My kids would never......

Admit it you have thought it. Your kids are always so much better behaved then    ( insert names )    kids. You know they are just better all around, because you are a far better parent. Now do you seriously believe that? That you are so much better then they are? Really?

Sometimes I know it is hard to not compare our kids with someone else's. Especially when your children are doing the opposite of the other person's.  I know I am guilty of it. Now I have been on both sides of the issue. Sometimes the boys are WILD and I am sooooo embarrassed. I have no idea what has gotten into them but someone must of slipped them crazy pills. Those were honestly earlier days in my parenting when I didn't realize that sometimes kids are just crazy, I still have moments when I feel so hot with embarrassment but that is my own issue not theirs. I'm sure people think my children at times are just wild nut balls and I don't care about how they behave. I'm sure some people think I'm too lenient on them, on the flip side I'm sure there are times when people think I am too hard on them..

I am a big believe of " place and time", for most behaviors there is a place and time. They are just children after all and learning the world that they live in. They have little bodies that desire to move, a lot. They have brains that desire to be filled with knowledge, so they seek out new experiences and want to know about everything around them. They have amazing imaginations, so there are a lot more wonders in their world.

There are a few things where I do stand my ground with my children. They will be kind and inculsive, I have run into times when they don't want to play with a particular child. I will pull my child aside and ask them 1st why the don't want to play with them? 2nd if they would like to be treated this way. Now if the other child is being unkind and that is why my child doesn't want to play that is understandable. I will though if it seems to be a problem encourage my child to approach the other child and see if something can be worked out. Now at time i will need to mediate remember my children are still young. These though are life skills, these are needed to be leaned. So when I see a parent being totally okay ith their child being rude and intentionally excluding, I definitely get a " my child would never behave like that ".

 Another is speaking disrespectfully, now it has happened a few times where on of the children have been sassy and rude, but I deal with it and if they choose to be like that then they choose to not be in the situation. Hateful mean words & tone are not needed. There is usually an amicable way to deal with whatever the situation is. It is though the parents I see who continually allow their children to spew hate at them or others and not do anything about it. No acknowledgement of wrong doing or how they are hurting another person with their words. I really shake my head. now it is not my place to judge as I may be witnessing something that has come to a head and it just can't be dealt with at that moment or it could be disastrous  Though I do find it happening more and more. Kindness, love and respect seem to be things of the past, relics almost.  Yes though when I hear children spewing at their parents that they hate them or even clearly controlling their parents will with the child's attitude I will do a " my kids would never..."

Now I'm not perfect, heck far from it but I parent with love and respect. I will always love my children, I know that they love me to even when they are mad. Sometimes we don't know how to deal with our children and their behaviors  Sometimes we believe that a parenting class should be required to have children With on going training, because we know that sometimes the on the job training sucks. I hope we are all doing the best we can with the tools we are given. We don't always know everyone's story, but we can help them create new chapters in their books.  So maybe next time you seem someone struggling with their children instead of thinking " my kid's would never be such awful horrible little beings, their mother must let run all over her!" Ask her if she needs a hand, be a friend. maybe even smile and think good thought about her and her children and wish her the best.

So what about you, Have you ever had a " my kids would never....."

Homemade Almond MIlk

Most people I know are always looking for dairy alternatives and ways to save money.

I have found that making my own almond milk is so easy and super beneficial

Home made Almond Milk

1 cup of almonds

5 cups of filtered water

 2 tsp maple syrup or vanilla

nut bag or cheese cloth

strainer

Blender

Take the cup of almonds and soak them for 12 - 24 hours preferred  if you need them sooner try to go at least 4 .  Then strain them to get the soaking water off and rinse them. In a blender place 5 cups of filtered water, add the almond and maple syrup or vanilla. blend until there are not chunks of almonds and everything looks smooth. Pour into either a nut bag or a strainer with a cheese cloth, straining the milk into a bowl. Keep the almond meal ! you can dry it out.  Separate into bottles and refrigerate. makes about 1 liter.

Take your Almond meal and place in on a stone or parchment lined pan and place it in a low over. ( 200) for a good 4-5 hours till it dries out. Makes for a wonderful flour substitution in many baked goods.

my jar of Almond meal

On a side note I know some people blanch their almonds first so that is an option but I don't. Don't even know how to

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Rock on Pink

I love PINK, I think her music is awesome and inspiring. Something about a lot of her music really resonates with me. Whether it is to rock or or get serious, I don't think I have come across a song of hers I haven't liked. I admit when a star I like names crosses headlines, I read it. Well this headline caught my attention on many levels Rocker Mom Pink almost starts fight over rude breastfeeding remark. Now that caught my attention. 1. Love Pink 2. Support Breastfeeding. I had to read it. Going through the article, I smiled. All I could think is "Rock on Pink".
What Pink was doing, is perfectly natural, and she was even using a cover according to the article. Now I usually don't encourage fighting with others, but people need to get rid of their idea that breastfeeding should stay behind closed doors. I had always wondered if Pink was a bit more of a breastfeeding advocate, and now I know. I think it is great the celebrities that are out and about breastfeeding it makes us "normal" people look less strange for doing it. Rock on Pink, rock on.

 There is a part in this video that I love where they are feeding a cow human milk.... makes about as much sense as feeding a human cow milk... just saying!

The BREAST of New York

Wow it seems like I keep coming across boobs in New York today. You know what I fully support it too!

Have you heard of Moira Johnston? She is a topless dancer in New York who bares her breasts during the day for activism. You can read the official story here on the Huffington Post. To sum it up, she wants women to know that they don't have to hide their breasts. It is legal in quite a few places actually for women to bare their breasts. I know where we live there is quite a controversy about it. There is a topless lady in our town, but she is not nearly perceived as well as Moira, might have to do that she is significantly older than New York's top less wonder.
Now some people really have an issue with topless women. I really don't understand the issue that so many have. They just simply are breasts, women just happen to have larger mammory glands therefor generally larger breast then men.  Most of the reason is the high sexualization on breasts. Women, especially their breast, are seen as sexual objects for a mans pleasure. Not really cool with that line of thinking. So many womens get all up in arms about " My Body My Choice" but still keep stigma going. Seriously people they are just boobs. They are used to feed and nourish our young, that really is their primary function. The fun is secondary. Which nicely leads into the next story I keep seeing.

Have you heard about the new breastfeeding stir in New York Hospitals? Mayor Bloomberg has gone breastfeeding friendly, but it is with opposition. You can read the actual press release here. I really applaud Mayor Bloomberg for his actions. I do believe that the formula advertising should be taken out of the hospitals. I don't believe in goodie bags of formula given to breastfeeding moms. It sets them up for failure. How do I think it sets them up for failure? When you have something else that you can feed your baby when you are exhausted and little support most will turn to the formula. Or just you need a few minutes so Daddy can feed the baby. Now there are so many things that other people can do for you and to help you with breastfeeding but giving you formula is not helping. It is not helping a mom when she says she is having troubles to just hand her a bottle of formula.
The formula companies are ruthless with their advertising, and I don't agree with it. I fully support Mayor Bloomberg's stance on we need to focus on breastfeeding it is what is designed for babies. Breast is what is best for them, breast is normal.

So there you have it New York and their concerns about breast, bare them and share them!

Some Days I Severely Dislike Facebook

I have a major love/hate relationship with facebook. I love it for keeping connected and reconnecting with people. I can share photos with friends and family and chat with people without running up my phone bill. Facebook has allowed me to connect with people and stay in contact with others who I may have not seen again. Facebook is wonderful for these things and it has many good aspects of it, though there are some downfalls.

On Facebook is so easy to misunderstand people. In person it is much easier to understand tone and intent when you can actually hear a persons voice and often you will choose your word better. A lot of people use Facebook to hide behind they are all abrasive and forward, and say things they never would in person. Sometimes this is a good thing most times it is a bad thing. If you wouldn't normally say something to someone then just don't say it. Remember the good old advice from Thumper's dad. " If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I know sometimes that advice is super hard to follow. Sometimes you don't even say something intending to be mean and others interpret it as mean. Facebook can be a wonderful place for DRAMA, and I hate to say it but it is worse among us females. We have a whole new method of being catty and mean with Facebook. We message each other and talk about others. Sometimes it is speculation that they are talking about you other times you just know they are talking about you. We play little games and tags ourselves out with our friends, sometimes knowing that the person we left out is going to see and feel jealous. Facebook has given people a super easy way to bully, heck you don't even have to get dressed to make someone's life miserable.

Bullying aside, the drama that one can create on Facebook is just silly. I had seen a really funny meme the other day but I can't find it now. Which said " Quitting Facebook is just like running away from home, you know you'll be back!" It is so true, on a regualr basis I see people. They get all fired up and mad about something and want attention so they post saying that they are leaving Facebook. Their friends then tell them that Facebook wouldn't be the same, they are so sad to see them go and yada yada yada. If they leave they never leave for long, at least in my experience. It's drama plain and simple. Someone want to feel like they matter and for some if no one posts after they have had their status up, they simply delete it and post something else whiny. Sometimes it's not outwardly whiny though some times it is totally passive aggressive. Just pointed enough that the knowing party in which it is intended for will know what you are talking about, but no one else will.  Or even better people can ask you what is up and you can hash out your poor side of the story, playing even more of the victim.

Now don't get me wrong I'm all for passive aggressive behavior at time but when it is all the time it is annoying. Sometimes you need to be a bit subtle and underhanded with some people in order to get the message across, or to just make someone feel like crap. There are people who sometimes need to be taken down a peg or five.

I recently got to be in the middle one one of these Facebook girl fights and not just a bystander like normal. It really was silly I said something, and people didn't like the way I said it even though they agreed with me.  o_O I know sometimes people just want to pick fights. The girl I pretty much told to "own her issues and if it was important she would make it work" freaked out. Swore at me and just lost it. There life went a little high school from there with other girls cutting me down ( even thought they "agreed" with me ) Some standing up for me. the banter went back and forth for an hour or so and then it fizzled out. Only to be brought to life again on a totally unrelated topic. Well poop hit the fan and things were said, feeling were hurt, people got mad. One person left the group in the heat of the moment and all seemed to calm. The next day everything was revived by a certain offended person saying that maybe things weren't right for them and blah blah blah. They said they would leave in 48 hours and that you could say what you wanted to to them. o_O Once again attention seeking.. If you are leaving say goodbye and leave. don't stay around asking for people to be sad you are going say your piece and leave, that is if you are really done and not just looking for attention. Ugh I'm getting too old for this.

So in final bit. Please stop the Facebook drama. Talk to real people. Go outside and if someone says something that upsets you go to that person don't make a big deal over it. Have some tact and decency!