Broke the news to hubby that I declared a sick day for the girls. I was pleasantly surprised that he didn't yell. He did ask if the driveway was shoveled. Told him I only shoved his side to my side so when the neighbor dude plows it was HIS effort and not tons on my part. Well, hubby plans on coming home and shoveling. Well, more power to him. I HATE shoveling!! lol.

I kept thinking about Carlie--my own daughter is 11 and I would absolutely FREAK if something happened to her (plus they'd have to make sure the scum that did it was VERY locked up so I couldn't do anything to him). I would hope she'd kick, scream and do whatever. Our troop took the girls to some program called "Girl Scouts be Strong" or something like that. They taught the girls some moves they could use to break out of holds and fight against someone holding them against their wills. I was holding one of those pads while they practiced and if they EVER did that to an adult to try and get away I guarantee it would happen!!! Those kids were TOUGH!

Well, you all have a great day. I'm going to see if I can mix up some taco seasoning from that recipe here :)

That's why I keep wondering what he said to her. We all know to kick and scream and fight if we know we're in danger. What do we do if someone comes up to us in a panic and says that there's something wrong "over there" and they need help? Wouldn't most of us go? What if they tell you it's a friend or family member that's hurt "over there"? Wouldn't all of us go? Learning to kick and scream and fight is not good enough because most of the time it's too late when we realize we're in danger. Maybe more important is keeping a certain amount of personal space when we're around people we don't know. If she hadn't let him take her by the arm and still walked away with him, would she have been able to get away when she realized there was something wrong? Ugh! I just keep shaking my head. I don't know.

Thanks for the links and help gang, the only trouble I'm going to have now is my electrolytes. Gatorade sucks anyway so I won't be drinking that. But the hammer gel that I had last time had sugar in it and I know most of the gel packets have sugar. NOt to mention the rest stops are loaded with carbohydrates. Ugh. It's going to be hit and miss that day. I know I won't want to go over on my carbs or I won't feel well and THAT would not be ideal for that day. Grrr. I've asked some of my teammates (you'd think they would know since 90% of them are diabetic) but they have all just shrugged so far and said they just up their insulin.

Hey again shimma...

I used to run cross country (gawd I can't imagine doing that now) and I would take a very thin belt with me to hold keys, etc.

You could also arrange to leave something you can eat at a middle point rest stop, etc.

I'd recommend bringing:
nuts (compact, low carb, high energy)
berries mixed into cream cheese (kinda hard to bring, but maybe you coud arrange to just leave a tupperware for you at a rest stop?)
dried fruit---yes, yes, I know it's not typical atkins, but I'm talking about something like 1/4 cup dried strawberries

Heck you could even mix 1/4 cup dried strawberries, 1/4 cup slivered almonds, and 2 Tablespoons nut butter (unsweetened, like almond or peanut), with 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 T COCONUT oil and make your own energy bars!

If you've never used coconut oil--it is SOLID and will turn cocoa solid on a bar.

I'd mix the nut butter, fruit, almonds, and 1 T of the oil together and put it on wax paper in little balls in the freezer. Then melt the other T of coconut oil into the cocoa powder and roll the frozen balls in it. It will harden right up. Heck, you could even roll them in coconut flakes (unsweetened) or chopped nuts/almond flour after the chocolate for less mess. Then freeze the suckers solid the night before and they should hold up :) coconut oil is wonderful.

I have also mixed frozen almond butter chunks with the coconut oil/chocolate covering for rather tasty dark chocolate peanut butter cups!!!

Unless you like very very dark chocolate like me, you'll want to add splenda to anything made with the cocoa to taste. DaVinci's syrup also works fine and is my first choice.

on second thought, I should go back and edit out my energy bar recipe, I should go into business marketing it and destroy those nasty sugar alcohol brands! hehehe, who wants to buy stock?

Star,

I saw a television show this morning that basically said to teach our children that an adult should NEVER ask you for help. They are the adult. IF they need help that badly RUN the other way and call 911!! I thought that was very sound advice. On this newsbreak the also took two families and videotaped their children outside and had a person pull up to the curb asking for help finding a dog and one even asked if they could help find his wife. The kids walked right up to the car both times!!! How do we teach our kids not to do this and still be good citizens??

And it's not just the kids. It's all of us. How many adults are abducted? We're basically good people and most of the time if someone needs help, it's sincere. I agree that there's no reason a strange adult would ever need a child's help. But they can say there is. They can say that there's a kitten stuck in a hole and it's too small for them to reach down so they need someone with smaller arms. Predators are tricky. They have to be.

As an adult, I personally take the slightly paranoid route. No matter where I am, I am always coming up with a backup plan. An escape route if something bad should happen. Over and over, I present a scenario and then figure out how I'd get out or how I'd survive. I don't know that it would ever help, but I think it might.

A couple years ago my kids were playing outside. They were at the neighbors house (when the neighbor wasn't home) and this strange guy came walking up to them. They just stood there and talked to him!!! I only know this because the guy told my neighbor about it. She knew the guy,,but she said SHE would never have walked up to him looking the way he had if she hadn't known him!! Talk about freaking me out! I had a VERY stern talk (not that I think it did any good) to them. I was tempted to have someone come up to them and actually take them in the car. Maybe scare the bejesus out of them so they NEVER do that again!!! Does that make me mean to want to do that??

There is hope! I was at a hockey game one night with dh and there was this little guy who couldn't have been more than 4 that came down the stair by himself. He sat down on the step near us and was just trying to hard not to cry - it was very obvious he was lost. I went over to him and asked if I could help him find someone. He just sat there and wouldn't talk. Then the usher came over. Same thing. No matter who tried to talk to him, that little guy just kept his mouth shut and his eyes down. We did find his dad and then got the full benefit of the tears that he'd been fighting so hard.

I don't know how his parents taught him to not talk to strangers, but they did it! Almost too good ;)

KHEM.. I am in for the stock.. there is money to be made in good low carb snack foods.

It is so hard to be a parent. I know I found a little girl about 3 crying in K-mart. As long as my husband was there she sould not speak to me. I told her I would just stand beside her and my husband went and had her mom called for.. She did tell us her name. but was smart enough not to go any where with us. I just had to do somethig. All I could think about was if something happened to her and I had not done what I could I could never live with myself.

I gang, first chance I have had all day to post. Been busy at work finally.

Khem: Are those snacks you mentioned really Atkins friendly? They sound so good. I would love to try them. Have you put them on the recipe board?

I'm with all of you on the story about Carlie Brucia. I have just felt horrible about it all day. I don't know why this one bothered me more than some others. I guess it was just so weird...he seemed like he was just walking with her somewhere even though you knew in your heart that wasn't a good idea. And when they caught him and didn't find her I knew it wasn't going to be good. Not being a parent I can only imagine but how do you ever deal with that kind of death. It must just be horrible.

One of the girls I work with said yesterday that her mother told her once when she was little that she would NEVER send anyone else to pick her up at school that didn't know the password. The password was her dogs name. I thought that was a really great idea. If someone had ever come up to her and said your mother sent me to pick you up...she could ask the password and if they didn't know it she would run screaming.

How do you wake up one day and just say to yourself....I think I will go snatch some little girl and kill her today. :?:

Well, on a lighter note......I haven't been very well behaved today in the eating department but I am not going to make any excuses. I will jump back on the wagon later. I guess I am just thumbing my nose at it today.

I have to go in for surgery on Monday to make an adjustment to the surgery that I had done back in November so I won't be around at the beginning of the week. The surgeon told me to take Tuesday off too.....OK, if I have to I guess :D

I will try and pop in later today to wish you all a happy weekend.

Hi Everyone,
It is terrible news about Carlie. I can only imagine what her poor parents are going through, and it really makes me sick to think of what she must have gone through. There are some sick sick people in the world and I pray that I've tought my girls well enough.

Khem - You made me hungry just reading your post. I have to save that recipe quick before you go big time and I have to pay $7.95 a box for em :lol:.. Can't eat them now, but someday.. ah yes.. someday....

Brenda - You must live close to me, reading about the weather and school days and etc is like looking into a mirror.. I'm in FDL.. you close to there?

Shimma - Cookies BAD! icky pooey! Sore Butt um OUCH ;)

As for me.. TGIF!! No plans.. but no work til Monday..I didnt think Friday was ever going to get here. I made my Cream Cheese pancakes for lunch and I bought some of the Atkins Maple Syrup for them.. yes yes I know its not on the induction list so I used very little. MMMmmmm.. I'm satisfied.. A couple of them with a couple sausages and I'm set. DH didn't like them tho.. said they were too salty????? I don't know, guess he just doesn't know what good food is ;)

Trazzie--I'm more towards the GB area. But pretty dang close! I found out the REAL reason they didn't cancel school today. GRRRR. All because there's some type of extra curricular contest tomorrow and the leader of it wanted their team to practice today. How selfish was THAT???? I get sick of this town sometimes. Reminds me of the year the fog was so bad EVERYONE was cancelling but our town---and only because that meant if they cancelled for that they couldn't use the "snow day" for when the basketball team went to conference. They cancelled school for THAT instead. GRR!!

lots of snow here....
 

Snowed almost all day...wicked blinding blowing snow - as I watched from my office window - it stopped by the time I was ready to leave work but the driving was horrendous!

I too am sad about the Carlie story - I can hardly talk about things like that...I try not to read news stories like that either - I find ever since my Mother died (about 3 years ago) I seem not to be able to handle things like this that are so supremely sad - kinda like if I think about it too much or talk about it I will just start screaming/crying and never stop??? Not very normal I'm afraid?? almost like I'm on the edge of losing it. I could never imagine what the parents must feel like in such a horrible situation!

I too taught my kids (at least the 2 older ones...time to talk with the youngest I guess?)...that I would never send a stranger to pick them up if something happened to me...I asked them what they thought I would do...or who might come get them? They came up with very logical answers...and this reinforced the idea of no strange adult should approach them - for either help or to take them to me (which I understand some predators tell kids). We also have a family password which would be expressed if someone came to get them!

It just makes me sick and frightens me so much that they are such evil people in the world!

My weight is still in the depressing zone....up and down but I am finding that I am nibbling what I shouldn't...especially when dh is not home for dinner at night! I am basically okay during the day, but something happens when I get home! Need to learn more self control!

Happy that the weekend is here - altho dh IS WORKING LATE TONIGHT AS WELL....I feel like a single parent this week!....very tired and not wanting to clean up or anything - I am also like a spoiled child....cranky that he is not here!

Have some errands to do tomorrow - and make plans for tomorrow night - probably going to a movie....any suggestions?

Khem - I am in for investing in KHEM Energy bars???

Lady - I also wanted to do the "fake" kidnapping thing with my daughter when she was younger - she was the worst for taking off down the street without telling anyone...gave me many heart attacks and frights! Very punished.......now that she's older she is better, but then there are those who would take advantage of young girls.........sigh....

Later,

Froufy :cool:

Good evening ladies,
I too am heartbroken over the Carlie story, and what makes me even more mad is that guy was equited a couple years ago for trying to abduct another woman in the same manner as he did carlie. I think why it is particularly hard with Carlie is because usually you don't have it on camera when someone is approched and with this you see him very boldly walk right up to her and take her by the arm...and her follow. That is very hard and I can only hope her family doesn't think it is their fault, I hope they don't doubt what they taught her about strangers. A Pedator is very coy and convincing thats his job.

With my own kids I lean towards the sise of paranoid, they are NEVER otta my sight and I get very nervous if they are in a public area and out of arms reach. I am on triple alert. They are not allowed to walk next to the cart at the store they ride in it. I just started letting my 13 year old nephew go into the mens bathroom in public places by himself last year. I would make DH go with him or if all else failed I ushered him into the ladies with me. (ladies got offended but at least he never got kidnapped or his throat slashed in a bathroom on my time!!) I will be the first mom yelling CODE ADAM!! The one time Jonah did get away from me I beat everyone to the front door of Target and started the Code adam myself!! LOL Too many things can happen. I always say my babies are to cute someone would steal them in a minute.

BUT you can't have it both ways, like with the kids who won't talk to strangers when they are lost.....either it is OK to talk or it is not. My kids will not talk I am sure. A funny little side note was last summer we started teaching Jonah how it is not OK for anyone to touch your bum or pee pee or anywhere your bathing suit would cover. So promptly the next day outside all the neighbors were out and Jonah walked right up to our neighbors and informed them all "it is not ok for you to touch my bum or pee pee and if you do I will tell my mom and dad no matter what you say!" BOY I had some explaining to do!!! They were all floored! BUt obvoiusly though embarassing...he was listening!