Saturday, December 27, 2008

Cheers




I'm not typically a resolution kind of girl. I feel like resolutions are just something people say because we're expected to as part of our society so I don't make them. Most people I know try to make resolutions year after year. Then year after year 'fail' to meet those resolutions and fill themselves with regret and self-loath. That feeling of failure compounds and whatever it was they resolved to do becomes a point of contention, deep frustration and a source of negative energy. I believe that the idea of New Year's resolutions set people up for failure. However, I don't mean to imply that setting and obtaining goals is a bad thing. In fact, for some using the societal pull of a New Year's resolution can be quite a helpful tool for keeping them on track. I just know more folks who have considered themselves 'failures' after slipping up on a New Year's resolution. And I won't even get into the distorted meaning of the word 'failure' and all it implies--right now.

I do have objectives that I look forward to each year. These objectives are things I would like to achieve but I don't base my self-worth on whether or not I meet them. My objectives must be concrete. Abstracts are not conducive to success. I will propose to lose xx pounds rather than to lose weight. Or I will work on patience when I am tired rather than I will be a better mom. It is easier for me to get my mind and spirit on board if I have specific direction.

So for 2009 my objectives are as follows:

*I will continue to be a non-smoker. Sadly, this is getting more and more difficult each day but I have had continued success since October 5, 2007. I know I can do this.

*I will continue to maintain good grades in school but I will increase my study time for each class by 2 hours a week.

*I will continue to have a healthy body by eating pure foods and exercising vigorously at least 3 times a week.

*I will begin working on a project I have been wanting to complete for years. Sorry, I am leaving this one intentionally vague here because I'm not ready to discuss this one quite yet.

2009 will be a fantastic year.

Happy New Year to you all.

May 2009 bring you compassion, health, happiness and prosperity.

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Happy Holidays



I hope everyone had a great holiday season!

We have been busy visiting family and friends.

I do not have much of an update. Though I am considering a major change. I just have to think on it a little more before I make a final decision. Though next semester's schedule is based a little on this new major. I need to think on it a little more before I start talking about it.

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Sunday, December 21, 2008

Girls' Night Out

I am going to see Twilight tonight! Yay! I am going with two good friends to finally see the movie. We're going to Fork and Screen. Should be a great time!!

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Saturday, December 20, 2008

JigZone.com

Click to Mix and Solve

I love puzzles and I love this site. I used to play on the JigZone site but kept forgetting about it. Then I found it as an application on Facebook and now play it there! My favorite is the 70 piece bulb cut!

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Friday, December 19, 2008

Listen to This 12/19

As far as collaborations go this pairing ranks up there with the best like Aerosmith and Run DMC.



Jack White and Alicia Keys
Another Way to Die

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Read This 12/19

Midnight Sun (The Twilight Saga, #5) (partial draft) Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer


My review


rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a shame it is that Stephenie Meyer had to put this companion novel on hold due to someone's dishonesty. This version of Twilight is through Edward's eyes allowing us to experience his intense attraction to Bella. Stephenie Meyer writes in intricate detail the internal war Edward constantly battles. Even in this rough draft of Midnight Sun Meyer paints an elaborate picture invoking intense feeling and description.



Hopefully she'll finish this some day. I would love to have a completed version to add to the saga I give to my kids.


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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Read This 12/16

Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer


My review


rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an ending! I was so pleased with the final book in the Twilight Saga. Stephenie Meyer tied every plot, every character, every detail together in one grand finale. This was dramatic while remaining heartfelt and true to the original spirit of Twilight.



I cannot wait to give this to my daughter to read. When she's just a bit older, she will love this story. The Twilight Saga is a great addition to the young adult fantasy fiction genre.


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Saturday, December 13, 2008

Listen To This 12/13



Gomez--How We Operate

Makes me think of Edward and Bella...

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Clocks

1. Put your iTunes or MP3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer

YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!


IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Give It to Me~~Timbaland


WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
No Such Thing~~John Mayer


WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
For You I Will (Confidence)~~Teddy Geiger


WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Smooth Criminal~~Alien Ant Farm (now that's funny!)


WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
My Immortal~~Evanescence


WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
How You Remind Me~~Nickelback


WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Falling In Love At a Coffee Shop~~Landon Pigg


WHAT IS 2+2?
Realize~~Colbie Caillat


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
In the End~~Linkin Park


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Sex and Candy~~Marcy Playground


WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Over My Head (Cable Car)~~The Fray


WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Numb~~Linkin Park


WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)~~Panic At the Disco


WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Helena~~My Chemical Romance


WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
I Tried~~Bone Thugs-N-Harmony


WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Jesus Walks~~Kanye West


WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Steady as She Goes~~The Raconteurs


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
I Don't Wanna Be~~Gavin DeGraw


WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Better Than Me~~Hinder


HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Yellow~~Coldplay


WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Waiting on the World to Change~~John Mayer


WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
But It's Better If You Do~~Panic At the Disco


WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Come Again~~Sting and Edin Karamazov


WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Your Love is a Lie~~Simple Plan


WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Say~~John Mayer


IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
La Tortura~~Shakira and Alehandro Sanz


WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Bring Me to Life~~Evanescence


WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Clocks~~Coldplay

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Read This 12/13

Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
Eclipse is a riveting addition to the Twilight Saga. Stephenie Meyer's writing is thorough and exciting moving the action in the story along at a quick pace.



I cannot wait to move on to Breaking Dawn!


View all my reviews.

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Thursday, December 11, 2008

So long Fall 2008 Semester

I am officially finished with the Fall 2008 semester! All of my assignments are handed in and my finals are done. Whew!

I am glad to have this semester behind me. I am a bit upset with myself. I am positive I did not do well enough this semester to keep my perfect 4.0 GPA. BUT I'm trying not to be too hard on myself because I know that it is next to impossible to keep a perfect score. I had a good 39 credit hours with my 4.0, that's impressive...to me at least. =)

So while I wait for my final grades I can be thankful I am finally through this awful semester! YAY!

Ok, I'll still be bummed when I see my GPA as anything less than 4.0 but such is life...

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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Read This 12/09

New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2) New Moon by Stephenie Meyer


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
New Moon is not as good as Twilight but I am glad I read it. Without spilling some of the plot I cannot say why it was not as good of a story so I won't try. I did like the story, just not as much.



And that is all I'll say on this one--anything more will be too much.


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The Sheffard and his Pie

Today A asked me what we were having for dinner. I said, "Sheppard's pie". She said, "Oh I love Sheffard's pie!"

So all day A told everyone who would listen that we were having "Sheffard's" pie for dinner.

J asked her before dinner what we were going to have and she proudly announced, "Sheffard's pie". J said, "Do you mean Sheppard's pie?" She said, "No, Sheffard's Pie".

She watched us saute the onions, garlic, mushrooms, and green bell peppers. She handed dad potatoes to peel. She watched us brown the ground beef. She stood on the chair chattering all about "Sheffard's" pie as we put it in the crust, topped it with the mashed potatoes with the rest of the veggies and stuck it in the oven.

She sat down at the table and we put her Sheppard's pie in front of her and she said, "Hey, this isn't Sheffard's pie!"

J said, "What is Sheffard's pie supposed to be?"

A answered, "Chocolate!"

Of course...

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Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Listen to This 12/3

I just love the holiday season so I can listen to The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Their non-holiday music rocks, too! (Don't worry, I'll post some of that, too!)

In the meantime...



Here is Wizards in Winter set, of course, to a fantastic light display! (Though I don't think I'd want to be their neighbor!)

Enjoy!

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Tuesday, December 2, 2008

My first 'C'

I had a paper to write in Human Development. I chose my topic and wrote a perfectly APA cited paper. I was horribly distracted but I thought I did well. Turns out well was just okay as I scored 75/100. After reading my professor's comments, I see where I went wrong. I confused two different topics making my conclusions not work. It was a 'C' paper.

I've never scored that low on any paper before. Ever.

Ouch.

I must do better.

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Friday, November 28, 2008

Read This 11/28

Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) Twilight by Stephenie Meyer


My review


rating: 5 of 5 stars
When most of my friends and family said they were reading the Twilight Saga I had to find out what all the appeal was about! I was expecting a simple vampire story and while it is a simple vampire story it is somehow highly addictive.



Stephanie Meyer's articulate writing is suspenseful and vivid. Her well-developed characters and their interactions leave you needing to know more about them, feel their feelings and hear their thoughts.



Twilight is romantic but not the typical over-sexed vampire story we are used to reading.



When I began this book I honestly was not expected to be thrown so completely into Forks, WA. I cannot wait to begin New Moon!


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Monday, November 24, 2008

Surgery Day

C's surgery is tomorrow (Tuesday) and I'm starting to freak out a little. Thankfully he sleeping peacefully in bed and not witnessing my moments of weakness. =) It isn't the surgery exactly that's got me a bit freaked out. I know he will benefit greatly from the surgery. He will sleep better, his sleep apnea will likely go away. He will overall be healthier without the troubles of sore throats and strange croupy coughs for no apparent reason.

But it is the moment when my little guy will be wheeled away from me to the surgery room that has me beside myself. The anticipation of that goodbye scene when J and I give hugs and kisses to our little man and he walks on into the operating room. Will he cry? Will he go bravely? Will he have a panicked meltdown? Can I hold it together long enough for the doors to close?

I already know C is dreading that moment more than the actual surgery because he told us as much the night of the surgery party. The hospital showed a video of a child leaving his parents to go off to surgery and that was the point that C got upset and said, "I'll have to do that to you Tuesday". It was heartbreaking except I had to pretend it was perfectly normal to send your child away to be put to sleep and operated on.

Of course when it comes to the dramatic plights of parents a tonsillectomy is pretty simple stuff compared to some of the fright and heartbreak of traumatic cancers and illnesses. I am trying to keep some perspective as I think about tomorrow. But I just can't shake that "my poor baby boy" feeling I'm getting.

He'll be fine and the end is well worth it. But anticipating that moment of saying a brief "goodbye" breaks my heart.

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Monday, November 17, 2008

Finals Time



It's finals time, finally! I have a lot of studying to do and unfortunately my finals are roughly the same time as C's surgery. Next week is going to be tough!

Wish me luck!

sigh...

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Saturday, November 15, 2008

Read This 11/15

The Pre-Nup The Pre-Nup by Beth Kendrick


My review


rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Pre-nup is a story of three friends who conveniently experience rough patches in each of their romantic relationships and work together to solve their problems.



This story is fast-paced and unfolds in a predictable but satisfying manner. Little time is spent on character and setting development and it is difficult to determine the timeframe of when the events unfolded. There are some holes in the plot as it jumps from one character to another but the overall story flows quickly to the end.



This is not typical of the novels I am usually interested in reading but because I "won" this advanced copy from the Good Reads giveaway I was glad to give it a try. I am not typically fond of the 'women scorned' type of stories but those who like Lifetime movies will probably like this story.


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Thursday, November 13, 2008

Read This 11/13

In the Woods In the Woods by Tana French


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
There are many things I liked about In the Woods. It is set in Ireland and Tana French does an excellent job of making Ireland pop off of the page. French has a great vocabulary that brought the story to life. Her characters were complex, flawed and realistic. The story was captivating, dramatic and stunning.




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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I am tired


I am so tired.

I could sleep for a week.

That would be nice.

I am tired.

That is all.

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Monday, November 10, 2008

Listen to This 11/10

Let's begin Monday with a song! It's one of my favorites! They drop the F-Bomb in second verse--beware.


The Bravery, An Honest Mistake



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Friday, November 7, 2008

I Suck



And I don't even want to tell you what happened when I searched for an image for this blog using the word "suck"! HA! I got a warning about adult content and my browser was shut down--I didn't even think about suck and porn...doh!

So back to why I suck--

I am taking Human Development this semester. It is a really interesting class but it is a lot of work. And life right now is, well, hectic and stressful to put it mildly.

Each week we have 3-6 essays we have to write on various topics to help us focus and expand on concepts through the units. The essays do not exactly have an assigned length but in order to clearly articulate the concepts and our understanding of those, along with real-world examples of how those concepts explain human development, they can get pretty lengthy and require a lot of effort.

Last week, I forgot two of them. Flat out forgot to do them. The worst part, I remembered I needed to do them then promptly forgot again. The due dates passed and it was not until I was in the testing center that it dawned on me I forgot to write two of the required essays. My professor does not accept late work and frankly if I was her I would not accept them late either. I messed up. Simple as that.

We do still have more points to be earned so I am hopeful that my overall grade will not fall too much. I had a good cushion with the 109% I earned on my last major exam but I am so angry at myself. I have this standard of perfection that even though I know is impossible I still strive for it. My GPA is a 4.0 after 39 credit hours and I want to keep it that way but after this I am just not sure that is possible.

Now I have to work twice as hard to try and make up for this. I suck.

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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Did you know...

Did you know...

...that one of our local food banks feeds about 60,000 people weekly?

...that of those 60,000 people only 6% are homeless?

...that most of those 60,000 people work hard every day but just cannot make ends meet?

...that 43% of those 60,000 people are children?

...that 36% of those 60,000 people are from suburban and rural areas?

...that 101,000 children are enrolled in free or reduced lunch programs in schools through out the area? What do they eat on the weekends? School holidays? Summer vacation?

...that these numbers are guaranteed to grow as more and more people join the new class of the "working poor"?

These are just the statistics from one food bank in one relatively small metro area. Right now, more than ever, local food banks need donations of food, money and time. Each and every one of us could find ourselves in a position to ask for help despite our best efforts to plan and avoid it. Most of the families receiving assistance are everyday average families who are in difficult situations.

Please don't forget them when you are doing your grocery shopping. Even one item will make a difference in the life of the person who receives it.

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Listen to This 11/06

It is truly unfortunate that the day our great country made such a giant leap forward by electing our first ever African American president that we took major steps backward by adding discriminatory state legislation and in the case of CA, changed the language of the state constitution to create UNequal rights. I am positive that one day we will have full equality in this great country.



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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Will of the People

I have more to write about this monumental event but I must feed my children! But for now I leave you with this...

Well done, America. Well done.



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Monday, November 3, 2008

ATTN: All Registered Voters!

1. Democrats do NOT vote on Wednesday Nov. 5th. Election day is Tuesday Nov. 4th for BOTH Democrats and Republicans.

2. You will not be subject to a warrant search upon arrival at the polls.

3. Your college financial aid will not be revoked if you vote at school.

4. Your parents will still be able to claim you if you vote at school.

5. You are aloud to vote regardless of your race if you are a registered voter.

6. You cannot vote by phone.


If someone, anyone, claims there are different voting rules than you thought do not automatically believe them! If you receive a mailing that looks official but says something has changed do not believe it or says something you know to be false, do not believe it.

Call or visit your local county election office for clarification! Immediately!

Do not let anyone steal your vote!

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Sunday, November 2, 2008

Listen to This 11/2



Let's Dance to Joy Division by The Wombats

Fabulous!

Download it from iTunes.

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Insane in the Mem-Brain!

My brain isn't working lately.




I can't seem to think clearly. When I study the words go in and out and I can't seem to retain anything. I have gotten several people confused with one another. I've forgotten assignments. I lost our checkbook. Forgotten to return phone calls.

I just can't keep things straight.

Too much going on, I think. My classes and homework, planning parties for both C and M's classes, three birthday parties, out-of-town hubby...blah blah blah.

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Thursday, October 30, 2008

Coming Soon

I have some new pictures to share on my not-so-super-duper-top-secret photo blog!

We went to a local pumpkin patch last weekend and took a lot of pictures. I have to resize them then I'll post them!

Hopefully that will happen sooner than later.

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Monday, October 27, 2008

Just "Fruit Fly" research!

I am utterly disgusted at this clip of Sarah Palin commenting on Fruit Fly research--well, disparaging the fruit fly research that has given scientists insight into the genetic markers of autism.

She's essentially making fun of autism research for political gain.



Wow. So much for her crusade to help special needs children and their families.

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Surgery!



Background: Over the summer we noticed C's tonsils were giving him lots of problems. Well, he's always had a lot of sore throats and infections and things but this last summer he really began showing major symptoms so we took him to his doc. He said he was pretty sure they would need to be removed (we'd also had the conversation the year before to keep an eye on it) but we had to see an ENT.

C went to the ENT today. She took one look at his tonsils and said, "Yep, they need to come out! They are huge!"

He goes in to surgery Nov 18th--they still have to call us with the time but we were told to plan for about 6 hours at the hospital if everything goes well. They'll decide whether or not to leave his adenoids during surgery.

We're going in a couple of weeks to a Surgery Party. The hospital throws "parties" every Wednesday evening for kids who have an upcoming surgery so they can play in the operating room, see all of the equipment and a little about where they will be at and get some kind of goodie bag with "doctor stuff".

The surgery will be outpatient unless he reacts badly to something or just doesn't bounce back after a few hours. Then he's home from school for at least 7 days though she said some kids need the full 14 days. We're hoping he'll be good in time for Thanksgiving but we're prepared that he may not be up to a lot. We usually have everyone over for Thanksgiving so he will be home if we do host again--if not we'll work it out so he's comfortable.

He says he'll be glad to get it done but he's getting scared already. They saw on the family medical history that J had his out when he was 21 and every person who saw that on the chart audibly groaned and commented about how awful it is--and it was pretty much a nightmare for him--but each time C got a little more scared. Thankfully we have a lot of time to talk to him and give whatever reassurances we can.

Poor guy. It will be good for him--he's always got a sore throat and he do not sleep well at night because he's got sleep apnea so badly. He snores so loud and he stops breathing, wakes up choking. It's pretty bad. We're grateful they got him on the surgery schedule so quickly even though he's going to be miserable. It will be so much better for him in the long run.

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Saturday, October 25, 2008

Listen to This 10/25



I begin and end each workout with this song!

Download it HERE!

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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I Put My Vote Where My Mouth Is!

This morning J and I went to our county elections office to cast our vote for the next President of the United States! I proudly cast my vote for Obama/Biden! I admit, I was a little verkelmpt voting in this historical election. No matter the outcome our country can be proud we have taken a step forward--I just hope my guys win!

Along with voting in this important Presidential election we also had three questions on our ballots.

The first question was whether to continue having our judges appointed (no) or hold elections to choose them (yes). I voted "no". I could easily argue this both ways--voting "yes" inserts politics into our courts making judges have to lobby for votes and voting "no" continues our current practice which has worked and also interjects politics in the courtrooms--only the judges are lobbying elected officials. Ultimately, I chose "no" because I feel like we elect our officials thereby asking them to speak on our behalf with their appointments and after judges are appointed we vote whether to retain them in office.

The second question was whether to approve or not the Johnson County Research Triangle and increase sales taxes by one-eighth of a percent to fund the Research Triangle. I voted "yes". This tax increase will create a source of funding for cancer research, food safety research and animal health research to state the University of Kansas Edwards Campus, Johnson County Community College and a local location of Kansas State University. Essentially, this tax increase helps bring this important research local and will impact our community positively by creating a clinical trails cancer research center right here. It gives us an opportunity to have cutting edge care available to us at the earliest stage of development.

The third question was a city question that asked voters to approve bonds to improve our public school district--more specifically this bond would fund the moving of 9th grade to the high schools and 6th grade to the junior high schools. Our district is among the top in the nation because voters have consistently funded improvement projects to upgrade technology, facilities and increase teacher pay. Our family is a huge proponent of public education and we understand that along with being actively involved in our children's education we need to be willing to fund advancement opportunities as our district is rapidly growing. My vote was "yes"!

Early voting began in Kansas yesterday and election workers were telling us that just yesterday alone they had 2000 voters and by 8:45 this morning they had already seen 300 voters. I am excited to see such a huge turnout of voters. I am hopeful there are enough of us Obama/Biden voters to turn Kansas blue--and if not blue, at least purple!

Party politics aside, we, as a nation, cannot accomplish anything unless we exercise our right to vote. Please VOTE!!! No matter who you support it is important to be counted and heard!




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Tuesday, October 21, 2008

One Vote!

Thanks to SimplyNutmeg for blogging for change.





Please vote!!

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Sunday, October 19, 2008

Colin Powell

This clip needs no introduction.



Many thanks to PunditMom for posting this clip where I first watched Powell's interview.

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Read This 10/18

The House The House by Bentley Little


My review


rating: 3 of 5 stars
When I first began The House, I was impressed by the overall creepy tone. The story flowed and the mystery built up into--a big let down for me. It is almost as if the author was tired of writing this story and the climax was quite anticlimactic. I did like the book and I would suggest it to anyone who likes thrillers.


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Yes We Can

Help Barack Obama and Joe Biden to the White House!!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/LaurieA

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Working It Out

A few days ago I wrote about our 5K on Saturday and how we only had the goal to finish. We have decided to do another 5K at the end of November. Our goal for this 5K is to beat our last time.

To do that we've started a fitness plan at the gym. We're going daily and working out for an hour. That hour includes a lot of time walking and running on the treadmill to help increase our endurance. I did about 100 crunches on the ab machine yesterday, I need the work there.

Funny--last night when I was running on the treadmill, Sebastian asked me a question and that somehow threw off my stride and I nearly ate it!

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Read This 10/14

Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis


My review


rating: 5 of 5 stars
I just love this book. All of Jamie Lee's books are wonderful but there is just something very special about this book.




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Sunday, October 12, 2008

Read This

The Report Card The Report Card by Andrew Clements


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
My kids read this book over and over!


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Saturday, October 11, 2008

It's All For a Good Cause

This morning J, M and I ran...err...umm...walked and ran in the 10th Annual Jared Coones Memorial 5K Pumpkin Run/Walk!

This memorial 5K is in memory of Jared Coones, a local elementary student who lost his battle with leukemia in 1998. His family, with the support of our local community, got together in an effort to raise awareness and funds for cancer research began the annual tradition of the Pumpkin Run in his memory. The race begins and ends at the elementary school Jared attended and each year the race has grown bigger and bigger. Sadly, in late 2006, Jayne Coones, Jared's mom, lost her life to breast cancer and the Pumpkin Run has been rededicated to honor both Jared and Jayne. The Coones family has been devastated by cancer and feel more strongly than ever the need to raise funds for research and support organizations. Today we helped give the Coones family hope as today was the largest turnout yet with just about 3000 runners and walkers!

As J, M and I ran/walked the 3.1 miles we realized how simple it was to help--we just had to walk or run or both as it turned out! The entry fee was under $15 and I think more than the money, the Coones family and friends were thrilled to see such community support. Their losses are unspeakably devastating so I hope that by seeing all of us thousands of participants they know we are committed to them, cancer research and funding.

It got difficult to keep going right about the 2.5 mile point but we kept going. I checked my wrist and saw my Livestrong bracelet and remembered the close losses in my life to cancer--my grandpa to bone cancer and most recently my uncle to esophageal cancer and found the encouragement to finish strong and run across the finish line. My time was kind of pathetic at just under 58 minutes (official times will be posted tomorrow on the running club website)--that's about 20 minutes a mile but the point, for me, wasn't to be the quickest (I knew I wouldn't be) but to finish. It is the least I could do in the face of something as devastating as cancer.

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Friday, October 10, 2008

New Pictures!!

I posted some new pictures on my super-duper top secret photo blog!! http://visuallyinspiredlife.blogspot.com/

If you can't see them and want to, just leave a comment and I'll open the gate!

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Thursday, October 9, 2008

This is what Pure Hatred Looks Like

I first saw these videos on PunditMom and was shocked to see the level of hatred for Obama and his supporters. This video has language and is not appropriate for children to hear--though some the things children said in the video are the most disturbing.









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Robert Gibbs=My New Hero

Sean Hannity did not like it so much when his smear tactics were used against him to prove a point. We are not guilty by our associations!

Way to go Robert Gibbs!



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Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Read This

Back Roads Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell


My review


rating: 3 of 5 stars
Back Roads was a disturbing story of abuse, shame, regret, and mental illness. The story was well-written and had very creative imagery but I think what struck me most about Back Roads was the words left unwritten. There is a lot of room for the reader to draw her own conclusions or make her own assumptions about the characters.



The story, unfortunately, is very characteristic of the type of novel Oprah's Book Club would choose. It was heavy with predictable "victims" and dramatic scenes that were both disturbing and sad.


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Sunday, October 5, 2008

Read This

Disney The Magic Kitchen Cookbook (Disney) Disney The Magic Kitchen Cookbook by Stephanie Karpinske


My review


rating: 5 of 5 stars
This cookbook is full of yummy, kid friendly recipes easy enough for little ones to create themselves!


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About McCain's Health Care Plan

This is a great article discussing the pitfalls of McCain's proposed health care plan from MOMocrats.

McCain's Health Care Plan: Making Consumers Suffer More

Health care--or how the average person will be denied health care--is one of my top concerns with a McCain/Palin administration.

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Listen to This

Tim Kay--My World

I first heard this song about a year ago during the closing credits of Jamie Oliver's Food Network show Jamie at Home. I loved it and immediately looked it up to download. But it wasn't available. So after every episode I heard the song and wanted it even more. I kept checking and finally I saw a brief message saying iTunes was now carrying My World! So I promptly bought it!

Enjoy!



You have to switch your iTunes store to the UK to find Tim Kay but he's well worth the effort. Or you can click HERE.

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Sunday, September 28, 2008

Win a Handbag?

Oh ya, you know I'm all over that!! A friend posted a link on her blog about a website that is giving away 24 handbags in 24 hours. Awesomeness! So I rushed on over to sign up and if you want in on this you should sign up, too!!

Click: http://www.handbagplanet.com/

The contest ends in a few days!!

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Friday, September 26, 2008

Read This

Step on a Crack Step on a Crack by James Patterson


My review


rating: 2 of 5 stars
I honestly am not sure what I think of this story and I think that means I did not enjoy it very much. At least not in comparison to other novels I have read and enjoyed. The story itself was dramatic and a good idea overall. The execution of the story was fast-paced but not exactly in the way that you want a story to be fast-paced. I wanted more details, more personality of more characters than the hero. James Patterson seemed to rush though the story, under the guise of a fast-paced story, rather than giving the story time to fully develop and that left it flat. It was entertaining and there was a personal side story that was bittersweet, but overall I was not impressed.


View all my reviews.

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More Jon Stewart



Hilarious!

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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Kids Don't Vote, But Moms Do

Want a free "Kids Don't Vote, But Moms Do" bumper clinger?

MomsRising.org is giving them away totally free--even the shipping's free. I just got mine, and wanted to share the opportunity with you.

Click this link to get a free bumper clinger:
http://www.momsrising.org/bumperclinger

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Mailbox Blunder

We're throwing C's birthday party on the 4th. (his birthday was yesterday) I got his invitations together last night before I went to bed then after I dropped the kids of at school I dropped the invites in the mailbox in a near-by strip mall so they'd get picked up by 11AM and be processed by the end of the day today.



I got home feeling all proud of getting that done efficiently.



Then I sat down with A to work on her Thank You notes for her birthday gifts when it occurred to me...





I didn't put stamps on C's party invites AND they are in a USPS box so I can't get them back! DUH!!!

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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Happy Birthday, C

C turned 8 today. He had a pretty lousy birthday, honestly. His dad is out of town. His mom is sick. He is sick. His sister is sick. So we didn't do much of anything special today at all. He is a good boy and said he doesn't care about today because he wants to wait for his dad to get home to celebrate. This weekend we'll take him out on the town. And he's having a birthday party in 2 weeks. But I still feel badly for him.

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Friday, September 19, 2008

Major Milestone!

S has his first junior high dance tonight!

It's beginning...

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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Read This

The Disappearance The Disappearance by J.F. Freedman


My review


rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Disappearance was a good, quick read. It has great court drama and dialogue. Though the story was a bit predictable there was enough going on to keep at least a small sense of drama and mystery.


View all my reviews.

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Listen to This

All the Same by Sick Puppies



Sick Puppies on iTunes

The above link should take you to iTunes.

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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Thoroughly Unmotivated.

I am feeling super unmotivated today. I have a history test today and I just cannot get my brain in gear. I need to study. But I just don't have it in me to sit down and study. What's worse--I do have the motivation to blog about unmotivated I am!

Nice.

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Monday, September 15, 2008

The Lies of John McCain



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Thursday, September 4, 2008

I *heart* Jon Stewart

It is about time someone pointed out the hypocrisy that is oozing from the Right. How sad is it that these inconsistencies are left to Comedy Central? I would think the big bad liberal media would be jumping at the chance to show how hypocritical Conservative pundits are.



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Read This

The Face of Death The Face of Death by Cody Mcfadyen


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Face of Death was quite a story. While the writing was weak technically, the plot and character development were fulfilling. This story is gritty, gory and dramatic with characters who are perfectly imperfect. It is difficult to say more without adding spoilers so I will remain vague. Just be prepared for some difficult themes and scenes.


View all my reviews.

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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

"New" Pictures!

I posted some "new" pictures over in my photo blog. http://visuallyinspiredlife.blogspot.com/

If you don't have access but would like to, please let me know.

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Want a Button?

Want a free Obama button? MoveOn's giving them away totally free--no strings attached. I just ordered mine, and wanted to share the opportunity with you.

Click this link to get a free Obama button:

http://pol.moveon.org/obamabuttons/?id=-9313477-o7BJvAx&rc=fb.ads.youth.obama

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Thursday, August 28, 2008

The $80 Lesson

So I am taking a quick break from my homework to blog about something that happened this week.

My two older kids walk to the mailboxes every day to get the mail. We live in an apartment so all the boxes are together. The other day after they went to collect our mail they breathlessly burst through the front door, "Mom we found a ton of money on the ground at the mailbox!"

They handed me a wad of bills that equaled $80. They were already making plans how to spend it when I totally burst their bubble, "I know you guys really want to keep this but this is a lot of money. The right thing to do is to turn it into the apartment office in case someone comes in looking for it," I had said.

I told them to rush it back to the office and we'd talk about it when they got back. So about 10 minutes later they breathlessly burst through the door again thoroughly excited. They explained that as they walked back to the office our neighbor was leaving, in tears. M said, "I just knew she was looking for her money and I asked if she lost something."

Now the way M explained this next part confirmed for me that I had done the right thing in asking them to turn the money in rather than keeping it...

M was so excited when she said, "(our neighbor)'s face was shocked and with a huge smile she asked if we found her money. I told her yes and we were on our way to take it to the office." She continued, "She give us a huge hug and said she was so sad and we made her day and that was her grocery money!"

I had asked them how they felt when they found the money and how they felt almost as excited when they found the owner of the money. And I reminded them that most of the time, the right thing to do is the more difficult choice.

In the end, they did not get to be $80 richer but I have a feeling that joy of doing the right thing is a much more valuable reward.

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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

ABC3D

Too Cool!



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School's Back!

It's time to celebrate! The kids go back to school tomorrow!

S is going into Jr. High, amazing! It seems like yesterday I walked him into Kindergarten!

M is going into 4th grade! Ditto the same shock!

C is beginning 2nd grade! And once again, I'm amazed at how quickly it's going by.

A will be home with me. She will begin Kindergarten next year. We just have one more year together. *sniffle*

My semester begins tomorrow as well. I'm hoping for a very smooth semester. Something tells me it won't happen but a girl can hope.

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Friday, August 8, 2008

I am so tired of this

Politicians denying then admitting to extramarital affairs. http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5441195&page=1

Especially when it is one of my most favorite politicians.

More than that, I'm tired of Democrats acting in ways that confirm all the so called immoral stereotypes of the party as a whole.

I am so tired of horny old men making ME look bad because I have a 'D' on my voter registration card!

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Tuesday, August 5, 2008

"Loves It"

I found a little chuckle while watching this...

See more funny videos at Funny or Die


"See you at the debate Bitches." Hi-larious

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New July Photos

I have added new photos to my Photo Blog!

http://visuallyinspiredlife.blogspot.com/

If you can't see them let me know and I'll send you an invite.

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Monday, August 4, 2008

Read This

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale by Verna Aardema


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love the repetition in this folk tale.


View all my reviews.

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Saturday, August 2, 2008

Visit This

My friend Kris introduced me to this blog. It's quite hilarious!

Click EnglishFailBlog for some utterly hilarious failures of the English language!

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Thursday, July 31, 2008

Don't Read This

Step to the Graveyard Easy Step to the Graveyard Easy by Bill Pronzini


My review


rating: 1 of 5 stars
My first clue that I would not like this book should have been the playing cards on the cover. However, as my ten year old daughter reminded me, "Don't judge a book by its cover." So I gave Step to the Graveyard Easy a fair shot. The first sentence was a grabber and also the only interesting sentence in the book...at least through chapter eight. There is not much character development and the plot is boring.



I was hoping to have come across a unique story when I checked this book out yesterday but I think I will move on to another story that holds my interest. I may give this one another shot if I finish the other book before their due date but don't hold your breath.


View all my reviews.

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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Eat This

Fudgy Low-Fat Brownies

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or in a microwave set to 50 percent power. For a truly fudgy consistency, don't overbake the brownies; as soon as a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with sticky crumbs attached, the brownies are done. If the toothpick emerges with no crumbs, the brownies will be cakey.

Makes 16 brownies 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg white
1 cup sugar

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Fold two 12-inch pieces foil lengthwise so each measures 7 inches wide. Fit 1 sheet into 8-inch-square baking dish, pushing foil into corners and up sides of pan (overhang will help in removal of brownies). Repeat with second sheet, placing in pan perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil with cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Melt bittersweet chocolate and butter in large bowl until smooth . Cool 2 to 3 minutes, then whisk in sour cream, chocolate syrup, vanilla, egg, egg white, and sugar. Using rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into chocolate mixture until combined.

3. Pour batter into pan, spread into corners, and level surface with spatula. Bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few sticky crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool brownies completely in pan on wire rack, at least 1 hour. Remove brownies from pan using foil handles. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. To keep brownies moist, do not cut until ready to serve. (Brownies can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for 3 days.)

(Thanks to America's Test Kitchen for this recipe.)

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Monday, July 28, 2008

Visit This

I stumbled upon this blog through random clicking. It is quite funny at times and a little pompous at other times.

Funny or pompous, it's usually always entertaining.

Click: Photoshop Disasters

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Got Scam?




I am fairly certain someone tried to scam me tonight. Or I let someone down who may have been in dire need of my help. I'm pretty sure it was the former rather than the latter.

I received a phone call from a recording earlier. You remember back in the day, before cell phones, when there was an emergency you ran to a pay phone and called collect if you didn't have a quarter? This recording said someone was calling me collect. It went something like this...

"Hello. Big-long-pause-for-someone-to-say-their-name-but-nobody-says-anything is trying to phone you collect. Unfortunately, your phone service does not accept collect phone calls. In order for you to accept this call you must immediately enter your credit card number..."

I flipped my phone shut at that point so I am not sure what else Recording Lady was going to say. But then I thought, "Oh gosh! What if I did hang up on someone in an emergency?" So I phoned Jeff, asked him if he tried to call collect. He laughed because no one makes collect calls anymore. This is the cell phone age for crying out loud! Even my twelve year old has a cell phone.

I am sure I avoided certain disaster by hanging up and not falling for it. Sadly, people apparently DO fall for it or people wouldn't be trying it. Now I am left wondering how they got my cell number.

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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Don't Forget...

...about Visually Inspired Life. I will be adding new photos soon. There is also a video you gotta check out. :)

Ask me for access if you don't already have it.

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McCain’s Eight Most Inappropriate Jokes

This is a blog of a blog of a blog of a blog...you know how it goes...
There are many, many blogs out there about Obama, most of them untrue exaggerations constructed to play on the fears of American's. So I figured that one about McCain wouldn't be so bad.



8. Wife Beating Joke

In a June, 2008 interview with ABC News senior national correspondent Jake Tapper, McCain was asked why he had passed over Nevada's Republican Governor Jim Gibbons when choosing his state campaign chair (traditionally, the first choice if the governor and the presidential nominee are members of the same party). McCain explained that he had a longstanding relationship with the state's lieutenant governor, and that his choice was not a snub of any kind. Pressing the subject, Tapper asked whether McCain had passed over Gibbons as a result of the governor's relatively low approval ratings.

"And I stopped beating my wife just a couple of weeks ago," McCain laughed.

The reference is to what Tapper refers to as a "distasteful bit of DC yuckery so commonly quoted its hackneyed."

Despite the widespread news stories on it in Nevada, it's possible that McCain hadn't heard about Gibbons' recent high-profile divorce, stemming from multiple charges of infidelity. Moreover, a cocktail waitress accused Gibbons of grabbing and threatening her with sexual assault in a parking garage.

In Tapper's words: "Awkward."

7. Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran

Probably one of the most publicized instances of McCain's attempts at humor is his infamous rendition of the Beach Boys classic, "Barbara Ann." When asked what he would do about Iran, McCain broke into song, but substituted "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" in place of the name of the female subject of the song.

McCain defended his quip amid a vocal outcry, telling detractors to, "get a life." Criticism abounded, alleging that McCain's failure to treat the prospect of military action- especially in the midst of two ongoing wars- was indicative of a callous and bellicose approach to foreign policy.

6. Waterboarding Charlie Crist

When Rudy Giuliani made his own attempt at humor, comparing the presidential race to torture, McCain- a torture victim himself- was outraged. And yet, McCain has made a few jokes of his own on the matter.

In late January of 2008, reporters asked Florida Governor Charlie Crist if McCain had pressured him for his endorsement. A nearby McCain interjected, "It was just waterboarding."

McCain's joke, while off-color, might not have been the most inappropriate, especially when compared to some of his other ones. But what makes it worse for the candidate is that it was he who was the first to condemn similar remarks from his opponents.

5. Waterboarding His Staff

About a month later, The New Yorker reported that McCain made the joke again. His presidential hopes apparently derailed, a number of his staff had abandoned the campaign, only to be brought back when McCain reemerged as the Republican front-runner. He joked that he conducted "a short period of waterboarding to find out what they did in their absence."

4. The French

In an interview with Fox News, McCain aimed his ill-fated humor at our allies, the French. "You know," he began, "the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who is still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn't have the face for it." This is a country that is heavily involved in the Afghan conflict. McCain's questionable comments raised some a measured ruckus in both foreign and domestic circles, calling the Senator's diplomatic skills into question.

3. IED on Jon Stewart's Desk

Given, The Daily Show is satirical. But when McCain appeared on Jon Stewart's hit series most recently, he joked that he'd brought Stewart an improvised explosive device as a gift from Iraq.

The problem: more than 1,700 US soldiers in Iraq have been killed by IEDs, accounting for more than one-third of all US casualties since the 2003 invasion. His comments were called, "insensitive" and "inappropriate" by a wide range of critics.

2. The Death of Fidel Castro

The Cold War- particularly the tension with Cuba- spanned six presidencies- those of Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan. Not one of them ever joked about Fidel Castro dying. John McCain did.

In February of 2008, McCain told a town hall in Indiana, "I hope he has the opportunity to meet Karl Marx very soon."

Current president George W. Bush made no jokes about the death of Saddam Hussein, and in fact encouraged respectful treatment of the situation by others. Why? Because to do otherwise would have been unbecoming of a statesman.

1. 18 Year Old Chelsea Clinton

McCain has a legendary temper. When his wife teased that his hair was getting "a little thin," McCain fumed.
"At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollup, you c*nt!"

But for his own sensitivity, he's not one to restrain himself when it comes to dishing it out. In fact, he can be downright nasty.

In 1998, McCain was speaking before a GOP fundraiser in Washington, D.C. when he asked, "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father." The joke was wrong on so many levels- for it's offense to the Attorney General, for it's offense to the president and his wife. But most of all, for his attack on a eighteen year old girl.

Anyone who has a daughter can tell you that those middle teenage years can be tough. Girls at school can be vicious as it is. But when a national figure makes a predatory attack on a defenseless girl to further his own political causes, it's downright disgusting.

Bonus: McCain Jokes about Rape

In an appearance before the National League of Cities and Towns in Washington D.C.
, McCain supposedly asked the crowd if they had heard "the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die?"
The punch line: "When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, "Where is that marvelous ape?"

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Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Months



My uncle passed away June 16, 2008.
He was born October 16, 1944.
He was 63 years of age.

He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in late February. In early March he had went through an extensive surgery to remove the cancer and see exactly how devastated his body was with the cancer. It was bad. Really bad. We were told his life would no longer be measured in years but months. Yet, none of us really let that sink in long enough to grasp what it meant. As the month of March ended and he was recovering from this major surgery the prognosis looked a little better, yet, months was still his measure of life.

It's July now, months have passed and for him that measure of months meant four. I won't go into the details of his last days. He worked hard to keep those days private between him and my dad. My dad moved in with him for his final days and I am positive that was as much for my dad as it was my uncle. My uncle did not want any of us to even know he was ill, let alone just how sick he became. However, the details do not matter, just that he died peacefully in his home Monday, June 16 at 3.

My uncle did not want a funeral. In fact, he made my dad promise not to spend any money on a funeral. He wanted as much of his money to go to my cousin as possible and even in death, he did not want anyone to make a big deal over him.

So we had a small, private gathering of close friends and family at my dad's house. And a local car cruise dedicated the night to his memory. (There are pictures on my photo blog of the cruise.) It was nice, really honored how he lived his life.

While cleaning out his house we truly get to see how interrupted his life really was. It is a difficult task going through someones things after they pass. You look at their things and wonder if that particular item was important to them or only important to your memory of them as you look for any kind of connection to salvage. You are flooded with tons of emotions--it's overwhelming, sad, sometimes funny, and usually always regret lingers...that last conversation, last hug, could have, should have, wish I would have...

We will be having an estate auction on the 19th. I wonder what it will feel like to close the door to his house forever. Relief? Great sadness? Both?

It has been months since my uncle's cancer diagnosis. Months since the world has made complete and total sense.

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Wednesday, June 25, 2008

New Photos

I just posted some new photos in my Photo Blog. They are of the memorial car show for my Uncle. Please let me know if you want access as my photo blog is private. :)

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Sunday, June 15, 2008

How to tell a Bush from a McCain



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Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Socks, Solved!

We have a family of six. And our family of six produces a lot of laundry...a lot of it. And a large portion of our laundry consists of white socks. Over the years I have come to despise white socks, more specifically, white children's socks!

We have a sock basket that is always over flowing with white unmatched socks. After every load of laundry (at least two a day in our house) we put the clean socks in the sock basket to wait to be matched up.

Usually once a week I sit down and begin the tedious chore of matching socks. After about an hour of sitting on the floor surrounded by white socks I give up--only having half of the socks matched. The kids' feet are growing to about the same size so all of the socks look similar and we're pretty much going by memory when deciding which socks go to which child.

We have tried various methods for making this process easier. We've given each kid one specific style of sock--that made finding the matches easier but we still had to find the matches. We tried writing initials on the feet of the socks--still had to find the matches. We tried naming wash days for each kid--that created problems in making full loads and just threw off my laundry washing altogether.

It wasn't until about a month ago when we thought to get each kid a mesh sock bag. We already had one we used to store Aly's little socks so we thought we'd just expand on the idea. They keep these bags on top of their dressers. At the end of each day when they take their socks off they go into the bag. Then on Sunday they bring their full bags to the laundry room where I throw them in the wash. Once they've gone through the dryer I hand the bags, still full, back to the kids and they fold and put away their own socks!

I am not sure why it took me so long to come up with this. It's not like it's some insanely brilliant idea. None the less, I'm spending less and less time matching socks and our sock basket, MIA socks aside, is nearly empty! Not to mention having all the socks in one place make it a tiny bit easier for the kids to do the laundry!

Yep, it's the little things in life...

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Monday, June 9, 2008

A Photo Blog

I began a photo blog today. Because it will contain actual photos of the kids I set it to invite only. If you want to have access you will have to ask me to add you to my list of accepted viewers.

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Sunday, June 8, 2008

Show Your Support

Follow this link to get your free Obama bumper sticker!

The link contains a form that asks for your mailing address and an email. Select the "1 Free Obama 08 Sticker" on the right and your order will be processed. The site will then take you to another screen that asks for a donation but this is entirely optional.

Click to get your Free Obama '08 Bumber Sticker!



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Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Meez

Meez 3D avatar avatars games

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The Microwave

Yesterday, while the kids were warming up their lunches, our microwave broke. It flat out stopped microwaving! I looked at it, called about it and finally gave up to the realization that it was indeed beyond repair. I was ticked--this microwave is less than three years old!

Yesterday evening we left to go buy a new microwave. We trekked through Target, looked at all the models and decided on a Panasonic with something called Sensor cooking...it claimed it knows how hot your food is and will respond on its own.

We decided to try it out during dinner. We put a bag of frozen green beans in it and pushed the sensor setting for frozen veggies. It began cooking, the countdown clock was blank so we had no idea how long it would take. A few minutes into the cooking the microwave beeped and displayed 5:00...the veggies had 5 minutes left. And sure enough after the 5 minutes we checked on the green beans and they were perfectly cooked! How cool!

I wanted to test it out further so late last night I grabbed some leftovers and put them in--roast beef and roasted veggies in one container. I poked the "Sensor Reheat" button and pressed "Start" and the microwave began...and in about 2 minutes I got the beep that my food was seconds away from being fully warmed. Sure enough, after the final beep my food was perfectly warmed.

I am kind of glad our microwave bit the dust--this one is so much cooler!!

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Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Feeling like a little Damien Rice

This is one of my favorite songs. I have a lot of favorite songs, this one is at the top of the list.

The Blower's Daughter



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Friday, May 30, 2008

Wii Ski!

What's better than Wii Fit?

Wii Ski!!!



It's compatible with the Wii Balance Board and I must say, tons of fun! You don't have to use the Balance Board with it if you don't have one but it's so much more fun because you get to feel like you're skiing as your Mii is swishing down the mountain or bouncing over moguls or jumping and doing air tricks!



Oh ya, tons of fun!!

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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Keith's Special Comment

This 10 minute Special Comment by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann perfectly sums up Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Democratic Nomination. I have many opinions about Hillary Clinton and none of them are good anymore. Please take the time to watch this Special Comment. I share his disgust...



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Friday, May 23, 2008

Wii Fit!



I got the Wii Fit for my birthday and I just gotta say it's awesome! It really does help with fitness and the best part is it's tons of fun!

It helps you keep track of your fitness progress by tracking your weight--yep, it weighs you! It saves all of your stats so each day when you use it (and it's so much fun you do want to use it daily) you can see your changes.

It's a great addition to the awesomeness that is the Wii!




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Thursday, May 22, 2008

The Last Day of School

Today was the last day of school! It's always bittersweet at the end of the year but this year was particularly tough as so many of our favorite teachers are saying goodbye.

We began with the 6th grade send-off. Most of us moms were in tears before the 6th graders came out of their classrooms to line up for their final building exit (all it took was one mom to have one tear fall and the rest of us followed her lead). It really is sweet, every class in the school lines up against the walls and the 6th grade classes walk the longest route out of the building while the Lion King theme song plays over the PA. They came out of their classrooms, most of the kids and teachers already crying as they say their final goodbyes. The music began playing and they began walking as the entire school cheered, clapped and high-fived them all. Sebastian was very excited to leave so I sent him on his way with his dad. I got pictures--though I won't be sharing many as there are other kids faces in them and I'm not at all comfortable posting someone else's' children's images on the internet. So I sat in the lobby waiting for Madison and Collin.

Collin came first, he's okay. They had a great day. He's sad about missing his teacher but we've spent a lot of time talking about positive changes and how even though it is sad to say goodbye we all have great things to look forward to. Next came Madison...

She began having a difficult time last night when she had her first meltdown. We talked her through it but we knew today was going to be difficult for her. Her class came out, everyone hugging her teacher. She tried so hard to put on the brave face and greeted me with a smile but as soon as I said "hi" her smile turned into tears--lots of them. She kept saying, "I'm okay" but kept crying. I started crying (well, fighting back tears) with her and we looked up to see her teacher crying with two other students. That made her cry even harder--it really was sad. I hugged her in the lobby for about 5 minutes as we watched students leaving most running to their parents in tears.

I'm glad this part of today is over. I really love that we have this school and are lucky the students and teachers are so connected but it sure makes it difficult when there are major changes happening.

AND I'M THE MOM OF A JUNIOR HIGH KID!!!!! I was so proud today watching Sebastian leave elementary school for the last time. He has struggled so much and worked so hard to get to this point.

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Monday, May 19, 2008

My Name Means




What Laurie Means



You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.

You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.

Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.



You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.

You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.

You have the classic "Type A" personality.



You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way.

And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life.

You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it.



You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.

You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.

You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.



You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.

You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.



You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.

You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.

At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.



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Saturday, May 10, 2008

Morning News!

This is a clip from one of our local morning news broadcasts. We stopped watching this station when another began a morning news program. They wanted to show a fun opening scene with dogs at a local puppy day spa...this clip pretty much speaks for itself...



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Why did the chicken cross the road?

This was posted on a political forum (within a Mom Forum) I visit and I thought it was funny so I'm passing it along...

BARACK OBAMA:
The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!

JOHN MC CAIN:
My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON:
When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.......

DR. PHIL:
The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH:
Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH:
We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL:
Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...

ANDERSON COOPER - CNN:
We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY:
Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE:
That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN:
To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART:
No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS:
Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY:
To die in the rain. Alone.

JERRY FALWELL:
Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth?' That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA:
In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS:
Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE:
It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON:
Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES:
I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C% ......... reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:
Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON:
I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE:
I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS:
Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY:
Where's my gun?

AL SHARPTON:
Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

RON PAUL:
The chicken is free to cross the road and free to refrain from telling us why. We need to mind our own business.

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