Jodi's Life Dream/Vision

I am so happy and grateful that the universe and I have:

· prolific physical, mental and spiritual energy;
· my covey of reciprocal, inspiring, healthy relationships including my children
       believing, living and acting as one team
       taking initiative for our own needs and wants and being mindful of the needs and wants of our team
       communicating effectively;
· time, money, guidance, ability and desire to create, design and explore my artistic talents.

And so it is.
House?

Spiral Universe

5 ?s to see if dream is right.
1. I am living in the life. Do I feel more alive? Yes, good.
2. Align with core values? I need more love!Yes, good.
3. Does it require that I grow?Yes, good.
4. Do I need help from a HP?Yes, good.
5. Do I need everything I need to know to make this dream happen? If so the dream is too small.Yes, good.
6. Is their good in this dream for others? Yes, good.

If it were at least possible what steps would I take.

on the outside looking in

I recently went to a recital event with my family. at the end of the event someone started talking about: how our group pulls together; how loving our group is; how wonderful the people are; how we're building a community. The lady speaking is genuine, kind and lovely. instead of feeling a "part of" I began to feel "apart from." I sat there and looked around. I truly believe that if these in this room full of 250 people maybe one of them, one specific child would search me out beside my own child of course. I'm not sure why I'm not a part of this group. I've tried to give. I've tried to receive. I've been as gracious as I could be. I've been kind. Yet I'm still way on the outside. We see other families join and instantly be taken in. We've been coming on & off for 8 or 9 years.

It's a Hard Knock Life

I have a friend who has found herself homeless at 53 years old. She has multiple health issues. She has the amazing superpower of always being hired. She has made her way through life with a variety of professions. She most recently lost a job as a server. She disappeared. She had lost consciousness and found herself in the hospital with none of her belongings except her social security card and driver's license that she had tucked in her bosom.

Locally, many shelters are geared toward men or families. Many shelters turn away those with health issues. Many shelters are for those with addiction issues. If you are clean, you are not welcomed.

She became homeless on a Saturday morning. Shelters each have their own admission policies: call each morning between 6 & 6:30am to see if there will be space; get to the shelter before 7am on Tuesday morning; all admissions are on Thursdays. Some said they had wait lists, one as long as 6 months. She couldn't find one anywhere on a weekend. She doesn't have a phone.

It's bad enough she has co-morbidity health concerns, this is too much.

Education Philosophy

Charlotte Mason

"The question is not, -- how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education -- but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?" 

Mason believed that each child deserved respect and that their education should be broad. The lessons also took into account the child's age and ability. Lessons are very short (from 5 to 15 minutes) for 6 year olds but gradually increases to 45. Outdoor play was encouraged. Literary works are used instead of textbooks. For children 6 to 10, narration and oral answers allow the child to learn without the mechanical problems of writing. Art and music are integral to children's education.

Top Reasons To Stain Shirt as Soon as Leaving Home

1. I Don't have to worry about how I look for the rest of the day.

2. I have interaction with more people as they point out the stain.

3. I have the perfect reason to tie-dye my shirt.

4. I can practice my bird in a birdbath imitation in the water fountain as I desperately try to rinse my shirt.

5. I have a good excuse to buy a new shirt.

Meatloaf

My father-in-law wanted to make meatloaf. He was distressed when he couldn't find a can of seasoning than he always used. I got a couple of employees to help in the grocery store. I don't think any of us know what he was searching for though. He bought the ground meat but asked me if I could make the meatloaf like his mother did. Quickly I clarified. I can make meatloaf. I will NOT include raisins in mine. He chuckled about that, then reminisced about how plump the raisins would get. Nope. I'm not going there.

We have so many food allergies but I'm determined to find delicious healthy foods that we can share.
We avoid:

• barley
• cashews
• dairy (from cow)
• garlic (but powdered garlic is alright)
• malt (except when made from corn)
• mangoes
• rye
• tomatoes
• wheat

So I made meatloaf that everyone in the family can eat. Here is my recipe.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 65 minutes
Serves: 8-9

2. INGREDIENTS
3. 3 pounds ground beef
4. 1.5 cup Oats (Gluten Free)
5. 2 eggs
6. 1 teaspoon salt
7. 1 teaspoon black pepper
8. 1 tablespoon onion powder
9. 1 tablespoon garlic powder
10. 
    
11. 2 tablespoons olive oil
12. 2 tablespoons onion powder
13. 2 tablespoons cornstarch
14. 2 cups Gluten Free beef (or chicken) broth 
15. 
    
17. PREPARATION
18. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Combine first seven ingredients; mix thoroughly. Split and form into two loaves. Bake until internal temperature in 160°F (about an hour). Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. 
19. 
    
20. Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons onion powder and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a saucepan. Heat over medium to a simmer. Slowly add 2 cups of broth while stirring. Simmer for 5 minutes. Spoon over cooked loaves or serve on the side.
21. 
    
22. For easier storage and clean-up cook the loaves on aluminum foil.

I Don't Know How To Eat!!

How is it possible that I still have not perfected the art of eating? Here I am minding my own business, I take a bite out of a taco and BAMM! I have breathed in a little piece of taco, I'm choking and then luckily I start coughing. It takes several minutes for me to recover. Why don't I know the difference between breathing and eating after 50 years of daily practice? What am I missing?

I am reminded of my childhood. My elders did try to instill social graces into my life. I can remember some of them.

• Don't talk with your mouth full
• Elbows off the table (Mabel)
• Chew each bite 20 times
• Close your mouth as you chew (eat as quietly as possible)
• Sit up straight

Let's take a look. I don't think that I adhere to any of these.

Don't talk with your mouth full - I regularly talk with food in my mouth. Hopefully, my mouth is not full. I do try not to stuff my mouth full as I eat

Elbows off the table (Mabel) - I know that I have rested both of my elbows on the table while I negotiated a sandwich into my mouth

Chew each bite 20 times - Ha, funny, 20 times, ha ha, oh, they were serious. I'm probably lucky if I chew each bite 10 times

Close your mouth as you chew (eat as quietly as possible) - This one I do, except when I'm talking or singing while I eat

Sit up straight - Sit? I do sit sometimes. I enjoy the whole family eating together but it seems so difficult to get everyone eating at the same time. I'm guilty of eating while I do chores around the house, while I take the puppies out. Plus I do not have the good posture that I could. I most enjoy sitting with my hips tilted back, with my left knee up or at least my left foot tucked up under my bottom

At the time of this last choking incident, my mouth was not full, I was not talking, I was not at a table, I'm certain I had not chewed the food enough, my mouth was closed, I was undoubtedly slouching with my left knee up.

So maybe I'll try going back to these basics and see if my choking frequency reduces.