Jana's Radical Weblog 3

FUNdraiser

Hey blog readers,

Two amazing ladies from my book club are off to Honduras to help build a grade school through this organization, Project School Supplies. Turns out it only costs $3k to build a school there and the schools are desperately needed. Stories of rats, rotted floor boards, no bathroom, books or supplies are typical.

This Sunday they are hosting a FUNdraiser at Karuna Yoga Arts Studio from 1-3pm. They are looking to fill 10 more spots. I hope you can come! Andy will be the MC and I am auctioning off a photo session and free 8x10. 

Here's the scoop:

Spend 2 relaxing and inspirational hours and help get a desperately needed school built in rural Honduras.
1:00-2:00 Yoga session, no ex- perience necessary, dress comfortably (arrive 12:45)
2:00-3:00 refreshments and presentation + SHORT auction

Event held at Karuna Arts Yoga, 819 SW 152nd, Burien, WA 98166 206-878-YOGA (9642). School funded through Project School Supplies

Project School Supplies has stocked or refurbished 30 dilapidated schools in Honduras and built 4 new schools in the last 3 years. Julie and Beth are going to Honduras in February to help the founder of Project School Supplies, Ellen Finn, build the newest school. Learn more at:    www.projectschoolsupplies.org

Register: $25.00– checks payable to:
Project School Supplies/Ellen Finn. Date: 00/00/00
Mail to: Marco Spani 3761 SW 171st , Burien, WA 98166

Pre-register to reserve your space by phone/ email: Julie.Burr@comcast.net, 206/246-2144 or Minkymonk@hotmail.com (Beth Gasser) 206/257-0907

I'd love to see you there!

"Mom, where do babies come from"

As I woke up my son this morning some of the first words out of his mouth were, "Mom, where do babies come from?"

I froze. I hadn't even had my morning caffeine and I'd worked on my freelance project until midnight last night. No way was my brain agile enough for this so early in the morning.

"Um, I am going to order you a book about this!"

Him, "mom, just tell me now."

Me, "I can have the book overnighted!"

Then I thought for a second and said, "Where do you think babies come from?"

My eight year old son, "Well babies are found on the street by doctors and then the doctor opens up the mommy's tummy and puts the babies in there with a bunch of wires and tubes. Then he puts a tube in for the milk."

Say what?!

"Well, there is a lot more nature and a lot less tubes. Many years ago babies were born and there weren't doctors around to put in any tubes." My son's response, "so the babies died because there wasn't proper care?" "You would have died because your lungs didn't work when you were born but most babies survived." That seemed to end the conversation. For now.

I am so ordering that book!

BTW, I am thinking Karsten's misguided interpretation of how babies are made stems from the fully sterilized, medically guided births of both of my kids. I can't even find any photos of Karsten's birth because looking at my 3 pounder hooked up to wires, tubes, alarms and oxygen was too painful to recall for a few years after his birth. Here is a photo of Karsten peering into Britta's isolet. No wonder my kids do not connect nature and birthing as the same process!

Grass fed

Andy and I watched Food Inc a few nights ago so my next trip to the grocery store netted some new food products. Instead of wheat or corn tortillas I founds some gluten free rice tortillas. Karsten had recently had bean and cheese burritos at school so he was excited for burritos at home too.

But not Mom's burritos. "Why aren't these the same as the school burritos?"

I launched into a spiel about the craziness of government corn subsidies and the manufacturing of American food and let him know we're going to eat differently now.

"I just want to eat the food like they serve at school!" (In my opinion, the nastiest stuff ever.)

"I can't eat the food I want because of the government? Is this the president's fault?!"

Uh oh, what have I done? Raising an anti-government raving child is not what I had intended. I am going to try to keep him grass fed. It will be interesting to see how this goes down.

How is this for your rainy Seattle day?

Ahhh, remembering Palm Desert, originally uploaded by B-TownMom.

Kinda makes you want to hop a plane, huh? Well, at least it makes me think about researching airfare prices and making some plans.

I got the "hard drive full" message and was going through files when I ran across this photo. Ahhh.

Happy Belated Holidays!

_DSC0221, originally uploaded by B-TownMom.

Here is a photo of Britta and stuffed reindeer riding the ferry to Bestemor and FarFar's house on Christmas Day. Minus brother and Daddy. Sadly they both stayed home sick.

Oh don't worry, us girls took our turns at being sick too. Britta and I were homebound and quarantined New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. I guess it is all fair, huh?

I'll post more photos soon but I'll cut to the chase and spill with the fact that Britta got her pink Nintendo DS from Santa. A DS that she has played um, ZERO times. I have to admit, Karsten has no shame in playing a pink DS hours and hours per day though. Regrets on the purchase? Nah, she was happy. Now she wants a Pokemon shirt, like her brother's of course. I never knew he'd be such a trend setter. Fortunately Pokemon shirts are cheaper than electronic products so we'll try and keep it going in that direction.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2010!

Hello hot cocoa!

This cocoa recipe I found on the back of my carob powder mix was a gamble. Usually the kids prefer corndogs to any "healthy alternative" I try and cook up. However, I have found the exception. We are forever ruined from drinking powdered cocoa from a mix after drinking this. I can no longer keep this secret to myself, here is the recipe.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of milk (this is the only way I can get my kids to drink soy, rice or almond milk), 1 tablespoon carob powder (I have Chatfield's carob powder), 1 tablespoon of honey and 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Heat until hot (do not boil.)

Add delicious, over-processed transfat laden marshmallow to the top and you'll have a happy, happy day.

The Santa Chronoicles

photo.jpg, originally uploaded by B-TownMom.

"Mommy, that Santa has the wrong beard!" Well kids, mommy screwed up and took you out of school (thinking she was so organized) to see the black santa this year. That's right! There is a black Santa! "Why is there a black Santa?" Me, "Well, some of Santas, um, brothers, are black."

We all loved this Santa. He was wonderfully kind and looked awesome, aside from his fake-not-white beard.

Karsten asked for games for his Nintendo and everything Bakugan. Britta, darn her, asked Santa for a pink Nintendo DS, Littlest Pet Shop game and a doll.

To date we've gotten off cheap with Britta in comparison to her brother. That Thomas the Tank Engine phase set us back mucho dinero. And the video game phase is equally, if not more expensive. All of Britta's Webkinz and dolls that talk and pee don't add up to much.

So the big question is, do I buck up for the pink Nintendo DS? First of all, I don't think she really wants a Nintendo DS other than to impress her brother. And frankly, I am sick of all the electronics in this house (aside from my really super awesome electronics) so I'd rather not fork over the bucks for a pink DS.

Off I go to shopping. We'll see if I come back with that pink DS ...or just a shitload of Webkinz.

Waiting for the Christmas boat parade

_DSC0042, originally uploaded by B-TownMom.

We were all a little sick or recovering from being sick but we still rallied for the Christmas boat parade party with the neighbors on the beach. Here is a photo of us waiting. The wind was quiet and it was quite pleasant to gather with neighbors on a December night.

I just need to get rid of the pumpkins in front of our house and it will start really feeling like Christmas around here! The kids are getting excited.

Now you know

What, Jana not blogging? How could this be? I've been trying to think of a post to explain my long and silent absence from the blogosphere, when I found these photos in my husband's Flickr stream.

So yes, now My Problem has been made public. I wish I was still blogging! I love the documentation of my life this blog has provided. I am going to try to get back in the swing of things. Time to get back to multitasking instead of mono-obsessing.

I should also mention I'm going to have a booth at a craft show for the first time ever! I'll be advertising... get this... my portrait photography business. I am so excited. I don't have any marketing materials or any decorations for a booth so it is time to crank out some swag (if I can squeeze in some time away from my camera.) Here's the scoop. I hope you'll come see me.

6th Annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Sale

December 6th, 2008
9 am – 3 pm

Location:
18511 Normandy Terrace SW
Normandy Park, WA  98166

* L O T S  o f  h a n d – m a d e  g i f t s! *

*Including:  Jewelry, Ornaments, Baby gifts, Original Art,
Hand Blown Glass, Tasty goodies, Cards, Holiday decor,
Knitted goods, Accessories, Home furnishings and more!*


~ O P E N   T O   T H E   P U B L I C ~

Bring your friends!

Organized by Tiana Manola

Laura Beth on the job

Laura Beth on the job, originally uploaded by B-TownMom.