A Message from Elizabeth Edwards

For a thorough recap of the Elizabeth Edwards event I attended yesterday, head on over to the Silicon Valley Moms Blog -- the awesome women of the Silicon Valley Moms blog were able to liveblog the event here and here. I also posted my own thoughts and impressions here and here.

So why clog the blogosphere with yet another post about her? Because she asked me to. The last question that Jill (SV Moms Blog co-founder) asked what sort of message she would like us bloggers to get out and help spread. Here is what she wants to say:

We cannot get the change that we want unless we are willing to work for it. Writing checks is alright and always welcome, but some people write a check and think they've done enough. We need people to really engage. Look for a candidate with a real commitment to change! See how they run their campaigns. Is it truly a different campaign? Now is your chance to affect the choices you will have.

And that's why I've turned the TV on and planted the kids in front of it while I bang away at the computer to write this. Because I like Elizabeth Edwards. And I like what she has to say. She's campaigning for her husband, yes, but she's also campaigning for change, whoever wins.

I said it once and I'll say it again: the woman ought to be running herself. But as she said yesterday, she ran (and won) Junior Class President, and that was enough. Then again, I haven't met her husband. I'd probably be falling all over him, too, and not because of his $400 haircut - he seems as intelligent, passionate and articulate as she is. In EE's words: It's about ideas and vision, not about personality. He's not the flashiest candidate, but he's dedicated to change.

So, in the words of my blogger friends, the MOMocrats, Vote for John Edwards -- or you're grounded!

Power and Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards is a powerful woman. To begin with, she's incredibly intelligent, articulate, confident and charming. That's power in and of itself. In addition, she's got the power that wealth and success and name recognition brings. Even now, she has the power to make her voice heard, to influence people.

If her husband makes it into the White House, she's going to be the biggest influence on the most powerful man on earth. Which would make her just about the most powerful person on earth.

And you know what? That's fine with me. I think she is a person who would use that power wisely. She has experienced enough trials and tribulations in her life to know that there are some things that all the power in the world cannot help you with. Both times I have met her, I have found her to be a genuinely warm, compassionate and likeable person. She is passionate about making a change and making a difference, and I do hope America gives her a chance to do so.

Good luck with the campaign, Elizabeth -- and more power to you.

For more thoughts on power, click here.

Original

A couple of years ago I was really into beading, and I designed and made bracelets for all of my female relatives as Christmas presents. This year I'm racking my brains to think of this year's present "theme", and I'm coming up short. I'm almost ready to do the bracelet thing again -- hey, you can never have too much of a good thing, right? On the other hand, that would be sooo un-original. Maybe I'll make necklaces this time around so I don't duplicate! I'm tempted to just give boxes of chocolate (now there's an original thought).

For more originals, click here.

Fridays Feast #162

Appetizer: How are you today?
Still recovering from that nasty virus; poor Alfie hasn't been getting too much sleep lately with my hacking cough keeping both of us awake at night.

Soup: Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.
House -- because Gregory House, the character, and Hugh Laurie, the actor who plays him, both remind me so much of Alfie's that I might as well be watching him;
Grey's Anatomy -- because I like to look at beautiful people;
Nip/Tuck -- because everyone needs the mindless escape of an absurd soap opera, and I've always been revolted/fascinated by their graphic tv depictions of surgeries and deformities.

Salad: What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?
Two of the scariest weather situations I've been in have involved highway driving: the first, with fog so thick that I could barely see ten feet ahead of me, and the second, in a snowstorm. It's nerve-wracking knowing there are other cars but the fog/snow is so dense that you can't even see them!

Main Course: If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?
Either England or the Philippines, so that I could wake up knowing that there are people who are taking care of my kids so that I can go back to sleep.

Dessert: What do you usually wear to sleep?
Mismatched pajamas. Sorry, nothing risque here, I'd get too cold!

For more feasts, click here.

Time to put on my Politics Hat

You know the upcoming presidential race is really heating up when a stay-at-home mom who isn't even a US citizen finds herself scheduled to attend two political events in a single weekend. And finds herself quite excited about it.

This Saturday, I'll be meeting Elizabeth Edwards along with other contributing writers from the Silicon Valley Moms Blog. OK, she's not a presidential candidate but she's certainly the most influential spouse of a presidential candidate (or runs a close second to Bill Clinton). The last time I met Elizabeth Edwards, I was tongue-tied; this time I'll be prepared. And by the way, if anyone has any questions they'd like to ask her -- about campaign issues, parenting, her health problems, whatever -- leave a comment here and I will try and ask it for you.

Then on Sunday, Alfie and I will be headed up to Oakland for a Hillary Clinton speaking event. They're billing it as a "block party".... Bring the kiddos! Music! Fun! Entertainment! And for our main attraction.... Hillary Clinton! Given the size of the event, I don't think I'll get the opportunity to ask her anything, but it will be interesting to listen to her speak.

So other than getting her picture taken with two important women, why does this resident alien care? True, I can't vote, but as a tax-paying greencard holder, the outcome of this presidential race affects me as much as anyone else living here. I'm certainly as concerned as the next concerned citizen. One of these days I'll be eligible to apply for citizenship, but until then I intend to stay informed. And maybe try to influence Alfie's vote!

I'm unavailable on Tuesday nights, thank you

Ahhhhh..... House (aka my husband's alter ego) is back! I've missed vegging out on the couch on Tuedsday nights. It promises to be an interesting season, as House seems to be without a team to bounce his ideas off. However, since the actors who play Foreman, Chase and Cameron are still on the show credits, I figure he's going to come to his senses and beg them to come back.... NOT!!

What do George Bush and I have in common?

GWB flew his famous "Mission Accomplished" banner in 2003 to declare victory in Iraq. Last Thursday I hung my own War Is Over banner (against the Big Bad Virus) on my blog.

But as of today, those pesky little buggers still refuse to stop fighting me. I think GWB feels the same about the Iraqi insurgents.

And that's where the similarity ends.

Halloween Is Here (almost)!

Thanks to our friendly virus, Halloween has come early to this household. As I mentioned in my previous post, one of our big winner, post-viral, recovery activities was face painting. The kids got all excited when I asked them what they wanted to be for Halloween this year and offered to paint their faces up in practice for the Big Day. Who knows if these are the characters they will actually end up as, but here they are.

First up, CleanBoy. No explanation necessary:

She's in her jammies, not in costume, but from her facepaint you can pretty much get a general idea of what The Pea wants to be:

But I wasn't sure if anyone other than 3Po would recognize the character he requested, so I've provided a little hint:

Who can guess all three?

The War is Over

Aaaand the final score is .... Virus: 4, Churchleys: 1. One by one, we all fell like flies. Only Alfie escaped its worst effects. It has been a tough three days at home, with me barely able to crawl out of bed to take care of the sick kids, reduced to begging CleanBoy for help ("do you think you could go downstairs and grab the box of CornPops for your brother's lunch?") before he succumbed to the fever as well.

Finally, all the kids are well enough to go to school, and I'm well enough to take them. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without my dear husband Alfie and a few indispensable aids:

Breakfast cereal, bottled water and canned soup -- We have been living on these staples for three days. Nutritional value questionable, but all easy to prepare and easy on the tummy.

Ibuprofen and Cough Syrup. Don't know if they actually work or if we would have gotten better without them. But they certainly seem to help, and that's good enough for me.

TV and Sirius Kids Radio -- For when everyone is too sick to do anything but lie down and stare.

Lego Duplo and stickers -- For when the kids are feeling better but mommy isn't. Kids can play on the floor for hours on end while mommy lies in bed delirious with fever.

Books and Face Paints -- For when mommy is feeling better and the kids are going crazy, these are activities allow mommy to lie down (or at least slouch way, way low) while the kids sit still for loooong periods of time.

Now that you're done reading this, get off my blog. I still have a bad cough and you might catch whatever it is I've got.

Fevers, freakouts and feelings

Every so often, just when you think you are getting the hang of this parenting thing, after you think you can start to cruise a little bit, something comes along and knocks you off your pedestal, reminding you of how little you know.

Yesterday The Pea came down with a high fever. Due to some combination of genes, nutrition, sanitation, breastfeeding and luck, our Pea hardly ever gets sick, just a couple of colds per year, maybe one ear infection. So when she started complaining of a headache, bad tummy, stiff neck and aching hips, a little warning bell started ringing in the back of my head, Meningitis! Meningitis! Meningitis! I freaked out. We took her directly to urgent care to have her checked out. Well, it wasn't meningitis, just some viral fever, maybe flu. She's still quite sick, so she'll be out for a couple of days, but she won't be going into the hospital like I feared.

I felt a bit stupid, like a first-time parent who rushes her newborn in for any little sniffle. But I stand by my decision. I thought about how I would feel if I ignored those symptoms and they really did turn out to be serious. At times like these, I don't feel like a parent, or even a grownup, at all. I wish I had someone to tell me what to do. Boy, did I feel helpless.

Helpless to see her face flushed red-hot with fever, her eyes staring at me, so dull and listless and red;

Helpless to feel her skin burning so hot I can barely touch her;

Helpless to see the girl who cannot keep still, lying meekly on her bed, her body directing its energy toward the war that raged within;

Helpless to hear her racking coughs and sobs as mere drops of water made her skin tingle and ache;

And helpless to do anything about it.

Was I right to panic like that? Maybe my judgment is a bit off. See, I'm sick too. I seem to have the same thing that she has. But it's just a minor irritation, an annoyance that's getting in the way of caring for my daughter and making her more comfortable until she gets better.

This post is also published at the Silicon Valley Moms Blog.