mysignsoflife

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won’t have to pick the little ’stringy things’ off it. That’s how the primates do it. 

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. 

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold! 

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. 

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. 

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream; then beat them. 

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting. 

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic. 

Reheat Pizza Heat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove; set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the food channel and it really works.

Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size and get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 

Reheating refrigerated bread

To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave next to a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 

Broken Glass

Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can’t see easily.

No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 

Squirrel Away!

 To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it. 

Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 

Reducing Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress.. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and … ta da! … static is gone. 

Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry cup. Next, add your ingredient (peanut butter, honey, etc.) and watch how easily it comes right out. 

 Hate foggy windshields?

Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily. 

Conditioner

 Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! 

Happy January 13th, 2008

Women expect men to read their minds. There! I said it. 

We say yes when we mean no and many of the things we say don’t really mean what you think they mean.  I’m not saying it’s right, and I don’t suspect this trait is going to change anytime soon.  So, here are a few inside tips to help you understand…

#1 Fine:

This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to stop talking.  

#2 Five Minutes:  

If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour.  Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.  

#3 Nothing:  

This is the calm before the storm.  This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.  

#4 Go Ahead:  

This is a dare, not permission.  Choose your actions carefully!

#5  Loud Sigh:  

This isn’t actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she knows you don’t understand what she is saying  and wonders why she is wasting her time standing around and arguing with you about nothing.  (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

#6 That’s Okay:

This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man.  That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

#7 Thanks:  

A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint.  Just say ‘You’re Welcome’.  Although I must add ~ this is true, unless she says ‘Thanks a lot’ ~ that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all.  DO NOT say ‘you’re welcome’, that will bring on a ‘whatever’.

#8 Whatever:

This is a woman’s way of saying F— YOU!  

#9 Don’t worry about it, I got it:  

Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself.  This will later result in a man asking ‘What’s wrong?’  For the woman’s response see #3.

This was light and fun.  If you really want to learn more about the differences in male and female conversation styles check out Deborah Tannen’s book: “That’s Not What I Meant!”, how conversation style makes or breaks relationships.  Tannen is an internationally acclaimed expert on communication. 

S’all,

Happy January 3rd, 2008

Happy New Year!  

Many thanks to those who have been sharing their wisdom and experience when it comes to the topic of teens and sex.  It really helps to hear how other people are handling this topic.  I think one common thread regarding this and almost any other topic is open communication.  It’s pretty common sense, that’s what my head tells me, and I’m usually pretty good at it.  But when it comes to boys and moms, keeping the conversation going can be a challenge.  But I’m up for it!

The simple act of blogging on this topic has helped me already.  Over the holidays, I found myself recalling comments from fellow bloggers and incorporating them into conversations with my sons. 

So again, many thanks!  

Happy December 13th, 2008

Thinking about your child having sex is sorta like thinking about your parents having sex,

*!*kinda freaks you out*!*

Before I get to the point, 

let me say that we’ve had “The Talk”, as mother and son, he’s had “The Talk” with his father. 

This is not a post on how to talk about sex with your teen, we’ve got that covered.

You always hear about fathers being so proud of their sons when they become a man.  It’s almost ritualistic, complete with cigars and lots of “Atta boys”, the elbow to the ribs thing, winks etc. etc.  Fathers have no problem with the thought of their boy having sex, and almost look forward to the day they can pat them on the back.

(Daughters are a completely different post)…

So what’s the deal with mothers?

Some mothers either turn their heads the other way pretending it isn’t happening or won’t, or become very vocal .  Telling their son he is NOT ALLOWED to have sex, that sex is bad and shaming him for even thinking about it.  All the while cementing the fact that her son will NEVER come to her for advice or help.

I don’t fall into either one of those categories and I feel those impressions of mothers are on their way to becoming extinct.   Which is great! 

But here’s my dilemma and challenge:

Fathers learned how to react to their sons coming of age from their fathers.  Mothers learned from their mothers.  Seems simple, but I DON’T want to act like my mother, and moms talking to sons is a whole different ballgame than moms talking to daughters.

It’s uncharted territory and I’m not sure what I want to know, if I want to know it, and how to navigate the waters when it’s discussed.

I would love to hear from moms and dads on this topic.  That is enough for today.  This post will continue tomorrow. 

Happy December 12th, 2008

“These Things I Wish For You”

Written by Lee Pitts

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I’d like better.

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I’d really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

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I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

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I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

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And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

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It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

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I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

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I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it’s all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he’s scared, I hope you let him.

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When you want to see a movie and your little brother wants to tag along, I hope you’ll let him.

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I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

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On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don’t ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won’t be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

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If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

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I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

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When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

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I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

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May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

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I don’t care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don’t like it.  And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

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I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

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May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

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I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor’s window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

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These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it’s the only way to appreciate life.

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I found this essay written by Lee Pitts, it was written in 1995, and was published in his book “People Who Live At The End of Dirt Roads”.  The essay also appears in Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul in 2000.  Paul Harvey uses Pitts material in his broadcasts from time to time and read this essay on air in 1997.  Many people think Paul Harvey is the original author, Pitts gave Harvey permission to use the essay.

While reading the essay, I found myself taking mental notes of the experiences my own children have or have not had yet.  I think I’m doing pretty good so far… I completely agree with the opening line that we’ve tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.

I learned the best lessons through adversity and struggle.  I am grateful for those lessons, but it certainly is hard when you see your own children learning those lessons.  Our instinct is to “fix” everything for them, but we all know that won’t teach them to help themselves.  So I bite my tongue and let them fall down, make mistakes and get teased over their new girlfriends.  I am happy to say that neither of my children have every stuck their tongue to a frozen flagpole, after watching A Christmas Story this Thanksgiving, I’m sure they never will.

Happy Parenting,

The toughest job you’ll ever love!