I wrote earlier about having some weight loss goals for 2008. I need to buckle down and get a new menu into place, as well as a solid exercise schedule. This year is about eating healthier and lighter as well as being more active.

I have a friend show is set to do Lap Band surgery sometime this year and I await her results with baited breath. Believe me, the procedure has crossed my mind more than once and I even discussed it with my doctor. When it comes to weight loss, Tampa has some reputable clinics right here close to home. The technology is within reach and my insurance might cover it if it were proven medically necessary, but my doctor has inspired me to try other venues for now and I am all for that.

There is a unique and correct solution for each person. I’m finding mine. I want to avoid surgery if at all possible, though I support my friend who is opting for it 100%. It is right for her and that is good enough for me.

I love blogging. I love being able to sit down and expound on one topic or another. I love having someplace I can go to talk about my opinion on local and national news stories. I love the interaction and the challenge.

So, despite having my hands quite full at the time I have decided to begin one more blog. I looked back and realized how I often I write about parenting topic on Suncoast Scribe. Last summer I was approached to author a blog for a blog network that would focus solely on children and parenting. I was over the moon, because those topics are so dear to my heart. I put a lot of effort into the articles I posted, but it soon came to light that the links and the traffic the blog administrators promised were not materializing. I became frustrated and figured that if I was going to blog for free, I may as well blog for free on my own blog, where I have 100% of the control over the look and the feel of the platform.

And so, I am starting a Mothering blog, which will simply be an offshoot of Suncoast Scribe. Once I have it up and running to my liking I will add links to this blog. Until, then, wish me luck.

Do you want to know what has me stressed out right now? Car insurance.

Florida took away the need for people to carry PIP (personal injury protection) last year, then they put it right back on as of January 1. I’m OK with that, but I am not OK with how my car insurance company handled the situation.

When PIP came off, my insurance did not go down. Instead, the company reabsorbed the coverage into other categories and my cost remained the same. BUT, when they added PIP back on they raised the coast, citing the need to add PIP coverage to my policy. Do they think I am a complete idiot? The law changed a few times and my insurance company makes a quick buck. What asses.

Of course, I am piling up info about other car insurance carriers now and next week is dedicated to getting quotes. I am absolutely switching, even if it ends up costing more. I will not give my business to a shady company.

The last article I wrote had me wondering, is one drug treatment center better than another? I started by looking online, using search engines. Unfortunately, most of the results were for individual facilities and although they information was helpful, it was not unbiased.

I did gather that most people believe a 30-day program is not going to do the trick for most people. I can see why Jessica Sierra has been asked to complete a one-year program. I agree that this seems more conducive to a life change, a behavior change, and not just an attitude change.

The question still remains: did Sierra really need to fly out to California to participate in a high priced rehab out there when Florida is host to thousands of accredited drug treatment centers? I suppose she wanted to continue therapy with a celebrity doctor, Drew Pinsky. Who can blame her? If she keeps her story in the tabloids, she is more likely to perhaps have some semblance of a career when she gets out of rehab – though I cannot fathom what sort of career she could have left at this point.

What works for one person may not work for another. I suppose the best thing to do is to work with a bevy of specialists to determine the path that best suits any individual. I sure hope Sierra is headed down the right path. I am really rather tired of seeing her name in the Tampa headlines.

It’s been a roller coaster ride for Jessica Sierra here in Florida. She was let out of jail in Tampa and given permission to enter a year-long drug treatment program in California, only to find out that California had not processed her parole transfer information. In the end, the Florida courts told her she can go ahead and fly to Florida and has 45 days to get things worked out in California. Otherwise, she has to come right back to Florida. Oh, what a roller coaster this girl is riding.

The most interesting part involves the order the judge gave Sierra to not talk to the press. So, what did the clueless former American Idol loser do as soon as she walked out of the courthouse doors? You guessed it – she spoke with reporters.

Yesterday, the judge had her back in his courtroom and made the order more specific. Sierra is not to go within 100 yards of a TV camera or microphone.

“I am not happy with you,” Judge Perry told Sierra. “I don’t like turning on my TV and seeing you do what I told you not to do. Those microphones are like a magnet for you. You are not a celebrity. You’re a drug addict.”

Personally, I have to say I am confused as to why California is her only rehab option. The girl is an addict and being treated by a pseudo celebrity like Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of the Celebrity Rehab, is not going to give her any better treatment than a local facility here in Florida.

I know this is old news to come of you here in Florida, but it will never be old news to the family members who have to suffer through the aftermath of the deaths caused by David Belniak on December 25, 2007. Therefore, I am bringing the topic up once again.

This morning as I was taking my daughter to school I was driving behind a Chevy Tahoe. The first thing I thought as I was looking at this large, sturdy-looking vehicle was of the pictures I saw of the Tahoe that Belniak’s victims had been riding in and how it was all but pulverized from behind when Belniak slammed into it after running a red light at a high speed.

My heart sank. Is there really any vehicle on the market that is safe when idiot drivers like David Belniak are still driving our roads? – especially when said idiot is driving a Nissan Titan, which is even bigger than a Tahoe.

Listen to what another driver who saw Belniak on the road just before the accident wrote:

We saw the driver of the truck on Little Rd and 52 yesterday. Truthfully I was afraid to drive my husband to his sisters for Xmas dinner with our family. He had just had the staples and JP tube removed the day before from his surgery. The truck driver came across traffic in front of the car in front of us and hit the median and came back to the center lane. We stopped at the light to turn on to Fivay and just past the light at Fivay he came left again and drove upon the median and back into traffic. We commented there was going to be a wreck. I told my husband I didn’t have my cell phone to try to call and report him. I saw the accident on the news last night. I new it was him. My husband confirmed it this morning when I show him the picture in the paper. The driver of that truck injured and killed that man by the time we reached my sister-in-laws. I feel horrible for those poor people in the SUV. They are the ages of my parents. This is a horrible tragedy. The words I have for the man driving that truck can not be published!!!

That people have had to live in fear of driving on the same roads as Belniak is asinine, because the man has already been to prison for drug trafficking, hit and killed an elderly woman who was crossing a road, and had numerous high-speed traffic tickets issues. It has been heavily speculated that Belniak has been lightly dealt with in the past because his sister Debra Tuomey was an assistant district attorney for Pasco County. If this is the case, I hope his family feels deep shame for enabling him to murder again.

As of today, I still have not heard any more information on what is going to be done about Belniak. As far as I know, he is still walking free. So, buckle up Florida. You never know when this freak might come up behind you on the road while you are driving.

This last time that I moved, someone gave me a pack of very cute little note cards for me to fill out and send to all of my friends telling them about the move and my new address. I think I will pass them along to another friend, because I opted to go the route of sending postcards this time around. They look cool and I like the one-piece mailing, no envelopes needed. Plus, the postcard rate for a stamp is less expensive. It’s a good deal all around.

I also used postcards for my Christmas cards two years ago. I think it was a nice twist on a classic. I used a cute picture my sister had taken of me and my daughter and designed a little Winter in Florida scene, then I uploaded my design online, ordered the cards and sat back and waited for them to be delivered. The cool thing about the internet, is that having small jobs printed has become quicker, easier and cheaper than ever. Cheap Postcards are always a draw for me when I think about how to get the word out about something in my life.