I couldn’t post this yesterday because I was practicing electricity conservation in honor of Earth Day. I actually wrote this post with a good old fashioned pen and paper. How about that?
April 22nd, 2:00 p.m.
I decided for my contribution to Earth Day I would use as little electricity as possible for one day. (I would have tried using no electricity but it was 100 degrees yesterday so I did have to turn the ceiling fans on and set the A/C to 83 degrees, although it really didn’t come on that much.) That means no TV, lights, cooking, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, computer, etc.
For food today I am just making things that don’t need to be cooked like cheese, crackers, and tuna sandwiches tonight. I don’t know what we’re gonna do about lights when the sun goes down, I haven’t thought that far in advanced. I guess we will just have to light some candles. That should be kinda fun actually. Tonight instead of watching TV after Eva goes to bed we will actually have to spend time together talking or maybe play a game. Oh the horror.
The reason I’m doing this is to give the Earth, and me, a little break from electricity pollution. Imagine if as a country we had one day a week or a month where everybody used as little electricity as possible (you still need a/c and heat) and didn’t drive their cars anywhere. How much pollution could we reduce? Besides the pollution I believe our lives as a whole would benefit. It would be like a mini camping trip once a week. Only with beds and indoor plumbing.
Do you think our ultra-commercialized nation could function without commerce for one day a week? I’m not advocating a law be passed or anything like that but maybe a tax credit for everyone who participates. Maybe you could turn in your electricity meter reading at tax time showing that you refrained from using electricity a certain number of days? I don’t know how you would prove that you didn’t drive your car though. Any ideas?
Don’t think I’m saying that technology and modern convenience are bad because trust me I enjoy them just as much as everybody else does. As a stay at home mom I know I would feel even more isolated if I didn’t have e-mail or facebook or my blog to make me feel connected to the outside world. So yes, I am grateful that I live in the 21st century and not the 18th. But maybe there are a few things we can gain by saying goodbye to those things for just 1 out of 7 days a week.
The more and more I learn about our country’s history and our present circumstances compared to the rest of the world the more I am convinced we have some major changing to do. In education, health care, pollution, crime, and poverty. These are all areas that have been sorely neglected and need some major time and effort spent on each of them to improve. Maybe this is one thing we can do to combat the sad fact that we contribute entirely too much pollution to this earth. President Obama if you are reading…I’d be thrilled to head the committee!

For those of you that have read my “about me” page you know that I am a social worker at heart. That’s why issues like health care or the lack thereof really get to me. I get regular e-mail updates from a website called “Stand up for Health Care“. They are an organization that fights for health care reform so that everyone can enjoy this right.
Here are a few facts from their website.

• Four out of five uninsured Americans are in working families.  One out of five uninsured Americans is a child.
• More than three out of five adults who report having problems paying their medical bills  had insurance at the time they incurred their debt
• Between 2000 and 2007 along, the average premium for job-based family coverage increased by more than 90 percent, rising from $6,351 to $12,106
• As unemployment continues to rise and fewer families can afford health coverage, more children are likely to need coverage. For every one percent increase in the unemployment rate, an additional 600,000 children become eligible for Medicaid and CHIP.
• When children get the health care they need, they are better equipped to do well in school because they can do things like attend school regularly, see the chalkboard, hear the teacher, and participate in classroom and recess activities-all essential parts of succeeding in school.

My belief is that healthcare is a right not a privilege just like being protected by the police or the firestation.  Looking at some of these statistics I also think that it is an equality issue.

If you would like to get involved in some way you can also check out Families USA.

Have you ever said a phrase your whole life without ever thinking about what it REALLY means. This will probably sound odd but it just hit me today what the phrase “in it for the long run” really means. I was driving in my car thinking about how this health journey I’ve been on for the past year is kind of like running a marathon (even though I’ve never actually run a marathon). But anyways I was thinking about how running a marathon is about endurance. It’s not about running as fast as you can it’s about pacing yourself so that you can stay in the race and actually finish your goal. And then it hit me ohhhh, that’s what “in it for the long run” means. It is an actual run and not some obscure concept that has been twisted and stretched so that now the phrase “long run” is said without any real thought of running a long distance.
That’s how my health is for me. It’s not about losing weight as fast as I can so I can fit into that pair of skinny jeans. It is about modifying my LIFE so that I can remain healthy for the REST of my life. For the LONG RUN.
It’s also how I feel about a lot of other things in my life. I’m “in it for the long run” with my marriage. I’m not about just sticking around for the good times and then bolting when things get rough or when “that loving feeling” isn’t there as strong as it used to be. I know that if I stick through the hard times things will get better, and then worse again, and then better again. And when we finish that race together it will be the best feeling in the world. Knowing that we stuck it out and that the rewards were miraculous.
I’m “in it for the long run” as a mom. Even when I don’t know what I’m doing and my daughter has pushed every single button I have, I stick it out and try to pace myself so I don’t lose it. Knowing that at the end of the day I’ll get that hug and kiss that just melts my heart. Then, when I don’t even get that I know that the next day will bring many rewards in the midst of all the trials. Ultimately even if being a mother had NO rewards (which is impossible) being able to finish the race and still be standing at the end is reward enough.
LIFE is the “long run” Sometimes it feels like I’m jogging along the beach, and sometimes it feels like I’m running uphill against the wind. But either way I’m running it and I’m never giving up.

photocredit: flickr

What can I say.  I am so incredibly proud to live in this country today.  My faith has been restored in the American people that we have truly come full circle.  It is not just that Barrack Obama, the next president of the United States, is African American.  It is that he is an educated, charismatic, brilliant African American man who will be the first to hold the highest office in this land.  We have finally broken the cycle and opened the door to all people who are capable to serve.  I am confident that my daughter will one day soon be able to see a woman hold that office.  For that I am beaming with pride.  For my daughter, my nieces, and my nephews to be able to imagine that someone that anyone no matter their color or sex can indeed succeed to the leader of the free world with overwhelming support from the citizens of this country.

For those that voted for John McCain, I am sorry that your candidate didn’t win.  I was incredibly moved by the speech he gave last night.  He truly is an American hero and proved that he has a lot of class.

I introduce to you the new first family!

There’s been a lot of talk lately from the McCain campaign that Obama is going to “Raise your taxes” and “spread the wealth around”. He has even called it another form of welfare.
Now, I don’t care who you vote for (okay that’s a lie because I really want to see a good President in office.) But if you are going to vote for McCain I just want your reasons to be based on facts and not lies or misrepresentation.
McCain may call taking money from the wealthy and giving it to the poor welfare but how is his welfare any different? McCain will take money from the poor and give it to the rich, that is called corporate welfare. It has been going on for a long time in this country, too long. It’s time we get a president that is going to do something about it.
I also wanted to share that I currently recieve e-mails from both Obama and McCain’s campaign. About 99% of the e-mails I get from Obama’s campaign are about OBAMA and what HE is going to do for this country. However, 99% of the e-mails I get from McCain are not about McCain and what he is going to do. I find that scary.
My point for writing this post is to share with you the Obama Tax calculator. All you do is put in your yearly income and it tells you how much money you will get back in taxes with Obama’s plan as compared to McCain’s.