Car Painting, Take Two

The walls of our house are in need of refreshment. Recently inspired by the very cool, very comfortable, very efficient interior design in the small home of our friends, we have been rearranging furniture and artwork. At a quick stop at our local art and frame store, I saw large stretched canvases marked down beyond belief. I scooped two up and resurrected a project we enjoyed last year with shiny new paints and refurbished gusto.

Big B's finished Car Painting:

little b's finished Car Painting:

New Front Entry Table Art:

A Week of Celebrating Water

I have written before about the healing power of the water. This week I have felt it in my soul.

Sunday I gathered with my New Moon sisters oceanside. We watched the most magnificent sun set over the pass, bouncing golden saffron then bright seashell pink light off of the water.

We were inspired by the idea of creating a communal, temporal homage to the ocean--she who brings healing, she who needs healing. So we set off on a treasure walk and came together to bless our patch of sand, while both the sun and our intentions began to set.

Monday was library day, and Big B decided to look up books about sharks and dolphins. He came back with these four, all about the ocean and the waves.

Tuesday we visited to the Florida Aquarium with Noni. Most of their amazing displays are indoors, and I didn't get too many photos, but the kids had a fabulous time. We'll definitely be returning!

Wednesday found us at The Children's Garden, where I found these magical seashell horns in their gift shop. I bought them and tucked them away for a special occasion.

Thursday was that special occasion. Finally, after almost three months of unbridled oil spewing into our Gulf, we heard the news that the broken well had been capped--at least for now. While we are by no means celebrating the fact that millions and millions of gallons of oil are still out there, we are all cautiously breathing a bit easier now. I presented the horns to Big B and little b, and told them that the ocean is indeed a magical place, and that we are so lucky to be living near her powers. They each have the spirit of the ocean inside them, and can call it whenever they choose.

And so today, Friday, we gathered again at our most sacred beach with our tribe, celebrating the water and all of its healing. And we felt the magic it contains.

On Children and Money

Big B is one lucky kid. We are in the process of writing over thirty thank-you cards for the bounty he received upon turning six. Yes, when he's playing with a new birthday toy, we are mindful to pull out the gift list and remember who gave it to him. And sure, he's grateful. But merely two days after the bounty was received, on a routine trip to Target, he was dangerously approaching whiney-town for being denied a new action figure.

I realized that Big B is old enough and smart enough to begin to manage his own money, and to perhaps begin to conceptualize value. I posted the question of allowance to fellow parents in the social media world, and learned so much about the way other families handle this issue. Papa, Big B and I had a meeting, and agreed on a plan.

First, we emptied Big B's piggy bank, which contained, for the most part, all of the money he'd earned since his savings account was opened at birth. Big B helped me sort all of the money, bills and coins alike, by denomination.

When the money was sorted, I helped Big B count each pile, and then use a calculator to total his earnings. Tomorrow he'll make a nice deposit into his savings account. We talked about long-term savings and what he might like to use that money for one day.

And now, each Friday, Big B will get an allowance. This will not be tied to his household chores, as he is expected to pitch in as a family member anyway--and he can always go above and beyond to earn extra money. Like many families, we chose the dollar-per-year-of-age method. Together, we decided on his budget: one-third into his long-term savings, one-third is for spending (or short-term savings), one-sixth to charity, and one-sixth will go toward our family's Redwoods Forest Vacation Fund.

(We'll give little b a little allowance too--he loves to put money in his piggy bank, and I imagine the younger we start, the more savvy he'll be. There are also online games, like this one and this one, to help kids understand what things cost.)

No Title, Just a Perfect Morning

There was no theme, no craft, no obligation, no preassigned template for today, and I am more grateful to preserve it through this medium than most--for it was perfect.

We met our Papa at his job site and were given the tour of a spectacular oceanfront home. None of us could stop smiling.

Just down the road from the house is a great park right on the water that has, until today, been off our beaten path. We spent hours there, swinging, scooting, watching heron eat a fisherwoman's leftovers.

On our way to the area of the park where the playground was, we stumbled upon a nature preserve boardwalk through a mangrove root forest. It was magical.

We noticed beautiful bits of native color peeking through the green...

...and little crabs digging holes beneath the roots. Big B counted them until he reached 100!

One leg of the boardwalk took us to an overlook where we could see our city's beautiful skyline and all of the boats and fish yet unaffected by the oil spill. We counted our blessings and talked about how incredibly lucky we are to live in this part of the world.

Happy Six, Big B

I no longer have a five-year-old. Big B turned six yesterday, and we've been celebrating non-stop over here...so much so that I really don't have very many pictures to prove it. We had a Tiger Party on Saturday with a house and yard full of little roarers. Tiger tails, tiger toys, tiger books, tiger games, tiger prizes, tiger coloring, tiger balloons, poacher jeep pinata...okay, maybe that was a bit much, but the kids had a great time.

It was a scorcher until the rain fell, so we hired our good friend to come and serve our guests his famous Hawaiian shave ice treats. What a hit! He served over 100 of them!

We also had tiger-themed food, prepared by both of Big B's grandmothers.

Aunt S came through with some gorgeous face painting for our little cats.

Through rain and chaos, we had a wonderful celebration. Yesterday we intended to celebrate further with the real tigers at Busch Gardens, but little b's fever had other plans. So we stayed local, had a sweet day of game playing Grammy, Papu, Noni and Uncle Bob, and enjoyed being with our new six year old.

As I told him the story of his birth last night, I couldn't help crying. He asked if I was sad, and I said no, quite the opposite...that his choosing of Papa and me has made me happier than I ever dreamed. I thanked him for being exactly who he is, and I told him what an honor it is to watch him grow, and grow, and grow.

(this moment)

Via Soule Mama: A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A Neighborhood Lemonade Stand

Have I mentioned before how fabulously fabulous our neighborhood is? We live on the greatest street in all the land, with five very close families with young children within mere feet of each other. I know that the value of this kind of community in the growth of my children is beyond measure. Today, one of these families called us and reminded us of an idea--and just a few hours later, five families came together to host a neighborhood lemonade stand.

Our children collectively decided that The Humane Society would be the lucky recipient of their earnings.
One family brought cookies, several brought lemonade, one brought paper goods, one brought ice, and many painted signs. We mostly just had a very sweet afternoon, pausing at the parental shout of "CAR!" to grab signs and entice passing motorists.When all was said and done, our amazing children raised $96 and change for their chosen cause. All of us agreed that we should do this more often! It has so many benefits: us mamas and papas truly enjoy each others' company, our children simply love each other, and they are learning valuable life lessons in the process.
We are so lucky.