I am so happy to be working. It has been a while since I have been able or willing to post. The girls all started school September and then I started my new job the first week of October. I can hardly express in type how rewarding and how hard it is to be a working mom.
I love sales so thats what I am doing.
I love my children so I am mommy-ing too.
I still have to find time for friends and family which I thoroughly enjoy.
This is a problem when one considers I require a minimum 8 hours sleep EVERY night to function in a non abusive way towards others.
This leaves 16 hours left in the day to do it all. 8 of which are WORKING so that leaves 8 to get kids ready in the morning and pick them up at night and care for them at night.....well unless you take out commuting that takes away another 1 at least 30 minutes in the am and 30 in the pm.... that leaves 7 but the kids go to bed at 8pm so really you have only a couple hours after work before bed to do IT ALL....Get up at 6am make coffee get kids fed and take them to school. Go to work at 8-9 am start the day....watch phone for any calls form various schools to be ready for emergencies and hope your boss has kids so he/she will have some understanding of such situations....work work work......go pick up kids....get home start homeowkr...make dinner.....bath them, clip nails, brush hair, brush teeth, floss...read to little ones...have sex go to sleep.
Notice there is NO time for reading or tv for the mom......oh and most days I forget to do one load of laundry so o Sundays I have 12 loads.
Being a stay at home mom was the best and I will forever be grateful to my awesome husband the only man who supported that for me. He is a super worker, super dad and super husband. NO woman can be a some what sane stay at home mother if her husband doesn't understand the sheer insanity of not getting paid, never having completed a job (cleaning, feeding kids, dishes and laundry are never completed therefor you never really feel like you have accomplished anything real) and never getting more than 5 minute intervals to yourself.
I have been forcing my kids after school to eat some fruit before a salts or sweet snack. It has paid off. They now expect it and DONT WHINE or complain. 3 weeks people thats all it took to instill a new healthy habit. Thanks Lewis - Mussa
During the summer (12 weeks as I have mentioned) wasn't easy and feeding the 4 girls FIVE times a day YES I SAID 5 x's a day....breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner.....UGH
SO I will admit to shopping at at least 2 stores weekly sometimes 3 (all grocery stores I am ANTI Target and Wallmart for food).
My girls ONLY EAT one type of cheese (with the exception of pizza cheese) Tillamook Special Reserve EXTRA Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Thank you husband. I must say cheese slices, organic corn chips from a bag and sliced fruit is a great lunch or snack and they love it when I cut the cheese into shapes and they build shit on their plate with it.
Next never forget people that BREAKFAST for any meal is GOOD. I highly recommend any whole grain waffle (frozen) and Trader Joe's all natural syrup is cheapest per ounce and delicious. We recently tried the VANS all natural maple flavored waffles - they have half the sugar of a bowl of regular cereal (6 gram), 3 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber (in 2 waffles)!
And finally one of the household favorites is my husbands famous Turkey Tacos. BTW - We don't use everything all natural or organic only when it seems reasonable and fair. We use Jenno Ground Turkey 99% lean, mixed with Taco Bell packaged seasoning (only 1/3 of the package so as not to freak out the kids). We cook that up, fry our own tortillas (white corn) in olive oil and serve it all wth diced tomatoes, lettuce and shredded (YES Tillamook) cheese. Do my kids use the tomatoes and lettuce? No.
That was JUST one day in a day of the Ho House summer meals.
People do ask me why I had so many kids. It is rude yet it is a valid question .... I mean its a curious thing all these kids (ps I do NOT know how anyone has more except that lots gets lost, forgotten and many get left in the dust emotionally) how do I take proper care of them? well like this...the best I can which may or may not be very good at all we will have to see. Odds are looking good at least 2 out of 4 will be successfully happy in life. Who knows if I had only 2 kids maybe only one would be ok?
My husband does a lot - this is KEY!
He screwed himself by being such a great dad it made me want (and have :) more.
The picture is the 3 girls hanging out together at the table listening to music doing homework. This is one of those moments that tells my heart its ok I had 4 beautiful daughters because they will love each other unconditionally, support each other and be there for each other to gossip and grieve and celebrate when I am gone...
So back to the title..."Those Moments", they are what remind me why I had 4 kids, I NEED THOSE MOMENTS when I am in the throws of WHY THE F*CK DID I DO THIS!
I do have those and any mom that denies that she feels like that sometimes not often is a freakin' liar and lives in constant fear of what other people think.
In the morning the teenager is an angel! She gets herself up and has been doing it since 6th grade. She cares about her appearance (a good thing that comes from puberty folks) so she is motivated to shower and brush her teeth and she is old enough now to desire food in the morning to avoid the nausea feeling that comes about 10am from forgetting or refusing to eat in the morning. She is generally cheerful by nature which has always made her pleasant to wake up. SO you can see this one is not an issue just the 15 minute drive every morning at 6:45am kinda sucks but not really when I have perspective and coffee and she drives me and its a chance to catch up without her sisters interrupting!
Now to the 10 yr old - who has badgered me to "homeschool" her since she was about 6 years old is not as pleasant to wake up. She rolls over ignores me and her first words 4 out of 5 days a week are "I don't want to go to school". ARG. Then I leave to wake up the two little ones and come BACK to the 10yr old who 5 out of 5 days a week still is iint bed grumbling. INSERT THOUGHT "God why cant this kid just wake up happy she doesnt have to do anything but get dressed, I make her breakfast, I pack her lunch and her dad walks her to school what a life and she has to start out with this shit". then I reset my brain and say "come one sweetie you dont want to be late".
Then off to the toddlers room to wake them up again - at least usually they are pleasant about getting up unless the 6 yr old feels she has been wronged in the first 2 waking minutes by the 4 yr old then there is hell to pay with this one. Mind you from when this 10 yr old wakes up until she walks out the door I have to re-dreict her attention to the task at hand more than 15 times ARG. eat honey I say, then 2 minutes later EAT HONEY its getting late....then I say again 2 minutes later and the cereal isnt gone at all OK THAST IT one more bite and go get dressed...."But I am hungry mom"....tough you had your chance......go get dressed. Now when she gets to her room I think she slips into another dimension because I cannot get her to get dressed by calling up to her eveyr 5 minutes for 20 minutes for the life of me and when I get up there all steamed up she isn't dressed she is sitting in front of her mirrored closet door smiling at herself and then me. ARG she melts my heart that little.....
The 6 yr old since she was 2 yrs old has always loved a schedule, getting up and getting ready. She is a total girly girl. She loves bags, accessories, scarves, socks anything to jazz up her daily outfit which she chooses with great care every day! She does how ever come downstairs hungry but refusing to eat anything I offer. WELL I assume she is hungry I mean GEEZE she hasn't eaten since 7pm the night before thats 12 hours....she tells me "Im not really hungry I will just have GOLDFISH". Which then my awesome husband jumps in (he is usually eating cereal at the computer during this process on www.ESPN.com) and gets her some apple slices. She pretty much eats 10 goldfish and 2 apple slices (no skin) and thats it. Believe me I know what you are thinking MAKE THAT KID EAT MORE breakfast is the most important meal of the day blaa blaa blaa, its how a student starts their day of right blaa blaa blaa I KNOW THIS PEOPLE YOU JUST DONT KNOW MY KID. You cannot force feed a 6 yr old. I have offered scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes, waffles, fruit, oatmeal, lucky charms.......nothing people NOTHING. The only truly difficult thing with her is her finding the "right" jacket for the day. UNfortunately she has coveting issues and always wants to wear her sisters coats and this leads to an almost daily fit between the two (the 6 yr old and who's ever jacket she is confiscating for that morning).
Then there is the "baby". She is 4 and a half and so easy peasy unless you are giving her medicine. She does just like one would expect... she gets up when her sisters do, gets ready like them and wishes she could go to the Elementary school instead of preschool. She eats easily and dresses herself when prompted. If feeling tired she will let you dress her in any thing you like (not good when daddy has his choice I would like to add...great dad does NOT = style for little girls LMAO). She even says things like her older sisters like "I dont want to go to school" but she says it with no oomph, with no heart and happily forgets when I use basic distraction and in the car she goes.
There are so many moments when they hug me, kiss me and smile at me that makes me understand why. Those moments when they tell me about their day and are so excited about something or when we do some art work and they thank me, or they help me pick out health foods at the store and help me cook......SO MANY MOMENTS
Thats the morning. Not so bad is it? more to COME...
does it feel like my children who are outgoing, zealous and intelligent are thumbed down by people who need a lot of order and quiet?
I often felt as a child unliked by my teachers. I tried hard to show them I was smart and funny. I was enthused by life and class. Rarely did I find a teacher who appreciated my passion, embraced it and encouraged it. It seemed that 95% of the people "above"me don't enjoy my fervor.
I see this happening with my own children now. Or is it I am sensitive to it so I see it more?
Why can't I conform? Why can't I be quiet? Its just who I am.
My kids its seems have the same lovely passion for life and learning.
Why must others squash this Is it because they do not feel listend to or honored when a child is moving around and speaking her mind?
My children are kind, caring and compassionate. They do not steal from other kids, they do not hit, they do not cuss...they are good kids. They have a spice in them and it bothers certain personality types I fear and those personality types are often teachers.
I mean since when were the kids working the farm and needing the planting or harvesting months off? Is that even why we used to have kids home from June through August? Does anyone know for sure why those 12 weeks started out?
I made it all the way to week 9 until I broke.
I hit an emotional wall.
By week 10 I was cagey. There was some pleasure back by week 11 due to the anticipation of school returning.
WTF
And dont get me started about school days. I want my child in SCHOOL from 8:30am - 3:30 m and I want them to have a 45 minutes lunch and several 15 min recesses. WHY is my fucking 17 yr old, 10 yr old and 6yr old going school before 8am? WHY are they getting off at 2pm when the rest of San Diego (who mostly is dual income because its so damn expensive to live here) is working until A LEaST 5pm?
WHY is after school care and summer camps so damn much $$?
if i give you something that was mine it is special, if i make you something it is special, if i buy you a card it is special, what is special is i am thinking of you and taking the time to give to you it is NEVER what i give ONLY that I thought of you enough to get something and bring it to you and give it AND if i listen i have given you my time a most precious item: erika ho
It started with my now 17 year old...I think i began enlisting her help to clean her room at 6. I felt this was reasonable to send her to her room for 10 minutes and ask her to pick up her toys. She taught me after many bad attempts at this that 6 yr olds need more guidance when it comes to organizing and cleaning up. It is NOT innate in children or adult it seems it is a taught thing to LEARN how to organize and clean up so here are some ideas from my mistakes of 4 kids 17 - 4 yrs of age....
Start at 2 with "lets clean up" and sing the barney Cleanup Song. Either sit on the floor with your toddler and show then by tossing toys in a basket or bin and enlist them to do the same. It may be that you need to hand a toy to your tot and teach them to toss the toys in the bin (more fun and gets more attention form mommy or daddy).
By 4 yrs old you can say "pick up all your : barbies or blocks or cars" the idea is telling them to focus on ONE GROUP of objects and make sure you have a designated bin. I am assuming you damn parents have had the sense to do that on your own.
Between 4 and 6 you are building the skills to get to sending them to do a project of 2 or more items or at a minimum making it easy on mom or dad to give the simple instructions "go clean up your ______" then when done tell them to work on the next group. YOU STILL will have to monitor at this age up to about 8 depends on your child but don't be worried if at 7 or 8 you are still in the room guiding them and re-directing them.
So, 6 - 8 years old you could potentially be at the point where you send them to their room and you tell them, "go pick up your _____" then check back in 5-10 minutes to re-direct because lets be HONEST when we as adults clean up we get distracted by what we find and get off course :)
ALL of this works better of YOU are cleaning something in the house to that way you can empathize how much it sucks and how good it will feel when its done and how you don't like it but as a grown up you have to do it too.
FROM 6 - whenever you can NOW start using the rewards (until now you have been telling them it feels good when its done and this is what we do to keep our toys nice and fun to play with). At 6 I use things like a dollar or two a week allowance they can spend at the DOLLAR store or the grocery store for candy. Also I use sleepovers and play-dates as rewards (or threats to take away I try to look at the positive). I say things like don't you want to be able to play on the weekend with so and so or have a sleep over the next week or get ice cream 2 scoops next week with the family?
Now you are at 8-10. Expect CRAP form this kid when you tell them to clean up. I mean whining and bitching and moaning about it and lots of delays and distractions this is developmentally NORMAL and BE PATIENT. Remember when we sent them to their rooms at 8 and came back every 5 minutes? DO THIS AGAIN :)
From 10 - 18 its easy find what ever they want or like ALOT and threaten to take it away.
You should expect a 10 - 18 yr old to clean their room to YOUR standards what ever that is (be consistent - maybe for you its a cleaned up floor or all the dirty laundry in a bin...) ONCE A WEEK.
NOW YOU HAVE TO TURN IT OVER to the God(s) after that. After the once a week clean up that YOU approve you have to let them trash the room as much as they please the rest of the week.
Pick the same day every week for us its either SUnday or Mondays cause they are the slowest days in our house and thats when I do laundry.
Good Luck and email me any problems or questions erikaho@rocketmail.com
Oh yes at 6 - 18 I put a 8 1/2 by 11 paper on their bedroom door with ONLY 4 groups to clean up:
Stuffed Animals Dirty Laundry Books Trash
This is what you refer to every time you send them to clean their room and until they can read themselves read it to them and refer to it as you do your 5 min check ins.
Fussiness about food is a normal part of child development. Young children are naturally neophobic — they have a distrust of the new. Even the most determined parents can be cowed by a child’s resolve to eat nothing rather than try something new. As a result, parents often give in, deciding that a bowl of Cocoa Puffs or a Pop-Tart, while not ideal, must be better than no food at all.
Its a parents JOB to to serve a variety of healthy foods and get their children exposed to foods.
Today I made firm tofu fried in some olive oil & soy sauce with onions and asparagus (all fresh but I decided last minute against the mushrooms, thought I had better nor push it).
After years with the 10 yr old and 6 yr old they have moved into a new place of acceptance with healthy foods mom makes. The 4 yr old fell asleep crying not eating one bite and woke up 2 hours later asking for her popsicle. I WILL NOT CAVE (ugh! this is hard! I am tired by now! summer needs to end August).
The 6 and 10 yr old ate 3 squares of tofu and 6 pieces of asparagus. Did I then let them have a popsicle? Am I THAT BAD MOMMY who rewards healthy choices.....YES I AM AND YES I DID. This was a summer day lunch and I am happy with the results. It was a small popsicle.
3 things I DEEM VERY important in trying to be successful at feeding your kids:
(please note successful is a very wide range like 1 fruit and 1 veggie a day can be success for some where as others like my healthy granola friend Leslie who manages to get more fruit and veggies into her kids than humanly possible in one day).
1. I do NOT make my kids "clean their plate"
2. I do bring them to the store and ask them "what fruit do you want what veggie do you want" and I BUY what ever they want.
3. I do let them help me prepare food or when ever possible let them prepare it themselves.
I do love this book my other bestie TONYA gave me.
I must admit thanks to TONYA and LESLIE I now serve all whole wheat pasta to the girls, rice is half brown half white now (we started out with the pasta that way too).
We have always only served the highest quality whole wheat bread.
We choose as many organic products as financially possible, we shop locally and try to buy the food stuff closest to home.
We limit (we DO buy whole grain gold fish, mini wheats, cinnamon life cereal, and all natural ice cream) the "processed foods" and we strongly avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup...
I have hard MANY people talk about how time slows down when an accident happens. I have experienced this first hand (2 times with my children more than 2 in my own life).
The first occasion was while I was outside with my kids they we are actively moving around on various wheeled contraptions. The then 9 yr old was scootering and RIGHT AS I HAPPENED to look up at her* she catches a stone under the front wheel and flips over her scooter and in SLOW MOTION I watch in horror whilst also beginning to get up out of my seated position** her mouth/face bounces off the ground and I hear a CRACK as she chipped off BOTH her two front PERMANENT teeth.
* & ** clearly we have an attachment and ability to connect with our offspring that goes beyond a bond discussed. A bond of the 6th dimension or psychic ability!
Then yesterday it was similar situation kids all over again with my 6 yr old. Kids riding all over, a 4 yr old on a scooter and 6 yr old on her bike. There was a lovely dad and his two amazingly adorable kids Elizabeth and Sarah I think (4yr old and 2 yr old) his dog, my other neighbor and her 4 yr old Jessica. SO loads of activity totally positive environment and off the 6 yr old goes riding. She was in the position where your standing on the pedals to gain momentum...I look over at her* RIGHT as her handle bars turn sharply (too sharply) to stay up and down she goes. I see her face (her adorable chunky cheeked face) slide across the pavement and bounce and little I think. AGAIN I was already in motion it seemed or felt like as soon as I saw the handle turn...I was on her and she was hysterical I was worried she may go into shock actually. But again my mind tells me FOR SURE I looked up right BEFORE she fell like I KNEW something was going to happen!
BOTH TIMES time slowed down and bended!
NEXT POST about the psychic bond that must be proven!
10 Tips To Reduce Your Food WasteSlate readers offer their own suggestions for how to run an efficient kitchen.
By Nina Shen RastogiPosted Tuesday, July 6, 2010, at 11:03 AM ET
A few weeks ago, after serving up some sobering statistics about food waste in America, the Lantern put out a call for your best tips on how to avoid refrigerator rot. Nearly 200 of you responded, with some big suggestions (move to a place within walking distance of a grocery store) and small ones (grow your own herbs). Here are 10 key lessons that emerged from your letters and comments.
2. Shop a few times a week. If you lack the discipline to plan your meals seven days in advance, do as the Europeans do and opt for small, frequent purchases. Check to see what you have at home that's in danger of going bad, then shop for ingredients so you can make use of those items. If you've got pork chops in your fridge that are about to turn ugly and half a bag of rice in your pantry, maybe all you need is a vegetable for the side. If you have to drive to your grocery store, shop on the way home from work or while running other errands so you don't increase your road miles too much.1. Create—and then stick to—a shopping list. Plan out your meals for the week (including snacks and side dishes) and then shop for just the ingredients you need—no more, no less. Be honest about your cooking and eating habits, though, or you'll still wind up with unused ingredients. Reader Heather Rhodes recommends a weekly menu that includes at least a few easy dishes (for nights when you're too tired to make something elaborate) and one meal that uses nonperishable pantry staples (so if you decide to order takeout one night, you don't have to worry about anything spoiling).
3. Stick to a single cuisine, to maximize efficiency. "I used to cook Indian on Monday, Thai on Tuesday, Italian on a Wednesday," says reader Jennifer Coogan. That would leave her with a fridge full of disparate foods—many of which would go bad before she had cause to use them again. Now she'll designate a "Chinese week" and wait until she's finished all the bok choy, tofu, and guilin sauce in the kitchen before she allows herself to buy Mediterranean ingredients.
4. Buy food with cash. It's hard, writes Graham Murtaugh, but it works. "The less we use debit/credit, the more conscious we are of what we spend and so we tend not to grab items that just look good."
5. Hit the supermarket salad bar. Produce shopping can be a real conundrum for singles and couples. (Someone please tell me: How does one person finish an entire bunch of celery without resorting to ants on a log for every meal?) Allison Breyer Everett avoids excess by buying precise amounts of pre-chopped veggies from the grocery store salad bar.
6. Rein it in at the farmers market. Many of you, it seems, have the same problem as the Lantern: You fall in love with exotic produce over the weekend, but during the workweek you're too tired to learn how to cook the damn things. Stephanie Hershinow advises that you limit your experimental purchases, like ramps and rhubarb, to things you plan to prepare that same weekend."Once you know how to use something, it can be considered a workweek ingredient."
7. Wash and prep fruit and vegetables right away. This helps combat workweek weariness. Dry everything thoroughly before you put it in the fridge—surface moisture provides a nice environment for decay-causing bacteria and fungi. Adel Kader, a postharvest produce expert from the University of California-Davis, suggests using a spinner and then keeping the ingredients in plastic bags or containers. Note that cutting fruits and veggies can double the rate of deterioration; Kader suggests using any cut produce within two days. (More produce storage tips can be found here [PDF].)
8. Keep track of what's in your fridge and pantry, with expiration dates. An up-to-date inventory not only prevents you from accidentally re-buying items but can also alert you to what's teetering on the edge of spoilage. Some readers use a simple notepad and pencil; others have developed more elaborate systems: "We put a white board on the fridge and everything that goes into the fridge gets written down on the board," says one commenter. "We write down perishable stuff in red ink, stable stuff in green, one section for ingredients and another for leftovers."
9. Use the freezer—and use it wisely. A handful of readers extolled the virtues of thevacuum sealer and those green plastic produce bags for keeping food fresh. But the most popular suggestion by far was the humble freezer. Keep a container in there for chicken carcasses, freezer-burned drumsticks, onion tops, and carrot peelings; when it's full, simmer all the contents to make stock. Ann Dorough blanches and freezes on-the-verge produce for later use. Jenna roasts vegetables (except for cucumbers and leafy stuff) before they go bad and then tosses them into a freezer bag; the constantly evolving mix goes into lasagna, soup, pizza, or casseroles. Fruit that's about to go bad can be frozen for smoothies, and at least four of you sang the praises of banana bread made from frozen, mushy Chiquitas.
Meanwhile, Kristin Dzugan uses her freezer as soon as she gets home from the store, parsing out six-serving jars of pasta sauce into two-serving cups. ("This also keeps us from over-eating," she notes.) Other readers suggest freezing individual portions of prepared food for later consumption.
10. Schedule in your leftovers. After 46 years of marriage, John and Willie Wright have hit upon a winning system: "We eat 'new' food on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights, then on Thursday we have 'smorgasbord' with the leftovers from those three nights."
A popular variation on smorgasbord night was "back of the fridge night," when you challenge yourself to prepare a meal out of nothing but end-of-the-shopping-week ingredients. To do this, bone up on a handful of what reader Venkatesh Rao calls "meta recipes"—flexible dishes like quiches, stir-fries, stews, and dals that can easily accommodate a wide variety of ingredients. The Lantern loves using Mark Bittman's Food Matters cookbook for just this purpose. Several of you also recommended allrecipes.com, where you can search for dishesthat incorporate up to four different ingredients.
the 3rd honest mom on eblog because THATS what we really need is more moms and dads to be HONEST and OPEN for christs sake so we can understand we are not alone! We are JUST ALIKE!
It is so obvious to me why I do this - things are not going as smoothly as they have in the past and then I begin the regret thought patterns...
What if I hadn't left that boyfriend, what if I hadn't had so many kids what if I had finished college what if what if what if.....
I pray and thank God for what I have and I am truly thankful for the basics and all the bonus stuff in my life.
My gratitude list is LONG and starts with my healthy, intelligent kids, my supportive and intelligent husband, my lovely home and my cool car thats is old but I adore it, my incredibly awesome friends who have become my family, and my actual family AND my health....BUT
Wouldn't my life be EASIER and BETTER had I made a few different decisions in the past?
What about the fantasy of the ones left behind?
I don't regret my kids at all in fact they have defined me and given my otherwise meaningless life purpose! But I DO wonder would I have been a better mom and offered more resources if I had chosen to have less kids?
Each child has had such a positive effect on my spiritual being each child catapulted me into another dimension of thoughts, love and being.
I cannot regret my first marriage because I truly loved that man and wanted so much to have our child who is such an amazing human being she is everything I dreamed she would be and more! She is everything I am not! She is a better, upgraded version of me and him its amazing.
I cannot regret my divorce because we were not meant to stay together. We were bad for each other and would have created a terrible environment to raise our daughter in.
I cannot regret leaving one man for the next and so on because it led to my fantastic husband who as of late is on my last nerve but I am 100% sure I love and adore him deep inside when he behaves in way I find acceptable LOL
BUT I WONDER WHAT WOULD BE IF I HAD..........
Its sad but not. Its unhealthy line of thinking I am sure...my friend Ruby reminds me its a choice to walk down this path of regret...but its not easy to step off it or turn away from it!...maybe I will roll in my shit a little bit before i get out of it and shower it off...
I am always recommending a book now because I LOVE TO READ and have read over 1000 books and I am recommending only MY FAVS I HIGHLY suggest you read what I recommend - I am that good at choosing books <3
so, i find in marriage (not just mine because i run regular testing for my e-theories) that each partner has a what i like to call their "hot quotient". this can be summed up as their sex appeal and general good looks level divided by the other partner's. of COURSE there are the times when one's hot quotient out weighs or is above if you wish the others. for various reasons that is ever changing. in some relationships the hot quotient is very uneven and stays that way for the entire relationship for example the man may be much hotter than the woman and everyone knows this but no one actually talks about it because we LIKE TO PRETEND LOOKS DONT MATTER or LOOKS ARE NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING and the old addage "dont judge a book by its cover" and I will even venture to say "you need to meet my friend they are really NICE and FUUNY (when usually if they are hot that comes out first).
HEY I dont agree with how society makes looks NUMBER ONE but lets face it IT DOES AND THAT IS A FACT.
having said all that we are back to one is hotter than the other and on average in MOST relationships this fluctuates back and forth between the 2. lets use me and my hot husband as an example. when he and i met our hot quotient was EQUAL we were both hot and cute and all that means is really truly and completely shallow we were equal in our physical attraction ability/lever. after our 1st daughter was born i was even able to raise my hot qotient above his (his hair ugh and he was pale for an entire year lol). mind you this did not last long at all before he surpased me after our 2nd daughter together and he has been above me since that kid in 2004. BUT, these days he works long hours, doesnt get much sun, lets his hair do bad things and has to wear compression socks and quess what baby! I am BACK. I work out 2-3 times a week, dye my grey hair (its all grey if any of you need that support), i work hard on my spiritual being and WHAM I am SO above him now LMAO.
its normal for the fluctuations over years at a time especially for how hard it is for us women to get back our bodies and our self after babies and child rearing and forget the time if you are a stay at home mom you are crazy the last one on the list to take care of yourself! Actually it may be harder for working moms I dont know but all I can say is YOU CAN GET IT BACK, dont worry your time is coming and if you HAVE IT RIGHT NOW enjoy the hell out of it and if you cant tell......
start watching other people watching you as a couple cause you will know when you see THAT look...we have ALL done it or seen it or both THAT LOOK "what is he/she doing with THEM"
i was on the crappy end of that look for years but i had hope and always have been a hopeful person and see it worked!
LOVE, TOLERANCE AND HOPE
and dont from now on be the person who thinks that and gives THE LOOK think about erika's story how one day she was hot then she was off for a few years and she may get it back and that the reason that guy is with her is probably cause of LOVE or she WAS HOT at one time or anohter or he CANNOT AFFORD TO DIVORCE HER. More to come on this subject.
Quotient:In mathematics, a quotient is the result of a division. For example, when dividing 6 by 3, the quotient is 2, while 6 is called the dividend, and 3 the divisor. The quotient can also be expressed as the number of times the divisor divides into the dividend.
Hot:Physical attractiveness is the perception of the physical traits of an individual human person as aesthetically pleasing or beautiful, and can include various implications such as sexual attractiveness and physique. What is considered physically attractive is dependent on three factors: universal perceptions common to all human cultures, cultural and social aspects and individual subjective preferences. Despite universally held perceptions of beauty in both sexes, males tend to place significantly higher value on physical appearance in a partner than women do.This can be explained by evolutionary psychology as a consequence of ancestral humans who selected partners based on secondary sexual characteristics, as well as general indicators of fitness (for example, symmetrical features) enjoying greater reproductive success as a result of higher fertility in those partners, although a male's ability to provide resources for offspring was likely signalled less by physical features.This is because the most prominent indicator of fertility in women is youth, while the traits in a man that enhance reproductive success are proxies for his ability to accrue resources and protect.There appear to be universal standards regarding attractiveness both within and across cultures and ethnic groups.
Physical attractiveness can have a significant effect on how people are judged. In terms of employment or social opportunities, friendship, sexual behavior, and marriage.In many cases, humans attribute positive characteristics, such as intelligence and honesty, to attractive people without consciously realizing it.In certain instances, physical attractiveness is distinct from sexual attraction; humans may regard the young as attractive for various reasons, for example, but without sexual attraction.
Women are believed to be more generally attracted to men who are slightly taller and who have a relatively narrow waist and broad shoulders. Men may be attracted by women who are slightly shorter, have a youthful appearance and exhibit features such as a symmetrical face, full breasts, full lips, and a low waist-hip ratio.
Tell your kids Friday night they DO have school tomorrow.
I know you have all noticed that the days the Little Ones have school they do not want to wake up and once they know its Friday and the next day is no school their tiny asses are up at the crack of friggin dawn and its SO wrong! SO the ones that are under 6 you can lie to...
My trainer recommended this site to start my weight loss program. Its FREE and easy to use. You only NEED to be diligent and enter in every bite of food that crosses your hungry lips and DONT forget to give yourself credit for ALL exercise - this site helps you choose simple things like folding laundry or dusting to add for burned calories which to me = MORE FOOD lol If you have trouble using the site email me but I love it - you can find me and we can be caloriecount.about friends <3
If you live in San Diego and you do not attend the Bootcamp I do on Saturdays you are a CHUMP!
Its every Saturday @ Mission Bay 9am $40 for the MONTH
It has changed my LIFE and my BODY just a ONCE a week commitment and DON'T you whores and asses, even try and tell me you cannot afford to try it for $40 a month when you have I Phones and Cable at home because I have NEITHER!
Cant you just try something for once a week for $10 a week that will change your life? No? Whatever!
The rest of you email me erikaho@ricketmail.com
I did not go to any of my bootcamp classes last week and I was eating like a piggy so tired and crabby it really has an amazingly positive impact on my whole attitude for the week!
I do love this Quinoa from Trader Joes its already prepared in the freezer section made with chopped veggies you just heat it up in a frying pan (I AM ANTI MICRO WAVES FYI) I add ample soy sauce to mine and YUM! It has great Protein, Fiber and low fat & carbs!
Quinoa
Although not a common item in most kitchens today, quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. Quinoa is available in your local health food stores throughout the year. Most commonly considered a grain, quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. It is a recently rediscovered ancient "grain" once considered "the gold of the Incas."
Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is an ancient food that is not yet well known in North America. It has been cultivated in South American Andes since at least 3,000 B.C. and has been a staple food of millions of native inhabitants. The ancient Incas called quinoa the "mother grain" and revered it as sacred. Each year at planting time it was traditional for the Inca leader to plant the first quinoa seed using a solid gold shovel! Quinoa was used to sustain Incan armies, which frequently marched for many days eating a mixture of quinoa and fat, known as "war balls." Beginning with the Spanish conquest in the 1500s, there was a 400-year decline in the production of quinoa. It became a minor crop at that time and was grown only by peasants in remote areas for local consumption. In Peru, Chile and Bolivia, quinoa is now widely cultivated for its nutritious seeds, and they are referred to as "little rice." The seeds are used in creating various soups and bread, and also fermented with millet to make a beer-like beverage. A sweetened decoction of the fruit is used medicinally, as an application for sores and bruises. Quinoa has been grown outside of South America for a relatively short time. It is grown in Canada and has been grown in the U.S., in Colorado since the 1980's by two entrepreneurs who learned of the food from a Bolivian. They developed test plots in high arid fields in the central Rockies and began test marketing in 1985. Quinoa can be found in most natural food stores in the U.S. Technically quinoa is not a true grain, but is the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. It is used as a grain and substituted for grains because of it's cooking characteristics. The name comes from the Greek words, chen (a goose) and pous (a foot). This is due to a resemblance of the leaves of the plant to the webbed foot of a goose. The leaves are lobed or toothed and often triangular in shape. The succulent like plant grows from 4 to 6 feet high and has many angular branches. The flower heads are branched and when in seed looks much like millet, with large clusters of seeds at the end of a stalk. The plant will grow in a variety of conditions but favors a cool, arid climate and higher elevations. Beets, spinach, Swiss chard, and lamb's quarters are all relatives of quinoa. Quinoa grains range in color from ivory to pinks, brown to reds, or almost black depending on the variety. There are over 120 species of Chenopodium, but only three main varieties are cultivated; one producing very pale seeds, called the white or sweet variety; a dark red fruited variety called red quinoa; and a black quinoa. The seeds are similar in size to millet but are flat with a pointed oval shape and look like a cross between a sesame seed and millet. Quinoa has a delightful characteristic that is all it's own: as it cooks, the outer germ around each grain twists outward forming a little white, spiral tail, which is attached to the kernel. The grain itself is soft and delicate and the tail is crunchy which creates and interesting texture combination and pleasant "crunch" when eating the grain. Quinoa has a fluffy consistency and a mild, delicate, slightly nutty flavor that borders on bland. The leaves of the Goosefoot (quinoa) plant are also edible and make a pleasant vegetable, like spinach. A quinoa leaf salad is generally more nutritious that most green salads. Before cooking, the seeds must be rinsed to remove their bitter resin-like coating, which is called saponin. Quinoa is rinsed before it is packaged and sold, but it is best to rinse again at home before use to remove any of the powdery residue that may remain on the seeds. The presence of saponin is obvious by the production of a soapy looking "suds" when the seeds are swished in water. Placing quinoa in a strainer and rinsing thoroughly with water easily washes the saponin from the seeds. In South America the saponin which is removed from the quinoa is used as detergent for washing clothes and as an antiseptic to promote healing of skin injuries. The quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. It is exceptionally high in lysine, cystine and methionine-amino acids typically low in other grains. It is a good complement for legumes, which are often low in methionine and cystine. The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids. Some types of wheat come close to matching quinoa's protein content, but grains such as barley, corn, and rice generally have less than half the protein of quinoa. Quinoa is 12% to 18% protein and four ounces a day, about 1/2-cup, will provide a childs protein needs for one day. The 6-7% fat of quinoa is relatively high when compared to other grains, but it boasts a low sodium content and also provides valuable starch and fiber. Quinoa also contains albumen, a protein that is found in egg whites, blood serum, and many plant and animal tissues. The seeds are gluten-free which makes this a nutritious and flavorful alternative grain for those with gluten sensitivity. Quinoa would be a worthy addition to anyone's diet, supplying variety as well as good nutrition. The seed is also excellent feed for birds and poultry and the plant itself is good forage for cattle. Cooked quinoa is excellent in hot casseroles and soups, stews, in stir-fries, or cold in salads. The seeds cook very quickly, in only 15 minutes. Uncooked seeds may be added to soups and stews as you would barley or rice and quinoa is often substituted for rice in rice dishes. Dry roasting quinoa in a pan or in the oven, before cooking will give a toasted flavor, and it can be cooked in fruit juice to add character to the flavor for use as a breakfast cereal or in desserts. Cold salads consisting of quinoa and chopped vegetables or cooked beans make a quick, easy, and nutritious dish. Quinoa flour is used in making pasta and a variety of baked goods such as pancakes, bread, muffins, and crackers. Quinoa seeds can be sprouted and eaten as raw, live food for snacks or in salads and sandwiches. To sprout the seeds, soak about 1/3 cup seeds in a jar for 2 to 4 hours, then drain and rinse the seeds twice a day for 2 to 4 days. When the sprouts are about 1 inch long, place them near a window for chlorophyll to develop, which will give them a vibrant green color. Another fascinating way of using quinoa is to "pop" the seeds in a dry skillet and eat them as a dry cereal.
