Zzzzz

Good news, not that anyone truly cares. But to the point, I'm finally able to sleep again since three days ago. I guess I'm just completely at peace when I go to bed now because I know that I'm doing absolutely everything I possibly can do for the innocent Americans denied the right to life.

Maybe not

Today I was talking to a good friend who is a Private Investigator in Atlanta. He was describing in vague terms, no specifics, some cases he was working on, and the corrupt lifestyles of these people. He said, "It's incredible what these people were involved in yet on Sunday they were Christians just like you or me." There was a rather long pause, and then he added, " Ok, maybe that wasn't the best example." Lol. We laughed very hard.

Oliver and Charles were peeling a carrot in the kitchen while I was making dinner. Oliver had been manning the peeler for awhile, and Charles finally said in disgust, " It's mine turn to skin it."

Jonathan and I were talking in the kitchen tonight while I was fixing dinner. "Jonathan, I'm taking off the entire day on Friday. I'm not going to work at all. I'm not even going to check my email or answer the phone." There was a long pause, and Jonathan gave me a look with one eyebrow raised. "Ok, I have to check my email, but look at the bright side. I won't be checking it while we are at the pool."

I was at a meeting last week where we were promoting the Human Life Amendment, and some people there asked about birth control. Martin (the Rep. carrying the bill) and I both said that we were not in any way opposed to birth control, that the amendment had absolutely nothing to do with that, and that we encouraged some people to use birth control. Believe it or not, there was a woman there who came completely unglued, livid with us that we would murder the possibility of future children by using birth control. Martin thought for a moment and then broke into that Monty Python song, "Every sperm is sacred." I thought it was really funny, but I think the effect was lost on her. I also have a feeling that she was one of the very few people in Georgia who would yell at me for having too few children. She was single, of course.

Jonathan's grocery adventure

The other day on our way home from Greek & cello lessons, and running errands, knowing that Jon would be at school until late, I decided it was a Taco Bell night. I also needed bananas for the veracious appetite of Vivian, so I decided to drop Jonathan at Publix, let him buy the bananas while I headed for the Taco Bell drive through.

"Jonathan, why don't you just run in and get the bananas," I said. Jonathan got a big grin, his chest puffed out with pride and his voice went a little lower. "Sure, mom, no problem."

I counted out the money, instructed him on the art of banana choosing and watched as he walked into Publix. He waved proudly from the entry, and I drove on. A little while later, I returned, and Jonathan came out to meet me, receipt in hand, huge grin, and nothing else. I rolled down the passenger side window. " Hi, Jonathan." He answered, "Hi," all happy and proud. "So, where are the bananas?" Jonathan got a confused look on his face, glanced at the receipt, then at the ground, and suddenly it came back to him. He blushed and ran inside. He emerged moments later, with a brown grocery sack of bananas.

Daily Diary

Vivvie is the dolliest of dollies. She is really cute when she is chomping down on scrambled eggs. She shoves in the eggs until her cheeks puff way out and then she literally chomps away, mouth wide open. Oliver can't understand why it isn't cute when he eats with his mouth open. Vivvie is taking steps here and there, but not quite walking. And she still refuses to hold her own bottle. She will push it away an reject it until one of us holds it for her. For right now, she is getting away with this, but it will soon come to an end.

The other day the kids and I were at the Atlanta Surgi-Center for a Silent Siege. As we all gathered in a circle and prayed with the other people in attendance, Oliver kept asking, "When do we go in and save the babies?" I think that he thought we were going to go get them and bring them home with us.

Daily Diary

I am now doing more on my iBook G4 than email and blogging. I've figured out iCal (which I am using to maximum capacity- and it is now emailing me reminders. It's almost like having a computer wife), and I'm using iAddress in a way I never thought possible. The note part is very handy since I'm making a confusing number of contacts on a daily basis. I record little memory things like- She is single with three dogs. Loves to chew on lemons- I realize that this sort of information has nothing in particular to do with the amendment, but it has to do with the people that have to do with the amendment, and who knows when the little things will matter lots.

In other news, I'm not sleeping well, and this problem is not going away. It would help if I were working on some legislation that would make a law so wild flower seeds were sprinkled on all grass medians in Georgia- this way we wouldn't pay for the areas to be mowed, and they would be beautiful all spring and summer. Instead, I'm working on legislation that involves little fully formed, fully feeling humans being pulled apart in small pieces while alive kicking and writhing in pain. There is just no happy way to look at this. It kills me to stand in front of the Atlanta Surgi-Center, watch these women go inside knowing that their little one is warm and safe in the womb, sucking her thumb, and all peaceful, and a sharp probe is going to come in, grasp a little foot and wrench it off, followed by 10-15 more passes before the baby is dead. Then the little thumb sucking baby will just be a mass of pieces washed down a garbage disposal. This is highly disturbing to me. It is incomprehensible that American civilization has come to this.

George Washington at a serious low point in the war for American Independence wrote his soldiers a powerful message that was to be read throughout the camp. It was winter. Everyone was hungry. There weren't enough shoes or blankets, and morale was very low. Washington encouraged his men to fight like they had never fought before because they were not fighting for their wives and children or even themselves, but for the millions of unborn Americans that would come after them. Our founding fathers, froze, starved and shed their blood for us while we were not yet born in anticipation of our arrival. And so I'm up at 5 or 6am back at work, after working late into the night, in anticipation of the millions of unborn Americans that are yet to be.

Daily Diary

House work is like shoveling manure. No matter how fast you shovel, the horses are making more at the same rate.

Daily Diary

Yesterday, June 12th, was a day of meetings at the Capitol so I decided to do myself and the kids a favor and leave them at their Mor Mor's house. They were very excited. I had fixed a casserole for dinner, and as Mor Mor was lifting it hot and bubbly out of the oven, Gabriel pointed and said, " I do not like that." When I got back to the house at about 7:30pm Vivian called for me, "Mama". This is a brand new trick. Is there anything cuter than a 12 month old calling for mama? I turned into a pile of the gooeist goo. She stands now, and takes a few steps here and there. But is not really walking yet.

Daily Diary

Today I decided that I should be a mom and housekeeper and thus gave myself the day off from my campaign director job- besides contacting Alan Keyes and setting up a radio interview for Martin with American Vision, and answering some Ann Coulter chat questions. Other than that, I spent the day doing laundry, dishes, preparing food (for the next couple days) and cleaning out storage closets. I had to leave the house at 4:30 to take Jonathan to a 6pm birthday party off of 85 in Gainseville! Yikes. That was a labor of love. But what was worse is that at 4:15 amidst running around throwing a last load in the dryer and checking on the crockpot (I fixed chicken and rice to take to my mother-in-law's for tomorrow night's dinner since she is watching the kids all day), I told Caroline that we were leaving in 15 minutes, as soon as I was out of the shower and dressed. So what does my incredibly useful child do? She goes and sits in front of the TV for 15 minutes, not even mentioning to the other four kids to get on their shoes, etc. Gabriel, of course, loaded his diaper, Charles was sound asleep, Jonathan was wearing sloppy shorts and an undershirt, and Oliver- well he was just watching TV looking rather vegetative with bare feet. When I got downstairs fresh and happy, I took one look at the room full of slackers and Mt. St. Mom erupted. 15 minutes later we were on the road with somber children reflecting on the meaning of "we are leaving in 15 minutes." Vivian, having had a long, deep sleep was in high spirits, clinging to her blankie and chewing on her dolly with gleeful noises. It contrasted sharply with the mood of the car.

We got to the party a little after 6, dropped off Jonathan, and then I reflected on what to do with 5 children for two hours in a strange part of town. I spotted a Wendy's and decided to feed the kids dinner there. Charles said that Wendy's was not dinner food, it was only lunch food, and he would prefer spaghetti. There was an italian restaurant across the parking lot, and quite frankly, I would have preferred spaghetti, but we were out voted.

After spending an hour watching the kids pick at their food and play with their toys, we headed back to the Laser Tag place. By the time we got Jonathan at 8, and were back home at 9, the idea of a Corona and quiet was exceedingly- EXCEEDINGLY- appealing. I think that I'm beginning to average 5 glasses of wine or beer a week. How long, at that rate, would it take to get a beer gut. I might have to dig up the Billy Blanks tapes, and start doing those every morning, besides the jumping on the trampoline work out program.

Our latest camping trip

I have been totally swamped making up for lost time working on the Human Rights Amendment, but I thought that I should take a few moments and jot down the details of our latest camping adventure.

Wednesday morning, we finally pulled out of the driveway at 8:30am. Usually we leave sooner, but because there isn't really a full time housewife in operation, laundry had to be done, and a good deal of packing last minute. We decided to take 20 across the state to 985, and from there head north. Within 10 minutes of leaving our house, and driving down 575 at 70 mph, the tire light went on. Jon and I just figured it was a weather fluke and not truly related to tire problems. But then we started hearing a funny sound and seeing smoke. The back passenger tire looked to be flat and melting. We pulled over as fast as we could (with a very large pop-up in tow, mind you) in an area that thankfully had a nice wide shoulder.

The tire was destroyed, and it was a brand new, top of the line tire, too! I took out my camera, took a picture of the tire, and then my camera died. Apparently the battery was low. So there are NO pictures of this camping trip! Jon had just gotten AAA coverage about 10 days previous, so he opened up his wallet, took out his card and made the call. We were assured by the man on the other end of the line that within 1 1/2 hours they would be at our service. That explained the cheap rates. Though our tradition is to stop at Cracker Barrel for breakfast whenever we head out on a road trip, it was apparent that there would be no Cracker Breakfast happening anytime soon, so I handed out sliced bread and water bottles to the kids.

Jon and Jeremy ( a friend who joined us for the trip) took inventory of tire changing equipment, and decided to get started rather than wait for help. Thanks to a tire theft safety system on the tires of 2004 Suburbans, (a feature, not a bug), it took the boys 1 1/2 hours to change the tire. Jon called off AAA, and headed to the nearest Tires Plus. By noon, we were back on the road, heading toward Asheville, only by a different route.

The bread and water held everyone over until about 2pm, and then they were sure death by starvation was right around the corner. Besides, I didn't want to show up at the campsite with 6 hungry, crabby campers. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel and had lunch (the kids stuck with their pancakes and bacon).

We made it to Asheville by about 5:30 and headed for Ridgecrest and registration. We found our campsite without a glitch, and except for being in the center of the camp rather than off to the side with tree coverage, it was a very satisfactory spot. Jon set to work taking the bikes off the camper, and Jeremy headed off to set up his tent with Jonathan's help. The bike racks proved to be efficient at holding the bikes, and obstinate in letting them go. Just when we were about to pull out my pocket knife and cut the last bike from the rack, our guardian angel stepped in and the bike was freed!

That job over, we started putting up the Pop-up and were most pleased with the speed and efficiency of that process. Finally, something was going right. Jon pulled out the water hose, hooked it up to the spicket, and voila! Our Camper began to fill rapidly with water, and every spicket and pipe leaked with hissing, rapid efficiency. In a panic, I yelled for him to turn off the water and raced to grab blankets to mop up the flood. Jon finally got the water off and then we surveyed the damage. Do you understand the frustration of waking at 6am after going to bed late. Working yourself to a sweat, packing up car and camper, getting a flat tire, driving all afternoon, setting up camp, and having yet another major disaster all with six needy children vying for your attention and care the entire time? We were at a low, very, very low point. Then we checked our watches and realized that if we didn't leave for dinner at that moment, we would miss it entirely.

We yelled to the kids to get back in the car, mopped up the remaining water and left two big blankets in a soggy heap on the picnic table, and decided to go have dinner and try to forget about it.

You might, perhaps think that this was the end of our misadventures for this fine day, but you would be mistaken. Dinner was good, and we had the cafeteria to ourselves since everyone else had eaten and was headed to the conference area. We made it into the auditorium in time for the debate. After seating the family, Charles looked at me in disgust and said, " I thought we were camping. What is with this?" I realized that I had failed to communicate the conference part of the camping trip. Oops.

About 10:30 we stumbled back into camp. Jeremy bid us goodnight and headed for his tent, and we tried to boost up our energy to get 6 little humans bathed and in bed. Since it was clearly dark, the first thing was to hook up electricity. I had not brought lanterns, but merely little flashlights for the kids, because the camper is well equipped with lighting. The cooler no longer contained ice, so it was getting rather urgent that we be able to use the refrigerator. We plugged in the main electrical cord and......nothing happened. We checked all the fuses. We reset the electrical. We flipped any and all switches on that camper. We read the owners manual (which was not entirely accurate because it was for a similar camper a year previous to our model, and a photocopy version- we bought the camper used). We had a friendly neighbor come over and check all the outlets. Meanwhile the children were busy biking in the dark around the camp ground, and Vivian and Gabriel were as fussy as they could possibly be. Vivian needed a bottle, but of course no electricity meant no electric kettle meant no hot water for formula. I headed for the bath house and fixed it with hot tap water. We gave up on the electricity, and I was beginning to marvel at how tent camping had been a lot less complicated. We gave up on bathing the kids, and instead scrubbed everyones feet in a basin (Charles the nasty, went last, since his feet are by far the grossest), washed hands and faces in the bathhouse, brushed teeth, and put everyone to bed.

Once we got into bed, we made a new discovery. A train track ran not more than 25 feet from our camper along the side of the campground, hidden by trees and shrubbery, which did not by any means mask the noise. The hissing and churning greeted our ears every hour or two, with the occasional booming horn. Gabriel whimpered a few times, but I hissed at him in no uncertain terms that if he woke up Vivian or in any other way interrupted what little chance of sleep that remained to me, his life would most certainly be in great jeopardy. He must have believed me, because he pulled his covers over himself, and went back to sleep.

The next morning we discovered the electrical switch under the sink, which was the magic button for power, and we gave up on the water entirely, until someone who knew what they were looking at, could look at our pipes.

The next two days were uneventful, relaxing and very nice. By Saturday, we were sad to be heading home, and as we settled into our beds Saturday night, we were a little sad not to feel the breeze coming through the camper screens, and missed hearing the scampering of the little animals, and the sounds of the churning, hissing, night trains.