Drop That Baby One More Time

Okay. So, you won't find me standing up for Britney Spears very often. BUT, the media is taking their scrutiny of America's pop princess a little too far. Who hasn't almost dropped their baby at some point? Granted, there is some question as to what was in the glass she was carrying. However, if people were not watching every minute of her life, maybe we wouldn't catch so much of this sort of thing on tape.

Parenthood is stressful without having a horde following you everywhere you go. It's ironic that she would catch such a hard time over things that just normally happen sometimes when you have a baby. Occasionally, a child has to be taken out of a car-seat. Occasionally, a baby falls from his high-chair. Occasionally, a parent drops a baby. Shoot--I fell down the steps at my house with Marley in my arms. She was about 5 months old and I was about three months along with Laney. Dropped her on the grass, right on her sweet little face. Yes, it scared all of us very much when that happened, but no one called me a bad mommy for it. Essentially, the old addage applies, "Stuff happens." And when you have a baby, and especially when you have a toddler, "Stuff happens" alot.

If you want to accuse Britney of being a bad mommy, you should start with her marriage to Kevin Federline, rather than these random little accidents that keep happening to Sean Preston That kind of stuff happens to everybody.

Now. Have you heard that the Dixie Chicks have a new album? Natalie Maines had apologized for her comments regarding President Bush but now she says she really isn't sorry she said what she did about him at all. The Dixie Chicks have also said that they would rather have a small following a people who really get what they are about than a huge following of people who don't necessarily agree with them politically.

I get it now. The Dixie Chicks really didn't like getting radio air-play. They would rather the masses never hear from them again. However, they really want you to go out and buy their new album, and want you to know that they have one, so they say things like, "I took it back, but I really didn't mean to take it back," so that they will have articles in the newspapers and call a lot of attention to themselves.

Where have The Dixie Chicks been over the past three years anyway? I don't remember hearing anything from them since they went toe-to-toe with Toby Keith. I don't really like him either, but he at least likes America (or America's money, something like that). I seriously thought we would never hear from them again. But, bad pennies always turn up.

Wake up, girls! You play Country music for Country folks. If we don't understand where you are coming from, you don't have an audience. Nobody cared that you didn't like the President as long as you were keeping your mouth shut about it. Now, try to get back to what you do best, namely, make music.

(Special thanks to Tugboatcap'n for his help with the Title.)

Seven Years

On this day, seven years ago, I galloped down the aisle with my poor sad daddy in tow and pledged my eternal troth to my husband--for better, for worse, for poorer and poorer (we haven't experienced the richer part), in sickness and in health, etc.

At this point in our lives, we have acquired a beagle named "Snoopy," a single-wide mobile home, a 1995 Chevy Truck and a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am, several guitars, a piano, a computer that doesn't work, a DVD player and a VCR, a flat-screen television, and tickets to the Coca-Cola 600 next weekend. But that's just stuff.

We also have two beautiful children.

We had three and a half beautiful years together before the kids were born. We slept late, stayed out late, had enough money to pay the bills and (gasp!) still buy other things. We kept the house reasonably clean.

We have had three and a half busy years since the kids were born. We had a very tough year after Laney was born. Too much to do, to little time or sleep to work with. We've had some very hard financial times in the past couple of years. We hope we're on the way out of that tunnel.

All in all, it's been a great adventure so far. I'm so grateful for the man that Lewis is and all that he does to make our lives secure and happy. I'm blessed to have someone I can laugh with even when times are hard. And I'm looking forward to the next 100 years with him.

Isn't love grand?