Personal Responsibility My husband and I just found out our rent is going up…again. A two bedroom apartment is now going to cost us over $1,000 a month. Yes, to rent. I look at myself and where I am in my life (30 years old, three kids) and think, Why don’t I have a house […]

You would think that a woman who named her children Liam, Sean and Brendan would write something about St. Patrick’s Day or the Irish heritage of our leaders … but there is something more pressing I have to write about. Obama, take note. When things are more important than what you want to do, you […]

I first wanted to write about how proud I was with the Egyptian people and their handling of protests and their desire for freedom. The fact that they could protest in a non-violent manner and oust their leader was amazing. I’ll admit it. I had a few good laughs over the twitter hashtag #ReasonsWhyMubarakIsLate when […]

In the last three weeks, I’ve had barn on the brain. I’ve been called (by my husband) a “barnhugger”. So why all the barn talk? Well, three weeks ago I saw a news article that said Valley High School in West Des Moines was going to tear down a historic barn for parking, green space, […]

A continuation of last year’s letter to Virginia Dear Virginia, You may be wondering if there really is an Obama Claus. You have been promised so much but think you haven’t seen any of it. Silly, Virginia. You should know better. I know you were hoping that “Obama would pay your gas and mortgage.”  But […]

Last year I penned a “Things I Am Thankful For” article and I thought it would be fun to look back, see what I predicted and was thankful for then, and see if that still holds true today. Last year I said, “I am thankful for my children. Two wonderful, healthy boys who were not […]

[Editor’s note: In addition to her work here, Crunchy has picked up freelance gigs at Suite101 and Associated Content.  Check out her articles on those sites.] I’m just waiting for that political ad. You know, the one that states their opponent eats small children or kicks kittens in the face. In Iowa, where I live, […]

[Editor’s note: although the sentiments of this article remain the same today, please note that the article is from September 2010 and refers to events in that time frame.] Benjamin Franklin once said, “Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” As the Bush tax cuts are set to expire and the […]

I may be considered “The Crunchy Conservative” but I also consider myself a feminist. NOT a femi-nazi, but a feminist. I believe in what is best for women and we should be treated equally. That being said, I believe in what is best for ALL women, born and in utero. I guess that’s where the […]

Shirley Sherrod made comments at an NAACP event that were “taken out of context”. She was fired, sorry, asked to resign,wait…fired, from her position at the USDA by the Secretary of Ag (and Iowa’s (my) former Governor) Tom Vilsack. Now, she’s been given a “unique” rehire opportunity back at the USDA. Really? So are we […]