Confessions of a vegetarian

If you read the title of this post, you no doubt have realized that I (Jgirl, of She's Not Your Average Mom fame) have taken the leap into a meat-free lifestyle. "So...you don't eat meat?" (insert incredulous look here) I get this comment daily...and to be honest this isn't a huge leap or anything for me. I have avoided red meat like the plague for the last 12 years in fact and have slowly whittled meat out all together for the last 5 years or so. Really, no big deal here. Honest. So, what made me want to quit it all for good?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKzng1_byMY

My family gave up cable a few years ago (seriously, best decision ever) and because of this we watch an enormous amount of educational television (we have an antenna booster) and everything that Netflix offers (including many, many documentaries). My manpanion and I sat down and watched this documentary above in it's entirety.(Yes, it's available on Netflix right now) Let me tell you that I had no whimsical ideas of farms where animals roam free that are meant for our dinner tables. I know it doesn't work that way. What amazed me is that factory farming (which is where that hamburger you are eating comes from) is so cruel, and disregarding of life in general. It's sooo hard to close your eyes and pretend that you are not contributing to the problem when you are downing your chicken dinner. I decided that I won't do it any longer and I haven't looked back.

So, do I miss any of it? Not really...although I've had to plan my meals a little more carefully to make sure I am getting enough protein and watch my sugar intake (I am hypoglycemic and too much sugar makes me really sick and getting enough protein is super important to keep my blood sugar even). Really, it's not a big deal though.
I have loved, loved cooking meat free! I made this yummy recipe last night:

Guacamole soup (GF and Dairy-free of course!)

2 large ripe avocados (peeled, pitted, and cubed)
1/2 a red onion (chopped)
1 leek (chopped)
2 small Roma tomatoes or one large tomato (diced)
1 clove of garlic
optional:{1 jalapeno (seeded and sliced)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro}
1 carton ( 32 oz Kitchen Basics) of vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup coconut milk

Heat over medium heat olive oil, onion, leek, garlic, and tomato {jalapeno and cilantro} with salt and pepper in bottom of large soup pot. Heat until onion begins to caramelize. Add vegetables to blender with avocado and half the carton of vegetable broth and blend until smooth. Return to soup pot and continue heating over medium heat and add the rest of the vegetable broth and coconut milk and lime juice and stir. Bring to a simmer and turn on low and heat through (about 10 mins.) Top with a little shredded cheese and sour cream (for nondairy-free eaters) and serve with corn chips or corn tortillas. Makes 6 servings.

This was soooo yummy good! Makes me not miss eating meat at all! ;)

Recipe-palooza!

I was just thinking the other day that I have a bunch of recipes I've tweaked or made-up or discovered to be fantastically GF, but I've neglected to share. Shameful, I know. ;) Well, let me remedy that with the great..

Recipe-palooza!! 

sweet! Here goes:


This soup is a family favorite and can be easily modified for GF/DF individuals and back again. It is also delicious with a little cheese on top for people not sensitive to dairy. :)

Gluten-free/Dairy-free Cream of Chicken Soup

4 cups Coconut milk (dairy, soy, and almond work as well for non GF/DF)
2 tbsp Earth balance soy butter (or butter for non GF/DF)
2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free all purpose flour (or wheat flour for non GF/DF)
2 cups cooked chicken (I use 3 breasts of boiled/shredded chicken)
1 can white beans and 1 clove garlic blended in blender (use a little milk)
½ tsp salt
½ ground black pepper
½ tsp curry
¼ tsp turmeric
1. In saucepan melt butter. Gradually stir in flour. Let this form a paste or roux and gradually stir in the milk and continue until thickened (FYI it does not thicken much without dairy milk)
2. Add chicken to the white sauce mixture. Add white bean mixture (used for thickening), salt, pepper, curry, and turmeric. Mix well and cover and simmer over low heat for 20 mins.
3. We add steamed broccoli to this as well. Asparagus or spinach are also delicious in this soup. 6 servings.
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We love Mexican dishes at our house and what a shame it is that most packaged taco mixes contain dairy. Not to worry though, it's really easy to make :)

Easy Taco Seasoning

 4 tsp granulated onion
3 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne
1. Mix together all ingredients in small air-tight container or place in baggie and shake well. May be stored up to a month.

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I crave this soup frequently, especially in the cold winter months. So, so good!

Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground corriander
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 (15 ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin
1 cup light coconut milk

1. Heat the coconut oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Stir in onions and garlic; cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 mins. Mix in the vegetable broth, curry powder, salt, coriander, red pepper flakes, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg. Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a gentle boil, about 10 mins. Cover, and simmer 15 to 20 mins more, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the pumpkin and the coconut milk, and cook another 5 mins.
2. Pour soup into a blender (or food processor), filling only halfway and working in batches if necessary; process until smooth. Return to pot, and reheat briefly over medium heat before serving. 6 servings.

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Unfortunately, we don't only have an issue with Gluten and Dairy and our house, we also have a peanut allergy to contend with as well. Good thing this recipe is soooo darn good, because you can't even tell. :)

Thai Peanut-free Chicken

2 cups cooked rice
3 tablespoons soy sauce (La Choy)
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter alternative (Soy-nut butter)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 breast cooked and shredded chicken
3 tablespoons garlic
1 teaspoon ginger
3/4 cup onions
2 1/2 cups broccoli florets

1. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, peanut butter alternative, vinegar, and cayenne. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in skillet or wok over high heat. Add chicken, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, about 5 mins.

3. Reduce to medium heat, add onion, broccoli, and the peanut butter alternative mixture. Cook stirring frequently for 5 mins, or until broccoli is tender. Serve over rice. 8 servings.

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What's better than a bowl of hot tomato soup on a cold evening? Not much, that's for sure!

Gluten-free, Dairy-free Tomato Soup

2 tablespoons soy butter (Earth Balance)
1 tablespoon Bob's Red Mill All-purpose Gluten-free flour
1/2 cup coconut or soy milk
1 can low sodium V8 vegetable juice
1 can diced basil, garlic, & oregano tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 can no salt added tomato sauce (8 oz)
1 1/2 cups of baby spinach
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Blend diced tomatoes, V8 juice, Spinach, and clove of garlic in blender until smooth. Set aside.
2. In your large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir to form a smooth paste. Gradually add milk and tomato sauce stirring constantly. Add blended tomato/spinach mixture and bring to boil, stirring constantly for 2 mins or until it starts to thicken. Add sugar and salt and let simmer over medium heat 5 mins. 6 servings.

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Don't these all sound delish? I'm thinking tomato soup ought to be on the menu this evening...mmmm, don't you? :)

"I never saw a discontented tree...."

Love for Ms. A

I have two beautiful friends with birthdays at Christmas-time. Can you imagine having a birthday during the holiday season? Yeah, I'm sure there are people who forget intentionally or wrap your presents in Christmas paper or give you the dreaded Christmas/birthday combo gift...um, yeah yuck. Anyway, I kinda know how they feel (my birthday is on a major holiday as well) and I like to send them something homemade each year. In the spirit of full disclosure here, I was very late this year...poo, but I have a valid reason, honestly!

It's no secret that I love felt and wanted to make something great with my favorite medium. I also love to make pillows and decided I would incorporate both loves into something beautiful. Now for the inspiration...hmmm, what should I use for an image? I actually had the idea for a graphic leaf design in the back of my head when I purchased my materials, but no concrete image to use. During a break at work I reused a couple of post-its and drew a picture of a tree branch for my co-worker. Ah! Inspiration comes from everywhere I suppose! ;) I knew the end result would be beautiful, but it did require a lot of patient sewing behind my machine.

A little love for Ms. H

I found a free image:

and drew a branch freehand onto my felt and patterned one branch from the other. I knew the body of the pillows would be tan and I wanted a graphic pop of the branches, so I used my colored felt and made stripes behind the branches. The leaves I cut from pieces of scrap felt from the branches just with my scissors in rough leaf shapes (to be more natural looking and not so uniform). Lots of gluing down and very slow moving machine work later and they turned out so beautiful! This was one of my more involved projects and even though I was annoyed it took so long, I can't help but to love the result. :)

"I never saw a discontented tree.  They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do.  They go wandering forth in all directions with every wind, going and coming like ourselves, traveling with us around the sun two million miles a day, and through space heaven knows how fast and far!"  ~John Muir

Eliminate

Well, Howdy!

It turns out that I continue to live and breath. It occurred to me the other day, that if I were going to continue to tell people that I author 5 blogs...that perhaps I should, um...actually blog in them. You see, I live to please and I don't know that I even have anything to say. Not that I don't have anything going on in my life or anything. Christmas was good and a whole lot less stressful than it usually is.

So, how did I manage that? Well, let's see first I eliminated everything that stresses me out. I didn't send out Christmas cards...um, at all this year. I didn't do any holiday baking either (although I will be restocking Mr. Gluten-free's freezer this week with his goodies). I made a few things, but nothing like I normally do. Sheesh, one year I made all the holiday ornaments, wrapping paper, stockings...and it's not that I didn't love, love how it all turned out (because it was fabulous!), I just couldn't do the stress this year. And you know what? Christmas turned out perfect and simple and I was able to enjoy my family and myself and now that it's over, I can stop feeling guilty for everything I wasn't able to do. ;)


What's in store for 2013? You all know I don't believe in New Year's resolutions (I'm more of an improve yourself daily person), but I would like to share what I've learned for 2012:

1. I am my biggest critic. 

I really don't care what you think, I struggle much more with what I think. The beginning of 2012 was really rough and I was really concerned about making it to 2013 myself. I really scared myself (and some other wonderful people who I love) and once I recovered, I knew I had to change my internal dialogue. Instead of thinking, "Why doesn't anyone care how I feel?" I changed it to. "Jessica, seriously, no one cares how you feel."  It may sound a little harsh, but it works and I think I'm better for it. I no longer get caught up with how people should act or feel and practice what I preach and just accept them for who they are. And live my own life. Mine. Not yours. Not my kid's or my man's, just mine. You can't expect other people to ever make you be happy. Nope. Your happiness is entirely up to you, period.

2. Say "I love you" daily.

We cannot foresee the future and no one has a crystal ball. Who is to say that the people who are important in your life might not be there tomorrow? Right, they may not be. My kids hear it from me everyday and my man as well. I don't just say it out of habit either, I mean it. I catch people off guard and when I do, it's okay, they'll get over it ;)

3. You can't make people love you.

Nor would I want to really! I figure if life is meant to be and you were meant to be in it, then it will work itself out like it's supposed to. Love yourself first, the rest will work itself out. I am a huge dork. I love loud socks and converse sneakers. I have a sick sense of humor too. You know what? I'm good with all of this and I can put up with him too. Yep, I think we'll easily last another 9 years ;)

4. Don't take yourself seriously.

Trust me, if I have to laugh at myself. I am really dumb some days too. I know I talk big like I have the answers, but turns out I am pretty clueless and provide endless entertainment for my kids and man with the dumb things I say and do. "Would you turn on the heat seater for me too please?" Cuz, that's how I roll. :P

5. Live for today.

My idea of bliss some days is just getting a nap. I know, I know the idea of "living for today" is to be out adventuring and seeing the world. Hey, I can't help it if I am more interested in reading a book and sleeping in... that's my idea of living. Boring, I know but it makes me happy and when I have a chance to that...you better believe I'm going to take it! ;)

Sew Super!

"Marlin" fishy pillow I made for my boss

I used this little coloring page cutout for the template

He really is nicer than he looks! lol

As you can see, I have actually been sewing stuff in all that "free time" I have (ha!) What can I say, I love to create and make stuff! This first project was for my boss (who moved on to bigger and better things) as a gift. His name is actually Marlin. Yep, I took great fun in razzing him for being named after a Pixar character and decided I should capitalize on it while I could! :)
I started by making an applique out of some black and white felt and some orange over-dyed  material I had all in my stash. I had a coloring page fishy that I traced the outline of for the backer and orange piece then copied all the white lines/eyes free hand to fit. I just affixed all the pieces to the backer (black felt) with a little Aileen's quick dry tacky glue and let it dry. After that I threaded my machine with a little black thread and  used my machine to "draw" in all the black lines.
I found this great blue and orange tye-dye material with matching blue velour for the back to make the pillow and since we sell denim at my job, I recycled a cuff from some jeans and stitched it on as well. I love, love how cute it turned out! My boss loved the velour on the back and marveled that I had "too much time" on my hands. We know better, haha!

Pretty dress for my 7 year old niece

Covered notebook for my 5 year old nephew

Pretty dress for my 10 year old niece

Close-up of the sparkles!

As you know, Fall is the time of making stuff for my adorable nieces and nephew for their respective birthdays and this year was no different! This year's dresses are featuring some awesome recycling on my part too. I usually start with a tank top or t-shirt so, I can get the sizing just right. (These were a $2 clearance find this year) and I am having a love-affair with all things denim currently and so, I wanted to make dresses featuring chambray. I have a huge stash of chambray...um, somewhere. Well, I couldn't actually find it and needed something else...but, what? The local thrift store was a huge help with this in the form of a Ralph Lauren Queen-sized chambray sheet. Score!! I also love elastic belts currently and found some great colored elastic for the belts of these dresses.
My 7 year old niece loves the color red and I was happy to oblige! I had an awesome red batik dotted print that I incorporated in panels in the front and back of the dress for a great pop of color. On her belt I used some awesome flower buttons in black and white and I love how cute it turned out!
My 10 year old niece loves turquoise and green and I had the perfect material in my stash featuring both colors for her dress. I recycled a sparkly belt buckle and made a beautiful bow to attach to the belt on her dress and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out! So, so cute!

I made costumes for all my cuties this year!

Yep, even me too!

My daughter (and her best buddy, yep, I made two matching costumes!) wanted to be a bee for Halloween and I needed to come up with a not so little-girl costume...I think I succeed! I found the fluorescent yellow leggings on 60% off clearance and (like $2.50 each, I believe) and I knew I wanted to incorporate some black and gray stripes too and picked up two pairs of knee socks at the dollar store. We picked up two over-sized fluorescent shirts at Michael's (2 for $5) and my daughter and I clipped off the length and the sleeves and just took some black acrylic paint (I wasn't planning on washing them) and painted "bee" stripes on them. I also made some fingerless gloves from recycled shirt sleeves, but you can't see them in the pic. Boo. She has wings on the back that I cut out of sparkly white felt and sewed to the back of the shirts and the antennas are just a headband with silver pipe cleaners and over-sized fluorescent  pom-poms. So cute!

My son wanted to be "Santa" for Halloween (random, I know) and his costume was a snap! That is just a red sweatsuit with white fleece stitched on the cuffs and edges and down the middle, simple and effective. I just made his beard by cutting out a beard shape out of the white fleece and stitching a thin piece of elastic to go over his ears and behind his head. That was it. :)

My little one wanted to be "Link" from The Legend of Zelda series and his costume was pretty easy too. I got a green t-shirt from the Dollar Store for a buck and cut the sleeves and bottom off a bit (it was huge). I recycled the bottom for a collar on top of the shirt (by stitching it on upside down where I cut off the original collar) and cut little holes at the bottom of the "V" I made to threadsome suede cord through to complete the look. I recycled my green robin hood hat for the hat and he wore his own brown belt and pants and borrowed his sister's boots. I used his sword and shield and covered his shield with felt and drew the design from Link's wooden shield on it. I also made him a sheath for his sword on his back. He looked great!

I wasn't planning on dressing up at all this year and when I decided I probably should too, I just ran and purchased an ugly dress from the thrift store and a curtain valance to make an apron out of. I cut up the dress and smeared it and the apron with blood (acrylic paint) and with a little face paint I was a pretty scary "Mombie"...BOO!!

Dr. Pepper purse for my co-worker

Inside lined with chambray

Lastly, I made a great small purse for my co-worker and fellow Dr. Pepper fiend! This was originally a kid sized t-shirt that I recycled into a purse. A little more of the red batik print and the now found stash of chambray (ummm...yeah) for the lining and a coordinating ribbon for the strap and I can't tell you how much I love how this turned out! I totally need one now! :) It was a huge hit for her birthday!

Being gluten-free

Being fully immersed in the GF world (as we are), I spend a lot of time reading various blogs and articles and viewpoints geared toward the "gluten-free lifestyle". Even though it seems the food manufacturers are starting to catch on (improving labeling, using less gluten based fillers and whatnot) it still can be overwhelming if you are new to the scene. Let me give you a little background on why we are GF.

My manpanion Lee had been dealing with a variety of health issues for a number of years. These included: bumps/blisters on the soles of his feet and ankles, stomach-aches, bloating, sharp pains in the side in the middle of the night, bloody stools, chronic conjunctivitis in his eyes. After ruling out many things, including diverticulitis, IBS, and common hayfever, Lee eliminated dairy from his diet. This helped some, but he was still sick. A friend of mine from work had Celiac Disease (celiacs) and after describing his ailments to her, she suggested he try a gluten-free diet. Five years ago, being gluten-free was a lot more difficult than it is today. This was before the FDA required food manufacturers to list common allergens on their products and certain companies practiced the dangerous habit of "ingredient hiding" (Cambell's soup being one of the worst culprits). Company's would name ingredients something else as to hide the fact that they were using gluten-based fillers in their products. It made finding "safe" foods to eat very difficult.

Being the business man and habitual-researcher that he is, Lee spent several hours a week on the phone with various food manufacturers, as well as, the head of the FDA for our region. He turned in food manufacturers to the FDA for hiding dangerous ingredients weekly. Actually, I remember him receiving many coupons from companies like Cambell's for their product. Yep, he used those...not! They didn't make anything he could safely eat!

Fast forward five years to today and it isn't nearly as difficult to navigate the GF world. Look at the labels on your favorite foods and you'll find lists of common allergens listed, such as MILK, WHEAT, SOY. If you are sensitive to these items, you avoid them, simple as that. Lee has also learned through blood tests and a colonoscopy that he has celiacs. His Mom passed away several years ago from complications due to IBS and we suspect she had celiacs as well. Lee was in the late stages of Celiac Disease before he changed his diet. He developed an allergy to dairy and nuts as the result and developed a blood disorder as well. Basically by changing his diet, he elongated his life by several more years (which I couldn't be more grateful for!).

This is my 13 year old son Drake. Drake, besides being extremely intelligent, creative, and sensitive, has Asperger's Syndrome (in the Autism spectrum) and moderate A.D.H.D. Drake is an 8th grader in middle school, plays violin in the orchestra, takes an honors math class, and wants to be a math teacher and principal someday. Drake is not GF. I've read all the research, I've heard countless opinions on GF diets for autistic kids in how it's supposed to help with behavior issues and whatnot. I don't necessarily buy it. We eat GF meals for dinner at my house, but Drake still downs a bowl of cereal for breakfast and usually pizza for lunch (thank-you school lunch program). Do I think it would help him to be completely gluten-free? Not really. I shared this on facebook the other day and I mean it wholeheartedly:

"Autism to me, says that I accept my child wholly. I celebrate his differences and his quirky-ness. I advocate diversity. I am proud of his successes, no matter how small they may be. I hope he holds onto the compassion he has in his heart into adulthood. I don't think he needs "fixing". I am proud that he is my son, and sometimes I am humbled by that very same thought. "

Acceptance is all I ask for my aspie. ♥ He is phenomenal and constantly astounds me with his view of the world. ♥

Drake does not need fixing, he isn't broken. 

I learned that Drake having Asperger's meant I needed to be his biggest advocate. In order for me to be able to accomplish that, I needed to change the way I dealt with him. I had to turn up my patience a full 10 notches with Drake. He won't ever act like any other kid (nor would I want him to). He won't ever answer questions directly, and he may always need a little bit of extra help. With the help of his school guidance counselor, we signed Drake up for a study skills class with a teacher who teaches special ed. and regular classes as well. Drake never has any problem with the work from his classes (he grasps concepts immediately), he just had a little trouble getting all of his assignments turned in, that's where the study skills class comes in. He loves it! 

Full disclosure here, Drake avoids Red Dye. Actually, I have avoided it for most of my adult life as well. Red dye 40 is toxic and has no business being in food. I've watched it make kids maniacal, bouncing off the walls and whatnot. It gives Drake headaches/stomachaches and rashes when he is exposed to it. Drake will tell you, "Does that have red dye? No thanks, I'm sensitive to red dye."  Good boy. :)

Being gluten-free isn't easy. You have to get n the habit of eating clean and healthy. Don't rely on boxes of ready-made mixes claiming they are "gluten-free", you will go bankrupt quickly and you probably won't feel any better. Here are 10 things we keep in the house at all times:

1. Rice (instant or jasmine style as Lee prefers)
2. Beans (S&W has a great variety and clean manufacturing methods, no cross-contamination here!)
   a. Black
   b. Pinto
   c. Chilli 
   d. Kidney
   e. White (I love white beans blended to add thickness to soups and casseroles) 
3. Frozen Chicken Breasts (We love Costco's Kirkland brand)
4. Frozen Ground Turkey (Thank you Jennie-O, for being so GF friendly)
5. Rice Pasta (Trader Joe's still has the best tasting, we buy it in bulk!)
6. Fresh/Frozen Fruit and Vegetables (no risk of Gluten poisoning here)
7. Chex cereal (With about 8 varieties of GF friendly stuff to choose from, no one gets bored!)
8. Corn tortillas (Great substitute for hotdog buns, and oodles of GF style Mexican food)
9. GF vegetable stock (Pacific Natural Foods is still the best, but Kitchen Basics is good too)
10.Potatoes (Red, Russet, or Sweet Potatoes fill you up right)

There are so many things that are gluten-free and don't take any extra effort too, such as:

Popcorn
Lay's brand chips (most varieties, read the label)
Jello
Jello pudding too
Jennie-O turkey dogs
Gogurt
Most brands of yogurt too
Name brand soda (Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, enjoy!)
Skittles

There are also many restaurants that are happy to accommodate GF eaters too:

In and Out Burger (allergy style, wrapped in lettuce burgers, yum!)
Red Robin (featuring Udi's gluten-free buns, just ask!)
McDonald's (did you know the big restaurants all fry their fries individually, not with chicken nuggets? Good thing too, they taste pretty good!) 
To name a few
 
You can't be shy and GF, it doesn't work! Ask to read the ingredients if you're not sure. Tell them you have celiacs, chances are they know someone who has it too. We have never had anyone be rude or not willing to accommodate us.   

Being gluten-free is not a fad diet or passing faze. Being gluten-free takes enormous patience, planning, and lifestyle change. Being gluten-free will keep Lee around longer for us to love. Being gluten-free is a lifestyle, embrace it fully. :)

Oh yeah, I promised to share my favorite GF Pasta Bean Salad! Here goes:

GF Pasta Bean Salad

2 to 3 cups GF cooked rice pasta (Trader Joe's is still the best)
Half a bag of baby carrots (sliced)
One leek (chopped) or half an onion (chopped) and two celery stalks (chopped)
1 can Kidney beans (S&W), rinsed
1 can Garbanzo beans (S&W), rinsed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pinto bean seasoning
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins is GF)
Enough Italian dressing to moisten the pasta (I have light and zesty italian dressing with olive oil, it's dairy-free too!)
(optional) 1 can black olives (chopped)

 Stir all ingredients together and douse it in Italian dressing. Cover and let sit refrigerated for 1 hour. Serve.

Reflection

I want each of my friends to know that I respect and support them in all that they do. I miss all the friends/family I don't get to see everyday and think of, pray for (when asked), and wish nothing but happiness for all. What do I ask in return? Nothing. Nothing, but show the same respect to me in return. I've learned that not all of you are able to reflect my nonjudgmental, supportive, respectful attitude I have toward all and that is really a shame. I am fully aware that you are all entitled to your opinions and even to your opinions regarding me, my actions, my parenting skills, my clothes and whatnot...that is your right. I just want everyone to know that if they cannot keep those opinions that are destructive, critical, judgmental, pious to themselves, then I respectfully ask you to no longer include me as a "friend."

Sounds like one of those stupid copy and paste facebook statuses, huh? It took soooo much self-restraint last week for me not to post this as my status and fearing it would be dismissed as a stupid "copy and paste" status and be largely ignored by my 513? FB friends. Um, yeah. So, what's up? Remember all those posts I used to write about being nonjudgmental, respectful, supportive? Well, I really am like that in real life. No fronting for internet purposes here folks, I'm straight up fo' sho'! ;) Even if I don't share your beliefs or skin color or sexual orientation or viewpoint, I will not judge you and support whatever it is you believe or do. No explanations necessary. Know what I don't appreciate? When I am questioned for what I believe or think or do. I know I'm a decent person. I care deeply for people. I want to try to be better. I am raising my kids to be decent human beings. I don't need anyone in my life that can't be supportive of me as I am of them. Period.