It's the thought that counts.

M: "So, Will, tomorrow is Father's Day. Should we do something special for Daddy?"

W: "YEAH."

M: "Do you have any ideas on what we could do?"

W: "I KNOW. We could build a T-Rex and all the dinosaurs that aren't alive anymore out of wood and then give Daddy a button that he could push and allllll the dinosaurs would open up their mouths and go 'ROOOOOAAAAAARRRRR.'"

M: "Wow. Well, what about for PapPap?"

W: "What kind of stuff does he like?"

M: "I don't know, what do you think he likes?"

W: (thoughtfully) "Ummmm... probably he'd like something small. Like a Pterodactyl."

Mother's Day is... June 22.

There is no holiday more important to me than Mother's Day. Forget me any and everyday of the year and it's alright ... Birthdays? we stopped celebrating those when I was a teenager. Christmas? too commercialized and consumer-driven. Easter? Thanksgiving? Labor Day? Nope, those are all working holidays for Moms.

But this year, Mother's Day falls at just the Wrong Time. The day after my all-day Fellow's retreat and 6 days before Paul and I leave for Peru. We are overwhelmed between renovation progress, our 4 (5?) combined jobs, the kids, preparing course materials, and getting ourselves ready to leave at the end of the week. I have a two page long "to-do" list and nowhere on that list are there things that deal with packing (do we even have luggage?), trip preparation (should we start taking our anti-malarials?), or personal concerns (it's been 5 months since your last haircut, maybe a trim wouldn't hurt?).

So, we rescheduled Mother's Day. Granted -- Paul STILL managed to make magic happen by getting Will to wake me up with sweet kisses and "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy" whispered into my ear. I opened my eyes to both kids holding up drawings they'd made for me. Paul also took to the kitchen again to make my favorite egg-in-toast this morning (after I had already fed and dressed the kids, but hey) and even took the kids to Whole Foods the day before where they picked out beautiful hydrangea blossoms for me to enjoy. These are definitely the makings of a good Mother's Day... but I'm holding out for a true day of rest and relaxation.

This is following a pattern of the last few weeks, which have held several notable days of import: including my own Mother's birthday (April 29th) and dear husband's birthday (May 5th). I did manage to call my Mom the day after her birthday AND arranged a babysitter last minute to take Paul out for a free birthday steak at O'Henry's (he's been craving steak -- when you fall off the vegetarian wagon, you fall hard) -- so it's not like nothing happened for these events, but still. One wants to have some time to dedicate a bit of thought and effort into these noteworthy milestones. This spring, our house is all about the rain check.

Easter Morning

Before work on the siding commenced Sunday morning, we actually DID do a bit of Easter Stuff. I dug myself in a big, deep hole by trying to explain Easter to Will. Luckily, Granna bought a cake so it was easy to distract him. (Note to self: before next year, work out how you are going to explain all religiously-oriented holidays in a neutral manner. Also, determine how, exactly, you will explain why we celebrate Christian holidays, but are not practicing Christians.)
My parents came... and brought back the singing Easter Bunny. We heard the Hallmark version of "Easter Goodies" (think Rockin' Robin -- with the tweeting chick who pops out of the egg) ALL DAY LONG, thanks to Kate's obsession with it.
The egg-hunt commenced quickly after the kids woke up (so, around 6am). We kept the hunt to the inside, unlike years past, when we could hide eggs outside in the front yard in the middle of the afternoon and announce that we JUST NOTICED that there were EGGS outside!! This is because Will now understands that when someone bringing gifts comes at night, the bounty is to be found at First Light. Which means that parents have no time to get dressed, because OH MY GOODNESS, DID THE EASTER BUNNY COME?! So, we kept the eggs inside to prevent us from having to jump around the yard at 6am in our skivvies. We restrict that behavior to Friday nights, only.Kate loved pulling apart eggs. Finger puppets, Sesame Street figures, stickers, and tattoos were in most. There were some eggs with candy. Kate wanted to try EVERYTHING... and then would spit it out. I cannot understand how I gave birth to a child that does not like chocolate.
What she DOES love, however, ARE SHOES. Especially boots. Here she is, modeling the pair Nana sent. This is before she ripped the liners out and hid them in our tupperware drawer.
Notice all that bounty on the floor? Thanks, Easter Bunny!

Kids with Ears

On this Valentine's Day...

When I taught at Michigan, I used to put an overhead of this up on the board as students walked in when I had class on Valentines Day. Sort of sums up my thoughts on the whole Valentines thing*. It had a lot more bite to it in the days before Blood Diamond and was a great launch into discussing the paradigms around relationships.

Share it with someone you love on this Valentines Day. (You can find online copies of it here.)



Ten Reasons Why You Should Never Accept a Diamond Ring from Anyone, Under Any Circumstances, Even If They Really Want to Give You One.

By Liz Stanton, CPE Staff Economist

1. You’ve Been Psychologically Conditioned To Want a Diamond. The diamond engagement ring is a 63-year-old invention of N.W.Ayer advertising agency. The De Beers diamond cartel contracted N.W.Ayer to create a demand for what are, essentially, useless hunks of rock.

2. Diamonds are Priced Well Above Their Value. The De Beers cartel has systematically held diamond prices at levels far greater than their abundance would generate under anything even remotely resembling perfect competition. All diamonds not already under its control are bought by the cartel, and then the De Beers cartel carefully managed world diamond supply in order to keep prices steadily high.

3. Diamonds Have No Resale or Investment Value. Any diamond that you buy or receive will indeed be yours forever: De Beers™ advertising deliberately brain-washed women not to sell; the steady price is a tool to prevent speculation in diamonds; and no dealer will buy a diamond from you. You can only sell it at a diamond purchasing center or a pawn shop where you will receive a tiny fraction of its original “value.”

4. Diamond Miners are Disproportionately Exposed to HIV/AIDS. Many diamond mining camps enforce all-male, no-family rules. Men contract HIV/AIDS from camp sex-workers, while women married to miners have no access to employment, no income outside of their husbands and no bargaining power for negotiating safe sex, and thus are at extremely high risk of contracting HIV.

5. Open-Pit Diamond Mines Pose Environmental Threats. Diamond mines are open pits where salts, heavy minerals, organisms, oil, and chemicals from mining equipment freely leach into ground-water, endangering people in nearby mining camps and villages, as well as downstream plants and animals.

6. Diamond Mine-Owners Violate Indigenous People’s Rights. Diamond mines in Australia, Canada, India and many countries in Africa are situated on lands traditionally associated with indigenous peoples. Many of these communities have been displaced, while others remain, often at great cost to their health, livelihoods and traditional cultures.

7. Slave Laborers Cut and Polish Diamonds. More than one-half of the world’s diamonds are processed in India where many of the cutters and polishers are bonded child laborers. Bonded children work to pay off the debts of their relatives, often unsuccessfully. When they reach adulthood their debt is passed on to their younger siblings or to their own children.

8. Conflict Diamonds Fund Civil Wars in Africa. There is no reliable way to insure that your diamond was not mined or stolen by government or rebel military forces in order to finance civil conflict. Conflict diamonds are traded either for guns or for cash to pay and feed soldiers.

9. Diamond Wars are Fought Using Child Warriors. Many diamond producing governments and rebel forces use children as soldiers, laborers in military camps, and sex slaves. Child soldiers are given drugs to overcome their fear and reluctance to participate in atrocities.

10. Small Arms Trade is Intimately Related to Diamond Smuggling. Illicit diamonds inflame the clandestine trade of small arms. There are 500 million small arms in the world today which are used to kill 500,000 people annually, the vast majority of whom are non-combatants.

References:

* Collier, Paul, “Economic Causes of Civil Conflict and Their Implications for Policy,” World Bank, June 15, 2000.
* Epstein, Edward Jay, “Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?“, The Atlantic Monthly, February 1982.
* Global Witness, “Conflict Diamonds: Possibilities for the Identification, Certification and Control of Diamonds,” A Briefing Document, June 2000.
* Human Rights Watch/Asia, “The Small Hands of Slavery: Bonded Child Labor In India,” Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Project.
* Human Rights Watch, “Children’s Rights: Stop the Use of Child Soldiers.”
* Kerlin, Katherine “Diamonds Aren’t Forever: Environmental Degradation and Civil War in the Gem Trade,” E: The Environment Magazine.
* Le Billon, Philippe, “Angola’s Political Economy of War: The Role of Oil and Diamonds, 1975-2000,” African Affairs, (2001), 100, p.55-80
* Mines and Communities, “The Mining Curse: The roles of mining in ‘underdeveloped’ economies,” Minewatch Asia Pacific/Nostromo Briefing Paper, February 1999.
* Other Facets, Number 1, April 2001; Number 2, June 2001; Number 3, October 2001, www.partnershipafricacanada.org/hsdp/of.html [dead link]


*Full disclosure: I do own a diamond that I consider to be one of the most precious things we have. It was Paul's Grandmother's engagement ring from the 1920s, set in a completely one-of-a-kind ring that she designed. I like to think that it holds a bit more innocence for it's age, originality, and family history. But hey, I eat meat, heat my house, take long showers, and own clothes that came from maquilas, so I am in no way innocent. Even still: I have never bought a diamond.

Christmas in NOLA... some highlights

This was the first time we've had a tree since we lived in Ann Arbor. We bought this tree on clearance after Christmas last year and put it up for the first time this year. Will and I made the garland out of Mardi Gras beads, hung ornaments that hadn't seen light in over 4 years, and made assorted decorations. (Will is quite the crafty guy.)
This one was Kate's (she put the nose on all by herself). Will and I helped guide her with the rest.
Will and I put together this ice skater. The best part is that Will wrote his name on the ice behind the figure.
This doggie is 100% Will. Note that the dog's mouth is a "W."
Another Will original -- with glitter and Popsicle sticks!
My favorite ornament... of Paul's 2-year old hand.
Kate and the Christmas tree, Christmas Eve day. We hung everything out of reach of Kate -- she loved messing up the garland and we didn't want to give her much opportunity to get involved with anything else.
After Santa's visit, in the wee hours Christmas morning. The doggie rocker was for Kate and the Black-n-Decker workbench for Will. Both were huge hits. Other treats: Will gave Kate an animal hospital set, Kate got a Baby Stella doll, Will got a talking and racing Lightening McQueen (even Kate can program it; she is alarmingly brilliant) and we all got pajamas. Santa brought both kids Ugly Dolls and they are great (Will LOVES his "Big Toe" and has been taking it everywhere.) Paul and I had some big exciting items, too... a camera lens (for me) and a tile saw (for Paul).
Below, sometime Christmas morning. We opened presents slowly and in waves, finishing some the following day. Here, Paul is asleep on the floor while PapPap and Kate play with the animal hospital (a gift picked out for Kate by Will, "because Kate likes gatos").
Will working on his workbench.
Will colored the ornament below last year.
Granna and Kate open up the Baby Stella doll.
It was so nice to be home for Christmas, even if the day was crazy. It will be very hard to take down the tree!

Attempts for a Holiday Family Photo...

On Christmas Day, they put on the ceiling and roofing joists.

Does the view seem wider than previous pictures? There is a reason, but more on that later.


The photo below is to demonstrate Paul's flipping around the roof. The rest is a little lagniappe.





These are what he's nailing the boards into. Hurricane protection.






Nice view if we were going to have a second story. (We're not.)











They finished the roof after dark -- or really, just throwing the last beams up. (Getting them up was something Paul couldn't do by himself, so they cut and got them up while Paul had help.) Paul finished nailing them all down the next day.