Tuesday, March 26, 2013
SPECIAL EDITION- ASK A GAYBIE!
(From Urban Dictionary:)GAYBIE: When two men or two women have a baby. Now one of the most repeated arguments from today was about how little "studies" there are regarding the children of gays- funny...because no one conducting a study every asked me or my sister for that matter. Of course I do get the occasional question and here are some fully authentic gaybie answers to some of the questions I hear the most:
1) If your mom is gay- then why do you have a dad? Well kids, not everyone sashays out the closet the moment they can walk and talk- my mom didn't come out until she met someone that made her realize she was in the closet. That happened after she had two girls and two marriages. My mom and my dad get along really well, my dad and step mom were even at my Moms' wedding in December. Not all gaybies have a dad or a mom in their lives- I do.
2) Did your moms make you gay? I am bisexual (which perhaps could be the argument for genetics- I'm half of my mom, my mom is a lesbian, 1/2 lesbian makes a bisexual? Could be.), but in my life's journey, I happened to meet my soul mate- and he's a man. We got married and started our own family. My moms never pushed for me to be gay, straight or any other orientation. Instead they pushed for....good grades, doing the dishes, finishing college, not getting so many speeding tickets and making it home by curfew. If it sounds like pretty boring, average stuff...maybe that's because it was.
3) What is it like?! I have no idea how to answer this. Good, I guess? I don't have anything to really compare it to. I'm happy with my life. I'm very close to my moms, my dad and my step mom and my son is super close to them, too. Every now and then I would have to deal with some ignorant ass that would want to push my buttons and tell me how it's "against God's plan," or how "they are no better than pedophiles," (yeah, I've actually had someone tell me that) or that I would turn out messed up or wrong. Well my life isn't as exaggerated as the movie "The Birdcage." But it's not that different from my friends, either. And yes, it hurts me when people say mean things like that about my family, mainly because I spent 8 years in Christian school and know that these people are nit picking the Bible to single out a group of people because they are different and their differences are out in the open as opposed to behind closed doors. And to be even more blunt- all the hate and negativity from those Bible thumpers has actually made me severely question Christianity to the point where I can't even fully identify as a Christian anymore. My faith in Christianity used to be so strong, but engaging in fellowship with people who are so negative really pushed me away. My favorite Bible verse is 1 John 4:8:
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
My family knows love. I have never questioned my parents' love for me. EVER. We are a very close family. Someone that would try and turn the love my family shares into something wrong or bad and try to use God to justify it is doing our Creator and horrible mis-service. Not many kids grow up with parents they can tell (almost) everything to and as adults chat with them multiple times during the week, just because. Not many kids grow up knowing that their parents love them unconditionally, to the point where ALL of my parents flew across the country to take care of me during the birth of my son. Now, my family wasn't all peaches and cream. Our periods did sync up so one week out of the month was especially awful. We would fight, doors would slam, tears would be shed. Most of high school/ college, I wasn't really home much anyway (school, firefighting, boys, girls, whatever). But I NEVER questioned if my parents loved me or if they would be there for me. I didn't have to, I knew it then and I know it now.
4) Am I normal? Normal is a pretty dangerous term. I don't like it. I will say that I am happy. I have wonderful parents, and a family of my own. I have yet to have a dream I haven't at least attempted to accomplish (some have failed, but failure can be humbling at times). I'm not a negative person and like to believe the best about everyone. I think those are good traits to have. I think I get those traits from my family.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Stuff I Stole From Pinterest
So one of the things I plan to do while Kiel is deployed, is getting balls deep into some interesting projects I find on pinterest. Yup. I'm putting a lot of eggs in the pinterest basket So here are some of the projects that I (with Loki's help and supervision) recently did and some details about each little project in case anyone else wants to try these. I also created a board on Pinterest that is specifically related to things Loki and I can do during Kiel's deployment so that we can keep Kiel as a part of our routine and hopefully make things easier for Loki (and me, I'm not going to BS, deployments don't get easier, you just get used to them and have somewhat of an idea what to expect). All of the deployment projects will get posted at a later date, being that we still have a more than a month before Kiel leaves.
Ok, so here is the first one (and yes, I was watching Nip/Tuck. Don't judge. Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon just do it for me). We bought the towers for each side of the tv last year, because Loki gets into EVERYTHING and this gives us that whole height advantage where he can't reach it. But then we were left with this space and Loki would try and mess with the cords. So I saw a thing on pinterest, where you would make a tiny fence along the baseboard that would hide the cords and just look "oh so adorable!" Well I don't have that sort of time to make a tiny fence and for the most part, am all about instant gratification. So while I'm up in Loki's room, I see the extra side of Loki's crib that we had to remove when we turned his crib into a day bed. Maneuver the cords, line up the rail with the base board hammer in some nails and BAM! Now there is something to fill that empty space and keep Loki from messing with cords.
PROBLEM SOLVED. PROBLEM STAYING SOLVED.
So this next one was pretty easy, too. The wine bottles up top were something I had been working on for the past year. I drank the wine, I stuck the bottles up top (it's like that whole thing most of us did in college where we saved booze bottles, except it's classier because it's with wine). And then I saw this thing on pinterest where you string lights along the top of the cabinets to add a nice glow to the kitchen. Well I tried it and it just looked dumb, so instead I weaved the lights (ya know- front of one bottle, back of the next and so on) and then attached it to a neutral colored extension cord and pinned it down with a hammer around the top of the cabinet (I didn't actually nail the cord, I put a nail in the wall close to the cabinet, and then put the cord between the nail and the cabinet, this keeps the nail close to wall and somewhat out of view). It's easy and I love how it looks.
So this wreath, took a little bit of time a couple trips to Michael's (although they do have coupons and on Wednesday here in Vegas they do an additional military discount). The inspiration for it was because one day a few months ago, Loki decided to take a book I was reading and throw it in the bath tub full of water. My book was ruined. Now being I am addicted to books, I couldn't just throw it away. So I went onto pinterest to try and find a way to turn my ruined book into something new. I came across this. You start with a simple straw wreath, wrap it in burlap ribbon and then take the pages of your books and roll them into scrolls, securing with hot glue and twine (I quartered the pages to make tinier scrolls, you can also take three scrolls and tie and glue them together with twine to save time). Then glue the scrolls around the wreath and there you go! I used twine tied across the wreath with an additional strand of twine tied at the top and to strand running across (to keep it from "flopping forward") to hang the wreath as all of my nails were super tiny. The large ribbon is just a simple red burlap ribbon I found Michael's. I thought it was pretty so I got it. Loki loved helping me cut the pages and rolling the scrolls and he helped me pick a spot in the house to hang it and told me he liked it. Win/win.
And then there is the car Loki and I made. With Christmas and having to ship presents back home (we were on the East coast for the holidays), we had a lot of extra boxes. There will probably be a lot of crafts I post regarding cardboard boxes because I have a lot of them and they work so great for making stuff with the kids. The wheels/ steering wheel are made from paper plates. I had bought them for a recent dinner thing I had at my house, and I honestly don't use them very much (not very eco-friendly) so at least by using them this way, when Loki is done with this, we can break it down and recycle it. Loki and I colored the wheels and then I attached it to another blank paper plate (back to back so it would pop more). I used staples to attach them, just because it was the easiest to find and then attached them to the card board with regular ol' scotch tape. Loki loves it, I loved making it with him and it gave Loki a chance to work on his shapes (his circles are getting so good!).
Hopefully, I will be able to find lots more stuff to keep Loki and I busy while Kiel is away. At least with pinterest I have a bunch of ideas of things to do, and it's making my house a little bit more homey/cozy while I do it.
Ok, so here is the first one (and yes, I was watching Nip/Tuck. Don't judge. Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon just do it for me). We bought the towers for each side of the tv last year, because Loki gets into EVERYTHING and this gives us that whole height advantage where he can't reach it. But then we were left with this space and Loki would try and mess with the cords. So I saw a thing on pinterest, where you would make a tiny fence along the baseboard that would hide the cords and just look "oh so adorable!" Well I don't have that sort of time to make a tiny fence and for the most part, am all about instant gratification. So while I'm up in Loki's room, I see the extra side of Loki's crib that we had to remove when we turned his crib into a day bed. Maneuver the cords, line up the rail with the base board hammer in some nails and BAM! Now there is something to fill that empty space and keep Loki from messing with cords.
PROBLEM SOLVED. PROBLEM STAYING SOLVED.
So this next one was pretty easy, too. The wine bottles up top were something I had been working on for the past year. I drank the wine, I stuck the bottles up top (it's like that whole thing most of us did in college where we saved booze bottles, except it's classier because it's with wine). And then I saw this thing on pinterest where you string lights along the top of the cabinets to add a nice glow to the kitchen. Well I tried it and it just looked dumb, so instead I weaved the lights (ya know- front of one bottle, back of the next and so on) and then attached it to a neutral colored extension cord and pinned it down with a hammer around the top of the cabinet (I didn't actually nail the cord, I put a nail in the wall close to the cabinet, and then put the cord between the nail and the cabinet, this keeps the nail close to wall and somewhat out of view). It's easy and I love how it looks.
So this wreath, took a little bit of time a couple trips to Michael's (although they do have coupons and on Wednesday here in Vegas they do an additional military discount). The inspiration for it was because one day a few months ago, Loki decided to take a book I was reading and throw it in the bath tub full of water. My book was ruined. Now being I am addicted to books, I couldn't just throw it away. So I went onto pinterest to try and find a way to turn my ruined book into something new. I came across this. You start with a simple straw wreath, wrap it in burlap ribbon and then take the pages of your books and roll them into scrolls, securing with hot glue and twine (I quartered the pages to make tinier scrolls, you can also take three scrolls and tie and glue them together with twine to save time). Then glue the scrolls around the wreath and there you go! I used twine tied across the wreath with an additional strand of twine tied at the top and to strand running across (to keep it from "flopping forward") to hang the wreath as all of my nails were super tiny. The large ribbon is just a simple red burlap ribbon I found Michael's. I thought it was pretty so I got it. Loki loved helping me cut the pages and rolling the scrolls and he helped me pick a spot in the house to hang it and told me he liked it. Win/win.
And then there is the car Loki and I made. With Christmas and having to ship presents back home (we were on the East coast for the holidays), we had a lot of extra boxes. There will probably be a lot of crafts I post regarding cardboard boxes because I have a lot of them and they work so great for making stuff with the kids. The wheels/ steering wheel are made from paper plates. I had bought them for a recent dinner thing I had at my house, and I honestly don't use them very much (not very eco-friendly) so at least by using them this way, when Loki is done with this, we can break it down and recycle it. Loki and I colored the wheels and then I attached it to another blank paper plate (back to back so it would pop more). I used staples to attach them, just because it was the easiest to find and then attached them to the card board with regular ol' scotch tape. Loki loves it, I loved making it with him and it gave Loki a chance to work on his shapes (his circles are getting so good!).
Hopefully, I will be able to find lots more stuff to keep Loki and I busy while Kiel is away. At least with pinterest I have a bunch of ideas of things to do, and it's making my house a little bit more homey/cozy while I do it.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Deployments are NOT part of my ideal life- but they are a part of OUR life.
So without going into a lot of detail, my husband will be leaving for his fourth deployment sometime within the next few months. Even though this is his fourth deployment, and we have been blessed to have almost two years together uninterrupted by a deployment (for the first three deployments he would only be home for six months between deployments), I feel like this deployment will be the hardest because of our child. The first deployment- it was just Kiel and I, and I coped the way any 22 year old coped with her husband leaving- I went to the bar with my best friends and got shit faced A LOT. The second deployment- I was pregnant. I gave birth on December 30th and Kiel returned home around the end of February. The third deployment- Loki was barely a year old. He got to web cam with Kiel occasionally, but it's not like he really understood, and I was so busy with my internship at the DNC and being a mommy to a newly mobile toddler. When Kiel got back, Loki recognized him and Kiel was able to jump right into Loki's new routine.
But now Loki is 3.He notices when Kiel isn't home. This is a whole new ball game for me. I'm not working and I'm not sure if I want to just yet, as Loki is going through a lot (potty training, I finally got him to get rid of that fucking binky and I can just tell that he already knows something is going on), and I want him to be certain that I am here for him and blah blah blah, of course, if I start working again and he is in day care full time again, it may give him the routine and the friends that could make the days go by faster for him. See all the variables that come into play with this situation?!
When do we tell him Kiel is leaving? How do we tell him Kiel is leaving? How much do we tell him regarding what Kiel does when he is away and how well would he be able to comprehend what we tell him?
And what do I do? Do I continue the role of being unemployed/SAHM (stay at home mom)? Should I find some small part time job to keep me busy or find something else to occupy my time (pinterest? gym? some other awesome thing I just can't think of right now?). Of course, I want to continue working, finding my path- career wise. But my first priority is making sure that Loki is ok. You hear all of these examples of how some kids react when their parent deploys- getting sick, having accidents, acting out etc. So my biggest concern is making sure that Loki knows that everything is ok. His Daddy is at work, being a hero and he always comes home to us.
So now we are in the waiting and figuring things out phase, which really is the worst part. The waiting is almost as bad as the deployment, but at least during the deployment the clock has started ticking for when he will come home.
OH and for those of you that hang out and talk to me in real life (most of you already know this, but just in case), I don't want to hear any of that "OMG! You are SOOOO strong..." type of crap. It really annoys me. I am not being strong. Kiel is the one being strong, Kiel is the one that is actually deploying to some shit hole and has to leave his family behind to go kick ass and be a hero. I'm just holding down the fort in his absence. And yes, having Kiel go away breaks my heart and disrupts many aspects of our life, but it's Kiel job and he loves his job. And the biggest part of the partnership of marriage is the willingness to make sacrifices for the person you love.
But now Loki is 3.He notices when Kiel isn't home. This is a whole new ball game for me. I'm not working and I'm not sure if I want to just yet, as Loki is going through a lot (potty training, I finally got him to get rid of that fucking binky and I can just tell that he already knows something is going on), and I want him to be certain that I am here for him and blah blah blah, of course, if I start working again and he is in day care full time again, it may give him the routine and the friends that could make the days go by faster for him. See all the variables that come into play with this situation?!
When do we tell him Kiel is leaving? How do we tell him Kiel is leaving? How much do we tell him regarding what Kiel does when he is away and how well would he be able to comprehend what we tell him?
And what do I do? Do I continue the role of being unemployed/SAHM (stay at home mom)? Should I find some small part time job to keep me busy or find something else to occupy my time (pinterest? gym? some other awesome thing I just can't think of right now?). Of course, I want to continue working, finding my path- career wise. But my first priority is making sure that Loki is ok. You hear all of these examples of how some kids react when their parent deploys- getting sick, having accidents, acting out etc. So my biggest concern is making sure that Loki knows that everything is ok. His Daddy is at work, being a hero and he always comes home to us.
So now we are in the waiting and figuring things out phase, which really is the worst part. The waiting is almost as bad as the deployment, but at least during the deployment the clock has started ticking for when he will come home.
OH and for those of you that hang out and talk to me in real life (most of you already know this, but just in case), I don't want to hear any of that "OMG! You are SOOOO strong..." type of crap. It really annoys me. I am not being strong. Kiel is the one being strong, Kiel is the one that is actually deploying to some shit hole and has to leave his family behind to go kick ass and be a hero. I'm just holding down the fort in his absence. And yes, having Kiel go away breaks my heart and disrupts many aspects of our life, but it's Kiel job and he loves his job. And the biggest part of the partnership of marriage is the willingness to make sacrifices for the person you love.
Friday, January 4, 2013
....the trouble with daycare....and potty training
So back in July 2011, I put Loki in daycare part time while I went to go play on the Obama campaign. Then when I got my campaign manager position, he naturally switched to full time as I was working all the time and then some. So keep in mind that Loki was there 40+ hours a week for at least 8 months.
Now to dodge an area, but we are potty training. When asking our friends for advice, most of them told us- "No clue, daycare did it." So I was pretty confident when Loki went to full time that he would be potty trained.
BUT HE HASN'T BEEN! And his school is actually pressuring ME to do it so he can move up to the next class. WHAT THE HELL DID THEY DO WITH HIM FOR 8 MONTHS? Oh that's right...they were getting different teachers. My kid has had at least 5 teachers (even though he has only been in 2 classes) over the past year. 5 teachers.....And at a parent teacher conference with one of the teachers (she had been there a grand total of 3 weeks), she told me that Loki wasn't strong in his problem solving skills.....HUH? Put something Loki wants out of his reach and see how strong those problem solving skills are.
BUT......Loki's verbal and communication skills have strengthened since he started there, he can count in English and Spanish, he is learning.
AND THE BIG ONE- Loki has a best friend there. They do everything together. Loki talks about him at home, and I don't know if I can separate them. I know Loki is going to be moving enough if Kiel stays in the military and I want to keep that to minimum-ish....
So Loki is now back to going part-time while I enjoy being a stay at home Mom a little bit longer (depending on my LSAT results or if I line something up for the next election cycle). And when Kiel deploys soon, I'm going to need those couple of days a week to just chill the fuck out and have some grown up time.
Maybe once I get him fully potty trained, the school won't piss me off so much. He was doing so well, but then one day he had an accident in his Buzz Lightyear underwear and he was so embarrassed and so upset that he had to change his underwear (even though I told him it's ok to have accidents), that he just hasn't been the same. BUT...I think I'm going to check out some other daycares and see if any of them jump out at me.
Now to dodge an area, but we are potty training. When asking our friends for advice, most of them told us- "No clue, daycare did it." So I was pretty confident when Loki went to full time that he would be potty trained.
BUT HE HASN'T BEEN! And his school is actually pressuring ME to do it so he can move up to the next class. WHAT THE HELL DID THEY DO WITH HIM FOR 8 MONTHS? Oh that's right...they were getting different teachers. My kid has had at least 5 teachers (even though he has only been in 2 classes) over the past year. 5 teachers.....And at a parent teacher conference with one of the teachers (she had been there a grand total of 3 weeks), she told me that Loki wasn't strong in his problem solving skills.....HUH? Put something Loki wants out of his reach and see how strong those problem solving skills are.
BUT......Loki's verbal and communication skills have strengthened since he started there, he can count in English and Spanish, he is learning.
AND THE BIG ONE- Loki has a best friend there. They do everything together. Loki talks about him at home, and I don't know if I can separate them. I know Loki is going to be moving enough if Kiel stays in the military and I want to keep that to minimum-ish....
So Loki is now back to going part-time while I enjoy being a stay at home Mom a little bit longer (depending on my LSAT results or if I line something up for the next election cycle). And when Kiel deploys soon, I'm going to need those couple of days a week to just chill the fuck out and have some grown up time.
Maybe once I get him fully potty trained, the school won't piss me off so much. He was doing so well, but then one day he had an accident in his Buzz Lightyear underwear and he was so embarrassed and so upset that he had to change his underwear (even though I told him it's ok to have accidents), that he just hasn't been the same. BUT...I think I'm going to check out some other daycares and see if any of them jump out at me.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
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!
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!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
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 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.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
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!
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