Phone on Silent

I know I have written numerous posts about RT and his phone issues.  There are so many, it's hard to keep up.

There's the butt dialing.  I thought it was just me that he was butt dialing.  It would happen so often, I guess I got used to it.  He has started butt dialing the kids.  I get texts from them telling me about it.  The other day, RT told me he sent a message to his cousin's wife because he accidentally butt dialed her.  He has never called her (ever) so I'm not sure how he accidentally butt dialed her.  Only RT can pull something like that off.

The butt dialing I can live with, but, leaving his phone on silent is something that drives me crazy!

I understand the need to put your phone on silent during certain situations.  For example, while you are at work, church, meeting with a teacher, meeting with your boss, funeral, etc.  RT puts his on silent at work.  Perfectly understandable.  I mean, who wants to be in a meeting and have their phone go off?

When RT comes home, he leaves his phone on silent.  On the weekends, his phone is on silent.  So, when we try to get a hold of him, he doesn't answer his phone because he doesn't know it's ringing or that we called.

The kids have taken to calling and texting me.  I sometimes tell them to call their Dad and they say, "He doesn't answer the phone.  That's why I'm texting you."  They know I will answer.

I put my phone on silent while I'm at work.  I usually have it on me while I'm working.  The minute I step out of work, I turn the ringer back on.  I guess I'm worried I might miss an important call or text from my kids.

One night, I was working and my phone was ringing.  I answered it because it was Bella.  I knew she was out with a friend and thought something might have happened.  She told me she needed a ride home and couldn't get a hold of RT, so she called me.  I told her to call Nick (and gave her a list of a few other options in case he couldn't get her).  Luckily Nick was around and was able to swing by and pick her up.

I'm thinking of putting a post it note in RT's car with, "Turn your ringer on."

Pokemon Update

I mentioned that RT listed some Pokemon cards in my last Pokemon post.  Thought I would let you know that it's been a week and I'm happy to say that he has sold 5 cards so far!   He's listing more cards.  It takes time to list and package up sold cards.  I think eventually this could be a full time career for him.

International Day of Peace

The International Day of Peace has been celebrated around the world since the 1980's.  It's a day dedicated to world peace.  A day without war or violence.

There are various ways to celebrate the day.  Some local towns celebrate with a parade or festival.

Other ideas?

A minute of silence at Noon
Meditation and prayer
Service to others
Yoga
Writing peace poetry

If you post any pictures to social media of you participation in peace type activities, make sure to tag them #peaceday.

How will you celebrate today?

The Grape Juice Challenge

So, I just read about this whole Grape Juice Challenge.  It's not really a challenge, but, that's what I'm calling it.  It's where you drink a shot of (100% pure) grape juice every day.  By doing this, it will help keep you from getting the flu.

Now, I'm not sure how a daily dose of grape juice can prevent a person from getting the flu.  Maybe the people who did this were just lucky and didn't get the flu that year.  Maybe they weren't around anyone who had the flu.  Maybe they were hermits and never went out of the house?

So, my question to you is, How do you prevent getting the flu?

Do you get a flu shot?

Haven you tried (or heard of) the Grape Juice Challenge?

Pokemon

I'm sure you have heard of Pokemon.  There are Pokemon cards, clothes, and even a Pokemon App.  My boys were into Pokemon cards starting in Preschool.  The fad for them didn't last really long.  They did, however, collect  millions  thousands of cards.  Yea.  I didn't cross out thousands because between the two of them, I'm sure we have at least a thousand cards.  To top it off, RT was given a huge collection by one of his bosses (during that time).  The Pokemon collection belonged to their sons, who were older than our boys.

I never threw out the boys cards.  You see, I learned by the mistake my Mom made many years ago.  My Mom threw out both of my brother's baseball card collections.  They had tons of cards.  I should know.  My Dad would take us out for candy and I would get a package of baseball cards, keep the gum and give the cards to my brother.   P.S.  The gum was the worst.  I think it was stale.

Anyway, after hearing about that, and how some of those cards could have been worth money, I decided to just save my kids Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards.

One night, we happened to be watching "Pawn Stars."  A guy was selling his Pokemon cards.  The story was:  He got into Pokemon when his kids were interested.  The kids lost interest, but he kept at it.  Apparently he had a lot of cards with a total value of $9-11,000.  He was going to use it to help pay for his kids' college.

Well, bells started going off.  I said, "You know?  The boys still have their cards and I think they have some good ones.  Maybe we can sell some and pay for college?"

RT started doing research on the cards.  After hours of research, it's scary that he knows so much about Pokemon and Pokemon cards.  He will disappear in the basement for hours researching and looking through cards.  He even went through the boys rooms and the attic and found all of the cards.  Although, he believes Nick is hiding some cards in his room.  It has come to the point where I never see RT and when I do, he spouts things about Pokemon.  He's even out buying more cards!  He's become obsessed!  It's almost like having a little kid who wants to buy more and Pokemon cards.

He has just started to list some.  Let's hope that they sell and we are able to pay for college.

Wish us luck.

Blogversary

Oh, Happy Day!

I just realized it's my blogversary today.  Seven  long  scary  frightening  wonderful years of starting this blog.

When I started this journey, I didn't think I would have enough scary stories to tell about my life.  Here we are, seven years later and I'm still going strong.

If you have been with me that long, God Bless you!  And, if you are new to My Scary Journey, welcome - It's a crazy ride.

Thanks for reading and here's to another seven more years!

Netflix Password

We have a streaming Netflix subscription.  We have been with Netflix for quite some time now.  I'm assuming I don't have to tell everyone what Netflix is, unless you have been living under a rock?

We use our Netflix subscription quite a bit.  The only problem is that we can only have two people streaming at the same time.  I personally think that's enough, since we only have two TV's.  The kids feel that we should add more users because they use other devices to watch Netflix.  I tell them that if they want to pay the extra fee every month, then we can upgrade.  This usually happens when I want to watch something and there are already two people using Netflix.  Instead of letting me use Netflix, the one who signed up and is paying for it, the kids want me to increase the number of users.

I'm sure I've mentioned that I'm not a big TV watcher.  I'll watch shows and movies, but usually with one or more people.  I won't just sit down by myself to watch something (unless I'm sick).

Last weekend, Bella and I decided to watch a movie.  When we pressed play, it showed that two other people were watching movies.  I knew Alex was watching a movie, but, Nick wasn't even home.  After a little text exchange with Nick, I found out he wasn't using Netflix, but, maybe his girlfriend was watching a movie.

That's when I got a little upset.

I've heard of people sharing their Netflix passwords.  I didn't realize that my kids are sharing our Netflix password with others.

Nick wasn't sure if his girlfriend was using it, so, I just deleted his profile.  I found out that she was with a friend, watching a movie on our account.  She switched to her friend's Netflix account when she finally got Nick's message.  After all this happened, I heard that she is going to pay for her own Netflix account now.

Hopefully I will now be able to use my Netflix subscription whenever I want.

How to Save Your Cell Phone Battery (an Explanation)

I posted my suggestion on how to save your cell phone battery.  I thought I should probably elaborate on that post.

I don't use my phone a lot.  I'm not always on it.  Some days, I use it to look up things or check my email or play music.  On those days (especially when I use it for music), my cell phone battery goes down faster.  I haven't mastered the art of how to make your cell phone battery last longer.  My children give me odd tips every once in awhile like, turn off your blue tooth or wi-fi.  I'm not sure if they help much or not.  I don't ever see a drastic change in battery use on my phone if I use their suggestions.

One day, my cell phone battery was getting low and I didn't have my charger.  I decided to turn off my cell phone (Oh, THE HORROR!) to save on my battery life.  I couldn't use it where I was, so, why leave it on?  Right?

And, then I thought, you always hear people complaining that their cell phone battery is low and they might need to use it.  But these people keep their phone on until the battery runs out and then they are left with a dead phone?  Why don't they just turn off their phone?

Vegan Diaries : Black Bean Brownies

Wanted to make some brownies for a dessert one night from scratch.  I have been dying to try my hand at making black bean brownies.  I had them at a party once and was shocked to learn that there was a whole can of black beans in them.

I found this recipe and thought I would give it a try.

Black Bean Brownies

ingredients:
1 14oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large eggs*
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp oil
1 TBS unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

directions:

Oven: 350F
Line a 9x9 square baking dish with parchment paper
Blend black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, sugar, oil, almond milk, balsamic vinegar, baking soda, baking powder in blender until smooth.  Pour into bowl.
Mix in half of the chocolate chips.
Pour brownie mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top of the brownies.
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (about 30-32 minutes)
Allow brownies to cool completely before slicing them into squares.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


*You can use flax eggs instead of eggs.  1 TBSP ground flax plus 3 TBSP cold water and let sit for five minutes.

I didn't tell the family that these contained black beans.  I waited until they were eaten and if they asked, then I told them.  I didn't have any complaints and they disappeared quickly.  Oh, and at least I know they got some protein while eating these brownies.

P.S.  The recipe originally called for 3/4 cup of sugar.  I reduced mine to 1/2 cup and thought they were delicious.  If you like a real sweet brownie, feel free to add more sugar.

Enjoy!

He's Back

Dropped him off last Saturday and then he decides to come back home Thursday after classes.

Why?

Because he didn't pack enough clothes.

Apparently he already did a load of laundry (shocking, I know!).  He has been working out a lot at the gym on campus.  I, of course, have no sympathy.   He had plenty of time to pack.

Let's see if he stays there a little longer this time.

Does anyone else have an inhaler of Vic's Vapor Rub in their nightstand drawer?

Sick

I came down with a cold a couple of weeks ago.  I was down for the count for about a week.  I had to get my shifts at work covered.  I did go in one day, but, was lucky enough to be able to leave a little early that day.

The thing about being sick is that most people can take the day off from work (with pay) and get better.  Maybe family members take care of them.  Bring them homemade soup, juice, hot tea, over the counter medicine, cough drops, an extra blanket, some aspirin...  you get the picture.

I forget these things because I don't get sick that often.  And, when I do get sick, that's when I remember that I'm the one that does the running around, getting juice, bringing aspirin, making homemade soup, etc. for the sick person.  So, when I get sick, I'm left to fend for myself.  I was able to get my shifts at work covered (I don't get sick days or paid when I'm sick) but, I wasn't able to get the work that needed to be done around the house.  No one cooked dinner.   Laundry did not get washed.  Errands were put on hold.  Grocery shopping did not get done.

I do have to say that Nick did ask me daily (usually multiple times during the day) if he could get me anything.  He even gave me some vitamins to take to try to knock out my cold.

Luckily we have a garden this year.  I lived off tomatoes.  I didn't have any energy (probably because I wasn't eating anything) to make anything for myself to eat, and, well, there were tomatoes sitting there on the counter.  Lots and lots of tomatoes.  So, I ate them.

I'm thinking I should get together a game plan for my next illness so things don't fall through the cracks and I actually have some food to eat while I'm sick (other than tomatoes).

I'll just put that on my never ending To Do List.

College Drop Off

I need a T-shirt with, "I survived college drop off."

Alex is the first going away to school, so this experience is all new to me.

The school provides you with a list of items your child might want/need while they are away at school.  Normally, the parent and child tackle the list and purchase (or find in the house or from friends or neighbors) the items they feel will be needed.  Items are then packed and moved with the child on move in day.

I'm pretty sure that's how it happens in normal families.  Or maybe families with a daughter going away to school.

Our college prep was all me, running form store to store trying to find things that Alex might need  Alex did not want to talk about it or be a part of it.  In fact, he got to the point of saying, If I need something, I'll just buy it.

I made sure he had the necessities.  Sheets, pillows, blanket, towels, soap and toothpaste.  I even threw in some toilet paper, crackers and granola bars.  Hey!  I'm a mom and want to make sure he has healthy snacks and a few necessities.

Alex was in charge of packing his clothes and cleaning up his room (HA!).

Move In Day arrive and Alex is tossing some clothes in a duffel bag (like he's going on a weekend get away.  We all fit into RT's car (all five of us) along with the small amount of stuff Alex brought with him.  As we are unpacking (at school), Alex says, "I think I'm going to have to come home next weekend to get more clothes and stuff that I'll need."

He's lucky he isn't that far away from home.