Ariel

Ariel is Maggie's baby. Maggie believes that she has been pregnant for about 15 months now. Any day we are going to have to go the hospital so she can have this baby. She gets so excited when she talks about it. Her eyes light up and she speaks with a lot of animation. It's so sweet! She says when the baby "comes out" she gets to play with her!
One day she was really down because her Ariel still had not come out of her tummy. I told her we would to to the store and get a baby doll that would be her Ariel until the real Ariel arrived. She was game. We went to the store and got a very pretty doll that she immediately fell in love with. She is relatively content now with this Ariel doll.

A few facts about Ariel:
Ariel's other name is Honey Pie Pony.
Ariel shares Maggie's bed.
At Ariel's next birthday, she will turn 61!
Ariel still poops in her diaper and Maggie is upset with her for doing this.
Ariel loves her fratti (like Mommy, Like baby)
Ariel likes her dollies and she puts her hand on top. (not sure what this means but Maggie says,"That's what babies do, ya know." Hmmmm.
Ariel is going to be born "next month when the clean up monster gives back all our toys." This is an interesting comment as well since the clean-up monster has never taken any toys. Maybe she is planning ahead.

Maggie's first day of Preschool was today!
She had absolutely no problems whatsoever. It helps that she knows many of the kids in her class and had her teacher this summer for camp. She was all smiles when I picked her up today. She had a great day! Go Maggie!

Since this entry is mostly about Maggie, here are a few Maggieisms:

Me: Maggie, doesnt it feel good when you get your teeth brushed?
Maggie: No! They feel hard!
Me: Hard?
Maggie: Yes, Hard as a rock!


Me: Andrew, are you ready to sit in the cart?
Maggie: Maybe he wants to walk.
Me: Andrew can't walk, yet.
Maggie: (very serious face) Well, he needs to go to walking school. That's where I learned to walk.

New TV Show

I'm not trying to be mean, but when I saw this picture, I thought it looked like a new TV Show publicity photo. I mean- the family dynamics!!!

What would the TV Show be named?
Anyone have any ideas?

Today's conversation

I walk with some great-minded ladies in the mornings. I love having stimulating conversations that make me think about stuff besides all things medical. Makes me wish I was in school again. Anyway, this morning we bantered a little about the different types of governments. I thought about this afterwards and looked up fascism, socialism, and communism on the Internet. Kids these days have NO IDEA how easy they've got it-just look it up on the Internet! Never have to leave home and head to the library to find something out. OK- I digress. Now I sound like my parents...
I wanted to refresh my memory on all of these terms we use lightly now to describe someone who may not have the same political views we do! Fascists can go both ways. They are anti liberal and anti-conservative. I read a lot about Marxism and all the spin offs and, it got pretty deep. Then I found this website that just had it all spelled out so neatly in an easy to read format.
Here it is: I hope they dont mind me copying it. It is from this website:http://www.stutzfamily.com/mrstutz/WorldAffairs/typesofgovt.html
Looks to be a blog- a very educational one!!!

Descriptions of governments can be based on:

Economy - what provides the goods and services that are bought, sold, and used?

Capitalism (Russia)	Socialism (Norway)	Communism (Cuba)
In a capitalist or free-market economy, people own their own businesses and property and must buy services for private use, such as healthcare.	Socialist governments own many of the larger industries and provide education, health and welfare services while allowing citizens some economic choices	In a communist country, the government owns all businesses and farms and provides its people's healthcare, education and welfare.

Politics - how is the government run?

Dictatorship (Iraq)	Totalitarian (China)	Theocracy (Iran)	Monarchy (Jordan)	Parliamentary (Israel)	Republic (USA)	Anarchy (Afghanistan?)
Rule by a single leader who has not been elected and may use force to keep control. In a military dictatorship, the army is in control. Usually, there is little or no attention to public opinion or individual rights.	Rule by a single political party. People are forced to do what the government tells them and may also be prevented from leaving the country.	A form of government where the rulers claim to be ruling on behalf of a set of religious ideas, or as direct agents of a deity.	A monarchy has a king or queen, who sometimes has absolute power. Power is passed along through the family	A parliamentary system is led by representatives of the people. Each is chosen as a member of a political party and remains in power as long as his/her party does	A republic is led by representatives of the voters. Each is individually chosen for a set period of time.	Anarchy is a situation where there is no government. This can happen after a civil war in a country, when a government has been destroyed and rival groups are fighting to take its place.

Authority - who picks the government?

Revolutionary (USA, France, USSR etc)	Totalitarian (North Korea)	Oligarchy/Plutocracy (Pakistan)	Democracy (India)
The existing structure is overthrown by a completely new group. The new group can be very small - such as the military - or very large - as in a popular revolution. After a period of time, this 'becomes' one of the other type of government (unless there is another coup or uprising).	Rule by a single political party. Votes for alternative candidates and parties are simply not allowed. Citizens are allowed and 'encouraged' to vote, but only for the government's chosen candidates.	A form of government which consists of rule by an elite group who rule in their own interests, especially the accumulation of wealth and privilege. Only certain members of society have a valid voice in the government. This can reflect (but is not limited to) economic interests, a particular religious tradition (theocracy), or familial rule (monarchy).	In a democracy, the government is elected by the people. Everyone who is eligible to vote - which is a majority of the population - has a chance to have their say over who runs the country.

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REMEMBER: nearly every country in the world is ruled by a system that combines 2 or more of these (for example, the USA is not a true capitalist society, since the government actually provides some services for its citizens). Additionally, one person's opinion of the type of government may differ from another's (many argue that the USA is actually a plutocracy rather than a democracy).

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Much of the information on this page came from the following sources:
CBBC - Types of Government
Types of Government
How Canadians Govern Themselves
Political Systems Explained
Best Government?
Now that I have that clear- here's a news flash:
Sarah Palin's 17 year old unmarried daughter is pregnant. I feel sorry for her. Not that it couldn't happen to anyone, but with her 5 children, one of which is pregnant, and a 4 month old baby with Down's Syndrome, maybe she should have said "No" to McCain and to the Republican Vice Presidential nomination and "Yes" to her family. It sounds like they need her.