Tradition

I've always loved these first lines from the musical, "Fiddler on the Roof":

"A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here in our little village of Anatevka, you might say that every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask, 'Why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous?' Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: tradition!"

(Is the song in your head now?)

Over the years, my children and I have made many traditions. Some of them we came up with ourselves. Some of them have been handed down for many generations. Each one has a special meaning for us and some events and holidays just wouldn't be the same without them. I think Tevye had it right. Traditions bring balance to our lives.

This Easter weekend we've celebrated with several traditions. Here are a few pictures of our favorites.

My son informed me a few days ago that we did NOT make the bunny cake last year for Easter and that it was imperative that we DID make the bunny cake this year. I hadn't realized this was a tradition, but apparently it is. We've made this cake on and off for the past 10 years. My son wanted to decorate the bunny's face this year. As you can see, it is a Harry Potter bunny.

We, like many families, love to color Easter eggs. Someone usually makes a rainbow egg. Someone usually tries to make a brown egg. All of the eggs are full of creativity. Anything involving creativity and color is bound to be an important tradition in this family!

This last tradition goes back many generations. My grandfather's family was from Russia and made the amazingly delicious traditional Easter bread (Kulich) flavored with saffron and lemon. It's extra special making this bread. I feel ties connecting me with family every time I make it. It reminds me of who I am and where I come from. It provides perspective and balance in my life.

"Without our traditions, our lives would be... as shaky as a fiddler on the roof!"

Back to Books

So... the first three months of the year have already flown by. For much of that time I've been on something of a hero's journey with my health. Although I don't recommend getting sick in order to have more time to read... I definitely enjoyed all the books I've been in the last few months. Thank goodness for good books. What else does a person do when they can't sleep at 2 am? Here's the list:

1. Cleopatra's Daughter - Michelle Moran - A fascinating historical fiction. Well researched (and fun if you've been to Rome... I haven't yet!) this story follows Cleopatra's children to Italy after her death.

2. Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians - Brandon Sanderson - Recommended by my brother Ken... so no surprise it was a riot! Alcatraz is the name of the young hero and he finds himself learning that the world as he knows it is actually just the version that the powerful Librarians want the people to know. Oh, and his superpower is that he breaks things. Really.

3. Suite Scarlett - Maureen Johnson - A fun, fast read about a young woman, her family who owns a boutique hotel in New York, and a crazy summer adventure.

4. Two Old Women - Velma Wallace - This was my book club's choice for March. It's based on an Alaskan legend about two old women who are abandoned by their eskimo tribe during a harsh winter. They find their "moxy" and manage to survive and thrive.

5. Dragon Flight - Jessica Day George - This is the second book to "Dragon Slippers" and I liked it as well as the first one. It's a fun, typical heroine-and-her-dragons story.

6. The Princess Plot - Kirsten Boie - A clever twist on the prince and the pauper story where a girl thinks she's just been chosen to play the part of a princess in a movie. She ends up in a plot just as crazy as a movie, only it's real.

(Note: I fell in love with two series... here are the books...)

7. Midnighters: The Secret Hour - Scott Westerfield - This series is by the same author as the "Uglies" series and it's just as captivating. The premise is that people who were born at midnight can see an extra hour in the day that happens at midnight every night. Each midnighter has a "power" that of course, they have to use to save the town from the dark creatures that live in that extra hour.

8. Midnighters: Touching Darkness - Book 2

9. Midnighters: Blue Noon - Book 3

10. The Thief - Megan Whalen Turner - I absolutely love this series! The first book actually won a Newberry Honor Award and I can see why. The story takes place in a fictional place that sort of resembles the Greek Isles. It follows the story of a young thief and his adventures through the three warring countries in his homeland. The characters are superb and the storyline will keep you guessing what is going to happen!

11. The Queen of Attolia - Book 2

12. The King of Attolia - Book 3

I'm always looking for more good book recommendations... if you have any, please leave a comment!

Stargirl

Have you read the book "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli? If you haven't... I HIGHLY recommend it. I love the book. I love the title character, Stargirl, who is described as, "a new 10th grader at Arizona's Mica High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukelele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music."

My daughter and I were talking about this character a few weeks ago. We were both admiring her courage in being exactly who she is and not caring what anyone else thought of her. We liked that she was not swayed by other people's ideas of what she should be. She was true to herself.

We thought it would be cool to get rings with stars on them to remind us to be like Stargirl... to be true to who we really are.

Last week I found two star rings. Mine is purple and my daughter's is teal. It makes me smile when I look at it on my right pointer finger. It reminds me of who I really am. It prompts me to be myself no matter what.

Besides, I like dancing when there is no music.

Birth

I've been around the sun 37 times now. It seems pretty amazing. I blink these days and another year goes by.

I had a super sweet day that began with breakfast in bed provided by my kids. The BEST part was that when I came downstairs after breakfast... the kitchen was cleaned up. :-)

I always take pictures on my birthday with me and my kids. I really had to take pictures this year because they BOTH are now as tall as I am. There is something so surreal about looking your kids in the eye! I can't believe my 13-year old son is this big! (He weighs more than me too!)

And my 14-year old daughter is just as tall. Of course this means she's always wanting to look in my closet... I guess I should be glad she thinks my clothes are stylish.:-)

My mom came up for the weekend to celebrate with us. We all went to dinner at TGI Fridays on my birthday. Then my mom and I went to San Fran for the day and saw "Wicked" again. (Thanks mom for the row G seats!!) It was super special to be able to share the day with her.

More than anything I am grateful this birthday to be feeling better. That's something to celebrate!

Valentine

Valentine's Day has a double celebration around here. It's my son's birthday too.

I had a choice, whether or not to have a Valentine's baby. My doctor was going out of town for the holiday, so he offered me the option of being induced, or waiting and getting whatever doctor was on call. My due date was the 15th and my first baby had been born exactly on her due date.

I thought for a while... and then decided that of all the holidays to be born on... Valentine's Day would be cool.


I think it worked out perfectly. Not only did I get an amazing son, but he is the sweetest boy ever, and a champion hugger. Perfect for Valentine's Day.


And I get an automatic Valentine every year. Happy Birthday!!

We Are Meant to Dance

Have you danced yet today?

One of the blessings of teaching creative movement to preschoolers is that I have a beautiful reminder of what it was like to dance as a child. Do you remember being 5 years old and when you heard music you just had to start moving? Dance comes so naturally to children. Human beings are meant to dance. We've been dancing as a means of self-expression, communication, ritual, and just for the sheer joy of it for as long as we've been on planet Earth.

(First ballet recital)

Why then do so many of us not dance like we did when we were children? This has been on my mind lately as I've wanted to share the bliss of creative movement I've seen in the preschoolers with all of the adults around me. I have always loved to dance and it has been a deep source of joy to me. It carried me through childhood, through the awkward teenage years, and into adulthood (am I there yet?)

(Far left - Freshman year of high school - Dance Repertory)

If you spend any amount of time around me you will inevitably find me dancing. My kids and I have a favorite evening activity of going on YouTube, each choosing a song, and dancing like crazy till we all fall on my bed. My whole family regularly joins in the dancing (Meg and I kicking in the kitchen...)

(Dancing with my brother and his children.)

I guess I just wanted to send out a reminder to all the adults I love in my life to keep dancing! Move your body - music is optional but tons of fun. Dance by yourself in your bedroom, or tango with a special someone, or crank up the music with a whole group of people at your next dinner party.

Take a cue from the gorgeous world we live in. It's all dancing all the time. The waves, the trees, the fish, the clouds. They're all creatively moving in beautiful ways.

Join in.

Goodbye 2009

Last New Year's Eve I went to the beach and wrote the year in the sand... and watched the date wash away with the waves...

I decided to do the same thing this year. The kids were with me, so we packed up and went to the beach for the afternoon.

The weather was gorgeous! (This is why I live in Cali!) We had ice cream and kicked back. (Yeah, mine are the little feet in the middle!)


Then we played frisbee and catch on the beach for a while. When we had worn off our ice cream, the kids found a spot to sit amid the beauty of nature... and listened to their iPods. :-)


We had some time to reflect on the last year and all of the amazing things it has brought us.

This guy has grown into quite a young man. He is fearless in his fedoras.

This girl is an amazing young woman. She has taken the high school by storm.

Me and my girl.

I got the kids to take a couple of pictures of me in yoga poses on the beach. This one - warrior pose - is my favorite.

My daughter snapped this one of me too. If I look like I'm contemplating the past and considering the future... it's because I am. :-)

Goodbye 2009! You were an unbelievable year.

Hello 2010!