Most Alive Monday: FIVE

No words needed...

*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.

Five Rides Around the Sun: Pool Party

When in doubt, just add water!  A pool party wherein there was a fishing game, a recycled boat race and the debut of the dirt cake...

Birthday Letters: Five

Dear Satchel,

Today marks your 5th earth-ride 'round the sun. You are officially a big boy! This past year has been one of great changes...

You began reading and writing. Oh what a joy it is to receive your notes and lists. How I cherish them.

You are learning to ride a two-wheeler! How fast you do ride!

The last trace of your little boy lingo, YOOK, has grown into LOOK.

Your legs are long, you can now tap me on the shoulder and I can hardly lift you.

You have picked out your big boy bed. Although you are not quite ready to make the transition from co-sleeping, I know that day is coming soon. We're ready, but not in a rush. I will welcome the milestone, yet I will miss hearing you laugh in your sleep.

Ever loyal, you continue to love the things you love: the color red, insects, digging, and creating all manner of things. You love climbing, swinging and especially the hammock.

You have begun contemplating the future and considered becoming an astronaut when you grow up, but changed your mind after asking, "How long do they stay in space on a mission?". You explained that you don't want to be away from your family that long. You have made it clear, repeatedly, that you wish to be a father. You want to be home with your family and added, "maybe a farmer...a farmer LIVES on the farm!"

You have many wishes and your father and I aim to see them come true: you wish to take a walk in a desert, you wish to see a volcano...

At five, you are intelligent, articulate, witty and wise. You stand firm in your beliefs and speak your mind. You are a truth seeker and take issue with those who do not walk their talk. As you can imagine, this quality has rendered a few awkward situations, particularly from grown-ups who aren't open to the teachings of children. While you are still learning the fine art of such delicate discourse, I believe that your courage to speak your truth will serve you well in the years to come.

This year we discovered more about the way you navigate your world and how you experience things more intensely than others do. We're all learning new skills to help you travel your path more smoothly.

You have a ravenous curiosity and sense of wonder. You marvel over every detail, mystery and beauty the earth offers you. The light in your eyes and the expression on your face when you are engaged in your experience is truly breathtaking.

There are no words to convey how thankful I am that you are my son. May you always feel the depth of my love and the expanse of my gratitude as we sail this lifetime together.

Happy Birthday!

All my love,
Mama

"The boy held the boat by a string and every so often let go. But the little toy boat always came back. It knew just where it wanted to be."

- Randall de Séve (Toy Boat)


*Photo: Satchel's birthday gift by Willowbaus

(automated to post at the time of your birth)

All Sweet Things: The Party Prep ( 5 Rides Around the Sun )

in time of all sweet things beyond
whatever mind may comprehend - ee cummings

S told me that he wanted to have a pool party for his 5th birthday. His original idea was a "Naked-Party" which involved mud and a baby pool and no, I'm not making this up. Together we came up with a compromise of swim suits, the local pool and a small group of friends.


I decided to use reusable produce bags (for the mamas to swipe) as goody bags since I made totes last birthday...

and we filled them with some of our favorite things!






















1. Pustefix Bubble Bear necklace
2. Fortune Teller Fish (I changed the fortunes on the back so they were all positive)
3. Mini Playdough
4. Peeper Puppet
5. Homemade sketchbook
6. Smencil
7. Wood Wiggly Fish craft

As for party games, we're having a recycled boat race!

• Pre-cut milk/juice cartons to desired shape
• Print images like so and pre-cut sails (S chose pirate & viking theme)
• Attach a bit twine and colorful wood bead for pulling
• Insert thin straw into bendy straw for mast (tape bendy to boat floor)
• Labels & Marker for their Name flag atop mast
  
• Kidlets decorate with colorful duct tape, assemble and race

EVERYONE wins a prize! Homemade SPLAT balls! (Instructions here)

We'll also be playing Go Fish!

I made this as a 5th birthday gift for S...and to play at his party.

The fish are made from sawed off paint brushes (Inspired by this). S painted them. I added the details then polished them with natural food grade beeswax.

Next I glued washers around the eye holes and made a magnetic worm with some striped jersey scraps, a magnet and some marbles for weight.

The storage bag for the fishes was whipped up from scraps.

The fishing rod is a 1/2" x 48" wood dowel, polished with natural food grade beeswax, with an end cap from here! The bobber/dobber thingy is made from two wooden beads that I painted.

The game can be played by land or by sea. The worm can be removed for a more challenging game. The wire for the hook is tightly twisted so there are no sharp edges.

Once again, EVERYONE wins a prize! We bought a bag of adorable fishy water pistols...they work great and they do not look like guns!

There will be pizza and cake for dessert.

You'll have to stay tuned to see the cake. It's a "dirt cake"! It will be served in a red bucket topped with a little frog candle. Each guest will shovel their own and decorate their "dirt" with these toppings (in mini galvanized buckets):

1. Candy Pebbles 2. Black Forest Gummy Worms 3. Sand aka Toffee Crunch 4. Ants aka Chocolate Sprinkles

Most Alive Monday: Or What Dreams Are Made Of

I only ask to be free.
The butterflies are free. - Charles Dickens

Dinner at Town Center.

Ice cream near the fountain.

Three Coins.

Three Wishes.

He wished aloud,

"I wish for a long, healthy, happy life!"

"I wish to have children too one day!"

"I wish my children have a long, healthy, happy life!"


Near bedtime I whisper,
"Come quietly, softly"
"There, lower your hand slowly".

Trying to contain his excitement he whispered,
"It's the first time I've held a butterfly...my dream came true!"

 *An AMAZING story about the Red Admiral Butterfly HERE!


*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.

Some Kind of Edge

"Everything wavered on some kind of edge, elm trees
a graceful dome over the dusty streets. Nothing to warn,
only cumulonimbus clouds in the afternoon, intense up—
drafts, sky hazed sulfur-green, hail starting as crystalline
seeds that grew to marble-size..." - Twyla Hansen

The Great Robinsky, a latent meteorologist phoned from the office and said, "it's about to get very exciting, best go inside". S, having conquered the sprinkler, ran upstairs to dry off and change into pajamas while I started dinner. The storm was loud and fast. When it passed, S ran outside and scooped up a bowl of hailstones.

"LOOK", he squealed, "ice cubes from the sky...can I taste one?"

And so he did...and we're here to report that there are many flavors of sky.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig!

We now no longer camp as for a night, but have settled down on earth and forgotten heaven. ~Henry David Thoreau

We're back from our adventure at the Tree House Camp! S had a swell time and didn't want to go home. It turns out, however, they're not actually tree houses, but more like stilted cabins, not very high up. I guess they don't want the liability of ladders. The rear of the cabin (where the entrance is located) is actually at ground level, so you don't really get that tree house sensation. The camp is situated next to a main road, so we were a little bummed about that. It's fine for a getaway weekend, but if you're planning to spend much time there with little ones who like to explore, you may want to consider this, the sites are rather small and don't offer much room for kids to run freely. They can't play catch else risk losing their ball to the poison ivy. There are wood stoves in the newer tree cottages which is a good thing as it can get cold at night. Still, we didn't use it because we were warm enough snuggled together. S found it wildly amusing that there was no electricity which opened up a whole discussion about ideas, inventions and how thoughts become things.

We read our bedtime story by booklight. All Around Me I See by Laya Steinberg is a nature awareness story about a family who goes on a camping trip. The child describes all that she sees, from the moment she leaves her home and on into her dreams. The illustrations by Cris Arbo are beautifully detailed. It's the perfect picture book to take camping with little ones. The thoughtful and nature loving folks at Dawn Publishing provide a free discussion and activity guide to go along with the book.

After our story, he practiced making shadow puppets by moonlight. This was a dreamy moment that I shall never forget. It was his idea, not mine. He created an ostrich by using his head for the body...a trick he picked up from this book. We keep this book beside our bed in our bedtime book basket.

He cried once during the night because he said he was homesick then added, "the bunk is as hard as a rock!" T'is true and my back did hurt the following morn.

When I was a wee girl scout, we camped Bear Mountain. Now THAT was some mighty fine camping. I still remember the blood-curdling screams when one of the moms discovered a raccoon in her blanket. Oh, how we laughed!

At the Tree House Camp, we didn't feel like we were out in the wilderness nor in the tree tops, but we had a relaxing time and we all enjoyed the simplicity so much that we decided, one day each month, we would recreate that vibe: turn off the phone, the mac, the lights and unplug the tv (not that we watch it much) and instead...eat dinner by candle light, play a game by lantern and our bedtime stories with a book light...

"Wake to what the spider unspools into a silver...
dawn dripping with light. Sleep in sleeping bags,
sleep in sand, sleep at someone else's house
in a land you've never been, where the dreamers
dream in a language you only half understand." - Gary J. Whitehead

* OH! The natural bug spray...smelled lovely and worked great! Neither S nor I had a single bite. The Great Robinsky, however, was the "control group" in the experiment and he got eaten.

Weekend Adventure

"Laying on our backs looking up at the stars, and we didn't ever feel like talking loud" - Mark Twain (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)

Signing off! We're getting ready for our weekend adventure at the Tree House Camp! We'll be nesting in a tree somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains!

We'll be trying out some homemade herbal bug repellent that we bought at our local Farmer's Market yesterday! It's called Bugs at Bay and it is made by the hands of kindred mama, Laura Davimes of Herban Avenues. It contains 6 insect repelling herbs, including Bay Laurel, and Catnip oil which was found to be more effective than DEET, and certainly safer!

Last week during our picnic dinner, the Great Robinsky got 10 bites on his legs while S and I went unscathed. I'm wondering if it's because I don't use scented soap in the Spring/Summer...and S only gets bathed 2-3 times per week with natural glycerine soap.

Has anyone else had this experience?

Yesterday I also bought a bar of handmade natural Patchouli soap, because who can resist that. Liz Soaps is a family operation created by kindred mama, Judy. I'm going to save it for Autumn.

S was a bit overwhelmed by the generosity of the vendors. The local orchard treated him to some Pink Lady Apples which he ate with his dinner and declared them the best apples in the world. The bread maker gave him a croissant and a muffin which he agreed to share at breakfast.

A Must See Film! (and Sensory Room)

I had the opportunity to review the documentary, "Austisc Like"by Erik Linthorst. I feel it's film everyone should see, parents, health care providers, and teachers. The film follows the journey of a family unraveling the mystery of their son's behaviors. Originally assessed as being "autistic-like", Graham's parents press on, lovingly observing their son, and ultimately finding help for their child.

As the film notes, 1 out of every 20 children have some form of Sensory Processing Disorder and yet it's not widely recognized. While many parents don't wish to label their children, intuition, observation, careful assessment and early intervention are the keys to help children with sensory integration issues navigate their world more smoothly. You will be inspired by the perseverance of this family as they tackle the hurdles of insurance coverage, finding practitioners, and right course of therapy.

I was touched by this film on a personal level as my son was assessed as having a mild sensory disorder. I literally wept and relived the same emotions that the Linthorsts experienced. And like the Linthorsts, I couldn't figure out what was going on with my son because he was on the mark with all his developmental markers. Satch never crawled, but went from rolling to walking so our doctor was not worried about it. And yet as Satch grew there were some behaviors that stood out to me. While I was terrified of my son being labeled, it was my duty as his mother to find out if something was going on and see that his needs were being met.

I wished I had seen this film 2 years ago, it would have made our lives much easier. This film will enlighten, inspire and empower! Thank you, Erik, for sharing Graham's story with the world!

*Please note the wonderful resource section on the film website!


Some photos of our son in the sensory room we created with finds on freecycle and craigslist. In our son's case, a daily trip to the playground is not enough input. He needs access to swinging, jumping, crashing whenever he needs it, multiple times a day...rain or shine.

Green Baggin' It!

One of my old pals from the hood is my neighbor once again! Her son just celebrated his 4th birthday. I've been trying to come up with thrifty, earth friendly wrapping ideas...and here's a beauty...

This reusable shopping tote is from Target. I love the gender neutral wood grain and earthy colors. And I greatly appreciate the unobtrusive branding. They are made from 100% post-consumer recycled PET bottles. The Target totes sell for .99 - $1.99 which is actually less than the price of their paper gift bags. Many stores offer 5 cents off your purchase every time you use a reusable tote! A small incentive to break the habit of unnecessary waste.

The gift tag is made by the talented Nina Gilbert from repurposed vintage storybooks!

Rainbow cord makes everyone happy!

We wrapped T's gift in one of S's doodles. Together we me made the "gLove-puppy"...I sewed, S stuffed. Then I whipped up a little pouch and filled it with a set of our recycled coloring stones.

With all the schlepping mamas do, some funky reusable totes are so handy! Just sayin'....

Most Alive Monday: The Days

Thank you for the days,
Those endless days,
those sacred days you gave me - The Kinks

S hopped in his red wagon and I pulled him to the Farmer's Market to buy some goodies for a picnic dinner at our beautiful Nature Center. I always say, in my next life I'm going to marry an Amish cheese maker...well I don't have to wait that long OR don a bonnet. We found one at the market who makes raw goat's milk cheddar! We also bought some homemade cacik and spooned it into pitas stuffed with roasted soy sausage. It's the vegetarian version of a gyro and the combination of flavors tastes quite similar.

After our meal we walked down to the stream and caught a few tadpoles to raise and release because Satch loved the experience last year. There were hundreds, perhaps even thousands of them. And considering the odds that maybe only 10% make it to toad-hood, it was like a heartfelt mission.

"They feel like slippery soap.", he said.

We brought them home and transferred them to our tank where they are quite happy, dining on fresh baby greens.

S received a new set of wheelz from his Noma for his upcoming birthday...a balance bike! He's been zipping around on that thing all day long, and after dinner. And when it's time to bring it in the house and get ready for bed, he sneaks in a little ride around the dining room table in his pajamas. It's amazing - HIGHLY recommend! Check out their demo video and you'll see what I mean.


I cried as I washed off his tricycle and put it down the basement. He's such a big boy now!

On Mother's Day, the Great Robinsky made me breakfast and S presented me with a gift certificate for a much needed massage. Sigh. 'Nough said.

Lastly, and this may not be a big deal to most people, but it is to me. I finally made yogurt and we've been slurping it up like it's going out of style. I hope we remember to save a cup to start a new batch. It's that good and that easy. We love it with berry preserves and a drizzle of blackstrap molasses. We love it with raw honey and a slice of toasted homemade boule...now I want to try making homemade cheese...of course, S wants me to try making stick candy, but that's way out of my league.

*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.

Blessed Be Water

Let us bless the humility of water,
Always willing to take the shape
Of whatever otherness holds it.

Water: vehicle and idiom
Of all the inner voyaging
That keeps us alive.

Blessed be water,
Our first mother.

- John O'Donohue (To Bless the Space Between Us)

S had his first water balloon fight, instigated by his mama. We hid behind a bush and waited for our neighbor's son to return from practice and I lobbed one over the shrubs and hit his leg.

It wasn't long before a water war broke out and at one point there were 6 kids. When we ran out of ammo, we resorted to buckets and hoses and the water blaster we bought S at the dollar store.









The kids were SOAKED!

We grilled some corn and tofu for dinner and while we were eating, I told S about the time the NYPD knocked on the door of my flat on Sullivan St. because of the water balloon fight I had started on the rooftop. I still remember the way the officer's face contorted as he struggled not to laugh.

In the morning a begoggled imp in mismatched pajamas appeared in the kitchen ready for battle. A treaty was passed...for the moment.

Later that day, my neighbor stopped me on the way to my door and said, "the kids had so much fun yesterday". I opened my shopping bag to reveal FIVE more water blasters and an arsenal of water balloons. Smiles were exchanged.

More mischief in the making.


Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Most Alive Monday: Toadville

"If you build it, they will come" - The Voice (Field of Dreams)

I can't think of summer approaching without having flashbacks of catching toads as a child. I've been longing for some toad action, but haven't seen any since we moved to VA. So, I willed them here. Last year, S had a hard time releasing the toadlets that we raised from tadpoles. I told him that it was the right thing to do and perhaps they would come back to us one day. We discovered 4 toads in our garden on Saturday and S is certain that 2 of them are "Sponge Bob and Sandy Cheeks". We had to build extra toad houses. Satch calls it "Toadville".

"Mama", he said holding the largest,"This is one mighty fine toad!"












*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.