2009 October — Pamela Faith

Tonight my family had supper at Beans and Greens. This is the restaurant that my brother-n-law owns. Now normally I would be excited and talking about all the wonderful foods that I ate, but not tonight. It’s not that the food wasn’t good, because believe me, what I did have, I loved. Having gestational diabetes has made it impossible for me to eat what I really wanted. Instead I had a salad with the dressing on the side.

Here’s the scoop on the salad dressing. Ranch dressing happens to be my favorite and the carbohydrates (sugar) is pretty high in it. I think I heard this secret on the Biggest Loser. Have your dressing on the side and then dip your fork into the dressing before putting your salad on the fork. Never pour the dressing over the salad. The good thing about dipping your fork first is that you get a good taste of the dressing without having to soak your salad. It really works.

I also had some fried catfish with a very small portion of mashed potatoes and green beans. What I really wanted was to sample the strawberry cake with some vanilla ice cream. Oh my!

I just tested my 2 hour after meal glucose – 123. My doctor wants it to be 110 and under. I can’t tell for sure if it was the food or the fact that I’ve been sitting in our school room tonight with my 2 kids bickering back and forth. I’ve noticed that when I get stressed, my sugar reflects it.

The kids have their computer desks too close. They keep bumping into each other and complaining about it. I’m going to move them farther apart tomorrow if I remember. I’ve put on headphones with some music playing trying to drown out the nagging at each other. Awhile back I decided to only interfere in their arguing if it becomes hurtful or painful. Anyone with kids will understand this.

Anyways, I’m suppose to be eating the last meal of the day, so I’m going off to throw something together. It will have bananas in it, because I’m trying to keep from having muscle pains all night.

Childhood – To Repeat The Good & Forget The Bad

Some people spend their lives preserving their memories. They buy photo albums to store pictures. Most people have a collection of home movies. Several people with the gift of putting life into words keep everything wrote down. What these people have in common is the need to remember their past.

Then you have those who do the opposite. They seek counseling to deal with the memories. They take medication to ease the pain that memories bring to them. Some people hide behind drugs and alcohol. They might move far away from everything and everyone they might know. What these people have in common is the need to forget their past.

A person’s childhood will affect everyone. The people who are fortunate to have a good childhood will try to mold their adult lives from what they remember growing up. The people who are dealt the bad childhoods will spend their lives fighting against what seems a life destined to be like what they hated. A few will survive to try everything possible to keep from having any likeness to their atrocious childhood.

How Things Change In 3 Years

“People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

October 15, 2006: Sunday

Q. What is something you dislike about yourself?

(2006) If I needed to come up with only one thing I didn’t like about myself, it would be that I am overweight. I would rather weigh around 130 lbs.

(2009) I’ll have to agree with what I said in 2006. My weight is my worse characteristic and something I’d like to change. Perhaps once the baby comes, I can get to work on that.

Q. What is something you do well?

(2006) I believe that I am really good at teaching myself new things. I have really good comprehension skills. I have had other people tell me they admire this quality in me. Amazingly, I didn’t even realize this about myself until someone told me.

(2009) I have discovered that I am a pretty good problem solver when I’m not pregnant and hormonal. I don’t trust my feelings right now, but when I’m not pregnant, I think I am really good at fixing problems around me.

Q. What is your favorite room in your home and why?

(2006) My bedroom has always been my favorite room in my house. This has been true even when I was a child. I think the reason is probably that it seems to be the most intimate room for me. It also seems to be the quietest. I like to have time in silence and you just can’t get that in another room.

(2009) If I had my own office space/craft room in my house, it would be my favorite room. I would love the room to be filled with books and projects that I am working on and not have to worry that someone will mess with my stuff. I like things to be in a certain place, comes in handy when I am looking for something in particular. I would have several cross stitching, crocheting, sewing, and quilting projects going on. I would also have a jigsaw puzzle being pieced together at all times. There would be many stacks of story ideas that I’d be working on.

Q. What does a good neighbor mean to you?

(2006) I have to say that I can remember very few times that I have seen a good neighbor in actual life. I had a best friend that lived across the street from me once. She would probably be my ideal neighbor. I liked it when she would come and visit just to see and talk to me. It was also nice to know she was there whenever I needed someone to help me. In a perfect world, I guess, I would say that a “good neighbor”, was someone who would notice if you didn’t come home when you usually do and would send out a search party. A “good neighbor” would also bring you food when you are sick. I think they would also want to share in holiday and family celebrations.

(2009) My idea of a good neighbor hasn’t changed.

Q. What is the worst thing parents can do to their children?

(2006) I think the worst thing a parent can do to their children is being neglectful. I have lived this life as a child and it was horrible. I think it is despicable for parents not to provide food, shelter, and clothing for their kids. Next to being neglectful would be abusive. I am talking about mental as well as physical. Parents should always strive to do the best they can with all available resources.

(2009) My answer hasn’t changed at all.

Q. What is your favorite time of the day?

(2006) My favorite time of the day is around sunset. The world seems to slow down, especially in the country. It’s nice when people have time to sit back and reflect on all the days work. There’s nothing like sipping on a glass of iced tea on your porch and talking with your loved ones.

(2009) My favorite time of the day currently is early in the morning before everyone gets up. I love the stillness of the morning and I like the time to read my emails and catch up watching television shows that I’ve recorded from the day before.

Don’t Eat The Marshmallows?

Don't Eat The Marshmallow...Yet!

Click Here to watch a video about this book. I discovered this video on Mommy Matters Blog.

10 Things You Should Know About Me

I do not lie and I don’t like liars.
I love my kids more than I love anyone else.
I am not perfect, but I want to be.
I rather be indoors reading than outdoors playing.
I think a perfect day would be one where I don’t have to hear anything but my own breathing. (This would drive me crazy if it ever happened.)
I like to make lists for everything.
I don’t know how to live like everybody else and I’m happy about it.
I hate to see people hurt other people and then think it’s funny.
I had a journal that I kept for about 9 years and then I burned it because it made me too sad.
I homeschool my kids because the local school became mad about an article that I had published in a newspaper about too much homework. (I don’t care that they asked me to remove my kids – it was the best thing to ever happen to our family.)

Let the Bird Out of the Cage

I became independent from my biological and foster parents in July 1996. I was 18 years old when I walked into the courtroom the day of my independence.

I had begged my social worker since 1993; to abolish my biological parents rights. The social workers, as I was told, were to do everything possible to bring families back together. However, it never happened in my case. No matter what the social services tried, my biological parents did not ever try to mend the problems that had me in foster care. For this I am glad. I did not ever want to be with my biological parents.

The day at the courthouse was truly the day that set me free. I no longer had to worry about the possibility of being reunited with my biological parents. I was also set free from foster care. The restless nights of wondering where I fit into the foster family were over. I did not have to worry about being extra baggage or a misfit among a family that could never truly be my family. The Judge asked me if I was sure that I no longer needed the support of foster care and if I truly wanted to be set free as an adult.

At the time, I remember being scared and very unsure of what I needed to do. I just knew that I didn’t want the complications of other adults telling me what I had to do. Even if these other adults thought they had my best interests at heart, I knew that it was time for me to figure out what to do with the rest of my life.

Of coarse, I have made mistakes and I probably took the wrong road every now and then, but I do not regret the day at the courthouse. The relief I felt was overwhelming and I couldn’t remember another day that I had felt like a bird let out of a cage.

18 Values To Live By

Self-controlled (thinks first, restrained, self-disciplined)
Honest (sincere, truthful)
Loving (affectionate, tender, caring)
Ambitious (hard working, aspiring)
Cheerful (lighthearted, joyful)
Responsible (dependable, reliable)
Independent (self-reliant, sufficient)
Broad-minded (open-minded, able to see other viewpoints)
Polite (courteous, well-mannered)
Forgiving (willing to pardon others)
Intellectual (intelligent, reflective, knowledgeable)
Helpful (working for the welfare of others)
Obedient (dutiful, respectful)
Capable (competent, effective, skillful)
Logical (consistent, rational, aware of reality)
Courageous (standing up for your beliefs, strong)
Imaginative (daring, creative)
Clean (neat, tidy)

Best Children’s Dictionary

This 912-page illustrated dictionary is packed with great information, including world maps on the inside covers, an easy-to-use how-to guide, and a reference section with facts and maps of the continents, pictures of flags from countries around the world, U.S. presidents and vice presidents, pronunciation guides, signs and symbols, and lots more. Sandwiched between this wealth of facts and figures are 846 pages of definitions with DK’s trademark crisp, clear photographs illustrating many of the words. One of the handiest features in this volume is the multicolored alphabet running down the outer edges of every single page, with the featured letter highlighted for easy reference when flipping through. -Amazon.Com Review

I’ve bought this new one recently. Now Andy and Sarah have their own copy. They love looking up their spelling words and used to argue who would get to look them up when we were doing definitions. (Every spelling list, they have to write the definitions of all the words.) I think every child needs a copy of this book. It has wonderful pictures in it. The definitions are easy to understand. I would say that it’s great for ages 8 and up or whenever a child starts asking how to spell this word and that word.