Feb

28

Lukas Sleep Eating a few months ago!

Filed Under Entertainment, Video | 2 Comments

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Feb

28

Angelina Visits Refugees Outside of Darfur

Filed Under Darfur, Social Action | 4 Comments

I definitely don’t agree with “Angelina and Brad” on everything in the world. But I de respect the fact that they are globally concious, that they are doing what they can to change the world. I may not agree with all the ways that they want to change it, or all the ways they choose to go about doing it. But this article, written by Angelina after skipping the Oscars and visiting a refugee camp outside of Darfur, is RIGHT ON. I think her perspective is quite respectable in this situation. And I hope people listen.

She wrote this in the Washington Post.

Justice for Darfur
By Angelina Jolie
Wednesday, February 28, 2007; A19

BAHAI, Chad — Here, at this refugee camp on the border of Sudan, nothing separates us from Darfur but a small stretch of desert and a line on a map. All the same, it’s a line I can’t cross. As a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, I have traveled into Darfur before, and I had hoped to return. But the UNHCR has told me that this camp, Oure Cassoni, is as close as I can get.

Sticking to this side of the Sudanese border is supposed to keep me safe. By every measure — killings, rapes, the burning and looting of villages — the violence in Darfur has increased since my last visit, in 2004. The death toll has passed 200,000; in four years of fighting, Janjaweed militia members have driven 2.5 million people from their homes, including the 26,000 refugees crowded into Oure Cassoni.

Attacks on aid workers are rising, another reason I was told to stay out of Darfur. By drawing attention to their heroic work — their efforts to keep refugees alive, to keep camps like this one from being consumed by chaos and fear — I would put them at greater risk.

I’ve seen how aid workers and nongovernmental organizations make a difference to people struggling for survival. I can see on workers’ faces the toll their efforts have taken. Sitting among them, I’m amazed by their bravery and resilience. But humanitarian relief alone will never be enough.

Until the killers and their sponsors are prosecuted and punished, violence will continue on a massive scale. Ending it may well require military action. But accountability can also come from international tribunals, measuring the perpetrators against international standards of justice.

Accountability is a powerful force. It has the potential to change behavior — to check aggression by those who are used to acting with impunity. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has said that genocide is not a crime of passion; it is a calculated offense. He’s right. When crimes against humanity are punished consistently and severely, the killers’ calculus will change.

On Monday I asked a group of refugees about their needs. Better tents, said one; better access to medical facilities, said another. Then a teenage boy raised his hand and said, with powerful simplicity, “Nous voulons une épreuve.” We want a trial. He is why I am encouraged by the ICC’s announcement yesterday that it will prosecute a former Sudanese minister of state and a Janjaweed leader on charges of crimes against humanity.

Some critics of the ICC have said indictments could make the situation worse. The threat of prosecution gives the accused a reason to keep fighting, they argue. Sudanese officials have echoed this argument, saying that the ICC’s involvement, and the implication of their own eventual prosecution, is why they have refused to allow U.N. peacekeepers into Darfur.

It is not clear, though, why we should take Khartoum at its word. And the notion that the threat of ICC indictments has somehow exacerbated the problem doesn’t make sense, given the history of the conflict. Khartoum’s claims aside, would we in America ever accept the logic that we shouldn’t prosecute murderers because the threat of prosecution might provoke them to continue killing?

When I was in Chad in June 2004, refugees told me about systematic attacks on their villages. It was estimated then that more than 1,000 people were dying each week.

In October 2004 I visited West Darfur, where I heard horrific stories, including accounts of gang-rapes of mothers and their children. By that time, the UNHCR estimated, 1.6 million people had been displaced in the three provinces of Darfur and 200,000 others had fled to Chad.

It wasn’t until June 2005 that the ICC began to investigate. By then the campaign of violence was well underway.

As the prosecutions unfold, I hope the international community will intervene, right away, to protect the people of Darfur and prevent further violence. The refugees don’t need more resolutions or statements of concern. They need follow-through on past promises of action.

There has been a groundswell of public support for action. People may disagree on how to intervene — airstrikes, sending troops, sanctions, divestment — but we all should agree that the slaughter must be stopped and the perpetrators brought to justice.

In my five years with UNHCR, I have visited more than 20 refugee camps in Sierra Leone, Congo, Kosovo and elsewhere. I have met families uprooted by conflict and lobbied governments to help them. Years later, I have found myself at the same camps, hearing the same stories and seeing the same lack of clean water, medicine, security and hope.

It has become clear to me that there will be no enduring peace without justice. History shows that there will be another Darfur, another exodus, in a vicious cycle of bloodshed and retribution. But an international court finally exists. It will be as strong as the support we give it. This might be the moment we stop the cycle of violence and end our tolerance for crimes against humanity.

What the worst people in the world fear most is justice. That’s what we should deliver.

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Feb

27

Latest issue of Cookie

Filed Under Environment | 5 Comments

I love my Cookie Magazine! (thank you Caroline for starting me on it last year!) Always such great things for mom’s that don’t want fashion OR practicality to get lost in the shuffle of life.

Anyway some recent things from this last issue.


First off it reviewed the Phil & Teds double all-terrain stroller. It gave it BEST URBAN RIDE, with
4 out of 5 stars for handling
3 out of 5 for ride comfort
4 out of 5 for foldability.

It says the pro is it “can turn a corner with just one hand pushing… con “boring back-seat view could engender front-seat envy”

Being that I OWN this stroller, I thought I would add my own 2 cents worth :) Anyone who knows me- or has seen my garage knows that I am an absolute stroller addict. I love strollers, I love the options, I love having the perfect baby ride for the perfect situation. I know that makes me somewhat strange and most likely spoiled… but I love them, and may even open a store of them (for real).

My most recent problem to solve (baby transport wise) was having a stylish all terrain that wasn’t too huge or bulky… could also be used for travel to places like Colorado, and was EASILY adaptable for several situations. I did so much research, including a drive to Cinci, to research this stroller (after all if you are going to pray the hefty price tag it better be something that you love!)

This stroller ended up being a dream come true! I was worried about the back seat being no fun at first, but truthfully, my children beg for that seat! Owen can’t ride in it (the back) because he is over the 35 weight limit- but most 2 year olds don’t weigh that much! I took this on my flight to CO and it could not have been much easier to travel with. The back seat snaps off 2 seconds and then it folds to a perfectly reasonalbe side to check when you are entering the plane. The back seat collapses to a flat piece so it takes virtually no overhead space. Once off the plane it snapped back on easily and worked either for a seat or (when child wanted to walk) held all our coats and diaper bags quite nicely. The kids LOVE the stroller and it was so easy to use on the snowy, slushy streets of breckenridge… which none of my other storllers would have worked in! At home it is perfect to walk on our neighborhood pathways with. My Caboose sit and stand I used to take walks with had zero shock system so it never takes the bumps of a walk well. Where as the Phil and Teds takes it with total comfort and ease. It calls this best urban ride, but being from the suburbs i can vouch that it works well too! This stroller is ALSO adaptable for one baby, in the pictured toddler, and younger toddler mode, AND the mainseat can be folded flat for a baby carraige while a young toddler is snapped in the second seat placed ABOVE the carriage. A non-endorsed use for that back seat is also as a travel high chair. I simply snapped the back securing part (red attachement at top of seat (not pictured) i secured that on the chair and used it as Lukie’s high chair while we were in CO. This stroller was worth every penny.


I also learned from this issue that whole foods “buys enough wind power each month to compensate for the fossil-fuel energy it uses. Now you can do the same by adding a wind power card from renewable chioce energy to your Whole Foods Cart.” Basically when you buy the card money goes to the wind famrs to cover the cost of adding clean sustainable energy to the national electric grid- which means less fossil fuel (creates pollution) derived energy. “Family cards are $15 for 750 kilowatt-hours (the amount the average family uses a month).” So kind of like a charity for the improving of the environment. HEY, I’m all for anything that would get us to not depending on other countries for energy, mainly russia, venezuela and the middle east. Anything that does that from Windmills to drilling Alaska!

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Feb

26

Sickies

Filed Under Family, Trials & Tribs | 4 Comments

Owen is full on sick. His nose and eyes are running like faucets. He is super moody. When he coughs he sounds like he is taking a long awaited breath after almost drowning. No fever… So I’m assuming it is just a bad cold. But it’s just so sad. I’m praying he is better quickly, and that this doesn’t make its way around the family. It is sad enough with Owen having it, but Lukas is so little and I can’t imagine him coughing like this! So for now we have cabin fever and are washing our hands like crazy.

The snow isn’t all gone, but it’s on it’s way and I couldln’t be happier. When the snow has been on the ground this long, it starts looking rather skanky. I can’t imagine if we lived in a more smog filled city. At least Ohio is somewhat clean.

I don’t know about anyone else… but spring will be so welcomed when it arrives. I want more fresh air! And it is just so difficult to trudge out into the snow with a 2 year old and a 1 year old!

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Feb

24

13 years.

Filed Under Cancer, Family, Trials & Tribs | 7 Comments


Well… It’s the 24th of February, 2007 which means it is 13 years since my mom died in our home (at the time) of Cancer. I know I have blogged about this every year. It does blow me away that it has been so long. I found a picture of her and I from when I was 3.5 years old. I wanted to upload it (it is one of the very few pictures I have), but my scanner seems to be on the fritz. I’ll add it later if I can get it working.

Lately, what is the hardest, is being a mom and not having her to relate to on that adult level that mom’s and daughter’s eventually get too. I would love to talk to her about Owen and Lukas and marriage… Hear more about her life from an adult perspective. That is what is hardest now. Funny, grieving really is a life long process. I do feel I have been robbed of someone who would now probably have been my best friend. But I know that God has reasons for everything that we often don’t understand. She’s with my oldest brother Christopher and far better off with God than down here on this messed up planet.

As I have said before, she wasn’t perfect, but she was amazing. A large part of my family knows Jesus as their Lord and Savior because of her. She tutored mentally disabled kids on how to read. She always be-friended the under-dog. She saw herself in their vulnerability. She loved us with all of herself. She was in the word every morning when I walked downstairs to get the hot breakfast she had made me. She struggled with depression most of the years I knew her, but she threw herself into the Bible and in Jesus to deal with it. She’s one of my biggest heros. Mom if you get internet where your at… Know I’ll always love you, it doesn’t get easier every year that goes by, it actually gets harder. I miss you. And I wish you could know the boys in my life.

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Feb

20

THIRST INTERNATIONAL

Filed Under Social Action, Thirst | 3 Comments


(writing copied from Anne Marie)
Water - clean water. Something we totally take for granted.

Thirst Relief International exists to provide the basic necessity of clean drinking water to those in need around the world. Check out Thirst’s website - or this quick video clip. There is a lot of great information there - like the fact that nearly 2 million people die annually (90% of which are children under the age of 5) simply because they lack access to clean drinking water. It so great to know that you can help save a life for only $5! It is so simple - and yet profoundly life changing for those who lack clean water.

Here is how you can help in an extra special way:

You and I have the opportunity to raise even more money for Thirst Relief International! We could receive a matching grant of up to $10,000. People have created charity badges through a website called www.SixDegrees.org for their charities all over the country. The six badges that have the most number of donations between January 18th and March 31st at 11:59pm ET will get a matching grant from Kevin Bacon (the actor). (Keep in mind that multiple donations from a single individual to the same Six Degrees Charity Badge will only be counted once, although spouses could donate separately).

The process is easy; I have already created a Six Degrees Charity Badge for Thirst. I have posted it on the top of my blog and website and others will be joining me later this week on their websites and blogs. I fully believe that Thirst could get enough donations to receive a matching grant. The six charities with the highest NUMBER of donations - not total amount - will receive the matching grants. Here are the top six as of today. We need your help though!

Thirst Relief International together with you and www.sixdegrees.com – saving lives, changing the world. Please join me in donating and share this with others you know! (minimum donation is $10).

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25: 40

“He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.” Proverbs 28:27

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

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Feb

14

HAPPY VDAY

Filed Under Entertainment, Family, Holidays, Weather | 3 Comments


This is one of my favorite holidays!!! Largely because the overall pink and redness of it all and the heart shapes everywhere. I guess that makes me a girlie girl…:) As you can see from this picture, we are pretty much snowed in. I was having 2 friends over today with thier kiddos and the little ones were going to decorate heart shaped cookies! Like a little vday party! Postponed till tomorrow!

The boys each got a book, a cars sippy cup, and a tiny winnie the pooh box of chocolates. I awoke to a dozen roses, chocolates, and a ipod SHUFFLE. My husband knows my general clutziness causes me to always drop my other ipod at the gym! Smart guy :) I got him shoes I thought he wanted :)

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Feb

12

the cost of minimum wage increase

Filed Under Uncategorized | 9 Comments

The more un-popular side of the minimum-wage debate…. worth thinking through. When we require small biz owners to pay higher than natural market price… often jobs are cut. Those few people that actually keep their jobs win, but those laid off as a result feel the sting. In addition prices of products often go up when wages are increased. It’s simple math. But a very unpopular math. Politicians don’t like to vote against it. Let’s say (for sake of simple to understand math numbers I’m using unrealistic figures… )

Small Biz Man has $1000 a day to spend in wages for his workers.
He previously paid 10 people $100 a day. T
he gov’t said he needed to start paying those people 125.50 a day.
Because his operating budget did not change he had to lay off 2 of his 10 workers.

He quickly feels the strain of 2 less people working for him.

He decides the 500 $2 burgers he sells a day (we’ll just say the burgers are only covering the cost of employees and other items cover all other oporating costs for the sake of simple illustration) that give him that $1000 a day to pay workers need to have a price increase so he can get the 10 person man-power back.

He now charges roughly $2.75 per burger to make up for the budget gap so he can hire those men back (possibly) and in addition cover the gap of people that will no longer buy his burgers because he had to raise the price.

As usual, politics and people often look for the quick fix answer that sounds right, caring and compassionate. But I believe compassion has to also look at the long term effect and not ignore the consequences of every possible solution.

Now for the real life story happening in Arizona:

New wage boost puts squeeze on teenage workers across Arizona
Employers are cutting back hours, laying off young staffers
Chad Graham
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 10, 2007 12:00 AM

Oh, for the days when Arizona’s high school students could roll pizza dough, sweep up sticky floors in theaters or scoop ice cream without worrying about ballot initiatives affecting their earning power.

That’s certainly not the case under the state’s new minimum-wage law that went into effect last month.

Some Valley employers, especially those in the food industry, say payroll budgets have risen so much that they’re cutting hours, instituting hiring freezes and laying off employees.
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And teens are among the first workers to go.

Companies maintain the new wage was raised to $6.75 per hour from $5.15 per hour to help the breadwinners in working-poor families. Teens typically have other means of support.

Mark Messner, owner of Pepi’s Pizza in south Phoenix, estimates he has employed more than 2,000 high school students since 1990. But he plans to lay off three teenage workers and decrease hours worked by others. Of his 25-person workforce, roughly 75 percent are in high school.

“I’ve had to go to some of my kids and say, ‘Look, my payroll just increased 13 percent,’ ” he said. ” ‘Sorry, I don’t have any hours for you.’ ”

Messner’s monthly cost to train an employee has jumped from $440 to $580 as the turnover rate remains high.

“We go to great lengths to hang on to our high school workers, but there are a lot of kids who come in and get one check in their pocket and feel like they’re living large and out the door they go,” he said. “We never get our return on investment when that happens.”

For years, economists have debated how minimum-wage increases impact the teenage workforce.

The Employment Policies Institute in Washington, which opposed the recent increases, cited 2003 data by Federal Reserve economists showing a 10 percent increase caused a 2 percent to 3 percent decrease in employment.

It also cited comments by notedeconomist Milton Friedman, who maintained that high teen unemployment rates were largely the result of minimum-wage laws.

“After a wage hike, employers seek to take fewer chances on individuals with little education or experience,” one institute researcher told lawmakers in 2004.

Tom Kelly, owner of Mary Coyle Ol’ Fashion Ice Cream Parlor in Phoenix, voted for the minimum-wage increase. But he said, “The new law has impacted us quite a bit.”

It added about $2,000 per month in expenses. The store, which employs mostly teen workers, has cut back on hours and has not replaced a couple of workers who quit.

Kelly raised the wages of workers who already made above minimum wage to ensure pay scales stayed even. As a result, “we have to be a lot more efficient” and must increase menu prices, he said.

While most of the state’s 124,067 workers between the ages of 16 and 19 made well above $5.15 per hour before the change, the new law has created real-life economic opportunities.

Liliana Hernandez brings home noticeably more under the new law. The 18-year-old, who attends Metro Tech High School in Phoenix and works part time at Central High School, is saving the extra money, maybe to put towards buying a used car.

Hernandez said she deserves the raise just like any other Arizona worker even if she still lives with her parents.

“I’m doing the best I can and working hard like everyone else,” she said.

In the months leading up to last November’s vote, advocates of the new law maintained that it would help Arizona create a “living wage” for some of the poorest workers.

The Economic Policy Institute estimated that 145,000 Arizonans would receive a pay raise. That was how many made $5.15 to $6.74 per hour.

At one press conference, a mother described how she was unable to afford basic school supplies for her son.

Opponents, however, said there was little talk about teenage workers. “Everyone wanted to focus on the other aspects of the minimum-wage campaign,” said Michelle Bolton, Arizona state director of the National Federation of Independent Business.

An Employment Policies Institute study determined that 30.1 percent of affected workers in Arizona fell between the ages of 16 and 19.

“Workers affected by the minimum-wage increase are less likely to be supporting a family than the typical Arizona worker,” it stated. “For example, 30.4 percent of the workers are living with their parent or parents, while only 7.6 percent of all Arizona workers are in this category.”

John Weischedel, a senior at the East Valley Institute of Technology in Mesa, knows he is lucky to be making $8 per hour at an auto dealership and learning technical skills. So are most of his friends who make $9 or more per hour while still attending high school.

After the minimum-wage law went into effect, “a couple of my friends got laid off - they worked in fast food,” he said. “They’re going to wait until they’re out of high school to find other jobs.”

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Feb

8

wrecker

Filed Under Christianity | 3 Comments

I’ve had my share of car accidents.

My first accident was the worst.

I headed to the mall from my job (during college). One minute I was driving along the high way and the next I saw a car coming into my lane. For about a split second I thought “that’s not going to work”, but before I could complete the thought my car was spinning.

That sounds like nothing, but if you have ever been at a spin out on a highway during rush hour (in Ohio the rush hour actually moves,) You know it is quite the surreal experience. Time really did seem slow motion like in the movies. I had the weirdest feeling during that moment though.

Peace.

It overwhelmed me. I did flash through life. I thought of people I loved. I thought about how my time spent wondering who I would marry and what my kids would be like was wasted time. Crushes had been silly and meaningless (but in my mind I laughed at that). My last thought before I hit the wall of a concrete overpass was…

“I love you Jesus”.

I hit the wall… hard. The airbag exploded and the front half of my Lexus was crushed (yes, I totaled a Lexus.) The person that hit me was long gone. My eyes opened after impact and I literally wondered “am I alive?” I loked at my hands and they moved. Then I looked up and saw smoke everywhere so suddenly I had this reflex reaction that said “GET OUT THE CAR’s GOING TO BLOW!” So I did.

I jumped out of the car and RAN! FAR from the car. After that, what I remember is seeing blood all over. Time flew. Cars were stopping all over both sides of the road. People were on cell phones. A man and some women were asking to look at my face, but I couldn’t take my hands off because I was scared my face was broken and that they would do something painful to fix it. After some convincing I lowered my hands from my face. It hurt because the wind was whipping and there were open wounds on my face! They thought nothing looked broken then suddenly EMT’s were coming from over the median of the highway. They led me past my car and into in ambulance. The weird thing… I had this EUPHORIC feeling. I know I know, adrenaline. It was… I have to admit I felt pretty lucky to be alive, even though I was obviously at peace to go home.

I don’t remember all I said to those EMT’s… I just know I didn’t stop talking and that I was talking about God. Finally they said “are you a beliver (Christian)?” I said YES! and went on and on about Jesus. They told me they were too, but they both seemed a bit shy about it. We kept talking as they wheeled me into the ER. I said If you are Christians will you pray with me? They looked at eachother and said yes. So I prayed…. and in the middle the dr. came in and asked them loudly to leave. I remember the one guys face clearly. When I think of them I pray for them. They were great at their jobs.

Aside from looking like a duck-billed palatapus and having whisker like scabs all over my face I was fine.

I guess what strikes me when I remember that time though, is that when I really truly thought it was my last moment, I just wanted to see Jesus and was truly at peace with it. I guess so often I’m full of anxiety (even regarding driving!). I often fear death and those around me dying. I get wrapped up in so many anxious thoughts- wasting my mind’s time. But in that moment all I cared about was Jesus. I guess I’ll cherish that forever. It wasn’t even wanting to see my mom… which also surprises me. I just wanted Jesus. And he had me live. Remarkably at that.

Just something I’m thinking about after watching Grey’s Anatomy- which by the way this weeks episode was a bit too much for me. I just can’t handle that much blood and emotion. I always hated ER for that stuff.

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Feb

7

I haven’t posted about this yet (largely due to …

Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments

I haven’t posted about this yet (largely due to my lack of posting). But the sweet baby Noah Steven I linked about awhile back went home to heaven this last month. If you aren’t sure what I’m talking about, check out the noah steven blog authored by his mom. There really aren’t elequent ways to explain how much this little life and testimony have convicted me, challanged me, touched me, and hopefully… will even change me. I know grief. I know almost being swallowed by it over and over. I know feeling like you are hopelessly fighting an undertow. Yet, I have never gone through it with any of my children and I can’t imagine, I DON’T WANT to imagine what pain that ensues. This mommy-blogger has strength, resolve, conviction, and faith that is inspriring. Noah’s story also causes me to want to leap up my stairs pull my children out of bed and rock them, kiss their faces all over, and tell them how thankful I am for them over and over… but, they need their sleep!

We just got back from Breckenridge. It was a great time with Jeff’s family. In our 4 years of marriage I have never seen my husband snow board till last week! We just have had such a crazy last few years that we never got around to it. I knew he was good, but I was madly impressed! I mean, for a 6′5″ guy to make it look that easy! The last day I didn’t go out and he ended up on a double black diamond! WHAT? crazy. It was the highest peak in north america and he boarded it. Nice. I’m just glad I didn’t have to know about that in advance :) I have a few poorly taken phone pics on the mountain, but I’ll share them anyway!

My sexy snowboarding husband.

crazy self taken picture in my highlighter meets barney board jacket! (If I can promise myself I will get on some slopes more often THEN I can justify getting something new.)

The both of us.

LUKAS IS WALKING! and ALL OVER THE PLACE. He and Owen steal my heart every day. Owen is full on into imaginative play. It’s so fun to see the things he comes up with. He is also a chatterbox these days. He talked the ENTIRE 2 hour trip this morning to the Denver airport. And it was a bit too early for that. But I would rather have it than not.

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