Growing Versions

When we stayed in the hotel, going to the ice machine was a coveted job. It was so important that the kids fought about who would go and they would go often. Ice machines and the job of retrieving ice are now firmly associated with vacation and good times. If you really think about it, and they have, there are so many reasons for someone to go to the ice machine. It made me think about all the jobs  that I relished as a kid that I now do not give a second thought. One immediately came to mind.   Picking confetti out of the folds of your cousin's wedding veil (the cousin did not really deem it a necessary job). The others include: making place markers for Thanksgiving dinner, rubbing leaves on a dirty car to clean it up, pre-selecting and repeatedly re-arranging throw away cups for your birthday party(and lemonade stand) one month ahead of time. How about you? What jobs did you love to do and have not done for a while?* *Not sure what category licking the spoon ...

Thanks to a Facebook share from a friend I stumbled on this very funny little video.  It turns out it is the product of a youtube series channel called  Bored Shorts TV  and it is the creation of four brothers who started by telling their kids stories about growing up and then the kids  told the stories back to them in their own words.   The different versions told through stories and acting are brilliant and everyone in our family enjoy them immensely. The kids and the adults tell a similar story simultaneously. The kids with their version and the adults with theirs.  They really prove the point that fancy words are not always necessary and that eyes and gestures tell 90% of every story. Other family favourites include:  food allergies  and  book report  and  library .

There are some birds nesting in our chimney.  On a day like today when the wind is howling, you cannot hear them over the roar. A few days ago though, as the sun drenched the frozen stillness, their cooing was clearly audible as we sat here below. Their presence raised a lot of questions. Why would they have a nest there when we have fires in the fireplace? Don't they know it's not safe? What about Santa? I guess it is warm, reasoned one child. We picture them trapped, stuck in a well. What do they picture? We are safe, we are warm, we are sheltered from the storm. As soon as the winds die down, we will listen for their cooing again and wonder about their situation.

Just like every other major holiday or special day (not sure about St. Patrick's day), we've been negotiating how much practise is really required before Easter arrives. Still a month away, all the available information available on what comes next? has been coming from the store displays that have handily convinced my son that it will happen any minute.  The pastel foil eggs and bunny paraphernalia have put my youngest into panic induced Easter trials all week. We have to be ready. We cannot be ill-equipped. I caved and permitted a "practice" easter egg hunt (marbles and peppermints) on the weekend.  One's hunting skills need to be up to date, I suppose.

 I saw how he admired the drape of that sheet, the lines, the tracks it created, the ideal marble roll. I heard the deep satisfaction with how it rippled in his voice.  Draping that sheet over the chair and stool and table made a room.  It was all nailed down with a jug of fabric softener and rocks.  He built a  room of small corners. The corners are so small "that only a child can fit inside".

...for the days when you just cannot wait to get back to the bowling lanes.

We're all ready for candy coloured light, a lens to peer through that reminds us of tulips and roses and tiny sprouting cucumbers.

We set off at 3 p.m.A.S.T. We arrived at 3:10.A.S.T. We journeyed through streets where they sell coffee, and clothing and food, and ultimately arrived at the hotel. The itinerary was crammed with eating snacks out of three kinds of vending machines, swimming, crazy 8s and exploring tunnels all the way to the ocean. We were going places.

Last night, I went with friends to hear  the author Lynn Coady  speak.  I remember reading her book Strange Heaven just after university and not realizing just how impressive it was for her to have written a novel, especially a really good one,  at 23.  As a young adult I was under the illusion that writing novels, like learning to ride helicopters and becoming multi-lingual, was only a matter of time, a skill one would just naturally grow into being able to do as one grew.  Now that I have walked down two or three paths and not gone down untold millions of others, and have accepted defeat in many areas, I see with clearer eyes just what an achievement becoming a published writer is (and that no one should ever give me a helicopter license). I was delighted to hear her tell her stories about her work. She spoke about how a writer's version of a story might touch on a truth that is not factually true, but is more true than any fact ever could...

We've all been released from regular school and, to some extent, work routines this week.  Almost immediately after getting home, the kids leapt into action, converting the house into a hotel.  They schemed about what to pack and what to order off (and put on) the menu. The staff have been run off their feet, organising the catering and ensuring all the guests are comfortable. The pool is a little small and the bar's selection is rather limited, but all 5 stars got earned by 10 a.m.

Relevance is the key to learning. Not a huge fan of learning the alphabet by rote, our child has taken to asking how to spell peoples' names. A social soul, he loves knowing how to write people's name and in the process he's learning the alphabet. So far, he's spelled names of relatives, neighbours, classmates and t.v characters. The alphabet song has more than one tune.

Glue beats paper. Scissors beat money. Dynamite beats rocks. This weekend we have been letting go of the stranglehold that the wii, iphone and computers had over us all too often in our free time these last few weeks. We floated in the water, had several staring contests and planted an indoor garden. The re-wiring is underway.

As beautiful as this day was yesterday. There was a change a foot.  We planted seeds.  The time for sleeping is almost over. We are having carrots for supper (maybe).