Outraged

Since when did we get so scared to let our kids listen to a speech by the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES? You know, the highest elected official in all the land?

I don't care which political party you belong to. I really don't. Don't you think that it is important for your children to respect the President? Not agree with him. Respect him. There is a very big difference.

And if you are so frightened that your offspring are going to be brainwashed by listening to a speech by the President, there must be something different going on at your house than at mine. I can't even brainwash my own kids. Do you know what that speech is going to sound like to them? "Blah blah blah, blah blah blah..." Like the parents on Charlie Brown. And you know what the purpose of it is? To encourage your kid to stay in school. And what message are you sending your kid when you decide to keep them home (are you kidding me?) from school to shield them from a speech by the President?

You are telling them to be afraid. "Be afraid of people that aren't like you." "Refuse to listen." "Be angry and outraged before you even hear what someone is saying." Do you really want to send that message to your kids?

What are you really afraid of? I am going to tell you right now, your kids are hearing a lot of bad things at school from other kids and maybe even teachers; things that you don't agree with. And hopefully, if you've done a good job as a parent, your child will find value in their own knowledge of right and wrong.

Calm down. The president is not going to brainwash your kid to be a (gasp!) democrat. You should be afraid, parents. Be afraid that your kids are going to get wrapped up in drugs and sex and all trappings of adulthood. Do what you can to prepare them for those things. But also prepare them for life in a diverse world. Prepare them for meeting people that do not share their opinions and lifestyle. Don't teach them to be judgemental and to shame others. Teach them compassion and above all, teach them to respect themselves and others.

Rock N' Roll, Baby

I like classic rock. You know... Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, The Beatles... that kind of thing. Heck, I even rock out to Bad Company. Don't deny it. You totally jam when you hear "feel like makin' love" on the radio! Anyway, three times now I have heard a particular song on my local classic rock station that totally irks me. REM, Losing My Religion. It's not that I don't like REM. I do. Nevermind the fact that the song is totally overplayed on radio in general, I just don't think it belongs on the Classic Rock station. Am I wrong? What's next? The Cure? I like The Cure too, by the way, but I don't want to hear it right after Lynyrd Skynryd, ok?

Thanks for listening, blog. Have a great Tuesday.

~Kelly

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Have you heard of Activia yogurt? It has some sort of live cultures in it, which is supposed to help your digestive system. Although the thought of eating anything with the word "live" in it completely disgusts me, I decided to try it out. Well, I will spare you the details, but it totally works. I have just been eating one little container a day and on my way to work this morning, I started thinking... I wonder what happens if you eat it several times a day? Shouldn't they put a warning on the package or something? I looked. There is no recommended daily intake or any warning against eating too much. Just a thought I wanted to share.

Ok, I promise my next post won't have anything at all to do with my digestive system.

Oh yeah, and Happy New Year!

~Kelly Belly

My New Mouse

So, I got a new mouse at work. I had known for quite some time that my mouse needed to be replaced. It was really sluggish and I was always clicking on the wrong thing because of the slow response time. Finally, I mentioned it to my boss.

Yesterday my boss got me a new mouse AND a new mouse pad to boot! I cannot believe I waited all this time for a $12 mouse! What a difference! I am not even kidding you, it makes me smile every time I click. I keep wanting to tell my co-workers how awesome my mouse is when they walk by my desk. I am writing a blog about it, for heaven's sake... perhaps I am a wee bit over-excited, but anyway.

I started thinking about how long it takes for the "new" to wear off. I remember when I got my previous vehicle. It was a Jeep Grand Cherokee and it was a hand-me-down from my in-laws at the time. We really needed more reliable transportation for our family and we ended up agreeing to make payments to them for the jeep. I haven't been spoiled in the vehicle department, so things like automatic windows, seat adjusters, leather interior, a digital compass... things like that totally rocked my world, even though the vehicle was almost 10 years old, I was SO thankful for it. I remember driving down the road and thinking to myself, "Don't let the new wear off of this too quick, Kelly. Soak in all the wonderful things about this jeep that you are enjoying so much." Days go by, then months, and before you know it, all those awesome features become completely taken for granted.

We all do this, right? It can be anything. Houses, cars, your ipod, your relationship... Things that were once totally magical suddenly are yesterday's news. I am trying to keep this in mind as I live my day to day life. I don't want to start expecting the little nice things that people do for me rather than appreciating them for what they are.

There's my two cents for today. Did I mention how amazing my new mouse is?