I want to be a stay at home mom when I grow up, but for now, I am a working mom.
I think there is definitely a stigma attached to moms who work, especially in the LDS church and I have struggled a bit to find a happy medium between these two worlds. I am not working to feed my ego, win awards, or make a ton of money. I am working simply to pay the bills. Even when I start to think - why should we even pay our mortgage, if everyone else is going to get bailed out anyway? - I still want to be financially independent and have our family take care of itself.
Sometimes I am discouraged when I hear other moms answer the question of - so what do you do? with, "oh, I'm just a mom." Just a mom? If this is what I want to be when I grow up, what I am working towards, what I work extra hours at night for in the hopes that someday I can quit my job, is it really "just" anything?
I also take a step back when I go to activities or out with friends and I hear - "I just had to get out of the house!" I am doing everything I can to get INTO the house!
So, here is my question for all of you stay at home moms out there, is it worth it?
I have a big decision to make in the next few days; I think I have the right answer but need some encouragement. Unfortunately I won't be able to stop working completely just yet, but this other opportunity will allow for more down time and working from home a few days a week again. Baby steps.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sundays = Hiller Time
Almost every Sunday we go to the Hiller's house for Sunday dinner. It is like Family Home Evening, only on Sunday instead of Monday night. I am loving how much Claire's cousins actually want to play with her. First of all they are boys, and they are quite a bit older than her. But they hang out and play with her and seem to have fun... except when Lego's or Monopoly is concerned, those are off limits. :)
Here are some pics from tonight - I guess I am into hats for Claire right now, but they are just so cute. Matt kept calling Claire -Le Claire- because of this hat looking like a beret. I think it's very stylish!
Here are some pics from tonight - I guess I am into hats for Claire right now, but they are just so cute. Matt kept calling Claire -Le Claire- because of this hat looking like a beret. I think it's very stylish!
I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but...
... we only have so many weekends to fit in these fun outings before Christmas. There are quite a few Christmas celebrations going on, and I've decided we need to be tourists in our own town and try them all.
We went to the Ethel M Chocolates cactus garden which is decorated every year, and is free! We also got free chocolate samples, and had a suprise visit with Santa - we weren't planning on it, but why not? Claire was not about to sit on a strange man's lap and was very sad until she received a few pieces of chocolate for her troubles. Chocolate fixes many woes, and as the sign said in the factory, chocolate is cheaper than therapy.
We went to the Ethel M Chocolates cactus garden which is decorated every year, and is free! We also got free chocolate samples, and had a suprise visit with Santa - we weren't planning on it, but why not? Claire was not about to sit on a strange man's lap and was very sad until she received a few pieces of chocolate for her troubles. Chocolate fixes many woes, and as the sign said in the factory, chocolate is cheaper than therapy.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Get the Facts... Prop 8
1. Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California . There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.
2. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.
4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.
5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.
6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.
7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.
8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).
9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims - all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California . Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.
10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.
11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church has always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.
12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do - we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.
2. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.
4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.
5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.
6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.
7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.
8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).
9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims - all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California . Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.
10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.
11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church has always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.
12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do - we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Recent Happs
Lunch break spent at Town Square for Story Time
Little Miss Independent! ala Kelly Clarkson
More with the apple
Where did she get those eyelashes? Not from me, that's for sure!
Little Miss Independent! ala Kelly Clarkson
More with the apple
Where did she get those eyelashes? Not from me, that's for sure!
A Day in the Life...
Claire was working on this apple for quite some time... so, what was I thinking?
Friday, November 14, 2008
Vegas in November
I am wearing sandals and capris to work.
It is going to be almost 80 degrees today, close to a record high.
They make fake snow at the outdoor shopping mall.
Claire has to learn what socks are used for.
I just BARELY turned off our air conditioner a few days ago, and feel like I need it on again.
We sleep with the windows open and I still get hot.
So when you ask me how I can stand to live in this Vegas "dry heat" - now you know :)
It is going to be almost 80 degrees today, close to a record high.
They make fake snow at the outdoor shopping mall.
Claire has to learn what socks are used for.
I just BARELY turned off our air conditioner a few days ago, and feel like I need it on again.
We sleep with the windows open and I still get hot.
So when you ask me how I can stand to live in this Vegas "dry heat" - now you know :)
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Walking
So after a few weeks of walking a few steps here and there, then going back to crawling which was a much faster method of transportation, Claire has decided that walking is fun and that she'll give it a try after all.
She is a walking machine now - which means I can put her in the cute outfits I've been saving for when she isn't getting her legs all dirty from crawling around (my house is spotless, of course). She is still a little wobbly, but mostly because she tries to go so stinkin' fast. It's really cute though, and I just think that soon she will be on to the next thing and this phase will be over too quickly. I am trying to enjoy every minute! I take these pics before we head out the door every morning so I can document the days.
She is a walking machine now - which means I can put her in the cute outfits I've been saving for when she isn't getting her legs all dirty from crawling around (my house is spotless, of course). She is still a little wobbly, but mostly because she tries to go so stinkin' fast. It's really cute though, and I just think that soon she will be on to the next thing and this phase will be over too quickly. I am trying to enjoy every minute! I take these pics before we head out the door every morning so I can document the days.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Halloween Festivities
On safari with our monkey - yeah, the hats weren't quite right...
Claire was the first girl to try out the kissing booth
We went to one door to trick or treat
Ready to not be a monkey anymore...
Claire was the first girl to try out the kissing booth
We went to one door to trick or treat
Ready to not be a monkey anymore...
More Old Pics
I just love seeing these old family pics - my Grandpa and uncle Grant would always be snapping pictures at every family function and we never saw the photos - those were the days before digital so we didn't have the instant gratification of seeing who was blinking or if the photo was blurry.
Me playing on Grandma Johnson's lawn
Me and my sister Becky - I think my mom made those dresses
Me, Becky and Erick
Grandma Rie and Grandpa Arnold
My Mom and Aunt Cindy
Me playing on Grandma Johnson's lawn
Me and my sister Becky - I think my mom made those dresses
Me, Becky and Erick
Grandma Rie and Grandpa Arnold
My Mom and Aunt Cindy
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