Caught up... again...

I know I should just turn off CNN sometimes, and be peaceful and content to not think about politics. And yet... here I am again, watching, soaking it all in, googling comments made by The Opponents, and holding imaginary conversations with myself.
And since I've already delved into politics, why not religion? Ooh, scary. Either draws people closer or scares them off every time! :)
The repeated line in my head today was to Palin (yes, again).

"Hey Palin, God called. He said to tell you that there's only one of Him, and He's on both sides."

But she will be bold, and she will insist that we are in Iraq doing God's task - which smacks of superiority. Because the people we war against are also praying to God for assistance, deliverance and victory. As are the soldiers, bystanders, townspeople and children of all nations involved. God is God. He goes by many names, in fact too many to count.

Here is an awesome song by one of my favorite artists, Jack Johnson. I'll try to post the link, because you can read the lyrics AND hear the song here: http://www.lyricsmania.com/lyrics/jack_johnson_lyrics_3161/sleep_through_the_static_lyrics_73873/sleep_through_the_static_lyrics_728706.html

Overheard

The girls were feeding their stuffed puppies and animals today, and it cracked me up.

They got the nursing pillow, and sat together on the couch breast-feeding their various animals, and carrying on conversations between each other and the animals.

Isabella told her puppy to save some for the rest of the animals.

Jadyn declared early on"Everyone, I can't feed you, I just got 2 little bweasts." Then she told the Beanie crab, "I gonna feed you, 'cause Bewa feeding her puppy a LOT like Mommy feeds Phoenix a LOT."

Isabella tells one baby, "Why did everyone cry? She's gonna drink 2 milkies, so I can't feed the other one." "We need some bigger bweasts so we can feed Po (a big panda)."

Jadyn: "You can't feed my puppy, 'cause he delicate."

Isabella: "Puppy! Don't dwink too much milkie!"

Jadyn then begins to throw her animals around the room like they are in a hurricane. Isabella jumps up to rescue them, but decides throwing them is more fun.

Ah, the balance between maternal feelings and the desire to be wild... :)

One small step...

I came up with a phrase that amused me this week, and since it won't stop running through my head I'll exorcise it here.

Sarah Palin: one small step for Republican-kind, one giant leap back for womankind.

This week, part of the "it" that irks me was said better in 2 news articles than I could have hoped for. And so I'm simply going to share 2 articles as food for thought. 'Cause I've sure been thinking about them, though I try & try to move on and not get agitated. :) Maybe agitated isn't the word... incredulous? boggled? fired up!

The fact remains that the women of my generation stand on the shoulders of women who fought for equality of the sexes. And though I may not choose to exercise every one of those hard-won rights, I hold tightly to the freedom. And I refuse to countenance any potential leader that would revoke those rights. My girls will not grow up in a world without personal freedom, a world where the government dictates to their potential harm, what they can and cannot do with their bodies. It's not about whether or not a woman chooses to exercise her rights - it's the simple fact that the rights exist. And should continue to do so in a world inhabited by equal peoples.

First some humor...
Sarah Palin and foreign policy:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/politics/animal/main4414663.shtml

Then some meat...
Gloria Steinem on Sarah Palin:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-steinem4-2008sep04,0,1290251.story

Bike derby!

A busy week... aren't they all?! :)

Isabella & Jadyn had school Tuesday, and Rick took a vacation day. Imagine our delight - only one child - free sailing! So we packed our car-screaming bundle of joy and stayed out riding around, browsing, just hanging out the entire morning. And had lunch out... what a treat for me... And Phoenix fell asleep in the car after 6 minutes (seemingly 16!) of crying, so we were practically alone! :)

This seems to be the way post-preschool will go: Isabella sits me down, and slowly takes each picture/drawing/project out of her bag, describing it in detail all the way. Jadyn throws her bag at me and says "You take it out." Then Jadyn says "Bewa played with a girl today. A girl in a pink shirt." Isabella nods sagely, "Yes. We played ponies." I ask, did Jadyn make a new friend too? Jadyn stares at me and somersaults away. She later names 2 boys in class that she "loves." I'll keep you posted on this.

The big fun deal of the week is the new bike-riding frenzy! A co-worker of Rick's had given us 2 bikes back when our girls were born. They have been in the attic for the past 3 years, and we decided... what are we waiting for?? Bring it on!! So began the daily bike derby in the clubhouse parking lot. And getting there (one block away) is half the battle. Keeping the teetering girls away from the curb, out of the middle of the road, off of each others tires, away from the stroller... whew! But to see them slowly cruising around, sticking close together like they're towing each other with a short rope - it is too cute.

Politics!

Last night, I watched our future President accept the Party nomination. He was eloquent, impassioned and inspiring – adjectives I have not used to describe a political candidate since I came of age.

And so I have been mulling over Barack Obama’s acceptance speech, trying to figure out just why it moved me, and what makes him the candidate for me. For all of my “voting-age” years, Clinton and Bush have been in office. In the Clinton years I hardly had a political opinion. And in the Bush years I have cared deeply and been at odds with his leadership for 8 long years. So to feel utter patriotic pride after a speech, and excitement for our country’s future is new and thrilling to me.

Barack Obama’s message of unity sits well with me and my beliefs. He spoke of it last night, the notion that we are not Americans of every race and division, but simply Americans. I take it a step further – before we can possibly resolve issues both domestic and international, we must acknowledge our commonness. Obama simply gives me hope that instead of seeking political & cultural divisiveness, we can seek a common goal and unite toward it.

No matter how “”Kumbaya” it sounds, I believe in my core that international peace will become a reality in my lifetime. And when that day comes, when the state of international relations makes that change from an idealist notion to a present reality of peace, it will have been worth any amount of work. It is with that goal in mind that I stand behind Barack Obama. He will prove himself to be a man of solution, though it will not be popular with every citizen. He will be willing to sit down with world leaders and devise strategies that are not based on war and invasion, or fear-mongering, but on the grounds that a peaceful resolution can be found. Yes, war is the history of mankind, but at some point we must stop re-living our history and create our future.

Toward that end, we need a leader that can inspire and encourage. We need a leader with charisma, and should not fear that quality. For the tool of charisma can pull followers together and accomplish real change. People don’t get excited by mere words. We get fired up when those words are spoken powerfully by someone with the inherent qualities of leader. Someone whose destiny it is to lead our country into a new phase.

I am Bethany L. and I approve this message… :-)

Tippity-tap

My Mom taught the girls some little dances during her visit!

I love this shot of her and the girls, tap dancing. It is so cute to watch them learn a little dance, and clippity clop all over the deck.

We had a really nice weekend with Mom here, full of activity & a few projects. She had made some curtain panels for the boys' room, and they turned out awesome. The room looks finished and cozy now - and since they have black-out fabric on the back, the room is ready for its new little occupant. Cole wants Phoenix's crib right beside his bed :) I'm just ready to have my room back, and happy that Cole wants to share his room!

Cole's corner is so sweet now! Though I'm sure the dinosaur prints will be migrating to Phoenix's side very soon, as Cole hopes to replace that sweet set with something boyishly gruesome...

The girls had a terrific first day at preschool! This shot cracks me up. I get tired of all the perfect smiling shots, and have been into the wacky ones lately. They show so much personality. :) Both of the girls said that painting was the best part of their first day. Then Jadyn added that she liked snacktime, and throwing away her trash. Hmm. Maybe she will bring that "like" home! Isabella has been very cooperative about dressing in appropriate school clothes. But the minute she walked in the door Tuesday, she stripped out of that girlie stuff to put on "cool" clothes. (blue Mickey Mouse tee and red shorts - her uniform.)

We'll see how Day 2 goes!

A new phase for us

This morning began our new phase:
Cole in 2nd grade
Isabella & Jadyn in preschool for 2 mornings a week
Phoenix home taking long naps during those 2 mornings (positive thinking WORKS!)

This morning got a little crazy, getting it all in gear. Hurricane Fay decided to send bucketfuls of rain our way, after months of drought. My Mom had to be taken to the train, to get to the airport, Cole to the bus, Isabella & Jadyn to preschool and walked into the building for the first day.

First off was Cole, who decided just before walking out the door, that he didn't want to go to school. And cried. Our eyes widened - why does this happen on the girls' first day! We didn't want them worrying about school... so Rick quickly shuffled Cole out the door to the bus, in a modest downpour - 7:15am.

At 8:25am, Phoenix & I left to deliver Mom to the train, and a 20 minute ride took 45, in that same downpour.

At 8:45am, Rick headed out to take the girls to their First Day of school - and now it was a torrential rain. As he walked them to the building, under a huge umbrella, they got soaked, and had to put on their spare (in case of accident) clothes from their bags... so much for the cute first day outfits! And Isabella is not an easy child to pry Cole's clothes off of in the first place, she has to be cajoled into wearing her own clothes. ("I don't wanna be CUTE, I wanna be COOL!")

At 9:45am Phoenix and I arrived back at home, Rick & I shared stories, and I felt some unexpected angst :) that lasted only a moment, and then the demands of an infant set in, and we were starting our day. The girls made not a peep as they were dropped off (yay!) - which bodes very well for their school career.

So, that's it in a nutshell - as Mom sits at the airport, suffering an hour delay so far, due to the welcome rain. Maybe she'll write her own story...

Tonight

Tonight it is quiet. Three children are sleeping, Cole is watching cartoons, Rick is channel-surfing, I am internet surfing, and my Mom is hand-hemming curtain panels for the boys' room - all in the same room, separate yet together.:) Mom watches whatever channel Rick stops on briefly, laughs if it is humorous, but doesn't say a word when he flips the channel. I wonder how long this will last.

I guess it just seems homey to see Mom over there sewing. Familiar and cozy. So I'm enjoying the view.

Today we went to the farmer's market and bought string beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini and peaches. So tomorrow we can feast on barbecue chicken, grilled veggies, a pot of beans & some roasted potatoes. At least that's the plan. Somehow a lot of cooking sounds great to me in the morning, and I love to plan what we will eat. Then, by 4pm when moods go downhill, I start bailing on the cooking... and we end up having scrambled eggs. :) Some of my best concoctions are thrown together on the fly!

The other night I started tossing things in the eggs, and before I knew it I had made a Dad meal - eggs, avocados, tomatoes, hot dog, cheese - and it was so good. That's my goal - creating fast scrambled-egg-based meals that are ready in 10 minutes. Who has 30 minutes anymore?? I try to have 30 minutes, and I am overcome by events every time... So I turn to eggs or wraps. Love a wrap. Maybe I'll start combining the two and put eggs in a wrap. With all the other stuff.

This cooking chat is for you Susan, cook of all yummy things. Wish I had pics of the egg-conglomeration for you... ;)

Summer cleaning

This week I got into summer cleaning, I guess in preparation for school starting for 3 of the 4 young'uns. It feels good to take a load to G@@dw!ll & get that much more crap-ola out of the closets.
I like to sneak broken or aggravating toys out whenever possible, and hope not to get caught. Today I had loaded the back of the van with a bag of cheap puzzles that the kids have no interest in. I almost succeeded in a stealthy give-away, then eagle-eye Jadyn peered over the seat and saw the puzzles. I told her I had been cleaning out the cabinet. She seemed to think the back of the car was where I had chosen to store them. :) Then, when we were driving away from the donation spot, she spotted an old doll high chair I had off-loaded. Oops.

So I have a sense of accomplishment & some cabinet space to spare.

• My Mom comes for a visit tomorrow! She will be relieved to see I cleaned in preparation for her visit... so we will be able to get out & about, or sit & relax (haha), and not do chores.

Tomorrow we are taking the girls to their preschool open house - very exciting! We were thrilled to find out that they will have the same teachers that Cole had. We love this couple, Janet & Jim! And that means that next week I will have only one small baby in the house, for 2 mornings a week. I thought this day would never come! And it will be interesting to see the girls make friends & develop their own little lives independent of the family.

More on this next week...

Whack-a-mole

The last few nights have been spent playing a game I like to call "Whack-a-mole." Only the contestants aren't moles, they're kids. And I'm not allowed to use an actual mallet on their heads.

It goes like this: get them all to sleep, one wakes up. Get that one down, another one wakes up. We all sleep for a while. Two pop up. Get one down, and the third wakes that one up again. All sleep again. One creeps into our bed, like a stealth bomber. Get him to sleep, carry him back to his room. Repeat all night long, until the crack of dawn comes and at least 4 of us are crammed into my bed like sweaty sardines. But don't leave the bed, no matter how uncomfortable, or precariously balanced on the edge, because one of the lucky ones that's still sleeping might roll onto the baby.

This is what I say in my head, as I stumble around all night, envisioning a rubber mallet: "go-to-sleep-Go-to-sleep-go-to-sleep-Go-to-sleep." This game is so much fun, particularly when Rick is away. I can't wait to go to bed & start playing. But my favorite part is when the worst offenders sleep late in the morning. That just seems wrong. Or when Phoenix takes a 3 hour nap at 8am. Wrong again. (But ok, I'll take it!) The other refrain in my head is that song from the '90's "I get knocked down, but I get up again... you're never gonna keep me down..." We sing that to Phoenix, king of the 20-minute cat-nap, a lot, and replace the words while we dance him around like a puppet: "I go to sleep, but I get up again - you're never gonna keep me down. I close my eyes and they pop up again - I'll never sleep the whole night through..." Just a little something to keep us laughing. :)