Orca Dreams

Satchel's sudden interest in whales drew us to this gem of a book, "Davy's Dream: A Young Boy's Adventures With Wild Orca Whales" by Paul Owen Lewis. Simply put, this story inspires readers to believe in themselves and make their dreams come true. The illustrations are beautiful, in hues of blue and green. There are also several pages without text which allow the imagination to soar. I couldn't think of a better prelude to a post-lunch nap. After the story, Satch fell asleep clutching his Orca whale...I couldn't resist snapping this photo.

Sweet dreams, my love...always remember the last page of this book, "he knew - and you and I know too - dreams really can come true"!
Have a good weekend everyone! See you Monday with a new Mom to Mom interview.

Impersonation: Orca Face

One of the Orca Whales that we purchased for Satch at the aquarium has a bit of a twisted expression on his face which Satch likes to impersonate....



We will seriously be missing Robert this week who just hopped a red-eye to KC to celebrate his dad's birthday and lend a hand. Robert's dad suffered a stroke late last week and has worked his bum off in order to be released for his birthday. We marked the calendar for Satch with a five day countdown and signaled Dada's return with a smiley face.

Abracadabra!

I just discovered this little book entitled, "1,2,3, Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12" by Thomas Phelan, PhD and what an apt title! I've been researching gentle discipline techniques to help me with some of Satchel's not-so-charming behaviors...like being too rough with the cat and interrupting me when I'm on the phone etc...you know, the common yet frustrating behaviors that surface at this age. I want to set limits, but I also want Satch to feel as though he has choice and a voice.

I read this book cover to cover during his nap and began applying some of the concepts immediately. I told Satch that we were going to try something new and explained what we were going to do. I said that this would be our family rule from now on. To my astonishment, Satch got it! Instantly! He understood SO well, he began "counting" himself...we had an episode of testing and he looked up at me and said, "that's a one". "Yes", I replied, "and three is a time-out".

What I like about the counting technique is that it can be adapted by Attachment Parenting families. It gives the child a chance to self-correct the behavior before facing a consequence. I noticed that when I count a "one", it immediately draws a sense of mindfulness to the situation, for both of us. For me, it's a moment to make a mental note of my triggers, to remain calm and not get frustrated. For Satch, it makes him aware of his behavior and gives him a choice.

*Speaking of magic...Phydeaux the genius fixed the broken blogger tag cloud script so now our label lists are up and running again....posts on "Mother Rising" are once again accessible by subject in the index, "Life in Chapters".

Most Alive Monday: Pie Comb

"Mama Mama, I fown sumpin!"

"What is it, Satch?"

"Yook at DIS...a pie comb!"



*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

You may also post photos of your "most alive moments" in my most alive flickr pool! (If you post a photo in pool, be sure to include your link in the comment)

The Return of the Light

How can it be that we were puddle jumping one week, then hunkering down in a blanket fort during an ice storm a week later?

How can it be that we we're eating our lunch outside on Monday beneath enormous clumps of cumulus clouds that drifted across the sky like gargantuan cauliflower ...and now, snow today?!

In spite of all this atmospheric teasing, I know that Spring is on the way. I know because the forsythia is blooming! The "monks" have returned! I know because there are daffodils and crocus sprouting from their beds and the scent of the air is whispering that spring is near, the scent of damp soil and new growth, the breath of the earth as it sighs and awakens from its winter slumber.

I know because the light has returned and streams through the window, golden ribbons marking paths across the floor toward our favorite corners, warming baskets of wooden blocks













and illuminating Satchel's reading chair where Fraggles laugh themselves silly.



And although the Wrens and the Chickadees were marvelous company over the winter, I long for the return of the Warblers, and the Swallowtails, and the Dragonflies that dart across the pond, and the Fireflies and and and....I know Spring is near. I can't wait to go outside and play with Satch (enough with the snow already).

Did anyone else read this article in the NY Times?

"Psychologists complain that over-scheduled kids have no time left for the real business of childhood: idle, creative, unstructured free play. And everyone seems to worry that without the chance to play stickball or hopscotch out on the street, to play with dolls on the kitchen floor or climb trees in the woods, today’s children are missing out on something essential." - Robin Marantz Henig

Did you know there is a National Institute for Play?

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Part Two: Bugs, Bugs and more Bugs!

Since it was a three day weekend, we took Satch to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History on Monday where I became obsessed with the symmetry of the rotunda and stairwells even though we were there to see the Bugs!  We took a walk through the Butterfly Pavilion where I picked up a winged hitch hiker on my back. 

We checked out some dinosaur bones and then went to lunch. It was 60 degrees and Satch wanted to dine alfresco so we walked over to Teaism for some cold noodles with peanut-lime dressing and a slice of grilled bread with mango chutney.

On the way back, I found myself on the other side of the lens...

Part One: Robots, Cubes and Koi

We took Satch to see Robotopio Rising at the Kennedy Center on Saturday morning. He thought the robot greeter was too creepy and wanted no part of it. He enjoyed watching the Toyota robot play the trumpet (really play, with forced air from it's chest cavity through it's mouth), see video here! The extremely human-like body movements coupled with the presentation extolling the virtues of robots for nursing care or housekeeping started to freak ME out. I said aloud, "that's just wrong...human contact is a vital component in health and healing", and a small circle of parents around me agreed, mumbled and nodded in unison.

So off we went to see a few art installations...

Four Cubes to Contemplate Our Environment by architect Tadao Ando (Terrific photos on flickr)

Dots Obsession Day and Dots Obsession Night by Yayoi Kusama

AND our favorite... Koi Currents by textile artist Reiko Sudo! Satch was blown away by this...see video below.


(More wonderful images captured by the flickr community here)

More highlights from our weekend....tomorrow where in we meet some really cool BUGS!

Most Alive Monday: Hammerhead Shark

I am cherishing these moments...moments when a hammerhead shark induces squeals and bouncing of pure excitement. I know that one day the beauty of his pure emotion will be subdued into "acceptable, societal" forms of expression. Still, I hope his awe and appreciation for the wonders of this world, of this life, remain aglow even if veiled by manhood. May he remember to bounce on the inside.


*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

You may also post photos of your "most alive moments" in my most alive flickr pool! (If you post a photo in pool, be sure to include your link in the comment)

Circa 1966

42 years ago today.....Happy Valentine's Day!

Have a good weekend, everyone

When He Sees Me

"his face
when he sees me -
and mine, too" - Shelley Krause (on love)

Here are some photos that Satch took of me. I didn't even know that he was taking some of them because he has the camera in his hand so often.

(Commentary by Satch)
"Mama's boobie...
I squeeze it?"
NO
"Like a cow?"
NO
"No...mama's not a cow...
mama's a wimin".
 










"Mama's vest...

Mama's cold...
those gears?"
It's a zipper."Zipper gears?"

"Mama's boots...
Mama?"
Yes"I play in sink now!"
 




Robert stayed home today, because I'm sicker than last week and on antibiotics. I have no voice. There was an ice storm last night and everything looks like it's sealed in glass. And the talented poet Shelley has self-published her own book of Haiku and I want one, don't you?

While Awaiting Warmer Weather

When we run out of ideas...we turn to the experts. It has been said that children are young scientists at play, testing their hypotheses, developing theories, conducting experiments and exploring their world. That said, we like to have books and toys handy that provide opportunities for learning through play. Although some of these books listed below are written for older children, we have found them extremely useful.

One of the toys we're really diggin' right now is the Ball Track Construction Set by Haba. It's a set of wooden building blocks with the added feature of ramps, tunnels and other gizmos to roll marbles down. You can make all sorts of configurations...all you need is imagination!



















Bathtub Science is wet, wacky fun! It includes activities that would delight a wide variety of age groups. The "Water Garden" experiment demonstrates how a flower blooms. It's fast, easy and great fun for a toddler. There are instructions for making your own wave jar - hey remember those? And I know when Satch is older the first things he'll want to make are the "Burping Bottle" and the "Water Canon". This book also gave me some ideas to try out at our public pool this summer.

We were first introduced to the amazing Ben Gonzales via a Mr. Rogers episode. His book, "Paper, Scissors, Sculpt" demonstrates the art of "Gupit-Gupit" to create cut-and-fold animals. The projects range from simple to challenging and include templates with easy to follow instructions. Parents a/o older children can sculpt a variety of critters and the wees can decorate them with markers.

The Magnet Book is another gem for young scientists. We like the "Flying Paper Clip" experiment. "Gone Fishin" was the inspiration behind this toy that I made for Satch with a paper clip, magnets, a twig and some vintage bark cloth that I had up in the studio. (inspiration also from this amazing mama)

Smash It, Crash It, Launch It! is another science book that is literally a blast! After Satch invented his clothespin rocket...I knew this was the book for us. We enjoyed the simple tutorials for Loopy Airplanes and Paper Helicopters. And I immediately had to make this clothespin catapult for Satch. After accidentally pelting one of our cats with a flying acorn, we switched to a ball of paper. We laughed ourselves silly.

Snowball Launchers, Giant-Pumpkin Growers, and Other Cool Contraptions is indeed quite cool. Here you will find instructions for an easy constellation night light, a Super-Duper Water Shooter, a Snowball Launcher and much more! The "Comb and Tissue Experiment" is a simple and entertaining way to teach toddlers about static electricity. And I would really love to recreate Ben Franklin's Storm-Telling Bell in the near future because it's just so darn cool!

Best Ever Paper Airplanes is a book that will help you crank out some serious flying machines! I'm pretty sure that every possible design you can make is in this book.

And lastly, The Busy Mom's Book of Preschool Activities is a handy little guide to have around - 'nough said!

Most Alive Monday: Long Life Noodles

Sometimes it's hard to decide what was my "Most Alive Moment" for the week...I think that's a good sign. Watching Satch eat his noodles with chopsticks so skillfully...I just can't get the image out of my mind.

Satchel's whimsical placemats are from Crocodile Creek.
His earth-friendly, non-breakable dishes are by Corelle Livingware.
*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

You may also post photos of your "most alive moments" in my most alive flickr pool! (If you post a photo in pool, be sure to include your link in the comment)

A Splash of Happiness

"how could there be a day in your whole life that doesn't have its splash of happiness?"
- Mary Oliver

My splash of happiness...

Gung Hay Fat Choy and have a good weekend, everyone!

Juxtaposed

"It's not what you look at that matters,
it's what you see." - Thoreau

Satch and I have had the good fortune of testing the Kidizoom Digital Camera by V-Tech.
 
When it arrived he jumped up and down wildly and yelled, "I LOVE it...a camera like mama's"! So, we immediately gave it a spin.

The camera is easy to hold and has hand grips on both sides. It has a large LCD screen as well as a double view finder. It shoots jpegs and mpegs which uploaded quite easily into my mac. The images are a little grainy, but I really like the moodiness of them and I think the overall quality of the product is terrific for a child's first camera.

I showed Satch how to hold the camera and how to use the buttons. Satch wanted to take a photo of himself so I stood him in front of the bathroom mirror and he snapped this photo.

He spent the entire afternoon photographing everything in sight, including the floor. I decided to get out my camera and document the event.

He photographed the dimensions of his Castle...













He photographed his sandbox from the bedroom window...


































And he photographed ME photographing him!

Afterwards, he relaxed in his tent and reviewed his shots.

We keep the camera out at all times and Satch has been shooting frequently. We love viewing his photos at the end of the day to see what he documented, what caught his eye. I will be posting his images from time to time. It's as if I'm getting a new view of his world.

Satch seems to be over the nasty bug he's had for the last 5 days, but now I have it...and I feel terrible. Why aren't there sick days for mothers? There should be a labor law for this or something! I got up at 5 something to catch Robert as he went out the door (since I couldn't sleep all night anyway) and said, "I want a sick day". He said, "OK, but after my dentist appt at 9". huh? And off he went to work and his dentist appt and I suspect he won't be back 'til lunch time...and Satch is going to miss his new class that starts this morning because I'm just too darn sick to go and I don't want to infect any tots.

My lymph nodes are so swollen it feels like I have an elastic band wrapped around my neck and it hurts to swallow. My throat is raw all the way up to where the nose and esophagus meet and even my ears hurt - my ears! What's up with that? My stomach is queasy and it hurts too...it's like some super mutated viral infection. I feel defeated. In the meantime, there is much truth here!

What do you do when you're sick and have no help? Any ideas how I can muddle through the morning until relief arrives?

More To Celebrate!

We're getting ready for a combo holiday. We're going to celebrate the Chinese New Year along with Valentine's Day...because Satch loves celebrations so much, we plan to celebrate every chance we get!

Inspired by this book and this book, Satch painted some papier mache heart boxes for our Valentine's Day treats.

(These books are packed with kid-crafting...a perfect activity for rainy or cold wintry days!!!)

After he painted them, he stamped our initials on them and coated them with Mod Podge (which Satch calls "goo"). I added the border and the gold trim.




















I found this recipe for Peanut Butter Fudge (a childhood fave of mine) and according to the website, it contains no gelatin so I'm making it. And of course we'll have some really good chocolate.

We also made some of these crayon hearts to hang in our window. The instructions a la Martha are here. I sacrificed one electric pencil sharpener and one of our old coffee grinders trying to shave our crayons. In the end I just used a knife because neither our crayon sharpener nor our pencil sharpeners did the trick.


And I picked up a handful of paper cranes and origami cherry blossoms, made by the talented artist Vanessa Ko, to replace the fall/winter acorn ornaments that are adorning our vase of branches to honor the upcoming Chinese New Year on February 7th. (In case you're wondering: I'm the rabbit, Satch is the rooster and Dada is...well...the pig). 
 


And together we made the Chinese lanterns that I discovered in the book above! The blossom lights are from Smith & Hawken.



I'll be making an Asian noodle dish that Satch calls, "Mama-Town-Noodles", after his favorite Elden Street haunt, "Thai Towne". A recipe for "Long Life Noodles" can be found here.

And here's a tutorial for making kid-friendly chopsticks...Satch loves eating with these and has become quite good at it.

And I REALLY would love to give a copy of this book away to the first person who wishes us a happy new year in Cantonese!