My thoughts on some news stories

My own personal news stories and ones that are big in our world right now....

Stimulus package-
I'm still not sure how taking out a huge loan can help a country in debt. I am also pretty sure most of the people waiting for a "trickle down" effect don't know where this money is coming from. Maybe nobody cares. BUT, I care. The money is all a loan- every penny of it. It is a loan from Arab Oil nations, China, Japan, and world billionares who are willing to buy U.S. bonds. How will it be paid back- there's only one way: taxes.

Personally it makes me ill. I feel like I did all I could do....

This octuplet lady

I think the doctor is a little wacky to implant 6 embryos. I think there should be some more regulation. The goal of in-vitro is to end up with 1 baby, not 8! I have seen all of her interviews and I think she is sadly medicating herself with children and she doesn't seem as heavily weighed down as someone who has 14 children and no job. Also, I know what it feels like to have one baby in the NICU (at a time) and I can't imagine having 8! However, even when I had one baby in the NICU and one at home I barely had time to call my own mother, let alone do multiple interviews. It all makes me wonder.

BUT- I saw the video of the babies and it made me want to do something for them...I have a soft spot for tiny babies hooked up to machines. I am still brainstorming for an idea of something to send to them. It will make me feel like I've done SOMETHING other than talk about how sad I feel for those kids. I'm open for ideas.

Our news:
We've got some fun things happening here. We're going to Philadelpia the last weekend of February for Andrew's birthday celebration which means he's turning 2 in 2 weeks. I'm in total denial. I can't believe it. I also can't believe that when Emma turned 2 I had a baby who was 8 months old....how did I do that? I've been collecting birthday gifts for him and I'm so excited to give them to him because I think he'll like them more this year. Last year he crawled right past me when I gave him a gift.

Then ON Andrew's birthday Grandma is coming to visit! We're all so excited! I've already put my fork in the two things I'd like to do with JUST her: Go to JoAnn Fabric (for about 3 hours) and go to the Chinese Buffet resturant (which Mike refuses to go to). Emma is counting the days. I think we'll make a chain to count down the days.

Mike is having a HUGE exam (by exam I mean check ride in the helicopter AND written exam-not at the same time). He calls it his NATOPS check. I have no idea what NATOPS stands for but it's all the flight rules and regulations and everything that has anything to do with his helicopter. His "textbook" of information is 900+ pages and he's been studying EVERY spare second he can. Yesterday he came to the children's museum with us and studied every other second until 9 p.m. when he came to watch 24 with me. Wish him luck.

Emma is getting SO good at sounding out words. Yesterday she sounded out the word "wind." She was so proud of herself when she realized she had read a word. I really need to buy the book Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons. I just need to get to Barnes and Noble without my kids to get it. They're not really the wait-quietly-while-mom-finds-her-book kind of kids. I forgot to mention on Sunday that she also stood in front of the whole Primary and recited the first Article of Faith. It took all the strength in my body to not do one of two things: burst our in tears or jump up and shout "youngest kid in Primary, folks. That's my kid!" Neither of those were appropriate so I just sat quietly and smiled.