Reading Stack

Cold weather always means an uptick in my reading. Lately I can't get enough. I am greedy at the library, pushing open the door on my way to the car with a teetering stack wedged under my chin. Its a lot harder suddenly, with intensive homeschooling and four wild hooligans to manage to read anything steadily. I am determined though. I finked out on reading towards the end of last year and managed to read pretty much nothing from the end of the summer until Christmas. One of New Year's resolutions was to record the things I'm reading on GoodReads again...in order to do that, one must read. Off I went to the stacks!

I have a couple of new tricks in my arsenal for keeping on. I read a book at a time in audio form using my iPhone and ear buds when I'm washing dishes or driving down the road with all the kids asleep) and sometimes even tuck into a Kindle book on my phone (not my favorite) if I forget to bring a book along and find myself stuck at the doctor's office or the mechanic. I also keep a book or two tucked in the door of the car, sometimes one in the diaper bag and books all over the house for wherever I happen to be having a nursing break. Pull out all the stops is basically the message. Read whenever, however...just have serious tenacity. Bear in mind that in addition to the things I am happily clipping through I am also still hacking away at a book I borrowed from a friend about a year ago. *wince* I am not an emblem of reading perfection. I am only one crazed mommy, doing the best I can, and still in love with the printed page.

Press on.

Teaching Empowerment

Teaching a small person to decipher letters and learn the secret code of reading is an electric experience. I feel completely amazed at the power of discovery, the beauty of achievement and the incredibly special tenderness of watching literacy unfold.

I have been teaching Ru to learn and he's chomping along in the reading book, learning bigger and bigger words but still not really making the leap to reading himself or devouring story for himself. I continue nudging him along and he's still making steady progress and I am waiting for the lights to blaze full in his face and set him mind buzzing with the possibilities of what he has just grasped.

In the meantime, Dee nuzzled up under my elbow and started begging to have a reading lesson too. At just four year old he's not really ready for the physical elements of writing free-hand but he is able to trace my letters and follow dotted-line letters I set up for him and at his urging I started teaching him the basic first nibbles of reading. By golly, he's getting it! He's reading little words all by himself! I feel like a rockstar in the presence of all this acquisition!

Lessons From The Royal Wedding

Image by Defence Images via Flickr

I haven't got a television. This meant that I "missed" the royal wedding. I realize that for some, the allure of getting up at 4 am to watch a state event from a different country seems a bit thin at best, perhaps even verging on insane. I never claimed to be normal. My friends are just as kooky as I am which makes me feel that this breed of insanity is quite within the realm. They were: creating authentic high tea for granddaughters, setting alarm clocks for early hours and hauling their children out of bed to watch the wedding, TiVo-ing the entire thing and then watching and re-watching it with family over the next week or more, discussing all the details of the day endlessly together, wearing union jacks for the day and even getting out their own wedding dresses to celebrate. I hav
e cool friends. Cool, kooky friends.

Image by Defence Images via Flickr

All that to say, I felt not at all beyond the pale when I finally got around to YouTubing my way through the ceremony in great detail myself...(replaying the key moments perhaps) and spending the rest of the day thinking about it I have some thoughts. I know that monarchy is out-dated historically, but I really feel like there is something lovely about it anyhow. Something morale boosting, something culturally lifting, and as an onlooker, it feels a little otherworldly as well. (in a good way)

After musing on the whole concept of the royal wedding all day here are my take-aways:

• Practice makes perfect...there's no shame in practicing to remove the hiccups from jobs done in public that present an image by which you will be judged. I was impressed to hear Catherine recite so smoothly the litany of Williams many names and then later read that Diana stumbled over Charles' when it was her own turn. Not to knock Diana or the concept of human error or relaxation....I firmly believe in grace and forgiveness at these times. It is admirable to hear that Catherine and William worked so tirelessly to iron out the wrinkles. I would like to take more time to prepare when I have sticky words to pronounce publicly or an important visual I am going to present. Note to self: practice smiling gracefully. I always grin far to wide for pictures and find that I end up with photos of me with no lips, bared teeth, squinting eyes and a giant blue vein popping up on my forehead. It's the little things and a bit of conscious practice that make people appear polished and elegant. Be done with the idea that some are just naturally elegant and that you and I cannot be among that number.
• Being old fashioned is not "out." I thought the classical vows that the couple took and the timeless wedding attire were so lovely. Catherine used the "quaint" Victorian language of flowers to select a symbolic bouquet, bridal decorations and the sugar blossoms for the wedding cake. She wore a tiara that was a royal family heirloom. She continued the tradition of carrying a sprig of Queen Victoria's myrtle in her bouquet. They chose a carriage as their transport, cathedral to palace. They came across as elegant and ageless, not in the least bit twee or matronly. We needn't update every little thing to be fashionable and modern....sometimes the old ways are best.
• A little warmth and respect buys you goodwill now and freewill later. I find this one so helpful that I might even tack it up on the wall. I am generally warm and respectful but I forget that part of why you do so is so that eventually you will be in a position to be able to exert freewill and do so without offense. The Queen is a bit of a controlling woman...it is sort of her job. I'm sure she can be quite intimidating. Instead of either bowing completely to her wishes or flagrantly defying her left and right, Catherine wisely came to her for crash courses in "princessing," communicated often and regular with her new family, worked symbols of the royal family into the wedding ceremony and even had lunch with Camilla--notepad in hand, taking down the ideas and suggestions she had to offer. Once she had done all of this then when the queen sent specific orders for how she wanted the wedding to go Catherine had created enough goodwill to not raise a fuss when she sent word that she'd rather wear her hair down thank you, and that the royal couple had chosen to travel leave the cathedral in a carriage instead of a car. I need that kind of grace + fortitude. I am all warmth and then no resolve in relation to other people. She inspires me.
• Humility and regal dignity are sweet companions. I thought it was wonderful that Catherine chose to line the sides of the cathedral aisle with live maple trees in pots specifically because they symbolize humility. I also thought the direct but not performing acknowledgement the newlyweds gave to onlookers was lovely and impressive. They were elegant and regal without being showy or sneeringly proud. So often if feels like people who work on humility don't know how to be graceful and give themselves dignity and then again, those who have great dignity or personal pride don't know how to be warm and humble in relating to others. 
• Less is more. Such a cliche, green, modern idea in some ways but all too true. Catherine didn't need a tumbling orchid laden arrangement, her admittedly small bouquet and simple dress and veil were elegant and also showed that she and William had nothing to prove by appearing ostentatious. How do you "dress up" Westminster Abbey anyhow? Just as they did...with subtle, elegant touches....nothing over the top and nothing too wild. And really, some of the wedding guests with those outrageous hats? I'm sure they meant to look edgy and impressive but they just came off as over the top and very, very silly looking.
•  Don't fight technology. I am impressed by how very technologically embracing the royal family has been concerning the wedding. They have tweeted, posted Flikr photos, started a website, streamed live footage and accepted email comments and well-wishes. They have been thoroughly modern in every way and yet never cheapened themselves or the solemnity of the occasion. This bought them a lot of goodwill with regular people, gave them a lot more publicity and visibility and it also gave William the tool his mother never had....an element of control over the press. By running his own, pointed PR campaign he is avoiding reinventing the wheel. Poise + technological sophistication is a great recipe.

Image by k-ideas via Flickr

And I'm sure there are more lovely nuggets to glean from this important historical thumbtack in the timeline of our lifetimes....and maybe later I'll think of them. But for tonight, that's all I've got.

Related articles

• The Royal Wedding Snob (lapiskamay.wordpress.com)
• Royal bouquet draws abbey crowds (bbc.co.uk)
• Royal Wedding 2011: Top 8 Moments of William and Catherine's Big Day (abcnews.go.com)

Stairs? Check.

Somebody climbs. 

This week he made it to the top  of the stairs that connects the downstairs with the second floor for the first time. All self propelling....zip, zip, zip, right up  there. No pauses, no refunds.

Its official. He's a climber. Let the Olympics begin!

Still working on teaching him how to back down them again. Might want to get serious about those lessons right about now, eh? 

He's a wild one. Fits right in.

In Which She Is Resolute

Happy New Year to everyone! I'm leisurely about my well-wishing, taking my sweet time getting around to acknowledging the calendar flip ...why panic...we have 365 days to toot our noise-makers. The holiday madness largely behind us, we find ourselves here, blinking at the crisp, white, slate of a newborn January. I kind of love January. I love fresh starts, I love stillness after madness (no holidays all month anyone??? WOOHOO!) and even the sharp winter chill feels a little invigorating. After all, we've hardly had time to enjoy the gentle sifting of a slow snow shower, try out our snuggly Christmas mittens and scarves or go stumping around frostily blowing dragon breath with our giggling two-year-olds. The year is young! Hooray!

If you know me, you know that one of my favorite things about the new year is a fresh and teetering stack full of resolutions. People always tell me that they *cough cough* "Don't really do that resolution thing themselves. It's so depressing and who really keeps their resolutions anyhow!" I don't buy it people. Really? Your plan for making sure you can't fail is that you have decided never to have goals? A pulled out his list of last year's resolutions recently and sighed exclaiming that he hadn't "done very well." It turned out on closer examination that he had made stabs at and some progress on most all of them and had roundly succeeded  on a few to boot! I told him to stop being his own worst critic and appreciate all the success he'd had instead.

An attitude adjustment that allows you be pleased with any amount of progress instead of only perfect completion is helpful, so is a goal making tutorial...practical, yea modest goals are best. Instead of resolving to "eat healthy food" try changing it to "eating something raw every day + joining a CSA." Concrete is good.

Anyhow...all that to say: Here are My 2011 Resolutions!

• Shop for Christmas presents in July
• Get back to my pre-Nib weight
• Get up early 5 days a week (so as to have a quiet space before the hordes are up and buzzing)
• Keep a dream journal next to my bed
• Record all my books on GoodReads again
• Start a Housekeeper's Binder
• Buy a jasmine plant and get it to bloom
• Switch our kids to a local pediatrician (I am sick of driving any more than I have to)
• Call both sets of grandparents on set days, every week
• Host my first real kid birthday party  (Ru, my socialite turns five in April which will be the perfect time)
• Do yoga 5 days a week in the early mornings (maybe 7...we'll see...and also consider taking up running in warm weather)
• Follow a sport (am considering soccer at the moment, although American football has an allure too)
•  Buy my bees

What's on your list?

What I Once Hated

"There is no reason why the same man should like the same books at eighteen and forty-eight."  ~Ezra Pound

Just thinking today about how fabulously relieving it is that things do not stay the same. Change is in the wind (seasons, new child, new house, new job....etc. etc.) and I find myself thinking about and release that there is in the possibility of something else. Its great to not be boxed in, eh? I love that about being a grown-up...if you don't like something, you're in charge and you can change it. Gotta love that power over your own destiny.

In that spirit. Here's a lovely little list of things I once thought I hated and now really enjoy:

1. Horseradish. Once a nasty, bitey condiment that made my nose sting repulsively and seemed odd to even to stock in your pantry and now a dearly loved addition to tender beef roast dinners. I have A's family to thank for this one.

2. Sports. I used to be one of those wretched jock-hating, doughy, bitter people who expressed her own lack of physical self-confidence in opposing all sports and sporty people and any vaguely sport-like activity. I grew up. I am still no gym rat or jock-chick but, I hope my sons learn to appreciate sports and try a few of them and I have taken up watching The Super Bowl and keeping my ears pricked about The World Series.
 
3. Poetry. Once upon a time I thought poetry was all eye-rollingly sappy or else make-your-head-hurt boring. Yeah. I'm over that. See: Jane Kenyon, for poetry that can keep me up at night, its so lovely.

4. Sushi. Call it New York City sophistication rubbing off or foodie education or just plain wishful thinking becoming reality. I always tell people that the first time I tried sushi I thought it was disgusting, the second time I choked it down and the third time I thought it was alright but the fourth time I was irreversibly hooked. Its worth it to keep trying something sometimes.

5. Classical music. Put this in the same category as poetry, high class stuff I didn't have any interest in. All my growing up I thought the whole world of classical music was a complete yawn. BOOOORING. And now? I love The Nutcracker at Christmas, feel all cozy about Fur Elise (because its my middle name) and love to hear The Moonlight Sonata or Vivaldi's Four Seasons rippling through the house...I feel like a grown-up.

6. Autobiographies. I remember as a kid my mom urging me to read some autobiographies of people I admired and see what I could learn from their lives and thinking "Puhleeze! Ick!" Fiction seemed like the thing to me when I was growing up. Now, somehow, real life seems so much more exciting and promising than pretend worlds and those who have accomplished great things are incredibly inspiring to me. I read a lot of autobiographical stuff now.

7.  Research. I used to think the very idea that someone could go into such a mind-numbingly boring profession was completely daft. Research? I could hardly think of anything more blah to spend your life on. I keep a mental list of questions I wish I knew the answers to, from medical mysteries to philosophical conundrums that seem statistically answerable, just in case I ever find myself in research. And clearly, I'm a bit of a research hound in my own everyday life too. Chalk it up to "Ways A Has Made Me A Better Person."

8. Petunias. I used to think they were this sort of boring, stinky flower with weird pubescent, sticky stems that were over-used and pathetically fragile. I now appreciate how easily a carefree petunia can fill an empty spot in the annual border and how reliable a standard they are in the garden historically...and also, I found heirloom, scented petunias, a forgotten flower of great brilliance.

9. Canned fish. I always thought these were nasty little, bone-filled, really smelly odd kind of food. And then I discovered, extra tiny sardines, boneless and skinless, packed in olive oil....MMmmmm.....so tasty and so amazingly nutrient dense. The best way to eat them is with a teeny cocktail fork, right out of the tin.

10. My ankles and my forehead. Its true. Once I hated parts of my body so much that I told A I'd have them amputated if there was a plausible way to pull it off. I think, having babies changed the way I felt about my body and getting older and understanding beauty more thoroughly helped me learn how to frame my physical person in more pleasant ways. And I read somewhere that having a high, baldy forehead like mine is a sign of Native American ancestry...(which I have!)...and that made me feel cool.


It feels really good to get older and have your world change. I'm looking forward to even more of it as I go! May the sands ever shift....