The flagpole

Two kids in Eli's class were in charge of putting up the flag yesterday. It was cold. Really cold. And somehow an evil temptress got a hold of these kids as they were busy at their duty. No, they did not let the flag touch the ground, nope, they did something much worse- they stuck out their tongues and attempted to lick the pole. Of course they got stuck. From Eli's reports they did not receive outside help in removing themselves but had to just yank themselves free. Then returned to the class, tails between their legs. The teacher, in her ultimate wisdom, asked them if they would please stand before the rest of the crew and show everyone the damage done. I think that the rest of the class will be forever spared a similar fate.

When Eli reported this incident to me I did ask, "Now Eli, tell me, if ALL of your friends were to lick the flagpole, would you do it too?" He immedaitely assured me that he wouldn't, then asked how I thought all his friends could ever lick a flagpole at once? That little mental image has kept me smiling all day.

Thought Bubbles

Theo has a new member of his first grade class. This young man has some extra challenges. Ulla, their teacher who should be knighted for her skills and talents, took some time before he joined to give the class some hints on how to make life easy as possible with this guy. She explained that all of us have things we say out loud, and then things that we might think but that we know should stay in our 'thought bubbles'. I happened to be there as she was explaining that and thought, oh, so that's the problem I inherited from my mom. Our thought bubbles often pop and then escape through our mouths, even though we know they shouldn't. My brother Pete's thought bubbles have popped rather spectaculary a few times in the past. Ask him some day about that time the camp cook slapped him. Anyway, this kid in Theo's class has a full time aide who helps him work through his days at Expo and attempts to keep his most angry thoughts in their bubbles. From Theo's reports, things started off rough, but had been steadily getting better. But alas, this week there has been a change. He got a new aide. Change is hard for me, and I think this kid struggles with it more than most. He came into the class while I was there today and immediatly started saying that he hated school. Hated class. Hated the new aide!!! This he said right in the new aide's face- close- the thought bubble spraying her with it's debris as it popped. Ulla quietly glided by, reminding him that those things were for thought bubbles, not for saying outloud. His response: "I HATE THOUGHT BUBBLES!!!" I had to quietly smile, admiring him for naming his angst so clearly. But I didn't say anything outloud.

Loving winter

I always love winter so much more after I have been out in it. Last night as we rushed from the house to the car to the theater I was scrunched over trying to duck that bitter wind. I was a serious hater right then. But then today the sun came out and I had the afternoon off and I grabbed my skies and rushed over to Como Park. I have already pointed out that this park was clearly one of the influences in Richard Scarry's early work. Clearly. It's not just the Busytown aspect that I love- there is something that makes my heart feel bigger while I am there. It could be the excess blood that is pumping through it as I toil up the hills. Today was one of those days that can not be beat- sun, the right wax, good tracks, and just enough of a snap in the air to keep you invigorated. I just wish those two guys hadn't been looking as I went to blow my nose (cowboy style??) -got my pole between my legs and fell flat on my face. Then, while getting up tangled my arm in my headphones and nearly fell again. All at the very feet of two strapping young men who were taking a little break. Honestly, right before I came around that corner I had been flying. Gracefully. dang. Despite that little slip, I drove home in love with winter, in love with Como, in love with St. Paul. That park is a little urban jewel. And tonight we are heading down to Rice Park to check out the winter carnival ice sculptures. We did a drive by last night and the glow of the thousand lights, the sparkle of the sculptures, the hearty souls out snapping pictures, they began melting my icy attitude toward winter that I had been cultivating lately. My ski today thawed it completely. It makes me almost wish that February wasn't on the horizon. Almost.

Hope

I spent my 40th birthday rather choked up. It wasn't about fear of getting older, although I do admit that I woke up more stressed about that than I would have guessed. It was the inaugral stuff. I watched just enough TV to get filled up with hope. Then I walked away. Walked down to Expo where all 700 kids were piling out of the doors, waving little flags that they had made themselves, and attempting to line up in some semblance of order. Two retirees pulled out trumpets and we all proceeded to belt out the Star Spangled Banner. When I ran into other parents they gave spontaneous hugs- and I knew where they were coming from. And then we set off, 700+ flag waving, ridiculously pumped up Americans. Cars honked, people in local businesses smiled. It was a perfect way to spend my birthday.

And then today, two days later, Theo stopped me on the hallway stairs as I was running up to grab some laundry and he was running down on some task of his own. Stopped me by putting his two little hands on my shoulders as I stood below him on the stairs and looking me in the eye. And he says, "You know Mom, today I figured out why I'm here. It's to help others. It's not just to be alive." And off he went. I stood on the stairs in the dark, my heart bursting with the miracle that put these boys into my life. I really do think this realization of Theo's came from listening to Obama and hearing his message about reaching out, helping others, and being bigger people. yeswecan.

The fog is lifting?

Theo has been in the dumps for a while- really since school started up again in January. I think a major part of his issue was that he was so sick at the start of the break and then didn't eat well for about a month. This non-eating corresponded with growth spurt number 985, so the kid just did not have any resources. The negativity was most apparent in the morning, with many bad vibes aimed right at school. There were many things wrong with school in Theo's mind. Some fabricated, some legit. Anyway- on Tuesday I walked them down and as I was standing out by the busses watching Theo walk in with his slumped shoulders and defeated attitude (for the record, I am 97% sure that he perks up as soon as he is out of my eyesight) and my heart breaking into pieces, the principal sidled up and asked me how things were going. I told him that Theo was pretty dang grumpy about going to school and it made mornings hard. He said he'd make sure to check in with him. I thought, sure, you have a school of 700 kids, you have a crazy all school inaugural parade happening today, and you're going to remember to check in with Theo today???? Theo didn't say anything that afternoon and I didn't bring it up. But today, Thursday, Theo came bounding down the sidewalk from school with a huge smile. He chatted me up about several things and then told me, kind of bursting with pride, that the principal had called him into his office and asked him about school. Sounds like Darren (principal Yerama to some) told him straight up that he had heard that Theo was a class A grump in the morning. After he and Theo talked a little, Darren apparently told Theo that he'd check in with his teacher about making Theo's homework harder. Theo was thrilled. Thrilled. We'll see if any more action actually comes out of this, but I think the medicine has already been taken! There's no need for more.

Good Morning

Just as I was rushing out the door to work this am, I heard Theo starting to stir. I can't resist a quick snuggle with the kid when he is fresh from sleep and so warm and comfy. So I leaned in and gave him a hug and a kiss. He swam his way up through his dreams to say....."Mom, why do you have to have such dead tuna breath?" Dead tuna? And this is AFTER I've brushed. No respect.

Tonight as Jon and I were looking at just a couple more things on Facebook before one of us peeled off to read to the kids, we heard Eli calling from his room: "Your attention please, the bedtime express is now boarding. Please get out your boarding documents and proceed to the gate. Turn off all electronic devices." I guess we were dallying too long.

I really wish that school would have been called today due to the cold. I would have loved a day in the sunny house with no plans and nothing to do but hang with my boys. There is something beyond delightful of having a day full of responsibilities pulled out from under you and all you have to do is stay warm and love your kids. But it didn't happen. Maybe a snow day next week?

January 20, 2009

I have one last week in front of me of being in my thirties. Only one more week. On January 20 I turn 40- but thanks to the convergence of my date of birth and the presidential inauguration, I am so looking forward to that day! I have been enthusiastically anticipating January 20th since Nov. 5, 2008. But just the other day it hit me....what if I was sharing my fortieth birthday with the inauguration of old Sarah Palin as my new vice president? How awful would I feel about that convergence? I would enter my 4th decade with a wholly different attitude. So I want to take a moment to thank the American people for helping me move toward this often dreaded milestone with optimism and hope! yes we can....

legos

Sunday late morning Theo was looking for a buddy to hang out with and he chose me. It was all about convenience, not actual preference. But the request came in for me to do something with Theo, and since I hardly ever get asked anymore (just earlier that weekend after I saw them for the first time after they returned from a sleep over and I got home from the school fair, Theo kindly asked me to leave him alone and Eli silently closed his door on me) I accepted, despite the fact that the activity being offered was...legos. Like I have said before, I love legos if there are diagrammed directions and sets that include only the pieces needed to build the things in the diagrams. But Theo escorted me into his room and there on the floor was the old Lego bag with the legos covering about 16 square feet of floor space. No plans. Just time to play. But then, a ray of hope! Theo mentioned that it would be nice to separate some of the legos into the new lego bag Grandma Sherry had made him for christmas (she was making her statement about how heavy the one bag was and how much she disliked hoisting it back up onto its hook in the closet). Seperate! Sort! What warms my heart more than a good sorting project? So I eagerly sat down and began trying to sort them into the categories picked by Theo- legos, and legos used for bionicles. But to do so, I needed much clarification as to what was bionical-esque. After Eli (who had actually put down his book to join us) heard me ask for the 1245 time, "is this for bionicles?" he had a better idea. He figured I could possibly identify by myself which pieces were people pieces- they were either heads, or bodies, or legs- and I could concentrate on those. I spent the next hour blissfully hunting down all body parts in that damn bag. And I found them. No severed hand was too little for my discerning eye. Soon it turned into quite a fancy sorting operation, with containers for hats and hair, weaponry, and yes, even severed hands. It became quite the hunt, with much cheering and hulabaloo anytime a particularly rare piece was found. "McGonagal's hat!!!" "Chewbaca's legs!!" "Dumbledore's beard!!" "A severed hand!!" And I managed to get become familiar enough with the properties that make a lego a bionicle to get those all stashed in bag number two. Our legos are now so nicely organized that I think the kids are scared to play with them. I know that within the month they will be one gigantic mash again, but I don't care. Then when Theo asks me to play with them again, I can get another good sorting fix. Love sorting. Really. This has given me a whole new attitude toward legos.

Como Park

For years now everytime I've made it to Como Park for a ski I have had this nagging feeling that it reminds me of something and I just can't place it. Today it became clear: Busytown. A la Richard Scarry? There are just so many people doing so many different things and everyone is going going going. Even though there are always a ton of people, there is definitely room for everyone, and people seem to always have huge smiles on their faces. And there are all kinds of people- skiers completely bedecked in lycra and flying around the skate lanes as well as old gramps in his knickers and his wooden skies cutting cross country, following his own route. Then the sledders, snowboarders, hikers, dog walkers, downhill skiers....it's amazing. And the setting is kind of busytown-esque for me for some reason. It brings me back to what I think it might have looked like in a 40's winter scene- minus the lycra, of course. Anyway, loved my outing, loved my ski, love St. Paul. And dang if the moon wasn't spectacular as I pulled out of the parking lot.
I never did find Lowly Worm. But he's out there. I know he is.

Perfect Allignment

Today I had the amazing luck to have all these things come together:
Sunshine
25 degrees
Freetime
Good health
Fabulous ski conditions (albeit only because there are some crafty groomers working for Minneapolis)

After a mind-numbing 4 hour workshop on testing protocols I was able to hop into my trusty suburu and head over to Lake of the Isles. There they have a lovely groomed skate trail with a skinny little track for those who prefer the classic way of skiing. I waxed up and headed out for an hour long ski. I went around Isles, through the channel over to Cedar, around that and then to the tunnel that connects to Brownie. From there you can go and go, eventually landing in Theodore Wirth Park. But I was out of steam so crawled back to my car. I am completely amazed at how hot I got while only wearing a long underwear shirt and a thin thin thin windbreaker. And I wore pants. But it is so refreshing to know that you can be completely comfortable out there even if the thermometer shows that it is technically below freezing. The only downer of my whole ski was that I forgot my sunglasses- and out on those snow covered lakes in the high noon sun, they are handy. Anyway. I'm still estatic. It is not often that all of those factors come together. Love Minnesota (for the moment) and especially that Minneapolis park system.

Costa Rica!

Earlier this year and old neighbor and friend of Jon's was so very kind as to bestow on this small family free tickets on Continental airlines. So the day after Christmas we packed up our shorts and swimsuits, threw the christmas tree out the back door, and headed to the airport. We only had four full days down in Costa Rica, but they were full of fun, hearty laughs, and many animal spottings. We failed to bring our camera on our little river rafting expedition, so we don't have proof of our sightings, but we think it was pretty cool to see a small colony of bats sleeping on the rock wall, to eat a snack below a troup of howler monkeys, and to spot gigantic iguanas and lizards sunning on the banks. Not as excited about the caimon (alligator cousin) that was as large as me, but it looked lazy in the afternoon heat, so I didn't totally freak out. We also got up our courage for a full day of adventure that included horseback rides, mud spa treatments, hot springs (not so relaxing if while sitting in them a monkey poops on your head- right Eli?) and then the dreaded zip line(s). There were too many of them, I think. Both the boys started out doing them on their own, but when on the third zip Theo's finishing move was to crash into the tree, he got 'taxied' for the rest of the ride. Eli also chose a taxi (you get hooked on to a guide) for the long rides, but finished out the last few lines under his own power. They were both much more fearless than me. It was a treat to watch them.

The return of the virus

We thought that we were in the clear- Eli had made it all through the holiday parties with just a few incidents of appetite loss. But then, this morning, he and the toilet had a nice roundevouz. He had been tossing and turning in bed for a few hours, so I had a feeling this was coming. He then went on philosophizing about what was worse, the anticipation of puking, or puking, or not puking....went on for quite a while about this, so I knew that he was feeling at least a little better. After a long day of lounging on the couch in his pajamas, he seems fairly cured, just real lackluster. I want this germ out!!! I can't believe it is the same one that struck the rest of us back before Christmas- but if it is, it atleast gives me some hope for a wee bit of immunity.