Archive for June, 2009
Root Beer Pot Roast
For the full post, visit http://restlesschipotle.com/index.php/2009/03/28/root-beer-pot-roast-seriously/
I promise you won’t be sorry!
Root Beer Pot Roast
Season roast on all sides and set aside for 15 minutes while you prepare the carrots.
Heat a frying pan and add just a touch of olive oil.
Brown roast on all sides, just until you get that nice caramelization crispiness to the meat.
Pour 1/3 of the room temperature root beer into the slow cooker.
Add the meat carefully.
Add the carrots and onions if you are using them
Pour the rest of the root beer over the roast and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
Serves 8-10 hungry people
Recipe courtesy www.restlesschipotle.com
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Ear Infections- Natural Remedies
With the beginning of swim season in many areas, ear infections can be common. If you want to avoid antibiotics, check out this video for information on how to use natural remedies.
If your child is prone to Swimmers’ Ear, a condition where water becomes trapped in the ear after baths or swimming, use drops after every bath or pool session. Alcohol (plain rubbing alcohol) will work great. Be sure to watch for extra wax build-up, as alcohol can cause this.
Never, ever put anything bigger than your [or your childs'!] elbow in your [or their] ear! Cotton swabs pushed in too far can rupture the eardrum and cause deafness!
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Basic First Aid Kit
Every home should have a basic First Aid Kit in case of an emergency. The United States Government has issued a small list of items you should have on hand. Whether you live in the States or elsewhere in the world, the items below are always handy to have:
Things You Should Have:
For more information on other readiness issues, please visit www.ready.gov . Remember, anyone in the world can benefit from the information on the site. You can find information on how to prepare for natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and more.
Be safe and be ready!
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Guest Post: The Ten Commandments Of Parenting Teenagers
By Joanne Kimes and R.J. Colleary with Rebecca Rutledge, PhD,
Authors of Teenagers Suck: What to do when missed curfews, texting, and “Mom can I have the keys?” make you miserable
As we all know and regret deeply, kids aren’t born with instruction manuals informing us of the intricacies of how they work. As parents, our only option is to learn as we go. When our kids were babies, we learned to nap when they napped, to put valuables up on the high shelves, and that m&ms make excellent bribing tools when potty training. But now that your baby is no longer a baby (although he still may act that way from time to time), there is a whole new set of instructions to learn.
Parenting a teenager is a fulltime job, because being a teenager is also a fulltime job. Sure, they may busy themselves with school, sports, and text-messaging, but their true raison-d’etre is to perpetuate their teenager-ness 24/7. Which means while you are slacking off doing things like breathing and living, your teenagers are doing things like plotting and scheming. (They will throw in some sleeping as well, what with being teenagers and all.) Because their lives are all about them, and yours is all about working, cooking, cleaning, paying the taxes, and still finding time for Dancing With The Stars, they have the upper hand.
Were you ever a lifeguard? Me neither. As Woody Allen once said, I don’t tan; I stroke. But as any lifeguard will tell you, the biggest threat to their personal safety is not a riptide or a shark. It’s a swimmer in trouble. Yes, the very person they are dedicated to help will, in their own panic and hysteria, threaten to destroy them both. Sound familiar? That’s because you’re the parent of a teenager.
When babies, your children caused you to become sleep deprived, overwhelmed, and drink excessively. Now that they’re older, they still cause you to become sleep deprived, overwhelmed, and drink excessively. As you’ve heard, the more things change, the more they stay the same, and that holds true for parenting as well. So how do you survive? How do you get through each day with the constant screaming, crying and demands (I’m talking about from your teens, not your babies). You follow the rules of course. For as lost as you may feel parenting your teens, there are some guidelines to follow to help you keep your sanity. Or, what’s left of your sanity after parenting for so many years.
Therefore, to help you deal with your troublesome teen, keep the following rules in mind:
The Ten Commandments Of Parenting Teenagers
1.You are always right. And if you’re not always right, it’s because your parents messed you up when you were a kid
2.Praise in public, criticize in private. Most people do the opposite. Don’t be like most people.
3. Yes, you do have to tell them a thousand times. Stop counting and get over it. Now tell them again.
4.Your teens are smarter than you think, and stronger than you realize. So don’t go acting all superior just because you have wrinkles and credit cards.
5.Remember they are growing up a lot faster than you did. Advantage, you. Growing up fast is way overrated.
6.When they really screw up is when they need you most. If your parents comforted you in those situations, remember how good it felt? And if they didn’t, remember how much worse it made you feel?
7.Their defeats are 50% yours, but their victories are 100% theirs. Not exactly sure what that means, it showed up in a fortune cookie. But it feels true.
8.Remind yourself, they won’t be teenagers forever. Someday you will look back on these years and laugh. Definitely. Probably. Maybe.
9.Love them enough to let them hate you. Don’t be their friend. Be their parent. Friends come and go. You’re all-in.
10.Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you bleed internally.
11.(Bonus Commandment) You can do this.
If you keep these commandments in mind, you’ll be much better equipped to tread through the dangerous road of teenhood. These rules will enable you to survive the tough times filled with defiance, rebellion, and constant eye-rolling. Like anything else from working a remote control to getting through airport security, familiarizing yourself with the rules will makes things run much smoother (although I still manage to carry-on some forbidden article like one too many ounces of liquid, that sends me straight to the frisking area). Print out this list of commandments and keep it close. Stick it on the fridge for battles at home. Keep it in your wallet to for troubles on-the-go. And remember, if you can manage to get through this difficult stage of raising teenagers, in a few years when they move out, you’ll be rewarded with a lovely spare bedroom to convert into your dream room!
Copyright © 2009 Joanne Kimes and R.J. Colleary with Rebecca Rutledge, PhD, authors of Teenagers Suck: What to do when missed curfews, texting, and “Mom can I have the keys?” make you miserable
Author Bios for Teenagers Suck: What to do when missed curfews, texting, and “Mom can I have the keys?” make you miserable
Joanne Kimes has written for a number of children’s and comedy television shows. This is her eleventh Sucks book. She lives in Studio City, CA.
For more information please visit http://sucksandthecity.com/
R.J. Colleary attended Emerson College and moved to L.A. to become a writer for shows such as Saved by the Bell, The Golden Girls, and Benson. He teaches writing to graduate students at Chapman University and works steadily as a playwright. He has survived two teenagers and is currently surviving one more at home in Sherman Oaks, CA.
Rebecca Rutledge, PhD is a clinical psychologist who specializes in family therapy and individual therapy for children and adolescents. She writes columns for Your Health, Memphis Women’s Journal, and the Shelby Sun Times, and lives in Memphis, TN.
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Pro-biotics- Keep Your Tummy Happy
We’ve all seen the commercials for pro-biotic yogurts. Is it true that we need extra bacteria in our gut to keep us regular? Popular physician, Dr. Joeseph Mercola talks about the benefits of pro-biotics.
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Father’s Day Is Coming!
Father’s Day is coming- this Sunday! What are you going to do for Dad?
This year the kids and I are going to make Mr. Fletcher feel like a king. No, not king, but King with a capital K. The plan is:
Dad sleeps in- normally he gets up to make the coffee while I run around nuts getting the kids ready for the day.
The kids and I make a great breakfast while Dad settles into his favorite chair with coffee.
Dad gets served breakfast.
Dad is left alone to enjoy his meal, then to do as he likes for a few hours.
After that, I’ll begin prep for the cookout. I’d love to be the one to man the grill, but in this house, hubby is the Pitmaster. I swear, that man just can’t stand for anyone to touch the grill. It is like the ultimate insult to his manhood if I try to takeover. He’s perfectly o.k. If I make more money than him, he believes women are the equal to men in every way.
Except when they try to take over his grill.
That’s when you see this enlightened individual go completely Cave Man. “Urg. No. Grill mine.”
Oh well. After that, Dad will get more relaxation and maybe we’ll even get some alone time when the kids fall into bed. Somehow I think that’s going to be the toughest part of the day. Parents around the world know, when Mom and Dad want to have even 5 minutes alone, that is when the kid radar goes off.
I found a list of frugal gift ideas on About.com in case you want to skip the tie this year.
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/specialoccasions/tp/Fathers_Day.htm
Personally, I think the very best gift is time to himself with no demands. It’s cheap [free!] and gives him a little peace of mind. Who knows, maybe he’ll do the same for you!
More gift ideas:
http://www.canada.com/life/fathers-day-guide/Recession+proof+Father+gifts/1689775/story.html
http://mommysavers.com/frugal-holidays/frugal-fathers-day-gift-ideas.shtml
http://www.buildingcamelot.com/2009/06/03/dad-awesome-fathers-day-gift-ideas/
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Diabetes and You
You may have noticed I have been missing in action for a while. A big part of why was the sudden decline in health of my mother. She is a diabetic with many health problems that stem from prolonged neglect of her diabetes.
You might wonder what this has to do with you. With diabetes on the rise, chances are that you have or know someone that has a type of this disease. If left unchecked it can lead to serious health problems. Spending years neglecting your diabetes can lead to:
Heart disease
Eye problems [blindness]
Nueropathy- nerve damage in limbs and more
Slow to heal wounds
Infections
Amputations
My mother was diagnosed in her early 30′s. Today she is almost 60 and because of the neglect, is in a skilled nursing facility. She needs to use a powerchair to get around, but today her health is so bad she cannot even use that. At the time this blog went on hiatus she had another in a line of heart attacks which nearly resulted in her passing.
All of this comes from neglecting diabetes. You cannot eat as you wish any longer, once diagnosed. Blood sugar spikes then crashes imbalance and confuse the body. Natural healing processes are interrupted. Brain chemicals are thrown into a constant state of imbalance leading to depression, memory loss, and odd ‘highs’.
If you or someone you love has diabetes, please care for yourself. Educated diabetics that do not live in a state of denial are healthy diabetics. You can be healthy, happy, and enjoy a long life.
Diabetic Living Online offers hints and tips on living with diabetes and when you visit the site a pop-up offers you a free year of their print magazine.
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