Bad news...

I was in a deeeeeep sleep, early this morning, when I felt P's little finger tapping me.  And his voice saying something.  Its too early for him to tap me.  What is he saying?  Can I just "mmhmm" and zonk again, or will this require a real response....  Shoot, wake up enough to listen, woman.  Nah, I bet its a dream, I bet I can just mmhmm...  Slipping back to sleep now...  Wait, does he sound muffled?  He sounds kinda muffled...

"Mama, Mama.  I have some really bad news...." (Ahh, probably a bad dream, just mmhmm and pat him.  Hand starts reaching...) "I think I'm going to throw up...."

D'oh!  Eyes peeling open, child in focus, his hands grasped over his little mouth, (I thought he sounded muffled), his eyes Very Wide...  Must prepare a response and

BLECH.  Right on me.

Yup.  He was right.  He had to throw up.

But his little pre-puke speech had me grinning all the upchuck long day :)

Let it snow...

Family keeps calling and (kinda gleefully) asking if we're freezing...  Is there a bit of snow?  Hehe.  Vewy Funny.

The city has been (surprisingly) slow to recover (we've been here for a number of blizzards, but this one takes the cake on rebound time).  Which, since we've been really, horribly, terribly busy totally chill-axing, has worked out just fine :)

The snow didn't pack at all.   You step, you sink.  And yup, that drift? Its a car.  Here, Alicia is saving Phoenix, sunk up to his arse.

We started a gut recovery program for P and E and their food allergies (I'm on it too, all for one and one for yadi yadi).  The Little Man's system is having some serious die-off issues, so we haven't made it back out since the first day, post blizzard.  But that day was a bucket of fun!  Made even more blissful by Aunt Alicia's school-break availability (and her child-lovin' awesome spirit;)

 Snow and sand, the sorta stuff that just begs for a great leap....

 Do you see the wonderful woman, on her knees, in the freezing snow?  Yah,  that's why the kid absolutely adores his Aunt.  She's a rock star.

So, he climbed, he sank, he tossed snowballs (with his trustee, Grams given snowball maker that he had lusted after for an entire year and could not wait for the snow to start so that he could use. So supremely happy was he with his little red bit of plastic that I've had neighbors approaching me this week, telling tales of his glee the night of the blizzard :)  He buried his Aunt, slid down tiny hills, slid down bigger mounds (but all just drifts by the side of the road, giving me flashbacks to my pregnancy and that little boy, with his piece of cardboard, sliding down a dirty snow mound between cars on Grand Street.  I swore my child would have pastures and ditches to sled.... umm... erm.... Well, he had fun anyway!!!)

Fick water

P went to potty this morning and called (urgently) for me to "Come see this!!!!"  I ran in (with trepidation) and then stood there, kinda transfixed.  He wanted it preserved for Papa, so we video'd it.  I love his narration, and how big of mystery life is at six.  Obviously, something special had to be going on with the water.  Oooo, and its "fick!"  (Yah, still waiting for that "TH" sound to come in;)

Happy Solstice

Above and...

Below!

Oh, we're having the most lovely holiday week.  E is working half days to use up his last vacation days and... yum!!!  Granted, its been nothing "special," per se. (Other than getting to kiss the hubby hello before its dark!  Love it!!!)  We've yet to fight the crowds to see the tree, gone to a museum or even taken a brisk walk.  Nope.  The child is in hibernate mode, big time, so is E, and we've been happily "hanging" each afternoon.  E's even sneaked in a few - gasp! - naps :)

Meanwhile, P has been busy directing projects and play.  Sunday (E worked:( ) and Monday were full of holiday preparations, as we trashed our table, making our Top Secret holiday gifts.  Not satisfied at stopping there, the child pulled out every bit of building equipment he has and played construction worker.

The first tower was beautiful.  But he was antsy to demolish (see end of post for funny video...)  Then he took a lot more time, building a taller tower.  It had it all.  Parking garage, climbing room, sightseeing room, space room (that's a room with lots of s-p-a-c-e, for those non-New Yorkers ;), pyramid temple room, catapult, observation deck... playroom...  And BB's apartment.  

Parking in the parking garage..

BB and his Mama in their flat.

Then, we had to venture outside in the middle of the night (of course!) to see this epic eclipse.  Early in the evening, as I debated the merits of waking a 6 year old at 3 in the morning, my little brother assured me the kid would still be around in 2094 for the next one.  Ahh, well, always morbid, I woke the child :)

"P, do you want to see the moon celebrate the Solstice?"   If he didn't budge, I figured I'd go alone.  He popped up like a spring toy!  But, despite thoroughly wrapping him in a blanket, he didn't last long.  It was frigid.  

But gorgeous.  E and I stood under the starry sky before fetching the child, watching the shadow creep across.  Watching the red glow grow.  It was just too lovely to not wake the kid.  

Of course, it seemed much less beautiful, in retrospect, when the excited child woke early for Solstice ;)

He was so appreciative of his brown bag wrappings, tied up with pretty scarves.  After excitedly opening his first one, he got even more excited.  "Oh!!!  My presents!"  And he ran to the (ficus) tree and fetched the present he had wrapped for The Bees (my pointer fingers, his dear friends;)  Then he happily handed BB his package and then the cat, and then the large bottom one for me.  They were all handmade somethings (a group of arranged magnets for BB, a sewn mouse for the cat, a ribbon and bolts necklace for me ;) and he sat with rapt attention while we all slowly opened.  Only then did he return to the tree to get his other two presents.  Gotta admit, made my heart glow ;)

Determined that little BB would NOT sneak into the presents he wrapped, the child wrote notes on each one ;)

That night, he rushed to give Papa his present.  He had made and wrapped them all by himself, so I was curious with each opening.  I didn't see all of E's... but I did see a chocolate.  Which I thought was so thoughtful, cuz the kid knows his poor Papa (the hypoglycemic) can't have that stuff very often.

So we spent the afternoon messing up the house real good ;) and then hurried to toss it into place for Seth and Alicia's arrival.  Oh the joy of having friends we love so much so close!!!

The evening was So Fun, even if the Little Man was a bit out of control.  I pulled out a Facial Isometrics Exercises book (from the '50's) we'd discovered spelunking at a friend's a few days earlier... and we all rolled.  I'm shaking the bed now, giggling, looking at S and A's faces.  The book was a gut ripper itself, but make it a group exercise and forgettaboutit :)

Sticking to the theme of late (of darkness and parties), the kid started playing with our new on/off switch.  And Seth started playing with the kid's wand.  And the result was So Much Fun it hurt.  Of course, A and I had to start snapping ;)

Seth and E, debating the effect... So Schultz ;)

It looked so sweet!

The kid loved it.

Then, in the dark, I accidentally bonked the damn monument....  Honestly?  E and I had had the constant feeling of eggshells for the last three days.  Seriously.  A rambunctious child, an idiot cat and a 6 foot wood world.  And all of it right above our lovely neighbor's bed.  After my bump, it was now destined to fall in the middle of the night and take someone sailing on the river Styx, so the kid agreed to demolish.  I video'd (per instructions) but it wasn't anything fab.  The demolition of the one a few days prior, however, makes for a good chuckle.  I love to leave the learning to P, not predicting how things will go, but this one had me Mama muttering, and then laughing my ass off ;)

Happy Solstice!!!

I love how, upon removing the first block, the child just can't decide what to pull next.  Oh - and notice that after the fabulous fall, the first words out of the kid's mouth are:  "BB!  Did you see that?!"  Yup.  Regularly upstaged by the invisible monster.... ;)

Holy-moly Play-dough

You know, come to find out, there's a reason play-dough recipes use only a cup of flour.  Yah, sure, shake your head at the idiot Mama.  Its so obvious, now that I mention it, but where were you five hours ago?

When the kid, he wanted to make a lot of holiday decorations.  Snow mans and such.  And he'd already used all of his beeswax.  And we had that big bag of craft flour, just sitting there, alongside the cream of tartar from awesome Aunt Alicia...

So, thinks the brilliant six year old.  Let's make a really big batch!

I love my dear friend's recipe.  The stuff is sensational (thanks, Em!!!).  It calls for a cup of flour.  Sheesh.  We want a lot.  Let's try seven.

Well, seven cups of flour, plus almost four cups of salt and a whole  bunch of tartar and water and oil... is really freaking hard to stir over the fire.  And when it starts to get thick?  Forgettaboutit.

Nevertheless.  A little back strain later (and some panicky moments of lumpiness) and we have a gazillion pounds of the most luscious dough on earth, minus the bit for the North Pole, Frosty and some sea creatures...  After all, what's motherhood without a little carpal tunnel?

 

School free fun

We took the train and left town today, for a treat I've been dying to share with the Little Man...  More on the above fairy tale village tomorrow...

Tonight - just a quick link.  Check out this list of school free success stories!

What my kid is into...

People keep asking me what P is into (a totally thoughtful question).  I feel like such a fool when I just stare at them, blankly.  Ummm, hmmm.  Shit, it seems like he's into everything all. the. time.  You mean, what is P not into?  Maybe that would be an easier question...   I, seriously, draw a big ol' blank.  But on top of the fact that the kid is passionate about everything and hasn't been pegged into a particular place by a school system or class labels (not judgin', just sayin'.  At this age it seems like a lot of kids start to get the "I'm not so good at "x," I like "y" labels), P's play has really changed in the last six months.  A friend follows a Waldorf curriculum, and they label it "the six year change."  Whatever it is, its fascinating to watch the old mix with the new...  Not that it makes my answers any more clear...

So, for the record, his top faves lately (erm, today):

Crab town.  He spends hours on this.  The box holds lots of shells, claws and some sand.  This morning he worked in it while I made breakfast (and again for lunch) and was beaming when he showed me his city planning.  "Here," he said, "is Sand Square.  And then, this is Tackle Alley or Crab Row and over here is Crab Village."  One of the largest shells is the chef, replete with sea shell pot and small snails for cooking.  A large, swirling seashell is the playground.  Particular crabs and claws are his favorites.  The world even has a "not so nice" crab that I've seen cause destruction.  He has been playing with this for well over six months and is entirely enamored.

His tools.  He has a toolbox from his godmother.  Full of odds and ends he scrounges whenever E or I work a project.  He has a little pile of wood in the hallway on which he hammers and screws and drills.  Today, he re-built his block, first, into a sculpture (Title: Forest of Broken Metals.  It was a really beautiful grouping of hammered in nails and carefully bent metal pieces.  It was all I could do to not remove it and replant it on an old piece of wood I have sitting here, waiting to be an art base...) and then (since Mommy held back and didn't fuck with him, insert back pat for rare moment of self-control) into an intricate playground landscape.  The project is different every day.  The very loud hammering noises are not...

And BB.  Here's the cast of tiny characters that live in his dollhouse and drive his trucks.  He completely created the green one (fourth from the left) and the grey one (third from the right) - and designed the white and the green ones on the left endish (cut the felt, placed the pieces, but bailed on the stitching ;)  While he still plays with this family and his dollhouse more than anything else, there has been a definite move away from basic toys in the last six months.  BB, the character and family member though, is still the most constant thing in P's life. The gulf between me (the voice of BB) and me as Mama still confuses me.  He will chat with BB (yah, that's me...), looking at me, no doll in sight, only the silly BB voice I do.  He'll chat and joke and tease and then plot.  And after they (we) finish plotting, he'll call to me and fill me in on the plot... as if I wasn't there just a minute ago....  Yes.  BB seems to still be completely real to him ;)

Oh, and the swing.  No pic.  But I swear, it is a lifestyle for the child.  He spends endless amounts of time in that piece of fabric, twirling and pumping and swaying from wall to wall.  Then he climbs it, like a rope.  And slides down.  And ties it up high, and does pull-ups to get in and then swings way up by the ceiling.  After so much use, it needed some sewing machine time today, so down it came.  By 4:00, it still wasn't done (so many projects, so little time;) and the child moaned, "My swing!  I need my swing, Mama. My body is longing to swing and I really need it!"  And I don't think he's kidding either (despite his proclivity towards melodrama;)  Swinging seriously resets him.  I whipped out my machine, washed and dried the wrap and barely had it tied through the toggle before the kid's butt was happily bouncing into it.

So, that's today's faves.  (In addition to creating Solstice presents, wrapping said presents, teasing BB that he couldn't open said presents, creating a Circle of Protection (out of the rock collection) to protect said presents from BB...  and making tree decorations, and making a long, involved imaginary play that we then acted out (with BB)...) Its true, those four are the faves, most days.  But most days see totally different projects, too.  However, none of them are the things you talk about when somebody asks you what your kid is into these days.  Those answers are supposed to be "baseball" or "Lego" or something like that.  Not Crab Town.  Or Imaginary Sibling.

Oh well.  Blank stares it is!

Home, glorious home...

We had such a lovely, lovely Kansas visit.  P stalked his grandmother the entire time.  Got a great high from practicing commands with Uncle Cash's dogs (Sit, Logan.  Sit!  Sit, Logan!  Good dawwwwwg.)  Loved to tease Gramps every night when he got home (especially with his water squirting trick ring!).  Squealed with happiness each time he got to call Papa to the table (for breakfast.  And lunch.  Every day.  But its so different than not seeing E that it was novel for the entire month;)  Joyously played for the day with Grandpapa and Uncle Jace (and did not want to leave them!!!!)  Got sick and missed seeing some Kansas friends :(  Got better and stalked Grams some more...

Gramps made us a fire a few times and Grams found some food coloring free (can you believe WHITE marshmallows still have food coloring in them?!?!?) marshmallows for roasting.  Which we did, gleefully.  Then the kid, realizing how cozy a fireplace fire is (no billowing leaf smoke, like his little outdoor terra-cotta-pot-match bonfires...), drug down some bedding and pillows and made us a place on the floor in front of the crackling warmth.  E, P and I cuddled down and told stories for the rest of the evening.  The cat even joined us.  As I lay there, squished next to my guys, looking up at my parents beautiful ceiling, listening to E's unbelievably dull story (sorry, honey, usually they're brilliant;), I was so content, so seriously happy, it seemed unfair.

Which is exactly the word the cat thinks, on a regular basis....

 UNFAIR.  The child decided earlier this year that the cat was his and he would love her to pieces.  And so he has tried.  He picks her up and carries her all day.  Plays follow the leader with her.  Hide and seek.  Patty-cake.  Still life.  Pirate.  You name it, the cat gets it.  And she takes it.  All day long.  Then, at the end of the day, she, cautiously, strolls up next to the kid and lays down.  Why she isn't under the couch is beyond me.  But she seems to love him (for the most part) almost as much as he loves her.  Just more, erm, gently...

(P did a whole series of these, car crash shots.  His attempts to look disfigured were frighteningly fresh:)

And so, after a crazy day of snow stalled travel, we arrived home at 1 in the morning to lovely neighbors with gifts and well wishes and h.o.m.e.

Which is confusing to us.  Since E and I still call "Kansas" home (yah, its been almost a decade here in Brooklyn, and almost 2 decades since we first moved away from Kansas, we're slow learners:) and P refers to New York as "home."  So, sometimes when the three of us are talking about "home" we confuse ourselves :)

But the child wasn't confused.  The whole day he was ready. to. be. Home.  And when we walked in our door, he raced around saying how lovely it is to be here and how gorgeous our home is and how happy he was and then took to bouncing on the beds chanting "home glorious home" to the tune of Oliver's "food glorious food."

E and I have often (quietly;) wondered if the child would rebel against one or the other (our "home" or his), with all of this back and forth business.  I'm so glad he's still tickled with both!

Uncle Cash, Aunt Maria and the Birthday Boy

Every time we come home, Aunt Maria and Uncle Cash dance at the top of P's love-o-meter.  They are so sweet to the kid, listening to him babble, asking him questions, giving him excellent gifts...

Or, say, riding in a waaaay too small ride ;)  Sheesh she's a good sport...

Or, say, breathing smoke for an hour while the child works his homemade fire pit....

And, no, global warming hasn't hit Kansas as hard as the North Pole, these are pics I've had sitting around since summer (right beside those trip pics I still haven't finished....)

So, the Little Man was super stoked to see these two this fall.  After they told him they had birthday surprises waiting, "super stoked" seemed small...

Maria had put together the sweetest birthday party for the kid.  They share a love of gold and bling, so his cupcake and icecream were served in the loveliest of all gold rimmed glasswares amid sprinkles of gold stars and gold laced helium balloons featuring... Harry Potter.  The kid's face lit up when we walked in :)

They had a blast playing with the new magic tricks... until the kid realized his wand glowed in the dark and... the lights had to be turned OFF.  Uncle Cash was only too happy to create a haunted house vibe, tossing shoes in the dark and creaking doors. The kid giggled and shrieked on Maria's lap.   He was in heaven.

The boys, figuring out a magic trick.  The pics capture P.  He'll start out standing by you, but its only a matter of time before he's on you.  He just can't help himself :)

The fun was almost too much, the kid didn't want to leave, despite the late hour.  I promised to play in the dark when we got back to Grams and he eventually left his loves...

Then he could't wait to show Gramsy his new magic tricks.  I love how much my kid loves my mom :)  And how much his Aunts and Uncles love him.  Ahhh, lucky lucky lucky.