Peaches in winter

With little fanfare I began my first week of "formal" homeschooling of the new year.

We opened with a verse, a Waldorf classic:

The earth is firm beneath my feet,
The sun shines bright above,
And here stand I so straight and strong,
All things to know and love.

Kinder comes right over and delights in doing the movements with me, First proceeds to run around the house to "hide".

On Monday, I read "Peach Boy" to them from "Japanese Children's Favorite Stories" (published by Charles Tuttle). "Peach Boy", or Momotaro, as he is called in Japanese, is one of the most popular traditional children's folktales of Japan. I started with this because it was familiar and it was a quick way to begin overlaying some Japanese stuff into our homeschooling/life. Waldorf calls for Grimm fairy tales, which I haven't abandoned, but it made sense to start with something that felt more right for me. I also veered from Waldorf practice to read the story from a book rather than tell it orally.

The kids have each drawn a picture in their sketchbooks depicting a character/scene from the story. Today I decided on a whim to retell the story orally which they loved. They added in pieces here and there. We then made beeswax models of the peach (First), spotted dog (Kinder), pheasant (me) and Momotaro (all of us cooperatively). Kinder said he wanted to do a puppet show of the story, so this afternoon we started making some puppets by sewing together felt pieces and stuffing them with roving.


First has been balking at much of what we've been doing and participating somewhat reluctantly and at times under mild threat/pressure. But, the boy likes to sew. I was getting started on sewing the pheasant (Kinder's request, he had fallen in love with the beeswax pheasant) and before I knew it, First jumped right in and began working on the monkey.

He picked out some felt and cut out a monkey outline without using a pattern (which is what I had done for the pheasant). I threaded a needle for him with some thread (embroidery floss) and got him started on a running stitch. Well, before I knew it, he had sewn around about 3/4 of the monkey and stopped to stuff it. The neck of the monkey was too narrow to get the stuffing through to fill the head. I was freaked out that he had worked so quickly and that I had missed opportunities to guide him (comes with the territory of life with two).

I suggested gently that I could take out about half the stitches he had sewn so that he could stuff the head. He glowered and I gave him a minute to think it over. Next thing I knew, he had cut off the monkey's head in order to stuff it. I felt bad, but the kid knew what he wanted and took the initiative to remedy the situation. I liked that.

So, First completed his monkey puppet with very little help from me. The camera is missing, but once it's located, we'll be taking a picture of it. He wants to sell it, of course. Just call him Scrooge McKid.

We played Blokus, Chutes and Ladders, and completed the 360 piece puzzle of the rain forest animals that Wendy gave First for Christmas. First also worked on Form Drawing and recorder. Kinder baked peanut butter cookies with me today for Kate (a fellow homeschooler) and her family who welcomed their fourth child a couple of weeks ago. I abandoned Finn Family Moomintroll for now. We had not read it in weeks and it didn't feel right to pick it up again. We started afresh with "My Father's Dragon", one that we've read before, but has been completely worth revisiting. I'm planning on reading the trilogy back-to-back-to-back.

In other news, we borrowed a bunch of books about money from the library last week, I bought them a book about Washington DC during my birthday date with Cap, we put Kidpix on the computer (thanks, Danielle!), and they have been watching Curious George on PBS. The kids love all of these things and have been very happy and animated.

Next week, I am thinking about doing another Japanese folktale, but haven't completely decided. We'll follow the same schedule of activities continuing Form Drawing and recorder for First and Drawing, Baking and Painting for Kinder. Fiber Arts will be at Lucia and Holly's on Monday and Wednesday I'll be hosting a planning meeting for folks interested in participating in Waldorf-inspired group activities.

Life is good, the boys are great and I can literally smell ripe, white peaches (the kind you can get in Japan).

Mozart and the whale

Wow. A wonderful movie about a 20 something man with Asperger's. So many of the details rang true and the story was rendered beautifully. I read about the movie on the Autism list I'm on. One mom posted that her Aspie daughter wasn't so impressed because the main character wasn't so much like herself :-)

The male lead (Josh Hartnett) was really strong, the female lead (Radha Mitchell) was trickier. I wasn't sure if it was the aim of her performance based on the written part and/or her own instincts, or whether it was a weakness in her performance, but it didn't matter. The whole of the experience was just right.

Make note of the supporting actress who barks out the last line of the movie...something about the gravy. She was pitch perfect in her every line and gesture.

Samson's locks

For the last few weeks I have been thinking about getting my haircut. In the last couple of days it has become nearly an obsession to mull over this seemingly simple decision.

My hair m.o. is to let it grow really long and then to cut it pretty short every few years. The last couple of times I've gotten it cut I've not gone shorter than shoulder length to avoid the repetition of maintenance haircuts needed to keep it very short. My hair grows quickly and it seemed like a lot of money to spend on "hair" to visit my beloved stylist every other month (this was back in Cambridge).

My recent quandary began with discomfort at night because someone or other would be lying on my hair and it would get pulled as I turned over in my sleep. (Both boys usually end up in bed with us by early morning.) Then I started to feel lazy about washing it. I would remember wistfully while showering how quickly I could wash and condition my hair when it was super short.

When my hair is long, I like being able to do things like wearing it in braids or wearing it "up". But, the reality is that I'm not really into spending much time on my hair or giving it much thought, especially in the morning. So, inevitably, it gets pulled back in a barrette. Every day.

I feel that when I have long hair, my identity becomes somewhat entangled (pun intended, I guess) with my hair. I become my hair in a way that doesn't happen when my hair is shorter. And these days that doesn't sit well with me. I'm turning 41 on Sunday and feel renewed in my joy and wonder at who I am and the possibilities for creativity that I am feeling. I really don't want to be thinking about my hair this much at all.

I've thought about asking my sister to chop it all off when she's here tomorrow, but distractions niggle and I may wait and go to a hair salon. I know what I want it to look like at this point, but am convinced that no one will be able to replicate the vision that is me in my fantastical mind. And then I realize I am still cycling pretty vigorously in these mundane thoughts.

De colores

Red

pms fury rejection wanting to hang on half pint of ben and jerry's way too late wanting house getting state of the union

Orange

short ribs bone-in simmering in cast iron nestled with carrot, onion and garlic reminds me of childhood so warming the consuming already begun

Yellow

First delighted by invented spelling which hadn't occurred to him writing a story using the golden path paper I made him

Green

the piece of scrap paper with Mummu's hospital room phone number on it floating around the apartment a testament bearing witness

Blue

the laundry the sky up above washing dishes making phone calls

Indigo

talking with Danielle in her kitchen as the light outside fades the children making money watching the bear old rem the background music

Violet

my hope my joy my strength my self rebooting reconnecting catching up and lingering with El on the phone boys coming in for goodnight kisses Cap waiting to see what he can make me for dinner

The queen

Danielle and I went out today. An unofficial birthday outing. (Cap found out last week that he'll be in Dublin this Thurs-Sun. So, not that much "me" time forecast for b-day weekend.) We had lunch at Lalezar for Turkish/Mediterranean food. It was so good. The decor was lovely, the service nice, and the food, really wonderful. We had a Turkish salad and the appetizer sampler which included some of my favorites: grape leaves and babaghanoush. The bread was a revelation. We had them put our chicken kebob with yogurt entree straight into a doggy bag because we were stuffed by the time it was ready to be brought out.

We then went to Terra for a few minutes (one of my favorite stores in Montclair, the other one being Watchung Books). It's the kind of store that invites lots of handling. All items are fair trade and come from many corners of the world. There's a tea salon in the back and we picked up movie snacks: chocolate for D and a lemon square for me.

We went to see The Queen. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was let down. I thought it was kind of boring, though interesting at the same time if that makes sense. Helen Mirren was indeed wonderful in it. Prince Philip was made out to be a brutish jerk and I wondered what the source material was in general for a movie so based in real people and events. Watching the movie did remind me of how starved of factual and critical information we actually are (most of us) in an era that is hailed as the "information age". There's a point in the movie when Helen Mirren's character, Queen Elizabeth II, says to the Tony Blair character, "you are my tenth prime minister, the first one having been Winston Churchill." It made me go "hmmm" (I know so little and want to know more).

Cap...in part because he is feeling better and in part because I am feeling better (not teaching this semester? check; significant financial worries now past me? check)...he is appearing to me in more color, warmth and glow. I don't know how much of this is due to successful acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatment, as well. But, I am feeling more and more relaxed these days. And juicier.

I have been experiencing that "head in the ground" hibernating thing at night where after the kids go to bed my butt and brain find themselves settling down in front of the tv. I've started watching Season 4 of The Sopranos (very watchable after all these years) and am looking forward to the restarting of the Heroes season tomorrow night. I'll also be watching season 2 of Rome and enjoyed my first episode of Extras last week (though it's all about the Patriots tonight, baby).

We watched The Office and the musical episode of Scrubs last week and then kept watching Thirty Rock because it was so funny and well written.

I have noticed the days are already noticeably longer. Here's hoping that my mind and body adjust and I unplug myself from the box before I fry too many more cells. (Will she tune in for the rest of the Lost season? Will she get sucked into Amazing Race All-Stars? Will she stop watching SNL in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, she can recapture some of that lost glory be it ever so vicarious and seriously hopeless?)

Update

An arctic front is descending on us here in NJ and I wonder, seriously, why I ever complained about the unseasonably mild weather we've been having. Well, at least our tub of water on the front porch, our ice experiment, should yield some ice in the morning.

• Cap is finally back on his feet after his third cold in four weeks had him in bed for a few days. We celebrated his 42nd birthday yesterday. Chana masala, saag paneer, aluu gobi, garlic naan and scrumptious samosas from our local veggie Indian place. Sandy and Mike came over. We had a satisfying yellow cake with chocolate frosting for dessert. Cap did the baking, as he is wont to do. Gluten-free, casein-free, of course. I splurged for the Scharffen-Berger baking chocolate that was used for the frosting. Mmmm.

• Cap did some lesson time with the kids this morning. They sounded like they had a blast while I tinkered away at my desk in the next room. Kinder worked on "---ack" words and enjoyed drawing pictures of the words he came up with. For "lack" he drew an empty box utilizing the 3-D drawing skills he has been exploring lately. First worked on geography and learned, among other things, that the Canadian dollar coin has the nickname "loonie".

• I twisted my foot this morning stepping off our front steps onto a briquette sized rock from the front yard. A drawback to Dansko clogs.... No ice skating this week for me.

• Had a life altering conversation with my mom on the phone over the weekend. Our debt to my parents has been excused, a gift in lieu of help with a down payment. My path has diverged from those of my siblings in a number of ways, home ownership being one. It was amazing to literally feel a weight being lifted from my body. I hadn't quite realized how heavy the burden had been on a day-to-day basis. Our financial situation is seeming SO much more manageable. Getting out from under credit card debt seems possible within 2 years, knock on wood. If we don't have to move again in 2 years, we should actually be able to start saving at that point!

• Watched Everything Is Illuminated which I loved (we both did). Impressive directorial debut by Liev Schreiber. Great acting, funny and immensely sad.

• Watched the Golden Globes. Boooring. Seeing Sascha Baron Cohen as himself was great. Hugh Laurie yum yum as usual. Jennifer Hudson and America Ferrar were both touching to watch as they accepted their awards. As was Forrest Whitaker. Justin Timberlake made my jaw drop when he impersonated Prince in a visual gag. It was funny, but seemingly inadvisable.

• Finished A Cook's Tour which I thoroughly enjoyed. I've started The Woman At The Washington Zoo.

• Nearly done going through and organizing my papers. Put up a bunch of photo frames yesterday making the livingroom/our bedroom in particular feel quite cozy. Pictures that never made it out of boxes in Sacramento are getting dusted off and finding homes here in Montclair.

• Looking forward to seeing JR and Pam this weekend. They are in NYC visiting Jodie.

• Decided not to renew my teaching license after looking into what would be required and discovering that if I ever go back to a job where I would need a license, that I would be able to reapply for renewal at that point. It was still a little hard to let go of yet another part of my professional past. But, mostly, it feels like I am clearing out my closet, making way for new and exciting things.

• Love love love my little niece Lily. We talk on the phone sometimes (she's 1 1/2 :-)

• Go Pats!

My moment of zen

As I gazed at my lunch of cold leftover zucchini pancakes and still warm sweet potato fries, I knew I was getting better. Plus, there was the seven loads of laundry I was in the midst of doing. Another quiet day at home while we recuperate from our various maladies. Unfortunately, Cap came home last night and fell ill (3rd time in 4 weeks).

I'm watching Rome, pretty addictive stuff. HBO is rerunning season 1 before starting season 2 on Sunday.

Watched United 93 the other night. It was harrowing. When it first came out, I thought I would never watch it. Then it made year's best lists and I reconsidered. I'm glad I watched it. It was both a way to feel like bearing witness and a way to support a brave, honest and human work of art.

Am reading and loving A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain. I'd like to make it to Les Halles someday.

I've put together a bit of a schedule for next week. Baking, painting and drawing for Kinder; form drawing and recorder for First. Outdoors time and handwork for everyone. I'm going to make a King Winter doll for the nature table. Also hoping to get to yoga, everyone's health permitting, and getting out for a walk/gentle jog a few times.

We had a few minutes of snow flurries this morning followed by cold air and bright sun. Maybe we will have some winter after all (it was near 70º four days ago as I traipsed through Manhattan with my girls Mary, Jay and Lily).

Dreamz with a z

We watched American Dreamz a couple of nights ago. It was funny. I once had a brief encounter with Paul Weitz, the writer and director of the movie. We went to the same university. In front of Olin library, I saw him crouched over looking at something intently on the ground. I joined him and I don't even remember what it was...a bug maybe? I liked him and the moment, though.

A movie that I loved that he made was About A Boy.

American Dreamz manages to be smart and clever and humane about modern American life and the dilemmas herein.

I finished reading Cell last night. Cap gave it to me for X-mas. I've been a Stephen King fan since high school. The last King novel I read and loved was Insomnia, probably ten years ago. Cell was pretty fracking scary, especially in the beginning. It was both thrilling and unnerving to be scared while reading a book cozily wrapped in an afghan on my own couch.

I am desperately fending off Cap's cold. Trying a new herbal remedy called Umcka, my mom's trusty Kaigen and chugging Synergy, trying all the different flavors. I want to stay healthy for my girl's weekend in Manhattan with Mary! She's in town for a depo and we will be painting the town our own lovely hues, immune system willing.

The end is in sight with my grading. I'm just waiting to see if a few students will revise and resubmit work to push their grades up. By Monday I should only have two students who will be finishing up incompletes this spring.

We're cleaning and organizing and opening our arms up to 2007. Cap and the boys took the tree down yesterday, I've laid out the list of house cleaning chores that need to be done, hopefully before Anna arrives tomorrow night, and you can actually see the apple red surface of my desk!