Dilemmas

You may have picked up from here that I think it is important to live ethically and leave a gentle a footprint as possible. We have recently given up our car, we use reusable nappies (for Daniel, that is) and generally are trying to cut down the amount of stuff that we buy. However, it is really hard! (Fairly obvious, I know. We are now living on one salary, which is great. I love the amount of time that we both get to spend with Daniel and wouldn't have it any other way. However, it does lead to budget constraints. We have recently been shopping mostly in Waitrose(fairly good ethical policies) and buying as much organic and fairtrade as possible, as it is better for the environment, us and everyone else. However, it is much more expensive than the evil one of which we must not speak (T......), and it is v tempting to go . I am not convinced it is all that evil, just the biggest????

Also, I don't buy many new clothes but I succumbed to the Next sale, where the clothes were not organic or fairly traded. And what do we do about Daniel's clothes? Fair trade baby clothes are well expensive and he grows out of them so quickly. To be fair, most of his are hand me downs and I wear lots of hand me downs as well.

It is just hard. We wnat to do live lightly but it is a struggle at times. Although I also know it is nothing compared to the daily struggle that many have just to survive. Any thoughts??

Conversations with Daniel

Me: Mum mum mum mum
Daniel: dad dad dad
Me: Mum mum MUM
Daniel: Dad dad DAD
Me: Mum
Daniel: Dad
Me: D'oh

5 things you didn't know about me

So Lewis tagged me about a million zillion years ago and Gim:d tagged me a few weeks back. Here are 5 things you probably didn't know about me.

1. When I was younger, we pretty much watched whatever my dad wanted to. He didn't really like films so there are lots of classic films from my era that I haven't seen. I watched Jaws for the first time the other night, but have never seen Karate Kid, Short Circuit and don't think I have seen all of ET, to name but a few. Jaws was quite scary. i have seen the Goonies though, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
2. I don't like people touching my belly button. It feels like they are reaching into my stomach, or into my very soul. To be fair, this isn't a normal problem in day to day life.
3. I can survive on much less sleep than I thought 9 months ago.
4. I am brilliant at slapstick comedy. At least according to Daniel, who finds it hilarious when I pretend to fall over his buggy. I can also cross my legs in that yoga type position without using my hands.
5. I went to see Oasis at Knebworth, and ran to the front so quickly that I managed to get into the first pit. While most people felt as if they werewatching the bands from the next viollage, I was 4 rows from the front. It was fun. I have lots of tales of the gigs that I went to when I was younger. I don't go to so many now, but saw De la soul a while back who were cool.

Crikey, I found this really hard. I asked Neil whether I am boring, in that there is nothing interesting to say about myself. Neil said I'm not boring, I just talk a lot. Hhhmmm.

I did it!

Well, for those that have been following the blog, I passed the Diploma in Youth MIssion and Ministry and scraped a Distinction. I was v pleased but it was never about the final score - kingdom advancement not career advancement. I felt in amny ways that the course was a time of preparation and look forward to see what God leads me next...

Exhilarating

I just seem to be in a place where my most beautiful moments - when I feel I can reach out and touch God - are all taking place outside of formal church settings. Some are fairly obvious, as they are centred around Daniel, especially his birth. However, others have been when I have been out and about soaking up God'd creation. This became literal when I was out on my bike and - surprise - it started pouring with rain. I had got to the top of a hill and was cycling at full speed down with the rain puring down. I was in beautuful countryside and it was all at once scary and funny and slippery and fast and breathless and wow! In that moment, I was so full of praise and prayer. The intensity of that moment soon left me, but I was left with a big smile on my face as I rode, praising God who has blessed me with good health and the opportunity to see him in the midst of exercise and English weather.

I still love God's funny bunch of oddness that is church, but I am also enjoying these special moments of awareness that seem to be coming when I am alone.

Never too young to start campaigning...

A few weeks ago, we took Daniel to his first demo, 'The World Can't Wait'' in Central London. We had a great time. I love the way he is holding onto the placard.