I got to go WINDSURFING!

I have been overwhelmed with work, school and responsibilities.
But on Sunday, it all melted away. After 8 long years of not being on a board, I got to go windsurfing. It felt so good, I even made my first jibe. (Blew my first tack though, go figure....)
Being on the water, powered by the wind, just me, the water and the air, I was whole again...this is my church.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Every now and then a book comes along that is so simple and perfect and magic that it makes me think of a million different things when I read it and I never want it to end.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick

This book goes on my permanent children's book shelf, along with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Little Mermaid, (illustrated, the original version, pre-Disney), Snugglepot and Cuddlepie's Adventures, Trumpet of the Swan, The Secret Garden, Calvin and Hobbes, Harry Potter, etc.

The Nifty Fifty

The Walnut Creek Rotary teamed up with Pack 43 to paint a fifty states mural on our playground. Us scout parents and the rotary gentlemen did the majority of the work but the kids pitched in. There's the picture of Son to prove it.
While I was happily covering Lake Eerie with torquise paint, another parent who was happily painting said, "I'll be damned if I know which state I'm painting!" We all laughed and concurred. We were geographical nincompoops. It's odd how hard it is to memorize the 50 states. Maybe it's because we don't use the information much - when's the last time I said, "hey, honey, can you put your finger on Kentucky, it'd be a big help!"
Ehh, you get my meaning.
At least I know where California and Mexico are....

Everyone's a Critic

My brother said my blog had too many words.

FFT - Old Faithful Junior

Family field trip, Calistoga.
I love this town. The smell of grape vines, mud and hot springs water make the air smell like the Goddess' perfume.
I love being surrounded by spas, aahhhh. Even though I had nary a treatment, just the thought of all of the massages, mud baths and herbal scrubs going on around me makes me feel relaxed.
After a beautiful drive past green hills (that will soon enough turn "California Gold" ahh, you mean brown), happy cows, sprawling oaks and birds flying back North, we reached our destination, Calistoga.
Supposedly, Calistoga was named long ago, when a drunken politician tried to call this area the Saratoga of California (saratoga is a famous hot springs in New York in case you diddin know) but it came out in a slur: Cali-stoga. Hence, the name was born. Another reason I love this place. It was named during a drunken speech.
While we were lunching at the local taqueria, scores of just-massaged people came in with red faces and swept back hair. Lucky peeps.
We visited Old Faithful, my first time there. One of three regularly erupting geysers in Da World. Very cool. A fabulous geography, I mean geology lesson, a great water show, a walk thru the bamboo maze and getting drooled on by fainting goats. This field trip is rated a solid A. No snack bar or it would have been A plus. Husband loved the diagram of how geysers work. He just loves a good schematic or illustration that explains something scientific or technical. My cool husband is a closet geek.
Son picked up a little wooden pocket knife, burn engraved with Calistoga Old Faithful, very old-school boy souvenir, love it. I picked up a snow globe to add to the collection. A geyser snow globe, a definite new genre in the snow globe collection. Must post a photo soon of our snow globe collection. Maybe after we pick more up this summer.
I love family field trips, am compiling a book of them. Don't know the title yet: maybe: Family Field Trips that Don't Suck.

Future Baseball Stars

The trees are budding, the birds are singing and the clocks have been pushed forward. Must be....baseball season.
Son started his first year of Little League and I swear it's more fun than a day at the Coliseum or whatever its corporately called now.

He's a pretty good player...can make the throw from third (his favorite position) most of the time, fields his plays and gets on base due to his hit, not errors, again, most of the time. Best of all, he loves baseball, as does everyone in his family...

Our team this year is the Baltimore Orioles and Jake's #5, Cal Ripken. (For all you baseball stat fanatics, his number was 5 before he retired and came back). Now he's fascinated with Cal and really looks up to his famed reputation as Old Faithful. Hey, two references to Old Faithful in one day!

Husband had field prep duty this week-all the Dads seem to like this job: raking the infield, watering down the dust, marking the lines with chalk. I think next week I'm bringing my boom box with baseball park organ music and crowds cheering to give them the full effect.

Husband drove our little electric scooter, Buzz cuz we live close enough. I drove Son in the limo cuz he's a star. Actually he's seven and I drove because I want to save his energy. Two hours of baseball in 86 degree weather. Bring on the gatorade! We ran out of chalk and had to go across to the other field. Chalk weighs ALOT but BUZZ to the rescue. The boys on the team thought BUZZ was the coolest. When Son rode it around the field after the game, they thought he was the coolest.

We didn't win, but the boys had fun and gave the other team a run for their money. Our team is a bit rag tag but improving in spades. I'm glad Son's on a team not full of stars. I love watching kids get better at something they're learning. One of our players, made a killer catch and he smiled for about five minutes straight. I thought his face was stuck. CUTE! The other team had alot of good players and from the coaches comments, they better play good. No smiling on this team. Yikes dudes, they're second graders. Lighten up! Baseball is for playing, not assaulting. Here it comes, another cliche: Baseball is not whether you win or lose it's how you play the game. And what's for snack afterwards. Goldfish and gatorade. yay.
Go Orioles!!!

Excuse me While I Gush

I love my kid so much....

all day I did spring break house duties: laundry, cleaned the car like it hasn't been cleaned in two years (what the f**k was on the back seat?), I even cleaned out the glove box, (I know I'm going to get better gas mileage now) worked on some school work, tidied, organized, did an art project and all day he played with his buddy from next door, going between going outside to play football, then inside for xbox, then outside to play baseball, inside for xbox, outside for play structure, inside for xbox, outside for bike riding. They were a virtual see saw of playing. At one point, Jake said, I love spring break. He reminded me of Dash in "The Incredibles" when he says "I love this family" with a tired, happy sigh. Jake even looks a bit like dash, minus the fast feet.

I love spring break too. We've done field trips, bike rides, play dates, visits, sleep overs. Today was a no plan day. Days of no plans are a huge rarity in this house, it's liberating to attack the day with nothing. I must admit at first it makes me uncomfortable, as if I don't make each day off a huge adventure, I'm wasting it. But in the effort to be more like the Buddah, I am trying to have more of these days: they are crucial, gorgeous, relaxing, productive, happy.

We just watched the Nancy Drew movie. I was disappointed but anything Nancy Drew is cool with me. Emma Roberts was actually a decent choice but as usual the script smelled like old sweaty penny loafers.

...some times I am filled with so much love for my son I feel as if my whole body wants to laugh and lift off the ground.
I am the luckiest mother in the world. Sometimes I thank my husband for giving me Jake and allowing me the space and time to enjoy every second I can. I learned with the step kids that all too soon they're gone and on their own and they barely come to visit.
Sigh....

yaD slooF lirpA

April Fool's Day is a high holiday in our house.

We got Daddy good this year, better than last year's moving his car. Figured we'd better just confuse him and amuse him this year rather than give him a stroke. He really thought his car had been stolen. oops. luckily we caught him before he called the authorities.

2008:
*put a large rubber iguana in the fridge
*unscrewed lightbulbs-that one drives people cuh-razy
*set the table with cat food
*put a toy snake on the doormat
*turned the chairs upside down
*dressed the pillows with bras
*my favorite: Hershey's chocolate milk powder in the toilet=ewwww! looks real, flushes easily-makes people wonder, did I do that?
Next year we're going to hide all his underwear.

April Fools Facts:
My favorite April Fools of all time is few years ago, in Australia, the BBC announced it had invented "smell-o-vision" and would be sending it out over the airwaves. Supposively dozens of people called to report the success. What a bunch of arseholes.

The fool card in the tarot deck does not represent foolishness but the ability to cast away worries.

WISDOM OF THE DAY, maybe the year:
To quote one of my favorite children's lit authors, Avi, in the gold Newbery winner, "Crispin The Cross of Lead," when Bear the minstrel is apprenticing Crispin, "lose your sorrows and you'll find your freedom."