Idiocracy

So the title of this post is based on the movie Idiocracy. It's an awful movie with Luke Wilson from 2006 that is supposed to be a comedy about the dumbing down and laziness of America. It is a really bad movie so do not waste your time unless you have ABSOLUTELY nothing better to do or watch. The movie flashes forward a few hundred years and everyone is brainwashed by advertisements, celebrity rules, mindless humor, no consequences and only fast food is available.

So, Brent and I often look at our current culture and see "Idiocracy". Today driving I was inspired to post this blog while listening to the radio. Let's look at just a few Idiocracy examples:

Pop Lyrics to Top 100 songs:
Young Money
Call me Mr. Flinstone
I can make your bedrock -- repeat that 5 times and it's the chorus.
Which is also repeated 5 times throughout the song.

Kesha -- this song was performed on American Idol last night
Stop talk talk talking that blah blah blah
Think you will be getting this? nah nah nah
Not in the back of my car ah ah
If you keep talking that blah blah blah ** again repeat 5 times throughout the 2 minute song

Hollywood Celebrities
"I love cigarettes. Love them. I think the more positive approach you have to them the less harmful it is" Sienna Miller

"I'm not anorexic, I'm from Texas. Are there people from Texas that are anorexic? I've never heard of one and that includes me" - Jessica Simpson

"Whenever I watch TV and see all those starving kids around the world I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff" - Mariah Carey

Now let's look at Sports Stars:
"We are going to turn this team around 360 degrees" -- Jason Kidd

"I'm not a hero. A hero is a sandwich and I'm on a low-carb diet" --Shaq

Politicians:
"I'm not going to have some reporter pawing through papers. We are the president" -- Hillary Clinton

"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates" -- Marion Barry, Washington DC Mayor







Really? These are the people our culture idolizes? I'm praying for Eli's generation. It is a scary world!

A Day at the Park

We took advantage of the sun and had a fun day at the park. Good thing we did -- Sunday was cold and rainy!


So what am I suppose to do on this thing?


This could be fun


This IS fun! I like the wind blowing through my hair.


Already feeling adventurous. Future bull rider?


I like swinging.

Expanding my Mommy Resume

I have expanded my mommy resume to include new culinary skills. I have decided to make most of our baby food. Sorry, the meat will have to come in a jar -- organic of course (see previous post) and not vienna gerber weenies. The meat sticks are SICK and I give them to our dogs as a treat!

So below are some pictures of how I spent my Saturday morning. I made carrots, green bean, sweet potato, butternut squash and apple puree AND I had fun while doing it!

Prepping the food

Eli's second favorite food -- Butternut Squash. Apples are number one.

I can steam and puree the fruits and veggies all in the same appliance. Thanks Mia!

The finished product!

My official taste tester. Right now he says "Mmmmm" after every bite. I would like to take that as a compliment.

Not Dolly!

For those who don't know I have a general aversion to meat. I am very particular about its texture, taste, shape, animal origin, etc. I would probably be a vegetarian if I was not married.

Tonight, I found a new reason for my family to become vegetarians or at least only eat organic meats. While pouring a glass of Organic milk I looked at the label and it said. . . "Our farms produced this milk without antibiotics, pesticides or cloning". "Cloning?" I thought. Has the FDA approved for us to consume cloned meat and milk? YES! Back in 2008 and there is no way to trace cloned versus non-cloned meat. The FDA says clone-derived products do not need to be labeled. We are not eating the cloned animal because they are still very expensive, but we are eating its offspring and there is no way for us to know.

Here are a few facts to consider:
- A vast majority of clones suffer from severe birth defects, painful disease, harder and more painful labors and premature death. 95% of cloning attempts fail.
- Animal cloning technology can be used to clone humans or produce transgenic animals
- Governments around the world are debating the ethics of cloning animals for food. The European Commission (FDA equivalent) concluded that because of the suffering and health problems of animal clones there is no ethical justification for cloning animals for food.

So at this point with the agriculture/livestock industry being driven by a greedy profit-driven corporate machine I think it is safe to say meat not from organic animals is certain to be pumped with environmental pollutants, steroids, antibiotics, from a clone, and cruelly treated.

Eeeeeeewwwwww and gross.

I will now get off my soap-box and go to sleep ;)

Trawicked

Brent here - its been a while. I emailed this story to Travis and Kristen Trawick the other day and since had the urge to share this with others. This story establishes a new term that we use around the house. I encourage everyone to read this story and spread this term.

The birth of "being Trawicked"....

A couple of Sundays ago, we met early in our Sunday school classroom to go over the teaching plan for 2010. Since it was before 9 am we had Eli with us asleep in the car seat. Travis came in and we talked for a minute before we grabbed a cup of coffee. Hot coff is what I like to call it.

Travis came back with his coffee and moved his stuff into one of the side breakout rooms. He must have been filled with the Holy Spirit that morning and been prompted to share with Eli. Upon returning to the main room Travis shouts, "I believe in the Bible!!" which in turn immediately awakes Eli from his peaceful slumber.

So now the joke around the house is, if the dogs bark, the TV commercial blares, or you make a loud noise to wake up Eli we say"Ohh, you Trawicked him". Or if you are holding Eli and he wakes up you look at the other person and say "You Trawicked me!"

This term can be used for the following:
- Any loud noise that awakens someone from sleep
- A loud noise that startles you

One cold, quiet night I will find Travis Trawick when he is curled up tightly in his bed and show him what it means to be Trawicked.

A Few Fun Pics from the Snow

Just like Daddy

Not only does Eli look like Brent, he is also picking up some of his quirks. If you will remember a few months ago Eli picked up Brent's "dream screams". He has now moved on to the same sleeping position as Daddy.

Brent sleeps on his back with his knees up. He positions his feet so that he can stay that way all night --- it looks very strange. I have caught Eli in the same position several times now!

ummmm. . . I can't nap when you are taking pictures.

I'm awake!

I would post some pictures of Brent in the same position, but adults aren't as cute sleeping.