two straight lines

We've had a really difficult time with Elliot for the past several months.  Sibling issues combined with him generally "being three" has been really challenging for all of us.  (My husband and I swear that if people were born at three, the human race would die out)  We try to work with him saying things like-- "if you don't wake your sister, I can play with you," but clearly logic is not the driving force with him at this age.

Its easy to connect with newborns, who are all cute and lovely, rolls of fat and smiles, who can resist?  Lucie kept me up for a good part of last night scooting around the bed and blowing raspberries, and I still wake up, see her smiling face, and am completely enamored with her.  Connection with older children requires more effort.

I often struggle with what to do with Elliot during our days at home.  I love to make crafts, bake, read him books, things like that, but he'd be forever content pushing fire trucks around the floor, which bores the heck out of me.  After tears in the pediatrician's office this week (mine), our fabulous doctor recommended a few books for me.  I started reading one of them yesterday, and using some of the ideas in it, transformed our morning.

I gathered the supplies this morning to make a firehouse out of an old milk carton.  Together we collaborated.  Me-- "Is this where you would like the windows?"  "What would you like the signs to say?"  Him-- "I cut it myself."  We had great fun, and he played happily and creatively while I made our lunch.  He has a beautiful wooden firehouse 15 feet from this one that has never seen such creative play.  Something about the act of designing this one ourselves made it "the biggest firehouse in the whole world," and "in New York City."

Sometimes I guess, to connect, we just have to meet them where they feel the safest...in play.

Recommended reading: Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D.

A while ago I was perusing Design Sponge and ran across this modern birdhouse which I liked very much.  I was reading the comments on the post and was struck by one mentioning the material used for the birdhouse- polystyrene.  He (or she) said-- "um, yeah it's cute - but are birds really going to live in a polystyrene house?"-- among many other things.  I really encourage you to go and read the other comments, they were very enlightening.

I love well designed products as much as the next guy, but I have come to realize that sometimes it just represents excess.  So, this is my twist on a more natural modern birdhouse.  We often see gourd birdhouses, but they are usually left unpainted, or are painted decoratively.  How about just a simple coat of non-toxic paint?  Add in a little twig perch.  This is the time of year to pick up gourds at your farmer's market to preserve, or better yet, buy one predried, cleaned and drilled right here.

I like their simple graphic quality, and would love to see many of them dotting a wooded area.  We have a woods across from our house that has a few nature trails in it, and I considered painting a bunch of them and hanging them over there.  My only hesitation is that someone would steal them. 

They would also make nice holiday gifts for those "hard to craft for" men in our lives.  What kinds of gifts are you making this year?

This is a project I did way back in the early days of twostraightlines, but I figure many of you have never seen it, and it is just perfect for the fall.  Enjoy.

Well, as you know I recently fell in love...with the ceramics of Annette Bugansky (see post below), but I can't justify that kind of purchase right now, so I decided to make my own...kind of.  Annette knits a form for each piece and then casts it in porcelain. (er, something like that) Well, I don't knit, and I really haven't cast anything in porcelain lately (ok, never), so I had to come up with some other way.  So I felted up one of those wool sweaters that I have been collecting for years (you too, huh?) and found some tiny galvanized pots in my cupboard that I could just squeeze into the cuff, and voila...the wooly vase was born.  It took me about five minutes to make two of them.  I think it's quite cute, actually.  And for now it will have to do!

A new Borders bookstore opened in my town yesterday, so the kids and I ran over there this morning.  This organizer caught my eye, and I thought some of you might be interested because there has been a lot of talk about family organization lately in blogland.  They had two sizes, but I got the bigger size, which is about as big as full sized notebook.  I liked the amount of space inside for notes and lists.  It seems like it would be great for meal planning as well.  The sides of the pages have spaces for grocery lists and they are perforated.  And of course I love the fact that is was conceived by two Moms in Ann Arbor.  Check it out at Borders or on Amazon.

   

 

Well, as you know I recently fell in love...with the ceramics of Annette Bugansky (see post below), but I can't justify that kind of purchase right now, so I decided to make my own...kind of.  Annette knits a form for each piece and then casts it in porcelain. (er, something like that) Well, I don't knit, and I really haven't cast anything in porcelain lately (ok, never), so I had to come up with some other way.  So I felted up one of those wool sweaters that I have been collecting for years (you too, huh?) and found some tiny galvanized pots in my cupboard that I could just squeeze into the cuff, and voila...the wooly vase was born.  It took me about five minutes to make two of them.  I think it's quite cute, actually.  And for now it will have to do!

A new Borders bookstore opened in my town yesterday, so the kids and I ran over there this morning.  This organizer caught my eye, and I thought some of you might be interested because there has been a lot of talk about family organization lately in blogland.  They had two sizes, but I got the bigger size, which is about as big as full sized notebook.  I liked the amount of space inside for notes and lists.  It seems like it would be great for meal planning as well.  The sides of the pages have spaces for grocery lists and they are perforated.  And of course I love the fact that is was conceived by two Moms in Ann Arbor.  Check it out at Borders or on Amazon.

Steiner School Artwork

Yes, I know I've been neglecting you.  Sometimes I see your name in my Bloglines and I think, "hmph, where has she been?" and then I remember that you're me. 

It's been a busy week+ over at our house.  We all got very sick last week, the kind of sick that makes your child act like the child from H%$$, and you begin to wonder if he will stay like that forever, and then just as quickly, he is back to his old self.  Phew!  And we started school this week, and I couldn't be more pleased with our choice, well, unless it was just down the street or something.

And Elliot comes home talking about star fairies (they're the ones who put the star shapes in the apples, you know?) and making us follow him upstairs "like a needle and a thread."  They made morning muffins and rice pudding and cobbler (update: it was actually homemade tortillas with blueberry jam), and I'm like- "can I come?"  Especially after I saw the knitting room and the little school shop filled with wool felt and roving.  Maybe I'd just start in 2nd grade when they learn to knit.  I've also been surprised at the quality of his play, he's already playing on his own more, and has barely asked for TV.  I hoped that it would improve longterm, but wasn't expecting anything this quickly. 

I wrote all of that last Friday, and am just now finishing this post.

I usually sit in my car for about 30 minutes after dropping Elliot off so that Lucie can nurse and have a tiny nap, and I get to watch the Bluebirds and Yellowbirds start their day (they are the Kindy students, Elliot is a Redbird in pre-K).   It is the most enchanting thing, to watch these children come out all in a line following their teachers.  They skip through the grassy fields all in a row, and then through the woods they go, some come out carrying very large leaves (may apples?) and then they line up in one enormous row side by side on the curb, and hold hands as they cross the lane together in their sun hats and galoshes.  Their teachers, especially the one who seems to be the leader with her elegant clothes and her hair in a loose gray bun, remind me of old-fashioned governesses or something.  They do the skipping as well, with a perfect posture and rarely speak a word.  What a magical way for these kids to start their day.

Steiner School Artwork

We attended a new parent dinner last night, which was followed by a brief meeting in the gym for staff introductions, and then meetings in the classrooms.  The teachers (K-8) seemed really grounded and each introduced the person next to them in a funny way.  Although Waldorf schools have no "principal" the director of admissions sort of serves as the unofficial leader.  We have known her for a few years because she is the wife of the farmer who ran the CSA we belonged to for the past few years.  She is also an elegant lady, with a quiet sense of humor and a commanding presence.  They finished the meeting with a song in the round, with audience participation.  I didn't sing because I was standing in the back bouncing Lucie, but it was actually quite moving.  It sounded really beautiful especially considering it was unrehearsed.   

Sorry for the extreme detail, I am just taking in this experience, as you can tell from my lack of posting.  It feels so good knowing we found the right place for our family.  And wouldn't you know that my husband is flying to Minneapolis and back today to interview for a job there (within his company)?   Ah well, it never gets too boring around here, we always have to be deliberating something.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in a while back when I mentioned that I was looking for a school for Elliot.  I'm happy to report that we chose one we're very excited about and that classes start next week.  Just so you don't think I'm a total slacker waiting until mid-summer to find one, I wanted to explain that the preschool coop we were part of last year folded, and I was feeling less than excited to start that whole process over.  I knew in my heart that things would work out, but was sort of wandering through the decision process. 

For a long time I have considered home-schooling Elliot, but I finally decided that this year it was not the best choice.  As I've said many times before, we don't have much of a support system here (we had a babysitter for Elliot the first time ever last Friday- yay!), and I think I would be more suited to  homeschooling in an urban setting where I could get out and still feel a part of the world around me.  Also, I think we are all craving a community right now, and we're hoping the school will help with that.

We've chosen a Waldorf school instead of the Montessori I originally mentioned, and those of you who are familiar with the method know that it relies very heavily on rhythm and ritual.  I have been trying to instill a little more of each right now, which doesn't come at all easy for me, and have been impressed with how much easier it makes certain portions of our day.  I have been taking it slowly so that Elliot isn't confused by it all.   

We picked up the little turtle above at the new farmer's market that recently started in our neighborhood.  He is part of our new night time ritual.  We take turns holding the turtle and saying what we are grateful for and if there is anything we are sorry for that day.  The first night Elliot did not want to participate, but ever since the turtle arrived, he has joined us.  Of course, he has been grateful for "fire trucks" each night, but I have hope that his answers will evolve.  And he has said that he is sorry for a few things, so I hope this will help him to reflect on his actions a little more.

While my husband and I (and the baby!) were out on our date Friday night, I picked up a book in the bargain section at Barnes and Noble called Parenting With Spirit by Jane Bartlett.  I really recommend it to anyone trying to add some depth to their relationship with their family.  We don't practice an organized religion, and in just a few days I feel closer to my family just from slowing down and making our everyday activities more special.  It seems like these days when families are all spread out and communities are not as tight-knit, our kids run the risk of growing up feeling very little connection to anything larger than themselves.  Simple acts like sitting down at the table to eat dinner as a family have the ability to strengthen connections.

I'm really excited to be starting down this path.  It seems so obvious, yet somehow surprising that the little rituals we share with our families and communities serve to make our ties stronger.  I'd love to hear some of your familiy's rituals if you'd like to share.