Staycation: Doing Origami

Maiya loves origami. She has decorated her bedroom windows with paper cranes and ribbons. We've been doing a lot of origami at home lately, including 3 times during our recent stay-at-home vacation.

Over the years, we have collected quite a few books and instructions on origami making. There are some complex ones with impossible photos, where you can create all kinds of animals with googly eyes. We have one for Jewish Origami that we've had for years. We recently got a vintage (old but brand new) origami kit and book from Auntie Keiko that is very kid friendly. I am still searching for a detailed and easy set of instructions for the crane, because after all these years, I still have trouble with the cranes.

Jewish horn, dreidel and Jewish star of David necklace

Since I'm on the subject of origami, I'd like to give a quick plug for the book 1001 Cranes, written by our friend Naomi Hirahara. It's written for the young girls, but darn it if I didn't just love it for its cultural references and sweet coming-of-age story. I read it cover to cover really quickly, tears reserved for the end of the book. I know, I know. Anyways, highly recommended for all ages, and a great gift for the tween.

Staycation: Making Playdoh

The top things on Maiya's vacation list of fun things to do at home was Playdoh, Green Playdoh and Clay. So, we made baker's clay (recipe in a previous blog post here). It was fun, we made a half batch and split it in half, making one pinkish and another blue green earth.

Snow Cone with Mochi Bits

After playing with the clay for almost 2 hours, we decided to make snow cones. I have a great hand cranking snow cone machine that I got back in college that is fantastic. Yummy delicious.

Want some?

Staycation 2009: Unschooling

If I wasn't working full time and then some, I'd be an unschooling mama. Unschooling is like homeschooling, except that sometimes homeschooling implies duplicating a teacher or parent-led formal classroom, with curriculum, textbooks, workbooks, assignments, etc.

The concept of unschooling--as I understand--is following your child's interests, and allowing them to play, create and learn about the world through experiences rather than through memorizing facts and figures. So if a child wants to make brownies, then then by finding and following a recipe, measuring the ingredients, would foster reading, math and science... and it is something they chose to do so they are more motivated learners.

To me, unschooling is a natural progression to attachment parenting, natural parenting and connection parenting, all of which I've embraced in my parenting journey. It also aligns with the developmental approach, that I've learned in my child development and early childhood education classes, and that we do in our childcare program at work.

So, a few weeks ago, I had a week of vacation, but we stayed home. So on the first day of the vacation, or staycation, I asked Maiya to make a list of things we could do at home that were fun. Here is the list she came up with (when I remembered, I marked the days we did each one):

Things We Can Do At Home That Are Fun This Week

• make playdoh (Tues/Fri)
• green playdoh (Tues)
• clay (Tues)
• play games (Thurs/Fri-Memory Game/Candyland)
• a little bit of TV (Wed- actually it was a lot that day)
• origami (Tues/Thurs/Fri-she wanted to do it every day)
• construction paper (Fri)
• water painting
• coloring
• play in my room a little (daily)
• play outside a little (Fri)
• ride my bike a little
• play in my little house
• drawing
• build some stuff with blocks (Wed)
• do some magnet toys (Wed)
• cook some pretend food (Thurs/Sat)
• make snowcones (Tues)
• read books (Fri, a few mornings & nightly)

Other things we did:

• Nisei Week Ondo (Sun)
• swim class (Tues/Thurs)
• climb the steps/Baldwin Overlook (Tues)
• Aunt Liz & Family for dinner (Wed)
• Culver City outdoor concert (Thurs)
• Jewish Shabbat Dinner (Fri)
• Ballona Festival (Sat)

By the end of each day, I was exhausted. The first day, Monday, I had a nice day of pampering, going to lunch, a movie and the spa with Lily. I also read a few books, did some work on the house, and worked out a few times. I did enjoy kind of floating through our days without much agenda, and letting Maiya choose our activities from her list. I also took the Monday off of the next week, but we sent Maiya to preschool that day--I needed a day off from my "vacation." Pictures on many of these events to follow over the next several days.

Cross Posting on the LT

I wrote a blog entry Remembering Far East Cafe on the Little Tokyo Unblogged, sharing an old poem

Fiesta La Ballona--hot & walkable

We live within walking distance to a lot of different places, including this weekend's Fiesta La Ballona in Culver City, which has been going on since 1951, but we had never been to before. So, Maiya and I walked over in the heat, which according to FB friends was up to 114 around LA this weekend, but it was only in the mid-80s where we were, but still, the 20 minute walk there was hot and Maiya was pretty cranky.

Enjoying the Merry Go Round
(and singing Free to Be You and Me)

Maiya's first time on a Ferris Wheel (she loved it)

View of the Angeles Crest Fire smoke

View of all the carnival rides
View of the vendor and community booths

Maiya coming down the Giant Slide on her back
(we both went twice--the 3rd time she went all by herself)

We stayed several hours, walking around at the info/vendor/food booths, riding the carnival rides, listening to the 60s music on the dance stage, looking at but not playing any of the games (too expensive and then after all the begging and whining I just wasn't going to do it), watching a dance performance of "Glow Girls" and seeing the CC Historical Society exhibit, and more. There was actually a nice cool breeze under the trees watching 4-10 year old girls dancing and performing poetry and movement. We shared a slice of pizza and a lemonade, then later Maiya had a chocolate chip ice cream cone (first one I've ever bought her I think), and then on our way out we shared a strawberry gelato. The walk back home was a whine fest in itself.

Rides (ferris wheel/merry-go-round/slide) $18, food $10, balloon $3, admission free. My recollection might include whining, crankiness, sticky, expensive, painful spider bites, and a long, hot walk, but looking back at the pictures, really what we'll remember is that we had a great time.

The BLUE Marble

Great Leap
Collaboratory
The Blue Marble
a Green Piece

Heading out the door

Got things to do, people to see.

A. Keiko's Bday Brunch 8/9

We hosted brunch for Auntie Keiko's 71st bday a few weeks ago with my family. It was our 2nd breakfast in our house and our 2nd brunch for Keiko's bday.

More Obon: Senshin

Senshin's obon is among my favorites mostly because of all the people we know who go to Senshin. There is more emphasis on the spiritual and Buddhist traditions. They don't have festival games... and only a few food booths like chili rice n' hot dogs or snow cones, but odori dancing and taiko performances are highlights. Senshin is always early, used to be the 1st weekend of July, but every now and then it's the last Saturday in June, and if I'm not paying attention, am likely to miss it.

Ms. Susan from Nishi Center (BTW, we saw either Ms. Susan or Ms. Elaine at EVERY obon this year.)

Karen, Carrie, Ev, Tad and Friend

After the dancing, we go through the hondo/temple, and do oshoko (incense offering). Since Maiya goes to a Buddhist preschool, I find I am now watching her for the protocol, which she does before me. Then we walk up and out of the hondo. Someone passes us a lit candle, and we see the mesmerizing 1,000 or so oil candles lit one by one in memory of those who have passed before us. As you pass by, you light a candle and then pass the candle to the person behind you. It is a beautiful and solemn moment, one that makes you take a deep breath.

Then inside the Social Hall, where I have spent a lot of time, as Senshin is Great Leap's spiritual home and rehearsal space. We get in line for some free soba noodles and sit down to watching taiko performances with resident company and OG taiko group Kinnara Taiko. Ooh, and at the time of this blog posting it is 7:08 am, and as I typed the word taiko performances, Maiya stirred from her sleep and said, "taiko... taiko."

Venice Carnival Remembers its History

This isn't really an obon, but it seems like I didn't have my camera out at the Venice Obon, so here is the Venice Summer Festival held in mid-June--it is the kickoff and precursor to Obon season for us. Turns out that my dad is really into obon this year, and came out for West LA, Venice Festival and Nishi Obon. We went with Grandma Machi and Grandpa Walt. Surprise, surprise it's a snow cone. I swear this girl eats healthy all year long so she can go crazy wild with junky food at obon/carnivals. As usual, we ate, and played games. For some reason, we don't ever dance at this one. Well, it was in June, and we were just getting started.

I noticed they are doing a lot of oral history and documentation of Venice Japanese Community Center for its upcoming 90th anniversary. Tony and I had done some photo collection and interviews with people 11-12 years ago when we did the Aloha Mural project, just down the street from the VJCC. A lot of the people from the Center we see year after year at the food booths. Anyways, here's a picture of the Aloha Market Mural on Centinela, completed in 1998.

Too Late for Gardena Obon Pix?

Is it too late for more Summer 09 Obon pictures? I think I've missed a few... here's Gardena, which I hear runs about 800 people a day. We carpooled with Lily on the way there. We knew it was going to be crowded, when we parked blocks several blocks east of Normandie. Food lines were long, but fairly fast. We ate... played games, danced, saw friends, the usual. I do like Gardena's obon. And since obon is really to honor the ancestors, I couldn't help but remember that we brought Tony's dad last year. He was pretty sick, but he did enjoy his last obon, and one of Maiya's cherished memories is sharing a snow cone with Grandpa Larry.

Waiting in the car for Auntie Lily

Maiya: I love playing games!
Jenni: More plastic crap to clutter our house.

Maiya loving the jumpy bounce house

Hanging out with Auntie Lily & Uncle Kent

Yes that's a dango. And no, it doesn't help you grow.

Ok, that's it for this year for now. I might post the Senshin obon and Venice carnival photos.

Steppin' Up

Here's me & Maiya going up the 283 or so steep steps to the top of the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, one of the new state parks that just opened a few months ago, but thanks to the state budget fiasco, the visitor center is only open on weekends.

Maiya & I went for the first time on Monday night, and the steps kicked my butt (the girl didn't even have to huff and puff like her old mama), but on Thursday, it wasn't as bad. After the gym had a power outage, we dashed over to the overlook to do a nature hike/workout--going up you take the steps, going down we took the walking trail. The second time, Maiya fell on the first set of steps and scraped her hand, so she wasn't a very happy camper (read: cranky whiny clingly bossy). But she did insist that we continue to the top. Anyways, this picture was taken by Mike Murase, who we bumped into on our way up. Maiya fell asleep in the car on the one mile drive home.

Need to go earlier, and take my camera on a nice day. We could hear the downtown Culver City Thursday Night Concert from up there, and we could see the trees above our street from up there, as well as a view of downtown LA, West LA, Century City. On a clear day, we'll be able to see Pasadena, the San Bernardino mountains, and the ocean, all from the same place.

Kuidas at the Lake

This summer we have gone up to Grandpa Larry's house in the San Bernardino Mountains just about every weekend for at least a day. We have been working on cleaning out the house first with the idea of renting it out as a year round rental, and more recently, we've been enjoying it and pondering the financial possibility of keeping it as a vacation rental. After a few months of work, we finally got the living room looking pretty presentable.
The last Sunday in July, Sao and the Kuida Boyz came up for the day and we spent it at the lake, just 1/2 a mile from Larry's house. These are people you want to have a picnic on the lake with. They brought teriyaki hot dogs, ham & cheese sandwiches, peanut butter jelly sandwiches, umeboshi nigiri, brown rice nigiri, brownies, and lots of other snacks and goodies that I can't think of at this post-midnight moment.Maiya and Kyle creating a lake on a lake, part of Sao & Kyle's pyramids, oasis, and that lion, I forget the name. Sao help me out here.We rented a paddleboard, at $2 for the half hour, you can't beat that. The kids had a great time on them. Mostly we just swam in the lake all day.
Nice family photo of a nice summer day at the lake.
Spaghetti and salad for dinner. We finally got the kitchen table cleared off, this is probably the first meal at this table in years.
Who wants to come join us? We plan to go up on Sunday. A few weekends left before the beach at the lake closes after Labor Day. We'd love to see you up there. It's an hour and a half from our place if ya want to catch a ride.

Ray!

After 4 times as an Eel, Maiya has now advanced to the Ray level at swim class at the Y, and is really learning how to swim! She can now swim on her back the length of the pool with a little spotting from the teacher, can kick across the length of the pool with a kickboard, and can swim about 10 feet on her own. She is also learning how to turn her head to breathe and how to move her arms. Fun stuff.

WLA Obonalicious

WLA Taiko members range from kids to 70-somethings

Sao... Darin's how's the udon?

Eating shave ice with Grandpa Walt & Uncle Bill

Might be my favorite picture of the summerTrying to take a picture with grandma and grandpa

Hey Kevin.. let's see your face!

Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle

Clap clap... clap

We had a great time at the WLA Obon. Uncle Bill joined us and we arrived just in time for the big dinner crowds. My parents and brother Darin's family and their friends also were there. Food was great and the long lines went pretty fast, but it was just so crowded. Tony & I ate Feast from the East salads, while Maiya had her usual hot dog & shave ice. The shave ice is one of the better ones. Uncle Bill enjoyed the teriyaki chicken. Maiya (and I) probably waited 20 minutes in line for the bouncer. Tony was busy chatting with various friends he hadn't seen in awhile, so there's no pictures of him or me.

Uncle Bill and Tony walked back to Uncle Bill's house, and Maiya and I stayed to dance. The bummer is that by the time we dance, Maiya is usually a little cranky and annoying, but the great thing is that she and I did a lot of dancing this year and we are actually starting to learn the dances! It is fun to be with her and watch her watching others and catching on to the moves, at the same time I am learning. It's fun doing Tampopo, Auntie Nobuko's song. My favorite one is the one with the "sparkle, sparkle, sparkle." Still, some of the dances are too hard and we take a little break.