Wednesday, January 11th 2017
On this day… after expressing growing interest over many months, ClaraJane started Taekwondo!
2017-01-11 CJ’s 1st Day of Taekwondo [1:34]:
Awaiting her 1st uniform (fresh from ballet)
Mr. Bart says, “You’re a giant!”
“You have to earn your 1st belt.”
♥
Tuesday, January 10th 2017
Some days it’s even more amazing to live in the People’s Republic of Cambridge than others. And on this day when congress is vetting the first of the Orangutan-elect’s revolting cabinet picks (e.g.; a notorious racist for Attorney General), I gallivanted around town with nary a political thought when I wasn’t sparring online.
1) After getting kids to bus, and collecting an office supply from an online yard sale person, I went to my mom’s to visit and excavate YARN so she can continue knitting PUSSY HATS for The Resistance!
2) Then I did something I have never done in my life: took my first BALLET CLASS.
Before ballet in The Cambridge Center for Adult Education Dance Studio.
At 46 years old, what have I got to lose? Just more age. The class was so beautiful and challenging and amazing and inspiring and such a wonderful workout… it feels like the perfect bandaid from within to compliment the neglectful punishment I give it the rest of the time both personally and professionally. That my best friend growing up is a ballet dancer and I have had so much exposure to the culture without ever having taken a class makes it all the more mind blowing. And the music was so beautiful. I loved it so much. I’m so pleased and thankful I get to do this!!
3) Then I swooped up my hubsand from work and whisked him away for a pre-arranged errand to the bank, and then to a secret surprise afternoon date… to a secret place smack in the middle of Harvard Square that you’d never know is there until you do.
Hubby preparing to beat my butt a second time in Backgammon.
Indeed, there is a secret-like hidey-hole loft specifically designated for chess and backgammon. It cost $2 an hour, as did our parking for two hours. So overall, a $4 secret date (not so secret anymore) on a Tuesday afternoon. Priceless! (Agreeable company too.)
4) And now, although I’d love to stay home and start cleaning our messy home… I must swirl in my proverbial phone booth and dash off to save the evening of various boys and girls at my Tuesday Kids’ Night gig.
So although I hate to brag, neither do I want to let it go un-noted… I am living a fairy tale and like it or not I had to share. Not to worry… whatever we know as true will always change! So enjoy any and everything you can, while you can.
Thanks MOM for the PUSSY HAT!
And I’m off.
♥
January 6th 2017
ClaraJane’s Instructional Video series continues.
2017-01-06 HOW TO PLANT A DOLLAR TREE BY CLARAJANE [1:39]:
Now you know.
Stay tuned for the right and wrong way to curtsy! (o:
#Sacajawea
January 2017
Another index-in-progress tool for my own use in an effort to anticipate demands on the two most omni-present and pervasive parameters on our lives: TIME + MONEY.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
January 2017
An index of aspirations inspired by 2017 (posted for reference here so I can find them).
Ukulele Union of Boston ~ Open Mic Boston
OK this is a work in progress. More than I can do… yet always more to come.
Monday, December 26th 2016
For my birthday this year, family graciously came to dinner at Pizzeria Regina where I work for kids night, including Aunt Jane Ann from Dallas! It was a win-win-win and everyone (save for my poor suffering hubsand) had even more fun than expected.
2016-12-26 JTJMTO’s REGINA BIRTHDAY [1:11]:
Face painting with my own kin; that’s a good birthday!
Dear Hubsand has been sick.
He’s like:
Thank you Amanda, Miles, Mary, James, DaddyLove, Gavin, ClaraJane, Bubble Wow (aka: “MOM upside down”) and most of all Jane Ann for making the trip to be with us these holidays!
Love you all and it was a wonderful birthday.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
January 1st 2017
After a wonderful 3-show gig and amazing NYE sushi feast with backgammon courtesy of Dear Hubsand.
New Year’s Day we wandered around Boston Common. Here are the kids fighting over who gets to pose in the same teddy bear head hole:
Daddy and I in Colonial threads:
And photobombs by Gavin:
Here’s to a fortuitous and redemptive 2017!
January 1st 2017
This morning I explained to my son that although there’s nothing wrong with him playing a lot of Minecraft, video games are designed to provide a hit of dopamine in your brain at regular intervals, which easily creates a biological addition in our bodies. So it’s my job as a mom to disrupt that pattern with some regularity. I also reminded him that he’s been doing a great job being accountable and responsive these days when we do ask him to come off the game and “be human for while.”
Often we have chores or the like for him to transition to, and of course he has plenty of other forms of play -and naturally reads a lot- but I’ve been thinking more about the meaning of that interval being “human.” Sometimes he transitions immediately from one activity to another and I’m like, “Wait a sec buddy, what’s up? How are you? Come here and give me a hug,” etc.
So I have come up with a (preliminary) list of keywords to prompt a Point of Human Connection for him to use in these intervals with me. Well hopefully for us all to use with each other. Because these are in fact what interest me most about any person whom I love.
Just the contents of your head, heart, body, soul.
Boy seemed agreeable to the idea (immediately told me fun-fact that elephants and humans are the only animals that can stand on their heads), as did DaddyLove. I’m delighted to explicitly try this in the new year.
December 28th-30th 2016
Oh yes we did! Thought we were “camping.” Turns out we were “glamping.” In a cabin. In Heaven. (aka: Mohawk Trail State Forest!)
2016-12-30 Mohawk Cabining [4:30]:
December 2016
I love this: http://www.unwindly.com/mom-teaches-child-santa/
♥
 | Bubble Wow on Dropping the Kids Off at The… |
 | Anita Thompson on CJ & Lucia’s 11th… |
 | circuskitchen on Gavin’s 14th Birthday |
| MIMI BREED on CJ’s Class Video Newslet… |
| Bubble Wow on Apple Picking 2🍎22 |
circuskitchen 
