tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe (post 238)

Kettle Brand Potato Chips!

Good Monday morning y'all! As I have an incredibly full day of playing taxi, dragging someone to the Dr. and laundry to tackle this morning, I'll be brief..Check out one of my favorite all natural snacks! Yum, yum Kettle Chips...you are my love...*drool*.
In the land of gluten-free snacking, you tend to give up...um, flavor? Yeah, being awesome and gluten-free has it's sacrifices, but that's not the case with these awesome chips! Thick cut potato chips with awesome flavors and decent sized bags (a huge plus in my book!), you'll not be disappointed! My fave is the Buffalo Bleu Krinkle Cut variety , talk about yum!
Want a great snack with all natural ingredients, gluten-free and great taste? Look no further than Kettle Brand Potato Chips, this is what I like! ;0)

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy (post 237)

"

J. Lamb 2011

"The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life is the source from which self-respect springs."  ~Joan Didion

Life is truly what you make it. If life sucks constantly and you find yourself blaming everyone except yourself for it, then stop and take a look at yourself. Anything you have or have not accomplished, anyplace you have or have not gone, and anyone you have or have not influenced is directly caused by you and your acceptance for yourself. Want life to be better? Make it better or accept it for what it is, it's all up to you. Just a thought...

Here we sew again!

 

Just a quick update on what I've been working on the last couple of weeks! The pillow on top was made for a little boy my kids are friends with. He loves karate and this project was a snap to create! You are not going to believe me, but I only payed a buck for material for this and the rest was just time (a couple of hours all together). It's true! I actually picked up the insert (just an ugly couch pillow I took home and washed and bleached) for a buck at the thrift store and the rest of it, I had! I dug through my material stash for a while until I came up with something that wasn't girlie at all and I could coordinate with the lettering and "karate crossing sign". I love the orange tie dye and the gray border and the applique letters and sign are just left over pieces of felt. For the sign I googled karate crossing sign image and found a sign on Amazon and I just copied it. It was really simple! The pillow itself I stitched the top and attached the back to overlap like a sham for easy cleaning, using the pillow for a template. It turned out great!

At the bottom will be my daughter's Easter dress. I know it doesn't look like much now, but when I'm done I'll share it! We just picked this up at the thrift store for 4 bucks and I loved the material and the layering. It'll be dolled up with some great matching purple polka-dot material and I know she'll love it! Stay tuned! ;0)

The good, the bad, and the apathetic

I awoke this morning to this story on the Today Show and it got me a pondering while I sipped my coffee... Where in the world have all the good parents gone? Sigh. I think there is little in this world that bothers more than watching a parent do nothing for their children. For those of you who are too lazy to click the link and see what I'm talking about here's a recap:
A mother is upset that her (larger than average) 8 year old son was pepper sprayed by the cops after they were called in to contain him during a violent outburst. At first glance you would think, wait...they pepper sprayed an 8 year old? Isn't that a bit extreme? Except the fact that A) This was the 3rd incident where the cops had to be called. B) The child had fashioned a sharp stick and had threatened to "kill" his teachers with it if they came out of the closet they were hiding in. C) Had thrown several chairs and a TV cart across the room. D) All of this and he showed no remorse. Huh. Well then, that's a little different. The mother whined on the interview that the cops should have just talked him down like they did the last time and the the use of pepper spray was to much. What?! You're kidding, right? She also went on to complain that she knew that her son had behavioral issues and that it was only at school and that the school should have been able to handle it better.
So, what I want to know is since when has it become okay not to hold kids accountable for their actions? And since when has it become okay for parents to be so apathetic for that matter? In this particular case this is what a good parent would have done:
1. Insist that the child write a formal apology to the teachers and the cops for his bad behavior.
2. Find a service that you and the child could do to benefit the cops and teachers. (i.e. classroom cleanup, small service project)
3. Find a therapist, behavioral specialist, mentor, pediatrician who specializes in behavior disorders and don't stop until you can get to the bottom of the behavior issue.
4. Continue to follow up and encourage and reward the good behavior.
Now the bad parent would have blamed the teachers, blamed the school, blamed the cops, taken the kid on national television making themselves look even worse. Oh, wait a minute! ;0P

TiP fOr TuEsDaY (post 234)

J. Lamb 2011

On the subject of time management, I mean who am I kidding? Sometimes no matter how well you manage your time, there just isn't enough of it! Today is absolutely one of those days for me as well...*sigh*. My daughter has her last choir concert this evening as well as a soccer game...yep, clear on the other side of town. As of 3:30 this afternoon I will be running like a chicken with my head cut off until at least 8. Honestly, I'm tired just thinking about it! Ugh. I did, however in anticipation of having such a crazy day, put together a list of links for some time management help, enjoy!:

Good Morning America, Time Management Tips for Busy Moms

"For some mothers, the constant pressure to be wife, mommy, chef, and chauffeur takes over every minute of the day."  "Going forward, it's important for Wecksler, and other busy mothers, to remember the following three tips to live by.
Combine Several Activities: While showering, make a mental list of things that you need to do that day. If you are watching a sitcom, you can pay your bills at the same time.
Learn to Say No: If someone asks you to do something, and you want to do it, but truly do not have time, learn how to politely say no. That will free up time for what is most important.
Don't Attempt to Do Too Much: Many people feel that they have to accomplish everything yesterday and don't give themselves enough time to do things properly. This leads only to half-finished projects and no feeling of achievement"

 About.com Stress Management, Time Management Tips for Moms

"Time management is a big concern for mothers these days. Between kids’ activities, household responsibilities and, for many, the demands of a stressful workplace, many mothers have given up on the fight to find time for themselves and are just trying to get everything done."
"While taking care of parental, relationship, household and workplace responsibilities, it’s easy for mothers put taking care of themselves last on the list. However, not only is self-care a good idea of physical and emotional health, it’s a good time management tip for moms as well."

Busy Moms Online, Time Management Tips

"If you are like most moms I know you think to yourself, at least once a day, “I wish I had more time!” Most of my clients come to me at some point asking how they can get more hours in the day."

"Get rid of what I call “black holes” or time wasters. Things like TV, checking your email every 5 minutes, online or computer games, and phone calls from chatty friends can be fun but they are also HUGE time wasters."

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe (post 233)

http://www.preventbullying.org/

• Nine out of ten elementary students report being bullied by their peers.
• Nearly one in three students ages 12 to 18 reports being bullied at school.
• An estimated 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. (source:http://www.preventbullying.org/problem.html)

Good Monday morning all and I know this isn't a product, but a campaign and absolutely "what I like".

I know firsthand exactly what being bullied feels like. I was tormented all the way through Elementary School and on and off through the rest of my school years for no reason other than being different. I have successfully blocked out many things that happened throughout my adolescence, but one very vivid memory has stayed with me all these years.
In the fifth grade I had 3 or 4 girls in my class that had taken turns harassing me over the years. I had one really good friend in my class, but she had started hanging out with another really good friend of mine and I found myself left out frequently. I took to hiding out in the library and reading during lunch recess. Eventually the librarian figured out that I was in there every day and made me stay outside. I knew these girls were making fun of me. They'd point and whisper to each other at me and all conversation stopped when I got close.
There was nothing wrong with me. I didn't dress badly. I wasn't particularly funny looking. I was a bit socially awkward and sensitive and never wanted anything, but to be everybody's friend.
To my surprise a couple of the girls who tormented me started talking to me and seemed like they wanted to be my friends. They started hanging out with me and wanting to play together at recess. I was thrilled (if not a bit perplexed)! Little did I know what they were plotting...
Shawn Coffee was my neighbor. Shawn was at least 6 inches taller than everyone else, was scrawny, with a long neck and huge glasses. Shawn was a huge nerd (and everybody knew it) he also had a huge crush on one (if not all) of the girls who tormented me. My tormentors started telling me that Shawn "liked" me and we should "go out" (keep in mind this was the 80's folks and going out meant nothing but hanging out together). I was a little weirded out, but agreed when Shawn asked me to "go out" with him.
To this day I don't know how these girls talked Shawn into this, but I was about to be completely humiliated.
After I agreed to "go out" with Shawn at lunch recess, we went back to class. The classroom had desks formed into groups and as luck would have it, Shawn was seated in front of me. We watched a filmstrip later in the afternoon and after it was over, our teacher (we got stuck with a substitute for half the year, while our teacher was out having a baby) had talked about whatever we had just watched. She had just sat back down at her desk when I looked up at Shawn who was leaning over his desk toward me, lips puckered coming in for a kiss!? The look of horror in my face must have been priceless as he slipped and fell face first on my desk. At this very moment my class erupted in laughter! They knew it was coming...they all somehow knew!? I curled up with my face in my lap and cried. I sat mortified listening as the entire 5th grade (3 classrooms in all) jeered and clapped and stomped for what seemed like forever. Not only had my tormentors talked Shawn into helping humiliate me, they had spread word to the entire 5th grade.  
They planned the whole thing...all for no purpose, other than to make me cry.
Did you know that each and every one of these girls are my friends on Facebook? I seriously doubt any of them remember any of this either. Somehow growing up and having kids of our own, makes it okay? No, you're right it doesn't. Did you know that I was teased and tormented so much as a child, that I still have a hard time believing that I am a good person? I was beat-up twice later on in this same 5th grade year as well. I never knew I was pretty, or that I was good, or talented, or smart. I only knew that being myself wasn't good enough. It affects me still to this day. My eternal dialogue is all messed up and even though I was able to develop a very thick skin over the years, I struggle with it still. I ended up in an abusive marriage, he was extremely controlling and hearing that I was worthless and believing it came naturally. I didn't know anything else.

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. [Matthew 7:12]

Think about this, all of this when you sit down with your kids tonight at the dinner table. Tell your kids that it is never okay to make fun of anyone, for any reason. Tell your kids that the world is made up of different people and they may not all think the same way, or look the same way, but everyone deserves the right to be treated with respect.
Oh and to my tormentors? Long since forgiven, I promise.

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy (post 232)

No foolin'?

"Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects."  ~Arnold Glasow

"Now what's so funny? I don't recall anything being funny." "Stop that!" "Quit laughing!"
Now who says life has to be so darn serious? So, you messed something up, you tripped on your face, or you accidentally farted out loud...why not laugh about it? We are all human, every single last one of us and to err is to be just that, human. No one is perfect and no one will ever be in this life, so why not cut yourself some slack? Eh, so you dressed for work in the dark and you are wearing mismatched socks...show someone and laugh. We all do silly things sometimes, might as well get some enjoyment out of it! Just a thought...;0)