Well, that was a crazy 24 hours. Both in our household and in the news. It seems like it was a busy Valentine's Day across the world.
Murdering Olympians, Republicans in the Senate blocking someone from their own party for Dept of Defense, cruise ship with thousands of passengers crippling into port with tales of biohazard bags in the hallways, hundreds injured in Russia (hello to all my mysterious readers there!) by a meteor.
In our family, it was both a hectic and relaxing Valentines Day. Aside from the major task of the day--that I will maybe write about one day when I get the energy to wrap my head around it--we mostly enjoyed playing with the kids. I managed to check out the new bike/triathlon store in the neighborhood and pick up dessert on the way home. So it was wine, Indian takeout, and chocolate lava cake with creme anglaise for us. So good.
Cole managed to go all day without a nap yesterday. After he tried and failed to go down late-morning. I kept waiting for the wheels to fall off sometime late-afternoon. But, instead, we managed to get him to around 5pm using a combination of a bath then package from Grandma that included something to eat, a new book, and a small Lightning McQueen race car. At 6pm when Kelly arrived home with the Indian "sauce rice" he picked himself up a bit to eat. But the previous half an hour had been spent on my lap in a near-asleep coma with blankie watching The Electric Company. I even made sure he was in his overnight diaper. Impressively, he was still awake at his normal bedtime.
Leda, on the other hand, started to get sick 2 days ago and has a runny nose today. (Kelly has a very bad cold.) But yesterday she was just a troublemaker. Though she paid dearly for it with several falls and encounters with her brother that left her bruised and grumpy. I don't know that I'd say she's quite as active as her brother but she has a certain determination about activity that doesn't persuade her to stop at failure. I both admire it and worry it's going to get her hurt.
We interrupt this blog post for amazing Cole developments! I'm back after helping him change his diaper. He got a HUGE reward, too...he turned to me and quietly, without prompting, matter of factly said, "I poop my pants." Full sentence. Wanted to be changed. If you're not a parent you probably don't understand my joy right now.
* * *
Interesting article by Eugene Robinson on RealClearPolitics...he compares President Obama to Thatcher's Britain and has a few thoughts on Rubio's Republican response to the State of the Union. Basically, he argues that even if you don't win over your political opponents it matters whether or not you win the public debate. Key line:
I've been talking about this for awhile. That was my main criticism of Rubio's post-SOTU speech is that it was a far cry from the idea that we send politicians to work for us. His conclusions fell back on government getting in the way and how the blame really is with individuals and families--something his version of reality seems to think doesn't involve any attempt at fixing.
Even more interestingly, I've been commenting about the cultural shift that's been going on post-Obama. More than saving the economy or healthcare or gay rights, his longest lasting achievement may be as a transformational leader who is shifting the social landscape. The President has been fighting Republicans in Congress, but meanwhile the nation as a whole has gradually been swayed by a combination of his vision and Republican tantrums. The more that Republicans say "no" to everything and refuse to move into the future...complaining all the way...the more the President looks like the adult in the room with a plan.
* * *
I've taken a few days off at the pool this week...essentially skipping my Wed workout in favor of the movie. So I'm eager to get back to swimming tonight. I kinda miss it. Hard to believe Feb is half over and my training plan will begin in a couple weeks!
* * *
How could I forget to mention it earlier!? Yesterday, for Valentine's Day, the Illinois state senate approved the gay marriage bill that had made it out of committee previously. The Illinois house is a bit more conservative so passage is more difficult. But it's the last big test because the Governor has already said he will sign it into law. So a little bit closer to adding our state to the list!
I chuckled to myself while watching the news because most of the opposition they showed came from people saying this would violate their religious rights. For the sake of clarity, the bill does not force anyone to perform a same-sex marriage. Nor are Catholics required to stop believing in Church doctrine. We're talking about the law here, not your private stance of being for or against. I fail to see how it violates your religious rights when I have actual friends suffering from the government's discrimination.
Murdering Olympians, Republicans in the Senate blocking someone from their own party for Dept of Defense, cruise ship with thousands of passengers crippling into port with tales of biohazard bags in the hallways, hundreds injured in Russia (hello to all my mysterious readers there!) by a meteor.
In our family, it was both a hectic and relaxing Valentines Day. Aside from the major task of the day--that I will maybe write about one day when I get the energy to wrap my head around it--we mostly enjoyed playing with the kids. I managed to check out the new bike/triathlon store in the neighborhood and pick up dessert on the way home. So it was wine, Indian takeout, and chocolate lava cake with creme anglaise for us. So good.
Cole managed to go all day without a nap yesterday. After he tried and failed to go down late-morning. I kept waiting for the wheels to fall off sometime late-afternoon. But, instead, we managed to get him to around 5pm using a combination of a bath then package from Grandma that included something to eat, a new book, and a small Lightning McQueen race car. At 6pm when Kelly arrived home with the Indian "sauce rice" he picked himself up a bit to eat. But the previous half an hour had been spent on my lap in a near-asleep coma with blankie watching The Electric Company. I even made sure he was in his overnight diaper. Impressively, he was still awake at his normal bedtime.
Leda, on the other hand, started to get sick 2 days ago and has a runny nose today. (Kelly has a very bad cold.) But yesterday she was just a troublemaker. Though she paid dearly for it with several falls and encounters with her brother that left her bruised and grumpy. I don't know that I'd say she's quite as active as her brother but she has a certain determination about activity that doesn't persuade her to stop at failure. I both admire it and worry it's going to get her hurt.
We interrupt this blog post for amazing Cole developments! I'm back after helping him change his diaper. He got a HUGE reward, too...he turned to me and quietly, without prompting, matter of factly said, "I poop my pants." Full sentence. Wanted to be changed. If you're not a parent you probably don't understand my joy right now.
* * *
Interesting article by Eugene Robinson on RealClearPolitics...he compares President Obama to Thatcher's Britain and has a few thoughts on Rubio's Republican response to the State of the Union. Basically, he argues that even if you don't win over your political opponents it matters whether or not you win the public debate. Key line:
There is no bipartisan compromise between "do something" and "do nothing." Obama's re-election reflected the progress he has made in convincing Americans that "do something" is the only option -- and that "do nothing" leads inexorably to decline.
I've been talking about this for awhile. That was my main criticism of Rubio's post-SOTU speech is that it was a far cry from the idea that we send politicians to work for us. His conclusions fell back on government getting in the way and how the blame really is with individuals and families--something his version of reality seems to think doesn't involve any attempt at fixing.
Even more interestingly, I've been commenting about the cultural shift that's been going on post-Obama. More than saving the economy or healthcare or gay rights, his longest lasting achievement may be as a transformational leader who is shifting the social landscape. The President has been fighting Republicans in Congress, but meanwhile the nation as a whole has gradually been swayed by a combination of his vision and Republican tantrums. The more that Republicans say "no" to everything and refuse to move into the future...complaining all the way...the more the President looks like the adult in the room with a plan.
* * *
I've taken a few days off at the pool this week...essentially skipping my Wed workout in favor of the movie. So I'm eager to get back to swimming tonight. I kinda miss it. Hard to believe Feb is half over and my training plan will begin in a couple weeks!
* * *
How could I forget to mention it earlier!? Yesterday, for Valentine's Day, the Illinois state senate approved the gay marriage bill that had made it out of committee previously. The Illinois house is a bit more conservative so passage is more difficult. But it's the last big test because the Governor has already said he will sign it into law. So a little bit closer to adding our state to the list!
I chuckled to myself while watching the news because most of the opposition they showed came from people saying this would violate their religious rights. For the sake of clarity, the bill does not force anyone to perform a same-sex marriage. Nor are Catholics required to stop believing in Church doctrine. We're talking about the law here, not your private stance of being for or against. I fail to see how it violates your religious rights when I have actual friends suffering from the government's discrimination.