Haiti - Day 2

We woke up at 6am and, having showered the night before, were ready and on the roof by 7am.  We prayed, took some pictures in our church attire and then went downstairs to go to breakfast.  

Breakfast was scrambled eggs with onions and spices.  There were fresh magoes and the best pineapple I've ever had  We also had some bread and peanut butter and the sweetest coffee on the planet.  

After we ate, we went to church.  The children were still in their service so we watched them sing.  It was amazing how well behaved they all were.  They listened, participated and recited bible verses from memory.  After church, we played with the kids for a while.  Candice gave out a handful of candy.  Mark, as if in slow motion, made the mistake of pulling out a whole clear bag full of candy.  The kids flocked to him and in a moment he was over run.  :)

The church

The kitchen just outside the church were all of the meals

for the feeding program are prepared

We went into the adult church.  Haitians know how to do church!  They all sang and participated.  They were excited to be there.  They even sang a song in Creole and English. It was great to be able to understand all of what they were singing instead of just fragments.  We introduced ourselves to the congregation and then listened to a plea from the pastor.  Apparently, the land in front of the church does not belong to the church.  The owner wants to build on it.  If he does that, he'll put a fence around it.  The church is located right on the property line, so a fence would block the doors.  The church has until the end of the month to raise $8,000 and prevent that from happening.  They are convinced though that God will provide a way and the money will come.

♪♫"I won't go back.

I can't go back
to the way it used to be
 before your presence came and changed me."♪♫

After church, we went to the pastor's house for lunch.  We had hot dogs, fried plantains, fried dumplings, fried potatoes and cole slaw.  The slaw had some sort of citrus in it and was very good.  After we ate, we went back to the hotel to rest up.  We were all still slightly sleep-deprived and Monday was going to bring a lot of hard work so the down time was welcomed.  

We met in the lobby and enjoyed a few Prestige beers.  In that heat, it was the best beer I had ever tasted.  

 

After our rest, we got back in the tap tap and went to the Restoration House for dinner.  Outside, Pastor Lafleur told us about his childhood and about the cycle of life in Haiti.  He said that his mother went to school for one day.  She did not have a pencil, so she came home and asked her father for less than a penny so she could buy a pencil.  He told her that he did not have the money to spend on school as he could barely afford to feed them.  The pastor further explained that that is the choice that most Haitians have to make:  go to school, eat, or have a roof over their heads.  The pastor's mother never went back to school.

Education was very important to Pastor Lafleur's mother.  She sent the pastor to school and therefore he grew up without much food.  He said that he remembered going four days without food.  His mother put salt in some water and gave it to him to make him feel full.  The pastor says that he "ate books" so he could eat later.  He ate knowledge so he could have a better life.  He finished every year at the top of his class.  One year he was given a can of peas and a small amount of money for his good grades.  A few days later, on Good Friday, the pastor's mother told him to wait by the road for the bus to pass.  Her boyfriend drove the bus and he would give the pastor some money so that his family could buy dinner for Good Friday.  The pastor waited for the bus for eight hours.  When it finally came, there was a different driver.  The pastor went home without any money for their Good Friday dinner.  However, because of his good grades, his family was at least able to eat the peas.  His mother used the money that came with them to buy a small amount of charcoal so she could cook them for their Good Friday meal.

The story really really made me stop and think.  I thought of all the times I've said "I'm hungry" or my kids have said "I'm starving."  We've never been hungry and we most certainly have never been starving.  We are very lucky.  After the story, no one rushed to the dinner table that night.  in fact, we all ate slowly and savored every bite we had been blessed with.

Dinner was rice with chicken legs and peas.  We also had turkey and potato salad.  The potato salad was purple from the beets that were in it.  They were amazing - and I hate beets.

After dinner we went back to the hotel and tried to call home but there was no wifi.  We spent some time doing our Bible study and then headed off to bed.

Please visit Restore Haiti.  Learn how you can sponsor a child for only $30 per month.  For non reoccurring donations, consider providing over 400 children with a chicken leg for $250 or a glass of milk for $150.

Haiti - A Memoir (Or So It Would Seem... )

Since we returned home early on Sunday morning, I've been thinking about the best way to "talk" about our trip with my Facebook friends.  I don't want to write a summarizing post and risk missing the small details that made the trip special, but I also don't want to overwhelm you all with the 77 pages that I wrote in my journal.  I think the best way to share my experience with you is the same way God shared it with me, one day at a time.  Here we go....

Day 1

Today has been my first full day in Jacmel, Haiti.  Friday night, we met at the church at 11:30 p.m.  We drove to Atlanta and arrived at the airport at about 3:30 a.m.  I honestly thought we were leaving too early, but it seemed to be a good amount of time - especially with all of the luggage we had.  Between the six of us, there were 12 carry ons and 11 large checked bags.  We checked in at 4:30 a.m. and headed to security.  My carry on back pack set off their alarm so it was fully searched.  I'd really like to know what set it off so I know not to pack that again.  It took almost an hour to get us all through security.  We found our gate and Mark, Elena, Kristy and I went to grab breakfast.  My last full "American" meal was an omelet, sausage, bacon and cheese sandwich on a croissant with a diet Pepsi.  It was awesome.

On the way back to our gate, I passed a vending machine that had items one may need while flying.  One of those items was a Kindle - a Kindle in a vending machine!  Only in America....  

We sat down near the gate and Mitch and Candice went to get some food.  I saw that I had missed a call from Big Jake (my father in law) and called him back.  I promised to be safe on my trip.  When I hung up they began boarding the plane.  The four of us stood in line and kept letting people ahead of us since Mitch and Candice had not yet returned.  They appeared just as the airline called final boarding and we were off!

Once in Miami we found out that our next flight had been over-booked.  The airline was offering $800 vouchers to 6 people that would give up our seats.  It was very tempting but we had people waiting for us in Port-au-Prince and we did not need to delay the.  The flight was so crowded that the airline gate-checked most of the large carry on bags.  I couldn't help but think of the "United Breaks Guitars" song when I overheard one of the employees complaining that they were up to four guitars.  

We were warned that the airport in Haiti would be chaotic.  It definitely was.  We filled out customs and immigration forms and then waited in a hot, sticky mess of people to go through immigration.

The immigration officer took y passport and documentation.  He stamped them and gestured for me to keep going.  He didn't ask a single question.  The immigration area provided the last opportunity for a bathroom until we arrived in Jacmel.  You'd better believe that I took advantage of that opportunity!

The majority of our luggage was thrown in the floor, despite the conveyor belts.  After some searching, pushing and some mild panic (we thought a bag was missing), we found all of our bags.  We then paid a gentleman to help us and began to venture out of the airport.  Several men rushed our carts, trying to "help" us.  They were looking for tips.  We kept saying "No merci!" but they kept coming.

Finally Candice recognized Jean Mary and Mitch saw Chris.  We followed them to the van and our luggage was loaded.  There were three vans total.  One for luggage, one for a group from Tennessee and one for us.

It seemed like it took forever to get through the sea of vehicles around the airport.  If there are traffic laws in Haiti, they are not obeyed.  There were no speed limit signs, no lines on most of the roads, very few street signs and only  handful of traffic lights (which, surprisingly, were obeyed).  The horn is the most used signal in Haiti.  when approaching an intersection, the first to beep the horn proceeds.  When passing, the horn is beeped to signal the other person to move over.

Driving through the city of Port-au-Prince was eye-opening.  I knew going into the trip that it was a poor city, but seeing it really made it hit home.  It was obvious that the poverty existed long before the earthquake, but the quake definitely didn't help.

We drove passed several tent cities - all still occupied at least to some degree.  There was trash everywhere.

People rushed the van and tried to sell us drinks, ice cream and art.  It was very overwhelming.  We passed the capital building.  The dome was almost completely collapsed by the earthquake and the remainder of the building was in shambles.

The entire drive through Port-au-Prince took a little over 2 hours.  The poor road conditions and non-existent traffic laws made for very slow travel.

Outside of the city, we began our climb into the Haitian mountains.  If Port-au-Prince were on one end of a spectrum, the mountains would be on the other.  The road was very narrow and winding, but I didn't feel like I was in danger.  I enjoyed the ride and barely flinches as we swerved around cars, livestock and people.  The driver slowed down for me once so I could get a nice picture from the top of a mountain.

The air was so much nicer up there and, for the first time since arriving I thought, "The temperature might not bee too bad!"  It turns out though that Jacmel is not in the mountains.  It is on the other side in the elevation of hot and sticky.

We went straight to the hotel and unpacked the luggage.  We were given our room assignments.  Kristy and I shared a room that had a full sized bed and a twin sized bed.  The bathroom had a toilet, large shower and a sink.  No mirror.  There was a five gallon bucket in the shower.  This could be filled and used in case the water didn't work.  That happened once on our trip.

Back in the main area of the room I thought I was seeing things.  There was an air conditioner!  Praise God!!!  Throughout the rest of the trip, we referred to this wonderful amenity as the "magic box."

We had about 20 minutes to comb our hair, drink some water, check out the rooftop and meet in the lobby to go to the Restoration House for dinner.

We rode in the back of the tap tap which is a pickup truck equip with either benches for sitting or rails for holding on.  It was a fun but bumpy ride.  We passed several children playing near the road.  They smiled and yelled "Blanc!  Blanc!"

We arrived just in time for dinner.  After the blessing, we ventured over to the spread.  I don't know what I expected the food to be like, but I know it wasn't that.  We were served an amazing stew with potatoes, dumplings, beef and vegetables.  We poured the stew over rice and drank either mango juice or water.

After dinner, Pastor LaFleur  briefed us about what to expect while we were here.  We went back to our hotel on the tap tap and met on the roof top to discuss our day and pray.  As we had been warned, the power turned off at 2am.  It took 8 minutes for the generator to turn on.  After that, the "magic box" was back on and we were very happy.

Join me next time I have 20 minutes to myself for Day 2.  In the meantime, please visit Restore Haiti.  Learn how you can sponsor a child for only $30 per month.  For non reoccurring donations, consider providing over 400 children with a chicken leg for $250 providing the same children with a glass of milk for $150.

Signs of a Working Parent

A week or so ago, I sat down to a meeting for my professional organization at a nice restaurannt.  I looked down at my hands and immediately put them in my lap.  There were Oreo cookies under my fingernails!  You see, I had just left Cadence's class where I read them the story "Diary of a Worm."  After the book, I made them a 'dirt and worms' treat using chocolate pudding, gummy worms and crumbled Oreos, the evidence of which still remained on my poor hands.  I quickly excused myself to the restroom to wash my hands.  While washing, I thought of several other things that have happened to either Chris or I that remind us, and the world, that we are working parents.

Here are a few:

• I've had a pacifier fall out of my pocket in the middle of a conference room full of attorneys.
• A shirt and tie is normal apparel for Chris when coaching our 4-year-old’s soccer team.
• I've walked into an office meeting singing “fruit salad…” to myself, only to have someone respond “yummy yummy!”
• I've had to stop court hearings to take a 15 minute pump break in the empty visiting judge chambers.
• My designer diaper bag now functions as my brief case.
• My 8-year-old has been on a “field trip” with me to serve a subpoena.

I'm sure there are more, but that is all I can think of right now as I've probably blocked the rest out or forgotten them due to lack of space in the 'remembering' section of my brain with all of the PTA meetings, court schedules, soccer practice schedules, work deadlines, birthday parties and professional meetings I have stored up there.

Mommy on a Mission (Trip)

It seems like I'm always on some sort of mission - a mission to be a "super mom", a mission to run a half marathon, a mission to get the kids to soccer practice on time, a mission to be a successful professional, etc.  There's always something going on.  Through all of the commotion and chaos of life, I sometimes forget to slow down and listen to the most important mission.  It is not the ones that I create for myself or for my family, but the one that God has created for me.  Its a lifelong mission full of laughter, tears and surprises.  I don't know all of the details of the mission He has created for me, but I know that there is one and try to listen when He give me hints. 

About a year ago, my neighbor and friend told me about her mission trip to Haiti.  I was immediately interested.  It was if someone said "Go.  Do that.  Help them."  From that point on, I knew that I wanted to be part of that mission.  On July 7th, I'm going to Jacmel, Haiti with a group from LifeSong Church in Lyman for a week.  We will be working with an organization called Restore Haiti.  The group that I'll be travelling with will be bringing new bras (in all sizes) and gently used, modest dresses to the women there to wear to church (many women do not attend church if they do not have a dress as they feel embarassed).  We will also have the opportunity to work on construction projects, assist in the food clinic and spend time with the people there.  I am looking forward to the trip and for the opportunity to contribute something to these people.

I will miss my family.  They are supportive of  my upcoming trip and Cadence wants to come along (maybe someday).  It will be hard to leave them, but I know that Chris is very capable of holding down the fort while I'm gone.

The cost of my trip is approximately $1,350.00.  Our group will be holding several fund raisers (so watch for news about those!), but ultimately the responsibility for the cost rests with each of us going on the trip.  I ask that you please keep me in your prayers as I prepare for this trip.  If you are able and would like to make a tax deductible contribution to the cost, please let me know and I'll provide you the information.

If you'd like to check out the information on the organization that we will be working with, you can visit their website here.

A World Without Facebook

I'm a little over half way through my Lenten fasting from Facebook (I think) so I thought I would share some of the things that I have accomplished in my time off.

1.) Disney Trip with the family - I've posted about this separately, so check it out. I'll add some pictures to Facebook when I'm back. :)

3.) Run for Your Lives - A Zombie Infested 5K - This was a fun run! It was in "Atlanta" (which is in quotation marks because it was an HOUR away from Atlanta so actually NOT in Atlanta, but whatevs). It rained for the three days leading up to the race and I've NEVER been so muddy. Here is my grand finish.

4.) Milling My Own Flour - I started this just before Lent, but I'm really getting the hang of it now. This weekend, I baked four loaves of bread for the upcoming week. It is sooooo good and so much more healthy than the stuff from the store.

5.) Losing Weight - Speaking of being healthy, I've dropped 14.5 pounds since Thanksgiving. It is slow coming off, but it's getting there. I meet with a trainer and am training for my first Tough Mudder run in October.

6.) Half Marathon Training - Speaking of training, I'm running another half marathon on April 21st in downtown Greer. I'm really excited about this run.

7.) House Cleaning - Starting this week I've begun gutting my house and doing my spring cleaning. My apologies to anyone that has stepped foot in the disaster area known as my house recently. I promise it is better now. :)

8.) House Decorating - I have a plan for the downstairs. Now I need the time, money and motivation to execute it. Renovating Chris's house a few years ago left me without the desire to ever do house projects again. I think I'm finally getting over it though.

9.) Haiti - This will be a separate entry soon as well, but I'm attending a mission trip to Haiti in July. I'm very excited to have the opportunity to meet and help the people there and do God's work.

10.) Becoming More of a Hippie Mom - Is that possible? Yes! We now proudly buy 75-90% of our meat from a local farmer; we drink raw milk also purchased from a local farmer; and, as I mentioned before, we mill our own flour to make bread. The grain comes from a local distributor as well. In a few weeks the farmer's markets will be in full swing, and I'll be buying all of our produce there. I'd love to grow it myself but, alas, my thumb is NOT green. Although, I did just plant a fig tree in our backyard. Please cross your fingers for me that it survives and flourishes!

So there are ten things that I've been doing while away from Facebook. :)

Our Disney Trip and Useful Tips for Families with Small Children

We just got home from our first Disney World trip with all three children. We had a great time during our short trip and we learned a lot about flying with small children, Disney with small children and just traveling with small children in general.

Friday morning we surprised the children by waking them up super early and telling them we were going to Disney World and that we would be flying. They were so excited! We got to the airport with our three children, three carry on bags, three car seats, stroller and diaper bag. Allegiant Airlines kindly checked the car seats, carry on bags and stroller at the check in, free of charge. I had read several places online that it is okay to bring liquids in excess of the three ounce limit if it is for your child. I brought a few juice boxes and some yogurt for the kids. When we got to the TSA check point, I unzipped my lunchbox containing said juice and yogurt and showed it to the TSA agent, who was very nice. She asked if I was responsible for the contents of the lunchbox and I said I was. I then received a lovely TSA pat down. Apparently, that is required since the TSA could not test my kids' juice boxes and yogurt since they were sealed. This brings me to Tip #1: If bringing yogurt, applesauce, juices, etc. on board a plane for your children, make sure it is contained in something that can be opened. Otherwise, you may have the pleasure of really getting to know your TSA agent.

The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful except that it was a bit bumpy at one point and Cadence yelled "Are we going to crash!?!?" Tip #2: Explain the concept of turbulence to your children ahead of their first plane ride. Liam spent the entire plane ride tucked into my Ergo. I touch more on baby wearing in a little bit.

We arrived and had lunch with one of my mommy friends and her daughters. After lunch we tried to check in to the hotel, but there wasn't a room ready for us. We headed to Downtown Disney for some shopping and to meet Chris's aunt for dinner. When we got to Downtown Disney, Gabriel immediately went into a full blown meltdown because we "told him we were going to Disney World." I explained that Downtown Disney was part of Disney World, but he wouldn't hear any of it. He was curled in a fetal position in the floor board of the rental car sobbing. This brings me to Tip #3: If you are arriving in Orlando in the earlier part of the day and not planning on visiting the parks until the next day, either a.) change your plans and go that day or b.) make it very clear to your children that they will see Mickey the next day.

After dinner we checked into our room. Chris headed out to the store to pick up a few things. There are a few things that we always bring with us into the park. Tip #4: Pack an empty soft cooler in one of your suitcases. The night before going into the parks, put some water bottles in your freezer (Tip #4a: ALWAYS get a room with at least a kitchenette.). In the morning, pack your soft cooler with the frozen water bottles, some juice and some soda. Put some cookies and crackers in your diaper bag or backpack. Tip #5: Keep some beer in the fridge for after you return to the room.

On Saturday we went to Magic Kingdom. We brought the stroller, my Ergo, our soft cooler and our diaper bag. The Ergo was worth its weight in gold in the parks. Seriously, if the only two days I ever used it was this past Saturday and Sunday than it was a well worthwhile purchase.Tip #6: If you are a baby wearer, for the sake of your sanity and the sanity of your family, do NOT forget your carrier of choice. I was able to wear Liam on Snow White, It's a Small World, Peter Pan, Aladdin's carpets, all of the show type rides, the carousel and many more. It was amazing! He was able to nap, undisturbed, through several rides. Best. Idea. EVER. The stroller ended up being more of a luggage cart than anything. I contemplated leaving it behind the next day, but it was a nice thing to have. We would basically park it in an area of the park and ride everything around that area. Then we'd get our stroller and move to the next area. It held our snacks and drinks and was great when one of the big kids got tired or we needed a portable time out spot.

Obviously, there are some rides that you cannot wear your baby on. For example, I would not suggest wearing a baby on Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, etc. ;) Tip #7: For those rides that your baby cannot go on, go visit a cast member at the entrance to the ride and ask for a rider switch ticket. One parent can take the bigger kids (or just go by themselves) on the ride. When he/she comes off, the other parent can take the rider switch ticket and go in the Fast Pass lane. The bonus to this is that a person with a rider switch ticket can have up to two additional people with them. Therefore, Chris could take Cadence and Gabriel on a ride. When they got out, I'd take Cadence and Gabriel back on the ride in the Fast Pass lane. It worked beautifully!

We were only in the parks for two days, so we did not want to spend a lot of time waiting in lines to see the characters. I highly recommend scheduling at least one character dining experience while you are there. Last time we visited we did two and this time we did one. I don't think the kids felt like they missed out.

We went to Epcot on Sunday. Tip #8: If you can, plan to spend two days in Epcot. We had to zoom through it since we had to do it all in one day, but we still had fun. Epcot is my favorite park, and Chris's too, so we would have liked to spend more time there. We got a table at the Rose & Crown about thirty minutes before the fireworks. Tip #9: The Rose & Crown has a private viewing area for the fireworks. If you get a table there, your server will escort you out to the viewing area just before the fireworks. It is well worth it! It was rainy and yucky outside and we were able to wait for the fireworks to start in the comfort of our dry dining room, sipping on a beer and munching on a cheese platter. Fantastic.

We thought we woke up this morning in plenty of time to eat our free hotel breakfast (another must for traveling with kiddos) and get to the airport. However, it took us about 20 minutes longer than anticipated and the drive to the airport took another 20 minutes longer than anticipated. Before I knew it, we were arriving closer to an hour before our flight took off rather than the suggested two hours. I was starting to worry. Tip #10: Allow yourself more time than you think you could possibly need in getting back to the airport. We dropped off our rental, checked in and got up to the gate about 25 minutes before our scheduled departure time. A few minutes later, an airline employee came over the speaker. I expected him to announce boarding. Instead, he announced that our flight was delayed for about two hours. Luckily, the airport had a kids' section that was showing kid-friendly movies. We watched movies for the next two hours and then boarded our plane.

All in all, it was a great trip. It was a little stressful, but we survived. We'll definitely do it again when Liam is a little older and can enjoy it more.

Here are a few pictures. The first is my favorite as it pretty accurately sums up the chaos of the weekend. :)

Another Post About Cloth Diapering

Someone shared this link with me today and I just had to pass it along:

Cloth Diapers, the Good Things and the Crappy Things

I originally posted about cloth diapering here. Liam is fifteen months old now and we are still going strong. I love the whole process. I will say that, unlike the hilarious link up there, I did not start for the cool colors. I started because I am a cheapo. I HUGE cheapo.

Here are a few good things and crappy things that I'd like to add about cloth diapers:

Good Things:

1. They are much cheaper than disposable diapers. (Have I mentioned that I'm a cheapo?) :)
2. They can be worn in the water. No need for switching to a pointless "swim diaper" that doesn't hold ANYTHING in.
3. There's no running out to the store at 11:38 p.m. when you realize that you forgot to buy diapers. Granted, I've done some loads of diaper laundry at midnight, but I've never had to drag my kids out of bed to hit up Target because I forgot to buy diapers on my way home from work.


Crappy Things:

1. I come in closer contact with poop than in my 'sposie days. This is the point that most 'sposie mamas can't stomach. However, if you have a baby, I promise that you are going to come in contact with poop. Even in disposables, you will experience a poopsplosion that will result in you and baby both needing baths. Frankly, I've had many fewer apoopcalypses since using cloth than I ever did with disposables. Maybe that's life's way of trading off the fact that I spray poop every day.
2. My son has become increasingly infactuated with playing in the toilet. I don't think it is because he has any interest in potty training, but because he watches Mommy "play" in the toilet on a regular basis. And Mommy has a cool water gun. I can't wait until he figures out how to use that... :-/
3. Speaking of water gun, nothing is worse than going to spray off a diaper in the middle of the night or early in the morning and, in a half dreaming haze, accidentally turning the sprayer the wrong way. I have twice sprayed myself directly in the eyeball. That hurts. A lot.

There you have it. Thos are my good things and crappy things about cloth diapering.