We’re having miserable weather here in Wisconsin. Wind storms. Rain. Cold, rainy & windy. It sucks. The barometric pressure is so low that I’ve had a fat migraine all damn day. And I’m PMSing like mad. I came home from work today and crashed on the couch, whimpering from the agony of cramps. Too much information, I know.
So after lounging around with the boys for awhile, I fed them dinner, read stories and put them to bed by 9 p.m. so that I could watch The Good Wife on CBS. I got through the first half hour and the damn power went out with a huge gust of wind. It came back on for two seconds and out it went for 40 minutes. Grrrr. So now I’m waiting not-so-patiently for the episode to be available online. Ugh.
During the power outage, Dawson woke up and padded down the hall to the living room where Doug and I were lighting candles so we could actually see. Truthfully, I was ready to call it a night and head to bed myself, but the Doodlebug wanted to know why the house was so dark and quiet. I’m thinking his night light went out and he panicked. We found his Rocket light that uses battery power and all was right with the world.
Thankfully, Owen was peacefully sleeping in his crib. That baby is so damn cute. Just like his big brother. I look at my boys and wonder if they are really my kids. They are so smart. Owen looks up to Dawson and wants to do everything his big bro does. Dawson was coloring this afternoon and Owen stuck a crayon in his fist and began scribbling on the newspaper. It’s amazing what he picks up by observing others.
Owen & Dawson, Fall 2010
The power is back on and the house is still quiet. I love the few moments I have before bed each night. I like reflecting on the day (even if work sucked today) and wiping the slate clean for tomorrow.
With the economy still in crisis and thousands of Americans out of work, it’s no surprise that our schools are suffering from budget cuts. Our local school district tried to pass a referendum last year to increase their budget so that extra-curricular activities (sports, music, arts) would not be cut as well as to prevent layoffs of several teachers. The referendum failed and schools resorted to familiar methods of bringing in the money: fundraisers, bake sales, and recruiting parent volunteers to fill the voids the layoffs left behind.
Now that Dawson is in kindergarten he is always bringing home newsletters and special notes about all the efforts the school is making to raise money. We’ve sold magazine subscriptions to family and friends. We sold chocolates and gift items. Student fees increased from $20 a year to $35. Just last week my son brought home another fundraiser. Now we’re selling organic produce grown by local farmers. A percentage of money raised will go to the school, and a donation of food as well as money will go to a local church that hosts a Thanksgiving Meal for homeless in our area. Next week I have to make dozens of cupcakes for a bake sale. The fundraisers never end.
Most of the money needed is to keep the fun activities kids can participate in after school, as well as for field trips and other learning needs. It makes me sad that our kids suffer by going without these things. School is for learning, but learning should be fun.
On the flip side, I understand how our community voted against the referendum. There are so many residents who have lost their jobs and are doing their best to make ends meet. They just can’t afford the raise in taxes. As someone who was jobless for 9 months, I know exactly how they feel.
I was very excited to learn that Bing is holding a contest called Our School Needs where students can write an essay telling Bing what their school needs (a science lab? a new art department? classrooms equipped with computers and other technology?). They can work in groups, classes, or even school-wide to write an essay and take pictures finishing the sentence “Our School Needs: ___________.” To enter:
•Write an essay (500 to 800 words)
•Take pictures (3 to 5 photos)
•Film a video (not required, but fun! Maximum of 3 minutes in length)
Who Can EnterAny student or teacher from a K-12 school can enter. While students under 18 are encouraged to create the entry, a parent, legal guardian or a teacher must submit it.
Bing will award a quarter-million dollars, divided among four schools—$50,000 to three first-prize winners, and one $100,000 grand prize. Pretty darn cool, right?
Check out this video:
What are you waiting for? There’s still time to enter! Entries will be accepted until midnight on Sunday, October 24, with voting remaining open until Tuesday, October 26th.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Bing and received a DonorsChoose.org giving code and gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.
An Amazing, Supreme, Ultimate Family Vacation Dream
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I have a confession to make: My family has never been on a “real” vacation. It’s true. Hard to believe, I know.
Of course, we’ve taken weekend trips to Milwaukee for Brewers games and visits to the zoo, but we’ve yet to buy plane tickets and make kennel arrangements for the dog.
With two small children it’s difficult to make travel arrangements that would require vacation time and hotel accommodations. I’m a natural worrier, too. I’m the type of mom who frets over all the things we’d need to take along just to keep the kids occupied during travel time, and the thought of containing my very energetic boys on a plane terrifies me.
All worrying aside, my family’s ultimate vacation would be a Disney Cruise. Since my husband and I never went on a honeymoon (are you sensing a pattern here?) I think a family cruise is the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone.
Doug and I have always wanted to travel to the Bahamas and as luck would have it, this is one of the destinations a Disney Cruise can offer. I can almost imagine the sunshine and warm weather and spending time as a family without worrying about work and school and other household duties.
We’d choose the ship named Disney Magic, which includes a day trip to Disney’s own private island, Castaway Cay. I’ve read that this island is 1,000 acres of gorgeous white sand beaches and that families are treated like royalty. Picture my family walking on the shore, collecting shells, laughing and running and partaking in adventurous things like swimming, snorkeling and Banana Boat rides. Dawson and Owen love anything to do with water and Doug and I would have to drag them to bed at night.
There are tons of activities onboard, too. Disney character visits, Broadway-style live shows, 3D showings of Disney movies, and the youth clubs that offer age-appropriate fun for kids of any age.
My husband would be amazed with the dining choices considering that he’s a foodie. I imagine a buffet as long as the ship and he’d be 20 pounds heavier by the time we got home.
I think my favorite part of the cruise would be the babysitting service offered onboard, giving me time to check out the spa to steal some Mom-time — and the thought of hiring a babysitter in the evening so that my husband and I can check out the nightclubs and lounges on the ship would be the icing on the cake.
A Disney Cruise would be a dream come true; an amazing adventure and opportunity to create family memories that last a lifetime. If money were no option I’d book the trip right now. Alas, I’ll settle for a cruise around the neighborhood with my favorite people. Any time we can spend together is wonderful.
What would your Ultimate Family Vacation be?
Don’t forget to enter the “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, for a chance to win your own ultimate family vacation. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.
Yesterday morning the kids and I followed Doug to work because we wanted to fill our vehicles at the gas station across the street. They have a savings promotion going on and we racked up enough points to get $1.50 off per gallon. You better believe we used that up in a hurry.
After the gas station I took the kids to McDonald’s for breakfast. Dawson wanted pancakes and I can’t make them. They literally turn out rock hard and misshapen. It’s best that I just buy them from the Grease Trap that is McDonald’s (thank you Weight Watchers for keeping me in check, and yes, I still miss French Fries).
We got our food and I agreed to find a seat in Playland. Dawson loves playing the touch video game they have there and I’m all for him being occupied for awhile. Owen and I shared a hashbrown and one pancake and Dawson wolfed his breakfast down so quickly I didn’t see him leave the table. In a flash of lightning gone; playing ping pong on that video game.
An older woman, in her late sixties, was sitting in the Playland area, too. She struck up a conversation with me by commenting on how adorable my boys were. She asked their ages and told me that 5 years apart is good spacing, that her grandsons are around the same ages. I said thank you and smiled and made small talk in return.
And then the conversation turned Politics.
“So, you voting for that Julie Lassa?” she asked.
Julie Lassa is a local politician running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. She wants to take Dave Obey’s place (don’t get me started on how HAPPY I am that Obey is leaving. He knew his days were numbered). Now anyone who knows me knows I’m not a Democrat. I’m not a liberal. I’m conservative and I just happen to be a registered Republican, although I can’t stand most Republicans either.
“No, I’m not a fan of Ms. Lassa,” I replied.
“She’s a murderer. She’s supported by the largest pro-abortion group in this state,” she said.
“Well,” I started. “I wouldn’t call her a murderer, but I am very concerned by her support of abortion rights.”
“Oh, she’s wicked. She will burn in Hell. Tell your friends not to vote for her.”
I nodded. I was enjoying the conversation, but mostly because the expressions on her face were priceless. Looks of complete disgust and fear spread across her face. I studied her closely and I tried to get an idea of her generation’s point of view.
This lady went on about Barack Obama and how she has a winter home in Arizona, and that she and her husband are very angry that our president would sue a state that is doing his dirty work. She was very upset with the amount of illegal immigrants that enter the United States border every day. She told me about the crime and how they live in “in a nice, modest neighborhood” and there are helicopters overhead nightly, with spotlights searching the streets for criminals.
I started to get worried.
“What do you mean, criminals?”
“The Mexicans,” she said. “They are looters and they steal and cheat and take what doesn’t belong to them.”
“Well, I don’t think it’s just Hispanics that commit these crimes,” I told her. “There are plenty of white criminals in this country, too.”
I could tell the conversation was headed in the wrong direction when Dawson asked, “Mom, what’s a looter? Why do the Mexicans steal?”
Now, how the hell was I going to explain that one? I didn’t even think he was listening.
I don’t agree with amnesty for illegal immigrants. The USA can barely support it’s own citizens who are living below poverty. We have no jobs for the thousands of Americans out of work due to this economy. And I don’t care what you tell me, there is no job that an American won’t do. Maybe that was true in years past, but it’s not true anymore.
However, that being said. I don’t agree with such a racist point of view that this woman portrayed either. I felt insulted. To call them “Mexicans” in such a tone of voice that eluded disgust and hatred upset me. And what really troubles me is that Ididn’t know how to respond. This woman was my elder. She was to be treated with respect despite her opinions. She had every right to express herself. Likewise, I had the right to do the same. But I didn’t.
I thought for a moment and then smiled. “You know, I understand that you dislike what’s happening in Arizona. I can’t say I’d be happy to have helicopters flying over my house each night either, but I do know that we can’t help others with hatred in our hearts. We can’t send a message of hate and expect others to listen to us.”
The woman nodded and smiled before she finished her meal and left. I’m still wondering if there was something else I should have said. Instead, I spent the next twenty minutes trying to teach Dawson about tolerance and that it’s not okay to dislike someone based on their race or the way the look. I’m still fumbling with this, too.
Last week we watched The Blindside and in the middle of the movie Dawson asked, “Mom, why are some people white and some people brown?” It took me five minutes to find a way to explain it to him without causing damage to his little mind.
Let me explain. I grew up in a town of mostly white people. It wasn’t until junior high that I made friends with Anna, who is black. Prior to meeting Anna, I was taught by teachers, and elders, maybe even my parents, to ignore race. “Don’t acknowledge it, you might make them uncomfortable.” I didn’t understand it. This advice didn’t make sense to me when I was a kid. It’s not like we don’t know what color our own skin is. Children are not stupid. I think people were afraid to talk about race because they didn’t know how. I think we are still afraid to discuss it now.
As I grew older I learned to love people for who they are. I learned to embrace our differences, and to appreciate our many talents that have nothing do with race, creed, religion or social status. But I can’t just sit back an hope my kids will figure things out on their own. I’m a mother. I’m supposed to know this stuff and yet I struggle with how to teach this to my kids. Dawson is very impressionable. I don’t want him to grow up with the same hush-hush mentality that I did.
So how do I do this? Aside from saying, “Well, God made us all different because if we were all the same life would be boring” — what is the right way to talk about race and cultural diversity so that children can appreciate our differences and not devalue them? I want to shape my kids attitudes in a healthy way and I want to know your thoughts.
Dana began her Mom career in 2004 with the birth of her first son, Dawson, aka The Doodlebug, and little brother, Owen, was born in 2009. She spends her days putting out fires, climbing mountains and chasing monsters. More About Dana.
Contact: thedanafilesblog [at] gmail [dot] com RSS Feed
