...well, for awhile, it was just me with an annoying cough.
This week, the childrens got sick. Lots of coughing, LOTS of snotty nose, not much appetite, Miss Squeaky even threw up.
Yesterday, we took them to the doctor. And the doctor we saw, is so very nice and polite and sweet. She always starts an appointment telling us how beautiful and wonderful our babies are. And says that she can't wait to meet them and talk with them because already they have such distinct personalities. I am sure she says that to all the parents.
Now their mommy is feeling sick. And their papa is starting to feel a little bit of the itchy in the back of his throat.
Good thing we have the kitties to take care of us.
Hey Sports Fans,
I don't know what y'all are doing this weekend. But if you haven't already, I strongly recommend you renting & watching "Word Play".
I liked this movie.
Following in the tradition of the documentary about a competition, such as "Spellbound" and "The Heart of the Game". I really like watching people perform at the highest levels. It is inspiring to see what we as humans are capable of.
And with cameos by Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart & the Indigo Girls.
I tell you what, it makes me want to start doing crossword puzzles, and maybe someday, i could be good enough to finish a Monday New York Times crossword puzzle in a day or two.
Wow...I wish I was really, really good at something.
I hope I'm a good parent, although that's not a competition, so you don't really know. That's the great thing about competition, you can know.
I am happy to have a bit of time in the morning with the childrens. Especially on a night like tonight, when they are falling asleep when I finally get home, and are asleep thirty minutes later. Our day usually begins around 6 and we leave for daycare around 8. So there's some time to play, and eat, and hang out...but I also need to get ready for my day too.
Miss Squeaky has started patting me on the back when I pick her up. So very helpful, making sure I don't have any burps in my belly.
This morning, whilst brushing my teeth, I heard the babies talking, then I heard a bump,...no screaming...and then the babies were talking again. When I went to check on them, Mr Grunty was out of the boppy and had rolled over by the couch, and was scratching on it...just like the kitties taught him.
Saturday, we went to a Multiples group gathering, hoping to get sage advice, except that Mr. Grunty & Miss Squeaky were almost the oldest kids there. It's funny, people were talking about different methods used to get kids to sleep. We didn't really use a method. We certainly didn't have enough will power to try and Feberize Miss S (And we didn't want her screaming to wake Mr. G.), and mostly, it worked, they've learned how to mostly sleep from around 8 pm to around 6 am. Now that I've said that, I'm sure they will wake us up every hour tonight.
I did learn, that a side-by-side stroller is better, than front-&-back for kids our age. Because, it is easier to maneuver up curbs, since the center of gravity is a lot closer to the back wheels.
After that we visited our good friend at Indecisive Ramblings, who was very sad and missing her Kipper. Kipper returned home today. Yeah!!
And we went for a short walk in the park.
Today, I got to dig in my garden. Yup, I buried the compost. (Seriously, what did I put in that bin over the past six months.) And, worms like to live coconut shells. (Coconut was from New Years Day 2006.)
And we went for a short walk in the park again. Thanxies, God for the beautiful weather!
Then we went to have a play date with "Milo". He's already a year old!
Uh oh. I just heard Miss S.
Castro is stepping down! Yay!!
Let us reflect for a moment, how good a job did that embargo do? Maybe soon we can win that war on poverty!
Voting went OK in Pakistan. I love seeing photos of happy Muslim women who have just voted. Smile for democracy!
And things are looking good for Obama.
Jason Kidd is a Mavrick and we're past the All-Star break so the real NBA season begins.
An aside to Senator Clinton.
Senator, if I may, you recently said, "But only one of us is ready on day one to be commander in chief..." We've talked about this. No one is ready for the job of President of the United States of America. And seriously, if we are just evaluating a candidate on their resume, I think Senator McCain, and Gov Huckabee both got ya beat.
And your latest is "Obama didn't properly credit one of his friends in a speech." Uh...yeah, that's important, footnotes for a speech.
Oh....and for some really weird reason, I feel compelled to say, you know who was the last great Republican president, yeah, Teddy Roosevelt. And you know what, he won a the Nobel Peace Prize. And you know who else won the Nobel Peace Prize, yeah, Al Gore.
No, I never get tired of telling how cute they are.
Miss Squeaky has both of her hands behind her head.
Mr. Grunty has his arms spread out.
Well, it's bedtime for papa.
We check on them before we go to bed, we check on them if we have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Sometimes it's just enough to stand between their beds and hear them breathing. (Stuffy noses makes that easier.) Sometimes I have to touch the blankets to feel their diaphragm move. Sometimes I have to tickle their nose or ear to get them to move a bit.
So the other day, MyBetterHalf's boss came over to babysit the childrens ( how cool is that!) and me and MyBetterHalf got to go on a date!
We saw the Spiderwick Chronicles
It was nice. It was entertaining. Everybody did their job competently.
I'll give it a solid B
saw some previews with Jackie Chan that look interesting
"The Forbidden Kingdom" (OK, why do they have to train a foreigner?)
"Kung Foo Panda" (OK, don't tell me Jack Black is in it.)
Childrens...always trying to find some way to hurt themselves. No wonder my mom has grey hair.
Miss Squeaky is real good now at rolling over, which means often we hear a thunk, and then a scream, and go see that she has rolled over enough to hit her head against the bars of her bed.
Mr. Grunty finds that funny, and laughs at her, with one of his at an acute angle to his body and foot caught between the bars of his bed.
Today, had the day off, and I took the childrens to visit their mommy on her lunch break. We walked around her work, showing off our childrens, and they got lots of "you're so cute...adorable...big". It was funnsies for all.
You know, sometimes, when everybody is doing it, and you get caught up in the excitement, and you do something that technically you aren't allowed to do, so now you have to live with the consequences?
I'm sorry to say....
...I'm a Democrat.
I really didn't think it through. I mean, everybody was all talking primary fever, and it was exciting, and the chance to have exciting candidates, and none of them have White House experience. (Seriously, when was the last time when neither the Pres, or VP were running? Thanxies Cheney!) Evidently, by going to the caucus and saying "I'm for Obama" then that makes me a Democrat.
How can I look myself in the mirror?
What can I say to my children?
Oh the folly of my youth!!
Seriously, they let any yahoo (like me) in to vote. Then they say on my Primary ballot I have to sign the "Democrat Pary Oath: I declare that I consider myself to be a DEMOCRAT and I will not participate in the nomination process of any other political party for the 2008 Presidential election."
I had thought about voting for McCain in the primary, but, The Republican Party Oath: "I declare that I am a member of the Republican Party and I have not participated and will not participate in the 2008 precinct caucus or convention system of any other party."
(Notice DEMOCRAT is all caps...that's the way it was on the oath)
Crap...since I'm a Democrat now, do I have to believe every word AlGore says? Do I have to disparage people that vote for Nadar? Is the only way to improve schools to give them more money? And hey, the rich have to much money, they should pay for the national debt! There is too much of a gap between the CEO and the average worker, Congress must investigate! Out of Iraq right now! George Bush is stupid AND his evil henchmen stole the election from Al Gore!
ACK!
It' already happening...
Sorry sports fans.
I will not be completing F.A.W.M. this year.
Good luck Blub! Keep up the good fight!
Thank you childrens!
It's been fantastic.
I really enjoyed watching you two play this morning. And every now and then look up at each other and say something.
Me & your mommy enjoyed giving you both num-nums (or just saying "num-num" and getting close to you) and hearing your angelic little laughs.
We love you both very very much.
Today was the childrens first time going to church!
Blub was singing with bits of her choir, so we went to watch & support.
When we got there, Pablo asked, "I wonder if we're taking anyone's seats."
"That's the great thing about Christians," I said, "you can just take their stuff."
"yep, they turn the other cheek," he said.
Miss Squeaky was awake for the whole thing. Mr. Grunty thought the sermon was a great time to take a nap. They were pretty well behaved. (Miss S did start talking, which is good, because she usually lets Mr. G do all the talking, but, we smiled and gave her a pacifier.) Luckily we packed quiet toys to keep her entertained.
The sermon was something about video games, with the scripture reading of Eve's temptation and Jesus's post-fast temptation. I was exactly paying total attention.
Oh...and trying to fix bottles sitting on a wood pew with a fussy baby, not as easy as it looks on TV.
Nach dem Kirchen wir gehen am Pankake Haus im Edmonds. *
That was fun. Hung out with some of Blubs choir peeps, who for some reason seemed really familiar to me. I hope I didn't offend them by inadvertently treating them like they know me and my quirky sense of humor.
ALSO...
I've been playing a lot of Peek-a-Boo aka "where's papa?" with the childrens. I have fun doing it. Tonight, I placed receiving blanket I had been hiding behind on Miss S chest, and I swear, she pulled it over her face, and when I said, "Where's Miss Squeaky?" she pulled it down and laughed.
Mr. G has new words, like Joo-gu, thhlaah, LLLLLttthh, ...it's so awesome to hear him talk.
*yes I know the grammar is all kinds of wrong.
what am I looking for in a Church...
well, first, no a shared communion cup. Icky germs.
second, someplace where it's OK if a kid cries.
third, lots of enthusiastic singing by the congregation.
Today's church met #2.
Here's what I like about him.
He got national recognition, giving a wonderful speech about unity at the Democratic convention four years ago.
He's taking on the Clinton war machine, and making it into a very close race.
....hmmm...one of these days I might have to get around to looking at how the candidates stand on the issues. And see which ones match up best for me.
Has any of the candidates talked about the importance of intellectual property?
States rights?
The insane war on drugs?
How to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people?
Will we send our troops to defend Taiwan?
Will we support dictatorships that crush democracy if the dictator is our ally?
Farm subsidies for AMD?
When is the right time to use our military?
How to transform our Intelligence Agencies?
Basic health care for everyone under 18?
Basic health care for pregnant women?
may I be so bold as to quote the Jr. Senator from NY?
there is one job we can't afford on- the-job training for: That is the job of our next president. That could be the costliest job training in history.
Every day spent learning the ropes is another day of rising costs, mounting deficits, and growing anxiety for our families....
We need a president who understands the magnitude and complexity of the challenges we face and has the strength and experience to address them from day one.... And if you give me that chance, I will be that president for all of you.
uhhhh....
I'm am sure that President of the United States of America is the most difficult job in the world.
I am trying to think, what job has Hillary had so that she wouldn't need to learn the ropes? What kind of experience does she have to imply that she would be ready on day one?
Even IFF the first lady was with President Clinton ALL THE TIME, it was as an adviser and witness. The President makes the call, and gets the flak for it. The President has to answer to the people, the First Lady doesn't.
I'm not saying that Senator Clinton doesn't know LOTS of stuff. I am saying that Senator Clinton does not have the leadership experience that she implies that she does.
AND another thing...who had more experience Hillary, GHWBush, (President 4 years, VP eight years, Director of CIA, Ambassador to UN) ...or a governor of a small southern state? So, maybe "experience" isn't the best thing.
FINALLY...yes, she has been a target of right-wing AM radio. I don't really understand why. Yes, she is familiar with their relentless attacks. Yes, she has a tough skin. But, maybe, that's not a good thing. I think S. Colbert said something like, "yes, place the fragile hopes and dreams of America with someone who is constantly attacked. Which is exactly why I keep my fine china on Evander Hollifield's head."
Maybe, we should get someone who doesn't already have rabid enemies.
So...every now and then, I take a glance at Rush Limbaugh's website.
Recently Bob Dole wrote Rush a letter, saying, "hey, I know John McCain, and he's conservative."
Limbaugh linked to this, explaining why he doesn't like McCain. And after I read the list, hey, most of those sound like good traits to me.
And, I was reading some NARAL thing, and they don't like McCain either. So, the extremes of both parties don't like McCain. That makes me feel better about McCain.
Go McCain, Beat Huckabee!
...although, I must confess, Miss Squeaky and Mr. Grunty like Huckabee.
"Old McDonald had a farm,
E-I-e-i-O
And on that farm he had a Huckabee
e-i-e-i-o
With a "Amen" here,
and a Eliminate the IRS there,
here an arts & music education,
there an abolish the IRS
every where a tax cut"
(we know, it needs work)
Woo-hoo, today was the childrens first caucus. They went to the local Democrat one. There was a big turn out, I am curious on how many times greater this year than four years ago.
It was some waiting in line, but since we knew our precinct number, we went ahead, found our table, huddled in, and waited for a sign-up. Our precinct had 60%+ for Obama. There were a couple of undecideds, who after about 3 minutes of people saying, "my candidate has a better health care position" chose their sides. Then there was the standing around, reading of rules, electing our reps for the next level of the crazy.
Wow, there is nothing like a "Seattle" Democrat caucus to make me feel really conservative. (I'm sure if I went to a South Dakota Democrat event, I would start to feel really liberal again.) There was a flier for Kucinich...and I missed the "Dept of Peace" propaganda. There was a piece of paper saying the Iraq War was illegal and immoral. (Mismanaged, sure.) There is some Death w/ Dignity act, that, just on instinct I'm against, too many errors happen in a hospital for them to start handing out lethal-dosage pain-relief.
Well...Miss Squeaky was very interested in all the happenings. After a few minutes Mr. Grunty fell asleep in my arms, the boy is very practical. Miss S was her usual self, smiling at everybody, enjoying all the compliments she was getting. Mr. G was very serious with a stoic look most of the time. However, when we were leaving, a two year old, came over to visit, and was talking to Mr. G. It was the first time today he smiled at a stranger. I think Mr. G was happy to see someone his own size, and excited to learn a few new words.
How GBAtT voted follows:
...oh yeah...
Well, it was mainly a strategic decision to go to the Democrats caucus. You see, here in Washington, the Democrats don't really listen to the primary. And, I figure the Republicans are gonna choose McCain. So, the only way for me to influence, would be between the close contenders...Clinton & Obama.
I picked Obama.
He gives a better, more inspiring speech. He's made a name for himself quickly. He's getting people excited. And...as for the "experience" factor...he's been elected to public office more times than Clinton has.
Why not Clinton.
I do not like the dynasty effect that we have going on
Bush 4yrs, Clinton 8 yrs, Bush 8 yrs...
I feel she would bring a lot of political baggage...sorry.
Now personally, I think a long drawn out battle for the Democrats is a good thing. It keeps it exciting, gets voters interested, and for the Republicans, they can't start shooting at a single candidate yet. But I hear the Dems fear a long drawn out battle. If today's experience tells me anything, it's that there won't be a clear winner from my caucus, but a lot of rookies turned out and are excited by the confusing process. And that's gotta be good for Democrazy.
From the most awesome Economist...
a few highlights:
less poverty
less child mortality
less war
see, it is Getting Better All the Time
:-)
wow
First, what incredibly boring first three quarters of a game. If I wanted to watch 7-3 scores, I'd watch baseball. I might have dozed off.
Second. Wow. What a fourth quarter. Seriously, did anyone pick a Giants win?
I noticed in a pre-game show that Queen had music in a TV commercial, "I Want It All", which had a few minutes of radio play in the 80s. Also, I was amused that during a Best-Team-of-the-80s montage, they were using the riff to the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now", which doesn't seem like a very good football song.
My fav commericals...
...Pepsi's Enable, where a deaf driver honks horn late at night in a neighborhood to find his friend's house. (Punchline...all the other houses wake up to see what the ruckus is about.)
...FedEx with Giant Pigeons.
...Shaq as a jockey.
I'm in.
I got Blub inducted into the maddness, it's only polite that I play along.
Darn it...I have to write a "leap-song"....
Yeah, the results will be worse than NaNoWriMo.
Looks like I'm not the only one bothered by the huge pay discrepency between male and female atheletes. But I wouldn't have thought it would be a "lad's magazine" that would bring up the point.
(I wonder...does Cosmo or Redbook even consider this an issue? Or are those "ladies magazines" more concerned with the latest hot sex-tip or latest guaranteed diet plan?)
Anywho...an informative essay.
It does bring up a couple of points.
First, female models make way more cash than male models*.
Second, bowling is the closest to being equal.
Now my question, why do we as a society not value female athletes? Are they not entertaining enough? Have the big 3 (NFL, NBA, MLB) saturated the market?
I believe as a society, there is getting closer to equality in the bleachers...women seem to like sports just as much as men. It's just not translating past the big 3.
Is it just tradition, on what to watch?
Do girls watch for the dreamy guys?
Do guys watch to emulate?
Would a guy be embarrassed to see female atheletes show him up?
I don't get it, why don't men like to watch ladies be athletic? Most of them are cuter than your average NFL lineman!
*society deems "looking sexy" in a bikini more important than a 4.75 assist/turnover ratio.
see also
"Throw Like a Girl" a blog about Some research, some opinion, & some old fasioned debate about some key issues facing women's sports today...
FemmeFan...the Sports zone for the female sports junkie
As for me...well, heck, y'all know I wanted to watch the Women's National Team in the FIBA tournament this summer. BUT IT WASN'T BROADCAST on normal stations.
Which brings me back to...I'm gonna have to buy some Seattle Storm tickets this summer. Hey, they're as cheap as $10!