W e may not have always wanted to hear Mama’s advice, but if we were wise, we listened — even when we didn’t want her to know it. Sometimes we realized the wisdom of her words immediately; other times, it took years of living to learn to appreciate them.
At their best, the words encouraged, scolded, motivated and protected –and sometimes they just made us smile.
This Mother’s Day we offer moms’ advice from our readers:
“If you mean to do a job, and you mean to do it, really, never let it be by halves. Do it fully, do it freely.”
Carol Johnson of Livonia; mom, Jacqi Mikulec of Dearborn
“Always treat others as you would want to be treated, with the respect and kindness that others give to you.”
Nouha Hamdan; mom, Zanab Hazime, both of Dearborn Heights
“You can always overlook the past, but never the present.”
Youssef Hamdan, 16, and Alex Hamdan, 12; mom, Nouha Hamdan of Dearborn Heights
“When I was at my mother’s church one Mother’s Day, the pastor randomly asked us to share the best advice our moms ever gave us. When the pastor came to me, I froze because the first thing that popped in my mind was what my mom said right before I got married, ‘Don’t start anything you don’t want to do for the rest of your life.’
“Needless to say, my mom was disappointed that I didn’t say anything, and said to me, ‘You mean to tell me you can’t think of any good advice that I ever gave you?’ Somehow, I just didn’t think that was appropriate to say in church.”
Dawn Keene of Southfield; mom, Bennie Keene of Baltimore
“Never buy at retail prices; take care of your kids, they’re on loan from God, and wear a girdle immediately after you give birth!”

freep.com

CHICKEN AND PEPPERS
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast strips
2 1/2 teaspoons fajita seasoning
Half a 16-ounce bag frozen pepper stir-fry
1 cup frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add chicken strips, fajita seasoning and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink, 5-6 minutes. Stir in stir-fry peppers and corn. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and chicken is golden brown. Toss in cilantro and serve with tortillas, if you like.
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
2 6-ounce cans tuna, drained and flaked
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, saute onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds longer. Add tuna and another 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and heat through, stirring constantly. Season mixture with salt and pepper, then pour over pasta and toss. Have some breadsticks on the side.
BEEF WITH RED BEANS AND RICE
1 pound ground beef
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 15-ounce can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 8-ounce box Mexican rice mix
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef with bell pepper, breaking up beef into crumbles, until meat is no longer pink, about 10 minutes; pour off drippings. Stir in red beans, rice mix and the amount of water indicated on the rice package (omitting any oil or butter); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook according to package directions, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat; stir in diced tomato, salt and pepper. Have some baby carrots on the side.
1 long baguette, sliced into 4 6-inch-long pieces

seattlepi.nwsource.com

www.researchandmarkets.com - Research and Markets (www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c85873) has announced the addition of “The Little Book That Builds Wealth: The Knockout Formula for Finding Great Investments” to their offering.
To make money in today’s dynamic market environment, you need to invest in companies that will perform in the face of sustained competitive pressure. But how
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The answer to this question lies in competitive advantages, or economic moats. Just as moats were dug around medieval castles to keep the opposition at bay, economic moats protect the high returns on capital enjoyed by the world’s best companies. If you can identify companies that have moats, and you can purchase their shares at reasonable prices, you’ll begin to build a portfolio of solid businesses that will improve your odds of doing well in the stock market.
In The Little Book That Builds Wealth, author Pat Dorsey–the Director of Equity Research for leading independent investment research provider Morningstar, Inc.–outlines this proven approach and reveals how you can effectively apply it to your own investments. Step by step, Dorsey discusses why economic moats are such strong indicators of great long-term investments and examines four of their most common sources: intangible assets, cost advantages, customer-switching costs, and network economics. After establishing a firm understanding of moats, Dorsey shows you how to recognize moats that are eroding, the key role that industry structure plays in creating competitive advantage, and how management can create (as well as destroy) moats.

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