June 7, 2009,
It has been six months since I wrote anything here. And it is late on a Sunday night and I'm
tired. I live in a diocese that has suffered some liberal leadership in the past and I am finding a struggling Catholic community since I moved here - really. Nearly two years into our move here, my husband and I still struggle with which parish to make our parish home and how to live as Catholics in a barely Catholic area.
Sorry if I sound like a whiner. But having lived in Memphis for a dozen years, and having become Catholic in Memphis, I find that I am spoiled. There were over a dozen really good Catholic churches to attend there plus two that offered the Latin Mass, which is a blessing and a wonderful thing to expose the kids to.
I keep thinking God must want us here for a reason. So I keep praying. And I believe we will actually end up at the small, urban Catholic church rather than the beautiful cathedral Downtown. We are small church people, and we are a mixed marriage - Caucasian and Hispanic. So we just fit in better there.
It is really hard to rebuild your life when you are in your 40s. Who knew that moving would be so hard? Yet there are blessings here in plenty: a stable job, a beautiful area, the safety of a smaller town and the availability of Daily Mass. That last is something I should truly take advantage of now that school is done and I don't need to plan my homeschool every week.
We went to the "last chance Mass" tonight because of our son's Cub Scout campout over the weekend. It's a 5 p.m. Sunday Mass at the small, urban church. I truly love going to Mass. The liturgy and the mudic spark something in my brain that reminds me of who I am intended to be. And I resolve to try harder. And to attend Daily Mass.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Green homeschooling
Jan. 15, 2009
For some reason, I have been thinking today about how homeschooling reduces my carbon footprint. So much less driving! That is not to say that we stay home constantly. But I do not drive to work daily, nor do I drive the kids to school.
My kids don't ride the bus, they don't eat school lunches made from food bought in bulk and likely transported across the country
We drive to co-op once a week. And I take the kids to Girl and Boy scouts, but that is only one mile away. My daughter is in Little Flowers, but I'm the leader and it's at our house so not much of a carbon footprint there.
Because we are homeschoolers, we eat at home just about 95% of the time. Maybe 99% of the time. We also shop local markets in season. I would like to reduce my carbon footprint (and my grocery bill) even further this year by planting a good-sized garden on our flat yard of 1.25 acres. And we don't throw away leftovers. My homemade vegetable soup incorporates all vegetable leftovers, and it's actually pretty good. I'm making it today. Maybe that is what got me on this random train of thought.
I make the most of the small town where live, doing all errands such as banking, grocery shopping and library-going here. The mid-sized city 8 miles away fulfills most other needs.
I did visit Sam's Club this week. Talk about a carbon footprint. I decided it wasn't for me. It makes me buy more than I need and it is a good 30 minutes away in traffic. I'd rather go to Kroger, buy generic and get only what I need.
For recreation, the kids have a huge yard and a favorite park about 3 miles away. For exercise, I walk my neighborhood and ride my rickety, old exercise bike. Can't think of other ways we keep our footprint small right now. But if anyone out there has any ideas, please chime in.
For some reason, I have been thinking today about how homeschooling reduces my carbon footprint. So much less driving! That is not to say that we stay home constantly. But I do not drive to work daily, nor do I drive the kids to school.
My kids don't ride the bus, they don't eat school lunches made from food bought in bulk and likely transported across the country
We drive to co-op once a week. And I take the kids to Girl and Boy scouts, but that is only one mile away. My daughter is in Little Flowers, but I'm the leader and it's at our house so not much of a carbon footprint there.
Because we are homeschoolers, we eat at home just about 95% of the time. Maybe 99% of the time. We also shop local markets in season. I would like to reduce my carbon footprint (and my grocery bill) even further this year by planting a good-sized garden on our flat yard of 1.25 acres. And we don't throw away leftovers. My homemade vegetable soup incorporates all vegetable leftovers, and it's actually pretty good. I'm making it today. Maybe that is what got me on this random train of thought.
I make the most of the small town where live, doing all errands such as banking, grocery shopping and library-going here. The mid-sized city 8 miles away fulfills most other needs.
I did visit Sam's Club this week. Talk about a carbon footprint. I decided it wasn't for me. It makes me buy more than I need and it is a good 30 minutes away in traffic. I'd rather go to Kroger, buy generic and get only what I need.
For recreation, the kids have a huge yard and a favorite park about 3 miles away. For exercise, I walk my neighborhood and ride my rickety, old exercise bike. Can't think of other ways we keep our footprint small right now. But if anyone out there has any ideas, please chime in.
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