Fastforward and Rewind

So, I am adding a third child to my household. No, not another baby, but a 16-year-old sister. Yes, I am fastforwarding to being a mom to a teenager. I know, I am a little crazy, but I feel I can't sit and watch while she flounders in her life.

Many of you who have known me a long time may even remember when this sister was born. Yes, folks, we are getting old. Little did I know that I would be parenting this child. So, a bit of background... we have the same dad who is terminally ill and lives nearby me (but cannot take care of sis) and different (thank, God) mom who has just gone through a second divorce. Her mom cannot help her with school since she did not finish high school herself and my sister is struggling with academics.

She actually moved in today and I am exhausted. I feel like I am too giving sometimes, but then look at the love I get in return and am glad for it.

The question I am putting out there for the world (though, mostly my friends) is this: If you had high school to do all over again and were giving yourself (or your little sister) advice, what would it be? If you had a new high school and fresh start, how would break in or reinvent yourself?

I think I would drink more alcohol. Actually, a couple of drinks would be more than I drank in high school. But, I can't condone that behavior now that I am the parent of a teenager. Seriously, I think I would have rebelled more and not taken shit so personally. I would have had alot more fun. I look back at my high school years and see a blur, really. I have blocked out most of high school because I was so miserable. I guess my way of rebelling was moving 2,000 miles away to go to college.

For some people, high school was the "time of their lives". For the rest, it was a few years of misery. For my sister, I hope that she isn't miserable, but I want her to use it as the start of the fun years of her life not the only fun years of her life.

Any thoughts, Dear Reader?

Social Justice Mama

Ok. I have talked to some people about this, but not all. So here it is...

With the advent of the Iraq war and other injustices I have become increasingly frustrated with not being able to do anything. But, thanks to my socially conscious friends and family, I have become a bit more aware of things I can do. Here are some that you can do too.

1) Boycott McDonald's. They refuse to pay the farm workers who provide tomatoes an extra 1Cent per pound. The result would be an marked increase in a livable wage to the workers. Yum Foods Inc., the parent company of Taco Bell, recently upped their payment by a cent a pound and made a big difference. Businesses can make socially responsible decisions. You may go to www.ciw-online.org to find out more and http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/mcdonalds/ to write a letter to McDonald's telling them that you will boycott for this reason.

2) Boycott Walmart. Walmart is building a new Super Walmart in Poulsbo. I love my little town and worry that they are going to drive the small businesses to close. I will not shop there because I want my money going to local small businesses. They do not pay living wages to most of their employees and I have heard story after story of people on the verge of getting benefits getting fired or forced out so that the company doesn't have to pay (This happened to Aaron's aunt). They are the Evil Empire of retail.

3) Boycott Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Russell Athletics, and Team Edition Apparel and write a letter. In April 2005, workers at the Hermosa factory in El Salvador attempted to organize a union. In May, the company shut the factory down. In August --in an attempt to end a 3-month picket line -- management teamed up with a company union and tried to buy workers out. Management and corrupt union officials threatened workers. Factory owner Joaquin Salvador Montalvo was arrested for the US$353,000 he owes workers, but while he is out on bail, workers are not being paid and are losing their homes. Go to http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/hermosa/wnuxibe247wwnwd? to write a letter to the heads of these organizations.

4) Sign up at Students Against Sweatshops http://studentsagainstsweatshops.org/ to get updates on campaigns for worker's rights.

5) Sign up for Union Voice http://www.unionvoice.org/wfn/main.html to get updates on issues for U.S. workers.

6) Boycott Nestle. My friend Cami told me that there has been a long standing boycott of Nestle because of their advertising and business practices in third world countries. (Cami, please give me that web site again) I guess they are advertising to women to stop breastfeeding and feed their children Nestle formula where there are no clean sources of water or bottles. They have no means of sterilization so the babies are getting things like rotavirus and dying as result! I still can't believe it.

If you have any other imput of what we can do, please share it!

Hope you are all well and have a great new year! What a way to start the new year, helping your fellow human any way you can! Cheers!