The World Cup is Here!

When Sam was seven years old, he colored thirty-two flags for every nation in the 2006 world cup, and thus was born a tradition.

The Wall of Nations!
Flags will come down as countries are eliminated.

For the record, we are supporting -- of course -- the United States, as well as Croatia (my heritage) and Spain (because we love them).  

For the record, we are NOT supporting Ghana or Portugal.

For the record, we are psyched, ready, giddy, and not a little bit bummed that this thing called work will get in the way of lots and lots of soccer viewing.

Love.

To players and fans everywhere -- enjoy the next four weeks!  I know we will!

* * *

Why My House Is Such a Mess

Saw this on Facebook this morning, posted by Blick Art:

I live with a whole bunch of creative types.  It's super annoying.  But then, I get to live with things like this too...

...so on balance, I'd say I'm ahead of the curve, even if the curve is cluttered with markers and paper and beads and paint and feathers and pencil shavings and scraps and piles and lots and lots of people.

It's all perspective, baby.

* * *

7 Quick Takes: Volume 52

We're very very busy and we've got a lot to do

And we haven't got a minute to explain it all to you

For on Sunday Monday Tuesday there are people we must see

And on Wednesday Thursday Friday we're as busy as can be

With our most important meetings and our most important calls

And we have to do so many things and post them on the walls.

This song, Busy Busy Busy, by Sandra Boyton, sorta captures our lives of late.  Barely time to stop and breathe.  (Do you know Philadelphia Chickens?  Oh, you must!)

So for today's Quick Takes, I bring you the antidote to being too busy.  Here are seven things that have made me smile over the past week or so.   Please visit Jen, our 7QT Host, and sample the links of other QT-ers.

~1~

Fun with schoolwork!

~2~

Found one late night...

~3~

Close up of our 4th First Communion banner

~4~

Creativity.

~5~

More creativity.

~6~

Cousins playing music together

~7~

Um, hello?  Weren't you just born like five minutes ago?

Find the things that make you smile.  Never be too busy for that.

* * *

7 Quick Takes, Volume 47

Hello Friday!  Love ya' baby!  You look fabulous--what's your secret?

Here are some quick takes for your perusing pleasure.  Please visit our lovely host and sample some links to other quick takers.  And a little comment here and there wouldn't kill ya'.

~1~

Every year, we say we are going to have our taxes done early, and every year, we end up being big fat liars. This year?  Taxes DONE.  In the words of my 5 year old: BOO-YAH!

~2~

So yeah, the kids went back to school.  I am sitting in an empty house, blogging with abandon, and reeling from the tornado that is my house in Getting Out The Door For School mode.  Returning to school was a big decision.  The thing about big decisions is that they aren't usually clear cut.  There are pros, there are cons, and sadly, there is no great big neon sign pointing to the right answer.

THIS is what I need!
photo credit: Being Alexus

I loved homeschooling.  It was damn hard, and it didn't always go well, and there were plenty of days when I felt certain I was accomplishing little more than ensuring the livelihood of my childrens' future therapists.  But the kind of education we all enjoyed, and the "off the grid" lifestyle, and the moments of radiance, all of that made it great.

So why are they back at school?  It's complicated.  It's part financial -- I can work if they are in school and increase our income; it's part administrative, as in the school administration changed and the whole place is moving in a positive direction; it's part preparation, for the different directions my older kids want to go.

I do wish big life decisions came with some kind of assurance, a certificate or something that would officially decree that THIS WILL BE GOOD.

Lacking that, I'll just have to wait and see.  Hate that.

~3~

My 11 year old son is getting ready to apply to the Oakland School for the Arts, a public charter school for grades 6 through 12.  Students are required to apply and audition in their chosen arts area: his is visual art.  We toured the school a few weeks ago, and he really, really, really wants to get in.  There is no question that he is talented, but we have no way of knowing what kind of talent he will be competing against for the open slots.

I want this for him.  Bad.

Wish him luck!  Say a prayer!  Send positivity out into the universe!  Say another prayer, because that vague positivity stuff is a little wishy-washy if you ask me!

And come on.  Look at this.  I mean, really.  I ask you.  What other decision could they make?  Really. Am I right?  Of course I am.

~4~

My other son begins rehearsals next week for A Midsummer Nights Dream.  That's by Shakespeare, you know.

This production is put on by The Greenwood Players, a group made up entirely of young people.  Students in middle and high school direct and act, create the sets and costumes, design the programs, and handle all of the logistics, and my kid gets to participate for free.

And so today, the recipient of the Faith in Humanity Restoration Award goes to the amazing kids of the Greenwood Players.  You are an inspiration to the rest of us, and a lovely antidote to the news of the day.

~5~

Funny text mishaps:  I wrote a text today to let a friend know what time I would drop by to give her something, and accidentally wrote: "I'll be on my way to pick my kids."  After re-reading it, I got a little chuckle, imagining myself at the school saying: "OK, I'll take that one...and that one...but definitely not that one...hmmm, who else do I want today?"  Maybe I could come home with a whole new set of 5!  That might be interesting for awhile!

And that of course made me think of the time my phone autocorrected another text of mine that was supposed to say:

"I will have kids with me."

to 

"I will have LSD with me."

Wow!  That sure would be a game changer!

What's your favorite autocorrect story?  And if you haven't seen this site, then I suggest hiding from the children (this is definitely not kid-friendly content) and get ready to laugh so hard you'll cry, spit, snort, and possibly pee.

~6~

We watched Super 8 for our family movie night a few weeks ago.  That was a great movie.  Did y'all see it?  If not, do yourself a favor and rectify that situation.  Heart, humor, terror, and an alien.  What more do you need?

~7~

I can't think of a final take, so I'll leave you with a photo of one cute newly-minted Kindergartener:

Look out world!  Little T has been unleashed!

I Would Like To Live...

...inside my 9 year old daughter's imagination:

* * *

Saved By Fingerpaint

The sun was shining.


You were both under my feet, in my hair, on my arms and driving me mad.


Thank God for fingers and for paint and for the combination of the two.


Thank God for sunny days, when fingers and paint can come together out of doors and make a mess far from my dining room floor.


Thank God for bright colors, the yellow sun, the blue flowers and the orange hat.


All converged to ensure that I survived another day without losing my precious mind. I have lived to scream another day. But not today, because today the sun was shining, and there were fingers and paint in lovely motion.

* * *

I Hope They Don't End Up Slicing Off Parts of Their Bodies...

...but I do like having artists in the family.

Vincenzo Van Gogh's work:






Lola O'Keefe's work:





Nicole, don't we have talented youngsters?

* * *

What Can Happen When a Parent is Tired

Take one tired daddy.

Add one creative 5-year old.

Mix in a handful of markers. Hope they are non-toxic.

And voila! Here is what you get:


The world--including daddy's feet--is her canvas.

Play With Your Food

It's an age-old parental rule: Don't play with your food. But when art ensues, how exactly do you enforce that?

This was my four-year old's respond to dinner the other night:



Had to give her props for that one.

* * *

He Has A Dream

For MLK, Jr. day, the 3rd graders created little cloud art pieces that started with the prompt: "I have a dream..." Their job was to fill in the blank, and color in the cloud.

My 3rd grader's dream is to one day be the world's best artist.

He is well on his way:

Thrift Store Valuables

When we got married, one of Rick's oldest and dearest friends gave us two beautiful, delicate glasses, perfect for drinking specialty drinks like Grand Marnier and the like. These lovely glasses, artfully hand-painted, were tiny, and very breakable. One did in fact break several years ago.

Well, these were really designed for two. They are the kind you use for special just-the-two-of-you dinners, for the dessert drink. For toasting a noisy life in a quiet space. For savoring together the life and kids you are taking a break from.

But you just can't do that with one beautiful glass.

In fact, just the other day, I was putting dishes away (I actually do that sometimes) and moved it aside to make room for some other wine glasses, and wondered to myself if that glass would ever be used again.

The other day, Lola answered that question.

A friend of ours was babysitting Lola and gave her some milk in the special glass for fun, which by the way, I can totally see myself doing too. Lovely little glass, lovely little girl...they go together. Of course, the lovely little breakable glass got knocked off the table, and broke.

But the story has a happy, wonderful ending! Feeling bad about the broken glass, our friend promptly took Lola to the local thrift shop. They found two simple glasses, much less fancy than the originals. A short while and one afternoon art project later, they had two adorable, puffy-painted wine glasses, complete with swirlies, polka dots, squiggles and stripes. They presented them to us when we got home.

We are again able to have that dinner for two, with fancy little glasses to enjoy drinks I never remember the names of. I did love those fancy ones, but these are better. Made with love, made by my daughter, their value is priceless.

Fabulous. Thank you, Debra.

High Art

I'll talk anyone's ear off about my second born's artistic ability. He is truly amazing, and not a day goes by that he doesn't churn out some real gems. He does, I think, see the world with an artist's eye, noticing shapes, colors, relationships, spaces. When he draws, he fills the page, including amazing detail. I've posted at least one of his creations on this blog, of course.

On Thanksgiving Day, my sister and I took all the kids to Grand Lake to run off some steam before having to be inside for a long meal. Vincenzo wanted to bring his sketch book, which made me so happy. It made me happy to see him so into drawing that he didn't want to leave the house without a sketch book and some pens.

He sat under a tree drawing for awhile. I recorded it for posterity:


I took a few photos, and later that evening, while looking at the pictures and getting all misty eyed at just how great my kids are, I noticed another picture of Vincenzo Van Gogh; in this one, you can see his subject. A butt.


So it might be hard to see here, but it's plain as day in my picture viewer; if you'd like to treat yourself to a closer view, click on the photo.

Leave it to an 8-year old boy to bring butts into the cultured world of art. Maybe someday he'll render a Picasso-like version, with sideways buttocks and shifting panels of color.

So much for High Art.