New Year Endorsement

Welcome 2016! I started the new year right by baking scones and cleaning a sink load of dishes while the pastries baked in the oven. It feels good to bake, especially because my picky eater requested it. James loves my scones.

I know, because I asked: "James, do you like my scones?" "Oh yes, Mother," he assured me in his best Announcer voice. "You can eat them!!!"

I rest my case. What are your requested recipes? If you don't have one, why not find one?

Disneyland, at Age Ten

We took a long-deferred vacation to LA a few weeks back. James was excited to go back and ride Small World, Alice, and the Nemo subs. He was so excited that he had trouble finishing his waffle breakfast at the "Letter Q Hotel" (James' name for Quality Inn and Suites).

We like staying at the Letter Q because we know what to expect and have good vacation trip memories. The price is good for the quality, and they have free breakfast, with make-your-own waffles, which the kids have loved.

Even though this local was right next to a construction zone (and had lost about a third of their property to the new development) the noise was not the issue I'd feared. We enjoyed a quiet room and filling breakfast every morning.

At Disneyland, James humoured me and went on the teacups. I tried to keep the spinning to a minimum, because he does not enjoy it very much any more. Yes, we rode It's a Small World every morning. I do enjoy the holiday version, though, and we usually end up singing carols on the ride.

Two new favourite rides emerged from our trip: James became a fan of the Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters, and especially the Star Tours rides. Wow! I guess all the repeated YouTube viewings of Star Tours and ep. 7's buzz overcame his dislike of sudden shifts and drops. It was so neat watching James enjoy the more immersive rides. The newer system that replaced the old Guest Assistance card helped us out with the crowds too. More on that later.

We also got James on Soarin' Over California once, which was a huge thing. We celebrated with a few rounds of Monster's Inc. Ride. Olaf was at home next door, so we played in the snow and went sledding. Seriously! Unfortunately Elsa was at the end of her meet and greet. James would have liked to say hello. We had a great race in a red race car in Radiator Springs  It is nice that Disneyland and California Adventure are places where he can do things, like other kids.

The FAAvourite Fun

Where has James continuously asked to go visit, ever since he started preschool, over 5 years ago?

That's right, the Sonoma County airport, officially known as the Charles M. Schultz Airport.

He loves to watch the planes take off, their spinning propellers, and the observation posts around the field. He likes visiting in December, to catch the tree of lights atop the air control tower ... and visit Santa, who lands from a Sikorsky helicopter.

 At least once a year we visit the adjoining air museum. Their Wings Over Sonoma County air show makes going back to school exciting.

And he loves, for some reason, the red REACH helicopters. By golly, we have sat parked for up to 15 minutes, just observing those babies parked on the tarmac. And if we get lucky and see a take-off or landing? Oh my -- such the ecstasies of delight!

So yes, we went there too, over Spring Break. Several times.

Special Exposure / Wordless Weds: Harvest Time

This has become one of my favourite seasons -- summer's winding down and the rich colours, smells, and tastes of Harvest begin. Holiday planning starts in earnest, and both kids look forward to their birthdays.

What better way to capture some of this than at our Sunday Farmers' Market, on my cell phone?

James loves live music and musicians.

Beautiful and tasty display

It's relaxing, listening to live music

Now here's a thought -- bring an instrument!

Or, you know, sing along ...

Largest focaccia on record!

For more images from the heart and to share some of yours,
visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.






               and ... Wordless Wednesday

A New Lunch Buddy

Tah-dahhhhhhh!!

The strange fascination that is Angry Birds

This is noteworthy because in the almost 5 years that James has been going to school, he's taken 2 lunch bags to school, 1 of which lasted 4 years. They've been generic, sturdy, and free (we've been to some community events with great swag).

This year, as I whisked the kids through Target for some final back-to-school shopping, James saw the Angry Birds lunch box and stopped dead in his tracks and picked it up. "Can I have this, Mommy?"

I practically can count on 1 hand the times he's asked this, and it's never been for a school supply. Of course I got it for him. And marked it with his name. Which is a good thing, because another boy in his class has the same lunchbox. This makes me very happy.

Lazy Weekend

Gave both kids baths yesterday after dinner, then took them to see the Super Moon rise:

The super moon, rising over the vineyards.
Courtesy of my little Cannon point-and-shoot & our van's side-view mirror.

James' big sister is finally feeling better. James has fun at his afternoon ballgame. With full tummies and fresh from the tub, they relaxed and enjoyed the unexpected trip out at night. My bonus was being able to sleep in until 7:30 this morning, and hour or 2 later than usual.

I was able to spend some time out in the back yard, working on the garden and smelling all the roses and jasmine. The rose trees, in particular, were spectacular:

James and I were up for an adventure, so we hit the Farmers' Market. James is all about the bread, music, and water fountain. We even ran into classmates on our way back to the car:

They were playing some great Beatles tunes.

Sunday breakfast at the market: sour dough ficelle, Peet's coffee in a cup from home, and a fresh peach!

Just what we needed to reset from last week and get ready for the coming one.

SOOC Saturday: Kigo Ume

Early Spring and the plum blossoms are so beautiful, fragrant, and brief. They are at the mercy of our region's tempestuous fits and are therefore to be enjoyed as much as possible.

Especially the mornings that start cold and clear, with frosty winter overtones. At sunrise, this brings out the ground fog, and makes us think the day will be grey and cold.

Then the sun climbs higher and burns off the mist, leaving a beautiful day. If the winds are strong, it remains cold. If the day is merely breezy, our days warm and delightful.

I am not sure why the lens in that last one is blurry, but I suspect this guy and his fingers had something to do with it:

James, self portrait.

P.S.: Don't forget to Spring Forward tonight to Daylight Savings Time (void where prohibited)!


All photos are straight-out-of-camera (SOOC), for the SOOC action at Marvelous Mommy's blog. Come on over to see more or join in!

Special Exposure / Wordless Weds: At The Bedroom Drive-In

My husband and I like to be creative. James' Dad excels at getting creative with materials most people would throw out or donate, especially electronics. Last weekend, he hooked together a sound system and projector he found used, and plugged it into my laptop. He brought up Netflix, aimed the projector at our wall and and voila! Movie night on our bed for the whole family!

I call it the Bedroom Drive-In.
(Here's to you, Jo-Bob!)

The kids adored it. I enjoyed the entire experience, which was rather like watching a movie with a litter of restless, adorable puppies.

 

What did we watch?

Phineas and Ferb, The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (2010).
Gotta love the Buckaroo Banzai reference!

I've got to tell you, this is the way to see movies with your kids. Especially young ones or kids with special needs. We can adjust the sound and lighting. James can roll around the bed, kick me gently to get his sensory feedback, and even get up and wander a bit without us getting stressed out. No annoying cell phone interruptions. Bathroom breaks are a breeze and snacks don't break the bank.

To see more images or to share some of yours,
visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.






               and ... Wordless Wednesday

Revelling in Roald Dahl

James' big sister is on a Roald Dahl streak. She discovered the animated version of "James and the Giant Peach" and loved it. I was looking for a new book to tempt her to a reading level higher than Junie B. Jones and brought out my copy of "Mathilda." She loved it. We spent several happy nights reading that together at bedtime. Then I found the movie in VHS format for $1, so both kids watched it many times, howling with laughter.

Knowing her interest in magic, witches, and irreverent humour, I next brought home "The Witches" from our local library. I didn't know if it might be too scary -- but no, she loved that one too, each and every night. Then she found my Tim Burton version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and had to watch it. She likes that plenty too.

James has been quietly absorbing this. There are nights when he's in bed but still awake when I start reading bedtime stories to his sister. He rarely lets me read to him, but he loves listening one room away to us reading together - go figure. He has enjoyed the movies and insisted on watching them.

By far his favourite is the Tim Burton movie, and allllll the Special Features. He's started to quote from the movie, hums the Agustus Gloop song, and dance around with the Oompa-Loompas. He introduces himself as Willie Wonka (and now wants to be him for Halloween) and will watch that film 5 times a day, if we didn't stop him. Today he got hold of my phone camera and took a picture while the movie was playing:

You should have seen the glee on his face!

Mr Burton, how young do you accept interns and apprentices? You have a huge fan boy here on the west coast. And thank you, Roald Dahl, for knowing and sharing.

P.S.: I can hardly wait to see how they like "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator" somewhere down the road. Those vermicious knids are awesome. And they can spell, too.

Farmers' Market Sunday

Our town has a lively little Farmers' Market that I've come to love. During the summer it's held twice weekly, but we've made the longer-running Sunday morning one Our Market.

First, I really like Farmers' Markets. They recall random times of picking up fruit fresh from the fields and orchards of the Bay Area when I was a kid. Thanks to my Mom, these seemed more like fun excursions than a chore. Also, I learned to chose my foods differently when I lived in France over the course of 2 years in my 20s. The marketing & cooking mentality shift from weekly Albertson's to as-needed les marchés en plein air excursions was profound. In a good way. And it's nice for me to be able to bring good things from my past life into my current one with children of my own, including one on the spectrum, which has thrown us into a parallel universe, so to speak.

For several years, I was desperate to find things to do with James, my early riser. Usually that meant getting him out of the house, as he wakes ready to go and does not do voice modulation well. Our house does not do sound prevention well, either - quel désastre! So then I stumbled on the Farmers' Market.  Our markets don't start early, but if we first went out for a drive (with coffee!) or playground trip, finishing with the market made a great icing on the cake.

I love being out among people, seeing fresh produce, and smelling good things. James loves the people and the music, because the local Farmers' Markets have live musicians. This summer, I made more of a push to have this be a weekly event for the kids and I. We do enjoy it so.

The bread lady, as we call her, knows us well. She and my daughter share a name, which is a common one with an uncommon pronunciation, which gives them both a thrill. Some day, I promise myself I will indulge in the roasted peppers - mmmm!!! We get ideas for jewelry, crafts, and cooking just by strolling past the stalls. We see people we know and socialize. My daughter pets as many dogs as she can. Both kids love to play in the town's water fountain. I look at all the colours and shapes of the flowers and plants, and think back to when I had time to paint and draw them. For now, I capture them on film.

   

James loves the fresh sour dough ficelles and the music. Over the course of the summer, I have successfully gotten him to watch and admire the musicians from a discrete distance. Before, he'd go right up to them and talk, sometimes touching their arms or instruments while they were playing. Good heavens, he was quick to nip in and do that! Fortunately, they were very good-natured and did not get upset. Now when I remind James that he can watch near the chairs or the walkway walls, he says "okay" and remembers to do it. The trombone still delights him from across the Green, though, and makes him dance whenever he hears it.

The Farmers' Market stays in my mind for days after the event, as we use up the good food that we have bought, in dinners and school lunches. I only wish it lasted throughout the year.

You'll never know who you'll see at the local Farmers' Market!

Bike Like Excitement

The weather is mild and James wants to ride his new bike. I keep catching him trying to ride it in the house ever couple of days. It's good for us both to get out.

So one day this week after school I brought his bike to school so he could ride it home. It is a cool bike. On the way to the pickup area, one boy skidded to a halt and asked "Woah - is that James' bike?" When I said yes he replied "Wow!" before tearing off again. I have no idea who he was.

Picking up James is normally a great event. He starts to run toward me as soon as he spots me, crying out "Mommy!!!" in tones of delight before trying to leap in my arms and hug me. He's 60 pounds now, so it's a trick to get him airbourne.

He checked in mid run this afternoon and headed instead to his bike, eyes wide and grinning from ear to ear. He even showed it off enthusiastically to his aide. He could not wait to get on it, snap on his helmet and go for a ride on the playground.

He was so proud and happy! He and another boy rode in big vector loops. We rode over to his preschool teacher to show her. He showed off for the preschool aide, pedaling down a ramp and banking a turn.

He took the bike offroad on his usual shortcut path and did not fall off. He mostly rode home, just walking it for a little bit before climbing on again and finishing our trip back home.

And if I needed any more confirmation that his new Christmas bike is one of his most favourite things ever, look what I found in the kitchen, the room he asks most to go to: