More about the Harvest Festival

I told the fairy tale version of the harvest festival below, I now realize. I love my cousin Annie's mommy blog as she is willing to tell the good, the bad and the ugly side of her life. It is so reassuring to read about someone else's baby poop fiascos or early-riser/short-napper/late-to-bedder triple whammy. So in that spirit, here are some more details from the harvest festival.

So I was excited to hang out with Lucy and her kindergarten class for the whole morning. I'd never done that before. Granted, they were not doing any of the usual things since it was a special festival day, but I was still looking forward to it. And it was fun. But kindergartners are an interesting breed. I couldn't be a kindergarten teacher - I'm too sensitive and take things personally and they are a fairly brutal lot. At one point, teacher Mary gave me the highly undesirable task of policing the swings. Basically making sure that each child swang for only a few minutes, that no one jumped ahead in line, etc. Most of the kids are fairly civilized about this. They take turns and they wait in line, standing on a row of stumps. But one girl just stared at me as I asked her to relinquish the swing to the next person in line. Her look said "who are you and why should I do anything you say?" I got as creative as I could, tempting her with other activities and she eventually got off. One boy wouldn't get off the swing. He had run on, completely bypassing the line, and then I held the string of the swing and tried to entice him into getting in line, a real winner of a proposition. He wouldn't get off; a whole crew of children are watching the drama unfold. Defeated, I eventually had to go get one of the teachers who in about one second got the fellow back into line, so to speak. Very humbling.

Then there was Lucy who coudn't get her groove on, apparently. She had three meltdowns in the first hour or so - she lost her special stick, she hit herself in the face with a glass jar as she was making cream, and she bonked herself in the head somehow another time. Each time, tears ensued and much mama comforting was required. And then the rest of the day, Lucy didn't really seem to engage in the way I see her engage during playdates or imagined that she did during school. Friends would look for her and want to play, but it just didn't take off, and I'd see her later way up in a tree by herself. Teacher Mary later told me that Lucy is usually much more integrated with other children and generally had a much different gestalt with me there then she usually has. I am relieved, but also kind of surprised that my presence at school (which I tried to keep low-key) impacted her so much.

Finally, towards the end of the truly lovely harvest feast at the big red tables outside, with all the children happily munching on dragon bread, sipping the last of their cider, or scraping out their bowl of vegetable soup, I hear teacher Mary say "Hannah just threw up." And indeed a glance towards the table revealed a pile of puke in front the tiny sweet girl. Talk about keeping it real.

Harvest Festival at Kinderhaus

Today was Harvest Festival in Lucy's kindergarten. Only parents of the older children are invited to participate in this event, under the careful, loving orchestration of the teachers. Days in advance, the children bring organic vegetables, which teacher Mary transforms into a delicious vegetable soup. The other class makes a bread shaped like a dragon. Much of the morning of the harvest festival, the children are participating in the preparations for the harvest feast. They "churn" cream into butter in glass jars - this definitely should be tried at home! The butter it yields is the most delicious I've tasted! They help cut the apples to be pressed into apple cider. They create garlands made from chestnuts, fruit and flowers to hang from a long ribbon over the tables. The tables are covered in red cloth and set. Just as the children sat down at their places, the sun burst from behind the clouds right on their faces. They held hands and sang the usual grace:
For the golden corn and the apples on the trees
For the golden butter and the honey from the bees
For fruits and nuts and berries we gather on our way
We praise our loving Mother Earth
And thank her every day.
Blessings on our meal and
Peace be on the Earth.

Baltimore and Balls

Those are pictures our friend Matt took on an outing to a local farm. This outing was the first episode of a five-day father-free adventure the kids and I had. Rob went to Baltimore for a conference on Saturday morning and came back last night (Wednesday night). I was tired today in the way I imagine I might be if I'd run a marathon yesterday. Solo parenting for five days is a little like a marathon, even though I had help from many quarters. Jennifer and John hosted me and the kids for dinner on Sunday. Betsy hiked with Jasper and me on Tuesday. Grandma Gloria took a stint with Lucy and helped me with the bedtime routine on Tuesday.

Highlights of our father free time:
Lucy and Sophia playing with pumpkins as you can see above. They did this for at least an hour. And Jasper falling asleep in my arms as we took the hayride. So sweet!

Having some lovely grown-up time, including delicious dinner and wine, at my friends' Jennifer and John's house on Sunday night while the kids played.

Spending Monday afternoon with the kids at a wetland up in Snohomish County (north of here). During our walk on a boardwalk through the wetland, Jasper sidled up to Lucy and asked her to hold his hand. Watching them from behind as they walked along holding hands, on a warm afternoon, through a huge grassy bog with no buildings in sight was heavenly.

I went to sleep cuddled next to Lucy every night and stayed in her bed all night, except when Jasper needed me. Lucy never comes to our bed any more and Rob usually puts her to bed, so I really appreciated this time with her. And truthfully, I don't like to sleep alone...

And the biggest highlight of all: getting the call from Rob on Wednesday night that his plane had landed in Seattle. Yeah!

Balls - coinciding with Rob's departure, Jasper became attached to a few of his balls. He has even slept with a ball each of the last three or four nights. And he frequently carries a ball around with him. This all calls to mind a little boy I saw at a friends' house years ago who had a "special saw" he carried with him everywhere. And Jasper frequently asks me or Lucy or Rob to play a "football game" or soccer or volleyball or basketball or a baseball game with him. All of these "games" look exactly the same except for basketball which requires that one of the players holds a small wicker basket into which the other player attempts to throw his ball. Jen tried to offer Jasper a fuzzy cuddly soft ball, but he seems to prefer his hard orange plastic one or the yellow tennis ball we found at the park, gulp...

Rob bathed the kids tonight while I typed this and for that I am so, so grateful.

Lucy's Song

Lucy composed this song while she was swinging on the playset by herself. The main refrain is "She's walking a-radiay..." Lucy tells me that walking a-radiay means walking her scarves around. Hmmm...

Summer is Over

While it isn't officially fall yet, fall weather is definitely upon us here in Seattle. It is hard to believe we spent a warm sunny Sunday playing on the beach with our friends the Sagers ten days ago. That might have been summer's last gasp. Here is the evidence.

Two Miracles

Today Lucy washed dishes for the very first time. Not standing by me, dumping water and playing with bubbles while I wash dishes, but actually picking up a cloth and scrubbing each of the dirty dishes until it sparkled, then handing it to me for rinsing. I didn't even ask her to do it. I honestly thought this day might never come.

Second miracle -- Jasper ate at least 1/4 cup of sauteed shiitake mushrooms at dinner tonight. Again, I didn't even offer them to him, he just asked what it was in the pan and then started eating.

We've all been enjoying raw milk from a nearby farm. It is the most delicious nectar I've ever tasted and Lucy and Jasper who usually are not that interested in cow's milk, love it.

On Jasper's Mind

#1 - Hornbills
We saw hornbills at the zoo a few days ago. One was jumping on a branch.

#2 - The pieces of apple he put in his teacup. Today we had our first parent-toddler class meeting at Seattle Waldorf School (same school Lucy goes to). The children all sit down at a table together with the teacher for a snack. It is quite charming to see a group of 1 - 2 yr olds sitting down to have a snack and tea together. Many occurrences such as apple pieces in teacups ensue...

#3 - The fish pond that had been at the school last May when we went there for May Faire and its absence today.

#4 - The ice cream store we went to in Port Townsend last week. One of the last things he said to me tonight was "ice cream store."

#5 - Airplanes and gliders. I don't think these items ever stray far from his consciousness.