December

I have not been taking pictures.

I have not been writing.

I have not been blogging.

I have been living. Playing, gardening in the rain, wrapping presents, baking Bourbon Pecan Chews and Cranberry Nut Bread, eating, going for walks, visiting with friends, visiting with family, and watching each moment of 2010 slip away in a sweet afterglow while 2011 knocks at the door, beckoning.

When we open the door on New Year's Day, I hope to find joy, compassion, adventure, excitement, peace and most importantly love.

Merry Christmas to all of you! See you in the new year!

An Obvious Metaphor

We stopped for a quick hike the other day.

Sometimes, we throw our rocks in the stream to hear the satisfying splash and watch the ripples spreading over the surface... and sometimes we carry our rocks carefully from the beginning of the trail to the bitter end.


Oh, the metaphors!

Thankful Thinking

Owen's homework yesterday was to write down five things he was thankful for. Here are his perfectly practical and wonderful answers:

1. I am thankful for my family because they gave birth to me.
2. I am thankful for water because if there was no water everybody would die.
3. I am thankful for food because it is flavorful.
4. I am thankful for my house because I have shelter if it rains.
5. I am thankful for the earth because it is the only planet that you can live on.

Really, that sums it all up.

Although I would add I am thankful for neighbors who let your kids play in their backyard for an hour so you can catch up on blog posts.

And also, I am deeply thankful for vegan pumpkin pie. Mmmmm. The house smells tantalizing... I can't wait for dinner tonight!

The Enchanted Bamboo Forest

This was our Saturday at the San Diego Botanic Garden: a beautiful mix of good friends, beautiful weather and the twinkling gold twilight of fall. I hope your November is unfolding beautifully too!

A Special Preview

Only a few days left until Halloween. I've managed to squeeze in collecting, sewing, assembling and thrift store browsing between school, golf classes and piano lessons (Owen), and co-op preschool, play dough escapades and visits to the Maritime Museum (Elliot).

We still have to (can't wait to!) carve some pumpkins and make some trick or treat bags but my biggest question is what am I going to be for Halloween?

9 to 5; or Eat the Frog First

Paul and I like to intone half-mockingly in a stentorian voice the following adage: "Man works from sun to sun, but woman's work is never done". It's such an old fashioned and cliched sentiment that it's a bit of a running joke in our family. And yet, my half mocking voice becomes more and more earnest each time I say it.

Seriously, I NEVER sit down.

Sometimes I'm a little jealous that Paul wakes up and starts his daily routine and launches into his day with the full knowledge that he knows where he must be and who he must talk to and what he must do... and then he knows he'll be home for dinner and a relaxing evening watching Netflix or playing his guitar.

I thought about this the other day as I scrambled to make the kids lunches and get them dressed and then wondered if I could possibly accomplish all the little things on my list before lunchtime. All the things on my list are not required, but are necessary for the smooth operation of our lives. After all, I can let the laundry pile up but then there would be overwhelming despair from Elliot that his favorite shirt isn't clean, or Owen would run out of clean socks for school. Neither of which are really major problems in the big picture, of course, but ones which I can easily avoid by just keeping the laundry clean and put away.

Then there are the dishes. Ugh. It's my own fault but by the end of the day I can't possibly wash a sink full of dirty dishes. and every time I make the conscious choice to leave them and wash them in the morning it inevitably makes my next morning that much more stressed because now not only do I have to pack lunches, get dressed, get the kids ready for school and get out the door, I ALSO have to wash last night's dinner dishes. WHY oh WHY do I think postponing them would make it easier on me? (I go through this dirty dishes experience several times a week and you'd think I'd learn to bite the bullet, but somehow I never figure it out.)

This all sounds like complaining, but really it's not. No really, it's not. I love domesticity.

Today, for example, was a lovely day. Elliot and I walked Owen to school and then came home and made two batches of playdough, juiced some apples, made homemade applesauce and then baked some apple walnut muffins... I realized at lunch time that our beautiful day together was spent almost entirely in the kitchen. It was wonderful. Clearly, on days when I can choose to make my own activities I always choose to be domestic in the kitchen. If I have free time, I bake. That's what I do! I even like cleaning dishes and vacuuming. Call me crazy but I do.

Except when it starts getting out of control. It's the piling up that drives me bonkers.

On one of those mama blogs that I like to read (see my blog links on the right), a long time ago I read an anecdote that (paraphrased) goes something like: if you have a list of things to do in a day and one of those is not at all what you want to do, then do the horrible one first. As in, I have to go grocery shopping, eat a frog, balance my checkbook and bake some bread. Well, Eat the Frog first and the rest of the day will be fantastic. Otherwise the lingering dread of that frog will hover and ruin your day.

Now I'm thinking I need to heed that advice. My daily 6am to Midnight (definitely NOT 9-5) endless motion is accelerating and I have to remember to Eat that Frog.

Apple Harvest

Mmmmm. Apple Pumpkin Pie and a cup of coffee makes the perfect ending to a beautiful weekend.

Feeling Lucky

I'm in rehearsal most nights, during the day I'm teaching a variety of classes and driving all over town working on a million little projects.... plus there's laundry, cooking, cleaning and chauffering. So it's good to start the day with this:
...aren't I lucky?

Today, I have lines to memorize, lesson plans to finalize and a million little projects to organize (everything I'm doing these days seems to end in "--ize"!) but despite all this, Elliot and I are going to the Zoo!

He plans to wear his Robin Hood costume again (and again, and again...)

Have a nice day everyone!

Books

Although we had a ridiculous amount of fun this past summer doing a variety of enjoyable activities, I think a lot of what I remember of our past few months is the amazing books that have infiltrated our lives in a most enjoyable way.

1. After receiving it as a birthday present in July, Owen read The Adventures of Robin Hood --which has spawned role playing, archery lessons, slingshot making, bow and arrow making, discussions about hunting, and the sight of Robin of Loxley walking through most of San Diego (Elliot has worn his Robin Hood costume out and about all week much to the enjoyment of local San Diegans).

2. On our vacation, we all read Danny The Champion of the World which generated hours of discussions and conversations about loyalty, adventure, and love... and pheasants.

3. Once we got on the Roald Dahl kick, we spent several weeks reading chapter by chapter The BFG. This was the most fun bedtime reading of all time and until we turned the last page we had nightly wails of despair from Elliot when he would realize that we were stopping at the end of the chapter.....

4. Now we are on to Stuart Little. When Elliot sits on my lap and Owen peers down at me from his top bunk perch, I see their eyes widening and their mouths parted in anticipation as I read the exciting adventures unfolding on the page. The look of wonder and joy is almost too much.

5. Owen is also reading The Prince and The Pauper -- another birthday present. I love how he burrows into a chair and completely loses himself in the page.

Of course, this doesn't even include the literally dozens of picture books and short books from our shelves that we pull down and read at any given moment. There are books, books everywhere in this house! And yet I still make my way to our library for new books... and find myself browsing in book stores.

I'm not even sure how I could live in a world where e-books were the only form of entertainment. There is just something about the paper, the illustrations, and the sense of holding the story in your head --and your heart-- when you hold the book in your hand.

Well, no wonder my kids love books too.

Monday morning

After a busy weekend with errands, birthday parties, lunch meetings and more errands, this morning has been a much needed quiet clean-up and play time. One of the projects over the weekend was finding and installing this new bunk bed.

All morning Elliot has been playing in his room beautifully. First, sailing pirate ships on the ocean, then reading in the new nook, and playing Robin Hood from the top bunk while singing songs to his Merry Men and aiming his bow and arrow at hapless deer wandering into the room....

While he's been playing, so far I've thrown out a garbage bag full of junk, piled my Goodwill box high, and done three loads of laundry. Elliot just put on his pirate costume and is hunting for treasure around the house..... Now the top bunk is his pirate ship and he's piled toys and things up there to keep him busy. "Can you steer me to Treasure Island, Mommy" he calls out from the bedroom.

Aah. This is a very nice Monday morning.

Meanwhile....

Owen has been back at school all week and it is not much quieter at home -- the fact is that Elliot doesn't know the meaning of the word quiet and regularly shouts gleefully at the top of his lungs just to....... well, just to gleefully shout at the top of his lungs, I guess.

We are trying to settle into days and times with just the two of us. That means a lot of me peeling him off the top of the couch-back before he jumps with abandon onto the cushions, or me pulling him down off the top of the dresser where he's climbed to put a CD into the player. Sometimes I feel like everything he decides to do is an emergency-room visit in the making.

Case in point, last week (before the Labor Day weekend) Elliot went flying into the hammock with his patented dive and tipped over the edge and fell onto the patio (naturally, right at the moment when my back was turned). He was carrying a stick, and when I heard it happen, I turned and all I saw was blood everywhere. I couldn't tell what had happened at first as there were no broken teeth, just a lot of blood in his mouth. I freaked out (in the inside) but on the outside I calmly asked Owen to get me a washcloth while I comforted Elliot.

Eventually, I determined that he must have split his lip or something because I couldn't see anything else that could cause that much damage..... He calmed down after we read some books and the next day the swelling had gone down and his teeth seemed fine and I decided it must have been just a little injury. But WHY did it happen the exact moment I turned my back on him? Seriously, that is enough to make any mother paranoid. Will I ever be able to turn my back in his presence?

Long story short, a few days later I was finally able to really pull back the lip and saw that he had a gigantic gash in his top gum line (he had not been complaining at all, so I decided it wasn't that serious) but it was icky enough that I knew I needed to take him to a dentist to have the official word that I had not made a bad parenting choice by avoiding the emergency room. But, of course, now it was Friday before a 3 day weekend and no one was available. I worried all weekend and finally 8am on Tuesday morning I called my dentist's office to see if he could take a look at Elliot's mouth. Dr. Taylor was on vacation. Turns out the first week back to school must be a great time for a dentist to take a vacation because then I called around to 8 or 10 different pediatric dentists to find someone ANYONE who could look at my boy's mouth and everyone seemed to be gone for the week!

Finally, I made an appointment for Wednesday afternoon. All the while I'm imagining the worst: due to my extreme negligence at emergency parenting would Elliot's gum be permanently damaged? was it too late for sutures? would his permanent teeth come in crooked because I didn't have him looked at right away?

Long story short, he's fine. The dentist agreed it was healing on it's own. The rip was bad, but not too bad, his teeth looked fine and we were able to get some xrays to confirm there was no damage to his roots. For those interested, I did manage to get this gruesome picture of the injury (taken 1 week after the initial rip):



At any rate, Elliot seems undaunted by the damage and continues to fling himself willy-nilly at pieces of furniture and people -- although I have removed the hammock from his reach.

Sigh.

He has been filling his non death-defying moments with enacting Robin Hood for me. Complete with bow and arrow (fashioned by Paul) and an amazing costume handed down by Aunt Janet whose own kids probably wore it while leaping from tree branch to tree branch. Um, isn't that what you're supposed to do in a Robin Hood costume?

As you can see, my days with Owen at school are not at all boring.

Back to School

Second Grade, Day One:
We walked to school, Owen eagerly went into his classroom and found his chair and after school when I picked him up his only complaint of the day was that he didn't have any homework (I think he thought he'd be starting long division IMMEDIATELY).

It's going to be a fantastic year.

End of August

August was kind of an odd and weird and wonderful month. Although there were some not so good times (saying goodbye to my kitty Isabelle who has been with me for 14 years was a definite low point)... there were also the highest of highs. So much has happened in the past few weeks it's a little hard to encapsulate it into newsy tidbit form. But, what the heck, I'll try anyway.

I will say that our 10 day vacation to the Pacific Northwest was spectacularly amazing, delightful, relaxing, invigorating, educational, and just plain lovely. We took loads of photos and I will post some highlights and stories soon, but here's the link to our Flickr photos if you want a sneak peek and to see the happiest of smiles on all of us.

And, coming back to reality here at home: Owen starts 2nd grade in a week, I've got a new job at a theatre company as well as respectable acting gigs lined up for the next year (!!!) as well as a co-op preschool to organize, a garden to re-plant and a house to manage. Looks like this fall will be productive and exciting... or just plain busy? It's a little too early to tell.

Stay tuned!

Antidote

After last week's doldrums, we spent some time this afternoon tickling away the summer-time blues:






We're all feeling much better now!

Fun with Paper

Sadly, the fever still has it's hold. However, we are making the most of it. So far today we have put together 3 wooden model kits which are awaiting a fresh coat of paint. And, Owen read a book cover to cover.

Yesterday, we had fun with paper:


Elliot's paper village:

Trimming the "Giant":


Owen's Paper Village, complete with stop light and Embassy Suites hotel:

Plans and Quotes

Owen woke up with a summer fever today. No stomach ache, no sore throat or sniffles, just a headache and a temperature of 102. Boo.

As a result, our big plan for the summer day will involve staying in. We were going to go to the park, fly kites, ride bikes, run errands and visit friends -- but instead I see homemade bread and books, books and more books in our day's future.

This summer is flying by, as time does...

I think I need to post these quotes today to remind myself of how important days like today are. These are from Camp Creek Blog which is a really inspiring website full of home schooling advice (I linked to it on my blog list on the right column of this blog)... Although I don't home school my kids, I do school them at home -- does that make sense? So I love getting ideas from all these blogs and resources to keep all of us exploring and learning.

Anyway, these quotes hit the spot today, as I was re-structuring the day in my head. Sometimes you need to hear this advice over and over before you really heed it.

"Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit, and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these". — Susan B. Anthony

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures". — Thornton Wilder

Professional Photos

I love casual snapshots, and I love taking photos, but I don't have the time or inclination to sit there and use all the photo-editing software required to properly saturate and enhance and crop and all the other stuff necessary to make the photos look like professional shots. Also, I don't have the fancy lenses and ability to make my kids look at the camera, or even in the same direction, long enough to take a great portrait.

Which is why, whenever my playgroup organizes a photo shoot, I stand right in line. I've had some wonderful shots of the boys over the years from a couple of really good photographers in town: Carey Schumacher of Barefoot Memories and Kim Curran of Kim Curran Photography.

A month ago we had another series of shots with Barefoot Memories, and here are my favorites:
My point and shoot camera could never get this!

Family Day

Last week Paul's work had a "Family Day". He left work early and we went down to Mission Bay where the summer party to end all summer parties was in full swing. Cotton Candy, carnival games, hot dogs, french fries and jump houses crammed with shoeless kids. We spent a little while visiting with his work friends and eating grilled corn on the cob, and then we made our way to the paddle boats.

Now let me tell you, there is nothing like a paddle boat experience to really make you feel like its summer vacation. We built sandcastles while we waited, then had a brief excursion into the bay as the sun settled lower on the horizon.

And topped it off with a rigorous beach Frisbee toss.

I am starting to feel like this is the best summer ever...

7

Yes, Owen is 7. An unbelievably short 7 years has come and gone. Sometimes I look at this child and wonder at his clear blue eyes and the ever increasing number of freckles on his nose, and the gaps in his sheepish grin where his permanent teeth are positioning themselves. Can it really be that long ago when I held him in my arms and nursed him? Seven years ago I wondered if I'd ever sleep again as his restlessness filled our nights.... well into his toddler hood.

Even that. His toddler hood. It seems like another century ago when his eyes filled with questions instead of answers, when his chubby cheeks nuzzled into the crook of my elbow as I rocked him to sleep day after day at nap time and then again night after night.

I dreamt last night that he was as tall as I was, and when we spoke in the dream his eyes were looking evenly into mine. I woke up happy.

My 7 wishes for him in his 7th year?

Confidence, humility, imagination, reason, joy, knowledge, love.

Happy Birthday, Owen.

Summer So Far

Yes, we went to the beach! But, that was last week and this week it's been cold and damp and rainy. Right now I'm wearing long sleeves and felted wool slippers and I'm sipping Earl Grey tea to ward off the unseasonable chill. I realize that most of the country is melting in triple digits, but we are feeling a little chilly over here!

Owen is getting filthy dirty at his summer camp this week. Archery, foraging in the woods, fort building, arts and crafts and low ropes courses leave him covered in dirt from head to toe when he returns each day. Yesterday I made him undress at the door and go straight to the bath tub. Now that's what I call a good summer camp! I wish I could go, too!


Last week Elliot practiced "surfing" with his buddy Roan at the beach...


But, since the weather turned yucky the past few days, he's been more happy littering the living room with Legos, taking apart the couch and playing SABER TOOTH CAT!!!!! Grrrrr!



Here's hoping the sun joins us again for Saturday's planned outdoor birthday extravaganza for Owen. The slip and slide, water balloons and the wading pool are waiting patiently to be used and abused... stay tuned!

Another year older

Yesterday I turned 38. Not the best number in the age book, not the worst number by a long shot.

I couldn't sleep yesterday morning. Elliot had woken with a bad dream around 4am and when I brought him into our big bed to fall back asleep (which happens more than I care to admit these days), he asked me for some water and I dragged myself to the kitchen to fill a glass for him. By the time I returned to the bed, he was back to sleep and I lay down next to him and proceeded to stare at the ceiling for an hour and a half. I could not fall back asleep for the life of me. I had plenty of time to ruminate on the insult and injury of getting older. At 5:30 I couldn't stand it anymore and decided to go for a long Elizabeth Bennett-style walk on the moors.... which in my crowded San Diego neighborhood means a long walk through the neighborhood listening to the mockingbirds calling to each other on every telephone wire while the morning marine layer of clouds slowly burns away.

My Grandpa (my Dad's Dad) has a host of physical ailments and has suffered from diabetes and numerous other illnesses for many years. But when you ask him how he's doing he always responds in that same South Chicago, near-deaf therefore too-loud voice that he's had for years: "CAN'T COMPLAIN!!!!". Even though I know he must have a world of things to complain about.

Usually I'm of that same mind when people ask me how I'm doing. No problem! No worries! I'm doing great, thanks! The problem with that optimism is that then I don't know who to actually complain to. So I'm lodging a mild complaint to you, dear Internet. I don't like the inexplicable muscle aches in the early morning, I don't like the encroaching gray in my hair (luckily hidden by the blonde for a few more years, I hope), and I certainly don't like the feeling that I'm fast approaching the downhill slope of my life span. I guess this is the start of my mid-life crisis? and that means I've reached my mid-life already!!! Holy smokes. And I must admit that I don't like knowing that because yesterday was my birthday, in exactly one week my oldest son will also be turning one year older. Can I really have an almost 7 year-old?

Obviously I have a lot to like about I my life, and believe me, I know it. But sometimes, just some days, or even just some moments I think it should be OK to complain a little.

Whew. Done. Now back to the regularly scheduled blog.

Mini-Vacation

Paul is always saying that he wants to take time off work and just stay home and hang out in San Diego. I mean, really, who wouldn't? This place is admittedly beautiful and entertaining and enriching in many ways. BUT, I always remind him that a "stay-cation" (where you vacation in your own hometown) is most definitely not a vacation for me. Staying at home means I still do laundry, dishes, meals, house clean, etc....

Luckily, we've developed a little tradition that is like the sorbet-between-courses of vacations. By that I mean it's a quick little getaway that feels like a real vacation for all of us. And there is nary a dish to wash, or a bed to make or even a cat litter box to scoop. Santa Monica, here we come! It's only a few hours away so there isn't a big travel ordeal involved, and it's just the perfect amount of sightseeing and hanging out by the pool.

Here's what we got up to this time around:

Swimming in the pool.

Discovering Griffith Park.and Travel Town!

Riding the Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel.

Exploring the La Brea Tar pits.

Seriously, I took a whole load of pictures so click HERE to see the whole set.