I am in awe of this shot of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rosi.
Isn't that the most stunning image you've seen in a while?
For the longest time, I've wanted to create or at least buy a bumper sticker that says "Marriage = Love" to combat those annoying "Marriage = man + woman" stickers. After seeing that photograph, I think it would be perfect to have something that read, "Marriage =" preceding that picture.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
On Sarah Palin
I didn't know what to write. I had no idea where to begin. Luckily, Jane Smiley did that for me.
Make Her Whine
Make Her Whine
Friday, August 29, 2008
If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.
CPSC Says Company Refuses To Recall Bassinets That Strangled Two Infants
WTF is wrong with this world?
I hope they lose more business over their heartless incompetence than they ever would have over a recall.
WTF is wrong with this world?
I hope they lose more business over their heartless incompetence than they ever would have over a recall.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
And now a few words from my son.
While at the zoo last week, we came across a big cat that I couldn't positively identify. I said to a friend, "I guess it's a leopard." I then pointed out the leopard to the kids. I picked TheBoy up for a better view and asked, "Do you see the leopard?" To which he replied, "Dat not Leopard. Dat Jaguar."
We walked around and found the sign and sure enough, the kid was right. He's 2 and he corrected me and was RIGHT.
Back story: my son is weaned. He hasn't nursed in over a month. While discussing that the new baby will have mama's milk when he/she/they get here, we had this conversation:
Boy: TheBoy want mama milk.
Me: The milk I had for you is gone.
Boy: Whyyyyyyyy?
Me: Because you weaned.
Boy: Whyyyyyyyy?
Me: Because you stopped nursing.
Boy: Whyyyyyyy?
Me: Because you're a big kid now, so you stopped nursing and the milk I had for you went away.
Boy: (peering down my shirt) Nipple came back.
Me: No, my breasts and nipples didn't go anywhere, just the milk.
Boy: Whyyyyyyyy?
You get the picture. It went on like that for a while.
Later in the evening, he tried to process it all. He pointed to everyone and asked if they had weaning (this included his sisters, the dog, the cat and me). When he got to himself, though, he said, "Not TheBoy. TheBoy not weaned."
We walked around and found the sign and sure enough, the kid was right. He's 2 and he corrected me and was RIGHT.
Back story: my son is weaned. He hasn't nursed in over a month. While discussing that the new baby will have mama's milk when he/she/they get here, we had this conversation:
Boy: TheBoy want mama milk.
Me: The milk I had for you is gone.
Boy: Whyyyyyyyy?
Me: Because you weaned.
Boy: Whyyyyyyyy?
Me: Because you stopped nursing.
Boy: Whyyyyyyy?
Me: Because you're a big kid now, so you stopped nursing and the milk I had for you went away.
Boy: (peering down my shirt) Nipple came back.
Me: No, my breasts and nipples didn't go anywhere, just the milk.
Boy: Whyyyyyyyy?
You get the picture. It went on like that for a while.
Later in the evening, he tried to process it all. He pointed to everyone and asked if they had weaning (this included his sisters, the dog, the cat and me). When he got to himself, though, he said, "Not TheBoy. TheBoy not weaned."
Cold Chinese Food revisited
I got my cold Chinese food today. Yay.
Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Yuck.
Churn churn bubble bubble goes the pregnant lady's stomach.
Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Yuck.
Churn churn bubble bubble goes the pregnant lady's stomach.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Cold Chinese food
I would kill for cold Chinese food right about now. I'm an odd duck. One of my favorite things about Chinese take-out is eating the left-overs cold. I like it better cold than when it's fresh.
Unfortunately, there is no Chinese food in our house which therefore makes cold Chinese food impossible.
GAH!
Unfortunately, there is no Chinese food in our house which therefore makes cold Chinese food impossible.
GAH!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Awe-inspiring people
Have you ever been truly in awe of someone? There's so much stupidity around us, so when I find someone that amazes me (in a good way, not in a "Oh my stars and garters, these people have actually reproduced" way), I hold it dear.
About a year ago, I got back in touch with an old friend. In high school, we were just acquaintances. We had AP Physics together and he was nice, but we never hung out. I ran into him at a rest stop on my way back to college (we both went to school out of state--the same state, different schools) on more than one occasion and we stopped to chat then moved on.
Well, now he's a doctor, a pediatrician. And what is he doing with his time and talents? He's touring truly underprivileged places in the world providing care at his own cost. He's not advertising this fact as a way to get attention. He only mentioned it when I wrote to ask.
When my cousin passed away last year, this friend wrote me a quick note that was very sweet. I was truly touched. He didn't have to do that. We hadn't really kept in touch. Heck, I didn't even tell him about my cousin. He found out indirectly and went out of his way to write.
Mind you, we were never romantically linked, so don't get the wrong idea. He's a newlywed (his wife is gorgeous. They make such a cute couple) and I've been happily married for a long time. So it's nothing of that sort.
I'm just amazed at the person he has become. He's the type of person that you sometime doubt exists. To know that there are truly kind-hearted people out there really helps renew my faith in humanity. If you need a definition of mensch, he fits it perfectly.
About a year ago, I got back in touch with an old friend. In high school, we were just acquaintances. We had AP Physics together and he was nice, but we never hung out. I ran into him at a rest stop on my way back to college (we both went to school out of state--the same state, different schools) on more than one occasion and we stopped to chat then moved on.
Well, now he's a doctor, a pediatrician. And what is he doing with his time and talents? He's touring truly underprivileged places in the world providing care at his own cost. He's not advertising this fact as a way to get attention. He only mentioned it when I wrote to ask.
When my cousin passed away last year, this friend wrote me a quick note that was very sweet. I was truly touched. He didn't have to do that. We hadn't really kept in touch. Heck, I didn't even tell him about my cousin. He found out indirectly and went out of his way to write.
Mind you, we were never romantically linked, so don't get the wrong idea. He's a newlywed (his wife is gorgeous. They make such a cute couple) and I've been happily married for a long time. So it's nothing of that sort.
I'm just amazed at the person he has become. He's the type of person that you sometime doubt exists. To know that there are truly kind-hearted people out there really helps renew my faith in humanity. If you need a definition of mensch, he fits it perfectly.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Morning sickness is evil.
I'm still here. I am, however, very sick. Morning sickness hates me and refuses to leave. I'm so freaking exhausted all the time. I keep meaning to post, but it just hasn't been a priority. Sorry, all.
I'm inching closer to my second trimester and I'm hoping that once I get there, I'll feel a lot better.
Until then, I'll leave you with this bizarre, but cute encounter.
The other day, TheBoy was playing with a toy remote control while I watched the news. They featured a deployed Marine who, via web cam, got his first view of his 2-day-old daughter. The newborn little girl got TheBoy's attention. When the clip was over, he said, "Want see baby again." When I told him that wasn't going to happen, he came over to me, said, "See your baby. Hi, baby," kissing my stomach. He then held his remote up to my stomach and said, "Remote for your baby." He was very insistent that the baby was to have that remote. At one point he told me, "You hold wit two hands. Hold remote for baby. Hold for when baby here." I thought it was sweet.
Oh and when asked what we should name the baby, TheBoy offered, "Somebody Else."
I'm inching closer to my second trimester and I'm hoping that once I get there, I'll feel a lot better.
Until then, I'll leave you with this bizarre, but cute encounter.
The other day, TheBoy was playing with a toy remote control while I watched the news. They featured a deployed Marine who, via web cam, got his first view of his 2-day-old daughter. The newborn little girl got TheBoy's attention. When the clip was over, he said, "Want see baby again." When I told him that wasn't going to happen, he came over to me, said, "See your baby. Hi, baby," kissing my stomach. He then held his remote up to my stomach and said, "Remote for your baby." He was very insistent that the baby was to have that remote. At one point he told me, "You hold wit two hands. Hold remote for baby. Hold for when baby here." I thought it was sweet.
Oh and when asked what we should name the baby, TheBoy offered, "Somebody Else."
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Finding ballance
This parenting thing doesn't get any easier. Just when you adapt to one stage, a whole new set of subtleties and considerations go into effect.
How do you balance it all? Last year, we took a break and didn't have any sport-related classes. In the past, they danced for two years and took a break from that to explore karate. We tried Softball a while ago, but I was really put off by the whole thing. I was there for my kids to learn the game and have fun. Everyone else was there to prep their kids for the Olympics. We learned very quickly that it wasn't for us and we ran far far away.
Starting very soon, the big kids will have Hebrew school on Mondays. They'll have Sunday school too. We don't do sports on Shabbat.
I'm not the type who wants my kids to play 5 different sports. I'd like them to do one or two things to stay active and to learn what they're capable of. At the same time, religion is very important to us. I didn't have the opportunity to learn Hebrew. Dh just learned enough to read from the Torah for his bar mitzvah portion and he immediately forgot it all. Our children will have better.
I danced every week day and had gymnastics on the weekend. Dh's parents are VERY involved in local sports (my MIL is in her town's sports hall of fame). So that drives us, but so too does the love of Judaism.
We had to pass up the dance school where I really wanted to send the girls because the class for their age group is the same day/time as Hebrew school. They want to take gymnastics too, but we can't do it. I'm not comfortable with them shoving so much into the evenings. If I can find a homeschool class that meets during the day, we can do that, but once you're out of that pre-k age, it's difficult to find much during daytime hours.
Gah! How do you find the right balance? How do you resist becoming a stereotype one way or another? I will not be the parent who confronts the Hebrew school teacher demanding to know, "How is he supposed to improve at baseball when you want him here during practices?" How do we teach our children to value their beliefs and heritage if we so obviously value the physical over all else? Although, I also refuse to raise a mensch with absolutely no appreciation for his physical ability. Can you truly appreciate G-d if you can't recognize the power in yourself?
How do you balance it all? Last year, we took a break and didn't have any sport-related classes. In the past, they danced for two years and took a break from that to explore karate. We tried Softball a while ago, but I was really put off by the whole thing. I was there for my kids to learn the game and have fun. Everyone else was there to prep their kids for the Olympics. We learned very quickly that it wasn't for us and we ran far far away.
Starting very soon, the big kids will have Hebrew school on Mondays. They'll have Sunday school too. We don't do sports on Shabbat.
I'm not the type who wants my kids to play 5 different sports. I'd like them to do one or two things to stay active and to learn what they're capable of. At the same time, religion is very important to us. I didn't have the opportunity to learn Hebrew. Dh just learned enough to read from the Torah for his bar mitzvah portion and he immediately forgot it all. Our children will have better.
I danced every week day and had gymnastics on the weekend. Dh's parents are VERY involved in local sports (my MIL is in her town's sports hall of fame). So that drives us, but so too does the love of Judaism.
We had to pass up the dance school where I really wanted to send the girls because the class for their age group is the same day/time as Hebrew school. They want to take gymnastics too, but we can't do it. I'm not comfortable with them shoving so much into the evenings. If I can find a homeschool class that meets during the day, we can do that, but once you're out of that pre-k age, it's difficult to find much during daytime hours.
Gah! How do you find the right balance? How do you resist becoming a stereotype one way or another? I will not be the parent who confronts the Hebrew school teacher demanding to know, "How is he supposed to improve at baseball when you want him here during practices?" How do we teach our children to value their beliefs and heritage if we so obviously value the physical over all else? Although, I also refuse to raise a mensch with absolutely no appreciation for his physical ability. Can you truly appreciate G-d if you can't recognize the power in yourself?
Friday, August 08, 2008
An update
My FIL has to decide between surgery or radiation. With one, he risks impotence. With the other, incontinence.
He seems to be in good spirits. He joked the whole time he was on the phone with dh. Yes, he spoke to dh even though he wanted to keep it quiet. I think now that he has some more information, he feels more comfortable telling the family.
I'm feeling a lot better about the situation, but I'm still shell-shocked. I've seen a lot of cancer in my family and I've never had anyone survive it. I know it's possible, but it's not anything I have any experience with. Even with dh, his paternal grandfather died of cancer. So survival is foreign to us. I'm looking forward to my FIL being the first.
Although, now this raises more questions and compels us to stand back and take a closer look at our lives and our lifestyle. From the research I've done, 5-10% of prostate cancer cases are hereditary. That comforted me until I found that having a close relative with it doubles my husband's risk. Should his brother or uncle (who has been estranged from the family for decades, so we wouldn't even have a way of knowing) develop it (G-d forbid), dh's risk increases to 5 times.
We're pretty healthy, but we can do more. Dh doesn't exercise at all and I have a penchant for eating out. We're going to have to evaluate things and come up with a concrete plan to be certain we live life in the healthiest way possible.
He seems to be in good spirits. He joked the whole time he was on the phone with dh. Yes, he spoke to dh even though he wanted to keep it quiet. I think now that he has some more information, he feels more comfortable telling the family.
I'm feeling a lot better about the situation, but I'm still shell-shocked. I've seen a lot of cancer in my family and I've never had anyone survive it. I know it's possible, but it's not anything I have any experience with. Even with dh, his paternal grandfather died of cancer. So survival is foreign to us. I'm looking forward to my FIL being the first.
Although, now this raises more questions and compels us to stand back and take a closer look at our lives and our lifestyle. From the research I've done, 5-10% of prostate cancer cases are hereditary. That comforted me until I found that having a close relative with it doubles my husband's risk. Should his brother or uncle (who has been estranged from the family for decades, so we wouldn't even have a way of knowing) develop it (G-d forbid), dh's risk increases to 5 times.
We're pretty healthy, but we can do more. Dh doesn't exercise at all and I have a penchant for eating out. We're going to have to evaluate things and come up with a concrete plan to be certain we live life in the healthiest way possible.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
The Waiting Place
Ever read Dr. Seuss' Oh The Places You'll Go? The title is a reference to that.
You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…
My father-in-law meets with the doctor today. I've been waiting rather impatiently all day, but we haven't heard anything. We don't want to call because we're not even supposed to know about it (my FIL doesn't want us worrying. My FIL has apparently never met me).
Please, G-d, let the news be good. Please let the treatment be quick, simple, relatively pain-free and successful.
And please let them call soon.
You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…
My father-in-law meets with the doctor today. I've been waiting rather impatiently all day, but we haven't heard anything. We don't want to call because we're not even supposed to know about it (my FIL doesn't want us worrying. My FIL has apparently never met me).
Please, G-d, let the news be good. Please let the treatment be quick, simple, relatively pain-free and successful.
And please let them call soon.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Not again.
We've been asked to keep this quiet from family, so I'm only posting details here where that part of the family doesn't visit (at least as far as I know. Please, G-d don't let them know about this place).
My MIL called today to tell dh that his father has prostate cancer.
My initial reaction was absolute shock. I wanted to cry. I wanted to hug my husband. It didn't help that we were in the middle of Target at the time. Great place to raid the dollar spot or find a cute top, but not the best place for a breakdown.
Now, my thoughts are, "Not again. Please, G-d, not again."
Mi-sheberakh
Mi-sheberakh avoteinu v’imoteinu, Avraham v’Sarah, Yitzhak v’Rivkah, Ya’akov, Rachel v’Leah hu y’varekh et Ezra Ben Avraham v’yavi aleihem refuat hanefesh u’refuat haguf yachad im kol cholei amo Yisrael. Barukh atah Hashem, rofeh ha’cholim.
My MIL called today to tell dh that his father has prostate cancer.
My initial reaction was absolute shock. I wanted to cry. I wanted to hug my husband. It didn't help that we were in the middle of Target at the time. Great place to raid the dollar spot or find a cute top, but not the best place for a breakdown.
Now, my thoughts are, "Not again. Please, G-d, not again."
Mi-sheberakh
Mi-sheberakh avoteinu v’imoteinu, Avraham v’Sarah, Yitzhak v’Rivkah, Ya’akov, Rachel v’Leah hu y’varekh et Ezra Ben Avraham v’yavi aleihem refuat hanefesh u’refuat haguf yachad im kol cholei amo Yisrael. Barukh atah Hashem, rofeh ha’cholim.
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