Just the way she is...

Me: Were you good at dance class?
JC: Nope, I goofed off.

At least she is honest and knows when she is out of line.. I guess.

Everything....

Why I Put One Foot in Front of the Other...

These two little women light up my life day after day. Hannah is so remarkably smart, a great critical thinker, so wise about the world, head strong, and talented. J is amazing, despite her many medical challenges she remains unscathed. She reminds me everyday that it is a beautiful day and tells me I am her best friend. The past few months have been markedly difficult. I am kind of floundering as a SAHM. I have been going to school full-time. Graduation is no longer a pipe dream but becoming more and more a reality. I guess that was the goal, right?

I have been looking for a job, but this job market just sucks. I am sure I could find some sort of part-time work anywhere, but that isn't what I am after. I am looking to start a career and the opportunities just aren't there. I am downright frustrated. However, because of these two amazing creatures I put one foot in front of the other and try to understand that things are whatever they will be. I am relishing every moment with them. It only happens once.

This awful market is making me stop and wonder if I could be a SAHM for even longer than planned (while in school). How could I be effective? Right now, and for the last two years school has taken up a large part of my mind. I don't know how I would shift gears to "just" being a SAHM and if I would feel okay with it. I find it ironic that I have fallen into traditional gender roles despite growing up with a strong opposition to them. I always thought I would be a career woman and possibly sometime down the line (late 30's, early 40's) would have one child. Obviously fate had another plan for me and I am sometime in the near future going to be staring 30 in the face and I am domestically ahead of where I thought I would be, but very much behind where I imagined career wise.

I guess it boils down to I don't know what I am going to do. Good jobs are scarce in my field. Good jobs with the benefits I desire are even more scarce and it comes down to what is worth the sacrifice of time with my girls and the money I would have to pay for them to be cared for. SIGH! So what do I do? I continue to put one foot in front of the other and let the chips falls where they may. Inaction is a form of action, so they say. ;)

6 Year Old Girl Pat Down By TSA

OK, So this video has gone viral with nearly a half million hits. Some are outraged that TSA would pat down a 6-year old girl. I have a 7 year old and a 3 year old. If we were travelling and TSA chose one of my daughters to pat down I can't say I wouldn't be perturbed. However, I would be grateful that they were taking their job seriously enough to move beyond stereotypes of who looks like a terrorist. Truth be told, terrorists come in all races, genders, religions, nationalities, and mental states. We live in a world where it is not outside the realm of possibility for a terrorist to use a child in order to do what they think they 'need' to do. That's reality. It is the reality we live in and the reality that our children live in. As parents it is our responsibility not only to teach them of the great possibility that life brings, but also the grim realities that lurk in the shadows. Our children are never going to live in a time where airport security, or security of any kind is more lax.

For those who continue to take issue, how about you have lax security on the flight that YOU are about to board and leave your safety to chance. 9/11 may have been ten years ago but the truth remains that we haven't done anything as a nation to build our public relations on the international front since that point in time, we have only further fractured them. Until we are viewed as 'nice guys,' say like Sweden, which in all likelihood will never happen we are going to have enemies and those enemies will try to attack. We need to take precautions. If those precautions are patting down six year olds and taking only 3 oz of hairspray on a flight, it in a small price to pay for peace of mind in life and death situations.