Who’s the mom here? – Page 18

Blessings of Habit, Homemaking, Recipes, Who's the mom here?, Wives

The A-OK Breakfast – Good Ol’ Bacon and Eggs!

Posted on May 9, 2011May 9, 2011 by Katharine

Many of us grew up on good ol’ bacon and eggs breakfasts and just the thought brings back such good memories. Yet, I wonder how many know how it’s really done, how to put the sizzle into it without having steam coming out of their ears.

Start with a cold fry pan and crowd the bacon in it, because it will shrink and leftovers are so handy. Heat the pan of bacon slowly. This is what helps prevent shrinking and curling. I use medium heat for bacon.

As spattering begins, I add a lid to keep stray droplets in the pan. This also helps conserve heat, so you may want to turn the burner temperature down a little. Notice the lid is tilted to allow steam to escape.

This is also a good time to sprinkle with black pepper, if you like.

Once bacon is fried to your liking on one side, use a pair of tongs and turn it over to finish. Add more pepper, if desired. Watch carefully for burning; never use more than medium heat. When done, remove to a plate lined with paper toweling and place in oven set on low, or 150-170 degrees. Allow pan to cool some.

Now it is time for the eggs. Break them into the pan if it is not too hot. You do not want the eggs instantly to bubble and harden. The pan should not be very hot. This is the secret to avoiding “gristle” on the edges of the eggs.

The best spatula for managing the tricky task of turning eggs has a rounded front edge. For this non-stick pan, I use this plastic spatula, which, at these low temperatures is SUPPOSED to be safe. Hope they finally got the truth all straightened out about those topics.

Now comes the test. At our house, one person likes eggs over easy, another likes them broken, flattened, and cooked through. So at this point in cooking the eggs, I pick out the two I feel are most likely to turn out unbroken for the over-easy pair. I choose the two left-most ones. They are ready to turn when the white is mostly gelled. If they are slightly stuck, scoop the spatula under them from all directions, to loosen them, first. Then with the spatula in your dominant hand the and pan handle in the other, tilt the pan slightly to position the spatula under at least half of the egg. Gently tilt the spatula to lift and turn the egg.

If it breaks, you still have three left to try and get it right. This is another of my secrets: turn the over-easy eggs first, so if you break one, it can be for the other person who likes them that way.

Once you have successfully turned the over-easy eggs, you can relax. Turn off the burner under the pan and allow the existing heat to finish the job gently. To hard-cook a fried egg takes longer, so there is no rush to turn the other two, but do break them at this point, so the yolks can run away some.

Remove the over-easy eggs when the bottoms are done. My over-easy egg eater likes the whites hard. You can determine this by pressing gently on the whites, near the yolk, and if it does not give much, then it is fully cooked. At this point, the yolks are very near overdone, so removing them immediately is the next step. The longer you hold them on the plate before serving, the more the yolk cooks, so do try to hurry your eaters to the table.

Finish the fully cooked eggs by flipping them and waiting until they are cooked through. You may want to return the burner setting to low.

Serve with hot coffee and toast.

Don’t forget: the bacon is in the oven.

Believe it or not!, Who's the mom here?, Womanhood

The Coat Hanger, Revisited

Posted on May 4, 2011May 4, 2011 by Katharine

It’s all new, but it’s old as life, itself: a new way to kill.

You go to the Planned Parent Hoodlums (PPH) and find someone there (Nurse? Janitor? Toxic waste clean-up pro? Who knows?) to give you a poison pill you cannot swallow until you e-mail a doctor.

Right.

You do NOT get a chance to consult with a licensed physician as the FDA says you should. You just web-cam the guy.

It’s the all new telemed coat hanger. And it costs the PPH a lot less. They don’t have to hire a doctor, after all. Whew! Wasn’t THAT a close call!

Friends, this is NOT about equal access to healthcare for women.

This is about those who PROFIT from reaching their tentacles into places where abortion was already “RARE” and causing more of it, by inflicting a dangerous drug cocktail on women and even minor females.

These women and girls are told that if they have any physical troubles, to go to an emergency room and pretend they are having a legitimate miscarriage. Think: If you were a little girl who may or may not have known how you got pregnant in the first place, and have had NO medical counsel, would you know if you were having troubles that necessitated an ER visit? Maybe. And your UNATTENDING physician—where is he? Still unattending, of course, since what he has done is very lawsuit worthy.

Basically, if you dare darken the doors of PPH, you could be merrily sent on your way to hemorrhage to death. Wow, that will certainly cost taxpayers less, since PPH can lay off the toxic waste disposal team, if they bother to have one. Or, hey, they could lay them off and pretend they did not, since they are so into pretending lies, and still collect the money for it. Perfect set up!

But if you do manage to realize you need the ER, and if you do feel enough shame to join in the cover up, and if you do have those poisons racing through your veins, and if the actual REAL attending physician happens to believe you—you will receive treatment based on incomplete information. How safe is that, hmm?

And how obvious PPH does not give a hoot.

About you, that is.

Just money.

Let me tell you one thing: If someone gave a young BOY a poison pill, told him he might feel bad, and if he goes to a doctor NOT to tell what happened, it would be murder and certainly not bankrolled by our taxes.

Let’s hope.

Blessings of Habit, Inspiring, Who's the mom here?, Wisdom

Coping Confidence

Posted on April 14, 2011April 13, 2011 by Katharine

A friend wrote me recently, wanting help with a course she is taking. She asked me how I cope when I feel inadequate or when I lack confidence.

I had to think about that one! I decided I have several different methods of dealing with lack of confidence, depending on the occasion. I will list them each, with their own coping skill, okay?

When I am forced to relate to someone I feel is wealthier, prettier, skinnier than I am. I realize that if we all feared this, then that person would have NO friends. And maybe truly has no friends. It makes me think of them as a normal person with feelings, instead of an extension of their wealth or appearance, and instead of accusing them of rejecting me before it even happens. I guess I think more about their feelings than mine.
When I have to speak on an unfamiliar topic. I make outlines, and practice, practice, practice. Still I will be nervous, but this helps.
When I think I may be lost, or I may become lost, because my navigation skills are so below par. I ask for directions a lot. I tell myself to calm down because anyone living in this, the wrong place, might have to go to the right place, where I meant to go, so there must be a concrete way to get there. I guess I just realize it is not a total disaster and it is fixable.
When I have too much to do and yet, have to get it all done. I make prioritized lists and stick to them. Also, I delegate.
When I am asked to do something I know I cannot do. I just say NO. I figure I would want anyone else to tell me truthfully if they cannot do something for me, so I just tell them. Truthfully.
If I have to apply for a job. I make myself relax, do my best, and figure “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
If I think I need to tell someone they are wrong. I weigh out the consequences for this person and if it is serious, I try hard to begin and end with something nice to say, but slip the bad news in the middle. If it is not serious, I try hard to get over it, to accept this person’s ability to make a mistake in his thinking.
When I have to drive in the capital. I just grip the steering wheel until my knuckles pop, grit my teeth until I have a headache, and go. I will be SO stressed out afterwards, though!

There you have it. I could not think of any more for my friend, but probably will just before I fall asleep tonight! Ha. 🙂

What about you? Do you know any good coping tricks? Feel like sharing? We all could use ideas . . .

Believe it or not!, Who's the mom here?, Wisdom

It Is Kidnapping and It Is Legal

Posted on April 8, 2011April 8, 2011 by Katharine

Question: When is a person not a person?

Answer: When he is a child.

Ladies, just think: You are one day post-partum and your doctor tells you that you may take your baby home if you want. But the nurse doesn’t want you to, so she calls the police. In an unheard-of tug of war, Dear Mommy, weary from labor and drained from lack of sleep, this nightmare unfolds before your eyes, in the land of the free.

And as sorry as you may feel for yourself, you cannot escape the fact that your precious new daughter is a mere pawn in a manipulator’s reach.

Read about it here.

And as sad as that may make us feel, should your child ever feel sadness, herself, better be prepared for another attack.

But don’t you DARE die!

If your precious daugher ever loses her parents and must be placed in foster or adoptive care, the State could place her in a home with two mommies or even with two daddies because it might hurt their feelings if the State did otherwise.

And this is no matter what the voters think.

Read about it here.

Oh, protect the children!

And pray…

Homemaking, Who's the mom here?

How to Survive a Virus

Posted on April 5, 2011April 5, 2011 by Katharine

Stuff’s been going around. Every day brings us closer to the eventuality. Sooner or later you will run into one of these bugs and knowing what to do will greatly enhance your sick experience.

One of the first and most important tools for fighting off a virus is Good Health. Having good health generally consists of the following:

Eating good food
Avoiding sugar
Taking vitamin supplements
Drinking enough water
Exercising regularly
Getting enough sleep
Eating enough garlic.

You probably already knew these were good habits, but think of these others, too:

Take your children with you instead of putting in daycare.
Avoid self-serve food situations.
Watch what you touch in public.
Do not shake hands; or else wash afterwards.
Keep your children out of the nursery at church.
Use the fizzed virus prevention medications, when appropriate.
Up the garlic content of your food.

If prevention does not keep you well, though, what are the next steps? Here is what our family does:

We take Oscillococcinum as directed on package.
We take Sambucol as directed on package.
We take vitamin C stir ins, at least one per day.
We take echinacea/goldenseal capsules as directed on package.
For stuffy nose, we use a generic Sudafed by day and generic Benadryl by night.
For congestion we use guaifenesin.
For cough control we use valerian and/or a mentholated rub.

Oh, and we hardly ever have to go to the doctor!

Inspiring, Who's the mom here?

All My Men Have Been Good to Me – Sons

Posted on March 29, 2011March 28, 2011 by Katharine

God has blessed us with four sons. Sometimes I can hardly believe this. And I can hardly count the joys. But I will try.

They have played with each other for their whole lives. They truly care about each other.
They are careful to honor their mother. It is such a blessing.
They all have applied themselves diligently in school. They have made good names for themselves with teachers and employers. They are known for hard work.
The guys at church like them, enjoy teasing them, and they can hold their own when it happens.
They bring me things—amazing rocks, wonderful feathers, gifts, songs, gadgets, cards, books—I lose track, but they seem to enjoy bringing me things.
They ask me for advice. Not often, but on important occasions.
They call me and write me.
They remember what I have taught them. When they forget, just a look, a touch, can remind them.
They have given me three incredible daughters-in-law.
Those who have children have taught their children to love me.

This list could go on, but ten is a good place to stop. To summarize, my sons have been good to me.

Home School, Inspiring, Pre-schoolers, Sayings, Who's the mom here?, Wisdom

Why Do People Put Their Children in Schools? Part – 3 – Can We Fix the Schools?

Posted on March 19, 2011June 6, 2014 by Katharine

From all the research that has been done, I think we might, might, might be able to make some progress solving the problems in governmental institutionalization of our children. It would take drastic change, though.

No matter what you are thinking, I meant more drastic than that.

Most classrooms have far too many children in them.

Instead, each classroom would have to reduce to only around 5 children per adult. Many homes have something like that, and national research shows it is the best way to learn. It certainly would be more natural. Some high school children might make do with 10 to 12 per adult, if they were mature .

It’s how the ancient Greeks taught.

Most classrooms have all same-age children in them.

Bizarre! Instead, each child should be allowed to receive the gift of relationships with vastly different-aged others. Most homes have that and the learning potential is expanded when the students are of differing levels of learning. Especially the older ones would learn, truly learn the subjects if they were, in this more organic approach, occasionally in positions to help teach.

We do learn most when we teach, right?

Most classrooms labor under the false assumption that touch, being sexual and subject to lawsuit, should be prohibited.

Instead, we all should acknowledge what we instinctively know, and has been proven, that hugs and pats and other touch, including light corporal punishment, are part of socializing and leaving them out is wrong. Most homes have touch. Remember, orphans who are never touched die, whereas touched children are healthier and grow taller.

To protect the child from the occasional bad teacher, and the teacher from the occasional bad parent, of course video cameras in every room and every hall would be essential. That way, any teacher or child who doesn’t care about God, could realize that Big Brother is also up there.

We have the space, really. We are closing schools every day because we’ve aborted zillions of the children who could have filled them.

We do not have enough teachers, but how quickly they would come if they learned we’d solved the discipline problems, wouldn’t they!

It would take a large staff of volunteers, but what better place to volunteer! Lots of families have become single-income these days, so one spouse must be somewhat free. Then that parent could discover the joy of watching or even helping his or her own child learn things of great value, even about volunteerism. It would be a whole lot like home schooling, and might even get the better results of homeschooling, but would happen at the school.

Or, we could just send them all home, which would be lots more cost effective.