Urban Organica

felt playboard

I love this little playboard that Free made with his Auntie Jessy.  

It's all just little free bits of felt on a regular letter-sized rectangle of white felt.  

Sometimes I'll see a stack of felt & think about how much I'd like to make him a new set of puppets, an interchanging set of party hats, a little castle or a series of little gnomes.  Having made all these things when there was just one sweetheart, I know just how long it takes & how much love goes into such things.  And I also know it requires extra time away from the boys, or at least, having them very engaged in something else.  I do that enough already when I work, even though it's here at home.  I like to think we can make these things together, although they usually have other plans.  So I have lots & lots of felt + 2 art carts full of dream-love-projects.  

I like the simpleness of this playmat.  Instant gratification for everyone involved.  It's age appropriate.  It's satisfyingly creative.  It's graphic & pretty.  It's self-explanatory. And most importantly (for me), it's easy to store.  Flat as a pancake.  Love it.

neighborly love

I still have the Martha Stewart article on Blue-Green Egg Shells.  I think it's 15 years old.  My new neighbors brought these over.  I had never actually seen them before.  Swoon.

They also brought over the Book of Mormom for Kids.  Don't laugh.  I asked for it.  The other day my kids were insinuating that we're "totally different," & that other families are "totally the same."  Ummm...kick back, boys.  Yes, we're distinct, no, we're not "special-er."  So we went through some points on our neighbors, how they're distinct.  They wanted to know what Mormons are.  I remember this book from my own childhood & a nice missionary couple named "The Christiansons," who brought this over with a jump rope.  I just asked the new neighbors & they were happy to loan it to me.  Because I am not in the position to say what Mormons are.  They suggested I read it 5 minutes a day.  Okay.  You can giggle now.  But I will.  (giggle + plus read it) Great family.

Other neighbors have been dropping off fresh cut & washed bags of lettuce & we had a paper bag bursting with Giant chard at our door this morning.  This is what I love.  You take care of the community, & the community takes care of you.

How do we take care of this community?  By offering up our living room & furniture for (VERY) entertaining multi-family shows.  It is a hoot.  You haven't lived until you've seen a 1 year old, 3, 7, 7, 8, 9, 10  & 11 year old doing the hand jive between couch dives & oddly placed modern-dance moments.  It's...amazing. 

kool + sweet stuff

I love this outfit.  I wish it was mine.  Hand printed organic onesie + linen karate pants.  Wow.  

A fit almost as koo (cool) as the boy.  Look at him.  This is our buddy Mateo. He's the youngest in our "family" of baby buddies.  (Really my nephew Ravi is the youngest, but he lives in the Philippines.  I can't wait 'till he gets  here to meet all his other "kapatid." (siblings)) Teo's gorgeous mama up there is one of our best friends.  Look at the way she looks at him.  

It's a bummer that outfit won't get passed on to us, but I know it will keep on going.  At this point, anything I buy True goes on to 7 other kids.  Yeah, really.  And most of Real's cutest clothes come from his "brothers & sisters." 

In our culture, it doesn't matter if you're really related.  You're related because you say your related.  Family is a made-up excuse to give folks you like everything you've got.  

You should hear me when these kids get together, "Here Mahal, eh, True I mean Keo, I mean, Mateo, I mean, Free, Real, Mekhi, er, Lake, eh...Kaleo."  Luckily, we just treat them all the same.  Love, love, admiration.  Love.

The neighborhood kids decided to start excavating my yard for geodes.  They haven't found any, but my lawn is littered with distinct  & orderly pyramids of micah, granite, clay, sandstone & pebbles.

We're on an accidental rock unit.  We asked for an impromptu construction-zone tour yesterday.  They were digging up the water lines & we got to see how under the black top is a thick layer of cement & large gravel, below which is solid clay, at least ten feet deep.  And that clay - it's beautiful.

True did some rock climbing at the Farmer's Market & loves it.  I'm very excited to have a bouldering partner.  I think this is a great sport for his age ~ it's physical & intuitive without a lot of rigid, repetitive movements while still having a clear set of safety guidelines & a definite technique to master & build on.  So it takes a certain level of responsibility.  There's room for style points & it's self-correcting: if you mess up, you fall.  No need for criticism or opinion from mom or anyone else.  

Maybe more importantly, it's totally self-fulfilling, because the higher you go, the more alive & natural & accomplished you feel.  I've always felt that rock climbing is a spiritual exercise.  In any case, there's no need for "good job!"-ing, which can take away from a child's sense of personal accomplishment & put the emphasis on being acknowledged by someone else.  (More on this in Punished By Rewards by Alfie Kohn)

We "Good Job!" all the time, it's a hard habit to break.  I don't think there's anything wrong with it, it feels natural & right to encourage & affirm them, but I do notice it takes them out of the zone a bit.  They seem to react better when we say something like, "You got past that hard spot!" or, "You were under the rock & now you're on top of the rock!"  It makes me think they don't want to be noticed for what they did, they just want me to notice what happened, & to share in their joy.

There's also the built-in incentive of sweet climbing gear.  It's the same for both of us: once we stick with it enough to know we'll stick with it, then it's time for our own climbing shoes.  Once we're belaying, it's time for a harness & - ever popular with boys the world over, carabiners.  I'll be getting us some chalk asap, because I'm dying to sew us little chalk bags.  (The chalk keeps your hands dry so you don't slip)  So he should be feeling pretty legit here, now.

A friend went upstairs with a diaper & came downstairs with 8 pairs of underwear.

Went to a Filipino breakfast place & couldn't get over their tomatoes, so I tried this at home:

Chopped Tomatoes + Medium-Boiled Eggs + Chopped Onion + Lemon Juice.

So Good over fried fish.  I had extra seasoned gluten-free flour that I didn't want to waste, so we sliced some mushrooms & dredged & fried them, too.  They were moist & crunchy with just enough saltiness to make the steamed collard greens sing.

We had to giggle at our 1 year-old, coming out of the house, stepping off the deck, down the path, down the steps, around this compost pile & a half-block down with a helmet over his face.  He couldn't see a thing.  No idea where he's going, just going.

Free, age 3, & always the lover of photography, took this very intentional shot of my clothes + moving hand.  I hadn't realized all the detail before. 

Color.  Babies.  Food.  Learning.  Art.  

Apparently my life is a prayer.

loving this picture

the way you hold your boy.  those glasses.  the way you look through the camera straight at me.  the lime green rooster on your sweater.  knowing you were feeding one boy breakfast while giving another boy love & chatting with your mama.  how your collar is up with no effort.  you on a weekend, relaxed & happy, even though i insist on taking pictures.  you.  and our little riri.

one & a half months 'till the lake my love.  almost there.

chinese fireman's bbq

There's a couple of things that Firemen, Chinese & Filipinos have in common.

Yes.  They love Food.  Community.  And Old- Fashioned Entertainment. 

These are some of my favorite guys to cook with.

When Pops retired from the fire department, he was acknowledged over & over again as their old-school chef, cooking things from scratch, whipping up crazy meals in the firehouse kitchens.  Pops has always cooked for crowd, & always put love into his food.  When we went vegetarian, along with our house, he happily fried his turkeys outside & convinced everyone to join him out there.  He just turned 65, & everyone got together to return the love.  

Care for a peek?

(Recipes?  Oh, I'm afraid we aren't quite the card-carrying crowd, but I'll get you all some solid concepts.  There's some sweet competition-style food here, for sure...  A San Francisco-style party in every way.)

Pops.  Thank you for everything. Our lives are great & you are such a huge part of our hearts.  A best friend we always want around.  Happy Pops Day to all of us.

cinnamon rolls part 1

I have been secretly coveting the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day, as I've an insatiable love of carbs coupled with an unfortunate disinterest absolutely no desire to knead bread.  But I've been doubtful.  And I've been scared of yeast, ridiculous as that sounds.  I hate wasting ingredients & time, so I haven't wanted to risk either on something with a reputation for being volatile.  

A recent cover of Mother Earth News bragged an excerpt of the book (this is the article + recipes) & I have to say: It's true!  Artisan bread in minutes.  It does have to rise & all, but not for long.  It just takes minutes to mix, much like pancake mix, then you have enough for the next few days!

We started with the basic boule.  And True said, "It tastes just like the bread at Church Landing!"  High praise.  I can't believe it.  

And the next day, we made the rolls.  The only thing we changed was using honey instead of sugar & pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon & nutmeg.  It was just the perfect amount of sweet.  I haven't decided if I should get the book, given that we're a mostly gluten-free family.  There's a recipe in the article for Neapolitan Pizza, too, so we'll try that, too.

We're going to try them 2 more ways: raw, a' la Cafe Gratitude, & gluten-free.   I know that sounds intimidating, but so did these!  And yet, everyday, right on my computer screen, there they were, other people's cinnamon rolls.   So we tried them.  And they.  Were.  Good. One thing we might change in the future is a bit of brown sugar & butter over the top, broiled for a second to get a sugary, sparkly crust that would crunch a bit.  Nothing like good ol' sugar...What are you baking? 

green popsicles

To keep from turning into a mama-marshmallow I've taken up a few old hobbies:

-Capoiera, an afro-brazilian martial art/dance form that has the potential to make me incredibly talented & acrobatic.  This will, of course, require a few years of work on my part...(the link is to a video of my school)

-Rock climbing, indoors this time.  In the distant past my brothers & I were known to do some crazy equipment climbs, complete with helmets, camping gear & crazy metal things that looked like spurs holding us up in the air.  I started last night at the very glamourous level known as...beginner.  I made it up 50 feet twice, & felt incredibly high over the whole thing. So then I went to the next level - beginner +, & made it up about 3/4 before calling it quits.  The sweet instructor thought I was about 12 & told me to keep trying, & I admit I felt a certain smugness at announcing that there was just no way, I am, after all, a mama of 3 & haven't worked out for 8 years.  Oddly, there's not much to be smug about in there, but that's how I felt.  He gave me a nice polite reprieve.  Till next week.

-And, finally, Green Smoothies for breakfast.  Our acupuncturist/nutritionist explained that whatever we eat first thing is what we'll crave all day.  Ah.  This explains my desire to eat chocolate, bread & cheese all day.  So...it's been green smoothies for all of us.  D prefers to start them off with eggs & broccoli, but the boys were getting bored silly.  I prefer a shake called Vega, which is a hard-core vegan meal replacement created by a vegan Ironman triathlete for athletes.  I just think it taste good & I love knocking out my entire RDA (recommended daily allowance) of everything by 10am.  

We blend a scoop of Vega, 1 frozen banana, a handful of baby spinach leaves & 1 bag of frozen fruit.  Then I just add soy milk to the top of it all & blend.  I suppose one could use whatever protein shake they like.  My mother-in-love is terrified I'll become a vegan, & doesn't really care to see the tub of Vega on my counter.  How cute is she?  We've been vegan.   We've been raw vegans.  We've been vegetarians, pescatarian, organic free-range meat eaters.  I just want my food to taste really good & be as ethical as possible by being as humane as possible & using as little resources as possible in it's production.  At this point I'm very much a Flexitarian.

Anywhoo.  I am a big fan of blending frozen fruit & calling it ice cream.  My girlfriend thinks this is just wrong & calls it "fruit on cone."  Well, whatever.  Frozen sweets for breakfast.  They've been into it & take the extra & freeze it for after lunch.  How excited am I that this is now the boy's favorite popsicle?  They call it "Green Tea Flavor."  Given that our middle boy who would eat anything is becoming pickier by the minute & our oldest has been having pizza in some form every single day for the last 2 weeks, this does my lots for my peace of mind.  Lots.

q-tip cherry blossoms & kitchen table rain

first off, i apologize for the five-in-a-row, then none, then 1 lame post-patterns i've got going on.  life, is just too good, too full, too unexpected, too sometimes insurmountable, too surprisingly full of support & blessings to be blogging all the time.  some of you blog daily, but i will assume you've got it down to an art, & are able to whip out those heartfelt, deeply authentic post with always on-spot photographs in about 15 minutes.  wink, wink.  

not i, not at all.  i've considered quitting the blog all together, or maybe starting one specifically for homeschooling or one specifically for design, or activism. oh, to be a dilletante.  master of nothing, lover of absolutely everything.  so this is my style, at least these days!  real life, i tell ya...

how about these q-tip cherry blossoms from our blue yonder book of days?  (go ahead, click that button up there on the right!!) they have another great blog to go with the book that has lots of other ideas & links to some family ideas.  one of the reasons i don't really need a curriculum at this point is that little monthly subscription.  it is just genius.  there's so much in there, & it doesn't matter if someone is homeschooling & needs lots & lots of work to do or if they just have a little baby that needs outside tummy time.  it has so, so much good, simple family stuff with plenty of leads to deeper studies.  and their other blog, the magnifying glass is a great image of that nature science that comes so naturally to little gnomes & fairies.

we had so much fun making these little trees, & we took it all on as part of our "collections" unit.  what's that?  well, i noticed that one of us has stopped drawing.  i never thought a child of mine would get the "i can't draw" syndrome, but i guess the phenomena is just a pervasive human concept.  it's rubbish, anyways.  so we've started doing "collections," creating many versions of the same thing, like, say, an ice cream truck first in pencil, then in stickers, then as a felt collage.  the idea is just ridiculous quantity, to reconnect with the materials & to feel our hands moving, discovering what the media wants to do.  i once read a teacher blog (can't remember, sorry) that asserted we must make lots of art with our children, & throw away just as much!  i thought, oh, i could never.  i'm way to sentimental.  but i've been thinking about it.  how liberating would it be to have art be truly meaningless?  

because we have 2 toddlers, we use this set-up for watercolors: a plate with a very wet paper-towel.  this does work for brushes, too.  it doesn't allow for traditional mixing & brush cleaning, but i follow the waldorf idea of using one or two colors at a time that harmonize with eachother.  not forever, but while they're young this is nice, so that when they do discover the color-mixing, it's really a magical discovery.  so i love these watercolor discs d found.  there's no name on them, i'm sorry.  but they come in a stack of 4 discs, each with a different color family.  i think the cherry + terra cotta + saffron is a very sophisticated combination, myself.  we use lakeshore's people colors for the trunks & for, you know, people.  they have a fabulous collection of paints, paper & crayons in a lovely human/tree trunk rainbow.  & they cost so little for the lesson they offer.

& indoor rainshowers from the april book.  we're doing them in may.  why not?  look at those little drawings in the instructions!  they love this stuff...

sunshine & ladybugs

From my spot at the market...

they're all safe & sound...

they come in to steal bites from the strongest, most beautiful Daddy hands...

they climb trees just their size...

before meeting a friend halfway up...

& relatives down below...

kinda like those, but chubbier, redder...

some are stuck to leaves! are they dead?

no, they're baby ladybugs!

"here's one that's all done becoming..."

a challenge over discovery rights...

he smiles the smile of a proud oldest brother...all is well in the world.