I'm starting to feel left out.

Anyone else know what I mean?

And it can't be the water. The geographical diversity says so.

This is the Apocalypse.

It's akin to when Alice Cooper was on The Muppet Show. And this is my first time embedding anything; I hope it works.



Yes, it is what you think it is. "It's a good thing."

Wouldn't it be great?!

Okay, hear me out on this one.
We need a bigger house, right? There is a preponderance, and embarrassment of riches, of larger houses for sale right now at bargain prices. Oh, yes. There are.
Well, we can't afford to buy one--even one of those superbargains out there--because we have a house of our own to offload. Hence the idea.

Wouldn't it be great to, like, trade the bank? We're current on our mortgage, after all. Couldn't we just give them this little one we bought when our family was two adults, an imminent child, a dog, two cats, some fish, and a guinea pig, and they'd give us a three-bedroom, bath-and-a-half, basement, garage and nice sized yard?
I mean, we'd keep making the payments and all. They wouldn't be out any money, really. It would help the property values in a nicer area to have one less vacant house, after all. It would just be a different vacant house.

Right. While I'm at it, I'll ask for a pony.

"Do you know the street value of this mountain?"

Trying to briefly explain Better Off Dead to a seven-year-old who just wants her allowance is not easy.

Just so's you know.

Where to from here?

It's been about a week since the election. Just about everyone has recovered from their hangover. Some were out celebrating, others medicating; either way, we've woken up and our next president is determined.
If you agree with his views and are enthusiastic about him implementing his policies and keeping his campaign promises, great. You may just want to stop reading here.

I, for one, do not agree and am not enthusiastic.
I allowed myself a few days of wallowing in self-pity--that and four out of six residents here had the pukes. Laundry, careful menu plans, and TLC were the immediate orders of the day.

Now what do we do? We act. Not as in Sarah Bernhardt, but as in Dorothy Day. Sitting around navel-gazing wishing things had turned out differently is not constructive. Neither are "1.20.13" or "Fresh Prince of Bill Ayers" bumperstickers, no matter how tempting.
I started preparing my To-Do list on Tuesday while walking in the park. How can I be pro-active? Start with choosing what's important to you and get involved.
For one, we're going to finally join HSLDA. Homeschooling is very important to me and I don't want that right messed with. These folks have been around for years, they've got the lay of the land and the networks already established. I don't need to re-invent the wheel--they have people for that. The newsletter will keep me informed on what's in the hopper legislatively so I can keep ahead of the game.
The other is more personal. I'm going to get more involved in the pro-life movement. Will I be bombing abortion clinics? Not hardly, not even softly; neither will I get involved with an organization that does. Will I be praying in front of clinics? Quite likely. (If you want to know where and when, I've got info on one this Saturday.) Will I continue donating to National Right to Life? Of course. Will I give more, including my time? Probably.

Do I need to start from scratch to make a difference? No. If you're worried about Obama and guns, join an organization that advocates for your Second Amendment rights. I've heart tell of one. If you're worried about other issues, that's what internet searches are for. Look it up, get informed, get involved.

Mind you, this is all stuff we should have been doing already. It's just giving a focus to our energy, motivation to put our money where our mouth is. Stay informed, stay active.
After all, another election is coming in two years. We don't want to be caught slacking.

Who can tell me about this picture?

Anything at all. Even your silly theories.

Been a busy week.

What with school, keeping Louie out of the litterbox, watching him weave like a drunken sailor from love seat to computer chair to kitchen, the excitement of the election (Daddy took the day off and forbade me to touch the computer so I wouldn't get all twisted on exit polls), daily Mass on Wednesday and today, half of the family dealing with intestinal trouble, blogging has taken a back seat.

But the kids keep growing up. This poignant moment happened Monday.
I had just tied Dale's tap shoes and was kneeling before his seated self. I made exaggerated kissy noises at him, expecting a "Thanks, Mom" and a kiss before he went in to class. What did I get?
An embarrassed and quiet, "Oh, Mom," and a hasty squirm past me.

That lump was tough to swallow.