Barack for Hope and Change

It has been a long election season to say the least. Didn't McCain start campaigning during the Johnson Administration? And Barack was in 4th or was it 5th grade right? Or so it seems. Man, I hope they do something about this for the next election or I am moving to Canada. ;-) OK so I am not moving but this is really ridiculous and I think we all know that.

So now the election is days away and our neighborhood is all a twitter. I have friends that are losing sleep for fear that Barack Obama will not win the Presidency. We are in the most liberal part of Oregon and Portland for that matter. I would be nervous if I had a McCain sign in my yard. As a matter of fact, the other day we were on the play ground and Coulter felt compelled to tell me he was voting for John McCain. I immediately bent down and said, "Ahh, you may want to keep that to yourself around here." And then we had a little talk about why he was voting for McCain. After our talk he switched his vote to Obama. To his credit, he's only 4 and he knows who both candidates are. I'm impressed with that. We have had lots of conversations in our house about what the two major parties represent and what they "say" they are going to do. Our kids have been very interested in this process. If they only knew what it meant to their future they might be equally scared. Because of that I am taking this vote very seriously ESPECIALLY because I am the only voting member of my family BOB! For those of you who don't know, Bob is an alien. He wears thick make up to cover the green.

I have thought long and hard about who I am going to vote for and have decided to vote for Barack Obama. The world is changing and McCain, while a hero and experienced, is stuck in a 70's mentality about world politics. I think we are all aware of the dangers of Al-Quaida and the delicate situation in the middle east. The fact that Barack will talk to people gives me hope. Who cares if it gives some yahoo in the middle east "street cred" to talk to a world leader. I think if the guy has bombs and nothing to loose we may need to chat a bit. There needs to be greater equality in this world so that no one and no country is so desperate that they have nothing to loose. That needs to start here at home. Those of us who "have" need to be taxed. If we don't get our health care situation in order we are screwed. Every major industrialized nation in the world has national health care, every one but us. We can send troops around the world but we can't take care of the little old lady down the street who has to eat dog food and then has to decide between heat and her medication. She has to choose! Come on. That is not the America that I grew up in and I certainly don't want it to be where my kids grow up. We need to take care of each other. The lady next door, down the street, across town and across the globe. It only makes sense. Barack has a new view and less baggage and maybe he can start a dialogue with other nations where we don't seem like the giant democracy pushing US values slinging monster. A conversation, if you will, and those go both ways. What happened to give and take? We need to get our energy consumption under control so we don't have to count on OPEC. We need to make AIDS medication affordable for parents in Africa and the couple down the street. Talk about nothing to loose. We need to invest in 3rd world countries so their economies grow and they can join in the world economy. We need to redirect our money and energy from consequences and jails toward education and prevention. We need to have honest politicians who protect the interests of their constituents rather then line their own pockets. We need there to be accountability for those bastards on Wall Street that just STOLE our money by creating a total financial disaster. They knew all along that collapse was just around the corner and if they didn't know they are morons.

So I lay all that out knowing that the task is too big for one man. Even if that man is Barack Obama. But there are so many of us out here who believe that he will make the changes we need. He has to. We can't continue on the track that we are on or it will lead to total disaster and collapse. I hope we can change, I hope we can reclaim our place in the world's view, I hope we can take care of our own, I hope we can calm the fears of other countries, I hope we can create health care for all, I hope our children receive the education they deserve, I hope we can feel secure in all ways in our later years and I hope our children will inherit a better country and world. For all these things I HOPE that Barack Obama will be the change that our country and world deserve.

So now, after getting all that out, I may loose some sleep too. This is too important to loose. No matter what you do, please vote. This election is at such a pivotal point in time and we have the power to change the course of history. May the best man win and I think (pray) most of us know that is Barack Obama.

Sick and Tired

All mothers have done this. They are tired, they are sick but they still try and make things happen. Today is supposed to be the last nice day before Halloween. We still had not been to the pumpkin patch and I felt like we had to go. I am not sure what happens if you just get a pumpkin at QFC. Is that bad mojo? I am not sure I want to find out. So today I pulled Sophia out of school a half hour early and headed to the patch. The kids get very excited and act as if this is the outing of the year. We had to go without daddy, that is a first but he had meetings he couldn't get out of. Now let me tell you that I am sick as a dog. I can sing "Old Man River" better them 90% of the professional baritones out there. I have a fever and I hurt all over but damn it, my kids were going to the pumpkin patch. I tried to be as light hearted as possible but I seriously felt like I could keel over at any time. The kids seemed to have a good time and the dog had a great time. We rode the hay ride, the cow barrel ride and climbed the hay stack AND got pumpkins. I do this trying to be a good mother and to give my kids happy memories. But, I don't remember ever going to the pumpkin patch as a kid. I am not saying that I didn't but I don't remember it. If my kids forget this trip there is going to be heck to pay! They better remember that I went out sick as a dog. Although the dog seemed pretty good. But they won't remember and they will blog or whatever the medium is at that time that they didn't go to pumpkin patches when they were kids and they turned out alright. Maybe, but maybe they will remember that today was fun. I hope so...... I know I tried really hard.

Dog Gone It

Damn dog. Don't get me wrong, we love our dog Iva but what the heck is wrong with her. I now have over a $1000 in beautiful X-Rays of our dog. They are model X-Rays that show a perfectly healthy dog....except she's not, healthy that is. Yesterday she underwent an exploratory arthroscopy. Don't people usually get this type of procedure? Nope, my dog. They couldn't find anything definitively wrong but are still willing to do the $4000 surgery tomorrow if we want. Ahhh, let me think....NOPE! I have now spent over $2000 and have no answers. It isn't the doctors' fault, they are just as frustrated as I am. And I think she is better today then she was last week. So I think we'll wait a while. If there was something that we knew would work I would do it but at this point we might have to dip in to Iva's 529 if this continues and then what would her future look like? Ha ha.... Looks like last year's Christmas present might cut into this years loot.

I'll let you know if there is any change......

More POOP

Why is the word mom synonymous with cleaning up poop. I know that babies poop and so they need to be changed and cleaned. I know that dogs poop and in today's world that poop needs to be picked up, bagged and properly disposed of. Mom's wipe butts when kids potty train. Hey that is a big improvement over the previous step of cleaning the butt after pooping in the pants. Moms clean shoes when kids step the poop that daddy didn't pick up. Come on daddy. OK it's not ALWAYS daddy's fault but I like to blame him and he takes it pretty well (read "by ignoring me" there). We wash underwear that has poop on it because I wasn't there to assist in the last step of the pooping process. Maybe they were at school. But this morning was a great poop story.

So Tuesdays and Thursdays are my days to drive the carpool to school in the morning. We take another boy from down the street with us. I try really hard to get everyone in the car before he gets here so we can be at school on time. So this morning the dog decides she is going with us. As soon as the front door opened she ran out and jumped in the car. I don't really care if she comes with us, that is fine. The only problem I usually have with her coming is when we get out of the van she runs around inside in a total panic like we are NEVER coming back. She barks and goes wild and in the process gets nose prints all over the inside of the windows. I have actually gone to the trouble of parking so that the back of the van is pointed in the direction that I have to walk. That way she stares out the back window and nose prints that window up instead of the windshield in front of where I sit. But I digress...... So she is in the car. Everyone is buckled in and Iva, our dog, is sitting in the drivers seat. I shoo her out and notice that there is poop on my seat. Gross! I wipe it up with a baby wipe. Thank goodness for baby wipes. I then look over at Iva and see that now there is poop on the passenger seat. She is sitting there staring at me. "What? You don't have to clean this up." I march around the car, open the passenger door and quick grab Iva by the tail because she is trying to jump in the back. Yep, there is the offender, a poop blob stuck in her fur. I grab more wipes and try to clean her butt. I try and try and try....about 15 wipes worth before I realize this is a bath situation. I really didn't want it to be a bath situation. Meanwhile in the back of the van there is a chorus of poop talk and laughter. Oh man there is nothing funnier then poop when you are 4. "Ha ha, you have to clean the poop." He he he ha ha.... Shut up! I am thinking this really loud. This is not funny and I am now getting to the late side of things and you boys are totally annoying me. They are having a great time, I am not. I drag the dog out of the car and into the back yard. I have never left her outside when I was gone but I don't really have a choice. I hope she didn't bark but I am pretty sure she did. The hilarity ensues in the peanut gallery. Everyone gets to school safely and I go back home. The dog is laying on the ground with her snout shoved under the gate so she can watch for us. I get her and it is into the bath tub for her. If you have a dog you know how much they love to be in the slippery tub all wet. She is fighting it. I get the water flowing, pour water on her and ah, yes, nothing finer then pulling dog poop off your dog with your bare hands. Yes, yes this is great. I get her clean and try to dry her off. No go. She eventually leaps out of the tub and does the doggy shake all over the house. My house is now damp and smells a bit like a wet dog but there is no poop. Oh wait, Kees is screaming from the upstairs bathroom. "I pooped." More poop duty. I am living the dream.

Giving Up Dress Up

A few weeks ago I was going through our upstairs storage closet. This closet only has a few things in it; our suit cases, a few coats and pieces of winter clothing, dress up clothes and a box that has the clothes that the kids have out grown. We would put more stuff in the closet but the kids like to play in there. Nothing is better then a secret fort when you are little. I remember that very well. So I was in there picking up the dress up clothes. I yelled out to Sophia who was in the other room, "Sophia! If you don't put these princess clothes away I am going to get rid of them!" And she replied, "OK. You can get rid of them."

was totally taken aback, it stopped me in my tracks. As I started to think about it I hadn't seen her in those for ages. I can't believe that my baby doesn't want to dress up anymore. I will tell you that when she was in the dress up phase I let her do it. My motto was, "You should be able to go out as a princess any time you want to." knowing that she would only do it for so long.

When she was 4 she went to the Nutcracker in her full fairy regalia. She was so cute! Sophia was so proud and everyone thought she was dressed as the Sugar Plum Fairy. She, of course, thought she had fooled everyone because they thought she was the REAL Sugar Plum Fairy. She felt sneaky because the fact that she wasn't the Sugar Plum Fairy was our little secret. She had on pink tights, a big puffy layered purple skirt with a silk ribbon at the waist with flowers and beads all around the top, a body suit that had a dragon fly motif, an old head piece from someone's wedding and of course glittery, jeweled purple wings. I let her go out in that get up any time she wanted. She wore it to Christmas Tea at the Heathman Hotel. Oh, you should have seen the smiles on all the little old ladies' faces. They almost glowed with approval.

I don't know what it is that makes us smile so when we see kids dressed up in their daily life. Perhaps it's that they don't care what anyone thinks about them, that THEY think they look and feel cool and we wish we had that strength. They don't think anything is unusual about going to Home Depot dressed as Spiderman with pink feathery wings. Or wearing snow boots, no pants and a fireman's hat (backwards) while mowing the lawn. Maybe we should dress up again and be a princess or a superhero (Or go pantless?). Why not? Why do we care so much what society thinks? Why are we so self conscious? I'm not talking about looking like a freak or anything, well, except, I guess ahhhh...... If I wear the fairy regalia out what would happen? Would someone call the cops thinking I had escaped from the funny farm? Maybe. Who knows. Maybe I should try it.

But I am off point. My point is that Sophia is out growing dress up. She still dresses up but it's usually in grown up clothes and she did comment that her wings are all floppy and can't be worn that way. But it's fading away and that part will soon be over. I love the girl she is becoming. She is lovely, thoughtful, beautiful, smart and strong and I am blessed to be her mom. I want her to be confident and self assured as well. I will miss seeing her imagination show on the outside in her clothing and try to give her the confidence to be a fairy or a princess whenever she wants. I think we'd all be better off if we dressed up more and judged others less.

You Can See the Wheels Turning

When Sophia was 2 years old she was drawing "people." Coulter just started drawing people and he is almost 5. He has been drawing "roller coasters" and "race tracks." To the rest of the world they are scribble circles. He has added cars to the pictures lately so at least he gets it....a little. He has also started to write his name. Until 4 months ago he couldn't have cared less. He is writing letters (individual letters not "Dear Mr. President" letters) and is starting to string them together. You can almost see the wheels turning. So he put together some of his skills and came up with this picture. Every time I see it it makes me smile. He brought it to me and said, "Mom, this is for you. It's Coulter thinking about the alphabet." He explained that he worked really hard on it and told me that he had used his ruler to make the letters and then added the "think" bubbles so show what he was thinking about. I swear that each year gets better. I love watching my babies grow and develop at their own pace. It is a miracle each and every day even when they are making me crazy. Watching their wheels turn is an amazing thing and today my life is a straight out privilege.

Potty Time

So today I took the boys to school. Before we got there Kees insisted that I spend some time with him in his class before I left. He's never cared if I was there or not. Now let me remind you that Mondays are almost sacred time to me because this is the day that I have 8 hours to myself. The boys are in school all day. But, I promised to stay with Kees through "Circle Time." So I sat there with him, read a book, sat through circle time and then kept reading. 5 minutes into reading after circle time Kees says, "I need to go poop." Now if you've read any of my stuff over the past few days you know Kees and poop are a big topic. This explains why he wanted me there, he hadn't pooped at school and wasn't sure about what happens when you poop at school. So I jumped up and took him to the bathroom. Now you need to know he had been to this bathroom many times because he has been peeing in the potty for the whole time he's been at school. So we get to the bathroom, go in and I close the door. He says, "There is a door on this room?!!?" Seriously, he was totally shocked! So he tried to go potty but he was so enthralled with the door that he couldn't go. It was too exciting. It had never occurred to him to look for a door. I guess his little world is totally changed and he now will look for a door but he still may not connect a door with a bathroom for a while.