Hey, Chicken!

I was talking to my boss today about food, likes/dislikes ~ it brought up a funny memory. As parents we often tell our kids things to get them to do what we want. I used this little trick whenever I fed my kids meat. They all liked chicken, so whether it was steak, fish, ham, pork chops, ribs etc...I told them it was chicken.

I thought it was brilliant & it worked!

They would sometimes complain, "This chicken's hard to chew! It doesn't look like the other kind," (it was steak). I quickly said, "I used a different sauce, and cooked it a little longer, besides there's different kinds of chicken, dark and light, but you like the taste don't you?"

"YES," they'd reply, "but it kinda hurts our teeth, don't cook it so long next time."

This went on until they were in junior high school. When I finally decided it was time to come clean. I didn't want them out on a date telling a girl that the chicken was good while they ate steak. No one wants a bunch of little dummies!LOL

They were shocked to find out that there was actually meat other than chicken! hahahha

AND...

It served it's purpose for a time.

Do you have anything you told your kids or your parents told you growing up that makes you laugh now?

The Teenage Street Girl

I saw a girl on the street corner when I went to go pick up my son. She was kind of dirty with dark, matted, hair. I wasn't sure if she was a homeless person or just waiting for a ride. She had on dark clothes and a back pack and was leaning up against the brick wall on the sidewalk.

About two hours later, we were driving home, it was dark and my son said, "There's a person laying on the sidewalk against the wall." It was the same spot that I had noticed the girl earlier. I was a little worried and quickly turned the car around to see if she was okay. She was curled up in a fetal position with her head facing the wall. I pulled over and asked if she was okay. Luckily she said, "Yeah, I'm fine." She was so young...16 or 17. I couldn't imagine what would put her on the street like that. I said, "Are you sure you're okay? Do you want some pizza?"

I had just dropped some off for my husband and the kids at the football field. He had loaded up one box and taken it. There was still another box, breadsticks and some pizza. She quickly got up and came closer to the car, "What?" The tone in her voice burst out louder, anxiously anticipating the question that she thought she heard. I reached for the pizza box, only to find it was an empty box. My husband had taken ALL of the slices. I said, "I'm sorry I didn't know the pizza was gone. Would you like some breadsticks and a Pepsi?" "YES...THANKS" I handed it to her. Still worried about her, "Do you need anything?" Hoping she would burst out with a loud "YES...I'm alone, scared, I have no where to go and no one to turn to, I need help." Of course the only answer was, "No." As I pulled away I saw a policeman driving slowly by.

I got home and couldn't get the girl out of my head. I grabbed a pillow, blanket and this amazing book that I've been reading and re-reading every morning (3rd time), "Battlefield of the Mind," by Joyce Meyers. I drove back to the spot she was laying, but she was gone.

What would drive a young girl with her whole life ahead of her onto the streets? Was it drugs, abuse, fear...she was so young. Whose child is it? Are they worried about her, unable to sleep, driving around hoping to find her? My head just kept going over all these possiblities. As a mother, my first instinct is to save her. I know that some people don't think they need or want help. I know that I can only show unconditional, non-judgemental love by giving what I have to make them see that they are not alone in the world. Maybe someone's act of kindness will reach deep inside their heart and make a difference. I don't know, but my responsibility is to listen when my heart is being tugged...going the extra step to help someone in need, just like others have reached out during difficult times in my life.

Can Women Learn To Like Football?

It's football season and I wanted to re-post an article I wrote...remember ladies, if you can't beat them, join them!

Women enjoying a football game....is this possible? If they understood the point of the game would it make a difference? This is a topic very close to my heart. I am a woman who LOVES football! I know, it's pretty unusual to find a girl who not only likes football, but knows all the positions, and can critique the players with the most expert male fan!

After several years of explaining the game to the supportive, but confused, "Pop Warner" mothers, I found that the problem does not lie within the "gender" factor, it is about knowledge. Men do not seem to have the patience or desire to take the time to teach their wives, daughters or girlfriends about this great American sport.

I first begin with the most simplistic and basic point of football.....the concept. I point out the orange markers, and tell them that the players have four plays to move the ball from the first marker, past the second marker. If they succeed, they get four more tries to hopefully score a touchdown. I explain what a down marker is and tell them that the number on the marker tells what "down" it is, (and remind them that they only have four attempts to pass the orange marker). If they do not succeed the other team takes over the ball and tries to score against our team by going through the same process.

Okay, I know it is VERY basic information, but I can't tell you how excited they become once they are aware of the general idea behind game that they spend two hours watching every Saturday.

After they start to understand the basics, we eventually get into positions and the purpose behind each position. As the season progresses, I am amazed at the excitement and enthusiasm that the women have developed. They become united; they scream, cheer and run up and down the field with each other. The bond has now been created, as the men look at their wives with a new found sense of pride. Can women learn to love football? My answer is an emphatic, YES!