This Mama's for Obama!!

Just a quick reminder of how important our right and responsibility is to vote. No matter what you political party is or the candidate that you are supporting, we must spread the word that everyone should register to vote! I think we often forget what a wonderful blessing it is that we live in a time and a country that gives us this opportunity. We are the ones that will direct this country by who we elect into our government offices. So, if you aren't registered....do it! And if you haven't payed much attention, read up on the current candidates in your local areas as well as in the national campaigns. In my opinion...if you don't vote, you forfeit your right to complain about the government!

I am a proud democrat who supports Barack Obama! Now go figure out who your candidate of choice is.

Goodbye to Uncle Mister - WE LOVE OUR AIRMAN!!

Yesterday Uncle Mister (Antonio's brother) left for the Air Force. He will be at basic training in Texas for about 6 weeks, and then will be going to Florida for training in EOD (explosive ordinace disposal...or something like that). The boys didn't really understand that they wouldn't be seeing him for a while, they have been so used to him being around. Although my personal feelings on the war in Iraq are pretty negative, and I don't hesitate to express my disapproval, I fully support and appreciate all of our servicemen and women who so bravely defend our rights and freedoms. Now that it is a more personal association for me, I am beginning to realize the major sacrifices that families of our military personnel must make.


Uncle Mister, we want you to know that we love you and we are so proud of your willingness to serve our country. We totally support you and hope that these experiences will help you grow and develop even more. You are a wonderful brother and uncle and we will miss you!

Uncle Mister got the boys' shirts that say "My Uncle Wears Combat Boots. US Air Force." They were so proud to wear them!

Uncle kisses with Gambit

My Plug for Blackle.com

Since I am trying hard to reduce my energy consumption and do my part to help preserve our beautiful earth, I'm putting in a little plug for blackle.com. It is a search engine site that is powered by google, but they keep the screen black and use less energy. It takes more energy to keep a regular computer screen white rather than black. So, set this as your homepage, use it as your search engine, and let everyone you know about it. The energy savings may be small, but if everyone starts doing it they will really add up. Click on About Blackle on the page if you want to learn more about the concept.


And while we are on the topic of energy savings, I got a new washer and dryer on Saturday. I am so in love! They are the most amazing appliances that I have ever had. I never thought I would be so excited to do laundry! They are frond loaders, Maytag EpicZ, the most wonderful machines ever. I sat and watched it wash the first load I did because it was so cool! And, the washer only uses 16 gallons of water as opposed to a traditional top loader than uses about 40 gallons. And...it spins so fast that the clothes are practically dry when I move them to the dryer. Here's a few pics of my new loves.

Ninja VS. The Pea

I'm in the midst of caring for six kids in my small house right now. We are having a lot of fun, but needless to say it's a bit hectic. My little sisters are here because my parents are out of town, and I have my girlfriend's two little boys because she and her husband are in Utah for a few days.

I got some pizza for dinner because I needed a low stress thing. I cooked up some peas to go with it, in an attempt to make it somewhat healthy. About halfway through dinner, Ninja so proudly announces "I have a pea in my nose!" I of course run over there and can see that he put one just in his nostril. I plug the other side and tell him to blow his nose so it can come out. What does he do instead? He SUCKS IN! Great. So now the pea is lodged up so high I can barely see it. I call to make sure the urgent care place is still open (it is) and I load up the six kids for Operation Pea Removal.

We get to urgent care and thankfully it was 6:30 in the evening so no one else was there waiting. After an hour of trying with the 5 other kids wreaking havoc in the waiting room, the doctor finally decides that....SHE CAN'T GET THE STUPID PEA OUT! So she suggests taking Ninja to the ER because they will have the neccessary tools to extract vegetables from ones nose.

I am utterly frustrated and frazzled beyond belief by this point. I can't get ahold of Antonio (he was at softball practice which I forgot) and the last thing in the world I want to do is take six kids to the ER by myself. I think I would rather watch reruns of Little House on the Prairie until I want to poke my eyes out. I finally con one of my good friends to come over and stay at the house with the 5 other kids until Antonio gets home. Just as she is pulling up, Antonio calls, I tell him the story, and he says he'll meet me at the hospital because he is right there.

We get to the hospital and commence with the long wait before we are finally seen. All the while listening to a really annoying parent whose child has a bloody nose. I did find out that this child's nose was broken (he was maybe 10, or so) but still, his dad when on and on like his child was dying. We finally get back to see the doctor, who is very nice, and he sucks the pea out with a little sucker thing. Not a big deal and Ninja didn't even cry. We didn't get home until about 11:00pm and going to the ER to get that pea sucked out cost $75, but at least it was out!

So that is how I spent my "relaxing" Saturday evening and night. Boy, I'm ready for a nap now.