We Reap What We Sow ...

Or Get What We Give. Karma's a b!tch. Or whatever the saying really is.

Seriously, lately I have been watching and listening to people in a different way. I watch as they roll their eyes, laugh at the expense of others and speak in whispers. I sense their negativity, the tones they take with others when they speak, what they throw out into the universe. I fight hard to avoid it, and to be sure I don't absorb it.

We truly do reap what we sow, don't we? I have no idea exactly where that saying stems from, or if it's a religious saying that I probably shouldn't use, but the sentiment stays the same, in my opinion. I'm a true believer in Karma. I feel that what you throw out to the universe is what you get back. And if you haven't yet, no worries, my friend, you will.

Say someone is a Negative Nelly ALL. THE. TIME. The one time she decides to open up and be friendly she's probably going to find herself slighted. It may be intentional, it may not be, but sometimes it's just enough already, ya know? I mean, how many times can you offer things up to this person, or others, and have her come back and negate your efforts before you turn around and say, I'm done. I need to cut myself off from this person before I absorb what she gives off. Seriously. Sometimes we have to put ourselves first. In this situation that can certainly come into play. So those out there who simply find nothing to celebrate and appreciate? I'm sending you all the happy vibes I can. Because until you change your outlook you're not going to get anything back but what you send out. I'm telling you -- trust me.

And what about you, you over there in the corner, hiding away from the rest of us and talking with your select few about everyone else? Yeah. I see you. I know I'm among those you've recently targeted. And you know what? I am done caring. I am. Others may care and may act a certain way around you because they fear they might become your next target. Me? Not so much. I couldn't care less. That means I don't care. Because what you're tossing out to the universe? It's beautiful, really (sense the sarcasm there?) and it'll make it's way back to you. So when you b!tch about all the things that go wrong in your life and complain about all the things that aren't going your way? I'll sit back with that smug, know-it-all kind of feeling, because, as I have mentioned, Karma is a b!tch sometimes. She knows all.

Now, as I write all of this out I realize it has taken on a bit more negativity than I anticipated. And it also seems like I'm throwing out some of that into my own universe. I'm trying not to, I promise. I really just have had this on my mind. Especially as the holidays draw near, and I watch people just going on and on and on about things, and never opening themselves up in a way that shows they're truly present. Truly there to be more than just visible, but to participate and become a part of what surrounds them.

Now - as the year comes to a close - which kind of person do you prefer to be? I know for me, as much as I gripe, I'm truly thankful and blessed with the life that I have. And although there are days I tell my husband it's time to take me out back, or trade me in for a younger model (believe me, I wish I could trade MYSELF in for a younger model some days!) because this hurts, or this has happened, I try to give what's best of me to others and try to maintain the positive outlook. It isn't easy, but nothing ever truly is, right?

'Tis the season and all that jazz ...

Black Friday Made Over My Living Room

So, not exactly made over completely, but made over a little bit.

See, some months ago hubby got a little extra spending money that we used to pay off some bills. And in doing so we kind of promised ourselves we would wait til Black Friday and buy ourselves a new (read = bigger) TV.

He went out this morning [Friday AM], checked out a few places, came home. Decided to try another quick pit stop about 5 minutes from us and called me, saying, "Are you going to kill me?" I had to laugh. Why would I kill him? We all benefit from this fantastic thing that now graces our TV Stand in the corner of our living room. Plus, in making the change, he did some heavy cleaning behind there. A spot that hadn't been touched in over four years. Hallelujah! (Don't you dare go back there, kitties!)

And in getting this new item up on it's stand, we had to move some stuff (read = toys) around. I totally want to do some more intense cleaning now. Definitely. And I am assessing where I can hang up some pictures. Again, it's been over four years. Shouldn't we have some pictures hanging on our living room walls? I think so ...

Then we head to the other side of the living room, and I think that it's time to bring out the holiday decor. I've gotta dig through the garage for my Chanukah items, and the rare Christmas-season fare I might have, as well. Usually I stick to snowmen. I mean, who can resist them, right? And with Chanukah rapidly approaching, I'm going to have to get a move on, and fast.

Anyway, now I totally want to do more. I want to buy some counter height stools for my kitchen island. I actually kind of like these but I'm not sure I'm ready to spend $100 (as we would need two, after all) on them right now. Plus I'm not sure I'm ready to have my child constantly climbing them. Which we know (you know, right? It's not just me ...) she would totally be doing. And I'd lose my mind. Or just get swallowed up with anxiety. So yeah, I'll skip them for the time being!

And I want to turn our dining room into an actual dining room. We have the furniture, it's just that our old loveseat, couch and recliner are in there (playroom style) AND the hutch and the dining room table, which was pushed into a corner. What to do with that space, eh?

Anyway, that's where I'm at today. In the meantime I'm lazy, watching Pumpkin Chunkin' and "posting" - or writing this post. But I probably won't post it until tomorrow. Or the next day. Cause I'm just not in the mood to overdo the posting. After all, it's the long holiday weekend. We should be relaxing and thankful, not reading what everyone else is up to or wants to be doing.

Have I mentioned we haven't hit the IKEA in Charlotte, yet? Hmmmn. Wonder what time they open tomorrow?

Note: We didn't go to IKEA yesterday, we went grocery shopping after hitting The Diner for lunch. Today we will go swimming and pretend it's a regular Sunday. And yes, I literally mean The Diner - as that is it's name, and it's like the only pseudo-diner around. Ah, how I miss NYC sometimes!

Dial Diaries: Starting Out

If you've noticed the new box on the right-hand side of my blog, you'll see that I've started participating in the Dial Healthier You program. (It looks like this!)

It's a four-week program to help healthify (so totally not a word, is it?) my skin, eating habits, etc. I figured with the way the cooler weather tends to dry me out a bit, it couldn't hurt to take the tips they'd be giving me (and the rest of the participants) and see if they help.

Of course, the first week is nutrition-based. How rough is that to do on Thanksgiving week?
Rough.

How much rougher is it for someone who does not eat seafood?
Ten thousand times as rough.

But I'll survive.

I figured I'd share some of the tips I've received as we kick off Week 1.

Eat fish. Lots of good fish. Salmon. Sardines. Anchovies.

So. No. No. And no thank you. (Sorry, Dial. I know it's good FOR you stuff, but I haven't eaten fish since I was about - well, never!)

Drink loads of water. Check! (+1 for me!) I am a big water drinker, to the extent that I can actually tell when I haven't been hydrating myself enough. My hands dry out, and my lips are chapped, and then I start looking around for my water bottle and realize they've all been upstairs for days on end. Pick up a glass, woman! Get thee to your fridge dispenser, stat!

Beans. Vegetarian beans. Chick peas. Even pumpkin seeds (don't even ask about my pumpkin seed baking debacle!) are good for you. They are rich in zinc, which is a blemish fighting element. This I can do. We live off of beans in this house, whether they're black, pinto, refried (don't judge, I opt for the vegetarian version - no lard here!) and I can add them to nearly any meal. They're a great penny pincher, too. One average can can run between 60c-90c!

Anyone a flax seed fan here? I used to eat it frequently. I would buy bags of it (ground up, not the actual seeds) and add it to things like yogurt, cereal, even ice cream. It's really not bad, and it's really good for you. I need to try to pick some up this weekend. Maybe even toss a little into the Stove Top Stuffing I'll be making to go along with our T-Day meal. I wonder if I can hide that from my hubby? I can definitely add some into some bread or muffin mixes, and that would be an excellent addition to make them at least *seem* healthier. Always looking for the short-cut, that's me!

Lastly, tea and dark chocolate are recommended. Ah, yes. I can easily do those two items. EASILY.

But Andrea, you know that they're not talking about your hot chai lattes or a large chunk of Dove dark chocolate, right?

Oh, yeah. Sure. I knew that. Right.

I'll be back next week with another weekly installment of Dial Diaries.

PINT: The Thankful Edition

Hot Diggity Dog

So today, for the first time - and what I am sure will not be my last - I stuck my finger into my daughter's mouth and scooped out a piece of hot dog while she sat there kind of, sort of, choking.

What? What? Yes. That's what I said.

We were at Dairy Queen for lunch, after a nice swimming lesson, and she took her first bite of her lunch and that was that. We could tell that she was stuck. It was stuck. She couldn't cough. She was scrunching up her little face and visibly stressed. She did not turn blue (thank G-d), she was not coughing or making any noise, and she basically scared the sh!t out of me.

I put my arm around her and said, 'You're okay.' And in an instant I had my fingers in her mouth. I'm not even sure what happened, but by the time I had my finger in there and scraped the back of her throat the piece of *meat* was already out of the way. She started crying. I pulled the hot dog out of her mouth and just watched as she settled down.

She cried some more, and proceeded to hug me, wiping ketchup from her mouth onto my shirt shoulder. I teased her about it, and made her laugh. She cried some more and started spitting a little bit. A new found fascination with spitting is one we're addressing on and off these days. Especially with swimming lessons, she's learned to spit the water out if it gets into her mouth, so she shoves it out with her tongue, has her mouth lay a certain way, etc. and so here she was, doing this, and we're trying to settle her down, and stop the spitting and at the same time, I take a moment and look at my hands, which are shaking.

My eyes filled up with tears, but at this point my daughter has moved on to my grilled chicken wrap and her french fries. She proceeded to make her way through my lunch, and then back to her hot dog. Yes. I let her eat it. She let me cut it, and "make it in half," and we moved ahead.

My husband looked at me and said, 'Don't.' And so I didn't. I let a few tears slide and thought to myself, well, there goes that hurdle.

And tonight, as I watched her show her moves to my in-laws, and prance around in half her PJs as she asked her Papa to kiss her belly, I thought to myself, Thank You, G-d. Thank you so much for whatever it was that led me to stick my fingers in her mouth, to whatever it was that pushed it back (reflex or panic or an attempt at coughing or whatever) out of her throat instead of down further, and thank you to my child, for reminding me how so many moments are so precious and despite my own insanity and thought process in the day-to-day thank you for my little girl.

I really should be in bed ...

So it's after four o'clock (I am actually awake, I didn't schedule this post) and I've decided to post the write-up I was doing in my head at about 5AM yesterday. See, I've been sick (didn't you know?) and yesterday I woke up at 5 with a coughing fit, took my "supposed to make you sleepy" medicine and was up for the day when my daughter woke 45 minutes later (WTH!?!).

And now I woke up at three, and here I am. I tried to stay in bed but the cough wouldn't stop. I honestly thought that last night I was up due to lack of another medication, that without it my mind tends to wander and race, and all the fun things that you can't shove aside in the dark of the night come twirling, spinning and gliding through my brain. What? You mean this only happens to me?

So last night I started a post, and now I can't think of it. I should have just got out of bed and grabbed a pen, journal, phone, iPad, (all things that I wouldn't have had to come downstairs for - yes, we have an iPad now - don't judge me, my husband won it on a business trip in San Francisco. He gets the travel time, I deserve get the iPad. So there. Who am I kidding? The kid uses it more than either of us combined, but whatever ... she was asleep for those 45 minutes ... but I digress. Or whatever I should be calling it at now 4:22AM).

So since I can't come up with all that was important in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, I'll just take a quick stab at what's on my mind now. Like how I should be asleep. But besides that ...

Why is it that every single fall I get sick? If you can't get sick from the weather, tell me more about what's happening here? I mean, I actually didn't turn my heat on until mid-November, just about, and I still got zonked with it. Honestly, it really happens EVERY year, and I must remind myself for 2011 that I need to get the ducts or vents or whatever they are cleaned BEFORE we switch to the heat. No matter what it costs. Maybe it'll save me from having three medications. Did I mention these wonderful meds yet? No? Well, bear with me ... I may get there.

Proof that this happens to me every year:

2009
2009 - II.
2009 - III. Why can't I sleep?
** Sort of ... Not an entire post, but so appropriate for me being awake right now. STILL awake, that is.

Who takes care of mommy? 2009

Damn, I talk about being sick a lot ...

The post I've been looking for ... My first 'roid related post!

OK, so I totally lied and the only proof I can provide is how sick I was in 2009. That sucks. I didn't even really get into the whole house being taken down by the swine flu in there!

Le' sigh.

I'm going to try to get some sleep now. My luck the child will wake up at another crazy early hour and I'll be more miserable than I already am. Thanks for reading. Or maybe I have been the perfect blur for you to fall [back?] asleep to. But seriously, my posts are good. You know? They're funny, even. Ah, not really. I just like to b!tch a lot when I'm sick. But come on - who doesn't? Stay healthy!


p.s. I never realized that the time-stamp when a post goes live is from when you STARTED the post. So it's not quite 4:17 right now after hitting publish, it's more like 4:47. It took me 30 minutes to dig all that dreck up to entertain you. So I hope you are happy. I really need to go now. ;)

I'm not posting today

I feel like crap, so I'll spare you the "I thought I was getting better but today my throat feels like someone scraped sandpaper across it and right now my kid has decided she wants to watch a Barney DVD (Yeah, thanks, Mom and Dad, I knew I should have gotten rid of that thing before she knew who that creature was!) and I'll feel like scratching my eyes out before the thing gets started" schpiel.

Instead I'll tell you about some posts I've enjoyed and are worth checking out. I figure if I can use the chuckle, or the thought provoking discussions, maybe you can, too?

Erin at The Mother Load talks about How to Find Your Inner Jew this time of year. She's even added a bit of a contest to the post, so it could be worth your while to stop by. I mean, after all, don't you want to know more about the Chosen Ones and the holidays we celebrate?

Lisa over at Three Bears Farm posted an incredible recap of her NYC Marathon experience here. She is an inspiration and I am in awe of her. And so proud! And if you're interested in the interview she had with me back in August to talk All Things NYC, check it out, as well.

My friend That One Mom talks about how The McRib Saved her life ... and while it's kind of gross to me, it's a sweet life-saving sandwich, apparently!

And for a great chuckle, check out this series of posts over at Single Mom in the South. They're categorized as A Southern Series, and they're bound to make you smile.

So, enjoy! And tell my peeps I sentcha if you're in the mood to actually say hi!

Lazy Mom Shares a Spoon!

If you haven't been over to Share a Spoon yet since yesterday, you should really hurry on over. Think Tank Momma is hosting a Thanksgiving Sides recipe link up this week and oh-em-gee, it all looks so delicious. Can Thanksgiving get here already?

So, in true lazy mom fashion, I'm sharing a pretty simple recipe for CrockPot Macaroni and Cheese. And though it's true, it does have more than the general 4 ingredients I prefer, it is honestly SO simple and easy because you just let it sit for hours in the CP. I mean, how much lazier could I get? I do have to confess that I found a version of this recipe on the internet a few years ago (2, maybe?) but have no idea where it came from ...

Lazy Mom's CrockPot Mac-n-Cheese:

Ingredients:
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 (12 ounces) can evaporated milk
1-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided (3 and 1)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Place the cooked macaroni in your coated CrockPot with butter or spray. Add the remaining ingredients except 1 cup of the cheese; mix well. You can - of course - do this in a mixing bowl before tossing into the CP. That's what I do!

Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese, then cover and cook on the Low setting for 5 to 6 hours, or until the mixture is firm and golden around the edges. Do not remove the cover or stir until the macaroni has finished cooking.

Can be used as a side or turned into your main meal, it's just that good. I've moved mine into a bowl to store in the fridge, and I will mention that when it settles a bit it definitely tastes better - less "soupy-like" and more casserole or frittata-ish.

ENJOY!

I have mixed up the cheeses a bit and used shredded mozzarella with cheddar, found it sort of changes the flavor. A friend mentioned using mustard powder in there for seasoning. It's definitely YUMMY!

Post-It Note Tuesday!

Where does Santa live?

So, in case you're new to my 'hood, I'll fill you in on our household demographics. I'm Jewish. Born and raised. Hubby is not. He's really not much of anything. We say he's agnostic, I guess. He does celebrate Christmas, though. Not much of an Easter fan, but Christmas is the holiday for families and whatnot.

So - you're wondering - what about the little one? Well, she's going to be brought up Jewish, but I also would like for her to know and understand how her father grew up, as well. And the other day I mentioned this to him (the husband) and said, you're going to have to let me know what you want to do for Christmas this year. See, this is the first year in ages that we're staying home (as in NC!) for the holidays. ALL of the holidays. We were home for Christmas the first year after the wee one was born, but we had arrived home from NYC just the day or two before, and we were all sick. And it's not like she knew any better that year, so we kind of overlooked the holiday, for the most part.

And this year Chanukah starts during the early days of December, so it won't fall with Christmas at all. And we'll light the candles every night, as we've done in years past, and we'll give her a small gift each night, and so on and so forth. Hubby is truly involved in celebrating Chanukah, so it's not an issue. After all, when he asked my parents if he could ask me to marry him he did promise that any future children would be raised Jewish.

Now, I'm not sure if he signed anything - - but all the same, a deal was struck.

Of course, we never considered that we'd be raising said child in anywhere down below the Mason-Dixon line. Or wherever the heck we are. Let's just say being Jewish down here isn't the "norm," it's not traditional, or really recognized much past the endcaps of the aisles in Target or Wal-Mart.

So yesterday we were driving around a bit and my husband and I were chatting, and the kiddo pipes up from the back seat and says, "Can we go to the wall?" It was either wall, or something that totally rhymed with wall. We looked at one another, puzzled.

"Uh, where?"

"The wall. The place where we can see Santa." Laughter filled the front seat.

"You mean the mall? Ah, yes. Santa's not there right now."

"It's OK. I want to go there." [Makes total sense, btw, as she told me the other day she had no desire to see Santa this year. So why she's thinking about where he is - I have little clue.]

Hubby decides this is all too much for him. "What do you know about Santa?"

"I do."

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"Where does Santa live?"

"At the mall."

We are so screwed.

There WILL be a day in our future, our pretty Southern Jewish belle will be at school and our phones will ring because some child is crying because our daughter has told him/her that Santa lives at the mall, and not at the North Pole where his/her parents told him/her that Santa lives.

SO totally screwed.

Wordless Wednesday: Balls on Cups!