The Truth about Teen Girls

I borrowed this from my pal, DC.

It is an article from Time Magazine about the negative effects of media on our teen girls. Every parent and youth leader needs to read this article.

Here are some excerpts:

* "Unless you're an adolescent male, you have already asked yourself this question, perhaps in the past few days: Is there something wrong with teen girls? Specifically, are they getting too sexy? Barely a week passes without a flash bulletin blinding us with news of another prominent preadult who is in the family way or showing off her underthings. Miley Cyrus, 15, seminaked! Jamie Lynn Spears, 16, pregnant! A bunch of Massachusetts high schoolers all having babies together! It's an epidemic!"

* "Girlhood sexiness seems to be everywhere: on TV shows and in movies, in advertising, in teen magazines and all over the Internet. Most disturbingly, it seems to be coming from the girls themselves: the way they dress, the way they text, the way they present themselves on Facebook and, oh, mercy, what they get up to at parties."

* "In one generation, girls seem to have moved from Easy-Bake to easy virtue."

* "In the past four months, there have been four weighty books published on the subject, with titles like Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex Is Affecting Our Children and So Sexy So Soon. Most of these treatises have a similar thesis: young girls are sexually loose because they're aping behavior they see on TV or read about in magazines. And as if on cue, the media deliver a new 90210 with an oral-sex scene in the first episode; Gossip Girl comes back with billboards promoting it as MIND-BLOWINGLY INAPPROPRIATE ... and your daughter starts singing that alarmingly suggestive song about licking a lollipop."

* "Middle school counselor Julia Taylor of North Carolina had a conversation with her sixth-graders last year that worried her. "A lot of them were watching The O.C.," she says. "I just remember the show's multiple sexual partners, the cocaine use, and then at the end, they drink, they drive, they set fires, but all is well! There are never any consequences."

* "What has complicated things recently is that girls are literally getting older younger. Their bodies are hitting physical maturity sooner, often before they are ready to deal with the issues of sexuality that go along with it. According to Jane Brown, a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "Twelve-to-14-year-old girls who start puberty earlier are more interested in sexual content in the media." Brown's studies found that adolescents whose media diet was rich in sexual content were more than twice as likely as others to have had sex by the time they were 16."

* "Should girls fear that they don't have the requisite hotness, there's a surefire way to overcome that: find a boy to sleep with. "They're subconsciously looking for love," says Amanda Ireland, another Gloucester teen. "They think, If I have a baby, I'll be someone. It gives them an identity." How can Ireland be so sure? She gave birth to daughter Haley, now 3, when she was 15."

Read More Here

What do you think we can do to stop this epidemic of teen girls giving themselves away. They are looking for love in all the wrong places. They want so bad just to hear someone say, "I love you," and the guys have figured this out.

"Staycation": The Weekend

On Friday, Steve said we were acting like an old married couple because we went out to lunch at 4pm, then at around 8:30 we went to Menards and Walmart, not because we needed anything, just to get out of the house and go for a walk. Friday was pretty uneventful. Steve did finish his Ohio State room.

Saturday was a bit of a rainy day. I got up and worked on some of my postcard scrapbooking. I haven't done much with them for awhile because I didn't have the space to spread out or the time. Saturday afternoon was football time. We watched most of the Notre Dame game and laughed to ourselves at all the people getting wet. We were a bit disapointed that they won, but it was a good game. The smell of all the barbeques outside made me want some, so Steve grilled barbeque chicken. We ended up making it on our George Foremen grill since it was raining pretty hard still.

Saturday evening was the Ohio State and USC game. Poor Ohio State did not do so well. We are hoping for a better game next week.

On Sunday, we got up for church. It was raining again. We had originally planned to join my parents at the B100 Birthday Bash after church, but it was canceled due to weather. I did have to go out and brave the rain though. I had to do some grocery shopping so Steve and I would have some food to eat. That is pretty important because Steve likes to eat. Aldi wasn't to flooded but I still got pretty wet running in and out. Martins was a whole nother story though. I pulled into the parking lot and felt like I was driving through a small lake. I named it Lake Martins. I picked a spot to park and started to get out of my car and realized when I opened the door that water was almost up to the door. So I decided to park somewhere else. I finally found a somewhat dry place to park that wasn't to far away. I got out of my car only to realize that in order to get to the Martins door I would have to walk through "Lake Martins." It was ankle deep and deeper in most places. I went in and quickly got the few things we needs and threaded back through the lake to get to my car. I was very happy when I finally got home. Once I got home, we stayed inside until it stopped raining. We got almost 11 inches of rain both Saturday and Sunday.
To end our vacation, we went for a nice walk and then went to bed.
All and all it was a relaxing "staycation."

"Staycation" Day 2

Yesterday, we got up a bit earlier than we did Wednesday. I had some left-over pancakes from the Pancake House for Breakfast. Steve went upstairs to finish up his "Ohio State Room." It looks really nice. Ill post pictures soon. While he was doing that I cleaned the bathroom, the kitchen, and did some laundry. Yesterday was mostly a cleaning day but it was still relaxing. It is nice to have a nice clean apartment, well mostly. My sis came over around dinner time and hung out with us for awhile. That was fun. We didn't really leave the house much.
We wanted to go for a walk after dinner but I fell asleep while he was watching some old Superman TV show, so that didnt happen. We finally went to bed around midnight.

I just got up. Steve is still asleep. We dont really have any plans for today. We have a coupon for the Home Plate Resturant so we might go there for lunch. I want to get the rest of the living room put together and hopefully get some more pictures on the wall. Damian was upset the last time he was over that there was a picture of the me and the Bridesmaids on our wall, but no picture of Steve and the Groomsmen, so I have to find one and put it up.

"Staycation" Day 1

Steve and I took a week off from both jobs this week for a vacation. We aren't actually going anyway. We just wanted some days to relax. Our "Staycation", as the media has been calling it, was pretty uneventful yesterday. Which is just the way we wanted it. We woke up at around 10:30-11ish and went out for Breakfast/Lunch at the Pancake House, which was very good. Then we went back home and took a nap until around 4. We then got up and I made some chili for us to eat tommorrow and Steve made some Hamburgers on the grill for us to eat for dinner. Steve then went to work on painting our spare room. He is painting the room in Ohio State colors. After dinner, we sat around and watched some TV and then Steve decided he wanted to make some Chocolate Chip cookies, so he did. They were really good.
Steve finished up the "O" in the spare room and I went to bed at around midnight.

Today, Steve is going to try and finish up the room and hopefully finish the living room too. Yesterday was a great relaxing day to start the vacation. I'm not sure what we will do today. We are sorta going to play it by ear.

Have Parents Completely Lost it?

Parental control crashing the cell phone party

I'm sorry but there is no reason that I can see that an 8 year old needs a cell phone. The Verizon guy said it could be helpful if your child is alone alot.
Do parents of 8 years olds regularly leave their child places alone...and I bet they will so surprised when their child is an alcoholic and pregnant before middle school. Maybe I'm crazy, but Steve and I both agree that we would never get our children a cell phone...because they don't need one while they are still living under our roof. Once they get a job and may be driving at night...then maybe, but they will be paying for it themselves. I and most people my age survived just fine through high school without cell phones. We used house phone, pay phones, friend's parent's phones...and we were just fine. My parents were always able to get ahold of me because they knew why I was. I didnt get a cell phone until after college and I got it for the free long distance mainly.

Perfect Christmas Present for Steve???

Ohio State Buckeyes Big Daddy Recliner from Baseline

Anyone need a Christmas present idea? I know it's a little pricey, but he's worth it, right? Doesn't it look so comfy?

haha...actually I found this while looking for new furniture. Steve and I decided that is the next big purchase we are saving up for. We have one couch that used to be my grandparents and it is falling apart and our other couch is small and I also got it used during college. We don't want expensive furniture, just something comfortable. We may buy "gently used" again instead of new to save money. We will just have to see how much money we get saved up.

There is a matching sofa too --->>>

Labor Day Weekend

It has been a pretty busy week. I bought Steve's Christmas present already. I put up pictures once I give it to him. Every since our roommate moved out, Steve has been working hard getting our spare room made up. He painted the walls. He talked me into letting him paint them in OSU colors. It actually looks really nice. He wants to paint a big 'O' on the wall with a Buckeye next. The apartment looks and feels alot better than it did before. It is not nearly as cramped. We have been moving boxes around and Steve rearranged the living room.

I had to work all weekend but i had a few big sale days, so it wasn't so bad. Saturday evening my mentor, Judy Gregory, was in town from Atlanta so Chris Infalt threw a party at her house. It was good to see everyone. Some of the people there I hadnt seen all summer. I love my Oasis family. On Labor Day, we had our Biggest Loser picnic. Even though Steve tried all weekend to leave a few extra pounds, Greg won first place by 2.8 pounds. Everyone did a great job. We are so proud of Greg. I think we do this contest again, because it was really fun.
Steve made ribs and bread for the picnic and they were really good. I unfortunetly had to leave the party early because I had to work at 6. We were so dead at work.

Confessions of a News Junkie

I love to watch the news. The news is on almost the whole day when I'm at work. I'm not biased either. I watch MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, and Fox Business (Dave Ramsey Show!) and of course I read the South Bend Tribune online.
It's sometimes fun to see the obvious biases of the news channels. MSNBC is clearly Democratic and has wanted Obama to win since the beginning of the Primaries. CNN is Republican and a big fan of McCain. Fox seems to be the most unbiased, most of the time, even though they do tend to favor McCain over Obama.

Here are a few news stories that I found today: I report, You decide. :0)

Wis. Couple Wins Lottery Four Times, Claims Formula

Woman Arrested For Failing To Return Library Books

12-year-old suspended for hair

Mom's birthday robbery

New Washing Machine

We picked up our new washing maching last week. I love it. After we put it together Steve wanted to do some laundry to test all the settings. It was not a cheap washing machine, but we did get a pretty good deal on it with the Friends and Family Night discount this weekend and our associate discount.

Website

When it Rains it Pours

Last night was a new experience for me. I was sitting on the couch getting ready to take a nap and watch some mindless TV. Steve had just left to help a friend/Sears Co-Worker fix his washing machine, when all of a sudden I heard what sounded like a shower coming from our laundry room. I first thought maybe Beth was in the shower and the shower was leaking through the floor. Nope that wasn't it.
Our waterheater had sprung leak and was spraying water all over the place. Luckilly, the waterheater is behind a small door, so most of the water was contained inside the room. The door has slits in it though, so the water was coming through the slits and under the door. Beth came down stairs because she wondered what was going on and we started putting towels on the floor so we could keep the water from spreading all over the apartment. I called Southmore After-Hours Service and they said they would send someone over. Then I called Steve and he came home quickly to help me figure out how to turn off the waterheater. Apparently the nipple on the waterheater had broke, so Southmore fixed it when they finally got there. Southmore brought a ShopVac with them and vacuumed up most of the water.

Semi Carrying Bananas Collides With Buffalo

This is one of my favorite songs when i was younger. It's a great song. It's a bit long but so worth it. Steve told me about this story and I immediately thought about this song. Watch the video then read the news story.

Semi Carrying Bananas Collides With Buffalo
Iowa Troopers Investigate Crash
POSTED: 1:49 pm MST August 7, 2008
UPDATED: 2:38 pm MST August 7, 2008

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Authorities said they're buffaloed by the crash of a banana truck in eastern Iowa. The semitrailer loaded with bananas hit a buffalo on Interstate 380 near Brandon about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. Crates of bananas ended up on the road. The shipment of bananas was traveling from from Mississippi to Fargo, N.D.

Benton County Sheriff Randy Forsyth said there were two buffaloes on the road. He said one was sideswiped by a car while the other was hit by the tractor-trailer.
The accidents happened at about the same time.

Forsyth said the buffalo hit by the car apparently survived and ran off. The one hit by the truck was killed. No people were injured.

Forsyth said officials don't know where the buffaloes came from, or what happened to the one that took off.

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.kpho.com/news/17124254/detail.html?rss=pho&psp=nationalnews#

Week 4 Recipes: Barbecue Ranch Chicken Salad

Prep Time:25 min
Total Time:25 min
Makes:6 servings

1-3/4 cups each
2 pkg. (6 oz. each) OSCAR MAYER Grilled Chicken Breast Strips
1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
1 pkg. (10 oz.) mixed salad greens
1 large tomato, cut into wedges
1/2 cup sliced red onions
1/2 cup KRAFT Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup KRAFT Natural Sharp Cheddar Cheese Crumbles
COOK chicken and barbecue sauce in large skillet on medium-high heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
TOSS greens with chicken, tomatoes and onions in large bowl.
TOP with dressing and cheese.

Kitchen Tips

Healthy Living
Trim 40 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving by preparing with KRAFT Light Ranch Reduced Fat Dressing and KRAFT Natural 2% Milk Reduced Fat Colby & Monterey Jack Crumbles.

Use Your Grill
Substitute 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts for the OSCAR MAYER Grilled Chicken Breast Strips. Heat greased grill on high heat. Grill chicken until cooked through (165ºF), turning and brushing frequently with barbecue sauce for the last few minutes. Cut chicken into strips, then use as directed.

Variation
Substitute 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips, for the OSCAR MAYER Grilled Chicken Breast Strips. Cook chicken in barbecue sauce in large skillet on medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Continue as directed.





Calories 230
Total fat 13 g
Saturated fat 3.5 g
Cholesterol 50 mg
Sodium 920 mg
Carbohydrate 13 g
Dietary fiber 2 g
Sugars 9 g
Protein 16 g
Vitamin A 20%
Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 10%
Iron 8 %
Source <<--this page out for more great healthy dinner. Yum!!!

Death to Our Washing Machine

Life has been pretty busy and crazy with me lately. I just havent been able to sleep and this lack of sleep has been making me really stressed. I find myself getting angry about things that I should not be getting angry about. Last night I almost broke my phone because I was angry that it wouldn't turn on.

I decided to go to sleep early after working out and got to thinking. I have an amazing husband that loves me, a great job with a great boss, great friends that care about me, and we are really close to financial peace, so I have no reason to be so stressed out.

Our washing machine decided to start dieing this week. Steve and I are going to go out tonight and find a new one. Steve thinks it might survive a little bit longer but he doesnt want to wait until it completely dies. He called me today while I was at work (He took a vacation day today) so I checked online what our savings balance is so we know how much we can spend.
We have enough in savings that we could get a pretty decent washing machine, which makes me happy. We also have an extra check in August. For the non-Dave Ramsey grads out there, that means we get paid every other week so there are 2 months during the year when we have 3 paychecks in one month. I love when I see God provide. He planned to have our washing machine die in the month where we have an extra check, so we have the money to pay for it. We originally planned to use the extra check to pay off the final balance of the credit card and Steve wanted a new phone, but we managed to pay off Providian with some extra money last month from Sears. I guess we will just have to see how much money is left from the 3rd check to see whether he gets his new phone or not. :)
Now we can use the third check for the washer and thanks to the 3rd check, we may be able to buy our new washer without touching savings at all, which will be nice.

On the bright side, Steve and I sent in our last payment for our last credit card this week. So now Steve just has to cancel it and cut it up. Now all we have left is Student Loans and my car payment. Let the Debt Snowball roll on.

Frustrated

I'm so glad i had today off work. I didnt get nearly as much done as I wanted to though. I just feel like laying down and sleeping for days. I don't have any energy and I feel so stressed out. I'm tired of living in a cramped apartment with stuff everywhere. I'm tired of always running into stuff because we have no where to store stuff because there is someone in our spare room still. It's been a year and I'm just tired.

Am am I being selfish? Probably but I think I'm entitled to a little selfishness after a year of cleaning up after her and her not paying rent like her agreed to when she moved in.

I'm tired of having to work 50+ hours a week just to make ends meet because our utilities and other bills are going up every month. I'm tired of having to pay an extra $50 a month in rent to Southmore because we brought a roommate with us that wasnt on the original lease application.

The stress is causing me to not sleep well and not sleeping well is making me more stressed. It's a vicious cycle. I have tommorrow off too so maybe tommorrow will be better than today.

Week 2 Recipes: Bistro Chicken Pasta Salad

Prep Time:25 min
Total Time:25 min
Makes:4 main-dish servings

2 cups cooked penne pasta
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 pkg. (4 oz.) ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/2 cup prepared GOOD SEASONS Italian Salad Dressing & Recipe Mix for Fat Free Dressing
1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed)
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, grilled or broiled, cut into 1/4-inch slices
TOSS all ingredients except chicken.
TOP pasta mixture with chicken. Serve warm or chilled.

Calories 290
Total fat 9 g
Saturated fat 4.5 g
Cholesterol 55 mg
Sodium 660 mg
Carbohydrate 31 g
Dietary fiber 4 g
Sugars 7 g

Protein 24 g
Vitamin A 15 %DV
Vitamin C 20 %DV
Calcium 10 %DV
Iron 10 %DV

Healthy Living Information
Good source of vitamin A or C

Nutrition Bonus
This pasta dish is great as a meal or a side dish. The fresh and sun-dried tomatoes provide an excellent source of vitamin C.

Source->> Check this page out for more great healthy dinner. Yum!!!

Fitness Club vs Financial Peace

It has been a fun adventure with this fitness club. Steve is really determined to win the contest. It has been trying to buy healthy foods and stick to our budget at the same time. Healthy foods are really expensive. I'm trying to find some good healthy recipes that are inexpensive to make. I know Dave Ramsey would be mad at us but we applied for the Mypoints Credit Card for our gas card. We have vowed to pay it off every month and to only us it for gas. We still budge for gas the same, but now we are getting points at mypoints for each dollar of each we buy. We are really close to paying off the last of our credit cards, so that should help our budget a bit. We need our friends to help hold us accountable in this though. If we start to get into trouble and start using it for non-gas we are going to cut it up and cancel it.

Our food and gas budgets have almost doubled in the last few months. Steve has been bring salads everyday for lunch, but the fresh fruits and veggies that we buy for them are expensive. It is frustrating because we want to be eating healthy but we can't keep spending so much on food.

Steve won this week in the Biggest Loser contest. I'm so proud of him. I didn't do as good this week. I dont think I was as motivated this week. I figured out a good way to gain or not lose weight is to get really frustrated and stressed out. This month has been really busy and I have working alot at Sears too, so the apartment was really messy and I felt I was always washing dishes. Laundry was piling up too. I also was at my wits with our roommate. I'm so tired her not washing her dishes, not paying rent, "borrowing" our food, etc. I'm trying to let it bother me though because I know she is trying to find a better job and an apartment. We are trying to be supportive and encouraging, but it's been a year. The reason she moved in with us was because she was going to be homeless and we were giving her the opportunity to save up for her wedding. She was also going to pay rent and help us with expenses because we had just lost those hours at the YWCA which equated to $500 in monthly income lost. Well, a year later she still has no money in the bank and she owes us almost $1000 in rent. It's frustrating. Don't get me wrong, I like helping people but I'm tired of supporting her and cleaning up after her.

Fitness Update

Life has been pretty busy this week. July is always the busiest month of the year for me at work since our Fiscal Year ends on June 30th. I have to get all the last fiscal year's data reports done and get ready for the next Fiscal Year.

Our fitness group is going well so far. Greg won the first week with a loss of 10 pounds. Way to go, Greg!!! Tabby said Greg is determined to win, so now we have to be more determined. Our group lost a total of 33 pounds with an average of 3.4 pounds each. I wonder if we should give our group a name. hmm? I'll have to run that by the group.

I have been trying to make a point to go to Fitness USA at least twice a week. On Monday, my training changed my workout routine. She changed me from using the machines to using free weights. I actually feel like I have been making progress on my shoulder's physical therapy. My shoulders dont hurt on a constant basis as often as they used to. I feel a bit stronger too.

Steve said yesterday that he wants to grill ribs and make some fresh bread for the party on Labor Day. The Labor is suppossed to celebrate the successes of the group, so I guess we should make sure someone brings some veggies and fruit to go with the ribs and bread. YUM!!!

Biggest Loser and Healthy Snacks: Banana Bread

My friends and I have started a Biggest Loser Contest. It should be a fun competition. I'm usually pretty competitive. :0) Steve and I have been getting up early morning since we started and walking around the block before work. Well, except for yesterday, I stayed in bed and he walked by himself because I didnt feel good. I did walk today though. I got a Workout Video called Sweating in the Spirit from the Library on Tuesday. It's like Sweating to the Oldies but to Gospel Music. It was really hard. I didnt realize what bad shape I was in and apparently I'm not very coordinated. I had trouble keeping up with the moves. Maybe if I do it enough I'll get better.

Our group has decided it would be to create a cookbook or collection of healthy recipes.
Here is the first installment. I found this website when I was searching online.
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Healthy-Snacks-Banana-Bread/Detail.aspx <--Here is where I found it

Healthy Snacks: Banana Bread
By: Mackenzie Schieck
Just like the bananas themselves, kids come in bunches when the smell of banana bread is in the air. No monkeyin' around--banana bread is a healthy snack that's sweet, just the way kids like it--but it won't have them swinging from the trees (just the way parents like it).

Need a Snack?
This quick bread packs a healthy potassium punch and is easy to make. Just a handful of simple items to mix together, and talk about a last-minute treat--what other baked good is actually better when the main ingredient has been sitting around for awhile?
Ways to serve it up:
* Bake a loaf fresh for the week, then slice as you go.
* Bake several loaves and freeze, pulling them out as needed. (Muffins and quick breads can be frozen for up to three months.)
* Slice loaves and freeze servings individually (wrap each in cellophane, then in a resealable plastic bag). Kids can grab one from the freezer in the morning for a snack if they are going straight from school to an after-school activity.

Lower Fat Banana Bread II
Submitted by: KatieRated: 4 out of 5 by 149 members
Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 1 Hour
Ready In: 1 Hour 15 MinutesYields: 12 servings
"Tender and flavorful banana bread with a minimum of fat."

INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
2/3 cup white sugar
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup nonfat milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a bread pan with non-stick cooking spray, and lightly dust with flour.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in bananas, applesauce, milk, oil and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture, mixing just until blended. Fold in walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated pan until golden and a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn bread out onto a wire rack and let cool.

I Love These Girls!

I had the privilege of babysitting these 2 adorable girls a few weeks ago. Kariana was a little shutter bug that day. She kept wanting to the video her doing funny things, so I did. I am posting these so her mom can see how adorable her girls are. She already knows but now you all can know too.

4th of July Fun

I went to see a Silver Hawks game this Thursday and see some Fireworks with my parents for the 4th of July. The game was pretty good. I hadnt been to a game yet this season.

For the 4th of July, Steve and I both had the day off from the YWCA but we had to work at Sears.

After work, Steve and I went to my parents for a cookout and we shot some fireworks off on the driveway. Every year it amazes me how many people shoot off fireworks in my parent's neighborhood which is full of trees and there is never a fire.

I took a video of fireworks that were after the game because Steve wasnt able to be there. He had to work. :0(

4th of July 2008