Thursday, October 30, 2008

Playmakers for Obama

We are coming up on the last weekend, and I'm fired up. I'm so fired up that I'll be making some calls on Barack's behalf. You can do it too. You can do one call, or five, or fifty. All you have to do is go to my.barackobama.com, and it'll spit names at you. Then, you dial the numbers they give you and read the script they provide. I'll also be doing visibility on Monday and Tuesday, waving my signs at a busy intersection reminding people to vote. If you want to commit to waving a sign for the Strong Schools; Strong City referendum, you can sign up here. I plan to wave their sign and also my Obama sign.




Let's vote for Barack, Al Franken, Keith Ellison, YES on on the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment; and of course, YES for the Minneapolis Public Schools.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Siblings for Obama

So far, in our first six hours, the kids are doing a pretty good job without Dan around. He's in Pittsburgh for the week, a place he's never been and a place where he'll spend many hours in a warehouse sifting through boxes. To make Shef more amenable to being cared for only by me, I bought him a little Star Wars Lego set. He's happy with it.

Speaking of Legos, here's a video of Shef and Mac having a little conversation. Usually, when Shef says a sound that's kind of like "alego, lego, lego," Mac does something similar. Not for the camera, though.


Untitled from Savvy Mom on Vimeo.

Friday, October 24, 2008

People for Obama

There are some amazing photos of Barack, his family, his staff, and his supporters here. The photographer's name is Callie Shell. Here's an example:



Shell writes a little narrative with each one.

We will win this election. We just have to.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Dorks for Obama



A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Shef's first skating lesson and how we all spouted lines from Ice Princess the whole time we were at the rink.

Well, that super-fun activity has continued from Saturday to Saturday. We start on the way there, and then we continue for the duration of the lesson and on into skate removal and return.

We've done the lines of all the characters, including a supporting skater called Nikki Fletcher, aka The Jumping Shrimp.

"A BLT, hold the B, heavy on the L."

"Well, if it isn't The Leaping Dwarf. It's the JUMPING SHRIMP, actually. Like that's an improvement."

"Six months with Tina and she's going to whip my BUTT!!"

This really cracks us up, and it never seems to get old.

Last week, midway through the lesson, when Dan and I were yukking it up with our usual pitter-pat of IP dialogue, I noticed that one of the really good skaters looked pretty familiar. I stared at her while she put some stuff into a bag monogrammed with her name.

"Um, Dan," I whispered, "I think that girl IS The Jumping Shrimp."

He tried to look at her surreptitiously, but she probably noticed. Then, he got out his smart phone and we checked it out on IMDB.

Sure enough. Nikki Fletcher skates at Shef's rink. And she's probably heard us acting out her feature film every week in the small lobby. We've had finer moments, surely.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Congregationalists for Obama



Mac is four months old now, and today we had him baptized. I'm glad he's officially a child of God. We all enjoyed the service. Since our church is exploring world religions, the music and readings were inspired by Hinduism. I thought that was cool. I'd like it if both of the boys grew up to value religious pluralism.



Mac has some new tricks this month like scooting in circles and eating his toys with more voracity. He's also been enjoying chewing on books. And he has a tooth! One of the bottom front two.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Programming Break

Cari and I were in the same graduate program at the U, and we started blogging around the same time. I've had her on my blogroll forever, and I know a lot of people who read this blog also read hers.

For the last 14 months, Cari has battled an aggressive type of breast cancer that, in August of this year, metastasized to her brain. Now in October, the cancer is also in her spine.

I'm not particularly devout in my Christian faith, but Cari is in hers. When she asked for prayers for her and her family, I dusted off my old rosary beads and started offering those familiar and comforting prayers to the heavens.

Now Cari's situation is more serious than ever, and I think it would be good to get her some more prayers. I feel sort of sheepish asking this, but if you're at all inclined, if you prayed when you were little but haven't for awhile, if you're not sure it will work, if you just have thirty seconds - would you pray for Cari, her husband Melvin, and their three adorable kids?

You can read more about her here.

Okay, thanks.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Readers for Obama



When I was little, my mom and dad read me all of the Little House on the Prairie books. I also watched the tv show. So, when my mom offered to take me to the new musical version of the story at The Guthrie, I jumped at the chance to see Melissa Gilbert, who played Half-Pint for ten years, star as Ma.

It turns out that Melissa Gilbert is not a very talented singer, but that was okay. She only had one solo, a ballad called "Wild Child," which she sang to Laura, her former character. The moment brought a tear to my mom's eye and mine.

When I got home, Dan summarized the debate for me and showed me some clips of McSame smirking and being sarcastic. He did not appear very presidential in these clips.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Preschoolers for Obama



Michelle Obama spoke at my alma mater yesterday. I wanted to go, but I had to take Shef to swimming lessons. Still, my support for Michelle is unwavering.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Door-Knockers for Obama



Because this is the most important election of my life so far, I volunteered to canvass our neighborhood for Obama. I hate door-knocking so much. I also hate answering my door when other people knock, so now I have a sign up saying, "Please don't knock, thank you very much." But still, I felt compelled to volunteer to do this terrible job.

Luckily, Dan, Shef, and Mac decided to knock with me. As we walked, Dan told me I had better improve my attitude, and fast. He was right, so I assumed a cheerful disposition.

Still, I was happiest in the following scenarios: 1) It was Dan's turn to knock; 2) The voter was not at home; 3) The voter had moved, as indicated by a new name on the mailbox; or 4) The voter had a sign saying, "Please don't knock."

Friday, October 10, 2008

Night-Wakers for Obama




I took Mac to see our beloved pediatrician, Dr. G., today. She pronounced him generally cute and healthy, and then she asked some questions about his habits.

"And how's this one sleeping?"

Of course, we all know that Big Brother is not a model sleeper. Dr. G. and I have discussed it many times over the years, and we still talk about it. In fact, we spent a few minutes of Mac's appointment talking about it today. But Mac? #2? Oh, he's fine. Sweet. You know, stays asleep for more than forty-five minutes at a time most nights.

"Oh, he's pretty good," I said. "Like, last night he woke up at 2:30 and 4:30." It had been a pretty decent night's sleep, overall.

"Hmm," Dr. G. nodded. "No, that's pretty bad, actually."

Huh. I had no idea.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Viewers for Obama



I was happy to read that most of America agreed with me that Obama was the winner in the last debate. I had fun live-twittering the debate with Lee, my friend from afar. The only trouble was that I was behind because of the DVR. Every once in awhile, Lee would twitter something that I didn't understand like, "Cool hand on the tiller."

What's that about? I would wonder.

And then ten or twelve minutes later, I would hear McCain say "cool hand on the tiller," whatever that means.

I didn't think it was that great of McCain to keep calling me his friend and then to be such a petulant loser, as shown by his refusal to do a second handshake with "that one."

You know, "That One." The one we'll all be voting for.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Parents for Obama



Shef's new school has a lot of events you're supposed to go to and mingle with the other parents and become their best friends. So far, we've had the new student picnic, the first-day-of-school coffee, back-to-school night, parent coffee after drop-off (nannies invited too!!), and pre-kindergarten open house. And this weekend, there's Parent Party on Saturday from 5:30-7:30. We also have drop-off and pick-up every day, which offer multiple opportunities for socializing.

I think I've met most of the pre-k parents now, and here's a sample of how each introduction goes:

Other parent: Hi, I don't think we've met.
Me: Hi, I'm KC, Shef's mom.
OP: OH! Shef's mom! We've heard a lot about Shef at home!!
Me: Ah! [nervous giggle] Well, I know he really likes playing with your child. [and here I try to insert a specific story or piece of information about the other kid in question, if at all possible]

I ask you, how could it be true that EVERY parent hears a lot about Shef at home? I have a feeling this isn't such a good sign.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Eaters for Obama



Renee and I had dinner at a Thai restaurant, and we talked about how we both love Barack.

"But I don't like to listen to him talk about his policies," Renee said. She's a social studies teacher, by the way.

"You only like to hear about hope and change and stuff?" I asked.

"Right," she said definitively. "Because let's be honest, the rest doesn't REALLY matter." Barack is a good citizen, I'm pretty sure she meant, and that's the most important thing.

Later, Renee made fun of me for talking about my reptilian post-partum brain and also for saying I'm really good at breastfeeding. But I am really good at breastfeeding, and I'm not afraid to say it.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Babies For Obama

I saw some shiny new Obama signs in our neighborhood today, so I told Dan to hurry up and call the local Obama office to see if we could get one. Sure enough! We now have our sign AND some buttons.



And now, here's a little video of Mackie. To really appreciate it, you'll have to turn your volume way up. You'll also get a nice view of Mac's soul patch on the back of his head.


Untitled from Savvy Mom on Vimeo.

Jesus Was a Community Organizer




Shef started skating lessons yesterday. He's kind of interested in hockey. I'm leery of hockey as a sport choice because at least 85% of the hockey boys I've taught in eight years have been pretty much assholic.

But Dan kept telling me that if I didn't let Shef learn how to skate RIGHT NOW, I would ruin forever any chance he'd ever have of playing on any hockey team in the universe, even the nice ones. So I relented.

Shef is convinced he already knows how to skate because he's seen Ice Princess a few times. He was jumping around on his little rented figure skates the lobby before his lesson, and he and Dan were quoting lines from the movie, like "The toe pick is there for the reason! Use it or no friends over for a week!" And, "Those skates take, like, a minimum of ten days to break in. Everybody knows that." And, "To increase the height of my jump, I'll apply more force with my toe pick."

I thought this was pretty embarrassing, especially when Dan was crossing his arms across his chest and pretending to take off for a salchow. Also when he was watching the real skaters, and saying things like, "She keeps popping her lutz."

"What level are those girls?" Shef asked.

"Junior Pass," we told him simultaneously, and then we laughed because we have no idea if that's actually a real thing.

When Shef lined up with his class (no parents allowed inside the rink), Dan said meaningfully, "Hey, Shef! Skate with your heart, Buddy."

The lesson, which we watched through the glass in the lobby, consisted of moving about ten feet and then practicing sitting down and standing up.

Afterward, the kids were allowed to grab a cookie from the sign-in table. "Did you skate already?" the table lady asked cheerfully.

"YES," Shef told her. "I was totally awesome."

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I Wasn't Going for Elegant, Heidi



I support Joe Biden for Vice President. Biden chairs the senate Foreign Relations Committee. Although Sarah Palin says she keeps watch for Putin's ugly head from her house in Alaska, I still think Joe is the more qualified to contribute to important foreign policy decisions.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Ab Contest - Final Standings

Some people have not reported their minutes for the ab contest, and therefore, these results are not official. If you still need to report, please do so in the next 24 hours.


1. Cyndy and Abby - 47 points
2. Liz and KC - 37 points
3. Amy and Avery - 32 points
4. Pat and Emily - 31 points
5. Anne N. and Molly - 22 points
6. Anne B. and Maritha - 21 points
6. Theresa and Sheila - 21 points

I hope the scores are right. They probably are; although there may be a mistake or two. The thing is, it doesn't really matter. It's a contest with no prize, and we are all winners for doing our abs.

Also, the importance of abs is really insignificant compared to the importance of the upcoming election. I will be following my friend Lee's example and blogging Barack until he wins. I have purchased a Barack bumper sticker and have displayed a Barack sign on my property. I will also be featuring images of Barack on this website, which I will grab from Lee's website. Here's one encouraging you to continue to work on your abs:



You can look for October's ab contest at Go Mom Go. I'll be playing because otherwise I don't do any abs.