The children started their swimming lessons again this past week. Both Gillian and Jefferson are way ready for swim team, but the time commitment is too much for me. Having them take swim lessons every day for five weeks is the closest I can come to committing to a swim team. They have loved it and their technique has improved tremendously. James especially is impressing me with his water acrobatics and diving skills. Growing up all my life by the Mediterranean Sea has made me a water lover, so to have my own kids love the water as much as I do makes me a very happy mother.
James, the dolphin
Jefferson, the shark
Gillian, the eel
On Monday, my friend Carolyn from Virginia was visiting San Francisco for work. Since she wasn't going to be around for more than one evening and a day, she asked me if I could join her for dinner in San Francisco. I was so glad to see her. I miss my Virginia friends so very much, and I'm really grateful that they come to visit me. My best friend Jenifer came two weeks ago, my other best friend, Katherine, came last summer, another friend came last spring, Carolyn has come twice already. It's about time that I went to see all of them. Carolyn, Cindy and I had season tickets each year to the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington D.C. We had an amazing time together. Cindy and I would fight over different points of view and Carolyn would help balance our heated discussions with her peaceful comments. We decided, Carolyn and I, that when I get to visit them this year, we'll have to attend a play together. I miss arguing political and social issues, as well as aesthetics in the most sincere and amusing way ever. Shakespeare offered plenty of topics to be dealt with. But the only concern I have in going back is the disappointment I might cause to some people there. You see, there is a legend about me as the superwoman, and it's been spread by my friends and now by the friends of my friends, who possibly have never met me. Carolyn told me that they still speak of me in their circles of friends, so I'm a bit concerned that I might not live up to their expectations. If I go, I'll try to see just a few of my friends, and limit myself to that, otherwise the impossible image that they have created for me might suffer a few adjustments.
Speaking of Shakespeare, my children and I have had a week long celebration of Shakespeare's birthday. We started reading and reciting his sonnets and famous lines on Monday, April 23rd, the day of his birthday (the only known record of Shakespeare's birth is his baptism on April 26th, and since they didn't use to baptize the babies right on the the same day, the numerous biographers have settled the birth date to be that of April 23, especially since Shakespeare died on that date as well, of course 52 years later). We continued discussing his tragedies and laughing at his comedies throughout the week. On Saturday, we baked a cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to him and while eating we each read or recited something we liked of him. I have a cup that has famous Shakespearean love lines on it and that's where my boys would read from, but Gillian had brought her book and was acting out her favorite lines. If Shakespeare had been alive, he would have been very happy with our celebrations in his honor. Thank you Shakespeare for your wit and beautiful language!
On Wednesday, I accompanied Jefferson to his field trip to the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland. There were several new exhibitions, two of which dealt with alternative sources of energy. I really enjoyed the fact that they were trying to teach the kids about various ideas that are circulating out there in the world, until I started playing some games. I couldn't help but feel they were trying to not just inform but absolutely indoctrinate our kids with these new ideas, and putting all the other ideas we still use down. Each interactive game they had if you didn't choose the answer they wanted you to choose or thought was the best method to heat or power, then you couldn't win the game. I kept telling Jefferson, who loves to win, that sometimes you just have to stand for what you believe even if the odds are not on your favor. It was a good opportunity for me to discuss with Jefferson the value of being open minded to new ideas as well as of using common sense that it so needed nowadays. The children got to see some older exhibitions about space, which truth be told held their attention way longer than I had expected. Boys especially were hooked! Toward the end of our tour, we got to sit in the planetarium and watch a documentary on planets and our solar system, a recap of the lessons they had been learning in school. I'm so grateful I get to go with Jefferson and my other children in various school field trips. We get to have fun together, and I get to guide their learning.
On Friday, Gillian had a dentist appointment and the boys had an award assembly. They each got awards, but I wasn't able to attend since I was with Gillian at the dentist's office. After she was done, I decided I would take the boys out and make it an outing. I brought lunch, snacks, water, sand toys, towels, change of clothes, and then told the kids that we would be going to the beach. The weather wasn't as warm as it should be when you go to the beach, but we went anyways, and truly had a good time.
Jefferson and Charlton played very well together building castles and digging sand. Gillian and James were the first to get into the water. I was impressed that they wanted to go in at all, but later I encouraged them to go deeper and swim. Jefferson joined them without delay. They were the only brave ones, or the crazy ones depending on your point of view, that were attempting to swim in the ocean. Charlton's only contribution was wetting his feet.
After they had had enough of the ocean's cold water, the children tried to get warm by laying down on the warm sand as well as on some hot rocks, and then playing games with each other.
Swimming has a tendency to make you hungry, so we had the kids rinse and get dressed. After that,we set down on a picnic table and ate our lunch.
Lovingly we said "good bye" to the ocean, stopped for ice cream on the road, and then headed home right before traffic became too complicated. All in all this was quite an enjoyable day!
Our week was full of activities as well as quiet time, hard work as well as fun, reading and studying as well as games and play time, piano, swimming, running, cleaning, serving, helping, sleeping and enjoying each other. No matter what we do, we love being together.
Jefferson, the shark
Gillian, the eelOn Monday, my friend Carolyn from Virginia was visiting San Francisco for work. Since she wasn't going to be around for more than one evening and a day, she asked me if I could join her for dinner in San Francisco. I was so glad to see her. I miss my Virginia friends so very much, and I'm really grateful that they come to visit me. My best friend Jenifer came two weeks ago, my other best friend, Katherine, came last summer, another friend came last spring, Carolyn has come twice already. It's about time that I went to see all of them. Carolyn, Cindy and I had season tickets each year to the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington D.C. We had an amazing time together. Cindy and I would fight over different points of view and Carolyn would help balance our heated discussions with her peaceful comments. We decided, Carolyn and I, that when I get to visit them this year, we'll have to attend a play together. I miss arguing political and social issues, as well as aesthetics in the most sincere and amusing way ever. Shakespeare offered plenty of topics to be dealt with. But the only concern I have in going back is the disappointment I might cause to some people there. You see, there is a legend about me as the superwoman, and it's been spread by my friends and now by the friends of my friends, who possibly have never met me. Carolyn told me that they still speak of me in their circles of friends, so I'm a bit concerned that I might not live up to their expectations. If I go, I'll try to see just a few of my friends, and limit myself to that, otherwise the impossible image that they have created for me might suffer a few adjustments.
Speaking of Shakespeare, my children and I have had a week long celebration of Shakespeare's birthday. We started reading and reciting his sonnets and famous lines on Monday, April 23rd, the day of his birthday (the only known record of Shakespeare's birth is his baptism on April 26th, and since they didn't use to baptize the babies right on the the same day, the numerous biographers have settled the birth date to be that of April 23, especially since Shakespeare died on that date as well, of course 52 years later). We continued discussing his tragedies and laughing at his comedies throughout the week. On Saturday, we baked a cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to him and while eating we each read or recited something we liked of him. I have a cup that has famous Shakespearean love lines on it and that's where my boys would read from, but Gillian had brought her book and was acting out her favorite lines. If Shakespeare had been alive, he would have been very happy with our celebrations in his honor. Thank you Shakespeare for your wit and beautiful language!
On Wednesday, I accompanied Jefferson to his field trip to the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland. There were several new exhibitions, two of which dealt with alternative sources of energy. I really enjoyed the fact that they were trying to teach the kids about various ideas that are circulating out there in the world, until I started playing some games. I couldn't help but feel they were trying to not just inform but absolutely indoctrinate our kids with these new ideas, and putting all the other ideas we still use down. Each interactive game they had if you didn't choose the answer they wanted you to choose or thought was the best method to heat or power, then you couldn't win the game. I kept telling Jefferson, who loves to win, that sometimes you just have to stand for what you believe even if the odds are not on your favor. It was a good opportunity for me to discuss with Jefferson the value of being open minded to new ideas as well as of using common sense that it so needed nowadays. The children got to see some older exhibitions about space, which truth be told held their attention way longer than I had expected. Boys especially were hooked! Toward the end of our tour, we got to sit in the planetarium and watch a documentary on planets and our solar system, a recap of the lessons they had been learning in school. I'm so grateful I get to go with Jefferson and my other children in various school field trips. We get to have fun together, and I get to guide their learning.
On Friday, Gillian had a dentist appointment and the boys had an award assembly. They each got awards, but I wasn't able to attend since I was with Gillian at the dentist's office. After she was done, I decided I would take the boys out and make it an outing. I brought lunch, snacks, water, sand toys, towels, change of clothes, and then told the kids that we would be going to the beach. The weather wasn't as warm as it should be when you go to the beach, but we went anyways, and truly had a good time.Jefferson and Charlton played very well together building castles and digging sand. Gillian and James were the first to get into the water. I was impressed that they wanted to go in at all, but later I encouraged them to go deeper and swim. Jefferson joined them without delay. They were the only brave ones, or the crazy ones depending on your point of view, that were attempting to swim in the ocean. Charlton's only contribution was wetting his feet.
After they had had enough of the ocean's cold water, the children tried to get warm by laying down on the warm sand as well as on some hot rocks, and then playing games with each other.
Swimming has a tendency to make you hungry, so we had the kids rinse and get dressed. After that,we set down on a picnic table and ate our lunch.
Lovingly we said "good bye" to the ocean, stopped for ice cream on the road, and then headed home right before traffic became too complicated. All in all this was quite an enjoyable day!Our week was full of activities as well as quiet time, hard work as well as fun, reading and studying as well as games and play time, piano, swimming, running, cleaning, serving, helping, sleeping and enjoying each other. No matter what we do, we love being together.
