Smiling Mom

The kids, Hubby and I went to the pumpkin patch today.  We had a blast.  I’m telling you.  Heading out to a pumpkin patch on a Monday versus Saturday or Sunday is WAY better!! There were no crowsds.  I’ve updated my photos.  To view, just click on over.

The other day I filled out my permanent absentee ballot.  I’ve not been altogether quiet about my political views in this election.

I was feeling so proud of myself.  Ahead of schedule and all! I actually wouldn’t be walking my absentee ballot into the polling place on the day of the election as I did last year. I sealed up my ballot, signed the back and set it aside to put in the next day’s mail.

Ya.

Then this happened.

You see, the day I voted was the same day my son got a letter in the mail.  He opened his letter with excitement.  A few minutes later, eClaire ‘found’ a letter for her.  It wasn’t until I heard BC admonishing his sister that I realized what happened.

After a loud scream (by me) and lots of tears (by her) and a fiercely loyal protector (him protecting her against me???) I determined that it was in fact not the end of the world. I simply have an unmailable, partially opened ballot sitting in my house.  And I am again waiting until election day to vote.

Sigh.

I always knew my daughter would give me a run for my money.  But this soon??

Partially ripped ballot or not, I WILL be voting in this year’s elections.  I guess I’ll just have to wait until November 4th, once again.

I got onto Facebook today, because even though I told one of my friends that it was not addicting, I so am!

Anyway, my dad had written a very eloquent note regarding Proposition 8 and why he will be voting NO on this proposition.  With is OK, I’ve decided to duplicate his note here on my blog.  I couldn’t agree more with his words.

I urge you to think deeply about this issue as you head to the polls in the next few weeks.

—-

I realize different people have different positions on Prop 8, but consider these thoughts. Far-right conservatives often deride what they consider a trend toward government fostering a nanny state - where government pokes its nose into those areas of our lives that should rightfully belong to us alone. None of us likes anyone or any organization looking over our shoulders and telling us what we must or can’t do, particularly when those things don’t directly impact others.

Yet when it comes to denying the right of same sex couples to marry, those same conservatives don’t have any problem enforcing their own moral convictions on the personal behavior of others. In my opinion, this is a clear contradiction. What many forget is that today, conservatives may successfully force others to behave according to the moral or religious convictions of conservatives. But tomorrow, others may return the favor, and then you will hear howls of righteous protest.

Of course I acknowledge the right of society to draw certain lines, but doesn’t it make more sense, when considering behaviors that are strictly personal, to allow each individual to make those choices that seem right to him or her? Isn’t it wiser for us to live our lives as well as we know how, and to change the personal choices and behaviors of others through gentle persuasion, rather than by using the hammer of the law?

The issue is bigger than same sex marriage. It’s about personal freedom. I’m urging a No vote on Prop 8.

You know you’re a mom when your son runs out of his room, drops his pants, bends over, spreads his cheeks and says, “Mom, my butt hole tickles and I can’t get it to stop.”

What the frick??  Seriously?

My solution?  I took his pajama bottoms, looped my finger under the fabric and wiped his butt.  I know, classy!

Unfortunately it was still tickling, so I told him to go into the bathroom and wipe again.  BC then informs me that it’s my fault that his butt was tickling because I didn’t wipe him good enough earlier.

My fault?  That my 4 year old’s butt was tickling??

Again…what the frick??

Once the problem was solved he ran back out to the living room to drop trough and show me his newly cleaned butt.  At this point I was simply laughing too hard to check it again.

Seriously, this was not in the handout when I decided to forgo birth control and become a mother!