All the little Children

I just saw a video of children being buried alive in the amazon. i do not want to share it with you because i can not get the image out of my head! it makes me want to go collect all the unwanted children and care for them myself! It's a good thing that our God is a merciful God. I have to keep reminding myself that those children will be with him. what would poses someone to bury an innocent child alive!

and why the HECK would someone video tape this horrific act and not do anything to stop it?! I want to go to the film maker and kick him in the face! how can you just stand by and allow someone to not only be treated that way, but to be killed! because she was 2 years old and couldn't walk or talk yet. "Jesus loves the little children... All the children of the world..." I love my children, and I want you all to know that I would have no problem using old testament law on ANYONE who does anything to hurt my child! "An eye for an eye..." My foot up your ASS! obviously i am COMPLETELY horrified at this whole thing. why the CRAP did i hit play on that stupid video?!

my head is spinning from trying to think of ways to stop this from happening to any child. and the thing that is so depressing is that i know that no matter what i do, it will still happen. the world is in such a bad state right now that people kill their own children! or do worse things to them... It's times like these that make me grateful for biblical prophecy. I am so glad to know that there will be a day where there's no more pain. I truly know the meaning behind the words "for me to life is Chrst, but to Die is gain." Oh to escape this horrible place.

can you imagine being God and seeing your creation, what you created to be good, created to glorify you, what you love with everything you have... become something so terrible. like being a mother, who raises a son she loves so much! and through no fault of her own, he turns into a murderer. how can you un-love him. you can't. but it makes your heart break every time you think about your creation, your off spring, being such a bad person.

It's no wonder God caused the Flood in Genesis. I always wonder why he did it so early. If today's times are just as bad, or worse, why wouldn't he have waited until now to wipe the slate clean? or, have come back and set things right before they got worse? Obviously I'm not God. I just wish I could do more for this world than sit back and watch it kill its self. and drag the innocent down with it.

God, I love my children, and I thank you for giving them to me. But next time, would it be too much to ask to get rid of the bad stuff before the good gets a chance to be tainted? 

I am truly heart broken.

http://www.survivalinternational.org/

http://www.hakani.org/

Wilted Lettuce?

What do you do with Lettuce that is going bad?

Have you ever had cooked lettuce??

Tear the head of lettuce like you would a salad (i used romaine). Boil the lettuce until it is limp. Drain. Add a table spoon of butter and a quarter tsp of vinegar. S&P. also, add fresh mushrooms if you like. DELICIOUS! even Chris liked it.

Frugal food tip :)

Poop-Poop in the Potty

Did you know that you are supposed to Flush baby poop down the toilet? Even when you are using Disposable diapers?

http://www.pampers.com/en_US/proddetail/baby-products/new-baby-diapers-new-swaddlers/id/900826

Waste removal

As the Pampers bag recommends, you'll want to dump bowel movements in the toilet. Then just roll the diaper into its backsheet, using the tape or fasteners to keep it closed, and dispose of it in the trash.

Besides, this also cuts down on the smell in your trash can.

wizards, vampires, fairies and the easter bunny!

So, as I'm sitting here watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, I had a thought. Why is it that some people have an issue with make believe?

Lets look at a few different characters that society accepts, weather true or not: the all important Santa Clause, The Easter Bunny, Tinkerbelle, Wizards (harry potter), Vampires (twilight), Dragon Tales, Power Rangers, The Tooth Fairy...

All of these characters are widely known. Many of them are taught to young children to be "Real". Many parents sneak their christmas presents under the tree to pretend that Santa Clause did it. Same with the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Is it wrong to tell your children that these characters are real? Is it wrong to LIE to them?

Some other characters, many people have an issue with, Harry Potter and Twilight... many people won't let their kids watch the movies, or even boycott the books because they promote magic... blah blah blah...

And some make believe characters don't even get discussed, they just get watched on TV without even an explanation. I mean, are monsters real? Sesame Street seems to think so. Can you "wish" yourself into a distant land where dragons exist, or have visions of the future? 

How do you get across to your children that some things are real, and others aren't? Is it ok for you to tell your child that Santa Clause is real, but Vampires don't. When is it ok to let them watch the Little Mermaid but not to let them watch Harry Potter?

Wouldn't it be much simpler to tell your child that Santa is not a real character, but is a fun make believe character that is used to represent the Christmas Spirit. Explain who the real Saint Nicholas was. Tell them that the Easter Bunny is just a fun way of bringing in Spring. That Harry Potter is just a made up character that is fun to make believe. That magic is just a fantastic idea that is fun and entertaining to pretend.

You can't tell a child that they are not allowed to have a tea party because the tea in the pot is pretend. that they are not allowed to play House because it is wrong to pretend that you are an adult who is married with children. That they can not pretend they are a Power Ranger because real people don't transform into robots (or whatever that show is about...). You let kids be kids. As long as they know the difference between reality and fantasy, what is the harm in a little fun? After all, what would we accomplish if we had no imagination? 

Now, if your kid starts shooting their pretend wand at other kids and saying "Obliterate" or shooting their pretend gun at someone saying "You're Dead!" then, I'd suggest a change in entertainment and an education on playing nice. But that is a whole other blog post that I don't wish to get into at this moment.

homemade cheese

after watching martha stewart this morning, i decided i'm going to try to make homemade cheese. i will update you and let you know how it turns out. i'm kinduh really excited about this!

here is the recipe i will be using:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/home-made-farmers-cheese/Detail.aspx

make your own and tell me how it turns out :)


(7 hours later)

So, I did end up making cheese. It was not hard at all, at least this kind wasn't. It turned out crumbly like feta but more smooth and waxy tasting like cheese curds with a very mild flavor. I guess other kinds of cheeses have a more cheesey flavor but are a bit more difficult to make and require enzymes to culture. But this only took about an hour or so because it has to drip until the whey drains out.

So the white lump in the colander is the cheese, the liquid on the right is the Whey left over. I can use this in place of milk in any recipe or make it into a drink. If I had a garden I could use it to water my plants! I could also do the process again and make "Ricotta" cheese which literally means "Re-Cooked". I'm not sure what i'm going to do with it right now, but I will find a use for it!

After it was done draining, I crumbled it and mixed it with a bit of salt and some oregano. Bre sure liked it! it would be good with crackers or on top of a salad. 

My next Cheese adventure will be something a bit more challenging. Maybe a harder aged cheese??

Toilet Paper!!!

Why is it that toilet paper is so much fun when you're a toddler? It seems that every time you turn your back, your child has half the roll unraveled! I started putting the roll on the back of the toilet instead of on the dispenser so this would not happen... and something worse happened... the whole roll was dipped in the toilet. fun.

Our bathroom is designed right now so that the sink is in a separate room from the toilet. So, now I put the toilet paper by the sink. Unfortunately, if you forget to grab it, you have to open the door and reach around the wall to the sink to grab the toilet paper while trying to hover over the toilet. lol.

My new project is to find some way to make a toilet paper shield. I read about taking an empty plastic bottle or pop can and cutting both ends off and making one slit, so it makes it a bit harder to pull the toilet paper out so fast. The other thing I thought of, was cutting the toe off of a sock or stocking and using it like a muff. But, this means that you'd have to pull it aside every time you go potty. But I guess that is better than the alternative. I'm tired of my toilet paper touching the floor, or wasting a roll when it is thrown into the toilet whole!

I'l have to take a picture and let you know how it goes for me.

Any body have other ideas?

mandatory breast feeding

Today while watching Good Morning America, Gisele Bundchen (model) says Breastfeeding should be a "worldwide international law". She said to Us magazine, "Some people here (in the US) think they don't have to breastfeed, and I think 'Are you going to give chemical food to your child when they are so little?' I think there should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months."


Thus spurs the debate. Is it right to allow mothers, who are capable of breastfeeding, to give formula to their babies instead?


I understand that some moms try to breast feed but their bodies just won't produce enough milk. I understand that some moms have a medical condition which doesn't allow them to breast feed due to medication or other health risks. But working moms, the work place is required by law to give you a place and time to pump frequently. And did you know you are allowed to breastfeed in any public place? This is your right.


Here are some actual excuses I've heard for why some moms don't breast feed:


"Breastfeeding doesn't fit into my working lifestyle. My high demand job does not allow for regular frequent breaks to keep up my milk supply."


"I think the breasts are a purely sexual body part and should only be shared between me and my husband. It just feels wrong and sexual to have my baby sucking on me."


"My husband wants to share the responsibility with me, he feels like breast feeding would take away from his share and not allow him be an intimate part of the baby's life."


Honestly, I have heard all three of these excuses being used. I will let you draw your own conclusions on that one.


But think about this. How could you encourage moms who are unable to nurse, or moms who adopt, that formula is safe and that their babies will grow up normal and healthy if you are telling everyone else that they are not allowed to use formula. Formula will not kill your baby, just like eating McDonalds every day won't kill you. There are just better alternatives. The best thing I think we can do is encourage all new moms to do what is best for their babies and to help them understand the benefits of breastfeeding.


Then again, why are C-sections optional now a days? It's safer to do a vaginal birth in most cases. Why aren't cigarettes illegal? Is it ever healthy to smoke? Why aren't bicycle helmets the law? When do you draw the line between what the government tells you what to do and when you can choose for yourself?


For me, that line should be when it affects no one but yourself or your property (a bike helmet, a cigarette or wearing your seat belt...) compared to when it affects the health or wellbeing of others and their property (driving under the influence, speeding, littering...)


where does breastfeeding fit?

Frustrated Shopper

so this post has nothing to do with anything much except for just a rant about customer service!

I was at walmart today. I had to pick up my prescription and just needed to get the kids out of the house. they said it would be about 45 minutes to an hour before I could pick it up. (which is ridiculous because all they have to do is put the darn pills in the package) so, the kids and I did some shopping. After about 45 minutes we returned to see a huge line. So, I figured we'd just wait for the line to die down and walk around some more. 10 minutes later the kids were getting fussy, so we just decided to wait in the STILL huge line.

10 minutes later with kids screaming and everyone in line getting frustrated with me... it was my turn. The pharmacist got my script and I said "I have a few other purchases and I don't want to have to wait in line twice with my kids." she said "ok" and started to ring me up. I asked for a pen and she stopped. she said "since you are writing a check and have other purchases, why don't you go up to the front and pay for it all together?" I was like, "EXCUSE ME?!" she said "i have a really long line." I thought to myself "DUH, I was just standing in it for like 10 minutes with my kids! i do NOT want to do that again at the registers, you are ALREADY ringing me up lady. i UNDERSTAND that you are being inconvenienced, but HELLO so is everyone in line who has to wait with me...." I mean, come on. I am in no way saying that a lady with kids needs special treatment, but only a month ago I paid for more stuff at this register than just my script, I also wrote a check, and just because you have a long line means I do not have that right any more?? I'm sure that everyone in line with me will agree that my kids just need to get out of here.

So, I didn't put up a fight. instead I bottled it all up inside me. I almost stopped at customer service and complained, but that would only defeat the purpose of getting through the line quickly and getting my kids out of there. But, I think that when I'm done venting about it here, I will write the store and make sure they know how horrible their customer service sucked today. I hope they do better in the future. Not only look out for the efficiency of the pharmacy, but also of the customers. After all, isn't the customer supposed to come first??

writing on the walls

I don't understand those kids toys where you can write on the walls and then wash it off. Like those Bath Tub Writers. Or that mess free finger paint. It tells kids that it's ok to draw on your walls and furniture. Either it disappears or you just wash it off, no big deal... Yeah, I'm not a fan. I think that kids need to learn responsibility and they need to have consistency in order to connect the dots. You can't set a double standard. "Well, if you use these special crayons you can color wherever you want, but if you use any other kind of crayon you will get in trouble doing what I said you could do two days ago" I think that is cruel to do to the kids and it just makes for more trouble for mom or dad later.

Now, I don't however have a problem with those aquadoodle things. The pens you fill with water and write with them. My daughter has one and she knows it's just water. She also likes to squeeze it and squirt it all over the place. But our rule is that when she runs out of water she's done. Of course, she's only 2, so she doesn't really get that yet, but she will only learn if we make it a standard now. The difference is that it's not actually paint or ink. She knows it's just water and she is able to make that distinction between a marker and water. And when she's out of water she asks "More water please." HA! of course I have to say no.

One of the first "painting" toys my daughter had was a bucket and a paint brush that Grandma let her use on the back deck. When it's really hot outside she can "paint" all she wants and it dries right up. She doesn't even realize it's gone, I think, she just keeps having more space to "paint" but again, she asks for "More water please." She knows that it's just water, the same that is in her pool.

So, if you're looking for a christmas present for my daughters, lol, I'm not a fan of wall writer toys, but water writer toys are ok. I don't know what everyone else thinks, but those are my thoughts.