Have you heard?

I am not going to lie to you. I am not a huge political junkie. But I like to be informed and I do*wait for it* have opinions. So this is one of those times when I just have to speak up. As I blog hopped this afternoon, you know the usual fluffy craft and food blogs, I stumbled upon a blog post about President Obama's speech in the schools on Sept.8. Apparently there is an uproar by some that has lead to -get this- a boycott of school that day. Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!? I know that we do not all have the same political opinions but when did it become a) optional to attend school b)Ok to be so disrespectful of our elected leaders and c) just plain paranoid?

What could the president possibly say, in a mere 20 minutes, that would be so damaging? Are people that insecure in their parenting that a speech from the president would undermine all of their efforts to teach their children what ever it is they teach them (in this case I would guess intolerance, Maybe?) This type of reaction does teach our children some lessons; sadly I am afraid it will be the wrong lessons.

The Presidents speech is supposed to focus on the importance of staying in school, working hard and making goals...OH THE HORROR OF IT ALL!!!

Lest this sound like a democratic rant I think this type of behavior on either side is ridiculous. I have no doubt that some on the left would be acting just as unsavory if the tables were turned. No matter what our political affiliation we should respect each other. Whether a republican president or a democratic president he, or hopefully at some point she (a post all it's own), has every right to talk to the citizens of this nation. Last time I checked that included kids.

Hopefully no one reading this blog is actually considering taking their kids out of school for that day, but if you are please rethink the message you will be sending. It is one of intolerance and paranoia...not lessons I would want my children to learn.

So how do you feel about it? Leave me a comment, I really want to know.

First day of School

Yesterday was the first day of school. YAY! We are always in such a hurry that pictures tend to be rushed so don't expect too much in the way of creativity. They(the kids) are cute just the same...

I love this one with Van following all smiley not knowing he is coming home with out his "Lolliejoe" He actually tried to follow Lillie into the building more than once.

This is my favorite...they look so grown up!

Joe and his friend Paige

Lillie and Sophie

Oh how I love the first day of school, and not just because the kids are at school and back into a routine...although I do love that part. I have always loved the first day of school, summer is winding down and fall is just around the corner. Fall is my favorite! I loved school when I was a kid and was always so excited to be back...so far my kids are not as enthusiastic as I was but what can I say I was a big nerd. We did get to meet their teachers the day before school started so that help the enthusiasm a bit. I hope this is a great school year for us all!

Deep thoughts

...said in my best SNL announcer voice.

As I pruned away in my very humble little flower garden this afternoon I couldn't help but reflect on a conversation Ben and I had earlier this week. Ambition is good and contentment equally so; but where do we draw the line with either? Ambition drives us to do good things and accomplish things that would otherwise go unrealized. Contentment gives a sense of peace and calm. But can you have both? How do we move forward and become successful without ambition? Can too much ambition cause an unbalanced and possibly counterproductive life? How do you find peace without contentment? Can contentment lead to laziness and complacency? At what point do you transition from being ambitious and slip into contentment?

I am still working on the answer, an answer that is very individual to my own circumstances. I certainly do not claim to have the definitive answer to this conundrum. So far this is what I have come up with; without at least some amount of ambition our progress becomes stagnant. Ambition can take many different forms and mean something different for every person, but without something to reach for and strive towards there is arrested development on some level. But that doesn't mean that there can not be contentment in other areas of our lives. Just because we are trying to improve our station in one area of our lives does not mean that we can not be completely content in another. It is possible to find balance. What is a bit trickier is in which area do we assign ambition and which contentment?

So why would gardening bring on this thoughtful reflection? I had to do some brutal pruning in hopes of producing a better product in the end. A refining if you will. Sometimes it is impossible to grow to our full potential without some pruning. But in the end what we become is so much more than if we had not gone through the refining, as painful as it may be.

For now, in my own life, assignments have been made. Assignments that will surely change with time. But for now my ambition and my contentment know where they belong. Ok at least they have a general idea.

And just because post are so much better with pictures, here are a few from my garden...