i think 2017 is gonna be good. chill, if you will.
i've become so much more at peace this year after the trauma of 2015. i actually rocked ollie to sleep in tears last night, thinking of how hard i've come since his birth and how happy i am that he's mine. i am so grateful for my little family.
in this post, i outlined my goals for 2016. i can't believe i'm saying this, but i accomplished all of my goals. maybe they were too easy but i feel so happy that 2016 was so much better than 2015.
in 2016, i:
-lost 25 lbs
-had either a real date, or a "stay-date" each week with brad
-bought a house, and started making it over
-met several new people, through friends or through church, and reconnected with old friends
-got rid of a lot of clothes, bought new clothes, started wearing actual makeup, got 6 inches of hair cut off, and started doing my hair more.
-got out and about with my kids nearly every day
-did whole30 twice and kept most of the habits for our cooking and snacking
-started keeping the house cleaner with a planned out cleaning schedule
-got some side-hustle writing work
life is pretty good here. despite the sucky summer of the broken arms, (and the whole bizarre election situation...what??!) we've been pretty down with 2106. the kids are more work than they've ever been but we're in a good place.
i've never been big on resolutions but since last year's went so well, i think i may try some more.
so far, in 2017, i've decluttered, organized, and cleaned the house, lost all of the weight i gained over thanksgiving/christmas, taken down the christmas decorations, and got my first manicure and pedicure in MONTHS.
in 2017, i hope to:
-continue eating clean
-exercise regularly (cliche, overdone, yadda yadda yadda)
-read my scriptures more
-find constructive ways to direct bea's energetic, "spirited" behavior
-bulk up our rainy day/contingency fund
-continue my house-cleaning regimen
-practice piano more, and regain my previous skills
-change the floors in the house
-start the process of finishing our basement
it's an ambitious list, but i think we can do it!
right now i'm spending the last of the holiday weekend just how i like to, with my annual twilight zone marathon on SyFy. tomorrow real life starts again after brad's long vacation, but we've got a fun january planned, to be topped off with (finally) our trip to disneyland for bea's birthday. i think we'll even survive 2017's winter ok.
i'm optimistic. it's the first time we've lived someplace more than a year in YEARS and i haven't felt this settled in in a long time.
i love living next to our parents and i love living close to my sister. the last time i was settled like this was the first time we lived in connecticut when we lived close to my parents and sister, so the familiarity of that situation helps a lot with keeping me grounded.
i am excited to see what bea learns this year in school and in primary (what?!), and the year also started with ollie going to nursery, which is awesome.
this year is going to be fun.
Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts
Monday, January 2, 2017
Monday, October 17, 2016
A Conservative Mormon's Case for Hillary
I've had a lot of people reach out to me, publicly and privately from this Facebook post I posted yesterday:
I have been researching Hillary pretty intensely the past few weeks, mostly because I believe she will be the next president, and I truly want to see if she deserves my vote. I feel like a lot of people have come to similar conclusions; several people have expressed it to me privately to avoid making waves with loved ones who feel differently. I have done my best to remain unemotional in such a charged election (mostly because I do not feel much affinity toward either candidate). I feel like a lot of people genuinely want to know who to vote for and have wracked their brains, and still remain completely at a loss. I felt it would be helpful to my friends who are still undecided to share my journey to voting for Hillary, and share my research sources, since I've lately done a lot of digging. I feel like I've found articles from publications of many different biases and leanings, and some that are strictly fact checking only. Am I super thrilled to be voting for Hillary? Not especially. She doesn't embody all of the issues I would like. But I am a fervent member of the #NeverTrump movement, and I need to know my options. I'll mainly address my findings on moral issues, conservatives' constitutional concerns, the economy, abortion, and character claims, on why I've gone from deciding to simply not vote and despairing, to consciously choosing Hillary over Trump. I hope those of you who need help deciding will find my sources useful. So, here we go:
THE MORALS ISSUE
Morally, we as Americans feel backed into a corner. Neither candidate feels remotely moral, so the “I think he/she is a good person” argument has essentially been taken off the table for many people, which has drawn many of us to candidates’ past histories. But for the even more astute, those who remain truly and genuinely undecided, it comes down to policy, something that has seemed to fall onto the back burner this election, with the emotional fervor that’s been so prevalent.
This elections' voters, while probably the most dismayed, are perhaps among the most informed in a long time, simply because research is the best hope we have of making a decent choice, since basic character can't fully be relied upon.
THE CONSTITUTION, ISSUE #1
Most Mormon Trump supporters' concerns with Hillary revolve around the Constitution. I have to admit, I have heard many worries from far-right conservatives that Hillary poses an enormous threat to the Constitution, but when I pressed to find out exactly how, I wasn’t able to find many answers from any of them. They would simply leave it at "She will destroy the Constituion!" After a little more prodding, it seems that the sensibility is a growing panic over globalism, which many view as contradictory to the Constitution (I disagree and will address this later). The view by ardent conservatives and Trump supporters seems to be this:
It seems this is more of a hot-button topic for conservatives and is the main reason for why they want Hillary out of office at all costs. They believe she will be able to accomplish this largely because of the supreme court justices she will have power to appoint, and that her legacy will continue for generations because of those justices. They favor Trump in this instance, convinced that his closing of borders and isolating ourselves from the rest of the world would keep our country and our people safer, and his justice choices will do the same.
I feel like this is dangerous rhetoric. Not only as an American but as a Mormon. The last time America was so firmly isolationist was during WWII, a part of our country’s history that I am perhaps most ashamed of. We knew of the suffering and genocide of the Jews and other groups from persecution at the hands of Hitler, yet we refused to actively join the Allies until very late in the game, and turned away tens of thousands of Jews seeking refuge back to death and torture in the hands of the Axis. We literally sent their ships full of refugees back to Europe upon their arrival in our waters. We are seeing history repeat itself right before our eyes, and, half of America would have us continue down the same path, angrily and hatefully dismissing and rejecting Muslims out of fear, as we did the Jews not so long ago.
This elections' voters, while probably the most dismayed, are perhaps among the most informed in a long time, simply because research is the best hope we have of making a decent choice, since basic character can't fully be relied upon.
Let’s focus on policy. Never in the history of America have we needed to be so focused on policy. There has never been such a large pool of undecided voters this late in the game. We can't focus on who we like more because we strongly dislike them equally. There's no party bias because both parties are equally exposed as "corrupt". As likability and party lines dissolve, is the only thing we have left simply policy? Is this America's first moment after years of polarization to focus solely on policy? This is how my feelings have been, personally, so far.
THE CONSTITUTION, ISSUE #1
Most Mormon Trump supporters' concerns with Hillary revolve around the Constitution. I have to admit, I have heard many worries from far-right conservatives that Hillary poses an enormous threat to the Constitution, but when I pressed to find out exactly how, I wasn’t able to find many answers from any of them. They would simply leave it at "She will destroy the Constituion!" After a little more prodding, it seems that the sensibility is a growing panic over globalism, which many view as contradictory to the Constitution (I disagree and will address this later). The view by ardent conservatives and Trump supporters seems to be this:
- When people say “ globalist", they are referring to those who would give preference and precedence to global laws and decision making over our own Constitution. If you look at the history of it, it started with the father of progressivism, Woodrow Wilson and the League of Nations, followed by the United Nations. So virtually, to Trump supporters or far right conservatives, all people that label themselves as “ progressives” are lumped in as globalists. That is why many conservatives believe Obama has focused so much on saying that there is nothing "special or unique" about America and its tenets. It is widely viewed by conservatives that progressives believe we are just another one of many nations and our Constitution is no better than others, despite the fact that ours is the basis for virtually every constitution and rule of law in the free world. So essentially there are two polar opposites: the globalists, which umbrella over progressives such as Hillary; and isolationists, which umbrella over conservatives such as Trump. (However, I firmly believe that Hillary genuinely believes America’s constitution was divinely inspired, while I firmly believe Obama does not).
It seems this is more of a hot-button topic for conservatives and is the main reason for why they want Hillary out of office at all costs. They believe she will be able to accomplish this largely because of the supreme court justices she will have power to appoint, and that her legacy will continue for generations because of those justices. They favor Trump in this instance, convinced that his closing of borders and isolating ourselves from the rest of the world would keep our country and our people safer, and his justice choices will do the same.
I feel like this is dangerous rhetoric. Not only as an American but as a Mormon. The last time America was so firmly isolationist was during WWII, a part of our country’s history that I am perhaps most ashamed of. We knew of the suffering and genocide of the Jews and other groups from persecution at the hands of Hitler, yet we refused to actively join the Allies until very late in the game, and turned away tens of thousands of Jews seeking refuge back to death and torture in the hands of the Axis. We literally sent their ships full of refugees back to Europe upon their arrival in our waters. We are seeing history repeat itself right before our eyes, and, half of America would have us continue down the same path, angrily and hatefully dismissing and rejecting Muslims out of fear, as we did the Jews not so long ago.
A lot of conservatives would argue that Muslims today pose a serious threat, while Jews were not seen as a threat by the Europeans, and therefore Trump is justified in his fear mongering. This is simply not true. Yes, jihadists are a serious threat and should not be taken lightly, but the widespread hatred, fear, and persecution of the general Muslim community is reprehensible. If you are familiar with history of the Holocaust, you’ll remember that Jews were perceived as an enormous threat to Europe at the time, with stereotypes of Jews with “dangerous ideaologies” and “plagues to honest merchants” among other things. Europe feared a Jewish takeover and hysteria ensued with disastrous results (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/09/02/europes-current-anti-migrant-rhetoric-carries-echoes-of-1930s-anti-semitism/). The similarities we see from Trump and his followers today are incredibly unsettling.
Haven’t we been admonished by the Savior to “clothe the naked and feed the hungry”? Or when we see others as strangers, we “take them in?” (Matthew 25:34-46). On top of this, we as Mormons have been DIRECTLY admonished by the auxiliary leaders of the church in General Conference to serve refugees through the “I Was a Stranger” initiatives and Church Humanitarian Services.
I find it hard to grapple with Mormons who support Trump’s radical notions of isolationism when doing so has led to so many horrors in the past. They worry so much about our borders that they forget the will of Christ. Hillary’s policies allow refugees into our country for us to serve and succor. Let’s not forget, that of roughly 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, the percent of Muslims who are jihadists are a "tiny fraction of one percent” (http://www.factcheck.org/2016/03/trumps-false-muslim-claim/). Let us also not forget, Hillary is intent on vetting refugees before they enter our country, she has said so herself (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-u-s-should-take-65000-syrian-refugees/).
I find it hard to grapple with Mormons who support Trump’s radical notions of isolationism when doing so has led to so many horrors in the past. They worry so much about our borders that they forget the will of Christ. Hillary’s policies allow refugees into our country for us to serve and succor. Let’s not forget, that of roughly 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, the percent of Muslims who are jihadists are a "tiny fraction of one percent” (http://www.factcheck.org/2016/03/trumps-false-muslim-claim/). Let us also not forget, Hillary is intent on vetting refugees before they enter our country, she has said so herself (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-u-s-should-take-65000-syrian-refugees/).
So, ultimately, for me on the argument of the Constitution and globalization vs isolation, POINT HILLARY, HILLARY 1, TRUMP 0.
Far right Mormon conservatives and Trump supporters have also mentioned fears of the prophecies of the constitution "hanging by a thread” (https://www.lds.org/ensign/1976/06/i-have-a-question?lang=eng), although it has never been written canonically, but was mentioned in conversations and discussions with early Church leaders. But when Anti-Hillary/Pro-Trump supporters consider this notion, they seem to only think about their fear of globalization and Supreme Court justices. I have to wonder, do they REALLY think that's what God and the prophets were worried about? Is that what the people in the Book of Mormon are worried about? I would have to disagree. The prophets, the people of the scriptures (particularly the Book of Mormon, as illustrated in the Title of Liberty https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/title-of-liberty?lang=eng), our founding fathers, and ultimately our Constitution, are built and united upon one important thread. Religious freedom. Thisis the "Constitutional Thread" they were likely talking about in the Latter-Days. Not globalization or Supreme Court justices. And is Hillary the antagonist of religious freedom in this election? Again, I would have to say no. That blatantly remains with Trump. I feel that Mormons in his favor are only blind to it because for once we are not the ones being persecuted, and have been very privy to he constantly rising anti-Muslim panic. Trump’s radical religious oppression is starting with Muslims, but what a slippery slope! He is advocating plastering a figurative "star of David" patch on all Muslims with his plans to have all Muslims “register in a database” (http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/11/20/donald-trump-says-hed-absolutely-require-muslims-to-register/?_r=0). Let us not forget the horrors this logic has brought the modern world. Once that legislation of discrimination is in place, it's in place. And you know who is behind it most ardently? The GOP. Maybe, as much as we begrudgingly will admit it, Hillary's Supreme Court judges may be more supportive of religious liberty than those chosen by the GOP? We as conservatives may think they are crazy in most regards, but one thing they shout from the rooftops is tolerance, even though their definition of it is sometimes misguided. Better to have it there than not at all. Maybe we should rally behind that. Maybe they will truly make good on their promises to uphold religious freedom and tolerance without forcing everyone to homogenize. I know we've had issues with liberals in the past on religious with Prop 8 and things of that nature, but Trump’s policies on religious prejudice and discrimination are far more radical and frightening, and more contradictory to the very foundation of the Constitution. Say what you will about Hillary but she is a strong fighter for religious freedom and tolerance.
Her campaign has recently come under fire from leaked emails which said a lot of shady things about Catholics and Evangelicals that are pretty deplorable. Her machine is definitely hellbent on calling certain religions “backwards.” Yet from those emails, you find nothing derogatory about Christians coming from her mouth, as we hear endless hatred pouring from Trump’s. Her latest quote that people are running with, now that the emails have been leaked and religion is a hot topic for her, is from the 2015 Women in the World summit: "deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed”. This quote initially troubled me until I researched and found it is enormously taken out of context. It sounds like she is saying religious beliefs need to be changed, but she is speaking about cultural codes and structural biases. The entire quote can be found here:
She is essentially saying how women need a voice in every sphere, from religion to education, to healthcare. I believe this is in line with my religious beliefs. As a Mormon, we know that women are absolutely vital to the organization and administration of the Church. I don’t believe she means that religions should change their doctrine to fall in line with her “New World Order”, especially when that line is read in context. I feel like she, like myself, believes that world religions should always take into account the feelings of women, and to those who take religion to extremes by excluding or violently oppressing women should consider the actual teachings of their religion and whether they are giving them their proper due.
Furthermore, virtually most everything on record that Hillary herself has actually said has been in favor of religious freedom. Another article from the Deseret News posted this weekend also emphasizes this: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865664936/Kem-Gardner-Why-Mormons-should-support-Hillary.html?pg=all .
In their recent townhall debate, Hillary brings up religious freedom a number of times, stating that our country is indeed founded upon religious freedom. (Transcript here: http://fortune.com/2016/10/09/presidential-debate-read-transcript-donald-trump-hillary-clinton/).
Here is another rather unbiased article about her stance on religious freedom: http://www.advocate.com/election/2016/8/11/hillary-clinton-tells-mormons-shell-defend-religious-freedom
I know a lot of people will still stand by the leaked emails from her campaign and I can’t fault them for that. They were pretty nasty. They believe because of this she is vehemently agains religious freedom. But I’m going to take her at her own word, what comes out of her mouth, directly to the American people. Not what her machine says to each other in snarky emails.
Trump, if permitted, would COMPLETELY erase religious freedom at its heart, and currently ceaselessly spouts that rationale directly from his mouth for the world to hear; with his blatant "othering" of the Muslim community, he has millions of the American people and leaders of the GOP behind him. It's truly, truly frightening. Can you imagine how Mormons would feel if Trump was treating us the way he is treating Muslims? Wanting us to "register" in a database and keep tabs on us? Not letting us into the country? Send us back to unsafe places to be slaughtered instead of welcomed and given refuge? It's not right. If Mormons would just stop and think about that I wonder if they would still stick with him. I’m not trying to be dramatic here or a panicked follower of Godwin’s Law (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law), but it very objectively looks exactly like Hitler did with the Jews. And you know what? Hitler got ELECTED, just as the American people are so close to electing Trump. Granted, if Trump does get elected there would definitely be some pushback from the House and Senate for all of his attacks on religious freedom, but the scary part is, I'm almost positive there wouldn't be any pushback from the GOP. This truly terrifies me.
Are we witnessing a radical shift as to which parties most support and uphold religious freedom and embody our ideals? Do we need to rearrange our bias? Do we need to fundamentally dissolve our American bipartisan party system as we know it and start over completely? This election has raised all of these questions for me.
So, in the name of religious freedom and as a Latter-day Saint, ANOTHER POINT HILLARY. HILLARY 2 TRUMP 0
Fiscally and economically, I will never be a liberal or progressive, but as times get increasingly scarier I'm beginning to wonder as I look at the bigger picture, is this the most important issue at hand during this particular election season? Is it the most important issue during the last days? I'm not so sure. The economy ebbs and flows. It always has. Legislation against religious freedom cannot be as easily undone once the match is lit. We need to focus on what really, REALLY matters right now at thismoment with the candidates we are offered.
Aside from xenophobic isolationism and othering, Trump’s campaign thrives on economic promises (however empty). Is this the adversary's way to distract us from what's truly important this election: religious liberties? I'd rather take fighting the small battles such as Prop 8 and the like, rather than an enormous issue we face as Trump tramples completely over religious liberties, and treats each Muslim as a criminal and enemy, playing directly into the hands of the desires ISIS has to divide us? Who will be next? Has Trump, in his divisive hatred rhetoric, brought what's truly important to light?
Aside from xenophobic isolationism and othering, Trump’s campaign thrives on economic promises (however empty). Is this the adversary's way to distract us from what's truly important this election: religious liberties? I'd rather take fighting the small battles such as Prop 8 and the like, rather than an enormous issue we face as Trump tramples completely over religious liberties, and treats each Muslim as a criminal and enemy, playing directly into the hands of the desires ISIS has to divide us? Who will be next? Has Trump, in his divisive hatred rhetoric, brought what's truly important to light?
And as a side note, Hillary’s economic and tax policies are mainly moderate and will relatively maintain the status quo (https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/). If you are looking for a candidate that will drastically change what we have now, for better or for worse, you’d have to look elsewhere. Surprisingly, for all his talk on taxes and superiority to Hillary, their policies are relatively similar (https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/tax-plan). Substance-wise, his campaign is fairly lacking. Hillary, while through more liberal methods than I’d ideally like, has a very solid plan for job creation and improving American infrastructure (http://fortune.com/hillary-clinton-business/). I can get behind that.
POINT HILLARY. HILLARY 3, TRUMP 0.
ABORTION
Because Hillary is a Democrat, pro-lifers and many far-right Trump supporting conservatives are vehemently opposed to another Democratic presidency and flock to Trump as part of the unanimous “pro-life” party. As a pro-lifer considering Hillary, this gave me cause for concern. So I did some more research. Hillary’s personal stance as a Christian and Methodist, has been that it should be “legal, safe, and rare” (http://www.unionleader.com/article/20150729/NEWS0605/150729073&template=mobileart). I’ve just found out recently that she has since dropped rare from her wording for this campaign, which is unfortunate, but I truly believe this is politics. Her party is strongly pro-choice and she wants the votes. Sad, but politics are politics.
People are concerned that she has voted in favor of late term abortions. However, so have all Republicans who believe there should be abortion exceptions for rape and incest, or danger to the life of the mother or baby. “…The House Republican late-term abortion bill that passed the House and failed in the Senate on a party-line vote included exceptions allowing late-term abortion if the child was conceived through rape or incest or the woman's life was in danger. When Hillary Clinton allows for those exceptions, [Christians] are told she "supports late-term abortion," but when Republicans make those exact same exceptions, they are awarded 100% Pro-Life voting records?” (http://www.christianpost.com/news/hillary-clinton-is-the-best-choice-for-voters-against-abortion-170258/). This fact, that she doesn't willy nilly support late-term abortions, greatly calmed my troubled nerves.
As for her favor in funding for Planned Parenthood, this also gave me cause for concern. However, I did some research here too. Planned Parenthood only uses 3% of funding to fund abortions, which the federal government does not fund (http://www.factcheck.org/2011/04/planned-parenthood/). I also learned that abortions almost exclusively decline under democratic presidencies for several reasons outlined in this article: http://www.christianpost.com/news/hillary-clinton-is-the-best-choice-for-voters-against-abortion-170258/ . It’s an interesting statistic. But I would actually credit it to programs like Planned Parenthood. This quote resonated with me: "It's no coincidence that abortions go up when Republicans are in charge and down when Democrats are. The two biggest indicators a woman will have an abortion are that she is poor (75% of women who have abortions make less than $23,000 and half make less than $11,000), and had an unintended pregnancy (half of U.S. pregnancies are unintended, and 43% end in abortion). Want to guess which political party is more effective at reducing poverty and unwanted pregnancies? I'll give you a hint. It's not the "pro-life" Party that in this last Congressional session alone fought to cut medical care for poor mothers and children, food programs for kids, and contraception coverage and access for women….So if abortion was outlawed in [...the states who’ve seriously tried to limit abortions], and no woman crossed state lines to get one, the most overturning Roe would achieve is a 10% reduction in abortions. Compare that to nearly 40 years of data showing that we would save more than three times as many unborn children by cutting the number of poor women in half. Increase contraception access, family leave, and improve pre- and post- natal healthcare, and we'd cut abortions by 50% or more.”(http://www.christianpost.com/news/hillary-clinton-is-the-best-choice-for-voters-against-abortion-170258/). This makes a very good case of her continued funding of Planned Parenthood.
If you recall this embarrassing interview with Donald Trump on abortion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGSttcyn2RI you'll know that Trump has literally NO idea about his stance on abortion. He can lump himself into the pro-life camp all he wants, but he hasn’t got a clue, with absolutely no convictions.
So again, POINT HILLARY. HILLARY 4, TRUMP 0.
My last point, probably the one in the forefront of everyone’s mind at the moment, is that of the many, especially most recent revelations that Trump is, in fact, a sex offender. He is a despicable human being with no regard for the sanctity of womanhood or the respect of others, women in particular. Especially this week, women have come forward with accounts of him forcing himself violently upon them, groping them (even underneath their underwear) kissing them, and pushing them up against walls (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/women-step-forward-sexual-misconduct-allegations-trump/story?id=42815475). Yet Trump supporters continue to stand behind him, reiterating that he isn’t “running for pope” (http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/10/08/nigel-farage-donald-trump-not-running-pope-president-ukip-brexit-hillary-lewd-comments”, or that Bill Clinton has said and done way worse, and while he was in office.
Here’s the difference between Bill and Trump (which, by the way, this should be irrelevant because guess who isn’t running for president? Bill Clinton.) Bill Clinton is a womanizer and a philanderer (not unlike several of our founding fathers, i.e. Jefferson and Ben Franklin). Yes, he is very adulterous but he's not a serial sex offender. Trump is a sex offender and a sexual bully and criminal. The women who came forward about Bill admitted to "affairs" while women coming forward about Trump are victims of his assault and abuse.
Bill Clinton may have been a womanizer, but he did not initiate his sexual exploits through bullying, force, or violence. In addition, Bill did it mostly behind closed doors, admitted it sheepishly, and slinked back with his tail between his legs each time (albeit probably with a smile on his face. ew). Trump however does it blatantly in the open, acknowledges it, does not apologize (apologizing if "people were offended" is a NON-APOLOGY), brags about how he could have assaulted better “choices” (http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/10/14/donald-trump-on-accuser-she-not-my-first-choice-sot.cnn), and, perhaps most dangerously, acts as if sexual bullying, assault, and abuse is normal, regular, ubiquitous, and simple locker room talk. This is not true, but may become so if we make such a deplorable, disgusting man leader of the free world.
I get so tired of Trump supporters backing this man up when they hear these accusations come pouring in by dismissing it and saying “BUT HILLARY’S EMAILS!”, and the other favorite "Her rape defense case and laughing about it!" (which is completely overturned, contextualized, and debunked here: http://www.snopes.com/hillary-clinton-freed-child-rapist-laughed-about-it/). Yes, Hillary made a HUGE mistake with her email crisis. She has made MANY mistakes and questionable decisions in the past. She has lied frequently. She hasn't been a good role model. She has been shamelessly self-serving. But I firmly, FIRMLY believe that these flaws in her character are NOTHING compared to the danger of having such a disgusting, unapologetic abusive man as leader of the free world.
So, again, POINT HILLARY. HILLARY 5, TRUMP 0.
I know this election has a lot of people very worried. As foretold in the scriptures, these times are terrible. But also as equally foretold, these times are among the most marvelous the world has seen. We have been promised that “iniquity shall abound” (D&C 45:27). However, we have been equally promised that they will only continue to become increasingly marvelous. President Hinckley has said: "The era in which we live is the fulness of times spoken of in the scriptures, when God has brought together all of the elements of previous dispensations...there has been a tremendous cascade of enlightenment poured out upon the world....There has been more of scientific discovery during these years than during all of the previous history of mankind. Transportation, communication, medicine, public hygiene, the unlocking of the atom, the miracle of the computer, with all of its ramifications, have blossomed forth, particularly in our own era. We take it for granted."
(https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/living-in-the-fulness-of-times?lang=eng&_r=1). We need to remember that there is just as much good in the world as there is bad. Maybe more. The Lord always makes good in his promises. President Hinckley has also said "I have little doubt that many of us are troubled with fears concerning ourselves. We are in a period of stress across the world…. Do not despair. Do not give up. Look for the sunlight through the clouds...Do not let the prophets of gloom endanger your possibilities" (Ensign, Apr. 1986, 4–5).
This election, through how strongly it may seem, is not the end of the world. Let's not let it divide us as it has been. Let's rally as a people and continue to do good in this country and the world in a way that no other country can. Let's be a force for good in a world in need. We can't do that if we do not stand together. We can’t do that if we isolate ourselves so fervently from the rest of the world that we lose our presence. I’ve made my choice. This isn't meant to be a persuasive essay in favor of Clinton. I know many of us are at a complete loss. I was. NEVER in my life did I EVER think I would EVER vote for a Democrat. Do your research. I encourage you to seriously, humbly, thoughtfully, and prayerfully consider your decision. This is the path I have prayerfully been led down. I pray that we all can make sense if this muddled election and stand firm in our convictions.
_________________________EDIT 10/17/16______________________
THE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ISSUE
I have heard a lot of pushback from Trump supporters who have decided he is the best choice because he will appoint conservative supreme court justices. As for myself, in all honesty I want NOTHING MORE than a conservative supreme court. It would seriously be a dream come true. But again I have to ask at what cost?
Trump supporters have repeatedly claimed that a 1-2 term Trump presidency would be worth it if we could solidify a strong conservative presence in the Supreme Court. They've asked “What could possibly happen in 4-8 years that is so awful, that it wouldn’t justify this?”
I absolutely CANNOT get behind that argument. To me, it’s absurd.
Really? What could happen in 4-8 years?
Let’s take a look at good old American history.
For instance, take the Internment of Japanese Americans in the 1940s.
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler were sworn into office in the same exact month, January 1933. Hitler's ideologies were no secret to the rest of the world at this time. His rise to power had been in the works for several years leading up to his election as Chancellor. FDR, a frim isolationist, turned a complete blind eye. Germany attacked Poland in 1939. 6 years. That’s less than 2 presidential terms.
- WWII began in 1939. FDR was a resolute Isolationist and initially refused to get completely involved, even though he knew of the terror ensuing in the rest of the world. He ignored pleas for refuge and assisting refugees, and pleas for aid in an offense against the most dangerous regime in recent history. He waited until an attack on American soil to do anything about the carnage ensuing throughout the globe. This was in 1941. 2 years. 2 years of astute isolationism, and there is an attack on American soil. 2 years. That’s half of a presidential term. Let’s continue.
- During our involvement in the war, American racial and culturally xenophobic hysteria against Japanese Americans (immigrants, or children of immigrants born in the US who had never even been to Japan) soared to amazing heights. (sound familiar?) We entered the war in 1941. By 1942, "Roosevelt authorized the deportation and incarceration with Executive Order 9066, issued February 19, 1942, which allowed regional military commanders to designate "military areas" from which "any or all persons may be excluded."[9] This power was used to declare that all people of Japanese ancestry were excluded from the entire West Coast, including all of California and much of Oregon, Washington and Arizona, except for those in government camps.[10] Approximately 5,000 Japanese Americans voluntarily relocated outside the exclusion zone before March 1942,[11] and some 5,500 community leaders arrested after the Pearl Harbor attack were already in custody.[12] But, the majority of nearly 130,000 mainland Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their West Coast homes during the spring of 1942.”(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_Americans)
One year.
One. Year.
From the moment we entered the war, it only took one year for racial hysteria to become so prevalent that FDR forced over 100,00 AMERICANS into internment camps, a heavy majority of which (approx. 80,000) were SECOND AND THIRD GENERATION. “Given the shock and fear that followed the attack on Pearl Harbor, many consider the internment to have resulted more from racism than from any security risk posed by Japanese Americans.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_Americans)
The similarities between the alarmism and xenophobia against Japanese Americans then and that against Islamic people now are startling and terrifying, except now we have a caveat: the discrimination we see now is religious.
One year. That’s all Trump would need to do irreparable damage. To the American people, and to the Constitution.
So, what could happen in one (or two) measly terms with Trump as our president? A lot of things. This is just one very relevant example.
Are you willing to risk that for a few supreme court justices?
Not me.
I'll take the risk of Hillary's choices for the Supreme Court in the name of avoiding what could truly be a catastrophic presidency with Trump.
POINT HILLARY. HILLARY 6 TRUMP 0.
A Conservative Mormon's Case for Hillary
I've had a lot of people reach out to me, publicly and privately from this Facebook post I posted yesterday:
I have been researching Hillary pretty intensely the past few weeks, mostly because I believe she will be the next president, and I truly want to see if she deserves my vote. I feel like a lot of people have come to similar conclusions; several people have expressed it to me privately to avoid making waves with loved ones who feel differently. I have done my best to remain unemotional in such a charged election (mostly because I do not feel much affinity toward either candidate). I feel like a lot of people genuinely want to know who to vote for and have wracked their brains, and still remain completely at a loss. I felt it would be helpful to my friends who are still undecided to share my journey to voting for Hillary, and share my research sources, since I've lately done a lot of digging. I feel like I've found articles from publications of many different biases and leanings, and some that are strictly fact checking only. Am I super thrilled to be voting for Hillary? Not especially. She doesn't embody all of the issues I would like. But I am a fervent member of the #NeverTrump movement, and I need to know my options. I'll mainly address my findings on moral issues, conservatives' constitutional concerns, the economy, abortion, and character claims, on why I've gone from deciding to simply not vote and despairing, to consciously choosing Hillary over Trump. I hope those of you who need help deciding will find my sources useful. So, here we go:
THE MORALS ISSUE
Morally, we as Americans feel backed into a corner. Neither candidate feels remotely moral, so the “I think he/she is a good person” argument has essentially been taken off the table for many people, which has drawn many of us to candidates’ past histories. But for the even more astute, those who remain truly and genuinely undecided, it comes down to policy, something that has seemed to fall onto the back burner this election, with the emotional fervor that’s been so prevalent.
This elections' voters, while probably the most dismayed, are perhaps among the most informed in a long time, simply because research is the best hope we have of making a decent choice, since basic character can't fully be relied upon.
THE CONSTITUTION, ISSUE #1
Most Mormon Trump supporters' concerns with Hillary revolve around the Constitution. I have to admit, I have heard many worries from far-right conservatives that Hillary poses an enormous threat to the Constitution, but when I pressed to find out exactly how, I wasn’t able to find many answers from any of them. They would simply leave it at "She will destroy the Constituion!" After a little more prodding, it seems that the sensibility is a growing panic over globalism, which many view as contradictory to the Constitution (I disagree and will address this later). The view by ardent conservatives and Trump supporters seems to be this:
It seems this is more of a hot-button topic for conservatives and is the main reason for why they want Hillary out of office at all costs. They believe she will be able to accomplish this largely because of the supreme court justices she will have power to appoint, and that her legacy will continue for generations because of those justices. They favor Trump in this instance, convinced that his closing of borders and isolating ourselves from the rest of the world would keep our country and our people safer, and his justice choices will do the same.
I feel like this is dangerous rhetoric. Not only as an American but as a Mormon. The last time America was so firmly isolationist was during WWII, a part of our country’s history that I am perhaps most ashamed of. We knew of the suffering and genocide of the Jews and other groups from persecution at the hands of Hitler, yet we refused to actively join the Allies until very late in the game, and turned away tens of thousands of Jews seeking refuge back to death and torture in the hands of the Axis. We literally sent their ships full of refugees back to Europe upon their arrival in our waters. We are seeing history repeat itself right before our eyes, and, half of America would have us continue down the same path, angrily and hatefully dismissing and rejecting Muslims out of fear, as we did the Jews not so long ago.
This elections' voters, while probably the most dismayed, are perhaps among the most informed in a long time, simply because research is the best hope we have of making a decent choice, since basic character can't fully be relied upon.
Let’s focus on policy. Never in the history of America have we needed to be so focused on policy. There has never been such a large pool of undecided voters this late in the game. We can't focus on who we like more because we strongly dislike them equally. There's no party bias because both parties are equally exposed as "corrupt". As likability and party lines dissolve, is the only thing we have left simply policy? Is this America's first moment after years of polarization to focus solely on policy? This is how my feelings have been, personally, so far.
THE CONSTITUTION, ISSUE #1
Most Mormon Trump supporters' concerns with Hillary revolve around the Constitution. I have to admit, I have heard many worries from far-right conservatives that Hillary poses an enormous threat to the Constitution, but when I pressed to find out exactly how, I wasn’t able to find many answers from any of them. They would simply leave it at "She will destroy the Constituion!" After a little more prodding, it seems that the sensibility is a growing panic over globalism, which many view as contradictory to the Constitution (I disagree and will address this later). The view by ardent conservatives and Trump supporters seems to be this:
- When people say “ globalist", they are referring to those who would give preference and precedence to global laws and decision making over our own Constitution. If you look at the history of it, it started with the father of progressivism, Woodrow Wilson and the League of Nations, followed by the United Nations. So virtually, to Trump supporters or far right conservatives, all people that label themselves as “ progressives” are lumped in as globalists. That is why many conservatives believe Obama has focused so much on saying that there is nothing "special or unique" about America and its tenets. It is widely viewed by conservatives that progressives believe we are just another one of many nations and our Constitution is no better than others, despite the fact that ours is the basis for virtually every constitution and rule of law in the free world. So essentially there are two polar opposites: the globalists, which umbrella over progressives such as Hillary; and isolationists, which umbrella over conservatives such as Trump. (However, I firmly believe that Hillary genuinely believes America’s constitution was divinely inspired, while I firmly believe Obama does not).
It seems this is more of a hot-button topic for conservatives and is the main reason for why they want Hillary out of office at all costs. They believe she will be able to accomplish this largely because of the supreme court justices she will have power to appoint, and that her legacy will continue for generations because of those justices. They favor Trump in this instance, convinced that his closing of borders and isolating ourselves from the rest of the world would keep our country and our people safer, and his justice choices will do the same.
I feel like this is dangerous rhetoric. Not only as an American but as a Mormon. The last time America was so firmly isolationist was during WWII, a part of our country’s history that I am perhaps most ashamed of. We knew of the suffering and genocide of the Jews and other groups from persecution at the hands of Hitler, yet we refused to actively join the Allies until very late in the game, and turned away tens of thousands of Jews seeking refuge back to death and torture in the hands of the Axis. We literally sent their ships full of refugees back to Europe upon their arrival in our waters. We are seeing history repeat itself right before our eyes, and, half of America would have us continue down the same path, angrily and hatefully dismissing and rejecting Muslims out of fear, as we did the Jews not so long ago.
A lot of conservatives would argue that Muslims today pose a serious threat, while Jews were not seen as a threat by the Europeans, and therefore Trump is justified in his fear mongering. This is simply not true. Yes, jihadists are a serious threat and should not be taken lightly, but the widespread hatred, fear, and persecution of the general Muslim community is reprehensible. If you are familiar with history of the Holocaust, you’ll remember that Jews were perceived as an enormous threat to Europe at the time, with stereotypes of Jews with “dangerous ideaologies” and “plagues to honest merchants” among other things. Europe feared a Jewish takeover and hysteria ensued with disastrous results (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/09/02/europes-current-anti-migrant-rhetoric-carries-echoes-of-1930s-anti-semitism/). The similarities we see from Trump and his followers today are incredibly unsettling.
Haven’t we been admonished by the Savior to “clothe the naked and feed the hungry”? Or when we see others as strangers, we “take them in?” (Matthew 25:34-46). On top of this, we as Mormons have been DIRECTLY admonished by the auxiliary leaders of the church in General Conference to serve refugees through the “I Was a Stranger” initiatives and Church Humanitarian Services.
I find it hard to grapple with Mormons who support Trump’s radical notions of isolationism when doing so has led to so many horrors in the past. They worry so much about our borders that they forget the will of Christ. Hillary’s policies allow refugees into our country for us to serve and succor. Let’s not forget, that of roughly 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, the percent of Muslims who are jihadists are a "tiny fraction of one percent” (http://www.factcheck.org/2016/03/trumps-false-muslim-claim/). Let us also not forget, Hillary is intent on vetting refugees before they enter our country, she has said so herself (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-u-s-should-take-65000-syrian-refugees/).
I find it hard to grapple with Mormons who support Trump’s radical notions of isolationism when doing so has led to so many horrors in the past. They worry so much about our borders that they forget the will of Christ. Hillary’s policies allow refugees into our country for us to serve and succor. Let’s not forget, that of roughly 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, the percent of Muslims who are jihadists are a "tiny fraction of one percent” (http://www.factcheck.org/2016/03/trumps-false-muslim-claim/). Let us also not forget, Hillary is intent on vetting refugees before they enter our country, she has said so herself (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-u-s-should-take-65000-syrian-refugees/).
So, ultimately, for me on the argument of the Constitution and globalization vs isolation, POINT HILLARY, HILLARY 1, TRUMP 0.
Far right Mormon conservatives and Trump supporters have also mentioned fears of the prophecies of the constitution "hanging by a thread” (https://www.lds.org/ensign/1976/06/i-have-a-question?lang=eng), although it has never been written canonically, but was mentioned in conversations and discussions with early Church leaders. But when Anti-Hillary/Pro-Trump supporters consider this notion, they seem to only think about their fear of globalization and Supreme Court justices. I have to wonder, do they REALLY think that's what God and the prophets were worried about? Is that what the people in the Book of Mormon are worried about? I would have to disagree. The prophets, the people of the scriptures (particularly the Book of Mormon, as illustrated in the Title of Liberty https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/title-of-liberty?lang=eng), our founding fathers, and ultimately our Constitution, are built and united upon one important thread. Religious freedom. This is the "Constitutional Thread" they were likely talking about in the Latter-Days. Not globalization or Supreme Court justices. And is Hillary the antagonist of religious freedom in this election? Again, I would have to say no. That blatantly remains with Trump. I feel that Mormons in his favor are only blind to it because for once we are not the ones being persecuted, and have been very privy to he constantly rising anti-Muslim panic. Trump’s radical religious oppression is starting with Muslims, but what a slippery slope! He is advocating plastering a figurative "star of David" patch on all Muslims with his plans to have all Muslims “register in a database” (http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/11/20/donald-trump-says-hed-absolutely-require-muslims-to-register/?_r=0). Let us not forget the horrors this logic has brought the modern world. Once that legislation of discrimination is in place, it's in place. And you know who is behind it most ardently? The GOP. Maybe, as much as we begrudgingly will admit it, Hillary's Supreme Court judges may be more supportive of religious liberty than those chosen by the GOP? We as conservatives may think they are crazy in most regards, but one thing they shout from the rooftops is tolerance, even though their definition of it is sometimes misguided. Better to have it there than not at all. Maybe we should rally behind that. Maybe they will truly make good on their promises to uphold religious freedom and tolerance without forcing everyone to homogenize. I know we've had issues with liberals in the past on religious with Prop 8 and things of that nature, but Trump’s policies on religious prejudice and discrimination are far more radical and frightening, and more contradictory to the very foundation of the Constitution. Say what you will about Hillary but she is a strong fighter for religious freedom and tolerance.
Her campaign has recently come under fire from leaked emails which said a lot of shady things about Catholics and Evangelicals that are pretty deplorable. Her machine is definitely hellbent on calling certain religions “backwards.” Yet from those emails, you find nothing derogatory about Christians coming from her mouth, as we hear endless hatred pouring from Trump’s. Her latest quote that people are running with, now that the emails have been leaked and religion is a hot topic for her, is from the 2015 Women in the World summit: "deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed”. This quote initially troubled me until I researched and found it is enormously taken out of context. It sounds like she is saying religious beliefs need to be changed, but she is speaking about cultural codes and structural biases. The entire quote can be found here:
She is essentially saying how women need a voice in every sphere, from religion to education, to healthcare. I believe this is in line with my religious beliefs. As a Mormon, we know that women are absolutely vital to the organization and administration of the Church. I don’t believe she means that religions should change their doctrine to fall in line with her “New World Order”, especially when that line is read in context. I feel like she, like myself, believes that world religions should always take into account the feelings of women, and to those who take religion to extremes by excluding or violently oppressing women should consider the actual teachings of their religion and whether they are giving them their proper due.
Furthermore, virtually most everything on record that Hillary herself has actually said has been in favor of religious freedom. Another article from the Deseret News posted this weekend also emphasizes this: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865664936/Kem-Gardner-Why-Mormons-should-support-Hillary.html?pg=all .
In their recent townhall debate, Hillary brings up religious freedom a number of times, stating that our country is indeed founded upon religious freedom. (Transcript here: http://fortune.com/2016/10/09/presidential-debate-read-transcript-donald-trump-hillary-clinton/).
Here is another rather unbiased article about her stance on religious freedom: http://www.advocate.com/election/2016/8/11/hillary-clinton-tells-mormons-shell-defend-religious-freedom
I know a lot of people will still stand by the leaked emails from her campaign and I can’t fault them for that. They were pretty nasty. They believe because of this she is vehemently agains religious freedom. But I’m going to take her at her own word, what comes out of her mouth, directly to the American people. Not what her machine says to each other in snarky emails.
Trump, if permitted, would COMPLETELY erase religious freedom at its heart, and currently ceaselessly spouts that rationale directly from his mouth for the world to hear; with his blatant "othering" of the Muslim community, he has millions of the American people and leaders of the GOP behind him. It's truly, truly frightening. Can you imagine how Mormons would feel if Trump was treating us the way he is treating Muslims? Wanting us to "register" in a database and keep tabs on us? Not letting us into the country? Send us back to unsafe places to be slaughtered instead of welcomed and given refuge? It's not right. If Mormons would just stop and think about that I wonder if they would still stick with him. I’m not trying to be dramatic here or a panicked follower of Godwin’s Law (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law), but it very objectively looks exactly like Hitler did with the Jews. And you know what? Hitler got ELECTED, just as the American people are so close to electing Trump. Granted, if Trump does get elected there would definitely be some pushback from the House and Senate for all of his attacks on religious freedom, but the scary part is, I'm almost positive there wouldn't be any pushback from the GOP. This truly terrifies me.
Are we witnessing a radical shift as to which parties most support and uphold religious freedom and embody our ideals? Do we need to rearrange our bias? Do we need to fundamentally dissolve our American bipartisan party system as we know it and start over completely? This election has raised all of these questions for me.
So, in the name of religious freedom and as a Latter-day Saint, ANOTHER POINT HILLARY. HILLARY 2 TRUMP 0
Fiscally and economically, I will never be a liberal or progressive, but as times get increasingly scarier I'm beginning to wonder as I look at the bigger picture, is this the most important issue at hand during this particular election season? Is it the most important issue during the last days? I'm not so sure. The economy ebbs and flows. It always has. Legislation against religious freedom cannot be as easily undone once the match is lit. We need to focus on what really, REALLY matters right now at this moment with the candidates we are offered.
Aside from xenophobic isolationism and othering, Trump’s campaign thrives on economic promises (however empty). Is this the adversary's way to distract us from what's truly important this election: religious liberties? I'd rather take fighting the small battles such as Prop 8 and the like, rather than an enormous issue we face as Trump tramples completely over religious liberties, and treats each Muslim as a criminal and enemy, playing directly into the hands of the desires ISIS has to divide us? Who will be next? Has Trump, in his divisive hatred rhetoric, brought what's truly important to light?
Aside from xenophobic isolationism and othering, Trump’s campaign thrives on economic promises (however empty). Is this the adversary's way to distract us from what's truly important this election: religious liberties? I'd rather take fighting the small battles such as Prop 8 and the like, rather than an enormous issue we face as Trump tramples completely over religious liberties, and treats each Muslim as a criminal and enemy, playing directly into the hands of the desires ISIS has to divide us? Who will be next? Has Trump, in his divisive hatred rhetoric, brought what's truly important to light?
And as a side note, Hillary’s economic and tax policies are mainly moderate and will relatively maintain the status quo (https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/). If you are looking for a candidate that will drastically change what we have now, for better or for worse, you’d have to look elsewhere. Surprisingly, for all his talk on taxes and superiority to Hillary, their policies are relatively similar (https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/tax-plan). Substance-wise, his campaign is fairly lacking. Hillary, while through more liberal methods than I’d ideally like, has a very solid plan for job creation and improving American infrastructure (http://fortune.com/hillary-clinton-business/). I can get behind that.
POINT HILLARY. HILLARY 3, TRUMP 0.
ABORTION
Because Hillary is a Democrat, pro-lifers and many far-right Trump supporting conservatives are vehemently opposed to another Democratic presidency and flock to Trump as part of the unanimous “pro-life” party. As a pro-lifer considering Hillary, this gave me cause for concern. So I did some more research. Hillary’s personal stance as a Christian and Methodist, has been that it should be “legal, safe, and rare” (http://www.unionleader.com/article/20150729/NEWS0605/150729073&template=mobileart). I’ve just found out recently that she has since dropped rare from her wording for this campaign, which is unfortunate, but I truly believe this is politics. Her party is strongly pro-choice and she wants the votes. Sad, but politics are politics.
People are concerned that she has voted in favor of late term abortions. However, so have all Republicans who believe there should be abortion exceptions for rape and incest, or danger to the life of the mother or baby. “…The House Republican late-term abortion bill that passed the House and failed in the Senate on a party-line vote included exceptions allowing late-term abortion if the child was conceived through rape or incest or the woman's life was in danger. When Hillary Clinton allows for those exceptions, [Christians] are told she "supports late-term abortion," but when Republicans make those exact same exceptions, they are awarded 100% Pro-Life voting records?” (http://www.christianpost.com/news/hillary-clinton-is-the-best-choice-for-voters-against-abortion-170258/). This fact, that she doesn't willy nilly support late-term abortions, greatly calmed my troubled nerves.
As for her favor in funding for Planned Parenthood, this also gave me cause for concern. However, I did some research here too. Planned Parenthood only uses 3% of funding to fund abortions, which the federal government does not fund (http://www.factcheck.org/2011/04/planned-parenthood/). I also learned that abortions almost exclusively decline under democratic presidencies for several reasons outlined in this article: http://www.christianpost.com/news/hillary-clinton-is-the-best-choice-for-voters-against-abortion-170258/ . It’s an interesting statistic. But I would actually credit it to programs like Planned Parenthood. This quote resonated with me: "It's no coincidence that abortions go up when Republicans are in charge and down when Democrats are. The two biggest indicators a woman will have an abortion are that she is poor (75% of women who have abortions make less than $23,000 and half make less than $11,000), and had an unintended pregnancy (half of U.S. pregnancies are unintended, and 43% end in abortion). Want to guess which political party is more effective at reducing poverty and unwanted pregnancies? I'll give you a hint. It's not the "pro-life" Party that in this last Congressional session alone fought to cut medical care for poor mothers and children, food programs for kids, and contraception coverage and access for women….So if abortion was outlawed in [...the states who’ve seriously tried to limit abortions], and no woman crossed state lines to get one, the most overturning Roe would achieve is a 10% reduction in abortions. Compare that to nearly 40 years of data showing that we would save more than three times as many unborn children by cutting the number of poor women in half. Increase contraception access, family leave, and improve pre- and post- natal healthcare, and we'd cut abortions by 50% or more.”(http://www.christianpost.com/news/hillary-clinton-is-the-best-choice-for-voters-against-abortion-170258/). This makes a very good case of her continued funding of Planned Parenthood.
If you recall this embarrassing interview with Donald Trump on abortion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGSttcyn2RI you'll know that Trump has literally NO idea about his stance on abortion. He can lump himself into the pro-life camp all he wants, but he hasn’t got a clue, with absolutely no convictions.
So again, POINT HILLARY. HILLARY 4, TRUMP 0.
My last point, probably the one in the forefront of everyone’s mind at the moment, is that of the many, especially most recent revelations that Trump is, in fact, a sex offender. He is a despicable human being with no regard for the sanctity of womanhood or the respect of others, women in particular. Especially this week, women have come forward with accounts of him forcing himself violently upon them, groping them (even underneath their underwear) kissing them, and pushing them up against walls (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/women-step-forward-sexual-misconduct-allegations-trump/story?id=42815475). Yet Trump supporters continue to stand behind him, reiterating that he isn’t “running for pope” (http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/10/08/nigel-farage-donald-trump-not-running-pope-president-ukip-brexit-hillary-lewd-comments”, or that Bill Clinton has said and done way worse, and while he was in office.
Here’s the difference between Bill and Trump (which, by the way, this should be irrelevant because guess who isn’t running for president? Bill Clinton.) Bill Clinton is a womanizer and a philanderer (not unlike several of our founding fathers, i.e. Jefferson and Ben Franklin). Yes, he is very adulterous but he's not a serial sex offender. Trump is a sex offender and a sexual bully and criminal. The women who came forward about Bill admitted to "affairs" while women coming forward about Trump are victims of his assault and abuse.
Bill Clinton may have been a womanizer, but he did not initiate his sexual exploits through bullying, force, or violence. In addition, Bill did it mostly behind closed doors, admitted it sheepishly, and slinked back with his tail between his legs each time (albeit probably with a smile on his face. ew). Trump however does it blatantly in the open, acknowledges it, does not apologize (apologizing if "people were offended" is a NON-APOLOGY), brags about how he could have assaulted better “choices” (http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/10/14/donald-trump-on-accuser-she-not-my-first-choice-sot.cnn), and, perhaps most dangerously, acts as if sexual bullying, assault, and abuse is normal, regular, ubiquitous, and simple locker room talk. This is not true, but may become so if we make such a deplorable, disgusting man leader of the free world.
I get so tired of Trump supporters backing this man up when they hear these accusations come pouring in by dismissing it and saying “BUT HILLARY’S EMAILS!”, and the other favorite "Her rape defense case and laughing about it!" (which is completely overturned, contextualized, and debunked here: http://www.snopes.com/hillary-clinton-freed-child-rapist-laughed-about-it/). Yes, Hillary made a HUGE mistake with her email crisis. She has made MANY mistakes and questionable decisions in the past. She has lied frequently. She hasn't been a good role model. She has been shamelessly self-serving. But I firmly, FIRMLY believe that these flaws in her character are NOTHING compared to the danger of having such a disgusting, unapologetic abusive man as leader of the free world.
So, again, POINT HILLARY. HILLARY 5, TRUMP 0.
I know this election has a lot of people very worried. As foretold in the scriptures, these times are terrible. But also as equally foretold, these times are among the most marvelous the world has seen. We have been promised that “iniquity shall abound” (D&C 45:27). However, we have been equally promised that they will only continue to become increasingly marvelous. President Hinckley has said: "The era in which we live is the fulness of times spoken of in the scriptures, when God has brought together all of the elements of previous dispensations...there has been a tremendous cascade of enlightenment poured out upon the world....There has been more of scientific discovery during these years than during all of the previous history of mankind. Transportation, communication, medicine, public hygiene, the unlocking of the atom, the miracle of the computer, with all of its ramifications, have blossomed forth, particularly in our own era. We take it for granted."
(https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/living-in-the-fulness-of-times?lang=eng&_r=1). We need to remember that there is just as much good in the world as there is bad. Maybe more. The Lord always makes good in his promises. President Hinckley has also said "I have little doubt that many of us are troubled with fears concerning ourselves. We are in a period of stress across the world…. Do not despair. Do not give up. Look for the sunlight through the clouds...Do not let the prophets of gloom endanger your possibilities" (Ensign, Apr. 1986, 4–5).
This election, through how strongly it may seem, is not the end of the world. Let's not let it divide us as it has been. Let's rally as a people and continue to do good in this country and the world in a way that no other country can. Let's be a force for good in a world in need. We can't do that if we do not stand together. We can’t do that if we isolate ourselves so fervently from the rest of the world that we lose our presence. I’ve made my choice. This isn't meant to be a persuasive essay in favor of Clinton. I know many of us are at a complete loss. I was. NEVER in my life did I EVER think I would EVER vote for a Democrat. Do your research. I encourage you to seriously, humbly, thoughtfully, and prayerfully consider your decision. This is the path I have prayerfully been led down. I pray that we all can make sense if this muddled election and stand firm in our convictions.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
a bit about my babies 7.6.16
i feel like it's time again! time for some updates about the kiddos.
bea
- bea can't stop dancing. she literally dances everywhere she goes. i was walking behind her at the children's museum today and her arms were out like in second position and her hands were doing that twirly thing. her favorite style is contemporary (which she learned about from SYTYCD the next generation, which she LOVES) and choreographs dances to songs on the daily. it is cute to see her so passionate about something.
-she has a playlist that she loves to listen to. it consists of every song she hears that she likes and then says "mom add this to my exciting songs" or "add this to my playlist". it's so cute. she sounds so grown up when she talks about her playlist. she dances to a lot of these songs on the regular.
-her favorite toys right now are her prized dress ups. when she wakes up in the morning, she goes potty, and then retreats to her room to play with her dress ups for a half hour or so. she changes into one outfit, comes into my room, does a pose, dances a little jig, waits for my approval, and then goes back into her room to try another one on. it is so cute.
-she really likes to tell me to "give it a shot". if i tell her someplace is really crowded she just goes "mom let's just give it a shot. do your best and just give it a shot."
-bea is on a soccer team right now and loves it but mostly just because she gets to run around with her friends. dance is still her one true love. and yes, she does dance on the soccer field.
-whenever i am grumpy she asks where my smile is.
-she loves oliver and whenever he cries in the car she tries to make him laugh, and usually succeeds. he laughs to keep from weeping.
-she has her first acting job on friday! (if you don't count house hunters) i think she'll do a great job, she did great for house hunters (which has a lot of acting in it believe it or not), the director loved her so i'm hoping she brings it for her job on friday. we are very excited.
-she loves duplos. she will sit and play with duplos for HOURS. she is also this way with vintage polly pockets.
-her favorite movie right now is the lego movie. she likes to pretend to be wild style. her favorite movie before that was charlotte's web, preceded by the ever popular nemo. it makes me sad that she's moved on from the more tender movies but i'm sure it's on to the next sometime soon so maybe there's a tender one next. i was so excited for her to see finding dory since finding nemo was her favorite movie for 2 solid years but she didn't glom onto it like i'd expected and it just kinda wilted me a little.
-she starts preschool in august. she loves to work in her workbook at home to get ready for it. she is getting better at tracing letters and likes to draw people, which are basically potatoes with stick limbs and googly eyes.
-she's got a thing for carnivals and carnie rides. she calls them "fun fairs" or "ferrises" or something along those lines. it's really funny to hear her talk about carnival rides.
oliver
-HE WALKS! he has been taking steps here or there for couple weeks but the past few days, he has really started to walk A LOT. it is SO CUTE. he really likes it too, he just lights up when he is walking and gets so excited.
-he is just a giggly giggly dude. and he crumbles into a ball when he laughs, like an armadillo. i LOVE it!
-he has started hitting bea when he knows he shouldn't. it begins.
-he has 7 teeth and is growing two more!
-he is also totally in on the duplo game
-he is such a snuggle bug lately!!! i can't get enough of his snuggles. it's so nice because bea never was a snuggler and he wasn't super snuggly as an infant, so he is definitely making up for lost time. my favorite is when he does his armadillo roll right into my neck. i live for those moments!
-he can kind of say some words, he mostly just makes sounds but i know what they mean. he says mama for me but he also says it to mean "more". he says it a lot while eating popcorn.
-he can actually eat a fruit pouch on his own without making a mess when he is really hungry. he takes hunger very seriously and will not let a drop of food go to waste if he can help it.
- i tell everyone oliver has 2 speeds: happy and hungry. he is always happy unless he is hungry and then he just screams. and screams. and screams. that's what happened when he first left the womb actually. he's been hungry since day one. so i basically have to be giving him food like 60% of the time, but it's all good, he's cute so i'll do it.
-he is not feeling like learning sign language. not his thing.
-he is a pretty social baby and is very interested in other babies and what they are doing
-he leaped out of my arms the other day while we were sitting on the steps at the pool (scariest moment ever) and ever since then he HATES baths, which is really sad because he used to love them. i hope he gets over it soon because it's kind of breaking my heart.
-he is wearing 18-24 month clothes but his growth is slowing down and he is leaning out.
-he has really adorable curls that i really don't want to cut, but people keep mistaking him for a girl so i don't know, maybe i should get it cut. i don't know.
that's all i got for now. i'm sure i'll remember something in like an hour and have to add it. i love these babies!!!!!!
bea
- bea can't stop dancing. she literally dances everywhere she goes. i was walking behind her at the children's museum today and her arms were out like in second position and her hands were doing that twirly thing. her favorite style is contemporary (which she learned about from SYTYCD the next generation, which she LOVES) and choreographs dances to songs on the daily. it is cute to see her so passionate about something.
-she has a playlist that she loves to listen to. it consists of every song she hears that she likes and then says "mom add this to my exciting songs" or "add this to my playlist". it's so cute. she sounds so grown up when she talks about her playlist. she dances to a lot of these songs on the regular.
-her favorite toys right now are her prized dress ups. when she wakes up in the morning, she goes potty, and then retreats to her room to play with her dress ups for a half hour or so. she changes into one outfit, comes into my room, does a pose, dances a little jig, waits for my approval, and then goes back into her room to try another one on. it is so cute.
-she really likes to tell me to "give it a shot". if i tell her someplace is really crowded she just goes "mom let's just give it a shot. do your best and just give it a shot."
-bea is on a soccer team right now and loves it but mostly just because she gets to run around with her friends. dance is still her one true love. and yes, she does dance on the soccer field.
-whenever i am grumpy she asks where my smile is.
-she loves oliver and whenever he cries in the car she tries to make him laugh, and usually succeeds. he laughs to keep from weeping.
-she has her first acting job on friday! (if you don't count house hunters) i think she'll do a great job, she did great for house hunters (which has a lot of acting in it believe it or not), the director loved her so i'm hoping she brings it for her job on friday. we are very excited.
-she loves duplos. she will sit and play with duplos for HOURS. she is also this way with vintage polly pockets.
-her favorite movie right now is the lego movie. she likes to pretend to be wild style. her favorite movie before that was charlotte's web, preceded by the ever popular nemo. it makes me sad that she's moved on from the more tender movies but i'm sure it's on to the next sometime soon so maybe there's a tender one next. i was so excited for her to see finding dory since finding nemo was her favorite movie for 2 solid years but she didn't glom onto it like i'd expected and it just kinda wilted me a little.
-she starts preschool in august. she loves to work in her workbook at home to get ready for it. she is getting better at tracing letters and likes to draw people, which are basically potatoes with stick limbs and googly eyes.
-she's got a thing for carnivals and carnie rides. she calls them "fun fairs" or "ferrises" or something along those lines. it's really funny to hear her talk about carnival rides.
oliver
-HE WALKS! he has been taking steps here or there for couple weeks but the past few days, he has really started to walk A LOT. it is SO CUTE. he really likes it too, he just lights up when he is walking and gets so excited.
-he is just a giggly giggly dude. and he crumbles into a ball when he laughs, like an armadillo. i LOVE it!
-he has started hitting bea when he knows he shouldn't. it begins.
-he has 7 teeth and is growing two more!
-he is also totally in on the duplo game
-he is such a snuggle bug lately!!! i can't get enough of his snuggles. it's so nice because bea never was a snuggler and he wasn't super snuggly as an infant, so he is definitely making up for lost time. my favorite is when he does his armadillo roll right into my neck. i live for those moments!
-he can kind of say some words, he mostly just makes sounds but i know what they mean. he says mama for me but he also says it to mean "more". he says it a lot while eating popcorn.
-he can actually eat a fruit pouch on his own without making a mess when he is really hungry. he takes hunger very seriously and will not let a drop of food go to waste if he can help it.
- i tell everyone oliver has 2 speeds: happy and hungry. he is always happy unless he is hungry and then he just screams. and screams. and screams. that's what happened when he first left the womb actually. he's been hungry since day one. so i basically have to be giving him food like 60% of the time, but it's all good, he's cute so i'll do it.
-he is not feeling like learning sign language. not his thing.
-he is a pretty social baby and is very interested in other babies and what they are doing
-he leaped out of my arms the other day while we were sitting on the steps at the pool (scariest moment ever) and ever since then he HATES baths, which is really sad because he used to love them. i hope he gets over it soon because it's kind of breaking my heart.
-he is wearing 18-24 month clothes but his growth is slowing down and he is leaning out.
-he has really adorable curls that i really don't want to cut, but people keep mistaking him for a girl so i don't know, maybe i should get it cut. i don't know.
that's all i got for now. i'm sure i'll remember something in like an hour and have to add it. i love these babies!!!!!!
Thursday, December 31, 2015
bye felicia 2015
i'm gonna be honest here people. 2015 was not one of my favorite years.
i mean i came out ahead, i have my sweet chubasauras at the end of it all which i suppose is all that matters but boy oh boy the year it took to get him here was a rough ride i would not wish to repeat. with the sickness accompanying my pregnancy, to a really stressful move, to the worst PPD known to humankind, it's a wonder we made it out of 2015 alive, but somehow we made it. so to stay on the positive side, i'm going to try (reeeallly hard) and count my blessings from 2015 and hopes for 2016!
thanks, 2015, for:
-a new perfect job for bradley where he is appreciated, challenged, buoyed up, and excelling every day, and gives us free healthcare and will keep us in one place for a while
-moving us close to our families and some old friends
-bringing my sister home from her mission safely
-bringing us a scrumptious chunk to love on
-a teeny new nephew and cousin for my babies
2016, if you please:
-get this baby weight off me. it's physical and emotional baggage and i want it GONE
-send me on a weekly date with my husband
-help me to be more open with others and with meeting new people
-help me to be more positive as a person
-get me to focus a little more on my appearance. sloppy habits lead to sloppy lives.
i usually roll my eyes at new year's resolutions. they're just not me. but after such a rough year, i am so ready for new beginnings, i'm going all out. i'm tired, 2016, but i'll do my best.
i mean i came out ahead, i have my sweet chubasauras at the end of it all which i suppose is all that matters but boy oh boy the year it took to get him here was a rough ride i would not wish to repeat. with the sickness accompanying my pregnancy, to a really stressful move, to the worst PPD known to humankind, it's a wonder we made it out of 2015 alive, but somehow we made it. so to stay on the positive side, i'm going to try (reeeallly hard) and count my blessings from 2015 and hopes for 2016!
thanks, 2015, for:
-a new perfect job for bradley where he is appreciated, challenged, buoyed up, and excelling every day, and gives us free healthcare and will keep us in one place for a while
-moving us close to our families and some old friends
-bringing my sister home from her mission safely
-bringing us a scrumptious chunk to love on
-a teeny new nephew and cousin for my babies
2016, if you please:
-get this baby weight off me. it's physical and emotional baggage and i want it GONE
-send me on a weekly date with my husband
-help me to be more open with others and with meeting new people
-help me to be more positive as a person
-get me to focus a little more on my appearance. sloppy habits lead to sloppy lives.
i usually roll my eyes at new year's resolutions. they're just not me. but after such a rough year, i am so ready for new beginnings, i'm going all out. i'm tired, 2016, but i'll do my best.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
someday
on my way to my mom's house today, i saw a panhandler out in the snow with a sign that said that he needed size 2 diapers, among other things. luckily i had a big old wad of em in my car so i handed him all i could spare and went on my way.
i was suddenly very aware of the nice car i was driving, with the toasty heater on and the lovely warmth on my bum that only seat warmers can bring. i am grateful for my car.
i was thinking back to a time in my life when i was driving the crappy little lemon brad brought to our marriage. it broke down all the time, got stuck in the snow, shook when it idled, had an interior that was falling apart, a dent in the door, and a lopsided headlight. it was a sight to behold. i remember rumbling around town in it, i used to think about how junky it was (it was kind of unavoidable. everything was wrong with that car) and then smile, and think "I'll drive a nice car someday."
i realized that's been a habit of mine through the years.
like in one of our first apartments, it was a 1 bedroom and 1 bath, with the washer and dryer in the teeny kitchen. sometimes, when laundry littered our front room and i fumbled with all of our detergent that always fell down from the flimsy cabinet over the teeny stackable washer and dryer, i would smile and think, "i'll have a laundry room someday."
or when we had all that awkward, lumpy, mismatched furniture in our first apartment, when you literally fell into the crevice between the back and the seat of the couch whenever you sat down. sometimes i'd sit (read: fall) into the couch and laugh and think, "i'll have nice furniture someday."
or when we had one tiny bathroom in our apartment in philly and i had to wash the tub every single time we gave bea a bath, sometimes i'd scrub it and smile and think, "we'll have another bathroom someday."
or the times when i laid in bed at night wondering how i would make it through another day living so far from my family, i'd take a deep breath and think, "i'll live closer to them someday."
or in all those small apartments with no closet, counter, or cabinet space, i'd pile the food anywhere i could and think "i'll have a pantry someday."
or when bea had potty accidents every hour of every day, i'd breathe deep and think, "she'll get the hang of it someday."
and you know what?
i have a nice car now
i have a laundry room now (with our very own washer and dryer that we own!)
i have some nice furniture now (can't have all nice furniture with tiny kiddos that throw up everywhere!)
we have 2 bathrooms now
i live close to my family now
i have a pantry now
bea has almost no accidents anymore
and i'm that much more grateful for them now.
a lot of people will tell you that wishing for the future keeps you from living happily in the "now" but i don't think that's always true.
i feel like my little "someday" sentiments were moments to be grateful for what i had, and encouraging reminders to be patient, that someday there would be something even better.
i didn't always bemoan those moments where life's little frustrations got me down. sometimes, i was able to cheerfully smile, and power through them, reminding myself to be grateful that at least i had a car, a washer and dryer, functional furniture, an apartment, smartphones to call my family with and that i only had to buy diapers for one kid. and that one day things will be even better.
by no means have i "arrived" in life yet. (does anyone really?) things aren't perfect. i think i'll always have those "somedays" to keep me grounded and grateful.
right now, i'm grateful for a cozy house to rent. someday i'll own my own house to (finally) decorate how i want.
right now, i'm grateful for my awesome swagger wagon. someday, i'll fix that scratch i put in the passenger door :(
right now, i'm grateful for two small kiddos to love. someday, they'll stop throwing up all the time and be easier to take care of and take out and about.
right now, i'm grateful that i healthily carried a baby to term in my belly. someday, i'll lose all the baby weight.
and when those right nows are used to be's, i hope i'll chuckle and look back on the smiles i had thinking, "someday..."
i was suddenly very aware of the nice car i was driving, with the toasty heater on and the lovely warmth on my bum that only seat warmers can bring. i am grateful for my car.
i was thinking back to a time in my life when i was driving the crappy little lemon brad brought to our marriage. it broke down all the time, got stuck in the snow, shook when it idled, had an interior that was falling apart, a dent in the door, and a lopsided headlight. it was a sight to behold. i remember rumbling around town in it, i used to think about how junky it was (it was kind of unavoidable. everything was wrong with that car) and then smile, and think "I'll drive a nice car someday."
i realized that's been a habit of mine through the years.
like in one of our first apartments, it was a 1 bedroom and 1 bath, with the washer and dryer in the teeny kitchen. sometimes, when laundry littered our front room and i fumbled with all of our detergent that always fell down from the flimsy cabinet over the teeny stackable washer and dryer, i would smile and think, "i'll have a laundry room someday."
or when we had all that awkward, lumpy, mismatched furniture in our first apartment, when you literally fell into the crevice between the back and the seat of the couch whenever you sat down. sometimes i'd sit (read: fall) into the couch and laugh and think, "i'll have nice furniture someday."
or when we had one tiny bathroom in our apartment in philly and i had to wash the tub every single time we gave bea a bath, sometimes i'd scrub it and smile and think, "we'll have another bathroom someday."
or the times when i laid in bed at night wondering how i would make it through another day living so far from my family, i'd take a deep breath and think, "i'll live closer to them someday."
or in all those small apartments with no closet, counter, or cabinet space, i'd pile the food anywhere i could and think "i'll have a pantry someday."
or when bea had potty accidents every hour of every day, i'd breathe deep and think, "she'll get the hang of it someday."
and you know what?
i have a nice car now
i have a laundry room now (with our very own washer and dryer that we own!)
i have some nice furniture now (can't have all nice furniture with tiny kiddos that throw up everywhere!)
we have 2 bathrooms now
i live close to my family now
i have a pantry now
bea has almost no accidents anymore
and i'm that much more grateful for them now.
a lot of people will tell you that wishing for the future keeps you from living happily in the "now" but i don't think that's always true.
i feel like my little "someday" sentiments were moments to be grateful for what i had, and encouraging reminders to be patient, that someday there would be something even better.
i didn't always bemoan those moments where life's little frustrations got me down. sometimes, i was able to cheerfully smile, and power through them, reminding myself to be grateful that at least i had a car, a washer and dryer, functional furniture, an apartment, smartphones to call my family with and that i only had to buy diapers for one kid. and that one day things will be even better.
by no means have i "arrived" in life yet. (does anyone really?) things aren't perfect. i think i'll always have those "somedays" to keep me grounded and grateful.
right now, i'm grateful for a cozy house to rent. someday i'll own my own house to (finally) decorate how i want.
right now, i'm grateful for my awesome swagger wagon. someday, i'll fix that scratch i put in the passenger door :(
right now, i'm grateful for two small kiddos to love. someday, they'll stop throwing up all the time and be easier to take care of and take out and about.
right now, i'm grateful that i healthily carried a baby to term in my belly. someday, i'll lose all the baby weight.
and when those right nows are used to be's, i hope i'll chuckle and look back on the smiles i had thinking, "someday..."
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
dinner
i have probably used my oven a total of 3 times (and that's generous) since we moved into our house here. i mean a lot of that is because you know like i just had a baby. but honestly i see moms who are back to cooking and stuff like 2 weeks after they have the baby and lemmetellyou...that's just not me. half (ok more than half) of our meals right now are either cooked by bradley, spaghetti, or preprepared meals from trader joes, costco, or ikea. #meatballsforthewin
oliver just doesn't allow for a lot of you know, any other activities besides holding him. i could wear him, but babywearing while cooking sounds kind of disastrous.
i'm not comparing myself to other moms necessarily. i mean i don't think i'm a bad mom because it's taking me a while to get back into cooking. my family doesn't seem to care too much. but today was a good day in the food department! i think i've found the solution to the problem! i think it was an amalgam of plenty of things. namely:
1. i started with a spotless kitchen. i cleaned my kitchen earlier today, and it looked pretty amazing. you guys, i even cleaned the stove. for some reason i always want to cook more when i don't start with a mess. part of the reason i never bake (or cook lately) is because my hatred of dishes/kitchen cleaning outweighs my like of cooking. i don't hate cooking. i REALLY hate dishes. regardless of how much help i have (bradley is a great dish do-er).
2. i cooked by myself. while lately i've been enlisting bradley's help cooking to take some of my weight off, tonight i did something different. i sent him to the playroom with both kids and had the quiet kitchen all to myself. i could even listen to some quiet relaxing music while cooking! score! having a quiet time and space all to myself really lifted my mood.
3. i cleaned up as i went. every single dish i used (strainer etc.) i rinsed and put in the dishwasher IMMEDIATELY. this totally helped my dishaphobia. totally eases up the after dinner workload for me. (ok let's be honest, for bradley. he really does do most of, no lie).
i may actually, like, start cooking for real now if i can do this on a regular basis! now let me just see how long i can keep my kitchen clean on a regular basis..... *side-eye emoji*
also on another note, i know i've been blowing up everyone's feeds with a new project a friend of mine started, so if you don't already get enough of me here, you can check out more blogginess over there at justpoppytalk.blogspot.com. 2 other ladies and myself write about things that make us happy and when to be positive when things aren't so happy. so if that's your jam, definitely check it out.
oliver just doesn't allow for a lot of you know, any other activities besides holding him. i could wear him, but babywearing while cooking sounds kind of disastrous.
i'm not comparing myself to other moms necessarily. i mean i don't think i'm a bad mom because it's taking me a while to get back into cooking. my family doesn't seem to care too much. but today was a good day in the food department! i think i've found the solution to the problem! i think it was an amalgam of plenty of things. namely:
1. i started with a spotless kitchen. i cleaned my kitchen earlier today, and it looked pretty amazing. you guys, i even cleaned the stove. for some reason i always want to cook more when i don't start with a mess. part of the reason i never bake (or cook lately) is because my hatred of dishes/kitchen cleaning outweighs my like of cooking. i don't hate cooking. i REALLY hate dishes. regardless of how much help i have (bradley is a great dish do-er).
2. i cooked by myself. while lately i've been enlisting bradley's help cooking to take some of my weight off, tonight i did something different. i sent him to the playroom with both kids and had the quiet kitchen all to myself. i could even listen to some quiet relaxing music while cooking! score! having a quiet time and space all to myself really lifted my mood.
3. i cleaned up as i went. every single dish i used (strainer etc.) i rinsed and put in the dishwasher IMMEDIATELY. this totally helped my dishaphobia. totally eases up the after dinner workload for me. (ok let's be honest, for bradley. he really does do most of, no lie).
i may actually, like, start cooking for real now if i can do this on a regular basis! now let me just see how long i can keep my kitchen clean on a regular basis..... *side-eye emoji*
also on another note, i know i've been blowing up everyone's feeds with a new project a friend of mine started, so if you don't already get enough of me here, you can check out more blogginess over there at justpoppytalk.blogspot.com. 2 other ladies and myself write about things that make us happy and when to be positive when things aren't so happy. so if that's your jam, definitely check it out.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
a bit about bea pt 4
bea got hot this morning while we were hanging out in my bed (our usual morning practice for when she wakes up too early) and asked if i could help her take off her jammies, so i did. and then i looked over at my baby girl in a little white cami and big girl underwear and wondered where the heck my little baby in diapers and onesies went and what the heck happened?!
i realized a while ago that i was long overdue for an entry on bea but i've been avoiding blogging for a while because our family is more or less in a time of transition and i can't spill every little detail in an update, and whenever we're in that phase, i just avoid the blog. but as i get older, i realize that life is more or less always in transition, and if i neglect to jot down my memories every time my life isn't 100% together i'm basically going to have a whole lot of holes in my records. so, today, i blog!
-milestone alert: bea is finally, for all intents and purposes, potty trained. she wears big girl underwear every day, tells us whenever she needs to use the potty (though does need a few reminders throughout the day), and for the past week and a half, she has been dry throughout the night. i have a bunch of size 4 diapers that i thought about giving away but then i remembered i'm totally turning this girl's world upside down in a month and i'm expecting some regression. so we'll cross that bridge when we get there. she got a doc mcstuffins doctor kit for her first 3-day dry stint and i have probably gotten 8000 checkups since that day. but not she mostly asks for me to give her checkups. she likes to be the patient for some reason...
-bea's imagination is active and often hilarious. she has a tub of little action figure toys ("guys") that consist of princesses, nintendo amiibo "guys", ponies, nemo figurines and a few other little guys which she likes to play with a lot. today she piled a bunch of them into her favorite pair of shoes and declared that they were going for a drive. she then made a "car" out of 3 chairs lined up one in front of the other, demanded i get in the back seat, plopped in the seat in front of me and put her guys in the front and we proceeded to "take a drive" for the next half hour. i wasn't allowed to move. we play games like this a lot.
***interruption: i'd just like to mention that in the middle of me typing that sentence, bea just peed all over the living room rug for the first time after 2 weeks of no accidents. potty training is a process i guess. a really. long. process.****
-bea is a really active "player". most kids her age don't play "with" each other, but "next to" each other but she really does like to engage in imaginative play with other kids. it can be tough when kids her age don't always get it and don't want to go along but she has a few special friends that will indulge her. she's always trying to hold other kids' hands and run from something with them but most kids her age really don't want their hands held for some reason. whenever i tell her we are going to play with friends she says "i hold her hand????" (everyone is "her", even boys. working on that.) she gets pretty crestfallen when she gets rejected, which is pretty much always. she is a tender soul who likes to give attention and affection and it can be a little much for most other kiddos who don't really know how to respond to it.
-whenever we play outside, bea's first order of business is to find an appropriate stick. she then proceeds to ask me "want a stick mom?" and finds me a stick. she really likes playing with sticks.
-she is SO excited for her baby brother to get here. every time we see a baby: "Look mom! like baby bredder!!!!!" she loves helping me open packages of baby things (gifts, gear i've ordered online, etc) and was very excited to help me wash all of his clothes yesterday. i think she kind of gets what's going to happen. whenever i ask when baby brother is coming, she makes her hands into fists, brings them up under her chin, smiles really wide, and whisper-squeals "in the summer! i so excited!!!!" she knows baby brother is a boy ("like daddy!"), she knows he is in my tummy, and she knows when he comes out he will be a baby ("so little tiny!"). she often asks to watch "baby bredder video??" which are all of my what to expect app and baby center app week-by-week pregnancy videos on my phone. her favorite one is the labor and delivery video. it's a computer animated, cross-section, diagram-like video of what happens during labor. she gets a good visual of how the baby is going to come out and how the mom goes from having a baby in there to not having a baby in there and i think she is really grasping that that is what's going to happen to me. at least it seems that way, i really have no idea what's going on in her head haha
-we have been done with the binky for almost 3 whole months! it was pretty painless, as she only used it at night and naps, so she basically just cried for like 5 minutes the night we took it away and was fine after that. i will say that it's harder for her to fall asleep during naptime now. and she doesn't take as good naps anymore (which could also be an age thing), but when we all really need a break and nothing else works, i'll sometimes sneak her a binky during naptime and it gets her right to sleep like old times. and she doesn't ask for it again after that either. i think we are just lucky with her that way. whenever she sees a binky anywhere she says "i dont use a binky. they for baby bredders." so i think we are on the right track with that.
-bea's fallen in love with the beach. it is her favorite place to be. she loves to collect "shelfs" in her bucket, dig in the sand with her toys, and dip her toes in the (freezing!) water. our beach has a playground with a million swings too, which are her other true love, so she asks to go to the beach pretty much all the time. so glad it's finally warm enough to do it and that we live so close! (even if it's only the sound and not the "real ocean")
-bea says her own prayers now, with no help. really, we get shushed when we try and help. she prays on our meals and says family prayer at night and her own prayers when she goes to bed. they usually include abby on her mission, blessing the strawberries (? dont know why she says this instead of whatever we are eating. but she always blesses the strawberries), gratitude for church and nursery annnnnd that's about it. we'll work on adding more when she feels like letting us help again.
-she LOVES ballet class ("bal-yay kloss." love that british touch on the word "class"..... don't know where it came from). this week is her last week of ballet and her recital is on saturday and i am just in pieces about it. it is the highlight of her week, and she loves sharing her moves with us daily.
-on the whole, bea is typically a delightful child, as anyone who spends time with her will attest to. she has her moments though for sure, especially when she is tired and hungry, and that's when her 2 starts to show. most days she is a joy, but yesterday (and i am not exaggerating here, i am 100% serious) she had a real, true, full-blown meltdown every 10 minutes except for the hour where i let her play in the tub. every. ten. minutes. so even the most perfect of children have their days.
-i was talking with some friends this past week about how we never really had to baby-proof anything for bea. she really has never been interested in "getting into things" around the house. she's never in the cabinets unless she needs a bowl or something, she never looks under the sink, she never fools with our electronics (which are not properly stowed by any means), and she doesn't like it when things aren't put away on shelves, so she doesn't usually get stuff off of them. she had a phase maybe when she was like 1 where she would get wipes out of the wipes box a lot, and get all of my *ahem* feminine items out of the bathroom all the time, but that's basically it. other than that, no messes with this one (meal time is a different story -_- even now that she's big). now that she's older and capable of moving things around, she still is pretty tame, and only moves furniture around when she wants a sippy cup off the counter or something. i am not expecting this to happen again with the next child.
-she still sleeps with her swaddle blankets ("sleepies"). she needs one white, patterned one on the right side of her face (either circles or stars. her preference changes daily.) and one solid colored one on the left side of her face (again, color preference changes daily). i have no idea why that started but it started in like february and is still standard bedtime practice.
i know there's more i've been meaning to write down but i can't think of it right now. pregnancy brain. i'll come back and add it if/when i remember. i'll add pictures then too.
can i just say though that these pregnancy mood swings are really no joke?! after i heard bea say "mommy i have peepees!!!!!" and watched in horror as she peed (and kept peeing and peeing and PEEING) all over the rug today, the pregnancy rage boiled up (which of course had to be suppressed because scolding is apparently the absolute no-no in potty training. all "good job"s and "we'll try again next time!"s.) but after the mess was somewhat taken care of and i started cooking her mac and cheese for lunch it literally just left and i was back to loving every aspect of my life, dirty dishes in the sink, still in pajamas at noon, endless laundry and all. it's amazing what spending your entire day serving someone else (and a hint of caffeine!) can do. especially when it's the last thing you want to be doing. yeah it can really be a crap job sometimes (literally) but there really isn't any better way to spend my time. at this point though i think i would rather be spending it with this little boy out of my belly rather than in. i am getting totes uncomfortable up in hurr.
i realized a while ago that i was long overdue for an entry on bea but i've been avoiding blogging for a while because our family is more or less in a time of transition and i can't spill every little detail in an update, and whenever we're in that phase, i just avoid the blog. but as i get older, i realize that life is more or less always in transition, and if i neglect to jot down my memories every time my life isn't 100% together i'm basically going to have a whole lot of holes in my records. so, today, i blog!
-milestone alert: bea is finally, for all intents and purposes, potty trained. she wears big girl underwear every day, tells us whenever she needs to use the potty (though does need a few reminders throughout the day), and for the past week and a half, she has been dry throughout the night. i have a bunch of size 4 diapers that i thought about giving away but then i remembered i'm totally turning this girl's world upside down in a month and i'm expecting some regression. so we'll cross that bridge when we get there. she got a doc mcstuffins doctor kit for her first 3-day dry stint and i have probably gotten 8000 checkups since that day. but not she mostly asks for me to give her checkups. she likes to be the patient for some reason...
-bea's imagination is active and often hilarious. she has a tub of little action figure toys ("guys") that consist of princesses, nintendo amiibo "guys", ponies, nemo figurines and a few other little guys which she likes to play with a lot. today she piled a bunch of them into her favorite pair of shoes and declared that they were going for a drive. she then made a "car" out of 3 chairs lined up one in front of the other, demanded i get in the back seat, plopped in the seat in front of me and put her guys in the front and we proceeded to "take a drive" for the next half hour. i wasn't allowed to move. we play games like this a lot.
***interruption: i'd just like to mention that in the middle of me typing that sentence, bea just peed all over the living room rug for the first time after 2 weeks of no accidents. potty training is a process i guess. a really. long. process.****
-bea is a really active "player". most kids her age don't play "with" each other, but "next to" each other but she really does like to engage in imaginative play with other kids. it can be tough when kids her age don't always get it and don't want to go along but she has a few special friends that will indulge her. she's always trying to hold other kids' hands and run from something with them but most kids her age really don't want their hands held for some reason. whenever i tell her we are going to play with friends she says "i hold her hand????" (everyone is "her", even boys. working on that.) she gets pretty crestfallen when she gets rejected, which is pretty much always. she is a tender soul who likes to give attention and affection and it can be a little much for most other kiddos who don't really know how to respond to it.
-whenever we play outside, bea's first order of business is to find an appropriate stick. she then proceeds to ask me "want a stick mom?" and finds me a stick. she really likes playing with sticks.
-she is SO excited for her baby brother to get here. every time we see a baby: "Look mom! like baby bredder!!!!!" she loves helping me open packages of baby things (gifts, gear i've ordered online, etc) and was very excited to help me wash all of his clothes yesterday. i think she kind of gets what's going to happen. whenever i ask when baby brother is coming, she makes her hands into fists, brings them up under her chin, smiles really wide, and whisper-squeals "in the summer! i so excited!!!!" she knows baby brother is a boy ("like daddy!"), she knows he is in my tummy, and she knows when he comes out he will be a baby ("so little tiny!"). she often asks to watch "baby bredder video??" which are all of my what to expect app and baby center app week-by-week pregnancy videos on my phone. her favorite one is the labor and delivery video. it's a computer animated, cross-section, diagram-like video of what happens during labor. she gets a good visual of how the baby is going to come out and how the mom goes from having a baby in there to not having a baby in there and i think she is really grasping that that is what's going to happen to me. at least it seems that way, i really have no idea what's going on in her head haha
-we have been done with the binky for almost 3 whole months! it was pretty painless, as she only used it at night and naps, so she basically just cried for like 5 minutes the night we took it away and was fine after that. i will say that it's harder for her to fall asleep during naptime now. and she doesn't take as good naps anymore (which could also be an age thing), but when we all really need a break and nothing else works, i'll sometimes sneak her a binky during naptime and it gets her right to sleep like old times. and she doesn't ask for it again after that either. i think we are just lucky with her that way. whenever she sees a binky anywhere she says "i dont use a binky. they for baby bredders." so i think we are on the right track with that.
-bea's fallen in love with the beach. it is her favorite place to be. she loves to collect "shelfs" in her bucket, dig in the sand with her toys, and dip her toes in the (freezing!) water. our beach has a playground with a million swings too, which are her other true love, so she asks to go to the beach pretty much all the time. so glad it's finally warm enough to do it and that we live so close! (even if it's only the sound and not the "real ocean")
-bea says her own prayers now, with no help. really, we get shushed when we try and help. she prays on our meals and says family prayer at night and her own prayers when she goes to bed. they usually include abby on her mission, blessing the strawberries (? dont know why she says this instead of whatever we are eating. but she always blesses the strawberries), gratitude for church and nursery annnnnd that's about it. we'll work on adding more when she feels like letting us help again.
-she LOVES ballet class ("bal-yay kloss." love that british touch on the word "class"..... don't know where it came from). this week is her last week of ballet and her recital is on saturday and i am just in pieces about it. it is the highlight of her week, and she loves sharing her moves with us daily.
-on the whole, bea is typically a delightful child, as anyone who spends time with her will attest to. she has her moments though for sure, especially when she is tired and hungry, and that's when her 2 starts to show. most days she is a joy, but yesterday (and i am not exaggerating here, i am 100% serious) she had a real, true, full-blown meltdown every 10 minutes except for the hour where i let her play in the tub. every. ten. minutes. so even the most perfect of children have their days.
-i was talking with some friends this past week about how we never really had to baby-proof anything for bea. she really has never been interested in "getting into things" around the house. she's never in the cabinets unless she needs a bowl or something, she never looks under the sink, she never fools with our electronics (which are not properly stowed by any means), and she doesn't like it when things aren't put away on shelves, so she doesn't usually get stuff off of them. she had a phase maybe when she was like 1 where she would get wipes out of the wipes box a lot, and get all of my *ahem* feminine items out of the bathroom all the time, but that's basically it. other than that, no messes with this one (meal time is a different story -_- even now that she's big). now that she's older and capable of moving things around, she still is pretty tame, and only moves furniture around when she wants a sippy cup off the counter or something. i am not expecting this to happen again with the next child.
-she still sleeps with her swaddle blankets ("sleepies"). she needs one white, patterned one on the right side of her face (either circles or stars. her preference changes daily.) and one solid colored one on the left side of her face (again, color preference changes daily). i have no idea why that started but it started in like february and is still standard bedtime practice.
i know there's more i've been meaning to write down but i can't think of it right now. pregnancy brain. i'll come back and add it if/when i remember. i'll add pictures then too.
can i just say though that these pregnancy mood swings are really no joke?! after i heard bea say "mommy i have peepees!!!!!" and watched in horror as she peed (and kept peeing and peeing and PEEING) all over the rug today, the pregnancy rage boiled up (which of course had to be suppressed because scolding is apparently the absolute no-no in potty training. all "good job"s and "we'll try again next time!"s.) but after the mess was somewhat taken care of and i started cooking her mac and cheese for lunch it literally just left and i was back to loving every aspect of my life, dirty dishes in the sink, still in pajamas at noon, endless laundry and all. it's amazing what spending your entire day serving someone else (and a hint of caffeine!) can do. especially when it's the last thing you want to be doing. yeah it can really be a crap job sometimes (literally) but there really isn't any better way to spend my time. at this point though i think i would rather be spending it with this little boy out of my belly rather than in. i am getting totes uncomfortable up in hurr.
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