Cheesy Broccoli Rice

 Cheesy broccoli rice with ham instant pot recipe (serves eight)

Spray with cooking spray or use 1 tbsp olive oil

Saute some garlic (I used 2 spoonfuls of minced fresh garlic) and a 12 oz package frozen broccoli for approx 3-5 minutes. 

Add 2 cups rice, 2 cups chicken broth, 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 lb diced ham, and half a regular sized brick of velveeta. 

Pressure cook on HI for 6 minutes. 

Natural release for 10 minutes and then fast release remaining pressure.

Stir together and serve.

(If it's a little dry, you can add some water, broth, or milk to desired consistency. )

When will it be safe to not wear a mask?

I see and hear this question regularly, and frequently have people call me a murderer because I won't wear a face mask most of the time. I make exceptions, using the faculties God gave me (you know, a functioning brain). I'm not trying to "catch a case" (or COVID) so I do what I feel is appropriate. 

It is safe not to wear a mask in Michigan. It always has been. I'm looking at the science.

Coronaviruses have been around for a long time. I studied one in Microbiology class (pre-2020, you know, when you could actually go to class and see and touch things). This one is "novel" (it seriously means new, but it's in the same category, so it will behave similarly). 

Some facts about coronaviruses:

They like cold best, 34°F is their ideal temperature. Michigan is cold for most of the year.

Heat and humidity slow the spread of coronavirus. When Michigan gets hot, there is a lot of humidity. 

Coronaviruses are spread through droplets in the air? Or is it airborne? Why can't it be both, like influenza? There is evidence that it is both, but according to the CDC, there is more evidence that it is mostly airborne, as I have been saying for over a year.

Do masks help? If the virus is spread by droplets, masks help YOU not spread droplets. They do not keep the virus droplets away from you. If the virus is airborne, no, they do not help. They could actually help you contract the virus. If you look on the side of the packages of the masks, they actually claim NOT TO protect against coronaviruses. 

So... what about the vaccine?

New rules state that you don't have to wear a mask if you have been vaccinated.

BUT ... WHAT? ... HOLD UP!

The vaccine companies say the vaccine is safe to give to teens and adults (age 12 and up). 

BUT ... HOLD ON ... DID?

NO!!!! The vaccines have NOT been approved by the FDA. IN FACT, the FDA CANNOT APPROVE ANY VACCINE THAT HAS NOT BEEN TESTED ON HUMANS FOR 2 YEARS. 

Yup, you read that right. Anyone who gets the vaccine before it is approved by the FDA is a human test subject. And not only are people going out and getting it, they're "encouraging" (read: bribing, coercing, manipulating) other people to get it.

Also, "there are no plans to require" a vaccination "passport" or a card to show you're vaccinated. If you're not vaccinated, you have to wear a mask, but if you're vaccinated, you don't. How is this supposed to be enforced?

A vaccinated person said to me today "I'm going to keep wearing my mask because *now* the unvaccinated people won't be wearing them."

WELL

Haven't we already established that the masks protect people from the wearer, and do not protect the wearer themselves?

I swear I've seen that somewhere....

SO ... If you do not currently have COVID-19, you can't give it to anyone, whether you are wearing a mask or not, right?

AND... If you currently have COVID-19, you can protect others by wearing a mask, right?

THERE'S MORE!

The vaccine doesn't prevent you from contracting the virus. They don't know if it can keep you from spreading it. They don't know if it lowers the risk of death from it. And they don't know any long-term effects, because this is the first vaccine of this type.

Having natural antibodies can last at least several months. (Again, this is new, so we don't have all the necessary information.) So, if you have had COVID-19  and your body created antibodies to fight it, and your body defeated the nasty virus, then you're almost completely guaranteed to not get it again (until antibodies are gone from your system).

BUT you should get the vaccine, even if you've already had the virus, because???

AND you still have to wear a mask, even if you've already had the virus, because???

IN MY OPINION,

DON'T wear the mask if you have already had the virus. 

DON'T get the vaccine if you've already had the virus.

DON'T get the vaccine if you TRULY trust the science.

DON'T wear a mask if you TRULY trust the science.

SCIENCE tells us that we have immune systems for a reason.

SCIENCE tells us that hundreds of thousands of people die worldwide, EVERY YEAR.

SCIENCE tells us a lot of things, honestly. Science can be misconceived and misconstrued, but it is facts, logic, and experiment-based. Science is always changing. When previously accepted "facts" are disproven, science accepts the new change with evidence.

SCIENTISTS tell us a lot of things, too. Scientists will tell you what people funding them want you to hear. Scientists will hold to their opinion, long after their facts are disproven. Scientists want YOU to BE their experiment!

Be free. Breathe free. Be safe. Be smart.

Virtual School and My Teenager

My son was an excellent student. He responded to questions in class. He gave assistance to other students when they needed help. His teachers always had wonderful things to say about him. I would always go to conferences and hear all the ways he stood out to the teachers. He even received the Principal's Award in 7th grade.

In 8th grade, things were much the same until winter break. We got really sick during break and he missed a full week of school in January, due to that illness. He struggled catching back up, but he did it. When Governor Whitmer closed all the schools in Michigan in the middle of March, because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, he had 4 A's and 2 B's. 

The shutdown was supposed to be for 2 weeks, so I treated it like a vacation. After 6 weeks, the school started some online work available for the students. They guaranteed that students who were passing when school was shut down would continue to the next grade, whether they did this work or not. With zero incentive for him to actually do the work, I was unable to convince him that he should do it. He had one math class that was online already, so he did complete that.

True to their word, they graduated him virtually from the 8th grade, even with awards for some of his classes. He finished 8th grade with 3 credits for high school: Algebra, Geometry, and 9th grade English. 

A week before 9th grade was supposed to start, we were told that school was going to start out virtually, and then in six weeks, it would open. Students would all receive Chromebooks to use for school and classes would be Monday through Thursday from 9 am to noon. A few days later, the opening of school was delayed again by the governor.  The school gave us 2 days to decide if we wanted to do hybrid (without a description of what that would look like) or be 100% virtual when school did open. My son said he'd rather stay virtual so his schedule would stay the same, so that's what we submitted to the school.

He started school virtually. The classes chosen for him were all Advanced Placement (AP) classes, except for gym and art. He struggled with the AP classes, doing the work, but not getting great grades. His art teacher assigned large projects with short deadlines. He passed math and gym class. I contacted his academic counselor to talk about the struggles he was having, and I asked her to put him in regular classes for the second semester. Throughout the first semester, the "open date" for school kept changing and being more delayed. 

Second semester was just about to begin and he had an "easier" schedule, but still had that art class. Thankfully he also stayed in the same math class. The school announced that hybrid classes were starting, and that the schedule would be changing. Group A would be in person and everyone else virtual on Monday and Tuesday, Group B would be in person and everyone else virtual on Thursday and Friday. Wednesday would be virtual for all students, so they can clean the school building. The new daily schedule would be 7:40 am to 2:25 pm. I called the school and asked if my son, who is struggling in virtual school, would be able to switch to the hybrid schedule and was told "it will be whatever you selected in August".

I'm so sorry that in August, I wanted some semblance of a schedule for my son. I didn't know that I would want to change it. I didn't know that he would have such a hard time doing virtual school. Anyway....

Two nights a week, I get email reminders to fill out the Daily Student Health Screener. I get emails telling me all the latest updates about expanding hybrid learning. I get all the emails for K-12. I have received ONE email from the attendance office, stating that my son was not in class. 

I have received a couple of other emails from the school. One that said conferences were coming up "tomorrow" and that parents can log into a Zoom meeting to talk to the teachers. The time frame for this Zoom would be during a busy time at work, and I was scheduled to work. Another one was from the art teacher. It basically said your student doesn't come to class or do the work. He's going to fail and there's nothing that can change that at this point.

Yesterday, there was a very soft knock on my front door. It took me a minute to get to it, but the lady was leaving, so I called to her "can I help you?" She was from the truancy office of Grand Rapids Public Schools. She gave me a list of all the days my son was supposedly not in class. She gave me a brochure about the importance of school attendance. I told her that I am a single mom and I work, and I can't be home all the time to make sure he's logging in to each class, but I do my best. Then she told me she would return with the police.

So here I sit... wondering why the school didn't contact me before this... concerned that it's the end of April in his Freshman year and he hasn't yet set foot in the school building... concerned that we're going to be stuck doing virtual forever, because of a choice I made before school started 8 months ago... and worrying if the Prosecutor's Office will try to remove my son from his home and my care.

Right now, he's passing Algebra 2. He might still be able to pass US History and 10th grade English. He still doesn't learn well virtually. Most of his online assignments include "find a picture from the internet that portrays..." or "how does this image make you feel" or "write a sentence that describes this picture". He doesn't know. He literally cannot comprehend this type of question. 

I had him evaluated for Autism Spectrum Disorders when he was in either preschool or kindergarten. He was diagnosed with Asperger's. I figured he'd just be ADHD, like his mom. We never needed an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) because he did so well in a traditional school setting. I don't like the label. I don't want to have the school treat him like he's *special needs* because of an IEP. I know that IS what will happen. I've seen it.

He's a really smart kid, a good student, and teachers love him. He doesn't NEED "accommodations". He needs a classroom (five days a week) with a teacher and other students. He needs a schedule, a routine, that is consistent from day to day. He needs his at-home time to be home and family time. 

Spread Hope, Not COVID

This past weekend, I attended a BOLD retreat at Bambi Lake Baptist Conference Center. I had high expectations, as I had seen and heard about previous BOLD retreats. I was sorely disappointed. 

Friday. We checked in at the lodge and did our COVID screening and filled out the contact tracing documents. Got assigned to our room and put our stuff inside. We arrived early, so we had some time to mingle. Yay!!

Some people were wearing masks, but we wouldn't be, because they're not required on camp. Of course, we had to hear comments about that. Whatever...

The theme for the weekend was Hope. Songs with lyrics about "My hope is in You, Lord", "Christ the Solid Rock", "In Christ alone" teach us that we need to put our hope in Jesus, our trust in God. Testimonies from people who have gotten through tough times show us that God is always in control and will get us through the trials.

After dinner we had a worship meeting. During this meeting, one of the women spoke, talking about how we have a responsibility to wear masks, sanitize everything, and maintain distance from each other. I got up and walked out.

Regardless of your stance on wearing masks, social distancing, and sanitizing, I'd like you to understand where I'm coming from. It is a matter of personal responsibility. If you prefer to wear a mask, you can wear a mask. You cannot tell me that I have to wear a mask. I do not like to stand close to people, and touching creeps me out. Hand sanitizer is bad for you. All these "precautions" actually make you more susceptible to infection, because your body isn't being exposed to this virus and other things to keep your immune system working. 

Skip ahead to Monday.  I'm at home watching TV and I see a commercial talking about the vaccine and all the ways to protect yourself from covid that says "Spread hope, not Covid" at the end. I wanted to scream. I had a realization. The women at the retreat weren't spreading COVID, but they also weren't spreading the hope we find in Christ. They were spreading "protection based on fear" which is what this society wants to call hope.

I have always loved attending events at Bambi Lake. I have always looked to these women as examples of God-centered and Faith-based life. I no longer can have that respect for them.

When a mask and hand sanitizer are your idols, you put your trust in a vaccine, and your faith in the government, how DARE you sing "In Christ Alone, my hope is found"!