Finger Cuffs

     Awake at 5:30 am.  At least coffee is ready.  Nothing else is, though.  Two laundry baskets full of clean clothes in the hallway.  Two more full of dirty clothes in the bathroom.  Dirty dishes and cookware are stacked in the sink and on the stove.  This just means that before I can start breakfast, the kitchen will need to be cleaned, or at least everything gets stacked on the counter.  There are 4 or 5 half-finished projects around the house.  And here it is 6:15 am and the kids are already getting out of bed.  I get one to go back into the bedroom and as I shut the bedroom door, the other one opens.  Ugh!  You just cannot convince a 6 year old and certainly not a 3 year old to go back to bed.  They just don't get the concept of sleeping in on a weekend.  So "game on!"  
        
     Now it is time to play referee and goalie -- trying to keep them from fighting and arguing or playing too loud so Mom and baby can sleep.  It also means trying to keep them from going into the bedroom where Mom and baby are sleeping.  I think they believe that if they are awake, everyone should be awake.  When they ask to go get their friends to play at 7 am, I should let them go!!

     Throughout the day, it just seems to be a game of getting by rather than getting things done.  Just about the time a meal is ready and served up, we all sit to eat and something happens - the baby wakes up and is ready to eat too, the dog starts barking at the mail man, or one of the kids needs something or spills something.  When dinner is over, the kids are wound up and so the dishes can wait.  Once the kids to get to bed, plus another 30 to 60 minutes of "get in your room", "go to bed", and "go to sleep", we are too wiped out to do anything and one or both of us falls asleep in the living room -- which is why the dishes are still there come morning.

     Frustrations build because things are not getting done - I have not touched my homework, her work is stacking up, and we barely seem to have enough energy to talk about the things we need to talk about.  The house needs to be cleaned, bills need to be paid, and chores need to be done.  It just seems that the harder we work at getting these things done, the less that actually gets done = finger cuffs.  The harder you struggle and pull to get free, the tighter the grip it has on you.  

Light Green Living

I had the pleasure of listening to a talk given by Jen Boulden of JenBTV.com (http://www.jenbtv.com/ )last month.  It was like a town hall meeting type of discussion and there were many things that came up.  But the one that really hit home with me is something she calls "Light Green Living". 


It reminded me of the story of the two people walking down the beach.  One person picks up a starfish and throws it back into the ocean.  A little further down the beach, another starfish.  This goes on for a little while and the other person asks, "What are you doing?"  The first person says, "I am putting the starfish back into the water."  The second person comments "Look at all these starfish.  You cannot save them all.  It doesn't matter."  The first person replies, "It matters to this one" and tosses another starfish into the water. 


So to me and the way Jen Boulden explained is something like that.  Do what you can to the level you are comfortable with.  You don't need to live "off the grid", make your own soap and grow your own food to be green.  I recycle as much as I can.  I even lead a recycling program for the PTA at my son's elementary school.  And here's the kicker, I take them to the recycle center in my big 3/4 Ton diesel truck. 


My wife and I lived in a small town in Germany for 7 years.  Maybe it is from that experience that I find it so easy to recycle.  We had 4 trash cans: 1 for aluminum and plastic, 1 for cardboard and paper, and 1 for, get this, compostable materials. The last trash can was what was left over and it was probably smaller than most American kitchen trash cans.  Glass wine bottles were recycled at the local store and glass beer bottles are turned in for a refund.


Why can't we figure that out here in the states?  I attended an Earth Day event this year.  There were two trash barrels next to each other, one blue and one black.  Should be pretty easy to figure out, especially at an Earth Day event.  But both trash barrels had cans, bottles, paper and food waste in them.   And Kudos to Mayor Bloomberg (City of New York), for trying to get a compost program started in that city.  It is not that difficult. 


We have a "yard waste" can that the trash truck picks up.  I called the company asking why can't I put kitchen scraps into the yard waste bin if it is all being composted.  What is the difference if it is a pile of weeds or carrot tops or old lettuce?  Oh no!  I can't do that!  But they couldn't give a straight answer as to why. 


Anywho, you cannot save them all but you can make a difference if you just do what you can.  Recycle.  Use a refillable water bottle.  Use real plates and silverware.  And go visit Jen Boulden's website and blog for some really great tips on Light Green Living.  You can find her at:  http://www.jenbtv.com/  and her blog is at:  http://www.jenbtv.com/category/jens-blog/

Holy Homemaker Husband

Not even 10:30 am and we've already made Pop-tart type pastries and real 100% fruit popsicles. 


Neighborhood kids are running around with Pop-tarts and popsicles.  Of course, I get the "Dad, I want a..." from my son.  OK little man, challenge accepted. 


So he and I made our own version of Pop-tarts.  I hate to say that we used refrigerated pie crusts and a lot of brown sugar.  But hey, it worked!  Now to make my own pie crust and come up with some better fillings.  My mom already texted me, yes, texted me, her pie crust recipe and my wife makes her own strawberry jam (we live on the Central Coast of California where many of the strawberries are grown).  So game on!  Now to make a strawberry tester batch and see how they freeze for easier breakfasts when school starts again.


Now to conquer the popsicle.  Watermelon in the food processor and Tupperware popsicle molds and we are in business.  Now to change up the flavors and I want mango! 

Mom's pie crust:

3 C. Flour, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 11/2C Crisco, 1 egg, 5T  water, 1 tsp vinegar. Mix flour & salt. Mix in Crisco. Combine Water,vinegar & egg.add to flour mixture. Mix lightly. Divide & roll out. Makes 2 pie crusts.

Cooking Class

We eat REAL FOOD.  Beginning with Jamie Oliver's ABC show "Food Revolution" and others like "Forks Over Knives", "Fast Food Nation", "Food Matters", Food Inc.", and TED Talks, we learned about our food, organics and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).  Now our family is trying our hardest to eat Organic, Non-GMO whole foods.  Try explaining to a 5 year old why he cannot have donuts and a soda for lunch, but we can make some real lemonade and have an apple or other non-processed snack.  It is working!  As we walk through the grocery store, he gets excited.."Dad, it's organic!"  But just because it's organic, does not mean it is good, just read the label.  You'll still see "natural flavors", "ascorbic acid" and "citric acid" (many of which contain GMOs) and other additives.  When a product is labeled "organic", the entire product does not need to be organic. 


So I told that story to tell this one....
School is out and I need to have snacks for the fam as well as put together a crock-pot dinner for the day (swim lessons later, so no time to cook). So what did we do?
We, yes we, my 5 year old helped cook, started by pulling out the food processor and slicing potatoes and onions.  Then we made up a roux and my version of a béchamel sauce using whole milk, herbs and spices, and some cheese.  All this went into the crockpot making it a pseudo Sheppard's pie.
Then we roasted a head of garlic in the oven.  In the food processor we put in garbanzo beans, garlic, tahini paste, spices and olive oil.  We made our own roasted garlic hummus. 


I know exactly what went into our meal.  No preservatives.  No additives.  And 95% of it all was organic, Non-GMO.  Does it cost a little extra at the store, yes.  But do you pay for it now or pay for it later in medical bills and prescriptions.


Just Eat Real Food!     

Stay safe and be prepared

     As a firefighter, I was taught to always carry a knife, screwdriver, door chock, flashlight and a short section of rope in my gear AT ALL TIMES. Over the years, I added to that list vise grips and a shove knife and also added a truck belt or "bail out" belt. I put a small tool pouch on the belt for all these handy items.

     Now I am retired. I carry a few of these items in my truck  I also carry an extinguisher and a small trauma bag. 

     But, every day, no matter what, I always carry a knife in my pocket. I was at a formal dinner last night and yes, I had my knife. For you NCIS fans like me: Gibbs rule #9: Always carry a knife.  I usuallly use it for cutting food for my kids while we are out and about. Because of that, I always keep it clean.  

     Stay safe out there and always be prepared. 

"Maybe it's not too late"..."and forget how to hate"

Lyrics from "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne, "Maybe it's not too late.  To learn how to love.  And forget how to hate." 
     Although I attended a Catholic school from Kindergarten to 8th grade, I am not a religious person.  But I just feel there is too much "hate" in the world.  This is why I am teaching my 6 year old that "hate" (and "stupid") are words we do not say.  It's OK to not like something, but hate is a pretty strong word and I really wish people, especially kids, would stop using it to describe their feelings toward something or worse, someone. 
     The same goes for the word "stupid".  When did calling an inanimate object, like your cell phone or computer "stupid" when it is not performing the way you want it to.

Social Media Frustration part 1

I help admin a few Facebook pages and groups.  I am also a part of several other Facebook Groups, some for selling items like a "yard sale" group and some meant for spouses to communicate and ask questions.  But I continually see people on the "yard sale" pages start a post with "Not Yard Sale Related, but..."  Then find the right page to put it on!  It's a yard sale page!

But, the other one is people asking questions like phone numbers and opening times of businesses or offices.  Wouldn't it be easier...and faster...to just Google it rather than log into Facebook, post the question on a group and wait for someone else to answer?  GOOGLE IT!