Exams, Exams, Exams

I just want to let everybody know that this week is final exam week for me. If I happen to be absent a day or two, you'll know that I have been buried by a pile of avalanching text books.

I had one exam tonight and the other is on Thursday night. That one is going to require some amount of studying, so it may be that tomorrow and Thursday are light on the postings.

Guess who needs some help...

Being an expert does not necessarily mean that I have all the answers. What it does mean is that I know when to ask for advice when I need it.

Today, I am asking for advice from my readers because I have reached a point where I am out of ideas.

As I told you earlier, Kira has a new friend. The Friend and Kira spend as much time together as possible. They adore each other and having to leave is traumatic for Kira. I've used all the known methods for making this easier, but it isn't working.

(The Friend is here now because her Mom surrendered at 8:30 this morning and called with great apologies begging for admittance because she - The Mom - just couldn't take it anymore. She was very apologetic for calling before 9:00. Of course, we are always up that early and I am usually being assaulted by Kira with the same pleas for playtime with The Friend.)

I tell Kira when the visits begin how long they will last.

I tell Kira about a half hour before it is time to leave.

I tell Kira about ten minutes before it is time to leave.

I tell Kira about five minutes before it is time to leave.

As you can see, I provide her with the proper count down to prepare her for the end of the playing.

It isn't working. Last night, after The Friend had spent a few hours here and even had dinner with Kira, I warned Kira that it was almost time for The Friend to leave. Lo and behold, time to leave came and Kira melted down. She did not want her friend to leave. She wanted to go to her friend's house to play some more. She did not want to go to bed. She wanted her friend.

I even plan for some kind of activity to begin when The Friend leaves. Last night, Daddy was going to read her stories from her new Thomas the Tank book. She proclaimed that she did not like that - She wanted to play.

I really do not know how to make this easier for her. I am not ready for sleep-overs, here or there. I think she is too young for having sleep-overs unless she is staying with a Grandma. So playing does have to come to an end. The Friend has to go home eventually.

As much as I enjoy watching this new relationship, I just hate having the heartbroken Kira when The Friend has to leave.

I'm open to any advice that you may have for telling me how to make the transition less traumatic for Kira and The Friend.

Meet the Gang - Part 7

Angel - 18 years old.

Angel came to live with us when she was 15. Her father is my brother, but only by technicality. I no longer claim or accept him due to the way he treated his daughter. Luckily, he is now a permanent resident of the State of Georgia penitentiary system.

When Angel first came to live with us, she was about to start the 9th grade - again. She was academically and socially behind from the lifestyle her father had subjected her to. After we got custody of her from the state, I began homeschooling her. She progressed in leaps and bounds. By the end of the first year of homeschooling we had covered Math and English from the 5th grade level on up to the proper grade level for her. In the second year of homeschooling she was studying college level Sciences. Her confidence in herself grew and her knowledge increased beyond anything she had ever expected of herself prior to coming here.

Angel's greatest interest and skill is art. She can draw quite well. When we provided her with the tools and opportunity to express her artistic skills, she threw herself into drawing. She even wrote one book and will hopefully perfect the illustrations so I can send it off to a publisher. I think it is a good children's book and would easily sell.

Angel turned 18 in March, and of course she couldn't wait to move out and be on her own without any rules and such. While it is easier on many levels to have her out on her own, I miss her quite a lot. I worry constantly about the choices she is making for herself now because I see that they could potentially leave her in a difficult position. Unfortunately, as a mom I have to sit back and let her make her own choices and her own mistakes even though I desperately want to protect her from the obvious hardships that she is setting herself up for.

I'm really proud of how much she has grown. I still miss her, though.

Food Rations and Food Riots

Lately, people are talking about the scarcity of certain food items such as rice and flour. Randall and I have been talking today about this issue because the fanatics of the world are claiming that rationing and martial law are imminent here in America. As a parent, this is a quite disturbing concept to think that I may not be able to purchase enough food to feed my children. I'm spoiled because I've never really had to be too concerned about finding food. Even on my worst day, financially speaking, there was still food to be had.

Of course, I can find nothing official from any government site that insinuates any of these conspiracy theorist possibilities may be true. Nothing that says the US has actually agreed to let Canadian troops patrol our streets, and US troops patrol Canada in the event of food riots and food shortages has been shown anywhere other than tabloid type newspapers. This leads me to believe that the prospect of massive food shortages here in the USA are probably a product of extreme survivalists and government conspiracy theorists at work.

However, in honor of such shocking and frightening reports, I feel the need to provide you with a few simple tips for protecting yourself in the event of any type of food shortages or food rationing that may occur as a result of the low supply of certain food products. These tips are also useful in case there is any kind of natural disaster that renders you stranded in your home and unable to reach any food sources.

First, keeping a supply of sealed bottled water is always a good idea. You should have about one gallon per person per day stored to last a minimum of one week and preferably two weeks in case there is some natural disaster or other similar situation that would render the water supply unusable. Buying water by the gallon is far less expensive than buying it in cases of 20 oz bottles. If you opt to store water, be sure that you purchase factory sealed water instead of just filling up a few gallon jugs. This will insure that your water supply stays fresh.

Second, canned goods (with a manual can opener) are always a good option for stocking your pantry shelves. A wide variety of vegetables and meats are best. Both products will keep for an extended period of time, so stocking up on these items is useful even if there isn't an actual shortage because prices are bound to increase. Buying now when the prices are lower could easily be considered as a financial investment. Be sure that you purchase a wide variety of foods. Tuna, salmon and chicken are good choices for canned meats. Soups are also wonderful options.

Third, get the dried goods. Yes, you really should have a supply of rice and pasta on hand. I'm not suggesting that you go out and buy several pounds of rice, but having a few boxes of Minute Rice in the pantry is useful. The same goes for dried pasta and pasta sauces. They keep for an extended length of time and they are perfect staples for your dinner table. Include a few boxes of Stove Top Stuffing and whatever kind of potato products your family enjoys. You might even want to get a few boxes of cake mix or brownie mix. Muffin mixes are good to have on hand, too. Fresh, hot muffins are awesome. Oh, and don't forget the flour, corn meal, and Bisquick. Those are all important staples, too.

Fourth, canned fruits are yummy treats for everybody. You can keep a supply of various canned fruits on hand for creating desserts or just having a small treat. They are fairly inexpensive and if the time comes when money is really tight, you will still be able to give your family something special without feeling like you've over stepped the budget.

Fifth, everybody needs some sugar and spice - and I'm not talking adorable little girls here. You should have some sugar and your standard spices in your cabinet just in case. I would recommend you stock your sugar based on how much you use. I don't use much sugar unless I'm making tea. So if I expect I'll have to make tea, then I would stock about 5 pounds of sugar. Of course, if I think this is all getting seriously close to being a reality I will probably stock about 10 or 20 pounds of sugar. The same goes for the tea bags here, I'll probably be getting two or three boxes of tea bags to put in my pantry. Tea is a decent substitute for Coke and I can't really stockpile the Coke because it has a limited shelf life. (What would my world be without my Coke? I really hope I don't have to find out...) Powdered milk is also a good item to have. It is very useful for cooking and costs much less than fresh milk without losing any of the flavor.

Finally, stock some of your freezer essentials. You can freeze butter. You should also try to have a supply of inexpensive meats. Ground beef and chicken are usually the best options. If you happen to have a deep freezer, now is the time to fill it full. If not, just fill your regular freezer as efficiently if you can.

Biggest on my list of surviving these somewhat turbulent times --- Keep your sense of sanity and intelligence. While the conspirators may be claiming global destruction, this really is nothing new. For as long as I can recall the world has been coming to an end.

Meet the Gang - Part 6

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Marisa - Almost 2 years old. Her birthday is May 1st and we can't quite figure out how she came to be nearing her second birthday.

Marisa has an innate mischievousness that is quite evident in the first two pictures here. She certainly was not intending to take the cat's food away when the cat was busy eating. You can see that, right?

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She is a climber and an artist. My walls are evident of both of these facts, having markings in various places - many of which could not have been reached by Miss Picasso without some climbing. She smells pens and pencils and somehow locates them even when they are under lock and key. She also has no concerns with the displeasure that Mommy and Daddy may exhibit with regards to whatever the current art project may be. She does not acknowledge the word "NO" in any manner, except to grin mischievously and continue on her merry way to do as she pleases. She has even been known to do as she pleases and then pop her own hand for having disobeyed, then giggle at her own cleverness.

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A snuggle bug and a Mommy's baby, there is nobody in the world that will do when Mommy is what she wants. Daddy is merely chopped liver that must be acknowledged occasionally with a tiny hug and a blown kiss. His arrival home from work is good for an exclamation of glee and then a complete and thorough ignoring.

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If ever a child had a hair-pin trigger, this would be the one. She has a switch that flips so quickly it is unbelievable. The temper tantrums started as early as 3 months of age and have been filled with dramatics worthy of the greatest actors' awards. I doubt we have made this phenomenon any better because when she throws herself to the floor in the throes of a tantrum we generally can't resist indulging in fits of laughter because she is just so darn funny when she flings herself onto the floor, after assuring herself that there is nothing to bang her head on, and commences the production of heartbroken sobs. Even more amusing is what causes her fits.

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She wants a drink and it isn't delivered quickly enough - TANTRUM.

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She wants a hug and it isn't delivered quickly enough - TANTRUM.

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She wants a bite and it isn't delivered quickly enough - TANTRUM.

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She wants to play in the cat food and she's removed - TANTRUM.

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She wants her pacifier (AKA: Fi Fi) and it isn't delivered quickly enough - TANTRUM.

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Daddy dares to pick her up when she wants nothing to do with him - TANTRUM.

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Somebody walks down the stairs without her when she wanted to go with them - TANTRUM.

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We endure several of these performances on most days. But then there is that adorable face and those sweet hugs and kisses, so what's a Mommy to do?

I'm a WINNER!!!

How cool is this. I got an email this morning telling me that I won one of the give aways. I'm so excited and surprised. I never actually expected to win anything.

Here's a link to what I won and the site that is giving it away. Take some time to browse her site.

http://www.wearyparent.com/giveaway-1-youre-a-good-mom-book-pack/

Meet the Gang - Part 5

Gibson - He's 13 years old (until July). He plays the trombone in Band and participates in Choi Kwang Do. I think he's up to a Blue Belt now, but I'm not real sure. I have a hard time keeping up with that.

His loves the American flag and anything patriotic. He also loves playing on the computer. He would gladly spend an entire day in front of the computer, moving only to acquire food and visit the bathroom. This has actually happened on occasion, too.

He has an extreme aversion to getting his hands dirty. He never finger painted or drew on himself. Only once in his life has he been involved with playing in the mud and that took some serious thought and concentration on his part before he decided it would be fun enough to have the consequence of getting dirty. He hit the showers immediately after that epic mud fight.

He loves to camp and explore the woods. He adores animals of all kinds and if there is an animal hurting, he will do his best to fix the problem. He tried to nurse three abandoned newborn kittens and when they inevitably died, he cried so hard at the unfairness of it all and then insisted on burying the little kittens in the yard. I love this about him because it shows me that he has a high level of compassion.