Children are our future... and MLK Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. day will never be the same for me after living in Memphis.  Before we moved to Memphis I really thought that all the fuss over racism and the need for affirmative action was completely exaggerated.  Memphis corrected my thinking on that point in a hurry.

I still remember the time (working as an RN) I took a blood transfusion consent form to a patient.  She asked
"Y'all don't have any black blood right?"
My naive mind honestly thought she was asking about the color of the blood down in the lab.

Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in downtown Memphis.  It completely reshaped both the social and physical topography of the heart of the city. In the wake of the riots, the white folks packed up and moved to the suburbs.  The good peaceful black families who didn't care to live in turbulent areas soon followed which in turn created a rainbow of constant color changing neighborhoods.

Melvin and Evelyn Alexander were our surrogate grandparents {black} while we lived in Memphis.  They are about the same age as our parents.  They still call to check on us now and then and it makes me laugh to hear that distinct downtown Memphis accent on the answering machine.  They used to invite us over for Sunday dinner which always included fried chicken legs, mashed potatoes and spaghetti among other things.

One evening after dinner, Rustin and I had the chance to visit with Melvin about growing up in downtown Memphis.  He grew up right in the thick of all the political unrest of the 60's.  He talked to us about trying to make it home to be able to use the bathroom because there weren't any that were available for him to use while shopping.  The same for trying to find a place to get a drink.

Can you imagine being a mom and having to tell your thirsty toddler that he wasn't allowed to use a drinking fountain?

The thought certainly made me shudder and I asked Melvin "did it make you so sad to have to live like that?"
His reply was enlightening. Actually kind of shocking.

"I didn't think anything of it.  That's just how it was."

This man is my father's age.  We aren't talking about people who lived hundreds of years ago.  Had I been born in a different area these would have been my parents.

 That's when I realized that the wounds of racism go deeper than I ever suspected.  There are entire generations of people--our parents generation!--who had the desire to determine their own destiny squelched by the mind-numbing fogs of racism.

I think that's why Martin Luther King Jr. was so revolutionary.  His view point was new even to many of the black population.  At least it was new to Melvin and his friends.  The idea that black people and white people could live together and be equal.  Not in separate communities as many--both black and white--claimed to want.  For MLK jr.the spark of ingenuity and excellence and personal achievement stayed alive.  He could see through the fogs when most could not.

I don't know what it is going to take to heal the race divides.  I just read that Frayser High School (in our ward boundaries and near our old community) now has 86 un-wed pregnant teenage mothers.  86. Inequality was ingrained in both white and black communities for so long that I think it might take many generations to overcome.

It may take generations as it did for the children of Israel.

Back to the older patient in the hospital who didn't want to receive 'black blood.'

Her granddaughter was embarrassed by her grandmother's query.  I could see on her face that she wanted me to know that she herself didn't feel as her grandmother did.  I'll always remember both of them and it gives me hope that with patience, all will work out as it should.

yumm.

Which "something" won yesterday?
Banana Bread.  Delicious.

And all is well.
This bread has kind of a crisp crust and it is very moist--unless it gets overcooked...

Here is my favorite recipe.

1c sugar
2c. flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
mix all together

then add:
1/3 cup milk
1 stick melted butter
2 eggs (beaten)
2 smashed bananas
and to be extra healthy--
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.

bake at 325 for about an hour. check at 50 minutes.
2 medium pans or 1 large.

Which "something"should I do...

I feel like I got thrown off the boat.  My re-entry to regular life {post-Christmas} has been Rough.  Yesterday morning I had to drag all five of my sleepy-head kids out of bed making me feel  like the worst mom ever.  Even our little six-year-old, who normally bounces out of bed like Tigger, required some serious coaxing to get moving.

Part of that was because we started a great new book.  Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.  We Love It.  Couldn't stop reading.  We need to start the reading at 8 pm instead of 9:30.  But it's hard to move that internal clock back.

Dallin and Landon made waffles this morning because there was nothing else to eat.  Should I feel guilty that my 13-year-olds have the recipe for waffles (from scratch...)  memorized?  I knew there was no bread, milk cereal etc. but I couldn't drag myself to the store yesterday.  I did make powdered milk. Gotta love Morning Moo.

I did spend some time on my favorite food planning site. {foodstoragemadeeasy.net}  I especially love the excel planning sheet.  It even calculates out how much of everything to buy.  I  have 23 of our most common meals and all the ingredients planned out.  For three months.  Now I just have to figure out how to buy, store and rotate.  I downloaded a shopping app on my new cute pink phone.  Anyone have a favorite Droid shopping app?  I am feeling overwhelmed with all the technology I need to embrace.  I think I'll just go back to a notebook for a little bit...

We have two 3-D models of plant and animal cells due tomorrow. Dallin and Landon have basketball tryouts which stresses out my heart whenever they tell me of their private concerns...Benson is reminding me every two seconds to go get him a basketball (they use smaller sizes for kindergarten...) and Jenna and Austin have regressed a good two months on their music lessons, which we have to go to on Thursday.   We have two personal management merit badges to complete and two eagle projects to get done by April.  Who nominated me to help my kids with personal management?
Seriously.  

Despite all our organization and great work over Christmas break (I actually love my kids to be home...) the house now looks like a tornado.  

I think I'll take my sister's advice--"If you can't do it all just do something..." And tomorrow will look better. For Sure.

The merriest of merry!

A poem in honor of 1/1/11...
Christmas brings feelings
so tender and sweet.
Time all together
makes bonds that run deep.


As 2010 ends
with so much that was good,
we know that this year 
went just as it should.


Thanksgiving was snowy 
and New Year's was too.
Our Christmas was brown 
so what do you do?


A house we saw moving 
across the back lawn...
With swings and a slide 
for the kids to play on.


Movies and games
were a part of the fun.
In December we saw all our siblings (10 out of 11!)
'cept one. 


Rustin was busy 
with tithing and more,
visits with good folks--
the favorite for sure!


My favorite was family 
and planning good food.
Why is it that chocolate
can cause a good mood?


MP3's and snowboards
took care of the teens.
Just shy of six feet,
those boys grow like beans!


Eleven years old 
is a fun age to be.
Austin discovered
that he sure can ski!


Jenna loves books,
and drawing and such.
Of pet shops and ponies,
she can't have too much!


Keep Benson supplied
with some legos and swords,
and it's a sure bet
that he'll never be bored.


This year the holidays 
brought so much cheer--
we know it will carry us through
to next year!


We hope you all had a great holiday!

Christmas thanks.

Things I am thankful for today...


Big laundry machines.
Rustin--home.
Presents that are wrapped.
A dog who is as soft as a rabbit.
Brothers and sisters that all like each other.
Kids that laugh.

Happy Eve of Christmas Eve's Eve!

We are loving Christmas break this year.  It has been sooo nice to have the kids out of school all week.  They have done a great job of doing their chores and they are only driving each other (and their mother) slightly insane with their impatience.  They keep counting down the days until Christmas wishing time would move faster but I wish I could slow everything down.  This is my favorite time of the Christmas season--once Christmas is here the best part is over!

Actually I have to admit--while I love this time of Christmas, I also feel really stressed out as the clock ticks.  I am sure I am forgetting something that I will regret.  I had to stop several times today and remind myself that my vague sense of anxiety is not based in reality...

Jen and Ben took the camera on a tour of the house. I always wish I had done more decorating sooner.  If I had my way I would have Christmas quilts on every bed and trees in every room.  I was slowed down this year by our forced smoke-damage-induced evacuation and a serious need for a nap every afternoon.   Rustin will be home tomorrow though so things are looking great!  Here are some of the favorites around the house...

My mom insists on calling this the Charlie Brown tree but I love it.  It has all the little school decorations the kids have made over the years.

This mound on the counter top is what a four batches of sweet chex mix looks like while drying. I really should make at least four more (this filled 20 quarts!) if we have any hope of thanking all the people who have helped and supported us this last year.

And to be realistic this is what the mound of laundry looks like that I swore would not still be lying on the floor tonight.  I only have four loads left in the entire house so tomorrow my Christmas present to myself will be clean and organized laundry then Christmas can come and I can watch Little Women and While you were sleeping all day guilt free!

Scrooge??

We have lots of fun things going on this Christmas season that I really intend to write about.  But I have a lot of distractions that are blocking my writing ability such as...the yucky cough attempting to rip my lungs out, class Christmas parties, rain a.k.a slushy snow, the lingering, lovely smell of a Burned (BURNED) pot of roast beef burned (did I mention?) (did I also mention that I can't smell anything?)  completely to charcoal that is making me compulsively spray Febreese and wash the cupboard doors in the kitchen (honest to goodness smoke damage--which required yet another visit from Summit Restoration; this time they brought an Ozone machine...I can't really talk about it yet--my eyes threaten to let the floods loose every time the stinkin' subject comes up...).  There have been some great things that I am determined to write about so they can be included when I print this blog out into our own family book!  For now I am just going to share a video that made all five kids laugh last night. (Thanks sis.)

Hallelujah Chorus Flash Mob