A year or two ago, my kids and I were the recipients of a canned food drive from someone in our neighborhood. As a newly single mother coping with a tiny baby and two small boys, it was understandable that others might think that we had been left high and dry in other areas as well. Since we were fortunate enough to not be in that boat, I couldn't keep food that was meant for someone in actual need.
I had the boys help me sort the cans as I told them how we had received it because of kind hearts and giving hands. We talked about the way we feel when we give and what kinds of things we can do for others. We chose some favorite things from our own pantry to add to the lot and delivered everything to another local food drive. I hoped it warmed someone’s soul to receive it as much as it did mine.
We may not have needed canned goods, but the experience fed something else in me and awakened a desire to make sure I am also aware of others. I view food drives differently now. Store front food collection displays that I used to walk right by now catch my eye every time. It is such a simple thing to buy a few extra cans of something and donate it on your way out. When local church groups come to the door asking for donations, I remember now to reach for something that would be universally enjoyed as opposed to the zesty style re-fried beans that have been gathering dust for 6 months and need to be rotated.
Libby's is encouraging shoppers to stop by their local Fresh Market between now and Saturday, October 22 and donate their non-perishable items to help Habitat for Humanity families make mealtime a reality. Whether you go shopping in your own food storage or at the store, take the opportunity to get your kids involved. In a season of excess, they are never too young to tangibly learn the joy of giving. There will always be people in need and starting a habit of giving among your family is part of the solution.
Libby's (whose canned pumpkin is a key player in my amazing chocolate chip pumpkin bread) has also started an initiative that encourages families to sit down and eat meals together. Studies show that regular family meals help promote confidence, self esteem and good grades in children. It aids conversation skills and can train you to eat healthier.
Visit GetBacktotheTable.com for a variety of recipes and tips for making mealtime even easier!
Libby’s believes the table is the heart of the home and that families suffer in more ways than one when they are struggling to put food on it. Because of this, they are teaming up with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Three homes will be completed this year and given to less fortunate families. Libby’s will provide the recipient families with a place to enjoy a meal together and everything they need to make it happen. Each home will be supplied with:
-A pantry stocked with Libby’s products to make simple, easy meals for the family
-A dining table for 6 to have a place to enjoy a meal together
-Place settings for at least 6 family members
Do your part for these worthwhile causes by remembering to take your canned goods to a local Fresh Market between now and Saturday, October 22. Small efforts by many make a big difference.
You can also catch up with Libby's on Facebook or Twitter. Take a moment to help get the word out.
Disclosure: Although I am being compensated by Libby's for helping promote this campaign, I am a huge fan of good causes and helping others. The opinions expressed are my own.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Cooking 101
"All this time I spend slaving over a hot stove and I bet no one will eat it again..."
"I don't know why I even bother. It's not like anyone in this house notices what I do for them."
"It is SO exhausting being the only person around here that appreciates culture and fine food and just how adorable and talented I am."
"You know what? I QUIT! These peasants can eat pbj's and chicken nuggets forever. I'm going where I know I will be appreciated."
Thursday, October 6, 2011
More...
Facebook has been wierd lately, so I liberated a few more of my old kid-centered status updates in case they all just disappear one day. Since I don't currently have these recorded anywhere else, I thought I would put them here for the blog book. It's the thousands of little things that make up my days and I know that these are things I will want to remember, even if it is just for a laugh.
For the record, thank you to those of you who have been there all along for me to share these things with in the first place. Here they are, from oldest to newest:
Junior started his Christmas list. So far, he wants a pink bikini, a plunger, a Nintendo DS and a set of walkie talkies. 50% normal!
July 18, 2010 at 12:17pm
Junior: (sheepishly/apologetically) "Mom, I am not trying to say you are a bad cook, but this popcorn you made kind of smells like puke."
October 29, 2010 at 10:52pm
Just extracted 35 cents from Sis' mouth...
November 15, 2010 at 1:51pm
Junior requested a spray bottle and some gel and has very definite ideas about how he is going to do his hair tomorrow before he chases and tries to kiss his girlfriend on the playground at recess. Has anyone seen my baby boy? He seems to be gone.
December 6, 2010 at 11:50pm
Tonights bedtime story? 50 ways to kill a slug (cartoony gardening manual)...chosen by Junior, enjoyed by all!
December 8, 2010 at 8:32pm
No Bubba, decorated Christmas trees do not "just fall down on their own"
December 13, 2010 at 4:37pm
Among the dental work Bubba had done this morning is a silver crown on one of his molars. I told him it was a pirate tooth. He asked me if the dentist killed a pirate to get it for him. I said yes, he was thrilled.
December 18, 2010 at 6:57pm
Makes my day to hear my four year old sing "if you like it then you should have put a ring on it..."
January 14 at 7:06pm
Bubba and Sis had a tug of war over Bubba's sucker. Sis totally kicked his butt.
January 21 at 1:39pm
Junior asked if he could stay up with me after the two little ones were asleep to spend "special time." We ended up reading "The World's Most Deadly and Dangerous Creatures." What ever happened to fairy tales? I am so out of my element with sons.
January 24 at 10:20pm
Bubba just came and proudly showed me the two pennies, one dime and one nickel that Junior 'traded' him for his four quarters.
February 6 at 4:12pm
Just pulled enough playground wood chips out of Junior's jeans pockets (one pair) to fill an entire quart jar.
February 17 at 11:27am
Bubba just sprayed carpet cleaning foam all over Sis' head like a hat...moments after I got her out of the tub and dressed in her jammies.
February 19 at 6:42pm
Junior spilled yogurt on the kitchen floor. Instead of cleaning it up, he carefully wrote a sign that said "Don't Step Here" and placed it next to it.
March 8 at 10:28pm
Sis dipped her entire head in the toilet this morning. So, now we know she can open doors...
March 11 at 12:35pm
Junior lost his second tooth last night and accidentally swallowed it with his dinner. His note to the tooth fairy said "I'm sorry I aksadidley (accidentally) swallowed my tooth. Can I still get money?"
March 16 at 10:39am
Tonight, Junior wanted to tell me a secret. Usually it is something genuinely secretive. He made me come into another room and bend down to listen while he braced himself to say: "Mom, did you know that a story generally has a problem and a solution?" My lips are sealed...
March 21 at 10:10pm
Bubba: "Mom, I am going to call the cops to put you in jail!!"
Junior: (contemptuously) "You can't do that...you don't even know where mom's phone is"
March 25 at 9:42pm
Just made the 4 year old sprint around the backyard three times. I'm assuming it is excess energy that is making him pick fights with his brother and sister?
April 11 at 2:15pm
Bubba says he is going to be a rock star. I've been assigned to guitar, his dad will play drums, Junior will play the piano and Sis is his back up dancer.
April 18 at 2:00pm
The title of Junior's new comic book is "The Roaring, Screaming Monster Penny" and it is seriously awesome. I think I have a genius on my hands.
April 23 at 10:03pm
Bubba learned to ride a bike with no training wheels today :-)
April 27 at 4:06pm
Junior's newest cartoon features a half penguin half pigeon. A Piguin.
May 9 at 7:09pm
You would think that when you are living with a kid like Junior, you would be prepared to find the rotten easter egg that he had hidden away under his bed (for a 'science experiment') but you just never are...
May 19 at 9:31pm
Tonight as I carried Sis inside from the backyard against her will, she hollered to her brothers "guys...help!!!"
May 19 at 11:51pm
Junior: Bubba, can I have one of your chicken nuggets?
Bubba: No
Junior: Please?!
Bubba: Ok
Junior: Thanks! I'll pay you back when I'm 30...
June 6 at 12:55pm
The kids and I just rescued a hummingbird from the garage when it couldn't get out. It let us hold it while we took the cobwebs off its wings :-)
June 10 at 11:34am
My five year old just brought me a portable CD player and asked me what it was and what it did. Someday I am going to show him a record player like the one I listened to at his age and completely blow his mind :-)
June 13 at 8:21pm
Junior requested that I get a new couch because he is tired of the black remote blending in with the black couch. He is frustrated that it forces him to have to look harder. I feel like I am doing something wrong...
June 27 at 10:46pm
My daughter can't speak in full sentences yet but she CAN sing a song in Hebrew, thanks to The Wiggles.
July 6 at 11:50pm
I really wish Sis would stop handing me live bugs. And I really wish I knew where she is finding them...
July 12 at 11:13am
Bubba to his cousin: "You know what would be so cool? If we didn't have any parents...then we could do whatever we want. Even steal stuff from stores!! *sigh
July 21 at 3:33pm
Sis can sing "We Will Rock You." Already keepin' it real :-)
July 22 at 9:43pm
Taking Sis grocery shopping has been upgraded from 'difficult' to 'one of the outer rings of hell.'
August 10
Junior: 'Mom, I'm hungry, can I have cereal?'
Me: 'Why are you guys always starving right before bed? Why don't you eat more of your dinner?'
Junior: 'Maybe we should have dinner right before bed then...'
Touche
August 15
Bubba: 'Mom, I want a hang glider for Christmas'
Me: *sigh* 'Don't think so buddy. Maybe when you grow up.'
Junior: 'Don't worry mom, I only want a parachute for Christmas.'
August 25 at 8:55pm
After unwrapping an entire package of gum and carefully taking a bite out of each stick, Sis concludes that they are all, in fact, spicy.
August 27 at 11:49pm
(What I overheard today when Bubba volunteered to tell Sis a story) "Once upon a time, there was a man named Jared, and he went down to the ocean and he walked and walked and walked and walked and SIS!!! YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!! And he walked and walked and walked, SIS!!! COME BACK AND HOLD STILL!!" And he walked and walked and walked and kept walking and walked some more. SIS!!! YOU'RE MISSING THE STORY! And he walked and then he got where he was going. The End"
August 29 at 12:35pm
Bubba refuses to be "baby-sat" but will agree to be "kid-sat"
September 1 at 3:03pm
Sis: (crying)
Me: "What's wrong Sis?"
Sis: (looks at me like I am stupid) "I'm crying...."
Right.
September 6 at 10:06pm
Bubba hit Junior and got sent to bed without reading Harry Potter with us. Halfway through the chapter, Junior got teary and said that he felt so bad for Bubba missing out that he wanted to join him in going to bed early so he wouldn't feel left out. I let Junior be the hero and get him out of time out. I was too touched to stick to my guns on that one.
September 12 at 9:40pm
On the way to church:
Bubba: "That's it Junior!!! We are NOT friends..."
Junior: (scornfully) "Of COURSE not. I'm your brother."
Bubba: "Oh yeah. Hey mom? You know those weapons that are a ball on a chain at the end of a stick and it has spiky things all over it?"
Me: "A Mace?"
Bubba: "Yes. I think I would like to have one of those."
Me: "Not until you and your brother are best friends..."
September 18 at 1:39pm
Sis just rolled her eyes and me and said "okaaayyy, okaaayyy...."
Excuse me, but did I miss her 16th birthday somehow?
September 20 at 1:16pm
I love how every picture Junior draws of himself has him saying "Booyah!"
October 2011
For the record, thank you to those of you who have been there all along for me to share these things with in the first place. Here they are, from oldest to newest:
Junior started his Christmas list. So far, he wants a pink bikini, a plunger, a Nintendo DS and a set of walkie talkies. 50% normal!
July 18, 2010 at 12:17pm
Junior: (sheepishly/apologetically) "Mom, I am not trying to say you are a bad cook, but this popcorn you made kind of smells like puke."
October 29, 2010 at 10:52pm
Just extracted 35 cents from Sis' mouth...
November 15, 2010 at 1:51pm
Junior requested a spray bottle and some gel and has very definite ideas about how he is going to do his hair tomorrow before he chases and tries to kiss his girlfriend on the playground at recess. Has anyone seen my baby boy? He seems to be gone.
December 6, 2010 at 11:50pm
Tonights bedtime story? 50 ways to kill a slug (cartoony gardening manual)...chosen by Junior, enjoyed by all!
December 8, 2010 at 8:32pm
No Bubba, decorated Christmas trees do not "just fall down on their own"
December 13, 2010 at 4:37pm
Among the dental work Bubba had done this morning is a silver crown on one of his molars. I told him it was a pirate tooth. He asked me if the dentist killed a pirate to get it for him. I said yes, he was thrilled.
December 18, 2010 at 6:57pm
Makes my day to hear my four year old sing "if you like it then you should have put a ring on it..."
January 14 at 7:06pm
Bubba and Sis had a tug of war over Bubba's sucker. Sis totally kicked his butt.
January 21 at 1:39pm
Junior asked if he could stay up with me after the two little ones were asleep to spend "special time." We ended up reading "The World's Most Deadly and Dangerous Creatures." What ever happened to fairy tales? I am so out of my element with sons.
January 24 at 10:20pm
Bubba just came and proudly showed me the two pennies, one dime and one nickel that Junior 'traded' him for his four quarters.
February 6 at 4:12pm
Just pulled enough playground wood chips out of Junior's jeans pockets (one pair) to fill an entire quart jar.
February 17 at 11:27am
Bubba just sprayed carpet cleaning foam all over Sis' head like a hat...moments after I got her out of the tub and dressed in her jammies.
February 19 at 6:42pm
Junior spilled yogurt on the kitchen floor. Instead of cleaning it up, he carefully wrote a sign that said "Don't Step Here" and placed it next to it.
March 8 at 10:28pm
Sis dipped her entire head in the toilet this morning. So, now we know she can open doors...
March 11 at 12:35pm
Junior lost his second tooth last night and accidentally swallowed it with his dinner. His note to the tooth fairy said "I'm sorry I aksadidley (accidentally) swallowed my tooth. Can I still get money?"
March 16 at 10:39am
Tonight, Junior wanted to tell me a secret. Usually it is something genuinely secretive. He made me come into another room and bend down to listen while he braced himself to say: "Mom, did you know that a story generally has a problem and a solution?" My lips are sealed...
March 21 at 10:10pm
Bubba: "Mom, I am going to call the cops to put you in jail!!"
Junior: (contemptuously) "You can't do that...you don't even know where mom's phone is"
March 25 at 9:42pm
Just made the 4 year old sprint around the backyard three times. I'm assuming it is excess energy that is making him pick fights with his brother and sister?
April 11 at 2:15pm
Bubba says he is going to be a rock star. I've been assigned to guitar, his dad will play drums, Junior will play the piano and Sis is his back up dancer.
April 18 at 2:00pm
The title of Junior's new comic book is "The Roaring, Screaming Monster Penny" and it is seriously awesome. I think I have a genius on my hands.
April 23 at 10:03pm
Bubba learned to ride a bike with no training wheels today :-)
April 27 at 4:06pm
Junior's newest cartoon features a half penguin half pigeon. A Piguin.
May 9 at 7:09pm
You would think that when you are living with a kid like Junior, you would be prepared to find the rotten easter egg that he had hidden away under his bed (for a 'science experiment') but you just never are...
May 19 at 9:31pm
Tonight as I carried Sis inside from the backyard against her will, she hollered to her brothers "guys...help!!!"
May 19 at 11:51pm
Junior: Bubba, can I have one of your chicken nuggets?
Bubba: No
Junior: Please?!
Bubba: Ok
Junior: Thanks! I'll pay you back when I'm 30...
June 6 at 12:55pm
The kids and I just rescued a hummingbird from the garage when it couldn't get out. It let us hold it while we took the cobwebs off its wings :-)
June 10 at 11:34am
My five year old just brought me a portable CD player and asked me what it was and what it did. Someday I am going to show him a record player like the one I listened to at his age and completely blow his mind :-)
June 13 at 8:21pm
Junior requested that I get a new couch because he is tired of the black remote blending in with the black couch. He is frustrated that it forces him to have to look harder. I feel like I am doing something wrong...
June 27 at 10:46pm
My daughter can't speak in full sentences yet but she CAN sing a song in Hebrew, thanks to The Wiggles.
July 6 at 11:50pm
I really wish Sis would stop handing me live bugs. And I really wish I knew where she is finding them...
July 12 at 11:13am
Bubba to his cousin: "You know what would be so cool? If we didn't have any parents...then we could do whatever we want. Even steal stuff from stores!! *sigh
July 21 at 3:33pm
Sis can sing "We Will Rock You." Already keepin' it real :-)
July 22 at 9:43pm
Taking Sis grocery shopping has been upgraded from 'difficult' to 'one of the outer rings of hell.'
August 10
Junior: 'Mom, I'm hungry, can I have cereal?'
Me: 'Why are you guys always starving right before bed? Why don't you eat more of your dinner?'
Junior: 'Maybe we should have dinner right before bed then...'
Touche
August 15
Bubba: 'Mom, I want a hang glider for Christmas'
Me: *sigh* 'Don't think so buddy. Maybe when you grow up.'
Junior: 'Don't worry mom, I only want a parachute for Christmas.'
August 25 at 8:55pm
After unwrapping an entire package of gum and carefully taking a bite out of each stick, Sis concludes that they are all, in fact, spicy.
August 27 at 11:49pm
(What I overheard today when Bubba volunteered to tell Sis a story) "Once upon a time, there was a man named Jared, and he went down to the ocean and he walked and walked and walked and walked and SIS!!! YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!! And he walked and walked and walked, SIS!!! COME BACK AND HOLD STILL!!" And he walked and walked and walked and kept walking and walked some more. SIS!!! YOU'RE MISSING THE STORY! And he walked and then he got where he was going. The End"
August 29 at 12:35pm
Bubba refuses to be "baby-sat" but will agree to be "kid-sat"
September 1 at 3:03pm
Sis: (crying)
Me: "What's wrong Sis?"
Sis: (looks at me like I am stupid) "I'm crying...."
Right.
September 6 at 10:06pm
Bubba hit Junior and got sent to bed without reading Harry Potter with us. Halfway through the chapter, Junior got teary and said that he felt so bad for Bubba missing out that he wanted to join him in going to bed early so he wouldn't feel left out. I let Junior be the hero and get him out of time out. I was too touched to stick to my guns on that one.
September 12 at 9:40pm
On the way to church:
Bubba: "That's it Junior!!! We are NOT friends..."
Junior: (scornfully) "Of COURSE not. I'm your brother."
Bubba: "Oh yeah. Hey mom? You know those weapons that are a ball on a chain at the end of a stick and it has spiky things all over it?"
Me: "A Mace?"
Bubba: "Yes. I think I would like to have one of those."
Me: "Not until you and your brother are best friends..."
September 18 at 1:39pm
Sis just rolled her eyes and me and said "okaaayyy, okaaayyy...."
Excuse me, but did I miss her 16th birthday somehow?
September 20 at 1:16pm
I love how every picture Junior draws of himself has him saying "Booyah!"
October 2011
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