Pineapple PB Snack

Peanut butter on these yummy crackers are always a quick go-to for lunch or snack (find them hidden on the bottom shelf at Publix). The crackers are light and small enough that even the little guy chomps them up! We're always trying new combinations in our house, though, so we got a little creative today.

Enjoy your peanut butter crackers with a thin slice of pineapple on top! Delish!

Nutty Spread & Apple Fried Rice

We were driving home from school yesterday and I asked my son what he wanted for lunch - he's very creative with food and loves to eat! Peanut butter on apple cinnamon rice cakes with raisins on top was decided.

By now, you should know of my love of the VitaMix. It's so easy to make shakes, soups and spreads using this machine! So, instead of just plain peanut butter, a flash of brilliance came to me as we enjoyed the :25 minute ride home: MAKE A NUT SPREAD! Every kid loves to dip!

And so my new nutrient-packed indulgence was created. Both the kids loved dipping apples and rice cakes into the Nutty Spread. Being that it's so dense in protein, it really filled them up.

Nutty Spread:

• handful of Cocoa Roast Almonds from Emerald
• two heaping spoonfuls of all-natural peanut butter (peanuts and salt is all that should be in PB! I love Smucker's Natural)
• a squeeze of honey
• enough almond milk to make the mixture creamy
• METHOD: put almonds, PB & honey in the VitaMix; turn on, turn to 10 and flip to HIGH; slowly add milk from the top of the blender. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides. Continue blending on high and adding milk until you get the consistency you want. (I doubled the recipe and had enough to snack on later with pretzels and for the awesome Apple Fried Rice recipe below)
• Put in a bowl and dip away! Good items for dipping include apple slices, rice cakes, pretzels, celery or crackers.

Apple Fried Rice

And now for the lunch feast that blossomed out of my son's mind today! Again, we were on our way home from school and he was snacking on those delicious Kroger brand Apple Cinnamon rice cakes when I asked him what he wanted for lunch. He asked, "can we make these for lunch?" Well, one of my favorite things to do with apples is pan fry them. I knew that we could make something yummy with the leftover rice from last night's dinner and some sweet Fuji apples!

And so Apple Fried Rice was born. The kids LOVED it and I only wished I had more for myself! With only a cup of rice leftover, I did what I could do.

To serve 2 little ones and a hungry mama...

Apple Fried Rice

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 apple, grated
• 1 carrot, grated
• olive oil
• cinnamon
• handful of raisins
• couple leftover scoops of Nutty Spread
• METHOD: heat oil in a pan and then fry rice for a few minutes to get it hot and a little crispy; add apple, carrot, raisins and a little bit of water, liberally season with cinnamon and cover pan for a couple minutes to steam; finally dab the Nutty Spread into the pan and stir until well combined. YUM!!

Obama Propaganda - Official Response

I ran across this picture on FaceBook the other day. First of all, this is not a very becoming becoming picture of our President. Secondly, with all the typos, I don't even know why I'm taking it seriously! I guess it's because some voters out there take every bit of these remarks as fact, as truth, and defend it with their hearts. They choose not to flip the coin, to see the other side or, as I like to say, listen to ALL THREE SIDES of the story: their side, my side and the whole truth.

It's time we start thinking with our brains! Like Herman Cain says, "We are not stupid!", but we certainly are ignorant. It doesn't matter who you're supporting, if you're not fact-checking, you're not doing your job as an American voter. The political class is purposefully pitting us against each other. They're taking our eye off the American prize, which is independence, opportunity and self-reliance. The state of America today is a direct result of our public refusing to think critically.

To clarify, I do not think that Barack Obama is a bad man nor do I believe he means harm to the American people. What I do believe is that he is a supporter of communism and is okay with fascism and socialism. These are not American ideals nor do they help our free-market economy nor are they legal in our Constitutional Republic. I implore you to refrain from personal attacks and I will do the same.

What's the deal with comparing Obama to Bush? No one is defending Bush - it's been 3 freakin' years since Obama took charge and he should stand on his own record. If there are policies left over from Bush or eras past that are crippling our economy, growing the government or limiting our freedoms, President Obama should call for reform. And policies that were enacted before he took office that have positive results should be presented as such and not as his own work.

It's about time we expand on the words coming from the Obama Propaganda machine. I don't have the time to research every claim nor do I have an opinion for each, so I challenge you to help complete this list of rebuttals. I did take the liberty of correcting the grammatical errors from the list on the photo; please let me know if I missed any.

1. President Obama created 3,000,000 new private sector jobs? What in the world does 3 million "created or saved" jobs mean in a country with an 8.3% unemployment rate*? If you have 142 million people in the US labor force and President Obama "created or saved" 3 million jobs, without destroying any others, he increased employment by a measley 2% in 3 years. (3,000,000/142,000,000=.02)

* http://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea01.htm

2. Smaller Government? How? Federal work force has increased by over 6% and so has spending and entitlement.* He's also adopted 75 major regulations in his first two years. For comparison, Bush adopted 120 during 8 years. So, if we keep going at 37.5/year and Obama wins another election, we'll have 300 new major regulations. How does that decrease government?

* http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/25/news/economy/obama_government/index.htm

Why are public sector employees receiving more benefits and higher salaries than their private sector counterparts?

Under the Affordable Healthcare Reform Act, thousands of government jobs will be created just to enforce the regulations and mandate. So, we pay taxes to have our new employees force us to either buy health insurance or pay more taxes.

3. $2,000,000,000,000 in deficit reduction? ha! Is that before or after he increased the deficit by $3.5 trillion? Or is it a big switch-a-roo? This makes no sense.

4. Health Care Reform: a monstrosity of a bill with over 2,000 pages. Written into the bill are hundreds of regulations that actually make it more difficult to get individual health insurance and have already banned the maternity rider (first hand experience here!). The goal of this bill, just like Medicare, is to get everyone on a "single payer" system. Have you thought about who that "single payer" is? It's the government! What has the government done well that you would trust them with your healthcare?

5. Wall Street Reform: Why are there Occupy Wallstreet Protesters if the reform Obama & the Democrats pushed through congress was having a good effect? Experts say that it's an over-reaching bill that will not only affect the financial industry, but US job creation as well*. It seems that this legislation was created to increase government revenue rather than help the public or create jobs. More government revenue means more government spending.

*http://www.tax-news.com/news/Disquiet_Over_Effects_Of_Dodd_Frank_Act_On_US_Industry____47836.html

6. Saved the US Auto Industry? We must ask the question: why do American auto industries need to be bailed out? And how come foreign auto makers with plants in America employ more people and didn't have to get bailed out? (answer: Unions) It's not the government's job to bail out an industry "too big to fail". Since when does the government get to choose who succeeds and who fails? It's not their job to regulate a free market enterprise! And why did Ford, our country's original auto company, avoid the need of a bailout?

7. All "bailout money" returned, with interest? not true. GM borrowed more tax dollars to pay off the government loan. How do you pay me back with my own money?*

* http://hotair.com/archives/2011/05/27/the-fake-chrysler-loan-payoff/

8. Three new trade agreements: ?? Who is it benefiting?

9. Repealed "Don't ask don't tell": not a big deal to me. I support equal protection under the law and for gay people to have the same rights as me, but I don't see why people need to flaunt their sexuality in any work place.

10. Killed Osama Bin Laden: thank you, President Obama, for trusting your military leaders and okaying the mission to kill Bin Laden.

And because of you, Mr. President, we all know it was Seal Team 6 who killed Osama Bin Laden. You named the team that killed a high-profile terrorist and put them and their families in danger. For the rest of their lives, there will be bounty on their heads. Shame on you, Mr. President.

11. Rescued American Hostages: not sure about this one.

12. Toppled Gadhafi without an American casualty: toppled? You mean that Obama knocked him over and no one else got hurt? Go Obama!

13. Unified the world against Iran: what? huh?

14. Has the Arab League watching Syria? anyone an expert on this?

15. No tax dollars spent on BP clean-up? Definitely respectable that there were no tax dollars used to clean up the BP mess. That doesn't mean that there won't be restitutions in the future. Just this week, Hillsboro County announced that they'll be suing us, the tax payers, for a windfall reimbursement in the millions for their loss in the oil spill*.

* http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/hillsborough-commissioners-may-seek-tax-dollars-lost-due-to-2010-bp-oil/1221200

And BP has actually received tax write-offs for their payments to victims and cost of clean up that equals about $11 billion in tax savings for BP. So says Rep. Bill Nelson of Florida anyway.*

*http://billnelson.senate.gov/news/details.cfm?id=332841

How about the fact that Obama unconstitutionally instituted a moratorium on oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico with no factual environmental information to support his decision? It killed jobs and caused previously viable companies to go bankrupt.*

* http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/15/first-gulf-of-mexico-drilling-company-seahawk-files-bankruptcy-because-of-offshore-drilling-moratorium/

16. More deportations per year than Bush? dunno about that, but aren't the Democrats trying to also naturalize millions of illegal immigrants through the Dream Act?

* http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/03/20/truth-about-dream-act/

17. Supports states rights on medical marijuana? Why hasn't he done anything to stop the Feds from arresting people selling legally in their own states? If he "supports states rights" regarding marijuana, then he should disassemble the federal swat teams raiding legal businesses. Give these decisions back to the states.

* http://www.capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=58723501

18. Ended the war in Iraq? Really? He SAID he ended the war, but it's not over, we didn't win and he's just moved the troops to Afganistan. What's it worth ending Iraq if the war has just been transplanted into another country?

19. Increased veterans benefits every year? Obama did this? How?

20. Saved the world from global financial collapse? Double ha! How can this be? Someone give me some facts!

21. Hired more border patrol agents than Bush? Were these border patrol agents there to protect our border or to stop States from protecting it? He's suing Arizona, for goodness sakes!

22. Quit smoking. Good for you! You know, I never started.

23. What did you do at the last 3 years of your job? Let's see if I can come up with 22 fantastic and true things I've done in the past 3 years in my job as mother, housewife and entrepreneur.

1. took no "free" money or services from the federal or state government
2. owned a business employing 12 people, which eventually closed down because of economic conditions
3. paid an accountant to do my taxes
4. paid taxes
5. educated people on the tyranny of the income tax
6. wrote letters to my Representatives
7. gave birth, at home, to a healthy baby boy
8. wrote blog posts to share my opinion on current events and a healthy lifestyle
9. joined a weekly radio show to open dialogue on current events
10. lost my mother to cancer
11. discovered that the American Cancer Society is a proponent of socialized medicine; tried to alert the media; quit volunteering for them after 7 years of service
12. came to an understanding that "non-profits" are the "winners" chosen by government in addition to the chosen industries that the government blesses with tax incentives
13. paid for my own healthcare & health insurance
14. ate healthy and exercised to prevent illness
15. moved to Georgia and started a new business
16. enrolled my child in a private, Montessori school so he will learn critical thinking, independence and social skills
17. spent quality time with family, talking, playing games, hiking, swimming and just enjoying each other's company. Conversations keep families close.
18. bought a gas guzzling SUV
19. developed a social network of mothers for friendship, support and conversation
20. voted in local elections to help end alcohol prohibition in Georgia
21. donated to the Disabled Veterans and Goodwill
22. made fun of my brother for smoking cigarettes
23. What have you done in the past 3 years?

* * *

And now, just for fun, here's a list of President Obama's firsts from the right! These are not my thoughts. Feel free to fact check and reply.

President Barack Obama’s Complete List of Historic Firsts:

• First President to Preside Over a Cut to the Credit Rating of the United States Government

• First President to Violate the War Powers Act

• First President to Orchestrate the Sale of Weapons to Mexican Drug Cartels

• First President to issue an unlawful “recess-appointment” while the U.S. Senate remained in session (against the advice of his own Justice Department)

• First President to be Held in Contempt of Court for Illegally Obstructing Oil Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico

• First President to Defy a Federal Judge’s Court Order to Cease Implementing the ‘Health Care Reform’ Law

• First President to halt deportations of illegal aliens and grant them work permits, a form of stealth amnesty roughly equivalent to “The DREAM Act”, which could not pass Congress

• First President to Require All Americans to Purchase a Product From a Third Party

• First President to Spend a Trillion Dollars on ‘Shovel-Ready’ Jobs — and Later Admit There Was No Such Thing as Shovel-Ready Jobs

• First President to sue states for requiring valid IDs to vote, even though the same administration requires valid IDs to travel by air

• First President to Abrogate Bankruptcy Law to Turn Over Control of Companies to His Union Supporters

• First President to Bypass Congress and Implement the DREAM Act Through Executive Fiat

• First President to Threaten Insurance Companies After They Publicly Spoke out on How Obamacare Helped Cause their Rate Increases

• First President to Threaten an Auto Company (Ford) After It Publicly Mocked Bailouts of GM and Chrysler

• First President to “Order a Secret Amnesty Program that Stopped the Deportations of Illegal Immigrants Across the U.S., Including Those With Criminal Convictions”

• First President to Demand a Company Hand Over $20 Billion to One of His Political Appointees

• First President to Terminate America’s Ability to Put a Man into Space

• First President to Encourage Racial Discrimination and Intimidation at Polling Places

• First President to Have a Law Signed By an ‘Auto-pen’ Without Being “Present”

• First President to Arbitrarily Declare an Existing Law Unconstitutional and Refuse to Enforce It

• First President to Tell a Major Manufacturing Company In Which State They Are Allowed to Locate a Factory

• First President to refuse to comply with a House Oversight Committee subpoena

• First President to File Lawsuits Against the States He Swore an Oath to Protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN, etc.)

• First President to Withdraw an Existing Coal Permit That Had Been Properly Issued Years Ago

• First President to Fire an Inspector General of Americorps for Catching One of His Friends in a Corruption Case

• First President to Propose an Executive Order Demanding Companies Disclose Their Political Contributions to Bid on Government Contracts

• First President to allow Mexican police to conduct law enforcement activities on American soil

• First President to Golf 90 or More Times in His First Three Years in Office

Grow the economy, not the government.

When people say they wouldn't mind paying more taxes to get more government services, it's begs me to ask the question, "why not just pay for the services directly?" See, the more people who pay for something causes growth of an industry which causes competition and innovation which causes lower prices. Why not just pay for your own healthcare and focus on fixing the Medicaid & Medicare systems? Then, instead of paying higher taxes, donate your money to a charity that does the kind of work that pulls your heartstrings.

And for those folks like Warren Buffet who say they should pay higher taxes, you CAN voluntarily pay more taxes! Do it! Or, better yet, invest your money in an idea that employs people so they don't have to rely on government assistance. Grow the economy, not the government.

"I am healthy and filled with love and gratitude."

My mom with my son about a month before her pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

"I am healthy and filled with love and gratitude."

This was a note my mom had me write for her when she was first admitted to the hospital. We taped it to the metal post that held her IV fluids. And it stayed with her from treatment centers, to family vacations and finally to the Hospice House eleven months later.

Until the end, my mom was thankful - thankful for her time with us, for her ability to grow, for her life as a mother, a daughter, a wife, an entrepreneur, a friend and an American. She touched so many people during her 64 years; whether she made us think, made us angry or lifted us up, she really made an impact.

For 11 months, she knowingly fought pancreatic cancer. She had plans to take her granddaughters to Prince Edward Island and her "favorite daughter" to Ireland. It was often thoughts and dreams of doing things for and with family and friends that permeated her existence because life was her love and relationships were her joy.

Just days before she died, we were sitting in Hospice and her expression changed from sort of relaxed to terrified.

"Mom, what are you scared of?" I asked.

"I don't want to go through this again," was her reply. She wasn't scared of dying, she was scared of reincarnating without having rid her body of the cancer. It was painful, tiring and surely wan't the way she wanted to go.

When I was a teenager, the most annoying thing happened: my mom started listening to self-improvement tapes! It's almost like the American way of Buddhism; we make a choice to be the best person we can be today and work towards enlightenment through self-awareness. But talk about frustrating for a teenager! The last thing I wanted to hear was "it's all about your attitude" or "be thankful for what you have" or, like she said to me when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, "sometimes what seems like the worst thing that can happen will turn out to be the best."

When I was 18, she took me to a UYO (Understanding Yourself and Others) weekend where I broke through my toxic habit of attracting soul-sucking friends. When I was 19, she gifted me a "Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude" which still dons my shelf. As the years went on, I became her student and we grew together. I got over the teenage angst and embraced the good that she wanted to share with me.

I am so thankful. Still very angry and sad that I don't have my mother to guide me as I mother my own boys, but thankful. Thankful that with her passing, my relationship with my father strengthened. There's my silver lining and I didn't have to look far.

"Always be hopeful. Always keep learning." That is the advice she left for us. So I challenge you to find the silver lining, to always have faith in yourself, to always be thankful and to always keep growing. There is no time to waste.

And, Mom, you did it. No more worries, the cancer is gone.

In fond and loving memory of my mother, Sharon K. Wagner. 9/5/1944 - 3/13/2009.

Freedom of Religion - We are Americans!

You and I can believe as we choose in America - just so long as we don't infringe on each other's liberties. That's the beauty of "freedom of religion"! We are free people.

When morality is legislated or mandates instated, freedom is gone.

• Republicans: don't take away my contraception; it's my body, my choice - the government doesn't have that right
• Democrats: don't force a private business to give away contraception; it's their company, their choice - the government doesn't have that right

Respect Freedom & Liberty. We are Americans.