Why I Am Choosing NOT to take unemployment-

So today, for the third (or is it fourth?) time I had to explain why I am not going to collect unemployment being that my job is over and I am unemployed now.This decision is a decision made by myself and supported by my husband and to be perfectly honest- the only reason I feel this topic merits a blog post is that just about everyone that knows me personally, knows I am a bleeding heart liberal. I am a pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, keep your religion out of my government, legalize pot, take care of those that need help and tax those that can afford it, invest in our infrastructure and education, Jon Stewart watching liberal that will cross reference everything I hear/read with at least two fact checking sites and I even have a peace sign tattoo.

SO....that being said- I've had my fair share of generalizations hurled at me when I started in politics. I've been called a socialist more times than I can remember (which isn't totally false, after all I do agree with Bernie Saunders on just about everything, and I admire Switzerland's Democratic Socialist government- the funny part is how people think communism and socialism is interchangeable....and yet those people call me "lib"-tard? Do yourself a favor and actually pick up a book regarding either-ism and give Wikipedia a break, champ) and so I want to shed some light on the fact that most people think liberals or the 47% as Mittens referred to us are suckling at the government teet and don't want to do anything but collect from the government,

NOW to be perfectly frank- my family does depend on the government for our survival. Not because we are on welfare or food stamps, but because my husband is in the military and gets paid with your taxpayer dollars! When he deploys- he doesn't pay taxes (thank you, W) and he (used to) deploy a lot. Considering the fucking peanuts he works for while going to some shit hole country and diffusing IED's like some freaking super hero- I'd say the government is getting the better end of the bargain. And while many of you were bitching about Sandra Fluke's request that private insurance (that is not paid for by Joe Taxpayer) cover her birth control- I want you to know that myself and thousands of others that use Tricare (military insurance)  are taking our daily dose of contraception that I didn't even have to pay a co-pay for thanks to the country's tax dollars.

BUT- with my job as a Campaign Manager this past year and Kiel being home for over a year straight- Kiel and I actually got bumped up by two tax brackets and had our taxable income more than tripled. And you know what- we didn't bitch at all at this fact. OH MY GOD! We have to pay a little bit more in taxes?! However will we survive?! Maybe because we have more fucking income? Kiel got a truck, we bought two more guns (yes, I am a liberal gun owner. Most liberals don't want to keep guns from good people, we just want the current laws enforced better to keep guns out of the hands of bad people), we were able to book three trips to the east coast and pay off some debt. Yea, Uncle Sam was really fucking us with the taxes.

AND NOW, the job has ended. I am "between jobs" at the moment and our monthly income has been literally sliced in half. Why shouldn't I collect unemployment? I have three reasons:

1) I knew my job as a Campaign Manager (while opening up many doors for me) wasn't a permanent gig. My job was to win an election. The election is over. No more job. This wasn't a big surprise for me. And so that is why during my time as a campaign manager, Kiel and I made sure to take advantage- pay off bills, save up for big purchases- PLAN PLAN PLAN so if I decided not to return back to the workplace for a while, we would able to manage.

2) I hate standing in lines, especially with a 2 year old. I don't want to stand in line with a 2 year old if I don't have to do so.

3) While the money would be nice- we don't need it.  Sure, military pay isn't what is should be for those that fight for our country, with budgeting and planning and a shit ton of coupons, groupons, living social deals and sites like inboxdollars.com and mypoints.com- we get by. I feel that social welfare systems are WONDERFUL and that those that NEED it should take advantage- but we don't need it. Would I like it? Yes. But if I collected unemployment, even though my family could survive without it, I would feel as though I were taking advantage of the system and therefore in some small way- adding to the problems social welfare systems face in our country. SO many people use these programs for survival- but find a few assholes that manipulate the system and all of a sudden we are a generation of moochers looking for a handout. Now there is this awful stigma that whomever uses a social program to help themselves or their families survive is lazy- and that is just awful! Seriously people! There is no shame in using a social program to help yourself or your family through a difficult time. That is what it is there for!  My mother used social programs when I was younger. She used pell grants to get her nursing degree. Now she owns multiple homes and her daughters aren't living in poverty (I graduated college and my sister is currently in college back east). Those social programs were an investment in my family and I think they paid off well (another reason I don't mind paying taxes- I want to pay it forward for the next young family that needs to be given a break).

So bitch and moan about people living off of the government, blah blah blah. But as for me, I'm glad that we live in a country where we are supposed to look after each other and help each other through tough times. With the end of a very tiring election cycle- I am not going through a tough time, in fact- I'm kind of like the idea of having a few months to devote to my family (which is why at every interview I let people know I won't be able to start until next month). Losing the income kind of sucks- but this is far from a tough time and I just wouldn't feel right asking my countrymen to foot the bill for my break from the workplace.


PLUS- not working has given me SO much more time to do crafts I find on pinterest! I will post some pictures of my pinterest projects soon!

Why I CANNOT be a Stay at Home Mommy for Extended Periods of Time

WHERE THE FUCK IS MY FUCKING BREAK???!?!?!?!

I wanted to go to the gym and get back into lifting today but being that it is the end of November, we just got back from a mini vacation to Atlanta and my house was never fully cleaned after the three months where I was sucked into the Campaign Ass Kicking universe (a good once over on a house can only work for so long, then you start to find spots that are just fucking disgusting...sure no one would really see or notice them but I would know that they were there and that just grosses me out!) I have to get into my current job- taking care of my family and the home we live in.

I shit you not, this is the first free moment I have had today, and this entry is going to take me a bit to do because of the constant stopping- tending to Loki or moving laundry or checking dinner (in the crock pot!) or some other thing that I have to do.

Now don't get me wrong, my house needs the attention and sometimes I actually like slipping into the June Cleaver role....but after a while it gets exhausting! It takes SO MUCH WORK. When your kid is in daycare- they are making a mess somewhere else during the day, but when they stay home- they are making a mess in your house...so I'm ALWAYS cleaning. And while I like the occasional cleaning day- I don't make a habit of it! Even when the kid naps- there is still something to do- like cleaning up the mess he just made so you can try to get ahead of everything before he wakes up.

So here I am.....waiting for the next phase of life to start. I have a second interview today for a job that I think I would enjoy and pretty good at, and I've started studying for the LSAT"s (which I plan to take in February). I'm not saying that I'm planning to go to law school, and even if I did, it wouldn't have to be right away (the test scores are good for years), but since getting into politics, I've had so many people ask me "Are you going to go to law school?" I wanted to when I was in high school....don't know if I still want to. But what I have learned with my life is to keep your options open and always be ready to change/ I had 4 majors in college (fire science, psych, pre-med, english) and my biggest goal is to be a writer and write something amazing and my intended career right after graduating college was Public Relations. BLAM! Here I am now! Wouldn't it be super crazy if after having another kid, I seriously decide to be a Stay at Home Mom and LOVE IT? Crazier things have happened,I suppose.

I was paid to do a job, and I did that job so hard it now needs a wheelchair...WHOOPS!

Just wondering....is my title a bit crass? 

I'm just kidding, I don't really care.

So Election Day was fun....waking up at 4, lit dropping at 6 for a few (make that five) hours and then making calls to GOTV and trying like hell to not look at the CNN/MSNBC/ Fox News (another joke...I don't watch that crap!) exit polls. Then I got to run home, TRY to eat the delicious grilled cheese my hubs made for me (nope....too nervous, but this Bloody Mary sure is filling!) wait for my friend Sheila to come over and then we headed over to Mandalay Bay for the ritual sacrifice of virgins and goats Democrat Victory Party (yet another joke...we all know that Dems aren't virgins LOL why do you think we want our contraception so bad?).

So after another drink and I joined hundreds of other dems as we were glued to the TV. State after state was called for the President until the entire Presidential race was called for him. I was SUPER happy and SUPER proud of the people I knew that had dedicated so much of themselves to the campaign, I was glad for the money I had donated to the campaign, I was glad that I was accepted into a fellowship with the Obama campaign last fall, I was glad for women's rights, gay rights, Obamacare, Repeal of DADT and a bunch of other stuff (those are my top reasons...the other stuff is just gravy).

BUT SERIOUSLY NEVADA?! GIMME THE DAMN RESULTS IN THE STATE RACES!!!!

refresh/refresh/refresh/refresh/refresh/refresh/refresh/refresh

And.....my candidates won.

The first candidate had been redistricted into a district that was 92% new....and won 64.02% to 35.98%

The second candidate was in a considerably much tighter (and somewhat targeted race) and won 51.31%- 45.02%

I'm so proud of the work I did on these campaigns and especially proud of the work my candidates did on their campaigns. They really buckled down and did what they needed to do and really care about being of service to the people they represent. 

AND NOW.....here I am/. Do I have a job? I didn't think I did, as I was paid to run a campaign and win...Did that (like a boss!) and now I have no job to do. But I have a meeting with my boss today so maybe he has some ideas or recommendations or maybe he just wants to shoot the shit, who knows. The whole part of where your job is done, now what is exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. There seem to be so many possibilities but at the same time...money is nice. To be honest, I don't really want to find a job until after the New Year. I'll be so busy flying to Atlanta or back to D.C. and I want to focus on my family right now.

Of course that doesn't mean I won't take a job if it's offered and I want it, but we will see. I've always just sort of done what I needed to do and watched where it would take me and that hasn't let me down yet!

Why I Am Voting for Obama

So Early Voting Ended in Nevada today, and it's looking really good for the Democratic Party. But that doesn't mean I get to take a break....in fact we have to step it up yet again to make sure those that didn't vote get out an vote on Election Day. Now the 2012 elections are extremely important to me on a very personal level, so let's recap why I am in this fight and give me some last minute motivation for the next three days:

1)KIEL IS HOME and has been home since June 2011. This is the longest he has been home since we first got marriage. He missed my giving birth to our son (Iraq) and a year later he missed his first birthday and first Christmas (Afghanistan). Those that know me, know how much it meant to my family to be able to have him home for the holidays last year as well as this year.

2) Mitt Romney says same parents are not right on paper and not right in fact. Well I have same sex parents. And his attack not only on gay parents but on their children is despicable. Being a kid is hard enough, being a kid that is different from others is even harder and then this ass hat passed legislation that literally made kids with same sex parents stand out more. THAT IS JUST FUCKING EVIL. I love that our President knows that all families are different but great if they are loving. I love that the President is ending support for DOMA and supports same sex marriage.

3) I don't think old men have any right passing legislation on my reproductive rights. Most men can't even find the clitoris yet they magically know when life begins or think that employer provided health insurance (which is technically paid for by the employee) can be denied covering contraception if the employer doesn't want to pay for it. STOP WEDGING YOUR RELIGION IN BETWEEN ME AND MY DOCTOR! AND STOP TRYING TO FORCE YOUR WAY INTO MY BEDROOM! IF I WANTED GOVERNMENT IN MY UTERUS, I WOULD FUCK A SENATOR!

4) Healthcare- I REALLY wanted the single-payer option. Kiel and I have military healthcare (a.k.a. Tricare) guess what folks- that's government healthcare. I gave birth in a military hospital with people that were trained by the military (aside from the doctor- I think he went to private university with the ROTC program).So with that said- my healthcare really hasn't been affected, but.....there are people that have been. The ACA doesn't go into effect until 2014 and I wish it was sooner. My friend is fighting cancer and he is being denied radiation because he hit his "lifetime cap" this is something that the ACA gets rid of, but since it isn't in effect yet, we have to hope he can hold on until then. THIS IS NOT WHAT HEALTHCARE IS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD! I look forward to 2014, because I know when the ACA goes into effect- this will never happen to someone else again.

5) Banking- seriously loving how my bank can just throw charges and fees at me without my consent. No more overdrafts!!! WA-HOO!

6) Nevada is freaking poor- the stimulus money has helped us in so many ways and we are really seeing growth! Granted- it's slow, but it's happening. Unemployment is going down, City Center was built (Harry Reid had to fight for that one), our crappy roads are being fixed and housing foreclosures are stalling.

7) Practice whatever religion you want, seriously, I DON'T CARE- but when you try to force your religion on myself and others by making stupid laws (like personhood laws), then I get really pissed off! My last pregnancy almost killed me, and I am terrified to get pregnant again for fear these laws will pass, something will happen and I will die. It's 2012 people, women shouldn't die in childbirth! But let's not forget- with personhood laws, those that have trouble conceiving will no longer be able to use in vitro fertilization.  KEEP YOUR RELIGION OUT OF MY GOVERNMENT! IT'S NOT JUST FREEDOM OF RELIGION BUT FREEDOM FROM RELIGION AS WELL!

8) my kids won't be able to "borrow money" from Kiel and I to pay for college. Thanks for fighting to make college more affordable, President Obama

And finally- BIN LADEN IS DEAD AND GM IS ALIVE!

Take what you want from this- it's my blog and I could give two shits if you disagree or if this affects your vote. But this is why I am voting for the President. I don't take government assistance, but I'm not a billionaire, I am just your regular run of the mill middle class woman that is absolutely petrified of a Romney administration. I would take 4 more years of W over a Romney administration, that's how scared I am!

But thankfully, we have a President that cares about the people and not the bottom line.

So I Painted My Son's Nails

So  Boo (she is one of my Moms) is staying with me through Thursday to entertain the child while I'm off doing GOTV (Get Out The Vote) since the hubby had to go out of town. On Monday night we thought, "Hey, let's paint our nails black with that crackle crap for Halloween!"

So while finishing up her nails, my curious little boy walks over and watches me. The he says, "Mommy, paint my nails, too!"

Cue the existential parenting crisis!

Granted- I am a super bleeding heart liberal but this stopped me for a moment. He's a boy. Most little boys don't wear nail polish. If I do this, would I send him down a road that could lead to a state of being confused about his gender? If I deny him this, could I send him down a road that would lead him feeling ashamed or wrong about wanting to do something that isn't "normal?" Will people make fun of my sweet little boy? (NOTE: To be perfectly clear, the thought "of turning my son gay" never came up. I don't believe you can turn someone gay anymore than you could turn someone straight. I've never known a LGBT person that said they just woke up and wanted to live a life filled with oppression and ridicule. I could care less if son ends up gay, straight, bi whatever as long as he is happy and never stops striving towards his dreams.)

And the big one; "Kiel is going to be PISSED."

But there he was; looking at me with those big, innocent eyes, with an excited look on his face and it hit me, if I had a girl that wanted to do something that was stereo typically a boy thing, I wouldn't think twice about it, regardless of age. At 2 years old, it's not like my son has any idea of gender or sex from a psychological standpoint. And if someone is messed up enough to make fun of a toddler for having painted nails, the answer is simple- I'll fuck them up....well ok, MAYBE I won't because violence isn't good (unless they were really asking for it). But it's not like Loki would care if someone said something.  The most amazing thing about little kids is that they know what they want and they don't care what anyone has to say about it (I hope that trait stays with Loki forever).

And the big one- It's Halloween. Loki is going as a pirate. Captain Jack Sparrow has black nails, too.

So I painted my son's nails. And he loves it. I called Kiel and told him about it. He wasn't super excited about it, but he didn't flip out. Nothing has changed, except Loki has rapidly chipping black nails.

Crafty Sunday

So with my only "off day," (which doesn't really mean off- it just means I stay home and do all my work), I decided Loki and I needed something to do since my husband is deep in the world of Skyrim. So I went on Pinterest and found a couple things to do. The first is making fall accent pieces that look like candy corn from Styrofoam cones and yarn (one of the cones just sucked- so we will get back to that one after I eventually get over to the craft store). The second is a shadow box with Truffala trees (from the Lorax). Loki loves the Lorax....so do I, so that was a winner and here are the before and after pics:

I'm feeling pretty damn good about this!

Of course in my urge to be all crafty- I forgot to take something out to thaw for dinner-Stouffer's lasagna it is!

What is the point of this blog?

So I've already laid out my whole "Woman can do everything," bru ha ha, but where does this blog fit in?

Not really sure.

I think I'm just going to let it be whatever I want it to be at the precise moment I decide to do a post. I'm going to post stuff I do with my son, date nights, recipes, crafts, money saving ideas, articles about women's rights, rants about crap I'm riled up about- whatever! This blog is going to reflective of me.

A lot of stuff on here will probably be stolen/borrowed from Pinterest, CNN, Huffington Post, ThinkProgress, my cell phone camera and whatever else moves me

My American Dream.

So call me optimistic, call me a spoiled generation Y-er, call me arrogant- but I fully believe that Hillary Clinton was correct in saying women can have it all. The great marriage (with accompanying great sex), beautiful children, thriving career, comfortable home, good meals, friends that have your back, active lifestyle and even time to get your hair and nails done and squeeze in a book every now and then.

THAT life- is the life that I have always wanted. I could never imagine a life with a successful career without a husband and children and I couldn't imagine having a family without having a job. I wanted to be the woman that could bring home the bacon to a loving family and still be able to layer that bacon over a roast chicken making a delicious home cooked meal.

Now I'm not a total nut job that thinks that every day of my American dream is going to be perfect. I know once a month I'm going to get PMS, bloat up like a blimp and detest every word that comes out of anyone's mouth that doesn't involve chocolate, vodka, or how unbelievably sexy sweat pants have become. I know that sometimes my kid is going to become possessed by Satan and I will have to battle my fight or flight mechanism that is screaming at me to go to the bar and let it all cool over. And I know that sometimes my career will take up the bulk of my attention, leaving me lonely and feeling as though I am missing out on my children growing up and quality snuggle time with my husband in between his frequent deployments to some shit hole country. BUT even in the midst of the rough times that I know will come, I think the validation of knowing that I CAN do everything I want to do with my life and break through the barriers that are said to hold women back from achieving their dreams is worth it.

SO....where am I at in regards to my dream?

Well..........

On June 16, 2006- I started a relationship with the man of my dreams (his name is Kiel). Kiel is in the military and is by far the best thing that ever happened to me. He makes me laugh, he loves scary movies as much as I do, and we just get each other. I'm not going to say our marriage has been perfect- we have gone through some rough times- but we both agreed that our marriage is forever and that we would always get through our struggles together.

On December 30, 2009- We had a baby boy (Loki). Kiel watched (at least up until the emergency c-section) via webcam while he was deployed (which sucked....a lot). My Moms (yes, I have two Moms- they plan on getting married this December) and my sister were there for the birth, then my wonderful in laws looked after me and then my dad looked after me (they all flew out to Vegas, where I live- AWESOME family- that also helps with the whole having it all thing- SUPPORT).

In January 2010 (while Kiel was deployed, and Loki and I returned to our hometown near Washington, D.C. to be near family)- I took an internship with Democratic National Committee. I had graduated college, had a deep fascination with politics, needed something to do while Kiel was gone and mostly- because they accepted me into the program. Once we returned to Vegas and Kiel got home- I started working on campaigns which is what I'm doing now as a Campaign Manager for two members of the Nevada State Assembly. I have no idea what I will be doing for work after the election...hopefully I am able to keep this whole political thing going because I really really love it.

I tend to cook dinner most evenings (crock pot helps), but if I get too swamped with work, my house gets really messy really quickly. I still have some baby weight lingering around my stomach and it went on to mix with some campaign weight and my hair is in need of coloring (appointment is made for after the election),

So there it is. I think I basically knocking on my dream's door, but with the election less than 10 days away soon I will be back to being unemployed. I'm looking forward to taking a bit of a breather before starting my next job, I just don't want it to be too long. As much as I love staying home and raising my son- it's fulfilling to me- I WANT IT ALL!


BTW: This is NOT to trash stay at home moms in any way shape or form. I know quite a few women that have taken on the task of raising their children and keeping a lovely home. It's their choice and they kick ass. It's just not MY choice. Those that know me, know that I'm a bit of a slob. Keeping house is just not my thing.