On Losing 40 Pounds, Gaining A Good Deal Back on Melted Cheese and Welcoming in a New Season Before Dozing Off...

A lot can happen in 60 days. One could, say, go to yoga 60 days in a row, if one felt so inclined.

Mike did. And he did it. Sixty consecutive days of 1.5hour yoga classes that take place in a 105degree room with instructors who chant things like, "Gobackfarbackwaybackmoreback. Lock your knees. Go back. More. If you feel pain and it's good pain work through it, stay with it. Go back. And.... change" as they guide you through the same sequence of postures designed to heal and strengthen every last cell in the body. They say if you do 60 consecutive days, your life changes. 

Well, he got a felt "OM" crown and that's gotta count for somethin'.

We all got a fondue feast (his choice for an appropriately decadent way to indulge).

 The cheese was pretty hilarious. 

 And now, it's Spring! These fantabulous creatures you see before you are watering cans in disguise.

Thank you, Grammy. We adore them! And they will be put to very good use as soon as Mother Nature stops taking care of that watering job for us. 

 Hi! I'm up to some sort of mischief and just wanted to say hi! I say lots of stuff now. Two word sentences are my biggest leap forward into the Land of the Verbal, i.e. Daddy Home! Read Book! Nona  No! Milk Please! And then, the real trick comes when you say it 58 times in a row, with a growing sense of urgency and rising volume. Mike theorizes this to be Darwin's natural selection at work with the Second Born, ensuring--against all odds--that her voice is somehow eventually heard. Sort of the toddler equivalent to dandelion seeds... Chances are good ONE of these suckers will take root and someone will get me my godforsaken glass of milk.

And here is a glimpse of mama's very favorite time of day. Now, the cynical among you might think that it's because my wee angels will soon be asleep, freeing me up for whatever my own night holds. And you'd be absolutely right. But, another far dominant reason is that this is the very sweetest and cuddliest ritual we have... and we get to do it every night. We read books (2-3 choices per child) and sing songs (2-202, depending on a variety of factors) and then, eventually Jezebel dozes off and Winona accepts the fact that all good things must end--for the night--and bravely says goodnight.

This bed is the full size mattress hoisted off of the girls lower bunk bed (upstairs) and plopped down next to our bed in our room downstairs. We call it our Bear Cave and I'm headed there now. 

Good night and Happy Spring! 

Thoughts on Japan, Chores and Priorities

The funny thing about having a Five Year Old is that we can no longer get away with spelling things, evading questions, or listening to the morning news. The first gets us in trouble only because Winona knows that the series of letters indicates that there's something secretive afoot--not because she can actually keep up with our spelling (Although, spell "cookie" aloud and you might as well just say the darn word). 

And, we used to be able to change the subject. Forget about it.

Mom, did you wash my fairy princess dress?

Hey, sweetie, wanna go to Disneyland and then get ice cream? Twice?

Sure, but what about the dress?

And, finally, the morning news. We don't watch TV in the mornings, with the exception of an occasional Super Why or Sesame Street. But I listen to NPR on the way to work and Mike reads his morning news on the internet which is often augmented by video. In both cases, little ears listen. And I often forget. She reminds me by piping up with an occasional, "Are they talking about Obama?" or "What are they talking about, Mama?" from the backseat. Of course, the stories jump from one to the next quickly and the hummingbirds migration (I said NPR, didn't I?) quickly leaps to suicide bomings before I can press "PLAY" on the CD player... and frankly, I often forget. So, I get questions like, "Why do they bomb people?" and "How come they died?" more often than I'd care to admit. And it's a fine balance--protecting and educating, one that Mike and I both probably fault on the side of providing too much information, but add it to our long, long list of mistakes we will make before they can tell their therapists all about it. :) 

Long story short, she knows all about Japan. Or, she knows that a "SooMommy" (great!) caused a lot of destruction. This is her picture of "Japan covered in Water." 

And this! This is a picture of the scene I walked in on after finishing up some gardening today. We had all been outside together, when some sprinkles came in and Winona headed inside. Jezebel and I finished up some chores, put away our tools and headed in about 20 minutes later... to find Winona proudly announcing that she had "done the laundry." I gave her enthusiastic encouragement, assuming she had "done the laundry" like she often "makes dinner" in her play kitchen. But, turns out she had emptied the actual dryer, "folded" the clothes on our bed and used her stool to get the clean clothes out of the wash machine and into the dryer. The only thing left for me to do was press "Start."

Pinch me.

And when one simply cannot decide what is more important--food or sleep--

one can choose to do both all at once. 

This kid. Oh, this kid. Tonight Mike said,
"Is this what roller derby girls are like as kids?" 

(If you are unfamiliar, Roller Derby is a competition in roller skates involving tremendous speed, aggressive play and dogged determination to stay on two feet and win).

So, yes. I'd say that this kid is prime material for Roller Derby. 

As soon as she wakes up.

Winona has caught wind of a Talent Show coming up in a couple of weeks, 

so she's preparing The Circle Game for the big night. Still working on the verses,

but she's got the chorus pretty dialed in. My favorite part was before the camera was rolling--she was in the hallway and she asked me to announce her, and then said, "In just a minute..." For the next 30 seconds or so, she quietly whispered the words to herself and then, "Ok, Mom! Ready!"

Weekly Book Report: The Opposite 

by Tom MacRae, Illustrated by Elena Odriozola

(For other Monday Morning Book Reports, see this great blog) 

Fun, silly and smart. We love The Opposite!

What would happen if everything that happened was exactly the OPPOSITE

of what was supposed to happen?

 Nate finds out that you have to be smarter than The Opposite to return things to normal. 

Highly recommended: Ages 3-5 ish probably best!

It's been typical "change of season" weekend-- rainy, overcast and cold one minute

and sunny and inviting the next. So we did a lot of scurrying into boots and jackets for some

time in the sun and then 

running back inside for indoor activities as the clouds rolled in.

We did some drawing,

 and Popsicle Stick "art"...

and some work in my journal, which is where I do Book Reports now. 

I'm working on a book report on Turtles.

 Then, back outside again to play in our fort!

 And dig for worms.

 I woke mama up this morning with my socks and shoes in hand,

saying, "Worms? Worms?"

We found dozens of them. I really like it when Mom finds them and shows them to me, 

but I have yet to get too excited about touching them myself.

 Which is probably a good thing as far as the worm is concerned. 

My friend over at www.tigerlilytinkering.blogspot.com has a great idea to do a Monday children's book (or sewing book) review, and since I fully intend on checking it out every Monday, I thought I should also do my part and contribute. I'm a loooooong way from reviewing sewing books, unless one considers, "Huh? But how do you...? Is that even possible?" a review; but children's books I can do. I am a huge fan and unrelenting critic. (Ask Winona about this and she'll tell you that I will flat out refuse to read any fairytale as retold by Disney Books. Sleeping Beauty is the worst and it is a great source of friction between my eldest and me. I simply won't read it... and she simply won't have it. Sorry, sweetpea--let this be your greatest incentive to learn to read. Mama won't do it.)

But, we received this one among a stack of other hand-me-downs from our cousins a month ago
and it is magic.

Its stories are whimsical, sweet and humorous
and its illustrations are pure gold. 

This picture makes me want to go to bed.
And wash my brown socks just so I can hang them to dry. 

 The Giant is wonderful and cute, the witch is feisty and ornery and the little boy just wants everyone to be happy. The whole thing just makes me smile. 

In this story, the feisty, ornery witch is at her broom's end with the Giant, whose movements about the 'hood cause her house to shake and the bats to fall into her brew among other things. So, she does what any self-respecting witch would do--brews a concoction. What it does I shan't say, for a review should not be a spoiler, but it delights my young readers...  

and me! 

Date Night, with a difficult and wonderful twist

 

My date was a little shorter and a little pinker than usual, but she was a great date. We went to see Into the Woods at South Eugene High School and had an incredible night… on a few levels.

The obvious one being that any night with Winnie at the theater is a good one. She eats it up—everything from the music (“How many violins are there?”) to the sets (“See mom? They made those to look like books. But they’re not.”) to the characters (“So, the witch isn’t all bad. Not all witches have to be bad all the time.”) gets this one going. Throw in fairy tales, princesses, a pretty hilarious cow and high school girls and we’ve got our selves a winner of a night.

On a less happy, but very incredible level was what I experienced in that auditorium tonight. For those of you who do not live in town, two amazing young men—Seniors at South Eugene High—died tragically on the coast two weeks ago when a sneaker wave stole their lives from us while 4 of their friends watched in desperate helplessness. They were not being foolish or careless—they were victims of a freak accident that has left our community stunned and, now, two weeks into our mourning. Jack’s funeral is tomorrow—and until tonight, I’ve debated whether or not to go. I know his parents from my work at the Y—and the web of connection goes deep with many people in my Y community, so I thought I’d probably attend his funeral. Then, I went to Into the Woods tonight—a show that was dedicated to Jack and Connor. I watched close friends of theirs tell the metaphoric tale of how life inevitably leads us into the woods where we get lost, encounter danger, fear, loss and heartache, and emerge somehow whole and hopeful. The kids on stage tonight had a collective talent that rivaled any show I’ve seen (including on Broadway) and their “show must go on” resolve oozed from their pores as they belted out lyrics which under normal conditions would have been poignant and tear-jerking. Tonight, as they sang No One is Alone and No More through their own (character –appropriate) tears, my arm hairs stood on end. And when the curtain came down and then raised up again to show them out of character and holding each other up as they laughed and cried their way through the curtain call, I knew I had attended my celebration of these two young boys who were taken from us and have given us so much to remember, learn and become. “Sometimes people leave you, Halfway through the wood, Do not let it grieve you, No one leaves for good. You are not alone. No one is alone.” 

Not a normal blog post, I realize, but these have not been normal times… I am once again reminded of how fortunate I am—we all are—to have this amazing day.

The Good Times

 

We have very different senses of humor, but they are, for the most part, compatible.

I, Jezebel, get on Winona’s nerves when I try to get in on her playthings. The thing is, Winona makes things look mighty fun, then she makes it so easy to just go up and take said “things” and give them a whirl myself.

She gets sad---mad even---but she doesn’t actually DO anything about it. She sometimes tries to explain to me the virtues of sharing; other times she calls upon mom or dad to reinforce the rule of “taking turns”--- but no matter what the fallout from her end, I have time to play. By the time justice is demanded, I am usually content to move on to something else, and wander happily off….

I sometimes think this makes Winnie even more mad.

And it should be noted that she takes my stuff, too. Quietly and wearing a look of feigned innocence that sometimes mom and dad actually BUY and that SENDS me. And trust me… there ain’t no doubt about whether or not I’m upset about something. I think subtlety is a profound waste of time.

I am equally passionate about what thrills me. Winnie thrills me most of the time…. and I thrill her. We laugh a LOT, and she is really good about helping me out with stuff. She takes a real pride in knowing how to do things like open lids, get doll’s arms through shirt holes and reach snacks in the pantry. I forgive the slight patronizing tone because she’s being so good about getting me what I want. And, as recently noted, what’s good for me is good for all in the house.

In other news, I hate the vacuum and I love the moon and the Boom Boom Pow song by the Black Eyed Peas, so I say, “All done vacuum!” “Boom Boom Pow?” and “Mommy! Moon!”  hundreds of time, in rotating and repeated fashion all. day. long.

It was the sort of day that called for galoshes, leopard skin pants

and a fancy pink dress. You know the kind.

We built bridges, dug for worms, played in the clay soil,

threw rocks, leaves and sticks into the creek

and got wet and dirty. Happy Spring! 

 

 

 

 Have we mentioned Lucy's home? 

She's on a tight leash these days, so she's in camera shot a lot more often. 

And she's so pretty, I can't help myself. 

 Turn down your speakers... My voice is really close to the microphone. Whoops!

Today. 

 A wonderful Valentine's Weekend surprise came in the mail from Gramma and KooKoo, complete with beads and necklaces that kept us project-focused for a very long time. Long enough to create this wonder:

 Then, the skies cleared and we headed out to the garden. In Round One of Mom vs. The Blackberries, the Blackberries won, hands down. But she had a clear advantage over the weeds within her reach from where she sat and drank her coffee. Apparently, one must ease into the gardening season. 

This is our Secret Spot. Shhhhh. Don't tell.

As we all know, Monday is a very special day which requires me to show up at school with 24 valentines ready to lovingly drop into 24 friends' Valentine Bags. So, today, we got busy. 

I have made an extra special one for Connor. I am going to marry Connor. I've told him and I remind my parents daily that we have wedding plans to make. As far as I can tell,

 the only thing that changes once you announce your engagement is 

that Mom gets more strict about Disney Princess Movies.

I'm not into boys, yet. But I am into Playdough.

I'd be able to make something cool if only mom would 

provide me with a few more colors. 

This weekend gave us some sunshine to play in, so we headed outside

to have a tea party!

We also met some friends for a show and some pizza....

 Hopscotch!

 Lucy's home. :) 

Hello again, after a long, exhausting month. 

We go to bed happy... so grateful for all the wonderful

things that fill this life. 

So grateful that Lucy is home home home. 

Bodhi's pretty happy about it, too.