When we were up north (more stories of that time to follow, eventually-I needed time to decompress/process), we had Indian food, tried Moxie (sp?) soda, and had hummus in a few variation. I also tried a new cooking method for chicken that turned out pretty yummy. So, I think we did well for two weeks!

Now that we’re back home, I had to think of something new again. I picked up more asparagus (and hopefully will cook it so it doesn’t go bad), fresh plums and peaches, and … an eggplant. I’ve always been afraid of eggplant.

I asked friends for a few ideas, and liked some of them. Most suggested Eggplant Parmesan … but I don’t particularly like Chicken Parmesan, so I wasn’t keen on that idea.

I came up with the idea of eggplant fries & thought it sounded good, and one of my friends said he’s made them that way and loved them. I didn’t like that they needed to be breaded though, so I hesitated on making it. Then, I thought maybe I’d make eggplant spaghetti - just substituting eggplant for the meat in the sauce. I still think that would be good, so we’ll save it for another month.

Then, today, I had a stroke of genius. I turned it into something I’m comfortable with! EGGPLANT TACOS!

I LOVE TACOS. Plus, they’re easy. PLUS, they are HEALTHY! WIN, WIN, WIN!!

So, here’s my recipe:

1 Eggplant
2 carrots
1 onion
garlic (to taste)
chili powder (Mexene is preferred, of course!) 1-2 Tbsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp
S&P to taste
Adobo seasoning (to taste)
1 bell pepper (i used yellow for brightness)
Refried beans (if you like)
Shredded Cheese
Tortillas
Olive oil

1. Place small amount of oil in pan, add chopped/diced onions and carrots. Saute until onions are translucent and carrots are tender. Add garlic to taste, continue to cook down.
2. While onion & carrot mixture is cooking, peel, slice, and dice your eggplant.
3. Remove onion, carrot, garlic mixture from pan; put a small amount of olive oil in the pan, then add eggplant to cook down until translucent (white meaty parts mean eggplant is not cooked!). Salting the eggplant a little helps release the liquids.
4. Slice bell pepper, heat refried beans (or any other bean, actually) while eggplant is cooking.
5. Mix onion, carrot, & garlic mixture into cooked eggplant. Add chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and Adobo seasoning. Continue to cook until well blended.
6. Steam tortillas, then build tacos!

My perfect tacos were:
Tortilla, light spread of refried beans, 3 slices of yellow bell, eggplant mixture, small amount of shredded cheese, heaping spoonful of Rotel (I would have used fresh tomatoes and peppers, but I was done with the slicing and dicing,a already!). DELICIOUS!

They would have been just as yummy with lettuce/spinach leaves/other greens and some sour cream (or, as I’ve been using lately, Greek yogurt). But honestly, they were perfect exactly as I had them. Hot, cool, crispy, soft, sweet, and spicy were all in each bite. Perfect.

This is what I call a successful experiment in facing fears.

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And then, she got around to the BIG NEWS.

My father’s three best friends have been his best friends for a long, long time. Clay is a mean SOB, but sweeter than pie to all of us. Cleve has always been the jolly, happy guy who wraps you up in a big hug and makes everything better. Roger was always a little bit of a trouble maker, a pot-stirrer, and never really wanted much out of life.

A few years back (when I still lived down south), Roger had a car accident. The other driver died a few days later, and Roger was charged with a DUI. I never understood the specifics. My (step)Mama thought he’d be able to fight the charges and win, since he wasn’t tested right away. Regardless, he was sent to prison (I don’t think he really fought the charges … which is never a good thing, especially when what you’re being accused of isn’t exactly true). He’s been there for a few years now. My Dad goes to visit whenever he can. One recent trip, he came home and told (step)Mama that Roger (who was ALWAYS overly skinny - he was maybe 130 lbs sopping wet) looked thinner, paler, and was really shaky. She immediately pointed out that she thought his cancer was back (he’d fought off bladder cancer a couple of years earlier). Roger then broke his leg, and again she told Roger to tell them about the cancer. They went in and fixed the leg … and found the cancer themselves. It had spread to his hips and legs, and up into his lungs. He’s going to parole board soon, and hopefully he’ll be allowed to come home for his last few months. I won’t be there to see him, but Dad and (step)Mama can take care of him (Or at least HELP take care of him). His mother is going to be devastated … as are the rest of us, actually. He’s an integral part of all of our lives. Daddy already lost a wife, plus several siblings and siblings-in-law to cancer. This is so cruel!

Then, Uncle Clay and Daddy noticed that Uncle Cleve was being really ornery and rude, pissing people off left and right. This wasn’t normal behavior, so they decided to confront him and have him hash it out with them so he could feel better. They received more than they’d bargained for: Uncle Cleve is also dying, of cancer.

That’s it. This is three, right? It can stop now?

(For those of you not already in the loop, my friend JP called several days ago and told me he had terminal cancer. A few days later, he took his own life, in order to ensure he died peacefully and placed as little burden as possible upon his family and close friends. He threw a big party, first, and took the time to tell people what they meant to him. Not that I agree with his final method, I think he handled things beautifully. It was still very upsetting.)

If I manage to get a job and a car before Christmas, I’ll be going home in the hopes that both Uncle Cleve and Uncle Roger are still around for me to hug and love on.

Cancer’s a bitch. I want to cut her out of my life, but she keeps coming back.

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Right now, there is a REAL tragedy happening. All across the Gulf, wildlife is being destroyed by the thousands of gallons of oil that are being spilled into the beautiful deep blue green waters many of us have come to know and love. All along the coastline, the soft sugar white sand of our beaches is being coated in an ugly brown, slimy substance. Our wildlife preserves are being destroyed.

Seeing the photos brings a catch to my breath, tears to my eyes. Hearing the stories of those who are trying to rescue every living being possible is enough to send a person into a coma-like depression.

And yet … I rarely hear the word “tragedy” in reference to this disaster. Yes, it is a man-made disaster. Yes, humans are suffering too - our livelihoods are threatened, even more so since the economy had already reduced tourism and small businesses drastically. But it is not for the human race I feel the most sympathy. I feel for the furry, feathery, scaly races. The self-housed, flying, crawling folk. The floating, swimming, burrowing kind. The ones who did not choose, and could not prevent, the oil rig.

The damage that has, is, and will be done to the Gulf, the coastlines, and the beautiful gifts Nature bestowed upon us is tragic.

I had hoped to see big names raising arms in outcry, pulling together to raise money with benefits, and digging in to “git-r-done” (as Larry the Cable Guy would say). I had hoped to see news stories on what could be DONE, how everyone across the nation (and the world) could HELP, and where people could go to AID.

Instead, the focus is on who is to blame, what has been tried, and what isn’t possible. I heard there was a telethon on Larry King Live (I’m unsure - I tried to record it, since I wasn’t home but all I got was a talk show). That’s great. It aired on ONE channel - at least, that’s the only channel I saw the description pop up. What happened to interrupting Primetime TV to bring people together across the nation (and world)? What happened to UNITED?

I’ve done what I can from where I sit in my place in life - which, admittedly, isn’t nearly as much as I’d like. I know others who have done the same. I can only hope that our combined efforts will save some small part of our paradise …

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That said, the comments you can view on yesterday’s post are the ones that came from people who weren’t spending their time ridiculing me and telling me that I am twisting my daughter’s mind and trying to make her a clone of myself. If any of the people who think I’m trying to clone myself knew my daughter, they’d know I would have to give that up as a lost cause immediately, because she’s far more like my sister - which is a good thing. I love that my daughter is independent and yet still trusts me. I raised her that way intentionally. I’m independent, but don’t necessarily trust my parents. It is a sad way to live, but one born of necessity.

I also received emails, text messages, twitter-and-plurk responses, and private messages on FB. I loved most of the responses, and enjoyed the viewpoints all of you shared (as long as you weren’t attacking me - those I ignored).

I honestly don’t “restrict” much of what she sees when she’s WITH me, because I like her being exposed in my presence, so if she has questions or concerns, she can get the answers directly from me. I realized a long time ago that if I planned on letting her have a life, she was going to be exposed to things I thought were too “old” for her, whether I wanted her to be or not. There were certain “kids” movies that I preferred she wait til she was 5 or 6 to see, but she was watching them at her friends’ houses at 3 years old. I didn’t want to introduce horror and creepy sci-fi movies into her life until she was 8 or 9, but my (step)Dad had her addicted to them when she was 5 years old.

She heard White & Nerdy before she heard the original, and it cracked her up. When I told her it was a parody, she asked what that meant, so I showed her a couple of parodies he had done when I was in high school. She enjoyed them, and they made her laugh, so she’s definitely more interested.

What worries me about some of that music is 1) she’s hearing it AWAY from me, so I cannot impart my concerns as she’s being exposed and 2) I do not necessarily think she needs to OWN it just because she’s heard it elsewhere. She spends more time under my or my BFF’s care than any other, so as long as she’s listening to “approved” music during those times, she’s being influenced by positivity more often than not.

We’re all exposed to things that we don’t necessarily think are “good.” We can’t control the world. My only intent is to increase her awareness, surround her more with beauty than destruction, and give her a chance in life to appreciate things that have meaning and spread joy, rather than cause pain and are filled with nonsense.

xoxo

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Up til now, I haven’t been disappointed in the music she listens to … up til now, it was mostly influenced by what I bought, encouraged, or suggested. Even the music she picked up from listening to the radio was fairly innocent and positive. Up til now.

Now, her friends all carry their iPods and THEY are allowed to buy whatever they want - explicit, disgusting, whatever. THEIR parents don’t seem to care. Or maybe they just don’t know. Either way, I’m worried.

The list I got today has thrown me for a loop. One or two of the songs, I recognize. The rest, I decided to look up lyrics to see what they were about, because I knew I wouldn’t enjoy listening to most of it. I looked up the lyrics to three songs, and I am ready to cry.

So, I need help from all of you - friends and strangers alike. I’m going to put the list of songs here … and I’d like for YOU to suggest some music she might enjoy that IS NOT about sex, treating women like shit, doing drugs, or the “gangsta” lifestyle. I know some of these songs are perfectly innocent and acceptable - I just haven’t read all the lyrics yet - but I simply CAN NOT read the lyrics to any more songs today. The three I read, I am NOT allowing her to purchase until she’s 18 and can make the decision for herself. Maybe I’m being a prude here. I don’t care. I was shocked, and I’m upset. Maybe I’ll calm down later … I don’t know.

I have already admitted that I don’t listen to the radio much. Therefore, I know there are probably similar styled artists out there who have music with positive messages and encouraging lyrics. Please help!!

Maybe I’m getting old. Maybe I’m old-fashioned. Maybe I’m just a fucking loser. Whatever. She’s THIRTEEN and doesn’t need to be listening to some of this crap, as far as I’m concerned.

On a side note - I asked her about these songs. She likes them for the music itself, and doesn’t even know most of the lyrics. When I asked her about certain words I’d consider at least somewhat explicit, she didn’t even know what they meant or what they were referring to - they were just words filling up space as far as she was concerned. I know I myself rarely understand what a song is about unless I think about it, and I rarely think about it … although truth be told, I prefer romance sweetness to anything hard or edgy. This being the case, most of what I listen to is far from the degrading crap I read today.

The songs she listed:
Forever Young - Jay-Z
My Chick Bad - Ludacris & Nicki Minaj
Bed Rock - Young Money
Lollipop - Lil Wayne
I Made It (Cash Money Heroes) - Kevin Rudolf
Money to Blow - Birdman
Live Your Life - T.I.
Whatever You Like - T.I.
Baby - Justin Bieber
Low - Flo Rida
Alejandro - Lady Gaga
White & Nerdy - Weird Al Yankovic AND
Ridin’ - Chamillionaire (Weird Al was always benign … is he still? Do I have to worry about his parodies?)
Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz
Alice - Avril Lavigne
Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart - Alicia Keys
Let Me See Your Hips Swing - Savage
Heartbreak Warfare - John Mayer
I Can’t Believe It - T-Pain
I wanna Love You - Akon
Rokstarr album by Taio Cruz (I’ve admittedly never heard of this artist/band … no clue what kind of music is on the album.)
Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
All the Right Moves - OneRepublic
Collide - Howie Day
Fire Burning - Sean Kingston

Let it Rock - Kevin Rudolf
Tie Me Down - New Boz
American Boy - Estelle
Sexy Bitch - David Guetta (seriously, child???)
Whatever You Like - T.I.
Beautiful - Akon
Love Like This - Natasha Beddingfield
Crush - David Archuleta
If We Ever Meet Again - Timbaland
Collide - Howie Day
Differences - Ginuwine
So Sick - Ne-Yo
Live Your Life - T.I.
Got Money - Lil Wayne
Right Now - Akon
Eenie Meenie - Justin Beiber/Sean Kingston
Can’t Believe It - T-Pain
The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
Troublemaker - Akon & ?
Kiss Me Through the Phone - Soulja Boy
Right Round - Flo Rida
Apologize - One Republic
Your Love Is My Drug Ke$ha
Shadow of the Day - Linkin Park

I’ll Be - Edwin McCain

I didn’t ever think parenting was easy. I just didn’t ever think I’d need to worry over such silly things as MUSIC. Movies, I can watch WITH her and answer her questions, talk about the scenarios …

Music, I don’t always understand … and her prime listening hours are when she’s AWAY from me. When we’re together, we’re typically talking or doing something, and music just isn’t a big part of our lives.

Bah, humbug.

Thanks for any input (either referencing the meaning of THESE songs or suggesting other songs) you offer!

xoxo

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Meggan & Joe recently had a beautiful son, Ashton (April 4th). Unfortunately, they didn’t get to enjoy the first few weeks of his life because he had some very scary things going on. Ashton was transferred to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital the next morning, while poor Meggan was still recovering in the hospital where she delivered. Over the next 2 weeks, I watched their Facebook pages like an eagle, seeing updates about how Ash had thrown up blood, was having “brady” episodes (I’m not sure what they are, and I didn’t ask questions at the time), and about how he needed an endoscopy and echocardiogram.

Little Ashton was finally able to go home on April 19th (YAY!), and everyone breathed a little easier. It wasn’t until today, though, when I saw this update, “took Ashton to the cardiologist today. He was given a clean bill of health and they discontinued his heart monitor and there are no follow up appointments! Yay!” that I felt like I could truly celebrate for Joe & Meggan.

xoxo

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So, Happy birthday, sweet Kaitlyn. We love you and all of your pink princessness, and hope you have the best 5th year EVER!

xoxo

This cake took Christy less than an hour - she’s getting better and better! And Kaitlyn LOVED it. Plus, it was strawberry. YUM!

On another note, yesterday I completed day 2 of the 30D(S)Challenge. I felt great immediately afterward … but then as the day wore on I was increasingly sore. By last night, I couldn’t move. Seriously. I was on my big, comfy chair, I had put away the dinner stuff, cleaned up a little bit … and was going to sit and watch TV for a couple of hours before bed. At about 2 a.m., I realized I was tired … but couldn’t get motivated to move. Every time I tried, my muscles screamed and stabbed me. HARD. So, I relaxed back into the chair, and decided to watch one more show. Then, one more. By then, it was nearly 4:30, and I knew I should get up, so I lay back & closed my eyes, willing myself to gather my strength.

I woke up at 7 a.m. in a very painful, awkward position. Apparently, I had TRIED to curl up into my chair, but my cats had gotten in the way, so I worked myself around them. And got stuck. I got up (slowly, painfully…) and moved to my bed, and promptly passed out, again. I didn’t move til 9 a.m., when my (triplet Mom) friend sent a text to say the babies are sick, and she was on the way to the doc with little Pop (Sophie). I rolled over, grabbed a book I’ve been trying to finish since last month, and read. Until Christy sent a text saying she’d be over soon.

Yes, I know I should have exercised. I couldn’t. Seriously. My muscles are just now loosening up, and it is 3:30 in the afternoon! Tonight, though, when I get home from helping Christy with the daycare, I will Shred it up. And then I think I need to do some extra stretching. In fact, we’re looking for my Yoga DVD now, because I’m stealing it back … yoga should help me loosen up a bit. I hope. I can’t feel like this again tomorrow!

And no, I’m not whining. I’m actually laughing at myself. I’m bummed out that my Shred partner has backed out and is doing other stuff … but I’m still gonna Shred, regardless. I know it is giving me more of a workout than the other things I could be doing, and in the long run, I know I’m going to meet my goals! I just hope tomorrow I don’t feel like such a wimp! *grins*

I hope all of my 30D(S)C partners are exercising, and enjoying their exercise! I know if you’re not used to it, you’re probably hurting too. I also know that if I can do it - and I’m obese and a very lazy person - then you can, too!

xoxo

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My sleep schedule is WAY off, as you all may have noticed. I went to bed about 5 am, woke up at noon, exercised at 2:30-ish. Tomorrow I will have to try to wake up earlier, because I have a standing appointment with BFF (Story time at the library with the Daycare, lunch, and Wal*Mart). I am fairly certain I’ll end up exercising later in the night, but I am hoping I can motivate myself to get it out of the way first thing, instead.

Anyone who wants to join can still take a peek here for the basic information, and send me an email! It doesn’t matter when your 30 days begins, all that matters is that you make the choice and stick to it!

So, I am going to drink some more water, take an Advil so I don’t wake up incredibly sore, curl up on the couch for some TV time, and try to be in bed by about midnight.

Happy Shredding, everyone!

xoxoxo

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Our Girl Scouts have been active in community service this year, more than previous years. They have “adopted” a local retirement home, and go once a month to do arts and crafts activities with the residents. We love that the girls really enjoy this service, and look forward to it every month.

A few months ago, a friend of mine developed a foundation - Layers of Love - that donates fleece blankets to the Cooper Cancer Institute, where her father is receiving chemotherapy treatments. I knew, immediately, that this is something our girls would be excited about. I cannot think of anyone who hasn’t been close to someone who has been affected by cancer, at the very least. Most of the people I know have been affected directly, if not afflicted themselves.

In 2005, both my (step)Mother and Aunt died of cancer, just months apart.

In 2008, my best friends NEW BORN BABY was diagnosed with cancer.

In each of their fights, I agonized over not being able to do enough, ever, for the person fighting. Nor could I do enough for the family and friends, who were also affected by the pain.

I always wanted to do more, be more, give more … but I did not know how, or where to start, or what to give. I admire people like Adele, who not only WANT to do more, but also put that want into action. She’s incredibly proactive, and I admire her spirit, strength, and capacity to give everyone in her life exactly what they need. I don’t know how she does it, but she is the epitome of ROLE MODEL.

When Adele (my nickname for her) began spreading the word about her foundation, I brought it immediately to my daughter’s GS Troop Leader (who also happens to be my BFF). She was as excited as I, and we immediately began making plans to make blankets with the girls when she officially became Leader (and I, co-Leader).

I began go get a little worried about whether we would be able to make it happen or not, because we kept having to cancel GS meetings due to illnesses, scheduling conflicts, and interference with holidays (mainly, spring break). We became slightly frustrated, but kept the blanket idea at the top of our list. We were determined to not only make blankets for Layers of Love, but also to eventually make MORE blankets to donate to Sacred Heart in Pensacola, where Seralyn (Baby S) received her chemotherapy treatments (and spent the majority of her first year of life).

FINALLY, last week things all fell into place. We had a meeting set up, we needed a craft to complete during said meeting, and the no-sew fleece blanket kits were on sale at the fabric store! We excited made a short day trip down to the next town over, and purchased EIGHT kits. We walked down the aisles, seeing one pattern after another that caught our eye (cheerful, cheerful, cheerful!), picking up one blanket, replacing another, and picking up three more. We finally had to stop ourselves when we hit eight, because we knew we’d also have to budget in shipping, plus we wanted the girls to be able to complete the blankets in one meeting.

Friday, I spent the afternoon doing the prep work for the blankets - matching the two pieces of fabric up back-to-back, cutting the 7″ squares out of the corners, drawing lines for the girls to cut the strips (which they would then tie). I recruited my daughter (who is one of the Girl Scouts) and BFF’s teenage daycare charge to help me, and we managed to get the blanket kits prepped, folded, and packed for the meeting right on time!

The Girl Scouts were then in charge of cutting the strips and tying them together, being careful not to cut any of the strips off, and to match them up properly so the blankets didn’t end up twisted and short!

They all had such a blast with this project, it was a real joy for everyone involved. We were pleased the girls were able to complete all eight blankets, and the girls were pleased that the blankets were going to such a wonderful cause!

Thank you Adele and Layers of Love for providing a way that we can all help, one blanket at a time!

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However, if you want to join in on the fun, feel free to
email/text/private plurk/twitter DM/facebook post/message me. If you read this blog, you more than likely already have another method of reaching me. You can also post a comment on this blog post, or the blog page.

Here’s how it is going to work:

I have set up a blog page to keep track of our stats. Participants can sign up for their own tickers here, and send me the link(s). You’ll be in charge of updating your information, unless you specifically ask me to do it for you. (In that case, I’ll need your pin to make the changes for you.)

THE CHALLENGE IS SIMPLE: Exercise 20 minutes a day for 30 days in a row.

Easy, right? Well, for those of us who aren’t all that comfortable with exercise, or who are prone to depression, or who are lazy by nature, or who get busy and set things aside … not so much. I fall into ALL of the categories listed, by the way.

To make it easier for everyone involved (except for myself, as is typical), I have also set up profiles at My Fitness Pal and SparklePeople.com. If you don’t want to participate in my 30 Day (Shred) Challenge, but do want to join up on one of those two websites, feel free to friend me once you have your profile set up.

So, get set up! Send me your ticker tracker information, set up your profiles (if you want them), and get your gear ready. Tomorrow (Tuesday, 4 May 2010) is the FIRST DAY OF EXERCISE!

WOOT! WOOT!!

xoxoxox

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