President Obama's Speech to Students

Tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday) President Obama is going to be giving a speech to the school children of our country. He is taking time from his packed schedule to address an issue he obviously holds in high priority - the future of our children and their education.

Being a teacher, I admire him and his approach toward the "root" of many problems in our country - our school system. And I love that he is speaking straight to the children to motivate and inspire them to make a difference.

But apparently I'm a radical, left-wing crazy person. Several schools (actually MOST schools) in our area are refusing to show this speech or giving parents the option to not allow their children to watch. I could understand this stance if it were regarding a sex-education video or a controversial campaign by PETA or some other "special-interest group". But this man is the PRESIDENT of our COUNTRY. Not a radical. Our President. I don't care who you voted for or what your political views are. He is OUR President and as such deserves our respect.

What message does that give our students, OUR CHILDREN, the future leaders of our country if our schools are refusing to show a speech by our President? How do we expect to teach children to make a difference or work hard for something we believe in if we refuse to show them someone who is doing so? Just because someone or something is different, does not mean it is bad.

Further, what do the directors of these schools think President Obama is going to say? Is he going to rally the children of our country to rebel against all morality and values of their "forefathers"? Will he spread some bizarre culture that could in some way hinder the progress of our nation? Hardly. He wants to help children broaden their horizons and work harder to make a positive change in their lives, a change that obviously needs to happen since their leaders are too closed-minded to embrace it.

If you have school-aged children, or know some, and they didn't get to see the speech, click here to find it. Or if you're interested in becoming inspired yourself, feel free to do so. I don't remember a President addressing ME as a school child, so I think these kids are pretty lucky that he cares so much to speak to them directly. Here's an excerpt of the transcript that I found amusing and inspiring all at once:

...Today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

Good advice for us ALL. (For a full transcript, click here.)

Hallelujah!

Today was a happy beautiful day because Ella slept from 10 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. Wow. I now remember what sleep feels like! Yay!

Alien Baby

I've been taking footprints of Ella every month, and up until now she was pretty calm so I could use acrylic paints and wipe them off before a disaster happened. But now she's more stubborn and active, so I decided to use purple ink. Turns out it was a bigger disaster than paint because the ink WILL NOT come off! I've tried soap, hydrogen peroxide, and rubbing alcohol. As you can see, she's thrilled. Hopefully she won't have some foot disease later in life and blame it all on me!

3 Months!

We had a fun photo shoot on Ella's 3 month "birthday". I am amazed at her facial expressions, her giggles, and her darling personality. My world is a happier, sillier, crazier, BETTER place because of her. What a wonderful 3 months it has been!

The Queen of Clumsy

I have pieces of Wal-Mart in me.

Yesterday I had a quick stop to make at the Wal-Mart, so I pulled in, grabbed the baby, and hustled to the cart corral to pop her carseat on the cart. But just before I reached the cart, my shoe caught the metal bar that stops the carts from rolling out and I found myself completely sprawled flat on the parking lot. To make matters worse, I was in a skirt that I'm sure was over my head. But what I was most worried about was Ella. She had been sleeping and the 3 foot drop she just took scared her to death. She was screaming, I was bleeding, and no one came to help. Not a soul. You and I both know that there are always people in the Wal-Mart parking lot, but at that moment they all sort of disappeared. Thank goodness for carseats because Ella landed right-side-up and is just fine, but as you can see I'm all scraped up... again.

I hate these kind of boo boos because you have to SCRUB and PEROXIDE the open wound or else you are stuck with that black stuff under your skin forever. I've given birth with no painkillers. I've cut the end of my finger off with a rotary cutter. I've broken my foot in four places. And THIS is a pain I absolutely cannot handle. I can't get myself to do it. So I think I'm stuck with some Wal-Mart becoming part of me. I think that's how Sam Walton wanted it - a little Wal-Mart in everyone.

Spontaneity

We have been so busy that I haven't had the chance to post about one of the FUNNEST (yes I know it's not a word) weekends I've had in a while. Last Saturday Ella and I were settling in for a lame evening of bread making and Oprah re-runs on the TiVo, when I got a phone call from my friend Caity. First - it was odd that she called my house phone. I don't even know that number. Second - it was odd that after our usual pleasantries she informed me that she and her husband were kidnapping my husband to Wendover and if I ever hoped to see him again I should probably come too. So, though I was elbow deep in yeast and flour, I fed the baby and packed up for the adventure of my life! It may or may not have happened that way...

Since Caity is an Uber-cool blogger, go to her blog to read about the adventures we had. There is no way I could describe it any better.

The Wonderful Wendover Adventure

And for some extra laughs, click here.

photo cred and blog cred - Caity

GIrls' Night

Wow. I was so excited for last night. I REALLY needed a break. I met my friends Caity, Brenda, Jessica, and Holli for dinner at Paradise Bakery, then we went to see a movie with Alana and Annie. It was so nice to get out of the house and have a reason again to do my hair and makeup. And the best part was that I didn't think about the baby once. Okay, maybe once... or twice. But thanks to my buddies for helping me feel a little bit more like myself again! I love you!