Mama's Magic

100 Days of First Grade and Fun with Sharkie

2012-01-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

Today is BJ's 100th day of first grade. Where the heck is the time going to? (Mom, you were right. It just gets up and gallops.)

For his 100 day project he brought in a baggie full of one hundred mini-marshmallows. And though he amazingly waited until the end of the day to eat any, as agreed (he insists this is the case and I believe him) I didn't manage to get a picture. He came home and ate all but about a dozen in one sitting.

Yes, this week I'm that kind of mom. Eat all the marshmallows you want, kid. (Truly, there were less than a cup's worth, not all that much. It's easier to have this kind of attitude with him because he's equally likely to eat all the sliced red peppers or sliced mushrooms that he wants.)

Today BB wanted to do some of her "Fun with Sharkie." She had two things she wanted to do: Trader Joe's and the park. First, we took Sharkie to TJ's to hunt for Sharkie. (Believe me, she wouldn't have wanted to go there if it weren't for Sharkie!)
For once, we didn't have to circle the store twice to find Sharkie! Spotted him right away in the refrigerated aisle, peeking out from inside a shirt in the decor.

The store employees were pretty amused by it all.

After the store, we headed to the park. She had a great time on the slide with Sharkie!

It had been a while since we'd had a morning at the park. We should do that more often.

Other families have taken Sharkie to Disneyland, to Happy Hollow Zoo, on airplanes... this may be as exciting as things get for our Adventures with Sharkie. We'll see. BB seemed pleased, at any rate, and that's what matters! Now I get to document everything for the class book...

Happy 5th Birthday, BB!

2012-01-24T23:00:00.000-08:00

My little girl turned 5 years old today. Last week, I enrolled her in kindergarten. This little girl of mine isn't so little anymore!

In honor of her special day, she brought in donut holes to share with her preschool friends. And at the end of the day, she got to bring home Sharkie! Sharkie is the preschool room mascot (yes, the teacher who introduced Sharkie was a local hockey fan) and kids are supposed to take him home for a week for "Adventures with Sharkie." We decided it would be fun for him to help BB celebrate her birthday.

We had cake (vanilla with chocolate frosting, made by me -- which explains the sliding blue flowers on top of the cake) and went to BB's favorite restaurant, Sweet Tomatoes. Of course Sharkie came with us.

Note BJ's "why can't I hold Sharkie" expression. Way to get in the celebratory spirit, eh?

Lest you think all those veggies on the tray in front of her are an example of her stellar eating habits, take a closer look: the red plate is mine and the empty tray is hers. What makes Sweet Tomatoes her favorite restaurant? The noodles and "special cheese" (grated cheddar) and the macaroni and cheese. And sliced black olives and, occasionally, some sliced mushrooms. Finished with ice cream for dessert.

Before we headed out for dinner, BB opened her presents.

We managed some FaceTime with my folks so that they could see her open the ones from them. Brave new world, that's all I can say.

I shake my head and realize this seems utterly normal to BB and BJ. Still amazes the heck out of me.

She loved the sewing kit, stuffed unicorn, and cupcake set. Thanks so much, Giki and Pop-Pop! She made cupcakes right after finishing opening her gifts!

Many thanks to Nana for the Princess dolls! BB was excited to see Mulan and clothes for her. (We have yet to see the movie, but the Disney juggernaut has made sure she knows all the princesses names and qualities, regardless.)

The cash from Grandpa D and Grandma C was definitely a hit. Thanks!

BB decided that one of her gifts should be from Sharkie. So I gave her one of ours to her and told her it could be from him.

He gave her a new leotard for gymnastics! (A size 8, if you can believe it!!! Remember what I said about her not being so little anymore??? That's big even for her, since she's usually a size 6.) She picked it out herself.

It's so sweet how good she is about saying her thank yous and giving hugs. S managed to snap a pic of the two of us while she was thanking me for her gifts.

S and I gave her a responsibility chart of her own, since she's starting to earn allowance with turning 5 years old. We also gave her a Jasmine doll -- the Disney forces got us too, what can I say? -- and BJ gave her a Flynn Rider doll so that Rapunzel can have her prince.

She really liked the dress from Auntie B and family -- perfect choice! Thanks so much!

And now begins that crazy two months when I say, "I have a 5 year old daughter and a 6 year old son!" Happy Birthday, my dear girl!

BB's 5th Birthday Party -- with Rapunzel!

2012-01-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, BB had her birthday party. She'd requested that a princess come to her party this year, and art is one of BB's favorite things, so we settled on an Art Party with Rapunzel. (Tangled is very popular this year and definitely one of BB's favorites!) Here are the two princesses!

Hard to believe my baby will be 5 this week!

Plan A had been to have things here at the apartment as an indoor-outdoor party. We'd invited her entire preschool class, and with 12 kids at the party we wanted to be sure there was room for all. Rapunzel was scheduled to do a magic show for us, and we needed a place where all the kids could sit down to see her show, so we figured that part would be outdoors.

Alas, after weeks of unseasonably warm weather, on Thursday it turned cold and rainy. Plan B time!

We'd reserved a classroom in our building as a back up location, and actually I think it worked out even better to just keep everything in the one room. We moved around the furniture to create a crafts station, a food station, and a face painting station, and we decorated the classroom a bit as well. BB had made "lanterns" to hang around (in homage to the glowing lanterns from Tangled). We also had a craft station for kids to make their own paper lanterns (complete with a glow stick to make them glow!) and of course we made good use of the chalkboards.

Since it was an art party, we encouraged the kids to draw with colored chalk ("just like Rapunzel decorates the walls of her tower!) and BJ especially loved this idea. He got right to work on a solar system.

Rapunzel was very impressive, I have to say. She had a very sweet and gentle demeanor with the kids, encouraging them to join her for face painting or balloon animals without being pushy.

BB had her face painted with a mermaid, flowers, and a butterfly.

Note the "fancy hair" -- to get ready for the party, she'd selected two handfuls of hair pretties and asked me to use them all. I did my best!

Here is BB with her dear friend C and their matching face paint.

Rapunzel's magic show was very cute. She told the kids that there was special magic all around because it was a special day, BB's birthday! They made things appear and disappear and pulled magic colors from their clothes to decorate (and erase) a magical coloring book. She also had her "helper" bunny puppet, Miss Rabbit. The kids were enchanted.

After the magic show, we had cake. (What's a kids' birthday party without cake?) Of course BB wanted Rapunzel on it with long, long hair. She also wanted it to be an art cake and to have a tower. Kind of a tall order. Happily, our go-to bakery was very willing to work with us. They included a Rapunzel figurine, a cutout castle with the words "Paint the World with Imagination" and they put frosting "paintbrushes" on the cake. Finishing touch: Rapunzel's yellow hair running all around the edge.

It was a white cake was chocolate mousse frosting and filling, quite yummy actually (and I'm not a big fan of cake). Rapunzel helped us serve the cake and sing to BB.

Note BJ having his balloon cobra "help" with the candles (I was just waiting for it to end up in the frosting -- happily it didn't.)

At the end, we got all the kids together for a group picture with Rapunzel. (Yes, I am my dad's daughter.)

And to finish things off, Rapunzel gave BB her gift, which we'd actually wrapped up for her to give -- since BB had asked for a Rapunzel book, we thought it would be extra-special to have the princess herself give it to her.
One final "princess pose" and the party was coming to a close!

The birthday girl was very pleased with her party!

Happy almost-birthday, BB!

Again with the Cuteness

2012-01-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

The kittens are growing so quickly! They were 10 weeks old on Monday of this week. They are continuing to contribute substantially to the cute and cuddly quotient for the household. They are both very snuggly and will sneak into your lap without any hesitation.

They also often allow themselves to be scooped up into excellent napping conditions. Laps and chests are almost always welcome. This invariably delights the kids.

On Thursday after school, the rainy weather started, so BB asked if we could do a "rainy afternoon movie" (this phrase started up about a year ago and has been a go-to when the weather turns yucky). The kittens were happy to snuggle up and watch The Aristocats.

Lest you think it's all naps and peace and quiet around here, rest assured that they are also ridiculously playful. When I was wrapping up some gifts for BB's upcoming birthday, they had a fabulous time running around over the wrapping paper and playing hockey with gift bows. They also love to hop into the basket of dress up clothes and play.

And the other day, I heard a suspicious rustling noise coming from the bedroom. Upon investigation, I realized it was coming from a shipping box.... We'd folded the lid closed, but apparently that was no deterrent.

I opened it up, and they looked up at me as if to say, "What? Is there a problem here?"

I've heard of jello wrestling, but packing peanut wrestling? That's a new one.

They would have been happy to stay in there for quite some time, I think. Silly kittens!

Friday Feature -- Liz's Wares

2012-01-13T13:13:00.000-08:00

Today's featured Etsy artist is the Etsyblogger of the month! Congrats to Liz who runs two Etsy shops: Liz's Wares and Liz's Supplies. In her shops, you'll find a lot of pretty shiny things -- finished jewelry in Liz's Wares and digital files to help organize your Etsy business at Liz's Supplies.

I especially admired this necklace with a vintage 1950s pendant. Love to see vintage pieces given a new life like this!
Enjoy the interview!

1. Are we teammates on any Etsy Teams? I belong to Etsybloggers, Etsymom, CCCOE, and I’m the captain for SF Etsy.

Etsybloggers is the only one we match on; but I am also in Deviant Art, Etsy Blog Team, MULTIPLE SHOPS on ETSY, Vintage Lovers, Craftcount, Top Treasury, Stumble-I can't even stand up straight, MADE IN USA, I Love Art, beads, Handmadeology, HeartsyOfficial.

2. Please tell us about the items in your Etsy shop. What do you make? How did you learn your craft? What is involved in your creative process?

My main medium is beads and findings. I love making bracelets, earrings and necklaces. I mostly lean fantasy princess-like pieces, but intend on branching to other styles as well soon.
When I was younger I loved making bracelets with pony beads and whatever string I could find. When I was about 14 I finally got the internet and my world opened up to the knowledge of stretch cord, chains, clasps, etc.

I love the design process when I start with a small set of beads and search to see what else I have that would look great with them. I've added to my collection of tools over the years as well.

I love knowing that I'm creating something that will be worn by someone who will feel great about wearing that piece. Whether it's a casual bracelet that becomes their daily favorite, or a special necklace that they chose for Prom or their wedding day!

3. Tell us two (or more) other interesting things about you.

I have also been perfecting my sewing skills too. I intend in the next year or two to open more shops which include LizsHome, LizsClothes, and LizsVintage.

I've created profiles for them, but haven't opened yet. Feel free to add them to your circle so it may be easier to keep an eye on them.

4. How did you get involved with Etsy?

A friend of mind from community college introduced me to Etsy as well as glass beads! She was heaven sent.

I had planned from the first day of seeing Etsy to open up shop. So I created a bunch of items, and researched as much as I could about Etsy.

Then in October 2009 LizsWares was born! I am so glad to have found such an open and caring group in Etsy to share in the experiences of running a small business.

5. What is your favorite item in your shop (currently for sale or previously sold)? Why is it your favorite?

I love this bracelet for many reasons- the beads are gorgeous, it was fun to create. But mostly I love it because when I put it on just after creating it I felt like I had finally found what I really wanted to do with my life. That was to create!
I know that my passion is creating and that I'll never give that up for anything.

6. If you had a gift certificate to Etsy for any one item you wanted, what would you buy?

I would love to have a beautiful vanity to sit at. I currently use a hand mirror in front of my computer, lol.

7. What crafting skill(s) do you wish you had or hope to learn someday?

I'd love to learn carpentry so I can build the furniture that I wish I had now and want for my future dream home.

8. If money were no object for just one day, what would you do?

I'd travel to as many places as I could to buy amazing fabric and beads. I'd most likely start in Europe.

9. Where else can we find out more about you and/or your creations?

LizsWares on Blogspot
LizsWares on Stumbleupon
LizsWares on Kaboodle
LizsWares on Twitter
I founded a group on DeviantArt, Etsy-Deviants
I run EtsyDeviants on twitter

Kitten Company

2012-01-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

We're establishing new house habits and rules as the kittens have been growing. They can now do things like jump from the chair to the dining room table -- as I discovered when I came back to my breakfast to find my tea sloshed all over the table! (Thank goodness whomever it was didn't burn a paw! I like my tea very hot.) I've long been wanting to break the kids of their habit of "saving it for later" and leaving plates of leftovers on the table, so this is a perfect motivator. Also getting us in the habit of pushing in our chairs, since at this point they are less likely to make it to the table if the chairs are all the way in.

Though even if they can't make it to the table, they love the chairs. This week, they discovered the fun of racing round and round underneath the table, on the chair cushions. And BB is enormously tickled by the fact that they will jump up and try to sit beside her while she's eating her snack. Doing our best to discourage this...

The bottom line is, these two have no shyness at all about giving us kitten company, whether we really want it or not.

They absolutely insisted on getting up in my lap when I was catching up on some email a few days ago when I took this pic. Actually, Shelly got up there first (the names Shelly and Stormy seem to be sticking so far) and her brother did laps around the computer chair, mewing, until I picked him up and showed him that he could cuddle up on my lap as well. Definitely made it a little more challenging to type, but worth it for the cuteness factor. (Shelly is working her way into my lap even as I type this, actually, with Stormy right behind her!)

Turns out the computer chair is a general favorite for them. They climbed up behind BJ earlier today while he was working on his computer zoo.

Of course any time you're on the couch, you should consider yourself fair game for kitten cuddles.

This includes when I'm practicing guitar.

And by the time I finished typing this, both kittens were curled up in my lap, quite content. Nothing quite like kitten company.

Too Cute!

2012-01-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

We continue to have a lot of fun with our newest additions to the household -- the kittens are growing and changing by the day. They have now had their first round of vaccinations, and the girl had grown to 2.3 pounds while her brother was coming in at 2 pounds (both in normal range for growth). We might have settled on new names for them: Dilly (for the boy) and Dally (for the girl). What do you think?

Here's Dally/Shelly looking adorable (and also like she has an enormous kitten head). She's getting more and more white markings on her face and belly, and I'm seeing some striping in her coat as well. I might just end up with that tabby after all!
Here she is, discovering the fun of playing with the doorstop. You can see that white on her chest and paw.

Soon thereafter, Dilly/Stormy decided that he needed to check out the doorstop as well. And it was so interesting, he fell asleep next to it. Sunny spot + kitten = sleepy kitten!

They are definitely finding their favorite cuddle spots. The "cat condo" is very popular, particularly when the window is open to let in the sunshine.

That's Dally/Shelly in the foreground with her paws on Dilly/Stormy.
C'mere and gimme a hug!

And time for some kitty kisses, too. See those stripes I was talking about? So interesting to see how they are changing!

The pet bed is a good snuggle spot, too. First time I've ever had a pet who actually Slept In The Bed Purchased For Such Activities -- much less TWO of them. Cats who follow directions. Amazing.

They are also really good at snuggling with us, particularly BB and me -- though I've not managed to get many pictures of myself with them, and BB is in a clothing-optional stage for most of her time in the apartment. Since I won't post nekkid pics of my kids, you'll have to trust me that I have some pretty danged adorable pictures of BB getting kitten cuddles!

Imperfect? Check!

2012-01-08T18:51:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of embracing imperfection, I gave myself a week off from blogging -- was nice to have a bit of a break. Much of the week was spent on household organization and finishing up some of the home decor projects that I *finally* got around to tackling. (Yes, we moved in two years ago this month, and just this past week got around to hanging up curtains. And pictures above the couch.) In addition to completing the living room, I've overhauled the kids' playroom where I added more storage and replaced the train table that had become a repository for all sorts of junk. Now we have room to dance, as evidenced by BB (in fairy guise) and room to read, as BJ illustrates so nicely.

Also room for kittens to play and hang out in the sunshine -- when not covered by BB's shadow, that is!
It's really nice to have some open space in the apartment, especially since we've added some furniture in the living room. It's been a lot of work, but worth it. As BB put it, "It's like we have a whole new house, Mom!"

Now I just need to find time to vacuum.... or perhaps all those scraps on the carpet can be just another exercise in imperfection! It's definitely been a less-than-perfect week, for all I've gotten accomplished. No guitar practicing, no crafting, and alas not as much patience as I should have, especially with the imperfection of others. Working on it.

2012: A Year for Practice, Imperfection, and Play

2012-01-01T19:41:00.000-08:00

For New Year's, I'm not making any resolutions. Instead, I'm trying on a few words for the year.

Practice -- I will practice more. From guitar practice to practicing patience. I will focus more on my crafting practice, honing and learning skills, and focus less on finished product (though I have a feeling the product will come with the practice). I will work more with practical applications and less with theoretical imaginings. I will pay attention to my habits, improving the beneficial ones and leaving behind the ones that don't serve me well. I will practice what I preach, including more sleep, more writing, better eating... all of that fits in. Exercise is a synonym here, and in the usual yearly style I make the commitment to do more of that too.

Imperfection -- I will embrace this. I am a perfectionist, which has its benefits, but too often it gets in the way. This year I will not strive to be perfect. I won't berate myself (or others) for imperfections. Practice fits in well here -- instead of aiming for perfection, the perfect end result, I will focus on the practice, the method, the means of getting there, and allow the end result to be less than perfect.

Play -- I will play more. With my kids. With my husband. With my friends. Play goes hand in hand with practice and imperfection. It's nearly impossible to play when focused on being perfect. Practice can be play, should be play at least some of the time -- that's where creativity thrives. I'll take the time to play more, to be in the moment of play, to run around after the soccer ball, to enter the pretend worlds of fairies and adventurers, to sit down at a board game with my sweetheart, to laugh and tumble with the kids.

This year, I won't try to lose weight, or set unrealistic goals, or make resolutions that will be abandoned in a matter of weeks. I will practice. I will be imperfect. I will practice imperfectly! I will play. And I plan to have a lot of fun with it all!

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T09:04:00.001-08:00

Hard to believe -- another year coming to a close. It's been a good year, a full year, and I feel very lucky that life is generally going so well for me and my family. So much to be thankful for.

Tonight, we'll be joining some friends for a "New York New Year's Eve" (celebrating 9 PM instead of midnight) so that the kids can take part. Should be a fun time. Then we'll head home and S and I will have a quiet evening together. We've never been big on New Year's celebrations, so a quiet turning of the year is fine by me.

Here's to 2012 -- may the New Year be bright and blessed.

Time with Tia!

2011-12-29T09:04:00.000-08:00

What a great way to spend a day of Winter break -- visiting CuriOdyssey with Tia M!

It was a lovely December day (if a bit chilly) and the kids were thrilled to have some time with their Tia. They practically tackled her when she arrived!
We got to see all sorts of neat exhibits...

local wildlife... like this beautiful bobcat
snakes (much to BJ's delight)

some waterfowl...
an eagle (thought of you, Dad!)

otters!

they even had banana slugs! (this one's for you, Mom! They really do exist!)

After the museum/zoo, we had a little picnic and explored the grounds a bit.
Of course the kids loved asking Tia about all the nature stuff -- she's our resident expert! Here she's telling BJ about the eucalyptus buttons.

What a fun day! Thanks, Tia, for the invitation! We'll hope to see you again soon.

More Kitten Cuteness

2011-12-28T09:11:00.000-08:00

Our new furry members of the family are definitely settling in. It's like they were always meant to be here. So sweet to see how well they get along with each other, and very dear to see how patient they are with the kids. They are both extremely playful, very well socialized, super sweet, and the boy especially is very snuggly. Definitely getting some much-needed kitty therapy around here.

As requested, here are some pics. Actually, it's been rather hard to do justice to their extreme cuteness. Because they are so close in color, and because they like to spend so much time together, I keep getting pics that look like a single cat with three ears, or five limbs, or the like.

Enjoy the kitten cuteness!

To sleep or to play -- that is the kitten dilemma. (BJ with Stormy, our super snuggly guy.)

The kittens like Mousetrap as much as the kids do!
Snuggling together under the Christmas tree...

That's Shelly looking right at the camera. She's getting more white to her markings almost by the day!

There's that cat with three ears I mentioned earlier...

Look for more kitten cuteness soon! It's so wonderful to have them here.

BJ's Ant Farm

2011-12-27T09:12:00.000-08:00

For a Winter Break science activity, we finally got around to obtaining ants for BJ's AntWorks Space Age Ant Farm. Over the summer, we'd tried the ant farm with ants he collected, but it turns out you need a specific species, harvester ants, for it to work. The setup is pretty cool, actually. The ants live in a blue gel media which is apparently based on a 2006 NASA experiment to study ants in zero gravity. This thing was practically made to suit my kid's interests!

Here he is in his "laboratory" next to where he's going to set up the ant farm.

He was so excited when the ants arrived in our mailbox! He's showing us the little vial in which they traveled. 30 ants in there!

We put them in their new home and sealed the lid.

Wow, Mom! COOL!

BJ decided that he'd keep an Ant Journal to study his ants in their habitat. It took a day for the ants to start digging, but once they started it was quite impressive!

BJ is definitely interested in his ants (though admittedly, the arrival of the kittens has demoted their status as "pets" -- which they were called, with great excitement, when they arrived before Christmas). He told me, "Mom, this is great! When I get bored, I can just go and watch my ants!!!"

The whole thing reminded me of a book that I vividly recall from my childhood, The City Under the Back Steps, by Evelyn Sibley Lampman. Alas, it's out of print and very pricey to obtain (I suspect there might be a copy up in my parents attic, but I wasn't going to ask them to go looking for it!) so I ordered the much more reasonably priced audio CD from Chinaberry. We've been following the adventures of Jill and Craig (complete with post-listening discussions about gender stereotyping, an unexpected bonus) and I've been impressed with how well the audiobook keeps the kids' attention, not only BJ but BB as well. They were rapt throughout the entire first CD (more than 70 minutes) and today we listened to the second and third (each also a bit more than 70 minutes). First time we've tried an audiobook like this. Fascinating!

Family Portraits

2011-12-26T09:10:00.000-08:00

One of the many posts that didn't get up in a timely manner -- we had our family portraits taken back in November, thanks to a fundraiser with BB's preschool. The photos turned out quite well!

About time we had a nice family pic -- not to mention one of S and I together!

This one is my favorite:

And it's the one we chose for our Christmas cards, too!

Christmas

2011-12-25T21:09:00.000-08:00

Ours was a very, very Merry Christmas -- from satisfied recipients of Santa gifts to the sweet introduction of new four-legged family members, it was wonderful from start to finish!

BJ was awake first, not surprisingly. He was thrilled to see the Big Stuffed Snake he'd asked Santa to bring.
BB was pretty danged excited to see her Princess Leia doll (alas I didn't get a very good pic, tho!)

Stockings were unstuffed -- revealing sweet treats and various Star Wars miniatures. What can I say? Santa knows what these kids like!

"Dad!" BB exclaimed, "You don't have to get me a Princess Leia Action Figure anymore! I GOT ONE FROM SANTA!"

The kids were sweetly thoughtful with their gifts to me -- from BB, a thread organizer!

From BJ, a watch to replace the one he'd given me for my birthday (which got lost at one of my craft shows recently, alas).

BB was so excited to give S the Munchkin Board Game. She could barely contain the secret.

BJ was excited for S to open his gift as well -- a t-shirt that said "VADER IS COMING -- Look Busy!"
Like I've said, Star Wars is popular around here these days!

And I was very excited for our big surprise -- which went off about as well as one could ask. After they opened the book I'd written for them, BJ was all about sitting down and listening to it. BB, not so much. Not wanting to ruin the moment, we took a break for some breakfast, then I read the book to them. It was very, very sweet, BJ's reaction especially. At the end of my story, when I wrote about Shelly and Stormy getting the "forever home" that they'd wished for -- our home -- BJ looked at me with tears in his eyes. "Is it true?" he asked.

"Want to go see?" I replied with a smile.

The kittens behaved beautifully, coming right up to see us when I opened up the door to the master bathroom where they'd spent the night.

BJ was still pretty teary-eyed even after spending a good amount of time playing with the kittens. I think he just couldn't quite believe it. S gave him a big hug and reassured him that the kittens would indeed be staying with us, their "forever home." I love that my son feels things so deeply especially where animals are concerned (reminds me of myself that way).

The kittens were happy to join us for opening the rest of the gifts. After a while, Shelly settled under the tree for a Christmas nap.

Stormy had a great time playing with the Nativity set. (What is it about Baby Jesus that makes the figurine such an attractive cat toy???)

Turns out the palm trees are pretty yummy, too, apparently...
(This picture just cracks up BB.)

Auntie B, I just had to share this picture of BJ opening his gift from you guys -- as you can tell, he was pretty danged excited. That expression is not feigned at all!

BB wanted to get right to work on some of the art and craft kits she received. The shrinky-dink fairy set was definitely a favorite.

Nana J was a great sport about all the kitten excitement -- and she and BJ especially had great fun with the Wii she gave the family for Christmas. It was very cute to see them playing Super Mario together!

Later on, BB decided to "help" the kittens take a nap. She cuddled them for a while...

Then settled them to sleep in a pile of her favorite blankets. Even tucked them in. Their patience with this process is sure testament to their sweet good nature, I tell ya!

I spent the afternoon making the worst Happy Birthday Jesus cake I've made to date (and I've been doing this a while!)

The 7 minute frosting just refused to set up -- and unfortunately, in spite of the evidence in front of me, after about 14 minutes of whipping I decided that it was "done enough" to ice the cake. Gravity promptly did its job, pulling the frosting into puddles around the bottom of the cake. Sigh. At least it tasted good!

After that fiasco, some kitten therapy was definitely in order.
I love how bonded these siblings are. They will just relax together almost anywhere, in that sweet kitten nap state. Here's the view from my perspective:

I am excited to see just how stripey these kitties get -- from this pic, it looks like Shelley especially might be a tabby after all!

All told, it was a lovely Christmas day. Missed my family, and it was exhausting, the way that Christmas is for parents (and unfortunately, no nap this year) but worth it, definitely worth it. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Kittens

2011-12-24T23:11:00.000-08:00

All day, I've been almost as excited as the kids -- but I've had to hide it, so as not to give away the secret. We adopted two wee kittens for Christmas!

Remember my friends who had the tiny kittens, the ones we visited at the end of November? (I blogged about it here.) Yes, it was all part of the plan. Ever since our dear Butchie passed away, I've been saying that the next kittens would arrive at the right time. So when my friend L told me they were fostering a pregnant cat, whose kittens would be ready for adoption right around Christmas, I started wondering if these kittens might be the ones for us.

After another visit to see them, after talking everything over with S, after consulting with L about which pair of siblings might do best, and after a top-secret visit to the vet to be sure the kittens were healthy... we finally decided: a little girl cat called Shelly and a little boy cat called Stormy would be part of our family for Christmas. (Those are the "starter names" that the foster family gave them -- we may give them different names, we'll see.)

Once the decision was made, the plans had to be finalized. Thankfully, L and her family were able to be around tonight for me to come by and pick up the little fuzzballs. They'd been raised by hand by an amazing foster family -- L, her sister J (who used to cat sit for Socksie and Butchie) and L's partner K -- and I'm so very grateful for the fantastic job they did helping these kittens thrive. They are so comfortable around people and just could not be sweeter.

When I got them home, they waltzed out of the cat carrier and started to check things out. Shelly led the way, with Stormy close behind. Shelly's the one with some white markings -- it looks for all the world like she dipped her front paw in some paint and then accidentally swiped it across her nose. Too cute!
What's up here?
Oh, this is fun!

Tails in the air, obviously at ease, they wanted to play right away.
Feathers!?! They have FEATHERS here??? We LOVE feathers!!!

Can I climb up your leg?

After a little play and a little nosh (using the two dishes that their foster dad K made for them, of course) they settled back onto the shelf where we keep the towels.

Soon, both were asleep.

I am beyond excited to share this secret with the kids tomorrow morning!!! I've written a little book called The Christmas Kittens, which I'll read to the kids -- which will tell the story of Shelly and Stormy and how they came to live with us, complete with photos of the kittens and the kids with them (when we went to visit, sneaky huh?) -- I think the surprise will go over quite well!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T23:08:00.000-08:00

What a nice Christmas Eve! We were very busy getting ready for the big day. Nana J arrived in the morning, and she was a big help. We made our traditional gingerbread cookies (which made S very happy -- I'd really cut down on the amount of holiday baking I did this year; no baklava; but he specifically requested his favorite cookies, and I was happy to oblige). Nana and the kids did most of the decorating.

BB and I did most of the mixing and baking of the cookies. She was a great kitchen helper!

BJ was busy with other important things: tracking Santa's location through the NORAD Santa tracker!

After the cookies were made, BB had one more important thing she wanted to do: get her nails done in Christmas colors. Nana was happy to help.

Both the kids were so excited -- and we were worried for a bit that BJ might be sick on Christmas day, since he'd been throwing up on the evening before Christmas Eve. That seems to be something he ate, though, since it was a one-time thing, no fever, and (thankfully) nobody else is sick.

Nice side effect of that, though: he ended up watching It's a Wonderful Life with S and I because he was having trouble sleeping due to the tummy troubles. It's our annual holiday tradition (since way back when in the early 90's when I saw it for the first time with S) and we'd been wondering when it might be appropriate to show it to the kids, figuring it would probably not interest them all that much. Turns out BJ really enjoyed it! And BB felt "left out" the morning after, so we let her watch it as well -- and while she wasn't as engrossed as BJ had been, both of them seemed very pleased to have taken part on this family holiday tradition. Now I'm looking forward to watching it as a family next year!

Finally, finally, after the long day's wait, the kids got ready for bed. Here they are in their new Christmas Eve pajamas (the one gift that we let them open up on Christmas Eve):

We put out the cookies for Santa and the veggies for the reindeer....

Settled in to read The Night Before Christmas....
And after the kids were in bed (falling asleep pretty quickly, actually) S and I finished wrapping presents and getting them under the tree...
And then, once that was ready, I headed out for my big Christmas Eve surprise: to pick up our two new kittens! That's right --we're getting KITTENS for CHRISTMAS! It's been a big secret, so big I didn't even want to post about it in case that gave something away.

More on that in the next post!

Sharing Our Favorite Things

2011-12-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

This evening, S and I were able to share some of our favorite things with the kids. I've blogged before of our deep fondness for the Stanford Theater. For some time now, we've been looking forward to the time when we could introduce BB and BJ to the Stanford Theater -- today, things finally lined up so that we could all go as a family. They were playing The Wizard of Oz, a movie that we've all seen and enjoyed, and it was being shown at a fairly family-friendly time. How sweet to share these two favorite things with our kids -- yummy slices of pizza at Pizza my Heart, our favorite pizza place, and a favorite movie at a favorite place.

Of course it didn't go entirely smoothly -- BB totally freaked out when the organ started playing after the movie (a combination of being up past bedtime and things being very loud, I think) and there were the usual hassles of going to the cinema with kids (spilled M&Ms, ending up with a kid in my lap for most of the movie). But all told it was a very nice time.

I was also pleased with the day because I was able to take my grandfather's guitar to the local luthier to see what they might be able to do to get it into a playable condition. It's a Gibson guitar from the 1930s, not one of the most highly decorative and collectible models, but huge on sentimental value and, as I'm learning, a very unique instrument. One of the Gryphon owners is an expert consultant for Antiques Roadshow -- and he'd never seen a guitar like this one. So that's saying something!

I'm definitely no expert at these things, but I took notes and listened closely as the guys at the shop looked over the guitar inside and out several times. They ultimately decided it was “mostly” an L37, a sort of hybrid between steel string features, a Kalamazoo model, and the acoustic arch top. This one has a carved arch top. They talked a lot about the varieties of inside bracing and the sunburst and other details -- Apparently the Gibson era arch top guitars would usually have different sound holes (like a violin on the side instead of a single round sound hole). Mine has a stamped number inside, 432, which is some help in identification but they are still puzzled. The combination of features on this one was something they’d never encountered before, and they consulted several expert books while I was standing there, and none of them had any info about this combo of features either. Fascinating! They are going to look further into some resources and see what they can find for me.

And when I got home, I did a little searching of my own and found this discussion, which includes a pic that looks almost identical to my grandfather's guitar. I'll be very interested to see if that sheds any light on things.

They said they'd like a month to work on things -- still not entirely sure what repair will need to be done, there's a list of must-do's and then they'll be able to string it up and see if there's more to be done -- and in the meantime I am practicing on my the guitar my dad gave me, hoping someday to be worthy of the instrument I've inherited from my grandfather. Really enjoying the playing, even though I'm still so much of a beginner. Learning something new is definitely another of my favorite things. Hopefully someday I'll get good enough to share the playing with others and have them enjoy it too!

Angry Birds

2011-12-23T09:08:00.000-08:00

As an early Christmas present, Giki and Pop-Pop sent BJ an Angry Birds ball. He has been having a fantastic time with it -- he's a big fan of Angry Birds -- and in typical BJ style he is insisting on replicating the game so that he can play it "for real." And of course BB soon wanted to join in the fun.

We had some good boxes on hand thanks to holiday packages arriving, so we set them up. BJ drew the "piggy king" on one of them.
Then I remembered we had a really big box from the shipment of my grandfather's guitar (more on that soon -- so excited to have it here!) We had a great time stacking the boxes and knocking them down!

Thanks, Giki and Pop-Pop!

Happy Solstice

2011-12-22T23:05:00.000-08:00

This year, amidst the hectic holiday preparations, I pause to give thanks for the return of the light. And to apologize to the muse. There is so little room in my life right now for extended reflection -- little wonder the muse is so quiet -- but at these spokes in the wheel of the year, I almost always hear her whispering. No time to listen closely this year. But I know she's still there, and for now that is blessing enough.

Happy Solstice. May your winter be warm and your love full of light.

Lunar Eclipse

2011-12-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post this in a more timely manner -- oops! Been so busy with holiday stuff!

S definitely got points on the parental scoreboard the other morning: he woke up super early so that he could get BJ up to watch the lunar eclipse.

They had a pretty good view from right outside our apartment and viewed it through our gallileoscope (score to me for obtaining one). My camera wasn't good enough to get a good pic, alas, but things were very visible. In spite of the chilly early morning, BJ was absolutely delighted! Good job, S!

Gingerbread Houses with Auntie L!

2011-12-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

Another item checked off the holiday prep to-do list! Today our dear friend L came over and made gingerbread houses with the kids. What fun!

All done! BB's on the left, BJ's on the right.

Thanks, Auntie L!

Teacher Time with A

2011-12-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

Today we got together with BJ's kindergarten teacher for some special together time.

To say the kids were excited would be quite the understatement. We had won this "teacher time" at the school auction, much to BJ's delight. He really has a special bond with A and misses being in her class. The "teacher time" was for two kids, and we'd considered inviting one of BJ's friends, but in the end we decided it would be fun to include BB. Once we explained what it was all about, she was pretty excited too!

A started their special time together by taking the kids to a local Petroglyph studio to paint some pottery.

BB painted a mermaid and BJ painted a shark.

When BJ was done with his shark, he also helped A with some gingerbread ornaments that she was painting.

I did a little shopping while the kids painted their ceramics, and then I joined them for lunch. BB asked me to do a little touch up on her mermaid to finish things up -- it was a pretty detail-oriented, challenging project that she'd chosen! She really enjoyed it, but she was especially nervous to do the face herself, so I helped out a bit.

We had pizza for lunch and then visited the candy shoppe. BJ got a huge gummy snake candy and some Angry Birds gummies, and BB got a fairy lollipop and a little dalmation stuffy. A, being her thoughtful self, insisted that we should choose something to bring home to S so he wouldn't feel left out, so we got him some of his favorite German raspberry candies.

What a special day! Thanks, A!

Crafty Girls

2011-12-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

I had my last craft fair of the year last Saturday -- I participated in a "Sip and Shop" home boutique at a lovely local residence.

It was my most successful fair of the season, which was very gratifying. Plus I got to hang out with my crafty friend C, of Hoyden Designs. Good times!

It's been cute to see how interested the kids are in all of my preparations for the holiday craft shows. BB especially has been taking note of how much time I'm spending making things. She decided to open up her own "shop" in the living room!

With everything from holiday decorations to "color your own" bits of paper, she was quite busy making things for her "shop." She even had prices written on little pieces of paper next to each of the offerings. Like mama, like daughter! One of these days she'll be able to join me at the craft fairs!

Holiday Party and Visit to Santa

2011-12-16T19:35:00.000-08:00

Today BB and I went to the potluck holiday party in BJ's first grade classroom. Such fun!

We had a yummy lunch, and BJ enjoyed having us there in the classroom. It was cute to see him showing BB around and making sure to save her a seat next to him at the table. Many of the girls in BJ's class had dressed up for the party, and one of them commented that none of the boys had dressed up. BJ piped up, "Not true! I dressed up!" He was very happy to have worn the cute Christmas outfit that Nana picked out for him. (Thanks, Nana!)

After the potluck, we went outside for a bit of recess. The kids went out together hand in hand (alas I didn't get a pic of that!) and climbed all over the play structure together.

It's so sweet to see how BJ watches out for his little sister whenever she's at school with him. Previews of things will be next year, I think! They are both growing up so fast. Here's BB exploring the "balance beam" perimeter of the playground.

After recess, I took BJ out of school a little early so that we could take care of a very important item on the holiday to-do list: visit Santa Claus!

BJ asked for "a big stuffed snake" (he'd seen them at Happy Hollow a few months back and really, really wanted one; I told him to ask for one for Christmas and he sure remembered!) and BB asked for either a Princess Leia doll or a Rapunzel doll. In our family, we get to ask Santa for one gift, and up until a few weeks ago, BB had said she'd be asking for a Rapunzel doll. Then she changed her mind and said she wanted a Princess Leia doll. Being a savvy mom, I encouraged BB to be sure that she gave Santa a back up plan in case he couldn't find a Princess Leia doll. We'll see what Santa is able to bring!

When Worlds Collide

2011-12-13T15:10:00.001-08:00

Star Wars continues to be very popular around here, which has led to some interesting recent combinations.

Star Wars meets the Princess Fairy -- or, BB while dressing up as a Disney fairy (Silvermist, I think) decided that instead she should be the blue fairy from Pinocchio -- until she changed her mind to say she should dress up as a Movie Star while also being "The Death Star" (note the circle spot on her head and the arm light sabers, both of which she made All By Herself):

She informed me that she was "trying to get all creative" -- and that is certainly the case. She was so delighted with herself that she insisted I get pictures. So of course I did! Also got a little video -- here's BB explaining the getup:

(The feather special effects never did come into being, alas, or at least not while I was watching.)

Later, decorating for Christmas, we decided to make a little MERRY CHRISTMAS paper banner. BB informed me that we would also need to make a banner that said "POD RACE" -- because she would be holding a pod race in the living room. Not one to argue with such logic, I helped her make the banner. But I didn't expect that she'd also want to use Christmas themed paper, nor did I suspect that we'd be hanging the banner right next to the Christmas banner.

The final surprise? When she informed me that the Nativity Set would be moved during the pod race -- into a "cave" so they could race by it. Seems the "cave" is on top of the ottoman in the living room.

Alas, I didn't get video of the race in progress. But trust me, it was quite amusing to see Anakin Skywalker zoom by baby Jesus, to much applause and acclaim.

Gotta love the imagination of a four-year-old!

Make Your Own Armwarmers or Fingerless Gloves

2011-12-08T14:41:00.000-08:00

I recently decided that it would be fun to have a pair of fingerless gloves. So, being me, I decided to make a pair.

If I had all the time in the world, I would have knitted them. It being the busy holiday season, I don't have that kind of time. I needed a quick project that I could finish in less than an hour. And that's exactly what I got!

Now, I'm not exactly a trendy sort of gal -- I tend to be either in front of the curve or far behind it. So I was surprised to find out that my recent desire for fingerless gloves is spot-on with current trends.

I didn't want them so I could stay cozy while texting (in fact, to show you just how un-cool I am: I have yet to ever even send a text message!) and neither was I trying to be hip in a Twilight-inspired way. In fact, I didn't even know they had such potential until a few days ago -- and it was my 62 year old mother who enlightened me. So that's saying something. I was telling her about my project, and she asked, "Oh, you mean fingerless gloves like in Twilight?"

Um, yeah.

I haven't read, seen, or otherwise informed myself about anything Twilight-related. Quite deliberately, I might add. But having already made and loved my little pair of fingerless gloves, I wasn't going to abandon the idea just because all the other cool kids were doing it. (Besides, I doubt if anything vampirish would really go for the holiday kitsch look that I was rockin' with my warm-armed self.)

Instead, I figured I'd spread the word about just how easy it is to make your own pair of arm warmers or fingerless gloves! All you need is a pair of knee socks, some thread, and a little know-how with your sewing machine.

I bought my knee socks at the dollar store, in the holiday section. They actually had quite a selection of fairly cute Christmas designs. I decided to use a matching thread color, since I had a holiday red on hand from other projects, but you could use a contrasting color for some pop around the edges. Up to you!

1. Decide how long your armwarmers will be: pull one of the socks up your arms however high up you'd like the armwarmer to go, then judge where they should stop. Armwarmers should stop about at your wrist. If you want them to be fingerless gloves, they will need to reach down towards your knuckles. If your design has stripes or other horizontal elements to the pattern, you can choose a length that will allow you to use the pattern to help get a straight cut.

I decided to cut mine pretty close down by the ankle of the socks to make a pair of longer fingerless gloves that would reach to the elbow. Cut carefully in a straight line using fabric scissors.

2. Set your sewing machine for a small zig-zag stitch -- if your machine is fancier than mine, you might have an automatic satin stitch. (Then again, if you have a fancier machine than mine you probably know a lot more than me about sewing and don't need this tutorial!)

3. Stitch all around the raw edge where you cut the sock.

It will curl, so you will probably want to help keep things in place and smoothed out with your left hand. Let the machine take the fabric -- don't force it through -- but use your hand to keep it as flat as possible while the zig-zag stitch wraps around the raw edge to finish it off.
The edge gets a ruffled look, like this:

If you're seeing too much fray or sock fabric along the ruffled edge, you can always go around it again with your zig-zag stitch. I actually went around mine twice.

Repeat for the other sock.

If you just want arm warmers, you're done! The ruffled edge is the one that will be by your hand, and the top of the sock (which would have been by your knee) will be up by your elbow.

4. To make into a pair of fingerless gloves, pull on the arm warmer and decide how big the thumb opening should be. Mark with a pin, take off the glove, and tack the edges together to create a thumb opening. Easy-peasy!

Here's how the finished fingerless glove turned out:

If you didn't cut the socks down too far, you can even salvage the foot part to make a little pair of anklets. Just finish off the raw edge with the zig-zag stitch! (In fact, the pics above of the sock on the machine are from when I was doing the sock part, as you can tell since it's red thread on green fabric. The technique is exactly the same.)

Now don't worry, I don't have any plans to wear the socks and the gloves at the same time. (Though I'm sure that would take care of any concerns I might have about being too trendy!)

Happy sewing -- and happy holidays!

Join Mama's Magic Studio -- at Bazaar Bizarre and at the Sip & Shop Boutique

2011-12-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

Hi friends, fans, and family! I'm delighted to announce that I'll be out and about with my Handmade Magic at two great upcoming holiday events -- on Sunday, I'll be with SF Etsy in the Etsy booth all day at Bazaar Bizarre San Francisco. Baz Biz is a fantastic holiday handmade extravaganza, with more than 200 local artisan vendors. You can find me in booth #138!

Next weekend, on Saturday December 10th, I'll be at a much more intimate event, the Sip & Shop Boutique at a private residence in San Jose. This event is a fundraiser for kindergarten classes at Dove Hill Elementary, and I'll be joined by a nice variety of local artists with handcrafted wares from jewelry and art to cards and soap, with lots of unique gifts. Location information can be found at the RSVP on my Mama's Magic Studio Facebook page here.

I'd love to see you at one of these events. Leave me a comment if you'll be there!

A Grateful A Day #30: This Wonderful World

2011-11-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

A Grateful A Day #29: Lists

2011-11-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

How would I make it through this life without the almighty list? I am a big list-maker, from quotidian to-do lists to exercises in happiness -- thank goodness for the existence of Lists.

And really, this month's record of gratitude is just an extended list isn't it? And, for the record, here's the list so far. I am grateful for:

My sweetheart
My kids
My parents
My sister
Plenty
Creative Community
The Library
A Nap
Modern Medicine
Good Schools
Freedom
Campus Life
Craigslist
Blogging
Studio Time
Etsy Love
The Teeny-Tiny Frying Pan
Poetry
Photos
Customers
Health
Cleanliness (Godliness)
Friends
Family
Other Artists
Traditions (and a Good Step Stool)
Kittens
Technology (and the Off Switch)

Tomorrow will be my last Grateful a Day for the month, which will conclude the list. I already know what I'll post: an all-encompassing, catch-all finale (which also happens to be one of my favorite songs). So very much to be grateful for. Thank you, wonderful world!

A Grateful A Day #28: Technology. And the Off Switch

2011-11-28T18:48:00.000-08:00

It's a mixed blessing, but something I'm very thankful for -- all this technology that enriches our lives. I've spent much of the day toggling between emails and catching up on the blog and stepping away from the computer to play card games with BB before dashing off another email. (I am organizing volunteers for the SF Etsy staffing of the Etsy booth at Bazaar Bizarre this weekend -- a great opportunity, but one involving lots of last-minute details and LOTS of email correspondence! BTW I'll be there on Sunday, so if you're local and at the fair, come by the Etsy booth and say hello!) So many of my quotidian tasks are accomplished through technological help -- at least once a week, I end up doing a Google search to answer one of BJ's questions! I am on email and various sites on a daily basis, I use Facebook (I also tweet a little, but not a lot) and of course there is my Etsy shop!

And while we eschew the television and I've steadfastly refused to get a smartphone, which makes me less technologically connected than I might be, we are hardly luddites around here. I heart my iPad, and I'm thoroughly grateful for the Internet, in all its idiot savant glory.

But I'm also very thankful that it all has an off switch. And that I use it. Those times when I walk away from the screen and turn off the devices are thoroughly necessary and gratifying. Especially when children are involved.

A Grateful A Day #27: Kittens!

2011-11-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

I've always been a cat lover. Embarassing confession time: for quite a while as a kid, I tried to get people to refer to me by the nickname "JenCat," an attempt that never really succeeded. (Which is probably for the best.) About that same time, I experienced great joy upon realizing that llicense plates in my home state had six characters -- which happened to be the exact same number of characters in the word JENCAT! -- and I was convinced that when I was All Grown Up And Sixteen Years Old I would have the perfect vanity plate.

Needless to say, when I was a teenager this idea had less appeal than I had imagined it would.

In spite of never getting a vanity plate of any kind, I remained a fan of felines. I've always had cats for pets, and I miss my dear departed kitties very much.

So it was a real treat when our friend L invited us over to see her almost-three-week-old kittens. They are fostering a litter of six wee ones, whose mother had died after giving birth. Talk about adorable little fuzzballs!

There were two girls and four boys: Cali and Shelly, and Smoky, Dylan, Thomas, and Stormy. Here's BB with Cali in her lap and BJ with one of the grey boys (I think it might have been Stormy).

My kids had never seen kittens this small. They will be three weeks old tomorrow, so they were just learning how to walk! They were definitely enchanted.

BB with Cali.
BB with a lap full of kitten love, and grinning like crazy. Three little kittehs in that pile!

BJ liked to lay down and let one of them (maybe Dylan?) crawl all over him.

S with one of the black boys, not sure which one. He was pretty charmed as well by all that fuzzy cuteness.

L and her family are doing an amazing job with these little ones. They are bottle feeding them every 4-6 hours (having graduated from tube feeding!) and all six babies are thriving. I was really impressed with how caring and knowledgeable L was as a substitute mommy kitty -- this is exactly the kind of thing that I dreamed about back when I wanted to be known as JenCat, but the truth is I wouldn't have known the first thing about how to care for teeny tiny kittens (did you know you have to help them pee and poo? I didn't!) and even now as a relatively competent pet owner, all this was way out of my skill set. Really neat to see them doing so well, though L (who I met through my mom's group, and who is now having some sleep-deprived new-mom flashbacks!) is understandably looking forward to the kittens being more independent and not needing round the clock care!

Here's one of the little ones taking a bottle. Note that BB is already scheming...

What a nice visit we had -- thanks, L! -- and the kids are eager to come back when the kittens are a little older. They'd both chosen a toy (BB a ball and BJ a felt mouse) to bring on our visit, and the kittens were clearly not yet at that playful point in their development. But soon enough, they will be!

I'm very glad I live in a world in which there are kittens. And cats! Definitely something for the gratitude list!

A Grateful A Day #26: Traditions. And A Good Step Stool

2011-11-26T16:05:00.000-08:00

Two essentials for a happy holiday season in the Mama's Magic household:

Traditions. And a Good Step Stool.

Definitely two things to be thankful for!

On Friday (of Black Friday Fame) we were very content to stay home all day, avoid the consumerist madness, and work on one of our favorite holiday traditions: trimming the tree! We'd thought for a while about going back to a live tree, but we decided to stick with our artificial tree for another year. Besides, it's the one the kids know and like. (And in all honesty, much as I prefer a real tree, I like this one too. In my book, if you're gonna go fake, go FAKE.)

You can definitely tell that it's a TDBK (Tree Decorated By Kids) but that's OK by me. I don't need a designer-level, perfectly orchestrated decoration scheme. Decorated by kids is where we are and I like it that way.

It's fun to see that the kids are remembering other traditions as well. BB requested that we make ice cream cone Christmas trees again, which was lots of fun.

MMM! SUGAR!

And I enjoyed getting out the tinsel and lights and hanging up Grandma's quilt. We didn't do much decorating last year, since we were going to be at Yosemite for the holiday, so it was really nice to glitz up the apartment a bit.

Definitely activities for that step stool!

(All through my childhood, I recall my mom saying "In my next life, I'm coming back two inches taller." Sometimes I really sympathize with that statement. Other times, I figure, hey, all you really need is a good step stool! Which I finally have, now. For which I am most grateful.)

A Grateful A Day #25: Other Artists! Friday Feature for Magdalene Jewels and Magdalene Knits

2011-11-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

Today's Friday feature is the featured Etsyblogger of the Month: Pamela, who runs two Etsy shops. Magdalene Knits and Magdalene Jewels.

You'll find lots of lovely, cozy items in Magdalene Knits. I especially love these precious Christmas Mary Jane booties!

And you'll find lots of pretty shiny things in Magdalene Jewels, including this beautiful Cobalt Blue Vintage Bracelet:

Today's feature fits perfectly with my Grateful for the day -- other artists! I am so thankful to all the other artists, crafters, and artisans out there. Thank you for making your art, for following your craft, for adding your creativity to the world. I value handmade so much, and I am so grateful that there are so many other folks out there making beautiful and useful things. Thank you!

Enjoy the interview -- and congratulations, Pamela, on being Etsyblogger of the Month for November!

1. Please tell us about the items in your Etsy shop. What do you make? How did you learn your craft?

I have always loved doing something creative, whether knitting, crocheting, embroidering, quilting, painting, and for the past few years designing my own jewelry, all of which I have taught myself.

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a creative nature within. The many Necklaces, Bracelets and Earrings in my shop are all created and designed by myself. As I just started making jewelry a few years ago, it has and still is a learning process. I never had any intention of selling my work, I would just give it away.

As for my knitted and crocheted items which are in my newest shop, “MagdaleneKnits” - when I found out that my daughter was going to have her first child (my first grandchild) I started crocheting little baby booties, and baby sweaters, and other little baby items, even a little lamb for Easter. I originally had scarves and neck warmers in my jewelry shop, but they have now been relegated to my “knit” shop as well. For any of you who do knit or crochet, you will understand when I say it is a very relaxing activity?

When I first started, I never had any intention of selling my work, I would just give it away. If someone said how much they liked a certain piece, well, it was then theirs – I still tend to do this with my friends, even when they want to pay me

2. Are we teammates on any Etsy Teams?

Besides being a member of the “EtsyBloggers Team”, I also am a member of the “Bbest Team”. Since I opened my Knit/Crochet shop I have joined the “CreateCrochet Team”, and “CrochetOriginals Team”.

3. What is involved in your creative process?

I imagine my creative process evolves from my own personality, and what one would term my very vivid imagination. In my “Jewelry” shop, often I will see a beautiful color crystal, which when in the light can reflect so many possibilities that my mind becomes absorbed in a certain moment or feeling or a certain song will come to mind, from there the creativity begins. The same inspirations and creativity can be found in my Knitting and Crochet work. As you can see from most of my pieces, I am one who is truly a romantic and love the feminine aspect of my being.

4. Tell us two (or more) other interesting things about you.

I think the most important achievement I have accomplished are my three children, Kelly, Keith & Ryan. I have been a single mother since the boys were infants, which only made us closer as a family. No matter what, they have always been there for me, as I have been for them. For those that read my blogs, you know that my newest joy is my little grandson Zachary, who just turned 2 in October!

In between all of this, I am also member of a local theater group as their costume designer, as well as having had a few small parts in some of their plays. I have also managed to joined forces in my work, while designing the costumes, I have also designed jewelry pieces for some of the actresses to wear on stage.

5. What inspires your creations?

I imagine that my inspirations evolve from my own personality and what one would term my very vivid imagination. As all my pieces are made with Swarovski Crystals, often I will see a beautiful color crystal, which when in the light can reflect so many possibilities that my mind becomes absorbed in a certain moment or feeling, or a certain song will come to mind, and from there the creativity begins. Those that truly know me will understand this. As you can see from most of my pieces, I am one who is truly a romantic and love the feminine aspect of my being.

6. What is your favorite item in your shop? Why is it your favorite?
This necklace which I call “The Rose” after one of my most favorite song, “The Rose” by Janis Joplin. It’s Victorian, very feminine look reflects a lot of my inner self.

7. What advice do you have for other folks selling or buying on Etsy?

Firstly, I would say to enjoy what you do, that is where you will find your creativity. I also suggest to those that are not part of a team to find one that relates to what their craft is, or interests. One, it is a good way to promote your work, and definitely do some Treasury’s – they are a lot of fun to put together. Also, definitely communicate through your Blogs, Facebook or Twitter, they are good networking tools. Most importantly since I have been here at Etsy, is not the sales I have made or hope to make, but it is the dear friends I have made during the past few years. We are there for each other during our many ups and downs, and very supportive during the many obstacles we often are challenged with.

8. If you had a gift certificate to Etsy for any one item you wanted, what would you buy?

These earrings -- actually I would love anything from this shop!! It is my favorite Jewelry shop – I purchased one of their rings “Karma” which I always wear.

9. Which one song describes your life the best? Why?

I would definitely have to say “Let it Be” by the Beatles. When I find life gets to much, and things have let you down, I start singing “Let it Be” and the words “speaking words of wisdom” brings an inner peace and I try to see things in a different light.

10. Where else can we find out more about you and/or your creations?

Shops: Magdalene Jewels and Magdalene Knits
Facebook
Flickr
Twitter
YouTube: I often do Video’s of Treasury’s I make

A Grateful A Day #24: Family

2011-11-24T20:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Today I'm grateful for so many, many things. We had a very nice Thanksgiving day hosting dinner here at the apartment. I was busy busy with lots of cooking and preparing, but it all came together well.

BJ wanted to do a holiday craft, so instead of our traditional Thanksgiving Bowl, we did a Thankful Turkey. BJ and I collected the pine cone base on our way home from school on Tuesday, Nana helped out by cutting out a bunch of construction paper "feathers" and a head for the turkey, and we invited our guests to write something for which they are thankful on a feather.

I wrote "family" -- so did BJ and S a few other folks -- and it is definitely one of the things I'm most thankful for in my life. Not just my immediate family, which is wonderful, but also my extended family. And the only thing missing from yesterday being a perfect day was my family back on the east coast. I missed my mom and dad and sister and her family very much.

BB was especially excited about the holiday preparations yesterday. She loved watching us get out the china and set up the table, and she wanted to help out by finding some sparkly autumn leaf "treasures" in her collection. They were very pretty scattered along the table runner, much to her delight.

Nana found the perfect orchid flower arrangement to pull it all together (thanks, Nana!) and it looked very elegant!Unfortunately, I was too busy with everything to remember to get any other pictures of the day! I'd meant to get one with my camera of the family gathering. We were joined by Nana J, S's brother and family, and S's aunt and uncle. It was a lovely bunch and a very happy thanksgiving. Hope yours was too!

A Grateful A Day #23: Friends

2011-11-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

I hope by now that my readers have figured out that the gratitude list emerging from this month's entries is not really organized in order of importance. If I were ranking the things in my life for which I am grateful, I can say for sure that friends would be more important than the Teeny Tiny Frying Pan!

I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends. I have lots and lots of lovely acquaintances, people I'd consider friends, both online and in the real world. I greatly enjoy the time I spend with these folks, whether that is volunteering together, chatting online, seeing one another at craft fairs or at events for our kids, or going to a Mom's Night Out.

I am also blessed to have a few very close friends. I'd count S as my best friend, I have a few old friends with whom I keep in touch (mostly via facebook), and I have a few women I've come to know since we moved to California. Their friendship thoroughly brightens my world and warms my heart. You know who you are!

Thank you to all of my friends -- thanks so much for being you and for being part of my life. I love you all!

A Grateful A Day #22: Cleanliness/Godliness

2011-11-22T21:24:00.000-08:00

So glad to have a clean home tonight (after much work!) and realizing again how much outer chaos connects to inner malaise. If Godliness is that sense of inner peace, and a clean and orderly environment helps me achieve such a mental state, perhaps cleanliness truly is neighborly with Godliness.

Or perhaps that sense of peace is merely the knowledge that I do not have to go grocery shopping tomorrow, since I did so today! Since BJ was well enough to go to school (thankful for that for sure!) I was able to get that errand done today. Whew!

At any rate, I am very grateful that the apartment (including my studio area!) is all cleaned up. Hope it stays that way through Thursday, when the rest of our Thanksgiving guests arrive! Nana J came in this morning, and we are all looking forward to a very nice holiday. I hope you are too!

A Grateful A Day #21: Health

2011-11-21T21:15:00.000-08:00

BJ was home sick today. Not too serious, just a cold and slight fever that developed over the weekend, but he was still feeling lousy enough this morning to stay home. Happily, by the late afternoon he seemed much better and was running around full of energy as he and BB played together. Nothing like sickness to make one extra-appreciative of good health. So very grateful that most of the time, we are a healthy bunch.

(And here's hoping that BJ is all better tomorrow and the rest of us stay well!)

A Grateful A Day #20: Customers

2011-11-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

I'm so grateful to those many folks who have seen my Handmade Magic and valued it enough to purchase it! It still gives me a jolt of pride and pleasure to realize that other people will pay me money to own the things I make. I get such joy out of making my crafts; it's a very lovely thing that I can earn something from the things my hands make. A big thank you to all my customers, whose support allows me to keep doing what I love!

Today I had a table at my first holiday craft show of the season (and perhaps my only one this year; I haven't signed up for any other ones at this point and may well not do so, we'll see). I was at the Jingle Fest fair in San Jose, and I'm delighted to say that it went really well. A nice mix of booths at the show, got to see many of my SF Etsy teammates, and happily there were many customers as well. Hooray for that!

It was fun to have several new items on the table. My sewn paper garlands were very popular. They are such fun to make!
I was puzzled how to package them for a while -- needed to keep them from tangling, but wanted them to be visible -- and didn't want to just buy a bunch of plastic bags. Then I realized I had a bag full of bags I'd been saving, and I had a bunch that were the perfect size, with cardboard inserts too! A little snipping and wrapping, print out some labels, and I had recycled packaging that looked pretty good, though I say it myself. The customers seemed to agree, which is always nice.

Lots of eco-friendly fun going on at my table this year. I had eco-friendly flower rings and brooches made from upcycled fabrics, with vintage buttons from my grandmother's collection.
I also had the eco-friendly Shabby Chic Christmas trees, which I'd posted originally about here. I'd made them from FabMo fabrics and more of grandmother's buttons. (FabMo is a local resource that recycles designer fabrics which would otherwise end up in the landfill. It's such a great organization!) They can hang as ornaments or stand independently. Lots of oohs and aahs over them, which is gratifying.

More FabMo fun: the little wristlet purses that I'd been working on earlier this month. I even had one customer who recognized the pink and green fabric as FabMo fabric, said she had some of the same fabric at home! Love those little synchronicities.

It's so nice to have my grown-up time (and what a lovely treat to have S visit with the kids for a little while, so they can see that Mommy does do work that earns money, not just hanging out with them all the time!) and so rewarding to earn that money from things I've made. Thank you, customers! Without you, Mama's Magic Studio could not exist.
Many of these items are not yet listed in my Etsy shop, because I haven't had time to take the pictures and write the descriptions and do all the work involved in putting them for sale online. I'm not sure I'll have time to get everything listed soon -- if there's something you see that you'd like me to work on listing first, by all means let me know in the comments! I love my customers, love hearing from you, and welcome your feedback.

A Grateful A Day #19: Photos

2011-11-19T21:36:00.000-08:00

We had a family portrait taken today. BB's preschool was doing them as a school fundraiser, so we decided to take advantage of it. First time we'd done a formal sitting one for just the four of us (if you don't count the ones taken with Santa Claus a few years back, and I don't). I'm really looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

Photos are very important to me -- my dad's influence there for sure -- and I've tried to keep a good family record through the images taken during the past six (almost seven) years since BJ was born. I was also trying to get a printed selection of the many (many MANY) digital images, because I'm old school like that. I really like having photos in albums to look at, and the kids like it too. I was years behind in this project, until I printed out a whole bunch a few months back, getting us caught up through August. (Granted, I have not yet had time to put them in albums; they are still in the boxes from Snapfish, but it's progress to have those boxes sitting on the shelf rather than all just still as files on the computer!) It was such fun to re-discover images like this one, of the kids playing in the rain a year ago:
It's a quotidian moment, but I love that it has been preserved. I can't imagine what life would be like without photographs. And thinking of how different it is, now that everything is digital, I really am astonished by how amazing it is that I can so easily snap an image and save it. I'm so grateful that I can do that.

All this musing about photography also got me thinking of a poem I wrote many years ago, before BJ was born. Since I've been thinking about poetry lately, and feeling grateful for that as well, I thought I'd share:

Double Sonnet for History’s Lessons

“In four years, more than a million photographs were made of the war. Now, no one seemed to want them anymore. Mathew Brady went bankrupt. Thousands of glass plate negatives were lost, mislaid, or forgotten. Thousands more were sold to gardeners, not for the images they held, but for the glass itself. In the years that followed Appomattox, the sun slowly burned the image of war from thousands of greenhouse glass panes.”
--Ken Burns, The Civil War

I

In sepia tones, they shot countrymen
In gray and blue — images caught on glass,
By Mathew Brady and his camera. Then,
The Civil War was lost and won; the mass
Of panes no longer wanted turned to trash,
The refuse of our history, piled high
In dark rooms where dust drifts and sifts, like ash
That crumbles away softly with a sigh
From the fire that had raged in the black grate
A short while before. Soon after the war,
Gardeners bought such unwanted glass plate
To build new greenhouse walls against the hoar
Of coming winter’s chill. The sun would fade
Each image back to clear glass with time’s aid.

II

I want to find a way within to build
A greenhouse from my memory’s morass —
The lingering impressions that I stilled
Sometime before on mental panes of glass.
And yet I fear forgetting, letting go;
Instead, I stack them up inside my head.
It seems the next best thing to use them so:
Allowing in bright light to fade the dead
And dying likenesses that we have kept,
While sheltering each little bud and shoot
From chills we now too easily accept,
And warming older plants down to the root,
As graven pictures fade away with time
To glass that keeps out cold for love’s green climb.

A Grateful A Day #18: Poetry

2011-11-18T21:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I was writing poetry on a regular basis, but when I think of the things for which I'm grateful, poetry is still very high on the list. Whether that's my favorite poems or ones I've written myself, I am so thankful that I've come to understand and value poetry. It's a shame that so many people dismiss it, thinking they don't "get" it, or Hallmark it, thinking that only rhyming cutesie-wootsie doggerel counts as poetry.

Surefire prescription to cure the ills of the spirit: read equal parts Elizabeth Bishop, e.e. cummings, Billy Collins, Jack Gilbert, Emily Dickinson, and Richard Wright. For severe cases, add in a dose of Walt Whitman, Shakespeare, Margaret Atwood, Rumi (the Coleman Barks translation), and Adrienne Rich. Repeat as needed until symptoms subside.

Once upon a time, my muse and I were in very frequent communication. I performed my poems at the local women's open mic and even got up on stage at few poetry slams. That feels like worlds away these days. I hope my muse is only on vacation, relaxing somewhere that isn't cluttered with the to-do lists of Stay-At-Home-Mom-dom, hanging out in mental landscapes that are not littered with the equivalent of imaginary Legos, painful to step on and difficult to avoid in the dark. I've been missing my muse more and more lately. I'm grateful that she was with me, so close, for so long. And I hope she comes back to stay, hopefully soon.

A Grateful A Day #17: The Teeny-Tiny Frying Pan

2011-11-17T21:23:00.000-08:00

Thursday nights are usually "Breakfast for Dinner" night in the Mama's Magic household. S is not a fan of mixing up the mealtime paradigms like that, but on Thursdays he has to work late, so with it being just me and the kids for dinner most Thursdays, we've made it our little tradition. I typically serve some fruit, some sort of carb (waffles, pancakes, or sometimes cinnamon rolls), and eggs for protein.

The kids like their eggs scrambled. I prefer mine fried. I also really dislike lukewarm fried egg, so making a fried egg first and then scrambling some for them is not an option. Scrambling first then cleaning the pan so I can fry an egg afterwards? Takes too much time. And I really dislike dirtying two frying pans just to fry up an egg. This means that most Thursday nights I would settle for scrambled eggs because it was easier to eat the same thing that the kids would eat.

Then, while shopping at Safeway, I saw the cutest little teeny-tiny frying pan. It was $5. "Oh, how cute!" I thought. Then I thought, "But do you really need it?" No, I concluded. I do not. You know you're committed to frugal living when five bucks can seem like just a little too much for an impulse buy like that. I actually didn't buy it the first time I saw it.

But then, on the next Thursday night as I was standing at the stove scrambling the eggs, I realized: if I had the teeny-tiny frying pan, I could fry myself an egg At The Same Time as scrambling the ones for the kids, and not have two big dirty pans to wash, and have hot eggs for everybody! Brilliant! Did I suddenly need this teeny-tiny pan? No! But did I want it? YES!

It's really rather ridiculous how happy it makes me to use this teeny-tiny frying pan. But now that I have it, every Thursday night, I'm smiling at the stove and very grateful that I spent those five bucks.

A Grateful A Day #16: Etsy Love!

2011-11-16T15:33:00.001-08:00

I'm always so tickled and grateful when my work on Etsy gets noticed. Today my knitting needle earrings were featured in a lovely treasury by Starpompon -- and they sold a few hours later!

And today I was also featured on the Etsyblogger blog! Fellow Etsyblogger Gilliauna wrote a lovely little post about my shop. You can check it out here. Really feeling the Etsy love today. Hooray!

A Grateful A Day #15: Studio Time

2011-11-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful that our family schedule once again allows me to depend on at least a little studio time per week. Most weeks, I get at least one morning of focused work time. Some weeks, I get two. Sure, it isn't a ton of time. But it is so much more than I used to have! And knowing that there's reliable time on a somewhat regular basis for me to focus on creative things makes all the difference.

This morning, I was able to spend several hours finishing up some shabby chic Christmas trees that I've been working on for the Jingle Fest craft fair on Sunday. (Local folks, I'd love to see you there! You can RSVP and get more info here.)

I'm really happy with how they are turning out -- they are the most eco-friendly craft I've made to date! They use recycled designer fabric that I got from FabMo, some vintage buttons from my grandmother's collection (told ya, Mom, that I'd find a nice way to use them!), cork bases from the huge bag of corks that I'd been saving because I knew they'd be useful someday (my dad would be so proud!) and a little bit of eco-felt to cover the corks. And they are really fun to make!
They can stand on their own or be hung as an ornament. The "shabby" sensibility is a new one for me as well -- I like how the frayed edges sort of echo the idea of pine needles -- and it feels good to be working on the sewing machine again. Hooray for studio time!

A Grateful A Day #14: Blogging

2011-11-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't have predicted it a few years ago, but since starting this blog in 2007 I have become very grateful to be blogging. I passed my 1000 post mark some time back without even noticing it (in fact, I didn't realize it until just now, going back to confirm when I began this blog, and I noted that this will be post number 1099!) and while it initially felt strange and awkward to be doing this blogging thing, now it feels quite natural.

A dear friend of mine first suggested that I start a blog, and though it took me a long time to act on his advice, I'm very grateful that he made the recommendation. It's been a sanity-saver, for sure.

Or, as S puts it, he likes to read what I write here because he gets to see the "happy Jen" version of how my life is going. It's a good thing for me to consistently use that lens. And if nothing else, it has kept me writing for the past four years. It's "only" blogging, but at least it's something. Ever since finishing up that draft of the novel right before BJ was born, I have done very little writing other than blogging. I doubt I'll be starting another novel anytime soon (if ever) and I regret that my poetic muse has been all but silent for several years now. But I know that I'm happier and healthier when I'm writing regularly, so for now blogging fills that vital role for me.

When I don't blog, I miss it. It's fun to be going through my day and have those "I'm going to blog about this!" moments. I like being able to share sneak peeks of my work in progress and to write about my creative process (though I don't do that as often as I'd like, alas). It's prompted me to take more pictures of the kids, and I really value the family record that is emerging through these posts.

Speaking of family record, two weeks of gratitude posts have created a bit of a backlog in the family stuff! So here are some highlights:

BB and BJ have been getting along pretty well lately -- I snapped a pic of them hugging while BJ declared, "You're the BEST little sister in the WHOLE WORLD!" (BB had given BJ an extra piece of Halloween candy at snack time. Ah, sisterly love.)

Now that the autumnal evenings are a little chillier, BB has decided that her bedtime routine needed a little more of a cozy touch -- including a "nightcap." (Never mind that really what this means is more stuff to remove when she gets into bed, since most nights she still usually sleeps without anything on.) As you can see, Nana, she loves her robe!

BJ is a confirmed Angry Birds fan now. This has been developing ever since I got my iPad for my birthday, but now most days he starts off his morning with 15 minutes of Angry Birds. (It's a great motivator, actually: he isn't allowed any "iPad time" until he eats breakfast, brushes teeth and hair, washes his face, uses the toilet, and gets dressed. All this needs to happen without fussing to "earn" those precious 15 minutes. I'm not usually in favor of Pavlovian reward-based parenting, but in this case it usually works like a charm.) A few days ago, he finished the last level of the full version of Angry Birds, much to his delight. And, in typical BJ fashion, he decided that he wanted to re-create Angry Birds so he could play it "for real." So he got going with the construction paper and scissors....

Add in some Heroscape tiles for a background...

Of course it was important to accurately represent each of the birds(the big red one is his favorite, I'm told) along with the piggie characters. That one on the bottom isn't frowning, I was informed; it's Mr. Moustache.

Then genius struck: add in blocks!
He had fun with this for hours over the weekend. Good times.

I've been spending a lot of time at my sewing machine, so it isn't too surprising that BB asked if we could do a sewing project together. I asked her what she might want to do -- decided a quilt would take too long -- settled on making a scarf for her. She sat beside me and controlled the foot pedal. "Just like at Giki's house, Mom!"

We used some fleece fabric that I had on hand. She surprised me by not choosing pink! "I have a lot of pink already, Mom. I would like blue and white and purple!" I didn't have enough purple to do an entire side, so we decided to do a little applique heart accent. Here it is in progress.

And here she is modeling the finished product! (Yes, I did tell her to smile!)

Thanks again, K, for nudging me towards starting this blog all those years ago. I'm very glad I did!

A Grateful A Day #13: Craigslist

2011-11-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

I'm a longtime fan of craigslist classifieds. I look around the apartment, and I realize that all of the following pieces of furniture in our home were obtained from craigslist ads:

the computer armoire where I'm sitting to type this
the Ikea storage cabinet alongside the armoire (I was so thrilled to score an additional Aneboda wardrobe in a discontinued color so it would match the other two we already had! Cheaper than the originals, and in great condition, too!)
the dining room table and chairs
the sewing machine table in my "studio"
the train/art table in the kids' play room

Just this weekend, S scored a big stash of D&D items -- for free!

Over the years, I've bought and sold lots of stuff as well. Baby gear came and went as we needed it and then outgrew it. (Arm's reach co-sleeper, crib, pack and play, baby bjorn, Joovy stroller....) Moving out of the old house, craigslist and I were like this. (Imagine me crossing my fingers.) I'd taken a break from cl until recently, when I got the itch to improve our space a bit. New computer armoire for hundreds of dollars (even thousands of dollars!) or used one for $55? Easy to answer that question!

Just last month, it only took a matter of hours to sell the chest of drawers that was replaced by the new Aneboda cabinet. Listed it in the afternoon, gone by the evening! I recently sold off the kids' bike trailer that we only used a half dozen times (so good in theory....) and last week I was especially relieved to sell off my only example of craigslist buyer's remorse -- I'd bought a new bedframe that just didn't quite work out when I got it home and we set it up, sold it off the next day. I felt pretty bad about it at first, given all the hassle of getting it here and taking down the old one and setting up the new-to-us one; I just had wanted it to work so badly, I didn't measure carefully enough when I went to check it out. But then I decided to give myself a break. Considering I've been cl'ing for years, only one bad purchase is a pretty good track record.

Craigslist, whatever did we do without you?

A Grateful A Day #12: Campus Life

2011-11-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

Our living situation is pretty unique for a family of four, and it's something for which I am very grateful. In January, we will have lived in this situation for two years. It's going so well, we have every intention of trying to stay here as long as we can.

What's this unique situation?

We live in a college dormitory.

Not your typical dorm room, mind you -- all four of us are not cramped in a single room, sleeping on bunk beds. We have a nice little three bed, two bath apartment in the staff and faculty wing of the residence hall. It's actually a step up from the small bungalow we used to own, both in square footage and in layout (we gained a bath *and* a bedroom when we moved here).

Sure it has its hassles (visitor parking is inconvenient at best, it is occasionally noisy, especially after finals) but all told, it's nearly perfect for us at this stage in our family life. The kids walk to school, S walks to work, and the financial benefit allows us to continue having me stay home. We don't have a yard of our own, but we are surrounded by lovely grounds (and we don't have to mow a lawn, ever!) and we have lots of perks (the pool in walking distance, athletic events to attend like the soccer game we went to today, even cafeterias for food if we're so inclined). Sometimes I get a little sad that we're not bringing up the kids in a home of our own -- especially when I think of my own parents, still living in the house in which I grew up, and all the roots and memories that such a situation allows. But that kind of stay-in-place stability is very rare these days, and it would be unlikely to be ours even if we were living in a home. And as S pointed out, while we may not be giving them memories contained in the same set of walls through their lives, we are giving them a really unique experience, filled with equally valuable memories. True, that. And definitely something to be grateful for.

A Grateful A Day #11: Freedom

2011-11-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

"Freedom isn't Free" is making the rounds, as it does every Veteran's Day, and I'm reminded of how grateful I am that there are people willing and able to serve our country to preserve and protect the freedoms that we value so much. (And so grateful that I'm not one of those people. My strengths and inclinations do not lie that way at all.) So very thankful for those freedoms, so thankful for the sacrifices that have made them possible.

I saw this quote on a friend's Facebook page today:

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain."

- John Adams in a Letter to Abigail Adams (12 May 1780)

So much truth there (though of course today I'd amend it to include sons and daughters). So thankful that I and my children have that right to study poetry and the other arts. That freedom has enriched my life more than I can express.

A Grateful A Day #10: Good Schools

2011-11-10T21:08:00.000-08:00

One of the things I'm grateful for on a daily basis -- the fact that both the kids are in good schools. We are particularly pleased with BJ's elementary school, which is simply extraordinary: frequent field trips, fantastic teachers, a child-centered approach, and wonderfully supportive community. What's not to love? BB's preschool is good as well, and we're feeling even better about it now that she seems (knock wood) to have turned the corner and decided that school is fun. She really looks forward to being with her friends these days.

This evening, we had the yearly holiday banquet for BB's preschool, and as we were walking back from that, I was feeling so very thankful that both kids are going to schools that meet their needs. It's a blessing, no doubt about it.

A Grateful A Day #9: Modern Medicine

2011-11-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

I have been blessed with pretty good health throughout my life (knock wood.... another big reason to be grateful!) yet even though I have not battled a major disease or anything like that, I have many reasons to be grateful for modern medicine. Just today, I was thinking about this as I drove BB to the Kaiser clinic -- last night, she began showing a prominent rash on her chest, belly, and back, and she's also been complaining on and off about a sore throat, so after a phone consult with the Kaiser advice nurse I was told to bring her in for a strep screen, just in case it's scarlet fever.

Once upon a time, not too long ago, the mention of "scarlet fever" would have sent mothers into a panic. Now, while I'm not delighted at the prospect, I know that if she does have it, it is treatable and my daughter will likely be fine. I have my doubts that she has anything wrong with her, actually, since her appetite and energy levels have both been very normal. But better to be safe than sorry with something like this. The fact that I can bring her in for a quick throat swab (didn't even need an appointment!) and know by tomorrow whether or not she's in any danger? Now that is something to be very grateful for.

In my life, I have benefitted from basic antibiotics, pain medications (especially when I slipped a disc), and the support of various health practitioners (doctors, midwives, acupuncturists, massage therapists, occupational therapists, among others). Infertility specialists worked with us for almost three years to allow us to (finally!) conceive our son. His life and mine were likely both saved by the emergency c-section that I underwent when he was born -- my severe pre-eclampsia was treatable when my daughter was born.... I shudder to think how things might have turned out so differently if I was living in a time before our own.

A Grateful A Day #8: A Nap

2011-11-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

Cranky Mom + Nap = Grateful Mom

Talk about your simple equations. Yet finding a way for this to add up can be such a challenge!

(Awake at 4:30 a.m. -- curse you, daylight savings! -- but able to fit in a quick snooze today between morning volunteering at BJ's school and pick up time. Thank goodness for a nap. And thank goodness for the alarm clock that allows one to be scheduled! Now if I just knew a surefire way to quickly remove the pillowcase creases from my cheek before heading out the door...)

A Grateful A Day #7: The Library

2011-11-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

I've always been a fan of libraries. (Since I'm a huge fan of books, this isn't too surprising.) Since having kids (and downsizing the bookshelf space in our apartment) I've discovered them anew. Today, BB and I spent a lovely morning at the local library, choosing books for her preschool (library mom is my parent participation job) and selecting some for ourselves as well.

There are many things I'm less than crazy about in our country, and to my mind we don't support libraries nearly as much as we ought (especially in these shrinking-budget times) but the fact that libraries still exist at all makes me hopeful that we're doing something right as a society. It makes my book-loving heart so happy to know that there's a public place I can go to be surrounded by books, a safe bright place I can bring my kids to spend a morning among one of my favorite things in the world: books! And we can browse the shelves for as long as we like! We can bring some home with us for a while! For free!

Lugging home my tote bag full of books, I felt that familiar post-library-visit rush of gratitude, and I knew exactly what I'd post about today. To libraries (and librarians!) everywhere: thank you!

A Grateful A Day #6: Creative Community

2011-11-06T20:14:00.001-08:00

I am so grateful to be part of so many creative communities. I love life as a stay-at-home mom, and I feel amazingly blessed to get to spend so much time with my kids, but after a day spent playing Enchanted Forest a dozen times with my daughter or volunteering at my son's first grade, I particularly value the opportunity to interact with other grown-up, kindred spirits.

I participate in many different creative communities, including various Etsy teams. Most of my volunteer time goes to SF Etsy, for which I am the team captain. A lot of energy also goes into my leadership council position for I Heart Art: San Francisco. I am a long-standing member of the EtsyBloggers and EtsyMom teams, and I recently joined the South Bay Etsy team for folks in the South Bay San Francisco area.

Much of this community happens virtually, through various online venues (which is perfect for the schedule and committments of a SAHM!) but more and more often I'm able to participate in some real-world stuff. It was such a treat last week to get together with some of my SF Etsy folks for our Craft Swap and Meet Up at TechShop SF! Just today I finally finished up the banner that I'd started at the Meet Up (thanks, GoGo Craft!) from our banner workshop. I'm looking forward to using it to decorate my craft table at the Jingle Fest Craft Faire in just two weeks! (And let me tell ya, participating in a craft faire is definitely being part of creative community!)
(Actually, checking out this pic now, I see I might want to tinker more with the lettering, maybe outline the white with black to make it "pop" more. I am especially pleased with how my stencilled dragonfly turned out, though.)

The Meet Up was extra-special, because my sweet friend and team co-leader Rochelle of Haute Mélange organized a little gift for me from the SF Etsy team, in recognition of the time and energy I give to the team. It's a car magnet with the SF Etsy logo on it, and name and the web address for Mama's Magic Studio! Rochelle wrapped it up and had everybody sign the package. Some very sweet thank you messages on there. Wasn't that incredibly thoughtful? That's the kind of boost I only get from being part of creative community. Good for the heart, good for my hands (which always love learning how to make something new!) and good for the soul.

Rochelle, me, Devon of TechShop SF, and Lisa of Tickle and Smash -- Craft Swap organizers Extraordinaire!

All my Etsy stuff definitely feeds my need to be part of something larger than myself, something with creative spirit and energy, but I also have the privilege of being part of other creative communities. While it's not as active as it once was, since our kids are now in school, I was very involved with BJ's playgroup (and, to a lesser extent, BB's as well) -- and let me tell ya, that was one great bunch of gals! Motherhood is nothing if not creative, and I'm still friends with many of the moms that I met through those groups. And now that BJ has started elementary, I have the great good fortune to be part of the parent participation community at his school. It's not the same kind of creative energy that I get from my other involvements, but it is amazingly rewarding and a huge boost to be part of all that.

It all takes time, and a lot of it, but it's worth it! You get what you give with these sorts of things, and because I give so much of myself, my time, my energy, I really get a lot out of participating in all of these creative communities. It keeps me sane, keeps me grounded, connects me to what much of what I value most in myself and in the world. Definitely lots to be grateful for!

A Grateful A Day #5: Plenty

2011-11-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Very high on my gratitude list is the fact that we as a family have enough -- more than enough, in truth. We have plenty. We are not (and likely will never be) rich by the standards of Silicon Valley; as a college professor and a stay at home mom with a small business, we just aren't in the same league as many of the folks out here where we live. We will never be in the "latest iPhone, largest mansion, newest Prius" crowd.

But that's quite fine by us. Sure, I have my moments of house envy when we visit friends who own large, lovely residences and I come home to our little three bedroom, two bath apartment. But we have plenty. And most of the time I am fully aware of that. We have a comfortable place to live, abundant healthy food at every meal, all the household essentials. S has a good, steady job. (No small thing in these uncertain times.) I have the opportunity to be home with the kids. Sure, that takes sacrifice (that's much of why we're in a three bedroom apartment!) but even so, we have plenty. We can splurge from time to time without feeling too guilty. We have plenty of books, plenty of toys, plenty of clothes. We have everything we need, and much of what we want. We are blessed with plenitude.

Most importantly, we have a lot of time together and plenty of love. We have plenty, and for that I am grateful.

A Grateful A Day #4: My Sister

2011-11-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

You were there in my earliest memory: me sitting on the avocado green woven armchair, holding you in my arms (with the help of a lot of pillows!)

You've been there for almost all my life. I don't remember a time when you weren't there. Through smiles and tears, through hugs and struggles, with laughter and love --you've been there with me. Playmate, companion, friend, fellow Raggedy-Ann lover.

One of the hardest things about living all the way out here on the West Coast is not seeing you more often, not being able to share the joys and challenges of adulthood the way that we got to share the joys and challenges of childhood. Those times we do have together are so very precious.

It has been a beautiful thing to see you grow up into the wonderful woman you are!

I'm so grateful for you, my sister!

A Grateful A Day #3: My Parents

2011-11-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

You gave me life, you gave me roots, you gave me wings.

You are the crows (not canaries) who always did their best, even when things went "schlonny." You taught me about love through your loving example, through your patience, your kindness, and your humor.

And what joy to see you with your grandkids!

Now that I'm a parent myself, I'm beginning to understand just how blessed I am to have you both. How blessed we all are, as a family.

Thank you, Mom and Dad -- for everything.

A Grateful A Day #2: My Kids

2011-11-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

My son and my daughter, lights of my life, givers of kisses, bringers of laughter, makers of messes, not-so-little-anymore bundles of joy. You are each uniquely, wonderfully, perfectly becoming your own small people, and it is a privilege to be part of that. You made me a mother, a gift more precious than I could have imagined before receiving it. I am more grateful for you both than I can say.

A Grateful A Day -- #1: My Favorite Philosopher

2011-11-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of seasonal gratitude -- and because I've been fighting to shake a grouchy mood for the past week or so -- I decided to post about something or someone I'm grateful for every day in November. (Gratitude is good for the soul, and something I'm working on being more aware of. Also, I have hopes that "A Grateful A Day Will Keep The Grumpies Away.)

So, without further ado....

A Grateful A Day #1: My Favorite Philosopher.

Also known as my husband. (S to Mama's Magic readers, BJ and BB's dad.) My best friend, true love, anchor, touchstone. My hand-holder, hair-brusher, laundry-folder, dish-washer, best-hugger, carrier of the keys. The one who knows me well enough to say, "You'll love this book!" Or to say, "There's no way you should watch this movie." The one who gets the inside jokes and oblique references (everything from the Aubrey/Maturin novels to Shakespeare, Kris Delmhorst songs, and MST3K). My fellow book-lover, fellow player-of-board-games, fellow watcher-of-Pride-and-Prejudice (for who knows how many times). Maker of puns, singer of songs, paper-crafter, laughter-maker. Dance partner, life partner, occasional partner in crime (remember those lilacs we stole?) and partner in parenting. My equal, but so different. He believes in my dreams even when he doesn't understand them. He knows just how unpleasant I am when I'm hungry or tired (or heaven forbid, both at once) -- and loves me anyway. After knowing me (knowing me better than anyone) for more than 21 years.

Grateful only begins to get at how full my heart is for him, how beloved he is.

Thank you, S, for all you do, all you are.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

What a fun Halloween we had!

I started off the day by heading off to school with both the kids -- BJ as an astronaut, BB as Rapunzel, and I dressed up this year as well. It's like I met them in the middle! When your son is from outer space, and your daughter is a princess, they intersect at..... Princess Leia!

They were pretty pleased with how their costumes turned out. And the weather was perfect, so they didn't even have to do the turtleneck under the costume thing. (Or as my new friend M described it over the weekend, "the Midwestern Halloween Costume" -- you wear a big ol' parka and have people guess what you're dressed like underneath!) None of that needed here!

Of course BJ wanted to be sure to wear his helmet, but he was glad not to have to wear it all the time. Like on the way to school.

BB was so proud of her looooooong hair!

Here's the other princess all by herself... (Not too bad, eh? The costume was 3/4 thrift store plus new go-go boots, so quite economical all told. It's my own hair, too, with a little help. The hair made the look for sure.)

BB and I hung around at BJ's school long enough to watch his grade go through the Halloween parade.

Then BB and I went to her preschool. There were four Rapunzels in her class!

Enjoying a sweet after the trick or treating part of the parade...

With her friend M, who was (fittingly enough) Darth Vader. I saw a lot of Darth Vaders today, and I had lots of fun with it. (Though the most clever one was the kid in a Darth Vader costume, inside a cardboard mock up of the tow truck from Cars. Darth Mater. They were impressed enough with my costume to ask me to pose with their kid, which was fun.) I also told many people, "May the Force be with you," much to their delight. Happily, M was a friendly Darth Vader with no evil intentions.

We went to the carnival at BB's school, where her favorite thing was the temporary tattoo station. She definitely looked like a 21st century princess, with all the body art!

After a picnic, where we got lucky enough to see S as he walked by on his way to the office, we headed over with our friends for an ice cream Halloween treat (because there wasn't going to be enough sugar in the schedule, apparently?) which was enjoyed by all. Especially since it was dollar scoop Monday!

After school, I enforced a viewing of "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" just to give myself 20 minutes of downtime! (You KNOW it's a busy day when I ask the kids if they want to watch a video!) Then our friends L and T came over at dinner time to see the kids in costume. They couldn't stay long, but it was sweet of them to want to stop by. Right after dinner, we lit the jack-o-lanterns and headed out trick-or-treating!

It was fun for all of us to be dressed up -- S was doing a popular costume repeat, Steve from Blues Clues.

There's that hair again! (Actually, it held up pretty well throughout the day. Mine did too, thankfully.)

After about an hour's trick-or-treating, the kids decided they were too worn out for any more. Besides, their candy bags were full! (A definite advantage to using the very reasonably sized ones that my mom so kindly made for them a few years back. No pillowcases here!) So we headed home with two tired kids.
It was a very Happy Halloween. Hope yours was too!

Almost Ready for Halloween!

2011-10-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy week -- full of preparations for Halloween as well as getting things organized for a big SF Etsy event. (Which came together very nicely, I'm glad to say! You can read about it here.) So I have lots of catch-up to do, everything from a crafting backlog piled up on the sewing table to laundry and dishes and blog posts!

So here's what we've been doing to get ready for Halloween!

Visiting the pumpkin patch...

"Here's the one I want, Mom!"

BJ picked a nice plump one.

The kids with their pumpkins! (Yes, we are learning what it means to "Smile for the camera!")

This little school-sponsored pumpkin patch is our family tradition, and the kids definitely remember it. (We had a special surprise of running into some old friends from BJ's playgroup while we were there, which was fun!) BJ was rarin' to go to check out the "haunted trail" and headed off on his own to explore. Here he is, way on the other side of the loop!

BB still likes to stay close, holding Daddy's hand.

On Sunday, we carved 'em up. BJ was surprised to find a sprouted pumpkin seed inside his pumpkin, pretty neat!

S and I did most of the digging out of the insides, then the kids drew on the faces.

I followed their lines with the carving. They helped by showing me what kind of expression they wanted the pumpkins to have.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

Etsyblogger Style File

2011-10-30T07:28:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to those who have been featured at the EtsyBloggers Style File!

This theme was a "Ghoul's Night Out" (how very Halloweeny!)

The "Ghouls Night Out" collection features:

Celebrating one of my favorite holidays and buying handmade... what could be better?!

Courage

2011-10-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

I was brave this week. Those who know me know that I'm a worrier. (I'm working on this, but this trait goes deep.) BJ's class had their biggest field trip yet -- an all-day excursion to Natural Bridges park to learn about butterflies, view the monarchs, and play at the beach. Sounds wonderful, right?

It so happened that this trip was scheduled for a day when I couldn't be one of the chaperones, because I had to be home with BB. Yes, I was nervous about the idea of him going so far, without me there. (I was more than nervous, in truth. I was actively and fiercely fighting massive anxiety about the trip.) I was especially concerned about the idea of him being at the beach without my supervision. The kids were going to be allowed to play in the water -- yes, in October! And traveling highway 17 is nerve-wracking enough when it's me behind the wheel; imagining what could go wrong with a car full of kids.... shudder.

But I was brave. I didn't fuss or (s)mother him with my worries about the trip. (I don't think I even let on to S about just how worried I was.) Yes, I reviewed basic beach water safety: no going in over his belly button -- after all, the kid can't really swim yet -- and emphasized the importance of staying with the group, but I'd do that anyway. I also worried out loud a little bit to some of the other parents, when BJ wasn't around, and asked them to keep an extra close eye on him. Which they'd do anyway.

As I dropped off BJ on the day of the trip, I gave him a hug and maybe held him a wee bit longer, but I was brave. I realized, yet again, how much I trust these people, the teacher and the other parents in the classroom. Day after day, I'm able to walk away from school after dropping off BJ, and not a quiver of concern goes through me. I know he'll be fine. That sort of trust is huge, and it's one of the basic reasons I'm so thrilled with our school.

The day of the field trip, sure, there were some more factors in play: the long drive there, the experience of being in the water. But the trust was still there. I trusted that he would be okay.

Trust and courage. The twinned tools that allow me to chip away at the shackles of worry which weigh me down so heavily sometimes. Especially since becoming a mother.

I always knew that being a parent would involve a lot of worry. A LOT of worry. My mom was a worrier when I was growing up. Worry seemed synonymous with love at times. Isn't that what it meant to be a mom? To worry about your kids?

And along with that worry, I knew that there would be times as a parent when I would just have to trust. Trust myself and my instincts, trust the child, trust other caregivers, trust the world that it was a good place (for all its random hazard). Trust that it would be okay.

I also knew I'd have to be strong. That's what parents are, right? Especially to the young, small child. Strength and shelter, security and safety.

But I didn't anticipate how being a parent would take so much courage. Not overtly, anyway. Letting go of the one you love so much, letting go little bit by little bit -- you gotta be amazingly brave to do that. You only start to realize how brave once the baby is born, once that fierce amazing love is fully and irrevocably rooted in your heart. I witnessed both of my parents being brave like this (and in sum total, quite gracefully, I might add) and yet: I hadn't really placed that piece of the puzzle.

For the past few years, S has been teaching a course on heroism, and he's writing a book about it. We don't often talk about his work, but when we do it's always fascinating. I'll find myself musing on the questions and topics at unexpected times. What does it mean to be a hero? Is it more than just being brave, being courageous? And what does it mean anyway, to have courage?

Ever notice that when kids are asked about their heroes, a large number of them will say that their mom or their dad are their heroes?

Perhaps it's more than just the simple fact that parents have so much influence with their children, are such strong figures (metaphorically and actually). They are indeed a natural choice when asked about such an important role. But perhaps it's more than that. Perhaps children unconsciously recognize how much courage it takes to be a parent.

Perhaps I'm making that conscious, remembering that, now.

Recently, my mom and I were talking about worry. She shared a realization of hers that has stuck with me quite profoundly. She was telling me about being up late, worrying about my sister (this was back when my sister was still living at home) and as my mom was getting into the imagined list of catastrophic possibilities, she realized: IF a terrible (and unlikely) turn of events comes about, I will have the rest of my life to figure out how to deal with it. Why take the time and energy and stress to go through all those imaginary possibilities now? Why on earth should one do that?

Why on earth indeed?

When BJ came back from the field trip and told me how much fun he'd had, I felt like he was growing two inches taller right there in front of me. He'd gone in the water! He'd used his binoculars to see butterflies, he'd played in the sand, he'd changed out of his wet clothes into dry, all by himself! (And he hadn't lost the binoculars, either!) My heart felt so good for him, for the fun he'd experienced and for how this was one more little step on his path to independence. That takes courage, too, doesn't it? To see that, and to celebrate it.

I was brave this week. I had courage. I don't think it reached the level of heroism, but that's okay. I'm feeling lighter, less shackled, because of it.

SF Etsy Craft Swap and Networking -- You're Invited!

2011-10-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

I'd like to invite all my local readers to the SF Etsy team's First Annual Craft Swap and Networking Event!

(Thanks to Katy Atchison for the adorable flyer design!)

Where? TechShop SF

How? RSVP here and then show up with crafty stuff, potluck items, and $5 donation at the door. Read on for more details!

SF Etsy Street Team (for which I'm the team captain!) is working with the support of TechShop, GoGoCraft and S.C.R.A.P. to present The First Annual Craft Swap & Networking Event For Sustainable Craft Making. Along with an afternoon of inspirational craft and networking, we are inviting everyone to bring their craft items that they no longer have a use for to share with other team members in a Craft Swap!

How does it work? The Craft Swap promotes the reuse and recycling of items and sustainable craft, as well as having FUN. All you need to do is bring a potluck item and craft materials that you no longer have a use for to donate to the event. After that, it’s a trading free-for-all! Do a little spring cleaning and refresh your crafting inspiration by taking out the old and bringing in the new! Don’t forget to bring an extra bag to take all your new free-cycled goodies home with you! Our friends from S.C.R.A.P. will also be on-site with a donation box for anything you want to send to a new home.

This is an SF Etsy event open to the community to support local craft activity that is also considerate of the environment, minimizing waste and maximizing fun. During the event TechShop will be providing tours of their facility, and will be doing demos on some of their equipment.

The SF Etsy Street Team has roots in Etsy’s beta grassroots marketing and was part of the original “street teams” concept for spreading the word about Etsy and handmade to folks on the street. (I've been part of it since 2006!) Like the San Francisco Bay Area in which it is located, the SF Etsy Street Team is a vibrant and diverse community, full of creativity. We strive to support and promote local Etsy sellers by sharing expertise and advice, hosting local shows and events, and providing a valuable network of local talent and resources.

TechShop is a membership-based workshop that provides members access to equipment, and instruction. You can think of TechShop as a craft gym for artists and makers but with tools instead of weights. During the event TechShop will be providing tours of their facility, and will be doing demos on some of their equipment.

GoGoCraft will be leading us in making SF Etsy Banners for your Etsy shop and event booths. GoGoCraft is a mobile crafting workshop for crafters of all skill levels and interests.

S.C.R.A.P will be providing some craft materials from their organization - SF Etsy Team can depend on S.C.R.A.P as a place to find all manner of materials for all our creative projects. S.C.R.A.P

We are asking a donation of $5 at the front door which will be used to facilitate this event.

We also welcome volunteers to help and ask folks to bring something for the potluck. We have two sign up sheets. One for the potluck where members bring a potluck item for the event and the other where you can volunteer to help out. All assistance is very much appreciated.

Potluck Sign Up

Volunteer form

Note: Because of the access to tools and craft at this facility please do not wear open toed shoes during the event for safety reasons.

Location:

TechShop San Francisco is located at 926 Howard Street, just 1 block from the Moscone Center. It’s 3 blocks from Powell Street BART station. Private parking lot at the TechShop building with a ten dollar per day charge.

If you're able to come, please be sure to say hello -- I'd love to see you!

See-Saw Days

2011-10-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

Today and yesterday have been see-saw days for sure. (Sometimes it feels as though that's what motherhood is: ups and downs and ups and downs, and you can't get off because the person on the other side of the see-saw needs your weight!) Yesterday, BJ stayed home from school with a cold. Actually, he came home early on Tuesday from school -- S had been working in the classroom that morning, and he nearly brought home BJ with him at lunchtime when the volunteer shift was over, because BJ was feeling less than 100%, but the kid said he wanted to try to stay through the day; I had a hunch that wouldn't work out, though, and sure enough when I arrived at school (about 30 minutes early) I turned on my cell phone "just in case" and a few seconds later I got a call from the school secretary saying BJ was in the office and not feeling well and wanted to come home early, proving my mom-hunch correct. Hated to see the kid not feeling well, but satisfying to know that my instincts were on target.

BB had a cold as well, so all Wednesday was a tired mom plus two sick kids, not the best equation. Things seemed to have resolved OK by bedtime, when they were reading and looking at books quietly together in BB's bunk, but all of a sudden there was a negative multiplier, resulting in two tired kids going to fisticuffs in bed! BB got a bruised temple when BJ whacked her with his bedtime cup and BB scratched his face. Sigh. Tears, scoldings, apologies, consequences -- loss of screen time for both kids. (Two days worth for BJ, because he wouldn't take responsibility for his actions: "She made me do it!!!" Double sigh.)

Thursday BJ was feeling well enough to go back to school, and so was BB, thank goodness. Sick days at home are bad enough. Sick days at home when absolutely no screen time is allowed -- I shudder at the thought! By design, the kids don't get much time in front of screens (admittedly, there's been more since I received the iPad for my birthday) but when you're not feeling well sometimes a screen can be exactly what the doctor ordered. Yes, before it was shown the kids were well enough for school, I had some moments of doubt about our parental wisdom in the choice of our consequences. But not hitting and taking responsibility for your actions are what we expect of mature kids, and in this household only mature kids are allowed screen time, especially the use of my coveted iPad, so it's a logical consequence. (It just can have consequences for Mom and Dad as well!)

After the long Wednesday, I was really welcoming a change of pace. Up swings the see-saw! S and I had a nice morning together: we've been trying to get more exercise lately and have taken to swimming laps in the pool. We had some sweetheart time together since he was able to stay home through lunchtime before heading in to the office. Then I spent the afternoon sewing until it was time to pick up the kids from school. I completed two more wristlet bags (pics of this new project coming soon!) -- quite satisfactory!

We had a very nice walk home -- walking to and from school with BJ is often one of my favorite times of day. Alas, as soon as we got home and BJ remembered that he wasn't going to be allowed to play Angry Birds, he had a total meltdown. He was still sobbing about it when we had to leave to pick up BB from preschool, which made things rather challenging. (Ouch! The see-saw swoops suddenly down to the ground.) BB was in a great mood, thankfully, and once we got home she even helped BJ cheer up a bit. Who wouldn't feel a little happier when confronted by the Purple Haired Ladybug Fairy?

Thanks to her fairydust (or something) BJ got himself on an even enough keel to go to his Thursday night science class. BB wanted to wear the entire getup when it was time for us to leave, but we compromised: normal clothes, plus ladybug wings, plus wig and yellow flower headband, agreeing to take off the wings when in the carseat. Needless to say, we were the source of many smiles while running errands during BJ's classtime!

Dinnertime and bathtime went well, with both kids in great moods -- BJ came home from his science class eager to continue some of the experiments (they'd been exploring density, seeing what floats and what sinks, making tinfoil boats and discovering how many paperclips they would hold -- his reportedly held 115 paperclips!) and BB was along for the ride, so I allowed them to bring a lot of non-bathtime toys into the bathtub. (Cue elaborate game involving numerous fairy figurines, plastic skillet boats and other floating objects.) Unfortunately, BB lost it when it was time to stop the game. She refused to let her fairies air-dry overnight and insisted on drying each off herself. OK, I said, but that's going to take a long time. You won't have time for a bedtime book. (I could all but hear the crash as the see-saw swung down again.) Tears, defiance, even sticking out her tongue (we know it's serious when that happens) and more tears. We'd settled things a bit by the time S got home from work (he's back to working late on Thursday nights, sabbatical how I miss thee) but it was definitely Not The Way I Wanted The Day To End.

I'm ready to get off the see-saw now! Who wants a ride on the merry-go-round?

BB's First Field Trip

2011-10-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, BB's preschool class took a field trip to visit one of the physics professors on campus. BB had been very nervous about the idea of leaving school without me, so when they asked for some more chaperones I was glad to be able to volunteer. We had a really good time!

We learned a little bit about the crabs that Professor J is studying:

BB wanted to know why they didn't move very much. "Good question!" replied the prof. And all the kids were very concerned that he shouldn't get pinched by the one he's holding. (He didn't.)

We got to see "lightning" made by the static electricity generator (didn't manage to get a pic) and heard what physics is all about. (BB knew what gravity does! Think she's been paying attention to some of BJ's lectures!) Then, the highlight of the visit: making ice cream, the scientific way!

We added the ingredients to a big metal bowl...

Then stirred it up.... then added liquid nitrogen! Oooooh! The kids were definitely impressed.

Here's BB tasting her portion. Vanilla isn't her favorite flavor, so she didn't care for it too much and I got to finish the rest. Pretty yummy!

BJ was kind of jealous of the whole thing -- "Why didn't they do scientific field trips when I was in preschool???" -- but I thought it was really great that BB got to do something special like this. And while she clearly was glad to have my company, I think she would have been OK without me there. Here we are, stopping by the fountain on the walk back to school.

She's really at a much better place at school these days, and I'm sure this field trip will be one more good step along the path towards feeling completely comfortable during her preschool hours. Hooray for that!

A Thousand Words

2011-10-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

Even if I used a thousand words to make the attempt, I don't think I could fully capture the feeling behind the picture I wish I'd been able to take today:

BB and BJ, side by side in the rollercoaster car in front of me, both of them with their arms in the air.

It was definitely one of those "Mama's Mental Snapshot Moments" (MMSMs are for me the intensified parental equivalent of a kodak moment). Folks who know our family well will probably be aware that BJ has been a rollercoaster fan for quite some time. BB, not so much. So when we headed over to one of our favorite local amusement parks today to meet our friend E, it was interesting to hear the conversation in the minivan between BB and BJ. While I was driving, BB was talking about how she might try the rollercoaster today. BJ was telling her how much fun it is. BB was explaining that she might be able to do it because she would have E there to help her be brave.

And sure enough, E's presence did seem to help BB feel less timid. She climbed all over the enormous "redwood" play structure with E (and BJ) -- something that until today had been too intimidating for her. She even went down the really tall tube slides, first in E's lap and then by herself. So sweet!

Then, surprise: we get to the rollercoaster, and E decides that it's too scary for her. (She's worried that the car trains will fly off of the track. Apparently, this is a longstanding fear for her.) E makes this declaration when we're all getting into line, and so I pause to see if BB still wants to go. A moment's hesitation, but then she says she does.

She and I ride together with BJ in the car ahead of us. BJ is delighted. BB is nervous and wants my arm around her. She's clearly tense as the ride begins, but a few moments later, she's giggling and then laughing! Then we're getting off the ride, and she's telling E, "That was FUN!"

So then E decides to give it a whirl. Her grandma (who was with us for the day as E's chaperone) wasn't really wanting to ride it, and E wanted to go with a grown-up, so I asked BB if she would be OK riding with her brother. A moment's hesitation, but then she says, "Sure!"

And that's when the "MMSM" happened. I was sitting behind BB and BJ, with my arm around their friend E to reassure her. There they were, my own two children in front of me, thrilled and brave.

There's a poem in there. It has been quite a while since I heard the knocking of the muse so clearly on that particular door. It will be interesting to see if I'm able to answer in time to write something worthwhile, a thousand words of it or not. For now, I'm cherishing the image in my mind.

Weekend Highlights, With Parentheses

2011-10-16T20:44:00.001-07:00

I suspect that S and I might be crossing into "old married folks" territory (after all, we have been married 14 years, and known each other since 1990). Last night's rather impromptu "date night" consisted (quite satisfactorily) of a dinner (using a coupon) and browsing the thrift store for treasures (used kids books! a future ren faire costume for BB! season 1 of the Little House on the Prairie DVDs!) followed by the "let's drive around in search of pie" game. (We've actually played this game before, back when we were in Arizona, but I believe this is the first time we've played it in California. Though I do have vivid memories of playing "let's drive around in search of donuts" when we first arrived in this city, over 11 years ago now.) Closest thing to pie that we could find last night was lemon tart at Sugar Butter Flour in the Pruneyard. (Yummy, but not quite the Platonic Ideal of Pie that I'd hoped for. Then again, that ideal was formed by the little cafe on Mt. Lemmon that no longer exists.)

What I really would have liked to do was go swing dancing with my sweetie, but there was no way we had enough ducks in a row to pull that one off successfully. (In fact, I doubt we even had so much as a single duck, much less two to begin a row.) Mebbe someday.

Other fun from the weekend: BJ and I counted up the money he's been saving for his whale adoption fund, and he's at $96! I was amazed and he was downright shocked. He has only $29 to raise to reach his goal. (And a lovely side note: on Thursday, he took up his kindergarten teacher A on her offer to have him come do some chores in the classroom to earn some extra money -- a few weeks back, she'd heard about his adopt-a-whale project, donated $10 towards the cause, and made the offer -- so he cleaned tables and helped pick up the classroom for a whopping $2.50! Considering the kid makes a buck a week in allowance, that's not too shabby. And so sweet of A! I love her so much.)

Today we had a nice time at the girls' soccer game (plus our team won!) with lovely weather and both kids enjoying themselves.

Unfortunately, BB has a bit of a cold so has been kind of cranky today. But she was in a good mood at the game. Really, what's not to like when at the same time you're eating a churro? Especially one that as BB put it, "is bigger than my head!" (And yes, BB's and BJ's were the same size when they started. BB had maybe had three or four bites when I took that pic. BJ, considerably more, and his mouth was quite full when I took the picture!)

Both kids were feeling cuddly too (maybe the fact we were sitting in the shade had something to do with it) so we got the sticky-fingered snuggle time for sure.

I'm not much of a sports fanatic, but I've really been glad to go to these games. And today was especially fun -- It's really cool to see young women so strong and physically competent. That really is a change from my generation to this one. (See there, I really am feeling like an old lady tonight, talking about "My generation" and all that...) The goalie kept shouting "Aggressive! NO FEAR! Aggressive!!!" and it was a welcome counter-chant to the ultra-feminized gender stuff-n-junk that has been bugging me lately. Does my heart good, and interesting to observe that every single one of the members on "our" team (and most of those on the other team, too) had long, lovely hair (pulled back in a ponytail). So affirming to see obvious markers of femininity plus athletic strength is a do-able equation for these admirable young women.

Today's move night pick (BB's turn to select): The Lion King. The kids have probably seen this a dozen times now, which is a heckuvalot given how little media time they get. (We don't do TV.) Percentage-wise, it is now up there with the Herbie The Love Bug series. (Eclectic choices, I grant you. And just wait -- MST 3K will enter the picture at some point. Perhaps sooner rather than later -- the kids were asking about it today. "Mommy and Daddy, what's this movie?" Try explaining Joel and the Bots to a 4 yr old and a 6 yr old. Just try.)

Random for the record (because going from MST to The Onion is not that far of a leap, really): this totally made me think of BB and her walks along the beach. (Also S and that one time we were at Rehoboth Beach after a big winter storm and scored dozens and dozens of gorgeous shells. Was that really almost twenty years ago? See, I told you we're bordering old married folks territory....)

Last fun detail for tonight: tonight BJ got his first phone call from a "girl who is a friend." His friend E was calling to invite him to a playdate tomorrow during the inservice day off school. Very sweet. S answered the phone and it took him a good two minutes to figure out who E was and to understand that she was calling for BJ. This is actually the first non-family member to call for one of the kids ever. And of course E wanted to talk with BB too (this is the same E who had the sweet habit of picking BB up and spinning her around whenever she'd see us, much to BB's delight). We're very much looking forward to seeing her tomorrow, since we don't get as much of her company as we used to (she and BJ are now in different first grade classes).

Here's hoping the week is a productive one. I have my first (and so far, only) holiday craft show of the season in five weeks, and not nearly enough to show for it! Yikes!

Vanity

2011-10-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday before bath, it was time to take out BB's elaborate post-Ren-Faire braids. In some ways, I think she likes unweaving the braids as much as having them put in. She adores the waves and fluff that result from having her hair braided.

BJ was at his evening gym class, so BB and I had lots of uninterrupted time to undo the updo and brush it out. BB wanted to do this while standing on the step stool in front of the bathroom mirror, so that she could watch, and once everything was taken down she wanted to do the hair brushing All By Herself. It was pretty danged cute to see her watching her reflection as she smoothed the brush through her tresses. (I would have taken a picture, but I didn't want to ruin the moment by running for the camera. Plus, I wouldn't have shared it here anyway -- she was undressed for bath, and I don't post naked pics of my kids.)

She was especially gratified to see that her hair was "really long, Mommy!" She bent down so that her hair was at the level of the countertop. "Longer than this!" (I had to smile -- I well remember growing my hair out for the first time, tilting my head back as far as it would go so that my hair reached down my back. It felt so long!) She kept brushing and smiling. "I have beautiful hair, Mommy," she informed me. Utterly un-self-consciously, she said, "I have beautiful, golden hair. My hair is the color of the sun!"

For a moment, I was tempted to give her a bit of a talking-to about vanity. (I like to think that I'm not an especially vain person. I know that I clean up pretty good, and I am fortunate to be fairly photogenic -- but I mostly don't worry too much about the way I look. These days, anyway. It took me a long time to get there. Most importantly, I don't want to raise a girl who believes that her appearance is of prime importance. Yes, I have recently viewed the Miss Representation video that is all over Facebook, and as I write this I'm certainly thinking of that, but I came to such conclusions long before. Feminism 101, and even before that.)

I wouldn't call BB vain. But she has already imbibed those mainstream, misogynistic spirits -- the ones that insist, intoxicatingly, that to be a girl means to be pretty. She wants to be pretty. To be beautiful. She tells me when she feels pretty, when she feels beautiful. Mostly, so far, this feels innocent. Sometimes it doesn't. (And don't get me started on the princess thing.) Granted, she is a beautiful child -- though I say it myself. (Truly, all children are beautiful. Truly. For BB the features line up nicely with the social expectations for beauty. Blonde, blue-eyed, fair-skinned...) But there are too many social pressures at work for beauty to be a simple virtue for her. (For any girl in this culture, alas.) So when she starts talking about how beautiful she is, my reaction is always, always complicated. The temptation is to start analyzing and to share that analysis with her.

Then, I decided, nah. Let it be. She's four! (Actually, as she will tell you, she is four-and-two-thirds. Ahem.) She will have plenty of time to have plenty of influences convincing her that there's something wrong with the way she looks. Let her be beautiful. Let her feel good about the way she looks.

And just as I was coming to this conclusion, BB turned to me and said, "Mommy? You know what? You have beautiful hair too.... " I could hear there was a "But" coming.

And sure enough. "But your hair, Mommy? Your hair is the color of dirt."

Nothing like a kids' perspective to bring it right home for ya, every time. No need for analysis there!

And wait, it gets better.

Because at dinner, I was telling this story to S. (Who thought it quite funny, but we'd both been told by BB that it was Not Funny, so we shouldn't laugh.) While I bit the inside of my cheek, S decided to step right into it. He asked BB what was the color of his hair.

She looked at him, considering. (I'm thinking, oh, this is gonna be good. He's gonna be told it's the color of rocks, or gravel, or maybe asphalt. Or silver, if she's feeling especially kind. After all, hers is golden.)

Then, she pronounced, "Daddy, your hair is the color of love."'

At which point, if I had been drinking milk, it would have come out of my nose. (As it was, I nearly choked on my baked ziti.) S isn't a particularly vain person either, but you can be sure he won't be forgetting his daughter's opinions on hair color anytime soon. And neither will I. Perhaps this is one more reason for me to be glad for the ever-increasing numbers of white hairs on my head. (I certainly don't have enough vanity in my character to worry about coloring my hair. Or perhaps that's just laziness.)

At any rate, I now plan to tell myself -- I'm not going grey. My hair is simply turning the color of love.

Ren Faire 2011

2011-10-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

Must be fall -- I had my first taste of pumpkin ice cream at our favorite ice cream shoppe on Friday. (YUM!) Also means it must be time for our family trip to the Renaissance Faire! This year it was the fourth annual trip for us and for the first time, all four of us went in garb. We always have a lot of fun at the faire (you can see previous posts here) but I think this one was the best time yet!

Dressing up is so much fun, and finally we had enough of the essential costume elements for the entire family. BJ donned the outfit from last year's school play (still fit, barely!) and BB was by far the fanciest of all of us in a gorgeous gown that Grandma C found for her (thank you so much, Grandma C! She LOVED it!)

I wore the same stuff as last year, S had his fine lookin' boots and a fancy new feather for his cap. (He's had that shirt for as long as I've known him, which is saying something.)
And this year, the kids took pictures of us! A little blurry and off framed, but not too bad!

I love how this has become such a family tradition for us. The kids definitely have their favorite things to do. BJ did the Fool's Maze with S. No pic this year, though -- they didn't have the camera at the time because it was with me and BB. I was introducing her to my favorite thing to do at the faire: the hair braiding! She was so excited that I'd deemed her hair long enough (not to mention her amount of patience for sitting still) that she could do it with me. Her double french braid got done before mine (I'd told the gal to just "have fun" -- and she did!)

Turned out well, dontcha think?

The only things BB liked more than the hair braiding were face painting and meeting fairies.

Waiting to get her face painted...

Ah, a beautiful rainbow! Exactly what she wanted!

It was fairy weekend at the faire, so there was no shortage of folks with wings. BB was absolutely delighted by this, and she decided she wanted to meet as many fairies as possible. So almost every time we saw a person with wings, she'd ask, "Mom, can we go meet the fairy?" Happily, she was cute and sweet enough about it (and danged cute in her dress) so that everybody was very friendly. One gal sprinkled "fairy dust" on her head, and another (talk about prepared!) had a little sheet of stick on "jewels" and gave her one as a "fairy wish" -- telling her as she stuck it on the back of her hand that she should make a wish and when the jewel came off, her wish would come true!

The petting zoo area was popular as ever...

Last year, BB got to meet the queen -- this year, BJ got to meet Sir Richard, a very friendly knight who even let BJ try on his helmet and hold his spear! (Wow!)

Of course BJ remembered the maypole merry-go-round and wanted to give it a go. Thank goodness S doesn't mind getting dizzy like I do!
(And as in years past, except for her first visit, BB didn't want to do it at all, so we watched and she did her own spinning.)

Along with many old favorites, they did have something new -- a bungee trampoline station that fascinated BJ. Here he is getting hooked up with the harness (and looking perhaps a bit nervous?)When it was his turn, he was all gumption. He had a blast, giggling while he bounced up and up!

This year, for the first time, we stayed almost until they closed at 6 pm. Of course before we left, we had to have the kids do the traditional Lady and Knight picture:

Then, BB wanted to switch and be the knight! BJ was a good sport about it, too.

Huzzah! Can't wait until next year! (Though by then, they will have both outgrown their costumes -- mebbe that's just the motivation I need to whip my sewing skills into better shape. We'll see!)

Allergic? Or Not?

2011-10-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

This past week, we took BJ to the allergist. We'd gone through some of this about 3 years ago, doing some allergy testing only to find out he's didn't react to anything. "Vasomotor Rhinitis," was the best diagnosis they could make. (Also known as nonallergic rhinitis.) But testing in kids this young can be tricky, so come back in about three years and we'll test again.

Jump to three years later. The kid is still low-level snorky Almost All The Time, sometimes flaring up to more congested than others. This time the visit took more than two hours. By the time we were done, he'd been prick tested on both forearms with 20 different possible allergens. When those all came back negative, he had the intradermal (bubble) test done on his upper arms. 15 injections later (poor boo!) everything was still negative. Here's the poor guy in the waiting room after enduring those 15 injections (they taped tissue to the upper arms to cover where the injections had been done while we were waiting to see if he'd have a reaction to anything).

In spite of the expression (which is spot on for how he was feeling) he was really a trouper. It helped that I'd brought along Toy Dance Party (a big favorite at the moment) so we could read while we were waiting. Here are the allergens he was tested for, all of which came back negative: dust mites, cat hair, dog hair, molds and fungi (alternaria, aspergillus fumigatus, hormonenrum), various pollens (mountain cedar, oak, birch, olive, black walnut, elm, sycamore, acacia, maple, mulberry), various grasses, "other" tree allergens, and various weeds.

So, since all that testing gave us no new information, the doctor recommended following up with blood tests. We just weren't up for getting a blood draw on Tuesday on top of all those other pokes and pricks, so I scheduled that for Thursday afternoon right after school. And BJ was really good for that as well. Five vials of blood later, he told me, "Mom, I decided just to ignore it!" I was so proud of him.

Now we'll see if the blood tests tell us something...

Apple Playdate

2011-10-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, BB's preschool friend M and his brother C joined us in appropriately autumnal fashion -- we had an Apple Playdate!

Better than apple bobbing....trying to bite an apple on a string! BB and M were especially entertained.
After watching for a while, C decided to join the bigger kids. BB insisted on "helping" him.

We did some apple prints (I'd initially forgotten how important it is to have an absolutely flat cut of the fruit, but we soon got the hang of it). This art-making is A Very Serious Business, as you can see. M had fun adding in some handprints as well.
Of course, it being fall, a little pumpkin decorating was in order as well. Apples and pumpkins, one of those classic seasonal pairs. Add in a lot of glitter glue, and you're good to go (to BB's mind, at least).
We've really been enjoying the company of these new friends, and it is especially sweet to see how well the three of them get along. Three can be a challenging number, but they do very well. C is just one class behind them, so the age difference is not all that great, and BB clearly considers both boys to be friends of hers. And I think spending the time together with preschool friends away from preschool has been helping BB enormously. She is so much more comfortable at school these days (thank goodness) and I'm feeling very hopeful that she's finally, finally turned the corner and decided that school is a good thing.

In fact, this week she announced, "Mom, you know what? I Love Preschool!" (For a while there, I thought we'd never hear that sentence spoken by my girl!) And I know that having good friends like M, and C, is really making much of that difference. Hooray for that!

Ups and A Down

2011-10-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

Quite the busy, full, rollercoaster weekend! Friday evening we had a very nice time at the family BBQ at BB's preschool, from which I had to leave early to head over to the mom's night out for BJ's cohort. I'd forgotten that I am pretty good at Bocce ball! A lot of fun chatting with some of the other moms and finding unexpected things in common (a fondness for Cake Wrecks, Italian sodas, and The Lord of The Rings, among other things). First time in quite a while that I'd been out past 10 pm with someone other than S. I'm already looking forward to the next MNO!

Saturday we went to the potluck party for S's department. Any potluck that has folks bringing freshly picked apples and figs with goat cheese is good by me! (Though not the most kid-friendly arrangement, I confess. We were able to remedy that a bit with our contribution of apples and caramel dip, which was a hit with BJ at least. BB didn't want anything to do with the caramel, but she was very fond of the apples.) Our host's 14-year-old daughter was very sweet with both the kids, and we may have found a new babysitter-in-training. Yay!

Saturday night, S had his weekly gaming session, which always makes him happy. It made for a Very Full Day, but in a good way.

Sunday, we cheered on the men's soccer team and soaked up some gorgeous sunshine (with just a hint of a chill -- rain today, at last fall is here!) First time we'd taken the kids to a sporting event like that, and it went really well. (BJ in particular was pleased that "our" team won, 2 to 0. Winning really matters to this kid. We're working on sportsmanship. Was a good thing for him to see the teams shaking hands at the end of the game, I think.) We'd hoped to be able to stay for the women's game, but the kids were getting squirrely by that point and we decided not to push our luck.

Instead we came home and did our weekly family movie time (BB chose Star Wars. Again.) and I did some work on an Exciting New Product Line for Mama's Magic Studio (hint: upcycled designer fabrics!) and the day took a detour into less-than-perfection with some regrettably passive-aggressive arguing between S and I (he'd forgotten about BJ's upcoming doctor's appointment, during which he'd said he'd be able to watch BB -- I got my knickers in a twist about the whole thing and it was pretty unpleasant for a while, until he lined up a sitter and resolved the situation. Sigh. Not at my best. Sorry S.) and clearly I'm not at my sharpest now either, or I wouldn't have constructed such an amazingly convoluted sentence!

But I have a good excuse for being less than sharp at the moment, and that's the big downer that ended the weekend: last night I got about 4 hours of sleep, not consecutively. BB was up at midnight with a bad dream, then at 2 am with vomiting; BJ had nightmares, and he was also complaining about being all congested from his "vasomotor rhinitis." (The upcoming doctor's appointment is for BJ to see an allergist, and we had to take him off all the allergy meds in preparation.) Happily, today BB has been able to keep down a light breakfast, lunch, and snack, and (knock wood) nobody else seems sick (yet) -- so if we're lucky it will be a short 24 hour flu thing for BB, and that's it. Fingers crossed!

Extreme Thrifting

2011-09-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

I'm enough of a thrift shop enthusiast to know that exploring the second-hand stores is always an adventure. But today was Extreme Thrifting at its most intense -- including bloodshed! Not what I'd bargained for when I strolled into the Salvation Army store.

(Or, as my mom-in-law C calls it, the Sally Shop. Let me tell you, I had no such kind nicknames for the place when I left, sporting four bandages and a large quantity of antibiotic ointment.)

It started out innocently enough. I've been on the hunt for some bookshelves and storage solutions for our living/dining area -- now that the computer has found a most satisfactory home in the craigslist computer armoire, the other pieces of furniture next to it look somewhat out of place. I check this particular location in Campbell pretty frequently, since it's the one in the area that seems to focus most on second-hand furniture. (Case in point: we donated our used desk a few weeks back -- the one that the computer armoire replaced -- and we dropped it off at the location closest to our apartment. A few days later, when I was browsing at the Campbell location, I saw our desk. Kind of surreal, and it apparently found a good home since it wasn't there when I was at the store today! May it work well for the new owners.) I had to be in the area anyway, since I had a dentist's appointment nearby, so I stopped in quickly on my way home.

Sure enough, they had several new items, one of which was somewhat promising, but I ended up deciding it wasn't quite right. As I was leaving, a pair of glass door bookcases caught my eye, and even though we'd decided that bookcases with doors just won't work for our current setup, I went over to check them out. I opened the door (a natural impulse when checking out second hand furniture) and I'm still not quite sure what happened but all of a sudden there was a report like a gunshot and the door shattered. Tempered glass, which went EVERYWHERE. Two women shoppers who were nearby in the store rushed over to see if I was OK. I hardly knew. My shoes were covered with broken glass bits, and I looked at my shaking hands -- the one that had been holding the door handle had been cut in three places and the other hand had been cut as well from flying glass. Thank God it didn't cut my eyes or anywhere else (if I'd had on sandals instead of sturdy sneakers, I would have been in bad shape).

Both the women shoppers helped me brush the glass bits from my clothes, and we shared an incredulous thirty seconds (or so, it seemed like much longer) while we waited for one of the employees to come see what happened.

"I just opened the door," I kept repeating. "I only opened it, and BAM!!! I just opened the door!" The women agreed that I hadn't done anything that should have caused such an accident. Finally, I yelled out, "HELLO??!! A little HELP HERE PLEASE???" A distant voice replied, "Someone's coming!"

And the manager who came was very apologetic, ushering me into the break room and pulling out their first aid kit. When I washed off the cuts, it turned out I had several scratches in addition to the cuts, but none were all that bad, and all were on the back of my hands and forearms, so easily bandaged. After I'd gotten all patched up, I said that I was OK and declined the need to file an official report.

I reassured the kind women who had helped me that I was fine and went and sat in the car for a few moments to calm down enough to drive home. My hands shook for a bit longer, and I kept getting shudderific visions of how awful it could have been if the glass had gone near my face. Mostly I felt stunned and grateful that it wasn't worse.

(Update, a few days later, it now looks like I've merely been on the losing end of a battle with an energetic kitten, save for the two largest cuts. Even they are healing up nicely and I'm sure everything will be just fine. Whew.)

Me being me, of course I've continued to wonder exactly why the glass broke when all I'd done was to (gently, slowly) open the door. One good thing: they didn't doubt me a bit that I wasn't at fault for the breakage. On our way out of the store, the manager and I walked by the employee sweeping up the glass and noted that the doors on the bookshelf (by design, apparently) didn't have any wood framing on the bottom. The manager said he guessed that when I opened the door the glass must have slipped down and hit the concrete floor and shattered, though it all happened so quickly I can't say for sure. I did a little research on "spontaneous breakage of tempered glass" and apparently this isn't as unusual as one might guess. Common enough for a Wikipedia entry, at any rate -- I had no idea! They say:

Spontaneous glass breakage is a phenomenon by which toughened glass (or tempered) may spontaneously break without any apparent reason. The most common causes are:

Minor damage during installation such as nicked or chipped edges which later develop into larger breaks
Binding of the glass in the frame causing stresses to develop as the glass expands and contracts due to thermal changes or deflects due to wind
Internal defects within the glass such as nickel sulfide inclusion.
Thermal stresses in the glass
Inadequate glass thickness to resist wind load

Given that this was a secondhand piece, I'm now betting there was some minor damage (either at the time of installation or during use) or an inclusion or problem with the framing. Reading this, I now doubt that the glass slipped and hit the floor. It happened too quickly and I didn't notice any sort of movement. (Though admittedly, it can be hard to be sure.) Clearly, whatever happened, I had the ill-luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when the break happened. Now that I know how fragile tempered glass can be, this is certainly something to keep in mind during my future thrift store adventures -- I've definitely had enough of Extreme Thrifting for one lifetime!!!

Good Times

2011-09-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

BB seems to have (finally!) decided that preschool can be a Good Time. She is more relaxed about going, talks more about the fun that she has while she's there, and (I think most importantly) has recognized that she has made many friends with her classmates. This Is Huge.

Today, BB and I met up at a local park with M and his younger brother C and mom V, and the kids played together just beautifully. (I enjoyed chatting with V as well, which is certainly a welcome bonus!) We were at the park for two and a half hours with hardly a moment's fuss. The kids dug in the sand, climbed on the structures, and ran around having fun. Both M and C go to BB's preschool -- M is in her class and she's known him for more than a year now, and C is in the class behind them. It was such a good time, such a good thing to see BB so comfortable with the boys.

Fingers crossed that the good times continue for her. It would really ease my heart to see her get past her anxieties about preschool. It's all well and good to have her so securely attached, and of course I wouldn't have that any other way, but it is a wonderful thing (if a bit bittersweet) to see her gaining a little independence.

One of The Good Guys

2011-09-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

BB has been very concerned lately with the "good guy -- bad guy" dichotomy.

(I blame Star Wars, which is extremely popular at our house right now. The kids have only seen the original (episode 4) Star Wars, but for the past few weeks at bedtime S has been telling them the story of the rest of the movies, so they are very familiar with it by now.)

Tonight at bedtime, she wanted to know, "Mommy, are all bad guys made up?"
Well, no, I explained. There are real bad guys in real life.
"Why?" she wanted to know.
(Ah, here we are, the problem of evil at age 4 and a half. And of course my husband the philosopher was working late this evening and not around for bedtime, so I couldn't fob off the question to the resident expert.)

Keeping in mind all that parenting advice I've read, I turned the question back to her. "What do you know about that?"
There are good guys and bad guys, she told me.
"And you know what, Mom?" she said.
"Even if you weren't my mom you'd still be one of the good guys."

Which, for this particular evening at least, seemed enough of a resolution to the problem of evil for this particular little girl.

Pee-wee Palentology

2011-09-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Recently, BJ (and BB) pulled out the dino-dig kit he'd received as a gift. (Christmas or birthday, I can't recall -- he's actually got quite a stash of science-themed kits that we've been working our way through.)

Complete with safety goggles, his brick-o-plaster with encased T-Rex "bones" was quite a hit!

We've now done a few of these sorts of things. This time we were working with the Smithsonian Dinosaur Dig kit, and it has been by far the best one we've done. The plaster brick was much more easily broken up than other kits we've done, and the wooden hammer and chisel were also much less flimsy.

I was pleased that BJ was willing to share the experience with BB (including finding her a spare set of safety goggles from his DIY Volcano kit).

Once he'd pulverized the plaster to powder (definitely messy, definitely something to do outside) he had very little trouble putting together the skeleton. The tail wouldn't stay on, so we needed some glue to help with that, but all told he was very happy with the result!

And maybe it's the safety goggles (or the fact that he needs a haircut) but my goodness he looks SO much older to me in these pictures! Not so much of a pee-wee, anymore!

Halloween Sneak Peek

2011-09-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

More than a month to go, and the kids have settled on their Halloween costumes. BJ's going to be an astronaut (getting good mileage out of the space suit and accessories that he asked for last Christmas) -- and I have plenty of time to fix the Made in China error of the COMMANDER badge that was sewn on upside-down. (Nevermind the fact that I've had since December to fix it...)

He's pretty thrilled with the costume, as you might imagine!

BB is right on trend in wanting to be Rapunzel. I was very happy that when given the choice, she decided not to get the Disney (poorly made) licensced Tangled dress. Instead, she chose a pretty lavender "Renaissance Princess" gown. Add in the hair she got at Disneyland and a purple pair of shoes, and she's all set! One of these days, my garment making chops will be up to the challenge of making such a costume -- hopefully sooner rather than later (want to do it for my own kids, not for grandkids someday!) but this year I was just fine with purchasing what needed to be bought to make it happen, doing a little repair for BJ and running up a hem for BB (her dress is a wee bit too long). Good Enough is the motto for this year.

BB is also lobbying heavily for me to dress up as Princess Leia... Star Wars is VERY popular at our house right now, so this isn't surprising I suppose. We'll see!

BJ's Whale Adoption Fundraiser

2011-09-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, BJ did the classic kid fundraiser -- a lemonade stand!
He was raising money for his whale adoption fund and decided to do it during move-in weekend. Talk about perfect timing! On Saturday, he set up his stand in the building that houses S's community. On Sunday, he set up in our building. Each day for a few hours he ran the stand (with S's help and support from the rest of us). I think it was a really good experience for him.

He was talking about the lemonade stand all week leading up to it, very excited by the prospect. We figured he should decide which whale to adopt before having the fundraiser, so he settled on Shackleton.

Here's what the aquarium says about Shackleton: "Named after the intrepid Antarctic explorer, Shackleton the whale caused quite a commotion when he ventured up the Delaware River to Camden, NJ. During this adventure he was struck by a tug boat, but he survived his ordeal and is now seen regularly on the Bay of Fundy feeding grounds."

(Picture from the New England Aquarium whale sponsorship website.)

Setting the prices for the stand was an interesting conversation. He'd decided he wanted to sell cups of lemonade, cookies, and pictures. Lemonade for $5 a cup? Maybe not. He settled on 50 cents for lemonade, 25 cents for a cookie, and 10 cents for a picture. Once he settled on the prices, he made a poster to advertise his entrepreneurial project. Of course it included "Whale Fun Facts" all written by him (S helped with the typing).

He drew 10 ocean-themed pictures -- and sold them all! Here he is selling a picture to his first customer, a very kind young man who is on S's student staff.

I made 100 cookies, sold maybe half of that. (Good thing they were yummy.) A jug of lemonade for each day was more than sufficient. So he didn't really sell so much as he had very generous customers!

He learned a lot, including some good practice with math skills (I'm still impressed by how accurately he was counting up what people owed him and figuring out how much change -- though admittedly, most folks didn't ask for any change). He also got good practice talking with people -- look them in the eye, get your fingers out of your mouth, say please and thank you. That sort of thing. And he got good practice with what not to do.... alas, he's at the typical 6-year-old let's-learn-how-to-burp-on-command stage. Which led to his least polite moment, when he was asked about his stand and what he was selling. His reply, totally unself-conscious: "Lemo-buuuurrp-nade!"

So he's still got some PR to work on, that's clear. And towards the end of his second day at the lemonade stand, he was getting pretty squirrelley. But all told, he did quite well.

After both days, of course he totaled up the bills and coins to see what he'd made.

He raised a total of $33.45, not too shabby for a 6 year old! Add that to the money he's earned for allowance and saved towards his goal and he's currently at $61.99. It will be very interesting to see if he decides to opt for the $45 adoption level (the lowest one), the next one up at $75, or if he hangs in there for something still more expensive. He's saying he wants to collect $250 for the top level sponsorship for his chosen whale. We'll see!

The Best Kind of Busy

2011-09-21T12:28:00.001-07:00

We've had a very full week in the Mama's Magic household, full of the best kind of busy. My parents were here for a visit (they left early this morning) the campus was coming back to life, with the students moving in last weekend, and S was getting ready to return to the classroom after his year's sabbatical. Whew!

Some highlights from the week:

BJ's second annual walk-a-thon at school. Mom and I hung around for the first lap.

Then he started running laps when it was time for us to go!

By the end, he'd done 50 laps! I've been told that each lap was 2/10ths of a mile. Is it possible he really walked 10 miles??? Wow!

BB's gym class

The farmer's market!

Drawing with Giki (who was patient enough to make a pencil sketch of every dinosaur in BJ's "I can Draw Dinosaurs" book, so that he could color them in. Such a good Giki!)

Projects and Playing with Pop-Pop (BJ and Pop-Pop had great fun with a polymer chemistry kit and a soda can robot kit!)

Projects and Playing with Giki (They pulled out the fabric doll set that Giki made for BB a while back and had fun with that -- and BB still loves her sewing, especially loves working on it with Giki! Of course she also still loves to spend as much time in as few clothes as possible, so most of the pics of them together aren't appropriate to post! That's my girl.)

And of course ice cream at our favorite local place!

It was a really nice visit -- never long enough, of course, but we're always grateful for the time we get. Thanks for coming to see us, Mom and Dad! We miss you already!

Whoosh

2011-09-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

Goodness but things have been busy around here. My folks come into town tomorrow for a week's visit, so I've been occupied with the usual prep for that (mainly getting the play room into some state of order so that it can pull its double duty as guest quarters without too much embarassment). I've also been playing catch-up and fix-up with lots of stuff, which has meant little to no blogging going on in the evenings:

bringing some order to The Paper Piles (still had stuff from kindergarten in there!)

organizing the pantry (pantry storage, or lack thereof, is one of the main drawbacks in the apartment)

replacing the computer desk that was falling apart (after many an hour scouring the local thrift stores and craigslist, I scored a serviceable computer cabinet for $55 from a craigslist posting. woo-hoo!)

scheming for ways to improve our living arrangement here at the campus apartment, especially in the living room. It's hard to believe we've now been here for more than a year and a half -- and still haven't hung curtains!

sorting through thousands and thousands of family pictures -- I love my digital camera but am still enough of a 20th century gal to want Actual Photographs In Albums for at least a fraction of the ones we've snapped. The last ones I'd uploaded and printed out were from March 2009. Snapfish had a 500 prints for $5 deal going on, which was the kick in the pants I needed to tackle taht backlog. Now I've caught us up through August 2011.

My mom keeps warning me that once the kids started school, time would "get up and gallop." I'm really seeing what she means by that. Whoosh! There goes another day!

Tonight I still have a fair amount of stuff left to do, but I wanted to take at least a few moments to catch things up at the blog a bit. I have several posts mulling over in my mind, so hopefully I'll be back to more regular posting very soon!