Despicable Politics

I do not pretend to be an authority on politics. For that, I have my husband ;). But, I am a registered voter, have voted in nearly all of the local and national elections for the past 9 years, and attempt to be informed about the goings-ons of politicians and our government.

The coming Presidential election has me befuddled. I am stunned that in the "age of technology and information" we can have so much MISinformation being passed on and on and on without any regard to the TRUTH. What happened to common sense in America? What happened to individual thinking and reasoning? Have we all become so jaded as to think that whatever we see on unbiased (HA!) articles, YouTube spliced videos, and e-mail forwards are reliable sources?

I URGE you, my friendly readers, to search out the truth in every way you can. Here are some of my suggestions:

1. When you receive ANY e-mail forward, go directly to www.snopes.com. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200, do not hit FORWARD! I would estimate that 99% of all e-mail chain letters, forwards, and the like are written to incite, provoke, and sway opinions using fear tactics and misrepresentation of the facts. When you have found out the true story, please hit REPLY TO ALL and pass along the link to the snopes article that debunks whatever drivel has been passed to you.

2. Politically, there are a few sites devoted to uncovering the TRUTH in the huge mess that has become the norm - smear campaigns. Try these two sites out politifact.com and factcheck.org. Both are maintained by non-profit, non-partisan groups and can (hopefully) be counted on to do the research for you.

Now, I must go one step further and post a few links debunking some of the most damaging "myths" being passed around about Senator Barack Obama. I will not tell you to vote for any candidate - honestly, I think both are good men and should be respected. However, the internet slander about Obama has gotten out of hand and some damage control needs to be done. I would do the same if there were as many lies out there about McCain - there simply aren't because people aren't as invested in bringing him down.

Myth #1: Obama is a Muslim. In January 2007, CNN debunked this myth, but it has gained wings with e-mail chain letters that people just keep passing along. Some of this, I'm sure has to do with his middle name, Hussein and his last name, Obama, which rhymes with one of the most reviled men in the past century. It has negative connotations, I'll give you that. But, since when do we, as Americans, judge someone by their NAME? Aren't we supposed to be the land of opportunity where anyone no matter their gender, race, or religion get a fair shot? Know the truth. Don't assume!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_barack_obama_muslim.htm

Myth #2: Obama does not salute or respect the flag or put his hand over his heart when reciting the Pledge. This one even has photographic evidence! *gasp* Yes, even pictures that are worth 1000 words can misrepresent!

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/11/obama-says-flag.html
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/anthem.asp
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/barackobama/a/obama_anthem.htm

Myth #3: Obama regularly attends an all-black church that does not allow whites and is covertly anti-American and possibly funding terrorists. (I won't point out how contradictory it is to say he's a Muslim and in the same breath state that he "regularly attends a church!) I also won't begin to delve into the complicated issues surrounding Rev. Wright's statements and whether or not Obama knew/endorsed them. The jury is still out on that for me. I'll just stick with the facts here.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/church.asp
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/government/a/obama_church.htm

Myth #4: Obama is the anti-Christ. (I can't even believe I'm writing that even to debunk it :( but I know you've heard it, so I feel compelled to get the truth out there.)

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/antichrist.asp
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/08/09/some_say_ad_casts_obama_as_the_antichrist/
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/barackobama/a/obamaantichrist.htm

Myth #5: The Obamas are not proud Americans. (This one stemmed from a quote taken COMPLETELY out of context from a speech Mrs. Obama made where she was speaking of the political process in America. )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqsDydV-I6E&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjD8ilLsbaA
and here's one of John McCain making a similar statement, but it was never questioned because everyone inherently understood what he meant in context. No one gave Michelle Obama the same consideration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hVeWZjB8zM

There are more - I'll just link you to the website that the Obama campaign set up to get the truth out there. http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome

It's sad, really, that so much misinformation can be out there about a candidate that has NOTHING to do with this issues. So much so that a whole website devoted to getting rid of the lies had to be set up. What about his policies? Do you know about them? If you aren't going to vote for Sen. Obama because you don't believe in his politics, his stance on taxes, his energy plan, his healthcare plan, etc., GREAT! I commend and applaud you for being informed and voting for the candidate that best represents your views. But, I beg those of you who are uncomfortable with his candidacy because of the rumors you've heard to do some more research into the candidate himself. You don't have to think he's the best man for the job, you don't have to agree with his politics or his plans. But, PLEASE be informed this November.

Life.....Interrupted

Yes, I know I haven't written since the end of June. But, there is a VERY good reason for that --and I am able to share it now. We are expecting our second baby!! I took the home pregnancy test on June 30th and it was VERY, VERY, VERY -- can I say VERY enough times? -- hard not to tell everyone right away. It was also hard for me to think (or blog) about anything other than BABY, so I took a hiatus from blogging. We wanted to wait until we at least got the okay from the doctor and saw that little heart thumping away before we told...and then we were stuck trying to figure out a good way to tell our family and friends. When we were expecting Ava, we happened to be taking a trip at just the right time and asked our parents to meet us at the airport for a long layover. We, of course, planned it that way, but they didn't know that. This time, we knew that we'd have to share our news from afar and that just broke my heart. I hated the thought of calling and just saying, "Guess what? We're having another baby!" It seemed, well...anticlimactic. So, we designed a postcard with Ava in a (borrowed - thanks, Brooke!) "I'm gonna be a big sister" dress to send to everyone. We had fun answering the phone for a few days as the excited calls came in!

So, now you know why the interrupted blog. It was just LIFE getting in the way! Rest assured, I'll be back soon!

Out with the old...in with the new

By nature, I am a purger. I love to organize things and throw old things away (or give them to Goodwill). This part of my personality, however, is the exact opposite of my clutter-bug, pack-rat husband, which sometimes causes us to come to blows...figuratively, of course! ;-) Our most recent project has been clearing out the guest bedroom in anticipation of my sister and mother who are both coming to stay for parts of the summer. Last night we spent over 4 hours clearing out the paper files by the old computer desk. The shredder and I became one. It was a beautiful thing to hear the whir, whir, whir and know that all of that space would be empty soon - and ready to be filled back up with more garbage in the next 6 months, I'm sure. Oh, well. We realized the difference between us when I kept shredding away and Ryan looked at me and said, "You're not even the least bit curious what those papers are?" Ummmm...no. I'm shredding our phone bills from the year two thousand what? He would probably have sat and looked at every bill and reminisced about the year 2003 for a few hours. Do I care who I called in November of '03? Not hardly. What I care about is seeing those clear shelves just waiting to be filled with pretty things.

At that moment, I realized that I have an addiction. I am addicted to the new. I get bored easily and I love to replace old items with sparkling new things. I love the way new things look in my house - something new on the shelf or the wall makes the house just feel fresh again. There is so much potential out there - so many different styles, colors, patterns. My mother calls me "fickle" - but I just like to say that I love change. If it weren't such a huge hassle - and a crazy expense - I'd love to move every 5 years just to get to decorate a new house! I love my house...but a NEW house would be so much fun. I also love how new clothes look straight off the hanger - no wrinkles, no little fuzzies, no wash wear or fade. Just perfect, crisp looking and NEW. I gave up washing all of Ava's clothes before she wears them about a year ago. I realized that when I wash things first, they lose that "never-been-worn-before" look that I love so much. Which brings me to my second addiction...little girl clothing. Ava has crazy amounts of clothing. I keep justifying it by saying things like, "It's not like I'm overspending!" or even better "There are other people who buy more than this for their kids!" But the truth is, I just love buying clothes for her because I hate buying clothes for myself! It is so much more fun when you know that no matter what you choose, it's going to look cute as a button on her!!!

So, watch out - you never know when this blog will look completely different...you know, it'll look NEW! ;-)

Got Church?

This morning, I went to church. Shocking, I know. It seems like it's been forever since I've been to a worship service outside of a holiday or special occasion. Honestly, I think I had lost faith in church during the past few years. I haven't lost faith in God, but just the institution of the church. When we first moved to this area, we "shopped" for a church, but didn't feel like any fit. They just didn't feel right. Then, we had Ava and...well, she was just not the kind of baby that you could drop off in a nursery and leave for a couple hours. Now that she's two and more verbal, I'm thinking that it might be okay to try it out. So, when my friend told me at a recent playdate about her church and how much she loves it, I figured it couldn't hurt to go.

The second shocking news? (Shocking for those who know us, that is!) The church is First Baptist. Yes, a Southern Baptist church! Pick your jaw up off the floor, mom...I'm serious. And, you know what? I loved it. It felt like they were speaking directly to me - like HE was speaking directly to me. I went to the 9:30 Sunday School/Bible Study class and then the 11am Service. The class was so welcoming and interesting. The leader of the group was very personable, funny, and down-to-earth. The sermon was fantastic - the orchestra (yes, ORCHESTRA complete with STRING instruments!!) and choir were great. It was more of a Praise and Worship service than the more traditional services I grew up with in the Methodist Church. But, it was not too contemporary - honestly, it felt a lot like Church Camp where Ryan and I first met. It felt familiar, comfortable, and authentic. After the service, I went down with my friend to get her kids from the nursery. Nursery? It is an entire WING of the church with rooms for children based on age - by month, not just year! They have pagers for parents to take with them in case they need you to come back for any reason. The kids sing songs, do crafts, have snack, play with toys, etc. It looked like a really lovely place for children and I would feel comfortable leaving Ava there. I think we'll try it next week and see how it goes.

Attending church and redeveloping my relationship with God is going to take some time. I have never really been "good" at praying. I've sent out a lot of "pleas" - you know "Please, Lord, help me to do the right thing" "Please, Lord, be with so-and-so during their time of need." but I haven't fully developed a prayerful relationship with Him. I often felt a bit...well, uncomfortable. I guess I'm such an analyzer, such a logical thinker, that it's been difficult for me to open myself up in that way and talk to someone I can't see and who doesn't speak back in a traditional way. I believe in Him, was baptized and saved...but just having a conversation with Him has always been somewhat tough for me. But, the message I took from the sermon was that you can't - and SHOULDN'T - go it alone. God wants us to reach out and share our faith with our friends. We are supposed to be needy of others. We need others to pray with us, share the good times and bad. We should admit that we need them and risk putting ourselves out there to share His word. We also need to cultivate relationships in His name and the pastor talked about how it takes work to keep a relationship healthy and thriving. I have long believed that to be true with regard to marriage, but I guess I sort of felt like friendships either worked or didn't work. Guess I need to re-evaluate more than just my relationship with Him, huh?

Until next time, I hope you have a restful Sunday.
-Amanda

Why that name?

I have been considering starting a blog for some time now. I seem to always have something to say (much to the dismay of my family and friends, probably) and now that I spend my days almost entirely with a two-year-old, my conversation skills are waning. So, I got inspired to actually begin my own by some other bloggers and decided it was time to start.

My first job was to name my blog. A few suggestions from my March Mommy friends (more on them later *wink*) were "Life of a Gymboree addict" or "Musings of an anal retentive clean freak". Hmmmm...not exactly what I was looking for. Then, I noticed my daughter, Ava, flipping through one of her favorite books, "COOKIES, Bite-Size Life Lessons" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and thought that it might be the perfect title for this blog. I plan to use it as a place where I talk about all things Amanda - in other words, whatever pops into my mind that I think is worth writing about. :D But, I feel as though beginning my 30's (GASP!) has been a very soul-searching and revealing time. I've learned a lot about myself in the past few years and I feel like I'm constantly thinking about life and its lessons. Sometimes, writing things out helps me clarify how I feel about a particular issue and sometimes I just need to put my thoughts down. A lot will probably have to do with my thoughts on parenting issues and current events. Because typing is so much easier for me (about 70wpm) and when writing, my right hand cramps up from the pressure of the pen, this is a much better format for me! Also, since I already have a private spot for Ava's pictures and updates, I will try to limit my postings about her basic well-being to that site. It is private and password protected since I don't necessarily want everyone on the 'net knowing all our specific details. But, you can be sure that Ava will pop up here on this blog, too. She's such a huge part of our lives!

I just read a post on a web forum, "Do you have an "if I die" letter for your children/husband?" However morbid a thought, it did make me ponder. Scrapbooking is important to me to preserve the memories of our family - but how much of me is really in those books of photos? Sure, I journal, but mostly about what happened - not how I felt about it. So, perhaps this blog will be a good way for me to journal in a different way. I remember seeing an episode of Oprah were a woman with terminal cancer video taped messages to her daughter before she died. It was heartwrenching, but such a lovely and meaningful thing to do for her. She talked about dating and makeup tips as well as what to do when her father re-married. Definitely put things into perspective...and made me think about how different life would be without my own parents. I have been so blessed to have such a supportive family - both my own and my husband's - and I will strive to do the same for my own children as they grow up. Wow - that was a lot of rambling to say that I plan to use this blog to chronicle my thoughts and feelings as life happens. Hopefully it won't be too boring or self-serving for others to read.

So, until next time, enjoy the beginnings of my blog...and be sure to leave a comment!