I have had doubts about how I'm raising my kids. I have felt like I'm not giving them enough that I'm not being enough. Donald Trump, you becoming elected has done wonders on my parenting. See, I hadn't always had an event or reason to bring up things with my children like racism, sexism, or prejudice. You have made me a better mother. Today, you were inaugurated to an office I hold sacred. Raised to believe that the men who have sat in that chair were motivated to make our country better. Certainly not all have done so but there are men who have held that office that have inspired me deeply. So, after school pick up, children piled together I asked: "Do you know what happened today? Do you know what Inauguration day is?" Kail (nearly 8) told me he watched it school, from previous talks he knew: "The Bad President is there now." That's right sir, all on his own, my son calls you "The Bad President". For in 2nd Grade he understands the hatred in your speech. Hilariously today, he came up with a new name for you: "I think he should be called McDonald Trump". I did not want my children to feel fear so I asked them: "What can we do if we don't like the President?" Immediately Joshua (age 4) pipes up with "We BE NICE!" and I was so proud of him. That I have raised a child who when immediately faced with "We don't like" his response is one of love. Kail too offered that we can talk to people and be good to them. As I faced my own feelings about today. I was inspired by a vlogger who spoke from a Native American perspective. "We are strong, we keep the faith, we pray and we fight." That helped me stay together. Inspired me not to be apathetic in my patriotism, to make my voice heard to those who represent me in our government. You have inspired me to be a better American and follow policy with an attention I have not had before. I am committed to being as peaceful a voice possible against the things you have said that are wounding to the people you represent. I am deeply encouraged in the children I'm raising. That they look at the man who leads our Nation and respond with kindness. As my oldest and I talked, we decided we are going to write letters, to our Senators about our feelings on your election. You've got me doing a writing activity with them, thank you so much for that! I am not a perfect parent but I'm raising the next generation and what I see in my boys is strong character already developing. Children to a man who served our country. I look at your values and I see that you tie money and worth together. Let me tell you, they are not as fortunate as your children, but in who they are- they are rich indeed. Thank you for being one of the best lessons I have had with my children. As you have campaigned I have had beautiful moments with them about humanity. I have realized how important it is to expose them to other cultures and different people. That they never be afraid of someone who looks or acts differently. It has become more paramount to me for where hatred blazes my children are lights of love. It's a privilege to be sure; because my lilly white kids aren't the objects of your hatred. That you can be a lesson in love without directly hurting them. That fact is not lost on me. It means I will continue to work as hard as I can to be an ambassador of peace and voice of love. Truly, you've made me a better person. Hannah Nurrieum Hannah's VLOG on the InaugurationI am BRAND new to D and D. I was invited to play by some friends and I love it! They have been so welcoming and are willing to help us while we learn. It's been a really supportive and creative environment. I decided to pick a Tiefling and she has a weird name, so here it's shortened. I did draw my character but she's inspired from an image search on Tieflings so I do not claim credit for this composition. I needed something to go on and I tried to make it my own. This is Bri, I’d say she’s happy to meet you, but she’s not. Her Great-Grandmother a descendant of Asmodeus made a bargain with the Infernal, granting power to her Lineage. Bri, born with soot black hair and dark horns, was shunned and deserted by all. Bri’s Mother was a horrible Sorceress who had intended to raise her for sacrifice in order to gain more power. An underling, human, smuggled the child away from her Mother. However, her rescuer was found out and killed. Fortunately for Bri, she was already safely hidden. At the mercy of the forest the toddler was found by a pack of ravenous wolves. Using her magic unknowingly, she convinced this pack to protect and raise her. She had been content to live in the forest supported by her pack. However, as humanity grew and bred, they encroached on her forest home. Seeing the wolves, they were set upon by a mob, all of her wolves were murdered. In a fit of rage and power, Bri killed some of the humans but not enough and she was forced to flee. She lived in hiding but out of need and desperation began interacting with the human world. Her magic is initially low because she went many years without training. Natural proficiency has given her the power to master some basic spells without guidance. After wandering for a time she met a Warlock Miathus. He began her teaching and she honed her skills. They spent 2 years together and developed a relationship. They became comfortable in their home. Bri let her guard down. Accepting humans and trading with them. When plague struck the village and turned their human hearts- the humans looked for blame and decided they found it. They attacked Miathus and Bri, killing him as he protected his home and love. Bri was injured and this resulted in the miscarriage of her child. That dashed her hopes of ever having a child. Leaving her with a painful longing for a baby. Her training incomplete and her hatred of humans growing, she feels total mistrust toward human kind. She is met with mistrust in return. She often wears a hood and carries her wizard staff. She hides in the shadows whenever possible. She is becoming a survivor. She is taking up odd jobs for money and seeks experience in the world to hone her craft. She is not a particularly religious sort, she does understand the arcane bargains that can be made and that she is descended of the God Asmodeus. In the 15th century, all tieflings alive on Toril were apparently descended from Asmodeus and all had a similar devilish appearance. Prior to Asmodeus's ascension to godhod, the infernal blood could be diluted through intermarriage, but afterward, the union of a tiefling with another race always produced a tiefling child. She is aware of this fact and wanted a child with Miathus. He was willing to raise a Tiefling child. She also realized that many will not wish to copulate with her in that manner because who wants a Tiefling child? This fits deeply into her hidden motivations. Despite all, she is willing to trust a token few. Currently with a group of near-do-wells on a job that went awry she is hoping to find people she can trust and skills she can learn. She’s waiting for the right group and this might be it. However, she is torn- for there is a child among them and if opportunity strikes, will she steal away with the babe- or will she remain loyal to her comrades? I really hope my friends read this one, because of all my rambling bullshit, this one is important to me: Trigger warning for those who've experienced sexual assault.
Yall are KILLING me right now. Even Trevor and man I love that guy- though I don't think The Daily Show feeds the divide as much as the rest. We lost. We lost. Okay. I'm greiving too, I'm fearful too, but cripe on a cracker- this isn't helping. I had to unfollow several news outlets that I liked becuase you are not helping America. You're not. We aren't at panic level yet- nothing yet has changed, you are inciting and feeding a panic. You are creating a reactionary response. This is the opposite of what we should be doing, we need to have our shit together right now!!! When you react in fear and panic you are not thinking with the highest logic you are given. When you react with emotion you are not going to take the wisest and most rational action. We need to show we can respond with grace, respect, and dignity. PLEASE, take a note from our current President, our candidate, our First lady: "...when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high."- Michelle Obama What was it Lincoln said: "The chords of our hearts need to be touched by the better angels of our nature..." The Electoral College is being petitioned against, it's one of the huge reasons votes in my state even matter. Without it, candidates need only sway about 5 states to their side and they're good. We're supposed to be the champions of the underdogs, and we're trying to make it so the small states don't matter? Simply because we're sore losers? No. Protests- okay, I support the right to assemble and be heard. I wish people weren't being violent. It demeans the movement. I get the outrage and the anger and I'm also willing to admit that some of the fear I can't relate to. I'm not a POC, and I haven't experienced that kind of racism and hatred. However, I think that if we're going to claim to be the righteous side- we have to actually act righteous. Here's what I can tell you- as a sexual assault victim, it deeply screws with me that a man who has described assualts that I've experience leads my country. I have had to eliminate things that even rehash that incident. I had a man- without my consent- hold me down and put his fingers in me. Is that raw enough for some?!?!? And now a man who thinks that's great- who's accused of rape- is going to be my president. So please don't think for a moment that there is outrage I don't feel, or fear I don't have. That I'm totally cushy here. No. I cried when he got elected- because at any other point, that would incinerate a mans career. In times of war or vicious acts of nature- my President made me feel safe. I don't have that with Trump, all I can associate that man with, is the man who assaulted me. To the conservatives who may say "But Trump didn't assault you- you need to get over it." No I don't. It happened to me, I get to decide what I do with that. When a man describes an assault you experience and thinks that's okay- you have every right not to be over it. ALL of that- ALL of that said: The liberal media I have seen post-election has only fueled the divides, it shows no efforts to create unity. It has shown only what other ways we need to be afraid. Look, we're already afriad and the people experiencing horrific racism and harrassment were certianly already freaking aware. You aren't helping, you are adding fuel to the fires that will rip our country to shreds and you'll make money the whole road. As much as we may hate the GOP, we now HAVE to work with them. We now HAVE to find a way to unify or we will NEVER be able to protect the people and the rights we care so deeply about. If you can't find a way to deal with working with the people you don't like how are you living in the adult world? I'm being harsh because we are supposed to be the ones who can stand up to it. We're supposed to be the ones against hate, war, and policy that shows people don't matter. We're supposed to be the champions of good! That's historically who we are. I get that accomplishing that hasn't always been nice- but we can still STAND while we're holding hands. Am I saying go hug the KKK, of course not. I'm saying that instead of adding incidary fuel to the fire, instead of proving them right with reasons to hate it, instead of falling to the panic, we rise to show that this is nothing. That we are that much better, that nothing can topple the ideals of equality, hope and peace. Obama built his first campaign on optimism and hope. He's pleaded with people not to fall to cynicsm and rage. We should be listening. We are still required to take a stand and protect others when we encounter racism, inequality, and hate but you don't respond to hate with hate. We are ONE Nation, we are all in this damn ship together and if we don't get that soon we're all going to sink in it. Be better. If you want change- be it. I am talking to myself as much as anyone else and you can totally call me on it if I'm screwing up- because I truely believe in this . I'm pleading with you- find your common humanity. I've been called a lot of names in the past 24 hours and I'm really tired of it.
I didn't call republicans horrible names when they won and it really struck me that while also being sore losers some were pretty huge dicks as winners too. What I did say- is that I'm afriad and people are afraid and that fear is real and it's justified. That wsa mocked as well. Yet when women wearing hijabs are grabbed and assulted, when sexual assualt victims cries go unheard, when people can set up displays lynching people- there is absolute cause for that fear. The problem is that white people are so removed from that kind of harrasment unless they are participating in it that they really don't care what others experience. Facts- also seems particularly irrevolvent. Like- late-term abortions aren't about mother's not wanting their babies, their about pregnancies that were supposed to go to term that now threaten the life of the mother, and typically include the mother actually delivering their chilld but live with the grief of not taking them home. Yet, people hear "abortion" and stop listening. In light of the way this election has gone, now many feel liecensed and justified to be as hateful as humanly possible. It's awful. I'm not only feeling defeated from my candidate losing this election, I'm feeling overwhelmed and defeated by the way hatred is now flourishing in my homeland. This is horrible and it's heartbreaking. Aside from such hatred- this president now has the soul responsibility over our nuclear warheads. That's terrifying. It's chilling. So you may think I'm praying for this president to fail- you're entirely wrong- I'm on this ship too. That's the last thing I want. All I can hope for is that things get better, that the life now before my children is a hopeful one. That there is never a cause to use weapons of mass destruction and we can live peacefully. That there is never cause to use weapons of words or acts of violence. My heart is so heavy in what I've already seen. The fires continue to blaze and nothing is put out. We all want to champion what we feel is right and no one is listening anywhere. I refuse to be cynical, I refuse to be flippant. I remain hopeful and peaceful. What I wish most deeply and with my whole heart is that I would see a similar message from the other side. Hopeful. Peaceful. I continue to try and work for that in my community and I hope you will in yours as well. Blessings. HN Dear Sunshine, Oh little mama, I've got so many things on my mind lately. Mothers and daughters. I had always hoped I would have a daughter and that I would be blessed with a bond like I have with your Grandmother. I wanted to take a moment to tell you a few things boogie. 1) You aren't required to look pretty.You. Are. Beautiful. But society tends to think that women have the duty to pretty when going to the store. Pretty is not the rent you pay to live in the world. You are enough, no matter how much effort you decide to put into a "look" or not. It's not a reflection on your value. Care for yourself. There will be days you will look like this: It's gonna be okay- you are beautiful. I promise. You are stunning. Your soul is stunning and it shines right out of your face. 2) There is going to be stressOh my sweet darling, you're going to hurt some days, be frazzled some days, and some times things won't work out. It's hard but it's also good for you. It makes you grow, it builds you up. You are already showing you can get over things, that you can brush it off. Hold onto that and remember that growth hurts a little. When you feel like this: Remember you will recover. Note- this also applies to hangovers, but do mom a favor and don't have too many of those okay? Gatorade and one water for every 2 beers. 3) Your Dad is your best friend. Ever. Ever.Oh girl, you have no idea the magnitude of his love for you. How far he would go to make sure your life is right. He is your best friend. He'll always be there to listen. He's also always there to make you laugh. The first time he held you, you were so small; so different from his boys. This extra small baby that he wanted to protect like nothing ever. You were a little sick when you were born, which only reinforced that desire to keep you safe. Yes, he lets you fall down from time to time- only so you know how to get back up. Boys of the world should fear him- because I promise you, he's going to have trouble letting you grow up. Go easy on him. But remember, always, that you can run to him. That you have a safety net, someone who will love you no matter what. I promise, even if he doesn't understand you- it won't matter because he will still accept you. He reminds me of my Granfather that way. So never fear him not understanding, he'll try, because he's actually very good at it- but even if he just can't- you're accepted anyway. Even if you're like your Mom, and you dye your hair pink and get tattoos and date boys he doesn't like. 4) Keep your brothers closeI wish you could have seen the way they adored you as a baby. You were a marvel and as you grew they love you share has been such a blessing in my life. Your brothers are some of the only people in life who can relate to exactly the way you grew up. Who can bring that familar warmth of home. You may fight, you may disagree, but never forget to love each other. If your Dad and I want one thing for you three it's that you will never forget to love each other, and treat each other with love. You're their baby sister, who may at times annoy them- but literally from the time you were born they were protecting you, nurturing you, playing with you, and caring for you. They act like little Daddies much to your Father and I's amusement and occasional constrination. Women seem to have a way of bringing families together better. Think of it as a blessing. You are the anchor that will remind them of childhood, those feelings of protecting their baby sister. Never do they feel worse, when they have hurt you. Also- if you ever need, that's probably the biggest guilt trip tool you'll ever have. Use it wisely and don't tell them I spilled the beans. Life Lessons:My final parting words dear: love yourself, don't judge, and be compassionate.
Love yourself: radically. Love yourself enough never to let your dreams die, or to settle for anyone who doesn't fully back you and believe in you. Love yourself enough never to take negativity as identity. Love yourself enough to pay attention to where you need to grow. Don't Judge: We sometimes carry prejudices we are unaware of. Know this- the person struggling could someday be you. Compassion must always come first. Let grace lead your character and forgive those who wrong you. You will live a much better and more peaceful life. I love you dear- never forget that. I love you big. Mom Our Lovely Aunt Kai has taken so many wonderful pictures of our family. She has a budding photography business and has been wonderful to the kids. I am so pleased to share these photos- they are so amazing. If you are local and looking for a fantastic photographer- please check out her page! She took HUNDREDS of photos, these are just a small collection of favorites. As many of you know, family pictures and pictures of my kids are like gold to me. I hoard them like a dragon and can never have to many!!
Our family photos were taken on a day my kids were tired and I had a migraine- honestly I don't think you can tell. She captured fabulous moments and the children look fantastic. I would 100% reccomend her to anyone!!! We're so grateful for all she did and how lovely these turned out! Please check out her page! Wanna book her? Call: I haven't blogged a lot in October- it's been a crazy month. My parents health is really bad and mine isn't the best either. Despite that my engery lately has gone into the kids. We've done a lot of fall stuff. So I thought I would collectively share what we've been up to of late: Every Saturday Night is Halloween Movie Night! We have gone to Aunt Kalyn's or they've come to our house! We get special treats, Halloween crafts, pajamas, and spooky movies! We've done fall crafts and collected leaves. We picked out (too many) Halloween Costumes. We have done our traditional YWCA trick or treat at Eagle Point. We still have the downtown trick or treat and the Fulton and Clinton ones to do. The kids were most excited about tooth brushes and costumes!
Note: Josh hurt his tooth in school and the blood vessles in it broke- so it's darker. No fun for him. Tonight. I have wept. I have wept. These little faces. These children that look like mine. They were bloody. They were covered in dust. They were alone. My heart couldn't take it. I have sat here weeping. This. Is. Genocide. I have seen today, men with their legs blown off. Their blood strewn in the streets, their eyes still open in death. Dead babies wrapped in cloth or simply covered in dust. Little boys covered in blood weeping on tables all alone. And I just wept. You may wonder- "why expose yourself to this? Why would you watch, if it makes you so upset?" Because I have the luxury to watch this on a screen. Far away, in utter safety. Because I can't sit by and not see these people who are suffering and helpless. The cease fire in Syria ended- Russia is commiting war crimes. The climate of my country there are people who ONLY WANT TO BOMB THEM MORE. This is why I watch. So I can scream with that little voice, on keys at my computer. For humanity to find it's side of angels. I want you to see. I want you look. Then at the bottom- here are some ways you can help. I think about Syria probably once everyday, usually when I'm feeling upset- because I remind myself it could be worse. Tonight I came across some further images from Syria and I couldn't help but just cry. The US and Russia continue Air Strikes in Syria. Trump wants to deny access to these people- I want you to see them. I want you to see them. I am a pinprick on the internet, I am a spec of dust- but I will SCREAM with my small voice. See them. Pray for them. Donate to them. A thousand things need our help I know. If you can't donate- volunteer- if you can't volunteer- educate. How do you educate? You share. American Air Strikes- Aim for ISIS- kill Syrian Soliders instead.#Aleppo - "entire families sleep in one room, because they prefer to die togetherI am not even posting the dead babies. I can't. Russian Air Strikes in Aleppo should be considered war crimes, so many dead babies. As a mother- your children's entire childhood is scared but there is something even more so about infancy, it's fleeting, it's so innocent, and they're so dependent. These babies were stolen and murdered. I hear so much about abortion- THESE BABIES WERE BORN AND WERE MURDERED. Once tailors, bakers, pharmacists, some 3,000 ordinary Syrians are now the unwitting heroes of the Syrian war. Nicknamed "the White Helmets," members of the Syrian Civil Defense work under the harshest conditions to claw through the remains of buildings flattened by barrel bombs, the Syrian regime's weapon of choice. These White Helmets- the only saviors for those being bombed- have had their rescue center's bombed. There. Is. No. Peace.96 innocent Kids died last week due to #Syrian Butcher #Asad air strikes supported by #Russia strikes with illegal bombs WAYS YOU CAN HELP Moana is coming soon to theaters. Disney is under fire for removing their Maui costume. Let's discuss. “As a Poly I support our folk involved in #MOANA. But this? NO. Our Brown Skin/Ink’s NOT a costume,” one user tweeted. “Many people are Rightfully upset about this new piece of #Moana merch. Cultures are NOT costumes,” tweeted another. “Hey heads up, I’ve seen that Moana costume, and I seriously don’t want to see it again. It sickens me, please don’t ask me to talk about it,” tweeted a third. “This might be the creepiest thing Disney has ever done. ‘Wear another culture’s skin!’ ” yet another person tweeted. Enter: Angry White PeopleHere are some of the comments I recieved: Here's the main point:
People get hurt when their culture is used as a toy, as though others have the right to it. Others, who have never known the struggles of being different, of having less of a voice, of being paid less, treated less than human, going through hell. You might think it's just a costume, but to them it's who they are. White people have "privledge" when they think it's okay to dictate to others: "I'm taking this, it's mine, and I don't care if that upsets you. Sure it was yours, sure you earned it, but now it's MINE. Ha. Ha." |
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