Friday, April 8, 2016

Secret Subject Swap: What Did I Ever Do To You?

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This month 14 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

Secret Subject Swap | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


My subject is: Besides your children or family, what's the one thing that sends you into a total panic with the thought of being without? What happens if it gets lost? Is it replaceable?
It was submitted by: Southern Belle Charm.

My mind. I know this answer is very cliche and overused as a joke, but I'm really semi not kidding. There were times, while raising children, that I used it myself. No question kids can make you doubt your sanity, your strategies, your patience, your . . . pretty much everything. There were whole years, like when they were 2 and 3 and all of those long, long, long (did I say long?) teenage years when I pretty much thought I was losing my mind. Or I'd like to.

But most of you know I lost my dad in December. And although he died in December, the person he was started fading long before that. When I returned from his funeral, I posted to my FB page that Alzheimer's had won another battle but would not win the war.

Suddenly these "losing my mind" jokes had lost a lot of their humor.

And as I age, I worry. Maybe more than most because of dad's disease. I love to watch Jeopardy, shout out the answers at the TV. Now, at least a few times during the show I know the answer but cannot grab the word out of my brain.

Or I'll make a recipe and go to write it up and just know I've forgotten an ingredient.


Peanut Butter Crunch Bars, a dense peanut butter flavored bar with candy pieces and a surprise crunch | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #desert

Peanut Butter Crunch Bars


Is it possible that I'm just tired, distracted, trying to do too much at once? Of course. But I also acknowledge that without kids around, without having to think through and plan and strategize and out think and outmaneuver every minute of the day, I may just be getting lazy, intellectually speaking.

When you're in a situation where you aren't challenged pretty much every waking (and some sleeping) minutes of the day, you have to be more cognizant of taking deliberate steps to maintain your brain health. And I do. 

*I do sudoko. I love it. The challenge of doing these kinds of puzzles, finding harder and harder ones, is one of my favorite brain exercises.

*I watch Jeopardy, and play along. Although my kids often question my sanity when I yell the answers at the TV (well, there's irony), I do think it's intellectually stimulating.

*I often play Scrabble. Facebook has made this so much easier because I can play online. There is a bit of a cheat because there's a word validation slot that sometimes helps me find words, but if I don't know them, I always look them up.

*I develop new recipes. Not only is dinner a necessity, but developing my own recipes requires both thought and research.

*Read, read, read. Reading promotes thinking. Since I love to read, this one's a no-brainer (so to speak).

*Write. It would be possible to describe my voice via this blog as skitzophrenic. I like to think of my writing as eclectic. Potato, potaaaato. Either way, I make attempts and humor, serious discussion, poetry, and fiction. I feel like the further I stray from my comfort zone, the more I vary my style, the more I use my brain.

*Discourse. This is also facilitated by social media. I'm exposed to more opinions and vibrant conversations with the ability to reach so many more people online. And this being an election year, discussions are non-stop. I'm also lucky enough to have College Boy here. He loves political discussion and has a unique and well thought out point of view.

And although I don't have little children around, I do have older ones and let me tell you, they're no picnic. They continue to challenge my thought process and, yes, my sanity. One is semi-living with me and treating me to experiences like lighting my car on fire. The other one is in college 500 miles away while doing fun stuff like breaking his leg and dropping his brand new phone in the toilet.

Mind, don't desert me now. I mean, what did I ever do to you?
 
And as for the rest of this prompt, the question of whether or not it's replaceable? Possibly. But just in case, if you happen to see it, can you send it back home?


Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup and check them all out. See you there:



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Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe 

 
Ingredients:
1/2 sticks butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup Cocoa Krispies or Cocoa Pebbles
9 fun sized Snickers Crisper bars

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 pan.
*Cut the mini candy bars into quarters.
*In a microwave safe bowl, heat the butter or margarine and peanut butter for 30 seconds. Mix. Continue to heat and mix at 10 second intervals just until smooth, other than the chunks of peanuts if using crunchy. Mix in the sugars.
*Whisk in the eggs, then the flour, baking powder ans salt. Last, carefully mix in the cereal and candy pieces.
*Pour into the prepared baking pan, making sure that the candy pieces are dispersed throughout the pan.
*Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the center is completely set. Remove from oven. Cool before cutting.

22 comments:

  1. I am so sorry, Alzheimer's is a horrible disease, to loose all your memories, to loose who you are. I am so sorry for your loss. I think it's a great idea to make your brain stronger, I tell Tony this all the time. Really makes me think about joking about losing my mind. Thanks for your honest post.

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    1. Thanks, Karen, it is a horrible disease, but I see progress being made often in finding what causes it, and that gives me hope. In the meantime we all need to be sure we work on keeping our brains active.

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  2. I keep checking up on myself. My mother and all of her brothers contracted either Parkinson's or Alzheimers and so I'm pretty sure the next generation needs to be aware. And my memory is getting worse. Is it merely age? Or something more sinister? You'll laugh, but while I was reading this, your mention of Sudoko made me go and play a game. Before I had even finished your post. Yep. Got it bad . . .

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    Replies
    1. I understand those fears. I also have to tell you that if I inspired you to play a game that makes you think, I'm gonna call that a win.

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  3. This is the one thing I never worry about losing -- or anyone's mind in my family for that matter. I have posted many times about how to keep the brain healthy and it is really a win-win when feeding it the nutrients it needs. I shout for joy when people report how their minds are actually getting sharper! Exercising the mind is essential, of course, but only a very small part. However, I do feel deeply for those who suffer, who has a family member who suffers and the countless caregivers who deal with this on a daily basis.

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    Replies
    1. I agree, Carol. We need to attack this on multiple fronts.

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  4. I've been concerned about my memory these last few years. I often misplace things, forget important dates and even worse---have forgotten promises I've made (but my kids are sooooo quick to remind me). I'm hoping it's just due to having so much to think about it and the stress of it all. Well, its either that or all the wine that has really killed off some brain cells.....

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, that wine thing may have had an impact on me as well.

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  5. I frequently find myself telling the kids to look in the microwave for the milk or the dishwasher for their lunch boxes. I hope it's because all three of them like to ask me questions at once, and my mind is always trying to focus on two different things, but honestly it scares me sometimes. I enjoy Sudoku and I should probably spend more time working on this like that. I know my brain could use some more exercise.

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    Replies
    1. I think we all feel that way. Although I do love that blogging helps keep me thinking and actively engaged.

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  6. Yes. I'd have to say your answer is perfect. I'd probably give the same one. I spent the last few years convinced I had Alzheimer's. Now, I know it's just the cysts. I'm hoping I can be fixed. Not being able to use my brain fully is beyond frustrating. I forget the simplest of words. I'm like you... Sudoku, Jeopardy, Scrabble, reading, puzzles... Anything to keep my brain working.
    I'm so sorry about your Daddy.
    Great post. Loved how you answered your subject.

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    Replies
    1. I know your issues are an ongoing battle, but I'm hoping for the best for you, Jules.

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  7. I watched my grandmother deteriorate with dementia and then Alzheimer. Both are horrible and as we make jokes, the older we get the more sobering the possibility is that we too may develop one of these. I think about it often and some days wonder if my mind too has "left the building". I love Sodoku puzzles!
    As usual you had me giggling. Happy Friday!
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think we all worry about it, especially as we age. I'm glad that we have things in our lives that we enjoy doing and that also exercise our minds.

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  8. I do a lot of those same activities for brain health because, like you, the thought of losing my mind--that part of me that makes me, well, me--is terrifying.

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    1. I agree, and every time I have a word on the tip of my tongue but can't quite grasp it, it scares me.

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  9. My Mom is in the grips of the disease at age 94. It is terrible. She was good until 90 and then… I agree, the loosing your mind jokes are not funny. Getting old is a tough situation, does your mind go before the body or the body before the mind. I am in the camp of a couple of bad habits are not so bad in the scheme of longevity genes. Your tasty recipe looks to close some arteries if only I had some high cholesterol!

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    Replies
    1. I have longevity genes too. I'm hoping to be around to torture my kids for many many years to come.

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  10. I think once you are a mom, part of your mind does go insane for life.

    This post made me go and google "is alzheimer's genetic?" And you know what happens when you google medical questions. A million different answers. So I guess you can't really know.

    I'm often amazed by the brain capacity of kids. Then again, their minds aren't cluttered with all the many things us grown-ups have to deal with.

    I am usually doing really well when it comes to remembering names. However there is one person whose name won't come back to me. Ever. I asked a friend, we both described him, the way he dresses and his favourite quotes, but we could not recall his name. Drives me nuts.

    Way to play Sudoku and do all the other activities!

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    Replies
    1. I agree, once you're a mom part of your mind does go insane for life. And, added bonus, I like being able to blame this on my kids too.

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  11. You lose your mind NEVER! Believe, me I know that fear only to well! Every time I forget something I swear I have it already!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I'm sure all children of Alzheimer's sufferers have this same fear.

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