The Get Out of A Rut Challenge is done!

What a difference a month makes! You might remember I posed a challenge to my readers for the month of June.  I challenged myself, and anyone else who joined in, to look into your lives for ruts that you've fallen into.  The challenge was to pick something you could realistically work on in 30 days.

10 things I know now but wish I knew then

I think it's safe to say that anyone with several years of life experience has said or thought: "If only I knew then what I know now."  It is a totally unavoidable part of life to look back over your experiences, and wish you had the knowledge you have now about the outcome so that you would do, (or not do), things differently.

So here are 10 things my older self wishes my younger self could have known:

"Where does the poop go?"

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Little kids ask a lot of questions.  I read somewhere that the average four-year-old asks well over 400 questions per day!  I have a four-year-old, and she must be above-average because I'm sure she's in the 500-600 a day range.

Sometimes my daughter's questions are really funny.  She recently asked me "Mommy, when you flush the toilet where does the poop go?"

I felt pretty confident that I could break down the answer in a way she would understand.  There was talk about sewer pipes and manholes (she'd asked about those several times when we were out for a walk).  I ended by telling her that poop ends up at a plant and they get rid of it there.  I told her a plant is another word for a big building called a factory with lots of machines that help the workers.

She was satisfied with this explanation.  I stuck out my chest, +1 for Mom!  A few days ago, I found out that my answer had went way left in her mind.  We caught the last five minutes of Tom & Jerry Tales (I think this must be the non-violent version of Tom & Jerry).  There was a guitar-playing mouse who annoyed Tom & Jerry so much that Tom crushed his little guitar and put it in the toilet while Jerry mouse hit the lever to flush it down.

Then all three somehow ended up outside in the yard, where the guitar-mouse got another guitar from a flower in the yard.  My daughter's eyes got really wide.  "See Mom!! He got his guitar back from the plant! That's where poop and pee goes!" 

Image: www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sloppy Joe Sliders

Summer may have just started today, but where I live we've been dealing with triple degree heat for several weeks already.  It's supposed to be 109 degrees today and 114 degrees for the next two days! I say all this to say don't move to Arizona it's too stinking hot to cook.

I make it my business around this time of year to try to keep our meals easy and use the stove and oven as little as possible.  Sloppy joe is your all-American meal and makes a perfectly quick and filling dinner .

An open letter to the parents of the bus monitor bullies

School bus monitor bullied to tears (news article and video)

Dear parent(s) of the bus monitor bullies:

Words cannot express the shame and anger I felt when watching a news report showing clips of the video in which your child participated in taunting, disrespecting, demeaning, and bullying a senior citizen.  This poor woman, Karen Klein, endured a full ten minutes of torture at the hands of your child.

Where did your child learn such cruel and hateful words?  Are they reflecting failures of your parenting? Failure to instill respect for their elders and compassion for others? Why does your child feel it is ever ok to speak this way to anyone, not to mention someone who is old enough to be their grandmother--and possibly yours too?

Maybe there were signs that your child was capable of mean and cruel behavior.  Perhaps you brushed it off as childish behavior and kids being kids.  Yet, something deep in the heart of your child went wrong, and sadly it is now on display for millions to see. 

There was a time when children would not dare even address an adult by their first name.  Now some kids are brazen enough to speak to adults in the most vulgar way imaginable.  When a child--a boy--can speak to a woman, especially an elderly woman in the manner your child did, and feel free to put their hands on and threaten to stab this woman, there is no excuse that anyone can provide for your child's conduct.  There is also no way to erase the feeling of many, that you have, in some way failed your child.

Yes, boys will be boys as the saying goes.  This goes far beyond "boyish" behavior.  It was ugly.  It was mean. It was hateful.  Sadly your child will have long-lasting consequences for his behavior.  I'm saddened that this may be the wake-up call for you to know your child needs help now.  Please get your child the help he needs so that he may learn from this terrible situation and become a productive member of society and compassionate toward others--especially the most vulnerable.

Thank you.

Dinner under $10: Pork Chops

I told my hubs that I could cook a delicious meal for under $10.  He figured it would be a plate of vegetables.  

I was up for the challenge.

Please bear with me... *Update*

Dear friends of The Divvy Spot,

It seems my blog and/or my domain name (www.thedivvyspot.com) have been stolen.  I'm getting different feedback, with some being able to access my blog. I'm getting an unknown website when I attempt to access my blog.  

I'm hoping that even this post will be visible to my readers.  I'm working hard on resolving this issue.  In the meantime, I may be unable to announce the winner of the eShakti giveaway within the next 48 hours.  I sincerely apologize, and will announce a winner as soon as I can get this resolved and get my blog working properly.

I appreciate your patience and thank you again for being a loyal reader. 

Kindly,
S. Franklin
The Divvy Spot 

Update:  Just as mysteriously as this problem arose, it has resolved.  It was very unnerving to have this happen and I hope that this is fully resolved. 

At this time everything seems to be running correctly.  If there are any other problems or issues, as long as I'm able, I will keep you guys in the loop until it is resolved.

Thanks again for your patience and well-wishes.  I'm happy to get back to blogging :) 

 

How much freedom do you give your kids?

Image: sakhorn38/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My doorbell rang recently and standing there were three kids, the oldest being no more than seven years old.  

They asked my husband if he wanted to buy some candy they were selling for school.   He politely declined and they moved on to my neighbor's house.   My husband expressed concern about kids that young going door-to-door with no adult supervision.

Rib rub recipe (say that fast three times)

Having been born and raised in Chicago, I learned early on how serious barbecuing was. 

We had a custom-made grill at our house that, I kid not, could fit a full grown adult male inside.   Not that we ever tried.

What if we could say what we were really thinking?

Image: David Castillo Dominici/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'm welllllllllll aware that my belly is a little larger since I've had my children.  Something terrible happened after I delivered my son.  Apparently, the nerve impulses from my brain stopped sending e-messages to my belly fat.  Yeah, seems my belly never got the memo that after giving birth, it's supposed to change course and instead of going out, it should be shrinking in.

My daughter, being a very outspoken four-year-old, had no problem at all in reminding me that I need to work on my belly area.  I made the mistake of wearing a fitted tank top around the house recently. As I was sitting at my desk she strolled up and put her elbows on my legs.

Potato salad recipe

There are a few things that are a must to try at least once.  Good, traditional potato salad is one of them.

I learned to make homemade potato salad when I was a teenager.  Back then I didn't understand the power of potato salad.  I just knew that everyone would request my mom bring this to their summer get-together. Now I get those same requests--and I completely understand why.

Giveaway alert! Win a product of choice... *UPDATE*

I'm so excited to announce my first giveaway thanks to eShakti.com.   One fabulous reader will win a product of their choice from eShakti complete with FREE customization.  That means you can add a custom-made dress to your summer fashion lineup...For-serious!!!!  Here is just a sample* of what they have to offer:

Very berry parfait

Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a fanatic for sweets.  Since I'm trying to be good this month, I chose a low-fat way to satisfy my craving for after-dinner dessert.

Creamy coleslaw

Summer is upon us, and where there is summer, there is grilling.  To me, the only thing better than the food on the grill, are the side dishes to go with it.  I'm all for classic sides and creamy coleslaw is definitely a classic favorite of mine.

Review: eShakti dress

High Wheeling dress (eShakti.com)

I was contacted by a rep of an online women's clothing store called eShakti. She wanted me to review my choice of clothing and report on my experience.  I had never heard of this company before and was curious to learn more.  I headed over to their website to browse their offerings and read up about the company.

They are based in India and their mission is pretty simple: "To make you look and feel fabulous by giving you uniquely classic styles in a wide variety of fabrics and color choices in sizes from 0-26W AND customized sizes and styles too."

Why Pinterest makes me sad *Update*

Image: lobster20/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I was late getting in on the Pinterest bandwagon.  While the Pinterest social networking site started about two years ago, I only started using the Pinterest site in the last few weeks.  It was love at first sight! 

I saw it as a great tool to not only place creative posts from my own site, but to gather the creative ideas of others.  I mean there is even DIY fabric softener, clothes detergent, and all-natural home cleansers for heaven's sake!  I went on a pinning spree.  There are still scratch marks on my desk to remind me of how many times the hubs had to drag me from my pinning trance in the wee hours of the morning.

Try this! Lemon ice cubes

Frozen lemon slices

The weather is warming up as we get close to summer.  The fastest way to cool down is drinking something cold and refreshing.

Try using fresh lemon slices, both to cool your glass of water, iced tea, or lemonade and to give it a nice burst of flavor.   

Just wash and then slice a fresh lemon.  Fill small cups with a very small amount of water, you want it pretty shallow.  Put a lemon slice in each cup and freeze.  You could also try orange, lime, and probably even grapefruit. It would be a great idea to make a bunch and toss them in your pitcher of lemonade or tea at your next party.  The possibilities are endless!

How do you deal with uninvited guests

Image: digitalart/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My friend Lisa (of course I changed her name because...well I'm not stupid!) had a funny thing happen. She and her husband decided to invite a few couples over for dinner.  It was not always easy getting out with friends anymore since they had young kids.  

"We wanted to have a few friends over for dinner," Lisa said, "because we wanted to enjoy their company while our kids played in a familiar environment."  None of the couples they invited had kids at home.

Creamy macaroni and cheese

Before I begin, I need to clear the air.  I know that I'm doing the Get Out Of A Rut Challenge and one of my goals is to lose a few pounds. 

I also know that it's a bad idea to post something so indulgent during the month of June, at a time when I should be writing all about healthier eating to help me reach my goal.

Greek-style chicken pitas

After having a delicious dinner experience on the patio of a local Greek restaurant, I decided that I wanted needed to come up with something similar at home that would be cheap, easy, and tasty. My first time trying this was a success, with very few leftovers.