The one thing I absolutely dread each morning is brushing my teeth. Now that I’m pregnant, each and every time I do this, I end up making an offering to the porcelain god. I don’t remember it being this bad my first time and I have hopes that this won’t last the entire 9 months. We’ll see.

On a more positive note, I am 9 weeks along and am still excited about the little person growing inside of me. I sat in bed last night thanking God for using me as a vehicle to create something so precious. Even with the sickness, I feel so blessed to be able to do this. Matt and I wonder how in the world we can love another child as much as Isa, but we know it’s more than possible.

On another note:
I have a dear friend who can’t have children, and I pray that God will bring blessings to her and her husband in some way. They’re considering adoption, which I think is so noble. Something has to be said of those that willingly take on the care and responsibility of someone else’s child.

My husband has been telling me, for quite a while now, that I need to listen to Glenn Beck. “The guy’s a genius,” he says. So, lately, when I get a chance, I catch him on the radio as I drive into work. I was enthralled by what he was saying this morning and I wanted to share.

Excerpt from Glenn Beck, 1st hour, January 14, 2008:

…I’ve been curious on this one thing and it is a way for me to be able to afford the research that would have to go into it. And one of those books was on — I said, what was it, about six months ago I don’t believe that the communist party ever went away. I don’t believe that Russia actually collapsed. I think they all went in hiding. I don’t think that after we had the situation with McCarthy that those communists just went away. We just stopped looking for them. What happened to all of them? Where did they all go?

And so what I’ve wanted to do is fund the research to be able to track them. How did it happen? When did it start? When did it come here? How did it go underground? Part of the reason why I wanted to do it is because Amity Shlaes’ book called The Forgotten Man. It shows some of the beginning, the Progressive movement that Hillary Clinton is talking about. “Well, I like to consider myself a modern early 20th century Progressive.”

Remember what we first looked that up on the air? What is an early 20th century Progressive? That should spook the living bat crap out of you. What a early Progressive was is a fascist. They were the ones — and really it is exactly, I mean word for word, the kind of fascist that you always call George W. Bush. All the people on the left always say, “Oh, George W. Bush is a fascist, he’s Hitler, he’s Mussolini.” Why? Why do they say that? Because he wants to impose — this is what they believe. I don’t believe it to be true. He wants to impose a set of morals on other people. Well, what the hell is “You can’t have transfats, you can’t smoke, you can’t do this, you can’t do that.” That’s fascism. That’s what it is. It’s fascism with a smiley face, and we are much closer to fascism, and you know it in your gut.

You know it to be true because look at the debate on global warming. You cannot have a debate on global warming. “Science is solved.” Just like eugenics was solved. “The science was solved. The scientists all agree. It’s all peer reviewed.” And so what happens? They shut down all debate. Well, that’s what happens with fascism.

And so Jonah Goldberg where the book Liberal Fascism and quite frankly I hope to have him on in the next couple of days, on television tonight. I’m so sick and tired of him in it, in the first 20 pages, saying “I am not calling Democrats Nazis, I’m not saying that liberals are all Mussolini.” He says it like 500 times because somebody is going to take this book out of context. But I am telling you, America, if you are a listener of this program, this is a must-read. Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg. Absolute must-read.

It takes you from the beginning where he says, really fascism didn’t start with Mussolini. It was here in America already with Woodrow Wilson and he explains how it all comes together. And really it’s not a dry read. It’s really not. He explained how it all came together here in the United States, how it went over to Mussolini and how the liberal left here in America loved Mussolini, how George Bernard Shaw and these Hollywood elites, they went over there and they fell all over themselves with Mussolini, how they just thought he was the greatest, how the New York Times wrote “This is the future.” It is fascism before fascism was a bad word. “It is fascism and it is the future government.” And they talked about in the New York Times how that this was the future and how democracy was over.

A night full of laughter and true enjoyment.

Isa’s daycare featured their annual Nutcracker performance last night at the Jesse Auditorium. And, it was all it was hyped up to be. The little preschoolers, all the way from infants to 5 years old entertained parents, grandparents, and friends with dancing that was sure to please the hardest of hearts.

Each year, I’m absolutely amazed that the men and women that care for our kids while we work, put so much effort into this event. All of the work that goes into producing the show, building the props, making the costumes, and teaching the kids the choreography is simply amazing. Kudos to the Academy for another great show.

I have to say, as a mother, that Isa was just fantastic. I couldn’t have been more proud of my little girl with her ear-to-ear grin and unwavering concentration as she performed the moves. She looked so adorable in her Arabian outfit, complete with veil and black pants, holding her satin scarf proudly above her head leaning side to side with her friends.

I hate to think that it’s her last performance, but that’s what happens with little girls that turn 5. They’re expected to go to school then. I hate to see my little girl growing out of that stage. Don’t get me wrong. I look forward to her school days, getting to drop her off and pick her up from school and packing her lunch. But, there’s just something about the innocence and genuine heart of a 4-year old girl. She is so precious and undoubtedly a gift from God. I tell her every chance I get that she’s my little angel, to which she replies, “no I’m not, I’m a little girl.”

It’s that time again. My morning coffee. Ahh..

Nothing like escaping the husband and the 5 month old baby on the morning commute, and then of course to top it off with a McDonald’s premium roast decaf coffee with “2 creams and 3 sugars.” It’s my first real time to myself. Oh sure there is that 30 minutes on the treadmill where I am sweating and praying for superstrong lungs, but this is my more “relaxing” moment before the crap hits the fan at work.

And there is a lot of crap.

I am going through a “mini-self-doubt” phase, probably spurred on by a recent turn of events personally, but also because we are about 1 year away from our “debt snowball” rolling completely over into debt freedom. (Ahh.. Yes, a Dave fan.) I’m feeling like I need to grow my career some more in order to be able to pick up some extra income from a home based business. It’s frustrating. Here I am – a print designer trying to make a jump into web design, but probably not having the opportunity to get real work until I have perfected my craft (like Chaka, who is so on the ball). I don’t want to work here for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be “slave” to a company or a career. I want to be able to stay home later with my future kiddos.

So I am a little bummed. I’m 33. DH is 38. We want to have another baby in the next 2-3 years. (Which is going to suck because my body is just all flabolicious right now…*sigh* and that’s going to take work to get back up to speed for kiddo #2.) I feel like if I don’t gain some ground financially, there is no way that we are going to be able to afford a bigger home and baby #2. (or 3)

So…

I am trying to be forward thinking. I am trying to be motivated. I am trying to get my butt in gear…

I think I just need some sort of help with a game plan from people that have been there. Maybe it would make me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

I will just contemplate it all while I sip the last of my premium roast.

*sigh*

My daughter and I were awakened in the middle of the night by a loud crash. At the time, I had no idea what it was or could be. I waited for a bit to see if it would continue. It didn’t, so I went back to sleep.

This morning, as I got up to hit the shower, my husband says, “did you see the neighbor’s trees? She lost a couple of them. Look.” He pointed out our window, and I could see that 2 of our neighbors trees finally gave in to the weight of the ice. It shook me up a bit because it could happen to us, and our trees are much larger. If anyone of them fell, they’d land on our house. Hopefully, the trees will still be up when we get home tonight.

We’re supposed to be in the mid 30s today, so a lot of the ice should finally melt away. We’re expecting more wintery crap today and tomorrow. Oh how I miss southern California.

This semester has been extremely draining on my husband and I. Thankfully, we only have a week left of classes and it can’t come any sooner.

What we’re really excited about is taking our Christmas break in a couple of weeks. We’ll be basking in the sun in southern California with family whilst eating a lot. Lots of tamales, posole, carne asada, carne adobada, and more.

Note: I’m not making any apologies about the title of this post. In my home, we celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

When I stayed home a few years ago, many of my clients came from online forums. I tried my hand in contests, but found that the majority of my time was wasted. It’s been a few years now, and I don’t do spec-work anymore. At least, that’s what I consider contests, working on designs with no guarantee of pay.

Anyway, my involvement in online communities hasn’t changed. I enjoy having cyber-conversations with folks all over the world, and sometimes I even get some work from it. But that’s just icing on the cake.

In terms of online communities, I’m an active member in a handful of them, but WebTalkForums currently tops my list. WTF, as it’s lovingly called, is run by folks who have been in the online business for quite some time. They’ve put their knowledge and expertise to work in this wonderful community of webmasters, SEO specialists, copy writers and designers. Anyone that has anything to do with developing quality websites and content is found there.

There are a couple of reasons why WTF is a great community:

Relaxed and Friendly Environment
As I stated before, I’ve been involved in online communities before, and one of the big turn-offs to most is the cold and critical atmosphere they foster. Members can be very negative and just outright disrespectful. You don’t find any of that at WTF. The members care enough about themselves and the community, that they communicate respectfully and, many times, with humor. I like that about it. You don’t feel like you have to put up fronts.

Willing to Help and Share
At WTF, you will often times find folks who need assistance in specific areas. The best part, is that there’s always someone there to offer a good piece of advice. Or, if something is working for someone, in terms of their project(s), they’re willing to share the information with the community.

Fun Features
WTF has brought the fun back to online forums. They have taken the initiative to create environments that will entertain and build community. One of the fun features, that is thoroughly enjoyed by many, is the Casino section, where folks can play games like black jack, poker, and so on. Members are rewarded for starting threads or posting comments with Casino Cash that is used in the WTF Casino. Private forums are also awarded to members for reaching a specified number of posts, with the opportunity to become a forum moderator.

These are just a few reasons why I think WebTalkForums is one of the best, if not the best, communities around. You’ll find people of all ages and specialties taking the time to build a community that feeds knowledge and has fun doing it. Check it out for yourself.

No work for me today. At least not in the sense of my job work. I’ve got plenty to do here at home like washing dishes, finish the laundry, and pick up toys. Funny how the housework never ceases. There’s always something to do. So, with my sick little girl watching cartoons to forget her puniness, I’m off to the call of chores. Until tomorrow.

Cadillac and Toyota have recently launched their campaigns cleverly targeting immature consumers. I would consider a large majority of consumers immature and naive. I doubt many can argue and make a decent case otherwise.

So, why do I say consumers are immature? I’m surprised that anyone would fall for the ’sexy, I need a new car’ campaigns these car manufacturers are currently running. I personally think it’s ridiculous for Cadillac to play the ‘does your car turn you on?’ card. I mean really, it’s a freakin’ car. If a car turns you on, you’ve got bigger issues that buying a Caddy won’t fix.

And, Toyota, I love their cars, but I can’t even begin to emphasize that there’s no such thing as needing a new car. A new car is a luxury and want, not a need. I do think they’ve been a bit more clever in terms of the concept than Cadillac.

Still, neither campaign really pulls me in. Of course, I’m what’s considered an aware and awakened consumer.

One of the things quite common in the blogging community is the interaction and support for bloggers in general. One of the ways bloggers interact is with games, and one of my favorite is tag. Thanks to Casey for the idea, I’m gonna start by tagging one of my favorite gals.

Name 5 people, living, celebrity or non, you would like to meet.

The 5 people I’d like to meet are:
1. Dave Ramsey: He has been an inspiration to many, including me, and I would love to meet the man that has given hope to so many.

2. Bill Gates: Many think he’s the devil incarnate, but the work that he and his wife do via charities is honorable for people of great wealth.

3. Peyton Manning: The man is a true leader and wonderful person. Add to that, he’s an extremely talented football player, I have to add him to the list.

4. John Maxwell: Like Casey, I have been inspired through his writings and feel better equipped to be a leader in our chosen ministry.

5. Condoleezza Rice: All politics aside, to be the first African American woman in her position of power would make Rosa Parks proud. Not just for African Americans, but for women all over the world.