(Newer) Biker Babe in Training

Goodbye $5 thrift store bike, Maiya has moved up to a newish bike Tony found on Craigslist this summer. Since she still primarily only wears skirts with very few exceptions, we use the you-don't-want-to-hurt-your-knee-excuses to get her to wear pants or legggings every once and awhile. Here she is with leg warmers instead of pants.

New training wheels

Staycation: More Unschooling Fun

I had blogged about the list of fun things to do at home last month when we were on vacation.

Making Playdoh food and pretending to eat it. Check.

Maiya's really into making things from construction paper. Tony & Maiya went to the library and brought home the coolest book by one of Maiya's two favorite authors, Leo Lionni, "Let's Make Rabbits." So we made rabbits out of construction paper and origami paper, kind of copying the rabbits in the book. Maiya made the white one, which we drew together. Check.

Playing with blocks. Check. She got out the blocks and the Asian American doll family that I got at Lakeshore when she was a baby. I figured if the girl is going to have dolls, then at least they will be dolls of color.

Dinner with Tony's Aunt Liz, Eddie, Jacob & Rebecca visiting from Idaho. Not on the list, but check!
And finally, not on Maiya's list, but definitely falls under cultural and family ritual. On Friday night, we lit our Grandpa Larry memory candle, talked a little about Grandpa, and had Challah bread for the sabbath. Bubbe & Zeyde would be proud. I'm sure the peanut butter and jelly were kosher.
And, that's the last you'll hear of my summer vacation.

Remember Easter?

This afternoon on our way to swim class, Maiya said, "Mama, remember Easter?" I actually didn't. But I remembered that I had some pictures from Easter that I just saw recently in our unblogged photo collection. Now that we have a new computer, I just downloaded over 2,000 photos from our little photo card, and have been categorizing them.

Other fun things we're doing with Photo Booth on our new computer. And don't even get me started on the apps on our iTouch. I wrote a Haiku on it this afternoon watching Maiya's swim class. Lily wants to give me 1,200 games. I got enough games. Between FB, Bejeweled Blitz and YoVille, and playing on the new computer, I am barely getting any sleep. And to prove how bad it is, I was telling a story to Tony & Maiya at dinner the other night, how I greenly used the same boiling pot of water 3 times, to boil edamame, broccoli & pasta, Tony said, "You should blog about it." Then 4 year old Maiya said, "You should Facebook it!" So of course I had to do both. On another note, I donated blood today for the first time, so at least I'm doing something useful with my time.

Let's do "Surprised!"

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.