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December 18, 2006
In lieu of comments...
~Re: Luca and potatoes:
Albie has discovered a passion for potatoes as well. He seems to ask for quinoa and white potatoes just about every day... So -- we often do roasted veggies in this house. Cubed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots, tossed in olive oil and salt and roasted at 425 for about an hour. That way, Albie gets his white potatoes, mama and papa get some variety, and of course, I get to offer the sweet potatoes and carrots to Albie. Maybe someday he'll show interest... So far, he lets me know that orange potatoes were for when he was a little boy, and carrots are meant to be eaten raw out of the ground.
~Re: Boys and pink:
A month or two ago, I purchased a lands end fleece jacket for Albie. I asked him what color he wanted and he said he wanted pink. Hmmmm. It killed me, but I suggested blue instead because isn't the blue a beautiful blue and he thought that was a fabulous idea. I felt awful doing it because, you know, who cares if boys wear pink? I do try not to say, you can't because you're a boy... I find solace in the fact that someday, with greater understanding and ability to handle other people's remarks, Albie will assert himself and choose to wear whatever he wants, and if it's pink, so be it. This summer we were at a free concert in the park and there was some contra dancing going on. One of the men dancing was about 6 feet tall, had a curly curly red afro-like head of hair, and he was wearing a pink bandanna and hot pink crocs. He rocked. I thought of him as I directed Albie to blue, and hoped that I wasn't totally squashing my son, and that I might raise a boy who has the gumption to wear hot pink crocs if he so desires. As I write this, I still feel terrible that I didn't have the gumption to say, "OK, pink it is." Note to self: How can I pass along gumption if I don't have it myself?
~Re: what to feed the family:
Typepad featured a blog recently and I really like it and they have some great recipes and ideas along the lines of "What do we feed the kids?". Check it out: http://www.gastrokid.com/
~Re: Ang's post:
I'm not sure if you meant it to be funny but I did laugh when I read this: "We also had difficulty with being there every day at the same time." First, that sounds so you, and then, I think we are cut from the same cloth. The irony is, I have a kid who loves and craves rhythm and routine. (Do they all?) He loves every day at the same time kind of living (with plenty of open spaces too)...
I find myself wishing I could have all of you and your babes over for a nice holiday tea. Oh well. Instead, I wish you a magical and luminous Solstice from afar...
December 18, 2006 in Jen | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 10, 2006
A new post
It has been a while since I posted and after reading the last one written, I realized a lot has changed. So to catch up, after two months of school, I took Alyssa out about a month and a half ago. She started to say she didn't want to go, I went and observed and saw some things that I just couldn't be aligned with and realized it would take too much effort on my part to fit in to what had been already established. We also had difficulty with being there every day at the same time.
I haven't been called much to help at the birthing center but have been called quite a bit to work at the spa. Alyssa can come with me and the woman who owns the spa stays with her while I work. I am also becoming a facilitator with a company called EMC2. It is a company that provides energetic balancing. The web address is: www.energeticmatrix.com.
We put up our Christmas lights yesterday and went to the play The Velveteen Rabbit. I am feeling the holiday cheer. Inside our little family our world feels very large.
Wishing you all and your families a blessed holiday.
Angela
December 10, 2006 in Angela | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 03, 2006
Thoughts on being a boy
To mothers of boys, (maybe girls too...I haven't figured out if there is the same issue there)
We went to Target to get a pair of snowpants for school on Friday. It has been snowy, and Luca loves sitting in the snow. So, we find the rack with snowpants and I say "OK, Luca, pick which ones you want." He says, "I want the pink ones!!!!" Very excited. I pause. And pause some more. And then, "Umm, do you really want those ones?" "YES!" More pausing. Then, "Umm, maybe you could pick a different color?" "Why?" And then I said what I never really wanted to say, "Well, pink is for girls. Could you pick a different color?" He walked around the rack a couple of times and picked green-gray without any complaint.
Later, I really questioned my decision. Bill's response?? "Well, you don't want him to be made fun of at school." Of course he would say that. That was his issue with school. I dyed my hair purple and refused to wear dresses or skirts. I don't really have that particular issue. So, why is this such a big deal for me?
I guess that it is a coming of age that I am resisting. I don't want boys and girls to be in separate camps. That is my issue with school. I always hated the "boys are this way, girls are that way" mentality. So, I have to conform to society and keep Luca from having pink clothes because he won't fit in with the other boys.
He plays a lot with a boy named David at school. David's parents are a little different from the other parents and don't fit into the circle of parents as well. David came to school the other day wearing a tight yellow turleneck, purple leggings and big boots. I heard GraceAnn tell the teacher that David had decided that it was SuperHero day & that he wanted to be Larry the Cucumber. I was heartened that Luca would choose David as a friend, although I had suspected that he chose him because David would do what Luca wanted to do. Their game is to ride a tricycle that has two seats around the playground and yell, "Bad Bronco!" at anyone in their way. (the benefits of parent helping...I get to see these thing firsthand!) I asked Luca once if David ever drives the triclycle and Luca rides on back. He looked horrified and said, "NO! I drive the tricycle!" That could be the topic of another post...
I guess my biggest fear is that he becomes a football jock & hangs out with the "cool" people and makes fun of the theater/music people . Ok , I have revealed that it is totally my issue. Whether or not I dress him in pink, he will choose his way of being with the other kids at school. It was hard though to tell him that he couldn't buy the pink ones. I feel like I am talking in circles. Any input???
December 3, 2006 in Becca | Permalink | Comments (1)
