fashionABLE

I know Christmas is over and we're supposed to stop shopping now, but I'm now looking at some spring trends and look what's on the radar...

I came across these today and I'm in love. FashionABLE is a nonprofit that makes these amazing Ethiopian scarves (that I totally want for my birthday, honey. I know I said I didn't want anything but I totally lied cause I want one of these***) and the money goes to the women who make them, former prostitutes. Here's a little video created by the founder that shares a bit more.

Simplicity is a Good Thing

Hey ladies,

So, this crowd is a mix of gals, some adopters, some not. But I have started reading a book called Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids, and I think this a gem. Though I think the author could have heeded his own advice and whittled the name of the book down, I think that anybody could find this one useful. When you adopt and are getting ready for your home study you are given a huge list of reading to do and I totally think this book should make the list. From an adoptive standpoint, apparently my future child might really really really benefit from a serious slow down. How many kids are screaming at you right now? Right this second I have one screaming at me. The other one went to SCHOOL today (happy dance), so it's just the one screamer. Ok, now my Ethiopian child is one of 100 in the same house. I imagine, first of all, that that's pretty loud. I bet smells are out of control. I bet she feels out of control. She owns little. She has no choices (what to wear, eat, do today). No one to slow down and teach her anything. This type of thing can lead to developmental delays and insecurity.

So when she gets here it's my job to sort of hit a reset button. This book was written by a psychologist who has working in developing countries, particularly with children who are part of families fighting for survival. Then he worked in England and America and found that our children behave similarly to children experiencing post traumatic stress disorder. They can be easily overwhelmed, the exhibit controlling behavior, the have attention deficit disorders, are hyperactive. The connection he has made is super interesting. His theory is that both sets of children have been dumped into an adult world with little reverence for slowness (is that a word?) and childhood. We might say we have reverence for childhood, but really the speed of our lives, the overwhelming multitude of decisions, the multitasking, the political discussions, the working from home (guilty of all of these)  can't possibly make room for the pace and space that childhood really requires. I tend to agree. Now I'm getting to the good part of the book, what to do about it.

This guy is nicknamed Dr. Trashbag because he first suggests a HUGE slimming of stuff. I'm undertaking it today. Don't yell at me. I'm not all the way in this thing. I haven't even finished the book. BUT my kids aren't even playing with the toys they got for Christmas. They probably don't even know what they got for Christmas. He suggests first to take the toys (and books too!!! yikes!) and get rid of half of them. Then take the half that you are left with and half that. One half goes in the room, the other in 'reserve' to rotate through. I'm working on this while the kiddies are gone today. He largely uses Waldorf type stuff claiming that imagination and lack of crazy whacked out toys and SpongeBob help kids develop at a natural pace. In my bones, I agree. Let's test the theory. While this type of thing is supposed to be ideal for adopted kids, who in the world could not benefit from slowing down and turning off?! The Amish, maybe. But I'm going to give it a shot!



PS. Have you donated to the family of the week yet? That's why I write this craziness. So you'll give some other family money. I'd be pleased as punch if you did. This mom is meeting her 2 new babies right now. She can't spread the word about her own week since she's out of town. Could you do it for her? Just hit that red button over there at the top right.

Art and Philanthropy

I don't really think words are necessary for this post, do you? All images (and a million other awesome ones) come straight from my current favorite Etsy shop, Art and Philanthropy. Go check these out!

New Year, New Family

Wow, what a year 2011 was. You guys brought in over $21,900 for 17 families since August! WOW! Just wow. I don't have good words for that. Except I'm humbled. I'm impressed. And I'm excited about this year because we are just getting started!!! So let's do it.

This week has a super exciting twist. See, Mama is on her way to Ethiopia tomorrow and she has no idea she's currently being featured on this blog. Her dear friend, Chrissy Jensen, was scheduled to be on (because Missy nominated her). But then the Jensens were blessed with 10K in one day and thought surprising Missy might be a fun idea instead. I couldn't agree more. So Chrissy made her video (which i adore so much). I am so moved by both of these families and their beautiful friendship. This is going to be fun...

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lyOi1knC4c]

I adore Mama Missy. Her blog is soooooo well written. Not like this one, where the author has to use extra letters in one word to convey strong emotions. :) Check it out to be inspired.

This week the donating will take one more click, but it's totally worth it. Here's the scoop. Missy will be traveling to Ethiopia TOMORROW to meet her two babies (a 3 month old baby boy and a 6 month old girl). I can't wait to see updates when she gets home! So this week, while Missy is in Ethiopia cuddling her new sweeties, we will be blasting their paypal account and watching those dollars come in! We'll be heading over to their Charity Project site to donate so we can get updates on their donations. She won't even know how much they have. But we will! How fun is that?! So go donate and spread the word. And tell me how you like the Charity Project site. We set one up and love it. We might just all switch if you guys like it. I think it's cool. It really let's you get to know the family if you want to. And I love the comment section. It's my fave. Ok, enough talky. Let's bless this adoption. Ready, set, go.

And here's the regular paypal link if you want to do it that way. I can't wait to see what God has planned for this family.

Eye-Opening

Before reading about this week’s Give1 project, Mercy House, I didn’t know much about sex trafficking. To be honest, it was a happier time.

I started researching to write a blog post for this week. And I came across an article that paints a much better picture about sex trafficking in Kenya than I could, given my naivetë. It was written by Josh Ruxin for Nicholas Kristof’s blog on the NYTimes. (Kristof is a great journalist who covers poverty, empowerment, etc.)

"Mombasa’s child sex trade is a disturbing thing to watch, but I found that it’s exploding everywhere in this scenic city, one of Africa’s major tourist destinations….When I inquired about the phenomenon, everyone told me that tightened restrictions in Thailand and elsewhere in Asia had pushed the trade to Mombasa, where dozens of weekly flights from Europe fuel its existence.

Officially, the problem doesn’t exist, but according to one estimate, up to 30,000 girls between 12 and 14 years old are currently being lured into hotels and private villas along Mombasa’s north and south coasts where they are sexually exploited with promises of riches and trips abroad. In Malindi, impoverished children of both sexes looking for a new life sell their bodies to tourists…many visitors to Mombasa travel there specifically for illicit sex.

So how did poverty and corruption create this situation? The growing number of children joining Mombasa’s sex tourism trade is in part attributable to the lack of opportunity and further displacement caused by the violent outcome of 2007’s disputed presidential election. With few, if any, economic prospects at hand, unscrupulous agents are able to entice boys and girls with the promise of legitimate jobs. Often, however, the kids end up being forced into sex with strangers under the supervision of their putative sponsors. Seduced by the fast cash, many may end up becoming life-long sex workers, with lives cut tragically short by AIDS and violence."

Mercy House is providing a new opportunity, a new life outside this unimaginable situation, for girls who are about to become mothers. They need approximately $5,000 each month to run the organization. Let's do what we can to help the girls (and their babies) that need Mercy House. Donate as you can and pray for these girls, the babies, Maureen (the house director) and all those girls who are not fortunate enough to have the Mercy House as a refuge.

[caption id="attachment_1205" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Courtesy: Mercy House"][/caption]

My Favorite New Year's Recipe

Black Eyed Pea dip is the best thing ever! I use Pioneer Woman's recipe and it's so delicious. So without further delay, head over and get the recipe. Then hit the store before it gets too crazy. We'll be doing an early-ish New Year's Eve celebration at my sister in law's place. Fondue, baby!

And a couple of random reminders.

1. Donate to our charity of the week. You already did, right? No? Maybe you missed it. Here's the link.

2. Sign on for the Seven giveaway. The winner is being picked Saturday morning. Good luck!

Resolutions

Dun dun duuuuunnn.......

Do you do them? I just started last year. I took a long time to figure out 5 goals or themes for my year and I loved it, actually. So I did it again.

1. Learn and apply 10 Mixed Media techniques in one art piece. I have signed up for this class. I can't wait to get started! Christy Tomlinson is my new favorite human.



2. To learn more about the fasting and prayer. Without a doubt (from what I've heard in the Bible and from a million people over the course of a bazillion years) fasting and prayer go hand in hand and lead to a deeper connection with God. The reason I haven't done it so far, even though I've wanted to, is because I'm a chronic dieter and quitting some foods just feels like a diet to me. But I think obedience is my theme this year and God said something to me the other day. It was something to the effect of 'Just do it. Just try it.' So I am. I am taking a few precautions to safeguard my diet mentality. I'm not weighing myself at all. And should I lose weight, I'm not going to hit the mall for a new Forever 21 wardrobe. I'm really trying to not make this a diet. And it's surprisingly easy in that respect. See yesterday's post for what I'm doing with the prayer aspect. It's all going really well so far.

3. Like I said about themes, this year it's obedience. Several opportunities have landed in my lap this last year and now it's time for me to do what God has planned for me and just put one foot in front of the other. So this year I'm a robot. And I'm super happy about it. There is something liberating about turning your brain off and letting somebody else steer.

Do you have any resolutions? What about themes?