momsville

Gold Leaf and Gouache

Megasoma actaeon janus, beetle

Acanthosomatidae, a true bug

Lucanus cervus, beetle

When we moved to our house nine years ago, there was a very old cherry tree in the back yard. An arborist told me to cut it down. It was infested with carpenter ants. It leaned to the side. But it was blooming. And it was beautiful.

It is now early spring and the tree was threatening to bloom again, so I had to act fast. I found the nicest, gentlest tree guy I could, apologized to the tree spirits, and euthanized our friend.

This is a memorial to a backyard tree that was woven into our lives here.

spring

summer

winter

max at 5

Max 7, Miles 4

Max at 8

March 29, 2009. Max 11, Miles 7

…for birthday celebrations. These are just some of the many cakes I’ve managed to throw together by party time.

As you can see, I truly believe that anything can be made more festive by adding m&ms and sprinkles. Yum!

Over 40 years ago, Disney opened the “It’s A Small World” ride to promote world peace and showcase the cultures of the world. Now after almost a year of renovation, Disney unveiled the “updated” version populated with trademark porn: Aladdin, Nemo, Ariel and more than two dozen other characters plucked from its movies.

Shame on you, Disney, for muddying the idea of actual people actually seeking understanding. I can count on you, Disney, to be a thoughtless corporation polluting one of your most beloved attractions looking for just one more way to make a buck. Way to insult many cultures at one time.

Yuck!

Sick Day.
Nothing like a disruption of the holy schedule. Definitely a slice of momsville.
Slam on the brakes and reset to “I am a parent” mode.

Recreate the schedule for the day.
Rearrange transpo for the now-healthy brother.
Move appointments – lunch for me, orthodontist for him.
Change gears and watch a movie that is possible for us both to like. (I Am Legend)
S l o w i n g  d o w n. 

Speaking of Superheroes…
the Skirball Center in LA is exhibiting
ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950
from February 19th to August 9th of this year.

And how could I not post a link to Cartoon Brew’s Superman’s Secret Cartoon History!

  The Justice League

Superheroes (super-heroes?, super heroes?) have been on my mind and right in my face a lot lately. I live with two boys ages 7 and just-about-11. The path to superhero worship happened so subtly and gradually that I had to really go back to map it’s arrival.

First came mythology. My kids clicked really early on (like preschool) with Greek and Roman mythology. We would play a game in the car, “Greek or Roman”. An adult would call out the name of a God and the kids would guess “Greek” or “Roman”. (This game was based on our original, rather limited car game “Toilet Paper or Breakfast Cereal” which evolved into the much more successful “Pharmaceutical or Greek God”)

While interest in mythology remained strong, along came Pokemon. The boys traded with friends and complete strangers alike and carefully built their collections. They arranged and rearranged their cards according to everything from cuteness to illustrator (Yes, the artists are credited right on the card). But it was not lost on me that the basis of the game was power. Power and attack. Although cute.

A couple of viewings of Justice League and glimpses of superhero comics mixed well with mythology and Pokemon and the die was cast. Superheros took over our lives. We have argued about movies being appropriate or not. We have been begged for everything from T-shirts to information. How many times did I have to tell a 5 year old that I wasn’t holding back information on Batman, I just didn’t know!

Then came a magic moment. Our babysitter – a guy in his early 20′s who was already a main source for superhero info – gave them The Gift. “The Marvel Encyclopedia” entered our lives and was immediately joined by “The DC Encyclopedia”. These tomes were studied, deconstructed, questioned and sometimes ridiculed. Both boys have mocking impatience with “stupid powers”. Well…more on that later.

Now we have complete superhero saturation – everything from magnets to costumes:

to action figures. One favorite book series, Sidekicks, is still on our shelves. Unfortunately I think they are out of print. These books are hilarious if you have even a working knowledge of the superhero genre – a Tick for my children’s generation.

Sidekicks

My kids make stop motion movies with an ease that I almost can’t comprehend. I have to refrain from telling them how technically hard this was back in the day. I like that they just groove with it.