Yes, finally.

Yes, it took 3-1/2 years of his Presidency to say it.

Yes, he said made his proclamation the day after yet another state outlawed gay marriage.

Yes, it’s true that there may not be any major changes in our laws or national constitution because of his announcement.

Baby steps, friends.

But this isn’t just a baby step; this is a message to every gay, lesbian, trans, questioning person that the President is on our side.

Finally.

Though then-prospective candidate Barack Obama said back in the 90s that he did believe in marriage equality, it’s taken until today for him to solidify his belief that “gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally.”

Unfortunately, too many people in this country believe that civil rights are up for a vote. They shouldn’t be. Every single person should be given the same rights as every other person by Constitutional law.

Until then, we’re taking baby steps and huge Presidential steps to where people are equal, no matter our beliefs or lifestyle or skin color.

I feel like making out with a girl to celebrate this day, and it would look something like this:

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: barack obama, gay is ok, gay marriage

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Like most other stay-at-home moms, I had the choice to stay home and work with no paycheck or work a real job with a real paycheck.

If you’ve never tried being a work-at-home mom (or dad), it looks like the photo here on the right.

Yesterday, I suggested that we toss Hilary Rosen and Ann Romney into a bikini mud wrestling match. It’d be way more interesting to see them continue this round of the Mommy Wars fight covered head to toe in mud than it is to watch heavily make-upped “strategist” talking heads on the news cycles.

My 4-year career as an elementary school teacher paid for my babies to be in daycare and not much more. After my last school year was over, I yelled, “SAYONARA, BITCHES!” and screeched my tires out of that school parking lot, never looking back.

Maybe if I’m yelling “Sayonara, bitches!” at a school-full of elementary students, my talents are not best served as their teacher. I hope I just imagined saying it then instead of actually yelling it out loud like I’m remembering now. 

The weeks and days and hours and minutes and seconds I spent at home with my two babies (ages 2 years and 6 months at the time) were grueling. No really. It wasn’t pleasant to be the sole caretaker for two babies for 10+ hours a day with little to no interaction with adult people with whom I could tell dirty jokes and make inappropriate references about our principal. I missed having a schedule and a job and somewhere to go and the relief of being able to not be on edge that someone could break down and cry at any second.

But now it was me who could break down at any second; I wished I could have been the one to be put into timeout for just 33 minutes of silence and peace. (I don’t have to interject the obligatory statement that I love my kids and love every second I get to spend with them and love create amazing persons from their easily-molded beings, do I?)

I planned my days around nap time, willing/praying/sending sleepy-time vibes to the children to nap on the same schedule so mommy could watch her stories without pleading for them to stop crying because mommy needed to see Cameron Mathison without his shirt on again.

When I discovered I could use the Magical Internet to possibly make some money so we didn’t have to sell blood plasma and semen for diapers, I threw my every attention into building a business I never knew I wanted.

NOTE: Staying up until 2:30am every night doing research does not make for a pleasant morning where you’re the sole caretaker of a toddler and a baby. You’ll miss your stories when it’s nap time because you’ll be falling asleep on their floor and then you’ll feel guilty for sleeping during the day when everyone else you know is a slave to The Man.

I think it’s the guilt that gets to us as stay-at-home moms.

We feel guilty that we can stay in our not-for-yoga yoga pants until 5:30 when we change into non-stretchy pants to show our working partners that we totally DID get dressed.

We feel guilty that our “work” isn’t earning a paycheck for our household budget.

We feel guilty that we don’t have the stress of having a boss to talk smack about.

We stay-at-home moms feel guilty that we are not working a real job for a real paycheck.

But hey, we’re stay-at-home moms. We chose to have this lifestyle of PB&J lunches, shlepping the kids to the pool, and cleaning 4-day old milk out of baby bottles. It’s not real work. It’s chosen work for chosen people.

Now that I have all of this out, I need to take a nap before the now 6- and 7-year-old children come home from school and ruin any chance I had of recharging my sanity before I’m solely responsible for their lives.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: ann romney, hilary rosen, stay at home mom, work at home mom

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As a stay-at-home mom, I feel like I can speak for all other stay-at-home moms.

Just like I can speak for all other white, middle class, straight, married, 30-something, pudgy women of the world, I speak for stay-at-home moms.

Stay-at-home moms are a lazy group of needy bitches who feel entitled to put the title of “Household CEO” on our useless lives.

AMIRITE? *high 5*

Or do you have a problem with what I and 30% of other American mothers chose to do with our lives?

This looks like a good opportunity to start…THE MOMMY WARS!

Let’s put two pretty, highly politically-powered blond moms in a Media Ring of FIRE and let them duke it out. Where’s the mud and bikinis to throw on those bitches?!

Hilary Rosen said Ann Romney had “never worked a day in her life.”

Of course Ann Romney worked. She worked hard at not feeling guilty for having a stockpile of cash in her Bahamian bank account. She worked hard at sending her 5 boys to camp so she could have the days to herself to lunch with her lady friends. She worked hard at hiring nannies to watch her boys in the evening so she could attend a masked ball where an orgy probably broke out.

Or, she was and is just like any other stay-at-home mom and feels guilty for having the luxury of not putting her kids into daycare. Or, she was and is just like any other stay-at-home mom and chose what was best for herself and her family. Or, she was and is just like any other stay-at-home mom and, in this day and age, has to defend her choice to the country to not have an income.

Much like I speak for all stay-at-home moms, democratic strategist, Hliary Rosen, speaks for all Democrats when she misspoke and said Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, had “never worked a day in her life” and therefore didn’t earn the right to be an economic adviser.

Of course she didn’t misspeak as 90% of rational listeners realize. Of course she was putting down every stay-at-home mom who ever chose to life the life of leisure. Of course there’s no war on women in the news culture where women are pitted against one another, forced to defend their beliefs in a public forum. Of course because Hilary Rosen is gay she doesn’t understand the plight of the straight woman because she didn’t birth her own children.

Lesbian Dem Hilary Rosen tells Ann Romney she never worked a day in her life. Unlike Rosen, who had to adopt kids, Ann raised 5 of her own.

— Catholic League (@CatholicLeague) April 12, 2012

There’s no way a woman, especially a lesbo, who didn’t birth her own children could understand the work-life balance of straight women who pushed their babies through their love canals. Right?

I mean, what makes you a good mother? It’s clearly the ability to procreate with your legal husband through no intervention whatsoever then choose to forego any dream of having a career, contributing to your financial stability, and be a lazy stay-at-home mom.

I did those things, therefore I am a Good Mother. GO ME!

Except, all of this is ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to think that Hilary Rosen meant exactly those words that Ann Romney hadn’t “worked a day in her life.” In under 24 hours, the news cycle has rounded up every commentator to Speak For The Moms or Speak For The Democrats or Speak For The Republicans, taking sides on this made-up debate turning yet another soundbite into a full-on Mommy War.

Being a stay-at-home mom is not the debate. Treating women among women and women among men fairly is the debate.

Former First Lady and All-Around Butt Kicker Barbara Bush said it best:

Life is good. Women who stay home are wonderful, women who go to work are wonderful. Whatever.

image via ABC News

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 29 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: ann romney, hilary rosen, mommy wars, stay at home moms

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Santorum Guides Boy Against Using Pink Bowling Ball, Encourages Blue Balls

Rick Santorum: Blue Balls > Pink Balls

Santorum Guides Boy Against Using Pink Bowling Ball, Encourages Blue Balls

Storified by Angie · Thu, Mar 29 2012 23:00:37

PeeEss: I’m trying out this fancy Storify deal to see how well it would work with this kind of commentary post. What do you think?

Is it stupid?
Is it harder or easier to read?
Are you confused as all getout?
Do you love more more for using Storify on this post?
Am I pretty today?

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bowling, gender, pink blue, politics, rick santorum, storify

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UPDATED 3.12.12
AW… SHIT…
Kony 2012 and Invisible Children are Funded by Antigay Creationist Groups
Invisible Children Funded By Antigay, Creationist Christian Right

Even if you don’t read this post all the way through or watch the 30-minute movie below in its entirety, you will know the name and the face and the propaganda soon.

It will be unavoidable.

Once again, I’m using my powers for good. Except this time, I’m serious.

An hour ago, I didn’t know this word or name or cause. Now I do, and now you do, too.

KONY 2012

The grassroots campaign started by Invisible Children is one of the best I’ve ever seen, and thank GOD it’s for the benefit of children.

It is my turn to share KONY 2012, and to do something.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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This kind of has nothing to do with my girl-crush on Rachel Maddow, except it does because now it’s too hard not to have a crush on her smarts.

It’s no secret that I’m a liberal Democrat. I watch and read the news with as open a mind as I can manage. Though I may say that politics are ridiculous, there’s nothing better than following all the flip-flopping, pandering, gaffes, and mind-bending statements made during an election year. Because politics are ridiculous.

Our president is not perfect; no president is. I support President Obama, and with my support comes criticism as I believe it should.

This new healthcare reform law that the President presented to Congress that would require all companies to cover contraception with no copay for women is one I support. Women have the right and responsibility to take care of our bodies with what medical science has provided. Whether we use the contraception to prevent pregnancy, or like in my case to prevent acne, using contraception is a choice made by 98% of American women.

Rachel Maddow can explain the details much better than my politically amateur brain can manage:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

So now you’ll see why Rachel Maddow is a wizardly representation of me.

There are times when I watch her show and cringe at how she makes her point, but even the Sweet, Sweet Baby Jeebus and Mama Oprah aren’t always perfect.

You, Ms. Maddow, are my Patronus.

I’ve also reserved a chimichanga as my Patronus, so if you see an apparition of Rachel Maddow eating a deep fried burrito, you’ll know it’s my energy protecting myself from evil.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address
compared to
Republican response from Governor Mitch Daniels

Pin It

screen-capped from The Maddow Blog, Jan 24, 2012, 11:45pm EST

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2012. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: barack obama, maddow, mitch daniels, sotu, state of the union, transcript, word cloud

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So maybe I don’t know a lot of the details behind the latest hubbub about the Payroll Tax Cut that Congress and the President are cat fighting over, but I do know that $40 a paycheck is significant-ish to my family.

“If Congress fails to extend the payroll tax cut, the typical family making $50,000 a year will have about $40 less to spend or save with each paycheck.” ~ Random White House Spokesperson

Not to give away our income, but I will admit it’s more than $50,000/year. For the sake of privacy and I don’t feel like doing math, we’ll go with $40 from Patrick’s paycheck we’d lose if this mess isn’t straightened out. Really, I just like seeing Obama putting the smackdown on Boner Boehner and the other Republicans, but I’ve been too engrossed in pretend shopping for Christmas to pay more attention to the political news of the week.

I can find a crapton of shite to buy with $40, and since I’m already pretend Christmas shopping, I thought I’d make you a list of what $40 will get you.

• 8.7 Grande Caramel Lattes from Starbucks
• 3/4th of a tank of gas in my Town & Country Turbo
• 22 loaves of store brand sandwich bread
• 155 Durex condoms
• 1 33.8oz canister of Enfamil Gentlease sensitive baby formula
• 2 $20 Dinner for Twos at Chili’s with water to drink and no tip, jerk
• 1 pair of Alice Crocs
• 3 Wiz Khalifa albums with some left over for a few Lil Wayne songs
• 1 pair of DC Kids Rebound high tops
• 1 pack of 68-count Pampers diapers
• 1/8th of a Michael Kors Hamilton Tote Bag
• 1 day of daycare
• 5 months of streaming Netflix service
• 1 life-sized Beagle Dog Giant Stuffed Animal from Melissa & Doug (without shipping)
• 1 pair of (crappy) .10 TDW diamond cluster earrings
• 1 General Practitioner co-pay with fairly good private health insurance
• 3 weeks of high-speed internet service
• 1 Star Wars Yoda Tree Topper

I don’t know about you, but losing that $40 a paycheck will keep me from enjoying my Christmas tree with Yoda atop it, watching over our every move.

That’s something I can’t live without.

P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links because if Patrick’s take-home pay is going down, I need to make it up somehow, bitches.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: $40 a day, obama, payroll tax cut, what $40 means to me

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Nothing makes me smile more than when Randall comes along and makes everything better with the Honeybadger, even Rick Perry’s asinine political ad.

Stupid, Snake. You Go, Jesus Christ Lizard!
Honey Badger Loves Your Shirt
Top 5 WIN Gifts We Love

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: honeybadger, rick perry, steve perry

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If you don’t know by now, I’m an everything liberal.

I do my best not to judge others for their political decisions as long as their decisions don’t affect my beliefs.

I DO MY BEST.

When I find out that I’m Facebook friends with 21 people who “Like” Sarah Palin and 16 people who “Like” Glenn Beck, I first think, “The world can be saved when we can all get along!”

And then a millisecond passes, and I think, “HOW THE HELL AM I POSSIBLY RELATED TO OR FRIENDS WITH PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY LIKE THESE PEOPLE?”

Life is confusing, friends.

If you believe and support any of this junk from Rick Perry’s latest attack ad, let me show you how far my foot can go up your ass.

And then I find that there are people out there in the world who are just like me and like Homestar Runner.

Thank you, Nanette. You have restored peace and balance to Facebook. You are a true friend.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: ad, attack on religion, glenn beck, nanette, politics, rick perry, sarah palin

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