Do you want this??

I mean like, seriously. You can totally have it. I went to a garage sale and I paused for a moment to admire it and the woman told me I could have it. I absolutely love it... I love the era, I love the look, I love that it folds in so neat and compact, I love that it smells like my grandpa... but I'm trying to be more realistic than fantastical these days, and realistically, I'm probably not going to fix it (it totally works, but something is not hooked up to the speakers, so it doesn't 'play' in the way where you can actually hear the music, which you might want from a record player) (I'm pretty sure this would be easy to fix, though), and I'm probably not going to be toting around my handy-dandy little record player to spin discs and cut a rug everywhere I go. I am loathe to kick it to the curb, though. Does anyone have room for this record player in their lives? Zero bucks. Free. It's yours. Take it! You know you want it.

Spanish class with Paula

We're taking Spanish classes with my friend Paula and we absolutely love them. Jack took Spanish with her and now we're back for more with Bruno and Quetta (short for 'Enriquetta', this is what my 90 year old Mexican neighbor calls her). The class is really perfect. She uses the Sonrisas curriculum, which is an immersion program, so she speaks Spanish only for most of the class. The class is so engaging and fun for the little ones, all stories, songs, rhymes, books, and games... it really sinks in, even through my non-second-language-speaking, afraid-to-even-try head. Paula is so clear, calm, and caring and accepting of the kids... it's a wonderful class. It feels so good to take your kid to something that's enriching but you don't have to drag them there kicking and screaming. You can email her at mcscog@swbell.net if you're interested in checking it out.

Narrowly escaped drowning...

...not really, but was most decidedly up to my eyebrows in motherly angst once again this afternoon, and then my mate was disagreeable when he got home, which is just not allowed when I've already been swimming in a sea of disagreeable youngsters all day long...

Luckily it was MY NIGHT which meant I got to escape out the escape hatch and go blow off my woes. A plate of sushi and What It Is by Lynda Barry (which I'm reading in preparation for a zine-making class at Domy Books next week, I can't wait!) and I'm feeling quite nourished and replenished. And ready to do it all over again tomorrow, hopefully with a better attitude. I'm having that feeling, that regretful, melancholy, heart-pinching feeling, where you just want to wake up your children and cuddle them and apologize. Somebody restrain me, don't let me do it! Never wake a sleeping child. I'll just try to carry this tenderness and these good intentions into tomorrow. I'll marinate in loving-kindness all night and be a Buddha-mama all day manana.

Rock out

I always feel kind of shoddy when I complain too much about my children on here, as I did a couple of posts ago. They're good people and I don't want anyone saying anything bad about them, especially their own mother. But on the other hand, I strive to be realistic... I don't want anyone to feel that they suffer by comparison to me if I'm painting a picture of family life that is unfailingly rosy. So many things that I don't want. Let's see here, what do I do want.

I want people to not feel alone on this journey of parenting that is sometimes so challenging.
I want my kids to be happy.
I want us to enjoy each other's company.
I want it to be safe for us all to say exactly how we really truly feel.

Ahhh, OK. That's better. Anyway, I woke up feeling froggy about all that this morning and all my ills were cured by rocking out to my honey Josh Ritter between the hours of 9 and 10 this am. I'll leave you with a few songs of his from Youtube... I wish they had 'Bad Actress'. I don't know why, that one is the one that always cheers me up. "She said she gave her heart to you/ if it was precious why'd you lose it/ if it's big it won't be hard to find/ if it's red it stains your hands like wine/ you can look but there's no use trying/ 'cause no matter what she said the truth/ is that she'll never give her heart to you...."

So, here you go... I get all tongue-tied when I try to express why Josh Ritter is the best, so you can just sample for yourself and see if he's to your liking:





I will say this: He's joyful, and it's infectious. I just strive to do anything with my life that will make me as happy as making music makes him.

Carpentry for Children

I'm so excited, ever since discovering this amazing guy Jack McKee and reading his book, Woodshop for Kids, and checking out his inspiring website, I've been wanting to teach a class based on it all. He teaches carpentry to 3-6 year olds! I just think that is so brilliant. I mean, I'm sure he teaches older kids as well, but I just love the idea of teaching younger kids this stuff. I think that if you present the material carefully and thoughtfully they won't endanger themselves AND it will just be so empowering for them. I never learned how to fix or build anything real when I was little, truth be told, I didn't really learn how to do any of that stuff until my late twenties! I think having this kind of knowledge and ability can help people feel more like an active participant in the world and it's workings rather than just standing idly by, letting the big people have all the fun.

I still couldn't figure out how I could set up the class though, but finally today my friend Dorte came over and we hashed it all out. She's going to co-teach with me and we're going to do it at Hyde Park Montessori, where she works. The projects we're going to be doing in the class are so perfect: simple, but the kids are going to be really excited about them. I'm not sure if this class is going to be offered to just the Montessori students or to everybody. The students at the school are definitely going to get first dibs, but I'll let you know if there ends up being availability.

These aren't the projects we're going to be doing, but these are some images from Jack McKee's website that will hopefully inspire you to visit it.

Roasted and Toasted

That's how I feel after the last two days with these little hell-raisers. Seriously, I just don't get it. Why are these children so perpetually crabby? Aren't they living heaven-on-earth compared to most kids' circumstances??? Why do I have to deal with all this rage and grumpiness and near-constant screaming-crying?

I mean, I know why, we made it safe for them to share their true feelings, and most of us adults would be walking around screaming-crying half the time if we hadn't been taught so well to suck it up and stuff it down, and we'll be glad in the long run that it's the dawn of a new era when everyone won't be so repressed, but still, OY, my ears. Can everyone just scream-cry a little more QUIETLY??

We had had such a fantastic time at Metz playground on Saturday afternoon, just randomly started tossing this golf ball around and it was one of those miraculous happenings where with little-to-no prep or equipment everyone just had a marvelous time, even the baby. Heck, especially the baby, she almost always has a great time. But I pressed my luck when I tried for a repeat performance the following afternoon. And we biked and triked over there... and brought several more balls to spice it up a little... and it was mondo-disasterrific. After being there only a few short moments, with the babe trying to nurse and Jack angry about something, Bruno spun around and fell off this concrete stage about 3 feet onto his face and started voluminously bleeding from his poor little nose. And I had brought nothing... absolutely nothing... nothing to soak up or wipe up a fountain of blood... we were only four or five blocks away frm home... of course, the longest four or five blocks of my life as I tried to sheperd the crew back home, carrying Bruno's trike, struggling to keep spirits aloft, past shocked folks wondering what had happened to that poor little boy's face, as I assured them we were on our way home to clean up a nosebleed... then it turned out a dusty hill, some karate moves, and some lounging time right there on Holly Street were all they required for entertainment. At least the outing ended on an upswing.

Saturday morning

Mmmmm..... I fled my family yesterday for another insanely beautiful morning out at Laurie's hill country hideaway with all those lovely women. Still can't get over how easy, fun, fulfilling, nourishing, and inspiring it is. What a perfect group. Everyone is so receptive, enthusiastic, brings so much to the table, is willing to be open and caring with everyone else... the time just unfolds so easily and organically, Laurie and I don't have to lead this hardly at all. We just created the space (really, Laurie did) and this popped up like a perfect green sprout that was just meant to grow there. Our little village, growing.
After everyone left, Laurie and I talked a little about my new idea: a new blog (I know, I know! This is my last one, I promise!), an article for Mothering magazine, ultimately a book.... with Laurie to take photos for all, with the basic kind of feeling of this book, A Year of Mornings, just beautiful, serene, homey, and still... the little moments, not the big picture, but the little lovely moments that make it all worthwhile.
Anyway, I'm SO excited, so happy that Laurie is in and doesn't think I'm crazy (she never does!) and I'm just going to go ahead and live life as if our book was already here and resting comfortably on my bookshelf (would I ever really be able to put it away on a bookshelf? I think I'd have one in every room of the house!) because really, why not. Maybe it will happen, maybe it won't, but we'll just do the little things that inch us towards our dream, enjoy life as it is, and keep our ears wide open for that call from Oprah.
And by the by, I got ASPARAGUS in our CSA box yesterday.......... how much more ridiculously spring can you get?? Except for maybe the strawberries from last week... Thank you Johnson's!!