I'd like to buy the world a Coke...

It's been awhile since I've posted...mainly because I've reentered the work force and no longer can time my blog entries around the sleeping patterns of an adorable baby. So now I have to type these around the sleeping patterns of myself, a grouchy man bear and an adorable baby.

Which is why I'm just getting around to posting this...

So how about those Chilean miners? Woo hoo!!

I was still on maternity leave when the miners were rescued from the depths below. At first, I was only going to watch a few rescues...as I figured they would get old after awhile. They didn't. I stayed up way too long during my son's 2am feeding, because I wanted to watch more rescues.

Things I learned about the rescues:
1. Nothing is more beautiful then a child smiling ear to ear at their father.
2. If you cheat on your wife and maintain a long relationship with the mistress, they will find out while you're underground.
3. I think it's cool when people find Jesus in the craziest of places.
4. I love that the news channels all had funny tidbits of info on each miner...it made them all surprisingly real to me.
5. The drill that helped rescue the miners, hysterically named "Plan B," was an American drill.
6. NASA is helpful both on and off this here earth.
7. I'm glad my husband isn't a miner.
8. I hope something like that never happens again, but I loved the heartwarming feeling I got watching each man get rescued.

One of the other things I truly enjoyed about these rescues was how they captivated the world. Between each individual rescue, CNN would cut to people watching the live feed in Japan, Spain, England, etc... The whole world was watching and they were all feeling that happy feeling that I had in my living room. Woot!!

I wish we had more world warming stories like that. It reminded me of that scene in Armageddon where the meteor was destroyed, and everybody started celebrating...except this story was real...and Bruce Willis didn't have to die.

I'm sick of the news always being negative, and of politicians attacking other politicians in a desperate attempt to get votes. For a brief period of time...we all forgot about the crap and focused on something great. We need to do that more.

Peace!!

S

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Eating: I totally had a school kid lunch today, complete with chips in a baggie and a snack pak.

Listening to/Watching: We're about to watch Dexter. Bless you, DVR.

Annoyed at: The Politicians. Yes...all of them.

Shopping for: Come quickly, end of the month...I need money.

Sidenote of the Day: The start of my second week was much easier than the start of my first week back. That being said...I still miss my baby.

Another chapter ends...

On Monday, I go back to work after 9 weeks at home for Maternity Leave.

People weren't kidding when they said that being a parent was the most rewarding, but most difficult, thing I will ever do. The sleepless nights...I don't really even mind them. The ginormously full diapers...I can actually find humor in them.

Don't get me wrong...I am SO excited to return to work. I love my job and I love my colleagues. I miss adult conversations and lunches that don't involve me trying to eat while feeding my son a bottle. That being said, I have been half-joking about getting a discrete baby carrier and placing my son in it to take him to work. He would blend into my suit. He's a very content baby, and rarely cries. He is also highly intelligent, so he probably could develop bond arguments and recite standard sentences at request of the judge. But then EVERYBODY would want to bring their babies to work, and let's all be honest...not all babies are awesome.

All joking aside, my heart is breaking. I have spent the last nine weeks with the most wonderful little man I have ever met. A little man who I have the co-responsibility of raising. I have watched him raise his head, already try to sit up, coo, jabber and smile. I was the first person to see him smile and it was right up there with hearing him cry for the first time the moment he was born.

I'm terrified that I will miss his other firsts. I'm desperately trying to make him laugh all the time because I want to hear that first. I'm probably creeping him out, which is why he stops smiling and gives me judgment face at least a few times a day.

I secretly hope the daycare providers don't tell me if he has a first at daycare (laugh, steps, rolling over, etc).

I am also lucky that my mother and mother-in-law are going to watch him for the first two weeks until his spot at daycare opens up. That way I get over my anxiety about not being around him 24/7 before I have to deal with leaving him with "strangers".

I use the quotation marks, because we take the other two kids to that facility in the summer, so I am familiar with the main people who run the joint. That doesn't make it any easier. Although I do have a calm sense of confidence knowing that the other two have adored everybody there the last two summers.

You would think I would next type "I want to win the lottery so I can afford to quit," but oddly enough that's not the truth. I really think I'm meant to be a working mom in the sense that I work both outside AND inside the home. This doesn't make me better or worse than anybody else in this world. It's just my own personal reality.

So this next chapter of my life is coming to an end. It's been one of my favorite chapters. Right at this moment, I wish the chapter was longer, but yesterday...when I was eating lunch with my good friends/co-workers...I couldn't wait to turn the page. Ahhh...this is heartbreaking.

Now if I was a pessimist, I would end my entry right now and have a good cry about how sad it is that I won't be around my son 24/7 except for vacations and weekends. But I'm an optimist, so I have thought of all the wonderful things that will happen BECAUSE I am going back to work:

• I get to experience the "I'm so excited to see you" smile and coo that I never get...because I'm always around.
• I get to give my son the "I'm so excited to see you" smile and coo that I occassionally give him when he wakes up from a nap without bursting into tears.
• I'm off of bedrest/limited office work which means I'm back in the courtroom...where I love to be.
• My son gets to meet other babies and starts this whole socialization thing so he doesn't end up weird.
• I'm not going to lie - I've been frustrated sometimes trying to get my son to sleep, or to stop crying, so I can get some stuff done around the house. Ha ha...somebody else's turn now. (Sidenote - I'm going to miss it, though)
• I don't have to time lunch around somebody else's feeding and pooping schedule. Hopefully...I do have some co-workers who overshare. I refuse to schedule my lunches around their bathroom breaks.

So am I happy to go back to work? Absolutely!!

Am I sad to leave my son with others? Absolutely!!

Which emotion is stronger? It really depends on when you ask. Right now I wish I had more time with my son. Yesterday it was the opposite. Monday, I will probably be crying as I drive to work...but I'll be smiling when I drive home. Maybe the next day I'll be smiling on the way to work. I'm going to keep an open mind on that. I know it will get easier.

Maybe I will petition our county commissioners to start a daycare at the courthouse. That way I could easily see my son every day. Woot. Problem solved.

S

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Eating: Tastefully Simple Nana's Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce. De-flippin-licious

Listening to/Watching: Detroit 1-8-7. It's good. Darn good.

Annoyed at: The fact that the United States doesn't mandate paid maternity and paternity leave for a significant portion of time like...every other first world country.

Shopping for: I am addicted to www.mamabargains.com and www.diapers.com

Sidenote of the Day: Xzibit is guest starring on Detroit 1-8-7. Fact - one of my father's favorite shows from a few years back was "Pimp My Ride". Yes...my father.

I want to be serious for a moment...

Today I am not going to blog about a recipe, or a parenting lesson complete with humorous links. Rather, I feel the need to talk/vent/discuss the issue of teen suicides and bullying that has been in the news the last few weeks.

I'm not going to list a bunch of videos that celebrities have been making, although many are very powerful. Rather, please click here to watch a bunch of them.

I find it heartbreaking that young people are killing themselves rather than turning to help. That they feel so alone and bullied that they think suicide is the only option. When I started hearing about these stories, my first thought was, "Why didn't they go talk to somebody?"

Reflection on that question led me back to the bullying...and I don't mean the specific act of bullying that occurred immediately before the suicides, but rather the type of bullying that our society is continuing to accept. Bullying isn't always beating somebody up who is weaker, or using words to berate another into feeling inferior.

What do I mean? Something as simple as a news story telling youth that they are inferior. A story saying that the State of California is not allowing gay people to get married. To me, a heterosexual, I see it as a decision...whether right or wrong...as to how that state is going to define marriage. However, if I put myself in the shoes of a confused lesbian teenager...that decision tells me that I am not equal to my neighbor, to my sibling, that I will not have the same happy future as a straight woman.

Now add a layer to that bullying. The same teenager is watching the news story with her mother, who casually states, "I'm glad they outlawed gay marriage in California. I don't agree with that. It's against God." Not only has the mother reenforced the bullying of the decision, she has also closed a door. If that young girl needs to talk to somebody, she can't even talk to her mother. And now she thinks she's going to hell.

Now add another layer - say the same teenager is sitting next to her brother, age 10. He sees the news story and hears his mother also condemn gay people. He hears that they are sinners. He sees by the story that gay people are inferior to him. Fast forward to school - how do you think he will treat an openly gay student if his parents are teaching him that he is better than his fellow student? How will he treat his sister? How will he treat a friend who is bullying a gay student?

You can create these layers of bullying with many examples - and more than just using GLBT victims. I am not writing this blog to tell everybody that they must believe a certain way, or accept all lifestyles as equal. I understand that we all come from different backgrounds. However, using our background as an excuse to bully is inexcusable.

I cannot put myself in the position of the children that killed themselves in the last few weeks. I have never worried about who I should turn to when I have a problem. I have never been bullied into believing that I am inferior to other people because of who I choose to love, or how I choose to live my life. I have never turned on the television to see repeated images and stories reinforcing that I am inferior to those around me. I was raised comfortable in my own skin. I was raised to know that everybody has a right to the same things that I have a right to - education, love, jobs, children, marriage.

Which leads me to a major shout out to my mother. When I was in college, one of my good friends confided in me that he was gay. He came from a very religious home, and was scared to tell his parents. He told me that he was terrified that his family would disown him. He was worried about how he would pay for his college education if his parents cut him off...but he couldn't keep it a secret any longer. I was overwhelmed with his story, and wasn't sure what to do. So I called my mother. I cried into the phone - completely unable to understand what he was going through because I knew I had parents who loved me unconditionally. After I finished talking to my mother, she quietly replied, "You tell him that he will always have a home with us if he feels he doesn't have a home with his parents."

I have never been more proud to be my mother's daughter than during that phone call. What a lesson in unconditional love. In that brief statement, my mother taught me that everybody should be loved - everybody should be accepted - to welcome others with open arms - and above all else to be kind.

What happened to that friend? It was very hard at first. I sat with him when he called his parents. I remember him picking up the phone a few times and putting it down...hands shaking...unable to dial the number. When he finally told his parents, his voice shaking, they hung up on him. What a message to send your child...

But it got better...

Eventually they did pick up the phone again. They will never agree with how he lives his life, but they did let him know that they love him. I think his relationship with his parents will constantly be a work in progress. I have lost touch with that friend, and I wonder how he is doing and how his parents are doing.

I am glad I was there for him. I am forever proud of my mother for letting him know that he would always have a family behind him, no matter how he lives his life. It was a profound life lesson for me, and one that I carry with me to this day.

Now that I am a mother, I already worry about how I will do at raising my son. I pray that I can teach him to accept others, to stand up for those that need a friend and above all else, to be kind.

That's all I want him to be - to be kind to others.

So the moral of the story today:

Do not manipulate the Bible to justify bullying.

Do not manipulate laws to justify bullying.

Do not teach your children to bully.

It's as simple as that. Think before you speak. Ask yourself if what you say will hurt another person. Be kind - you do not know the story of the person that you're next to, even if that person is your child, or your best friend, or your co-worker, or another student in your class.

Be kind.

Slap Ya Mama Crab Spread

No, this is not an appetizer that condones domestic violence. That's just the name of the cajun seasoning that I used. You can really use any cajun seasoning you want...but you can't call it SLAP YA MAMA CRAB SPREAD unless you use some Slap Ya Mama. You'd just have to call it "Cajun Crab Spread". Yawn.

This only takes a few minutes to prepare, but you should chill it for at least a few hours so the flavors will mix. I brought this over to my brother and sister-in-law's house last weekend. I made it in the morning...took less than 10 minutes total, and then threw it in the fridge until we went over to their place for dinner. And then I found $5 (which is what we say in my family when somebody tells a pointless, boring story that isn't very entertaining...because when you find $5, the story suddenly gets exciting).

Slap Ya Mama Crab Spread

4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese

1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

8 oz imitation crabmeat, chopped

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 1/2 - 3 teaspoons of Slap Ya Mama cajun seasoning

1. Place cream cheese in small mixing bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds or until softened. Add mayonnaise and whisk until smooth.


2. Chop crab meat. Chop celery and bell pepper. Add ingredients to bowl.


3. Add garlic to bowl and mix everything.


4. Add Slap Ya Mama to taste.


5. Cover and refrigerate spread for at least three hours. Serve with crackers, toasted bread slices or pita chips.

Tips from Sarah

• If you make it as directed, with the low fat ingredients, 2 tablespoons of the dip is only 40 calories.
• I didn't make it with reduced-fat mayo, and the flavors were still good. There are just certain things I don't think you should buy as reduced fat or fat free...like mayo. It's meant to be regular. If you want a reduced fat sandwich, develop a relationship with yellow mustard.
• I served the dip with toasted sea salt pita chips. The chips complimented the dip very well.
• I used a crab/shrimp combo instead of crab only, which was delicious.
• The first time I made this, I only used 1 1/2 teaspoons of Slap Ya Mama cajun seasoning. It had a nice flavor to it, but I like a bit more of a zing. Just remember - with cajun seasoning a little goes a long way.
• If you do purchase Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, you are required to yell "Uhhhhhh slap ya mama" after each bite.

Enjoy!!

S

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Eating: I just ate a chicken fajita pizza I made for lunch. I'll post that recipe on here when I develop a catchy name.

Annoyed at: Myself, for accidentally snipping my son's finger when I was cutting his nails. I may have cried longer than he did.

Listening to/Watching: America's Next Top Model

Shopping for: Nada

Sidenote of the Day: My son is wearing a camo outfit. Thinking back to high school and college...never thought I'd have a child wearing camo.