ok, i am not even sure how to bring this up, but i've done a piss-poor job talking about it IRL, since i just feel like a mean mom for mentioning it, so i thought i'd tap into the collective wisdom and experience here.

as i have mentioned before, i have 4 kids.  they are all different of course, and i love them all to pieces (but not like the runaway bunny, who i think goes a bit too far, turning into a tree and all).  they are each challenging, but one much more so than the others.  and not challenging in that misbehaving, get in trouble kind of way.  that i can deal with.  it's much more complicated than that.

but i am horrified too.  or maybe just sad.  or something in between.  

i used to be so proud of the job i did with that elusive "work/life balance".  i started out as a single mom, first to sam, and then we added his sister maya.  when they were babies, my mom helped with childcare.  i had students (college age) cover for me when i needed to teach after sam got off the bus.  i never worked more than three days/week outside the home, and got all of my work done at night after they'd gone to bed... being a night owl is handy that way.  i was good at my job and good at being a mom.  neither defined me, but both shaped who i was.  

well, in the last two years, we've expanded our family to add three more people... my husband bill, charlie(2) and abby (9mos).  i worked through both pregnancies as an assistant professor, but it became very clear after abby arrived that the "balance" had tipped.. our sweet little tipping point, we joked.

Editor's note: I'm a sucker for candidate-with-kid photos...check out the amazing ones after the jump!

ugggh... another day of news bashing.  i will admit, i did not like the word choice he used... particularly his use of the word "cling".  but the contention that republicans have wooed people to vote on issues that do not drastically improve their daily lives is a sound one.  ok... that's all i'll say on that.

on to me... obama mama!  two weeks ago, MSNBC host chris matthews started his college tour at the university where i teach.  his guest?  barack obama.  we were notified just a few days ahead of time, faculty/staff/student tix only.  i waited in line with my two youngest (8 mos. and 2 years) on a cold rainy day for the better part of two hours.  i got a ticket and a colleague was able to get some for both my 9 year old son and my mom (both huge obama and hardball fans).  we got in line early on the day of the show, got great seats, tons of freebies (to my son's sheer joy) and even met chris matthews on the way to the loo (picture after the jump).