Who came into my house and opened the chicken nuggets???!!!

I do not like chicken nuggets. I think they are disgusting and they aren't even real chickens. The thought of them makes me want to vomit. However, I purchased a bag for my children recently. I do not usually buy them, but I decided to go ahead as my plan was to be at the gym anyway that night.

Shortly after I bought them, within a day or two, I received a text from one of the teenagers asking if they can have some chicken nuggets for lunch. It was Spring Break. I text her back, "No. They are on the menu for dinner". Her reply, "ugh, okay".

Another couple days had past and I was retrieving something from the freezer when I noticed someone had opened the chicken nuggets. I was appalled. They cut open the bag and then rolled it shut, even using the sticky doohickey to seal it closed. I just couldn't believe it.

I distinctly remember the text conversation with my thirteen year old. I am positive I had a similar conversation with my fifteen year old face-to-face. My husband remembers that conversation too.

I questioned them all. At first, I thought it was the seven year old. She had motive, but when I questioned her, I came to realize it wasn't likely. She didn't have any opportunity or means. She didn't even know you could cook the pseudo chicken in the microwave. She wouldn't have made them in the oven. She doesn't know how to work that either. I doubt she put them in a pan on the stove.

Next to be questioned was the thirteen year old. She definitely had motive. She wanted the nuggets. She had also been home alone during Spring Break while the other two were practicing for an upcoming Quincenera.

I also questioned the fifteen year old. She definitely had motive as chicken nuggets are her favorite. She had been begging me to purchase them for months. I was tough though. I didn't give in, until now. And look what happened! She didn't have opportunity though.

My husband, John, sometimes comes home for lunch. He too, was questioned. Consider the possibility he didn't realize they were on the menu for dinner in a couple weeks, so he ate them for lunch. He came home for lunch twice that week, but after further investigation, I was home both days. I know he didn't make them at that time.

In my living room we have a chair called, "The Honesty Chair". It's a chair where anyone can sit in and tell the truth about whatever it is they want to get off their chest and they cannot get in trouble (by the parents). Now, there could be self-inflicted consequences. For example, if they rob a bank, they will more than likely go to jail. I cannot help with that. But, I've promised not to yell or ground them when they are telling me the truth while in the honesty chair.

My little one climbs in the honesty chair and says to me, very serious like, "Mom, I honestly have no clue who opened the chicken nuggets." Well, although that's not exactly what I wanted to hear, I was happy she was being honest.

John sat in the honesty chair too. He admitted to making breakfast in his sleep when he was an adolescent. So, it's possible he opened the Chickie's in his sleep.

The thirteen year old never sat in the chair, but was quite upset at the accusations being made. Then, she attempted to point at me saying, "you threw them away because you hate chicken  nuggets! You don't want them in your house so you chucked them!! You're guilty! You have a motive!!!"

While that may very well be true, I despise the fake clucks, I replied with, "If that would have been the case, I never would have purchased them in the first place." I am the one who bought them. So, I've been ruled out as a suspect.

Now we have the fifteen year old who swears up and down I never told her they were for dinner. What she did do, though, because she is the President of "The Big Bang Theory" fan club, she checked the bag for the serving size. Then, she counted the chicken nuggets in the bag. According to her calculations and the notes 'servings' listed on the packaging, who ever opened the bag, didn't actually eat any of the nuggets. 

Once the math whiz figured that out, her theory was that I purchased the Lil chirps that way. I bought an opened bag up chicken nuggets that were not ripped open, or had a hole in them, but obviously cut with scissors, then rolled tightly in attempts to reseal them.

Hmmmm, I know I get a little occupied in the bakery isle, with all the yummy smells and all, but that day dream doesn't actually get me high. I'm sure I would have noticed the rolled up bag when I took it out of the cooler. I am totally confident I did not purchase an open bag of chicken pieces.

We sat in my living room for hours trying to figure who opened the bag. I wouldn't let them on their electronics until someone confessed. The fifteen year old cried, "please!! If it was one of you just confess already!!! She's serious! She will make us miserable, people!!! Just confess!!" To my husband and myself, that was just funny. She's so serious, too.

The little one started passing me notes. "Mom, I do not know who did it. Will you just forget about it? PS can I play my DS?" I wrote her back, "No"

I came to the conclusion that it may not have been any of them. Consider the possibility someone came into our home, opened  the freezer, and ate our chicken nuggets. I looked around on the exits/entries for the home. There was no sign of a break in. At that time, I decided to call my mother. perhaps she got hungry. She only lives about ten houses away and she has a key.

As I dialed my mothers phone number, I told the four suspects that if it indeed was her, I would take them all out to dinner tonight! They cheered.

I asked  my mother if, by any chance, she came to my house and indulged in a chicken finger frenzy. Mom began to gag. I don't blame her, either. I told her what was happening and she confirmed that she had been at work all week. She has a key, but didn't have any other opportunity, nor did she have motive.

I told her that I had told my family that if she confessed, I would have taken them all out to dinner. She laughed and told me someone should have text her first and told her what to say. She wanted me to take her to dinner, too.

Last night as I climbed onto my five foot high bed, I re-assured all three girls that they are more than welcome to write an anonymous note and slip it under the door. At this point, this is a trust thing, not a chicken wing thing. I reassured them, no one will get into trouble. I just want to know who opened the bag, thinking someone opened the bag to eat them, then thought it would be a good idea to ask if they can have them first. When they were told no, they closed the bag and put it back. That totally sounds logical to me.

When I woke up this morning, I had a little note, written in the handwriting of a seven year old, "mom, I seriously do not know who got into the chicken nuggets."

I Sell Soda To My Kids

My kids are always asking me for sodas. I get tired of it. I don't even buy it very often, but when I do, it's for my husband, John. I drink water. I haven't drank carbonation in over two and  half years. I usually only buy soda around holidays or special occasions.

Recently, John expressed a desire to have more sodas in the house so he didn't have to go to the gas station to fill his cup all the time. It would be nice to open the fridge and just pull out a Diet Coke or a Diet Dr. Pepper. So, I started buying them a little more often.

Well, since  I have done that, the children are ALWAYS asking for them. I mentioned to the youngest, who is seven, that I should start charging .50 a can. She told me that was a great idea! So, when she and I returned home, I mentioned it to my thirteen year old. She said it was a great idea, too. The school sells their canned soda for $1.00. Therefore, she thought it was a great deal. She said I should do it. The decision was made. I told my fifteen year old and she said she would never drink soda again. Less than an hour later, she brought me .50 and asked if she could buy a soda.

I now have a Soda Money canister on the counter where the money is put when they buy them. I make a fairly good profit too when I am buying Coke and/or Pepsi products. I use their money to buy more sodas. Their money pays also for my husbands soda addiction, thus leaving us to pay for none of it.

To keep my little business rolling, I ask them what kind they want me to buy. I love it when the little one asks for Shasta Black Cherry! That's pretty cheap. I make a good profit then. Oh, and when their friends come over and want a soda, I don't make their friends buy themselves a soda. I just tell them, "hey don't worry about it. I'm sure Sadie or Savanna will buy you a soda." They do. Then, I'm really making bank! The other night, these girls had five of their friends over and they went through an entire twelve pack. I made six bucks in one night! YAY me.  I didn't even have to do anything but put it in the fridge.

Savanna and Sadie earn their own money, too. They sure don't get it from me. That would defeat the whole purpose. They babysit for people in the neighborhood. Sometimes they clean this guys house when he's on the road (he's a trucker so he leaves and comes home to a clean house).

My little one, I don't give her money either. She usually gets money from the older two. The older two are smart though. They will not just hand over money to her either. She can earn money though. She earns money buy doing some of their chores. They pay her to do them. Sometimes she goes over to Grandmas house and earns money over there, too.

I do not sell soda to my kids to be a mean parent. I sell my kids soda to teach them that they have to work/earn for what they want. The older two also have cellular devices in which they pay $10 a month for.

On the cell phones, the $10.00 is due on the first of the month. They have a seven day grace period. If it's not paid by the seventh, there is a $5 late fee. If it's not paid by the 15th, The phone is "turned off", meaning I confiscate their phone until the $15 is paid. If the next month rolls around, of course they owe for that month too.

The money goes into their individual savings account for school clothes, supplies, movies, shoes, trips to the mall, etc.....

I do this to teach my children responsibility, not to be mean. My daughters have had cell phones for two years. I have charged one late fee.

Pork Chops In The Park

I work very close to Pioneer Park in Salt Lakr City, Utah. Many people are skeptical to walk around this park because it is surrounded by homeless people. There are several homeless folks in the area. Many of these people, you can find there at this park every day.

I walk around the park on my two breaks. I enjoy the out doors and I am able to stretch my legs for a few minutes. I am one of the lucky few that have a desk job. Walking prevents my legs from cramping.

Recently, I met a homeless man who lives in the park. My friends and I call him "Texas" because for weeks now, he has been trying to get to a family reunion in Texas. He has four names, but I cannot remember them. I think his first name is Roy.

I don't know how Roy became a member of the homeless society. I've never asked him. I do know he was in Vietnam. He says what happened in Vietnam is between him and The Lord. He doesn't like to talk about it.

Everytime my friends and I walk past Texas and his friends on the East side of the park, he yells, "Did you bring me any pork chops?!" We laugh and tell him not today. On Friday, September 28th 2012, I agreed to bring him pork chops when I came in to work on Monday.

I decided Sunday would be a good day for my family to eat pork chops for dinner. Harmons, the local grocery store, has some on sale five packages for $20.00. I bought five packages, which have three pork chops each. I have a family of five.

Today, Monday October 1 2012, I took the remaining pork chops, there were six, with me to work. I took along a loaf of homemade bread, homemade raspberry jalepeno jam, and a piece of homemade apple pie. I was so excited to run into my friend on my first break this morning. I searched for him, but he wasn't there.

I held onto the food I had brought and when it was time for our next break, Jackie and I made the rounds around the park again. I had the plastic Wal-Mart sack in hand full of food. I hoped to see my friend this afternoon. I had even joked that if I didn't see him today, I was going to eat his pie!

Sure enough, on the east side of the park, there was my friend. He said hello to us as we came walking up towards him and his friends. I asked him what he was doing, sitting there with a torn baggy next to him. As I looked down at the bag, I saw old meat covered in white fuzz. Texas was putting catsup all over it.

"You can't eat that!" I blurted. "That will kill you. It's got mold all over it."

"It does?" he asked, still squeezing the catsup package.

"Here, eat this instead. I brought you pork chops."

"You did", he interupted. "I was just messin' with ya'all".

I continued, "I also made you a loaf of homemade bread, homemade jam, and brought you a slice of homemade apple pie".

Holding the loaf of white bread in his hands he says, "you made this yourself?"

"I sure did. And I  brought it for you."

Jackie and I walked away at this point and let him eat his lunch.

"Thank you!  I'll walk with you around the park tomorrow!" he yells. "Don't forget, Thursday, I'm leaving for Texas".

"That's  right, Thursday. I remember" I said as I waived goodbye.

I cannot believe he was going to eat meat covered in white fuzz. Seeing that made me so sick to my stomach. Too many people turn a blind eye to te needs of other people. Too many people are afraid to help those in need because they want to know they "whys" of it all or "what are you going to do with it?"

I help those I can help because of who I am. I choose to help those in need. I choose to be a friend to all of those around me. I am no better than Roy. I am no better than anyone on this earth. We all have our own struggles, our own demons, our own trials, our own adversities. Sometimes yours may be harder than mine; other times my trials may be harder than yours. How can I appreciate my own trials  if I don't help you get through yours?

I am very thankful for the learning experiences I have had. I am also very thankful for the adversities I have over come. I know I have been blessed with the ability to help others. I also know I have been blessed with friendships from diverse communities. I believe these friendships keep me open-minded and open-hearted towards other people.

April

Teenagers! Sometimes, I just want to wring their little necks!

99% of the time my daughter is very well behaved. She loves people. People love her. She is brilliant for a fourteen year old. I can have an adult conversation with her, and she participates in it. She speaks sarcasm as a second language, which she obviously learned from me. She was student body officer, she plays volleyball, she participates in the "best-buddies" program at school, and she attends the special needs mutual as a volunteer.

This last week, however, has been a total nightmare! I don't know what her problem is, but this last week has been the worse ever! Even her friends are running in the opposite direction. At night, I even hide under my blanket and say a prayer for comfort. It's so scary here. Okay, maybe not THAT bad.

Earlier in the week, I had just walked through the door when a friend stopped by. So, I visited with them for a few minutes (about an hour). As soon as this person left, Savanna and I ran to the store to pick up a couple things for dinner. I raced through the door, threw it all together (with Sadie's help). I threw dinner in the oven and within five minutes, my visiting teachers were knocking at my door.

I love my visiting teachers and I love chatting with them too. This is my "me" time, I guess. They stayed about 45 minutes. By the time they left, dinner was ready and on the table. No sooner as I sat down and took two bites, TWO bites!!, Sophie tells me she has no goodnights (Ohhhh, I pray the day she grows out of this crap). So, I am off to the store again.

As I get up from the table, only eating half my dinner, I tell Savanna to clean up after dinner (I even said please). OM-Goodness! Things went flying! The neighbors could hear her yelling at me, "why do I have to do it?!" I told her three times to stop yelling at me. Her response, there's an echo in the house. I even attempted to start the conversation over again and walked back into the kitchen saying, "let's try this again". Yep! That was a mistake. I thought she would have gotten the hint, she is an A student, you know. But, she didn't. She just picked up right where she left off. So, I told her, "because I am the mom and I told you to do it!"

I didn't want to return from the store after that one, but there's only so much to look at in Harmons. I knew I should have went to Wal-Mart instead. You know, the one in Kentucky. Anyway, I got home and lo and behold, dinner was put in the fridge but all the dishes were piled in the sink! Grrrrrr

I looked at John and said, "what the crap? Did I not tell her to clean up dinner?"

"You never said do the dishes though", he replied.

So, I called for Savanna and she too said that I never told her to do the dishes. How in the world is she supposed to know that the dishes have to be included unless I specify? So, I told her, the previous fourteen years of her life I never specified and the dishes were done! Today, is no different. Therefore, let me specify now. I told her the dishes needed to be done right now and, she can bring me her Kindle, ipod, and her cell phone. Oh, and specifically, you're grounded so you may want to tell your friends tomorrow at school that you aren't going to the movie with them Saturday. Is that specific enough for you?

Then she began to yell again. This time, I was smart. I didn't want to yell back because well, I've gotten tired in my old age, so I merely told her to go to her room. I will do the dishes, but she's grounded and no way am I going to listen to that.

About an hour and a half later, we had family prayer. Of course, Savanna sat there an moped. When all was said and done, I headed off to bed. I told her to go to bed and she yells, "I am!" I calmly said, "No, you're still sitting on the couch."

She yells again, "Well, can't we talk about this?!"

"Not now" I reply, "I'm going to bed. You've had all night. It's after nine now"

"But, can I earn them back?!" She yells from the front room.

"Of course you can earn them back" I say from inside my room.

That was the end of that. Well, until the very next day. Not one word was said all morning. I watched the news. I applied my make-up, all while getting the stink-eye. I figured she would come around (I was wrong).

On the way home from work, I called to have Sadie make meatloaf. Sadie had a headache and since Sophie is only six, I had to ask Savanna. She was okay with making the meatloaf and mashed potatoes. But as soon as that was all said and done, she began to yell at me again.

This time, she's upset that I am ignoring her. No mother, if they love their child, should ignore them, she says. I kindly told her, "Savanna, you were with me all morning. You had every opportunity to talk to me and you've made a choice not too. I am driving down the road now and cannot talk about this. We will have to talk later."

I arrived home about 7pm. We didn't have family prayer until well after nine. I felt as though Savanna had every opportunity to talk about the recent events at this time. She still, never said a word. She just glared at me. So, I went to bed.

The next morning, I asked her if she wanted to talk about the past couple days events and she very abruptly told me "No. There's nothing to talk about". I asked her if she knew why she was grounded. She replied because the dishes weren't done. The dishes themselves were the least of the problems here. I tried explaining to her that her attitude stinks.

I got the "whatever" attitude and well, I totally lost my cool. Finally, I looked her square in the eye and told her she has an attitude "sucks balls" and I can give it right back. It was then, that I did something I never thought I would ever do.

I gave my daughter the middle finger. Yes. I flipped off Savanna and I walked out of the room. Poor John just looked at me and with eyes filled with tears I said, "I just flipped her off!"

"Well, at least it wasn't the six year old," he laughed.

Oh geez. I never thought I'd do something like that. I've tried to talk with her, but she isn't going too. Things are still distant between us, but we can talk about other things. I did tell her I was sorry for flipping her off. She in turn advised me, she nearly gave me the bird back.

I told her that would have been a pretty dumb move on her part. The chances would have been pretty good that she would no longer have a middle finger. Or at least a not very straight one. She also informed me that she told all her friends that I flipped her off.

According to Savanna, she told her friends what happened and they laughed at her. However, according to Sadie, they also told her she has had an attitude. I didn't say anything to that. I just smiled on the inside.

I guess we will see what this week brings. I am hoping her attitude will get better. I do not want to adjust it for her (unless I have too, than I will). I'm thinking the teenage years are the worst ever. It's no wonder my mother dyed her hair so often when I was in high school.

Heaven Help Me

I have spent years of my life finding the 'lost soul' to help. I have always tried to help others and bring them up. October, 2009, something bad happened to me. The experience itself is irrelevant. I made certain choices which allowed for me to held accountable. I paid some very deep prices. Needless to say, emotionally, spiritually, I was gone for a short time.
I didn't know what to do. I didn't feel as though I had anyone I could talk to. Some say you have to play with the cards you are dealt. However criminals know a sucker when they see one and will often give you a bad hand for the sake of humiliating you. Humiliating is the ideal word for exactly what I felt.
I didn't feel as though I had anywhere to go. I went to the one place I knew I could trust. I went to church. No one  there knew why the sudden change in me, nor did they ask. I am thankful for that. I wasn't ready to answer. If anyone asked, I probably would have taken off. Instead, all these familiar faces welcomed me with such warmth and a feeling of security that I so desperately needed. I needed to keep my mind off of recent events, so I made it a point to go to every activity.
    It was around November when I noticed a change in how I was feeling. It was comparable to invisible arms that had been wrapped around me like a blanket. I felt comforted, safe, and secure for the first time in months. I no longer felt vulnerable. To me, vulnerability is worse than going without food. I figured it was because I was making better choices, attending Sunday services, activities, and had begun working on my YW personal progress.
    By the mid January, I met John Sutton. He and I had only been on 2 dates when I had my patriarchal blessing. The patriarch asked me a few questions. Then, he proceeded to tell me that I was seeing someone special. I became nervous, like a school girl. The patriarch asked me his name. "John", I replied. "John what?" "John Sutton". It was then when he smiled and said, "you are exactly where you need to be. He will keep you safe."
   At that moment I said to myself, "self?! How would he know that I need to be kept safe? Who told him? Why would he say that?" But I already knew. I already knew because the first date that John and I went on he grabbed my hand and told me, "you'll always be safe with me." At another time, I'm not sure if it was our first or second date, but I heard a voice, a woman's voice in my ear that said, "he will keep you safe. He will protect you."
   I know it was Aunt Joan who told me that John would keep me safe. Being with Heavenly Father, she knows more about my life than I could ever imagine. It was a short time, days maybe a week or so that I literally felt myself being unwrapped from this invisible blanket of comfort and transferred into John's heart. I knew at that point that I couldn't be my usual 'hardened' self, either because that would only scare him away. I had to allow him to see the real me.
   I was scared to allow myself to be vulnerable again. Only this time, it was a different kind of vulnerable. I was in control of my vulnerability. I also knew that John was deeply in love with me and that my Father in Heaven placed me with John because at this time in my life, I need him. I know I am deeply in love with John and to be in love with someone, one must trust them.
   I told John what happened to me. He cried with me as I told him the mortifying tale of my experiences. John is a wonderful man. He was able to listen with a loving ear and didn't judge me in any manner. He held me as we both shed tears. He too shared past experiences with me that he had never shared with anyone before.
    In a recent conversation with my religious/spiritual crutch, Jon Donio, I finally shared with him my testimony of faith and prayer. He told me that in November, when I felt those "invisible arms of comfort" around me, that is when many of my friends and other members of the ward joined together and put my name on the prayer roll. He told me that they could tell something had happened to me, but I was not quite ready to share it. He also knew that whatever had happened was devastating and could eventually break me if I didn't receive help and guidance.He was absolutely right.
    Sometimes people want to know too much before they are willing to help out. They want to know the why's of it all, but does it really matter why so-and-so is in their current situation? Is it really relevant? No. It isn't. In every marriage and/or relationship we stress the importance of communication. So, let's stress the importance of communication to our Heavenly Father. He needs to hear your voice. He misses you.