2008 November

Leftovers

November 28, 2008 by Queen of Spain 10 Comments

I realize we’ve already given Thanks and the time has come and gone for me to rattle off all the people and things I love in my life. So rather than cross that fine line between GREAT, comforting, yummy Holiday leftovers and lead-in-pit-of-stomach, one-day-too-late-to-eat leftovers, my Holiday leftovers consist of change.

(oh god, that change word again…is she going to talk politics? please no please no)

A seismic shift has occurred in our house, and it needs to be recognized.

Despite years of loathing, jealousy, and full-on contempt, my son now adores and protects his little sister.

Yes, it’s a holiday miracle. Yes, I am thrilled he comes to her defense. Yes, I realize this is normal sibling stuff.

However (and this is a big however) it’s getting annoying.

I find myself walking a very fine-line between “it’s so wonderful to see you sticking up for your sister” and “don’t you DARE challenge ME the MOM while I rightfully punish your sister.”

Yes, he is protecting her so very much he’s actually attempting to justify his baby sister’s indiscretions to the parental units.

Mom she’s just having a bad day, she didn’t really mean to throw that lego

Mom don’t yell at her, she will say she’s sorry for hitting you with her pony

Mom I told her it was ok so please don’t be mad at her

It also seems, just like the other males in this house, my little guy has some sort of dagger-through-heart reaction whenever my darling daughter cries.

Which means he attempts to avoid it at all costs. He will give her that toy she’s wanting. He will go get her a juice. He will even give up the toy he’s playing with in order to keep the peace.

It’s gotten so bad my 3-year old now totally plays her brother by fake crying, just to get her way.

Now, I look at this from a few different angles. One is that I’m thrilled my son no longer views her as the enemy. Two is that he is so very compassionate. Three is a bit more concerning to me…she’s totally using her feminine ways to exploit every male in this house from her brother to her uncle to her Dad.

Say it with me…OY VEY.

I realize this will probably serve her well later in life, but I’m torn between cutting it off now or helping her hone and better control her female gifts. I mean…do I put my foot down…or have her use this power to get us both a puppy? Do I make her stop using and abusing men or teach her that if she tilts her head just a bit and drops her lip just one more notch she could probably ALSO get a pony?

Change. Yes, it’s here.

Filed Under: Count Waffles, Feeling YaYa, kill me now, Princess Peanut

What The ‘Left’ Has To Be Thankful For

November 25, 2008 by Queen of Spain 5 Comments

It’s true. President-elect Barack Obama really DOES bring people together and can heal this nation.

How do I know? Because sitting down to write my ‘What the Left has to be Thankful for’ holiday post, I realized fellow BlogHer Contributor EM Zanotti and I agree on a very serious political issue. ONLY Obama has the power to pull something like that off. Only our Commander-in-Chief can bring the Right and Left sides of BlogHer together to give thanks.

What is it we agree and are giving thanks for?

Naked Soccer players.

Don’t look at me like that. As it turns out both the wonderful and fabulous American Princess and Queen of Spain agree the big bank bailouts suck and the only redeeming quality is the chance it will bring us one step closer to Naked Soccer players.

It’s a Thanksgiving miracle.

So aside from the obvious, what does the ‘Left’ have to be thankful for in the Year of Our Lord Obama 2008?

Truckloads.

I am thankful the primaries saw that long-time feminist (eye roll) Rudy Guiliani get his ass handed to him.

I am thankful we only had to endure Mike Huckabee’s ‘folksy’ talks for a handful of months.

I am thankful just the act of Senators Clinton and Obama and Governor Palin running brought race and gender discussions to the forefront of our national conversation.

I am thankful the President-elect’s cabinet is shaping up with many women I admire.

I am thankful organizations like the White House project and WomenCount continue to push female candidates.

But you know what I am most thankful for?

I’m thankful BlogHer had a strong voice in shaping this country’s path. By featuring posts from our future First Lady, to Carly Fiorina, to enabling other women to VOTE, to inspiring nonPolitical bloggers to speak their minds, THIS community directly affected the election.

Alright maybe that’s not the most ‘left’ leaning thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. But perhaps that’s how we move forward.

Attempting to find ways to agree with each other and get away from ‘left,’ ‘right,’ or ‘fringe, extreme party whacko.’ Attempting to take what we have learned after months upon months of arguing and fighting and deleting nasty comments and posting nasty comments and sincerely wondering if others in your sacred BlogHer community were entirely insane.

I am thankful we’re all still here. And we’re all still standing.

I am also thankful my conservative sisters haven’t turned away, but instead have continued the dialogue.

Sure that’s easy to say from the chick who’s candidate won. But if EM and I can agree on naked soccer players, who knows what might be possible.

Heck, I bet you most of us can even agree we’re thankful to NOT be one of Sarah Palin’s ‘pardoned’ turkeys… tee hee hee.

Crossposted at BlogHer

Filed Under: BlogHer, Obama '08

Taking Control

November 25, 2008 by Queen of Spain 27 Comments

I’m sitting on the couch with my 5-year-old.

As I type, he’s watching a PBS special on the origins of the universe. This is on his insistence I change the channel from the cartoons previously enjoyed by his sister and I.

As I sit here and learn all about how the stars and galaxies were formed and my son asks me how the ‘proto-Sun’ was created, I have a hard time believing just last week I was sick to my stomach over his parent-teacher conference.

Rolls and plays with his pencil.
Doesn’t like coloring.
Doesn’t like worksheets.
Disrupts class with questions.
Recommend consult with pediatrician, possible ADHD.
Academically on track, same as rest of class.

Confused, dejected, and on the defensive I sought all the information I could find. I talked to friends. I talked to family. My husband, in the midst of his most grueling work week in a year, weighed in as much as possible.

I talked to our pediatrician. And I questioned the difference between the protective nature of my children, and criticism.

I also took a good, hard look at the a room full of 30 Kindergartners, one teacher, and one aide and admittedly ‘no time for individualized learning.’

I am a product of public schools. I got a great education, so did my brother. I believe our local public schools are fantastic, among the best in Los Angeles County. Our teachers work extremely hard to not only nurture our children, but also to meet and exceed the standards placed on them. They are heroes.

However this system is not ideal for every child. There is no room for imagination. There is no room for nonconformity. There is no room for a 5-year old who likes science experiments as opposed to worksheets. The overworked and underpaid teacher does not have the time nor the means to handle any boy who does not fit inside the very ridged guidelines the class must have in order to succeed.

Unless…

Unless you have school district who recognizes it’s limitations and attempts to thwart the system.

Our district has opened it’s first charter school. And by the luck of the stars there was one spot, opened the night prior, in the kindergarten class. Upon hearing the news I threw on some clothes, hurriedly raced the 5 miles down the road (while throwing up in the car, wondering if I was doing the right thing) and enrolled my son.

I filled out the forms like a crazed lunatic, knowing the first mother or father to turn them in got the spot. I nearly parked myself on the school secretary’s desk until I was done.

Project-based learning. An emphasis on international relations, recognizing the students as citizens of the world. Small class rooms (no more than 20 students).

“Modeled after successful schools such as International School of Monterey, Guajome Park Academy, and Bill Gates’ High Tech High, we have a learner-centered approach using facilitators.”

My pencil-rolling guy (who tears apart my living room looking for ‘parts’ for all his inventions) will start after Thanksgiving break, his first day will be a field trip.

His sister is a legacy. And Mom is about to learn-first hand-about charter schools, the public school system, and taking a pro-active approach in managing how her children are ‘labeled’ and taught.

Filed Under: By Order of the Charter, Count Waffles, Feeling YaYa

Oh, the carnage!

November 24, 2008 by Queen of Spain 4 Comments

I’m not cooking on Thursday.

and I don’t even feel slightly guilty about it.

As I get totally lazy and wind down for the holiday- check out these must reads and must sees and must musts:

Monkey waiters!

Ford’s Scott Monty tells you everything you need to know about what one automaker has been doing to turn things around.

I am quoted in AdAge this morning on the whole Motrin Moms debacle. I would pay close attention to those numbers in there if I were you.

Media Matters dispels the myth of the $70 an hour auto worker.

This video would be hilarious if they weren’t SERIOUS

but at least no turkeys were harmed during filming. Unlike some other videos I’ve seen.

Is Obama President yet?

Maybe your job wouldn’t be so hard if your boss didn’t suck so bad?

Glad the election is over so I don’t have to spend a week defending how Larry Summers is not, in fact, a communist.

..and finally, a gratuitous ‘my kid is cute’ shot, even if she’s channeling a 75-year old tourist

Her brother is against photography in all forms. Says it is a violation of his privacy and rights as a citizen. Or something.

Filed Under: Holding Court

Submitted Without Comment, Because I Have None

November 22, 2008 by Queen of Spain 7 Comments

Filed Under: Feeling YaYa

Against the Auto Industry Bailout? But Are You As Smart As A US Senator?

November 18, 2008 by Queen of Spain 25 Comments

I’ve been watching the Senate Banking Committee ~~talk to~~ grill the top executives from GM, Chrysler and Ford for three hours now, and I’m angry.

Even our Senators are perpetuating myths about the Auto Industry and Detroit.

Mark Phelan at the Detroit Free Press sums it up better than I can with his 6 Myths about the Detroit 3 article:

Myth No. 1

Nobody buys their vehicles.

Reality

General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC sold 8.5 million vehicles in the United States last year and millions more around the world. GM outsold Toyota by about 1.2 million vehicles in the United States last year and holds a U.S. lead over Toyota of about 560,000 so far this year. Globally, GM in 2007 remained the world’s largest automaker, selling 9,369,524 vehicles worldwide — about 3,000 more than Toyota.

Ford outsold Honda by about 850,000 and Nissan by more than 1.3 million vehicles in the United States last year.

Chrysler sold more vehicles here than Nissan and Hyundai combined in 2007 and so far this year.

Myth No. 2

They build unreliable junk.

Reality

The creaky, leaky vehicles of the 1980s and ’90s are long gone. Consumer Reports recently found that “Ford’s reliability is now on par with good Japanese automakers.” The independent J.D. Power Initial Quality Study scored Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Mercury, Pontiac and Lincoln brands’ overall quality as high or higher than that of Acura, Audi, BMW, Honda, Nissan, Scion, Volkswagen and Volvo.

Power rated the Chevrolet Malibu the highest-quality midsize sedan. Both the Malibu and Ford Fusion scored better than the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.

The list goes on with 4 other myths including the lie that Detroit doesn’t build hybrids and only makes gas-guzzlers. I know, you’re shocked right- you thought they were only making SUV’s and Light Trucks? You thought they lacked innovation and new tech? Yeah….WRONG(pdf).

One of my favorite Detroit bloggers said it so much better than I ever could today. Sweet Juniper writes,

“I’m no apologist for the Big Three or their ridiculous missteps and lapses of judgment. But I do care about the regular people who work for these companies and played no role in those poor decisions. Consider, too, the charities that receive donations from both corporations and individuals connected to the auto industry and the people those charities help. Some of the moments when I was most proud of my fellow Americans were when people stopped in the wake of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina or the Asian Tsunami and gave what they could to help fellow human beings who were suffering. Three years after Katrina, New Orleans is starting again to look like New Orleans again.
It hardly looks like Detroit at all anymore…
One thing I like about GM, Ford, and Chrysler is that they are companies that still make something. What do the vast majority of the Fortune 500 companies even do? What does Goldman Sachs do? What do all those companies in Silicon Valley make? They shuffle paper, sure, transmit blips of binary code, attend important meetings, and make “deals.” Maybe brown people somewhere across an ocean will make whatever it is they’re selling or shuffling on paper or e-mailing each other about. But in Detroit, and in plenty of other industrial cities across this country there are still people making things without exploited labor, and believe it or not that still means something.”

But let’s get back to the grilling auto execs got in DC today, with more to come tomorrow. Ford, GM, and Chrysler are asking taxpayers for a 25-million dollar loan and the United Auto Workers union stood next to management.

I have to admit- that alone was a powerful sight. Seeing Ron Gettelfinger, president of the UAW, agree and stand beside management in many of the discussions. It was a powerful reminder to me just how many jobs are at stake.

There was a protester during the hearing holding up a sign reading “No more corporate welfare” and I wondered if she understood just how many of my friends and family would be collecting welfare if the Big 3 stop making cars.

Trading Goddess Stock Blog notes the ripple effect, “Little was I aware this morning that the stock market was going to be held hostage by a Senate hearing on the auto industry this afternoon to discuss a bridge loan to rescue them.”

NADA’s AutoExec magazine has the full economic impact reports, just from the retail side of things.

Let’s just say it can’t be ignored.

Much like the buzz over GM’s viral video on the need for federal help can’t be ignored:

I’m not saying there are any easy answers to an Auto Industry bailout. I know many of you think bankruptcy is a better option. But I am wondering if YOU have all the facts, if even our own Senators didn’t.

How many of those myths did you think were true? And how many of those Senators still won’t know by the end of the day tomorrow, as they possibly decide the fate of my family and friends…

Crossposted at BlogHer.com

Filed Under: BlogHer, Feeling YaYa

In My Hood: Fires, Motrin, Moms

November 17, 2008 by Queen of Spain 100 Comments

As the smoke clears in my neighborhood and the Southern California wildfires subside, smoke is clearing from my online neighborhood as well.

Over the weekend mombloggers and twittermoms became upset over a Motrin commercial, voiced their displeasure, and by Sunday the company had issued an apology and pulled the ad.

Yet the controversy continues.

Let’s not go down the path of *if* my fellow moms had something to be upset about. Different things are important to different people, and whether or not babywearing is your thing is irrelevant.

What is relevant to all of us is how the game has changed. I realize you may be shocked by this, but there was a time it was necessary to educate companies and other bloggers on just how influential the moms online are…AND THAT TIME HAS PASSED.

They KNOW.

They are buying ads, they are engaging women online. They are sponsoring trips, sending you even MORE free stuff. They are paying for YOU to consult for them. They are slowly but surely working the new world order into their business plans.

You have their attention.

You have the power.

It’s been proven now in case studies and marketing reports. It’s been proven with the President-elect answering your questions. It’s been proven with your growing checks and empowerment.

It’s time to change how you conduct business.

It’s no longer us screaming to be recognized. I no longer need to lift my shirt to demand breastfeeding gets respect. I no longer need to stomp my feet and be as snarky as possible when a company obviously has no clue how to engage mommybloggers.

You have their ear.

You are now fully-recognized, influential businesswomen.

Time to act like it.

Companies will continue to have no choice but to engage mommybloggers. They are not going anywhere. We are here and they have to deal with us.

However I would prefer we maximize our relationships and they deal with us as BUSINESSWOMEN, not as a protesting, activist group of divas.

Yes, you are a businesswoman. You are a professional. Please don’t make me go over this again.

The problem with what happened this weekend is the perception. Mommybloggers got mad, mommybloggers acted. Mommybloggers over-reacted. Mommybloggers looked like amateurs.

Right or wrong, the rest of the web is now rolling its eyes, again at our community. Words like ‘mob’ and ‘rookies’ and ‘divas’ are flying around and we’re not being taken seriously.

I’ll be honest, they are right. What happened this weekend went from smart, powerful activism to Palin-rally lynch-mob.

I expect better from professionals. It’s time we start holding each other to higher standards.

Please don’t ever make me compare you to Sarah Palin again, it hurts.

Filed Under: Feeling YaYa, Holding Court

Sylmar Fire View

November 15, 2008 by Queen of Spain 7 Comments

From my front lawn

The LA Times has a great map with evacuation information.

My family and home are not in any danger, thank you all for your concern. We’re keeping a close eye on everything and will go if we need too-

Filed Under: #suckit