CA Girl

It was a Girls Night Out! It was actually very impromptu. Earlier in the week, Rich had asked me how long it had been since I had a hair cut. I shrugged. "I think it was June." He said, "Okay, you are getting a haircut this weekend." I kind of stared at him for a minute before I asked how this was to happen. He is selling his PSP2 to a co-worker and said he would give me the money I would need to get my haircut. Cooool! Uh-oh...bad news. The salon I go to is now closed. Gosh darn times are hard! The only reason I new was because my mom's hair dresser called her and told her. She informed her where she is now, and that a lot of people from that salon now work at this other one. Well since I get a hair cut about every 3 to 6 months my hairdresser doesn't know me well enough to inform me of her whereabouts. So I decided I would go to the one my mom's hairdresser went to. It was even closer! A bit of a dramatic week. (see my previous posts) and

On Monday I asked "Why?" I spent the evening trying to answer it. I prayed for some way I could help and empower my children. And it just so happened that the very next day, Dr. Phil was doing a show on this very subject along with American Girl author, Patti Criswell. It was surely an answer to a prayer. My daughter and my extras watched with intent. I couldn't decide which was better. The fact that they were paying strict attention or the fact that there was this show to help kids deal with bullying. One thing Ms. Criswell taught was say this pledge: You can not take away my power! I like who I am!" So I wrote on the mirrors in my home: Nobody can take my power! I like who I am! But I still wondered what I could do to teach them that they have the power. I have done all the basic life skills, potty training(almost totally done!) tying shoes, riding bikes, all of these give children a wonderful gift. A gift that tells them that they can do something.

I discovered another blog this morning. I loved the title. Embracing the Chaos. I found it through Molly . How I love the title. I am not sure how I feel about embracing the chaos that is my life, but it is always nice to know that I am not the only one. It doesn't change the fact that I have chaos in my life, but it makes it a little easier. It's been a crazy couple of days for me. I found myself dreaming of the past when problems seemed simpler and I had the best solutions. The problem is you can't hang on to the past like that. There is nothing wrong with fond memories and warm fuzzy feelings, but you can't long for yesterday no matter what The Beatles say. So what do you do? I can look at pictures and say, "Oh I remember that! That was so much fun. I don't know if they remember it, but I do. They had a blast that day." This isn't to say it is all down hill from here. Certainly not. It's simply the scale of the drama changes. The

Why are kids so cruel? Why are they mean? Why must they torment those they don't even know! Why do they say horrible things to a person because they are smaller or have acne? Why do they single them out of ten or twenty other kids? Or do they just go through a roster of poor unsuspecting souls! I was picked on horribly, particularly in middle school. The assailants were usually girls. Ladies, why are girls soooo mean!? I digress. I have no memory of their names, or faces. I remember the torment and the feelings. I remember it right at this moment like it was yesterday. I otherwise, don't even care or think about it. What's even better is I seriously do not remember them. They are erased from my mind. What a blessing that is. And further more, I could give a rat's butt where they are now. They are nobody to me. So I have a question. How do you empower your child? How do you help them rise above and not let these nameless jerks get the better of them?

Time for another recipe. This one is actually Amish Yumasetta Meatballs. The recipe comes from a book called America Loves Hamburger By Linda West Eckhardt. Now I don't know about you, but I am not interested in forming all those meatballs. Plus, we all know the meat goes further if you simply brown it and serve spaghetti style! It's very tasty, easy to make and all my picky eaters eat it up. (BTW it was my mom's idea to make like spaghetti! Way to go Mom!) 1 pound ground beef 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/2 tsp brown sugar 1/4 cup fresh parsley or (1 to 1 1/2 TBSP of dried parsley) 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can cream of tomato soup 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar(mild or medium) 1 pound fetticune Brown the beef with onions. Add the remaining ingredients, except the cheese. Simmer for 2o minutes. Meanwhile prepare the noodles according to package directions. Add the cheese to the sauce after it has simmered for 20 minutes. Strain the noodles and add them to the sauce.