Jasper Johns Number Painting

In kindergarten Kuba has been learning about Jasper Johns.

It's an integrated arts unit I've been doing with both classes.
Here's Kuba's 1-9 painting.
I am going to frame this one for sure.

 

O R A N G E

 

January sunrise

putting aside her writing

to peel an orange

 

 The color orange.   

In our household we sprinkle it everywhere. 

Front porch, couch pillows, pepper mill, walls, cashmere throw, wooden horses. 

 Orange feels full of optimism, joy, life ~ and it truly offers much warmth to these icy winter days.  

 

Orange is the color located solidly between red and yellow on the spectrum of light. 

It sits directly opposite its compliment blue.

  

In Europe and America, orange and yellow are the colors most associated with

amusement, frivolity and entertainment.

 

In Buddhism, orange (or more precisely saffron) was the color of illumination,

the highest state of perfection. 

 

In  Confucianism, the religion and philosophy of ancient China,

orange was the color of transformation.

 

I think we've chosen the best favorite color at our house. 

 

O R A N G E

 

 

 

 

 

Got Joy?

Joy. 
It's a big emotion that deserves at least one blog post. 
I've been thinking so much lately about how much joy I feel.    Truly genuine, authentic joy.  Even typing that sentence makes me happy.  I haven't always felt this much joy.  I have learned to feel great joy and I have come to know deep gratitude.
Coming out in the 80's and then growing through the next 2 decades left me feeling sad, often ashamed, and sometimes full of despair.  It wasn't easy.  How could it be that I, who as a child, loved playing house, playing with dolls, being in the kitchen, eager to become a teacher, a mother, a wife -  how could it possibly be that I was gay?  It just seemed so wrong.  I really didn't want to be gay.  But I was.  It was nearly impossible at this time to not allow the worlds small view on homosexuality to rob me of joy and to cloak me with shame.  It took enormous work and a very keen internal compass to get me here to where I am today.    It took practice and faith and so much courage.  It took thousands of conversations, many teachers, great mentors, and above all, it took trusting myself above all else.  And now I am here.  In my good life.  In my good home.  With my two absolutely beautiful and happy boys, with my kind hearted and loving wife.  In a community  of great friends and family.  In an unbelievably satisfying and fulfilling career.  In a richly creative environment that urges me to be as good as I can be.  So, even though I am at times exhausted, puzzled, confused, and lost; even though I sometimes want to pull my hair out over my kids maddening behaviors; even though I am heavier and more allergic than I want to be; even though I feel grief stricken by the hate that still remains in this world;  I always come out of it with such a shiny, brilliant joy that it takes my breath away.  Lucky.  Truly lucky.  I cannot be more thankful for all that I have.  Which makes me even more committed to helping this world be as good as it can possibly be.  We all deserve to feel such joy. 

OH

"Ten times a day something happens to me like this -

some strengthening throb of amazement -

some good sweet empathic ping and swell.

This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know:

that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness."

-Mary Oliver 

This is how I want to live my life, as attentive as I can be with my boys.    

Happy 2014

Holiday Card Photo's That Didn't Make It

I had a hard time choosing a holiday card photo this year...there were so many good ones.  I finally chose one, but these were all really good options that just didn't make it.  It was sort of agonizing to choose.   So in order to honor the agony,  I am posting the others here.  When I make a book of this blog one day they'll be here...the runner ups in all their Anders and Kuba glory in 2013. 

 

 

 

Sliding - or is it Spinning, Down the ICE

We LOVE THIS VIDEO SO MUCH! 

It was taken on a day when the world was covered in ice.
All the roads, trees, and hills.  It was wonderous!

Look at this post on Facebook to see the boys and their friend Hazel sliding down the hill.  
Or should I say spinning down the ice?  

Reading

Anders has begun that kind of reading - the by himself kind, without a parent reading with him.  Amazing and remarkable.  Sort of like his first mark, first step, first word, first tooth.  First time reading for pleasure by himself, for himself.  A new milestone to be sure.

Now That's Sliding for YA!

SLIDING! 

Check out the above link to a fantastic video of sliding on a very icy hill.  

Our Family Gratitude List 2013

Anders, Anna, Apples, Aunts -Sandy, Vikki, Sharon, Jen

Ben, Beth, Birthdays, brothers, Becky, our Barn 

Clay, Crows Path, Cape Cod, Cathy Hunter, Computer Games, our Cat, Colors, Cousins

Doughnuts from Poorhouse Pies

ms. Emily

Family, Friends, Farts, the Fair, being Funny, Felix

Grandma and Grandpa, Greta, Gus

Hazel, Home lunches, Hippo, Hexbugs, Holidays, Hayday, Hikes, Hearts, our Home

Iris, IAA

Jakob, Judy, Julian, Jokes (funny ones)

Kuba, the Klima's, Kindergarten, our Kitchen

Love, Lollipops, Learning something new

Mr. Mike, Montshire Museum, Me, Mormor, Morfar, Making Mistakes

Narnia, New bathroom

Open, being Off from school

Pizza Put, getting Presents, Playing, the Pig on the wall, taking Photographs

asking Questions

Reading, Rudolph, Robin

Sandy, Swimming, Shelburne museum and farm, School, Sledding, Skiing, Snow, Sebastian

Tiger, Thousand Islands, The Thelemarcks, our Time, Third grade, new Teeth

Uncles - Pete, Claes, Paul, Mark and Tim

Vacations, Valentine's day

Whale Watching, Whales, Weekends, Work

excitement

You

Zachary's pizza