The photo doesn't do her justice.

I'm a little worried about boring readers of this blog with too many puppy photos and too much talk about puppies....but not so worried not to post this photo. I mean. Seriously. Cute. Dog.

We met Lacey yesterday, and there is simply nothing like holding a puppy. Your own puppy. Here she is in Leah's arms, where I predict she'll spend a lot of her time in the not too distant future.

Lacey lives in a big, old, crazy, wonderful farm house in eastern Ohio, with a pack of other dachshunds who run freely between the kitchen and the sun porch. She was happy and playful and tail-wagging, and didn't seem to mind in the least when we picked her up and soaked in her puppy goodness.

It was hard to go. She's not old enough to leave her mama and littermates yet, and even if she were, we can't bring her back to our rental house. I'll pick her up when I drive to Ohio, and our new life and house there, in early July.

We closed on our house yesterday, then we got a thorough tour. I love it, even more than I thought I would. Now, in the fullness of late May foliage, it looks lush and private in the backyard. It's a pretty great house. It's ours!

We also stopped at my children's new elementary school, a short walk away. I'll wax on about this in another post, but I'll just say that my first impression of this school was wonderful. A good place.

So, Ohio, and the parts of our life there. Falling into place. Feeling true and right. Can't wait.

And, simultaneously, I'm now home in Virginia, doing the soccer game and birthday party circuit this weekend, and it seems unlikely and unwise to leave this scene and these people. Complicated.

Family Music for Grown Up Tastes

Here's the list: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90432642

Great selections here. There's a part of me that says, but wait, does every children's song have to appeal to the grown ups in the house, too? Some stuff ought to be just for the kids. Of course, I'm saying that as a Kindermusik educator, and as someone who, I've noticed, can listen to children's music longer and more happily than most other adults can.

But what I really think, is that really good music transcends age. The best children's music isn't "aimed at adult tastes," nor is it cloying, over-simplified, and poorly produced. Good children's music is good music.

I feel exactly that way about good children's literature--anyone would enjoy reading it. It's a good story with good characters, regardless of your age.

Introducing...

Lacey!

As in Maud Hart Lovelace. Lacey is a name all four of us really like, and it smoothly rolls off the tongue, and doesn't she just look like Lacey is her name? Once again (as all the names we've seriously considered), Leah came up with it. That kid has an understanding of what makes a good dog name. She's also devoted nearly every waking hour to the project....

We are taking a rather silly but very fun family trip to Ohio on Thursday and Friday next week. We're going to sign all the paperwork to close on our house, and then it will really be ours! Morgage and all! Woo-hoo! We get to walk through the house after signing (for the kids and me, it will be our first time), and the current owners have offered to tour us through the yard and show everything they've got planted out there. I can hardly wait. (Silly because we easily could have had the papers mailed to us, and saved us all the trip. But we didn't want to be spared the trip.)

And, as we drive back, we're going to stop in the little Ohio town where Lacey is currently hanging out with her mom and littermates, and meet her, too. What a great day.

We'll pick up Lacey for good on July 9th, the day we drive to our new house just ahead of the moving truck. That's bound to be a big day, I'll wager.

Great children's website alert!

You know the wonderful pop-up books by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart?

Well, of course, Robert Sabuda has a website! A marvelous website! Including downloadables and directions for making a few gorgeous pop-up cards of your own.

Oooh, I can hardly wait to do one of these.

Kindermusic grads everywhere!

Thanks so much to my friend Heidi for reminding me that Kindermusik grads are here, there, and everywhere.

As we wrap up our last few classes of Kindermusik for the Young Child semester 2, and as I say good-bye to these wonderful, enthusiastic, and musical children as my family and I head for Ohio, it's good to remember that we are part of a huge network of young musicians who are getting a fantastic start in music and in life through the fun and joy of Kindermusik. Love it, love my Kindermusik kids!

Company

We're having company tonight, and there's nothing like it to spur a flurry of clean and tidy activity from myself and every other member of the family. Place is looking pretty good. Marvelous.

Wanna come over next weekend?

Craig's List Magic

I have both bought and sold a number of things on Craig's List lately, in preparation for the move, and so I'm freshly reminded of the magic that is Craig's List. The best example of this is the photo enlarger. It was a beast, it was in my basement, and now someone has it who loves it. Here's the story.

My neighbor had put this crazy-looking, old-time machine out on his curb, ready for trash pick-up, with a scribbled sign taped on it that said, "Working Enlarger. Take it." We had just recently moved here, and I had just become my son's coach for his Odyssey of the Mind team--where kids take stuff and make their own inventions. This thing in the gutter was just weird enough to be interesting, and I thought a team of first graders might think it looked like a sci-fi transmogrifier. And, it was a big, metal thing, and the thought of it spending eternity in a landfill made me cringe. So, with considerable effort because it's HEAVY, I loaded it into my trunk.

The team chose something else. The enlarger gathered dust in my basement. Fast forward almost two years--it's time to move, and I've got to get this albatross out of my life. I list it on Craig's List for $10. Ted, a guy in his sixties who has a hobby of rebuilding photography equipment, picked it up this evening, and he was completely delighted with it, joyfully turning its knobs and naming its many moving parts. "A little beat up," he said cheerfully, "but I've seen worse!"

Craig's List. Ted is happy, I have $10, and the landfill is spared one more thing. Pure magic.

Sweetness in Kindergarten

On Mondays, I go into my daughter's Kindergarten class and facilitate one of the literacy centers. I love it. I love Kindergarten. This morning, one child was at the clinic because he didn't feel well. "Where is he?" worried one friend, a boy I don't think of as especially expressive of his feelings. "I sure hope he comes back," said another, who I would describe similarly.

In a little while, he did come back, sitting down quietly with his cutting task. "I'm so glad you came back," said one of his friends. "Yeah," said the other, "We missed you." The child who had been gone blushed and smiled with joy.

Beautiful.

Lucky mama am I

These were hand made gifts--a hand painted fan, and handmade paper, from my children. Oh, how I love them. Both the children and the gifts.

I hope your Mother's Day included something handmade, or maybe a sweet, sticky little hand to hold--better yet. Happy Mother's Day, friends.

Fortunately, times moves on

Sometimes I'm almost overcome with waves of nostalgia, longing for just another moment with my children before they're all grown up, or fearing how fast it's all going by--their lives, my own life--while I was busy doing dishes or frittering some time away on something, or being angry or moody, and not living in the moment. But I was reading a collection of essays and came across this phrase:

Fortunately, time moves on.

Now, that's very helpful. Recast the passage of time as something that I welcome. Focus on what is healing and good about time going by. Embrace.

Fortunately, time moves on.

splendid local art

Please check out this website! http://www.arlingtonartistsalliance.org/artists/AAA/Elizabeth%20Hudgins/elisabethhudgins.html

This link will take you to Elizabeth Hudgin's profile page on this wonderful website. I have the pleasure of owning one of Elisabeth's paintings--it's gorgeous. A dear friend of mine bought it for me as a good-bye present. It will hang in a place of pride in my new home in Ohio, where it will remind me of Arlington, of my friend, and of McKinley (it was purchased at the McKinley spring auction, where Elisabeth had donated her painting). A lot of power in one lovely, small artwork.

A guitarist to watch

...and not just listen to....a much as I love his playing, it might be even better to watch the peace and joy play across his face as he makes his music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBPWtng1dBA

wisdom from a young teacher

There's a young Montessori teacher in rural, mountainous Mexico, who keeps a lovely blog about teaching and sewing and occasionally other things. She is young and not yet a parent and so perhaps idealizes things just a touch from time to time, but generally I find her wise way, way beyond her years. And so talented! For example, this lovely post.

Meet our puppy.

Okay, we haven't met her yet, either, but we've found her--our red, smooth, miniature dachshund. She's lives with her mother and six littermates in Garrettsville, Ohio, which is more or less on our way to Beavercreek, our new home. We're going to pick her up on our way there, when she is 11 weeks old. Right now she is 2 weeks old. This photo of our pup and one of her sisters was taken when she was 5 days old.

Here's also a photo of her mother, Chloe (the light red in the grass), and her father, Elliot. The breeder is a lovely person, she breeds just a few dogs very responsibly, she also rescues animals and is just generally very good to her dogs. Chloe whelped in her living room and lives there now with her pups, where she can keep an eye on them.

It's been a journey to find a breeder I like. One who doesn't have so many dogs that they couldn't possibly be really cared for, nor a "show breeder," who keeps puppies for six months, and then if one doesn't seem to be just perfect for the show ring, she'll sell it for $1000 or more. I wanted someone who breeds pets, but well and responsibly, and happened to have a red smooth available this summer. We finally found her. It feels perfect.

I can hardly wait to get my hands on that little ball of fur.

Her name? Maybe it is Betsy, named after the wonderful, inventive, creative, and daring heroine living an ideal childhood in the Betsy-Tacy series of books. The kids and I are completely sold on this name, and Justin is perhaps warming up to it. Stay tuned.

Jacob's latest joke, part 2

There are a short list of jokes that it really doesn't matter how many times I hear them, I'll still laugh. Like a Pavlovian response. Especially when a grinning, giggling 8 year old is telling me the joke. Here is Jacob's latest.

Knock knock.

Who's there?

A little boy who's too short to reach the door bell.

Intrigueing summer vacation idea

http://www.wwoof.ca/canada/content/what.html

Can you just imagine your children digging in the dirt, using tools, caring for plants and animals, getting dirtier than they've ever been, learning totally new things with their hands?