Last night I felt both proud and utterly ashamed to be a Texan. Up until I became a parent I considered myself to be a Christian Republican. Maybe a little more liberal than your average Republican as I've always been pro-choice and for marriage equality but a conservative none-the-less. I knew what none of that meant.
I was raised by the son of a son of a son who all fought in our country's wars, WW1, WW2 and Vietnam. I'm a card carrying member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and if I so chose could do the same for Daughters of the Texas Revolution. I was raised on American pride and American ego and to an even further degree Texas pride which goes hand in hand with the Texas ego. We are the only state in the nation that can literally be picked out by any child in any classroom almost worldwide. Seriously, show a kid in Japan a picture of the State of Texas and he'll tell you what and where it is. We're bigger, we're better and we don't mind telling you.
And to be honest I don't mind any of that. I'm proud to be a Texan, I have the big hair and the big... um... lady parts, to prove it. See Texas women are southern but with a harder edge. We can set a formal dinner table and kill the meat to put on it. We can kiss our children good night and be up at dawn to drive cattle. And we were raised being told we could do anything we want, say anything we want. And I always believed in that.
Until last night.
I'd seen it coming. That wish from the men in our state that maybe they shouldn't have done such a good job raising us Texas women to be so opinionated. Maybe they should have quieted us a little more when we were younger. Maybe they should have tried to kill the Texas spirit that seems to grow wild and free within us.
Ever since college, my first real taste of the world outside my small town rural bubble, I had realized I was more of a moderate. Fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I believe in human rights... as in you can't deny anything to anyone based on their sex, race, color, creed, or sexual orientation. And in this state that make you a liberal. And I believe in small government and you need to keep your hands off my money. I'm a dichotomy, I know.
I don't vote a straight ticket and I sure as hell didn't vote for the men who tried to push SB5 through last night. And I sure as hell didn't vote for Rick Perry. That man is an imbecile on his best days. I don't care what side of the pro-life/ pro-choice line you stand on, SB5 was about a Republican agenda to circumvent Federal law. A way to basically ban abortions in our state. A way to strip rights given by our constitution from women in Texas.
This is not a small state. I know this because I live in DFW and I grew up in Ozona, approximately 6 hours southwest of here. Where I grew up there was no Walmart or McDonalds. We had an emergency room but if you needed surgery or a bone set or were having a heart attack then you were ambulanced or Care Flighted out of our county 80 miles to San Angelo. My family ranch burned in 2011 due to the wildfires that scorched our great state. And I had friends who simply did not understand why firefighters didn't just put out the fire. The shear size of this state is sometimes hard to comprehend.
So why would men (and women, there were a couple all for SB5) who claim to want nothing but good health care for the women of this state want a bill to pass that would essentially shut down all clinics in these smaller rural areas? Well, because they perform abortions of course! Forget that they also perform well women visits and mammograms, provide sex education and birth control. And please tell us how its for the safety of women. That if that clinic can't afford to become an ambulatory care center, than it can't possibly be safe.
Please make it illegal for doctors to perform ALL late term abortions even if carrying full term is to the detriment of the unborn fetus, the mother and the family. Please make it even harder for victims of incest and rape to get care and please be sure to tell them that since they didn't get to the "clean me out" rape kit in time that they'll just have to carry that child to term and deal with repercussions at that time.
My sarcasm drips, I know.
Dewhurst and his lackeys tried their damnedest to pass this bill off as being about the protection of women's health, about our safety. And yeet they tried to do it under our noses, hoping no one would notice. What exactly does that say? Let me tell you how they could have made this about women's health and safety: pass legislation that gives funding to these clinics and brings them to whatever standard you see fit. Pass legislation that gives access to sexual education in impoverished areas of our state, teaches girls about what they should do in the case of rape, provides them with safe houses and puts plans in place for their safety. Pass legislation that gives women the tools they need to make wise and educated decisions regarding their health. Pass legislation that makes it harder for late term abortions but still allows doctors to make decisions based on the health and well being of their patients. and last but certainly not least...
Please stop pretending you know what's best for women unless you've actually discussed it with them. The outcry from the women in Texas should have been enough for every single one of our representatives and senators to take a step back and think, "We should maybe reconsider such divisive action." But no one did. They just plowed on with their omnibus bill to the detriment of all Texas women. Because why should they care? Their wives and sisters and daughters will always have access to whatever they want. For that matter so will I. I'm a middle class white woman. I could very easily say this is simply not my problem. But you see that is where the liberal in me starts to show.
I truly believe I owe it to the women of my great state to stand for something other than myself. I owe it my gay friends to say, "WHY?!" Why can't they get married. It doesn't affect the sanctity of my marriage one iota. I owe it to the girls without mothers to protect them and to the scared teenage girls to be their voice. My silence helps no one. And I wasn't raised to be silent. Why should I start now?
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
The State of our State
To say I'm angered over the current legislation being "discussed" by the representatives of Texas would be an understatement. Shocked, outraged, hurt, bursting at the seams with my disbelief that the people who represent me think I'm incapable of making decisions regarding the safety and well-being of my own body, of my own mind... all of these would be more accurate and still, yet, do not begin to cover the magnitude of what is coursing through my mind and my body.
If you are not aware of Senate Bill 5 then I encourage you to click here and here. The first link lets you know who is sponsoring said bill, just how quickly it has been pushed through in order to try and evade the Texas public, and lets you sort through what little discussion pertaining to the bill has been had. The second link lets you read the bill. I encourage you to read it at minimum 3 times as it is written in political code (read: designed to be misleading so that readers will fill in gaps with assumptions). I am not an uneducated woman. I'm not a genius either.
I live in Frisco, Texas. Suburbia at its finest. One of the largest growing populations in this state and in this country. A whopping 27% of Frisco women are stay at home mothers. I'm not naive about the political climate in which I live. I'm a registered voter and I vote. I also know that most of those whom I voted for are not currently in office. If you are not aware of who represents you on either the State level or the Federal level I encourage you to go here.
Senate Bill 5 will effectively take the right to choose out of women's hands and place it in the hands of mostly men, but some women, who feel that they have been placed on this Earth to hand out their moral, ethical and theological belief systems as if they are divinely appointed to be the saving hands of our morally, ethically and theologically reprehensible state. If this bill continues and passes, there will be 6 clinics in all of Texas that will be able to perform abortions. Only located in urban areas and under such strict regulations that a possible 1/4 of all women who attempt to pass through these clinics will be served.
I am not exactly sure when the Constitution of America became about imposing the belief system of those elected to represent onto those they are representing but it is definitely the case with this bill. We have voted you in to office to represent US, not yourself! I don't care what side of the line you stand on. I do not care what your belief system is. What I do care about is that the women in our state are being placed on a bus back to 1945, then placed on train back to 1865 and then a boat back to 1776.
The women of our state are being told that we do not understand what we are doing when and if we walk into an abortion clinic. The women of our state are being told that we are not capable of making choices regarding our own bodies. We are being told that we are not intelligent enough to understand the ramifications of an abortion and therefore instead of allowing us our rights, they are being stripped from us.
As a mother, a Christian, a feminist, a sister, a daughter, a wife and as an actress, let me tell you I understand.
I encourage you to read I'm Naive, Not Stupid on The Oeditrix. Not only is it a moving article it explains the current climate in the State Capitol Building. The way in which these "men" are behaving and acting. I use the term "men" loosely. The measure of a man is in his ability to recognize his limitations. And obviously these "men" have not realized that their limitations include the ability to make choices regarding a body that is not their own.
I beg you to contact your representative. I beg you to educate yourself and to understand what is being pushed forward without your consent. I beg you, for your children and for the children who do not have a voice, to make your voice heard. In a state where we have stripped away easy access to mammograms, obstetric medicine, birth control and sex education for those who do not have the money to buy it for themselves, please, make your voice heard.
If you do not fight to be heard, you will forever be silenced.
If you are not aware of Senate Bill 5 then I encourage you to click here and here. The first link lets you know who is sponsoring said bill, just how quickly it has been pushed through in order to try and evade the Texas public, and lets you sort through what little discussion pertaining to the bill has been had. The second link lets you read the bill. I encourage you to read it at minimum 3 times as it is written in political code (read: designed to be misleading so that readers will fill in gaps with assumptions). I am not an uneducated woman. I'm not a genius either.
I live in Frisco, Texas. Suburbia at its finest. One of the largest growing populations in this state and in this country. A whopping 27% of Frisco women are stay at home mothers. I'm not naive about the political climate in which I live. I'm a registered voter and I vote. I also know that most of those whom I voted for are not currently in office. If you are not aware of who represents you on either the State level or the Federal level I encourage you to go here.
Senate Bill 5 will effectively take the right to choose out of women's hands and place it in the hands of mostly men, but some women, who feel that they have been placed on this Earth to hand out their moral, ethical and theological belief systems as if they are divinely appointed to be the saving hands of our morally, ethically and theologically reprehensible state. If this bill continues and passes, there will be 6 clinics in all of Texas that will be able to perform abortions. Only located in urban areas and under such strict regulations that a possible 1/4 of all women who attempt to pass through these clinics will be served.
I am not exactly sure when the Constitution of America became about imposing the belief system of those elected to represent onto those they are representing but it is definitely the case with this bill. We have voted you in to office to represent US, not yourself! I don't care what side of the line you stand on. I do not care what your belief system is. What I do care about is that the women in our state are being placed on a bus back to 1945, then placed on train back to 1865 and then a boat back to 1776.
The women of our state are being told that we do not understand what we are doing when and if we walk into an abortion clinic. The women of our state are being told that we are not capable of making choices regarding our own bodies. We are being told that we are not intelligent enough to understand the ramifications of an abortion and therefore instead of allowing us our rights, they are being stripped from us.
As a mother, a Christian, a feminist, a sister, a daughter, a wife and as an actress, let me tell you I understand.
I encourage you to read I'm Naive, Not Stupid on The Oeditrix. Not only is it a moving article it explains the current climate in the State Capitol Building. The way in which these "men" are behaving and acting. I use the term "men" loosely. The measure of a man is in his ability to recognize his limitations. And obviously these "men" have not realized that their limitations include the ability to make choices regarding a body that is not their own.
I beg you to contact your representative. I beg you to educate yourself and to understand what is being pushed forward without your consent. I beg you, for your children and for the children who do not have a voice, to make your voice heard. In a state where we have stripped away easy access to mammograms, obstetric medicine, birth control and sex education for those who do not have the money to buy it for themselves, please, make your voice heard.
If you do not fight to be heard, you will forever be silenced.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Disneyland Dining: Oh the Choices!
Seriously, there are so many options! From California Adventure to Disneyland to Downtown Disney to the hotel restaurants, anything and everything is offered. And along with everything offered comes review after review ranging from amazing to down right horrific. So what do you do? How do you decide? And decide you must because you can start making reservations for your dining experiences 60 days prior to your arrival.
Well I started with the Disneyland website. And made a list of the restaurants I was interested in for both parks. And then I went to my trusty friend the Internet and found AllEars.net witch just flat out has been one of the best restaurant resources ever, if for no other reason than it has a menu with pricing for almost every single eatery and dining option. And then I stumbled across The Disney Food Blog. Where I found food reviews and even more info. The above web resources are definitely helpful for more than just food but without them, I'd still be swimming in uncharted waters trying to figure out where to plan our meals and Character Dining.
Since we are driving, I plan on packing LOTS of snacks. That is one tip on saving money I garnered that I'm going to put to good use! Also, with the oldest, little man's allergy it really does help to control his intake of corn based products. I'm also traveling with breakfast food since we have the space and need to be fed and out the door very early.
We went ahead and purchased the Disney Dining Plan for our trip. Again after a lot of research, the decision came down to simplicity. Does it save you a lot of money? No. In fact if you are the type of family who orders salads and has extremely picky eaters, than it might actually be more expensive for you to purchase the Dining Plan than to simply pay out of pocket. However... WE are the type of family that orders steak. My kids are the farthest thing from picky eaters and are also likely to pick steak if given the option.
And from the research, I understand that the Disneyland and Disney World Dining Plans are extremely different and that the WDW plan is much more economical and very much worth it.
What it is, is simpler. I've prepaid for our food and now I don't have to worry about it. The way it works is: you receive one counter service coupon, one table service coupon and one snack coupon per day. The counter service coupon is valued at $15 per adult and $10 per child. So spend it. You won't be receiving any change if you don't. The snack coupon is valued at $5, so same goes here... use it! The table service includes character dining and/or deluxe character dining.
For example: We've purchased the Minnie's 4-Day Dining Plan. So we have 4 snacks per person/ per day, 4 counter service meals per person/ per day, 3 table service/ character dining per person/ per day and 1 deluxe character dining per person/ per day. The above info is very important as I found it no where on the world wide web. I had it explained to me by 3 different Cast Members before I really understood it as each of them explained it very differently. Again, for me, it is all about the simplicity. And who knows how I'll feel about it all after our trip. I'll let you know then.
Here is our reservation list/ Where we plan on eating:
Day 1:
Breakfast - In Room
Lunch - Flo's V-8 Cafe in Cars land, DCA
Dinner -Earl of Sandwich in DTD
Day 2:
Breakfast - In room
Lunch -Tomorrowland Terrace in Tomorrowland, DL
Dinner - Carnation Cafe on Main Street, DL
Day 3:
Breakfast - The Storyteller's Cafe in Grand Californian Hotel
Lunch - French Market in New Orleans Square, DL
Dinner - Date Night - Trader Sam's Tiki Bar in The Disneyland Hotel
Day 4:
Breakfast - Minnie & Friends Breakfast at The Plaza Inn, Main Street, DL
Lunch - Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street, DL
Dinner - Wine Country Trattoria on Paradise Pier, DCA
Day 5:
Breakfast - Goofy's Kitchen in The Disneyland Hotel
Lunch - Paradise Pier Eateries (Lucky Fortune Cookery, Pacific Wharf Cafe, Etc.), DCA
Dinner - Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square, DL
I've made reservations for our dinners and our 3 character breakfasts. I'd love to try Napa Rose, Carthay Circle and Steakhouse 55 but our kiddos are too young for restaurants like those and on our date night (we'd originally planned on hitting up Carthay Circle) we are more interested in riding rides and exploring the park sans kiddos than sitting down to a fancy meal. By planning our meals, it has really allowed me to plan out our days accordingly, more on that in my next post!
I've read the menus from each of the restaurants so I know that there are options my kiddos will be interested in. And I've tried really hard to mix up the variety. I'm not a hamburger for every meal type of person. And with my autoimmune issues and the allergies in our family, I have to be more aware of what I and my family eat. We don't need any tummy issues in the Happiest Place on Earth!
Well I started with the Disneyland website. And made a list of the restaurants I was interested in for both parks. And then I went to my trusty friend the Internet and found AllEars.net witch just flat out has been one of the best restaurant resources ever, if for no other reason than it has a menu with pricing for almost every single eatery and dining option. And then I stumbled across The Disney Food Blog. Where I found food reviews and even more info. The above web resources are definitely helpful for more than just food but without them, I'd still be swimming in uncharted waters trying to figure out where to plan our meals and Character Dining.
Since we are driving, I plan on packing LOTS of snacks. That is one tip on saving money I garnered that I'm going to put to good use! Also, with the oldest, little man's allergy it really does help to control his intake of corn based products. I'm also traveling with breakfast food since we have the space and need to be fed and out the door very early.
We went ahead and purchased the Disney Dining Plan for our trip. Again after a lot of research, the decision came down to simplicity. Does it save you a lot of money? No. In fact if you are the type of family who orders salads and has extremely picky eaters, than it might actually be more expensive for you to purchase the Dining Plan than to simply pay out of pocket. However... WE are the type of family that orders steak. My kids are the farthest thing from picky eaters and are also likely to pick steak if given the option.
And from the research, I understand that the Disneyland and Disney World Dining Plans are extremely different and that the WDW plan is much more economical and very much worth it.
What it is, is simpler. I've prepaid for our food and now I don't have to worry about it. The way it works is: you receive one counter service coupon, one table service coupon and one snack coupon per day. The counter service coupon is valued at $15 per adult and $10 per child. So spend it. You won't be receiving any change if you don't. The snack coupon is valued at $5, so same goes here... use it! The table service includes character dining and/or deluxe character dining.
For example: We've purchased the Minnie's 4-Day Dining Plan. So we have 4 snacks per person/ per day, 4 counter service meals per person/ per day, 3 table service/ character dining per person/ per day and 1 deluxe character dining per person/ per day. The above info is very important as I found it no where on the world wide web. I had it explained to me by 3 different Cast Members before I really understood it as each of them explained it very differently. Again, for me, it is all about the simplicity. And who knows how I'll feel about it all after our trip. I'll let you know then.
Here is our reservation list/ Where we plan on eating:
Day 1:
Breakfast - In Room
Lunch - Flo's V-8 Cafe in Cars land, DCA
Dinner -Earl of Sandwich in DTD
Day 2:
Breakfast - In room
Lunch -Tomorrowland Terrace in Tomorrowland, DL
Dinner - Carnation Cafe on Main Street, DL
Day 3:
Breakfast - The Storyteller's Cafe in Grand Californian Hotel
Lunch - French Market in New Orleans Square, DL
Dinner - Date Night - Trader Sam's Tiki Bar in The Disneyland Hotel
Day 4:
Breakfast - Minnie & Friends Breakfast at The Plaza Inn, Main Street, DL
Lunch - Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street, DL
Dinner - Wine Country Trattoria on Paradise Pier, DCA
Day 5:
Breakfast - Goofy's Kitchen in The Disneyland Hotel
Lunch - Paradise Pier Eateries (Lucky Fortune Cookery, Pacific Wharf Cafe, Etc.), DCA
Dinner - Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square, DL
I've made reservations for our dinners and our 3 character breakfasts. I'd love to try Napa Rose, Carthay Circle and Steakhouse 55 but our kiddos are too young for restaurants like those and on our date night (we'd originally planned on hitting up Carthay Circle) we are more interested in riding rides and exploring the park sans kiddos than sitting down to a fancy meal. By planning our meals, it has really allowed me to plan out our days accordingly, more on that in my next post!
I've read the menus from each of the restaurants so I know that there are options my kiddos will be interested in. And I've tried really hard to mix up the variety. I'm not a hamburger for every meal type of person. And with my autoimmune issues and the allergies in our family, I have to be more aware of what I and my family eat. We don't need any tummy issues in the Happiest Place on Earth!
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Mommy of the Year Moments
Carson is obsessed with the Power Rangers. For this week anyway. And trust me if it lasts much longer than this week, he nor I, will survive this summer. And readers, we are only a few days into summer break. I was never on the Power Rangers bandwagon, so I do not understand their appeal. In fact, my mind is boggled. And all of this leads me to today, after nap/ rest time.
I was standing in the kitchen, enjoying a few bites of watermelon. All by myself, thoroughly relishing those seconds of solitude. And in walks Carson. I was expecting a request for watermelon, which I would have gladly granted. But no. We launch into a speech about the Power Rangers. The pink one, blah, the red one, blah, something about a tiger and then a lion and a cow. I really just don't understand! So in a brilliant mommy move, if I do say so myself, I put my fork in a smaller chunk of watermelon and held it out for him to take a bite. And he did. And the Power Rangers diatribe ended. And then he swallowed. Green power ranger, blah, blue power ranger, blah, something about karate, blah, something about... I really don't remember. So I inserted my fork in a larger chunk of watermelon and held it out for him to take a bite. And silence fell upon the kitchen. Again, until he swallowed. And then the Power Rangers talk again... seriously for days now it is all I've heard about!
So the watermelon started appearing faster. He'd talk I'd give him a bite. He'd think about talking I'd give him a bite. This lasted until I could literally no longer keep a straight face and was laughing too hard to actually get the fork into the bowl of watermelon. Oh, you should have seen him. He was so confused! I know, I know. Bad mommy, we aren't supposed to torture our kids.
Well the way I see it I've been tortured for 5 days with the incessant talk of the Power Rangers. And really it was a win, win. He sort of got to talk about the Power Rangers and ate a healthy snack the I didn't have to dirty ay new dishes for and I got a really good laugh!
Mommy of the Year,
Amanda
I was standing in the kitchen, enjoying a few bites of watermelon. All by myself, thoroughly relishing those seconds of solitude. And in walks Carson. I was expecting a request for watermelon, which I would have gladly granted. But no. We launch into a speech about the Power Rangers. The pink one, blah, the red one, blah, something about a tiger and then a lion and a cow. I really just don't understand! So in a brilliant mommy move, if I do say so myself, I put my fork in a smaller chunk of watermelon and held it out for him to take a bite. And he did. And the Power Rangers diatribe ended. And then he swallowed. Green power ranger, blah, blue power ranger, blah, something about karate, blah, something about... I really don't remember. So I inserted my fork in a larger chunk of watermelon and held it out for him to take a bite. And silence fell upon the kitchen. Again, until he swallowed. And then the Power Rangers talk again... seriously for days now it is all I've heard about!
So the watermelon started appearing faster. He'd talk I'd give him a bite. He'd think about talking I'd give him a bite. This lasted until I could literally no longer keep a straight face and was laughing too hard to actually get the fork into the bowl of watermelon. Oh, you should have seen him. He was so confused! I know, I know. Bad mommy, we aren't supposed to torture our kids.
Well the way I see it I've been tortured for 5 days with the incessant talk of the Power Rangers. And really it was a win, win. He sort of got to talk about the Power Rangers and ate a healthy snack the I didn't have to dirty ay new dishes for and I got a really good laugh!
Mommy of the Year,
Amanda
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