The Diorama Project

Cole had an assignment this month to create a diorama related to the community. His class has been collectively working on Halloween City, a community they created earlier this month. They've been building the city in the outdoor classroom, voted for officers of the city, and took jobs in the community. Cole is the librarian. His friend Sophie is the mayor. Cole served on Jacob's campaign but is happy for Sophie. It's a pretty amazing project and they're learning so much about the way communities come together, elections, and more.

After much deliberation, Cole chose to do a diorama of the Farmer's Market. We go nearly every Sunday morning and have done so since he was an infant, bouncing about in his bjorn...To my mind, it's a perfect way to ease into Sunday, or out of Saturday...

I wanted to try to find ways for Cole to do some of it himself so we used a non-drying clay to make fruits and veggies and baked goods. We took lots of pictures one Sunday (at his direction) and then he chose those that would be on the inside and outside of the box...He then decided what vendors he wanted, and insisted on balloons and a petting zoo (our local market has a petting zoo, train ride, bouncer and pony rides, besides all of the produce, craft stuff and the best breakfast burritos!)...I mostly just helped to facilitate his ideas...I found puffy flower stickers that he could press together on a pipe cleaner for the flower vendor, and he had fun with the clay making apples and pumpkins and zucchini...It came out so cool...He presented it today using his Tango, explaining why he chose the Farmer's Market and his friend Steven held it up to show the class for him. He couldn't have been prouder! (me either...)

The Boy's World

Cole's personality is developing in noticeable measure. I realize it's an ongoing reality of growing up, yet lately it seems that it's evolving before my eyes. He's always had a strong persona but when he was younger, it was quieter and not always obvious unless you spent time with him. Now, he seems to be coming into his own, bursting at the seams.

His sense of self is more evolved and his desire to be heard and recognized is more determined. He's finally starting to understand that if he doesn't speak up for himself, for what he wants, likes, and needs, others will not know how to fulfill his wishes. Where he was once accepting of my responding for him or making choices for him (usually after much unsuccessful prodding to get him to make the choice himself), now he is more respondent, more communicative, and more sure of what he wants to say, do, play, and of course, what he doesn't want to say, do or play! It's a beautiful thing.

It's also fun to observe the new him with his friends. This past week he had both a sleepover with his friend Aura, and a playdate with his friend Jacob. They are two of his closest friends at school and they both have an innate understanding of Cole. They both talk to him, not at him, and listen for his response, understanding his response. They play together, and except for Cole's need for physical assistance, I could be elsewhere and they'd be just fine. Cole and Jacob tell secrets which I find heartbreakingly amusing. They whisper and conspire and seem wholly satisfied knowing that they share something special. Apparently they tell secrets in class too! (Jacob is in Cole's class, Aura is in a different 1st grade class but the two spend recess and lunch together every day...).

Every day it seems like Cole has something new that makes him laugh or that he is interested in. Each day as we roll in to school, a new friend says hello to him or an old friend references something they shared the day before. It's fascinating to have these little sneaks into his life, his life outside of the life he and I share. Selfishly, I wish I could have more peeks into his new world. Proudly, I am tickled that he is coming into his own and enjoying the place he's at right now with such obvious delight.

Clearing Cobwebs

I was reminded of how sometimes nothing is better than driving in the car, blasting music, and clearing out the cobwebs in your mind. I drive a lot. It's the downside, in my view, of living in Los Angeles. You have to drive...I'm not a big fan but my boy goes to school 9 miles away, which can take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes (this morning) to get to. He rides horses about 45 minutes away on Saturdays. His friends live all over the Valley, and our friends live all over the city. I drive, mostly back and forth...

Most of the time Cole is with me, and like his father and I, he's a fan of music and while his taste is diverse, he often locks into one or two CD's that he's willing to listen for a number of weeks. Right now it's a rotation of the Hairspray soundtrack and two Laurie Berkner CD's. I could kill myself...Hairspray was okay for the first few times but after about 100, it's just nails on a chalkboard. And Laurie Berkner, well, she's all right for little kids music. I can tolerate her occasionally. But two discs for running on a month and I just want to scream. The worst part is that her catchy little tunes worm their way into the depths of my brain and I can't stop humming them.

I should point out that I have a fairly serious humming problem...I subconsciously hum pretty much all of the time. I hum whatever is my head, even when it is completely different than what's on the radio. I hum when I chew. I just hum. I'm rarely aware that I'm doing it and it both endears me to and irritates Dan. My brother does too. I think my dad might have too. Maybe it's genetic?

Anyway, for the past weeks, months, I've been tuned to NPR...The political beast got the best of me and when I was alone in the car I craved news...This morning however, I threw in a compilation disc of 70's punk rock - No Thanks...and while it's a compilation of sort of hits and best of type songs, they're great...they're best of for a reason and while maybe not representative of what my favorite tunes by the bands might be, it's one stop listening and I had the best 40 minute traffic groove in a long time! Windows down...radio blasting...singing loudly...bopping in my seat...making a general nuisance of myself ambling down Ventura Blvd...But tell me, who can sit still while listening to the likes of Nick Lowe, -Ray Spex,the Stranglers, the Jam, Mink DeVille, Stiff Little Fingers, the Damned, The Stooges, Undertones, The Clash and Blondie? NOT ME!