Where Have All The Parents Gone?

This is just another example of how young children are running free to the point of destruction. 12 and 14 year old boys, with enough boredom, or anger, or whatever the case may be, going to a store and destroying and stealing property. Where are their parents? Where is any influence in their young lives telling them that what they are doing is wrong? Has no one told them that destroying another person's property is a bad idea?

In my opinion, the parents of these children should be held at least partially responsible. The parents are supposed to teach the children values and respect for others. These are their children, and they have a certain amount of responsibility until those children are adults.

When my oldest son, who was 4 at the time, developed a bit of a klepto problem, we dealt with it strictly and immediately. He still does it around the house now and then, but he is punished each time. And it becomes further between each time. When he stole something from a store, we made him take it back, apologize, pay for it, and kept it from him. A candy bar once, a pen another time. We paid for them, and then threw them away. It upset him terribly, but now he is more willing to work for the money to buy these things. He is learning that there are consequences to actions, and that there are ways of getting something that is desired, without stealing. Where was that sort of teaching for these boys? Where are the parents in all this?

Does anyone else think the parents should be responsible for their children's actions?

Supper Swapping?

This sounds like a very interesting idea. It's a book review on a book called The Great American Supper Swap, by Trish Berg. It really sounds like an idea that could be a lot of fun, and allow your family to try out new foods. The idea is that you find a few friends, and one night a week you make extra food for dinner, and take it to your other friends. Then on the other days, they do the same for you. It's almost like you only have to cook one night a week. If you can find that many ladies to do it with. Our family is picky, but you can tailor each meal ahead of time so that everyone is covered. Go check it out, and sign up for a free copy of the book!

Talk About Desparate To Get A Story

This is really quite sad. Two news stations in Phoenix, AZ, apparently so caught up in the police chase that they didn't notice the other helicopter until it was too late.

And The Winners Are.....

The winner of the absolutely adorable Asian purse, is aahcoffee!!! Go ahead and check out her site, and congratulate her!

The winner of the very colorful cabled hat, is Amy Grant! Don't forget to visit her and congratulate her too!

Congratulations ladies!

It's Time Girls!

I am officially closing my comments as soon as I'm done with this post. I have gotten an amazing response for my items, and I thank all of you. I did read every post, and many of you left some very sweet comments, and I thank you very much.

I will announce the winners of the contests sometime tomorrow, after I use a random number generator to choose. I will also spend a little time in prayer before doing so, with the hopes that each item will go to the person whom it will most bless. I know, I'm weird. But God does still work that way, and with so many people that signed up, I really want it to mean something special to them. I tried so hard to only sign up for what I needed or wanted, so there were many things that I wanted to comment on to say how beautiful or thoughtful they were, but I didn't want to be entered in the contest accidentally. And really, many of you have talents that I don't have, and many of you had really great ideas for prizes that I would never have even thought of.

So, check back here some time tomorrow, and the winners will be posted. I will also try to contact the person privately, though some of the entrants did not leave any sort of contact information. If I cannot get hold of the person within 24 hours, I will pick someone else. But, hopefully that won't happen.

I Am Never Going Out In Public With Him Again!

Okay, maybe not "never", that would be impossible. I'm talking about my 2 1/2 year old son, the one my friends and family refer to as "challenging". Let me start from the beginning of the most recent incident. Just a little background first, I have 5 children, ages 7, 6, 4, 2 1/2, and 1. My husband is not with me today because he is working. So it's me, alone, with 5 kids.

Today, I had to go out for a little errand. Nothing big, but it was close to dinner time. I had some certificates for Noodles & Company through the library reading program, for free bowls of whatever their little hearts desired which was, of course, mac & cheese. So, I did my errand, went to the restaurant, and ordered their mac & cheese, along with a nice little bowl of chicken soup. We were doing good, for about 5 minutes. Then suddenly, my son decides that he doesn't want me helping with his water. Well, that's not happening. There wasn't a lid on the cup, and he's just not that talented yet with such a large glass. So I told him I would help him hold it while he drank. He wanted none of it. So he started screaming. And I mean the I'm-not-getting -my-way-I-must-let-the-entire-shopping-complex-know-I've-been-wronged kind of screaming. So I finally managed to calm him down. For a minute. I tried to convince him to eat some of his mac & cheese. He thought I needed some so I took a bite. Now, it's not exactly my favorite thing to eat while I'm pregnant, but I was trying to humor him. Bad idea. He felt I needed more, and when I refused, trying to tell him that I already had my own food, he tried to throw his whole bowl of mac & cheese. I wasn't having any of that, so I grabbed him up and hugged him to me. After a moment or two he gave up, but then we were back to the water issue again. He wanted to hold it all by himself, which meant trying to tip it up while sucking on the straw, and again, I wouldn't let him. So again, he started screaming and trying to throw things.

Now, while all of this is going on, his three older siblings were happily munching away at their mac & cheese, and the youngest was occasionally squawking for more mac & cheese of his own. I was only giving him a bite at a time since he was in his stroller, and I didn't feel the need for a high chair.

There are thankfully very few people for the most part. I'm really only noticing stares from some late high-school aged boys, who probably think this whole thing is just fascinating. I finally give up and get take out boxes to dump all the mac & cheese into, so we can leave. I have never had to leave anywhere. I was so completely embarrassed by the behavior of my child I was shaking. I couldn't calm him down, I couldn't get him to see reason, there was nothing I could do. I felt helpless. Then to top it all off, when I said "We're leaving, let's go", he jumps up and shouts "Yay! We're leaving!". So this is what he wanted all along! I couldn't believe it. I tried fighting back tears at this point, unsuccessfully. I just couldn't comprehend the situation. He'd been fine most of the day, had had a nap, and had been behaving for the most part.

So now what? I've just done the worst thing I can think of, which is giving in. If I sit back down, the screaming re-commences. If I leave, he gets what he wants. He doesn't understand punishment, and no matter how hard I've tried with him, he just wants his own way to the point of abusing his siblings, or himself. Where do I go from here? My oldest son was strong headed, but would eventually see reason. There is no reason with this child. He can be the sweetest, most loving child in the world, until something happens that he doesn't like. Then the horns come out and all hell breaks loose. I hate to say something so awful about him, but even our closest friends and family have commented the same thing. I've had to leave church services several times because of him, but at least I could leave the other kids with friends or daddy, and come back after a few minutes.

Has anyone ever dealt with a child like this? Do I need to get him into behavioral therapy? I'm really at a complete loss, especially after today.

Bloggy Giveaway #2!

I was just overwhelmed at the number of entries that I saw today. I just looked a minute ago, and it was at 405 entries. Now, some of those entries seem to be repeats, and broken links, but there are just so many! I managed to visit everyone, which took me most of yesterday and this morning. My running joke is that I managed to sign up for every cookbook I found. That was fun. If I missed one, let me know!

Now, I thought I would add one more item for a prize, as well as a shameless plug for my Etsy shop. I've had some things for sale for a long time, and I want to get someone to visit my shop! We need the extra money if we're going to move, plus with my obsessive need to make things, I've got to do something with it all!

So here is my second prize:


This is a brightly colored cable crocheted hat that I made last winter. It will fit a child, or an adult with a medium/small head. It's very versatile and stretchy, and very warm. This one is made from acrylic.

First of all, go and visit my Etsy Shop, and check out the other cute little items I have for sale there.

Don't forget to visit Rocks In My Dryer, and check out the ever-growing list of prizes to be won!

**UPDATE: For those interested, I forgot to add the pattern link: http://www.crochetgarden.com/raingarden/winterhat.html This is a really cute hat, and yes, you can cable with crochet!

Dog Days Of Summer

Wow, day 1 and I am worn out! I have spent most of the day trying to get through all of the entries, and I had to stop at 332. Then I refreshed the page, (oh why did I refresh the page?), and found another 15 or so. So, I will have to continue tomorrow, at which point I ought to have another item up for grabs.

Don't forget to visit Rocks In My Dryer's Bloggy Give Away, and you can sign up for all sorts of prizes.

Dog Days Of Summer Bloggy Giveaway!

It's here! It's finally here!


So many things to giveaway and to sign up for, I just don't even know where to start.

For my first giveaway, I think I will put up my Asian felt purse. I crocheted this little lovely out of red and black wool, and found a really cute silk medallion to attach.



Sign up, and I will randomly draw a name at the end of the week.
Don't forget to visit Rocks In My Dryer for more great giveaways!

USA only.

I Am A Free Marketer

My Conservative Identity:

You are a Free Marketeer, also known as a fiscal conservative. You believe in free-market capitalism, tax cuts, and protecting your hard-earned cash from pick-pocketing liberal socialists.

Take the quiz at www.FightLiberals.com

What kind of conservative or liberal are you?

h/t Boots & Sabers

My Recipe Collection

Alright, I promised a friend a few pictures of my recipe shelf. It's a bit messy, because I have so many things up there. I counted, and I have at least 26 cookbooks in various sizes and categories, as well as a few buckets of cooking and spice magazines which have several recipes in each.

So here is a full shot of the shelf. The right side has a few extra non-cookbooks on it, but that's because they didn't fit anywhere else. Sorry for the grainy texture, my old camera isn't that great.



Here are a few close ups. On the left, those are all my cooking and spice magazines. I get Taste of Home, good magazine btw, and I also get the Penzey's Spice catalog. And yes, I admit, I am a spice snob and I refuse to buy my spices anywhere else if I can at all help it.












I also have a few hundred recipes that I have saved to my computer, from various online sites, as well as from some of the cookbooks I have. I like having a printed copy, since I can replace it easier if it gets dirty. I'm still working on transferring many of my recipes from the magazines. I had several Food & Wine and Cooking Pleasures magazines that had some really good recipes, some of which I have shared here.

So there it is. My collection of recipes. So if you ever need a recipe for something, I probably have it somewhere. Funny thing is, I can't seem to stop getting cookbooks. I just ordered a cookbook for the kids called Mandie's Cookbook, based on the Christian children's book series Mandie. Very cute books btw, I am working my way through all of them currently. I read a few of them as a kid, and now I'm catching up.

Got Milk?

How would you like to win over $300 worth of Organic milk products, courtesy of Horizon Organic? They have some really yummy looking products, so go check them out, and then sign up at 5 Minutes For Mom!

Bloggy Giveaway!

Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer is planning a huge Bloggityville giveaway party, and you're all invited!

So on Monday, July 23rd, go check out the fun! I am hoping to have a few items for the drawing too, so I am very excited.

Check out the link, and don't forget to come back Monday!

Baby Diva Contest

This is definitely a contest worth checking out. Go here first, and read Baby Diva's Story. Then, Raise awareness about congenital heart defects and be a winner like Baby Diva. Then, post the story on your site, and sign up for the contest. It's so easy!! Go wish Baby Diva a happy first birthday!

This Contest Is Too Cute Not To Pass Up

A three-in-one fusion baby carrier, the Podonbutai is named for: pod for podeagi, onbu for onbuhimo, and tai for mei tai. You can sign up for this great looking carrier over at Adventures in Babywearing. Hurry up! The contest ends Wednesday!

Fruits Of A Misspent Youth?

After reading this story, I will definitely be a lot more careful about which of my children's friends have access to our house.

Police: Girls, 10, 12, Kidnap Baby For Ransom

Ransom Note Demanded $200,000

ENID, Okla. -- A pair of pre-teen sisters are accused of kidnapping an infant in Enid on Thursday, police said.

The 10-year-old and 12-year-old girl allegedly broke into a neighbor's home Thursday morning about 5:30 a.m., taking a 1-year-old baby while his mother, Sheila Wells, slept, police said. A ransom note was left. According to police, they were accused of kidnapping for extortion and first-degree burglary.

Officers said the girls not only took the baby boy, Brandon Wells, from a crib in which he was sleeping, they also took assorted baby items, $20 in cash and left a ransom note telling the mother of the baby that "if you want to see your son again, then you won't call police and report him missing, and you will leave $200,000 on the sofa tonight, and we will return your son back safe."

Police said the note was signed "the kidnappers."

The mother of the suspects told investigators that she noticed the baby with the girls, who told her that they had "found the baby on the corner," police said.

The mother recognized the baby as belonging to the victim, who lives about a block away. The suspects' family and the victims are acquaintances.

As girls' mother tried to find Sheila Wells' telephone number, the 12-year-old returned to Wells' residence and told her it was the younger sister who was responsible for the abduction, police Capt. Dean Grassino said.

Wells immediately retrieved her child from the girls' home and police were called, Grassino said.

Wells said she knew the girls and had banned the 10-year-old girl from her home a few weeks ago, but did not say why.

Neither of the juveniles allegedly would give detectives any explanation as to why they took the baby, police said. The girls were transported to the Enid Police Department's Community Intervention Center.

Really, what were these girls thinking? Did they really think that they would get away with their little scheme? Did they really think they could make it through a whole day without someone noticing that they had a baby with them? 10 and 12 years old. They should still be playing with Barbies, not kidnapping their neighbor's child. Obviously the mother was paying some attention, when she banned one of the girls from her home, though I'm very curious as to why.

The question now, is what is going to happen to these girls? It's highly unlikely they'll be tried as adults, they're still in grade school, not even junior high. I can't even imagine what malice they could have had at their age. Even if they are locked up in a juvenile detention center, their age will likely get them out by the time they turn 18 or so.

I sincerely hope they are able to get help. They need someone in their lives that will guide them through this, and help them to see how wrong it was for them to do this. Pray that they will never even consider anything like this again.

Oh, Yes, Another Contest

And this time, hubby can win. He loves gadgety things, and has even commented about wanting one of these.

I would love to be able to scan all my recipes that I have laying around too. I have so many recipes and magazines and cookbooks, this would definitely help with my database.

So go on over to 5 Minutes For Mom (where else?) and check it out.

Tasty Thursday: Unrolled Chicken Roll-Ups

**I can't believe I forgot this, but head on over to the Pumkin Patch for more Tasty Thursday recipes!**

This recipe started out as a great rolled-up chicken dish. However, time, kids, and a desire for much more sauce (and my ever present fear of "Did I cook the chicken enough? Let's cook it a little longer..."), created what I call Un-Rolled Chicken Roll-Ups. I will include the rolled version, since it presents nicely on a plate, but I do love the un-rolled version too.


**Measurements are approximate since I really just dump everything in. I also have a big family, so the more the better.**



Chicken Skillet, should serve 8 or so depending on appetites

2 (8 oz) containers Chive & Onion cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1-4 Tablespoons milk
Salt and pepper
2 (9 oz) packages frozen cubed chicken, or a pound of chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 package precooked bacon, cooked very crisp
3-4 cups prepared rice, use the longer cooking rice if you can, but 5 minute rice works alright too (you should only need around a cup or so of longer cooking rice, because it cooks differently than quick rice)


In a 2 quart pot, cook the rice according to directions. You can have this cooking while you're making the rest of the food.

In a large skillet, melt and combine the cream cheese and butter over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken, and allow it to simmer until the chicken is heated through. This should take about the time it takes to make your rice. If it seems too thick, add some of the milk.

Add the cooked rice (and if you're using the longer cooking rice, make sure it's completely cooked through, otherwise it makes the dish taste bad). Add as much as you want to mix in through the sauce and chicken. (We like lots and lots of rice, but others might not like the extra rice we put in.) Season with lots of salt and some pepper. Top with the crispy bacon, crumbled up.


Chicken Roll-Ups

4-6 Chicken breast halves
4 tablespoons butter
1 (8 oz) container Chive & Onion Cream cheese, softened
4-6 slices uncooked bacon
Prepared rice, for 4-6 people

Spread each chicken breast with the softened cream cheese, and dot with butter. Roll up, and secure with the bacon. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 40 minutes, or until meat is cooked. Serve the chicken on top of the rice, and mix up the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Pour it over the top of the chicken.

Note: You can turn the chicken over halfway through baking to make the bacon more crisp, and you can also place it under a broiler for a few moments to crisp it as well.

My Husband Wants Me To Buy A Lottery Ticket

I am on a roll this year. I think I have won at least three contests over at 5 Minutes For Mom this year. It has been fun, too! This time, I won a Dichroic Glass Pendant from Designing Diva. She has some beautiful things on her site. It will be difficult to decide what I want to take home. Go check her out!

McGee/Jackson Drama

Once again, the McGee's have proven their delusional worth. McGee Sr. is of course throwing around the race card, claiming that because his son is black, he's automatically in trouble.

McGee Sr.: "During the course, I've decided to keep quiet and let justice take its own way," McGee said. "As usual, the road that justice decide to take with black people in particular, and McGee's in general, is the 'L' road. The 'L' road, which is the lynch road. The road you always take. You took the same road with my son."

Supporters

What, all two?

called McGee Jr. a "political prisoner," and his father said his son is not receiving the due process to which Americans are entitled. McGee said the bail of $50,000 that was set for his son was too high for the crimes alleged.

Now here's the really scary part of this story.

McGee Sr.: "I want them to know, and Milwaukee to know, that there will be a McGee in the 6th District," McGee said. "Once Junior has his office stolen, I will come out of retirement and run for alderman. That's all I got to say."

McGee [Sr.] claimed the charges against the current alderman were baseless.

Baseless? This family is known for it's underhanded dealings. Jr. threatened the mother of his illegitimate child just after she received a restraining order against him, and HE WAS STILL IN THE COURTROOM! On top of that, the guy made some pretty sickening comments about the mother of a radio opponent, Charlie Sykes, and even went so far as to accuse him of murdering his mother. This is a sick man, who is highly delusional in many ways. I very highly doubt that any of these charges are baseless. What I cannot understand is how anyone can continue to support him in any way.

101 Posts!

And what better way to celebrate, than with another contest! I got so busy the last few days posting contests and music, I completely lost track of how close I was to 100 posts.

This contest is for Lil' Sugarplum No-slip Hair Clips. No slip? How can that be? But, if you check out cute little Julia's nearly bald head, there is a clip, and it is staying! So head on over to 5 Minutes For Mom and sign up! Soon! It's almost the 4th of July!