Poptarts are bad. They have no nutritional benefit whatsoever, there are 200 calories in just one, and the #3 ingredient in them is high fructose corn syrup (be still my heart. literally). We never buy them.
Except for the last month, when I've searched for a last minute easy breakfast on those mornings that we're running late for school. If anyone has suggestions for healthy fast alternatives (i.e. eat in the car) for a kid who doesn't like muffins or granola bars, I'm all ears.
Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I don't approve of PopTarts. And I'm ashamed that I buy them.
Just now....
AJ: Can I have a poptart? Me: Hmmm.....I dunno.....
AJ: Are poptarts hewffey (healthy)? Me: No, they are not.
AJ (thinking): Oh. AJ: Well, I'll just be fat then.
A few weeks back, I had a photo session at The Veranda so Steve drove separately with the boys and they rode their bikes around the trails and played in the water fountains while I worked.
When I was done, I forced the kids to let me take their photo (they didn't complain TOO loudly...except for AJ - he did. Loudly). I had actually forgotten that I had taken these pictures until I stumbled across them last night when I was proofing.
Their hair isn't combed, they're wearing play clothes, their faces are dirty, but I love these two photos.
I had this idea for a fun picture to put on my business blog, or in my scrolling header on my business blog...or....something. I don't know....when the creative juices flow, I just roll with 'em and figure out what to do with them later. They still need some work, but this was my quick and dirty edit so I could get them on here and show them to the world.
So I grabbed my camera and my muse, and asked him to pose. We wet his hair and slicked it back. I popped the lenses out of a pair of 3D glasses from the movie theater (thanks Erica!) and grabbed this book.
Funny, right?
But when I opened THIS one off the CF card, I laughed so hard I almost wet my pants.
I've never had such a vested interest in politics before. As many of you know, I've never even voted, my apathy was so great. I'm not sure if it's because I'm older, or because I have kids, or because I'm just so disgusted with the morals and ethics that have been displayed for the last 8 years...but this year I'm SO INTO this election. I just think it's huge - SO huge.
Here's some thoughts I have on last night's debate, feel free to discuss, rebut, or hash out your opinions in the comments section.
I will begrudgingly say that Gov. Palin did better than I expected.....for what she did (more on that in a sec). Considering her horrible blunder(s) with the media this week (in particular that painful-to-watch interview with Katie Couric) I think there were many people cringing as to what she might say next to undercut her own campaign and further betray her lack on knowledge on key issues.
However, last night it was apparent that she was well-coached and was more prepared to speak on some of those issues. BUT, as I said before when I commented that she did well for what she did - what I meant was that what she did was, in a nutshell: Not answer questions directed at her.
She repeatedly would come back to the issues that she was comfortable speaking about (even if they were irrelevant to the question posed) and hammer home the same sound bytes again and again. I think it would've been easier for her to just have a tape recorder up there so that when her turn came up she could just press play and it would spew out her (1) energy policy expertise, (2) John McCain's tax refunds, and/or (3)any of the following words or phrases: "maverick", "Dontcha", "doggone it", "God bless America".
Which brings me to my next "issue" with Palin: I think she's just too "folksy" to be our country's next Vice President. My "northerner" is coming in here, and I don't mean to sound belittling or demeaning, but there is a very real stereotype against people who speak "folksy" (i.e. that they are of lesser intelligence). Is it true? Not necessarily....quite obviously, Sarah Palin is an intelligent woman, but who the heck gets on national television in a freaking VP DEBATE and uses words like, "doggone it"?? Seriously?? So many people comment that they like her because she's "real" or she's just an average soccer mom....but I say #$%&%*!! WHAT?! I don't WANT an average soccer mom with access to our nuclear codes. I don't WANT a soccer mom who has to cram in the days leading up to the VP Debate in order to be remotely prepared. I don't WANT a soccer mom to have a good chance at becoming the President of the United States.
I also felt like she was John McCain in a suit with boobs and square glasses. Random stories and quips about her family, tangents on subjects that didn't pertain to the questions...all intended to give warm fuzzies and endear her to the heart of the American people - a smart political move I suppose - but I don't want to hear about how you have teachers in your family, and gay/lesbian friends, I want to hear what you've DONE and what JM has DONE and what you plan to do. Skip the stories and the rambling - gimme the facts. ------------- I like Joe Biden. His answers were (I felt) gracious, to the point, and so filled with facts that they were difficult to refute. I like that his foreign policy knowledge is SO vast - especially during a time when the U.S. has some major credibility to rebuild with Allies and the world in general. I like that he has many, many years of actual experience in the Senate and knows the bills and laws and amendments that it seemed Gov Palin only had a skimming knowledge of. I heard on CNN last night that people would zone out and get glassy-eyed when Biden would start talking about bills and things that he had and had not voted for, but I found those to be informative because I don't know about them. And therein lies the problem with the average American - we don't know (to a large extent) what bill they're talking about, or what that means when they say "so and so voted to increase your taxes" We just gasp and say, "WHAT?! HE voted to INCREASE our taxes?! Well, I'M not voting for him!!" and then you find out the whole story is that he really voted to increase the taxes of the wealthy.....or something similar. So when Biden refutes Palin's claims and says, "the bill your talking about is this........ and John McCain voted the exact same way" - I feel like I'm getting educated and seeing behind all the propaganda and sound bytes.
Palin's talking points last night seemed like lots of fluff with no substance. I like details. I think it's great that you want to end the war in Iraq and have a plan for withdrawal, but what are the details? When? How? When all you say is empty words like, "give the money back to the middle class", "keep government where it belongs", "create more jobs", "clean energy", blah, blah, blah...but you don't have any specific plans/examples/history of actually making those changes, you're a big giant Republican soundbyte and nothing more.
Okay....I've gone on enough. I've got a lot more to say on this, but I ended up writing a lot more than I intended. I'm totally up for comments/discussion, so bring it on. Dan-o, I know you're itching to lob a gigantor comment at me, so bring it on.
Oh, and go here to write to your Congressional Representative and tell them what you think about the Bailout.
1. I have terrible luck with checkout lines. I'm not kidding or exaggerating. Ask anyone who's been in store with me - I've actually thought about blogging about my CheckOut Line Curse but haven't got around to it. 99.9% of the time, I will choose a line (short or long, doesn't matter) and one or all of the following will occur: I will a) end up behind the person who is paying for their entire purchase in nickels and pennies b) get the cashier-in-training who has to ask me "is that a cantelope or a honeydew melon" and proceed to flip through her produce manual page by agonizing page looking for the correct code. c) be behind the elderly person who is paying by check. And it takes her 7 minutes to write the check. And then she writes it for the wrong amount and has to start over. d) Unknowingly get behind the person in the self-checkout lane who apparently has no freaking clue how to actually USE the self-checkout lane. e) any combination of, or all of the above.
2. I've had quite a few run-ins with broken fingers. From my middle school year through college alone I had 6 broken fingers. 4 of them (all 4 fingers on left hand) rollerblading 1 (pinky finger-right hand) playing beach volleyball 1 (pinky finger-left hand) playing volleyball in college intramurals (or goofing off with friends, I can't remember). The last one I didn't think I actually broke it - I thought it was just a bad jam so I ignored it for about a week. When it was still hurting after several days I went to the college medical building and they suggested I go see doctor. It was broken all right, but since I hadn't done anything to it, it had already started to heal and is still bent to this day (I can't fully straighten it).
3. The only time I've ever punched anyone (with malice) was in 1st grade recess when Brent Bolerjack said girls couldn't play kickball. I showed him a thing or two about what girls could and couldn't do.
4. I say the following phraseat least 10 times a day: "Tyler! No climbing" or "Tyler! Get down from there!" I also say the following in abundance: "You rock" "Owen, please stop" "Great idea!" "I love you" "I'm gonna get you" "Just a minute please" "Did you wipe?" followed by "Go wash your hands"
5.I've always had a desire to adopt. For many years the desire was international adoption, but that desire has been morphing over the last year or so. I'm not sure what the future holds for us and adoption but I do know this: our family is not yet complete.
6. I never snooze my alarm. EVER. The sound of an alarm's buzzer is so aggravating to me that it's worth it to me to just get up so I don't have to hear that hellish buzz again in 9 minutes.
7. I have an actual bucket list. Like, written down in a journal. I've added to it over the years and I think everyone should have one. Right now there are 14 things on it and I've done 5 of them. The weirdest one? Go on vacation at a nudist resort. I'm saving that one for when Steve and I are old and wrinkled and our children will be completely mortified that their old parents are going on a nudist vacation.
okay, there's my seven! And I'm tagging Casey, Clint, Amy, AmyLynn, Amy Porter, Amy Pottenger (man, I know a lot of Amy's!), middle-school friend Melissa, and Steve-o (who actually has a blog that he has only written in ONCE so i cant' remember the name of it to link it- you better add your link in the comments after you do it, dear hubby!).
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