Well as I start out my second blog for the year I have decided to rename my blog, “Go with the Flo.” Thank you so much for all of those who helped me come up with the name, this was the contest winner.
I would like to spend this blog on one of my favorite past times, politics. I have always been interested in politics. I was a junior in high school when I joined the debate team. I was taking a public speaking class and the teacher asked if I would be on the team. I was doing team debating and then on one trip to Cedar City, Utah many of the team got sick. The coach asked if I could do some foreign and domestic extemporaneous speaking. I said sure not knowing what I was getting myself into. My first speech was based off of a political cartoon. Luckily my dad was a big political cartoon guy so I knew how to read them. I got first place in foreign extemp., for that meet and I was on route for the state tournament.
I have only missed voting in one election and that was when my grandfather died. We had to get to Utah so we left early in the morning. I remember getting to Utah and my grandmother asked me who I had voted for and I said, “We left early so we were gone before the polls opened.” My grandmother was not happy and reminded me that my grandfather would have wanted me to vote before coming to the funeral. Since then I have voted in every election.
I love this time of year I love watching the political pundits talk about who is going to win and what is best for the country. It is funny to me to hear different ideas coming from different networks. If you watch Fox News and listen to certain shows their opinions lean very much to the right. If you listen to most other networks they lean very much to the left. I like to listen to Bill O’Reilly, because I feel that he is balanced. I used to love listening to Tim Russert before he died because even though he had worked for Senator Daniel Moynihan, I felt like he was fair.
We have now had two primaries and one caucus so far this election year. We have had three winners, yes, Rick Santorum did will in Iowa after all of the votes were counted. I will give you a hint that my candidate has won one of these three events. I am not supporting Paul and if he got the nomination. (Which he won’t) I couldn’t vote for him. I think he has some great ideas fiscally but in 2012 we must have a president that is willing to deal with other world leaders and not stick their head in the sand. I know that there are many people that think he is a “breath of fresh air.” I don’t know if he is that but I know he is not the leader the United States of America needs right now. I think 150 years ago he might have been but not in the time of terrorism.
As tonight is the State of Union Address I wonder what accomplishments voters think that President Obama made. I don’t think he has done everything wrong. We were able to catch and kill Osama Bin Laden, this is an accomplishment. I don’t think President Obama has done a good job at all. The economy is worse and we are still over 8% unemployment. As a mom of a teenager it is hard for that age group to find a job. Why, you ask? It is because many grownups are now working at what would have been a first job for me. If you counted teenagers, and those that were underemployed the numbers would be huge. Also I don’t think that spending our way out of debt is a good thing at all. My parents generation will not pay any of the debt down, my generation will be lucky to pay even 10%, it will be my children’s generation and my grandchildren’s generation that will pay. Do we really want our grandchildren to have to pay for this? I think we might be lucky if it is only our grandchildren and not our great grandchildren. I am also tired of the talking points being that this is really President Bush’s fault. At what point does President Obama have to take some responsibility.
So who do you think we should vote for? Newt is smart; there is no argument about that. Listening to his exchange with Juan Williams last week made me cheer, but is he the best? Rick Santorum gave one of the best speeches the night of the Iowa Caucus. I felt moved and inspired, but he has also said things that don’t please me. Romney has led business, the Olympics, and was the Governor of Massachusetts. I think that is a plus, but I think like many others he has flip flopped on some of the issues.
It is a wide open race, and Florida is going to be tough for the final four. I am curious to know what you think about whom should run against President Obama and who you think would win. Is President Obama going to be a one team president? I sure hope so. Well, that is politics according to Flo.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
New Beginnings
I love this time of year, “Out with the old in with the new.” How wonderful it is to know that we can put our past in the past and start anew. I am excited for 2012; I do not think that I have ever been this excited for a new year. It could because of what my little family went through last year but that is in the past. It is a new year and we are looking forward to that. One of the best parts of the New Year is making resolutions. The only difference between a goal and a dream is that a goal or resolution is written down. Dreams are nice but resolutions are better.
So here are mine, the reason why I am sharing them online is because it makes me accountable to those readers I have.
1. To love more. One of the goals I need to have is to open my heart more to love. Sometimes when our heart is broken it is easier to turn it off to the idea of getting hurt again. We decide that it is better to feel nothing rather than pain. This is not true, because when we can feel pain that means we can also learn to feel the opposite which is joy. I can now look myself in the mirror after many months and know that I am worth something. I am a good person and I have something to offer others. This last month I have been walking around on cloud 9 because of someone that loves me. What a wonderful feeling to know that I can feel that sort of love again.
2. Be more prayerful. I have learned in 2011 and in past years that our Father in Heaven does answer our prayers. He doesn’t always answer them in the way we think they will or should be answered but He does answer them. He wants us to come to Him and share with Him our deepest most desires.
3. Be a better mom. I think I am a pretty good mom but there is always room for improvement. I have worked hard this last year to make sure that my children felt safe and secure. I want to focus this year on helping them to make correct decisions that will help them throughout the rest of their lives. Tyler is going to graduate this year, I cannot believe that he is old enough or where the time has gone. I need him and his sisters to know that only by following the commandments they will have enduring happiness. This is going to be what I mainly focus on as a mother this year.
4. To not sweat the small stuff. Sometimes we as people worry about things that we cannot control. It is not usually the big stuff that we have to worry about. Most of the time we sweat the small stuff. We have all heard the saying, “You don’t need to cry over spilt milk.” This is so true; it is usually the small things that we have a problem with. The small things then turn into the big things. I sweat the small stuff quite a bit; this has to do with working 60 hours a week outside the home. My goal this year is to not worry about the little things but only the big things.
5. Do something for myself. This is tough for most moms; we inherently put our children first. I think that is how it should be, but I have learned that I need to take some time for myself. This way I can be the mom I need to be for my children. Rather it is reading before bed when everyone is asleep, waking up early to exercise, or blogging on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Flo Fallis must take time for herself. This does not mean I am selfish; I am not out partying while my kiddos are at home. I am doing something good that uplifts me and therefore uplifts my kiddos.
6. To live as an example of what good stands for. There are many people in my life that I consider good examples not only to myself but also to my children. If I had to name them all the blog would be too long for anyone to read. But, there are a few people that have truly made an impact on their lives and on mine. I hope that there is someone that I have touched and that I have been an example to. I want people to not only know me by my word but also by my deeds. I hope that people can see that what I say I am is who I really am. That there is no double standard or hypocrisy. Being a good example and standing for truth and righteousness is very important to me.
7. Last but not least is to celebrate the small achievements. Today one of my friends at church talked about reading an article on resolutions, and it stated that we should celebrate the small achievements. It could be something like losing one more pound on our diet, having the dishes done at the end of every night, not having an entire box of papers to grade, or just waking up and smiling to those you come in contact with. We might not achieve going to the moon, but we can achieve the small everyday stuff. This will help us keep our goals because they are small enough to keep.
No matter if you are working on daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, or yearly goals, at least you are working on something.
One of my biggest points of pride last year was my blog. I am not the best writer but I have turned into a pretty good one. I have enjoyed getting to know myself better by expressing my feelings. I feel lucky enough to live in a time where my thoughts might help others. More importantly I have learned from you my readers. When someone comments online or in person it makes my heart swell. I have learned from you more than you have learned from me. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
So here are mine, the reason why I am sharing them online is because it makes me accountable to those readers I have.
1. To love more. One of the goals I need to have is to open my heart more to love. Sometimes when our heart is broken it is easier to turn it off to the idea of getting hurt again. We decide that it is better to feel nothing rather than pain. This is not true, because when we can feel pain that means we can also learn to feel the opposite which is joy. I can now look myself in the mirror after many months and know that I am worth something. I am a good person and I have something to offer others. This last month I have been walking around on cloud 9 because of someone that loves me. What a wonderful feeling to know that I can feel that sort of love again.
2. Be more prayerful. I have learned in 2011 and in past years that our Father in Heaven does answer our prayers. He doesn’t always answer them in the way we think they will or should be answered but He does answer them. He wants us to come to Him and share with Him our deepest most desires.
3. Be a better mom. I think I am a pretty good mom but there is always room for improvement. I have worked hard this last year to make sure that my children felt safe and secure. I want to focus this year on helping them to make correct decisions that will help them throughout the rest of their lives. Tyler is going to graduate this year, I cannot believe that he is old enough or where the time has gone. I need him and his sisters to know that only by following the commandments they will have enduring happiness. This is going to be what I mainly focus on as a mother this year.
4. To not sweat the small stuff. Sometimes we as people worry about things that we cannot control. It is not usually the big stuff that we have to worry about. Most of the time we sweat the small stuff. We have all heard the saying, “You don’t need to cry over spilt milk.” This is so true; it is usually the small things that we have a problem with. The small things then turn into the big things. I sweat the small stuff quite a bit; this has to do with working 60 hours a week outside the home. My goal this year is to not worry about the little things but only the big things.
5. Do something for myself. This is tough for most moms; we inherently put our children first. I think that is how it should be, but I have learned that I need to take some time for myself. This way I can be the mom I need to be for my children. Rather it is reading before bed when everyone is asleep, waking up early to exercise, or blogging on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Flo Fallis must take time for herself. This does not mean I am selfish; I am not out partying while my kiddos are at home. I am doing something good that uplifts me and therefore uplifts my kiddos.
6. To live as an example of what good stands for. There are many people in my life that I consider good examples not only to myself but also to my children. If I had to name them all the blog would be too long for anyone to read. But, there are a few people that have truly made an impact on their lives and on mine. I hope that there is someone that I have touched and that I have been an example to. I want people to not only know me by my word but also by my deeds. I hope that people can see that what I say I am is who I really am. That there is no double standard or hypocrisy. Being a good example and standing for truth and righteousness is very important to me.
7. Last but not least is to celebrate the small achievements. Today one of my friends at church talked about reading an article on resolutions, and it stated that we should celebrate the small achievements. It could be something like losing one more pound on our diet, having the dishes done at the end of every night, not having an entire box of papers to grade, or just waking up and smiling to those you come in contact with. We might not achieve going to the moon, but we can achieve the small everyday stuff. This will help us keep our goals because they are small enough to keep.
No matter if you are working on daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, or yearly goals, at least you are working on something.
One of my biggest points of pride last year was my blog. I am not the best writer but I have turned into a pretty good one. I have enjoyed getting to know myself better by expressing my feelings. I feel lucky enough to live in a time where my thoughts might help others. More importantly I have learned from you my readers. When someone comments online or in person it makes my heart swell. I have learned from you more than you have learned from me. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
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