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cathhomeschool
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Texas Bluebonnets
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 7:52am | IP Logged
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Betsy, it is so true that prayer is the most important thing! And sometimes it's the only thing we can (or are called to) do. However, sometimes I've used that as an easy way out. (I don't need to stand in front of PP. I can pray at home.) Our small actions may not convert hearts, but they are a start. They provide a tangible witness and can help open the eyes of the world around us or give courage to those who don't want to stand alone. Threads like this give me the opportunity to reevaluate and I appreciate that. At times I've been so overwhelmed that prayer really is all I can do. But at times I can stretch myself more. Lindsay, I have never been big on letter writing (a prime example of taking the easy way out), but I'm going to start. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 9:03am | IP Logged
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Well, Janette, I've never been big on letter writing either. And I don't feel called to stand in front of PP with 4 children 7 and under. But these are things I WANT to do, when I can.
I suppose there is a fine line between making excuses for not doing something and recognizing that you simply are not in a season of life where you are able to do certain things but are working towards that, which translates to "later." Of course, I personally need reminders like these to make sure my "laters" are sincere and done in good conscience.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 9:30am | IP Logged
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Yes, that's it! There was a season in my life when I *could* stand in front of PP with my kids and pray, then there was a season when I really couldn't and didn't feel called to, but then there was a season after that when I know I could have and I did feel promptings to go but never put in the effort to make it happen. It was always 'I'll look at our schedule next week.' or 'We should really do that soon.' and it never translated into reality. So I want to follow through when I feel called -- be gentle when I can't or forget, but not let myself off the hook when I shouldn't. This applies to all areas of my life. And part of the reason that I'm thinking more about this now is that I *do* have more time in this season but it seems to slip through my fingers. I want to spend it well on whatever God has planned for me that day instead of arriving at the end and wondering where it all went. 
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 2:12pm | IP Logged
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I agree that prayer is the best thing we can do.
I agree that there are seasons in life when we can do more and seasons when we can do less when it comes to things that require actual effort.
But this, simply not buying slave-trade chocolate, requires no effort on our part whatsoever. Just don't buy it. How hard can that be?
And if we are not willing to put in the small amount of effort to look for the fair trade label, or we cannot spare the extra expense of fair trade, then we don't have to. Just don't buy chocolate at all. It really is that simple. There is no effort required here.
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Theresa
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CrunchyMom
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lapazfarm wrote:
I agree that prayer is the best thing we can do.
I agree that there are seasons in life when we can do more and seasons when we can do less when it comes to things that require actual effort.
But this, simply not buying slave-trade chocolate, requires no effort on our part whatsoever. Just don't buy it. How hard can that be?
And if we are not willing to put in the small amount of effort to look for the fair trade label, or we cannot spare the extra expense of fair trade, then we don't have to. Just don't buy chocolate at all. It really is that simple. There is no effort required here.
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I plan on that, just not sure if I'll manage to write Hershey a letter telling them I did 
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 2:43pm | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
lapazfarm wrote:
I agree that prayer is the best thing we can do.
I agree that there are seasons in life when we can do more and seasons when we can do less when it comes to things that require actual effort.
But this, simply not buying slave-trade chocolate, requires no effort on our part whatsoever. Just don't buy it. How hard can that be?
And if we are not willing to put in the small amount of effort to look for the fair trade label, or we cannot spare the extra expense of fair trade, then we don't have to. Just don't buy chocolate at all. It really is that simple. There is no effort required here.
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I plan on that, just not sure if I'll manage to write Hershey a letter telling them I did |
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Me too. I'm not a letter writer. But I can let my $$$ do the talking for me. 
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Theresa
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Chris V
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 3:04pm | IP Logged
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lapazfarm wrote:
I agree that prayer is the best thing we can do.
I agree that there are seasons in life when we can do more and seasons when we can do less when it comes to things that require actual effort.
But this, simply not buying slave-trade chocolate, requires no effort on our part whatsoever. Just don't buy it. How hard can that be?
And if we are not willing to put in the small amount of effort to look for the fair trade label, or we cannot spare the extra expense of fair trade, then we don't have to. Just don't buy chocolate at all. It really is that simple. There is no effort required here.
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Chris
Happy Wife with my Happy Life
Mama to My Five Girls ('04~'07~'09~'11~'11) 
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 3:49pm | IP Logged
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Well, I did it! I said I wasn't a letter-writer, but I just wrote an email to my favorite ice-cream maker asking if they would consider using only fair-trade chocolate in their products.
It's a small thing. But it is something.
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Theresa
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 4:57pm | IP Logged
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Letter-writing does work, but I do wonder how we can possibly avoid all "slave trade" items...do we stop buying Chinese-made electronics because their workers live in crowded dorms and eat bad food and make a pittance and can't date or get married? (Full disclosure: I avoid buying as many Chinese-made goods as possible - and I'm pretty good at finding replacement items - but no one can avoid everything made in China. Even me.)
I try to do what I can, knowing it's a tiny protest - we buy free-trade items all the time - but sometimes we can only do so much before something else suffers. I can't earn money for my family without my computer, and I know it has Chinese-made parts. They all do. So, I have to talk with my husband, make a prudential decision, and pray a lot.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 7:24pm | IP Logged
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Totally agree with you, Theresa. Chocolate is a luxury item, not a need, so doing without it is totally doable.
Nancy, I'm sad to say that I haven't read much on the Chinese issue. I know conditions are harsh and quality standards on what they do produce are low, but I don't know details. I do avoid buying things made in China whenever possible. I know we can't avoid everything "bad" or we'd almost have to become farmers and weavers and go back to the dark ages with no electronics. It doesn't sound like the condition in China is as bad as the chocolate issue -- child slave labor, though.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 8:02pm | IP Logged
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My mom always said to me "pick your battles." She meant this in relation to marital harmony and child rearing, but I think these are wise words for pretty much any situation.
No one can do it all. But if we all do what little we can, together we can make a big difference.
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Theresa
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 10:03pm | IP Logged
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Yes, picking your battles! It emphasizes the need for discernment (Nancy) so that we can have peace (Betsy). I need to do this.
And I love what Lindsay said earlier:
CrunchyMom wrote:
| I'll never make perfect choices, but that doesn't mean that my imperfect ones are meaningless. |
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Question to those who have tried the fair trade chocolate. Does it taste like "fancy" chocolate (Lindt, Godiva, Dove, others too expensive for me to try...though now they may be cheap by comparison!  )? I don't like fancy chocolate. I don't like really cheap chocolate (Easter bunnies) either. I like the tang in Hershey's and anything chocolate orange.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 10:15pm | IP Logged
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Do you normally eat milk chocolate Janette? I found that the more expensive and "smoother" chocolates I like the dark chocolate better than milk chocolate.. while I highly prefer hershey's milk chocolate over the dark..
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Oct 13 2011 at 10:20pm | IP Logged
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Janette, my personal "issue" with China is actually their one-child policy, and my dh really disagrees with their unfair labor practices (as well as one-child), so we agreed together to avoid Chinese products whenever possible. That does not mean we have no Chinese products in our home...as I said, some things just can't be avoided. There's no one to write to in this situation (we don't speak, read or write Chinese), so the only thing we can do is withhold a few dollars here and there. Definitely an imperfect solution.
I'm a big fan of writing letters (ask Sen. Mikulski! She is probably very tired of hearing from me...) and I have more time than most moms to do research, as I work from home writing and, well, doing research. My kids are teens, though - ten years ago I would not have had time to write letters on issues I care about. And I know that if I had young children now I would have trouble avoiding Chinese-made products! (Toys, for example, or affordable bicycles.)
I think that, for me, the best thing to do is be aware of issues and then do what I can, when I can. I am glad beyond measure that people are writing to complain when they are unhappy - maybe we can really change the chocolate situation, just as unhappy TV viewers have successfully lobbied to get offensive programming off the air. We can all do something...it just isn't always the same something. And I hope God is good with that. I think He is.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Oct 14 2011 at 6:35pm | IP Logged
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I do normally eat milk chocolate, Jodie. I'll try the "expensive" dark.
The other day I heard on a Christian radio station that someone had recently done a concert in China. The Chinese restricted the songs he could sing but one slipped through. The song talked about serving only one master, I think... (wasn't Bob Dylan). Anyway, the radio dj said he hoped it would somehow touch the government officials. Wish I could remember the details. I do think the situation is China is horrible. 
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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sunny
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| Posted: Oct 14 2011 at 8:27pm | IP Logged
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what a great Christmas shopping resource!! CRS Fair Trade shopping online
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Chris V
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| Posted: Oct 14 2011 at 8:44pm | IP Logged
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Oh my goodness, YES! I have some of their purses/handbags, scarves, woven baskets, and necklace/earring sets. LOVE their items! I tell my family that they cannot go wrong if they shop for *me* from their catalog/website 
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Chris
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