BOORACK THE VOTE

A PUMPKIN WE CAN BELIEVE IN

On the Lighter Side

I'm taking this from my best friend's blog. All one word answers...here we go!

1. Where is you cell phone...here
2. Where is your significant other... school
3. Your hair color... contemplating
4. Your mother... help
5. Your father... goof
6. Your favorite thing... hugs
7. Your dream last night... Kazor!
8. Your dream goal... chef
9. Room you're in... office
10. Your hobby... blogging
11. Your fear... winter
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years...here
13. Where were you last night... couch
14. What you're not... rich
15. One of your wish-list items... boots
16. Where you grew up... Illinois
17. The last thing you ate...doritos
18. What are you wearing... casual
19. Your TV... off
20. Your pet... soon
21. Your computer... lifeline
22. Your mood... good
23. Missing someone... always
24. Your car... embarrassing
25. Something you"re not wearing...nailpolish
26. Favorite store... Trader Joe's
27. Your summer... travel
28. Love someone...lots
29. Your favorite color... green
30. Last time you laughed... today
31. Last time you cried... today

To all the Joe the Plumbers out there

Dear Joe the Plumber,

I've been thinking a lot about you since the debate last Wednesday and ever since I saw you on Good Morning America. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeX3zfvIwAA) You seem like a very nice man, and I admired that you did not say who you were voting for and chose not become a McCain (or Obama maybe) spokesperson. You cleared things up a bit, too, and let the world know that, in fact, you do not make $250,000.00 a year. Your question to Obama at a rally was hypothetical, something along the lines of "If I were to start my own business and start making over that much, would I then have to pay more in taxes?" Fair enough.

What I've been thinking about most is your argument against having to pay more taxes. Your position, and that of many Republicans, is that you should not be penalized for being successful. Diane Sawyer asks if you feel the same about the very rich, those who make millions and can clearly afford to pay more in taxes. You said that these people, too, should not be penalized. I guess one of my problems is the word penalized. I mean, is paying taxes really a punishment? We pay taxes on a lot of things, and I never thought of it as a punishment. Annoying? Sure. Expensive? Sometimes. But punishment?

Everybody, or most everybody, pays taxes, right? It's just a necessary part of being an adult, right? So what would you suggest, Joe the Plumber, we do? Pay no taxes? That hardly seems doable. Should everybody pay the same amount? And what amount is that? What if we took the bulk amount of what the US takes in in taxes and divided it by the number of families in the United States and charged everyone that same amount? I wonder how that would go over? Probably pretty well, actually, since those with money would love it and those without money do not have a voice to say anything. They're always the losers, aren't they?

The way I see it, those with a lot of money should absolutely have to pay more in taxes. Certainly nobody should have to pay so much that they lose a business or go bankrupt, but is it fair that those making a ton of money are getting tax breaks while those in the middle/lower class are not? I just don't see how people that make three times or more in a year than most average families justify not wanting to pay more in taxes. Joe the Plumber said that he works hard, long days. Don't a lot of people work hard, long days and make barely enough to stay afloat? I keep hearing McCain talk about how proud he is of his supporters, how they are good, decent citizens - the salt of the earth! And many of them are. (Some of them are my close family!) But if you're really good and decent, do you complain about paying more in taxes if you know it's good for the country, takes the burden off those less fortunate, and you can easily afford it? That just seems wrong to me.

A family making $250,000.00 a year is doing pretty well, aren't they? They are going out to eat 2 times a week or more. They are taking family vacations. They go to Starbucks and don't blink an eye a their $5 latte. When the want something, they buy it. Sure, these are generalizations and not all these families live extravagant lifestyles, but they certainly sleep okay at night. (At least they did before the recent financial crisis.) So why should they make a big fuss at paying a bit more in taxes and helping out those families who do not have that peace of mind at night? Our tax dollars go to government funded programs meant to help people. Yes, some of these programs are flawed. And, yes, some of our tax dollars are misspent. But some aren't and our tax dollars go to programs that absolutely need to be funded. (Programs for education come to mind...)


I suppose the tax question represents a fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans and goes along with the idea of smaller government. Smaller government is a GREAT idea...in theory. But the reality is that smaller government is just not enough sometimes. There are far too many people in the US and certainly far too many who are disenfranchised. We need good people in Washington working to do good things for EVERYBODY, not just those with money. Money = power. Those with it, have it. Those without it, have to fight hard for it.

Now, I'm not saying that Obama is a knight in shining armor who will swoop in and save the country. And I'm not saying that McCain is not a good man. And I'm certainly not naive enough to believe that the president has all that much power, either. But I do believe that Obama, as president, will do more than the other guy to bring this country together and stand up for those who have smaller voices. After all, helping those people is how Obama got his start, working with lower income families to organize and make their voices heard. Making sure these Americans do not have higher taxes, adding to their already heavy burden, is just one way to help.

Good luck climbing higher on the plumber rungs, Joe the Plumber. I do hope you become as successful as you'd like to be. And once you're there, I hope you remember those around you who have not been so fortunate.

Warm regards,
Michelle

P.S. Will wanted me to add that Warren Buffet, the world's second richest man, has said that he pays less in taxes now than he ever has before. Warren Buffet also supports Obama.

Our Pumpkin-less Day at the Pumpkin Farm

Below, you'll see some pictures of our recent trip to Sonny Acres, the pumpkin farm I've been going to since I was old enough to remember pumpkins. Last year, Ethan was only 4 months old when we went, so it was more fun this year now that he's walking around. It was also fun to be with my parents, who, obviously, were the ones who used to take me. My mom hadn't been there in years, though, and she was amazed at how much it had changed. She said that when we used to go, there were pumpkins, hay rides, the big shop, and a pony ride. Now, there are still those four things but also a dozen carnival rides, vendors everywhere, and ticket booths. The ticket booths are of course necessary in order to have a place buy tickets. And what do you need tickets for, you ask? Everything! Will paid $2 to go down a giant slide with Ethan. And, actually, they tried to charge him $3 because going with an adult costs one more ticket (though that was not on the sign), but he indicated that he was out of tickets and they let him go. Seriously? Three dollars to go down a slide? I can almost get a Starbucks coffee for that! It saddens me to see that a simple farm that I looked forward to going to as a child has turned completely into a profit making machine. Not that I really blame the owners, who I'm sure are simply trying to keep up with other farms, some of which even charge an admissions fee on top of tickets. Sonny Acres, for the time being at least, does not charge an admissions fee. Luckily, Ethan's young enough now that we did not have to take him on a lot of rides. He went down the slide, on a train with grandpa, and in a little play area. That was $7 worth of fun right there, so I can't imagine what the families with multiple children were paying, especially if they were buying their kids any of the highly nutricious snacks like elephant ears or butter with corn!

Maybe I'm extra sensitive now because we're living on a pretty tight budget, but I just remember loving Sonny Acres simply because I could climb on what seemed like a mountain of pumkins to pick the most perfect one. (The mountain doesn't exist anymore, most likely for fear of litigation from the parents of a clumsy child.) Last Saturday, we didn't even pick out a pumpkin because the price was so ridiculous, we knew we could get two or three from Jewel for less. So our odyssey to the pumpkin farm ended, and we departed without the traditional fall pumpkin we had set out to find.

I realize that silly spending money for traditional outtings is necessary at times when you have kids, and looking at the pictures I remember the fun we did have. But I hope to be the kind of mom who finds creative, fun, and FREE things to do with their kids. I think I already am that mom, in fact. Last week, on a brisk day, Ethan and I drove over to the grounds of the McDonalds corporation, which is close to us (just in Oak Brook), free to get into, and has a ton of trails to walk. With the fall colors just emerging, this was a great outting for my curious little boy. We had a great time. My sister and I have found out about all the free museum days coming up and marked them on our calendars. We've already been to the Museum of Science and Industry on one of our "Culture Days," as we like to call them. It is not always easy to find free or inexpensive activities around here, but it's certainly not impossible either. I know that getting out of the house is important for my sanity, so I've just learned to be a bit more creative in how we choose to spend our time and shake things up a bit. Any suggestions are welcome.

The four above are from our walk in the McDonald's Headquarter's grounds. Do you see the crane in the last picture? Pretty cool.

Here's Ethan eating one of the last of the cookies we made.

I guess this face makes it all worth it, huh?

Recipe for a Great Day

1. Preheat day to between 55-60 degrees. Brisk, yes, but sunny.

2. Add in some outside time in the driveway with sidewalk chalk.

3. On a clean, dry surface, mash some new playdough and make fun shapes. Do your best not to eat the dough.

4. Next, bake some Nestle Toll House cookies. Be sure to turn the mixer on high right when you put the flour mixture in bowl.

5. Sprinkle in a nice, long nap and dream sweet dreams.

6. Fold in more outside time and ball playing.

7. Add more playdough to the mixture and let rise.

8. Finally, incorporate a dash of crayons.

9. Place entire day in memory bank and cook until imprinted in heart.

10. Enjoy.

I'm Still Here!

I've taken a bit of a hiatus from blogging lately. The bottom line is that Ethan stopped taking two naps so much of my free time during the day, for now, is lost. Until his one nap extends a little longer, it will be difficult to find the time to blog. The little time I do have these days is spent cleaning up all the messes my boys make. But here are some life highlights in pictures:

The story behind these first two pictures is that I had just said to Will, "Well, I think Ethan's getting out of his Pat the Bunny phase. No sooner had I said this then Ethan beelined it for his room and emerged triumphantly carrying the book. He's so smart! Then, of course, we had to read it 47 times.

A couple days before Will's sister's wedding, I had to try Ethan's suit on. Doesn't he look dapper?
Here are Chris and Laura at their rehearsal dinner.
Will and I pose for a picture in the bowling alley. The rehearsal dinner was held at Pinstripes, a Bowling and Bocce Bistro. It was such a fun venue!


Here's me and Courtney. I think she just said, "Yes, in fact, you are the best bowler, Michelle."
Here's Ethan with cousin Sarah Craft. And, yes, he does have his hand down her dress, it seems. Yikes!

The happy couple at their sweetheart table.

Here are Chris and Laura during their first dance...pictures are dark, sorry!

Lisa and Brian really took advantage of a rare night out and danced with us a lot.

Will and I literally danced all night. My feet hurt, but we had a blast!

Me and my mom, who I was so grateful to for watching Ethan from 1pm on Friday through the wedding on Saturday. Ethan was such a good boy for her, so that's good.

Chris and Laura share another dance later in the night.

On the dance floor still! This is at our house the next day. We had Bill, Betsy, and Grandma Meuer (all 101 years of her!) over for dinner. It was a lot of fun.

Now it's back to real life, which is just fine with me. The weather continues to awe us all, getting into the 80's all week. Truth be told, though, I'm ready for some typical fall weather. I love brisk fall weather, as long as it's not too cold and the sun is still shining. I'm looking forward to walks and playtime at the park when the weather is not so warm.

Am I a sexist?

So...politics have consumed many of my thoughts lately an peppered many conversations of late as well. My best friend and I speak almost daily about the presidential campaign, and our conversations are deeply satisfying, too, since we feel the same way about almost everything. (We're so smart, aren't we bud?) Much of our convos lately have been about McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin. Last Friday, as soon as I saw the news online that McCain had chosen his VP, I looked her up and started reading up on her. A lot of it sounded good (which made me nervous, of course), but then I reread a line of her bio: "five children, the youngest born in April." Back up. Wait a minute. April? Let's see, that would make that child four months old! A woman with four other kids and a four month old (with special needs, no less) actually wants to be Vice President of the United States? I'm sorry. But that really bothers me.

And I'm trying to be fair about it, I really am. As I told my mom, I'd like to think my feelings are bipartisan and that if a Obama had picked a Palinesque running mate I'd feel the same way. And I really think I would. The problem is, I would not be nearly as hard on a male candidate with an infant and four other children. Clearly, a male candidate would not get to spend as much time with those children just like a female. So why am I being so hard on Palin about it as a woman?

It's difficult to explain, I guess. Obviously, gender roles in our society play a huge part of my feelings. Women are the traditional caretakers of children, after all, and those stereotypes are hard to get over. But I also think my new role as mother is playing into my feelings. I see what I am doing as so important and wonder why Palin would give that up for such a time consuming job. Bear in mind I am certainly not saying that mothers should not work, but I cannot imagine working the hours Palin will as VP with an infant or other young children at home and being able to balance well. Women are capable of amazing things, no doubt, but let's be realistic. She is not going to take her baby (or other children) with her on trips to Georgia or the Middle East, is she? And her trying to be Supermom and Vice President just to prove she can do it (but I dont' think she, or anyone, can) seems very unfair to me. Her older daughter, the pregnant one, is already suffering with the media storm that has hit.

And I guess it makes me really angry that she's running on this conservative, family values ticket. What about taking a HUGE job with a special needs infant screams family values?

And as long as I'm ranting, why is it that every conservative Republican is using her Downs Syndrome baby to say how wonderful Palin is because she chose not to abort her child? Come on! Just because you're pro-choice doesn't mean you would always choose abortion! Pro-choice does not equal pro-abortion, and to insinuate that all or most pro-choicers would have chosen to abort a child with DS is just plain ridiculous...and insulting.

I don't love that I feel this way. I know it's a sexist opinion, and I really hope (if elected - grrrr) she proves me wrong.

Off to watch her speech...