Can't Believe I Agree With Rush Limbaugh!

I don't usually agree with the conservative radio talk show hosts that have been so vocal about President Obama lately, but strangely enough I agree with Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannnity on a couple of issues. The first thing is the elementary schools that are composing poetry and musical numbers in praise of President Obama. The schools have been performing these numbers at PTO meetings and other school gatherings and I have to admit that if I attended a meeting that had such a performance I would feel uncomfortable. It seems very strange that these kinds of things are being done for a man who hasn't really don't anything yet. Nothing has changed and nothing is really all that much better since he has taken office. I think there is more anxiety and more confusion and more distrust now, but no real constructive, useful, thoughtful, positive change has come about since January. I personally, don't think all the change that President Obama touted during his campaign can be done very quickly, nor should all of it be done. It strikes me as almost obscene that all this praise is being heaped on him when he hasn't done anything of great importance yet. Don't get me wrong, I voted for Obama and had great hope that he was someone who was going to be good for the country, but I don't believe he should be idolized and treated almost like a god, when nothing good has happened yet. I believe songs and poems and plays and skits praising someone are appropriate after the person has achieved something. Obama has yet to do anything.
The other thing I agree with the "three wind bags" about is the amount of time our president is spending on television. Talk show after talk show. Nothing new is ever said. I think our president needs to stop traveling, stop appearing on television and spend some time working on the very real problems our country is having right now. I think he has forgotten that he is the leader of our country and not a movie star! Get to work, Mr. President! I really don't like agreeing with the three most disagreeable men on the airwaves today.

Hand of God

I have never been a very outwardly religious person. I am rather reserved, especially when it comes to my spirituality. I am a Christian--Methodist to be exact, but have always felt like I should have been Jewish since the Jewish faith seems to make more sense to me than any other religion; some of my family actually is Jewish, so maybe that is where my feelings come from. At any rate, last night I was talking to a friend from church who has a son who is a year older than my oldest daughter. We were talking about how strange teenagers are and then I asked my friend how she dealt (deals) with her son driving and being out on by himself. She said she has never really felt nervous about letting him drive and has always just believed that God would watch over him. I, on the other hand, have this overwhelming fear when I let my daughter drive. I'm not really sure where the fear comes from other than I am letting a sixteen year old operate a large metal machine out on roads where other people who are doing the same thing. I just worry, even though I don't want to. When I was a young driver, I did some silly things and made mistakes and got through everything okay. I know this sounds strange, but as a young driver and even now, I always have the feeling that I am in God's hands. I wear a "hand of Miriam" charm around my neck all the time to remind me that I am in God's hands. As I was leaving the church it occurred to me that I was making a big mistake about my daughter and letting her drive. Why would I assume that God would do anything less for my daughter than He has done for me? Why would I assume that only I am in His hands? What I need to do is trust that God is holding her and protecting her just like He has done for me all these years. I need to stop worrying, and allow God to hold her in His hand. How freeing is that?

Eight Years Later. . .

It is now eight years after the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the American people. So much has changed. I was wondering this morning if the changes have been for the better or for the worse. Are you better than you were eight years ago? Have you changed? Has the country changed for the better, or is it worse? Eight years ago I was awaiting the arrival of my fourth child; another girl. After the morning of September 11, 2001, I was unsure bringing another child into the world was a good thing, but I couldn't turn back. She was born exactly two weeks later. Things were not back to normal. Things were still strange. She is a great and and interesting little girl now. I hope her world is a peaceful, and happy one. I'm still waiting to find out. How is your post 9/11 world?

Concern Over President's Speech Laughable

I just saw President Obama's speech to the school children of America. I thought it was a good speech and I hope my children have seen it, or will get the chance to see it because the President said stuff to the children that I say to my kids nearly everyday. "Do your best in school. . . use your classes to learn about who you are and what your gifts are. . . study and practice, no one is born knowing how to do everything. . . don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. " All of these things are things that I have said to my children, but perhaps coming from our President, they will see that I am not the only one saying these things. I liked the speech.
As for the lesson plans the Department of Education sent to teachers ahead of time, I don't have first hand knowledge of, but from what I read, the questions and ideas for discussions do not seem to be the evil, brainwashing that "so many" (who knows how many??) parents were so concerned about. I do know that the fellow from Texas who was on Nancy Snyderman's show after the speech sounded like a blabbering fool. In my opinion, he was spitting back words that were indoctrinated into him by some very conservative group of Americans who are against anything that Obama does or says. He was saying that the content of the speech was okay, but the lesson plans are unconstitutional because some of the questions would force children to reveal personal information such as "attitudes, beliefs and feelings about things." This, according to that guy from Texas, is illegal and falls under "psychological testing" or "psychiatric treatment." Wow! I think that is stretching it a bit too far. I recall many times during a school activity or assignment when I was at school, being asked what my attitude toward something was, what my opinion was about certain things, and what I could do to make my community and where I lived a better place. That sort of question hardly constitutes psychological testing. The people who are putting this sort of dark and malevolent spin on everything about President Obama make me very concerned about our country's future. I don't understand why these people are afraid of everything that our President is saying. I think healthy questioning, and reasonable, non-violent discussions of problems in our country are necessary. We can't just blindly follow everything politician say. Most of the political stuff needs to be questioned and scrutinized, but assuming every word out of the President's mouth is evil and harmful is just as bad as what they are accusing him of. I certainly hope the people who decided not to send their children to school today were few and far between. It was a speech worth hearing and discussing.

New Season of The Bonnie Hunt Show

Hey everyone! The new season of "The Bonnie Hunt Show" starts today. I have been looking forward to getting back into my viewing routine. The show is great. Different than Ellen DeGeneres, and Oprah and all the other talk-shows. Bonnie has proven that she can play with the "big girls!" If you haven't seen her show, you should check it out. It is just the right combination of fall-down-on-the-floor-laughter, to talking with celebrities, to working for a common cause, to addressing current issues. Bonnie is genuine and does not seem to be all puffed up about herself. It is a great show, and I hope this season is as good as her first one. Enjoy! www.bonniehunt.com

Car for a Kid

I never thought I would be considering purchasing a car for my daughter to drive to school, but that is pretty much all I have been thinking about since school started three weeks ago. I always thought it was a little silly to have an extra car just for going back and forth to school. It seemed like a waste of gasoline since the school bus comes right to a stop near our house; however, this year the bus schedule is really messed up and unpredictable. My oldest daughter's bus comes at 6:29 am. School starts at 7:50. Even though the bus is scheduled to come at 6:29, it rarely does, so I send my daughter out to the stop and she stands there for ten or fifteen minutes in the dark until the bus comes along. Right behind that bus is my other daughter's bus that is supposed to pick her up at 6:43 am, but rarely gets there before 6:53. It is all very confusing and sets us all on edge in the morning. Because of all the uncertainty, I have been allowing my daughter to drive my car to school on days that I don't have anything scheduled. The only thing bad about that is that I am left without a car, and if one of the other kids (two others are in elementary school) gets sick or hurt, or something, I would be unable to get to them.
I have been secretly looking at used cars that are inexpensive, but safe and sound enough to get at least my oldest daughter to school and back on a daily basis. The problem is that while my daughter and I would go out in the evenings and on weekends to look, we would mention cars that we had seen on lots to my husband. He got the "car buying bug" and decided he couldn't stand his 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe anymore and went and bought a Cadillac Escalade ESV. That car is nice and it is great for all of us to finally be able to fit into one car comfortably, but that leaves us without any extra money to put aside to get a car for my daughter. I have been hoping to find something that we could just pay cash for, but it is very difficult. I hate to go behind my husband's back, but he doesn't seem to understand what a pain in the neck it is to have to guess about the buses, or to be left completely stranded for eight hours of the day. I found a car yesterday that is $1900; very clean, and it is from a reputable dealer. I told my husband about it, and he blew me off. Now I don't know what to do. I don't think I can go through the whole school year with either being stressed about the bus, or stranded. I need a car for my kid!