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I'm teaching my 6- and 7-year-old boys about consent. Here's how it's gone so far.

parenting, consent, education, sexuality, community
Photo by saeed karimi on Unsplash

The scenarios of parenting have many hurdles in order to offer a healthy way of approaching life.

The second week of first grade, my 6-year-old son came home and told me, very seriously, "Mama, I have a girlfriend, and I love her."

I didn't laugh at him or tell him he is too young to have a girlfriend, and I didn't minimize his feelings. We had a very serious conversation about his girlfriend: what he likes about her, what they talk about at lunch, and what games they play on the playground at recess. I asked questions about her; some he knew the answers to, and some he didn't.

Nearly every day after that for some time, we talked about his girlfriend, and in every conversation, in some way, we talked about consent — what it means, what it looks like, and how I expect him to act.


I didn't objectify the little girl by referring to her as "your little girlfriend" as I've heard other adults tease their own children. I didn't make jokes about him being a heartbreaker or tell him that the girls will be falling all over him by high school. I didn't tell him his feelings don't matter — and I definitely didn't tell him her feelings don't matter. I think the seeds of misogyny are planted with words as much as behavior, and I treated his emotions seriously because, for him, being in love for the first time is the most serious thing in the world. He will remember this little girl just as I remember my first boyfriend, and how I handle things now is setting the tone for the future.

I wasn't expecting to have these conversations in the context of a relationship quite so soon.

His older brother is more introverted, with the exception of the occasional fleeting crush. But I have been talking about consent and modeling it since my sons were babies.

The idea that young men need to learn about consent in high school or college goes hand-in-hand with the idea that sex education shouldn't be taught before then, either. Consent is an ongoing conversation in our home, framed to suit the situation. But now that my son has a girlfriend, I'm finding ways to introduce the concept of consent within a relationship on a level that he can understand.

From the time my sons were very little — before they could even talk — I started teaching them about body autonomy and consent.

"Do you want me to tickle you?" "Can I pick you up?" "Do you want me to brush your hair?"

I would ask whenever I could, waiting for their response before proceeding. Yes, of course, there are times when a young child needs to be picked up or hair needs to be brushed whether they want it or not, but there are just as many times when children can be given — and deserve — the right to choose. And so I let them decide whenever I can.

Teaching them that no one can touch them without permission was the first step in teaching them about respecting the boundaries of others.

I model the respect I expect them to extend to others. It is an ongoing lesson, as the most important lessons always are.

Of course they fight — what siblings don't? But I teach them that, whatever the game or activity, if someone says "Stop!" or "No!" they are to stop what they are doing.

To that end, I try to stay out of their squabbles and give them time to sort them out. If they don't stop, there are consequences. We talk about how it feels to have someone keep chasing, tickling, or bothering you when you've told them to stop. I watch their empathy for others grow as they consider how it feels to be little and have grownups want to touch their faces or hug them without permission. They're learning, and it gives me hope.

But now I'm having daily conversations with my youngest son about girlfriends and what is — and isn't — OK.

He knows he has to ask if she wants a hug before he touches her. He knows that it's rude to refer to her as "my girlfriend" when talking about her and that it's better, and more respectful, to use her name.

He knows that if he gives her a gift, he should give her a chance to respond instead of inundating her with more gifts. "Let's wait and see how she feels about this lovely picture you made her before you draw another one," I tell him, explaining how overwhelming it can be to have someone give you gifts when you're not ready for them or haven't had a chance to return the affection. Of course, I'm thinking about the boy I knew my junior year of high school who would constantly leave me trinkets of his affection at my locker — affection that wasn't reciprocated and made me uncomfortable, especially after I asked him to stop.

I don't know if I'm doing this right, honestly.

There are times when I think to myself, "But he's only 6! Why are we even having this conversation?" And then I remind myself, "If not now, when?"

I know what it means to be a girl in this world, and my sons are starting to hear my #MeToo stories, the ones they're old enough to understand. How do I talk about what's wrong in the world if I'm not willing to talk about the right behaviors, the right way to treat women?

I know my sons have a good role model in their father and in our marriage. I know they watch how my husband interacts with me, and I see it reflected in how they treat me. It's a start, but I know it's not enough in a world that sends mixed messages to boys about girls and how to treat them.

It's been eye-opening, seeing how my children regard consent.

I've seen how those early lessons in teaching them about their own right to say no have gone a long way in teaching them the empathy and respect they show for others now.

I know we're not done; we're only just starting. I know it's only going to get more complicated as they get older.

But at the end of the day, no matter their age, the core lesson is the same: respect people, care about how they are feeling in your interactions with them, and remember that others have a right to feel differently than you do and to set boundaries for what is OK with them. The situations will change, but those words will be repeated again and again.

Teaching consent is not a one-time discussion. It's something I want my sons to think about every single day.

This story originally appeared on Ravishly and is reprinted here with permission. More from Ravishly:

    Visit Sweden
    True

    It’s no secret that modern life is stressful. Burnout is an epidemic. The World Health Organization boldly stated its dedicated efforts to help people improve their health and well-being through nature.

    And thanks to a new initiative, Sweden is stepping up to offer a new holistic remedy: a physician-prescribed visit to Sweden, aka “The Swedish Prescription”.


    “We have made great strides in making nature/social/culture prescription a more integral part of public health in the United States– but there is still so much more to be done,” said Dr. Stacy Stryer, Associate Medical Director for Park RxAmerica.“I welcome Sweden’s initiative and hope it will help break down institutional and organizational barriers, ultimately benefiting all patients.”

    AdvertisementPatients can escape to Sweden’s pristine environment for true respite. Backed by scientific data and research from Yvonne Forsell, Senior Professor at Karolinska Institutet, healthcare professionals can prescribe Sweden as a destination where patients engage in non-medical treatments and outdoor activities to ease their ailments and offer a fresh reset.

    - YouTubewww.youtube.com

    Restore body and mind with the Swedish ritual of alternating ice baths and saunas. Swim, hike or forage through silent forests, lakes, parks and nature reserves – or simply sit in the stillness. Witness the Northern Lights dancing across winter skies, or soak up the calm of the summer midnight sun. In Stockholm, Europe’s clean-air capital, take a deep breath and feel the difference.

    Or skip the great outdoors and spend time embracing Sweden’s unique cultural practices. “Our cozy fika tradition [Sweden’s daily pause for coffee and conversation], our “lagom”-balanced lifestyle [the idea of “not too much, not too little”] and our easily accessible nature are a soothing balm for body and mind,” says Susanne Andersson, CEO at Visit Sweden.

    Sit back in front of a masterpiece in one of Sweden’s many art museums, or head out to a live music event after browsing concert options on Swedish-founded Spotify. You might catch chart-topping hits from producer Max Martin or discover the country’s thriving metal scene. Call it an early – or late – night, and enjoy restorative sleep in Sweden’s cool night air.

    Sweden is the therapeutic destination your health has been craving. Learn more about “The Swedish Prescription” and its benefits for your mental and physical health here.

    Image courtesy of Reddit/Slow-moving-sloth

    Foods like casseroles were popular during the 1970s.

    All things old are new again—and the same goes for classic recipes.

    For those who grew up during the 1970s (that's Baby Boomers and Generation Jones), staple dishes that were served at the dinner table are being rediscovered on Reddit by newer generations looking for filling, comforting, and affordable meals.


    According to JSTOR, actress Liza Minelli first coined "comfort food" back in 1970. Minelli told food columnist Johna Blinn, "Comfort food is anything you just yum, yum, yum."

    Meals from the 1970s are nostalgic and also budget friendly. Try making one of these comforting recipes from Redditors that will fill you up and not break the bank.

    - YouTube www.youtube.com

    Tuna casserole

    "I LITERALLY made a tuna casserole last night & had the leftovers for lunch today." - Disastrous-Soup-5413, RogerClyneIsAGod2

    Turkey (or chicken) tetrazzini

    "Tetrazzini is a creamy pasta dish with turkey (or chicken) chicken, mushrooms, and cheese." - Disastrous-Soup-5413

    Liver and onions

    "Liver and onions, mashed potatoes and a green salad made with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes cut in wedges, cucumber slices .. peeled and miracle whip salad dressing." - Kaktusblute

    Quiche Lorraine

    "A family favorite quiche recipe from the 1970’s. The secret? Half a cup of mayonnaise and an unreasonable quantity of cheese. My mom uses sweet onion instead of green onion, but otherwise made as written:

    1/2 c. real mayonnaise
    1/2 c. milk
    2 eggs
    1 Tbsp. corn starch
    1 1/2 c. cubed cooked ham
    1 1/2 c. (about 1/2 pound) chopped Swiss cheese
    1/3 c. sliced green onion
    Dash pepper
    1 unbaked 9" pastry shell

    Mix together real mayonnaise, milk, eggs and corn starch until smooth. Stir in ham, cheese, onion and pepper. Turn into pastry shell. Bake in 350 degree Fahrenheit oven 35-40 minutes until golden brown on top and knife inserted comes out clean." - banoctopus

    - YouTube www.youtube.com

    Cheese fondue

    "For fondue, you can go in a few different directions. Cubed crusty bread is one of the classic ways to dip into cheese fondue, but you could use fruits, vegetables, chunks of cooked or cured sausages, so long as they will keep their structural integrity." - Bluecat72

    Meatloaf and baked potatoes

    "A basic meatloaf is ground beef, minced onions, bread crumbs, an egg and a squirt of ketchup for moisture, salt, pepper, garlic powder.. whatever you like. Get your hands in there and squish it all together until thoroughly mixed. Form into a vague loaf shape on a pan and bake at 350 for an hour. Poke a couple potatoes with a fork and cook them in the microwave for 5-7 minutes. Enjoy a meatloaf sandwich with mustard for lunch the next day 😋." - yblame

    Pork chops with rice and cream of mushroom soup

    "Brown the chops, take them out of the pan, pour in rice, soup and water, stir to combine. Put the pork chops on top. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Tossed green salad: iceberg lettuce, chopped scallions, tomatoes, cucumbers, Wishbone Italian Dressing." - hicjacket

    Salmon croquettes

    "Salmon croquettes were a staple of my childhood. Canned salmon, saltine crackers, and an egg. We called them croquettes but naw, they were shaped into salmon patties." - DazzlingBullfrog9, throwawaytodaycat

    Mexican casserole

    "Brown ground beef, stir in a can of tomato sauce and 1 sliced green onion. Mix together a cup of sour cream, a cup of cottage cheese and a can of chopped green chilies. In a 9x13 pan, layer crushed tortilla chips, meat, cream mixture and grated Colby-jack or Colby cheese. Repeat layers. Bake until hot and bubbly." - Open-Gazelle1767

    Hamburger Stroganoff

    "One pound ground beef, 1 package Lipton onion soup mix, 1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup, sour cream. Brown the ground beef, stir in the can of soup and soup mix. Stir in the sour cream until it looks right...I think it's a half pint, but maybe a whole pint. Serve over rice for the 2 kids who eat rice and egg noodles for the one kid who doesn't." - Open-Gazelle1767

    Shake 'N Bake Chicken

    "Shake’n Bake chicken or pork chops. 'And I helped!' Preheat oven to 400F. Moisten chicken with water. Place breasts in Shake-n-Bake shaker bag. Shake the bag vigorously to coat the chicken. Bake for 20 minutes if boneless, 45 minutes if it does have bones." - Karin58

    @allrecipes

    Where are all the Shake n Bake girlies? 🍗 Today @nicolesperfectbite is showing you how to make this classic bread coating at home—and dare we say better than the original? 👀 #instafood #food #foodie #shakenbake #bake #chicken #breadcrumbs #paprika #garlic #onion #powder #meat #breading #bread #easy #easyrecipe #recipe #quickandeasy #weeknightdinner

    Grilled cheese and tomato soup

    "Still my favorite thing to eat, but now I make my own tomato bisque, my own bread, and use Gouda or cheddar. Back then Mom made this for Friday lunch: Campbell's tomato soup (made with milk) and the grilled cheese was two slices of five-loaves-for-a-dollar white bread with Velveeta, grilled with Miami Maid margarine in the Revere Ware skillet." - Mindless_Pop_632, mulberryred

    Pork sausage and rice

    "I grew up in the 70s and my mother made this sausage and rice dish at least once a month. The recipe is from Peg Bracken's I Hate To Cook Book. Crumble 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of pork sausage (hamburger will do, but pork is better) into a skillet and brown it. Pour off the fat. Add:

    1 green pepper, chopped
    2 green onions, chopped
    2 or 3 celery stalks, chopped
    2 c. chicken consommé or bouillon
    1 c. raw rice
    1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
    1/2 tsp. salt

    Put on the lid and let it simmer at lowest possible heat for 1 hour." - officerbirb

    Sloppy Joes

    "Classic Sloppy Joes. My family had these regularly in the ‘70s." - ThatPtarmiganAgain

    via TED / YouTube

    Angela Duckworth speaking at a TED event.

    Why is it that some people are high achievers who have a track record of success and some people never come close to accomplishing their dreams? Is it talent, luck, or how you were raised? Is it that some people are just gifted and have exceptional talents that others don't?

    The good news is, according to psychologist Angela Duckworth, the most critical factor in being a high achiever has nothing to do with talent or intelligence. It’s how long you can keep getting back up after getting hit. She calls it “grit” and, according to Duckworth’s research, it’s the common denominator in high achievers across the board, whether it’s cadets at West Point or kids in a spelling bee. Duckworth goes into depth on the topic in her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.


    What personal traits make someone successful?

    “The common denominator of high achievers, no matter what they’re achieving, is this special combination of passion and perseverance for really long-term goals,” Duckworth revealed on The Mel Robbins Podcast. “And in a word, it’s grit.”


    “Partly, it’s hard work, right? Partly it’s practicing what you can’t yet do, and partly it’s resilience,” she continued. “So part of perseverance is, on the really bad days, do you get up again? So, if you marry passion for long-term goals with perseverance for long-term goals well then you have this quality that I find to be the common denominator of elite achievers in every field that I've studied."

    When pressed to define the specific meaning of grit, Duckworth responded: “It’s these two parts, right? Passion for long-term goals, like loving something and staying in love with it. Not kind of wandering off and doing something else, and then something else again, and then something else again, but having a kind of North Star."

    - YouTube www.youtube.com

    For anyone who wants to achieve great things in life, grit is an attitude that one can develop for themselves that isn’t based on natural abilities or how well one was educated. Those things matter, of course, but having a gritty attitude is something someone can learn.

    "I am not saying that there aren't genes at play because every psychologist will tell you that's also part of the story for everything and grit included,” Duckworth said. “But absolutely, how gritty we are is a function of what we know, who were around, and the places we go."

    Why grit is so important

    Grit is critical for people to become highly successful because it means that you stick with the task even when confronted with barriers. In every journey of taking an idea that you love and turning it into reality there is going to be what’s known as the dark swamp of despair—a place that you must wade through to get to the other side. It takes grit and determination to make it through the times when you fear that you might fail. If it were easy, then everyone could be high achievers.


    Grit is what keeps people practicing in their room every night as teenagers and makes them an accomplished guitar player. Grit is what makes a basketball player the first one in the gym and the last to leave so that they make the starting lineup. Grit is knocking on the next door after 12 people have just slammed their doors in your face.

    The wonderful thing about Duckworth’s work is that it presents an opportunity for everyone willing to do the work. You can no longer use the fact that you may not have specialized intelligence or a God-given talent as an excuse. All you need is perseverance and passion and you have as good a shot as anyone at achieving your dreams.

    An angry man in front of the American flag.

    America has never been a perfect place, but since the Civil War, it has been one where most people bought into the idea of the country and supported the institutions that keep it running. People may disagree on politics and culture, but when America was threatened, whether it was 9/11 or World War II, people came together to fight for the country they love, even though the reasons may have differed.

    However, it’d be naive to say that sentiment is still as strong as it once was. Since The Great Recession, many people have felt that the vibes are off in America, and polls and research back those feelings. Right around 2012, when smartphones became ubiquitous, there was a considerable rise in the number of people who felt that America was on the wrong track and that racism and sexism were considerably worse than they were just a year before. There was also a big spike in mental illness.


    So what happened in 2012? Did the world suddenly become drastically worse overnight, or had our perceptions been changed?

    woman, dispair, smartphone, bad news, woman in kitchen, upset woman A woman is upset looking at her smartphone.via Canva/Photos

    Why does it feel like America is on the decline?

    Other developed countries have experienced similar vibe shifts since 2012, but it has hit America the hardest. Economics blogger Noah Smith explains why this feeling of malaise has hit America so hard, and he illustrates it perfectly in a viral Substack piece called “Social media destroyed one of America's key advantages.” Smith is an American blogger and commentator on economics and current events and former assistant professor of behavioral finance at Stony Brook University.

    In his Substack post, Smith postulates that the technological change hit America the hardest because it punctured our geographical buffers. “A hippie in Oakland and a redneck in the suburbs of Houston both fundamentally felt that they were part of the same unified nation; that nation looked very different to people in each place,” Smith writes. “Californians thought America was California, and Texans thought America was Texas, and this generally allowed America to function.”

    Why did America fundamentally change in 2012?

    Here’s an excerpt from Smith’s piece. Please check out the entire piece on the Noahpinion Substack.

    Like some kind of forcible hive mind out of science fiction, social media suddenly threw every American in one small room with every other American. Decades of hard work spent running away from each other and creating our ideologically fragmented patchwork of geographies went up in smoke overnight, as geography suddenly ceased to mediate the everyday discussion of politics and culture.

    The sudden collapse of geographic sorting in political discussion threw all Americans in the same room with each other — and like the characters in Sartre’s No Exit, they discovered that “Hell is other people.” Conservatives suddenly discovered that a lot of Americans despise Christianity or resent White people over the legacy of discrimination. Liberals suddenly remembered that a lot of their countrymen frown on their lifestyles. Every progressive college kid got to see every piece of right-wing fake news that their grandparents were sharing on Facebook (whereas before, these would have been quietly confined to chain emails). Every conservative in a small town got to see Twitter activists denouncing White people. And so on.


    protests, american protest, protest sign, demonstration, mass gathering A group of people protesting in the street.via Ted Eytan/Flickr

    It may sound cynical to believe that America was a better place when people were less likely to talk to people with a different worldview. But, given how things have gone in the past 15 years, it’s fair to say that putting every American in a proverbial ring to fight it out just makes everyone feel under attack... and the fight never ends.

    The problem with the Like button

    Another development around the same time that many believe negatively affected the country was the development of the Like button on Facebook. The button made its debut in 2009, and it, along with the share button, which came in 2010, incentivized people to create content that their audience agreed with, creating echo chambers. The buttons also incentivized people to make outrage-provoking posts and create fake stories to go viral and increase advertising revenue.

    maga, trump supporters, trump flags, trump rally, american flags Trump supporters at a rally.via Elvert Barnes/Flickr

    The positive takeaway from Smith’s geographical sorting theory is that, quite possibly, many people’s perceptions about life in Amerca are wrong because we’re seeing it through the distorted, funhouse mirror of social media that shows us every bad deed in a country of 330 million people and amplifies the voices of the unscroupulous. By pinpointing the moment that America “went to hell,” as author Jonathan Haidt says, we also have a roadmap to get back to when people had greater faith in America’s institutions and people.

    This article originally appeared in June.

    Community

    18 frugal soup recipes to keep you warm and full this fall

    Spend as little as possible on these big soup batches.

    Cheap soup recipes that are perfect for fall.

    Chilly temperatures make a bowl of soup one of the best meals for fall. Not only is soup comforting in cold weather, but it is also one of the most economical meals you can make.

    With multiple servings out of one big batch, you can keep eating it all week long—or pop it in the freezer and enjoy at a later date. And all you need is a big pot or slow cooker and some new recipes to try out.


    Looking for cheap soup recipes? Soup lovers on Reddit shared their affordable and easy soup recipes that will save you money while still keeping you full.

    - YouTube www.youtube.com

    Vegetable soups

    "I purchase bottles and jars of various soup broth concentrate flavors (Shiro dashi; Udon; Pho; Tom Yum, etc) at my local Korean market; just add water, — or coconut milk—veggies of your choice; tofu (or shrimp or chicken, if you prefer); add whatever additional spices you prefer; add noodles — glass or rice or zoodles — spiralized zucchini noodles) and it’s very healthy, nourishing, filling and inexpensive." - Silverspnr

    "Frozen peas soup. WARNING this recipe makes a ton of soup. I use a 12 oz bag of peas with a good amount of celery and onion, and enough broth to cover it all. I add some hard cheese (shredded or shaved) while blending. I find it thin, so I also add mashed potato flakes at the end as a thickener." - campbowie

    "Roasted red pepper and tomato soup: cut up tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, drizzle with oil and roast on sheet pan for 20 min on 400°. Remove skins if necessary, put in pot with vegetable or chicken stock, salt and pepper, heat though. Blitz with blender. Optional ad ins: chili, grate in ginger root instead of garlic, herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary,) And ons: parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, Greek yogurt, pesto." - Glass_Maven

    "Leek and potato soup. Peel and cut potato and leek in equal amounts (~225g/8 oz in weight each) into small pieces. Also peel and chop an onion. Melt a generous amount of butter in a pan. Add the veg, stir, season, stir again, cover and leave on a low fire 10 mins. Meanwhile, boil 500 ml/1 pint water with half a stock cube, or reheat your own stock if you have it. When it boils, add to the veg, cover again and simmer 5 mins more. Finally, take it off the fire and blend it (with an immersion blender if you have it) and add 70 ml/ 1/3 cup cream. Stir, serve." - zeptimius

    "Butternut squash, potatoes, bit of onion/shallot/garlic broth. Boil and mash or puree. (I take some out, smash and puree the rest so there is some texture. Salt pepper or some herbs. Add some cheese if you like. Or cream but really its fine as is. (Crisp up some prosciutto and crumble it is my favorite). I've done it with fresh and with frozen squash and potatoes both are great and filling, and tasty." - anathene

    Bean soups

    "Black bean soup: olive oil to pot, heat and throw in cumin, salt, pepper, Mexican oregano, garlic, half chopped onion. Let it sizzle until onion soft, add 1 can black beans, one can water. Heat and eat. Mash beans or buzz with a blender if you like smooth soup. Optional Add ins: cubed sweet potato or squash, sausage, corn, tomatoes. Add ons to serve: cilantro, cheese, crema/sour cream/plain yogurt, avocado, hot sauce, salsas, pepitas, rice." - Glass_Maven

    "HamBeens brand 15 bean soup, regular or cajun, is less than $3 for a bag. You can keep it meat free or add in some smoked sausage, which you can also get for about $3 when on sale. Only other ingredients needed are a can of diced tomatoes and an onion. So for about $10 you get a MASSIVE pot of soup that is low fat, high protein, and high fiber. You can freeze portions. You can spice it up as much or as little as you want. Just make sure that you soak the beans overnight to avoid, ahem, excess gas." - Fantastic-Dance-5250

    "Lemon lentil soup. Zest and juice is added towards the end." - flipflapdragon

    "This Pinto Bean Soup is pretty delicious! I made a big batch and froze some of it for later. You don't need to use fire roasted tomatoes, just use a can of the cheap stuff. Also, save your veggie scraps in the freezer to make your own broth." - Dependent_Top_4425

    @nicolebrunelle__

    Easy veggie packed fall soup that even the biggest vegetable haters will love! @Jamie Milne inspired recipe #soup #easyrecipe #fypシ゚

    Chicken broth soups

    "Easy Tomato Bisque Soup. One 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes; one small sweet onion, diced small; 4 cups chicken broth (or water); one tablespoon minced garlic; one cup dry orzo pasta; half cup heavy cream (or milk); Olive oil, salt, pepper. In Dutch oven over low heat, sauté onion and garlic in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil until onion is tender and translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add crushed tomato, chicken broth, and orzo and bring to a boil. Boil for about 6-8 minutes until pasta is cooked al dente.
    Remove from heat and add heavy cream, stirring well to combine thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with crusty bread, green salad, or grilled cheese sandwiches." - PotatoWithFlippers

    "Broccoli or cauliflower (or combo) soup: sauté chopped onions until soft, add chicken or vegetable stock and same amount water to simmer. Cut up broccoli/cauliflower in small pieces, cook in broth until soft (don't boil it to death.) Add salt & pepper. Mash or blitz with blender. Optional Add ins: other vegetables (can do soup in carrot, potato, parsnip, celery, etc. versions too,) spices (i.e. curry powder or coriander,) Add ons: cheese, plain yogurt, flavored oil." - Glass_Maven

    "Sauté 1/2 to one onion, garlic, water, almond milk or milk, bouillon, 2 bags of frozen broccoli. Blend. It’s my favorite easy breakfast soup - but I also add collagen or protein powder. Freezes great." - queenmunchy83

    "Diced onion, tomato, potatoes, cheese, & Chicken Knorr. So delicious and filling." - User Unknown

    "Sopa de Conchas! I’m making it tonight!" - Cosmic-Princesa

    "I love the mason jar soup recipes on YouTube, especially for work lunch when all I need to do is add boiling water from the kettle. My pantry/ fridge staples: chicken bouillon powder (Knorr brand), soy sauce, shredded coleslaw veggie mix (in a bag), rice noodles or glass noodles, green onions, and tofu or a rotisserie chicken! These mason jar soups are so easy to prep if you shred all the chicken first and have it ready in a separate container in your refrigerator. All you do is add these to a mason jar: 1/2 teaspoon of chicken bouillon 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce Uncooked rice noodles (or glass noodles) Green onion (thinly sliced) Shredded chicken Coleslaw mix (it’s basically shredded cabbage and carrots). Add boiling water and let sit for about 3-5 minutes until noodles are cooked through! So easy. You can even level it up with ginger powder, a pinch of coriander/ cilantro, or sriracha sauce." - laterzmenjay

    - YouTube www.youtube.com

    Beef broth soups

    "I like to make 'hamburger soup.' Ground beef, mushrooms, carrots, canned green beans, sometimes a can of corn, red potatoes, an onion, garlic, have added a can of beans for more protein, tomato sauce, beef broth (I use better than bouillon) and season how you like, I often use salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder. It's surprisingly delicious, makes a LOT and is very cheap. It's pretty healthy too, full of veggies and you can change it up every time. I've added pasta before too to make it even more filling."
    - valkyrie0921

    "Here's one of my struggle meal soups: beef broth, canned mixed veggies, canned petite diced tomatoes (plus the juice), cut spaghetti (or any other small pasta). Season as desired (garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, whatever else)." - KitsuFae

    "Cook ground turkey little bigger pieces than if making taco meat. Dump it in a box of beef broth, one small can of tomato sauce. Worcestershire sauce to taste. Add fresh parsley, dried thyme and rosemary, garlic and salt. Chopped onions, can of green beans, corn, chopped up carrots, and zucchini. Let simmer til veggies are done. The turkey absorbs the beef broth, so it tastes like beef. Healthy way the avoid red meat while feeling like you ate some. I always use ground turkey as a substitute for beef. I make a pot and eat it all week for lunch." - Heebie-jeebies386

    History (Education)

    Someone stabbed a medieval biblical manuscript 20 times in the same spot, stumping historians

    The 1,200-year-old Book of Kells is a gorgeous—and mysterious—work of art.

    Photos courtesy of Annie Reneau

    Images from The Book of Kells Experience

    As the story goes, some 1,200 years ago, a handful of teen Celtic Christian monks on the island of Iona near Scotland painstakingly created an intricate, illuminated manuscript of the four gospels of the Bible, now known as the Book of Kells. Created on sheets of vellum (thin sheets of calfskin), the book contains elaborate lettering and colorful depictions of scenes from scriptures that have inspired Celtic art for centuries. The book's 340 folios (680 pages) hold layers of symbolism, and some details in the artwork are so tiny they almost can't be seen with the naked eye.

    The monks who created the manuscript used feather quills and natural pigments found in minerals and plants, which have held up beautifully for hundreds and hundreds of years. Exactly who the monks were is a mystery, as is one dramatic detail on one particular page of the manuscript—Folio 202v. On this page, the Temptation of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke is depicted, with a sinister black figure drawn to represent the devil. They say the devil's in the details, but in this case there's a detail in the devil that you can't see just looking at the artwork.


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    Dr. Jane Maxwell, Manuscripts Curator at Trinity College Dublin, where the Book of Kells is kept and maintained, explained that the scene depicts Christ's 40 days in the desert and the interesting detail in the devil figure.

    "The devil is supposed to have appeared to [Christ] to tempt him during this time," said Maxwell. "Now, one of the most recent discoveries about this page is that the figure of the devil within the book has been stabbed over 20 times. We can't say when this happened or who did it, but the one thing we do know is the damage did not take place in some kind of frenzied attack. It seems to have been quite calm, quite measured. Each stab could have occurred as a single event each time the person who did it saw the page."

    book of kells, gospel of luke, medieval art, celtic art, irish history Folio 202v of the Book of Kells, depicting the Temptation of Christ from the Gospel of LukePublic Domain

    Maxwell explained that historians are quite sure that the stabbing happened sometime after the book was bound, as the stab marks went through several pages of vellum, which are fairly thick. She does have one possible explanation for the stabbings, though it's purely conjecture.

    "I would suggest that a person looking at the Book of Kells a thousand years ago understood it to be a very sacred object, a very embodiment of the Word of God," she said, "and when they were reading it, they would believe themselves to be in the presence of God. And therefore, if they see a picture of the devil, they could easily have believed that they were in the presence of real evil, which might explain why such a reader was so moved to respond so vigorously to the figure on the page as to leave these indelible marks behind."

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    Possibly. There are all kinds of stories we could make up to explain the stab marks, since there's no way to know at this point. But that's not the only mystery of the Book of Kells. The story of the monks creating it on the island of Iona around the year 800 is a best guess, not a known fact. The monastery there was raided by Vikings in the early 9th century, killing 68 monks, and the survivors fled to a sister monastery in Kells in Ireland. Miraculously, the Book of Kells survived the raid and has managed to make it through another 1,200 years of human history largely unscathed.

    book of kells, medieval art, celtic art, irish history, natural pigments Natural pigments used to make the Book of Kells (left), The Chi Rho monogram of Christ spelled out in Greek (right)Photos by Annie Reneau

    Bishop Henry Jones presented the Book of Kells to Trinity College in 1661 for safekeeping due to threats to its safety. It has remained under the care of the university ever since, and can be viewed today from behind a display case in Trinity College's The Book of Kells Experience. The tourist attraction brings people from all over the world who are interested in learning about the book's history and seeing its beauty for themselves. The book can also be viewed in its entirety in a digital format on the Trinity College website. It's well worth looking at a few pages and zooming in on the details, imagining them being drawn with a quill and ink.