My Take on the Current Political Situation...as Quoted by MamaNeena

Okay, I have a good friend from college who blogs daily and is quite hilarious. She posted her political rant on her blog today, and I couldn't have said it better myself (well, I probably wouldn't have cussed as much because my family reads this). So here it is...

"...here is my take on politics.
Suck it!
To all those folks out there bitching about paying and not paying taxes - suck it! Taxes will never, ever, ever go away so just pay your share and shut up!
To all those folks that are all upset about the war and the soldiers and what is and isn't our place in all of it - suck it! My brother and his wife are over there doing their job and doing it well. Try saying thank you for a change rather than a bunch of political mumbo jumbo. They might appreciate it.
To all those folks that are up in arms about education and if it is working or not - suck it! Quit blaming teachers. Quit blaming schools. Quit blaming government. Quit blaming parents. Maybe, just maybe, it could be the fault of the kid. Take responsibility, do your homework, quit expecting miracles from teachers, and take an interest in your kids and their lives. And, for Pete's sake get that damn cell phone off your kid's ear and make the little f*#ker do his assignment!
To all those people saying 'gimme, gimme, gimme' - suck it! Get a job, do some hard work, and quit expecting everyone to help you all the time. If you only do what you've always done then you'll only get what you've always gotten.
To all those folks making issues with health care, social security, and the like - suck it! I'm just tired of hearing about this one. We live on one income by choice, pay for our own health care, insurance, retirement, and whatnot. We're doing fine. Make the right choice for the future, work hard, and quit blaming your money problems on everyone else.
Just vote for the candidate of your choice. Be confident in your choice. Realize that there will be no huge changes overnight and just be happy and feel blessed that you get to live in this wonderful country in the first place. Quit picking on the politicians so much because none of us are stepping up and giving the job a whirl.
Plus, I can guarantee that there is not a single person out there that wouldn't have something from their past jump out if they were in politics. None of us are perfect and most of us couldn't do the job we are asking McCain and Obama to do. So, suck it!
God Bless America!"

-MamaNeena
http://mamaneena.blogspot.com/

Amen, sister!

Got Gas?

Okay...I am gonna talk about gas...both kinds...
WHY ISN'T THERE ANY GAS??? We live in America for Pete's sake...it's the year 2008...I feel like I am in a time warp back to the gas crisis of "I probably wasn't even alive" year. The hot topic of conversation today at school (among students and faculty) was "is your tank full?" Maybe that's the problem...maybe we've created mass hysteria to the point where every person on the road is stopping to fill up when they get to 3/4 of a tank so they are full in the event of an "emergency"...okay I could understand this if you are pregnant or something and need to get somewhere quick, but c'mon...most of the people in this town are either driving to the grocery store, the Peach State Speedway, or the Pendergrass Flea Market (I do love Jackson County even though I make fun of it often)...all of which are less than five miles away. There was even a rumor that they were going to cancel the GA vs. Alabama game (GASP!), but Sonny Purdue didn't want to tick off all of his friends in the upper echelon of GA football, so instead he's ticking off the whole state. I can see it now...all of the drunk, overpaid, middle aged alumni will be obsolete during the game while the criminal element in Athens is busy siphoning gas from the half-million dollar RV's all over town (hehe)...okay, I shouldn't laugh. Although some people blame Ike and Gustav for the shortage, I personally like to blame Sonny Perdue...I don't really have a good reason other than the fact I am really mad at him for taking away state raises, so this just gives me another reason not to like him. Where is ol' Sonny now? Why, he's in Europe, escaping his state in the middle of a crisis he's responsible for...what a good little politician. Hope he has fun being driven around in a car full of gas!

On to a more positive subject...(sorry, had to get that frustration off my chest...I know, I am cynical and angry right now)

Okay, just a note on the second type of gas...Lilly Grace has become quite aware of it, and she thinks it's funny. Of course, I am horrified because I detest bodily functions...especially ones that make weird noises. Needless to stay, when she looks at me, giggles, and says, "Mommy, I tooted!" all I can do is laugh.

Art in the Park

We had an exciting weekend...here's a rundown of events:

1. On Friday, I got my hair cut, which may not seem like such a big deal, but it took weeks of contemplating until I finally decided to cut seven inches off. I am happy with the new look...drastic enough to tell a difference but not so drastic that my kids couldn't recognize me.

2. Lilly Grace had dance class again Saturday, and even though she was ticked about having to put on the leotard and tights, she actually had a good time and participated (for once). Of course, we did have to make our weekly trip to the store for M&M's as a reward. She has now developed a fondness for the ones in the brown bag and won't have anything to do with the peanut kind.

3. I went to Homecoming to chaperone the dance (oh, joy). I really went for moral support for Raygan...bless her heart. I found it interesting that kids now thing that simulating sex acts constitutes dancing...I mean, c'mon...they are taking "dirty dancing" to a whole new level...yuck.

4. On Sunday we went to Art in the Park, a little festival at Hurricane Shoals. We had a really good time...it brought back memories of going to Prater'sMill every fall with my Mom. I just love the South...as soon as the air starts to get crisp you are bound to have fall festivals on weekends. Lilly Grace liked seeing the animals at the petting zoo and feeding the ducks. I chilled with Pressley on a quilt by the shoals while we played and listened to good ol' Bluegrass Music (i.e., old men strumming banjos singing about seeing your family in heaven one day - LOVE IT!!!) All that was missing was endless groups of little kids in petticoats clogging. I love seeing the folk art and crafts and the smell of BBQ, fried apple fritters, boiled peanuts, and funnel cakes. I also like people-watching...believe me, some of the county's finest turned out:)

5. Lilly Grace and Pressley actually hung out together and watched Dragon Tales on TV...see picture...without Lilly Grace protesting that "she touched me!" or "she's on my side!" Yes, my five-month-old likes to watch TV...so what???

At some point during the weekend I realized that Lilly Grace is becoming quite sassy. At one point I was trying to sing a song with her and she stuck her hand up (talk-to-the-hand style) and said, "Mommy, stop, right now. You need to stop or you're gonna be in trouble. I will count to five and you're gonna hafta sit in time out...one, two, three, four, five!" I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...

Dancing Queen

Lilly Grace started her first ever dance class last weekend, and since I have had absolutely nothing interesting going on this week, I thought I would blog about it. I have to say I was a bit nervous about the process of actually getting her ready and on board with the whole dance class thing. She loves to dance...but only on her terms. The first obstacle was the outfit. As you have probably ascertained, LG is very peculiar about clothes and shoes, so I was fully expecting a meltdown, resulting in the forfeiture of my dance class deposit and a child who does no extra-curricular activities because she refuses to wear the uniform. Needless to say, it wasn't that bad. I tried not to make a big deal out of it...I just casually began to put on the tights (which she stared at which a very strange look on her face), then the purple leotard, and finally the skirt. As I started to put on the ballet shoes, I could feel the mood in the air begin to change, so I shifted into bribery mode (which does not happen often in my house). I asked her if she wanted to go to the grocery store with me, which I knew she would immediately respond to with a resounding "YES, Mommy, and I promise to stay in the buggy!" I told her we just had to make one stop on the way to the store, omitting the fact that the one stop was a 45 minute dance class in a place she had never been before. Then something happened...she began to realize that something was fishy, so she decided to milk the situation for all it might possibly be worth. She said, " I REALLY want to go to Chuck E Cheese, too, Mommy." How do kids know the precise time to ask for what they want and actually GET IT???? So, of course, I told her we might go tomorrow if she was good while we were out "running errands" (A.K.A. going to dance class).

Anyway, we got there and she was pretty cool with it. She didn't jump right in and chaise (I have no idea how to spell that word) immediately, but we got through the class with no major catastrophes. I, on the other hand, realized quickly how out of shape I am when I got winded after 30 minutes of the organized-chaos they call the Jump, Jiggle, and Jive class...there was some jump, a lot of jiggle, and zero jive on my part. Lilly Grace was happy to get to the store and spend two hours at Chuck E Cheese as a reward, and I was satisfied to see her in the too-cute leotard and tights. I just can't wait until Mike has to take her when I have class...he'll look cute in the circle with all the mothers and two-year-old girls waving scarves and "picking buttercups." (hehe)

On a side note, you'll notice her embarrassment at being photographed in unknown attire...in the bottom picture she is hiding behind her Easter Basket, which she now carries around the house with her in case she finds an egg.

Out on the Town

It is a glorious, yet lonely feeling when you are allowed a few hours of "adult" time without your kids. Sunday night we decided to celebrate my best friend Raygan's birthday. We were going to have "Grandmother" watch the kids, but Nana and Papa Chuck volunteered to keep LG overnight. I think it was out of guilt over the total meltdown she had when they all jumped out of the car on Saturday to go to the GA game, leaving her bewildered and alone, not understanding why she started with a carload of loved ones (and I do mean carload...people in the front, back, and hanging on to both sides of the vehicle) and suddenly they were all gone. Anyway, we packed her up and sent her to the lake, and Pressley went to stay at Grandmother's for the evening. Once again, we were alone...two parents, back in the big adult world of nice restaurants, cocktails, and good, uninterrupted conversation...we almost didn't know what to do. We quickly remembered...eat what we want (when we want), talk about things with our friends over a long dinner filled with appetizers, mojitos, and laughter, go to bed past 10 o'clock, and sleep late in the morning. Oh, glory!


We all met downtown and ate at DePalma's. We had yummy bruschetta with olive tampanade and smoked salmon cream cheese spread for an appetizer. I had a Grey Goose and orange juice, and Mike, in true Mike fashion, ordered a Pabst Blue Ribbon...don't ask me why. He kept going on about how PBR is really a delicacy...whatever. We ate until we were stuffed...mine was grilled pork tenderloin with an apricot demi-glaze with steamed broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes...his was spaghetti with Italian Sausage (go figure), which looked like a phallic symbol atop a mountain of noodles. Anyway, now that have bored you with my menu for the evening...sorry...food excites me, I will say that we had a really relaxing evening with old friends. We came home and sat on the front porch and talked, went to bed, and slept really late. It was really nice to be back in the adult world for a while, but I did wake up with a bit of an ache in my heart...the house was just too quiet. What did we do before we had the two most precious little angels in our lives? (oh yeah, we ate what we wanted, drank what we wanted, and went to bed when we wanted) I wouldn't go back for anything!