I'm not a Vegetarian, but...

This is what we're having for dinner. Yesterday it was brown rice with canned kidney beans, sauteed garlic, cajun spices, chili powder, and sea salt (boiled sweet potatoes on the side). Today I dumped in leftover spaghetti sauce and mozzarella. We have this basil growing in our window, so I just threw it on for fun. Basil may not be as versatile as bacon, but it is generally a good idea. Voila! Easy-peasy stuffed pepper "boats."

I'm always interested in more recipes featuring rice and beans, so feel free to share.

Wherever you are: Enjoy!

I spent nine days in Cape Cod with the kids. We shared a four-bedroom single family home on a quiet gravel road near a lakefront beach. By the second night the kids had all moved into one bedroom because they didn't want to miss out on any fun. I took the kids everywhere; to look out points, marinas, cranberry bogs, beaches, grocery stores, all without hesitation because I knew I could park again when I got home. I washed sandy swimsuits and towels every single day in the washing machine. I laid in the grass and was nurtured. I sent the younger ones out to play while the older ones were doing academic work. It was so close to heaven. We didn't have so many obligations. We didn't have so many toys or books.

Focus makes life feel more abundant

It was like living in slow motion with time to savor each thing: trees, grass, playing baseball with Torpedo, Sparkle creating worlds in the mud out of pebbles and bottle caps. It was such a happy time. My heart feels good for everyone who gets to have that suburban experience, especially the ones who realize what a treasure it is. So many people have that every day and constantly complain about not having enough.

I’m happy where we are. My family is my Happy. New York is an amazing place to live. I'm just saying, wherever you are...Enjoy! :)

Less is better for us

Every state or city provides different levels of support to it's children with special needs. I live in one that lays it on thick and then some, especially if your child has a diagnosis like Down syndrome. Mermaid has been receiving Physical therapy, Speech, Special Instruction, and Occupational Therapy each twice weekly for thirty minutes. I'll do the math for you = 32 x monthly (plus clean up, plus after-chat, plus delays, plus occasional no-shows without warning...). If we cancel a session for an outing, we have to make it up later increasing the amount of therapy on another day. Mermaid has four sessions in one day at these times. We're essentially tethered to the apartment.

Sure, her four siblings have had to sacrifice opportunities for field trips, classes, play dates, etc. We've all relinquished some flexibility for a good cause. Mermaid has progressed continuously. We love to welcome her wonderful therapists into our home. They counsel and encourage us. They have been willing to meet us at the homes of friends, at the playground, or at the park. They are constantly thinking of how to challenge Mermaid next. They are experts in their fields and really nice people, too. Seeking to balance all of this good stuff with the downside in a way that best fits our family's needs and allows Mermaid to experience the variety and wonder of the great wide world in person, we decided to cut back therapy by 75%. That's 8 visits monthly. We are an aberration in the system. Nobody downsizes when they are "entitled."

This quote from Ann Sullivan inspired me:

"Let him go and come freely, let him touch real things, and combine his impressions for himself, instead of sitting indoors at a little round table, while a sweet-voiced teacher suggests that he build a stone wall with his wooden blocks, or make a rainbow out of strips of coloured paper, or plant straw trees in bead flower-pots. Such teaching fills the mind with artificial associations that must be got rid of before the child can develop independent ideas out of actual experiences."

We've been on the "sleek" schedule since August and it has been fabulous! Mermaid continues to progress at a steady rate. Our language-rich climate at home coupled with increased "actual experiences," has allowed Mermaid to experience a language explosion. I believe hands-on experiences are the most significant for all of my children, but especially Mermaid. We've all enjoyed the freedom of getting out of town, out to visit family, out to the beach, out to playgroups, out... just out. New environments always motivate our curious Mermaid to develop skills or add new words. As a home schooling family, this works for us. Everyone has to calibrate their own definition of balance. Sometimes it's hard to get what you need. In our case, advocating for our child and our family means taking less of what is offered to have more of what we want.

You've come a long way, Baby!

For a full update on Mermaid click here! We could not be having more fun.

A Dancer's Body

I've been thinking about something a choreographer said to me once. I was telling him that I didn't want our oldest daughter (then 5 or 6) in dance classes because it would be the beginning of a long and treacherous road of poor body image and self loathing. That's what ballet was for me. I said she had my genes. I said, "I don't have a dancer's body." He immediately shot back, "If you danced, you would have a dancer's body." Smack.

I've thought about that periodically since then. Body image isn't the crushing trial it was before my mid-twenties, but the idea of doing something in order to become something applies everywhere in my life. Mother? Urbanite? Homeschooler? Sailer? I was not "the kind" until I did it and became "the kind" through practice. I need to assess what I'm doing to figure out what I'm becoming.

I'm glad I've given dance a second chance. Thanks to my dear friend K.B. for creating such a nurturing environment and teaching this class out of the goodness of her expansive heart.

P.S. These are not pictures of my dance class, but they are a good representation and the girl in the middle even looks something like I did at that age. We had balloons back in the day. ;)

Focus and Commitment

Trying something new makes me feel young; by "young" I mean enthusiastic, curious, and open. I enter the learning curve at the bottom where mistakes and successes are in symmetrical abundance. Mistakes are expected and therefore less discouraging. Successes are frequent and always a delight.

I'm taking a modern dance class and it's carving new pathways in my brain. While I love to dance freestyle at home or at parties, I haven't taken a dance class since early elementary school. My teacher expects awareness of the body, its relationship to space, and its relationship to the other dancers. I've long considered myself spatially challenged. I once entered a dance circle with a dramatic kickboxing move which caught my friend in the stomach and knocked her flat. Too much MTV?

In this class, my teacher praises focus and commitment to a movement. I notice this about dancers. The entire body is directed towards a single goal or direction. That may change quickly, but when it does the entire body supports the new decision. It's obvious on stage, but I've seen this in my dancer friends even when they are cooking.

I often think about the mind-body-spirit connection, but don't always honor it in my choices. My shoulders, hips, knees, and feet are generally facing three different directions. I know my body is telling me something true about my focus and commitment.

It's easier to be open to ideas in a new setting, environment, or experience. Modern dance is creating a new awareness and a new metaphor for understanding myself and my relationships with time, space, and people. Tonight my teacher praised "moments" of focus and commitment. I hope to have more of these moment in class and in life.

I wish it were that easy

Bedtime conversation last night:

Sparkle: I feel like crying, but I don't know why.

Me: Okay...?

Sparkle: I just thought that since you gave birth to me you might know why I feel like crying.