A recent conversation with a friend got me thinking about how we (society) always look to place blame or fault on others. We see it each and every day. Last night one of the few television shows I watch was interupted by the President as he spoke about the pending day of reckoning for payment to creditors. He and his party are blaming the Republicans and the Republicans are blaming the Democrats. None of us have clean hands. We have stretched ourselves too thin and we need to fix it.
During the conversation with my friend, I made the same observation related to education. We were discussing how teachers are being blamed for much of what is wrong with the world. The government sees the problems with society and decides education can take care of these issues. They pass laws and pass them on to the federal and state levels which them pass these mandates down to the local systems which them pass them off to the teachers. Teachers then pass off this responsibilit to students. If we pass along the responsibility then we can never be at fault- it is always the fault of the person we passed it to. No one ever steps back and evaluates how these mandates help or hurt students. Nobody wants to take responsibility for putting something in place that is unreasonable or just doesn't work. Just look at No Child Left Behind- in 2014 every child in America will pass state/federally mandated test. If they don't it is NOT the federal government's fault for pushing through a law that was unreasonable nor did it provide necessary resources to even come close to making it happen. My new favorite mandates relate to Anti-Bullying. Educators now have the responsibility of policing and teaching kids that bullying is wrong. As parents we don't want to admit we have the ultimate responsibility for teaching our kids how to use cellphones and social networks without hurting people. We don't want to take responsibility for our lack of action when our kids misbehave.
As a society we have become very FAT. No way is this weight gain my fault. I can blame everyone excpet myself, but ultimately I make the decision about what goes in this mouth. This morning I watched one of the morning shows as a person from McDonalds positively promoted the new healthier version of the Happy Meal. The reporter interviewing the McDonald's representative asked "can't your company stop giving the toys"? We haven't gotten fat because McDonald's puts a toy in a Happy Meal. As much as I hate those darn toys, it is my responsibility as a parent to "JUST SAY NO". Even better I can choose not to go to McDonald's and instead cook a healthy meal of low-fat meat with healthy fruits and veggies. I work, my kids are busy and because of these choices we go to McDonald's sometimes. McDonald's has a variety of choices- I make the decision about what we eat. McDonald's have never forced me to order a biggie fry or drink.-
We all make choices and it is past time we take responsibility for our own actions. I had to complete a survey yesterday related to another law passed by my state legislators. The survey asked for me to suggest the "soft skills" employers most desire. The word RESPONSIBILITY would have covered everything- from showing up everyday, on-time -to cell phone use -to initiative. Taking responsibility for one's actions just about sums up everything an employer expects.
Still watching morning shows and now they are blaming COSTCO for our "impulse buys".....
In just a couple of weeks the kiddos head back to school-way too early in my opinion. I would love to go back after Labor Day like many friends in the north. Hope you are enjoying your summer.
Homemade Mac n Cheese
For several weeks my daughter has begged me to make macaroni and cheese. She did not want Easy Mac or Kraft from the box. Last night she and I had some alone time so I decided to have her help me. She was so proud of "her" macaroni and cheese. She even got a fist pump from her Daddy- Yummy! As a southern girl I have tasted and attempted several recipes for this dish. The recipe I have developed is based on a combination of other recipes. Hope you enjoy! This makes a large pan-perfect for a large family gathering. Divide this recipe to make for a smaller crowd. We will be eating leftovers and sharing with our friends and neighbors.
16 oz macaroni
1/2 stick butter (real.butter)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tap salt
1/2 tap pepper
4 cups milk
16 oz grated cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1/2 stick butter
1 sleeve Ritz cracker crumbs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil macaroni according to directions on the box (I used Muellers). Drain and rinse the macaroni in a colander. Combine next five ingredients in a large saucepan-cook on low until butter melts. Add grated cheese. Stir until sauce appears to be a rich and creamy cheese sauce. Beat four eggs in a small bowl. Add to cheese sauce and wisk until combined. Add cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce. Spray a 9"x12" pyrex dish with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer macaroni and cheese sauce from saucepan to pyrex dish. Melt 1/2 stick of butter and combine with cracker crumbs. Top the macaroni and cheese mixture with the buttery cracker crumbs. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes-1 hour. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
We started our celebration late Thursday afternoon. As soon as our little sweetie's dance class was over we made the road trip to my parents house. My parents live in a community with a large military base and I must say this community celebrates the 4th like it should be celebrated. We gathered with 30,000 or more others to kick off the holiday. I am so glad my children got to see F-16s fly over during the National Anthem. The concert we enjoyed was being filmed for the armed forces television broadcast for today. Wynonna, the headliner for the evening, put on an awesome show. My daughter thought she was so good she should try out for American Idol (we thought that was too cute). After the show we enjoyed the best fireworks display I have ever witnessed. Truly the best way to start this holiday weekend. If you have never celebrated the 4th with the armed forces you should give it a try. Tonight we will continue celebrating, but on a much smaller scale in our little town. One of my former student's band is entertaining folks at the recreation department fields, but first we will attend the dedication of one of the fields in honor of the former recreation department manager. Hope you enjoy celebrating your independence today!
A friend contacted me today interested in some of my favorite recipes. I have never been so organized as to label my blog post, but today I decided it was a good idea to get it done. You will find the label "recipes" on the upper right hand side of this page. In the next few days I will post a few new recipes- my children's favorites. I have two very differnt types of eaters- a boy that will eat just about anything and a little picky little girl.
Next week I will send my son off to summer camp. I know many send their children to bi-weekly or month long camps, but this is just a week long camp. Summer camp is great, but since we live in a place just like camp he will not experience a lot of new things in the way of activities. However, he will have the chance to meet other kids from other places. We just pray other parents are sending good hearted, respectful individuals like we are sending. I also pray he gets a couple of baths during the week.
I know many purchase lots of new clothing for camp as well as label everything it sight. This week I am going thru the current wardrobe to make sure I send nothing of real value. No way will I spend hard earned money on new clothes for camp. My husband has even suggested we just burn whatever he brings back. Those of you with boys totally understand.
I haven't looked at the checklist of things to bring, but I'm sure we will make a trip to some discount store to load up on bug spray,sunscreen, deodorant, toothpaste, soap and shampoo before he departs. Please submit any tips or hints on must have items.
My dear hubby reminded me last night I haven't updated the blog in several weeks. He often checks in to see what I have shard- Thanks, Hubby! It's not like I don't have plenty to talk say, just nothing I want to blog about. When I started this blog it was to journal about stuff we were doing and meant to be fun. Lately, I've been pondering some interesting topics although nothing I feel like the world needs know. I know some utilize their blogs to try to sell certain products or maybe their views on a particular subject, but I hope to keep it fun and thoughtless.
As far as the thoughtless goes, I've been soaking up the rays by the pool and inviting friends every chance I get. The kiddos love to have friends out to the Pond (family pond, pool and lots of other good stuff). The friends are a blessing to me because they usually bring their moms to occupy me. All of this heavy thinking about certain issues requires tons of vitamin d and chlorine therapy. If someone would pay me to be a mermaid I would change occupations.
I fondly remember posting last summer about our friends and neighbors bringing us fresh from the garden produce. Yesterday, my friend Carmen and her girls came for a swim and they brought us peppers picked fresh from the garden. As we sat under the umbrella listening to the redneck jukebox (something else I need to blog about), I could get a whiff of those peppers the few times the wind blew. This generous gift got me thinking about bartering- pooltime for produce (just kidding, but it is a thought). Thanks to our backdoor neighbors we have fresh summer squash, zucchini and cucumbers. My mother-in-law dropped off homegrown tomatoes from a local farmer. Last night's menu of cucumers in vinegar (grew up eating this at my grandmother's), BLT's and stir fry (squash, zucchini, peppes, vidalias and potatoes) was delightful.
As for now, I need to get back to the water so as to not get to serious about anything this summer.
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