Election 2008

I grew up in a Republican household.  I married into another one.  I voted Republican eagerly, early in my eligible years.  But I've found my political leanings changing little by little as time goes on, to the point where I now consider myself Independent.  I voted both Democratic and Republican during our last local election.  I've learned to look more at the issues than the party affiliation. 

I've been very on-the-fence for this Presidential Election.  Only one candidate really caught my excitement, and that was Ron Paul, who I voted for in the primaries, but- not surprisingly- isn't on the final ballot.  So I've been watching the debates, reading the websites, listening to the opinions and discussions of good friends, and trying to figure out which way I want to go this year.  I've had a really hard time deciding.  There's enough I don't agree with in each major Presidential candidate's platform that I've remained undecided for this entire time (yes, the undecided do exist!!).  And of course, living in a true-blue democratic state, half the time I haven't felt like I really need to figure out where I stand, because it is absolutely doubtless that Maryland's electoral votes will go towards Obama no matter what I choose.

But, tomorrow is the election, and a choice has to be made.  I believe in doing my civic duty of voting, whether or not I think it really matters or will make an impact. 

And I decided that I'm voting 3rd party.  I'm very tired of a two-party system in this country.  There isn't enough variance, and I'm more than a little disgusted at how the two major parties essentially force the alternate parties (Green, Libertarian, Constitution, etc.) out of the spotlight, leaving them absolutely no chance because they simply don't have the millions of dollars to back up their campaigns. And beside that point, I really agree with so much more of the alternate party platforms and ideologies than I do with either major political party.  Watching the 3rd Party Presidential Debates was particularly eye-opening.  I get excited about what they have to say, and think they could do our country a lot of good with the changes they would make.  I wish they had a better chance.  Any one of them.

It was interesting to have this article shared with me today, discussing the problem with the way a majority of my religion votes.  Elder Marlin K. Jensen, of the First Quorum of the Seventy, was "designated by church officials to respond to The Salt Lake Tribune's request for an interview on the topic of partisan imbalance in Utah and among LDS members."

It was a long article, but I wanted to share just a few quotes, in case you don't want to read the whole thing:

In an hourlong interview at the church's worldwide headquarters in downtown Salt Lake City arranged and overseen by LDS media-relations director Mike Otterson, Jensen discussed leaders' views about the seeming demise of two-party politics among members. Among the concerns he aired:-- The LDS Church's reputation as a one-party monolith is damaging in the long run because of the seesaw fortunes of the national political parties.

-- The overwhelming Republican bent of LDS members in Utah and the Intermountain West undermines the checks-and-balances principle of democratic government.

-- Any notion that it is impossible to be a Democrat and a good Mormon is wrongheaded and should be "obliterated."

-- Faithful LDS members have a moral obligation to actively participate in politics and civic affairs, a duty many have neglected.

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"There is sort of a division along Mormon/non-Mormon, Republican/Democratic lines," says Elder Marlin Jensen, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. "We regret that more than anything -- that there would become a church party and a non-church party. That would be the last thing that we would want to have happen."

Jensen said major national political parties may take stands that do not coincide with teachings of the 10 million-member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but that should not put them out of bounds for members.

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"Everyone who is a good Latter-day Saint is going to have to pick and choose a little bit regardless of the party that they're in and that may be required a lot more in the future than it has been in the past. But I think there's room for that and the gospel leaves us lots of latitude."

This article is from 1998.  Ten years ago!  I haven't seen any sort of shift, personally, of how people tend to vote within church membership.  And even though I had never read this article before, at least I see a shift in the way I think about politics.  That's a start.  At least, I like to think I'm more open-minded than I was 10 years ago!

And of course, just as I'm deciding how I'll vote this year, a letter from the First Presidency was read in Sacrament meeting, as is typical for the time just before an election (emphasis mine), reaffirming the political neutrality of the Church:

As citizens we have the privilege and duty of electing office holders and influencing public policy. Participation in the political process affects our communities and nation today and in the future.
Latter-day Saints as citizens are to seek out and then uphold leaders who will act with integrity and are wise, good, and honest. Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties.

Therefore, in this election year, we urge you to register to vote, to study the issues and candidates carefully and prayerfully, and then to vote for and actively support those you believe will most nearly carry out your ideas of good government.

Anyway... I just wanted to share.  I thought it was all very interesting.  I'm just finding that there are so many different issues out there, and no one party can cover them all the way I think they should.  Nor do I think that it would benefit the country to be imbalanced in the favor of one party.  There needs to be a bigger variety of representation out there.  I hope that someday, the two-party system of the United States will expand and allow a greater representation of alternate parties.

And of course, don't forget to get out and vote tomorrow, however you feel is best! 

Playing Catch-up

Boy, I got behind in blogging this week! It's time for one big, giant, happy review!

Well, the happy part may be debatable. Last Sunday, Jacob, Alex and I stayed home from church, because we thought Jacob was sick. The night before, he kept waking up pretty hysterical, similar to the way Melinda does when she has a fever. Only, Jacob didn't have a fever. He just kept waking up (barely awake, really) and screaming. That along with a runny nose made us suspect he was sick. But, he was fine, I think. But I missed church. And Jesse wasn't feeling too great by the time he got home, with a raspy cough and headache.

I woke up in the middle of Sunday night/Monday morning with a gallbladder attack. I've had them occasionally since just before I got married, and I didn't realize until a couple years ago that they were gallbladder attacks. I'm not sure exactly what triggers them, but we've been starting to guess that it's too much fatty food. I've been wanting to do a really good intestinal cleanse ever since I figured it out, but it's not exactly safe while breastfeeding. I had big plans once Jacob was weaned... but then Alex decided to join the family, so the plans have been put on hold for a while again. Anyway... when I get a gallbladder attack, I can't sleep through them. So I spent most of that night wide awake and in pain. Jesse had been debating taking a sick day on Monday anyway, so when he learned that I had been up all night (I don't wake him up anymore, there's nothing to be done but suffer through it till they go away on their own in the morning), he decided to stay home. I stayed blissfully in bed until almost noon, and did nothing productive the rest of the day.

We got back into the swing of things by Tuesday. We finally officially started teaching Melinda to read. We're using the "How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" book. Just from reading the introduction, I was very impressed with their philosophy and presentation. Melinda got super excited to be doing something so officially "school-like", and since she's already 5 years old, we've been doing 2 lessons a day to kind of speed up the beginnings of the program, which are easy-peasy for her level. But Jacob insists on doing EVERYTHING like Melinda (right down to having the exact same piece of Halloween candy that she picks), so he's sort of learning, too. He's a little on the young side for the program (it's for "bright" 3.5 year olds, to average 4-5 year olds), but he's having fun playing along. I've been impressed with how well Melinda is picking up the penmanship part of the lesson, and she's very eager to do her lessons each day. We even went to the school supply store to buy stickers and writing sheets (because my poorly-drawn lines were making things difficult!!).

This week, we also implemented something we've needed for a while now. After dinner, things usually start falling apart around here, going into chaos and arguments and meltdowns, and generally just too much stress. I asked Jesse if he would agree to make the time between dinner and the kids' bedtime a "no TV/no computer" time of day. He thought it was a good idea, and we've been doing it... as much as I want to go straight to my computer after dinner is over. ;) We've been playing games and reading books instead, and the evenings are feeling much more calm and relaxed. I'm glad.

Alex has been teething in earnest. Both his bottom teeth are poking out now, and they're VERY sharp! He has been biting me while nursing quite a lot, which has been, well... excruciating. I don't really remember Melinda biting, except maybe once or twice. And Jacob, even if he did bite, didn't get teeth until 12 months anyway. But no, little Alex has to do everything he can think of to turn our world upside down. ;) I did scream so loud once that he started crying and just looked so scared... but I couldn't really feel sorry for him because it hurt so badly! Anyway, I have been starting to pick up on the precursers to his biting now, and I think we're about out of the worst of it, finally. This has been a very painful week.

And of course, Alex does something else that Melinda and Jacob never really did - he puts everything in his mouth. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before. (And what sort of nonsense is that, that 1st and 2nd babies, who had no small toys in the house, didn't care about eating whatever they could find, but the 3rd one, who has near complete access to a plethora of small toys, decides to eat everything? It's just cruel!) Well, Thursday night, I think it was, I was making dinner in the kitchen while the kids played in the front room. I heard Alex gagging in earnest, and ran to check him. He had a bracelet in his hand that Melinda had made from pony beads, and had obviously gotten it apart and had a bead caught in his throat. It sounded like he was only half-breathing, his air passage partially blocked. I immediately flipped him over and started patting him (well, more like hitting him) on his back, just like you're supposed to, but it wasn't working. He was still gagging/half-breathing, and the saliva coming from his mouth was all frothy and he was getting so upset and it was all taking so long and not getting better, I was getting so close to panicking. I kept on thwapping at his back, with him turned onto his belly and tilted downwards. Jesse walked in, home from work, to the middle of all this, and tried to figure out what was going on, then started telling me to do heimlich or something (oh gosh, he needs more of a refresher than I do!!). Finally, finally, his breathing sounded clear, and he started calming down. But no pony bead came out. But once he recovered from the panic, he seemed perfectly fine. I can only assume that means he swallowed it. They're small enough to swallow, after all. (Guess who gets to inspect diapers for the next long while?) But it was scary. Defiintely the most terrifying moment I've had as a mother. And since then, we've turned a little bit militant: Any toy that we find unattended on the ground, that is a choking hazard, gets thrown away. No second chances. Here's to hoping we don't have a repeat of this experience.

Friday was a busy day. Between playgroup, Art Play, and trick-or-treating, I was hardly home at all! Luckily, I did get downtime during Art Play while Alex napped. I just sat in the car and read a book. He's done that a few weeks in a row, now, and I'm enjoying the uninterrupted reading time. We went to Trader Joe's after Art Play, and when I got the diaper bag out of the car, we realized Jacob's thermos was missing. We had left it at playgroup. So, after Trader Joe's, we went and retrieved it. By the time we got home, I had enough time to feed Alex, and then get the kids' costumes on. We went trick-or-treating before it was dark! How cool is that! Melinda had so much fun this year. It really amazed me how differently she treated Halloween this year, compared to years before. She knew what Halloween was pretty well even last year (I can't even count how many times she's asked me over the past year when we get to go trick-or-treating again!), but this year, she just seemed so much older about it all. She ran ahead of us to each house, she eagerly said "trick or treat!" and "thank you" or even "happy Halloween!" after getting candy. She got excited at pointing out other kids' costumes (especially the little girl dressed like a mermaid!). She just wasn't the small toddler needing to hold a hand this year, you know? Jacob, however, was exactly that toddler! Okay, I know, he's technically a preschooler, but you know what I mean. He got tired of walking. Eventually, Alex didn't care to stay in the stroller anymore, so I carried him, and Jacob got a short little ride in the stroller between each house. And you know how Jacob wants to do everything like Melinda? At houses where they were allowed to choose a candy from a bowl, Melinda would pick first, and then Jacob dug through the bowl until he could find one exactly like hers. Exactly. It was a little maddening. I wanted to yell to each adult, "Don't let them choose, PLEASE!!!" But it was fun. And of course, everyone thought Jacob was a rooster, just like when Melinda wore that costume. But after a while, instead of giving people a chance to to guess and then having to correct them, and started telling people "I'm a phoenix!!" right after "Trick-or-treat!". I'm glad we started so early. The weather was still pretty mild while the sun was up, but as soon as it started getting dark, we got cold, fast. We're lucky we were close to our car when it got dark (because, yes, we drove to a nearby neighborhood instead of trick-or-treating in apartment buildings).

After we put the kids to bed on Halloween, Melinda got really excited for the next day being the first day of November. "It's going to snow tomorrow!!", she exclaimed. I'm not sure where she got the idea that November = snow. But I'm not ready for snow. But that's beside the point. I just thought it was a funny thing to say, really, and she was truly excited about it.

Saturday, I woke up feeling pretty yucky. I didn't want to get out of bed. I have a cold. Actually, all of us have a cold. Well, everyone but Melinda, somehow. I had big plans for doing a million chores and errands on Saturday, but it just didn't happen. We did a few loads of laundry, and Jesse did some dishes, I let everything else slide for another day. So... that makes for two very unproductive, sick-day type of days in one week. It was frustrating. My kitchen was sparkling clean on Sunday, and by Tuesday, it was intolerable. Same deal on Saturday. How on earth can dishes pile up so quickly?? And I won't even mention the amount of laundry!!!

And then Alex woke up today with a cough and an extra runny nose. He sounds pretty uncomfortable... but he's not extra cranky at all, thank goodness. And he even took an extra long nap, yay! Still, it's pretty un-fun for the whole family (minus mysterious Melinda) to have a stuffy, cough-y cold.

And for an update on my Grandpa. Over the weekend I got word (and you have to understand, I'm getting this about fourth-hand) that just after the big meeting with all the doctors, Grandpa was responding well and sitting up and having conversations. They even let his dog come in and keep him company for a little while. He was doing "100% better". I wasn't sure what to make of this news, but grandma Linda was feeling pretty hopeful, I guess. Mostly, I just felt confused. Here I was, completely accepting and getting ready to let go of him, and he has this awesome turn-around. Emotional roller coaster. But when I checked my email on Halloween, I had a new message: Linda had signed a stop-treatment plan, so he was no longer receiving dialysis or tube feeding. I don't know how long his turn around lasted, but I hope it was long enough to say good-byes to the people who were there with him. He was transferred to a hospice that Friday, where he would be kept comfortable and pain free, and it was expected that it would only be a few days before he passes. Apparently he had developed bed sores that would have required surgery, he hasn't responded to treatment, and his calcium levels had increased despite dialysis. I'm sure Linda had a very hard time signing the papers, but his wishes are being fulfilled by doing so. I have no new word right now, but it's been a couple days, so I'm sure it won't be long. I'm thinking of him a lot, in the meantime.

Oh yes, and I had so much fun reading Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale that I rushed out to the library to see if I could get more of her books. I picked up Goose Girl and Enna Burning on Wednesday. I finished them both by Saturday night. And loved them both. So, seriously (MELISSA), if you're looking for a good book to read, check out a book by Shannon Hale. I think you'll be happy you did!

And here's a photo of Alex's favorite new pastime: Being walked around the house!

Book & Cocoa Winner!

Thank you to everyone who participated! I knew I was getting a lot of entrants by the number of emails I was reading, but I didn't know the total until this morning. 105! This was a lot of fun. I wish I had a copy of this book to share with everyone, I really do.

However, a single winner had to be selected. Random.org's Random Integer Generator provided me with the number 75. The corresponding comment was Jodi from Michigan! Congratulations, Jodi! You've been sent an email with instructions to get back to me with your mailing address by Sunday evening.

To the rest of you: If for whatever reason, Jodi doesn't get back to me, I will be selecting another winner. But I do hope all of you will read Shannon Hale's "Book of a Thousand Days". I'm sure that you will love it!

Again, thank you for coming by and participating in the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. I had so much fun, and I hope you all did, too!