The Snack That Haunted Me

**This has been sitting in the vault since July for some reason...




On my very first trip to Puerto Rico as a young girl there were so many new experiences.  A new culture, new places, new relatives, and of course, new food. 

I remember going to visit some of our relatives who lived up high on a mountain side.  Complete with a fence part of the way down so that if you fell you couldn't roll too far.  Or at least that's why I thought it was there.

I remember our hostess, who I think was a cousin of some sort, being very pretty and she served us the most incredible snack.  Which made me like her even more. *grin*

It made such an impression on me that I have wished I could have more of it ever since then.  It truly has crossed my mind several times a year for the past 20+ years.  What was in that snack?

One day recently I was trying to decide what to have for a snack for the kids and I thought of that elusive snack again.  If only I could replicate that snack, then they would rise up and call me blessed.

I thought about it and decided to go ahead and just use some ingredients that I thought looked like it.  Crackers, tuna fish, and salsa. 

It did not sound very appealing to me.  Not to mention the fact that I am very picky about tuna fish. I was hesitant to take my first bite.  But when I did a party took place in my mouth.  That was it!  Or at least it was close enough for my memory's sake. 

So simple and it had been right in my cupboard for years.

This really is a yummy snack and it could even pass as part of a light lunch.  I just can't believe that it took me this long to figure it out. 

If You Were A Fly On The Wall...

in the last 48 hours, you would have witnessed:

• Samuel dressed to go outside in his coat, underwear, and flip flops
• me having to hold Abigail with my legs and one arm in order to administer her breathing treatments for pneumonia...every 4 hours
• 4 loads of clean laundry on my couch
• 4 loads of dirty laundry by the washing machine
• 4 days of dirty dishes in/on the sink, counter, and kitchen table
• and a partridge in a pear a tree..oops, wrong post
• Abigail running out the back door naked
• a woman at the park giving me a mean look because Abigail ran out the back door naked
• the boys killing over 30 flies that are invading our house (gross!)
• good thing you weren't a fly on the wall, eh
• me discovering that Caleb was wearing shoes one and a half sizes too small
• me having to ask someone to repeat very simple directions twice because it was just not registering
• me discovering that Samuel was wearing his pants backward, at 2:00 pm, after we had been in public
• and a whole host of other head shaking things that all lead to one thing...
• me calling on Jesus a whole lot

Cell Phone Radiation

For the record, I'm not an expert. I just play one on television.

So glad to have that off my chest.

Every once in a while I've heard snippets about radiation and cell phones, but nothing much to really make me question the truth of it. I mean, surely, the government and corporate America have our best interests in mind right? 

Right?

*Tap, tap, tap*  Is this thing on?

Between a recent conversation with my mom and a book I was reading, the topic has really been percolating in my brain. And a percolating brain can be a dangerous, dangerous thing.  (Side note - the book is Sex, Lies, and Menopause by T.S. Wiley- contact me if you would like to know more about the book, I recommend it with some reservations.)

The first time I began to question the effects of cell phone usage was this past fall when Richie attended a teacher in-service session on alternative health remedies. The leader of the class touched very briefly on cell phones and how they have been connected to bone loss on individuals who wore their phones on their belts or in the pockets. Without doing a lot of research, I found this article that pointed in that direction.

After doing a little digging (emphasis on little), I've found enough information to be concerned. It seems that researchers are just now being able to link some serious side effects with cell phone usage since it still remains a relatively "new" technology. A decrease in bone density, headaches, behavioral problems, benign and malignant tumors, soft tissue damage (think eyeballs, etc.), and lack of concentration are just a few of the side effects being linked to cell phone usage.

Having lived in the world of statistics and research before my retirement into the glamourous world of full-time homemaker, I cautiously digest what these studies are finding. I plan to keep looking for the actual studies to examine their findings for myself (if it isn't all scientific jargon), but in the meantime I'm going to be changing some of my phone habits.

• Stop carrying it in my pocket around the house.
• Try to only use my phone when I have a strong signal. A cell phone emits more radiation when the signal strength is low.
• Look into getting a good headset and use my speakerphone more often. There is some debate about which headsets protect against radiation.
• Monitor frequency and length of calls when the kids are on the phone. They aren't on that much, but I want to make sure their calls are kept brief or on speakerphone.

I'm really interested to see what develops as further research is done on this topic. I thought maybe (?) I wasn't the only one who was curious about the subject so I thought I'd share.

Here's a list of cell phone models ranked by radiation from EWG, whose organic Dirty Dozen list I've shared before. Find your cell phone and see how it ranks. Mine was in the upper middle.

Some Things Just Beg To Be Written

Out of extreme exhaustion...
Straight from the trenches...
Call it secondhand side effects of nebulized albuterol...
This is my gift to you.

You can thank me later.

Boogies, Boogies, Boogies

Boogies, boogies, boogies,
Boogies everywhere;
In your nostril, on a finger,
Maybe in your hair.

You never know what you'll get,
Yellow, green, or brown;
Some boogies stay put,
While others drip down.

Some are fresh,
Some are old,
Some like them in the pot
Nine days old.

Sticky, crusty, or gooey,
Boogies just the same,
Parents wipe them,
Kids hide 'em as a game.

Use a tissue,
Go ahead and pick,
Just whatever you do,
Please don't flick.

Do you roll it on your finger?
Does your mom suck out your brain?
Will they ever stop coming?
When can we get off this boogie train?

I'm drowning in boogies,
A living nightmare;
Boogies, boogies, boogies,
Boogies everywhere.

Lost

Item:  abandoned worshipper of God

Description:  passionate, bold;  may be freely dancing or singing, wielding a banner, or demonstrating some other form of physical adoration of the King

Last Seen:  on the straight and narrow path where betrayal, confusion, anger, and grief intersect

Other Information:  mistakenly exchanged for fear of man and rejection

If seen, please contact:  DES-PER-ATE1

Life With A Toilet Trained Tornado

The Good - Samuel simply goes to the bathroom when he needs to now.  No encouragement or prompting necessary.

The Bad - Samuel simply goes to the bathroom when he needs to now. Usually without letting me know. Which could lead to open bathroom doors at the library. Throw in a little boy grunting and all I can do is laugh. Of course, the lady reading in the chair right by the door was not smiling.

The Ugly - Samuel simply goes to the bathroom when he needs to know. Usually without letting me know. So I could be in the middle of something, like changing Abigail's diaper upstairs and laying her down for a nap, when he needs some assistance from me. I might decide to have him wait until I'm done. Which could lead to a bottle of lotion being smeared all over his body and the toilet. Throw in several bottles of nail polish being poured all over the floor and I have to dig deep to find my smile.

Samuel, you live life big, never doing anything halfway. Getting the most out of it you can.  I love that about you, even when there's a huge mess to clean up.

They Haven't Kicked Us Out

Yet.

Which is great news because we love the library. I mean love it. Like love love it.

If you're not utilizing your local library, you are missing out on a beautiful thing. If you homeschool and don't use your local library, then you need your head examined.

How's that for winning friends and influencing people? I think I have what it takes...

So, why would I consider the fact that our family is still allowed to patronize our library anything but normal? A good question that surprisingly does not involve outrageous late fees or ruined books.

I think.

And at any given visit it could involve loud children and running, but we've really been working on that.

Note: This post ended up longer than I thought it would so I'll have to share our other library stories another day...

It began many moons ago at one of their kids' book club meetings. The leaders of the club had decided they were all going to meet at a local park to observe wildlife after the regular reading time. A trip, by the way, that we were not joining. They were discussing this trip and talking about the things the children might do while enjoying nature there.

This would be about the time that my man cub piped up with the charming answer, "We could trap rabbits and kill them. Then we could use them for food."

In my defense...which does not include the fact that there are large rivers of testosterone flowing through this child...we had just finished reading The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare. A book in which a young boy is left to protect his family's homestead and fend for himself. A book where the young boy has to catch and kill his own food. It spoke to the inner survivor and provider dwelling inside my son.

And judging by the looks on the faces of the two volunteers, I needed a defense. They were visibly shaken by my son's answer. This might be a good time to mention that I don't think they have any sons between them. It might also be worth noting that I think they could be members of PETA.

Oh, and they happen to be more than slightly influential in our area. Especially when it comes to getting banned from children's activities in various venues across town. Wonderful...

One was speechless. The other vigorously disagreed, went into a speech about the importance of not harming animals, and quickly wrapped up the session.

I was already feeling a bit awkward because we were the only homeschoolers and these are the people we left choking on the dust at the elementary school as we embarked on our homeschooling journey. So naturally, I felt like they were already looking at me like I had two heads and leprosy. After that comment, I was upgraded to two heads, leprosy, and a pair of horns.

The funny thing is, it was their fault. After all, the book did come from their library. And they encourage children to read.

So, like a good mother, I graciously collected our things and we went home as planned.

Then I ordered two books about trapping rabbits in the wild.