Energy is peachy smoothie

 I just made a really great smoothie so I wanted to share the recipe with everyone.

2 bananas
2 peaches, cut into chunks
large handful of spinach
1 heaping tablespoon of almond butter
about 1/4 cup apple juice

Just put it all in the blender and serve
This is great for energy and it tastes good too!

Breakdown of food health benefits:

Peaches contain potassium, vitamin A, lycopene, lutein , fiber, vatamin C, and iron,  
You can read about the benefits of these vitamins and minerals here:
http://healthfood-guide.com/HealthBenefitsOfPeaches.aspx

Bananas are rich in vitamin B6 and they are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium.

Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, folate, manganese, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6. It’s a very good source of protein, phosphorus, vitamin E, zinc, dietary fiber, and copper. Plus, it’s a good source of selenium, niacin, and omega-3 fatty acids.


Almonds are a great source of vitamin E. They also have good amounts of magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, fiber and are a good source of healthy monounsaturated fat. They also contain more calcium than any other nut.

Why the chicken really crossed the road

I had a conversation with my 12 year old a few weeks ago. She said to me that she had just got the "Why did the chicken cross the road joke". I was so surprised I asked her what she meant. She said "Well you know how they say 'to get to the other side' Well I didn't get that until now". Still confused I asked again what she meant. She said "The other side...as in...death. He wanted to cross so he would get hit by a car and die." I sat still for a few minutes and finally said "Wow! I never got that either!". I believe that was the deepest conversation I've ever had with anyone under the age of 30 and it just happened to be my 12 year old daughter. Apparently she and her friends had been talking about it and this was the conclusion they came to. It's really good to know that some of the new generation will be thinkers. It might be a morbid conclusion that they came up with but still a very deep and thoughtful one.

Gir cake

I just cut the shape out of a 13x9 cake. Iced it with green icing, used black for the legs, arm, ears, stitches, eyeballs, and nose(by the way I know the legs look horrible, my baby started crying and I was in a hurry), and white icing for the eyes. I used a real zipper for the zipper but I didn't account for the icing to show through. I'm not sure what could be used instead. I used the sour tape candy for the tongue. I think a stick of bubblegum would work also.

This is the picture I used to reference

Frozen Lemonade Pie (Only 3 Ingredients!)

This is a very refreshing pie for those hot summer months (or with the weather we are having here, hot Spring months!). You can vary the recipe and use different flavors of frozen juice. I've tried it with limeade and it is good. I think orange juice would work too.

Ingredients:
One regular size tub of whipped topping (like Coolwhip)
One can of frozen lemonade (or try it with a different frozen citrus drink)
One graham cracker crust

Allow the juice and the whipped topping to defrost on the counter for a few minutes so that it's easier to work with. Once the juice is melted and the topping is soft, mix into a large bowl. Stir or whisk until well blended.

Using a rubber spatula, transfer filling into your crust. Then put the plastic top from the crust onto the pie and bend the sides of the pan up to secure it.

Freeze for about 3-4 hours or until firm. Cut and serve immediately. Freeze any left overs.

Enjoy!

"Waiting" A poem about waiting for baby to be born

Waiting

Dear Baby, here beneath my heart,
I thought that you might come today;
The timing seemed just right.

But the stars are out
And the moon is high
And sheepishly I wonder why
I try to arrange the plans
Of God.

For now I know
You will not come
Until the One who holds eternity
Rustles your soft cocoon
And Whispers in tones that I will not hear,
“It’s time, precious gift.”

“Now it’s time.”
Robin Jones Gunn

As I try to hold off my impatience, I know that you will be here when the time is right.  They say you are 8 days late but how can one be late when they aren't ready? I think it is us that are early. I want to hold you and love you so very much but I will do that on your terms, for you know the right time. I continue to hold the doctors off from inducing me. I do not want chemicals running through our veins. You know when you are supposed to make your way into this world. You will do it on your perfect time. I will do my very best to be patient and to keep the doctors from determining your fate. For I know that no one is qualified to make that decision. Nature knows. I will trust in nature, you, and my body to be able to do what is right. 

A Baby's Conversation with God

This poem was given to me after the birth of my first child. As I'm preparing for the birth of my third child, any day now, I was reminded of it. I am not sure of the author but I did not write it.While it's true I'm not the most religious person in the world, I am very spiritual. This still means very much to me and makes me tear up every time I read it.

"A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?' God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.'

The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.' God said, 'Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'

Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?' God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.'

'And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?' God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.'

'Who will protect me?' God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.'

'But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.' God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'

God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mom.'"

(Author unknown)

A Little Bit Of Laughter

A Meme I made.....

My Experience With Doctors and Labor

As I approach my 39th week of pregnancy I can't help but look back and wish I'd done things differently. I would have gone with a midwife instead of a doctor first of all. I would have set up a home birth instead of a hospital birth. I'm not sure though that I could have done those things. I have high blood pressure (not pregnancy induced) and have been told the entire time that I'm high risk. The docs have kept my blood pressure at levels that most "high risk" women would only dream about. It's been very well regulated and hasn't gone above what it normally runs without pregnancy. Still, the docs decided that I must be induced or all hell will break loose and I will give birth to the spawn of satan, die, or be pregnant for the rest of my life (or something along those lines). In other words, it's become complete chaos and drama. Two things that I'm pretty sure are not beneficial to a pregnant woman with high blood pressure. One thing I should say is that this is my third pregnancy. Like most moms, I look back and think about the things that the doctors talked me into (or out of) doing that I know weren't the right choices. I've had two children from induction. Granted with those pregnancies, my blood pressure was not being regulated and probably did need the induction, fine. I get that. This time though, I just know everything is ok. I can't explain that and I really don't feel that I should have to. I think that the medical system has forgotten who works for whom. I am not their employee or their child. I do not need them to tell me what I can and can not do. I've got this all under control thank you very much! I wonder when God and nature lost out to the medical profession. I wonder when did it become more natural to have a scheduled birth than to allow nature to take it's course? When did women stop believing in themselves and their bodies to do what is normal and natural? And one thing I just can't figure out is why do so many women look at me like I have two heads when I voice this opinion and concern. I can't figure out why a woman would volunteer to take nature out of the birthing process. I've had people tell me "It's just a day, no big deal". Wow! Really? Is that what giving birth to a child has become? No big deal? Just another day? I personally want no part in that mentality. For me it's a beautiful thing. You are giving life, bringing your child into the world and nurturing it. The feeling of intense love and nurturing usually follows labor (due to an influx of oxytocin). It's the most natural high a woman can ever experience. I suppose with the high rate of scheduled births, women are being robbed of this feeling. They are not given the opportunity to produce these chemicals that are so necessary in the mother/child bond.  This is probably why women look at me with disgust when I make such a big deal out of how I want to labor my child. They don't get it, because they were never allowed to have it. I'm totally disgusted with the medical field and how I've been made to feel. I've had doctors tell me what I will and will not do (literally tell me these things). I had one say to me "Well you better hope you go into labor because you're going to be induced at 39 weeks". They say things to you making you believe that you no longer have control or power over your body or what happens to it. They have forgotten their place. They no longer trust the natural course and believe they know everything. Still it's clear they don't. In the United States, we rank second in infant and maternal mortality rates than any other developed country. We also have the highest rate of scheduled births. Coincidence?  I don't believe it is. Now I'm not saying that all scheduled births are BS. I understand that there are absolutely reasons to have a c-section or be induced. I get that totally. Still I don't believe that half or more of births in the US need this kind of intervention. I think that women need to stand up for their rights and tell the doctors where to go. I don't want to see another woman forced into a birth practice that she is uncomfortable with. One that she knows, in her heart, is not right. I'm planning on fighting to be one of those women.

Here is a funny skit from Monty Python. The scary thing is, this is how I feel the doctors are treating me. Reality turned comedy.

Cute Robot Valentine Box

While at my daughter's class Valentine's day party, I saw a boy with the cutest box. Each child was supposed to decorate and bring in a box to hold their Valentine cards. This one was by far the best. He used a small box, empty can, large beads, pipe cleaners, construction paper, ribbon, squiggly eyes, and tin foil. This was the result.

For the back of the robot, they cut out a small door in the box and attached pipe cleaners and foil covered beads to keep it closed.

I'm not sure what he used for the feet. I forgot to ask him about that part. Any ideas?

How to make a Tea Pot cake

-Grease and flour two 2 qt glass bowls well
-Pour the cake mix into bowls and bake according to recipe instructions. These cakes may take a bit more time than expected. Be sure to test middle of cakes with a toothpick to be sure the middles are cooked through.
-Turn cakes out of bowls onto work surface and allow to cool completely.
-If the tops of the cakes are bowed a bit, not straight, use a serrated knife to cut them slightly so they will be even all of the way across. 
-Carefully place one cake on top of the other with wide sides resting together.
-You can use any color icing you wish. Have fun with it. Try different colors and make it unique.
-Decorate the cake using

• Plain M&Ms for flowers
• Peanut M&Ms to go around the top and bottom of the tea pot
• Blow pop for top of tea pot
• Cut out a handle and spout from colored poster board. Be sure to make them longer than needed so they can stick into the cake very well.

How to make a Hello Kitty cake

-Grease and flour bottom and sides of a 9x13 glass dish very well
-Pour cake mix into dish and cook according to recipe directions
-Turn cake out onto work surface.
-Let cake cool completely. I found that if the cake is still hot it will crumble much easier. If you have room in your freezer, it is a good idea to freeze it a bit to make it easier to work with. 
-Cut cake into an oval shape saving side pieces
-Use two corner pieces of discarded cake to make the ears
-Apply white icing to entire cake
-Decorate cake using

• Black jelly beans for eyes
• Pink jelly bean for nose
• Bubble tape tied into a bow for ear
• Black shoestring licorice for whiskers

This cake is very easy and fun to create. Hope your Hello Kitty fan enjoys it!

A look into the past- My most difficult time turned into a blessing

About 2 years before I left my ex husband I started getting a strange flash of a vision. In the vision I was with a man ,whose face was not visible, and my two girls. Sometimes I was pushing a stroller. It was cool outside. We were walking down the street and it was around Halloween according to the decorations on the houses. This vision would come in a flash. As soon as it came, it was gone. What was more intense than the vision was the emotion it gave me. I felt intense love, acceptance, safety, and most of all happiness. I was convinced that this was a sign that I should continue working very hard on my very rocky marriage.

My marriage had not been good pretty much from the beginning. At this point I had been with my husband for 10 years. We had two daughters together, both unplanned. The first daughter came after only knowing him for a year. That's right, I became pregnant with her only months after meeting him. It wasn't a fairytale situation to say the least. I always tried to make the best of it believing that this man was the father of my children and I owed my family at least that much.

As time went on, he began to drink more and more. I tried to ignore it but it was difficult to do. After the vision, I worked very hard on my own happiness. I decided that I was going to be happy in this marriage no matter what. After all, we are all in charge of our own happiness. I knew that if I wanted to be happy I had to be happy. Period. I either had to accept my life how it was and make the best out of it or leave him and start over. I wasn't ready to leave. I had two young girls and was a stay at home mom. Looking back I realize it was more about me feeling stuck than trying to work things out. I was afraid to leave. Still, I forged on like a good wife and  loved my husband as I should. Things went pretty well for a few months. Then one day I woke up in the middle of the night. I had trained myself to do this. I would wake up around 3 or 4 in the morning to go check the computer. He would pass out after drinking all night and leave the computer on. It wasn't uncommon for me to find porn left up. I was always afraid of my girls waking before me and finding it. This made me furious but all I could do is wake up, check, and turn it off. This particular night I didn't find porn. I found his email. I know I shouldn't read other people's emails but I did. I read it. This email was from a woman. She talked about how much she enjoyed talking to him online and on the phone. How she always had a crush on him in school (they attended high school together) but was too afraid to say anything. She said that she never loved her husband the way she loved him. She also said some more graphic things that I will not go into right now. I stood there reading this email and I felt like a ton of bricks had fallen on me. I printed it out and went back to bed.

I can't remember how long it took me to confront him about this. Maybe I did it the next day or I waited a day or two. I don't know. When I did confront him, he faced it the same way he did every confrontation. He blamed me. First he said it was my fault for not having sex with him enough, then he said I nagged him too often about drinking, then he turned it around and said I was crazy and didn't know what I was talking about.  This was pretty much the routine. I knew it well. I knew that any confrontation would lead to me feeling like I was crazy and making it all up. That's why I printed the email. I had proof I wasn't making it up. This went on for a couple of weeks. I was faced with her contacting me and being pretty rude as well as him not owning up to what he had done. I found that there had not been any physical betrayal. But it did still feel pretty awful to have another woman have a mental/emotional affair with your husband and fall in love with him. Especially when he defended it all.

A few months went on and  I pretended to be ok. He promised to stop talking to this woman and I agreed that would be best. I never felt the same as I did a few months before. I figured I could still be happy though. I didn't need him to make me happy. I could do it on my own.

One night in August, a few days after my birthday he and I got in a horrific argument. We had never argued like this before though we had argued pretty bad prior to this. We argued for hours. Probably 4 hours we argued. It started over his disapproval of my friends. He saw that I was trying to better myself. I was learning how to have a life outside of him and he didn't like it. Of course that's not what he told me but I knew that's what he was saying. I defended myself the entire time. I tried to stay calm but eventually lost it. We screamed. I cried. We said nasty things to each other. I was totally drained. Around 3 am I decided I had enough and I went to bed. I laid there in my bed in a state of exhaustion. I was too tired to fall asleep but almost comatose and couldn't move. Several minutes later he crawled into bed with me. I tried to pretend I was asleep because I had no energy to fight anymore. Before I knew it he was on top of me trying to have sex with me. I tried to push him off. I told him to get off. I said no. I cried. I fought as much as I could. I was weak. I had no more fight in me that night. I couldn't do much about what was happening. I was too drained. Finally i gave up fighting. I laid there and cried as he did what he had to do. When he was done I screamed at him to get out of my room. I got up and locked the door and cried myself to sleep.

The next morning was Sunday. I pulled myself together after a horrible night and only a few hours of sleep. I got my girls up and went to the only place I knew to go. I had been meeting some friends on Sundays for our spiritual group. It wasn't church per se though it was like that. We would get together for an uplifting, positive message and feel better for doing it. I told a few people what had happened the night before. It was difficult for me to say but I really needed support at that time. My friends were amazing. Several of them gave me the option of moving in with them or other things that I could do. I decided not to move out, not yet.

The next few months were just a blur. I went about the motions pretending to be married but in my heart the relationship ended that night he raped me. I began looking for a job that week, the Monday after the incident. I looked for 2 weeks with no luck. I was beginning to lose hope. One day while visiting my daughter's school I saw there was an opening in the cafeteria. I applied. It took a few weeks for them to run fingerprinting, get the paper work together, and drug tests, etc but I got the job. I was so happy to be working and knew it was a way for me to get out of the marriage.

In January I told him I was leaving. He begged me to stay. I couldn't. I didn't love him anymore. When I looked at him I saw someone totally different. It's amazing how someone can look different to you like that. One day I saw him one way and the next, a different person. He was ugly, disgusting really. I didn't like looking at him at all.

It took me four months to finally get out. I couldn't find a place to live that I could afford. My mom convinced me to move in with her. Although I didn't feel like it was a good idea, I did it just so I could get away from my husband. 

I moved in with my mom. I didn't like her boyfriend that lived with her. He treated her very badly. I tried to stay out of it. All I could do is try to make my mom see that she deserved better. One day it back fired.

Two weeks after moving in, I received a call at work from my mom. She told me that her and her boyfriend had been in a fight and the cops came. They took him away and she wanted me to come. I took off of work and went to support her. The following week it was apparent that she went to see him where he was staying. One night she came home and told me that he wanted to come back. She said he wouldn't come back if I was there. He told her that it was him or me. She chose him. She gave me until the next day to get my things, my girls, and move. I was at a loss. I had no idea where to go. I was heartbroken. I had to move back in with my husband.

I moved into the house I tried so hard to get away from. I was living in a haze. I felt as if I was watching a movie. I was numb. During this same time, the man I had been seeing turned out to be a total con artist, literally. I found out he had lied to me about everything including his name. This just added to my humiliation and depression. I became suicidal. I didn't think I could live with the pain I had any longer.

My best friend of 17 years must have picked up on this. We have always had a tie with each other. We are spiritually connected in some way. She called me and called again, and again. I wouldn't pick up. She left messages for me screaming to call her back. She knew what I was thinking. I did call her eventually. She talked me out of killing myself. Telling me that I had to be there for my girls. She was right. They were the only thing keeping me here. They were the only  thing I wanted to live for.

With her help I found an apartment and moved out of my husbands house within a week. It was a small apartment. Only one bedroom. I didn't care. I just wanted to get out. I did. It felt amazing.

Over the next few months the visions of this happy time began to appear more and more. They lasted for longer periods of time. Then began to be accompanied with visions of the back of the man's head. I still was not able to see his face but it gave me hope that I would once again be part of a family.

I was ok with being alone. I didn't need a man to take care of me. For the first time in my life I was happy just for me. It was wonderful. I still missed having a family though. I love being in a family. I knew that I had a family even then. It was me and my girls. I had days where I was very unhappy and days where I was on top of the world. Still receiving these images and feelings more and more. At one point they would happen several times a day. I longed for those visions. They made me feel so wonderful inside. I convinced myself that they were just my minds way of making me feel I could get through this rough time in my life. Deep down though I knew they were more.

Eventually I started feeling a presence of a man that was in as much pain as I was at one point. I could see the man and he was the same as the man in my vision.  He was hurting, sad, lonely. I would try to tell him to find me and that it would all be ok. I felt like I was crazy but I did it anyway.

Eventually I met a man online who was going through a divorce. He had been separated from his wife about as long as I was separated from my husband.  As we got to know each other, our feelings grew more and more. His divorce became final a month after mine. He came to see me about 6 months later. When he did, we hugged and I felt his energy. His loving spirit. It was then that I realized he was this vision. He felt exactly like I had felt all of these times when I got this flash in my mind. He had found me, we found each other! After coming to this realization it all made perfect sense to me. His sadness, loneliness. It was all around the same time he was having problems with his wife.

I don't know where those visions and feelings came from. Still to this day I know it sounds crazy and overly dramatic. Almost like it should be some stupid girly movie. Still I can't deny what I felt and saw. I can't deny that this man, the man I am with now, is the man from my dreams and visions. Because of him I was able to carry through so many difficult times in my life. His spirit came to me without his knowledge over two years before we ever met. I can't explain this but it happened. Whatever it was, I am thankful for it. I am thankful that he and I found each other. I am thankful that all of those rough times are behind me and that I'm a stronger person because of them.

When life does't give you lemons

I do believe that moving here to live with Bill was one of the best choices I have ever made. Since being here, I've had so many things to adjust to. The life I have here is very different than living in a big city like Phoenix. I can't say it's been easy for me. At times, adjusting has been extremely hard. Still, I'm very happy with Bill. I wouldn't want it any other way. Being apart was entirely too difficult. We have blended our families well and seem to mesh perfectly. Some said it couldn't be done.

We have had some times of difficulty like any relationship will have. We get through them and only become closer. Being apart for so long taught us how to communicate well. I don't think I've ever had better communication with any relationship. He and I can talk to each other which is so amazing. I never feel like I have to hold back. I can be myself, my whole self, and he accepts it. I love that!

I think the hardest thing we had to overcome was finding out I was pregnant. Neither of us wanted more kids but sometimes things happen that we don't prepare for. As time has gone on, we have become excited (and a little nervous) about being parents again. When he rubs my belly and kisses it, my heart soars. I love him so much and I just know that this baby is exactly what is supposed to happen for us. I can't wait to meet our little boy in only a few weeks. I am excited to watch Bill be a father and take our relationship to that level. It could be the hormones but I have to say, I've never felt closer to him than I do now.

As I look back on how our relationship formed and cultivated into what it is now, it all seems as though it flowed perfectly. Synchronicity is amazing and I see it in play here very much. Every event that lead us here was in perfect timing. All is as it should be and that feels pretty damn good!

Can't We Get a Break?

I'm seriously tired of the media portraying what we "should" look like. It's bad enough when we have to see it on TV, the Internet, Magazines, etc. But we have perfect women on pregnancy ads too? Where did these women come from? I've seen some really beautiful pregnant women, don't get me wrong. I actually think that pregnancy is beautiful all in itself, but not perfect. I'm sick of opening up these pregnancy magazines at my doctor's office and seeing perfectly round bellies that are completely blemish free. My belly doesn't look like that. It didn't even look like that the first time I got pregnant, much less the third time! It would be so nice for the media to start posting real things. Not what they think is beautiful but what is real. I'd much rather read a magazine that had a picture of a woman standing there with her belly a little droopy and stretchmarks galore! I'd feel much more connected to an image like that. What about a baby commercial with a mom that has bags under her eyes and baby food all over her shirt. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about ladies.

I'm 30 weeks pregnant, I feel like a whale, I am totally uncomfortable, my back hurts, I'm having to pee every 15 minutes, the baby thinks my bladder is a soccer ball, and I haven't had a good night's sleep in months. Someone tell the media to stop making me feel unattractive on top of it all!

Teacher Issues

Yesterday my oldest came home with an F on her report card for math. She has been having problems with this subject for a few years now. It has become worse and worse this year since moving to Tennessee from Arizona. Her step-dad and I have tried working with her at home but it doesn't seem to be helping. She just isn't understanding the work.

After seeing that her grade got worse this time I emailed the teacher. I asked her if there was anything that she thought I could do to help my daughter improve her grade and understand better. I explained that we have been working with her but it doesn't seem to be helping. The teacher emailed me back with a list of her grades and a generic form letter that she hands out in the beginning of the year to her students. This letter basically explains how she teaches and grades. She also stated that she goes over the material for a couple days before testing on it. None of this answered my question. My question, which I thought was clear, was what she thought I could do to help my daughter. I wasn't questioning her teaching abilities. I just want to help.

It seemed clear to me from the email that the problem isn't just my daughter (although I do feel like ultimately it is her responsibility to make good grades). The teacher seems to group all of the kids together and obviously doesn't pay attention to a student that needs extra help. This was obvious to me by the generic response as well as the grades she sent. One of the grades was an in class quiz in which my daughter received a 0. Personally I think that if a student is consistently getting bad grades but seems to be trying, they aren't understanding what is being taught. This means this student may need it explained differently. In fact going over the material over and over in the same way may not work at all.

I feel angry that this is happening. I'm kind of at a loss for what to do. I don't expect the teacher to be able to spend tons of time with my daughter. I understand that she has a classroom full of kids. That's not even what I'm asking her to do. I do think however that if a parent reaches out to a teacher, the teacher should at least try to give some advice. 

This is one of the many things I have had issues with at this school. It's a small school in a small town. Most of the people around here know each other and are usually related in some way. That makes it difficult to complain to the people higher up. The principal of this school is no better. I think he needs to find a new profession actually. Moving her to a different class is out of the question because this teacher is the only math teacher for the upper grades. The school is so small that they only have one teacher per grade (except they have 2 for 8th grade). My daughter is in 7th grade this year. The math teacher is currently one of the 8th grade home room teachers. I worry that she will be my daughter's teacher next year. If this happens I'm guessing my daughter will have a hard time in other subjects as well. If her teaching style is not what my daughter needs, she won't learn effectively.

This is my first time living in a small town. Up until this point, I raised my kids in Phoenix, AZ. If something was going on there, a parent had the choice of several teachers and/or schools to send their kids too. It's very different here. I don't have the patience to home school so I'm sort of at a loss for what to do. I suppose the only thing I can do is continue to help her at home. Try my best to teach the material to her and hope that she improves.