Wow! The News gets Tough

I can't believe they asked these questions! And, now...

Biden so disliked West's line of questioning that the Obama campaign canceled a WFTV interview with Jill Biden, the candidate's wife.

"This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election," wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign.

McGinnis said the Biden cancellation was "a result of her husband's experience yesterday during the satellite interview with Barbara West."

Is the campaign concerned he'll be asked hard questions? And why isn't Senator Obama having to answer these questions? Ah, maybe the station news director has the answer to that question.

WFTV news director Bob Jordan said, "When you get a shot to ask these candidates, you want to make the most of it. They usually give you five minutes."

Jordan said political campaigns in general pick and choose the stations they like. And stations often pose softball questions during the satellite interviews.

"Mr. Biden didn't like the questions," Jordan said. "We choose not to ask softball questions."

Jordan added, "I'm crying foul on this one."

Review Tuesday 10-21-2008

There will be no review today, because I can't think of anything I want to review. Nothing. Nada. Zip. That's often a problem, but I can usually walk around the house and find something. Today, I'm having a bit of trouble. Let's hope I can come up with something this week.

Obama on Abortion

I am having trouble finding the clip of this. If anyone knows where he said it, please direct me to it. I've heard it. I thought it was during the third debate. But, I've watched almost the entire thing again and can't find it.

I recently heard Obama make a comment along the lines of, "Women should have the right to choose when they want to be parents." This was in reference to why Roe v. Wade should stand. So, I'm just wondering, if I can kill my baby before they're born because I don't want to be a parent at that time, why can't I kill them now that they're 11, 7, and 5? I mean, who's to say that I'm not done with my parenting time, now? Maybe 11 years was enough for me. Oy! I'm so tired of idiocy. Abortion is not about becoming a parent. Abortion might be about becoming a parent if there weren't other options for pregnant women. However, you can put your child up for adoption before the child is born and can even abandon them after they're born. Shoot, if you really want to, you can give up the rights to your children when they're 11, 7, and 5. Not wanting to be a parent is not a reason for aborting a baby.

Review Tuesday 10-14-2008

note: I got this all ready to post last night, went to post it and realized there was a scheduled outage. Of course, it hadn't saved... So, I'm rewriting it and this time, it will have pictures.

Today's website is really just one page. I'm not sure what the title of the page is, so we're just going to call it Singing Science Records. The product for today is the Schick Intuition razor. Today's book is We the People: The Story of Our Constitution by Lynn Cheney.

Singing Science Records:

This webpage has links to multiple science songs. As we all know, getting songs out of one's head is almost impossible. As a result, songs are a great learning tool. For instance, Tom Lehrer's song, "Silent E" teaches children about silent e. We all remember "I'm Just a Bill" by School House Rock. Well, these songs teach things like, "What is a Shooting Star?", "What is Energy?", Who's Afraid of Thunder?", "Why does the Wind Blow?" (a note-we all know it's because of the trees bending. You don't need to listen to that one.) "What's in the Ocean?", "What are the Parts of a Flower?" and many more. Check them out.

Schick Intuition Razor

I received a Schick Intuition Razor in the mail as a free sample Saturday. I've never used this razor before. This razor has the "shaving cream" built in. I was a bit leery of this method since I frequently get razor burn. However, I did not get razor burn at all. This is the first razor that has not given me razor burn around my bikini area. I believe that my sister has used it and gotten razor burn, but I did not. Also, since I don't have to lather up prior to use, it saves me time in the shower. It gave me a nice, smooth shave and no razor burn. So, I'm giving this razor two thumbs up.

We the People:The Story of Our ConstitutionLynn Cheney:

This book is about what happened leading up to and after the writing of the constitution. It is not about the constitution. It details the reasons the constitution was needed and what went on to get the constitution, but does not go into detail about what is in the constitution. This is a good book with wonderful paintings done by Greg Harlin.

The text is simple enough to be read to a young audience, but not so simple that an older audience wouldn't appreciate it.

In 1787 delegates from twelve states traveled to a convention in Philadelphia to figure out a better plan for governing the country. Congress had instructed them to revise the Articles of Confederation, but some were thinking well beyond that. James Madison of Virginia, the first delegate to arrive from out of town, had studied how nations worked and was convinced America needed a much stronger government than the Articles could provide-and soon. The current government, he believed, was near collapse.

This is an excellent book that includes many quotes from the time. Enjoy.

The Beauty of Pregnancy

My sister is pregnant. One of my friends is pregnant. Several of my friends have recently had babies. Several acquaintances are pregnant. As a result, we've had a lot of talk of pregnancy lately. And, it's got me thinking about pregnancy a lot.

There is something inherently beautiful about pregnancy. People used to say that a woman was "with child" when she was pregnant. I think that is such an evocative way of describing pregnancy. When you are with child, your entire being is consumed by the small being that is ever reliant upon you. Your body works hard to support and grow this small child. At first, there is not much change in your belly. But, even in the very early stages of pregnancy, your body changes to become the home, the protection, and indeed the very life support of the baby.

Many women do not breast feed because they are not comfortable with it. However, that is one of the changes that you first notice in pregnancy. Your body begins to ready itself to support the life of your child after it is outside the womb. What perfect beings we are that we can completely support the lives of children while they are both still inside our bodies and after they are outside.

Then, your belly beings to grow. You watch, in awe, as your belly stretches and grows over the shape of your baby. It grows slowly at first. Every newly pregnant woman watches eagerly for the first sign of a baby bump. Many pooch their bellies out before there is a bump because they are so proud of the baby that is growing inside them. Finally, you are able to see it growing. As the weeks go by, your belly grows faster and faster. Soon, you can look down and see it stretched taut over the child you eagerly await. You can rub your belly and know that you are also rubbing your child. That stretched belly signifies that soon you will hold your new child in your arms. But, until then, you get to enjoy the knowledge of your child safely inside your womb waiting to greet the world. You may also get to use your belly as a table, if you are lucky. Of course, the stretched belly is so attractive that perfect stranger may rub your belly as though for good luck. But, there is something about a pregnant belly that makes people happy and want to touch. So, try not to be offended. Understand that there is awe, love, happiness, and caring emanating from more strangers than at any other time in your life.

One day, you'll notice a flutter. Slowly, over the days, the flutters will become more forceful as the child grows. The feeling of having a child move within you is like nothing else. Sure, if your child is particularly exuberant, he might break a rib, but this doesn't happen often. And watching your belly stretched over your child as he does his first somersaults holds a certain amount of amusement for everyone involved. When you allow someone else to hold their hand over your belly while the baby kicks, you allow them to share in the experience of feeling a new life forming.

It is not to be discounted that you may accidentally close your belly in the refrigerator. Perhaps you may not fit behind the steering wheel of your car. Maybe getting in and out of bed will not be easy. But, seeing that belly full with child is the most wonderful, most beautiful thing in the world.

Love Your Mother

But, not TOO much!

Bad and Good News

A 3-year-old who was left in his mother's truck in 90-degree heat as she worked her shift at a Houston hospital died after wriggling free from his car seat, climbing into the front seat and apparently trying to start the ignition or open the windows, officials said.

This is heartbreaking. We have, over the past several years, heard of this happening over and over again. It has become so common (probably not as common as you would think) that someone has invented an alarm to go off when you get out of your car without your child. This particular case happened less than 24 hours after another child died in the same town.

Can anyone say, "WAKE UP!!!!"? But the reality is that so far as I know, none of the parents who have done this have been charged. Can they not, at least, be charged with neglect? Of course no parent wants this to happen. We love our children. But, can't we slow down enough to care for our children? Aren't they the most important things in our lives? If so, why can't we take the time each day to care for them? This is a needless death. And, it breaks my heart.

On the other hand, there is the news of people saving the life of a baby by lifting a bus off the body of a pregnant woman.

Horrified bystanders banded together to lift a 5-ton school bus off a pregnant woman pinned underneath, enabling doctors to save her son.

Review Tuesday 10-7-2008

Wow! And it's being published on Tuesday, too!!! It's all about food, today, folks! I'm a food lover. I've often joked that I married my husband because he brought me a full Thanksgiving meal in the hospital shortly after we started dating. Really, that's only half of it. I also married him for his car. Anyway... Today, I'm going to recommend Sgt. and Mrs. Hub as a great place to find recipes. I love my Bosch mixer. And The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine is a great way to add vegetables and fruit to the most interesting dishes.

First, a word about Sgt. and Mrs. Hub: Mrs. Hub, also known as Andrea, is backs the most delicious food. How do I know? She has posted multiple recipes on her blog. We have only tried two of her recipes, but both of them have been wonderful! I made her chocolate chip cookies some weeks ago. I then put the cookies on the table in front of Gabriel and told him he could eat them when he was finished with his work. He promptly told me he would do more work to get more cookies. (Gabriel never wants to do more work.) Those cookies are fabulous. But, then a couple weeks ago, I tried her banana bread recipe. And, I have to say, I agree with her that it is Only the Best Banana Bread Ever. She's got lots of other recipes that I want to try, but these are the two that I have tried so far. The best thing about them is that they are pretty healthy (the banana bread uses whole grains, raw sugar, and honey). Or, maybe the best thing is the taste. Hmmmm it's almost a toss up.

Next up, my Bosch Universal Mixer:

My mom gave this to me a couple Christmases ago. I am still in awe of it. I can fit so much into it. It makes making bread much easier, although less hands on-which can be a bad thing. But, if you like the hands on, just keep your bread out of the mixer. Easy, right? Having my Bosch means that I only have one base for both my mixer and my blender. And, when I get my food processor, it will fit on this, too. The bowl is big enough that I can make a double batch of that banana bread and it will fit nicely (that's a big recipe, too). It is heavy duty, and most of the pieces can go in the dishwasher. I like the clear lid. I can watch what is going on, but the stuff isn't splattering all over me and my kitchen.

Now, the reason I need a food processor. A friend recommended The Sneaky Chef to me.

The premise is that you make multiple purees to use in recipes. I've made 3 so far, but have the ingredients to make more. (On a side note, this reminded me of baby food, and has inspired me to make baby food for my pregnant sister. I know, I'm a wonderful sister. Don't you all wish you had me? She even called me for advice today. Wow, I am so wise... Anyway..) After you make the purees, you add them to food that your children already like. So, for instance, the purees I've used so far contain cauliflower, zucchini, sweet potato, carrots, and white navy beans. I've added the purees to only two recipes, so far. Yesterday, I made baked beans with hot dogs and added the orange puree. You could not taste the vegetables. The result was delicious and much healthier than it was before.

Then, today, I made a bagel pizzas for lunch. This recipe includes all of the following: white navy beans, zucchini, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and carrots. My kids inhaled them. These were wonderful. Now, I have it on good authority that the brownies with spinach and blueberries are very good, too. They are next on my list to try. In the meantime, if you've been worrying about the amount of veggies your children are getting (or yourself), this is a good way to add vegetables to your diet without having to change your diet drastically.

It's all the Woman's Fault

Saudi Cleric Says Women Must Wear One-Eye Veil to Prevent 'Seduction'

I don't know why they don't just go to the veil that covers the eyes with a screen. Are they serious? One eye??? I mean, I know there are women who have really gotten the come hither look down, but come on. Most eyes, on the surface, look pretty much the same. On the other hand, I can understand how eyes could become very seductive in a society in which the only female flesh seen outside the home is the eyes. I could understand that. But, the fact of the matter is, seduction is not a one way street. A man must want to be seduced in order to be seduced. This is just ridiculous.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! May your year be prosperous and sweet.
There has been so much I wanted to blog about this past week, but I have been busy. I have always been that mom that the phrase stay-at-home-mom was created for. Sometimes, on Friday, I would realize that I had not left our yard all week. I was okay with that. The boys and I are homebodies. But, over the past several months, we have started signing up for things. Now, we have drama every other Monday. We have park day on Wednesday. We have swimming lessons on Friday, and we start co-op tomorrow. We started all of this last week. Plus, Dominic started soccer. We're also going to be starting martial arts and hockey soon. So, I've gone from being a stay-at-home mom to a never-home mom. It's quite a change for me.

Still, I probably would have been able to post on Sunday or Tuesday if I hadn't been getting ready for and then celebrating Rosh Hashana. I'm not complaining. We had a blast Mon-Wed. The two little boys got to go to daycare for 2 out of the 3 days a year they go to daycare. As a result, they had a lot of fun and were willing to get up early to go. Plus, they got to hear the shofar sound and who wouldn't consider that a thrill, especially two little boys.

At any rate, I should resume my normal schedule of posting, Review Tuesdays and all. I'm planning to talk about the VP debate tomorrow. Of course, I wanted to talk about the Presidential debate last week.... And, tomorrow is the start of a long weekend. I may not get to it until Sunday. But, I'll try to post it tomorrow. Also, I am extremely perturbed by this bail out. Personally, I think they need to get their noses out of it. But, that is probably asking too much.

At any rate, have a wonderful new year and I'll see you around!