My Not So Political Rant….

 

Okay, so last week was Election Tuesday and as much as I try not to get into politics, I do want to take a post to brag on my children for a minute.

First of all: ROOTY came home from school and this is what she said.

R: Mom, did you know that elephants are right winged and donkeys are left winged?

M: Yes, I did.

R: Mom have you really ever seen a Donkey or Elephant with wings?

That was the extent of our politic talk.  But she did at least know who was running and I tried to tell her briefly the about the two main candidates. And for First grade I found that pretty advanced. We do find ourselves reading Barack O’bama’s, Of Thee I Sing, A Letter To My Daughters book a lot before we go to bed.  Mostly because it does have a very good message of what America was founded on and that is really what I like to instill in my daughters. Below are two of my favorite pages in the book.

Have I told you that America is made up of people of every kind?
People of all races, religions, and beliefs. People from the coastlines and the mountains. People who have made bright lights shine by sharing their unique gifts and giving us the courage to lift one another up, to keep up the fight, to work and build upon all that is good in our nation.

Have I told you that you are part of a family?
A man named Abraham Lincoln knew that all of America should work together. He kept our nation one and promised freedom to enslaved sisters and brothers. This man of the people, simple and plain, asked more of our country-that we behave as kin.

 

Second of All:  COW’s election day.  She came home form school with an extra credit assignment for her to do with her parents.  First of all let me say, I have never told my kids how to vote. I express to them the importance of voting and how we had to fight as women to have that right.  I tell them they should do their research and vote with who they side with more and as long as they can back up their vote as to why they voted that way, that’s all I could ask for.  So, the extra credit was to visit www.isidewith.com with your parents and discuss it while you do it.  This website was pretty fantastic.  It listed the main political issues up for debate.  You would answer with Yes I side with, no, I don’t side with or other and a place to explain.  Then you can weigh it out to the side as to what the importance of that issue is to you.  At the end of the survey it tells you by percentage which candidate you would side with more based off of your answers. This was great I truly enjoyed doing this with my thirteen year old, it made me realize that I am raising a very independent thinking, non-prejudice, and passionate hippie child.  (Yes!!! That made this mama happy.) Below is a little of her reasoning to me.

Abortion:

C: Mom, this is very touchy when we discuss this at school. I have thought it over for a long time.  You could have had one with me and so could Nana with you and I am really glad that neither one of you did.  And I don’t think that I could ever have one. However, it is a choice given to women  and people have fought for this right.  So I don’t think it needs to be taken away.  I think it should be an option for girls within the given time limits and maybe it could be regulated more, but I don’t think I myself would ever have one.  But would it be America if we took it away?

Marijuana

C: Mom, I really don’t think this should be such a big thing.   I think it could really help the country out.

M: Really?  Please tell me.

C: Well, if it was legal it would sell.  Just like tobacco, alcohol, and lottery does.  They could tax it more and the US Government could use that to pay off some of the debt.  It would create jobs for farmers.  Plus from all of the stuff we have seen in our health class over drugs, weed just slows you down.  I would much rather be on the road with someone high than drunk and driving fast.  Mom, not saying that I would smoke weed, but it does make sense and don’t we have bigger issues than this to fight?

She is 13 and she gets it!!! So I had to email the results of the survey to her Social Studies teacher and I told him all of this.  He emailed me back thanking me for taking the time to do this with my child and discussing with her the different issues.  He said in his class he never tells them how to vote just as long as they do their research.  COW then said at school that he said that he really liked her points that she made with her mom.  She goes to a pretty great school with pretty amazing teachers!  I was just so proud of her for doing research and saying how she truly felt about all of the issues.  Made my inner hippie mama heart happy!

COW and I doing our extra credit homework

Her results….

Her and her friend working their student polls and dressed for their Veterans Assembly

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

I am writing this post with a heart running over with love. And no, it’s not because I got tons of stuffed animals that sing goofy love songs, or boxes and boxes of chocolate or enough flowers to fill up my apartment.  I am full of love because this was a truly amazing day!!! From start to finish.  Let me fill you in.

Started out with taking COW to school at 6:30, I prepared and took my shower the night before, so I got to sleep in a little bit. (first joy of the day) Then came back home and got to get ROOTY ready for her valentine’s dance at her school.  We curled hair, put on makeup, and found our best pair of plastic heels. (second joy) I dropped her off at school and watched her walk in.  Then I went to get Strawberries for the party that began in 20 minutes. (shh! don’t tell the stay at home moms that I didn’t wash them. 🙂 )  Then I go to the Elementary school to take my strawberries and get my camera ready for the Valentine’s parade.

You see ROOTY had in her mind that she was going to parade down the halls on a float princess waving to everyone.  So her expectations might have been set a little high.  But she is 6 and isn’t that what you are supposed to do at that age?  (I wanted to be a bra model at age 6, maybe a little high.) Well, the parade is about to start and I have my camera ready.  They file out of the classroom in a single line….except ROOTY.  She is holding a hand of a little boy and guiding him through the hall.  Come to find out the little boy is the autistic child that visits there classroom half a day for integration.  ROOTY was escorting him down the halls and telling him who to wave at.  She told me later on that she held on to him because he gets scared with loud noises and crowds.  (third, fouth, and fifth joys).  Then we went into the dance and tea.  She sat at the table with some of the kids that aren’t as lucky as her.  There parents never get to come to partys and give them attention like she gets.  So she went up to them and asked if they would like for her mom to take picture of them in their pretty clothes (which were borrow from the teacher). I took lots of pictures of them and I am pretty sure that made there year. (sixth joy)

Next, I drive to work and hear over the radio that Khloe Kardashian will be across the street from my office the next morning.  I so want to be her friend, mostly for Mavs tickets, but I think we could totally hang out.  I brainstorm the rest of the way to work on what I could do to win over Khloe. Then it came to mind….I could ask my two balck guy friends to go with me…..they could act as bait.  You know how those Kardashian girls like the dark meat.  My two friends willingly agreed. (seventh joy)

Then all day I heard all the girls in my office gripeing as to what the significant others didn’t get them and I suddenly reached “perfectly lonely” status.  (eighth joy) I then am privalidged enough to watch COW’s last regular season basketball game.  It had been a very trying season due to poor coaching.  We suddenly ended up with a new coach and COW was back to her old self on the court tonight.  Playing with all of heart the whole game!! She loves that game and you can really tell when she plays.  And boy did she play!! She made a valentine three pointer too!!! (ninth joy)

Finally I got home and decided to get on facebook (which I have stopped because it wasted way too much of my time) and I got to see where one of my friends who had a son when she was younger, today was adoption day for her lucky little boy.  Her new husband got to make it legal today.  They are finally all one big happy family who all share the same last name. (tenth joy) And lastly, I got a text from my little cousin who is expecting and she lets me know the sex of the baby and the name they have already picked out.  They will be wonderful parents, that kid is already lucky.  (eleventh joy)  I told her that I was happy that the younger cousins were reproducing because I could finally retire my loins without feeling guilt. (twelth joy)

And the thirteenth joy…..COW gave me her Russell Stover marshmellow chocolate heart!!! Mostly because she hates marshmellow, but hey at least she gave it to me instead of throwing it away.

So…..that is my day in a nut shell.  I am sure there were more joys, but I just hit the high points. Hope you all had a great VD and remember….just because Hallmark has dedicated a day to it, that doesn’t mean you can only show love once a year.

My heart is super happy!!!!