SoCal Mom Goes to Washington

I'm brimming with blog post ideas. Normally, this would be a good thing, as I'm now writing and/or contributing to something like five different blogs. But the website design project reared its ugly head again this week.

I'm not saying that the website is ugly, but the photos I had to work with were, and the client had the whole thing re-shot -- which means I'm doing the update all over again.

It's actually a lot easier this time around, because the new photos are gorgeous and I'm not wasting a lot of time messing with them (as I had to do the first time around). I'm hopeful that I can get the site back up and running by the end of the day tomorrow, and the really good news is that when it's all done, I will have earned a lot more money from the project than I'd expected.

But the bad news is that I'm behind on my blogging. Once again, I will be kind of absent here until the website project is finished.

In the meantime, I am this week's "Mother of Intention" over at PunditMom's political blog. I know -- In nearly five years of writing SoCal Mom, I've rarely indicated that I had any opinions about anything other than how absurd it is to live in the land of swimming pools and movie stars. So how come the sudden interest in politics? Well, it's always been there - but I was afraid to raise my voice; afraid that I would sound stupid or that revealing that side of my personality would alienate the people who come here to read cute stories about kids and school and Hollywood gossip.

The fear of coming across as dumb and uninformed almost paralyzed me when I wrote my first guest post on the MOMocrats and then a second one (after responding to tweets from Stefania looking for posts about health care - a subject I could talk about for an hour or two). And so when MOMocrats co-founder Glennia Campbell invited me to be a permanent member of the group, I thought she was kidding. I ignored her until she asked me a second time! (Honestly, Glennia, I wasn't playing hard to get, because once I understood you were serious, you found out that I'm really kind of easy.)

But once I started receiving the group's emails, I realized I'd really jumped out of the frying pan and into the political fire. I knew these women were SMART. I knew they were PASSONATE. I knew they were amazingly ENERGETIC. It's taken me some time to participate freely in their discussions because I feel like such a lightweight next to Stefania, Glennia, Joanne, Alysin, Beth,  Bitsy, Christine, Cyn, Debbie, Erin, Jaelithe, Jen, Jenn, Joan Garry, Julie, Kady, Kristen, Liz, Melissa, Sarah, Sheila and Stephanie .

So last week, when Joanne asked me (ME!) if I would be a guest on PunditMom, I had kind of the same reaction that I did when Glennia invited me to join MOMocrats. She had to be kidding, right?

Only this time, I didn't play hard to get. I immediately responded that I would be honored.

And I am.

Comments

[PunditMom]

You are all those things, as well, you know!! I'm glad we're blogging together at a couple of places and so thrilled that you agreed to be a Mother of Intention at my place!

We'll teach those young whipper-snappers a thing or two! ;)

[Florinda]

I left a comment on your post on PunditMom's blog, but here it is again:

Politics is like many other things - kids aren't going to pick it up out of thin air. You have to expose them. At first they do tend to echo your opinions, but eventually they'll form their own...and those may still echo yours, but maybe they won't.

My son was exposed to discussion of current events, including politics, since grade school, and now (post-college) he's well-informed and quite opinionated (and living in D.C., by the way). My 13-year-old stepdaughter is getting interested now too. My 8-year-old stepson is only interested in Pokemon these days, but he'll come around if we keep the conversation going.

Great post over there, by the way!

[Glennia]

We are honored by your presence. AND, it was great to have your terrific kiddo with us at the California Democratic Convention.

[cynematic]

Way to go, SoCalMom! I'm so glad to be part of MOMocrats and blogging alongside ya. Of *course* you have something valuable to say.

Thanks for the linky-love,
Cyn

[debbie]

I think you're rad. What. You have to have gotten a journalism degree and worked in the field for ten years to be qualified to speak to our country's operational systems? nahhh. (in fact, that's kind of a joke, even -- look at freaking Chris Matthews - *he's* a pundeet and he doesn't even look or sound hot like Jenny the Bloggess while doing it, also, he's a FREAKING MORON. sigh.)

I love when you throw in your two pfennigs, because you have a unique voice, and a valid opinion, and that is all it takes, sister sledge.

xoxo Deb

[jen]

you are way badass, sister. absolutely.

[Julie Pippert]

I think it's fantastic that you use your wonderful words! Reading your other post over at Joanne's is on my to-do list. I'm sure it's awesome!