Obama Speech Update

For those who don't get it, the basic issue is that many feel Obama is using the opportunity (the school address) to promote a political agenda and is overstepping the boundaries of federal involvement in schools. The suggested material teachers were encouraged to use in conjunction with the speech was objectionable. Cultish. Fucked UUUUUUPPPPP! Yep.

I think the school district had quite an onslaught of emails regarding the airing of Obama's speech in school, probably for and against. I wish I could have seen how many and what people were saying. To be a fly. Why on earth Obama would think it was ok to give a speech to our children in school without any parental presence, participation or approval is beyond me. Way fucking beyond. He's an arrogant son of a bitch.

Anyway, our school district decided that K thru 3rd grade would not view the speech in school at all. Someone will record the speech on Tuesday and the 4th and 5th graders will have the opportunity to view the speech on Wednesday at school. If parents do not want their children to see it (having had the opportunity themselves to view it on Tuesday) they are to send a note and an alternate activity will be available.

I have friends with middle school children and these students will have the opportunity to view the speech live on Tuesday. If parents do not want their childrent to view the speech they may send in a note and an alternate activity will be provided. Neither the elementary nor middle school will use any of the lesson plans or other suggested material found on the internet.

I will record the speech and view it with my children on Tuesday evening. I don't expect it will be a big deal at all but I am glad they are watching it at home and not in the company of a bunch of liberal teachers : )

Obama Land

Ewwwww. I am so creeped out by Obama's (apparently long planned but I'm just now hearing about it) speech to our children on September 8th. I have not gotten a straight answer from the school yet about whether or not it will be shown in our classrooms but the vague responses I have received are leaning toward YES.

I will absolutely not, not, NOT be sending my children to school to listen to Obama's bullshit socialist propaganda. It is more than disturbing. Chilling. Nauseating. If I had more time I would look up more words in the online thesaurus.

And don't any of you liberals comment unless you can back up your shit. This is NOT just about telling our kids to work hard and get a good education. We don't need lesson plans from Obama for that. How 'bout after his speech we teach the kids a lesson on socialism by taking all the kid's who worked really hard to get A's and redistribute the good grades to all the kids who don't give a shit.

Hmmmmmm . . . how motivated will our children be to work hard now?

I am so ready to move to Costa fucking Rica.

Decoupage Project

This is my decoupage project that lasted all summer. Not because it was difficult but because I am either lazy and/or have ADD. These are paper mache letters, purchased at Jo Anne's, that I covered in tissue paper. I may do DRINK and BE MERRY in different sizes, some covered in tissue paper, others covered in fabric. As you can see, EAT is placed above the mantle in my dining room. The pictures are not great but you get the idea.

Henry asked why the A wasn't pretty.

Go Kendra

Ok, so given the choice, I would have named the guinea pigs Kendra, Bridget and Holly from The Girls Next Door show on E!. That was a great show!



Since that show ended I have been watching Kendra, one of the spin offs.









Tonight, I got totally caught up in watching Kendra and Hank's wedding. They truly love each other and it was just sooooooo sweet. Not to mention she is only the second person to be married at the Playboy Mansion. The first being Hef, of course. That's fucking huge!!!


I have so much more confidence in Hank and Kendra making it than I do Jill and Ed from the Bachelorette which is so so sad.

Guinea Pig Rescue

Who knew such a thing existed? And who knew I was such a sucker. Ok, well we all knew that. As if I didn't need more shit to clean up. Oh, well. The kids are super excited and they are pretty darn cute and sweet. The kids and the pigs.

These are three bonded female guinea pigs we got from a Guinea Pig Rescue (i.e. lady with a BUNCH of fucking guinea pigs in her basement) yesterday. They were classroom pigs so are used to kids which is perfect! We renamed them with each child choosing a pig of their own and respective name.

Lucy and Ruby


















Ruby is the smallest of the three and the mover and shaker of the bunch. She poops a whole whole whole hell of a lot.





Henry feeding Coco (Ruby is in the background)
Coco is my favorite. She is the chubbiest and definitely needs to lose a couple ounces. The lady we got them from said she thought she was the matriarch of the three. That's probably why she's the chubbiest; I think she's eating most of the food. She is the calmest of the three and makes the cutest little "happy sounds".

Henry really, really wanted to name her LaShawna but I put my foot down.


Sam and Buttercup

It was the funniest thing this morning when the kids were feeding the piggies red bell peppers and spring mix. Sam's pig had red pepper all over it's chin and was a mess - just like Sam! A perfect match. He came up with his name all by himself. "These things just pop in head! I don't know where they come from!" he said.










Coco

The Letter L

My second 40-Day letter is the Letter L.

When I chose this letter I was intending to choose a Letter of the Day. To choose your Letter of the Day you hold the cards in the palm of your left hand, place your right hand on top of the deck, and close your eyes. As you exhale, ask the simple question, "What attitude do I need to bring into my day today to help me grow in spirit?"



I found the capital L so difficult and awkward to write I decided it really must be a 40-day letter and not just a Letter of the Day. After all, "The degree of mastering a stroke change is directly proportional to the value it will have in your life. The greater the difficulty, the greater the value."

My usual capital L is two straight lines. If I were writing a cursive L I would make a loop at the top and bottom. The reason to not make that top loop is that "you are reversing energy." I'm willing to give it a try even though I don't think it's as pretty.


"The Letter L reflects the amount of attention we give to our spiritual growth. If you are driven to explore your spiritual nature - what makes you tick beyond your personality - and how to develop that part of yourself, this is the letter to practice. Day after day as you write the Letter L, you may notice that you are more open and more receptive to spiritual seeking than in the past and that your thirst to learn spiritual truths has intensified. You may experience "waves of knowing" that take you deep inside, beyond your personality, and settle you gently into a sense of Oneness with everything that is. That is the essence of the Letter L."

One thing I found interesting this morning as I practiced the Letter L (on Day 6 of my practice) is that today is the first time it occurred to me to write "Lucy". On Day 3 of writing the Letter H I wrote "Henry" several times and enjoyed it. Although awkward, writing the Letter H is not as awkward as writing the Letter L. I usually enjoy writing a cursive "Lucy", just not yet with this different L. Time will tell.

Day 1 - Letter L


















Day 6 - Letter L

The Letter H

My first 40 day letter is H. The letter H emits one of the most powerfully propelling energies in the entire alphabet.

Each Alphabet card shows the letter's Soul Quality on one side.


Vimala says if you practice the letter H daily and draw into your life as many of its aspects as you possibly can, get ready for the adventure of your life. The Letter H not only moves you forward, it invites you to learn necessary lessons from the blind alleys you encounter along the way and guides you through them with dynamic, not-for-sissies energy. If you want to put firm footing on your intended life path, this is the letter to adopt. Vimala has practiced this letter daily for more than 30 years!

The letter's Declaration of Intent is on the other side:

I love this Declaration!

I live my life path with the zeal of an evangelist and the wide-eyed innocence of a child.

I knew this was an important letter from listening to the CD but I chose it randomly from the deck (although I don't believe it was really random).

Each day, for each 40-Day letter and Letter of the Day, I write and say the Declaration, write the Soul Quality and then at least three lines, upper and lower case, of the letter. I fill the rest of the page with words than include the letter or thoughts about how to bring the particular qualities into my life that day.

Crucial points for the program: Write on unlined paper. Lines reflect "Stay in the box and play it safe" thinking. The paper is to be positioned in the landscape direction. The portrait direction is common; my dreams are not!

Day Three of Handwriting

I really like my handwriting and have never had a desire to change it. I do, however, have plenty of negative behavior patterns I would love to transform and this system seems to be speaking to me right now.

The first thing the program suggests is to write a page in your journal and then listen to the CDs. Vimala starts off by talking about the slant of your writing - left, vertical or right. I was feeling all proud because I am a vertical writer which "is ideal because it gives you a 360-degree view of what's going on.... encourages you to be the impartial observer". Then she goes on to talk about printing vs cursive. No printing, she says. WTF? I'm a printer. I love to print. It's so nice and neat. She says printers have usually been "betrayed" at some point. Printing is like putting up a wall. Hmmmmm. Very interesting. That was almost enough for me to say "fuck you" to the program. Cursive is stupid.

However, I am such a sucker for finding out more about myself. This is a challenge I can accept right now.

Vimala believes "each letter is not a mere shape, but rather a living entity, fully alive with aspects that serve as powerful cheerleaders in your day-to-day spiritual growth. As you implement the tools provided in this program to change your handwriting, you will gain a refreshing awareness of who you are, why you are here, and how to create - and step into - a life you love."

I do already LOVE, love, LoVe my life but there are definitely things I would like to change personally. I want to live more authentically. I want to live from a place of spirit and not ego. I want to live in the moment. I want take full responsibility for my choices and be proud of them.

The program speaks of The Five Noble Truths of Integral Handwriting. The one that really spoke to me was that "the degree of difficulty in mastering a stroke change is directly proportional to the value it will have in your life. The greater the difficulty, the greater the value."

That "Truth" helped me choose my "40 day letter" which was an unexpected choice. I think I'll talk about that in the next post.

Transform Your Life Through Handwriting

OK, so I have been a member of the One Spirit book club for a couple of years. There are "featured selections" each month that if you don't decline will be automatically sent to you. In general, I have been very good at declining the monthly selections. The handful of times I have forgotten to decline and received a surprise book in the mail I have believed it was "meant" to come my way.

I don't remember the last time I forgot to decline but, recently, a surprise package was delivered. My first instinct was, "Oh Crap!" But then I got excited because I remembered that in the past something very appropriate has appeared at just the right moment.

The book: Transform Your Life Through Handwriting by Vimala Rodgers. It includes: 2 CDs, Guidebook, blank journal and 26 alphabet cards.

I'm not sure I can explain it succinctly but, in a nutshell, you practice one letter for 40 days plus a "letter of the day". The focus of the book is "to guide persons in adopting handwriting patterns that bring out the best in themselves, with a specific emphasis on the transformational power of the letters of the Alphabet." (Imagine spooky music)

Vimala says that writing patterns are a graphic image of how your subconscious mind interprets the world and your place in it. As you adopt new letter shapes, you are telling your mind how to think and the subconscious may not be pleased!

She goes on to say, "Your handwriting is an intimate portrait of how you see yourself - a graphic representation of collective memories programmed by your subconscious mind from birth onward, reflecting both your strong points and those that have put a screeching halt to your inborn creativity. . . As you adopt self-affirming writing patterns, you are discarding outdated thought habits and acknowledging your authentic self at the highest possible level."

So I'm game! I listened to the first CD last night. This morning I got up at 6am while my minions were still snoozing. I chose 2 letters to practice for 40 days (she said you could do that) and then I'll add a "letter of the day" each day. More to come on all of that and a short analysis of my own handwriting in the next post!

People Magazine

Did you know that you can get a People magazine subscription MUCH cheaper if you subscribe as a business? I searched for the "cheapest subscription" and the lowest price I found was $116. However when I searched for a "professional" subscription I found it for $52 HERE!

It's not cheaper for other magazines, however. The few other mags I checked were cheaper ordered from the particular magazines' website. Interesting, no?

Speaking of People magazine, is anyone else tired of hearing about Michael Jackson and his fucked up life?

Summer Vacation Quote of the Day

Sam says to Mama, "You're cursing a lot today."

Quote of the Week

One of Lucy's favorite things to say to me or anyone who will listen is, "Daddy doesn't know much."

The first time she said this to me was after a night of me being out and Chad putting her to bed. The next morning I asked her if she had fun with Daddy. She responded with "Yes. But Daddy doesn't know much." She was referring to our normal bedtime routine.

Then, in NC a couple of weeks ago she busted out with this same nugget of info to some random people she had been chatting up on the beach. They thought it was sooooo funny. It makes me smile because Chad is THE smartest, most capable, most ambitious, most driven (I could go on and on) person I know. Obviously, the standards in Lucy's world are a little different.

The funniest so far was when I came home a few days ago from somewhere and she waggled a piece of cheese in my face and said, "Daddy gave me circle cheese because HE DOESN'T KNOW MUCH". She knew I would have said NO to this snack because she had reached her dairy limit for the day. She was soooo pleased with herself.

Flying Pig Half Marathon

The 12th Flying Pig Marathon is Sunday, May 2, 2010 6:30 a.m. in Cincinnati, OH.

I read about the 2009 event on the 37 Days blog and was inspired. I love that blog.

I have no interest (at this point) in running a half marathon but I would love to walk one. And I am going to do it. Registration is not open yet so I haven't officially signed up but I will.

Care to join me? Jessica & Juleah could run it together?? Mom? In any case, I am making a commitment to myself.

Penguin Fairy

Lucy and I had an awesome day today. We went to Dick's in search of a Penguin's jersey her size. Success. "LET'S GO PENS!" Lucy yells everywhere she goes. Then we went to Borders where I bought yet another cupcake cookbook to help fuel my vision of being the premier cupcake designer in Sewickley. For Lucy we bought a Fairy Wing kit that you see pictured below.

Fairy Wing Kit $ 5.99
Super glue $ 3.50
Penguins Jersey $45.00
Cutest little Penguin fan EVER, flitting around in custom designed fairy wings - PRICELESS

Creeepy

Lucy kept asking me to do a "googly eye" project with her. I kept saying . . . "later". She came up with her own.

Sunday

I went to a 50's theme party last night with a group of women I've become friends with over the last 9 months. Our husbands all decided to stay home and watch the Penguins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. That's a very legitimate reason here in Pittsburgh. There were still mostly couples at the party but many a husband looked forlorn as they too wished they were home watching the game instead of dressed up in a gay 50's outfit their wife made them wear.

I looked pretty cute if I do say so myself. Rather than go into detail, I will hopefully get a picture to share soon.

Lucy was up early so I was a little foggy all day after my late night. Chad worked most of the day. Henry and his "Sharks" team got their sweet little butts pummelled at hockey today. It was so painful to watch. We may be the worst in the league and I think we played the best today. It is quite amazing how good these little guys are at hockey.

I took the kids to see Night at the Museum 2 this afternoon. That was equally painful to sit through. Lucy fell asleep in my lap which was sweet but not so much so after my arms and legs started to fall asleep.

I am now happily in bed watching Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. We're tied at the moment. I was never interested in hockey until moving here but it is an intense, impressive game to watch.

4 more days until summer vacation.

Kiss

My sweet Sam, 8 yrs old, told me tonight that he looked up "kiss" in the dictionary at school today. He giggled as he told me that it said "to touch lips" or something like that. It was so adorable that I almost couldn't even take it.