The Hunger Games are Evil

Okay - there was my catchy title... In all truth, I love these books, and I can't stop reading them.  I finished the first book last week, and then my coffee shop barista lent me the last two books in the series (we've actually decided to start a book club).  Lately, I'm not a huge reader, but these books are like the crack-cocaine or young adult fiction reading - I cannot put them down!  I feel like I've been a terrible mama - sneaking a chapter here and there while the boys play - I've stayed up until 1 or 2am a few night so I could get some uninterrupted reading.   I've been so immersed in them, that it's blurring some of my own reality.  I got a facial on Saturday (a Mother's Day gift from Jason) and I felt like I was in the Capital getting prepared for the games in the arena.   That's weird...
After watching the Hunger Games with a friend last month in the theater, I was really disturbed by the whole premise of the movie.  I mean the whole film revolves around teenagers killing themselves to a bloody pulp - WAY disturbing.   Many have commented that you actually don't "see" any of the real gore - but I think my imagination is 10x worse than any actual visual.   The image of a grieving mama sending her little 14 year old off to battle makes me want to die inside, whereas I don't think it had the same impact on me pre-mommyhood.

The film really focused on the actual Hunger Game, whereas I was more intrigued by the political situation - a autocratic government reigning terror and oppression over the twelve districts under it's thumb.  As a student of the Soviet Union, it's easy to draw parallels with Moscow and the Soviet districts it controlled.  The Hunger Games' books really flesh out the political story and obviously give a lot more depth than the film.  I loved following the revolutions in the former Soviet countries that broke out over the past decade - the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the Rose Revolution in Georgia - and I find myself cheering for the rebels that face insurmountable odds as they try to defeat the Capital.  I'm about halfway finished with the third book so I should be done reading by tonight.  Unfortunately, Ukraine didn't fully realize all of the hope and expectation of the Orange Revolution... lots of solidarity in the fight, but one in power, corruption seems all too prevalent.  All that being said, these books would be so great for high school social science teachers.

Can't wait to finish Mockingjay (book #3) tonight...  I need to get back to reality!   Of course, the next book I'm reading in my book club with the nice coffee shop girl is Lord of the Rings.  I started it a few weeks ago and it's just great.  The other half of my mother's day gift was The Journeys of Frodo (LOTR map book) and The Atlas of Middle Earth (concordance on the origins of Middle Earth).  When did I get so dorky?   Please stop me if I start to learn Elvish or join the online Council of Elrond...

At the Park with Anna

Boston University

I was really shocked by news of the young students from Boston University who died in a car accident this past weekend near the Tongarario Crossing where we hiked just over two weeks ago.   Here is the article.   I think it probably especially resonates because we were just there and the students were from my alma mater.  I've reflected on my experiences living overseas young and the many times I probably was in more dangerous-than-I-appreciated situations.  3 words especially come to mind, "Driving In Turkey."  Around age 30, my perspective really changed.  I'm not sure if it's from turning 30 or becoming a mother, but I think I more fully realize how fragile life is.  After living most of my life feeling more or less invincible, it's really a stark contrast.  I know the Sunday School answer is that I'm not to fear anything in Christ and that heaven is my home, but I'm still grappling with this...   I had a lot of fear with making this move to NZ (and I think a good defensive driving course would probably serve me very well) but I really have sensed the Lord walking alongside me teaching me to trust Him and cast my worries on Him.  I also feel I have a renewed sense of appreciation for this life we are given to live.  It is such a gift!   All that being said, I pray comfort on the many grieving families tonight.
Oddly enough, today at swimming lessons I found out that Charlie's teacher  graduated from BU in 2006.  We talked about the horrible accident and talked a bit about BU.    I miss Boston in many ways.  We are attending a New Frontiers church in Wellington and this is largely because of the influence of our good friends, David and Betsy Hill, who've planted a church in Fenway.  Their church actually meets at a bar named "Church"  and they've really seen amazing things over the past few years.  Wondering if God will bring us back there again...

Green

Jason and I have always tried to pursue a "green" lifestyle.  Okay - that sounds cheesy.  Labels aside, we do happen to enjoy environmentally-friendly activities.   We compost, cloth diaper, recycle and spend heaps on green products (laundry detergent, cleaning products, etc).  That being said, I've recently questioned my motivation for my environmental-friendliness.  With the exception of composting, which I love because of the amazing process of making extremely delicious-smelling dirt, I think I'm mainly driven by economic factors.

Cloth Diapers.  I love how cute my little boys look in their cloth diapers.  I mourned Charlie potty-training because he was so stinkin' cute in his little diapers.  That being said, when I'm up to my elbows in dirty diapers on diaper-washing night, it thrills my heart that we are saving so much money.  Yes, I'm also really, really happy that I've minimized my waste footprint at the garbage dump, but I'm even more excited that Liam is using the exact same diapers that Charlie used, and they still have lots of life in them...

Utilities.  In Virginia, we kept our thermostat at 80-82 in the summer and 68 in the winter.  That's not radical on the energy-saving spectrum, but still pretty stingy.  I tried not to take long showers, minimized baths, and turned off the water while brushing my teeth.  We don't pay our utility bills here, and I've really seen energy-hogging habits creep into our lifestyle.  I'm much less hawkish about a stray light or excessive dishwasher running.  I really want to be more careful with our lifestyle choices here and I want to be a better model for the boys.

Green Products.  Before shipping my stuff from the US to NZ, I spent $2k at Costco on all sorts of household goods.  I think we have enough reynolds wrap and toothpaste to last us until 2019 but we are quickly burning through our laundry soap and other household cleaning items.  I put in an order for laundry detergent at SOAP.COM but the liquid bottles were shattered and dissolved the shipping box.  I've always wanted to make my own products, and nothing like the motivation of excruciatingly expensive cleaning products to drive me to it.  I made really great laundry soap that's working splendidly so far and this afternoon I made all-purpose cleaner.  There is some question about the effectiveness of veggie wash spray (some say water is actually better), but I made some of my own using this recipe just to try it out.   I'm happy to get unnecessary toxic chemicals out of our house (I really love that I can keep the all-purpose cleaner under the sink and not be totally freaked if Liam were to get into it), but more than anything I like how cheap it is!

Composting.  We had a beautiful compost bin at our home in Virginia that is sitting in storage while we are in NZ.  We have an apartment with a fairly large patio, and I'm very close to buying a worm compost bin.  I think it would be so neat to show Charlie and Liam the composting process and the fact that it involves hungry squirmy worms makes it even cooler.  The only reason why I hesitate is because of maintenance.  What if we go out of town?  Who will take care of our little worms?  I think we will look to start it in the spring here.

Family Portraits

On our trip to Queenstown, I wanted to capture the perfect family portrait.  With Jason's fancy camera (with tripod) and the FANTASTIC scenery, I was hoping to get at least one good family shot.  It's an incredible challenge with two wriggly littlies (Kiwi slang for "little one") - but I think we actually got quite a few.

 Oops!  Good except missing Liam's face!

Milford Sounds

Struggling to find the time or much to say lately...  here is a picture we took when we were in Milford Sounds (Fjordland) last month.  I promise something more substantial soon!

Big Boy Kite

We spent a Saturday two weeks ago out with friends, Vicky and Johnny, who we met at church. Their son, Kiernan, is one month older than Liam and our kids combined make up 60% of the under 5-year olds at church. They recently moved to NZ from the UK (Johnny is originally from Borneo) and our first time visiting the church with children was on the same day. Our pastor confided to me on Sunday, that he had been praying for young families that morning - asking God to send them more children to the church. There was no crèche or nursery for the small children at that time - and when he saw us that morning, he leaned over to his wife and asked her to put together a crèche. It was transparent to us - and we were so impressed by how enthusiastic the church was to have young families.
Here are some pics of the "big boys" playing with the kites.

He's got the hang of it!

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