I want to earn Ramp Ring Acrobatics playing Sonic The Hedgehog Classic. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sonic-the-hedgehog-classic/id316025912?mt=8

Bento: Blueberry Breakfast in a Box + Bonus!

I'm back with two more bentos--not much else, so let's get to it! I want to save my favorite for last, so we'll start with the bonus. I have what I call a "redneck" bento: slow-cooked country style pork rib, purple cauliflower, and whole wheat garlic bread. He's really lucky that this rib made it into the box. I wanted to eat all of the leftovers myself. It may look a little sloppy, but these ribs are moist and melt-in-your-mouth tender.

And next, the main feature. You may be thinking, "Hey! I don't see in blueberries in there!" So I may have exaggerated a little for the sake of alliteration in the title, but they are in there. They are part of a Van's gluten free blueberry waffle. The protein in this one is two mini sausage and egg casseroles with cheddar cheese. I "baked" these in my microwave muffin pan, which I inherited from my grandma. I've never tried it for muffins, but it sure works well for eggs! Also included are white (green) grapes and a little jar of maple praline syrup for the waffle.

Bento: Tastes of Summer

I am well aware that I haven't posted a bento since April. I think that is what some of my readers were most interested in, and I am incredibly sorry. I hope that I haven't lost you! I have since taken a work-at-home job that allows me lots more free time, and I am now committed to packing Nate a lunch as often as I can.

This one combines two of the signature tastes of summer: sweet corn and apples. I guess apples are more fall, but it's late summer, right? The entree is a baked potato topped with shredded colby-jack cheese and crumbled bacon. Mmm. The best part about putting this one together is that I learned that corn on the cob can be microwaved! All I did was wrap it in plastic wrap and nuke it for 90 seconds. Then I cut off the rather sad-looking ends and presto! A fully-cooked, perfectly-sized ear of corn. I'll be using this technique again.

Coming full circle

After seeing how drastically jury duty affected me, my husband vowed that if he were called, he would serve to the best of his ability. He thoroughly researched the deliberation process, developing strategies to ensure its fairness and impartiality, should he ever be called. Little did he know that he would need the knowledge so soon. Just two months after I served, he received a summons.

He showed up to selection, and sure enough, he was chosen. The cases we heard were alarmingly similar. A few of the circumstances differed, but the victims were about the same age, the charges were similar, and the evidence was equally lacking. Despite some of the other jurors' doubts, he convinced them to make him foreman and to agree to a few basic procedures, based upon the military court martial system. I believe that these proceedures made the difference between his trial and mine--between a fair trial and a witch hunt. I share them here in hope that someone will use these principles as a guide. Perhaps they will save some mild-mannered juror a lifetime of regret. More importantly, they may prevent an innocent person (from a legal standpoint) from being convicted.

1. Parliamentary procedure for discussion. The jury's discussion proceeded around the table, and each person was allotted five minutes to speak at a time. No one was required to speak for that long--or at all, for that matter. However, the time was available if they wanted it, allowing each juror a fair chance to voice an opinion.
2. Evidence-based instead of verdict-based deliberation. Instead of discussing whether the defendant was guilty or not guilty, the jury began by carefully considering all of the evidence presented in the case. Their opinions may have been apparent because of their reactions to the evidence, but this procedure placed the focus where it needed to be--on the facts--instead of on getting justice for the victim.
   
3. Voting by secret ballot. After everyone had been given ample time to share their opinions of the evidence, they submitted their verdicts via paper ballot. Those who wanted to share their vote could, but this method ensured that more timid types did not simply "go along to get along."
   

The procedures worked well. After about an hour and a half of discussion, the jury voted by secret ballot and came to a unanimous decision.

The whole experience reminds me why I fell in love with this man. He has a rare form of integrity, and he stands for what he believes, no matter how unpopular his opinion might be. Largely because of him, liberty won out that day. As a citizen, I am grateful. As a wife, I am proud.

My civic duty

May 16. Wow! Has it really been over a month since I updated? I don't know how I got here from blogging every day for almost an entire month, but here I am. The day after I posted the last entry, my life was forever changed. That was the day I was chosen for jury duty. I know it sounds a bit melodramatic, but when you come face to face with other people's destinies, you can't help but come out of it with a different outlook on life.

I wish I had tried harder to get out of the experience. I probably could have called ahead and gotten a one-year deferral, since I have three very young children, one of whom is still nursing. I could have mentioned how, as a reference librarian, I am surrounded by newspapers and other media. Being considerably less eloquent orally than I am in writing, none of those options occurred to me at the time, and I was selected to serve on the jury.

The charges in question included several counts of child molestation. Yes, the testimony was heart-wrenching, but what really affected me was the deliberation process. Here's how ours worked: twelve people were locked in a room for eight hours, only allowed to leave for restroom breaks. Even our meals were brought in. During those hours, we engaged in emotionally-charged discussion. There were certain stronger personalities in the group who spent most of the time trying to wear down their dissenters--and for the most part, it worked. I am fairly certain that the decision I reached was my own, but I guess I will never fully know. I left that evening, tired, engorged with milk, and emotionally spent. It had taken me hours to reach a guilty verdict, and while it may have been beyond reasonable, there was a doubt nonetheless. That doubt haunted me for nearly two weeks before I was able to come to terms with it. It interrupted my sleep and impacted my emotions. I lost sense of time and gained back almost half of the pounds I had lost in the previous four months. Also, because of spending time at daycare, my kids brought home a horrible respiratory bug that kept knocked the while family flat for an entire week after the trial.

Some have asked me how I could stand to even look at the type of scum who molests a child, and I am at a loss for words, because it is no longer so clear cut for me. Guilty or not, it is an enormous burden to send a man to prison for the rest of his life. He is a person--someone's son--who, until three days prior, was considered innocent. If, on the off chance, we were wrong, he still may never escape the stigma. And what if we had found him innocent, and wrongfully so? Then we would release a monster on to the street, and a young girl would be disheartened and invalidated. Either way, no one wins in a case like this.

One thing I do know without any doubt is that I will never convict another person as long as I live.

Bad karma

I'm not entirely sure what I've done lately, but apparently the universe has decided that I deserve retribution. Today started with one of the more frightening moments of my life (in retrospect it was nothing but at the time, it nearly induced a heart attack). Around 3 a.m. I was up laying out the design for Levi's birthday cake when someone rang my doorbell. Now, we have the actual bell disconnected, because it wakes the kids, but this place is big enough that the previous owners installed a second buzzer in the room where I just happened to be--the kitchen. This is no pleasant tinkle, either. It makes the most god-awful buzz you've ever heard, and it's especially disturbing at 3 in the morning. Since I was too much of a wuss to answer, with what feeling I had left in my legs, I went up to the bedroom and, once my mouth could form words, dragged Nate out of bed. As it turns out, it was the next door neighbor, who I informed us that the rear passenger-side window of our car had been busted with a pellet gun. No, it was not high crime, but still expensive and annoying, and I got even less sleep than usual.

Today was supposed to be work day at home, and with the late night, we needed a boost. Nate supplied this in the form of 44 ounce Diet Coke. Once Naomi was contently playing on her own, I left her with Nate and went to work in the kitchen. I had scarcely filled the dish drainer when I heard a commotion in the living room. I soon learned that Isaac had dumped most of my drink onto my laptop. Yes, it's fried. Reparable? Perhaps. For a reasonable price? Doubtfully. I may be moving to a PC for a few years, at least until i'm done raising toddlers. Things like this make me think that may be sooner than originally planned. For now, I'll be blogging from my iPod.

Biggest Loser, Part 2

Ugh. Well after one day of blogging in May, I lost my Internet connection last night. I won't qualify for NaBloPoMo (once again), but I'm going to try to keep it up for the rest of the month anyway. The habit will help when I try again in June.

Today is the first day of The Biggest Loser, part two. If I am to meet my personal goal--30 pounds by August--I will need to lose 2.3 pounds per week, which is a pretty tall order. That keeps me on a 1300 calorie diet. For motivation, I am going to visualize my second daughter, who I hope to have after I get healthy. Will I have another girl? Maybe not, but one study shows that beautiful parents have more daughters. And 30 pounds lighter, I'll probably be better looking. :) I don't really need to say that I would be just as happy with a girl, I just want Naomi to have a sister.

Today I also start working toward getting us on a household schedule. Notice I said "work toward." We tried to go to bed early last night so I could get up at 5:30 with Nate. Too bad Isaac had different plans. I'm going to have a room per day to clean so I can spread it over the week rather than having to take up our valuable weekend time. That being said, it's time to get up and get to work.