MOVING Seriously yeah again

yeah seriously.... im moving again. all my other blogs are at wordpress so i want to ger my "poop in a group". www.herscreed.wordpress.com

see ya there

Lessons on What Not To Wear

I was watching "What Not To Wear" the other day. Trust me, I'm not obsessed. I don't even watch it every day. I do like to watch it when I get a chance though. It's improved my sense of style quite a bit which is a good thing, trust me. But this blog post really isn't about What Not To Wear. I am not going to give you any dressing tips or critique spring fashion or anything though I do wish the whole skinny jean thing wasn't quite so prevalent. I don't mind owning a few pair but seriously? And with a heavy sigh I realize that they are what is going to be on the sale racks forever now so I will be wearing them even when they aren't "in" any more. OK. Sidetracked.

On the show the other night was a woman who had earned her PHD before she turned 30. She was now working as a professor. Her field of study was something to do with social science or something closely related to that. Basically society and how people interact in that and how people function or don't etc. She dressed terribly for her job. She had decided that fashion didn't matter at all which is pretty strange because when Stacy and Clinton started talking to her she started talking about all the different ways that people's perceptions of you can change the way they treat you and how the listen to you.... etc. She seriously was not getting a clue. It was a pretty good show though because she turned out to be not be quite so resistant to change as I thought she would be in the beginning and she had a great transformation. I haven't even got to my point yet but I'm getting there now.

What really stuck out to me in this show was not the fashion or lack thereof. It really had nothing to do with the show whatsoever. I was thinking about this young woman who had gone to school her whole life this far. From the time she entered kindergarten she had been in school. Clear until she was 28 or so. And then guess what? She went to be a professor! She never left school. I'm not saying that it isn't impressive that she completed that much schooling or that it isn't impressive that while still being so young (31 I think) she is a professor. Sure. Maybe those are good accomplishments. What is really crazy is that she hasn't lived at all! She hasn't traveled. She hasn't actually learned anything about society because for the past 20+ years of her life she has been buried in books studying about society and not participating. She got great grades and talked about how she didn't go out or anything because she didn't want it to disrupt her studies. We could applaud that. I know many people who would. Dedication right? But tell me this, how in the world does she know anything about anybody? Since when could you read a pile of books and come out thinking you really understood people and how the function? How is it that someone who has experienced next to nothing be so highly praised and then raised up to teach others when all they have learned comes from the exact same books that her students are about to study? When did life experience become so useless? How is it that what is highly praised is dedication to studying paper so that you can receive a paper so that you can teach someone else exactly what the paper says?

Just sayin'

Jasmine

Every mom's gotta earn her lattes... need to get in shape?

"Better than Sex" cake

Though it is sure to disappoint this is what I am making for our stay at home V Day today.

I am using this chocolate cake recipe.
Then half way through baking sprinkle a small handful of chocolate chips over the top of each cake.
When the cakes come out of the oven cool them for a little while and then stack them and poke several holes in them. Pour 1 can of sweetened condensed milk over the top and let it soak in.
Right before you are ready to serve make some whip cream and frost your cake with it and then to finish it off sprinkle some toffee bits all over the top. Welcome the sugar coma with wide open arms.

I strongly suggest eating this cake with a dark cup of coffee on hand to help balance things out. Being as it is V Day you should probably make this an experiment and have cake first and then go see if it is better than... well yeah, the title says it all doesn't it?

Jasmine

Near Death

I had a near death experience this past week. I am not going to go in to detail because I am tired and I don't want to bore you but I'll just say that on my way down to TX to visit my grandma with my sister and my son and her son in the car with my parents in the car in front of us with my niece riding safely with them I wrecked in Fort Worth TX on the rutted ice after three days of driving in the worst weather and the worst road conditions I have ever seen. That is saying a lot considering I am from Montana, spent a winter in SD and have driven pretty much everywhere and currently live in norther MN.

I ran in to the concrete barrier in the middle of the road. I am so glad it wasn't the semi riding right beside us. Airbags deployed. We struck the barrier and then car jumped back several feet. A truck pulled up right behind us and blocked traffic.

We are all OK. Some whiplash and a good deal of emotional trauma and that is it.

Besides being alive you know what I am most thankful for? What came out the mouths of my sister and I as I realized that we were going to crash was a short prayer "Oh Lord...". Why? I am glad that is what is first out my mouth. First on my mind and not something foul. I am glad that it was words of peace and petition that my brain reached for first.

So glad.

Ice cream and supermodels

I have been watched a few movies recently that made me think. Yeah, I do actually think about the movies I watch even though I am mostly watching non thinking movies right now. I just can't handle too much thinking or explosions or anything like that, haha, I think that it has something to do with becoming a mom. Maybe. Just a theory. Anyway, back to the movies. They have been chick flicks. Here's the deal with chick flicks, most of the time they are super skinny women, they are skinnier than they look because as we all know "the camera adds ten pounds". So where am I going with all of this? Hold on. I'm getting to my point. Every time something went poorly or "the girls" got together they ate junk food. Lots of it. Chips, ice cream, take out pizza, take out Chinese... Occasionally they go jogging. Or something.

Most of the time I just take it all in stride, probably like most of us do while watching a chick flick. BUT I really think there is a poor message going out, a mixed message... the message is saying that you not only can eat junk food and hardly work out but if you are not able to eat junk food and hardly work out and keep a media perfect figure. Talk about depressing! Doesn't it make you want to eat a pint of ice cream just thinking about it?


Every SAHM needs a way to earn her coffee money....  

The "good" and the "bad"

What I really want to know is what makes all of us think that we can decide what "good" and "bad" is. I have heard the argument that people know what is "good" for them. Ha. That is almost funny.

We divide our food in to "good" and "bad". We ask people if they have "good" babies or "good" children.

What are we asking when we ask these questions?



Every SAHM needs a way to earn her coffee money.... 

Acknowledging what's really there.

OK. There is a serious difference between gossip and talking about people because they are people in your life or mutual lives. Also. There is a difference between gossip and just plain telling someone else that said person treated you poorly or that said businesses person is terrible at what they do or stating that someone is a cheat or always lies, or steals things. Let's get something clear here. These are not "judgment calls"and it isn't spreading malicious rumors of any kind. It's communication people. How else are people to know about there greater community? How else are we supposed to stay connected and concerned about lives other than our own? How are we supposed to learn from other people's mistakes? How are we supposed to steer clear up the untrustworthy business person and how are we supposed to know that we should take everything so and so says with a grain of salt or if so and so comes over just make sure you have things out that you aren't going to be upset about when they suddenly grow legs and walk out the door.

To me the important part is that you continue to speak to someone even if they are a liar and you acknowledge that and let others know that is a fact. You continue to care about the person who is a klepto and you even have them over but you face the facts and you don't let anyone else get things stolen from them just because you don't want to "talk about anyone".

I learned something hugely valuable in Mexico and that was the fact that you could state very bluntly things about people, even when that person was in the room, actually, especially when that person was in the room and everyone would acknowledge the facts and yet they still found humor in it and they fully embraced that person for what they really were and fully embraced their feels about them.

Seems kind of healthy to me.

 Bluntly,

 Jasmine

Every SAHM needs a way to earn her coffee money....

Shaping our kids perceptions

Do we shape our kids perceptions? Sure. I think that we can agree on that. Our young children have us around and they are going to pick up on what we think, they are going to watch what we watch, or let them watch. They even pick up on the tone and words that we use. It is kind of freaky when your exact tone of voice comes out of a 2 year old. Gosh it is so hard not to laugh sometimes. It has seriously made me take a second look at the things that come out of my mouth!

Speaking of perceptions I had a moment the other day that really made me think about perception shaping moments... yeah, that sentence is a little garbled but let me explain.

My son was watching Diego the other day. It is one of those terribly annoying shows with squeaky voices and lame kid songs that my son loves. What is it with children and loving those terrible voices and songs? That is the beside the point. I like Diego. Yeah, I know I said that I despise the voices and songs but Diego is pretty benign, there isn't anything objectionable and he loves animals. I was half listening while catching up on some reading when it registered what the squeaky conversation was about. It was about giant turtles. No big deal right? Maybe. But those kids shows are sneaky... It was about a lonely sea turtle and he was getting help from Diego and Diego's sister about getting the sea turtle a "friend" that he could have a family with... HOLD ON!

OK there is something wrong with this situation. Talk about shaping a young child's perception! Think about it. Here this show is teaching my son that if you are lonely and look for a friend that you can start a family with your friend. OK. Maybe I am a bit extreme but think about it for a minute. You are lonely. You get a friend. You start a family with a friend. Great. Wonderful. Seriously? A kids show?

Perceptions? Hm.

Virtual Tour

It may seem like I put everything out there for everyone to read and discuss. It seems that way when you meet my whole family. It doesn't seem like we have anything that is private.

The fact is that we have lots of things that are private. I am in truth a loud outgoing type of person and I have no problem starting or keeping a conversation going but there are many things that I tell to only a few people. Mainly the people that I live with.

Many people are like that I am sure. Have things that they don't tell others.

Well I am going to open up a little bit of my privacy and give you a virtual tour of my little house. Just for fun.

 Daddy and Jude reading in Jude's room

 Jude's room

 It's really hard to figure out what to do with all the wood we need to keep in the house and what do you do with shoes in such a small space?

Oh yeah, the tin trash can has the kindling in it.

 My awesome spiral staircase.

 Wood stove, an essential in the northlands.

 This is office/living room/play room or something.

 Yeah, kinda awkward, our bedroom in downstairs, it is too hot upstairs and since Jude still comes to bed with us I was worried he would fall down the stairs trying to come up to us one night.

P.S. My king-sized Ikea mattress is so worth the space it takes up.

 Winter time makes the biking move indoors. Upstairs. This is where the fitness happens!

 Finally, some dressers.

 Damien just built the bookshelf last month.

You may have noticed that you didn't get a bathroom or a kitchen tour. That's because I don't have one! Ha. You may have caught a glance of my fridge and microwave stashed behind the spiral staircase and I won't mention that you might have caught a glance of a porta-pot upstairs. 

Below is a shot of the "main cabin". Upstairs is my parents area housing both my dad's office and my mom's office and their little area. Downstairs in the main kitchen which we all share... all... yeah... there are 9 adults and 3 small children, everyone's little cabins are spotted around the main cabin. The shed you see in the distance is the wood/animal shed and behind that is the chicken coop and garden. Somehow were never able to shake our small farm roots.

Yes, there is a bathroom in there and right around the corner, attached to the main cabin is an outdoor access only shower house/laundry room. Believe it or not we don't really stack up on top of each other to shower or do our laundry and we don't even have schedules posted.

 I just got the dinner holler.

You have to be curious right? Ask questions!