RSS
 

Archive for September, 2008

What did you just say???

23 Sep

I just had this conversation with my 2 year old.  Seriously. I heard a rude noise coming from his general vicinity and asked what it was. “Butt.” was the answer he gave as he patted his diapered rear. I should probably give him kudos for telling the truth…most people would probably try to play it off, though there was nobody else around to blame.  I guess that’s what I get for asking!

Being surrounded by boys tends to be an interesting experiment for me.  My mom was always very lady-like and kept some semblance of decency in our household.  And while I’m not opposed to the occasional toilet humor I find that it’s a constant thing at our house between a 2 year old, a 5 year old, and a 30something who tends to be pretty juvenile sometimes.  I can only hope that the arrival of our little girl will curb it somewhat, as well as some of the other behaviors I could do without.

Like walking into the living room and finding my 2 year old with his jeans around his ankles, his diaper pulled down to his knees, sitting with a naked behind right on my hardwood floor and playing with a part of his anatomy that I’d rather not see in the living room.  I knew it started early, but it’s not really a conversation you can have with a kid that young.  I still find myself constantly asking the 5 year old to keep his private parts private in public areas of the house…seriously, will they ever learn a sense of modesty???

 
No Comments

Posted in Family, Parenting

 

It’s election time again!

22 Sep

Are you registered to vote?  The deadline for North Carolina is 10/10.  You can also do one stop early voting after that and get registered and vote at the same time if necessary.  (That’s just in NC, though!  If you live somewhere else, find your state’s Board of Elections website and get info there.)  If you aren’t a fan of either Obama or McCain, you can always vote third party.  The more people who do so, the more chance there is of viable 3rd party candidates in the future.  And while I am enthusiastic about my chosen candidate this year, I have not been too thrilled over my choices in the past.  It would have been nice to have a 3rd choice.  I wish I’d done that in the past 2 elections!

It looks like NC is short on 3rd party candidates (I checked the list on the SBOE website…you should be able to do the same for your state) but Bob Barr is represented as the Libertarian candidate and there are a few “qualified write-ins” you could choose from.  If Obama/Biden or McCain/Palin isn’t your cup of tea you can research the others and find the one who most closely aligns with your politics.

Don’t rely on email forwards or attack ads to learn what the candidates’ platforms are.  Visit the websites of each candidate, including 3rd party.  Read what their personal plans involve.  Find non-biased news sources…no, Fox News is not non-biased, though I’m sure most would argue that the NY Times isn’t, either. ;)   Just keep an open mind.  You may be surprised.

No candidate will be perfect.  You’re looking for the person who best represents your values.  And it’s always good to remember that the president’s influence can only extend so far…as much as I like to blame the country’s woes on our current leader, I know that it’s not all his fault.  He didn’t get us into this mess without help from a lot of different places, including individuals like you and I.

If you’re still having a hard time, try using online quizzes to help you choose a candidate.  Most will focus only on the big two, but it may give you an idea of where your true political center lies.  Here’s some I’ve tried.  Some of them surprised me, but they all reinforced my decision in the end.

ABC News: Match-O-Matic

Select a Candidate Quiz

VoteChooser.com

SelectSmart…this one includes 3rd party choices.

I don’t think it’s a secret where my affiliation lies.  And while I’d love it if you voted for my guy, I think it’s more important to push people to vote.  Make your voice heard.  That’s really all any of us can do…

 
No Comments

Posted in News/Current Events, Politics/Government

 

Apologizing in advance…

21 Sep

You may notice some google ads on either side of my posts here.  I do not know if this will help us at all…right now it’s just an experiment.  I have no control over what’s shown, so if there’s something offensive or disturbing, let me know.  I’ve tried to set it up to blend in as much as possible so they’re not too “in your face.” If you want more info about AdSense, click here.  I’m using a plugin to display them, and once I’ve gotten more of a feel for it and how useful it is I may add details on my Resources page.  In the meantime, let me know if there are any problems.  I’ve seen one already but I can’t get it to repeat consistently so for now I’m hoping it’s just a random glitch.

I’m also needing to update my blogroll.  If you’re not on there and would like to be, please comment and let me know!  I know there are some people linked to me that I’ve forgotten to add.

 
1 Comment

Posted in Blog Info

 

Italian Sausage & Bean Soup

21 Sep

We’re making this for dinner tomorrow and I had to search all over the place to find my recipe!  So I’m copying it here in the hopes that I don’t lose it again.  This is great for a cool fall or winter day.  It makes a ton and it’s relatively inexpensive.

Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

3 (28 oz) cans stewed tomatoes (at least 1/2 should be whole tomatoes)
2 (16 1/2 oz) cans baked beans
2 (16 oz) cans green beans
1 1/2 lb mild or hot Italian sausage
1 lg onion
1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp salsa (medium or hot)

Slice the onion and cut the slices in half. Brown the sausage w/ the onions
until cooked. Chop the sausage up as it cooks so it has a loose consistency.
Drain sausage and put into pot.

Put the stewed tomatoes into the pot and break up the whole ones w/ your
hands. Drain the green beans and chop them into smaller pieces. Pour the
green beans and baked beans into the pot. Add the Italian seasoning and
salsa. Heat on high or medium high until bubbly, then cover and simmer on
low for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally.

One batch makes approximately 15 servings.
__________________________________________________________
My variation!

***I buy all diced tomatoes…I just can’t bring myself to put my hands in
and break up the whole ones!
***I put the onion in my food processor and chop it into really tiny pieces.
I hate onion and this way I don’t get a big piece in my mouth! I also put
the cooked sausage into the food processor so the sausage is sure to be in
small pieces. Works like a charm!
***I actually use 2 pounds of sausage…1 lb mild and 1 lb hot. To combat
the extra sausage, I add an 8 oz can of tomato sauce and 8 oz of water. That
way it doesn’t get too thick.
***I put it all in my Crock-Pot on low for about 5 hours. Let me say,
though, that you need a BIG Crock-Pot to do this! I think mine is 6.5
quarts, and it’s completely full! You definitely need a good sized stock pot
if you choose to do it on the stove.

 
No Comments

Posted in Food/Recipes, House/Home

 

The irony is almost painful.

20 Sep

I was thinking last night that if I was only a bank or investment firm that things would be OK. And then I saw this cartoon in today’s paper.

I’m no politician.  I have no idea what the answer is.  But I DO know that it sucks to see the government tossing billions of dollars at Wall Street while I have to wait 5 weeks to even apply for WIC.  My husband worked hard but we’ve had terrible luck with multiple layoffs over the past 7 years.  We’ve never once taken help.  From the government or anyone else.  But now that we need it, we can’t get it.  I am pretty sure that the WIC wouldn’t amount to more than $100 a month, but it’s going to be over 5 weeks before we can even apply.  After that, I have no idea how long it will take to actually receive benefits.

Whatever.  Actually, my positive and hopeful mood remains.  But the irony of that comic and the insanity of it all had me laughing this morning.

In the meantime, the weather is beautiful, there’s a little chill in the air, and my beloved Volunteers play our biggest rivals today.  So I’m going to get myself and the kids dressed, find some free fun for a while, and then come in and hopefully watch the Florida Gators get crushed!

 
No Comments

Posted in News/Current Events, Politics/Government

 
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »