Everyone likes cheese. I love it, but I’ve always been leery of dairy products labeled as “cheese food” or “cheese product” What the hell does that mean? Is it cheese or not? American cheese, Cheese Whiz, and Velveeta are the first things that usually come to mind when I think of “cheese food”. Cheese food doesn’t even sound like a tasty, healthy option, so I used to try and stay away from the stuff. Turns out that as far as nutrition goes, it’s not that different from most types of real cheese.
Cheese food/spread/product is sold under these names because it does not meet the legal definition of cheese according to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations and cannot legal be called cheese. To be considered “cheese food” the product must contains at least 51% natural cheeses by weight, have a moisture content of 41%, and a milk fat content of at least 23% according to U.S. regulations. Cheese food may contain one or more different types of cheeses to comprise 51% of the product. Depending on the different percentages of cheese and moisture a product contains, it may be called cheese spread or cheese product.
Cheese food and it’s smooth, creamy, not-quite-real-cheese brethren usually tend to melt more evenly and does not separate like real cheese. While it can contain a higher percentage of vegetable oil and fat, the caloric difference isn’t that far from real cheese. Efforts are now being made to infuse cheese food with calcium and other minerals found in higher amounts in cheese.
So all and all, cheese food and the like aren’t so bad. They just got shafted by the the federal regulations that gave them unappetizing names.

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Tattoos are awesome. I love how expressive, pretty, and funny they can be. I have a couple of small tattoos and I plan of getting one more bigger one. It’s either going to the on my side, or the back of my upper thigh. Cant decide. I want my next tattoo to be more of an art piece than a simple little symbol like my existing two. I know I say I just want one more, but that what everyone one says and either they give in and one turns to several, or they hold back but always ache for more. There is no doubt that getting inked is addictive. It releases tons of endorphins that the brain craves. The pain is a fun sting that you learn to love. I’m all about tattoos, but even I think people can go overboard on them. Take eye tattoos for example. The thrill of getting tattoos stops at my epidermis. There is no way I would let someone use a vibrating needle to inject my eyeball with a blob of ink. Not only would that hurt like hell, but you can’t cross it out or laser it off if you stop wanting to look like a freak of nature. They eyes are expressive enough and can convey whatever message you want to send without filling them full of dye ans scaring the surface. There are contacts that can give you whatever affect your going for that can be removed when your done with that phase in your life. Seriously! Eye tattoos?

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If we find out that out role models misbehave when no one is looking should they cease to be out idols?Most people are drawn to their role models because they are the best at something. People want to be like Michael Jordan because he is great at basket ball. People love Carry Underwood because she’s got a great voice. Unfortunately, just because some people are good at what they do, does not make them great people. It’s not surprise that artists and athletes tens to dabble in drugs, go to jail, or otherwise act like idiots sometimes. They are all human. I don’t think we should condone the bad behaviors of out favorite stars, but it’s important to realize that they are just regular humans too. Everybody messes up or goes a little crazy every now and then. Athletes are under tremendous pressure to out perform each other and rockstars are forced to stay awake and energetic 16 hours a day when they are on tour. I’m not saying that this give stars an excuse to use drugs at all. I’m just saying that it’s hard to blame them when we hold them to such extraordinary standards 24 hours a day. We love our role models because they are great at something. If they weren’t the best at what they do, the public would not even recognize their existence. If you admire somebodies abilities, then good for you, but don’t be more judgmental of a super star than you would be of your buddies.

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The series Desperate Housewives has been on for several years, but I have always had a hard time following it. I can never remember what nights shows come on that I want to watch and I don’t have a DVR, so I always miss them and get behind. One week, my friend and I rented all the seasons that had been out and caught ourselves up with a marathon of what all we had missed. I fell back in love with the show, but then again, of course, got behind and lost where I was. Now, I want to get back in it. I think that the invention of selling TV series on DVD is one of the awesomest things in the world, so I have the options of just continuously watching reruns and seeing if I can catch up with what’s going on right now, or I can just go and rent them and watch them all in order at one time with out commercials. My boyfriend has been getting into an HBO series called Deadwood, and he has the first three seasons on DVD now so he can watch them. But, with his situation, he also has DVR. So, since the series is HBO he can watch them any time. HBO has On Demand, and they list all their series that are going on at the time so you can watch them when ever you get the chance if you forgot to record them. He always records them, but just in case he forgot they would just have them backed up right there as an option on his DVR. So, cold weather, DVD marathon… sounds like it’s going to be a good weekend of rest for me!

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I love going to the gym and I always feel better after going and getting a good work out in. Most days, I just head that way when I get some extra time and have a nice work out, then head home and shower and go about my business. But, there are always those days, especially today, that it’s hard to make myself get there. Now, once I actually get there I’m glad I went and I get my work out in, but the getting in the car thing can wreck that for me. Today was the first snow in Lubbock, and I don’t want to go outside in the cold, start my car, and then ride to the gym. I have other errands to run, but with those I just walk inside and then get to go home. Now, I know that it will lead to exercise, and the thought of it makes me just want to sit on my ass and stay where I am. That small little burst of motivation should be sold in pill form, because people need it for a lot of things. Need to clean the house? It’s hard to start, but once you do it’s not that bad. Have homework? Making yourself sit down with the book is the worst part of doing it, once you start it’s not horrible. So, I’m going to motivate myself with the idea of a warm dinner if I leave the house, because after my work out I will go buy groceries, but with out the work out I don’t get to make the warm, filling meal. That will work. Food motivation works all the time.

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A great thing about not having anything is the fact that you want everything. My husband and I sold all of our furniture when we moved from our house to move in with my mother a few months ago. We left behind multiple things dishes, clothes, a couch, among many other things so we could start all over.  At what point do you decide that you have everything you need and no longer want anything? My husband and I decided that we needed a complete new start we didn’t want to start over with anything we had. The only thing we kept were a few decorations that my husband and I couldn’t replace ever. We have had a really long and hard six years and we finally decided that it was time we restarted our lives. We packed up my daughters belongings and set out to start a new journey and to my surprise I haven’t really wanted anything at all since then. I remain thankful for the things that I do have and don’t fret much over the things I don’t have. My mother had a room full of furniture that we are able to use while staying with her and the more we settle into the house the more it feels like home. We have our privacy because we are at the opposite end of the house and don’t have to worry about much. My daughter has a room to herself and she will soon have a little sibling to share with but we have decided that is ok because by the time our second child is almost a year we will be able to move into a home of our own.

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Red flags in relationships shouldn’t be ignored. Red flags don’t fade away. They just get bigger, brighter and blinding. Eventually all you will be able to see when you look at your significant other will be a giant, flapping, blood red flag. Red flags are tricky little bastards. Sometimes they hide behind annoying habits. If you can’t stand the glupy swallowing sound someone makes when he eats or drinks, chances are, there is a red flag hangin out somewhere. If you hate how someone eats, it’s probably more than just the sound he or she is making. The problem is most likely a deep-seeded issue manifesting it self as the sound of a gulp. When you really care about someone who you know is a good match for you, things like smacking or hair in the sink are never even issues. Little idiosyncrasies like those are endearing but only when you truly like a person for all that he or she is. If the person your with is always negative and your not, that’s a red flag. Some who is always draggin you down is going to magically start lifting you up someday. If someone can’t trust you, they aren’t going to eventually see how trustworthy you really are. Someone who is too controlling won’t decide to give it a rest one day. People don’t get less aggressive the more comfortable they get with you. Little yellowy-orange flags can be dealt with. They can sometimes even be worked out all together, but the red ones are just nasty viruses that your misplaced love will never cure.

I have a very powerful weakness for shoes. Shoes can sometimes steal my entire paycheck. I have gotten a lot better and making myself wait before just buying a pair that I like. I used to just go to the mall and buy a pair of new shoes every time. I just love the way heels feel and look and that I can get any color to match exactly the outfit I want them to. It started my freshman year of high school, with my first pair of black stilettos. To this day, they are still my favorite shoes. All you have to do is take care of them, and replace the tips, and you can keep them for years. I have never cared about comfort, just looks when it comes to shoes. I have the worst weakness when it comes to black heels. I have several pairs of black heels, but it seems to make sense that I would only need one. But, I find them and I want them, so I get them. I go through phases where I wear a certain pair for awhile when I need black ones, and then I remember another pair that I have and I decide to wear them. My most recent shoe purchase is a pair of really cute lime green heels. It’s hard to find an outfit that goes well with them, but when I tried them on I had to have them. I’ve worn them twice, so I think they are worth the purchase so far. My closet is overflowing, and I hope my feet never grow!

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Families all have their differences. In my family, we have disagreements just like anyone else, arguments, fights, what ever you want to call it. One this that I absolutely love about my family is that no matter what happens we all somehow stick together. And by all I mean extended family as well. I would consider my cousins to be my best friends. One of them is actually going to college in the same town that I live in, and as I write this blog he is chatting with me online. I am very lucky to have the relationships that I do with everyone in my family, and I honestly don’t think I could ask for more. Thanksgiving at Grandma’s is one of the highlights of my year because I get to spend more time with the ones that I don’t get to see everyday.

Some people think it’s weird that I talk to my mom on the phone all the time, or that I love to go and hang out with my cousins, but we are strange and we love it that way. I think it will always be like this, because through everything we are all still there for each other, no matter if someone moves to Russia, or someone moves to Germany, we will always be there for each other and always be close. In my case family and friends are the same thing, and I hope everyone else out there has similar relationships with their family!

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