Bush: ‘If There Was a Magic Wand to Wave, I’d Be Waving It’

I don't often have time (or enough nerve) to read the text of W's press conferences. If they weren't so seriously distressing, they would actually be quite funny. I heard this brief clip on the radio today so I decided I had to read the whole thing. When will this EVER end? The answer can be found at the countdown clock!

Here's an excerpt from today's conference:

Q But do you think we’re winning? Do you think we’re winning?

THE PRESIDENT: I do, I think we’re making good progress. I do, yes.

Q Can I just add to that, a couple weeks ago —

THE PRESIDENT: No, you can’t. This is the second follow-up. You usually get one follow-up, and I was nice enough to give you one. I didn’t give anybody on this side a follow-up, and now you are trying to take a second follow-up.

Q They didn’t try.

THE PRESIDENT: I know you try.

Yes.

Q Can I just say —

THE PRESIDENT: They just cut off your mic. You can’t, no.

Q A couple weeks ago you said —

THE PRESIDENT: Now she’s going to go without the mic. This is awesome. (Laughter.)

I've been lagging on pictures....

... so here are a bunch! I cut my hair even shorter. I really like it. This is really a wash/dry/go kind of style.














Mollie loves to hold Lucy at every opportunity. And Lucy is getting huge (obviously).














Mollie also likes to help her daddy outside. Here she is with her toy chain saw (or "see saw" as she calls it).

























Lucy loves bathtime, sleepytime, and her bathrobe! Recognize the robe, T?

All in a day's work...

Here's how my mornings are going:

Get up. Pump milk. Wash breastpump parts so they are dry by the time I leave for work. Nurse Lucy. Catch, if I'm lucky, 5 more min. of sleep. Get up. Get Mollie up. Get Mollie to watch TV and Lucy while I shower. Dress. Get Mollie to turn off TV and get dressed. Change Lucy's diaper. Pack up breast pump, accessories, icepacks, etc. Make breakfast for Mollie. Label bottles for Lucy. Pack diaper bag. Wash Mollie's face and comb her hair. Feed the cat. Try to grab a bite to eat or brush my teeth or brush my hair. Put all bags in the car. Try to throw something together for lunch if there's time. Clean up Mollie's breakfast dishes. Put Lucy in her carseat. Put Mollie into the car. Put Lucy into the car. Grab purse and lock the back door. And that's all before going to WORK!!

Why I hate where we live

This morning I left the house a little before 9 and headed out to work. I saw a golf cart, complete with inclement weather enclosure, coming up the street. There was an old dog following behind it, and, inside the golf cart, the woman driver was smoking a cigarette!!! Oh, and I should mention the weather was perfectly lovely- 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. That is so country!!

Seriously, I actually saw this. A golf-cart-driving, cigarette-smoking dog walker (well, only the DOG was walking). Matt said I should have asked her to slow down while I ran inside and grabbed my camera- LOL!

Food

My Russian coworkers though this news story, about Sam's Club imposing limits on the amount of rice customers can purchase, was a joke. They remember food shortages in Moscow in the early 1990's due to the collapsing infrastructure after the fall of the Soviet Union. They said they never believed they would see this in the United States.

I think the current run on rice is not based on a true shortage, but rather an attempt, by some consumers, to beat inflation. However, if speculation and fear can cause a shortage of food staples, even when the supply is sufficient, what will happen during the next "Katrina" ?

We all will face major challenges in the coming years and I think things like this are a little glimpse into what is coming. I fear for my little girls and the kind of world they will grow up in.

Achieving balance

Going back to work has been okay so far. I think the big challenge for me is going to be finding the right balance between work and home. The nature of my work (and my boss) makes it hard to do part-time. I just read an article about how so many mothers want to work part-time but when they try it, they find a bunch of issues:

- they end up doing the same amount of work but only getting paid for part-time
- they lose respect from their colleagues who think that part-time work is a cop out
- they find out that working part-time doesn't make sense financially

I think I'm going to give this part-time business a chance and then re-evaluate in the summer.

In other news, I picked up some freecycle items today (kids clothes) and they came with a bunch of brand new beanie babies. Mollie is thrilled!

Sneaking to post...

Posting at work- won't make that a habit, but since I was looking at pictures of Lucy on my blog anyway.... It's going remarkably well for me and Lucy. I just went over to the child care center to nurse her and she was peacefully swinging and had a great morning!

Work...

So tomorrow I have to go back to work and I'm REALLY depressed about it. I haven't missed work AT ALL during maternity leave and the thought of going back makes me want to barf. Really. I'm nauseous. I am hoping that it won't be as bad as I expect. I had a hard time going back to work after Mollie was born too, but at least then I had a little motivation. This time, I know that I don't like my work environment and I'm not going to get very much out of it so it's really difficult to face going back when I would rather be at home taking care of my own kids. AAAAAACCCCKKKK!!

Shots!

Mollie got a clean bill of health today and 4 shots! She wasn't too nervous about it until they pricked her finger to check her iron and then she really got scared. But she managed to get through all four shots with no screaming, a few tears, and she needed to be cuddled afterward. I was really worried about this appointment, but she powered through! Yay for Mollie!

My two girls

Gosh it's fun having two girls. I love how Mollie enjoys doing arts and crafts (as I do). The flower pictures in the windows were her idea! And I love how Lucy and Mollie adore each other. Mollie can always make Lucy smile and she is such a loving big sister.

Botanical Gardens and Zoo

Finally posting some pictures from our trip to the zoo and botanical gardens. It was a lovely day!! The gardens were especially gorgeous- I could linger there for a long time.

Just a day

Today I took Mollie to school, came home and did some editing and laundry, then ate lunch and picked her up from school. When we got home we did some art, some gardening, and just played outside. Now she's at the park while I'm here with an unusually fussy Lucy. Pics to come...

Projects

nea posted about some of her potential sewing projects on her blog so I was thinking about some of mine (maybe it will encourage me to actually get them done).


Here's a quilt I'm working on. It's all ready to be quilted- it's even pinned to the batting and backing!
These are a few scraps I want to use to sew a shirt for Mollie. She loves poodles.



Not sewing related at all, but Mollie's been sleeping in a tent every night. She said it reminds her of a castle!

Scooters

My brother drives a scooter that looks just like one of the ones on this outfit. He isn't married, doesn't have a baby, and isn't planning to anytime in the NEAR future, but I couldn't resist. This was the last one on the sale rack at Macy's, so I had to get it for him.

Anna, if you read this please don't get the wrong idea!

Meals

Forgot to post them last week. This week:

Sun: Leftover satay chicken stir-fry
Mon: Mediterranean tostadas
Tues: Tamale pie
Wed: Leftovers
Thurs: Pasta with pesto and broccoli
Fri: Fajitas

Storage tips

I am always looking for new storage solutions to reduce some of our clutter, mainly craft-related things or toys with small pieces. One thing that seems to be economical, healthy, and useful are those plastic clamshell containers from the Earthbound Farms pre-washed greens.

Economical- we're already buying the lettuce (can't grow our own because it's too shady)
Healthy- encourages salad consumption and is a way to "reuse"
Useful- they are clear so you can see what's in them, they are easy for a kid to open, and they stack for even more storage

Got this idea from my mom- thanks!

Sleep

Lucy slept for 13 hours last night!! This is good and bad (if you have nursed a baby you will understand).

Babies

Welcome to the world baby DMM! And high five to your mama (KLPM) for doing it without meds! (Hey friends/fam- please tell me if you prefer me to use your initials or names in my blog).

I am a big fan of natural childbirth. Having done it (twice) myself, I know that it hurts like hell, but there is something really special about it. And it feels good to be in the company of so many other strong women (mom, grandma, nea, nbreeno, Liz, KLPM, Nicole A., and others).

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with epidurals, C-sections, etc. I believe in modern medicine. And I know not everyone can safely have a "natural" childbirth.

That being said, I think the importance of the birth experience is often overlooked by both doctors and mothers. True, the most important outcome is a healthy baby and healthy mother. But I think the experience is important too. It bonds us with our mothers, grandmothers, and ancestors who all did this the same way. And it seems that doing it all naturally makes for a healthier outcome, stronger bonding, and easier recovery.

And speaking of modern medicine, I believe in evidence-based medicine. In childbirth, that means fewer routine IVs, continuous electronic fetal monitoring, and artificial rupture of membranes. These interventions might seem mild, but they also contribute to the cascade of intervention. Being less mobile due to an IV or electronic monitor might mean that a woman can't use certain non-pharmaceutical pain relief methods (hot water, different positions, etc.). So that woman might be more likely to ask for an epidural, which may slow down labor, and ultimately lead to a C-section. Studies show that the use of these interventions increases the chance of having a surgical birth. And there are few, if any, studies showing that there is any benefit to the mother or the baby.

I feel very passionately about this. I wish we would reserve medicine for people who are sick, not normal women experiencing normal childbirth. It would certainly reduce costs and would probably result in more women having satisfying birth experiences.

Stepping down off my soap box...

Way to go!

Shout out to T (salsita) for getting into a great nursing program! I told you I was keeping my fingers crossed.

And sorry I haven't called you back, by the way.

It's just that I have to [insert item from list below] first.

take care of 2.5 month old baby and 4 year old girl
do laundry
crawl under the deck and try to figure out where the leak is coming from
clean out the dryer vent
do laundry
clean up after the cat (ugh)
caulk the shower
shop for groceries
register for pre-K
watch The Office (okay, I don't have to watch)
do laundry

Pink

Mollie thinks I need to have a PINK blog so we're giving it a try...

Sisters

Here are some pictures of Lucy and Mollie at roughly the same age. Lucy is a lot bigger (look at those cheeks!) than Mollie was at 2.5 months. Her personality is very sweet! Singing goofy songs and blowing raspberries are sure ways to get her to smile (worked on Mollie too). She loves being naked and she's fascinated by this little mobile.

Gosh- I have a much better camera now than when Mollie was a baby! Thanks MK!

Dollar stores

People in the South really love their "dollar" stores- there's Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, etc. Even living here, I've only set foot in a dollar store a handful of times. It seems like there are some good deals on things like scrub brushes, but, personally, I don't need more stuff in my house!!!! Even if it's cheap stuff (okay, a dining room set would be nice but they don't have those there).

Here is a one more reason not to shop at dollar stores. I subscribe to the Consumer Product Safety Commission recall list (for infant/child products) and a huge percentage of recalled products are found exclusively in dollar stores. These are usually small trinkets, kids jewelry, and other small toys.

These (weekly) recalls are reminders that it is important to pay attention to where the things we buy come from. Dish towels selling for $0.99 can't be manufactured with a lot of thought given to product design and safety, the working conditions of the employees, environmental consequences of the process, etc.

It seems like dollar stores encourage people to treat things that should be somewhat durable (like towels, utensils, and toys) like they are disposable. Is there anything redeeming about dollar stores?

What would you do?

Saturday I went to the market to pick up a prescription and a few groceries. I was walking down the detergent aisle and I noticed something on the floor. There were two other guys in the aisle who said it didn't belong to them, so I picked it up. It was an envelope FULL of money! Not just a few bucks, but enough that it could have been somebody's monthly salary. So... my heart skipped a beat and then I had to decide what to do (in consultation with Matt via phone). I figured whoever dropped it was probably still in the store so I decided to bring it to the front. The store manager and I counted it; he made a brief announcement ("a package has been found and is at the customer service desk") and then took my contact information and put the "package" in the safe. We left it at that and decided we would turn it into the police if no one claimed it in a few days.

I was kind of hoping that no one would claim it, but a woman left me a message yesterday thanking me for turning it in (how she could carry that much money around and not be more careful I will never understand).

Oh well. What goes around comes around, right?

UPDATE: The owner of the money left me a thank you note and a VERY generous (cash) reward. There certainly was no need for that, but it makes a nice ending to this story!

Comments

I was alerted that comments were waiting for me to review instead of automatically being posted (Thanks nea and dad!). They should be back to normal.

Two Random Thoughts

1. I really want to go to Norway for a vacation (a very LONG vacation)
2. Battlestar Galactica was good tonight!

Good Day

Today Mollie had a play date with a new friend (from ballet class). Her mom was one of the few "normal" moms- not super into ballet, make-up, etc. for 3-4 year old girls. So we got together and the girls had a GREAT time! They played for a few hours, had an indoor picnic under the table like Bing Bunny (it was raining), and then played some more!

And in the afternoon while Mollie was relaxing, I had time to sew her a cute little shirt (no "action" shot because it's too cold!).