrating phone calls. They had pulled my home certification with NOTHING I have done, or not done, as a reason. They were ordered to start re-certifying my home again - it will be a continuing nightmare for a while. But they are just not telling what their real reason is as it is against the law. They cannot legally use my age so they are trying other tactics. Time will tell. I will be the first to admit it is not, nor has it been, easy to care for two little firecrackers. Bottom line however is whatever is done must be best for the children - that is a given.  I cannot begin to tell you some of the garbage they had in there. They did mention Shannon's vehicle - which is not real pretty but it is legal and sometimes gets her around. She was able to buy it CHEAPLY with no back window. They mentioned they saw it here and it had no back window and they wondered if perhaps it was broken out by someone smashing it????? None of their business but they used an entire page to describe that car. Also that the children are not allowed to be in or around it??? That old miserable car has nothing to do with anything and they do not go in it anyway as they are not allowed to travel anywhere with her and they had already put that stipulation on it. Then they made a big deal as I would tell them the kids do not ride in the car, etc. Just stupid.You read about things concerning children that these agencies get their hands on - let me tell you a lot if not most of what you can read is true!

Need to try and get my bedroom somewhat cleaned up - my entire house is a pigsty for sure but my room needs the attention now. Have been tossing things in there and I need to get it together. Would love to live a normal life again LOL.

The little girl is off the bottle and she is NOT happy about it so the other night I did give her one to simply calm her down. She is now in the process of being potty trained and she seems to be loving it. She has had her lab work done to check her iron levels and her flu shot. Ricky had his flu shot and both kids are good to good for a while. Whew!!!

Shortly will also get some oatmeal - will be interesting to eat it without the two little ones standing by me for their share of MY oatmeal - they love eating it that way. They are at Sherry's as I had to get them there for yesterday and not quite ready to make another long freeway trip to get them back. Probably will later today or tomorrow - have a lot of things to attend to today and most can be done on the phone without any travel necessary so that is another reason I am grateful Sherry is keeping them today also. Am going to see if my pulmonary MD will let me do a PT scan in January instead of next month. My go pay goes down over half the amount come January, sometimes these insurance companies do something right but it should go down - has been costing me $150 co pay every time I get a scan - pretty pricey.

Have a great day one and all.

---

@Winifred  I posted on the Kitchen thread re the children.

Re the bottle issue, I had a wonderful opportunity to get DD off.  She became ill and wasn't interested in anything to eat or drink, did get juice and crackers down her, the only time I gave her juice, don't believe in it, so after four days, she was feeling better and went into the kitchen and pointed to the cupboard where the bottles were kept.

I opened it and she could see there were no bottles in it, so I quickly explained that the bottle fairy came and took it because she was such a big girl now, and only babies needed bottles.  Viola, it worked!

[Winifred]

I  too had it super easy to wean my daughter from her bottle. In those days there were ONLY glass bottles. Well she broke them all but one and I told he to be careful as that was her last one and there were no more. That same day she tossed it and you can figure out what happened. Told her there were no more and I was floored. She did not appear to be at all concerned and never gave me one minute of trouble. What can I say - not that easy with these kids.

Am ready for bed!

[Bird mama]

When I was little I had a choo-chee (what I called a pacifier) habit.  Wasn't into the bottle, but was on the choo-chee until I was a toddler. My maternal grandma used to watch me when Ma worked and she was determined to break me off the choo-chee.  She'd take the one I had and I knew Ma hid one on the window sill (under the shade) or under the pillows.  Oh boy, they used to argue over it too.  

[Winifred]

Come on people, we need to have more gathering at the Back Fence - great way to chat. Even get some food as I brought - once again - those great cinnamon raisin bagels. Even some cream cheese as a go with and of course the coffee is just waiting for you.

They had a Hallowe'en party across the street and one house over. Boy howdy was it noisy. We have a noise curfew at 10 and I finally fell asleep around that time so have no clue if the cops showed up or not. Am sure someone would be complaining about it. Well even I think sometimes that is way too late for loud music, a zillion people all outside yapping. Actually you can be made to shut it down before then if the noise is interfering with anyone else and keeping them from living in their own home comfortably. I found that out a couple years before my Dad died. The people two doors up from up started at 2  p.m. and it went thru 10. Unreal. We could not sit outside, could not hear the TV inside the house although it was all shut up The noise was that bad. They had a live Mexican band and a million people there - could barely get out of your own driveway - this is a little one block long street. It was just miserable. Found out later when I went up to the sheriff's station on Monday to ask why that would be allowed and that is when they told me I should have called, they would have put a stop to it hours before it stopped on their own and the allowable noise until 10 p.m. would not be effective at all. He said everyone has the right to live in their own home without that. That was far worse than this . Cannot spell it but it was a party for their 16 year old daughter, a regular thing in that culture. Most people who have them do NOT have them at their homes - too noisy - they have them in Hall, churches, other buildings. Oh well.

Hope all are gearing up for a great Sunday.

[Bird mama]

Hello all - the crazy drop in temps and the dampness was giving my sinuses a fit the past couple of days.  They say if you live in Michigan long enough you with either get allergies or sinus problems.  I had a headache that kept coming and going and I wouldn't take anything because I was trying to pinpoint where the pain was coming from.  I'm a hardhead, I know :-)

I had paperwork all over the place.  Well, not really all over the place - I had placed car paperwork, health insurance paperwork in their proper file folders in the short cabinet I have in the office here, but it was a hot mess.

Yesterday, I spent time going through every folder, making sure all my stuff was straight.  Maybe that's what gave me the headache

[yock]

Cold here too, Bernie.   I always dread the first cold spell cause my blood is not ready   Soon enough we will think 40 is warm.    

We we are supposed to get a few snow flurries which means squaw winter is here which means we will have some Indian summer.  

Merles getting ready to  pick up leaves.  The city will be picking them up but we don't get a pick up for a couple weeks.   I always worry about leaves piled along the curb.  It's a temptation for cars to run through the piles.  Er like st a child not too far from here several years who. He was playing in pile, car didn't see him.  

We we had a party b hind us last night.  Lots if cars. Looked like most of the time they were in the cold garage.  They didn't bother us.  Went on til 3 am.   Had a potty break about that time and they were starting to leave.  

[mousiegirl]

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@Winifred wrote:

Come on people, we need to have more gathering at the Back Fence - great way to chat. Even get some food as I brought - once again - those great cinnamon raisin bagels. Even some cream cheese as a go with and of course the coffee is just waiting for you.

They had a Hallowe'en party across the street and one house over. Boy howdy was it noisy. We have a noise curfew at 10 and I finally fell asleep around that time so have no clue if the cops showed up or not. Am sure someone would be complaining about it. Well even I think sometimes that is way too late for loud music, a zillion people all outside yapping. Actually you can be made to shut it down before then if the noise is interfering with anyone else and keeping them from living in their own home comfortably. I found that out a couple years before my Dad died. The people two doors up from up started at 2  p.m. and it went thru 10. Unreal. We could not sit outside, could not hear the TV inside the house although it was all shut up The noise was that bad. They had a live Mexican band and a million people there - could barely get out of your own driveway - this is a little one block long street. It was just miserable. Found out later when I went up to the sheriff's station on Monday to ask why that would be allowed and that is when they told me I should have called, they would have put a stop to it hours before it stopped on their own and the allowable noise until 10 p.m. would not be effective at all. He said everyone has the right to live in their own home without that. That was far worse than this . Cannot spell it but it was a party for their 16 year old daughter, a regular thing in that culture. Most people who have them do NOT have them at their homes - too noisy - they have them in Hall, churches, other buildings. Oh well.

Hope all are gearing up for a great Sunday.

---

@Winifred  

 

 quinceañeracelebrations.

One of the most important celebrations in Mexican culture is the tradition of the quinceañera. This constitutes a ceremony on a girl’s fifteenth birthday to mark her passage to womanhood, to give thanks to God for his blessings, and to present a young woman to the community. From an anglo perspective, the festival would seem a combination of a “sweet sixteen” birthday party combined with a coming out ball for debutantes.

In Mexican communities, the quinceañera serves not only to honor the young woman for her maturity, but also the girl’s parents and family, as well as her padrinos or godparents. The godparents, and her mother and father play important roles throughout the ceremonies. Most societies have rituals signifying a passage to adulthood for both women and men, but the quinceañera is very distinctive. In former times, the girl’s fifteenth birthday would have signaled that she was an active, adult member of the community, fully ready to take on her share of responsibilities, and indicated that she was of marriageable age and status. Today, the tradition has taken on other meanings, but remains a celebration of womanhood, family and community.

The young woman’s fifteenth birthday begins with a Misa de acción de gracias, or mass to give thanks for a completed childhood. The festejada, or adolescent woman celebrating the birthday, is seated at the foot of the church altar resplendent in an elaborate pink or white formal dress. The godparents have bestowed her with special gifts, often jewelry to accent the beautiful dress. Around the celebrant are seated her damas (maids of honor) and chambelanes (escorts). Often, these are siblings, relatives or friends of the family. They are grouped in order of the different ages the young woman has completed. The mass combines a solemn ceremony similar to baptism welcoming the festejada to her new life and challenges ahead as an adult. After the mass, the young woman leaves a bouquet of flowers to the Virgen de Guadalupe. Her female siblings, cousins and friends distribute bolos, special gifts of remembrance to the guests assembled in the church. After the Misa de acción de gracias has concluded, lots of photographs are made to distribute to everyone, and it’s time for the party!

In former times, the wealthy used to provide a trip to Europe for their young lady, frequently to Paris. Today, lavish presents to help the birthday girl in her transitions to school, social life, or work are often given. The party is a big affair, traditionally lasting for six hours. The parents, godparents, and often other families go all-out to make the party an absolutely over-the-top experience. A central component is the cake, which vies with the girl’s quinceañera gown in its marvelous decoration. The dimensions of the cake are customarily immense. There is dancing, a live band, and plenty of pop, contemporary dance music, cumbia, banda, salsa, and older songs for both young and old guests. The festejada traditionally opens the party officially by dancing a waltz with her father or primary escort. A formal dinner is featured at the party as well. There is also a brindis or toast, in which people remark on the celebrant with pride and fond memories of her youth. This is also the occasion when the parents impart special messages, transferring wisdom and life-experience to their daughter.

The origins of this festival are shrouded in the history of the Mexican people. As with so many things Mexican, it combines both Spanish-Catholic traditions with a rich Aztec and indigenous heritage. The ancient Mexica, or Aztecs, had many ceremonies to mark passages through the stages of life. Among the most important, was preparing young women for their roles in society. The woman was presented with gifts and with elements of her dowry, or bridal wealth. Chroniclers describe that there was a festival for the young woman becoming an adult, which included the mother and other women of the community instructing the girl in her duties and responsibilities, urging her to follow the correct path, remaining true to her people and their traditions, in her life.

Later, during the colonial epoch, the Spanish instituted their traditions of presenting marriageable daughters to society during a formal social gathering. French influence, and the court atmosphere of the Austrian emperor and empress, Maximilian I and Carlota, were introduced during the nineteenth century. Although the Mexicans drove out the French and the emperor, many of the French customs were retained and elaborated in the fin-de-siecle. Of course, every region in Mexico added their own local traditions and customs to the European-derived balls, transforming the fifteenth birthday into the forms it is practiced today. Regional and local traditions as well as the economic status of the celebrating family exert an influence on the ceremony, determining the setting and the atmosphere of the religious service and the party.

People of Mexican descent, both here in the United States as well as in Mexico, are mindful of their rich inheritance. Traditions and festivals are an important observance for families and the entire community. The quinceañera for a girl’s fifteenth birthday is among the most meaningful and beautiful occasions; one that is anticipated with much happiness, and remembered fondly by everyone involved. It is also among the more distinctive festivals marking Mexican