Sometimes you've gotta go with the red shoes

When Maddy saw these shoes a few months ago, she knew she had to have them, that her personal style sensibility rested solely on owning those shoes.
"Please can I get them? They're so....sophisticated Dorothy."

Today was the first day (of several) of the statewide testing for 6th graders, called the MCAS here in Massachusetts. It includes multiple choice and essay questions in many different subjects. Maddy, my dear daughter, is a worrier. Statewide tests are fertile fodder (hmmm...can fodder be fertile? it's nice and alliterative) for her worrisome ways. She made all sorts of plans: extra sleep, the right breakfast, you get the picture. Of course I asked about it the minute she came home...

How was the test today?
Great! I wore my sophisticated Dorothy shoes and they pulled me through.
Really?
Yep, every time I looked at them, I just thought there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

I completely understand.
What are your red shoes equivalent?

Providence was heavenly

We had a grand time. Amazing what a couple of days away will do to clear your mind and reshuffle your thoughts so that the things that really matter are on top.

Favorite moments: stumbling upon the storefront for a fantastic puppet workshop, belly laughing together during the Globetrotters, discovering & exploring a mysterious huge nest sculpture at Brown University, just walking around, and having deep and memorable conversations at restaurants with our own kids.

If you are one of the few people who want to know more or to see your grandkids more up close, you can click the links below:

1. cool ironwork, 2. chair dancing, 3. Downcity street, 4. I like these people, 5. Fam Damily,6. Carrot gone crazy, 7. Brown University quad, 8. Biltmore in Providence, 9. love these phone booths, 10. Tiled station, 11. Puppet workshop, 12. Pool roof, 13. Street of my dreams, 14. M in the nest sculpture, 15. Sam digs the pool,16. Sam & owl puppet, 17. Blurry breakfast, 18. she takes after me, 19. Improvising, 20. Cool twig sculpture,21. Contrasts, 22. beautiful view from hotel room, 23. Art is everywhere, 24. tiled columns, 25. M in euro cafe

I hope you had a beautiful Easter weekend. If you're wondering what to do with all the leftover peeps (yeah, right!) here are a few ideas. I'm glad I live in a world where people make dioramas from peeps. Here's another interpretation (thanks Dayna):

Things are looking up in winterland

the fattest robin I've ever seen, reminding me to get my sorry self out on a run

Ah, it's been a good day. I have to admit I've had the late winter blahs lately so I'd just like to thank the universe for sending me a little hope today.

1. First, things are looking up in winterland. I'm hearing birds. The air has a little (I said little) balminess to it. Rains early in the week melted almost all of the snow. The sun turned up bright and early, sheepish and penitent like a truant 7th grader: Yeah, I know. I wasn't here. I tried but I couldn't make it. But at least I'm here now...right?

2. I went on a great run. {And let me start with a bit of truth and reconciliation: lately I haven't actually been running as much as I thought I would. I know, I did this whole listen world, I'm back running announcement. But after that I've been kind of like Fred Thompson's presidential campaign: all announcement and very little running. All the usual excuses--wintry weather, sick self & kids--amounted to maybe a run or two a week for the last month. You might say I'm a fair-weather runner. And you'd be right.} But this week I found a great 4-mile loop through town and farmland that completely makes my heart sing. And pump--although I'm still run/walking. And I found a cool site that lets you map out your route & find out the distance/calories/pace, etc. No more clocking it with the car--I love technology.

3. Then this morning I happened to be online at the same time as my brother Chris, half a world away in Mali. So we spent an hour and a half chatting via instant messaging. What a luxury--to just hang out virtually and have a conversation about everything and nothing. Love that boy. Man, really. I love technology, part 2.

4. Cleared out some flower beds and generally cleaned up the yard a bit. Just my little act of faith that there will eventually be flowers there.

5. Read a good book with the sun streaming through the windows & spilling over the pages. Let myself snooze for a few minutes.

6. Had this conversation with Lauren on the way to her flute lesson:

L: today we had a speaker in Health who has HIV/AIDS [many of our conversations these days revolve around what happened in Health class that day!]. Her life story was so sad! {She goes on to give me the details of her troubled life, including abuse, alcoholism, crime, prison and generally struggling to find her way. Very heartbreaking.}

A: I know, doesn't it seem like some people just have way too many helpings of grief? Like it's just not fair?

L: Yeah, in the middle I was so sad for her. I thought "she needs a hug." [this is a standard Lauren philosophy. She makes the world better through hugs.]

A: [half kidding] So did you give her one?

L: I did! At the end I went up and said "you need a hug" and gave her a big one. I think she was surprised. She whispered "thank you."

I think I'll keep her.

Floral philosophy

I don't drink.
I don't smoke.
I don't chew.
I don't do drugs.
I don't go to therapy (yet).
I don't get facials (yet).
I don't ski (any more).
I rarely get a massage (but they're bliss, I tell you.)
I don't spend copious amounts of $ on shoes.
I mostly get books from the library
rather than buy them.
So...
I feel justified
in buying fresh flowers
every week
in the winter.
It just makes life better.
More tolerable. Brighter.
I know this is true.
The end.

How do you cope with the winter blahs?

{the similarity of the shape of this post to Abraham Lincoln is purely coincidental}

The video shoot (heard round the world?)

This weekend Maddy and her friend teamed up to do the final stages of a social studies project together. A few weeks ago they decided to write a script about the Boston Massacre and then make a movie of it.

Yesterday was shoot day. They enlisted several of their friends and their siblings. Sam was conscripted as the romantic lead (a British soldier) simply because we have a redcoat uniform that fit him when he was five. {This is why his jacket sleeves go to his elbows in the photo below.} Lauren was the director/cameraperson. I alternated between bossy backseat director and observer, depending on whether the cast was behaving or not. {Some would say this is my role on a daily basis.}

I was impressed by their gumption. Usually school projects feel like just as much my homework as the kids' but they did the whole thing. They laid out a whole project schedule, including reading the book, writing the script, and filming the movie. They arranged to meet and type it up together on the computer. They scouted locations, set a time and place, and coordinated casting. They managed to make it really fun for everyone involved.

I tried to attach a clip here but our slow internet connection whined and complained and fell on the floor and did a tantrum so...alas. {I'll have to see what I can figure out. Or switch internet carriers.} In the meantime, here they are getting ready before heading out to the park to film the carnage.

In other weekend news, it was the spelling bee at the elementary school, which is just about the closest to a slice of Mayberry as you can get around here. The 4th graders compete in teams of 3 and it is the first year of elimination. As in, you spell the word wrong, you're out. Sam and his friends had a couple of practice sessions here before the big day. They are AWESOME spellers. I have to admit to a little goeth-before-the-fall pride in imagining just how well they would do. And I always feel so sorry for the first team out, you know?

Well, guess what? They were the first team out. With each word, they would all spell it out on paper, agree on its spelling, then take turns saying it out loud in the microphone. On the third time through, they got the word triangle. They were all cocky--heh! we got triangle...what do they think this is, kindergarten?--and then the one saying it out loud got too excited and skipped the "a." Poor guy. Poor team. They were good sports about it but spent the rest of the spelling bee sitting next to me, whispering how they knew every word that came through. {Well, yeah, guys but you missed "triangle" remember?}