Cupid

Max needed to make a wish, he had a lash that he needed to blow off my finger...so he said he wished he was Cuba. I didn't think I understood correctly so asked, Cuba? He said, yeah, Cuba, the guy who shoots arrows and makes people love each other, I want to be him.Lovely boy. So sweet. He keeps telling me how much he loves me. Both he and Aiden have been on an emotional roller coaster all weekend. They have both been VERY snugly.

This morning we went to see a kid's 3-D movie called Fly Me to the Moon. Not great but still cool to watch.I mean really...do you remember reaching out to touch the movie? It was really fun. No more paper glasses like the old days....

Kindergarten

This has been a "cameras-down" week for our household. The first week of Kindergarten is finally behind us. Other parents all had cameras out for day one, we decided against it. OK, I forgot but in my defense, it was not something that we would want recorded in any form.

Starting something new is difficult for most people. For Max, Kindergarten was a scary thing. He did not want to let go. We lined up on the playground and the teacher, Mr. Richard Thompson, led the new class into the school, down the long hallway to the last classroom on the left, the Kindergarten class. I know about this route since I was dragging Max on my leg, yes, he was clung to my right leg as I staggered behind a bunch of tiny people. I felt very large.

Day 2. Max clung to my arm (which seemed like an improvement).
Day 3. He clung to my body and had to be peeled off of me at the class doorway. This was bad. I felt terrible and wondered what emotional damage I was causing to him or more importantly, to myself.
Day 4. Lots of tears.
Day 5. TGIF as they say. I still took the long walk with the tiny people down the hallway to Room #2. This time, Max was holding my hand. At the door, he took the teachers hand. He wasn't happy about it but it seemed a teeny bit easier and a lot faster.

Perhaps next week or the week after I'll be able to see him off on the playground with the other parents. Perhaps in a month. We'll see.

Not to be forgotten, BZ has been bringing Aiden to preschool. That's not been so smooth either. Aiden cries and cries for Max, has tantrums throughout the day and clings to BZ at the drop offs. Aiden is our independent one. Our independent one misses his brother terribly.

Right now, Saturday morning, I hear them playing outside with wild giggles of hysteria. Its the best. So, really, its kind of cool that they miss each other so much. It feels bad they are sad, but great that they're so tight. Thank goodness its a long weekend.

Gotta go and join the gigglefest.

Max Graduates

Max graduated from preschool today.

A small little graduating class. Max was not into singing the goofy song but loved the cap.

Can you blame him?

Jet lag

We all handle jet lag in different ways. At 3:22 am the boys started to wake. By 4:30 am we decided to stop fighting it.
At 5:00 am I checked email and found out that Tuck and Patti are on board as one of our headlining groups, I am very excited. Its been a difficult couple of weeks finding talent. Its been stressful but now I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I still have fingers crossed for Bobby McFerrin and Tracy Chapman....and perhaps Bob Weir? We'll be selling tickets by the weekend...unbelievable.

Its now 5:45 am. BZ is in the shower beginning his day. I am hanging with the boys...

Richard Thompson

We just got great news from Thornhill Elementary School. Max has been assigned to Richard Thompson's class in Room 2.

We are thrilled. I wonder when he begins giving autograph's? He is a bit of rock star in his own right as one of the favorite teachers in the school.

My fingers are crossed.

We're back

A great but too quick trip. We got back this afternoon and I am trying desperately to stay awake until dark. Gotta beat the jet lag.

We had fun. At no point did Max complain and ask to go home which happens almost every other trip we take for longer than a day. It was great getting so far away.

I brought a book which got very little attention. I brought three knitting projects and got stuck on all three. I ripped one out and started an experiment with a cool pattern. Its now about a third of a scarf. I'm obsessed.

We got to take a boat out on the Canal du Midi and Max got to drive. Completely fun and my dad even broke into bad Broadway show tunes. I admit, I sang along, between guffaws.
We swam although we had a bunch of overcast and rainy days in the middle of our trip. So nice to end the day in the pool, such luxury.

We brought the boys and our nieces and nephew to our favorite castles. This one is Byron:

This one is Boneguil (we like the ruins):


My sister and family were there when we arrived and stayed for about 7 days further along with us. The day we stumbled in, One of my sister's closest childhood friends came by with her kids and stayed the night as well. Really fun, if not over crowded.

I love France, and the Lot et Garonne region is just beautiful. Its kinda the middle of nowhere, farmland...goats (and their cheese, yum) and plums ( le pruneau). This is what the area is known for.



Time for rest. Lots of rest.

Going, going, gone

Too much work to do

The boys are on vacation. The school is closed for the week. We leave on Wednesday on our vacation. There are lots of loose ends.

So Monday, today, is my day with the boys. We fight dragons:

And hike down to the little village, well, I hike:

We end up in the library for hours and then rainbow ice cream with sprinkles.

Tonight, when the boys are finally asleep I begin my work. I am exhausted but still thinking of those slayed dragons. How fun vacation is going to be.

Who are we?

Have you read this yet:

Immigrants Deported by US Hospitals

I don't know why I choose this of all the other atrocities I read about but this is so upsetting and scary. I picked up the local paper yesterday and read about a disabled teenager who was so neglected by family, social services, everyone and now she is dead. The article goes on forever on how bad it was. Reading that article, like this one, was horrific.

When I was pregnant, BZ hid the newspaper from me, well, just the sections with the stories of horror (i.e. Lacy Peterson or the pregnant Bernal Heights woman who got clobbered by a paint can by a man who came to her door). I always knew when BZ was hiding news so I make it a point to find it...I was obsessed with both of these cases. In fact, I had a post-baby yoga class with the Bernal Heights woman (who survived, obviously).

This is probably why I like getting my news online so I can choose which headline to click on. It sounds wimpy but its really upsetting to read about the gazillion horrors that go on everyday. Its easier to read about politics, or the environmental hazards of off-shore drilling. Or even about terrible trans fats. Ooh, bad.

So there you have it. If I am to keep any optimism toward the future, I need to stay a little bit ignorant.

Getting ready

We are getting ready to go to France.

The first thing to worry about is what snacks to bring-this is important since its many hours on a plane and kids with odd needs and allergies, and parents who get grumpy and need a comfort snack to make it all better.

First thing I found: Swedish fish. They are sitting in a target bag next to other snacks like gold fish, trail mix, blah, blah, blah. When was the last time I had Swedish fish? Long time ago and now I am obsessed and want to open the bag. Just like last week when I thought it a good idea to buy Lucky Charms. My thinking was something like this. Oh, on the airplane, wouldn't they be a great surprise for the children? Max scoped them out in the grocery bag immediately. We've been eating them. I don't know that they will be much of a surprise by next week. I love snacks.

I need to choose what knitting projects to bring as well. The front of my sweater (the never ending sweater), the hot pink yarn for a new scarf that Max and I are sharing (long story), and, the yarn and pattern to restart the fingerless gloves that I messed up months ago. This may seem like a lot but you just never know. Instead of packing loads of clothes, I will pack yarn and snacks.

I am also trying to "tie up loose ends." You know, for work I need to get paperwork done and a bunch of phone calls. For the fundraiser I need to make sure I delegate out whatever needs to be done before I return.
This is the Oakland Museum of CA garden, at least a section of it. Picture 1800 happy progressive fans....I am trying to myself. There of course will be a stage and a bunch of different bands and performers and maybe even a silent auction. We've switched our focus a bit. Instead of being a fundraiser for Obama, we are now partnered with Music For Democracy, a progressive organization focused on bringing the music industry together with its fans as well as politicians and changing the electoral process. The money generated will definitely help Obama in terms of voter registration, GOTV efforts, etc BUT it will also benefit down ballot candidates in swing states as well. Oh, and the technology they are developing for websites, etc...its all very cool and exciting.

So this is what I have been spending any spare moments working on. And I am leaving the country in three days and we don't yet have THE headliner. We do however have Blame Sally, Hot Buttered Rum, Marga Gomez, and 3-4 other bands on hold until we know the deal with the big name, and, we need to begin selling tickets before I return. Crazy and fun.

My stress level is leading me to knitting faster. Which is not a bad thing.
ps. For those of you wondering why I didn't say anything earlier or invite you in to help out, I apologize. I didn't want to push my Obamania on any of you further than I already have. I would however LOVE to get you all excited and involved in this MFD event. It should be REALLY fun. Really. Fun. I. Mean. It.