11.28.07
November garden finds
We trimmed back the gargantuan clematis for winter, and look what we found hidden inside it:
The nest doesn’t seem inhabited, though I saw a couple of little birds (sparrows? finches?) resting on it today.
Also, thanks to our temperate climate (zone 7!) the roses are blooming yet again. Here’s a bud from the Princess of Wales rosebush:
11.27.07
Holidays, holydays
I’m one who believes that we create powerful memories and a sense of continuity and meaning from observing traditions. Drawing from many of the world’s religious traditions, around this time of year we’ll celebrate Hanukkah, St. Nicholas Day, Advent, the winter Solstice (Yule), and Christmas. Here’s a useful interfaith calendar. My main approach is to create a sense of delight, taking parts from each tradition that are fun or historically significant or useful for instilling values.
We’ll be making an Advent wreath this year, all the more fun because we have a ready source of fresh evergreenery–our pine trees are constantly dropping small branches!
For celebrating Hanukkah, this site is a good primer.
For celebrating St. Nicholas Day, this site is invaluable.
S. will be making a Yule log in her 2nd grade class to help us celebrate Solstice at home! This site has useful suggestions for observing Solstice as a family or group.
So here’s to a month of celebration, joy, and light!
11.24.07
Paper cranes for the Christmas tree
This year I’m doing something different with the main Christmas tree; it’s a helter-skelter tree no longer! The kids each have mini trees of their own to decorate to their hearts’ desire (read: colored lights), while the main tree now harbors nests and seashells and paper cranes, (illuminated only by white lights, of course).
I’m folding the cranes from silver origami paper and white mulberry paper, according to the very clear directions found here.
The mulberry paper is 12×12 standard scrapbooking size; it wasn’t hard to find at Paper Products Etc. on Winslow Way.
I bought the origami paper at one of my favorite Seattle stores, Uwajimaya.
11.21.07
Gobble, gobble games
Courtesy of S. and A’s wordplay this morning:
What does a sad turkey say?
Sobble, sobble.
What does a turkey taking swimming lessons say?
Goggle, goggle.
What does the brother turkey say to the sister turkey?
Squabble, squabble.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Second-try pie
Note to self: don’t start a heart-to-heart with spouse when daughter’s pies are in the oven! (Or at the least, set a timer that actually requires walking to the kitchen to turn it off. That microwave timer that beeps once? No good.)
Yesterday evening, S. and K. made an apple pie and a pumpkin pie largely by their lonesomes, and they were *so* proud of their work. Bedtime came before the pies were out of the oven, and I promised to finish up the baking…
…well, you know the rest of the story.
Here are the overbaked pies, which happened to be good enough for breakfast but not good enough to take to the 2nd grade feast today.
And here is S’s gallant second attempt. They look great, no?
11.20.07
A long walk
A morning constitutional, a nice stroll, a 2-mile jaunt, a breath of fresh air, a bit of exercise. Here are some sights A. and I saw along our way this morning.
I love walking by this property; they have lots of these beautiful little shrines under the trees and ferns.
Chartreuse moss!
Even after heavy rains, the roadsides aren’t too muddy to walk along, thanks to the foresty layer of debris.
11.17.07
Outing: Bremerton’s Skateland
It being a rainy day, we went roller-skating for A’s 4th birthday. B. and I were laced up in rollerblades, all ready to fly. All except for the fact that our fledglings weren’t quite ready to take off with us. By the end of an hour, though, the scared shuffles had gradually lengthened into timid glides (and with one of our daughters, wildly comic splays and ganglings as well).
Sock Hop
A big cheer to Ordway Elementary’s PTO for organizing Friday night’s Sock Hop! I heard from a few parents that it’s their favorite event at the school every year. We had fun dancing and observing the largely un-selfconscious dance antics of the kids. That’s my favorite part.
A morning with Madeline Levine
This morning I attended the Bainbridge Coalition for Youth and Parents Fall Forum, where Madeline Levine was the keynote speaker. She was a fantastic public speaker, relaxed, engaged, funny, full of information and stories.
Her book, The Price of Privilege, is in its 15th printing in 15 months. Obviously, the topic is one that strikes a chord among many, and though I haven’t yet read her book, it’s one I recommend based on the strength of her address this morning. Here are a few notes I took:
–The face of depression in kids has changed—no longer is there a neglect of image; contrary to older DSM descriptions of depression, depressed kids are likely to be very aware of external appearance.
–She is opposed to AP courses, because they are too often taught to the test and play into the tremendously destructive levels of pressure put on teens.
–She is opposed to sports that involve traveling teams because they fracture families, often require a huge time commitment from the child or adolescent, and teach kids that a parent’s role is to drive their kid around and spend a huge chunk of time sitting and observing child’s play.
–Find ways to adore the child in front of you; the most important thing parents can do is to love their children for who they are.
–Be an inviting, listening presence. “Real learning is about effort and improvement.”
–She is opposed to publishing the honor roll (and grades) in the local paper, opposed to publishing where graduating seniors are going to college.
She champions and articulates the kind of change we need. While I am distressed by the trends and statistics Dr. Levine addresses, I’m encouraged by her message that good parenting can happen anywhere, that involvement and unconditional love are what is needed above all.
11.14.07
Not gonna get scurvy
These are like candy at our house. I’ve set a limit of 5 at one sitting, per kid. Seriously, we wait all year for clementines to come back into season.
