Urban living: Hi Happy Panda

About a month ago, while I was trying to come to grips with the dashing of my rural living dream, I began reading blogs centered on urban family living.  As I rather desolately clicked through links, looking for some perspective to lift me up out of my own narrow thinking and to once again appreciate the creative opportunity that not-getting-what-I-want brings (making do is one of my favorite games to play), I came across something that was interesting enough for me to lift my head out of my pout and start to pay attention.

Do you ever feel like sometimes you get trapped in a certain way of thinking? I know I can wear ruts through my mind that seem almost impossible to switch tracks out of, yet sometimes just a tiny nugget of new information can derail the whole line of thought. I love that.


The interesting thing was a picture of a woman's tattoo sleeve taken by Rachel of Hi Happy Panda.  Rachel labelled the photo: local art.  I was floored.  In my four years of blogging, I don't think it's ever occurred to me to take pictures of any person other than, honestly, my children.  Two thoughts presented themselves to me then.  The first (and it's not really a new thought): I am of the worst kind of blogger, it's all about me, my kids and more of my kids.  Second, the thing about cities is that they are where you find the most fundamentally important resource of any person throughout all of time all over all of the world: other people.

What could be more interesting, entertaining, nourishing, educational, and important than people?

Okay, trees are good too, but once I realized that the city actually does have most of the things I associate with rural living, like trees, open spaces, wildlife, and the possibility of home food production, I started thinking about what else the city offers that I cannot find on the farm.  Things like galleries, theatres, museums, street festivals, coffee shops, foreign food markets, boutiques (especially ones just for handmades), live music in a variety of venues, and, of course, an incredible diverse population of people.

Exploring Hi Happy Panda, I saw Rachel's two beautiful, obviously thriving and engaged children living the unschooling life to the fullest in urban centers.  It didn't hurt that Rachel's wee ones happen to be the same ages as Smootch and Birdie (see, I somehow always make it about my kids).  I decided that Rachel was one wise and adventurous mama and I had to know more about what she does.

So I emailed her.  And asked if she'd come talk to us.  And she said yes!

Yay!

Below you will find a guest post from Rachel of Hi Happy Panda, sharing with us her wisdom and perspective about life in the big city.  Read on to find out how awesome her and her family is.  And then go visit her blog and tell her just that.

Thank you Rachel!

***

Until being contacted by Charity to share the nature and experiences of our urban unschooling family, I honestly hadn't thought there was anything special about our urban-ness. You see, I would love to be another Amanda Soule, living on a rural farm, animals galore, abundant forests and wildlife for the kidlets to explore, and living only close to a city. Alas, my dearest husband is a graphic designer in the film industry and living outside of the city is out of the question; the commute would be horrific. Traffic in Los Angeles is no joke. And most importantly, his hard work in the city allows me to stay home with our kids.


Growing up in the sticks, over an hour away from LA, I never dreamed I would live in this sprawling metropolitan city; a city that my mother would drive us kids to, visiting family, museums, and seeing concerts. I do my best to bring a little of the sticks to our city home. We are fortunate to live on a hill with an unruly garden, an unruly little dog, and a sleepy cat. It's quiet here. We birdwatch from our kitchen window, tend a modest vegetable patch, we have fruit trees, a tepee, lots of weeds, and we spend lots of time out on our deck or treasure hunting in the garden.


Greta is 6 years old and Henry is 3. They were both born here in Los Angeles. We decided to homeschool early on, unschooling came later. After meeting a beautiful unschooling family and first hearing the term, it felt like the right style for us. It was basically what we had been doing all along, learning naturally and loving it.

A fallen nest on our deck.

The wonderful thing about unschooling in Los Angeles is that you don't have to travel far for a rich cultural experience. We can sample a bit of Tokyo, Thailand, Armenia, Korea, Mexico, China, the list goes on, all without getting on a jet plane. These neighborhoods all exist within a few miles of us. I'm happy that my kids have this diversity surrounding them. We live in a melting pot, bumping shoulders with all different walks of life, everyday. In this environment they will develop a unique kind of tolerance and empathy that I feel they would miss out on in rural America. These qualities, even at their tender ages, have been manifest on many occasions.

Henry in Little Tokyo.

How do we enjoy the natural world in this concrete jungle, you ask?


We want our kids to experience as much nature as they possibly can. From the beaches to our own back yard, from the lizards that find their way into our house to nursing the poor bird that flew into our window last week, we pause and appreciate these moments. I will point out to them the sweet grass that shyly grows next to the bike rack or the powerful tree roots that are buckling the sidewalk, allow them time to investigate the bug on the leaf. We are zealous observers of the flora and fauna all around us. Also, we take advantage of botanical gardens and a nearby arboretum. In these places we can feel lost in the trees and the kids have the freedom to roam and explore. We also love our park just down the hill that we can walk to. Whatever we do, wherever we go, our day will be spent mostly outdoors.

Henry in the rose garden at the Huntington Library and Gardens.

Greta and Mae in the Children's Garden.

With friends buried in sand at a local park.

How do I feel about the air quality and other negative aspects of the big city?


I hate the air. But I try not to think about it too much. There are days in summer that we simply stay inside or head to the beach where the air is cleaner. I don't want to be naive about the pollution, it is a concern, but at this point it's something we are living with and unfortunately have to put up with.


Crime is another concern. Our neighborhood is rather safe but we don't have to drive far to go through a bad one. We just drive on through and no matter where we are, good neighborhood or bad, I stay alert to our surroundings. There are plenty of wacky people around and for these ones I keep a keen eye on as well. I'm a mother bear, I can't help it.


Traffic, another bummer, but easily avoided. We have the luxury of getting out of the door past the morning rush hour and usually are back home before the afternoon rush hour. This minimizes our time in the car. I also avoid the freeways, driving side streets when I can, even if it means taking an extra few minutes.

A beautiful day downtown.

How do we go about finding fun and educational activities?


Being a part of an amazing community of homeschoolers and unschoolers really helps. Everyone is happy to share their favorite places, upcoming events, educational classes. There are also many programs, concerts, and tours designed specifically for homeschooled kids that we are alerted to via different Yahoo groups. There is a large network of creative and ever supportive families whose shared experiences have proven invaluable.

Unschooling Mama Liza leading a science lesson for the kids during our weekly park date.

Greta and Poppy stirring the goo.

Ballet class at Le Dance Studio in Pasadena.

Do we venture about town with friends or on our own?


We do both. But I have to say the kids enjoy joining a friend or two wherever we go. We usually meet up with friends at museums, the beach, playgrounds, and gardens. We also play at each others homes which is always a delight, as our friends keep such kid friendly and happy retreats. We keep our days at a slow country pace, not rushing about trying to cram too much in. This keeps us free of unwanted stress and allows the kids ample time for free play, alone or together.

With Viv and Celeste, busy with something interesting.

Taking a break during woodworking at Side Street Projects.

Poppy, 5 years old, gives me a lesson on how to use a knitting doll.

What are some of our favorite places in the city?


The Huntington Library and Gardens is a favorite escape for us. We keep a membership going which gets our family in for free. It's also close by so we can feel free to go on a whim. We also have taken advantage of the Annenburg Beach House in Santa Monica. We pay for parking and have access to a pretty beach, a decent restaurant, a playground, clean restrooms (always a plus) and a pool. We instituted a mini unschooling park day there last summer and we've had a lot of fun in the sun. We also enjoy Griffith park, Kidspace in Pasadena, and the very kid-friendly Gene Autry museum.

Panning for gold at The Autry Museum.

A pony ride in Griffith Park.

Henry sprints on the beach in Santa Monica.

Another benefit to my husband's work in the film industry, and homeschooling, is that when he gets to work out of town, the whole family can travel together. We spent several months in Santa Fe, New Mexico, St. Simons Island, Georgia, and most recently New Orleans, Louisiana. Having the freedom to travel along with our kids to these amazing destinations, without the constraints of school, the kids have had educational experiences that cannot be measured. It has also satisfied our desire for travel and given us a new perspective on the city we call home. We are settled in LA for now and plan on discovering new areas of the city that we've overlooked in the past.

In Santa Fe.

Greta on a beach on St. Simons Island, GA.



Feeding the horses, a ritual after lessons in New Orleans.

I believe that Los Angeles has been good to us. We've made some wonderful friends here and shared experiences as a family that I wouldn't trade for the world. We've done well in making delicious lemonade with our lemons and hope to continue taking full advantage of our time here.


This summer we hope to visit the majestic Redwoods and attend my brother's wedding near a mighty river in Oregon. Maybe even a jaunt to Portland to visit the city we hope to someday live. We'll spend days at the beach and keep up with dance, music, and woodworking classes. With each day there is a new experience to be had, a new person to meet, a new place to explore, all at our own pace. With an open heart and an open mind, creating a rich environment for our kids, and making our own homestead here in Los Angeles, we are happy.

love the one you're with

I wanted to show you version two of a dashiki with a deconstructed collar (this time on purpose) but, more than that right now, I just want a kid who can SIT STILL AND LISTEN for one damn moment.

This child, this boy, he mumbles wahs instead of rrrrs.  But you can hear him clear as a bell when he runs up and shouts, 'I will destroy you!' right before he whaps you with the instrument of death du jour. 

In the toy store he always walks around with a box on his hand.  Inside the box is usually a gun and he has his tiny little fingers wrapped around the handle and trigger.  You know when he points the box in your direction, squints his left eye and asks, 'are you a bad guy?' that you are already dead.  Asking, I've found out, is a mere formality.

Birdie, would you like to have your picture taken in your new train shirt?

No!  Yes!  Onna bed so I can jump!

If he could just sit still for just a moment.  With a smile.  Without grub on his face and his hands sticky.  Without making that weird face he does with his tongue sliding out and his eyes rolling back into his head.  Without waving, without jiggling, without jittering, worming, twisting, wiggling, slumping, shooting, bumping, flopping or raspberrying.

Just be still!

Don't worry, I can't seem to upset him for too long. 

Much has been made of little boys.  They are daring, and darling, messy and aggressive.  They charm and then they balk.  They shout and storm and boss and will do almost anything for a laugh.  They can be so considerate, but only after they've reduced you to tears. 

They think that everything is okay unless the walls are actually falling down around them. 

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, Calvin and Hobbes, Max the Wild Thing.  Spiderman, Superman, Jedis, sharks, tigers.  Guns, swords, sticks, things with wheels that crash into other things with wheels...

Boys!  How did I end up with one? 

I try not to label frustrating behavior as just 'being a boy'.  It excuses some behaviors that are truly unacceptable, others that are dangerous, and clouds my vision of the person standing (wiggling, bumping, raspberrying) before me.  'Boys will be boys' is a knee jerk reaction that cuts the intellect and allows me to disengage emotionally.  To pretend like I really do not any influence on how my young man behaves.  He may belong to the tribe BOY (which I conceded, has its own unique customs and rituals), but he's also a real, whole person who needs to stand up and account for his own behavior.  We will not hide behind gendered stereotypes in this house!

And that's the way it's going to be because I'm the mom and I said so.

Oh, look, there is a a child there!  A little blurry still, a bit grubby, messy hair, I love you mommy... yup, that's my kid.  

Garden Alley sweet linen baby loafers giveaway

Y'all remember Lena from Lena's Patterns?  Who makes the patterns for these sublime little shoes?  You remember how generous she was with her not one, not two, but three pattern giveaway last month?

Oh, good, I knew you'd remember.  Yes, I think she's pretty neat too.  My kids really love her kimono shoes.

Okay, now look at these:

I know!  Darling, right?!

Want to win a pair?

No, not the pattern (though you can find that here).  I meant, would you like to win the actual shoes?

Yes?  Yes!

Of course you do!  These wee linen loafers come in sizes 0 to 24 months.  They are made by Garden Alley, which is really Lena, who creates them by hand from pattern to final button with almost all natural materials (there is a layer of thick poly needle felt to keep the feet warm against cool surfaces).  I think they're beautiful and love the wooden buttons.

What's that?  Just tell you how to get these gorgeous loafers onto your sweet baby's feet? 

Alright, settle down.

For a chance to win these lovely linen loafers by Garden Alley, leave a comment below telling me how much you love them.  Feel free to add any additional words about your love for me too, if you're feeling inclined.  I warn you, though, flattery will not affect the outcome as I will make a random draw on Wednesday evening, May 25 (after I return from house shopping... again.  But that is another story for another day).


Good luck!

********************

Well, hello again!  I have drawn a random comment.  Seeks, darhling, can you get a hold of me at vegbee[AT]littleprintdesigns.com and I can connect you with a sweet little pair of loafers.

Thank you to everyone to played along and a double thank you to Lena and Garden Alley!

wonderland revival

I recently did something I never thought I'd do.

You see this book?

This poor tortured book?

I had bought it in this terrible condition, enthralled with the illustrations (though despising the condensed, dulled version of the text) and have been holding onto it for years.  I'm a sucker for hard luck stories, and I'll take home every ripped up, abused, and broken book I find.  I try to rescue these orphaned books and give them the love and care that they so obviously did not have with their former owners.  I like to think of myself as their savior and protector, a guardian angel to mishandled books everywhere.

Which is why what I did last week is so shocking.

I don't know what came over me.  The fact was the book wasn't going to get better and, frankly, the text was seriously shoddy and skewed.  I thought, instead of having this half book gather dust on my shelf, not to mention suffer the indignity of  yet another move, why not give it a new life?

So I did.

The Man's cousin married had herself a wedding last weekend and, embracing my husband's tradition of giving a recipe box as a gift, I salvaged as many pictures as I could to make dividers and to spice up some recipe cards.

The divider cards were mod-podged onto printed card stock to give it some weight.

Though, I did find the glue made it a bit wavy, so the whole lot had to spend the night under a stack of heavy (but less abused) books to flatten them out.

Of course, I couldn't just put the cards into any old recipe box.  I had to make a rabbit hole.

You may recognize the fabric, I've used it several times before for Smootch and Birdie's clothes.  It is lightweight, and seemed held the glue well.

Really, the whole fabric box was an extreme mod-podge experience, including odd make-do types of clamps.  Crafting perhaps not at its finest, but, at least for me, at its most usual.

But I like it.  I even bought another box so I can do the whole thing over again for myself.

My favorite part?  Besides the revival of some fantastic Alice in Wonderland illustrations?  Well, I'm feeling pretty pleased about actually being able to incorporate some of the the wedding invitation into the box, on the inside lid and here on the bottom.

All in all, I am surprised to find I am not feeling much remorse about my dissection of the book, seeing as it was already doomed and now it has a new life where it can be appreciate everyday.  The wedding was beautiful and I hope the bride an groom get some use of of the box and enjoy the illustrated recipe cards.  Food is elementary to us all, and I believe that it should be a wonderful experience from the very beginning, even when the meal is still just an idea, a sift through the old recipe box.  In fact, I'm so very much in love with the decorated recipe cards I've started to turn a predatory eye towards several other damaged discards...

paper jedi

Thanks to all who shared links to paper toy and game ideas. The kids have taken to the idea of having a new paper toy every day and I've been busy with exacto blade and scissors, putting them together.

I thought I'd share today's toys, since they are so adorable.

Ahsoka Tano and Anakin cubees by CyberDrone.

Are you noticing a bit of a Star Wars trend here on Indietutes?  The Man introduced the Clone Wars to the children (not my choice) and now I live with a couple of pint size Jedi who call me 'Ventress' instead of 'mama'.  The kids are seriously loving themselves some Star Wars.  There is a reason why they call it The Force.  As far as I can tell it's irresistable.  One day I will tell them about when I was a child, being at the local premiere of Return of The Jedi, and having to be carried on my uncle's shoulders to avoid being crushed by the crowd.  Perhaps it will increase my Star Wars cred a bit and I can be promoted to General Grevious.

summer sewing for the boy

A little bit of summer sewing before I pack up the machine.

My dashiki with a deconstructed collar.  I'm saying 'deconstructed' like I meant to do it, but fact is that I goofed and put it on the wrong way.  But, now that I decided to pretend like I meant it all the while, I sorta like the frayed edge look.  Relaxed and beachy looking, yes?

I just noticed the nasty skeeter gnawing on my boy's neck.  Grrrr.

It has been suggested that in addition to the tutorial, I also make up a full pattern for those who are not pattern-making inclined.  Would anyone else be interested?  What sizes should I aim for?

I have plans to make up a few more of these dashikis, along with the shortening of the ankle exposing pants into shorts for the summer.  The dashikis are nice for sun and bug protection, with their longish sleeves, but still loose and comfortable in warm weather.  While I probably won't be able to keep his shirt on all summer - both my kids would rather be nekked than anything - but I'll have better luck with this style than a hot, stuffy t-shirt. 

I'm still debating about whether I'll put the collar on the right way next time or not.

paper trail

They say there are two types of shoppers.  The first type is very smart.  They shop around, compare, make lists of pros and cons and think very, very carefully about what is the best to buy.  The second type will shop as long as it takes to satisfy a previously determined criteria, say in colour, price or whathaveyou, and buy the first item that fits the bill.  I am the second type of shopper.  Which is good because the second type usually ends up more content with their purchase, having less doubts about whether there was a better choice or if the mental calculations were accurate.  The second type thinks, 'I got what I want and it's all good.'

Which is why I don't feel too bad about looking at a house on Monday night (only the third house viewed since we started) and making the final signatures on the purchase by Wednesday night.  We move in June 15.  Our own house.  No more moving (for a little while).

I've started packing.  Again.  I am becoming quite good at it now, have a system in place and am even developing some strategies for keeping the kids out of the packed boxes.  They love to undo what I have done.  My children are like my Sisyphusan karma.
 

(Ellowyn paper doll by Jo James.  Print your own from here.)

Strategy number one:  Paper!

With all our things packed up early, because I really hate packing at the eleventh hour, finding amusements for myself and the children become a bit more challenging.  When we have a few hours on our hands do we do puzzles?  Nope, packed up.  Legos?  No, packed.  Cars, dinosaurs, dolls, board games, trains?  Packed, packed, and packed.

So, what to do?

 (City scape from Taro Gomi's Play All Day paper punchout book.)

Temporary, easily accessible and full of novelty.  I love paper.  And when it comes to moving day, anything still surviving can be popped onto a child's lap and off we go. 

We've been exploring free printables online for the last couple of days.  It's amazing how many fantastic creations are out there, how generous artists and creatives are.  I've gotten lost more than one time exploring sites like this and this.

Except for the printer, some light cardstock, scissors, glue and rubber bands, I hope to be ready to go soon.  And then I'll have some time to spend in the paint store, driving  myself mad with too many choices.  It seems that I am a satisfiser type shopper when it comes to houses, but for wall paint I am firmly in the first catagory.   Big decisions are easy, but the little choices are fiendish. 

(Paper masks from Stars Wars.)

If you have any suggestions for paper toys and games, please feel free to share them.  The kids love the paper and, frankly, I could use some distraction for them.  I've got some packing to do.