More political and economic thoughts...

I went into this campaign season with Education and the Environment as my main issues of concern. Yes, they seem to be idealistic or naive issues to hold on to considering the state of our economy and the fact that we at war. But they are the issues that greatly affect my life at this moment. Through this class I am taking at the church and through my own research, my eyes have been peeled open to some other, clearly crucial issues, especially the budget and debt situations. The following video is incredible and even if you don't have 45 minutes to spend with it, just a little time with it will get you thinking. (Although I think the 45 minutes is well worth it and the movie is made well enough that the time moves by quickly.)

http://www.iousathemovie.com

My main takeaway from this was that there has to be many many courses of action taken, including cutting spending and raising taxes. This keeps coming up time and time again. Neither side has it completely right! It is disheartening to an independent voter.

And here are a few more a-ha moments from my last month and a half...

The moral measure of a nation is how well it cares for its most vulnerable, i.e. children, elderly, and poor. How are we doing in that department?

We are at war, and yet the president has encouraged us to go about our lives as usual, encouraging us to spend money and live normally. Surely there should be some sacrifice or at least awareness on the people's part to support the troops, speed the end of the war, and keep the leaders on task?

I haven't read it yet, but a fellow classmate recommended Plutocrats, a book about the world's wealthiest people and their allegiance to their circle of wealthy peers instead their respective nations.

If you are stuck on two candidates that both have redeeming qualities (lucky you!), it can help to keep in mind how much control your candidate will have over your most important issues. For example, your dog catcher can't end abortion. Vote for the best dog catcher. This implies a really deep level of research, in my opinion, but if something is worth doing, its worth doing right, right? right?

We can't and shouldn't all be passionate about the same issues. It is OK if the person next to you isn't fired up about your favorite cause.

We've to stop asking this ridiculous question "Am I better off now that I was four years ago?" What about "we"? What about the common good? What about your neighbors?

This concept of "Brown" vs "Gray" is pretty scary in my mind. Those graying heads need those brown heads to fund their retirement  and health care and those brown heads need those graying heads to make decisions that will allow them to get decent education and employment. Can they possibly work it out?

And I guess it seems that everywhere I look, I am faced with the fact that those in power and making decisions live very different lives and have very different priorities than the people that their decisions will affect the most. They are typically old, white, rich and male. And those affected the greatest are typically younger, all races especially colorful ones, lower-income, and both genders. My white, middle class, well-educated family will probably continue to have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, and reasonable opportunities for our children to grow and learn no matter who gets elected in November. But the incredible power of the huge corporate lobbyists can't be expected to keep the underemployed, under-benefited (I just made that up :) ) Walmart employee in mind. So who will?

Best Marinade

My favorite marinade today:

2T oil

2T tamari (or soy sauce)

2T water

1T Maple Syrup

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t dried ginger

Oh my oh my. I am swooning. 

I'm guessing the flavors would be good on any meat or noodles that need an asian flair. I have only used it on baked tofu. I know that tofu is not everyone's protein of choice (Dad), but chicken would probably be great too. mmmmm...

Adam's first field trip

To the Apple Orchard!

1st ride in a big yellow bus!

Some of the day looked like this, but not all

Most of it looked like this :)

Hay ride

Making apple cider

Decorating for Fall

Speedy Jenny

I ran FAST on Saturday.  I ran the same Historic River Run 5K as last year and beat my time by over 5 minutes! How is that even possible? I knew I was doing well and pushing myself, but my goodness! And I beat my all-time rate on my own 5K course near our house by 3 minutes. I was thinking about cutting back the running and pursuing some other kind of cardio exercise because I didn't feel I was making much progress, but this is pretty encouraging. I used a secret that I learned in a running class this summer: shadow the footprints of someone in front of you and lose yourself in the right left right left right left... It worked! Now, I just need to get a little more mentally tough and make myself keep the pace when I'm on my own. Or...hire a pacer to come with me on every run. Any volunteers?

What's new?

What's new with us? Well, obviously, not very many pictures. But we've been having a good time.

Grandma Ann just left us after a wonderful week's visit. We always enjoy her stays and its a perfect time for her to see all the other family we have up here too.

I've been spending an unusual amount of time teaching. I taught kid's church last Sunday to 4 and 5 year olds for the first time and taught Faith Formation to 4th graders last night for the first time. The 4 and 5 year olds are easier!!! But the 4th graders were kind of fun too. Exhausting, but fun.

Adam and I went to his apple orchard field trip. That went pretty well. First time on a school bus for him! Very exciting. Surely I have some pictures somewhere?

Laura's been busy at school. Its just starting to hit me how little I will see her from now on. And she missed so much when my mom was here. She is loving school and blossoming and learning, but it is bittersweet. She is off school tomorrow and I find myself looking forward to it. I hope I'm not fooling myself. :)

What else? I've been reading a lot. I just finished a book called African Women by Mark Mathabane about his grandmother, mother and sister and their lives in South Africa as they struggle through apartheid and the switch from living in the tribal lands by ancient customs to living in the ghetto of the city. Very interesting and I'd like to read his other books about his own life growing up.

Apparently I've been busy since I haven't been blogging, but this is all I can come up with. Pictures someday, I promise!

Husky Hustle

Laura's school changed fundraising strategies this year, and I think it worked marvelously. Instead of selling wrapping paper or magazines door to door, they had a 5K run this morning and asked for pledges. Laura ran the kids' 100 yard dash and had such a great time that she decided last minute to join me on the 5K. And she did it! We ran/walked it in only a little more time than I usually run it. And it was much more fun to be with her than by myself. What a great example for the kids, great school spirit  builder, and a chance to spend some time with each other and her school friends.

By the way, did you fundraise for elementary school? Are tax cuts worth it? d

Tough decisions

Not looking for a debate or advice, this is just a thought I had a few days ago...

I am taking a class at the church about the role and responsibilities of the government. It has been interesting, but has opened my eyes about why I buried my head in the sand for so long. Everything is so complicated. The Church takes a very balanced approach, which means it doesn't fully agree with any political party on all issues. I leave the class feeling very heavy spirited and confused. It makes me want to quit and just go back to hanging with the kids, chatting with friends, baking bread, etc. But I feel its important. I know I'll leave the class with more questions than answers, but I've always preached that you can't complain about the government if you haven't made some serious effort to learn about it and participate in at least the smallest way by voting.  I've always voted on gut decisions and now I'm making some effort to get different view points and understand as much as I can, even though its no fun at all. Am I growing up?

First Days of School 2012

School! School! School!

I'm so glad there is school!

Laura is having an absolute blast. Its been almost 3 weeks and I think she loves every aspect of it. The bus ride, recess, her teacher, lunch with her friends, music, art, gym, library books, on and on and on. This is her first year of full day and many of those things are brand new to her. She's such a brave girl, ready for anything and everything. She is comfortable socially, is a sponge in academics, and is a fanatic rule follower. It makes me smile to think of her jumping on the bus everyday and jumping off the bus, beaming, with her mouth running rampant telling me all about her day.

More good news: Adam's preschool has gone so well! We spent one day together at the school getting to know the teachers and the room. He was nervous, but loved all the new toys and activities. My concerns about the teacher were completely wrong; she is personable, approachable and huggable. He has gone one day by himself this week with a few tears when I left, but lots of smiles when I picked him up. He is excited about going back tomorrow, which I think is the truest test of all. I hope this year brings him more comfort socially, both with the kids and the teachers. I know he'll love the projects, books, and songs and proudly bring me some piece of art every single school day.

Weekend fun!

We accidentally had such a fun weekend!! While laying on the couch Saturday morning discussing breakfast options, I (very uncharacteristically) said "Let's go to McDonalds!" Jim surprised us by taking us to the Inver Grover Heights McDonalds, which as a better play land (yes, I know its not 'Grover', but its more fun to say). After Adam completely shocked me by having a great time up in the tunnels, we went across the street to a little pond and tried to catch some fish. At some point in the morning, we realized this was IGH Days, and that we were standing on the corner where the parade started at 11:00. Despite not even a bite on our lures, we managed to keep happy fishing long enough for the parade to start. People really have a lot more energy at the beginnings of parades than the end! This year was different than in the past because both kids were brave enough to run out there and grab their own candy, fending for themselves among the other little ones. 

I'm not sure if I should be proud of their confidence, or worried about their greed?

About halfway through the parade, I looked across the street and saw our good friends, Amanda, Matt, Mimi, Rowan and Isla. Laura and Mimi met in school last year, and Amanda and I really connected. So Laura and I spent the rest of the parade over there with them catching up on all the 1st week of school stuff. (Oh my goodness, I haven't posted about that yet!)

So none of the morning was planned, but it turned out full of so much fun, and sugar!

After the parade, we packed up and went on a hastily planned, last minute camping trip at Lake Byllesby near Cannon Falls, MN. 

This turned out wonderfully too. The campground is very weird and not exactly rustic. Its like a huge city park, and there are just random posts with numbers on it. You pitch your tent near your assigned number on a large grassy lawn. Strange, but the kids had a blast being able to go to the playground nearby and all the campers were nice, friendly, and non-party-ers.

The boys slept in the tent on the left and the girls on the right. Soon after this picture, we put the rainflys on them because the wind was gusting at 35mph and it got down to 49 that night. Brrrr! But much better than camping in the heat!

Good morning sleepy head!