Wendy
Mother of 4 who writes a comical unfiltered column about the life of a parent. My background is in Marketing/Public Relations, and Journalism. I have been a freelance columnist for the last seven years.
Remember on Mother’s Day to Be Good To Yourself.
Sunday is my favorite day of the year, Mother’s Day. It is a day where we can sit back, have someone else wash the dishes and do whatever we want.
This year for Mother’s Day when my kids asked what I wanted I replied “Forgiveness.” I wanted to be forgiven for all those times during the year that I may have fallen short as a mom. They looked at me like I had two heads.
“But you are a GREAT Mom” my little one replied.
However as many times as they said it, I didn’t feel it. Since moving to California my head has been spinning. With kids on two different coasts I have been dividing my time and attention to try to make sure all angles are covered. The only issue with that is that there is never a time in our lives when all angles are covered. It just isn’t possible.
As a mom, I’m quick to rescue other moms when they make mistakes, however not so quick to pat myself on the back to say “hey it’s ok. You are doing your best.”
Last week for example, I made a huge error in the car pool and left someone else’s child behind when I thought they had cub scouts. I felt sick over it. They got another ride home but the thought of what I did left me feeling like not such a good mom. Looking back, I remembered the time we forgot my own son after Christmas mass and got a call to retrieve him from the church parking lot. Yes we look back and laugh now, but then it wasn’t as funny.
So on Sunday when you are thinking about gifts for your mom or your mother-in-law or yourself, just remember the greatest gift is the gift of forgiveness.
For more of Wendy’s Stories visit her latest column at Womensforum.com.
Today I got a phone call from my son’s principal. Since moving to California I have become all-too familiar with these chats.
“Mrs. McGee this is your son’s principal at the elementary school.”
“Your Son was involved in a little incident at school today.”
Oh boy, here it comes.
“When he was sitting at lunch with the boys, a group of Mexican girls tried to sit at his table. He told them to go sit with their own families.”
Ok. Keep in mind that he himself is one quarter Spanish. Does this apply?
“In an effort to discourage discrimination at our school we may have to suspend him.”
I thought about this for about 10 seconds.
“Wait a minute, so you are telling me that you are suspending my 9 year old son for racial discrimination?!?”
I was shocked. Several weeks before he had gotten punched in the head by these boys and I had to take him to the docter’s because it was so close to his temple and their were zero disciplinary measures taken. Last week one of the boys in the class was choked by another and nearly fell to the ground and there were not disciplinary measures taken. I am not saying he was right. At home the thing I expect above and beyond everything else was kindness. Clearly we had work to do but I never thought I would be in a place where he could be suspended for this.
Immediately I saw my daughter reach for her phone.
“What are doing” I asked?
“Tweeting” she replied.
“This is much too good to pass up.”
My younger brother’s principal called to say that he had discriminated against the Mexican boys at school. Clearly we need to rerun the Office so he can fully grasp the meaning of Diversity Day.
For more Mom lifetips and entertaining stories please visit my column at womensforum.com.
Tonight for dinner I needed something in a hurry so I pulled a pork butt out of the freezer that I had gotten on sale. I think it was less than $15. I couldn’t decide how to cook it so I threw it into a crock pot and poured a bottle of Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Sauce over the top and put in on low cook. Five hours later, my kitchen was filled with an unbelievable smell. I opened the lid of the crock pot and the pork was falling apart in the sauce. I took two forks and pulled the meat apart in strands and let it soak up the barbecue sauce. I used Stubb’s because it has 40 calorie in 2 tablespoons, 0 fat and 7 grams of sugar. Most importantly, it is delicious. The next step is to cut up large pieces of french bread and make a barbecued pulled pork sandwich. I served the sandwiches with carrot and celery sticks with yogurt ranch dressing and for dessert served low fat pudding with low fat whipped topping and 6 M&M’s on top.
For More of Wendy’s life stories and lifetips please visit her column at womensforum.com.
I love it when I rock the dinner hour. My meal barometer is my family, particularly the kids. If it is a hit, they will tell me, and when it’s not a hit, I hear it. Since moving to California, I have been working with a nutritionist to cut back on fat and fill our diets with healthy foods. My kids are convinced they are living in a remote African village that exists on vegetables, beans, fruits and nuts. So when my husband announced that we were celebrating The Big East and wanted me to cook a “fun dinner” to eat while watching the game, I wasn’t sure what to make that wasn’t loaded with fat. Here is what I came up with, and everyone raved!
Bar Chicken Hot Dogs Rolled up in Low Fat Crescent Rolls
- One package of Bar Chicken Hot Dogs
- One Roll of Pillsbury Low Fat Crescent Rolls.
Buy a package of Bar Chicken Hot Dogs and wrap each hot dog with one lowfat Pillsbury Crescent Roll. Bake at 350 until brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
LowFat Buffalo Chicken Dip
- 2 Package Neufchâtel Creme Cheese
- 3 Large Chicken Breasts (cut into strips)
- 1/2 cups Franks Original Red Hot sauce
- 1/2 cup Low Fat Blue cheese Dressing
- 2 cups Lowfat Cheddar Cheese
- Sea Salt
- Jansal Valley Butcher Cut Black Pepper (* Must have Pepper http://amzn.to/13bZGP0)
- Dash of Vermouth or Cream Sherry
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Misto Spray filled with Olive Oil
- Late July Organic Seas Salt By The Seashore Multi-grain Snack Chips (Costco is the best place to buy these!)
- Line the bottom of 8x 10 baking dish with creme cheese.
- Take 3 large chicken breasts and cut into strips. Spray a pan with Misto Spray bottle of Olive Oil. Use a small teaspoon of olive oil to brown your chicken strips. Liberally sprinkle strips with Sea salt and pepper.
- Remove the cooked chicken breasts from the pan. Deglaze your pan with Vermouth or Creme Sherry, pouring the browned bits on top of chicken .
- Layer chicken on top of creme cheese.
- Whisk 1/2 cup Red Hot Sauce and 1/2 cup Low Fat Blue Cheese Dressing. Pour on top of chicken.
- Top ingredients with low fat cheddar and serve with Late July Sea Salt By The Sea Shore Multi-grain snack chips
Wheat Pizza topped with Arugula and Goat Cheese
- Boboli Wheat Pizza Crust
- Small roll of Goat Cheese
- Container of Fresh Arugula
- 7 Cloves of Garlic Crushed
- Misto Spray Bottle Filled with Olive Oil
- 3 Hothouse Red Tomatoes
- Sea Salt and Jansal Valley Butcher Cut Black Pepper
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Spray pizza crust with olive oil, lightly covering the surface.
- Spread sliced tomato slices evenly over crust.
- Sprinkle crushed garlic, salt, and pepper on pizza crust.
- Bake pizza in 450 degree oven for 15 minutes.
- Top with goat cheese and fresh arugula.
Dessert:
Angel Food Cake topped with Fresh Berries
- Prebaked Angel Food Cake (box or purchase baked ring in store)
- Container of Strawberries sliced
- Container of Raspberrys
- Container of Blueberries
- 2 Tablespoons Triple Sec
- 1 Tablespoon Agave Naural Sweetner
- Non Fat Cool Whip Topping
- Fresh Mint Leaves
- Wash and stem berries.
- Add Triple Sec and Agave sweetner to berries.
- Slice Angel Food Cake and cover with Berries and Cool Whip.
- Serve with a fresh mint leave on top.
Yum!!!!
For more humorous stories and life tips visit my column at www.womensforum.com
Who doesn’t love to go out to dinner? The way I justify my expenditures is to do it wisely. Interpretation: find some place that will serve your kids for free. This way you don’t feel guilty and you can indulge a little bit more. We laugh in my house because when I go out ,I like to share or to order things I would enjoy that are a little less expensive. It isn’t because I don’t spend money, it is because I can’t justify going out twice.
Here is a life tip for moms that I read about in Redbook Magazine. They suggest finding websites that post free dining around the country such as kidsmealdeals.com and kidseatfor.com. Even better they recommend staying at Homewood Suites where guest of all ages get treated to a free hot breakfast and dinner Monday through Thursday.
For humorous parenting stories and life tips for mom please visit me at womensforum.com.
This is the time of year when the winter blues have disappeared but yet spring is not fully kicking in. It is as if the switch goes off and God begins to smile again. The sun comes out, the birds are chirping and at night you sit by an open window and hear the unspoken language between the frogs in the grass. One thing that cheers me up and speeds up the season is planting annuals, not too many though because watering isn’t my forte. Here is a life tip I found noteworthy in Better Homes and Gardens March issue. I think it caught my eye because it was titled “Grab a six-pack!”
#1) Don’t just dig a hole (like I do) and jam in the plant. Apparently you are supposed to till? Mix in 2-3 inches of compost and a slow release fertilizer for good growth. Hmm..maybe that is why they die?
#2) Pick the right plant for the season. You can’t plant an impatiens when you still might get frost. A good plant for frost is the pansy, or viola or sweet alyssum. Ask the garden center.
#3) Don’t cheap out. Larger plants cost more but can be spaced farther apart , so you need fewer of them. Sometimes those 72, $5 flats don’t bloom until it’s time to plant the mums.
#4) DO NOT pinch flowers and buds off newly planted annuals. However, sniping spent blooms and pinching back leggy stems creates a better looking plant.
#5) Check out the roots. If roots are a solid mass, keep looking- don’t buy root bound plants.
For more life tips and parenting stories please visit my column at womensforum.com
While examining my makeup application I couldn’t help but notice the new potholes that had formed somewhere South of my eyes and North of my chin. Was I looking through a telescope examining the moon or was I looking at my magnified mirror in my bathroom? I wasn’t supposed to have blackheads or zits. That was for prepubescent teens that were making their way through puberty. Besides I had checked that box and was making my way towards retirement.
With this in mind, there was an article in Better Homes and Gardens March magazine.that caught my eye. It was a recommendation for Cleansing Pore Strips. It read “If you have black dots on the side of your nose and they don’t clear up with treatment, they may be hairs rather than blackheads.” Could this be my life tip to cure my acne? Either way, I am going to check these things out. Maybe there is hope after all.
For humorous parenting stories and life tips please visit my other site at www.womensforum.com.
Who doesn’t love garlic besides the guy who is kissing you? What I didn’t realize is that once a head of garlic is broken, it should be used within several days. Otherwise it is good for a month. Here are 3 great ways to use garlic I found in the March issue of Better Homes and Gardens.
#1) Rubbed On Bread
Brush both sides of thick slice of bread with olive oil. Toast in a fry pan. Remove and set aside. Once cooled rub one side of the bread with a clove of garlic that has been cut in half. Rub with a ripe, juicy tomato that has been cut in half. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Yum!!!!
#2)Mashed Into Butter
Wrap a whole head of garlic in foil. Roast in 425 degree oven for 35 minutes. Let cool, then remove garlic cloves from their skins. Transfer to a bowl and mash with the back of a spoon. Add softened butter, honey, red pepper flakes, and sea salt. Mix to combine. Transfer minture to a piece of waxed paper. Shape into a log and freeze. Serve on grilled chicken or fish, swirl into soup, or just smear on warm biscuits.
#3)Whirled Into A Spread
In a food processor combine white beans, garlic, and coarse salt. Cover and process until smooth. With the machine running, drizzle in olive oil until desired consistency. Stir in chopped fresh basil. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper and drizzle with additional olive oil. Serve as spread for sandwiches or whirl with additional olive oil and serve as a dip with crackers.
For more Lifewithwendy humor and stories please visit Womensforum.com.
Recently I have been trying to tell my mom that although I love her emails, I really can’t read all the two hundred daily good ones that she passes along. Here is one of her latest on the benefits of peroxide which leaves me wondering if I shouldn’t up my life insurance.
- Hold one capful in your mouth, no more canker soars and your teeth will be whiter than ever. Ok so we are now ingesting it.
- I had fungus on my feet for years- until sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on the (especially the toes) every night and let dry. You cannot be serious.
- Soak any infections or cuts. My husband has seen gangrene that wouldn’t heal with any medicine but was healed by peroxide. Now you have my attention, a mouthwash that kills gangrene.
- Tilt your nostrils and spray into plugged sinuses when you have a cold.
- Spray in your hair to bleach it. Now that we have me ingesting it, soaking cuts, curing gangrene, and snorting it, what’s next?
- Put half a bottle in your bath to rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections.
It goes on to say that it is the brown bottle none can live without! So there you have it. The next time you want to spread some useful tips to a loved one or friend when you are in need, pass it along so they too can know the benefits of using peroxide.
For more humorous stories with Wendy please visit Womensforum.com