Last week a 14 year old boy killed himself because of bullying. Jamey Rodemeyer was being bullied both in school and online. A terrible tragedy all around. He was terribly bullied at school and he used an online blog to vent his frustrations. When classmates caught wind of his blog, they then began harassing him online. Telling him he was fat and ugly, he should die, calling him homophobic slurs, etc. I'm sure you've seen the press and seen the Trending Topics on Twitter about him, His idol, Lady Gaga, is now asking the president to make bullying a crime. I wholeheartedly agree. This stuff is dangerous.
As a member of a greater online community and an avid user of social media, it makes me sick and it makes me question our roles and our duty as fellow social media-ites. Now there's some specifics I don't know about specifically on the Jamey Rodemeyer case. I don't know who saw the threats or who saw his cries for help. (he posted on Facebook he was going to join his grandmother who had previously died) and gave subtle clues as to what he was going to do on his blog. Obviously hindsight is 20/20. I can't say there was time to save him, also I can't that that any kind words or any gestures could have saved him either. But it makes me question the other things I've seen and what a person seeing such things should do. Could do?
Now we've all probably been on You-Tube and seen the comment section. I probably don't even have to go on about that. I've given up even scrolling down because there's always negative comments and it always turns racist or sexist or homophobic, etc. Horrible. I don't think there would be any point or use even trying to comment on there. I don't know what is going through people's heads when they make those kind of comments, but something to the extent of just trying to cause a stir, and obviously a lot of hate.
I've also seen things on a much smaller scale that makes me question people's gang or gang-up-on mentality. Let me give you an example of how I've seen comment sections on a post bring out the inhumanity in people.
On Facebook I'm subscribed to a local police page. During the recent flooding they updated their followers about road closures, area conditions, etc. They posted a message that the area was in a state of emergency and to stay off the roads. So there was a few short non-memorable comments of thanks and then one individual started in on a rant, posted things like, "F*** the police, government is evil, don't do what the police say, police are pus***." And so on.
Okay so this is stupid, disrespectful, immature, this is a hundred things. But what happened next is really deplorable. People started ganging up on this individual in an alarming way. Now to give some side notes: this is just Facebook, and most of the people that are subscribed to this particular police page are from a community of about 9,000 people or the surrounding area. These are just run of the mill small town local citizens, Mothers, Fathers, run of the mill locals, mostly adults. Not what I would say was an average hateful group. And also it's Facebook, all real names and profiles were used. The comments started flooding in saying, "shut up," "you should die," "I hope you drown in the flood," "you are worthless.". It went on and on. Now what this young man said was stupid and disrespectful. He bantered back some and the barrage of hateful things went back to him. I wondered, am I really the only one who thinks that all the people who told this person to kill himself and that he was worthless, that they ought to be ashamed of themselves? How could some stupid comments bring this sort of hate out of rather seemingly regular people.
I wanted to say something in response. I wanted to say that they ought to look inside their very souls and be ashamed. But I didn't. I didn't say anything. I didn't want to get involved. I didn't agree with either side, but the retaliation, this ganging-up-on mentality was sickening. Most people may say that the anti-police sentiment was sickening.. but the backlash was what I couldn't stomach.
I look back now after seeing the Jamey story. Should I have said something? Now I know it's not exactly the same thing, and I know for a fact that all parties involved in this case were not minors. (If it had been a minor, I most definitely would have said something). But we don't know what this person is going through or why they're so angry. Could these awful things make a suicidal person follow through with it? I don't know. Possibly. I'm not saying this person was anywhere near suicidal, but we don't know that for sure. Did anyone actually think Jamey was going to kill himself? Even after his warnings and cries for help? Probably not. Should I have said something? I think so. Will I say something in the future? I hope so.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Pancakes For Dinner
This isn't necessarily a FOOD BLOG, although I do plan to write entries about food and include recipes that I think are too great not to share. This blog isn't a PANCAKE BLOG either, although I do plan on sharing some really great pancake recipes with you weekly. Pancakes For Dinner is instead a symbol of the type of mom I am.
I'll be honest, for some reason or another, cooking hasn't really ever been my thing. Whether it's because I never really spent time with my mom in the kitchen when I was younger, or because I was a picky eater growing up, or that I married a Chef (now turned catering supervisor), for some reason I never really "learned how to cook."
Quite frankly, I never really wanted to. Now that I'm a mom of 3 and my husband works a lot of late nights, much to my dismay, I've become more and more the family Chef, and because I am picky about what my kids eat, frozen Dinners are no longer an acceptable staple of my, and certainly not my kid's diet.
I'm sure my Mother would be mortified to see me eat a Frozen Dinner. Before I went to college, when I lived at home, we never had anything to eat that wasn't made from scratch. We ate meatloaf, and crockpot meals, spaghetti and meatballs, pork chops and casseroles, and most definitely always the homemade kind of mac and cheese. I had never eaten stovetop stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, or anything Chef Boyardee. I didn't even know that cheese came in a can.
When I went to college and lived in my own apartment and then when I lived in an apartment with my soon to be husband, if he didn't make me a homemade meal and if it couldn't be made in the microwave, I didn't eat it.
So as life went on, I happily continued my laziness in the kitchen. That is, until I had kids. I'm not Super Mom by any means, but I am picky when it comes to my kids and when they started eating food, i started out making all their baby food from real foods in the blender. Completely homemade. Gasp. Surprised? When it comes to my kids, I don't like foods with a ton of additives and try to stay away from added dies and definitely no artificial sugar. So bye bye frozen meals, and now, more and more I have to make homemade meals for my kids. I'm not going to lie, I sometimes make my kids box Mac & Cheese, or Neon Noodles as my Mother would call them. Like I said, I'm not Super Mom, and yes, I know it's a contradiction to the whole dye thing.. but sometimes it's just easier. That being said, I am always trying to find kid friendly recipes that are both mostly healthy and not do require that I'm going to be stuck in the kitchen for extensive periods of time.
With 3 kids I know it's important to ensure good things go into their bodies, but let's face it, it definitely isn't always easy. On the nights that I'm doing it alone and my husband is working late, you can usually look into my house and see: my older son doing homework that needs my assistance.. I'm trying to dig for a number 2 pencil that I could have sworn was in the bottom of the junk drawer, while my 3 year old daughter is pulling out the Twister game that she wants to play while knocking over the already leaning stack of games out of her closet, begging me to play.
We just played Chutes and Ladders 3 times.
Baby's screaming because he got woken up from his nap, I'm trying to blot up the spilled milk off the carpet, the phones ringing, the sinks full of dishes and there's barely enough room to get a pot of water from the faucet. Kids are starting to say they're hungry. Oh crap, now the baby's getting into the board games. Bingo chips are everywhere. And sometimes I just gotta say, "screw it kiddos, it's Pancakes For Dinner."
OK, I don't really say, "screw it," out loud in front of the kids, but I'm thinking it for sure!
Sometimes it's the kind of night where it's going to be Pancake mix from the box, throw on the water & cut up some banana slices on the side and that's it. Other nights it's that with some sausage on the side. On nights where I'm feeling a bit more adventurous, I'll add fun things like puréed vegetables (my secret weapon), make fun shapes or really go crazy and add things like ricotta cheese. For my first recipe I'm going to go all pancake exotic on you and share one that's a little fancy. Bonus: It's healthy and chock full of stuff which makes it a complete meal with protein and vegetables. Enjoy!
This Recipe Comes from Jessica Seinfeld's cook book: Deceptively Delicious.
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup beet puree
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pancake mix
1/4 grated apple
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
Pure Maple Syrup or fruit, for serving
1) In a blender or food processor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla and cinnamon and blend, add the pancake mix and apple, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix- the batter will be a little lumpy.
2) Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil. Spoon the batter onto the griddle or skillet, using about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook the pancakes until bubbles form on top and the batter is set, 1 to 2 minutes. Then flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm, with syrup or fruit.
I'll be honest, for some reason or another, cooking hasn't really ever been my thing. Whether it's because I never really spent time with my mom in the kitchen when I was younger, or because I was a picky eater growing up, or that I married a Chef (now turned catering supervisor), for some reason I never really "learned how to cook." Quite frankly, I never really wanted to. Now that I'm a mom of 3 and my husband works a lot of late nights, much to my dismay, I've become more and more the family Chef, and because I am picky about what my kids eat, frozen Dinners are no longer an acceptable staple of my, and certainly not my kid's diet.
I'm sure my Mother would be mortified to see me eat a Frozen Dinner. Before I went to college, when I lived at home, we never had anything to eat that wasn't made from scratch. We ate meatloaf, and crockpot meals, spaghetti and meatballs, pork chops and casseroles, and most definitely always the homemade kind of mac and cheese. I had never eaten stovetop stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, or anything Chef Boyardee. I didn't even know that cheese came in a can.
When I went to college and lived in my own apartment and then when I lived in an apartment with my soon to be husband, if he didn't make me a homemade meal and if it couldn't be made in the microwave, I didn't eat it.
So as life went on, I happily continued my laziness in the kitchen. That is, until I had kids. I'm not Super Mom by any means, but I am picky when it comes to my kids and when they started eating food, i started out making all their baby food from real foods in the blender. Completely homemade. Gasp. Surprised? When it comes to my kids, I don't like foods with a ton of additives and try to stay away from added dies and definitely no artificial sugar. So bye bye frozen meals, and now, more and more I have to make homemade meals for my kids. I'm not going to lie, I sometimes make my kids box Mac & Cheese, or Neon Noodles as my Mother would call them. Like I said, I'm not Super Mom, and yes, I know it's a contradiction to the whole dye thing.. but sometimes it's just easier. That being said, I am always trying to find kid friendly recipes that are both mostly healthy and not do require that I'm going to be stuck in the kitchen for extensive periods of time.
With 3 kids I know it's important to ensure good things go into their bodies, but let's face it, it definitely isn't always easy. On the nights that I'm doing it alone and my husband is working late, you can usually look into my house and see: my older son doing homework that needs my assistance.. I'm trying to dig for a number 2 pencil that I could have sworn was in the bottom of the junk drawer, while my 3 year old daughter is pulling out the Twister game that she wants to play while knocking over the already leaning stack of games out of her closet, begging me to play.
We just played Chutes and Ladders 3 times.
Baby's screaming because he got woken up from his nap, I'm trying to blot up the spilled milk off the carpet, the phones ringing, the sinks full of dishes and there's barely enough room to get a pot of water from the faucet. Kids are starting to say they're hungry. Oh crap, now the baby's getting into the board games. Bingo chips are everywhere. And sometimes I just gotta say, "screw it kiddos, it's Pancakes For Dinner."
OK, I don't really say, "screw it," out loud in front of the kids, but I'm thinking it for sure!
Sometimes it's the kind of night where it's going to be Pancake mix from the box, throw on the water & cut up some banana slices on the side and that's it. Other nights it's that with some sausage on the side. On nights where I'm feeling a bit more adventurous, I'll add fun things like puréed vegetables (my secret weapon), make fun shapes or really go crazy and add things like ricotta cheese. For my first recipe I'm going to go all pancake exotic on you and share one that's a little fancy. Bonus: It's healthy and chock full of stuff which makes it a complete meal with protein and vegetables. Enjoy!
This Recipe Comes from Jessica Seinfeld's cook book: Deceptively Delicious.
Pink Pancakes
Prep time: 10 Minutes, Total Time: 13-15 minutes, Serves 4
 |
| The Ingredients Yes, I am using canned beets in this one.. of course fresh from the ground would be better, but let's face it: if I had time to roast and peel and cut beets for an hour, then we wouldn't be having pancakes for dinner.. am I right?! |
Ingredient List:
3/4 cup water1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup beet puree
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pancake mix
1/4 grated apple
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
Pure Maple Syrup or fruit, for serving
1) In a blender or food processor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla and cinnamon and blend, add the pancake mix and apple, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix- the batter will be a little lumpy.
2) Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil. Spoon the batter onto the griddle or skillet, using about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook the pancakes until bubbles form on top and the batter is set, 1 to 2 minutes. Then flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm, with syrup or fruit.
 |
| My Secret Weapon This time I just threw the Beets in the Magic Bullet and Pureed, which took seconds If you want to do the stuff from the ground: Leave them whole (trim stems to 1 inch) and unpeeled, wrap in aluminum foil and roast at 400 degrees for about 1 hour (they're done when they can be pierced with tip of a sharp knife). After peeling, place in a food processor or blender for about 2 minutes. Be prepared to have red fingers. |
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| Blend away, super easy! |
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| I thought my kids were going to detect the apple pieces and not be happy, but you couldn't even tell they were in there. |
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| They're super pink alright.. Perfect for valentine's day! |
 |
| the recipe made 10 pancakes total. It fed me and my 3 kids with 1 to spare. |
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| My kids would say, "voilà" |
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| My 2 older children's servings, I cut up some bananas and served on the side. |
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| This is what I ate.. surprisingly very delicious! Try it! |
Monday, September 12, 2011
Peeping Mom
I’ll come right out and say that in the past I have never really been a person to follow blogs & read them regularly. Before that statement starts not making sense, since, in-fact, you are reading my new blog, I’ll say that lately through my Twitter interactions, I’ve come across a number of GREAT blogs that are so intriguing & compelling that they’ve become like a good novel to me. I can’t put it down. Like any good page turning book, a great blog sometimes becomes this thing that you just. Can’t. Stop. Reading. Each new post is like a chapter I can’t wait to dive in to, race to the end to find out what happens next in the story. I only wish I could write something like that. I love writing, I love current events and hot topics, and I love connecting with people and talking about my kids.. The next step, (to start blogging that all together), just seems like something that makes sense to me.
Reading someone’s blog is almost a guilty pleasure for me. It makes me feel like a stalker in a way. Maybe not a stalker, but more like a Peeping Tom. I mean, the blogger obviously wants people to read their words & follow their story. That’s the whole point. But still, reading a personal blog makes me feel as if I’m sneaking into their bedroom when they’re out of the house and reading their diary. I feel like I have to keep looking up towards the door to make sure they’re not going to walk in at any second and catch me stealing their innermost secrets. When I’m done, I’ll just close the book, turn the lock and place it carefully in the drawer exactly the way it was. Maybe that makes me a Peeping Mom?
So since you are here to peep into my online, public, not so secret diary, I’ll give you a little peek into what my life is like. My real name is Andrea, I also go by the Twitter name, @Mango1531. Mango was a nickname I used when I went to girl scout camp about a million years ago (really like 16 or so) & now it seems to follow me on all my online stuff. I’m 30 years old, nearing 31. Oh gosh, tell me that’s not old?! I’m married to a great man, Mr. T., that I try not to take for granted. You know how it is though, even a great man can his annoy his wife. Especially if said wife is stuck at home all day with their 3 charming children, and he just called me to ask if our youngest was born on the 20th or 21st. Really?! Oh yeah and he’s stuck at work and won’t be home for dinner either. He is nothing like the T.V. personality, Mr. T. actually, so don’t picture that.. but he has a professional career and life, and I’m not about to blab too much about him right now. We have 2 boys & 1 girl in-between, Big Bubs, Little Boo & Little Babe, ages 5, 3 & 1 respectively.
Upon diving into Twitter & now the blogging world I’ve thought about talking about my kids online and if this is such a good idea or not. There’s the notion, right or wrong, that it will welcome stalkers or pedophiles into our world. Maybe a bit extreme, and I’ve never actually heard of that happening.. But should I be publishing pictures or my location and my kids names for the world to know? Honestly I’m not even sure the answer, but as I dive into this blogging world, I’m going to play it by ear and find out. I’ve mainly wondered in this connected world we live in, should I be giving my kids such an enormous online presence before they’ve even graduated from Playschool Disney or Nick Jr. and moved onto making an online life for themselves by themselves. So far I’ve never mentioned my kids names on Twitter and have only posted a couple pictures.. I’m taking baby steps. I love social media with a capital “L,” but I’ve also always been grateful that Facebook didn’t exist when I was in high school, because I’m sure it would have gotten me in a lot of trouble. It’s not even like I was a trouble maker, per say, but when I was in my youth I’m sure glad that whatever I was doing was being kept in a secret diary locked in the drawer and pictures stayed in albums, and not online. I didn’t join Facebook until I was a mom, so there’s no drunk dancing (or worse) pictures of me online. We didn’t even have digital camera’s or smart phones in High school so I’m safe that not too much is going to be dug up from my past. I do feel like it’s my responsibility to keep my kids information at least somewhat private so at they can make their own decisions about their online presence and decide for themselves if they want to look like a fool for the world to see. So with that being said, I’m not going to publish their real names or the location of their school. I will post other stuff though, and it looks like we’ll see what that is when we get there.
I will say that I live in a medium size city in New York State and send my kids to a public city school in a district that has a major budget deficit, which makes the whole schooling situation a bit frustrating at times. We own a home on a quiet city street that feels like living in the suburbs. I’m a stay at home mom and have been for almost 6 years. Right now that is my world. I have 3 BA degrees: in History, Sociology and Women’s Studies. I have never officially done anything with my degrees, maybe someday they will come in to play. I feel like at some point in my life I may also go back to college and pick up another degree, maybe something a bit more focused. But I’m not making any plans until I get to that point. I’m sometimes overwhelmed by my stay at home life, but I also wouldn’t have it any other way… I’ll get into more of that in Blogs to come, I am sure.
I welcome all readers and encourage you to leave comments. I love and am always looking for discussion and debating or just even a quick hello. You don’t have to feel like a Peeping Mom or Tom with me! I plan on talking about, but not limiting this blog to discussions and observations on my journey in mothering as well as hot topics and current events, and how that all pertains to me as a mom and how it effects my kids. I am always trying to look into different perspectives in life. The idea of thinking about the other side of things intrigues me so much , oddly, or maybe not so oddly, even with those or especially with those that I don’t agree with. I think we can learn something from every one and need to find compassion for everyone.
So I know this isn’t quite a page turner yet, but I’m working on that. I’ll also try to work on my run on sentences. Thanks for making it to the end. Since all good books carry some suspense.. Tune in to my next blog post to find out what the heck Pancakes have to do with anything here.
Reading someone’s blog is almost a guilty pleasure for me. It makes me feel like a stalker in a way. Maybe not a stalker, but more like a Peeping Tom. I mean, the blogger obviously wants people to read their words & follow their story. That’s the whole point. But still, reading a personal blog makes me feel as if I’m sneaking into their bedroom when they’re out of the house and reading their diary. I feel like I have to keep looking up towards the door to make sure they’re not going to walk in at any second and catch me stealing their innermost secrets. When I’m done, I’ll just close the book, turn the lock and place it carefully in the drawer exactly the way it was. Maybe that makes me a Peeping Mom?
So since you are here to peep into my online, public, not so secret diary, I’ll give you a little peek into what my life is like. My real name is Andrea, I also go by the Twitter name, @Mango1531. Mango was a nickname I used when I went to girl scout camp about a million years ago (really like 16 or so) & now it seems to follow me on all my online stuff. I’m 30 years old, nearing 31. Oh gosh, tell me that’s not old?! I’m married to a great man, Mr. T., that I try not to take for granted. You know how it is though, even a great man can his annoy his wife. Especially if said wife is stuck at home all day with their 3 charming children, and he just called me to ask if our youngest was born on the 20th or 21st. Really?! Oh yeah and he’s stuck at work and won’t be home for dinner either. He is nothing like the T.V. personality, Mr. T. actually, so don’t picture that.. but he has a professional career and life, and I’m not about to blab too much about him right now. We have 2 boys & 1 girl in-between, Big Bubs, Little Boo & Little Babe, ages 5, 3 & 1 respectively.
Upon diving into Twitter & now the blogging world I’ve thought about talking about my kids online and if this is such a good idea or not. There’s the notion, right or wrong, that it will welcome stalkers or pedophiles into our world. Maybe a bit extreme, and I’ve never actually heard of that happening.. But should I be publishing pictures or my location and my kids names for the world to know? Honestly I’m not even sure the answer, but as I dive into this blogging world, I’m going to play it by ear and find out. I’ve mainly wondered in this connected world we live in, should I be giving my kids such an enormous online presence before they’ve even graduated from Playschool Disney or Nick Jr. and moved onto making an online life for themselves by themselves. So far I’ve never mentioned my kids names on Twitter and have only posted a couple pictures.. I’m taking baby steps. I love social media with a capital “L,” but I’ve also always been grateful that Facebook didn’t exist when I was in high school, because I’m sure it would have gotten me in a lot of trouble. It’s not even like I was a trouble maker, per say, but when I was in my youth I’m sure glad that whatever I was doing was being kept in a secret diary locked in the drawer and pictures stayed in albums, and not online. I didn’t join Facebook until I was a mom, so there’s no drunk dancing (or worse) pictures of me online. We didn’t even have digital camera’s or smart phones in High school so I’m safe that not too much is going to be dug up from my past. I do feel like it’s my responsibility to keep my kids information at least somewhat private so at they can make their own decisions about their online presence and decide for themselves if they want to look like a fool for the world to see. So with that being said, I’m not going to publish their real names or the location of their school. I will post other stuff though, and it looks like we’ll see what that is when we get there.
I will say that I live in a medium size city in New York State and send my kids to a public city school in a district that has a major budget deficit, which makes the whole schooling situation a bit frustrating at times. We own a home on a quiet city street that feels like living in the suburbs. I’m a stay at home mom and have been for almost 6 years. Right now that is my world. I have 3 BA degrees: in History, Sociology and Women’s Studies. I have never officially done anything with my degrees, maybe someday they will come in to play. I feel like at some point in my life I may also go back to college and pick up another degree, maybe something a bit more focused. But I’m not making any plans until I get to that point. I’m sometimes overwhelmed by my stay at home life, but I also wouldn’t have it any other way… I’ll get into more of that in Blogs to come, I am sure.
I welcome all readers and encourage you to leave comments. I love and am always looking for discussion and debating or just even a quick hello. You don’t have to feel like a Peeping Mom or Tom with me! I plan on talking about, but not limiting this blog to discussions and observations on my journey in mothering as well as hot topics and current events, and how that all pertains to me as a mom and how it effects my kids. I am always trying to look into different perspectives in life. The idea of thinking about the other side of things intrigues me so much , oddly, or maybe not so oddly, even with those or especially with those that I don’t agree with. I think we can learn something from every one and need to find compassion for everyone.
So I know this isn’t quite a page turner yet, but I’m working on that. I’ll also try to work on my run on sentences. Thanks for making it to the end. Since all good books carry some suspense.. Tune in to my next blog post to find out what the heck Pancakes have to do with anything here.
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