February 2012 Update

February was a busy month.  I participated in a march and rally around LAUSD Headquarters supporting Adult Education and calling against the closing of 30 Adult Education sites with 300,000 adult learners, including the mommies in our Family Literacy program who attend 68 hours a month of English classes, parenting classes and parent/child literacy activities with their preschool children.  We were among 1,000 others that day. Furlough days continued for Maiya, and we were thrilled that my cousin Jackie came and brought her grandbaby Harper over to visit and have lunch.

Also this month, I started volunteering with Meghan Sahli-Wells' campaign for City Council, attending fundraisers, helping on a phone bank, walking precincts, assembling and putting up lawn signs in the neighborhood with Maiya, writing a support letter that was published in 3 or 4 news blogs, and making some new friends.  After losing by 32 votes in 2010 on an eco-friendly campaign I could get behind, I had decided if she ever ran again, I would volunteer for her campaign.

New York Knick Jeremy Lin hit the big time, and we got the last Linsanity t-shirt at the mall (a gift for Kevin's bday), which the kids celebrated at the gymnastics center, where I tried to pull some old tricks on the equipment, reliving my old gymnastics glory days #FAIL.

LTSC Family Literacy supports ADULT EDUCATION at LAUSD Headquarters

Cousin Jackie and Baby Harper visit on Maiya's Furlough Day

Supporting Meghan Sahli-Wells for City Council!

Superstars #6 has the ball!  Playing against WLA boys

Linsanity goes full force in February!

Maiya & Eve

Kevin's 7th Birthday at the Gymnastics Center

Peace Out... that's February 2012
#activism #baby #bball #birthday #cousins #literacy #monthlyupdate
(Posted 10/27/12)

Maiya's 7th Bday Mottainai Party

We celebrated Maiya's 7th Bday Party again at the park by our house.  Seems like every year gets bigger, this year about 75 people came, having invited the basketball team, friends from school, old preschool friends, and extensions of family.  I'm thinking that this might be the last year of a party of this size.  Big as it was, we still managed to do a fairly green low-waste party.  Plastic utensils and reusable party chopsticks go in the bucket, Grandpa Larry's coffee mugs, no single-use drink containers, cloth tablecloths, recycled paper plates, hot pots for tea and coffee.  I'm always amazed at how little trash is in the trash can at the end of the day.  The main thing we take home to recycle is the 1/2 gallon juice and 2 liter bottle sodas.

 During arts and crafts time, the kids made Tenegui towels... which they later needed for learning the Mottainai dance from Auntie Nobuko, who came and did a little obon dance workshop, teaching the kids the dance.  It was a lot of fun to watch the kids and parents joining in.

 Then afterwards, we went back home and celebrated Grandpa's birthday at our house.  The kids always bring out the yogurt cups every time they come over.  We just can't get rid of them.

Until next bday, peace out!

(Posted on: 10/25/12)