Literacy and a funny thing

I should (keyword: SHOULD) be making sure that I'm all totally prepared for the Pack Meeting for Cub Scouts tomorrow.
Have I done that?

No.

I should also be finishing up laundry. Which I haven't done.
Or finishing up dishes (which I've done a little! I need to unload/reload the dishwasher and I should [keyword: SHOULD] be caught up.

Now, as a confirmed bibliophile, I should share this with you:
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In less than two weeks Congress will be voting on legislation that will:

1. Get much needed funding to school libraries.
2. Requires that every school in every school district of every state employs at least one state certified, highly qualified school library media specialist.
3. Provides monies for training and professional development for school library media specialists.

What does this mean?
1. It means more monies for schools to buy books and educational materials.
2. It means that young people will have access to more and better books because informed, knowledgeable librarians will be making book selections for their schools and will have more input and influence on trade and educational publishing for young people because they will have more purchasing power. (Many schools' libraries are run by parent volunteers and/or a teacher or other educational professional who may or may not have the skills and knowledge of a certified school librarian.)
3. It means that young people will have a knowledgeable librarian to teach them how to be informed consumers of information and critical thinkers.
4. It means that those wonderful people who are running school libraries who are not trained as professional librarians, will have access to professional develop monies to help them to get the professional training they need to help our kids.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
1. FAX or email or call your congressional representatives in support of this legislation: the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs) Act. You can find out who your Congressional and Senate representatives are at: http://www.capwiz.com/ala/directory/congdir.tt

2. Copy and paste this email and send it to everyone you know, especially: friends, family members, neighbors, colleagues, editors, publishers, authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, parents---everyone and everyone you know. Add your own short personal note and ask them to please contact their congressional representatives today by fax or email to support the SKILLs legislation. Encourage them to write a very few short words in support of this legislation. If you use a formula message it will not be taken as seriously as a more personalized fax or email. REMEMBER- YOUR VOICE AND YOUR VOTE DO COUNT---THESE POLITICIAN/LEGISLATORS KEEP ACTUAL TALLIES OF FAX , PHONE, AND EMAIL MESSAGES FROM CONSTITUENTS!
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I mean, really ... if we don't work on getting kids reading, what are we really going to be looking at in a few years?

This??
(Yeah, yeah, I know you've all seen it before. But still, it totally makes my point, no?)

So, yeah.
And, if you're wanting to get political ... you can also get on board with GrassFire.org or MomsRising.org.
I mean ... I don't consider myself the most politically activist-ic person ... but this lets me feel like I might have some effect and might let my voice be heard. which makes me feel a little proactive.

NOW, off of my soapbox and my "shoulds" ... I have to tell you the funny thing Bucket did last night.

Here's the scene: Michael and I are getting the kids off to bed after dinner and some high-quality whining. Bucket is SCREAMING. We change diapers while she fusses and whines and moans and screams. Bruise climbs into his crib (Hey. If the boy can climb OUT, he sure as H can get himself IN the crib. And he does.), I put Bucket in her crib. We tell them to fold their arms for the prayer. As Michael starts with the "Dear Heavenly Father ...", Bucket grabs her blanket and BLOWS HER NOSE IN IT.

Now, yeah, it's kinda disgusting. But I had to work SO DANG HARD to keep from snickering through the rest of the prayer. Bucket? After that, she was calm and all grins.
Once we get to the prayer at night, she's good. We pray, have goodnight kisses and tuck the kidlets in their cribs, we say our "good night"s and "we love you"s ... the munchkin brigade tell us "bye-bye," and Michael and I either watch a show or movie or eat ice cream or read or stuff like that.

I so wish that I had gotten Bucket's nose-blowing on camera, though. It wasn't very dainty. And I could have totally wet myself because of it.

Yeah, my kidlets crack me up. Good thing, too. Or else, with the pre-verbal-stage whining, I might have devoured them by now. :P

So, in other news, I have my pack meeting tomorrow, and a meeting with the bishop ... maybe visiting teaching in the morning ... Thursday I go down to Nana's, visit and drop the kidlets off there, go to Kevin's memorial service (on what would have been his 28th birthday), pick up the kidlets, drive to my mom's and spend the night. Then we'll come back up Friday morning. Hopefully in time for Michael to come home.
Yeah, he's not able to come with us. But he'll be able to get caught up at work. And probably watch more episodes of Bubble Gum Crisis on TV Links.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. I will feel better then. I'll have another month to get ready for the pack meeting.
I SO don't know what I'm doing. I know I need to get the boys excited and all ... but I don't know what to do, really. Wish me luck! *terrified grin/grimace*