Take a trip down the cereal aisle lately? I would not recommend it for anyone who's even remotely hungry. You'll come out the other end with all sorts of interesting items.
Take granola bars, for example. When I was a kid there were granola bars. Period. We all knew exactly what we were going to get. Crunchy. Oat & honey or cinnamon. An instant desire for something to drink. Now you can get crunchy, chewy, nut, fruit, yogurt coated, chocolate infested, marshmallow dotted. Not to mention the creative food thinkers that have made cereal and milk into a bar; I guess a bowl of cereal's too inconvenient? Seems like these days lots of things labelled "granola bars" bear a close resemblance to their guilty-pleasure cousins Pop Tarts located a little farther down the aisle.
I know that every food source has to have a label divulging all its inner secrets as a way to inform the unsuspecting public. Ha ha ha. (Ever try to read one of those ingredient lists? There should be a Rosetta Stone language course for ingredients.) Some people are big label readers. I'm not. Aside from vague disquiet that I wasn't really giving them something healthy, I've no scientific basis for condemning all those fun snacks. They just seem to leave you vaguely unsatisfied, and a little confused. Which path did I just take? Food group or dessert?
Wait a minute. Isn't dessert a food group? (Speaking of that, I have a cookbook that has a recipe for brownies with beef. I'm not joking. What category would THOSE fall into?)
I've got a few different recipies for granola bars. One is a pb&j granola bar recipe. It was weird....we couldn't decide if we liked them or not. I have another that calls for chopped Ghirardelli chocolate. That one should be reserved for giving to guests you want to impress.....or confuse.
Consider the commercials for granola bars on the tv. Well I guess honestly I can't think of many for the chewy camp. I'm sure there are some, but as my kids get older, we watch less kid-driven tv. (They seem to pop up in the Sunday coupons often, however. save .55 and keep the kiddos quiet.) But the crunchy ones, now, boy do those people get to have adventures. They bring granola bars to mountain tops, and cliffs, and unexplored wilderness. Apparently when viewing a sunset over a canyon you need a snack to make it complete. Too bad those don't come with a coupon for an SUV.
Now I'm all for convenience. So are my girls. (The Brady family had no idea. Alice was amazing. If we had an Alice maybe we'd eat less conveniently.) We have two granola bar camps - chewy and crunchy. We've reached the point of agreement with regard to what brand we like, but from there, we diverge. Both granola bar camps have some nutrition, more or less ...neither is perfect. We like to have them stashed in our purses when we dash out the door (Well the ladies anyhow. My husband doesn't carry a purse. No European shoulder bag for him, or granola bars for that matter), so we buy a variety of types for our house. The older two enjoy chewy fruit adventure. My youngest and I will continue to nosh the tree hugger crunchy ones that have been around since I was a kid.
I love candy. I just don't want granola in it.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
about conversation
"My idea of good company ... is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company." ~ Jane Austen
Conversation is a fun word. An overactive brain like mine revels in conversation. When I contemplate the word 'conversation', the obvious picture of two people talking back and forth comes to mind. But when you let the brain run past the obvious, it's an interesting subject to think about. It's an exchange of information; a pronouncement of someone's opinion; a plea for help; a gift; a weapon.
Some conversations flow without much thought or effort....I have conversations with my best friend and mom daily. We talk about what we saw on the tv, Jesus, politics, what we had for breakfast and the interesting driving skills of the person we were following on the highway. I had conversations with my kids when they were toddlers before they had any verbage that made sense to anyone but them. (Those were actually lots and lots of fun for me - "oh? you love mommy because she looks fabulous in sweats and a tshirt? thanks baby. no you may not eat out of the sugar bowl.") I have conversations with our conure Cosmic Dave daily. He has no idea that I am telling him my exact opinion of his pooping habits or that we don't particularly want to hear screeching right then. He's happy anyhow.
Lots of conversations don't have to have any words involved at all. A smile, a hug, just sitting down by someone can be a conversation. Hearts instead of sounds.
I know that people have many conversations online or texting with their cell phones. I am one of those people. I love my electronics. But I have noticed that those conversations are lacking some key elements needed for me to always understand what's going on. I can't see body language, or facial expression, or hear tone. I think these are really vital to getting the complete message. And besides, there are so many acronyms out there now I think someone ought to write "THE TEXTING DICTIONARY" to help those of us born before cable tv. It can come with an installable "WHAT?" button for our phones and computers.
In my opinion a good conversation involves willingness. Being willing to hear as well as be heard. This isn't always easy when we feel strongly about something and run up against an opinion contrary to our own.
I also think conversation is necessary. We are a communicative people. Look at that movie where Tom Hanks was stranded on an island. He made a head out of a soccer ball or something so he'd have someone to talk with. We call, text, email, smile, wink and glare. We are constantly conversing. Some of us even still use snail mail to communicate. (No offense, USPS, we appreciate you, how else would we get our Christmas cards?)
I've done a bible study 1.5 times (yes, 1.5) about conversation that really brought home the importance of conversation, and most importantly, how to behave in one. I haven't always been successful at applying those lessons, but they have never left me. I think the biggest thing that so often we don't realize is that conversation has power. Even boring, awkward, one sided conversations have the ability to influence our day, our thoughts, our decisions. Words have weight...whether spoken, written, or demonstrated. Our ability to communicate and converse has given us amazing power to influence those around us, not just now, but down the road.
There is nothing so dangerous for anyone who has something to hide as conversation!... A human being, Hastings, cannot resist the opportunity to reveal himself and express his personality which conversation gives him. Every time he will give himself away. ~Agatha Christie
Conversation is a fun word. An overactive brain like mine revels in conversation. When I contemplate the word 'conversation', the obvious picture of two people talking back and forth comes to mind. But when you let the brain run past the obvious, it's an interesting subject to think about. It's an exchange of information; a pronouncement of someone's opinion; a plea for help; a gift; a weapon.
Some conversations flow without much thought or effort....I have conversations with my best friend and mom daily. We talk about what we saw on the tv, Jesus, politics, what we had for breakfast and the interesting driving skills of the person we were following on the highway. I had conversations with my kids when they were toddlers before they had any verbage that made sense to anyone but them. (Those were actually lots and lots of fun for me - "oh? you love mommy because she looks fabulous in sweats and a tshirt? thanks baby. no you may not eat out of the sugar bowl.") I have conversations with our conure Cosmic Dave daily. He has no idea that I am telling him my exact opinion of his pooping habits or that we don't particularly want to hear screeching right then. He's happy anyhow.
Lots of conversations don't have to have any words involved at all. A smile, a hug, just sitting down by someone can be a conversation. Hearts instead of sounds.
I know that people have many conversations online or texting with their cell phones. I am one of those people. I love my electronics. But I have noticed that those conversations are lacking some key elements needed for me to always understand what's going on. I can't see body language, or facial expression, or hear tone. I think these are really vital to getting the complete message. And besides, there are so many acronyms out there now I think someone ought to write "THE TEXTING DICTIONARY" to help those of us born before cable tv. It can come with an installable "WHAT?" button for our phones and computers.
In my opinion a good conversation involves willingness. Being willing to hear as well as be heard. This isn't always easy when we feel strongly about something and run up against an opinion contrary to our own.
I also think conversation is necessary. We are a communicative people. Look at that movie where Tom Hanks was stranded on an island. He made a head out of a soccer ball or something so he'd have someone to talk with. We call, text, email, smile, wink and glare. We are constantly conversing. Some of us even still use snail mail to communicate. (No offense, USPS, we appreciate you, how else would we get our Christmas cards?)
I've done a bible study 1.5 times (yes, 1.5) about conversation that really brought home the importance of conversation, and most importantly, how to behave in one. I haven't always been successful at applying those lessons, but they have never left me. I think the biggest thing that so often we don't realize is that conversation has power. Even boring, awkward, one sided conversations have the ability to influence our day, our thoughts, our decisions. Words have weight...whether spoken, written, or demonstrated. Our ability to communicate and converse has given us amazing power to influence those around us, not just now, but down the road.
There is nothing so dangerous for anyone who has something to hide as conversation!... A human being, Hastings, cannot resist the opportunity to reveal himself and express his personality which conversation gives him. Every time he will give himself away. ~Agatha Christie
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Nasa Channel
I've been entranced the past several days by my discovery of the NASA channel. I've been watching the US astronauts up on the International Space Station. It's the last time the shuttle Discovery will be flying...and it's kind of fun to watch people floating around. This morning I found myself leaning over on my side to look at the picture sideways. It's pretty hilarious. Whatever direction they are facing or sitting is right side up for them. (How fun would that be?? I'm jealous.) It's not like you can really trip over anything when you're out there....wouldn't you just sort of bounce off in a new direction? You can just tell everyone you were practicing insterstellar gymnastics.
Today the astronauts had the 'afternoon off.' What do you do on your day off when you are circling the planet in a great big can? Frisbee? Poker? Mad Libs are always entertaining.....(I just had visions of a hard core belly laugh sending them all flying in different directions...)
So then it makes me wonder if they bring personal luggage at all. The Shuttle crew wears one color shirt with khakis and the Station crew another color shirt with khakis. If you have to wear the clothes provided by NASA do you get to pick out your own socks and underthings? Those are kind of personal items. And how do they control their hair? Looking at the men's hair, it looks more or less like normal, short, guy hair. But the ladies, on the other hand, have hair flying everywhere. It's like an 80's hair band without hairspray and blow dryers. I spent most of high school trying to get that kind of volume. One of the lady scientists said she tends to keep it in a ponytail so she doesn't get stuck on the random velcro located throughout the station. Ouch.
I wonder if they have to tie themselves down when they sleep. Can you imagine waking up from THAT sleepwalking episode? Yowza. Dear NASA, we are making an unscheduled side trip to the Outer Rim. We'll send you a postcard....
All silliness aside, visually connecting with what's going on out there has me amazed and awed. Last night my daughter and I caught a glimpse of thunderstorms over Chile from 217 miles high; one view from a camera on the ISS. You could see the lightning. Wow. In this sci-fi, techy world we move in, there is so much familiar imagination out there that the reality of what they are doing has taken a back seat. There are people living and working and going about daily routines who aren't even on this planet! I've thought about what it would take to actually get to that point. Years and years of work and determination and prayer and sacrifice. A good set of brains. And after all that, the willingness to be shot off the earth, not knowing if you'll get there, and not knowing if you'll get back. Wow. Talk about heroes.
Today the astronauts had the 'afternoon off.' What do you do on your day off when you are circling the planet in a great big can? Frisbee? Poker? Mad Libs are always entertaining.....(I just had visions of a hard core belly laugh sending them all flying in different directions...)
So then it makes me wonder if they bring personal luggage at all. The Shuttle crew wears one color shirt with khakis and the Station crew another color shirt with khakis. If you have to wear the clothes provided by NASA do you get to pick out your own socks and underthings? Those are kind of personal items. And how do they control their hair? Looking at the men's hair, it looks more or less like normal, short, guy hair. But the ladies, on the other hand, have hair flying everywhere. It's like an 80's hair band without hairspray and blow dryers. I spent most of high school trying to get that kind of volume. One of the lady scientists said she tends to keep it in a ponytail so she doesn't get stuck on the random velcro located throughout the station. Ouch.
I wonder if they have to tie themselves down when they sleep. Can you imagine waking up from THAT sleepwalking episode? Yowza. Dear NASA, we are making an unscheduled side trip to the Outer Rim. We'll send you a postcard....
All silliness aside, visually connecting with what's going on out there has me amazed and awed. Last night my daughter and I caught a glimpse of thunderstorms over Chile from 217 miles high; one view from a camera on the ISS. You could see the lightning. Wow. In this sci-fi, techy world we move in, there is so much familiar imagination out there that the reality of what they are doing has taken a back seat. There are people living and working and going about daily routines who aren't even on this planet! I've thought about what it would take to actually get to that point. Years and years of work and determination and prayer and sacrifice. A good set of brains. And after all that, the willingness to be shot off the earth, not knowing if you'll get there, and not knowing if you'll get back. Wow. Talk about heroes.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
waiting
Ever notice how hard it is to wait?
Okay, I know that's sort of a "duh. ya think?" kind of comment.
Considering how much time we spend waiting, you would think we'd be better at it. (The first time I realized there were microwave directions on a Pop Tart box I laughed out loud. What, the toaster takes too long?) I mean, its not as if having to wait comes as a big surprise. Even in this instant gratification age we live in, we still wait for things. We wait for the mail; we wait for payday; we wait for the person we're disagreeing with to figure out WE are right and THEY are wrong.
Some of it can't be helped; things take time. We know that. Those are the easy ones - dinner, downloading, hair dye. As I contemplate waiting, I wonder how many gifts and blessings we miss because we are waiting for the visible, known conclusion. I think waiting carries more with it than just the obvious delay. Waiting for everyone to be ready for church on a Sunday morning comes to mind. With one VERY small bathroom and a family with several females - and one brave male - impatience often sets in quickly. But during this time of frustration and the constant refrain of "HURRY UP! I HAVE TO GET IN THERE!" vocalized from any one of the aforementioned girls, what are we overlooking? The unique joy and experience that comes from being a member of a family; MUCH practice in sharing and cooperating; the opportunity to go somewhere that everyone enjoys, which is rare in a group of opinionated people; the chance to have breakfast, coffee, or conversation while waiting for our turn.
Waiting also seems to affect the value of what we are waiting for. Girl Scout cookies, for example. Once a year that famous fundraiser approaches, and everyone I know goes bonkers for cookies. Girl scout cookies would be WAY less exciting if we could get our hands on them any time we wanted. Therefore we are willing to hand over more money for those than we will for the Oreos we can get our hands on 365 days a year. A few weeks before Christmas, my girls chose a set of games listed on ebay as one of their gifts. We bought it, THEN realized the seller was located in China. Yes, China. (Note to self: look over on the right of the listing page!) Now understandably, getting something mailed from China takes time. We expected that. We did NOT expect it to take two months. We had almost given up hope and were facing the possibility they might not arrive, and then one day, they were here. Those two months were a regular refrain of "I wonder if the games will be here today?" There were gifts we received during that wait. My girls looked, thought, discussed and agreed on something together. They waited for me to look at their choice and make a decision. We learned a little about international mail. And when the games arrived, we had almost as much fun giggling at the chinese postage, signatures, etc on the packaging as they have had playing their games.
Living in a definite four season climate, we have things unique and exciting to each one which makes them worth waiting for. As we are slogging through the middle of March, I am really tired of snow right about now, but who doesn't have that urge to run out and do the happy fairy dance during the first pretty fluffy snow? (C'mon, admit it..)
Think about waiting in traffic. When we are heading to and from work that time can be either a frustrating delay or a nice quiet break. What if we were sitting in that same traffic heading to the doctor to hear a diagnosis? Or cash our winning zillion dollar lottery ticket? Or the gas gauge is on E? What if it's the first time we've been alone with our spouse in a week? The same situation, the same wait, completely different experience.
Waiting forces us to think things through a little bit more. Being an impatient and implusive person, I think God has often used waiting as a chance to check my enthusiam and give me an opportunity to think - and sometimes change my mind. One waiting skill that takes much personal practice and deliberate thought is choosing the right time to speak. Listening to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit (THINK, STEPHANIE, IS THIS THE RIGHT TIME TO MENTION THAT? WHY DO YOU WANT TO MENTION THAT?) has protected me more than once from digging myself into a nasty hole and creating the very situation I was hoping to avoid in the first place. I wonder how often God puts a wait into our day to give us a chance to sit and rest with Him - and bless us in unexpected ways.
I think the difference in our waiting behavior has to do with what we perceive is coming at the end of our wait. As with most things in life, we're going to get out of it what we put into it. Next time that wait puts a speed bump in your day, peek around the corner. What's hiding there?
Okay, I know that's sort of a "duh. ya think?" kind of comment.
Considering how much time we spend waiting, you would think we'd be better at it. (The first time I realized there were microwave directions on a Pop Tart box I laughed out loud. What, the toaster takes too long?) I mean, its not as if having to wait comes as a big surprise. Even in this instant gratification age we live in, we still wait for things. We wait for the mail; we wait for payday; we wait for the person we're disagreeing with to figure out WE are right and THEY are wrong.
Some of it can't be helped; things take time. We know that. Those are the easy ones - dinner, downloading, hair dye. As I contemplate waiting, I wonder how many gifts and blessings we miss because we are waiting for the visible, known conclusion. I think waiting carries more with it than just the obvious delay. Waiting for everyone to be ready for church on a Sunday morning comes to mind. With one VERY small bathroom and a family with several females - and one brave male - impatience often sets in quickly. But during this time of frustration and the constant refrain of "HURRY UP! I HAVE TO GET IN THERE!" vocalized from any one of the aforementioned girls, what are we overlooking? The unique joy and experience that comes from being a member of a family; MUCH practice in sharing and cooperating; the opportunity to go somewhere that everyone enjoys, which is rare in a group of opinionated people; the chance to have breakfast, coffee, or conversation while waiting for our turn.
Waiting also seems to affect the value of what we are waiting for. Girl Scout cookies, for example. Once a year that famous fundraiser approaches, and everyone I know goes bonkers for cookies. Girl scout cookies would be WAY less exciting if we could get our hands on them any time we wanted. Therefore we are willing to hand over more money for those than we will for the Oreos we can get our hands on 365 days a year. A few weeks before Christmas, my girls chose a set of games listed on ebay as one of their gifts. We bought it, THEN realized the seller was located in China. Yes, China. (Note to self: look over on the right of the listing page!) Now understandably, getting something mailed from China takes time. We expected that. We did NOT expect it to take two months. We had almost given up hope and were facing the possibility they might not arrive, and then one day, they were here. Those two months were a regular refrain of "I wonder if the games will be here today?" There were gifts we received during that wait. My girls looked, thought, discussed and agreed on something together. They waited for me to look at their choice and make a decision. We learned a little about international mail. And when the games arrived, we had almost as much fun giggling at the chinese postage, signatures, etc on the packaging as they have had playing their games.
Living in a definite four season climate, we have things unique and exciting to each one which makes them worth waiting for. As we are slogging through the middle of March, I am really tired of snow right about now, but who doesn't have that urge to run out and do the happy fairy dance during the first pretty fluffy snow? (C'mon, admit it..)
Think about waiting in traffic. When we are heading to and from work that time can be either a frustrating delay or a nice quiet break. What if we were sitting in that same traffic heading to the doctor to hear a diagnosis? Or cash our winning zillion dollar lottery ticket? Or the gas gauge is on E? What if it's the first time we've been alone with our spouse in a week? The same situation, the same wait, completely different experience.
Waiting forces us to think things through a little bit more. Being an impatient and implusive person, I think God has often used waiting as a chance to check my enthusiam and give me an opportunity to think - and sometimes change my mind. One waiting skill that takes much personal practice and deliberate thought is choosing the right time to speak. Listening to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit (THINK, STEPHANIE, IS THIS THE RIGHT TIME TO MENTION THAT? WHY DO YOU WANT TO MENTION THAT?) has protected me more than once from digging myself into a nasty hole and creating the very situation I was hoping to avoid in the first place. I wonder how often God puts a wait into our day to give us a chance to sit and rest with Him - and bless us in unexpected ways.
I think the difference in our waiting behavior has to do with what we perceive is coming at the end of our wait. As with most things in life, we're going to get out of it what we put into it. Next time that wait puts a speed bump in your day, peek around the corner. What's hiding there?
Starting Somewhere
Friday, Feb 25, 2011
Today I briefly poked around looking at blogs. I don't know much about blogging. A few people I know have blog pages. I have always wondered what the point of a blog was. Today I learned that in addition to giving the writer a place to vent, or teach, or lecture, apparently there is the potential to make money from some of them. It has something to do with people clicking on ad links, I think. Hmmm. Monetize? OOOO! I looked at some websites and could feel the look of confusion on my face. Hmmmm. And I was so proud of myself for figuring out facebook....
It would seem there are a wide variety of blog types. The couple that I've read seem to be a combination of family diary, cookbook, and testimonial. I started thinking about what sort of blog would fit me. Then I started thinking about what a fun blog Erma Bombeck would have written. That was far more entertaining. She was hilarious.
First I began thinking about something uplifting, sharing the joys and lessons of life. After all, I am a 43 year old mom of three teenage girls. I began laughing. Then I thought about stories of homeschooling. I realized there are only so many stories you can write about the phrase "YES! We ARE having school today." Thoughts of a blog about food, and cooking, crossed my mind. Family food, kitchen, cooking, those really are passions of mine ..... along with a zillion other people out there. (Apparently to generate interest in your blog, you should have something that stands out.) Garden? Weed farm. We christened it 'The Bird Sanctuary' last year when we realized there was a flock living in the 8 foot tall weeds. Crafts? (lol. Does duct tape count?) Organization? ROTFL. When I locate the black hole that instantly attracts whatever item I've just put down, I'm going to name it STTM (acronym for Stef's Temper Tantrum Maker). People write about politics; show biz; financial markets; their neighbors. They write about religion, and woodworking, and how they have the all time best way to cure strife in the home. The subjects are limitless.
As I have been spending the evening thinking about blogs, I am realizing the main point of a blog is to say, "HEY! Here I am! I have something to say!" That drive to communicate, share, be recognized, is ingrained in our nature. Look at the pyramids. Mount Rushmore. Stonehenge. Graffiti. Time capsules. (Remember those? "Someone's going to dig this up 100 years from now!") Oh and that record they sent into outer space. Hopefully they have turntables on Altair-4.
So in trying to trying to reach a conculsion about blogs, I realized that over the evening my opinion changed. I still don't know what type of blog I would write. But I understand a little better the opportunity to share news with family, hope with others, recipies for the culinarily challenged. And it made me smile.
Today I briefly poked around looking at blogs. I don't know much about blogging. A few people I know have blog pages. I have always wondered what the point of a blog was. Today I learned that in addition to giving the writer a place to vent, or teach, or lecture, apparently there is the potential to make money from some of them. It has something to do with people clicking on ad links, I think. Hmmm. Monetize? OOOO! I looked at some websites and could feel the look of confusion on my face. Hmmmm. And I was so proud of myself for figuring out facebook....
It would seem there are a wide variety of blog types. The couple that I've read seem to be a combination of family diary, cookbook, and testimonial. I started thinking about what sort of blog would fit me. Then I started thinking about what a fun blog Erma Bombeck would have written. That was far more entertaining. She was hilarious.
First I began thinking about something uplifting, sharing the joys and lessons of life. After all, I am a 43 year old mom of three teenage girls. I began laughing. Then I thought about stories of homeschooling. I realized there are only so many stories you can write about the phrase "YES! We ARE having school today." Thoughts of a blog about food, and cooking, crossed my mind. Family food, kitchen, cooking, those really are passions of mine ..... along with a zillion other people out there. (Apparently to generate interest in your blog, you should have something that stands out.) Garden? Weed farm. We christened it 'The Bird Sanctuary' last year when we realized there was a flock living in the 8 foot tall weeds. Crafts? (lol. Does duct tape count?) Organization? ROTFL. When I locate the black hole that instantly attracts whatever item I've just put down, I'm going to name it STTM (acronym for Stef's Temper Tantrum Maker). People write about politics; show biz; financial markets; their neighbors. They write about religion, and woodworking, and how they have the all time best way to cure strife in the home. The subjects are limitless.
As I have been spending the evening thinking about blogs, I am realizing the main point of a blog is to say, "HEY! Here I am! I have something to say!" That drive to communicate, share, be recognized, is ingrained in our nature. Look at the pyramids. Mount Rushmore. Stonehenge. Graffiti. Time capsules. (Remember those? "Someone's going to dig this up 100 years from now!") Oh and that record they sent into outer space. Hopefully they have turntables on Altair-4.
So in trying to trying to reach a conculsion about blogs, I realized that over the evening my opinion changed. I still don't know what type of blog I would write. But I understand a little better the opportunity to share news with family, hope with others, recipies for the culinarily challenged. And it made me smile.
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