Napi Makes a Village

Super excited about a project I am currently working on. Volunteering with the nonprofit organization- WeStories out of St. Louis, I am working with a group of gals to create a list of multicultural books for 5 year-old kids! Once the lists have been thoroughly analyzed and discussed and agreed to upon by the larger group, WeStories will then begin distribution of the lists throughout the St. Louis region to schools, libraries, families, and well, just about anyone who might be interested in them.

I’ve been spending lots of time at the public library, the school library and in my home doing research by reading dozens of books with Baby Girl. It has been so much fun reading with her and it’s been interesting to see how she gravitates towards certain books and how the words stay with her.

Each week, I will try to share one multicultural book here on the blog. I find that there is a real lack of information/resources in this space so thinking it might be cool to put it out there.

This week’s book is Napi- Makes a Village (Funda un Pueblo) by Antonio Ramirez Domi. We read this story a few times about a Mazateca girl in the region of Oaxaca, Mexico that journeys to build a new village in a remote area away from her current village. The images are colorful and powerful with deep metaphors. The concept of family and cultural heritage is strong. The girl realizes how brave and strong she herself can be because of who she is and where she and her ancestors come from when she faces a family crisis.

Tell me what you think- looking for more books- if you have ideas on multicultural books- please share them! I need to read as many books as possible. Off to read and research!

Weekend Road Trip to South Bend, Indiana

A few weekends ago, we road-tripped to South Bend, Indiana for the Rip the Duck Lacrosse Tournament that Second Most Honorable Son participated in. It was a fun, memorable family adventure. It was cold as all out but somehow that just brought us closer together. Nothing like huddling under a blanket with heat warmers in the snow to bring a family closer.

Friday, April 8, 2016

3 p.m. Leaving much later than we wanted (this is a theme for us- always), we finally hit the road. It is a beautiful drive from St. Louis, through Chicago and Indianapolis. During the 6 hour drive we hit every weather possible- high winds, fog, snow flurries, rain and sunshine. This midwest weather is CRAZY!

Saturday, April 9, 2016

8 a.m. First lacrosse game isn’t until early afternoon so we decide to make the most of our morning by driving around South Bend and walking around University of Notre Dame.

10 a.m. We visit the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The first mass here was celebrated in 1875. The church has been lovingly restored and preserved. It has a sanctuary, seven chapels and forty-four large stained glass windows produced in the 1870’s and 1880’s at the Carmelite Sisters’ glass works in Le Mans, France. A “minor basilica” is a special designation given by the Pope to certain churches because of their antiquity and historical importance. Pope John Paul II designated the church a minor basilica in 1992.

1 p.m. Team Jackson gears up for three back-to-back lacrosse games in the course of 5 hours, in 2o-degree weather. I came prepared with blankets, heat warmers, four layers of clothing for everyone but still, it was not enough. Second Most Honorable Son was such a trooper. He was pretty much numb throughout the duration of the games, with snot dripping from his nose and teeth chattering but he didn’t complain too much. This was a huge character building moment for this kid who loves to complain.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

8 a.m. Final lacrosse game in freezing rain with umbrellas and blankets wrapped around us. After a quick and yummy pancake topped breakfast at the Original Pancake House, we head to the bookstore on Notre Dame’s campus to buy swag in the form of sweatshirts, books and t-shirts.

4 p.m. We are on the road again, back to St. Louis.

If you find yourself in this neck of the woods, here are some kid-friendly activities in South-Bend, Indiana to explore:

The History Museum– Fun, hands-on activities take you back to the pioneer days.

Hannah Lindahl Children’s Museum– Run through a collection of unique artifacts and exhibits that explore the Mishawaka area’s natural history, pioneer villages, and homes.

Potawatomi Zoo and Park– This zoo is on 23 acres and was Indiana’s first zoo. There’s a train, farm, playground and splash pad.

South Bend Chocolate Company Factory and Museum–  Get a tour of the factory and museum. Sample some chocolates and take some home for souvenir gifts.

 

The Eggy Egg Experiment

We spent last weekend conducting science fair projects and putting together the presentation boards. My son was lucky enough to have been selected to participate in a science fair mentor club at school so he had been working on his project titled Length and Rulers for over 5 weeks, really spending time thinking about the process.

Baby girl was another story. We had to start from scratch. Pinterest to the rescue. I selected five ideas I thought she might like from a search on science fair experiments for kinder kids.

Baby girl chose the one involving hard-boiled eggs and beverage stains. We left the eggs in separate cups filled with 1) Coca-Cola beverage, 2) Orange Juice, 3) Vinegar and 4) Earl Grey Tea overnight. The following day we looked at the results. Here’s what they looked like:

No surprise there! Coca-Cola stained the eggs the most with a dark brown color.

This was a great experiment that demonstrated the effect of soda on teeth and the kids all realized it to their great horror. Yuck- that’s what soda does to our teeth?! My inner me was secretly smiling.

The science fair projects were transferred to the local high school today and the exhibition is this coming weekend. We’ll see how it goes. Kids are super excited.

 

Laundry

I forgot.

That five year olds love to help. Together we walked down two flights of stairs with a basket piled high with laundry. The clothes kept falling out with each step and thump. And we put them back in. Every single time. When we finally made it to the basement, it was time to sort darks and lights. Huge piles were made on the ping pong table. We moved clothes from the dryer into the now empty laundry basket and placed the just washed clothes into the dryer.

Load after load. It never ends. This chore of laundry is so monotonous it kills me. Feel like I’m in the movie Groundhog Day. I look at the clothes and ask myself didn’t I wash this yesterday? I am exhausted.

As I look at the new basket of clothes ready to be folded I take a glance at my little helper. I say “well we don’t need to fold these now, it will take awhile.” But she surprises me by saying “we can do it together and it won’t take as long.” And I respond by saying, “yes, yes of course.” I get back my energy and strength and slowly, ever so gently show her how to fold a shirt, a dress, a pair of pants. She is so excited.

And then I remember that eight year olds don’t like to fold laundry. How could I have forgotten? And I am sad because I realize this time will pass so quick. Too quick.

And I will be alone on a sunny day – lugging, sorting, washing and folding laundry in the basement with the whirl of the washer and dryer going at the same time. Wishing I was somewhere else and remembering.