SEX CAN KILL YOU

I'm Pro-Choice. To me it's simple - government has no right to control what I do with or to my body.*

BUT I am in no way, shape or form Pro-Abortion. The idea that being pro-choice means you support abortion is ridiculous.

I will say I have never had to consider the idea. I've been with the same man since I was 18 and we were together 11 years before we had our first child and boy was she planned! And yes, the next one, 20 months later, was very planned as well. Just for the record, because even my grandma asked that question!

But having carried two children, seeing and hearing their heartbeats at 6 weeks and at 8 weeks, I cannot believe it is a simple decision to have an abortion. There is no going back from abortion, there's no unsealing records and maybe finding happiness. Once it's done it's done. So why not use everything in our power to prevent people from having to make that choice?

And I don't think abortions for the health of the mother should be called abortions. There has to be another way to say it. One person or the other will die, sometimes it's just a matter of who has a better chance of survival. Is it better to let them both die? How is that an OK thing with God? And sometimes it's not the baby who dies, sometimes its the mom. No one should have to chose between themselves and their child, sometimes that's just the way it is.

I don't understand, with all our knowledge, with all our medical advances, why people think abstinence is what to teach. I mean, come on, no on really thinks people are going to be celibate until they're 30 - good luck making it to 20. There's no such thing as an old maid. What is so wrong about educating our youth about birth control? What is so bad about moms telling their daughters they need to carry a condom too? Don't tell my husband, but that will be a part of my discussion.

What scares me is that in the midst of teaching abstinence, DISEASE has been left out. Forget moral and religious issues - sex can KILL you. Even the most curable diseases, ones that can be banished with a dose of penicillin, can cause some serious damage if left untreated. Then there are the ones without symptoms, that without regular checkups can eat away at your insides. Then there's the big scary ones - HIV, HPV and AIDS.

The funniest part of it is teen pregnancy keeps going down. You know who's out there having abortions - the 20 somethings. The ones who can go to a bar, pick someone up and wake up in a strange bed with no recollection of what happened. Now I need to watch what I say here or someone might think I'm suggesting prohibition again. What I'm saying is if people of ALL AGES (because you'd be surprised how many older people get STD's now-a-days) were EDUCATED on birth control and disease just maybe the number of unwanted pregnancies would go down.

Adoption education is very lacking in our society. Maybe if people were EDUCATED on ADOPTION they wouldn't think it was a keep it or kill it situation. You hear about the couple that can't have children, the ones who pay a great deal of money to adopt children from other countries. That's not a big deal. So why don't we tell our youth that this IS an option? There's even OPEN ADOPTIONS now that you can keep in touch with the child you've given up. It's not all closed-book, never-see-the-child-again rules anymore.

And seriously, if you still have religious problems with birth control try the SEX CAN KILL YOU approach, because plain old abstinence is not cutting it!

Bad things happen to good people. Less bad things happen when you're educated about them. So maybe I'm not pro-choice. I think pro-sex ed is a better catch phrase. I like that.

*for those of you who will comment, I don't have an issue with prostitution either. It's another thing that if it were "okay" there would be less disease and less death. I have an issue with forcing women and girls into prostitution, but doing it by free choice doesn't bother me at all.

Community organizing at it's best!

http://www.barackitforward.blogspot.com/

This site started on a parenting discussion board of 500 members across the country. This is the very thing Gov. Palin, Fmr. Mayor Guliani and the like are making fun of. A community organizing to make change happen. This time our community is AMERICA!

SPEAK OUT and HELP OUT NOW! Every vote will count and every action will count. Be part of HISTORY. FIGHT for the freedoms our forefathers died for, for the freedoms our troops die for every day, for everyone who didn't have a say at one point in time. It's time for CHANGE.

VOTE BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENT 2008!!!!!!

Where else can you have your say? Tell Barack your opinion right here: http://www.ohboyobama.com/

VOLUNTEER NOW at http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/statepages

This is a personal opinion and is in no way endorsed by the Obama for America campaign.

Would you allow your kids to play with unvaccinated children? I would.

And I'm quoted on MSNBC.com saying just that!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26269069/

My girls are up to date on vaccines, as per the American Academy of Pediatrics. The chance of contracting a disease even being vaccinated is slim. Why would I worry that my girls would get one of these diseases from a friend, when they can just as easily contract it from a seatmate on an airplane - especially those international flights?

I believe strongly in vaccinating, I would encourage parents to do so. I would also encourage the medical community to look at how many vaccines children get at once and over their lifetime. I know my kids will get quite a few more than I do - especially the flu vaccine, which I've never gotten. There has to be a link between autism and vaccines; the sooner someone admits it and fixes it the better off we'll all be. There's some nasty stuff in those shots, but what makes it any worse than the things we eat that are loaded with preservatives? I don't know.

Here's what it comes down to for me - what if the one kid in the class who's not vaccinated could be my child's best friend for life? Who am I do deny that kind of relationship over a vaccine? And what if that un-vaccinated child could never have been my child's friend because a vaccine made them sick?

I'm not God, I'm just a mom, one of billions around the world, who have to do the best they can, every hour of every day for their children. We have so many choices, many of them will be wrong. In my book ostracising an un-vaccinated child or their parents is wrong. Simple as that.

Cleaning

I feel like I'm always cleaning and that the house is never actually clean. I've been having trouble trying to figure out why that is. This morning I had an epiphany - it's not that I don't clean enough, I just clean the same things over and over.

In the past two weeks I've cleaned the bathroom twice, washed the kitchen floor twice, vacuumed about 5 times (not counting the constant Dustbuster hum), emptied the dishwasher a good 10 times, changed sheets, wiped off the couches 3-4 times. All of it needs to be done again in the next day or so.

What I have not done is pick up a dust rag, pick up the odds and ends tucked around the house, put together Charlee's new picnic table (the box is still in the hall). Thank goodness for closet doors, cause I need them! Before kids it was not my issue - the husband, well that's another lost cause! (LOL - he is right now saying he cleans - ask him how many clothes are next to his side of the bed, what is covering his bathroom floor, and how much laundry he has to do) Clutter, not DIRT is making the house a disaster.

Basically, had I not vacuumed once, and not wiped the couches once, I probably could have dusted. You wouldn't want to enter my house had I made that decision! Oh, well. Toys, well that's just a lost cause. Clutter, yeah, same thing. Because once you figure in cooking 2-3 meals a day, changing diapers, showering, doing laundry, pulling the kids apart, Facebook time, phone time - who has time to dust!?!

The house looks like a disaster, and it drives me crazy. At least I know I'm cleaning even if no one else sees it!

All grown up?

The big day is here, the high chair is being packed away. I handled putting away bottles, the baby swing, little socks and shoes, even the infant car seat very well. This one, this is painful. Once this is gone the last bit of baby stuff in the house is Catie's crib - which just got dropped to the lowest level last week.

This feels like finality. And that's very strange because there is no way in hell I'm having more kids - ever. I think I've got the look in response to the very abundant comment, "the next one will be a boy," down pat, so much so that the last person to say that quickly said two is a good number! I have no desire to be pregnant again, to wake up every 3 hours for feedings or anything else. I love babies, don't get me wrong, I just love handing them back to their parents more!

My girls are walking and talking toddlers - I'm quite pleased with that! So why is removing the high chair so hard - I think it's just that I have to admit I'm getting older. As my girls grow up, I age, and it happens very fast. And it's not so much the numeric age, I'm sure younger parents go through the same thing, it's the "I'm old enough to" thing we all do and kids make that line more finite.

Looking forward, the next thing to do away with is diapers. And my plan after that is to enjoy the time between diapers and tampons - I'm going to age extra fast when those are in the house for the girls. I'm thinking of investing in a cabin in the woods to go with Carl when that happens - heck this is all his fault, I should leave him to handle the PMS!

Fight back for Barack

While it is mostly expected, there has been an even greater bout of biased reporting on FOX news. The latest against the Obama's is calling Michelle "Obama's baby mama" which is slang for unmarried parents. While the elitist whitey's (I check the white box too, so back off) could use the excuse they are simply clueless about hip slang, it is completely disrespectful. This latest comment, added to many more, has pushed MoveOn.org into taking action - sign the petition here:

http://pol.moveon.org/stopthesmears/?r_by=-9383384-d3sE15x&rc=paste

And oh, my lord in heaven, the man is NOT MUSLIM! He is a devout Catholic. Just because you got an e-mail doesn't make it true. And since we're on the Internet and you don't have to believe I'm telling you the truth, here's it is, laid our for you on his own site:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome/

And here's the truth reported on other sites, for those of you who are still non believers:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004474447_smear13.html

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_barack_obama_muslim.htm

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

Here is a very well researched story about the rumors - I applaud the editor on this masterpiece:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/askeditor/stories/022808dnediasktheeditor.3c8a289.html

And for a good laugh:
http://www.slate.com/id/2193798/

Friends.

When you have friends for 15-20 years they remind you of things - who you were, what you did, where mutual friends have ended up. They shape your life, help you chose paths, support your decisions. But how often to you wonder how they got where they are? I usually don't, until a website was passed on to me today. It got me wondering.

My collage of friends includes the trouble maker who sat next to me in 9th grade Earth Science who's now a police officer, the sociology major who owns an incredibly successful Internet business, the journalist who's passion leads the way for others, the quiet friend who changed direction and started a business, the rebel who is an exquisite craftsman and so many more. Are they who I expected them to be? Yes and no. Maybe in my own self absorption, I missed subtle hints that led them on their path. Maybe the perspective has altered with age and wisdom. Maybe I just didn't know them as well as I thought. Some are still friends, others are not.

There are choices I regret, apologies I'd love to make and decisions that others regret for me. But from all of them I've learned something - be it about life or about myself, there was a lesson. And since my friends have other friends besides just me, I'm sure their paths were altered in similar ways. So when I look at them now and wonder how they got there, I'm sure I'd be surprised by the answer. You never know how one person can alter the course of another.

For example, I'm sure my friends who think they know a lot about me don't know about some sage advice I received at age 18 that changed my life. It was a simple date one or date many question that most of us have to answer, that I posed to a friend. This answer brought me to the love of my life and father of my children. One answer, from one friend, irrevocably changed my life.

Do I think I'm where my friends expected me to be? Not particularly. But they love me anyway.

Just stop.

I'm totally fed up. I can't take much more of this hypocritical bullshit. As Clinton and Obama continue their attacks the more frustrated I get. And the media is right in the middle of it all.

My first frustration is with the candidates. Well, Clinton in particular - but I support Obama, so that's expected. The old school political crap is unattractive. The cheap shots are ridiculous - her comment after winning Pennsylvania about how much he spent there was ludicrous coming from a person who had to put in $5 mill of her OWN money to keep her campaign afloat in January. At least the money Obama spent is from his supporters, not his spouse's coffers. Stupid stuff like this is not going to win an election, all it's going to do is push the independents to the republican vote. This dirty politicking is unladylike, unbecoming and really pathetic. You want to win, win on merit - you claim to have enough of it.

Obama needs to not only grow a pair, but learn how to use them. Rev Wright is getting the best of him, for no good reason. Stand up for yourself man! If you screwed up SAY SO. Stop circumventing the issue and changing your answers. Shit, if you can't take on a reverend, how the hell are you going to be commander in chief?!? Maybe we should be voting for Oprah.

So here's my advice - put your egos aside, make nice with each other and UNITE the democrats. It's really very simple, but pride isn't called a deadly sin for no reason.

My next issue is with the media. Who gives a flying fuck what Obama eats? God forbid a candidate eats HEALTHY. We all laughed at President Clinton eating his Big Macs - all that got him was a heart attack. If he's elitist for eating the right way, in the most obese country in the world, then it's not really a bad thing, now is it?

And maybe more Americans would know what arugula is if we didn't have to import all our produce. I grow it in my garden every year, you can find seeds in your local Home Depot, Walmart or Target. You can't you say? Order them from the Burpee catalog. I can find it in my local grocery stores, and if you're having trouble finding it, check by the fresh herbs - they package it there too.

And to McCain's camp, my local take out Greek place has an arugula salad on their menu. It's a dive, but it's got amazing food. So you don't have to go to some fancy restaurant for it, you just have to open your eyes.

I think what pissed me off the most was Maureen Dowd of the New York Times taking a swipe at Obama's eating habits. I get they're endorsing Clinton, I understand it's her column, but the Times was the last place I could go to for real news, now I don't know. It is my understanding that newspapers were supposed to report the news with no bias. The last time the media went this route we almost went to war on a lie. Hmmm, maybe Bush isn't responsible for this mess. ( just kidding)