Now Get To It

I woke up my crew at the crack o' dawn this morning, so we could go to the polls together before school. 

But then life happened--one kid dawdled over breakfast, another spilled something on his shirt.  We didn't get out the door as early as I hoped, but I still used the rushed time in the car for a lesson:

"This is VERY important, guys.  People died so we can have this right, and Dad and I take it very seriously.  Americans who don't vote are seriously disregarding the sacrifice of those who came before them."

And then we pulled up to the polling place.  The line snaked out the door, down the sidewalk, and around the side of the building.  God bless the great state of Oklahoma. 

"Rats," I muttered.  "I don't think we'll have time for this right now."

Stephen reached out his arm and gave me his best serious, grown-up look.  "Mom, really, I'd be happy to miss some school today so I can learn about the voting process."

Cheeky kid.

"Ariel!" shouted Corrie.  "I want to vote for Ariel!" 

My grand civics lesson wasn't turning out quite as I'd hoped.  So we abandoned the crack o' dawn voting initiative, went to school, and we'll try again after the bell rings this afternoon.  In the meantime, my kids' school is having a mock election today, and I'm eager to hear the results (though if the discussions my kids have been bringing home are any indication, I think it's clear that many kids are getting good information from their parents. God bless the great state of Oklahoma.)

And while we're on the topic of the election, Robin of Pensieve has rounded up some of the freebies being offered as incentives to voters today.  Because, you know, nothing says "democracy" like a free donut, cookie or ice cream cone.  America is alive and well, my friends, and evidently she's also on a sugar rush.

Now, go vote.  It's a very big day.

Comments

[fern]

So true about the sacrifices. It is easy to forget, in our relatively cushy world, that most of the world does not have this right and what it took for us to get here.

www.berryinastream.blogspot.com

[Holly]

We got our 5 year old up at 5:30 this morning to bring her with us to vote. We got there right at 6:00 and still had about a 30 minute wait. But, she was super excited about the process and is a very proud american indeed! If was fun to talk with her about this process and it's amazing how much she is retaining, even personal information about the different candidates.
However, I can't help but think about her poor teacher at around 1:00ish or so today- when the 1 1/2 hour early wake up call kicks in! She might have preferred us to wait until after school for our little civics lesson too!

[Susan G.]

My town has a teachers' professional day so no school. I am still trying to figure out how I am going to get through the polls with 5 kids in tow. Should be interesting!

[Elizabeth]

I walked into my voting location at 8:30 a.m. and waiting 1.5 seconds. There was hardly anything there and no line at all. But 185 had already voted. Pretty impressive for small-town Oklahoma!

[Donnetta]

Like you we do not take our right to vote lightly! We have voted here!

[Nicole @ Here's The Diehl]

i was at the polls 20 minutes before they opened, and i waited more than an hour...but totally worth it!

[MamaHenClucks]

We have early voting here, so both hubby and I cast our votes last week. My son's school is a polling place and WOW was it packed when I dropped him off this morning. I heard on the news that 7am, noon and 5pm are the busiest times to vote.

[Leigh]

Lines were ridiculously long this morning here in the Detroit metro area. (This is good, yes?) I'll try again after work when I have more time to wait...

[Wendy Darling]

AMEN!!!! I have been teaching this to my nephew for years, and we JUST finished our study on the election process. (Seriously, less than 10 minutes ago) ;-) And, the last question in the work book was, "Does ONE vote really matter?"

I was so proud of him when he replied loudly, "YES IT DOES!" :-) And we always talk about the people who have died for our right to vote, and how it dishonors them if we don't.

PS. I voted early this year, because if I died before today I wanted my vote to count! :-)

[Sarah]

You make me laugh. Hopefully when we vote after my husband gets off work things won't be too bad. I hope our little polling place is as sleepy as it usually is.

[adrianna]

When we saw the lines for early voting last week we decided to wait until today.
This morning it took less than 10 minutes at our usual precinct polling place.
THEN we went to Starbucks for our free coffee; not all the freebies are sugar-laden.
What a country!

[Texas in Africa]

Amen. Some of my friends in the Congo waited for two days to vote for the first time in their lives two years ago. The right to chose whomever we think is best to govern our country is so precious that I didn't mind having to wait 20 minutes while an incompetent control freak clerk at my precinct yelled out people's private, personal information that's not supposed to be divulged. Ah, democracy! :)

[Kathy]

I admire your bravery, as well as your readers, who take children to the polls. I tried it -- once. Now, two words bring me comfort: Early Ballot!

[Becky Miller]

In Rhode Island, voting days are always no-school days...maybe because so many schools are used as polling places?

[judy]

This is the joy of living in a small town. Hubby and I were at the polls at our local fire station by 7:45 a.m. and out the door to work by 8:oo a.m.

God Bless America today!

[Kristine]

I cannot even tell you how often I laugh out loud at your blog. You say things so well! And if I'd taken my daughter, she'd have wanted to vote for Ariel, too :) Instead, my little 2 year old was quite disappointed by the lack of a BOAT since that's what he thought we were going to do. But Krispy Kreme redeemed the situation with the lovely star-spangled chocolate donut we got. God bless America!

[Tabitha (From Single to Married)]

I second that motion! We got there at 6:15 (the husband and I) and were surprised it only took an hour. We live in the DC area (I mention that just to point out the dense population not to mention the zeal for all things political) so I was surprised we were able to get in and out so quickly. I'm glad it's done. Now comes the hard part...

[Molly]

I actually got a little choked up when I arrived at the voting place @ 11 and the line was out the door.

And I am going to go blog about it now ;)

[Kelly S]

I took my kids to the polls at 10:00. The benifit of homeschooling! I had fun showing my kids the ballot, and they watched as I filled it out. I printed out an electoral college map so my kids could see how many electoral votes each state has. My son is glued to CNN and keeps running out to report what is going on.

I love America!

We also prayed in the car before we went in to vote.

Rock the vote America!
Kelly S. AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE (Michigan)

[Rhonda]

We took our two (6 and 4) with us to vote...got there about 30 minutes early and there was already a line but NOTHING like the madness when we voted (actually time to wait once the polls opened was about 10 minutes).

Just remember Romans 13:1 and Daniel 2:21....God knows who is going to win, and there is a plan..makes the election madness easier for me to stomach.

rhonda

[Melanie]

I voted absentee. Do you think Krispy Kreme and Starbucks would have pity on me and mail me some? We don't have any of those in my little town. Sniff Sniff.

[Robin ~ PENSIEVE]

Ahhh...the best laid plans of Moms in the morning...! I saw many kids with their parents at my precinct (mine were at school).

THANKS for the link, Shannon--I got home and realized A Word from Rocks is like a good Stumble! :)

[Raise Them Up]

We went Saturday here in Podunk Indiana. We thought it would be great to take the boys (11,9,and 4) right after the soccer game so they could see the process first hand. The wait was 2 hours after we got our paperwork.

Lucky for us, (and for those who had to listen to my hungry kids) there was a Circle K gas station nearby to which my husband made an emergency food and drink run. The line wasn't going anywhere, anyway.

I was never so thankful for the deck of cards the boys found in the car. We played countless games of war, several of crazy eights, a few games of Old Maid, and a few we made up.

AND we taught my four year old to Go Fish.

A kind old gentleman two spots away offered to teach them poker, but, alas, we were finally too close to voting. LOL!

[Melissa]

I'm so glad that my mom took me to vote with her when I was young. I loved walking to the polling places, and getting the I VOTED sticker. It was always amusing that we voted in someone's garage... but now it seems apt that the democratic process happens in the neighborhoods.

I'm chancing it on my late lunch break. Hopefully not everyone in Los Angeles has the same idea.

[laura]

We have always taken our children with us to vote. I think it is very important. We now have five, 6 and under, and we got them all up and rushed through breakfast and to our polling place by 7:30. Alas, we decided the line was too long to stand out in the wind with the baby so we tried again later and only had to wait 40 min.! Then hubby went back to work and I took the kiddos to Krispy Kreme. :)

[Deborah P]

I voted and stood in line (no kids to get to school) and was pleased I didn't get there any later (30 minutes before opening) because the line behind me QUICKLY got very very long.

[MrsScotsman]

We went first thing this morning with BekahBoo in tow.

[Tara]

Here in SmallTown, MN we waited approximately ten seconds to get to vote. And that included a nice election judge recognizing that I was teaching three kidlets ages 5 and under how to vote and ushering me into the handicapped "booth" so I could keep the kidlets with me! And, my five-year-old took it upon himself to be the "I Voted" sticker passer outer! :)

[Tiffany]

The schools here closed today since so many of the schools are polling places and they were expecting such a high voter turnout. I don't know if they would encourage parents to go or discourage them. But, kids here got a vacation day.

[Headless Mom]

Ah the joys of living in a red state...

[Nicki]

That's what I love about homeschooling...we had no problem making it to the polls together! :)

My girls would have totally voted for Ariel, too. LOL!

[Erin]

Surely a visit to the polls would be considered an educational trip. Hope you made it to the polls, lines weren't too long, and their weren't any rallying cries for Ariel while there. (Though my daughter would have also voted for Ariel.)

[Heather]

Yes, the great state of OK did, indeed, do my heart proud!!
What I'm trying to figure out is how my kids' schools voted for my choice, but how our state is voting for the other guy!! Crazy!
Change is in the air! Change isn't always good! I guess we'll have to learn that lesson the hard way! Such a shame!

[susieshomemade]

I voted and now, I just saw history made.

[Jennifer]

My hubs and I voted last week for early voting. I went to starbucks last night, and they were so kind as to make me hot chocolate since I'm pregnant! Too bad I didn't know about ChicFilA in time, or that would have been dinner!

[maria]

I took my youngest (10) with me to vote yesterday, he CLAPPED on our way out. And the oldest (18) texted me from school to remind me to vote, and assure me he had done so. I was a proud mama.