5/5/08 Mango & Arugula and Inga & Valentine..

We've made some very special friends here in Boulder.. my girlfriend Ali for one.. a true unschooler who actually cooks complete meals every night (that don't come out of boxes and are not frozen.. truly inspiring) .. who has 2 amazing boys Nicky & Will both born with days of my boys.. their house is just blocks from ours and we spent lots of time at their house shooting baskets, playing legos, shooting marbles, building tracks for cars & trains, buying & selling whatever with the 100 million tickets they had, burning stuff, hula hooping (mostly me), hiking up the hill into Chautauqua Park, digging for worms and climbing on the roof.

Another highlight was playing with their poodle puppies Mango & Arugula the sweetest, cutest, dirtiest, happiest, most alive & lovable dogs ever.. mostly we got to look for them when they wandered the neighborhood on their own.. calling out Mango... Arugula.. where are you????

We also got very attached to the dog who lived right next door to us.. Valentine.. Luc said she was his most favorite dog ever.. he would compare every dog we met to her.. and conclude that yes, he loved Valentine more. She was not used to kids so we decided to socialize her and bring her over to our house for immersion.. she eventually climbed right into bed with us for a big cuddle..

And then there is Inga.. Inga was our friend Zoe's dog who got to live with us for a month or so.. a beautiful boxer with stripes who was the most loving loyal friend you could ever have.. We took Inga everywhere with us.. a member of the family.. she attended every baseball game, AA meeting, hike, park day, you name it.. Reese took her for many walks on his own and it was such a treat for us to have our very own dog for awhile. When we gave up our place and decided to travel for the summer Inga moved on the share her love with another family.. we miss you Inga..

4/30/08 Field Trip to NOAA & Roots and Shoots

Our homeschool group set up a fieldtrip to the Nat'l Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.. and it happened to be just 5 minutes drive from our house in Boulder. Funny cause NOAA was an endorser of Steve's company Ecozone Media so I knew a bit about what they did. We learned about how they monitor weather, here on Earth and in space, they call NASA everyday to let them know about storms in space. They basically monitor & keep records of the earth, oceans, weather, how it changes, pretty fascinating.. they played a fun game with the kids to learn some of the differences between the North & South Poles, I did not know any of the answers. So much to learn, that's the fun of homeschooling.. we are doing it together.. did I mention I liked the field trip a lot more than the kids did.

We have also started participating in the Roots & Shoots Nature Club, this month we did AIR... they kids wrote poems and illustrated them about air, what they think about it.. Reese got to design the cover of the groups poem book.. poems and pictures to follow... we made pinwheels and talked about air quality and stuff..
I love that we get to do some group stuff, a bit of learning followed by an afternoon of running and playing ... and i love the stuff we do on our own too. We've been playing chess most everyday, reading some books, doing some math, Reese has mostly mastered division now, after just 4 or 5 days of practice. I love that learning can be fun and a natural part of life..
ok i am feeling very grateful and happy about homeschooling and life in general right now..

4/08 Reese is playing for the Twins..

It's been our best organized sports experience ever.. Reese signed up for baseball in the rookie league, it's for mostly 7&8 yr olds, it's coach pitched, no strikeouts and it's been a blast! Great kids, awesome parents, so much fun, sheer joy of playing baseball.. Every kid has really improved in the last 9 weeks and Reese has not complained a bit about practicing and that's a first. Steve has been one of the coaches which is great and i've even helped out at games, mostly by cheering and yelling RUN!

The team mentality is really a valuable lesson in life, encouragement, not always having to be first, etc.. to be part of something really fun, to work together, i love watching the boys play.

Have I mentioned how much I love to watch my kids play.. actually most kids.. but mine in particular. I learn so much from them, mostly the value of play, it is so natural for them and sometimes so difficult for me.. Yes, i suffer often from seriousitis.. I have cronic grown up perspective.. but never fear i am receiving treatment.. it's called raising children.. they are reintroducing me to my child like sense of discovery and wonder, they remind me daily not to take myself too seriously just by being their happy go lucky selves. I am trying not to infect them with this sometimes flaring virus of being a non playful grown up. Some of the warning signs for me are... caring more about having a clean house than enjoying each other, forgetting how vital laughter is to my daily life, "thinking" I need to teach them something as opposed to sharing, enjoying and loving, nagging and that bitchy mommy tone of seriousness. So I vow today to relax and enjoy them more, play more, share and listen more, have high level connections, in short.. to just be the love that I am all day long.

4/25/08 Four Mile Historic Park Field Trip

Built in 1859, located in downtown denver is a park that lets you relive the pioneer experience. Our homeschool group was transported to the frontier days.. when children actually did chores! We had them beating rugs, sweeping, feeding chickens, getting water from the well, washing clothes on a washboard and churning butter and they had a blast, much more fun than cleaning your room or putting away your toys.. we did get to play with with some of their toys.. wooden toys.. mostly ring toss games and walking on stilts. that was fun. We also panned for gold in the creek nearby.. and like most of the pioneers we found fools gold.. but what fun finding it..

The highlight of the day however was playing in the creek after the tour was over.. the kids built entire cities in mud and sticks, conquered territories, fought battles and melded and divided forces over and over.. just like in real life.. I love to watch kids play for hours and hours with things they find in nature.. it is so satisfying to be reminded how little we actually need.. and how easy it is to forget this and get back in the "I need more".. mode..

ok.. remembering now.. we don't need much.. it is in fact true that less is more.. to be content with what you have is such bliss..

4/08 Easter the best Holiday..

Yes, we celebrated Easter for at least 2 weeks.. we must have hid eggs at least 30 times, just for the sheer fun of finding them.
We dyed & decorated, we drew Easter pictures and ate lots of chocolate. On Easter Sunday Mommy Martha cooked for us and got big baskets for the kids and yes.. we hunted eggs again... for hours actually.. the meal was lovely and the company even better.. if you are going to move away from your family you have to make sure to have a Martha there in your new town so you always have a family home to come to.. after Easter we visited the dentist and both kids had so many cavities... so now we are sworn off sugar.. forever.. Luc is asking 50 times a day.. does this give you cavities? if i say yes, he won't eat it.. he does not want to go to the dentist.

4/15/08 The tulips are blooming..

Boulder has real seasons.. it has been so awesome for me having lived my whole life in Southern California.. not easy, but very rich and I am really embracing the variety of temperatures, experiences and willingness to be indoors or bundle up a lot. My boys are also pretty sensitive to cold, they don't like it much.. they don't like to be in the snow for more than maybe 30 minutes, they don't want to bundle up, sled or ski. Remember these are the kids who did not wear shoes or pants for several years. They are beach kids, river kids, water kids, they love sunshine as much as I do.. and warmth..

So we hang indoors when it is cold, I've never spent so much time indoors, it's been an adjustment, but it's been wonderful..
I love change, it makes me feel really alive, I get bored with the same stuff all the time, even beautiful weather. So again I am enjoying our time here very much!

One of the things Boulder is famous for is the Tulips that bloom in the spring.. and they are blooming.. it is very exciting..
Boulder has a 5 block outdoor walk street with shops, restaurants, coffee houses, water fountains for kids to play in, mini play grounds and climbing stuff for kids, street performers, etc.. it's called Pearl Street and it's very similar to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. There are thousands of Tulips that bloom on Pearl Street in April.. it is incredibly beautiful and exciting. I think tulips are my most favorite flower and I especially love the ones that are multi-colored.

Tonight Martha & I had sushi dinner on Pearl St and as we walked after dinner we saw them.. Tulips.. everywhere.. it was magical.. life is so ... present! so beautiful.. so creative and everywhere..

Hooray the tulips are blooming!!

April in Boulder...

we basically have it all here in April.. some nights it's 25 degrees.. it snows once a week or so.. some days it's 75 degrees and we are getting sunburned hula hooping at the park.. we bike riding, Reese is getting good on his new roller blades.. we're having snowball fights and 2 days later water balloon fights.. we are hanging at the Farmers Market, Reese had his first art show and sold 5 pieces.. we are donating 20% of the money to a local charity, we are having a ball everyday seeing what mother nature brings and we are enjoying it all!!