Recent Project

The past 8 months I've been working on a school project that involves the portraits of all of our families at the boys school and where I work.  Michelle Saffran, a local photographer spent months photographing the families, while the kids wrote narratives describing their families.  The result is powerful.  147 family portraits accompanied by the student writing.   Our family portrait (this is just one shot of many) was so beautiful and Kuba's writing was just plain old perfect for a third grader describing his family.  I love every little bit of this project.  

M E A N I N G

M E A N I N G

This family of mine has brought more meaning to my life that anything I've ever experienced.  Not teaching, not politics, not my family of origin...nothing else comes close to this family right here - right now.  Being a mother to these two boys, and helping to parent with Anna, to create a life with deep integrity brings me indescribable joy.  Such deep purpose. Today on Mother's day the boys made us breakfast in bed, and then later we took a walk in the woods.  As my family frolicked ahead of me I could only feel a sense of reverence for them and my role as a mom.   For twelve years now I have felt this calling.  

H O W  L U C K Y  I  A M  

Shadow Puppet Performance at the Talent Show

It was a family affair for this variety show.  Anna and I held the sheet while the boys created the shadow play.  

You'll Be Back

Kuba had his piano recital this afternoon.  He chose to play - You'll Be Back, by Lin-Manuel Miranda and has been practicing it for months and months.  It's a hard tune to learn and he accomplished his goal.   I totally adore this piano recital event....there are tons of kids playing and the earnestness and passion and nervousness in which they play captures my heart.   Kuba did a wonderful job, despite super duper high nerves at the start.  I LOVE PIANO for my kids! 

 

And you can watch his performance right here.

Pinch Me

Sometimes - actually many times, I have this feeling that these boys of mine have been raised well and are growing into such fine boys, amazing humans.   It's happened  so many times recently and I wanted to capture a little of it here.  

One - is the beginning of an opinion piece Kuba had to write in school this week and his teacher came and showed it to me.   The question was "Should kids be rewarded for doing chores?"  Here's his opinion...    

                                 

"In my opinion kids should not get rewarded for doing chores because your parents already do so much for you.  Also if you grow up getting rewards you might not help anyone unless they give you something in return."                                   Kuba

Two  - and on the same note, though different kid, Anders had an experience in school a week or so ago that was also noteworthy.   He was given a paper with a long list of things to do on it.  The first thing it asked you to do was to write your name on the page.  But then it got more fun.   Really fun.  You were asked to draw in the corner of the page.  Write your name on the board.  Pat your head and belly at the same time.  Fly around the room - do your best sound effects.  And more of the same.  The only directions given were to read the whole page before starting.   24 kids in his class.  Only 2 read the whole page.   The other 22 jumped right in and started doing all sorts of fun things simultaneously until they got to # 27 on the list...which said, "Only accomplish #1.  Flip your paper over and don't give the joke away.  Open your book and pretend to read.  Stay like this until the end of the activity." Anders was one of the two kids who read the whole thing first.  Amazing, right?!   

I remember doing this same exercise in 5th grade and I remember I LOVED doing it...until I got to the end and read the line that said to do nothing.   I am so in awe of him.  

I really am so damn proud of these two boys.