kids, kids, kids

A little trip down memory lane.

Kids posing above are (from back to front) my baby brother Matisse looking kinda gangsta, and cousins Niki and Paolo. There's a big age gap between them and me, so I was their big cousin babysitter. They were sort of like my practice kids before I had kids.

They're not kids anymore though. These photos were taken years ago by our Tito Cholo, which I stumbled upon while sorting through old family pictures. Reminded me of when I used to take care of them when they were small, during my summer visits to New York or LA and thereabouts. They're my Fil-Am family.

Tito Cholo lets go of the camera to join this picture.

I think Matisse did the shooting this time, which is why he's missing in the shot. These days, Matisse - the young man - is pretty nifty with the camera himself. He's turning out to be quite the artist too.

They were a handful as little people. Loved them! Love them still. Flashback to an entire stay in Martha's Vineyard, a toddler Niki would only go potty with ME. No one else could put on her shoes but ME. Memories! Look at that cheeky little girl....

I really miss them. Now I can never huggy-wuggy and kish them or zerbert their tummies like I used to. That would be weird. Kids just grow up so darn fast.

wall candy

I am not the long-term relationship kind of gal. I don't like committing. I move things around. I like change. With space, that is. And because I get a kick out of having a new wall repainted here and a detail added there, I get by with a little help from some friends. Bob the Builder and Handy Manny , in my home, come in the form of twins - Mang Rocky, a trusty carpenter and identical brother Rodel, who does the painting. Yes twins. What are the odds of that?

wall space

Which is why I am currently loving Vinyl Wall Art. It is my solution to all this indecisiveness and ever-changing moods. Your room gets an instant face-lift in a second. Ok, I'm exaggerating...its actually more like five seconds. And I don't need to have the Handy Twins on speed dial.

A couple of months ago the Mak-Tatos and I got to play work. I laid out all the colored dots and we got sticker-happy-crazy with the playroom wall. When the boys this "sort-of OC" mama didn't like where it went, we peeled it off and stuck it elsewhere.

Our walls looked happier. The boys were happy. And I couldn't be happier with the new burst of color. It was a great way to spend a lazy, rainy day. Enjoy your lazy, rainy, colorful day.

architecture and the autonomous teenager

Somewhere in France... a tiny 12 square meters backyard area, plus some cool architecture, equals home space for an increasingly independent teenager. Check this out:

via dezeen

It is also called inhabitable furniture. The elements are assembled like interlocking pieces.

Paris-based H20 Architectes on their Chatou project:

"...the program includes elements necessary for an autonomous life including sleeping, living, studying and washing. It had been decided between the parents and teenagers that meals would still be shared in the family home."

I'm glad they at least still agreed to eat together!

photos by Stephane Chalmeau

Stark, high-function design really gets to me. Way to go H20 Architectes.

home sweet home

We're back. With a few extra pounds and a whole bunch of stories. I didn't have to drag the Mak-Tatos out of the island kicking and screaming. I did get a Why, mama, why is a vacation short and not everyday? and why can't we change our home to here? Thankfully, there were bills to be settled, gear to be loaded and a plane to catch. No time for answers. For now at least.

Unpacking the bags now and signing off for the day with a little vintage sesame street. A current favorite over here.

aesthetics, imagination and some science

Okay, I officially love film students, animators and graphic artists.

2007 Animation Showreel

The Royal College of Art

Thanks to Graham of We Love You So, I came across some great animation from graphic designer Johnny Kelly. Graham, referring to Kelly's stop-motion short The Seed: "Why is this not on Sesame Street? It seems just like the type of arresting, unusual animation that would provoke a lifetime of unconscious aesthetic influences for children.... " Yes. Yes! In other words: sparking their imagination with some cool shiz.

This is one of the things I hope to achieve when you-tube-bonding at home. That would be the kids and I enjoying and sometimes "dissecting" snazzy film shorts on the web: old school Sesame Street shorts, new school Yo Gabba Gabba, some Terri Timely, and lots more actually. I see future posts coming for you and your kids' 21st Century viewing pleasure and some unconscious aesthetic influence. Hope you tune in!

Happy to report that the kids at home do enjoy alternatives from the usual Nick Jr. and Disney fare. Case in point is this stop-motion short Graham was talking about. Johnny Kelly attempts to encapsulate the cycle of life in two minutes. Behold his genius in The Seed.

And here's a very cool way to introduce a big word to little people. Procrastination is Kelly's grad film for MA in animation at The Royal College of Art. Kids and I had fun watching this. Enjoy and do some procrastinating yourself! Some good ideas hit us in those moments....

Happy procrastinating Sunday!

on the road - river runs through it

Dear Nona,

We're still on our little "field trip".  The Mak-Tatos have declared they are staying put right here.  Today's adventure was on a canoe, through sixteen million year-old limestones, with what felt like thousands of bats (tato's estimate: one hundred million. mak's: one zillion), down what is said to be the longest navigable river tunnel in the world. Think Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings.  With a little touch of Batman. 

It is a serious contender for the seven wonders of nature.  No wonder. 

blog pick - katie did

There are a couple of things I wish I could do. i wish I could sing. I wish I could draw. I wish I could sew and make pretty things. Give me a needle, a thread, some yarn, knitting sticks (see, i don't even know what they're called!) or even a crochet hook and I instantly have two left hands and ten thumbs. I'm pretty sure we had some sewing classes in high school. Where was I?

Photos from Katie Rich

Which is why I love - and love to envy! - the blog katie did. Meet Katie Rich. One wonders how she manages to entertain us with her blog, look after her three children, her home and find the time to dress her children in the prettiest creations. Hers. I am not kidding. See for yourself. Here are a few of her masterpieces. Check out the pretty little details, the bows, the sleeves, how she recycles an old scarf she knitted to make a tiny little one for her daughter. A top with five on it for her daughter's fifth birthday. Her own daughter's artwork transferred to make the coolest top. Brilliant. Adorable. Ingenious.

And so I sit here a little envious, and a lot inspired thinking maybe, just maybe, its not too late for me.

after-school fun and learning

Because teaching moments don't end after class, Keys Grade School has some after-school programs for children ages 5 and up. Read on for some unique offerings your young ones might be interested in.

Graphics Design will be handled by Teacher Rosevie, a college art professor and animator and Teacher Jamie, a clothing and functional design entrepreneur. Kids will use traditional tools and computers to grasp the essentials of visual arts, typography and digital design. They will be designing and printing their own graphic tees, creating animation and taking a stab at actual product design.

Scrapture! blends environmental consciousness and creative expression. Using recycled materials, children will learn and apply principles of 3-dimensional art in creating sculptures, collages and art installations that promote ecological awareness.

Click on pics to enlarge and read brochure.

There's also Green Thumbs for young botanists. A favorite Keys co-mom Kara A. even wants to sign up for Presenting! so she can master Powerpoint and Keynote with the kids. There's Kiddie Yoga courtesy of the Art and Music Meditation Workshop - useful for lengthening attention spans, sharpening focus, and for creatively tapping into the imagination. Kids have a lot of that! Check out the last batch of Keys' mindful mini-people here.

This information comes from the brochure in the above pictures. Sorry did not have time to get a PDF file for posting. Programs start running next week so had to post pronto! You can call the school at 727-9357 for more details. There are other programs to choose from, and CHILDREN WHO DON'T GO TO KEYS ARE WELCOME TO JOIN. You might also want to visit Keys Grade School on the web.

Liked this. Click the pic to see how resident 6 to 7 year

olds helped their teachers spruce-up their classroom doors.

Oh and... I have no stock in Keys, nor am I employed by them. Just had to say. Bear goes to school there and I'm just spreading the word about their well-thought programs and the good work that they do. We also had our first parent's rep meeting this morning and what a cool bunch of moms and dads I was with. Proactive parents rock! That's it and... all for advocating true progressive education in the Philippines.