Julianna was the VIP on "J" day. She was given a big piece of paper with an outline of a "J" to take home for her project. She was to cut out the "J", think of something that starts with "J", and glue a whole bunch of that item to the "J." Here she is with the final product, her "J" covered in Jewels!
On "J" day, she brought in her Jewel-ly "J" and presented it to the class. She also brought snack that day, and we brought Jell-O.
Katie had a book report to do. She was to make a puppet of a character in a chapter book she has read this month. After discussion of many options, she decided to make a Pippi Longstocking puppet. She asked Mom to help out by working on Pippi's signature hairdo.
I like the surprise touch she added: when you open the puppet's mouth, Pippi talks to you! It was fun when she showed it to me -- I was quite surprised!
Because the weather is gloomy, dark, and rainy again today, I'd like to instead think about last weekend, when we spent some time in our back yard, dressed in shorts.
Nick got a bike (with training wheels) for his birthday in December, but he has been leery of learning how to pedal it, instead sticking with his trusty Kettler trike.
Over the weekend, he pulled out the "big boy bike" and got very frustrated because the pedals kept stopping. I tried to show him that he was pedaling it the wrong direction, which is how you apply the brakes, and help him move his legs in a circle in the right direction. But he was just yelling at me about how his bike didn't work, and wouldn't listen to mom.
But then Julianna tried to show him. And boy, did he listen with rapt attention to her instructions. She was so patient, showing him over and over which way to push the pedals, and giving him a starting push. I was so proud of her! She and I both cheered and hollered when he started to get it by himself!
While enjoying the lovely weather outside and the lovely children working together to help Nick with his bike-riding, I heard something: "Hey, lady! Yeah, you with the kids. You ever gonna notice me? Sure, I'm old and tired, but I've put in a lot of good years with children.
"Thanks for sewing me back together that one time (sorry I spewed so much dust in your face), but I think things are a lot more serious this time! Get off your duff and HELP ME!!"
in a new musical called "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson." It's an emo-rock, slightly absurdist look at our seventh President. It was presented by Center Theatre Group, the premier theatre company in Los Angeles. So: big-time show, but also hip and edgy.
I can't believe it, it doesn't seem like it could possibly be right, but we hadn't seen each other since winter 1991, when Jodie and I visited Foothill during our first winter break from Stanford. Sixteen years.
But we found each other again somehow and had email addresses, so a few weeks ago she emailed me ("I forgot you lived in LA until I got your Christmas card forwarded from my NY apartment") that she would be here, performing in "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" until it closed on Feb. 17, then she would be going back to NYC. Of course, we had to get together and somehow the only way that would work is if I came to her show. (aside: huh? ) She has been in LA for six months, living at her parents' house in Tustin, because she has a recurring role on the TV show Shark. Then the strike happened.
Anyway, she happened to email me with this news just a few days after I finally decided NOT to renew my subscription to Backstage. It's really expensive, and I don't see myself doing a show for a while, realistically. So being faced with Anjali's successful career at the same time that I had to face that my hobby (because I decided long ago that I did not want to try for a career) is on temporary hold was interesting timing. After a bunch of introspective days, I am reaffirmed that my decision was the right one for me, as well as that Anjali's was the inevitable, right one for her. And I am SO, SO proud of her! I think we all could see back in high school that there would be no stopping her drive!
So, the show "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" was interesting. It was certainly new and different and edgy. I felt that there were things that really worked and things that didn't so much. It was like the quiet kid in the corner of high school class, with his black hair and Doc Martens and writing scratched all over his skin, is underneath it all a musical genius and a history buff and wrote a show about the life of Andrew Jackson, in which he is obsessed with blood and violence and destroying the Indians, and then grows up to overthrow the New England aristocratic ruling class and found the Democratic Party and is the country's first Rock Star. Quite a trippy, intense experience to take in. While you're in a brooding mood about the career path you decided not to take.
It was wonderful to see her, and I don't know about her, but I felt like it had only been a few months since I last saw her. We both hope we can spend more time together sometime. If they start making more Shark episodes, she'll be back!
Did you know that Andrew Jackson ran for President in 1824, and won both the popular and electoral vote, but did not get a majority of either, so the House of Representatives voted John Quincy Adams into office? Very interesting. This helped him win decisively in 1828 since he was considered the first "man of the people" and "the people" felt that they had been ignored in 1824.
A trip down memory lane: Here we are in the first show she did outside of school, when I took her along with me. This is West Side Story. Please ignore my 16-year-old-in-1989-big-bangs.
Tom Jones at FHS my senior year, when I played her ditzy maid.
Here's one backstage when we did The Sting at FHS early my senior year. Hi Jodie! I am very happy to see that my hair was in the right era for the show.
Here we are on Saturday, at a bar after her show. The (absence of) lighting in the bar made the flash do horrible things to my face, but isn't Anj cute?
Scenes from "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" (Anjali played Rachel, his wife) (I think these are publicity photos): The show portrays Andrew and Rachel Jackson as cutters.
Here's a picture I found from the reception after opening night. Here she is with the actors who played Andrew Jackson (left) and Martin Van Buren (right), genius performances both, (and I met them both, and lots of the other actors!) and who was in the audience for the opening night but Jim! (John Krasinski)
Here are some clips of the show, if you want to see what I mean:
There are two clips of interviews with creators and cast at YouTube.
Someone bought himself a cool new LCD HD widescreen TV for his birthday, and it arrived at our house on Friday.
Here he is watching a basketball game and adjusting the levels (brightness, color, backlighting, contrast, whee!). Yesterday, Nick and Daddy watched some bowling (more on that later) and golf (overheard: "golf is gooood in HD"). Whaddayathink, has someone enjoyed his long weekend?!
P.S. I am waiting until he goes back to work, and then I'll get to adjusting those levels myself. Lemme at it!
It feels good outside! So I'm heading out there to watch Nick (he's hitting a golf ball with a plastic baseball bat, and this usually ends with me fishing things out of the pool). Toodles!
We turned about half of them into Valentines! Hooray!! Hooray!! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Katie made these for her classmates. The cup contains three little chocolates.
Julianna's preschool does not allow candy, so we put a kissy fish bath squirter in each cup! For J's teachers, we took an idea from Family Fun magazine, and gave them each a "you warm my heart" cup containing a packet of hot chocolate and a tea bag. Cute! Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! I love you!
The following quote is at the top of my friend Kari's blog. Kari has three boys, ages 7, 5, and 3.
My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You’re tearing up the grass." "We’re not raising grass," my dad would reply, "we’re raising boys." –Harmon Killebrew
Sarah and Ryan are expecting their third boy! I KNEW IT!!!!!
I kept catching myself referring to this baby as "he." And then saying "why do I keep saying that -- we don't know yet!?" I think I might have even told my friend Eileen, who just had her third boy, that my sister-in-law was going to have three boys soon too. And then I said, "actually maybe she's having a girl, what am I talking about?"
So I jumped up and down in excitement when Eric told us the news, because ... YES!!
So... three boys! I guess I am not the one to wax poetic about that... Donna, it's up to you!
Holy Family celebrated the 100th Day of School on Friday. The children in grades K-3 were invited to make a project using 100 of anything. If they chose to make something, they could bring it for display in the 100 Museum down in the multipurpose room.
Katie's project was "100 Origami Cups." Katie and Mommy folded together at the table, and after about an hour and a half, we had 100 cups.
Here are a few of the other projects on display. A necklace for a bear made out of 100 colored paperclips, something made out of 100 Legos, a football made out of 100 candies, 100 stickers on a paper, a valentine made out of 100 pieces of pasta...
A couple of children told Katie that Origami cups are not interesting and she should have made cranes. Cranes would have taken us at least four times as long to make, and Katie's origami skills are really at the "cup" level right now. We might have been able to make hats, but not cranes. But Katie and I agreed that her project was really cool -- big and colorful, and did a good job of showing how many 100 is. We decided it was a successful project.
We are starting to leave Nick at his Sunday Preschool class now, as opposed to Daddy and Katie staying there with him. This week, the topic was "animals," and the craft was gluing decorations onto animal masks.
Nick made a "lion mask," complete with sequin adornment. He wore it everywhere for two solid days!
He would put it on his face and say "RAARRRRR." And he would put it on the top of his head and say, "Now I'm just Nick!"
And you wonder why I'm such a sucker for him.
Darell had a nice, but short, visit. My favorite was going to the high school basketball game with Darell, Julianna, and Nick. (Eric and Katie were in the mountains this weekend.)
Darell, thanks for coming and staying here with our pushy cat and enthusiastic children when you could be staying in a hotel! Aren't you sad you missed my car accident and Nick in the mask? (Well, one out of two.)
And since Darell reads this blog but we don't talk on the phone, here's what happened: I was driving home from my gig on Saturday night, merging from the 405 to the 10, and had to stop quickly due to an accident in the far right lane. While sitting there, stopped, waiting for a space to merge into the next lane over and get around the accident, I was rear-ended. Actually, the guy was trying to get over and avoid me but did clip the corner of my bumper. Tra la la, what fun!
I am taking comfort in the fact that I like USAA so much. Because we have had to call them quite a few times during our ownership of the Odyssey.
"Hi, it's us again!"
Actually, that conversation did happen at Holmes Body Shop when I got an estimate on Monday! Body Shop Employee: "Wait, I know this car, is that Mrs. Chabot?!" Me: "Yep, we're back!"
Julianna's birthday party was somehow both a gymnastics party and a puppy party. (In much the same way that Nick's was both a music and a Cars party.) She wanted to have her party at The Little Gym, but also picked out puppy plates, hats, etc. at Party City (she has been talking about having a puppy party for about two years!).
We invited all of the kids in her preschool class to her party. Having it at The Little Gym was a genius plan, since it was POURING rain outside (and had been for days) and the kids got to be active in the gym. The parents got to leave everything up to the instructors, who took care of everything (except the lunch food, which was basically pizza delivery and Costco fruit & cheese).
It was nice of the instructors to greet the party this way! But ... wait ... is something wrong here?
I supplied the cake, but the instructors led the candles/singing/cutting, so for once I could focus on the digital camera and while Eric focused on the videocamera!
It was very important to Julianna that she be the one to pass out the cupcakes.
Julianna also picked out favors at Party City, so we brought those along and Julianna handed them out as her guests left. They contained doggies (like the ones on the cupcakes), doggy pencils, Starbursts, rainbow slinkies, a slinky bracelet, and either lip gloss or a bouncy ball (kids got to choose, we did not automatically assign based on gender).
On her Actual Birthday, she chose to have tortellini for dinner and frosted sugar cookies for dessert. We put five candles in one cookie and sang "Happy Birthday" to her, then she blew out the candles. She also got to open her family gifts.
The next day, she went to school and celebrated her birthday there. The class focuses on a different letter each day, and the letter was "D" so we brought donuts for her birthday treat. She also picked out a book to donate to the classroom, and asked that mommy read it to the class. When you are the VIP for the day, you also get to lead the class in the Pledge of Allegiance and bring something to share with the class.
Our newly-minted 5-year-old had a great time turning 5! She was the party planner and a great hostess, and has even shared her presents with Katie and Nick. She's a lucky girl, and we're lucky to have her!
Nick got a bike (with training wheels) for his birthday in December, but he has been leery of learning how to pedal it, instead sticking with his trusty Kettler trike.
"Thanks for sewing me back together that one time (sorry I spewed so much dust in your face), but I think things are a lot more serious this time! Get off your duff and HELP ME!!"
