Thursday, January 20, 2011
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Clare logged hours of tutoring today. She did her very best to teach her unwilling sister about knock knock jokes. Here's her favorite:
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Cow.
Cow who?
Interrupting cow. MOO!
She was relentless. Only Ella didn't relent. So it sounded like this:
"I'll say 'knock knock' and you say 'who's there?' Then I'll say 'cow' and you say...Ella! Are you listening?! Can you SAY interrupting cow?! Ella!"
And Ella had her fingers in her ears the ENTIRE TIME. Every now and then, she would grin and say "NO."
After thirty torturous minutes of this (during which time I had half crawled up ONTO the front dash in my efforts to escape them and listen to NPR), Ella finally gave in.
"Knock knock." says Clare
To which Ella replies "Moo who?"
"Ella! You say who's there!"
"Cow."
"No! You say who's there!"
"no. Gock gock."
"No! Ella! 'Who's there?'"
"Cow."
"ELLA! You don't say 'cow'!"
"Inneruckik cow."
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Ecology Action
Supercool Preschool went on a field trip to the downtown recycling center. We learned a lot and got really dirty in the process. It was super hot and super fun.
First we had to learn about the forklift, since it does the majority of the work around there.
Ella was not too keen on her hat or the plastic sorters.
This was our sweet guide and teacher who helped us to learn about all the great ways things can be reused once they've been left here.
He taught us how to discern between aluminum and steel by using a magnet and stomping with our feet. We were interested to learn that we don't really use tin.
It was fascinating and super hot. Did I already say that?!
Here's my girl, putting away some glossy.
This is block is hot off the crusher. We watched it get removed from the machine with the forklift. So so cool.
My favorite part of the day was when he asked what cars are made of. He was trying to teach us about steel. But Clare kept guessing everything else. Rubber? Plastic? Glass? His point lost, he validated her smarts and laughed heartily. Loved that guy. He was really great with the kids and very good natured, which is remarkable given how hot it is there. Oops. I may have overstated that point.
Did you notice Clare's filthy knees? I wanted to dip Ella in a vat of Lysol when we left. Blech.
I'm am seriously impressed by all the people that work in the recycling industry. You have love and believe in trash to be there. You have to accept on some level, that all that funk has beauty (or at least function) left to give. This mama just doesn't get her hands that dirty anymore. I'm am grateful for the efforts of those dedicated to the process. Our planet is so much greater for it. I hope that as we all grow, we'll get to dig in even more.
First we had to learn about the forklift, since it does the majority of the work around there.
Ella was not too keen on her hat or the plastic sorters.
This was our sweet guide and teacher who helped us to learn about all the great ways things can be reused once they've been left here.
He taught us how to discern between aluminum and steel by using a magnet and stomping with our feet. We were interested to learn that we don't really use tin.
It was fascinating and super hot. Did I already say that?!
Here's my girl, putting away some glossy.
This is block is hot off the crusher. We watched it get removed from the machine with the forklift. So so cool.
My favorite part of the day was when he asked what cars are made of. He was trying to teach us about steel. But Clare kept guessing everything else. Rubber? Plastic? Glass? His point lost, he validated her smarts and laughed heartily. Loved that guy. He was really great with the kids and very good natured, which is remarkable given how hot it is there. Oops. I may have overstated that point.
Did you notice Clare's filthy knees? I wanted to dip Ella in a vat of Lysol when we left. Blech.
I'm am seriously impressed by all the people that work in the recycling industry. You have love and believe in trash to be there. You have to accept on some level, that all that funk has beauty (or at least function) left to give. This mama just doesn't get her hands that dirty anymore. I'm am grateful for the efforts of those dedicated to the process. Our planet is so much greater for it. I hope that as we all grow, we'll get to dig in even more.
Location:Austin, TX
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Abby's Last Day
The girls and I take a music class at Music Together. For more sessions than I can remember, we've had the same beautiful teacher, Abby. We take our class with several families that we know and care deeply about. We love every minute of it. So you can imagine our dismay when we found out that our sweet Abby is going off to grad school in the fall.
We are so very pleased for Abby. And so very, very sad for us. Even though we weren't in session for the summer, we crashed what would have been our last class so that we could celebrate with her and enjoy one more sweet moment in her fairy-good, better-than-peanut-butter presence.
We danced and sang and giggled and wiggled.
We drummed and hummed and we grinned until it hurt.
And when it was time to sing goodbye, none of us made it through the song. There was not a dry eye in the room. Except, of course, for the children, who just couldn't quite grasp it all.
But for the adults, who understood the gravity of this last class together, it was bittersweet (as it always is with such things). And it occurred to me that this parenting thing is always becoming more complex than I thought it was just a moment ago. It is a series of new experiences that are so intriguing and fun. At the same time, it is a long string of goodbyes as we all grow and pass through time together, each of us touching on what we need and moving past what is no longer for us. The blessing is that we keep finding such beauty in our experiences and such amazing people with which to share them. The sadness is in the passing on of those times and people that we wish would linger just a bit longer. So we will stop for a moment and remember what we were given.
Then we will find gratitude, shed a tear and share a hug. And we'll remember that life is such bliss. May we walk it with grace and more love than we know what to do with.
We are so very pleased for Abby. And so very, very sad for us. Even though we weren't in session for the summer, we crashed what would have been our last class so that we could celebrate with her and enjoy one more sweet moment in her fairy-good, better-than-peanut-butter presence.
We danced and sang and giggled and wiggled.
We drummed and hummed and we grinned until it hurt.
And when it was time to sing goodbye, none of us made it through the song. There was not a dry eye in the room. Except, of course, for the children, who just couldn't quite grasp it all.
But for the adults, who understood the gravity of this last class together, it was bittersweet (as it always is with such things). And it occurred to me that this parenting thing is always becoming more complex than I thought it was just a moment ago. It is a series of new experiences that are so intriguing and fun. At the same time, it is a long string of goodbyes as we all grow and pass through time together, each of us touching on what we need and moving past what is no longer for us. The blessing is that we keep finding such beauty in our experiences and such amazing people with which to share them. The sadness is in the passing on of those times and people that we wish would linger just a bit longer. So we will stop for a moment and remember what we were given.
Then we will find gratitude, shed a tear and share a hug. And we'll remember that life is such bliss. May we walk it with grace and more love than we know what to do with.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Fairy Gardens
When you're gardening, it's very important to select your attire carefully.
Pants, apparently, are entirely optional.
Our tiny garden has sputtered, but has not died. We only had one tomato and one tomatillos plant make it to actual size. So now we don't have fruit. Nevertheless, they are gorgeous plants and fun for the girls to care for. We are learning how to weed, water, and watch for bugs. All very important things. Today we added some seeds to the bare spots.
We're hoping we got these in the ground in time to make a big, fat Jack-O-Lantern. Fingers crossed for fresh pumpkin pie...
If nothing else, we'll learn to spot fairies. Giggle.
Pants, apparently, are entirely optional.
Our tiny garden has sputtered, but has not died. We only had one tomato and one tomatillos plant make it to actual size. So now we don't have fruit. Nevertheless, they are gorgeous plants and fun for the girls to care for. We are learning how to weed, water, and watch for bugs. All very important things. Today we added some seeds to the bare spots.
We're hoping we got these in the ground in time to make a big, fat Jack-O-Lantern. Fingers crossed for fresh pumpkin pie...
If nothing else, we'll learn to spot fairies. Giggle.
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