For Sunday, July 24th, 2011

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

JULY 24th, 2011

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side

It's SUNDAY!

NATIONAL PARENTS DAY

National Parents Day is a special day to honor your mother and father. And, its a time to celebrate the family structure and family values. The family unit is an important structure for the health of children, and the nation. That structure, and those values, are established and nurtured by your parents.

In 1994, President William (Bill) Clinton proclaimed the fourth Sunday in July as National Parents Day. Today is not a day of gift giving. That's for Mother's Day and Father's Day. The best way to mark this day is by spending time with your parents doing something fun. Its also important that you let them how how much they are loved and appreciated

Children aren't happy with nothing to ignore,
And that's what parents were created for.

Ogden Nash

A Prayer for All Children

I pray that all children will be loved for who they are, for no reason other than that they are.

I pray that all children will be loved as first best, not second best; that they will be loved with an intensity that can move mountains, because life will present plenty of mountains that will need to be moved.

I pray that all children will have someone who will…

• seek them, and only them, out of the crowd on the stage;

• push them to reach for their goals and discover their unique gifts;

• hold them accountable for their actions with love and dignity;

• advocate for them through this maze called life;

• explain the unexplainable; and

• smile when they walk into the room, just because they did.

Mostly I pray that all children will have someone who knows them well enough and loves them deeply enough to see the divine spark that is unique in them.

I pray that this be the birthright of all children throughout the world. And since this birthright can only be fulfilled by parents, I pray that each child, regardless the circumstances of their birth, finds their parent and each parent finds their child.

Amen

NEW IN THE KITCHEN

National Drive Thru Day!

Here's a pasttime I enjoy very much: National Drive-Thru Day. Show off your laziness by not even getting out of the car to get your greasy food. You deserve it! But, always remember to be kind and courteous to the drive-thru employees. They deserve it, too!

National Drive-Thru Day, a day meant to encourage people to use the drive-thru for their convenience. After WWII, California sunshine and a love affair with automobiles spurred the growth of roadside businesses in the Golden State catering specifically to motorists. As America’s first major drive-through hamburger chain, Jack in the Box restaurants (founded in 1951) helped pave the way for a delicious new dining experience. Annually, on July 24.

Although I am a big fan of the SLOW food movement rather than FAST food there are times when a drive thru fits the situation. I think that slow food discourages fast food eating and encourages a slower lifestyle too.

Fast Food Made Right at Home

Pizza. When you make pizza at home, even if you use a store-bought crust, you can use reduced-fat or part-skim cheese, lean meat toppings like lean ham or reduced-fat pepperoni, and plenty of pizza sauce and veggies. Make your pizza dough at home, and you can replace half the white flour with whole-wheat flour to boost fiber and whole-grain nutrients.

Hamburgers. Ask the butcher to grind up a fresh, extra-lean, top-quality sirloin steak trimmed of visible fat. To make your burgers juicier, mix in a moist, flavorful ingredient, like soy sauce, minced garlic, tomato-based chili sauce, teriyaki sauce, or BBQ sauce. Dress it with condiments such as mustard and BBQ sauce instead of mayonnaise-based sauces, and use plenty of raw vegetable fillers (like onions, tomato, and lettuce). Top it with reduced-fat cheese, if cheeseburgers are what you crave. Then serve your sandwich on a whole-grain bun

Chicken Sandwiches. Chicken sandwiches can be good choices, if they're skinless, grilled instead of fried, dressed with low-calorie condiments, and served on a whole-grain bun. It's simple to make a BBQ chicken sandwich at home using grilled chicken breasts. You can even use your indoor grill or toaster oven. Serve it on a whole-grain bun topped with plenty of raw veggies.

Fried Chicken. The trick to making tasty oven-fried chicken is to dip skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into strips, if desired, in low-fat buttermilk, then coat the outside with a seasoned crumb mixture. Then coat the outside of the coated chicken pieces generously with canola cooking spray on both sides. Bake in a preheated 450-degree oven until nicely brown, about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the pieces

Milkshakes. For a lighter milkshake, just use light ice cream. Find a flavor that works for you, perhaps light vanilla or chocolate ice cream, or any flavor of sherbet. Adding nonfat or 1% low-fat milk instead of whole milk will shave more calories and fat while increasing protein slightly

PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in

your loving hands.

Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families for the

selfless acts they perform for us

in our time of need. I ask this in the

name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters

and Paramedics and EM

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

AROUND HOME

There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.

Hodding Carter, Jr.

Amelia Earhart wrote that A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others it that it makes them kind themselves. I think that this is one of the most important things we can teach our children. More and more I see less and less kindness in this world.

Be kind to yourself and be kind to each other.

Love, gentleness and kindness are all attributes to have and promote. Love it seems may initiate all the others.

Love one another and have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

COUNTING THE DAYS

Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.

Charles R. Swindoll

61 DAYS UNTIL FALL

Keep looking ON THE BRIGHT SIDE of things.

A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near…

Love,

ma