Monday, March 31, 2008

just sharing some info

March 24, 2008
Dear Friend,What does it take to be the most liberal member of the United States Senate – farther left than Ted Kennedy, John Kerry or even Hillary Clinton? For the answer, take a look at a man who could be the next president of the United States: Barack Obama.
Sen. Obama was recently named the most liberal U.S. Senator, based on the annual voting analysis by the non-partisan and highly respected National Journal. If he emerges as the Democratic nominee, one of the critical jobs of Focus Action will be to uncover the real Barack Obama—not the feel-good orator who speaks of "change" and "hope," but the man who would be the most left-wing president in our nation's history. And we'll need your continued help to do so.Obama: As extreme as they come on family issuesOn abortion, Obama's 100 percent lifetime voting record from Planned Parenthood and NARAL only begins to tell the story.
While in the Illinois State Senate six years ago, Obama was the only senator to speak against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which protects babies who are born alive after a failed abortion. In other words, it prevents flat-out infanticide. A year later— while the U.S. Senate was passing Born Alive 98-0 – state Sen.Obama quietly killed an identical bill in the state committee he chaired!Not surprisingly, then, he also opposes the ban on partial-birth abortion and supports allowing minor girls to be transported across state lines for abortions without parental notice or consent.
Perhaps most chilling is his avowed support for the Freedom of Choice Act, which, if signed into law, would threaten every pro-life law passed at the state and federal levels over the past 30 years.In addition, while the next president could effectively overturn Roe v. Wade with the right Supreme Court appointments, Obama is proudly committed to appointing judges who will uphold legal abortion. In fact, his judicial philosophy is typical of the radical left. He believes that judges can change the meaning of the Constitution at their discretion.Not surprisingly, he voted against the nominations of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito.
How about marriage and the homosexual agenda? First, he opposes the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). If given the chance by the liberal Congress, Obama will overturn DOMA, potentially forcing every state to recognize homosexual "marriages" and guaranteeing that you and I pay federal benefits to support homosexual couples. Please note: Technically, he says he is "opposed" to same-sex "marriage," but by standing against DOMA, he is standing against the only thing that prevents same-sex marriages from spreading state to state.
Second, he has pledged to homosexual leaders that he will sign the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (forcing businesses to defend themselves against discrimination lawsuits should they not hire a particular candidate who then announces he or she is homosexual or transsexual).
He also supports hate-crimes expansion (potentially putting churches at risk if they preach the truth about homosexuality).
Then there's his support for teaching schoolchildren (in 2nd grade, no less) about homosexual relationships. He also wants to require women to register for the draft.And, as a state senator, he even refused to support a measure to stop sex businesses from opening near schools or places of worship.
The price of "change": Hold on to your wallet!Sen. Obama talks constantly about the need for "change." But what he doesn't tell you is the price tag, so allow me: It will be very expensive change.He supports raising taxes to pay for universal health care, his free college program and a host of other government expansions.
Among his pet projects is a bill he sponsored called the Global Poverty Act, which would commit the U.S. to spending 0.7 percent of gross national product on foreign aid.Over 13 years, that will amount to a whopping $845 billion increase over current foreign-aid spending! Get your checkbooks ready!
National security?One area where Sen. Obama seems to have an aversion to spending is the War on Terror.But it's not just the admittedly controversial war in Iraq where Obama has shown himself to be soft on terror:He has repeatedly voted against funding our troops in Iraq—unless the funding included a date certain by which our soldiers must withdraw from their fight against al Qaeda.
Even with the troop surge producing superb results, Obama has called both the surge and the war a failure. In fact, he and Hillary seem to be in a rhetorical contest to see who can abandon the battlefield first.He, along with Hillary, voted to give captured terrorists and illegal immigrants constitutional rights that are reserved for American citizens.
Can you believe that Sen. Obama actually favors granting citizenship to illegal immigrants convicted of crimes against children, aggravated felonies and other serious crimes? It's true.
Perhaps, then, it should come as no surprise that Obama also voted against a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to protect the American flag from desecration.One has to ask: Did he learn anything from 9/11?
Ditto for Hillary?On most of the issues I've mentioned, Hillary isn't far behind Obama's extremism. In fact, she ranked as the 16th most liberal senator in National Journal's scoring. But the reality is that most people know about Hillary. They remember her push for government-run health care. They know of her radical pro-abortion stance. They may even recall her support for allowing young children to sue their parents.
Obama, though, is the new kid on the block. In fact, a little more than three years ago, he was still an Illinois state senator. Now, the media is fawning over him … and isn't about to delve into his leftist record.
That's why Focus Action—with your help—needs to sound the alarm. Whoever the Democrat nominee is, the truth about their stands needs to be told in clear, bold colors. And, of course, the pros and cons of the Republican candidate need to be laid out as well.
Focus Action is blessed to have some great channels to communicate the truth to the American public. From radio programs to mailings to webcasts to advertisements of all sorts, we have the vehicles to get the word out.
But your gifts are needed to provide the fuel to make those vehicles run—so we can inform millions of voters, not just in the presidential race, but in the critical contests for House and Senate as well.
Throughout our history, great Americans have stood up to grave challenges of all sorts. As this latest wave of secular liberalism threatens us, I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with you in prayer and action – in defense of the family.
Sincerely,Tom Minnery
Senior Vice President
Focus on the Family Action

Saturday, March 29, 2008

tommy



tommy is our sweet baby boy
he is growing up so very fast
he has a wonderful big sister and a great big brother to help him learn the ropes
he is tying so hard right now to crawl and chase them around
both of my other children loved to cuddle and be held, and tommy is no different, except much more so. he will actually grab you and pull you to him and kiss and hug you like there is no tomorrow! that is just an amazing feeling.
he is so ticklish, and loves to be talked to, read to, and played with.
he is learning to play on his own some too, which is great as well.
he just got his first little tooth this week.
mark anthony calls him "tommy toe", which has become quite fitting, as his new hobby is chewing his toes!
we didnt know how we were gonna make it with 3 kids, since there are only 2 parents, but we are making it better than anyone could ask for and cant imagine our family without him.

mark anthony



mark anthony is the 2nd, not a junior.
he has certainly brought energy, liveliness, and excitement to our family.
mark anthony has 2 speeds, fast and faster; he goes from 0 to 100 mph in 0.2 seconds.
he is a very loving young boy, and has been a great big brother.
he is a daddys boy when daddy is home. a mommys boy all other times.
he is very all or nothing, he loves to laugh and run and jump and play.
we expect him to be the class clown when he gets in school.
he is also a very smart child, he amazes us every day with his vocabulary and quickness to learn anything and everything.
there is never a dull moment with mark anthony around.

lacee



lacee is my saving grace.
God blessed me with a pregnancy at what most would call not the best timing.
yet in HIS plan, it was the perfect time.
she is 9 yrs old now, and in the 4th grade.
she is a very sweet caring loving child.
a typical girl, she loves clothes and shoes and purses and jewelry and makeup and of course, talking on the phone and on the computer.
she loves school and is a very true and loyal friend.
like her mommy, she wears her feelings on her shoulders.
also like me, she can go mudding and ride 4 wheelers and play hard one day and then dress up and be girly the next.
she is a daddys girl 100%. and she is lucky, she has two daddys to wrap around her little fingers!
she is the best big sister anyone could ask for, and her brothers absolutely adore her!!
lacee wants to be a pediatrician when she grows up, that has been her plan for several years now.

going stir crazy

both boys are on prednisone (a steriod) and albuterol through the nebulizer to help clear their lungs from the bronchittus and pnuemonia. steriods make them, well, crazy.
tommy cant crawl just yet, but he sure wants to.
right now he is rolling around the floor from one side of the living room to the other, reaching all 4 corners and is screaming because he cant figure out how to get his back legs up under him at the same time he is holding himself up with his arms. so he is flat on his back, hands tightly holding his feet as if they are trying to work out a game plan.
he cant sleep but he wants to so badly, he will let go of his feet long enough to rub his eyes.
he is the sad, pitiful one.
mark anthony, on the other hand can crawl. and walk. and run. and jump. and do front rolls. and a funny little attempt at a kart-wheel. and jump on the bed and off the bed. and jump on the couch and off the couch. he can even run into one couch, bounce off it and run back across the room into the other couch just like he is bouncing off the sides of the ring. oh but thats not all he can do! he can scream. he can cry. he can cough and cough. he can yell. he can argue. he can halucinate. he can be mad. he can be sad. he can ask for a drink, and then when he is handed what he asked for, push it away and run off screaming that he didnt want juice. then no less than 1 minute later he comes back and picks up the drink and drinks it like it is the best thing ever. he can look at his shirt sleeves and pick at them like they are aliens on his arms, and scream at me when i offer to take his shirt off that he wants his shirt on. he can ask me to turn on a certain tv channel or movie, then yell that he doesnt like it, when it is the very one he loves every other day.
it is raining, so we cant get out and go to the park.
and since they are sick, we cant (well i guess we could) get ready and go to walmart and wonder around the isles. but i dont think its very nice or wise for me to take my sick kids and all their germs into the public like that.
so they are sick of being home.
they are sick of looking at me.
and i dont know anything i can do to help them.
i have to give them the meds. the meds are helping them get better.
but i dont enjoy the other effects of the meds, not one bit.
lacee is at a friends house. she spent the night there last night. i miss her so much, she has been on the go all week long. it is spring break and since we didnt go anywhere, i dont mind letting her spend the night with friends. typically we would have her friends over here as well, but not with the boys sick. but its probably best for lacee that she isnt here right now. she loves and adores her brothers, and gets so beside herself when she cant comfort and console them. this constant screaming, crying, unhappy bunch would break her little heart.

better timing

It's Raining It's Pouring
But Gretchen's NOT Snoring!
soo......
Rain Rain Go Away
Come Again Another Day
(or even better, at night time so I can listen to you pound on my roof and windows while I sleep)

Thursday, March 27, 2008

me smokem peace pipe


pnuemonia has struck our home.

tuesday tommy had a visit at the doc, and tested neg for rsv and strep.

he had an xray, which was not showing pnuemonia at the time.

today, thursday, mark anthony had a visit at the doc.

then to the hospital for an xray, which shows pnuemonia.

they are both on albuterol through the nebulizer, steriods, and antibiotics.

they are both barking like dogs, sleepy, and not themselves at all.

we are to take them back monday for sure, but if no improvement over night tonight, we will be back at the doc in the morning.

it is 9:10 pm right now, and mark anthony has been asleep since 6pm. tommy has been asleep since 8pm.

the pic is of tommy taking his breathing treatments several months ago.

softball

lacee had her first softball practice tonight.
she played 2 years ago, but last year i did not let her play as it was a very hard school year for her.
this is her first year in kid-pitch.
she had a great practice!
she held her own with the "pros" and loved it!
i am very impressed with her coaches as well, they worked the team on tons of skills, were very upbeat, and at the end of practice said a prayer with the whole team.
she picked her number, she will be number 9.
i forgot to ask her why, if it was significant or just a number. she is gone now to spend the night with kara. spring break is great for spending the nights away from home most every night!

laxatives

if you are constipated, then this is just the news for you!!
if you are not constipated, dont fret, the following information will still apply to you!
i have found after 9.5 years of laboratory studies that there are several laxatives not currently on the market that work better than any over the counter or prescription remedy.
1. a bath or shower, followed by a nice rub down with good smelling lotion
2. a fresh clean diaper
3. laying on freshly laundered bed sheets with no diaper on even for the shortest amount of time
4. going to walmart, the doctors office, or virtually anywhere without realizing that you do not have any diapers or wipes with you and the coin operated machine to supply such items is empty.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

great!! just the proof i needed!!

i often joke (but i really believe it - its not completely a joke) that i have alzheimers already at 30.
my grandmother had a touch of it in her last few years, my uncle had dementia.
at the same time i see this article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080326/ap_on_he_me/belly_dementia
the news anchor on tv is talking about it as well.
so here i sit, blogging with one hand as i rock tommy to sleep, he is peacefully resting on my belly. my pillow for my kiddos. my belly that is making me crazy now will also make me crazy in the future.

why do today what you can blog about instead?

well, here i sit.
my house is a wreck.
mark is at work, doing all he can to provide for our family. (i love that man and miss him so!)
lacee is spending the night with a friend. mark anthony is playing. tommy is sleeping.
i should be cleaning this pig stye. doing the laundry, picking up toys, scrubbing bathtubs, mopping, dusting, etc... all the lovely chores a home needs. yet here i sit, playing online. this blog will likely become my new addiction. i think i may have an addictive personality. if it wasnt this blog, it would be my email, or my myspace, or a message board, or the tv, or a nap if both boys were asleep.
i dont know why i do this.
back when mark and i first married, i was betty homemaker. i dusted almost daily, i vacuummed more than once daily, i swept more than once daily, i mopped daily. you could eat off my floors. then something happened. i dont know what it was. and much to marks shagrin, i have become my mom in the area of housework.
i dont like this part of me.
i love a clean house.
but i love life more. i can rationalize it all day long. i tell mark, "i will NOT put mark was a good daddy because he worked all the time" on your tombstone and i know no kid anywhere will put, "my mom was a good mom because she kept the house spotless" on her tombstone. life is for the living. but is watching tv, napping, blogging, surfing the net, starring at the walls, doing anything and everything but chores really living?
i must get a hold on this part of me.
softball for lacee starts tomorrow.
i have a husband who deserves to be able to see the floor when he comes home. i have 3 kids who deserve a clean home and clean clothes. and i am the mom who wants in her heart to do it all and get back to the way i used to be: organized, cleaning, and happy about it.
maybe i can talk about it to you, and as i talk i really am feeling myself getting motivated to get up and go. the true test comes when hit "publish". do i surf the net, do i watch tv, or do i get up and do what i have just whined to you about? likely, with 2 boys under the age of 3, both still in diapers, none of those will occur. i will get up, head to the laundry room or the dishwasher, only for someone to cry or to poop or to need me.
i love being needed by my kids.
i miss that lacee doesnt need me like she used to.
i just dont have enough hands or enough energy to do all the things i need to do along with all the things i want to do.
(see, i told you....tommy just woke up, and mark anthony just came to me.."i poo poo...i poo poo. change me mommy")

first time for everything

well, here goes nothing.
my first blog.
actually, i have a few blogs on my myspace page, but not many.
i am excited to begin this adventure, and i hope it proves to be fun, helpful, relaxing, and everything else positive a blog can be.
yes, i do know how to use capitilization, yet for some reason i just dont unless it is for something super professional. strange? maybe? but it looks and reads way better than something typed in all caps. that drives me nuts. typing with no caps prolly drives some people nuts as well.