Monday, June 30, 2008

Ugh!!!!!




Seriously?  18 mpg?  And they advertised it?  I don't know what else to say but, UGH!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Saturday, June 28, 2008

I never was very good at tag....



Apparently I was tagged by Ms Denise.

It could be worse, I could have been tagged....

I digress.

Maybe that is why I was never

         very good at that game.    



What was I doing 10 years ago?


Maybe it was this.......





 It was definitely this.

Headed 
        
           
 toward
                    
                    
        this......




and wanting lots of these....................





But somehow, despite being a little like this....
























knew to wait for this 








and along the way, when the time was right, somehow ended up lucky enough to have this...





What are the five things on my list to do today?
Five? Oh, right this is a game, (play along Channyn!)
  1. Go to church
  2. Go to a family picnic 
  3. Wash laundry
  4. Get ready for Monday
  5. Love my children

Snacks I enjoy

  1. Cheese
  2. Almonds
  3. Chocolate 
  4. Cheese
  5. Ice cream
  6. Cheese
  7. Chips with green salsa
  8. Cheese
  9. Cappuccino
  10. Oh, and cheese now and then.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire.


Probably this....

don't forget this...

and, come on fitting into these wouldn't be to bad.....





5 people that I would like to learn more about:

  1. Alanna 
  2. L2
  3. Tyna, and
  4. Brooke.  Get a blog will ya........
  5. Alexandra, who is also bloggless
you are all it.........

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Weekend Fun

This weekend we took the kids to a school picnic. Lots and lots of fun....





Cute babies......




















Bouncing.....










Horseback riding....












All the boys even volunteered as dunkee's in the dunking booth













Even Arturo, my brave boy.....










All this makes for some very tired babies.....



Yes, he really is asleep!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Channyn is my name,

and I pray. You know the rest, long and hard, like crying and fighting.  And of course the, my mother always said part, (though, I don't remember Mom saying too much about praying).   Seriously, I've been thinking a lot lately about faith.
I've had a long spiritual journey.  I grew up Catholic, first communion and all.  Later, not sure if you knew this mom, but I was one of the founding members to a Christian group in my high school (I even fought to get our group picture in the yearbook).  And, as life got infinitely more complicated, I began to think that God wasn't for me.  I felt abandoned with loss, an abusive marriage, and clearly, from all that I have been told, God did not like lesbians.  I was (am) torn.  
As a Christian, I could not be a lesbian.  And now, as a lesbian, I cannot be a Christian.  I am torn between two worlds, not fully accepted in either, so, it has been easy for me not to talk about it much.  I'm sure I'm not the only one out there that wrestles with belief, and purpose, and yes, about God and getting into heaven.  I surely don't know all the answers, but I thought that this view was worth sharing.  

Lights Out

So, yesterday was lights out day for us. Here are a few thoughts to get you thinking....

  1. It is so fun.  It makes all the mundane daily activities exciting, if you can believe it (think-going to the bathroom in the dark).
  2. Should we be using battery operated electronics?  Alicia and I have been thinking about this.  Especially with the computer.  I argued that if I didn't charge it intentionally for lights out that it was okay (not sure if I agree with my own argument there).
  3. The boys want to trade the day because celebrity circus is on Wednesday nights.  Should we change it, or is that part of the sacrifice? 
  4. Yesterday we forgot until about 3:00 in the afternoon, so we decided to extend it into today until 3.  What do you think we could do so that we wouldn't forget?  Maybe turn the power off last thing the night before?
  5. I love the extra time we get to share as a family together because no T.V.   I love this most because I'm not a T.V. person, much to the chagrin of everyone else.  I vote for a no T.V. rule all the time, think I'll win?
  6. No lights, and now no candles, means an earlier bedtime.  This one is a tough one for me because I have the worst insomnia ever.  I laid there last night and listened to everyone sleep (fun in its own right) from about 915 until 2am.  Which, is better than my normal 3am fall asleep time.  
  7. Mostly, I miss being able to use my sewing machine.  I wanted to finish a quilt top but couldn't because of the no electricity rule... Which makes me think, what is good and bad electricity usage?
  8. What I've learned most from this experience is to be aware of all of the other times I flip the switch, or turn something on.  How much of what we use, do we really need, or, are we just using mindlessly?  I think the impact on our mindless electricity usage will be what is effected most of all.  
p.s.  We ordered our envirocycle composter.  It should take one to two weeks to get here, I can't wait.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Rogue Dandelions-Rogue Baby



Aaliyah took a bath today, and then promptly ran out the door after Alicia and began collecting dandelions before we even knew what happened. Couldn't resist getting a few shots.


Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Friendship

I spent some time getting to know my new friend Denise today. It is always great fun getting to know someone new. We had so much fun, the day was gone before I knew it, but I didn't leave empty handed. I left full of friendship, and gifts to borrow including a new spindle, which I've already fallen in love with....




Check out the tiny yarn!!


Not to mention that she gave my Aaliyah some clothing from her girls. Most of it was a little big yet, but we had tons of fun with a fashion show tonight anyway.



She'll be fitting into them all before I know it.....sigh.

So many things to be grateful for, thank you Ms Denise. I read the bible back in the day, and I am sure I remember that it says somewhere in proverbs that in order for a man to have friends they must first show themselves to be friendly (my memory is a little rusty so I'm not sure the exact quote). But I knew that you would appreciate knowing that you have shown yourself to be friendly, and therefore have a friend in me. All the best...and cheers to new friendship.

Monday, June 16, 2008

A Testimony to All that is Good


The smile of a child.



It helps that they are sitting on the Quilt I made for sweet Olivia (right). My littlest cousins, Elizabeth, & Olivia, oh, how I love thee.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Sometimes...


Sometimes
I feel like I am holding on to strings
of things
destined to
or that should
be
let go.

And I’ve Loved

I’ve been a Mother
to newborn crack addicts,
victims,
and survivors.
And I’ve loved.
I’ve been a Mother
to punch throwers,
back talkers,
promiscuous young girls
on flights of fancy
who have incurred
the fury
of teachers,
caseworkers,
police, and
judges.
And I’ve loved.
As the crack addicts,
victims,
survivors,
punch throwers,
back talkers,
and promiscuous young girls
grow into
loving,
upstanding—healed—
members of society
that sometimes want
to talk back
and throw a punch
or two,
I love.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Still, my name is Channyn

and I am a fighter.  Like the cries, and the liquor swig, I fight long and hard.  When I was little (and, still now) my mother said, I can't just let it go.  Or more accurately, "you always have to have the last word."  Last word or not, my words are my best weapons.  

I've been thinking a lot lately about the existential. This is not something new for me. I take my role in this life very seriously. In fact, it is most of what drives me.  I am in love with the ideas of equality, justice, fairness, and yes, the art of defending the ideal. Sometimes I let it get the best of me. I am the quintessential, "are you there God, it's me Margaret" Although, clearly my struggle isn't with sanitary napkins and increasing my bust size.


How do I say that life is so hard without hurting the ones I love most?  How do I fix what has been torn, to find what is real?  How do I use that to help others? How do I stop that which is wrong without hurting what is right?

I don't know the answers, I will stumble in my search, but clearly I am willing to fight (and sometimes cry) to find them.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Hello, my name is Channyn...

and I am a crier.  Growing up, my mother always said I was sensitive, or more accurately, too sensitive.  Regardless, I cry.  A lot.  
Sometimes I cry about myself.  More often though, I cry about almost anything, and anyone else.  Most times, my cries are a lot like an alcoholics swig from a bottle of liquor, long and hard.  I sometimes wish that I wasn't "too sensitive."  Sometimes I wonder what all the tears add up to.  Don't get me wrong, I don't hate crying, honestly I can enjoy a good hard cry.  Which, I think contributes to the answer.  Crying for me is like a long expected rain in a dry summer.  It refreshes me, it feeds me, to be better, to do better, and to be what Gandhi called, "the change that I want to see in the world."
I woke up this morning and not 45 minutes later I was in tears.  It all started much like many of our mornings start, with Arturo, slowly, sllllllowly getting ready for school.  My sweet Arturo, my boy who came to me so young, just 20 months old, and already changed for life from abuse.  My sweet Arturo who has, so slowly, grown from a frightened, angry, non-communicative baby into a sweet, loving, inspirational example of resiliency.  Mind you, now, almost five, still with so much catching up to do, he teaches me so much more than I even realize.  
So, as I said, like many mornings, Arturo was getting ready for school, but more accurately, pestering his older two brothers.  I could hear it from my room, the bickering back and forth.  "Arturo, your supposed to wear this,"  and then his, "no, I'm wearing this." Then me, frustration.  "Arturo, come here."  The lecture already formed inside my head.  As he rounded the corner into my doorway, his small expectant face peered up into mine, and my heart melted.  Still dressed in mismatched pajamas (almost 45 minutes after getting up) my boy looked at me with eyes full of expectation.  "Come give me a hug."  I say.  His body curled up into mine (no tears yet)  I began kissing his face all over.  "Mommy!!"  
"I could kiss you all day."  I could.  I was sad as he squirmed away, expecting him to run off, and the day to continue on its way.  Instead, he crawled up next to his still sleeping sister (yeah, sleeping in my bed) and began slowly, gently rubbing her back, waking her (still no tears, amazing).  Aaliyah, typically wakes up cranky, but today, instead, she woke up and gave Arturo the biggest hug.  And, as my boy, sat, hugging his little sister, and facing me he said, "Mommy, I can see myself in your eyes."  
No, baby.  I see myself through your eyes.
(Tears)



Thursday, June 12, 2008

Oh, and Some Before and After

My tomatoes before.......













            


and almost exactly one month after...


If any of you knew my tomato saga, you would be as excited as I am. Let me just say, big sigh, "finally".

My Talented Children

Last week our boys had their first art show. Not just any art show mind you, but both boys, Jonathan and Luis had their art chosen to be included in a citywide school art show. This means, that out of hundreds of children, my babies art pieces were picked. I always knew they were talented, but now you know too.....


This is Luis (a second grader) with his ultra cool pinch pot....





...and this is Jonathan (a kindergartener),





and this is Jonathan's self portrait




Hello!!! I won't brag......

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Earth weak Update

I realized tonight, in preparation for our weekly lights out on Wednesday, that I hadn't posted an update on how well we are doing in our quest to reduce our impact.

1. Wednesday lights out: I would say that we have been mildly successful. Sometimes we're just not able to do it on Wednesdays, so I am contemplating moving it to another day... or possibly just picking a day at the beginning of the week when we can.

I was a little depressed about our less than 100% success until I read this....

"...many chose to light candles as an alternative. And, while I certainly get besotted by the mood of candlelight and the warm, cozy feeling it invokes, it doesn't come without environmental consequence.

Here's the trade-off: if you get your electricity from green sources* (wind, hydro, solar, etc.), switching over to a seemingly innocuous candle is a bit of mental legerdemain. Were the candles 100% beeswax or soy with a 100% cotton wick? Or were they the cheaper paraffin (fossil fuel) kind? Did they burn cleanly or did they actually contribute to increased carbon dioxide emissions?

For those of you not intimately knowledgeable about standard paraffin candles, paraffin** is essentially hydrocarbon, or a heavy alkane fraction distilled straight from crude oil. Even if 80% of your electricity comes from coal and fossil fuel fired power stations, burning candles is very polluting and certainly very greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions intensive, even more so than electric lighting. In other words, for every paraffin candle that is burned to replace electric lighting during Earth Hour, greenhouse gas emissions over the course of the one hour are increased by 9.8 g of carbon dioxide."

Read more interesting environmental (crunchy) stuff here.


So, I don't feel as bad because I am certain that my candles are the not so innocuous paraffin kind, which, we most definitely would have used. We are now on a quest to find soy candles.

The days that we are successful, are lots of fun. The kids love it, and say that its like going out to a beautiful restaurant because of the candle light. We are slightly curious as to how they describe our electricity free days to other people because Luis once said something like, "I like it when we have no electricity." Hmm...context? Lol

2. Our compost is doing well, however, we have a small lot, which isn't conducive to the process, so, this Friday we are going to buy the Envirocycle Compost Tumbler.

It is more expensive than I'd like to spend, but it should save me a fortune in the compost and organic fill that I buy every year, and never quite have enough of.

3. I've already been able to harvest herbs: basil, chives, mint, lemon balm, parsley, and cilantro from my garden, as well as some baby mesclun mix, and quite soon some arugula. We're trying to stay on the 100 mile diet, which is substantially easier now that the farmers markets are open.

4. We are, and continue to be, vegetarians for a variety of reasons, including the environment. For those of you who don't know, the meat industry has a huge negative impact on the world we live in, for a little snippit about this go here.


Other random things that we do that you could do too....

Shop at thrift stores, ebay, & garage sales whenever possible.
Grow your own food
Use a diva cup
Wash your clothes in cold water
Use cloth shopping bags
Pass on the plastic bags at the store when you only have one or two things
Buy your food locally
Limit your shower time
Line dry (or hanger dry like we do, lol) your clothes
Limit your electricity use by, turning off the t.v., having a picnic in the park.
Compost your food, yard scraps
Reuse some of your grey water


I challenge all of you to pick one thing that you don't do, and do it. Tell me how it goes.

Gotta go as our lights out day is already about to begin.....

Monday, June 2, 2008

Happy Birthday to Aaliyah

My baby is officially not a baby anymore.....





Doesn't everyone deserve a pony for their birthday?





I think the adults were almost more excited than the kids....




Even my nephew got to have his first pony ride...





Happy Birthday my sweet Mima!!