I'm thankful for the 15-ish one year olds that we've got on this rotation of Wednesday nights. They're an easy bunch! I'm also thankful that we've worked with Susan and Tiffany in that class for a the last few years. They're fun!
What's one thing that you're thankful for?
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
THE STONING OF SORAYA M.
A couple of years ago I watched what was perhaps the most disturbing movie I've ever seen - The Stoning of Soraya M. Here's how IMDb describes it -
A drama set in 1986 Iran and centered on a man, Sahebjam, whose car breaks down in a remote village and enters into a conversation with Zahra, who relays to him the story about her niece, Soraya, whose arranged marriage to an abusive tyrant had a tragic ending.
For better or worse, I'm generally not bothered by blood, guts, or a fair amount of violence in movies, but I had to keep turning away during the stoning. It was brutal and bloody. The fact that the movie was based on a true story made it all the more disturbing and is what compelled me to watch.
Several months ago I discovered that a book actually preceded the movie, so I got it from the library. It's called The Stoning of Soraya M.: A Story of Injustice in Iran and while it lacks the visual of a movie, it's still a hard story to take in.
The book was written in 1990 and at that time the estimate was that 1,000 women had been stoned in Iran during the previous 15 years. Stoned to death! Can you even imagine? Can you imagine what it's like to have your father, husband, and sons to eagerly receive the "honor" of casting the first stones intended to kill you? Can you imagine what it's like to be close to the woman being stoned? To help her face the hopeless situation with dignity? Can you imagine what it's like to know there is absolutely nothing you can do to prevent an atrocious abuse of power and extreme injustice?
Freedoms that we expect, basic respect we feel entitled to, justice with integrity that we insist on - all these things are good and fair, but they're not what everyone experiences. While I don't think it's beneficial to become obsessed with every form of human suffering and injustice, I do think it's important to have enough awareness of some specifics that we don't take our own situations for granted. For some, that awareness will become the catalyst for action and those people will do what they can to right the wrongs being done. Either way, whether it causes a change in our own attitudes and perspective or leads us down a whole new road in life, I think it's good to have our eyes opened to the suffering of others.
So, if you won't have nightmares from the movie, then I recommend watching it. It's rated R because of the brutality of the stoning scene. If you're one who can't handle the visual, then pick up the book from your local library.
A drama set in 1986 Iran and centered on a man, Sahebjam, whose car breaks down in a remote village and enters into a conversation with Zahra, who relays to him the story about her niece, Soraya, whose arranged marriage to an abusive tyrant had a tragic ending.
For better or worse, I'm generally not bothered by blood, guts, or a fair amount of violence in movies, but I had to keep turning away during the stoning. It was brutal and bloody. The fact that the movie was based on a true story made it all the more disturbing and is what compelled me to watch.
Several months ago I discovered that a book actually preceded the movie, so I got it from the library. It's called The Stoning of Soraya M.: A Story of Injustice in Iran and while it lacks the visual of a movie, it's still a hard story to take in.
The book was written in 1990 and at that time the estimate was that 1,000 women had been stoned in Iran during the previous 15 years. Stoned to death! Can you even imagine? Can you imagine what it's like to have your father, husband, and sons to eagerly receive the "honor" of casting the first stones intended to kill you? Can you imagine what it's like to be close to the woman being stoned? To help her face the hopeless situation with dignity? Can you imagine what it's like to know there is absolutely nothing you can do to prevent an atrocious abuse of power and extreme injustice?
Freedoms that we expect, basic respect we feel entitled to, justice with integrity that we insist on - all these things are good and fair, but they're not what everyone experiences. While I don't think it's beneficial to become obsessed with every form of human suffering and injustice, I do think it's important to have enough awareness of some specifics that we don't take our own situations for granted. For some, that awareness will become the catalyst for action and those people will do what they can to right the wrongs being done. Either way, whether it causes a change in our own attitudes and perspective or leads us down a whole new road in life, I think it's good to have our eyes opened to the suffering of others.
So, if you won't have nightmares from the movie, then I recommend watching it. It's rated R because of the brutality of the stoning scene. If you're one who can't handle the visual, then pick up the book from your local library.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
SILAS & HIS PROJECTS
Silas busted out a couple projects over the last week that I thought I'd share.
Project #1 - Store
Silas set up a little shop to earn some money. He has a budget he sticks to, but tends to blow his spending money pretty quickly. Several months ago, though, he decided to save up for a Lego robot. With the exception of a couple bucks he's saved his $8.00 of spending money he gets each month and any gift money he receives. He's now pushing $70.00. Pretty miraculous that he's stuck with this goal! Anyway, he decided to try selling some things to the other Ws for some robot money.
Project #1 - Store
Silas set up a little shop to earn some money. He has a budget he sticks to, but tends to blow his spending money pretty quickly. Several months ago, though, he decided to save up for a Lego robot. With the exception of a couple bucks he's saved his $8.00 of spending money he gets each month and any gift money he receives. He's now pushing $70.00. Pretty miraculous that he's stuck with this goal! Anyway, he decided to try selling some things to the other Ws for some robot money.
Project #2 - Math book for Tim
Silas spent his downtime on Saturday making a math book for Tim to complete. Today he sat and watched as Tim completed it. Love it!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
MOUNT HOOD
This was the view we had as we drove to a rehearsal dinner last Friday night. Isn't it beautiful?
Friday, March 4, 2011
LINKS I LIKE #8
In alphabetical order ...
Dance Mat Typing - Though they don't get on here as often as they should, our boys love to practice typing with this program. It's free and the accents are fun.
Moffit Missionaries - I have three main reasons for loving this site. 1 - Pictures of Daisy. 2 - Pictures of Ally. 3 - Picture of Neo. Of course, seeing pictures of Josh, Beep, the beautiful mountain they all live on, and glimpses into their daily grind is also fun ... but nieces and nephews are more fun. Too bad they're an ocean away.
Swagbucks - I know I've talked about Swagbucks before, but each time I "buy" Amazon gift cards I love it more. Actually, I love it more when gift card codes get applied to my account ... like today. It's fun to get rewarded for looking stuff up online and for using their toolbar. We've earned hundreds of dollars over the last couple years and I'm grateful for that!
Take Your Queue From Me - Kelly started a movie review site, but she isn't watching whatever the current blockbuster is. She's drawn to the movies that you may not have heard about, which I think is kinda fun. Plus, she's a fun writer. You can also find her site on Facebook.
Wit Behind the Ears - This site is, well ... witty. Anna and Gwen chat about all sorts of things and I think one of the coolest ideas I've seen on their site is the chalkboard countertops. Admittedly, I wouldn't use them enough to make it worth having, but it is cool!
Dance Mat Typing - Though they don't get on here as often as they should, our boys love to practice typing with this program. It's free and the accents are fun.
Moffit Missionaries - I have three main reasons for loving this site. 1 - Pictures of Daisy. 2 - Pictures of Ally. 3 - Picture of Neo. Of course, seeing pictures of Josh, Beep, the beautiful mountain they all live on, and glimpses into their daily grind is also fun ... but nieces and nephews are more fun. Too bad they're an ocean away.
Swagbucks - I know I've talked about Swagbucks before, but each time I "buy" Amazon gift cards I love it more. Actually, I love it more when gift card codes get applied to my account ... like today. It's fun to get rewarded for looking stuff up online and for using their toolbar. We've earned hundreds of dollars over the last couple years and I'm grateful for that!
Take Your Queue From Me - Kelly started a movie review site, but she isn't watching whatever the current blockbuster is. She's drawn to the movies that you may not have heard about, which I think is kinda fun. Plus, she's a fun writer. You can also find her site on Facebook.
Wit Behind the Ears - This site is, well ... witty. Anna and Gwen chat about all sorts of things and I think one of the coolest ideas I've seen on their site is the chalkboard countertops. Admittedly, I wouldn't use them enough to make it worth having, but it is cool!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
3/3/11 THANKFUL THURSDAY
I'm thankful that Tim is taking care of something we've got going on and that, in an unusual display of maturity (which is probably negated by the fact I'm identifying it as such), I'm fine with not having any control in the situation.
What's one thing that you're thankful for?
What's one thing that you're thankful for?
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
MENU - FIRST HALF OF MARCH 2011
BREAKFASTS
oatmeal x4
Tam's granola (crockpot) x5
eggs & potato or ham scramble x3
breakfast pizza (trying it with ham)
Western omelette casserole (assemble previous night)
yogurt streusel muffins (from freezer)
cream cheese banana bread (from freezer)
SNACKS
fruit
popcorn
chewy granola bars (third time these have been on the menu, hoping they get made this time)
spicy crunchy chickpeas
DINNERS
leftovers x 2
tacos x3
honey lime chicken enchiladas/green salad
Asian orzo chicken salad/new recipe
vegetarian black bean soup/tortilla chips
chicken broccoli quiche/green salad
Italian sausage with bowties/frozen veggie
black bean & couscous salad/tortilla chips
new soup recipe (big flop)/whole wheat biscuits
Leslie's salad (our contribution to dinner at someone's house)
creamy butternut squash soup (from freezer)/whole wheat biscuits
chicken stroganoff/rice/salad
lentil & ham soup (crockpot)/whole wheat biscuits
DESSERT
new cake recipe (Silas is creating & baking it - it ended up being a flop)
ice cream
oatmeal x4
Tam's granola (crockpot) x5
eggs & potato or ham scramble x3
breakfast pizza (trying it with ham)
Western omelette casserole (assemble previous night)
yogurt streusel muffins (from freezer)
cream cheese banana bread (from freezer)
SNACKS
fruit
popcorn
chewy granola bars (third time these have been on the menu, hoping they get made this time)
spicy crunchy chickpeas
DINNERS
leftovers x 2
tacos x3
honey lime chicken enchiladas/green salad
Asian orzo chicken salad/new recipe
vegetarian black bean soup/tortilla chips
chicken broccoli quiche/green salad
Italian sausage with bowties/frozen veggie
black bean & couscous salad/tortilla chips
new soup recipe (big flop)/whole wheat biscuits
Leslie's salad (our contribution to dinner at someone's house)
creamy butternut squash soup (from freezer)/whole wheat biscuits
chicken stroganoff/rice/salad
lentil & ham soup (crockpot)/whole wheat biscuits
DESSERT
new cake recipe (Silas is creating & baking it - it ended up being a flop)
ice cream
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