Do Schools Kill Creativity?

So, Many of you already know that I personally think that indeed, schools DO kill creativity....one of my biggest pet peeves is mass produced classroom art projects...you all know what I'm talking about...twenty-five jack-o-lanterns taped up in the hallway....all identical!
But anyway, I came across this very interesting video and thought I can't seem to embed it today...I've included the link below so you can consider your own thoughts on schools and creativity.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

Smart Shopper!

This post if for all you local folks. I recently got a tip about a store called the Smart Shopper located in Knox, PA. Kind of a drive for me (about an hour+) but so worth the trip. You do have to go aisle by aisle and kind of look through stuff, and watch those expiration dates. But....I got all of this organic food and body care for just $40! Seriously! If I were to buy these same things at a local grocery or natural food store, I'm sure I would've spent well over $100... So, a big old Thank You to Jason for tipping me off! I have directions for anyone who wants them.

Blessings!

Teah really likes to say a prayer at meal times, which is totally fine by me. I think it's so important to develop revererence...(Steiner thinks so too) so...I decided it was time to get back to something that we've kind of gotten away from this year with the decision to go to public school and allowing our lives to get so busy. Verses. Beautiful, meaningful verses. We used to say good morning verses, circle time verses, chore-time verses, handwork verses, bedtime verses, mealtime verses, etc....and I think it's time to bring it all back. Well, some of them anyway. So, we've brought back the morning, after school, bedtime and morning verses...all new and fresh with small drawings to help us remember how they go. So far, so good. Everyone joins hands and smiles as they recite the verses. This one is our mealtime verse and I think everyone feels like the earth and the sun are something we can get behind!
Would anyone like to share their familie's blessings or verses? Anyone?

P.s For those of you who would like to start saying verses with your families, there are many great resources out there. You could google Waldorf Verses or check out the book Seven Times The Sun, which is chock full of 'em!

Delicious Roast Dinner

So, the other night, Andy and I made this delicious dinner of couscous with roasted root veggies (fingerling potatoes, carrots, onions, squash, garlic) from Zeb's certified naturally grown farm. This hearty meal was accompanied by mugs of rich raw milk from a local dairy. We ate by candle-light and really enjoyed it, the beauty of the meal, the texture, the feeling that what we were eating was actually good for us, good for the earth...that it came from good beginnings. I wanted to capture that in these pictures, like so many other mamas do....but, I think I may be photo-deficient or something, because in the picture, it doesn't look nearly as appetizing as it actually was.

My inspiration for healthy food photos came from a mama who blogs here:


http://veganmother.blogspot.com/2008/03/vcon-basil-cilantro-pesto (may have to copy and paste this link...not sure what's up)
Check out her blog, I promise you'll be inspired to eat right, to prepare beautiful delicious meals, to enjoy the experience! Bon apetite'

Stuff...stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff...

Okay, folks....this is serious...We all have too much stuff! For Real! It really is just stuff, too. Cheap, plastic crap...tons of clothes we'll never wear...gifts we've been given that just aren't us, but that we keep so as not to offend...we just keep consuming....ARRRGGHHHHH...it's so frustrating.
I'm encouraging all of you to hurry on over to http://www.thestoryofstuff.com and watch the full length movie...Maybe invite some friends over for a viewing and pop popcorn or enjoy a communal meal and then a discussion on what we each can do...

Oh, and while you're all together, discuss freecycle (http://www.freecycle.org) and talk about ways to responsibly reduce the amount of stuff you each have.

The Vagina Monologues

So, this past weekend, I went to Pittsburgh's City Theatre Company to see The Vagina Monologues. I have wanted to see it for many years and was eager to learn about the activism side of the vagina issue...female genital mutilation, etc... I enjoyed the performance so much, laughed and laughed. It was hilarious. The three women who performed the monologues were great, very experienced, believable, talented performers. I was surprised however at how short it was..only an hour and fifteen minutes. That made the $40 ticket price seem a little inflated...afterwards anyway. I was a bit let down at the fact that the first twenty minutes was a word for word copy of what you see and hear in this you tube video... the other thing that disappointed me was the lightness of the monologues. I was looking forward to the heavy issues...worldly issues, enlightenment of global women's issues and then discussion on what we can do....but, that never happened. I'm glad I went and saw it, but am still feeling like I missed something!
(I did pick up a cute dress at the Culture shop while I was there:)