Saturday, August 22, 2009

Breaker, Breaker, What’s your handle?


In April just as I was about to sign the family’s tax returns I received a call about a survey. I played a long and answered all the questions – as I came to realize the caller wanted my opinion on my state’s U.S. Senate seat that will be up soon. Opinion about politics….OF COURSE! As with all surveys at the end they needed some information to make sure that they were getting a random sample like age, married status, household income etc. Then came the question that when posed I wasn’t sure how to answer “Ok, we are almost done, can I ask you for your occupation?” I quickly shot back “My job is my 3 year old son” to the inquirer’s reply “ok we will put homemaker. Thank you for your time, bye, bye.” *click*

Hold on a minute! Do I identify myself as a homemaker? Is that what I am? When did I go from a married woman with a family and a Masters Degree to a homemaker? The label of homemaker is bothersome and is so out of date that I cringe when I see the word and have even crossed it out on my tax returns when my occupation is labeled as such. I would much rather not have an occupation that be given one. No woman or man should be labeled as such, and don’t go giving me the politically correct b.s. about domestic engineer either. It means the same thing, someone just used the Thesaurus to come up with a fancy translation. (and my Masters degree isn’t in engineering)

Individuals that work, man or woman, have a label and occupation. They are doctors, teachers, executive directors, secretaries, truck drivers etc. but what happens on that day that you decide you are going to stay home or, in this economy, get laid off and stay home with your children. All of a sudden you aren’t unemployed (that’s a different category), but rather something else. It’s kind of a gray area since technically you get paid for your occupation. Those who stay at home do not.

Look. I am a mother and I stay at home. So that makes me a SAHM – understandable. But I also am a blogger, which is seems there a lot of SAHM out there that do the same. But is that how I identify myself or occupation? Still the answer is no – I have yet to find someone to fund my blog. I also volunteer for several organizations, one through the community I live in and one through my church. Does that make me an activist? Sure, but still not my label or occupation. It’s called volunteering for a reason.

So where does someone who stays at home voluntarily, without any income stand in the world of labels and niche categories? I have yet to come up with a name or category for people like me, but please, please, please don’t label me a homemaker, domestic goddess (although I will take the goddess part) or anything else that will simplify who I am.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Off the Grid

I am seriously the worst ever! It almost feels like I have been off the grid, but it is more like off the schedule. Nap time used to be blog time, but things have changed around here and I haven't gotten enough blogging in. Just like last summer, I am heading off to a nice warm vacation and will be off the grid most of the summer - unless I can some how figure out how to get broadband wireless connection that won't cost me $400.

But since I will be off the grid, that doesn't mean I will lack opinions. Right now I've got two subjects that are taking up a lot of my thoughts, that for sure I will explore through this medium while on my summer vacation.
1. Patty Blogojavich on "I am a Celebrity....get me out of here"
2. The mom label/category and is SAHM really my only label.

The second topic I have been mulling over since tax day but have yet to conceptualize the argument and the label. Will be working on that post for a bit longer before the "great" reveal!

In the meantime, I am still around, still have opinions and still just dealing. But I will be better!!! maybe I should take a page from a friend's blog and blog every day for a month.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

A Cuban Connection?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-sun-cuba-travel-orbitzmay10,0,948920.story

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Curious Cuba Confusion

Hi, remember me? Well, my first quarter resolution hasn't been going too well, but I've also had a new kink in my blogging schedule. That would be the non napping Realpolitik toddler. Yes, it's true, my days of quiet nap filled afternoons might be coming to an end very soon but in the mean time onward to the blog of the day.

A few days ago I heard on NPR - about my only source for news anymore. That Raul Castro commented that maybe the Cuban government may have said and done some things in the past that could have hurt Cuban-American relations. I am glad to see the Obama administration take some steps to ease some of the tensions that exist while also relaxing some of the restrictions on Cuban living in the U.S. traveling to Cuba and how much money can be sent to relatives who still live on the island.

My confusion and I guess surprise is Raul's comment. His brother, Fidel, who had been in power for over 5 decades and has only criticized the United States from its policies to its leaders and everything in between. I never thought I might see the day that a Castro, especially while Fidel is still alive, might say that maybe the leadership has been wrong in their actions all these years. I am not sure where this change of heart has come from but I do believe that it is sincere. It might be that everyone has little warm fuzzies for our President Obama - which we saw during the G-20 summit - or maybe it Fidel's ailing years he has seen how both sides have erred in their relations with one another. Whatever the case may be I think how the United States government and the Cuban government proceed may bring some new policies towards Cuba. We may not be ready yet to repeal the embargo until the Castro government, be it Fidel or Raul, are completely gone, but I do think this is a situation has a positive conclusion in I hope the next several years.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Time Consumption

So I totally missed my blog-aversary which is horrible. It came and went without even me noticing. So happy anniversary to me. This actually comes to the point of this post. A while ago I talked about allocating my time and how easy it was as long as I had a schedule for my child.
Well, let me tell you that has all be thrown out the window!!!!

Facebook has become my downfall in life. If you remember I wasn't sure how I felt about it when I first signed up, but now it has become my main communication with some people but still fulfills my curiosity of the "where are they now". Maybe a little too much. I have found myself on facebook almost a little too much and not getting half the stuff done that I need to get accomplished. It's funny, I finally feel like I've got some normalcy in my life and can actually do other things like the gym, volunteer, etc, but for some reason that little blue symbol with the white "F" keeps sucking me back into the abyss of nothingness.

So this is my new plan. A first quarter resolution - kind of like a New Year's resolution. Less Facebook and more blogging, reading, going to the gym, etc. I think I can do it. the last 2 I have become better at since the beginning of the year. With so much that has gone on in my state and I actually have an opinion about most of these things, I should stop seeing who has commented on my status, what new pictures I or my husband have been tagged in and get cracking. Otherwise my brain will not turn into mommy mush, but rather Facebook mush - and we don't want that.