6 posts tagged “kids”

Lyra! 

The newest addition to our happy little family (and my mother's day present from Clark and Boogie)!  Later days...

There are two little girls at my library -- approximately 4 and 1.5 years old -- who made me see a vision of Boogie as an older brother...  The little sister just took a tumble (like a champ, might I add!), and the big sister decided she had to "check" on her, even though she barely cried and was already done with the minimal crying she allowed herself...  The older sister went over, bent down, and declared, "I think your lip is bleeding...  Let me touch it!"  And that's just what she did...  She poked her sister's lip a couple of times, closely examined her finger, and then announced (to her grandmother and anyone else who may have been listening), "Yup!  It's bleeding!"  Freakin' kids!  I guessed, to myself, that she will have a good future as either a doctor or a dominatrix...  Teeheehee...  And, actually, that's where the thoughts of Boogie came in...  My kid likes to hurt himself when he gets angry (or even bored some days, I swear), so I cannot imagine how ruthless he will be as an older brother...  Guess we'll have to keep an eye on him instead of asking him to "help" watch the baby if/when we ever have one, huh?!?  Teeheehee...  Later days...

Clark just told me, through Google chat, "youre such an activist ... and it is sexy"...  Teeheehee...  I'm glad he thinks so!  I think I may have accomplished nothing more than meeting a few nice people and spending a little time in the sun on a nice day, but it made me feel good to at least TRY to make a difference...  One of the newscasters bugged me, though, and kinda "crapped on my Cheerios" (as Clark would say)...  He was all like, "If it's such an important issue, why are so few people here?"  Well, buddy, maybe it had something to do with the fact that the rally was at noon on a work day and less than 24 hours after the President even gave his veto!  Geesh...  Give us a little credit for getting about 20 people there...  Later days...

I received the following as a Moms Rising e-mail:

This morning the president vetoed a bill to provide funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). As a result, 6.6 million children could lose health care coverage beginning November 16 and millions more who need health care coverage won't get it at all. With his veto, the president ignored bi-partisan support in congress and the overwhelming support of the American people. It's time to stand up (literally!) against this outrageous decision and call for Congress to overturn the president's veto.

RALLY FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE TOMORROW: Tomorrow [evening], October 4th, MomsRising members are invited to join local rallies around the nation to protest the president's veto and to call for Congress to overturn it by the required 2/3 majority vote. In the Senate, there are enough votes to overturn the veto, but in the House, which votes first, we need about 20 more votes. These rallies are part of a national, multi-organizational effort lead by MoveOn.org.

*Click here to find the rally near you: http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=97&rc=mom_attend

If you have kids, definitely bring them, too! (And their cute little red wagons or other rolling toys for a photo opportunity!)

Tomorrow afternoon, I will be attending a rally on the steps of the state capitol...   If you have a rally near you and are available to attend, I think it would be great for you to go too...  Luckily, this is a non-issue for us (since Clark has really good benefits through his job)...  But, I know way too many people who can't otherwise afford health insurance for their kids...  It's time for President Bush to stop being an ass...  If he can approve another $190 billion for the war, he can damn well spend a fraction of that to help working-class families afford some freakin' health insurance for their kids...  So...  Yeah...  I think my soap box is caving in -- I'd better get down...  Later days...

So, those of you who know my mothering style probably already know (or would not be surprised to find out) that I love Vicki Iovine's Girlfriend's Guide books...  Well, I just found another awesome book for moms...  It's called I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids...  This book explores the super-mom phenomenon and how it affects real/normal moms...  There are quotes throughout, and the one I appreciated the most was from Felicity Huffman's interview on 60 Minutes...  When asked if motherhood was the best thing that ever happened to her, she responded:

No.  No, and I resent that question because I think it puts women in an untenable position, because unless I say to you, 'Oh, Lesley, it's the best thing I've ever done with my whole life,' I'm considered a bad mother.

Thank you Felicity Huffman...  Thank you from every mother who has ever felt this way and been too ashamed to admit it when people asked her a similar question...  I have some friends and acquaintances who have never been/felt more fulfilled than when they are with their children (or at least that is what they say), but I am so far from that and sometimes feel guilty that I so enjoy the time I am away from the child I love so much...  I could not believe it when I realized I didn't want to be a stay-at-home mom...  I was heartbroken, at first, because I thought that made me a bad mom...  But, there it was...  I could either be miserable at home or happy at work -- and being happy at work gave us the added benefit of affording to buy a house instead of renting an apartment forever...  I may have already beaten myself up with "mommy guilt" for the last 2 1/2 years, but -- after reading this book and seeing just how many moms feel the same exact way, regardless of their individual decisions -- I am going to make a concerted effort to try and actually give myself a break every now and then, to admit when I need help, and to let go of a little control over things so Clark won't find it impossible to help me...  It may take a lot of work, but I have to try...  Like the authors of the book said, mom's need to apply the airlines' oxygen mask directions to their every day lives: you have to take care of yourself before you take care of your kids (or spouse), because you're no good to anyone if you're no good to yourself...  Later days...

So, Nice has been making more of an effort to get to the gym and stuff...  Good for her, I say!  Her 5-year-old daughter apparently doesn't seem to think it's worth the effort, though...  As she told her mother, "Some people will always be fat -- even after they die!"  Luckily, Nice has a good sense of humor and laughed instead of crying (as I probably would have)...  Geesh...  Maybe I don't want a daughter, after all...  Later days...