Friday, November 14, 2008

Epilepsy Petition

Would you please take a moment, in honor of Thomas, who was diagnosed with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy this summer, to sign a petition by the Epilepsy Foundation?

The Epilepsy Foundation is leading the fight to increase funding for research and programs, stop discrimination and improve access to care.

In 2009, a new President, 535 members of Congress and nearly 10,000 state legislators will take office. By signing our petition, you can help us persuade them to support policies that improve the lives of the three million American families affected by epilepsy.

More than 3 million Americans have epilepsy (seizures) and 200,000 new cases are diagnosed yearly. For most, there is no cure and many with epilepsy face discrimination and difficulty accessing care.

I strongly urge policymakers to support efforts that end discrimination, improve access to care programs, and increase funding for epilepsy research and programs.


Epilepsy Foundation's Petition

Thank you.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Midnight Hour

A strange thing happened about five minutes ago. I couldn't sleep, so I got out of bed. As I did, I heard Bob stir (he falls asleep on the couch every once in awhile.) Thomas also made some noise. The three of us met in the hallway. Bob was startled, but Thomas and I were both wide awake.

How weird is that?

Both Thomas and I are not sleepy. So what should we do at midnight? Turn on Cartoon Network in the kitchen, grab tomorrow's math assignment, and have a snack.

All day today Thomas tried to get Thursday and Friday's work done. He had one math assignment and one grammar assignment left, but he got all the rest done. So he decided to work on that math. (I wonder how he'll do this late at night?)

Thomas and I are eating toast, drinking hot chocolate, and he's listening to Metalocalypse. (now that's one weird carton!!!) On second thought, it's one inappropriate cartoon and Thomas is now upset because I made him change the channel. I guess I'm a mean mom.

Cartoon aside, I love being different. I love being unconventional. I'm not a spontaneous person in that if someone calls and wants to do something right now, I just can't handle that. Yet in my own home, I love quirky spontaneity. These are the things that we remember. Like the time Thomas decided we needed to eat dinner in the hallway on a cart. We did, and he still remembers that spaghetti supper with a grin on his face.

I'm glad we don't have to get up at 6 to be ready for school tomorrow. We can sleep in just a little. I love to have some weird fun once in awhile.

I'll give Thomas another half hour and call it a night.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I have no ideas on what to blog about, so it's meme time

A meme from Meg.

What’s the last thing you ate? A dinner roll.

What’s your favorite cheese? Cheddar.

What’s your favorite fish? Tuna. (I'm not a fish fan.)

What’s your favorite fruit? Bananas.

When, if ever, did you start liking olives? yuck

When, if ever, did you start liking beer? yuck--I drank my share in my early 20s, but the smell of beer makes me want to gag.

When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish? never

What was the best thing your parent/s used to make? Mom made excellent lasagna. Dad's food would have been good but for the fact that he put a pound of pepper in everything.

What’s the native specialty of your home town? Town of birth: Laramie. Can't think of anything. Town I remember growing up in: Cheyenne. Native specialty there: Taco John's. It's the original home of Taco John's. (I prefer Taco Bell!)

What’s your comfort food? Lately? Nothing. Food doesn't taste good to me right now, hasn't for awhile. When it tastes good, I think mac and cheese or cookies.

What’s your favorite type of chocolate? Anything but dark.

How do you like your steak? rare - medium rare

How do you like your burger? well done, burnt to a crisp. Can't stand if it has any pink whatsoever--go figure, I like my steak mooing.

How do you like your eggs? over easy, omlets, scramled

How do you like your potatoes? love potatoes all way. Depends what I'm eating them with.

How do you take your coffee? With fat-free half and half

How do you take your tea? Can't stand tea, try as I might.

What’s your favorite mug? My tall latte mug that has pencils on it. It was on clearance after Christmas--a teacher's gift. It has the right feel to it, and I love it.

What’s your cookie of choice? M&M

What’s your ideal breakfast? Kellog's Complete, with sour dough toast.

What’s your ideal sandwich? Depends on my mood. I like roast beef sandwiches.

What’s your ideal pizza (topping and base)? Pizza Hut pan cheese.

What’s your ideal pie (sweet or savory)? Pie? Not a big pie eater. I like pumpkin, squash and chocolate pie.

What’s your ideal salad? Regular old salad.

What food do you always like to have in the fridge? Milk, cream cheese, Promise spread, eggs, cheese, pop.

What food do you always like to have in the freezer? Beef and chicken.

What food do you always like to have in the cupboard? Food. lol A well-stocked cupboard.

What spices can you not live without? CUMIN, love the stuff. Garlic, bay leaves, onion power/flakes...

What sauces can you not live without? anything tomato based.

Where do you buy most of your food? Hy-Vee

How often do you go food shopping? Once a week.

What’s the most you’ve spent on a single food item? I am clueless. Probably a cut of beef.

What’s the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own? Fridge.

What’s the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen? ?? I think of substance it would be my Cuisanart toaster oven, which I could not live without.

What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without? Coffee pot, toaster oven.

How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients? Most times I cook.

What’s the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients? I made a chicken casserole last night. (It did have cream of crap soup in it, though. lol)

What’s your favorite thing to make for yourself? No bakes.

What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig, chicken and turkey? Bear, venison, elk, ostridge, moose, rabbit, ...

What’s the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor? If an M&M drops, I will eat it. Usually I throw away, though.

What’s the last time you ate something you’d picked in the wild? ?? Childhood?

Place the following cuisines in order of preference (greatest to least) - Italian, sushi, Chinese, French, Indian, Thai: Italian, Chinese. The rest I wouldn't eat.

Place the following boozes in order of preference (greatest to least) - Whiskey, tequila, vodka, brandy, gin, rum: I do not drink. (I have a drink probaly every 4-5 years. The last thing I drank was a wild cherry cooler. I'd rather have pop, thank you.)

Place the following flavors in order of preference (greatest to least) - Garlic, ginger, basil, aniseed, lime: Garlic, lime, ginger, basil, aniseed.

Place the following fruits in order of preference (greatest to least) - cherry, apple, orange, pineapple, watermelon: Apple, watermelon, orange, cherry, pineapple.

Bread and spread: Wheat bread, Promise spread.

What’s your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order? Taco Bell, bean burritos or cruncy tacos or soft-shell tacos, or one of each. A close second is Wendy's and that would be a single combo. (Our Wendy's just closed, darn it all!)

What are three of the best dining-out experiences you’ve had? A wonderful restaurant in Pringle, South Dakota--only locals know about it as it's in the boonies. Bob and I were just talking about it and neither can remember its name. Best meal I think I've ever had. Olive Garden is always a hit with me. Can't think of a third.

What’s your choice of tipple at the end of a long day? Well, I don't drink, so a nice cup of decaf.

Favorite cookbook/s? Internet.

Got any favorite food blogs? No.

What’s the next thing you’ll eat? Tuna casserole for supper tonight, yum. (Sans peas, though.)