i would post more recipes but my family seems to prefer the "kits" lately.
not the "homemade with ingredients" cornbread but the Jiffy mix.
not the "homemade with ingredients" cake/cupcakes but the Betty Crocker mix (with substitutions, of course)
not the "homemade with ingredients" macaroni and cheese but the powdered cheese-like substance box stuff
i'll post a recipe tonight that i make tonight, Girl Scout promise
in the meantime, for lunch we're having "cheater's baba ghanoush"-- i roasted an eggplant, pureed it in the food processor with an 8oz tub of hummus and
voila-- baba :o)
Saturday, April 30, 2011
the good, the bad and the ugly
Off work all the live-long day! Woo hoo!! But have oodles of things to do that are time-sensitive. I love the days where i get lots done because i can go from one to another (bank-post office-library-grocery-fruit/veggie market-school) but time-sensitive errands (have Christian to CopperPointe at 1000, go to service at 445) put a crimp in that. Even meeting my friend for coffee-and-chat at 0745 is a crimp in my "flow" (although i can still do the grocery on the way back).So i can get my "gold star" for the day (i'm such a 5 year old!) for my good work.
The boy is still on my last nerve. I find interacting with him so frustrating. I feel it in my gut. I just want to vomit (and/or cry, but i do that a lot). The work that i do with him is my "bad". Whatever i do is wrong, every time. It is frustratingly new territory for this former-A student to find something that no matter how hard i try, no matter what angle i come from, i cannot succeed. Yes, i know that it's not all about me. But i want to help him to have an easier life than the one that he is making for himself with his choices. I can only hope that his stubborn streak will serve him well after he leaves our home (in just five years" for those of us keeping score in the stands", as they say in baseball).
Off to hop in the shower before throwing in the laundry. Gotta avoid the "ugly"!
The boy is still on my last nerve. I find interacting with him so frustrating. I feel it in my gut. I just want to vomit (and/or cry, but i do that a lot). The work that i do with him is my "bad". Whatever i do is wrong, every time. It is frustratingly new territory for this former-A student to find something that no matter how hard i try, no matter what angle i come from, i cannot succeed. Yes, i know that it's not all about me. But i want to help him to have an easier life than the one that he is making for himself with his choices. I can only hope that his stubborn streak will serve him well after he leaves our home (in just five years" for those of us keeping score in the stands", as they say in baseball).
Off to hop in the shower before throwing in the laundry. Gotta avoid the "ugly"!
Friday, April 29, 2011
the opposite of love
It is said that the opposite of love is hate. One can see this splashed all over the front page of any newspaper, any day of the year. Horrid things done by angry people to hurt other people. Awful.
While this is truly terrible, i don't know that this comparison transfers to smaller, more focused emotional connections.
When one is very angry with a friend or family member, there is still a lot of emotional connection there. It is because of this deep emotional bond that the offended party is so hurt. I would contend that in this situation, the opposite of love is not hate. The emotional tie is still there.
The opposite of love in a relationship......is indifference. At this point, one has given up on the other(s) being what they should/could be. Has given up on the relationship being what it once was or might have been. Has given up on the offending party and has accepted that the relationship will never be repaired. And has let the relationship and the offending party lapse.
So, the end of the nagging and checking in. The end of the curfews and homework checks and internet locks. The end of the yelling and fussing.
Quieter. Calmer. Easier.
While this is truly terrible, i don't know that this comparison transfers to smaller, more focused emotional connections.
When one is very angry with a friend or family member, there is still a lot of emotional connection there. It is because of this deep emotional bond that the offended party is so hurt. I would contend that in this situation, the opposite of love is not hate. The emotional tie is still there.
The opposite of love in a relationship......is indifference. At this point, one has given up on the other(s) being what they should/could be. Has given up on the relationship being what it once was or might have been. Has given up on the offending party and has accepted that the relationship will never be repaired. And has let the relationship and the offending party lapse.
So, the end of the nagging and checking in. The end of the curfews and homework checks and internet locks. The end of the yelling and fussing.
Quieter. Calmer. Easier.
Come on, get happy!
Our family is healthy. I'm not divorced, separated or widowed (but have friends that are all of the above). It's not raining in my kitchen from leaking pipes. My daughter isn't pregnant (nor my son's girlfriend). My son hasn't been arrested for dealing drugs or theft to pay for said illegal substances. My coffee is sweet and hot beside me.
Why, with all that i have going for me, do i still wake with a dread of the little things that make me crazy? Why do i allow my son's "not working up to potential" get on my last nerve and rob me of the happiness that should be mine? Why does my daughter's inability to manage her life without my picking up the slack (pack my lunch, drive me to school, wake me at 5:00 so that i can do the homework that i didn't do last night while i was out with my friends) drag me in? I won't even start on being two close flying planes with Joe. I can see him out the window but we seem to pass in different flight patterns (thank goodness for non-sleeping air traffic controllers!).
Off to wake my son, drive my daughter to school and come home to clean. Yes, it's a blessing to have the flexibility to be able to drive them hither and yon and to be cleaning my beautiful house on a friday morning instead of slaving away at a job that i hate. I just need to restart my mood and, like the Partridges used to sing, "come on, get happy!"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GgIWuBeDrE
Why, with all that i have going for me, do i still wake with a dread of the little things that make me crazy? Why do i allow my son's "not working up to potential" get on my last nerve and rob me of the happiness that should be mine? Why does my daughter's inability to manage her life without my picking up the slack (pack my lunch, drive me to school, wake me at 5:00 so that i can do the homework that i didn't do last night while i was out with my friends) drag me in? I won't even start on being two close flying planes with Joe. I can see him out the window but we seem to pass in different flight patterns (thank goodness for non-sleeping air traffic controllers!).
Off to wake my son, drive my daughter to school and come home to clean. Yes, it's a blessing to have the flexibility to be able to drive them hither and yon and to be cleaning my beautiful house on a friday morning instead of slaving away at a job that i hate. I just need to restart my mood and, like the Partridges used to sing, "come on, get happy!"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GgIWuBeDrE
Monday, April 11, 2011
spring has sprung
with a brief spat of winter last night... that froze all the potted plants that i'd installed last week...aaaargh! i should have used ama's rule of waiting until Mother's Day to plant....this is what i get for my over-enthusiasm! :-S
being a big person, being a little person
There are advantages to being a "big person", an adult if you will. Reaching the grocery items on the top shelf. Never having to do long division by hand. Being able to watch the "good movies" (that have bad words). Being able to buy the newest techno-gadget... just because you want it.... without having to ask a parent. No more snarky high/middle-school evaluations of your outfit/hairstyle/body habitus/make-up.
All good.
There are, however, some serious drawbacks, as well. No one will else will pay for the newest techno-gadget that you crave. You have to actually do the grocery shopping. And the social outlets are...well...limited.
It's way easier to make friends (casual and more BFF) when one is in contact with others day in and day out. The friendly girl next to you in Spanish class, the co-worker on a Key club project, the project lead in the AP world presentation. Once one is an adult, the social outlets are limited. Where does one really make friends? Not in the grocery aisle. Not driving the kids to and from school/activities/sports. Not cleaning or sewing or running errands. While the criticisms of the "mean girls" at school may be a drag, at least it's attention and notice of one's existence. Being a big person-- kinda lonely.
Off to drive the kids to school and run errands. Quiet day off but, then again, they usually are. I think that my sister and sister-in-laws had the right idea in staying in the same neighborhood. At least they have family nearby and, for my sis-in-law, all of the high school friends. Company for scrapbooking nights and child-care exchange. I cannot even get someone to be an emergency contact for my kids' school papers. d
All good.
There are, however, some serious drawbacks, as well. No one will else will pay for the newest techno-gadget that you crave. You have to actually do the grocery shopping. And the social outlets are...well...limited.
It's way easier to make friends (casual and more BFF) when one is in contact with others day in and day out. The friendly girl next to you in Spanish class, the co-worker on a Key club project, the project lead in the AP world presentation. Once one is an adult, the social outlets are limited. Where does one really make friends? Not in the grocery aisle. Not driving the kids to and from school/activities/sports. Not cleaning or sewing or running errands. While the criticisms of the "mean girls" at school may be a drag, at least it's attention and notice of one's existence. Being a big person-- kinda lonely.
Off to drive the kids to school and run errands. Quiet day off but, then again, they usually are. I think that my sister and sister-in-laws had the right idea in staying in the same neighborhood. At least they have family nearby and, for my sis-in-law, all of the high school friends. Company for scrapbooking nights and child-care exchange. I cannot even get someone to be an emergency contact for my kids' school papers. d
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)