Where's the sisterly love?

I've really been struggling lately with the comments made by people I know, love, and admire. If you haven't heard the latest about Hilary Rosen and Ann Romney, let me sum it up for you: Hilary said Ann hasn't worked a day in her life (and Ann is a stay-at-home mom of five boys who has had a lot of health struggles).

In short, I think it's wrong that politics have become so combatative. It makes me sick, actually.

Now to get to the long: because my groups of friends, family, and acquaintances on Facebook are people I have things in common with (work, religion, motherhood, place of residence, etc.), I often make the mistake that they think like me. This issue forced me (yet again) to realize this is often not the truth.

I was really hurt by some of the comments made by these people I (again!) know, love, and admire. Suddenly, I was back to everything I hate about hanging out with groups of women--petty comments about other women. Why is being a stay-at-home mom vs a working-outside-the-home mom always the dividing line? Am I really that different from you because I work full-time outside my home? Do you really feel the need to justify your choices by attacking me for making different ones?

Here's what I know:
--How much I long for more time with my kids.
--How I wish my life was as structured and kid-successful as yours appears to be.
--How I wish I just had more time PERIOD--work sucks off 60 hours each week, yet I'm still supposed to be able to do all the things you do.
--How I wish you weren't so defensive about it so we could talk about how each other feels, so we could buoy each other up instead of always having that divide.
--How I wish you knew how much I value my time (or lack thereof) outside of work as my family time, so I can't make it to all the fun activities you get to--and how envious that makes me at times.
--How hard I work--going to my job doesn't mean I just sit there aimlessly and come home refreshed. I am exhausted, just like you are, and I come home to eager little people who haven't seen me all day. I'm ON 24/7, the same as you.
--Yes, I choose (BIG word there that opens a BIG can of worms) to work full-time but you choose to stay home, and sometimes I really wish I actually felt like I had that choice. Yeah, I might still choose to work, but I would love to have the luxury (just as you might love to have that luxury) to choose. Please don't act like I chose it because I couldn't or didn't want to take care of my kids full-time.

We are not that different, so please don't belittle the choices I have made and continue to make in order to take care of my family. I love them and want to do what's right for them, just as you do. And, yes, I'm very grateful to have a great job--but I've worked hard and studied hard in order to have this great job so that I can help care for my family.

Why can't we just care for and strengthen one another instead of tearing each other down? Please stop widening the divide between us. I'm pretty confident that we all want the same ultimate end goal--happy and confident children who can go out and make their mark in the world.

News Flash: Mormor is retiring after 48 years!

This is a picture of my mom (Mormor) who is retiring after 48 years in the nursing profession. I have honestly never met someone who works as hard as my mom--her capacity to work full-time at age 70, serve at church (she was released in the last year as the president of her congregation's group in charge of all the girls ages 12-18), serve with the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, serve with her political party, baby-sit her grandkids at the drop of a hat, and still send packages to us for every holiday she can come up with is absolutely MIND-BOGGLING. And I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting something! She is seriously my hero.

I'm not going to say I've never heard her complain--she's nothing if not straight-forward :) but her complaints have more to do with people not fulfilling their potential--people who don't seize the opportunities given to them. She's a home-grown farm girl with no patience for whiners. Just Do It was her motto long before it was Nike's.

Lately I've been thinking of how grateful I am for all that my family has. We're healthy, Superman and I both have good jobs, we've got great (active!) kids, we have a safe place to live, etc., etc. Listing everything made me realize what I'm really grateful for is the hard work ethic both Superman and I have had instilled in us. We both know how to do what needs to be done--yes, there's occasional whining :) but in the end, we get up and do it. Past experience has taught us that when something happens that's not so peachy, we can depend on each other and all that we've done thus far to prepare ourselves and our family.

I love you, Mormor! You'll take a chunk out of the nursing profession by leaving, but know that you've taught many people that they're able to do far more than they first thought.

CBC's Talent: Caring for Foster Dogs

I know I haven't posted in almost a year, but I absolutely HAD to show this. Our church had a talent show for the 8-11 year old girls last night, and my girl was seriously awesome! She was so funny and had people in stitches with what she had to share about her talent: caring for foster dogs.

Let's see if this works--I put the video up on YouTube--let me know if you're unable to access this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ncqoOoxQAc

CBC ROCKS!! Enjoy!! (and sorry about the camera shaking--I was switching between laughing and crying :) )