Debby

field trip to the ballet

Sat, 11 Feb 12 20:14:00 UT

I had a lovely time chaperoning the field trip to the ballet. All the 4th and 5th graders at Rose's school got to go see an abbreviated production of Don Quixote. Rose's teacher told me bus drivers always rave about how well behaved our kids are. Bus rides, three to a seat, are never a thrill, but this one was not awful.

The kids I was supposed to keep track of did not disappear. One of them claimed he was going to nap during the ballet; then we all spent the entire time laughing and gasping. It was such a fun performance. Ballet is not my favorite art form, but I noticed how it gave me a chance to appreciate the music more. Classical music is not my favorite art form either, but I really enjoyed it here. The dancing was like watching the music acted out. The costumes and set were superb. The kids loved all the pratfalls and physical humor. I'm sure those got way more laughs at this kids only event than the regular shows. I loved the cape work.

This trip was part of the ballet unit at Rose's school. They get regular workshops with a ballet mentor, and then they get to put on a performance at McCaw Hall. I'm looking forward to that too.

I adore Albert Goldbarth

Thu, 9 Feb 12 22:02:00 UT

I saw Albert Goldbarth read tonight as part of the Seattle Arts and Lectures Poetry Series. He was superb. In general the quality of the series is very high--Robert Haas, Sharon Olds, Yusef Komenyaka. . . that high. Several times I have had ecstatic experiences at these readings. This was one of them.

I am not a Goldbarth come lately fan. In 1989 my mentor brought his poem "Gallery" to class, and I fell in love with the frank tone, the sense of immortal wisdom underlying the humor. Regular readers of my holiday gift "Poems I Like And Why I Like Them" might remember that I featured his poem, "Library" several years ago. Here's a little excerpt:

Library

This book saved my life.
This book takes place on one of the two small tagalong moons of Mars.
This book requests its author's absolution, centuries after his death.
This book required two of the sultan's largest royal elephants to bear it;
this other book fit in a gourd.
This book reveals The Secret Name of God, and so its author is on a death
list.
This is the book I lifted high over my head, intending to smash a roach in
my girlfriend's bedroom; instead, my back unsprung, and I toppled
painfully into her bed, where I stayed motionless for eight days.
This is a "book." That is, an audio cassette. This other "book" is a screen
and a microchip. This other "book," the sky.
In chapter three of this book, a woman tries explaining her husband's
tragically humiliating death to their daughter: reading it is like walking
through a wall of setting cement.
This book taught me everything about sex.
This book is plagiarized.
This book is transparent; this book is a codex in Aztec; this book, written
by a prisoner, in dung; the wind is turning the leaves of this book: a
hill-top olive as thick as a Russian novel.
This book is a vivisected frog, and ova its text.

It goes on like this for pages and pages. He read six poems tonight. Three of them were at least 10 minutes long. I didn't really notice because I was dancing in my seat waiting for the next brilliant and/or hilarious turn.

I knew the poetry would be good. I didn't know the reading would be so good. His performance reminded me of Spaulding Gray. Not the sardonic moroseness, but the actor's skill with delivery and the way he used humor to deliver great truths. He acted his reading, even to the point of taking on different voices. It was great theater as much as great poetry. It was great.

The Anti-Hallmark Love Poem: A Poetry Workshop for Adults

Mon, 30 Jan 12 18:53:00 UT

The Anti-Hallmark Love Poem
a poetry workshop

When: February 12, 2012 10:00 am â 12:00 pm
Where: Greenwood area
Cost: $16
cash or check in advance or day of workshop
Age: adult
Limit: 15

Instructor:
Debby Bacharach has been a professional poet and poetry teacher for twenty years. She regularly conducts poetry workshops for children and adults. Debby is passionate about helping people find their voice through poetry.

Please contact Debby to register and for additional details.

Debby@atcwrites.com
www.atcwrites.com

Love is. . .a poetry and card making workshop for kids

Mon, 30 Jan 12 18:29:00 UT

Love is . . .
a poetry and card creating workshop for kids

When: February 11, 2012 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Where: Greenwood area
Cost: $16 (includes 4 cards)
cash or check in advance or day of workshop
Ages: 6-12 (pre-writers are welcome)
Limit: 15 kids

Instructor:
Debby Bacharach has been the visiting poet at Daniel Bagley Elementary for the past four years. She has conducted several poetry workshops for children and adults. Debby is passionate about helping children find their voice through poetry.

Additional Details:
You are welcome to leave your child during the workshop which will be held in Debby's home, steps away from some great Greenwood shopping and eateries.

Please contact Debby to register and for additional details.

Debby@atcwrites.com
www.atcwrites.com

oranges

Sun, 29 Jan 12 19:43:00 UT

John and I had one of our periodic we-will-not-put-up-with-our-kids'-picking-eating-a-minute-longer fits this week. Things had slipped to the point that they each were eating only one fruit: David--raisins, Rose--apples.

In our family, you always get dessert if you want it, but you always eat fruit course before dessert. So, we had some bargaining power. We made a new rule: if you wanted dessert, you had to eat the fruit we picked. (Everyone start your evil cackling and pick the most obnoxious fruit you can think of.)

Last night was smooth sailing. We let Rose have apple again, and we reintroduced bananas into David's diet, a previous staple. Tonight, however, was oranges. Neither had ever eaten an orange. Really. They've both had orange juice and liked it, but a real orange with flesh and pith and juice squirting everywhere--well, that's a different creature.

John did let them choose between mandarins and navel oranges. Then there was much drama and nose plugging and large gulps of water between bites. For oranges. Rose made it through rather quickly; David I wasn't sure was going to survive, and there was homemade (by him) chocolate chip banana bread on the other side. He finally let me plug his nose and got the last gulp down through his tears. At which point I said (with just a twinge of sarcasm), let's do this again tomorrow. And he said cheerfully, yes, let's, but with another new fruit!

good moments with Rose

Sat, 28 Jan 12 19:34:00 UT

Rose and I were chatting in the kitchen about her upcoming school band concert, and she said to herself, that's what I should do, practice the piano. And she did.

John warned me that Rose and David were fighting, but when I walked in the door, they were busily turning the living room into various houses and pet centers. They politely negotiated for the eagle vs. the monkey.

We went to the international district today to join in the lunar New Year celebration. Rose got more and more withdrawn and prickly. I kept asking what the problem was, and she finally explained she felt uncomfortable like she was foreigner and didn't belong here. I told her I completely understood. I had, in fact, been worried that we were crashing someone else's party even though it had been heavily advertised in the news. But, when I got there, there were plenty of other white families, and the teenagers running the booths seemed very eager to share their culture. We listened to taiko drumming, did calligraphy, made dragon masks, and paper lanterns before our hands got too cold, and we headed to our next adventure. Next year I'm going to take the bus, so I don't have to worry about the crazy parking, and I'm going to get there early enough to follow the lion dancers around.

I started talking to Rose about the history of racial segregation in Seattle and how living in a separate part of the city had not been a choice at the time but it became an easy way to find other people who shared your culture. Now, I have to think about how to honor her respect for other peoples' space while helping her to see when she is welcome.

We came home from a full day excursion. Rose went straight upstairs and read a book to David.

I told Rose there was no cheese left in the house, and she would have to have a hot dog. She said fine, can I have a bun with that? Yes, she could.

Talking about food, I told Rose she couldn't have cheese 4 meals a day any more because it wasn't the healthiest choice. She had tofu spread with breakfast and lunch, no complaint.

daily life resumes

Sun, 22 Jan 12 17:24:00 UT

The kids went off to Sunday school today. Whoohoo! I worked on poetry and lifted weights. Rose practiced the cello and did not whine about it. We only had to plan one excursion. They had a great time cleaning the play house at Cecile's while I discussed our cross country ski plans for tomorrow. Can I get another whoohoo?

For the last three days, they have immersed themselves in the Chipmunks cd the grandparents gave David for his birthday. They both LOVE it. David's new favorite song is America the Beautiful by the Chipmunks. I could complain about the obnoxiously high squeaky voices butchering the Beattles among other favorites. Or I could enjoy the fact that my kids are enjoying them together.

slush day

Fri, 20 Jan 12 19:41:00 UT

I do not do well without a plan. This morning we had no plan, no sledding, and slush blocked streets. So, I insisted it was bathroom cleaning time. The kids did not agree. Hilarity ensued. The bathrooms did eventually get cleaned.

After much rattling around, we all decided to play Ticket to Ride. Wow, an hour with no one fighting or cheating or complaining that someone else wasn't playing fair. The rest of the afternoon actually went well. I convinced David's friends with a Subaru to come over and play. Rose called up a friend within walking distance, and I walked her over the big street, and she walked the rest of the way. The friend with a Subaru drove me and David to his haircut appointment.

David and I had a lovely walk home from the hair cut.

Mommy: Watch out for that puddle.
David: What puddle?
Mommy: That one?
David: What one?
Mommy: The one you are about to step in to.
David: Yeah, that covers my whole boot.

I had a sudden panic attack when I realized I was teaching a new workshop in a week and a half, so I invaded the basement looking for materials. This lead to the great project of me and John going through a couple of art boxes. We have tons of art in the basement inherited from various relatives, and we often feel overwhelmed trying to decide what to put up, frame, or even get rid of.

Say good-bye to the champagne bottle we used to toast our engagement.
And the waterbottle with the puncture holes from the BEAR that invaded our camp site.

We put up the lovely metal boat that used to be on a coffee table in my grandparents' house. The Tibetan prayer wheel is still in the box with the hookah. The chimes and the gong went into the music drawer.

Mom can't make it up her street, so she's not babysitting; the sidewalks are treacherous; the streets are calf high in black puddles. Sally, our babysitter, who happens to live in our basement, had two other engagements, but they got cancelled. So, John and I are walking down the hill to the zydeco dance!

snow day

Wed, 18 Jan 12 22:23:00 UT

We sled down the city streets. I baked banana chocolate chip muffins. John read to the kids. Rose read to David. We slid some more. I went to the library and got four books on c.d. The kids wore wonderful protective gear--David his new coat; Rose her pink fur stole. There was transition misery as we came in from sledding but no huge fights. We smiled and laughed with our neighbors.

snow days

Tue, 17 Jan 12 20:24:00 UT

Often I don't notice how parenting has changed until I look around and go, wow, I haven't changed a diaper in years. I had one of those moments this week-end. It snowed. So, I told the kids to put on their snow clothes and go play outside. I lay on the couch and trudged my way through the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Sure, I may want to go play in the snow with them, but I no longer have to.

The snow has continued to pitter about and the Seattle schools have done their typical job of making crazy decisions. We had a two hour late start this morning--it rained. It started to snow a half hour before school was supposed to start, but did they cancel school? No. We arrived and they told us school would be two hours short. That's right I went home, had lunch, and went back.

I have spent all fall and winter trying to convince David to wear a coat. I even bought him a new coat that he has never worn. My small triumph this week is he wore his light weight blue jacket after his sweatshirt was thoroughly soaked. And then we have the Nolan factor. Nolan is an older boy whom we play with as much as possible. Nolan wore snow pants and a snow coat today. So, David started pining after snow pants. I took a deep breath and refrained from reminding him I tried to get him snow pants at the second hand store, but he refused. I just said, let's go to the store tonight before the snow hits tomorrow. Unbelievably, we found black bib overalls in his size--just like Nolan's. David was ecstatic. I went from very happy to ecstatic when I realized they were 60% off and I got them for $9.00, pretty much what I would have paid at Goodwill. I also scored two pairs of waterproof gloves for 5.00 each. Maybe I should always wait until the last minute to outfit my kids.

We are supposed to get 5 inches of snow tomorrow, and school is already cancelled. Stay tuned for tomorrow's adventures.

The Animals Beyond Us

Mon, 16 Jan 12 18:26:00 UT

Well, I haven't had any poem accepted in the last six months, but I did get a poetry review published today.

You can find it here.

David's birthday song

Mon, 16 Jan 12 18:22:00 UT

Happy birthday to me!
I'm a 100 and 3.
I still go to preschool, and I want my mommy.

My mommy's at work.
She fired a jerk.
She hired three monkies to eat my homework.

I like the changing societal roles in this schoolyard ditty, but I am hearing it constantly, only interrupted by Peter Panesque crowing, very very loud crowing.

David's birthday circle

Mon, 9 Jan 12 18:43:00 UT

I am continually in awe of the education my kids are receiving. I figure it's a combination of Montessori and their particular teachers, but they manage to make every moment matter.

I showed up at David's class for his birthday circle. Everyone was working quietly and independently. When the teacher rang a bell, every person put one hand in the air and one close to their lips in a shh gesture. Well, everyone except one who was still holding his pencil. So, she had them to do it again, but she said, "Don't worry if you're not done your work. We'll have time to do it later." And then she added, "Should you ever worry at school?" And the class chorused back, "No!"

The birthday circle itself combined lessons on civics, astronomy, geometry, fractions, and manners. Later on David shared gluten-free carrot cake with the class, which they all adored. And they made him a compliment book. David is now walking around thinking of himself as kind, fun to play with, and centered during work time. As well he should.

David's 6th birthday

Sun, 8 Jan 12 22:08:00 UT

7:20 David crawled into bed with us like he does every morning. Usually, he goes back to sleep, but this morning there was way too much to discuss, specifically how he didn't feel six. I said it was going to take me some getting used to it too.

Yesterday had had it's ups and down. I had been in a terrible mood for no good reason, and I think David was stressed about the impending birthday, so we fought over using the garden tools correctly and cleaning the bathroom. But then we had a wonderful family birthday party where he announced it was the best day ever.

Today I woke up way more cheerful and so did he.

9:15 Everyone was in such high spirits they forgot to complain about Sunday School starting up again. They both love Sunday School, but usually a restart is difficult. I went home and worked on the class I'm going to teach on incorporating quotes and paraphrasing.

12:15 The high spirits continued through pick-up. At lunch I left John in charge while I talked to Nancy. I came down to find them playing with the new electronic maze making toy.

2:15 Off we went to the gymnastics birthday party. Well, first John got annoyed with me not helping and I raced about sweeping and loading the dishwasher. Then we went off to the birthday party.

2:45 We had David's birthday party at the gymnastics place. They are great--very well organized, safe, and lots of fun challenging activities. We invited all the boys in David's class plus a few other friends. So we ended up with 15 kids, most of them boys 5-7. There was no way I was hosting that in my home. They were actually all very sweet and reasonably well behaved. David was a great host. We have been having trouble accepting gifts politely, as in not announcing "Legos! I already have Legos!" There was none of that today. He even spontaneously said things like "Nice drawing Sam."

John and David made chocolate cupcakes for the family party and chocolate cake for this party, and John is currently baking carrot cake for David's birthday circle. We discovered the older sister of one of David's classmates is also gluten-free, so we had the pleasure of providing her with delicious cake just like everyone else's.

5:00 Home and still happy. Really, if I knew cake and presents would keep my children from fighting, I might load them down every day.

5:30 John and I had leftover Ethiopian red lentils and chicken for dinner. So good. He made it of course. After dinner the kids kept playing together. Usually Rose wants to listen to a book on cd in her room while she makes potholders, and David wants to play with Rose. Ergo tension.

7:40 Rose read to David while he was in the bath!

9:00 John and I watched the last Bourne movie and ate popcorn. I'm feeling mighty relaxed.

back to school

Tue, 3 Jan 12 17:06:00 UT

David rolled around on the floor this morning announcing he did not want to go to school, and Rose announced she was scared about the upcoming math and geography quizzes, but everyone made it out the door, hallelujah.

I went to the post office, UPS, and Safeway. I wrote poetry for 2 hours and worked on a book review for one.

I ate lunch alone. It was actually a tiny bit lonely.

We all had a great time after school playing on the playground. David got thoroughly soaked kicking a big red rubber ball through puddles. All the pick-up moms exclaimed over how much we had missed each other.