Friday, July 8, 2016

Rage Against The Machine

I intended to blog today about the adventure the last year has been, as today is our little Lyric's first birthday.  Initially, I wasn't going to infiltrate this post with politics, but today, more than ever, it seems crucially important to recognize the division in our world and to speak about it.  What I hope for, today, on my daughter's first birthday, is that, one day, she will be a voice of activism and reason in her community.  I hope that for all of my children.  I want them to live in and contribute to a world where campaigns like #blacklivesmatter become irrelevant because, truly, black lives actually WILL matter.  It is obvious that in our world today, they don't.  I want my children to stand for big things, and fall for nothing.  I want them to see injustice and rise against.  It doesn't matter right now that white people matter because in this nation, white people have always mattered.  Black people haven't, and judging by the corruption at the hands of those meant to protect us, and the citizens who see no wrong here, they still don't matter.  This is unacceptable.  Hate will never lead to peace.  Intolerance will never lead to justice.  The political machine that feeds into us all day, everyday, the mass media - someone needs to hold these people accountable.  Hate creates division, and a nation divided is a nation collapsing.

This cannot be the world we are leaving for our children. 

Friday, July 1, 2016

Free Time

Free time is a funny thing anymore.  With four kids, a husband, and a household to keep up with, sometimes I feel like there's not even a point in trying to find free time.  But then sometimes, the three older kids occupy themselves, and your husband tells you he's taking the baby to the store, and you realize that, for just a moment, you might get a little free time.  So he backs down the driveway, you turn around, and there stands one of the three previously occupied children, asking for yet another snack.  And then you hear the voice of child number two telling you that he's bored.  And then about 25 seconds later, the last of the three previously occupied children is at your feet, also begging for a snack.  Your husband's generous offer screeches to a halt.  So you do your best to satisfy the needy children, but your answers aren't the ones they are looking for - "you've already had a snack, and it's almost dinnertime" because then you get the back to back to back "how soon is dinner?" questions.  But finally, you nearly threaten life or limb because Mommy. Just. Needs. A. Minute.  So they scamper off for maybe the next 30 seconds, and you fall into the couch, and breathe.  And 30 seconds passes, so you decide to turn on Netflix, only to get the "Too many devices currently viewing" message because the only way the children could leave you in peace was if the boys watched something in one room, and the daughter watched something much girlier in another room.  Sigh.  So you coax and beg the daughter to please just join the boys in the other room so that you can please have a moment of Netflix to yourself.  Miraculously, she complies.  I mean that. Miraculously.  Because when has she ever just complied with a request?  So the stars have aligned, and you finally get to sit down for just a couple minutes before the free time is over.

Honestly, thank god for husbands.  Thank god for husbands taking little ones on an adventure to the grocery store.  Thank for god free time, even if it's just a few minutes here and there.