My baby is not so much a baby anymore........

And she did it all on her own............

Which of your children would you be willing to do without???

Pelosi: Fewer babies = stronger economy



Charlie Butts and Jody Brown - OneNewsNow - 1/27/2009 6:00:00 AM



Updated 8:45 a.m. Central

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stirred up a hornet's nest by promoting the idea of spending of millions of dollars on birth control and abortion as part of the economic stimulus package.

"Contraception," argued Pelosi, "will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government." Her comments came on ABC's This Week when asked by host George Stephanopoulos how expanding "family-planning services" to the tune of millions of dollars will stimulate the economy. OneNewsNow sought reaction from Susan Fani, director of communications for the Catholic League.



"It's quite shocking, actually, that the Speaker of the House -- who claims to be Catholic -- would go on national television and claim that contraception would reduce the cost to the government," exclaims Fani. "It's just beyond words, really."



Pelosi has five children and six grandchildren. Catholic League president Bill Donohue finds her comments revealing. "We have reached a new low when high-ranking public office holders in the federal government cast children as the enemy," he offers in a press statement. "But at least it explains their enthusiasm for abortion-on-demand." Will the spending on "family-planning services" help dig America out of its economic doldrums? "That's not going to help grow the economy," Fani responds. "It doesn't even make sense as a prospect for helping this country through our economic crisis. So it's wrong on so many different levels, and just shows...a very flawed thought process."

American Life League calls Pelosi's remarks "a betrayal" of her Catholic faith, and the Christian Defense Coalition says it is "unthinkable" that she would try to stimulate the economy by "seeking to reduce the number of children."



America needs to produce 2.1 children per couple to keep up with births to support the population -- and that rate is not being maintained. Economies in Europe have been especially hurt by a drop in birth rates.



Taken from here

The ipod shuffle...

Thanks HM:) You gave me something to waste my time on lol Actually it was kind of funny :)



1. Put your music player of choice on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. Write the song name down.

4. Tag 5 friends.

5. Voila! Enjoy.



IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?"

Strut (like you mean it) LOL Cheetah girls (I have Maddies mp3 ok???)



WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

Right where you want me (???)



WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

Kiss the girl (ROFL)



WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

Groove Tonight



WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

You'll find yourself in you



WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

Got a Message for ya (Nicole C. Mullen)



WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS?

You're the music of my Heart (awwwwwww)



WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

Redeemer (I know my redeemer lives....how true!!!!)



WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

Pure :P (Superchic)



WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

It's On (Jump In! Cd)



WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

One Girl Revolution (Superchic)



WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

Talk about it (Nicole C. Mullen)



WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Supercalafragalisticexpealidocious



HOW WILL YOU DIE?

Graduation



WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?

Some call it Magic (That's So Raven)



WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

You get the Best of Both Worlds (Hannah Montana)



WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?

Vertical



WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?

Praise you in this storm



WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?

Stand in the Rain (Superchic...yikes true!)



DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

Baby Girl



IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

Freedom



WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

Anthem (Superchic)





Join in if you want to!

Events of late from the conspicuous families point of view

From the moment we adopted a black child, we were no longer a "white" family. Although not a black family, but still not the traditional white family. There were many things we had to learn such as skin and hair care...and then as they get older we deal with racism. Sure, Kyle and I have had to deal with racism since the kids were home. We have been shoved off street corners, called names, had my children followed around stores (very OBVIOUSLY), deal with "looks"...some trying to hide their stares and some...well....doing everything they can to make sure we understand they do not approve of our family make up. We are not the only ones who have experienced these type of issues. Lori has blogged about one of hers here. Although, as you can see, none of these has caused us physical harm, it is still more than we would have experienced if our children would of had the same hue as us.

We also have different issues to deal with. While stories such as "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and "The Safe House" are excellent stories, and ones I would not hesitate to read to children that are white..I have hesitated over our time as homeschoolers to read these stories. Not because I don't want them to know, but as soon as they "get it" they lose just a bit more of their innocence. While my 2 youngest could really care less at this time about what color anyone is, Katharine is very aware of her race and her "racial" surroundings. As I started to read these stories it didn't click at first (which was OK with mama) but I will never forget the 1st time we watched the movie Ruby Bridges. She was in 1st grade, just like Katharine at the time. As we watched the movie and watched the horrible things that happened to this little girl as her family fought for their rights...she asked me why she was the only one in her class...and of course I told her as gently as I could. It clicked. I saw her look at her own hands....her own beautiful God given hands....she turned them upside down, and then right side up...and she just looked at me. All I could tell her was that is was not right and not fair. As much as I would love to say this is all in the past, it is not. We still hear racial jokes and comments. Most of the time I think people think its funny to make these jokes and that there is no harm done. On the contrary...when you have the history that blacks in this country have, a joke, no matter how harmless to the white counterpart, is offensive to the black person...or the mother in the said conspicuous family. While at the same time people can say that my children don't have that history as they were adopted from Haiti and it was not their family that was affected...think about it. When we go to wal-mart and the woman follows my daughter around so close behind her back that they could share the same pair of pants...do you think she is looking at her as a foreign born child adopted from afar? No...all she sees is skin color...black....and then lumps all the stereotypes along with it.


.....to be continued ....

Take another look!

Wouldn't you think a business owner would KNOW?

This sign has been up in front of our local cable company for at least 3 days now. I believe it is supposed to say something about "The Big Ten Network" or something to that effect....Wouldn't you think that SOMEONE at the company would notice this issue?

My kids will have to run naked.......

http://www.latimes.com:80/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story

New safety rules for children's clothes have stores in a fit

Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
A Goodwill store in Los Angeles is among those that will be required to pay for private testing for lead and phthalates of all clothing for those under age 13.

Some owners say the cost of testing for toxic lead and phthalates will shut their businesses. The law goes into effect Feb. 10.
By Alana Semuels January 2, 2009

Barring a reprieve, regulations set to take effect next month could force thousands of clothing retailers and thrift stores to throw away trunkloads of children's clothing.

The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger -- including clothing -- be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven't been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.


"They'll all have to go to the landfill," said Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops.

The new regulations take effect Feb. 10 under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which was passed by Congress last year in response to widespread recalls of products that posed a threat to children, including toys made with lead or lead-based paint.

Supporters say the measure is sorely needed. One health advocacy group said it found high levels of lead in dozens of products purchased around the country, including children's jewelry, backpacks and ponchos.


Lead can also be found in buttons or charms on clothing and on appliques that have been added to fabric, said Charles Margulis, communications director for the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland. A child in Minnesota died a few years ago after swallowing a lead charm on his sneaker, he said.

But others say the measure was written too broadly. Among the most vocal critics to emerge in recent weeks are U.S.-based makers of handcrafted toys and handmade clothes, as well as thrift and consignment shops that sell children's clothing.

"We will have to lock our doors and file for bankruptcy," said Shauna Sloan, founder of Salt Lake City-based franchise Kid to Kid, which sells used children's clothing in 75 stores across the country and had planned to open a store in Santa Clara, Calif., this year.

There is the possibility of a partial reprieve. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the law, on Monday will consider exempting clothing and toys made of natural materials such as wool or wood. The commission does not have the authority to change the law but can decide how to interpret it.

But exempting natural materials does not go far enough, said Stephen Lamar, executive vice president of the American Apparel and Footwear Assn. Clothes made of cotton but with dyes or non-cotton yarn, for example, might still have to be tested, as would clothes that are cotton-polyester blends, he said.

"The law introduces an extraordinarily large number of testing requirements for products for which everyone knows there's no lead," he said.

Clothing and thrift trade groups say the law is flawed because it went through Congress too quickly. By deeming that any product not tested for lead content by Feb. 10 be considered hazardous waste, they contend, stores will have to tell customers that clothing they were allowed to sell Feb. 9 became banned overnight.

These groups say the law should be changed so that it applies to products made after Feb. 10, not sold after that date.

That would take action by Congress, however, because the Consumer Product Safety Commission's general counsel has already determined that the law applies retroactively, said commission spokesman Scott Wolfson.

The regulations also apply to new clothing. That won't be a problem for large manufacturers and retailers, industry experts say, but it will be a headache for small operators such as Molly Orr, owner of Molly O Designs in Las Vegas.

Orr has already produced her spring line of children's clothes. She says she can't afford the $50,000 it would cost to have a private lab test her clothing line, so she's trying to sell her inventory at a steep discount before Feb. 10. After that, she is preparing to close her business.

"We have a son with autism, so we are all about cleaning up the toxins that our children are exposed to," she said. "But I think the law needs to be looked at more closely to see how it is affecting the economy in general.

"Thrift store owners say the law stings because children's garments often come in new or nearly new, because children typically outgrow clothing quickly.

Carol Vaporis, owner of Duck Duck Goose Consignment in New Port Richey, Fla., said her store stocks barely used brand-name clothing from places such as Limited Too and Gymboree.

"We really provide a service to the community to help people get clothes for their children they otherwise couldn't afford," she said.

Families have been bringing more clothes to consignment stores, where they get a chunk of the proceeds, to earn a little cash this winter, she said. She plans to contact her congressional representatives and senators to ask them to amend the law but says there's not enough awareness about the repercussions of the law to force anything to change.

Many retailers and thrift stores appear to be unaware that the law is changing. Of half a dozen Southern California children's thrift stores contacted by The Times, only one had heard of the law. Organizations such as Goodwill say they're still investigating how the law will affect them because there is so much confusion about what will be banned.

Cynthia Broockman, who owns two consignment stores and a thrift shop in Virginia, recently stopped accepting children's products for resale. That raised the ire of a man who was trying to sell his son's castoffs there and had not heard of the new rules.

"I think it's not understood by people how sweeping and far-reaching this is," she said. "The ripples that are going to go forth from this are just astonishing."

alana.semuels@latimes.com

Happy Gotcha Day Maddie!

yes, I know today is NOT her real Gotcha Day, but it was the only day close we could celebrate it as a family and we did that today:). Take a look at my baby's picture and tell me if you see anything different....

Do you see the gleam??? The one coming off of her EAR????? My baby has been begging for quite a while to have her ears pierced...and I was so nervous! I should have believed her as she kept saying she was ready...and boy was she! We headed down to The piercing Pagoda today (where Katharine had her ears pierced) and when I saw that they had 2 people available I knew we were good to go :). We picked out her new *pink* ear rings (her birthstone) and she was ready. All day yesterday and today she was asking questions...what does it feel like...does it hurt...what does it sound like....what do they do...do they stick it *in* my ear...and we answered all her questions honestly...without being BRUTALLY honest lol. As soon as the woman said "come on through the door" she was dragging me in! We walked back and she sat on my lap. They had both guns ready to go at the same time....and the women got both of their guns lined up...and then 1, 2, 3! They were in....Maddie jumped a little but NEVER cried! I kept waiting for it to come and it never did :) She was so excited to get them done and so proud to have "big girl ears" that the pain didn't matter. I guess she is a true woman as she embraced with grace the saying "beauty is pain." So true right ladies? lol Here are more pics from our day......

Maddie with big smiles about her ears!

After the ear piercing we headed to IHOP (hello...PANCAKES????) for the Gotcha Day dinner

Maddie decorating her pancakes

It was a rough day for all :)

The time is now....

4:09 PM and I am still not running a fever today...YEAH!!! I did go to our local convenient care center (which I am not a fan of as I have yet to have a decent Dr. there) and I think I finally did ok this time lol. I knew before I went in that I had asthmatic bronchitis...really there is not much they can do except for give me some antibiotics for my sinus infection and then slap me up with some prednisone (YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!)for the lung issue. The sinus infection does not even really bother me (I have chronic sinus infections) but the asthmatic type coughing is out of control (it has not been like this in years!) so much to the point where I have had to sleep sitting up the past couple nights.



At any rate.....I go into the office and its a different Dr than I had seen the last couple times. I told him what was going on and I got my usual rx's of prednisone and whatever round of antibiotics they wish to try :) yeah!!! Now that I have my prednisone I have enough energy to run 10 miles but not even the lung capacity to walk one. I guess I will be doing my usual while I am on these meds....up until 3 am and NO CAFFEINE FOR ME!



*except maybe my cup of coffee in the morning...trust me that would not be a pretty sight!*