California Republican Party Convention - WooHoo!!!

It's going to be a great year for California! 2010! This year, our family is determined to help out with the momentum that is growing in our state to support a slate of great Republican candidates. With that mission in mind, we traveled to Santa Clara today to attend the Republican Party National Convention. Some awesome leadership from the Republican party were present, along with the many political hopefuls for public office this Fall including Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Publisher of BigHollywood.com and BigGovernment.com Andrew Breitbart, Gubernatorial candidates Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman, U.S. Senate candidates Tom Campbell, Carly Fiorina, and Chuck De Vore and candidate for Secretary of State Damon Dunn.

Meeting Carly Fiorina, Senator Barbara Boxer's soon-to-be successor.

The twins enjoyed walking around the exhibit hall, collecting giveaways, stickers, candy, and more!

Paige showing off her many stickers, who cared about the candidates, just get those stickers.

Taylor was in charge of the attendee bag and the more stuff she could fit in the bag, the better!

Taking a break to enjoy a photo opp with my daughters at their very first Republican Party Convention.

Ta-Da, here we are!

I attended a ticketed event, a breakfast/worshop seminar this morning featuring guest speakers Andrew Breitbart (left at podium) and CA US Congressman Darrell Issa (far right).

Meeting Andrew Breitbart, publisher of BigHollywood.com / BigGovernment.com, whistleblower on ACORN and big government corruption in general. He rocks! I'm a big fan!

Future Voters Made Me Proud

I am pleased to report what perfect little twins accompanied me at the polls today.

Not only were they on their best behavior - waiting patiently at my side while in line, not pushing one another, and helping mommy carry the ballot and pen to the voting booth - but they were also delightful with their little repertoire of manners. Yes, that's right. When we turned mommy's ballot into the registrar, Paige said politiely "Here you go, all done." Then, when the registrar passed out the "I Voted" stickers to each little one, both Taylor and Paige said "thank you". That's right - a nice, gracious "thank you" and the best part, it was totally unprompted by dear ol' mom. I simply can't remember the last time I saw a 3-year old dole out a "thank you" to a stranger totally unprompted by either dear ol' mom or dad.

Needless to say, I was very impressed with my kids!!!

Now, as for the actual teachable moments for voting today....I explained to Paige and Taylor that mommy had to fill out the circles and color them in nicely and be sure to pick good men and women to help our country...Paige and Taylor looked on with earnest.

Finally, my most favorite teachable moment at the polls today was as we were leaving, Taylor turned to me and said, "let's vote again, let's vote again, let's vote again!"

I used this opportunity to talk with Taylor and Paige about that important election rule of only voting one time. I didn't venture into the territory of explaining how some people try to vote more than one time and that some people try to cheat or steal...I simply told them: "When we vote, we only vote one time. We don't get to vote over and over again today. We will get to vote again another day..."

Our Final Push

Today, we make our final push from the homefront.

Bright and early this morning, I added additional McCain/Palin yard signs to our front yard - these are in addition to the signs we already have placed in our front windows.

Our Front Yard

Mike got up this morning and donned his Republican-red tie (my, my did he look sharp) and then he was off to vote and then to work. I am sporting my red team colors also today and once the little girls wake up, they too will be matching mom all decked out in their finest Republican-red! The twins and I will head out to vote together later this morning...looking forward to a great day with Paige and Taylor and their first taste of Democracy and voting (long lines and all).

Your Vote Matters

It's been a long day so my daily blog post will be shorter than you might usually encounter here on the eve of Election Day 2008...tonight, a short post is all that is needed. Somehow a short 'n simple post seems most fitting and yet this short post will serve to be one of my most important posts to Twinsanity as well. (I know I have a few followers to this blog, so I'm seizing the opportunity for one last political play for my audience of readers before we all cast our votes tomorrow)

You have heard it said many times...elections have consequences and the outcome of this election tomorrow will have a profound impact on the lives of the American people, this great country and future generations of Americans. Especially to those of us who are Christians. Your vote can make a difference, so please be sure to take the time to brave the long lines and cast your vote tomorrow.

For those inquiring minds, here is precisely how I'll be voting in tomorrow's elections:

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

President Ronald Reagan will be forever remembered for his ideals of limited government and personal freedoms...these same ideals have been passed onto Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin. I will be casting my vote in the Presidential election for the McCain/Palin ticket.

PROPOSITIONS

Yes on Prop 1A for faster, cheaper, safer transportation.

Yes on Prop 2 for protection of the health and safety of our food.

Yes on Prop 3 for support for the Children's Hospital Bond for the investment in all of our children.

No on Prop 5 (Prop 5 reduces penalties for meth dealers and drunk drivers who kill).

Yes on Prop 6 to stop gang violence and improve neighborhood safety.

No on Prop 7 (Prop 7 will increase electric rates by $340.00/year).

Yes on Prop 8 to restore and preserve the traditional institution of marriage as defined by a husband/wife, to strengthen families and protect our children.

Yes on Prop 9 to protect crime victims from murderers and rapists with Marsy's Law.

Yes on Prop 10 to reduce our dependence of foreign oil and creates no new taxes or bureuacracies. Can I get a shout-out for "Drill Here, Drill Now"!

No on Prop 11

# # # #

After tomorrow's elections, I will be back to writing and talking once more about life with twins including all my various memos and musings as a multiples mommy! I know there are some of you out there who enjoy that banter from me far more...and to tell you the truth so do I....but for a season, sometimes even our favorite things to talk about, think about and swoon over have to get replaced by other things. Not because they are more important, but because they require some consideration at the moment when they are most relevant. Thanks to those of you who hung in there through the politic-ing on my blog and continued to come back in spite of it.

Update to Friday's Secret Admirer Posting

As an update to Friday's posting "Do I Have A Secret Admirer?"

http://ashley-twinsanity.blogspot.com/2008/10/do-i-have-secret-admirer.html

I can now answer the question of whether or not I have a secret admirer. Well, yes and no. The Palin Power t-shirt which was anonymously left on my front door step last Friday is no longer a mystery.

Several hours after I discovered the shirt, I received a phone call from one of my very good friends in California. Now, what you must know is that she is an ultra-liberal who on the political spectrum is my mirror opposite on almost every social, cultural, religious, philosophical and political issue. As soon as she told me on the phone that the t-shirt was a gift from her...I just laughed! Actually, after we shared a good laugh, I think the first words out of my mouth to her were:

"Wow, I can only imagine how painful that must've been for you. First, going into the store and browsing the Republican political paraphenelia, then choosing the Palin Power t-shirt, then actually standing in line to purchase the t-shirt. It must have been a truly awkward experience for you...and, I hope you didn't develop some strange twitch or hives from touching something symbolizing Republican-ism" Ha, ha, ha.

So, as I was saying, my friend who gave me the Palin Power t-shirt is one of many uber Liberal girlfriends that I have. Interestingly enough, I have more Liberal friends here in California than I ever did while living on the East Coast although I had a good number back there too. This friend, however, is one who no matter how heated, how canktankerous our political discussions get (and there have been quite a few of them through the years) has a great outlook on our friendship. In her own words: "Ashley, if I'd known all of your political views as well as I know them now, I'm sure you and I would have never become such good friends...but, now that we're friends, I can't imagine not having you as such a good friend." Ditto for me!!!

So, as promised to all the Twinsanity readers, here is a photo of me wearing the Palin Power t-shirt. Knowing that it was a gift from one of my dear-est (Liberal) friends makes it even more remarkable and makes it even more enjoyable to wear. Speaking of wearing it, I am seeing my friend this next week for dinner. I called her to tell her that I'll be wearing the t-shirt she gave me, but will spare her some of her embarrassment of being seen with a Palin fan by also wearing a button-up cardigan over it. She laughed! Ditto for me!!!

Do I Have A Secret Admirer???

Hmmm, could I have a secret admirer? Perhaps someone in the neighborhood? Perhaps some I know? Perhaps someone I don't know?

This morning, as I opened my front door, lo and behold a neatly folded and pressed t-shirt, with a red ribbon, lay at my feet. Hmmm. Now that's interesting. I bent down, picked it up and began to unfold it. As I did, what appeared before my eyes was an imprinting of a very familiar face. A face that I have come to respect in very recent weeks.

Someone left a Palin Power t-shirt on my front doorstep!!!! I looked around...there was no one that I recognized...just the usual crew of construction workers building the new homes across the street. Well, I'll be darned. Someone left me a Palin Power shirt! Whether this person knows me or not, perhaps I'll never know. Perhaps it's simply another fellow Republican in the neighborhood who appreciates the McCain/Palin yard signs in our front yard and the McCain/Palin bumper stickers that adorn our 2 cars. Whatever it was that inspired this person to leave this little gift on our front door this morning, I may never really know. What I do know however is that I'm washing that t-shirt and then donnning it proudly for the next several weeks. What woman doesn't love the kinda' power that comes from Palin Power after all! And, with three more weeks to go, I wonder if I'll be receiving future gifts from my secret admirer. I'll be checking my front porch every day just to see....

P.S. Check back to the site again...I'll post a photo of me modeling the new t-shirt (once it's washed of course) right here on Twinsanity.

Week In Review

This week was the Republican National Convention – that’s like the SUPERBOWL for me – so it trumped most of my other extracurricular activities including any and all postings to my blog site this week. Didn't I warn you that I was a die-hard political junkie? Ha, ha. Anyways, a quick ‘week in review’ will hopefully suffice the loyal “Twinsanity” readers for now and I’ll be back to more consistent updates again starting next week.

Monday – Labor Day. The twins and I got to spend an extra day with Mike and how nice it was to have him all to ourselves for the 3-day weekend!

Tuesday – Pretty uneventful during the day – only 1 therapy appointment to attend that day. I'll say it again - only 1 appointment. That really makes my day!!!!! No mid-day nap for the twins so that bedtime could happen a little earlier than usual to help ensure I got to watch the speeches and highlights of the RNC. Foregoing our usual naptime during the day made for a little more agony and whining from the twins 'til bedtime finally rolled around but sacrificing naptime was worth it to enjoy the RNC totally uninterrupted.

Wednesday – Physical therapy appointment for Taylor. No mid-day nap for the twins so that again, bedtime could happen at a reasonable time freeing both Mike and me to watch the RNC highlights on television uninterrupted. And, what a night it was for a die-hard conservative like me to watch that Sarah Palin! Talk about an inspirational woman! Palin seems to have really shaken up everybody’s political game. Wooh-yeah!

The Best Man Turned Out to Be A Woman

Can I just say that I think she truly epitomizes a great female role model and is living proof that a woman really can do it all and have it all. A mother to five, a wife, a businesswoman, a political mover/shaker, a Governor and now the first woman nominated as VP in Republican history! She makes me an even more loyal (and more proud) supporter of the Republican ticket this election. On a related note, I’ve enjoyed watching and hearing the commentary since her appointment to VP at the RNC…the liberal media and surprisingly enough the feminists out there have been criticizing her. What?! Doesn’t her post now represent the ultimate arrival of a woman to one of the highest held public offices? I would have thought that feminists would have been championing her appointment to VP but ironically that very same group has been among her largest critics. I'm confused. Oh, well, that’s another discussion another time – a discussion for somewhere other than the “Twinsanity” blog I suppose.

Thursday – A dentist appointment for Paige in the morning. The good news for Paige – no cavities. The bad news – she was not a willing participant in her dental check-up ultimately requiring one dental assistant, the dentist plus me holding her down to make that dental check-up happen. We go back in another 3 months to the dentist for Paige. With Paige’s history of acid reflux and the vomiting that has accompanied her reflux, the dentist wants to see Paige every 3 months. Taylor, on the other hand, gets off easy only having to go to the dentist every 6 months. Speaking of Taylor, she had swimming and enjoyed every minute of it. She loves playing basketball in the water and sitting on the kickboards. But, perhaps her favorite thing is climbing out of the water and jumping off the side of the pool into her swim therapist’s arms. She just laughs and laughs. After the girls went to bed for the night, Mike and I once again lounged out in front of the boob tube to catch John McCain’s speech at the RNC. A great finale to the 3 nights of speeches and rallying the party!!!!

Friday – Therapy for Taylor this morning. I won’t even elaborate on what a horrible experience today’s therapy appointment was for Taylor, but trust me when I say it was 1-1/2 hours of torment, crying and major meltdowns from Taylor. Ugh. I don’t know how much more I can take of this…it’s getting harder and harder to bear watching Taylor endure the Friday therapy sessions. It’s a therapist whom Taylor hasn’t really connected with…I also don’t really like some of the therapist’s approaches to dealing with Taylor…and I’m now beginning to give serious consideration to making what I think is a much-needed therapist change for the sake of Taylor. My plan is to discuss this further with Mike this weekend so that hopefully starting as early as next week we can start seeking out an alternative therapist for Taylor to see.

Part 2: The Little-est GOPers / McCain Rally

Sorry it’s taken me a couple days to post these, but I’ve been experiencing technical difficulties (yes, again). Anyways, as promised, here are some videos from the rally for McCain earlier this week.

The Little-est GOPers / McCain Rally

It was an early start to our day today. The girls and I were up at 6:00 AM making our final preparations in anticipation of attending the John McCain event today.

- Pink Elephant Republican Gear for Paige & Taylor. Check.

- Republican Team Color Bows in Our Hair. Check.

- Homemade "McCain 2008" Sign. Check.

- Balloons for Paige & Taylor. Check.

- Republican Elephant Lapel Pin for Paige & Taylor to Wear. Check.

- Happy, Smiling Faces Full of Republican Pride. Check.

I managed to snap a few quick photos this morning before we headed out the door.

Today turned out to be an awesome day. The girls and I joined fellow Republicans in the Capitol today to rally for McCain. Young and old alike, of all backgrounds and walks of life, raised their McCain campaign signs and chanted:

“Who de want? John McCain”
“McCain in 2008”
“Go McCain”

to the passersby on the street. We also enjoyed lots of honks and thumbs-up from many of the drivers as we all waved our signs and cheered our support. And, of course, there were a few supporters from the "other" camp too which helped to keep the day even more interesting.

Paige and Taylor made lots of friends today too – with other rallying Republicans who shared their signs with the girls as you’ll see among the photos shown below.

Paige and Taylor also made friends with the local media who were in attendance. I guess even the liberal media can enjoy a cute set of twins, even if they’re decked out in Republican gear and holding McCain campaign signs! Ha, ha, ha.

A handful of TV and print media stopped to remark “what cute little girls” and “they’re doing a great job waving the McCain signs” and “it’s great to see kids, at such a young age, being apart of this process in their own way”. I even had one film crew come over and say to me, “I’ve been filming you and your children from across the street…what are your names, I’d like to include you among our coverage of today’s rally participants.” Really? Well, how cool is that?! I guess the twins ended up being a draw for the media because by the time we left for the day, I had been interviewed by both TV and print reporters and Paige and Taylor had had their little mugs filmed and their pictures taken as well a handful of times – I counted six media outlets altogether (3 local TV News Channels and 3 or 4 print, including the Associated Press). I was interviewed about my reasons for supporting McCain, what my ‘hot-button’ campaign issues are in this election, etc. etc. Here’s a little snapshot of some of the Q&A:

Q: What is one reason that are you supporting McCain?
A: I believe McCain will continue to take us in the right direction on our national security as well as help to continue driving the success of the surge in the war in Iraq. Obama, on the other hand, will take a cut-n-run approach…

Q: Why do you like McCain – the man?
A: He has an extensive record of experience, he’s been tested in the most difficult of circumstances, I respect his record on some conservative issues that are important to me and my family and I also appreciate his long-standing military service.

Q: What do you think of Obama’s decision to choose Biden as a VP?
A: I was surprised. There seems to be quite a disconnect in Obama’s philosophy on the Iraq issue. He has long campaigned against the war in Iraq, as far back as his votes on the floor years ago following 9/11 and now again throughout his many months on the campaign trail. Obama has continually refused to support the war efforts in Iraq from the beginning, yet now he has chosen a VP pick who was supportive of the initiative to go to war and cast a definitive “yes” vote. That record is a direct contradiction to Obama’s position on the war in Iraq. The choice of Biden just doesn’t make sense on that one issue – and it’s one of THE main issues that Obama has staked his entire campaign upon.

Q: What do you think McCain’s chances are of winning the electoral votes in the state of CA?
A: I believe that his chances of carrying CA are very slim but I’m choosing to be optimistic. More importantly than how CA votes is how the rest of the nation votes and I believe that nationally, McCain has the support of the Americans and that he will be our next President.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah....

There were a handful of other questions from the media, but why bore you with them now?! I’m keeping my eyes peeled for any news articles and interviews that I participated in today that might be saved from the cutting room floor and if they are, I’ll be sure to post them here for you. So, stay tuned!

Today’s crowd was really diverse. There were a good number of other children today who had joined in the efforts to champion McCain in CA. It was awesome to see so many families with their young ones out there too and getting them involved in this process even in the smallest and simplest of ways such as passing out McCain bumper stickers, clapping their hands and chanting “We love McCain”, and donning their McCain Campaign tees and hats.

Definitely a fun day. I won’t soon forget it! As fun and exciting as it was to be with other Republicans rallying for McCain, the true highlight of the day came when John McCain stepped out of his SUV, amidst a stream of cars in his motorcade and escorted by police and secret service, and began his approach towards us. I got to see the next President of the United States up close and personal as some of the video footage shows. The most exciting part of the day was when he shook my hand!!!! He even greeted little Paige and Taylor!!! After he departed, and after Paige, Taylor and I started back towards our car, I stooped over and said to Paige and Taylor: “Guys you just got to meet John McCain, and he’s the next President of the U.S.” And, get this, Paige shouted back at me: “YAAAAY”. She really is a precocious little girl!

Today made for a great memory, one which as the girls get older we will always be able to tell them about….the day that they met John McCain and helped his campaign for president and helped our great country.

And, finally, one sampling of some of the handiwork of the supporters of the opposing party in the rally today....

Please check back again tomorrow for the actual video footage of our day at the rally for McCain in "Part 2 - The Little-est GOPers / McCain Rally".

Rah, Rah, Rah! Senator McCain Visits CA Capitol Monday

I am so EXCITED for this Monday, August 25!

Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain will be at the CA Capitol for a campaign event. The McCain Campaign Team has invited its base of CA supporters to join the festivities – and guess what – I’m going! I can’t wait.

Although my better half will have to be at work that day, the twins and I are going to go to show our support. I’ll be donning the twins in their finest Republican gear and I’ll be doing the same to show our McCain support and our Republican pride. I had a couple of McCain Campaign yard signs that I would also be taking to the event, but unfortunately those were stolen from our front yard about a month ago by I can only assume the other party’s supporters. Oh, well…that will just mean that the girls and I will have to get a little creative this weekend and do a home-made sign. It will be a fun art project for the twins. Besides seeing McCain up close and personal, I’m also very excited for this opportunity to make a little family history with the twins too – it will always be a great memory to share with the twins later in life as they get a little older. And, since he's going to be our next President, how fun it will be to tell the twins one day that they got to be apart of a historic presidential election at such a young age!