The Lion King: A Retelling of Hamlet

I'm at SavvySource today - talking about Disney's The Lion King - a retelling of Hamlet.

my best friend's wedding

Karen and I have known each other since the age of 2. Both of our families immigrated to the US in 1979, and we became instant friends. Best friends. My childhood was spent every day with Karen, and we have shared many wonderful memories - memories of how I think childhood should be... climbing trees, swinging off of branches, making mud pies, dancing in rain storms, collecting lady bugs... and so on. We did everything together... But we also couldn't be more different - and that's what I love so much about who we are... and who we have grown up to be. After kindergarten, Karen and her family moved back to Brazil for a few years, then came back and settled in FL. We moved too, but we've stayed in touch through letters, phone calls, and visits  over the course of 32 years and counting...

This past weekend, she got married. And it was a very special celebration - after all, she is half Brazilian and half Argentinean! This is a photo of her and her Dad Hector - which completely summarizes their relationship - laughter. I can't think of any other father/daughter relationship that is this strong in their adult years. Hector by trade, is a gem craftsman, designing luxurious jewelry. But the greatest and most priceless jewel he has ever helped create - is his daughter, and I know he couldn't be any prouder of this moment.

Beatriz is like a mother to me. She can find humor in everything she does, and has a heart of gold. Both her parents love Gabriel like the son they never had. He's a charmer, hard worker, and so in love with my best friend, and so I have come to love him too. I wish I had more pictures, but I was in the wedding and soaked up every second I could. I can't say that I have ever seen a wedding like hers... capturing the spirit of exactly who Karen is - intimate, loving, and oh... so very funny!

I was fortunate to have my Mom with me - we made a "girls" weekend out of it - because Beatriz and my Mom were best friends too. Having Mom alone to myself was such a valuable and memorable gift. It's so rare to be able to let go of home life, kids, husband, and do things like this. But this weekend made me realize - I need to do more of them! True, I missed my love bugs very much. But I also know that I miss my Mom {even though we see each other every week} - there's something special about "getting away" together and just being ourselves.

We hit some sights in Miami, Bayside, Hollywood... souvenir shopping for our love bugs back home and wrapped up a perfectly fantastic mother/daughter weekend {no arguments either!} I simply love our growing bond, understanding of each other, and expectations. Still, she'll tell me what she thinks - and I'll do the same - and I guess in our perfect world - that makes perfect sense.

Mom - you are the best a daughter could ever ask for - I love you!

Congratulations Karen & Gabriel - I can't wait to see the video and pictures and share with everyone here. xoxo

dinosaur dioramas

Making diorama's is by far one of my favorite art projects to do with the kids. There's something about its smallness that makes me want to crawl inside. I can still remember the the very first time I saw a diorama put together - Dad worked on it for a school project for my sister. And I was mesmerized by the detail of the cutting, gluing, and layering. He made a library. And oh... I wish we still had it. The kids put together a dinosaur diorama - jump over to our craft page to see the process.

this moment

{inspired by Soulemama}  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. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

happy birthday dr. seuss

Our local Lakeshore Learning store hosts weekly free crafts - and so this past Saturday, there were craft tables throughout the store - celebrating Theodor Seuss Geisel's (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) birthday... which is today!

Posted on Creative Crafting... and our favorite Dr. Seuss book in our reading corner.

family journalism: for week of feb 28

*For this week's Family Journalism, I thought I would focus on the rising protests happening around the world.* 

A review of local, national and global current events that can be shared and discussed among families with young children.

People & Places: 

Libyans, Egyptians, Tunisians and Wisconsinites? (oh my) are protesting for a score of reasons. As the world watches - what are we to learn from what's happening? And why?
Source: NPR, Reuters, Politico, ABC News

This is one of my favorite pictures of my Dad, peacefully protesting in the streets of Manhattan in 1980 - against Russia's invasion of Afghanistan - a relevant piece of history in our lives because it resulted in life changing experiences for millions of Afghans displaced by the war - including us. Those who sought refuge abroad continued to help fight back by raising public awareness as to what was happening on the other side of the world.

I've personally never rallied at a protest - for fear of getting squashed. Kidding aside, the opportunity hasn't presented itself, but instead I have had the chance to voice my opinion through other vehicles - like signing petitions or fundraising for good causes - and most effectively, simply sharing my knowledge with those willing to listen. 

The kind of protesting happening around the world today has me somewhat dumbfounded. I'm having a hard time keeping track of the anger, the injustices, and the caliber of its widespread growth. Still - it's something that may be positively taught to our children -  

There have been many times where I have felt myself demand, as a dictator would, that the kids listen to what to me, seems obvious and right. But they will protest with both arms crossed and sing an encore of reasons, or stand defiantly in silence, followed by tears heavy with anger. Ultimately, we are both passionate about what we believe in - and although at times we label this kind of behaviour as "testing their boundaries" - I also think its the beginning of defining their core value systems - which to me is more important than being right as a parent.

After all, it was the late Ghandi that said, "A 'No" uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."

• Table Talk: What does protesting mean? Give examples of when and why people demonstrate for what they believe.
  
  If eating their veggies is the hot topic at the dinner table right now - like pouting or pressing their heads against their plates - they are in fact, "protesting" against the green stuff. Talk about whether this is an affective or ineffective approach - from their perspectives, and come up with examples together of how each you can better communicate your feelings about veggies, and then after wards, work towards a plan that both parties are happy with (like numbing the taste of broccoli with ketchup?).
  
  
• Educational: Chances are, there is a relative or friend of the family that is either currently residing in a country/state where the protests are happening or has actually been involved in or witnessed a protest or two in their past. Help the kids conduct a formal "interview" - and ask questions that will help them imagine what it is was like to protest with hundreds? thousands? and what people did and said around them... the outcome of the protest and its impact (if any).

• For more ideas on teaching about this topic: WaukeshaPatch - Mom's Talk, Positive Protesting with Children

mini art studio - painting with arcylics

We're at Creative Crafting today...

family journalism: for week of feb 21

A review of local, national and global current events that can be shared and discussed among families with young children.

People & Places: 

   

Earthquake Strikes New Zealand
A state of emergency has been declared after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island on Monday - causing fatalities and wide spread destruction. The earthquake was an aftershock of the Sept 3, 2010 earthquake. Source: BBC World News and USGS

valentines week

In thinking about Valentine's and how this one holiday is really an everyday - I started to think about how we could make the 14th extra special for all of us. But as life unfolds itself - and we got busy with this and that, I couldn't come up with the "party" I had told Ava we would be having {after all, she bought a dress just for the occasion}. So we all went with the flow of everyday.... and as it turned out, everyday was extra special, with highs and lows and everything in between...

The first change came with the weather. Wrapped in the low 30s last week, the weekend brought us high 60s and clear sunny skies... And it is usually on the weekends when we slow down a bit and get together with Ron and Maggie. Last weekend was no exception - and we took some of the paper flowers Ava made to Papa.

travel as education

Today I'm writing over at Savvy, sharing what's been on my mind lately - travel! And thinking outside of the box when it comes to their learning on the road... Hope you'll join me at Savvy and share your ideas too.

family journalism: for week of feb 14

A review of local, national and global current events that can be shared and discussed among families with young children.

People & Places: 

Happy Valentine's Day! In the US today, we're celebrating a day of love and confection - sending sentiments to loved ones, exchanging gifts, flowers and chocolate. But around the world, others celebrate this holiday by varying degrees - such as giving books to each other in Spain's Catalonia region in the month of April. What ever the reason - there needn't be one. Because as my daughter says it best, "Every day is Valentine's Day!"

2 must-have iphone apps

While we're still in awe of all the snow, I'm enjoying the warm snuggly I get when I replay videos like these I've taken with my new camera. Check out this app that I just discovered {it may have been out for awhile}, called 8mm Vintage Camera for only $1.99. Oh goodness - you can't even get a deal like this at McDonalds anymore. 

You can upgrade lenses with additional purchases - but I'm still trying to figure out the ones it came with. With the click of a button, you can even make the screen flickr like the real McCoy and then email or upload it to YouTube and viola....

weather... no matter how bad

Today I'm over at Savvy, talking about why its important to get outdoors everyday, and how no matter what's in the forecast, everyone can have fun! 

planning for valentine's day

Last week I contributed to the national parenting website, Savvy Source, on Celebrating Valentine's Day with Preschoolers. Check out the article here for simple ideas on how to celebrate and teach our children about the importance of friendship and caring.

While searching for more craft ideas, I came across some sites here, here and here.

I imagine we'll start crafting today since we're snowed in again (did I actually just type that about Texas?) Yep, the snow is quite romantic now that we have the fireplace on. Some scissors, construction paper and gold glitter may do us all some good today. Plus, it's always nice to think of "I love you's" and write cards to our loved ones.

So while I'm thinking and planning how this year's Valentine's will go, I wanted to share some lovely bits...

"papa"

We went to the ICU last Tuesday to see Aaron's father. When we learned there was nothing more they could do, it felt as if all the love and sadness inside of us burst and then collided altogether. And Ron took some of it with him - when he took his last breath. Our lives shifted. And I hurt all over.