Eating Right...or Trying to

Why is it that whenever I eat vegetables they taste like earth? Could it be because they come from the earth?

I am trying to eat better, I am following the food pyramid and cutting back on my starches and sweets, which are my favorite. But, in my opinion, why does everything healthy have to taste gross?

Right now, the kids are fighting, I can't think, I'm tired and all I really want is 6 big chocolate chip cookies. I am blogging to try and take my mind off of them. I won't do it, I know, I have made progress and I know I can have some eventually, but now I am trying to lose weight and I can't indulge every want I have. This is a lesson in itself. Why do I want to eat when I am stressed or when the kids go to bed and I finally have a minute to myself? What is that telling me? That I eat for the wrong reasons? Duh, obviously.

A friend told me that if I have a craving to brush my teeth and it will weaken that craven....here's to mint toothpaste, I hope it takes my mind off a warm, chocolate, chewy, goes great with milk-cookie.

Yeah right.

Today I wanted to give a shoutout to people who make a difference in people's lives. People who come into a person's life and help and love and don't stop. Today I am gonna shout out to Rocco D. someone who has done nothing but help and love our family, and hasn't asked for anything in return. He and his family have continually loved us through hard times, given and given some more and most of all love our children. That is the best thing, when someone loves your children.

Today is Rocco's birthday and for all the giving he does for anyone and everyone I think he should be appreciated. Happy Birthday, Rocco.

And let's not forget Ann Marie, because behind every good man is a good woman and we all know what Ann Marie does...in fact, what doesn't she do? I have never seen her sit!

So.....to Monday nights and to Rocco and Ann Marie..here is a special shoutout to you two.

You are much loved.

And if you remember, send them a card or even an ecard if you can't afford a card!

Forward This!

Okay, so you know how you get like 50 forwards a day and how you know if they come from some people they will be good and others you just automatically delete? I hate and love forwards. Some are really funny and others are just made to make you cry. It is so annoying. Then, they all are telling you to forward them or bad stuff will happen or if nothing bad happens you get a guilt trip telling you nothing bad will happen you will just miss a great opportunity. Ugh. I am so sick of forwards...except the funny ones.

I got a forward this morning and the whole forward was about how a man took time out to play with his daughter and let her stay up late and all this stuff I should do with my kids. I thought it was a great reminder to loosen up. Until the part where I found out she had cancer. Now that is awful, I know, I would never want that to happen to anyone. But when the father who wrote the email said that AOL and some other company were going to pay him for each email this was forwarded to, I immediately became sceptical. Does that really happen? If it does, how come I don't get hundreds of these forwards a day? So that is it- the email isn't begging me to forward it, offering me a wish come true if I do, or bad luck if I don't. But I do have the opportunity to save a little girls life if I forward it. Is it true or not? I will never know, I am sure I will never get an email telling how all of our forwarded emails saved this little girl's life. All I know is that it MIGHT be true so I have to forward it...I have to. If I don't, I may have been the one that didn't save that little girl's life if it were true.....well..................there is my guilt trip.

P.S.- Sorry to all of you I forwarded that email to- now you must pass it on!

Why Not?

So, I have always heard or seen on TV these people who are having fun and something bad happens....dancing in the car, laughing too hard, etc.

Is that really how God works? Am I not allowed to have fun? I was dancing in the car the other day and stopped cause I was afraid I would get in an accident. Then, I rethought it, I am just having fun, I am completely paying attention, but still having fun. I can't live my life like that- afraid to have fun because I think God will put me in an accident or something will hurt me. Of course I am not talking about sinning- like drinking or being promiscuous.

But really, does God not want me to have fun? I don't think so. So, I have started gardening and I love it, it is fun. I also think I am going to plant some berries and learn to make jam. So, I know that may not sound like fun to everyone, but why not try it? It might be fun, so I am going to do it- if I ever get around to it, I will let you know how it goes. Until then, I am going to enjoy life and dance and laugh and not worry I am about to be struck down dead. I think God probably enjoys seeing me happy and laughs when I dance!

Gray Issues

Why is it that when we believe something that is a gray issue we feel it is our responsibility to make everyone else believe the same? We live in a relativistic age- meaning what is true for you isn't necessarily true for me. This does not work in all situations, there IS truth, meaning there could not be a different outcome for certain things- ie. math, Bible, - these things are true and cannot be said to be otherwise.

But seriously, things like what kind of music I listen to, what I decide to feed my kids or whether or not I send them to private, public school or even homeschool are all gray issues that in my opinion are personal.

Why do people feel like they have it right if it works for them? I am sending my children to public school, I don't feed them organic foods and I like John Mayer. Does this mean I am wrong in these things? No, it means these are my personal decisions and while I don't ask you to change to my side, I would prefer you not push me to change to yours. And please- don't take a verse out of context to prove your point- I am married to a Bible scholar, all I have to do is ask him!

SWAT- Moms

Finally, someone got smart.

SWAT Moms- Smart Women, Available Time.

For stay-at-home, educated moms who want to keep their area of expertise, that they left to raise a family, fresh while raising their children.

These women are willing to be on-demand at a moment's notice and get paid less simply to keep up on the work they want to go back to once done raising children.

Companies are vying for these moms because they are highly educated, know what they are doing and....are available for less money.

I am all about it. Women starting companies at home are taken a lot more seriously these days. I'm glad....if you know someone who needs some advertising through web sites, business cards, brochures or ads- I'm your gal. I am in the works of a business venture right now in advertising with a friend who is a graphic designer and successful business owner for over 20 years.

Stereotypes

I have written and deleted two other posts trying to make sense of my thoughts. Here it is...I hope. I don't like the stereotypes that people put on people. There- that's it.

I don't like that women are "supposed to" be serving dinner and the newspaper to their husbands when they walk in the door at 5pm. I don't like that men are "supposed to" handle the finances, because a woman shouldn't have to worry about that.

I don't like the stereotypes that go on with women and men today. I think it stinks.

Now let me just tell you, I make my husband dinner every night- but not because he expected me to- it took nearly six years before I started doing it. And he never complained once.

I am an accountant, why would my husband who is horrible with numbers and has had no good example from life do the finances?

Why do these "stigmas" have to be put on each other? Why can't it be whatever works for a family? Changing diapers is not the woman's job, just as much as snow-shoveling is not the man's job.

My husband works 2 jobs- therefore, I do all the yard work....a man's job? When we first got married, we agreed, "I will take care of the inside of the house and he takes care of the outside." As some of you know- plans don't always go as planned. I take care of the inside and the outside of the house.

We never made agreements on what would happen as far as the children go- we are both 50% parent...meaning the workload should be equal. My husband would gladly stay home with the kids, but I want to. But when he comes home, although he is tired from a long day....so am I...and therefore we begin to work together.

This is my point- working together. My husband loves to cook- he finds it very relaxing, so if I can't think of anything to cook or just really don't want to, he picks up the slack, or we even do it together. But if he is working on a lesson he has to teach for one of his jobs or counseling someone then I will pick up the slack.

Why can't more people think like that? Why do we have to have Bible studies based on the 50's golden age of religion where men were more important then women? No place in the Bible does it say men are more important....help-meet means a "helpful partner."

I Peter 3:7-Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Did you know that weaker vessel means....ready?.....more delicate. Wow, I am not weaker, but I am more delicate and it doesn't mean emotionally, either....although most of the time we are. It does not mean women should be treated like less of a person and be expected to live up to the culture's standards, and vice-versa for men. Although the media is trying to make men look like a bunch of idiots in nearly every commercial and sitcom- they really do deserve respect. They, like us, do a heck of a lot and if we want respect, then they do too, especially since that is what men have been surveyed to want the most from a woman.

I guess that is it, I just don't like the stigmas that are put on us as women and men. We should be who we are, even if a man likes to cook (see Food Network) and a woman likes to mow the lawn. If you have a mate that loves you, you can work together and everything will get done.