Leap!

I thought it would be funny to take a picture of the kids on this Leap Day, and then do the same thing four years from now, when Trev is (sniff!) almost 12, and Clara is (yikes!!!) 15.

The only glitch in my plan was that my models were a bit squirrely tonight.
I'm a but of an ultra-close-up nut at the moment, so consider yourself warned if you're around me and you see that I have my camera in my hand...

The Dog Days of Winter

There's definitely something wrong with the weather.....But heck, I'll take it.

Happy Belated Blogiversary to Me!

It completely slipped my mind that it was my 4th Blogiversary on January 28. Now I've got four years' worth of Stuff to look back on! The biggest change these days is the fact that I have a new follower, to add to the whopping 3 or 4 of you who drop in here to see what we've been up to. Clara loves to read posts old and new, and is always looking forward to the next update. Good thing I've been minding my manners and my language for the past four years, eh Honeybun? :)

Bad Hair Day

Clara had a droopy ponytail at the end of the day, and it reminded her of the Revolutionary War era guys that she's learning about in Social Studies. So, she said I should take a picture of her, and post it on the blog. She told me I could write something like,
"Check out General Clara, ready to head off to battle. At least she's got the hair for it Dot dot dot."

Ya, she told me to put the dot dot dot part. Perhaps I need to vary my writing style a bit.....

The rhythm is going to get you

Trev has a few favorite songs on his MP3 player, and he loves to listen to music while he swings in the backyard after dinner. Today he was so moved by the music that he danced his way outside.....P.S. Happy Valentine's Day! :)

Back to Mt. Diablo

It's been three years since we visited Mt. Diablo. Way too long, I suppose. It was really beautiful the last time we went up there, and today would have been every bit as lovely if we had gone earlier in the day. Unfortunately, I had to spend a few hours at work first. And then we really weren't dressed warmly enough to be up at 5,000 feet in the late afternoon. Dummies. So we basically froze our butts off up at the top for a few minutes, spent as long as we could inside the Visitor Center, froze for a few more minutes, and then left. But, you know what? It was awesome anyway. The views didn't disappoint, and it was so, so nice to get out of dodge for a couple of hours. And I got to play with my camera some more.... :)

Industrious

Saturdays are just awesome for checking a bunch of stuff off that endless TO DO list. Clara worked at handmade valentines from the moment she woke up.......until everything was done.
I climbed Mt. Washmore. Yep, that same peak I've summited about 52 times a year for the past 13 years or so. Without a Sherpa.
Trev made huge contributions to Lego civilization.I dare you to walk barefoot in his room....

Trevor Edison

Trev has LOVED learning about Thomas Edison for his big project and Patriotic Performance. I think he really relates to the way Edison's mind worked. I truly believe this boy has some amazing things up his sleeve. I know I'm his mother, but still....

Tonight was the big performance night for all 2nd graders, (just like when Clara was in 2nd grade).

Trev said all of his lines loudly and clearly, sang with all his might, and looked ridiculously cute in a bowtie.

Trev's only three laments are that:
a) Edison's awesome incandescent lightbulbs are now obsolete.
b) Alexander Graham Bell beat him to inventing the phone.
c) Henry Ford's internal combustion engine came out just before Edison managed to perfect the battery for the electric car he was working on. In Trev's words, "Can you imagine how much better the earth would be if everyone had been driving electric cars right from the beginning????"

Now that is something beautiful to imagine, isn't it?

Life is Good

So glad I live in a world filled with spontaneous dance shows performed with feeling by adorable kids.

Clara de Lune

I was taking out the recycling when I looked up and saw the moon. Called Clara out to take a break from valentine-making (yes, she's that organized that she's working on them already) so we could be lunatics together.I think Debussy must have composed Claire de Lune on a night like tonight...

(Shocked, though, to recently discover the true meaning of an anthem of my childhood, Debussy's "Golliwog's Cakewalk" *sniff*.)

Unseasonable

We've had a crazy non-winter around here. Hardly a minute of cold or a drop of rain. It's a bit scary to think about what's going on with our little earth and its climate. I worry about receding glaciers and encroaching desertification and evaporating seas and empty reservoirs and melting ice caps and swimming polar bears. I worry and worry. There's no rain in the forecast, and we're outside in t-shirts, frolicking around like it's summer. The problem is, I LOVE IT when it's sunny and warm in the middle of winter. So that explains why I'm plagued with guilt. The planet is falling to pieces, and I can't stop marveling (which overshadows even the worrying) at how gorgeous it is. Inner turmoil galore.

At least some places have snow.....and it's probably cold in polar bear territory at the moment...Right?

Classroom Masterpieces

I don't make a habit of blogging about school, but the art these kids have been creating just begs to be posted. Plus, I can look back in future years and remind myself of projects I may have forgotten....

Since we learn about one artist a month, and try to emulate those artists' styles (i.e. copy their genius ideas), these masterpieces will all look a bit familiar. One reason I love focusing on abstract pieces is that kids get to discover that art doesn't have to be about skillfully representing reality. And they really get into the process of creating! They constantly amaze me with the way they work, pause, consider, ponder color choices, step back from their work, and make decisions about when they've done enough.

A few big pieces so far this year:

Sonia Delaunay allowed us to overlap, cross the mid line, and blend colors.
Henri Matisse got our scissors moving, and helped us learn about contrast.
Wassily Kandinsky taught us about concentric circles.
Not exactly Jackson Pollock, but our "Primary and Secondary Color Blown Art", as I called it, was splashy (read: messy) and heaps of fun.
And, since we spent a good six weeks or so drawing, painting, and crafting creatures for our ocean mural, I think it deserves masterpiece status:
In the works at the moment: Frida Kahlo-inspired self portraits, Australian Aboriginal dot paintings, and lots and lots of valentines. I love my job. :)