I've been watching TV tonight, flipping back and forth between Bill O'Reilly and Dancing with the Stars. I can honestly say that I'm not sure which disturbed me more, hearing that our economy may just be on the brink of the next Great Depression or watching Cloris Leachman do the Paso Doble.

Yikes.

My kids have been thoroughly enjoying the first season of The Cosby Show. I bought the DVDs at Cracker Barrel a few weeks ago, and they've watched every one of them at least three times. It makes me laugh so hard to hear them laughing their heads off at a TV classic.

On the way home from church I had one of those moments where you realize how much change you've seen in your lifetime and that there are things our kids have zero frame of reference for, such as life before the Internet. They were watching an episode where Denise wanted to buy tickets to a rock concert. She tells Theo, "They go on sale tomorrow, but you can get on-line tonight." My eyebrows went up, because that just didn't sound right. As I was trying to do the math in my head for when the Internet became widely available, I heard her clarify the situation that she wanted to sneak out of the house and camp out "on line." I had to just marvel at the memory of camping out for tickets, although in my case the only time I've ever done it was as a college freshman trying to get good tickets to Step Sing. (It's a Samford thing.) But it just struck me how vastly the idea of going "on line" for tickets has changed in a couple of decades.

I don't have much to say about Friday night's debate. I felt like McCain was a clear victor as far as content goes. He obviously knows what he's talking about, and Obama sounds like a poser. However, in the grace and statesmanship category, you have to give it to the Senator from Illinois. I was bothered by the fact that McCain wouldn't look at him, even though I knew he was trying not to lose his temper and I'm grateful that it mostly worked for him. I didn't like that he kept using the words, "I'm afraid he just doesn't understand..." As much as I agree with the sentiment, it just came across to me as an old grandpa talking down to an impudent teenager. I'm afraid the truth behind it probably fell on deaf ears.

Because I don't think anyone was swayed by this debate. I think McCain supporters believed he nailed it, based on the 82% that declared him the winner on Fox News. Every other channel showed Obama to be the winner, although Pat Buchanan did chime in on MSNBC with, "I think the mean guy won." Undecided voters don't concern me too much, because I'm not sure how many truly undecided folks there are out there. If you still don't know at this point, you're either just wanting attention or you don't care. And neither one of those two groups show up in huge numbers on election day.

The debate this week concerns me. I think it will have a much larger than normal viewership based on all the hullabaloo around Sarah Palin. Thankfully for her, the cameras were otherwise occupied this week, because her interview with Katie Couric wasn't pretty. I'm really praying for her this week. I'm afraid that she's been forced into a box that she's not particularly comfortable in. I feel like if she was free to just be herself, she would do fine. The reason people have loved her from the beginning is because she seems so real, so like them. I'm afraid that the more they try to groom her, the more pressure she's going to feel and the more out of her league she's going to seem. But she's going up against Joe Biden, for Pete's sake. It shouldn't be that hard. I'm just really hoping she's not caving under the intense level of scrutiny she's received since throwing her hat in the ring.

37 days and counting...

All right. I've avoided commenting on politics as much as possible, primarily because I know that I'm usually preaching to the choir here. I've made a pretty lousy attempt to keep from getting caught up in the daily drama in hopes of avoiding my usual election year ulcers. But I am so angry at how this whole thing has played out this week that I feel the need to vent.

First of all, no matter how cynical you may be about whether or not McCain's campaign suspension was a political strategy, can we at least agree that he has enough history behind him to make it plausible? Senator McCain is one of the most powerful guys on the Hill. Much of the major legislation coming out of there in recent years has his name right there at top billing. (Granted, I disagree with much of what he has put out there, but you can't deny that he's been successful in getting people on board to solve problems in a way that he deems to be good solutions.)

The man is easily in the top five most influential Republicans in the Senate. It is completely logical that he would have woken up on Wednesday and thought to himself, "What am I doing out here? I should be practicing instead of preaching." After all, his entire campaign mantra is "Country First." I have always been 100% sure that he believes that wholeheartedly. In fact, I fully expected him to come out at some point yesterday or today and say, "I'd rather lose the election than lose the American economy." It would fit him like a glove. I'm still hoping he says something like that tonight.

What is making me CRAZY is how Savior Obama is being glorified as a great multi-tasker because he doesn't feel the need to get involved in the grunt work of hammering out a suitable plan. Paraphrasing him, he very eloquently stated, "If you need me, call me." Why exactly would they need you, Senator? To vote present? Are they going to call on your vast wealth of experience in the Senate pushing things through and solving problems? The very idea is absurd! WHAT HAS HE EVER DONE BUT TALK?!

I'm angry with McCain for letting all of this go unresponded to. I totally get why he is doing it, and I'm actually quite impressed with him for sticking to his guns and working to try and save this mess rather than slap his face all over TV. Doesn't anyone wonder why Obama has so much time on his hands? His entire smug speech about Presidents being able to do more than one thing at a time had me railing. My very intelligent friend Kristen pointed out the other night that this is a time of crisis. We mothers know a thing or two about multi-tasking. We are usually juggling 7 or 8 things at any given moment. But in a time of crisis, such as a child breaking his arm, everything else gets dropped and we tend to the overwhelming problem at hand. This is a brilliant observation, and I think so appropriate to what we've been witnessing.

I am very glad that the debate is on. I was really worried that once Obama said he was going anyway, McCain was going to be in serious trouble if he didn't show. I'm very much looking forward to it, because I believe that McCain has an excellent opportunity to show the country why he must be elected and why we can't allow this empty, but well-groomed suit to take over the wheel. I have little doubt that he would drive us right over the nearest cliff.

Where's my Zantac?

Lipstick

This is what happens when you put your purse and your child in the car, fail to buckle your child in before heading back inside to grab the rest of your things and get distracted by something that causes you to leave the two together for about 30 seconds too long.

If I can paraphrase the great Senator, you can put lipstick on a toddler, but he's still liable to drive you to drink.

Serenity now.

Click here if you want to see the speech Sarah Palin gave at The Villages today. My in-laws were in the second row and had a blast! Jeff's mom got her sun visor autographed by Sarah, Todd, Willow and Piper. They arrived at 9:30 this morning to get in line, and were on their feet all the way up until Sarah spoke at 4:30. I would have so loved to have been there.

My favorite campaign sign so far: Our lipstick beats your dipstick. (Sorry, Paul. ;))

I hope John McCain thanks God every night for helping him choose WISELY!

Day of Rest

A note to parents with toddlers. Before preheating your Easy Bake Oven, be sure and check inside for any plastic plates that may have been inadvertently inserted at a previous time. Otherwise, be prepared to see significant smoke, followed by the malodorous stench of melting pink plastic. As you run outside carrying said oven to keep from setting off the smoke detector, be prepared to calm hysterical daughter and talk her down from expressed desire to murder younger brother in as painful a way as humanly imaginable.

While going through these steps, be sure not to ignore the calls of "Mama" from your gated-in toddler who is supposed to be taking a nap, assuming he is just stalling. Having been just recently potty-trained, it's quite possible that he needs to get to the toilet. Feeling ignored, he may decide to take matters into his own hands, and upon completing the act, might decide to redesign his bedroom glider with equally malodorous brown stripes.

As you climb the stairs to discover why he is calling, the smell may hit you and panic may begin to ensue as you come over the rise to discover this fresh paint job. Wondering who is making that screaming sound, as you release the gate, the toddler may sprint out of the bedroom with a newly acquired ability to leap over Mommy Meltdown and get away as quickly as possible.

On the bright side, you just may discover the $30 extra you spent on Scotchguard for the chair was worth every penny.

It's a good thing our choir sang "When I Don't Know What To Do" this morning. Otherwise, someone may not have survived the afternoon.

No more training wheels for Bailey. We had noticed that she was riding completely unaided by them anyway, so we finally convinced her yesterday to let us take them off. I told her to pretend like they were still there and take off. All she needed was that one burst of confidence and she was riding like a champ.

Bradley is so thrilled to have a riding partner now that he doesn't even mind having his sister tag along. The newness will surely wear off, but for now she's riding every chance she gets.

I think she decided that seven-year-olds don't use training wheels. Count one more milestone marked.

So, apparently Joe Biden made the comment today that Hillary Clinton might have made a better veep choice than him.

Ya think?

I had the chance to spend the day today with my college roomies. We all hooked up in Rome, GA, since it's a fairly central location for us. Jeff and I are staying with our brother and sister-in-law tonight. The kids are so happy to be back with Carrie Beth; they are begging to stay longer. I hate to pull them away so quickly, but I keep trying to convince them that a weekend together is better than nothing at all. So far they don't seem to be buying it.

From left to right in the first picture are Kathryn, Susie, me and Amy. We actually lived together all four years of college, an accomplishment I'm pretty proud of. Susie and I didn't know each other at all before the Lord put us together our freshman year at Samford, and it was a perfect fit. She is wild and crazy and loves Broadway as much as I do. She sings like an angel and is completely unintimidated by what folks might think of her. I love her dearly.

Kathryn married Ray right out of college and moved to England. She lived there for eleven years until moving back Stateside in 2006, where she landed a job doing all of the print advertising for the Biltmore estate in Asheville, NC. I'm so proud of her. This is the first opportunity we've taken to all get together since she's been home. It's been far too long coming.

Amy lives in Rome and has always been a treasure to me. I get to see her more than the other two since we have a reason to come to Rome every now and then, but definitely not as often as I would like. Her little ones are 3 and 5, and as adorable as their momma has always been.

It's hard to believe that between the four of us we have seven sons and two daughters. When we get together, it feels like no time has passed since we were living in Cripple Creek Apartments in Birmingham, AL, and yet the many children tell a different tale. Susie's oldest will be 11 next month, on the downhill slope to adulthood. It's breathtaking.

Moments like these remind me how quickly the time passes. When I realize that Bradley is now closer to his college experience than I am to mine, it is a stark reminder to make the most of each day. Maybe I can apply that to these early days of potty-training and they won't drive me as crazy!

I just had a chance to go back and watch Mike Huckabee's speech from last night. If you didn't get to see it, it is well worth your time. He was on fire. Last night was just spectacular!

My favorite lines:

1) After telling a story about growing up poor, he quipped, "I'm not a Republican because I grew up rich. I'm a Republican because I didn't want to spend the rest of my life poor, waiting for the government to rescue me." Wow.

2) "I'm so tired of hearing of hearing about [Governor Palin's] lack of experience. I want to tell you folks something. She got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for President of the United States." Yikes.

3) "Most of us can lift our arms high in the air to signify when we want something. He can't even lift his arms to his shoulder, which is a constant reminder that his life is marked not by what he's wanting to receive, but rather by what he has already given." Outstanding.

Sheer eloquent, magnificent brilliance. I am so in love with this woman that I can't stop smiling. She has done more to make this election cycle new and exciting than anyone else could have ever dreamed of doing.

It's just pathetic to watch the pundits and anchors go at it. No matter what they say, it just comes out sounding lame. She is about as close to perfect as a Republican candidate could ever be and I am THRILLED that she is mine!

I had a friend comment a couple of days ago that, "Of course you love her... she's you!" And while I would never have the audacity to put myself up against the many, many achievements of Governor Sarah Palin, I think he hit it on the head. But it's not just me. Sarah Palin is every woman. (Can you hear Whitney singing in the background? :))

The precise reason that people are so fired up over Governor Palin is because she is one of us. She is a mom who entered politics to try and make her kids' education the best it could be. What an amazing story that is. I personally love the fact that she is not a life-long politician. I love that she didn't tell her kindergarten teacher that she was going to be President. I love that she isn't Al Gore, hopelessly wandering in a sea of supposedly warmer-than-what's-natural water because she had no other plans but to be in the White House.

The very idea that Sarah is an underqualified woman who was simply chosen for her gender is just not going to fly. Anyone who saw her last night can not possibly say with a straight face that she doesn't have what it takes to lead this country. She is exactly who we need running this country!! She is intelligence, grace, beauty, confidence, authenticity and bravery. She is unafraid to face challenges, but seems rather to enjoy them. She knows who she is and is secure in that, precisely what one needs to be able to face life in the Beltway without caving to the pressure to be liked by Sally Quinn and the rest of the Washington elite.

I love, love, love her. I loved everything about her speech last night. I love that she can do things no man could ever pull off, like winking at the hockey moms as if she was personal friends with each and every one of them. It looked so natural and so authentic, because it was. I love that she blew a kiss to McCain's fellow former POW. I love that she introduced her family for the beautiful bunch that they are, completely rubbing her love for and pride in them in the face of all the media who have been opining that she can't possibly be a good mother if she spends so much time away from them.

For much of this year I was pretty convinced that we would be saying "President Obama" for the next four years. I no longer see that as inevitable. Watching the Republicans come to life in this convention, I believe we have an excellent chance of taking the White House in 2008. And what I love the most about it is the idea of saying "President Palin" in four more years.

BRING IT!!!

It's getting pretty ugly out there, isn't it?

I'm remembering now why I quit politics for most of this year. I really don't think my blood pressure can take it. Watching the news since Governor Palin was selected has been a true test of my capacity for Christian love.

I'm not going to waste time talking about the unfairness of all these attacks on the governor and her family. Media bias is basically a cliche term these days. It's just a given.

What I think bothers me the most about the treatment of Bristol Palin is the nerve of fear that it touches in me. I think that's why this story is going to backfire on the media and their Party. Could there be a greater example of one's sins catching up with them than this poor teenage girl?

Clearly there was a moment in time where she knew the right thing to do and chose the opposite road. We know that all sin is created equal. There are just some things with greater consequences. But there is not a day that goes by that each and every one of us doesn't choose to do something that we know is wrong. Whether it be yelling at my children, telling a lie, gossiping or entertaining a thought that I should have dismissed, sin is a part of my daily existence.

Just imagine the shame this child has already faced, probably the worst of which came from herself. But she had to confront her parents and her boyfriend's parents and let them know that they had been having sex and that it had gotten the best of them. Apparently it is widely known in her town that she was pregnant, so she has surely been the subject of criticism and at the very least a few stares. Added to that is the burden of knowing that she has put her mother in an awkward position as the governor of the state.

But suddenly, in the course of a few days, her once-believed private sin has become an international news story. Isn't this our biggest fear, that we will one day be exposed for who we think we really are inside? This is one of Satan's biggest and most successful weapons against Christians, to get us to believe that we are what we do. We take on the name of our sin. I am deceit. I am greed. I am lust.

One of the hardest but most important things I learned as an adult was that I'm not who I believe I am. I am who God says I am. I am chosen by Him, loved by Him. My sins have already been paid for and He doesn't see me through the lens of my faults and failures. He sees me through the redemptive blood of His precious Son. There is such great freedom in that, and such great responsibility.

The other thing about this story is the fear it brings out in me as a mother. I've been thinking today how hard it must be for Governor Palin to watch her family dragged through the mud as a result of her decision to accept the nomination. Piled on top of her own self-inflicted guilt is the media saying that she shouldn't have accepted it and that it's basically her fault that her family's name is being shoved into the gutter. How much pain must it cause to watch your child suffer the humiliation of an international scandal and know that it wouldn't have happened if you weren't pursuing something you wanted? It just makes me sick at my stomach for her.

I, for one, am going to be praying for this family. I'm going to be praying that they will have the mental fortitude and family strength to pull together and see this through. Because I can only imagine that it will get worse before it gets better.