When Season 9 of American Idol was on I made an early prediction about Adam Lambert and hoped that he would make it through the competition far enough to make records and tour.  My wish came true and it was powerful enough to drag me out of the house on a WORK night and drive an hour each way to see the concert which took place at an outdoor venue. The concert was FANTASTIC and crazy enough, as soon as Adam left the stage there was a raindrop. Then another. Then the sky opened up and continued to drop buckets upon us as we looked through mascara stained eyes to buy merchandise with rain soaked dollars and run the block or so distance back to the car and dryness.

The next day my car wouldn’t start. My 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee that had no reason to be dead, seemed to be so.  Neither jumps nor charging sparked the engine, although the lights and accessories were working fine. That night my Jeep was towed and I was left without a vehicle for 3 days. During that time I obsessively searched symptoms, just like I do when my kids are feeling out of sorts. I found a cool website.

First of all, it points out auto repair in your area.  Los Angeles auto repair, Detroit auto repair - plug in where you need and you get results. My favorite area to play with was the diagnosis function. Let’s say you have a blown head gasket. Do you know what that means? Probably, but I don’t. At least I didn’t really. But there it was in easy to understand terms and a summary of how to fix it. I felt instantly smarter. Then for fun I checked out the rating of my car.  Nobody had rated a Jeep Cherokee yet, but there were user comments.  Ford Explorer though, for instance, had high markings in all categories.

The whole thing probably seemed more exciting to me than it actually was, considering I was stranded home with nothing much to do while everyone else was at work and outside playing. As for my vehicle problems, guess what was wrong with it. I put my soaking wet keyfob into the ignition. Dumb. Don’t ever do that!

Simple. Because that’s what their hearts told them. Have you ever felt a calling? Just been so drawn to something - a something that never faded over time and only got stronger? I did. When I was ten I declared I did not want to have children and that I planned to adopt “orphans” someday.  It only made sense to me. Why bring more children into a world already filled with children who needed families? I felt very strongly about it and still do. I never felt the desire to have my own baby. But that’s just me and I don’t hold it against anyone else for desiring something else. Where this came from I don’t know. But once I learned there were kids who didn’t have parents - they never left my mind or my heart. That’s what I call a a calling. And this particular calling of mine drew me to 3 year old and 7 year old siblings in Flint, Michigan. But just like all preferences, tastes, and ideas, mine are not the same as yours. We all dance to different drums and receive different messages.

We live in a WORLD. Not a state, not a city. I believe that no child, regardless of where he or she is located, is any less valuable than another. Every child that comes into this world deserves the chance to thrive. LUCKILY in our world we have not only the MEs and the ROSIE O’DONNELLS who feel passionate about local adoption, but also the ANGELINA JOLIES who feel drawn to children outside of our country. Am I a fan of hers? No. But I respect and applaud the work she does for those less fortunate. The notion I hear from so many that we should “take care of our own” before we tend to those outside our borders is ridiculous! At no level- be it individual, household, corporation, city, state, nation - does effective management and problem solving come from focusing on one problem and ignoring others! This does not lead to success.  Children in need is one issue that must be considered as a whole. Choosing one group is a death sentence to another. Could you look two children in the eye - give the American child a sandwich and send the forein one away hungry? Of course not. (And if you answered yes then really…  shame on you is all I can say) It’s easy to say we should only help our own, but are you prepared to deliver that sentence to the others?

I have a question that always comes to mind when I hear people complaining about things. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM?  Bitching, moaning, & complaining isn’t helping one child in need. It’s not feeding anybody or keeping them warm. If you feel a calling to local kids in need, do something about it. Adopt one. It’s not that hard to do. Big brother or sister one. If adding to your family isn’t an option you can still be an advocate. There are many ways to help.  Being an advocate is as simple as spreading the word about whatever fires you up - either in line at the grocery store, on your blog, at work, or through an event. But spread the word in a positive way so people will hear you. Don’t undermine anything or anyone else. Especially in the case of children because every single one of them deserves a chance.

What have you done lately to help a child in need?

With my daughter we have been dealing with blotchy skin and small blemishes for a couple of years. But this morning my son’s perfectly smooth and handsome face has a few giant, messy pimples spread around with that new facial hair that’s sprouting. Lord help us.

I have been googling today because I don’t know what good acne care consists of these days. Maybe it will be gone in a couple of days. We’ll see. But in the meantime I am checking out Differin reviews and ProNefrin claims so I’ll be ready if the problem gets worse.

Seasoned parents of children who’ve survived puberty… any skin care tips for us about to face the hormone challenge?

I never feel like I have enough hours in the day but the truth is even if I had more hourse I woulld still poop out around 3pm - so what’s the point in wishing for longer days? To combat that I used diet pills, relying on their even long lasting energy to make it through the day. This is not good.

If you can relate to what I am saying and you are using diet pills for the same reason, it’s time to admit that you know it’s not heathty. You need more sleep, you need to eat better, and you need to be kinder to yourself. They you’ll enjoy a healthier, vibrant feeling body with sustaining energy to help you meet all your goals for each day.

” There are five major categories of MUFAs: (1) oils, (2) nuts and seeds, (3) avocado, (4) olives, and (5) chocolate. Eating one serving of any of these foods at every meal will help reduce your accumulation of dangerous belly fat; control your calorie intake and you’ll lose inches and pounds, too–especially around your waistline. These mouth-watering recipes make it easy. Each portion contains high levels of MUFA, plus serving suggestions that allow you to create a meal that contains around 400 calories–enough to control your hunger and boost your energy without exceeding your daily needs. You can easily fit these meals into the Flat Belly Diet menu plans, but even if you’re not following the diet, you can still enjoy the rich flavor of MUFAs and their numerous health benefits. For centuries, these foods and fats have been hard to resist.”  

Avocados and chocolate are good for me?  Count me in!  But on my terms, not theirs.

I looked at some of the recipes for the diet and they are too involved for me.  For a minute I considered developing my own menu incorporating their rule of 4 meals of 400 calories and a MUFA at every meal with my new meat free design but it’s too much work.  Instead I am going to just try adding a MUFA to each of the small  meals I eat every few hours currently.

Am I the only one crazy about the 5 MUFA foods?  Can anyone think of a better way to reduce belly fat than by eating chocolate and avocados?!