Somethings Fishy!!

Watch this Atlanta report on the dangers of eating foreign fish !!    HERE

Definitely not cool!

For all mommies out there

"House work"  is really "family serving"  This blog portrays the right attitude.

 read here           Changing Lives - One laundry load at a time

....and if you do it right now, you will probably get some awesome adult children, like I have. All the personal sacrifices..... the biting your tongue when you really wanted to scream, the sticking to your family rules to teach them accountability, making them clean up there own messes (literal and figurative) to teach responsibility, the "new baby" and the "staying up late till the teens  get home" sleep deprivation, the family vacations with all disasters included, the "can't hear a thing at church cuz you're out in the foyer with a noisy one, the crazy hunt for perfect Christmas presents and all parents give each other is a knowing smile, attending all those sports events and actually 

watching when you'd rather be reading a book, the homework help, birthday parties, enduring sleep overs, (I wouldn't do those any more if I did had it to do over...seriously), the endless cleaning, the spilled everything, the driving, cooking, being on alert, ALLLLL OF IT!!!......TOTALLY worth it! 

There are huge pay days ahead along that will make up for the heart break days......and they will start giving you great presents that they had to hunt for, and they will be your friends, and they will give you grandchildren (there is a reason they are called grand) that will adore you that you can love  and have fun with and send home.

Every toilet that you cleaned, every nose you wiped, every sleepless night....TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

Here's my philosophy that got me through the homebound years and gave me a "I love my life" attitude:

 This is the life I chose...so learn to LOVE IT and enjoy it. 

I also learned that:

ALL THE FUN...AND ALL THE JOY LIES IN THE SECOND MILE!! Get really good at doing the things you must do,  home management, educating the young, decorating, cooking, child rearing...I found motivating books and classes that taught me how to do all of that and have fun doing it. 

To this day I have a son that really gets a kick out of organizing because he saw me having so much fun doing it and enjoyed helping me! (future wife..you may thank me later) A daughter picked up on my love for Montessori, another daughter is a great cook and cleaner (ok she didn't get a joy of cleaning from me but  other passions rubbed off. One is very entrepreneurial like her dad and loves fashion and photography like me.  SHARE YOUR PASSIONS. Let them see what mom has a kick out of doing.  It's not ALL about them!

Read the scriptures regularly (you will be blessed with more patience) and let the kids associate the scriptures with the sound of your voice. (RMN) 

In other words, read them scriptures to them along with story books.

Teach them that motherhood is the MOST important job and that you love this PART of your life - even though there are years that it will be your WHOLE life, every waking hour. 

Wow, this was going to be a little short post....but as you can still I am still very passionate about the fun of being a young mother. I miss it sometimes.....just love the season of your life...it doesn't last long....

and it really is ...

THE COOLEST THING!!

What businesses have increased during the recession?

I like  to keep a finger on the pulse of America. I think it's interesting to see where people's minds are at.  Here is a list of companies that have grown during the recession  (click on the slideshow) and one booming young company they didn't mention...

-products-that-boomed-during-the-recession.   and... (warning.....shameless plug)

knuckleheadsclothing.com

A great post on decorating

A great post here by littlegreennotebook on "how to decorate a bedroom in four weeks." She shows the  processes of conceptualizing, designing and shopping. It will be interesting to see the "after".

How to Thaw Meat

"whatever you do, don't zap meat in the microwave." says the owner of Lobel's butcher shop in NYC
"It cooks the meat from the inside out, which removes moisture, retains the freezer aftertaste, and leaves your meat gritty." Instead, he suggests (as do I) wrap your cuts in small resealable packages  (I like butcher paper wrapped over the bags to prevent burn)

... before you freeze them   - one steak, two pork chops. Then when dinner is just a couple of hours away and you haven't had time to thaw the main course in the refrigerator, soak it, bag and all in cold water for about two hours. Warm water is bad because the outside of the meat gets too warm and the inside won't thaw - not to mention the food-borne illness that can breed that way."

Individually freezing meat portions is key to flexibility in meals...in case of unexpected company or parent who feels unsatisfied after what the kids had for dinner and wants a steak! ( I am married to Mr Steak!)