I need to tell everyone who will listen about my experience just an hour ago on the internet! I was searching for Mom groups in my area and came across a website, www.arizonamoms.org. Please note, THIS WEBSITE IS NOT LEGITIMATE!! Oh, it looked legit when I first looked at it. The home page states that they are commited to bringing Arizona, and only Arizona, Moms together. You can find events in your area as well as a variety of other forum topics that are available. I clicked on a few to check it out before I created a profile. I looked in the East Valley events sections as that was my destination in order to promote my classes. A lot of the posts were encrypted, which I thought was weird, but I just chalked it up to glitches in the system or it not being available because I hadn't created a profile yet. So, without further a-do, I created a profile. Luckily this did not consist of much more than my name and my email address. Once created, I went back to the East Valley events page to post my message. I soon realized that every single post under that forum had to do with PORN!! That's right ladies... PORN! A Moms group website full of pornography! I didn't click on any of the posts, but rather went straight to the members list and found that 95% of the members on that site were from other countries! I immediately backed my way out, erasing everything I had entered along the way. However, does that really work? Can you really erase everything you have already entered on the internet?
So here in lies my frustration...not only am I completely angry that this type of information is being distributed on a site that is suppose to be for Moms looking to network, meet other Moms and may even be looking for moral support from their peers, but now my business information is on that site! I'm sure, come tomorrow, my inbox will be flooded with pornography spam, but more than that, I'm scared to have myself and my business associated with that garbage! Don't get me wrong, I don't care that porn is available on the internet. I don't judge anyone who uses those websites for the occasional kick in the libido. I do however, have a problem with a website using the face of a mommies group to distribute this type of info!
So, I went to the FCC, was directed to the FTC and filed a complaint. I also went to the IC3 and filed a complaint there as well. But, I'm not sure I'm that hopeful that the website will be disabled any time soon, or at all. They have a little loop hole which is the 'I agree to' box. In this box, they say that they cannot monitor all postings and cannot guarantee that there won't be questionable information listed. GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
So, that website will probably be there forever and more Moms like myself will be subjected to it. Moms that are simply looking for other Moms in their area to connect with. Other Moms who are looking for local events in their area. Well, there may be some 'local events' in their area but they may not be the type of events they are looking for!
I'm so angered by this. It's not that I think my children will go looking for Mom groups and happen upon this stuff, but it makes me wonder...what other type of site are they hiding behind?? What happens when my daughters get older and have to do research for their history papers, what are they going to come across?
I know we hear day in and day out to watch our children on-line. Know what they are doing, when they are doing it and with who they are doing it with. (that statement was a two for one!!) But, can we possibly keep them sheltered from everything?? NO! We can't. We can do the best we can, but I know that I can't sit with my daughters for hours on end monitoring every site they visit and every search they do. Can you? I wish I could. And I know that computers have controls on them now where our kids can't look up questionable words or sites on purpose, but I was looking for a Moms group and came across it!!
So, what do we do? How do we protect our kids, even ourselves, from being subjected to this type of information when we aren't looking for it? Then, if we do mistakenly come across it, how do we remove ourselves from it and not get spammed and associated with it later down the road??
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Why does this happen?
On to things a little more serious...
I have a friend who has been trying to get pregnant for the past 2 1/2 years. They have tried various methods and are about to embark on yet another; the shot. It breaks my heart to talk to her because, as my sister tells me, I only have to think about being pregnant and it seems to happen! I struggle with feelings of why. Why does this happen to people who want a baby more than anything? Why is it that people that abuse children are able to have them when they don't want them? Why is it that so many babies are born each year addicted to one drug or another? Why are so many babies thrown by the waste side, while good people that want nothing more in this life than a child, are made to struggle and work so hard for it?
I'm excited that she is trying another method and we all are optimistic that this will be it. This will be the thing that works for her and her husband and they will finally be able to relax and enjoy a child that they were able to make and bring into this world.
It has been a long and hard road for them, one that to them, seems to go on forever and ever with no rewards in sight. I listen to her explain the issues and the options to me regularly and try my hardest to lift her spirits and tell her that everything is going to be alright. I want so much for my optimism to reach through the phone and smack her in the face so she no longer stresses and cries with each disappointment. But, as we all know, it really doesn't matter what other people say. We feel how we feel and it's almost impossible to change the mind of a stubborn woman; especially when we want something so badly.
So, the question I'm asking is how did you deal with it? I'm asking for any woman out there who would like to share their story and give others advice on how to make this journey a little bit easier. I know it's not impossible to be happy while going through this, but I can't imagine that it's easy.
I have a friend who has been trying to get pregnant for the past 2 1/2 years. They have tried various methods and are about to embark on yet another; the shot. It breaks my heart to talk to her because, as my sister tells me, I only have to think about being pregnant and it seems to happen! I struggle with feelings of why. Why does this happen to people who want a baby more than anything? Why is it that people that abuse children are able to have them when they don't want them? Why is it that so many babies are born each year addicted to one drug or another? Why are so many babies thrown by the waste side, while good people that want nothing more in this life than a child, are made to struggle and work so hard for it?
I'm excited that she is trying another method and we all are optimistic that this will be it. This will be the thing that works for her and her husband and they will finally be able to relax and enjoy a child that they were able to make and bring into this world.
It has been a long and hard road for them, one that to them, seems to go on forever and ever with no rewards in sight. I listen to her explain the issues and the options to me regularly and try my hardest to lift her spirits and tell her that everything is going to be alright. I want so much for my optimism to reach through the phone and smack her in the face so she no longer stresses and cries with each disappointment. But, as we all know, it really doesn't matter what other people say. We feel how we feel and it's almost impossible to change the mind of a stubborn woman; especially when we want something so badly.
So, the question I'm asking is how did you deal with it? I'm asking for any woman out there who would like to share their story and give others advice on how to make this journey a little bit easier. I know it's not impossible to be happy while going through this, but I can't imagine that it's easy.
How'd he do it??
So, since this is my first blog and since I love a good story, I'm going to start this one off with a great question...How did you meet your husband and how did he propose?
And since I want you to share your story, I'll show you mine first! (Cheesy wink!)
I met my husband almost 3 years ago to date. Our girls go to the same school and had become friends. One day my daughter asked if his daughter could spend the night. Of course I had to meet him and he me. So we met one day after school for a few minutes. It was the cutest thing ever, he was so shy and he stumbled over his words the whole time. I called him later that evening to invite him and Mackenzie over for dinner so he could see where Kayleigh and I lived before he agreed to the sleepover. They came over for dinner and it went great. He was much less nervous and was actually able to hold a conversation. We had so much in common, he was easy to talk to and we really had a lot of fun. So, Mackenzie slept over, we all moved in together about 6 months later and we have been having fun ever since.
When I was 5 months pregnant, Duane took me to San Francisco for a weekend getaway. He had planned a dinner cruise for us that I was so very excited about. We had decided to find out the gender of our baby after dinner while cruising on the bay. (we had asked the ultrasound tech not to tell us, but to write on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope.) So when it was time to open the envelope, we went upstairs and sat on the deck of the ship. Before we opened the envelope, as we were floating under the moonlight and the San Francisco Bridge, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! It was very romantic and I was so surprised. Of course I cried and of course I said yes! How could you not after all that?? And then we found out we were having another little girl. I thought he may jump ship after that, but we're still together and enjoying every minute with our 3 little girls!
And since I want you to share your story, I'll show you mine first! (Cheesy wink!)
I met my husband almost 3 years ago to date. Our girls go to the same school and had become friends. One day my daughter asked if his daughter could spend the night. Of course I had to meet him and he me. So we met one day after school for a few minutes. It was the cutest thing ever, he was so shy and he stumbled over his words the whole time. I called him later that evening to invite him and Mackenzie over for dinner so he could see where Kayleigh and I lived before he agreed to the sleepover. They came over for dinner and it went great. He was much less nervous and was actually able to hold a conversation. We had so much in common, he was easy to talk to and we really had a lot of fun. So, Mackenzie slept over, we all moved in together about 6 months later and we have been having fun ever since.
When I was 5 months pregnant, Duane took me to San Francisco for a weekend getaway. He had planned a dinner cruise for us that I was so very excited about. We had decided to find out the gender of our baby after dinner while cruising on the bay. (we had asked the ultrasound tech not to tell us, but to write on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope.) So when it was time to open the envelope, we went upstairs and sat on the deck of the ship. Before we opened the envelope, as we were floating under the moonlight and the San Francisco Bridge, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! It was very romantic and I was so surprised. Of course I cried and of course I said yes! How could you not after all that?? And then we found out we were having another little girl. I thought he may jump ship after that, but we're still together and enjoying every minute with our 3 little girls!
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