by jphilo | Mar 21, 2014 | Uncategorized
March Madness has revealed the first Cinderella team of the 2014 tournament. In a hard fought battle, underdog Spring beat Winter in several week-long overtimes. As you may know, Spring wasn’t a 15 or 16 seed. It wasn’t assigned a seed.
At. All.
Instead, the battered season was the recipient of several daffodil bulbs, so shriveled and ugly they were immediately buried underground and forgotten. Until yesterday, when the calendar proclaimed the arrival of spring, but everyone scoffed because what kind of Cinderella comes to the party wearing glass snow boots?
Spring does.
She comes, dressed wrong, and with Winter’s cruel, icy fingers gripping her neck, determined to strangle the life out of her. (Where are the refs when you need ’em?) But, spunky little Spring rallied valiantly, never letting her daffodil bulb status dampen her enthusiasm. Despite insurmountable odds, Spring believed in herself when everyone else believed this:
She could never manage a come back.
I confess, I didn’t think Spring would make it until a peek out our bedroom window proved me wrong. There sat Spring, in all her green glory, her daffodil foliage basking in the sun, her presence proclaiming what no one thought possible.
You can’t stop me, Winter. I am here!
And here she’ll stay. She’s the true Cinderella team of March Madness, 2014. She’s proof that sometimes impossible dreams do come true, that underdogs can win, and that new life hides in unexpected places. So take heart, winter-weary friends!
Spring is here. And the game is on.
by jphilo | Feb 19, 2014 | Uncategorized
Today’s recipe injected a ray of sunshine into February’s winter-induced gloom at our house. It comes from Deborah Vogts’ Country at Heart blog, which features recipes by many of her fellow authors. Bonnie Doran submitted the original recipe for two. Other than adding more vegetables and cutting down the amount of oil, my version is the same as original. By the way, this recipe not only received Hiram’s coveted seal of approval, but he’s also declared it his new favorite meal. Which means, from now on I’ll be doubling the recipe!
Kung Pao Chicken for Two
1/2 pound boneless chicken breasts (about 1), cubed
1 egg white
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 bunch green onions, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup red sweet pepper cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup grape seed oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1/2 cup peanuts
In small bowl, combine chicken, egg white, 3 teaspoons cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce; mix well. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Blend remaining corn starch, soy sauce, sugar , and dry sherry.
In wok or dutch oven, heat oil. Stir chicken mixture and spoon into hot oil. Stir-fry until chicken turns white, about 1 minute. Remove chicken to plate lined with paper towels and drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon oil. Add red pepper and cooked chicken; stir-fry 1 minute. Add sherry mixture to chicken mixture. Stir over high heat until mixture is coated with a light glaze. Stir in peanuts, scallions, and sweet red pepper. Serve immediately. Serves 2.
by jphilo | Feb 4, 2014 | Uncategorized
10. Thanks to incessant media hype, people were sick of both events before either began.
9. The cost of attending both events was far too high.
8. Spectators, watching from comfy couches in their living rooms, were pretty sure they could have done a better job than the people on the screen. After all, how hard can it be to speak into a microphone or run around in the grass?
7. Fans of Downton Abbey and Biggest Loser spent the night with their noses out of joint because their favorite shows were preempted.
6. The day after the event the winners gloated, the losers pouted, and everyone else got on with their lives.
5. The spectators at both events need to go to good sportsmanship class.
4. Everyone spent way too much time arguing about the rules.
3. To make next year’s events more pleasant, commentators should evaluate their performances for cliches and phrases repeated far too often.
2. Immediately after both events, the winners were insensitive to the feelings of the losers, the losers made vicious accusations about the winners, and everyone else wondered what all the fuss was about.
1. Adults forgot that children were watching their behavior and would imitate it at the school the next day.
State of the Union Photo Source Super Bowl Stadium Photo Source
by jphilo | Jan 31, 2014 | Uncategorized
Just when a non-sports fan thinks the annual Super Bowl hype can’t get any hypier, it does. This week, advertisers who paid small fortunes to air ads during the big game, are maximizing their investments by releasing “sneak peeks” of their commercials.
In other words, they’re making commercials about commercials.
My non-sports fan inner cynic started scoffing the minute the news broke. It didn’t shut up until the beauteous implications of this hype-ocity penetrated my thick non-sports fan skull. Watching the sneak peeks commercials about commercials ahead of time will streamline Sunday’s Super Bowl watching experience for non-sports fans.
In other words, our game time conversations need not be interrupted by commercial breaks.
Other than a bathroom break and a brief check of the Bruno Mars halftime show, we non-sports fans can talk non-stop for hours. We can also stand guard at the food and drink table and chase people away from our favorite snacks.
In other words, my kind of party!
Those of you who are interested in streamlining your Super Bowl experience can watch the sneak peeks commercials about commercials at these websites:
Forbes.com: At Forbes you can not only watch, but vote for your fave.
2014 Super Bowl Commercials: While this site offers oodles of share buttons.
Mediaite: No voting here, but it loads faster than the other two.
Spinach Dip: No commercials here, just a hint about where I’ll be hanging during the game.
If you start now, you have plenty of time to watch all the commercials, share, vote, and make the spinach dip before Sunday’s pre-pre-pre-pre-game show starts on Saturday afternoon. Or does that begin on Friday this year?
In other words, what will they think of next?
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by jphilo | Jan 7, 2014 | Uncategorized
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This year, our annual holiday Lord of the Rings trilogy orgy extravaganza included the jotting down of favorite movie quotes. Here’s a very subjective list of the ten that rose like cream to the top.
10.
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2. “No parent should have to bury their own child.”
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Are you a Middle Earth junkie? Then leave your favorite Lord of the Rings trilogy quote in the comment box.
by jphilo | Oct 30, 2013 | Different Dream, Uncategorized
Sexuality is a topic many parents of kids with special needs prefer to ignore. But our kids deserve to be prepared for the physical changes they’ll experience at puberty and beyond. A list of do’s and don’ts created by Shawn McGill is designed to help parents to open the discussion with their kids.
Meet Shawn McGill
Shawn McGill has a Masters Degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh. In her private counseling practice, she specializes in providing supports for adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). She’s also the parent of a son with autism.
Sexuality Discussion Do’s and Don’ts
Shawn advises implementing these do’s and don’ts when discussing sexuality with your child with special needs:
Do…
- Talk to your children starting at an early age.
- Do be careful of what you say, always being open and honest.
- Do stay calm when your child begins to demonstrate sexual behaviors or discuss sexual feelings.
- Do ask questions, focusing on their feelings not yours.
Don’t…
- Assume your child is not a sexual being, because sexuality is a basic human need.
- Make up stories to deter your child from exploring his or her sexuality.
- Jump to conclusions when your child exhibits sexual behavior.
- Believe sexual feelings and behaviors will just go away. Instead teach safe and healthy behaviors regarding privacy, boundaries, and relationships.
How Do You Discuss Sexuality with Your Child?
Have you successfully discussed this issue with your adult child who has disabilities? What was your approach? Are you preparing to have this discussion with your child soon? What would you like to know beforehand? Leave a comment.
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Photo Credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net
