Ahhh the digital age :)

Being a Teacher

"This is the fundamental message of the teacher:
You can change your life. Wherever you’ve been, whatever you’ve done, the teacher invites you to build on all that you are, and to begin again. There is always something more to do, more to learn and know, more to experience and accomplish. You must change your life, and if you will, you can change your world.

This sense of opportunity and renewal—for individuals, for whole communities and societies—is at the heart of all teaching; it constitutes the ineffable magic drawing us back to the classroom and into the school again and again. Education, no matter where or when it takes place, enables people to become more powerfully and self-consciously alive; it embraces as principle and overarching purpose the aspiration of people to become more fully human; it impels us toward further knowledge, enlightenment, and human community, toward liberation. Education, at its best, is an enterprise that helps human beings reach the full measure of their humanity."

-William Ayers

So how and when is education at its best? And is reaching the full measure of our humanity really the ultimate goal?

CSA

Community supported agriculture. We are enjoying farm fresh produce, organically grown, every week this growing season (20 weeks in KY). At the commencement of the season, we agree to purchase a share in the farm's crops, whether it be a good year or bad year for produce, we pay for our share. Together with 8 other Wilmore families, we take turns traveling to the farmer's market each week to pick up everyone's boxes of produce. We meet at one location in Wilmore to pick up our boxes and give empty boxes to the pick up person for the following week. It all works very nicely, and the best part is eating the fresh produce every week.

A few things we've all noticed:

1. Fresh vegetables, straight from the farm, taste better. Even Tom and Isaiah think so.

2. We eat more vegetables because we know we're getting more in a few days so we have to eat what we have to make room.

3. I get to try recipes using ingredients that I would not normally buy, so we all get to be a bit more adventurous. Some of our adventures? Kohlrabi, kale, rainbow carrots and beets (not pickled).

4. It feels good to help a local farm, knowing that our money is being used in wise ways and not being used to put a small local farm somewhere out of business.

5. Two families share our box each week and I've still had enough left over to freeze 3 small bags of kale and give away a gallon size bag of lettuce greens.

So, I'd highly recommend the experience. I found our CSA in a Green Living newsletter at our local library. Do some looking and you might find one in your neighborhood.

Sick Mamma and New Car

I haven't felt great for a few days now and it all came to a fevered pitch last night. Hives, chills, fever, then sweating, achy all over, not my preferred reason for being awake at 3am. So, I stayed home from work today and listened to Eric wrangle the boys all day. I took a nap or two, watched lots of TLC and Michael Jackson memorial coverage. Now, I'm feeling much better and think I'll try to return to life tomorrow. I've been fever free with no drugs for a few hours now, so I think everyone is safe.

In other news, a few weeks ago we bought the car in the above photo. Since my new teaching job will require a bit of a commute, we knew we'd need something for me to drive back and forth every day so Eric could keep the van for boy use. Lots of research later, we bought a used (08) Nissan Versa. Welcome to the family little car. :)

Jumping in the Rain

After a whole day of inside play, the last hour of the day before bed last night they couldn't stand it any longer. First they rode bikes in the rain, then they ended up on the trampoline in the rain, slipping and sliding instead of jumping. Isaiah was completely giddy. He kept yelling, "Mommy! We're jumping in the rain!"

Waiting for the Parade

Wow has waiting become a lot easier for these active guys. We played 20 questions with animals, taking turns picking an animal for half an hour before the parade started.

Micah Sings and the 4th

Micah has recently rediscovered the CD player and kids praise and worship CDs. Yesterday and today he has been singing at the top of his voice along with the CD player. We love it! Ironic that we own 3 MP3 players and for one reason or another none of them works right now, but the old portable CD player of mine from high school is still going strong.

The Wilmore 4th of July parade was perfectly Wilmoresque as always. It will probably be our last Wilmore 4th. A little sad. The weather this week has been perfect- cool enough to leave the windows open, air conditioning off and to play outside for hours. I have 4th pictures that I'll post soon.

One of the things I love about Wilmore- after the parade, the whole town gathers into the sides of the streets and sidewalks, following the few cars at the tail of the parade and walking to the campground at the center of town. It's like something straight out of Mayberry where we wave to friends, saunter along beside cars, tractors and horses to the grounds where they sell hotdogs and drinks for a dollar or something like that.

We skipped out on the pavilion hotdogs this year, went home, had friends over and made our own. Good times in our bubble. We'll cherish it for one more year.

The weight of human life

"We can't accept that a plane is banned from Europe but still allowed to fly in Africa. It's the proof that our world isn't fair and that human beings don't weigh the same depending on which side of the Mediterranean they are," said Gilles Poux, mayor of the Paris suburb of La Courneuve, where Comorans gathered for prayers.

A plane crash in the Seychelles islands- Comoros- off the coast of Mozambique (kind of that area) claims many lives- no number yet since a survivor has been found and they're hoping for others. Many of the travelers were French citizens and the plane they boarded in Paris or Marseille was approved and safe. They then switched airplanes in an African country and boarded an airplace that did not have EU approval. This is the plane that crashed into the sea while landing and although officials say it was not due to mechanics, apparently the above mayor in Paris doesn't think this is true.

The values placed on human life reach far beyond race and ethnicity issues of North America. On virtually every corner of our planet we'll find the existance of unfair practices involving particular people groups. Obviously this is not the way we were intended to live with each other. Obviously God values each of these lives equally. We are all his children and He desires good things for all of us. It is difficult to even imagine a world where all lives weigh the same in the eyes of man. Just one more reason to anicipate the Kingdom that is "not yet."