Mom to the Screaming Masses

Anyone Up For A Country Tune?

Because, seriously, if it weren't for bad luck the past three days, I'd have had no luck at all.

To whit:

• I had "situations" with three kids and school counselors
• I forgot to buy one kid the medicine he needed before I left
• My husband locked his keys in his car at the same time that
• My garage door opener broke
• which lead to my son trying to fix it and deleting all the codes
• which lead to us all being locked out of the house
• which meant I had to leave work in the middle of the shift
• which lead to my breaking in the house so that my kids could get in later after I'd left on my trip
• in time to answer the ringing phone telling me of fraudulent charges on my Debit card
• which lead to my card being closed
• two hours before I left to go out of town with no time to get to the bank
• which meant that I was traveling with $22, no toothbrush, one pair of underwear and the wrong socks - I left from work with no time to remedy said situation
• during a flight that was delayed for five hours, including more than 2 hours on the tarmac and a cat fight between two flight attendants and a gate supervisor and the captain had to get involved
• and I got a migraine which had me throwing up during the event which must not be named on this site (but I'll blog about it this weekend on Scrutiny) and sleeping in the ladies bathroom - I am SUCH a GREAT GUEST. I had said migraine for almost 36 hours.
• which lead me to eat junk food since it was the only thing that looked good,
• which caused me - due to dehydration from vomiting, excellent pharmaceuticals, lack of sleep and no good foods, including no vitamins - to developing a monster cramp in my calf during a WONDERFUL Muay Thai class and forced me to step out for the entire second half.
• Which means I'm going to soak in a hot tub and go to sleep and hope to attract better juju through good dreams.

Leaving On a Jet Plane

That would be me.

I've been invited to tour the Campbell's Soup Company headquarters and kitchens in New Jersey.  I'm up early, trying to pack my stuff in a carry on bag - because I never pack early and procrastinate enormously! - and pondering what, exactly, you'd have me ask of the higher ups there.  What have you always wanted to know about Campbell's, and their affiliates: Pace, Pepperidge Farm, Prego Spaghetti Sauce, Swanson broths and V8 beverages.  Want some info?  Leave your questions here.

I'll continue with the questions and answers later today and tomorrow. Wish me luck flying!

Explanations, Please

Intrepid RJ asks:  Have you finally wound down from the holidays?  Or are you already looking forward to Spring Break?  I think I've thought about a question (or ten) for you that you allude to on your Blog but never fully explain to idiots like me...  What is Blogher?  Is it a support network, a business opportunity, or what?  How long have you been an active member?  Since the beginning?  You seem to always have a speaking part at the seminars, what do you talk about?  How long is your time in the spotlight?  Who decides where the conferences are held?  Is there more than one a year?  Where do you plan on going to next?

Ha.  Winter break was good.  I purposely didn't do too much and tried to relax as much as I could, with the net result being that I was well rested when we returned to school.  I enjoyed my kids and they (mostly) enjoyed the break, so it was win-win for all of us. I'm looking forward to Spring Break for that same reason - I hope it doesn't rain the entire spring vacation as it did last year.  

Blogher.  What, indeed, is Blogher?

Making Life (Or At Least Mealtime) Easier, Volume Twenty

I love soup.  LOVE it. I'd eat it all the time if I could.  Sadly, my husband does not like soup.  He thinks it's a girly dish and doesn't feel it qualifies as a full meal - chili being an exception, as long as it is served with rice.  I mostly ignore him and serve soups anyway.

This soup is one of my favorites.  It's especially hearty and filling, and makes for a very good meal served with crusty bread.  Consider it for Super Bowl Sunday!

Spicy Cheeseburger Soup, recipe courtesy of Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups water
• 2 cups cubed peeled potatoes
• 2 small carrots, grated
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
• 2-1/2 cups milk, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 8 ounces process American cheese, cubed
• 1/4 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
    Stir in beef and 2 cups of milk; heat through. Combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Add cayenne if desired. Top with bacon just before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings (about 2 quarts).

Questions, Questions

Still working on the education question - it's a bit tough to do.  I'm trying not to hurt anyone's feelings, but, yo, that's hard.

The mysterious mhb asks:  What is the one food you would eat everyday if you could? OR What is your favorite restaurant?  

Oh, that's a tough one.  Probably Mexican food - but not spicy Mexican.  I'm such a delicate, tender flower that the chili peppers and such upset my stomach and I'm in much pain for the night.  I do, however, love chips, cheese, chicken, beef, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, tortillas - and any way those items are put together makes for an awesome meal.  Especially if it's accompanied by great Sangria, or other fruity, sweet alcoholic beverage.  I also love Ruth's Chris, for steaks - although, hello, very spendy! - and an Italian restaurant here locally.  I really like to eat out.  Or, maybe that's just that I like to eat.  So says my pants, anyway.

Fabulous Katie asks:  if you could give up one daily activity, other than work and child care...what would it be? 

It's not daily, but I am not in love with styling my hair.  I usually do it every third day, and the between days are just fluff and go, but the whole thing is a gigantic time suck.  I like how it looks, though, so I pony up the time and do it.  Going to the bathroom 100 kajillion times a day, thanks to the huge amount of water I drink, is also a great time waster I could do without.  Except, you know, I really don't know another way to pee. ;)

One more below the fold!

The Answer to The Great Moving Question

When I asked for questions, many of you asked me the same thing.  You wondered about my move, about  which I have been somewhat vague.  I've been vague on purpose, because the story isn't really my own, but rather it is my entire family's story and it's a matter of privacy and to some extent, pride.  I'm pretty open on this blog about things that directly relate solely to me - I could care less if you all know how much I weigh, what size pants I wear, my favorite sport or what'd I'd love to do on my alone time. I will gladly talk about depression, tell you when I spill coffee all over myself or kneel on my skirt in church and it falls down.  I'd be happy to tell you that I'd love to be on the Ellen show or the Bonnie Hunt show, and I tell you every time that my kids annoy me with their constant, and I do mean CONSTANT, fighting. I'll tell you the state of my bathrooms - dirty - and what meals I cook.

But the tale of WHY are we planning to move, and the particulars of the tale, affect other people, and there are always people here who love to post negative comments and screw with me, and since it affects my entire family, I've shied away from it. Plus, you know, it's kind of a personal thing, and since my entire extended family on both sides reads, my bosses read, my co workers and the teachers at my kids schools read - well, you can sort of see the quandry I'm in, n'est-ce pas?

In Which I Give Up Some Answers

The beautiful Melinda asks:  Where would you most like to vacation? Would you want to go alone, just with hubby, or with your entire family? (Or maybe those would be 3 separate vacations / destinations?) These are dream vacations, so real financial decisions not required!

The gorgeous Jennifer asks: I was exhausted like that and found out I was anemic. When is the last time you've had blood work done?

The splendiferous Sylvia asks:  How do you deal with your kids fighting? Sometimes I just want to lock mine in the closet because I can't stand the screaming anymore and I only have half as many kids as you do.
Also, why don't you ever faint from exhaustion? Where do you get the energy to make so many delicious meals? And, now that you will be moving, do you want to lock yourself in your pantry with a bottle of liquor? if I have to move again anytime soon I hope I find your strength to keep it together.

Answers below the line!

We Interrupt This Blog Post

For an important request.

I need to interview three parents for ideas on how they present and foster positive self image in their children, for publication in a magazine.

If you can answer this question, leave me a comment and I'll email you back post haste.  I'm coming up empty, so if you think AT ALL that you can help, please do so!

Anyone who has dealt with anorexia or bulimia is also needed.

Thanks!

Making Life (Or At Least Mealtime) Easier, Volume Nineteen

New posts up on Scrutiny By The Masses!

We took the kids roller skating today.  What a hoot that was - originally, I planned that I was NOT going to skate.  I wasn't in the mood, I wanted to take pictures, blah, blah blah.  My husband went out with the three younger kids - none of whom could even stand on the skates - picture three kids with all six legs going twelve different directions and my husband who CAN skate but hasn't in a while. After a while, I noticed that it was tough for him.  So I ponied up and put on some skates, and,uh, I am a good skater.  He had no idea. 

I'm tricky like that. My mom gave me and my sisters years of skate lessons.  I never forgot, but I also never shared. 

It was fun and good exercise and good to do something together as a family - minus the older boy - he was working.  Then we came home and I made a pot of chili for dinner - only it took longer than I thought so the kids had parmesan tilapia and we had chili later. I don't know about you, but it's C-O-L-D here and I love to have a hot bowl of soup curling it's way down into my belly.  This wonderful recipe comes courtesy of a very good friend of mine, who moved to WISCONSIN and is, I'm certain, WAY colder than I am.  Her chili is so good, though!

Soap, Shampoo and Razors - How Can You Help?

I've made no secret of the fact that times are tight for us.  Being a family that is almost completely dependent upon an economy based income, and knowing the shape that the economy is in - well, you can put two and two together as well as I can, right?

But as tight as my food budget has gotten, as small as I can make it - someone else has it just a bit more difficult that we do. We already give food to the food pantry - 4 cans or boxes or something each and every week when we go to church.  This year, I plan to kick it up a notch. 

As often as I can, I plan to buy a few personal products - tampons, deodorant, toothpaste, diapers - those things that aren't usually donated and aren't allowed to be purchased with food stamps. I will add shampoo and conditioner, shaving cream and body wash - things that aren't that expensive, and yet help to improve a person's outward appearance, which goes a LONG way towards improving one's insides.

Will you join me? 

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company. This week, The Parent Bloggers Network has teamed up with The Quaker Oats Company to spread the word about the Start with Substance campaign to donate up to one million bowls of oatmeal to those in need. From January 12 through February 28, for every UPC from a Quaker Oatmeal hot cereal product families enter at www.startwithsubstance.com, Quaker will donate one bowl of oatmeal to Share Our Strength, a childhood hunger organization. (You’ll need to be a Facebook member to participate).