"If there’s a world here in a hundred years, it’s going to be saved by tens of millions of little things. The powers-that-be can break up any big thing they want. They can corrupt it or co-opt it from the inside, or they can attack it from the outside. But what are they going to do about 10 million little things? They break up two of them, and three more like them spring up!"
- Pete Seeger, in YES! Magazine

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Turn in a wad of found cash

The project:
Pick up a wad of lost I spotted in a parking lot.

Time:
Moments

Why bother?
If I'd dropped MY wad of cash, I sure hope someone would turn it in. I handed it to the owner of the business (a 5-acre lavender farm outside of town), who was able to identify which customer lost it.

Worth it?
Yes. The woman thanked me for turning in the cash, as did her friend.

Photo courtesy Chris Chapman under Creative Commons License.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Bake a Cake

The project:
Help my girls bake a cake for their dad, then help them make dinner. (I'm just the sous chef today!)

Time:
An hour or so, if you don't count the wait for the cake to bake.

Why bother?
Dad's birthday + little girls who love to cook = sous chef mommy

Worth it?
Yes - I love spending time in the kitchen with the girls. It's so wonderful to see them learning a skill they can use for the rest of their lives, and to see how proud they are in their results.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Carpool

The project:
Add two more kids to our van for a lift south.

Time:
Negligible - some pickup and dropoff time. Otherwise, we were going that way anyhow.

Why bother?
Sharing our vehicle means one less car on the road (in this case) thereby saving fuel and wear and tear on another vehicle. Plus, we had an opportunity to get to know the kids better.

Worth it?
Yes.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Arts and History for All

The project:
Organize and lead a museum tour.

Time:
All day

Why bother?
The girls and I tend to find great places with fun activities and, often, some educational value. We invited other homeschool friends (and strangers) along for today's tour which included a museum and two art galleries.

Worth it?
The girls and I had a wonderfully relaxing day. Too bad no one else made it.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Cheer for a Cheerleader

The project:
I always thought going to the gym was a funny concept. It's not like we can't find other ways to exercise. I mean, come on! Pay for P.E.!? We can get exercise on our own, thank you very much.

Turns out - I won't. I can, but I won't. I need a coach. I need a cheerleader, a yeller, a supporter, a training partner. I need the gym.

This week marks the end of my first month as a gym member. I've tested a variety of classes that fit our family schedule (so...a narrow window) and found some incredibly positive, energetic folks leading the way.

Today, after depositing more than my fair share of sweat and salt, nearly losing my lunch entirely, and being OH so tempted to drop out of the cycling class mid-cycle, I offered up a loud "Thanks" and cheer for our inspiring instructor. The rest of the class answered with claps and whoops of their own.

Time:
Moments

Why bother?
Somehow, while sweating and spinning and keeping her own body moving, our instructor manages to shout words of encouragement to the class. I, for one, would walk out earlier if I didn't have her there watching, pushing, encouraging and reminding us why we're all there - for our own good, because we WANT to be healthier, because it feels good (when it's over).

I hadn't heard much cheering for HER, so I thought I'd return the favor and was pleasantly surprised to have the class join in.

Worth it?
She seemed surprised, and her smile was totally worth it. If our support of her keeps her teaching, so much the better for ALL involved.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Educating Our Children

The project:
Provide education for our children.

Time:
It's hard to quantify this when you homeschool. What counts? If you're talking about table time (desk time), 90 minutes. If you include lessons away from workbooks and tabletops, there were the other lessons, the science project, the art project, reading, history, horseback riding and all things related, swimming, cooking.

Why bother?
I've written about this fairly regularly. Start here, then go here, and finally you can see that it really all comes down to this - I'm nuts!
And some of the HOW can be read here.

Worth it?
Absolutely!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Thrift Store Donation

The project:
After a quick run through the girls' toys and clothes, I made a run to the thrift store that benefits our local shelters.

Time:
50 minutes including cleanup

Why bother?
The girls grow out of things before they're worn out. Might as well share those clothes with other kids who could use them. Plus, like so many modern American homes, ours is overstuffed with toys, some of which the girls have grown out of - or were never really into in the first place. Lightening the house also lightens my mental load.

Worth it?
Yes.