An Opportunity

Today, I took the kids to the main library in downtown Durham. We had three bags full of books to return and the kids were eager to get some new ones. As we arrived the kids filed out of the van and ran over to some nearby trees as I put Brayden in a stroller and loaded the three bags on myself. I was walking towards my kids, in hopes of getting some help from Julian, when I was approached by two people. One was a man and one was a woman, both African American. They asked me if I knew where Murray Ave was. I said, "No, I don't, I am knew to town." The man proceeded to tell me that he had to pick up his son on Murray and didn't have a way to get there. The woman chimed in and said they didn't have money for a bus. She asked me if I could give them some money for a bus. Without hesitation I smiled and said, "No, I am sorry, I can't help you out." My quick response was because I felt like, isn't it obvious I have my hands full here? And, are they telling the truth or do they just want some money? They turned and walked away towards the library.

Little background for you, this library is downtown and there are usually a number of folks sitting around the courtyard outside. These people usually look like they could indeed be homeless. I am not frightened by it anymore. I smile and speak to most of those that choose to look me in the eye.

So, after I said no to the two people that had asked for help, I felt convicted. In that moment, I had so many thoughts about generosity, homelessness, sensing dishonesty, previous conversations with Scott about racism, and being judgemental. I decided to hunt for some cash that I had stored in my wallet for emergencies and such. Why should I doubt this man's story? I only had $10, so I gave them $5. They said, "Thank you," and I walked towards my children.

As we entered the building, I pulled my kids aside and told them what happened. Madelyn seemed most interested. They all nodded and smiled and we were off to pick out books.

At supper tonight, I shared this story with Scott. He was kind and listened with a sweet look of endearment. I told him that I didn't honestly know if that was the right thing to do or not. Madelyn, the only child remaining at the table, said, "I think you made the right decision." I asked her why. She said, "Because, I think that is what God would want us to do." I smiled, the tears started forming and I looked to Scott. Indeed, it was the right decision.

Frolicing in Fall

We visited with Scott's parents this weekend. The kids were able to go to a pumpkin patch and take in some miniature golf with Nana, Grandpa and Aunt Shanda. We had lots of wonderful homecooked vegan meals and yummy desserts. Jan's cooking is absolutely heart warming, not to mention just down right YUMMY!

We played in and with the leaves and enjoyed the crisp Fall air. It is always a joy to visit with the Morrisons. We all walk away so refreshed and loved.

Reverse Trick or Treating

* This is a long, but informative article that I received from an e-newsletter by National Geographic. I signed up our family to do the reverse trick or treating that it mentions. There is a website at the bottom you can check out. This is worth reading.

Keep Halloween Fair
by Solvie Karlstrom

Halloween should be scary, but only for a day. Unfortunately, holiday treats can contribute to a witch's cauldron of frightening problems that persist long after the masks come off.

Pesticides and fertilizers used in the production of sugar have led to the destruction of aquatic ecosystems. The loss of topsoil to cane fields has destroyed forest habitats. But sugar's sins start with the slave trade, as Europeans brought captured Africans to work in the cane fields of the Caribbean throughout the 18th century, where slaves died in greater numbers than in the U.S. Sadly, this legacy hasn't come to an end: The chocolate trade has encouraged forced labor in Africa as cocoa farmers sell their product at prices well below what they can afford.

Forty-three percent of the world's cocoa is produced in the Ivory Coast, where over a quarter of a million children work on cocoa farms without access to education and apply pesticides without adequate safety gear, conditions deemed abusive by the International Labor Organization. A staggering number, as many as 12,000 children, are likely to be forced laborers. Much of the impetus behind the use of child labor stems from insufficient income for cocoa producers. In 2002, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture found that cocoa revenues in West Africa average between $30 to $100 U.S. dollars per household member per year. To compensate, cocoa farmers seek out cheaper labor and resort to higher-yield sun-grown cocoa beans, which require significant deforestation. Because sun-grown beans are more susceptible to pests and diseases than those grown in shade, farmers use heavy doses of hazardous pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.

Yet "there is a solution," according to Adrienne Fitch-Frankel, Global Exchange's economic justice campaigner. "All you have to do is eat more chocolate." Fair-trade certification guarantees that growers are paid a higher-than-average price for their beans, at least $.80 per pound for cocoa and $.89 per pound when it's organic. Abusive child labor and forced labor of any kind are banned, and the most hazardous pesticides, including DDT, methyl parathion and lindane, are prohibited.

"Fair trade has helped us a lot," explains Cecilia Appianim, a cocoa farmer from the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa cooperative in Ghana. "Through this process we are able to care for our children. Before, children were walking [around idly] in the village. Now, children are in school, because now we have schools." Appianim says that fair trade has also empowered women in Ghana, "[Before], women were not taking part. Now women are able to take part." Women in Kuapa Kokoo participate in elections and hold elected positions, and Appianim is currently its financial secretary.

This Halloween, little ghouls and goblins in the U.S. can do their part by spending the night "reverse trick-or-treating" in partnership with Global Exchange. As kids go door-to-door, they'll switch roles and hand over fair-trade chocolate and literature to neighbors. Fitch-Frankel expects 40,000 households to learn about fair trade on Halloween night. For more information, see reversetrickortreating.org.

For the Grandparents

Things Add Up

"For just one day, we'd like to unite as many of the millions of bloggers around the world and speak about one issue - the environment," said Collis Ta'eed, an Australian blogger from FreelanceSwitch.com, and a cofounder of Blog Action Day.*

This is a picture of Brayden in one of his Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers


These are two of the kid's favorite cereals by EnviroKidz. Just recently, this company downsized their cereal box to conserve thousands and thousands of gallons of water and other resources used to distribute and provide these cereals.


Kalen and Brayden are holding up a couple of our cloth napkins. I wanted you to see that they don't have to match but can be fun and cute. Our napkins bring character to our table (as if we don't have enough, hee hee).


These are just some of the products we use that are natural.


These next two photos are of Julian and Madelyn. They made posters this morning after we discussed what the environment acually is and how people effect it.




It seems overwhelming when you think of how one person or one family can truly make a difference with helping the environment. I believe it is possible to make a difference.

Our family has made several changes over the past few years. We have attempted to be more thoughtful about the way we live in response to the effects that we, as people, have on the environment. We have learned a lot from other families (many thanks to the Kruideniers), the Internet, articles and books. Our family still has many more ways we could help out with preserving our Earth. It is a process and our lifestyle is ever changing. We believe that we should never be content with the way we are living.
A friend of mine asked me the other day, "Where do I start?" I would like to share some of the changes we have made. I am not reporting this to you to toot my own horn. I am trying to create an awareness. If we, a family of six with small children, can do these things . . . you can, as well, if you are committed, ready and willing.

We use cloth napkins instead of paper ones~ i just wash them and we reuse.
We bought a lot of plastic plates from Target to use for parties and gatherings, instead of using disposable plastic ones.
When we go to restaurants where we use plastic silverware, we bring them home and wash them to reuse.
We use cloth diapers, Fuzzi Bunz, and dry them on a drying rack (we do use some disposables).
We use eco-friendly cleaning products as much as possible; such as ECOVER and Seventh Generation.
We recycle.
We don't eat meat or dairy.
We reuse as much as possible.
We do not put harmful fertilizers or pesticides on our grass or plants.
We eat locally from our farmer's market (when we can).
We eat naturally and organically and shop at Whole Foods.
I use make up that is not derived from animals and chemicals.
We compost most of our leftovers instead of throwing it in the trash.
We drink water mostly.
We try to take a tupperware to restaurants when we think we may have leftovers, instead of using disposable containers.
We like to buy and support companies like EnviroKidz, Kiss My Face, Natures Path and Annies that produce products that are earth friendly.
Scott takes his lunch to school in Tupperware instead of baggies, we wash and reuse.
We are raising children to appreciate wildlife and preserve it.
We are raising vegan children.
Just recently, we have made two changes. We bought a bucket from Lowes and we are saving our bath water to water our plants.
Also, we just bought a drying rack to dry our cloth diapers. This saves 80 minutes of drying time with our machine.

Stop Eating Meat

Many people have told me that they could never stop eating meat. Whether you are a meat and potatoes person or not, leaving meat out of your diet is not only more healthy, but it helps the environment as well. Oh, and by the way, you CAN stop eating meat, you just may not want to, you may not want to be ridiculed or you may not want to inconvenience yourself. Eleven years ago, I started thinking about the effects of eating meat and the unethical treatment of animals. I am learning about the huge impact the meat industry has on our environment and it isn't pretty. I do not want to judge you, only encourage you to think about the process and create awareness about the effects of eating meat.

~ There is no such thing as a meat-eating environmentalist. The meat, dairy, and egg industries are poisoning and depleting our land, water, and air. Every time we eat animal products, we contribute to ecological devastation and the wasteful misuse of resources on a global scale.


You can do your part to stand up to the destructive meat industry by adopting a vegetarian diet.
Taking the meat-free plunge has never been easier or more essential than it is today!

With so many great vegetarian options, eating green has never been more delicious. Whether you're doing it for the environment, your own health, or for the sake of animals, you have the power to change the world, simply by changing what's on your plate. ~ GoVeg.com




Watch more videos at PETA.org

Blog Action Day

What would happen if every blog published posts on the same topic, on the same day? Bloggers that have committed to the theme of our environment are hopeful that it will bring awareness and change. The idea is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

* I will be posting through out the day. Keep checking. :)

Camp Chestnut Ridge Picnic

Since June, we have been attending a church called Blacknall Memorial Presbyterian Church. We are slowly falling in love with this body of believers. We were introduced to this church by our good friends, Brantley and Katie. We all are growing more and more fond of this church and it's love, friendliness, humbleness and service to the community and around the world.

Today, Blacknall had a picnic at Camp Chestnut Ridge. We all were eager as we approached this little haven out in the country. We were immediately greeted by several members. We felt very welcomed and comfortable. We looked around to see lots of folks involved with various activities. Scott and the kids headed straight for the little lake that was off in the distance. I stood and chatted with some ladies for a bit.

I walked on down to find my family itching to claim a canoe. There were several people out on the water with life jackets and their own canoes. Scott was brave enough and took Julian, Madelyn and Kalen on out. It was such a sweet sight. The kids absolutely loved it.

The rest of the evening consisted of playing, chatting and eating. I can not possibly express how wonderful it felt to be walking around amongst a group, mingling, laughing and interacting with people! To see my children playing with other children and see faces I have seen before, being able to call some of them by name, was so refreshing. We all had a very enjoyable time and met several people. I am definitely encouraged tonight. I am thankful for this church and very hopeful about our experience within it.

Art

I have been implementing Art into our Thursdays and Fridays. Of course, everyday we have some type of Art expression going on. On these two days though, I try to come up with activities we can do together that are planned and a little more structured. I have blogged about studying a couple of famous artists. I think that is an important and meaningful thing for us to do as well.

Yesterday, we made some little clay critters. This was much more intense than I first imagined. We had worked with clay a little before, but not with the kind you bake. Sculpey is the brand I bought and we had great success with it. Madelyn and Julian had an easier time molding the clay than my three year old, Kalen. I am sharing some photos with you of the kids with their creations.

Today, I brought out some items that we could reuse to make into our own art or what not. Madelyn used a container that we had bought with mushrooms in it to make a castle. Kalen made a "spy scope" with a paper towel roll. Julian made a game out of a coffee tin and some craft pom poms. He decorated the tin and stood back and tried to see how many of the balls he could get into the container. We had a fun time.

I am thankful that I am able to incorporate Art into our homeschooling. The possibilities are endless.

Don't Quit Poem

*I have several people in my life that are experiencing difficult times. I found this little clip and thought it would be a source of encouragement. You know who you all are. Enjoy and breathe deep.